Sleek and New Products

[Camellia Swift]

It had been a while since new business had been done. Frankly the woman in charge of Rendili Stardrive was a bit disappointed in herself for relying on older, though still effective, products to get the starship manufacturing corporation by. In several regards Camellia knew their shipwright's designs still reigned supreme at several levels. Most usually at mass produced warships. Although the Centurion for certain was still an incredible contender with nearly every other ship at its tonnage because of its versatility. Well, perhaps for more than that given its hangar carried more fighters than other ships in its class, though it only came out average in its armaments. It was the Interdictor technology that made the Rendili woman herself pleased with the work on it.

However, there were several others in which Rendili Stardrive was falling behind. The cruiser class needed a rework entirely, and the same could be said for destroyer class warships and fighters. It was hard to say where to commit to though for their next project.

 

[Camellia Swift]

Because of such considerations, Camellia spent several days with the company's financial advisers and design analysts in order for them to come to a decision. They needed to make a new product or redesign an old one to fill in a role they were falling behind in. In the end the Rendili woman was left alone in her office looking over the files and reports she had gathered from everyone she had met with, mulling over the implications of where to devote resources. Certainly they would do well putting the new corvette design into production and face no real risk. It wasn't grandiose but it was appealing enough that there would definitely be a clientele for it if they set berths aside to construct them. However, everything else held significant risk.

Starfighters especially were risky business since only the best were fielded in main fleets, same typically going for specialized frigates and cruisers. Thankfully the Impregnable was still an incredible heavy cruiser of the line, much more secure than the Dreadnought class sadly. Perhaps even highly viable considering its production value and incredible statistics. With that in mind, the Rendili woman only saw one position worth investing in. Heavy Destroyers were a popular commodity, but Light Attack Destroyers were potentially able to be more exploited.

 

[Camellia Swift]

The Centurion was proof of that after all, but it was an Interdictor Carrier, not an attack vessel. Instead it was produced for a support role in a fleet and for non-standard operations, not that that stopped it from being incredibly effective in a battle fleet with its more than adequate hangar capacity and comparative weapon emplacements. What Camellia looked at now was a ship meant to act as more of a heavy destroyer at the borderline of smaller battleships. Originally it looked like the design was supposed to be produced in a cruiser role seeing as how there appeared to be prototype blueprints for the vessel at a smaller size than the finalized specs the Rendili woman had on displayed on her datapad in front of her now.

It wasn't necessarily a bad idea to have such a heavy hitter in the cruiser slot and it certainly tempted. Enough to sway Camellia away from the idea of producing it as a destroyer as she brought the schematics for the cruiser to the forefront. There were enough big destroyers in the galaxy. The Centurion was the biggest the head of Rendili Stardrive was comfortable with, and the Noblesse was such a rarely produced design that it didn't really count. Its weapon systems were just so unique that kept the design afloat.

 

[Camellia Swift]

Now with the cruiser layout opened up on her datapad, Camellia went to work. Fingers danced across the screen as she checked where the shipyards sat in terms of open construction berths. Most of the docks were taken up, but the larger ones were meant to be able to handle full size battleship repairs and production. They were more than large enough to commit to an entire cycle to building the new cruisers two at a time. However, to do so without a contract lined up was a risk filled endeavor and one she knew to be wary of. The potential though was so succulent to consider that the Rendili woman ignored her concern in that regard.

Once all the ships were completed she could sell them off in auction along with other vessels as a full fleet. Certainly some galactic power would be enticed enough with such an offer they would purchase a fleet of such quality. Although there was a distinctive worry that undesirables would be the ones to shell out the most credits for a worthy battlegroup, but that was just part of the business and the least of her concerns as she looked to create better ships for those discerning enough.

 

[Camellia Swift]

With that decision made it was just a matter of arranging for the unused berths to be opened and for the dock chiefs to prepare crews, workers, droids, and equipment to shuttle over to the new production quarters for the cycle. In fact, the Humbarine facilities could pick up the slack of smaller vessels if they devoted more berths to the cruisers. If the auction took off then Camellia expected a surplus to immediately be a wise investment as those who could not buy the fleet scrambled for a contract. Then those who managed to get a hold of the contract would have a shipment to receive right away. Plus individual sales among Core Worlds wanting the best in their planetary defense fleets was always a factor to consider.

Although it felt like the neutral worlds were becoming fewer and fewer as the war continued around the galaxy and galactic powers raced against each other to sway planets to their banner with the promise of economic and military protection. Then they didn't need to purchase their own ships since the major factions of the galaxies would provide their defenses for them. Still, for the time being there were still plenty of systems as of yet free from the influence and control of the galactic governments that be.

