Ngoverse/"The Administrator" series: The Silent Black Ocean.

[Cannonshop]

"Why were you defending this place?

they are not Lyrans, they are not even loyal to you, they even disparage your culture...so why?"

The drugs were off, and she was in a medical couch. 

"do I need to outline it for you?" she asked.  "Why are you here?  You threw six Clans out of your club, killed thousands of their people, declared you didn't want the 'taint' of the Inner Sphere, why are you here?"

"So you were placed to stop our return?"

"No, we're  here to keep the peace." she almost growled, "That is what we do.  we keep the peace.  You came looking to break that peace against people who did you no harm, what were we supposed to do? sit back and let it happen?  Let you come in, rape these worlds and their peoples the way the Invasion did before, lie back and think of a Star League your own ancestors abandoned to chaos and murder?"

she was clear, she didn't know what they got out of her while she was drugged, whatever it was, they were suddenly very interested in having her answer their questions with a clear head.

"It was not like that-"

"By my count, your people abandoned us all twice.  Three times if you include the Kerenskyists." she said, "First, in 2784, then in 3069, and again in 3070.  yet here you are again, just as we're getting things back together to bring more chaos, more war, more suffering and murder, more billions of people burned up for some damned fool crusade, your people left mine a long time ago, Star Captain...but you can't stay away, can you?"

her stump hurt.  Christine rubbed it with her free left hand.  "what is it this time? did you finally use up your worlds? did you get in another internal fight, and you're fleeing your former comrades? are we going to see more genocides on our doorstep?"

"You were one of the sabotuers deployed against the Incense, Christine."  the officer in front of her said.

"yeah.  that's what you do when you're dealing with a ship filled with innocent bystanders-you take it down without killing them so that you can save them from their captors.  In our doctrine, you showed up with a boat-loaded to the gunnels with hostages and the intent to pick a fight, how were we supposed to deal with that?  Standard antishipping rounds can't be used with your using civilians as human shields.  the objective was to neutralize drives and weapons, and force a negotiation, secure the release of the hostages, transfer them to a friendly port and arrest the hostage-takers."

"Those are our people, not hostages." he stated, "You are working from wrongthink."

"No.  Did you know Kerenskyism is a recognized religion on Kowloon?  we know all about the Caste system, the structure and the interaction, they're chattel you trade them like currency in the Homeworlds, it's serfdom, not freedom, they are enslaved by every rational definition, and my people do not accept chattel slavery as legitimate.  Even our domestic Falcons have learned the limit there, what will and will not be tolerated."

he stood, slamming his palms on the table, "THey are not slaves!!"

"why did you come back? why did you bring colonists?"  she asked.  "Let's leave out the astropolitical arguments, you had a good setup, why are you here?  Why are my shipmates dead?"

She studied his face.  He looked...satisfied.  "you were baiting me." he said after a moment.

"Did it work?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"You have not answered my questions." he said.

"Yes, I did, if you don't like the answers, you're asking the wrong person." she mirthed.  "you know why we did what we do, you just can't accept it.  you're not alone, the Wolf Empire can't accept it either, or the Dominion, or the Dracs.  I think maybe the Feddies or the Cappies might grasp it-to a degree."

"Grasp what, exactly?"

"We keep the peace." she said.  "That is what the Coast Guard does, and when someone comes, intent on breaking the peace, we deal with them.  we do it because someone has to, someone who remembers the massacres, and the atrocities, someone who can stay their hand and avoid killing civilians, who will aid the common people? your kind don't. I know that after seeing the mass gravesites on too many worlds, seeing too many places with warlords and serfdoms, chasing down slavers and pirates and worse.  we do it because nobody else will, but someone must."

He met her eyes, "We lost." he said.

she nodded slowly.  "Tell me about it, Star Captain."

somehow, the interrogator had become the interrogated.

[Daryk]

And THAT is how the KCG rolls!  8)

[Artifex]

I like this result, I like it a lot. Especially the insights to Christine!  :thumbsup:

[Cannonshop]

On the holostage, the star was average looking, ordinary.  the swirling mass surrounding it  moved according to orbital mechanics...

then, the mass lit.  a billion little engines, diving inward on fusion flames.

The star's light dimmed, and then, it brightened in a silent explosion.

"This was how far out?" Christine asked.

"Five Light Years from Strana Mechty." Star Captain Joseph Khatib stated.  "The shockwave will reach the Pentagon worlds in a decade."

"Annihilating everything more complex than a virus." Christine breathed.  "They blew up a star to kill you...do you know why?"

He shook his head. "Negative."

