NationStates Jolt Archive

Src: Department of Acquisitions, WSDF Fleet Strategic
Dst: George Hillcrest, Midlonian Foreign and Economic Office
Dst: the Midlonian Independent Aerospace Shipping Consortium
SubjLin: Contracting your Neptune-based shipyard

Dear sir,

As you may be aware, the First Distributed Kingdom of Weyr has been engaged in a maintenance and acquisition drive following several recent unfortunate events surrounding Neptune and Mars. As part of our fleet modernization program, we require the use of a professional, experienced shipyard for the construction of several mobile weapons platforms. The platform's components will be assembled by Weyrean conglomerates on Terra and Mars, and delivered for rapid assembly. Our own technicians will be expected to be a part of the assembly team.

Your Neptune-based facilities appear to be suitable for the task, and we would like to inquire if they are available for contracting. The specifics of the contract are appended.

Sincerely,
DoA Gestalt

Src: Department of Acquisitions, WSDF Fleet Strategic
Dst: ZMI Department of Foreign Affairs
Dst: ZMI Department of Industry
SunjLin: Contracting a MegaCity 3 shipyard

Dear sir or madam,

As you may be aware, the First Distributed Kingdom of Weyr has been engaged in a maintenance and acquisition drive following several recent unfortunate events surrounding Neptune and Mars. As part of our fleet modernization program, we require the use of a professional, experienced shipyard for the construction of several mobile weapons platforms. The systems components will be assembled by Weyrean conglomerates on Terra and Mars, and delivered for rapid assembly. Our own technicians will be expected to be a part of the assembly team.

Your MegaCity 3 facilities appear to be suitable for the task, and we would like to inquire if they are available for contracting. The specifics of the contract are appended.

Sincerely,
DoA Gestalt

Src: Department of Acquisitions, WSDF Fleet Strategic
Dst: Tiburon Department of Foreign Affairs
Dst: Tiburon Division of Commerce
SunjLin: Contracting a shipyard

Dear sir or madam,

As you may be aware, the First Distributed Kingdom of Weyr has been engaged in a maintenance and acquisition drive following several recent unfortunate events surrounding Neptune and Mars. As part of our fleet modernization program, we require the use of a professional, experienced shipyard for the construction of several mobile weapons platforms. The systems components will be assembled by Weyrean conglomerates on Terra and Mars, and delivered for rapid assembly. Our own technicians will be expected to be a part of the assembly team.

Your Sol facilities appear to be suitable for the task, and we would like to inquire if they are available for contracting. The specifics of the contract are appended.

Sincerely,
DoA Gestalt

Src: Department of Acquisitions, WSDF Fleet Strategic
Dst: the Chambers of the Voice of Sauron at Barad-dur
SubjLin: Contracting your Jupiter-based shipyard

Dear sir or madam,

As you may be aware, the First Distributed Kingdom of Weyr has been engaged in a maintenance and acquisition drive following several recent unfortunate events surrounding Neptune and Mars. As part of our fleet modernization program, we require the use of a professional, experienced shipyard for the construction of several mobile weapons platforms. The systems components will be assembled by Weyrean conglomerates on Terra and Mars, and delivered for rapid assembly. Our own technicians will be expected to be a part of the assembly team.

Your Jupiter facilities appear to be suitable for the task, and we would like to inquire if they are available for contracting. The specifics of the contract are appended.

Sincerely,
DoA Gestalt

"There are two problems," Fleet Admiral Fara Ito Lancer owes Kira for supporting her in the legislative houses, and for appointing former Fleet officers to the Defense Agency.

The support allowed her to keep expanding the self-defense forces without jeopardizing public relations or causing an internal crisis, since the expansion always stayed well within the constitutional limits. The appointments create a knowledgeable bureaucracy that knows how the fleet operates. As a result, the Self-Defense Forces run as smoothly as possible, as far as Kira is concerned, and while there is always room for improvement, the streamlined system forced by lack of excess government funding prevents the sheer quantity of red tape inherent in many procurement and oversight systems.

"Oh?" Kira inquires, leaning forward to place her elbows on the admiral's wide desk, sitting in the admiral's office in the visitor's chair.

It has always been a habit of visiting government officers, rather than forcing them to sit out in her cramped office and apartment. In the Fleet Admiral's case she can also be sure that the Self-Defense Fleet's headquarters are not compromised, as heavily as her own office is. In discussing the biggest military project in recent Weyrean history, Kira does not opt for particular discretion - her involvement is nonexistent, and her questions lean towards understanding the capabilities and the purposes behind the new weapons platforms. She trusts the Fleet Admiral to give her straight answers without too much technical information or speculation.

