NationStates Jolt Archive

An economic superpower located some 23,000 lightyears from the Sol system, the Constitutional Monarchy of Bretonia is an industrial powerhouse and home to several galaxy-renowned universities and research and development centres. The nation has a rich and cultured history stretching back some 800 years, though its exact origins are somewhat uncertain as records beyond that time are incomplete or unreadable. Based within the turbulent navigational hazard known as the Great Barrier, Bretonia claims eleven star systems within its domain. Despite this, only three planets have been colonised, and only eight of the systems in their territory have been put to any use. Despite the government's leaning in favour of the private sector, Bretonia is beset with punitive taxation rates and the economy struggles to uphold the bloated social welfare budgets.

| People |

The Constitutional Monarchy of Bretonia supports an ever-growing population of 5.713 billion people, spread amongst its various colonies, homeworlds and facilities. Bretonian law recognises no different castes or races amongst this population, with the only racial tag known to exist simply being 'Bretonian'. The population is entirely human, which for obvious reasons has led historians and biologists to assume that despite the lack of historical evidence, Bretonians are descended from Earth.

4.463 billion people live in somewhat cramped conditions on Planet New London, in the New London system. 1.056 billion people live on Planet Leeds, in the nearby Leeds system. There is a sociological rivalry between these two main population centres, with Leeds residents being thought of as rather grubby and uncivilised, and New London residents being thought of as snobby and spoiled, incapable of hard work. While neither generalisation is entirely accurate, it does lead to some hostility. Of the remaining population, most live on Planet Birmingham (which is still undergoing the terraforming process), and the rest live off-world, primarily on space stations, asteroid bases and mining installations.

The average age of the Bretonian citizen is 35, with the average maximum lifespan being 93. This 'average' obviously varies between worlds however, and the fact that Leeds and Birmingham have lower averages than New London is a point of contention in society and political debates. The vast majority of people are between the ages of fifteen and sixty-five, with a slightly larger number of people being under fifteen than over sixty-five. With a birthrate of 18.28 per 1,000 people and a death rate of 11.24 per 1,000 people the population is climbing extremely rapidly.

In terms of gender ratios, males have a 0.1% advantage of numbers. Rarely is this a topic of discussion however - gender relations in Bretonia are highly equalised, with the only real distinctions being of a sexual nature rather than political or social. Indeed, at present a larger number of females are in employment than males, and on average they tend to earn a lot more as well.

In terms of health, most known illnesses can be dealt with in public hospitals. A very small fraction of the population (under 0.0012%) suffer from an incurable terminal disease. Sexually transmitted diseases are the most prevalent form of major illness, despite the fact that all of them are curable with modern Bretonian medical science - most analysts put this down to embarrassment preventing people from receiving treatment. Genetic disorders are the second-largest form of major illness, with various genetic mental disorders taking the lead. However, a growing number of people are reporting health problems caused by extensive industrial pollution, a point which the moneycentric government is keen to avoid dealing with in public.

Relgion is moderately popular in Bretonia. Roughly 10% of the population follow a minor religion imported from other countries, with 9% of the population following Christianity. 32% of the population claim to be strong followers of the Bretonian Orthadox belief system. To sum up, Bretonian Orthadox followers believe in the Divinity, a divine being which created all things, and then created the Great Barrier to protect His chosen people. This is by far the strongest religious movement in Bretonia, however it is almost always the Christians who are the most vocal in demanding involvement in government, demands which are universally denied. 34% of the population describe themselves as agnostic, with no strong belief in any particular faith. The remaining 24% describe themselves as strict atheists.

People from Bretonia are referred to as 'Bretonians' or 'Bretons'. The adjective is 'Bretonian'. Some sectors of the population prefer to use more localised terms, such as New Londonians for people from New London and Leedites for people from Leeds, though these people are dwindling in number.



| Society |
(INCOMPLETE)

Some popular slang terms in Bretonian society:

'Mollys' - A pejorative term for any resident of the Dublin star system, though now more commonly associated with the Dublin-based terrorist organisation of the same name - a name adopted, no doubt, in defiance. Usually used by New London residents.

'Grubs' - A pejorative term for any resident of the Leeds star system. Refers to the extensive pollution of the system, and the lines of work most of its residents are usually involved in. Usually used by New London residents.

'Glowies' - A pejorative term for any resident of the Leeds star system. Probably refers to the myth that all residents of the Leeds system glow in the dark because of the extensive uranium mining that takes place in the system. The alarming story a few years back of BMM workers being housed on known radioactive waste dumps saw a resurgence of the term.

'Bumpkins' - A pejorative term for the rural residents of Planet Cambridge.

'Boffins' - A casual term for the residents of Planet Cambridge University, who make up almost 30% of the planet's population.

'Manchester Mongrels' (or just 'mongrels') - A pejorative term for any resident of the Manchester system, a remote and unimportant system whose limited population is considered an undesirable social caste. The Bretonian equivalent of hillbillies, essentially.

'Goths' - A pejorative term for any resident of Planet New London. Thought to refer to the gothic architecture of the capital, and the traditional style of wearing darker clothes.

'Smokies' - A pejorative term for any resident of Planet New London. Probably refers to the myth that all New London residents have darkened skin caused by the air pollution the planet traditionally suffers from.

'Flower Power' - A reference to the Green Gaian terrorist organisation, who aren't often taken seriously.

'The Menace' - Primarily used by experienced transport ship pilots, to refer to the Corsair pirate organisation.

'Doughnut' - A casual reference to any Jump Gate in Bretonian space.

'Big Eight' - Casual rhyming slang in reference to any Trade Lane Gate. Term originated in New London and fell into common use Bretonia-wide.

'Flying Pig Brigade' - A pejorative term for the Bretonia Police Authority. Who, incidentally, do a lot of flying.

'Fish o' Doom' - Refers to the Victoria-class Battleship, a common sight along trade routes in Bretonian space, and its passing resemblance to a large and common species of fish in the northern seas of New London.

'Badlands' - An affectionate and understated term for the ice nebula of Cambridge. A dense field of ice boulders and frequent electro-static storms make for highly dangerous flying conditions, hence the term 'badlands'. Official name CS-SPN-06.

(Reserved for political information)

The Bretonian economy is based around its massive industrial sector. Mining takes place on unprecedented levels, polluting entire solar systems as raw materials such as uranium, boron, beryllium, titanium, tungsten and other valuable metals are retrieved, processed and shipped out where needed. Many Bretonian companies also specialise in processing these raw materials, and Bretonia is a key supplier of advanced hydrocarbons and polymer products, refined uranium and plutonium, and various extremely sophisticated room temperature superconductors and high-strength super alloys, as well as simpler produce such as steel. The manufacturing industry is also booming, in particular the shipbuilding, arms manufacturing and heavy machinery production markets.

High-technology products, especially from Aegira Technologies and Cambridge University, are also a high profit area. Bretonia is at the forefront of some key areas of research, such as weapons development, nanorobotics research, faster than light and slower than light propulsion technologies, and advanced materials development. Contrariwise, few companies focus on the gaping consumer goods markets, with almost all luxuries of this kind needing to be imported. Given the large population of Bretonia this is a particularly lucrative market which is yet to be properly exploited on a domestic level.

At the beginning of Bretonia's expansion into space some corporations, such as Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing, were given special preference by Royal decree to be allowed to expand without interference, in an effort to rapidly industrialise New London and the New London System itself as well as the other solar systems within the Great Barrier. Although this program was successful, and saw the first jump gate network established within fifty years of the first Bretonian space expedition, it has left Bretonia with a massive pollution problem which persists to this day. Climate change has permanently changed the weather of New London and acid rain is a major problem, whilst Leeds suffers from high levels of radioactive contamination. Entire swathes of these two key star systems are plastered in debris fields from scrapped ships and broken-up mining operations, whilst Leeds now has a huge radioactive cloud blocking off part of its space. The government has begun to take steps to undo some of the damage which has been done, but it will take centuries to make a difference.

