Difference between revisions of "MOD:WCU:Timeline2669"

Revision as of 01:10, 21 December 2005

A merging of various sources including:

Wonder Chicken's exquisitely well written timeline
Area 51's handy timeline
Psych's finely detailed Tactics - Communications

BATTLE OF TERRA
With their fleets back up to full strength, bolstered by the first
fleet of Hakaga-class supercarriers, the Kilrathi strike deep into
Confederation space. Warsaw, Gilead, and Sirius Prime are
bombed with radiation warheads, even as the Kilrathi brush
aside Confederation's hastily assembled defenses and reach
Earth. Despite the suicidal bravery of Earth's defenders, the
Kilrathi are able to bombard crucial defense centers on the
planet - Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, Miami, Quebec, Berlin,
Paris, Kiev, and others - before they are finally forced to
withdraw to friendly space as a result of daring Marines, who
land aboard several Kilrathi vessels, including the Kilrathi
flagship, and destroy them with thermonuclear mines.
(Novel Fleet Action) Aftermath of the Battle of Earth

Wonder Chicken's well written introduction to 2669:

Introduction

2669 AD, the last year of the Kilrathi War will became known as the Dark Times. Near the end of 2668, Admiral
Geoffrey Tolwyn's victory over Prince Thrakhath in the Battle of Earth will forever be known as one of the
greatest battles of all time. Hopelessly outnumbered, Admiral Tolwyn stopped a Kilrathi nuclear attack on Earth
itself and forced the Kilrathi fleet to retreat. Aided by Max Kruger's fleet from the Landerich, Tolwyn and the
Confederation Third Battle Fleet destroyed half of Thrakhath's fleet, including three Kilrathi supercarriers,
a standard fleet carrier and almost forty escort vessels. In addition, the other two supercarriers and host of
other ships were crippled. This defeat was more then a military victory, it was a political one as it had almost
put the other clans in total rebellion and political turmoil. The Kilrathi Emperor had barely thwarted two
assassination attempts and was forced to keep the remainder of the Kilrathi military in the Kilrah System to
guard himself and his grandson Thrakhath.

However, the Battle of Terra was a pyrrhic victory for the Confederation. The Joint Chiefs and other high-ranking
military officials were killed in the pre-Battle of Terra assassination, and the top ranking Confed officer,
Marine General Duke Grecko, was killed during the fighting. Including the systems that were directly in path of
Thrakhath's armada, the inner homeworlds of Sirius, Warsaw, and Gilhead were radiation bombarded beyond any hope
of salvation. 70% of the Confederation fighter pilots who fought were killed. The Fleet lost over four dozen
cruisers, destroyers, and frigates, but the most hard-felt warship losses where its fleet carriers in which a
total of twelve were destroyed in one way or the other. The TCS Moskva, Verdun, Ark Royal, Leyte Gulf, and
Lexington were destroyed in combat, the TCS Wolfhound, Austerlitz, and Copenhagen were destroyed in drydock, and
four Lexington-class carriers were destroyed undergoing construction in the Lunar Shipyards. Only two carriers
that fought in Battle of Earth survived, the Confederation-class dreadnought TCS Concordia and the Concordia-class
carrier TCS Saratoga.

Political Changes

On the political end, President Harold Rodham had resigned in disgrace as a result of the False Peace ruse.

To clear room for the new president, his entire cabinet resigned as well. Foreign Secretary Jamison, for whom
Confed Intelligence had concrete evidence she was a Kilrathi traitor, was tried, convicted, and executed for
treason and other crimes against the Confederation. To replace Rodham, Vice-President Dave Quinson was sworn in
as President, and the two major political parties bonded together into a single coalition. Because of the political
and civilian chaos that was occuring during this time of crisis, the Senate declared martial law over all Terran
Confederation territory and replaced judiciary powers from the civilian Supreme Court to the military Admiralty
Court headed by Admiral Elsa Harnett. Admiral Tolwyn was now appointed the temporary commander of all Confederation
forces.

False color says,

A political void is created immediately following President Rhodam’s resignation and the Battle of Earth.
A new government is formed from a coalition of the Maj. parties.
The new government is cautious, unwilling to allow a Maj. offensive against the Empire of Kilrah.
The Department of Industrial Affairs refuses to allow production sped up at the cost of quality.
Secretary of Defense Haviland refuses to intercede.

Reconstruction of the Fleet

Plans to rebuild the Navy and the Space Force had already started to began. During the False Peace in 2668 and
before his death, Admiral Bainbridge knew that the Kilrathi peace pleas were a ruse. Unknown to the joint Chiefs
of Staffs, President Rodham, and (especially) ex-Foreign Secretary Jamison, during the False Peace Bainbridge had
covertly assigned BuShips and BuWeaps to develop the next generation fighters and capital ships. By the Battle of
Terra's end research had been completed, allowing for almost immediate mass production.When he saw the plans for
the new fighters and capital ships, Admiral Tolwyn considered it Bainbridge's last gift. Even though the main
drydocks, shipyards, and naval base on the moon had been destroyed, Confed still had the Trojan IV naval construction
yards around Jupiter intact, as well as the shipyards in the Tamayo System. Meanwhile, there were still fighter
factories intact in the Tamayo, Luyten, Krueger, Alpha Centauri, and Proxima Centauri Systems.

