Tellson sat in the Command Center thinking about what he had planned for the crew. He knew at the end of those two months that he would not be very popular. But the New Horizon was preparing to go out into the unknown on the first interstellar voyage. He expected the crew to be able to handle any emergency situation that might come up. If that meant waking them up in the middle of their sleep rotation, then that’s what it meant. Emergencies or dangerous situations didn’t wait conveniently to happen. They occurred when you least expected it.
-
Jeremy, Kelsey, and Angela stared out the viewports of their shuttle at the rapidly approaching spacedock. It seemed to be huge. Its entire structure was well lighted, and several small shuttles could be seen moving around it.
“I’ve never been to the spacedock before,” spoke Angela quietly, her eyes glued to the viewport. “It's gigantic!”
Jeremy chuckled and looked over at Angela. “It’s pretty big, but in a few years it will be even bigger. I have heard it’s going to be expanded.”
“If we expand and colonize other star systems we’re going to need more ships,” added Kelsey, thoughtfully. The spacedock was a miracle of modern engineering. She was surprised that Earth had been able to build it so quickly.
“I can see the New Horizon from here!” Angela called out excitedly.
Jeremy looked back out the viewport and sure enough, the New Horizon was visible. It was moored to one of the large docking ports on the side of the spacedock.
“Our new home,” spoke Jeremy, starting to feel excited himself. This was what all the hard work at the academy had been for.
“I wonder what it will be like?” asked Angela, looking over at Jeremy. She supposed that Jeremy’s father would have said a few things to him about the New Horizon and their schedule.
“Be prepared for a lot of drills,” Jeremy warned in a more serious tone. “Sometime in the next four months we will be leaving for Tau Ceti, but not until Commander Tellson feels the crew and ship are ready.”
“Drills,” Angela spoke, her eyes narrowing at the thought. “I wonder what type of drills?”
“Everything you can imagine,” replied Kelsey, glancing over at Angela. “Power failure, decompression, fire, emergency repairs to key systems, dealing with serious injuries and casualties, and everything else that Commander Tellson can think of. Remember, once we activate the FTL drive and leave the solar system, we will be on our own. If something goes wrong, no one will be coming to rescue us.”
“I guess we still have a lot to learn,” admitted Angela, realizing that Jeremy and Kelsey were right. It wasn’t going to be like a vid show. This was real life.
Looking back out the viewport, she saw that the shuttle was about to enter the large brightly lit flight bay inside the spacedock. Angela knew that shortly a new stage of her life would begin. She could hardly wait.
“We won’t have to worry about what we eat,” Kelsey added with a knowing laugh. “With all the running we will be doing in the emergency drills, we won’t have to worry about gaining weight.”
“Running,” Angela groaned. She didn’t mind a good work out, but she absolutely hated running.
The other two laughed. They were all glad that they would be together on the New Horizon. It would make the transition of moving from the academy to the ship so much easier knowing they had each other to count on.
It amazed Jeremy how girls always seemed to be so concerned about their figures. Both Angela and Kelsey had nice figures and didn’t really need to worry. It still seemed to Jeremy that they were always watching what they ate and routinely working out. It had to be a girl thing, Jeremy had long ago decided.
A few minutes later, the three walked down the shuttle ramp to stand in the flight bay. They instantly noticed that the gravity field in the bay was less than what was maintained at the academy.
“Three quarters Earth normal,” explained Jeremy, seeing the surprised look on Angela’s face. “They keep it that way to make construction easier.”
“I suppose,” Angela commented with a frown. While she was used to moving around in the Moon’s light gravity due to some of the drills she had participated in, she still preferred a full one gravity.
“Cadets, attention!” barked a voice in front of them.
Instantly all three snapped to attention with their eyes straight ahead. The other two cadets that were with them in the shuttle did the same thing.
Jeremy instantly saw a lieutenant in the dark blue uniform of the fleet standing in front of them. Jeremy hadn’t noticed him when they had come down the ramp. I need to be more observant, he reminded himself. They weren’t at the academy any longer.
