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Human Alliance Orbital Fortress - Heavy:

Orbital Fortress are far less expensive to build, maintain, and operate than starships especially ships that are capable of faster than light travel. While not all militaries operate orbital fortresses, many do. They are often used to protect important planets and other space facilities including shipyards, refining facilities, and mining facilities.

While orbital fortresses are usually considered an element of fixed forces, they do have some mobility. They still have nothing like the mobility of normal starships of the Three Galaxies. Instead, their propulsion enables them to change position if a platform is damaged or destroyed as well as making them less easy targets to missiles fired beyond normal weapon range.

The Human Alliance built large numbers of fortresses from when it was founded and more fortress were build by the Human Alliance to defend important systems. The Consortium continued production of these fortresses until they developed newer fortress designs. Depending on the system, the system might be protected by heavy fortresses or light fortresses. These fortress were built in sections and then shipped to the system where they were assembled.

Some of the fortress were retained under Human Alliance control while others were build for system defense forces. As time went on, many of the fortresses once under direct Human Alliance control have been transferred to system defense forces. The only places where these fortresses retain under direct Human Alliance control are main fleet bases.

Some fortress have been upgraded with improved weaponry and heavier shields over the years. There are so many different modifications to these fortresses to not be able to describe easily. A surprising number of fortress have not been modified to any large extent and operate as built. Of course over the years, many have been scrapped and others have been converted for civilian purposes.

Heavy fortresses carry incredible firepower, the equal of a battleship and carry the fighter compliment of a fleet carrier. High importance systems are often fortified with the heavier fortresses while lower importance systems might be fortified with lighter fortress. In some cases both light and heavy fortresses are used in conjunction to protect a system as well. Additionally, fortresses will often be augmented with minefields during times of tension.

The lack of powerful engines is both a strength and weakness of fortress. This lack makes the fortress cheaper to build and gives greater firepower than a ship of the same mass. Platforms however cannot do effective combat maneuvers or maneuver out of danger as starships usually can.

Main energy battery of these fortress are eight 40 cm and eight 28 cm particle beam batteries. Like the light fortress, the heavy fortress does not mount a medium anti-ship energy battery. These fortress carry four capital missile batteries and eight long range missile batteries. Newer fortresses tend to concentrate more on heavy missile batteries than energy weapon batteries. Still, the fortress carries a much larger missile payload than even the Yamato battleship.

Point defense is also heavier than most battleships. The heavy fortress is protected by twenty-four twin point defense laser batteries, twenty-four electromagnetic rail gun mounts, and sixteen mini-missile batteries. The fortress mounts approximately twice the point rail guns and lasers as well as one third greater number of mini-missile batteries than a Yamato class battleship. Even though older weapon systems, the defensive batteries are quite effective with most mini-missiles used within the Three Galaxies being self guided types of missiles

Like smaller fortresses, the fighters are often considered the main striking power although few have been converted to pure fighter platforms. While missiles and energy weapons have limited range, fighters can be deployed to deal with enemy vessels virtually anywhere in system. Fighter compliment is approximately equal to that of an Intrepid class fleet carrier with a greater emphasis on light fighters. Compliment is sixteen squadrons of light fighters and sixteen squadrons of medium fighters. In addition, the fortress has two squadrons of heavy fighters. Older fighters are often operated from these fortresses. These platforms have extensive facilities to repair and refit fighters. Because fortress are at risk for being boarded, they have a relatively large troop compliment including power armors. Some carry a large number of Silver Hawk space power armors to augment the fighters.

These fortress have the same shields as the Yamato class battleship and are quite heavily armored. These fortress can take incredible damage. These fortress are designed with three command and control facilities so they are quite hard to disable. As much as possible, the fortress are designed with distributed systems including multiple sensor arrays and fusion reactors. Fusion reactors are used instead of anti-matter plants because they are far cheaper to build and operate even though far larger. When an attack is thought imminent, the fortress will begin spinning. This allows all of the batteries to fire on a single target even though the missile can be fired and redirected while in flight.

