by Ricky Sides
“Father and I survived, but he was killed by Marauders. Tim rescued me. He was shot when he had to rescue me a second time, and I tended him until he recovered. The two of us went and retrieved the ship,” she explained.
“That must have been a monumental task for just the two of you,” Pol observed.
“It had its moments,” Tim said.
“Well I had heard that there was a ship being used by a group calling themselves the Peacekeepers and the ship answered to the description of the prototype we designed. I came here attempting to find out if it was true. I learned in Athens that a Patricia was here and she was said to be gifted with computers if I had one needing repairs,” Pol said and then boisterously laughed. “My dear, did you finally open that computer shop I’ve been trying to get you to run for years?”
Tim grinned as he noted the smile on his wife’s face. He realized that this must have been a running joke between the two for ages.
“Well someone has to compensate for your inefficient engine designs,” Patricia said smirking. She laughed at the stricken expression on Pol’s face. “Oh come now, Pol, you know I’m only teasing,” she said hugging him again.
“Actually, for a moment I was afraid that the engines had been operating at less than normal efficiency,” Pol admitted. Grinning he said, “You frightened me there for a moment.”
“Are you looking for work, Pol?” Jim asked.
“If it’s on the prototype, yes, sir, I am,” Pol answered enthusiastically.
“We call it the Peacekeeper,” Jim explained, and then he added, “And I’m afraid we can’t pay you in cash. But you’ll get your own dwelling here on the base, and access to work on the ship when she is on the base, plus meals, clothing from stores, even the liquor of your choice within reason,” he explained.
“Cash is worth less than toilet paper these days, but the things that you mentioned; now they are at a premium. Moreover, a chance to work on the Proto…, I mean the Peacekeeper, is an even rarer commodity. I’m willing, sir, and thank you very much,” Pol said happily.
Turning to Patricia he asked, “Tell me, dear, when you tested the ship, what was the maximum altitude?”
“Pol, are you all right? You know that thirty feet is the maximum and that it causes massive power drains,” she said looking at him with a worried expression, fearful that the collapse of the United States government might have unhinged him as it had so many men and women.
Laughing at her expression, Pol said, “I assure you that I’ve not gone mad, my dear. But what if I told you that there is a way to correct that altitude problem, increase the maximum altitude to two hundred feet and the max speed to three hundred miles per hour while simultaneously correcting the power drain issues?”
“I don’t know about her, but I’d say do it!” Tim said enthusiastically.
“It can be done, but for that there is a price,” Pol said still smiling.
“What’s your price?” Jim asked hesitantly. He had already granted the man all he had any right to grant.
“I want a spot on the crew,” Pol said and this time he was dead serious. No laughter accompanied that remark. “That ship comprises my life’s work. I want a slot on the crew. I can work the power flow controls and increase efficiency in ways that you cannot even imagine. But I want that slot on the crew,” he finished with an air of finality.
Jim sent a message to Pete asking him to locate the other crewmembers for a meeting in the hanger at the staff briefing room and Pete acknowledged. To the scientist he said, “These decisions should be made in the presence of the rest of the crew and my officers. I just summoned them to the hanger briefing room. If you’ll accompany me, we’ll soon have a meeting regarding your proposal,” Jim said formally.
“You contacted them? How? I see no radio. I saw you speak as if to someone, but I see no radio,” Pol said astonished.
Giggling Patricia took off her hat and placed it on his head and then she nodded at Tim. “Really my dear this hat isn’t me,” he said and then his eyes went wide in surprise when he heard Tim reciting the alphabet through the hat communication system. “Well I’ll be damned,” was all he could say.
Laughing Patricia took back her hat and ran her arm through his, leading him to the hanger for the meeting.
***
“You do understand, Pol, that living quarters on the ship are very confined. No one has private quarters,” Pete explained.
“Yes of course I understand that, sir. I would not dream of discommoding three men when only one man need vacate a bunk,” he said sounding reasonable.
“You are certain that you can deliver what you promise without harm to the ship?” Pete asked.
“Sir, if my alterations were a threat to the ship I would borrow your sidearm, walk outside, and shoot myself. That ship has been my life and my life’s work for more years than I care to remember. I do apologize for needing a bunk, but sleeping on the deck just isn’t for me. I do not have the constitution for that sort of thing,” he apologized.
“Just a few more things if you don’t mind, sir,” Pete said, and then he asked, “If you had the ability to make such modifications to the system why weren’t they done to the prototype in the beginning?”
Nodding his head Pol said, “That is a logical and fair question, Mr. Damroyal.”
“Just call me Pete.”
“All right, Pete, the answer to your question is a complex answer. There was more than one reason not to add the adaptations to the prototype vehicle. When you are working under government contract, you tend to give the government what it asks for because if you try to deliver substantially more and the demonstration fails, you lose the contract whereas the simpler design would have guaranteed the contract. There is always time to add improvements once you have contracts as security,” Pol explained.
“That’s a very good reason,” Pete admitted. “But you said there were others?”
