Trampship Wars 2

by L. D. Roberts

  “Oh a Throttles off and on plot and to the foot Captain ah space clear and finished with the main engines. Maneuvering thrusters up and on standby.”

  “Very good Mr. Collins. With a little more work we may just make a tolerable English Defense Command officer of you yet. We have about 15 minutes before we reach the Tran s port decommissioning station for a little practice at on docking on one of the hulks they have so graciously provided us with on such short notice. Use that time to familiarize yourself with Navel Hard Docking Procedures.”

  Mark had the impression that the providing was not all that gracious from her sarcastic tone .

  “You can access the basic docking procedures from the menu on your screen Commander .”

  Fifteen minutes later Mark felt ready to attempt not only his first live docking of a boat larger than one of the ships life boats he had done as a Cadet, but his first docking time of a boat’s belly hatch to a ship's cargo hold hatch , ever. A docking he had never even heard of or read about before, let alone tried in a simul ator .

  “This is the Captain speaking. All hands. Make ready to dock at the lower cargo deck hatch.” Switching the PA off, she turned to Mark. “Mr. Collins; you can take a minute to run over the special procedures in the manual you have been looking at for docking with the boats stern deck hatch. The one I showed you upon entering the boat, to the indicated hold hatch on the ship we are approaching.” Turning the PA back on she continued as the Captain/ Navigator next to Mark turned to look at Captain Summers disapprovingly. (Docking with the stern hatch was left to only skilled pilots after much docking experience. New pilots were normally restricted to practice with the boat’s central hatch to a ship ’s hold hatch with both holds in vacuum to start with for training and then adding complexity such as air pressure in the holds and then to the forward hatch to hone their skills. The stern hatch to a hold with an open hatch and air curtain was reserved for only advanced pilots.

  The Comm officer came to life after checking to make sure she heard the Captain right. “Damage control crew stand bye. Seal all compartments. Set condition 2. Set condition 2.” Captain Summers , switched off the PA system ignoring both the Admiral’s and the Captain/Navigator’s disapproving stare , turned to the tight lipped Comm officer staring at her . “Com, please inform C station approach control that we are ready to commence docking operations with our stern hatch.” The Comm officer looked at Mark pityingly then turned to her console.

  “Eye Captain.” A few seconds later the Comm officer turned back around. “Approach control says to remind you that the target hold is pressurized with an air curtain and that they have no holds in vacuum at this time and asks for a 10 minute delay as personnel are cleared off the hulk since you are not going to us the center hatch for busting your Probe’s cherry or give them time to dump the holds air . They also request that protocols be followed next time with a 24 hour notice for a docking target if you insists on docking using our with the stern hatch. They don’t appreciate having to abandon the hulk just so you can have some fun with a new officer . They are now calling out the emergency rescue vehicles and tugs Captain. They are 20 minutes away. ”

  “Thank Approach Control for me Commander and tell them that they need the practice as well. Then make the proper notifications to any surrounding ships and craft that I am declaring a hundred mile safety zone around the transport shuttle if you please. You may commence docking operations Mr. Collins in 1 5 0 minutes at your leisure.”

  Mark swallowed after listening to the exchange and took his leisure as he rushed through the manual on the screen in front of him again suddenly worried about what the Captain was getting him into. The manual seemed to be leaving a lot out during the last few seconds of the docking maneuver which did not differ much from the center hatch docking procedure . Which did not seem to make sense . E xcept a statement that it was dangerous and only to be attempted by experienced pilots.

  With the crew's eyes going out of their way to not watch or hurry him, the leisure time seamed all too short.

  But finely and only five minutes late, Mark took the boat in to approach the ships lock and with everything looking perfect according to the book , with the landing/mooring legs of the boat only feet away from their respective Anchor Bumpers and in position for performing a perfect docking by Tramp standards. Mark w as just reach ed ing for and flicked the Gravity Coil switch to suck the boat’s landing Mooring legs down into the Anchor Bumpers, ready to announce that he was ready for mooring lines.

