Codex Entry: United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Armada TOE
The forces of the Human Homeworld are vaguely familiar but distinct from their colonial cousins, in both form and purpose.
|Combat Spacecraft
Angel (Fighter)
Approx 30m long, 12m wide
A simple cost-benefit analysis revealed that the weight of not only a pilot, but the supplies required for said pilot, as well as life support systems was more expensive than simply carrying drone fighters controlled by Electronic Defense Initiative. Despite the objections of Captain David Anderson and his subordinates, the Angel Project was approved for pragmatic reasons.
The Angel Combat Drone is normally propelled by ionic thrusters; this drive system consumes large amounts of electrical power to hurl minute amounts of ions the other way at high speed. Given the limitations of non-Protoss engineering, these thrusters provide mediocre acceleration but consumes negligible quantities of reaction mass.
To power the ion drive, the ACD contains a dual-mode nuclear fission reactor - fusion reactors were considered, but even with United Earth Directorate technology it proved impossible to squeeze one into something smaller than a frigate. This further increased the reliance on EDI, as it would be impossible to fit in any radiation shielding and still have combat performance.
Normally, the reactor operates in closed-cycle mode; no coolants are released from the system and radiological contamination is limited to the drone itself. However, when the Angel needs to undergo combat acceleration, the ion drives are throttled down and the reactor switches to open-cycle; venting superheated coolant, providing an intense - if short - burst of acceleration beyond that of any Terran fighter, more than most Council fighters.
The reactor, loaded with an 80% plutonium mixture, is rated for 10 years of operation before requiring refueling, allowing for drones to basically operate forever on ion drive, as ionic thrusters use minute quantities of fuel; greatly simplifying recovery operations.
Directorate Angels are armed with one 20mm green laser and a twin linked 30mm rotary Gauss assault cannon; the higher frequency laser has ~30% more damage output than the Terran Wraith's 25mm red laser, consumes no ammunition, only reactor power, allowing it to be fired for nearly forever.
The Gauss assault cannon's 30mm shells have eight times the kinetic energy of an infantryman's Gauss rifle, and six times the rate of fire. Firing the weapon for more than a half-second burst will cause the drone to fly backwards, unless it is undergoing reactor-venting acceleration.
Although shorter ranged than Gemini missiles or Lanzer torpedoes, the sheer hail of Gauss fire renders the ACD extremely lethal to lightly armored craft at close range and an exceptional point-defense & escort fighter.
When backed into a corner, however, the Angel is at its deadliest. By venting all reactor coolant and ejecting control rods, the drone can erupt in an powerful, and extremely dirty detonation, roughly equivalent to a miniature nuke.
The Angel Combat Drone and its ammunition are both relatively simple by UED standards, designed to be easily reproducible by colonial industrial infrastructure with minimal upgrades; quite good for the UED as the drone's relatively light chassis and heavy kamikaze usage has reduced the Expeditionary Fleet's fighter stockpile below acceptable levels.
To hold down costs (and further reduce complexity) the Angel only carries rudimentary sensors, relying mostly on EDI-connected ship scanners for information.
Another flaw of the Angel is that the highly radioactive secondary drive and weak primary thrusters has lead the UED to forbid usage of the drone in ground-support operations on Garden worlds; the radiological aftereffects from reactor-venting would poison the very Colonials that the Expeditionary Fleet needs!
Finally, wide-spectrum jamming that some factions (such as the Salarians or the Umojans) employ will force EDI to rely on tight-beam laser communications, halving the amount of drones that the Artificial Intelligence can control.
Valkyrie (Frigate)
Approx 130m long, 60m wide
Even with superior fusion reactor and Warp core design, the UED found that it was difficult to create a laser-armed combat-worthy frigate that could be replaced with upgraded colonial manufacturing plants.
Thus, the Valkyrie frigate is armed exclusively with medium-short ranged fixed box-type missile launchers. As a compromise, the magazines were loaded with 128 Shrike ship-killers; equipped with miniature EWAR systems to confuse enemy point defense, resist ECM, and armed with a 100 kt microfusion warhead.