Heavy fortresses are even more often used to support fleet units than lighter fortresses. These fortress are set up to act both for resupply and repair of starships. Larger fortress can resupply and perform repairs on cruiser class vessels as well as destroyer and frigate sized vessels. Often they will be used to support any monitors which also serve in system defense roles. Still, repair ships and full shipyards can generally make much more rapid repairs. Cruisers often have more complete medical facilities than destroyers but still far from that of a full medical facilities. Heavy fortresses often have the full medical facilities of a hospital ship.

The orbital defense fortress design uses modified starship speed and range rules. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World / Three Galaxies for more details.

Model Type: HA ODF-H2.

Vehicle Type: Orbital Defense Fortress (Heavy).

Crew: 2,450 (255 Officers, 2,195 enlisted).

Troops: 800 marines ( typically stay on board for ship defense), 1,000 fighter pilots / crew, and 200 power armor pilots (400 with modern compliments).

Vehicles: Fortresses not in the C.A.F. or H.F.N. fleets may have totally different types of vehicles as ships compliment but numbers will be about the same for the various classes of vehicles. Compliments can also be a mix between old and new compliments.

Old Compliment:

Power Armors:

Fighter Compliment:

New / Modern Compliment:

Power Armors & Robots:

Fighter Compliment:

M.D.C. By Location:

Notes:

[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the station’s armor. This station also has two auxiliary bridges. Even if all three bridges are taken out, the station can still fire weaponry on local control. Weapon hits near the bridges that do not penetrate the station’s integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.

[2] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the station out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The station itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.

[3] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (3,600 M.D.C.) per melee round.

Speed:

Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.

Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 60 percent of the speed of light due to having military class radiation and particle shielding however almost never travels at that velocity. Orbital fortress can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 0.05 percent of light per melee.

Can also spin rapidly so it can bring all weapon mounts to bear in all directions necessary. Contra-Grav Thrusters allows the station to increase its rotate at the rate of 9 degrees per melee. It normally takes 10 minutes to get station rotation up to 360 degrees per melee. This is normally the maximum the station will rotate at.

Atmospheric Propulsion: Not possible. The space platform would likely come apart in an atmosphere and are only operated in space.

Stardrive: The ship / platform carries no stardrive.

Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by drive system. Carries about four years worth of supplies on board.

Statistical Data:

Length:                3,200 feet (975.36 meters).

Height:                1,150 feet (350.52 meters).

Width:                 3,200 feet (975.36 meters).

Mass/Weight:      45 million tons (40.82 million metric tons).

Power System: Advanced Fusion with a 25 year life span. The platform normally only goes 7 years between refueling and refitting.

Cargo: Cargo holds are scattered about the station that allows for the storage of up to 4 million tons (3.63 million metric tons) of cargo in addition to standard compliment of supplies and ammunition. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Station officers have more space for personal items. Most of the station’s spaces are taken up by extra ammunition, embarked craft, armor, troops, weapons, and other equipment.

Market Cost: Platform would cost about 20 billion credits to manufacture in present time in the Three Galaxies. Platforms are no longer being produced. When available, these platforms sell for 30 to 50 billion credits. Cost does not include embarked craft.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. Eight (8) 40 cm Primary Particle Beam Batteries: The fortress is armed with eight 40 cm cannons as its primary energy weaponry. The fortress can be spun so that all heavy energy weapons are able to direct on a single target. The heavy particle beams are designed to be able to fire up to eighty degrees upwards or down and one hundred and twenty degrees to either side to allow batteries to be effective even when the platform is not spinning.

   Maximum Effective Range: 70,000 miles (112,650 km)in space and 70 miles (112.7 km) in an atmosphere.

   Mega Damage: 1D6x1000 M.D.C. each (Two can be linked for 2D6x1000 M.D.C. for both.)

   Rate of Fire: Maximum of three (3) times per melee per particle beam.

   Payload: Effectively Unlimited.

2. Eight (8) 28 cm Secondary Particle Beam Batteries: The fortress is armed with eight 28 cm cannons as its secondary energy weaponry. The fortress can be spun so that all heavy energy weapons are able to direct on a single target. The heavy particle beams are designed to be able to fire up to eighty degrees upwards or down and one hundred and twenty degrees to either side to allow batteries to be effective even when the platform is not spinning.

   Maximum Effective Range: 70,000 miles (112,650 km)in space and 70 miles (112.7 km) in an atmosphere.

