TGoaW-111

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==Chapter 111 - The Glow of a Worm inside a Child's Eye==
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Trials Authorization: Landmark class...
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...was still in debate. The AFFC(N) brass on the Federated Suns side questioned the utility of a ship that heavy without Dropship Collars. On the Lyran side of things, the argument was more centered on the exclusion of Lockheed-CBM and other major contractors from the design and construction phase of the prototypes.
(to be honest, the FedSuns Admiralty was also being influenced by Federated Boeing's executives)
Further fueling this argument (we can't REALLY call it a debate) was the layout and design intent of the Landmark class as a whole. Age of war experiments with flexible turreting layouts revealed significant cooling and maintenance issues sufficient that the Terran Hegemony never built a full class with such weapons mounts-and neither did anyone else.
Critique of the two Landmark prototypes being finished at Snark IV's shipyards, included not merely the mountings, but the weapons put ON those mounts, in particular the apparent lack of throw-weight that eight light naval gauss rifles compared to 'better' layouts with more weapons that have more firepower on the RX-80 proposed (Mjolnir) cruisers.
There is a principle, that when a criticism or speculation gets enough force behind it, it becomes an 'almost fact' that is regarded by the public as a fact.
In 3053, the debate slipped out of the channels of Military officers and into the public's awareness, led first by the positions of the critics...and yet...
neither of the prototypes are even finished yet, their attempts at revolutionary design haven't been tested. All the combined public of two realms have to go on, are the harsh statements and criticisms of the Landmark program, and its apparent resemblance to another failed programme, the original Sylvester class WarShip-sized freighter.
Of course, the "Monopolistic and unfair competition" manifest in having the combined realm's largest toolmaker also building a warship class from a clean sheet without the expert guidance of established contractors.
Investigations in the Estates General have been called on to seek out the 'dirty money' involved.
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