“Let's cut them up a bit,” I ordered with a grin.
Just as I gave the order, the nuclear torpedo that had targeted their exposed launch bays went off, and I double checked the status of our fighters. Only two had been destroyed so far, and none had been caught in the nuclear blast. I couldn't help but look at the damage we had done to the launch bays as the area became visible through the bridge windows. It was a glowing pit of a wound, outlined by molten metal and sections explosively decompressing.
“Commander Buu reports both rail cannons have been disabled,” Oz reported from behind me.
“So Minh made it out of there?” I realized how unprofessional the question was as soon as it was asked. Oz didn't seem to fault me for it.
“He made it out fine.”
“Good, get him out of the high risk zone and tell him to use the Sunspire as cover. We'll need them for more important tasks.”
We had crippled the carrier, but as we moved past the rear section and ruined launch bay it became obvious that we hadn't disabled her. All their beam emplacements fired at once, along with her much smaller remaining rail gun turrets. The beams were reflected straight back at the carrier's hull, cutting into and opening entire sections.
“Sir, we're not taking any direct damage from weapon's fire, but our hull is heating up fast from the near misses and their rail guns are all targeting the bridge. The energy shield won't last more than ninety seconds at this rate.”
I didn't have to think about it, the words just came out. “Abandon the bridge. Head for the emergency command centre.” I opened communications with Ayan as everyone stopped what they were doing and made for the pair of lifts at the rear of the bridge. “Reinforce the shields on the bridge for two minutes and take command. We're headed down to the emergency controls.”
“Yes sir,” she replied. I felt the deck shake violently and heard an impact that made my ears ring. As the lift closed I remember thinking; that wasn't a small rail gun impact.
Chapter 7
Dawn
There was no warning; only bright lights and doctors. I was out of bed and on my feet in what felt like the blink of an eye. I glanced around the room and saw the bed, restraints, two medical technicians who were in an absolute panic, an emergency cart, and a neural interface cart with the cable ripped out.
The technicians were on their way out the door and I grabbed one by the elbow. "It was simulated?” He looked at me nervously and nodded.
Security came running and stopped at the door. The technician freed his arm and waved them off. "He just came out of it a bit too suddenly and ripped the cable out of the neural interface circlet. Other than a really sore neck, he'll be fine.”
I reached up to find the headpiece still firmly seated on my head and the cable leading from it. My neck was already aching and getting worse by the second. Oz and Ayan were in the doorway a moment later. “Some scenario, wasn't it, Captain?” He asked, flicking his rank insignia with a finger, looking a little disappointed. Suddenly I felt very foolish and took the head piece off properly, put it on an instrument tray and nodded. "I wonder why they felt they had to trick us into it?”
Ayan stepped into the room with a crooked grin. “At least you didn't actually get crushed in the remains of the bridge. They put us all under the night after you met with the Admiral. None of us were told.”
“The Admiral. Your mother.”
“Yes, my mother,” she affirmed, looking so irritated I wished I hadn't brought it up. “This has got to be the most twisted thing she's ever put me through,” she looked up at me for a silent moment. “Anyone through,” she added.
I fixed the security officer with a level gaze. “Lead the way, Private,” I meant to say cordially, but realized after I sounded forceful. I knew there was a debriefing coming, and soon. He'd know where to take us so we could get on with it.
He led us to a large briefing room furnished with a long table and chairs. I felt betrayed, deceived and even a little stupid at being fooled into thinking that all that had happened over the past few days was true. I tried massaging my sore neck while wrapping my head around the idea of just lying in bed for however many days had passed instead of living through the challenges we had faced.
After a few minutes Ayan got up from where she had sat and took a seat beside me at one end of the table and Oz sat on my other side. She rubbed my shoulders and neck. “I shouldn't be this angry,” I said quietly. “If that were real I would have gotten us all killed.”
“No, most of us survived until the next allied battle group came out of hyperspace behind the Triad carriers. I was leading a rescue party into the lift shaft when they shut the scenario down.”
“Even I managed to survive.” Minh-Chu said as he walked in. He dropped himself into a chair. “I was about to take out a fighter as they woke me up,” His mood was equally dark but somehow casual, relaxed. “Going back to making romin and egg rolls is going to be difficult.”
Others were coming in, their moods unsure, no one was talking.
“I can't call it. Did we meet the win conditions?” Oz asked no one in particular. “First Officer felt good. Real good.”
“That's the question, after all this, living days in a simulation without even knowing it. Did we pass their test? Did they like what they saw?” I agreed.
“I suppose they did see everything,” I heard Ayan say to herself quietly, there was a sedate sadness in her voice. I took her hand.
“About time we met for real,” I said to her with a smile. It took a moment for her to realize that it actually was the first time we had met in person. She smiled back as she put her chin on my shoulder and took Minh's hand. He took Laura's, Laura took Jason Everin's and so forth until the circle led back to Oz and I. It took me that long to figure out what I had to say. “No matter what happens here, we were a damn good crew in there.”
“All or none.” Oz said quietly.
