Star Trek Here We Stand

by heavyneos

Part of my B5 SI story: Q asks David to help out the Enterprise as Temporal Cold War Shenanigans threaten to derail the launch of the NX-01 and jeopardise the formation of the Federation. David now Horatio must get the NX program back on track or risk the future that Gene Roddenberry dreamed may become a dystopian nightmare.

5. Chapter 5 Adjustments & Armaments

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Star Trek Enterprise

Here We Stand

Chapter 05

Adjustments & Armaments

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There is some colourful language in this chapter, please be aware.

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Horatio marched with a purpose to the command centre of the shipyards. The week had been one set back after another, so much. So, he had taken to using his former skills of Drill Instruction to get the work done at all so as he marched to the control room. Star Fleet officers and enlisted men jumped out of his way or faced his wrath. He had his swagger stick tucked into his arm. Over the week, he was sourly tempted to use it for its original purpose.

"Where is Commander Tucker?" he asked. The Junior officer indicated to the station Commanders office and made his way there. He pressed the bell then waited a few seconds before entering.

"Who approved this weapons loadout?" said Horatio as the bulkhead door opened. Commander Tucker was sitting at the far end of the room going over the ship's engine calculations again. Horatio had spent the best part of the last two days becoming intimately familiar with the schematics for the NX.

"Captain Archer felt."

"I don't care what he felt" he snapped in frustration. Usually, he was much more level-headed when dealing with superior officers. Still, he was in command even if he was currently a lower-ranking man. "Two plasma cannons and three-phase cannons are not enough to protect this ship from a raider let alone an Andorian Kumari class."

"Captain Archer felt that as an explorer, we shouldn't be armed like a warship."

"What do you think this is, Sir? A little pleasure cruise where we all skip through the minefield hoping, Huh? This is real life; with real consequences, you take to god dammed the grave!"

"I think you're overreacting."

"and I think this laissez-faire attitude will cost more lives than it saves," Horatio said as he handed the Pad to the Commander. "This is my recommendation for weapon systems and loadout." The Commander rolled his eyes and began to look over the Pad, taking a sip of his coffee. He spat out the beverage.

"Twelve Phase Cannon Turrets?" he said in horror, "Eight Missile Launchers" he looked at the security officer like he grew another head. "Are you out of your dang mind?" he pushed the Pad into Horatio's chest "the captain will never go for it."

"I have submitted the proposal to Admiral forest if he says yes then that's the end of it." The sound of the doorbell distracted the two they turned to see who was there before the door opened with a hiss. Malcolm Reed had entered looking pensive, holding another pad.

"you alright there Mal?" Horatio asked. He had worked closely with Malcolm before and would call the man a good friend.

"Aye, sir." He said, handing the Pad to Horatio, he looked upset than gave it to Tucker.

"Did somebody die?" he said as he fumbled with Pad for a moment.

"No, Star Fleet intelligence have arrested Admiral Black and Commodore Vasilchikov." Tuckers eyes widened in shock before he devoured the data on the Pad. "the Admiral in suspicion of using his position to help friends and family and the Commodore well he's got almost a full paragraph of offence but the one that could cost him, Aiding the enemy" Reed straightened himself

"what was it?" Horatio asked eagerly "the Commodore?"

"the first Nausicaan campaign." He answered

"Rigel X?" Reed nodded. He turned to Tucker slightly.

"He didn't listen to the Lieutenant Commanders recommendation, and we lost thirteen good men."

"needlessly lost them," he said his hand gripping the swagger stick hard enough to whiten his knuckles. "That bastard tried to pin the losses on me cost me several promotions."

"I won't say I'll miss him," said Reed neutrally.

"I served with Black," he said in quiet shock still unable to contemplate the enormity of the rot that had taken hold of Star Fleet. "he was my first Captain out of the Academe. He recommended me for cross-training in warp field mechanics. I owed him everything."

"I hope he gets the rope." Said Horatio darkly he turned to Trip who was still in shock "I'll talk about the weapons later Sir. I'm taking lunch" He spun on his heel with all the grace of a fully trained officer and marched stiffly away Swagger stick tucked tightly under his right armpit. He practically stamped out of the control room.

"what was that about Rigel X?"

