by Saxon Andrew
“Have you tried firing a disruptor from that barrier?”
“That’s also something you don’t want to do. We used an unmanned Pod to do it and it blew up in a rather big way. You’ll have to leave the barrier and go into normal space or the void to use the ship’s weapons. That band is more sensitive to them than the void.” Trevor paused and said, “There’s one more thing.”
“What is that?”
“The gravity limit has no effect on a ship traveling in the barrier.”
Michael looked at Chris and said, “AWESOME!”
Everyone laughed and Chris looked at them, “And you’re building this ship with that new stardrive?”
“Yes, we are.”
Chris looked at Michael sitting on his lap, “I guess you know what this means.”
“What?”
“If I need to take a nap or break, I can be home to do it with you.” Michael’s eyes went wide and his mouth went wide open. He wrapped his arms around Chris’s neck and squeezed him tightly. Allison watched them and felt how much they loved each other. She thought about what she heard and knew her old fleet formations could now be thrown out the door. This was a new era in controlling fleets of warships.
Chris looked at Trevor and Amanda, “Are you going to update our fleets to this new technology?”
Trevor looked at Amanda and then looked at Chris, “It can’t be done. These new ships take a lot longer to build because of this new technology.”
“What about the battleships?”
“It’s even more difficult with them. We’ve also measured the barrier and it’s a lot smaller than we thought. This vessel is about the largest that will safely fit inside it.”
Chris stared at them and then looked at Allison. She knew what he was thinking even though she wasn’t telepathic. She nodded and he turned back to Trevor, “You will immediately stop all construction on the Pods and battleships. You will focus on building as many of these new ships as possible.”
“I was hoping you would do this.”
“Why didn’t Lukas authorize it?”
“Because we are heavily outnumbered and outgunned. He feels we need as many ships as possible to avoid being overrun by numbers we can’t deal with.”
Allison shook her head, “Lukas hasn’t led a fleet of ships in combat. Quality trumps quantity.”
Chris smiled. He could see why Lukas had not committed to the new technology. Allison reassured him he was right. “Do as I order and I’ll handle any issues.”
Amanda jumped up and hugged Chris. Things were going to change.
• • •
Jinks walked into Lukas’s office and said, “Chris has ordered all construction be devoted to the new ship.”
“He is in command.”
“The reports I have coming in from the probes in M-87 show a massive buildup of warships.”
“What are you saying, Jinks?”
“If you have an invincible warship, it could not stop a million ships from attacking. They would swarm by it and attack around it.”
“Do you remember what the Silver Ships’ relatives are currently doing?”
Jinks looked at Lukas and tilted his head, “They’re hiding behind their force field while they’re building ships.”
“It may be that we will be forced to do the same. I agreed to not second-guess our chosen Commander. We will do what he wants.”
“You’re the boss.”
“No, he is, Jinks.”
Jinks smiled, “Yes, I guess he is.”
“You need to get busy.”
“Doing what?”
“These new ships aren’t going to fly themselves no matter how good they are. You need to get with Trevor and Amanda and develop a simulator to train the crews chosen to fly them.”
Jinks’ eyes went wide, “You’re right. I didn’t think about that. I’ll see you later.”
Jinks rushed out and Lukas sighed. He hoped Chris knew what he was doing. He had also seen the reports from the Progen building efforts. It was something to be very concerned about.
Chapter Ten
Chris looked at his panel and had to look for the controls. He had been studying the control panel for three weeks but it was nothing like the panel he was accustomed to using. He shook his head and looked at Allison who was also looking around her panel. “Allison, we should take some time to really learn this ship’s controls before we go out.”
Allison stared at her panel a moment longer and looked up, “This is frustrating. It would have helped to have a simulator to work on before we were handed this Rubik’s Cube.”
Chris shook his head and remained silent for a few moments and then said, “All right, we’re going to make multiple runs between Earth and Eden. We’ll continue the process until we can do it without looking at our panels.”
“That doesn’t help us operate the weapons.”
“No, but you have to learn to walk before you run. We’ll use it in the void and normal space and then we’ll try using the new drive to go in and out of the Skip Barrier.”
“You’re flying the ship, what am I supposed to do while you’re doing that?”
“I could make some suggestions but we both need to know how to fly it. I’ll fly it to Eden and you’ll fly it back. Then we’ll swap and do it again.” Allison threw up her hands and nodded. Chris looked at his panel and found the coordinate keyboard. He typed Eden’s coordinates into it and gripped the steering wheel. He squeezed the trigger under his right index finger and the ship blasted away from Earth at a speed that was previously impossible. “Allison, call out the percent of power being used by the various systems.”
“You’re at five percent now.”