"Power generation and weapons systems," Lancer elaborates.

"There is so much space everyone wants their pet project crammed in, and the power plant is highly experimental?"

"Yes and no," Lancer smiles. "You were at the Paradigm System, yes?"

"Uhm, yes, Kira says.

"The Durandal destroyers -- "

"You're using a PSP? A damned PSP in a system ship?"

"Kira, no," Lancer lifts up a hand. "I've been told it is a pocket galaxy, whatever that is. The principle is supposedly the same. I have been asked to put a singularity projector into the design, and I refused. We have four battleships slated for construction as it is."

"Which is more than enough," Kira settles back in the visitor's chair, and crosses her arms across her chest. The Durandals were built to handle oversized monstrosities; they performed admirably against the larger enemy dreadnaughts, and the improved rate of fire on the new designs would make them that much more useful. "So ... it will be a pocket galaxy, using expansion energy and entropic differentials, I assume."

"If you say so," Lancer says. Kira sometimes throws out brief outbursts, and Lancer has learned to head them off before they gather any real steam. "I'm not a specialist. There will be an orbital test. It's made by Paradox, if that's reassuring."

"So they're only going to blow up a small piece of sky," Kira grins.

"The weapons, are a somewhat bigger problem..."

Jupiter Planetary System

The Weyr Self-Defense Ship Amaretsu' astrogation lights flash crimson and gold against its silver-gray armor plates. They are holdovers from pre-spaceflight, there to keep the electronically blind from missing the thousands of tons of compact weapons, power, and scanner systems. Compressed into a hull more reminiscent of Old Terra's naval destroyers, it is a tadpole amidst the war fleets that gather above Jupiter's ever-swirling clouds. Using standard frequencies, the Amaretsu announces its presence, coasting on accumulated velocity for capture by the planetary gravity well, while a more directed communication stabs through the storm clouds of the gas giant.

The central wireframe of the Command Bridge redraws every second. Invisible astrogation sweeps for routine hazards of meteors, debris, and abandoned ordinance reflect off hulls and shields of nearby warships, confirming the passive gravimetric feed. Disruptions in Jupiter's magnetic field, masses warping space-time, and emissions from drives, screens, scanners, and power cores are Amaretsu's only method of detecting potential hostiles outside the one light-second range of its low-powered, routine scans. The silence on the Command Bridge has nothing to do with operating procedures.

Aft of a superstructure studded with point-defense platforms and antennas for communications and scanners, emerald-green lighting illuminates the universal docking port. The airlock is easily big enough for two humans to pass through side-by side. Firing ports share bulkhead, overhead, and deck space with decontamination units. A full squad of marines in full kit stand by while the only civilian onboard waits for the Mordor transport.

"What can they do," Mikogami Kaoru says, "kill me? Wouldn't be the first time. It's all part of a job." Weyr Sky and Space pays for full mindstate backup for all of its employees. It is insurance against accidents which could cost the company priceless talent. Kaoru does not consider himself irreplaceable, but the knowledge that he will be back regardless of events gives him a peace of mind.

"As Fleet Captain it is my responsibility to inform you the Self-Defense Forces do not extend protection to Weyrean nationals abroad. Once you leave this weapons platform you are under the jurisdiction of Mordor and whatever diplomatic immunities they want to recognize."

"Thank you, Captain Tanaku. Consider your duty discharged," Kaoru grins. He leans against a bulkhead, and finds himself floating towards the overhead. Grabbing a handhold, he stabilizes, still facing the captain, whose soft-soled boots remain apparently firmly on the deck. "I'll take my chances. Sauron's hospitality isn't bad, last I heard. Besides, you're one of the best customers in the defense business."

Tanaku nods, seemingly not paying attention. The return of artificial gravity leaves Kaoru almost hanging from the overhead. "Good luck," Tanaku says, salutes the four marines, and vanishes down the passageway.

Kaoru adjusts his uniform, not worn onboard the Amaretsu until today. A small skyship with sails unfurled -- the logo of the Weyr Sky and Space Designworks -- glitters silver against black material capable of stopping the passage of most kinetics, if not the energy of their impact. The airlock cycles, flooding vacuum with disinfectant and a mixture of oxygen and other gasses. Passing between the marines, Kaoru lets the airlock seal behind him, then open before him, allowing him to enter the Mordor transport.

