Topic: Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet (Read 18527 times)

Manne · « **Reply #15 on:** April 15, 2014, 02:28:00 AM »

love it

Starbug · « **Reply #16 on:** April 16, 2014, 11:47:20 AM »

Independent Units:
FSS Lloyd-George (Chamberlain class Frigate)
FSS de Gaulle (Chamberlain class Frigate)
FSS Ajax (Ajax class Destroyer)
FSS Achilles (Ajax class Destroyer)
FSS Apollo (Ajax class Destroyer)
FSS Bulwark (Renown II class Assault Carrier)
FSS Majestic (Renown II class Assault Carrier)
FSS Bangor (Belfast class Corvette)

Tartarus Station is also home to a number of ships not permanently assigned to any duty or formation. These include the Chamberlain class Frigates Lloyd-George and de Gaulle; originally built for the Star League, they were sold to the Federated Suns after the Reunification War. They severed for many years, primarily as armoured transports and patrol ships. Badly damaged during the First Succession War, they were withdrawn to Tartarus Station and mothballed. Reactivated during the Jihad, they once again served as armoured transports for high value cargoes and dignitaries, only ever seeing sporadic action. While not an uncommon sight around New Avalon or other important worlds, Tartarus Station is still considered their home port.
The Ajax class destroyers Ajax, Achilles and Apollo had long been withdrawn from active service and converted to training ships when the Star League fell. However, after the loss of six of their sister-ships to Draconis raiders in the Rochester system in the early days of the First Succession War, it was decided that, as desperate as the situation might be, they were not worth using as front-line units. Instead they were withdrawn to Tartarus Station and quickly stripped for parts. With the technological renascence triggered by the recovery of the Helm Memory Core, it was decided to return the three surviving Ajax's to their former status as training ships. This took far longer than anticipated, but by 3060 they were at least able to move under their own power. By the end of the FedCom Civil War, they had been fully restored to their original configuration, and served as training ships for Davion crews through the Jihad and afterwards.
Originally Renown class Battle Carriers, the FSS Bulwark and FSS Majestic were badly damaged during fighting over New Avalon during the First Succession War and withdrawn to Tartarus Station for repair. This proved to be impossible at the time due to the loss of key manufacturing plants and knowledge, so they were mothballed. When the technology to reactivate them was regained in the 3050's, it was decided to instead convert them to the proposed Assault Carrier configuration. This work took almost twenty years, but both ships were operational by the end of the FedCom Civil War. They would not see action until 3069, when they took part in Operation: WINGATE against the Capellan Confederation. While they proved to be much more successful in their new role, both ships were damaged during the operation, and were withdrawn to Tartarus Station for repair. They continued to serve throughout the remainder of the Jihad, including the liberation of Terra itself. The newly born Republic of the Sphere enquired into the possibility of purchasing the two ships, but the Federated Suns declined the offer, instead retaining them for use by their own forces.
The Belfast class Corvette Bangor is operated by the Department of Military Intelligence as an electronics surveillance vessel and as a transport for covert forces. While she saw no combat during the Jihad, she did partake in many military operations, always operating under the utmost security. There are rumours that she was fitted with then same level of surveillance equipment as a Star League ere Bug-Eye, something the Federated Suns has been quick to deny. For security reasons, the Bangor is based out of Tartarus Station.

Other vessels of note:
FSS Rycon (Columbia class Battleship)

While there are a number of derelict and partly dismantled warships still held at Tartarus Station, perhaps the most important is the Columbia class Battleship Rycon. Sister-ship to the Pegasus, the Rycon suffered extensive damage during the First Succession War, to the point where she only had one operational sub-light drive to provide power when she limped into Tartarus Station. When it became possible to begin work reactivating ships held in the Tartarus system, it was decided that the best use of the Rycon was as a source of spare parts to repair the less badly damaged Pegasus. This required the partial dismantling of the Rycon, with large areas of the outer hull completely removed, exposing several compartments to vacuum.
During the Jihad, a full inspection of the Rycon was conducted to see if it would be possible to bring the ship back to fighting condition, but in the end it was decided that it would not be an efficient use of the limited resources available at the time. Instead massive plates of sheet metal were placed over the hull, allowing the interior to be re-pressurised and turned over to storage.
As of this time there are no plans to reactivate the Rycon, but the AFFS has put a hold on removing any more critical components from the ship.

So, there you have it; a run-down of the ships known or suspected to be held at Tartarus Station, assuming that it does indeed exist. I, for one, remain to be fully convinced. Yes, it is true that the Federated Suns has been pulling previously long thought warships out of somewhere, and yes, the list of ships presented here does seem to match those ships. But there is still no hard evidence that they have some secret Star League outpost that they've managed to keep under warps for so long.
Show me hard evidence of that, and we'll talk again.
-Starling

Dragon Cat · « **Reply #17 on:** April 16, 2014, 05:15:39 PM »

Mystery of the Rycon is solved - in one universe at least

Starbug · « **Reply #18 on:** April 16, 2014, 08:17:27 PM »

Quote from: Dragon Cat on April 16, 2014, 05:15:39 PM

Mystery of the Rycon is solved - in one universe at least

I'm still waiting to see what you have in store for her :-)

Starbug · « **Reply #19 on:** May 13, 2014, 09:27:20 PM »

I'm not normally prone to passing on information gained from only one source, but in this case the information is too good and from too reliable a source not to bring to the attention of our little band of rumour-mongers, conspiracy theorists and information brokers. You'll remember, I'm sure, my thoughts on the almost mythical Tartarus Station, and the hidden cache of warships it supposedly plays home to from my last dispatch. Well, it seems that the Federated Suns wasn't the only group keeping some of their toys in that particular box.
Before we continue, it is important to remember two key pieces of information.
Firstly, that Tartarus Station was founded and originally operated by the Terran Hegemony, not the Federated suns.
Second, while the arrival of the 32nd Pursuit Squadron is perhaps the first thought that comes to mind when one thinks of the survival of the station after the fall of the Star League, they were not alone.
With this information fresh in our minds, lets take a look at this latest nugget of information.
-Starling

Star League Defense Force ships held at Tartarus Station:
SLS Brooklyn (Farragut class Battleship)
SLS Marko Ramius (Cameron class Battlecruiser)
SLS Norfolk (Sovetskii Soyuz class Heavy Cruiser)
SLS Anchorage (Congress class Frigate)
SLS Terence Gilliam (Quixote class Frigate)
SLS John Paul Jones (Essex class Destroyer)
SLS Mahan (Essex class Destroyer)
SLS Rio Grande (Naga class Light Destroyer)
SLS Rubicon (Naga class Light Destroyer)

