Kieran Ravy had been up and working for almost three hours by the time his friends started to wake up the following morning. He had been working through the night the night before, managing the first phases of the Kyara's refurbishment, and he had returned to the shipyard's main engineering bay at precisely 0700 hours to continue managing the job. The familiar bustle and activity of the House Ravy shipyards always rekindled his enthusiasm for engineering and building.
Luna Trevyn, who was reportedly the first member of the visiting group to awaken, came out of her guest quarters at around 1000 hours ship time. Yan Zantara, Nayla Zantara, and Nora Rahmyn followed shortly after. They discovered individualized, unfettered facility access permits and standard shipyard safety equipment, including heavy-duty gloves, flame-retardant coveralls, and impact-resistant eyewear, waiting on the dressers in their individual rooms.
Refreshed, they descended to the main residence level of the house and found Ryna Ravy, Jyn Ravy, Nivika Ravy, and the baby Zev Ravy huddled together in the large, well-lit kitchen. While Jyn Ravy and Nivika skillfully prepared the enormous dining table, Ryna was merrymaking around the food preparation area, planning breakfast. The four guests assisted in clearing away the dishes after a surprisingly good breakfast, which was reportedly one of Ryna's more successful culinary ventures, before going to find Kieran Ravy in the shipyard. Yan Zantara gave Nivika one of his most endearing, enticing smiles as they walked out of the apartment building. Nivika returned the smile, short, a little agitated, but sincere. As they were walking, Nayla Zantara, who had noticed the interaction, gave Yan Zantara a little tap on the shoulder.
Though her tone was entirely hypothetical, Nayla Zantara said innocently, "Isn't she just a tad young for your usual... attentions, Yan Zantara?"
Yan Zantara sneered contemptuously, "Sixteen?" "Perfectly acceptable threshold in many systems. Besides, age is relative. I once encountered a delightful young lady in a spaceport cantina who, while chronologically only seven Terran standard years old, was well past the age of majority for her particular species. Fascinating cultural differences... Man, she was—"
Nayla Zantara abruptly interrupted, her ears turning slightly flat. "Do not finish that sentence, Yan Zantara," she said. Yan Zantara closed his mouth sensibly. The gang eventually found the drydock bay where the Kyara was presently getting its massive refit after being directed by a number of helpful shipyard personnel. When Taran Ravy saw them coming, he waved and called out a greeting from a makeshift scaffold that had been set up next to the Kyara's port hull.
The voice said, "Hey! Welcome to the workshop!" and everyone turned to face the source. The clamor of shipyard activity, including the hiss of plasma torches, the crackle of arc welders, the whine of magnetic rivet guns, and the repetitive clank of automated assembly arms, almost drowned out their responses. Protecting her eyes from the glare of a nearby welding arc, Nora Rahmyn saw Taran Ravy.
"Taran Ravy! Good to see you! Any idea where Kieran Ravy's hiding?!"
"Last I saw, he was deep in the guts of the engineering section, wrestling with the new drive field stabilizer installation! Should still be back there somewhere!"
Nora Rahmyn shouted out, "Got it!" but stopped when she realized she had no idea what a "field stabilizer" was or where to go for one in the ship's engineering areas. She thought she heard Taran Ravy groan over the shipyard noise, "Uh... engineering section... where exactly?!" before he yelled back.
"Aft engineering compartment! Main drive access! Just follow the biggest power conduits!"
"Okay, got it!" At least the direction of "aft engineering" was rather obvious. They made their way to the starboard side access door, treading carefully over hull plates that had been discarded, tangled wiring looms, and other outdated parts that were stacked on the drydock floor and waiting to be removed. They eventually found Kieran Ravy, or more accurately, his legs and lower torso, protruding from beneath a sizable, recently installed piece of intricate machinery that was sparkling with new alloys, after entering the designated engineering sector. Yan Zantara bent over and looked at the jutting legs. "Yo, Kieran Ravy? That you under there?"
He received a muffled grunt in response, and Kieran Ravy started to wriggle backward out of the cramped tunnel beneath the machinery, followed by sounds of scraping and effort. A sudden intake of breath and a loud, definite clunk of metal hitting metal interrupted his sentence, "Yeah... almost... just give me a second to..."
Nora Rahmyn inquired worriedly, "Kieran Ravy? You alright?" From behind the machine came a muffled moan.
