My Name is Billy Xae, former member of the band of jolly no-good Vagrant Raiders circa 817AS. Yes I know it's been a...while since the Vagrant Raiders conducted any honest pirating, and that the organization has shifted pretty dramatically. However, I do not speak for Natio Octavarium or their members... I'm more of an interested third party in this matter.
Anyway. I recently uncovered the final (for now) resting place of an old Vagrant Raiders warship, the VCS-Nightmare, in Coronado. While I wish I could slap some duct tape on the hull, fuel up the fusion reactor and putter off, the sad reality is that the ship took one hell of a beating and is far beyond the damage level repairable by simple EVAs. For example initial scans report the reactor is so misaligned it might be better to just install a new reactor. If there's one item of reasonably good news it would be the main propulsion drives seem to be in reasonably good shape. My point is if the ship is ever to fly again under its own propulsion it will need a massive overhaul, which would require a station with drydock capabilities.
I have been out of the "game" for over 7 years, but I have heard rumors that the Congress might have a facility that could cater to my needs. That said, The Nightmare would undoubtedly need towing to the station, and have a full structural survey done to establish a comprehensive list of problems. I don't have many fiscal limitations, turns out after laundering pirate money and shoving it in investments can be highly lucrative.
I would like to see if the Junker's Congress would be interested in undertaking such a task, as well as what you'll want for it. (Of course, nothing is free in life!) I've attached some of the scans I've done from my current ship, as well as a video overview of the damage from a small drone I purchased. Apologies in advance for the resolution, The barrier nebula is not exactly conducive to clear videography. Lastly, given the...sensitive nature of this request, I would prefer it if this contract if undertaken be kept under wraps. I realize that towing an old RM-2A Destroyer may raise some eyebrows but I don't want any aspiring young pirate groups to try pulling a fast one and stealing the Nightmare.
I wish to apologize for the delay. I was somewhat... indisposed due to my current medical state. Things are improving, but I'm still not well.
"Vagrant Raiders". That is a name I haven't heard of or read in quite a while. Some of the stories about the Natio Octavarium's past are quite interesting indeed.
But they won't be too relevant to the task at hand, it seems.
I have viewed your request multiple times and mulled it over. I have passed it to the Arbiter. Your project is an ambitious one.
Some might call it foolish to try and bring a dead vessel back into service, especially one with such a marred past.
Most groups would simply attempt to build a new vessel instead of reviving an old one,
as minor faults and damages can prove to be much more dangerous than immediately apparent ones. They eventually lead to catastrophic events for those aboard a refurbished ship.
The Congress tends to disagree with such views. We are quite capable of assessing wrecks correctly.
We have specialized equipment to trace microscopic fractures and faults. We know when something is beyond saving.
The scans you sent look devestating at first. A misalligned reactor, irreperable weapon mounts, multiple hull fractures, deepened by consecutive lesser shots...
And yet, I fail to see any damage that our engineers couldn't deal with. For a definite assessment, I would require scans made with our own equipment.
But speaking from experience and having saved far more problematic cases, I dare to show careful enthusiasm that this project would indeed be feasible.
Damaged weapon mounts can be replaced, connections and wires burnt into the hull can be removed or encased and bypassed.
And the engines look promising indeed, even though they do show the wear and tear of combat.
Regarding the power core, our engineers are quite capable of constructing a new one, even though it would likely offer a lower output than the vessel's original equipment.
I do have an idea on how this issue can be, if not solved, then at least circumvented. In the end, you'd barely notice a difference.
And here is where our conditions come into play, Mister Xae. If the Congress was to take up this contract, then we would attach a default condition to all further negotiations that can't be removed from any potential contract.
If we are to help you rebuild this ship, then it will have to become a testing bed for my own personal project.
Over the past months, I have attempted to make the life of those who work in dangerous environments better. These attempts had significant impact on my medical status and put me into this... condition. But I will see it through.
I have devised a system that could allow a vessel such as yours to gain a small but significant increase in power output, allowing it to perform at normal levels despite a non-standard issue core.
And we could improve it further, allow you to captain a ship that, despite its age, would be at least as reliable as newly built models.
The Junker Congress has the capabilities and capacities to aid you.
