Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Striker Jump Drive

A. Thirty five tonne jump drive module produces twelve hundred parsec tonnes.

B. Five modules would have six parsec kilotonnes, and would be sufficient for a three kilotonne hull with a range of two parsecs.

C. Eight modules would have ninety six hundred parsec tonnes, and could motivate thirty two hectatonnes at three parsec range.

D. A ninth module could be added for redundancy.

E. Or, you could tractor along an additional six hundred tonnes externally in jumpspace.

F. The problem is balancing additional fuel with the extra cargo.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Striker Jump Drive

G. Once the Confederation Navy confirmed that the technological level twelve variant of the Striker was suitable to their needs, they stuck with the basic design.

H. That doesn't mean all examples are the same, since they were manufactured on dozens of different worlds, in batches and flights.

I. The basic technological levels ranged from eleven to thirteen.

K. And these were upgraded, as resources became available, to even technological level fourteen, though mostly partially.

J. Even the more elegant Tau Ceti class didn't supplant them.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Striker Jump Drive

L. Since single Striker jump drive modules have a capacity of four hundred tonnes at three parsec range, this has become the default size for smaller escort vessels.

M. Like Defender class light patrol cruiser.

N. Which is also constructed at technological levels eleven to thirteen, as the Strikers.

O. Another example being the technological level thirteen Sorenson class corvette.

P. Corvettes tending to have more emphasis on firepower over a light patrol cruiser.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Striker Jump Drive

Q. Next up would be heavy patrol cruisers and frigates.

R. The thing is, with two Striker jump drive modules, you have eight hectatonnes at three parsecs.

S. Or, you have an overachiever with three modules with a capacity of twelve hectatonnes at three parsecs.

T. Canon has them with a kilotonne hull.

U. Gut feeling is that eight hundred tonnes is the more likely choice, for the Confederation naval doctrine.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Striker Jump Drive

V. If, through the current interpretation by Mongoose, the Confederation Navy has a heavy emphasis on triparsecced starwarships, the Striker jump drive module remains hugely relevant in the current period.

W. The budgetted energy inefficient thirty five tonne jump drive module would cost thirty nine and three eighths megastarbux.

X. With a technological level of twelve, it has a capacity of four hundred tonnes with a range of three parsecs, with an energy budget of one hundred fifty six power points.

Y. Confederation Navy escort type starwarships aren't renowned for being large or really heavily armed.

Z. And at this point, the Striker jump drive module is ubiquitous and easily available.

 

[Condottiere]

Tonnage TL - Range - Model

3'150 - 14 - 5 - Beijing b/ei
3'150 - 14 - 4 - Prometheus a/rs
3'150 - 12 - 3 - Victory b/ei
0'315 - 14 - 5 - Dingir b/ei
0'315 - 12 - 3 - Texas b/ei
0'035 - 15 - 6 - Quicksilver b/ei
0'035 - 14 - 5 - Courier b/ei
0'035 - 13 - 4 - Marathon b/ei
0'035 - 12 - 3 - Striker b/ei
0'035 - 11 - 2 - Dassault b/ei
0'010 - 11 - 2 - Scout b/ei
0'010 - 09 - 1 - Venture b/is

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Striker Jump Drive

1. We'll call the pre Strikers the Dassault class.

2. An upgraded three kilotonne Dassault would be a nasty surprise to Imperium commerce raiders.

3. Five thirty five tonne jump drive modules would have a capacity of three kilotonnes at a range of two parsecs.

4. I'm going to say that the Confederation Navy called for a minimum of three parsec range from most, if not all, of it's commissioned starwarships.

5. Starwarships with a range of two parsecs would remain with member navies, even if they are attached to Confederation Navy formations.

6. Being by their range, limited to subsector defence.

7. Undoubtedly, there is a monojump variant of the thirty five tonne jump drive module.

8. At this point in time, likely limited to commercial shipping.

9. Probably, the most economic way to transport goods within a subsector.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

1. And then you have the angelfish.

2. It's pretty obvious that by the time they go to war, the Confederation Navy would have, if only in limited numbers, pentaparsec courier ships.

3. For the two hectatonne Marathon class courier, the technological level thirteen thirty five tonne jump drive module is going to have a capacity of three hundred tonnes at jump factor four.

4. I'm going to say that the Confederation Navy uses the Marathon courier as a pack mule.

5. Hundred tonnes are additionally strapped on.

6. At the moment I'm thinking, the primary hull is one hundred sixty tonnes.

7. You then add four thirty five tonne pods.

8. Or, more conventionally, two hundred tonne primary hull.

9. And an external fifty tonne drop tank, and a fifty tonne external cargo module.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

A. We could make the drop tank the dorsal fin.

B. Also known as the hump.

C. Cos, fuel.

D. The ventral fin could be the cargo pod.

E. Could be the egg pod.

F. Especially, if stuffed full of mines.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

G. With the primary hull being two hectatonnes, we can stick with a ten tonne bridge.

H. Streamlined and wedged.

I. It becomes an interesting question as to whether you can actually do a belly landing.

J. It's one reason I'd put the cargo pod underneath.

K. Essentially, you have to assume the fins are exaggerated in the illustrations, and tend to be flat enough for the landing gear to clear the ventral pod.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

L. The Marathon class courier would likely have been one of the first projects the Confederation Navy greenlighted, as technological level thirteen access dawned.

