Ep.#15 - "That Which Other Men Cannot Do" (The Frontiers Saga) (12 page)

“Are you sure that is wise?”

“You too?”

“I am only asking,” the lieutenant commander said. “The second pair of simulators will be operational in a few days. That should help.”

“We can only hope,” Captain Nash said.

Lieutenant Commander Rano paused a moment, unsure if he should say what was on his mind. “May I offer a suggestion, Captain?” he asked, sheepishly.

“Sure, Izzu.”

“Before simulator two was officially online, I spent several hours in her by myself, just flying her around the system. Nothing fancy, just practicing whatever maneuvers I wished. At times, I would just coast, and fiddle with the systems, just to become more at ease with everything. I believe it made me much more relaxed in the cockpit, as I had the time to become familiar with my surroundings, all without any pressure. Perhaps, that is what this crew needs?”

“I’m not sure we have the time to let crews just play around in the sims, Izzu.”

“Maybe try it with just this crew. Give them an hour or two by themselves. You and Tori can get something to eat. See what happens.”

“I could use a break, I suppose.” Captain Nash turned to the technician. “What about you, Tori? You hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Very well.” Captain Nash tapped his comm-set. “Ensign Poray, Ensign Ullweir, the ship is yours for the next two hours. Do whatever you’d like.”

“
Sir?
” Ensign Poray replied in confusion over the comms.

“You heard me, Ensign. Do whatever you want. Fly her into an asteroid. Fly her into the sun. Fly her into an ocean. Do loops and rolls for two hours if you’d like. Hell, you can even put her on auto-pilot and take a nap, if that’s what you think you need to practice. Specialist Tori and I are going to get a bite to eat, and watch a movie or something. When we get back, we’ll get back to it.”

“
But sir, what if we crash? Who is going to reset the simulation?
”

Captain Nash smiled. “See that you don’t, Ensign. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long, boring two hours.” Captain Nash stood up. “Come on, Tori, let’s go.” He looked at Lieutenant Commander Rano. “You comin’ with, Izzu?”

“Of course.”

* * *

“It is an impressive ship, indeed,” Admiral Dumar said as they made their way across the Celestia’s port flight deck. “Your people have done well, Captain. You have gotten your ship fully operational more than a week ahead of schedule.”

“Thank you, sir, but there are still a few bugs to work out,” Cameron replied.

“As expected. I assume that you have prepared a training schedule for the Aurora’s crew?”

“Of course,” Cameron replied, handing her data pad to the admiral.

Admiral Dumar looked over the schedule on the data pad, before passing it to Nathan. “Have you had a chance to look at this?”

“No, sir, but I’m sure it will be fine,” Nathan replied as he took the pad from the admiral.

“Very well.” Admiral Dumar turned back toward Cameron. “I thank you for indulging me, Captain. The tour was quite enjoyable. She’s a fine ship, and I’m sure you’ll do us proud.”

“We won’t let you down, sir.”

“Captain,” the admiral said, bidding farewell to Captain Scott as he turned and headed toward his shuttle.

Nathan looked over the training schedule on the data pad as the admiral walked away. “Pretty aggressive schedule.”

“Don’t blame me,” Cameron defended. “Kovacic made the schedule.”

“
You
let someone else make a schedule?” Nathan teased.

Cameron flashed a half-hearted smile. “Would you like to watch the launch?”

“Sure.”

“This way,” Cameron said, turning and heading toward the hatch on the other side of the new forward elevator pad.

“I notice A-shift is putting in the most hours,” Nathan commented as they walked.

“They are your primary shift, and they’ll be the ones on duty during general quarters,” Cameron explained. “The commander figured they needed to have the most training in the beginning. The other shifts pick up the pace later, after A-shift is good to go. Besides, you don’t even have the personnel to complete all four shifts yet.”

“That’s because I gave half my crew to you, remember?”

Cameron pulled the hatch open and entered the corridor. Nathan followed her in, pulling the hatch closed behind him, causing the noise from the flight deck to all but disappear. He followed her through the next hatch to the right, stepping into the port launch tube control room. Two men sat on either side of the room, watching their consoles. A third man, the launch controller, sat between them, his chair standing a bit taller so he could see over his console and out into the port launch tube through the large window in front of him.