Government funding in the areas of education, healthcare, defence and social welfare are typically high, and the economy struggles to deal with the high taxation rates that are required to fund the massive and inefficient welfare system. High defence spending is often cited as a form of indirect industry subsidisation, as the BRAF is under orders to exclusively source their products from domestic companies, and they are often the key clients of numerous technologies such as large ships and light arms. The Bretonia Police Authority often finds itself insufficiently funded, and struggles to deal with the massive piracy and terrorism problems which plague certain regions of Bretonia.

Personal wealth is considered to be moderate, although income disparity is also fairly high. Taxation on products such as personal space craft, property (either planetary or space station based), H-fuel, and luxuries such as alcohol and cardamine makes Bretonia an expensive place to live.

Gross Domestic Product: 132,966,870,100,693 credits
Gross Domestic Product Per Capita: 23,274.44 credits
Exchange Rate: cr1 = NS$1.0734

| Bretonian Space |

Firstly, the majority of Bretonian space is surrounded by an unusual anomaly named the Great Barrier. The Great Barrier is a vast, sphere-shaped nebula packed so densely with asteroids and ice boulders that for the purposes of sublight travel, it is literally a 'barrier'. Although sublight travel through the Barrier is time consuming and unbelievably dangerous, faster than light travel (both within and outside of the confines of realspace) is impossible. Scientists attempting to chart the Great Barrier had discovered small gravitational singularities in large quantities dotted all around, with even greater numbers of subspace anomalies and temporal distortions. To make matters worse, probes attempting to travel through the Barrier detected literally thousands of naturally-occurring hyperspace gateways in close quarters, opening and closing at random. These would almost certainly cause ships travelling in hyperspace to be torn back into realspace at a moment's notice, probably into the path of a n asteroid or gravitational anomaly. Naturally-occurring 'jump holes' also interfere with Bretonian FTL technology. Interdimensional tears have also been detected, usually in close proximity to gravitational anomalies, tears which have been known to interfere with some experimental Bretonian dimensional technology.

Travel through the Great Barrier can only be accomplished through the dedicated Bretonian Alpha-Epsilon-based Jump Gate. The static nature of the system as opposed to mobile platforms, as well as some special modifications, allows it to dynamically detect and adapt to changes within the Great Barrier each time it is opened. Even so, it is still not 100% safe, and most domestic and foreign insurance companies do not cover travel through the gate. From a military point of view, the Alpha-Epsilon Jump Gate has been identified as a key weakness to Bretonian infrastructure - a determined enemy could simply destroy the outer end of the gate system, effectively trapping the entire Bretonian Navy within the Great Barrier indefinitely. Work on a second Jump Gate, based at Beta-Epsilon, has been under way for some time now but was recently postponed for financial reasons. In the meantime, the Bretonian Military maintains an extremely heavy vanguard of warships at the Alpha-Epsilon Jump Gate to protect it against attack.

The Great Barrier is unusual in that it is almost perfectly spherical in shape, aside from the occasional wisp of cloud extruding from its border. Gravity between the stars within and the Great Barrier itself is perfectly harmonious, preventing either the stars from drifting into the Barrier, or the Barrier engulfing the stars. These peculiarities have lead to extensive speculation in the scientific community about the prospect of the Great Barrier being artificial in nature, though the technology required for such a monumental construct is beyond understanding. The discovery of decidedly alien ruins and artefacts on Bretonian worlds has revived interest in the idea, however.

Contained within the Great Barrier are nine star systems. Three of these are unused by Bretonia, and do not even have names aside from their astronomical designations. Below is a map of Bretonian space, and descriptions of each Bretonian star system.

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| Cambridge System |

The Cambridge System is the technological and agricultural home of the Bretonian Empire. With a white dwarf star at the centre, it is orbited by one rocky planet and one gas giant further out. A smaller planetoid also orbits the star, though it is not technically a planet. Two large ice nebulas and several asteroid fields are present in the Cambridge system, which can present significant navigational hazards to civilian shipping as well as being plentiful sources of various materials such as beryllium.

Aegira Technologies Cambridge Research and Development Station is one of the most important facilities in this system, in close orbit of Planet Cambridge. Home to some of the most technologically sophisticated developments in Bretonia, the station is most famous for producing the Jump Gate and Tradelane networks respectively, as well as fitting much of the technology on Bretonian warships. Due to the sensitive nature of the research carried out at this vast station, an extensive network of sensor arrays and automated weapons turrets are deployed right across the system. These protect not only the station and Planet Cambridge, but also sensitive transport shipments moving throughout the system. The HMS Nelson is stationed permanently in this system, not far from Planet Cambridge.

Cardiff Mining Facility is a medium-sized mining station owned and operated by the Independent Mining Guild. Sitting adjacent to the planet Sarum, Cardiff Mining Facility gathers and processes moderate quantities of beryllium from the nearby asteroid fields. The Independent Mining Guild has also begun looking into harvesting the rare and valuable gasses found deep within Sarum's atmosphere. Additionally, Cardiff Mining Facility is responsible for processing water from the surrounding ice nebulas, which is then sent to planets, ships and facilities for drinking and washing.

Planet Cambridge

Planet Cambridge is a largely temperate world, roughly the same size and density as Earth. The northern and southern hemispheres are mild all year round, and booming agricultural industries have been operating there for centuries, supplying all of Bretonia with large quantities of food. Indeed, aside from Aegira Technologies' biodomes and Synth Foods' SynthPaste, Cambridge is responsible for feeding most of Bretonia. As a result of this, the most powerful trade union on the planet is the Farmer's Alliance, who have significant influence over local government matters. The population of the planet is only 105 million, and the vast majority of these people reside in Cambridge City itself, the only real city of note. Around the equator jungles dominate, which aside from being used by the military for training are rich in resources and medical supplies, and Cryer Pharmaceuticals have set up numerous outposts in this hot and dangerous environment.

Cambridge City is the only large city on the planet. With a population of almost 80 million it is home to Cambridge University, a highly respected educational institution with some of the most highly funded public R&D facilities in Bretonia. Like Aegira Technologies' base in orbit, Cambridge University is responsible for a great many technological innovations, and it is essentially the only reason anybody visits the planet.

Planet Sarum

Planet Sarum is a massive gas giant, whose upper atmosphere consists primarily of simple ice crystals. Deeper within the atmosphere numerous more valuable gasses have been discovered, including traces of beryllium, ammonia, deuterium, helium-3 and of particular interest to nearby Planet Cambridge, nitrogen and various other elements useful in manufacturing fertilisers. The powerful gravity well of Sarum has thus far prevented intrusive attempts to collect these gasses, but modern technology has allowed for limited exploration by the nearby Cardiff Mining Facility.



| Dublin System |

The heart of the Dublin system glows with the light of a dim yellow dwarf, in its infancy. There are no planets in the Dublin system, though much of the inner system is populated by dense asteroid fields which are rich in gold. Some asteroids are large enough to be hollowed out and used as colonies. It is thought that the system is not yet old enough to have developed planets, either that or the planets that did form in the past have failed, resulting in the vast asteroid fields that dominate the landscape today.

The enormous gold deposits have attracted the attentions of numerous mining companies over the years, being as it is one of the largest sources of the metal known to exist. Aside from its aesthetic qualities gold has a great number of practical qualities which make it highly valuable in the modern world. BMM is, of course one of the biggest players in the system.

The system is also the home of some of the biggest problems in Bretonia, however, partially due to the gold deposits. A little under a century ago, several trade unions started up in the system, who resprented BMM workers. They claimed that the work was dangerous and that BMM was not paying them enough, despite the vast profits they were making from the gold mined by them. When the unions demanded more money, BMM fired numerous key individuals and kept pay rates at their previous levels. The unions took to arms, and BMM responded in kind, until it escalated into open conflict. The unions formed an organisation known as the Mollys, who wanted to keep the gold revenues to themselves.

