Rennie's novels are a glimpse back into a different period of 40K, back when BFG was still in force (it still is, sort of, but not quite as much as it was, methinks.) It's at a time when things were still 'happening' - teh Gothic War, but before the 13th Black Crusade. I came into the universe much later, after those facts, but I suspect the universe seemed much more.. dynamic back then. Nowadays 40K seems to have a more 'backwards' looking aspect to it... it always runs up against that 999.M41 barrier for most sources (although some step ove rthat line a little bit...) but has yet to actually cross over it in any significant degree.
The Rennie novels are an abbreviated series that had quite a bit of promise, had Gordon Rennie been allowed to continue them. We got a 'ship's eye' view of the events covered in BFG with the Gothic War, and for me that was always kind of neat and fascinating. I've also liked the Imperial Navy portion of things in 40k quite a bit, and its quite a rare aspect of 40K to be visited nowadays (except as part of other things.) But what I most remember (and enjoy) about the BFG novels was their sense of epic-ness... we were getting a slice of a much larger picture, and there was much bigger things going on behind the scenes (with Semper being 'saved' for greater things.. that's a hallmark of alot of early 40K novels, the Emperor is an active, guiding presence in things lik ethat.) and how they approached things in a way far different from more recent novels (like the Eldar/Imperium alliance.. I loved that bit from Shadow point as well.)
Execution Hour, I've found, is actually a novel stitched together from several Rennie short stories that didn't show up in the BFG 'Warped storm' but in the old Inferno magazine. Like Abnett's 'Brothers of the Snake', the short stories got taken and put into a much bigger novel, but the series doesn't suffer from that. Indeed, it does a nice job of setting the scene, so to speak.
So, let's revisit the BFG novels yet again, and enjoy them a second time, with a much deeper look at things than when I first started out on this little jaunt, and we'll see how things have changed from then and now (aside from the fact there were alot more people visiting OSF, and alot more people active in the 40K debates. I actually admit I mourn the loss of that, I enjoyed the feedback and discussions the novels created, and that was one reason I started this to begin with.)
The old old thread is here and page two is here so we can make those comparisons. Have fun rereading it (sadly Ghost Rider - bless his soul - moved it around when it had been necro'd IIRC and he ended up screwing up the formatting, or something, so it doesnt' show up as Execution Hour anymore.
Oh and that reminds me, I'm definitely dedicating this to Ghost Rider for that reason (and he was one of those things that kept encouraging me - hell, his memory is probably a reason WHY I keep doing this, since we talked a fair bit of 40K stuff) I miss the guy tons still.
Oh, and yet another thing? This first update actualyl covers the first 'Inferno' Short story.
Back cover:
With seventeen bases, dozens of worlds, and at least two dozen that turn automatically to chaos due to uprising, we're talking some 65 worlds in the Gothic Sector, at least. Given some sources hint at hundreds, this is not surprising.Fighting a desperate rearguard action, the Imperial battlefleet has no choice but to sacrifice dozens of worlds and millions of lives to buy precious time fo rtheir scattered fleets to rgroup.
Page 9
The novel (or rather the short stories that make up the first half or so of the novel) picks up right after one of the short stories from BFG Warp Storm, which I cover here.They were the first words that anyone had heard spoken aloud on the bridge of His Divine Majesty’s Ship, the Lord Solar Macharius for hours.
Page 9
10K crew on the starship. nearly 1/10th the crew of the RT rpg stats.There was no such thing as silence on an Imperial Navy warship...
...
...work-bay and compartment echoed with the sounds of the more than ten thousand specimens of toiling, sweating humanity that made up its crew.
Page 10
One of the survivors of the ambush. Whether it is the only escort or there are others, we don't know. Presumably there are at least a squadron or two or three (maybe one of frigates and one or two of destroyers.)...his experienced eyes picking out the tiny moving dot of light that was the Indefatigable. As he watched, the light flared brighter as the Sword class frigate fired up its engines and veered away from the Macharius to rejoin the picket line of scout ships and defence monitor vessels now patrolling the fringes of the Stranivar system.
