“At any rate, he returned me to full duty and the next year we went through the same drill again. When the time came for the trials we heard the inter-ship jokes about how they were wrapping the fuel nipple with duct tape, just in case we crashed into it again. Captain Mackinaw said nothing. I think that’s why our win was so important to all of us. There’s nothing quite like being vindicated, particularly when you defeat six of your fellow classmates in the process.”
“What made the difference?” Carter asked. “How did you avoid the mistake of the previous year.”
“When we came within three days of the trials, the Captain locked the simulator door. He told me I was to relax or work out in the recreation bay. ‘Go ski or surf,’ he said. ‘Don’t think about the trials. That’s an order.’”
“So did you relax?”
“Yes I did, Lieutenant Eaves. I thought I’d be a nervous wreck thinking about it, but after a couple of hours of brooding, I decided I had nothing to lose since I’d made a fool of myself the year before. So I went water skiing for three days in the rec rooms, worked out in the weight room, and relaxed in the sauna.”
Eaves’ posture improved. “The point is, Mr. Eaves, that our log for the simulator shows an interesting pattern of use. I had no idea that our Tech Specialist Crane from Accounting was interested in flying shuttles.” Eaves bit his lip and averted his eyes.
“Whether you believe it or not, the best thing you can do to perform well in competition is to stop thinking about it. Your brain is like a muscle. You’ve successfully exhausted it through repetition. Now it needs time to rejuvenate and fortify the neural paths you’ve created for it over the past three months. When you walk onto that shuttle next Monday, you need to be well rested and clear headed.”
He could see they would do what he asked, but still didn’t really understand why. “You know, I became really good at piloting capital ships. It’s what elevated me through the ranks. But, I was never half as fast as you are. You have the best reflexes of any pilot I’ve ever seen. But your worst enemy is to think about something. You must simply react to whatever situation comes your way. Your mind and body know what to do. Any more time in that simulator will actually detract from your skill because you’ll second-guess yourself at a crucial moment and then that’ll be it. That’s why I’m ordering you out of the simulator and into the recreation bay.” He stood up. “We’ll all be rooting for you and I think you’ve actually got a chance to win, certainly to place. But, know this, no matter what the result of the competition, the entire crew is proud of your effort. You’ll represent the Allegro well.”
“Thank you, Sir,” they both mumbled.
Eaves looked relieved. “I didn’t know you were a pilot, Sir. That’s really awesome, winning the System Cup.”
Brighton smiled and put his arm on Eaves’ shoulder as he escorted them through the door. “Remember, do anything you want between now and Monday, except the shuttle.”
For once Eaves obeyed an order perfectly. Three days later he and Carter emerged from the recreation bay, suntanned and relaxed.
The navigator saw them and asked, “Where on earth have you two been?”
“I’ve been skiing the French Alps and Carter’s been kayaking in New Zealand.”
“Skiing and kayaking, my, my. Meanwhile, I’ve been spending my time navigating through the Cambriol asteroid belt. Enriched, I might add, by the hundreds of thousand fragments you created.”
“It was nothing,” said Eaves. “For the right price I’ll blow them out of the solar system, if you like.”
“No, that’s okay, we get nervous whenever you put your finger on a trigger. Those who know you are thrilled you’ve decided to take up shuttles for a living.”
“A friend of yours?” Carter asked, as the navigator disappeared down the corridor.
“What do you expect from a navigator, for crying out loud?”
Carter laughed for a second, then caught the dig and attempted to strangle Eaves.
But Eaves wriggled free and asked, “How’s New Zealand this time of year?”
“Great. It’s summer down there and the rivers are running high. How about France? ”
“Cold. But the snow was unusually fast. I beat my best time ever on the giant slalom.”
They walked down the corridor to get lunch where the galley staff noticed, with satisfaction, that they’d eaten more in the last three days than in the previous two weeks.
