by Saxon Andrew
“That will quickly deplete the power of the reactors feeding them, Admiral.”
“Yes, they’ll only be able to fire continuously for eighteen hours. This simulation will be long over before that time elapses. Set up the ship’s blasters to fire continuously during the simulation.”
“Yes Sir.”
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and the orange battle station lights started flashing. Maranda shouted, “GO TO YOUR STATIONS AND GET READY TO START!!”
The computer voice announced, “In this simulation, Melbourne failed to stop the Fagan from invading its spiral arm. The fighting has been ferocious, but Melbourne’s forces have been driven back to the planet. Your ship has been assigned to defend an overlapping vector over the North Pole. Your task is to prevent any Fagan warships from making it through your sector to attack the planet. The simulation will be in progress in three…two…one…now!”
• • •
Maranda jumped up, put on her combat helmet, and stared at the tactical monitor. She saw thousands of red blips being attacked by a much smaller number of white blips. Maranda kept her eyes on the monitor and said loud enough to be heard, “Captain Tarangelo, setting up the ship with half of it ships already out is probably what prevented this simulation from being over before it began. Computer, how many Fagan warships are in the formations the rabbits are attacking?”
“Two-hundred thousand, Admiral. Most of the ships are outside the scanning range of your ship.”
“Add in the scans from the Rabbits.” Maranda stared at the tactical and suddenly the large formation of red blips blew out into a giant formation extending far beyond what was originally detected.
“Weapons start launching mini-missiles if any Fagan ships break through the Rabbits. Tarangelo, launch all remaining wings and send eighty-percent out to support the one’s holding back the Fagan. Pilot move the ship out using the side thrusters, so the front edge of that formation is in range of our blasters. Masud, use the bow and rear missile tubes to target any Fagan ships that try to make it around us with a medium missile.”
• • •
The front of the massive Fagan formation was a solid wall of explosions and the Rabbits were doing a remarkable job holding it back. Maranda said over her combat helmet, “On my command, I want every blaster on the ship to open fire on the front of that formation immediately after a mini-missile salvo is fired and hits. Launch the missiles in ten seconds!” Maranda changed frequency and ordered, “All rabbits will disengage the enemy in ten seconds and move away from the forward edge of their advance. You may reengage after our missile and blaster barrages are completed!”
Maranda watched the tactical monitor and then turned to the visual monitor. The missile salvo was launched as the forward edge of the Fagan formation leapt forward and was hit by a massive cloud of undetectable missiles. The entire front of the Fagan formation went up in huge waves of explosions and then the four-hundred blasters from the carrier blew into the ships moving up from behind.
The battle seemed to last for hours but was only fifteen minutes. Richard said over the combat frequency, “Admiral, I’m losing ships. The Fagan are surrounding them and crashing into them.”
“KEEP THEM OUT OF THE FAGAN FORMATION AND ATTACK FROM THE EDGES!”
“I am, Admiral! They’re moving out of their formation to surround them.”
Maranda saw the Fagan’s giant formation was pushing forward by sheer weight of numbers. She took a breath and ordered, “Launch the Head-knockers in twenty seconds! How long will it take for them to penetrate to the middle of the Fagan formation, Derek?”
“Twenty seconds after launch, Admiral,” Masud answered.
“Richard, get your ships out of there fifteen seconds after launch!”
Richard went to his combat frequency and started issuing orders. Everyone on the bridge felt the room shake as the huge Head-knockers left the ship. Richard waited and yelled seven seconds before they penetrated the giant Fagan formation, “BREAK OFF CONTACT AND GET OUT OF THERE NOW!!”
Maranda pulled her face plate down on her helmet along with every other officer on the bridge. She watched the tactical and saw the ten blue blips spread out and move into the giant enemy formation. Then…every monitor turned white from the ten fusion explosions in the middle of the Fagan formation. The explosions blew out at an unbelievable speed and though they were separated by fifty miles, the fireballs came together and formed one giant, massive, fireball as a powerful shockwave blew out of the Fagan warships. “Get us out of here Tyers!!” Maranda shouted as she jumped on her chair and buckled in.