Page 11
First, 2/3 of the 'squadron' destroyed. This is a bit confusing with the short story where 1/2 the battlegroup was destroyed. My guess (tenatively) is that 2/3 might refer to the capital ship squadron ( 2 Lunar cruisers, if not the battleship, and the Macharius survives) but possibly not light cruisers or escorts. If we assume 4 capital ships plus 2 squadrons of escorts (6-8 ships) we get at least 10-12 ships total. If we go with 6-8 subsectors for each battlegroup, it would be 60-96 ships in BFG...Chaos ships had swept out of warp space and caught most of Battlesquadron Stranivar helpless in space-dock. The attack had been devastating - two-thirds of the squadron crippled or destroyed - but it was only in the aftermath that the full extent of the disaster became clear, as reports of similar sudden attacks come flooding in from all over the Gothic sector.
...
As the only ship in the squadron to survive unscathed, the Macharius was the first to put out of space-dock, on orders to rendezvous with a squadron of Cobra destroyers in the uninhabited Dolorosa system before travelling on to join the battlegroup currently gathering in the Bhein Morr system. It would be there also that the ship would take on its new complement of Fury and Starhawk deep space attack craft to replace its aged Interceptors and Marauders.
Secondly, within 'hours' of the attack, reports have flooded in from all over the Gothic Sector. Figure at least 100-200 LY distance for multiple messages to reach them in 'hours.' Far less than a rest period would be my guess, but less than a day. Hundreds of thousands of c average travel time (at least) for the messages given that, probably less for reeption of sector wide information.
Third, The Macharius is under orders to travel to two systems (to pick up new fighters... apparently its interceptors and Marauders are much older. Older isn't always better?)
Page 11
This would tend to suggest large scale, sector wide space conflicts are actually fairly rare, at least in the Gothic Sector's region of space. I'd add in a caveat that the Reign of Blood, various Black Crusades, etc. tend to pop into mind as being potential for large scale space battles, so there could be a sort of 'living memory' effect here, but it still suggests the whole 'GALAXY AT WAR' thing tends to get overrated. Its more that there is always potential for war, and you never who might strike you or where.This was Semper’s first command, and the onset of war on a scale not seen since the Horus Heresy ten thousand years earlier would scarcely ease the traditional problems encountered by all new captains straggling to master an unfamiliar crew and vessel.
Page 11-12
1.3 hours to reach the edge of the system. That's ~78 minutes. We dont know the ranges, but if we assume at least 1 AU, we get a max speed of .2c and 2500-5000gees. AT 20 million km or so we get between 350-400 gees and around 2.5-3% of c. If we assume 2.5 Million km (which is Inquisitorial grade distances) we're talking still needing 45-50 gees and max speed of 1000 km/s"Estimated time to the beacon?"
..
"One-point-three hours, flag-captain."
..
"Captain Semper to Magos Castaboras. Warp jump in one-point-three hours. Commence preparations immediately."
Odds are better for 1 AU than ~8 light seconds. And if its billions of km? We're getting into 'Sabbat Martyr' accel and velocity territory - 70-80% of c max and ten thousand-plus gees. Personally I'm settling more on the 1 AU or so range, since its still at least nominally plausible, but if we invoke the 'mass lightening' certain people have insisted is routine in 40K thanks to 'Eye of Terror' they might pull off those insane accels. Also reflects a possible timeframe for the ship to charge up its drives for the warp jump.
Page 12-13
The bridge of the Macharius. The interesting thing is how they imply the machine spirit is a living thing, which echoes all the Rogue Trader RPG stuff making ships more Titan like.The captain’s pulpit lay in the centre of the nave where it met with the bridge’s transept wings, and from where he could consult with his senior officers and oversee the vital gunnery, astrogation, ordnance control and surveyor sections of the command deck. Looking up, he saw tier upon tier of busy servitor drones and techpriests attending to the operation and adoration of the ship’s ancient logic engines, each subsection of a dozen or more servitors and their tech-priest overseer responsible for the monitoring of just one small part of the mighty machine-mind which inhabited and animated the battlecruiser’s systems.
