Now, I don't have a problem with the sudden larger than expected fleet being at Kubindi, what I do have a problem with is you linking it to Tammar in any real fashion. That is complete OOC information that you are misusing. Those vessels have no identifying markings on them whatsoever and they just came in system. You have no idea who sent them, no method of identification, nothing. I mean, even the ship types are different in this attack, so please no attempts at linking like that. It messes with the whole veil of secrecy/fog of war.

All you should know is its a fleet and its approaching, nothing more, nothing less.

So has the R&D issue been solved then?

They dont have them so they are using Old ORS tech appearently...

Exactly, Omega - they have no distinguishing marks.

They fly no nations' colours, they leave no message, they tell us nothing. Thus, we call them 'Outlaws'. If anything, it is more unusual to see a large fleet without markings than one with markings, and for there to be two attacks of largish fleets with no distinguishing features so soon to each other leads to the conclusion that they are linked.

We could point to the similarity in tactics - no demand to surrender or negotiations, just a strict formation. Also, although the ships are indeed 'hodge-podge', the fact that they're specifically using ships that belong to no one group in particular suggests a private backer with enough wealth to afford second-hand ships, not the newest warships off the line or private creations. All this points to some sort of outlaw or bandit organization, mercenaries in the hire of the Black Dragons.

Admittedly, if I said "It must be the Union! Omega Thrax in particular!" then I'd be way overstepping my bounds of knowledge, but suspecting the two attacks linked isn't too much. It's war. Things like this don't happen by chance.

While I dont dispute the claim of Outlaws, even though they could be a refugee fleet by the same token... In an IC Spin, you've been attacked by a Cree'Ar hodgepodge fleet in the past I believe, victims of your own surrendered ships. BDE also got ships there too, whos to say were not throwing our scraps at you?

Ummm, not quite.

More noticeable, however, was the Claymore battlecruisers, Longsword Frigates, and Kris starfighters that sat with great formality in orbit.

As I recall, the Longsword et al. R&D were never in question... it was their cloaking, interdictor-evading fighter...

Actually, the thing was that all the new ships, except for the few that were done before, had their 500 word RP's done in the war threads themselves. Meaning they have one or two of the ships at best.

So, is construction time (no longer relevant as pretains to ship construction) still applicable in "game time" or story-time? And if so, what is the proper method of determining construction time? If you consider that, currently, building a warship (in this case we'll use a Nimitz class carrier) takes about 2-5 years from keel to trials and costs in the neighbourhood of 4.5 billion dollars; what factors remain constant and which could, potentially, dramatically increase or decrease the construction period?

Has this been discussed before? If so, where...

Sorry to interupt the thread. Seemed a valid point.

Well, if the 'distinguishing marks' issue is finished, the fleet of Kris fighters, Longsword Frigates, and Claymore Battlecruisers are certainly in no doubt at all - their R&D dates back to the original Military Restoration, that was a thread purely dedicated to the construction of new ships and refurbishment and reestablishment of the Coalition's military organizations.