“Going into the void.” Chris pressed the dark blue button on the center of the steering wheel and the ship immediately entered the void. “Boy that was quick!” He pressed the right pedal under his console lightly and the ship accelerated like a bat out of hell. He raised his foot and the ship slowed. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I’m going to make a turn and see how she responds.” Chris turned the wheel slightly and the ship immediately started a turn. He smiled and turned it more. The ship made a hard left turn and he was turned a hundred and eighty degrees as the gravity compensators issued a small whine. He turned it again faster and the pod reversed course faster than he could imagine. “These steering thrusters are amazing!”
“Eleven percent.”
Chris maneuvered the small ship for an hour getting a feel for its capabilities and then smiled, “Let’s see what she’s got. He pressed the right pedal and he had to make a radical turn from running into the bright light of a star. He whipped the ship back and forth and in less than a minute he was out in open space between the Milky Way and Andromeda. He pressed the pedal all the way to the floor and the distant speck of light named Andromeda grew at an enormous speed. He pressed the pedal under his left foot and the ship decelerated as fast as it flew. Andromeda hung in front of them and Chris was amazed.
“What’s wrong?”
Chris shook his head, “This ship might be more than a human can handle. It’s like putting a piece of sophisticated machinery in the hands of an infant.”
Allison shook her head, “If you’re having that much trouble with your superior reflexes, I don’t know if I can handle it.”
“We could always do it for you.”
Chris sighed, “I know, Barbie, but I suspect if you’re going to be handling anything it will be the disruptors, cannons, and guns.”
“You’re probably right. That system is really something else as well and getting the speed down on the turrets as they swivel isn’t easily done.”
Allison shook her head, “Alley, can you fly this ship?”
“Yes, but we’ve decided that we should divide the weapons between us and each of us operate a system.”
“Which on are you handling?”
“I’ve got th
e guns and cannons.”
“What about you, Gene?”
I’ve got two of the disruptors and Barbie has the other two.”
Allison shook her head, “The disruptors must be a bear if each of you are handling two.”
“I suspect we’ll get better over time but Trevor and Amanda have outdone themselves on this one.”
Chris looked at Allison, “It’s your turn. We have plenty of time. Let’s do this until we feel comfortable with the controls.” Chris stood up and Allison sat down in the command chair. Chris had to admit she did much better than he thought she would the first time. It took two weeks before they could fly the ship without having to look at their controls.
Chris smiled, “I guess we can go home and take a break before we shove off.”
Allison looked up from her console, “What about the weapons?”
“We won’t be operating them. The computers will handle them.”
“What happens if the computers are knocked out?”
Chris stared at her for a long moment, “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“If the computers get knocked out, pretty much all the controls will go with them.”
“This ship has manual overrides. We could still operate it.”
Chris leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling with an expression showing him attempting to keep his patience. “Allison, activate the manual override on one of the disruptor modules and turn it ninety degrees.”
Allison’s expression changed and she pressed a button on her panel. She grabbed the small round knob on the panel and began turning it. Twenty seconds later, it completed the one-quarter turn. She looked at him with a contrite expression, “I guess you’re right about trying to operate them manually.” Chris gave her an ‘I told you so look’ and she said, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t fight the ship.”
“Are you always this much of a perfectionist?”
“When it comes to living or dying, I am.”
Chris stared at her and leaned back in his chair. He thought about the issue and said, “Before we even think about using the weapons, I need to see if I can fly this ship manually.” Chris activated the manual overrides and gripped the steering wheel. He moved the ship forward and it responded quickly. It was when he attempted to turn that the ship responded like trying turn a bolder rolling down a hill. “The steering thrusters aren’t nearly as responsive. I can turn it but not very fast. I’m going to have to press the thruster controls and hold them down as I turn the wheel. That will take some getting used to.”
Allison nodded and looked at her panel. “So we have good straightaway speed but need a lot of room to turn.”
“Until I can get a grip on the thrusters, yes.”
“Then we’re going to have to fight the ship like the old jet fighter pilots did.”
“How so.”
“We fly directly at a target and open fire when we’re in range.”
“That leaves us wide open to attacks from the rear and sides.”
“If we can fly at full speed, I doubt anything can get to us from the rear.”
“But we can’t fly at a target at full speed. We’d be past it before I could fire the weapons. I also have to get it lined up in the target sight.”
Allison thought for a moment and nodded, “You’re right.” She looked at the four little knobs on her panel and said, “What about this. If we’re forced to do this manually, I’ll turn one disruptor directly toward the bow, and the other three toward the sides and rear. You will fire the disruptor pointed to the front and rear and I’ll handle the two pointing to the port and starboard.”
“The scanners won’t be operational.”
“We’ll just have to fire using our tactical helmets. They’re not connected to the ship. You’ll have to move the ship up or down to get the target acquisition site on what you want to hit.”
“Ok, let’s give it a go. What are we going to use for a target?”
“Take us back to Earth and we’ll go through the asteroid belt and fire at rocks as we pass through them.”
Chris activated the power systems and skipped into the Milky Way.
