by Ricky Sides
“I will.”
“I know you will, Captain,” Jim said formally, and then he picked up a laminated photograph of that downed APC. “Give this to your strike team leader. Inform him of the details of the downing, and tell him that the council says it is his responsibility as head of security on your ship to see to it that this never happens to your vessel. Tell him I said to put it somewhere that he and his men will see it daily and encourage them to look at it.”
“Yes, sir,” Evan said, and he took possession of the photograph.
“Good. Now that that’s out of the way, it’s time for you to take the captain’s oath,” Jim said. Turning to Tim, he said, “Would you do the honors?”
“Of course,” Tim said as he picked up the clipboard that contained the oath.
After the small ceremony was finished, Tim handed him the clipboard and said, “Every captain keeps a copy of the oath somewhere prominent so they see it every day. We recommend that you take a moment and ponder the oath on a daily basis. Sections of it remind us of our responsibilities to our crews.”
“I’ll do that,” Evan promised, and he meant it. Never before had the full scope of a captain’s duties and responsibilities been made as readily apparent as they were when he had taken that oath.
“Now it’s time for your mission briefing. You’re going hunting, son,” Jim stated.
***
Dawn found the Damroyal off the coast of Louisiana. Relieved from the massive weight of the majority of the rest of the fleet, the ship was no longer forced to remain submerged to prevent structural damage.
On the flight deck, the air was cold, but wasn’t excessively uncomfortable. The peacekeeper council and their spouses watched as Evan and the rest of the crew boarded the Valiant to begin their mission. Jim resisted the urge to yell to his son not to forget to give Ramon the dispatches he had given him the night before during the briefing.
Evan’s first mission was to visit Havana, which Ramon had informed Jim was now clear of the plague. In fact, all of Cuba was now plague free.
Evan was being sent to convey personally the council’s fear that a rogue group had used the time during the peacekeepers’ seclusion to build up a powerful group of raiders who utilized anything that flew to attack unsuspecting people and take what they wanted.
After that mission, Evan and his crew would join Bill and the crew of the Constitution in the hunt for this group’s base of operations. Because they would soon be able to house them in the new ship, and because of the nature of their missions, the council had authorized four escort fighters to be assigned to the Valiant. Those four fighters had already lifted off and were hovering over the bow of the Damroyal.
The Valiant lifted into the air and turned on its axis. A moment later, it proceeded on a southeasterly course for Cuba. Its escort fighters flew into position with two in front of the ship and two flying behind her.
Maggie noted with approval that the ship executed a slow acceleration. She’d spoken with Evan about the need to be careful during accelerations due to Lisa’s pregnancy. He had assured her that Doctor Helen Sanchez had told him the same thing. She had also taken the precaution of instructing the pilot to remind Evan of the prohibition against g-force accelerations, should he order one. That information had comforted Maggie. She’d known that Helen would look after her daughter during this delicate time of her pregnancy, but she hadn’t known that the doctor would take such a preemptive action at the outset of the mission.
As the group watched the Valiant and her escorts disappear from sight, an APC flew in for a landing near the Council. Two more fighters flew up over the flight deck and hovered above the bow of the Damroyal.
“What’s this?” Pol asked curiously.
“It’s your APC and escort fighters, Pol,” Jim responded.
“Mine? Why? I thought I was flying to Base 1 aboard the Peacekeeper.”
“Nah, I need to go hunt the Warlord and his merry band of rogues. Jim and I discussed it. We both think it’s high time you had your own transport. It was Jim’s idea, but I agree that it’s a great one.”
Jim said, “It makes sense. You’re going to be shuttling back and forth between Base 1 and the Texas bases so much in the coming month that it doesn’t make any sense to tie up a big ship.”
“I can see the logic in that, but why the two fighters?”
“Are you kidding?” Tim asked incredulously. Seeing from the expression on his face that Pol wasn’t joking, he added, “You’re a council member, Pol. Like it or not, that makes you important. However, it also makes you a prime target for the Warlord who would love nothing better than for the scientist who created the peacekeeper ships to fall into his hands. Hell, Pol, we discussed assigning a full fighting wing to your transport, but we thought that might be a bit drastic.”
“I think two is more than sufficient. The APCs are well armored.”
“Do we need to give you the same photograph we gave Evan last night?” Tim asked in a deadpan voice.
“Uh, no. I get the point,” Pol replied, paling slightly in remembrance.
“I think you should have someone laminate a bit more armor in strategic zones on your APC,” Jim advised. “Tim is right. You’re probably a target now. Hell, we all are, and for that reason, I want you to know that I think it best you don’t land outside a base. Your strike team leader will assign security for you no matter where you are.”
“Strike team? You have assigned a strike team, too?” He had just finished asking his questions when the door of the APC opened and out rushed several strike team members, who moved to take up positions near Pol. “Admiral, don’t you think that’s a waste of personnel?”
“No,” Jim responded with an air of finality.