For the next month, the Confed war machine began to churn out the next generation fighters and capital ships.
Within a few months, Confed would replace all the fighters that they had lost. The capital ships took just a bit
longer. The three remaining escort carriers in the Landerich Free Corps mission had been withdrawn and
reincorporated into ConFleet service. Confed had also started to bring their other mothballed vessels online.
The most important were the seven fleet carriers that were still mothballed due to the False Treaty: the
Confederation-class dreadnought TCS Armageddon, and the Concordia-class carriers TCS Valiant, Winterrowd,
Liberty, Hermes, Invincible, and Illustrious. They were quickly brought online in a matter of weeks.
In addition, ConFleet was forced to refit their mothballed fleet of Ranger-class light carriers and send them
into active duty ConFed service once again.

Reconstruction on the TCS Lexington, gutted from the Battle of Earth, had also started but it wasn’t going to be
back in active service anytime soon. But because the Trojan IV shipyards at Jupiter were spared by the Kilrathi,
seven new Lexington-class carriers and one Jutland-class attack carrier were nearing completion and had remained
intact. By the beginning of March, the CVNs Quinson, Bradshaw, Kinney, Eisenhower, Roosevelt, Kennedy and the
Lincoln, plus the CVA Coral Sea finished construction and entered ConFleet service. With eight new carriers
joining the nine existing carriers, ConFleet now boasted a force of seventeen fleet carriers, but it would
ultimately prove to be too little, too late.

Reasons leading to Disaster

In addition to their fleet carriers, ConFleet had also brought their escort carriers and light carriers into service.
Twelve fleet carriers were sent to the front lines to be the center of what was called the Confederation Forward Fleet.
The Forward Fleet, combined with the other smaller carriers, would have definitely turned the tide against the Kilrathi
had they not sued for peace in 2668, but the False Peace had enabled the Kilrathi to rebuild their fleet and logistical
forces. Even with the losses at the Battle of Terra, Confed forces had one more chance to turn the tides in their favor
by taking advantage of the political turmoil that plagued the Emperor and Prince Thrakhath. But the Confed civilian
government took this opportunity and threw it away.

The politicians suckered by the truce were now back in the saddle again. The first thing they did was to relieve
Admiral Tolwyn of his "temporary" duty as head of Terran Defense and selected a series of Admirals and Generals
(lackeys under the politicians payroll no less) to be the new Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The government then refused Admiral Tolwyn's rightful promotion to a major fleet command, in which they had said he was
too "valuable a commander" to be taken from the front lines. Besides this, bureaucrats and politicians were back
bickering with the military and refusing to give extra funding and resources for the war machine. In addition, the
Confed Senate endlessly debated and bickered on high priority targets to attack; this move kept the carrier fleet in a
defensive rather then offensive postures along the front. Instead of attacking the necessary targets vital to the war,
the Senate dictated ConFleet to spend their time attacking worthless targets. The end result was that the civilian
government’s incompetence enabled the Kilrathi enough time to rebuild everything they lost at the Battle of Terra,
and then more.

False Colors says,

The Belisarius Group, including highly placed officers like DuVall and Murasaki, is formed.
Their goal is to stage a military coup, replacing the post-Battle of Earth civilian government
which they view as ineffective.
They form a special security department, designated Y-12.
In truth, the group is only a distraction, created as a cover for an even more sinister conspiracy
seeking to use the Genetic Enhancement Program to forcibly prepare humanity for the next war.
Adm. Whittaker is one of the few officers who understands this level of the project.

Kilrathi Reconstruction

Because the False Peace had enabled the Kilrathi to rebuild their construction and logistical resources, they had the
edge over the Terrans in shipbuilding and fighter production. They had too also brought their next generation fighters
online to counter the latest Arrows, Hellcats, Thunderbolts, and Longbows the Confederation Space Force wielded.
They had also started increased productions on their new corvettes, destroyers, and cruisers. But more importantly,
they started to mass-produce the new Bhantkara-class carrier design to counter the Terran's newest Lexington-class CVNs.
They had also started the construction of massive space-colony sized dreadnoughts to act as flagships.
Kilrathi carriers eventually outnumbered the Confed carriers by 2 to 1.

Meanwhile, the Kilrathi had took their aging force of Snakier II, Fralthra, Ralatha, and Kamekh warships and put them
to [work as] rear-echelon units.