If you were to accept the condition mentioned above, I would even have a personal interest in doing so.
But before we can actually offer you our aid, I have the unpleasant duty to ask what you can offer us in return.
You seek to bring a dead and burried name back to life and give it new meaning. What meaning would its renewed existence have for the Congress?
While I already have a few ideas for potential compensation, I would like to give you the opportunity to make the first offer.
I am curious how you would value this project, so I can compare your judgement to my own views.
Signed with an apology for the delay;
Rell Harrow.
COMMUNICATION OPEN TO REPLY
<span style="font-family:Lucida Console"><span style="color:#33CC00">*personality core activated*</span>
Science consists of stating the obvious and linking the facts. </span>
Thank you for the response. I will admit, I was starting to loose hope in a response, and I am happy that the message was received. Additionally, I'm sorry to hear about your medical situation, I hope that it may be resolved. Anyway, to business. If you don't mind, I will respond to each item in the order of which you bring it up.
Regarding the Natio Octavarium, while they have not yet claimed control over the (current) wreck of the VCS-Nightmare, It is not unreasonable to assume that they might. In that case, I will handle it with Taskmasters Kane and Escher. For the moment however, we have similar goals, and the Octavarians have been very helpful. They are currently patrolling the area around the ship, and have provided supplies crucial to retrieving the crew. Some of these men and women where quite close to me, and it hurts to see them again in such a state and not Alive.
On the topic of why I am attempting to revive the Nightmare, frankly its because I have an emotional attachment to the ship. I don't wish to bore you with a long boring story, but the short version is this ship, and by extension the former Vagrant Raiders where my family. To see that Family have moved on hurts, and I guess I'm clinging to what is left. I don't expect you to understand, but I do expect you to accept it.
Now, the most important part of your reply, regarding use of the Nightmare as a test bed. Frankly, I am hesitant to accept. When things go wrong in battle people die. The memorial ceremony I had for the 200 previous crew of the Nightmare are evident of this fact. However, that said the condition of the Nightmare does allow for some... flexibility. I will not allow anyone to blindly go and make major changes to the Nightmare without some supervision or assistance. I will accept that the VCS-Nightmare will be used as a test bed for Next Generation Technologies developed by the Junker's Congress Engineers under the following conditions:
- Any major systemic changes to Ship components or systems is approved by either myself or an Engineer I assign to the rebuilding efforts.
- Personnel Safety must come first at ALL times with NO Exceptions. I have heard the motto "Science Requires Sacrifice" and "The ends Justify the means" to damn much, and such phrases have no place on the Nightmare, not anymore. The responsibility of everyone working onboard is my highest priority. I don't care if they are Junker, someone under my employ, or the damn Easter Bunny.
If the above terms are acceptable, than I do not have a problem.
And Lastly, Compensation. As I have been hiding away for the past 7 years I have not followed the prices of Ship Maintenance and repair, and as such I could not give a valuation as to how much would be adequate for the repair and reconstruction of a warship. To me, the Nightmare is priceless. As you and your team are more in-tune with these numbers, please let me know what you value this at. I understand I can not expect to pay at-cost for labor and parts, however I do not wish to pay cost plus 500% markup. While my bank accounts are sufficiently stocked, I do not live in an Ivory Tower like certain high level corporate executives at Interspace Commerce or DSE. That said, a Warship (Or any ship, for that matter) often requires overhauls and preventative maintenance. Given the Junker's Congress footprint in Sirius perhaps we could arrange for an ongoing service contract for repairs and maintenance?
In addition to the financial contribution, I can not offer anything concrete at this time. However, I have been giving it some thought. As a relatively independent warship certain support deals can be negotiated. By that I mean should you need the assistance of a heavy combat vessel such as the Nightmare we would certainly be indebted to the Congress and would assist. For example, recently the Liberty Navy turned on Freeport 2 and wiped it off the face of the universe. While I understand a great many groups would assist the Junkers in their defense, an extra warship would certainly not hurt. Basically, should the need arise for the Congress to have a need of assistance from a warship such as the Nightmare we would assist.
Thank you for your time,
Billy Xae
ATTACHMENTS:
Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.
