Ships Of Space

[Rick Kaloo]

KASHYYYK - PLANETARY ORBIT​

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Onboard Pickle Rick, Rick Kaloo sat motionlessly at the command bridge.​

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Today, he would be teaching another his craft, his expertise in commanding warships. Rick had been on the bridge of a vessel for nearly two decades, aspiring to command from the day of getting his capital flight license. The perfect opportunity arrived with the fledgling GADF, seeking officers to bolster their ranks. Rick had eagerly joined, taking command of multiple frigates over the years. At first, he had been reckless, losing multiple ships. But later on, he became more defensive and range-oriented, preferring to strike his enemies out of their own range. When the Alliance fell, Rick had joined the Silver Jedi Order's navy, accepting a senior position, and greatly expanding his fleet. Now, he would teach his student the same.

Rick's student, a young Jedi also from the Silver Order, was due on the command bridge. Today, it would be her learning environment, and a view port into the rules and tactics of fleeting. A kilometer away and directly facing Pickle Rick were twenty of his own remodeled Essex-class starfighter killers and one Twinkie-class light cruiser, all emptied of any essentials, silently opposing the larger vessel.

Soon, they would become teaching materials.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

To say Seo wasn't at home in space was wrong. What she wasn't used to were large ships. All she had ever really travelled on was her small freighter that she called home more than anything built on a planet. Seo had often followed the call of the Force, but now she felt it was time to have a purpose greater than being a simple Knight. So she had sought out one of the few people that she knew of that could help her.

He had invited her to his ship and arranged for her arrival. Finding where she was supposed to be going was the most difficult part. Eventually she found her way to the command bridge and walked inside.

Something would be noticed about Seo. Her clothing was better suited for a desert climate than something from Kashyyyk or any other world that boasted water and life. They were a mix of tan and browns, the only thing that really stood out was a gold threading that ran through it and matched the color of her eyes. She also wore a veil that hung around her neck like a scarf that could be used in storms to keep debris out of her mouth and nose.

Day and night didn't matter in space, but it was typical morning right now and she greeted her new teacher with a nod.

"Good morning. I hope I'm not late or kept you waiting for long. My name is Seo Linn."

[member="Rick Kaloo"]

 

[Rick Kaloo]

Rick's student entered, quickly introducing herself as Seo Linn.​

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"It's fine. I am Rick Kaloo, Admiral of the Sixth Fleet. If you continue to be interested in fleeting, then perhaps you can join my fleet, and I can give you a ship. But there are also half a dozen more admirals who are just as capable."

"Now, let's get to the topic. Fleeting. In my opinion, the most important thing about fleeting is memorizing your ship. Knowing its statistical capabilities and limits is essential to using a ship efficiently. For example, the ship we are on now, Pickle Rick, has a Class 2 hyperdrive due to her size and focus on armaments. Consequently, when a large fleet movement is made, I jump Pickle Rick two to three hours ahead of the rest of the fleet. That way, the rest of my fleet, which has Class 1 hyperdrives, can meet Pickle Rick at the exit point at the same time."

"It's your turn now. What other capabilities and limits do you think affect Pickle Rick?"

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

Nodding when Rick assured her that her arrival time was acceptable and listened to what he had to say.

"There might be other admirals, but there is only one you and you're the one I want to learn from. Perhaps someday I can join your ranks. That is why I'm here. To take lessons, learn and find something new in my life to focus on."

She had come to a point in her life where she did not feel she was progressing as a Knight and wanted something more. So she had reached out to learn about this. If nothing came of it, at least that knowledge would be in her mind.

Listening to his question, he had just stated his ship was slow and focused on weapons. He asked what else she thought would affect the Pick Rick, she assumed strengths and weaknesses.

"The Pickle Rick is not a ship that can turn on a credit. It's weapons make up for that though."

[member="Rick Kaloo"]

 

[Rick Kaloo]

"Correct. Pickle Rick is slow and bulky, and it's armaments are its primary strength, capable of deterring nearly any enemy fleet."​

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"Now," continued Rick, "what would be the most efficient means for Pickle Rick to destroy any ten of the twenty corvettes outside?"

Rick pointed outside of Pickle Rick's command bridge windows, where the twenty corvettes and cruiser remained in formation. Now, their shields all rose, but the vessels remained still.

"Keep in mind that you must destroy only ten of the corvettes, and not the other ten or the cruiser." said Rick. "Doing so would ruin the point of the exercise - precision".

[member="Seo Linn"]

​

 

[Seo Linn]

Luckily this was a training exercise and not a real battle. This provided her with the opportunity to think on her course of action and not have to make one on the fly. Seo listened to what he had to say about her answer and then asked another question.

Moving closer to the view port, her arms were crossed as she was thinking on her answer. He requested her to give him the most efficient way to destroy half of the fleet in front of them and leave the other half untouched. Their shields came and she turned to Rick for a moment and motioned to them.

"They really aren't going to get destroyed today, right?"

Not waiting on an answer, she assumed it was arranged that nothing would be destroyed or people killed without reason. Turning back to face the fleet, she thought on a course of action and what she thought would be the fastest way to take out half of them.

"If it were possible, I would fire ion at them and then with heavy guns aim at specific ships to destroy them. By taking out their shields, they would be vulnerable to being shot down."

[member="Rick Kaloo"]

 

[Rick Kaloo]

"No, the ships will remain intact." replied Rick.​

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"I considered putting this part of your training into a simulation so you could 'destroy' them, but I always find that my mind is not fooled by the virtual models. Having real ships in front of me intensifies the experience."

Then, Rick processed her response. Ion weapons for disabling shielding, followed by the larger turbolasers to finish off arranged vessels.

"You have the right idea, and I would also use ion and EMP weaponry first. However, once the shielding is down, heavy weapons pressure isn't even needed. Many corvettes will be lightly armored enough that half a dozen or less turbolasers can easily penetrate their armor. Additionally, beyond the light turbolaser class of weapon, corvettes can usually evade projectiles thrown at them, unless they are medical vessels or large gunboats."

"And next," Rick continued, pointing to the largest ship outside the viewport, "How would you destroy this cruiser? Here's a hint - it has strong shielding, but mediocre armor."

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

Her answer was partially correct and Seo felt pretty good with that. Nodding with hardly any movement at his answer to her question on the exercise, but looked at him for a moment before asking another.

"I understand what ion does, but what is EMP do?"

Before she could provide an answer she was confident on, she wanted to know what each part was capable of.

He had already asked his next question and gave a hint to the answer.

"Well, hitting it with ion should be a must. That pretty much takes care of any shielding. Then the big guns I mentioned before. With mediocre armor, those would take care of the job."

Maybe hit it twice with ion just to make sure. One shot should be enough or at least she thought.

[member="Rick Kaloo"]