by Saxon Andrew
Rachael pressed a button on her panel, “Captain, Mashuba, move up beside my ship and try to pin the admiral’s ship between us.”
The Alexandria pulled up beside Rachael’s Americas and they moved to keep Tal’s ship between them. Suddenly, Zak’s Jil reversed course and flew between them so fast that neither of the ship’s weapon and missiles operators could react fast enough to fire at it. Rachael gritted her teeth and ordered the two ships to turn about and pursue.
Tal activated two monitors on his console, “Are you able to evade the ships pursuing you?”
“Yes, Sir,” Captain Turner reported.
“There’s been no problems, Sir,” Captain Lasalle reported.
“I’m switching to the attack program momentarily, so be prepared to follow the red attack tracks.” Tal looked up, “Captain Wolfe, go to the attack program.”
“Yes, Sir. Lieutenant, if you please.”
Katy flipped a switch next to the computer chip inserted in her console and it changed from glowing green to red. Katy looked up at the front monitor and called out, “Ships are linked, Sir.”
Indie smiled, “Commence attack.”
Mila smiled as she whipped Zak’s Jill vertical and then rolled the ship over the top bringing nine-pulse cannons to bear on the Alexandria. Ka opened fire and the white blip disappeared from her monitor. Captain Turner’s Yosemite flashed by in front of the ship and Ka opened fire on Megan Billing’s California which was pursuing the Yosemite, knocking it out of the exercise. Captain Turner moved in on the Tampa that was pursuing the Paris and hit it with four-pulse cannons and a missile.
Rachael stood up and glared at her console. She had lost three-ships in less than ten-seconds and now the Admiral’s ships were turning on her survivors. A few seconds later, Captain Alverez’s Acapulco and Captain Patel’s Ganges were blindsided by the Paris and Zak’s Jil and taken out of the exercise. Now the Americas was the only surviving ship and Rachael shouted, “Get us out of here, Lani!”
Lani whipped the ship around and found Zak’s Jill had launched a missile barrage at her new course. An instant later, her controls went dead, and she turned around to look at Rachael, “Perhaps we should have accepted his assistance, Sir.”
Rachael sat down and muttered, “I think you’re right about that.”
• • •
Jee had lost two-ships to Jan’s unit but she had lost three. It was all a moot point when Tal’s unit came roaring in and knocked the remaining ships out of action.
Jan’s ship was the last survivor of the two-units and she was fleeing from Tal’s unit at maximum speed. But no matter how Samantha turned and maneuvered the ship, there was always a ship in position to cut her off. The Jupiter finally ran out of room to run as it ran up against one of the pink walls and was forced to turn and confront the three attackers. Twenty-seven pulse cannons opened fire on the Jupiter and it was knocked out of the exercise; the war game was over.
• • •
Tal sat at his console and waited. Finally, Rachael appeared on one of his monitors, “Sir, I humbly request you teach my unit what you did during this exercise.”
Tal smiled and activated the other monitors. His face turned serious before ordering, “Every crew will report to my conference room in two-hours. Discuss what just happened during this exercise among yourselves and be prepared to ask questions when you arrive.” He shut off the console except for his three-ships and said, “Go and get something to eat. You deserve it.”
Nicole said over the monitor, “Sir, they didn’t stand a chance against this new technology.”
“They had to see it before we could get their attention, Nicky. Perhaps they’ll pay attention now.”
Indie was staring at Tal, “Do you have a problem, Captain Wolfe?”
“I was concerned about possibly embarrassing some of the crews causing them to lose their confidence. It appears that isn’t an issue, Sir.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“You embarrassed all of them equally. They can recover from that.”
Tal laughed, “Let’s see if you’re right after lunch.”
• • •
The crews were gathered in the conference room with their trainers, as Tal and his three-crews entered the room. The room came to attention and Tal shouted, “AS YOU WERE! TAKE A SEAT!” The crews sat down, and Tal stood in front of them, “I’m going to show you a simulation that my three-ships have recently completed. This simulation is called the ‘crew simulation’ where every member of a ship’s crew takes part in getting through it. Some of you are currently attempting to get through it and I think you will find this illuminating.” Tal sat down and pressed a remote; the large wall-monitor behind him activated.
