by Ricky Sides
The gunner fired three protracted bursts with the main laser, causing several primary and secondary explosions. When Namid turned to seek the frigate, it was gone.
“Captain, energy levels are getting low. The heavily clouded day didn’t help, and we’ve been fighting all day,” Abe Garner pointed out.
Nodding his head in understanding, Captain Wilcox said, “Alright, Abe. You know the energy system of this ship better than anyone with the exception of Pol. Do you think it safe to land and carry on the fight as a sea vessel only, or should we park for the night?”
“I’d call it a night, Captain. The power level is lower than Pol’s recommendations for a safety cushion at sea,” Abe explained. He added, “We could fight a bit longer, but then we’d almost certainly need to park for the night on the surface of the sea.”
“Then we’ll have to call it a night,” Jack said with a shrug. “I have no desire to test the ship at rest on the surface near this fleet.”
Turning to Namid, the Captain said, “Take us twenty miles to the east and put us in airborne parking mode.” Grinning, he added, “I doubt many of us would get any rest with the ship pitching and heaving in the swells, though the sea does seem calmer now.”
“Amen to that sentiment,” Abe said. He had already discovered that he was unusually sensitive to the motion of the sea, and although their ride had been far from rough, he was feeling queasy.
***
During the remainder of the night, Captain Lynch reevaluated his plans. Between the desertions, and the ships that had been sent to the bottom of the sea by the enemy, he estimated that the armada had lost nearly a thousand ships. It galled him that the majority of those losses had been desertions.
Now, he admitted, at least to himself, that maintaining the formation of the armada had been a mistake. Had he permitted the fleet to spread out in multiple directions, the enemy would have found it more difficult to sink the ships so quickly. Furthermore, the rest of the fleet would have remained blissfully unaware of most of the losses, which would have limited the desertions.
During the night, Lynch issued orders for the fleet to disperse. Had those orders been given via radio, the Arizona would have intercepted them, and the crew would have known what was happening. But Lynch was aware that the ship could probably monitor radio communications. They had dealt with that same issue with the British upon more than one occasion. To counteract that disadvantage, the pirates had fallen back on an old system. When the enemy was out of sight, they used signal lights in conjunction with a code they had developed over a period of years. In less than an hour, the signal to disperse had been transmitted from one end of the fleet to the other. By dawn, the massive armada was spread out over hundreds of square miles.
The Arizona dutifully hunted the pirates. They did manage to locate and sink six ships that had remained too close together despite their orders to disperse. But the tightly bunched fleet of recent days had disappeared.
Chapter 8
“Alright, Jack, you may as well head back for Base 1. Get your ship resupplied, and any quick repairs you may need. Pol has issued orders for his assistants to release replacement drones for you, and Rufus will be getting the spare base fighter,” Jim explained.
“Thank you, Admiral. That’s good news,” Captain Wilcox replied.
“Don’t thank me, Captain. You folks earned it. I’ll have orders for the Arizona soon,” Jim said. He added, “And congratulations on a job well done. You and your crew exceeded our wildest expectations.”
“Thank you, Admiral. I just wish we could’ve done more. We’ll keep a sharp eye on the trip back to Base 1. Maybe we’ll get lucky and locate some of the other mainline ships,” Captain Wilcox said.
“Good hunting, Jack. Valiant out,” replied Jim.
“Good luck in D.C. Arizona out,” Jack said.
“I’d say Jack is doing a superb job as captain. I hate to say it, but Tim was right,” Pete said with a grin.
Jim knew that Pete was referring to Tim’s insistence that Jack consider a captaincy. He had been after the man to accept the position on a ship for two years.
Jim let out a protracted sigh and moved to stand near the windshield of the Valiant. The ship was parked at maximum altitude near the Washington Monument. Staring out into the city, Jim saw the bustling activity as peacekeepers tried their best to move the national treasures of America into safekeeping.
Pete stepped up beside him. For a moment, he too stared at the silent scene playing out below. When he broke the silence, it was to ask a question. “You do realize that after today, we’ll have to stop the retrieval process and begin preparations to defend the city, don’t you, Jim?”
“We’ve got every available transport down there doing our best to preserve our heritage, and we’ve only barely scratched the surface,” Jim stated sadly. Then, uncharacteristically, his voice took on a worried tone when he asked, “We’re going to fail, aren’t we, Pete?”
“There’s no way we can move everything in time. We knew that at the outset, but if you mean that we’ll lose the city to the pirates, then that’s another matter. My answer then would be, over my dead body.”
“Pete, we’re stretched thin. Maybe too thin. We have to protect the Gulf. Failure is not an option. If they seize the oil wells, they’ll cripple the recovery in progress. Remember, our own supplies from our trade partners are tied to the oil production in the Gulf of Mexico,” Jim explained.
“Yes, I know all that. Hell, they don’t have to seize the wells to cripple us. All they need do is destroy them, or significantly damage them and the results would be the same.” Pete said with a trace of irritation.
“I’m sorry. Of course, you know. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I’m just feeling the strain of all this,” Jim explained.
