Author's Note: Longest chapter so far. I tried to integrate my own navy experience here with what I envision a crew in the Avatar world would go through in a battle stations drill, so let me know what you think.
Standard Disclaimer here.
Chapter 10
"First Lieutenant!" Captain Yuan shouted from his position near the chart table, "set general quarters."
"Aye aye, sir," Lee replied, moving over to the shipboard loudspeaker. He cleared his throat, then opened the sliding plate that would allow his voice to travel through the tubes that led to everywhere on the ship.
"General quarters, general quarters. All hands, man your battle stations. Routes for general quarters are up and forward on the starboard side, down and aft on the port side. All departments submit readiness reports to the bridge. This is a drill. All hands to battle stations."
He repeated the announcement before stepping away from the speaking tube. The bridge crewmen around him were all picking up helmets and clapping them down on their skulls. Non-essential personnel were already leaving the bridge, heading off to wherever they were required.
Lee slapped on his own helmet and walked over to where the captain was standing. He ducked as he walked, a needless gesture considering the modified design put into use. Old Fire Navy officer's helmets had spikes that protruded upwards, and had once had a nasty habit of hanging up on anything overhead. The machine shop had altered the helmet of every single officer on board, cutting the spikes off and grinding the stubs down smooth. The result was a helmet that bore remarkable similarity to the helmets every other man on the crew wore.
"Are you timing them, Lieutenant?"
"Yes sir."
The goal of the repeated battle stations drills they'd been conducting for the past week was to get the time necessary to get to full readiness in less than twelve minutes. It had been slow going, but the night before they had managed to set a record time for the underway period. Fourteen minutes.
"You think this one will be the one, Lieutenant?"
Lee thought about it as he watched the bridge's battle watch standers make their way to their stations. Some of them looked as if the drill had shaken them out of their racks, and he wouldn't have been surprised if it had. Battle stations meant that he best men they had for any job needed to be at their stations. If that meant men or women that normally stood the night watch, well that was the price that had to be paid.
"I think so, sir."
The captain nodded before turning back to the chart table.
"First Lieutenant! Engineering and supply report manned and ready."
"Very well," Lee replied. Hearing that the two largest departments on the ship had manned up so quickly was a promising sign. He had faith that the men under his command could get it done within the time that the captain had specified. The problem was getting them used to it. Fire Navy regulations specified that the men could take fifteen minutes to get to battle stations on a smaller ship. The standard for the Empire Class ships was seventeen.
"First Lieutenant. Ordnance department reports manned and ready."
"Very well." Three down, three more to go.
Lee looked over at the captain, who was drumming his fingers against the chart table as if bored. He looked down at his timing device, which was already at nine minutes into the drill. Taking an uneasy breath, he turned back to the man sitting at the communications console.
"First Lieutenant. Deck and combat systems report manned and ready."
"Very well."
What is taking navigation so long? Navigation was the smallest department on the ship, and most of them worked here on the bridge, or just above on the signal bridge. He couldn't understand why they would take so long to man up for battle stations. As he was thinking that, he heard footsteps climbing up the ladder just behind the bridge. Hopefully the last man to get to his station.
"First Lieutenant! Navigation reports manned and ready," the communications watch stander said a few seconds later, as if to confirm that the last man had indeed made it to his station, "all departments report manned and ready, sir."
"Very well," Lee replied, checking the timing device. Eleven minutes.
"Captain, the ship reports manned and ready for general quarters."
"Very well, Lieutenant. What time are we looking at?"
"Eleven minutes, sir."
"Very well. Let me make an announcement."
Yuan brushed past him, walking over to the voice tube that Lee had been using only a short while before. He opened the tube and began to speak.
"On board Independence this is the captain. We took eleven minutes to man up for general quarters this time, and let me just say I'm proud of you all. Department heads, you've all received your copies of the script for today's drill, and we will begin running it momentarily. I want you all to remember to treat this training like it's the real deal. Our level of training will determine how well we handle an actual battle scenario, and I want us to be well ready by the time we're actually in position to be fighting a real war. With that said, stand by for your general quarters scenario. Captain out."
Yuan stepped away from the voice tube and nodded to Lee. He cleared his throat and readied the written script before stepping back up to the voice tube.
