by Dean Henegar
“Sorry to ask, sir, but there is no way we’ll all fit on your destroyer unless we’re stuffed in like sardines. What exactly are you planning to do?” Commander Herrera asked.
“Don’t worry, Commander. The Franklin isn’t going to be a destroyer for long. Just be patient for a day or so, and you’ll see what she becomes. I think you’ll be impressed,” Slater said. He thanked them for their time and left them with Camden and Cheng. Hopefully his loyal crew would reassure them that this crazy situation was real. He was far too busy to have to deal with a bunch of disgruntled humans.
— 23 —
“Captain Guzman, I’d like to discuss the upgrade of the Franklin if you have the time,” Slater asked.
“Of course, sir. What were your thoughts on the class of ship you wanted to become?” Guzman replied. He looked genuinely curious about the ship’s next design evolution.
“I was thinking of a battlecruiser design, specifically the Renown class. What are your thoughts on that class of ship?” Slater asked.
“That would be quite an upgrade, Commodore, but I have to ask: with the mothership and the station to work with, why not go bigger and do a full-fledged battleship?” Guzman asked.
“That’s what I was thinking at first, but we’ll need speed as well as firepower to survive if the enemy fleet arrives before we leave. The battlecruiser gives us the firepower to kill anything that can catch us and the speed to avoid anything that can kill us. At least that was the original thinking way back in history. Besides . . . I’ll need to keep up with the rest of the fleet,” Slater added, watching the curious look come over Guzman.
“Rest of the fleet, sir?” Guzman asked.
“Exactly, Captain. I have been spending much of my time researching upgrades to existing ship designs that will enable them to function with only a fraction of the crew that a similarly sized traditional vessel would require. With my other refinements, the ships we build will hit harder, have better armor, and even repel boarders more effectively than any other ship in their class. I intend to use the resources we gain from this station to build a small task force. After all, we now have six experienced senior officers to take the helm of the ships I build,” Slater said.
“But . . . Well, that is not what I expected. What is the reasoning behind your decision? Not that I disagree,” Guzman asked.
“We face the threat of an entire enemy fleet bearing down on us. I can face it as a single super-battleship or as a battlecruiser with a fleet of support ships at my side. More importantly, should the enemy catch us, the fleet can scatter and have a greater chance of one of us making it home. My research on ship automation, weapons improvements, and a few other upgrades I’ll show you later just might give humanity an edge in the war,” Slater said.
Guzman considered what had been said for a moment. Then his face darkened as he replied. “Those things didn’t help the elves, did they? The council and the other races overwhelmed their empire, even though they had the support of two derelicts. We have only you.”
“When Illissa passed, she gave me some of her insight. I could see what happened in those last days of the elves. I could see what worked for them and against them in their defense. Before the council turned its gaze upon the elves, they had lived in peace for a long time. Their territory was defended by a fleet, but the ways of war were foreign to the elves. When the other races struck, it took time for them to learn the ways of war once again. Warfare, sadly, has been a part of humanity since the first caveman hit another with a rock. We fight, and we’re good at it. Warfare is an art form, and humanity is the Michelangelo of the universe. All we need is an edge. The research I have completed will give us that edge,” Slater said with confidence.
“I believe that you believe that, sir. I’ll reserve my judgment for when I see the results, not that I wouldn’t mind commanding a ship of my own once again,” Guzman added.
Slater laughed before replying. “I can understand how having me as a backseat driver makes being captain a bit frustrating. Thank you for your trust and your willingness to help,” Slater added. “The elves made one major mistake in their defense. Besides taking too long to switch to war footing, that is. Their one mistake was in counting on the two derelicts to save them. I can produce an amazing amount of material in a short time, but the real advantage I can give humanity is in my research. Improving all aspects of our ships and weapons will be a much more effective force multiplier than having me parked in orbit, spitting out more of what we already have.”
“Now that I know your plans for saving humanity, let’s see about a battlecruiser design that would be best suited to what you have in mind. The Renown is a good overall design, and if it has a flaw, it lies in the limited point defense the ship carries. The American Alaska class is strong all around, as well as the Lazarev class the Russians designed,” Guzman suggested.
“I didn’t consider the Lazarev since it seemed more geared toward being a heavy missile platform. With a few tweaks, any of the three can be a good template. Alaska has a smaller main battery, and I do love my guns, so I think we’ll use the Renown as the template but beef up the point defense with a similar arrangement to Alaska. As far as missiles go, an eight-tube launcher will have to suffice. Anything larger and we’ll be forced to cut into our point-defense spread,” Slater said, already tweaking the basic design of the Renown to fit what he had in mind.
“In terms of the other vessels, what were you planning to create?” Guzman asked.
“I was going to go with a fast task force. A couple of destroyers and some corvettes as support should do the trick and not deplete our salvage reserves too much. We already have a good design with the previous iterations of the Franklin, so those will be the template,” Slater advised.
