Atomic Tanks

The ascension of Australia as a world power was caused entirely by corporate interests. Following waves of immigration, Australian industry was revitalised, as it now had a far larger population, enough to justify producing goods itself. An oil crisis caused Canberra to reconsider the nation's energy sources, and within two decades Australia was operating almost entirely off nuclear power. Australia remains the world's foremost in fission reactor technology well into the 22nd century.

In the increasingly unstable period leading up to the WWIII, corporate interests noted an alarming spike in the prevalence of armed raiders. The Australian Navy did a good job in patrolling its territorial waters, but ships are slow and aircraft limited.

As a result, a multicorporation joint venture, founded as the company Icarus Defense Systems, was formed to develop a rapid-response small form-factor vehicle capable of responding to armed raiders and such threats rapidly. The result was a airborne gunship with a miniature fission reactor powering 8 swivel-mount turbofans for lift and propulsion, twin clamps for landing (and also grabbing and sinking offending armoured vessels, if such a situation were to arise), and semisubmersible capacity with a deployable air-cushion for water take-off. As the production facility finished construction, WWIII erupted, and efforts were immediately made to replace the quad MGs with more substantial weaponry.

The resultant Airborne Vehicle, Patrol project expanded into the following series of armoured vehicles.

AVP-101 Devastator

The original armament modification to the basic chassis, the AAV-101 has a turreted 76mm recoilless cannon with coaxial 12.5mm HMG, as well as external ordnance hardpoints. The Devastator has layered aluminium and ceramic armour resistant against sustained 12.7mm fire, and ablative/reactive armour tiles for protection against heavier ordnance.

AVP-102 Daedalus

The Daedalus variant replaces the turret with a superstructure carrying four 30-missile Icarus SRM pods and 4 Gungnir LRMs. The Daedalus also has an internal ordnance bay. The Icarus SRM is a small, laser-guided short-range heatseeking air-to-air missile. It can be used as a heat-seeking anti-missile missile, as a swarm of air-to-air or air-to-ground missiles, in which it is highly effective against infantry, or the pod detached and placed as a fixed emplacement, operated by remote or a control panel. The Gungnir LRM is five meters long, reaches Mach 4, and has an armour-penetrating fragmenting explosive warhead. The Daedalus's standard loadout includes one Gungnir-EXT cruise missile and one Gungnir-MAX thermonuclear missile.

AVP-103 Defenser

The Defenser armoured airborne transport has the internals stripped out to provide space for up to 14 soldiers and equipment. Its high speed, manoeuvrability, survivability, and inexhaustible standby time make the Defenser invaluable for insertion or extraction of fireteams in critical locations. The Defenser has one Icarus SRM pod and a ventral turret mounting the original quad 12.7mm machineguns.

AVP-104 Daphne

The Daphne railgun platform lacks the strong honeycombed bracing of the other variants. This is due to the Daphne's main weapon, a 10MJ railgun firing a 8cm, 25cm long, 5kg slug at 2km/s - 6 times the speed of sound. To fire, it must deploy its bracing grips into solid ground or other suitable surface. Once deployed, the armour afforded by its high-density ammunition and lack of internal bracing allow it far greater survivability, comparable to MBTs.

AVP-105 Dictator

Equipped with state-of-the-art sensor and command systems, the Dictator airborne command tank is a mobile, airborne, command post which can co-ordinate operations from the air, act as a temporary stand-in for AWACS, replace destroyed sensor stations, land and operate as an armoured command post, or even a field hospital in conjunction with a medical-configuration Defenser, as its sensor arrays can be repurposed to diagnose casualties rapidly for treatment.

AVP-106 Defiant

The Defiant is equipped with a multitude of forward-firing weapons and little else. The left side of the Defiant mounts two 105mm recoilless cannon, while the right wing contains two 30mm rotary cannon. A ball-mounted 5.56mm minigun is housed in a recessed ventral turret, in front of the ordnance bay. The Defiant's compact design replaces four of the articulated lift fans with a pair of jet engines. The Defiant is highly effective engaging airborne and surface targets alike, but lacks the immediate damage output of the Daedalus or the long range of the Daphne.

AVP-107 Dagger

The Dagger is the AVP series' recon vehicle. It has a turret containing a high-velocity 50mm burst cannon and a pulse laser, a powerful sensor suite, and twin internal jet engines. Its outer shell is redesigned, and the Dagger is capable of hitting Mach 4.8 on afterburners, matching the fastest supersonic jets. Unlike other vehicles in the series(cruise mach 0.9), the Dagger is capable of supercruise, maintaining mach 1.6 at peak efficiencing and 2.6 at full throttle.

