Chiss Minefield Rewriting

[Black Noise]

The Minefield, as you all know, has come under great scrutiny recently. In an effort to make it more affordable and realistic, I'm going to try and rewrite the field. Essentially, what I will be changing is:

1.Making it more clear that the field covers like a wall and not an entire grid block.

2.The field can defend an entire grid block, but does not.

3.The grid is constantly patrolled

4.Making it more obvious of the transmitting stations, control stations, and defense stations.

5.Putting the field only in key places where it would be necessary. Rather than cover the whole of Chiss territory, it is only placed in places where a constant patrol could be slipped past.


Any and all suggestions, should you have any, would be helpful here.

 

[Dmitri]

I'm not the best with technology, so I may not be the best of help.

 

[Zach]

@BN: Each of your points either more finely detail the minefield's original purpose or clarify points that came up in recent debates about its capabilities. I feel like each of your listed details would be good to add to the rewrite, however I would stress that a more refined description of the technological capabilities of an individual drone/mine is necessary. Others brought up that maybe it wouldn't be possible for a mine do all the abilities that were listed - it would be beneficial to create a more detailed literary describing how it operates to the full capacity. Like, how one machine is able to have a missile, laser, detonation-triggered power core, debris-evading propulsion system, shielding projection, sensory array, and interconnected hub network to work cooperatively amongst the other machines. If anything, create a specific power device meant for multi-purpose activity in smaller devices.

 

[Black Noise]

@BN: Each of your points either more finely detail the minefield's original purpose or clarify points that came up in recent debates about its capabilities. I feel like each of your listed details would be good to add to the rewrite, however I would stress that a more refined description of the technological capabilities of an individual drone/mine is necessary. Others brought up that maybe it wouldn't be possible for a mine do all the abilities that were listed - it would be beneficial to create a more detailed literary describing how it operates to the full capacity. Like, how one machine is able to have a missile, laser, detonation-triggered power core, debris-evading propulsion system, shielding projection, sensory array, and interconnected hub network to work cooperatively amongst the other machines. If anything, create a specific power device meant for multi-purpose activity in smaller devices.

Agreed. While it was clear in your writeup that these were drones, not mines, and you clearly outlined and defined the field in the Cormit OOC, the thread made by you has had doubts bedn cast upon it by GABA and she threw out massive numbers and impossibilities. By writing up a Drone as an actual military tech, shortening the Giles's range ever so slightly, and making it so clear that a fourth grader could read and understand that it's a wall, not covering an entire grid block, the field should be far easier to understand as a whole for people who currently see it as impossible.

 

[Demiurge]

Hey peeps, saw you were actively rewriting the minefield, and props to you for that. For what it is worth though, the admin team (by that, I mean Jiang) wrote up a replacement minefield system after the former was retracted. You are not under strict obligation to use this, it is only a suggested feesible revamp presented by the admin team as a whole.

Spoiler: Passive Autonomous Area Denial System - PAADS

P.A.A.D.S.

The Passive Autonomous Area Denial System was created as a defensive solution against incursions into Chiss Territory. One part defensive minefield, one part early warning system, and one part roving patrol, PAADS is a fully automated and impressively intelligent system. At the heart of PAADS is the Dragon's Tooth Automated Deep Space Mining Vessel - ADSMV. Though its name alludes to a resource gathering craft, the Dragon is far from it. The seven hundred meter long vessel is a mobile factory, minelaying station, mine control vessel, and communications post. Its lack of an organic crew allows its interior space to be optimized for the completion of its mission, that mission being deploying and controlling vast expanses of mines.

Each DT-class Minelayer is tasked with deploying minefields around the borders of Chiss space. While the fields are hardly all-encompassing, they do guard known hyperspace routes in and out of Chiss space and the area immediately surrounding those routes. A single DT, fed a stream of supplies from local drone mining operations or from Chiss supply depots, is capable of laying and maintaining a defensive minefield around a hyperspace lane sufficient enough to thwart minor incursions. Two DT's are able to produce a thicker field capable of discouraging hostile fleet movement, or they can produce and maintain a minefield over a reasonably wide area surrounding the hyperspace lane to prevent incursions via nearby, less-popular routes. To limit wasted resources, they are not deployed in areas where no known hyperspace route exists.


DT-class Minelayers produce three types of mines, seeded at a 20-5-1 ratio in any deployed field. The first, most common mine is a simple dual-purpose high explosive mine utilizing a homing warhead. This mine, the CADN-19A3, carries one quarter-tonne 'breaching' charge at the nose, and one three-quarter tonne 'bursting' charge in the midsection of the mine. The CADN-19A3 waits until an enemy craft closes to within a short distance by using passive sensors and communications systems to monitor the craft's approach. Once it reaches attack distance, approximately eight kilometers, it pulses the target with active sensors. Upon confirming that the target is a threat, it fires its single-use high-acceleration fusion drive and flings itself on an intercept course at the target. Upon striking the target, the first charge detonates in order to weaken shields or armor, and to allow the second, more powerful charge to inflict heavy damage upon the craft.

The second type of mine is the IADN-21A1. This is a specialized ionic pulse mine, whose operational principles are precisely the same as the CADN-19A3 except that when it detonates, it hits the target with a powerful ion pulse meant to disable rather than destroy outright. In active hyperlanes, these mines are more commonly used and frequently employed first - upon successful disabling a craft, the DT Minelayer tending the field can summon the Chiss fleet to investigate any craft its mines have disabled.