At the end of the simulation, the room was silent. What they had just witnessed was impossible and how the ship survived was beyond their understanding. Tal turned around toward the assembly, “This question is directed at the trainers in the room, why haven’t any of your crews completed this simulation?”
The room was silent until the senior trainer stood up, “Sir, it’s my understanding that this simulation is impossible to complete.”
“Then how do you explain all three of my ships completing it, Lt. Barnes?”
“I honestly have no answer for that, Sir,” Barnes replied.
Tal glared at him for a few moments before he stood up, and ordered, “All trainers assigned to my fleet will leave the room now. You will report back to Fleet Headquarters for reassignment.”
Barnes quickly said, “But, Sir…”
Tal interrupted him, “This is not a request, Lt. Barnes. Leave now!”
The eighteen-trainers stood up and walked out of the conference room. After they closed the door behind them, Rachael stated, “That was rather severe, wasn’t it, Sir?”
Tal jerked his head around to her and barely managed to remain calm, “Admiral Meadows, I offered to assist them, and they refused me. You just witnessed the result of their refusal during the war game. Besides, they would only inhibit your learning how we did it. They’ll ask stupid questions to make them appear smarter than they are and waste valuable time in getting my ships ready for Andromeda.” Rachael shrugged and nodded her agreement.
Tal turned and said loudly, “Computer, rewind the simulation to the start and overlay the feed from Captain Anand’s monitor during the simulation.” The crews focused on the wall monitor and saw a green, white, and yellow line appear. Tal smiled as he began, ‘What you’re seeing on the monitor is an invention of one of my crewmembers. This invention was used in the crew simulation to beat it, as well as during the war game to defeat your ships. Lt. Montana, please step forward and explain to my crews what those lines are and how they’re used.”
The order surprised Katy, but she stood up and went to the front of the room. Tal handed her a laser pointer and the monitor’s remote. She used the laser to highlight the green track and said, “This line represents the optimum route a ship can take to escape an enemy formation. The white track…”
As Tal listened to her, he knew that Katy Montana was something special and, if she survived the mission to Andromeda, she would one day command a fleet of her own. There were several others that were also talented and would provide the officers needed by the navy in the future. Dorman, Indie, Lani, and several others were developing their command skills and experience. He focused on Katy’s presentation and saw she had the crews’ undivided attention. Katy’s posture had changed dramatically from when she came on board. Her eyes were animated, and her expression revealed her pride in what she developed.
Katy walked them through the crew simulation and then took them through the war game. At the end, there were very few questions; she did an excellent job of covering everything in her presentation.
When Katy finished, Tal stood up, “I am going to assign one member of the crews under my command to each of your ships; they will assist you in learning this new process. You’ll have four days to master it, and at
that time, we will have another war game to see how you’re doing.”
“Sir?”
Tal turned to Rachael, “Yes, Admiral Meadows.”
“Would it be possible for us to use our actual ships in the next exercise. We need to get a feel for them, Sir.”
“Absolutely not, Admiral!” Tal responded. Rachael was surprised by his answer and Tal explained, “Our ships do not have a training program installed and there is no way to make our pulse cannons fire training beams or our missile launchers to fire dummy missiles. If they fire, it will be the real thing. I don’t want to lose all my ships practicing, Admiral.”
Rachael quickly nodded, “I agree, Sir. I was just checking.”
Tal looked out at the assembly, “The training rooms have cost more than a billion credits to make them match up with how your real vessels will respond to your controls. If you can master your simulators, you will be able to fly your ships.” Tal turned to Indie, “Please make the assignments so we can get to work.”
Indie stood up and began, “Lt. Montana, you will report to Admiral Meadow’s crew; Captain Anand, you will report to Admiral Jee Stevens, crew; Commodore Ka, you will report to Admiral Jan Stevens’ crew…”
Tal was amazed that Indie didn’t refer to any list or use any device to make the assignments. He was simply amazing. When the meeting was adjourned, Katy walked up to Indie, “Sir, why did you assign me to Admiral Meadows. I understand that she can be a beast.”