"It was years ago sir." Said Reed "Star Fleet Security had a tip-off about a prate base that was responsible for the loss of several dozen boomers and their cargo." Trips eyebrows shot up he knew of that time well almost caused a civil war in the colonies. "Commodore Vasilchikov was Captain then, a real mean bastard too." He said, pulling out a chair and indicating for Commander Tucker to take the other. "Lieutenant Commander Smith was fresh from the MACOs and put together an insertion plan. He presented it to the Captain, who threw it back in his face and made his plan. There were twenty of us in that attack. Lieutenant Commander Smith warned against the plan, but the Captain refused to listen and attacked anyway." Reed shook his head and rubbed his lower face just below his lip.

"what happened." Tucker had a deep feeling of dread as Reed Continued.

"We were slaughtered like dogs." He answered "they knew we were coming somehow and prepared accordingly. They had the high ground and were entrenched we lost five as soon as the door was breached. Have you ever seen what a Nausicaan disrupter dose up close?" Tucker shook his head in the negative.

"No, I haven't."

"I do, I hope I never see it or hear it ever again." He said seriously "slow disintegration" was all he said and all he ever needed to say.

"my god."

"the Lieutenant Commander tried to get us out, but the Captain refused the retreat." Reed was staring at nothing his eyes not focusing as if he was back in that moment, "he came up with a plan and executed it perfectly." Reed smiled darkly "he took three men and used a nearby access hatch to get behind them." Reed sighed sadly "It was part of his original plan to go into through the maintenance hatches." He rubbed one of his eyes to cover the tear that threatened to well. "He used Grenades and cleared the deck, but by that time we'd lost so many men."

"What happened next?" Tucker asked

"After we had secured the base. The Captain reamed out the Lieutenant Commander tried to place the blame for that fiasco on him. Even tried to make the argument that the Lieutenant Commander's plan was his and that he had gone against orders." Reed scowled as he spoke it had disgusted him to his core that the Captain had done something so reprehensible.

"so, what happened after that."

"he would have gotten away with it, if not for the Vulcan Captain that ferried us to our destination. He was a member of the High Command and a well-respected and highly decorated officer." He smiled slightly. "to use an American colloquialism, he went to bat for the Lieutenant Commander saved his career, but." Reed paused for a moment as he considered his words

"but."

"But it left a black mark on his record even when he was found innocent."

"What? Why?"

"the anti-Vulcan segment of Star Fleet branded him as a puppet and sympathiser. thus, making him untrustworthy in command." This shocked the Commander. "And they were in ascendency as the Vulcans were pushing for caution on the Warp 3 engine. You know, internal politics as they are Sir."

"yes." Tucker hated to admit that he was also in that anti-Vulcan camp as was Captain Archer. "he seems to have done ok, though."

"he had to work twice as hard to get less than half as far. By rights, he should have had command of a ship by now."

"and the Captain?" he asked "Commodore Vasilchikov" he horribly mangled the name, but Reed didn't mind.

"he had friends in high places."

"so, he got away with it?"

"not fully," he said "Admiral Forest was in the Lieutenant Commanders corner. Admiral Black and Admiral Jefferson pushed for Vasilchikov to get a commendation and promotion, so Admiral Forest did it."

"he what?" he asked, "I thought you said…" Reed held up a hand to stop the rant before the Commander got up a full head of steam.

"he prompted him to Commodore all right." Smiled Reed "Commodore at the Arctic research post on Luna." The Commander laughed hard. "Admiral Forest made sure he would never get the experience needed for a higher ranked promotion he rear echeloned him permanently.

"good." Said Tucker as he picked up the Pad again. "what you think of this?" he said, showing him the Pad. Reed smiled as he looked it over.

"We couldn't get enough power to fuel all these weapons in the first place." He showed him the layout of the eps system. "see, we'd need three extra reactors to power all of these never mind the rest of the ship."

"so why propose it."

"he expects it to get rejected." Reed answered, "he expected this to get flat out rejected as a negotiation tactic."

"really?"

"yes, it works surprisingly well." He said, "it's like bartering, he gives you a higher number and gives a logical reason to why that number is needed then you go lower, and Horatio. He gets you to the number he actually wants."

"that's is sly. I like it." He smiled "that gives me an idea."

-(-)-

Horatio hadn't expected such a visceral reaction to the news. Still, the feeling of vindication was so deeply ingrained that it had shocked him. He sat on his bed. He felt his hands shake he reached over and picked up his swagger stick from his desk table and gripped it tightly hoping that having it in his hand would stop the shaking.

He then began to count backwards from ten in an attempt to calm himself down; he didn't need this right now and berated himself for being unable to control the issue. But what that SOB had done the life stolen because of his ineptitude, because he wanted to show the MACO how Star Fleet didn't need their kind soiling the service.

