A Routine Test

[Cyrus Tregessar]

The ship was an old Imperial-II Star Destroyer that had been gutted and repurposed so many times it barely resembled the famous dagger-shaped ship any more. For the past few years it had languished as a target vessel, but for test after test it had persevered and survived until it was set aside as a mothballed hulk. But for the fact that it had an online reactor and working engines, it would have been left there, to become yet another derelict in orbit around some vacant moon.

Instead it had been noticed by a survey and logged in a report which had found its way into the hands of the right people. Specifically, one Cyrus Tregessar, who had happened at that moment to be needing an expendable vessel to develop and test a combat system that had failed to get the necessary approval and funding from the Admiralty.

A team was dispatched, and found the ship in poor but serviceable shape. It was subsequently towed into orbit around the nearest planet, where it was patched just enough so it could survive a single hyperspace transit. The next stop was the shipyards at Bilbringi. There it entered drydock for what would end up being an extensive six month period. Much of that included basic repairs, but the rest of the time was spent rebuilding the vessel from the inside out.

So the Excubitor found itself gutted yet again. This time however there was no intention of making it a proper fighting ship. Instead, it was being designed from the ground up as a technology testbed. To be a proving ground before these same techs were applied to a real warship, one that would make the galaxy tremble in fear.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

It had been an extensive project. Much of the armor was stripped off, and the rest had been painstakingly coated in Impervium. The process had gone overbudget twice and involved the ship staying in the yards for three months longer than expected.

Cyrus considered that a success. The process of Impervium Coating had been all but forgotten, and now they had a handle on it again. Or at least enough of an idea how to replicate it that he could get a few more ships built.

Shielding had similarly been removed, and redistributed in the spread out Mon Cal style. None of this was strictly necessary, there was plenty of extra space onboard the Excubitor itself, but for the class of ship it would pave the way for space, mass, and power were at a premium.

A single triple barreled Hypervelocity Cannon turret was mounted admidships. Installing the rail network necessary to properly accelerate the rounds had been the trickiest aspect of the refitting. It would, thankfully, be simpler on the actual battlecruisers.

Finally, a test version of the still-in-development Fighter/Missile Defense System had been installed in place of the traditional combat system. It was barely functional and had few weapon systems to pull from (some fast mount turbolasers, a handful of laser turrets, a pair of malfunctioning flak cannons, and a few antimissile octets) but would suffice for a few operational tests.

It was not a ship you wanted to take into battle, but it would suffice for Cyrus' purpose.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

A terrible rending sound brought Cyrus back to reality. He glanced forward at the main display, currently centered on a view that covered the entire dagger shaped body of the ship, with horrified awe as the middle barrel Hypervelocity Turret, appeared to attempt to fire itself out into space. Bits and pieces of debris shot out, some clearly accelerated by the magnetic rails, and others likely the result of impacts inside the turret.

Captain Vayyrel had leaped up out of her seat and immediately ordered a 'cease fire.' Now she moved about frantically, gathering what information she could and directing relief efforts. At some point the alert had come across for 'red range' to allow droids and support ships to move in. Already a group of repair droids that had been on emergency standby where en route to the turret, and reports were flowing in of casualties in the gun and internal damage to the rail network.

“What the fuck was that,” was all Cyrus managed at the time.

He pulled up a secondary comms display and called the test lab. “Stop all tests of the HVC and get a team out there to figure out what went wrong. You can mark it as UNSAT, obviously. We'll move on to the Combat System tests.”

Well, at least the armor-proofing test had gone well.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

Captain Vayrrel approached, looking more frustrated than anything.

“28 casualties, including 11 dead. I thought the engineers said that the gun was ready to be taken into combat.”

Cyrus shrugged. “Better we find out that was not the case here then on the battlefield. Make sure your bridge is ready to start tracking and firing runs on the combat system test. One failure doesn't mean the work day is done.”

The Zabrak nodded and returned to her chair. Shortly after the bridge became a bustle of activity as technicians and crew buised themselves initializing the Advanced Fighter/Missile Defense System and making sure all the various programs and systems were communicating properly.

It was an incredibly complex system. The naturally formidable sensor array of the Star Destroyer had been extensively upgraded. Track data was analyzed by a hundred different sources, mostly computerized but some manual, and sent to the primary Command and Decision element. From there the sensor data was compiled, run through countless algorithms, and then compared with existing databases.

Assuming a track was held strong enough or on enough sensors, the likelihood of the system properly ID'ing it, even at long range, was extremely high. That alone was an advantage over traditional systems, which typically required operator input, but it was just the tip of the iceberg here.

