Battleship Destroyer (49 page)

Jack looked at her, his eyes getting wide. "So that is how you know me and why you want me dead.
You are the Battle Bitch."

The Ensign rolled her eyes. "Godstar you are stupid."

"Well the fleet owes you both a dept of gratitude. You were right. The cloud could have severely damaged the fleet destroying several ships. I would like the ship's Doctor to take a look at your eyes but I will just put it down as better than normal eyesight for now. I suppose it is a byproduct of you two being neutron star babies. We will have to see about using that ability in the future Mr. Turner but for now you look like shit. Get yourself to chow and then your bunk for a few hours' sleep and then I need you to figure out networking the fleet sensors and don't forget you still have mid watch again along with everything else on your list."

"Don't need to sir.
" Jack said stretching as he leaned against the bulkhead. "Astronomers already have programs to tie sensors together to form large arrays. You should have them in your data base already. The military used to use them as well hundreds of years ago when all they had where weak radio waves and telescopes for sensors. You just need to use modern secure comm gear to make the connections and reprogram in the differences in the speed between light and gravity waves. Our comm tech department should be able to do that easily...”

"Got them Captain." The Ensign said
turning to glance over her shoulder from the terminal. "Programming in our comm protocols and the speed of gravity waves and I will have it for you in a few minutes."

Jack walked over next to the Ensign and looked over her shoulder as she worked.
"No, it would work better if you move that to..." Pointing at an algorithm.

She cut him off.
"No. it will work just fine. Just wait for me to finish."

"But you have too… Oh well. I
guess that will do but... I think...”

"I have it
, see. This makes sure the signal is not delayed. OK." The Ensign glanced up at Jack.

"Yes I see but you have to combine
and repeat… Ok." Jack watched her for a few seconds then rolling his eyes. "Fine but what about corrupted packets...”

"
But nothing moron! It works just fine without having to repeat everything a dozen times. It does not matter if it is not perfect. It does not matter if it missis a few bits once in a while. The rate of new data from each sensor is so great that anything missed once will be replaced by new before anything could be repeated.  This way the result is always from the newest data and not backed up or cashed data which just wastes time and corrupts the images and degrades the clarity. We are not dealing with accounting or bank deposits so a small percentage of corrupted information does not matter."

"Ok ladies. Get it done already." The Captain smiled at their arguing.

"I am down loading it to the other ships now Captain." The Ensign said as Jack turned shaking his head in exasperation. "It should be up and running in a minute if I did not screw up while being interrupted every few seconds." She gave Jack a look of irritation then sneered.

The screens
around the Captain died then lit up a few seconds later with several planet sized bodies scattered across the empty space a light year ahead of them with an increasing  number of smaller and smaller bodies the closer you got to the fleet. You could see the dense areas of space mater and the clear areas with not even gas clouds ahead of the fleet in the navigation tank. "Damn this will make navigating a breeze." The Ensign said turning to Jack. "Ok let's get breakfast. I am starving."

Jack
stepped up to the head of the bunk next to the Captain to look at the screen over and behind her head showing the cloud now behind them and his mouth dropped open. In the center of the cloud was a star that seemed to be in a small void with a small planet circling it. "I thought I saw a little spot that was a little brighter than the others." Tapping a few icons as he leaned over above the Captain. "Damn it. I can't get a reading on its temperature or anything else about it through the cloud. The cloud must be even denser than I thought.  Strange. The cloud seems to be mostly static not moving in any direction, not even orbiting the star inside. How is that possible?"

"Mr. Turner that is enough for one day. Thank you Ensign for getting our sensor
array up and running so nicely. See me when you have gotten some rest. I have another job for you Mr. Turner. Now both of you, off you go.  My breakfast is getting cold."  Jack and the Ensign left the Captains Day Cabin as a steward was bringing in a tray.

------------
---

Jack walked off the elevator platform on deck 72 heading for hold G
and his research terminal but noticed a large group of men and women in long lab coats through the open hatch in one of the other holds. Curiosity led Jack to the open hatch.

"We spent 6 hours locked into our bunks this morning without a word of reason from the birthing officer. After
throwing the Doctor in the brig we need to show them we will not take being treated like cattle. We have rights." The old balding man stood on a chair so he could be clearly seen by his fellow scientist.

Jack smiled as the Ensign stoppe
d beside him and started speaking to Jacks surprise as her voice seemed to carry across the hold. "You Gentlemen should kiss your asses with joy for being alive.  The casualty figures for the fleet after the little action we went through this morning is over 60 crewmen dead and hundreds wounded. Now I am sorry you all were inconvenienced but some or all of you could have been killed or badly hurt. Besides you should have been in your bunks sleeping anyway unless you were up to mischief. Which is the only reason you would have been out of your cabins that early in the morning." Looking around the group. "Again."

"What
? We were in a battle and were not told about it. I thought we were headed for the Rock and Earth. We were lied to." The man was some distance away as he concentrated on the crowd around him.

"No you were not lied to.
" The Ensign bellowed drowning out his voice to Jack's surprise again. "The fleet came close to hitting a cloud and had to perform an extreme maneuver stressing every ship in the fleet to the limit and some of the deck grav coils could not keep up.  You were kept in your bunks as was most of the crew to keep you safe."

"
What? The grave coils could malfunction?" They started looking around the hold. "God damn Navy can't even maintain grav coils that are supposed to be idiot proof if maintained properly."