The anchorage and repair facility that is to day known as Tartarus Station was first built by the Star League Corps. of Engineers at some point between 2577 and 2597. Officially, it was intended to serve as a forward repair, rest and refit base for SLDF warships taking part in operations against the Taurian Concordat, the Outworlds Alliance and other, smaller Periphery states. And while it indeed served this purpose well, it also acted as none-too-subtle knife held at the throat of House Davion, a heavily fortified naval base at the very heart of the Federated Suns, should the Hegemony ever feel the need to impose its will upon them.
As such, it was always host to a number of warships, both in transit between the Hegemony and the front lines, and a standing garrison out in place to ensure the stations security. Again, this standing guard force was a double edged sword; while it was officially in place to free up units of the far smaller AFFS Navy, it also insured that the Federated Suns never moved against the station. Despite this duality, it was still considered a low-priority posting, and was often staffed by older ships no-longer considered fit for front-line duty, but no ready for the breakers yard. Given the distances and costs involved, it was often considered more cost effective to simply mothball the oldest ships in the Tartarus system, rather than return them to the Hegemony for decommissioning, and over the years, the system became home to a second ghost fleet.
With the fall of the Star League and the arrive of the 32nd Pursuit Squadron, many of these ships were decommissioned; the refuges simply lacked the manpower and support base to operate so many ships, and the 32nd was still relatively combat ready. With this in mind, the last of the guard ships, along with a handful of other ships that had found their way to Tartarus, were mothballed along side, but distinctly separate from, the Federated Suns ships held there.
The most impressive, and from an historical perspective, the most important Star League ship still held in the Tartarus system is the Farragut class Battleship SLS Brooklyn. An original Block I Farragut, the Brooklyn served as part of the 174th Line Squadron of the Seventeenth Fleet for over a century. After several tours of the Free Worlds League, the Brooklyn was transferred to convoy escort and patrol duty in the near Periphery as part of the 194th Line Squadron, Nineteenth Fleet.
Towards the end of the Reunification War, the Brooklyn was badly damaged by a 500-kiloton nuclear mine, believed to have been a re-purposed warhead from a Peacemaker missile, an attack that the Taurian Concordat claimed responsibility for. The damage was bad enough that the Brooklyn was ordered to return to the Terran Hegemony for repairs, but it soon became clear that there was unseen damage to her Kearny-Fuchida drive, causing unpredictable power spikes and drops, drastically increasing the risk of a miss-jump. One of the SLDF's Newgrange class YardShips was dispatched to perform emergency repairs, but even then, the Brooklyn's KF-drive proved to be temperamental at best. Unable to make it back to the Hegemony safely, the Brooklyn was instead ordered to Tartarus Station for more extensive work.
Unfortunately for the Brooklyn, the engineers at Tartarus Station found a series of small but growing fractures in the germanium core of the ships KF-drive; short of ripping the entire drive out and replacing it entirely, there was no way to ensure that the Brooklyn would not suffer a catastrophic accident the next time she attempted to jump. Unfortunately, this would require effectively dismantling the entire ship, and it was decided that it was quicker, cheaper and easier to simply build a replacement from scratch. However, while her jump-drive was too badly damaged to be of use, it was a relatively simple job to repair the rest of the damage the mine had done, and could easily be done using the spare parts and equipment already on hand at Tartarus Station. Thus, as a cost saving measure, the Brooklyn was permanently reassigned as the command ship for the garrison squadron.
The Brooklyn served in this role long after the bulk of of contemporaries had been withdrawn from service and mothballed, protected by her unique situation. However, it was the fall of the Star League that saw her decline. While she wasn't scuttled, as per the orders from General Kerensky, the cutting off of any and all spare parts from the Hegemony meant that it was impossible to keep her operational as parts started to ware out and fail.
The arrival of the 32nd Pursuit Squadron was the final nail in the coffin, yet also oddly her salvation
With the William Halsey to replace her as command-ship of the garrison, the engineering staff remaining on Tartarus Station were able to mothball the Brooklyn, protecting her from further decay. Every care was taken to preserve her exactly as she was, a process that took almost a year to complete. There were some complaints from the Federated Suns, who had hoped to make use of the Brooklyn herself if Tartarus Station no longer had need of her, but yet again, the treaty that covered the stations unique as an enclave of an allied foreign power (even a defunct one) meant that they were unable to press the issue.
Centuries passed, and with the technological renaissance of the 3050's, it once again became possible to produce, on a limited scale, parts compatible with the Brooklyn. The Department of Military Intelligence carefully sourced these parts from across the Federated Commonwealth, using shell companies and cut-outs to stop anyone from realising just what was being manufactured. While repairing the damage to the ships jump-drive remains an improbability, the Brooklyn has been partly reactivated, acting as a combination academy and system-defence unit, normally maintaining a close position relative to Tartarus Station. She is, in essence, a massive monitor, capable of in-system transit, but unable to safely leave. While it is theoretically possible for the Brooklyn to make a jump, the risk of the KF drive suffering a catastrophic failure that could destroy the ship is considered too great at this time.

TBC...

Starbug · « **Reply #20 on:** May 19, 2014, 06:47:47 PM »

