Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  “OH she is my, ah AI. My personal computer.”

  “Use your new torch Mark. We need to get into that compartment.”

  “Ok stand back Dian.” Mark unclipped his torch from his belt adjusted the power then pointed it at the latch lock and fired cutting the lock out then opening the hatch. Inside he fallowed Mickey’s direction arrows to the generator and its control panel. One look told him what the problem was. The main breaker was locked off like the mains where. “That explains a lot.” As Dian looked on, Mark took the torch and cut it off but unlike the others before, he was able to preserve the lock. Then Mark welded the switch into the on position. Reaching around, he turned the auto switch to manual and hit the start button. The plasma battery sitting next to the bulkhead lit up as the small fusion bottle shuddered and the power meter reading went from off (0 voltage) ,to idle line voltage (440 volts). Turning the switch off and then back to auto as the bottle started cooling. “This makes me sick. Some or several somebody’s wanted the Admiral dead.” Taking out his torch again he spot welded the switch in the auto position. Then the emergency line breaker to the AI Tower and then the breaker valve from the plasma battery bottle used to start the generator. Finely satisfied that it could not be easily tampered with he turned to Dian taking a deep breath. "That should do it."

  “Ok Mark! Who is this Mickey?” She said huffily, starting to get pissed.

  Chapter 25 Kicked Out Again

  Mark walked into the truck deck later that morning well before he expected anyone to show up at noon and was surprised to see the men already formed up in perfect lines and full uniforms. Lieutenant Johnson Saluted. “Commander Collins. Engineering upgrade company present and accounted for Sir.” The MP Commanders stood to one side.

  Mark looked around and swallowed as he looked at everyone looking at him expecting something. Taking a deep breath. “Last night you all accomplished the impossible. Today I expect you to do the same. Except I expect you to do it better and a little quicker since now know what we are doing. Just remember no short cuts while keeping your minds on the job and staying safe. That means you are expected to suggest possible improvements to your team leaders. Improvements for production or safety or maintenance. But the one most important thing I expect you to remember is WE did it together as a team and as a team we can do it even better. Now you all know what to do but be sure to check with your team leaders and the schedule for changes.” Turning to the Second Lieutenant. “Mr. Johnson, you can dismiss the Ship’s company and get your assess to work.”

  As the men dispersed to their work. Some running, some jogged while most walked but no one just stood and talked. Except that is for the 3 Commanders for the other MPR's (Main Propulsion Rooms). Mark walked over to them. “Commanders, if you will come with me I will brief you on the changes we have made to the upgrade plans and the schedules for the work and then we can discuss any changes you wish to make gentlemen.”

  “Ensign Collins, we do not need you to show us anything. And where do you get off taking my men to do your work?” said Commander Hicks of Engine Room 1.

  Taken back by the hostility but not totally unexpected, Mark growled. “That is Commander Collins Sir! Whether you like it or not Commander. And since my Courtmartial has been postponed for another day, I am still MPR 3's Commander. As for briefing you Gentlemen, I only thought that you would like to take over the work in your own Engine Rooms when the crews get to them but you can’t do that if you don’t know your asses from a whore’s butt about the work! As for taking your men, since you could not even bother to issue a daily work order, under ships general order number 8, I commandeered your men for the good of the ship. And for that reason I am giving you my men to help you do your jobs. I spent yesterday training these men into damn fine crews to do the upgrade better than anyone could expect but it is up to you and the Chief to let them do the same for your engines.

  “You really think you are smart don’t you ass hole.” Commander Hicks spit. “Since you do not have the Admiral to cover your butt any longer Mr. Collins; the Captain should not take long putting you in your proper place. As for the work around here? As soon as the Chief gets back from the Doctor's, he will stop you from destroying any more good engines.”

  “Are you as retarded as you sound Commander? Can’t you realize what happens if we don’t get these engines upgraded and besides. We tested the upgraded engine this morning and it passed with flying colors. As for the Chief, he should still be in Sickbay getting his new implants.” Mark was glad to see that Lieutenant Commander Johnson already had the crews hard at work on MP-4.

  “Now why would the Chief want to do that especially with the Admiral out of the way?” The MP-1 Commander Hicks sneered. “How can you be so stupid? We do not need a bunch of add on untested crap that is going to leave us stranded out light years from the nearest space yard just because the traders are too stupid to get decent money for the trash we haul or to inept to get better trade goods.”

  “What do you mean about the Admiral being out of the way? What do you know about that?”

  “The Chief told me about the admiral’s threat and we could see the Admiral sticking up for you and your shit and that he is the reason you got promoted to Commander in the first place. With him out of the way, you are just a peace of crap floating around waiting for the toilet to get flushed and I am going to make sure it gets flushed.”

  “Sounds like fun Commander." Mark narrowed his eyes as he starred at the man. "Lucky for you the Admiral had his little accident isn’t it?”

  “Accident? No! I think someone tried to murder the Admiral by turning off his power supplies Mr. Collins.” The MP-1 Commander smiled. “To bad someone vaporized the locks so no one can prove that the switches were locked open. It looks like to me the murderer vaporized the locks in desperation so he could turn them off. Then went back later when it was too late and welded the switches in the closed or on position trying to cover his tracks. How else could you have known that the switches where off in the first place.”

