Archive through October 10, 2003
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: SFB Proposals Board:
New Rules:
Orbital Defense Platforms:
Archive through October 10, 2003
Major Ford-
What is your actual combat assignment? (i.e. infantry, calvary or transport?)(probably best answered by lt Col Baluda or SPP?)
Col Knight- May I suggest that we activate operation 'Shell Game'?
(as explaination, you had earlier ordered moving of supplies to prevent infiltrators or commandos from being able to attack the supply (stockpile)...What I would suggest is procure empty packing cases and fill them with appropriate mass and biomaterial that would pass a casual tricorder scan.
that way (depending on how many dummy supply dumps we have), there is a percentage chance that if we are attacked by a hostile force on the ground, there would be a chance that the enemy would attack the empty shell (so to speak!)
Final note, we need to take steps that our troops are not exhausted by the tempo of operations.
What is your intention as to planetary operations? 1/2 of the manuver force engaged in hunt and kill operations (seek and destroy?) or normal watch with standard patrols on each hex side of the planet?
Thank you
Major Wile
IC (In Character)
Major Ford, reporting for duty.
Jeff Wile:
OOC (Out Of Character)
I'm not sure about what my combat assignment would be. Infantry seems the most likely, but perhaps that should be left to Marc Baluda or SPP.
attn: Col Knight
Could you please, in your report to Starfleet, submit a request for additional drones to replace the one's launched from the Drone Sat's.
Possibly requesting some specialty drones that could be used by the Defense Sats in an emergancy, in this case, I'm thinking of the phaser-armed drones (spearfish) which might take a subsequent raid by a PF (or PFs) by suprise. Or if available Shipwreaker drones.
In addition, I think I would be a wise decision, then next time a resupply freighter stops by, that we get them to use their tractors to relocation some or all of our bases as needed (as it takes a ship with a tractor beam to move a GDB) This would entail the command staff to review current alternate sites that are on file in the computer as acceptable locations, even if this is an inconvience to some.
Sincerely
Capt. S.Tenhoff
SPP:
(IC)
"Computer, review mission profiles, of the seven confirmed insertions of raiding parties over the past six months, how many were conducted by the A389?"
"Computer, is A389 one of the four G1Gs that have been active during the six month period, or is it one of the replacements?"
Captain Tenhoff, I will include a request for replacement drones. As to your second request, I not sure that it would make a difference. In any case, an attacking enemy would still have to close to 50Kkm to engage the ground bases and we had considerable defenses dug in around these bases. Also, it would make little difference to a ground assault in that they simple would move to the new site. I do intend to make some changes to the base structure (switch buildings etc)but I don't think moving the entire base will be constructive as any ground presense would report such a move and locations would be scanned before fire in any space based assault. Can you provide additional reasons we should make such a move?
The reason I suggest moving the bases (or select bases) would be, that their deployment could already be known by the G1G as it reports in to it's tender (Tac Intel K as said by SPP)
If they were moved 'within the hexside', they could still remain hidden, yet on the same side of the planet (ie across the mountain range). Still requiring the enemy to get to close range to spot them, (I Know they still need to get to range 5 to actually shoot them)
I can't recall Level K off the top of my head, but if it detects location of the ground bases, one 'trump' card we have (hidden bases) has been removed.
At least moving (some) bases from where they are now, would prevent the Klingons from making a 'blind' attempt to beam down a hoard of boarding parties to surround a base, even if they haven't detected yet by their shipboard scanners.
Of course these statements are totally ignorant of what Tac Intel K gives to the attacker about ground bases.
Scott Tenhoff:
Actually, you are in one of those areas that are sort of obvious when you think about them, but are not stated in game terms.
There are additional stocks of drones (and other consumables) that you overwatch and track on the planet. This is what allows (for example) the Ground Fighter bases to be restocked with drones after battle A and before battle B. It is just that these spare drones are stored in a more 'inactive' state needing to be assembled, fueled, etc. You just cannot keep all of them sitting around ready to be used on a moments notice, and the time between when some ship can be diverted to deliver just say 20 drones to a PDU is . . . well think about it.
So you have the drones you need to restock there, you just need to have your boys "prep" them from the stocks.
As to what kinds of drones you can put in the DefSats, DefSats are in many ways wonderful things with many capabilities, but in the case of drones that came with a serious trade off. See the paragraph following the table in rule (R1.15B). DefSats can only use standard type-I drones, i.e., no type-IVs, and no "special" warheads.
Raymond Ford:
Given history of planet (which I have not rejected or imposed anything different), your "background" would essentially be the same as Colonel Baludas, i.e., you were a citizen of the planet and participated in (and survived) guerrilla operations against the Klingon forces that occupied the planet previously. You thus had no "formal military training", but "learned on the job" against the Klingons.
I will try to put together a computer response to your queries.
tac intel level K provides the locations of Ground Bases.