Unlike the Brooklyn, the Cameron class Battlecruiser SLS Marko Ramius suffered considerable damage before arriving at Tartarus. One of the ships that refused to follow Kerensky into exile, her crew instead attempted to start a new life as mercenaries. Working first for the Free Worlds League, and they saw a reasonable period of success against the Lyran Commonwealth until they were tracked down and confronted by the LCS Indefatigable, a Tharkad class Battlecruiser, in the Dixie system. With unrepairable damage from previous engagements, the Marko Ramius soon found itself on the losing end of the fight, losing most of its starboard weapons and armour before a lucky hit to the Indefatigable's sub-light engines allowed it to finally break contract and retreat from the system.
While the Free Worlds League offered to repair the damage, the terms offered amounted to little more than a thinly veiled Company Store gambit. Unwilling to accept this, the crew of the Marko Ramius decided to try making it to one of the few shipyards still operational in the former Terran Hegemony, in the hopes that their supply of otherwise worthless Hegemony script might still be accepted there. Unfortunately, by the time they reached the former League/Hegemony boarder, every shipyard outside of the Sol system had been destroyed as the Successor States fought each other over the bones of the Hegemony. The crew tried to then make the their way towards Terra with the intent of trying to join up with the newly formed ComStar, but fell afoul of a squadron of destroyers from the Draconis Combine that were conducting raids deep within the former Hegemony. Normally no match for a Battlecruiser, the destroyers took note of the damage already done to the Marko Ramius and decided to try and capture the larger ship. Falling upon her like wolves fighting a bear, the destroyers attempted to cripple the Marko Ramius in prelude to sending over prize crews.
And they may well have succeeded, if not for the intervention of the Sovetskii Soyuz class Heavy Cruiser SLS Norfolk and the Essex class Destroyer SLS Mahan, both formally of the Star League's Nineteenth Fleet, that jumped in almost on top of the battle. Given that the Marko Ramius had been broadcasting a SLDF IFF code while travailing through former Hegemony territory, the two newcomers saw her as an ally under attack and immediately moved to engage the Combine squadron. The Norfolk opened fire at extrema range with her capital missiles while the Mahan moved in closer to try and free the Marko Ramius from the fight. One of the Combine ships was destroyed outright by massed naval autocannon fire, and finding themselves the ones out-gunned, the remaining raiders broke contact and scattered.
While the Marko Ramius survived the battle, she had lost almost all her remaining armour and armament. One of the two Pentagon class Assault DropShips she had been carrying had also been lost, badly damaging the docking collar it had been attached to. While the crews of the Norfolk and the Mahan offered what help they could, it was clear that there little they could do to do more than perform emergency repairs: the Marko Ramius desperately needed a fully equipped and supplied shipyard. Her were still intent on reaching Terra, but the captains of the Norfolk and the Mahan managed to talk them around with stories of Star League ships regrouping somewhere in the Federated Suns. While they had little more than vague reports of the 32nd Pursuit Squadron being seen crossing over into Davion space and hearsay of a surviving base hidden somewhere in the Crucis March. But with ComStar still an unknown entity, a slim hope was better than no hope at all, and the three ships set off together.
Managing to reach the Federated Suns boarder without further incident, they got as far as the Rosamond system before being challenged. While maintaining a defensive posture, they transmitted their identification codes and asked about other Star League units that might be operating within Davion space. There was a period of rapid communication between Rosamond and New Avalon, before the three Star League ships were told to head for O'Fallon, deeper within the Crucis March. This voyage took almost two months, during which the crew of the Marko Ramius continued to work towards repairing their ship. Arriving at a pirate point far out in the O'Fallon system, they were surprised to find the Quixote class Frigate SLS Terence Gilliam waiting for them. After confirming their identities and intent, captain of the Terence Gilliam made the newcomers an offer; safe haven, in exchange for swearing to help protect that haven from outside attack.
The crew of the Marko Ramius were quick to accept the offer: despite their best efforts, their ship was nearing the point of massive systems failure that would leave it a drifting, lifeless wreck. It took longer to convince the crews of the Norfolk and the Mahan, many of whom still held on to the slim hope of somehow returning to the former Terran Hegemony and salvaging at least part of their homeland. But the choice was simple; sign up with the still unproven ComStar, continue on without support, or accept exile in the Federated Suns. In the end, all three ships accepted the offer, and the Terence Gilliam led them to Tartarus Station.
Upon arrival, the Marko Ramius was moved to the stations repair facility, where the engineers worked to repair what damage they could. While they were able to replace some damaged or destroyed components from stocks, and fabricate others using the equipment they had to hand, they simply lacked several key components. While they were able to repair the ships key systems and hull, they were unable to replace the lost or damaged weapons due to ComStars refusal to export any from Terra. The Federated Suns were unable help, as they needed their dwindling supply of capital scale weapons to keep their own fleet operational. In the end the decision was made to strip the Marko Ramius of all remaining weapons, redistributing them other ships. With her life support systems once again running at full capacity, the Marko Ramius was converted into extra living space. It served in this role for years, before purpose built habitats were completed to house the civilian population, and the Marko Ramius was ultimately decommissioned and mothballed.
With the rediscovery of the technology and knowledge needed to build warships in the 3050's came the opportunity to reactivate several of the ships held at Tartarus Station. The Marko Ramius was a prime candidate for this, as all the structural damage had already been repaired; all that was needed was to source and fit new weapons. This, however, proved to be easier said than done: while the by then Federated Commonwealth was able to build certain capital-scale weapons and other much-needed components, they were unable to replace others, such as the massive Super Rand Heavy Naval PPC's that made up much of the Cameron class' weaponry. ComStar was willing to offer some assistance, but they made careful note of every piece of equipment that they sold, making it impossible to redirect anything as conspicuous as a capital-scale particle cannon.
In the end, it was the destruction of Clan Smoke Jaguar that help solve this problem; with the bulk of the Clans naval strength destroyed during Operation Bulldog, the Department of Military Intelligence launched a secretive recovery mission codenamed Operation Clarions Call, aimed at locating and stripping disabled Smoke Jaguar Warships of any usable components. While not as great a success as many had hoped, in that it failed to locate any salvageable vessels, Clarions Call did manage to recover a number of damaged but repairable weapons. It also, inadvertently, resulted in the location and capture of a number of former Smoke Jaguar technicians with practical experience at repairing and maintaining warships. Given that all such prisoners were supposed to be registered with the Star League, an act that would have blow Clarions Call wide open, DMI instead accepted the technicians, a large number of their support workers and their dependants as Bondsman. This caused a certain amount of tension with Tartarus Station, as the Terran Hegemony had had some very strict rules governing slave labour and indentured servitude, in that it was strictly outlawed and punishable by death. It took some time to explain to the isolated community of Tartarus Station that being Bondsmen was part of Clan culture and the easiest way of assimilating the new arrivals, and in a single massive ceremony, every single bondcord was cut at the same time.
With replacement weapons and first-hand experience on repairing and fitting them to call on, Tartarus Station was able to make short work of repairing the Marko Ramius, and she was declared fully operational in 3070, even if they were unable to provide a full crew for another two years.

Starbug · « **Reply #21 on:** May 21, 2014, 07:14:58 PM »