Since those days the Mollys have changed their ultimate goals to include the independence of the Dublin system from Bretonian rule. The idea itself has support in some quarters, and the Dublin Independence Party stands in elections each term. However, the Mollys use violent methods to terrorise the government into capitulating. Molly attacks frequently include attacks on civilian shipping, and they have even been known to attack settlements and planets. The HMS Hood is permanently stationed in the system, as per a government mandate to maintain a battleship presence there, and numerous military vessels are often sighted in the system on various anti-terrorism missions. BMM has also had to step up protection of their convoys and installations. Interspace Commerce is now the only company offering insurance to ships operating in Dublin due to the extreme risks. All in all, the costs of mining the gold there have driven most companies out, except for BMM, IMG and a few others.




| Leeds System |

The Leeds system is a heavily polluted system of extreme value to Bretonian interests, not only because of its extensive and heavily mined mineral deposits, but also because of the vast industrial sector which has dominated the Leeds economy for centuries. The Leeds star itself is a yellow dwarf star approaching the end of its main sequence life. Two average sized rocky worlds orbit it, one inhabited and one uninhabitable. The system is also home to vast asteroid fields of untold economical value. Due to the extreme presence of heavy elements in the asteroid fields it is presumed that they are the remnants of a destroyed world, thought to have been enormous. The Dunkirk-class Battleship HMS York is permanently stationed in the Leeds system.

The asteroid fields themselves are heavily mined. Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing has an extensive hold on the mining rights to this system, but the Independent Mining Guild also stakes a claim to several fruitful areas. Uranium is mined extensively in these asteroid fields, as well as a long list of other staple resources such as tungsten, iron, daranium, aluminium, copper, cobalt, niobium, and a great many other key resources. Unfortunately, Leeds is the most polluted system in Bretonian space. Uncontrolled industry and mining has seen vast smog clouds form right across the system, which aside from posing serious health risks also assures cover to pirates and smugglers moving through the system - their radioactive nature hides most ships from sensors.

Refinery Station LD-14 was set up at the heart of one of the largest asteroid belts by BMM for exactly this reason. LD-14 specifically deals with the enormous quantities of uranium mined in the surrounding asteroid fields. It is used by BMM to process and refine the uranium ore, and LD-14 has a number of dedicated breeder reactors for producing plutonium. Thus it is of no surprise that one of the main products manufactured on LD-14 by BMM are MOX ceramic pellets. This makes LD-14 one of BMM's most profitable ventures, as nowhere else in Bretonia has authorisation for producing MOX pellets, which are used by reactors aboard many ships and civilian facilities due to the transport-friendly nature of the fuel. Combined with the highly refined uranium and plutonium exports, LD-14 accounts for a sizeable share of the Leeds system economy. The station is fitted with a large number of weapons platforms and a dedicated military patrol from HMS York frequently passes by - it is a popular terrorist and pirate target, with the Gaian's frequently attacking it for political reasons, and the Corsairs attacking it in attempts to secure sources of weapons-grade plutonium.

Glasgow Outpost orbits Planet Leeds, and is the headquarters of leading shipping firm Bowex. The station sees heavy traffic, much of it from BMM, as it is a key trading outpost. Due to the heavy industrial and mining presence in the Leeds system, most Bretonian transports found outside of Bretonian space will have typically started their journey at Glasgow Outpost.

Border Station Durham is a heavily armed Bretonia Police Authority base located near the Leeds to Edinburgh Jump Gate. Although administrated by the Police Authority, the BRAF also have a sizeable garrison there, and the station liaises with HMS York frequently. The primary duties of Durham include stemming the increasingly high piracy in the system, as well as finding ways to put a stop to drug smugglers using the Leeds smog clouds for cover. As the nearby Edinburgh system is the only access point into Bretonian space from outside the Great Barrier, the threat of alien incursions is also high on their list.

Between Planet Leeds and Planet Waterford lies Stokes Mining Station, sitting directly in the middle of the tradelane between the two planets. Owned by BMM, Stokes Mining Station is one of the largest such stations known to exist, and deals heavily with the metals mined from the surrounding asteroid fields. The station is also home to a massive series of refineries and blast furnaces, allowing the station to process much of the ore that passes through it into usable materials before shipping them away. Stokes Mining Station is moderately armed, to deal with the numerous pirate attacks it suffers from.

Planet Leeds

Planet Leeds is a heavily populated industrial planet, slightly larger and much hotter than Earth. The average surface temperature of Leeds is 43 degrees celcius, with temperatures nearer the equator being much warmer. Additionally, Leeds lacks sources of fresh water, which means that the entire population is essentially reliant on the enormous quantities of fresh water shipped there from the Cambridge ice nebulas.

Much of the usable land mass of Leeds is either covered with factories, processing plants or landfills and waste dumps. Leeds City itself is a highly centralised city, originally born out of a mining settlement that was started there and spreading rapidly as the population expanded to its present size of 1.056 billion. The city covers several hundred miles, and is beset with problems such as inefficient transportation and dangerous levels of pollution and crime. Most of the population is employed by the various industrial corporations working on the planet, with BMM being one of the largest employers with 13.2% of the total planet's population on their books. Indeed, most of the housing on the planet was originally built by these companies for new employees to live in, and many of the houses are still owned by these companies.

Numerous health scares have occured on the planet over the years. The most recent one involved BMM building new housing on top of a toxic waste dump and then allowing several of their newer employees to live there. No fatalities occured, but there were detrimental health effects and the company lost several million credits in compensation and legal fees. Leeds has traditionally been a haven of unrestrained capitalism, with the government turning a blind eye to activities across the entire system in view of the economical value of the industries there. However the number of health scares in recent years have forced the government to enact some clean up legislation and to enforce stricter policies on environmental issues. Even BMM, with their historical royal mandate, have had to conform to the new laws.



| New London System |

The New London system is the capital system, home to Planet New London as well as Planet Dover. It is a white dwarf, putting out roughly the same amount of heat and slightly more light than Sol. The two large asteroid fields mentioned above used to be plentiful sources of various key metal ores, until they were mined to exhaustion almost 400 years ago. Nowadays they are only of note for posing navigational hazards along some key tradelanes.

Southampton Shipyards is located in the New London System, midway along the Tradelane between Planet New London and the Leeds Jump Gate. The shipyards have a key place in Bretonian culture, having been built originally over 600 years ago and producing some of the first Bretonian ships in history. Today, the shipyards are owned by Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing, who have spent considerable sums of money upgrading and expanding them. At full capacity, the shipyards can work on building fifteen battleships, thirty-five frigates or large cargo trains, twenty-five cruisers, thirty gunships and seventy fighters or personal craft at the same time, making it the most productive shipyard facility in Bretonian space. Its modular nature means that it can be expanded as far as the laws of physics allow, and it is accompanied by several smaller sister yards in close proximity, also owned by BMM. Many Bretonian civilian and military ships are produced at Southampton, and BMM has also begun exporting civilian ships beyond the Great Barrier.

In orbit of Planet New London, aside from the various civilian planetary landing and capital ship docking facilities, is Trafalgar Station. This extravagant station is home to Interspace Commerce, the largest insurance firm in Bretonia. Aside from housing extensive office facilities, it also has one of the largest space-based shopping malls known to exist. It is often the first port of call for most visitors to Planet New London.

Thames Outpost is a BMM facility in orbit of Planet New London. As well as maintaining a ship servicing department for civilian visitors, it is used as the primary drop-off point for BMM transports delivering supplies to Planet New London from their mining operations in Leeds. For this reason, the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces maintains a small garrison of marines and Navy fighters there, to deter pirate attacks.

Kensington Shipping Platform is a Gateway Shipping station. For many traders this is the best place to deliver products destined for Planet New London. Goods are offloaded from transport trains and then distributed down to the planet to facilitate efficient movement of products. Although Kensington Shipping Platform is not fortunate enough to have a BRAF presence, they have been granted a licence to install civilian weapons turrets on their station, making it the most heavily armed civilian installation in Bretonia.

Canterbury Station is in orbit of Planet Dover, and is the home base of Planetform Incorporated, a plantary terraforming company which uses Canterbury as its main base of operations for its various projects in and around Bretonia. Although it receives regular shipments of resources from contracted suppliers, it is of little interest to civilian or military ships.

Planet New London

Home of Westminster city, seat of power for the Bretonian Empire, Planet New London is roughly 93% of the size of Earth with comparable gravity and surface temperatures. It has roughly 35% less landmass than Earth however, with much of the land it does have been mountainous or otherwise unusable. As a result its population of 3.463 billion people live in cramped cities which must be built up to astonishing heights in order to provide adequate housing and facilities. It is a planet characterised by heavy rain all year around.

