The Veritian Derelict (Junkyard Dogs)

by Nolte, Phillip

  "You'll not be needin' her to be doin' that," said Hawkins, with a twinkle in his eye. "She'll likely be suggestin' one of those precious Orion Mark IV destroyers again, they always were her favorites!"

  There was a short silence. Carlisle reddened slightly but smiled good-naturedly at the old engineer.

  "Point taken, Hawk," she said, "but tell me, why wouldn't the overdrive unit from a Succession era destroyer work in the Greyhound?"

  Harris and Hawkins looked at one another for a couple of moments.

  "You'd best be tellin' her, Lieutenant," said Hawkins.

  "Yeah," Murdock joined in, "tell us why that wouldn't work?"

  "Well, let's see," said Harris, "By design, destroyers have always been among the fastest ship types available so they've always had lots of power for their size. That's the whole point, high g acceleration capability isn't just a matter of sheer power, it's really all about the power to mass ratio. Even so, the reaction engines on a destroyer like the Terrier are at least twice as powerful as the same engines on the Greyhound. Keep in mind that the two types of ship are built for totally different purposes. For moving freight you need maximum efficiency, not the high thrust capability required of a destroyer for rapid maneuvering and chasing down other ships."

  "Aye, Lieutenant, that be so, but ain't the Whitney drives pretty much the same? Can you be checkin', Lass?"

  Carlisle brought up a holo display of the two drives. She mumbled softly as she studied the schematics. Eyes still on the display, she nodded her head and announced, "They're actually about the same size and shape, but the specifications are totally different." She looked at Harris. "Are they similar enough?"

  Harris studied the holo display for several minutes. His look contained some doubt but finally he slowly nodded his head. "Well...yes," He replied, tentatively. "At least I think so. Trouble is, the drive system is matched to the power plant on both types of ship and they wouldn't cross-match very well. The military units were designed for rapid turnover in the Naval yards. You just pulled the old drive module out, and the reactor at the same time, and stuck in a set of new ones that were already refueled, aligned and more or less ready to go. It would probably take more than minor modifications, but we'd be better off stripping the entire drive system and the reactor out of the Greyhound and replacing them with the equivalent components from one of the destroyers."

  Murdock looked extremely doubtful. "That sounds like a lot of work."

  "It may not be as bad as you think," replied Harris, as he continued to think the problem through. "Remember that you wouldn't have to spend time dismantling the systems on the two ships, you'd just strip out the Greyhound's drive system and reactor at the same time and put the new components in. It would probably save a lot of time, actually. You just have to be able to handle some fairly massive assemblies without damaging something. We did that sort of thing all the time before we were attacked out here. For the most part, none of that heavy equipment was damaged in the terrorist attack last month. That and the Rover II has magnetic grapplers and should be able to handle a job like that without too much trouble."

  "What about getting the assemblies mounted in the Greyhound?" asked Murdock.

  "We'd have to look things over pretty carefully," replied Harris, "but, from what I know about merchant hulls, the manufacturers designed them so they could install one of several different types of power plants and a range of drive systems. The builders would bid out the drive system specs and then buy the least expensive one that met their requirements or, just as often, they would build the ships to customer specifications. Because of that, the drive bays were intentionally designed to be somewhat generic. The shipbuilders had several types of mounting hardware -- adaptors really -- that matched the various drive systems and reactors. If you had the right hardware, the components would basically bolt right in, no matter which company had made it."

  "What else is different about the military drive units?" asked Murdock.

  Harris thought for a moment again.

  "The shield generators are integrated into the drive unit and they're much more powerful than anything you'll find on a civilian ship. Even though the Greyhound is almost twice the size of a destroyer, the shielding would be just about as effective as it was on the Terrier. With a war coming, heavier shielding might not be a bad side effect."

  "I be thinkin' it be time to take another gander at them destroyers," said Hawkins, with a sidelong glance at Carlisle. She gave him a satisfied smirk.

  "Yeah," replied Harris, "It can't hurt. We'd better get as much information as we can before we try to talk Kresge into a plan this crazy."

  "What have you got on the Terrier in your wrist computer?" Harris asked Carlisle.

  Carlisle accessed her wrist computer again.

  "...FWS Terrier... Main and Whitney drives...fusion reactor...specifications, including dimensions and mounting points," said Carlisle, eyes slightly glazed as they often were when she interfaced with her wrist computer.

  "Here's the info you requested, Lieutenant," she said, bringing up the information in a 3-D holo display that floated in the air in front of the group. "This is great! According to the maintenance records, the powerplant and drive systems were completely overhauled only a year and a half before the final battle of the Succession War."

  "What's the date on this information?" asked Harris.

  "It looks to be from about six months before the final battle," replied Carlisle.

  "That old destroyer has long history of modifications," said Harris, "and we know that some pretty radical things were done to her just before that final battle. I imagine that the maintenance records are correct, but I'd be a lot more confident if we actually confirmed the current configuration of the drive system. I suggest that we get the actual physical measurements on all of the components of both ships." He nodded his head in affirmation of the decision he'd just made. "Finish eating," he said. "We're going to get the dimensions on the Greyhound's drive systems tonight and then we're heading out to the Terrier to do the same thing first thing in the morning."

