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AVENGER ENTERPRISES/COMSTAR GAMES PRESENTS:

SECTOR FLEET

BASED ON THE AWARD-WINNING TRAVELLER GAME SYSTEM AND UNIVERSE BY MARC MILLER

CREDITS Admiral of the Imperial Grand Fleet Martin J. Dougherty Commodore of the Imperial Bodyguard Squadron Neil Frier Chief Of Staff Roger Calver Inspector-Admiral of Imperial Dockyards William Andersen Boarding Party Members Don McKinney Shane McLean Nate Zettle Michael Taylor Copyright ©2009-2010 Avenger Enterprises in association with Comstar Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises and is used under license. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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SECTOR FLEET A SOURCEBOOK FOR TRAVELLER

TABLE OF CONTENTS CREDITS.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1

TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................................................................................................................2 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5

Standards and Assumptions .....................................................................................................................................................................................................5 AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................................................................6

CHAPTER 1: THE GRAND FLEET OF THE THIRD IMPERIUM ...............................................................................................................................................8 THE IMPERIAL NAVY ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................8 FACTS OF SPACE TRAVEL....................................................................................................................................................................................................8 THE ROLE OF THE NAVY .......................................................................................................................................................................................................9

Enforcement of Territorial Claims .........................................................................................................................................................................................9 Enforcement of Internal and Interstellar Law........................................................................................................................................................................9 Protection of Commerce......................................................................................................................................................................................................10 Diplomacy and Inter-state Relations...................................................................................................................................................................................10 Support or Protection of Interests .......................................................................................................................................................................................10 Power Projection and Intervention......................................................................................................................................................................................10 Pacification & Peacekeeping...............................................................................................................................................................................................11 Blockade/Red Zone Enforcement .......................................................................................................................................................................................11 War-Fighting ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................11 Exploration...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................11 Transport..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................11

THE IMPERIAL RULE OF SPACE.........................................................................................................................................................................................11 A HISTORY OF THE IMPERIAL NAVY .................................................................................................................................................................................12

The Vilani Imperium.............................................................................................................................................................................................................13 The Solomani “New Fleets”.................................................................................................................................................................................................14 Sylean Gunship Diplomacy .................................................................................................................................................................................................14 The Pacification Campaigns ...............................................................................................................................................................................................15 The Julian War.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................16 Aslan and Vargr Wars .........................................................................................................................................................................................................17 The Civil War (604-622) ......................................................................................................................................................................................................17 The Solomani Rim War (990-1002) ....................................................................................................................................................................................18 Rim Skirmishes....................................................................................................................................................................................................................19

VESSEL CLASSES.................................................................................................................................................................................................................21 Capital Vessels ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................21 Cruisers................................................................................................................................................................................................................................22 Carriers and Tenders ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................24 Escorts and Couriers...........................................................................................................................................................................................................24 REPAIR, Logistics and Supply Vessels..............................................................................................................................................................................25 Planetary Attack Vessels ....................................................................................................................................................................................................27 Patrol Ships .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................28 Specialist Vessels................................................................................................................................................................................................................29

NON-STARSHIPS...................................................................................................................................................................................................................30 Non-Jump Warships ............................................................................................................................................................................................................30 Small Craft ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................31

CHAPTER 3: STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION OF THE GRAND FLEET........................................................................................................................33 POLITICAL COMMAND..........................................................................................................................................................................................................33

The Emperor........................................................................................................................................................................................................................33 The Archdukes.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................34 The Sector Dukes................................................................................................................................................................................................................34 the subsector dukes ............................................................................................................................................................................................................35 Other Noble Influence .........................................................................................................................................................................................................35

THE ADMIRALTY....................................................................................................................................................................................................................35 Grand Admirals....................................................................................................................................................................................................................35 Sector Admirals ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................36 subsector Admirals ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................36 fleet admirals .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................36 Staff Admirals ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................37 Squadron Commanders ......................................................................................................................................................................................................37 Ship Captains ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................37