“Gotta love the Rec Bay,” said Carter while standing up to get another sandwich. After a number of crew members went stir crazy on early deep-space flights, human engineers figured out that people need diversions and plenty of sunlight to avoid depression and cabin fever. One of the results of their efforts was creation of the recreation bay. At the extreme forward arc of the ship’s bow, the bay spanned all twenty-five stories of the ship’s infrastructure. That allowed engineers to do some really remarkable things, including installation of amusement park rides, gyms, saunas, pools, mountain climbing walls and a magnificent atrium. It also provided room for some terrific extreme-sports simulators. Eaves had spent most of his awake time in the snow-skiing simulator, which extended the vertical distance of the bay via a twenty-story treadmill covered with artificial snow. It was a near-perfect substitute for the real thing. The belt went over a series of rollers that could be adjusted to simulate moguls, curves and jumps. Hydraulic lifters simulated runs of varying intensity. Eaves liked to ski the black diamond slopes, the most difficult the simulator could create. As the skier started down the course, the rollers began turning to match his descent. If he came too close to the bottom the belt sped up enough to pull him further up the incline. If he slowed, the belt automatically slowed too. The entire structure was housed in a video tube that recreated a three-dimensional view of the galaxy’s best ski resorts. To improve the crew’s mental attitude, the lighting could replicate 90% of the Kalenden Star’s light spectrum. Natural light was the best antidote for the doldrums. It also accounted for Eaves suntan.
Carter, meanwhile, had been on a horizontal simulator that recreated the great rivers of Kalenden and Earth. The New Zealand program was by far the most popular, since it had the most spectacular natural scenery. The kayak paddled against an artificial current that duplicated traveling down a river, complete with rapids and hazards.
The simulators weren’t the only reason the two Lieutenants were relaxed. On their first day of R and R, Eaves slept for fifteen hours and Carter for twelve. During the three days, they caught up for three weeks of sleep deprivation.
As they rounded the corner to the shuttle bay, Captain Jesik joined O’Casey and Brighton for a last minute inspection.
“You look fresh and well-rested,” said Jesik.
“Yes, Sir, a gift from Commander Brighton,” replied Eaves.
“Wish he could do that for me. Mr. O’Casey, are you going to let Lieutenant Eaves get his hands on your shuttle for our descent to Manhattan Island? We probably should be off if we’re going to make the opening receptions.”
O’Casey nodded, then added, “The virtual buildings are in place, so watch what you’re doing. Every eye in the observation lounge will be on you.”
“Yes, Sir,” Eaves said crisply and formally. Then he burst into a grin, amused at O’Casey’s seriousness.
“Remember what I said, Mr. Eaves. If you think this is a joke, I’ll pull you from the controls so fast, your tail will get surface-burned from the friction.” Brighton immediately wished he’d ordered O’Casey into the recreation bay, too.
Eaves and Carter entered first and made their way forward to the control cabin. Carter radioed the bridge and planet for clearance and Eaves initiated the unfolding of the shuttle. Because the number of passengers was minimal, the shuttle would only need to be 25% uncompressed, which made it easier to control in flight. When they were ready, the others boarded and settled in to watch the entry into the atmosphere – always a rather spectacular sight as the parent ship faded from view
and the shuttle started to flare from the friction. Then there would be time for a movie and dinner, followed by sleep for those not in the control room. They expected to arrive the next morning at around 10:00 hours.
11– An Ill Wind
Most of the descent to the surface went without incident. As the morning breeze off the ocean found its way up the streets of Manhattan, however, it created some interesting turbulence. Ground control gave the Allegro shuttlecraft its choice of three approaches and naturally Eaves chose the most difficult, directly up Park Avenue from the south. O’Casey hovered over his shoulder as they floated past the Empire State building, two blocks west, then past the Chrysler building, one block east, on Lexington.
At Forty-Ninth street a blast of frigid air hit them from the East River, lifting the starboard side. It was strong enough that it startled Brighton into suggesting a corrective maneuver, but Eaves simply kept his gaze forward and took no action. Everyone there stood nervously, wondering why he didn’t do anything as the shuttle drifted west towards Rockefeller Center. Everyone but O’Casey. He actually smiled.
