by Britt Ringel
After several seconds of silence, Weis continued, “However, giving you the… opportunity to gain a little more seasoning might be in order.” He winced slightly while delivering the blow. “I’m moving your battle station to Auxiliary Control. It’s a critical position that I trust you with and it’ll give you a chance to polish your natural warfighting talent.”
“You will still retain the WEPS billet,” Hayashi declared sympathetically. “You are still Falcata’s weapons officer.”
Twist’s heart sank. His ineptitude had finally caught up with him. My mother's reach only extends so far and now Captain Weis has come to realize that he’s been sold a fantasy. He closed his eyes but nodded, willing the bitter disappointment from his voice. “It’s okay, Captain. I understand. You’re right.”
“This transition won’t be reflected in your officer performance report, Caden,” Weis assured. “There’s no disgrace in this change.”
“Aux Con commands the ship in the event the bridge is destroyed,” Hayashi offered. “Captain Weis is entrusting Falcata to you. It’s a position of great responsibility.”
Twist exhaled. Sure, that’s why an ensign from Engineering was in charge of it until now. “I understand, ma’am.” He looked back to Weis. “Sir, I promise not to let you down.”
A look of what may have been relief passed through Weis’ face. “You haven’t yet let me down. I feel terrible that I’ve placed you in this position. It’s just that with your natural talent and after your performance on Lochaber we thought you were ready for more.” Weis hung his head at his misjudgment.
“Captain, in Sponde…” Go ahead, Caden. It’s time. “Sir, Petty Officer Falk is the one who deserves all the credit.” Twist sighed. “After I let the first missile through, Falk told me to go inspect the damage. The rest of our defense happened while I was away. It was Falk who led the section, sir.”
Weis exchanged a surprised look with his first officer. Afterwards, he looked down at his blank datapad. “Caden, you were the OIC so you deserve some of the credit but I’m glad you said something.” He looked up at Twist and forced a smile. “We’ll get you trained up, son. With a little experience in Auxiliary Control, you’ll be surprised how quickly things become second nature.”
“Sir,” Twist said before he could be dismissed, “who will be on the bridge? Lieutenant Holt would make a fine replacement—”
“Lucy Holt has Missile Control running like a top,” Hayashi commented. “We don’t want to disrupt any of the three subsections under you. It’s to your credit that your subsection officers are doing so well.”
“Indeed,” Weis nodded eagerly. “The easiest solution is to move Chief Devore up from Auxiliary Control to the bridge. You’ll simply switch spots.”
Julia Devore. Twist cringed visibly. She finally got her way.
“Chief Dozier has assured me that Julia can handle it,” the captain said while focusing intently on his datapad.
The bosun was involved in this? Twist wondered exactly what Devore had said to Falcata’s highest enlisted man. It hurt to think that Chief Dozier had sided with Devore without even seeking his own opinion. You can’t really blame him, Caden. Julia Devore can be pretty persuasive and if she told stories about how this power-hungry, incompetent junior officer with an important last name was going to kill Falcata, he probably felt he had to act.
“I can inform the weapons section of the change,” Hayashi offered.
Twist looked into her eyes; they brimmed with compassion. “No, ma’am. Please, it’s my job. Let me tell them.”
Hayashi smiled poignantly. “You’re a good officer, Caden. Don’t let this shake your belief in yourself.”
He uttered his thanks as he stood. He came to attention and rendered a salute. “Will that be all, Captain?”
A minute later, Twist was walking alone down the corridor, trying to think of a way to explain the situation to his officers with as little humiliation as possible.
* * *
“Space that bitch,” exclaimed Holt. She kicked the leg of the conference table.
“I appreciate your support, Lucy,” Twist said earnestly.
Ensign Burns looked unhappily to the other three officers. “So, Lucy, Jason and I are going to be taking orders from Chief Devore during combat?”
Dunham crossed his arms and just shook his head. The junior lieutenant was frowning.
