It May Have Been Disobedience, But I Don't Think it Was Wrong.

[Rebecca Talon]

"The holodeck program is already started," she replied. "I'm working out the bridge and main engineering right now."

[Nick Ryder]

"I'm still debating between making my bridge two levels or one really big one, since we've got not only normal ship functions, but also the drydock and small craft construction and launch. One thing I always sort toyed with was setting the actual bridge a on Deck 2 or 3 with Deck 1 simply being sensors or a weapons point." Nick said as they walked. "V'Pier was saying we should have more than one bridge. Keep our enemies on their toes, they can't just fire at the bubble at the top or if you get a boarding party that immediately heads for Deck 1. Technically we can have a bridge anywhere, it's just easier to have it in a central location for conduits and linkage, but if I can control a ship from my desk in my office with a holographic screen and emulated controls..." he snapped his fingers. "Oh, holographic controls! If we can run an EMH all over a ship with holo projectors, we can certainly create an interface. Link it all to biometrics and a chip in your comm badge."

[Rebecca Talon]

"KISS, Nicholas," Rebecca replied. "All well and good until it loses power or is damaged."

[Nick Ryder]

"True enough. But without power nothing works anyway. Not unless we build in some good old fashioned physical controls that actually link to something." Nick suggested. "Like a back up back up system."

[Nick Ryder]

Later --

Nick and Becca were standing in the back of the large conference room, packed with dozens of other engineers, design leads and commanding officers who worked on various starships assigned to Mars. The Commander in Chief was standing in the middle of the room, holographically projected.

"I'm going to keep this brief, but the Dominion has been hitting us hard lately. We've been going through ships and resources far quicker than we've been in decades." the Commander said and looked at the crowd. "So that is why I am approving the immediate re-allocation of resources to to the production of whatever it will take to win us this war and ensure the Federation survives. Furthermore I am allowing our Fleet Admirals to make emergency promotions to those who make suitable commanders for the ships we're rushing into production. What that means... if you design and build it... you could be asked to command it."

Nick leaned into Becca's ear and whispered. "And there... is your in. Erebus and Independence can be built in the same fabrication sections and we can get their systems developed in tandem. I could even attempt to upscale the fabrication dock section of the Indy to build part of it..."

"Commander... shush." another Captain said with a scowl.

"Shush yourself too Humphries. At least my project is on track." Nick whispered.

"Will the lot of y'shut yuir yaps?" Scotty chided and cleared his throat.

"Further... we need to see more ships built with less that the Dominion can use against us, spaceframes with weapons, warp cores and deflectors and little else that can be front line ships to take the brunt. Sacrificial lambs as it were." the Commander said with a sigh. "These ships could potentially be driven by remote but they may need actual crew aboard, the way the Dominion has been attacking us in great numbers, we need to match that, even if they're cannon fodder. I know few of you have dreamt of building ships that are meant to be destroyed but such is this war. I am sure that you all represent the best that Starfleet can offer." he saluted them and his hologram went dark.

"Well that's just bullshit... " another lead grumped. "He think Warp Cores grow on trees?"

"Sacrificial lambs... that's such a crock of shit... " another muttered and stormed out.

"Sure sounds like he's not going to win any friends..." Nick whispered to Becca. "C'mon, we better get to the offices and get to work, if they're talking basically building drones, they're more desperate than he's letting on."

[Rebecca Talon]

Rebecca was already working out the logistics in her head, "You know, the mothball fleet is massive. We're talking nearly 200 years of out dated ships Starfleet doesn't know what to do with. Update the warp engines, and reinforce the shields and you got your sacrificial lambs. The upgrades could be done in less than a week. The newer ships probably in 48 hours or so depending how big the engineering teams are. And of course we can keep cobbling together salvaged ships."

[Nick Ryder]

"I wouldn't even touch the warp cores, not unless we had to, boost the Impulse engines and RCS arrays give them more maneuverability in a fight, high yield warheads on the torpedoes, maybe upgrade the phasers just to give them a bit more 'punch'. Hell, warp cores for power only, not faster than light bring them in by tug or better yet, smaller ships all docked to another larger ship and then drop them in where we need them." Nick tapped his chin. "I wonder if that boneyard of old ships from the late 22nd, pre-Federation era are still there or if we already scavenged those during the 23rd Century Klingon wars?"

"Why'd you want those relics?" Scotty scoffed.

"Minimal tactical value to our enemies, old school physical controls, actual wired linkages, none of this optical relay stuff that explodes..." Nick hummed and tapped his forearm as he thought. "Plus... they're small but sturdy, warp drive isn't a biggie, as long as they can hit sublight speeds that aren't a crawl, that's all that matters. Larger than a fighter or a runabout, smaller than a capital ship."

"Ach ye're a bloody retrovist... " Scotty chuckled and shook his head. "But aye, it's got merit... I'll see what happened to the lot of those, for all we know they're already scrap."

[Rebecca Talon]

"No, this is good," Rebecca said excitedly. "Look, an NX class is basically a low tech version of an Akira. We don't care if we lose it, and nothing about its components can be used against us, and best of all it's just sitting there collecting metaphorical dust. Worst case scenario we give the enemy a taste of their own medicine and fly it into their ships. There's dozens of classes like that. Daedalus, Ganges, early Intrepid the list goes on and on. Then there's Constellation, and Constitution classes that were in service until a decade or so ago. Those are far more capable, and we can move them into support roles freeing up modern ships for frontline missions."

[Nick Ryder]

"And it'll give us a way to run simulations on re-using old space frame concepts on new ships. Like the Excalibur Class you've been working on. Old Constitutions and their variants are still workhorses." Nick said with a nudge to the elderly engineer's shoulder.

"Aye aye... och yuir entirely right... they may be old but they are incredibly sturdy at least for our needs now." Scotty said with a grin. "May not be my old lady love... but it'll bring a tear to me eye to see a Constitution give the Dominion a bloody nose."

"And we can always Frankenship whatever we've got that isn't complete. Rear Admiral Drexler is always talking about that. Course, he's been pushing us to think beyond what we've already built and think to what we could build. 'Stop thinking with our ape brain'." Nick said with a chuckle.

"Y'love that line... you work it into every conversation lately." Scotty said with a smirk. "So Commander Sandoval... looks like ye came in a good time. This is where the fun really starts. Of course, I invented the take whatever time it takes and triple it so when I give y'two a deadline I expect it met... because I'm tryin' to make us look like miracle workers. Now... if ye'll excuse me I have to visit the infirmary again... this blasted elbow."

"Well, that's what happens when you try to force open a mag locked door..." Nick said with a wince. "And forget to bring a prop rod."

"Ugh... dinnae remind me son... maybe since I dinnae have to babysit y'two... I'll have 'em actually take care of it for real this time. Keep an eye on him Sandoval... he goes off on far too many tangents..." Scotty chuckled.

"She knows. Why do you think I recommended her?" Nick said with a grin.

"Right... that's the only reason." Scotty teased. "A pleasure meetin' you in person lass, 2200 hours if I'm not able to bend an elbow... the Warp Core Tavern, first round is on me. Second and thirds on Ryder here. He lost the bet."

"I bet that the CnC would actually come in person." Nick rolled his eyes.

[Rebecca Talon]

"And what might that bet be Nicholas?" Rebecca said with a teasing smile.