Stand By, Ion Control

[Krasnaya Xue]

It was a mounting concern for the Red Fleet. Their forces were not quite as capital-centered as many other armadas were, and something needed to be done about that. Not that the Rebel doctrine was going to be thrown out the window.

Efficiency. Simplicity. Reliability.

What needed to be done was something a bit more unorthodox--or perhaps entirely too orthodox for anyone to care about these days. There were just things that often got forgotten as the 'future' presented its promises. Mitczik would attest to that. Which was why Admiral Krasnaya Xue had returned to Lamaredd to meet with the old engineer. Krasnie Drives needed to get some surprises rolling out.

"Admiral Xue, fancy seeing you here." Yes, fancy that. She was starting to become about as regular of a visitor as the Benefactor had been back in the 'glory days', as he often said. It was more of a joke, to be sure, for today were the true glory days of the Rebellion.

"We're ready?" the Red Fleet admiral inquired.

"Whenever you are."

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

There was little time wasted in departing for the underground facility. Yes, Krasnaya actually tread more than just starship and space station decks. Sometimes she even paid a visit to subterranean sites, as she was doing just now.

Gray boots padded across the synthcrete flooring as the descent was made to deeper sectors of the testing facility, the sound of steam engines a faint rumble behind the solid walls. The Rebel Alliance had been working with steam power for nearly a decade, its founder quite convinced in the necessity for archaic design that had remained standard to this day. Coincidentally, such antiquated engines were designed to persist under the very conditions the Rebel engineers were aiming to spawn with the new tech that awaited the admiral below.

It was a five-minute ride on a lift--also steam-powered--before she and the Mon Calamari engineer found themselves at a deep enough level. The project had been worked out down here, from start to finish. Secrecy was never to be taken for granted. That was what the Benefactor had always said. Krasnaya firmly believed in it.

"You leader girls are just too quiet to put me at ease," Mitczik grumbled--although it was all in fun. He was a good sport, and a great selection for the important role he had played throughout the Alliance's existence. "You match Gen too well, you know that?"

That could be taken as a compliment.

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

The secret of this underground facility was that it was not just underground. It was also underwater. But Lamaredd would be convenient for that, would it not? H-Station was pretty much set for any and all testing needed to be done on a planetary body.

What would be interesting was how the weapon in development would be demonstrated to the space fleet admiral. As she entered the transparisteel tunnel that burrowed through the dreamlike waters and proceeded down its brightly-lit corridor for the testing chamber at the end, she was able to take a moment to appreciate something more nautical than astronautical for once. This was where navies had chugged long before, but nowadays was only patrolled by a few specialized military craft here and there. It was enough to prevent beachstorming, and that was all that was needed. No one really fought these glorious tides anymore, and Krasnaya wondered if that was a shame. Maybe she should take up some coastal cutter cruising as a hobby. See legs and space legs migh compliment each other.

The Mon Cal engineer slid his card through the scanning channel to gain the pair access to the testing room, and in they walked.

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

What should not have surprised Krasnaya were the two most prominent faces that met her and Mitczik upon the parting of the doors. (More steam power here. It's a theme. And easily accessible on a watery world.) Grizzki and Stjikki, the dynamic duo of Rodian and jawa scientists. Mitczik had been working with them for years, and while Stjikki was certainly an odd one, he hardly detracted from the Rebel development team. Sometimes he was downright brilliant. Thank the Rebellion for bringing true, all-encompassing sentient rights. Who else hired jawas--and gave them positions of importance, no less?

Mitczik placed his flippered hands at his waist and surmised the dispositions of his mechanic partners. "Admiral Xue has come back for more," he chuckled, moving towards the cloth-covered object-of-interest and letting the space sailor deal with pleasantries.

"Comrades."

"Admiral," Grizzki replied, not exactly making eye contact from what Xue could discern. But those big black eyes were difficult to track, anyway.

"No, just comrade. The workers deserve the respect," she corrected, saluting to the short engineer who was incoherently jabbering. This was actually 'calm' for him.

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

The old Mon Cal unveiled the massive cannon with the help of some of his gungan and quarren assistants. It hardly looked like a cannon in classic form, however, so it took a moment to tell where the actual firing end was located. It was a boxy thing with a jumble of wires connecting tanks and breakers all about the hulk of this device. "This is just the ugly model," Mitczic assured her. "We make it like this first so all the actual gadgetry is more accessible during development, obviously. For the final product, it will be much more compact and wrapped up with a ribbon and a bow." Totally understandable.

"So this is fully functional?"

The Rodian nodded. "As far as we can tell. Haven't encountered any hiccups for a few weeks now. It's prepped for this run, I can tell you that for sure."

Krasnaya clasped her hands behind her back and took a brief walkaround of the device before stepping back and nodding. "Not that I know anything about how this works precisely, but can we give it a shot now?"

"That's the idea!" Mitczik laughed, motioning for the rig to be moved towards an airlock. "Undersea testing commencing now."

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

The observers were ushered up to the top deck of the underwater testing center, a dome of transparisteel that looked deceptively thin the only thing separating the assembled people from the immense pressure of an immeasurable volume of saline liquid above. The sun pierced through the waves and still made the whole scene feel welcoming. They were far enough off the coast to avoid attracting attention, but not quite off the continental shelf yet. Not that they expected any visitors around this area. It was fairly respected as an off-limits zone--that designation reinforced by a patrol submarine skedaddling out of the potentially affected testing area.

"All is clear," came the report.

The front of the cannon peeked out from its temporary spot in a bubble turret below, aimed at an incoming remote-controlled submersible that was churning up the waters rather furiously. It was not the fastest undersea vehicle, but it was obviously alive by the power of that wondrous electricity that had made the galaxy go 'round for centuries upon centuries.

