During the five weeks that I had been aboard the Atlantia, my personal possessions had been sent out to me and my new uniforms had been completed.
I was traveling to my new post on the Panther, a Clemson Class Faststar, that was being assigned to the active defense group at Medusa Nebula.
And neither the CO nor the crew was overly thrilled about it. Major Lyndon Sparks had been none too shy, or tactful about voicing his feelings on the subject.
All it did was remove any doubt about why he had been assigned out here in the first place. I wasn't going to address it yet. I wasn't planning on making any waves until I had at least met with the Commanding Officer of Medusa Nebula and my new 'boss'.
Upon arriving at the Central Station of Fleet Storage and Maintenance Yards – Medusa Nebula (FSMY-MN), I took the Panther's lone shuttle over since not all of my things would fit on a single Raptor.
And, to be honest, I wasn't about to leave anything behind.
But, since Major Sparks had to 'pay his respects' to the CO of his new post, both for himself and his Command, he accompanied me.
As I was seeing to my 'luggage', Sparks stood by waiting for me.
"Don't mind me, Major. Go on without me. I am sure that you are anxious to begin your duties," I said in a slightly pointed tone.
He almost choked on his own tongue before getting control of himself. But the Major wasn't able to keep the anger bordering on hatred out of his eyes.
"Major, I would strongly recommend that both for your sake and that of your crew that you re-evaluate your choices and behavior if you want to continue in your career in Fleet." I had spoken in a coldly neutral tone that had only been heard by the Major and the Deck Chief who was coming over to ask me something.
Before Sparks said anything that he would certainly regret, I addressed the Deck Chief.
"What can I do for you, Chief?" I asked in a friendly tone.
"Sir, what is all this? I didn't have anything coming in."
"This would be my belongings, Chief. I'm here on PCS orders," I replied simply. "But, as I don't know where my quarters will be just yet, I will need you to store it here for just a bit."
Once I had focused on the Chief, Major Sparks had clamped his jaw shut and fairly stomped off.
"Sir, may I ask what your posting is here?" the Chief asked curiously.
"Certainly Chief, I'm the new 2IC here at Medusa Nebula. If you can take care of my things while I go report in, I will get them out of your hair as soon as possible."
"Of course, Commander," the shocked Deck Chief replied.
"Also, if you could, I will need two Vipers to work out stress in. One flying, but the other can be your most prolific 'Hanger Queen' and a quiet place to work on her."
I repressed a chuckle when Chief could do no more than nod because he was so shocked at my request.
"Thanks, Chief. I'll take care of my things as soon as I can.
And then I made my way to the office of the Commanding Officer. This station was a standard Fleet Command and Control Station for large facilities, so I could find my own way, at my own pace.
I wanted Sparks to have the chance to do or say whatever he chose to my new boss. One, I wanted to give him enough rope to hang himself. Two, I wanted to see how they would handle it.
I purposely hadn't looked up any records for Medusa as I wanted to get an honest and open impression before making decisions.
When I arrived at the CO's outer office, I spoke to the Petty Officer who was acting as a secretary.
"Petty Officer, Commander Hawk to report in," I said in introduction.
"Uhm, Sir? I don't have you on the schedule. May I inform the Admiral the purpose of your visit?" she asked unsurely.
"As I previously stated, I am reporting in. On orders," I added, greatly hoping that I wouldn't have to spell it out for her.
Still plainly uncertain, the Petty Officer still went to the Admiral's office to seek guidance.
"What?" I heard a female ask in exclamation. "Fine! Send him in."
When I entered, I marched to about three feet from the desk, came to rigid attention, and snapped a crisp salute.
"Commander Alexander Hawk, reporting for duty, Ma'am!" I barked out professionally.
She just stared at me for a while. I still hadn't gotten a good look at her as I was at attention and she was below my current line of sight.
"Gods! I'm already exhausted just looking at you!" she quipped before unenergetically returning my salute."At ease, Commander." She said while gesturing to a chair in front of her desk.