 

[Camellia Swift]

So with their worry about being able to resist their fellow systems as well as potential overlords, the design for the new cruiser felt incredibly appropriate. Sleek and shiny looking, it was neatly eight hundred meters long and packing a wallop of a punch in an unsurprising package. The main gunports were all hidden panels and when opened revealed long range triple barreled heavy turbolaser cannons, supported by a number of heavy turbolaser batteries with a hundred and forty degree firing arc. Each battery protected by a fully functional point defense cannon to prevent enemy warhead bombardment from taking out the weapon emplacements and damaging sections of hull around the batteries positions. In total the new cruiser line supported ten of its long range cannons and twenty of the forward mounted close range batteries.

That wasn't the extent of the vessel's armaments though as either side of the ship was outfitted with heavy laser cannon ports, enough that either side of the ship bristled with over a hundred of the fierce weapons, perfect for the close range destruction of enemy ships attempting boarding procedures or a broadside action. Flak clusters finished off the cruiser's weapon line acting as anti-missile and starfighter actions along the breadth of the ship's hull. At the end of the day it was a ship meant to tear apart enemy fleets and was hopefully rightfully feared.

 

[Camellia Swift]

Equally impressive was the design of the hull though, which more to Camellia's pleasure was quite innovative compared to the rather plain weaponry. While most of the construction was essentially completed with standard durasteel, it was the frame of the ship and the outer layer of the hull's armor plating that pleased the Rendili woman. The superstructure of the cruiser Rendili Stardrive's construction docks would soon be filled with the work of creating, was made out of the alloy that was possible through the union of Duralium and Lanthanide. Normally it would be used as the armor plating of the ship itself, however, by wrapping it around a durasteel beam it made the superstructure of the cruiser's frame more secure, meaning that damage that broke through the hull wouldn't buckle the ship by melting the frame immediately.

Still, the alloy was simply a slight upgrade to the norm. The hull's armored plate was of much greater joy to the artist in any ship designer. Manufacturing a vessel with Duranium hull plating was immensely difficult. Which what actually sold the Rendili woman on the cruiser design. A destroyer was far too large to coat in Duranium since the metal had such a high melting point. Shaping it to fit the length of a destroyer was next to impossible, especially at a mass produced level. At the cruiser class though it was merely difficult, but possible. By having such high temperature resistance the damage caused by high intensity energy cannons and explosives would be reduced. Although the kinetic distribution of the metal was standard though so there was no real change against mass driver weaponry or coilgun technology.

 

[Camellia Swift]

The rest of the ship's details seemed standard by that point on. Considering the amount of weaponry the ship was pulling and the fact it still maintained defensive shield capabilities to its compatriots of the cruiser class, Camellia was hardly surprised to see a request for the Proton-8 Hypermatter Reactor to be the primary powerplant for the new line of ships. Still, unlike the Impregnable the new cruiser at least wasn't slowed down by the immense weight of its hull. A plus to use the lighter, though more problematic, Duranium over the more common durasteel. Still, it seemed like even now the shipwright was following its practice of putting out designs that weren't reliant on missile weaponry again. Camellia had hardly noticed at first there wasn't a single warhead battery to be found on the ship like so many others.

Perhaps they could make up for it in the new corvette design they were preparing to produce as well, but for now the head of Rendili Stardrive was content with the new cruiser's makeup. It was merely made as a heavy hitter with a balanced weapon arc to keep it effective at many ranges and roles. So many people seemed to disdain laser cannons, especially the heavy variants. Heavy laser cannons packed the punch of turbolasers though they had a shorter range. Yet they were much more accurate and thus had much more versatile use against starfighters as well. They made perfect batteries for capital ship hunters. The only sort of ship she wouldn't include them on would be specialized weapon platforms meant for singular roles.

 

[Camellia Swift]

Putting that aside though, the name of the class was an important factor in marketing the vessel. The name Rendili Stardrive's owner had in front of her was a perfect flashy name to attach to the ship and more than capable of boosting advertising strategies on its own. Starhammer Class Escort Cruiser. Honestly though Camellia wondered if it suited the idea of an escort cruiser, but the more she thought about it, the more she believed the ship was suited as an escort to larger Destroyers and such. Although it likely was too high class for such a role in the Outer Rims. Dreadnought and Impregnable cruisers still likely had a high market out there.

The Starhammer would likely have a clammering market in the Core and Inner Rim, and perhaps in wealthier Mid Rim systems as well, who needed fewer defensive vessels and needed active attack craft. Something fast enough to keep up with the raiding fleets of pirates and enemy systems, and not just deter an invasion force like the Impregnable class currently performs.

 

[Camellia Swift]

Still, it could be a tad better. The Impregnable was heavily armored and carried four squadrons with its still competitive armament. However, its lack of speed and inability to outgun assault cruisers meant it was desirable as a small attack carrier rather than attack cruiser. The Starhammer fit that role better, but it would still be preferable if it were able to at least carry a single squadron aboard it as self defense in solo operations. If it were possible that is. To that end while construction was approved already and the crews and equipment were starting to be transferred to the newly active berths, there was time to make slight alterations to the schematics while the teams and droids started on the formation of the duranium hull plates.

