by Ricky Sides
“My medical staff made up additional first responder kits. We’ll be ready. But I’m glad you brought this up. Some of the medics got together and mentioned that they thought it would be great if they could have access to an APC that they could utilize as a sort of flying ambulance. They’d use it to pick up downed fliers and then begin field treatment on the spot. I told them I’d get with you on the suggestion. In my opinion, it’s a great idea. I don’t know why we haven’t thought of it before, but it’s not too late to grab a team and make it work for the coming battle.”
Jim nodded his head and said, “I like the idea. As you said, it’s a great proposal, and I’m not committing the APCs to the battle this time around because I really don’t think they’ll be needed, and the pilots have been severely stressed already making supply runs. Coordinate with the medics. Let them draw what supplies they need for the outfitting of an APC. If this works out, I want you to consider a more permanent arrangement. A team trained in trauma care so they could stabilize patients and get them to you. Make it a sort of air ambulance with a paramedic team. Have engineering make the modifications you need.”
“I like that concept,” Maggie stated enthusiastically.
“Have we forgotten anything?” Jim asked.
“Me,” Pol said.
“And me,” Patricia added.
“I assumed you’d be aboard the Peacekeeper with Tim,” Jim said.
“Actually, I told them I felt it best that they remain on the Damroyal for the battle, because so many of the systems haven’t been field tested yet. That way, if a problem arises they can address it in an efficient manner. Besides, the Peacekeeper is just performing a mop up operation.”
“I’ll put Jack there with the Arizona. I just wanted you in that slot because you’re so experienced. Hell, you led the war in the Gulf against the pirates years ago. I haven’t forgotten what an excellent job you did.”
“No. I don’t want that,” Tim said hurriedly. “I know how important the mission is to the security of the region. But I do have a strange request,” Tim said, pausing to see what Jim would say.
“All right. What’s on your mind?” Jim asked.
“I want to transfer all nonessential personnel to the Damroyal,” Tim said and stopped as everyone in the room turned to stare at him. Never before had Tim suggested transferring most of the crew off the ship to engage in battle.
“You had another dream, didn’t you?” asked Jim. “Was it a dream that involves the downing of the Peacekeeper?”
Tim’s face reddened and he shouted, “What?! Hell no!” Then he began to laugh and everyone in the room visibly relaxed. When he finally stopped laughing, Tim said, “I’m sorry, but that just struck me as being funny. I guess it’s my fault. I’ve talked so much about precognitive dreams lately that you all must be thinking that all of my actions are motivated by them. Well in this case, it isn’t.”
“Then what’s going on? You know as well as I do that your request is odd,” Jim said.
“It’s like this. I’ve been working on a few battle maneuvers for two years. But they are risky. In fact, I’d say they are downright dangerous for the crew unless they’re all secured properly. They’re so complex that I wasn’t even certain they were possible, so I had Pol run the simulations.”
“Oh my God, you’re not considering executing those are you?” Pol asked. Then he looked at Jim and said, “I’ll remain aboard the Damroyal. I have no desire to lose the contents of my stomach in the control room of the Peacekeeper.”
“If they are dangerous to the ship, I don’t think...”
“I didn’t mean they are dangerous to the ship. I have every confidence that Tim can pull off the maneuvers, but I have equal confidence that I would lose my breakfast when he did so,” Pol explained. “And he is right. If he plans to execute them, then no unnecessary personnel should remain aboard.”
“Patricia?” Jim asked.
“Pol is right. They will be like the worst ride at the fair, but with the aid of the computer, he can execute them. I helped him design the software for the maneuvers. They effectively let the Peacekeeper fight like two ships. They will be flashy and impressive, but they aren’t designed with that in mind. They are designed that way to make her extremely hard to hit, but at the same time she’ll be delivering deadly punches to multiple targets in a matter of seconds,” she said this last while staring at her husband with open admiration apparent on her face.