"How many did you leave behind?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"How many did you leave behind?" she asked, "How many of your people are going to burn because you don't have the lift to evacuate them in time?"

"Millions." he said.

"That is unacceptable." She stated.  "I need to call home. you need to show this, we have very little time for a lift that big, but if we get it in motion in time-I need to speak with Admiral Ngo."

"Admiral Ngo?"

"Sharon, Elizabeth's granddaughter. she's got the knack for this, and enough pull to get cooperation on our end, millions will die if we don't...or is it billions?"  her left hand snaked out and caught his uniform jacket, "is it billions, Star Captain? how many did you have to leave behind? How long ago did this happen?"

[kindalas]

A Billion engines pushing iron asteroids to break down the exothermic fusion process in the star?

[Daryk]

Now I'm getting shades of Schlock Mercenary... when it's easier to kill a star than a planet... yikes!

[Cannonshop]

When your neighbour's barn is burned by arsonists,
all feuds are off the table. 
The Fire must be Fought.
-Ia Drang proverb.

Unity City, Terra...

"savashri..."  Alaric breathed. 

"We have four years." Admiral Sharon Ngo stated, "Four years to get as many people out of there as possible."

Yori Kurita studied the expanding projection of the artificial supernova's blast wave.  "The Draconis Combine will participate." she said, "If the Lyrans will."

"We're going." Trillian Steiner-Davion stated, "mein gott..."

"The Confederation will participate." Danai Centrella-Liao stated, "If House Davion will also contribute."

"We're going." Julian stated.

"I'm thinking we should've tried harder to take the Alshain and the Rasalhague intact." Fleet Admiral Emily Falcone mourned.

"Too late for regrets."  Nikol Marik stated.  "The Free Worlds League has a number of new Atreus class vessels nearing completion, by deleting the armaments and converting some of the flight decks to steerage quarters we can have transport vessels available in one year to boost the lift, but details...where are we settling them?"

"Wherever we can." Trillian stated.  "We'll worry about details once it's done."

Alaric cleared his throat, "SO...we are putting the...'band' back together? the Star League, quiaff?"

"Let's see where we are in four years, ilKhan Ward." Sharon said, "Whoever did this, they're going to probably come for us next."

"And your argument against forming a formal alliance is..?"

"I don't have one." Sharon confessed, "Em?"

"all vectors lead to Terra." Emily said, "Highness?"

"we're short some seats." Trillian stated.  "The Commonwealth supports the idea in principle...but this is an emergency situation with billions of lives on the line, an entire culture and civilization in peril, with serious ramifications not only for their survival, but our own.  There is an enemy out there, that doesn't hesitate to blow up suns."

"The original states of the Star league are present." Nikol Marik stated, "I call this meeting of the Star League Council to order, our first order of business, is the nomination of a First Lord pro-tem."

"Who does the Honorable Captain-General nominate for this critical position?" Yori asked.

"I nominate the Honorable Khan Alaric Ward of the Wolf Empire for the post of acting First Lord.  is there a second?" she asked.

Julian stood, "I second the nomination...with reservations, but I second it.  He holds Terra, and that has manna for the people we're going in to save."

"Are there other nominations?" Nikol asked.

"I nominate Trillian Steiner." Yori said, "She has had the vision, consistently, to see this coming, the resources to build the navy we need to make it happen, and the strength of character not to nominate herself."

"is there a second?"

"I second Trillian Steiner." Alaric said, "I can do that, quiaff?"

"of course."

"We need the Taurians and the Canopians." Trillian said, "The last Star League Council seated them as well...and what does Rasalhague say?"

Prince Miraborg frowned, "very little until we are actually voting."

"are there other nominations?" Nikol asked.

"Only the obvious one." Alaric stated, "You took charge, Nikol."

"I'm just taking minutes." Nikol said, "I have enough handling the mass of contrary interests in my own realm.  If nominated, I will step down immediately."

this got a chuckle from Danai, who jabbed her friend in the ribs, "Slacker.  the Confederation moves that we vote with two absentee-we have sufficient quorum here."

"all in favor of the vote?" Nikol asked.

six hands went up in the affirmative.

"Opposed? motion carried.  Candidates are Trillian Steiner-Davion, Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth, and ilKhan Alaric Ward of the Wolf Empire, show of hands for Trillian?"

Yori and Alaric raised theirs.

"For Alaric?"

Miraborg, Julian Davion, Danai Centrella Liao, and Nikol raised theirs.

"Motion carries, congratulations First Lord Alaric Ward of the Wolf Empire."

"I require one of your Admirals, Archon Steiner." Alaric said, "To organize and plan this massive humanitarian operation."

