Continued from part 2
Hydran Kingdons (EL2)
The Hydrans were brought onto the galactic stage when a Klingon survey
vessel suddenly dropped out of space in their capitol system. While Hydra
boasts a reasonable size fleet, the cost of its construction almost
cripplled the economy. Economically the Hydrans are still the poorest of all
the space-faring races and for a long while held most of the fleet in
mothballs.
Countering the Klingons almost bankrupted them in terms of having to
re-activate a fighting force and for many months afterwards they were unable
to afford reactivating replacements for the losses suffered at the first
Battle of the Hydra-Pursuit warp point.
While it was apparent that the Klingons were more technologically advanced
than themselves, priority had to go into exploration and colonisation in
order to boost the economy. Luckily for them, the Hydrans first contact was
with another space-faring race who proved to be extremely amicable. In short
order the Kzinti-Hydran Alliance was formed.
This had two major benefits for the Hydrans. The first was a much needed
boost to their cash strapped economy through mutual trade with the Kzinti.
The second and probably more important in the short term was a military
alliance which saw a number of Kzinti long range bombardment vessels
integrated into the Hydran fleets. Indeed all military decisions between
these two races are now made jointly, and a campaign against the Klingons is
well on the way to becoming a reality.
Apart from a number of lesser races, the Hydrans have also made contact with
The Gorn. A mutual trade agreement has once again boosted the Hydran
coffers, so much so that they have managed to work their way up to a more
advanced economic level and can finally make headway without having to
liquidate assets to pay the bills every month
Perhaps the biggest piece of bad luck is that the Hydrans have found but are
unaware of a border with The United Federation of Planets. Very early in
their exploration history, a starless nexus was discovered and has been
passed over in favour of more immediately valuable real estate.
Hydran Fleet units in service
Hydran construction doctrine differs in many ways from that of other races.
To start off with, the Hydrans posses rudimentary strike fighter craft,
something not yet available to any other race. Although this technology is
in its infancy, these fighters do make useful close range weapon platforms
that can distract an enemy away from main fleet elements. They are not
employed on specialist carriers, rather they are an additional “battery”
employed by destroyer or larger ships.
The second is the concept of each unit being specifically designed to fit
into an overall fleet picture. As such, for every size of vessel, there is a
short range design and a long range variant to compliment and give
supporting fire. Adding point blank strike-fighters to the mixture means
that an enemy will be hard pressed to find a suitable range in which it can
completely dominate the battle.
Hunter class Frigate The standard close range frigate,
employing a dual
laser as its main armament. The Hunter is too small to carry enough fighters
without compromising its role as a warship.
Crusader class Frigate The long range variant on the Hunter,
main armament
consists of dual missile launchers
Lancer class Destroyer The close range destroyer type, it
mounts identical
armament to the Hunter, heavier passive defenses and a pair of Stinger P
strike-fighters for close support.
Knight class Destroyer Filling the same role for the destroyers
as the
Crusader does for the frigates, this ship has been patterned on its frigate
counterpart in the same way the Lancer is but boasts 3 Stinger Ps as its
compliment group.
Kzinti Hegemony (EL2)
One of the smallest spacefaring races, but by all measures the most
politically aggressive. After initial contact with the Hydrans and a swift
and solid treaty signing, the Kzinti have come away from almost every
contact they have had with at the minimum a mutual trade pact. In fact so
skilled in diplomacy and negotiation are they that the Federation has
brought in their services to try to bring the Endor situation to a peaceful
conclusion.
They are also not adverse to playing off one partner against the other. In
this they are aided by being the only race who has working knowledge of
every major race in the known universe. It may become apparent that while
honorable, the Kzinti will always attempt to steer a situation towards their
own ends first. Joint military exercises with the Hydrans to prepare for the
upcoming war with the Klingons? More likely an attempt to make close
observation of the Hydran Stinger fighters with a view to fielding their own
carrier groups.
Territory wise, the Kzinti hold little in the way of occupied systems but
are expanding in an attempt to find valuable real estate in the same manner
as the Hydrans. They have known borders in two systems with the Hydrans and
at a single warp point with the Federation. Gorn space is only two jumps
away through Hydran territory where the Kzinti fleet is free to travel
virtually unmolested.
They are at war “by proxy” with the Klingons by dint of the trade and
military alliance in place with the Hydrans; possibly the only time in which
the Kzinti got the raw end of a trade deal when they found that war had
broken out prior to the deal being signed. The two known contact points are
however in Hydran territory, which suits the Kzinti fine as they have a
whole race between themselves and the enemy to use as a buffer zone.
Or so they think… for the Kzinti have stumbled across Klingon territory at
an unremarkable blue giant system. The exploration fleet was unaware that it
had been fleetingly detected and the system has never been revisited.
However there will more than likely come a time when in the hunt for
suitable colony sites this system will be put on the list for survey…
Gorn Confederacy (EL5)
The Gorn currently possess one of the smallest empires but it is amongst the
most profitable, second only to the Federation. Its fleets are likewise
small and compact, but have some of the most advanced technology and the
most skilled crews of any race.
It is perhaps a blessing to the rest of the universe that the Gorn are a
very stable and civilized people. Their sole contact with outsiders has been
with the Hydrans, who instantly attempted to get the Gorn military in their
camp. This idea was politely but firmly rejected, however mutual trade was
agreed upon.
It is unlikely that the Gorn will play a major part in global exploration
any time soon. While they have the ability to survey extremely well, this
capability has been restricted to fleet scout units of which there is a very
limited number.
To be continued.....
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