“All or none.” several people in the room replied. The twenty one crew members that had started in our regular simulations were all there, and I couldn't have been more proud of them. The chant began, and by the time a sergeant entered the room I'm sure half the station could hear us.
“Attention! Admiral on deck!” The sergeant called out, silencing the room. We all stood at attention, most of us doing so from reflexes learned in Academy, the rest by example.
Rear Admiral Rice and another officer with the rank of Vice Admiral, a woman in her fifties with long blond hair, walked into the room and sat down at the table opposite me. “Be seated everyone. At ease.” She said in a raspy voice. When we were all seated she went on. “I am Vice Admiral McKinley. Before I begin, Rear Admiral Rice has a few things to formalize.”
“Thank you Vice Admiral. The decision to insert you into a surprise scenario came from Fleet Intelligence. After reviewing my reports on you they thought that we had to increase the perceived risk factor. After reviewing the preliminary results, I can see that we satisfied their requirements and passed their psych evaluations.
“Having said that, it is my distinct pleasure to inform you that all charges have been dropped. As a crew and as individuals you have surpassed the expectations of Fleet Command and met all win conditions of the simulation in which you have participated in for the last six days.”
The last sentence was more a matter of record. Everyone was so busy sighing with relief her words went practically unheard. It took at least a few minutes for us to get it out of our system. When we had, Admiral Rice went on. “The results of the exercise are being studied. You had many unconventional solutions for the problems we put in front of you. There were also signs that members of the crew who didn't complete an Academy program are in need of instructions where the chain of command and basic procedures are concerned. You will all receive a report on your performance as well as instructions on how to operate within the structure required while you're aboard. It is important you put this into practice as soon as possible, so your department heads don't have to waste
their time holding your hand while you learn the ropes.
“Servicemen and women should see a report from your former commanding officers tomorrow morning. It is our expectation that you will all review the reports carefully; the advice could be critical to you as enlisted officers.
“I realize that most of the people at this table never went through Fleet Academy. If conditions were different, I would send you there, but we don't have time. The threat that we included in the simulation you just experienced is real. The Paladin is on her way back with a Triad fleet on her heels. In less than five days she'll come out of hyperspace and the third, fourth and seventh Battle Groups will be out there waiting to greet her. We expect to defeat whatever comes, so you won't be part of the action. Not this time anyway.”
Rear Admiral Rice sighed and smiled a little. “To be honest I'm surprised, I expected some people to carry the weight while others spent all their time fighting their way over the learning curve. Instead I had the opportunity to witness everyone play to their strengths and offer their support to the crewman next to them. It normally takes months, even years to form such a camaraderie and fellowship. There are instructors who are very unhappy you succeeded, and more still who are pleasantly surprised. With that thought, I'll turn the briefing over to Vice Admiral McKinley. Good luck.”
“Thank you. Now that you're all pleased with yourselves, I have the pleasure of asking one last time before enlisting the lot of you, if there is a man or woman here who does not see themselves as fit for service, please leave the room now. There will be no dishonour or punishment in doing so,” she waited several seconds before continuing on.
I looked around the table to see that everyone was firmly planted in their seat, and I nearly laughed aloud when I saw Minh-Chu leaning back with his fingers knitted behind his head, looking very pleased with himself.
“Good, I'm going to need you all for what I have planned. Before I get into the details, let me catch you up on a few things. The results of your simulation have provided us with some interesting ideas for the Sunspire, and we're refining the modifications and alterations that were applied to her during the refit. The promotions granted in the simulation stand, and you're all being assigned to her. It is a controversial decision, but I feel a good one, to put Captain Valent in command as well. If there is one thing I have learned from three decades as an officer, it is to not mess with what works. I'll be clear, this is not a light assignment. The only details you are allowed to divulge to your families and friends are that most of the charges against you have been greatly lessened and you must serve in the Freeground Fleet as part of your sentence. If they ask for more details, tell them you have none. Your loved ones will be looked after.
“After the refit is complete, the Sunspire will leave for the Argus Common Sector. You are to rename her and remove any details of her Freeground Shipyard origins from her transponder. You'll be right in the middle of a cluster of heavily populated systems where there are dozens of corporately owned worlds. The Sunspire will seem like an independent mercenary or trader ship. You'll carry out missions under the direction of Freeground Fleet Special Operations while being left to fend for yourselves for the most part.
“This is the kind of assignment that people dream of. You will see places and do things that most of us could not imagine. When looking for moral direction, you only have to think of home and whether what you are doing would be best for Freeground and for your crewmates. There are only two other ships on the same assignment you are about to engage in. They won't know you're there, you'll probably never see them, and if you did you probably wouldn't realize it. After doing nothing for two days but reading your backgrounds and reports on your actions in the simulation, I have faith that you are the right unusual crew for this unusual assignment.
“Your primary mission as a crew will be to acquire information and technology that will help Freeground. That means that under your commanding officer's direction you will buy, copy, steal, and learn about anything we don't have already. Once your senior staff agrees that you have a significant cache of technology you are to return home. I expect your mission to take years. The crewmembers that will be assigned to you will be aware of this. Under special circumstances you can form ties with the governments you meet as a prelude to passing that relationship on to Freeground itself at the completion of your mission.
