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Star Trek Enterprise

Here We Stand

Chapter 20:

Ingenuity and ability

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(A Brief note I do not own Star Trek or its associated products. Also please forgive any grammar and spelling errors I am Dyslexic and even with a spell checker it is difficult for me to see them.)

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The experiment had succeeded but the results were something that came back on Horatio like a Tsunami of political plotting and union protests that had, for the past week, consumed too much of his time.

His theory of utilising the transporter system in conjunction with Vulcan replication subroutines had resulted in Earth's very first industrial replicator being born. Then combining the emitters with the robotic arms of the dry dock, they achieved something akin to the 3D printers of a bygone era.

This newfound technique revolutionized ship frame construction, drastically reducing both time and material costs for Star Fleet.

This had stirred the Spector of automation and stirred unrest among the unions, one of the few institutions that had weathered the storms of both World War Three and "The Post-Atomic Horror" that followed.

They had long memories the most vivid being the old union busters, and the chaos of the post-atomic horror fuelled scepticism toward governmental initiatives. Thus, when the promise of automation threatened the livelihoods of skilled workers, Peterson wasted no time in rallying support for a strike.

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Horatio strode into Admiral Collins' office, the air crackling with tension like an approaching storm. The Admiral's brow was furrowed, he was sitting bolt straight and was visibly annoyed as Charlie Peterson, the burly grey-haired union representative, seemed ready to anchor his position like a limpet.

Charlie was the son and grandson of Union men and had been a Union man himself since his early teens working the Dock Yards at Boston Harbour, which for a man of no Irish descent had been very difficult.

His grandfather had cut his teeth against union busters that had returned during the Atomic Horror as absolute capitalists had taken over vast swathes of the old USA. They had used the technology of the Vulcans to lay off vast swaths of the workforce in almost every sector skilled and unskilled, tool masters and administrators.

They had called for a unified strike of all the workers and as a response the Capitalists had hired the old veterans of WW3 who had been more than happy to break a few skulls for the drugs that the military had hooked them on, and the Capitalists paid by the kilo. With Colonel Green getting most of his support from those self-same capitalists it had broken down into a mini civil war in all but name.

The aftermath had broken the absolute Capitalists and Colonel Green with the help of the Vulcans had stabilised The United States enough to allow real elections again and the healing needed.

His grandfather had regaled him with the old stories and that had made him sceptical of the government, so when the Star Fleet discovered a way to remove good able-bodied skilled Union men from Jobs for automation, again, he immediately called for tools down and a strike.

That vote had been unanimous and had the support of several other unions on the planet as well this gave him the strongest hand possible to negotiate.

"Ah, Captain Smith, right on time," Admiral Collins greeted, his usual Cali surfer boy accent now carrying the weight of command formality that he usually reserved for formal occasions. "We're discussing the new ship construction method."

Smith took his seat, exchanging a nod with Peterson before turning his attention to the Admiral.

"I've reviewed the proposal, Captain, and I've gone over all of the data that you've provided. While I see the innovation potential here, we can't ignore the impact on our workforce, both Star Fleet and Civilian," Peterson's voice boomed across the room, rough as steel scraping steel, with a deep Bostonian accent so strong you could smell the seawater and clam chowder.

"Impact? This new method threatens to torpedo our livelihoods, Admiral." He didn't raise his voice, but the power behind it was imposing. "I've got six other unions waiting on my word and hundreds of workers who will all picket Star Fleet headquarters and the United Earth Parliament building if we do not resolve this."

Admiral Collins leaned forward, his gaze steady, like a lighthouse beacon cutting through the fog. "Gentlemen, forgive the pun, but we're navigating uncharted waters here," he said, his voice steady but with a hint of stress that the meeting created. "Our fleet must evolve in the face of great turmoil. Never before in our history have we faced such a potential for disaster."

the Vulcan SNAFU was starting to impact the colonies and the last thing the United Earth Gov needed was another civil war.

"does that mean that we must sacrifice our industrial workers?" asked Peterson "What next the nurses or the teachers."

"That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?" he asked.

"we're facing a marked increase in pirate attacks and are potentially hurtling towards a war we need to expand the fleet as soon as possible to cover what the Vulcans usually covered," said Horatio.