AVP-721 Tercel

The Tercel sacrifices armament and armour for speed and manoeuvrability. The Tercel only has six turbofan thrusters, but has a pair of fixed turbojets and a streamlined body. The Tercel is capable of reaching Mach 1.2 on level flight, and Mach 1.8 on a dive. It's armed with a pair of Icarus pods and a twin 30mm cannon.

AVP-722 Falcon

Unlike the Tercel, which is optimised for airborne combat, the Falcon retains the Tercel's basic chassis but replaces the body with a modular slot which can be swapped out to provide a different vehicle. The Falcon can be used as a light gunship, as a patrol fighter, a sensor platform, a diplomatic corvette, a missile bus, or even a torpedo bomber.

I'll edit the rest in later.

Difference between Wings of Light and Beyond Mimas Gate

Wings of Light takes place in 22nd century Sol. Humanity has no radically different technologies to what we have now. No paradigm shifts. Ships are either elegant, spidery affairs of carbon-reinforced tubing and shadowshields, or great armoured ships normally hundreds of meters long, if not kilometers. The sheer scale of such vessels allows human crews to get by in a more traditional manner. Efficient fusion allows these great vessels to maintain a steady pace.

Galaxies apart, in the rift, things are very different. Background radiation is quite a lot higher, there are no ripstars to catalyse fusion, and the situation favours a few kilometer flagships, a handful of several-hundred-meter-long cruisers, and most of fleets composed of frigates only dozens of meters long. There are even mecha, only ten or so meters long, designed for surface assaults on the largest ships. Without the clear visibility of Sol, and with light-years to cover, small ships were the only option. Normal human crews would not be able to survive the high radiation levels.

I'll introduce my solution to this next post.

History and Technology of the Twenty-First Century

I write this as of 2010. 40 years is a long time, but one works with what one has. This is a load of bullshit, I know, but I need something to build on.

By 2050, the metropolitan USA is almost completely computer-savvy to some extent or other. The USA's dying economy, in a final blaze of glory, gives up its financial manipulations to build a gigantic nationwide system of light industry. With economic collapse in the USA, the dollar became practically useless, overinflated to zimbabwean levels. Within weeks the people had already come up with a completely new currency, the Energy Credit, backed by power generation and regulated via the internet. In 2052, co-ordinated via the internet, in particular servers linked to 4chan, the Second American Revolution rose up. Across the United States, what was left of the Army and National Guard embroiled itself in a bitter civil war that lasted for half a month as both sides employed devastating conventional weapons and lightning warfare to the fullest. A new record was set for the largest tank battle in history as over ten thousand armoured vehicles clashed in a nine-day battle that left the USA's land military in flaming ruins. (Approximately 4500 MBTs, 4000 APCs, and 1500 assorted other armoured vehicles participated, on both sides)

In the aftermath, no formal government arose. From the vast communications network of the old america rose a new system of democracy that conveyed the voice of the masses. The new America was a industrial society, focused on rebuilding what had been lost and creating what had yet to be built. Japan threw off its century-old bonds, the JSDF was renamed the JSSDF, and retreated from the international scene.

Three years later, the Third World War broke out. In a complete surprise, the underwater carriers Los Angeles and San Fransisco destroyed the chinese strategic submarine reserve, even as china's own hunter-killer submarines hunted down the remains of the european and US strategic submarine reserves. In the Middle East and western Asia, armies maneuvered and clashed over strategic points. Across the Pacific, the PRC and the new USA traded punches evenly, neither side gaining an advantage. Within six months, the hot war had gone cold again, but the damage was done. Australia, using the same methods as the americans, had by force of arms wholly reclaimed its mineral deposits. Shifting agricultural focus to plant foods and opening its gates to refugees seeking safety from encroaching armies and the ever-present fear of nuclear strike, its population hit 300 million by 2060, with a massive industry to suit. Deprived of natural oil supplies, Australia became the world's first wholly nuclear nation, with its cutting-edge reactors supplying nearly 80% of the nation's power supply. Amid the environmental destruction of the age, the island nation became famous for its green approach to everything and anything.

After the War, Europe was as much a single country as anything else; nominally a EU, with individual nations, it was a United States of Europe in all but name. China consolidated its gains, annexing a large part of Asia, including Korea, Taiwan and much of South-East Asia. In talks with Japan, it famously stated it would not attempt to annex Japan before there was solid land between the two nations. Over the next century, China would move uncounted tons of rock from the Himalayas to build two kilometer-wide bridges stretching down to the seabed. Terraforming megaprojects. It's their forte.

Anyway, let's move on and see what new toys we have to play with. By 2055, the USA is employing the following awesomeness:

25mm R/A as standard short-range ammo, .50BMG as standard long-range ammo.

