“Good Report trooper, can you give me any timescale on completion of the work?”
“I would say ten hours if you have found some more of the identical mountings.”
“That is one piece of luck Bambi, they are a stock item and your Sub and Pixie are delivering you three even now so at least you will have a spare if there is a problem. Now for the bad news, unfortunately our long range scanners have picked up the Pirates and they will be with us in around 20 hours. We have got to get used to our weapons before then and get as much rest as possible.”
Freeman motioned them forward and the group saw that he had arranged five piles of Plasmet shields like their own in a stack of three. Around 100 yards away was a rack full of weapons, some of which they recognised.
The group were first asked to fire using their old weapons and whilst the shields glowed when hit, there was no apparent damage. Next they were asked to try the T17 Dominator Supercarbine, an assault rifle designed to impose itself on any battlefield according to the manufacturer’s blurb.
Freeman demonstrated and his first shot of charged plasma was square in the middle of the target, this time the shield flew off its stand and crashed against the far wall of the hanger. Shiner ran over to retrieve it and when he came back pointed to the brutish hole the size of a tennis ball. He put his fingers through like a magician to demonstrate that it was a hole. The thought dawned on a number of them that if they had been standing behind the shields they would now be dead.
After that they all took possession of a T17D and following a basic instruction from Freeman they tried out its capabilities on manual. They all had reasonable accuracy, blew the shields over and punched holes in various places. On Freeman’s instruction they switched settings to auto/integrate and Kyle for one noticed a new icon of a red rifle appear in his visor screen. Concentrating on the icon and visualizing the gun opened a new menu for single burst, sustained fire or “maelstrom” and moving his focus on the list dictated the shot frequency.
Kyle flicked his visor back and shouted to Freeman, “Secom, what does the ‘maelstrom’ option do?”
“I knew you would be first to ask and it’s not an easy explanation, but it is a last resort shipboard munitions, once activated a charge cycles in the energy cell, multiplying in strength and when delivered it’s a ball of fire which can even take out a battle tank. You can understand that releasing a maelstrom inside a ship may have a catastrophic result.”
They spent the rest of the time practising various shot options and what became increasingly evident was that, letting the suits computer assimilate the carbine produced the same dead centre shot, time after time.
“You are doing well,” said Freeman, “but realise your targets aren’t moving and they cannot shoot back unlike our forthcoming visitors. Just one more exercise before ‘scoff’, all of you behind a shield, take position to receive fire.”
The helmet chatter across their communicators was immediate, “What the hell is going on?”, Kyle thought to himself, old Helmut Stahl was a mad so and so but at least he never shot at us.”
The conversations were shut down by an abrupt Secom, "Take position, check armour for functionality, on three be ready and keep still, one, two, three...”
Freeman had picked up one of the old combined carbines and fired off 4 shots at the first shield, which was Kyle’s, one left, one right, one over and one dead centre rattling the shield and pushing him back. Kyle was still shaking as he had never experienced the searing heat of energised plasma in close proximity nor the pressure blast from a direct hit. Just as he was counting his lucky stars, he realized the next person in line was Bambi and looked across to see her grimly bracing herself against her shield straps. She detected his glance so smiled to re-assure her and gave her a thumbs up, then turned it to a gripped fist to urge her on.
Bambi received the same treatment as Kyle and it took all her effort not to topple backwards on the last shot. Buzz and Shiner got through their tests with mixed results, Buzz who was the largest of the group had not quite hunched himself in behind his shield and his right elbow caught a jarring blast. Shiner’s problem was simply that he could not count and stood up after the third shot so that when the energy bolt hit his shield, it flew backwards and gave him a sound crack across his knees though he was able to stay on his feet.
“Well done all of you, I would guess that you have not been the subject of live fire before and I needed you to experience it before the real thing. Second point is, a couple of you suffered minor injuries, Buzz at the elbow and Shiner across the knees, if you both check I think you will find those areas on your suits are totally unblemished.”
There were nods of agreement from the two men as they rubbed their hands on the areas where there should have been some sign of damage but the suits were still perfect.
“Remember, when the action does start your armour is the best there is and it will protect you from nearly everything these pirates currently have, but it also depends on you looking after the kit and on whether you freeze, because as a sitting target you can expect the damage to be considerably magnified.
We have all earned a break, so let’s meet up in the forward Mess area in around 15 minutes and while we eat there is film show for you, OK let’s move!”
There was little time to get cleaned up, so after a short comfort break the members of Assault Team “A” as Shiner had named them, strode into the galley, their normal chairs had been placed around two of the tables forming a rectangle and at the end was a large viewing monitor, with Freeman testing the set up. As he heard them enter he turned and asked them to get their food and drink before taking a seat.
Once the group were seated Freeman rose to his feet, “Firstly, I will answer the question you want to ask, Sub Fuentes and Pixie Waheed are still engaged in other duties which are equally important to our own, but until we know whether there is any chance of success it would not be right to raise your hopes, so for now, just keep them in your thoughts.
Please start your meals and I will begin the show.”
