The Truth be Told. Chapter 1, part 1. Chain of Command

[steveo1259]

hey all,

This is part one of chapter one for the truth be told story im writing. Hope you like it.

It was a sad day for the Argon people when it was announced that one of the finest captains in the fleet was dead and had potentially been assassinated at the best shipyard in all of argon space. It was even sadder for the crew when they saw his only command get ripped apart only two days after his death. It appeared that schedules didn’t change after death and so the re-fit would still be carried out on the Apollo. It was now nearing the end of its three month make-over in dock and the insides of the ship looked completely different to how they started. Every corridor was darker than before with an unnatural grim battle ready feeling to it, nobody was hanging around on the corridor anymore. The bridge had been completely redesigned for a huge feeling with the same massive forward viewer and navigation consoles but everything else had been ripped out and replaced with 3-D viewers associated with neural interfaces.

The layout differed greatly as well with the captain’s chair being one of two directly in the middle of the bridge and another for the second in command. Engineering was located directly behind them separated with a small metal banister. It was mainly comprised of a screen that half filled the back wall and several consoles under it so anybody could access it. Along the right side were several new consoles that controlled fire suppression systems, energy allocation and an interface to access all the new technology the R&D department were trying out in the Apollo. The Left side was hugely different again with tactical, sensors and various ship status reports plastered along. The coolest feature for any civilian was a hologram projector that was integrated into the ships walls that normally displayed an image of the ship with various reports and in a time of crisis it also doubled as a damage report console for the captain and second in command.

The newest feature on the Apollo was the inclusion of a new type of A.I that the R&D boys were testing out. It was designed to be the verbal interface of the ship for now but could offer a huge tactical advantage in a fight. Unfortunately it could also feel emotion meaning if any damage happened to the ship, she would feel it and if she got pissed she could take over the ship in any way possible. This was all meaningless though without a good captain and a star to steer her by, this was why fleet command had made the decision that when most of the crew had transferred off to recruit the young Jack Davis. He was just 22 and had a major degree in every subject you required to command a fleet let alone a single ship. Davis had a fairly average build at 6ft 2” with short blonde hair and piercing light blue eyes that had probably seen more action than most men his age. He lived by his principles and just occasionally orders but always got the mission completed which made him highly recommended for the job, of course that and the fact that he could easily cope with any situation that was thrown at him. The crew had been replaced with just the best of the best chosen by the new captain and the techies that would be permeantly stationed on the Apollo.

The ship also got a new paintjob as well, now a fear striking black hue with the silver lightning bolt of the R&D department stuck to one side. The Apollo got a new compliment of fighters as well ranging from small M5 disco’s to lumbering M3+. She also got interplanetary engines installed and retracted into the hull so they could be deployed at any moment, perfect for a speedy get away.