Warship Assets, Novacat Touman, SLDF
-Vision Naval Pursuit Star
Vincent Mk.42 Class Far Vision
Fredasa-Class Future Triumph
Lola-III-Class Growler
Lola-III-Class Ranger
Lola-III-Class Rover
York-Class Anna Rosse
Carrack-Class True Path
-Transcendent Naval Cruiser Star
Congress-Class True Vision
Aegis-Class Path of Honour
Aegis-Class Vision Quest
Aegis-Class Principle
Riga Block II-Class First Claw
Carrack-Class Perilous Vision
-Mystic Naval Assault Star
Black Lion-Class Severen Leroux
Aegis-Class Chronicle
Aegis-Class Principle
Aegis-Class Remembrance
Black Lion-Class Night Paw
Carrack-Class Void
-Merchant Fleet
Carrack-Class (Merchant) Far Star
Carrack-Class (Merchant) Enlightened Path
Carrack-Class (Merchant) Nebula
Carrack-Class (Merchant) Glory Road
Carrack-Class (Merchant) Pathfinder
Carrack-Class (Merchant) Guiding Vision
Carrack-Class (Merchant) Bright Star
Carrack-Class (Merchant) Faithful rite
It is well worth remembering that the inspection required of 1st SLDF-SOG, prior to their acceptance as SLDF troops, intentionally did not extend to naval forces. If it had, the inspection would have been scheduled for years later.
Warships were considered integral to the operation of any modern expeditionary force from the mid 3060s-onward, as demonstrated by the ELH experience in the Capellan Civil War. As such it was always intended that the SLDF should have it's own Capitol Ships. These were provided initially by Clan Novacat and the ComGuard, mainly by happy coincidence. This fact of life rather highlighted the issues common people and their leaders alike had with the new SLDF; no matter where you came from: "They weren't *us*". And when it came to naval power, "they" had some very big guns.
So naturally, the New Model Army project had to include naval forces from the beginning and indeed, this resulted in most of the sunk cost, as it was modeled (mainly by necessity) as an infrastructural program, rather than a capital one; you couldn't simply *buy* major warships on behalf of "Parties Unknown". That was how periphery rebels and pirates had acquired so many of their warships during the age of war and later.
The result of this was that by the dawn of the Jihad; the SLDFiE had access to more support facilities and support units for a major warship fleet than it did anything like a space-worthy hull.
New Model Army extra-planetary capabilities had been built from the group up. First in modifying and modernizing the motley assortment of dropships and jumpships SOG had acquired and had inflicted upon it in the initial equipment dump to fit-out the New Model Army. Then later in developing their own facilities to build and service the droppers and jumpers they would need, with an eye to a warship program in it's infancy by the time of the dissolution of the 2nd Star League.
The earlier "Pitcher Plant" Incident, following Op; Munin had done a lot to speed up the warship time-table, once it was finally done with, but even after evacuating the so-called "Pitcher-Plant" system, the Proto-SLDF still had no serviceable warships, though it did have a wealth of expertise on the subject and a proliferation of what would eventually prove workable hulls and salvage.
When war suddenly came, the SLDF, now officially "In Exile"; was already in the midst of Operation: Reindeer Games, following the revelations of Col. Donner; and aware, in specific circles, that something was in the wind, but uncertain what. With measures already under way to gather the Eridani Light Horse and no successful contact with SLDF forces on Tukayyid (At the time; 1 RBMR, Royal Black Watch Regiment, 472nd ComGuard Division "Invader Galaxy", Fury units and others), warning orders to dispatch forces for a link-up under-fire with Clan Novacat had already been issued.
While Task Forces: Dancer, Vixen, Blitzen and Rudolph were already on the way out, or coming back; Task Force Dancer, a much larger force consisting of the strength of the SLDFiE's Combat Naval Assets and including the majority of The Galactic Marine Corps, then in existence was still organizing, however. The delay was inevitable as it was already known from SLDF Naval Intelligence that they would be sailing into the teeth of the Word of Blake Jihad. As it was Task Force Dancer, managed to get away from their staging area at Ardennes before the remainder of the Op: Reindeer Games Task Forces were able to be formed and dispatched.