   Mega Damage: 1D4x1000 M.D.C. each (Two can be linked for 2D4x1000 M.D.C. for both.)

   Rate of Fire: Maximum of three (3) times per melee per particle beam.

   Payload: Effectively Unlimited.

3. Twenty-Four (24) Electromagnetic 15 mm Point Defense Rail Guns: Unlike most of the rail guns used on Phase World / Three Galaxies starships, these are standard electromagnetic rail guns. Each rail gun is in a turret that can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire. The rail gun still fires projectiles at incredible velocities compared to rail guns on Rifts Earth and projectiles are fired from rail guns at a significant fraction of the speed of light. It is used as an anti-starfighter and missile weapon and against targets that are impervious to energy.

   Maximum Effective Range: 16 miles (26 km) through atmosphere and 800 miles (1,290 km) in space.

   Mega-Damage: Rail gun inflicts 3D6x10 M.D.C. for an 80 round burst.

   Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5).

   Payload: 16,000 Rounds (200 Bursts) each cannon.

4. Twenty-Four (24) Point Defense 2 cm Lasers in Double Mounts: Used as anti-starfighter and missile weapon. Each laser turret can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire.

   Maximum Effective Range: 2.5 miles (4 km) miles through atmosphere and 250 miles (402.3 km) in space.

   Mega-Damage: 2D6x10 M.D.

   Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5).

   Payload: Effectively Unlimited.

5. Four (4) Cruise Missile Batteries: Missile has a top speed of Mach 25 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 10% of light per turn (far faster than any starship.) Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launching starship, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless preset to self destruct or receives a destruct code but has very low odds of hitting star ships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile, when unpowered, is at -25% to be detected.) See Modified starship rules for more details - Cruise missiles have penalties to hit small targets but are all considered smart missiles. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time. Batteries have a lower number of actual launchers than the modern CAF cruise missile batteries and each launcher is slightly larger in size.

   Maximum Effective Range: Cruise Missile range is 8,000 miles (12,875 km) in an atmosphere and 4,000,000 miles (6,437,376 km/ 21.5 light seconds) in space.

   Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Anti-Matter multi-warheads inflict 5D6x100 M.D.C. each.)

   Rate of Fire: Can fire cruise missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), eight (8), sixteen (16), or twenty-four (24) cruise missiles per launcher, per melee round, for a maximum of 96 cruise missiles per melee. Launchers are reloaded on the same melee and can be fired again on the next.

   Payload: 96 cruise missiles total, 24 cruise missiles per launcher. Ship has 16 reload of missiles (1,536 cruise missiles reloads total.)

6. Eight (8) Long Range Missile Batteries: Missile has a top speed of Mach 20 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 8% of light per turn (faster than any starship.) Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting star ships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile, when unpowered, is at -25% to be detected.) Long range missiles do not have penalties to hit small targets, unlike cruise missiles, and are all considered smart missiles. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time. Batteries have a lower number of actual launchers than the modern CAF long range missile batteries and each launcher is slightly larger in size.

   Maximum Effective Range: Long Range Missile range is 3,400 miles (5,470 km) in an atmosphere and 1,800,000 miles (2,89700 km/9.7 light seconds) in space.

   Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Fusion warheads inflict 2D4x100 M.D.C. each.)

   Rate of Fire: Can fire long range missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), eight (8), sixteen (16), or twenty-four (24) per launcher, per melee attack.

   Payload: 3,840 total, 480 long range missiles per launcher.

7. Sixteen (16) Mini-Missile Launchers: These are missile turrets used for point defense against enemy fighters and missiles. Missile has a top speed of Mach 10 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 2% of light per turn (slightly faster than any starship except if it is exceeding it maximum safe acceleration.) Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time.

   Maximum Effective Range:: Mini Missile range is 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere and 100 miles (161 km) in space.

   Mega-Damage: Varies with mini-missile type (See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details.)

   Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of four (4) or eight (8) mini-missiles.

   Payload: 128 per launcher for a total of 2,048 mini-missiles. Cargo hold has an additional 6,144 mini-missile. Reloading launchers from cargo hold takes 1D6 minutes.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

Copyright © 2011 & 2015, Kitsune. All rights reserved.

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