Chapter Four
Marrissa arrived to meet Subcommander Saavik late, with tear-stained eyes. To be honest, it wasn't entirely her fault. Saavik was early. Even if her ETA had been updated, Marrissa would have had only three minutes to change once she'd received her assignment. Those facts, however, did not matter. She was late, and to be perfectly honest, she was not looking her best. Oh, the uniform was perfect in every fashion, rank pips lined up, communicator perfectly straight, and seams lined up. Her hair was unusually loose, and slightly messed up at that, and of course, she had been crying.
"Lieutenant Commander Marrissa Picard, reporting as ordered, sir," Marrissa said, standing in front of Captain Portinmire.
"Miss. Picard, your deportment leaves much to be desired," Portinmire said, using the black baton that he habitually carried to prod her into a proper attention stance.
"Sorry, sir," Marrissa said, nearly resuming her tears.
"And wash your face before report next time, unless we're going into battle," Portinmire admonished, before turning to address the Romulan behind him. "Sub Commander Saavick, this is Lieutenant Commander Marrissa Picard, she'll be your liaison officer while you're with the squadron. Please pardon her lack of briefing as to your needs. I just decided on her five minutes ago. She's usually the Stargazer's First Officer, so you'll find her a well of knowledge on fighter operations and the like."
"That is precisely the area of which I know the least about Federation Operations," Saavik said. She was studying the tear-stained face, as she frowned. "Tell me, Commander, why is there so little information on the subject?"
"Star Fleet hasn't had carrier forces much of this century," Marrissa replied, becoming more animated and relaxed as she talked. "Before that all use of fighters were confined to system defense. The Stargazer and her four operational counterparts, Hathaway, Victory, Magellan, and Gettysburg, aren't really true carriers at that, being refits of frigates. The Stargazer is the first to go operational as a carrier just 21 months ago."
"So then the lack of information is really just lack of carrier experience," Saavik surmised, raising her right eyebrow. "Perhaps a fatal flaw."
"I'll leave you two to discuss things, then," Portinmire said, before departing the room, almost unnoticed by the two young officers.
"That and lack of time to write up them, lately," Marrissa said. "Jay, the fighter commander on the Stargazer, has quite a back log of unfinished ones that he's been interrupted by red alert as he was writing them up. I've been trying to help him a little."
"Surely there are not many differences between starship and fighter tactics," Saavik said, taking a seat at a near by table.
Marrissa took a seat next to Saavik, and began explaining, her hands illustrating her points. "Some areas, no. There are several areas of fighter tactics. Deployment of the Fighters is something that's expanding rapidly, tactics wise. The design of the ship effects that quite a bit."
"How so?" Saavik asked.
"The Stargazer has a forward facing bay. This is good for deploying a screen of fighters in front of the ship, and creating a sudden punch of additional firepower. Even without launching the fighters, we've used the phaser and torpedoes on the fighters … though I do not recommend the torpedoes use that way. We have a bay on our underside that's ideal for rearmament of torpedoes, as you can fly right through it. It's a little small though, so deployments of fresh wings aren't feasible. If we had a rear facing bay, or an underside drop bay, we'd be able to function with quick drop deployments and depart. However, with the compliment of fifty fighters we have, drop deployments are seldom worth it."
Saavik leaned back in her seat and asked, "Fifty fighters sounds like a puny amount of fighters to station on a ship. Surely more could be assigned to a ship?"
"First, you have to remember that the four and five hundred fighters units are generally planetary or major Star Base based. We might be able to squeeze another wing or two, but two wings more really couldn't be done on a regular basis. There simply isn't enough room on a Stargazer Class Carrier." Marrissa reflected. "Of course, the Stargazer is a conversion to carrier, not a ship designed for the job. They're planning a new class of carrier starships at the moment. They hope to lay the keel on the first one sometime next year, depending on the war of course. Resources may end up being diverted."
"That's understandable, given the quick building practices during a war," Saavik replied.
"I won't be surprised if half of the ships in service when the Dominion War is over end up having to be refit," Marrissa said. "I consider myself lucky to be on a ship that got a full year in service to shake out the bugs before the war started."