Every weapon system was fed track data by the same element, with prospective acceleration and vector and the like constantly being updated. In conventional terms, this was what you called a fire control solution. The AFMDS however, also assigned weapons automatically, picking whichever had the best solution on each track.

For fights between capital ships, this had little utility, since those typically centered around massed volley fire anyway, something any combat system could do. But when it came to dealing with strike craft, missiles, and projectiles, this was a big deal.

Rather than gunners or batteries individually targeting fighters, something which often led to overkill or certain units avoiding being shot at altogether, the AFMDS seamlessly transitioned targets to different weapons based on range, relative bearing, acceleration, and so on.

Or at least that was the intention. There were a million or more ways in which the data could simply not flow properly and thus the system would not work. In the most extreme cases, even a simply pathing issue could result in the whole suite being rendered useless. Most of the time it meant that a weapon or two was in manual mode until the fault could be fixed.

That was the theory behind the thing, anyway, and it was that theory that the Excubitor was about to test.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

“Targets away. Inbound under operator control. First wave is ten, second wave is twenty. Hold all targets at stable acceleration.”

The test was relatively simple in concept. Two sets of remotely piloted droids varying in size from fighter to missile would conduct a series of close passes by the ship. The crew would act as if they were going to shoot, but the first set of runs were for data collection and the like only. After that was completed, then the drones would be pointed at the ship and set on 'firing' runs. They had no weapons, of course, but the ship would be clear to fire.

As close to a proper combat test as you could get without actually having fighters or droids come in shooting. It was a routine enough thing that Cyrus paid little attention to the tracking runs. The details of the earlier casualty with the HVC turret were proving far more interesting.

It had been a combination of factors, including poor welding, warped rails, and most significantly far too much stress on the firing mechanisms. Whether that was a result of the colossal turret being almost haphazardly fitted on to the hull, or something inherent in the set up in general was still up for review.

A note at the bottom of the report indicated that an easy fix would be to only have two barrels per turret. Cyrus made a mental note to apply that to the final design. After all, assuming the other kinks could be worked out, one could always just put more turrets in.

“Run complete, data looks good. Both waves outbound to set up for the next run. Data being sent to analysis now.”

So far so good with the combat system.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

“Eighth run complete. Data is good, both waves outbound.”

For the better part of four hours now, the droids had been making their close passes on the ship, and each time the operators and technicians ran through every procedure as if they were going to fire, and each time they did not. It had all become so routine and boring that Cyrus called up the data lab to inquire as to when they were going to actually shoot something.

The answer, 'as long as it takes' was not exactly the thing a wise man would say to an Admiral known for having a short temper, but it was also very true. This was not a process one wanted to hurry, as any mistake in data collection could mean a larger error when it came time to actually load the combat system on proper warships, which could be potentially devastating.

So Cyrus busied himself in the mountain of logistical work he had related to building a whole new class of warship. Much of it involved acquisitions, of key pieces of equipment, or raw resources, to facilities necessary to put the two together to make something work. Most of the rest was contracting paperwork, mostly to Titan Industries, but also to a variety of other sources. Mixing up the pot a bit to keep each group of contractors on their toes.

“Sir,” the voice came from Captain Vayyrel. “We're going to conduct a firing run on wave one. The second wave is outbound now, I assumed you'd want to watch.”

Cyrus nodded. The main display showed the entire length of the ship, and the various weapon emplacements were highlighted on it, so observers could tell what was what.

“Standby to commence firing run. Targets inbound, green range.”

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

Four of the targets mimicked the flight profile of interceptor-style fighters. The other six targets were designed to look like missiles. All would correct their velocities to arrive at roughly the same time as each other, and the rest was up to the system.

If everything worked properly, the AFMDS would easily be able to destroy all 10 targets in a very short time. If it didn't, the targets were programmed to perform an up-and-out maneuver when they got within 5 km and set up again for a second run.

The mood on the bridge was tense. This was a make or break moment. Failure here would set things back for months, if not end up scrapping the project entirely.

“Targets acquired. Solid track on all ten targets.”

On the various tactical displays around the bridge, and on the main screen, ten blips, each indicating a separate target appeared. Those weapons and systems operators who could pulled up additional information, including what the track was ID'd as and what weapon was assigned.

Cyrus caught Captain Vayyrel looking at him, and knowing her intention, he nodded. Her commanding voice filled the bridge. “We have green range, clear to fire. System online.”

For a second, nothing happened. Then a dozen weapon turrets spit fire at once. The fast mount turbolasers targeted the fighters, eliminating two in the first few shots. Then the other smaller weapon systems opened up in a hail of fire. In seconds, six more of the targets were so much space dust, and the shrill piercing alert that indicated antimissile ocetets had acquired a target made everyone cringe. But those last point defense turrets never fired, flak bursts had eliminated the final two drones.

