If you look at the headquarters of the Dominion's armed forces, you can notice that one hemisphere of the enormous sphere has essentially been disassembled into component parts.
The structures have been towed into nearby space, where hundreds and thousands of specialists work on them, repurposing and repairing sections that in the future will be reassembled into one.
But now it will no longer be a lightly armored civilian object crudely reworked by Ennix Devian's engineers.
When the sphere is reassembled, it will represent an excellently armored sphere bristling with thousands of guns and launchers of the most various calibers.
Developing such a project could have taken years—as it did with the Death Stars.
We essentially used the blueprints of the battle station to rework the internal contents of the habitable sphere and turn it into a fortress that would not share the fate of its predecessors.
After Counter-Admiral Shohashi's attack on the habitable sphere, the object sustained significant damage, but there were still all chances for full restoration with superior modernization results.
Fortunately, we have the blueprints for the Death Stars and habitable spheres, and chief shipbuilder Ryan Zion has the opportunity to work with them directly on-site.
Headquarters of the Dominion Armed Forces (condition: "just need to patch up the load-bearing structures a bit").
"Repair teams are working in three shifts," the chief shipbuilder reported, summarizing his briefing on the headquarters, "but the repair and modernization work is far from complete. At the current stage, we've restored only ten percent of the hull and structures. But the matter concerns those sections that, like on the Death Stars, had common components."
"Are you saying the habitable spheres were built on the same projects as the Death Stars?" Vice Admiral Pellaeon clarified, seated to my right at the long metal conference table.
"Yes," Zion replied without delay. "Of course, the habitable spheres have few combat systems, but in fact, whoever produced them used the same data and blueprints as for the Death Stars. I've already said that the power plant, layout of command and administrative decks, living quarters and modules, docking bays and hangars, energy distribution plan, even the force frame—identical. The differences are only in that on the stations, the power buses went, for example, to turbolasers, while in the habitable sphere—to trading compartments or entertainment centers. This greatly aids us in repurposing, as the main components of the power and energy supply system don't need reworking—only the peripherals. Yes, we have a lot of work in the parts where Devian's workers failed to properly repurpose decks they turned into hangars and production complexes, but we're advancing in that direction."
"And when do you plan to finish?" I inquired.
"With current funding and workforce?" Zion clarified.
Receiving an affirmative, the shipbuilder pondered for a moment, then issued:
"In the best case—from two to five years."
"Nearly twenty thousand workers and specialists labor on you!" Pellaeon exclaimed in surprise. "You said yourself the projects have numerous similarities! Where do such timelines come from?!"
Honestly, I'd like to know that too.
"The station is enormous; the scope of work is colossal. The budget isn't exactly huge to hire droves of workers from nearby sectors, so you need to understand that bringing this object online is a far from quick matter. Twenty thousand workers—that's not even the necessary minimum. It's a speck of sand on the scale of Tatooine. Already, restoring operations in the central sectors and decks, thanks to which the sphere can perform headquarters duties, is akin to a miracle. Given the damage from internal explosions here, the situation is far from simple. We're already unable to power the entire station due to damage from blasts and shelling. Secondary power plants are either critically damaged or completely knocked out. Or require costly repairs, which, as I understand, we can't afford."
"Not entirely," I agreed. "The Death Star's budget was astronomical. We don't have such revenues."
"Half of it was embezzled there," Zion grimaced. "I looked at the invoices. The same items could be delivered up to twenty times. Either the convoy is attacked en route, or the cargo vanishes, or something else. We're not building everything from scratch—we have over seventy percent of the habitable sphere, at least its force frame and internal compartments, remaining as they are now. And we haven't registered any equipment losses; material supplies are proceeding properly. With armament, of course, not all is well, but I think when the industry for producing turbolasers and anti-aircraft guns reaches the necessary capacity, we'll have completed mounting all repaired sections, and it will only be necessary to install the armament and defense systems. And provide the station with a crew. With automation organs applied, it will, of course, decrease substantially, but for now, I won't venture to say by how much. I haven't even done hypothetical calculations…"
"Let's set aside plans for outfitting the headquarters for now, shipbuilder," I said. "At present, I'm more interested in our Interdictor cruiser project of the Immobilizer type."
