Living a CAP Based PresentChapter 23 So Many Square Pegs
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The task force jumped on time. A couple of the Castle ships actually entered a few second before Zulu opened up its jump point, but there were no major problems.
Admiral Redmill was livid at the level of problems in the navigation and helm operations. He kept trying to blame Ipanema and Corsica. My few communications with Captain Prescott during the short run to the jump point were tinged with anger as both of us tried to reign in sarcastic responses to the Admiral.
We entered jump and everyone on the bridge breathed a huge sigh of relief. The communications system we used would not work again until we emerged at Gee One Dash Six Five Nine. I smiled and looked over at Ensign Munfree.
“Ensign, you did very well, especially at deflecting Admiral Redmill’s constant verbal harassment.”
“What will you do about him?” Jessica asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “I may be part of his command since Crucible is considered to be part of the territory protected by the naval base at Yularaat, but I don’t report directly to him. Colonel Stiles is my commanding officer.”
“But the Admiral could bring charges against you,” Ensign White whispered.
“For what?” I asked. “I’ve obeyed every command he’s given, even the ones that may not be his to give. In fact, if you look at how the ships performed during the flight to the jump point, I’d argue that Corsica was the best out of all the ships involved.”
“The Admiral didn’t seem to agree,” Ensign Munfree said.
“It happens,” I replied. “Kels, Jess, call all the weapons crews. I’d like to hold a meeting in the cafeteria now that we’ve jumped. We’re running at a slightly reduced speed so we have time to prepare and I’d like to make the most of it.”
“Can do,” Ensign White said. “Can you give me any hints as to what this will be about?”
“Not right now,” I said. “Chaz, can you call Sergeant Kelly and let him know I’d like to meet him in my office immediately. And then let Ensign Daniels know he will take the first watch during the jump.”
“What about me?” Ensign Munfree asked.
“Sleep,” I said. “And I’m serious about that. We can’t have you passing out in the middle of combat this time.”
“But,” Ensign Munfree said softly.
“No, make the calls and then head to your bunk. When we emerge in the system we’ll need your skill on the comm system to kept us connected with Zulu and Ipanema. I know you want to do more, but right now I need you to get rest,” I said.
“But,” Ensign Munfree protested again.
“No more buts. Make the calls. I’ll be heading to my office to meet with Blaine. Once that is complete I better hear that you are in your bunk resting,” I said as I stood up. “And make sure Ensign Daniels knows he’s the officer in charge.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ensign White asked.
“We need to get the crew ready. They know the basics, but they are the ones who have to execute this bad plan. Let’s give them the opportunity to think about it,” I said.
“We’ll see you in the cafeteria soon then,” Jessica said.
I nodded as I headed to the exit from the bridge. I could feel a slight increase in energy from the others.
When I entered the hall I could hear the loudspeaker crackle. “Everyone, we have jumped and are now on our way to the Gee One Dash Six Five Nine system. We are supposed to keep station with the other ships in the task force, so our expected arrival is in thirty hours. Captain Parker has requested all weapons crews meet in the cafeteria in ten minutes. You will be receiving a full briefing then.”
“She didn’t say anything about me,” I heard Blaine say. I turned to my right to find the senior helmsman leaning against the wall of the corridor.
He smiled. “I figured that I’d be running the helm once we arrive in the system, and that you’d want to talk once we were jumped and Admiral Redmill couldn’t interfere or demand attention.”
“Let’s head into my office,” I said with a smile. “It seems this will be a brief meeting.”
“I just hope it’s a successful one. This mission has to be bad if you are worrying,” Blaine said.
“I’d worry if we were part of a parade. This ship isn’t filled with former Earth military members. Many officers we encounter will have problems with that. So we have to be better,” I replied.
“We are,” Blaine said. “Terrence and I found that you can turn one of the walls in the cafeteria into a screen showing what you can see on the bridge. We watched the castle class ships stumble about.”
“That surprised me,” I said as we entered my office. I pointed to the corner area with the couch. “I expected ships coming from the local naval base to be much better prepared.”
“Why?” Blaine asked. “They don’t fear anything, and it looks like Admiral Redmill was saving them for this big attack. It would be like a pro football team told they have to play a high school team. The pro team wouldn’t prepare because they would be too confident.”
“I never thought about that,” I admitted as I sat down. Blaine sat on the other couch so he could face me. “I was thinking more about this mission. If you heard, Corsica and Ipanema have to escort Zulu all the way to the Sa’arm held planet.”
“Not easy,” Blaine said. “If we’re acting as an escort, we can’t move too much, which limits what we can do to make sure the Sa’arm miss. I can see why you’d want a meeting.”
“I need you mentally ready to come up with ways to dodge without exposing Zulu. Admiral Redmill is looking for us to make a mistake. Worse, the Sa’arm will jump on any mistake we make,” I said.
“It will be hard. You’re taking about us protecting a ship that is more than twice the size of Corsica as we cross open space to reach what we have to expect will be a well defended target. The big issue will be working with Kels,” Blaine said.