Unfortunately, attempting to build Shrikes even with modified colonial factories proved too demanding a task; so Valkyrie captains were ordered to reserve Shrike missiles for usage exclusively against cruiser-weight or heavier opponents. Even with such a policy, after a series of brutal battles such as Second Dylar, Agria, and the Sixth Battle of Char, Expeditionary Fleet Valkyries are down to a handful of Shrikes each.
Instead of wasting their time attempting to replicate the Shrike, once the UED arrived in Koprulu, immediately post-capture of Braxis, they have had colonial factories build HALO missile systems; crude, minimally guided rockets with standard chemical warheads, more than enough to crush enemy fighters.
The ease of manufacture and low cost means that they can be produced in the tens of thousands every month, their crude seeker systems are so simplistic they are almost immune to ECM and EWAR attempts, and the sheer quantities they are produced in allow Valkyrie frigates to not only drown enemy fighters with sheer weight of fire but even use them for point defense purposes.
The philosophy is, if one misses; one of the dozen others should hit, right?
Normandy-Pattern
Approx 150m long, 80m wide
The most advanced ship in the UED fleet, the Normandy-Pattern Valkyrie contains a significant portion of (what little there is) the Sol System's Eezo reserves.
Thanks to brilliant calculations done by Academician Zakharov, the frigate's Mass Effect drive can cancel out its gravimetric signature.
This combination of advanced cloaking device, Mass Effect core, and heat sinks renders it completely invisible to all forms of detection that the Directorate was able to test for - although Vice Admiral Stukov believes it cannot deceive a powerful psionic from discerning sentient minds in apparently empty space.
The mass effect core renders it far more maneuverable than anything else in the galaxy - not even the Salarians have managed to fit a Mass Effect drive and a Warp Core and weapons, supplies & all the sundry other things a warship needs into a frigate.
In order to squeeze in the Eezo core, cloaking systems and the thermal sink, the Normandy was lengthened and widened compared to a standard Valkyrie, its launchers halved in number and missile magazine reduced to a single full reload.
Even so, its crew claims it is exceptionally cramped.
Proper employment of the stealthiest and fastest special operations ship was given to mankind's most elite troops - the veterans of Luna, Captain David Anderson and his subordinates are the most experienced and capable soldiers Sol has to offer.
To support this crack team of N7 special forces, the Normandy is the only frigate in the Expeditionary Armada completely topped up with Shrike shipkillers.
In addition, it has been modified with a spinal-mounted Gauss cannon and burst laser salvaged from wrecked Angel combat drones; although firing these weapons will decloak the ship.
So far, the vessel has had an exceptional performance, easily recouping the investment multiple times over, most notably at the Battle of Dylar where the Normandy managed to hijack an entire Minotaur battlecruiser fleet along with a Daedalus superdreadnought in an operation that has since been humorously nicknamed "Grand Theft Battlecruiser."
Ahab (Light Cruiser) [Cronus Wing]
Approx 330m long, 140m wide
Under the personal guidance of Vice Admiral Stukov, two squadrons of Ahab-class light cruisers have been constructed so far using captured colonial production facilities.
Designed for the sole purpose of crushing Zerg forces with minimal casualties, the Ahab-class is radically different from conventional Terran designs, omitting laser batteries entirely - allowing it to be fitted with a cloaking device.
Primarily armed with Titankiller heavy missiles - basically modified, colonial Apocalypse nuclear missiles, salted heavily with Cobalt for intense radioactive effects - this light cruiser can completely suppress Zerg regeneration, even against Leviathans.
Meanwhile, for close-combat, it is fitted with multiple Gauss autocannon emplacements, and each light cruiser carries a single squadron of Angel combat drones. To further enhance anti-zerg performance, all ammunition issued to the Cronus Wing is polonium-tipped.
Given that the UED is not eager to use nuclear weaponry against Colonials and that the Expedition has only faced minimal Zerg remnants in their Koprulu campaign, the Cronus Wing has built up an extensive reserve of polonium-tipped ammunition and Titankiller missiles.
Columbus (Heavy Cruiser/Battlecruiser)
Approx 620m long, 210m wide
The core of the Expeditionary Armada, the Columbus-class battlecruiser is arguably the most advanced human cruiser in existence, whether colonial or Directorate. Although its Yamato cannon is based off a Mark IV design, it is capable of storing a charge due to superior fusion core engineering experience, greatly increasing burst capability.