“Yes, sir, I did. There was an inter-service rivalry going on at the time. The navy wanted to gain an advantage over the army version of the prototype. A highly placed Admiral said that he’d make it worth my while to have improvements ready for a navy version of the craft, which they would utilize as a next generation combination landing and assault craft. I was greedy and succumbed to the temptation to enrich myself,” he admitted hanging his head.
“Are you saying that you betrayed your fellow developers?” Pete asked with a dangerous tone to his voice.
“Betrayed? No, no, Pete, I betrayed no one among the staff building the prototype. If anyone could say I have betrayed them, it would be the army who wished to have the original prototype made. Yet, I delivered that which they contracted for, did I not?”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Pete answered.
“And would my fellow scientists have received more money from the Pentagon for over achieving?” he asked Pete pointedly.
“Hell no,” Pete said laughing.
“Then, sir, I think you see my point, yes?” he asked.
“And if someone should offer you great wealth to deliver the ship to them, Pol?” Pete asked, taking the man by surprise.
“Then I would come to you, Pete, and reveal that your enemies are out to steal our beloved vessel for if I am to be a peacekeeper, your enemies will become mine. No man may count on Pol Bleakman to betray his associates. I may succumb to greed that would harm no one and enrich my associates along with myself, but I will never harm them. I am a loner. The only family that I have is my associates. I love and cherish them all and treat them as my family,”
“That’s a good answer,” Pete said. “Can you prove that you would have included your associates in the second round of contracts involving the navy?” Pete asked not expecting the answer that he received.
Pol said, “Ah, Pete, you do not yet trust me, but that is well for you do not yet really know me.” Turning to Patricia he said, “Patricia, love, please pull up a file under the file name POLNCN. The letters stand for Pol navy contract negotiations. It i
s password protected. Input my favorite password, dear. You broke it often enough as a child,” He said beaming at her in pleasure that the memory evoked and Patricia blushed as she worked at the terminal.
“She was a juvenile delinquent?” Tim asked shocked.
Pol’s laughter was musical and Patricia’s blush deepened. “My dear, Tim, I often said that very thing to her father, but my friend indulged her whimsies,” Pol said, thinking of the pleasant memories.
“Got it,” Patricia said triumphantly, relieved to stop the men from discussing her childhood pranks.
“And?” Pete asked.
“Every single developer is listed as equal partners in the negotiations with the Navy admiral whose name was deleted,” Patricia confirmed and turned the monitor around for Pete to see for himself.
“Ah yes the Admiral requested anonymity until after the army contract was filled. A political necessity lest he be accused of knowingly permitting the army to contract for less than they could have obtained for their money,” Pol said grinning.
“That would have been political suicide. He’d have also ended up forced out of the navy in all probability,” Jim said seriously.
“Such is often the fate of those who indulge in high stakes political gambling,” Pol agreed.
“Patricia, do you trust him?” Jim asked pointedly.
“Absolutely, though he had me worried about this contract with the navy thing. Having seen the contract now, I can put that concern to rest,” Patricia explained.
“My dear, I loved my associates. My happiest years were spent among them. Your father was as a brother to me,” Pol said sadly. “I grieve at their loss. I grieve at yours,” he said sadly and lowered his face thoughtfully.
Tears came to Patricia’s eyes and she wiped them and sniffed, but said nothing.
“I say yes,” Tim stated for the record. “The tactical advantages of making the alterations to the ship are well worth giving Pol a berth. As to trusting him, I think he deserves the same trust that any other crewmember would receive when they initially sign on.”
Nodding his head, Pol said, “Thank you, Tim, but I have no problem with proving my trustworthiness before admittance. Not many other crewmembers would have access to the delicate infrastructure of the ship. Caution in that regard is not only wise, but it is a responsible step to take. I bear no ill will to any who have questioned me. I understand the need,” Pol said contentedly.
“We have the materials needed to make the alterations?” Jim asked.
“No you do not, but I have them in the trunk of my car,” Pol stated. Then he tossed Jim the keys and said, “Send a man to retrieve them. They were created for the ship. They are of no use to me without the ship. Even if you do not accept my proposal, you may figure out how to install the modifications and make the ship stronger.”
“That does it for me,” Maggie said. “I say yes,” she added.
“As do I,” Patricia stated.
“Yes for me as well,” Lacey said.
“Aye,” said Sergeant Wilcox.
“I say yes, and I’m sorry for the probing questions, Pol, but as you say, I have a responsibility,” Pete said.
“Welcome aboard,” said Jim, then he added, “I do hope you don’t snore, the walls aboard are thin you know.”
“Me, snore?” asked Pol with a horrified expression on his face.
“Actually he once set off a seismograph,” Patricia said grinning.
“I swear that was the table being knocked over that did that!” Pol said aghast that anyone might believe that he’d actually set off a seismograph with his snoring.
“Well, we’ll all know soon enough, now won’t we?” Patricia asked sweetly and he paled at the thought.
