Now, he didn’t even know where to find his friends. He had heard rumours over the years, but their different paths had never crossed.
When the download was complete, he decided to see if he could find Anthony. Access to any information regarding Delaney was denied to him. He expected it, but was still disappointed. He knew the order came direct from Powers. Kuiper required an identity log in for such information and anything from Bismarck that didn’t come from Decker would be denied.
* * *
McReidy and Gillespie found John in the weapons room.
“Sorry we’re late,” Gillespie apologised. “Had to get kitted out.”
“I wasn’t expecting anyone back yet.”
McReidy sat on a torpedo tube, crouching slightly forward so as not to hit her head on the railings above. “We must have really ticked off the admiral last night.”
Gillespie threw her a curious sideways glance.
“If only,” John smiled.
Gillespie’s glance shifted between the two of them. “Am I missing something?”
“Shut up, Steve,” McReidy told him.
He raised his hands in defeat, then turned to John. “So, what’s the story?”
“It looks like a full scale invasion from the Andromeda galaxy. Everyone’s lost ships out that way. Ark Royal was due…” His voice wavered and he looked at his boots briefly while he took a breath. “She was destroyed.”
He fought to bury his emotions.
“Ark Royal’s gone?” McReidy whispered incredulously into the silence.
He nodded.
“John, I’m –” Gillespie began.
“Don’t,” John faltered on the single word. “Just… don’t.”
Neither of them spoke, the silence just as crushing to John.
His fists clenched, the muscles up his arms and into his shoulders and neck tightening.
“She was out there with a Betelian ship. They were coming in… She destroyed the jump gate.”
“Why?” McReidy asked.
“To stop whatever’s out there coming in. And Rache might be with them.” He looked to McReidy. “Powerful friends?”
She nodded slowly. “So, we,” she circled a finger to include the three of them, “have two threats. One out there and one close to home.”
“Hopefully, he thinks we died with Magellan. But the whole Betelian Empire is in danger. Command’s sending a convoy to stop them, along with whatever support they can muster up. We happen to be first in line.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Gillespie looked from John to McReidy, then sighed in defeat.
“You haven’t heard the best bit. I’m in charge until they scrape up a new captain. From the state of this old girl, I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“I thought Captain Decker kept his ship in perfect condition,” McReidy said after a long pause.
“She is in perfect condition,” John answered. “For a cargo ship. But she’s not up to battle standard. And we’re due out,” he checked his watch, “in under five hours.”
“What do you need?” Gillespie asked.
“I’ve got a meeting scheduled. Let’s catch up with the others and find some answers.”
* * *
The meeting was on the bridge. While the dining hall or the bar would have been more accommodating, John didn’t want any unnecessary ears listening in. He also preferred the formality and access to the ship’s systems.
Giacomo was relaxed at the helm, his seat turned to the room. Dunlop was at navigation beside him, looking uncomfortable on the bridge as he crossed one leg over the other, then swapped them over. Tan was at communications, Humphries at science beside him. Red, Case and Kowalski sat on the floor, leaning against the far wall. The three engineers a matched set of age and experience. Cartographer Lynn du Mont was sitting way too close to Hartford for his liking, the man shrinking away from the contact.
“Daylight, Mister Hartford,” John scanned the room as he made his way to his chair.
“Yes, sir,” Hartford obediently moved a few inches clear of Lynn.
Dunlop moved out of navigation for McReidy. She put up a hand in refusal, but he settled on the edge of the console, leaving the seat vacant. She mouthed a thank you and took it.
Gillespie moved to communications, leaning against the console on Tan’s other side.
John was hesitant. The faces around him he knew well. He was not willing to risk them unnecessarily despite what he knew his orders would say. Standard procedure and Command’s lack of a fully worked out plan meant complete orders would not be issued until they were under way. Secrecy didn’t seem to matter at the moment when their lives could be at risk from the moment they left Kuiper.
“Thanks for coming,” John greeted them.
There were murmurs of reply.
“All right, let’s get down to business. First of all, Lieutenant Commander McReidy and Lieutenants Gillespie and Kowalski have been assigned to Bismarck. That still leaves us two crew short, and we don’t look like getting any other replacements. As yet, we don’t have a new captain. That leaves me in charge until further notice. If there are any objections, I want to hear them now.”
He allowed more than enough time for an answer. Heads turned as everyone tried to gauge each other’s responses; there was silence.
“Good.” John looked to the three engineers. “Red, you’re Chief Engineer. Any complaints, send them to me.”
“Yes, sir,” Red acknowledged.
Case and Kowalski made no comment, though neither man looked like he objected. That was one headache resolved. John turned back to the room. “Anyone here got any weapons experience?”
Red squirmed slightly. “I did two years weapons on Yorktown. We only fired in practice. If you consider that experience.”
“Anyone do better?”
They all shook their heads.
“Then it looks like you’re in charge. I want –”
“I think Ensign Wright knows a bit,” Giacomo interrupted. “If I remember correctly, he was involved in the Achilles refit.”
