R&D-Spree, progress report

[Karst]

The purpose of this document is to provide a summary of R&D's work on the Pilgrim-class Spree, including mechanical modifications and relevant missions undertaken.
Read access is granted to all R&D employees, as well as ALG's accounting department so they can see we're using all those juicy funds in a sensible manner.

- R&D team

Acquisition and initial evaluation

The Spree was purchased on 820-07-16 from a Junker who wished to remain anonymous (see IR 358).
R&D's first evaluation of the vessel was done at Invergordon Space Port, her home port at the time, with the following findings.

• The posterior bridge as well as the main crew sections and engine compartments are safely pressurized and have intact life support.
  Electrical systems are functional in decks 2-12 of that section but offline in deck 1 due to faulty wiring.
  Maintenance shafts 2C through 4D contain hazardous levels of radiation due to a failed rad shield on auxiliary reactor III and should not be accessed without appropriate gear.
  Maintenance shafts 6E and 6F are inaccessible due to exterior damage to the ship.
  
  
• The entirety of the the lower wing of the rear storage segment is unpressurized due to a gaping hole likely caused by a torpedo. Comparments D17-21, E18-21, and F19-22 are essentially non-existent due to said torpedo.
  The remainder of the lower wing is intact, though in a state of disrepair. This section is outfitted for passenger transport in what cannot be described as humane conditions.
  
  
• The upper wing, also intended for passenger transport, as well as the central section of the rear storage segment are in decent condition. This section has been modified extensively with several compartments merged and new connections opened, often in a crude manner with seemingly nothing more than blow torches and hand tools. It also shows the most recent signs of life and contains a large amount of rations, supplies, consumer items and personal belongings, in varying states of decay.
  Due to this and the section's evidently long-running life support systems, it contains a large number of pests, insects and rodents were spotted and with strange noises coming from some of the maintenance shafts, we were reluctant to investigate.
  It's also not entirely obvious if the section can even be purged, as the life support systems are divided into a number of subcircuits, some of which are apparently not connected to the ship's main systems at all.
  
  
• The lower wing of the forward storage section has been mostly stripped of subdivisions and used for bulk cargo. Though the section is pressurized, it contains high levels of toxic residue, including significant traces of lead and cadmium, several metric tons of gravel and dust presumably from hauling unrefined minerals, as well as moderate radiation from a currently unknown source.
  Although the section is well-sealed and oxygen levels are stable, the air is saturated with a variety of hazardous gases.
  Entering this section even with proper protective gear should probably be limited to robots at the moment.
  
  
• The upper wing of the forward storage section is currently unpressurized, again due to exterior damage to the main vertical shaft.
  This section is also presumably fitted for passenger transport, although it's only partially explored so far. The section's electrical system is ancient, likely dating back to the vessels original construction. While the main system uses Yttrium-based high temperature superconductors, the system in this section consists of archaic copper wiring.
  The two systems are totally incompatible and obviously not connected. The section clearly hasn't had functioning systems of any sort in centuries.
  Some of the so far opened compartments contain ancient personal belongings, a glimpse of life in the 5th century.
  Interestingly, some compartments are incredibly heavily built, comparable to security vaults, and without the electrical systems working or very heavy equipment which our team here doesn't have, cannot be accessed.
  Eldritch symbols on the walls invite us to leave well enough alone for now.
  
  
• The anterior bridge and the forward central compartment are pressurized and appear safe. However, damage to the central wiring means they aren't connected to the rest of the ship, and therefor none of the controls work.
  
  
• The portside "tank section" is also in good condition, including the crane, though again not connected to the main systems. Tanks B and D are leaky.
  
  
• The weapons system is entirely offline, although all turrets appear to be in workable condition. We suspect it's also, for whatever reason, simply not connected to the system.
  
  
• Most of the exterior armor plates have at least light combat damage, and all appear to have been replaced at least once. It can be said that none of the interior is in flawless condition due to widespread corrosion and wear damage and a large number of non-functional subsystems and fried redundant circuits.
  Despite all this, the ship is entirely flyable.
  The structural main frame is in excellent condition and the main reactor runs smoothly though not efficiently, a testament to the durability of this ancient, simple design.
  

With all critical systems online and the rear bridge habitable, our team decided to depart without any initial work. We fueled up, called a Delta wing escort, and set a course for Dortmund via Beaumont.

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[Karst]

The Spree at Oder's drydocks

Initial mechanical work

Once moored at Dortmund, it was time to address some of the issues previously mentioned. Detailed mechanical information is available upon request - like the rest of this document, this is merely a summary of the steps undertaken.

• In a drastic first step, the entire outer shell as well as the entire interior construction of the lower wings of the forward and rear storage compartment, minus the structural frame and circuits, was stripped and scrapped.
  The new exterior consists of an entirely custom armored shell of uniform Iridium-alloy plating. Special thanks to those captains that brave the distant Omicrons to allow our smelters to put together top-of-the-line, military-grade panels!
  
• Circuitry and structural damage in the rear section has been for the most part repaired. The entirety of the rear section now has full systems integrity and is otherwise safe to access. Auxiliary reactor III was replaced.
  Decks 4-12 and their crew compartments have been thoroughly cleaned, overhauled and modernized. This means comfortable accommodation for a provisional crew of sixty, including a fresh batch of interns.
  We suspect from their faces they expected somewhat shinier surroundings, but this is good first hand engineering experience.
  
