INT.>INTEL.>O.N.I. Report 251117-2237

[Leonard Hall]

THIS DOCUMENT IS PUBLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
TERRAN STELLAR NAVY
RECORD, ANALYZE, REPORT ACT
SECURITY CLEARANCE LEVEL THREE
BRIDGE OFFICERS AND INTELLIGENCE STAFF EYES ONLY
STARDATE 251117-2237

OPERATIONAL DEBRIEFING FOLLOWS….

Previous efforts to harden the newly installed Euphini Expanse sensor arrays against Skaraan intrusion have been shown to be successful. As a result of the now accurate information being received, the 4LTDIV was deployed to assault the staging bases being setup by Hegemony forces in sector XI. Although heavy resistance was met, 4LTDIV successfully cleared the sector of all hostile forces. Of particular note:
FOB R79 was destroyed;
Thanks to the actions of marines from TSN Viper, FOB K21 was captured;
Torgoth command ship A79 was destroyed thanks to the actions of TSN Horizon.

The 4LTDIV were then ordered to a deep strike in Erebus VIII to recover an artifact from a hostile station. Very heavy resistance was encountered, however not only was the artifact retrieved and handed over to operatives from Section Blue, but several hostile stations were destroyed.

…OPERATIONAL DEBRIEFING ENDS

CURRENT FLEET INTELLIGENCE:

ONI Section Blue is hard at work discerning the purpose of the most recently acquired artifact and its correlation to the others. Significant headway on this has been made so far, and more is on the way.

MISSION PLANNING:

With the new forward operating base of the Order seized in Euphini and handed over to Zolmari forces, TSNCOM believes further action by 4LTDIV in Euphini is unnecessary at this time.
Furthermore TSNCOM has been analyzing a resurgence of commercial raiding activities over previous shifts, and believes this may soon come to a head. Division personnel are advised to remain alert and plan accordingly.

Further mission planning intelligence has been classified to personnel of CL 1. Mission specifications will be provided to officers at necessary time and in necessary location as necessity dictates.

TACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS:

Officers should be aware that some Kralien ships have been seen to declare as Zolmari at unexpected times, including when surrounded by non-Zolmari. All reasonable efforts should be made to ensure that they are able to escape safely, once they have made themselves known.

Battlefield observations from the previous duty cycle have shown the continued importance of both prompt response to SOS calls and, more relevantly to tactical discussion, the use of so-called “galactic terrain” to the benefit of the Division. The following is an overview of all commonly encountered terrain effects, and their value to space combat.

Asteroids: The nature of asteroids and their mineral content is self-explanatory for the purposes of combat. Occasionally dust clouds can coalesce tightly enough to produce a similar reading and effect but this is more of an edge case. Asteroids provide a minor to moderate navigation hazard for high speed maneuvers — crashing into one with shields down will require the offending helmsman to paint the damaged hull section once it is fixed. Tactical value involves crashing hostile drone ordnance into asteroids to destroy them and conversely ensuring friendly ordnance is fired in such a way to get around or bypass them.

Nebulae: Whether thick or thin, nebula gas clouds pose an indirect navigational hazard. Lasting damage from lingering in nebulae is uncommon due to modern deflector screen technology which supplements shield arrays and reinforces hull integrity, with exception given to especially hot or radioactive clouds. Nebulae however do interfere with the safe formation of warp fields, and conversely the threat of stellar environmental damage from such maneuvers lingers, so all warp craft traversing a nebula are restricted to Warp 1 speeds. While TSN Science Stations come equipped with advanced sensor suites which can compensate for nebula distortion errors, most conventional sensors such as TAC and LRS cannot see well into nebulae. It has been observed that the typical Hegemony battle plan does not invest heavily into sensor technology and running into a nebula can be a valid tactic to lose the scent of enemy forces, so long as they do not have a tango-lock on your communications systems.

Mines: The Type 6 Nuclear Fusion Mine and its Hegemony equivalent are not strictly speaking terrain objects. However the ArtemisOS standard trainsim software identifies them as “Lethal Terrain” and, due to a number of incidents involving them in the field, they will be covered as such. The average mine of today’s battlefields has a trigger detonation range of about 500 to 600 meters depending on model and inbound vessel’s size– any vessel entering range, regardless of affiliation will detonate the mine. Detonation produces an explosion capable of damaging up to 160 TRs of shielding at point blank range, therefore helm officers must take care not to run afoul as their ship may be easily crippled. Mines are often deployed in large and wide formations from 20 to over 100 in order to deter incoming assault. Mines are equipped with a rudimentary RCS system which allows them to maintain their position in space, however this system is unable to compensate for intense forces pulling on them. For anyone relegated to minelaying duty it is recommended that you not deploy minefields near singularities or other such objects.

Singularities: The transition zone of systems, where most commercial traffic operates is often a very “dirty” place in terms of the gravitic forces at play, compared to inner systems. The exact science is not a point of topic within this report, but the effects are apparent. For obvious reasons singularities are an extreme navigational hazard. Close proximity will result in coming under the gravitic influence of the singularity, which, following common logic results in drifting toward it. Failure to escape inevitably results, in the traditional definition of a singularity, breakdown into constituent atoms and crushing into a paste of infinite density and indeterminate description. In the case of unstable or “failed” Jump Points, any number of poorly understood scientific fates could arise. Either way, the battlefield effect of singularities is often admirably demonstrated by cunning officers who enrage enemies sufficiently to the point they suicidally charge in. The old ArtemisOS console readout showed singularities with an inner and outer ring for positional gauging. Using this as a guide, helm officers knew when to pull out when making risky moves. The new readout shows a more scientific readout, the accretion disk and the actual position of singularity. While this requires more alertness to approximate impending doom it has not resulted in incidents so far. Regardless, situational awareness is required to safely maximize the tactical value of gravity wells.

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