Jethro: First to Fight (14 page)

“He'll come through where and when it
counts. Don't worry about his end, worry about your own. Are you sure the
shuttle has enough life support, power and fuel?”

Mary nodded. “Yes, we've checked. She's
been cleaned out, down to bare metal. We've repaired her. It will be tight
though.”

“Okay, pack it. We'll let you know when
to go,” the aide said.

“Right. But we need notice. We can't all
be living in the thing.”

“Did you get our parts?”

“Yes, but that still doesn't change the
fact that we can't be in it until launch. If we are we'll just use up the
resources and we won't make it.”

“Ah, true. Well, you won't be launching
for another week. During their FARETEP exercises.”

“Oh? How are we supposed to get to where
we are going with them moving around?”

“That's just it, so many people moving
around, you are bound to be lost in the confusion. Don't worry about that,
we've got you covered. Focus on what you need. Go over the list, you've got a
week to secure anything you've overlooked. But once you are in space...”

“There is no going back,” the man said,
nodding grimly.

“Exactly,” Nelson replied. “So pack
carefully.”

“We will.”

...*...*...*...*...

Mayweather stretched, luxuriating in the
simple act. She felt better, not as sore as she had been the first week she'd
started exercising again. Wow had she been out of shape! Now she felt better,
more alert, more active. At the end of the day she didn't feel down and
exhausted. She actually enjoyed her work outs now that she'd recovered her
muscle tone. She belted the kimono closed and then sat, crossing her legs and
picking up the saucer with her coffee. “Got a minute Firefly?” she asked, eyes
looking up to the overhead as she daintily took a sip and then set the coffee
cup back down.

“As you will Captain,” the AI responded.

“You can come in, I don't care to look
like an idiot and talk to the ceiling,” the Captain replied, smiling slightly
as she sat back. She cocked her head as the AI's avatar projected itself into
the room. “Better,” she nodded.

“You wanted to talk Captain?” Firefly
asked.

“What, no room for small talk?”
Mayweather asked amused.

“I've come to know you well over the
past year Captain. You aren't one for casual small talk,” Firefly retorted.

“True,” Mayweather replied.

“So I'm guessing you have something on
your mind and want a sounding board.”

“True,” Mayweather replied again,
smiling this time. She set the saucer and cup aside. “I'd like to talk to you
about the upcoming exercises. My only experiences are the sims we have in house
and the few group exercises the admiral organized before he left.”

“True,” the AI responded. Mayweather
glowered slightly. The AI held up a hand. “Peace. Which is a partial answer.”

“Oh?”

“I too have had little experience in a
FARETEP exercise Captain.”

“You? You are the ship right?”

“I am the AI in the ship. A ship built
in a time of war, not in peace time. FARETEP was used to prepare for war
Captain.”

“Ah,” Mayweather replied, nodding.

“I was built in the latter stages of the
Xeno war. I was thrown into combat on my first missions straight out of my
short brutal builders trials. My crew never got the chance to come together and
settle into a functional unit.”

Mayweather winced. “Ouch.”

“Not like here and now I mean,” the AI
responded. “We had constant problems, not just with the morale, but also with
parts that were never allowed to settle in properly. Parts that went from
factory new to overloaded or overextended well before their designers had
planned for. And constant abuse, abuse that wore them down. The admiral may
have designed this ship but I don't think even he anticipated the problems.”

“Ah, I see. Did you ever talk to him
about it?”

“I never got the chance,” Firefly
sighed.

“So, this is all new to you? The exams,
peace time?”

“Yes, in a way. I'm glad Commander Logan
has brought them back.”

“I understand it came from an order.
Destiny passed it on. Apparently Admiral Irons wants everyone shipshape,” the
Captain said, smiling.

“I know,” the AI responded.

“Well, a learning experience for all of
us. Though having experience might have helped us,” she said. She spread her
hands helplessly. They both knew she was referring to the admiral's exile.