“Well done, Eaves, you were absolutely correct to ignore that.”
The breeze rolled under the giant ship like a wave and the shuttle settled back onto its original course. Jesik and Brighton said nothing, but mentally took note to never, ever, pilot a shuttlecraft. As they drifted past Trump tower, Eaves applied a slight banking motion to port, which allowed them to pass lazily over the simulated Plaza Hotel. Carter began calling out coordinates for the landing pad, which was on a soccer field south of the main boathouse.
Eaves activated the forward gels, which reacted against the air, then the trees. The ship came to a dead stop over the assigned pad. The breeze from the east was uneven, but with three or four quick maneuvers with the port membranes, he was able to square the ship properly, then reduce the resistance below, allowing the shuttle to settle gently on the pad. Everyone onboard breathed a huge sigh of relief. Eaves had managed his first landing without incident. And in full view of the maximum number of observers, including the crews of nine of their competitors.
O’Casey peered anxiously over Carter’s shoulder as he ran the numbers on the landing.
“One meter off from dead center, to starboard, and off rotation by two-and-a-half meters, aft side trailing.”
Everyone onboard burst into applause. Practically a perfect landing.
“I overcorrected for the east wind,” muttered Eaves muttered as he powered down the systems. He appeared angry, but Carter knew he was as relieved and happy as everyone else.
“It’s just lucky for the two of you that there was no real weather to worry about,” O’Casey said laconically. Then, turning to the shuttle ground crew he issued a quick set of orders for post-docking security and maintenance.
“Great job, everyone. Congratulations, Mr. O’Casey. Your training appears to have paid off,” Jesik commented
“Thank you Captain.”
“Now, I see there’s air transport waiting outside. Let’s all check into our hotel rooms, to shower and then I’ll buy you breakfast at a café I know next to the Helmsley on Fifty-Ninth. After that, we’ll go off to our various receptions to start, ah, consultations with senior command.” The crew smiled, knowing how the Captain felt about receptions.
Three hours later, Eaves and Carter made their way toward a conference room in one of the permanent structures on Park West. The Dakotas was an ornate apartment building that reminded Eaves of the Palace on Keswick where Magill had been laid up. The room he and Carter shared had twelve foot high ceilings, gold plated faucets in the bathroom and a magnificent view of Central Park out the east windows. Their room overlooked a spot of the park identified as Strawberry Fields.
“Why Strawberry Fields?” Eaves asked, when they first arrived.
Carter barely concealed his irritation at the gaps in Eaves’ understanding of history. “It was named in honor of one of the greatest composers of all time, John Lennon. He lived his last days at the original Dakotas and his widow assumed the expense of maintaining this part of the park as a permanent memorial to him.”
“Ah. I should have known that.”
Forty-five minutes later the two Lieutenants assembled with other crews in a large conference room where the competition’s Commanding Officer was about to start the meeting.
“Gentlemen, you should all know the drill by now. To those here for the first time, welcome and good luck. To those of you who are returning, congratulations on qualifying again to represent your ship in the Manhattan Trials. Your exercises over the next three days will be observed by more than three billion people throughout the quadrant. I also understand that this year there will even be an Esper-delayed link to Tatrius, which they’ll view next week. So, let’s all look sharp and add even more luster to the reputation of Shuttle Command.”
Everyone broke into applause.
The Commanding Officer added, “We’d especially like to welcome our three fighter crews who were selected for their skill at high-speed maneuvers. Please do your best, gentlemen, to not wreck any of the permanent structures or deprive your ship of its shuttle.”
Everybody laughed except Eaves, who folded his arms and sat back in his chair.
