“And how is that any different from what we did thirty years ago? We took new, and untested ships against the Sowir.” Adrian responded.
“Yes, but those ships were based on technologies and principles that your race used for hundreds of years. What we are trying to do now is mostly new, even with all the simulations we are doing we can’t be sure how any of the new technologies will behave in combat.”
“I know, that is why we need to start testing now. Sanctuary will provide us with anything we need in order to finish the ships as fast as we can.” Adrian said, “And we can’t allow ourselves to fail Isani, because if we do Nelus will fall.”
Isani sighed. “Well, I guess that it is fortunate that we have achieved the means to complete stage one yesterday.” He said.
“We did? Why didn’t you send me a report?” Adrian asked, already feeling excited. They had struggled to achieve stage one for around ten years, the point where they had finished the hulls of all ships. Their progress was very lopsided, some ships had their hulls completed years ago, while others were just frames and carrying beams. They had focused on other things while they researched technologies, so most ships already had power sources installed and cables run throughout the ship, some ships more than others, depending on what else they needed to do.
“There was no point, you were scheduled to return today anyway.”
“Right.” Adrian answered, “Tell me.”
“It’s better if I show you.” Isani said, and with that the three of them started towards the shipyards. They passed through four corridors until they reached their destination. Adrian approached the massive windows and looked at the vast cavern. The cavern was two hundred kilometers deep, and some two hundred across, and it was filled with activity, shuttles moving from one side to the other, from the massive tunnel leading outside and to it. Its walls were covered in docking ports, elevators, and twelve large assembly docks.
Ten of the assembly docks were filled with ships in different stages of completion. From Adrian’s vantage point they looked small, but he knew that they were massive, each more than a kilometer and half long. Each completely different from the others, unique, each part built specifically for a single ship. There were no mass produced parts, every single one was built separately for a purpose.
Adrian watched them in the distance, as small figures moved about doing the work, here and there he would see a metallic construct moving about – manufacturing robots. Slowly Adrian turned back to Isani and the two made way to the elevator that will take them three levels up. They rode in silence until they reached the main deck, then they walked a few minutes more to the development lab.
Inside the room was brightly lit, with hundreds of holo prompts and screens hanging in the air, with dozens of people moving around or sitting at their stations and working. No one noticed the new arrivals, but as Isani and Adrian moved through the room people started to take notice. No one stopped what they were doing, they just acknowledged the presence of their leader with a nod. Isani led Adrian and Sora through a door at the end of the room, and then into a testing lab. There were four people inside looking through a view-glass at a plate of overlapping silver metal plates while a small laser beam was firing on it. The view glass was filtering most of the bright light from the reaction, so they could watch without burning their eyes.
Adrian watched as the light shut off and the four people started gathering and studying the data. Before they could really get into it Isani cleared his throat and the four turned to look at them. When they recognized them all bowed their heads slightly, and the Nel woman who was obviously in charge stepped towards them.
“Clan Leader, to what do we owe the pleasure?” She asked respectfully. Adrian smiled, he had spent enough time around scientists and researchers to know that they hated being interrupted and watched over. He even had a few be downright disrespectful and condescending when he asked them a question. Chief Lasani on the other hand was always respectful and cordial, even though her choice of words might not always make that apparent, but Adrian could feel her emotions through Sora and Akash and knew she was sincere. She always took the time to explain to Adrian anything he was interested in. He liked that about her.
“Chief.” Adrian nodded back, “I hear that you finally managed to reproduce the Ra’a’zani hull plates?”
Lasani glanced at Isani then behind her at her coworkers before responding. “Well… we did, in part.” She said.
Adrian raised an eyebrow, “In part? What do you mean?”
“Reverse engineering something isn’t as simple as scanning a piece and unlocking its secrets. We had to learn and develop completely new concepts and technology.” Lasani said distractedly, almost as she was saying it to herself and not Adrian.
Adrian felt the side of his mouth quirk up, “I am aware chief, we recovered pieces of Ra’a’zani ship a long time ago. I have never pressured you about results, I am not criticizing you.”
Lasani’s eyes locked with Adrian’s and focused. She watched him for a long second and then he felt her relax. “I’m sorry Clan Leader, it’s just that sometimes it can be very frustrating, having something in front of you that you can’t explain and yet you know that it works.”
She shook her head, and continued. “Right, where was I… Yes, we have been able to learn a lot from the Ra’a’zani hull pieces, and from the footage that the Monarch and the other surviving ships took. Scans of the Ra’a’zani hull had revealed that it was a composite of a metal-nonmetal alloy and a ceramic like material, with a kind of circuitry imbedded inside it. We don’t really know how the circuitry works, but we know the effect, it somehow allows for a sort of matter compression, that is what we believe allowed the Ra’a’zani ship to basically change hull modes, the rippling effect that our ships documented when the Ra’a’zani ship’s weapons raised from inside the ship. It also makes the hull virtually invulnerable to laser and particle beam fire of a certain magnitude – similar to our hull coating, only much more effective. We have tested and found the level at which the shimmering field of the Ra’a’zani hull loses its effectiveness, our current laser and particle weapons would be able to inflict damage to the Ra’a’zani hulls although the shimmer would still dissipate about half of the strength. The truth is that even now we haven’t been able to identify all the materials used to make the hull. The only thing that we have identified are titanium, carbon and a small amounts of risuminum – a metal that we have discovered just twenty years ago.”
Adrian narrowed his eyes, “But I thought that you managed to replicate the process? Create the same hull as what the Ra’a’zani have?” Adrian said glancing at Isani who kept his face expressionless. Sometimes Adrian really hated how Nel could do that, erase any trace of emotion from their face, even more infuriating was that he could feel his smugness through Sora.
“No, we haven’t been able to replicate the Ra’a’zani hull. It’s not like that technology is beyond us, it is just that we don’t know the ingredients, we could eventually crack the problem. But I wouldn’t recommend focusing on it, there are so many paths that our shipbuilding technology can follow that it is pointless of us to focus on that one, particularly when we know that some of our weapons proved very effective against it.” Lasani said, “What we have managed to do is replicate the abilities of the Ra’a’zani hull using our own materials and technology.”
Impressed, Adrian brought his left hand to his temple then down to his chest and turned his palm outward in a Nel gesture, telling her to elaborate. Lasani smiled softly at Adrian’s use of her people’s mannerism, most of the Nel in the Empire spoke English or what was now simply called standard, but a lot of Nel words and gestures had been incorporated into the standard over the years.