“I think you may be right,” Red agreed.
“Anyone else?” John asked, hopeful that there may be someone else. “No one?”
He was met with blank looks and head shaking.
“Then it’s you, Wright, Gillespie…”
Gillespie nodded.
“And Kowalski.”
“Me?” Kowalski’s eyes widened as the word fell out of his mouth.
“You’ve seen the type of firepower we’re up against.”
“This ship couldn’t match that in a million years!”
“Then you better make the defence systems withstand what Magellan couldn’t.”
Kowalski’s mouth twitched as though words rumbled around his head but couldn’t quite make their way out.
“May I ask why?” Giacomo ventured.
“It looks like we’re on the verge of a full scale war. And some bright spark has decided to send us into the firing line.”
“They’ve got to be mad!” Dunlop exploded. “We’re a cargo ship!”
“Now, we’re a scout.”
“Where from?” Tan asked. “I mean, who’s declared war?”
“No idea,” John shook his head. “It’s coming from outside the galaxy. The jump gate towards Andromeda has been destroyed. Lynn...”
“Sir?”
“A lot of that area is uncharted. I want accurate mapping.”
“Yes, sir,” she nodded.
“What sort of support are we getting?” asked Humphries.
“Six of ours, six Betelians, a couple of Antarians… But they’re going to be way behind us, and won’t be any direct help. We’ll see what we can muster up on the way. But if we can’t defend ourselves we might as well give up now. I want full battle readiness of all engines and weapons. Tactical systems are non existent. Sensors have a good range, but I want them linked with security. I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us… Any other sugges
tions?”
They all needed time to digest the information.
“If you think of something later, please come and talk to me.”
“What you want will take months,” Kowalski said.
“Time, we have.” John glanced to Gillespie. “Resources, we don’t.”
Gillespie’s brow creased. “I think I may have a few ideas,” he said after a moment.
“I was hoping you might.”
“What about the other ships here? Can’t they help?” McReidy asked.
“Not very likely. We’re due out in a few hours.”
“I was meaning information. Tactics and strategies.”
“I haven’t tried that. Kuiper’s locked me out.”
John couldn’t think of anything else. He looked around the bridge, pausing for a moment on each one and knowing the reality hadn’t fully sunk in.
“Anyone who hasn’t got a job, find one. Any questions? Good,” he answered before else could. “Meeting over. Let’s go for it.”
The bridge emptied. John found himself alone with McReidy. He leaned back in his chair, stretched and yawned.
“Can we do it?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Have you fired any weapons since Betelgeuse?”
“Only in simulations. And that ship…” she shuddered. “It might be time to call in a few favours.”
John’s brow creased. Something was going on inside her head that he couldn’t figure out. “Do you know where Anthony is?”
“Delaney? No,” she shook her head. “Coffee?”
“I wouldn’t say no,” he answered, covering another yawn. He knew he hadn’t had enough sleep the previous night. And he wouldn’t be getting much that night either.
John took his coffee at communications.
“If you’re out here, can I have the office?” McReidy asked as she handed him his mug.
“All yours,” he replied, taking a sip. “Ohh, that’s nice. Thanks.”
He brought up a list of ships docked at the station and began to hack into their systems. He started with Independence, but was unable to break the first security level. He struck similar problems with Yorktown and Hood, then gave up on the large ships. Their security was so much better than he was. Next, he tried Canberra. While he wasn’t familiar with the captain, he knew how Tim coded. Within a few minutes, he had accessed the first two security levels.
On Canberra, a security officer noticed the computers coming online. He watched for a minute, and tried unsuccessfully to locate the source before turning to the captain, who was busy thumbing through reports. His eyes drifted to the first officer at the helm.
“Commander Harvett, can you have a look at this?”
“Sure.” Tim got up from the helm.
The captain’s eyes peered over the top of the report, then lowered again.
“What is it?” Tim asked leaning over the security console.
“It looks like someone’s trying to access our systems.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know, sir. I can’t locate an access point.”
“Move over.” Tim slid into the seat, almost pushing the officer out of his way. He found the location as being Bismarck. He jammed the line, slipped on some earphones and opened a clear channel. “Madison?” he asked quietly, his eyes darting to the captain. “What do you think you’re doing?”
John froze. “Tim?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes. What are you doing hacking my ship?”
“I’m after your battle computers.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t have any.”
Tim glanced to the captain again. “You’ll get us all into trouble.”
John waited for Tim to make up his mind.
“I’ll download what I can. Give me a minute.” Tim accessed his own computers and began to download to Bismarck.
“Problem, Mister Harvett?” Carmichael’s voice boomed.
“No, sir. Just a gremlin,” Tim quickly covered himself. “I’ll have it sorted before we leave.”
“Make sure you do.”
“You owe me big,” Tim whispered to John.
“Thanks, Tim.”
John turned from the console, and sipped at his coffee. He’d thought he was alone on the bridge and was surprised to find Giacomo at navigation. The pilot had the navigational charts on the main screen and was studying them intently.