"May I assume that since I knew absolutely nothing about any new Commanders coming in, you have written orders?" she asked a little curtly.
"Yes, Ma'am, I do," I replied with professional crispness and proceeded to retrieve them from my briefcase and hand them to her before sitting down.
I gave her the time to read them.
And reread them, twice.
"Commander, I can read between the lines, but, in your own words, what are you doing here?" she asked with blunt directness.
"Ma'am, as my orders state, I am now your Second in Command. What I am here to do is get the entire installation and all attachments up to Fleet Standards," I answered just as bluntly.
"And what am I supposed to be doing while you are doing this?"
I looked her directly in the eyes.
"That depends on you, Admiral," I answered frankly.
"Great! Just what I need! A frakking hatchet man!" she yelled angrily.
"Only if and when I need to be, Ma'am," I answered honestly.
Based only on what I had observed in a few short minute, my opinion of the Admiral was that she was a career Engineer, but at some point had been forced to take Command, probably in an emergency situation. She had Master Engineer insignia with a Ship Builders wreath, but she also had a Line Commander's Badge with a wreathed star.
I learned the most from looking in her eyes. She was 'Fleet' down to her bones, but something had happened to her and she had 'lost faith'.
"Permission to speak freely, Ma'am?" I asked respectfully.
She glared at me before nodding.
"I am not here to force you out, Ma'am. To be honest, I could certainly use your help. But, if you are too far gone, I would respectfully ask that you do not hinder me in bringing this Command up to required standards and beyond."
My tone had been non-aggressive yet decidedly firm.
"What, EXACTLY, do you mean by 'too far gone' COMMANDER?" she demanded, clearly angry.
"Simply put, Admiral, I don't know how or why, but you have clearly 'lost the faith'," I replied neutrally, not responding to her anger. "A blind man could see that you are 'Fleet' down to your core. But something, or someone, has caused you to lose faith in yourself and Fleet."
My words had struck home.
"Just who have you been talking to, Commander?" she demanded.
"About you, Admiral? Not a soul. When I received my orders here, I purposely did not pull up any records on you or this Command," I told her honestly.
This surprised her greatly.
"Who sent you out here?"
"At my request for one of the SMY's (pronounced smyze), Admiral Nagala chose her," I answered.
I wasn't sure which part surprised her more, the fact that I had requested to be assigned to one of the SMY's or that it had been Nagala that had sent me here.
"THOMAS NAGALA sent you here?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes, Admiral, is that a problem?" I asked neutrally.
"Just very surprising, Commander, VERY surprising. And, no, I won't go into detail. If he didn't explain, I'm not about to."
"But, for the sake of argument, what do you plan on doing here first?" she asked, purposely changing the subject.
"Well, after I get settled in, I am going to conduct a very thorough and in depth inspection. If I don't know what's broke, I can't fix it. Once I have addressed whatever issues that I find, I will implement directives to get this Command up to the required Fleet standards in regards to Inactive and Active Reserve mandates."
She had clearly notice the fact that I had said 'will' as opposed to 'plan'.
"Well, I must say that you don't have a lack of confidence, Commander Hawk. And I take it that you will do this with or without me?" she asked bluntly.
"That is correct, Ma'am. But, as I already stated, I would much rather do this WITH you," I answered.
"Yes, you said that it would make your job easier," she quipped bitterly.
"I won't deny that, Ma'am. But that is not the only reason I would rather it be WITH you."
"And why is that?"
"You are clearly a gifted Engineer, Ma'am, as well as possessing Leadership abilities. I would consider it my responsibility to assist you in 'finding your faith," I told her honestly.
"For now, you can use the flag VOQ. Conduct your 'inspection' and we will talk after," she said in dismissal.
I left the Admiral's office, and went down to the Hanger Deck.
"Chief, it looks like I only managed to get temporary quarters. The Admiral has put me in the Flag VOQ, so I need to find someplace to store most of my belongings for a while," I informed him.
