Haze Gray 24
Lisa said "You got it."
Hue agreed "Yeah we got it now. Even my signal processor can pick them out now. So, the little bastards learned to stay back a hundred miles unless they want a Mark forty-six mod K suppository.
"Taylor, I want a thousand of those. The Navy is probably going to send you all the ones we have in inventory to get them modded, the fifty fours too. Same torpedo really, 'improved', read costs more and lines the death merchants pockets better, while at least seaming like it doesn't work as well until everyone gets retrained with the things.
"Your net tenders got the nets up, helps that the anchors and piles for the non-movable nets were still there. So, we are good to go and going to start our run in, you guys can collapse the screen behind us.
"What are you new girls' names, I don't want to log you as Tender and LHA."
Noelle smiled "Antietam. The Iron Brigade fought hard there, and most of my class were named after hard fought battles. Plus, Wisconsin." The girls smiled.
Hue replied "If she wakes up you have a name sister that's a cruiser in the US Navy."
"Buck." Rachel replied and got more smiles from all the girls. Call of the Wild wasn't a classic for nothing and it was Rachels favorite.
Taylor looked around "Yeah, getting thirsty and being out here after dark is going to be a horrible idea if cock eyed lizard read the history. We can hang out by the nets and cover the PTs as they do a sweep. Their radar should pick any that come up up.
"My subchasers to? Though apparently, they are going pretty far out for some preposition ships.
Amy shook her head "Better let the Orion's cover them and get some rest while we can. There were a metric shit ton of armed surface combatants sunk and never salvaged in both world wars. So far you are the one that mainly has to deal with them. The big boys at least. We can't crack their armor like you can.
"They, the Orion's, got the data dump and they are processing now, plus they are rotating to Pease for Mark forty six mod K as fast as the torpedo shop can turn them out, which is about as fast as the planes can get here. Eight an hour or so. Apparently, we take the ones they have and trade them Mod Ks."
Lisa huffed "Those yeomen better be keeping good records."
Hue laughed "I got you penny pincher, if no one else does. I see the drops. They are getting about one an hour. They sort of have to catch the little bastards by surprise once two or three of them get one localized. Nice though, One torp, one little bastard.
"The buoys are good for like six hours too so even without refueling or shutting down an engine the birds can rotate off and the next bird pick the buoys up. They are sort of fencing them off in the eastern Atlantic."
"Seventy K for the upgrade but we get the cores so as long as those are good it cancels out-" The girls snickered at Lisa in accountant mode. "Need to get a MU ninety and see if we can upgrade them. Electric though, not much we can do for their range maybe.
"Ha! Cheaper by a hundred grand! More range and higher speed! Take that Frenchies! Two million on the nose! Oh, what's the exchange rate, maybe even cheaper!"
Taylor pouted "Hey!"
"Not you sweety, we love our little home-grown baguette." Lisa smirked and plopped under the waves. Taylor looked at the training warheads in her magazine and sighed.
Vicky dove from on high and Lisa popped up and ran away with both hands covering her butt. The others laughed until they cried. Now Lisa was pouting.
Haze Gray
Barack looked at the map then at Director Costa Brown "Still think he is going to Bermuda?"
"No Mr. President."
"Gary how we doing?"
"Good sir, got the P3s out there in time.
"Everyone is running for ports; forming convoys as they go.
"Minus those that are running to Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands at war emergency power.
"All the aircraft that can't drop Mark forty-six mod Ks are heading there as well, if they can carry people. Airports are getting a bit crowded really. We're using any field we can get them in to put Ospreys and helicopters in to evacuate people. The Army is pulling a muscle getting Chinooks and Black Hawks in as well, Air Force and Marine aviation stacked up too sir. Air Force loaded a C17 with Mark forty-six mod K and are taking them down to Jacksonville as fast as the thing will go. We might evacuate that to Millington near Memphis though. All those gulf coast stations really.
"The Kanmusu torpedo shop is running flat out doing mods to load another C17 plus exchanging the birds rotating in loaded, we are using torps off of Kanmusu Buck, Kanmusu Antietem, and America, who have their aircraft out hunting, Antietam's Sea Knights are moving torps from Dwights group to Pease and the torpedo detachment there.