  “Why you Godstar damn son of a bitch! You….”

  The Chief walked into the truck deck. “That you getting upset about something Mr. Collins?” The Chief stopped in the emergency hatch from MP-4 and looked at Mark and the other three Commanders for several seconds. So that is what you all look like in reality. I am sorry gentlemen but I am having some difficulty getting used to these new implants. The resolution and colors and textures and how beautiful everything is, is a little over whelming to say the least.” The Chief just starred at each of them for several more seconds then started looking around the truck deck. “Thank space you all have name tags or I would not know who any one is.”

  The truck dispatch Commander came running up to Mark and saluted. “Mr. Collins sir. If you are done with most of the truck deck I need to get operations going again. I will leave this section open for you but there will be trucks moving in and out past here all day to the maintenance bay Sir. If you need more room just tell me and I will suspend operations again for a short while.”

  Mark tried to get composed from the shocks that had just been dumped on him as he returned the solute. The Chief’s good mood the top surprise. “Ah thank you Commander. Ah... Could you aa put barricades and tape around separating your truck lane and the work and mess area’s if you please. Less likely for someone to wonder in front of a moving truck. As long as your drivers don’t go gunning or long idles there should be no problems though I have most of your mechanics helping for the moment. Thank you Commander Winston.”

  “Somehow I had you pictured in my mind a lot younger Mr. Collins since you were just commissioned Commander. Like about 18 instead of 21. Still young but maybe you will do. Now fill me in on just what the hell you are doing to my engines?”

  “Mark walked over to the holo-projector controls and switched it on. The engine appeared in the middle of the truck deck and started its disassembling and upgrade sequence going through the stages. Mark quickly realized
that it included changes they had talked about making even late last night or was it this morning. Then a big question popped into his mind. “Chief can you see this as the engine up grade sequence or just a mass of light streaks?”

  The Chief smiled. “I see it just fine Mr. Collins. I like the touch of showing the pieces being reworked in the machine shop off to the side. It must have taken the entire graphics’ department days to do this. Ok why are you doing that Mr. Collins?”

  Mark froze the projection. “Ah witch one Chief?” There was 6 different areas of work going on at the same time.

  “Below the smaller injectors the combustion chambers is smaller, coned and elongated by a good 10 to 15 feet with thinner walls and you added the old coils mixed in with the new coils in a strange arrangement. Why?”

  The six combustion chambers with six injectors each looked like a huge crown at the top of the engine. It had been hidden on the number 3 engine in the engine room high up disappearing through the overhead deck out of sight. On the simulation it was all out in the open. A large pipe ran down from each of the combustion cones to a large six foot wide ball were the six pipes became one pipe surrounded by huge coils the rest of the way down below the engine room deck into the bilges 2 decks below and the exit trap for the exhaust.

  “Well Chief. The old combustion chamber tried to contain the explosive fusion's blast wave under super high pressure, trying to fuse as much of the fuel as possible before bleeding the plasma down the engine to create thrust. That wasted energy not only to compress the new fuel to get it into the chamber but wasted energy in the heavy coils and into the thick retaining walls and the complex mixing system needed to maintain fusion even though all they were doing was flooding the chamber with fuel. The Plasma was already cooling before it left the combustion chamber starting it’s acceleration from zero velocity and it still left un fussed fuel that exited the engine in the exhaust way below subspace speed that could be seen with the naked eye."

  "The new injectors are angled down the cone shaped chamber to accelerate the fuel as it fusses instead of just pressurizing it, making it easy for the fusion cone to deflect the explosion with its shockwaves doing most of the work mixing the fuel to fuse completely as it accelerates down the cone adding velocity from the instant of detonation. The mix of the old heavy coils and the new lightweight but more powerful coils help mix and fuse the fuel but their main job is to maintain the pressure of the plasma as it passes accelerating it into the engine. The injectors are also firing at a higher velocity in smaller atom sized controlled streams instead of trying to flood the chamber just to make sure something detonates. The result combined with all the other upgrades is doubling the energy of the exhaust plasma and the thrust while using a fraction of the fuel.”

  Mark stepped back surprised at himself. That the speech came out explaining everything so easily. Touching the controls the hologram continued. The Chief stood there for several runs through of the stages cringing each time the engine and then the deck above was cut and the fusion chambers where lengthened before turning around and telling Mark he wanted to see the detailed plans and schedules.

  Mark walked over to the big touch screen on the Bulkhead as it turned it’s self on. He had used it the night before for the same purpose.

  The Chief reached out and touched one of the multi colored schematics with his finger and it leapt out into greater detail of the system he had touched with actual pictures of the parts and pieces of equipment and the special tools and procedures required to assemble them. “My Godstar. I cannot believe the detail, the color, the richness.” Tears started running down his cheeks. “My world was looking through a straw, black and white and gray with colors that I can never describe that did not make sense except that they hurt and now I know Godstar's beauty with a wider field of vision than I can believe.”

  Mark suddenly realized why the Chief had been so dead set against the upgrades. The incredibly detailed plans and schematics even in the directions that came with the kits had been to complicated and detailed for him to see enough of and understand.