"And what's wrong with it?" the man looked at me in astonishment.
Pellaeon, sighing heavily, covered his eyes with his hand, pretending that he was more interested in the dry recitation of the shipbuilder's already stated words on his own deck's screen.
"You tell me," I requested. "At present, there's only the technical specification and your words about the project's readiness. Meanwhile, the need for these ships is great, given the colossal quantitative leap in our fleet."
"Didn't I brief you last week?" Zion frowned, shifting his gaze from me to Gilad, as if trying to find on our faces the answer to whether we were joking.
"Last week I was at the Dominion's borders," the explanation made the shipbuilder furrow his brow.
"Then I briefed Vice Admiral Pellaeon," the man with the artificial eye stubbornly repeated.
"I returned from inspection just a few hours ago," Gilad set his deck aside.
"And who was I talking to then?" Zion asked into the void, suspiciously looking behind him.
But found no one there except Rukh, boredly checking the sharpness of his obsidian dagger.
Tierce sat silently a bit behind me, engrossed in his work.
"Tell me, shipbuilder," I addressed him. "When did you last sleep?"
"What 'sleep'?" Zion stunned with his response. "Ahhhh… you mean sleep. Quite recently, I dozed off."
"And the slight hand tremor, bags under the eyes, and burst capillaries—that's just our imagination," I thought, perfectly understanding what was happening.
Not for nothing had the man sat in such a way until his briefing turn that he didn't draw much attention.
And thereby did the opposite.
When the main briefer during the report is not himself and doesn't "bottle up" every five minutes—it's highly alarming.
"Now it all makes sense," Gilad pronounced. "You've overworked yourself."
Tierce silently approached me and whispered a few phrases in my ear, then returned to his workstation.
"You haven't slept for fourteen days, shipbuilder," I said. "That's from objective labor normalization control data. It's hardly surprising that you've started confusing events in the end. I understand correctly that you've been on stimulants for the last two weeks?"
The man flashed his artificial eye like an infrared optical sight.
"We're just working on forming proper internal berthing docks for Star Destroyers. In a week, that work will be done, and then…"
"Then there will be other work," Gilad said. "And then more and more. This process has no end."
"Vice Admiral is right, Mr. Zion," I supported my deputy. "You have an enormous scope of work across all directions. And it certainly won't diminish if you drive yourself into the medbay from organ exhaustion. If it helps you understand, I order you to rest. After first visiting the infirmary, where they'll neutralize all the chems you've already pumped into yourself."
"I didn't ask for that!" Zion raised his voice, clearly not in control of his emotions.
"You can consider it an order," I clarified the conflict between desires and vital necessity.
In the matter of extracting short-term gain and activity with prospects for multi-year profitable projects, one should choose the latter—if the goal is long-term success.
Driving the only certified and unblinkered shipbuilder on our side, with prospects for his prolonged treatment and possibly health issues— is not the way.
It's a path to "nowhere."
Especially considering how much in the Dominion depends precisely on this specific individual.
"As you wish, Grand Admiral," Zion grumbled in an displeased tone. "Can I at least briefly inform you of what the Interdictor program will actually represent?"
I caught Pellaeon's surprised gaze on me.
I hope I managed to keep an impassive expression.
Because I hadn't ordered Zion to work on the entire program either.
Interdictor—this was the name of the overall project linking all types of our starships equipped with gravity well generators.
That included Star Destroyers of the Interdictor type, Immobilizer-418 interdictor cruisers, and the currently in-project Immobilizer-type interdictor cruiser.
Given that after "rescuing Lianna" we obtained absolutely all technical documentation and exclusive production rights for equipment, devices, assemblies, and units from a fairly broad nomenclature of Santhe Technologies, there are no major problems with producing specifically the last two models.
The basis for the interdictor cruisers is the Vindicator-class heavy cruiser produced by Lianna.
The Immobilizer-418 is also a product of Santhe Technologies authorship.
And we can produce them in huge quantities.
Given that after the Battle of Sluis Van, the Dominion acquired over one hundred fifty Vindicator-class heavy cruisers, several dozen Interdictors and Immobilizer-418s, the necessary base for putting Immobilizers into production is in place.
