“Wow…”
Scott immediately looked up from his work. “Did you find somethin’?” he
asked excitedly.
“I found… lots of somethings,” Kevérin replied, “I think you were right
about this ship having potential. There’s a lot of technology that I don’t
recognize…”
“Well you’ve never even served on a ship, so there’s bound to be stuff
that you don’t recognize, right?” Kaoné questioned.
“I guess, yeah,” Kevérin admitted, “But there are certain kinds of
technology that I’m certain I’d know about if they were in use… the claimed
efficiency of this ship’s systems is astounding as well. Not to mention its
stated power, given its size and class.”
“Where are you findin’ all this information?” Scott responded
confusedly.
“The ship’s registry,” the Transfer Captain explained, “It took some
time to find it, and then a little more to figure out what it was actually
saying. It lists all of the ship’s hardware and related specifications.”
“Let me see this,” Scott quickly moved to stand behind Kevérin and
began looking over the presented information himself. “Weapons, engines,
generators – both power and shield. Life support, FTL drives?”
“And those are only the major systems,” Kevérin pointed out.
“Some of it lines up with our Frigate design specs…” Scott mused, “…I
see a lot of ‘Chaos’ though.”
“Yeah, this ship seems to have been designed explicitly to use Chaos
Energy, which is already different from most modern ships. Ever since the Chaos
Quake most ships have been designed or retrofitted with redundant systems and
shy away from using Chaos Energy for major functions… but this ship goes all
out. Chaos Engines? Chaos Generators? Chaos Cannons? It’ll be a
powerhouse, that’s for sure, but if something like the Chaos Quake ever happens
again it’ll be virtually useless.”
“You say it’ll be a powerhouse… compared to what?”
“I’m not certain. Like Kaoné said, I’ve never served on a ship before,
and I’ve never studied spacecraft technology extensively, but I do know a few
things regardless. I’d say this ship might be on par with old CSA Dreadnaughts,
specifically Siion Dreadnaughts. That’s from about a century ago, though.
Nowadays its offensive power is somewhere between Battleships and Capital
ships, and its durability is close to that of a Battleship. Certainly far better
than every Battlecruiser I’ve ever seen. Maneuverability… might be as good as
most Cruisers.”
“That’s, uh…” Scott paused for a moment, “That’s impressive…?”
“It definitely is, especially considering that the ship is still the
size of most Battlecruisers,” Kevérin nodded, “If anyone knew how to make
Battlecruisers as good as this one, they’d exist. …Now of course, I’m basing
all of these statements on numbers in the registry and limited spacecraft
knowledge, so you’ll definitely want to test the ship before putting it out in
actual battle.”
“If it’s as good as you say then SERRCom will likely want to sideline
it, study it, and reverse-engineer everythin’ for mass-production,” Scott
responded, and then sighed. “Either that or they’ll be gung-ho about it and
rush it to the frontlines to try and show everyone that Earthians aren’t
useless.”
“You’ll definitely want to keep this hidden from the CSA,” Kevérin
advised, “The moment they find out about the ship’s tech they’ll be down your
throat with sanctions and offerings and whatever other bureaucratic bullshit
they can come up with.”
“They will?”
“He’s actually right,” Kaoné affirmed, “It’s not well-known, but the
CSA will do a lot to try and keep their technological lead. They’ve done as
much to us Nimalians, under the excuse that we don’t have a ‘unified galactic
presence’.”
“In short, it’s bullshit, so watch yourself,” Kevérin added.
“…I’ll keep that in mind when I write up my report, then,” Scott
replied, and then glanced back down at the screen. “Is there anythin’ else that
you haven’t seen before? Wait… what’s this… ‘Personnel Transfer’?”
“I assume that’d be how to transfer personnel from ship to ship, or
from ship to planet, or vice versa,” Kevérin replied, “I don’t know why it’d be
in the registry though. You have to use external hardware for personnel
transfer, like shuttles. What’s this say about that… ‘Instantaneous Subspace
Transfer’. …What?”
“You don’t know what that is?” Scott questioned.
“I’ve never heard of it before…” Kevérin frowned, “Subspace? That’s
something you only see in fiction. But Instantaneous Transfer sounds like it
might be what the Drakkars use… They’re capable of essentially teleporting
troops and tech from their ships to a planet’s surface. The CSA and Nimalia
have emulated it by using Spacetechnics, but if we could get actual technology
to do the same thing… wow.”
“Sounds like the beamin’ you see in sci-fi stories,” Scott remarked,
“If that’s what it really is, I can see how it’d be useful. Is there anythin’
else here that uses Subspace?”
“It’s a transportation technique, so… probably the FTL Drive, if
anything,” Kevérin speculated, and then checked. “What do you know, this ship
supposedly does have a Subspace Drive.”