He didn't allow himself to cry. He had run out of tears years ago. He could only hope that once he was in jail or in the ground the ghosts of his past would be laid to rest, and their families would get more closure than a folded flag and a hollow box of medals. At least they would get the pay and pension for life that was the only good to come of that incident.

He closed his eyes and visualised a calm beach, smooth rolling waves a light breeze that carried the crisp, salty air through his hair. He pictured the steady tide lapping gently against the rocks a warm sunny sky and the gentle cawing of the seagulls took him away from the trigger event. They allowed him to come back from it again.

He would have stayed in that moment for a time, but a beep from his terminal brought him back to himself.

He sighed before answering. He pressed the button to open the communication.

"yes." He answered neutrally.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I Lieutenant Commander?" it was Admiral Forest he seemed delighted.

"No, sir." He replied, "I was just taking a break after the news."

"understandable." He commiserated "I need you to come down to Star Fleet Head Quarters."

"now, sir?"

"yes, I have a special assignment for you."

"I'm on my way."

"good, Forest Out." The screen went to the logo of Star Fleet command then went blank. He took another deep breath.

He tapped the communications button on the desk for internal use.

"Smith to Commander Tucker."

"Tucker here."

"I've been called down to Star Fleet Command by Admiral Forest I don't know how long I'll be gone. Please make sure that the work crews update the port stabiliser."

"will do, don't worry about it."

"aye, Sir." Sometimes that man really rankled him, it was the accent he was sure that southern drawl that gave the man a swagger that tried to put people at ease. He sighed for what felt like the dozenth time and made his way to the Shuttle bay.

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As Star Fleet Command came into view, he got ready. This could mean another combat mission or another escort mission, something that he didn't really want to do but. In this world, he wasn't a king and only another serviceman doing as his commanders bid him. It was a little strange to not have complete control of his own destiny, but with the merging, he has gotten over that pretty fast.

He landed the shuttle at the main port and made his way out keeping the swagger stick tucked tightly. He had spent some free time adjusting it. He added a stun batons field generator to it. He took great pains to conceal the device activation switch and power pack in the decorative handle. He also added a stun grenade with a directional wave should he be forced to use it. He was also getting to adding a stun phaser to the stick, but for now, the device sufficed.

He was met by the Admirals aid-de-camp Colonel Davidson a strongly built Hispanic man. He led Horatio to the Admirals office, and again it felt like he was headed to the headmaster's office for a stern talking to. There was no discussion between the two officers, no small talk or empty platitudes Davidson was very much an officer of the old school. The real old school a very duty focused man he put his carrier before even his own family.

The Doors to the office opened, and he walked inside the Admiral was waiting.

He walked up to the desk and stood at attention.

"Lieutenant Commander Smith reporting as ordered sir." The Admiral sat back in his chair and smiled.

"how goes the construction?" he asked with a hint of a gin still turning up the edges of his mouth.

"the compromised plating has been removed, sir." He adjusted his neck loosening a knot ", And the new plating is under construction, we should have the new plating fully installed by the end of April."

"good, anything else."

"I sent a recommendation for weapons loadout," he noticed the Admiral was visibly vibrating with mirth. "I'll need your approval in the next few days so we can add the turret housing."

"we'll need to talk about that with Captain Archer." He took a box out of one of his draws and placed it on the table. It was polished mahogany shaped like an engagement ring case then he sat back and watched the reaction.

"Sir?" he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"open it." Horatio reached out to take the box, thankful that his hands had stopped shaking and opened it. Inside was another shining silver rank icon staring back at him. "You deserved this, and more, I'm just glad we can honour you as you deserved Commander."

"I don't know what to say, sir." He said quietly "thank you." He wasn't overcome with emotion and would deny vehemently that he had any tears in his eyes. It had been an uphill struggle for him since Rigel he had contemplated quitting many times but refused to allow them to win. He truly believed that he would never get even this far.

"with what you've uncovered, what Intelligence discovered a lot of the rot in Star Fleet has been cut out." He said rolling the stylus pen in his hands "we've taken a beating in the press. and some of the cadets have quit or been expelled, but I truly believe that we have secured a future now that will see us stranger for it."

"Yes, sir." He said the weight of the box in his hands felt much more substantial than the materials it was made from. "I only did my duty anyone else would have done so as well."