Ah yes, "Science Requires Sacrifice". A motto that I live with and under every day.
Many others don't. I respect their choice. As such, I am the sacrifice. I pull the lever, I fly into the depths of far space to collect samples, I blow up the prototype to see what not to do.
If the end of my own personal universe meant accomplishing my goals and improving the lives of everyone around me, then I would simply get up and walk out the airlock.
But I do not ask anyone to walk alongside me. I let them if they so desire. But I never force or abuse anyone.
I have already made the mistakes necessary to know how this tech can be made safe. I've paid for this knowledge with quite a lot of pain and multiple surgeries.
Now, it can be used to help people. In this case, those people would be you and your crew.
The technology's integration into your ship would merely be used as proof that it can work on a large scale.
The theory behind it is quite simple. However, it is based on a material that, so far, only the Congress has access to.
Most general maintenance could theoretically be done at any station that is equipped to handle a ship of that size.
But for some replacement parts, you would have no other option than to come to us.
And your people would need to know how it works anyway. Your crew will need to know how to do general maintenance, so, given that this joint project advances, I will require everyone, especially you as the potential future captain, to learn about it.
And I won't shy away from a written exam to test your and your crew's knowledge. No, that is not a joke. A captain needs to know what they command, so that the orders given fit the problems that need solving.
On to the question of compensation. I will present you with a potential scenario and I would like you to tell me what you think about it. Please take the following as a proposal:
This project will be expensive. There will be no mark-up, with the exception of a one-time payment of 100 million (100 000 000) credits once the full process is complete.
If reconstruction of the vessel fails for reasons within or outside of our control, this payment is null and void.
Outside of this, only the costs of cargo acquisition, processing, construction, labor and worker insurance remain.
At this stage, it is impossible to put a clear monetary price on the project as a whole. You will need to pay for things as they come up.
All relevant bills will be shown to you or a person of your choosing on the regular.
Mind you, some might simply say "material processing", which really is just code for: "We won't tell you how this stuff is made, can't share all of our secrets, can we?".
We are still working to perfect the corresponding process and costs for this may go down, given that we get more efficient.
In short: You will foot the bills and pay us a little extra.
Why are we willing to do this so cheaply?
Because your offer of having an additional, unaffiliated asset to call upon is a useful one.
I would add some further requirements. You may not take up contracts that specifically and foreseeably place you into a combat situation against any Junkers.
The exception to this would be if someone from Congress cleared you to.
You may, of course, defend yourself and any potential clients if you or they get attacked by some of our more... unruly breathren.
At times, Congress may even ask you to not pick a side in a specific conflict and simply stay out of it.
And lastly, you would have to obey Junker laws while near our installations. Breaking them would have additional consequences for you, such as a denial of service and maintenance.
If you are ever seen doing something illicit and we are approached about the subject, we are likely to denounce any cooperation. We may even villify you openly.
However, this would not change our actual attitude towards you, merely the outwards portrayal. Politics can be tiring. Sadly, they are necessary.
Taking the need for specialized replacement parts and the additional conditions into consideration, you would not be truly independent.
You would mostly be free to do as you please. That doesn't equal true independence. It is a limited form of freedom, though.
So, what do you think?
Signed;
Rell Harrow.
COMMUNICATION OPEN TO REPLY
<span style="font-family:Lucida Console"><span style="color:#33CC00">*personality core activated*</span>
Science consists of stating the obvious and linking the facts. </span>
While I trust that the technology being installed is safe, I would ideally like to either see a demonstration or any publicized papers on the device. I understand this may include parts of the "Secret Sauce" but to a certain extent I must know what is going to be installed on the ship i am overseeing reconstruction on. That said, a formal test? I don't believe this would be of much use, as it all comes down to hands-on training. At least for the daily maintenance and service of the systems, if such maintenance is required. Ideally, the less ongoing maintenance would be preferred, however if it is needed to continue full operations it is understandable.
As for the monetary terms and other restrictions, these are all acceptable in my eyes. As to the note about politics, this is completely understandable. In my line of work its expected that one must be ready to operate in the grey parts of the law. That will not be a problem.