The third type of mine is the ERSU-7V, or 'Ersa' Sensor Pack. This is a type of control and sensor mine, and one is employed in every section of 20 CADN and 5 IADN mines. Its high-endurance power supplies and high-efficiency sensor and comms arrays allows the Ersa to use active sensors and communications for a prolonged period of time. The Ersa is responsible for providing targets to the mines it accompanies, for communicating with the tending DT-class, and for broadcasting 'challenges' to and identifying any ship that encroaches on the field. In the event the Ersa is disabled, its complement of mines switch to an aggressive defense mode and target any non-Chiss navy ship that approaches. This is to combat efforts to disarm fields by neutralizing ERSU-class mines.

All three mines share the same cylindrical chassis, made of matte black carbon fibre paneling for reduced weight and a low sensor cross-section. This makes them difficult to spot optically, and their extensive use of passive systems also makes detection at range via sensors difficult. However, active sensor scanning can and will reveal the mines, as will gravitic sensors or flying right at the mines and angering them.

In addition to its complement of CADN, IADN, and ERSU mines, each Dragon's Tooth class houses 12 heavy-duty repair drones. Each the size of a YT-1300 and bristling with manipulator arms, tools, and cargo bays, these drones serve to place, retrieve, and otherwise service mines that have fallen into disrepair. They can also seize disabled vessels and drag them into storage in the DT-Class's Quarantine hangar, which is an isolated hangar under heavy droid and turret guard. The Dragon's Tooth also carries a mobile hyperspace beacon, allowing communication with the Chiss Fleet, and a host of tractor beam generators and light point-defense weapons.

Those DT-class Minelayers tasked to major hyperspace lanes can also be retrofitted with a gravity well generator and a small number of ion cannons and maser cannons, allowing them to more effectively police their routes.

 

[Black Noise]

I like that revamp, I like it alot, and I'm quite (enjoyably)surprised ya'll cared enough to rewrite this for us.

I think the only addition to that I'd make is specifying where the mines would be laid, and the addition of the ability for some of these ships to solely drop the new drone type written up by Alex. The drones, rather than having numbers in the trillions and being the only thing laid, would be a minor laid 'mine' to wait until the sensor mine sensed an unauthorized ship, in which case the drones, tiny fighters, would engage the enemy and hold them there until the patrolling reaction fleet(an idea I'm writing up) could arrive to fight back.

 

[Black Noise]

Currently redoing minefield thread now, putting up old minefield here for reference and so that, should I accidentally pull out something from here we need, we can take it and place it back.

Spoiler: Old minefield

The Chiss Ascendancy utilizes a large-scale implementation of mines in a defensive field around their territory. The massive cloak of explosives is usually used in large enough increments to cover a grid coordinate block on a galaxy map, extending between systems as an ever-lasting wall of spheres. The mines were lightly armed individually, but were equipped with smart-technology, manufactured by the latest of developments in Chiss Engineering. The drones had an auto-target function in their design, honing in and focusing on the specific ship identification numbers in respect to active alliances. Ships that matched with recorded agreements were relatively safe and would not be targeted as hostile intruders, however failing to cease and await confrontation would result in destruction.

The individual drones that make up the expanse of a laid out mine field have several functions of attack. Primarily, they are positioned as a stationary device, however are designed with light and maneuverable propulsion systems. In the case of an invasion, the defensive wall is programmed to act as an attack force, as a multitude of fighter-like machines to defend with. These models are linked together in a mass grid pattern, connecting their system awareness and coordination. In the case of a lighter situation than invasion, the field serves as an immovable wall of defensive lasers. Each device is equipped with a medium Turbolaser battery, utilizing speed over initial power.

The drones' second offensive function is to react aggressively. Upon destruction, the outer shell and body are detached as dangerous shrapnel debris from the remainder of the node, revealing the protected concussion missile beneath reinforced metals. As the model is attacked and disabled, this missile ejects from its concealment and targets the nearest enemy through smart-targeting features. Additionally, the probes are designs to detonate upon immediate contact, triggered to reroute the power source into a fusion reaction. The protected concussion missile is also then activated to heighten the detonation's power.

Light and miniature monitoring outposts are stationed periodically throughout an implemented mine field. These operate automatically through a relay system to the nearest Chiss establishment, maintaining sensors and scans throughout space to record and update the defensive parameter. The gathered intelligence and fortification reports are dissected with the utmost scrutiny, organized in an intricate log and system of documentation. These readings are received and analyzed by Chiss technicians and moderators, granting the Ascendancy a constant surveillance of the map's grid point. In addition, these mines are installed with individual tracker beacons, allowing the Ascendancy to keep each of their status in check. As a final precaution, the individual mines are also installed with very light deflector shield against the natural debris of space. The propulsion systems are guided to avoid small comets and asteroids that could activate them, but target larger objects for destruction and possible resource recovery.

At each tactical position of the defense wall covering that section of space, a Derran-Class Defense Station is in place, supervising the minefield as an official Chiss outpost. Each of these stations are connected to a Gravity Well Generation, armed for remote activation to halt the travel of ships in hyperspace. As an additional precaution, the Chiss Ascendancy commands these functions from their nearest Capital World, in the case of an invasion. Should a mass amount of ships arrive, they would be trapped in that area of space until deactivating the hyperspace jamming device. In the time these forces would be recognized, the minefield are designed to target and destroy the enemy fleet while Chiss forces organize. The minefield purpose in all regards is to delay surprise attacks. Through this, the defensive array serves to eliminate smaller ships and weaken their larger vessels, while still needing to locate and destroy the Derran-Class Defensive Station and Gravity Well Generator.

 

[Black Noise]

Triple post
Minefield writing done, thank you Jiang and Xeno!

 

[Dmitri]

Found this by chance if we want to use it for the pic.