by Ricky Sides
There were disadvantages to this modification of the bay door system. It would require a crewman to be present to secure the inner door, and open it for the crew once they had returned to the ship. However, after the boarding of the Peacekeeper during the war on the vampire cult in Birmingham, Alabama, the council thought the added safety warranted the extra man per crew. The modifications would also make it impossible to launch drones from inside the cargo bay. But that disadvantage was no real problem, because the Arizona would be outfitted with the new drones, which were so aerodynamic that they had little affect on the performance capabilities of their mother ship when they were attached to her outer hull.
When they finished examining the cargo bay, Pol asked them to join him at the table he had set up in the bay with his visual aids prominently displayed. On the top of the large table rested three one-foot square sections of the Huxley alloy. They could all see that the one on the left had been penetrated by a large caliber round. Pointing to that sample, Pol explained, “As you might have guessed, that sample was hit by a fifty caliber bullet. It is the original Huxley alloy.”
Pointing to the middle sample, Pol continued, “Please note the one inch depression in the alloy. That alloy has been treated with the special compound developed by our friends at Reager Industries. The fifty caliber bullet was not able to penetrate the alloy, but it did do considerable damage.”
Pointing to the third sample, Pol said, “This sample was also hit by a fifty caliber bullet. As you can see, the damage is barely perceptible.”
“It’s damaged?” asked Jim, who had thought the sample was an undamaged control piece.
“Yes, my friend. It is indeed damaged. Not much, mind you, but a careful examination detects the damage.”
Pol reached out and picked up the sample. Turning it over, he set it back down on the top of the table with the opposite side facing up. “Note the corners,” Pol said, and then he waited while the peacekeepers present examined the alloy.
With Pol’s tip to guide them, everyone noted that one corner was not touching the table. The sample piece of alloy was slightly warped. It was difficult to detect, but there was a perceptible warp to the piece, which prevented one corner from resting on the table.
“What is different about this sample, Pol? Is it thicker than the others?” asked Jim.
Nodding his head in the affirmative, Pol responded, “Yes, Admiral, it is .0156, or 1/64th of an inch thicker. Do you remember the thin sheeting we had Reager Industries extrude for our battle armor experiments last year?”
Without waiting for Jim to reply, Pol said, “I decided to try using some of the left over material in a drone experiment. I wanted to try to laminate the drone with some of the material. I was hoping that it would prove to be an improved version of high caliber resistance. I fused some of that material to a drone that had been treated with the Reager Industries compound. The results were dramatic. Put in laymen’s terms, the material is stronger than it should be, even taking into account the additional resistance provided by the Reager compound. It effectively doubles the resistance to kinetic energy. Breaking it down even more, the material you see should be twice that thick to withstand the impact of the bullet,” Pol explained.
“Have you shared this information with Reager Industries, Pol?” asked Jim. He knew Pol well enough to know that the man would feel a moral obligation to do so.
“Not yet, Admiral, but I want permission to do so. This could save lives,” Pol began, but he stopped. Shaking his head, the scientist said, “No, that’s not right. This will save lives. I want to share this information with Reager Industries. They can make it a portion of their production process. In that way, we won’t need to do time consuming additional steps in our ship building process. We can just order the improved material.”
“I agree with you, Pol. I’ll present your case to the council. I’m sure they’ll agree,” Jim stated, then he added, “But I think they’ll want an agreement that Reager Industries treats this part of the production as a secret, and they’ll probably want them to extrude a quantity of the thinner material to retrofit the vulnerable areas of the existing fleet.”
“I understand, Jim, but that’s a huge task. You do know that upgrading the Arizona’s armor added months to the construction. That’s because we had to laminate the material in sections. That required a steep learning curve, but we know how to do the job faster now that we’ve completed the prototype hull. The peacekeeper fleet was built over a period of years. It could take that long for the ship construction team to retrofit the fleet. I have a suggestion that will enable us to accomplish the retrofitting in a month,” Pol stated quietly.
Pol set his briefcase on the tabletop and opened it. Pulling a set of diagrams out of the briefcase, he spread them out on the table. One by one, Pol pointed out the most vulnerable areas of the ships. He pointed out that they need not completely encase the ships in the lamination process. Instead, they would concentrate on the most vulnerable areas, which would save a tremendous amount of time and material. He then suggested that they call in the armorers and their assistants from each base. They could be trained to handle the project in a week, and then those teams could handle the retrofitting of the patrol ships assigned to their bases.
“I like it, Pol. It seems you’ve thought of everything,” Jim said shaking his head in wonder.
“I had good reason,” Pol said with a grin. “I didn’t want the construction on the battle fortress to be put on hold for years.”
Laughing, Jim replied, “Pol, I think you manipulated me.”
Smiling in return, Pol said, “I suppose we’d better get back to the tour. I know Captain Wilcox is dying to see the control room. I just wanted to explain the new armor capability that the Arizona possesses. She is the first ship in the fleet with the upgraded hull.”
Pol wanted to save the control room for the last on the tour. He led the little group on a tour of the cabins, which didn’t take long. They were the standard cabins that had been utilized in patrol ships since the construction of the California.