The history of the SLS Norfolk and the SLS Mahan are intertwined: both had been assigned to the Nineteenth Fleet prior to the fall of the Star League, with the Norfolk part of the 192nd Escort Squadron (Poseidon's Trident) and the Mahan the 195th Reconnaissance Squadron (Shadow Hunters). When General Kerensky gave the order for the Exodus, there were many within the Nineteenth Fleet who felt that they should stand and fight for the Terran Hegemony, and in the end these officers and crew took the Norfolk and Mahan and stayed behind while the other surviving ships of the Nineteenth left with the Exodus Fleet. The two ships spent the next couple of years running back and forth across the fragmented remains of the Hegemony, doing their best to try and keep the wheels from totally coming off.
Unfortunately, they were just two ships, and every attack they staved off and factory they stopped getting destroyed meant that they weren't there to stop a dozen others. While the two crews remained dedicated to the ideals of the Star League, a certain amount of fatalistic pessimism started to take root, and there were several suicides. Then, just when all hope seemed lost, word started to be passed around the remaining SLDF units that someone was attempting to gather sufficient forces to take and hold at least some former Hegemony worlds in a bid to keep the nation alive in some form or another. It remains unclear to this day just where these stories came from: some say that they originate in the rumours that had been circulating at the time as to Jerome Blake's true intentions after he seized Terra. Others that it steps from a number of Star League governors and senior officials who attempted to carve out their own little nations, only to get steam-rolled by the Successor States. There is certainly evidence that reports of the 32nd Pursuit Squadron and the flotilla under their protection crossing into the Federated Suns were circulated at the time, but mostly put down to misidentification or were part of a rear guard for General Kerensky's fleet.
Whatever the origins, the crews of the Norfolk and Mahan decided to make for Davion space. Along the way they encountered and saved the Marko Ramius from attack as already recorded. However, unlike the battlecruiser, neither the Norfolk nor the Mahan has suffered major damage prior to arriving at Tartarus Station, and what they had sustained was quickly repaired. They were then assigned to assist the 32nd in defending Tartarus Station from any possible outside attack, including by the Federated Suns. While moral on the two ships did improve, there remained a certain amount of discontent over the fact that there were no plans to return to Hegemony space. This lead to friction between those who simply wanted to stay out of the war, seeing the Hegemony as a lost cause, and those who still clung to the dream of saving it.
This animosity continued throughout the First Succession War, until it became clear that there was no chance left of saving the Hegemony. There was some talk amongst the two crews of leaving Tartarus Station to join with ComStar, who they saw as the closest thing to a neutral party in the savagery that had followed the fall of the Star League, or maybe even trying to track down the fleet that had departed under General Kerensky. In the end, however, pragmatism won out, along with a certain amount of seeing the strange colony that was forming in the Tartarus system as home. The Norfolk and the Mahan remained part of the system garrison until the end of the Second Succession war when it decided that no one had the naval strength left to challenge the 32nd Squadron. Unable to support so many warships with such a small population, all active warships other than the 32nd were mothballed to save money and resources better used elsewhere.
Due to their general good condition, the Norfolk and the Mahan were the first two mothballed Star League ships to be reactivated by Tartarus Station in 3065, and served as training ships to help the newly expanded System Defence Force, allowing officers and crew trained on the Brooklyn to actually plot an execute a hyperspace jump for the first time. They later acted as a OPFOR for Davion crews training on the Ghost Fleet during the Jihad, but like the other Star League ships from Tartarus, saw no actual combat.
There was talk, after the Jihad ended of handing the two ships over to the Republic of the Sphere in honour of their previous crews dreams of seeing the Hegemony reborn. But this would have required explaining just where they had been kept throughout the long centuries of their exile, so the idea was quickly dismissed, especially after the incident with the Cynthia Davion made it clear that the Republic was intent on tracking down Tartarus Station by any means necessary.

Starbug · « **Reply #22 on:** June 12, 2014, 09:33:28 AM »

In comparison, the Congress class SLS Anchorage had a far darker journey to Tartarus Station.
Previously assigned to the Seventeenth Fleet as part of the 172nd Interdiction Squadron (The Young Knives), the Anchorage had been operating in the Periphery in support of General Kerensky's campaign to bring the worlds there under Star League rule. She had the misfortune to be called back to the Terran Hegemony for a refit two years before the Stefan Amaris struck. While she had completed her upgrades, she had been undergoing a shakedown cruise within the Hegemony, and found herself cornered by a trio of ships loyal to the Usurper in the New Rhodes system in early May of 2767. While the Anchorage was outnumbered and out-gunned, her crew was far more experienced and battle tested, and managed to destroy one the two destroyers sent against them, and seriously damage the other and the cruiser leading the attack before being run down in the systems outer reaches.
Apparently enraged that the crew of the Anchorage had refused the order to stand down and submit to the rule of House Amaris, the two hostile ships refused all offers to surrender, and continued to fire upon the Anchorage until she lost main power. With both of her DropShips disabled and her launch bays badly damaged, the crew of the Anchorage found themselves trapped too far from New Rhodes to make the journey by escape pod, even if there had been enough to carry all of the survivors. The Amaris warships then withdrew, broadcasting a system-wide warning promising a similar fate to anyone who sort to aid the stricken ship.
Fortunately for the Star League crew, not everyone in the system was overly concerned about this warning. The independent merchant DropShip Firefly covertly made her way out to the Anchorage, and while unable to dock, was able to send over a medical and engineering teams to offer what assistance they could. Taking on the most critical casualties, the captain of the Firefly promised to return with help. Making their way to a pirate point, they met up with a smugglers ship that made its living running goods back and forth across the Hegemony/Suns boarder, avoiding the heavy customs dues on luxury goods. While unwilling to risk helping the Anchorage directly, the smugglers were willing to take the Firefly with them to Caselton, where they were able to contact the AFFS Admiralty.
A rescue ship was quickly dispatched, with the Firefly guiding them back to the disabled Anchorage, arriving just in time to save the crew. Working around the clock, and under the constant threat of being discovered by the Usurpers forces, the salvage crew was able to repair the Anchorage enough to get her jump-drive working, and both ships returned to the Caselton system with their would-be executioners none the wiser.
Some questions were asked about just how the captain of the Firefly knew where he could find the smugglers ship, but never officially, and her crew was duly paid a third of the Anchorages value under the universal laws of salvage, and thanked for saving the frigate and her surviving crew.
With the Usurper watching the Great Houses closely, it was impossible to take the Anchorage to Challenge Systems of Galax, the only Davion shipyard that had the resources to repair the damage. They were, however, able to nurse her to the Tartarus system, where the engineers examined the Anchorage and reported that the damage to her inter-system drive and fusion reactor was so extensive that they would have to be replaced. Given the prohibitive cost of such a massive undertaking, it would actually be slightly cheaper to order a replacement frigate from Dekirk Aerospace. As such the Anchorage was officially consigned to the scrapheap. But with the eventual fall of the Star League and the destruction of the Dekirk Aerospace shipyards, the option of simply replacing the Anchorage was lost. Yet Tartarus station still lacked the means to repair the crippled ship, and without a replacement fusion reactor or inter-system drive, she would be little more than target practice for any enemy.
Fate, however, had other plans, and in 2785, the FFS Nicolas Davion was attacked by the former SLS Admiral Perry, which had turned pirate, in the Croydon system. While the nuclear strike from the Davion cruiser that ended the battle effectively destroyed the forward third of the renegade frigate, her stern survived relatively unscathed. A salvage mission was quickly launched, under the protection of the SLS Terence Gilliam, and managed to recover the much needed fusion reactor and inter-system drive. Returning to Tartarus Station, work on fitting them to the Anchorage started.
It was 2801, a full fifteen years later, before the work on the Anchorage was completed, by which time the First Succession War had ended with no clear winner. With the Terran Hegemony swallowed up in the chaos, and the treaty between Tartarus Station and the Federated Suns insuring their independence, the Anchorage was mothballed in 2810.
The Clan Invasion and the technological renaissance that followed saw the reactivation of many of the ships held in the Tartarus system, but the Anchorage was not one of them. It was felt by many that, given the damage the ship had suffered, and the somewhat hodgepodge nature of the repairs done to her two centuries before, that it would be better to concentrate on less damaged ships. While this took time, an engineering team was sent over to the Anchorage to reassess the work already done. Their report concluded that, while some corners had been cut to get the frigate back to operational status as quickly as possible, the ship was still space-worthy and capable of operating under her own power. Some work would be needed on her offensive and defensive systems, but otherwise, it wouldn't take much to reactivate her.
With this new policy in mind, the Anchorage was placed on the list of ships to be worked on, but the relatively low population of the Tartarus system, and their unwillingness to hand ships over to the Federated Commonwealth after the outbreak of the FedCom Civil War, meant that she remained inactive until the later years of the Jihad, and even then only had a skeleton crew manning her engineering and weapons stations in case she was needed to help defend the system from outside attack. With the Jihad over, and the general wind-down of military forces, the Anchorage has been placed on reserve, with only a basic maintenance crew permanently assigned.

