Carnifex

15/8/468 AC, BdL Dos Lindas, Hajipur, Sind

"Shit me a goddamned working elevator!" Fosa screamed at his chief engineer.

"It's not that simple, Captain," the engineer answered, sheepishly. "Yes, we thought it would be that simple but we were wrong."

Fosa turned around and stared out of the bridge's wide, and new, windows, looking at the menacing shadow of the Tadeo Kurita. It wasn't particularly easy to calm himself down, but he did. He turned around again and asked, "All right; what's the problem?"

"It's the way this class, any class, really, of warships was built, way back when, Skipper. They can use the same diagrams. They can subcontract to the same subcontractors. But they're always a little different. In this particular case, we've got to modify the goddamned hangar deck and the elevator portal because it's three fucking millimeters too small. Or the elevator is three millimeters too big; take your pick."

"How long?"

The engineer looked at the master of the shipfitters.

"'nother week, Skipper. Maybe five day if go well."

"Fuck."