Pol looked to Maggie for support, but she crossed her arms and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I agree with them. You’ll take the security precautions they are advising because they are right. You don’t realize what a valuable target you are to any serious enemy of the peacekeepers. That’s especially true if that enemy is trying to create a rival air force, and from what I’ve seen, that’s exactly what this Warlord jerk is doing.”
“Yes, dear,” Pol said with a grin. Although they hadn’t yet been married a year, he had long since learned to avoid rousing Maggie’s temper, and intellectually, he knew they were right. If he were the Warlord, he would indeed try to capture the man behind the development of the peacekeeper air assets.
“Thank you, Admiral. I’m sure they’ll work out splendidly.”
“Lieutenant Harry Ackerman reporting for duty, sir,” the strike force leader said when Pol turned to address him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant,” Pol responded. “I’ll be ready to go as soon as I say my goodbyes and load my luggage.”
“We’ll get that for you, sir,” the lieutenant responded and the team grabbed Pol’s luggage and took it to the APC.
“He’s a good man. Jack Wilcox trained him,” observed Jim.
“Then he is no doubt most skilled,” Pol responded.
He shook hands with Jim and Tim, kissed Patricia and Lina on the cheek, and then he held Maggie in a long embrace and kissed her passionately.
“I’ll miss you, Love,” Maggie said.
“I’ll miss you too, but it won’t be long. I’ll see you in a few days. Thanks to the APC and team the others assigned, I won’t have to wait until I can catch a ride with someone flying to the location.”
“That’s another reason I’m glad they made this arrangement,” Maggie stated.
Pol kissed her once more and then he turned and hurried to the APC.
Chapter 4
Aboard the Valiant, Evan stared out to sea. He was looking for the Cuban coastline that he knew they were rapidly approaching. Ahead of him, he could see their two forward fighter escorts.
Turning away from the view, Evan looked at Lisa sitting in her chair at the communications station. “Page the strike force leader for me, please. Tell
him I need to see him in the control room.”
“Yes, Captain,” she responded and then she paged Ralph.
“You look tired. Are you feeling okay?” Evan asked quietly.
“I’m fine. Just tired. I doubt many of us got a great deal of sleep last night. I was excited about getting a ship again.”
“Me too,” Evan said with a smile of pure pleasure on his face.
“You wanted to see me, Captain?” asked Ralph from behind Evan.
“Yes I did. I’m a little concerned about the reception we may get when we land in Cuba.”
“You are? I thought we had great relations with the Cubans.”
“We did, prior to the plague, but think about it. We know they administered a lot of the vaccine we transported to the Dry Tortugas for them. God only knows how many Cubans may have died after using it. That’s apt to cause a few hard feelings toward Americans in general, and at us in particular, since we delivered it to them.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean,” Ralph said with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Prepare your men. Tell them they need to be extra wary. I want them to keep their tempers in check. Someone may, at the very least, insult us. Be prepared for that and do not retaliate verbally or physically. If it gets physical, we retreat to the ship and leave.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll get right on that. Do we go in full hard gear?”
“Body armor, yes, but let’s not be the first to offer insult. Leave the hard headgear in the ship.”
“I’ll see to it. Do you know where we’ll be meeting?”
“Captain Marino said he would like to come aboard to see the ship. When we land, I want the bay door to remain sealed and closed. I’ll want you and two of your men to act as honor guards at the side door. I want another two stationed inside where they can watch the door and backup the exterior guards if needed.”
“I’ll see to the details.”
“Thank you, Sergeant, that’ll be all.”
Ralph turned to leave the room, but Evan stopped him when he said, “Oh, there was one other thing. When this mission is over, we’ll be heading back for America to begin the hunt for the Warlord. I have free rein as to where to search. I could really use some input from you as to where we should start.”
“I’ll give that some thought, sir. In fact, I’ve already given it a lot of thought, but I’ll think on it some more.”
“Now, I’m curious. Where do you think would be a likely place?”
“If I had to guess right now, then I’d say the northern section of the American Midwest.” Turning to Lisa, he asked, “Can you please pull up a map of America with the peacekeeper bases designated?”
“Sure, that’s easy enough,” Lisa answered. A moment later, she had the appropriate map on her monitor, which she swiveled around so that Ralph could consult it.
“Note the disposition of the bases. If I were the enemy, I’d want to establish my base in the north to avoid possible contamination by plague bearers. I’d choose the Midwest, because several of those states are sparsely populated.”
“They are all sparsely populated now,” Evan observed sadly.
“True, but he was apparently organizing before the plague decimated everyone, and those states are also a good distance from the concentration of peacekeeper bases.” Glancing at Evan, Ralph said, “It’s just my theory. I could be wrong.”
“Pick a state. I’ll narrow it down from there,” Evan instructed.
“In that case I say Montana, because that’s where I’d be if I were the enemy. There are only two bases in close geographical proximity, and not to belittle those bases, but they are relatively small, and he raided one.”
“Montana it will be then. That was some sound reasoning, Sergeant. You’d better get back to the men and carry out your orders. Remember, we don’t want to be the ones to start an incident. If it gets too bad outside the ship, you are to order the men inside and seal the door.”