"What can I
say? The coils were never designed for 1200 Gee's nor was the power supplies." The Ensign smiled.

"
If you are going to defend your Navy, don't tell such big lies Ensign. I don't care how good Mr. Turner’s engine upgrade is. That big a jump in acceleration is impossible." The man looked at the Ensign over the heads of the crowd around him. "You just wanted us kept quiet while you abused our director for not putting up with the normal Navy crap. You just wait until we stop at the forward supply base and the senate sends orders."

"You really that worried about your director?"  Jack spoke up. He did not want to be there but orders were orders and he started
walking toward the research console closest to the hatch shaking his head in disbelief. "No change in plans, we were never stopping at the forward supply base. At this speed stopping is a waste of time.  We are going straight to The Rock instead of making such long detours that are not needed now. Which is why we ran into the cloud. No one had ever gone through this part of space before as empty as it is or thought to be." Pushing his way through the few scientists still around the console Jack started typing on the glass top. "You people need to start worrying about staying alive and doing your jobs to save the Republic. We have a lot of information about the enemy now and it is your job to help improve our weapons from what we have learned so we can fight back. It is imperative that you people help with the programs we have going, before we reach comm range of The Rock. I have sent you all a list of the programs for you to choose from. And just to remind everyone. All information will be shared between groups and Command. All information."

"Just who the hell do you think you are Lieutenant?"

"I am the Navy liaison officer to you wonderful people."

"And don't you forget that Mr. Turner. I am in charge of the investigation program
s." The Director pranced into the hold as Jacks mouth dr0pped open in disbelief.  "Ok, I want department heads to follow me now. The rest of you return to your assigned terminals or holds."

Jack started to follow the Director bu
t the Director held up his hand toward Jack. "This is a department heads meeting Mr. Turner. I will call you when we have something to report." Then turned around and started to leave the hold.

Jack frowned and turned back to the console and started typing. "Ok I may as
well as get started."

The Ensign walked up to Jack and grabbed his
elbow dragging him away from the terminal. "You are the liaison for the Navy and in charge of all the programs. The Director's only job is assigning his scientist to the programs they can help best at. You are the department head and need to be on top of everything that is going on around here." They followed the Director as she whispered gruffly just for him to hear. "I have followed this ass holes carrier. Don't let him push you out or you will be of no use to the Navy. He will hide everything important until he can publish and take credit for his results long after it will be of any use to the Navy or help win this war."

"What do you mean
, I am the department head? You and me do not make much of a department."

"You are in charge of all the Navy
personnel that have been reassigned to these projects. All the personnel that was transferred from around the fleet that helped you make the upgrades for the engines. That includes the side programs you asked the Captain to start. You actually have more personnel than the Director does."

"What the hell. I don't know anything about being a department head."

She smiled over at him. "Then you are going to have to learn fast. You can start by following the Director's Department heads around and getting to know them while learning from them.  But really, with your father being a Captain you should already know more than you think. Not to mention you were a Captain in The Game. I served under you enough times to know you are a good Captain in The Game. Now start acting like a Captain even if it is real life."

Jack
stared at her as they walked. "You served under me in The Game?"

"Yes you moron
. So did Tom and half the crew on the Turner Joy, but they did not know it was you. Well except for Tom." At Jack's Baffled look. "I grew up with you remember. I would know you no matter what name you used. Though it took a while for me to realize and confirm it Captain Hunter 22. Though you spent part of your game time as an Admiral commanding your fleet of special ships.  Now those are the ships we need to defeat these guys."

"Shit!" Jack got wide eyed as his mouth dropped open. "What was
, no. What is your real name?"

"Tell you later when you figure
it out. We talked enough in The Game."

"No, if you were on the Turner Joy. I should
know your real name and I don't. What is it?"

She stopped in mid stride
getting a disgusted look at him as she shook her head. "Well, if you don't recognize me yet, you never will. Too bad. Suffer." Then took several quick steps to catch up to the Doctor. Dragging Jack with her.

They fallowed the Director and his department heads
onto an elevator platform.  "Mr. Turner I told you, I would call you when we had something." The director and several of his top department heads ignored the ensign as if she was not there, though most could not keep their eyes off of her boobs and did not even try to hide it. The Director seemed all too busy to notice anything but himself at the moment, let alone the Ensigns attributes.

"Yes I heard you Director.
I thought I would just give you another chance to try and kill me on the trip up the chase. How many are you going to threaten their families and order to their deaths this time?" The Director gave Jack a dirty look as the platform started up and did not stop until it reached Senior Officers Country. The scientists standing as far away from Jack as they could stand. Several started looking at the Director with strange looks. Several Department heads started discussing possible weapon upgrades but was pointedly interrupted by the Director. Jack and the Ensign followed them across half that deck to a hatch that said Admiral's suits. An old bald scientist blocked Jack from entering as the last of them entered then closed the hatch in his face with a smile.

Jack stepped
back looking at the hatch for a few seconds and the Director's name and tittle glued across the front of the hatch. Taking a deep breath and shaking his head. "Now that was rude." He turned around and started to leave. "Thanks Ensign, for embarrassing me again."

"You are welcome Jack but shall we go in now before we miss the meeting. It should be interesting.
“She placed her palm on the lock sensor plate and opened the hatch. “This is Navy property and as officers, we have access to the flag suits. She walked through the hatch and down the passageway stopping outside an open hatch.