The monitor galleries stretched almost up to the bridge’s vaulted ceiling some twenty metres above, but Semper found the figure he was looking for on one of the lower levels, standing on a walkway which spanned the breadth of the central nave and from where the command deck activity could be closely watched.
Page 13
Size of a Cobra destroyer squadron...still-burning wreck of the Cobra class destroyer. Of the other three vessels from the squadron, all that remained were three fading clouds of super-heated gas and dust several thousand kilometres distant.
Page 15
Chaos starshp captain (and presumably the crew) over 600 years old. Whether due to time dilation of the warp, or some chaos blessing, or what we dont know...but that had been over six hundred years ago as the humans of the Imperium reckon time, and so much - oh yes, so very much indeed! - had changed since then
Page 15
Warp engine activation gives Semper a headache.. the engines are powering up. Whether they have been all along or just started, we aren't sure.Leoten Semper could feel the sharp beginnings of a headache, always a sure sign of an approaching warp jump as the vessel’s ancient warp field generators powered up and sent out unpredictable psychic vibrations into the minds of its crew.
Page 16
Height of the commissar on Macharius.The commissar was a giant of a man, well over two metres tall..
Page 16
Role of a fleet commissar.Semper knew that the uniform of a fleet commissar... ...was designed to intimidate and inspire, but even without it the commissar would still have struck an imposing figure.
Page 16
The skin of the commissar’s face was disfigured with the tell-tale marks of white-hot plasma splash, and one half of it was twisted into a permanent snarl by a crude skin-graft which Semper recognised as a typically makeshift piece of battlefield surgery.
(crude) skin grafts can be part of battlefield surgery. In the navy at least.
Page 17
15 minutes to warp jump. If the generator started powering up then, this might be how long it takes to get the generators ready to open the warp gate. It would be considerably faster than the Fist of Russ in 'Wolf's Honour' as well.A loud warning chime sounded over the comm-net - fifteen minutes to warp jump..
Page 17
Interesting that nobility form a hive world seems to bear the same sort of stigma the lower classes would - at least in the Navy. This may reflect the insular/tribal nature of the Naval Families themselves - to which any officer of Hive world origins would naturally be an outsider."But, noble title or not, he’s still nothing more than Necromundan hive-trash. Hivetrash have their place on a warship, but only as press-gang conscripts. No senior officer would take orders from such a captain, no matter how high-born they claimed to be."
Page 18
Silicon robes. That wacky Admech!..the metal-masked figure of Magos Castaboras, resplendent in his glittering robes of woven silicon.
Page 18
I can't decide whether this is a security measure, or one guarnateed to ensure AdMech monopolies aren't violated.The vital task of taking a ship into warp space could only be done by the most senior tech-priest aboard, for only he could conduct the proper rituals or knew the correct Tetragrammaton code - the true secret name of that aspect of the Machine God which inhabited the Macharius’s systems - which allowed access to the ship’s warp drives.
Page 18
Man, this quote is interesting to consider in retrospect a good 4-5 years later. Back then I treated it literally as an indication of power generation, and it's lead to some.. interesting discussions from what I understand (and outrage.. which is always amusing. HOW DARE I TAKE SOMETHING AT FACE VALUE! As if 'common sense' is inherently less subjective..)At the magos’s command, the truly stellar levels of energy contained within the ship’s plasma reactors were released into the warp engines, ripping a hole in the fabric of space and pushing the cruiser forward into the immaterium. The Geller Field - the teardropshaped bubble of reality which protected the ship and its crew from the full fury of the maelstrom - crackled with power as waves of warp energy lashed against it, rocking the Macharius from prow to stern.
Now.. I'm of a bit of a different mind. It isn't so much that I changed my mind about what I think it means, but rather it's fair to say that its open to interpretations other than my own. But 'interpretation' goes more beyond whether we take it literally or not (which some people obsess way too much over. It's not like its a cornerstone of 40K calcs or anything..) Like alot of the other 'star' calcs, the kind of star as well as the content (energy in total or energy over a given time, like one second.) And as I noted it can be charged over a period of time (1.3 hours, 15 minutes, etc.) 900-4680 seconds for (say) 200-1000 GT is still going to be 'only' A sustained power output in the e17-e18 watt range.
