* * *
I pulled a scramble two nights later and their time was about the same as for the earlier daytime scramble. I then told them that I would leave the next time whether they were on board or not when we got back to port. “Men and women take note. The next time we scramble, you have exactly five minutes to be on board or you will be left behind. I don’t care if you’re twenty feet away when the five minutes are up. The hatches will shut and the ships will lift off whether you’re in the way or not. I don’t care what you look like when you get on board, just be on board before the five minutes are expired. Do not disappoint me for you’ll only be getting yourself killed by the ships as we launch.”
* * *
The next night, I pulled two scrambles, one in the early evening and one late in the morning. I kept the units practicing hard at everything until I could see some semblance of order and discipline returning to the unit. I hadn’t given the squadron a name yet and really wasn’t too concerned about that since there were more important things to do. However, since they were beginning to shape up after a week of work, I decided that it was time to instill some spirit into them other than the kind they drank. I thought back to my speech with the officers and pilots when I told them that I wanted the enemy to think we were crazy for combat and fear us. I also wanted a name which would help to instill that fear whenever it was said. I finally chose to give them the title of the Grim Reaper Squadron. It was close enough to what I wanted for inspiration and fear. The squadron surprised me sometime later the next day when I discovered that they took to the name with enthusiasm. They even had a Grim Reaper painted on the nose of every ship of the squadron by then.
* * *
The Grim Reaper Squadron didn’t get into a patrol sector for two weeks. Then we were finally there and had the luck to discover several enemy ships. I announced the charge over the lightbeam radio and watched the ships go into combat against the three alien ships. The unit performed much better than I thought they would. I was beginning to rethink my opinion of the members of the squadron since they took to the idea of individual initiative better than other personnel. I decided to test my thoughts and called back to Headquarters. “Fleet Admiral Cain, I’d like to take the squadron on an unlimited excursion of all our sectors.”
“Why?” he asked.
I said, “Because I think we’ve hit paydirt in this squadron. I think they’re ready. Did you monitor the engagement we just had?”
He replied, “Yes, I did, Captain. But that was only three enemy ships.”
I said, “Maybe so, but the way they aggressively went after the enemy convinces me that they’re ready for bigger game, if we can find it.”
He said, “Very well. Permission granted. I will have all sectors notified right now that the 13th Squadron is going to be moving about unrestricted. Good luck. I think you’re going to need it.”
I replied, “Thanks, Admiral. We’ll do our best not to disappoint you.”
I turned to the Captain of my flagship and said, “Set course to take the squadron through all the sectors. We’re going hunting!”
“Yes sir,” she responded.
A few minutes later we were moving through space and leaving our sector to check out as many sectors as possible. When we entered the third sector, there were two enemy ships. Three of our squadron’s ships peeled off at them before I could even announce the charge. I went ahead and backed them up with the rest of the squadron as we destroyed two more enemy ships. All during each engagement, the Communications officer gave a description of the fighting.
* * *
Entering the fifth sector we came across an enemy scout who wasn’t fast enough in leaving. The rest of the sectors after that were empty. Our tactics were having an effect on the enemy. We spent the rest of the week moving from sector to sector, trying to catch the enemy napping and coming up empty-handed.
* * *
The Grim Reaper Squadron returned to base to be met by the Fleet Admiral who looked at the men and women who came off the ships in amazement. “How did you get them shaped up?” he asked.
I answered, “I kept them up late and gave them honest work, sir. If nothing else, you have the beginnings of one of the finest squadrons you’ll ever see right in front of you. Give them something to do and plenty of it. They’ll respond. They’ve been kept too far away from everyone else and the action. They got bored. From there they went downhill. They’re also very individualistic. This squadron technique is particularly suited to their personalities. I recommend they be given as much opportunity to fight the enemy as possible. I can stay with them another week or another month, but I don’t think anymore time from me is going to make them any better. What they need most is to be used and respected. I don’t think they’ll disappoint you.”
He said, “I’ll take your word on it. I really thought that it would take you much longer to prepare this squadron, even longer than the two to three months you estimated. Okay. Take a week off and come see me. I’ll have an assignment that you won’t want to miss. I guarantee that.”
* * *
I spent the next week at the same base with the Grim Reaper Squadron along with Majel and her personnel. We watched the squadron scramble twice to intercept enemy penetrations into their area of space. Both times, they succeeded without a loss and crushed the enemy totally. Before I left for Headquarters, they left on another deep space patrol. They were looking forward to it. They had been given one of the hottest sectors around.
* * *
When we got to Headquarters, we were just in time to hear, along with the Fleet Admiral, the description of the battle going on between an equal-sized enemy squadron and the Grim Reaper Squadron. We listened intently to the flagship communications officer as the ships charged at the enemy. Visuals were greatly limited to what was selected by communications on board each ship for transmission. Having been there with them not long ago, I could visualize what the rest of the battle appeared like to the men and women of the squadron.