Syl shoved the thruster handles fully forward and the carrier accelerated away from the giant shock wave. Andrew gripped the arms of his chair and asked, “Will the planet be damaged by that shock wave, Admiral?!”
“Anyone living on the North Polar ice will get a moderate radiation dose but not life threatening. The planet’s magnetic field will send most of the radiation to the poles and the upper atmosphere will stop it from moving into the lower atmosphere.” Maranda turned to Syl, “Move the ship back over Melbourne. Richard, send our rabbits in after any survivors.”
“Ahead of you, Admiral. I ordered them in as soon as the shock wave cleared.”
“Any damage to your ships?”
“Minimal, Admiral. The hulls absorbed the shock wave and the inner fluid absorbed the radiation.”
Suddenly, every monitor shutdown and the computer announced, “Simulation completed successfully. You have completed the simulations, and this concludes this portion of your training.”
Maranda was sweating profusely, and her heart was pounding in her chest. She was so involved in the simulation, she forgot it was a simulation. The crew cheered, and Maranda saw that this exercise had forged them into a team. She stood up and said over the combat frequency, “You have done yourselves proud. All of you who have completed your study units are now free to take liberty. Our carrier will be ready the day after tomorrow and I expect all of you at your stations ready for launch at eight hundred hours. Congratulations on your excellent work.”
Andrew stared at Maranda and thought that this was probably the most emotional he had ever seen her. She kept a very unemotional demeanor and seemed to be cool calm and collected no matter what was going on around her. He found it odd that someone at her young age was able to pull that off. Maranda walked out of the room and Andrew watched her until she disappeared. She was nice to look at…but so was a blaster. She kept her distance from her subordinates; he could learn something from her about that. She would later tell him that one of them had to be approachable by the crew. He got that role because he earned it. The crew gathered around him and celebrated. Now the real mission was going to start, and Andrew hoped it went smoothly. But the universe had such a way of throwing up surprises you’d never anticipate. He stood up and left to go home. He hadn’t seen his parents in more than a month.
• • •
Grady and Taffy were packing to move to the Rex Rabbit. They didn’t over pack, the original ship was one third the size of their new Super Rabbit. Taffy heard a ping and went to the communicator on the desk. She looked at Grady, “It’s the Prime Minister.”
“Put him on the display.”
The Prime Minister appeared on the wall monitor and Grady smiled, “It’s good to see you, Sir. How are things going?”
The Prime Minister’s expression was difficult to read. He stared at them with a neutral expression and said, “You know that when you suggested Captain Meadows to command the third carrier that I had some real reservations about doing it; I didn’t believe she was suited to do it.”
“Then why did you do it?” Taffy asked.
The Prime Minister shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess I had more trust in you than I did my own judgment.” The Prime Minister leaned forward, and they saw him press a button on his console. “I’m sending you a synopsis of her training records. I think you should look at them,” the Prime Minister said in
a curt tone before ending the call.
Grady looked at his panel and saw the recording arrive. “Oh my god, what has Maranda done?” Taffy asked in a high voice.
Grady looked at the file, “This file is two hours long. Do you want to watch it later?”
“NO! I’ve got to see how we made this horrible mistake.”
Grady loaded the file and said, “Pull up a chair.” Taffy pulled a chair up and Grady started the file playing. They saw a Senior Captain challenging Maranda to allow him to command the ship during combat. Taffy closed her eyes and shook her head. She waited for Maranda to explode but only heard silence. They watched her keep her face neutral and order the captain to command the first simulation the next day. The view immediately changed, and they saw the Captain fail miserably. The way Maranda handled his failure shocked them both. The entire two hours showed all the simulations Maranda’s crew went through. They didn’t last long because they completed them quickly. At the end of the combat simulation, Taffy was shaking her head as tears rolled down her face. A computer voice announced, “Mr. Prime Minister, Admiral Meadow’s ship has outscored the other two carriers and leads the training competition by four hundred points.”