FLEET STRUCTURE..............................................................................................................................................................................................................38 The Imperial Navy model ....................................................................................................................................................................................................38 The Regular Navy................................................................................................................................................................................................................38 The Colonial Fleet ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................40 the fleet reserve...................................................................................................................................................................................................................41 Named (Sector) Fleets ........................................................................................................................................................................................................41 Numbered (Subsector) Fleets .............................................................................................................................................................................................42

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System squadrons...............................................................................................................................................................................................................43 Special Fleets ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................43 Squadrons, Flotillas and Task Forces ................................................................................................................................................................................44 Squadron Classification.......................................................................................................................................................................................................44 Squadron Types ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................45 Squadron Numbers .............................................................................................................................................................................................................46

IMPERIAL NAVY DEPOTS.....................................................................................................................................................................................................46 DEPOT Services .................................................................................................................................................................................................................46 Type .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................48 Mobility .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................49 Capability .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................50 assignments and reactivation .............................................................................................................................................................................................51

NAVAL BASES........................................................................................................................................................................................................................52 CHAPTER 4: PERSONNEL .......................................................................................................................................................................................................53

THE IMPERIAL NOBILITY AND THE NAVY .........................................................................................................................................................................53 Recruitment and Training....................................................................................................................................................................................................53 Branch Selection and Promotion ........................................................................................................................................................................................53 Special Duties......................................................................................................................................................................................................................53 Titles.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................54

FILLING THE RANKS .............................................................................................................................................................................................................54 Recruiting.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................54 Colonial Navy Recruitment..................................................................................................................................................................................................56 Huscarle Recruitment ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................57

NAVAL BRANCHES ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................57 The Line ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................57 Crew.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................58 Flight ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................58 Gunnery ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................58 Engineering..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................58 Medical.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................59 Technical Services ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................59 The Naval Regiment............................................................................................................................................................................................................59 The Staff ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................60 Naval Intelligence ................................................................................................................................................................................................................61 Attaché/Diplomatic...............................................................................................................................................................................................................62 The Imperial Marines...........................................................................................................................................................................................................62

RANK STRUCTURE ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................62 Promotion and Branch.........................................................................................................................................................................................................62 Enlisted Personnel...............................................................................................................................................................................................................62 Commissioned Officers .......................................................................................................................................................................................................63 Officers of the Flag ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................65 Reserve Officers and Personnel .........................................................................................................................................................................................66

CHAPTER 5: DEPLOYMENTS AND PROCEDURES ..............................................................................................................................................................67 TERMS, DEPLOYMENTS AND LEAVE ................................................................................................................................................................................67 SPECIAL DUTY ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................67

Leaving the Service.............................................................................................................................................................................................................69 DEPLOYMENTS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................70 Patrol Operations.................................................................................................................................................................................................................70 Standing Operational Orders ..............................................................................................................................................................................................71

NAVAL PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS .....................................................................................................................................................................71 Terms of Address ................................................................................................................................................................................................................71 Orders ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................72 Naval Discipline ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................73 Court of Inquiry/Court-Martial..............................................................................................................................................................................................74

STARSHIP OPERATIONS .....................................................................................................................................................................................................74 General Shipboard Procedures ..........................................................................................................................................................................................74 Security Procedures ............................................................................................................................................................................................................75 Flight Procedures ................................................................................................................................................................................................................77 Jump Procedures ................................................................................................................................................................................................................77 Combat Procedures.............................................................................................................................................................................................................79

ARMED SHIPS NOT UNDER FLEET COMMAND................................................................................................................................................................82 STARSHIP SYSTEMS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................84

weapon mounts ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................84 DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS......................................................................................................................................................................................................85 weapon systems..................................................................................................................................................................................................................86 Personal Weapons and equipment.....................................................................................................................................................................................88

CHAPTER 7: THE SPINWARD MARCHES SECTOR FLEET .................................................................................................................................................90 NAVAL DEPLOYMENTS IN SPINWARD MARCHES SECTOR ..........................................................................................................................................90

general strategy ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................91 Control of assets..................................................................................................................................................................................................................91