So, how should we go about signing a contract? Now that there is a security presence around the Nightmare I can come to a station of your choosing and physically sign, or if you send me one digitally I can sign it. Then we can get started.
Regards,
Billy Xae
ATTACHMENTS:
Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.
A presentation will be arranged. In fact, I insist on multiple ones.
One for you, before the contract is signed.
One for your crew, so that they know what the ship will contain.
The basis for the technology is quite simple. It is based off of ancient fission generator designs. Heated water was used to power a turbine, which generated power.
I obtained some material that makes this process viable again due to its somewhat strange properties.
I managed to make it work in two different ways with brine and a specific silicon oil. The liquids chosen are relatively low in maintenance and only need to be replaced if one of the system's sensors detects and issue with it. The salt from the brine inside the low-temp version can't crystallize inside the system due to the alloy used for the piping, as well its internal pressure.
The brine should be replaced every 12 to 13 months, assuming constant operation. If you can find pure distilled water and turn it into brine, you can even do this yourself.
The silicone oil used for the high-temp version requires far less maintenance, meaning that cruicial systems like the reactor, the engine and weapon mounts are more reliable. This liquid needs to be replaced every 16 to 17 months. Internal scanners always check it for its purity to ensure sage operations. This especially heat resistant variant is one of our own products. You might be able to get comparable oils elsewhere, but this one is specifically manufactured to function in these cooling and energy generation systems. Replace it with any other silicone oil and I will no longer be able to guarantee the system's reliability.
The low-temp material itself is slightly brittle and the near-constant vibrations of the ship will mean that replacements need to happen every standard year at the latest. After that, the efficiency will go down, which will inevitably lead to problems with the cooling system. Issues with the heat control would spring up over time and a potential loss in ship functions would be the result. This system can reliably handle temperatures of up to 90 °C. It should not exceed 102 °C, as anything above that will prevent the cooling system to do its job. If it should get that hot, you can simply cool it down again, ensure the purity of the brine through the piping's own scanners and put it back into operation.
The high-temp material is stupendously durable as long as it is kept hot. Replacements only need to happen if it is cooled below 45 °C more than five times in the span of a month, with each instance being longer than 48 hours. It should rarely reach such temperatures, given that standard operations happen at anything up to 950 °C. This variant of the system stops working at 1050 °C.
Still. To ensure safety and efficiency, we have placed a 24 month limit on the material's usage, after which it should be replaced. If our people find no faults, it can be redeployed in less critical systems.
If this variant should exceed 1050 °C, it needs to be taken offline. Careful scans with specialized equipment will be necessary to test the piping for any fractures, faults or damage from overheated silicone oil. We will give you the corresponding tools for their production costs. Such an event should be prevented by the system's internal scans. If things get too hot, it will shut down and communicate with the ship's main computer. If there are functional backups remaining, they will kick in. If there aren't, the result is a decrease in power used or generated by whatever the system is meant to cool until the remaining cooling systems can handle the load.
Whatever the version, at least two backups will be installed on non-critical systems. Critical systems will sport five backups. High-Temp versions will be kept at 200°C while not in operation, which isn't enough to generate power but which will keep the material structurally sound. Low-temp versions can simply remain inactive until they are needed.
You can use these backups normally. I still recommend replacing any damaged systems as soon as possible by coming to Vieques.
Outside of this, maintenance is only really necessary on the piping, the turbines, the generators and, in the high-temp version, the emergency electromagnet.
Heat is transmitted into the material from any heatsource. The heat is transmitted to the liquid and agitates it, causing it to move. This, in turn, powers a turbine and the heat is transmitted to a secondary cycle of liquid. This second cycle is cooled perpetually. A secondary, weaker turbine generates almost enough power to do so, meaning that a small but significant surplus is generated. The system doesn't generate much energy. However, it can be applied wherever there is a heat source in the ship. Through this concept, the basic cooling system generates energy. The cumulative gain would be enough to compensate for the weaker core. It requires slightly more space than commonly available systems, which isn't much of a drawback. Emergency cooling systems would not be replaced with this.
