WCGW Chpt 236

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==Chapter 236 - What Could Go Wrong==
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Linden (Former Outworlds System)
20th August, 3046
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Chief Engineer Vincent Zuniga had found nothing of use in the Shipyards cargo bays, so today he was examining the various production sections. The first he visited was the fairly large Core Forge, with its massive conveyor belts to feed the refined Geemanium and Titanium into the giant furnace before being forged into a jump core. He examined the series of bolts and nuts that melded this section to the other section. He pulled out a portable drill and removed the screws to an access panel in the floor. Setting it aside, he peered down and it looked like a docking collar, used on every Jumpship for centuries. What the hell, he thought as he opened another access panel on the opposite side of the door, but actually inside the station itself. It looked exactly like what you would see where a Dropship was attached to a Jumpship, with both mated together to form a single entity. he replaced both access panels and walked along the wall of the Core Forge until he found an access panel about chest high. Curious he removed the access panel and smiled, it was the control center for a KF-Boom, same as on the recovered mining stations. He replaced the access panel and went to find Reginald Traveline, it was time for some EVA work on the hull.
Three hours later, both men carefully opened a sealed compartment right above where the Core Forge and station were mated together. Once they had it opened, both peered inside and shared a thumbs up before resealing the compartment back up. They would be checking the other areas also, but they knew what to look for now.
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21st August, 3046
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This station is modular. Think of it as a plug and play setup. The Core Forge, Transit Drive, and even parts of the station itself are modular. They have docking collar and even KF Booms installed, just like what you would find on a Dropship. Built right into each section. They did not build this on site, they hauled it out here and put it together. I want to get a look at the other two orbital factories and the original habitat. They very well could have the same setup. That will at least solve some of our problems. Moving the other habitats might be harder, but we can at least move these easy enough." Chief Engineer Zuniga said
"I can arrange for you to get aboard the other factories and the habitat." Captain Marcus Birch replied
"Excellent. I would love to find the other habitats built exactly like the first one, if it is equipped like the modules here, but I am not going to count my chickens before they hatch. Not yet anyway." Chief Engineer Zuniga said
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22nd August, 3046
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Chief Engineer Zuniga and Reginald Traveline had boarded the Orbital Small Craft/Aerospace Factory. At 17,000 tons, it was not the largest either had seen, but inside, the actual manufacturing equipment was in an almost pristine state, lovingly cared for by its operators. The manager of the station was quite talkative and narrated the "tour". He explained that they could produce a dozen VLC-6N Vulcan Aerospace Heavy Fighters per month at full production but had not actually done that in many years. Currently, they produced only two per month to replace the oldest Aerospace fighters operated in the Linden system to keep the workers skilled in the craft.
Finally, they reached the airlock they wanted and Chief Engineer Zuniga and Reginald Traveline put on their bulky EVA suits to inspect the outer hull for a stored KF Boom setup. Both had done a very slow flyby on the shuttle before landing on the factory but had not seen any obvious sign. Though Reginald had identified an area that would be perfect for one if they had to actually mount one. Both moved quick but carefully over the hull of the factory until they located a panel clearly marked "Docking assembly". An exchange of thumbs ups and they quickly opened the panel for an inspection. Another thumb up exchange and they sealed the panel. Time to check the other factory and original habitat.
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Two hours later, they were once again given a tour of the other 17,000 ton factory, only this one was based around the manufacture of electronic systems. The manager was quick to point out that they could manufacture any computer system mounted on any of the ships operated in the Linden system along with a variety of environmental systems, controls or replacement electronic components that might be needed. They could even smelt and extrude any sized wiring that might be needed. When asked about how they actually got the raw metal to work with, he explained that it was all done aboard the Olympus Station, traders brought the raw ore back to be processed and then usually the metal produced was then carried back out and traded for other goods. Knowing where to look on the factory sped up their search, which quickly confirmed that it too was equipped with a KF Boom.
Once back inside the station, Chief Engineer Zuniga thanked the manager "Thank you for the tour. You have a spectacular operation here."
"Thank you. May I ask what you were looking for?" The manager asked
"KF Booms, your factory has one. Now we are going to inspect the original habitat." Chief Engineer Zuniga replied
"I can save you the trouble. They all have KF Booms. Our ancestors figured out how to duplicate them many years ago on this very station. The designs are still stored in our databank. We even build replacements when one fails on a Dropship or one is needed for trade. The hardest part is configuring the exact field, but we have some of the finest computer engineers and programmers. I should know, I help teach them." The manager said
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