Moving the bases, however, accomplishes nothing in the scheme of things.
An attacker cannot really fire on them outside of five hexes range, will know from where they are firing and can adjust his operations if they fire from greater than five hexes range (i.e.,if you fire at 30 hexes range the attacker knows where on the planet the shot came from, just not well enough through the distortion to pinpoint the exact spot for a return shot).
The "most important" bits of information that the Klingons gained are: They did not necessarilly KNOW that there really was a PDU on the planet, now they do know. They did not necessarilly KNOW how many bases the PDU has, now they do know.
So we'll get rid of some of the bases then they wont know how many, Ha ha!
Just kidding
It would be appropriate to issue a intel assessment at this time
rough draft)
Given that the OPFOR is aware of the comparative weakness of the 429th Btn. (understrength by 12 fighters and 1 fighter base), no garrison ship, and no mobile forces within call (outside of any starship patrols that may or may not be within a reasonable response time), and
that PF's normally operate on a 48 hour endurance (depending on the platform, base or ship that supports the G1G).
The normal expectation would be possible enemy exploitation of the opportunity within 24 hours of the discovery of the state of affairs up to the time it takes for the enemy to organize an attack force.
Our exposure to enemy attack is effectively reduced at the point the replacement fighter squadron and fighters are delivered. the normal turn around time for such reinforcement is on the order of 6 months, which may mean delivery of the additional ground base by the end of December this stardate.
Given the relative weakness of the defense fighter group, the decreasing effectiveness of the main Ground based Defensive Phaser batteries (as a function of range) and the general convention of territorial space (generaly a race controls that space that they can bring superior fire power to bear) out to approximately 35 hexes (350,000 kilometers).
1) It is therefore likely that no immediate threat beyond that of possible intruders deployed by the G1G exists today.
2) that the next most likely OPFOR is on or about 24 hours after the G1G encounter, based on such "ready forces" available to the enemy at the time and place the G1G makes its contact report.
3) that if we do detect an enemy force between now and the end of december, it will be a force balanced to equal or exceed our relative combat strength, AND designed to complete the mission assigned to it.
As we will not know the enemy intentions until after he has 'made his move' we are left with 3 choices:
1) Fight in place. a set defense intended to prevent the enemy from landing on the planet or gaining a beach head on the planet. if such a strategy is adopted, we will likely lose the fighter group early, possibly all the Def Sats, and the ground bases will be taken under direct fire by OPFOR fleet units operating with in 50,000 kilometers of the planet.
2) layered defense, take the enemy units under fire early and maintain Phaser and Drone fire for as long as ammunition and drone launching platforms last, withholding the fighter group as a cohesive unit for as long as possible, and
3) Defense: let the enemy approach to point blank range and attempt to saturate his defenses by controled and continous phaser and drone and fighter attacks in the hope that serious damage can be inflicted on the OPFOR while preparing for the inevitable enemy gound assault.
Comments?
Loren, re-read the above when you're more awake!
Officers Mess,
"Thanks guys I better make sure my duty rostas are upto scratch until we catch these guys or find out they are a fake."
(SPP thanks for your detailed account it makes G1G's actions much clearer)
Jeff Wile:
Well, you are forgetting one question:
How long, typically or on average, after such an insertion does an attack by DSF, or possibly by Orion Mercenary, assets occur in those cases where the planet subject to such a possible insertion was subsequently attacked?
With 124 similar mission profiles by G1Gs in the last six months, there should be some indication of that.
And I think you would be surprised to learn that the time interval is more than 24-48 hours between such a mission and any attacks.
Remember, yours is not the first planet that has ever had an insertion (or a dummy insertion) done on it.
That is already what I figured. It might be possible they would attack imediatly it they already had info on the planet and were going to strike some major elements quickly, then attack. The Ph-IV bases might be one element they could do that with but that would do much in that we have fighters and other Ph-IVs. And, the lone ph-IV bases are just that, lone. The one Ph-IV base that is not alone would be very hard to sabitoge as it is very well protected.
Why would the Klingons attack imediatly other wise? Why not wait some time when alert status is dropped?
It is my judgement that there may be an attack but not with in 48 hours.
Some Comments:
An article in CL#22 (If I remember correctly off the top of my head . . . and heck, I wrote it and SVC confirmed it) says that a PDU normally has three DefSats. More than three represents a reinforcement. Planets that do not have PDUs sometimes have more DefSats, i.e., the five found in the DefSat rule. But you have an PDU, which has a lot more firepower than a mere five DefSats.
No doubt there are a couple of "spare" DefSats stored someplace to replace the ones now in operation (so you do not have to wait six months with no DefSat sor some ship to haul the replacements in for example), but that is just it, they are spares meant to be put up when the orbiting ones are lost, or in some cases brought down from orbit for repairs, which may be simple maintenance repairs not combat repairs. Things happen.