“What does that mean?” Kaoné asked.
“It means… I don’t know what it means,” Kevérin frowned, “The one thing
that’s consistently Chaos Energy-based in modern ships is the FTL Drive. It’s
the only way we know of exceeding the speed of light, beyond whatever magic the
Interstellar Gates and Transpaces use, but it is Chaos Energy
based. Ironically, this Subspace Drive seems to be independent of Chaos Energy…
what is up with this ship? I don’t even…”
“Well it’s definitely interestin’!” Scott exclaimed happily, “There’s a
lot of tech to check out here; I can’t wait to officially get started! I’m
afraid I’ll need help though… would the Nimalians be willin’?”
Kevérin and Kaoné exchanged curious glances. “We can bring it up with
our superiors,” Kaoné replied, “You should probably put through an official
request though, like the one we responded to.”
“Just be more specific next time,” Kevérin smirked.
“You’ve certainly been more helpful than anyone around here has been,”
Scott declared, “But, aye, I’ll keep that in mind.” He then stretched and
cracked his knuckles before moving back to the console he had been working at.
“For now, though, let’s see if there’s anythin’ else we can find.”
*
* *
“You weren’t kidding.”
“Of course I wasn’t kidding,” Davídrius scowled, “Why would I joke
about somethin’ like this?”
Siyuakén didn’t respond. Instead she slowly looked around the small
room that hosted the four stasis pods, which were lined up against the far
wall. The cylindrical pods were opaque, but not in the foggy, crystalline
manner of typical cryogenic stasis pods.
“So these are stasis pods?” Shepherd questioned, entering the room
shortly after the Electrotechnic.
“It’s not cryogenic stasis,” Siyuakén frowned, “I don’t know of any
other stasis tech though.” She glanced over at Davídrius. “How do you know
these are stasis pods?”
“Well what else could they be?” the Introtechnic shrugged, “They
clearly aren’t dead. At least, if they are, they’re pretty damn well-preserved.
And judgin’ by the dust and residue everywhere, this place hasn’t been touched
for a while, so if those aren’t stasis pods then we should be starin’ at
skeletons, not bodies.”
“I don’t know anything about stasis technology, but I’m inclined to
agree with him,” Shepherd stated, “SERRCom’s only had a presence on Sunova for
the past year, and we only started exploring the caves a month ago. The three
of us are the first to go any farther than the location of the Master Ayas, so
these pods were here long before us.”
“Not to mention these things don’t look as boring as all the rest of
your structures.”
Shepherd gave Davídrius a disapproving glance before turning back to
the stasis pods. “This is… definitely an unexpected find.” He pulled a tablet
computer out of his backpack and began fiddling with it. “I’ll record this
location and then we’ll head back to report this to the Colonel.”
“What? We’re just gonna leave?” Davídrius replied incredulously, “We’re
not gonna get them outta stasis?”
“We’re already farther down the caves than any three-man team is
allowed, especially without a dedicated researcher or mapper,” Shepherd
declared, “I’ve already created one incident by touching the Master Ayas
without prompt; I won’t cause another by fiddling with unknown technology.”
“But… you aren’t curious? Shouldn’t we at least figure out where the
shutdown console is?”
“They say curiosity killed the cat.”
“…What.”
“It’s an Earthian saying,” Shepherd replied, “Get too curious and it’ll
bite you in the ass… we need to at least be careful–?!”
As the Captain turned around to leave, the cave wall to the left of the
stasis pods suddenly cracked and lowered, creating a doorway to a dark room.
Shepherd stared at the doorway blankly before giving the two Nimalians a
suspicious glance; when they both shrugged in response, he slowly moved forward
into the room. A couple lights came on as he passed through the doorway,
revealing a computer console against the wall.
“For the love of… what is going on with this planet?”
Shepherd scowled, but approached the console nonetheless with the two Chaotics
in tow.
“I can’t read any of this,” Davídrius frowned as he glanced between the
keyboard and screen.
“Even if we were in range of the relays, I doubt the translation tech
would work,” Siyuakén pointed out, “If this console is as old as the stasis
pods, then it predates Earthian presence and probably most other modern
civilizations, so I doubt the language is in the RTV databases–“
“It’s English.”
“It what?” Siyuakén glanced over at Shepherd.
“The keyboard’s in English,” he repeated, “I can read it.”
Davídrius crossed his arms. “What.”
“How– that shouldn’t be possible,” Siyuakén responded, “Languages don’t–
your language– it shouldn’t…”
“I know,” Shepherd cut in, “This is as confusing to me as it is to
you.”
“Well if you can read the keyboard, can you read what’s on the screen?”
Davídrius gestured at the monitor.
The Captain looked up at the screen and paused for a second before
reading slowly, “You… are not the Keys.”
“What.”.