A brilliant beam of turquoise flashed and ignited the ocean in light for a split second as it emanated from the cannon. The drone submersible fell to the ocean floor without a protest. No lights shining. Nothing.

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

"That's an ion cannon," Admiral Xue confirmed after watching the demonstration. "And...?" It was not like ion weapons were trendsetting technology.

"It's not just an ion cannon," Grizzki explained, slightly annoyed by her reaction. Perhaps she was naive, but she needed to know more before she would be convinced this was a 'breakthrough'. "That sub was shielded. Usually you wouldn't be able to take it in one go."

"I'm sure a heavy ion cannon could." It was perhaps inappropriate to be so harsh, but the admiral was failing to see what was so impressive.

Mitczik stepped in before Stjikki went insane. The jawa was already babbling and covering his ears in distress about Xie's comments. This was obviously work he took to heart. "Kras, that was just a light version. And this facility is shielded as it is. So the beam had to pass through two, you know.

"Here, let me show you how this works on the scientific end, if that's your thing." His webbed hand gestured for her to follow him downstairs to the main chamber where a harsh wind swept back her blond hair as the airlock was reopened, cannon being hauled back into the chamber after its removal from the bubble turret slot. "I may be a little old for your taste, but I don't just do this for kicks. Well... actually I do." That laugh of his was almost catching. "But I'd never lie to you." And that was the truth, as far as Krasnaya had ever experienced. He had been chosen well by the founder.

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

The seasoned--but not shriveled--Mon Calamari brought the Red Fleet's admiral over to a holographic display table and brought up the readouts of the weapon. However, this picture was quickly disposed of and replaced with a mathematical formula that Krasnaya honestly had no inkling as to what it meant. Her light blue eyes shifted back and forth between the engineer and the holographic image expectantly. She was a strategist, but hardly an expert in advanced mathematics. "What does this mean?"

Mitczik just maintained that grin of his. "Have you ever heard of the principle of supercavitation?"

Not really, no. She shook her head in synchronization with her thoughts.

The engineer was fairly certain she would answer with the negative, so he wasted little time continuing. "When matter moves fast enough through a liquid, it forms a sort of contrail behind it--completely open space. It's just a big vacuum, which the liquid is temporarily incapable of filling. It creates a 'draft'--if you will--that reduces resistance and can push the projectile through the liquid at incredible speeds. That's what you're seeing here, except we've done things a bit differently to deal with the shielding.

"Currently, supercavitation has been mostly utilized in underwater projectile technology--torpedoes and the like. It's largely been considered a nifty but... mostly useless principle in physics." But there was always more, and thus, Krasnaya kept silent and let the engineer finish. He had never failed her before, and she doubted he had failed his 'Gen' back then. "However, we've been putting this into practice with magnetic fields lately, and... Well, if you have a hard enough magnetic 'push', you can simply break through an energy field at remarkable speeds."

This was beginning to make sense to Xue. "So, you mean that we can breach a shield without breaking it now?"

"That's what you just saw us do, Kras."

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

Even better? This new ion weapon was steam-powered. Go figure.

"You said there needed to be a preceding object or force to part the 'field' and allow the actual energy beam to get through. What, exactly, is the force? I don't see any projectile launcher here," the Admiral observed as she stepped forward to re-inspect the new weapon--this time, much more thoroughly.

"It's actually photons," the engineer answered. "Packets of light. That's... honestly the only way we've been able to get this to be successful!" He chortled a bit after that. Sometimes the raspy laugh hurt her ears, but it was actually usually consoling when he did so. It was nice to know of his high confidence levels.

Mitczik's elaboration certainly explained that blinding flash of light that had illuminated the sea when the gun was fired. It also explained why the cannon was not a simple cylindrical shape, and yet had no projectile barrel. An emitter was required alongside the ionic beam projectors. Of course, these technicians knew what they were doing if they had gotten that submersible deactivated. She was convinced, at least.

The Rodian scientist folded his arms and looked off to the side, almost as if he were offended that the admiral need inspect this contraption any further. "It's obviously functional underwater, so it's a guarantee that it works in a vacuum. It should be ship-ready in no time."

That was what she liked to hear.

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

Retreating down the glass tunnel, Admiral Xue halted and turned to Mitczik. He was now starting to become something like a technological sidekick--maybe like he had with the Benefactor. Was he someone she could dare confide in? Perhaps. It was best to start out with the small things, however. Baby steps, they say.

"How many do you think could be built in a month? And without anyone hearing a word?" she asked, her voice merely a whisper. Naturally, it had to be even softer in such an acoustical structure. Voices could almost be heard from the far end of the convex hallway. "There are some things that don't even need to be known by our own leaders until the time is right. I couldn't even trust my own mother; perhaps not my father." There was truth in those words. She was not alone for no reason.

"I'll have you know I never gave up one dang secret in all my years, young lady," the Mon Cal responded. There was almost a grating tone to his words that the admiral had never heard from him before. "I served my time in Incom's special development program, and I've created things here you don't even know about yourself, Kras. It's nothing against you, just like this won't be anything against whoever should hear about it but won't quite yet. You have my honor, and I can vouch for my two partners that they won't speak a word." He glanced at the floor with a slight smile, mumbling. "Not like the speak much anyway. At least, nothing most would understand..."

Krasnaya nodded, having received the best answer she would probably get out of someone of his position. Maybe things would need to be altered later. But right now, the Rebellion was in the spring of its glory days and things just did not need to be revealed prematurely.

And she was good at keeping her own secrets. Much too good.