Research and Development - Reporting center

[Ikarus_Hagen]

[img float=left]https://i.imgur.com/jez7ccc.jpg?2[/img]

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ID: e.taylor@5thln.li ; TE-38 20 21
Ethan Taylor, Commander

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++Encryption+++++++++++++++Signal++

decrypting message ...

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Howdy Operatives,

I await all of you in my office, Juneau Shipyard, Floor 3.1, Room 2.

Signed

Cmdr. Taylor
Commander Ethan Taylor

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Attachments

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encrypting message...

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For a better Sirius!

[DarkTails]

Communication channel opened...
Encryption: Unbreakable
Origin: Battleship Wisconsin, [REDACTED]
ID: Vice Admiral Miles Prower
Subject: R&D Project

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R&D Operatives,

5th Fleet has taken possession of a fresh of the line Montana-class battleship. The warship has been moored in our shipyard in [REDACTED] for specialized repurposing. With the use of older weaponry becoming resurgent, R&D operatives are instructed to oversee the construction of two dual 240mm rifles, codename 'Kinetic' batteries. These guns will be fitted onto Battleship Wisconsin for immediate use. I look forward to the reports as the project begins through it's completion.

Vice Admiral Miles Prower
5th Fleet, Liberty Navy

[DarkTails]

5th|

Communication channel opened...
Encryption: Unbreakable
Origin: Battleship Alma
ID: Admiral Miles Prower
Subject: Orders

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Agents of R&D,

With Liberty's forces now committing more and more firepower to the front and Bretonia's side wars distracting them, the Admiralty requires more detailed intelligence on our enemy. As of this time an agent is to provide a tactical report of enemy positions and garrisons within our operational scope, which is determined to be: New London, Manchester, Newcastle, Magellan. To maintain up to speed on enemy forces within these regions, we'll need accurate intelligence.

In addition, if possible, we could use a small peek into the Leeds system to determine what's going on with the front lines. Things have stalemated now and I don't like surprises when we may be on the verge of turning this war around on Gallia. However do not stay there too long. Leeds is enemy occupied territory and I will not risk losing an agent unless you find some kind of armada or something.

All other operatives and agents are to provide support, or report to HQ for assignment regarding advanced weaponry construction and deployment.

That is all.

Admiral Miles Prower
5th Fleet, Liberty Navy

[Morosz]

Commencing upload....

From: Operative Wolf
To: R&D Reporting Center; HIGHCOM
Subject: Recon
Encryption: Maximum

Following my arrival in Leeds i was able to scout most of the system. Unfortunatly it showed no good news. As you can see in the attachments the gallics managed to repair the damage to the system's infrastructure either by replacing destroyed parts of the lane network with their own, or repairing the ageira trade lanes. With the jumpgate connection between New London and Leeds repaired they are able to supply their forces deployed on the front with relative ease. On the other hand the system curently houses no major enemy fleet with the nearest in the system of Edinburgh protecting a shipyard wich i believe is the Royal Navy's field drydock in the area but an attack on it is not optional due to the fleet led by the Battleship La Riche guarding it. In the attachments you can also see that Gallia repaired and upgraded Glasgow outpost. Now the Taus. The Tau-31 system also lacks any major defences with the only royal navy base there being a small outpost named New Tours Watch Station. All in all the whole area is lightly defended and with some carefull timing we could dispatch task force using the jumphole in manchaster to attack Leeds and do as much damage as possible. With the Royal Navy now focusing completly on New London our chances are good. However taking the system or creating a forward base of operations is out of the question. I suggest if we dispatch a task a force and attack Leeds that we focus on the infrastructure as in we have to damage the trade Lane system and if possible damage the Jump Gate leading to New London. This could potentially slow down the enemy advance long enough for us to go through with Operation Vanguard.

I will remain in Leeds to continue my work. If you wish to contact me you will have to rely on the privateer who delivered you the datapad containing this report.

Attachment

...Upload completed

[DarkTails]

Communication channel opened...
Encryption: Unbreakable
Origin: Battlecruiser Miasma, Cortez
ID: Admiral Miles Prower
Subject: Further Recon

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Operative Wolf,

This information is invaluable to the Admiralty. Right now in particularly, we require additional intelligence about this shipyard in the Edinburgh system. We believe this shipyard is what enables Gallia to maintain their efforts in London, and without, their ranks will falter. To our knowledge there must be additional access to the system. We need you to determine geographical details, asteroid fields, and if present, an entry from Dublin. Should a jumphole between Dublin and Edinburgh exist, both locales must be mapped.

Admiral Miles Prower
5th Fleet, Liberty Navy

[Morosz]

Commencing upload....

