MOD:WCU:WC 2669 Priv Timeline
(go UP one level)
Acknowledgements
A merging of various sources including:
- Wonder Chicken's exquisitely well written post BOA situation
- Area 51's handy timeline
- To a great extent, Psych's finely detailed Fleet Tactics - Communications
- ...and, of course, the CIC Timeline
- plus some creative storytelling and flights of fancy based on our Privateer Dissection
WING COMMANDER YEAR 2669 + PRIVATEER 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.) Fleet Tactics
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
2669.007 Grayson Burrows arrives to Troy, Gemini, claims his Tarsus
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
2669.012
Commander Jacorski's shore leave is cut short as he is ordered to Goddard transfer Station for an unknown reason. Upon his arrival, he meets General Sturdivan who assigns him as Commander of the newly constructed TCS Lexington. He is ordered to tell his crew only that the ship is performing a dangerous strike run and is sworn to secrecy. As Commander of the new secret ship TCS Lexington (Armada), Commander Jacorski orders 61 people to Goddard Transfer Station where they will join his crew. Orders were sent as follows: ........ Report for duty at Goddard Transfer Station by 1700 hours, 2669.018. Return date not yet determined, estimated to be 4 - 6 months. Voices of War
2669.014 TCS Tarawa crippled in a Kilrathi attack.
2669.024
Jarvis reports carrier repairs completion. Ready for deployment are: * TCS Armageddon (Confederation class dreadnaught) Plus 6 Concordia-class: * TCS Winterrowd * TCS Liberty * TCS Valiant * TCS Hermes * TCS Invincible * TCS Illustrious Fleet Tactics
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 Fleet Tactics
2669.024
Six days after beginning its mission, Commander Jacorski tells the crew of the TCS Lexington (Armada) what their mission is. The crew soon realises that their chances of completing the mission are slim. Voices of War
2669.026
Two days after hearing the accouncement of the TCS Lexington's (Armada) mission, over twenty of the ship's sixty-two crew report to the ship's doctor, James Heircho for counseling or anti-anxiety medication. Voices of War
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 Fleet Tactics
2669.040
Richards reports new Kat fighters encountered: * Darket * Dralthi IV * Vaktoth Fleet Tactics
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 Fleet Tactics
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, AFAIK.
2669.061
Jarvis reports completion of new fleet carriers. Ready for deployment: *Lexington-class CVN: ** 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 CVA: ** TCS Coral Sea, will be ready for commissioning in a week, assigned to Tolwyn, Enigma, 14th Fleet Fleet Tactics
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" Fleet Tactics
2669.068 Vice Admiral Jack Rumley orders the Concordia-class fleet carries 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 Confederation-class dreadnought TCS Armageddon, under her command,
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
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 Fleet Tactics 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 Fleet Tactics
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 Fleet Tactics
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 Fleet Tactics
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 Fleet Tactics
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" Fleet Tactics
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.