Changing of the Guard (A Galaxy Unknown - Book 11)

by Thomas DePrima

  * * *

  Chapter Four

  ~ May 23rd, 2290 ~

  "Excellent," Jenetta said several times to the shipyard manager, Commander Tildroy, as she toured the first CPS-16 completed at the Lorense-Three yard. "The crew will have decent quarters for long-term voyages. Let's look at the two special habitat containers."

  Ten minutes later, the viewing party of four admirals, the senior yard officer, and four senior members of the commander's staff entered the first special container. As always, Cayla and Tayna were at Jenetta's sides.

  Special containers had previously been constructed for housing Marines, defensive and offensive weapons for the ship, and aircraft, but this one was a special container for the crew. Manufactured at the enormous underground facilities on Mars, the first group of thirty units had just arrived a few days earlier.

  The top level was devoted to an oval running track. No longer would CPS crews on long voyages have to run back and forth in a corridor for exercise. The oval track would be a welcome addition. Going down, the next two levels each housed two courts that could be used for squash or handball. The next level contained a swimming pool suitable for swimming laps and a spa that accommodated up to six individuals. The lowest level in the container was devoted to enormous tanks that could suck the pools dry in minutes and store the water if battle action was expected. The CPS-14 had been designed so that side-mounted external tanks could be added in place of two shuttles in case the mission called for the ability to submerge the ship for concealment. With the new container attached, the ship would always have negative buoyancy when landing in water. In the event of an emergency, the water in the storage tanks could be pumped out of the habitat container in minutes to restore buoyancy.

  "Better water and sport amenities than you see on some cruise ships," Admiral Woo joked.

  "Our people may have to spend many months or even years in space on long, boring missions," Admiral Plimley said. "They deserve a few recreational diversions."

  "I agree," Woo said. "I was just making a witticism."

  "Our people in these small ships should enjoy some of the same exercise apparatus our people posted to destroyers and larger ships enjoy," Jenetta said. "A long voyage with nothing to do can seem like an eternity."

  "The crews assigned to these ships are going to have it better than our people in Scout-Destroyers," Admiral Ressler said. "As far as I know, no Scout Destroyer has a pool or hot tub."

  "That's true," Admiral Plimley said. "Once they learn the CPS-16s have one, they'll all want one. But the SDs would need a major redesign to include a pool."

  "Can't we simply add a docking collar beneath the SDs to accommodate one of these containers?" Admiral Woo asked.

  "Perhaps not simply, but it's definitely possible," Admiral Plimley said. "The problem is that the docking collar and container would prevent the ship from performing as a bomber. I'll have to look into it to see if there's some way to accommodate a recreational container."

  "At least all of the full-sized warships already have running tracks, handball courts, and pools," Admiral Ressler said, "so we won't have to break the budget converting them."

  "The new destroyers already have docking apparatus for a habitat container, so we'd only have to give them a container like this one if they needed it," Admiral Woo said.

  "Let's take a look at the container that lets this ship earn its pleasurable new accoutrements," Jenetta said.

  Over the next half-hour, Commander Tildroy gave a detailed explanation of how the new container functioned, from automatic ordnance reloading from a destroyer's weapon stores when the CPS-16 was docked with a destroyer to targeting and deployment of the bombs.

  When the tour was over, Jenetta and the other admirals thanked Commander Tildroy and his staff and transferred to Jenetta's CPS-15 barge for the trip back to Quesann. The Admiralty Board dining room staff had arranged for a lunch to be served aboard the barge on the return trip.

  "The new ship is impressive," Admiral Woo said as they took their seats at the table. "That was a good idea, Jen. The crews will be much better rested on long voyages. And well-rested crews are better prepared to handle whatever comes at them. I especially liked the lifts in the new habitat containers. Our people will no longer have to climb ladders while a CPS-16 is on the ground or use weightlessness when the ships are in space. Normally it's fine, I suppose, but when you have to move something, it can be extremely difficult not to have the use of your hands to hold whatever you're moving."

  "We've designed the lift tubes to be an integral part of the container, not the ship," Admiral Plimley, the director of Weapons R&D and SC Shipyard Management, said, "so they are immediately available for use in every model since the CPS-14. Of course, a lot of existing containers will have to be retrofit. But we gain more room because we can remove the stairways used in some containers. In the event of a system malfunction, the elevator shaft becomes a gravity-free tube in space. On the ground, there're ladder rungs built into a recessed area on the side of the tube."

  "Loretta," Jenetta said to Admiral Plimley, "how soon will we have a squadron of CPS-16s available to deploy?"

  "If the space trials go smoothly, the first squadron can deploy in as little as 60 days. That's assuming we reduce the normal space trial period from ninety days to thirty."

  "A CPS-16 certainly doesn't have the complexity of a destroyer," Admiral Woo said, "and most of the ship has been proven for some time. A good crew should be able to put their 16 through its paces in thirty days."

  "That's a reasonable assumption," Admiral Ressler said. "We'd better get busy assembling crews. What about the SDs necessary to command the squadrons?"