== At the start of 2669: == (Psych's Fleet Tactic's comms-based timeline)

Admiral Price Hancock in charge of 19th Fleet

General Taggart at SOCOM has come up with a new type of logistics for carriers that includes advanced recycling systems,

mining apparatus, and manufacturing and industrial capability.

This has the the ability to make a warship totally self-sustaining.

Admiral Tom Jarvis has compiled a report on the status of remaining carriers after BOA:

At Sol system, Sol sector:
- Lexington class - 4 carriers under construction destroyed at Luna
- TCS Wolfhound - Destroyed at Luna
- TCS Austerlitz - Destroyed at Luna
- TCS Copenhagen - Destroyed at Luna
- Lexington class - 1 carrier at Luna: internal facilities gutted out

( Paulson recommends scrapping; requested by Hancock on 2669.003 for refitting with new logistics. )

- TCS Lexington - Gutted out; - Sol - hull still orbiting Earth
- TCS Concordia - Severe damage - Sol - Est. 2 yrs on dry dock.
- TCS Saratoga - Good condition, - at Sol - minor repairs needed.
- Jutland-class - 1 Hull intact at Jupiter's yards. Est. completion: 2669.90
- Lexington class - 7 Hulls intact at Jupiter's yards. Est. completion: 2669.90

At Tamayo shipyards, Tamayo, Vega sector (Day Quadrant):
- TCS Armageddon - Ligth damage - Est repairs to complete by 2669.25
- TCS Winterrowd - Ligth damage - Est repairs to complete by 2669.25
- TCS Liberty - Ligth damage - Est repairs to complete by 2669.25
- TCS Valiant - Ligth damage - Est repairs to complete by 2669.25

At Caernaven Station, Pembroke system, Enigma sector (Grills Quadrant):
- TCS Hermes - Ligth damage - Est repairs to complete by 2669.25
- TCS Invincible - Ligth damage - Est repairs to complete by 2669.25
- TCS Illustrious - Ligth damage - Est repairs to complete by 2669.25
Destroyed construction yards:
- All at Earth and Luna

Intact ship construction yards at:
- Jupiter
- Pembroke
- Tamayo
- Luyten
- Krueger
- Alpha Centauri
- Proxima Centauri.

TIMELINE:

2669.005 Admiral Tom Jarvis repots completion of improved fighter prototypes:

F-96 Arrow
F-86 Hellcat V
F-66 Thunderbolt VII
F/A-76 Longbow

(NOTE: Thanks to Bainbridge's secret order authorizing testing during false peace.)

2669.007 Doctor Frederick Whitmore reports on Blair:

"I am replying to your inquiry about Colonel Christopher Blair, TCSF. Colonel Blair has severe internal
bleeding, oxygen deprivation sickness, moderate radiation poisoning, head trauma, several small fractures,
and several severe fractures on his arms and legs. His situation is however stabilized, and I estimate
that he has about 6 months for full recovery."
Fleet Tactics - Communications

2669.007 Grayson Burrows arrives to Troy, Gemini, claims his Tarsus

Confed's Opening Gambit

Wonder Chicken:
During the first few months, the first Terran attacks were by raider units.
One of the four Lexington-class carriers destroyed in the Battle of Terra
was deemed salvageable and had been modified into a self-sustaining raider.
This ship, christened the Lexington, and the Confederation's majority of their
escort carriers were pooled together to act as the vanguard for the next
Confederation war strategy. Familiar with the success of the escort carrier
a few years past, ConFed High Command finally pooled the CVE raider units in
their own major command, the 19th Battle Fleet. Under the command of Admiral
Price Hancock, these raider ships were delegated into Recon-in-Force guerilla
units and were sent independently of the front line to attack rear-echelon
facilities and other secondary logistical resources. But unlike a few years
past, these behind-the-lines strike missions were stopped cold. The Kilrathi
were waiting for the CVEs with their reserve Snakier II-class carriers and
their new class of Dubav-class light carriers. These Kilrathi forces well
outnumbered the CVE forces, and many Recon-In-Force units never reported back
to HQ.

2669.011 Hancock reports Lexington class carrier refitting complete for self-sustaining operation.

Rechristened "TCS Lexington" (10th ship to carry the name)
Enroute to Goddard, from where it will jump through an uncharted jump-point, presumably into the rear of Kilrah...

2669.011
Following the attack on Earth, the Terran Intelligence Agency deploys a top-secret,
tactical search party through a previously uncharted Kilrathi jump point. A heavy
carrier named TCS Lexington is equipped with self-sustaining recycling systems,
mining apparatus, and a 62-person Special Operations team. This unit leaves Goddard
Transfer Station and passes through a newly discovered jump point. Its mission:
- to search out and destroy Kilrathi forces, sector by sector. The mission fails
when the Lexington starts an ambush on an equally equipped Kilrathi carrier, which
results in the destruction of both carriers.
WC Armada, KS Manual== The Kilrathi Counter-Attack ==

(Where did they get the story of the encounter with a Kat carrier? Can't find any other references to it :P ...)