My personal opinion, is that the 'truly stellar' does refer to a star, and in context with the 'star' quote when they come out of the warp, implies its a small star (like a red dwarf) which would be 'only' gigaton (or maybe teraton) over a relatively short period of time (seconds.) Which will no doubt engender outrage because of the LITERAL approach, but whatever.
Bear in midn though thats just my own opinion, and the best approach is to provide it and my reasoning and let the reader draw his or her own conclusions about how to interpret it.
Then again, I also have to admit a certain fondness for the quote too. Whilst its importance has actually diminished as the amount of material I've delved through has increased, there's still a certain appropriateness to bringing it up as supplementary evidence if nothing else. Plus, its potential to enrage the fanatical is always nice. 
Now all that aside, there's also the bit about the gellar field. And it may also suggest the warp drives run off a capacitor.
Page 19
The Macharius. 30 metre torpedoes, metres thick armour on the prow, and the Macharius is 3 km long,, which is smaller than the 5 km for the RT rpg sizes.Aft lay the engine section, comprising fully one third of the ship’s three kilometre length, but below him was the main body of the Macharius, bristling with crenellated gun turrets, observation domes and spires, antenna arrays and other baroque features of the vessel’s superstructure. On each side of the hull were the heavy weapon batteries and the tiered ramparts of the cruiser’s launch bays, each bay capable of unleashing wave upon wave of fast attack fighters and bombers. Ahead of him was the fearsome armoured beak of the prow, its metres-thick solid adamantine armour designed to smash through the hulls of enemy vessels in a full head-on ramming attack. There, too, was the ship’s main frontal armament: six missile tube tunnels, each firing a thirty-metre-long plasma torpedo.
Assuming a 5 m diameter torpedo 30 m long, and 250-1000 kg*m^3 density (about the average density of an aircraft carrier to the density of water) we're talking between 147 and 589 tonnes. If they're 6 m in diameter, we're talking 200-850 tonnes.
Page 19-20
Interesting how it implies that the Warp might have higher 'dimensions' to it than the one they currently reside. Also it takes 'a few days' for the ship to reach its current system to a new one. Assuming between 10-30 LY, but probably still within the subsector (100 Ly). Which translates to between 1200-1825c at least, to 3600-5500c.. or the 12000-18000c.The navigator paused, clearing all thoughts from his conscious mind and extended his gaze into the higher realms of the warp, using the psychic signal of the astronomican as a beacon to plot a safe course through the currents and tempests of the immaterium. Course changes and navigation instructions would be relayed down to the command deck for immediate implementation, but for the next few days, while the ship was in transit through the warp...
Page 20
unlike some warp examples, Semper is able to view the warp outside being 'electronically viewed' on the opticon screens. Which I believe are the viewscreens with the blast doors down, but I'm not sure....Semper stared in fascination at the complex and ever-changing energy patterns of the warp as they were electronically interpreted on one of the command deck’s opticon screens. Navigators claimed to be able to sometimes see glimpses of the future in the swirling patterns of the warp.
Also Navigators forseeing the future.
Page 20
At least a dozen navy bases. Assuming 10-12 ships per base like Macharius we're talking 120-144 ships....with the warfleets of Abaddon the Despoiler pouring out of the Eye of Terror and a dozen navy bases already fallen to the sudden onslaught of the Chaos attack..
Page 20
Chaos ships have their own navigators.. sorcerers, hinted at later I believe...hat the ship’s navigator-seer was standing before him.
Page 20
The Warp (Daemons) will provide Chaos forces warning."I have sensed it too. The powers of the warp warn us of the approach of our prey."
Page 20-21
..a miniature second sun suddenly blossomed in the vacuum of space, its light outshining that of the real star at the far distant centre of the planetary system. Waves of energy cascaded out of the extra-dimensional breach as a three-kilometre-long metal leviathan ripped its way back into the normal universe, its shields straining at near-overload point to withstand the terrible energies surging around it. His Divine Majesty’s ship the Lord Solar Macharius had completed a successful exit from the warp.