“That’s what the monitor says,” Shepherd stated, and then held up a
finger as the screen flashed static and reverted to black. Another line of text
appeared, which the Captain read, “Open stasis pods?”
“I guess this is the shutdown console, then,” Siyuakén observed.
“It must be more than just a shutdown console,” Shepherd countered, “If
its only purpose was to engage or shutdown the stasis pods, then why is there a
full keyboard?”
“And an oddly functional one, at that,” Davídrius mused as he poked at
several of the keys.
“What–! Hey, what are you doing?!” Shepherd exclaimed, quickly grabbing
the Introtechnic’s arm and forcing him away from the keyboard. In his haste,
however, he accidentally slammed his own elbow against the keyboard, mashing
down all of the keys on the right side. Siyuakén facepalmed and sighed irately
as the two men froze and stared at the keyboard blankly.
After an uneventful moment had passed Davídrius relaxed and drew back.
He then smirked and glanced over at Shepherd. “See? Nothin’ happened.
Everything’s fine.”
“Wait– …no, something’s happening…” Siyuakén responded cautiously,
“…Get back–!”
Before she could finish, the entire computer console sparked brightly
as a streak of electricity arced to Shepherd, blasting him back against the
wall.
“Are you okay?!” Siyuakén immediately kneeled next to the Earthian,
though he recovered surprisingly quickly and began pulling himself up into a
sitting position.
“Ow…” he groaned painfully, “…this is what I get for listening to
aliens.”
“Tch,” Davídrius scowled, “Don’t try to pin this on–!”
“Davídrius, shut it,” Siyuakén cut him short as she helped Shepherd to
stand up, “Shepherd was right originally. This is an Earthian
colony, so it isn’t our place to explore everything.”
The Introtechnic crossed his arms and scowled but remained silent as he
followed Shepherd and Siyuakén back into the room with the stasis pods – only
to find that all four had deactivated and opened up.
“It would figure,” Shepherd deadpanned, shrugging Siyuakén off before
approaching the now-exposed children and crouching beside them. He gingerly
reached for one of the boy’s chest and held his hand against the boy’s heart.
“…They’re alive,” he stated, “I can feel a pulse.”
“That… may actually be a problem,” Davídrius commented slowly as he
looked out into the main cavern, “’Cause, well, if we wanna get out of here–“
He was interrupted by a deafening, menacing roar just before the entire
cavern shook as a large dragon-esque creature dropped to the cavern floor, its
attention focused on the small doorway to the stasis room.
“Well,” he inhaled apprehensively, “…we’re gonna have to go through that.”
* * * * *
==================== End of Chapter 10 ====================
* * * * *
Data Entry: Space Ship Classes
Every space-faring civilization possesses a space navy, used to protect their
claimed space and, occasionally, to attack other fleets. Navy size and fleet
make-up varies widely based on the civilization, but there is one thing that
remains fairly constant: the classes of the ships utilized. These ship classes
are divided amongst three categories: Sub-Capital, Capital, and Super-Capital.
Sub-Capital ships account for the majority of any fleet and are the smallest,
cheapest, and easiest to mass-produce of all the classes. They are good for
attacking other fleets and space stations but do poorly during all-out
invasions or planetary sieges. Capital ships are the powerhouses of the fleets,
capable of putting out and soaking in massive damage. They are not cheap to
construct, and are usually deployed with more caution and thought than
Sub-Capital ships. Super-Capital ships are massive, jaw-dropping feats of
engineering and military strength that are capable of single-handedly turning
the tides in a war. Oftentimes the mere sight of one on the battlefield is
enough to discourage the enemy side from continuing the battle, since they are
so immensely powerful and durable. The downside is that they are ridiculously
expensive to construct and maintain; only the CSA and Taizen civilizations have
the economy and infrastructure to build Super-Capital ships, and even then the
CSA civilizations can only afford to build and run a handful.
The common Sub-Capital classes are Frigate, Destroyer, Cruiser, Battlecruiser,
and Battleship. Frigates are the smallest spacecraft, at 50 to 100 meters bow
to stern, and are typically the least armed and armored, sacrificing thicker
armor and larger caliber size for speed and maneuverability. They are often
used for electronic warfare and scouting roles, as well as anti-fighter combat.
Destroyers are explicitly anti-Frigate ships. They are larger (around 150 to
200 meters bow to stern) and more durable than Frigates while sacrificing only
some of the Frigate’s maneuverability; they have light, long-range armaments
designed explicitly for targeting and destroying smaller ships. Destroyers are
most common as fleet-escort ships, hunting down and destroying nearby Frigates
to prevent enemy fleets from receiving intel.
