The shakedown started just like any other, with a long list of systems checks. Most of those checks were done by computers. The ship’s computers had a long list of diagnostics they could execute to access system functionality. Weapons, shields, life support, armor, navigation, sensors, propulsion, power generation, emergency batteries, structural integrity, bulkhead control, internal sensors, hanger force fields, you name it. All of them could be accessed to a fairly accurate degree by computers. Although some of it had to be field-tested to be certain, even in this age.

The initial diagnostics would net a decent baseline though. It would also be the first major test of the ship’s computers. There were several of them. The main computer, the navigational computer, the targeting computer, the main warp engine control computer, the secondary warp engine control computers, the reactor monitor computers, the sublight engine control computers. The list went on. Each one was technically classed as a supercomputer with the exception of the main computer. That beast of a machine was in a completely different class from conventional supercomputers and was classed as a hyper computer. Although all of them operated in a linked network. A massive internal data network linked them together and allowed them to communicate at high speed. In effect, all these separate computers seemed to act as a single incredibly powerful beast.

Fortunately, these powerful machines could chew through the diagnostics process at a fair clip. Although it still took a while to check everything, mainly because it wasn’t being checked in a totally virtual environment. Kirk spent the five hours of diagnostics getting to know her crew and fixing the problems that inevitably cropped up. All minor, but expected. Nothing that took more than a few minutes to correct. When the last of these checks were completed they undocked, and began their shakedown.

The first phase of the shakedown went as planned. The computers and crew kept a constant eye on the engines. A quick cruise around the fleet anchorage was followed by the scheduled jump. A jump that proceeded as planned to the E-212 star system.

Kirk was on the lower bridge looking at the engineering displays when they dropped out of warp. Almost immediately the tactical alert sounded and the alert status lights went red instead of their typical blue. The ship shuddered slightly, she barely felt anything. Aside from a slight bump, but she did see several small fluctuations in the AIF displayed on the engineering panel.

Kirk moved away and headed to her command chair on the command balcony. An officer reported, “Sir we have been engaged by multiple A one seven target drones.”

She had expected to be engaged by multiple A one seven target drones. They were the standard configuration drone employed for this. However, she had not expected to be fired upon as soon as she dropped out of warp. That wasn’t in the briefing, and she wondered what else was not in the briefing. The A one seven was outdated. Mark one particle cannons, Mark II polarized armor, and a mark one engine all controlled by an outdated electronic computer that was designed over a century ago. Its sensor array wasn’t even multi-spatial. It employed a spatial sensor array that had been designed during the third colonial war. The only reason it could even detect her ship was that the sensors had been modified to penetrate the sensor shielding of modern ships.

The fact they were targeting her now, made her wonder if anything else had been omitted from her briefing. She gave the order to return fire.

Turrets along the hull spun to life and opened fire on the target drones. Highly accurate low yield phased particle discharges fired at a rapid pace into the void. Each one struck a target drone with unerring precision. In mere seconds all of the target drones in the immediate vicinity were destroyed. This proved to be an excellent test of the computer-controlled AA defenses of her ship. This wasn’t a revolutionary system, and the performance was well within expected parameters. After all, people had been using computer-controlled AA defense systems for centuries now. Although the first ones used electronic computers, and modern ones employed positronic computer systems. Positronics had a number of key advantages that had led to their use in combat computer systems.

As the shakedown battle continued, a part of her mind thought back on a conversation she had years ago. Refuge technology had proven superior to many of their current enemies. There was a long list of reasons for why, but as powerful as their ships were they had a few notable weaknesses. The most notable was power generation, Refuge technology was very efficient. However long decades of relying mainly on auxiliary power had led to a stagnation in main power systems. There was a certain kind of irony there, that the achilles heel of Refuge technology was that their primary reactors were inefficient. Sure antimatter was very efficient at converting fuel to energy, but that 100% did not mean perfect conversion of fuel into usable energy. It only meant a perfect conversion of the fuel into energy. The same factors applied with fusion. There was always loss somewhere. Refuge fusion plasma cell generators were remarkably efficient with less than point zero one percent loss between generated energy and usable energy. The more powerful antimatter reactors that served as the main power generator for Refuge ships were not so impressive in that regard. The last gen models were only about 85% effective at converting generated energy into usable energy. The new gen models had only improved that by about two percent.

