Munar Shipyard B, 2206
Relevant reading:
https://wiki.kerbalpowers.org/view/Atre ... ce_Command
https://wiki.kerbalpowers.org/view/Nove ... pace_Force
Glossary of terms:
Novenapomorsnage - Kerbian for Novenadian Navy
Novenasvemirskage - Kerbian for Novenadian Space Force
Munar Shipyard B - One of several shipyards in orbit around the Mun, owned by Odyssey Aerospace Astronautical Design Office
Naja - A city in the former Fortisian NKR Redevelopment Zone, now Novenadian territory
General Staff Offices, Munar Shipyard B, 2206
The harsh transients of welding and metal-on-metal from the berths carried much too far through Munar Shipyard B, reverberating from the zero-g dock in the center out to the habitat facilities filling the outer ring. The designers had done their best to quiet the sounds, of course, and it was quiet enough that one got used to it, but with the docks at full capacity it made for some annoying background noise.
To add to the frustration, Riaska Nenezik had not been on Shipyard B long enough to get used to the noise. As a junior warrant officer in the Novenadian Navy, he had been quickly snatched by the newly formed Novenasvemirskage, where he was undergoing training with senior officers from the AASC as well as overseeing the construction of the new fleet. And by Svega what a fleet it was. Not as impressive as the AASC of course, but it was ambitious. 8 brand new Skyflash destroyers, 4 Hartfordia II cruisers, 2 Bakan-class assault carriers, and at the core, 2 Swordsman-class battleships. And that was just the beginning! This is definitely the assignment of a lifetime, Riaska thought. A buzz on his wristband signalled lunchtime, and he gladly put away his mind-numbing spreadsheet of screw sizes. Stretching, Riaska felt a pang of envy for the ship crews on Kerbin who didn’t have these ridiculous 37 minute nights.
The management cafeteria was on the inner edge of the ring, meaning when you sat at the tables you could look up and see the cylinder that composed the docks. Riaska snagged one of the last trays, and went to sit down at a mostly empty table, his mind somewhat busy with thoughts of being deployed to Jool or some equally exotic place.
“Looks like we’ve got yogurt today, sir!”
He started. “What?”
“Yogurt, sir.”
“That’s pudding.”
The AASC crewman apprentice next to him looked at him wide-eyed. “Pudding? I’ve never had that before, sir.”
“It’s good. What do you mean you’ve never had pudding before though? You must’ve had some as a kid, right?”
The CA laughed. “I grew up on a farm in northern Constadia, the only sweet foods I’ve had have been homemade. You know, rice and milk and the like. If I had it, it definitely didn’t look like this. Where are you from, sir?”
“I’m from Naja.”
Across the table from them, a crewman recruit shot Riaska a vicious glare and slid away down the table. Riaska glanced at the CA next to him. “What’s his deal?”
“Don’t mind him, he’s Desovan. You know how they can be. Anyway, you must’ve joined up fairly recently! Novenad wouldn’t be taking in anyone from there for a fair bit after Fortis gave it to you guys, right sir?”
Riaska chuckled. “Yeah, probably not.” Lowering his voice, he continued. “You know, when I joined up I had to renounce my Fortisian citizenship. Kind of weird they won’t let you keep two, right?”
“Well, I guess they aren’t in the commonwealth yet, sir. Plus, Novenad seems to like doing things a bit different.”
“That we do. Not much point to it if you ask me, when we’re just building Atreian ships,” Riaska said, gesturing at the docks turning slowly above their heads. “We have a big industrial base for most equipment, but nobody in the PVC knows how to build ships like those except these big Atreian companies.”
“I heard you guys weren’t building your corvettes either. If they aren’t being built here, then where, sir?”
Riaska cocked an eyebrow. “That’s classified, and a bit above my paygrade anyway. Sorry.”
“Worth a shot. All worth it though in the end, right sir? As long as it stays in the PVC we all benefit.”
“That’s what I figure. That's pretty much what they have me doing here, overseeing the fleet production and learning the business from the guys in the AASC. By the way, did I catch your name?”
The CA stood and saluted him. “Crewman Apprentice Tishila, sir.”
“Warrant Officer Nenezik,” Riaska said, replying with his own salute. “What’s your deployment?”
“AASC Trinity, sir. She’s been in the docks for maintenance, and we’re shipping out tomorrow."
“Hell of a ship. Good luck, sailor.”
With lunch over, Riaska walked briskly through the curving corridors back to his spreadsheets. Damn, I can’t wait to be deployed somewhere exciting, he thought. Only a few more months of training.