Grady turned to Taffy and smiled, “That’s our girl.”
“She found herself, Grady,” Taffy said in a shaky voice. Suddenly, the communicator sounded, and Taffy said, “It’s the Prime Minister.”
Grady put him on the monitor and the Prime Minister asked, “Have you completed the recording?”
Grady nodded, “We have. But how did you know we’d watch it now?”
The Prime Minister raised his shoulders and smiled, “Just a lucky guess.” Taffy wiped her eyes and laughed. “Your choice has convinced me that I can trust your judgment, Colonel. The other two carriers are coming on line in two months and I need to have their commanders chosen.”
Taffy quickly spoke up, “You’ve watched the recording, haven’t you?” The Prime Minister nodded. “From what I saw in the recording, that Captain Connor is absolutely the best choice for one of them!” Taffy suggested.
The Prime Minister’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he chuckled, “You’re right. He’ll be given one of them and I’ll check with Rory and Abby on who they’d recommend for the other. She was a great choice, Grady.”
The call ended, and Taffy squealed, “Let’s call her!” Grady laughed and entered Maranda’s communicator number.
• • •
Maranda was packing to go to the Meadow’s mansion prior to leaving for her carrier the next day. The desk communicator started pinging and she dropped the duffle bag, went to the communicator, and pressed the receive button. She saw Grady and Taffy and she and Taffy squealed simultaneously. “I’ve missed you so much!” Maranda squealed.
Taffy laughed and said loudly, “YOU ARE THE CHAMPION, YOU ARE THE CHAMPION, YOU ARE THE CHAMPION…”
Maranda smiled broadly, and Grady interrupted Taffy, “We’re so proud of you, Maranda.”
“I have a great crew, Grady.”
“We’ve seen that, Maranda. But you’re the one that brought them together and made them into a great team.”
“Thank you, Grady; that means a lot.”
“You’ll be proud to know that Captain Connor has been selected by the Prime Minister to take command of one of the two carriers coming on line.” Maranda’s smile instantly disappeared, and Taffy’s went away a moment later. Grady added, “He’ll probably take command after you return from the mission to America.”
“Does he know, Grady?”
“No, it’s not official yet.”
“May I be the one to tell him?” Maranda requested.
Grady shrugged, “Just keep it between you until the official announcement is made.”
Maranda forced a smile, “Thank you, Grady. When do we ship out for America?”
“Four days from now, Maranda. The commercial freighters left three days ago being escorted by Abby’s carrier. The military freighters and ships will catch them before they arrive at the Sagittarius Arm.”
“I look forward to finally getting on my ship.”
“We’ll contact you on the way to Fagan space. We’re really proud of you, Maranda.”
“Thank you so much.”
The monitor went dark and Maranda went back to packing her duffle bag. She lifted a uniform and then sat down on the bed. Andrew was leaving. She shook her head and knew that was how the Navy worked. Sailors were promoted, and they left for other ships. But she depended on Andrew so much! She lowered her head and sighed. She’d just have to train a new second. But she didn’t think anyone could replace Andrew. She sat on the bed for a long time before she started packing again.
• • •
Grady was smiling until he saw Taffy’s expression, “What’s wrong, Taffy.”
“I made a mistake, Grady.” Grady’s eyes narrowed. “I recommended Captain Connor to command one of the carriers without discussing it with Maranda.”
“Why would that matter?”
“Grady, she feels something for him.”
“What?”
“I saw it in her eyes when you told her about his promotion. This is going to cause her some issues.”
Grady stared at Taffy and asked, “Are you sure?”
“I am, even if Maranda isn’t. His leaving her shocked her into realizing how much she needed him. I hope this doesn’t harm her progress.”
“She would eventually lose him anyway, Taffy.”
“But it’s too soon, Grady. She’s just getting started and needs some time to mature into the job. He helps her stay steady and focused. I should have kept my big mouth shut.”