For the task of seeing to it that the cruiser could spare the room for a ventral hangar and maintain optimal functionality, Camellia left the work to the engineers and technicians at Rendili's Yards on Shri-Tal. The environment there was much more suited for a testbed of things, so many of their finest developers were employed at that branch. They would be the most capable to make an alteration to the blueprints in and expedited manner.

 

[Camellia Swift]

In the meantime in the days while she waited to hear back from the engineers, Camellia pushed the project forward as she looked forward to the auction and put a priority on marketing and advertisement for the auction in which the Starhammer Cruisers and other ships would be sold in a fleet bundle to the highest bidder, with the opportunity of buying contracts also being on the table under her discretion. Hopefully by the time the vessels were off the line and out of the docks enough interested parties would be aware of the ship to participate in the auction if they so desired. To hit off on the parties most likely to have both the wealth and the desire to purchase what Rendili Stardrive had to offer at the auction, the shipwright's head was certain to include a number of government heads from systems of the Inner and Mid Rim along with invitations to such groups as the Republic, Galactic Alliance, and more.

After all, such people had the most to benefit from her company's works. They were specialized for selling cargo vessels and warships, few could deny the effectiveness of Rendili craft. After all, they were a company quite adept at efficiently reducing maintenance on essential systems, getting clients stronger powerplants in a smaller package, and top of the line ion engines. Who wouldn't want a Rendili product.

 

[Camellia Swift]

Rendili products were prime starships after all, with a history behind them and with access still to one of the largest drydocks in the galaxy. Rendili Stardrive was a founding shipwright, Rendili was a founding world of the ancient Republic, and they survived to this day. Others had faltered over the course of time, annoyingly enough Kuat Drive Yards wasn't among them, but Rendili hadn't and it was clear it was because of their quality and constant attempt to build better, more powerful, and more efficient, starships. Camellia realized she had sat too long on the market. A new cruiser wasn't enough, but it was a nice start.

Still, with the time she had while waiting on the Shri-Tal engineering division to report back on expanding the shuttle bay into a hangar for a single squadron, Camellia Swift was going to forge ahead with the steam she had going. It was rare she had so much energy in a single sitting, so she was going to use it to the best of her ability. She was going to get started on that Corvette design approval as well.

 

[Camellia Swift]

By the time she got through the work of approving the schematics for the corvette done the shipments for the duranium and duralium were already finished. The dock chiefs had reported moving the crews and droids into the appropriate bays as well, the berths already adjusted to maximize the production of the new cruisers as quickly and efficiently as well. Everyone seemed in high spirits as well, the new projects energizing them and improving the morale of the crews who perhaps had been growing bored of the routine and repetition of the constructing and repairing the same builds day in and out. Definitely some of it had to do with the still annoying fact that many were not fans of seeing less business since the SIth occupation.

No harm had been done to them or anyone planetside since the initial invasion, and mostly they were free to rule themselves it appeared so long as they didn't cause trouble. Although the tariffs were a tad irritating. No the major frustration for the shipwright was the Sith's heavy reliance on Vong technology. It was hard to sell any form of mechanical service to people who insisted on utilizing organic tools. They couldn't charge repairs for vong ships and they couldn't make a sale when the Sith fleets replaced damaged ships with more Vong craft. There was little profit to make off of them after their battles with the Republic. And with the SCC so far away it wasn't like the Shri-Tal or Voss yards were capitalizing on the conflict either, if anything sales were hurt when the SCC turned away from their business after the main branch entered Sith territory.

 

[Camellia Swift]

Which was why it was incredibly in the company's best interests to make off with a good sale from their auction since a good sale and solid contract for the Starhammer cruisers and new supporting corvettes meant the company could hopefully begin making profits again off the new business since they were lacking solid buyers from the Sith Navy. So when word finally came back from the technicians on Shri-Tal, and Voss as well apparently since the SHri-Tal personnel called them in to help, that they could indeed expand the shuttle bay into a hangar bay, in addition to being able to install the slave circuitry throughout the ship to cut down on crew costs as well.

Slave circuitry was always tricky business and wasn't for every ship, but for a cruiser it was highly desirable since it made them far more cost efficient. It just ran the risk of the ship suffering problems in multiple systems when damaged rather than one. It was just a consideration if one wanted more streamlined maintenance and repair processes and costs, which in truth the Rendili woman herself was a fan of. In the long run it was better.

 

[Camellia Swift]

With everything finalized and pushed forward to maximum production, Camellia could only wait in exhilaration for the time when the cruisers rolled out the docks and took their first cruise into space around Rendili's orbit. Once that happened the auction would begin in earnest and she hoped it would happen on schedule. After all, they had done a decent job of advertising she hoped, capitalizing on people's desires for security, Rendili's product quality history, and the positive promotion of their existing product highlights. It was really more a question of what to set as the starting price with so many ships. The fleet size was sitting somewhere around 9650 meters worth of warships with an additional two thousand in support craft alone.

It was a rather intimidating set to be sure. It was probable the auction would prove busy.