"Given what we've uncovered, I'm not so sure." He sighed and tossed the pen gently onto his desk. "Nepotism and old boys' networks would be the end of an organisation like ours we cannot afford to let such old thinking to permeate in Star fleet." He smiled again "now, Merit not affiliation, dictate the course of the organisation again, and I, for one, am very happy about that."

"I don't know what to say, sir."

"you don't have to say anything, your actions have spoken volumes for your character and your loyalty." Admiral Forrest stood and walked around his desk, grasping Horatio's shoulders firmly. "You did your duty when others looked out for themselves." He realised his shoulders and grabbed the box lifting it and Horatio's numb arm up. "I hope that this is some comfort for the years of … well the years of hardship you've had to put up with."

"I did my duty, sir."

"indeed." He went back to his chair and sat again. "keep me appraised of the construction." He said just when he was about to leave the Admiral stopped him. "About the weapons, Archer will be here tomorrow at 14:00 for his update on the ship. As well as his final selection for crew make sure you're here for that we can then we can discuss the weapons with the man himself."

"aye, sir."

"good afternoon Commander Smith." He shook his hand over the desk then picked up the stylus pen and got back to his work. Horatio made his way out of the office and back to the shuttle pod still holding the box. He didn't replace the rank insignia until he had returned to his room on the shipyard.

Tomorrow would be an exciting day.

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Horatio watched as Archer paced angrily in front of the Admirals desk in the manner of a caged tiger. He had arrived slightly late as there had been a problem with the sensor equipment being installed and it took a while to make sure everything was alright. On the positive side, there had been no significant incidence of injury currently in his tenure even if he had to put his boot up a few arses.

"were an exploitation ship Sir, not a combat cruiser." He said looming over the desk "these weapons are not only unnecessary. but they could cause species that are peaceful to not make contact with us believing that were a warlike race."

"Horatio glad you could make it." He straightened himself in the chair. It looked like Archer was arguing hard against his proposal.

"Admiral Forest" he stood at attention for a moment before he turned to greet Captain Archer. "Captain Archer." He said, holding out his hand, Archer looked at the had for a moment then shook it firmly. "I understand you don't like my suggested weapons loadout for your ship."

"you could say that."

"would you like to hear my reasoning?" Archer paused for a moment before nodding. He pulled out a Pad and handed it to Archer. "The region of space you'll be entering in by no means safe even the Vulcans find the region unstable enough to heavily arm their ships." At the mention of his pointy-eared irritation, he bristled. "There are species out there that would give even their new class of heavy combat cruiser a run for its money." He pointed to the large computer monitor on the wall. "may I use this?" he asked the Admiral.

"go ahead." He activated the monitor and then swiped the information on the Pad towards the monitor.

"these are the most present potentially hostile species that we could encounter in the region." He showed two species on the monitor one with thick ridges on their heads and the other blue with antennae. "The Blue Species is called the Andorians, their military is called the Andorian Imperial Guard. They are an Imperialistic, Militaristic Species that remind me of Imperial Germans from the history books." He said the two noddings in understanding. "There weapons technology is on a par or just below that of current Vulcan, their other technologies are about two generations in advance of us maybe more." The two species on the screen were replaced by a dull grey ship with glowing blue accents.

"what's this?" asked Archer

"This is the Andorians top of the scale Battle Cruiser. It can take on Vulcans new Heavy Combat Cruiser and if the Commander is competent to stand a better than even chance of winning." He said before he tapped the Pad indicating to the specs of the ship. "It has five heavy particle cannons situated around the ship in overlapping fields of fire and its defended by a strong deflector shield. With the current loadout, nine times out of ten, the NX class would be destroyed if engaged in combat with this vessel."

"you said nine times." Prompted the Admiral

"yes, the only simulation that had the Androians lose was where the computer rammed the ship." Horatio cleared his throat before continuing. "this ship out guns and outpaces the current design of NX handily." He then showed a smaller ship of a similar design. "the NX would, however. Have a better than even chance against this the Andorian Destroyer a ship well under the NX class's weight." He then returned the monitor to the image of the two species.

The screen then changed to a tactical display showing the most common tactics that the Androians preferred.

"as you can see." He indicated to the screen. "like the Prussians they prefer Oblique tactics, and they also favour the chevron flanking manoeuvre they like to overwhelm one flank while pinning the other." He then showed a basic counter to it. "As you can see the best way to exploit this tactic is to take advantage of the gap that opens in their lines. Then Blitzkrieg through it enveloping the separate flanks and destroying them."

