Flynn pored
over the ship’s schematics, trying to figure them out. The Mozart’s refit was going well, but trying to marry thirty year-old
systems and designs with cutting-edge technology wasn’t always easy. The second
generation jump drive would make the ship relevant again as a combat vessel
instead of the support role she had been relegated to, but trying to get
everything up to the new design specs was a headache.
Not only
were there new specs, there were new design philosophies to incorporate, such
as the routing of power conduits to avoid power loss during combat situations. Design
philosophies prioritized power, gravity, and life support over everything else.
Along with
the new jump drive, Mozzie was
getting new weapons systems, more power-intensive weapons, at that. The pulse
railguns drew three times as much power as the old ones, but the tradeoff was
double the launch velocity, which could put a serious dent in an enemy vessel.
“So what’s
it going to be Lt. Commander? Power or life support?” Commander Hoskins asked.
The chief
ship designer of Antares waited impatiently.
“Everything
looks in order, Commander. Power. Move the life support systems to forward
engineering. We need that new fusion reactor in the heart of the ship.” Flynn
pressed his thumb to the data slate, approving the changes.
Hoskins
nodded, like that was the only logical choice.
It seemed
counterintuitive to put a volatile reactor in the heart of the ship not far
from CIC or the bridge, but if that reactor was damaged enough to blow, then
there wouldn’t be enough left of the ship to command, anyway.