LOOK OUT! Another star based analysis. I'll say that by itself this is far less obvious and probably wouldn't mean much for power output by itself, although I take it in context with the other one (bearing in mind all the caveats). As I said before though it's an interpretation sort of thing, and in any case a person shouldn't be hinging their argument on singular ideas (either way.)
Furthermore is the reference to the 3 km long starship, and the emergence form the warp strains the shields (why that is is another matter.)
Page 21
Warp emergence messes with sensors and the power generation systems of the starship, albeit briefly.A ship was at its most vulnerable in the moments immediately after re-entering normal space, when its power levels were still in flux and the energy burst of its warp exit broadcast its existence and position to any other vessel in the system.
Page 21
The 'accuracy' angle may offer us one explanation why some ships (most ships) emerge from the warp so far out from the system. given the unpredictability of emergence points its possible you might end up colliding iwth something in-system. Depends on percentage of exit point we might involve hundreds of thousands or millions fo km."Astrogation reporting. Position confirmed as the Dolorosa system. Estimate we are within 89.7% accuracy of intended exit point."
Semper made a mental note to commend his navigator. Any jump that hit its intended exit point with more than a 70% level of accuracy was considered the mark of a master.
"Surveyors reporting. Heavy interference from warp energy residue."
also Warp intereference. What I find intresting about that is that given void shields are miniature warp rifts, this probably means they can mess with sensors (we know about reflex shields in that regard too...) as well as offering a different form of detection.
Page 21
not sure whether 'viewing devices' represents magnification of the viewports, or if it means just fancy telescope devices, but it could go either way.Semper turned to look at the empty starfield revealed beyond the viewing bay’s now-raised blast shields. Never mind longdistance surveyor reports, with the bridge’s enhanced viewing devices they should actually be able to see the waiting escort squadron.
Page 21-22
Given that we know from Nightbringer nad this very novel cruisers can engage out to hundreds of thousands of kilometres, we can only conclude that the ship's desire to 'cripple' the ship required it to get closer to allow precise targeting.Several hundred thousand kilometres directly behind the Macharius, the Contagion closed in on its prey. Power flowed through the Chaos vessel as its energy levels were gradually brought up..
...
"Maintain course and increase speed by mark point two. Stay in his warp trail. Bring the prow batteries and dorsal lances up to half power. Void shields to remain down until I give the order."
...
It was an ambush tactic he had long ago honed to perfection - using the energy trail of a craft recently emerged from the warp to mask his own approach from directly behind it.
Before the time the enemy even knew he was there, the Contagion would already be in position to deliver a crippling strike to its power systems.
Also the warp based ambush tactic - warp emergences can block sensors in a particular direction.
Page 22
Distance of Contagion from Macharius, as noted this is probably closer in becuase of the need for precision hits for crippling."Still a lot of warp energy interference, but possible target blip fifteen to twenty thousand kilometres immediately behind us and closing. Could be another ship!"
Semper didn’t hesitate. "Helm control - hard to port! Engineering - open port vent valves and engage plasma reactor emergency release systems!"
also the vent valves and plasma reactor are dumped as an EW measure.
Page 22-23
Plasma EW manuver."Target veering to port. Energy surge in his power systems."
...
"Full power to forward weapons. Fire when ready!"
...
"Flag-captain! The void shields!"
...
"No time!" bellowed Morrau in fury. ’Lock on with forward weapons and open fire!"
...
The Macharius swung round in space, gargoyle-faced vents opening up along its port side to bleed gaseous clouds of broiling plasma out into space. The expelled energy cloud appeared as a hazy after-image on the Contagion’s surveyor screens, confusing the Chaos ship’s targeting systems and sending its opening weapons fire blazing harmlessly past the Imperial cruiser.
"Engage void shields!" Morrau bellowed, already knowing that the Macharius’s manoeuvre would bring its port batteries into firing alignment before enough energy could be diverted to the Contagion’s void shield generators. At this range, the damage would not be critical, but the Chaos cruiser sustained several hull-deep hits as it passed through the sights of the Macharius’s weapons batteries, before its void shields finally powered up sufficiently to absorb the energy blasts and macro-shell impacts.