John recognised the star system currently displayed. “What are you doing?” he asked quietly.
“Homework,” Giacomo answered without looking away from the screen. “I’d like to know where we’re going and what’s out there.”
John smiled. At least the pilot had paid attention to his lecturing. ‘Nagging’ was the term some junior officers had given. “You know most of it’s uncharted.”
Giacomo nodded.
“Want some help?” he offered.
“Sure. I need all the help I can get. Coffee’s hot. I brought a fresh pot with me.”
John refilled his mug and seated himself at the helm. He didn’t try to take over from Giacomo. He was content to let the young pilot work his own way through the charts. He worked slowly and methodically, plotting a course towards the Andromeda galaxy then studying the systems they would come near.
Giacomo looked up. “Is that the only gate gone?”
John shrugged. “It’s the only one we know of.”
“Where do you think Command will send us?”
“Powers said scouts, plural, so we’re not going to be the only one. Until our orders come through, I can’t even hazard a guess.”
Giacomo let out a breath. “Doesn’t make it easy, does it?”
“It never is.” John clapped a reassuring hand on the pilot’s shoulder, then turned his attention back to the main screen. “You might want to branch out a bit.”
“I’ll never remember all this as it is,” Giacomo complained.
“You don’t have to. Make your own reference file.”
“Am I allowed to?”
“Of course you are. List everything you come across, plus whatever you know about it. If you’re not sure, tell the computer to access its library.”
Giacomo was still slightly bewildered.
“Take Cassiopeia. It’s located in our galaxy in one of the arms. One hundred and fifty plus major stars.”
Giacomo nodded. This was basic information.
“Computer, open a navigation reference file. Call it…” John paused for a moment to think of a name. “Giacomo one,” he decided.
It brought a shy smile from the pilot.
“List constellation Cassiopeia. Load all relevant navigational data. Include latest updates on political and cultural activities, colonies and outposts.”
“What’s that for?”
“We want to know who’s friendly if we need to put in somewhere.”
“That’s a lot of data to keep.”
“The computer can handle it. You have to be smart enough to know how to use it properly. The data, not the computer. Sort it to suit yourself, but you’ll want instant access. We’ll add Command’s orders and Lynn’s stuff to it later.”
* * *
McReidy decided to call in some favours. As an explorer, Magellan had made many friends. Since Komodo had been returned to power as the Betelian Emperor, many of his supporters had resurfaced. He was a visionary who had seen the benefits of a united galaxy. His years of imprisonment had only strengthened his desire. Back in power, he was intent on making up for lost time.
It was on his instruction that Mark had been given the power of an ambassador. His advisors had seen the potential in Mark. Their first meeting had proven this advice correct. Komodo had great influence through many planetary systems and his vision was becoming a reality.
He believed he owed a lot to the crew of Magellan. A stubborn young commander had answered a call from his dying world. The resultant uprising, however indirectly it had come about, was the beginning of a new era.
> In a crisis that was now affecting all of them, McReidy felt comfortable in asking for help. She was put in contact with Captain Drago, whose damaged carrier was putting in for repairs. Drago was not overfriendly, but he was efficient.
“Captain Drago, this is Lieutenant Commander McReidy –” she began before he cut her off.
“I know who you are. What is it you require?”
“Our ship has been ordered to the battle zone.”
“Magellan was destroyed.”
“I have another ship. Bismarck.
“Bismarck? I do not know it.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” she told herself, then raised her voice to the captain. “I’d like to know what we’re up against.”
“They are coming in packs of three. Heavily armed and all with fighters. They outgun us two to one. Staying grouped seems to be our best form of defence at the moment. I will send you what I know when I can. We have sustained a lot of heavy damage and a lot of systems are lost.” Drago was quiet for a moment before continuing. “Two Meropian ships joined us a week ago. I will put you in contact with them.”
“Thank you.”
Drago made the connection and McReidy found herself on the receiving end of a one way conversation. She had only one previous encounter with Meropians. They could talk non stop for an hour or so with such a speed that it was difficult to keep track of the topic. Not wishing to risk offending them, she allowed them to continue. The computer absorbed the information; she would sort it later.
* * *
Gillespie, Kowalski and Red set about upgrading the weapons. They found Ensign Wright on the station and dragged the confused man to the weapons room. The first thing they needed to know was how much out of date the systems were. Wright’s response of “several years” brought groans all round.
Gillespie knew that all ships contained identification files of all other ships in the fleet. Opening the nearest console, he brought up the Achilles. All the file contained was basic information. Bismarck required no more knowledge of a light cruiser.
Unwilling to let that stop him, Gillespie brought up a three-dimensional, scaled image on the screen. Wright located the weapons area and Gillespie focused in on it. With a bit of descriptive help, they built a three-dimensional image of the Achilles’ system. What they lacked in actual knowledge, they made up for in practical skills.
When the Dust Settled Page 9