The show consisted of a number of Berengian Military training streams which spoke about the nature of pirate attacks. Tactics are simple, they use surprise, overwhelming by numbers or go for a blind charge. The other major factor was that when cornered they become desperate for they understand that in ninety five per cent of settled space, piracy carries a mandatory death sentence. This means when trapped they fight like wild animals and if caught they will try anything to escape, hidden weapons have caused the death of many complacent "victors".
When the presentation finished Freeman embellished the points about being wary of surprises, unsuccessful pirate attacks become rapidly disorganised and prisoners are not taken easily. “That’s the end of the theory, we have time for one more combat session tomorrow starting 07:00 ship time in Hangar 2 then it is the real thing. There is no rest for you now so down to the reactor and keep on with the repairs, it is vital we keep making progress with the engineering too.”
Kyle chipped in, “I understand why we have been wearing the armour so that we get used to it ready for combat, but when the engineering need is for speed can we put the armour aside for this next work detail?”
“Yes Kyle, I do take your point, we have to get that core functioning so go to it but make sure that your kit is safely in your quarters and that it is either fully charged or will be by morning. Also remember the Hotel bet is still on.”
Kyle went back to his quarters and standing in front of the bathroom mirror studied his armoured appearance, he had to admit that he looked the part of a military titan. The armour on standby shimmered blue to green and its muscular stance indicated a power not to be messed with. The black tinted full face mask was eerie as it gave the impression of a featureless killing machine. Lastly, he noticed the gold CBF lettering on the crown of the helmet and as a package the whole image should disguise their frailty as a group.
Following Freeman's instructions, Kyle checked his
visor display and the power optimisation was at ninety per cent which should be easily topped up over the next few hours. Satisfied that his armour was being left as it should he visualised the ‘disengage suit’ icon in the display and with a sudden whoosh the helmet visor retracted, then the linking collar opened as did the covering flaps on the body suit and legs. He could now remove the helmet and begin to wriggle free from the remainder of the suit. Now down to the under layer, he quickly stripped that off and looking back in the mirror recognised himself as quite fit and could almost detect a six pack but he needed a shave.
A quick shower and shave breathed new life into him, with new ‘jockeys’ and a clean T-shirt he felt ready to get back to work. As a group they had decided it was appropriate to wear the green fatigues of the The Seven Moons of Septimus and there were many sets to choose from.
He picked up a couple of hot drinks and knocked on Bambi’s door, she opened it wearing just a towel and a smile.
“You are miles ahead of me, I had a little trouble getting out of the suit,” she tried to explain but Kyle wasn’t too worried as he was taking in the view.
“Don’t worry”, he said smiling back and slightly hypnotised by Bambi’s blue-green eyes, “here take the Kaffoo and join me when you can. Freeman has been in touch and says that there is a pool of uniscooters in Hangar 1, they are charged and ready to go which should knock a few minutes off the journey to the reactor. I’ll get down there now and make a start, join me as soon as you are ready.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in for a bit?” teased Bambi
“Nah, I cannot think why I would need to come in,” he teased back.
“See you at the job,” and with that he reluctantly headed off to Hangar 1.
The use of the scooters was a great brainwave and they should have thought of using them before. Propelled on a cushion of air and controlled by a twist grip on the handlebar it was a breeze getting back to the reactor, but when Kyle got there he found another two already parked up.
Buzz and Shiner had taken a real flier and were already working on installing the next cell.
Buzz taunted Kyle by saying that they had been there hours, which plainly was not true but there was a need to get a move on and Kyle attacked the final molten cell mounting with gusto, using powered lances, scrapers, prodders and bit by bit the debris was disappearing.
There was a shout from Shiner and Buzz as the fourth replacement energy cell engaged with its mounting but it wasn’t just that, now with just three cells missing, the cell array had enough connectivity in its giant ring to begin generating power which was indicated by a flashing LED pulsing round the circuit.
They were all proud of their skills as individuals and as a unit, so Kyle joined in with the cheers though he understood that the new power was only available for systems and support, but it was a good sign. Even better, Bambi pulled up on her scooter and grabbed a scraper, without a word she got stuck in. Now with two pairs of hands they were making progress.
Bambi thought they were making such good in roads that Kyle should make a start on rigging the new cell carriages. The first unit seemed to be a perfect match and the locating lugs at the base dropped directly into the area that had been cleaned back earlier. Power studs were then fired through blanking plate holes and the bracket was totally secured. Next came the connecting coupling, a thick braid of wires and fibre threads the thickness of a man’s arm. This had to go in a conduit under the floor, then locate on the near lug of the neighbouring cell and the next lug on the installed carriage. It was much more challenging than Kyle thought it would be, he started to stress when he found it difficult to get his arm and the cable through the conduit, up to the lugs. Finally he managed a connection, tightened the fittings and with slight trepidation, spoke into the microphone on the cell mounting. “Unit 58 report status.”
After a short pause a female metallic voice clearly answered, “Status live, unit functioning, no host cell detected.”