“You’d hold back his career, Taffy?”
“Absolutely. Maranda is my concern and she comes ahead of anyone else.”
“Maybe I can talk the Prime Minister out of promoting him.”
“Grady, that ship has sailed. We need to be there for her after he leaves.”
Grady shook his head, “Maranda is going to have to weather this storm on her own!”
Taffy said, “But…”
Grady put his hand over her mouth, “Taffy, we have far more on our plate to handle during the America Mission. Desmond is going to require most of our attention prior to launch and afterwards!” Grady removed his hand and stood up, “Let’s get finished packing.” Taffy sighed and joined him.
• • •
Maranda had a personal shuttle land outside the Meadow’s Mansion to take her to the carrier. Well, it was the admiral’s personal shuttle and she was the admiral. The entire staff of the mansion was out front to wish her goodbye and she saw their smiles. She never saw any smiles when her parents were still alive. Ben handed her duffle bag to one of the crew of the shuttle and then hugged Maranda, “Be careful, Miss Maranda.”
Maranda returned his hug, “I’ll do what I can, Ben.” Maranda boarded the shuttle and it lifted silently on its gravity drive. She sat back in her chair and looked out of the viewport at the mansion as it grew smaller below. Ben had told her Meadow’s stock had come roaring back and the price was still increasing. There was so little stock available to be purchase that the value of her personal stock was worth more than two hundred million crowns. She was tempted to sell some of it, but Ben told her that she’d be making the same mistake her father made when he sold a lot of his stock. She agreed and decided to follow Ben’s advice. She turned to the monitor on the wall in front of her and saw an image of the carrier growing; it was the most beautiful ship she had ever seen, and it was her ship. She sat back and began to worry about the coming mission. So many things could go wrong…but…she smiled, her crew could handle anything that came up.
• • •
As the shuttle moved in closer to the giant vessel, Maranda saw a huge formation of Super Rabbits moving into the ship’s giant landing bay. The pilot announced, “Sir, we’ve been cleared for landing in the forward landing bay A.”
Maranda looked at the giant ship and sa
w a small landing bay door located near the bow of the carrier start opening. That bay was for small shuttles and other ships bringing visitors to the carrier to utilize. The landing operations in the main launch bays made it dangerous to land while the rabbits were being brought on board. The shuttle entered the landing bay and the bay door closed. The bay pressurized in less than a minute, and Maranda exited the shuttle to find her communications officer, Lt. Ashley Petra standing at attention outside the shuttle’s port, “Welcome aboard, Admiral. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to the bridge.”
Maranda smiled, “Lead the way, Lieutenant.” Ashley led Maranda to a high-speed cart and closed the door. The cart smoothly accelerated as it entered a tube. Maranda saw lights flashing by the cart at high speed and three minutes later, the cart left the tube and came to a stop. Maranda’s brow was furrowed, and Ashley smiled, “I had the same feeling, Admiral. The landing bay looked close to the bow on approach, but it’s actually six miles from the bridge.”
Maranda raised her shoulders, “The ship is rather large boned, Petra.”
Ashley laughed, “Indeed she is, Sir.” Ashley led her to the bridge portal a hundred feet away and opened the portal for her. Maranda stepped in and saw an exact duplicate of the training room she had been in for the last six weeks. She heard Captain Connor shout, “Attention, Admiral on deck?”
The bridge crew came to attention and Maranda said, “At ease, as you were.” The crew sat down at their consoles and Ashley walked to her console as Maranda went to the Admiral’s chair at the front of the bridge. Maranda sat down and felt her emotions almost get the better of her. She never in her wildest dreams thought she would be commanding a ship like this so early in her career. She knew that going on the mission with the Henricks is what made this happen. She activated her panel and began looking at her ready reports. “Captain Tarangelo, status of the landing operations?”
“Sir, they started three hours ago. Getting the rabbits initially on board and in their cradles will take the longest time to complete. Once they’re on board, they can be launched and retrieved at their military times. They should be in place in another two hours.”