Desperate Measures.

Posted on Thu Sep 28th, 2017 @ 7:14am by

1,615 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Unknown Life, Unknown Dangers
Location: Ready Room

I had spent ages crunching numbers, running simulations with various changing attributes and conditions. No matter what I did, it didn't look good for the ship. I wasn't just working past 30cm's of top grade ablative armour and that was just one side, there was another 30 on the other. It also meant working past the structures main brace, the spine if you will of the strut. The strut was purpose built to be strong, to take a beating if it came to it and CAG would have to chew through it.

My damage projections were good and favourable but it was doing the task that was the issue. The Gryphon class fighters we had carried micro torpedo launchers and we only carried 10 of those on board. Micro quantum torpedoes would do the trick with time but if they took too long we ran the risk of 'brace flex' which could impact the rest of the ships internal structure. One idea I had was to mount full sized torpedoes on under slung wing mounts, these could be used to break the struts brace while the micro torpedoes ate through the armour. Manoeuvrability would be compromised but it wasn't like they were doing combat turns or anything.

Armed with the information I had I left engineering and reported to the Commodore's Ready Room.

*** CAG's Office ***

Zan was writing his reports on what happened, the rescue of Lt Bradshaw and the horrifying death of one of the engineers. Zan couldn't get it out of his head what he saw, how it coiled about the man, wormed its way around the limbs then killing him. It was like something out of an old horror flick from decades past and Zan's only relief was that he didn't hear the man scream, not wanting to even imagine the pain he must have gone through before the end.

Sat in his office chair while his crews worked he sipped his now cold Coffee, ignoring the fact but consumed it anyway.

*** Ready Room ***

Will was informed his ACEO, Lt Bradshaw was on the way with a drawn out proposal about the warp nacelle. =^= Lt Luthar, report to my Ready Room please. =^=

Will wanted to get all the players together so that he could get everyone's input.

Lt. Bradshaw arrived first, Luthar not far behind. "Gentlemen, thank you for coming. Lt. Bradshaw has an idea on how to combat the situation we find ourselves in. "James?"

"I do. May I?" Not waiting for an answer I activated the tables holographic display and it showed the Dreadnought. "My idea, is to sever the nacelle, at the strut at this location. It will seal what ever that thing is inside of it and the gravity of the local star will pull it in and destroy it."

Zan looked at the display. "You mean, cut the nacelle off?" Zan just wanted to make sure he heard that right.

"Yes, right here between the primary and secondary seal doors." I pulled up a closer angle of the strut displaying internal structures.

"How do you plan to do that?" Zan asked.

"By using the fighter wing." William chipped in.

Zan had to wonder if only briefly if this was some kind of trick being played on him. "Damage our own ship?"

"Sadly, yes." I replied seeing the CAG's slight bewilderment at the proposal.

Zan had a closer look at the display, looked at the task and the tools the proposal had in mind to use. "Sir, I don't mean to be a dampener on this but my fighters are not equipped for something like this. This is Ascension grade ablative armour, 30 centimeters of it. This class stood up to a a combined Soveriegn and Concord fleet with several other ships before it was subdued in trials."

"I thought about that, you can use the micro torpedoes on the fighters to get through the armour. I could manufacture under wing mounts to house two full sized torpedoes per fighter. These should be able to breach the hull and sever the struts brace, freeing the structure from the ships hull." I hoped that would ease the CAG's objections though I had my doubts.

"That is still only 20 torpedoes, we will need more to get through this assuming we deplete the armour in that section." Zan questioned.

"We can have additional weapons made available should it be needed." Will added. He understood the CAG's hesitation, nobody liked to fire on the ship they call home, especially doing the considerable damage that was being asked of him.

Zan walked to the display and asked for an enlarged view of the strut section. "Here." He pointed and looked at the Engineer.

"Right there." I made the zone blink green for the CAG.

"What's this here?" Zan asked pointing to the long brown tube.

"That's the conduit from the core to the nacelle. It's been closed and sealed off already and secured from the core itself." I replied.

"What damage are you projecting? Its going to take a little time to get through all that armour, what about concussive damage?" Zan asked the engineer considering the consequences of what was being asked of him.

"Sadly there is nothing to be done about that, can't change the laws of physics when it comes to forces. I can reinforce the structural integrity field along this zone." I made it flash yellow for ease. "I will of course shut down the field in the strut and nacelle. As for damage, with everything sealed off and secured it should be minimal."

"Can we get home on just one nacelle?" Zan

"Slow but yes, I estimate 2.1 at best. It will be slow but will get us home." I replied.

"How will the loss of a nacelle effect ships systems. Handling, power, propulsion?" Will asked wanting to know more about after effects.

"Handling will be the same, power should only be partially effected but I can compensate for it with the other two cores. You will have full impulse control but I'd avoid any sudden turns or twists because we will have a very large hull breach and damage to the main brace structure." I replied hoping to ease the Commodores woes.

"What sort of repair time we looking at?" Will asked now wanting to know how long his ship would be grounded for.

"We'd first have to evacuate the ship, no doubt put into medical quarantine until we are all checked out. Then I'd get the ship towed and subjected to a Baryon sweep at the Remmler Array. It's lethal to organic matter so it should wipe out every trace of this thing from the ship." I paused as I looked over my information. "As for repairs, I'm sorry to say but looking at a few months. Less if they happen to have a spare nacelle laying around but I doubt it. They have to get inside the ship herself, remove the remaining end of the strut brace, run tests on the structure joints to make sure there is no damage before inserting the new one. If there was any other way believe me Sir, I'd suggest it."

The addition of the wing mounts would really mess up handling of the fighters, all that added mass. "Will the wings support that much weight, they are fighters afterall, not bombers?"

"Under normal conditions no, the fighters are not rated for it, but if we rig the mounts and weapons on the fighters in Zero-G then weight won't become a problem. If you exit the Hanger slowly with your field at max output, pull slow turns then you should be able to position yourself without the need for extensive modification to each fighter." I replied. "You will definitely feel the inertia difference but as long as you are gentle, no sudden moves or speed changes, it will work."

"How long for each fighter?" Zan asked. "If you are doing this in ZG then we will have to be in the fighters waiting."

"With enough people I could have all 10 fighters done, two torpedoes per mounted and ready in 90 minutes give or take." I thought over estimating was better than going shy on it.

Will listened to everything as he looked at the holographic display. It was a lot to weight up, then there were the implications. An Admiral's flagship returning minus a nacelle. No way they could keep that silent and off the radar.

"I'd suggest have a reload available, just in case." Zan looked at James. "My ground crews wont be available so I'd need some engineers on hand to remount new torpedoes if we need them."

"We can arrange that. Just tell them the routine and they will follow it." I replied glad to be getting somewhere.

"What do you think Sir?" Zan asked the Commodore.

"That I'm going to have to brief the Admiral on why I'm damaging his ship." Will answered. "Pretty sure he's not going to like it, this was his ship remember."

"If you think it would help, I can accompany you. With the information here it might make things easier." I offered the Commodore.

"It will be alright Lt thank you. Gentlemen I suggest you get ready, you have a lot of work to do and we have prescious little time in which to do it." Will spoke leaning back in his chair. "Brief the pilots CAG, let them know what to do, James will be along when he's ready to mount the weapons. That will be all gentlemen."

Will watched the two officers leave, now he had the unpleasant task of discussing with the Admiral the proposal outlined just now and the Sickbay incident.

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