Combined with improved Directorate Warp Core design, the Columbus-class is the only cruiser capable of performing a tactical warp jump and firing it's Yamato cannon immediately afterwards.
Assisted by Electronic Defense Initiative, the Columbus requires an order of magnitude less crew to operate than the Behemoth or Minotaur. With a personnel complement reduced from thousands to hundreds, far less space is required for bunks, life support, food and water storage, and can be instead devoted to useful warship systems or structural reinforcement and armor - things the smaller crew is feverently thankful for, since it keeps them alive longer.
By shrinking its size the Columbus is rendered more difficult to hit, and with a sleeker, more elegant profile, incoming shots are more likely to deal glancing hits and get deflected rather than dealing significant damage to the hull.
These factors mean the Columbus's frame is only 10% less durable than a Minotaur, despite being approximately 25% smaller, and its armor is actually even more effective than the larger ship's.
Combined with its superior agility and handling characteristics means that the Directorate cruisers are more survivable under most circumstances compared to Koprulu Sector battlecruisers.
Similarly, the United Earth Directorate standard 530nm-wavelength (green) lasers are more effective against most targets, especially armored targets, than the colonial red lasers, although the Columbus class does suffer from weaker anti-ground performance, due to having fewer ATS (Air-to-Surface) batteries in favor of additional STS (Ship-to-Ship) emplacements; and the Directorate cruiser's two squadrons of Angels significantly outclass the single squadron of Crusaders or Wraiths that opposing Minotaurs can carry.
Before launch, the Expeditionary Armada's cruisers were refitted with launchers cross-compatible with Colonial standard Apocalypse-class missile, but even in a standoff-range missile duel the Columbus can match the larger Minotaur, due to higher agility and greater accuracy & stopping power of its laser batteries.
The biggest problem that faces the Columbus class is duplicating it - with colonial industry, the task has proven an impossible so far - although Admiral DuGalle believes that the manufacturing centers of Korhal to be more sophisticated, and if not, perhaps Moria or Umoja may be sufficiently advanced.
|Non-combat Spacecraft
Gagarin (-)
Approx 230m, roughly spherical
The UED take on the Science Vessel is fitted more with genetic and medical research facilities than the Explorer, at the cost of advanced physics systems. Like the Colonial science vessels, the Gagarin-class are lavishly equipped with sophisticated sensors and detection systems, serving as the surveillance arm of the Expedition.
The lead ship, eponymously named the Gagarin, holds some of the Directorate's top Psionics scientist, lead by Dr. Schrader, who is also their top biotic researcher.
Reclaimer (-)
Approx 2400m long, 800m wide
Although the issue of raw firepower was greatly reduced when the Directorate decided to send off the best top-of-the line cruisers to Koprulu, they faced increased logistical difficulties; upgrading colonial infrastructure would be a monumental task by itself.
Hull format based on Doran Routhe's infamous Prison ships, the Reclaimer consists of modular components attached to a spine; fragile compared to any warship, but could be assembled rapidly - in time to launch with the rest of the Armada. These modules are fitted with manufacturing machinery rather than cryogenic pods.
This vast, hulking, but delicate Mobile Production Facility is the most critical vessel in the entire Expeditionary fleet and is kept safely far behind the frontlines.
With a massive array of interconnected industrial modules, the Reclaimer has been slowly upgrading captured colonial factories, allowing them to build improved war materiel and Directorate structures, such as automated hydroponic farms that are critical to feeding the personnel of the Expeditionary Armada.
Now that the Dylarian shipyards have been converted to more precise tooling and Korhal itself soon to be besieged, Admiral DuGalle has retasked the Reclaimer to replacing lost Columbus cruisers using local resources, using it like a mobile shipyard.
-]|[-
/UED Case Black Clearance Acknowledged
WARNING: EYES ONLY – UNAUTHORIZED PERUSAL OF DATA WITHIN IS PUNISHABLE BY TOTAL FAMILIAL PURGING
To: V. Adm Alexei Stukov
From: Dr. Schrader
Sir, as expected, approximately 99% of the Eezo found in an Asari can be recovered through thermal-chemical distillation. Given that roughly 0.03% of each Asari is Eezo, we can extract a useful amount of Element Zero from the Dominion Xeno population alone, nevermind the Asari populations on Umoja or Moria.
