Dave said, "Expect more. This is a big ship and the Malakins like big targets. We also marked ourselves with too much protection, I think."
Dennis said, "Then I should think about getting you out of here with a shuttle or a fighter."
Dave shrugged. He had wondered how long it would take Dennis to think of that. Dave knew there was no sense in arguing with him or anyone else. It appeared to him that everyone else thought more of him than he did of himself. He was willing to take his chances with everyone else. However, they were willing to throw themselves in the line of any fire directed at him because they thought him to be too important to lose. Dave said, "Okay, make it a fighter. Anything less will put Nicky in an uproar."
Dennis nodded and then turned to communications to make the arrangements.
***
Magda spotted the next two robots heading for the dreadnought. Again, Susan called the dreadnought to warn them of more unwelcome visitors.
***
"Well, at least, they're not attacking civilians as long as they come after us," Dennis stated.
Dave nodded. "Yes, that's good in a way. This ship isn't likely to be repaired before the war is over. Whatever they do to it is going to be inconsequential."
"Not repaired? Why?" asked Dennis.
Dave answered, "Because it isn't maneuverable enough and it's too big a target. It's obsolete, just like what happened to the original dreadnoughts on Earth when the carriers took over as the primary fighting ship."
"The carriers? They're always in the rear defending the fleet," Dennis proclaimed.
Dave replied, "For a reason. They're given that role so that the fighters will still have someplace to land. The fighters are going to be the real fighting arm soon enough. We can put more of them in space in a shorter time than any other ship. Likewise, the carriers are going through an evolution of their own. The carriers under construction now are likely the last of their kind."
"Well, if we're not building more dreadnoughts or carriers, then what will be the first line ship?" asked Dennis.
Dave explained, "Most likely, cruisers will be, though modified to carry a wing of fighters on board. They'll be able to perform both the roles of dreadnought and carrier while remaining maneuverable. It won't be so likely that the fighters will be caught without a place to land once all the cruisers have hangars on board. They might not be able to carry all the fighters, if some cruisers are unable to bring them on board, but they will be able to receive the crews and shove the fighter vehicles out for later recovery."
"Then I better think about a change in ships fairly soon if I'm going to remain useful to the Navy for the rest of my career," remarked Dennis.
Dave said, "Exactly that, Dennis. Do that and you'll have a good career. Besides, you already know how to handle a cruiser. You've got a head start."
Dennis said, "You're right. Well, your ride should be here soon. I hope before any of the robots get here."
"Then I better get ready," said Dave as he removed his overslicks to comply with Echo's laws once he left the ship.
***
Allen heard the instructions to land near the Waynescotia to pick up an officer. "Geeze! Pick up an officer? What next? I hope this officer is worth taking us out of action," Allen commented after switching off his radio. "Okay, you heard our instructions. Head for the Waynescotia to pick up an officer. Step on it, they want us there already!"
The pilot nodded and set the fighter toward the surface from space. He put the fighter into a steep dive, gaining precious seconds in getting to their destination while giving himself a cheap thrill.
Two minutes later, actually much less, Allen's Daddy Butterfly fighter lighted on the surface quite close to the Waynescotia. One naked man ran from the dreadnought to the fighter. As he got closer, Allen suddenly recognized the man and gasped. Now he knew that the officer was more than worth Allen's efforts as he made sure the hatch was open before the running man reached the fighter.
Less than a minute after landing, Allen ordered his fighter back into the air. Rear Admiral Oden was already strapping himself into a spare seat meant for passengers on those rare occasions when one was to be carried, such as now.
***
Susan's fighter finally landed, not as close as she and her crew wanted and not out of the path of a robot as they wanted. She and her crew remained with their fighter for the moment, unsure if they could reach safety outside the fighter.
"He's coming for us!" Joe exclaimed.
Susan said, "Okay, we might not be able to go up, but we can sure as hell move on the ground. Do it, Joe!"
Joe slammed the engine on and accelerated. The fighter fought against the friction of the surface as it moved forward, not nearly as fast as it should. "We're catching on everything. I don't think we can get any clearance to skim!" Joe shouted.
"Just keep trying!" Susan shouted back. "Use the side guns to fire back at it!"
Magda and Willie manned the two side-mounted guns and fired back at the oncoming robot that was quickly eating up the distance between them.