"but not at the expense of our people," said Peterson.

The Admiral and Smith nodded in agreement; Smith admired the Admiral's resolve here; he knew what these jobs meant to the economy.

"We owe it to our workforce to chart a course that doesn't leave them stranded. There must be a way to utilise this system without leaving anyone behind," said Collins.

Peterson's fists clenched on the table, his voice a deep rumble like a tempest brewing on the horizon.

"We need more than promises, Admiral. We need guarantees that our jobs won't be swept away like leaves in a storm."

Admiral Collins sighed, the weight of responsibility pressing down like a gravity well.

"I hear your concerns, gentlemen, but we're navigating treacherous waters. Budget constraints leave us little room to manoeuvre." The president was already getting on his nerves, and the Admiralty as a whole, he wanted to start cutting budgets to make up the deficit regardless of the effect on the fleet's readiness.

Horatio leaned forward, a glimmer of hope cutting through the gloom. "What if we explore alternatives? Retraining programs, incentives for job creation elsewhere—we must think outside the box."

Peterson's gaze softened, the storm clouds parting to reveal a glimmer of possibility.

"We cannot begin to do that with the budget cuts that are being threatened here."

"Agreed," said Admiral Collins, a glint of determination in his eyes as he brought up a sleek pad, his fingers tapping swiftly over its surface. "I have a proposal that I think you would find quite agreeable," he continued, his voice carrying the weight of authority as he pushed the pad towards Peterson.

"We need assurances, Admiral. We can't walk blindly into this." he stopped as the Pad sat in front of him "What's this?" Peterson asked, his curiosity piqued as he picked up the pad and began perusing its contents with furrowed brows.

"This is my proposal," Collins replied, leaning forward slightly, his demeanour brimming with confidence. "And it's something well within my power to approve immediately." Peterson's eyes scanned the document, absorbing its implications. Meanwhile, Collins turned to face Horatio, his expression softened but resolute. "You've handed me quite a challenge, son, but I believe it's a manageable one," he said, his voice carrying a hint of paternal reassurance.

"The NX budget is finalized," Collins explained, his tone becoming more animated as he outlined the details. "But with that comes a slush fund for potential cost overruns." he continued "And now, with your innovative construction method," he gestured towards Peterson, "we have just enough resources to commission six additional hulls, bringing our fleet of NX class ships up to twelve."

"how would that help?" asked Horatio.

"it means that we can retain the workers we have just spread them over all of the construction sites." he answered, "With them spread out over more jobs when the Columbia is finished the first of the refit ships will be sitting in the dock and waiting and they can move onto it almost immediately."

Smith nodded in agreement but voiced a note of caution. "It will leave us with minimal wiggle room if any issues arise," he pointed out, his tone pragmatic. "We may find ourselves stretched thin when it comes to finances, relying heavily on our quality control teams."

The Admiral's smile remained, though tempered by wisdom. "True," he conceded, "but it also means we won't lose any skilled workers to this expansion. And when it comes to refitting the fleet, we'll have a larger pool of experienced personnel to draw from, saving us the hassle of rehiring and training."

With a sense of cautious optimism, they delved into negotiations, seeking a path forward that would satisfy them all. Around the table, the fate of countless lives hung in the balance, their decisions shaping the course of history.

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After several more days of intense negotiations, a compromise was finally struck. While it didn't address every concern, it provided enough assurances to allow Horatio to shift his focus on fixing the extensive damage inflicted upon the Enterprise.

With renewed determination, Horatio was now focused on repairing the Enterprise and preparing for the extensive Prototyping to come. The SS Roanoke was coming in to dock in a few weeks for her scheduled refit and the Admiralty had selected her for the prototyping.

She was old, very old, a Warp Delta flight two, and getting long in the tooth. Her last refit had replaced the older fission reactor drive system, which had been prone to throwing out radiation like toys from a pram, with the new dilithium crystal system that the fleet had considered the future of star drive for humanity.

That had been ten years ago now and she was in dire need of an upgrade, something that Horatio was looking forward to, he loved getting his hands dirty in the internal workings of a ship and a classic like that was to be appreciated.

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AN:- (This has been read by a friend of mine to help me a bit with the grammar as I've had writer's block and he really helped me out) -:AN