COVERT INFILTRATION
A new secret carrier, the TCS Lexington departs from the
Goddard Transfer Station. Its mission: destroy the enemy
system by system. A self-sustaining, powerful vessel, carrying
among its crew a special unit of 62 Covert Operatives, the
carrier passes through a secret jump point into Kilrathi space.
The Lexington is not heard from thereafter, and is presumed
lost with all hands.
(Wing Commander: Armada)
2669.018

The Lexington class carrier TCS Lexington was secret ship designed to be completely
self-sufficient. Equipped with oxygen planetariums, water-producing modules and
greenhouse gardens the ship supported a crew of 62 and sported a complement of 18
fighters. The Lexington was sent on a mission to locate and destroy Kilrah ...
via uncharted jump points, but failed and didn't return from the mission.
WC Encyclopedia - Combat Information Center

2669.014 TCS Tarawa crippled in a Kilrathi attack.

2669.024 Jarvis reports carrier repairs completion. Ready for deployment are:

TCS Armageddon
TCS Winterrowd
TCS Liberty
TCS Valiant
TCS Hermes
TCS Invincible
TCS Illustrious

2669.024 President Dave Quinson declines Tolwyn's requests.

2 carriers must remain at Sol
The other 7 may join 7th Fleet and take defensive positions while awaiting target list drafted by Congress

2669.030 President Dave Quinson declines Tolwyn's request to be in charge of 7th Fleet.

Vice Admiral Jack Rumley to take command of the Seventh Fleet's five carriers.
Tolwyn removed from Terran Defense, replaced by Vice Admiral Rush Fletcher
Tolwyn assigned to 14th Fleet, Enigma sector, to be joined by Concordia and Invincible

2669.040 Richards reports new Kat fighters encountered:

Darket
Dralthi IV
Vaktoth

Wonder Chicken:
Destroying a majority of the attacking CVE forces, the Kilrathi military started to gain
a momentum that would rear its ugly head in their massive counter-offensive that started
near the beginning of March. Approximately twenty Kilrathi carrier groups attacked from
all points along the front and steamrolled over the defending Confed forces.
The Confederation Forward Fleet lost six of its twelve carriers in an utterly disasterous
period lasting from March to June:

2669.052 Vice Admiral Jack Rumley, Aloysius system, Vega sector (Roberts quadrant) reports:

TCS Illustrous destroyed by new Kat bomber, 5000 dead
Retreating to Port Hedland

The TCS Illustrious was destroyed in the Aloysius System by the famed Kilrathi ace "Bloodmist".
Wonder Chicken

2669.054 Xenobiology Professor Monkhouse is kidnapped by agents of Rondell Corporation and taken

to planet Palan, in the Palan system. Rondell misinforms Oxford, telling them that Dr. Monkhouse

is in Palan voluntarily, working on an excavation, and receiving Rondell's financial support.

2669.059 Richards reports on new Kat bomber:

Paktahn -- half-dozen torpedoes, dozen defensive missile hardpoints and a half-dozen heavy energy weapons

2669.060 Light carrier TCS Wellington lost in Gemini

The 6th Confederation fleet is lost around Midgard.
Privateer

Could this be a reference to the TCS Wellington? Gemini's fleet is the 15th, according to Fleet Tactics;

but apparently there is no canon reference identifying Gemini's fleet. However, there is a canon reference

to a 6th Fleet that was decimated at Deneb (Epsilon):

...2666, of which the most drastic was destruction of the 6th Battle Fleet in the Deneb Sector.
In just six hours, Thrakhath's forces destroyed the dreadnought TCS Apocalypse (flagship of the 6th Fleet)
and the carriers Freedom, Viking, and Gibraltar
Fleet Tactics

It should also be mentioned that there is a system named "Midgard" in Deneb (Epsilon), Antares quadrant.

The bar rumor doesn't specifically say "Midgard in Gemini, near Perry", though it would seem logical they'd

be commenting on local news, and there's no mention of a 6th fleet anywhere else in WC around 2669.

2669.061 Jarvis reports completion of new fleet carriers. Ready for deployment:

Lexington-class:
- TCS Quinson - assigned to Jackson (Jack Rumley, 7th Fleet?)
- TCS Bradshaw - assigned to Jackson (Jack Rumley, 7th Fleet?)
- TCS Kinney - assigned to Jackson (Jack Rumley, 7th Fleet?)
- TCS Eisenhower - assigned to Fletcher, Terran defense
- TCS Roosevelt - assigned to Jackson (Jack Rumley, 7th Fleet?)
- TCS Kennedy - assigned to Fletcher, Terran defense#* TCS Lincoln - assigned to Fletcher, Terran defense
Jutland-class:
- TCS Coral Sea, will be ready for commissioning in a week, assigned to Tolwyn, Enigma, 14th Fleet

2669.064 Rondell agents take a hologram of Dr. Monkhouse's Steltek artifact. Dr. Monkhouse yields to the

interrogation and reveals the name of treasure hunter Ernesto Sandoval, who he says had a similar artifact.