Arriving in the Irece Prefecture; contact was quickly made with Clan Novacat forces and an understanding reached.
Typically for the 'Cats, the Jihad had been forseen in some symbolic form by one of their warriors and the opening shots of the war found The Clan, disillusioned by the dissolution of the Star League, but on high military alert. With the revelation of the survival of some part of the Star League and their place (however tenuous and suspect) within a greater whole once more, it took only McKenna's simple soldier's words to convince the NovaCats to support a breakout of remaining SLDF forces on Tukayyid.
This campaign was the first taste of war for many soldiers of the SLDF, but also WOB's first taste of 1st SLDF-SOG; as the main force of the Division combat-dropped into the administrative and service-support areas for their forces on planet. While SLDFiE Ground Forces fought a major battle against WOB on the dusty world, Clan NovaCat laid into WOB fleet assets throughout the system, closely attended by what was then the majority of the SLDFiE's combat naval assets. From this point forward, no NovaCat Fleet assets would ever be without support and escort from either Fleet Marine Force ships or SLDFiE Navy assault dropships.
The final extraction of the Furies and Killer Bees was opposed with tactical nuclear weapons and supported by orbital bombardment, but ultimately the mission had to be labeled a success with the evacuation of the majority of Invader Galaxy and all known survivors of the 1st Royal Battlemech Regiment, The Royal Black Watch Regiment and the SLDF support forces on-world. The Furies however were reduced to a handful of survivors, alongside the Killer Bees. That 1st SLDF-SOG was willing to spend so much in lives and rescoruces to fulfil what was only an implied promise from a part of the SLDF the publicly-acknowledged forces never even knew existed did a lot to cement the loyalty of the remaining SLDF units and bought a lot of credit with Clan NovaCat as well.
As a result; The NovaCats knew, almost from the outset of the Jihad that they were not alone and the cause they had suffered abjurement to support was not wholly dead. While the Cats would ultimately choose to adopt a pragmatic wait-and-see approach to the idea of a Star League-in-Exile, they refused to commit heavily to any other alliance during the War.
From Operation: Reindeer Games onwards, NovaCat fleet assets enjoyed the services of the SLDF in the form of additional escort and support elements. While the most prominent of these would be the Newgrange-Class Yardship SLS Resolute Bay, translating to NovaCat space and a pile of work before the end of the year, it was the attentions of SLDF FleetCom and the dark navy-blue ships and fighters of the Galactic Marine Corps, in particular which were most widely noticed and appreciated by the Cats. It is thought now that this added escort strength saved over a dozen NovaCat ships during the Jihad: there are numerous instances where a timely capital missile strike on a Blakist ship, screen-launch or fighter sweep seems to have made enough difference to see a NovaCat ship limping away, rather than rapidly expanding as a ball of gas and metal fragments.
The arrangement doubtless benefited the SLDF as well; the NovaCats were attentive teachers for the SLDF's inexperienced ship crews and NovaCat ships were at least as protective of their escorts as their escorts were of them.
This has manifested today in what is an open mutual admiration society between the NovaCat Fleet and the Galactic Marine Corps and the elaborate ceremonies and bonds of comradeship with draw the NovaCat fleet together with the main strength of the SLDF.
Facing the new century, the NovaCat's are one of the few Clans in any bloc still deploying anything like a true Naval Star; the NovaCat Fleet operates as a distinct and separate force, within the Touman; not slaved to ground forces as in other Clans. If the capability grows in the future, the Khans would like to see medium-sized warships assigned to each Galaxy as dedicated assets, but for now the three Stars of the NovaCat Warship Force are needed more as flexible assets protecting their worlds in the Irece Prefecture (their 3rd League Holdings enjoy SLDF Fleet protection). The Entire NovaCat Warship fleet relies heavily on mobile HPGs and Lithium-Fusion Batteries, but these are not yet universal in all their ships.