“Oh?” I asked. I suspected I knew the problem, but I needed to see if Blaine could articulate it.
“Our best weapon is going to be the rail gun, but firing that means turning the ship to face the target. That means I have to switch off control with the weapons officer on a regular basis without leaving the ship vulnerable. We practiced it a bit in the simulations, but this will be the first time we have to coordinate during combat,” Blaine said.
“I know you can do it,” I said confidently.
“What about the castle class ships?” Blaine asked. “They have turreted weapons and would be better at the kind of point defense we really need for this mission.”
“They are supposed to provide a diversion to help Zulu, Ipanema and Corsica get closer to the planet before the Sa’arm act to stop them,” I said.
“Not a good idea,” Blaine said. “But that fits what you described. We can get around that though I think. For now I’ll get some sleep and make sure Terrence and Michael understand that they’ll have to cover for me until just before we emerge from this jump.”
“Go,” I commanded. “I have a crew to brief.”
“I don’t envy you that,” Blaine said quietly. “This is going to be a nasty mission.”
“I’ll make sure the ship makes it home. I can’t promise what shape it will be in, but I’m bringing it home,” I vowed.
Blaine said nothing more. The man nodded and then stood up. He turned and headed out of my office as I sat there. My body shook as a surge of adrenaline faded.
“Captain, all of the weapons crews are in the cafeteria,” the AI informed me.
I stood up and started to walk out of my office. “My job is never done,” I muttered as I entered the passageway.
I waited for the door to close and then released a massive sigh. Tatyana immediately put her arms around me. “That was hard on you,” she observed. I feel like I’m the only sheep in a room filled with hungry wolves. There are quite a few members of the crew that would do their best to replace me if they thought I’d fail,” I replied as I stood up. “Never let them see you sweat?” Tatyana said. “Basically,” I agreed as I stood up. “AI, you can power down this room until the next training...
We were surprised to find that less than a third of the desks in the classroom were filled when we filed into the room of our German class. Jessica and Kelsey grabbed seats in one row and immediately started pointing to the seats around them. I started to walk around Jessica to the far side of the room, only to have Matti grab my shoulder and drag me to the seat in front of Kelsey. Jason sat down next to me. He shook his head as the others arranged themselves in the seats around Jessica....
The next two hours were spent quietly monitoring the ship’s systems as we continued to crawl towards Yulara and the orbital station. Blaine and I said little as we watched the one prototype ship circle its target. Only two more attack runs were attempted and one confirmed Kelsey’s comments about the weapon’s short range. The ship fired from what appeared to be about twice the distance as the first run only for every shot to fade away before they reached the moon. Blaine repeated his thanks...
When Ashley led me from the television room that night, I think I finally realized that my thoughts about just how crazy things might become had been wrong. Just the rumor of and few released reports about the Sa'arm invasion had been enough to get four hundred women into that room based on a very faint promise of protection. They had submitted to a televised humiliation on little more than a rumor and trust in the government. I was determined not to let the show upset me too much, but that...
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“My orders are as follows,” Admiral Redmill continued. “We are to complete the space trials of the new Africa class destroyers. As part of that trial we need to see the ship in combat. Thanks to the efforts of your scout ships we know that the Sa’arm are currently setting up an entrenched position in the Gee One Dash ... Six Five Eight system I believe.” I forced my hands to remain wrapped around Constance. Ashley groaned at hearing the Admiral name the wrong system. At her groan both...
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When Chung walked up to the jeep he was still laughing at me and Jenkins. "Sarge, you have problems, first you shoot at big mouth and no hit. Now you make team doctor mad, better hope you no get wounded or he might sew something in wrong place. You need get drunk and relax." "I don't think so my friend. This whole mission is getting too big and complex for me. Come, let us walk and I will explain what is going on." While we walked around the village I was explaining to Chung all that...
My weekend passed quickly. Not from a time perspective, but from a feeling that I never was able to give Ashley, Lenore, Angelique, Kelsey and my friends all the attention and time they deserved. A huge part of me was feeling a bit frustrated when we returned to school on Monday for Homecoming week. We had heard that the freshman were going to have a float for the homecoming parade and game on Friday, but Jessica and I had been unable to find out who was organizing the efforts. Jason...
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Group Captain Montague's Mission By Vivienne Marcus One: The young British officer stood straight as a musket on the varnished wooden floor of the office on the seventh floor of the Whitehall Headquarters of the Secret Service. There were three other people in the room. Ahead of him, sitting behind an imposing oak desk topped with well worn dark green leather was a short gray-haired man in a dark brown tweed suit. He had a neatly trimmed moustache. A straight pipe was...
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My thoughts after the pickup proved true. Ashley and Lenore rarely let me leave their sight during the days leading up to the New Year. Jason and Jessica had the same issue. A simple plan to go for a run in the park quickly became an organized march as their companions demanded to go with them. Becky was the worst. She clung to Morgan. Beatrice had called their employer and tried to explain the issues, but was not sure she was successful. She succeeded in getting Becky a week off without...