The recent upgrades had for the most part simply increased the amount of energy generated per second. Although that also meant they were burning more fuel per second. Given design requirements it made sense though. In battle they always needed as much energy as they could get. Although she had a feeling that with the war providing motivation to correct that inefficiency, things were going to change. It was only a matter of time before a more energy efficient antimatter reactor was devised. Not that it would do much to change fleet policy. Little reason to change what was already working.

Even while thinking of the changes in technology, she never stopped directing the battle. Not that it was much of a battle. Her line of thought was suddenly broken, when drones of a different configuration suddenly emerged from behind a few asteroids and made a run on the Bastion. She immediately ordered them targeted, since they seemed to be of larger heavier construction. Given she had not expected them, Kirk did not want them to fire on her ship.

Her gunners took out half of them before they got into range, and then the remaining drones fired. Bright blue energy bolts carrened across the void and struck the Bastion. She felt vibrations as the ship was struck. A fact that surprised her. Those were not the standard outdated particle cannons typically mounted on target drones. Whatever they were carrying, it possessed far more punch than the old weapons normally used for target drones.

The gunners, following her previous orders, directed the guns to take out the remaining drones before they could make another run on the ship. Meanwhile she turned to her science officer, and asked her to identify what they had been hit with.

The science officer shrugged, “I have no idea. The computer is not recognizing the weapon, but sensors indicate that it is next gen technology. Those drones had been modified with a micro-fusion plasma cell connected directly to the weapon. Everything else was hundred year old technology, standard for drones.”

That was interesting for several reasons. Having a generator just for the weapon had a few advantages. There was also the fact that it was using newer fusion cell technology rather than old-style fusion generators for the weapon. Plasma cell based fusion was very new, and it employed a stable form of low energy fusion to produce a clean and efficient form of energy to power pretty much anything. Plasma cells were rather compact as well, being barely small enough to fit in heavy infantry weapons, and were the most energy efficient form of fusion known. Modern ships used plasma cell arrays in their fusion generators to provide energy to key systems. Plasma cells were still rather new though, so only the newest ships even had them and it would be some time before they were miniaturized and fitted to infantry weapons. Although when that happened it would be a revolution for small arms. It would change the game significantly.

Although it seemed someone was already working towards that. Experimenting with the concept on small ship weapons. However that did leave unanswered the question of what kind of weapon they interfaced with the reactor. There was the possibility the weapon was a prototype, but why would they use an experimental power configuration like this with a prototype weapon?

“Don’t use the database. Tell me what it does.”

She glanced over her readings, and then said, “It seems to be a photon based cannon. It fires a high energy compressed bolt of pure gamma frequency photons. Each bolt is compressed by some kind of flux field, and they each hit us with the force of a small nuke.”

There were more powerful weapons, but that was still impressive. Especially given that they had fired quite a few pulses in the brief moment they were in range. Indicating a rapid rate of fire, and without adequate shielding they would be quite dangerous. Besides, few small ships carried that kind of firepower. Not to mention, a gamma radiation pulse penetrating the hull could kill the crew of a targeted ship. Although most ship hulls were heavily shielded against cosmics rays, and that included protection against gamma radiation. In the case of Refuge ships that protection came in the form of a layered lining embedded in the hull, hull plating, and internal structure. Even the emergency bulkheads had embedded lining in them. To ensure that even in the case of a hull breach, the crew was safe from cosmic radiation.

She was impressed, but now that she knew what she was dealing with, she turned her full attention back to the mock battle. Her tactical officer had already directed her gunners to mop up the last of the drones in the local area, but there may be more hiding waiting to ambush her ship. A few might even carry those new weapons that someone had decided to test in battle conditions with her shakedown cruise. She was about to order a scan of the field, when suddenly her operations officer reported, “Sir, we just received new orders.”

She glanced over, and frowned. This was highly unusual. Ships on shakedown cruises rarely received new orders like this. She sighed, “Let’s hear them”

The officer pressed a button, and her new orders played out on the forward viewscreen. It was a brief communique straight from the Elder Council. They were being redeployed to E-957 Gamma. A system about nineteen hundred lightyears from their present position. Apparently task force 5710 had gotten into trouble and was engaged by five Cylovan dreadnoughts and their escorts. They were being sent in to assist. It would certainly be a real test of her ship and crew. More so than these old drones. A part of her was looking forward to the upcoming battle. She had also been informed that task force 2237 had been redirected to assist, but they would take longer than the Bastion to get there. Fleet projected she would arrive about 15 minutes before task force 2237. Assuming she used the Hyperwarp drive.