“You have one day to visit family and friends on the station and put your affairs in order.”
I had one more opportunity to speak to Vice Admiral McKinley. As soon as our meeting was finished and everyone went their separate ways for that last day on Freeground, Alice told me I was to report to the Admiral's office within the hour. I was watching the crews move my personal fighter into the launch bay of the Sunspire and had little else to do so I stepped into the nearest tube. I was so busy thinking my questions over that I didn't even notice the time passing as the tube car shuttled down several kilometres of tunnels and shafts.
Before I knew it I was crossing the Vice Admiral's threshold. “Have a seat, Captain,” she said without looking up from a scrolling stream of text in her hand. I sat down and waited for her to finish what she was doing. She flexed her hand and the text disappeared.
“You're here because I need to answer your questions before I send you off into civilization with your crew. Someone was supposed to go with you on the initial trip, but he's been directed elsewhere. This question period is all you get. Where do you want to start?”
I thought for a minute before uncorking a bottle that I knew I'd never be able to close up again. “Wouldn't it be better to put someone who has a lot of experience in Corporate Territory in command? I don't know much about what's out there.”
“You make a good point, almost no one in your initial crew or anyone I'm assigning to the Sunspire has any experience where you're going. One of the reasons why I approved you as the Captain is because of your years in Port Control. You've spoken to more civilians from more places than most people in the fleet. You're comfortable speaking to new people and know how to get to the bottom of things without insulting whoever you're dealing with.”
The irony of having the worst job I'd ever held down being a major factor in getting posted as Captain wasn't lost on me. Even still, it didn't take me long to get my thoughts back in order, especially with Alice flashing 'WHY NOT MILITARY?' on my comm unit to remind me of my next question. “Why not send a military ship? I'm sure there are small vessels with crews who would be happy to take this assignment.”
“No matter what we tell them to do, or how we tell them to behave they'll always seem like a military crew. Besides, even after an Academy brush up your people wouldn't be accepted into our upper ranks for years, especially if we kept you together. Bringing them in as consultants could work under some circumstances, but they wouldn’t have the direct involvement required for the mission. Our officer would resent the Admiralty for introducing so many fresh-faced consultants. I would be facing a political backlash unlike anything we’ve seen since the British immigrant rush. A shadow ship assignment is the best way to get you and your team out there without insulting the military or wasting your talents.”
“A shadow ship assignment. You've done this before?”
“Not with a crew exactly like yours. Conditions were different in the other cases, but I can't get into specifics. That information is classified above your clearance level.”
“Will you be sending anyone to oversee us?”
“After reviewing the psych profiles of you and your senior staff, we know it's not necessary. Ask yourself; is there anything you can imagine out there that would ever convince you that your home isn't Freeground? Is there anything that would turn your head so far that you'd forget your patriotism to the Freeground Nation?”
I pondered that for a moment, and at the time, I couldn't imagine how I could call any other place home. “No, I can't say there is.”
“In this case that's what's most important. You're al
l patriots, all born here and everyone has spent most of your lives here. You're also skilled, but many of you are not trained militarily. So when it comes down to it, many of your crew would not think or behave like you're military. You may use your officer training, know how to interact with Freeground Fleet personnel, even understand how our systems and procedures work but you think differently, you'll reflexively behave differently.”
“That's quite an answer.”
“You can thank Rear Admiral Rice. She's the one who built your profile.”
“I don't have a right to know, but I was wondering why we were switched from her command to yours.”
“It wasn't because of her daughter. Ayan is right in the middle of this and even though the Admiral is an exemplary officer she can't be expected to be absolutely objective. Besides, Fleet Command has decided it's time for her to have her own command again. Rear Admiral Rice will be leaving after the Paladin arrives and we've defended Freeground. Things are changing, and she has to be out there.”
“Does Ayan know?”
“She will today.” The Vice Admiral leaned forward then, her tone quieted. “Some time ago the upper ranks in Fleet Command realized that our isolation didn't guarantee our safety. In fact it's becoming more of a liability than ever. Free worlds and stations are under assault, whether it be economically, socially or by military force. As one of the last free ports within light years, we draw immigrants of all kinds. They're saying that almost everywhere else it's becoming impossible for an individual to own something, and just as hard to not become someone else's property in some way or another. We have also been losing ground technologically for over a hundred years in military, medical and social sciences. By the same token we are generally more advanced in power management, agriculture and habitation technologies. Our strengths benefit us and attract negative attention at the same time.
“Just think, Freeground manufactures more than it can use in almost every category. Food, air, ships, anything you could imagine is inexpensive to residents because we sell up to half of what we make. We just have too much. We also have a parliament, a real democracy and a military that answers to the people through our governing body. You grew up here, so you wouldn't know, but it's been very hard to find any place where those conditions still exist. When a place becomes as successful as we are, it draws attention to itself and we're out here all alone now. We have the attention of five sectors and barely know what's out there anymore because of our isolationist ways. I know I've only seen three planet-side cities in my life, visited a handful of worlds, so in just a few months out there I bet you and your crew will be able to teach me something.
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins Page 9