Godular
05-02-2005, 08:35
Corbox sat in his Archonal chamber with his eyes closed, dozing away contentedly. Manhattan Archonal District was not a busy area of the Godulus Empire by any means, and as such his daily agenda usually consisted of "Doze, Read Military Research Reports, Get Bored, Doze, deal with annoying/disturbing question from upstart successor in Defense Directorate, sulk." Except on Tuesdays, which was they day the fishing trawlers came in and he went out to get his hands on the best Sea Bass and Shrimp he could hunt down.
He opened his eyes for a moment and studied the pictures of the Archonal Command Ship undergoing construction in orbit. The Chassis had just been completed and the interior support strata were being installed. Even so, it was a beautiful ship to behold.
I designed that sumbitch. When it leaves StarDock and goes out on deployment... hot damn... to see it fly... to see it fly...
His reverie was disturbed somewhat by a slight buzzing noise on his desk. Pressing the now-blinking light by his right hand, he mumbled and spoke.
"I'm up... I'm up... What is it?"
"Sorry for the interruption, Archon, but General Lear wishes to speak with you again."
"Whatever, patch her through, main screen and all that rot."
The middle viewscreen lit up with the image of a woman not too far into her thirties with full General Stars and an emotionless expression that gave even Corbox the chills.
Damn she's crisp, he thought to himself.
"Good afternoon, Archon. I have to admit I was somewhat surprised by the fact that you actually have enough time on your hands to nap."
"A-hyuk!" Corbox replied with a sneer. "What aggravatingly simple question about research projects do you have for me today, General? As you can see, I'm busy admiring the fruits of MY work."
"Yes... I notice. Its only too bad that research and design was the only things you were good at. As you said: A-hyuk."
"As Archon Wintergreen once told me: Watch what you say around people who decide how much vacation you get, Miss NOT AN ARCHON."
Lear shrugged the comeback off like a brick wall shrugs off a bee sting. "Proverbial Dick-waving aside, I am calling to bounce something off you. Despite your previous... shortcomings, you were always good at spotting good concepts and running with them."
"Shut it and spill it."
"Have you ever heard of a 'StarGun'?"
"I remember that the Imperials had something to that effect a while back. Planet-killer missiles that could jump through hyperspace, pretty much enabling one gun to hit anywhere in the galaxy."
"I should remember that if it has to do with technology, you've heard of it. Continuing on, I came to a couple realizations recently. One, the Plasmatic Pulse Disintegrator Cannon you helped pioneer is destructive, yes. However, it is also prohibitively volatile and too much of a power drain to be useful against much more than things that sit still long enough to get hit. Two, the fact that the Archonal Command Ship will have one will essentially make certain that it is target prime for any enemy force that knows anything about tactics."
"And?"
"A weapon that doesn't NEED a ship of that magnitude to fire, and has much greater utility than a cannon that goes bloop-bang-fizz."
"Go on."
"While we cannot hope to match the Imperials fighter for fighter and ship for ship, perhaps we could remedy the situation by creating a weapon more effective against... their numbers, so to speak."
"Leading in is so inefficient, General. Spill. It."
"A Probability Drive-Enabled Flechette Shotgun, Corbox. Something of a combination of a Mass Driver, a Cluster Bomb, and a StarGun."
Corbox suddenly found himself piqued.
"Several hundred rods, full of our devastatingly cute Death Confetti, rigged to disperse on completion of transit, traveling at approximately .3C and dispersed over several square kilometers, enemy construction capabilities would be severely jeopardized with even one shot."
"What about planetary targets?"
"We could just let the PPD take care of that if we were so inclined. Unfortunately, my assistants tell me that reentry would cause the modules to detonate prematurely without fail."
"Ah."
"But, used in significant numbers before an attack, the weapon could deal great damage to Defensive Orbitals, Shipyards, and Planetary Defense Fleets. To say nothing of being a great way to start a fight in general. A good old introductory Screw-You, as it were."
Corbox was surprised that Lear was actually saying this kind of stuff to him. He usually made the same schpiel to Cassius before his... retirement.
"Did you think all this up by yourself?"
"I was reading through old files, and saw something about the Stargun and got to thinking. I guess you could say it all fell together."
"I have to say I'm impressed. You've gotten me thinking again, and I'm sad to say its been a while since I've had to or wanted to."