Susan spotted the fighter rising up from the surface. She knew that whoever was flying that fighter was getting the admiral out just in time.
***
Allen looked down at the fighter moving against the surface as if it had a broken wing. Its side guns were firing almost feebly at the advancing robot as the fighter tried desperately to gain speed and escape. He could see that it was going to be caught. Then something caught his eye. He saw part of the nose and froze for a moment.
"Oh god, no! Not her!" he said almost under his breath. It wasn't low enough to escape the admiral's notice.
"What's wrong?" asked Dave.
Allen said, "One of our fighters is disabled and trying to escape a robot. They're not going to make it."
"Then help them make it!" replied Dave.
Allen said, "I can't! I'm under orders to get you back safely."
"You can and you will. Now attack!" ordered Dave.
Allen replied, "But sir! I'm responsible for your safety."
"Pilot, attack!" Dave ordered.
The fighter swung around as the pilot followed the orders of the admiral.
Dave ordered, "Now, Lieutenant Gregory, attack that robot before it gets one of our crews!"
The robot suddenly filled Allen's sights. Instinctively, he fired the Mark VI gun at the robot and kept the trigger pressed until the robot was out of his sights.
The robot's attention was drawn to the attacking fighter in the air and fired its weapons too late in reply to hit the fast fighter before it passed overhead.
***
"They're attacking the robot!" Joe exclaimed with joy.
"Keep going, Joe! This is our chance while they've got its attention!" Susan urged. "That's the way, Joe! We're getting ahead again!"
***
"Again! Swing around and attack again!" ordered Dave.
The fighter swung around and made another pass from behind on the robot that had returned its attention to the fighter on the ground. A second time, Allen squeezed the trigger and fired the Mark VI gun at the robot, scoring hits that weakened it further. The fighter swooped upwards as it passed over the robot so that the robot wouldn't get a free and possibly easy shot off in reply.
***
"Yeeee-haaaawwww, Daddy Butterfly!" Susan shouted into her radio. Even as she spoke, her fighter was picking up more speed while the robot lost some of its mobility.
***
"Daddy Butterfly?" asked Dave. "I thought your ship was the Tiger Butterfly?"
Allen blushed for the moment, while he could pay attention to Dave, as he waited for the fighter to complete its turn for another pass on the robot. He answered, "It was, sir."
Allen resumed firing at the robot as it came into his sights again. He scored a hit on one leg of the robot, hobbling it to a crawl. The robot's own weapons fired at the fighter in a futile effort. The fighter passed quickly overhead and banked sharply so that A
llen could line up the robot once more. Allen squeezed the trigger as the robot filled the sights and drilled it squarely. Moments later, the robot fell to the ground as the Daddy Butterfly passed overhead.
"You got him, Daddy Butterfly!" Susan called out on the radio.
"Why the name change? Is she pregnant?" asked Dave.
"Yes sir, and I'm responsible," Allen admitted.
"You were going to jeopardize your future and her life for my safety? Son, that's part of what we're fighting for!" exclaimed Dave.
Allen replied, "I know that, sir, but you're just too important. That's because there are many more mothers-to-be who need saving and you're the one person most likely to save them. May I take you to safety now, sir?"
Dave answered, "Yes, Lieutenant, you may. I'll remember, too, what you just said. You're right. There are many more mothers-to-be who also need saving. I promise I'll personally do my best not to fail them or you."
Addendum:
Universal Rights Bill of the Union of Planets
1. All individuals have equal rights under the law.
2. All individuals have the right to regulate their own bodies according to their own wishes and beliefs.
- parents of minor children will be presumed to have the right to guide their children in such functions until substantial proof is furnished showing inability or unwillingness on the parents' behalf.
3. All individuals have the right to pursue a lifestyle of their own choosing in private and public so long as it does not:
- cause physical harm to another individual, business, or government.
- cause outstanding physical harm to the environment, unless the individual erases such harm to the environment afterwards through restoration.
- prevent the ordinary conduct of other individuals, business, and government.
- government may not support nor restrict any particular lifestyle so long as it does not violate the rights of others.
4. All individuals have the right to worship or not as they choose:
- the government at all levels may not support nor restrict any religion so long as the religion does not violate the rights of individuals.