The conversation when on for a couple hours, and Marrissa lost herself in the discussion. Somehow, both of them missed lunch.
...
Lieutenant Jay Gordon wasn't really ready to be First Officer, especially since he was also still Fighter Commander. The stack of PADDs that were accumulating in the Command Offices below the Bridge on his Desk were really getting out of hand. Still, there are only so many officer evaluations that one can read before having to take a break to rest your eyes if nothing else.
He paused for a moment, and looked around the room. The Command Offices on the Stargazer was a long room just past the Captain's Ready Room. It contained desks for the First and Second Officer, as well as the Chiefs of Security and Engineering, plus one empty desk. His was opposite Marrissa's. Marrissa didn't use hers often, preferring instead to use her own quarters, but it still held her character.
The desk was neat, everything placed where she could easily get to it. Her chair was a high backed one, which rested like someone was laying back in it. Jay could easily imagine Marrissa still seated in it, her feet resting on the edge of the desk as she laid back, paging through a PADD with one hand, and the other idly toying with her shoulder length blond hair.
The sound of a PADD clattering onto the desk shocked Jay out of his daydream. In what usually was the empty desk in the far corner of the room, Lieutenant Pizarro was going through his reports, and obviously not liking what he was reading.
"Problem Bertin?" Jay asked.
"Yes, Lieutenant," Pizarro said. "How in the world do you deal with such shortages? The Stargazer's critical part need list is way too long."
"You keep requesting and hope to God that Virginia can find something to do the same thing in the mean time," Jay said.
"How many times have you had to sign off on this particular request list?" Pizarro asked.
"Let's see, Fighter Stabilizer Lifts, EPS Conduit Junction Boxes, Five Cent Fuses and Class XI phaser power regulators, right?" Jay said, recalling the last one he'd seen.
"Yes."
"Five times, but I hear we're going to get the EPS Conduit Junction Boxes with the next supply ship," Jay said.
"I don't see how you can put up with delays like this," Pizarro said. "It's enough to drive me to drinking."
"Ha! If you think that report is bad, you should see the forms that I'm going through," Jay said. "Particularly form 8212."
"I've seen that one ... I feel for you sir," Pizarro said, tossing another PADD in his out tray.
"So far I haven't got any of them to come out near what Marrissa did, and you shouldn't have a twenty-two-point evaluation shift on anyone in a month's time," Jay said.
"Do you know if the Commander did a high level or detailed run through the form?" Pizarro asked. "It makes a real difference."
"I assumed detailed ... but now that I look at this, she may have done high level," Jay replied, paging through two PADDs at once. "Thanks Bertin."
"You're welcome, sir," Pizarro said picking up the next PADD at his desk. "What is a Tri-Colbalt Motivator Duotronic Circuit? And why is Fighter Maintenance requesting one?"
"It's the fuse for Tri-Colbalt Explosive Devices," Jay said. "Chief Quimby acquired one without the fuse, and is trying to adapt it to fit fighter ordinance." Jay tossed down another PADD. "Okay, I'm going to have to reassign something. This is simply too much."
"Sir?" Pizarro said, as Jay's gaze returned to him.
"Bertin, you minored in Engineering at the Academy, right?" Jay said, a serious expression instead of his boyish grin occupying his face.
"Yes, sir," Pizarro said, puzzlement having caused him to cock his head.
"When the War started, Marrissa reassigned Fighter Maintenance from Engineering to Fighter Command," Jay said. "It probably was a good idea, but with the First Officer's post, I can't do as much in my Fighter Commander post, so something has to be reassigned until Marrissa returns. You're here to learn how a Carrier works. We'll start that with Fighter Maintenance. Chief Quimby and his crew will report directly to you. I suggest you study the Fighter Specs, as well as the Modification File before you talk to him. He can be a little bit technical. I had to call in a translator the first time I dealt with him."
"I'll get right on it," Pizarro said, bringing up the Essex 10 class specs on his screen.
Jay gathered a group of PADDs, and stood up, walking over to Pizarro's desk. "Oh, and that means you get to deal with these 8212s. I'm ..."
The panel next to the door flashed yellow, then turned red, as an announcement came over the intercom. "Red Alert, all hands to battle stations. This is not a drill. Red Alert, all hands to battle stations." The PADDs dropped with a clatter, and Jay was out of the room before the second Red Alert was finished.
