by Don Koch
"Billy is able to pinpoint where exactly I am located at any time because of our shared enhancements. The same is true for each of our siblings. Four of them will be joining us in about two days. They will be bringing you some new toys that I think you are going to enjoy. The rest of it, maybe not so much."
The Captain remarked, "That has a somewhat ominous ring to it."
"Yes it does, but Captain, we Ravens have not lost a single ship entrusted to our care and you will shortly have six of us. Joking aside, we Ravens do not have a death wish, but we are going in harms way. We plan to do so with some application of smarts. Our ships do have far better detection equipment than the Rotans and we are not reluctant to utilize that capability to its fullest. I mentioned that my siblings were bringing you a new toy. That toy should make a world of difference. It is a fully operational and highly effective cloaking device designed specifically for this ship. It will take about three days to install. Once installed, it will operate full time with minimal load on your power systems. All of your equipment can operate through it without giving away your presence or location unless they accidentally bumped into you. In theory you could park in their midst and they would never know you are there. Of course, life and reality are never that simple, so you will have to be cautious about excess heat emanations and drive particulate. Headquarters is sending a couple of techs who are thoroughly familiar with the system and they will be part of your crew. Billy's replacement is also on the way and you know him. He was your Chief of Boat on your last ship and your parting commendation for him suggests you will be happy to have him back."
"As part of our review, we have found that the Rotagilla have built two more planet busters and they expect to deploy them in 60 days. Each of the planet busters will be ensconced on a dreadnaught similar to the one just destroyed and each will be accompanied by a second dreadnaught. Our job is to find them and prevent deployment. Dreadnaughts are a bit hard to miss. They are so danged big."
As he handed several computer cubes to the Captain, Raven noted, "Everything they had in their computers is on these files. We need to get this information to Ranger headquarters as soon as possible. That will be our backup if things go badly. In addition, the vessel that meets us in two days can carry back copies of these. The order you authenticated essentially gives me command of your vessel. However, I would not presume to try to run your ship. That would be stupid of me. You are in command of your ship and I will let you know of our needs. If they can be done, I expect you will take care of it. If it can't be done, I will expect an honest effort to see how we can accomplish what we want to do. Does that sound like a reasonable approach?"
The XO looked relieved and the Captain responded, "That is eminently workable and I am relieved to hear that is how you wish to work. It will be my pleasure to work with you." The XO nodded likewise.
"Gentlemen, your learning curve is about to go nuts. If we are successful in this, we may well end this conflict. Oh, I forgot my manners, thank you for the food and hot beverage when I came aboard, that was sincerely appreciated."
The Captain chuckled, "I figured that anyone drifting around in space without a spacesuit might appreciate some food and a hot beverage."
"Too true, I could use one more thing and that is a hot shower to get the taste of Rotans off of me. Is there room in my brothers cabin for another person, I could also use some shuteye. I would also like to maintain Billy's disguise until his replacement arrives. In the meantime I think that the crew should be brought up to date about events and the mission. They all need to know what is up and why and that they can not talk about it. They do not need to know the level of my enhancements. I would like to talk to the security detail before I shower and snooze to thank them for their courtesy and personalize the request for secrecy about the enhancements they observed."
"Smart move. I asked them to wait in Wardroom 1 just down the hall in case you wanted to talk to them. I am happy to see I guessed correctly."
"After I get some rest, I will fill you in with more of what I expect ahead of us. Billy can give you some of the preliminaries."
Chapter 6: Mind-to-Mind
On Station One, In Orbit at Vast –
March 3 – C Day 551
Hank recapped the discussion of the previous day. He then asked Barana if she had discovered anything new from her review of the Glarin approach for mind-to-mind communication.
Sam noted pensively, "You know, eventually we are going to run into people who are more advanced than we are on some level, whether it be telepathy, technology, or things we can only guess. I would prefer to see us ready for such an eventuality."
Hank chimed in, "The old Boy Scout and Girl Scout motto, 'Be Prepared.'"