I’ve got to head this off, Twist thought in panic. He had figured that Holt might take issue with his repositioning to Auxiliary Control but he had not expected this level of support. “Yes, Andy. It’s your job. You know as well as I do that Brevic commanders have always had broad authority to organize their chains of command as they see fit.”
“That’s for reorganizing things among officers, Caden,” Holt protested. She gestured between them. “Like us, for example. I outrank you by date but I take orders from you because of your position in Falcata’s chain of command.” She pointed to herself as she added, “I’ve got no problem with that at all but I’m not real thrilled with the idea of taking commands from Devore. Not only is she not an officer but she’s a conniving bitch.”
Dunham rumbled agreement.
“Guys,” Twist said, looking amongst his friends, “Julia is technically a petty officer.”
“She’s technically a petty bitch,” Holt insisted.
Twist smirked. “I understand you have strong feelings about this change. I do, too. However, Captain Weis is counting on us to be professionals. The entire crew is.”
As he saw the resistance begin to erode, he mustered every ounce of emotion he could in his voice. “I’m damned grateful for your loyalty. It makes this a hell of a lot easier but none of that matters if I can’t tell Captain Weis that my officers respect me enough to accept these changes.”
He watched the others avert their gazes. Finally, Holt muttered, “I guess I didn’t think of it like that.”
“It’s just one battle,” Burns mumbled.
Twist forced himself to smile. The faked expression immediately brought his mother to mind but he let it go. “Thanks, everyone. I knew I could count on you all.”
“When’s the section-wide briefing?” Holt asked.
Twist checked his datapad. “About ten minutes. I called you three here early to give you a heads up.”
As if on cue, the conference doors slid open. Chief Dozier entered with Devore in tow.
“What are you doing here, Chief?” Holt asked Dozier with an exaggerated friendliness.
“Oh,” the bosun replied, “I just like to pop in on meetings from time to time. Get the pulse of the crew for the Captain.”
“Yeah, right,” Holt agreed icily before crossing her arms.
Chief Dozier looked among the officers and then said affably to Twist, “Hey, L-T, can I have a word with you?” He gestured to the doors.
Twist obliged him. Once both men had left the room, Falcata’s bosun stated, “Lieutenant, I know about the change in Weapons. I was in the room when it happened and I hope your disappointment hasn’t tarnished your subordinates, because this is bigger than one person’s ego, sir. This is about the ship’s survival and if Julia is going to have any chance to succeed, she’s going to need the same level of support from your officers that she gave you.”
Twist nearly choked on the irony. “Look, Chief. I don’t know what Devore told you about the situation because you never bothered to come to me but I can promise you that I just finished telling my officers that if they don’t give her the respect the bridge’s weapons position is entitled to, I’ll take it as a personal affront to me.”
Dozier studied Twist silently as sailors of the weapons section passed by them in the hall. When there was a sufficient gap in the stream of gunners, the chief said, “I appreciate that, Lieutenant. I’m just doing my job, you know. I’m doing what’s best for Falcata.” The grey-haired man turned toward the briefing room door but Twist reached out to stop him.
“I hope that’s true, Chie
f, because we’re going to need Falcata’s best.”
Chapter 25
Twist sat tightly strapped to his seat in Auxiliary Control. His shocksuit, like all Brevic shocksuits, had universal attachment points on the shoulders, waist and thighs that fit to any shockseat on a Republic starship.
“Two minutes!” Senior Chief Petty Officer Dozier called out from his station across the cramped room. The confines of the compartment made it sound as if the senior enlisted man was shouting in Twist’s ear. Auxiliary Control was just large enough to fit the necessary equipment. Duplicate panels of every bridge station were jammed into a narrow room that was only a third the size of the bridge. A slender aisle ran its length, with computer stations nestled along each side. Exits capped the ends of the compartment although the “rear” portal’s sole purpose was as an alternate escape route in the event the primary was inaccessible.