Point to point encrypted text only transmission

To: Department of Acquisitions, WSDF Fleet Strategic
From: ZMI Department of Foreign Affairs

In reply to your enquiry of the XX/XX/XX the Incorporated States Megacity three industry sub division was pleased to inform us to inform you that two primary bays are at present available, please find an attached precise estimated price guide and further data on involved liaison staff and contacts for further negotiations. Should you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me personally.

Minister for Foreign Affairs
Peter Hule HSR
Department of Foreign Affairs




Megacity three

The villas tiled floor was slippery and disturbing under her aristocrats soft once white stocking clad feet while the once resplendid multi layered ripped Venetian dresses ankle length folds whispering along its surface were besmirched by countless years of grime. Her wrists ached where her bonds had been tied and her back cried out for rest where the pole had been tied. Still she hurried onwards, without care for the shattered old dust sheet covered furniture or the staring ancient eyes of the long dead and buried in the many portraits that covered the walls. The floor tiles were covered with cracks of age and with one misplaced step she lost her footing. Screaming in pain as her knee hit the sharp edge of a broken tile, around her everywhere shadows jutting at unnerving angles and behind her the terrible quite voice of the liferender the man she had once thought to be the Abbot echoed out. "Now now child you know not to run from the brotherhood, HAHAAHAHA!" her breathing

<PRIORITY TRIGGER>

</END PROG. "The Countess and the brotherhood of death, Episode XVIII" >



The woman's real body was far different from that in the pulpy pop simulation, the high whispering ballerina like figure of the countess subliming away from her sensations as her short somewhat stubby heavily built exterior reasserted itself. Instead of a fine silk she wore a somewhat tarnished be pocketed jump suit that would not have looked overly out of place in a 20th century garage, complete with its stains of various kinds and a garish set of smart animated corporate logos over one shoulder. Instead of bare stockinged feet crossing tiles her footwear consisted of enormously clunky "storm driver" brand industrial space worthy boots complete with mag locks, a glue dispenser and an emergency grav pulse retro systems all in black synth and chrome synth alloy lay balanced across a desk that overflowed with flimsies and a dozen types of data store. These boots now flailed as first engineer Elizabeth Cartwrights chair fell backwards.

It is then that the somewhat suave man in a business suit decides to open the door into her office only to hear a screaming blistering string of non standard curses and a pair of boots in the air. The tirade ended with the plastic half egg of a synth link richocheting of the wall.

“First engineer Elizabeth good heavens what are you doing down there?”

The voice reflected the suited mans looks, smooth, without feature, normalised to conform with a thousand years of executive hierarchy mores, his hair slicked back and an archaic tie through the equally old fashioned shirt. He is company down to his patent Italian real leather shoes. He is also responsible for keeping an important company asset in working order, be it ever so hard.

A somewhat dishevelled blinking head looked up its voice slowly clearing from its muzzy beginnings.

“whasat? Humphries that you? Got some sort of trigger thing in my link”

Humphries offered a hand, which was roughly grabbed as his other proffered a flimsy covered in official markings and a thick lump of an integrated security seal.

“Yes first engineer, if you had read it the Gestalt have tentatively accepted a contract from Weyr for a major bay”

“WHAT? The anarchists? In MY BAY?”

“ First engineer it is the cities bay and I do believe the First Distributed Kingdom of Weyr is reasnably organised even with its reputation. Now we have a great deal of paperwork to go through so if you would follow me, no Elizabeth we don’t have time for you, Elizabeth shouldn’t you be doing that behind a to ..oh ..well yes I suppose I can hold, OOPH”

The rolled up mechanics suit neatly draped over Humphries struggling upper body like some manner of four legged death squid as she slammed on a newly dispensed T shirt still hot from the polymerisation process.

“Elizabeth I really wish you wouldn’t do that, you and I both know that while you are a necessary grade B+ personnel that is no need to be discourteous.”

Elizabeth wasn’t paying attention but was looking about saying the slow mantra of “find the object”

“Pen, pen, pen Humpheries do you see my pen?”

A well manicured hand darted out to her desk and withdrew the mark 43 Thimark systems smart real time data entry terminal unit. It looked a lot like an overly bulky pen.

