Steelworks Survey Corps
Originally a division of the main company, the Steelworks Survey Corps (also known as 'The Corps or 'The SSC' for short) is a largely separate venture operated by some of the most visionary minds within The Steelworks. Their goal is to expand the company’s reach beyond Chronus in the prime material plane and to the stars themselves in search of resources.
Organisation
The company is now headed by Director Ruth Astra, an expert in the field of propulsion systems originally assigned to the cooperative project with Derro-Fyr Foundries. She is assisted by other members of the original research and development now joined with staff and operatives from the original, more terrestrial survey team.
Operations
The Corps operations have largely consisted of research, development, manufacture and training for the longest time though, through having absorbed much of the original survey team, it could be considered to have conducted a great many exploration and survey missions across Siacros and The Setlaar Wildlands.
Though they make use of most Steelworks facilities from day to day, the main operational headquarters has been within the plane of Synthetica, secreted away from prying eyes, with their secondary facility located somewhere within Alzhak Reger’s territory.
Manufacture and Production
With a great many stable prototype spacecraft developed, full scale production of a survey fleet began not too long ago in Synthetica with the first order of business being to complete work on the central, capital class vessel before moving on to a mix of escort fighters and the survey vessels themselves.
Beyond that, a fair few facilities in Norgrash and Alzhak Reger have had their manufacturing capabilities requisitioned to produce a mix of weaponry, mining tools and advanced equipment fit for the rigors of space.
Research And Development
The field of astro-propulsion and the design of space worthy craft dominates the largest part of their ever onward development. Most of the actual research is done in conjunction with Derro-Fyr Foundries in Alzhak Reger with prototypes made and tested in Synthetica. As part of the agreement that spawned the division, most advancements are immediately shared with Derro-Fyr to aid the dwarven people in their own quest for the stars.
Exploration and Surveying
Surveying and charting space beyond Chronus is the primary goal of the organization, having brought much of the terrestrial experience from the more veteran members of the original Naramoore Exploration and Surveying Division. Preliminary operations are said to have started already via the use of unmanned probe drones.
Manned expeditions are to be carried out by expeditionary fleets consisting of a single capital vessel with a number of survey ships escorted by more overtly military craft. The "1st Expeditionary Fleet" is planned to launch in search of a suitable asteroid belt to begin mining operations within but will likely carry out lunar and planetary surveying all the while. Pathfinders adopted from the Naramoore Exploration and Surveying Division will be the first ones dispatched to explore planets with suitable environments, hoping to eventually tap them for resources as well.
Vessels
Where ships are concerned, much of the base technology is familiar but scaled up where appropriate. The most significant improvements have been within the fields of propulsion, navigation, scanning and shielding technologies.
Armour Plating and Shielding
Where defense is concerned The SSC have a mixed bag of shielding and armour plating to account for a range of potential threats. Generally speaking though, the larger the ship is the heavier its focus on armour over shielding is.
The type of shielding used by SSC vessels is known as ‘molecular shielding’, manipulating magnetic forces to repulse or deflect projectiles. This works particularly well against physical projectiles, plasma and particle based weapons but suffers when subjected to lasers and more EMP heavy attacks.
Where armor is concerned, the invention of a new mithril alloy, specially treated, affords decent protection while keeping ships decently maneuverable when subject to overt gravitational force.
The biggest hurdle for The Corps was the need for a more precise method of travel in the void of space that didn’t measure travel time in years. The answer came from the cooperation of Avalia Naramoore herself and the Chosen of Torag, Delvar Starbreaker.
Derived from advanced studies into Outer Dragons was the ‘Vortex Drive’, an ingenious component that affords a vessel both standard propulsion via impulse engines and the ability to enter ‘Starflight’ for comparatively swift travel over immense distances.
Navigational computers have been designed with the foresight of plotting course with the movement of planets in mind, able to process survey data from a charted system or location to plot suitable entry and exit trajectories as well as provide estimated travel times based on these factors.
Weapons
It is a sad reality that, even on a peaceful mission of exploration, the need for defense is ever present. To that end The Corps employ a mixture of ship grade particle and cut-beam weaponry, largely to address hostile fauna rather than enemy vessels. So far weapons have been developed along the lines of weight class, with models for light and medium fighter classes, the heavier gunship class and some as of yet unused capital class turrets.
The choice of weapon type allows for The SSC to address mainly armoured enemies, though their cut-beams are, in theory, able to pass largely unhindered through molecular style shielding.
Models
Currently the SSA-1 line of ships covers the basics required for an extended voyage into the unknown, made up of two fighter models, a gunship, a survey vessel and even a capital class ship to act as a central point of command.
SSA-1F ”Gale” Light Fighter - Nimble and swift, the “Gale” is a lightly armoured craft with four comparatively light guns for dealing with other ships or foes of its size or harrying larger ones. These single person fighters benefit greatly from the skill of the pilot, particularly where maneuverability is concerned. Defensively they boast little armour, opting instead of what shields their modest power core can support. Otherwise they are easily maintained and relatively cheap to manufacture, so much so that replacements can realistically be produced aboard a “Zephyr” with the right materials to hand.
