Klendathu Ranging Shot - ON TARGET!

[Mako]

I guess it's to be expected, so as not to create widespread panic around the world, but the following story is going unreported, and/or under-reported, in the news.

Klendathans apparently have finally got the range and accuracy to our little blue marble in the cosmos, with more than 550 shots at us, in the last 20 years, that were on target - that's more frequently than one rock hitting the Earth every two weeks.

In their latest salvo, they attempted to knock out our Strategic Defense, Early Warning Radar base at Thule, Greenland, with a 2.1 kiloton strike.  Fortunately, the base and personnel there survived.

"A fireball was detected over Greenland on July 25, 2018 by US Government sensors at an altitude of 43.3 km. The energy from the explosion is estimated to be 2.1 kilotons."

"Credible reports of a meteor exploding with 2.1 kiolotons of force above a US Air Force early warning radar at Thule Air Base in Greenland have surfaced.

• The Air Force has been silent on the event.

• NASA did provide a Tweet with data showing record of an object of unspecified size traveling at
24.4 Kilometers per second (about 54,000 MPH or Mach 74) almost directly over Thule, Greenland".

https://www.businessinsider.com/mystery-meteor-reportedly-explodes-21-kilotons-above-us-military-base-2018-8?amp%3Butm_medium=referral

So, how long do we have until the next strike, which will no doubt be with larger rocks?

Looks like less than 2 weeks, if their firing follows historical precedent.

AND, I guess I should point out the obvious, we have virtually no defense, unless rumors of that secret base on the dark side of the moon turn out to be true.

Clearly, we humans are not doing enough in the Bugs vs. Humans War.

How will you integrate this intel into your future gaming?

I see lots of opportunities for epic space battles, planetary invasions, ground assaults, guerrilla warfare, etc., etc., assuming we survive to launch them from our home planet.

[Wachaza]

It's the Thule Society. Call the BPRD-send in Hellboy.

[The_Beast]

I don't know why you put this in Future Wars. It's here and now! 

Seriously, credible suggestions on handling of non-'foreign' threats might indicate slinging rocks to be less effective than a movie suggests.

Just want to say, though, that I never heard of anyone pointing out the silliness of launching non-warp capable asteroids on interstellar target paths. I've always assumed folk found it just too incredulous to even mention. Talk about 'planning ahead...'

Doug

[Weezbeez37]

I for one completely understand where you are coming from..... 

This is why I have 2 of the Khurasan " Bugs " (proper spelling of said bugs I don't know off hand) and a platoon of the best "Bug" killers in the known region.... The Starship Troopers aka The Mobile Infantry....

I will be using Rebel Miniatures 15mm Earth Force Home Guard and Khurasan's "Bugs" with the FUBAR rules for my planetary defense platform...

Would you like to know more?

Weez

[Daeothar]

...Just want to say, though, that I never heard of anyone pointing out the silliness of launching non-warp capable asteroids on interstellar target paths. I've always assumed folk found it just too incredulous to even mention. Talk about 'planning ahead...'

Well to be fair, in the Paul Verhoeven Film, the rocks were accellerated out of their original orbit, and then shot towards Earth using some sort of Warp technology or wormhole, if my memory serves me.

This is seen in the scene where Whatsherface has the conn of the Roger Young during the ship's night cycle. At first there is a gravitational disturbance, and then the rock just suddenly appears, en-route to Earth, neatly (and conveniently) shearing off the ship's entire communication array so no warning could be sent ahead.

In the book though, I believe the Bugs simply bomb the crud out of Buenos Aires in the conventional way.

And then there is the Larry Niven novel Footfall, in which elephant like aliens (yeah... ) invade Earth after picking up rocks from Saturn's rings. Those rocks are fitted with some sort of guidance system, for use in orbital bombardments.

I will be using Rebel Miniatures 15mm Earth Force Home Guard and Khurasan's "Bugs" with the FUBAR rules for my planetary defense platform...

And I've been collecting and painting old Warzone Capitol troops as not-Starship Troopers (that are also not-Colonial Marines) and many, many GW Hormagaunts with Heresy Lurker heads as bugs for just such a game...

[Mako]

Perhaps they're just launching them from our own asteroid belt, and we don't have a clue.

I feel like the ant in the ant colony, that just blindly goes about his business, not knowing there's impending doom just above, when a human decides to take his next step, crushing the little, oblivious insects below.