Planet New London suffers from high levels of industrial pollution. Rain is quite acidic, and can discolour and damage clothing and even cause skin irritation to those who remain exposed to it for too long. This acidic rain has all but destroyed the small amounts of agriculture that remained on the planet, as well as causing various health concerns. Despite government reform and attempts to clean up the land and the atmosphere, thick smog can still be found lingering at ground level where few people go in some of the taller cities.

There are six main administrative districts on New London, referred to as city boroughs or just cities. Westminster City is the largest, most influential and most heavily populated city borough, as well as having the strongest economy of the planet. A great mix of people live in Westminster, from the rich and famous to the poor and underprivileged. Parliament is located near the centre of the city along with the Royal Palace of the Monarchy, both of which enjoy protection from the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces and also a healthy amount of tourism. Major shopping centres and commercial headquarters are sited in Westminster, such as the Mall of Bretonia and the Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing Building, and even the armed forces maintain their headquarters there.

West London is the second-largest city borough geographically speaking and in terms of population, though its economical impact comes mostly in the form of taxation. West End London is almost entirely a residential district with a few commercial areas for small malls and retail parks. Housing here is mostly in the form of tall high-rise apartment blocks, with entire streets being suspended miles above the ground.

Trafalgar District is the third-largest district geographically speaking, though it is considered a more exclusive area of Bretonia and does not have as high a population as East End London. Like most Bretonian cities it is high-rise in nature, though its apartments are much more spacious, technologically sophisticated, and usually have access to balconies - even those below the 'canopy', which have artificial sunlight generators to compensate for the duller conditions. Many of Bretonia's celebrities live in Trafalgar, along with much of the middle classes and several influential politicians from past and present governments. Trafalgar is also home to several well-known and exclusive fashion designers and artists, which earns it the unofficial title of 'snootiest city in Bretonia'. Festivals, parades and the like regularly take place on the suave suspended streets of Trafalgar, drawing tourists from lightyears around.

East London is considered by many to be the least sophisticated city on New London, with cheap high-rise flats dominating the landscape. With an ever-growing population, additional housing space was urgently required, and East End London is the result of a rapid and largely under-funded housing program. Accommodations are tightly packed and most of the flats are small and inexpensive, as well as being poorly maintained more often than not. Crime and pollution are key problems in this city.

North London is home to some of the heaviest industry in Bretonia, and is the borough held responsible for the vast majority of pollution that the planet suffers from. Small to mid sized ships are constructed here, as well as various consumer durables and construction materials. Much of the mining equipment used by BMM is made here by various companies, and even Aegira Technologies maintains a mid-sized manufacturing plant here. There are small residential areas here, but those who live there suffer from some of the most serious health problems in Bretonia.

South London is a mix of residential areas, mid-sized commercial ventures and industrial sectors. It has been identified as one of the oldest cities of New London, and has never been rebuilt from scratch like the other boroughs. For this reason it is a very old-fashioned and quaint district, with small local traders being found here more than anywhere else. The population here is quite low, but nevertheless it has a fair economy. Although its people value South London as being one of the only city boroughs with any sort of open space, let alone flora or fauna, the government has recently begun developing a kind of suburban district on unused land.

Reserved for historical information.)

| Bretonian Royal Armed Forces - General |

One organisation maintains all areas of the military; the Bretonia Royal Armed Forces. They operate a space fleet (including fighters capable of navigating in a planetary atmosphere, albeit at lower-than-max speeds) and a moderate ground force. Ground forces typically find themselves joining forces with the local police on planets where pirates and terrorists make their homes, whereas space vessels are usually put on patrol or stationed near particularly dangerous areas.

18,162,400 active personnel serving in the BRAF currently.

9,950,000 of these are not combat personnel. Engineers, cargo ship pilots, science officers, administrators and other assorted logistical and administrative personnel are all required to keep the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces functioning smoothly and efficiently. Although these people work for the Armed Forces, they are not technically combat personnel, although some of them (such as Techs, for example) can be sent into battle situations. Robots can be used to augment or replace personnel in some cases.



| Bretonian Royal Armed Forces Navy |

The Navy is the most important and highly funded department of the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces. It is a strong aspect of Bretonian culture, with a rich and honourable history, and is respected by all. The Bretonian Navy maintains a fleet of powerful warships and battlestations, as well as a number of border stations, and are involved in constant patrols of Bretonian territory, protecting Bretonian citizens from threats within and without. The Navy is increasingly becoming involved in exploration missions beyond Bretonian borders.

At present, 4,689,961 people are serving in the Bretonian Royal Navy.

First phase of training for Navy applicants is basic space training, which lasts up to 15 weeks. During the second phase, applicants will be stationed aboard an active warship for on-the-job training for a further 15 weeks. Officers must undergo additional officer training, which lasts 50 weeks. Specialised training exists for anyone in the Navy. This makes Bretonian Royal Navy officers amongst the most highly trained in the galaxy, which is worth the expense.

The rank structure of the Royal Navy is as follows:

Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral
Vice Admiral
Rear Admiral
Commodore
Captain
Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Sub Lieutenant
Midshipman
Cadet
Warrant Officer
Chief Petty Officer
Petty Officer
Leading Seaman
Able Seaman
Ordinary Rating
Junior Seaman



| Bretonia Royal Marines |

The Royal Marines serve as the light infantry of the Bretonian Royal Navy. Royal Marines are renowned throughout the galaxy as being highly skilled and capable of functioning independently in all terrains, as well as being a highly trained commando force. Serving aboard Bretonian warships, Royal Marines provide ship security and emergency support, as well as taking part in boarding operations and planetary assaults.

At present, 597,872 Marines are in active service.

Their training includes 40 weeks of basic training, plus an additional week of commando training, both of which are mandatory for all Royal Marines. Many Marines also take part in further specialist training programmes afterwards, which include courses in zero-gravity assaults, advanced demolitions, sniper training and even vehicle operations.

The rank structure of the Royal Marines is as follows:

General
Lieutenant General
Major General
Brigadier
Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
Acting Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Cadet
Warrant Officer Class 1
Warrant Officer Class 2
Colour Sergeant
Sergeant
Corporal
Marine 1st Class
Marine 2nd Class
Junior Marine



| Bretonia Royal Armed Forces Army |

The Royal Army are the ground forces of the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces. Amongst the most technologically advanced forces in the galaxy, the Royal Army utilises heavy armour, long-range artillery, various airbourne vehicles and potent light arms to form a flexible, highly mobile force. Although not stationed on ships like the Royal Marines, the Royal Army must be deployed by ship if attacking or defending another world, and it is for this reason that they utilise Scorpion Armed Forces Carriers, ships dedicated to transporting troops and equipment from one world to another. The Royal Army also contributes troops to the Precision Strike Forces, of whom 75% are ex-Army soldiers.

The Royal Army is the second-largest force in the BRAF, with 3,719,271 people currently in active service.

Basic training lasts 12 weeks, during which time recruits are trained in weapons handling and shooting, survival (including NBC survival), physical fitness, low atmosphere and zero-gravity deployment, drills, cartography, field tactics and other vital skills. Additional specialist training can be taken, which can last up to 24 weeks and covers various advanced subjects.

The rank structure of the Royal Army is as follows:

Field Marshal
General
Lieutenant General
Major General
Brigadier
Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Officer Cadet
Warrant Officer Class 1
Warrant Officer Class 2
Staff Sergeant
Sergeant
Corporal
Lance Corporal
Private



| Bretonia Royal Armed Forces Precision Strike Forces |

The Precision Strike Force is the Special Operations unit of the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces. The PSF deal with unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, reconnaissance, direct action and foreign internal defense. Trained in stealth, self-sufficiently, close teamwork and advanced tactics, the PSF typically work in small, covert groups to accomplish very specific objectives, preferably without being detected. As well as training in the use of most weapons and the operation of most vehicles (ground or space), they are also adept at hand-to-hand combat techniques.

At present there are roughly 205,296 people serving the PSF in various capabilities.

The PSF has a rigorous training regime which reportedly only has a pass rate of 10%, and the selection process scrutinises all applicants. The training courses are split into multiple phases.