Vision Naval Pursuit Star normally operates broken up into pairs of warships which are regularly shuffled and exchanged between sub-groups. These patrol teams range throughout the Irece Prefecture and along major trade routes.
Trancendant Naval Cruiser Star is the Rapid-Reaction Force; assigned a tighter patrol area; this Star is moved around more for security purposes to keep from being ambushed and destroyed early in any preemptive strike by hostile forces.
Mystic Naval Assault Star is the Clan reserve Naval Strike Force. Kept mainly in the prefecture capital system; Mystic Naval Assault Star trains constantly in case they are needed.
The Cat's early expulsion from the Homeworlds kept them from salvaging any additional hulls, but they were gifted with two from different sources by the 3rd League; a Riga from the Pitcher Plant boneyard and a Clan-Upgraded Black Lion from Operation: Vril.
At the end of the War, SLS Resolute Bay returned to service with the SLDF Fleet support flotilla, but the Cat's continue to have access to these and other FleetCom assets and regularly train alongside the SLDF Fleet and the Galactic Marines' Blue Ships. In practice; getting wounded ships to the Canton Worlds is logistically difficult and getting any kind of Fleet assets to the Irece Prefecture is dicey operationally and politically, so long-term the Cats would like to acquire a Yardship of their own, but this, along with a Potemkin and other, smaller fleet assets are likely to remain on the Cat's wishlist for a while yet.
The Cat's boast a large fleet of Carracks however; three original/upgraded models and eight delicate merchant-grade ships. The milspec ships sail with the three Naval Stars as tenders and the merchants are allowed to sail anywhere but the republic and the FedSuns as free traders, though it has stretched the Cat's badly to provide any escort at all, following the dropship drawdown at the end of the war; essential to get the Warships back up to full capability and only now being reversed. Even so; the Cat's will be short of Dropships and Jumpships until at least sometime in 3103. It is fortunate then that so-called "Cat Cruises" Remain popular taskings for SLDF FleetCom forces, despite the difficult passage to the Irece Prefecture.
Being more prosperous, the Cat's were quickly able to purchase more stations to add to the gift set given to them when they officially joined the 3rd League and they have no issues supporting the fleet they currently field and have not-inconsiderable spare capacity as well. While they have no interest in a World Tree-Class Yard like the Sharks maintain, their other factories, habitats and smaller yards have done a lot to get their Clan and their protectorate back on their feet.
Most NovaCat production capacity has lain fallow these past few years as the Yard over Irece finishes work on the SLS Sabretooth; a Leviathan-Prime Class ship to be the Clan's newest warship and the first built in the Inner Sphere. A powerful message; when Sabretooth slips her moorings sometime in 3101, she will have established that the NovaCats can do anything they set their minds to and will have done much to balm perceived past failures and errors in judgement. Producing Sabretooth has stunted the recovery of the Irece economy and the civilians are looking forward to more contracts for labour in the coming years, with less spent on resources and elite workers for a prestige project and more access to consumer goods.
Of the three Clans in the 3rd League; Civilian petitioners to the NovaCats are least common and this has hurt the Clan; still seen as occupiers by some within the worlds surrendered or ceded to the Cats at the end of the Jihad by the Combine. The ways of the NovaCats continue to set them apart from the people they protect; while the Dianmond Sharks offer adevnture and the Blood Spirits offer camaraderie, NovaCats mysticism remains difficult to buy into for many spheroids, though a strong attraction for some. The Novacats posted double-digit shortfalls in their Scientist, Technician and Labour-Castes for the 4th year in a row in 3099.
I now want to be in your Der Teg Hells Horse clan....
I just love them, 3 Potemkins and some serious drop transport! O0
TT
Ah; four. Four Potemkins; the 4th is an SL-tech ship which is space-worthy, but not-yet upgraded to Clan-specs ;)
Glad you're liking it truetanker!
Thing with all the Potemkins in Clan hands is that some of them don't need all those drop-collars unless they intend to take-off again. We already know the Falcons have an upgraded Aegis on the table; expect someone to have a prototype Potemkin refit as a dedicated warship (or yardship!), sooner rather than later.