  The stern hitting the aircurtain slowed down as the bow of the boat touched the ship a s the bow landing legs Mooring Arms slipped into their Anchor Bumpers before the stern’s landing legs . As t he stern was repelled by the aircurtian the bow of the boat hit the transport ship’s hull , sending a deafening clang throughout the boat and jarring Mark in his seat. The rear mooring legs not having enough velocity to slip into the bumpers . W hile the forward legs easily s l ipped into the bumpers but W w ithout the proper signal from the stern Anchor Bumpers that the stern mooring legs never got close to , the forward Anchor Bumpers refused to lock onto anything as the front of the boat rebounded after hitting the hull. Sending the bow of the transport tumbling away from the ship’s hull .

  The transport shuttle causing the ba ck of the boat to rotated around its center of mass forcing the stern to in and hit hard sending another clang coming from the stern of the boat with the stern anchors not latching onto the mooring arms with no signal from the front saying they had legs to latch to. Causing the stern to rebound from the ship. Mark hit the bow thrusters to stop the bow from hitting the ship again but left them on just a fraction t o o long . The t r ansport shuttle rotated around its center of mass again, sending the stern back to clang against the ship again . This time missing the mooring anchors completely. Hitting the stern thrusters after the stern hit was not the thing to do as the aircurtain added its force pushing the stern away . But not knowing that , Mark did and It sent the nose of the boat speeding towered the ship again. Mark hit the bow nose thrusters again hard as the bow raced toward the ship and then all the thrusters as the stern raced back toward the ship yet again. T sending t he boat careen ed ing drunkenly away from the ship as Mark fought to keep the big boat from crashing into the ship in s tead of just tapping it .

  As the boat sailed away from the ship at a good clip but finely out of any danger, Captain Summers sighed. “Mr. Collins that was very interesting and even entertaining but I think the object of the exercise was to dock the boat and not use the ship it as a punching bag or ringing the ship’s bell. I think they know we are here. Let's try it again if you please.”

  Mark spotted the emergency boats approaching with their lights flashing while the large boat that had taken off from the hulk only a half mile away a few feet just before his first attempt, decided to put even more distance between them and the target hulk. The next try Mark, with Mickey’s help telling him what an aircurtain was, realized that the aircurtains with the pressur ized holds required additional force for the l ocks to penetrate the aircurtains. But over controlling Mark hit the lock with the stern with the bow still feet above the ship. The corner of the stern h it the ship with an even bigger bang as the boat started to recoil and role at the same time creating an impossible situation that sen t the opposite corner of the bow careening at an incredible speed to hit the ship’s hull deafening everyone on the bridge .

  With the bow rebounding the stern hit again with the ships aircurtian co vering one side of the stern assisting the rebound to put the boat into a spin around its longitudinal access.

  As the boat rolled with the corner of the bow headed for the ship’s hull even faster , Mark managed to hit just the right thrust to bring the bow to a stop of the boat but managed to catch it without the bow hitting and then stabilize the stern . As several officers let out their breaths Mark took the boat away from the ship again for another try. Trying to fi gure out where he had gone wrong.

  On the next try,
Mark tried a different tactic and f F inely g ot ot the transport shuttle it to sit even with the ship and only a foot off with thrusters as he turned on the docking coils adding more power to the stern to suck the boat down through the aircurtain on holding it steady , but the boat ’s stern legs refused to enter was far from strait over the lock with the M oori ng Arms near the a A nchor bumpers as the bow hit yet again and again and again with the coils attracting the boat while the stern air curtains repelled it . “ Ready for mo What the hell ....” As the bow started hittin g the hull faster and faster as Mark turned up the power to the coils trying to suck the stern into the bumpers.

  “Ok Mr. Collins take her back out and try it again. And see if you can at least get line our stern landing legs the Arms down into up with the b B umper lock receptacles this time s and actually dock with the ship this time instead of trying to tease it. I always thought you Tramps were a little gay. Try being a little manlier with it. Or don’t you fuck."