2669.064 Rondell agents contact Sandoval. Sandoval had sold the artifact to Roman Lynch for several thousand

credits. Rondell promise him several million credits for it.

2669.064 New Detroit: Ernesto Sandoval steals back the Steltek artifact he'd sold to Roman Lynch, from where it

was stored on behalf of Lynch, at Bronte Corporation headquarters.

2669.067 Rear Admiral Richard David Terrell requests 2 fleet carriers for reinforcement, citing:

loss of light carrier TCS Wellington
Kilrathi moving older Snakier II class carriers near Gemini
Retro insurgency picking up.
Pirates and crime syndicates on the rise
Current forces: "rat-pack of militia fighters, a squadron of destroyers, and several shitbox light carriers"

2669.068 Vice Admiral Jack Rumley orders TCS Winterrowd and TCS Valiant to Perry Naval Base

2669.071 Kilrathi raiders enter Hell's Kitchen to seize the opportunity left by a departing TCS Valiant.

Rear Admiral Ludmilla Petranova, takes the TCS Armageddon from Proxima to Hell's Kitchen to counter the offensive.

2669.074 A squadron of Kilrathi Khamekh's and escorts cross Clarke quadrant, move into Palan, and from space

attack several buildings belonging to Rondell Corporation, on the agricultural planet. Dr. Monkhouse escapes alive.

2669.076 Grayson Burrows meets Sandoval at a bar in New Detroit. Takes possession of stolen Steltek artefact.

2669.076 Mob boss Roman Lynch's cousin, Regis, murders Ernesto Sandoval; is caught at the scene by local militias

responding to a call. Roman Lynch uses his influence to have the militias forget that they saw Regis, and to try

to frame the unfortunate privateer who'd last seen Sandoval, instead.

2669.077

Rear Admiral Ludmilla Petranova, current commander of TCS Armageddon, accused by Fletcher of disobeying orders by
leaving Proxima Centauri for Hell's Kitchen in Vega sector to stop a Kat raid.
Rear Admiral Johnny Murasaki, current commander of TCS Eisenhower, threatened by Fletcher with court martial for
suggesting moving carriers to the front.
Fleet Tactics - Communications

2669.077 Roman Lynch asks Tayla to wait for Burrows in New Detroit and to "...take him away from New Detroit, make

him look like a fugitive, turn him into a pirate, keep him busy; and, if possible, have him meet with death."

2669.078 Grayson Burrows meets Tayla in New Detroit

2669.081 Bronte Corporation's hired guild mercenaries lay siege to planet Palan, Gemini; R. Lynch foots the bill.

2669.082 Confed Militias, having received an encrypted message from Tayla, arrive in New Detroit to rectify the

handling of Sandoval's murder; and charge Regis with it.

2669.084 Admiral Vance Richards reports loss of carrier

TCS Quinson battlegroup wiped out by new Kat Dreadnaught, H’varkann-class, even without the benefit of escorts
Far larger than the Hakaga-class carriers that ambushed Earth: 22 km in length, over forty heavy energy batteries

The TCS Quinson battle group encountered one of the new Kilrathi dreadnoughts and the entire group was wiped out.
Wonder Chicken

2669.086 TCS Winterrowd arrives in Perry

Note that it takes the Winterrowd 086 - 068 = 18 days to travel from 7th Fleet territory to Perry.
We can guess a starting location for the Winterrowd by looking at where other 7th fleet events are
reported from. 7th fleet does NOT include the Armageddon, as she's stationed at Proxima Centauri;
nor The TCS Eisenhower or Kennedy as these are probably at Sol; nor the Concordia or the Coral Sea,
which are part of the 14th Fleet at Enigma. And the Valiant is sent together with the Winterrowd.
This leaves the Quinson, Bradshaw, Kinney, Roosvelt, Liberty, Hermes, Invincible and Illustrious.
Wonder Chicken says:
Paranoid by Kilrathi raids and fearing another attack on the inner homeworlds, the civilian government
refused to deploy the Third Fleet’s five major carriers to the front. The TCS Armageddon, Saratoga,
Eisenhower, Kennedy, and the Lincoln stayed behind to defend Earth under direct Presidential order
as the core to the newly christened "Terran Defense Fleet".
So, it seems we haven't missed any. But we only hear again of:
* TCS Illustrous destroyed by new Kat bomber at Aloysius
* TCS Roosvelt - shot down at Munro
* TCS Invincible - victory in Morpheus
But! Notice that Ludmilla Petranova leaves Proxima for Hell's Kitchen 8 days after the Winterrowd
and Valiant depart for Gemini. Was the kat raid there due to the vacuum left by either ship? It
would seem so: Hell's Kitchen is about half way between Munro and Morpheus. We later hear about
losing ground at Port Hedland, Chang-Du, and Gimle. Hell's Kitchen is pretty much in the middle,
so I'll measure distance to Perry by counting jumps from Hell's Kitchen. So we go, Enyo, Krieger,
Luyten, Weslyn, Mastif, Oxford, Saxtogue, New Detroit, Perry. Nine jumps in 18 days. Now, too bad,
we don't know the class of the Winterrowd nor Valiant, but if we assume a speed of 125 as typical
for carriers, a Centurion's cruising speed is 4 times that, so, for the purposes of estimating
Privateer plotline dates, we'll use a rule of thumb: 2 jumps per standard day. And we will work
backwards, since the first part of the game is devoted to trading and upgrading the ship. For the
second part, Righteous Fire, we'll work forwards, since the game can be completed without additional
trading or taking of non-plot, paid missions.