The Chief looked rather strangely at me when I said that.
"Hmmm, Sir? That might not be so temporary. The Flag VOQ hasn't been used as such for a REALLY long time. I don't think it's been used as anything but storage the entire nine years that I've been out here," he stated openly.
"I see, Chief. I don't suppose that you have anyone who needs some 'Character Building' do you Chief?" I asked with a little half grin.
It took the Chief less than a second to catch on.
"As a matter of fact, I do, Commander!" he replied rather happily.
He called out several names.
"Yes, Chief?" the senior, a Petty Officer 2nd, of them asked after responding noticeably quicker than the rest.
"Michaels, you are going to lead a work party. The Commander has been assigned to the Flag VOQ. You are going to remove all of the things stored there and field day the quarters to not my standards, but the Commander's. Do you lollygaggers understand?" the Chief asked in 'Command Voice'.
"Yes, Chief!" P.O.2 Michaels replied crisply, before spinning around to the others. "Alright, you sorry excuses for spacers! You heard the Chief! Get a move on!"
I managed to keep a straight face until the group was out of sight, then I cracked a grin. The Chief noticed.
"Commander, if you want, I can have them get a Viper prepped so you can get some stick time in," the Chief volunteered.
"That sounds like a winner, Chief," I said warmly. "Is there someplace that I can change into my flight suit?"
"Markan, Chandler, get over here!" Chief hollered.
"Yes, Chief!" they replied in unison.
"Markan, get 769 Alpha prepped and fueled for the Commander to get some stick time in. After, if it suits him, put his Plaque on it."
The surprised Specialist replied "Right away, Chief!"
"Chandler, when he is ready, take the Commander to the Pilot's Locker Room."
"Aye, aye, Chief!" the young Spacer First Class replied.
I contemplated the Specialists reaction to the Chief's orders while I pulled my flight gear go bag from my luggage. I decided to try a different tact.
Granted, I was planning on taking advantage of a young woman's naïveté, but only to a point. Plus, I would look out for her after.
"Spacer, what was the Specialist so hesitant about?" I asked her directly.
Even with her dark skin I saw her blush of embarrassment.
"You are completely safe, Spacer, I assure you. Nothing you say to me will ever be repeated, Lass. Further, you are officially under my direct authority. I am now the Second in Command here at Medusa Nebula."
The young Spacer's dark eyes flared in surprise.
"What do you want to know, Sir?" she asked unsteadily.
She hadn't realized that we had entered the Pilot's Locker Room. Thankfully, it was empty.
"I simply want to know why the Specialist was so surprised at the Chief's orders," I said quietly.
After taking a deep breath, she spoke.
"Viper 769 Alpha was specifically set aside as Major Clinton's, the CAG, back-up plane," she said.
But there was something more. I could practically see the blatant gap in her explanation.
"What is it that you are leaving out, Spacer?" I asked gently.
It took her a bit to work up the nerve to answer.
"The issue with that is that we never have enough parts to keep the planes flying. But we were never allowed to let anyone else to use 769 Alpha. Even when it put other pilots at risk flying unsafe planes," the young woman rushed out in fear.
"I see. And I take it that not only 769 Alpha, but the CAG's plane as well, has the least flight time of any other planes?" I asked, having already seen the writing on the wall.
"H, h, how did you know that, Sir?" Chandler asked in shock.
I had to chuckle.
"No, I am no magician or mind reader, Lass, I promise." But she finally realized where we were as I had started taking off my uniform.
She shrieked and quickly spun around.
I had to chuckle.
"You haven't seen a man undress before?" I asked teasingly.
"Err, uhm, no Sir" she stammered out.
After I changed, I went on my flight. I truly enjoyed any stick time that I could get.
Fours hours later, I returned.
When I was lowered to the Hanger Deck, it was to find the Deck Chief being yelled at by an officer in blues. Chief was just standing there taking it.