“Captain, I learned the hard way too, on
the job. I never saw the inside of a slip or a shipyard after I launched. All
of my repairs were either on the fly, or one time with a tender docked to my
port side. Learning to cope with this... is different. I must say the quality
of the crew and materials is top notch compared to the latter stages of the
war.”

“So, we're measuring up?” Mayweather
asked, smiling slightly.

“To a degree Captain, to a degree. You
still have a lot to learn though, and from what I understand of it, a bit
further to go before you measure up to the standards set before the war.”

“Oh.”

“In many ways this will be a learning
experience, there will be a lot of mistakes made. But like Commander Logan, I'd
much prefer them made here, in an exercise, in peace time, than in combat. I
never got the chance to work with other ships outside a quick sim or in combat.
Learning a ship's quirks the hard way can be disastrous.”

“True.”

“More than one engagement was lost
because of that very problem. So the more time we can work together, not just
as a ship, but also as a fleet, the better we will function when combat really
does happen Captain. There is truth in the old axiom about preparation prevents
piss poor performance.”

Mayweather sighed ruefully. “I think we
always will have trouble measuring up. Irons... The fleet admiral... I can't
even imagine his experience. Decades in the service.”

“Yes well, his was a unique experience I
believe. He rose through the ranks rather quickly.”

“He... he was in the navy for how long?”
the Captain asked, turning to stare at the avatar.

The AI shrugged. “Eight decades. Seven
as an officer.”

Mayweather stared at the avatar. “And
you are saying that's
short
?” she finally asked.

“For someone with access to
anti-geriatric treatments of course,” the AI responded. “You organics can live
centuries with proper treatment.”

“Oh.”

“In peace time flag rank usually didn't
come until over
60 years
as an officer for command track
Commander
,”
Firefly said tweaking her a bit over her meteoric rise in rank. She blushed a
little and nodded curtly. “For someone in engineering tract? To get that far so
fast? He was a flag officer when he was in his fifth decade as an officer.
Usually the higher you go the longer you spend in rank until you move on. But
do to his experiences and his skills he moved up faster.”

“But it is different in wartime,”
Mayweather replied.

“Yes. Attrition is a major factor, also
getting enough warm bodies to fill all the slots required. Sometimes people are
deficient, you either get them sorted out, or shuffle them off to somewhere
that they can do little harm and grow into their new rank.”

“Ah.”

“Which is why one of the criteria of
training is to train the people under you to replace you in case of combat
loss. They need to know they can handle the job if the need arises.”

“Gee thanks. Now I'm disposable?” the
Captain asked, smiling.

“Not in so many words. But if anything
should happen to you or to a member of your chain of command, I should hope the
comfort of knowing someone will rise to the occasion to fill their shoes or
yours and take care of the ship and crew would be a balm to you.”

“Buttering me up now?” the Captain
snorted.

“Well, if I wanted to go that route, I
would have pointed out that a fully trained crew is a mark of esteem and a
career enhancer.”

“Now you are buttering me up!” the
Captain laughed, sitting back and shaking her head. “And all this testing,
training, I thought for a while it was to get everyone on the same page, to
work out the kinks... but there's always something else to it isn't there?”

“Yes Captain,” the AI replied.
“Sometimes people get too full of themselves the higher they go.  I
believe the saying is called having a power trip. Spotting them and providing
corrective behavior modifiers is part of the job.”

Mayweather smiled. “And you think I've
had a power trip?”

“Not as bad as some of your
subordinates,” Firefly responded. “I've done my best to curb them when I see
them pop up. A few still slip up. They are learning on the job after all. The
best thing to do is to humble them a little every now and again. Keep them
honest,” the AI responded.

Mayweather thought about that, cocking
her head slightly. She remembered Harris, how much of an ass he was. How much
of a pompous ass he
still
was. Finally she nodded and smiled slightly.
“Well, the next time you have a recreant miscreant, do clue me in. I'd love to
drop by uninvited at the right time to jerk them up by the short hairs.”