“Five of you have your shuttles docked on the south end of the park, so you can start your take-off and deep-space docking maneuvers tomorrow morning. You’ll start your descent Tuesday evening for a Wednesday morning hook-up. The seven shuttles at the north end will start landing drills first thing tomorrow morning, by climbing to 60,000 meters over the ocean off the New Jersey coast, then initiating a normal approach through the city to your assigned landing pad. At noon of the second day, you’ll participate in takeoff drills and ascend to your parent ship where you’ll permanently dock. If successful, you’ll return by high-speed shuttles and join the rest of us at the awards ceremony on Thursday. Any questions?”
There were none. “Your placement at north or south was determined in advance by lottery. In a few moments we’ll draw for who goes first in each of the drills. But, before we draw, I’d like our weather officer to brief you on what to expect the next four days.”
For the next thirty minutes they endured the most boring, analytical treatise on planetary weather Eaves had ever heard. His mind wandered across most of the known galaxy, with occasional detours back to some of the more interesting adventures of his childhood and he still absorbed the weather report. It wasn’t good. That much was clear. High storms were expected, mild on Monday morning, but growing to near-hurricane gale force by Wednesday afternoon. That was great for the takeoff drills but could create havoc for their landing. He mentally went through the modifications he’d designed to give him greater control of the shuttlecraft. At first Carter had been violently opposed to making any changes to the shuttle, threatening to tell O’Casey. But he calmed down after Eaves showed him the research he’d done on the rules of the competition. None of his modifications would get them disqualified. Still, it would cause an uproar in the competition if he actually used any. The hardest part was arranging that O’Casey wouldn’t ride with them on the return to the ship. Eaves had already enlisted the maintenance crew to implement the changes, if needed on the trip up. The objects could be placed inconspicuously enough so that O’Casey wouldn’t notice until it was too late for him to do anything about it.
Carter nudged him. “They’re getting ready to draw names, so pay attention.” Eaves looked up expectantly.
“First, the names for take-off and orbiting maneuvers.” The Commanding Officer reached into a large crystal vase and drew out a piece of paper. “Ah, very good. First take-off will be the Allegro, piloted by Lieutenant Travis Eaves, with Lieutenant Jason Carter as Navigator. I’m sure we’ll all love seeing the hero of Cambriol master the morning breezes with the sunrise in his eyes.” Everyone laughed. Eaves smoldered inside, but stood and took a theatrical bow. What good is it to react to a jerk like that anyway? The officer glowered at him, a
nnoyed to have someone steal the stage. But, Eaves’ cavalier attitude had stolen the officer’s thunder in that each of the succeeding crews did something theatrical to acknowledge their place in the lottery. His earnest “Gentlemen, please,” went unheeded for Eaves had succeeded in showing that he was just a regular guy. After the meeting, many members of competing crews welcomed Eaves and Carter. The general sentiment was it was unfair to have fighter crews in the competition, since they were at such a disadvantage. The four Lieutenants of the other fighter crews made it clear that they were there for fun and planned to fly obsolete shuttles their Captains had borrowed for the trials. So it didn’t matter if they wrecked them, for they were scheduled for the scrap heap anyway.
“But, we want to win,” Carter whispered to Eaves.
“It’s just as well we let them think we’re not serious. Why give guys like the Commanding Officer ammunition to taunt us with? Let’s get out of here and look at the city before the banquet and variety show.”
The simulation of New York City in the last years of the Twentieth Century offered far too much variety for the two Lieutenants to take in with just four hours. Each year during the tournament, the entire island was turned into a giant art festival that attracted upwards of four million people coming to sample the diverse ethnic cuisine, stroll up holographic avenues that meticulously reconstructed the ancient borough of Manhattan and to interact with local citizens in period costumes. The chaos and disorder of the Old World was in stark contrast to the orderly ways of Kalenden. Most people stayed on the broad boulevards, like Fifth Avenue, where retailers set up temporary quarters in plywood buildings that were given electronic façades to make them look like buildings of the past. Stores with odd names like Macy’s, Tiffany, Saks and Bergdorf-Goodman competed furiously with each other and some people waited all year for the festival, to buy their fine clothing, oriental carpets, jewelry and electronics.
Assault on Cambriol: The Manhattan Trials Page 20