The man was so wrapped up in his unprofessional dressing down of the Chief that he hadn't noticed that the plane in question had been lowered into the Hanger Deck or that the person flying it had walked up directly behind him.
But everyone else on the Deck clearly had, and they had gone stone still.
"As you were!" I said loudly in full Command voice, not a foot behind the excuse of an officer.
The man was so startled that he spun around swinging.
I didn't even bother to dodge or block. In fact, I may have even jutted my chin out a bit.
When the man's fist connected with my jaw, there was a sickening crunch of broken bones, quickly followed by the officer's painful shriek.
"Well, that just makes things doubly clear, then," I stated 'matter-of-factly. "I take it that you were supposed to be the CAG here?" I asked the man who I now saw was wearing Major's pips.
He was too busy writhing in pain to answer.
But the Chief had no problem answering for the incapacitated Major.
"That is correct, Commander. The officer who just struck you is Major Clinton, the CAG."
"Was, Chief, was," I corrected. "Mr. Clinton can now be escorted to Medical on his way to the brig. He is hereby relieved of Duty as the CAG and s under arrest for dereliction of duty, gross abuse of subordinates, and striking his direct superior officer, " I stated loudly for everyone to hear.
Especially for the Marines who were now present.
"Further Chief, 769 Alpha and the plane the former CAG flew may be put back into use within the Air Group. Once we have enough planes, I will select one then," I informed him pointedly.
"Aye, Aye, Commander!" Chief replied loudly. "You all heard the Commander, get to it!"
After they all rushed off to do what they were supposed to be doing, I turned to the Chief.
"Until I determine otherwise, Chief, the senior Squadron Leader will be acting CAG. Also, you will CC me all maintenance reports."
It was very apparent to me that Chief was debating on whether to say something or not. I took the choice away from him.
"Speak your mind, Chief. I never have a problem with my people speaking up. Just as long as they are tactful about it and they choose appropriate venues," I informed him after lowering my voice.
"Sir, you may want to review Lt. Mariner's file before making any decisions in that area," the Chief said quietly.
I nodded in understanding.
"Very well, Chief. In the meantime, I want a full report on the Air Group as soon as you can get it to me."
"Yes, Sir!" he replied crisply.
After I sorted what I would be keeping with me in the FVOQ, I was surprised to find a Spacer waiting with a cart.
"Thank you, Spacer," I replied gratefully.
When I arrived at what was to be my quarters, I was surprised to find that it was mostly ready for me. But it wasn't PO2 Michaels that was directing the work detail. There was a Lt. j.g. directing an even larger work detail.
"Lieutenant?" I asked curiously.
"Oh! Commander!," she exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't realize that you were here!"
"And you are...?" I asked leadingly.
"OH! Sorry, Commander, I am Lt. Katherine Engels. Admiral DeWinter assigned me as your assistant and instructed me to begin by getting your quarters ready for you. I was surprised to find a detail from the Hanger Deck already here," she said honestly but leadingly.
"Lt., if you are going to work for me, you will need to learn a few things about me. I tend to not wait around for others to do things for me. Also, if you have a question, just ask it directly. I don't particularly care for beating around the bush," I added pointedly.
The Lt.(jg) blanched in embarrassment. "My apologies, Commander," she rushed out.
"I believe that Petty Officer Michaels can finish up here, Lt., I need you to get me an office set up for me to work out of. This includes a secretary, some clerks, and fully encrypted Coms and computers. And, just to clarify, by encryption I mean Class VII Omicron level," I added quietly.
I had been looking directly into her eyes as I said it.
Engels' eyebrows tried to crawl into her hairline.
"So, before you decide that you want to work for me, you should take that into consideration," I told her pointedly.
She was clearly confused and slightly worried.
"I will get on it right away, Commander," she replied, stepping away to make calls.
Two days later, I was sitting in my new office going over the Chief's report regarding the maintenance of the Air Wing. I should say going back over it as I couldn't quite wrap my head around how bad it had been allowed to get.