“A direct window into the launch tube?” Nathan commented, seeming surprised.

“Some sort of alloy the Takarans invented. As clear as glass and as strong as steel. I don’t remember the name.”

“Corobal,” the launch tube controller provided.

“We decided to eschew the cameras in place of this window,” Cameron told him. “Less complicated.”

“What if it’s damaged?” Nathan wondered.

“This compartment can be sealed, and the corridor can be used as a transfer airlock,” Cameron explained. “All the controls can be operated while wearing pressure suits. During general quarters, they’d all be wearing them, just in case. There’s also a pressure door that will automatically drop, sealing this compartment off from the launch tube, in case of sudden decompression.”

“My personal favorite feature,” the launch controller added.

Nathan nodded as he watched the admiral’s shuttle pull into the launch bay on the other side of the window. “Why the center catapult?” he asked, noticing that the shuttle was pulling up to the center track.

“Standard shuttles can launch on any of the three tracks, as can Falcons and Eagles,” Cameron told him. “Anything larger, like cargo shuttles, must launch on the center catapult track.”

“We use the center track for personnel shuttles whenever possible, sir,” the launch controller explained. “It’s thirty percent longer, so we can get them up to minimum launch speed a little more gently. It’s easier on the passengers.”

“Makes sense.” Nathan continued watching as ground crew wearing helmets, comm-gear, and specialized vests walked alongside the shuttle. A man in a pressure suit stood a few meters forward of the beginning of the center catapult, straddling the track. He watched carefully as the shuttle came to a stop, and the catapult’s grappling arm rose up from the carriage and magnetically attached itself to the underside of the shuttle.

“Main door, coming down,” the tech on the right announced.

The man in the pressure suit pointed at each of the other two men on either side, waiting for them to indicate that their respective sides of the ship were ready for launch. After returning the okay sign to the man in the pressure suit, they both headed quickly aft, ducking under the main door. The man in the pressure suit moved out of the way toward the far bulkhead.

“
Shuttle Three Two, ready for launch,
” the copilot’s voice called over the launch control room’s speakers.

“Green light on ground. Crews are clear,” the tech on the right reported. “Main door is sealed.”

“Depress,” the launch controller ordered.

“Depress, aye,” the tech on the right replied.

“Shuttle Three Two, Port Cat-Con. Launch in thirty.”

“
Shuttle Three Two, aye.
”

“
Port Lead, secure,
” the voice of the man in the pressure suit reported as he stepped behind his protective barrier.

“Depress complete,” the tech on the right reported.

“Open inner doors,” the launch controller ordered.

“Opening inner doors.”

“Echo check is good. Tube is clear,” the tech on the left reported. “Cat two is charged and ready.”

“Open outer doors,” the launch controller ordered as he glanced up at the launch clock.

Nathan also glanced at the clock. It read fifteen seconds and was counting down.

“Outer doors are open. Tunnel is clear. Cat is green. We’re good to launch on cat two.”

“Flight ops, Port Cat-Con, Launching Shuttle Three Two in ten,” the launch controller announced.

“Green light from flight ops,” the tech on the left reported.

“Shuttle Three Two, Port Cat-Con. Launch check.”

“
Shuttle Three Two, ready to launch.
”

“Drop the grav,” the launch controller ordered.

“Gravity dropping to ten percent,” the tech on the left replied.

“Launching Three Two in three……two……one……”

Nathan watched as the admiral’s shuttle suddenly accelerated down the launch tube. He turned his head to the left, straining to see the ship as it disappeared from his view. He looked up at the overhead view screen displaying the launch tube camera, just in time to see the shuttle shoot out of the end of the tube and pull away from the Celestia’s bow.

“
Shuttle Three Two, away
,” the copilot’s voice reported.

“Close her up,” the launch controller ordered his men.

Nathan turned to Cameron. “Nice.”

“Speeds up launch operations quite a bit,” she replied.

“A little unnerving for the passengers, I bet.”

“You’ll find out in a few minutes,” Cameron replied. “Your shuttle is launching next.”

Nathan smiled. “You forget, I qualified in Eagles. I’ve been shot out of a launch tube before.”

* * *

Captain Roselle sat in the command chair at the center of the Jar-Benakh’s command center, watching the status displays lined up on the overhead just forward of his command platform.