The AI sniffed. “I believe you'd would
love to do that. Perverse being that you are,” he responded.

“Ah, you know me so well,” the Captain
chuckled.

“Is that all?” the AI asked.

Mayweather smiled and picked her coffee
cup up. “For now.”

“Very well. Have a good evening
Captain,” the AI responded as his image disappeared.

“I think we're getting the hang of
this,” the Captain quipped, signing off on a logistics report with a flourish.

“I should hope so, it's only been what?
Two years?” Commander Logan replied, taking her tablet.

“It's not nice to poke fun at the
obvious Commander,” the Captain said with mock angst. Shelby snorted softly,
scanning the document quickly with a practiced eye.

“Was it always this way?” Captain
Mayweather asked, turning to the AI avatar. “Commander?”

“Oh? Sorry Captain, and no, it wasn't.
At least not for me.”

“Oh?”

“You have to excuse me, for me this too
is a learning experience. I was constructed during the Xeno war, so I never
knew peacetime. So I am learning a lot.”

“So no nostalgia?”

“Nostalgia for me would be remembering
the actual battle damage and casualties, not simulating them Captain,” Firefly
replied. The Captain hesitated ever so slightly. The AI shrugged. “Like I said,
this is new. For instance, having enough warm bodies alone is a new thing to
me.”

“Warm bodies... you mean people? Crew?”

“Yes. This is the first time in memory
that I am not only at establishment but actually
over
establishment.
Usually that happened when we took on evacuees from another ship, station, or
planet. It was always temporary and they weren't considered crew. This is... it
takes some getting used to.”

“Ah,” the Captain said and then nodded
turning to the exec as she finished with the tablet. “I see,” she said, smiling
ever so slightly. “We good?”

“We, meaning you, are good. Yes ma'am.
You managed to sign on the dotted line, dotted every I, and crossed every T.”

“Shucks. Well, there's always next
time,” the Captain teased with a wicked smile. The exec snorted, tucking the
tablet under one arm. A yeoman cleared his throat and she turned, saw his
expectant hand out and she sheepishly handed the device over to him.

They turned to see the yeoman give the
report a look over with a critical eye. Suddenly Mayweather was taken back to
when she had been a child on the Carib Queen, under her tutor's no nonsense
gaze. It was a little humbling.

The yeoman nodded, clipped his heels
together, nodded and then left them.

“Dismissed,” Shelby murmured. “Or at
least we are,” she said, turning an eye to the Captain. “Do you ever get the
feeling we're just for show? That the noncoms are really running the show and
they let us play with the toys only if we've eaten all our supper and done our
homework?”

The Captain's lips quivered as she
fought a smile. She snorted, shaking her head. “Something like that,” she said,
not at all surprised that Shelby had the same feelings she had just had. They
had come a long ways, connecting into an effective command team. Each had their
own area of expertise, hers on the Carib Queen, the exec's as an assistant
engineering Chief on Anvil and later as Chief engineer on Firefly.

“How are we on the watch bills?” she
asked. They had been having trouble getting Janice to step up to the plate and
take responsibility of the bridge as a bridge officer. The same went for Sam,
their last Communication's officer. That had changed however.

A part of being an officer, at least a
junior bridge officer, was to garner time in the hot seat. To some it was a way
to prove how reliable they were. For others it was a chance at being in command
of a warship, a heady rush. Of course when the weight really settled, and the
implications of being responsible if something went wrong hit, they weren't so
eager to put their head in the noose. Or at least were a lot more aware of the
consequences to their own careers.

One of the real reasons for the junior
officers to carry the watch was to help them build the self confidence and ship
handling skills they would need when they really were the Captain or executive
officer. Which for some was soon once the new ships were launched for their
builders trials.

“It looks like things have settled down
Captain. No recent changes, or need to shake things up.”