“I believe you were using to ah stir your laté, now do please come along Elizabeth we have a cultural briefing afterwards from a nice gentlemen from DOFA”

Interstellar Medium
Beyond Outsystem Space, Sol

The Weyr Self-Defense Ship Mordenkaimder's Hammer spreads its scanner arrays across ten square kilometers of mostly empty space. Slender masts reach out into nothingness to support layered fabric just molecules thick. shimmering in the light of distant Sol and the myriad of stars that almost outshine it. Astrogation strobes flash blue and crimson against the polished armor plating of the Mordenkaimder's Hammer. Relics of an earlier age, when the warship returns to the inner Sol system they will warn electronically blind ships of the Mordenkaimder's Hammer's presence. For the moment, the warship keeps station a million kilometers from an iceball it nudged from an orbit in the Kuiper Belt and tugged closer to the Oort comet cloud. The warship's passive arrays monitor electromagnetic emissions from equipment drilled deep into the iceball. Specialized passive and active scanner drones orbit it at calculated ranges. Additional scanner drones watch the universe around the iceball for uninvited guests. The Mordenkaimder's Hammer is not the only Weyrean warship in the area; she is the sitting duck in this scenario.

The captain looks past her station's heads up displays, at the central wireframe redrawing every second. Green, gold, white, and black symbols minutely shift with every regular update from the data analysis center.

"Invector reports ready," communications announces on the command bridge.

The Invector is a research ship; on the wireframe it is an apple on a stick. In data analysis the infrared from cooling drive modules in the 'stick' registers faintly before being filtered out.

"Ship status," the captain says.

His inquisitive is echoed by the executive officer. Green lights remain steady on her status consoles, as reports come in.

"Invector reports initiation," communications announces.

Nine meters away from the command bridge, specialists in the dim data analysis center watch data pour in from dozens of scanner drones surrounding the iceball and the Mordenkaimder's Hammer's own passive scanner array. Their counterparts onboard the Invector, parked half a light-second behind the warship, have further data directly from the equipment inserted deep into the iceball's core.

Capacitors charged over two days by specialized fusactors hauled past the edge of the Sol system dump power into constructs that are the first of their kind, made corporeal from theory and hypothesis. Power leaked from super efficient conduits builds up in seconds, leaking into mostly empty space. Energy flaring for a brief second from the iceball blinds scanner drones. Safeties activate onboard the Mordenkaimder's Hammer. Shutters close on optical telescopes. The wireframe on the command bridge flickers, stabilizes. There is no iceball.

"Invector reports completion," communications announces on the command bridge. "Requesting assistance in recovering the big bang array."

"That was pointless," an operator says, pulling off his headset.

"Fire control, prep four data drones. Data analysis, query probable debris field," the command bridge's wireframe updates at the captain's command, showing a pale-yellow cloud. "Designate field one. Fire control, bracket field one. Fire when ready. Scanner array configuration to tracking."

The Mordenkaimder's Hammer shudders four times in rapid succession. Contrails extend from the warship's symbol on the wireframe, each passing at low velocity at the edge of the volume of space where the equipment originally inserted into the now-vaporized iceball is expected to be.

>Self-Defense Fleet DataNet
>Priority 2 Clearance 2 Encryption 1
>ArcFleet Mordenkaimder's Hammer reporting
>
>The Invector reports primary experiment a success. We will initiate secondary experiments. Invector's data is attached.

To: Peter Hule HSR, ZMI Department of Foreign Affairs
From: Department of Acquisitions, WSDF Fleet Strategic

We've processed the attached data and your shipyard is the best candidate. We'll be contacting the liaison staff to draw up a contract and inspect the facilities, as required by the selection process. Thank you for your help; your assistance has been invaluable to this project

Jason Hadley
Project Starfish

Free Development Zone
MegaCity 3, Terrestrial Orbit

Weyr Sky and Space has taken lease on a small volume of space in MegaCity Three, deciding for the moment to circumvent established procedures. There is no law against setting up shop in another nation, and if the leading company for a lucrative defense project wishes to do business with a potential contractor, there is little anyone in the First Distributed Kingdom of Weyr can do to stop it, assuming they care in the first place. Weyr Sky and Space is not a large firm; its MegaCity Three office is only two floors of offices and temporary housing containing the liaison team that will be working with the city's engineers on the final assembly.

Toshiya Fujita takes a day to make sure everything is in order. Then he calls his counterparts in the city offices to schedule a time to look around the shipyard.