Part 2 (2/2)
”Roger that, CDC.”
”CO?”.
”Go, Ground Boss!”
”The Robots report outnumbered and being attacked by a force that just appeared on them from nowhere!” Army Brigadier General Brantley reported.
”Well, General, I'd suggest they fight back,” the XO added with the most gruff Marine sarcasm he could muster. It just sounded gruff-Chekov wasn't that good at sarcasm.
”Roger that,” the ground boss replied and then began issuing commands DTM to Colonel Roberts and Colonel Warboys on the red surface below. The air boss took the orders given to the ground boss to heart immediately and started signaling the fighters to attack any new vehicles entering the mix.
”Structural Integrity Fields at maximum and start shooting back, folks! Let's move,” the XO shouted and rerouted simulated power to the SIFs.
”Nav!”
”Aye, sir?”
”Put us between the Blair Blair and the surface. Don't want them taking potshots at our troops down there, do we?” Wallace tapped some virtual icons around his head to plan where to make his next move. Simulations of potential battle-scenario outcomes ran quickly in his mindview. With the advent of the new Seppy teleportation tech, the fleet needed to practice fighting against it. And since a few of the fleets.h.i.+ps had been equipped with the tech as well, the U.S. military had been war-gaming with it. Both the and the surface. Don't want them taking potshots at our troops down there, do we?” Wallace tapped some virtual icons around his head to plan where to make his next move. Simulations of potential battle-scenario outcomes ran quickly in his mindview. With the advent of the new Seppy teleportation tech, the fleet needed to practice fighting against it. And since a few of the fleets.h.i.+ps had been equipped with the tech as well, the U.S. military had been war-gaming with it. Both the Tyler Tyler and the and the Lincoln Lincoln had teleported troops in and out and around the battlescape over the past four hours, forcing the had teleported troops in and out and around the battlescape over the past four hours, forcing the Madira Madira's groundpounders, tankheads, and mecha jocks to learn to quickly adapt tactics and think more four-dimensionally in their battle reactions. Wallace was becoming proficient at battle tactics and strategies involving troops and equipment appearing and vanis.h.i.+ng and reappearing at different locations throughout a conflict. But they had yet to be in an actual engagement with the technology. Practice makes perfect, Practice makes perfect, he thought. he thought.
Captain Benson Harrison, the chief engineer, a.k.a. CHENG, for the USS Sienna Madira Sienna Madira, watched silently over his crew from the privacy of his office. His door was locked, and he was ”indisposed” at the moment. In fact, he was both an observer and-as prearranged by the admiral-a red-team spy. He kept a very close eye through DTM on the ongoing battle simulation and how his second-in-command, Lieutenant Commander Joe Buckley Jr., was handling the situation of being in charge. To Harrison this was more than a test of his second-in-command of the engineering nexus of the mammoth supercarrier: it was a job interview for his replacement. But Joe didn't know that.
Benny, as he insisted his team call him, had watched Joe closely from day one. In fact, on Joe's first day of duty on the Madira Madira he had performed amazingly as a main propulsion a.s.sistant in order to make the s.h.i.+p's hypers.p.a.ce jaunt projectors give the s.h.i.+p one last and badly needed jaunt out of the line of fire of an enemy railgun. Amazing and timely performance, yes, but his-the then-new lieutenant's-actions led him and an engineer's mate to be fried through and through with high-energy gamma rays. The two barely made it to sick bay before their organs ceased functioning. Fortunately, they survived, were both rejuved, and even commended for their actions. Both were promoted. The engineer's mate resigned as soon as his four years were up. But Joe stayed on as a career man like his father had been. Benny appreciated that, especially after having put in his thirty years for the Navy. And since that day a couple years before, he had been grooming Joe to be his successor whether Buckley wanted the position or not. he had performed amazingly as a main propulsion a.s.sistant in order to make the s.h.i.+p's hypers.p.a.ce jaunt projectors give the s.h.i.+p one last and badly needed jaunt out of the line of fire of an enemy railgun. Amazing and timely performance, yes, but his-the then-new lieutenant's-actions led him and an engineer's mate to be fried through and through with high-energy gamma rays. The two barely made it to sick bay before their organs ceased functioning. Fortunately, they survived, were both rejuved, and even commended for their actions. Both were promoted. The engineer's mate resigned as soon as his four years were up. But Joe stayed on as a career man like his father had been. Benny appreciated that, especially after having put in his thirty years for the Navy. And since that day a couple years before, he had been grooming Joe to be his successor whether Buckley wanted the position or not.
Melissa, he thought to his AIC. he thought to his AIC. Sim a malfunction in the Damage Control a.s.sessment System. With that shut down, he won't know what is working and what isn't. Sim a malfunction in the Damage Control a.s.sessment System. With that shut down, he won't know what is working and what isn't.
Aye, Benny, Melissa Four One Four Eight Mike Juliet Oscar replied. Melissa Four One Four Eight Mike Juliet Oscar replied. Done. Done.
”Okay, Buckley, let's see you get out of this one.” The CHENG leaned back in his seat and smiled.
”Joe! We just lost the DCAS!” Lieutenant Mira Concepcion shouted from her console at the damage control a.s.sistant's station.