The fitness and navigation training phase lasts for 5 weeks, where recruits are placed in remote areas of Planet Cambridge and placed under a series of endurance, navigation and fitness tests. Due to the cold conditions of the northern hemisphere of Planet Cambridge, many recruits have died while out on training.

Further Training lasts for 4 weeks, and consists of advanced weapons handling, advanced combat tactics, demolitions, and small patrol tactics.

Low Atmopshere Training is a grueling test whereby recruits are left for 2 weeks on Planet Birmingham, a barely habitable rocky world with a thin atmpsphere and a low temperature in the Manchester system. Many recruits die on this expedition, which involves them being forced to stand guard for several hours and run for several kilometres without fainting, all whilst carrying their equipment.

Zero Gravity Training lasts for a further week, and sees recruits being left on a purpose-built spacecraft without artificial gravity and made to complete specific mission objectives (similar to boarding operations) in a zero-gravity environment. A further 2 day course is added on dealing with spacewalking.

Jungle Training, lasting for 6 weeks, sees recruits being left in the jungles of Planet Cambridge in groups of four. Similar to Low Atmosphere Training, troops must stand guard for several hours and run several kilometres in the excessive heat and humidity without fainting and whilst carrying their equipment. Additionally, jungle navigation, camp building, boat handling and self-reliance training form core parts of this phase. Recruit must learn to live in and off the jungle, using available plants and materials to tend to wounds on their own before they get infected, and finding safe food and water sources. They must also learn to fight in the jungle, taking advantage of camoflage and cover and being able to cope with low visibility in combat situations.

Combat Survival training lasts for one month, and once more sees recruits deposited in the temperate northern areas of Planet Cambridge. Recruits learn escape and evasion techniques, learn to live off the land even further, are given lectures on interrogation techniques, and further advanced weapons and tactics training. The final part of this phase involves experienced PSF troopers hunting down the recruits, and the recruits must try to escape and survive with minimal kit and a heavy longcoat to slow them down. When/if captured, they must withstand an interrogation session.

Upon completion of the training course, the recruit will lose any previous rank held in another division of the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces and become a trooper, and must work their way up the ranks once again. They may also take additional specialist training if they wish, in such areas as sniping, languages, VIP protection, further zero-gravity and spacewalking training, and other subjects.

The rank structure of the Precision Strike Force is as follows:

Colonel
Major
Captain
Regimental Sergeant Major
Squadron Sergeant Major
Staff Sergeant
Sergeant
Corporal
Lance Corporal
Trooper



| Bretonian Royal Armed Forces - Small Arms |

| BR-62 'Repulsor' Assault Rifle |

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Type: Assault Rifle
Weight (empty): 3.9kg
Weight (loaded, with grenade launcher): 4.9kg
Length: 712mm
Barrel length: 395mm
Calibre: Fin-stabilised carbon-tungsten 6.2x45mm RBSA
Muzzle velocity: 3,700m/s
Rate of fire: 1,200 rounds per minute
Action: Electromagnetic solenoids
Effective range: 1,500 metres
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

Designed by Royal Arms Limited, the Bretonian Rifle 62 is an extremely powerful and modular coilgun rifle. It is used as the standard-issue assault rifle by the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces.

The BR-62 rifle is a twenty-two micro-solenoid, selective fire electromagnetic coilgun utilising 6.2x45mm AP carbon-tungsten alloy fin-stabilised rods in bullpup configuration. It is capable of piercing most known forms of body armour (including all Bretonian body armours) with ease as well as most forms of light vehicle armour, with only the heaviest capital ship armour having been shown to have significant resistance. Unfortunately this has the side-effect of making stray bullets a major problem, and so in urban combat scenarios the muzzle velocity of the weapon is reduced to its lowest settings. Although dangerous, this low setting reduces the armour piercing qualities of the weapon immensely.

The weapon has a high rate of fire (not needing to eject spent shells) and a high muzzle velocity, which in turn offers it a long effective range and superior penetration power. The barrel and the guiding rail are made from a sophisticated series of room temperature superconducting alloys manufactured by BMM, and utilise a combination of self-contained water cooling and air cooling heat expulsion systems, giving them a lifespan of roughly 9,000 rounds. Vents and small radiators are visible on the sides of the barrel. Reliability is rated at excellent, and aside from the battery and the solenoid arrays most aspects of the rifle can be maintained in the field. As with all magazine-fed firearms it is susceptible to jamming, but in practice this is a rare occurrence, and when it does occur can easily be rectified by the soldier.

Solenoid failures can occur, but because the weapon utilises numerous independent solenoids in a parallel circuit it can continue to fire at reduced performance without incident. Overheating can occur after long periods of continuous fire, although the weapon's internal computer forcibly shuts down the solenoids to allow the internal components a chance to cool. Given the lack of recoil, the use of stabilised ammunition, the particularly long barrel and guiding rail and the versatile tactical scope, accuracy of the weapon is extremely high, with a cited rating of 90% at a range of 650 metres when firing from crouched position. When fired from a static holding clamp in testing ranges, the weapon is almost 100% accurate.

The BRAF specified that the rifle must be a modular personal combat system, and for that reason its configuration can vary on the battlefield. The forward hand grip can be replaced with a 40mm grenade launcher, a utility flashlight, a variety of less-lethal assault systems, or a low-powered 15mj laser cutting beam emitter system (powered by the rifle's own battery). Its tactical scope offers a zoom level between 1x to 5x, allowing the operator to make use of its long range, and this tactical scope can be replaced with either a red dot, laser pointer or a standard iron sight. Although the standard muzzle velocity produces an audible sonic boom, this setting can be adjusted in the field to subsonic muzzle velocities. This has the effect of rendering the weapon practically silent, and combined with the absence of any kind of muzzle flash, the BR-62 can become a highly stealthy rifle.

The tactical scope offers the user full control over projectile speeds and rate of fire, as well as offering detailed information such as a short-range personal radar screen, ballistics details such as wind speeds, and target acquisition abilities. The scope has both a night and day view mode, and offers a thermal imaging option. All of these functions are controlled by the small control panel on either side. Semi- and fully-automatic firing modes are available, as well as a safety option (set the control switch to 'nothing').

The optional 40mm grenade launcher accepts all standard calibre impact-detonated Bretonian grenades, giving it access to stun grenades, sting grenades, fragmentation grenades, plasma grenades, smoke grenades, incendiary grenades or anti-tank grenades - all either impact detonated or set to a timer, as set by the user during loading. Specialist self-guided, heat-seeking 'missile grenades' are also available, though rarely used. The less-lethal attachment looks similar, but is only capable of firing gas canisters.

The internal battery offers enough charge for an average 5 hours of continuous fire, and can be easily recharged from any standard Bretonian ground vehicle, ship power point, mobile power generators or portable power packs. Charge can be extended by scaling down the muzzle velocity, which can reduce the solenoid power consumption by almost three quarters. These batteries use advanced chemical storage technologies which are capable of powering both the tactical scope, internal computer and sensor equipment, and the electromagnetic solenoid systems.

Batteries which are in regular use tend to lose 10% of their charge capacity per year, and according to operating guidelines must be replaced by technical staff every two years and tested every 6 months. Batteries which are in storage must be tested biannually and replaced every ten years. The battery cannot be replaced in the field, although most dedicated infantry personnel carry a small, portable power pack which can recharge the battery fully one time. Generally speaking, the supply of ammunition will be expended before two battery charges are expired.

Not requiring any form of explosive propellant, the weapon is fully capable of operating in a vacuum or oxygen deficient environment without any impact on performance. As there is no pressure in the barrel, only magnetic force, and because all of the electronics are guaranteed to be waterproofed down to 50 meters, the weapon can technically be fired underwater, although this is not advised as it cannot properly cool itself.

