The Bear and the Dragon.

[mtjsmith]

[font=agency fb]Location: [color=#FFFFFF]Far side of Planet Odessa, Omega-52
Date: 31st May 819 AS

"Praise the Premier, it's beautiful...."

[color=#FFFFFF]With those words finally said, Lt Colonel Ling sighed and sat back in his command chair. Around him, the crew of the XiaoSet busied themselves at their stations, as he watched the ship in the viewscreen become larger. The Typhoon class vessel reached the edge of the negative-radar shield and slipped inside. Almost instantaneously it vanished from all known sensor equipment. While not a perfect cloak, the drive-yard facility didn't require one. The EM it was putting out was absorbed by the large planet below and if anyone did pick up any trace signals and came looking for the source - they would wrongly assume it was Mykolaiv Research Station. This allowed the shipbuilding teams to work on Project Red Letter Day without fear of espionage or sabotage.

"Major Xu. Commence docking protocols."

[color=#FFFFFF]The XiaoSet gradually slowed to a dead stop in the dry dock. Two docking arms activated within the dock and arched their way over to her. Connecting with the ports, the Typhoon was pulled gently towards the dock and locked in place.

"Docking complete"
[color=#FFFF00]"Initiate full reactor and system shutdown once the umbilical is in place and we're drawing power from the dock."
"We've got positive feeds from both A1 and A2, initiating shutdown."

As the secondary consoles shut off one by one, Ling looked around the bridge as the auxiliary lighting came on and time was called on the XiaoSet's career.

"Goodbye ship."

[color=#FFFFFF]He stood up, and the bridge crew stood to attention. He bowed his head and left the bridge. The XiaoSet's career had ended too soon in his opinion, a few shared by most of the High Command however it was inevitable. The wounds sustained in the Civil War had weakened the ship. Diving into the surface of the Neutron Star in Omega-41 to avoid a Corsair fleet, effectively sealed her fate. The hull of the XiaoSet still gave off a radioactive signature. Thankfully, the hull plating was one remnant of the XiaoSet's which would not be saved. The Premier himself had decreed that the newest arrivals to the Coalition's fleet were to be the toughest yet. Shining examples of brute force to strike fear into the hearts of the fools that would oppose the Red Dawn. Ling quietly walked along the darkened corridor to the primary docking port, the airlock opened and he walked across the bridge. Halfway across, he turned back and looked at his ship. He was optimistic for the future, today he had lost his command. In the next few months, he would gain the most lethal ship in the Coalition's arsenal.

"Ling Ling is it?"

[color=#FFFFFF]If it was anyone other than the Premier or his trusted comrades asking that question, Ling would have drawn his sword and gut the idiot whom asked that question. It was no idiot though, Dr Xiobei himself was aboard the dry dock, overseeing parts of the project.

"Unless you want to be called Xiobei Xiobei, I suggest you just stick with Colonel Ling."
[color=#66FFFF]"Yes yes, we've much to do and little time to do it in."
"Your teams are ready?"
"Of course, you're the one that is late!"
"Dui, but it could not be helped. Secrecy is paramount of course, there was... business.. which needed attended to."
"I won't bloody ask, I don't want to know.. Right you halfwits - Start stripping that hunk of metal!"

With that, the teams of workers rushed forwards onto the XiaoSet and began their inspections of the now defunct vessel. Ling turned with the good Doctor and headed up to the control tower where he would further briefed on the construction project.

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