The material used for extremely hot temperatures is somewhat... allergic to extreme cold. At five degrees above absolute zero, so at -268.15 °C, it splinters and becomes extremely easy to magnetize. Such an event is the origin of my current medical condition. We found that a strong magnet that fires briefly when the material gets too cold counteracts splinters going everywhere. As such, every single one of these cooling systems is equipped with one such electroagnet. The endangered area is encased in fighter grade hull platings.
The idea behind it is quite simple. The execution is only possible at such efficient levels due to the unique material available to the Congress. I really should give it a name but nothing I've come up with sounds any good.
The only things I am not willing to share is how the material is acquired and processed.
I invite you to join me in workshop 5 on Vieques in Puerto Rico. People will be able to direct you there. Simply give them the following priority code: AA-7kL. Upper and lower case are important. If people stop you at the door and ask what you are doing there without a ballistic mask and vest, please come to workshop 2 instead. It is down the corridor to the right from the entrance to the nearest cargo elevator.
I will give you a presentation of both the low and high temperature versions of the systems, as well as a presentation of the automatic emergency
The contract can be drawn up and signed there.
Oh, right. I should talk about this as well.
I plan to install additional systems on the Nightmare. Space ships tend to have a slightly distressing lack of physical matter around them. Earthing electricity isn't exactly possible. And one still needs to sometimes stress electrical systems above their normal limits. We have devised a form of dummy circuit that can be used to handle strong electrical impulses without shutting down the affected systems. The dummy circuits are burnt in the process, but the charge is transformed into heat and used up. Any hazardous smoke is caught in the unit's casing. The circuits can be replaced manually or in sets of five. Any Congress Junker worth their tools can replenish used casings with old circuitry that had specific faults introduced.
Replacing a set of five circuits on the fly takes two people 30 seconds, or one person two minutes. If they train with this kind of tech, they should be able to do it much faster. My chief engineer on the Harrow can replace two sets of five in 20 seconds flat. With 40 circuits being part of a full standard array for the systems on a standard transport, you can take a lot of risks. These kinds of systems also tend to confuse anyone who tried to target your electrical systems directly.
This is part of why we ask for the additional payment of 100 million credits upon completion. Under normal circumstances, this normed gear is only available to Congress pilots. If this project was to succeed, only to then succumb to electronic warfare or an energy impulse caused by a broken coffee machine, I would be most severely disappointed.
Replacement sets are cheap and can be found at most Congress installations, though you should still come to Vieques in order to conform with Junkers laws.
Signed;
Rell Harrow.
COMMUNICATION OPEN TO REPLY
<span style="font-family:Lucida Console"><span style="color:#33CC00">*personality core activated*</span>
Science consists of stating the obvious and linking the facts. </span>
While I have some concerns about the maintenance of this technology especially in a combat warship, I believe it would be best if we talk it over in person. Additionally, as I'm an old Pirate with only a recently learned skill of small ship engineering a lot of the concerns with large ship engineering is above my expertise. To that end, I have contracted an Engineer to oversee the reconstruction of the Nightmare. Evan Baldwin will be accompanying me to Vieques. Please note, that he has a condition that requires him to wear an exoskeleton rig for mobility reasons. I hope this will not be a problem, if so I'm certain we can work something out.
On the plus side, he did say he is able to lift large/heavy objects with relative ease. So he's got that going for him, I guess. Anyway, we are on our way to Vieques now. I look forward to meeting you and working with you in the weeks to come.
Most corridors and even some bathrooms should be sufficiently wide and high to give Mr. Baldwin sufficient room to move, assuming that his rig doesn't exceed 3.5 meters in height and 2.5 meters in width. He may have to move out of the way when some cargo is moved and would mostly have to use cargo elevators, but that would be all.
Only some of the corridors are too small for anyone beyond a certain width, but those aren't open to guests anyway and mostly lie behind locked gates.
Regarding the tech, everything except for material acquisition and processing will be open for discussion. You and Mr. Baldwin will be informed about everything else you wish to know about it.
I hope to see you soon. Please don't be alarmed by the drip I cart around or by the bandages on my right arm. Everything is healing well.
Signed;
Rell Harrow.
COMMUNICATION OPEN TO REPLY
<span style="font-family:Lucida Console"><span style="color:#33CC00">*personality core activated*</span>
Science consists of stating the obvious and linking the facts. </span>
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