"Which one?" Trillian asked.

"The Star League Navy requires the services of Admiral Sharon Elizabeth Ngo to serve as over-all Naval commander." he stated.

"Done." Trillian said.

"We have a powerful bit of work to be doing." He added.

[Cannonshop]

Continued in: The Armada

[Daryk]

Dang it, I thought Trillian had that one locked down...  :-\

[croaker]

Dang it, I thought Trillian had that one locked down...  :-\

Like they said, Alaric holds Terra, which is going to be a Big Deal to non-Reform Clanners.

[Daryk]

Yeah, but I figured at least Julian would vote for her rather than Alaric. The result would have been the same, but with stronger bonds between the two.

[glitterboy2098]

eh, Trillian will probably cinch the 2nd election.
and the Canopian seat will be an interesting legal conundrum, given that Danai holds rulership of both Canopus and the CapCon, so in theory she holds both seats.
i'm assuming that the Wolf Empire inherits the Terran Hegemony's seat.

IMO they should make sure to also also add the Outworlds Raven Alliance and the Marian Hegemony, as well as the Hells Horses and Diamond Sharks to the voting council. and give non-voting advisory seats to the minor periphery powers like the Fronc Reaches, Circinius, etc. actually get all the legitimate (or quasi-legitimate) states present and involved. the minor 'non-voting' states can easily be given voting status when they grow large enough (size criteria TBD and formalized)

the real trick is going to be ensuring that the 3rd star league doesn't fall into the trap of the 2nd, and get so focused on the external enemy that they fail to establish goals and identity outside the mission to stop said external enemy.

[Daryk]

I wouldn't be surprised if the minor powers contribute at least one JumpShip each...

[ThePW]

What is going on with the Hell Horses, Sea Foxes and the Raven Alliance: None of those factions have been mentioned in the story content I've read so far. With Clan Homeworld refugees inbound, both the HHOZ and Rasalhague will be first line to deal with the refugees. The Sea Foxes are the first line of defense against our still unknown aggressors… unless they too, are already dead?

FL Alaric. From smug asshat to proper politician. Who'd a thunk?

[glitterboy2098]

I wouldn't be surprised if the minor powers contribute at least one JumpShip each...

perhaps more. i'm sure that they have contacts with freelancers more than willing to hire on for (very generous) star league pay and promise of maintenance and overhaul afterwards (or during)

IMO they should send as many LF battery equipped ships as they can to the homeworlds proper. build one massive command circuit with multiple lines running concurrently. so you can pass loaded dropships filled with civilians down the line quickly, and emptied ones back to the homeworlds quickly. puts less reliance on the warships to carry things (i suspect they'll be busy guarding the effort from outside interference).
stick the non-LFB ships and the primitive core ships (which by now even the periphery ought to be building in bulk) closer to the IS where there is less immediate need of haste and you can build some stations for recharge duty. (though there are probably a bunch already there already thanks to the Kowloon coast guard and LCN peacekeeping ops)

the big question is where best to drop the homeworlders.. and how to handle the fact that a lot of the HW civvies probably won't want to be settling the same place as the HW clan leadership and warriors.

my own inclination would be to give any Homeworlder who wishes to leave clan jurisdiction their choice of worlds in the periphery.. with an aid package built around valuable skills so that the periphery realms can get a major boost in skilled and knowledgeable labor. those without major skills ought to have the option  to study and obtain them.

[Daryk]

I'm kind of wondering how much chaos was left behind by the deserters.  How much was know about the impending annihilation by those left behind?   ???

[Sharpnel]

They also need to find a way to navigate around the shockwave so as to avoid their own destruction.

[idea weenie]

  They also need to find a way to navigate around the shockwave so as to avoid their own destruction. 

Depends on how 'thick' the shockwave is.  If it is less than 30 light-years thick, they can just pop from outside to inside.

You also have to figure that after a certain distance, the shockwave will attenuate enough to not be a problem.

Pentagon worlds are over 1300 light years from Terra.  Assume 1400 light years as the maximum, and 250 light years as the edge of useful Lyran space (i.e. your goal is to get the refugees into a wide area rather than dumping them all on the closest Lyran planet)

So 1200 light years.  Assuming you have to zig-zag taking 25 light years instead of going straight at 30 light years per jump, that is 48 jumps needed.

Option 1: Each Dropship is carried by a Jumpship all the way back.  Advantage is that you don't have to worry about undocking/redocking.  Disadvantage is that while you are waiting for the Jumpship to recharge, the people on board are eating food and breathing.  Advantage is that the route is self-adjusting, as you don't have to worry about if another Jumpship breaks down.  Disadvantage is that you have to entertain people for the entire year.