• • •
The ship went through the field of asteroids and targeted smaller boulders. Chris shook his head, “I can’t fly very fast and avoid hitting them.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. You’re moving faster than the pods did when they attacked the ships outside M-84.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“No, you’re doing quite well, however, we won’t have a force field to protect us.”
“But we will have the silver coating and it can take a huge amount of punishment.”
Allison smiled, “I didn’t think of that.”
Her eyes narrowed and Chris said, “What?”
“Take us outside the belt for a minute.” Chris turned the ship and exited the asteroid belt and brought it to a stop. “Check and see if the black cloud emitters still work.” Chris pressed a button on his panel and the black mist surrounded the ship. Allison smiled. “Now fly at the speed you were just traveling and see if the cloud stays around us.”
Chris pressed the right pedal and the ship moved forward. He looked outside the viewport and the black mist was still there. “It’s sticking to us but it won’t do us any good if we can’t see through it.”
“Stop the ship.” Chris brought the ship to a stop and Allison pushed a slide on her console.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m manually extending some of the antennas.” She waited for a moment and then put on her combat helmet. She remained silent for three minutes and then said, “Put on your helmet and go to the scanner program. In the receiver subroutine there’s a choice to select external sources.” She watched him put on his helmet and after a moment said, “Do you see it?”
“Not yet.”
“It’s the second from the bottom.”
“Got it.” Suddenly, Chris saw everything outside the ship. “How did you think of this?”
“Like you said earlier, I’m somewhat of a perfectionist. I studied our helmets for the better part of a year, learning everything it can do. The antenna still receives impulses even though our computers won’t receive their signals; our helmets can link with them. This eliminates us having to use our eyes to see our targets and really increases our range.”
Chris chuckled, “You really are amazing. Let’s try it again and see how we do.”
The rocks being hit on their second pass through the asteroid belt were doubled. Allison shook her head, “It takes a lot of concentration to fire just as a target enters the sight.”
“It’s easier head on and to the rear. I just have to move the ship slightly to line them up.”
“If I tell you right or left, roll the ship slightly in that direction, it’ll help me get a shot at targets to the sides.”
“The control knob should move the disruptors enough for you to aim them.”
“I’ve already been doing that but a slight movement left or right will make it a lot easier.”
“Let’s do it again and see if I can do the roll and keep a target in my sights.” Eight hours later, they decided that they were not going to improve beyond their current skill.
“Are you ready to go home?”
“I guess. I can’t think of anything else.”
“We’ll plan to leave in three days. Take a break and go see your family.”
Allison’s expression changed slightly and she said, “I think I’m going to stay on board and see if there’s something I’ve missed.”
Chris saw her expression and wanted to say something but decided it might not be the right thing to do, “I’ll see you in three days.”
• • •
Chris was sitting on the beach watching Michael build a huge sand fort. That boy was incredible with his sand toys. He leaned back in his beach chair and looked at the gulls circling overhead. He kept seeing Allison’s expression in his
mind when he asked her about her family. He looked at Michael and then lifted his wrist unit. He scrolled through the contacts and pressed a button. “Good morning First Commander. How may I be of service?”
Chris looked at Alice Gomez and smiled, “Alice, I need some personnel information on Admiral Allison Simmons.”
Alice had been with Fleet Operations from day one and no one knew the computer system better than she did. “What is it you need, Sir?”
“I want to know about her family.”
Chris saw Alice’s smile disappear. “Sir, she has no family.”
Chris was shocked by the revelation, “Why is that, Major?”
“I don’t have to look this up. Her father was a wounded veteran of the Iraqi War. He refused to leave Earth.”
“Why?”
“To begin with, he wasn’t chosen to go early, Sir. His disability eliminated him. Even when the ships were opened for those that weren’t selected, he refused to go. He felt that he would not be able to help the colonists because of his disability and would only be another mouth to feed. His wife would not leave him and both of them decided to force Admiral Simmons to leave and go with a family of friends. The Admiral was forced to board the colony ship, Sir.”
“How old was she?”
“Twelve, Sir.”
“Any brothers or sisters?”
“No, she was born before her father shipped out to Iraq. They didn’t have any more children after he was brought back.”
“How do you know about this, Alice?”
“I was on the ship when she was brought on board. I saw the family hold her against her will and carry her on board. I’ll never forget her extreme sorrow. She ended up curled in a ball and wept all the way to Eden. She never accepted that family and entered the Navy as soon as she came of age. I kept an eye on her and as she moved up in the ranks, I was really proud of what she had accomplished.”
“What about the family that took her to Eden.”
“That’s not hard to figure out, Sir. She blamed them for taking her from her parents. That’s why she never accepted them.”
Chris nodded, “Thank you, Alice.”
“She’s really something special, Commander. Her scores on the aptitude tests prior to joining the Navy are the highest we’ve ever seen. Those that know about her are proud of her. Her parents did a good thing forcing her to go.”