Although the current process is relatively expensive and slow, we calculate with industrial methods we can reduce costs by 64%.
Many of my coworkers have suggested sending large quantities back to Sol, since our mobile physics research facilities are quite limited, but I believe when we topple Umoja we will gain more knowledge on Eezo than Earth can recreate in the next decade.
Others have suggested creating a second Normandy-type frigate, but without another crack team of N7 commandos to crew it, it will be far less effective. Personally, I suggest we attempt to create our own biotics - using colonial volunteers for the first test subjects, of course.
Yours truly,
Dr. Schrader
Head Scientist, DSS Gagarin
A/N:
Didn't have enough review responses last time to generate a good Q&A section (to be honest, still too few questions) so I combined the questions from C7-C9 here.
Finwee:
Medics (and transports such as the Warp Prism, Dropship) will be covered in a ground-based ToE.
It's just the AVTM asked me to publish these more quickly - and I think he has a decent understanding of Ground stuff, so Naval stuff was prioritized. Does that make sense?
Saris-chan:
Logistics, construction methods, pros and cons, and species favored styles will be covered in an upcoming codex... To be honest, I've already written a Council Space 4X codex and it was Meglomania-approved™ but publishing it before I put up some ToEs would confuse lesser minds.
Then again, do I really want them reading my works?
Knightwalker:
Well, AVTM wanted a weapon that exploded Psionics... there's like, literally no better name.
Pt1oef:
Ah yes, magically fart out a few thousand words and people want even more.
Why don't I wish for a mountain of money and hot babes as well?
A Dark One, AVTM:
Yes.
In fact, have an omake:
OMAKE
*Citadel Council Room, 10 mins before Protoss show up at Citadel*
"So... you think we could beat the Protoss?" Asked Udina.
"Well, if we all doubled our fleet sizes..." Sparatus responded uncertainly.
"Magically stopped shooting each other, and got together..." continued Valern
"We'd also need to upgrade our tech. Maybe twist the Asari's arms into giving up Silaris?"
"Yeah, it would help if your scientists grew some balls and finished your Thanix project sometime in my lifetime." Valern took this opportunity to snipe at the Turian.
"GUYS. Not helping." the Human councilor interjected.
Both of them turned their heads to look at Udina.
"So, when are you going to teach us how to make Yamato Cannons?"
"When I'm sure you guys won't use them on each other - or us."
Snorting and sitting back down, the Turian councilor thinks for a second. "You know, we might be able to pull it off. If we did all of the above - and forced the Protoss to fight in a deep gravwell so they couldn't just hit the warp button and go on their merry magical space elf way, we could actually win."
*Suddenly, a 74-km Protoss ship, bigger than the citadel exits warp. The sheer scale stuns the Councilors. Predictably, like almost everything else Protoss, it is GOLDEN.*
*Fenix Warps into the Council Chamber.*
"GREETINGS REPRESENTATIVES OF LESSER RACES. WE ARE HERE TO UNITE YOU BEHIND US AGAINST THE *EVIL* REAPER THREAT THAT THREATENS *ALL EXISTENCE*! JOIN THE PROTOSS & FRIENDS CO TODAY!" Booms the Protoss commander.
"Nope. Nope. Nope." Valern gets up, turns around, and smacks into a wall. "Nope. Nope. Nope." Picking himself off the ground, the salarian fixes his course and exits through the door.
"Well, it was a nice dream." Sparatus gets up, and ambles after the Salarian. "Think I'll visit the strip clubs. Maybe hook up with one of the few Asari that doesn't hate Turians."
"..."
"..."
The Terran and the Protoss stare at each other. The moment lasts for a few seconds.
"ER. DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG? I MUST ADMIT I AM NOT USED TO DIPLOMACY - IT IS USUALLY NOT THE PROTOSS WAY." Asked Fenix.
Udina can only slump as his hand met his face in the Picard Maneuver.
/OMAKE END
Wow. that was some serious Crack.
Welp, see you next time, on Salarian + Umojan Tables of Organization and Equipment!