LNS-Utah

[rayne]

The Utah was now ready for her shakedown runs, it had an experimental jump drive that needed testing before anything else could be done. Captain Hunt had a skeleton crew for the initial runs, Julia Wolfe was on board for the jump drive tests, after all if was proven successful she would want her LSF Ships to be equipped with them.

Hunt boarded the Utah and proceeded to command, many of the crew saluting him on his way. He was in awe of the size of the vessel. Finally he reached the bridge.

"CAPTAIN ON THE DECK!!!" Said the helmsman Scott Hudson

"At ease ladies and gentlemen. Give me ship-wide..... This is Captain Andrew Hunt, first off I want to say what a fine crew you all are and I look forward to working with you. Now that's out of the way we will be performing some manoeuvres and testing the jump drive. Once they are completed it will be a weapons and shields test. The final tests will be drills and crew performance. That is all carry on everyone.... Mr Hudson we have clearance to leave dry dock, take us out nice and slow."

"Aye aye captain"

There was an audience of various ships to witness the launch from Norfolk Ship yard, the engineers had outdone themselves yet again. It was a sight to behold, its huge quad impulse engine's blasting away to give the ship its thrust, the size of its weapons. The civilians watching were very excited, comm chatter was heard all over New York.

"Mr Hudson, all ahead 1 third... We need to be away from any bases and planets to test the drive. Engineering, bring main deflector on-line, power up the jump drive" Hunt was in his element barking thee orders to the crew.

"Aye aye skipper" The chief engineer was Lieutenant Commander Shamus O'Brien and he worked on the experimental drive along with other parts of the ship, so in essence it was his vessel just as much as the captains.

The Utah finally reached a safe distance, the captain ordered all civilian ships away and gave the order to activate the drive to jump into Texas, but something was wrong.

"Comm --- Engineering. Sir something is not right, there is a phase imbalance in the starboard engines, we should deactivate the jump drive"

It was too late to act, the drive generated a field around the ship and then it disappeared.

Sirens were sounding all over the ship, the crew running around frantically trying to ascertain what happened.

"All decks report! I want a sensor sweep of the area"

The shield generator had overloaded and the jump drive had melted and was rendered a total right-off. Once the system wide sensor sweep was completed there was panic, even from the captain but he didn't let it show. They had jumped far beyond than what the drive was initially capable of doing, they had breached into the edge worlds...... Omicron Delta, Nomad space...................

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Julia Wolfe's exploits as a secret agent
Liberty Intelligence Agency Recruitment