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Note......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................93 CHRONOR SUBSECTOR ..................................................................................................................................................................................................93

JEWELL SUBSECTOR .......................................................................................................................................................................................................93 REGINA SUBSECTOR .......................................................................................................................................................................................................96 ARAMIS SUBSECTOR .......................................................................................................................................................................................................99

QUERION SUBSECTOR ..................................................................................................................................................................................................101 VILIS SUBSECTOR ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................101 LANTH SUBSECTOR .......................................................................................................................................................................................................103

RHYLANOR SUBSECTOR...............................................................................................................................................................................................106 DARRIAN SUBSECTOR...................................................................................................................................................................................................110 SWORD WORLDS SUBSECTOR....................................................................................................................................................................................110

LUNION SUBSECTOR .....................................................................................................................................................................................................111 MORA SUBSECTOR ........................................................................................................................................................................................................113 FIVE SISTERS SUBSECTOR ..........................................................................................................................................................................................116

DISTRICT 268 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................119 GLISTEN SUBSECTOR....................................................................................................................................................................................................119 TRIN’S VEIL SUBSECTOR ..............................................................................................................................................................................................121

Colonial Fleet ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................123 Reserves ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................123 CHAPTER 8: OPPONENTS, ALLIES AND RIVALS ...............................................................................................................................................................125

MAJOR POWERS.................................................................................................................................................................................................................125 The Aslan...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................125 The Droyne ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................126 The Hive Federation..........................................................................................................................................................................................................126 The Julian Protectorate .....................................................................................................................................................................................................127 The K’Kree.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................128 The Solomani Confederation ............................................................................................................................................................................................129 The Vargr ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................130 The Zhodani.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................130 subsector fleets..................................................................................................................................................................................................................132 the sector fleet ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................133 Capital Ships......................................................................................................................................................................................................................133 Cruiser Squadrons and Squadron-equivalents ................................................................................................................................................................134 Carrier Assets ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................134 Sector Destroyers, Escorts and Patrol Assets .................................................................................................................................................................135

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Introduction Welcome to Sector Fleet, a Traveller adventure-sourcebook from Avenger Enterprises. This book is intended to be used with the Traveller roleplaying game from Mongoose Publishing. The information in this book can, however, be used with other versions of the Traveller game, and indeed entirely different rules sets. This book focuses on the Imperial Navy in the Spinward Marches, with some information on the rival and allied navies of the region. Comments on the Navy as a whole apply across most of the Imperium, though the frontier nature of the Marches creates some special requirements, not all of which can be met by the Navy at any one time. This book will be useful to Referees and players interested in a naval campaign, or as background to any game set in the Marches. About The Author Martin J Dougherty is a freelance author specialising in military history, space travel and related topics. He has written or contributed to over three dozen books and book-like objects (depending on what you count as a book) not counting ebooks, online copy, magazine articles and related scribblings. He has previously worked as a teacher, an engineer, a self-defence instructor, a fencing coach and a defence analyst. When not randomly poking at a keyboard, Martin coaches the University of Sunderland Fencing, Kickboxing and Ju-Jitsu classes. He is heavily involved with the Self-Defence Federation, with whom he holds three black belts and a Master Level instructorship. Despite all this, the majority of people involved with Avenger enterprises refer to him as ‘some hack writer we met’ and steadfastly refuse to take him seriously. This is probably for the best. Martin’s website, such as it is, can be found at http://www.martinjdougherty.co.uk/ and he can be contacted by email at avenger.enterprises@virgin.net. Just don’t expect an intelligible reply. Avenger Enterprises Avenger Enterprises is a loose collection of semi-random individuals who have seen fit to involve themselves in producing Traveller materials. Or if you prefer, Avenger Enterprises is a design house co-owned by freelancer Martin J Dougherty and William Andersen of Comstar Games, representing some of the finest Traveller and RPG writing talent worldwide. Avenger’s writers have written and edited Traveller materials for publication since 1994, and have an involvement in the games industry stretching back a decade more. Avenger people (using the term ‘people’ very loosely) have written, edited and otherwise freelanced for many other game systems and for publishers including Mongoose Publishing, GDW, FASA, Imperium Games, Steve Jackson Games, Hekaforge Productions and PBM Scroll Magazine. Most relevant to this adventure; Avenger staff were heavily involved in the production of the Mongoose Traveller Spinward Marches sourcebook. The Avenger website is at http://www.avengerenterprises.co.uk/ and hosts a forum for Traveller and related matters at http://www.traveller.comstar-games.com/.

