First Project - Scope and Size
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Arda II, Arda System, Gordian Reach, Outer Rim
41:08 - Eighth month of the Year 41 after the Great ReSynchronization
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The Ekkaian (The Navy of Arda from the Old Ardan word
Ekkaia: Encircling Sea or Outer Sea; Space) is still badly disorganised. Resources to get your department have been allocated but you have received no official guidance on what your priorities are no matter how many times you have asked. Lacking any other option, you have elected to hold a meeting to discuss what you will begin focusing on. You expect that your superiors will accept a fait accompli, given your rigorously documented lack of instructions.
The first idea floated was to update one of your existing designs. While none of the ships you have on file are extremely old, they all make use of components that were imported and no longer available. Reworking one of those designs to be buildable in the current environment would be the fastest and simplest course.
The second idea was to just get to get right to things and start from scratch. The state of the art had advanced since any of your older ships were designed and the needs of the Ekkaian had changed. A fresh start would be more difficult and take longer but the potential rewards all the greater.
The third idea is to import a design from one of the other Reach Pact worlds and give it some basic refinements to be more easily built locally. This is rejected due to the inability to get an answer out of your higher ups. There is no way you could get away with approaching a foreign power, even an allied one, for their military secrets without the active assistance of the Council of Ainur.
[Lora Uncommon Sense check 3d10. 3, 3, 7 = 1 Success]
While a clean slate would be nice, you are awfully short on staff.
The other debate is on what size of ship to work on.
A corvette would be the fastest and easiest both to design and to build. It seems highly likely that the docks to build smaller ships will be completed before the larger capital docks required for frigates and cruisers. On the other hand three of your allies are building ships of that size already and there are persistent rumours that Cimtar will be willing to licence the new design they are working on. If the result is up to the standards set by the refit plans they generated for the Ekkaian's one surviving frigate then it promises to be a worthwhile craft. Maybe not exactly what the Ekkaian wants, but since they haven't told you what they want yet either there is no guarantee that you will be able to do better in that respect.
A frigate would be a longer term option, but the additional time before the yards were ready to build such a ship would give you more time to get your team up to par and ensure that your design was as good as it could be. Every world in the Reach Pact is unable to build frigates at this time and two of the GRTO worlds can. Having something to match their larger ships will be important going forward.
Which of course led to the idea of a cruiser. The now lost Neutron Star-class ships were the pride of the Ekkaian, and the largest ships ever built in Ardan yards. Arda was the only system in the
Gordian Reach that could build those 600m long monsters. Unfortunately the damage done by the Stenax means that capability is firmly in the past tense. There is no telling how long it will take to restore the yards enough that a cruiser could be considered for construction. Even with all the difficulties of working on such a large ship it is likely that you would complete your task before the yards were restored to their former glory. That said there is nothing saying that you can't work on the cruiser until you receive some more specific direction about what you are supposed to be working on. It would certainly save time when the project came around again.
[Lora Uncommon Sense check 3d10. 6, 1, 6 = 0 Success. Botch. 6Ps prevent problems.]
You are briefly tempted to push for the Star Destroyer anyway but come to your senses quickly.
No matter how rewarding it would be to accomplish, attempting to design a ship that rivalled a Star Destroyer in size was simply out of the question. Arda had never built a ship of that scale and the complexities would overwhelm your small team. It would be a pure vanity project and making the attempt would be a disservice to all the souls lost to the Stenax.
The debate circles around and around, but in the end it is your decision. What will be the first task of the restored Adra Ship Design Bureau?
[][SCOPE] Upgrade
[][SCOPE] New Design
[][SIZE] Corvette
[][SIZE] Frigate
[][SIZE] Cruiser
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The exact nature of the ship to be upgraded will be determined next vote. No need for a plan vote, just vote for each category.
