I finally got a start to the lore topic, and its enough to drop a first post. I plan to expand with posts similar in size to this, though I will also answer any questions people have.
General Rules and Features
At a surface level, The Battles of Some may seem to be placed in a generic hard sci-fi universe, but I promise there are unique characteristics that set it apart from others. A big rule in my development of this world is that while choices I make don’t have to make sense in the lens of our real world or other sci-fis, they must be internally consistent. As such, I would like to lay out some of the choices made early on, which serve to govern further additions:
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Though they may be very close to it, or even identical, the primary race of this universe is not human. Additionally, there will be no alien races, with one exception.
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Despite being a space-faring and even space-warring race, these people are by no means using the peak form of their technology. Things will advance, and in the grand scheme of things, the stories written for this setting take place in the history books of their future.
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While computers exist, and are more powerful than our own, their function is limited. In essence, most computers are incredibly advanced calculators, calendars, and means of reading sensors and controlling machinery. Additionally, there is no equivalent to our modern internet. Computers are almost never assembled in a network, and even in situations such as naval engagements, where coordination across multiple computers is needed, this work is done ship by ship, by hand. AI does not exist in a proper sense, and the closest thing present are voiced assistants that help manage complex systems such as hardsuits or large ships.
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Long-distance cabling is not possible for one means or another. This means no power grids, telephone lines, or other such networks. The only ways to communicate at a distance quickly are with different forms of radio signals or beams of light sent in patterns between fixed locations. Both of these methods are prone to interruption, and as such more archaic methods are also employed. These restrictions complicate the design of large ships, requiring several sections to be powered by independent reactors, and communication between essential locations being facilitated by long, pitch black tunnels in which light-based communication is sent and received. Though not always present, conventional radio communication is used as a backup to these tunnels.
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Energy-based weapons and shielding, along with gravity manipulation will not be commonplace. Energy weapons are in development, but even the best designs are a very long way from passing beyond their prototype stages. Energy shielding on the other hand, has not even been conceived, and is largely thought impossible. Artificial gravity does exist on some large civilian ships, working in some way similar to an electromagnet, but these systems are large, heavy, and power-hungry, meaning they are not commonplace. Military vessels forego these comforts entirely in order to allow for more weapons, armor, and additional power to various secondary systems. Other forms of gravity manipulation do not exist as of now.
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Communication across space takes time, and travel takes longer. Though the exact speed at which ships can travel has yet to be set, they travel between planets with straight speed, not some alternate dimension crap. The in-universe travel times may be inconsistent with what they would be for real-time, but I will strive to keep them consistent and a reliable measure of the distance between two places
Classes of Warship
Post-Line Ships
Usually large, and almost always unique, expensive, or both, Post-Line ships dont fit in with their Line counterparts, but can make all the difference in a battle
Dreadnought (Colonial terminology) / War Citadel (Barony terminology)
These are the largest and most heavily armed/armored ships in either navy. the UCM has one, while Argon has two. Each ships spinal armament is wholly unique among the class, setting them apart from both each other and all warships as a whole, at least for the moment. These are the largest ships capable of combat, and are designated as Post-Line vessels, like Battleships
Battleship (universal)
A step down from their larger brothers, these are still rare, incredibly powerful, and incredibly massive. Featuring different forms of conventional spinal armaments, scaled to match their size and available power, a clash between two battleships always ends in one or both vessels being partially or completely destroyed. Until superseded by the first War Citadel, Battleships were the largest ships to ever carry armament.
Hive, Mothership (Colonial codenames) / Nexus (Barony terminology)
Only three proper “carriers” exist, each belonging to the Argon navy. Though most large warships can act as a mobile drydock for their smaller brethren, only these ships are designed with that as a primary function. Two of the carriers have a large railgun designed to deploy their fighters at incredible distances in the place of a typical spinal gun, while the third maintains an gun more typical of its tonnage (between a battleship and cruiser), and focuses more on subline vessels than a balance of fighters and sublines. Carriers are currently designated as Post-Line vessels, though this will likely change if they are widely adopted.
Line Ships
The center of most fleets, Line ships are what allow space combat to really happen.
Cruiser (mostly universal) / Heavy Frigate (Little-used Colonial term)
The largest ship that can expect to fight its equal in battle, Cruisers are usually command vessels, featuring more powerful secondary systems than any smaller ships, and a straightforward spinal weapon capable of disabling or outright destroying even battleships. These ships often have the ability to deploy some number of fighters, can house and deploy anywhere from one to three subline vessels from their partially or fully enclosed drydocks. The purest jack of all trades in any fleet, cruisers make up the bulk of any respectable navies’ firepower.