Indie smiled, “Because you invented this system and she’ll be forced to recognize you for that. Just remember that you are there to assist her and don’t take any crap from her.”
“Easy for you to say, Sir.”
Indie smiled, “You’re perfect for the task, Katy.”
Indie turned to leave the conference room, as Ricardo said, “Uhhh…Sir. I don’t know that I’m qualified to teach the crew on the front-three consoles how to use this new system.”
Indie snorted, “Ricardo, I’ve watched you standing behind Katy, Mila, and Ka numerous times watching what they were doing. If you get a question you can’t answer, contact me.”
Ricardo sighed, “Yes, Sir.”
• • •
Tal thought about the assignments and started to worry about Katy. Rachael was a handful and challenged him numerous times. He stood up and went to Rachael’s training room. He stepped into the room and saw Rachael standing with her face an inch in front of Katy’s nose, “HOW WERE YOUR SHIPS ABLE TO DEFEAT MY UNIT, LIEUTENANT?!”
Tal rolled his eyes, just before Katy replied, “Sir, if you want I will go back over the video of the war game with you detail by detail if that is what you want done. I prefer to not waste that time but instead work on getting your crew ready to use the new system. What would you prefer me to do, Admiral?!”
Rachael looked into Katy’s unflinching eyes and said, “My crew comes first, of course.” Katy smiled, “Sir, if you will listen to the training I think your questions will be answered without having to go back through the video.”
Rachael stared into Katy’s face and backed off, “I’m all ears, Lieutenant.”
Tal stepped out of the room and Indie’s decision became clear. Katy was accustomed to arguing with her older brother, who was the Fleet Commander over all of Earths military forces. Arguing with a one-star admiral wouldn’t be hard. Indie proved his value once again.
• • •
The next war game was almost a waste of time. The units went to evasive maneuvers and even the units that used the attack mode were unable to get into position to take a shot. But it did show that the system worked and gave the crews confidence in using it. The mission to Andromeda was a scouting mission and the intent was to remain hidden. The war game was a good prelude to the fleet’s departure. Immediately after the exercise, Tal ordered everyone to take ten days of liberty to be with their families. He informed his crews that they might be gone for a very long time and that they should make the best use of the free time to be with the ones important to them. Later in their quarters, he asked Ka with a big smile, “Where would you like to go, Darling.”
“I believe you and I have a date with Admiral Montana, Tal.”
Tal’s eyes flew open, “YOU’RE RIGHT!! LET’S GO NOW!!”
“No, Jee and Jan will need to be there, and all of the crews have insisted on being present.”
“But…I thought this was going to be a small ceremony,” Tal responded.
“It will be, Love. We’ll do it the day before we shove off.”
“What do you want to do in the meantime, Ka?”
“I think I know a beach called Pass-a-Grill that is calling our names.”
Tal laughed and took her in his arms, “I do believe you’re right.”
• • •
Five days before the wedding, Duncan contacted Tal. “What’s up, Duncan?” Tal asked.
“An issue has come up.”
Tal’s eyes narrowed, “What issue?”
“It appears the news about your impending wedding has leaked to the press,” Duncan replied. “My staff tells me that every hotel and rental location in the major Orlando metropolitan complex has been booked and the numbers outside the area are filling up quickly.”
“Why?” Tal asked.
“It appears they want to get a glimpse of Earth’s two most famous heroes after their wedding.”
“But that isn’t going to happen, Duncan. We’re shoving off for Andromeda the next day and we’re not leaving the Orlando base during that time.”
Ka was looking over his shoulder and said, “What happens if we don’t make an appearance, Duncan?”
“There will be a lot of disappointed people, Ka.”
Ka looked at Tal and saw him shaking his head, “What do you recommend, Duncan?” Ka asked
“They deserve to see you, Ka. They are the ones we’re fighting for and we should never forget that.”
“But how are we going to pull this off?” Tal interrupted.