  “Jesus Crist’s Star old man. Chief; you have gone over the hill.” Commander Hicks interrupted the Chief. “You cannot let this punk get away with this. We are going to wind up stranded between the stars dying when these pieces of junk break down with no way to repair them! You know they are only running at a fraction of warp power inside this damn gravity well. The gravity fields destroy the plasma mass symmetries limiting the power making it a miracle the fuel stays in it long enough to combust and then distorting the flow down the engine each time we pass a magnetic field line from the planet or anything else, limiting the thrust and then the atmosphere's back pressure skewing the flow out the throat trying to destroy it. When we get out away from gravity fields and power up for warp, this engine will tear itself apart without months of testing and adjustments and you want to hit all 4 of them at the Same Time?”

  The Chief’s face hardened as he turned around. “I will be the judge of whether these engines are fit for space or not Commander and if that is not good enough for you; you can always be relieved from duty." Then his face softened with a smile. "Try to remember that this planet has been upgrading engines for hundreds of years and they know what they are doing. Besides we have a few days in orbit and then a week leaving the system to tune up the engines Commander.” Then went back to studying the schematics and plans. Touching the screen to enlarge or drag parts together to see how they fit or turn the page.

  "No old man. These engines are bastardized from the Company kits by a senile A.I. that likes to play pranks and tell bad jokes and this is the biggest joke on all of us." The Commander turned and stomped into the control room passageway.

  Lieutenant Commander Johnson came out for a few seconds ignoring the Chief, he punched up the schematic to the first stage of work to look at a specific piece of equipment then turned to Mark. "That has changed from yesterday Commander. I would like to change that just a little as well to make it easier to maintain later. If you have no objections sir." Then went through what he wanted to do.

  Mark looked at it and asked Mickey about the change then smiled. "Ya sure Mr. Johnson looks good to me."

  "Mr. Johnson." The Chief smiled. "What is that you are working on?"

  The Lieutenant Commander looked at the Chief and then started explaining what he was doing. That expanded to talking about other sections for a few minutes before he excused himself. "Commander Collins can explain the basics to you better Chief. I need to get back into the space, I have a crew waiting for a decision on their request." Then disappeared back into MP-4 as the schematic changed.

  Mark stood for a while watching the Chief go through the screens studying every detail of the work. Answering questions as the Chief asked or taking care of problems as lieutenant Johnson came out for him to deal with.

  Having the MP space Commander looking on each time Mark made a decision made him uncomfortable. The next time Commander Johnson came out, Mark turned to the Commander of MP-4, with the MP-2’s Commander standing by listening as they talked about the problem and finely coming up with a decision. With the Commander of MP-4 finally involved he had to study the upgrade and schedule more closely. After several problems the Commander finally understanding what was going on Mark walked the Commander into his engine room where he needed to be to take care of the problem with the MP-2 Commander close behind offering advice. Then started going over the engine parts with both of them using the screen on the engine room bulkhead to study the schematics and schedules’. He stayed around long enough so the men could see him handing control of the upgrade to MPR 4’s Commander before the Chief called him back out.

  The Chief got off the phone as Mark walked back out and started asking more detailed questions about the fusion cones for a good 15 minutes getting deep into the theory until the Chiefs eyes glazed over and Mark realized he had gone beyond what the Chief could understand. Mark started using generalities knowing going any dee
per with the Chief was a waste of time. The Chief finely stopped asking questions leaving Mark to stand there as he turned to other sections of the engine that were not as advanced. Leaving Mark mostly just standing there bored watching the Chief and waiting.

  MP 4’s Commander with MP-2’s and Lieutenant Johnson in tow, came out a few times to ask questions and once with an ensign, lieutenant and the spaces lieutenant commander in tow and all Mark started doing each time, was listen and then telling the Commander that it was his engine and it was up to him to settle it without even talking to the lieutenant or ensign or giving advice except to agree with the final solution the two Commanders came up with. Then later the two Engine Room Commanders came out needing help and Mark realized it was something that needed someone above the Commanders pay grade and simply told him that he was not the Engineering Chief and that the Chief was standing 6 feet away and to ask him.

  The Chief used his finger to turn the screen to the sheet detailing the problem area as he discussed the problem with the Commanders and even referred to the holo-gram that Mickey had turned to that section of the engine that showed an up to date model of what had been accomplished up to that time. Before the Commanders left, the Chief asked Mark if he had anything he thought needed changed or added to the decision they had made.

  Wanting to burst out with his own idea to fix the problem that seemed so much better he realized that his difference was only a window dressing change from what they had come up with so Mark just smiled, bit his lip and told them it looked and sounded like the best approach to him, but that they would have to make another slight, very minor change down the line to compensate for what that change would do to the plasma flow. Naming what they would have to change to compensate but that the two changes together would add a slight increase in the engines efficiency if done correctly. Taking it for granted that they knew that not making the change down the line would prevent the engine from even working but knowing he would be there to remind them when the change was needed. Though why Mickey had not already made the change was missed by Mark as he talked to the Commanders before they went back into the engine room.