Abrams, still, but a lot of M113s have been up-armoured and converted to assault guns. Twin Gatling Shotgun is very scary when sweeping for infantry, and is also good for stopping RPGs if the gunner's good enough.

Powered Exoskeletons, allowing for heavily-armoured Guardian suits, and lightly armoured Striker suits, as well as the mobile infantry artillery, Hammer.

Hypersonic waveriders, and hypercavitating submersible ships. Air/sea fighters.

Fixed-emplacement laser cannons(PRC) and laser arrays(USA), and particle beam cannons(EU).

The PRC uses a mix of basic, simple, ingenious tech, and cutting-edge equipment. You'll find infantry squads with mixed laser rifles and Kalashnikovs in some units. The PRC prefers mid-range ammunition, 6.5mm, guided missile systems, and short-band lasers. They're long-ranged, but are either weak, or have low ammo.

The EU's equipment is a mix of absolutely conventional, and advanced lab tech. NATO 7.62 and 5.56 are still common; 5.7 is widespread, while 20mm tends to be preferred for heavier applications. The EU prefers artillery over missiles. Instead of lasers, the EU has particle beam cannon systems. They're medium-ranged, but penetrate optical screens(smoke).

The USA keeps what's left of its old military in reserve, while its acting military is a rapid-strike force consisting of high-speed round-the-world transports that land troops via drop pods. It uses a mix of high-velocity 4mm, 12.7mm, and explosive 25mm rounds, as well as the common 105mm recoilless rifle. The USA employs armoured elite infantry, over artillery and missiles, and tends to employ CO2 laser arrays. Its laser cannon arrays are fragile and short-ranged, but powerful.

Project Listing

I have too many of them. Here's a springboard to the future.

2161: Reconstruction
In the aftermath of the Third World War, live long and prosper. Slow-paced economic TBS with 4X elements.
2161: Reconstruction: Freelancer
A pilot without a cause, run missions for various factions. 2D spaceship sim with sandbox elements.

2161: Wings of Light: 2055: A Call To Arms
The people of the USA finally rise up amid a ruined economy and form the first true democracy in centuries, joined together by the internet. Immediately, they are thrust into a burgeoning war between powers. Nation-building TBS with 4X elements.
2161: Wings of Light: 2055: A Call To Arms: Colon Cancer
Very trope heavy comic set during the Second American Revolution
2161: Wings of Light: 2055: A Call To Arms: Colon Cancer 2: Electric Boogaloo
Another very trope heavy comic, this time set after the SAR.
2161: Wings of Light: 2055: A Call To Arms: Deviant Catgirl
Shooter that follows the story of the new America's first Bionic Commando, with a mix of biological and mechanical upgrades, as well as ridiculous weaponry. Heartwarming and awesome.
2161: Wings of Light

Tactical Spaceship combat in 22nd Century Sol! Named after the plasma trails of post-gate Sol technology.
2161: Wings of Light: Strike Cruisers

Comic following the adventures of a squadron of strike cruisers during the First Martian War.

2161: Beyond Mimas Gate: Unity
Adventure game; as one of the few crewmembers of the Unity not in cold-sleep, you have to wander its dark corridors and bring the ship back to life, while slowly deciphering what happenned to you and the rest of the crew.
2161: Beyond Mimas Gate: Divergence

4X, in the Great Rift.
2161: Beyond Mimas Gate
Turn-based spaceship tactics inspired partly by Homeworld.
2161: Beyond Mimas Gate: Sanity's Edge

A sequel taking place on the edge of the blue nebula.

2161: Beyond Mimas Gate: Hell's Angels

Within the red nebula, in the exclusion zone of a small star, a hidden secret organisation makes its move. Flying hyper-advanced artefact fighters, they cut a swathe into neutral space. Then, following them come relics of a forgotten age, and they battle for their fate and that of humanity.

2161: Beyond Mimas Gate: Skull Squadron
Follow-up to Hell's Angels, as the ancient tech has been used to create an entirely new class of combat craft, the Mecha. Multiple-viewpoint game, from the perspective of Skull Four.

2161: Beyond Mimas Gate: Skull Squadron: Subtitle

A comic centered around Skull Two. All There in the Manual.

Chronology

2161: Wings of Light: 2055 - WWIII
2161: Wings of Light: 2055: A Call To Arms - Second American Revolution
2161: Reconstruction - first space colonisation
2161: Wings of Light - 22nd century, politics and war in Sol
2161: Beyond Mimas Gate - After 2161, chronicles human history in the Great Rift

Yes, it's disorganised. Yes, this is most of the framework of my 2161 continuity pinned down. Yes, this took about 40 minutes to write. I'll add links later as things get done.