The moment of danger over, Hendrik Morrau sat back in his chair, grudgingly impressed by his enemy’s unexpected resourcefulness.
Engagement between Macharius and Contagion. Macor shells make direct hits (rather than proximity explosions) on Contagion's hull and shields at this range.
We don't know for sure what the actual time of the engagement is, but the fact the voids would 'take too long' to raise - and we know form shadow point that the Macharius' own voids take maybe seconds to raise, that its a very short time. On top of that, even moving at hundreds of metres per second, or perhaps kilometers a second, we're talking a matter of seconds. That might mesh more with the biref timeframe implied by 'moment of danger'.
Given that, and multiple broadsides fired, we could infer that the shells cross the distance in a matter of seconds, implying thousands of km/s shell velocity. Certainly given the implied acceleration in this novel, such short propogation rates would be needed to score direct hits (and would mesh with the definition of weapons battery fire. Nevermind the definitions for ordnance and the fact weapons batteries aren't vulnerable to point defense in the slightest.)
Page 24
Semper's manuver has a name, and seems to be standard doctrine"It has been some time - several centuries, in fact - since I last saw an Immerman Manoeuvre implemented so well."
Page 25
Dictator class cruiser outgunned by a Hades class Heavy cruiser, even if it had attack craft. But probably not by a substantial margin, since the Macharius is still able to destroy the ship."Without our payload of attack craft our offensive capabilities are limited. Even if we already had our new Starhawk squadrons aboard, we would still be outgunned against a Hades class ship."
Also of intrest is how the attack craft are implied to form a significant proportion of the Macharius' offensive capabilities. Considering this must also include torpedoes, that must say something.
Page 25
Comment on the navigation systems of chaos vessels. As we know from other sources, they often incorporate daemons in the machines (or even weaponry) to enhance them, and this can give them a strong advantage in the warp. It may even be another form of navigation (assisting the sorcerer-seers?)"..we have long known that the daemon-things which helm such renegade vessels have warp-senses superior even to those of our own Navis Nobilite. There can be no guarantee that we would be able to evade them in the warp as we would any other normal vessel."
The advantages of this approach (as opposed to the AStronomican and a navigator) are up to debate. Faster speed and more accurate navigation is one possibility, although not neccesarily without cost (Eg sacrifice.) It can give them advantages certainly when it comes to navigating in the warp in other ways (such as pursuing Imperial vessels, or tracking them), and in dealing with cetain phenomena (like warp storms, as we saw during the Horus Heresy. Indeed using warp storms to hamper Imperial navigation whilst Chaos forces operate unimpeded is far from an uncommon tactic.)
Page 26
Three days of constnat warp jumping, presumably from system to system. We don't know how much travel or how many jumps were involved, so it's hard to calc, but it also clearly represents some sort of limit on their power systems. One interpretation is that it represents a limit on fuel supply - they can operate at this state for three days, although the 'level' of operation and energies involved are complete unknowns. Another interpretation is based on the 'properly recharge their warp drives' - that there are different 'levels' - such as a minimum output to open a warp drive, an optimal one, etc. Under that interpretation the problem is more of a strain on the systems and the reserves of the batteries/capacitors storing the power. That is, the Contagion hounds them so much they never have enough time or opportunity to completely recharge for an optimal warp translation (perhaps minimal translations leave the window open too long, or make the translation rougher, or otherwise increase the risks.) and both the lack of time to properly charge coupled with the sheer number of translations made have overstressed the systems to their limits.It had been three days since their initial encounter with the Contagion in the Dolorosa system. Three days of emergency warp jumps and constant skirmishing with the Chaos vessel, the Macharius unable to shake off its pursuer.
...
Time and again the Chaos ship had emerged, weapons firing, from one of the swirling energy storms, forcing the Macharius to crash-jump back out of the warp to emerge in the empty interstellar void between star systems. Morrau’s ship would either follow them, not allowing them sufficient time to properly recharge their warp drives, or would wait in ambush for them to re-enter the warp again, the Contagion holding position on the ever-changing warp currents in a show of skill that no human navigator could ever match.
It had become a battle of energy levels and crew stamina instead of firepower and ordnance attacks..
...