• The rear, lower storage section has been left empty. Dortmund's engineering team has examined it, taken scans, and begone work on turning it into a processing plant.
  Details will follow when we get results.
  
• The rear midsection has been cleaned up and renovated to serve as a mostly recreational area, likely as originally intended.
  R&D would like to note at this point that the tiny, minute part of the bill that lists pool tables, a garden room and a few other very minor recreational items is wholly insignificant both compared to the entire cost of the vessel's renovations, and the boost to moral it provides us with.
  
• The upper rear storage section has been partially renovated. It can now accommodate approximately 200 passengers with low standards in charming, two-star comfort. A large number of compartments have been locked off as they are not safely accessible. The savage noises heard in some sections persist, and many compartments have been locked off. One worker was lightly injured when clearing a room that had been booby trapped.
  
• The lower forward storage section, which had been stripped entirely due to heavy contamination, was divided into four reinforced compartments intended for scrap metal. For loading, an HTO "Handyman" 7710 crane & compression unit was installed. Once again, the exact specs are available; essentially this thing is a very smart trash compactor that crunches scrap together but leaves usable components and segments intact.
  
• The upper wing of the forward section was re-pressurized after repairs to the damaged shaft. Otherwise, not much has been done. Compartments A, B2-14, 17, 19-22, C1-10, 12-21, and D3 have been cleared and are habitable. Many others have not been accessed at all. The heavy, sealed compartments remain heavily sealed - the machine that was supposed to open them was apparently on another ship at the scheduled time.
  Now thoroughly examined, the graffiti and markings on the walls in this sector tell fascinating stories of lives on the ragged edge over the course of at least a century, long ago. Workers speak in hushed tones of ancient Junker curses.
  We at R&D naturally dismiss such foolishness, but do not deny the eeriness of this section.
  
• The anterior bridge and everything connected to it has been rejoined to the main system of the ship. The section has also been cleaned up somewhat, and the ship is technically flyable from there. However, many individual systems remain offline, nothing is properly calibrated, and the environment cannot be described as comfortable to work in.
  Fixing this section up will be excellent hands-on experience for our interns.
  
• The weapons system has been connected to the main core, and is shown as online. However, the targeting system is nonfunctional or does not communicate with the turrets as it is impossible to aim or fire them. Additionally, the direct controls at each turret are nonresponsive despite being connected and powered.
  The cause of this is not known at the moment and will be further investigated.
  
• The main shield generator, being a relatively new model in good condition, was kept but with entirely new distributor hubs of standard civilian rating. The old generator had no problem supplying them and the ship's shielding can now be described as absolutely up to date for its class.
  
• The scanner array, which had previously appeared fine, had produced flickering and even brief fails repeatedly on the way to Dortmund, received a new input unit.
  Problems remain however. The system is very powerful, but dates back to the 620ies. Efficiency is terrible and occasional flickers remain. However, R&D has concluded that the system is worth restoring. Some individual circuitry has been replaced but it will likely be some time until the system works fully. For day to day use however, it can be considered functional.
  

With all this work done at Dortmund, the Spree can be considered fit for regular flying, although that is with its current crew of R&D engineers. Without an experienced team of engineers on board, the ship cannot be flown for extensive periods of time due to a number of issues requiring continuous work.
We have planned a number of flights that will reveal what these issues are and how we can solve them.

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[Karst]

The Spree in Omega-47, with the IMG vessels Atlanta and Falling Teardrop

Further work and first assignments

At this point the ship performs adequately, minus the issues previously mentioned. A few short-range cargo flights were completed without major problems and work continues.

• The main modification at this stage was installing usable docking bays. Though the Pilgrim-class possesses a large opening on the underside intended to accommodate docking facilities, the Spree lacks the docking facilities themselves.
  An order was placed with Omicron Supply Industries to construct these facilities (IR 8955).
  <read-access link>
  Under light escort, the Spree arrived safely at Nichols Trade Center, Omega-49, for their installation. Back at Aland, the Spree took on two ships that will serve as security vessels solely to defend it - "Spree wing", if you will:
  [ALG]-Spree.6 - E78-12 "Spatial", equipped with missiles and torpedoes for quick elimination of hostile snubcraft
  [ALG]-Spree.E - "Touketsu"-class bomber, for heavier targets.
  
• One of the first major trips undertaken was a cooperative prospecting and exploration mission to the southern Omegas with the IMG (see above image).
  This was by far the furthest the Spree has gone from the nearest friendly port.
  As is to be expected from a ship of her class, the Spree performed well in deep space. Without the frequent stopping and course changes of house space flights, fuel efficiency was up 23%.
  
  
• The most significant problem was an electrical fire on the anterior bridge section's maintenance deck. Preliminary examinations suggest the cause was a beverage spilled into an open radiator, a theory the team of interns working in the section vehemently dismiss.
  The blaze was quickly eliminated by the ship's automated fire containment units with only minor damage done. We would like to note our pleasant surprise at the system's flawless functionality despite its age.
  
• The issues with the scanner have been traced to a faulty capacitor array, sadly an ancient component long out of production. Even if it's not the only issue, finding out what else may be needed won't be possible without it.
  Issues with the weapons system also persist. In both these cases, there's not much more our team can do due to a lack of experience with vessels of this type.
  

Given the remaining technical issues, a transmission has been sent to the Junkers, who have unparalleled access to old replacement parts as well as extensive experience with the Pilgrim-class.
<read-access link>
The Spree will hopefully be leaving for their shipyard soon.

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