  "You remember during the meeting earlier today that F.C. Talbot said he was willing to help out?" said Carlisle.

  "Yeah, I remember that," replied Harris.

  "Well, since he was among the last engineering officers to actually serve on one of those destroyers, his insights could be really valuable."

  "That's an excellent suggestion, Dr. Carlisle. Can you ask him when you return to the Istanbul tonight?"

  "No problem, Lieutenant," she replied.

  The salvagers took a few more minutes to finish eating and then made their way through the now somewhat crowded Greyhound to the engineering section of the old ship. It took them about a half hour to measure all the drive components. That task completed, Carlisle had to head back to the Istanbul. As she prepared to leave her old friends, she realized that the last ten hours had been some of the most enjoyable she had experienced in months. She had meshed almost seamlessly with the other members of the team as they had become totally immersed in the problem at hand. For a few hours, all the other issues that had been nibbling at her mind had been pushed aside and temporarily forgotten. She shared her thoughts as she prepared to head back to the Istanbul.

  "I can't tell you how good it feels to be working with you two again. It was just like old times." Harris and Hawkins both smiled back at her. Her gaze lingered on Harris for a few extra seconds.

  "Right now, I have to get back to the Istanbul, Sondia is helping me with diplomatic protocols and I'm supposed to be meeting with her in half hour."

  "I hope we'll have a chance to talk sometime soon," said Harris, with a meaningful look. "I'd like to catch up on how things went for you back at the Academy."

  "I'd like that too," she replied, holding his gaze for a few moments longer. He seemed to relax a little.

  Carlisle left for the Istanbul and the two men headed to their quarters for the night.

  Chapter 28.
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br />   UTFN Reclamation Center, December 4, 2598.

  The next morning Harris, Hawkins, Norbert and Steuben headed to the airlock area, suited up and piloted the Rover II over to the Istanbul to pick up Carlisle on their way out into the Scrapyard. When they arrived, Carlisle was helping F.C. Talbot finish getting suited up. The two newcomers found places on the sled and the team then headed deep out into to the Military section of the Scrapyard to see what they could find out about the drive system dimensions of the Terrier and, every bit as importantly, the condition.

  On their foray a month and half ago to examine the handful of destroyers in the Scrapyard that had survived the final battle of the Succession War, Harris, Carlisle and Hawkins had only been concerned with whether or not any of the old ships still had compartments that could hold atmosphere. Later they had spent a considerable amount of time on the weapons systems, particularly the antiquated mass driver railguns on the Terrier. Since there hadn't been any reason for it, they had never taken the time to look at the power plants or drive systems on any of the three destroyers.

  As before, they headed for the Terrier because she appeared to be in the best condition. The other two destroyers were much more badly damaged. The bridge area of the Fairmont was completely blown away and the Osage had been hit by the debris cloud from the explosion of another ship.

  Talbot had been talkative for most of the trip but he fell silent and his expression took on a haunted look as the sled passed near the Fairmont, his old ship.

  "My God," said the former engineering officer. "It's the Fairmont!" He remained silent as they passed along the length of his old ship, his gaze sweeping intently, almost lovingly, over her the whole time. His voice was strained when he spoke again. "Remarkable! I've heard about how traumatic it can be for a sailor to see his old ship again. I must say...I never thought to experience it myself. All those memories..." He swallowed, obviously in the throes of some intense emotions, and became silent once more. When he did speak again, his voice was on the edge of breaking. "Some of my dearest friends died on that ship," he said solemnly. Everyone on the sled remained respectfully quiet as the Fairmont passed behind them. With an effort, Talbot turned his attention back to the business at hand. "It's alright everyone, the moment has passed. I think I'll be okay now."

  A few minutes later the Rover II arrived at the Terrier.

  While they had been taking refuge on the old destroyer, Harris, Hawkins and Carlisle had been impressed with the condition of the instruments and control consoles on the Terrier's bridge. If they were to successfully transplant the power plant and the drive to the Greyhound, then control systems that matched them would be vital.

  The old destroyer was pretty much as they had left her a couple of months ago, remarkably intact except for a large, open gash on the starboard bow. The Reclamation Center's other utility sled, the Reclamation Rover I, which had supplied limited power and maneuvering capability during the earlier battle for the Scrapyard, was still strapped to the destroyer's hull, right where they'd left it, between the stubby bridge superstructure and the front railgun turret.

  The salvagers entered the Terrier as they had so many times before, through the large gash on the starboard bow. As had been the case with the merchant ships earlier, there was no power, so there was no artificial gravity and the crew had to again perform their inspections under weightless conditions. After making their way through the ship to the engineering section, they approached the chamber containing the power plant and drive system with some trepidation. Hawkins worked the hatch mechanism to the engineering section and the group went inside. Using their suit lights for illumination, they thoroughly inspected the engineering area of the old destroyer. Just like the bridge area had been on their earlier visit, the engineering section appeared to be in very good condition. A quick inspection of the drive systems revealed no visible damage.

