Ep.#5 - "Rise of the Corinari" (22 page)

“Before I begin,” Nathan started, “I’d like to get a few things out of the way. First, by order of the Corinari Command Authority, Chief Doran Montrose is hereby promoted to Master Chief. Second, on the strong recommendation of my executive officer, Commander Taylor, I hereby appoint Master Chief Montrose as the Aurora’s new chief of the boat. Congratulations, Master Chief,” Nathan said extending his hand to Master Chief Montrose.

“Thank you, sir.”

“I would like to begin by thanking all of you for volunteering to serve aboard this ship. Make no mistake; by doing so you are putting yourselves directly in harm’s way. The Aurora will serve as the point of the Alliance spear. Many of us will not survive, but I have no doubt that all of us will be remembered, regardless of the outcome.”

Nathan paused and looked around the room again as the chief of the boat caught up in his translations. “Why this ship? Why now? I can’t answer the ‘why now’, but I can answer 'why this ship'. It’s not because we’re bigger, or stronger, or more heavily armed. This ship is unique because it is equipped with a system that can move her across vast distances of space in the blink of an eye. We call this system a jump drive, and it can jump us up to ten light years at a time. The jump drive provides a huge tactical advantage that we intend to use to defeat the Ta’Akar Empire and liberate not only the Darvano system, but all of the Pentaurus cluster. But this ship, as amazing as it might be, is only a tool. It is nothing without a crew that can use her properly. And that is where you, and the volunteers arriving over the next few weeks, come in. It will not be easy, as despite your various levels of expertise, many of you have no shipboard experience. The training will be endless and exhausting, but we have no choice, as the Ta’Akar could show up on our doorstep unannounced at any moment. We have to be ready to fight as soon as possible.”

Nathan looked around the room one last time as the master chief continued translating. “As I said, I cannot tell you why we are here now. Call it chance; call it fate; call it legend; call it the will of whatever god you choose to believe in. The fact of the matter is that we
are
here now, and we have a job to do… together. For together we are one.” After a moment’s pause, Nathan realized he had nothing more to say. “I’ll now turn over the room to Lieutenant Commander Nash who will go over the ship’s basic rules and regulations, after which the chief… I’m sorry, the Master Chief, will pass out your berthing and duty assignments, as well as your training schedules. Thank you all again for volunteering.”

The volunteers began to applaud as Nathan left the podium. He smiled slightly, a small wave escaping as he exited the briefing room.

“Attention on deck!” Master Chief Montrose barked, immediately ending the applause before it gained momentum, allowing Jessica to start her part of the briefing.

* * *

Nathan had been studying the training schedule Commander Taylor had sent back with Jessica for over an hour. As expected, the schedule was thorough and well organized. The only thing missing was training for flight operations, as she still had to meet with Major Prechitt and his deck chief in order to discuss operational issues.

Just as his eyes were beginning to cross, the entry buzzer sounded. “Yes?” he called.

“Ensign Willard to see you, sir,” the guard who peeked in the hatchway stated.

“Send him in.”

Ensign Willard stepped through the hatchway into the captain’s ready room. “Thank you for seeing me, Captain. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Not at all, Mister Willard,” Nathan assured him. “Have a seat. How may I help you?”

“I was wondering,” Ensign Willard began as he sat, “if you had considered allowing some of the Yamaro’s crew to serve aboard the Aurora.”

“The thought has crossed my mind, yes. But I haven’t had a chance to discuss it at length with my XO. I also expect that my chief of security will have some issues.”

“Understandable, Captain. However, at least twenty of the Yamaro’s crew, most of them Corinairan born and raised, fought to protect this ship. Many of them gave their very lives.”

“While that may be so,” Nathan said, trying to remain respectful, “let’s not forget, Mister Willard, they were fighting for their own lives just as much as they were fighting for this ship, perhaps even more so.”

“Perhaps,” Ensign Willard agreed, “but those men could just as easily have taken to the escape pods like the others, and they chose to stand and fight. And for what? So they could languish away in some internment camp on their own home world, watching as their people struggle to prepare for war? Captain, if their skills are not to be utilized here, at least set them free to defend their own world, to be with their own families.”

