The Genesis's main conference room had been transformed into a strategic planning centre over the past week. Holographic displays showed detailed schematics of the battleship's systems, economic projections, and contact networks that sprawled across multiple star systems. Amara sat at the centre of it all, surrounded by tablets displaying market analyses and communication logs from her grey market contacts.
"I've run the numbers three times," she announced as the team gathered for their daily briefing. "The salvage value is substantial, but not as straightforward as our previous operation."
She activated the main display, showing economic breakdowns that no one but Amara could follow. "Standard military components such as the hull plating, drive systems, basic weapons—we're looking at a good haul of credits if we process everything through normal channels. But that's assuming we can find buyers who don't ask uncomfortable questions about provenance." She pointed to the number on the tablet. Tanya found the number agreeable.
"And if we go through Kozlov's network?" Janet asked.
"Higher prices, but more selective markets. But with his cut, we come out even, but we'd need to be careful about which components we offer. Some of this technology is too recognisable. With the serial numbers, design signatures that would immediately identify it as coming from a specific missing vessel. We could go cheapest option and turn it into base components."
Cameron leaned forward, studying the projections. "What about the experimental systems?"
Tanya didn't wait a second to answer. "We are keeping them, the only reasonable option."
The neural interface technology was an abomination, but it represented advances in brain-computer interaction that could be used to make piloting her navigation network easier and could help in the medical field. The alien rift weapon was devastatingly dangerous, but understanding its principles might lead to new forms of dimensional shielding or non-lethal containment systems.
"I've calmed down enough to think about this rationally," Tanya admitted. "The neural interface represents a genuine leap forward in human-machine integration. But I absolutely refuse to build on research that was conducted using torture and human experimentation."
"Could we develop similar capabilities ethically?" Simran asked. "Using clones or artificial brains that meet current standards?"
"Maybe. But that's a long-term research project, not something we can implement for our peacekeeping fleet immediately." Tanya gestured toward the schematics. "What I want to focus on is adapting the fighter designs for AI pilots and dimensional shielding integration."
She pulled up the specifications for the fighters they'd discovered. "Cameron, Drew, Simran—I want you three to catalogue every component and work out whether these could function with AI coordination instead of organic computers. The idea I'm developing is using them as reactive shields."
"Reactive shields?" Cameron asked, immediately intrigued by the challenge.
"Think about it. Small, fast, autonomous fighters that could position themselves between incoming fire and friendly vessels. No human crews at risk, just AI-controlled interceptors that use a dimensional shield to protect larger ships. In the worst case, they can sacrifice themselves. The ultimate defensive screen."
Drew nodded enthusiastically. "The aerodynamic profiles are perfect for that kind of application. High maneuverability, minimal target signature, designed to operate in swarms rather than as individual units."
"Plus, the dimensional shielding integration could make them even more effective," Simran added. "If we could phase them partially out of normal space, they'd be nearly impossible to hit while still providing physical protection."
"The rift weapon technology might actually help with that," Cameron suggested. "If we could understand how it creates spatial tears, we might be able to develop controlled phase-shifting for defensive applications."
"Absolutely not," Tanya said firmly. "That weapon killed an entire crew because they tried to use technology they didn't understand. We're not making the same mistake. We already have a functional understanding of dimensional shielding, we will use that."
As the team dispersed to their assigned tasks, Tanya found herself finally returning to a project she'd been putting off for far too long. The Aegis-class hammerhead tugboat had been on her design boards for months, but her new understanding of third-space manipulation had opened up possibilities she'd never imagined.
"Time to finish what I started," she said, settling into her workshop with renewed determination.
The basic concept remained the same, with a heavily armoured vessel with a massive reinforced prow designed to position itself between hostile forces and create safe zones for evacuation or negotiation. But now, with her knowledge of dimensional physics and mass manipulation, she could transform the design's greatest liability into its greatest strength.
"Variable mass control," she murmured, sketching modifications to the hammerhead configuration. "Light for manoeuvrability, heavy for impact."
The ship that emerged from her enhanced understanding was elegant in its brutal simplicity. The hammerhead prow dominated the design, its massive bulk containing the dimensional anchoring systems that would allow precise mass manipulation. When operating in reduced-mass mode, the entire forward section could shift most of its matter into third space, allowing the vessel to accelerate and maneuver with surprising agility for its size.
But when combat positioning was required, the hammerhead could snap back to full density in moments, becoming an unstoppable battering ram capable of pushing through debris fields or interposing itself between hostile vessels. The psychological effect alone would be significant—watching a ship willing to ram you at full speed would give any aggressor pause.
"If I can work out a gravity well generator," she said, adding components to the design, "it could control battlefield positioning for entire fleets. Pull ships out of formation, disrupt targeting solutions, create safe corridors for evacuation vessels."
The technical challenges were substantial. The dimensional anchoring systems required more work, and it was iffy at best, if it could be scaled up to industrial capacity and ruggedised for combat conditions. The power requirements were enormous to maintain dimensional phase shifts, while operating gravity manipulation equipment would strain even the most advanced reactors.