...one which his ship was losing, its power systems and human crew overloaded to the point of exhaustion by the effort of so many emergency jumps.
An interesting consequence of this, and one alluded to shortlry, is that many ships systems seem to require a period of recharge - rather that the systems run on capacitors/batteries. This owuld suggest reactor output is substnatially less than performance might otherwise suggest, but its not impossible and could even explain inconsistencies in performance.
Assuming at least 3-4 translations occur (call it 30-80 LY transited) over 3 days or so we get between 3600 and 9700c, roughly.
Page 26-27
Interesting that 'macro cannon' are considered energy weapons, rather than projectiles, but note here as well they make impacts once more. Also warp combat is much shorter ranged than long range combat (hundreds, rather than tens of thousands of km, which as we note later is considered within point blank range.) They are also (in this instance) 'mass reactive' like bolter rounds, which reinforces that 'penetrate/impact before detonating' aspect' rather nicely.The Macharius rocked violently as the Chaos ship raked it with a primed volley of massed energy weapons fire and for a moment the Imperial ship’s command deck, its blast shields lowered for warp travel and many of its opticon screens switched off for maximum energy conservation, seemed more like a besieged underground bunker than the bridge of a warship as it shook under the impact of the enemy broadside.
..
"Void shields penetrated, starboard side.."
..
"No critical damage, but probably at least one of the starboard gun-bays knocked out of action."
...
..the awful devastation inflicted on the hundreds of crewmen in those gun-bays as the barrage of lance beams, mass-reactive explosive shells and white-hot plasma streams ripped through the Macharius’s metres-thick armoured hull.
...
At Semper’s command, the Macharius locked on with its remaining starboard weapons, both ships firing simultaneous broadsides as they came abeam of each other. Combat in warp space was up-close and deadly, the range of scanners and weapon targeters so limited here that engagements took place at distances measured in hundreds rather than tens of thousands of kilometres. The area between the two ships was saturated with energy as enough firepower to level a city was unleashed across it. Void shield strikes registered as bright blossoms on surveyor screens, and both ships shuddered under the impact of on-target hits.
Also of note is the 'level a city' quote. Not unusual for how its quoted, but interesting in that it applies to the fire from both vessels and over the period of the bombardment (which we don't know.) Of course we don't knwo what kind of city, and as alluded to before there are many different kinds and sizes of city, nevermind the definition of 'level' and the kinds of energy weapons talked about (explosive warheads differ from energy beams and kinetic impactors, naturally.) I'm sure some will latch onto this and put their own spins on it, but much like with the 'Star' quotes, it's open to interpretation and should nto be used isolated, but interpreted in context with everything else (that approach always swings both ways, though some may not always note it. Furthermore, every other example of 'level a city' must be taken into accoutn as well, as they can lead to differing conclusions in and of themselves.) (It's also rather funny how some people will pick and choose what we take literally and figuratively in a source, and in what manner. Stars are out, but cities are okay...)
note as well the 'energy conservation' measures, that tends to play into that 'capacitor/recharge' angle I alluded to before.
Page 27-28
Automated systems on board ship, at least for key systems like gellar fields. Of greater note is the strong indicator that Gellar fields consume a substantial portion of a ship's power - substnatial enough, anyhow, that a reduction to less than 2/3 their normal can provide substantial power to the manuvering thrusters (which even for a single gee, can mean huge amounts of energy for a multi megaton starship.)Semper swore, realising that they had either overloaded their dwindling energy levels or had taken reactor damage in the last broadside.
..
The ship’s ancient auto-systems would maintain the Geller Field’s own emergency generators, but before they exhausted themselves the Contagion would long ago have come about to blow his defenceless ship into drifting warp debris.
..
"Lower Geller Field to 60% of normal safety level!" he yelled. "Channel excess power into manoeuvring systems and hold it there in reserve!"
..
"Commissar Kyogen, stop him! Without the protection of the Geller Field we will be torn apart by the forces of the maelstrom!"
..
"Shoot us both if you must, but our deaths will only precede your own by a matter of minutes."