“Oh, Pol’s also right about losing the breakfast. I’ll remain aboard the Damroyal as well.”
Chapter 9
Jim stared at the large screen of the tactical display with interest. He understood how it worked because Patricia had gone to great lengths to explain the system to him. Therefore, as the moment for the first attack on the pirates drew near, he stood behind the trained operator examining the multi colored dots on the tactical monitor. All of the peacekeeper forces were represented as dots on the display. Gold dots represented the fighters, white dots for the drones, and blue for the rest of the ships. Most of those dots were in motion as they maneuvered for the initial attack run by the drones. The huge blue oblong icon representing the Damroyal was motionless, as was the Peacekeeper and her escorts, but everything else was in motion. As he watched, the Constitution’s squadron of fighters and her complement of drones flew in the opposite direction to take up their containment positions to the east. Inside the tightening semicircle of dots was a large empty black space.
Jim knew that the transponders aboard the peacekeeper vessels told the computer aboard the Damroyal what type of aircraft they were and supplied their location. Patricia had explained that once the peacekeeper air force came within sight of the enemy fleet, their cameras would send the digital signals to the Damroyal. The computer would then process that information and place red icons for enemy ships on the tactical display. Therefore, there was a sensation of tension in the air as the peacekeeper air armada closed in on the last known position of the enemy fleet. “Will they be there, or did they get suspicious and sail away under the cover of darkness last night?” Jim asked himself for the third time.
Waiting until dawn to commence the battle had been a risky proposition. There was always a danger that the pirates would disperse overnight, but Jim had wanted this to be a daytime operation to improve the chances of ending the pirate menace once and for all. There were also the search and rescue aspects to consider. The peacekeepers knew all too well that fighting ships at sea with their fighters was risky business. The odds of surviving a downing at sea were greatly enhanced in a daylight operation. Therefore, Jim, after consulting with Tim and Pol, decided that it would be best to wait for a dawn attack and now the moment of truth was rapidly approaching.
The tactical screen operator vented an audible sigh of relief when the first red dot appeared, quickly followed by dozens more. Jim stared in rapt fascination as the center of the formerly darkened area quickly populated with hundreds of red dots and oblong shapes. He knew that the computer assigned the oblong graphic to vessels above a set size perimeter so those would be the biggest vessels in the enemy flotilla.
“Admiral, you wanted to know when we had the video feed of the enemy armada. We have that now,” Patricia stated.
Jim turned and faced the even larger monitor just in time to see the opening shots of the battle as dozens of lasers lanced out at the ships, striking wheelhouses with a sustained burst of laser fire. A moment later, Jim saw the red pulses race down the beams. Secondary explosions began to detonate along the front of the enemy flotilla. Then the drones were swarming all over the enemy, many of them actually landing on the wheelhouses and firing at other ships as they’d done in the past.
The pirate crews fought back tenaciously, often firing at their own ships in the process as they desperately attempted to destroy the drones. “Admiral, we are losing drones at an alarming rate,” the tactical officer reported.
“Better them than the pilots of the manned aircraft. Hold p
ositions and maintain the attack until the fighters are in position to take their place,” Jim responded.
“Aye, Admiral,” the tactical officer responded. He passed the orders on to the drone pilots at their stations via the headset radios they wore.
“The flight leader of the lead squadron is reporting they have a visual on the enemy, sir,” Patricia said quickly.
“All drones, bug out as ordered,” the admiral commanded, and the tactical officer relayed his orders to the operators.
The scene on the monitor abruptly changed to the perspective of the flight leader. Jim saw dozens of drones take to the air and fly toward the fighters. They soon disappeared from view as they flew below the fighters to their designated area.
“Admiral, a lot of the enemy ships are trying to leave. They are heading out in all directions, but the majority is headed our way,” the tactical officer reported.