  Stubbornly Mark tried to push straighten the stern down it over the hatch with the thrusters but the bow wound up hitting the ship even faster and harder starting to sound like an ol d fashioned Machine gun echoing through the boat as his ears rang. again sending a clang through the boat. Getting pissed at himself for being stupid , Mark he hit the thrusters hard sending the boat away at much too fast a clip embarrassing himself again.

  Frustrated, he tried again being extra carful approaching to keep both ends even and after hitting the ship again with the stern slowing at the last few feet again even with Mark trying to use the stern thrusters to push through the now expected air curtain slowing the stern . But the stern still lagg ed ing behind long enough for the bow front to hit the ship with the landing legs to bounc ing e out of the bumpers while the stern again before the back hit barrely barely touch ed ing the clamps as th e bow drifted away . Again the shuttle rotated around it center of mass with Mark still on the stern thrusters forcing before the stern to hit as well a fraction of a second later and bou n ce d off the hulk with the help of the air curtain . . With the shuttle still only a foot from the ship , the bow hit again as Mark killed the stern thrusters pushing the stern down against the aircurtains when the stern hit . Allowing the air curtain s to push the stern away and the bow back into the ship . Frustrated Mark wanted to scream as he hit the thrusters taking them away yet again from the hulk.

  Captain Summers waited for the clangs to stop ringing through the boat as Mark again sailed away from the ship and shook her head. “Commander. Collins. Maybe if Ensign Broderick showed you how it is done? I think I saw him around here someplace. Maybe it would make it easier for you on your own. Since I take it you have never even seen it done before. Have you not at least docked your ship the Star Queen to another ship in your simulator?”

  “Yes Mam, I have docked the Star Queen many times in the simulator. It is required in ships handling 101. But this seems to be a bit different with the aircurtain . I guise I really don’t understand what your incredibly detailed instructions is telling me to do you are wanting done .” Mark said sarcastically as he got out of the Pilots seat fuming as the ensign that was sitting in the jump seat next to the entry hatch just for that reason , took his place. With a Bridge full of brass, Jack realized why the lowly Ensign was along in a jump seat. To embarrass the shit out of him. Seething, Mark took the jump seat by the hatch.

  “Take the Navigation seat Mr. Collins. Make it easier for you to observe. I think we know where we are going already.”

  With a continuing commentary of what he was doing, the Ensign took the boat in a little faster than Mark had but otherwise doing everything Mark did and as the instructions Mark had read said. That is until the very last seconds. With the boat closing on the ship fast enough to make Mark nervous and positioned roughly over the hatch and the landing legs only close to intercepting the on target ed bumper receptacle locks , the ensign shut his main thrusters down to idle and activated the landing gear’s grav coils to suck the transport down while reversing all the rest . Mark did not even know that was possible. U u sing the majority of the transport’s belly coils m to reduce the closing velocity ( velocity ( but still approaching at a good clip) while using keeping the landing gear coils to suck the gear into the bumpers .

  T he boat turned and lined the landing gear up perfectly boat parallel to the shi p . Without having to Then use d squirts of the side thrusters to keep the landing gear Mooring Arms lined up with the Anchor Bumpers. Then as the boat s was ready to hit the ship, hulk the Ensign watching the distance readings on each landing docking leg, backed off gave a good shot of the power to most of the stern gravity coils to keep each legs distance within a foot of each other, letting the landing gear coils and the transports mass of their approach velocity suck ing the stern down as the stern approached the lock. The Mooring Arms on all four corners slipped hard up and to , then into the ships Anchor Bumper receptacles s at the same time without slowing. The Ensign tapped up the power of the gravity coils at the stern completely off at the last instant as the gear hit the bumpers again to allow the help pull in the stern mass to overcom e ing the friction of the air seal collar the bow did not have. The boat ’s landing legs all hit their locks within a fraction of a second due to the velocity the shuttle had on its approach and hit with what sounded like only a single thudding clang that rang through the whole boat , to say the shuttle boat was firmly docked onto the side of the ship.