2669.091 Grayson Burrows meets mob boss Roman Lynch in Gemini's capital, New Constantinople

2669.094 Admiral Vance Richards reports new Kat fleet carrier:

Bhantkara-class: 900 meters in length, 100,000 tons
Counters Lexington-class heavy carriers; worthy opponent to Concordia-class fleet carriers

2669.095 Grayson Burrows foils Salman Kroiz's attempt to intercept a delivery of weapons to Siva,

Rikel. Kroiz, former governor Menesch's right hand man, barely survives by ejecting from his craft

in a state of the art, stealth ejection seat; and hiding behind an asteroid.

2669.096 Mob boss Roman Lynch's cousin, Regis, accused of murder, escapes custody. He's believed by

authorities to be traveling towards Romulus.

2669.097 Kroiz arrives in Eden for treatment and surgery. His face is removed and then replaced with

not too advanced prosthetic tissue, due to Retro surgeons' measured reliance on technology.

2669.098 Rear Admiral Richard David Terrell reports loss of carrier:

"clouds of battle debris along the border that is traceable to the Valiant and her escorts"

The TCS Valiant battle group simply dissapeared along the border while enroute to the Gemini Sector.
Wonder Chicken

2669.098 TCN military analyst Guthrig Andropolos, son of Commander Jedora Andropolos, who died in the

Iason incident of 2629, updates the History of the War database. KS Manual

2669.100 Grayson Burrows foils a pirate data mining op near Oxford, destroys their flag ship Black Rhombus

2669.101 Grayson Burrows saves famous writer Hunter Toth from a Retro attempt to assassinate him

2669.104 Grayson Burrows meets Professor Monkhouse at a bar in Palan, Gemini

2669.106 Grayson Burrows and 2 Militia escorts break Bronte Corporation's blockade of Rondell, in Palan

2669.106 A Kilrathi flight-group near Palan fails to kidnap Professor Monkhouse during his trip to Basra.

2669.107 Later, Prof. Monkhouse identifies location on Steltek map by joining Burrows' artifict and his own piece.

2669.108 Grayson Burrows meets Taryn Cross, joins the Exploratory Service on a contract basis

2669.109 Admiral Vance Richards reports new Kat stealth fighter:

Strakha-class: more maneuverable and well-armed; one stalked and shot down 4 Hellcats from the Roosevelt

2669.111 A luxury cruiser is attacked soon after departing Basra refinery en route to Sol. The attackers were

cloaked before the attack; believed to be Kilrathi. No survivors or escape capsules found.

2669.112 Admiral Vance Richards reports new Kat fighter:

Bloodfang II: Prince Thrakhath piloting one, made his wingman stay on the sidelines while he wiped out the
entire Confed unit on a space superiority flight off the TCS Coral Sea.

Tougher, faster, more agile, more firepower

2669.116 Grayson Burrows explores Delta Prime; obtains Steltek energy weapon; is followed by drone.

2669.121 Rear Admiral Richard David Terrell reports suspected "Kilrathi superweapon":

Winterrowd and 2 light carriers holding the Kilrathi at bay near Blockade Point Tango and Blockage Point Alpha
Kilrathi superweapon running around the sector; not near the border
"systematically tearing up anything it sees: pirates, Retros, civilians, our picket ships, even Kilrathi..."
Pulling TCS Winterrowd from the front to take care of "this nuisance"

2669.122 TCS Winterrowd destroyed

The TCS Winterrowd, also reassigned to the Gemini Sector, was destroyed by what Intelligence has determined
to be a Kilrathi superweapon.
Wonder Chicken
TCS Winterrowd is destroyed by a Steltek drone.
Privateer

2669.123 Grayson Burrows meets Rear Admiral Richard David Terrell at his office in Perry

2669.124 Grayson Burrows destroys the Steltek drone at Blockade Point Tango, Gemini, Clarke quadrant

2669.125 Rear Admiral Richard David Terrell gives Burrows a Medal of Valour.

2669.126 Burrows arrives at Jolson to stay there for a badly needed vacation.

2669.127 Rear Admiral Richard David Terrell pleads for reinforcements again

TCS Winterrowd lost to "Kilrathi superweapon" (Steltek drone)

Vice Admiral Rush Fletcher replies to Terrel: "go ask Hancock. I am sure he has some CVEs to send you."