Starbug · « **Reply #23 on:** August 10, 2014, 06:46:21 PM »

                    AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  Brahma class Foundry Ship SLS Brahma
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 2850
Vessel Type:       WarShip
Rules:             Level 2, Modified design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              2,300,000 tons
Hull:              Galadin SYN
K-F Drive System:  KF King I
Length:            2,680 meters
Sail Diameter:     3,000 meters
Power Plant:       Rolls Royce Kraken
Safe Thrust:       2
Maximum Thrust:    3
Armor Type:        Panthex YM1 Ferro-carbide
Armament:          
   16 RAMTech 1200X ER Large Lasers
   40 McArthur AMS
    6 Barracuda Missile Launchers
    8 Rand PPC's
   16 Maxell-45 Series Naval Lasers
Manufacturer:   O'Neil Yards
  Location:     Terra
Communications System:  Pathfinder 43CD
Targeting & Tracking System:  MORSAT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==Overview:==
      Recovered during Operation Clarions Call, the Brahma is a mobile ore
processing plant and armour foundry built upon the core of a Star League
vintage Newgrange class YardShip.

==Capabilities:==
     Taking one of the Newgrange's that had accompanied the Exodus Fleet to
the Pentagon Worlds, the Smoke Jaguars struck a deal with the Snow Ravens to
turn the ship into a mobile ore refinery and smelting works that could turn an
asteroid into much needed raw materials and highly specialised products such
as Endo Steel, Ferro-Fibrous, Ferro-Aluminum, Ferro-Carbide and even Lamellor
Ferro-Carbide Armor. Stripping the yard ship down to the jump-core and
sub-light drives, the Snow Ravens rebuilt the superstructure into something
much more basic.
     With so much space and tonnage to work with, the Snow Ravens set to work
adding the much needed anti-gravity furnaces and smelters, highly advanced
pieces of machinery lost to the Inner Sphere during the First Succession War.
These were supplemented by expansive cargo bays to house supplies and finished
products. An unfortunate limitation of the original Newgrange meant that it
was impossible to add extra DropShip docking collars without extensive
reworking of the KF core, so the extensive Small Craft and WorkMechs bays were
kept. However, with security in mind, some of these bays were converted to
Aerospace Fighter and BattleMech facilities, while room was made for a marine
detachment, later expanded to hold a full Star of armoured Elementals.
     When the work was finished, the vessel looked almost nothing like its
predecessor, except in mass and length. After consulting with the Smoke
Jaguars, the Snow Ravens christened it the Brahma class Foundry Ship, after
the Hindu god of creation.

==Notable Vessels & Crews:==
SLS Brahma (formaly CSJ Brahma)

==Deployment==
     The Brahma served Clan Smoke Jaguar for centuries, moving around the
asteroid fields of the Clans holdings, processing ore and producing Endo Steel
and Ferro-Fibrous Armor for the Clans Touman. A few attempts were made by
Clans Wolf and Jade Falcon to acquire the Brahma by way of Trials of
Possession, but the Smoke Jaguars were staunch in their defence of the
vessel.
     Later, with the build up to Operation Revival, the Brahma became
increasingly important, as her ability to move to the richest mineral deposits
rather than having to wait for the ore to be brought to her cut down the tame
it took to produce finished materials. This in turn forced the Brahma further
out into deep space, looking for untapped asteroid fields that had not already
been claimed by another Clan. Over time, as the war against the Inner Sphere
continued, much of her security force was transferred to other units and
replaced with Solahma warriors, a general indication that, while the Smoke
Jaguars were unwilling to see her completely defenceless, they considered her
a low priority.
     Then came Operation Bulldog and the destruction of Clan Smoke Jaguar as
an entity. The Brahma had been approximately two months out from the Kerensky
Cluster when Task Force Serpent his Huntress, and her crew were unaware of the
destruction of their Clan until they suddenly lost contact with the deep-range
outpost that had been acting as a relay for the ships HPG. Standing orders
were for the Brahma to run silent if contact was lost, and await further
instructions. But with their Clan destroyed, there were no further
instructions, and even with tight rationing, the crew of the Brahma started to
run low on supplies after little more than a year. Risking a jump back to the
silent relay station, they found it deserted, having been picked clean by Dark
Cast raiders. A second jump took them to the former Smoke Jaguar world that
had been the Brahma's base of operations, and the crew was shocked to see that
their families and support staff were safe, but leaderless and subject to
repeated raids by the Dark Cast and other opportunists.
     In many ways it was a godsend to them when a ship taking part in
Operation Clarions Call arrived in-system. There was a tense stand-off, with
the few remaining warriors on the Brahma unwilling to simply hand the ship
over. Fortunately, the Davion commander was able to get them to agree to a
Trials of Possession, not just for the ship, but her crew and everything on
the colony. The Trial was clearly rigged, with the Smoke Jaguars realising
that their only chance for survival was to be absorbed by a faction strong
enough to protect them, and it was easily won by the Davions. More ships were
sent for, and the task of transporting the Brahma, all the usable equipment in
the Colony and its inhabitants to the Inner Sphere began. Unlike smaller finds
made as part of Operation Clarions Call, it was impossible for the Brahma and
the attached Bondsmen to be hidden amongst the spoils of war taken during
Operation Bulldog and the subsequent clean-up, so it was instead decided to
take them directly to the Tartarus system, where they could be put to use
without questions being asked. There was some controversy, with the
descendants of the systems original Star League inhabitants finding the idea
of slavery aberrant, but that was soothed by explaining that it was simply the
easiest way for the newcomers to deal with their new situation, and every
single bondcord was cut in a mass ceremony to mark their acceptance as part of
the hidden outpost. Many of the newcomers took some comfort in the fact that
there had been absorbed into a remnant of the original Star League, rather
than one of the Successor States, and this further eased the transition.
     Soon the Brahma was put to work mining ore and producing much needed
materials to repair the ships held at Tartarus, but not before her HPG
transmitter was removed to replace the one original fitted to Tartarus Station
itself, that had long fallen into disrepair without access to replacement
parts from Terra. It was replaced with the latest K-6 Series 'Black Box'
transmitter, allowing her to remain in contact with Tartarus Station while
working the systems extensive asteroid belts alongside the existing fleet of
specialist DropShips and small craft.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class/Model/Name:  Brahma class Foundry Ship SLS Brahma
Mass:              2,300,000 tons