Frigate (universal)
The most numerous class of warship and the smallest “line vessel”, Frigates are similar to cruisers in design, but cannot carry subline ships, feature less powerful armament, and are the most likely class of ship to carry any experimental design traits, new technology, or unique armaments. Their spinal guns vary, but most manufacturers that take themselves seriously provide a “base model” that features a huge chemical-kinetic cannon that can be fired a handful of times throughout an engagement if managed by a competent crew.
Subline Ships
Classification among subline ships is rarely consistent, with names mostly coming from manufacturers, rather than the navy feilding them. Two kinds of ships do have a largely universal role and classification, however:
Destroyer
The absolute peak of naval engineering, Destroyers are the most dense ships in terms of armament and armor, and are usually fast to boot. This all comes at a price however, as they feature next to no life support, their interior is cramped, and secondary systems other ships may consider essential are slimmed down or removed entirely. These ships are never seen outside of active combat, and as such are a clear warning to those outside a battle that things are about to get violent. Due to their size and armament, they are usually only featured as part of a battleship’s subline complement, however there are some models of Cruiser designed to accommodate a single destroyer.
Corvette
These ships feature the smallest crew of any proper naval vessel, and have more typical features of naval vessels compared to destroyers. They often fill a lighter than / heavier than role, closing the gap between fighters and heavier sublines, although some argue they should be classified as a heavy fighter or gunboat despite having more in common with frigates than those smaller aux vessels
Fighters
Though they may fill various combat and non-combat roles, any crewed vessels smaller than a Corvette are classified as fighters, and usually fill one of four categories:
Fighters
These are used for point-defence against other fighter class ships, as well as intercepting ordinance before it can strike capital ships. Such missions are always high-risk and often result in high casualties, but the loss of fighters is generally accepted as a worthwhile trade for protecting a larger ship.
Bombers
These vessels share much of their design with fighters, but require more crew members, and are geared toward destroying Subline ships and impairing Line or Post-Line ships with their various forms of ordinance.
Gunboats
Similar to bombers, but larger still, gunboats are slow vessels that attempt to fill the role of both fighter and bomber simultaneously. Armed with heavy cannons for targeting key parts of Subline and Line vessels, gunboats are also armed with weapons designed to fulfill the role of a fighter. Generally considered ineffective, gunboats are rare to see except in the service of planetary militias.
Aux Vessels
Anything that doesn’t fit into the other categories is considered Aux, and as such have no consistent role or design. Scout ships, assault barges, trans-atmospheric shuttles and more all fall under this classification.
Naval war over Sivas: The Loss of SDV Whispered Faith, Part I
A month and a half after the Sivas Defence Fleet lost its flagship, Prevailing Wind, a Senta-Class Cruiser, her sister ship Whispered Faith and one of the accompanying Pirot-Class frigates suffered minor damage from a bombardment by Argon ships using a tactic that involves slingshotting rounds across a planet’s orbit to hit targets “downstream” without line of sight. The other ships present were not hit, however a corvette in the group reported multiple shrapnel strikes. At this point, the fleet was comprised of Whispered Faith, three Pirot-Class frigates, five corvettes and eleven fighters. A mere two hours post-bombardment, two Barracuda-Class destroyers made it within scanning distance of the fleet, accompanied by a Manta-Class Cruiser following a short distance behind. SDV Kinilada, one of the Pirot frigates moved to intercept the incoming destroyers before being destroyed by a shot through the bridge, moving starboard to portside, by an at-the-time unidentified vessel. Following the loss of Kinilada, three of the five corvettes and six of the eleven fighters would be sent to drive off the Barracudas, while the remaining fleet elements entered a defensive formation around Whispered Faith and the damaged frigate as the Argon forces began their attack.
Edit: realize this part is reads kinda bad, Ill rewrite it for clarity and better reading sometime here
Future topics:
Hardsuits
The Basics of Warfare
Civilian Life
Inter-Faction Politics
Faction Structure and Politics (by faction)
Independent Worlds
Culture Across Worlds
Military Breakdowns (by faction)
Communication
Transport and Travel
History of the Barony-Colony Conflict
Notable Locations
Vehicle Design
all of these are in no particular order. While I have a priority list, feel free to request certain ones and Ill see about including it in the next post