“Yes, sir. I’m on it.”
”Do you think the Warlord is in Montana?” asked Lisa.
“I have no idea, but Ralph’s reasoning is sound.”
“It made sense to me,” Lisa stated.
“Captain, we have a visual on Cuba,” the pilot, Corporal John Dutton, reported.
“Thank you, navigator,” Evan responded. Turning to Lisa, he said, “Give the men a ten minute warning.”
“Aye, Captain,” Lisa replied, and then she made the announcement.
“Drone operators, you should be prepared to launch your drones on my orders, but I don’t want to launch them unless it’s necessary.”
“Yes, Captain,” the two drone operators said in unison.
Evan watched from the windshield, as the island nation grew larger by the moment.
“Captain, the Captain of the Havana has just radioed a message asking us to make certain we come in directly over El Morro and land inside the fort,” Lisa reported.
“Confirm our compliance with the Captain’s request,” he ordered.
“Navigation, abort our planned approach over Havana. Take us in directly over Fort El Morro and land.”
Looking back toward Lisa, Evan said, “Radio our fighter escorts. Tell them to come to an altitude of twenty feet. They are to stop a mile off the coast and hover. We’ll call them in if we need them.”
“Aye, Captain,” Lisa responded, and then she issued the escort fighters their orders.”
Looking out the windshield, Evan saw the two lead fighters descend to their designated altitude. The two fighters at the rear of the Valiant shot past the ship and pulled alongside the other two. Moments later, all four aircraft stopped and hovered about three hundred feet to the left of the Valiant’s flight path.
Evan moved to stand beside his wife. “How did he sound?” he asked quietly.
“He sounded embarrassed to me. I could tell Ramon didn’t like having to make the request. He told me to let you know that he would be bringing his strike team to take up a defensive position near the Valiant. He explained that tensions are currently high in Cuba, and he wants no incidents.”
“Did he say I wasn’t to deploy our team?” Evan asked in a low tone of voice.
“He advised against it, but understands that failure to do so violates standard protocols.”
“It sure as hell does,” stated Ralph quietly. He had come up during the conversation and had heard enough to understand that they were talking about whether or not to deploy his men.
“Under the circumstances, do you want the entire team?” Evan asked with the intentions of making his decision based on Ralph’s answer.
“No, sir. The plan you laid out should be sufficient. I understand the diplomatic situation. An excessive show of force will be construed as aggressive, but I must strongly advise you not to go against the protocols. They are there for good reasons.”
“I agree. Get ready. We’ll be there in a minute or two.”
As Ralph left the control room, Evan said, “Drone operators, launch your drones. Should anyone fire on our men, you are to intersperse your drones between the men outside and the attacker, but you are not cleared to fire upon the Cubans unless the ship is in danger. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Captain,” both drone operators responded as they launched their drones.
“Once we land, hover above the Valiant, and you should be ready to clear the airspace in the event that the pilot has to get us airborne in a hurry.”
Evan turned around and stared out the windshield as the pilot slowed their airspeed to a crawl. The Valiant passed over the wall and stopped to hover above the open area inside the walls. “I’m ready to land at your order, Captain,” the pilot reported.
“It looks a bit tight down there, so be careful. Set us down beside the Havana.”
If the pilot was nervous about landing in the crowded space, he showed no signs of it when he landed the giant ship in the slot as if he parked it there on a daily basis.
Evan turned and saw
Ralph standing in the doorway waiting for the order to exit. “Deploy your men, Sergeant, and keep your eyes and ears open for trouble.”
“We’re on it, sir,” Ralph replied.
Evan gave the strike team a few moments to get into position, and then he walked out of the control room and proceeded to the side exit of the Valiant. Walking down the ramp to the ground below, he joined Ralph and his two men where they stood at attention. They were waiting for Captain Marino, who was leading his men toward the door at a brisk pace.
“Captain Wilison, what a pleasure it is to see you again,” Ramon said in greeting as he shook hands with Evan in a friendly manner.
“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Captain. The council has a dispatch they wanted me to deliver in person, but first, I promised to give you a tour of the ship.”
“Yes, please do. I suggest that your men come inside as well. The afternoon sun is hot here, and there’s no shade. My men are accustomed to the climate, but yours may find it most unpleasant.”
Evan knew that Ramon wasn’t really referring to the sun. Already, a group of some twenty Cuban peacekeepers had exited their barracks and was pointing in their direction. Some were exchanging heated words with others in the group.
Thinking quickly, Evan thought he knew a way to avoid what appeared to be a growing potential for a confrontation. “I was hoping to take you and some of your men for a brief flight, so that you could see the flight capabilities of this model ship.”
“What a splendid suggestion. How can I refuse such an opportunity? Unfortunately, my men need to remain here, but I would be most happy to accompany you,” Ramon stated. Turning to address his strike force leader, he said, “We are going for a test flight of the Valiant. Once we have boarded, you are to return to the ship and await my return.”