The BR-62 was commissioned just under seven years ago, and has now fully replaced all of the older BR-35 predecessors as the standard issue assault rifle for the BRAF. As standard the weapon is dark grey in colour, although it can be recoloured with jungle, desert, tundra, temperate, oceanic, or various customised camouflaged colour schemes as requested. Royal Arms Limited freely markets the BR-62 for $7,500 per unit, or $4,000 for a civilian version (semi-automatic only, restricted to a 1,000m/s muzzle velocity). Modules sold separately.

| Bretonian Royal Navy |

The Bretonian Royal Armed Forces is the primary defensive organisation of the Constitutional Monarchy of Bretonia. The BRAF is responsible for both the navy and the army, as well as operating and defending various space stations throughout Bretonian Space. The most important, and continuous, duty of the BRAF is operating the Border Stations. These stations stand vigil over the jump gates, repelling attempts by terrorists and pirates to use the network to get around.

The BRAF primarily contracts Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing to construct its ships, with Aegira Technologies being contracted to design the small arms and vehicles of the infantry as well as some of the more advanced ship technologies. BMM is the most prominent ship building company in Bretonia, as well as operating extensive uranium, gold, copper, beryllium and boron mining operations. Aegira Technologies work closely with Cambridge University to produce high-tech equipment for various uses.

The BRAF's primary line of defence is the Royal Navy. They operate a large force of various classes of ships for various uses, the most prominent of which is defence. Lacking any significant enemies elsewhere in the galaxy, BRAF's usual targets are terrorists, with large pirate organisations also featuring.

All Bretonian vessels are equipped with transpatial slipstream drive systems, which allows for ships to practically travel faster than light. These drives are somewhat similar in effect to wormholes, in that they force the ship outside of normal space-time and effectively reduce the distance that the ship must traverse to reach its destination. Most Bretonian capital ships are also equipped with energy sheaths for defensive purposes, and numerous types of highly destructive offensive weapons.



Current BRAF Fleet Strength

This list keeps track of all ships currently commissioned in the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces. Ships that are damaged beyond repair, decommissioned and mothballed, or not yet completed will not appear in this list. Ships undergoing practical repairs or maintenance are still accounted for here, however, as they are still considered to be in active duty.
Current ships registered to the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces:

1 x Carina-class Battleship
1836 x Victoria-class Battleships
132 x Dunkirk-class Battleships
4893 x Coventry-class Cruisers
591 x Warwick-class Frigates

8350x Mark 7 Bretonian Gunboats

47,000x Cavalier-class Light Fighters
42,000x Crusader-class Heavy Fighters
3,000x Clydesdale-B class Heavy Troop Carriers
4,500x Stafford-class Mobile Torpedo Bombers

(Additionally, 43,000x modified Cavalier-class LFs in service with Bretonia Police Authority; Emergency Conscription Act of 624 A.S. allows for use of these fighters by BRAF in times of emergency)



| Bretonian Battleships |

- Victoria-class Bretonian Battleship

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[The HMS Victoria on patrol in the Cambridge System]

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[The HMS Victoria on her initial posting in the Dublin System]

Length: 2,360 metres
Torpedo launchers: 32x 1,200mm torpedo tubes (12x starboard, 12x port, 4x fore, 4x aft)
Torpedo inventory: 500x Daranium-enhanced nuclear fusion torpedoes (estimated 1.5 gigaton yield); 90x antimatter torpedoes (estimated 18 gigaton yield)
Primary weapons: 2x 700mm mass driver guns
Secondary weapons: 60x particle beam turrets, 45x tachyon turrets
Additional weapons: 1x experimental meson accelerator cannon
Propulsion: Ion glide drive (Mark 6) (4x emitter plates), advanced cruise drive.
Sheath: Mark 1 energy sheath, 250 external microemitters
Construction: Standard capital ship superalloy endo-exo structure with 2600mm Southampton-class adaptive hull armour plating
Fighter compliment: 50x Fighters (up to level 8 class), 10x Clydesdale-B troop deployment vessels
Estimated crew requirement: 200 officer grade, 2500 enlisted crew
Power: Type 2 fusion reactor core
Computer: Mark 10 primary core, mark 1 redundant core, A13 AI compatible, holo-interface available, Class B internal ecology support
Estimated Refit Interval: 25 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 100 years
Planned Production Run: Ongoing
Misc.: 440x emergency lifepods (mark 3), active protection system (700x emergency forcefield generators, structural support bulkheads, point defence lasers, electronic countermeasure system, emergency decompression protocol), Class 55 Power Distribution Network

Second in size and power only to the ceremonial Carina-class, the Victoria-class Battleship represents the pinnacle of Bretonian technological achievement and military design. The HMS Victoria, first of her class and flagship of Bretonia, was launched in 802 A.S. from Southampton Shipyards, closely followed by her sister ship the HMS Norfolk, and has gone on to become one of the most successful navy designs in history. She was laid down in 798 A.S. in direct response to newly-discovered alien warship designs, which were demonstrated to outclass the much older Dunkirk line of battleships.

Her design brief called for a flexible, heavily armed and highly durable capital ship capable of engaging and defeating numerous enemy capital ships, as well as taking on static installations and conducting assaults on the surface of planets. Victoria is a fortress, city and command centre combined. Her hull is specifically constructed from complicated, layered super-alloys to withstand significant punishment, and her multi-tier energy shielding systems are amongst the most powerful available. Simulations suggest that two Victoria-class battleships would require numerous hours to successfully penetrate both the shielding and armour of each other.

She is equipped with one of the most destructive arsenals of weapons in Bretonian history, including advanced tachyon blasters and more conventional particle guns, which alone are capable of laying waste to the surface of a planet. Her two enormous mass drivers can fire large, 700mm depleted uranium slugs encased in superheated plasma at relativistic speeds, and they are deadly to all known opponents. To top off her impressive array of death-dealing instruments, she also carries numerous daranium-enhanced nuclear warheads; daranium being a rare heavy metal which is capable of significantly amplifying the effective yield of a typical nuclear reaction upon detonation. Additionally, the Victoria line has served as a testbed for the enormous, experimental meson accelerator cannon, a weapon capable of disrupting the atomic bonds of virtually any material it is fired upon. This colossally powerful weapon has yet to be fired in anger.

Victoria-class Battleships can often be seen acting as mobile command centres, taking control of entire sectors of Bretonian space and coordinating large scale military operations, such as the HMS Hood which is permanently deployed to the Dublin system. Flag officers will typically place their command aboard a Victoria battleship to take charge of fleet operations. In order to fulfil this role, her sensor suites and communication systems are extensive, and she is able to deploy numerous varieties of light craft ranging from fighters to troop transport ships. All Victoria-class Battleships carry large complements of Royal Marines and their assorted equipment.



- Dunkirk-class Bretonian Battleship

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[The HMS Dunkirk on manoeuvres at the edge of the Great Barrier]

Length: 1,840 metres
Torpedo launchers: 25x 1,200mm torpedo tube (8x starboard, 8x port, 5x fore, 4x aft)
Torpedo inventory: 350x Daranium-enhanced nuclear fusion torpedoes; 60x antimatter torpedoes
Primary weapons: 2x 700mm mass driver guns
Secondary weapons: 45x particle beam turrets
Propulsion: Ion glide drive (Mark 2) (4x emitter plates), transpatial slipstream drive
Sheath: Mark 1 energy sheath, 100 external microemitters
Construction: Standard capital ship super-alloy endo-exo structure with 2000mm Devonshire-class adaptive hull armour plating
Fighter compliment: 30x Fighters (up to level 6 class), 10x Clydesdale-B troop deployment vessels
Crew Compliment: 200 officer grade, 2100 enlisted crew
Power: Type 1 fusion reactor core
Computer: Mark 5 primary core, mark 1 redundant core, A7 AI compatible, holo-interface available, Class B internal ecology support
Estimated Refit Interval: 10 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 80 years
Planned Production Run: 91x originally contsructed, 32x remain in service. Production ended.
Misc.: 440x emergency lifepods (mark 3), active protection system (650x emergency forcefield generators, structural support bulkheads, point defence lasers, electronic countermeasure system, emergency decompression protocol), Class 4 Power Distribution Network

The previous heavyweight of the Bretonian Royal Armed Forces, the Dunkirk-class is still considered to be a formidable class in its own right, fully capable of engaging all but the latest capital ships and emerging victorious. Although no longer in production, BRAF takes great effort in keeping the remaining Dunkirks operational due to the value to the fleet.