“I am Lieutenant Devlin Nelson, the navigation officer for the New Horizon. I understand one of you has been studying astrogation at the academy?”
“I have been, sir,” Kelsey answered smoothly and respectfully. She wondered if she would be working with Lieutenant Nelson.
“Think you can navigate this ship, cadet?” Nelson asked in an even voice, looking at Kelsey.
“Yes, sir,” Kelsey responded without hesitation.
Nelson was quiet for a moment as he studied the young cadet in front of him. “We shall see. All of you follow me, and I will take you to your quarters. Inside your quarters, you will find your meal schedules as well as your work schedules. You are expected to show up to your work assignments ahead of time to be briefed by the person you are relieving. Don’t be late!”
“Yes, sir!” responded all five cadets.
Lieutenant Nelson nodded his head in approval. “One more thing, cadets. You are going aboard a spacecraft. This is not the academy. Act accordingly.”
-
Jeremy looked around the small set of quarters he had been assigned. He was sharing his quarters with Cadet Ensign Kevin Walters. Kevin had not been a member of either Jeremy or Barr’s squads. Kevin was the same age as Jeremy but had red hair and a few freckles across his face. Their quarters had two small bunks, a desk with a computer, several comfortable chairs, and two lockers for their uniforms and other personal gear. There was also a small restroom with a shower in the back. On the front wall was a vid screen.
“Not too bad, I guess,” spoke Kevin, tossing his bag on one of the bunks and looking over at Jeremy. Walking over to the desk, Kevin picked up two small folders. One had Jeremy’s name on it, and the other had his. “I guess these are our orders.” He handed one to Jeremy, sat back down on his bunk, and opened the folder with his name on it.
Jeremy opened the folder Kevin had handed him and read over the first few pages. It was a training schedule for the next two weeks and what he was expected to do. Meal times, work schedules, as well as additional studying. They were expected to learn how the other systems on the ship functioned, not just the ones they had been trained on.
“I have been studying how to operate a ship’s sensors as well as its computers,” Kevin commented as he read through his folder. “It looks as if we’re going to be busy.”
“There will also be emergency drills,” added Jeremy, reading the last page of his folder. “For today, we’re supposed to become familiar with the ship. The only areas that are off limits are the Command Center and Engineering.”
Kevin stood back up and, opening his bag, started putting his gear in one of the lockers. Jeremy got up and began doing the same. In just a few minutes, they had everything properly stowed away.
“Let’s go get the girls, then we can start checking out the ship,” Jeremy suggested. “I have a feeling the sooner we become familiar with the layout of the New Horizon the better off we will be.”
“Emergency drills,” replied Kevin, nodding his head in understanding. “We better know where to go.”
A few minutes later, they were standing in front of the door to the girl’s quarters. Knocking, Jeremy smiled when Kelsey opened it. Glancing inside, he saw that the girl’s quarters were identical to those that Kevin and he were sharing. “Have you read your folders
yet?”
“Yes,” replied Kelsey, nodding. It had been the first thing she had done after Lieutenant Nelson had shown them their quarters. “I guess we’re supposed to become familiar with the ship.”
“It’s a large ship,” Angela said, stepping up to stand next to Kelsey. “We’re going to have a lot to learn and quickly.”
“Do you want to come with us?” Jeremy asked. He thought for the time being it might be wise for the four of them to stick together. Particularly since Barr and three of his squad were also on board.
Jeremy had spent some time before they had come up to the ship looking over the schematics for the New Horizon. One of the schematics that he was allowed access to was a detailed description of each level of the ship. There were twenty levels on the ship. A big part of that was taken up by Engineering, which held the ship’s two fusion reactors, the sublight drive, the FTL drive, and all the intricate control systems that made the ship work. Much of the rest of the space was taken up by food and parts storage, the medical bay, and two mess halls. One of the mess halls was close to the Command Center and was for the ship’s officers. The other mess hall was quite a bit larger and served the rest of the crew. There were also half a dozen small labs to study any samples that were brought inside the ship. The rest of the ship consisted of crew quarters and some small recreational areas.