"The Independence is currently conducting sea access denial operations in the Burning Sea. Picket ship Tempest has reported the presence of several Fire Navy vessels in the area, and the fleet commander has ordered Independence to engage and sink the vessels should they be encountered. Intelligence reports indicate that the Fire Navy force consists of three cruisers."
Lee nodded and stepped away from the tube, allowing the bridge communications officer to take his position. From here on out, there wasn't really anything for him to do other than supervise things. The rest of the departments had their orders and areas of responsibility, and the captain himself would be the one calling the shots. At this point, he was simply there for moral support.
"Captain, sir!" the navigator shouted from his station at the far end of the bridge, "Lookout reports three Fire Navy cruisers, relative bearing zero-five-zero, estimated range seven nautical miles."
"Helm, right ten degree rudder. Come to heading one-four-five. Gunnery officer, ready all gun mounts."
A chorus of aye ayes from the men addressed echoed all over the bridge. Lee looked out the bridge in the direction indicated. The ship began to list slightly to the side as the rudder swung her towards her new heading.
"Lee helm, all ahead flank."
"Aye aye sir."
The lee helmsman, responsible for relaying throttle orders to the engine room, and as such responsible for changing how fast the ship was going, cranked on a handle. A complicated linkage of wires and pulleys would change the indication at the throttle station, just forward of the ship's powerful main engines. From there, the throttle watch officer would do his thing and increase speed. Lee, if asked, would have been forced to admit that he had no idea how that was actually done. Engineering wasn't his area of expertise.
A moment later, a small bell rang at the lee helm's console. The young sailor operating it looked at the gauges and the indicator from the engine room.
"All ahead full indicated and answered for."
"Very well," the captain said. The hull of the ship began to thrum with the incredible power of the main engines as the screw bit into the water and pushed her forward. All the doors and windows into the bridge were dogged down, isolating the noise from outside surprisingly well. Had any sound been getting into the bridge, the cacophonous howl of the blowers would have been loud enough to make talking difficult.
Down on the gun deck, Kuruk heard the blowers begin to pick up. He knew the drill. The ship was moving to flank speed, charging forward to engage their phantom enemies. The wind across the deck seemed to confirm it. It was pleasant, but he knew that once Independence actually reached flank speed, about twenty four knots, the wind would whip across the deck hard enough to make even standing upright difficult.
"All right ladies," the gun chief shouted, "we have our targets. Three Fire Navy cruisers, rapidly approaching off the starboard side. Chief Gunner's ordered us to ready our weapons for firing, so let's hop to it! Remind all these other suckers who the best gun crew on the ship is. Trainer, rig the gun out to starboard. Relative bearing, zero nine zero."
The platform number two rested on hissed loudly, and the barrel of the gun swung ponderously over to the starboard side. Spurts of steam vented from a couple joints in the deck where the pipes had cracked with age, and Kuruk found himself working his way over to where the steam escaped. Gunners wore modified versions of standard armor; cut off sleeves and an altered helmet. The concussion from the guns firing had been shown to have detrimental effects on the gun crews that operated them. The sound resonated inside traditional helmets, accelerating the hearing loss. As a result of the modified uniforms, the gun crews got colder much easier, especially when the wind picked up. Once they got into the routine of firing off salvos, they would warm up. He basked in the warmth of the venting steam while he could, knowing that as soon as they needed him he'd have to suck it up and step away.
"Attention all mounts," a voice came through the trumpet that connected to the ship's speaking tube system, "this is the captain. The enemy ships are roughly two nautical miles off the starboard side. In roughly one minute, they will be in range. All mounts, load and stand by for firing order."
"Load!"
The crews at all three guns practically leapt into action, snatching up their rounds from the ready racks and swinging them up towards the muzzles of the guns. Live rounds, Kuruk reminded himself. It was rare that they practiced with the real deal, preferring the much safer, solid metal training rounds to the volatile explosive bombs. He reminded himself to do his absolute best swabbing out the bore today. Even the slightest spark had the potential cook the bomb off in the barrel, causing a lethal explosion that would tear most of the gun deck apart. He shivered, remembering the stories about the first trials with the new weapons.