Once the most heavily armed and armoured ship in Bretonian history, it has since been usurped by the Victoria-class. Although lacking some of the more exotic weapons of her successor, such as tachyon blasters or an experimental meson accelerator, her extant armaments are sufficient to deal significant damage to any target she so chooses - particularly her two 700mm mass driver guns. Her greatest weakness compared to the newer vessels is in her protection; her energy shields are almost 40% weaker than those of a Victoria, and her armour is of an older, and slightly thinner, design, utilising obsolete super-alloys which are almost 10% less durable than those on the newer ship. Nevertheless, Dunkirk-class ships represent a significant threat whether they are alone or part of a fleet, and can still serve as command vessels.

Having served in the fleet for almost a century, there are fewer than two hundred Dunkirks left in operation. The namesake ship, HMS Dunkirk, was decommissioned five years ago and now functions purely as a museum ship in orbit of New London, though she is subject to a re-activation clause.



- Carina-class Bretonian Battleship

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[The HMS Carina, on display for the first time near the Leeds star]

Length: 2,732 metres.
Torpedoes: 20x Daranium-enhanced nuclear torpedo tubes (6x starboard, 6x port, 6x fore, 2x aft)
Torpedo inventory: 550x Daranium-enhanced nuclear fusion torpedoes; 90x antimatter torpedoes
Primary weapons: 4x 800mm mass driver guns
Secondary weapons: 125x particle turrets, 60x tachyon turrets
Additional weapons: 1x experimental meson blaster gun (forward turret); rumoured to have experimental zero-point energy missiles
Propulsion: Ion pulse drive (Mark 1) (8x emitter plates), transpatial slipstream drive
Sheath: Mark 1 energy sheath, 600 external microemitters
Construction: Standard capital ship superalloy endo-exo structure with 3500mm Southampton-class adaptive hull armour plating
Fighter compliment: 80x Fighters (up to level 10 class), 15x Clydesdale-B troop deployment vessels
Estimated crew requirement: 290 officer grade, 3,000 enlisted crew
Power: Type 2 fusion reactor core
Computer: Mark 10 primary core, mark 1 redundant core, A13 AI compatible, holo-interface available, Class B internal ecology support.
Estimated Refit Interval: 30 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 110 years
Misc.: 660x emergency lifepods (mark 3), active protection system (1000x emergency forcefield generators, structural support bulkheads, point defence lasers, electronic countermeasure system, emergency decompression protocol), Class 55b Power Distribution Network

Commissioned to commemorate Queen Carina I's twenty-first birthday, the HMS Carina is the largest vessel ever to have been built by Bretonian shipyard engineers. She was built as a 'one-off' vessel in what was be dubbed the 'Carina-class Battleship' line, though she does serve as a potent mobile refuge for the royal family and Parliament in the event of an emergency.

Sufficiently armed to lay waste to any capital ship thus far encountered by the Bretonian Military, the Carina line sports a huge number of powerful particle and advanced tachyon turrets, no less than four 800mm mass drivers, an experimental meson accelerator, and she is even rumoured to be equipped with a complement of zero-point energy warheads. Combined with her supremely powerful shielding and thick, advanced armour, simulations suggest that she can stand up to four or five typical battleships and emerge victorious - a suitable moving bunker for royalty, in other words.

Despite all this, she serves an entirely defensive role in the fleet - during an attack on New London, procedure dictates that the royal family and the ministers of the government must retreat to HMS Carina, and once aboard the ship joins up with the Home World Defence Fleet for added protection. Her innards bely her significant offensive capabilities; numerous luxury suites and banquet halls can be found deep in the heavily armoured heart of the vessel, all of which are surrounded by additional internal shield generators and possess their own power generation facilities. Even if Carina is crippled and much of her external mass is destroyed beyond repair, these self-sustaining suites can still survive independently.

There is one Carina-class Battleship in service, and no more will be constructed in the foreseeable future.



| Bretonian Warships |

- Warwick-class Bretonian Battlecruiser

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[The HMS Warwick, in orbit of Planet Gaia with a civilian ship]

Length: 1280 metres.
Torpedoes: 8x Daranium-enhanced nuclear torpedo tubes (4x starboard, 4x port).
Flak turrets: 1x 500mm mass driver gun
Secondary: 90x laser gattling turrets
Propulsion: Ion glide drive (Mark 2) (2x emitter plates), advanced cruise drive
Sheath: Mark 1 energy sheath, 90 external microemitters
Construction: Standard capital ship superalloy endo-exo structure with 1600mm Devonshire-class adaptive hull armour plating
Fighter compliment: 30x Fighters (up to level 6 class), 10x Clydesdale-B troop deployment vessels
Crew Compliment: 70 officer grade, 1,130 enlisted crew
Power: Class 45 MOX-based nuclear reactor core
Computer: Mark 4 primary core, mark 1 redundant core, A6 AI compatible, Class B internal ecology support
Estimated Refit Interval: 10 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 80 years
Misc.: 170x emergency lifepods (mark 3), active protection system (350x emergency forcefield generators, structural support bulkheads, point defence lasers, electronic countermeasure system, emergency decompression protocol), Class 4 Power Distribution Network

An ancient, but reliable, design, the Warwick-class Battlecruiser was originally the ship-of-the-line for the Bretonian fleet, until she was replaced by the larger and more advanced Dunkirk-class. Much of the technology used in her construction is obsolete, and although some has been upgraded and added during regular refits, other technologies (noteably, particle weapons) are incompatible with the older ship and cannot be replaced without significant and unwarranted expenditures. Despite approaching her 200th birthday, however, Warwick is still considered to be a highly valuable member of the fleet, and although production ended long ago, hundreds of these ships remain in active service.

Her age pre-dates the invention of the transpatial slipstream drive FTL system, and her older cruise drive systems are slow and unreliable. For this reason, she is typically reserved for home defence with a mandate for fleet support. Although her obsolete laser gattling turrets are not ideal for engaging modern capital ships, their fast tracking time is extremely useful for long and close-range point defence work against not only missiles and torpedoes, but also fighters and bombers. These weapons are more useful for engaging smaller, less heavily armed warships in the cruiser or frigate range. Despite all this, Warwick was one of the first capital ships to be equipped with a high-calibre mass driver gun, and although her 500mm turret is smaller and has a lower muzzle velocity than newer designs, it can still pack a relativistic punch. Her main power systems, still based upon nuclear fission, are insufficient to power newer technologies such as the slipstream FTL or particle guns.

The Coventry-class Cruiser was originally intended to replace the Warwick, however changes in Coventry's design brief meant that there is still no replacement for the ageing Warwick, and the venerable line will probably continue to serve the Armed Forces for as long as ships from the class survive - and the Admiralty is taking care of the remaining ships to ensure that they do.



- Coventry-class Bretonian Cruiser

Length: 860 metres.
Torpedoes: 6x Daranium-enhanced nuclear torpedo tubes (2x starboard, 2x port, 1x fore, 1x aft)
Flak turrets: 1x 500mm mass driver gun
Secondary: 30x particle beam turrets
Additional: 1x experimental meson blaster gun
Propulsion: Ion glide drive (Mark 4) (2x emitter plates), transpatial slipstream drive
Sheath: Mark 1 energy sheath, 120 external microemitters
Construction: Standard capital ship superalloy endo-exo structure with 1500mm Southampton-class adaptive hull armour plating
Fighter compliment: 10x Fighters (up to level 8 class), 2x Clydesdale-B troop deployment vessels
Estimated crew requirement: 50 officer grade, 610 enlisted crew
Power: Type 2 fusion reactor core
Computer: Mark 7 primary core, mark 1 redundant core, A13 AI compatible, holo-interface available, Class B internal ecology support
Estimated Refit Interval: 15 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 90 years
Misc.: 120 emergency lifepods (mark 3), active protection system (450 emergency forcefield generators, structural support bulkheads, point defence lasers, electronic countermeasure system, emergency decompression protocol), Class 22 Power Distribution Network

The production brief presented to BMM workers at Southampton Shipyards called for a 'fast attack capital ship, easily produced in large numbers yet powerful enough to deal with large and small threats, and be deployed in numerous locations to protect Bretonian interests'. The Coventry-class is result of that brief; the most recent addition to the Bretonian fleet is designed to fill a vacuum between the Victoria-class Battleship and the Mark 7 Gunboat.

