A recent discussion in another proposal thread led me to consider the concept of tugs and transports as they apply in the Omega Octant, mainly since one of the ideas posted over there might also apply to a certain Omega faction.

At the time of writing, the Omega setting is chronically short on the kind of support units and mission variants that would otherwise allow the local factions to be campaign compatible. This is complicated by the "baked-in" dynamics in this region of the Milky Way, where most empires used their own bases, transports, and other such units.

By comparison, the kind of "one size fits all" approach in the Alpha Octant or M81 Galaxy, or the parallel developments on either side of the Lesser Magellanic Cloud's Core radiation shell, are, or were, easier to work out. (We don't yet know what kind of setup may be used by the playtest Triangulum empires.)

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Right now, with the exception of the Bolosco (whose fleet is mostly comprised of tugs) and Iridani (who have a tugboat designed to haul their Quest modules around), the only tug SSDs in print are for the Mæsron light and heavy tugs in Captain's Log #21. A series of four civilian units are offered in Captain's Log #20; while a number of Omega empires adopt these types, many more do not, and thus have to com up with their own solutions.

What's notable about the Mæsron tugs is how the OR-section data sets the tone for tug development across the region. Unlike in the Alpha Octant (where the presence of the Ptolemy-class tug in the Star Fleet Technical Manual set the stage for other fleet tugs to emerge in the setting) or LMC (where the Baduvai and Eneen adopted an old Jumokian League design, while the Maghadim developed along a different path with their own tactical transports), tugs were something of an afterthought in the Omega Octant.

The first "true" tugs in Omega were light tugs, such as the Mæsron TGL (which has a move cost of 2/3 when not carrying a pod, and a MC of 1 when carrying a single light pod). These were built to deploy the various outpost bases, or re-deploy them (for those empires whose outpost bases could be re-located elsewhere). Only gradually did the concept of developing pods or other uses come about. Notably, these were the first "modern" MC 2/3 hulls built by the Alliance; the Mæsrons would later re-tool some of the TGL yards in order to build light cruisers.

It was not until much later until the first heavy tugs entered service; the Probr built the first of this type during the Superpower Wars, which spurred the Mæsrons to field their own TGH in Y171. (The Mæsron heavy tug can carry one or two light pods, or one heavy pod.)

Neither Mæsron design was optimal, but the Alliance would not revisit the concept of tugs until after the Andromedan and Souldra invasions.

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Now, the main reason why I was thinking about this now was to see what kind of option the Federal Republic of Aurora might have come up with.

Once the Aurorans found their footing, they would have likely found use for such units when establishing their array of pocket battlestations; when supporting task forces being sent into Mæsron space; and later when launching other long-range expeditions (such as Operation Concerted Strike in Y204, or the later FRA intervention in the Probr-Trobrin/Paravian war in the mid-to-late Y210s).

Since the FRA lacks the luxury of a fully-fledged fleet yard, they have to make do with the jury-rigged facilities they have on hand. This might make it unlikely that they would invest the time and effort to develop a wholly new tug design on the Mæsron (or Star Fleet) model. But it would make it more likely that they could convert the CL into a "CLT", and perhaps use a larger hull type (such as the CLA or BC) as the basis for a large tug later on. (Of the two, the CLA might be a more viable option, since the more limited supply of BCs would be more in demand for combat missions.)

But then, there is a problem: what kind of pods would the Aurorans adopt?

It might seem reasonable to draw on their own heritage, by extrapolating the developments in Star Fleet prior to Y130 (or reviewing the records brought over from Klingon, Lyran, and ISC sources in the Y170s).

But then, perhaps it might be more logical to build their tugs with Mæsron pod templates in mind. That would make it easier to integrate their logistical networks with those of their allies, should those pods be made to work. The ability to make this work might depend on whether or not the Mæsron TGL and TGH attach their pods "behind" their primary hulls, or "beneath" them. If the former is the case, it may not be possible for the Aurorans to convert a CL into a theatre transport capable of operating such pods.

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Beyond the Mæsrons and FRA, the other Omega empires offer a range of questions to answer.

The "metal-hull" empires offer a more straightforward set of questions, or at least most of them do.

A number of Omega empires have no light cruisers, while others have no destroyers. (The Trobrin have neither.) Each of those would have to either build new yards in order to field light tugs, or perhaps forego the concept altogether and go with heavy tugs and frigate or destroyer transports only. (Perhaps the Trobrin never build a light tug, and use an FFT before later fielding a CA-sized fleet tug.)

Since some empires are taken out of action before the onset of heavy tugs, those powers (such as the Ymatrians) may not get one historically.

In the case of the Chlorophons, their logistics would be complicated by the need to use ships large enough to be flown by Phon captains. The "starliner pods" for would-be Phon tugs would presumably be designed to carry at least one Phon themselves, along with however many Keepers and/or Phon saplings they could carry to a new colony world. I would make things easier for them later in the timeline, by allowing the Mæsron and Probr "exile colonies" in Association space to operate the four civilian units from CL20 (armed with quantum phasers and/or energy howitzers in their weapon mounts) - akin to the Hydrans allowing the Borak and the oxy-nitrogen "exile planets" to operate civilian transports inside the Kingdom.

In the case of the Hivers, their "two sizes smaller than average" mantra might complicate matters for them. Would a Hiver "light tug" be akin to another empire's FFT, and their "heavy tug" be what others might call a destroyer transport?

And then you have the various "biological" empires (such as the Alunda and Branthodons), or the "exotic" factions (to include the Loriyill and Souldra). There might be some very unusual methods used by each of those factions, relative to what a more "mundane" empire might accomplish.

Eventually, the various "lost futures" empires may have this question to consider as well. I could readily imagine the Paravians of Omega fielding raid motherships...

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It might be a while before there's a chance to really flesh out this aspect of Omega Octant logistics. But it might be as well to have a thread here in which to speculate on the topic, if only to help things further down the road.