First Command (8 page)

      
“Fourteen months ago, a survey team from Hodgkin’s World, Inc., in Capricorn, flew to examine some not so nearby star systems for human inhabitability.
 
Mark Carter, Hodgkin’s World, Inc. president and CEO, wanted to export some excess population and gain some territory.
 
His survey ship stumbled on a solar system the K’Rang were terra forming.
 
As stupid as it was, Carter mounted an expedition of his own resources to take this world and the K’Rang terra forming technology for his own.
 
Needless to say, K’Rang reinforcements showed up and wiped out the Hodgkin’s World fleet, but not before the Hodgkin’s forces had killed all the K’Rang terra forming party.
 
Fortunately, Mr. Carter paid for his stupidity and perished along with his fleet.”

      
“The K’Rang stewed for a while and then tried to invade and take New Alexandria in the Scutum sector.
 
Our new transporter gate allowed us to move in a massive fleet and annihilate their invasion force.
 
They are arrayed in a purely defensive posture at this time.
 
We hit them pretty hard and completely by surprise.”

      
“The K’Rang are no pushovers.
 
They fight well and are fearless in battle.
 
They have good tactics and adapt quickly to battle situations.
 
We lost many ships to them in the Capricorn War.
 
We captured a few of the K’Rang, but no matter what we do, they die in captivity.
 
Our best minds think they just choose to stop living and die.
 
We know more about their physiology than their military or society.”

      
“We watch them.
 
They watch us.
 
Half our Fleet intel guys say nothing will happen.
 
Half say in the right situation, they will go on the offensive.
 
Either way, we patrol and make sure they know we are there.
 
They do the same thing.
 
The longer this impasse continues, the more we build up the capability to use our transporter gates to quickly reinforce the frontier.”

      
“Our mission is to find out what the K’Rang are up to.
 
We are not out there to start a war, but, hopefully, to keep one from happening.
 
Keep that in mind as we patrol around the frontier.
 
The buffer zone we and the K’Rang have set up is wide enough so any incursions won’t be a mistake.”

      
“We also have strict orders pertaining to any confrontation with the K’Rang.
 
This is why I’m having this long chat with you this morning.
 
It’s imperative these orders be followed completely.”

 
      
“The K’Rang don’t get to shoot first.
 
Our orders are that we will not engage in any confrontation with the K’Rang unless they are firmly on our side of the buffer zone and we have an overwhelming numerical or tactical advantage.
 
Our leadership wants to make sure we defeat the K’Rang in any engagement.
 
Now, of course, those orders can and have been changed, but for now they stand.”

      
“Do you have any questions?”

      
“No, sir, I think I understand. We use overwhelming force or surprise when dealing with the K’Rang.
 
We never intentionally fight from a weak position.”

      
“Good summation, Exec.”

      
Yeoman Benitez knocked, was told to come in, and brought Kelly a message to report to CMDR Timmons before he released his crew.

* * * * *

      
Connie Cortez saw to securing the Vigilant from work ups and helped Chief Blankenship to keep the crew gainfully employed until the Captain returned.
 
She found several inconsistencies in the ship’s wiring, and set up several teams to trace wiring circuits for ship’s systems and correct the ship blueprints to match how things really were.
 
She would have several things to say to the yard boss when she could break free.
 
First, she needed a moment to spin down and retired to her cabin to work on paperwork.

      
She was exhausted, operating on about four hours sleep in eighteen for the entire cruise.
 
She noticed that the Captain was overlapping the beginning of her watch and Chief Blankenship was overlapping the end of her watch.
 
She changed her routine and overlapped theirs.
 
That didn’t leave a lot of time for sleep.
 
She would have to speak to the Captain about sleep discipline.
 
It wouldn’t do to have the senior leaders suffering from sleep deprivation on a long patrol.
 
Maybe it was just that they were all new in their jobs and things would settle down with more experience in the positions.

      
Even without the sleep loss, Connie would still have been beat.
 
She had so much to learn.
 
Even with the simulator time she put in, she had never piloted a spacecraft before.
 
When LCDR Blake turned the controls over to her, she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking.
 
She had to admit it was a rush to have all the ship’s power in her hands.
 
The majority of the time, she just roamed the ship and looked for things out of place.

      
She made a lot of on the spot corrections, like instructing the gunners to always leave their turrets locked facing forward when not actively manning the turrets.
 
This kept the maximum firepower forward if needed in an emergency.
 
She helped Chief Johnson fine-tune the sensors and win his bet with Chief B.
 
She took a turn at cooking and taught Cookie one of her mother’s recipes for fried chicken, which he programmed into the replicators.
 
She spent so much time with Chief Miller learning all the engineering systems that the Captain had to send Chief B to remind her that there were other parts of the ship she needed to learn.

      
It was a good first cruise for Connie.
 
She looked forward to their mission.