Not for nothing did two dozen orbital docks stolen at Sluis Van arrive in the Dominion?
They not only significantly speed up repairs but also allow deep modernizations in short order.
And in prospect—precisely on them and the orbital repair yards will fall the entire burden of fleet ship repairs, while our planetary shipyards are planned to be used primarily for building starships.
"Judging by your own words, you've decisively stepped beyond the assigned task," I realized.
"It's not complicated," Zion said smugly. "Some developments I proposed back in the distant past on Kuat, so now it's just polishing existing material."
"I take it that since you mentioned Kuat, the matter concerns not only the Immobilizer project?" Pellaeon clarified.
"Correct," Zion confirmed. "When I was tasked with working on the Immobilizer, I thought: 'Why not improve the Interdictor?'"
"I think I see where you're going," Vice Admiral Pellaeon slowly forced out.
"I haven't said anything yet," Zion objected, launching a hologram of the well-known and excellently proven Interdictor-class Star Destroyer on the projector.
"Given how you pride yourself on the Triad project, especially the Imperial modernizations, it's reasonable to assume you've decided to modify this ship type precisely in that modification," I explained Gilad's words.
"Uh-huh… When you put it that way, it does sound extremely simple," Zion said, abashed. "Well, it doesn't change the nature of what's happening. Yes, I've prepared a modernization project based on the Interdictor. It provides for upgrading it to Triad standard, but I think you understand that due to the four gravity well generators, we can't critically boost its combat capability to Triad level. But the power and number of turbolasers grow to Imperial-I level, and I've managed to make the anti-aircraft artillery on the ship equal in quantity and quality to the Triad's. But naturally, with the changed geometry of the upper and lower hull sections, the placement of anti-aircraft artillery ensures coverage of 'blind spots' and protection for the gravity well generator spheres. To my great regret, I couldn't install a large number of turbolasers in the lower hemisphere—only repeat my successful experience protecting hangars on the Triads. Additionally, I've complicated enemy pilots' actions in the lower hemisphere with a revised anti-aircraft gun distribution scheme who want to attack the ship from below. Covered firing sectors, hangar protection, flanks, stern, superstructure, more competent artillery distribution based on Allegiance-class battlecruiser experience…"
"Instead of inline turbolaser placement, you've put them on the diagonal?" Pellaeon raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, but I've placed a full set of heavy turbolasers in eight-gun turrets in the ship's upper and lower hemispheres, so now all guns of this type can fire and the gravity well spheres won't obstruct them," Zion explained. "And powerful anti-aircraft cover and reinforced barbettes provide greater protection for firing points. Unfortunately, I couldn't significantly reduce the crew with design automation—it's the same as on the Triad, but only due to the greater number of technical specialists needed to service the gravity funnel generators, plus increased requirements for the number of gunners. The fighter wing is slightly expanded—by one squadron…"
"Slightly," Pellaeon snorted. "Additional twelve craft—that's fifty percent more than originally."
"Well, it's not eight squadrons like on the Guard Imperials now," the shipbuilder reasonably objected.
"And yet," I cut off the budding argument, "the modification is truly significant. I understand correctly that all Triad qualities, including distributed hull scanners, sensors, long-range and other comms equipment, shield generators under armor, SEAL system—all that is installed?"
"Yes, sir," the shipbuilder replied. "As well as additional reactors, automation systems, Type-I redundant command system on the reserve bridge, three triple medium turbolaser turrets in the forward superstructure—all that, plus other distinctive features and novelties of the Triads, are reflected in this ship type."
"In other words, only the general hull features and engines with gravity interdiction generators remain from the Interdictor," Pellaeon snorted.
"About right," Zion agreed. "It's hardly an Interdictor anymore. My designers jokingly suggested claiming the first name this type had at the Kuat Drive Yards, but the Empire preferred another…"
"Like that story with the first name for Imperials, which in the first generation were called Emperors until it finally enraged all the senators on Coruscant?" Pellaeon nodded understandingly. "They said these ships are symbols of the Empire, not just the Emperor's glory."