"I'll have to take more time to study tactics." Said Archer neutrally, he was worried that he may have to use the more aggressive tactics he learned at the AcademeAcademe for often then he liked.

"the next in this presentation is the Klingon Empire, the largest threat to any ship in the region. They are an aggressive expansionist Feudal Empire that embodies the warrior ethos to the exclusion of all else." He said before pressing a button showing the first of many ships. "Unlike the Andorians that mass-produced two main ship classes the Klingons field many ships optimised for combat."

The first ship was long and angular in a T shaped configuration with a large U like structure on the top.

"This is what the Database describes as a Raptor class attack cruiser, the Klingons class this as a Scout attack vessel." The readout changed again to show the locations of the weapons. "They are armed with what the Vulcans describe as a Disruptors a high-powered particle weapon cruder than our own phase cannons. But their power output is orders of magnitude higher."

"my god," Archer whispered.

"They also have a type of projectile weapon. Similar to our own torpedoes, that have a variable yield antimatter warhead that can be strong enough to destroy a Starship. Or it can take out a vehicle from orbit without damaging the surrounding area". He then tapped the Pad again. "To use our own naval classification this ship would be considered a pocket battleship."

"Is this the worst of it?" asked Admiral Forest slightly unnerved with the presentation.

"no, but this and the next ship are the most common that he'll potentially run into." He pressed the button, and a vaguely avian ship appeared on the screen. "This is the Klingons mainstay fast attack ship called the Bird of Prey, it is armed with heavy, medium and light disruptor weapons in a forward configuration. The heavy weapons are as indicated here on an underslung turret that has an almost three-hundred- and sixty-degree turning arc and ninety-degree elevation." He then tapped the Pad again, showing the ports on the head and rear of the ship. "These are the ports for the antimatter warheads they have been recorded a firing rate of three shots in under ten seconds."

Archer sat down on one of the chairs in stunned silence for a moment.

"next is the heavy units that the Klingons have, you may never come across this class of ship but if you do you should be prepared." The screen changed to show a large almost spear-like ship that had underslung warp nacelles. "This, according to the Vulcans, is the D5 Battle Cruiser. This monster is currently one of the heaviest combat warships in the known galaxy we would classify this ship as a heavy battleship or in laymen's parlance a Dreadnought". The scanning data came up on the screen. "She has five heavy disruptor cannons both in fixed mounts and in underslung turrets. They also have both forward and aft torpedo launchers. The one major advantage we have against this ship is speed and manoeuvrability that's why this ship is always escorted by either three or two Birds of Prey."

Admiral Forest was a bit stunned by the detail that the Commander had gone with.

"The Klingons preferred tactics are the Blitzkrieg, as well as the hammer and anvil. They charge in with there fast units to disrupt enemy lines, then follow up with the heavy units when you try and readjust, they catch you between the two. It's a brutal and effective tactic that has optimised their fleet, which means the Klingons have no staying power." He then showed the counter to it. "The bull and horns may be the most effective counter for a defensive position, and the flying wedge would be a strong counter. But we'll have to run the gambit of simulations to test it. Though our best advantage is that they are mostly concerned with each other and their positions within the empire. but if they unify, they would be the single greatest threat to the quadrant."

"any more surprises."

"just one, I thought I would highlight this species as one of interest." The tactical breakdown shifted to show a strange winged saucer ship with nacelles on the wingtips it was painted a nauseating green that practically glowed against the void of space. "This is a Romulan ship, we have no data on the species or the specifics of the weapons. But we do know that they are expansionist and isolationist an oxymoron I know." He showed the ship in profile than from another angle the video of the vessel showed it move then just disappear from the screen. "They've shown no interest in this area of the galaxy, yet, and may not ever. Still, I thought you should get a look at them as they are bulldogs in defending their territorial sovereignty."

"well?" the Admiral turned to Archer.

"I can see the need for more weapons but not to this extent, surly," Archer said, tossing the Pad on the table. "Enterprise is an exploration ship, not a warship, even with these aggressive races out there would it be the right thing to do to arm up like were looking for a fight."

"I understand if you wish I can remove some of the weapons if it makes you more comfortable. But it would make guaranteeing the survival of your ship that much harder for your tactical officer."

"so, I recommended twelve-phase cannons spread around the saucer four in the fore both dorsal and ventral. Two on the port and starboard, again dorsal and ventral and final four in the rear This, I felt would allow the best spread of weaponry in the most optimal arks. Along with the four forward-facing launchers I also wanted at the minimum of two in the rear."