Chapter 21
The crew was in their second week of testing, and all systems seemed just fine. The new components made the engine of the ship operate much more efficiently, and increased the lift dramatically. Just as the scientist had promised, it was now possible to take the ship to a maximum altitude of two hundred feet and increase the top speed to three hundred miles per hour. However, there were problems. For one thing, the computer was programmed for maneuvers at thirty feet and under, with the energy saving principals that fit the power flow contours of the original design. Therefore, to achieve maximum speed and altitude you had to override the computer manually almost constantly. In addition, none of the automatic maneuvering programs would work under the new configuration.
The new configuration would require an extensive overhaul of the computer system. Some of these overhauls would require the computer to be offline for hours, which was risky since you never knew when the ship might be called on for an emergency. Pol and Patricia consulted on the problems and worked out a means to minimize the downtimes. They could do the work in several installments, which would correct one malfunctioning system at a time. This would require thirty minutes downtime for each replacement series. Jim and Pete consulted and decided that they would like to do one installment, get the system back online, and thoroughly test the new application before proceeding to the next modification. This effectively reduced the downtime to approximately thirty minutes per day for a few consecutive days rather than several hours in one day.
Both Patricia and Pol worked some long tedious hours perfecting the computer system. She would run the numbers and write the program. He verified her mathematics catching three separate errors that would have caused minor malfunctions that she could have fixed easily enough, but his catching the problems in advance staved off another thirty-minute downtime.
Everyone who worked with Pol said that it was a joy to work with him. Upbeat and positive were adjectives often used to describe the man. However, the crew had discovered that he had indeed told one lie. The man probably had set off that seismograph. His snoring was atrocious and his roommates were not envied their exposure to the man’s charm if it meant having to deal with his snoring.
By the end of the third week of testing, all systems checked out fine. They could easily sustain maximum altitude and speed and there was an added bonus. Due to the reconfiguration of the system, which increased the altitude capability of the ship, they could now add additional personnel if the need arose. The additional personnel would not be able to sleep aboard the vessel, but they could be transported into battle if needed.
One final navigation problem needed to be addressed. At two hundred feet, the ship was well above most of the treetops but there were occasional giants out there that exceeded that altitude. Yet the collision avoidance system that worked fine at less than thirty feet, often malfunctioned at two hundred. Several times, Tim had to override the computer, which was not taking evasive action despite a collision course. After the second narrow escape, Jim ordered the speed reduced to a more manageable one hundred miles per hour and the ship brought back to the base so that Patricia could try to sort out that problem. They were so very close to completing a major upgrade to the ship. Nevertheless, that one glitch had resisted all of her efforts.
At the base, Patricia rolled up her sleeves and set out to find the problem. Pol volunteered to help and the two worked for three hours before they located the error. Patricia found it, but Pol confirmed the problem. It was one lousy decimal point in an equation in the wrong place.
The next day they took the ship out for another test run and she performed superbly on all evasion tests.
There was another maneuvering advantage. Since the ship was so much higher in the air, the electromagnetic field suspending it was spread out over a wider surface area. This meant less water displacement when the ship came over the surface of a body of water, and that being the case the ship didn’t lose as much altitude.
Now it was time to try target practice at altitude and maximum speed. This proved to be problematic as well and both Patricia and Pol sighed when they thought of the hours of work that would be required to fix the targeting system. But as it turned out, Patricia had an inspiration after examining the pro
gram and corrected the problem in moments while they were en route to the base. Jim ordered Tim to return to the target area designated for the test and begin the attack run once more. This time the targeting system worked flawlessly. He had that test run several times, and then told Tim to make a run at a slower speed. That test run was also a complete success. Jim ordered four more test runs at varying speeds and then they stopped for the day.
Tim put Pete through the mill on that series of tests. He was deliberately altering speeds mid run to cause Pete to miss, but Pete was sticking with the gunnery practice and he consistently nailed the targets. After one such run Pol approached the two men and apologetically said, “Excuse me for interrupting gentlemen, but I feel it important to mention that the belly gun will be useless at this altitude and there is nothing that we can do about that. Also at great speed, the damage would be much less intense. Please do remember that the belly gun must be used at under thirty feet and is most effective at relatively slow speeds. However, remember that for missile defense it is still good at altitude and speed,” he explained and then turned to leave them in peace.
“Missile defense?” Pete asked and stared at Tim, who stared back at him as shocked as Pete was by that suggestion.
“Yes, of course my good friend, Pete. The heat from the belly gun should deflect the guidance system of a missile closing in on us from below but only if it were exposed to it for about ten seconds.”
“Ten seconds is too long to be of use then,” Pete said. In ten seconds a missile could be launched and hit us if the missile were fired from close range.”
“Perhaps, but it is good to know that if we are low and a missile is fired, if we go straight up to altitude while firing the belly gun it may have an opportunity to deflect the missile.”
“I hope we never have to see if the hull can take a missile hit,” Tim said fervently.
“As do I my friend,” Pol agreed.
Chapter 22