  "Dr. Carlisle?" asked Harris. "Didn't you say earlier that the Terrier made it to the Scrapyard under her own power?"

  "That's what the ship's log indicated," replied Carlisle.

  "That's good but it's not the only thing that matters. We'll have to get this fusion plant back up and running and that could present a problem."

  "What kind of problem?" asked Carlisle.

  "The Greyhound is currently home for a whole bunch of us," replied Harris. "We'll have to shut down everything on the ship for as long as it takes to get the replacement power plant up and running again. If we can't do that, we could be in real trouble. Thank god we have the Istanbul and the Dingo."

  "We can be runnin' some test procedures on the fusion plant," said Hawkins. "If that be checkin' out, the rest 'o this drive system, including the Whitney overdrive, looks t' be in pretty good shape, much better than any o' those cargo ships."

  With Talbot looking over his shoulder, Hawkins connected a meter to the inert power plant via a diagnostic receptacle and ran through the limited series of diagnostics that could be performed on the dormant system. "Power plant and drive look t' be fine, as far as I can be tellin', Lieutenant, I be thinkin' we should be giving this engine swap a try."

  "I would have to agree," said Talbot. "This machinery looks to be in very good condition."

  "And I agree as well," said Harris. "But we'd better check with Kresge before we go any further with this project. The group made their way out of the old destroyer, intending to get back on the Rover II and head back to the Greyhound to meet with the Commander. As they emerged from the destroyer, Hawkins stopped and took a long look at the Rover I. The utility sled had been hit, along with the Terrier herself, by the wash of energy from a powerful pulse beam bolt during the final moments of the battle for the Scrapyard and the sled had been completely inert after the impact.

  "Be waitin' just a moment if you would, Lieutenant," said Hawkins. "I be needin' to check something." The old CPO made his way carefully over to the dormant sled and clipped a tether to the railing. He then removed an inspection panel in the decking right below the control console.

  "Hah!" he exclaimed excitedly. "The fusible link be burned clean through!"

  "What does that mean, Hawk?" asked Carlisle.

  "It be meaning that this old girl might still be workin' in spite of the abuse she be taken'! There be a spare link strapped right here to this cover. With your permission, Sir I could be takin' a few minutes to put the spare link in. Maybe we could be gettin' the Rover I workin' again. Lord knows we could be usin' another sled out here!"

  "Absolutely, Hawk," replied Harris, "take a few minutes and change out the link."

  Hawkins rummaged around in the workings that had been exposed by the removal of the inspection cover before extricating an electrical connector with what looked like a short bit of burned cable clinging to it, one end of what was normally a one-piece fusible link. After some more rummaging he extracted the other half of the link, a second, matching connector with a shorter bit of burned cable attached. He then unclipped the intact link, a stout half-meter length of special cable with the very same connectors on each end, from its mounting on the inspection cover. In the event of an unexpected power surge, the link was designed to fail before the other electronic components of the sled received any damage from the overload. Cable in hand, Hawkins went back to work rummaging around in the workings of the sled for a few minutes longer. Before replacing the cover, he straightened up and activated the main power switch for the sled. To everyone's surprise and delight, the control panel lit up!

  "Saint's be praised!" said Hawkins, "She still be workin'! Could you be givin' me a hand gettin' these cables loose? Looks like we be havin' another sled!"

  After disentangling the series of cables that bound the Rover I to the old destroyer, Harris and a jubilant Hawkins headed back towards the Greyhound on the resurrected sled with Carlisle and the others following carefully on the Rover II.

  ***

  A short time later, Kresge, Murdock, Talbot, Harris, Carlisle and Hawkins gathered in the bow cargo hold of
the Greyhound. Temporarily outfitted for seating up to thirty people, the hold had become the official meeting room for the Scrapyard expedition. The meeting had been in session for about forty-five minutes. After announcing the good news that the Reclamation Center had acquired another utility sled, Harris had started out the briefing by outlining the overall project for the group before handing off to Carlisle. She had just finished going over several 3-D holograms and other schematic materials concerning the potential replacement of the Greyhound's power and drive systems with the ones from the Terrier.

  "So you see, Commander," said Carlisle, wrapping up her presentation, "we think that the power plant and the drive system will fit but we'll need to do some fabricating."

  "How long do you anticipate that we'd be without power on the Greyhound?" asked Kresge.

  Harris thought intently for a few moments before replying, "If we get everything ready to go, outside panels removed and other preparations on the Greyhound completed and get everything removed and transported from the Terrier...I estimate..." Harris again thought long and hard before finishing, "...a minimum of forty-eight hours and maybe as long as a week. There's just so much we won't know about until we actually have to do it."

  Kresge turned to Talbot. "What do you think, Dr. Talbot?"

  "Please, Commander, it'll make things so much easier if you just call me, Frank," said the old man.

  "That it will," replied Kresge. "So what are your thoughts on this project, Frank?"

  "I believe we can do it. The systems on the destroyer appear to be in excellent condition and you have the necessary tools and equipment." He looked at Harris, Hawkins and Carlisle. "Not to mention the right people."