Jim tore his eyes away from the video monitor that was depicting a hellish array of conventional minigun, laser, and laser minigun fire that was being directed at the fleet. He turned to the tactical display and grew alarmed as he saw that a substantial number of the enemy ships were indeed fleeing to the east. “Drones, return and engage the eastbound enemy. Concentrate on the largest assembly,” he ordered.
As the tactical officer gave new orders to the drone operators, Jim said, “Communications, feed the coordinates of that large eastern band of ships to the Constitution. Tell Bill I said that is his target.”
“Aye, Admiral,” Patricia responded. Moments later, she reported, “The Constitution says to thank you for such a sweet present, sir.”
Jim was about to respond when the scene depicted on his monitor changed again. “I put a drone on station to provide video, Admiral. That should prevent those disturbing changes of perspective,” Pol said helpfully.
“Thanks, Pol,” Jim said as he stared at the Constitution bearing down on the group of ships that had fled to the east. When the peacekeeper battleship opened fire, Jim said, “God almighty! I’d almost forgotten what an impressive array of firepower the Constitution can unleash!”
The Constitution had slowed her approach and now drifted slowly over the center of the group of ships that had fled to the east. Numerous lasers, conventional miniguns, and laser miniguns swept the decks of the enemy ships, striking not only the vessels in her path, but also those closest to the port and starboard as well. The rate of fire coming from the battleship was so savage that more than one pirate crewmember in her path elected to dive into the sea, rather than face her firepower on the deck of their ship. Her laser shotgun weapon blasted the deck of two ships and her bombs were dropping and detonating in rapid succession.
Because of the Constitution’s pass over the enemy, the center of their small flotilla was a seething mass of burning ships.
“Tell Bill to proceed to the main body of the enemy armada,” Jim ordered. “The drones should be able to mop up the rest of that element. Oh, and tell him I said well done.”
Jim watched as the Constitution continued to fly out of view, only to be replaced by the drones that had withdrawn while the big battleship attacked. For another moment, the video displayed that element of the enemy fleet. Jim had time to see the drones wrecking havoc among the enemy ships, but then the video feed changed again.
“Lieutenant Brown is sending us a feed, sir. It has an excellent vantage of the battle,” Patricia explained.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. It certainly does,” Jim responded as he stared at the Constitution approaching the ships. The feed Jeff was providing had a wide-angle view. Jim knew that the pilot must have zoomed in to full magnification to get that footage from several miles out, but it was superb footage. As he watched, Jim saw the Arizona come flying in from the north. At the same time, the Havana hit the southern section of the fleet. However, it was the Constitution, which once more overwhelmed the enemy with her firepower as she hammered the fleet with everything in her arsenal. The attack was sustained for a full two minutes, and then the big ships broke off and returned in the direction from which they had come.
They had barely cleared the area when the fighters raced back in and renewed their attack on the ships. The westernmost elements of the enemy fleet choose that moment to run for the west.
“Lieutenant Brown reports that he’ll have to descend to a lower altitude or risk being spotted prematurely by the enemy, Admiral,” Patricia reported.
“Tell him to do that now, and thank him for the excellent feed.”
“Yes, sir.”
A moment later, the video footage disappeared to be replaced by one of the drones that were engaged with the mop up operation against the eastern element of pirate vessels. Jim saw the sinking hulks of ships everywhere he looked.
“Captain Young is reporting that the bulk of the enemy ships are now heading west, Admiral. Those that aren’t doing so will probably not be able to get underway at all. He is saying that some may be biding their time to take another escape route because they look relatively undamaged,” Patricia reported.
“Ask the Havana to check on the ships there. The Constitution and the Arizona are to follow the battle plan. Order Bill’s eastern element to close and assist the Havana and her Cuban fighters. I want those ships taken out. Order our fighters to maintain contact with those ships until the other forces reach them, then I want them to join the Constitution and the Arizona.”
“Aye, Admiral,” Patricia replied and then she sent a hasty string of messages to the proper recipients. Jim was glad that she had volunteered to serve on the bridge for this battle. Instant communication in the midst of a battle was a very important facet in conducting a war, and Patricia was the best. He hoped his communications officer was paying attention.