* * * * *

      
Chief Blankenship had a chiefs’ meeting after the major elements of securing from the work ups were accomplished.
 
She wanted to get a feeling from the chiefs on how their sections had done and what needed to still be improved.
 
She also wanted a sense of how the new XO had done.

      
Chief Miller led off.
 
“Engineering was in good shape.
 
The new algorithms for the increased speed gave them better stability at all speeds.
 
My section has all started on preparations for their proficiency exams.
 
If there was anything that could be improved on, I don’t know what it could be.”

      
Chief Johnson was next.
 
“The new XO is all right by me.
 
She is technically proficient and not afraid to say she doesn’t know everything.
 
She was willing to listen to why something she suggested was not a good idea, as long as it was done tactfully and in a manner that increased her knowledge of the ship.
 
She’s smart, but still realizes she has a lot to learn.
 
As far as the section goes, I have a couple of single stripers that are a little hesitant to make a call, but I’ll break them of that by the time we get to our patrol sector.
 
It happens with a lot of the newbies, but you know that.”

      
Chief Pennypacker said, “Gunnery did well.
 
We have a few that are below the average, but more work with the simulators will fix that.
 
The XO proposed keeping the turrets locked forward when not manned, and did it in such a way she made me think it was my idea.
 
She’s slick.
 
Some of my guys have started on proficiency exam prep, but I’ll get all of them cranking on it on our next patrol.”

      
Chief Austin followed.
 
“She can cook.
 
I think she’ll do fine as soon as she gets more used to the crew.
 
Remember she was an engineer, not a command track officer.
 
She’s used to having a supervisor look over her shoulder.
 
She’ll learn to be more forceful and direct.”

      
Chief Billings took his turn.
 
“Bridge crew did fine.
 
It was almost funny to watch LT Cortez when the skipper gave her the helm.
 
She was shaking so bad when she first sat down, but she calmed herself and did a good job at helm.
 
She eventually loosened up enough to try some loops and rolls.
 
By the time she finished, she was having fun with it.
 
I have one helmsman that doesn’t yet have that level of comfort.
 
I’ll work with him in the simulator.
 
The rest are good.”

      
Chief B gave them all some last minute taskings and broke up her meeting.

Chapter Three

      
Alan Shepler, the new Chief Executive Officer of the Indigo Consortium, considered his company’s financial future.
 
The fire that killed his predecessor had destroyed some of the jewelry production capability in the main building.
 
The remaining production capability in the two outlying buildings was insufficient to pick up any additional output.
 
Unless he could find replacement production capability, he was going to record a very low profit for this year.

      
There was the flamestone cache on their asteroid 4533 facility near Rigel, but he wasn’t ready to use them yet.
 
He would have to build a new production facility before he could chance using them.
 
He had visions of an exclusive stone and mounting collection with platinum, silver, and gold rings, bracelets, and pendants – all designed to show off the flamestones’ special luminescence.

      
He wondered if he could re-establish trade with the K’Rang.
 
Yes, he had several liters of flamestones, but who couldn’t use more?
 
When he briefed Mr. Debran as a new vice president, Debran had seemed receptive to the idea of acquiring more flamestones.
 
How could he regain contact with the K’Rang?
 
All the contacts went up in flames when Charles Delphant died in the fire.
 
There must be a way.
 
He was attending the annual jewelry industry convention on Earth next month; perhaps he could put out some discrete feelers.

* * * * *

      
Irina Bugarov settled into her new office.
 
Her executive assistant, Terri Hawkins, a tall, willowy, pale blonde woman in her late twenties, suggested that while her full glory wall of framed awards, decorations, and mementos from her 32-year career might have been appropriate for the military, it did not befit a new senior executive of a major corporation.
 
Terri picked through her boxes and pulled out a handful of mostly pictures, a few key awards, and Irina’s folded Fighter Force forest green Two-Star Flag.
 
She walked around the room, while Irina watched her curiously.
 
She finally stopped and pointed to the wall behind the desk.

      
“Your pictures taken with dignitaries go there.
 
That will show your visitors your connections and what you bring to the company.
 
Over there, above the credenza, is where we put your framed flag.
 
I’ll have it put in a walnut frame to match the credenza.
 
Immediately below that, we will put your model of the F-53.
 
On the opposite wall, we’ll put this painting of your old battle group traveling majestically through space.
 
Over here on the entry wall, we will put your highest decoration certificates.
 
The total look will be one of understated, but evident competence, service, and experience.”

      
Irina stepped into the middle of the room, spun around slowly, looking at each wall in turn, and said, “I like it.
 
Terri, you have a good sense of style.
 
Perhaps you could go shopping with me for a better professional wardrobe?
 
This is just something I had left over from when I would occasionally wear civilian clothes.”

      
Terri smiled and said, “Of course, General, that’s why I’m here.
 
I know just where to take you for the best look and quality.”

      
Terri walked to the credenza and retrieved her pocket terminal.