"Yes," Zion agreed. "But on Kuat, they whispered that despite the renaming initiative coming from our senator, the mastermind of the whole campaign was Palpatine himself, pretending to be offended by such changes in ship type names."
"And in fact, he just threw the senators a bone, pretending they managed to wound him in something," Gilad snorted, casting me a cautious, interested glance.
Meanwhile, I still didn't understand what they were talking about at all.
No, I knew that Imperials were originally called Emperors.
But not the reason that led to the name change.
And certainly not that Interdictors suffered the same fate.
Asking directly—foolish.
Evidently, this was well-known and widely disseminated information that an Imperial officer simply couldn't not know.
Amusing…
" Sir, the initiative truly has logic," Pellaeon stated. "Essentially, all rights to Interdictors and their production belong to Kuat Drive Yards. Mass construction of this ship type could provoke an unwanted conflict with them."
What an interesting game in a Galaxy Far, Far Away with copyright and intellectual property.
Two things can be essentially identical, perform the same tasks, be assembled from parts developed by the same manufacturer.
But change some key elements on one so the overall similarity ceases to be noticeable, and that's it—now two different products on the market.
"I agree," I said. "Given the significant reworking of the original design, it would be right to give a name to the new ship type. What did your subordinates suggest, Shipbuilder Zion?"
The man scratched his forehead.
"The first name for Interdictors," he clarified little. Looking at me, he apparently realized I awaited a more detailed response and added:
"Dominator, sir."
Hm… Well, now I understand why they passed on it.
"There's something to it," I agreed. "But we should fully abstract from the existing name. 'Dominant' sounds far more appropriate relative to the Interdictor that's become twice as strong."
"'Dominant'—another name suggested for the Interdictor," Pellaeon noted cautiously.
"But it was almost immediately rejected after vetoing 'Dominator,' and changing a starship's name based on a derivative of the failed designation type…" Zion suspiciously fell silent. "Imperials didn't welcome such."
"We're not Imperials," I reminded. "The name suits this ship. Given it's intended for direct engagements as an independent combat unit capable of blocking an entire fleet's escape with an artificial gravity field, it's destined to be the dominant Star Destroyer on the battlefield."
"True enough," Zion said, leaning to the panel and quickly entering new data into the schematic.
Yes, he changed the project name.
"Incidentally, preparatory work is already underway on Tangrene to begin modernizing 'scrap' Destroyers into Interdictors," Pellaeon reminded, as if I could forget my own order. "Perhaps it's right to test the Dominant project on them."
"So we shall," I summarized the discussion on one of the projects. Looking at the shipbuilder, I inquired:
"I hope you have positive news on the Interdictor project as well?"
Ryan traditionally smiled crookedly.
"Better," he said, connecting another data chip to the holoprojector. "Here's a real breakthrough."
At first glance, the same Immobilizer as initially envisaged, but… Something was off.
And when my eye fell on the two spheres in the ship's central section, I understood what exactly.
"You've mounted only one gravity well generator," Pellaeon blurted out first with overtly angry intonations. "The technical spec called for two! And there were no solar ionization reactors in the fleet's request at all!"
"I'm sure Shipbuilder Zion will explain it all to us now," I said, not taking my eyes off Ryan.
"Of course," he stated. "Installing two gravity funnel generators would require displacing part of the internal space with additional reactors, which we're taking from fleet stocks acquired with Ennix Devian's base. Essentially, these are SPHA self-propelled howitzer reactors. Comparatively compact size, but high energy output at the same time. The Vindicator-class cruiser is compact enough as is, and to accommodate that much additional equipment, it would need to be enlarged significantly—nearly four hundred meters—to preserve and supplement its original artillery. Moreover, the original modernization plan assumed maximum aviation on the ship, as Santhe Technologies did in the latest models of these ships—six full squadrons. Which in turn turned the heavy cruiser into an independent raider or leader of a detachment sweeping hyperspace routes within the Dominion."
"That's exactly what you promised us initially," Pellaeon stated. "And that plan was approved! You were to start work precisely on that technical specification, not waste time on your own projects for which there's no need yet."
"I know that, Vice Admiral," Zion stated. "However, after we gained access to all of Lianna's technologies, I stumbled upon several interesting programs. In particular, an experimental project to increase the power output of the gravity funnel generator's deployment vector by boosting supplied energy."