“Mister Willard,” Nathan replied, leaning back in his chair, “has it occurred to you, that some of the people on Corinair might not make the distinction between those that ordered the attack on Corinair and those who carried it out?” He waited a moment for a reply, but saw that none was coming. “It’s quite possible that they are safer right where they are, at least for the moment.”

“I must admit, sir, I had not considered that possibility.”

“Neither had I,” Nathan admitted. “It was one of the Prime Minister’s staff that raised the concern.” Nathan studied Mister Willard for a moment. He was obviously concerned for the well-being of his shipmates. “Listen, make up a list of the names and qualifications of those among them that are from Corinair, and I’ll take a look at it. I cannot promise anything, but I will give it serious consideration.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Ensign Willard said.

Nathan noticed that the ensign was not rising from his seat to depart. “Was there something else?”

“Yes, sir. I was wondering if you had any plans on how to deal with the Yamaro’s eventual failure to show up in the Savoy system.”

“There’s not much we can do about that, I’m afraid. There is no way we can repair the Yamaro’s damage. Her entire drive section is nearly gone. It would be impossible to get her into the Savoy system for her rendezvous.”

“Then don’t,” Ensign Willard said. “Just send her transponder.”

“Excuse me?”

“You could pull her transponder and go into the Savoy system yourself, transmitting her ID codes.”

“This ship is nothing like the Yamaro; you’d have to be blind not to notice the differences.”

“Of course, but no one will be looking at the Aurora. The Yamaro would not enter into a planetary orbit, Captain. Standard procedure for Ta’Akar warships is to park at a gravitationally stable point out of reach of the primary planet’s defense systems.”

“You’re talking about Lagrange points,” Nathan stated.

Ensign Willard continued, paying little attention to the captain’s comment. “In order to conserve fuel, Captain de Winter normally parked at a gravity point even farther out, as it required much less deceleration than going deeper into the system. Granted, it is not much of a savings, but Ta’Akar ships are usually out on patrol for several years at a time. Their captains have this strange pride system. Showing up with empty tanks tells of a captain that did not plan well. It does make for more difficult transits for the shuttles, but they get refueled at their destination.”

“But surely they have sensors that could determine we are not the Yamaro,” Nathan pointed out.

“Savoy is not as advanced as Darvano, Captain. It’s more of an agricultural system. They probably do have some deep-space sensors, but it is more than likely they will not bother looking. The Ta’Akar have been unopposed in the Savoy system for decades. As long as no other warships arrive while you are there, your masquerade should go undetected.”

“What would we have to do while we are there,” Nathan asked, becoming more curious about the idea, “for appearances sake?”

“We were scheduled to pick up inductees from the Savoy system and deliver them to Takara for training. You could use the Yamaro’s shuttles to complete the mission. You would need a few Ta’Akar guards and at least one officer, a nobleman if possible.”

“That sounds awfully risky,” Nathan concluded.

“All you would have to do is land, load the inductees, and take off again. No one would be expecting you to stay in the system any longer than necessary to complete your task. As the Yamaro, you would be about to head home after a three year deployment. No one would become suspicious should you choose to depart as soon as your orders have been carried out. In fact, it would be expected. And if successful, you could be delaying your discovery by several months.”

“And if not, we could be tipping our hand.” Nathan sighed, “I admit, it is an interesting plan, but who would we get to dress up as Takaran troops? I would expect that there would be some measure of security, even on a backward farm planet.”

“I suppose I could talk to the members of the Yamaro crew currently being detained on Corinair,” Ensign Willard said. “They are all registered in the Yamaro’s crew roster, so they would pass any identity scans at the spaceport. However, they might be more inclined to agree to such a dangerous mission if there were some offer of reward.”

Nathan smiled. Ensign Willard obviously understood the concept of bargaining. “I’m sure something can be arranged. I’ll run the idea past my staff. If they approve, I’ll arrange for you to speak with your shipmates.”