"Dammit!" After scraping for a second more, Kieran Ravy slid out completely and fiercely rubbed his brow. "You'd think they could at least put some padding on the underside clearance beams in these access ways!" Despite wearing heavy-duty knee and elbow pads, he had multiple new small scratches and scrapes and was heavily stained with grease, hydraulic fluid, and coolant residue. Over his customary t-shirt, vest, and cargo pants, he completed his typical 'working' clothing with a sophisticated tool harness bristling with specialized equipment hanging around his waist and durable fingerless work gloves protecting his hands.
Luna Trevyn looked around at his unkempt appearance. "You look like hell," she said sardonically.
Kieran Ravy complained, "Feeling it, too," as he stretched his back. "Been wedged under there for nearly half an hour. Some idiot technician ran the wrong gauge power conduit from the primary breakers to the stabilizer's main charging matrix. Had to trace the damn thing the entire length of the housing, rip it out, and run a properly shielded replacement line."
Nayla Zantara asked, "Translation for the mechanically disinclined?"
With a sigh, Kieran Ravy summed up, "The... power cable... was wrong. Had to replace it,"
"Ah. Got it. So, how's the refit progressing overall?"
"Refit," Kieran Ravy automatically fixed. "Nothing was technically broken, just outdated. We've made excellent progress stripping out the old systems. The new experimental propulsion core and field stabilizer assembly are nearly fully integrated. Most of the other major systems are still in chaos, though," he said. "Sensors, navigation, weapons control, life support... pretty much everything's being gutted and replaced with newer generation tech, right down to the command chair interface on the bridge."
Yan Zantara interrupted abruptly, "All right, Professor Ravy, show us the basic version of this new propulsion thing. Very basic."
After pausing to collect his thoughts, Kieran Ravy said, "Okay, simplified..." "You understand that interstellar space, while mostly vacuum, contains a diffuse field of charged particles – ions, both positive and negative, right?"
Yan Zantara nodded while continuing to follow. "Yeah, basically," he said.
"And you grasp the basic principle that controlled interactions between generated energy fields and ambient matter or particles can produce motive force?"
Yan Zantara was obviously starting to falter. "Uh... yeah, I guess?" she asked.
Kieran Ravy went on to say, "Right. Well, this system projects a precisely modulated, polarized energy field around the entire ship," in an effort to keep things simple. "This field interacts selectively with the ambient ions in space. By carefully manipulating the field polarity and harmonics, we create... let's call it a 'pressure differential'... between the ions interacting with the field and the surrounding space. This differential generates thrust, pushing the ship forward. The key is maintaining extremely precise control over the field geometry and frequency at all times. That's the primary function of the field stabilizer assembly I was just wrestling with. It monitors subspace flux and constantly adjusts the field parameters to—" Nayla Zantara cut him off before he could get into the technical details.
"Bottom line, Kieran Ravy: how fast?"
"Theoretically? It's never been tested on a full-scale operational vessel before," said Kieran Ravy. "All data comes from advanced computer modeling and small-scale drone tests, but those projections suggest..."
"Wait," Nora Rahmyn said, scowling a little. Her natural distrust of excessively complicated or unproven technology came to the surface when she asked, "You're installing an untested, experimental drive system on your personal ship?"
Kieran Ravy dismissed her worry with a shake of his head. "It's the first full-scale starship installation, yes. But rigorous simulations and component stress tests haven't revealed any critical flaws. Theoretically, based on the physics involved, this could represent the single biggest leap in interstellar propulsion efficiency since the development of the first stable hyperdrives."
Yan Zantara questioned, "So it's not commercially available yet?"
Kieran Ravy affirmed, "No, and probably never will be, at least not in this configuration." "The Rimland Security Force have already expressed... significant interest and placed substantial pre-orders contingent on successful field trials. They've requested extreme discretion regarding the technology's capabilities. Frankly, I'm a little surprised Father authorized the primary integration work to be done here at the main shipyard instead of within The Works."
"The Works?" Luna Trevyn said softly again, recognizing the new phrase and feeling that Kieran Ravy could have accidentally disclosed something delicate.
Kieran Ravy swiftly redirected, "Ah... internal project designation. Never mind," "The important point is the projected performance. Theoretical top speed should exceed two hundred fifty thousand times light speed under optimal conditions. If the models hold true, the Kyara should be capable of traversing the entire Milky Way galaxy, edge to edge, in approximately one standard month."
Nora Rahmyn insisted, "You mentioned 'The Works' before," refusing to let the topic fall. "What is that?"