Standards and Assumptions Sector Fleet is a supplement for the Traveller roleplaying game published by Mongoose Publishing. It forms part of the line of Science-Fiction game materials published by Avenger Enterprises. Possession of the Spinward Marches supplement from Mongoose Publishing is desirable if the full potential of this book is to be realised, though most of the information herein stands alone as general background data. This book presents the Spinward Marches Sector Fleet as it is in 1105. It is entirely possible that additional vessels may be assigned to the region, or ships be pulled away to deal with crises elsewhere. Thus the fleet composition in this book should be taken as a guideline only – it can vary quite considerably if the Referee feels that this is justified. Where a squadron or force composition is given, this is an average. Vessels may be away on detached duty, down for maintenance and so forth, and not every squadron is up to strength. Thus a battle squadron listed as having 4 ships might only have two available at the moment a crisis breaks out. Vessels and indeed whole squadrons are transferred around the sector from time to time, and even sent to other sectors at need. There is thus no guarantee that a given squadron will

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be on station and at full strength all of the time. Keeping track of the current situation is a major task for the fleet’s administrative apparatus. Squadron details are presented in the following format: Force Name (Usually a designation followed by home port, e.g. Cruiser Group Frenzie) Number of Squadrons of A Type Number of Vessels of X Type in typical squadron Number of Vessels of Y Type in typical squadron Number of Vessels of Z Type in typical squadron Number of Squadrons of B Type Number of Vessels of P Type in typical squadron Number of Vessels of Q Type in typical squadron Number of Vessels of R Type in typical squadron And so forth. For example: Strike Group Mongo 2 Strike CruRon 4 Strike Cruiser 1 Fast Logistics Vessel 3 Strike Carrier Task Group 1 Strike Carrier 3 Fleet Destroyer 1 Fast Logistics Vessel This hypothetical strike group based out of Mongo in Jewell Subsector is a single command for administrative purposes, though it might detach some assets and gain others from elsewhere depending on the circumstances. It is composed of five squadrons (technically, two squadrons and three squadron-equivalent task forces), which might operate independently in the same area or launch a combined attack on an important target. Individual ships might also be detached as raiders. The group contains two CruRons (Cruiser Squadrons), each with a nominal strength of four strike cruisers supported by a fast logistics vessel. There are also three task groups each based around a strike carrier assisted by three fleet destroyers and a fast logistics vessel. In practice, composition may vary; one of the CruRons may only have three cruisers and the other might contain three strike cruisers and a light cruiser. The fleet never quite matches its ‘paper’ strength and dispositions. It this was ever achieved it would probably only last for minutes before a redeployment rendered the records out of date. Note that the squadron listings make no mention of auxiliaries, couriers, scouts and similar minor vessels. These are of negligible value in combat, though they are vital to the running of a fleet in both peace and war. Nor are the defences of naval bases spelled out. These assets are not Jump-capable so, while they are crewed by Navy personnel, are not counted towards the ship strength in the region.

AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION A great deal has (and has not) been written about the Imperial Navy. Debates among Traveller fans have raged endlessly about whether games like Trillion Credit Squadron, Fifth Frontier War and Imperium represent a functioning model of the Imperial Navy and its budget. Fact is, these games were created to be just that – self-contained games – and not a model for the complete naval structure of a huge interstellar empire. Attempts to use data from these games to show that the Imperium can field X dreadnoughts or Y anti-piracy vessels are thus flawed. Over the years, in various editions of the Traveller game, ballpark numbers have been put forward for the strength of the Imperial Navy. The main facts are as follows:

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