“We’re clear of the platform,” his helmsman announced.

“Departure reports we are free and clear to maneuver,” the communications officer reported.

“Tactical?” Commander Ellison queried as he paced the lower command level, directly in front of his captain. “The threat board is clear, Commander,” the tactical officer replied. “The only traffic in the area is what’s coming and going between the shipyard and the surface.”

Commander Ellison turned around to face the captain. “This ship is ready to maneuver, sir.”

“Helm, steer course one four five, up ten relative,” Captain Roselle ordered. “Give us a one-minute burn at twenty percent forward thrust.”

“Course one four five, up ten. One minute at twenty percent on the mains, aye,” the helmsman answered.

Captain Roselle continued to watch the status screens as the ship changed course. He glanced at the larger screen on the forward bulkhead that displayed the forward camera view, as the two distant dots of light that were Kohara and Stennis slid to the right of the screen and down into its lower corner.

“Mains burning at twenty percent,” the helmsman reported.

“Stand by on the pre-jump recon drone,” the captain ordered.

“PJRD is loaded and ready for launch,” the tactical officer reported.

“Engineering reports perfect burn on the mains, Captain,” the systems officer announced from behind the captain and to his right.

“Very well.”

“Thirty seconds to end of burn,” the helmsman reported.

Commander Ellison stepped up onto the main command platform, coming to stand to the captain’s right.

“Please tell me it’s not always going to be this complicated,” the captain said under his breath.

“I expect we’ll get the hang of it after a while, sir.”

“End of burn,” the helmsman reported. “Standard departure speed attained.”

“Launch the PJRD,” Captain Roselle ordered.

“Launching drone.”

Captain Roselle watched the forward view screen as the recon drone sped away from the ship and disappeared in a flash of blue-white light.

“PJRD is away,” the tactical officer announced.

“Mas, alert Tau Ceti system control that we will be jumping out of the system in approximately one minute.”

“Aye, sir,” the Jar-Benakh’s communications officer replied.

“Jump Control, XO,” Commander Ellison called over his comm-set. “Final check.”

“
All jump systems show charged and ready, Commander. We are ready to jump.
”

“Navigator?” the commander called.

“Jump to waypoint Alpha Seven, plotted and locked,” the navigator reported.

“Sensor contact,” Ensign Marka reported from the sensor station. “Jump flash. It’s the recon drone. Receiving data stream now.”

“Recover the drone,” Commander Ellison ordered.

“PJRD data shows the arrival area to be clear,” the sensor operator reported.

“Drone is coming in now,” the tactical officer reported. “Secure in ten seconds.”

Commander Ellison looked at his captain again.

Captain Roselle took a deep breath. “Ensign Noray, jump us to waypoint Alpha Seven.”

“Jumping to waypoint Alpha Seven, in five…”

“All hands, prepare to jump,” the communications officer announced over the ship’s intercoms.

“Three…”

“Here we go, Marty,” the captain muttered.

“Two……one…”

On the main view screen, pale blue light began to spill out from the emitters, engulfing the Jar-Benakh’s hull like a runaway flood.

“Jumping…”

Once completely covered, the coating of pale blue light quickly intensified, turning a brilliant white that flashed and filled the screen, gently illuminating the interior of the command center for a split second before disappearing.

“Jump complete,” the navigator announced.

“Verifying position,” the sensor operator added.

The seconds ticked by. Captain Roselle realized he was holding his breath.

“Position verified,” Ensign Marka reported triumphantly. “We are at waypoint Alpha Seven.”

Cheers broke out amongst the skeleton crew manning the Jar-Benakh’s command center.

Commander Ellison reached out to shake his captain’s hand. “Looks like the Alliance finally has a third, jump-capable warship in her fleet.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Commander,” Captain Roselle warned. “We may be able to jump, and we may have a few weapons working, but we’re a long way from being ready to jump into battle.”

“Yeah, but at least now we’re no longer sitting ducks.”

“You got that right,” the captain agreed. “Mister Sahbu, put us on course for the next test-jump waypoint.”

“Aye, sir,” the helmsman replied.

* * *

“
The doors are opening now,
” the reporter announced.

Nathan and Vladimir watched the view screen on the wall as the hangar doors parted, revealing the first ship to roll off line one at the Super Eagle production facility on Earth.