Equipment:                                                            Mass  
Power Plant, Drive & Control:                                      276,000.00
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 2
      Maximum Thrust: 3
Kearny-Fuchida Hyperdrive:  Compact (Integrity = 44)             1,040,750.00
Jump Sail: (Integrity = 8)                                             145.00
Structural Integrity: 25                                            57,500.00
Total Heat Sinks:    787 Double                                           .00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:                                                  10,200.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters:              5,750.00
Fire Control Computers:                                                   .00
Food & Water:  (635 days supply)                                    17,468.00
Hyperpulse Generator:                                                   50.00
Armor Type:  Ferro-carbide  (499 total armor pts)                      601.00
                           Capital Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Fore:                                 92
   Fore-Left/Right:                   83/83
   Aft-Left/Right:                    83/83
   Aft:                                  75

Cargo:
   Bay 1:  Small Craft (60) with 3 doors                            12,000.00
           Fighters (10) with 5 doors                                1,500.00
   Bay 2:  Ore Processing Equipment (4) with 2 doors                80,000.00
   Bay 3:  WorkMechs (20) with 4 doors                               2,000.00
           BattleMechs (15) with 3 doors                             2,250.00
   Bay 4:  Zero-Gravity Foundry (4) with 2 doors                    80,000.00
   Bay 5:  Cargo (2) with 2 doors                                  400,000.00

DropShip Capacity:  4 Docking Hardpoints                             4,000.00
Grav Decks #1 - 4:  (500-meter diameter)                             2,000.00
Life Boats:  400 (7 tons each)                                       2,800.00
Escape Pods:  400 (7 tons each)                                      2,800.00

Crew and Passengers:
  1,000 Officers (825 minimum)                                      10,000.00
  4,000 Crew (0 minimum)                                            28,000.00
    125 Gunners (33 minimum)                                           875.00
     25 Marine Battle Armor Troopers/Elementals                        175.00
    350 Bay Personnel                                                     .00
Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 ER Large Laser           Nose     3(32)  3(32)  3(32)     --   48     20.00
5 AMS(60 rounds)           Nose        --     --     --     --    5      7.50
2 Barracuda(200 msls)      Nose         4      4      4      4   20  6,180.00
2 PPC                      FL/R     2(20)  2(20)     --     --   40     28.00
5 AMS(60 rounds)           FL/R        --     --     --     --   10     15.00
2 NL45                     FL/R         9      9      9      9  280  3,600.00
4 ER Large Laser           L/RBS    3(32)  3(32)  3(32)     --   96     40.00
5 AMS(60 rounds)           L/RBS       --     --     --     --   10     15.00
2 Barracuda(200 msls)      L/RBS        4      4      4      4   40 12,360.00
4 NL45                     L/RBS       18     18     18     18  560  7,200.00
2 PPC                      AL/R     2(20)  2(20)     --     --   40     28.00
5 AMS(60 rounds)           AL/R        --     --     --     --   10     15.00
2 NL45                     AL/R         9      9      9      9  280  3,600.00
4 ER Large Laser           Aft      3(32)  3(32)  3(32)     --   48     20.00
5 AMS(60 rounds)           Aft         --     --     --     --    5      7.50
1 Lot Spare Parts (10.00%)                                         230,000.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                            Heat: 1,492   2,300,000.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        8,175,228,000 C-Bills
Battle Value:      38,461
Cost per BV:       212,558.9
Weapon Value:      24,287 (Ratio = .63)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 1,081;  MRV = 930;  LRV = 666;  ERV = 274
Maintenance:       Maintenance Point Value (MPV) = 795,064
                   (105,451 Structure, 655,075 Life Support, 34,538 Weapons)
                   Support Points (SP) = 6,175,500  (777% of MPV)
BattleForce2:      Not applicable

Starbug · « **Reply #24 on:** November 28, 2014, 08:22:49 PM »

                    AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  Argo class Shipyard 
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 3049
Vessel Type:       Space Station
Rules:             Level 2, Custom design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              1,000,000 tons
Hull:              Cortex UltraBond
Length:            3,500 meters
Sail Diameter:     4,000 meters
Power Plant:       Goliath LV9 Standard
Safe Thrust:       0
Maximum Thrust:    0
Armor Type:        Ulston C5-A Standard
Armament:          
   12 Diverse Optics Type 10 Small Lasers
   12 Diverse Optics Type 10P Small Pulse Lasers
   12 Defiance Killer Type T Autocannons
   12 Defiance Type J Autocannons
   12 Diverse Optics Type 30X ER Large Lasers
   12 Diverse Optics Type 20X ER Medium Lasers
   24 Defiance 1001 ER-PPC's
   12 Barracuda Missile Launchers
Manufacturer:   AFFS Corps. Of Engineers
  Location:     Tartarus
Communications System:  Mercury TY60
Targeting & Tracking System:  Communal V-1a
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==Overview:==
     Argo Station was the brainchild of First Prince Hanse Davion, who with
the gradual rediscovery of technology and knowledge lost during the Succession
Wars, realised that it would one day be possible to repair the ships held at
Tartarus system. Given that few of the ships were capable leaving the system
under their own power, and the limitations of Tartarus Station itself, it was
clear to him that a new shipyard would have to be built, one capable of
handling any of the ships held in reserve, as well as possible new builds.
     The project was as expensive as it was audacious; it took two years just
to work out just how to hide the vast amount of money, equipment and highly
skilled personnel needed to construct the station. The native inhabitants of
Tartarus Station could provide some assistance, especially with some of the
more technically advanced systems, but there was still the need to bring in
hundreds of experienced zero and micro-gravity construction engineers and
technicians, as well as all the support staff needed.
     In a bid to try and maintain the security around Tartarus, the workers
were all required to sign of the Official Secrets Act, with stiff penalties
for any who broke it. They were then fed a number of cover stories, including
one that said it was a top-secret joint project with ComStar, or that they
were working to repair a rediscovered Star League station. With the utmost
security in place, they were then taken to Tartarus, the construction sight
selected located far, far away from any of the other stations or the
mothballed fleet.
     Work started on Argo Station in 3049, the first work crews under the
impression that they were building a remote stellar observatory for the New
Avalon Institute of Science, a ruse assisted by regular visits by the
enigmatic scientific genius and elite MechWarrior, Dr. B. Banzai, who was
aware of the projects true purpose, but never officially told the complete
truth about the Tartarus system. What he may have worked out for himself is
conjecture.
     The core of the station was completed in 3052, sadly just a few shorts
weeks after the death of Hanse Davion, but his son and heir Victor
Steiner-Davion made his first visit to Tartarus to attend the ceremony to make
the activation of the primary reactor. Work continued for the next ten years,
several parts of the station undergoing complete redesign and renovation as
they went, turning what should have been a perfectly symmetrical structure in
what has been described by one observe as 'a slug perching on a branch'.
     Argo station was finally declared fully operational on December 6th 3062,
just two days before the start of the FedCom Civil War.