"All targets destroyed. Data extraction in progress. Second wave turning inbound for tracking run."

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

Even though there had only been ten inbound targets, the results were impressive. The pair of technicians standing nearby to Cyrus muttered something about a "40% increase in effectiveness,' and that was just with the handful of turrets on one dilapidated and rusting Star Destroyer. Imagine a full suite of hundreds of weapon mounts on a fully equipped warship. that would be a sight to behold when missiles and strike craft were inbound.

Right now the technology was very much proprietary, and would be unique to the class of ship Cyrus intended to have built. Eventually though, he could see it being made common across the entire Sith Navy. A game-changer, really, at least until the Republic or Protectorate developed some missile to counter it. Such was the way weapons technology developed. What was a trump card one year turned into a common place and easily beatable system the next, and so the process went on.

He looked up at the main display where the twenty targets on the second wave were now inbound. As before, they would precede the firing run with an hour or so of dedicated tracking time, to make sure the sensors and such were configured properly. It seemed strange to do so now, given that they'd just successfully shot down the first wave, but one could never know what would go wrong during events like this. Cyrus couldn't help but think of the live-fire exercise he'd presided over earlier, and how Ganel Mahken still had his position and his life after costing the Sith a ship and several thousand lives.

He glanced at the main screen again. The twenty targets were still inbound, and in a few short seconds they'd execute a maneuver to stay clear of the ship and come back around. As routine an event as ever... Or was that just nineteen targets? Cyrus did a quick count, then stood up and yelled out across the bridge.

"Captain, where the hell is the last target?"

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

The zabrak officer glanced at the display, counted, and then made her way over to the main tracker's console. The discussion there got heated quickly, but Cyrus was more concerned about the fact that the nineteen targets had just executed the up-and-out maneuver, which meant they were just passing by collision distance with the ship. As of yet there had been no word from range control. Just as he was about to say something the screen flickered a few times, likely the result of the operator resetting it to make sure it updated with all acquired sensor data.

The last track appeared, still headed inbound. Cyrus barely managed to get off a quiet 'oh fu-' before it hit. The impact was comparatively minimal, there was no warhead or other system to send concussive shockwaves across the ship, but on the main display it was clearly visible as a fireball erupted from the point of impact. Alarms lit off almost instantaneously, and klaxons sounded moments later.

Captain Vayyrel took charge immediately, directing damage control teams to the affected areas and sounding the general alarm, and then she was gone, off the bridge and headed to the scene to take over. As the crew of the ship responded to the drone strike, Cyrus took a moment to assess the damage, his cold anger building silently within. The impact had holed bulkheads on two decks and caused a significant amount of internal damage. More serious was the fire that was rapidly spreading and which the ancient automated systems of the ship were totally failing to react to.

But that was in the hands of the Captain. All Cyrus could do was activate the system again, and watch with a grim pleasure as it successfully shot down 16 of the now-outbound wave two. At least something worked right around here.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

The next two hours were spent with the ship at general quarters, fighting the fire the old-fashioned way. Bulkhead by bulkhead, the crew suited up in protective gear, utilizing water, chemical agents, or simply venting compartments to space to contain the blaze. Observing it all from the command bridge, Cyrus surprisingly could find no fault in the response. Nor did he have any reason to think poorly of his picked captain, the zabrak officer was seemingly everywhere directing the efforts to combat the blaze, whether simply by providing oversight or even helping out on the hose team. It was an admirable trait, and reminded Cyrus of his younger days. How the sniveling incompetents who flinched at battle even from the confines of a protected CIC had ever made rank...

But they weren't all stupid were they? Even Ganel Mahken had previously displayed a sort of base cunning when it came to self-preservation. What better way to protect your career than to sabotage the pet project of a rival admiral? Wishful thinking that the days events were planned, of course, but it was a line of inquiry worth pursuing. The computer suite on the Excubitor was basic compared to what Cyrus was used to, but it would do for the current purpose.

It didn't take long to find a connection. The commander of the installation that controlled the target drones was related to Mahken by some bizarre noble backgrounds, and the two had attended academy together. Mahken, thanks largely to his inherent cleverness, had gotten much further. The installation commander, in contrast, had managed to ram another ship in a formation and had been relegated to backwoods shore commands ever since.

Oh how happy Mahken must have been when he found out that Cyrus was going to be at the mercy of a 'friend.'

Cyrus; gut reaction was to burn the station to the ground and string the corpse of the commander up for display. But a crueler victory would take more effort, so instead he cataloged the information for private reference and deleted all evidence that he had accessed it. Besides, there was much to be glad of, the combat system test had been a resounding success.

And all it had cost was a measly 57 lives, practically nothing by Sith standards.