Cruisers are the smallest ship capable of fielding fighters. They range from
200 to 500 meters bow to stern and are considered mid-sized as Sub-Capital
ships. They are also the smallest ship capable of doing significant damage to
space-borne targets; as such, they are often used for swift alpha-strikes
against enemy targets before the main fleet moves in. Their ability to field
fighters gives them the capability to fend off Frigates, while their mid-sized
armaments and armor allow them to weather the fire of heavier Sub-Capital ships
for a short time. As such Cruisers are considered to be a smaller and cheaper
alternative to Battlecruisers when versatility is desired.
Battlecruisers were explicitly designed to be versatile; their size (600 to 950
meters bow to stern) allows them to field multiple wings of fighters as well as
host a wide range of armaments. Battlecruiser weaponry is capable of putting up
a fight against any other Sub-Capital ship, and their armor is second only to
Battleships. Against smaller Sub-Capitals, Battlecruisers will most definitely
win; with quick thinking and expert tactics Battlecruisers can even win in a
one-on-one fight against a Battleship. Battlecruisers are often sent on single-
or two-ship missions, but their lack of specialization make them less useful in
a dedicated attack fleet.
Battleships are the largest Sub-Capital ship, ranging from 950 to 1500 meters
bow to stern. They are the most heavily armed and armored of all Sub-Capital
ships and are designed specifically to siege and destroy other large targets,
such as space stations. They are not meant to fly solo; they are dedicated
fleet ships, rarely appearing without a Destroyer or Cruiser escort. On their
own they are capable of weathering attacks from most Sub-Capitals, but a large
enough group of Cruisers – or even just two Battlecruisers – can overwhelm and
destroy a single Battleship, in part because Battleships were designed to
attack large and slow targets, not small and fast targets. Battleships can
field fighters, but usually only field as many as a Battlecruiser can.
There are two classes of Capital ships: Dreadnoughts and Carriers. Dreadnoughts,
sized anywhere from 3 to 7 kilometers bow to stern, are the true heavy hitters,
featuring massive weaponry and equally impressive armor and range. However,
while Dreadnoughts are also fitted with smaller weapons to prevent them from
being overwhelmed by smaller ships, they are still slow and very bulky, leading
them to only being deployed in large space engagements or in sieges against
orbital or deep-space targets.
Carriers, ranging from 4 to 8 kilometers bow to stern, are designed such that
their main weapon is fighters – many, many, many fighters. The basic philosophy
behind Carriers is “death by a thousand paper cuts”. Carriers rarely sit on the
frontlines of an engagement, however – they sit thousands of kilometers behind
the frontlines, launching fighters into the battle from afar. As they are not
intended for direct engagement, they are not as heavily armored as
Dreadnoughts, with more focus being put into support systems. If an enemy fleet
manages to damage a Carrier, then something has gone massively wrong.
There are two classes of Super-Capital ships: Motherships, and Deathnoughts.
Motherships are the queen of space fleets, able to wield truly astonishing
amounts of fighters as well as possessing a fleet logistics role. Motherships
are often more than twice the size of the already-gigantic Capital ships (most
are close to 20 kilometers bow to stern), which allows them to dock any
Sub-Capital ship for repairs and restaging. Motherships are never deployed on the
front lines; in fact, they often sit in different solar systems entirely and
are able to launch their fighters onto the battlefield using specialized FTL
delivery mechanisms. However, because of this method of deployment the fighters
have no means of returning to the Mothership on their own, which leaves them
isolated until the Mothership can return for them at the end of a battle; thus,
the deployment of fighters by a Mothership represents a serious investment in a
space battle and a focused desire to be victorious. Motherships are also the
main couriers of space navies, being large enough to transport entire
Sub-Capital ships and more. The amount of Motherships possessed by each of the
three individual CSA civilizations is in the single digits, and both Taizen
civilizations possess less than a hundred each.
Deathnoughts are the king of space fleets; the ultimate heavy hitters.
They are even larger than Motherships (close to 50 kilometers bow to stern at least) and are capable of the same
logistics roles – however, instead of utilizing fighters as their main
armament, they wield tremendous amounts of guns, ranging from Frigate-sized all
the way to sizes large enough to rip an unshielded Dreadnought to shreds in a
single hit. Deathnoughts are practically considered a fleet of their own; in
times of peace they’re used as non-orbital space stations. If one appears on
the field of battle, then that represents a strong desire to hold that
region of space; Deathnoughts can change the tides of battle by simply appearing.
Deathnoughts alone are capable of besieging and capturing virtually any planet,
save homeworlds and similarly developed and protected worlds. However, because
Deathnoughts are so enormously massive and expensive, militaries usually only
possess a few, and the destruction of one can be an enormous economic setback
that could even bankrupt the owner civilization (not to mention causing a
massive blow to morale) and cause them to lose the war outright. The CSA
civilizations combined have only five Deathnoughts, while the Taizen
civilizations combined have only twelve.
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