I was also waiting for two individuals to come see me: Captain Terrence Winthorpe III, and Lt. Racella Mariner, two pilots from the Air Wing.
Lt. Engels was still acting as my assistant. When the two pilots arrived, Engels brought them in.
Mariner snapped to attention and waited for the senior officer to 'report in' as was protocol.
Winthorpe casually walked up to my desk and said "You wanted to see me, Commander?" in a tone that blatantly said that he had better things to be doing.
"Well, that clarifies things for me greatly. You can leave the Captain's pips with my secretary on your way out, Ensign Winthorpe as you won't be needing them again. You are dismissed," I informed him in a conversational tone.
"Who in Hades do you think you are?" Winthorpe demanded angrily.
"Mister Winthorpe, I would highly advise you to check yourself before you cross a line that you can't step back from. But, I will answer your question. I am the absolutely last person that you want to square off with in any shape, form, or fashion," I said in a voice that would curdle blood.
"You are finished, Commander! Do you know who I am?" Winthorpe demanded hysterically.
"You are the pilot who wasn't doing his job, was neglecting his duties, and being a pompous, entitled ass to boot. Now, you have one last chance to leave before your next residence is the brig. You can share a cell with Clinton."
"You haven't heard the last of me!" he screamed with a spray of spittle.
"Very well," I said with a deep sigh. "Sergeant Pike!" I raised my voice enough to be heard outside my office.
"Yes, Commander?" the Marine replied after stepping into my office.
"Please escort Ensign Winthorpe to the Brig. The official charges to be forthcoming. You can start with insubordination, dereliction of duty, and threatening a superior officer," I stated calmly.
"Yes, Sir, Commander," the burly Marine replied neutrally.
But the entitled pilot snapped when the Marine got close to him, striking a blow before the Marine could gain physical control.
I realized that Pike was too stunned to regain control quickly, so I took control.
Before anyone realized that I had even stood, I had vaulted the desk and had Winthorpe in a full control/submission hold.
"I tried to warn you Mister Winthorpe, but you just wouldn't listen to me. You HAD to do things the hard way," I stated in a calm voice. "Say goodnight, Gracie."
And then I applied enough pressure to induce unconsciousness. When he was completely out, I simply dropped him. Winthorpe hit the floor face first, smashing his nose and lips.
"Sergeant Pike, have some of your Marines deliver Mister Winthorpe to the Brig. Then have one of them make certain that you make it to Medical to get checked for a concussion. Once you get there, have them send a Medic to check on Winthorpe," I ordered.
"Yes, Commander," he replied groggily. Three other Marines entered, already having heard my orders.
Once everyone else had exited my office, I turned to Lt. Mariner.
"I had intended to go over the Deck Chief's Maintenance Status Report for the Air Wing, but I obviously can't do that now. In your own opinion, Lt, how would you describe the current condition of the Air Wing?" I asked her bluntly.
Mariner struck me as a typical Viper pilot physically: Average height, slim and sinewy physique, close cropped hair, and a natural confidence. But, I could see that her confidence has taken a beating recently.
It took her a while to not only gather the courage to speak but to formulate her answer. I gave her the time she needed.
"Sir, the wing is a shit-show in pretty much every way possible: performance, morale, discipline, and maintenance," Mariner stated openly.
"Hmm," I replied with pursed lips.
Mariner took a sharp intake of breath, wondering if she had gone too far.
I let her wonder for a few seconds before speaking.
"I see that we are of the same opinion, Major Mariner. It is now your task to fix it. Congratulations, CAG."
It took a few moments for my words to register.
"I don't know quite what to say, Commander," she replied honestly.
"If you can't do the job, Mariner, now is the time to tell me," I added pointedly. "I have read your file. You should already be a Captain with twenty months time in grade, and you have an excellent flight record. I believe that you also have Leadership skills."
"But, I can believe in you until we are all cosmic dust. It won't do a damn bit of good if you don't believe in yourself."