Soon, Pol led them onto the bridge of the Arizona. The room was larger than the control room of the Peacekeeper. It had been designed to mimic the Constitution in that regard in order to accommodate the six drones that would be assigned to the ship.
Namid walked over and stared at the pilot’s flight console. It was similar to that of the Peacekeeper, but there were differences. After a quick examination of the controls, Namid nodded her head approvingly, and said, “I think I’ll be able to handle the ship easily enough.”
“Try your seat, Jack,” Jim said. He had noted the furtive glances that Captain Wilcox had given the chair.
“You think I should?” Jack asked.
“Of course you should. That’s the only way to know if all of the communications gear is located within easy reach. You have to know if you’ll be accidentally tripping the alert button. If that’s the case the chair will have to be altered,” Jim explained in a reasonable tone of voice.
Pol smiled. He knew Jim was well aware that every captain’s chair was tailor made to fit the man chosen for the position, but this was something of a tradition with Jim. He had done the same thing with Cliff Barnes when that captain had first tried his chair. In fact, Jim had used that same line with every Captain he had ever trained, and he had trained most of the captains of the fleet.
Jack sat down in the chair. A slow smile spread across his face as he noted the comfort of a perfect fit.
Following the tradition he had established with Cliff Barnes, Jim saluted and said, “Captain, the ship is yours.”
Jack returned Jim’s salute, and then he opened his mouth to respond, but all around the room, the technicians who had been busy fine-tuning the control room instruments, began to applaud. Pol joined them, as did the rest of the peacekeepers in their little tour. For Jack Wilcox, it was a special moment.
Chapter 2
“Dad, have you seen Evan?” Lisa aske
d Pete.
He was sitting at the desk in his office inside the citadel. Looking up at the girl that he and his wife, Maggie, had adopted, Pete responded, “I haven’t seen him since this morning in the mess hall, but he mentioned plans to practice today. Check the fitness room. I’ll bet he’s there using the training equipment Jim installed to help in his training.”
“You’re probably right, but he was supposed to meet me in the recreation room. It’s not like him to be late. Evan’s never late when he is supposed to meet me,” she said, voicing the reason for her concern.
Pete nodded his head in understanding. Gesturing to the chair opposite him, he said, “Have a seat for a moment, Lisa.”
“I really should go look for Evan, Dad. I’m worried about him,” she responded.
“I know you are, but this will only take a minute,” he stated, and Lisa sat down in the chair. “Today is the anniversary of Lacey’s murder, Lisa. Evan is probably thinking about that a lot. He’s probably been thinking about her murder for days now. If he acts odd, or seems rude to you today, try to cut him some slack.”
Lisa nodded her understanding. “He blames himself, Dad.”
“He what?!” Pete asked in surprise.
“He doesn’t blame Jim. He’d seen him get shot twice and he knows that there was nothing that Jim could do about the attack. But he blames himself. He thinks he should have reacted differently, and that if he had, his mom would still be alive,” Lisa explained.
“That’s ridiculous, Honey,” Maggie said. She had just walked into the room and had heard what her daughter had said.
Lisa shrugged, then said, “I tried to tell him there was nothing he could do, but he is stubborn, Mom.”
Sighing, Maggie said, “He may not be Jim’s biological son, but Jim came into his life at an impressionable age. I should have realized he’d react in a similar manner.”
Looking her daughter in the eyes, Maggie asked, “Has he been having nightmares about that day?”
Lisa looked down, avoiding her mother’s gaze, and that reaction told Maggie all she needed to know. Apparently, he had been experiencing nightmares, and had confided in her daughter, who felt an obligation to keep that confidential matter private. “Pete,” Maggie said. “He idolizes you, and in this case, I think you’d have a good shot at reaching Evan and helping him understand there was nothing he could have done to change the things that happened that day.”
Pete got to his feet and said, “I’ll go find him now.”
As the door to the office closed, Lisa said, “I should go find Evan, Mom. He may be waiting for me in the recreation room now.”
“Give the men a few minutes to sort this out, Dear. You know how your father feels about Evan. He’ll help him understand that it wasn’t his fault. Besides, I wanted to ask you a question about Evan,” Maggie said.
“Alright, Mom, I’ll wait a few minutes. You’re right about Dad. Evan adores him. If anyone can make him understand that he wasn’t responsible for his mother’s death, it would be Dad.”
Pausing, Lisa said, “You wanted to ask me a question?”
Nodding her head, Maggie said, “Has Evan mentioned what he thinks of Lina?”
“Evan likes her. He thinks there’s a chance she might make Jim happy again, like he was with Lacey,” Lisa explained.
“How does he feel about that possibility?” Maggie asked.
Lisa looked uncomfortable, and for a moment, Maggie thought she had asked a question her daughter didn’t want to answer. However, Lisa said, “Mom, I’d like to talk to you about that, but it might not make sense to you.”
“Try me, dear,” Maggie said with a smile.
“Evan loves Jim. He wants to see him happy again, as he was when he was with Lacey, but another part of Evan resents Lina, because she may try to take his mother’s place.”
