NationStates Jolt Archive

[OOC: After extensive checks on the search function, it would appear that 2 Pallas, a large asteroid in the asteroid belt of Sol, is unclaimed. If someone DOES have a claim and can verify it from the NS boards, then the thread stops and the claim is acknowledged.]

IC:

15 H-class corvettes dropped out of hyperspace, jettisoning their Long Range Jump Extension Batteries. "Fleet Command, this is "Blue Bandit" exiting into orbit of 2 Pallas in the Sol System. Group two should be acknowledging shortly that they have arrived over 132 Aethra to begin claiming it and modifying it for our purposes."

"Roger that, "Blue Bandit", your insertion over 2 Pallas has been recorded. Begin your scans and posture for control unless your better judgement says not to, understand?" Fleet Command radioed back over FTL.

"Roger that, Fleet Command. "Blue Bandit" out."

"Fleet Command, this is Blue Bandit," the corvette orbiting Pallas called out over its FTL radio. "No sign of habitation or intelligent life. This rock is bare. Incredible something of this mass would've been overlooked by other space-faring nations."

"Thats none of our concern, Blue Bandit," Fleet Command radioed back. "Drop short-range radio bouys alerting approaching ships that Pallas is under the control of New Havenic forces."

==========================

"Red Hammer to Fleet Command, same deal with 132 Aethra," the corvette in charge of surveying 132 Aethra reported. "What are your orders?"

"Designate asteroid as 'Scorpio'," Fleet Command ordered. "We're sending Excavation and Mining Vessels to both locations now. Congratulations on your finds, radio that along to the Blue Bandit when you get the chance."

"Roger that, Command. Red Hammer out!"

Giant excavators carved their way into Pallas and Scorpio, burrowing tunnels and laying the basic framework for their conversion into bases. Mining ships collected the slag and began processing it, preparing to ship it back to Asherton to provide the raw material necessary to offset the base constructions.

"Digger One to Blue Bandit, mining is going ahead as planned. We've cleared spots for defensive weaponry on the surface, and the construction teams on Scorpio have radioed the same. Your orders?"

"We're going to file a request for Bryn Shander to provide the weaponry for both stations. Continue to plans, Blue Bandit out."

-Several Days Later-
"Blue Bandit, this is CA-109 Achilles. We've recieved a request for anti-starship weapons."

Not too far from Pallas and Scorpio, the lead ship of Bryn Shander's new class of heavy cruisers, the Achilles, served as head of the large convoy that was en route to the two captured asteroids. With here were the light cruisers Suiseiseki and Souseiseki, along with the destroyers Trondheim, Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Baerum, Kristiansand, Fredrikstad, and Tromso, and the frigates Kusanagi, Hrunting, Curtana, Gram, Balmung, and Caladbolg.

In the center of the convoy were the large Ares class freighters, which were themselves 30m longer than the 950m Achilles. Some thirty six of the freighters were gathered within the protection of the new warships, and they contained everything from Bryn Shander's powerful Mjolnir anti-starship coilguns to smaller megaparticle guns and point defense turrets, to food and supplies for the men working on the asteroids.

"Just let us know where you want us to unload these."



-Asherton and Stanley-
In orbit above the gas giant Vulcan, two more convoys were cruising through space. One, lead by the heavy cruiser Ajax, was on it's way to the moon Asherton. With Ajax were the light cruisers Shinku and Hina-Ichigo, the destroyers Sandnes, Drammen, Arendal, Bodo, Egersund, Farsund, Flekkefjord, and Flora, and the frigates Caledfwlch, Claiomh Solais, Fragarach, Dyrnwyn, Clarent, and Excalibur. Like the convoy to Pallas and Scorpio, the warships protected thirty six Ares class freighters.

Meanwhile, the matching convoy was on its way to the moon Stanley. Protecting the third convoy's freighters were the heavy cruiser Antilochus, the light cruisers Suigintou and Kanaria, the destroyers Gjovik, Grimstad, Halden, Hamar, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund, and Holmestrand,
and the frigates Cernwennan, Joyeux, Hywelbane, Tanlladwyr, Rhindon, and Callandor.

"We have a large receiving area on both asteroids, so offloading will be conducted there. We're transmitting the coordinants now. Pallas Base out."

==============================

Docking notification was sent to the Bryn Shanderese convoy over Asherton and Stanley, directing them to go to twin orbiting industrial platforms designed to be a waypoint for industrial and war materials flowing to and from Asherton and Stanley (one over each moon).

The three convoys each made their way to their destination, the freighters docking while the warships patrolled above. One by one, each freighter unloaded its cargo, mostly completed 3048mm Mjolnir antistarship coilguns and their mountings. As soon as the guns were unloaded, workers were already moving the massive batteries into position.

Mounted in multiple points around the planetoids, the Mjolnirs were set up in groups of eight, each circle of guns controlled by its own control complex in the center of the formation. For the sake of redundancy, all of the guns were capable of being controlled manually from within the gun, should the central control room be disabled.

On Asherton and Stanley, thirty six Mjolnir batteries were to be set up, six on each of the polar circles, one group of eight guns every sixty degrees of latitude. On the two tropics, there were twelve batteries each, the batteries offset fifteen degrees and spaced thirty degrees apart.

For the two asteroids, there were far fewer guns. Pallas followed a similar scheme to the moons, but had half as many batteries. Pallas would have three batteries at each polar circle with one hundred twenty degrees between them, and likewise the tropical batteries were reduced to six and positioned sixty degrees apart. For Aethra, otherwise known as Scorpio, there were only eight batteries. One at each pole, and then three along each tropic.

Construction of the full complexes would take weeks, but the mountings for the guns could be up within days, and the guns would then be capable of activation immediately.

"Ok, connect the primary generators and spool up the reaction rate!" An engineer called out. The lights flickered on in the corridors constructed by hordes of workers over the past few months, atmosphere being pumped into the basic walkways as more extensive habitation and facilities were still being carved into the rock.

"Reactor One is now running at 100%," Another engineer called out. "Mjolnirs are operational and are tracking."

"What about sensors?"

"They're at 10% effectiveness. It'll be a while before they're tuned properly... probably in about a week."

"Very good. Now we'll need to install the shield generators, shield emitters, energy capacitors and AA and we'll be able to move onto the civilian portions."

"Chief, Pallas is reporting that their startup was also successful." A third engineer chimed in.

"Excellent. I'll be in my quarters."

The work progressed quickly and smoothly over the next few weeks. Though hardly pretty or finished externally, the Mjolnir batteries were soon completely functional. Smaller anti-aircraft and anti-shipping mounts were installed as well, each gruelingly tested before given the green light for service.

As time passed, more shipments of weaponry and supplies came to the asteroids and moons, each helping to fortify their destination more and more. If all went well, the asteroids and New Havenic moons would be impregnable fortresses of which epic balads were penned for ages to come.

The first troops disembarked at Pallas and Scorpio from troop transports, taking up their posts manning the Mjolnirs, patrolling the corridors and inserting a permanent New Havenic presence into the asteroids. While these asteroids would be joint civilian and military colonies, the military held priority over the stations until habitation structures were finished.

Drives that had been attached to Scorpio temporarily for the second phase of construction fired, the burn causing its orbit to shift into one that would intersect an orbital plane high over Mars (the orbital plane occupied solely by Mathilde and one that used to be inhabited by Orion as well). It would take six weeks to transit from the asteroid belt to Martian orbit... in that time, the civilian compartments would be finished and would probably start filling up as Orion's replacement made its way to its new home.