There is also the fact they can 'hold' power in reserve for the thrusters, again putting emphasis on that 'capacitor' interpretation of things (They charge up all ships systems from the reactors, meaning systems can perform above reactor levels for as long as those supplies last.) Indeed, Semper's comments about 'overloading' energy levels points to that as well, although the fact it could be the energy levels (capacitors/batteries) or reactor damage (reduced performance) means that any difference is not significant as far as performance goes (it may go more towards endurance than performance.)
Given a 'manuver for long periods of time, then have brief passing broadside engagements' approach to combat in 40K which some sources go for, this would probably work well - you spend time in between broadsides charging up your systems preparing to fire. And as I said this can help explain possible inconsistencies in performance (like for engines. One acceleration value coudl be for reactors alone, whilst another could be reactors + energy from reserves.)
Page 28
Chaos captain tries to 'read the warp' to guess the intentions of his opponent.He tried to read his enemy’s intentions in the flickering patterns of the maelstrom, sensing a possible trap.
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At 40% the gellar field can only provide a minute or two of proection. apparently the 'percentage' of protection level does not scale linearly, as 100% provides indefinite protection, and even 60% provided far more long term protection than a few minutes."Lower Geller Field level to 40%," Semper ordered, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. There was a deep groan from all around them - the ship’s hull starting to buckle inwards as the forces of the warp pressed in all around the weakened Geller Field.
...
..the warp field could not maintain its integrity for more than one or two minutes at such a low energy level.
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Again 'recharging' generators. I assume this means properly charging up the warp drives, but it could mean systems in general as well."We’ll recharge our generators and make any necessary repairs before continuing on to Bhein Morr."
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"hundreds of ships" in the gothic sector fleet. Now there are two interpretations of this. One is that it means 'warships in general' which means there are hundreds of escorts and capital ships total. The other is that it refers to 'cruisers' specifically (or even cruisers like the Macharius.) The latter is unlikely for various reasons (it would make defending/garrisoning worlds easier, for one thing.) but the former is quite possible. The obvious objection is 'it conflicts with the 50-75' figure presented in the BFG rulebook, although that is a general figure and not an absolute in the least. Indeed, it would be very hard to stick to that range given ships will be gained and/or lost at various points so the value may fluctuate up or down regardless. It's hardly as if the Imperial Navy will just throw away starships is it?Those readers less well-versed in the details of the later events of the Gothic Sector War may wonder why I have involved myself to such an extent in the events surrounding one vessel - which was, to be sure, just one of hundreds such warships amongst Battlefleet Gothic - and its so far unknown captain.
Another possibility is that the bulk of those 'hundreds' of warships are usually mothballed except in emergenices (like a sector-spanning war). They may represent older, harder to maintain, or even outdated vessels (and we know such reserves exist.), and the strain of operating/maintaining the vessels (Crew, logistics, etc.) might very well strain the resources of the sector in most cases. We do knwo from the BFG short story precedign this novel they DID have at least some of the ships in battlegroups/squadrons mothballed (like the battleships) so there is definite merit to that. In that context, 50-75 would represent the 'typical' active strength, rather than the absolute strength, of the Navy.
It is (somewhat) possible that the number includes sublight system ships operated by the Navy, armed merchant cruisers/Q-ships, armed freighters, private military vessels (or any short-ranged warp capable warships) and various scouting/recon vessels, but some of those tend to be stretching the context (definition of warship, warship 'like' the Macharius, etc.) You could probably get away with the 'short range' warp ships (warship version of chartist vessels) though without stretching things too badly. I'd even wager that most (all?) of such vessels are going to be purely escorts (which is another point to bear in mind - hundreds of ships doesn't tell us much about the breakdown. 90+% of those could be escorts, with only a small number of cruisers and light cruisers and a handful of battleships. Given the problems the Navy has, large numbers of small units to do patrol and anti-piracy roles would be ideal.)
In any case with thousands of sectors like the gothic sector we're talking close to half a million warships at least, possibly a million or more (especially if you factor in FFG materials)
Wouldn't shrapnel indicate..like...the opposite?
(of course that doesnt tell us what kind of star, so we're not neccesarily talking OMFGPETATONS either even if it was taken seriously.)