“Very good, sir. Let us know if we can help in any way,” Guzman said, and Slater cut the commlink.
He got to work, first building a fresh swarm of construction drones. His upgraded core allowed him to command triple the number of MOBS as before. After ushering the human crew off of the Franklin—save for those still being treated in the med bay—Slater began transforming the Franklin into a truly powerful ship of the line. The salvage bricks stuffed into every corner of the vessel were used up as the ship expanded and grew. It took everything he had on board, all the salvage he had already stored on the station, and a good chunk of the mothership to finish building out the battlecruiser Franklin. It was, at least in his eyes, a thing of beauty.
The ship was double the length of the destroyer and more than twice as wide. A twin-mounted fifteen-inch railgun turret sat fore and aft, with the aft turret on the bottom of the hull. A similarly sized laser battery was mounted in a superfiring configuration over the first railgun turret. Four twin five-inch railguns and a single five-inch laser battery were placed on each side of the ship, providing a powerful secondary punch that could serve in a dual-purpose role as an additional point-defense weapon if needed. Eight internal missile tubes were placed near the bow, the only place on the ship with enough room for them. The missile magazines carried five reloads for each tube, giving him more staying power in a long-range fight. Eighteen single-mount point-defense weapons completed the ship’s armament and consisted of a mix of railguns and lasers. The point-defense fire he could bring to bear on any small craft or missiles approaching his ship was impressive. Crew quarters were built out for up to two hundred, though more could be transported in a pinch. The med bay increased in size as well, giving him four of the automatic treatment interfaces that had proven effective on Private Long and the newest patients from the gnomish space station. The entire ship looked like a predator ready to strike.
Dining, recreation, and training areas were designated, though space would be tight since Slater was more focused on combat effectiveness with this design. The ship itself had three decks, the upper decks holding the twin docking ports the previous versions of the ship had used. Automated defenses were placed internally at strategic points, and several o
ther nasty tricks were implemented where Slater could find the space. As before, attackers would have to board in the bow of the ship, traverse the entire length, then descend to the second deck, which contained much of the ship’s machinery as well as the auxiliary reactor that supplemented his core energy. If any attackers made it through the defenders on the second deck, they would have to fight their way down the third deck, where the humans resided. The defense of the third deck was once again centered in the rifle range, where enhanced bunkers and crew-served weapons abounded.
His core room was expanded to fit his new bulk. The decoy room also increased in size appropriately. The actual core was once again below the decoy room, separated by over a foot of armored deck. He built a last-ditch effort failsafe into his design, hoping he never had to use it. The deck around the core room and other critical areas was reinforced. While foes could cut through it, given enough time, they would leave themselves open to counterattack in the process.
The hull armor was more than double the thickness of the destroyer. Not to mention, he had improved the alloy, making it stronger against both kinetic and energy weapons. He could shrug off all but the most powerful hits, and it would take smaller ships some time to burn through the armor, time he would use to pound them to salvage. The shields needed further upgrading, as did the main drive units. Both were now good, but he wanted great. When his current round of research was complete, he would focus on those systems once more.
It had taken him over two days to rebuild the Franklin, a tiny fraction of the time it would have taken humans to build a similar ship. During the buildout, he had been focused on his ship but had taken the time to speak and interact with the new humans. He also needed to deal with the remaining gnome prisoners. The newest crew members had all behaved themselves; no traitorous Diaz-like individuals had shown themselves, at least not yet. He was ready to have his crew back on board but also wanted to start training the other humans on the ship’s systems. It was time to hold a meeting.
“All ships officers, please report to the Franklin’s bridge,” he announced. The captains and commanders, along with some other senior officers, sprinkled in and made their way on board the new Franklin. Slater used helpful floor lighting to show them the way to the bridge on the third deck. The first deck held a mock bridge that his MOBS could use to try and fool other gnomish stations in the near future. The bridge itself was upgraded, Slater incorporating some more comfortable seating designs that he had stolen from Keeblhar’s command chair.
“Everyone, make yourselves comfortable. Feel free to use the refreshments dispenser if you need something to eat or drink. The gnomes had some interesting food designs that are compatible with human bodies,” Slater announced as everyone took a seat, several taking him up on the offer of refreshments. It was perhaps a bit out of place on the bridge of a warship, but having access to food and drink during a protracted battle would be a welcome relief for a stressed-out crew.
“Wow, these are delicious! The gnomes should give up on attacking ships and taking slaves. They could make a fortune selling baked goods,” Doctor Cheng said, tasting some of the new additions to the menu. The gnomish diet consisted almost entirely of sweets, and the Keeblhar clan was known for its baked goods, Slater had learned from the station archives.