Fantastic thought Kyle that takes the pressure off a little, but Bambi had not quite finished clearance and there was not enough room to get in and work on the small damaged area remaining. Seeing that their colleagues were having some trouble getting the electronics co-operating on the last cell he had an idea and using the Reactor room Communicator he called the bridge.
Esther answered, sounding and looking tired but perked up when Kyle spoke, “How’s it going Sub? Long-time no see.”
“It’s going according to plan, but I would say that. We have registered that you are now producing power for us which is good, how is commissioning looking?”
“Not bad but we can improve things if Secom Freeman is available.”
After a short break, Esther came back on the screen, “He is on his way, good luck and we will get together shortly.”
Another confusing message thought Kyle, did she mean with just me or everyone or what? Anyway the good news was that Freeman was on the way. In preparation for his arrival Kyle rolled one of the two remaining unpackaged cells to the waiting cradle that he had just installed.
Freeman arrived and approached Kyle, “You need some help?”
“You better believe it, while the other guys are finishing their tasks we can load another cell to save time if you are up for it, I just need you to grab the other end,” it not only looked like a beer barrel, it felt like a full one. There was no need of an answer as Freeman lifted his end of the cell and together they managed to heave it over its locating points and after a few struggles it dropped in perfectly. Bambi had now finished removing debris and Kyle ran to her with the last cell carriage, “Well done Bambs, take a breather you deserve it, then maybe you and the Secom can have a look at the electronic set up on Unit 58?”
Bambi was clearly shattered but got straight into the electronic set up of Kyle’s installation with Freeman reading out the settings from the Ops manual.
Having completed one installation and left the appropriate tools to hand, it took very little time to secure the mounting. Kyle had already attached the cabling to the first lug when he heard whoops of delight from Buzz and Shiner, who had completed their job, evidenced by the speeding LED tracing a circle around the array.
Freeman broke the moment, “Well done guys and I owe you each a 5 star room but no time to celebrate now, get ready to take over from Getaway when he has finished the cabling.”
Despite being disappointed about losing the bet, Kyle understood that there was a greater goal, he finished the cabling, completed the unit status satisfactorily and handed over to Buzz and Shiner, who by now were getting to be experts at commissioning these units.
“Bad luck Getaway,” said Buzz as he passed them. Kyle gave them both a very hefty pat on the back and smiled, “You two are lucky vacuum rats and I hope you get a great night together.” It was only joking between mates and were happier to be close to getting the engines going again than winning Freeman’s prize.
It wasn’t long before Bambi’s unit fired up and seconds later the last one joined in.
All five stood and clapped and shouted as the LED shot around the array so quickly that it just seemed a constant amber stream of light.
“Well done to everybody, a fantastic result you have come in hours ahead of schedule,” said Freeman. “I need to confirm that Sub Fuentes is aware of this success and receive our next instructions”. He went over to the communicator but was back very quickly.
“Listen up, the Sub is absolutely delighted with what you guys have done and feels that it is appropriately marked on the bridge in the next 10 minutes, so on your scooters back to Hangar 1 then see you on the bridge.”
Freeman shot off straight away on his machine but it took the others a little while to calm down, they walked to the scooters with arms around each other just taking in the moment.
As they got to the scooters Shiner called out, “last one through the hangar doors gets the Kaffoo!” Turning his scooter he raced out of the reactor area with Buzz in hot
pursuit. That left Kyle and Bambi together, she came over and kissed him full on the lips before saying, “Thank you.”
“Thank me for what?”
“If I hadn’t been such a dork in getting the armour off, we would have won that bet.”
“Don’t worry about it, we may have lost anyway and it was much more important to get the fuel cell array working.”
She gave him another kiss and said, “I will find a way to make it up to you honest, but not at the moment as there is a round of Kaffoo at stake,” with that she jumped on her scooter and shot out of the hangar laughing as she went.
Kyle deliberately walked on to the bridge late with his tray of hot drinks and received a mocking slow hand clap from the others, who were sat around their usual briefing table.
Esther stood and began by thanking the reactor team for their work in enabling the engines. She continued, “According to the ships manuals it will take 12 hours for the cells to build up enough energy to fire the reactor process, so there is nothing more we can do on that front.
I believe that the weapons training is going well and we are hoping for one more quick session tomorrow.
The third project which has been left to Pixie and I, is flying this ship, although we have not had control of the engines yet we have had nearly two days solid on the simulator. I am not going to say that we expect to be accomplished flyers but I can tell you we will give this a good go.”
Shiner interrupted, “I think the rest of us totally forgot we would need a pilot.”
“If we don’t win the fire fight tomorrow we may have no need of a pilot.”
“What about navigation?”
“Secom Freeman has training as an Astro Navigator and although he admits he may be a bit rusty he is probably our best option, before we have to rely on Getaway and his sense of direction.
Tonight we may be together for the last time, you will see on the table food and a bottle of Berengian Beer each, except for Pixie who has affoala juice, so please grab a drink and raise a toast, to The Seven Moons.”
Seeker of Moons (Cassidy's Command Book 1) Page 5