“You’re under a great deal of stress. Don’t worry about it. I’m not offended. I’m angry with myself for not anticipating this. I think that maybe we’ve been a bit too isolationistic for our own good. The world is still out there and there are elements that will sack this country if we let them,” Pete said.
Jim knew that Pete was feeling a bit guilty. He had resisted suggestions that they send emissaries to American allies of the past. To a degree, his thinking had been logical. They had no valid reason to believe that the governments of any other nation had survived the disasters.
“Hindsight’s twenty-twenty, buddy. We can’t beat ourselves to death for not knowing everything. We did the best we could with what we did know, and to date, our best has been pretty damned good,” Jim said with a wink and a smile.
“Now that’s the Jim I know and love,” Lina said quietly. She was sitting in the pilot’s seat of the Valiant. Pete noted the look the couple exchanged at that point and approved.
Smiling at Jim, Pete said, “You’re right. But when this is over, we do need to establish contacts with our former allies on a regular basis, provided they have any form of representative governments forming.”
“Now to the matter at hand, we are agreed that Washington and the Gulf of Mexico must be protected at all costs?” asked Pete.
“Yes. I see no options in either of those cases,” Jim responded.
“There are numerous coastal cities that are going to be vulnerable. We can’t begin to protect them all. But I have a plan that I put into affect yesterday,” Jim stated.
“Oh?” Pete queried.
“You were aboard the Alabama en route to D.C. at the time. Tim was heading back to the base.” Shrugging, Jim added, “I used my discretionary powers as Admiral.”
“Alright, out with it, Jim. I’ve seen that look in your eyes before. Usually when you had an inspired idea that pulled our fat out of the fire,” Pete said with a smile.
Laughing at Pete’s comment, Jim replied, “I sent word to the Miami base to alert Florida cities that pirates are on the way. Those boat owners down there took it personal. Last I heard they were armed to the teeth and preparing to defend their cities.”
Pete laughed, and said, “That’s going to help, but what about the rest of the coastal cities?”
“In that case, the problem sounds worse than it actually is, Pete. Of those coastal cities, most have recovered adequately enough that the local populace can easily repel a small-scale incursion. They now have an infrastructure in place to handle such a lawless element. Six cities are vulnerable, so I sent two squadrons of fighters that will be patrolling the waters off the coast near those cities. Their task is to sink the pirate vessels if they can. Failing that, they are to turn the pirates south, away from the vulnerable cities. I also sent a dozen peacekeepers to each city in an APC, just in case some of the ships make landfall in the vulnerable area. I’m afraid in that respect, I usurped your authority, Pete,” Jim explained.
Pete shrugged off the suggestion that Jim had encroached into his territory. He said, “This is an emergency. We won’t always have time to go strictly through channels. But that may leave us short of APCs elsewhere,” Pete said hesitantly. Jim had contrived a good plan, but it was Pete’s opinion that they really needed their APCs to defend the oil rich Gulf of Mexico and the capital.
“I sent the conventional units we acquired in our conflict with Tom Whitmore,” Jim said by way of explanation.
“Now that was a good move. I wish we’d worked out a means to get the tanks here to protect the capital,” Pete said.
“I couldn’t pull that off,” Jim said sadly. “I can get them here in time. Well, I can get two here in time, but that means pulling out the Constitution. She could transport two tanks here in time, but I think we’re better off with Bill being here doing what he’s doing. The additional firepower of the two tanks just doesn’t seem worth the added risk to the items we’d have to leave behind.”
“Agreed,” replied Pete. Then he said, “Well, I did manage to arrange one surprise for the pirates,” Pete said.
“Oh? What’s that, Pete?”
“Take us out over the Potomac River and I’ll show you,” Pete said with an air of mystery.
“Take us out, Lina, but be careful. I love the view from here, but I swear I have this awful dread we’re going to bump into the monument and damage it,” Jim said. He was unaware that Bill Young had shared that sentiment when he had visited the city in the past.
When they reached the Potomac River, Pete directed Lina to a spot behind a heavily wooded bank on the Maryland side of the river. There, Jim saw dozens of the first generation drones. “I thought Pol had stripped those drones of their lasers,” Jim said.
“He did. These are unarmed in the conventional sense,” Pete said with a smile. He added, “But I had a chat with Tim. He gave me a recipe to mix up some explosives. Some of the boys mixed explosives and stuffed drones all night to get these ready,” Pete explained.
Leaning toward the windshield, Jim stared hard at the drones, but try as he might, he couldn’t make out what was attached to the nose of each drone. Finally, he asked Pete who said, “They are bombs that will be used to set off the larger explosives package contained inside the drones,” Pete explained.
“Just how powerful will the explosions be, Pete?” asked Jim.
“We’re not sure. It’s not composed of the most efficient materials, but we had plenty of the materials on hand, so we built the packages large. Tim says some may fail to detonate while other may perform admirably. It’s a simple formula, but with a short shelf life,” Pete said shrugging.