Second, the good news was that your battalion was formed with F-16M fighters.
The bad news is it puts you on the low end for replacements of your losses in transit.
The problem is that Starfleet is setting up other PDUs at the same time it is setting up your battalion. This means that your battalion, even with only a single squadron, actually has more fighter firepower than most of the other planets that are getting F-20Ms.
So while there is little doubt that (if the General War goes on long enough) you will one day see your missing fighter squadron, when the bean counters see the request they look at the existing fighter squadron and then at other planets that still need fighter squadrons and bases and you just get shoved to the bottom of the stack again.
Raymond Ford:
I still need a little time to come up with the computer answer to your questions. I knew they were going to be asked when I mentioned them, but the answer inevitably is something I have to make up, and I need to make sure it makes sense and that is going to require me to actually sit down and do a little pencil and paper figuring. Sorry.
SPP- I hadn't forgotten- I was attempting to down grade the threat level from the 24hours immediately after the insertion as justification for putting the troops on a regular duty rotation...no point in maintaining alert status in the short term if there is no prospect of a space based support of any on planet ground actions by the assumed (but sofar unproven) klingon ground forces.
SPP:
Understood. Please take your time.
By the way, I've got a couple of other questions (including one very similar to what is in your 10/09/03 12:28PM message to Jeff Wile). Should I go ahead and ask them or hold off until later?
You know, it seems that we are all assuming that the only valid or legitimate target that a klingon infiltration squad or commando squad would have is a ground base or part of the defenses.
Is there ANY target on the planet that would attract a Coalition attack outside of of the GBDS?
some examples could include, but are not limited to:
1. ground based agro station...with 3 1/2 million colonists, if ALL of the planets food is processed by one facility, destruction of that facility would force the federation to divert valuable cargo space to food and replacement facility...at the expense of high priority cargos that might directly affect the prosecution of the war...
2. Planetary water supply or filtration or (if there were an active program) terraforming project. (same argument as #1)
3. Science project, suppose one of the planet citizens were a "renaisance man" of the stature of Galileo or Cochrane (inventor of the warp drive)...instead of a military assault,the Klingons could be imposing a "Brain Drain" of Federation talent to deprive the Federation of the benefits of having a Genius in science or technology...
4. Assassination. What if the Klingons determined that the planets development as a funtioning society were based on one individual...and that the killing of that person would throw the planet into chaos and anarchy?
(suppose Lt Col Baluda is more important to the planet than as commander of a militia unit...what if the whole exercise were an attempt to "gather" the planets best and brightest individuals into a situation where all or most of them could be killed...thus making the planet more "open" to conquest?)
I dont know if this is possible, but it seems to me that if we were truly defending the planet in a wartime situation, we should be aware that governments do infact engage in operations 'Other than War' to acheive their objectives.
Major Wile: You make a good point regarding Col. Baluda. He and other lead a resistance against the Klingons and didn't lose. If they were to assasinate him and his Lieutenants then that would both weaken our current force and simplify holding the planet after a take over.
We sill take steps to assure this will not happen. Please discuss the matter with him and determin how best to ensure his safty in a way that is cooperative with the needs of his assignment.
BTW: There is world wide food production. Though the population is a bit thin the food supply is replenishable and diverse. Though basically dry this planet has is nice spots too. Its oceans, though small, are a source of a diverse food supply as well. There are several self proclaimed "Renaisance men/women/its" here on Noumea. As a population they are fairly important but an individuals loss would not have a stratigic impact. Noumea's stratigic importance is in its future. Its resources are fair but it possition, depending on future events, could be important to either side.
Colonel Knight and Major Wile:
Targets for assassination other than Lt Col Baluda, other senior officers of the Home Defense Battalion, and the senior officers of the 429th Planetary Defense Battalion may include the planetary governor, his family, and key members of his staff.
That would be a political target and though the Governor is a fine administrator he is not the one that caused the Klingon so much trouble in years past. They might be after me and I did give them quite a lesson last year at Gambia Station (planetary BATTS) but I would just quickly be replaced by someone, for all they know, who would handle things just as well.
No, so far, I think the most likely candidates for assassination are Lt. Col. Baluda and his entourage.
Lt. Col. Baluda, please take this under advisement. Please make plans to guard yourself and last moment orders should you become incapacitated.
Naturally, the Governor will have a 27 hour guard detail. But that is the Colonels jurestiction.
I will share this concept drawing though:
Loren Knights Federation HLT Concept Art
OK one last thing.
Most other races have cargo on their tugs. This one introduces that forthe Feds.
Why? For the same reason the others do; priority and or fragile cargo. Specialty cargo that needs guarding. Etc, etc.
Loren-
Did you mean to put the HLT in this thread? shouldn't it be in HLT topic?
(Cool design! good job on the art work!)