“Does he believe that if that were to happen, Jim would stop loving him?” asked Maggie pointedly.
“He doesn’t know, Mom, and I think that’s what scares him most,” Lisa admitted.
***
Evan raced through the drill again. This time, he applied more power to the wooden dummy with which he was practicing. Midway through the routine, he stopped and stared at the wooden dummy in frustration. He had lost his place again. The wooden dummy form was a stylized set of attack and defensive moves. Normally, Evan could execute the form fluidly, but today his concentration was off and he kept losing his place in the set.
Turning away from the wooden dummy, Evan walked over to the heavy bag that hung suspended from the ceiling. He began slowly at first, but as the minutes elapsed, he began to strike the heavy bag harder and faster. He attacked with his hands and feet. Soon, the punches and kicks were joined by elbow and knee strikes. As he worked out on the heavy bag, Evan’s mind focused on the events that had unfolded the day his mother was murdered.
He had just succeeded in starting a fire with a small magnifying glass, when he had heard his mother’s bloodcurdling scream. Spinning around to face the house, he had seen his mother emerge, followed closely by two men. Jim had taken a step in Lacey’s direction, and then Evan had heard a shot. Jim had gone down, but he had immediately gotten back to his knees in his effort to help Lacey. Then, Evan had seen Jim take the second bullet. He heard his mother screaming in fear and he shouted for the men to leave his mother alone.
Evan charged the men then, but he hadn’t been able to stop them from killing her. As Evan continued his workout on the heavy bag, he saw it all played out in his mind, just like the videos he watched with Lisa in the recreation room. He saw his mother kick one of the men, and then he saw that man stab her in the stomach.
“Well if it isn’t pretty boy,” said a voice behind Evan. However, Evan was so lost in the memories of his mother’s murder that he wasn’t even aware anyone had spoken. He continued to attack the punching bag.
“I don’t think he heard you, Ralph,” another voice said.
“Yeah, well he’ll hear this,” said Ralph. He was the son of one of the aircraft maintenance men who had transferred to the citadel from a California base the previous month. He was rapidly becoming the bully of the citadel. The sixteen-year-old was big for his age, and he never missed a chance to throw his weight around with the other boys. He particularly delighted in tormenting Evan. Wanting to put on a show for his friend, Harvey; Ralph reached out and slapped the back of Evan’s head.
Without missing a beat, Evan reacted just as Jim had been training him to react to such an attack. Spinning his body around, Evan slammed his fist into the larger boy’s nose. He followed up instantly with a front straight kick to Ralph’s stomach.
The force of the blow knocked Ralph back several feet. Enraged, Ralph yelled, “Well, don’t just stand there! Get him, Harvey!” He then began to advance on Evan himself.
Ralph had been taken by surprise by Evan’s violent reaction to his attack. Now he was ready, and he had Harvey to back him up. Together, the two boys advanced on Evan.
Evan took a step back as he prepared himself to face them. Then he saw Pete standing behind Harvey with his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Thus restrained, Harvey wouldn’t be a factor. Evan stopped backing up. He assumed a defensive posture with his hands in the guard position.
“Come on, Harvey, let’s get this clown,” Ralph said.
“He’s out of this until you and Evan settle your differences, Ralph. Then, if he wants to take up the matter with Evan, I’m sure he’ll accommodate him,” Pete said with a soft voice.
Ralph froze in mid step. Turning and looking over his shoulder, he saw Pete restraining his friend. “He started this,” Ralph lied. “Just look at what he did to my nose.”
“You’re a liar, boy. I saw what happened from the doorway. I’ve been hearing a lot about your bullying ways, kid. Eventually, I hear about everything that happens in this base. I think it’s time you learned a lesson, and I’m sure that Evan here is capable of teaching you the hazards of picking on the other kids.�
�
Now Ralph was slightly nervous about the fight, but he was larger than Evan was, and he felt confident of his ability to grab the young man and beat him easily. He knew the key to defeating Evan was to get close and grab him. If he could get Evan to the ground, the fight would be all over, but he intended to inflict as much punishment as he could before Pete made him stop. Smiling at Evan, Ralph advanced on the smaller youth.
Evan watched and waited as he had been taught. He waited until Ralph was committed, and when he charged him, Evan took a step to one side and threw a sidekick at Ralph’s short ribs as he darted past. The kick landed hard.
Angrily, Ralph spun around and charged once more. Again, Evan stepped to one side at the last moment to avoid the charging youth. This time, he attacked with his fists. He threw a punch at Ralph’s short ribs, and followed that up with another punch to the back of Ralph’s head as the angry bully shot past him.
Pete considered calling the fight at that point, but in his opinion, Ralph wouldn’t let the matter rest until he’d been soundly defeated. So far, he could call the strikes Evan had landed a matter of luck. Pete knew that Evan needed to defeat the bully in such a manner that there could be no denying the fact that he had dominated the fight from beginning to end.
However, Evan felt differently. He said, “You can stop this anytime you want, Ralph. I’ve never wanted to hurt you. That’s why I never fought back when you bullied me. Just walk away now.”