"Lianna was developing a new gravity interdiction project?" I immediately grasped the essence.
"Exactly," Zion confirmed. "The order came from Black Sword fleet command a few years before the Battle of Endor. They were also experimenting with deploying mines directly from hyperspace, but achieved no significant results. And the Empire's dissolution led to shelving the enhanced gravity interdiction project. These are mostly developments, but quite promising. Lianna couldn't complete them independently due to lacking necessary automation technologies. For the linkage—solar ionization reactor and upgraded gravity interdiction—up to six hundred additional crew would be needed to service the entire tech array. Which in turn would unmanageably increase crew numbers on ships. Moreover, Lianna's scientists encountered an extremely unpleasant side effect. If upgraded gravity interdictions are placed in direct contact with each other, they generate interference. The formed gravity waves literally tear ships and everything in the artificial gravity impact zone apart. They're literally destroyed by the gravity wave, then pulled toward the gravity source. Even if the generator is shut off, the gravitational effect remains stable for pulled objects. And catastrophe is inevitable."
This… Sounds very familiar.
So familiar that memory obligingly supplied the name of the planet where something similar happened.
Malachor V.
During the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi activated the so-called "mass shadow generator."
Which ripped allied and enemy ships alike from orbit, smashing them all against the planet, which in the end was itself destroyed.
"Thus, in direct combat, only one ship with a single gravity well generator, stronger than the original, can participate," I summarized.
"Yes, the artificial gravity zone is nearly equal to that of two standard generators operating, and the ship problems are the same. Inability to move due to the generator's operation, reduced energy output due to power-hungry equipment. But installing a standard solar ionization reactor from a Victory-class Star Destroyer solves the problem. Not the first, but the second!"
"A standard reactor on a heavy cruiser?" Pellaeon marveled. "You must be joking! Vindicators were created as cheap Star Destroyer analogs! And your proposal effectively multiplies the Immobilizer's cost several times!"
"We shouldn't dismiss this proposal outright, Vice Admiral," I advised. Zion gratefully looked my way. "The technology is truly interesting."
"Yes, but we won't have enough reactors from Victories for every such ship," Pellaeon pressed his point. "Especially since these ships were needed now or in the near term. And instead, we get an obvious long-term build. We have no spare such reactors—we've already installed all we had on ships. Damaged reactors are in repair, but until our own production of this technology is set up, they're our salvation in case of power plant damage on Victories."
Updated variant of the Immobilizer-class interdictor cruiser.
"Removing one reactor won't cause anything," I stated. "We'll build a prototype, then test it in action. If the promises match reality, we'll put the starship into series. If not—we'll return to the original plan for Immobilizers."
"Sir, but we need interdictor cruisers for sector patrols today!" Pellaeon insisted.
"And we have them," I replied. "We captured them at Sluis Van. Like our other trophies, they're in the fleet holding area, awaiting crew assignment. Without which they're useless. As built Interdictors would be useless too. We have a personnel problem, not a technology one. Moreover, this approach reduces expenditure of the limited number of gravity well generators, whose production we still haven't set up, and outfitting Dominants with them is already provided for. At present, we've reduced operations beyond the Dominion, so Immobilizer-418s can provide aid and support to the Defense Fleet for now."
Gilad looked at me with some disapproval but remained silent.
"I hope at least you can reduce the crew?" he clarified to Zion in an unhappy tone.
"Of course," he stated. "But the marine complement will have to be halved as well."
Pellaeon rolled his eyes…
"Not a problem," I replied. "The Immobilizer is a squadron flagship, as already stated. Additional boarding parties can be found on escort ships. And it won't be entirely defenseless due to reduced marines. Two companies of stormtroopers supported by battle droids instead of four hundred basic stormtroopers—negligible change in combat capability."
"And if we rework all our Vindicators into Immobilizers, we'll have heavy cruisers with Star Destroyer aviation and off-the-charts firepower," Shipbuilder Zion said dreamily.
"You definitely need to rest," I said, rising from the table. "When sentients start confusing necessity with folly—it's already dangerous to life."
***
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