But as she worked through the specifications, solutions began emerging from her enhanced understanding of dimensional physics. The same principles that allowed Star-Swimmers to regulate their mass could be adapted to mechanical systems. The gravity well generators could actually help stabilise the dimensional anchoring by providing additional reference points in normal space.
"The beautiful part," she said to herself, "is that the heavier it gets, the more powerful the gravity effects become. Mass equals gravitational influence, so the maximum density mode would let it control the entire battlefield."
But as the technical design took shape, practical questions began to emerge. The life support requirements would depend entirely on how the ships were deployed. If they were part of permanent fleet operations or as specialised intervention units that would only be activated during crisis situations.
She found Carlos in his lab, continuing to map out the battleship's life support with scientific fascination. The equipment here was decades ahead of anything in current civilian medicine, automated surgical suites that could perform operations with precision no human surgeon could match.
"Carlos, can I get your opinion on something?" she asked, activating a portable holographic projector to show him her latest designs.
"The Aegis-class?" he said, recognising the hammerhead configuration from their earlier discussions. "I thought you'd put this project on hold."
"I did, but new capabilities have opened up design possibilities I didn't have before." She walked him through the variable mass systems, the dimensional anchoring, and the gravity well generation concepts. "The question is deployment philosophy. Do these operate as part of permanent fleet operations, or do we deploy them from carriers during specific missions?"
Carlos studied the specifications with the methodical attention he brought to medical diagnoses. "Space battles are always chaotic," he said finally. "Communications get jammed, command structures get disrupted, vessels get separated from their support networks. If these are deployed from carriers, and the carrier gets destroyed or disabled, the crews would be in serious trouble."
He pointed to the life support specifications. "You're looking at potentially weeks of independent operation if they get cut off from their base ship. Better to design them as independent vessels with full life support capabilities. Light crew complement, but entirely self-sufficient."
"That increases the resource requirements substantially," Tanya observed. "Full life support, extended supplies, independent fabrication capabilities for basic maintenance..."
"But it also makes them more versatile. They could respond to emergencies independently, provide humanitarian assistance in disaster zones, or serve as mobile command posts if larger vessels are unavailable."
Carlos moved to display and showed some of the medical protocols from the battleship. "There's another consideration. If these ships are going to position themselves between hostile fleets, they're going to take damage. Heavy damage, potentially. You need medical facilities that can handle trauma care, emergency surgery, life support for severely injured crew."
"I hadn't thought about that aspect," Tanya admitted. "I was focused on the ship surviving intact rather than dealing with partial casualties."
"Look at this," Carlos said, highlighting sections of the battleship's medical bay. "Automated surgical systems, trauma stabilisation, emergency life support that can keep someone alive even with massive injuries. These systems are a century old, but the principles are sound."
They spent the next hour integrating advanced medical capabilities into the Aegis design. Automated surgical suites that could operate during combat manoeuvres, medical fabrication systems that could synthesise blood products and pharmaceuticals on demand, trauma pods that could maintain life support for critical casualties.
"There's another consideration," Carlos added as they finalised the medical specifications. "Psychological factors. If you're asking crews to position themselves between hostile fleets, they need to trust absolutely that their ship can protect them. No half-measures, no cost-cutting on safety systems."
"Multiple redundancy for every critical system," Tanya agreed. "If one backup fails, there are three more ready to take over."
The final design that emerged was a testament to engineering philosophy as much as technical capability. The Aegis-class represented Tanya's commitment to protecting the people who would crew her vessels, even when those people were voluntarily placing themselves in harm's way to protect others.
The massive hammerhead prow contained not just armour and dimensional manipulation systems, but comprehensive shielding that could protect against energy weapons, kinetic impacts, and exotic damage types. The crew compartments were buried deep within the ship's core, surrounded by multiple layers of protection that would keep them safe even if the outer hull was completely destroyed.
Life support systems were tripled, with independent air recycling, water purification, and food synthesis in three separate sections of the ship. Medical facilities that could handle everything from minor injuries to major surgical procedures. Emergency escape pods that were actually small spacecraft capable of independent operation.
"Now I just need to build it," she said, studying the completed specifications with satisfaction.
"And test it under controlled conditions," Carlos added pragmatically. "Variable mass manipulation, gravity well generation, dimensional anchoring. You never know when one of those systems could fail catastrophically if the engineering isn't perfect."
Tanya nodded, recognising the wisdom in his caution. The Aegis-class would be the first vessel designed using her advanced dimensional capabilities, and the first real test of whether her peacekeeping philosophy could be translated into functional technology.
But looking at the design specifications, she felt confident that she was building something that could change the nature of conflict itself. Ships that created space for negotiation rather than escalating violence, vessels that protected the vulnerable rather than threatening them.
"Time to find out if theory translates to practice," she said, beginning the resource calculations for her first prototype. The materials requirements were staggering, but the potential impact on their peacekeeping mission made every credit worthwhile. She just needed Amara to make a sale from this latest salvage.