Atopian Space Force

The Atopian Space Force was created in the late 20th Century with the launch of the first Atopian satellites. Currently comprising some five Ultra class Star Destroyers and their attendant fleet vessels, including the 'World Devastator' super-factory ships. With each Ultra class vessel and their fleets housing some 20 million people, the Grand Fleet is home to the entire Atopian population - without a planet to call their own, the Atopians have become a nation of wanderers. This has, unsurprisingly, had a major impact on the Atopian Military in the Age of Space.

The Early Space Force

The principal space assets of the ASF remain the space stations of the FASCES system. All of these ten geostationary stations are home to 250 crew who rotate on a three-monthly basis, spending one season on board and three on Earth. In addition, there is Unity, the space dock at the lagrange point between the Moon and the Earth, which is responsible for the construction of the few vessels of the Space Fleet. These ferry personnel and material to and from the various stations and the moonbase, Victory.

Victory was established in 2023, four months after the completion of Unity and ten after the finishing of the FASCES satellite and space-station network. It is currently home to 50,000 men and women who are the fourth generation of colonists. It has since been joined by Glory, the Mars colony, which is home to a further 50,000 colonists – all of whom are part of the ASF.

Militarily speaking, the ASF has been engaged in combat just once during this early period, during the British Londinian war, during which time it performed admirably, losing only two vessels and destroying six of the enemy ships. The practice of decompressing the interiors of the space stations, spaceships and other assets, and fighting whilst the crews were suited up proved to be successful. After-action reports showed that whilst many vessels were holed, none were lost due to explosive decompression – unlike those of the Royal Navy, whose crews fought unsuited and as a result took much heavier losses.

During the 21st Century, the ASF’s assets were as follows:

FASCES 1 through 10 – each 250 crew on-station, 1,250 assigned personnel (4 duty crews, 1 reserve; total for all ten: 12,500 personnel)

Unity – 1,000 crew on-station, 5,000 assigned personnel (4 duty crews, 1 reserve)

Moonbase Victory – 50,000 permanent personnel.

Mars base Glory – 50,000

Atopian Space Vessel (ASV) Action, Black Banner, Phalanx, Lightning, Mailed Fist, Triumph of the Will, Believe Obey Fight, Fasces, Axehead, Primo – each 200 crew

ASV Shuttles 201 to 212 – 60 crew (5 per shuttle)

In addition, there are four launch sites on Earth. There are one each in Airstrip One (occupied Die Boerstaat) and Stakhanograd (Laquatia), and two in Atopiana. In all, there are some one million ASF personnel on Earth. With some 5,135,000 men and women during the 22nd Century Expansion Period, this made the ASF equal in size to the Naval Service and represents a massive increase in investment from its humble beginnings as the smallest section of the AMC with just 5,000 personnel.

The Vessels

Ultra Class

There are currently 10 Ultra class vessels in service with the Atopian Space Force. These are as follows:

1) Atopian Space Vessel Action, Flagship of the Grand Fleet and home to the Primo of Atopiana.

2) ASV Victory

3) ASV Behemoth

4) ASV Inevitable Conquest

5) ASV Unbreakable

6) ASV Revolution

7) ASV Grantham

8) ASV Grand Line

9) ASV Mosley

10) ASV Kropotkin

Each Ultra class can carry a maximum of some 18 million people, including three full crews which rotate on a watch-rota system. The 270km long behemoths form the core of the ASF's Grand Fleet, and, together, house the majority of the population.

Above: The Victory is portrayed in scale with the principle ships of the Skgorrian Air Force - the Sovereign, Imperium and Victory class Star Destroyers.

Attendant Fleets

Each Ultra class vessel is accompanied by an ‘Attendant Fleet’ of ships, many of which can and do dock with the Ultra class. An example Attendant Fleet is shown below:

10 x Imperial class Star Destroyers, 5 x World Devastator super-factory ships, 2 x Interdictor Star Destroyers, 2 x Executor class Super Star Destroyers; 4 x Victory class Star Destroyers.

Fighters, lighters, shuttles, bombers, and other such small craft are innumerable, with each vessel in an Attendant Fleet – along with the Ultra itself – being home to many hundreds. All, however, are flown not by members of the Space Force, but the Atopian Aerospace Force.

The Attendant Fleets are most often seen split into two groups, known as the Flank Groups. These comprise an even split of vessels, each led by an Executor and consisting of five Imperial class, one Interdictor and two Victories. The World Devastators form their own battlegroup in combat, and remain close to the Ultra class. Their job is to repair and rebuild, and – very occasionally – to live up to the name of their crews’ unit, and annihilate a planet. Mostly, however, the super-factories rely on asteroids, small moons, and wrecked enemy vessels for their raw materials.

It should be noted that the correct terminology for an Attendant Fleet led by an Ultra class vessel is ‘Exploration Fleet’ or, if at war, the Exploration Fleets are renamed Battlegroups. Each Battlegroup is identified by the name of the Ultra class at its heart, thus Battlegroup Victory or Battlegroup Kropotkin. So far, no enemy has been able to subdue or seriously damage either a Battlegroup or the Grand Fleet, and it is the strength of the Atopian Space Force that has enabled the Atopians to finally make not only peace, but an alliance, with their age-old enemy of Skgorria.

Land Bases

Prison Planet 29183/JD - VORKUTLAG

Fort Frank