Weapons, Sensors and Operations occupied the right side of the room. Navigation, Engineering and a supplementary panel filled the left. A representative from each ship section sat behind the consoles with Chief Dozier at the extra station. Their mission was simple: monitor battle progress and be ready to take command if the bridge became incapacitated. A necessary precaution, Auxiliary Control rarely exercised its purpose. Unlike wet navy warships, a black space starship’s bridge was in the deepest, best protected portion of the ship by design. Any blow severe enough to reach the ship’s heart was typically enough to render the entire ship combat-ineffective.
“One minute!” Dozier announced loudly. He looked to his left, down the row of consoles to Navigation and the petty officer seated behind it. “Emma, give me a ten-second countdown.”
Twist was the sole officer in the room and the three men and two women who shared the tiny compartment with him were near strangers. Anderson, Crowley, Ehn, Roozen… they had barely exchanged more than simple pleasantries as he took his station. For the better part of the week, Twist had thrown himself into the combat procedures of Auxiliary Control. His third duty station in as many battles, he had become adept at learning new protocols. As Auxiliary Control’s new commander, he had promised himself that he would enter the compartment with full working knowledge of his duties and perform his best despite the obscurity of the position.
However, after entering the compartment two hours ago, it had become readily apparent that Auxiliary Control was Chief Dozier’s fiefdom. Twist had internally debated whether sparring with Falcata’s bosun for command of the superfluous compartment was the mature move. Ultimately, he decided that the timing was not right. After the engagement, he would approach Dozier to discuss their respective positions in the battle station.
Twist eyed his static plot anxiously. It simply showed the natural features inside Kalyke and the expected locations of man-made objects, such as the tunnel control station at the Carme tunnel point. Once Falcata dove into Kalyke, his screen would quickly update with near real-time efficiency as Task Group 2.6 got its first look at the Hollaran-held star system. Twist focused on the probable opposition, guessing where the enemy might be encountered.
“The Republic is counting on you!” Dozier bellowed as he read from his console screen. “And although I cannot stand with you today, rest assured that your victory in Kalyke will be the engine that drives the invaders from all of Brevic space!”
The chief was rereading another “inspirational communique” from Commander—rumors suggested soon-to-be Captain—Garrett Heskan. Twist had read the message himself when Falcata received it, two hours before diving from Carme. The missive had touched every heartstring with unfailing accuracy, yet each time he heard Heskan’s words invoked, he became more resentful. The looming battle’s importance had been hammered into every participating soul. A second defeat in Kalyke would essentially mean the loss of much of the Republic’s southern sector, including all of New Roma’s colonies.
So where are you, Garrett Heskan? Twist thought with growing contempt. Kalyke is it. This could be our final chance. Exactly why aren’t you with us? He thought about the heroes he had seen, the ones who had stood by their comrades and those who had not.
“Ten seconds,” Navigator Second Class Ehn counted. Her voice was ice. “Five seconds until tunnel drive activation. Three… Two… One.” Her hands curled around the edges of her console.
Twist’s stomach flipped violently as his vision blurred. He grunted while blinking away tears in an attempt to remain focused on his panel.
The Carme tunnel point traffic control orbital was missing. Twist suspected that every artificial satellite in the star system had been erased. His eyes circled around the tunnel point even as Ehn announced their successful arrival in Kalyke. No contacts within five light-minutes, Twist realized with relief. One of his greatest concerns had been an immediate ambush at the tunnel point.
“All ships inside the task group accounted for,” Ehn declared.
Twist quickly zoomed his tactical plot out by 50lm. He searched Calycia, 43lm away, for signs of life. When Task Group 2.6 had last seen the planet, twenty-six days ago, it had a burgeoning population of half a billion. Calycia still shone like an ice-covered jewel in an otherwise bleak star system. His eyes scanned the plot for information that would reveal the planet’s fate. It’s still in one piece, Twist thought gratefully. Oh! A couple of Hollie frigates are in orbit, or were in orbit as of forty-three minutes ago but no planetary fragments orbit with them. That’s a good sign. He zoomed the plot closer. No interference from radiation.