==Capabilities:==
     The single most important feature of Argo Station is the cavernous
pressurised construction and repair bay that takes up most of the forward half
of the station, and accounted for more than half the cost of the station.
While a masterpiece of engineering, the bay is also incredibly complex, with a
massive, clamshell door that almost failed the first time the bay was fully
pressurised. This lead to an extensive and expensive redesign of the bracing
and locking mechanism that many claim added an extra two years to construction
time, and even now, it is rare that the bay is fully pressurised to minimise
the risk of catastrophic failure. Indeed, workers are often required to wear
pressure suits and breathing masks, which while an improvement over full EVA
suits, is still a cumbersome and uncomfortable hassle.
     Still, the bay is the single largest example known to exist in the Inner
Sphere, at it does allow any ship ever built, aside from the Clan Leviathans
or the Star League Newgrange class YardShip.
     After the main bay, the most striking feature of Argo Station is the
massive 1,500 meter gravity deck that holds the crew quarters, medical
facility and many of the recreational areas. Unlike most gravity decks, this
one is outside the main station, connected to the outer hull by a highly
complex mechanism arrangement of sliding connectors and a central structural
brace. Originally there were plans for a a second, counter-rotating ring to
counteract the torque, but this proved too difficult, so extra thrusters were
added to the main hull that must maintain a constant, lower power
counter-thrust to keep the station stable.
     This, however, can affect some of the equipment in the construction bay,
so the gravity deck must occasionally be spun-down and locked in place, a
process that can take over an hour.
     Weapons wise, Argo Station is extremely limited in its defensive
capabilities, mainly geared towards dealing with space debris and the like.
Indeed, standing orders are for the station to declare its neutrality should
any hostile force ever find the Tartarus system and at all costs avoid direct
conflict expect in self defence. Despite this, the Argo does have the
capability to carry an entire wing of fighters, and has her own Marine
detachment, primarily to act as an internal security force, given the fact
that she is home to some five thousand people.

==Variants:==
     A variant of the Ago has been proposed that would do replace the overly
complex and temperamental pressurised bay with a non-pressurised bay of equal
size, a move that wouldefectivly half the cost of the station.

==Notable Vessels & Crews:==
Argo Station, Tartarus system

==Deployment==
     As it standards, Argo Station is unique. Original there was talk of
building to supplement at pre-existing shipyards in orbit of Kathil, Galax and
Alarion, but due to the extremely high cost and the added difficulty to
constructing extra yards without the much needed technical assistance provided
by the inhabitants of the Tartarus system, that plan was shelved.
     Deciding to sit out the FedCom Civil War, the crew of Argo Station
instead spent their time working to repair and reactivate many of the ships
held in the Ghost Fleet, starting with the Columbia class Battleship Pegasus,
which required the exclusive use of the repair bay. After she was removed, it
proved possible to work on multiple smaller vessels at a time, speeding up the
work.
     The near total destruction of all other shipyards within the Federated
Suns during the years of the Jihad made Argo Station all the more important,
and surviving workers from the other yards were brought in to allow the repair
bay to run around the clock. This, unfortunately, led to several accidents,
including a major fire than left over two hundred dead when the station
commander was forced to open the bay doors, explosively decompressing the bay
before he fire reached the fuel bunkers of the ship being worked on, despite
the fact that having a ship in the bay with even partly filled bunkers being a
massive breach of safety regulations. While the station survived, it took
almost a full year to return it to fully operational status.
     In the wake of the Jihad, the tempo of work at Argo Station was slowed as
the entire galaxy seemed to take a deep breath, no one willing to engage in a
major conflict again so soon. The station was mainly used to repair ships
damaged during the fighting, while also continuing to reactivate ships taken
from the Ghost Fleet. But then in 3082, the order was given to clear the
scheduled for a new project coming down from New Avalon...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class/Model/Name:  Argo class Shipyard 
Mass:              1,000,000 tons

Equipment:                                                            Mass  
Power Plant, Drive & Control:                                       12,000.00
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 0
      Maximum Thrust: 0
Structural Integrity: 1                                             10,000.00
Total Heat Sinks:    385 Double                                        186.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:                                                  10,200.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters:              1,000.00
Fire Control Computers:                                                   .00
Food & Water:  (320 days supply)                                     8,000.00
Armor Type:  Standard  (78 total armor pts)                            196.00
                           Capital Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Fore:                                 13
   Fore-Left/Right:                   13/13
   Aft-Left/Right:                    13/13
   Aft:                                  13

Cargo:
   Bay 1:  Press Repair Facil. (2,000,000 T Capy, 2 doors)         150,000.00
   Bay 2:  Fighters (20) with 4 doors                                3,000.00
           Small Craft (40) with 4 doors                             8,000.00
   Bay 3:  Cargo (3) with 4 doors                                  660,000.00

DropShip Capacity:  20 Docking Hardpoints                           20,000.00
Grav Deck #1:  (1500-meter diameter)                                   500.00
Grav Decks #2 - 6:  (100-meter diameter)                               500.00
Life Boats:  400 (7 tons each)                                       2,800.00
Escape Pods:  400 (7 tons each)                                      2,800.00