Option 2: Extra-long Command Circuit.  Dropships will have to perform docking maneuvers at least once per day, meaning all passengers have to be strapped down during that time.  Advantage is that you are making 1 jump per day, instead of 1/week, so you only need 60 days of supplies for the passengers, rather than 1 year of supplies.  Bring 75 days of supplies just to make sure, and you can shove people into Bays rather than Steerage Quarters.  Downside is that if one of the Jumpships on the path breaks down, you have a major problem.  The path is also limited by the fewest Jump collars at a location, i.e. if the lowest amount at a system is 3 Jump collars, that means you can only steadily send 3 Dropships at a time along the path.

Logistics time:

• They will need to send Science warships ahead with science instruments to measure the location, speed, strength and thickness of the shockwave.  This gives them a time frame, a minimum safe distance to evacuate to, and if needed a way to skip over the shockwave to see the results.  Good thing Niops has that science cruiser
• They will need to set up LARGE passenger Dropships, to get as many people out per Docking Collar.  (Behemoths?)
• Smaller Dropships will be used to transfer people from the planets to the larger Dropships.
• They will need to set up a Jumpship chain to transfer Dropships away from the Pentagon Worlds.  If the Draconis Combine has Monoliths available, they would be excellent here
• To replace the Jumpships being used in this fashion, all the smaller Jumpers that can only jump between safe locations will be used to replace the shipping capacity that was diverted
• To replace the transport capacity, all the Dropship Captains that need to be in good systems will be hired
• Kowloon cutters with Black Boxes will be used to help coordinate, by passing along jump coordinates and letting people know when it is safe to jump
• Pirate groups might either try to take advantage of this sudden shuffle, or decide that making money off of transport is easier (and safer) than raiding people
• Setup should be each Jumpship that will be part of this command circuit will meet at a system in Lyran space, and get checked out for a 2-year mission.

The Jumpships are sent out from Lyran space towards the Pentagon worlds.  As each Jumpship arrives at the Pentagon worlds, it is carrying large Dropships to deliver necessary supplies and carry passengers back.  At the Pentagon worlds the Dropships are detached, and the first Jumpships start returning.  At the Pentagon worlds people are put onto Dropships, and the Dropships are attached to a Jumpship.  Each Jumpship then jumps to the next system, arriving before the prior Jumpship is timed to leave.  The Dropship transfers, and the receiving Jumpship then jumps.

The Jumpships will take 2 years to make the circuit, while the Dropships might take ~2 months to head out, and another ~2 months to return.  Those two months is enough time for the passengers to be provided basic skills that are needed by someone.  Dropships that return have the people transferred off and are cleaned/refitted to make the next run.  Jumpships that arrive have been jumping 1/week for 2 years, so will need full overhauls.

Since you know roughly the time frame of when people will be returning, you have a time frame of when you will need to set up the receiving infrastructure.

If there are any multi-body political systems between the Pentagon Worlds and Lyran space, those can be used to help resupply as needed.

[Sir Chaos]

And I still think the scale doesn´t work out:

"Five Light Years from Strana Mechty." Star Captain Joseph Khatib stated.  "The shockwave will reach the Pentagon worlds in a decade."

It´s over 200 light-years from Strana Mechty to the Pentagon worlds. The shockwave cannot move faster than light. If it is to hit the Pentagon worlds in the 3170s, in must have been set off in the 2950s at the latest; by the time of Operation Revival, most of the Kerensky Cluster would have been hit already.

[Artifex]

Depends on how 'thick' the shockwave is.  If it is less than 30 light-years thick, they can just pop from outside to inside.
[snip...]
If there are any multi-body political systems between the Pentagon Worlds and Lyran space, those can be used to help resupply as needed.

I love this! :thumbsup:

Excellent write up of logistics and I'm totally looking forwards to whether Cannonshop will pick up on this or go his own predetermined way.  8)

[Cannonshop]

And I still think the scale doesn´t work out:

It´s over 200 light-years from Strana Mechty to the Pentagon worlds. The shockwave cannot move faster than light. If it is to hit the Pentagon worlds in the 3170s, in must have been set off in the 2950s at the latest; by the time of Operation Revival, most of the Kerensky Cluster would have been hit already.

"More than one".

[georgiaboy]

Big think to remember about Jump Chains.

The Chain moves at A jump per how long the slowest ship is charging.
or
in other words. the Jump chain can send a shipment only once per week.

If in a command circuit, you have some Jumpship that charges at 180 hours and others at 168, then you will have bottlenecks at the slower charging ships.