“Disney has offered to open its gates at no charge to anyone that wants to see your wedding. They’ve promised to put monitors all over the parks showing the ceremony, which will allow everyone to see the event.”
“But I don’t want it to be an event, Duncan!” Tal shouted.
“Too late for that, Tal,” Ka responded.
“There is one caveat to this,” Duncan added.
“What is that?” Ka asked.
“Disney says that you will have to have the ceremony inside Disney.”
“Oh, hell no!” Tal interjected.
Ka smiled and said, “We’ll do it, Duncan. Set everything up and tell us where we need to be and at what time. I do however, insist that there be space for our crews to be in attendance.”
“KA!” Tal yelled
“Is Earth your home or not, Tal?!” Ka asked firmly. Tal stared at her, lowered his head, and nodded slowly. Ka turned back to the communicator, “Set it up, Duncan. We’ll do whatever needs doing to not disappoint the people coming to witness our wedding.”
“I’ll be in touch,” Duncan replied before ending the contact.
Tal looked up at Ka, as he exhaled sharply, “Are you sure about this?”
Ka smiled, “It’s our destiny, Tal.”
“Don’t start with this destiny thing, Ka!”
“Prove to me it’s not.” Ka stared at him with her hands on her hips and all he could do was roll his eyes.
• • •
Word went out like wildfire through a dry field. The news networks contacted Disney and they agreed to allow them to be present to stop the sudden mad rush of people coming from all over Earth to be present. The city was filled to capacity of people from all around the planet and it was only the announcement that the wedding would be televised that stopped the mad rush to get near Orlando. Tal sat back and was amazed at the hysteria taking place on the news media. What a life. An assassin would never accept this much attention…it would blow their cover. He was unaccustomed to this
much fame and Orlando was becoming a mad house. He had no idea how he was going to get into Disney much less to the site of the wedding. He decided to bite his lip and go with the flow. What else could he do?”
Chapter Ten
Tal stood in his quarters and General Lein walked in the open door, “Time to go, Admiral.”
Tal looked away from the full-length mirror, as he adjusted his collar for the tenth-time. “I’ve never worn my formal dress-uniform, I’ve never had the occasion to do so. He turned to Jee, “How do I look?”
Jee smiled, “Like the great leader you are, Tal. We need to get moving.”
Tal looked at his watch and saw the wedding was due to start in thirty-minutes. He jerked his head to General Lein, “How are we going to get there in time?”
“There’s a shuttle just outside the front entrance that will take you to the ship.”
“Ship?” Tal asked.
“One of our Alphas is going to take you to the site.”
“Why on Earth would I be going in an Alpha?”
“The Chancellor thinks the people of Earth need to see our newest battleship, and this is a good time to show them.”
Tal looked into the mirror again but Jee grabbed his arm and pulled him away, “Forget the collar, it’s perfect. Let’s get moving!”
Tal followed him out of his quarters and arrived at the front entrance in two-minutes. Jee pulled him up the ramp and the shuttle immediately lifted to the giant Alpha hovering above the building. The Alpha shot straight up and moved high into the atmosphere, at which point, it began dropping toward Disney and the wedding site.
There was standing room only in the four-parks and everyone present was starting to get excited. The lucky ones had managed to get within eyesight of the decorated platform where the ceremony would take place and the others gathered around the giant monitors scattered around the parks. The crowd noise was heavy, and everyone had to shout to be heard. That stopped when something blocked out the sun and cast a large shadow over the crowds. Everyone grew instantly silent as they watched a gigantic warship moving slowly down toward them…it was huge!
The Alpha arrived three-hundred-feet above the platform and a shuttle left the giant’s landing bay and moved slowly down to the surface. It stopped just above the platform and extended a set of steps out of the shuttle’s nose. Tal and Jee walked out of the shuttle wearing their dress-admiral’s uniforms and the crowds began cheering. They arrived just in front of the crews gathered in rows of chairs directly in front of the platform and walked down to the steps leading up to the platform. Everyone was staring at the giant warship hovering just above the crowds; the shock and amazement of those in the gathering was palatable. Tal glanced behind the platform and rolled his eyes. “What’s wrong?” Jee inquired.