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Human Alliance Orbital Fortress - Light:

While mobiles force form the strike force of most star navies, fixed orbital facilities form an important aspect of star systems defenses as well. Fixed defenses are generally far less expensive to build and maintain than warships. Used to protect planets and other space assets, there are various defense facilities including moon bases, asteroid fortresses, and orbital defense fortresses.

Even though Orbital Defense Fortresses are considered fixed assets, they have some mobility.  This both allows the fortresses to be moved quickly to fill gaps and make them less easy targets for fire from beyond normal missile range. Of course compared to what are usually considered mobile forces within the Three Galaxies, these platforms are incredibly slow.

During its foundation and after, the Human Alliance built a huge amount of Orbital Defense Fortresses to defend their home planets before the Consortium formed. Production of these fortresses continued by the Consortium until newer and more advanced fortresses were developed. They built both small and large fortress classes to defend their systems. These fortresses were built in sections and then assembled in the system which they are tasked to defend.

Some fortresses were under the direct control of the Human Alliance navy while others were manned by planetary Independent Defense Forces. In some cases these fortresses, both those controlled by the Human Alliance and Independent Defense Forces, have been upgraded although many are unmodified. In some systems these fortresses have been retired, in some cases scrapped and in others converted to orbital civilian facilities with the weaponry stripped from the fortresses.

Small fortresses are designed to defend planets against cruiser class attackers although multiple small fortresses can deal with larger attackers, such as battleships, as well. Still, in system where attacks from heavy warships are expected, usually heavy fortresses are used. In some cases, small fortresses are reinforced with heavier fortresses to make a stronger orbital defenses as well. The smaller fortresses are far less expensive than the larger fortresses. During times of tension, fortresses will usually be protected by heavy minefields.

Fortresses can carry far more weaponry than a starship of similar size and mass due to not the engines which a starship might. These engines are comparatively tiny are require minimal mass while the drives of a starship require a significant percentage of the mass of the ships. Normally these drives are only used for station keeping. In addition to very limited maneuverability, the fortresses do have the ability to spin rapidly to bring all weaponry to bear on a single target. They are able to spin up to full speed twice as fast as larger fortresses. This is in comparison to asteroid fortresses which mount no drives and require tugboats to be moved and can only fire weapons from a single facing.

Weapon of the fortress are four 28 cm particle beams but the fortresses do not mount any lighter anti-ship weaponry. Even so, the fortress have about twice the energy weapon battery as an Everest class cruiser. The fortress also mounts four capital missile batteries and four long range missile batteries. The fortress has ten reloads for both the capital and long range missile batteries. However, the heavy batteries cannot fire the weight of missiles which newer batteries can fire. Point defense for fortresses include twelve electromagnetic point rail guns, twelve twin laser mounts, and eight mini-missile batteries. These point defense batteries compare surprisingly well to new type point defense batteries. Most mini-missiles used by the advanced civilizations in the Three Galaxies are self guided.

Even though heavily armed itself, fighter are considered by many to be the true striking power of the fortress. This is because the fighters can strike at far greater range than the weaponry of the fortress. The advantage of space based fighters is that they can be launched far quicker than from a planet. Fighter compliment includes three squadrons of light fighters, two squadrons of medium fighters, and a half squadron of heavy fighters. Because these fortresses are considered by many navies to be much lower priority than warships, many still have older fighter compliments. In addition to fighters, fortresses carry a reasonable troop compliment to protect from boarding assaults. One of the more common rebuilds of the fortress is to remove the heavy energy weapon battery and the capital missile battery and double the fighter compliment.

Shielding on the light fortress is only equal to that of an Everest class gun cruiser but the fortress in better armored than most cruiser built around the same time as when the fortresses were mainly built. The fortresses are built with a primary and secondary command and control facilities so that a single location being knocked out will not disable the fortress. Often these fortresses are used as system command platforms.

To reduce the cost of fortresses, these fortresses were built using fusion plants instead of anti-matter plant. In addition to reducing construction costs, this also reduces general maintenance and refueling costs. Volume and mass is not as much of a concern for fortresses as starships and it is far easier to keep them refueled.

These fortresses often perform double duty. In addition to acting as protection for a planet or orbital facilities, these fortress often act in the role of resupply and repair especially for smaller ships such as destroyers and frigates. They don’t have the ability to make as complete repairs as a repair ship or shipyard however. Many smaller ships also have limited medical facilities and the fortresses also have a comparatively large medical facility.

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-L1.

Vehicle Type: Orbital Defense Fortress (Light).

Crew: 485 (52 officers and 433 enlisted).

Troops: 200 marines ( typically stay on board for ship defense), 160 fighter pilots / crews, and 48 power armor pilots.

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 both 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% (1,200 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 18 degrees per melee. It normally takes 5 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 two years worth of supplies on board.

Statistical Data:

Length:                825.6 feet (251.64 meters).

Height:                445.2 feet (135.70 meters).

Width:                 825.6 feet (251.64 meters).

Mass/Weight:      450,000 tons (408,230 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 20,000 tons (18,140 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 3.0 billion credits to manufacture in present time in the Three Galaxies. Platforms are no longer being produced. When available, these platforms sell for 4.5 to 6.0 billion credits. Cost does not include embarked craft.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. Four (4) 28 cm Main Particle Beam Batteries: The fortress is armed with four 28 cm particle beam cannons. 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.

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

   Payload: Effectively Unlimited.

2. Twelve (12) 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.

3. Twelve (12) Point Defense 2 cm Lasers in Double Mounts: Used as an 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.

4. 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 8000 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 total, 24 cruise missiles per battery. Ship has 10 reload of missiles (960 cruise missiles reloads total).

5. Four (4) 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 (2,897,000 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) long range missiles per launcher, per melee attack.

   Payload: 960 total, 240 long range missiles per battery.

6. Eight (8) 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 mini-missiles one at a time or in volleys of four (4) or eight (8) mini-missiles.

   Payload: 128 per launcher for a total of 1,024 mini-missiles. Cargo hold has an additional 4,096 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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