NationStates Jolt Archive


Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

Tsaraine
24-02-2004, 05:14
Division Council Chambers, Deep Tsarai, Tsaraine

Once again the Division Commandants were arrayed around the long table, looking at the images projected onto the screens. This was Tanyi ralKeyra's presentation; Rene sat back and watched.

"As you know," the diminutive Division Nine Commandant was saying, "The development of the Space Command has primarily been progressing in non-military branches so far, and most technological development has been occuring in the Air Command. It's a dangerous system out there, Commandants, and I for one believe that the current policy is a dangerous one.

"I have also discovered what I believe to be a relitavely easy way to fix that problem."

She tapped the touchscreen, and an image flashed up; a medium-sized ship, evidently a military vessel.

"This is an IACS-01 Oberth class escort/destroyer, designed and built by Iraqstan. Now, according to what I've been able to find out, the class is mothballed, replaced with more advanced vessels. However, for our purposes it's nearly perfect; a suitable escort vessel to protect the colonies or the freighter fleets.

"We would have to go extensive modification, however; Setnet recordings show that the primary drive is plasma-based, and rather more inefficient than our own antimagnetics, making a maximum acceleration of about three meters per second per second.

"Commandant tsaGehn, you have a comment?"

The lanky Div8 Commandant nodded. "Can we afford this, with the other expenditures we're making? I need not remind you that the Air Command is currently in it's own rather expensive development phase."

"I believe we can, Commandant. For one thing, those asteroid mines have put us among the top ore-producing nations (OOC: 365 in the world for mining! Whee!); we could conceviably use the same payment-in-raw-materials scheme we did for use of the NDA shipyards when building the Horus-class freighters. Which we would likely need to do again when refitting the ships.

"For another, while the Treznorikh and Nathicanikh have nanoforges and spun diamond, Iraqstan does not. We can sell them spun diamond, derflon, even molecular computers - all those things that are so useful but so hard to find outside of the Dominion.

"I'd also point out that, if we were to design and build our own fleet, we'd be expending more resources in less time. In this way, we can spend a more lesuirely time repaying the Iraqstanikhi. Yes, tsaHuri?"

"I was wondering, you see, since these things are rather important from a public relations point of view and that we're already having troubles deciding upon class names for the Air Command vessels, what you'd decided to call the modified Oberth class?"

Tanyi smiled, and said, "It's early days yet; we have yet to contact the Iraqstanikhi about it, after all. They may not wish to sell."

"Well then, we should contact them," Kaligh ralInya rumbled. "Votes for?"

The Commandants were happily unanimous, Rene appending her signature as Div5 Commandant to complete the vote.


Message To: National Socialist Empire of Iraqstan, Office of General Fifth Star Ceria Dukhonal
Message Fr: Second Dominion of Tsaraine, Office of Division Nine Commandant Tanyi ralKeyra
Message Re: Past cooperation and future possibilities

To General Dukhonal, greetings.

You may recall that some time ago our two nations cooperated in the construction of the Tsarainese freighter fleet. The Division Commandants of Tsaraine now believe that further cooperation may be possible in similar fields.

A search of the avaliable public information has enabled the Dominion to discover that Iraqstan currently has mothballed several dozen Oberth class destroyers. Tsaraine is interested in purchasing these from you, as well as use of the NDA shipyards for refitting purposes.

Certainly we can pay well, as we did in that previous engagement; money makes the world go round, after all, no matter how much we Tsarainese may pretend we know otherwise.

Ruki kal ainra, and good day.

~ Tanyi ralKeyra
Division Nine Commandant
Iraqstan
25-02-2004, 06:46
Message To: Second Dominion of Tsaraine, Office of Division Nine Commandant Tanyi ralKeyra
Message Fr: National Socialist Empire of Iraqstan, Office of General Fifth Star Ceria Dukhonal
Message Re: Past cooperation and future possibilities


To Division Nine Commandant Tanyi ralkeyra,


As often as Iraqstan has seen fit to refuse sale of its technologies to outside parties, the following decision I inform you comes from the highest levels of the Führer himself. It would be an honour to aide an ally such as Tsaraine in this aspect. The mothballed Oberth class destroyers have been slated for upgrades for continued service.

It would be our pleasure to transfer these vessels to your command as soon as you wish. The payment plan can be discussed at your earliest conveniance but we are comfortable with anything you might suggest.

It is with great eagerness that Iraqstan awaits your reply.

With honour and a good day.

~General fifth star Ceria Dukhonil.
Supreme Commander of Iraqstani Defense forces.
Tsaraine
25-02-2004, 10:27
Message To: National Socialist Empire of Iraqstan, Office of General Fifth Star Ceria Dukhonal
Message Fr: Second Dominion of Tsaraine, Office of Division Nine Commandant Tanyi ralKeyra
Message Re: Past cooperation and future possibilities

We of the Dominion are most grateful to you and the Führer for your generosity in this matter.

We will also be requiring the use of the NDA shipyards in this matter, as Tsaraine has as yet no large-scale shipyards of it's own.

The system laid down for the hire of the NDA shipyards should be sufficient again for this exchange, although on a larger scale; however, in this instance we can offer payment not only in ores (we have, for example, large quantities of high-grade iridium) but in other military products (such as spun diamond sheeting, or molecular computing systems).

With prices based upon stated and observed costs of construction and upkeep, we believe that this will allow us to repay you at a rate of approximately O.4% per annum, which is likely to increase due to supply and demand ratios.

We would also appreciate the schematics and related construction notations of the Oberth-class vessels, to aid in our own refitting and maintenance projects.

Again, Ruki kal ainra kto'kaudh, and good day.

~ Tanyi ralKeyra
Division Nine Commandant
Iraqstan
28-02-2004, 08:50
Message To: Second Dominion of Tsaraine. Office of Division Nine Commandant Tanyi ralkeyra
Message Fr: National Socialist Empire of Iraqstan, Office of General Fifth Star Ceria Dukhonal
Message Re: Past cooperation and future possibilities

The information regarding the shipyards have been sent to the yard keepers in orbit and also attached are the required documents and production keys for using and manufacturing your own designs based from the destroyers.

The payment plan as offered is acceptable as is and we find no reason to alter it any way. Also the führer is greatly interested in accepting payments in Iridium and molecular computing systems.

Once more, a blessed day and may the light of the eternal shine upon you.

~Ceria Dukhonil
General Fifth Star.
Tsaraine
28-02-2004, 09:41
Message To: National Socialist Empire of Iraqstan, Office of General Fifth Star Ceria Dukhonal
Message Fr: Second Dominion of Tsaraine, Office of Division Nine Commandant Tanyi ralKeyra
Message Re: Past cooperation and future possibilities

Excellent. We shall take command of the vessels at the NDA shipyards, then; I shall organise the Tsarainese zero-gee engineering crews to begin work as soon as they arrive.

Ruki kal ainra kto'kaudh, General Dukhonal.

~ Tanyi ralKeyra
Division Nine Commandant