“Good,” the Captain replied with a nod.
“Glad that's done.”

“For now at least,” the AI replied.

“It's not nice to pop a ladies dream of
smooth sailing,” the Captain said, mock withering.

“Sorry Captain, just how things go.”

“Pessimist.”

“Realist actually,” the AI replied, not
rising to her bait. “And as I was saying, we are over establishment. So, once
construction get's back underway, I have a feeling we'll be poached.”

“Oh? That sounds depressing?”

“Well, it's to be expected. We're
actually overdue,” Firefly replied.

“True. It doesn't mean I have to like
breaking in new people though,” the Captain sighed. “Just when you get them
trained up right, get them to learn to lace their shoes and wipe their own
noses, they up and leave you.”

“It's all a part of growing up Captain,”
Firefly replied.

The Captain turned to her exec. “Does
that mean you will be leaving the nest soon I suppose?”

Shelby shook her head. “Not if I can
help it Captain.”

“Oh?”

“Dad... excuse me, Commander Logan
doesn't have my command, or should I say, my future command ready. Yet.”

“Ah. Prometheus?” Mayweather asked,
quirking an eyebrow.

“Exactly. She may not be a warship, but
with my background, she's right up my alley. I'm looking forward to playing
with her... as soon as we get all her toys installed that is.”

“It's going to be a long wait Commander.
You do realize others may pass you by right?”

Shelby shrugged. “It's not a race. At
least not for me,” she said. “Besides, some people still need looking after,”
she said with a smile to her Captain.

The Captain gave her a mock glower for a
moment then snorted. “Funny. Really funny.”

“I really think we've got the shifts
sorted out.”

“Oh you do? I for one am not so sure
about having five shifts,” the Captain replied.

The watch bills were broken into five
shifts, each manned by a junior officer. Department heads like the Captain, XO,
Chief Engineer, and Chief doctor were usually standoff. They were considered
always on duty, something they had come to learn over the past several years.
They had eased out of the hot seat, handing over the watch to those who needed
the confidence and polish and seat time.

Watches were for every department, from
the bridge to main engineering and each of the power and engine rooms. Since
many junior officers, fresh from the academy or college lacked field
experience, their seniors usually sat in the background and did paperwork on
quiet shifts. That let the juniors do the grunt work while having wiser heads
to fall back on if something went wrong.

Still, it took them a while to truly
understand that the watches weren't for them to garner glory or to shine apples
for teacher, but to gain necessary seasoning and polishing. Many still hadn't
come to realize that Firefly critiqued their performance after each shift for
later review.

The AI Firefly scheduled his own
downtime during the graveyard in order to process information from his
temporary memory buffers. Artificial intelligences needed downtime just like
organics in order to process the information of the day into their long term
memory. Sometimes they took time during quiet periods to process the load, the
equivalent of a nap, but it was never quite enough to do the job properly.

The five bridge shifts were run by a
different officer for each watch. Four of them were manned by organics, the
last by Firefly. The shift commanders, or Officers Of the Deck as they were
called were the Senior Communications Officer, Senior Tactical Officer,
Astronavigator, and Junior Tactical officer. The JTO was the defensive officer
of the ship.

Since tactical officers had double duty
they were considered the fast track to promotion, building up time on their
service records for time as Officer Of the deck or OOD.

First shift was handled by First
Lieutenant Purple Thorn, the Senior Tactical officer, or tac witch. She was a
veteran spacer, she didn't need looking after despite her diminutive size. Some
people did tend to forget she was in a seat though, twice she had nearly been
sat on. The Captain had lovingly given her a hat pin for the next possible
occurrence.

