Captain’s Log May 3rd 063 SDE,

We have finally reached the system, that has been dubbed Salvation. It is a nice isolated looking system. We have conducted multiple scans of the area and while we have picked up ships in sensor range. The nearest point of alien activity to the system is about fifteen lightyears away. Not that we saw many ships in that system. As for the system itself, it has seven planets. None of them is habitable, but one of them looks like a promising terraforming candidate. If we were willing to wait decades before we can colonize it that is. The system also has three asteroid belts and has quite a bit of debris in its asteroid fields. The dense rich fields will make asteroid mining quite profitable. While also helping shield our activity from prying eyes. We have already found a promising spot to anchor the ship, and have sent out mining shuttles to get the materials we need. Our science labs created a fairly promising new beam weapon, that will be useful on beam sats. These Epsilon Particle Beam cannons have excellent firepower, and a fast recharge. The downside is that these variants of our standard beam cannons produce massive amounts of deadly radiation. We could probably solve the radiation problem with additional research, but the weapon is also a bit bulky and requires an element that is difficult to manufacture and very rare. We have enough from our decades in the storm to build about twenty of them, which should be enough to destroy anyone that pokes into our business while we are fixing the ship. Speaking of the ship refit, I have a meeting with in an hour on the refit.

Countryman walked down the corridor and passed a young woman that nodded briefly to him. Reaching the door, he was heading for he pressed the control by the door and walked into the Engineering Lab. Richards was already there, along with a couple of other engineers. Projected above the central console of the lab, was the image of a ship that looked a lot like the Enterprise. There was just one problem, it was much too large to be the Enterprise.

“I thought we were refitting the Enterprise, not replacing her,” commented Countryman.

“Well, sir remember the Enterprise has a dual starframe,” said Megumi Richards pointing out a fact that Countryman was aware of. The ship had two starframes in the primary hull, an upper and a lower frame, that were bolted together by hundreds of thick heavy bolts and then nano-welded.

“What about the dual star frame?” asked Countryman.

“Well, sir the dual frame, provides us with a unique refit opportunity. We can actually increase the size of the ship because of this. First we will have to blow the bolts linking the two star frames to each other. Then we will separate the upper and lower halves of the ship and insert between them a new middle starframe section. Then bolt the frames back together. Using the same techniques that were used in the first place, we can guarantee a fairly sturdy bond between the three frames,” said Megumi.

“Interesting, increasing the size of a ship has never been done. Anyway tell me what do you have so far,” said Countryman.

“The design we have so far will increase the ship’s length to 7530 meters. We have upped the armor thickness to one hundred and twenty meters, and will be updating it to Mark IV specs. Using the extra space, we have designed a much better residential area, and will be adding an entire deck wide artificial environment. Designed to simulate various battlefields, by request of the marine corps, but it will also be good for ship morale. Our factories will be improved and enlarged to better accommodate industrial orders. Recreational facilities will be updated and better placed to accommodate our population. The nacelles will be increased in size as well and additional engines will be added. Ten new engines in each nacelle and four more in the primary hull. Increasing the engine count to eighty three. Taking into account your desire for more auxiliary craft, we will be enlarging the port and starboard hangers. Increasing the accommodations for up to nine hundred fighters and fifteen hundred combat shuttles. Along with special mountings for two hundred dropships,” said Megumi.

“Sounds good so far, but what about armament? What do you have in mind for weapons?” asked Countryman. Megumi press a button, and instantly a number of spots on the projected hull lit up. Highlight thousands of weapon mounts on the ship design. Then she signaled to engineer on her left to explain.

“No change in torpedo launchers, twenty forward, twelve aft. Heavy particle cannon banks will be increased from eight to thirty two and updated to latest specs. Medium particle cannon banks will be increased from eighteen to fifty four, and one hundred eight Light cannon banks will be added to the frame. Her cutting beams will be increased from two to eight arrays. All possible thanks to improvements to our power generation and general miniaturization of components. Our triple tube, photon missile launchers will be upspeced to accommodate the new generation photon missiles and increased from twelve to eighteen banks. In addition our Electro Cannon banks will be increased from two to eight. Our mine disperser will be removed, and the bays repurposed to make room for less situational systems,” said the young engineer. Countryman looked it over and didn’t have anything to really add to the weapons and defenses of the ship. They spent the next couple of hours debating the internals of the ship, including things like the best place to put a new device called the stealth field generator. The generator being a device, that had been created by studying the Voskar cloaking device. While they couldn’t replicate the cloak, it gave them clues to creating an active form of stealth that could render equipped ships invisible to most strategic sensors. Near the end of the session he informed Megumi that the council wanted a new line of ships designed to serve the fleet as escorts, and gave her the specifications they had for different classes.

Over the next two years the Enterprise underwent a significant refit, as they said she was split in two, and a new frame was built and inserted between the upper and lower starframes. Halfway through the refit, the ship was operational enough that they devoted resources to building a new redesigned version of the ship’s original class. Which had been redubbed as a Galactic Sovereign class cityship stage one. The ship would be completed a couple months after the Enterprise finished her refit, and took up a station nearby. Where both ships began to build the first of their new ship classes. This ship class was called the Hammer class yardship, these new ships were lightly armed, but they weren’t designed as warships but mobile factories. Easily capable of building multiple starships simultaneously. Four of these ships would be built over the next year, and form the center of their fleet industry. To feed these factories android workers would be built and employed both in mining and construction tasks. Which also helped get these capital ships up and running in half the time it would have taken otherwise.