2669.128 Hancock bests Terrel's request by suggesting using Perry as a secondary base of operations;

but warns it may take a few weeks at best to organize the move.

2669.129 Agents for Menesche pay some serious bribes to Jolson security, to have them take the gun.

2669.131 Brigadier General Thomas "Shorty" Larson reports cloning of Kat stealth device is complete

Suggests that a new fighter be "designed around it"

As per Tolwyn's subsequent suggestions, next day he agrees that this new fighter,

must be able to outfly and outfight any Kilrathi fighter in service, including the Bloodfang
must have the most devastating weaponry ever seen in a Confed fighter
integrated addition of a jump drive and a cloaking device
codenamed Excalibur
will coordinate with General Taggart at Covert Ops, get his input also

2669.132 "A Week Later..." ;-) Start of Privateer Righteous Fire; gun stolen. (A week should be enough?)

NOTE: Needless to say, the "One Year Later" legend at the start of Righteous Fire is an error. Privateer
happens in 2669, and a year later would put us at 2670, which would be peace time; but all indications are
in Righteous Fire, that the war keeps heating up and getting worse. Kat superweapons, Terrel's missions,
including one where you meet the Kilrathi 6th Fleet, Bar rumors of carrier losses... Now, it could be argued
that going from a year to a week is "too much"; but IMO it isn't: An error is an error, big or small. 1+1=3
is not righter than 1+1=4. Both statements are equally wrong; and "a year later" is dead wrong. As well as
unnecessary and stupid. Who would spend a whole year at a pleasure base? And why would Menesche wait for so
long to try and get the gun? A week seems plenty to me, every way I look at it.

2669.132 Grayson Burrows visits Masterson at Oxford

2669.133 "Rare books" delivered to Edom

2669.137 President Dave Quinson informs:

Rear Admiral Nicholai Ubarov, Confederation Weapons Division, found dead in his office, apparent suicide
Tolwyn reassigned to take over Confederation Weapons Division
Rear Admiral Pierre Cloureau will relieve Tolwyn as commander of the 14th Fleet.
Tolwyn to reassess worthiness of 10 yr old, black-funded project Behemoth
Permission granted to proceed with Excalibur design and production

2669.140 "Art collection" delivered to Perry

2669.143 Burrows visits Tayla at Pentonville

2669.144 Excalibur work kicks into high gear at TCN R&D Starbase, in Vega sector

2669.145 Rear Admiral David Whittaker arrives at Torgo III, wants to play chess with Tolwyn and chat

Adm. Whittaker visits his old friend RAdm. Tolwyn, informing him of the existence of the Belisarius
Group and The Project. Whittaker asks Tolwyn to read Nietzsche to understand the truth of the program.
Tolwyn, aware that mankind is not ready to fight the Nephilim, agrees to participate in the plan.
He begins a rushed deployment of the Behemoth weapons platform, seeking to end the current war as
quickly as possible to bring an end to Belisarius – and to initiate The Project.

2669.146 Burrows delivers Tayla's "Personal Package" to Tuck, Sherwood

2669.153 Burrows finds Roman Lynch hiding at mining base Basque, Pyrenees (things got hot in New Det?)

2669.156 One escort carrier from the 19th Fleet arrives in Perry as first in a series of reinforcements

2669.157 Vice Admiral Jack Rumley reports on Task Force 56 in the Munro System:

TCS Roosvelt, under Brigadier General DuVall, engaged by 2 Kat heavy carriers, disabled and on fire
ordering her crew and all forces to withdraw from the system
will torpedo what's left of the Roosvelt to prevent her being taken over

The TCS Roosevelt went down during the failed Confed offensive in the Munro System.
Wonder Chicken

2669.158 Someone's laying siege to Corcoran Corporation in Liverpool, New Castle (Lynch's territory)

2669.159 Someone's laying siege to Bronte Corporation HQ in New Detroit (Lynch's territory)

2669.164 A bartender in Perry mentions the TCS Kinney was destroyed; its location had been leaked out

2669.166 Colonel Devereaux's team on Kilrah sends coded message:

"The tripwire is set waiting for the horses to cross at the foxhole"
Soon after, her team is captured by the Kilrathi

2669.165 Kilrathi and Retro forces arrive to Caledonia and Regallis to cut Tayla's escape routes from

Sherwood, while a larger force is assembled for an attack on Tuck; pirate forces concentrate around Tuck

2669.167 Sandra Goodin sends Burrows to clear Kilrathi forces at Caledonia and Regallis, Tayla escapes

2669.169 General James Taggart urges Tolwyn not to tell Blair about Angel's execution.

2669.173 Two more escort carriers from the 19th Fleet arrive in Perry as reinforcements

2669.174 Captain Henry Henderson reports loss of the the Concordia:

Hit by a single torpedo that disabled her engines and forced her crash in Vespus III, off the Mistral Coast.
Admiral Cloureau and the majority of the Concordia's crew lost.
A few survivors picked up, includig Captain Kevin Tolwyn (Geoff's nephew), who ejected from his Hellcat.