"Perhaps you'll find out more later," Kieran Ravy surreptitiously avoided. "For now, let's just say it's where House Ravy handles its most... sensitive projects. In addition to the drive, we're also upgrading the Kyara's shield grid and tactical weapons arrays. Given the nature of this new propulsion system, enhanced defensive capabilities seemed prudent. Provides a little extra peace of mind, too. Speaking of which, why don't you all go check on the progress with your cabins? The refit crews should be in there now, prepping the spaces for personalization. Just mention I sent you, give them your specifications, and they'll take care of it."
As the four friends contemplated the enigmatic 'Works' Kieran Ravy had alluded to, they set out for the ship's residential area. The idea of finally personalizing their living areas was a pleasant diversion. Yan Zantara immediately made requests for his cabin: a luxurious king-sized bed stuffed with at least fourteen synth-down pillows; a sleek executive desk; a top-tier immersive sound system; custom display racks for his armor and weapons; plush velvet armchairs; atmospheric wall lighting; bulkheads painted a deep, dramatic sapphire blue; and several prominently displayed holographic portraits of himself in heroic poses. Luna Trevyn requested a normal military-type bed, a robust writing desk, two plain chairs, a basic dresser, a functional flatscreen monitor, and a matte black finish. Her requests were typical of her minimalist and monochromatic taste.
A large viewscreen with a comprehensive entertainment system interface, a separate high-fidelity audio setup, useful bunk beds (presumably anticipating occasional guests or shared training), a powerful personal computer terminal with worktable, and numerous brightly colored, comfortable beanbag chairs scattered around—the overall color scheme a vibrant, almost chaotic, explosion of psychedelic hues—were among the many items that Nora Rahmyn changed her list of requests before deciding on.
Similar basic furniture was requested by Nayla Zantara, but she added special requirements: a queen-sized bed in place of the bunks; a palette of deep jungle greens, subdued golds, and black accents; and long-lasting, textured carpeting that was applied not only to the floor but also up the walls and across the ceiling (allowing for plenty of surfaces for claw-sharpening). Kieran Ravy planned to maintain mostly the same layout for his own cabin: a desk and computer station that doubled as a computer station, an integrated audio system, a small but fully functional workbench with precision tools, a king-sized bed, a reinforced armor and weapons locker, two cozy armchairs, and a secondary command console panel that allowed him to remotely monitor and control the majority of ship systems. All of these features were kept in realistic, earthy tones.
The four companions went back to their guest accommodations in the Ravy complex for the day after submitting their requests to the refit teams. Later, Kieran Ravy arrived, already dressed for sparring. The five visitors were matched against available Ravy family members in a friendly team sparring contest that he had reportedly planned as a family outing. The teams were as follows: Jaron Ravy, Lexan Ravy, Jyn Ravy, Taran Ravy (fighting in a prosthesis-adapted style), Nivika Ravy, Nora Rahmyn, Luna Trevyn, Yan Zantara, Nayla Zantara, and Kieran Ravy himself.
Naturally, Kieran Ravy faced Jaron because he was the only one who was even close to his father's stature and power. The other pairings were decided fast: Luna Trevyn confronted the resolute Taran Ravy; Nora Rahmyn attracted the disciplined soldier, Lexan Ravy; Yan Zantara was partnered with the equally vivacious Jyn Ravy; and Nayla Zantara faced the surprisingly nimble Nivika Ravy. In the end, the 'visitor' team won the series by a slim margin of three games to two. Taran Ravy, in spite of his prosthetic leg, narrowly defeated the fearsome Luna Trevyn via pure determination and astute adaptation, while Kieran Ravy was soundly crushed by his more experienced father in a display of controlled might. The whole extended group gathered in the large family dining hall that evening for dinner, when there was a lot of laughter, friendly banter, and discussion over the afternoon's sparring rounds.
Similar shipyard observations and family gatherings took place the following day, but Jaron Ravy made a big promise in place of a fight: if they were officially promoted to Elemental rank, House Ravy would re-forge or custom-fabricate new sets of armor for each of them that featured the Elemental colors and motifs of their choice. As a result, the rest of the evening was devoted to animated conversation as they studied alloy specifications, sophisticated forging methods, and possible design ideas.
The government team was expected to arrive on the third day of their stay at the Ravy complex. As the officials' vessel dropped, Jaron Ravy, Taran Ravy, and the five visiting gladiators gathered on the main landing platform to greet it. The ship was identified as a sleek, heavily armed frigate with marks from the Rimland Security Force. Its dark gray hull suggested that it was equipped with sophisticated multi-layered composite armor plate.