“We’ve just taken out one of their ships, it’s a destroyer class ship. There goes another one of the enemy ships! Two of our ships are peeling off from the formation. They’ve got one of the enemy ships in a cross fire. There he goes! It looked to be the size of a light cruiser. We’ve taken a hit that I just felt. Didn’t feel serious. Oh, we just lost one of our destroyers. Okay, there goes what was probably the enemy flagship. She’s falling apart in pieces! We’re changing course to take on a light cruiser. We’re scoring hits! I just noticed another enemy destroyer class ship rupture into space! Some of the enemy ships look like they’re trying to escape now. They’re turning… Yes! They are trying to escape! There goes another enemy destroyer in pieces! We’re picking them off now! I just spotted two of the enemy ships collide into each other. They’re fouled up. One of our ships just peeled off from the formation to take advantage of them. He’s getting hits on them! One of them is destroyed! We’re helping out with some of our guns. There goes the other ship!”
The Fleet Admiral was smiling when he realized that the battle was turning out into a slaughter of the enemy. He looked up at me and said, “We’ve got to celebrate before I give you your next assignment. That was a great battle!”
I accepted one of the drinks he poured for Majel and myself and waited for him to raise his glass. He gave the toast to the Grim Reaper Squadron and I drank along with him. Then he picked up a packet and handed it to me. He said, “Captain, it’s every officer’s dream to command a heavy cruiser. You’re going to get your chance. You’ll be training a thirty-ship squadron with a heavy cruiser, the Excalibur, two cruisers, three light cruisers, twenty destroyers, and four scouts. I’m going to have the two squadrons you trained for me take over their sector on an alternating basis. They both seem up to the task. The 9th Squadron has been in a lot of action, but it hasn’t made any headway. I think only its size has kept the enemy at bay until now. See what you can do with it. I’d like to see this war end soon. My son is on one
of the ships. I’m expecting you to treat him as you did every other man and woman. I am not going to tolerate any favoritism from you concerning him.”
I replied, “Yes sir. I won’t show him any. Well, Majel, how would you like to play with a cruiser?”
I watched her eyes light up as she realized she would get to command for a short while one of the largest ships in the Navy. Only the heavy cruisers were bigger.
* * *
We left shortly afterwards for the base where the 9th Squadron was stationed. We had to be flown to the station. We took all the personnel records with us that time. The Admiral gave us a few personnel to assist with moving the records and for returning them. I spent some time looking at the records while in transit. I had a head start on what needed to be done.
Upon our arrival, we found the entire squadron waiting in formation for us. I went ahead and used the formation to my advantage to introduce myself and my objectives in no uneven terms. A few minutes later, I inspected their ships while their captains accompanied me as I crawled into recesses that looked like no one had checked them since the ship was built. I explored crannies, nooks, storage closets, gun stations, engine rooms, bridges, and anyplace else on the ship I could get into. When we finished, they each had lists to turn over to their First Officers for maintenance. Then they accompanied me to the recreational hall where we set up the personnel records and went through them.
* * *
The following day, the ships were being repaired while I went over tactics with the officers and pilots. As much as I wanted to get into space on the bridge of a heavy cruiser, tactics was more important. It was the reason for my being with them. With the addition of scouts, I found that I had a class of ship that I hadn’t used before nor made any provisions for in my training program.
The scouts were essentially four person ships consisting of a single officer, pilot, and two gunners. They were very short range and relied on having heavy cruiser support for deep space voyages. The officer handled the navigation, sensors, and communications, as well as giving orders to the pilot and gunners. If nothing else, the scouts were extremely fast, but lightly armed, having only a pair of Mark II singles. I looked over their capabilities and realized that there was more use for them than they had been used for. I worked on a plan that would soon put them to good use for more than just scouting.
* * *
Within a few days, the ships were all up to my standards. The officers and crews had been given training on what I expected them to do in a battle. It was time to take the squadron up for some drills and mock charges. The squadron went up and every ship, including the scouts, practiced all the drills and tactics.
Getting a larger squadron to scramble was quite a task in itself. In fact, the only way the members of the squadron managed to do it at night in five minutes or less was to take my advice and run like hell for the ships no matter how they were or weren’t dressed. The only ships presenting a problem for that was the scouts since they didn’t have the room inside for anyone to move around or dress themselves in. They would have to wait until they docked in space with the heavy cruiser before they could. However, they were able to launch far quicker than anyone else, so I segregated them far away enough from the other ships where they could launch as soon as their personnel were aboard. They would be able to either wait for the rest of the squadron in orbit or start out on their mission. Most of the scouts were soon launching within three minutes. I felt that was an accomplishment of sorts despite the fact that most of their personnel were stark naked or nearly so.
* * *
After two weeks, we began going on patrols and practicing some of the new tactics especially created to take advantage of having the fast scouts. We didn’t manage to encounter any enemy ships to practice on, so I communicated with Headquarters to arrange for us to move about freely to find something to practice on.