”Roger that, Mira. Get that thing back up. And get someone visually checking Aux Prop, Main Prop, SIF Generators, DEG power, and catapult-field power systems every thirty seconds until that thing is fixed!” Lieutenant Commander Joe Buckley Jr., acting CHENG, ordered in response. Like the CHENG, Joe had worked by the first-name-basis protocol in engineering. It had originally taken him time to get used to the approach, but after a few years of it he found he liked it. On the other hand, Joe was more likely to slip into official Navy protocol in crisis or heated discussions than Benny was.
”Joe, we've got reports from CDC and the STO that the Blair Blair has popped into reals.p.a.ce and is QMTing troops and mecha dirtside left and right! They want to make sure the SIFs are set to block a teleported boarding party!” Technology Officer Lieutenant Commander Janet Wilbanks barked her report as she frantically typed in commands on her console. has popped into reals.p.a.ce and is QMTing troops and mecha dirtside left and right! They want to make sure the SIFs are set to block a teleported boarding party!” Technology Officer Lieutenant Commander Janet Wilbanks barked her report as she frantically typed in commands on her console.
”Yeah, I see that, Janet. Keep the structural-integrity field frequencies s.h.i.+fting on a random pattern. Any structure to it will allow some weisenheimer with a quantum computer to crack it. Set an AIC-to-AIC connection between your station and the air boss to allow any approved boarding to briefly run a standard SIF encryption pattern.” Joe thought about it as he replied. As long as the SIFs were allowed to vary in frequency at random, there would be no way anybody could hack the sequence and slip through. The s.h.i.+elds would simply be impenetrable as long as they held-theoretically, of course. However, there wasn't any guarantee that the SIFs would prevent a QMT teleport. The quantum-membrane technology used in the teleport projectors was still very new and not well understood. Even though the U.S. Navy hadn't figured out a way to use a QMT teleporter to penetrate a s.h.i.+p when its SIFs were activated didn't mean the Seppies hadn't. And who knew what kind of bug the sim was going to throw at them?
”Roger that, Joe.” Janet turned about the work, and Joe didn't give it a second thought.
”Mira! Where are my main systems visual confirmations? Are we sure everything is working?”
”First visuals are coming in now, Joe. Everything is clicking hot! The bells are ringing and the whistles are blowin'.”
”All right. Don't make me ask next time. Every thirty seconds until you've got your station fixed!”
”Aye.”
”Aha! I've got you now, Buckley.” Benny laughed to himself and tapped in a s.h.i.+p-to-s.h.i.+p personal communications link.
”CHENG Blair Blair. CHENG Madira Madira.”
”Benny?” The Chief Engineer of the USS Anthony Blair Anthony Blair's face popped up on Benny's holoscreen.
”Hey, Susan. How's your second doing?”
”Good, so far. What can I do for you?”
”Tell your captain that if she were to focus on our SIFs, we wouldn't know if they were down or not for about thirty seconds. They might be able to QMT a raiding party through the back door.” Benny smiled at his counterpart.
”Really? I'll pa.s.s that along. Appreciate the info, Benny.”
”Anything I can do for you, as always.” Benny leaned back in his chair a bit and relaxed his back muscles. The holoview s.h.i.+fted to compensate for his change in position.
”Well, if you put it that way.” Susan paused briefly and stared blankly into s.p.a.ce. ”My second has a tendency to ignore secondary power conduits. In about three minutes Main Prop is gonna overheat and blow out a main power-transfer conduit. I want to see how long it will take him to find an alternative route while he's under duress. We'll be dead in the water for several minutes probably.”
”Got it. I'll pa.s.s that along to the bridge. They might be able to prolong your overheating problem.”
”Thanks, Benny. Knew I could count on ya.”
”Roger that, Suze. Benny out.”
Melissa, send a message to the CO that we're gonna be boarded in a few minutes and that the Blair Blair is gonna be stuck in place about the same time, is gonna be stuck in place about the same time, Benny thought as he looked over his s.h.i.+p through the DTM interface. Even though there was simulated damage, he was still keeping an eye on the Benny thought as he looked over his s.h.i.+p through the DTM interface. Even though there was simulated damage, he was still keeping an eye on the real real status of his beloved supercarrier. At least, it was still his for now. He hoped he'd have good hands to leave her in. status of his beloved supercarrier. At least, it was still his for now. He hoped he'd have good hands to leave her in.
Roger that, Benny, his AIC replied. his AIC replied.
Chapter 3.
July 1, 2394 AD Tau Ceti Planet Four, Moon Alpha, a.k.a. Ares New Tharsis, Capital City of the United Separatist Republic Friday, 7:40 AM, Earth Eastern Standard Time Friday, 3:40 AM Madira Valley Standard Time ”The QMT facility is fully operational, Madam President.” Admiral Sterling Maximillian of the United Separatist Republic Navy looked in at Elle Ahmi through the long-range quantum-membrane communication link.
Elle only halfheartedly paid the highest ranking officer in the Separatist military any mind. Just then the brilliant colors of the gas-giant planet's rings were cresting over the horizon and casting a brilliant purple and blue hue over the valley below. She looked through the partially transparent holoview and out the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side at the beauty of the Jovian system. Moons Beta, Gamma, Epsilon, and Iota were clearly visible, although Iota had never really qualified as a moon in Elle's mind, but astronomers will be astronomers. The sunlight reflected from the gas giant onto Epsilon in just the right way so glimmers from the man-made albedo changes could be noticed. The mining facility there was growing every day, and soon they would be exporting that to the other colonies-all of them but the Sol System, of course.
”President Ahmi, ma'am?” The admiral interrupted the Separatist leader's tranquil moment.
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