The HMS Coventry, launched in 804 A.S., borrows heavily from the design and technology of the Victoria-class Battleship, to the point where many have nicknamed her 'Little Vicki'. Most obvious traits carried over include the same powerful shielding technology and the sophisticated Southampton-class adaptive hull armour plating. It barely qualifies as a large vessel, with an overall length of 860 metres, but she is heavily armed for her size, with a 500mm mass driver gun, thirty particle turrets, and most surprisingly an experimental meson accelerator, along with the torpedo complement typical of a ship this size.

She also shares the same ion drive technology as the Victoria line, and the same power plant (though on a smaller scale), which combined with her comparatively smaller size and mass allows for significantly greater agility and sublight speed.



| Bretonian Support Craft |

- Mark 7 Bretonian Gunboat

Length: 130 metres.
Torpedoes: 1x Daranium-enhanced nuclear torpedo launcher (1x turret)
Secondary: 5x particle turrets, 5x laser gattling turrets, 1x auto-locking missile turret
Propulsion: Ion glide drive (Mark 1) (1x emitter plate)
Construction: Standard ship super-alloy endo-exo structure with 150mm Staffordshire-class adaptive hull armour plating.
Crew Compliment: 5 officer grade, 35 enlisted crew
Power: 1x Class 2 H-fuel based nuclear fusion micro-core
Computer: Mark 2 primary core, Class B internal ecology support
Estimated Refit Interval: 10 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 50 years
Planned Production Run: Ongoing.
Misc.: 3x emergency lifepods (mark 3), active protection system (50x emergency forcefield generators, emergency decompression protocol), Class 10 Power Distribution Network

Designed to provide capital ship capabilities on a small, cheap platform, the Mark 7 is the latest in a long line of Bretonian gunboats. This small vessel can be produced in large quantities at high speed, but it is a highly capable vessel equipped with particle turrets and a small complement of capital-scale torpedoes.

Due to its surprisingly powerful weaponry, the Gunboat is frequently used when larger ships are not available, or on occasions when the resources expended on deploying a larger ship to an area are deemed unnecessary. Its torpedoes and energy weapons allow it to successfully destroy a typical pirate facility, though sometimes fighter escorts and bomber support may be needed.

These vessels are employed across Bretonian space by both the BRAF and the BPA as patrol ships, and are frequently sighted by visitors to the area. Though rarely deployed beyond Bretonian borders due to their lack of any integrated FTL systems, they can travel with larger ships by 'piggybacking' on their slipstreams to engage in offensive fleet support roles.



- Cavalier-class Bretonian Light Fighter

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[A Cavalier-class fighter in battle-drills]

Length: 15 metres.
Missile Hardpoints: 2x class 4 missile hardpoints.
Secondary: 2x 'Ripper' forward tachyon guns, 2x forward particle guns.
Propulsion: Ion pulse drive (Mark 2) (1x emitter plate)
Construction: Standard ship superalloy endo-exo structure with 20mm fighter-grade hull armour plating
Crew Compliment: 1 pilot, 1 co-pilot (optional)
Power: 1x Class 1 H-fuel based nuclear reactor micro-core
Computer: Mark 1 primary core
Estimated Refit Interval: 5 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 30 years
Misc.: 2x emergency ejection mechanisms, active protection system, Class 2 Power Distribution Network, Mark 7 ECM system, Mark 2 ESS

Only moderately armed, but highly manoeuvrable, the Cavalier is based on a much older design, but has been totally refit with modern technologies. The Cavalier lacks weaponry, but makes significant gains in agility thanks to the reduced mass afforded to it. The Cavalier is used by both the Armed Forces and the Police as a space-superiority dogfighter.



- Crusader-class Bretonian Heavy Fighter

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[A Crusader-class fighter, docking for repairs]

Length: 15 metres
Missile Hardpoints: 2x class 4 hardpoints
Secondary: 4x 'Ripper' forward tachyon guns, 6x forward particle guns, 1x rotary missile turret
Propulsion: Ion pulse drive (Mark 2) (1x emitter plate)
Construction: Standard ship superalloy endo-exo structure with 22mm fighter-grade hull armour plating
Crew Compliment: 1 pilot, 2 co-pilots (optional)
Power: 1x Class 1 H-fuel based nuclear reactor micro-core
Computer: Mark 1 primary core
Estimated Refit Interval: 5 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 30 years
Misc.: 3x emergency ejection mechanisms, active protection system, Class 2 Power Distribution Network, Mark 8 ECM, Mark 3 ESS

A much larger, less agile, but more heavily armed fighter than the Cavalier, exclusively used by the Armed Forces, the Crusader dominates small ships and fighters in head-on contact with its significant forward firepower, and rotary ventral missile turret. Ownership of Crusaders by civilians is considered illegal, due to the high level of firepower they possess.



- Clydesdale-B class Heavy Troop Carrier

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/MattLever/Bretonia/clydesdale.jpg
[A Clydesdale-B landing troops on a pirate base in Manchester]

Length: 50 metres
Secondary: 2x tachyon turrets
Propulsion: Ion pulse drive (Mark 2) (1x emitter plate)
Construction: Standard ship superalloy endo-exo structure with 90mm fighter-grade hull armour plating
Crew Compliment: 2 pilots, 2 techs (optional)
Power: 1x Class 1 H-fuel based nuclear reactor micro-core
Computer: Mark 1 primary core
Estimated Refit Interval: 5 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 30 years
Misc.: Detachable rear section for escape, active protection system, Class 2 Power Distribution Network, Mark 8 ECM, Mark 3 ESS

The Clydesdale-B Heavy Troop Carrier is a fully independent, cruise-capable vessel capable of holding nearly 150 troops inside its relatively small hull. Its cruise engines allow the small vessel to engage in short, slow FTL jumps, allowing a capital ship to deploy marines to troubled areas without necessitating her own presence.

Lightly armed and possessing no substantial armour of its own, the Clydesdale must either approach a disarmed enemy or be escorted by fighters to stand any chance at survival. Its rear section holds the troops, and can be quickly detached and reattached, allowing the Clydesdale to deploy and recall its cargo as swiftly as possible without having to wait for the troops to file in or out, putting both the crew and the troops in as little danger as possible.



- Stafford-class Mobile Torpedo Bombers

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/MattLever/Bretonia/stafford.jpg
[Image of the Stafford-class, taken from BRAF archives]

Length: 30 metres
Missile Hardpoints: 4x Daranium-enhanced nuclear torpedo hardpoints
Propulsion: Ion pulse drive (Mark 2) (1x emitter plate), advanced cruise drive
Construction: Standard ship superalloy endo-exo structure with 100mm fighter-grade hull armour plating
Crew Compliment: 2 pilots, 1 tech (optional)
Power: 1x Class 1 H-fuel based nuclear reactor micro-core
Computer: Mark 1 primary core
Estimated Refit Interval: 5 years
Estimated Hull Lifespan: 30 years
Misc.: 1x emergency ejection mechanism, active protection system, Class 2 Power Distribution Network, Mark 8 ECM, Mark 3 ESS

The Stafford-class Torpedo Bomber is designed for covert missions against large targets, or for simply projecting the destructive force of a battleship without the cost.

The Stafford-class has four torpedo hardpoints mounted around its hull on the port and starboard sides. Although it can only hold four daranium-enhanced nuclear torpedoes, these torpedoes are of capital ship grade and capable of inflicting massive damage on a stationary target. Once the Stafford-class has delivered its payload, it must return to a base or ship for a re-supply.

Due to its lack of close-range weapons and relative vulnerability whilst firing, the Stafford-class must be escorted by fighters to be effective. Standard offensive procedure involves the fighters flying ahead and softening the enemy's defences (destroying weapons turrets, occupying/destroying nearby enemy fighters or gunships). Once the fighter squadron reports the defences have been sufficiently weakened, the bombers cruise in and launch their torpedoes at their targets. Typically, a single squadron of torp bombers will be present on all capital ships, fondly referred to as 'Gamma squad' by their fighter pilot colleagues.

(Reserved for emergency use.)

Updated.