- businesses may not support, be associated with, nor restrict any religion.
- religions may not support nor operate any businesses in competition with ordinary business nor interfere with the conduct of ordinary legal business or the rights of individual citizens.
5. All individuals have the right to move about freely without restriction except in such cases where the government is acting to protect vital interests by establishing a defense base or other facility where security is required in order to protect the government and its people.
6. All individuals have the right to communicate with other individuals.
7. All individuals have the right to associate with whomever they choose in whatever numbers they may choose so long as they are peaceful.
8. All individuals have the right to own and carry personal weapons in any manner as well as use them for defense.
9. All individuals have the right to freely elect any and all public officials who represent them:
- elections cannot be postponed nor cancelled by action of the individuals elected into public office.
- election districts cannot be designed to keep any political group in or out of power and shall be as compact in design as is possible taking topography into account.
10. All individuals have the right to address their concerns to the government.
11. All individuals have the right to know all charges being placed against them at the time of arrest for all criminal cases.
- an arrest warrant shall be issued only on the oath or affirmation of a named individual or on an indictment by grand jury giving probable grounds indicating an offense has been committed.
- all individuals have the right to due process under the law and to a speedy trial with competent legal representation equal to the abilities of the prosecution.
- all individuals subject to arrest for criminal acts are entitled to trial by an impartial jury in the governing district in which the crime occurred.
- all individuals have the right to not self-incriminate themselves with testimony.
- all individuals have the right to confront their accusers and witnesses.
- all individuals have the right of compulsory testimony by witnesses in his favor.
- all individuals are protected against being tried twice for the same offense, even under a different charge, such other charges for the same offense either being tried at the same time or being forfeited by the prosecution.
12. All individuals have the right to privacy against illegal intrusion.
13. All individuals have the right to own property and to be secure in their possessions and effects against illegal search or seizure:
- a legal search warrant shall be issued only on the oath or affirmation of a named individual giving probable cause.
- the search warrant shall list specifically what or who is being searched for.
- the search warrant shall list what place or individual is to be searched.
14. All individuals have the right to fair compensation for work, products, and property.
- private property taken for public use shall be returned at the soonest opportunity, when possible, and justly compensated for without placing requirements on the individual to apply for such.
15. All individuals have the right to use their work, products, and property in a manner that they see most fitting:
- provided that such use does not deprive others of their rights.
- provided that such use does not cause outstanding physical harm to the environment, unless the individual erases such harm to the environment afterwards through restoration.
- provided that such use does not cause physical harm to another individual, business, or government.
- provided that such use does not prevent the ordinary conduct of other individuals, business, and government.
16. All individuals have the right to seek redress against any government, business, or other individual.
- the individual shall have the right to seek civil suit to recover just compensation or their work, products, property, and reputation along with punitive awards in either case.
- a jury may be demanded in such civil cases where the value exceeds one percent of the individual's yearly income or affect's the individual's reputation and ability to earn such income.
17. The press shall have the freedom to gather and distribute news without intervention by individuals, businesses, and government:
- provided the press does not disrupt the lawful activities of others nor otherwise violate the law or rights of individuals, businesses, and religions.
- members of the press shall not be subject to arrest without such arrest being announced to the public by warrant followed by public trial.
- the press shall not be subject to any form of censorship unless such censorship is to protect the interests of the government against powers seeking its violent overthrow.
- the press shall be issued a license upon simple application for the sole purpose of identification to the public and not for the purpose of restricting viewpoints, such license being capable of revocation only for criminal behavior determined by conviction by proper trial.
- the press may be required to pool its resources when availing itself of its right to access aboard government warships or on government installations, such pooling to be by lottery and not by the decision of any warship or installation commander.
- the press may be required to remove only such classified information from its reporting which would be detrimental to the preservation of the government by powers seeking its violent overthrow and not to suppress opinion or opposition.
18. Any rights or powers not listed nor specified in the Constitution as belonging to the government belong to the individual and may not be taken by the government at any level with
out a free election by the people by which they vote by overwhelming majority to give such rights or powers to the government:
- the rights enumerated in this document cannot be voted away, waived, or modified by the individual or government.
- any political entity desiring membership in the Union of Planets must ascribe to these rights in their entirety.
END
Attack Butterfly (Rust Bucket Universe) Page 23