  "The Second Fleet took delivery of four new SDs two months ago," Jenetta said. "I asked Brian at that time to reserve them for this project. So all we need are the crews. They're going to need some practice time so the paired CPS-16s can release their bombs at exactly the right nanosecond. The computer systems will have all the proper software installed. We'll just need to make sure the control systems aboard the ships are properly synced before squadrons deploy on their missions."

  "Where should they begin?" Admiral Woo asked.

  "Region Three, naturally," Jenetta said. "That's where all the sighting reports are coming from."

  "But where in Region Three?" Admiral Ressler asked. "Region Three is three times the size of Region One."

  "We'll have to see where the greatest concentrations of sightings have occurred and begin at that approximate location."

  "And our ships should destroy all Denubbewa they encounter?" Admiral Woo asked.

  "The general orders should be to simply follow any Denubbewa warships the CPS-16s encounter."

  "You're hoping they'll lead us to their motherships, Jen?" Admiral Plimley asked.

  "Yes. Since we've had no sightings of Denubbewa motherships, their warships will have to show us where they're hiding."

  "And if they don't?" Admiral Woo asked.

  "If there's no contact between Denubbewa warships and motherships, I suppose we'll have to assume that there are no motherships associated with the warships we're following."

  "And how long will we continue to follow them?"

  "Unless the warships lead us to a mothership or attack someone in G.A. Space, we'll simply follow them until new orders are issued. At that time, we unload on them until there's nothing left but small chunks of cyborg servo mechanisms and spaceship."

  ~ ~ ~

  The morning's Admiralty Board meeting had ended and Jenetta was in her office working at her desk when her viewpad chimed once, very softly. Tapping a touch point on the face of the device, she learned that a vidMail from her sister Christa had been added to the incoming queue. She needed a break so she activated the full wall monitor that faced her desk, then selected the vidMail from among all the others that had arrived that day.

  As the image of Christa took shape on the wall, Jenetta leaned back in her chair and smiled. The image was a re
cording so Christa couldn't see the smile, and it simply indicated that she was happy to hear from her sister.

  "Hi, sis," the larger-than-life image appeared to say. "I've been so busy that I haven't vidMailed you in over two weeks. I guess it's been the same with you. I hope you, Kaycee, Kyle, Momma, Cayla, Tayna, Ruby, Jake, Celona, and everyone else are fine. Whew! That list seems to get longer every time I say it. Perhaps in the future I'll just refer to them as 'the gang.' I'm doing fine, but I've been busy wrapping things up here. Sometimes it's hard to believe I've been here five years, but other days it seems like I've been here forever. The scuttlebutt is that something big is brewing because the shipyards are busy 24/7 making warships—warships on the small side perhaps, but still as deadly as they come. I want in, and I'm hoping you can help me get to wherever it is we're preparing to go and whatever we need to do. The rumor system is good, but nobody yet has a clue exactly why the shipyards and munitions plants are working around the clock.

  "So how about it, sis? Can you use another experienced officer in this upcoming fight? I know you said you'd find me a second seat on a battleship, but I suspect the smaller ships are again going to see most of the action, as was the case when the THUG pact made a move on Region Two. So, do you need an experienced commander for a Scout-Destroyer mission? I hope so because I'd hate to be sitting at my desk on Dakistee while our comrades are fighting to protect the G.A. from whatever threat now faces us.

  "I'm going to send Momma a vidMail after I finish this one, but I won't be mentioning anything about the new danger facing the G.A. Let me know as soon as you can.

  "Love ya.

  "Christa Marie Carver, S.C. Commander, North Pendleton Marine Base, Dakistee. End of message."

  Jenetta took a deep breath and then released it. Christa had been on assignment to Dakistee for more than five years, although she hadn't technically been in a posted position there for that amount of time. She had been sent there to investigate a new underground facility discovered by archeologists and was supposed to return to her real posting when she completed the mission. The brief mission turned into a five-year tour because she was the best qualified to help the Dakistians after directly being involved in awakening them. And she was too valuable an asset to be left sitting at a desk on Dakistee while Space Command was gearing up for possible action.

  Jenetta reached out and touched a contact spot on her viewpad that would send a message to her aide, then said aloud, "See if you can reach Admiral Holt."

  A voice said, "Right away, Admiral."

  Several minutes later Jenetta heard, "Admiral Holt is on your com channel."

  "Thank you," Jenetta said before touching a different spot on the viewpad. The full wall monitor lit up again, this time with a live image of Admiral Holt. A camera would also be projecting a live image of Jenetta, unless she chose to block it. She didn't. A tiny blinking green light on the edge of the wall monitor indicated that the communication was being encrypted in both directions. The highly secure encryption scheme on the base changed daily, and it was virtually impossible for anyone to listen in or even record the transmission for later disassembly and transcription.

  "Good afternoon, Brian. I hope I'm not pulling you away from something important."

  "Hi, Jen. No, I'm just working in my office. And apparently you are as well."