...
Captain Washington was not used to battle without her First Officer at her side. She relied on Marrissa's keen tactical timing. Her substitute First Officer, Jay was manning Fighter Command, and his attention was squarely with the fighters as Purple Wing left the Fighter Bay of the Stargazer, the sixth and final wing that would be deployed. He wasn't standing nearby as that comfortable presence.
She studied the tactical displays as a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship came around for pass. "Helm, 45 to starboard now," she ordered.
It was the wrong direction. The Stargazer turned into the Jem'Hadar's path, and a shower of sparks cascaded off the dorsal shields. On the bridge, the shields were echoed in the explosion of the Tactical Console. Lieutenant Ross Lochard was sent flying to the back of the Bridge, landing in a bloody mess of awkwardly bent limbs. The explosion sent debris towards Operations, impacting Lieutenant Sam Lavelle just above his fortunately shielded eyes.
Washington knew it was her fault, as she called, "Bridge to Sickbay, I have two men down."
"The Helm is not answering," Ensign McGeorge announced.
"I have helm and tactical control, Captain," Jay announced.
The Jem'Hadar had smelled blood and were now approaching the Stargazer. Her mentor Captain had called them the jackals of battle. With her confidence shaken, Washington had no idea what to do, so she passed it off to her First Officer. "Evasive, your choice, fire as you can, Lieutenant."
She picked up the medical kit from under the command chair and handed Lavelle a pressure bandage. He held it up against his fore head as Washington moved to check Lochard. The least she could do was render First Aid, while her more able First Officer handled the task for which he seemed to be born for.
...
Captain Portinmire had just received the Stargazer's post action report. Unusually, it was the last to arrive. It was one of those rare dependable things of his acting command of the squadron, the first report to arrive was almost always from the Stargazer. Never before had it been last. It didn't matter if it was Washington, Picard, or Gordon who commanded the battle, it arrived quickly, correctly, and usually in enlightening. Until this time.
He began to page through it. It wasn't the report he was used to from the Stargazer. There was an admitted mistake, one he'd witnessed from his own bridge. The Stargazer's command team admitted mistakes when they made them, but none had been like this. Those mistakes had not colored the whole report. They certainly hadn't led to any cascade of damage like the one which Captain Washington had taken personal responsibility for.
He frowned as he read off the damage report from just that impact when the ship had swerved, the only damage the ship had suffered. The forward dorsal shield generator was functioning at thirty percent. The port side dorsal tactical control run had totally blown and would have to be replaced. The Bridge Tactical Station exploded, requiring a full replacement. The bridge control system primary matrix would have to be switched out, though the Stargazer's Chief Engineer did think that it could be repaired to be used as a spare.
Then there was the causality and injury report. Once again, the Fighter Wings had escaped without fatality, it was truly amazing that their only injury this time was a broken thumb. However, the rest of the Stargazer's crew compliment wasn't as lucky. Two Engineers were dead from the tactical control run blowing while they were fixing equipment in the Jefferies Tubes. The Chief of Security was seriously injured with all of his limbs having been dislocated, and his arms broken. The Chief of Operations had been initially thought to have just suffered a bloody but superficial head wound, but was now in critical condition due to blood loss and a massive injury-induced stroke. Two members of the command team out in one attack.
Portinmire couldn't do much about that the situation. His acting position didn't grant him many powers. Even if he'd been inclined to relieve Captain Washington over the move, he couldn't. Portinmire wasn't so inclined. One bad order, one bad battle, didn't make a bad captain, and the Stargazer had been one of the better ships in his squadron. Despite Washington's contention, he was not going to credit that fact on its teenaged first and second officers. Such a contention was ludicrous no matter how you looked at it.
He went on to the Crocket's and the Sacagawea's reports. As expected, the Intrepid Class Starships had escaped without damage. Given their low firepower, the Jem'Hadar had ignored them, once again to their detriment. Portinmire believed that if they hadn't fired on anyone, none of the Jem'Hadar would have fired on them. He already knew the condition of his ship, so he passed over Commander Luciani's report, heading to his second division's reports.