Ivan sat in a chair on Remis station muttering lightly to himself. "This, is going to take a lot of time, resources, and man power." Ivan finished looking at the piece of paper, a blueprint, of the Intrepide II. A Council Cruiser.
He turned on the computer in front of him and opened up a document, and began listing what he would need to build the second Mightiest vessel in the Council Fleet.
'Document' Wrote:
Ship Crew - 245
Basic Allow - 3,500 units
Hydrocarbons - 2,500 units
Scrap Metal - 1,000 units
Hull Panels - 4,000 units
Copper - 3,350 units
Engine Components - 400 units
Robotic Components - 2,000 units
Optronics - 450
Neural Processors - 500 units
Oil - 400 units
H Fuel - 300 Units
Wine - 1 unit
Credits - 210,500,000c
Cruiser Weapons - (Unknown)
He sighed again. Hopefully, I can get this project rolling without Admiralty shutting me down. Then again, I can keep the Intrepide II dry docked until they accept her as a ship.
Ivan looked up from the screen and then to his right, just as a crew member of the Intrepide walked in. "Captain," the crew member said, saluting. Ivan saluted back, then dropped his salute. "At ease. What's going on?" "Captain, the crew is a little weary of this project your going on about. Some of us feel abandoned, especially seeing how there is a war going on."
Ivan nodded, noting his crews concern prior to this event. "I understand, however this is something that must be done. We still need a crew that's a hundred to two hundred strong, willing to work under my command on the Intrepide II, along with the Intrepide."
The crew member sighed "Sir, I believe it's proper to retire the Intrepide once the Intrepide II is in service. After all, a Captain doesn't have time to command two vessels."
Ivan nodded yet again agreeing with his crew member. "Indeed, a Captain doesn't have time to command two vessels. However, a Fleet Admiral has time to command an entire fleet. So what's stopping me from not commanding two mighty vessels, and possibly a third in the far future."
The crew member stared blankly for a moment before replying back "A third? Sir, with all do respect, I don't believe you can run three ships. It's, impossible. It would be a miracle if you can."
With this Ivan smiled, "James, there are no miracles for those that have no faith in them. Have faith, I can command the Intrepide with relative ease. Two vessels aren't going to be a problem, due to the fact the Gunboat will be on Standby, in the shipyards, and vice versa."
James nodded. "Oui, sir. I have one final statement, or well, request. As the First Mate on the Intrepide Could I..." Ivan interrupted him. "The Crew needs someone to keep them at ease when I'm commanding the Intrepide II. So, I'm going to have to deny the request, James. However, if I can find someone else I can trust on board the Intrepide I'll think about bumping you up to the Intrepide II staff. Sound fair?"
James nodded yet again. "Oui, Sir!"
"Now...go take your leave like you where planning on." Ivan sighed, saluting back at James, who returned the salute and left the room. After a few minutes, Ivan pulled out a flask and opened the top. Then proceeded to take a sip from it. Setting it down on the table. "Now...then. Where shall we begin?" He said lightly looking at the document, yet again.
Ivan stood up and pocketed his flask. He headed towards the hanger deck of Remis station. He smiled as he approached his Agama Heavy Fighter. A sleek design, better then that of a Gallic Heavy Fighter. However, he was disappointed that the Council weaponry did slightly less damage then the Royalist weapons. He shook his head and climbed into the cockpit of the fighter. Placing his flight helmet on, the turntable the fighter was landed on turned towards a huge airlock, which opened. The turntable began to move towards the Air lock.
"Flight control, this is Captain Ivan Fournier, requesting permission to launch." He said over the comms.
"This is Flight Control to, Blue Two. Permission to launch granted. Safe flight, Ivan." A female voice replied back over the comms.
Around him he could hear the groan of the mechanical clamps release. The Airlock door behind his ship began to close. Just as this happened, Ivan closed down the cockpit top and sealed it. Outside, sounds of whispering could be heard as the oxygen in the airlock started flow out through a crack in the docking bay door in front of his ship. The door opened further revealing a few thousand stars, and blackness. His ship sat on the Turntable for a few more minutes before he engaged the lift thrusters, and pulled out into the blackness of space.
Turning sharply he guided his ship towards a nearby tradelane, which headed towards Mazagran Depot. Once he entered range of the station, the Flight deck hailed him.
"This is Flight Control on Mazagran Station, to Council Blue Two. Please input verification codes and heading."
Ivan nodded to himself as he typed in a four digit code. "I'm heading to Chalons-En-Champagne station, came from Remis Station. Do I have permission to proceed?"
"Verification codes accepted, you have permission to proceed, safe flight."
The flight control deck watched as Ivan's ship came extremely close to the flight control tower, then turned sharply and headed towards the Tradelane headed to Planet Marne.
"That...Councilor is either hot headed, crazy, or both." One of the controllers muttered.
"I heard that." Ivan said laughing as his ship sped towards Marne orbit.
Five Minutes later
The Hanger deck's communication terminal crackled open, however it was station wide.
"This is Chalons En Champagne Station Flight Control, we have touch down for Blue Two. Maintenance teams, report to the Hanger deck.
Ivan took off his helmet and climbed out of his Agama fighter, just as a swarm of Maintenance teams came rushing into the hanger itself. "You guys must of been on call." Ivan smiled walking past the leader one of the maintenance teams. "Make sure you don't do anything stupid this time. I had to personally fix what your last team tried to fix."
"Oui, Captain Fournier, We'll make sure we don't screw anything up this time. The construction crew is waiting for you in the construction meeting room, Deck Delta, Room Eight."
Ivan kept walking and shouted over his shoulder. "I'm aware of the room location. Thank you. Lieutenant." He reached the main door in the hanger, pressing a button the door opened and he proceeded to the construction meeting room.
Ivan pushed open the doors, sadly these where the only doors in the entire station that you actually had to...touch. The room inside was dark, the light outside cloaked his face with a black silhouette. Three people looked away from the screen, and towards Ivan.
"Captain! We where expecting you. Please, take a seat." The lead engineer said.
Ivan nodded and took a seat at the back of the room. "Please, continue as if I wasn't here." Ivan said leaning back in the chair, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Right, right, As I was saying. We'll need Basic alloys to start the construction. At least three thousand-five hundred units of it. Then about one thousand scrap metal just to create the internal walls and frame. Next we will need Ship hull panels, four thousand units will be sufficient."
"After these first step we can get to work on the internal power systems, couplets and decks. However that's sometime in the future. Uhm...Captain Fournier."
"It's just Ivan.."
"Right, right, Captain Ivan. Do you think your Gunboat and crew can bring around some of these supplies?" The Engineer said.
"I doubt I can. It'll be hard to move my Gunboat off the front lines. Not to mention running between here and the path is dangerous. I doubt my crew will ferry components around. We're not traders you know." Ivan said taking out his flask again, and taking another sip.
"Right...however. They are you're crew. So they would need to listen to you, unless you have a mutiny on you're hands, which I doubt you do, because you're here." he said trying not to make a fool out of himself.
Ivan nodded. "Well then, shall we get to work?" He said standing and taking about sip out of his flask. "I'll do my part, you handle yours."
The engineers nodded and went back to bickering with each other as Ivan left the room, and headed down to the shipyard view ports. Where he stared aimlessly into space, literally.