“Folks, as you can see, the Franklin is having the finishing touches applied to her as we speak. Once completed, I plan on starting to build new ships for you to crew and command. The designs I’ve come up with require little in the way of crew. Automation and drones will provide much of the labor normally required to fight a vessel. While the designs are efficient, they still need a human crew to function properly. Included in each ship’s database will be a copy of all the improvements and thoughts on how best to implement them into existing shipyards. Our mission is to get that data home. If only one ship makes it, humanity has a chance to survive. That being said, I intend for all of us to make it back. The path is going to be a long and difficult one, but the task force, which I am designating Task Force Vengeance, will make it back,” Slater advised.
“This is a very impressive ship, Commodore Slater. Are you building similar ships for us to command?” Captain Peirce asked.
“Sadly, Captain, there is only one battlecruiser in the task force. You will each be commanding a vessel similar in size to the ones you were at the helm of previously. We’ll have two destroyers and four corvettes. We will move fast, strike the enemy where we can, and always be keeping a course toward home,” Slater answered. The captain looked disappointed for a few moments, but the thought of a new ship, even if it was another destroyer, snapped him out of it. Slater had the feeling they would be even more excited when they saw what he could build for them.
“I’m downloading specs of your vessels, and I’m having mockups of each bridge built here on the first deck of the Franklin so you can begin to train your crews on the new systems. I designed all the interfaces to be similar to what they’re used to, streamlining where I could. As far as training rotations, you’ll work that out among yourselves,” Slater said, giving them a moment to look through the specs before continuing.
“I should have the first two ships, a pair of corvettes, completed within a few days. Once they’re done, I’ll work on the destroyers before completing the final pair of corvettes. Learn quickly, people. The enemy approaches, and we need to be gone before they get here,” Slater finished, dismissing the officers.
The drones started to build the first pair of corvettes, using up the last bits of mothership before taking material from the station as they went. The giant structure was slowly shrinking to provide what his ships needed. The corvettes would each feature a dual-mount three-inch railgun, and he was able to bump up the number of point-defense turrets from two to four. The internal missile launchers and magazines were removed to make way for storage and living space, things he hadn’t needed when he was a corvette. Food and water would need to be stored, as the ships wouldn’t have a derelict core to reprocess everything for them. In fact, he would have to use up most of his biomass to create rations. Thankfully, the food processor units could take basic foodstuffs and create quite a variety of foods.
The destroyers were armed as per his original design, their larger size giving him more room to store the necessary consumables. The improved reactors provided more than enough power for the ship and its automated features. Drones not too dissimilar to his construction bots were used throughout the ship to repair and fabricate whatever might be needed. Their numbers were limited based on the power of the ship’s main computer, and they were much less efficient than his own. Without a derelict core pumping them with constant power, the new ship drones would require occasional recharging, further hampering their overall effectiveness.
Given enough time and raw materials, the drones could repair even extensive damage to the new vessels as long as at least one of the primary or secondary ship’s computers were operational. If the ship’s computers were both down, the drones would follow a preselected repair sequence that focused on life support and the computer systems. A crude form of combat drone, based on his reapers, would protect the ships from boarders, eliminating the need for a large complement of marines or soldiers. His automated internal defense designs were also placed on the new ships, giving the crew a chance to fight back without exposing themselves to danger.
All told, the new ships would require only a quarter of the crew a similarly sized vessel would need. The repair bots would be a godsend, but he would still have the captains emphasize damage-control procedures for their people. While the combat bots he had designed for the new ships had good armor and adequate targeting systems, his reapers would tear them apart. Despite not being as powerful as his core control units, the combat bots should be more than capable of taking out gnomes and the like. The corvettes each had twenty repair drones and twenty combat drones.
Slater was building as fast as he could. He had shielded his core as well as possible and w
ould refuse to answer any more calls from Administrator and his ilk. Still, would he finish the buildout and process all the salvage in time?
— 24 —
It took four days to finish up the corvettes. Working out the final bugs in the new designs had taken him longer than he anticipated. Not being in direct control of the new ships delayed things more than he would have thought. Of course, he wasn’t a fool and had implanted overrides into each of the vessels, enabling him to shut down drives and weapons at a moment’s notice. There would be no more mutinies on his watch. For the most part, he felt good with the new crew. They were nearly all professional military and well disciplined. Not to say there weren’t disputes—that many people in a small space always led to some conflict—but the conflicts had stayed away from the “let’s kill Slater” kind he had faced before.
His research completed while the corvettes were under construction, and he also worked out some upgrades for the main drives and shields. The new upgrades contributed to the delay. They completed when the ships were almost ready and required his drones to rebuild the drives and shield generators on the corvettes to the new standard. The use of a single shield generator proved problematic for a ship as large as the Franklin, and even with the improvements, he was forced to add a second shield generator to his vessel. The extra space for the generator came from the missile magazine, reducing his number of reloads to four.
The ship’s crews had been hard at work, trying to learn the new systems that would allow them to fight their vessels. They were coming along quickly, but only a few days had passed, and they were still figuring out the basics. Slater decided that command of the first ships would be based on how far along their captains and crew were with their training. All the crews gathered in the main dining hall of the Franklin for the formal announcement.