“Thank you, sir.” Ensign Willard rose and left the ready room. On his way through the hatchway, he passed by Master Chief Montrose on his way in. “Master Chief,” he said respectfully in passing.

Master Chief Montrose paused a moment, considering the man that had just passed him. He was wearing an Aurora jumpsuit; however, his accent was obviously Corinairan.

“Master Chief?” Nathan called from inside the ready room, stealing the Master Chief’s attention away from the man that had just passed him.

“Captain,” the master chief began, snapping a salute, “a moment of your time, sir?”

“How may I help you, Master Chief?”

“Permission to close the hatch, sir?”

“Of course,” Nathan answered, somewhat surprised.

After closing the hatch, Master Chief Montrose turned back to face the captain, still standing rather formally.

Nathan noticed that the master chief seemed uncomfortable. “Is there a problem, Master Chief?”

“Yes, sir. I mean, I’m not sure, sir. This is not the Corinari, so I am not sure of the protocols involved, or if it is even my place to…”

“Would it be easier if I gave you permission to speak freely, Master Chief?” Nathan offered.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then by all means, Master Chief, speak you mind.”

“Well, sir, I’m not sure that I understand what my responsibilities are on your ship. I know what a master chief does in the Corinari, and I know what a deck chief does when in service of the empire, but I’m not sure if the roles are at all similar to your ‘chief of the boat’ position.”

“How about you just do what you think is the right thing, and one of us will correct you if necessary.”

“That seems like a rather dangerous way to start off, sir,” Master Chief Montrose observed.

“I promise you, Master Chief, we’ll grant you considerable leeway.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Is that it? Was that the problem?” Nathan wondered.

“No, sir. The problem is you, sir.”

“Me?”

“Yes, sir. Or more specifically, the way you behaved when you left the orientation briefing.”

“I’m afraid I’m not following you, Master Chief,” Nathan admitted.

“That little wave… like a politician leaving a campaign rally.”

“That bad, huh?” Nathan said, not really taking the master chief’s concerns seriously.

“That bad?” Master Chief Montrose was starting to get angry. “I do not know about captains on your world, but out here in the cluster, the captain of a warship is someone to be respected, to be feared, to be revered. When you are ready to start being that captain, I will be right at your side. The men are watching your every move. You need to start acting like somebody worth dying for, not somebody worth voting for.”

Nathan watched the master chief as he went from being angry to being unsure again. “Is that all, Master Chief?” Nathan asked.

“Yes, sir,” he answered. “And again, I apologize if my remarks were not in line with your expectations of my role as your chief of the boat.”

“Well, I haven’t known many COBs yet, but so far you seem to be doing just fine.”

“Thank you, sir,” Master Chief Montrose answered.

“Thank you, Master Chief,” Nathan told him with all sincerity. “I will keep your words in mind.”

“Very good, sir.”

“Is there anything else, Master Chief?”

“No, sir,” the master chief said, preparing to exit.

“Master Chief, have you eaten dinner?” Nathan asked.

“No, sir. I was just about to find your dining hall.”

“We call it a galley,” Nathan told him as he rose from his seat behind the desk. “I was headed there myself. I usually dine with Lieutenant Commander Kamenetskiy, our chief engineer. Perhaps you’d like to join us? The two of you should probably get acquainted.”

“Thank you, sir. I would like that.”

Chapter Six

“Report,” Nathan requested as he entered the bridge.

“Karuzara Command reports they just picked up a Ta’Akar frigate dropping out of FTL on the outer edge of the system,” Jessica reported from the tactical console. “They’re sending us the track now. Sending to main view screen."

The main view screen that surrounded the front half of the bridge in a quarter-sphere was currently displaying the view outside the Aurora, which was the inside of the Karuzari asteroid base commonly referred to as Karuzara. A rectangular chart of the Darvano system superimposed itself in the middle of the main view screen. The chart showed the positions of all planets and ships within the system, with a red triangle to indicate the new hostile contact. The triangle appeared to be just beyond the outermost planet in the Darvano system. Its speed indicator was counting down, indicating it was decelerating, as was usually the case when a ship dropped out of FTL on its way into a system.