A Command Circuit is optimized for moving a few Jumpships quickly, they are not set up to do a continuous movement.

[Cannonshop]

Big think to remember about Jump Chains.

The Chain moves at A jump per how long the slowest ship is charging.
or
in other words. the Jump chain can send a shipment only once per week.

If in a command circuit, you have some Jumpship that charges at 180 hours and others at 168, then you will have bottlenecks at the slower charging ships.

A Command Circuit is optimized for moving a few Jumpships quickly, they are not set up to do a continuous movement.

in order to make it work, you need two things: LOTS of jumpships, spread out across a long chain, alternating, and LOTS of coordination and scheduling.

Hanse Davion: "Planning an invasion of a neighboring state is complex and requires precise logistics and timing."

Anastasius Focht: "We're going to strike the Clan Homeworlds, it will be the largest single military operation in history."

Sharon Ngo: "Here, hold my beer."

[shadowdancer]

Why do you have to move all of them into the innersphere all at once. The clans probably know of a habitale world out side of the shock wave. Take supplies to build a temporary community, food, medicine and equipment to make housing. Then transfer the people there to get them out of the path. While starting to move some of them back. Once everybody and every thing that can be taken is safe then move them to the innersphere. By then you should be able to build enough jumpships and passenger dropships to be able to make a major command circuit with enough backup to make it fairly safe.

[kindalas]

Why do you have to move all of them into the innersphere all at once. The clans probably know of a habitale world out side of the shock wave. Take supplies to build a temporary community, food, medicine and equipment to make housing. Then transfer the people there to get them out of the path. While starting to move some of them back. Once everybody and every thing that can be taken is safe then move them to the innersphere. By then you should be able to build enough jumpships and passenger dropships to be able to make a major command circuit with enough backup to make it fairly safe.

You need to move large numbers of people to locations that can support them.

Moving 100 million people from 29 ish worlds would require hundreds of worlds to absorb that number of refugees.

Otherwise the people will end up in camps for at least a generation of suffering and scarcity.

Dumping that many people on undeveloped worlds would kill most of them.

And that is assuming the hostile forces in the area don't attack at some point.

And the command circuit idea works but only for a flow rate equal to the minimum number of collars in each chain link and it would be no faster then that many jumpships going there and back again. It would only reduce the on ship time for the refugees and really only makes sense if you have a shortage of dropships and a surplus of jumpships.

[Sir Chaos]

You need to move large numbers of people to locations that can support them.

Moving 100 million people from 29 ish worlds would require hundreds of worlds to absorb that number of refugees.

Otherwise the people will end up in camps for at least a generation of suffering and scarcity.

Dumping that many people on undeveloped worlds would kill most of them.

And that is assuming the hostile forces in the area don't attack at some point.

And the command circuit idea works but only for a flow rate equal to the minimum number of collars in each chain link and it would be no faster then that many jumpships going there and back again. It would only reduce the on ship time for the refugees and really only makes sense if you have a shortage of dropships and a surplus of jumpships.

The advantage of the command circuit is that it takes people off the doomed worlds at a steady rate, rather than in huge numbers at once every few months or every year. A planet may have port facilities - or places that can be pressed into service as port facilities in an emergency - to embark tens of thousands of people a day; it probably won´t have facilities to embark half the planetary population all at once.

Oh, and you also only have to DISembark (and find accomodation for) a more manageable number of refugees at their destination each week, rather than massive numbers at once.

And "only" reducing the on ship time is actually a massive advantage - passengers need far less supplies for a one month journey than for a one year journey. That means not just that the ships need to carry less supplies, you also need to *procure* less supplies. Even the Inner Sphere would probably struggle to cough up non-perishable foodstuffs (and all the other life support supplies) to keep billions of people alive for a year.

[Euphonium]

And while repeatedly jumping at short intervals could be hard on the evacuees it's probably less hard than many months packed into tiny cubicles with minimal facilities

[nroe03742]

this kind of situation would be ideal for my Columbia Evac Mk I as the main ship with people being transported up to the ships with the Evac Transport MK II small craft

[idea weenie]

this kind of situation would be ideal for my Columbia Evac Mk I as the main ship with people being transported up to the ships with the Evac Transport MK II small craft

How did your 2.5 MTon Columbia Mk 1 manage to get 40 Dropship collars, two lithium-fusion battery systems, and cost only 2 billion?

For its price it is a good deal, but I'm wondering if there was some creative accounting going on behind the scenes.

The other detail is that if it isn't built yet, it may not be finished in time to help out.

[Giovanni Blasini]

What year are we in for the Silent Black?