After three years in the system, they had managed to put together a decent set of industry and started to work on their escort fleet. They started the escort fleet out with the largest of proposed ship classes, the Battlehawk Heavy Cruiser as it would be designated after it passed its trials. The Battlehawk was designed to carry ninety-six fighters. Her armament is twelve heavy particle cannon banks, thirty medium cannon banks, and thirty light cannon banks. Along with five beam arrays, and five banks of Electro cannons. With ten torpedo launchers fore and aft. For protection the ship was armored with fifty eight meters of overlord armor. The entire ship, measured 2400 meters in length making it a mid sized capital ship, that was designed to take a beating and dish one right back. For ship would prove decently fast and maneuverable of sublight thanks to its four main sublight engines, and was designed for an FTL cruising speed of warp five.

A total of thirteen of these impressive cruisers would be built, before they started work on a new destroyer to serve as their mainstay escort ship. The Saber class as it would come to be known, is only eight hundred meters long. A twin second generation particle pulse wave engine provided an impressive amount of maneuverability and speed to the ship. For protection the ship was outfitted with an impressive forty meters of overlord armor. Her armament includes eight particle flak banks, Four heavy particle cannon batteries, two cutting beam arrays, and four banks of electro cannon, complemented by forty forward torpedo launchers. Twenty eight of destroyers will be built for the fleet, and during the same construction period work began on another ship type.

That ship being the Firebird Class bird of prey. Being a small ship, only a hundred and sixty meters in length, they could field them easily and build large numbers of them quickly. Plated with twelve meters of overlord armor giving it a fair amount of protection. While Eight banks of heavy particle cannons, five light, and two banks of electro cannons made her a threat to most ships, but the true source of her power was the four spinally mounted Super Heavy Particle Cannons. Weapons that would normally be mounted on a battleship, and required a beefed up powerplant to function. The ship looked like an elongated saucer with a pair of wings that swept forward and down at each end. Two of her cannons mounted on the end of each wing, and the other two spinal cannons mounted on the saucer. Her high speed and strong frontal attack would prove to make her very deadly on the battlefield.

Eight years after their arrival in the system, they began work on a number of carriers Only four would be built, each massive ships in their own right. The carriers were large capital ships, measuring 7550 meters in length, and designed to accommodate 9000 fighters. Most of which would be manned by synthetic pilots to make up for their numbers. Which by this point had grown to around half a million people not counting synthetics. The Kingdom line of carriers are plated with fifty five meters of overlord armor. Outfitted with four banks of light particle flak and eight cutting beams. Which made the ship decently durable enough, and gave her protection against light craft, but the ship needed escorts. Like all ships in the fleet the Kingdoms had a cruising speed of warp five.

Captain’s Log October 17th 073 SDE,

Ten years in this system have done wonders for the fleet, we are building. The fleet however has been getting restless. Many of our children have the desire to explore our surroundings. I am concerned about the fighting we have been picking in some neighboring systems. Personally I would be more comfortable with a few more ships, in the fleet before heading out. Unfortunately, we have nearly exhausted the asteroids in this system of some of the valuable minerals needed for building ships. There is plenty more on some of the planets, but collecting those minerals would require infrastructure we don’t have. Besides we were never planning to stay in this system for long.

Countryman starred out the window, watching the work crews and bees moving in the void around one of the carriers. The carriers were in the final phases of construction, and it would be a week or two before they could start the shakedown cruise for the new ships. Without turning he addressed the officer behind him. A young girl who had grown up on the ship.

“We can’t leave just yet. We have a few ships that need to be finished and put through a shakedown cruise. Still that doesn’t mean we can’t gather some information. I have orders for nine ships to form a new task force. The will split into three groups and scout the surrounding systems for us. Those ships are the SFS Batoruhoku, SFS Suzume, SFS Washi, SFS Dagger, SFS Falchion, SFS Scimitar, SFS Tsurugi, SFS Estoc, and SFS Longsword. One cruiser and two destroyers in each group. I want them to be careful out there, and to avoid unnecessary combat, which is to be decided at the captain's discretion,” said Countryman.

“It will be done, my lord,” said the officer as she left. Countryman sighed, he never understood why the young officers decided to call him lord. Soon the fleet would leave the nest. Hopefully the vanguard would bring back information to better equip them for the dangers they would surely face.

Elsewhere, a young female alien swam down a corridor, her tentacles easily pulling her through the water. Reaching a doorway she passed through the door as it opened for her. Entering the room, she swam up to the male in the room and stopped before him. Giving him a gesture of respect, she then started the report that had brought her here.

“My lord, one of our automated scouts has returned from a long term mission,” said the girl.

“Well, youngling anything interesting?” asked the lord. She pushed a data disk into the projector below, and images we projected into the middle of the room.

“Our scout has found, one thing of interest. It seems a new race has entered the field. The scout has been observing them for the last eight years. Based on what we see here, they appear to be space nomads, rebuilding their fleet. Their ships lack energy shields, but they seem to be fairly advanced for this part of space. Roughly on par with the Cylovans which means the Cylovans will no doubt take interest in them,” said the girl.

“A new race? Well then take a ship, and greet them,” said the lord.

“Yes, my lord,” replied the girl before swimming down the corridor to the docks. She knew the lord meant for her to take a shuttle, since the fleet was occupied elsewhere thanks to the Cylovans. It didn’t take long for her to reach the starport and obtain a scout shuttle. A lightly armed shuttle used for scouting missions.