I stood up and walked toward the door, leaving my unfinished drawing on the easel. Jessica gave a cry of annoyance, as I walked away. I heard her easel crash to the floor behind me as I left the building. Outside, I walked a few feet from the door and then turned around. A couple minutes later Jessica stormed out of the classroom. She walked right up to me and slapped me across the face. "How can you embarrass me like that!" she hissed. I said nothing. Instead I pointed to a bench set far...
I held Ashley close. There was a musical chime coming from the backpack at her feet. She giggled and looked down at it. "Mark, that's my cell phone. Can you grab my bag?" I shifted to the left so I could use my left hand to reach the bag. My right hand Ashley held pinned against her pussy. She was rocking gently against my hand as I picked up her bag and lifted it to the table. Once it was on the table Ashley dug through a side pocket to find her phone. "It's Mom!" she exclaimed as...
It must have been only a moment, but I came awake with my arms wrapped around Ashley. She was lying there senseless. I pushed my body off hers and rolled to the side. Once we were lying next to each other, I began offering loving kisses. "Will it always be like that?" Ashley asked with a sigh. "I wish it will be," I replied as I held her. "That was just about perfect." "I know," Ashley said as she put her arms around me and squeezed me. "I never expected that." "I love you," I...
Fortunately, the rest of the protest was rather peaceful. My brother stopped the few anarchists who had shown up hoping to use the protest as cover for some robbery attempts. Jason, Ashley, and I found that someone had already warned people on the route of the march. Buildings were closed, and many had placed boards over their windows to protect them. The three-mile march proved to be no more strenuous than a weekend jog. Jason was the first to notice that the marchers were having trouble...
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Ashley and I were quiet on the drive home. We were pulling into the driveway at my place when Ashley quietly asked. "Mark? Should we have offered her a chance to leave Earth with you?" "No," I said firmly. "There was no connection. Both of us think Kelsey is sweet and adorable. With Lenore it seemed like we came to the same conclusion about her sadness. And we know they get along with each other. I liked that Connie was willing to help when I had to intervene in the fight at the store,...
I was sitting in the Captain's office waiting to be called in for my mission briefing. I had been sitting drinking the lousy coffee for forty five minutes already and I could hear the Captain shouting at someone in his office. I don't know who the poor soul was, but for the Captain to raise his voice above a whisper, he must have really gotten him pissed. I was somewhat pissed myself because I was still looking for a second and still hadn't found one I thought I could work with. The few I...
I was a bit worried about being late so I immediately started jogging. I was passing the next door when I heard Morgan shout. “Hey! Mark, what’s the hurry?” I turned back to see Morgan jogging down the corridor. I choked back a laugh as I shook my head and slowed down until he caught up. “I figure being late sets a bad example,” I replied. “And this matters to you,” Morgan said with a nod. “Do you want to wait for Jason and Jessica?” “They know to get to a meeting on time,” I said. “I...
The walk across the dark landscape took a few minutes longer than I had hoped, but it was only three forty-nine when we arrived at the administration building. The door opened up and we found ourselves looking at a small room with several doors and a large purple circle marking a gravity elevator. “Wow,” Ashley said as we entered. “Lots of space.” “Which way to the teleportal?” I asked. “Use the first door on the left,” the AI said. “Concubines must wait for their citizen or another...
Becky picked up most of us. Matilda and Kelsey were riding home with us for the first time all week. Becky noticed as they jumped into the minivan. "I have extra passengers," she said. "I'm glad I didn't bring Angelique. She wanted to come" "Awww," Kelsey and Matilda said in unison. "We wanted to see her." "I haven't gotten to play with her all week," Kelsey added. "You choose to go home with Jessica," Jason pointed out. "Well," Kelsey said. "I don't go home with...
I muted my cell phone. "Everyone is fine with this correct?" I asked. Letty giggled. "It sounds like you'll have fun. I'll stay out for the most part. I'm Jason's sex slave and should be seen naked and at his feet." Ashley laughed. "Oh, that's so wrong its right. I agree though. Mark, it should be mostly you with Jason, Jessica, and Morgan offering the most support. We already know it will probably be about you." "This song is not about me," I said firmly. "I never thought...
Note to Readers: A lot of the facts in this one are true and also a lot of what is described actually happened. The VC were cruel and hated the hill tribes with a passion. ARVN troops were almost as bad as the VC and it created a lot of tension with the teams working in the bush. LZ Hardtimes was a firebase and thus the VC gave it hell every chance they got to do so. I had just come out from putting on my camo's to go back to my hooch when the tail end of a conversation between Chief and...
By the time the hour instruction was complete I think most of the people in the room had fallen asleep. I had followed along for a while and then found that the desk allowed me to zoom in even more on sections as the AI discussed them. The one thing I quickly noticed was that the ship was designed to not need a crew. Just about everything could be handled by the computer. Only the combat tasks like firing the weapons or making emergency changes to engine output would require human...