“Attention, Falcata.” It was Captain Weis’ voice over the ship’s main channel. “I’m sure all of you have been troubled regarding the fate of Calycia. I’m happy to announce that current sensor readings and a quick optical inspection of the planet reveal no evidence of fusion attack. Weis out.”
“The Hollies haven’t had time yet, I guess,” Dozier added from his station. “Calycia’s orbitals are gone though. Those poor bastards never had a chance.”
“Contact!” Sensorman First Class Anderson called out. “Fourteen ships, ten light-minutes out. Designate contact as Unknown Force One. Sailing profile suggests classification as hostile units.” He typed rapidly at his console. “We’re orienting the Looking Glass optical sensor toward them now.”
A dozen seconds later, Anderson verified the contact. “Confirmed Hollaran task force ten light-minutes to starboard. No course, no speed. They are at relative rest.”
“Fourteen ships isn’t bad,” Dozier announced while unbuckling his seat restraints. He rose and walked to the sensor console. “Force composition?”
“One dreadnaught. Six, maybe seven heavy cruisers. The rest are light cruisers or smaller. I’ll give you a more accurate picture in a minute, Chief.”
Twist watched the generic red symbols on his tactical plot change to reflect hull types as they were identified. That doesn’t make sense, he thought as he watched two of the six heavy cruiser symbols flip to command cruisers. Simple logistics dictates that there are too many heavy ships and not enough support units. He shook his head.
“Expect a turn to starboard, folks,” Dozier predicted. “Anderson, time to contact if both fleets close? Twis… uh, Lieutenant, you should prep for a missile attack and point defense action.”
The “suggestion” grated at Twist. “Chief, does this make any sens—”
“Contact!” Anderson called out again. “Nine light-minutes to our port. Designated as Unknown Force Two. Probable hostile.”
Dozier spun back to the sensor panel. “How many?”
“Seven, Chief. Judging by the amount of light they’re covering behind them, I’d say nothing larger than a light cruiser. We’ll get more info as soon as we can get a better look.” He tapped at several locations on his screen. “Bridge has confirmed that they are also at relative rest.”
“They’ve been waiting for us, Chief,” Twist warned. “And we’re stuck right in the middle of them.”
“It’s still their twenty-one ships to our twenty-three, Lieutenant.
Don’t panic yet.”
Twist bit down hard and stared at the back of Dozier’s helmet. Now is not the time, Caden. The last thing you need to do is start a fight with the bosun in the middle of a battle. I can just imagine him calling to the bridge and telling Captain Weis that he can’t work with me. Nobody wins in that scenario.
Anderson spoke next. “Okay, Task Force One has a BattRon, CruRon and understrengthed CortRon. Six of their ships have battle damage, including the dreadnaught, a command cruiser and heavy cruiser.”
“Not so bad,” Dozier remarked.
“We’re getting new information about the second task force,” Anderson said. Several seconds passed before he started reading the list. “Light cruiser, two destroyers, another damaged destroyer and a frigate. Interesting…” He trailed off for a moment. “Two more frigates but they’re escorts and one of them is damaged pretty badly.”
“So seven light ships, of which two are damaged,” the senior chief summarized. “We’ll probably turn to starboard and go after the heavies.”
“And risk a simultaneous engagement?” Twist asked.
“Can’t be afraid to act boldly, Lieutenant.” Dozier looked across the room at him. “Our victory in Kalyke will be the engine that drives the invaders from all of Brevic space.”
Yeah, Twist thought with contempt, but Commander Heskan isn’t facing a two-pronged missile attack.
“We’re turning toward the heavy task force. Speed point-two-C,” the sensor petty officer announced. Dozier beamed at Twist.