“I think that would be great,” replied Kelsey ready to get started. “Where should we start?”
“Let’s go check out the mess halls first,” Jeremy suggested.
“Great idea,” spoke Kevin, grinning. “Food is a big priority. We need to know where to eat.”
Angela laughed and smiled at Kevin. “I hope the food on the New Horizon is as good as what we had at the academy.” They all knew Kevin from the academy. He had a good sense of humor and was easy to get along with. While not a member of their squad, they all had spoken to him on occasion.
“Cadet Lieutenant Strong,” a commanding voice spoke from behind Jeremy.
Turning around Jeremy found Lieutenant Nelson standing there. “Yes, sir!”
“Come with me. Commander Tellson wants to see you in the Command Center.”
Jeremy felt a cold chill run down his back. Was he already in trouble? He turned back to his friends. “Go ahead without me. I’ll catch up later.”
Kelsey watched Jeremy go down the corridor with the lieutenant. She hoped nothing had happened.
“Let’s go,” said Kevin, motioning to the two girls. “We have a lot of ship to explore. I’m also feeling a little hungry.”
-
Jeremy followed Lieutenant Nelson down several corridors and up several sets of stairs until they arrived at the Command Center. The hatch was open, and the two stepped inside. Jeremy looked around, taking it all in. There were eight people at various stations plus the commander standing at the center command console.
“Cadet Lieutenant Strong,” spoke Commander Tellson, seeing that Jeremy and Lieutenant Nelson had made it to the Command Center.
Jeremy walked over to stand in front of Commander Tellson. He stood at attention curious as to why he had been called in front of the ship’s commander.
“I have read your file from the academy. I understand you want to be a ship’s officer someday?”
“Yes, sir,” Jeremy responded, his eyes straight ahead.
“Do you think that someday you can command a starship?” Tellson asked, his eyes gazing intently at Jeremy. “Do you think that someday you can follow in your father’s footsteps?”
“I hope so, sir,” responded Jeremy, respectfully.
“We shall see,” commented Tellson, nodding his head thoughtfully. “The Command Center is manned twenty-four hours a day with a full crew. I’m normally here on the first watch along with Major Maher, the ship’s executive officer. I do drop in routinely on the other shifts to see how everything is operating. Lieutenant Nelson is in charge of the second watch, and that is where you will be doing your training. Matter of fact, the other four cadets that came up with you will be on the same shift. I want people who trust each other working together.”
“You will be expected to continue your studies as well,” Lieutenant Nelson added. “You may have graduated from the academy, but you still have a year to go as a cadet serving on a ship.”
“At the end of that year, if you have proven yourself, the cadet status will be removed and you will be a ship’s officer,” Tellson said. “Understand one thing, Cadet Lieutenant Strong; this will not be easy! I run a tight ship, and I expect everyone to pull their own weight. Just because your father is the admiral, doesn’t mean you will be given any special considerations.”
“I don’t expect any, sir,” replied Jeremy, evenly. “I made it here on my own, and I expect to continue on my own.”
“Very good,” responded Tellson, nodding his head in approval. “You may return to the other cadets and work on familiarizing yourselves with the ship. You will begin your first duty shift in the Command Center tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir,” Jeremy responded.
“You’re dismissed,” Commander Tellson said.
Jeremy turned and left the Command Center. Commander Tellson and Lieutenant Nelson watched him go.
“That boy has a lot of potential,” Tellson commented to Nelson quietly. “I read over his files, and he did an outstanding job at the academy. He is definitely following in his father’s footsteps. Work the boy hard, Lieutenant. Make him learn everything necessary to become a good commanding officer someday.”
