Dss.odt

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The small group left the meeting room and took a short RTR ride. To the Ring surface port of CSDB.

Reaching the Landing Field Observation lounge of CSDB Port Ross Torus. The three new captains approached with an almost reigious awe the floor to ceiling view ports.

Three ships were present, none looked alike. The only things in common was the standard Union battleship gray, the same font used to spell out their names and the Union flag logo next to it.

The first Union ship of Seenian design, the USS Senia really looked like a smaller version of the Devi.

Dr. Foster told them during the train ride, that it was designed using genuine Seenian blueprints of the Valant class. ( A Seenian 10,000 meter Super cruiser) and only adapted the interior to meet the fleets requirements so all beings that met the BaPhy requirements could serve.

The USS Strucks, according to Donnerwetter, the largest battle ship built under the Uniform Design Doctrine. He actually elbowed McElligott. It was your stipulations not to exceed 10,000 meters. My idea was to militarize a Tiny Tim.”

McElligott lifted his eyes to the celing.”Of all the megalomaniacs from good ol' Earth you Jerries are the craziest. The other one I know loved your idea too.”

Donnerwetter made a puzzled face.”I am from Deutschland Drei and not from Earth and we are humans. Never heard of any Jerries.”

“It's a special kind of species. They twitch when you play Wagner, jump into attention when you say Achtung and make the rest of the Terrans look like amateurs when it comes to matters of war.,”

Xon had no idea what the old admiral was talking about, but Donnerwetter did almost snap into attention at that strange word.

Donnerwetter grunted.”Nothing wrong with Wagner.”

The Old Highlander grinned and returned the elbow jab. “Never mind me, my mind is sometimes stuck in the 21st century. What I meant to say, bigger is not always better. Besides the Ancient Gates, limit our size. The Lyrecs are simply to big for all gates but the Ring and it isn't active yet. Your Tiny Tims would get stuck.”

“No argument here Admiral, but I like big and so does the Eternal Warrior. The Strucks is easy scalable, up or down on its own. But keeping the Gate size limitation in mind we made her fully modular in design. Replacing the nose cone assembly with the connex module for example she can go into cluster mode and five Strucks class attached create what I call a Kampfstern.” He looked very proud. “Still on the drawing board of course, but the UDD 2.0 answer to fleet carriers. Passing through the gates individually and assembling into a battle cluster once throug, We have a winner here.”

“That is why we are here, Admiral Donnerwetter, to find that winner.”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">Xon had only eyes for the third ship. It was the smallest of the three, but not by much. It clearly was of the same line as the Tigershark. Even resting on her landing gear she looked fast and sleek. The other ships looked impressive and powerful, but only the Proximate looked as if she was built for one purpose only...”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">McElligott said.”Gentlemen, you have a month to familiarize yourself with your ships. Then you will travel to the Horse Head gate, traverse into the Leo II galaxy. There you going to complete various missions under real frontier conditions and test your ships for one year. The results will be used to decide the next era of Union Fleet development.”

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<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">Four hours later after a lunch and a small celebration. Xon stood on a slide belt that carried him underneath a transparent tunnel towards the USS Proximate Cause when ship rushed up and joined him.

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">Elated he said.”Are you going to be the Computronic?”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">“Sadly not, Captain Xon, but I think you will like yours. Her name is Proxi and like me, she is sentient. Mothermachine herself built her based on me, but with several improvements.”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">“With all respect to Mothermachine but nothing could be done to improve on you.”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">Ship, against any regulation and protocol took his massive claw hand and squeezed it.”Thank you Xon, you are my friend too, but I was an accident. Proxi was built as a sentient AI from the start and with a roaming ego center in mind. She is also the first Computronic that includes the latest in Leedei Psi-tech. Proxi is the first psionic computronic, almost en par with a Narth.”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">“Is that even possible?”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">“Yes since the Leedei worked with the Narth on it, I am sure it is no empty boast. Your ships main purpose is to go to the limit what Union societies can bring to the table. She has Tigershark written all over her, but what was experimental and untested with her, is now improved and established in this ship. You won't find a scrap of Seenian tech in her, but she incorporates the systems and inventions Shea, Circuit and Tyron made. Do you want to know who was the chief designer of the Proximate?”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">“Of course!”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">“Circuit,”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">Xon and Ship now passed under the sleek giant.”Then she probably has a integrated shopping mall.”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">“Not that I am aware off, but she does have her version of a pirates den”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">Despite the mounting almost physical anticipation to enter his ship for the first time, his voice had a sentimental note. It won't be the same without the Captain and the gang and without Sobody just a copy.”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">Ship said.”No it won't be the same, but your Chief Engineer made sure it passes muster. He is after all the one who had the idea in the first place!”

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">It was not the fact that the slide belt had dropped them off only about fifty meters from the extended IST shaft guarded by two Nul in battle suits, but his delight to know the identity of his CEO.”Estree!”

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<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">–

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">3

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<p style="margin-bottom:0cm">The Farnok messenger had finally arrived at the destination of his long journey, passing through eleven of the Ancient Gates.

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