Crew and Passengers:
    820 Officers (730 minimum)                                      12,300.00
  3,600 Crew (0 minimum)                                            36,000.00
     50 Gunners (28 minimum)                                           500.00
     50 1st Class Passengers                                           750.00
    200 2nd Class Passengers                                         2,000.00
     28 Marines                                                        280.00
     12 Marine Battle Armor Troopers/Elementals                        120.00
    240 Bay Personnel                                                     .00
Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Small Laser              Nose     1(12)     --     --     --    2      1.00
  2 Small Pulse Laser                                             4      2.00
2 Autocannon/10(100 rounds)Nose     3(30)  3(30)     --     --    6     34.00
  2 Autocannon/5(100 rounds)                                      2     21.00
2 ER Large Laser           Nose     3(26)  3(26)  2(16)     --   24     10.00
  2 ER Medium Laser                                              10      2.00
4 ER PPC                   Nose     4(40)  4(40)  4(40)     --   60     28.00
2 Barracuda(40 msls)       Nose         4      4      4      4   20  1,380.00
2 Small Laser              FL/R     1(12)     --     --     --    4      2.00
  2 Small Pulse Laser                                             8      4.00
2 Autocannon/10(100 rounds)FL/R     3(30)  3(30)     --     --   12     68.00
  2 Autocannon/5(100 rounds)                                      4     42.00
2 ER Large Laser           FL/R     3(26)  3(26)  2(16)     --   48     20.00
  2 ER Medium Laser                                              20      4.00
4 ER PPC                   FL/R     4(40)  4(40)  4(40)     --  120     56.00
2 Barracuda(40 msls)       FL/R         4      4      4      4   40  2,760.00
2 Small Laser              AL/R     1(12)     --     --     --    4      2.00
  2 Small Pulse Laser                                             8      4.00
2 Autocannon/10(100 rounds)AL/R     3(30)  3(30)     --     --   12     68.00
  2 Autocannon/5(100 rounds)                                      4     42.00
2 ER Large Laser           AL/R     3(26)  3(26)  2(16)     --   48     20.00
  2 ER Medium Laser                                              20      4.00
4 ER PPC                   AL/R     4(40)  4(40)  4(40)     --  120     56.00
2 Barracuda(40 msls)       AL/R         4      4      4      4   40  2,760.00
2 Small Laser              Aft      1(12)     --     --     --    2      1.00
  2 Small Pulse Laser                                             4      2.00
2 Autocannon/10(100 rounds)Aft      3(30)  3(30)     --     --    6     34.00
  2 Autocannon/5(100 rounds)                                      2     21.00
2 ER Large Laser           Aft      3(26)  3(26)  2(16)     --   24     10.00
  2 ER Medium Laser                                              10      2.00
4 ER PPC                   Aft      4(40)  4(40)  4(40)     --   60     28.00
2 Barracuda(40 msls)       Aft          4      4      4      4   20  1,380.00
1 Lot Spare Parts (5.00%)                                           50,000.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                              Heat: 768   1,000,000.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        100,852,860,000 C-Bills
Battle Value:      19,635
Cost per BV:       5,136,381.97
Weapon Value:      8,401 (Ratio = .43)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 837;  MRV = 656;  LRV = 313;  ERV = 132
Maintenance:       Maintenance Point Value (MPV) = 321,886
                   (40,796 Structure, 262,000 Life Support, 19,090 Weapons)
                   Support Points (SP) = 5,274,700  (1639% of MPV)
BattleForce2:      Not applicable

Abele · « **Reply #25 on:** November 29, 2014, 01:44:59 AM »

Where is that miniature from?

Starbug · « **Reply #26 on:** November 29, 2014, 06:58:35 AM »

Quote from: Abele on November 29, 2014, 01:44:59 AM

Where is that miniature from?

Main body is a Star Wars Spaceship Battles Commerce Guild Destroyer (really using a lot of Spaceship Battles stuff right now), which I cut in two to add the large gravity deck, which is a K'NEX wheel that I drilled out and filed down to have just the spokes. She needs a little touch up, here and there, but all in all, I'm happy with how she came out

Starbug · « **Reply #27 on:** June 20, 2017, 07:01:43 PM »

Project SPARTA
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
(If You Want Peace, Prepare For War)

If the Republic of the Sphere had been built on a single premise, it was the idea of turning swords into ploughshares; the decommissioning of military hardware and the retooling of armaments factories for peaceful, civilian use. Unfortunately for the Republic, this ideal was not fully embraced by their neighbours. Spurned on by the massive investment in Naval forces that had seen the Federated Suns gain the predominant fleet in the Inner Sphere (and possibly beyond), both the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine began their own rearmament process, with the intent of at least being able to provide a limited deterrent to the Davion Navy.
But the still hidden Tartarus System and the shipyards it hosted gave the Federated Suns an edge that would be hard for anyone to overcome, even with the full might of a Successor State behind them. In contrast, the Republic had no shipyards capable of building or maintaining warships, with their handful of inherited of Faslane and Newgrange class Yardships proving incapable of restoring either the O'Neil Yards or Titan Yards. Even with earlier help from the Federated Suns, it was clear to all that the Republic Navy was in immanent danger of being outclassed by their potentially hostile neighbours.
However, the Republic did have a single advantage over the Confederation and Combine: Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion, elder brother of Regent Yvonne Steiner-Davion. While their relationship had been strained over threats by Victor to reveal the location of Tartarus to the Republic, they were still family, and provided the Republic with a direct line of communication to New Avalon that only the Lyran Commonwealth could surpass. In a desperate bid to find some way of gaining a deterrent against possible attacks by Houses Liao and Kurita.
Fate seemed to be smiling upon the Republic, because Victor arrived on New Avalon just as his sister was trying to justify the cost of the proposed â€œSilk Roadâ€ chain of recharge stations that was intended to link key industrial worlds across the Federated Suns in a bid to boost their economy while also keeping their shipbuilding industry in work during their reluctantly agreed upon hiatus in warship construction. Quickly conferring with Terra, Victor was able to secure investment in the planed trade network, along with a proposal to extend it to the Republic boarders where it could be extended all the way to Terra and beyond. While it would be hyperbolic to say that this one act mended relations between New Avalon and Terra (or even between Victor and Yvonne), it did show that the two states were still able to work together.
Representatives of the council that ruled Tartarus Station clandestinely arrived on New Avalon to continue the talks, bring with them a long list of demands before they were willing to sign off on helping the Republic. Victor spent many days smoothing ruffled feathers and alleviating fears before they were willing to talk about what they could offer, but what they were willing to offer was far beyond anything that the Republic delegation had dared to dream. The ultimate result of these negotiations was a plan to rebuild the Titan shipyards with the help of both the Federated Suns and Tartarus Station, then use them build an new fleet of warships to secure the boarders of the Republic from outside aggression. This plan would become known as Project SPARTA.

Resurgent class Battleship
Daedalus class Battlecruiser
Star Knight II class Cruiser
Ulysses class Carrier
Janus class Destroyer
Amazon class Corvette

Dragon Cat · « **Reply #28 on:** June 20, 2017, 07:31:12 PM »

Sounds good. I think Vic's threat to reveal Tartarus was a bit empty he's still a Davion and I don't think I could ever see him do something that could cost lives in the Federated Suns or Lyran Commonwealth.

At the same time sending Vic as the negotiator was a perfect play as he's the one person who could bring the Federated Suns and by extension Tartarus in to assist the Republic before the Confederation made its move. The two nations I'd actually think would be concerned now are the Lyrans and Free Worlds League with the Confederation and Combine making moves and the Republic propping up its own defences...

Looking forward to future designs though.

Starbug · « **Reply #29 on:** June 20, 2017, 08:26:20 PM »

Quote from: Dragon Cat on June 20, 2017, 07:31:12 PM

The two nations I'd actually think would be concerned now are the Lyrans and Free Worlds League with the Confederation and Combine making moves and the Republic propping up its own defences...

(cough)Project MISTLETOE(cough)

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Author Topic: Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet (Read 18527 times)

Manne

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Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Dragon Cat

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Starbug

Re: Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Abele

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Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Dragon Cat

Re: Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet

Starbug

Tartarus Station & The Ghost Fleet