“Admiral, according to the tactical screen, the last of the enemy ships at the eastern end of the engagement just disappeared,” the tactical officer advised.
“Order the drones there to advance to the west. Close on the ships the Havana is engaging.”
“Yes, sir,” the tactical officer responded. He then contacted the Damroyal’s drone operators and issued their latest orders.
“Helm, prepare to take us to our assigned station for the battle, but I want you to shift us toward the center of the oncoming ships. Remember, we aren’t charging at them. We want them in the Gulf.”
“Aye, Admiral. I won’t forget,” the helmsman replied. Jim though he sounded a bit nervous.
“This is your first battle at the helm, so you’re probably a bit concerned that you won’t remember everything and respond appropriately. Don’t be concerned. Your hands know what to do,” Jim stated in a quiet voice to the helmsman who was seated a few feet in front of him and to his right.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand, sir,” the helmsman replied.
“You’ll soon see what I mean. Just let your hands do what you’ve trained them to do during maneuvering drills. Don’t think about it too much. Just do it.”
“I’ll do my best, sir.”
“I’m sure you will,” Jim responded.
“Sir, Captain Young is advising that the lead element of the enemy flotilla is now entering your trigger area,” Patricia advised Jim.
“Take us up, helm,” Jim ordered.
He watched as once again the scene being displayed on the screen shifted. “Tim says to enjoy the feed. He’s filming until he has to go into battle,” Patricia stated.
On the monitor, Jim saw the Damroyal rise into the air from its position where it had hovered over the sea at an altitude of ten feet. “He says to inform you that he is shooting the film at zero magnification, and that the Damroyal is just that big,” Patricia added.
“Thank him for us,” Jim said as he watched the ship on the monitor. They’d completed their climb to altitude and were now moving out over the sea toward their designated area.
The scene shifted rapidly as Tim apparently manipulated the zoom. On the lead ship, which was fleeing the Constitution’s battl
e group, a pirate stood in the bow with his mouth agape in astonishment. Tim zoomed in on the man. Jim could see sweat rolling down the man’s face as he blinked rapidly several times. He tried to turn and shout a warning, but a laser flashed out and struck the man, felling him on the spot.
“Was that Tim?” asked Jim.
“He said that was for Pete, sir,” Patricia stated, confirming that Tim had made the shot. Jim shook his head in astonishment. He knew the laser would be useless against the ship at that range, but it was still lethal against a human target.
“Sir, my gunners have acquired the targets. Should we let them get a bit closer, or do you want us to open fire at once?” the gunnery sergeant asked.
“Fire, and don’t let up until the enemy fleet is destroyed,” Jim commanded.
“All gunners are to fire at will,” ordered the sergeant, adding, “Don’t stop as long as you see a single ship afloat.”
Jim watched as the fortress opened fire. Of her forty guns, ten were located in strategic areas along the flight deck to protect various areas of the fortress from an air attack. They were situated away from the outer edge of the ship, thus they were committed to air defense, and for that reason, they couldn’t target ground targets. This left the Damroyal with an impressive thirty weapons with which they could target enemy targets below the ship, and target them she did.
The shotgun weapon was the first to fire. Like that of the Constitution, the Damroyal’s delivered a massive blow to an enemy ground target, or, as in the case of the current situation, a vessel on the surface of the sea. The deck of the vessel was shredded by the blast, but unlike the weapon utilized by the Constitution, the Damroyal’s maintained contact long enough for the deadly red pulses to race down the beams.
Jim stood up in shock when he saw that happen. The secondary explosions literally tore the ship apart. It was sinking by the time the weapon stopped firing. It had fired a single shot and hit the target with such devastating results that it had sunk the ship. Turning to Pol, Jim nodded his appreciation of the man’s achievement and said, “Congratulations. You’ve outdone yourself.”