  “All Anchor’s Green.” The Ensign said. Then he reversed the polarity of the stern landing gear coils to match the rest and turned up the power of all the boat’s be lly the coils trying to push the boat away for a few seconds to test that they were locked to the ships side with all anchors registering locked with the same negative pressure on each .

  After the transport refused to budge , the Ensign shut down the belly coils and announced. “Anchor’s tested and locked . Docking complete . S hut ting down maneuvering coils and thrusters. Request permission to secure propulsion systems. ”

  “ No wonder ! ” Mark exclaimed half in shock. “S ; s o that was how it is done. " You actually crash into the damn ship!" Mark said to himself . N n ot believing his eyes and wondering why the procedure list did not have using the landing ge ar coils to line themselves up with the bumpers or coming in fast and throttling the stern coils down to get through the damn Aircurtains seal . Then Mark realized that the hatch was already open and swung back around down the side of the ship so they didn’t have to open it into the damn transport leaving more room inside the transport, when it shouldn’t have been according to the instructions that did not need to deal with an air seal . Now that he thought about it, it made sense even if it did sound impossible. But the Ensign made it look easy.

  Shaking his head. The whole procedure was s S omething you would never do with a tramp ship. It was just to damn dangurouse dangerous even leaving the hatch open but then tramps did not have aircurtains . But then he had no experience with the military’s way of docking. He wondered if they hard docked their ships too. But then Mark realized docking the transport boat was just like landing a fighter on a carrier but to a lock instead of a landing trap on the deck or the ground .

  Mark He had no problems docking after that even though the first couple where a little rough. By the 6th docking, he felt like an old pro after docking to the boat’s center hatch the last time that was incredible easy after doing the stern hatch. Then Captain Summers burst his bubble.

  “That is not bad for a beginner Mr. Collins. You don’t have to use the Coils to suck the boat down through the air seal when docking with the center hatch. The balanced mass of the boat penetrates just fine on its own. Not to mention you r approach velocities are too damn slow are taking way too much time and if this was a combat ship having to maneuver over an enemy planet instead of a derelict, you would be up shit creek. But it will have to do.” Hitting the com button. “Attention. Stand down from docking stations and set condition 4. Prepare for de-orbit maneuvers. Comm, you c
an thank the station for their assistance.”

  The re-entry was nothing like the fighter’s but still this time he was worried about any strange traffic in the area when they came out of the ionized gasses enveloping the boat. Seeing several large trucks passing across their flight path even though they were only a couple thousand feet above the ground, 1 2 00 miles away and 2 5 0 miles below them, he turned the boat to avoid them by a good margin and informed the Captain.

  “Very good Mr. Collins. Recompute the coarse please Mr. Gardner.” The navigator had the new course plot on Marks screen before the Captain finished the request. “Mr. Collins if this was a combat operation or fleet squadron de orbit you would need to inform your Captain of the traffic and wait for orders before changing course. Is that understood?”

  “Yes sir Captain. My apology. I can see how a change of course could ruin the day for the other ships, mam.”

  “That is perfectly ok Mr. Collins, though following pilots should always be on the lookout for just such maneuvers just in case the pilot does not have time to go through channels. You are not expected to know such things and in this respect flying solo , you showed good judgment avoiding the traffic and proper procedure reporting the change. I won’t bother asking why you flew straight into the boat squadron’s kill zone a few days ago when proper procedures would have kept you miles away from them. Now see if you can land this boat with a little better finis than you showed during docking. I do like my coffee in my cup Lieutenant Commander.”

  Mark sat back fuming as the transport boat crossed thousands of miles of planet. Too busy to talk but finally as they approached the base well below the speed of sound Mark glanced back over his shoulder at Captain Summers taking a drink from a hot steaming cup. "Well since you didn't say ask Captain." Mark ’s blood started boiling. "You are supposed to be a civilized planet with protected transport lanes’ that does not let pirates run around free to shoot up innocent ships reinterring from your main Civilian Stations to the most populated and protected City on your planet!" Mark spat back at her. Trying to take his embarrassment out on the Captain.