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George E. Rolf, CEO
LOCATION: Susquehanna Station, Cortez
SUBJECT: "Vector" Prototype Development
Howdy Mr. McKenzie, I've got some data for you from our latest build. As you can imagine, there's good news and bad.
I'll start with the bad here, as it is critical. Essentially, the single-engine design just won't cut it. It's fine for our Rhino model because it's been proven over many stanyears, and folks generally don't push it past operational parameters. It's been long-known that the design has redundancy problems, but it serves a general purpose and its cost allows folks to field two of them during ops.
For the Vector, redundancy is critical, and that means we need to consider a dual-reactor set-up. You want adequate shieldin' and substantial delta-v, and out testin' just doesn't guarantee both at once under strain. With a live backup, all these issues are solved, at least in theory. We'd need to build another prototype, but my engineerin' teams assure me that it'll work as intended based on existin' multi-reactor designs. Still, it'll be good to get some data about long-term capabilities and stress-to-failure tests.
In summary, we'll need to rebuild the prototypes. The cost will be incremental, as two reactors allow for less overengineerin' on the dependent subsystems. The hull and the cargo space bear the brunt of the costs, and they won't be affected.
Meanwhile, I've got a number of good news. For one, the two prototypes work accordin' to specs for all other parameters. They'd make solid trainin' vessels, and you should be fine usin' them in low-intensity ops. But make sure they don't get too far from the barn if you choose to do that. If you'd like to test 'em out yourself, feel free to set up a time at our Red Rock proving grounds. I'll have one of the locals team leaders walk you through all you need to know. And seein' as they're your ships, you can take 'em home with you, eh?
For another, this small-scale shipbuildin' is more than possible on Red Rock. Naturally, Susquehanna is still your best bet for a large batch order, but the team at Red Rock can handle anything below a metric ton. What that means is any future orders you place on these vessels shouldn't be affected by our current queue. Lucky for you, as the waitlist is often weeks out, without includin' the production times themselves.
Finally, despite the risin' production costs, we will honor our original deal on the six Vectors. As soon as you test the prototypes and give the go-ahead for the dual-reactor design, we should only be a month away from the completion of your fleet. The only thing remainin' is the cost of an additional prototype, which will total another 495 k. If you're still amendable to that number, I'll instruct Red Rock to begin construction immediately, so that you'll have a chance to test both designs against one another yourself.
Please let me know if all of the above meets with your approval, and I'm hopin' we can wrap up this contract real soon!
![[Image: woJg8mQ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/woJg8mQ.png)