CMDR Eldrich Thames Logbook, entry #8, February 23, 3303
23 Feb 2017Eldrich Thames
So... the rank problem was solved last weekend. I still need to get the money to buy and outfit a Federal Corvette...
Even if I buy one and deck her out with A-grade modules and big guns at one of Li Yong-Rui's discount dealerships, we are still talking several hundred million Creds, right?
Well... screw that! I want my 'vette, and I want it now!
This morning I decided to check the ship markets on the net, and found that the shipyard at Wells Ring in the V568 Aurigae system had one recently decommissioned Fed Corvette available for those with the proper Navy clearances.
The ship in question is registered as the FNS Dragoon. She left the Core Dynamics shipyard in 3290, and has served mostly as a patrol ship in frontier systems, with a few interventions in local conflicts against pirate gangs and Imperial factions. No involvement in large-scale Navy operations. Little combat wear and tear despite its almost thirteen years of active service.
The Dragoon is being decommissioned as part of the initiatives of Federal President Zachary Hudson to reinvigorate the Navy by replacing all combat and support vessels with more than ten years of service with fresh ones, as well as increasing the number of active warships by at least 10% before the end of current calendar year.
As part of her decommissioning process all military-grade weapons, armor and equipment have been removed, replaced by their civilian counterparts. The Dragoon's spaceframe, however, had been refurbished and retrofitted with some of the latest improvements made by Core Dynamics to the latest revisions of the Corvette design (only those enhancements approved for civilian use, naturally).
For all intents and purposes, this Corvette is as good as new.
Considering that even battle-worn 'vettes, with entire sections of their hulls rebuilt after being put out of commission, are still formidable ships when outfitted with the best gear available to civilian pilots, the prospect of owning a practically mint one is too good to be true!
I wouldn't take the risk of this actually being true and missing a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Off to V568 Aurigae!
After seen a lot of the big ones during the last couple years, I really thought that I wouldn't find the Corvette any more impressive than an Anaconda or the gazillions of Belugas now cluttering the spacelanes and mailslots.
I guess being almost all the time strapped to your cockpit chair distorts your sense of scale big-time! Once you see the big girls up close and personal you can't help but feel insignificant.
And the former FNS Dragoon was nothing less than awe-inspiring and downright gorgeous! Every single line of its design screams power with such a beauty that I cannot even put it to words here. Suffice to say I was drooling so badly they had enough spittle to mop the whole floor of the damned hangar the Dragoon was sitting in!
"So what do you think, Commander?", the Core Dynamics sales rep asked. He was escorted by a Navy officer in charge of overseeing and approving the handover of former Federal Navy assets in the system. "Isn't she magnificent?"
"It is, no doubt...", I said, more like a whisper to myself actually. "to be honest I was expecting the ad to be some kind of out-of-season April Fool's joke. Why is she still sitting here?"
"Well...", the salesman hesitated. "While normally former Federal Navy assets are handed down to properly vetted pilots without much hassle, in the Dragoon's case there are some special... requirements her next owner must comply before signing the buy order."
So this ship comes with strings attached? To good to be true, at least in a sense..., I thought.
"And what are those... requirements?", I asked, eyeing the salesman.
"Since this ship is still in perfect working order despite her service time, she's been classified as an Available Tertiary Asset.", the officer explained. "This means that those pilots with appropriate clearance to acquire this vessel are free to use her as he or she deems fit, so long as the pilot agrees to perform on-demand tasks on behalf of any Federation-affiliated party."
"The owner of the vessel is required to comply with those requests as soon as possible.", the officer continued. "The penalty for refusing to do so is losing ownership of the asset - a refund of the buying price, minus administrative fees, will be provided to the owner in such a case."
"And I assume these requests must be fulfilled pro bono, right? As in, no payment...", I said.
"Some activities might not have any rewards beyond the gratitude of the Federation, yes. But the vast majority of them are handled as ordinary contracts, and you will receive appropriate monetary or material compensation for your time.", the officer explained.
"As long as you don't ask for help everyday, I think I can live with that!", I joked.
"No need to worry about being taken out of your way often, either. And normally you will be informed of a request well in advance as to not interfere with your ordinary obligations. We expect you to report at least not later than a week after notification, unless the task is marked as High Priority."
"Other than that, you are totally free to use the ship in any way you desire. You can use it to work for other factions, even the Alliance or the Empire!", the Core Dynamics salesman remarked.
"As long as such work doesn't result in direct harm to Federation interests, of course.", the officer added promptly.
"I guess that goes without saying!", I laughed.
As I pondered my options, I took another gaze at the magnificent vessel in front of me. Was it worth having that string attached to you, and being pulled out of your way anytime by some mid-tier Federation bureaucrat or Navy officer, just to own an almost brand-new version of one of the most powerful combat ships available in the Galaxy?
"Okay... Where do I sign up?"