Lear's lips twisted slightly in a half-concealed grin. "I was mainly curious as to your opinion about feasibility and... well... if it would work. Besides, this run of innovation gave me a nasty headache, so I figured that I might as well foist it off on you."
"Research and testing of this weapon will take time, you know. And money. We're stretched at the moment because of Longarm's construction, so it'll be difficult."
"Get our allies in on it. They're bound to be interested in a decent interstellar shotgun. Perhaps they would be interested in funding our little effort to even the odds?"
"THAT... will have to go through Cassius."
"Alright, I shall ask him then."
"No... I'll do it. You're obviously busy, and he'll likely listen to me more due to the subject matter. Don't worry, I'll make certain he knows you were the one with the big idea. Speaking of which, what the hell are you going to call this? You thought it, you name it."
"Well, in pre-concept drawings, I had the DC Rods colored red, for no apparent reason, but I find that the name 'Red Rain' seems to suit it very well."
"So shall it be. Thank you for calling, General, bet you never heard that before... I hope you were recording this."
"I was." Lear gave Corbox a parting Screw-You sneer as her image flickered out.
Corbox sat back for a moment, looking at the pictures of the Long Arm of the Law still sitting on his desk. Some time passed before he pressed the "Longarm" button on his control panel. Cassius' face popped up on the screen a few seconds later, he seemed calmly rushed, as usual.
"Corbox, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"General Lear just had a bright idea..."
_______________________________________________________________
Cassius heard everything Corbox had to say about the matter, and agreed with the assessment that the Governate was somewhat strapped for funds, but could also not afford a moment's lost time in getting such a thing up to speed. He sent out several Couriers, most notable of which were those going out to the various Godulan Allies in PrimeLine.
To the leaders of Corneliu, Serpantol, Demon Lord Enigma, among others:
Doubtless you already know of the construction of our first Archonal Command ship "Long Arm of the Law". Doubtless you also know how taxing on one's economy the construction of such a monumental vessel is.
We are presently hoping to commence research and testing upon a particularly... lucrative project we have come to call 'Red Rain'. While we cannot fully describe the nature of the project itself, those interested in pursuing further inquiry will find their requests for an Archonal Meeting sped to the highest alacrity.
We need funds. That's the big issue. Whomsoever agrees to assist in funding this project will be guaranteed a number of completed units equivalent to the amount paid, plus a hefty stipend once we have credits in our coffers once again.
I know this is somewhat... cryptic, and I must apologize in advance. Like I stated, however, you have but to arrange a meeting and all will be made clear.
Respectfully,
He opened his eyes for a moment and studied the pictures of the Archonal Command Ship undergoing construction in orbit. The Chassis had just been completed and the interior support strata were being installed. Even so, it was a beautiful ship to behold.
I designed that sumbitch. When it leaves StarDock and goes out on deployment... hot damn... to see it fly... to see it fly...
His reverie was disturbed somewhat by a slight buzzing noise on his desk. Pressing the now-blinking light by his right hand, he mumbled and spoke.
"I'm up... I'm up... What is it?"
"Sorry for the interruption, Archon, but General Lear wishes to speak with you again."
"Whatever, patch her through, main screen and all that rot."
The middle viewscreen lit up with the image of a woman not too far into her thirties with full General Stars and an emotionless expression that gave even Corbox the chills.
Damn she's crisp, he thought to himself.
"Good afternoon, Archon. I have to admit I was somewhat surprised by the fact that you actually have enough time on your hands to nap."
"A-hyuk!" Corbox replied with a sneer. "What aggravatingly simple question about research projects do you have for me today, General? As you can see, I'm busy admiring the fruits of MY work."
"Yes... I notice. Its only too bad that research and design was the only things you were good at. As you said: A-hyuk."
"As Archon Wintergreen once told me: Watch what you say around people who decide how much vacation you get, Miss NOT AN ARCHON."
Lear shrugged the comeback off like a brick wall shrugs off a bee sting. "Proverbial Dick-waving aside, I am calling to bounce something off you. Despite your previous... shortcomings, you were always good at spotting good concepts and running with them."
"Shut it and spill it."
"Have you ever heard of a 'StarGun'?"
"I remember that the Imperials had something to that effect a while back. Planet-killer missiles that could jump through hyperspace, pretty much enabling one gun to hit anywhere in the galaxy."