Chapter 20
The message that came down from Supreme Headquarters was devastating to me when I read it on the monitor inside the Excalibur’s bridge. The war was over, although it was more of a truce. The Ape-oids sued for peace and a truce was in effect. I had no choice but to recall the 9th Squadron and return to base.
I wondered what my own status would be as we returned back to our port. I held a temporary commission as a Captain in the Navy. I guessed I could become an enlisted member of the Navy, such as Sergeant Clark had. Maybe I’d be kept on board one of the ships, but somehow I doubted it. If I knew the Navy, now that the emergency was over, it would be back to politics as usual.
I was still a paid employee of Pennyweight Shipping Company and an officer there. It seemed to hold more future for me than the Navy. At least they hadn’t missed seeing my talents and availing themselves of them. They had treated me fairly as well. In fact, they had treated me more than fair. However, I was unsure if I would remain an officer when I returned to Pennyweight.
* * *
My orders weren’t long in arriving after I got back to the base. I was sitting around with very little to do besides trying to keep the ships in shape before the crews could neglect them in their efforts to celebrate. Three days after we returned to base, my orders arrived. I reported back to the Thurman to return my first ship of command back to Pennyweight.
The Thurman and I, along with the other remaining Pennyweight Shipping Company personnel who were with me, had been deactivated. A number of the repairs made on the Thurman were already rusting over again. The Thurman was looking like a rust bucket again. However, we did get to keep the Mark IV quads the Navy installed to replace some of our weapons lost in action. If nothing else, the Rust Bucket was going back to Pennyweight with more firepower on her than when she left for war.
I took the old familiar Captain’s seat, probably for the last time, I figured, and told Frank to take us home. The trip only took a few minutes to reach our port from the base. Once there, we cleaned up the ship and performed maintenance. When we were finished, I reported to the office to see Penny and report myself as back in for work.
“Captain Oden reporting for work.”
“It’s about time you showed up. How’s the Rust Bucket?” Penny asked.
I replied, “It’s still in great shape despite some hits we took. The Navy repaired and replaced the damage and installed Mark IV quads for the destroyed guns. She has a little bit more aging before she has an even coat of rust again. Anyway, I guess I go back to manning a gun.”
Penny exclaimed, “What? Hell no! When I made you an officer, I meant it! As a matter of fact, you’re going to remain in charge of that Rust Bucket. You’ve matured into a good skipper. I’m sure as hell not wasting your talents on merely manning a gun. You’ll be back on gun ship routes in a few days. Rest up and see me in two days to get the crew list. We’ve got to do some reassignments now that your ship is back.”
I eagerly replied, “Yes ma’am, I mean, yes Penny! I’ll see you in two days. Besides, I have some old friends to look up now that I have the time.”
I left the building and hired a Yellow to take me over to the Academy to see the Sarge. He was just getting off from running a class through their course work. He smiled as I walked in, once again dressed in Pennyweight overslicks. The cloud white shirt and ocean blue pants were easy to recognize.
“Well, are you going to be ready for the second war with the Ape-oids?” he asked.
I said, “I am, but I don’t think the Navy will be. They already seem to be gravitating back to their old ways.”
He nodded his head as he said, “Yes, they are. Mark my words. We’ll be back at war with them within five years. We were winning and both sides knew it. That’s the only reason the Ape-oids asked for a truce. When the war restarts, the Ape-oids will have better guns than before and possibly better ships than the Navy.”
“You think they can advance that much in only five years?” I asked.
Sergeant Clark said, “Easily, if they apply all their efforts to the task. Take a look at the terms o
f the truce when they come out later today. You’ll see that I’m right. They don’t have any intention of honoring the truce beyond the time when they feel that they have an advantage.”
I said, “I will, as soon as they’re in the e-news.”
He said, “By the way, you’re the reason they asked for a truce. They kept losing too many ships because of you and your students. You did a fine job. Too bad that the Navy will undo most of that before the truce ends.”
“Me? Really?” I said in astonishment.
He said, “Absolutely. Take a look at the overall statistics, son. The only absolute victories for the Navy were the ones in which you or your students participated in from beginning to truce. You and your students account for over three-quarters of all the enemy ships destroyed, the only enemy installations attacked, and the only prisoners brought back. If you hadn’t thought of bringing back prisoners, we wouldn’t have anything to trade prisoners with. I understand that they got a lot of information from those three before the war ended. The Ape-oids feared you and that Rust Bucket. They’re trying to make a new ship better than that one ship because they thought it was a secret weapon we brought in.”
I laughed when the Sarge said it was believed to be a secret weapon.
He said, “Don’t laugh too much. They will make a better ship, but the question remains whether they’ll improve their training as well. If they don’t, then you’ll still have a chance against them.”
“I? What do you mean?” I asked.
He said, “Now that you’ve accepted a temporary commission, the Navy can activate you again when the chips are down. They will, whether you work for Pennyweight or not.”
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