SSA-2F ”Squall” Fighter - A step up in firepower and a step down in speed. The “Squall” packs a heavier punch with its four light and two medium guns while having a larger power core to work with. They can be operated effectively enough by one person but a second can assist on board with engineering and gunnery, allowing the medium guns to be fired more effectively at tailing foes. Compared to the “Gale”, this model’s armour isn’t much thicker but the shields have taken a step up to compensate for the slight deficit in speed. They are, however, similarly easy to maintain and produce while also being rather simple to modify, allowing for quick changes to suit an upcoming engagement. It is speculated that the “Gale”, or a derivative thereof, will become the first ship of choice for those making their first foray into space… once it hits the market, of course.
SSA-3S ”Ether” Survey Vessel - With enough space to house a small research and survey team along with their equipment, the Ether is a competent survey ship designed to investigate both planetary and extraplanetary points of interest both up close and via the use of probe drones. Given its nature, the ship is barely armed beyond the basics and expected to have fighter support. Their most standout feature is certainly the impressive array of scanning tools, capable of surveying planetary surfaces, asteroids and a great many other spatial anomalies to boot.
SSA-4G ”Storm” Gunship - It would be folly to venture into the recesses of space unarmed, even if one’s purpose is to explore peacefully. To that end the Steelworks Survey Corps have designed and produced the Storm, a Gunship with a crew of six making use of the best particle and cut-beam weaponry developed by The Steelworks in the Setlaar states, employed on a much bigger scale. With a near even split of three particle weapons and two cut-beams, the Storm is expected to address most of the preliminary threats that might be posed to expeditionary fleets by potentially hostile, extraterrestrial fauna given its focus on armour penetration over dealing with shields. As is to be expected, the Storm is far more effective against large foes than smaller, more nimble ones due to the slower tracking on its impressively sized turrets. While not excessively clunky to maneuver, it is by no means able to pull off the spectacular feats of movement a fighter can and has thusly been compensated with decent shields and thick armour plating.
SSA-5C ”Zephyr” Command Vessel - The central ship of a survey fleet, the Zephyr is a truly massive craft capable of carrying the majority of an expedition’s crew while allowing them to conduct research, maintenance and even limited production of various basic equipment. It boasts a modest set of armaments to cover most angles but is not intended for battle, relying primarily on the fighter craft held within, ready to be deployed should the need arise. The Zephyr’s main role within the fleet however is as a central hub for communication, coordinating the rest of the fleet to efficiently survey star systems.
Equipment
The Survey Corps has been afforded the very top end where Steelworks technology is concerned and has rather substantially expanded upon this base to better accommodate their needs.
As a primary supplier of the Setlaar Armed Forces, The Steelworks have ever been on the bleeding edge of military technology, even if many of its advancements are fielded solely by veteran members of their own security division. When much of that technology reached The Corps a process of adjusting and refining brought it more in line with their own purposes and allowed for some reduction in cost. The result is that, on the face of it, SSC staff seem far in advance of what even the main company field. The truth is that The SSC's equipment merely looks this way and blends a lot of non-standard functionality for terrestrial operations in to meet their needs.
Armour, Shielding and Environmental Protection
The first and most obvious matter when dealing with space, and new unknown worlds beyond that, is environmental protection. Surprisingly enough this was easily dealt with by recycling technology from a past project to chart Chronus' sea floor, abandoned in part due to a long standing wariness of The Tidal Empire. With minimal tweaking and refinement the basics of total environmental protection were in place and ready to be integrated into the various suits and armours worn by personnel.
Weaponry
The SSC departs from main company's use of ballistic weapons in big way, their security personnel making use of specialised cut-beam weapons while pathfinders are issued marksman and sniper rifles of the same basic design principal but have access to standard ballistic weapons as well.
SC1 "Viscerator" Handcannon - The Corps' version of the "HotShot" thermal handcannon, issued to elite units and high ranking officers only. Compared to the standard models, the "Viscerator" is modified to directly lacerate via precise application of high frequency vibrations rather than sear through targets, giving it a rather bloody reputation. The modifications can be removed to restore its thermal capabilities but such alterations are strictly forbidden without authorisation.
SC3 "Render" Service Pistol - A fairly unique design based more closely on the Steelworks Service Pistol issued to security staff on Chronus, modified to be consistent with the rest of the SC line of weapons. The "Render" does much the same as the "Shredder", only with a lower range and less cutting power. Unlike the other SC weapons, the "Render" has a toggle for switching to a more 'traditional' thermal beam and may be freely switched as desired.
SC3 "Shredder" Assault Rifle - A progression from the "Render", the "Shredder" uses the same precise, high frequency vibrations to turn the LAW thermal rifle into a deadly death dealer. This is found most commonly in the hands of security personnel on duty. Much as with the "Viscerator" the modifications can be removed to turn it back into a more standard LAW. Interestingly there are no restrictions within The Corps prohibiting the alteration of the "Shredder", unlike its smaller counterpart.
SC4 "Lancer" Sniper Rifle - Following the theme, the "Lancer" is a powerful, vibro-lacerator based on the "Ultra Cutter". It finds primary use among SSC pathfinders in the field. Altering the "Lancer" back to its thermal state is permissible without the need to seek approval while on a planet's surface and on assignment.
Drones
In the interest of safety, The Corps makes extensive use of drones to aid with surveys, perform dangerous maintenance and to bulk out the security team. Probe drones serve well for initial survey tasks while more humanoid, intelligent pathfinder drones are deployed alongside pathfinders themselves. Combat droids are largely the same as those deployed on Chronus with only minimal alterations made to better handle low gravity environments.