GATE - War of Two Worlds Part 2

V14 - Chapter 169 Playgrounds

"Secretary of Navy Finley Reynolds says the Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle or known as the Dale-class contract is running as planned, bumping production up to two hulls a year. Production should begin on the new unmanned Corvette warship late last year. This marks the third major unmanned warship in the past four years.

The Dale name is from Richard Dale, one of the original US Naval officers during the Revolutionary War. He became one of the six original commodores, and the US Navy felt it was important to name the first unmanned warship to one of the foremost naval officers.

The Navy is planning to replace the old Cyclone-class patrol boats with the new Dale. The Navy says these new unmanned Corvettes will be cheaper and more heavily armed. Unlike the Cyclone patrol boats, the Dale is designed for Blue-Water operations.

The US Navy proposed in 2021 to raise the Fleet to 530-hulls, building on top of the original 355-hull plan. The plan is to maintain most of the 355-ship program; they are manned warships. The rest will be unmanned to lightly manned warships to offset the growing need.

This is part of the Navy's smaller hull fleet, moving away from fifty years of relying on large but few warships. With the Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles or known as the ORCA-class success unmanned submarine and the Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle or Sea Hunter-class, the Navy has awarded full production in 2024.

However, Senators Nathaly Ellis from Washington and Sullivan Foley from Puerto Rico have criticized the Navy for pushing unproven technology into the frontlines. They are concerned that the Navy is making the same mistakes as Gerald R. Ford-class and the Zumwalt-class."

***

--- Alnus Community, School ---

March 28th, 2026

Sarah Rose is standing outside the Alnus Community School, waiting patiently

As requested by Sharpe, she has all the students outside after school.

Yesterday, she asked Sharpe to help find a way to integrate Selina with the other students better.

She sees all the students being restless as they wait. They usually would go home right after class.

She glances over and sees Selina standing there, looking down at her phone. She is not alone, Mentiv's younger brother is there asking her questions about the phone.

"At least she isn't alone," Noriko says.

She looks at Noriko and sees her holding her son. She has been her assistant from the beginning. Helping her set up a schedule, organize and mark tests, get school supplies, help create subjects, and everything else.

"Yeah," she replies. "However, I see this split in the class forming. I don't want there to be a small outcast group."

"Sharpe seems not to mind," Noriko says.

"I know," she says. "I don't think he has fully grasped what domestic responsibilities are yet. It was only about six months ago or so when he adopted her. They're both still figuring it out."

"I just cannot believe that my brother has more friends than a Human," Mentiv says. "No offense."

"None taken," she replies.

"Well, Mentiv," Noriko says as she struggles with her fussy son. "During the earthquake, you did bring a lot of food. I think that went a long way(1)."

She looks at Mentiv, the local batgirl. She agrees with Noriko. To her surprise, she is a lot better at kids than expected. She knows how to install fear and laughter into them. She is making class fun.