Dynamic Patrol: Gel Squad! Episode II

Chapter 37: Design

Aboard the derelict cruiser Destiny, which was already underway at being dismantled by Kipp's enlisted men of engineers. Maxion, Russell, Kai, Kipp, D1, Cal, and Howie occupied a room on the ship called a hologrid. This was an intriguing piece of technology; when used to its full potential, it was designed for testing new concepts, a holographic laboratory in essence. This technology did exist on regular Dynamic Patrol ships. Even though it was a replica, the attention to the most minor details was quite impressive. The room was mostly exposed to grey metallic surfaces, and a control console rested in the center of the room, which supplemented voice control for precision adjustments to the object being presented in the room.

This room was helpful in the final design phases of their new shuttle. Still, it would be cannibalized as soon as they were done with it. Its energy components would be augmented to power the tactical systems of their new craft. "Computer, add flames to the side," Kipp ordered casually; the ship's design, which appeared like nothing more than an industrial plasticine drab of clay until this point, generated distasteful and, quite frankly, tacky—waves of flames on its side.

Russell sighed in mild irritation, "Computer, delete flames." And so it did. "Hey? What'd you do that for?" Kipp gasped, his eyebrows angling in fury as he took offense to his Father's unexpected design modification. "Because this is the first vessel in a new Omeocoon fleet, it will not be a 'hot rot.' That's childish."

"Well, Dad, you can change whatever you want when you become an engineer and design your own ship. That's what we're building: something cool and memorable. I don't want a box with warp nacelles." D1 cut in, "Please, boys, this vessel will not operate efficiently if we cannot solve the issue with reaction control thrusters. In my latest wave of simulations, I discovered that the RCS thrusters generate too much power for a standard thermal system to compensate for continuous movement. This vessel is simply too potent for its size."

"Then we'll have to design a new thermal system from scratch," Kai added from his point in the circle, looking toward D1, who concurred with that statement. "Why does it need so much firepower anyway? Shouldn't we be focusing on a more efficient warp drive? Just in case we need to... y'know, escape?" Howie inquired. "Well, warp drive is fine if you like going in a straight line." Kai shrugged. He was naturally going to pilot this vessel. And he would've preferred something with a little more kick than his solar sailor. "If we come across the lizards, I want to be able to take names, not disable them and run." Russell, the proprietor of these weapons systems, enforced, pounding his fist into his other hand as he thought about the weapons array. He was more excited about this than everyone initially believed. "Unfortunately, this weapons array is canalizing the power for more important systems... like life support? In case you haven't noticed, we're all G2 Omeocoon. If there isn't enough oxygen to breathe, it won't matter if we take names or not. Because we'll have taken our own if the O2 processors don't work."

"Howard, my son is a Generation One, and our robot doesn't have lungs. So, technically, we don't have to put as much focus on the O2 systems. I suppose we could just throw you out an airlock to save on oxygen too." Russell glared wickedly. Howie gulped and cowered behind the largest Omeocoon in the room, which happened to be Cal. "There's no need for threats." The larger bunny said calmly. "It wasn't a threat."

Maxion cleared his throat to clear the pallet of the conversation. He was unfamiliar with technical specifications when compared to everyone else on the grid, "Maybe I should work on upholstery? I am an Omeocoon of many talents." Maxion suggested, realizing that many faces here were deeply invested in the vessel's design. He wanted to be more than just a fly on the wall and help in any way he could. "Or, you could work on our flight plan. Since you're the only person who knows where this hangar is, you could chart the most efficient course." Russell ordered. Maxion smiled at the idea of being helpful and went the right way to plotting on his own tablet. The rest of the crew were enveloped by design. Kipp and Russell continued arguing about the flames while D1 tried to keep them calm. Cal watched from the sidelines and was quiet, but eventually, he needed a break and departed. Howie stayed and continued working on the A.I.

Kai was in charge of the propulsion systems and that nasty thruster problem. He would have to utilize everything his father taught him about handling a ship. He felt as though his father's legacy lived on as he pooled his knowledge into this ship. Overall... the team seemed to have it down.