From: Operative Wolf
To: R&D Reporting Center; HIGHCOM
Subject: Recon
Encryption: Maximum

As ordered i continued my recon and and after recieving your new orders i made my way to the edinburgh system for further recon. Unfortunatly i was not able to get anymore intell on the shipyard as i was not able to land there. They turned me away at arround 6K distance, and my ship was intercepted by a small patrol, wich ordered me to vacate the area. On the other hand i was able to continue my mission in other parts of the system. I used a tip a i got from my contact to locate a jumphole leading to Dublin. As seen from the attachments the hole itself is completly unguarded from the edinburgh side. The problems only start from here, as the jumphole is in open space. This however is negated by the fact that the system's three stars are between the station and the jumphole. Unfortunatly there are no navigational hazards in the system wich we could use to our advantage and hide ships from sensors. Either Perth station or La-Riche itself will detect an incoming force. I was also able to jump into the Dublin system, where i encountered another problem. The GRI is active in the area with several patrols. And thanks to my contact i also know that there is a battlecruiser in the area wich i was not able to locate. Unfortunatly sending forces through dublin would not be that wise as the enemy ship could warn the forces in Edinburgh about our arrival, if it spots our ships.

I will remain in Leeds awaiting further orders. For sending new orders use the contact who delivered this report.

Attachment

...Upload completed

[Spectre]

Communication channel opened...
Encryption: Invincible
Origin: L.N.S. Omaha, California system
ID: VAdm. Allen B. Bradley
Subject: Recall

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All operatives,

Cold Lake is compromised. Tie up all operations and return home immediately.

Allen B. Bradley
Vice Admiral
5th Fleet, LAF

[Victoria.Blake]

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Liberty Navy Fifth Fleet
Incoming Transmission

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SENDER: Commander Victoria Blake
RECIPIENT: LIBNORTHCOM
LOCATION: West Point Academy, New York
ENCRYPTION: Omega
SUBJECT: Nomad spotted
PRIORITY: High

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Beginning Video Feed

Command,

There was a nomad flying around Planet Manhattan, it was a size of a light fighter. I took it in chase to take it down.

The chase lasted some minutes and it ended in the Colorado system. Once the nomad was destroyed, I tractored what remained and brought the cargo to Juneau Shipyard for analysis.

Commander Blake out.

Commander Victoria Blake
Liberty Navy Fifth Fleet

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Concluding Video Feed

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Attachments:

Black Box

Ship Cam

Nomad ship
Cargo

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[DarkTails]

Communication channel opened...
Encryption: Unbreakable
Origin: Juneau Shipyard
ID: Rear Admiral Nicole Prower
Subject: Lessons of the past

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Greetings,

Having learned much from the current mothballed vessels interned at our various shipyards, I had a feeling this evening that it's prudent to study the past, and learn from past failures. Not solely at the tactical level, but in a developmental level, especially regarding our warship technology. My curiosity for the past led me to the age old reminder of our losses during the Gallic War. After having fallen seven years ago, the Yukon and Betheny, the ships have been baking in the suns radiation. Thanks to patrols in the area, scavenging of the ships have been minimal. I've recorded several scans of the long-since silent behemoths, revealing structural failures and weakpoints, both ones that have been identified and corrected, and a couple that haven't.

Naturally, the Overlords free floating reactor is both incredibly safe, and very dangerous. It keeps the rest of the vessel safe in the event of a critical meltdown and explosion, but despite close watch, there are some improvements to be made. New breakthroughs in nano-crystal reinforce armor plating, a nano-crystal allow can be utilized to both fortify the reactor hull armor and the control shaft that keeps the reactor in place. These alloy improvements would make the Battleship's reactor more protected and lower the chance of catastrophic damage.

The next series of defensive weaknesses I found in the aged wreck have already been corrected by reinforcement of launch bays and munitions storage for bomber wings.

From the Betheny's perspective, despite having been in a battle-carrier configuration, and what we presume an aged design already, it suffered a critical meltdown that had shattered the ships internals, but at the time kept the vessel in one piece. Over time however, much like the Yukon, the ship's hull broke apart. We presume minor asteroid and comet strikes are responsible for breaking these ships apart, but under normal circumstances the ships would withstand those strikes to their external hull. From what I guess, the ship was laid down with the intention to be mounted with the fixed forward cannon as many other Gallic battleships of the time, but was changed into a battle-carrier configuration after the need arose from facing Allied carriers. Unfortunately, I can only surmise that this was a structural flaw that no doubt has been fixed by now, but it seems at the time, a critical containment failure of the Gallic forward gun's energy chambers could, under the right circumstances, result in an internal explosion and rip the host vessel apart.

Records show early variations of the Archer shared this design flaw but were long since repaired, and I have no doubt Gallia has also fixed their battleships from having such a fatal flaw. Still, the massive energy corridor, which I can only surmise from the damage of the remaining sections, was used instead for munitions storage of it's vast fighter and bomber squadrons. With a linked munition feed system to all hangar decks, a magazine explosion would devastate the vessel and render it inoperable. Although it appears bulkheads were used to contain damage between for and aft sections, a munitions detonation most likely occurred in at least one hangar deck.

My recommendation is that we move forward with the implementation of newer nano-crystal alloys in armor design to further tighten safety and survivability of our warships, ofcourse at the moment nanotube production for the necessary armor alloy plating is controlled by Rheinland, it may be worth contracting a domestic company for production of the new alloy.

Attached are records of my visit to the wreckage and scans.

Scans.

Regards,

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Rear Admiral Nicole Prower
Director of Research & Development
5th Fleet, Liberty Navy