Alex looked over the hologram of the plans for the dome in front of him. Though a lot had been done in these past two weeks, there was still more to do. Since the night of the Artucian's entry into the Unified Systems Alliance, both them and the crew of the Perseus had been working around the clock. Salvaging the wrecks of the Dead Snows was well under way, as was the rebuild of the dome behind him.
One of the first things to be done was to clear away all the ice surrounding the dome. Once enough of the ice had been cleared away, the basic structure of the dome had gone up. Already, several small frigate and destroyer wrecks had been cannibalized to do this. After that, they had started putting together the interior substructure to make the dome habitable.
Taal'ani and Jaesa had worked together to find a way to strengthen the Artucian crystal, having stumbled upon the compound not even five days ago. After testing it both theoretically and physically, the new crystal was stable and strong. It was easily capable of withstanding high levels of heat while still maintaining its integrity. After they had figured that out, it took them virtually no time at all to cobble together a machine that could reproduce the crystal in sheet form.
Currently, the machine was spitting out a new hexagonal sheet of crystal every ten minutes. Though that might have seemed fast, the speed at which the crew and Artucian were building was much faster than what the machine could produce. Already, nearly half the dome was ready to come online, but there was only so much crystal that could be made at any given time by the Glaug'kha slugs.
The accelerated timetable was owed to the both the Artucian's work ethic and the new Sentries that were constructed. The Artucian people were a marvel, especially to Korsa. Having no shortage of volunteers, Korsa was able to study both male and female of the species and she learned much more than she thought possible. On top of the discoveries Korsa had already made, the most amazing thing was the Artucian's capacity to learn.
So much of their brains were unmapped, but from what Korsa was able to determine, the average Artucian could learn anything new with surprising readiness. For the doctor and her daughter, Natalya, teaching those willing to learn was almost like having a class with near photographic memory.
Sure, there were those who didn't learn quite as well, but they were blessedly few. Because of their capacity to learn, many of the Artucian were doing things nearly on par with the rest of the crew. Although, some other things, such as flying and haven't been taught as yet, the crew had no illusions that eventually, the Artucian would learn about these things.
The new Sentries that were constructed were playing a key role in getting things done. Many of them were built to new designs and specs that were concocted by Natalya, Kasumi and Shazza. The chassis was upgraded to a light, more durable frame, upgraded weapons, and some additional goodies. Built in scout drones, portable radar and heat sensors, collapsible shielding, construction and welding kits, were just a few of the upgrades that had gone into the new Sentries.
With everything that had been recovered, they had restored over fifty percent of the Sentry compliment aboard the Perseus. Half of which were currently in the Dead Snows, patrolling and clearing out wildlife, as well as assisting Inari's team with the salvage operation. With the materials being recovered on a daily basis, more Sentries were being built each day, which made their job easier with each new unit.
Though everything was proceeding along at a good pace, it wasn't fast enough for Alex. He longed to finish with things here and get out into the galaxy, so the Unified Systems Alliance could start bringing more splinter factions of humanity into the fold. He chastised himself for his impatience, knowing that this new quest he and the crew had embarked on was a marathon, not a sprint.
Nothing would be solved overnight, no matter how much he wanted it to be. Though both of his ladies, Nats and Kas, kept him occupied most nights. He grinned at their wanton and sometimes, insatiable lust for him. Alex could feel himself falling in love with both women and not just because of the sex. It was how they made him feel and how they drove him to be better and do better than the day before. A few kind words from them, made him feel like Superman, almost like he could conquer and overcome anything.
He turned away from the hologram and focused his attention on the dome behind him. Alex smiled as he watched the final few sheets of crystal being placed and sealed together. His new design included a secondary layer beneath the first one, in case some sheets on the first layer required replacing. As it was, the first quarter was in the final phase of construction and was nearly ready to come online.
"All sheets have been sealed?" Alex asked Taal'ani as he surveyed the work in front of him.
"Nearly done sir. The first quarter is just about ready and the main settlement at the center of the dome has been sealed. We will be ready in ten minutes," the cat-girl told him.
"And the systems upgrade? Has it been successful?"
"Yes sir! With Jaesa's help, we have rewritten the whole program that powers up and maintains the dome. Lt. Commander Vostrikov's upgrades have also been essential in giving us more than enough power to run the dome for the next few hundred years," Talon told him.
"How did she manage to do that?" he wondered.
"Natalya found several ship reactors that hadn't ruptured and repurposed them to power the dome. Quite innovative of her, if you ask me."
"Very good, Warrant Officer. Proceed with the power up when ready," he told her.
"Aye, sir!" she replied with a salute, before getting back to directing the Artucian and Sentries to additional construction duties.
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Inari was going through several additional checks of the clamps to ensure that her payload was secure. Though it wasn't ideal, it was the only way to haul salvage up to the Perseus to be recycled and repurposed. Priya, Korsa, Shazza and a small contingent of Artucian, along with several dozen Sentries were there helping her out. Sure, progress was slow, but once the dome was online, then the Hephaestus frigate would be built, making the salvage op much easier.
Inari then had the crew load up on the Hermes, figuring that it was getting a bit chilly for them. The Sentries could go for a little longer before they needed to be rotated out. Though the sun was out in full force, the bitter cold was taxing on their joints and ability to move and perform the tasks needed. She figured another hour or two before they should be rotated, to be safe.
"Commander Sunara, are you there? Commander Sunara, come in please," Alex's voice broke in over her commlink.
"Sunara here. I read you loud and clear, Commodore," Inari replied, slipping back into military mode. It felt good to be part of something military again. She had missed both the lifestyle and the camaraderie that came with it. Even though she had that to some extent with the crew of her ship, it wasn't the same. Having someone there for you and that had your back, no matter what, was something she had missed from those days.
"The first quarter of the dome is about ready to come online. Will you be ready to deliver our first gift to the Artucian?" he asked.
"Within the hour, sir. I have Sentries standing by with the plants, seedlings and trees, ready to load them. Just have to run this load up to the Perseus before we can come on back," she replied.