"Exactly. The Station AI's will buffer and reinforce us to the extent they can but what happens when something slips by them. Are we as ready as we can be? I am worried that the technology we have available to us may be giving us a false sense of security."
"Sam, do you have an example or a for instance."
"Well the only one that comes to mind is the Brondin Symbiote. What if the destruct sequence had not been installed? Where would that leave us? Can our telepathic talent coupled with our nanotechnology provide a sufficient and effective barrier? If not at present, why not? Hopefully we will never have to face that threat again but think about it. What if the Brondins had been more cooperative with each other? If that symbiote had been developed down the path they originally intended, we could be in a very different position now. The Brondins would have been a quantum leap more dangerous. Fortunately for us their greed and hunger for power got in their way and we came out ahead. I would rather have a Plan B, C and D in our repertoire than lose because we did not foresee other possibilities."
"That was well stated Sam, however it also suggests bumping up the enhancement packages."
"True, but who ever said that these enhancement packages have to only be biomechanical? Is there not just as much potential in our telepathic talent? As far as we know, we are essentially impervious when in that state. The discoveries we made last wee
k hint at the possibility that we can do more with that. I think we should be pursuing both avenues, physical and mental. I think that if we are going to be living with an advanced technology, we had best learn to think outside of the old box and figure out to maximize the toys in the new box."
Fador had a big smile on his face and started clapping.
Most were now on their feet applauding Sam.
Sam was surprised, "What?"
Hank was also applauding, "Sam you just gave them all a wake up call and they recognize it for what it is. You are amazing."
Hank commented, "It looks like we have had our noses pushed into reality. So far we have been pretty lucky. If we want to stay lucky we had best get started understanding the tools at our command. I think it is time to find out just what is available to us besides the things we know about. Fador, Barana, is there an inventory of the things that are sitting out there for us that we might potentially utilize to help us with our goals."
"Ok then, I need a team to start looking into the things available to us as well as how we might address the things we are discussing today. It seems to me that the first item to tackle is mind-to-mind communication. I think that the best person to take that on is Vassim. He certainly has a broader experience than the rest of us on the issue. Vassim, are you agreeable with that."
"Indeed I am."
"Great, let me know who you would like to have on your team. Because you are on one team does not mean that you can't be on another as well. The next area for exploration is a review of our enhancement approach. This should not rule out a combination of mental and physical. I think the best person for this task would be Major Pine. Are you up to the task?"
"Yes sir, and thank you, but I am a Captain."
"C'mon up here Ben." Hank then proceeded to remove the old rank tabs and pin on his new ones. "There, see, I was right, you are a Major. You will have quite a few higher ranks on your group and they know you are in charge. So treat them politely but you are in command of your group. Understood?"
"Yes sir and thanks again."
"Ben you have earned this rank with your great work. I am really pleased to have you aboard, you have been an asset since day one. Sgt Major Wall will probably want to collect another buck."
"Next, we need a team to explore what is in that inventory of goodies back at Tau Ceti to see if there is technology there that we can utilize. Sass, would you be willing to delve into that?"
"With pleasure Henry, that sounds most interesting."
"There are other items on the table but the ones we have assigned today are the priority issues. In your review and research, be aware that there are other issues we will eventually want to address. These include location perception, personal teleportation, universal telepathy and enhancements to shielding. There are likely others that we are not even thinking about right now. Keep your radar tuned for those kinds of surprises. If you should happen to see something that addresses any of these let me know. The 60 of you are my core research group. You will all be working with Barana and each other as you proceed. If there are others out there that should be part of this, recruit them. We have some pretty bright people in the enlisted ranks so do not overlook them."
"Hank, what is this about location perception?"
"Sorry Sass, I did not explain that one. Good question. At some point I want to explore personal teleportation. In order to teleport to a place, you have to know exactly what is there. When you do teleport to a place you will displace the volume of air or anything else that is at you arrival position. The worry is not that you will end up in a tree or a concrete wall. The worry is that the tree or concrete wall will be displaced by your arrival and will be pushed aside with great force. When you teleport, part of the process will be to move what is at your arrival location to make room for yourself. You will have to be able to move any material that is at your arrival location unless you like announcing your arrival with a sonic boom or worse. Your arrival could be lethal to bystanders as the material you displace moves away from you at great velocity. You can pre-move some light elements such as air but something solid is another matter. Therefor you need to be able to see and know what is at your destination. For that you need to have enhanced perception and knowledge of your arrival site. Though there may be applications for that in a combat situation."