  "The paperwork never ends. Brian, the reason I'm calling is because I have a superior officer who's wrapping up a duty tour and is in need of a good assignment. I'm not trying to influence your decision regarding the assignment of officers for the four new Scout-Destroyers, but I wanted to offer you the services of this officer if you're interested. Have you completed your appointments for the new ships you received?"

  "I've decided on two officers and have eight more under consideration. Two of the remaining eight officers lead the pack by a decent measure. None have received reassignment orders yet. Who did you have in mind? Christa?"

  Jenetta smiled and said, "You're always one step ahead of me."

  "We both know that isn't accurate, but sometimes I can almost keep up. As a matter of fact, I was going to call you to see if she might be available soon."

  "If you want her for one of the SDs, she's yours."

  "I want her."

  "Okay, I'll start the process to free her from Dakistee and bring her here."

  "Wonderful. We're going to need the brightest and best for this upcoming engagement. The Denubbewa aren't a JV team. That makes three top officers. I only need to decide on one more."

  "Who are the other two?"

  "Commander Burl Kalborne and Commander Walter Fareman."

  "I'm familiar with their records, although I've never met either of them. They appear to be good officers."

  "As soon as I decide on a fourth, I'll be submitting the list to the A.B. for approval."

  "If the fourth is as good as the first three, there won't be a problem with the approval."

  "You don't happen to have another sister who might be interested in the seat, do you?"

  Jenetta laughed. "Eliza is very happy aboard the Ares. But if she learns that the warships are not going to be a part of this operation, she might start angling for a change. I'm not going to offer it to her though. Larry would be angry with me if I took away his second in command."

  "Jen, Larry wouldn't be angry with you if you took away his entire bridge crew. He'd only get angry if he was beached. And even then he'd never be angry with you. He holds you in the same high regard I do. We're all friends and always will be."

  "If you really want me to recommend someone, I will."

  "I'm listening."

  "My former aide, Commander Lori Ashraf, might be interested. She's second seat on the destroyer Stuttgart."

  "I remember her. How're her command skills?"

  "Top shelf. She was my second when I commanded the SD Colorado against the THUGs, so she's had quite a bit of command and battle experience."

  "If you recommend her, I want her. Do you want to contact her?"

  "It would be more appropriate if the initial contact came from you. But you can mention that I recommended her."

  "Okay. I'll send a vidMail today, enquiring about her interest. The Stuttgart is on patrol about a week away. If she's interested, I'll order the ship to return or find someone else to bring her here. What about Christa?"

  "I'll make arrangements to get her here as soon as possible, but since she's on Dakistee, three weeks is the absolute best time, even at Marc-One. And that's only if an upgraded DS ship is headed this way from somewhere in the vicinity. If I have to send my barge, it'll be six weeks."

  "Each squadron will deploy just as soon as the unit is complete, Jen, but as I understand it, all ninety-six of the CPS-16s needed for the four squadrons won't have wrapped up their space trials for at least six months. Some of them haven't even had their major hull sections assembled yet. We have enough time to get all personnel prepared and in place."

  "It's not necessary to have the entire task force assembled before we begin operations. Once you have the first squadron complete and ready, you can deploy them to their assigned territory."

  "The other school of thought is that once we find and destroy the first Denubbewa mothership, the others may pull back and make themselves even more difficult to locate."

  "Yes, that's a consideration. Another perspective is that if the motherships are on the move to avoid us, they'll be easier to spot. Well, the decision is yours as commander of the Second Fleet, Brian. You know I trust your judgment implicitly."

  "As I do yours. We'll see how things progress at the shipyard and with the space trials and possibly revisit the deployment strategy as the first squadron nears its readiness point."

  "Okay, Brian, we'll wait and see how things progress. Have a great day."

  "You also, Jen. Holt out."

  "Carver out."

  Jenetta leaned back in her chair and thought about the conversation— specifically about Commander Ashraf. They hadn
't seen one another since Jen had left for her extended leave, although they'd communicated with vidMails as much as once a month. Jen had known that Ashraf was second seat aboard the Stuttgart and wondered if she'd give up such a position to accept command of a much smaller ship. If she did as good a job in an SD as she'd done previously as second-in-command, it might even enhance her chances of promotion to captain of a full-sized warship. Jen shrugged and decided not to get involved with the decision. It was entirely up to Lori.

  ~ ~ ~

  "You may go right in, Admiral Hillaire," Jenetta's aide said. "You're expected."

  Hillaire nodded and approached the office door. As he stepped into the area where the door sensor could identify his CT, the doors slid open.

  "Come in, Arnold, and have a seat. We're all ready to begin."

  All of the other members of the Admiralty Board were already seated in the large office. Admiral Hillaire was the last to arrive.

  As Hillaire got comfortable in the lounge chair he'd selected, Jen said, "I want to thank you all for coming to this unofficial meeting of the Board today. I've been told this is highly unusual because we have no aides and nothing said here will be recorded, but as many of you know, I've always preferred to keep certain plans secret. The possibility that our enemies might learn of our plans before we have a chance to implement them has always worried me."