Jim responded, “Hell, Pete, the force of the impact of the drone and the mini bomb explosion is apt to do serious damage to a vessel. If I were you, I’d view the explosions of the main package as a bonus. This was a great idea.”
“Thanks, Jim. I still get the occasional good notion,” Pete said modestly.
***
Pol carefully replaced the access plate that covered the battery section. He had just finished filling the reservoir, which effectively completed the repairs to the hull of the Peacekeeper. However, Pol wanted that vulnerable section of the hull reinforced by utilizing the new lamination process that had proven to be so effective on the Arizona.
Leaving the disposal of the twenty-gallon containers that had been used to refill the battery reservoir of the battleship module to his assistants, Pol sought out Tim. He found the captain of the Peacekeeper in the control room, working with the pilot to plot the most desired course for the Florida Keys.
Pol politely waited for the captain to complete his task, and then he said, “Captain, I’d like a moment of your time.”
“Alright, Pol, what’s on your mind?” Tim asked.
“Twice, we have engaged ships at sea with the battleship module, and twice we have been forced from the theatre of operations when our battery compartment took hits that caused leaks. Captain, I think we need to reinforce that section of the ship with the lamination process before we take on the armada again,” Pol said.
“I agree, Pol. Can you give me a time estimate on the work?” Tim asked.
“If I get permission to have the ship separated, I can get the work started within the hour and completed by daybreak,” Pol assured the captain.
“That’s pretty fast, Pol, It took almost twenty-four hours to laminate the Arizona, yet you can do that to the battleship module in just under fourteen hours? And the module is bigger,” Tim pointed out.
“It would take forty to fifty hours to wrap the entire battleship module in the additional layer, Captain. But I only plan to cover the battery section and a few feet to either side during this session. That’s our problem area. If there were time, I’d coat the entire ship, but there isn’t,” Pol explained.
“No, there isn’t. Alright, Pol. Talk to your construction team and get them organized.”
Sitting down in his chair, Tim issued the orders that would prepare the ship for separation.
***
Far out at sea, aboard the Arizona, a small yellow light lit up on the communications panel. Communications specialist, Sharon Winters, immediately noted the light and began a rapid-fire series of tasks that would trace the location of the radio transmission. In two minutes, she had the location.
“Captain, I just traced a radio signal and I have a fix on the coordinates of the command vessel that was issuing the orders to the fleet at the outset of the conflict,” Sharon informed Captain Wilcox.
“Transmit the coordinates to navigation,” Jack ordered tersely. “Helm, set course for the coordinates at best speed, and max altitude. Drone operator, is your bird still air worthy?”
“Yes, Captain,” responded the pilot of the drone.
“Good. Be prepared to get your drone airborne when we close with the target,” the captain ordered.
“I’ll be ready, sir,” the man replied.
“Course laid in, Captain. Ready to depart at full g acceleration on your orders,” Namid reported.
“Communications, issue a ship wide one minute warning,” Jack said.
All over the ship, peacekeepers scrambled to get to a safe spot prior to the acceleration, but no one complained. They knew that the captain never ordered g-force accelerations without good reason.
***
To the northeast of the Arizona, sixteen ships of Bran Lynch’s personal fleet had linked back up to form a smaller armada. Those ships were the backbone of his remaining fleet. Captain Lynch wanted these ships with him when he took Washington. Therefore, he had risked communicating with the scattered vessels briefly to order them to regroup at the current coordinates. His ships had not scattered and set random courses, as had the rest of the fleet. He had given them all courses that would keep relatively close to each other in order to facilitate regrouping, but before his ships could properly regroup, a fogbank had come down from the north and was threatening to envelope the fleet. Bran ordered a southerly heading in an attempt to stay ahead of the fog. He didn’t use the radio for that course change. He simply ordered his ship to turn south and the rest of the ships followed suit.
***
“Aye, Captain, executing,” Namid responded as she began the maneuver.
“Stop!” the gunner shouted as the ship faced south. He had spotted something in the distance beyond the fog.
“Zoom in with our forward camera to full magnification,” the captain ordered with a grin. A moment later, he was watching the small armada make their way south at top speed. “Good job, gunner,” the captain praised.
“Release your drone, and pursue the enemy on our port side,” Jack instructed the drone operator.
“Helm, come up on their six. Gunner, be ready to strafe the fleet. I’d like to damage all of the vessels in our initial pass, if possible,” Jack explained.
“Aye, Captain,” replied both officers.
However, even as the Arizona began their run, the radio operator said, “Captain, they’ve spotted us and are coming about to bring their guns into position to fire.”
“Thank you Sharon, advise me of any further communications,” the captain said.
“Aye, Captain,” said Sharon.
“Gunner, take your best target of opportunity. Helm, be ready for evasive maneuvers if they fire a missile,” Jack instructed the officers. There wasn’t time for them to respond.
The Arizona ran a gauntlet of withering fire. The hull of the ship was hammered mercilessly as they made their pass. “Gunny, slip maneuver!” Namid yelled above the din of the projectiles impacting the hull of their ship.
“Ready!” he shouted in return.