"All of Dwights group are in the harbor and moving their mark forty-six and fifty-four to Buck, her torpedomen along with the other Kanmusu torpedo men are modding them, then loading them on the PTs. They are going to stay out for a while. Seawolf and the other Kanmusu are rotating back for rest, replenishment, and standby, just in case. Brockton is our only gunfighter.
"Once we get the PTs loaded, we will work on the rest of Dwight's group. Then Brockton's group. Last the ASROC.
"America has an E2C up and Hue is feeding Dwight's group intel. Brockton is standing by covering her subchasers, our Atlantic convoys, her PTs. Until they go out of her gun range, then the subchasers and PTs will have air coverage. That's when Brockton's group will rotate back here.
"Brockton put a team of gunners mates and fire controlmen in a boat and they are going around modding the BGM 109s to K mods. Not so easy to move them as it is to move the torpedoes.
"We are going to have to buy JP 8 from COMKANMUSU, the gulf platforms are shutting down and buttoning up. Her people are on it and the refinery is locked wide open. It will get tight if this goes on too long. Especially if the refineries on the gulf coast have to shut down. We can empty the fleet replenishment ships for the aircraft of all services and the Army has a lot of fuel for the M1A1's which the aircraft can use. We won't have any aircraft fuel in the pipe after that though. They are going to send their light fractions to Canada, and they can get more JP 8 in the pipelines from the oil sands and shale crude.
"We are making nets. Just takes cable, clamps, and floats really. Well, and the knowledge of how to do it. COMKANMUSU's staff have been instrumental. Be a little awkward getting them set without tenders but we are getting it done.
"As soon as they get tenders built, we will move them to where they are needed lease for now, buy and commission on the horizon. They've transitioned to pure war production.
"Amazingly we probably won't have to request supplemental funding. Now idea how they are as inexpensive as they are.
"Still several locations the National Park Service needs to turn back over to the Army but it's all coming along.
"All of the harbor defense loops were left too. Armsmaster needs congratulated for that thought. Would have thought some junky would have pulled them up for the copper. Not many junkies before they were forgotten about, I guess. Plus, they were pretty highly classified. He needs to be congratulated on coming up with that receiver, amplifier, transmitter for the signal as well. It's not even tinker tech. Our guys are making them up from COTS parts.
"SOSUS is up and we are learning to find these things.
Barack nodded "Simpler times. Ken let's get your people on the ball. We aren't evacuating Washington or anywhere besides Florida anymore. Get those places turned over. The Army has a world of work to do."
The secretary of the interior sighed "Sir, most of that property is of extremely high value."
"Yes, and?"
Ken nodded "Yes sir." Looks like they would have to find some party donors other places to vacation. The Rockies were nice and didn't have costal defense forts, right? The smokies either. Endangered species, yes donors to the party were endangered species. Tree huggers, tch.
Barack nodded "Mike how are we doing on standing up the harbor defense command."
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs smiled "One thing that is going smoothly. A bunch of retirees found out what we were doing and had their grandchildren drive them to the installations. Some of them had footlockers full of manuals and range cards. It will be 1944 all over again pretty soon. M198 and M777 howitzers to start but us not throwing things away seems to have paid off. Dahlgren and Hawthorne are a little upset with having to give up their antiques, but we'll get it done.
"Naval Yard Kanmusu is tooling up to produce the rounds, we are shipping a couple of each type of gun there for them to look at them for potential K mods. Along with air defense weapons.
Barrack looked around at the madhouse that was the dock "Yep. Now someone want to tell me what all these instruments are in the dock? How are the girls supposed to swim? Although we suddenly have a lot of minders for the girls?"
Chaos chuckled "Your volunteers sir. Plus, every country on the planet wants a dock, exactly like this one."
Barack frowned "That won't work, will it? They are volunteers, right? Where is the Attorney general? Holder get these laws and regulations cleaned up. We can barely work with parahumans much less Kanmusu. Michelle?"