"Thank you, Sir!" she said, clearly grateful. "I accept, Sir, and you will get everything I have," she vowed.
After I pinned her, she was beaming.
"I want you to go through everything and work up a plan for getting the Air Wing up to snuff as soon as you can, Major."
"Yes, Sir!"
"And I would advise leaning on the Deck Chief for the maintenance side," I suggested.
"Of course, Sir. Chief O' Brien is Fleet to the bone," she replied quickly. "Even when he's acting like a bear with a thorn stuck in his paw," she added with a light grin.
"Isn't that ALL Chiefs that are worth a damn?" I quipped back lightly.
"I think it's a requirement they teach in Chief's School, Commander," she replied, obviously more comfortable with me.
The next eight weeks were similar although none of the other department heads had gotten physically stupid. And not all of them had to be replaced.
I believed that Colonel Janelle Rankin, the senior Operations Officer; Colonel Hanna Klein, the Marine OIC; and Dr. Li Ann Wang, the Lead Engineer for the Yards were worth keeping in their positions.
After all the changes I made, I called a Senior Staff meeting. I wasn't sure if she would attend, but I made certain that Admiral DeWinter was aware of the meeting and when it was scheduled.
When the day of the Staff meeting arrived, I was pleasantly surprised that DeWinter was in attendance.
"In case some of you missed it, I am Commander Alex Hawk. I am the new 2IC here at Medusa Nebula. And the changes have already started, and they will continue at an even greater pace." I looked at each of them before I went on.
"I will accept nothing less than your best. This entire facility WILL meet and exceed ALL Fleet standards in every area. In the areas of combat arms, I will not rest until we pass 100% standards. In ship readiness, every ship that is repairable will be at 100% readiness. Those that aren't will have every usable part and component removed and the remainder melted down for future use."
"Everyone besides Dr. Wang has one week to submit a comprehensive status report for your respective departments. Two weeks from now you will submit your plan to correct all deficiencies. You will include any staff requests in detail, and their justification in this report."
"Except for Dr. Wang and her Staff, you are all dismissed. Any questions that you may have you can address to Admiral DeWinter or me when we are back in our office."
Before they could leave, DeWinter spoke.
"Except for technical questions that you may have regarding the subject matter of your report, all questions should be directed to Commander Hawk. I will not be addressing any gripes, moans, or complaints. Commander Hawk not only has my full support, he has the complete and total support of the CNO. I hope that clarifies things sufficiently for all of you." DeWinter's tone had been firm and unwavering.
I had kept my face expressionless the entire time.
After everyone else had left the conference room, I focused on Dr. Wang.
"I realize that it will take longer than a week to gather the necessary information for a full status report, Dr. Wang, but I expect it as fast as humanly possible."
Before I could continue, Dr, Wang spoke.
"Commander, outside of ship readiness, I can have BOTH reports to you in a few days," she stated confidently. "To be perfectly honest, most of the personnel deficiencies need to be corrected before we can even give you an accurate assessment of what is here," she added bluntly.
I looked at her intently for a few moments.
"Off the cuff, what kind of numbers are we talking about?" I asked, knowing that it would be rather large.
"15,000 skilled yard workers, 3500 certified aerospace engineers," she replied without missing a beat.
"That many? More?" I asked in shock.
"Yes," was the chorused answer from both DeWinter and Wang.
"I will see what I can do," I replied.
"We will do what we can in the meantime," Wang stated.
"Thank you, Dr. Wang. One more thing before you leave. I want a list of all hulls Colombia Class and larger that we currently have in the Storage Yard, regardless of status or condition."
This had caught her off guard, but she still replied.
"Of course, Commander, I will get it to you by this afternoon."
Since Admiral DeWinter hadn't stood to leave, I remained seated as well.
"Remind me NEVER to play triad with you, Commander," she said with a laugh once we were alone.
I had to chuckle.
