Free Ep.#8 - "Celestia: CV-02" by Ryk Brown

cheap,” Admiral Galiardi reminded his chief of operations. “Six was as many as we could squeeze out of the budget without alerting the Republic that we were building FTL-capable ships. We’re just lucky our orders were to not build FTL-capable warships . They could have ordered us not to build any FTL-capable ships.”
    “You really think they don’t know?” Rear Admiral Bentley wondered.
    “Oh, they know all right,” Admiral Galiardi said. “They’re just not saying anything, because they know we need them. And this way, they won’t have to take the heat if the public finds out.” The admiral turned to his longtime friend, Rear Admiral Duncan. “Speaking of which, how are we doing with the Celestia, Marty?”
    “We’re still three months out from completion,” Rear Admiral Duncan reported. “The Aurora crashing into Jupiter didn’t help matters. That investigation kept our crews at a standstill for more than a month. We should be only two months from completion by now.”
    “Is she space-worthy yet?” the admiral asked.
    “Technically, yes,” Rear Admiral Duncan explained. “All her maneuvering systems are installed and functional, and two of her four main engines are ready as well. Problem is we don’t have all the corridors completed that connect her command deck with her engineering deck.”
    “But her command deck is completed?” the admiral asked.
    “Functional, yes, but far from completed,” Duncan answered. “The bridge has all her consoles and displays in place, as well as artificial gravity and life support. But most of the systems—the bridge consoles, controls, and monitors—are not even installed.”
    “Such as?”
    “Weapons, long-range sensors, electronic countermeasures and jamming systems… She doesn’t even have long-range comms yet.”
    “What about her flight deck?” Admiral Galiardi wondered.
    “Her flight deck is in place, but she doesn’t have any working transfer airlocks yet. Those won’t be ready for another week. Once they are in place, things will go a lot faster, as we’ll be able to move crews and materials into her midsection through the hangar deck instead of just the fore and aft boarding hatches.”
    “What about her weapons?” Galiardi asked. “When will they be installed?”
    “All her mini-rail guns have been installed,” Rear Admiral Duncan explained. “They’re fully assembled, complete in their bays planet-side, so it was just a matter of shuttling them up and plugging them in from the outside. Hooking them up is another matter. Until the inner decks are constructed, there is no way to connect them. Remember, a lot of the Celestia is still empty hull right now.”
    “So, what you’re saying is that she can fly, and she can support life within her command deck and her engineering sections, but the two spaces are not connected.”
    “Correct.”
    “How long until they are?”
    “The connection between the flight deck and engineering has already been completed. The connection between the flight deck and the command deck should be completed in another week. To be honest, sir, it’s a miracle her entire hull is completed already. It’s not like we’ve been following the original production schedule.”
    “I know, Marty,” the admiral admitted. “I know.” The admiral sighed. “How soon will she be fueled up and ready to leave the OAP? The Reliant is already a month past her return to port due to the Intrepid’s weapons refit. If we don’t get her in pretty soon, she’s going to be too low on propellant to be considered combat effective.”
    “We’ve already started fueling her up,” Rear Admiral Duncan said. “It will take a couple days to fill her main tanks, but she’s already got enough propellant on board to leave the OAP if necessary. However, that would delay getting her fully fueled, not to mention the delay in the installation of the rest of her systems. The Intrepid can leave port anytime. The remainder of her