ALJ Chpt 19

frameless|right|300px|link=A Long Journey
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==Chapter 19 - A Long Journey==
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16 May 2785
Mackolla (Federated Suns)
Over the last week, every member of the 322nd Armor Division and former SLDF personnel had been made aware of the moves being made and the reasons why. Over 90% of the personnel supported the idea of using funds to start a pension fund, starting a civilian business plan to help fund all the stuff they might need. Since it was a large majority that supported the plans, those with questions went along with the idea. But the questions they might have had were answered to the best of everyone's ability to alleviate their concerns.
"We can do basic maintenance on all our ships, in most cases even handle the more complicated repairs. During the war, we did not make ships shipyard quality. What we did was make them as battle ready as we could or get them mobile enough to make it to a designated Yardship location or shipyard under our control for further repairs. We can self manufacture a great many things, but a bunch of stuff is beyond our ability. We can replace armor, replace weapons, repair most computer or electronic equipment. But what we cannot do and this is important is do a full on scan of a jump core or repair a jump core. If the computer detects micro cracks, we can only take it's word for it, we cannot verify that finding. We can manufacture most parts of a ships transit drive but we cannot manufacture one from scratch, same goes for reactor plants, the core reactor vessel is beyond our capabilities. We can replace a reactor with a new one, but if the reactor vessel itself is damaged, it has to be sent back to the manufacture. So, to put it into an example you all might understand even better, take your Mauser 960, most of you or your armorer can repair the rifle with spare parts, but can you manufacture those parts? Even in a garrison environment, have any of you seen them making the parts to repair that rifle or did they send it off to the manufacture? As good as your mechanics are, can they completely redesign one of your vehicles and then manufacture it from the ground up? Outside of field modifications, swapping several medium lasers where a large laser used to be and adding extra cooling ability because they didn't have another large laser? How about taking a standard Goblin and deciding they want the SLDF issued Goblin so just making it happen? While I am not a ground trooper, I know for a fact that making that sort of change is going to require a factory level set of manufacturing equipment and tooling to make it happen."
"Your mechanics and techs are very skilled but how often did you have or know about a piece of equipment that had some sort of lingering issue? A Battlemech with hitch in it's step, a fire control computer that always had a bug, any issue, no matter how often the techs or mechanics replaced the thing or worked on it? Why didn't they just make a new one? Every Regiment and above command has a full on maintenance setup on par with what we haul around. Why didn't they do it, because there are some level of repairs that require a full on factory level repair."
"My people are extremely good at what we do, even working some miracles, but there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Yes, we could put together a maintenance dock to support our larger ships, there are plans to do just that, but we will still lack the ability to do a jump core scan of the larger ships. That requires literally pulling the core from a ship, while protecting it from just about everything, putting the jump core into a massive X-Ray machine which moves at a speed of a meter per hour while it checks the density of the core in it's entirety. If the density of the core exceeds a certain level, the ship is dead lined, the core is then ground up and recast. That is shipyard level maintenance, an ability that we do not have and I am sure we will never have. So to accomplish that level of care we have to send our ships to an actual shipyard that can handle that sort of task. The closest is a six month journey just to get there, another three to six months for the checks and another six months back here. Two years to return the ship to service. The SLDF did it because they had thousands of ships to rotate in and out of service while retaining the ability to move troops on a whim. We do not have that luxury, not even close. We could push our luck and ignore a core warning, but then you run the chance of a misjump, possibly killed instantly, a core shatter, stranding you in some far off location, no way to call for help and then you run out of air, water, food and die. I don't want that to happen to anyone, I doubt any of you want that either. Your vehicle breaks down, you get out and walk for help, out here, it can be a death sentence. So, does everyone understand how, even as good as my people are, how our abilities are limited?"
"We have several tons of blank circuit boards, the resistors, even chips, we can combine those to manufacture just about any circuit board needed. But we lack the ability to make the individual parts themselves. Same for armor, several thousand tons of it, all types, we can cut the plates, even form the plates, but can we actually make the armor plates? Nope, we cannot mine the raw material, then smelt that into the next level of metal, which then has to be remelted and mixed with another few compounds to make the actual armor plate. We have some replacement weapons, we can swap in, substitute weapons, reprogram the firing computers, but we cannot actually make the weapons themselves. There are limits to everything and there are many other examples I could use. I hope you all understand why we will be forced to make some very hard choices at times." Commodore Patricia Mitchell said before the large audience.
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Terra (Terran Hegemony)
"We have confirmed the location of the 322nd Armor Division and the ships carrying them. They are in the Mackolla system in the employ of the Federated Suns. But they are not mercenary, nor regular troops. They have offered the Federated Suns one of the Monolith Jumpships for sell. If they hadbfully joined the Federated Suns, that offer would not have been made. Yet we know the AFFS navy has been having a fit about their Vigilant class Corvette not being under their direct control. It seems to be some sort of hybrid setup we are having trouble figuring out because the Suns are paying about sixteen million a month to them after a large lump sum payment back that just went out. There is also a new business starting up on Mackolla, the paperwork forming it was also just transmitted to New Avalon. Mackolla Enterprises is what it is called. One subsidiary names, Mackolla Interstellar Salvage. A Gerald Mitchell is named as the CEO of Mackolla Enterprises."
Major General Laura Hayes snorted "Our Monolith you mean. Kerensky yanked three at the last minute before leaving. Lieutenant General Mitchell commanded the 322nd Armor Division. Same name as this new company CEO, coincidence, I doubt it. Be watching for any advanced gear hitting the open market, Mitchell just might be selling it off to start this business venture. But they are no threat to us at this time, monitor but no action needed."
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