"Well, I don't really play so you are safe, Ma'am. But if you are asking if you surprised me, then the answer is 'yes', but pleasantly," I admitted. "Thank you."
"No, Commander, it is I who owes you a debt of gratitude. Thank you for pulling my head out of my ass," she said with open honesty.
"It was my pleasure, Ma'am, and, by all means, feel free to return the favor when I need it," I replied in kind.
"Just remember that you asked for it!" she added with a large grin.
"If I may ask, what's with the list you asked Wang for?" she asked curiously.
"A pet project that I am thinking about," I said in answer.
"And that's all you are going to tell me?"
"For now, but believe me, I will definitely be picking your brains about it once it gells," I answered honestly.
"OK," she replied in acceptance.
"I guess I need to get started with my begging and groveling if we are going to get the personnel we need," I said with a deep sigh.
DeWinter laughed openly at me.
"Welcome to my life, Alex!"
And there was much begging and groveling involved. But, Nagala eventually got us the people we needed. Granted, it was by giving us more work. He convince Admiral Corman to combine two other SMY's with ours, transferring all personnel, infrastructure, equipment and their complete Storage yards to Medusa Nebula.
In doing so, DeWinter had to be a full Admiral. In order to remain as her 2IC, I would have to be a Vice Admiral, which I didn't really want, to be honest. Commander was bad enough.
Thankfully, I was able to convince both of them to go with the unofficial rank of Commodore and the position of Special Projects Director.
The new Chain of Command was Admiral DeWinter, Vice Admiral Richard Freemont (2IC), Rear Admiral (lower half) Tina Holden as the CO of the expanded Active Defense, then me.
I was able to concentrate on my plans.
Which Admiral DeWinter and Dr. Wang assisted me greatly on.
I was also able to bring in a Satellite Office of Mil-Tech Solutions into the Nebula to help with getting all of the older systems compatible with each other. This was primarily to keep the CNP out of Medusa, but I didn't exactly advertise that fact.
With the increase of personnel and the distance Medusa Nebula was from the Cyrannus Star Cluster, we not only allowed dependants, we encouraged them. The encouragement came in the form of transportation for dependants, substantial housing, and an education system beyond most public school systems.
I was pretty sure that both Corman and Nagala suspected what I was doing and approved of it. Not only did we begin to get additional personnel whenever a new cut was implemented by the Adar Administration, we received what I suspected was 'Black Funds' to pay their salaries.
My 'pet project' had come to fruition, although I had gone a different route. The 'Group' that I had rebuilt for it was rather unexpected.
There was a trio of old Lybock Class Military freighters from the war. Lybocks were roughly the same dimensions of a Saturn Block III Battlestar, war era Gunstar grade armor, and the same AA/AM mounts per square meter of exterior hull as and Enala Class Escortstar.
They had been designed and used during the second half of the war to combat the heavy losses of resupply convoys. And they had been very effective at their job.
In addition, there was a Berserk Class Combat Support Ship, two Sterope Class Gunstars, and six Enala Class Escortstars.
They had all been stripped down to their frames, magnafluxed for any deficiencies in the metal, and completely rebuilt and upgraded with newer components. They were more powerful, more fuel efficient, had longer 'legs', and better armored than any ships in their classes.
Two of the Lybocks would now house 8500 people long term. This had surprised everyone involved, but those 'in power' who were aware of the design had not questioned about it beyond 'are you sure?'
The third one was still a freighter and it would be loaded and ready for departure eight days before Armistice Day.
As we got more and more personnel, I was not only able to properly crew them, I set aside about 2000 crew and a full Air Group in planes and personnel.
Medusa Nebula only had Mk VI Vipers.
I had already 'steered' DeWinter into repairing and rebuilding all of the support ships that we had access to. Medusa Nebula was completely self-sufficient except in liquid currency.
My 'fleet' would have a Cosmic Harvest Class Agro ship, two Mammoth Class Tankers (one tyllium and one water), and a Mercy II Class Hospital Ship.