"maybe we could work this out properly." Said the Admiral as he swiped the blueprints of the NX class onto the monitor removing the Romulan ship. "Because I believe that twelve would be fine, we just need to find the power for it."

They spent the next hour or so going through the whole power grid and eps systems. Before they made their decision.

"the full twelve it is then." Said the Admiral, Archer looked like he wanted to protest before he remembers the briefing.

"I'll have the power systems upgraded as soon as I get back, sir," Horatio said as he got to his feet. He handed the Pad to the Admiral "I have put something in there that I think would help with the next build the NX-02 as well as something I feel will expand the effectiveness of the fleet." The Admiral looked through the documents on the Pad. He swiped it over to the monitor and was amazed by what he saw.

"This is a secondary hull that can be attached to the ship." He said as the blueprint appeared, "with the expanded hull, we can put more power into the ship for more science labs and sensor relays." He indicated to the dish and then to the internal schematics. "will more room for power generation and engineering the ships could be much more useful."

"you came up with this by yourself."

"After observing the issues with the NX-01's design and knowing the need for a future refit. I think that this would present the best possible upgrade available to us currently. it will add seven more decks, five of which can be dedicated completely to engineering." He then changed the image to show what it would look like attached to the NX class.

Archer liked the look of it and the expanded laboratories for more scientific work to be done. He mused to himself that Horatio wasn't the cold soldier that he had initially thought him to be. The next image showed a similar class to the Enterprise though it had a larger rear and a roll bar that had a launch pod of some type attached.

"I call this the Poseidon class." He said as the ship began to go through different profile shots showing the schematics. "I designed this ship to be modular, giving it four subclasses while using the same parts as the NX to allow for interchangeability." He showed one variant without the roll bar. Still, a large AWAC disc on top. "this is the Minerva subclass made for scientific work. The heavy sensor suit and dedicated laboratories make this subclass the best for extensive scientific research." He allowed the two to look at the full schematics showing how lightly armed the ship was.

"it has very light defences." Said Archer as he looked over the ship

"Indeed, this has been optimised for research and long-range sensors scans."

"why Minerva?"

"given the mythology surrounding her, I felt the name was a deserved one." He pressed the button, and the next subclass appeared on the screen. It had a secondary set of nacelles on the top instead of the sensor or weapons pod. "This is the Hermes variant made for extended high warp travel the extra nacelles allow for stabilisation at a fraction of the strain a dule system can output. but that comes at the cost of higher maintenance needs."

"I can see the advantages of a ship helping with the Boomers they need as much back up as we can give them and a fast ship like that could be a boon to shipping." Said Admiral Forest, the Warp Deltas, were beginning to show their age. The Conestoga's were going to need decommissioning as they could no longer be relied upon for anything but the simplest tasks these days.

"This is the Poseidon class proper." He said as the image changed back to the first schematic. "its classed between a heavy destroyer and light cruiser by weight." He said as the weapons systems began to bet listed, "she's designed to carry ten phase cannons and eight torpedo launchers." He then went through the rest of the configuration. "its maximum crew is seventy-five, and its emergency rating is one hundred and thirteen. Its primary mission is deep space exploration along with area denial and escort missions."

"Area denial?" asked the Admiral.

"yes, Sir, with the number of torpedoes that the ship can carry and deploy. If you designate an area where you want no more bad guys to be this ship can make it happen, thus denying the area to them."

"you've thought about this a lot haven't you." Said Admiral forest as he examined the ship and all its variants.

"I had the spare time that needed to be filled, and I'd rather do something more constructive than just weightlifting sir."

"I can see that." He said, tearing his eyes away from the schematics. "you have anything else you like to show me."

"not yet, but Lieutenant Reed and I are working on a tactical program that can activate the hull plating and arm the weapons from a single hull impact or word from the Captain." He showed him the proposal "it has two alert statuses. Alert status Yellow for designating a ship-wide state of increased preparedness for possible crisis situations. Alert Status Red immediately charges the weapons and polarises the hull plating in preparation for a combat situation."

"they can be active at any time?"

"yes, with a word from the Captain or an impact on the hull."

"that could be very useful."

"Indeed, we've adjusted the Captain's Chair does that he can activate or deactivate any of the alert statuses. You're also going to need to be measured for the new chair." He was going to give him a more TNG style chair with elements of TOS he would also include a seat belt. Better than the bucket seat that they lumbered him with he may even put a cup holder on the thing.