“Yes, sir,” Nelson replied. “I will keep him busy. When I’m through, he will be able to find his way around this ship blindfolded.”
Chapter Four
Jeremy was sound asleep after spending a long day becoming familiar with the New Horizon. He felt as if he had walked every corridor and gone up every single stairwell in the ship. The lights in the room suddenly flashed on and a loud alarm klaxon began sounding. Jeremy almost fell out of bed as he hastily threw back his blanket.
“What the hell is that?” Kevin yelled, his eyes wide standing next to his bunk in his underwear. “Is there something wrong with the ship?”
“Ship is now at Condition One,” a commanding voice came over the speaker on the wall next to the vid screen and barked. “All crew report to their emergency stations!”
“Crap, where are we supposed to go?” spoke Kevin, grabbing his folder and frantically looking through it. He realized now it was one of those freaking emergency drills.
“Level eight, section twelve,” responded Jeremy, recalling where they were supposed to go. They had different stations to report to depending upon the time of day.
“Where’s that?” asked Kevin, looking over at Jeremy, relieved to know that at least one of them knew where they were supposed to go.
“The medical bay, or just outside of it,” responded Jeremy, opening his locker and starting to get dressed. “We need to get there as rapidly as possible. I imagine that Commander Tellson is timing us.”
Two minutes later, the two were in the corridor and hurrying toward a set of stairs that led upward. They were not allowed to use the small personnel elevators in emergencies or in drills. The reasoning was simple. What good were emergency personnel if they were trapped in an elevator?
It took them nearly twelve minutes to reach the medical bay. They made a wrong turn and had to backtrack to get on the correct deck. Jeremy felt his heart drop when they rounded a corner and he saw Lieutenant Nelson waiting impatiently in front of the Med Bay, staring at his watch. He knew Kevin and he were in for it.
“You’re late!” Nelson snapped with a displeased look upon his face. “You should have been here five minutes ago. Show me the route you took to get here. The lives of some members of this crew might depend on you two getting to your emergency station on time.”
“Yes, sir,” Jeremy and Kevin both spoke. They had failed to get to their emergency station on time. This wouldn’t look good on the Daily Report.
Jeremy and Kevin retraced their steps with Lieutenant Nelson following close behind. No one spoke until they reached their quarters.
“You made a common mistake by taking the main corridors to your station,” Lieutenant Nelson informed them, his sharp eyes drilling into the two cadets. “There are two smaller auxiliary corridors that could have gotten you to your station on time. Follow me and I will show you which ones I am talking about.”
Lieutenant Nelson took his time and showed them the two auxiliary corridors. They walked each one, eventually arriving at the medical bay. After reaching the Med Bay after walking the second corridor, Nelson turned around and looked at the two cadets. “Now use the first corridor and return to your quarters. Then use the second corridor to return.” Glancing at his watch, he continued. “You have ten minutes to return to your quarters, touch the door and return here. If you’re late, you will do it again. We have all night if necessary.”
“Yes, sir!” Jeremy and Kevin shouted as they turned and sprinted down the corridor.
Lieutenant Nelson watched them and then smiled as they disappeared around a corner. This was a common mistake for cadets to make; they would get better with time. He could well remember his first few days on one of the smaller exploration cruisers. He had spent a lot of time running the corridors until he became familiar with the ship.
-
Jeremy was lying on his bunk staring at the vid screen. It was currently on a channel that was showing the New Horizon and giving a brief history of its construction. The vid show was showing scenes of the New Horizon at various stages of its construction. Letting out a deep sigh, Jeremy reached down and massaged the large muscle on the back of his leg. His entire body ached from all the running Kevin and he had done trying to reach the Med Bay in the time that Lieutenant Nelson had allotted. Jeremy had finally realized that it was not possible for them to reach the Med Bay in the time Lieutenant Nelson had set. This was their punishment for not being on time originally. After the sixth attempt, Lieutenant Nelson dismissed them and informed the two to be better prepared the next time.
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars) Page 7