"I should remember that if it has to do with technology, you've heard of it. Continuing on, I came to a couple realizations recently. One, the Plasmatic Pulse Disintegrator Cannon you helped pioneer is destructive, yes. However, it is also prohibitively volatile and too much of a power drain to be useful against much more than things that sit still long enough to get hit. Two, the fact that the Archonal Command Ship will have one will essentially make certain that it is target prime for any enemy force that knows anything about tactics."
"And?"
"A weapon that doesn't NEED a ship of that magnitude to fire, and has much greater utility than a cannon that goes bloop-bang-fizz."
"Go on."
"While we cannot hope to match the Imperials fighter for fighter and ship for ship, perhaps we could remedy the situation by creating a weapon more effective against... their numbers, so to speak."
"Leading in is so inefficient, General. Spill. It."
"A Probability Drive-Enabled Flechette Shotgun, Corbox. Something of a combination of a Mass Driver, a Cluster Bomb, and a StarGun."
Corbox suddenly found himself piqued.
"Several hundred rods, full of our devastatingly cute Death Confetti, rigged to disperse on completion of transit, traveling at approximately .3C and dispersed over several square kilometers, enemy construction capabilities would be severely jeopardized with even one shot."
"What about planetary targets?"
"We could just let the PPD take care of that if we were so inclined. Unfortunately, my assistants tell me that reentry would cause the modules to detonate prematurely without fail."
"Ah."
"But, used in significant numbers before an attack, the weapon could deal great damage to Defensive Orbitals, Shipyards, and Planetary Defense Fleets. To say nothing of being a great way to start a fight in general. A good old introductory Screw-You, as it were."
Corbox was surprised that Lear was actually saying this kind of stuff to him. He usually made the same schpiel to Cassius before his... retirement.
"Did you think all this up by yourself?"
"I was reading through old files, and saw something about the Stargun and got to thinking. I guess you could say it all fell together."
"I have to say I'm impressed. You've gotten me thinking again, and I'm sad to say its been a while since I've had to or wanted to."
Lear's lips twisted slightly in a half-concealed grin. "I was mainly curious as to your opinion about feasibility and... well... if it would work. Besides, this run of innovation gave me a nasty headache, so I figured that I might as well foist it off on you."
"Research and testing of this weapon will take time, you know. And money. We're stretched at the moment because of Longarm's construction, so it'll be difficult."
"Get our allies in on it. They're bound to be interested in a decent interstellar shotgun. Perhaps they would be interested in funding our little effort to even the odds?"
"THAT... will have to go through Cassius."
"Alright, I shall ask him then."
"No... I'll do it. You're obviously busy, and he'll likely listen to me more due to the subject matter. Don't worry, I'll make certain he knows you were the one with the big idea. Speaking of which, what the hell are you going to call this? You thought it, you name it."
"Well, in pre-concept drawings, I had the DC Rods colored red, for no apparent reason, but I find that the name 'Red Rain' seems to suit it very well."
"So shall it be. Thank you for calling, General, bet you never heard that before... I hope you were recording this."
"I was." Lear gave Corbox a parting Screw-You sneer as her image flickered out.
Corbox sat back for a moment, looking at the pictures of the Long Arm of the Law still sitting on his desk. Some time passed before he pressed the "Longarm" button on his control panel. Cassius' face popped up on the screen a few seconds later, he seemed calmly rushed, as usual.
"Corbox, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"General Lear just had a bright idea..."
_______________________________________________________________
Cassius heard everything Corbox had to say about the matter, and agreed with the assessment that the Governate was somewhat strapped for funds, but could also not afford a moment's lost time in getting such a thing up to speed. He sent out several Couriers, most notable of which were those going out to the various Godulan Allies in PrimeLine.
To the leaders of Corneliu, Serpantol, Demon Lord Enigma, among others:
Doubtless you already know of the construction of our first Archonal Command ship "Long Arm of the Law". Doubtless you also know how taxing on one's economy the construction of such a monumental vessel is.
We are presently hoping to commence research and testing upon a particularly... lucrative project we have come to call 'Red Rain'. While we cannot fully describe the nature of the project itself, those interested in pursuing further inquiry will find their requests for an Archonal Meeting sped to the highest alacrity.
We need funds. That's the big issue. Whomsoever agrees to assist in funding this project will be guaranteed a number of completed units equivalent to the amount paid, plus a hefty stipend once we have credits in our coffers once again.
I know this is somewhat... cryptic, and I must apologize in advance. Like I stated, however, you have but to arrange a meeting and all will be made clear.
Respectfully,