M. This would allow them to increase the spacetime range of their communications network by a third more.

N. With it, the courier aspect.

O. And as numbers started piling up, could afford to turn it into a (fast) packet ship.

P. It might have been this feature that convinced whoever was in charge of policy at that time, to allow the legacy ecks boat network to deteriorate.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

Q. Though, if you think about it, when exactly was the ecks boat network established by the Imperium, as seen in it's current form?

R. You need at least technological level thirteen to have jump factor four ecks boats.

S. Terra gets annexed in 558.

T. The Autonomous Region is established in 704.

U. The Confederation is founded in 871.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

V. It would appear that the Imperium achieved technological level thirteen breakthrough in, or around, 600.

W. It would take quite a while for the upgrade to jump factor four ecks boats to percolate through to the Imperium fringes.

X. Undoubtedly, the Imperium Navy maintained fleet courier networks to their sector headquarters.

Y. It's likely that the Autonomous Region would have resisted expansion, and upgrade, of the ecks boat network in the Solomani Sphere.

Z. Especially, if they were expected to pay for it.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

1. Apparently, the ecks boat network was established in 624.

2. By 718, it covers the entire Imperium.

3. It's run by the Communications Office of the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service.

4. It's likely that contracts for spacecraft construction went to corporate cronies.

5. The lack of extensive exploration and colonization rimward, seems to indicate that the region was a low priority for the Scout Service.

6. They had eighty years, before autonomy was restored in the Solomani Rim.

7. It's likely, a great deal of subcontracting was established, to push it that far.

8. After 704, the concentration would likely be to maintain primary routes to important Solomani regional capital worlds, if only to keep an eye on them.

9. The spoke aspect, would probably have been handed over to the Solomani authorities themselves.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

A. Ecks boat routes in the Confederation, are more likely a way to show the normal trade routes, an exercise in subsector creation.

B. Rather than actual ecks boat routes.

C. I think it becomes a question as to what function an ecks boat network still serves the Confederation.

D. Rather than a legacy that writers think they have to mention, in order to demonstrate that the Confederation is Taiwan.

E. It's pretty clear that authoritarian regimes require to informational hegemony.

F. So dismantling the remnants of the ecks boat network would have been a given.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

G. Replacing the ecks boats with Marathons, might slow down the flow of information.

H. However, this could be off set by allowing Passengers and Packets to be couriered at the same time, as Window updates are transmitted to local internet networks.

I. On the other hand, they would be completely under the control of the Confederation Navy.

J. Probably the reason that whatever is left of the Imperium ecks boat network is kept on life support, likely by some factions in the General Assembly.

K. And, I suspect, Solomani Security.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

L. While it's easy to go and construct an ice cream cone configured hull, I think the one component that the Confederation Navy might have trouble with is the jump drive.

M. Nominally, a fifteen tonne jump drive, technological level thirteen.

N. Half a millenia later, probably could be obtained off the shelf, commercially.

O. In the Imperium.

P. Considering their extensive employment, rapidly used up.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

Q. It's quite possible that any number of planets within the Confederation could manufacture a fifteen tonne technological level thirteen jump drive.

R. It might not be worthwhile, if thirty five tonne jump drives are widely available.

S. That should ensure that most commercial vessels would be four hundred tonnes with triparsec range, or six hundred tonnes with biparsec range.

T. Commercially, there are few jump drives with quadroparsec range.

U. Though technological level engineering should be easily accessible in most of the Confederation, for commercial usage.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

V. You could combine two Scout ten tonne jump drive modules to produce four hundred parsec tonnes.

W. However, they would have to be manufactured at technological level thirteen.

X. And you add an additional five tonne overhead.

Y. I suppose you could set up an artisanal fabricator to create spare parts, if you couldn't repurpose them from existing stock.

Z. But I'll go with the conceit that a new jump drive needs a complete production line, for each variant.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and the Marathon Jump Drive

1. There would have to be few commercial jump drive modules with a range of four parsecs.

2. There are probably custom made ones, in both the Imperium and Confederation.

3. However, I think the sticker price is probably triple default.

4. Since each would be hand made, and specially ordered.

5. That leaves it unlikely to be procured for programme that's on life support.

6. Even Solomani Security is unlikely to convince their Oversight Committee of the essentialness of the purchase.

7. Smuggling in examples from the Imperium is going to be equally expensive.

8. And likely to attract unwanted attention.

9. Though spare parts might be feasible.