"I got it. Eric-"
"Thank you.
"And is someone helping the yard with these DASH things?"
Chaos answered that one "Got them the manuals and a control set the Army had tucked away, along with two of the Army's working ones enroute in a C17 scheduled to pick up torpedoes. Which is loaded with mark fifty-four and forty-six from storage.
"They got in contact with a veteran's group who restore the things. The howling was tremendous.
"They are building a whole new version. It may or may not look like the real ones. Better Rotors, all the way to carbon fiber frame and skids. K mods to an engine with air bearings and a few surprises if they can make it work.
"Their expectation is to at least double the loiter time and for them to be autonomous or hooked in to their parent ships like a weapon. In the case of Brockton her systems will be able to run them all. Amazingly not hard as the groundwork has been done on armed UAV.
"They took all the retirees' complaints and praise on board as well. The prototype is pretty spectacular. It and its support equipment which changes its mission equipment, torpedoes, MG 134K, sonar buoys, dipping sonar, MAD setup, air to air missiles, air to ground, two five hundred pound dumb or guided bombs, laser designation for others to bomb on, any kind of mission you can imagine, refuels the thing, all untouched by human hands and will fit on the stern of a PT.
"They are having some difficulty with the air to air refueling. No tanker can go that slow. I'm sure one hauling a two hundred fifty-gallon blivit with a drogue, and the KDASH having a probe will occur to them soon. If nothing else as soon as some of the Marine aviators from Antietam get in here." He smiled at the name.
Barack nodded "Or you know, CH 46, hmm, we got some CH 47 in the bone yard I bet, where did that admiral go?" The President never saw Chaos's face fall as he turned away.
Haze Gray
Bam "Taylor! What are you girls doing out here?"
Taylor looked up "How the hell did you do that?"
"What?"
"Teleport to me." Taylor looked around at the other girls looking at Mouse Protector standing on Taylors shoulders.
"Oh, I've tagged a bunch of your crew, People in the dock too. Huh, hadn't thought about that. I could've ended up in you. I mean that is where your crew goes? Anyway, I just had to find one that was out here.
"Took a bit, why are your guys on the other boats? Do sailors always get that excited about me?"
Lisa snorted "Better be glad none of them were armed, they would have shot you. You can't just appear on warships."
"Yeah I thought 'blargh grab her!' was a little much. So come on, back to the dock. Make more boats!" She pointed with her sword.
Taylor looked at the other girls who shrugged, nodded and turned a hundred degrees to starboard to line the sword up with the giant building "I'm not going back with you riding on my shoulders."
"But you are going back? Cool beans. Malia is getting a little testy." Bam. Taylor sighed; Vicky grinned but Amy nodded sympathetically.
Rachel looked past the net and then at the crew on the net tender. They nodded and the gun crew patted their three-inch DP gun. "You good Rachel?"
"Can see them with the planes and your stuff. Docks not far. Packed up with the new boats. They're like boy dogs. Keeping the attention. Dogs are going for the hamstring. Probably get a couple, run the rest off. Herd the big boats back here. She knows what she is doing." Rachel nodded.
"One O Three, yeah she's a smart girl." Noelle nodded. "Plus, we can keep planes and helos covering them. Just have to open a skylight."
Taylor frowned "Those open?"
Noelle nodded then shrugged "Got mechanical stuff on the edges, looks like they open? The top ones anyway. My drone got out one."
Leslie added "Nothing else open the big door a foot or two."
Tess pointed "Speaking of?" The door to the dock was open about thirty feet and as they all looked a thing came buzzing out, spun in a circle left, then right, then went straight up.
Taylor grinned "Cool they got one. Doesn't look like the pictures though. More like a flying raindrop."
Amy asked, "One what?"
"A QH 50 DASH."
Lisa watched it for a moment "More like QH 100. Half the weight twice the lift, four times the range and endurance. How did they even? And in half a day?"
Vicky came back "How fast were those supposed to be? Eighty knots? Well, that one is more like double that."
Lisa nodded "Five prop fan sort of rotor blades on each rotor. How did they do the linkage?"