Purple Thorn had served with the Captain
on smaller commands before transferring in a year ago. She had settled in, even
though her Captain still twitted her about her size and dueled for the tac witch
title on a daily basis. Since she was the most reliable junior bridge officer,
Firefly had rescheduled his downtime to coincide with her shift. She had teased
the AI about missing out on her tactical sims, but he hadn't risen to the bait.
Unfortunately for the elf, the Captain occasionally did. Not that the bruised
ego either of them occasionally had after such match ups ever was a deterrent
to keep the other from razzing them about a loss. Usually the loser went out of
her way for revenge, and usually, she succeeded.

First Lieutenant Janice Lu was also an
old friend of the Captain, having come from Carib queen as well. She had taken
second watch under protest. Janice had been set in her ways, preferring to be
just a helms-woman for much of the first year on the ship. The Captain had
coaxed her out of her shell, or kicked her out kicking and screaming, opinions
differed on that point. She had passed the junior officer exam as well as the
hypernavigator correspondence course and test. She had been nervous about
manning the bridge for some time and had taken time to settle into the harness.

She resented leaving the helm department
to the greenhorn Coxswain Roman, he was a good lad, but she missed Jesse. Jesse
had moved on to Fuentes and was now an Ensign.

Third shift was split into two dog
watches. Each dog watch was half the watch. The JTO Ensign Tr'j'ck a Veraxin,
served as the first half, Firefly served as OOD for the second dog watch. Each
dog watch allowed the crew time to eat dinner as a group, a necessary bonding
measure carried by tradition.

And finally, Ensign Ray Sampson the
Senior Communication's officer manned the graveyard watch. For a
communication's officer he was sometimes a surly taciturn officer,
uncommunicative from time to time. It had taken some time to find out why, his
abysmal tactical scores had forced him into a career track not of his liking.
The Captain had taken some time to try to work with the man, but he was a bit
hopeless in sims. That didn't help her mental opinion of him if things ever
went south and
he
was in charge of her bridge when it did. However he
was old for his rank, having worked in communications on the Krensha colony for
over two decades before taking a commission. He also didn't scare easy, he kept
a cool head even when things went south.

Each department had juniors and each
major installation had its own watch bills to manage. Engineering was the
largest department, with watches in the drive rooms, power rooms, and other
installations. They even had small craft crews in the various boat bays,
attending to the shuttles, fighters, and other craft there.

“So we're good?” the Captain asked,
taking her seat and rubbing her arm rests as the chair molded to her body and
her displays rearranged themselves around her to her liking.

“It looks that way. At least for now
Captain,” Shelby replied, standing at her side.

“Good,” the Captain murmured softly.
“Good.” She smiled and picked up a second tablet from the pouch on the right
side of her chair. “Then by any chance, would you know what this is?”

Shelby frowned, looking over her
shoulder. “I hope you don't mind me pointing out the obvious Captain, but to me
it looks like a tablet.”

“Cute.”

“I think someone left it there.”

“Ah, I see,” the Captain said. She knew
that her XO knew that the reports were in the ship's cloud, so the tablet was
just a tool to access them. She liked the things, after growing up without
implants they were a lot easier to use than implants, but she still couldn't
resist twittering her crew over having so many of them.

Captain Mayweather came from a small
ship, originally XO under her sister on the Carib Queen, she had been abandoned
when her sister had left her, Janice, and two dozen others on Anvil in order to
run from the pirates.

Renne had signed on with the admiral as
a tactical officer, impressing him and others, like then Lieutenant Harris,
with her skills. Due to her beginnings though, she hadn't been fully trusted so
she had been taken on as tactical officer and XO under Commander Logan on the
corvette Sun-Yat when they recovered her, and then the Captain of Maya with
then Ensign Naomi as her Chief engineer. 

Frigates, Corvettes, and gunships had
tiny crews, with few officers, so each officer manned a watch. It had taken
Mayweather months to get used to not needing to man a watch, to allow her
juniors to take the watch and just supervise. Sometimes she wondered about
their people, they seemed to be making it up as they went along. Sure they were
getting some things right, but sometimes not. But they always did correct
things; or fiddle with things that didn't need correcting. That tended to be
even more aggravating.