"Oh. I admit I have not thought much about personal teleportation, though what you say makes sense. I can see some utility in arriving some places with a sonic boom. That would certainly get someone's attention."
"You are correct, but only where it is intentional. Is this job fun or what?"
Everyone had a laugh at that.
Chapter 7: Preparing for Rotagilla
Aboard Malone Cruiser Destiny
March 3 – C Day 551
After James had slept for 12 hours, Billy escorted his brother to the bridge where he found an admirals chair awaiting him. The captain explained, "The command structure we are working with here is identical to what we would experience if we had an admiral aboard. This will give the crew something familiar to wrap their minds around. So, I may command this ship but you will call the shots. This will work. I have explained to the crew what is about to happen and I must say there is a definite sense of anticipation and pleasure at the announcement. They are ready."
"Captain, that is precisely why this ship was selected. It is also why Billy has been undercover to help confirm what we already suspected. You have a crew that is unmatched by any other ship in the fleet. You can take pride in the fact that this has been recognized. Are we having fun or what? I understand that we are on target to meet the other ship in 24 hours. I neglected to mention that the ship we will meet is also cloaked. This might be a good exercise for your crew to see if they can find a way to detect her. I understand that your crew loves a challenge."
"Since that chair gives the crew a title with which they are familiar, I am going to call you admiral, just an easier adjustment. Your suggestion is great. They will love this. Do you want to make the announcement?"
"No Captain, this is your baby. You might want to let them know to also look for heat differences, electronic anomalies, and exhaust particulate. Also, have them consider what we might do differently to avoid the same detection methods."
"I am going to enjoy this exercise. Thank you."
Twenty two hours later, Captain Foster hailed the approaching cloaked vessel stating, "Briarpatch, this is Destiny noting your approach on designated vector. We have you at 300 miles and slowing. Are you ready for docking instructions?"
"Destiny, this is Briarpatch, how did you….uh, never mind, we will talk later, yes we are ready for instructions." With that Briarpatch uncloaked.
Several picket boats were posted to provide early warning if needed. Docking instructions were transmitted to the Briarpatch. On arrival, Briarpatch's Captain came aboard and before he could say anything, Captain Foster pointed to a group of his crew and said, "They will tell you how we did it and what you can do to reduce detection. By the way, welcome aboard." Following the upset Captain of the Briarpatch were four Rangers in black. Captain Foster gave them all a huge grin, "welcome Ravens to the Destiny. Congratulations on your efforts with those Rotagillan cruisers. I am very pleased to meet you. I'd like you to meet my XO, Commander Zack Johnson."
Janet Raven said, "oops."
Zack Johnson stood there with a stunned look on his face, "Jan, you're a Raven?"
She nodded with a chagrined look on her face and quietly said, "Yes."
"You are even more amazing th
an I thought you were."
"You are not upset," she said in wonder.
"No, not upset, mostly surprised, but not upset.
"Captain, I wonder if I can steal my fiancé for a few minutes, I did not expect to find him here."
"XO, this is the 'Jan' you have been bending my ear about?"
He nodded, "yes sir, I didn't know."
"Miss Raven, Wardroom 3 is not occupied and is just there" he noted pointing. "Please bring him back to me in one piece without broken bones. Go." As they left, he muttered, "Good Lord, what other complications will this trip bring about." The remaining Ravens, Henry, Anna and Susan were all grinning widely, and finally Henry Raven spoke up, "Sorry Captain, our apologies, but we did know and hid the fact from her. We wanted to see if Zack was half the man we thought he was when we met him at the engagement party. We usually go by the name of Raif in public. It was quite a shock to pull on him but now we are sure he will survive it. A shock like this, now and then, builds character wouldn't you say?"