Leslie asked "Isn't it supposed to go pop pop pop pop pop pop?"
Tess nodded "Blade tips going supersonic. There are ways to stop that with blade and tip shapes. Prop fans being the perfect example. Come on let's get back and have them bring it back I want to see it."
Taylor was looking at the chimney, or stove pipe, they had attached to the big funnel thing to lead the smoke from the blast furnace outside. It was glowing red "Oh god the gas bill!"
"Hello girls."
Vicky squawked and nearly hit the water "Goddamnit Aegis?"
"Oh, who's your friend? We going to the dock? I brought a suit." Hue skated up wearing Navy digital BDU pants, boots, and a female combat shirt, blue digital.
Rachel looked at the Zodiac following Hue "And body guards."
Hue shrugged "Papa, neither of them, the Skipper or the COB, will let me go anywhere without guards. Introduce me Taylor." Taylor eyed that combat shirt and knew why her 'Papas' wouldn't let her out without guards. One layer of, lycra maybe, over some pretty serious bunkerage. And did BDU pants normally come sprayed on?
Taylor snorted "Stop talking for ten seconds. Everyone Hue City, Ticonderoga class. Homeport Norfolk, I think you recognize all the girls, and this is Aegis, Kid Win and Imp. Joining the wards Imp?"
"Dam, right there instead of the net?" Taylor looked at her shoulder and everyone chuckled at the Yeoman stood there in khakis, fist on hips. "How did you get out here?" Imp finished.
Kid Win put a hand up "My question exactly?" Imp was standing on his flying skateboard thing. Really more of a short board.
"Duh, with you on the board, which is pretty cool, I'll show you some stuff on the way back. If you move your hips like this-" She put her hands on his hips and closed in behind him moving her hips and his, the girls all kept their faces carefully neutral as he blushed furiously "And do this, then lean, yeah, see."
"What is even happening?" Kid Win asked as Aisha drove them toward the dock.
Carlos laughed "Oh, I think you are going to find out."
Vicky slapped him on the arm gently "Shhh, they're cute."
"You tell that to the Director."
"Sure, she's chill since Ames hooked her up."
"Please stop." Amy sort of whined. Taylor chuckled and took her under tow by a hand. Hue skated along chattering to all and sundry.
Just as they came up to the ladder the DASH dashed back. It stopped and oriented on Taylor. She glared at it "No more landing on me today."
It turned away disappointedly and made its way through open door. The girls all pulled sad faces at Taylor. then giggled. She rolled her eyes and climbed up the ladder then froze on the inside edge of the caisson. The roaring cheers just got louder with each girl who joined her at the edge. Taylor finally managed "Holy shit. I just wanted some time in the dock. Maybe a nap."
Hue shrugged "Let me change, they'll make room I'm sure. Where can I, oh a berthing barge. Be right back. She stepped off the edge. It wasn't nearly as far to the water as it normally was, what with the dock being completely full of people. Rachel shrugged and stepped off and the sea parted sort of. Taylor shrugged and joined her. The others followed. Their workboats came out with a boom, made a cleared space and they all got comfortable on the water. Hue came back out in a red one piece straight out of Baywatch and stretched out on the water groaning. Two RIBs appeared and started dumping stuff in the water around her. A conversation in hey's happened and soon enough other work boats were adding to Hue's bath and a couple of conveyors swung over. The girls giggled at the noises Hue was making. She huffed at them "Hey, you wait until you're twenty and been in availability for nineteen years with no overhaul. You girls just got your shafts wet; your seals haven't even swelled up yet."
Taylor nodded "Sorry Hue."
"Phsss, its fine. This is wonderful too. You been holding out girl. No wonder your dock is full."
Taylor grumbled "It keeps getting fuller."
Hue shrugged "You got a whole yard Taylor, put a roof over that dock next door we saw on the way in connect them up. What are you building on those slips past that?"
Taylor found out about the self-unloading bulk carriers and rigged container ships being laid down at the same time as everyone else in the combination of heys and Lisa talking that followed the question.