But the most staggering loss occured when the TCS Concordia, the pride of the Confed Fleet,
fell prey to a Kilrathi ambush in the rear-echelon Vespus system. The Concordia was mopping
up raiders when a lucky torpedo hit crippled her engines and forced her to crash just off the
Mistral Coast on Vespus IV. There were no survivors on board. 
Wonder Chicken

(Okay, was it Vespus III or Vespus IV?)

2669.177 Doctor Frederick Whitmore declares Blair fully recovered; certified for active duty

2669.179 Captain Kevin Tolwyn promoted to Major by Rumley; transferred to staff position at Torgo III

2669.180 Rear Admiral Duke Leonard, Commander of TCS Invincible, reports victory:

"Morpheus is ours"
destroyed one heavy carrier, one light cruiser, three destroyers, and two corvettes
one heavy cruiser and two remaining destroyers fled the system
landed onto the Kilrathi outpost; overran Kilrathi resistance

2669.180 Burrows meets Monte at Macabee, Nexus

2669.181 Admiral Vance Richards warns:

tactic of using escort carriers to harrass the Kilrathi rear-echelon sectors no longer works,

( now that Snakier II carriers are being pulled back to guard rear echelons by the Kilrathi )

Most of the Recon-In-Force groups Admiral Hancock sent to penetrate the Empire have not reported back
had to withdraw from failed assault in Munro with the loss of the Roosevelt
losing ground in Port Hedland, Chang-Du, and Gimle
losses: Illustrious, Quinson, Valiant, Winterrowd, Roosevelt, Concordia; down to 6 fleet carriers on front, from 17
Most CVEs either gone or severely damaged like the Tarawa
Kilrathi beating Confed two-to-one in cruiser and destroyer production, plus an edge in fighter production
commissioning more fleet carriers online in their Navy, mostly Bhantkara-class
Intell reports also show the presence of two more H'varkann-class dreadnoughts
Confed only building the new Eagle-class light carriers

2669.183 Blair requests transfer to the TCS Bradshaw

2669.184 Burrows meets informant at Drake, Capella

2669.193 Burrows kills former governor Menesche

2669.194 Menesch's right hand man, Salman Kroiz, takes charge of Menesch's business

2669.197 Burrows kills Kahl, Commander of the Kilrathi 6th Fleet;

2669.201 Three escort carriers arrive in Perry as an advanced team, to prepair the

ground at a Perry, for it to serve as base of operations of the 19th Fleet

2669.207 Burrows kills Retro leader Mordecai Jones

2667.209 The "Retro Informant" becomes the new leader of the Church of Man

2669.213 Burrows arrives in pleasure base New Reno, ND-57, for a well deserved vacation... (NOT Jolson! ;-)

2669.215 Admiral Price Hancock arrives in Perry Naval Base with a fleet of four escort carriers; two more to follow.

2669.217 Platolum is a laser and durasteel shard proof alloy discovered on Ghorah Khar during excavations of the

old Kilrathi base. Bryce Alloys found it when they found argonized platinum containers storing Xanius Moloride.

The Xanius Molaride emitted above-infrared rays that contacted nickel-cadmium generators. The rays plus nickel

made a new alloy. We're not sure if the platinum containers were involved, but the name seems to imply it.

In the month of 2669.217, the alloys made an appearance on the UNXhange market.

---

After 2669.183

Tidbits from CIC's WC Information Center about 2669 yet not precisely dated:

Cloaking requires the use of a crystal that has a limited life.
The first Confed Stealth Fighter prototype was unveiled in the Selyan Sector at the 2669 GCM competition.
It featured an integral MX-27BC guided-proton warhead.
Stealth gear was used on the Light Smuggler (Bannockburn) is intended to be used for short periods of time.
It is a huge drain on the ship's energy and sending a narrow band translight pulse required dropping out of stealth.
The Kilrathi seemed not to be able to detect the Bannockburn.

In 2669 a Confederation solar shadow ring station in the Trafalgar System observed a jump point formation inside

the Tanhauser nebula. Due to the potential strategic value of such a discovery, the CID classified all information

gathered on the occurrence.

From here on down is from the Area 51 timeline -- will need to flesh out:

2669.221 Massacre aboard La Belle Dame Sans Merci.

KS Calendar

2669.233 Biochemical destruction of Trafalgar, Locanda and Delius by Kilrathi forces.