"Kuruk! Are you just gonna stand over there goldbricking, or are you going to actually contribute to this exercise?"
"Aye aye chief," he replied, hiding a smile and moving over to his station on the gun platform.
"Attention all mounts," the voice came through the speaking tube again about a minute later, "one Fire Navy cruiser is off the starboard side, range one nautical mile and closing."
The crews steeled themselves for action. For a brief moment, the only sounds were the wind whipping across the deck, the sound of the hull slicing through the waves, and the steady roar of the blower. Suddenly, the jarring sound of the ship's alarm bell began clanging through the voice tubes. Instead of the captain coming through this time, the voice of the bridge talker could be heard instead.
"Onboard the Independence. Coal balls incoming, starboard side, estimated time to impact six seconds. All hands brace for shock!"
In an instinctive movement, everyone on deck crouched down and grabbed onto the nearest solid object for support. In Kuruk's case, it was the edge of the gun platform. He silently counted to six, although the impact would have happened before he had a chance to make it that far.
"Impact! Hit one, starboard side aft! Investigators away, all repair lockers conduct communication's checks with the damage control officer on the bridge."
"Attention all mounts. Fire Navy cruiser is in range, five hundred yards directly to port. All mounts, fire three when ready."
Show time.
"Trainer! Elevate two five degrees! Acknowledge when on target!"
The trainer began spinning the elevation wheel madly. Kuruk watched him, silently wondering why, when the rest of the gun was operated by steam, the elevation mechanism couldn't have been as well. He filed it away, hoping he'd have another chance to speak with the First Lieutenant so he could pass that gripe on to him.
"Chief! Elevated two five degrees and on target."
"Very well. Fire when ready."
The crew's firebender stepped up and put his palm to the firing port. He inhaled, tensed his body, and pushed as much flame into the barrel as he could manage. With a concussive whump, the heavy bomb erupted from the muzzle amidst a cloud of fire. It had barely left the barrel when the gun chief was shouting again.
"Swab!"
Kuruk streamed water out of the cask and sent it flowing into the mouth of the gun. He tried to work quickly, at the same time visualizing the water touching every surface on the interior of the bore. Once he felt it at the end, he swept it all back out again, making sure that he got every bit of moisture.
"Barrel swabbed, chief!" he shouted as the water, slightly dirtier than when he'd first swept it all up, cleared the bore. Immediately, even before the chief had a chance to draw in a breath, the loaders were bending to pick up another round.
"Load!" the man shouted, his voice accented by the thumps of the other two guns firing. Kuruk stood back, working his jaw to pop his ears. The overpressure generated by the firing of the guns was difficult to deal with if one wasn't prepared, and for some reason Kuruk definitely hadn't been that time. He decided there was nothing else for it as he shook his head and prepared for the next salvo.
"Damage control reports depressurization in the number one fire room. Repair locker six is responding to the casualty."
"Very well."
Lee looked across the bridge at the damage control officer. Not for the first time in his career, he found himself wondering why most of the important officers of the crew were up on the bridge. All it would take was a single well placed shot to cripple most of her command capability.
Inspiration hit him like a mid-winter typhoon. It couldn't be that simple, he asked himself, could it? Start an engagement by purposely aiming for the bridge, take out the critical officers. Cut the head off the snake before it has a chance to bite.
"Sounds good in theory," he said to no one in particular. "Wonder how it'll stand up in combat."
Another flash of light lit up the bridge, signaling the departure of another salvo of rounds. Most likely, mount number two was cranking rounds out faster than her sisters, as was typical for any scenario. Number two's chief was uncompromising, pushing his men far beyond what anyone would have believed them capable of.
"Captain, sir," the lee helmsman spoke up, "engine room reports diminished capability, and is ready to answer all bells to two thirds."
"Very well, lee helm. Secure flank. All ahead two thirds."
"Secure flank, all ahead two thirds aye."
A pause.
"Sir, all ahead two thirds indicated and answered for."
"Very well."
Lee zoned out briefly as the talker called in a few more hits, continuing the drill. From what he heard, the fantail had taken a couple hits, a fire was threatening the forward bomb magazine, and the forecastle was completely demolished. Damage control efforts were proceeding admirably, however, showing that the crew was well practiced in drill at least.
"First Lieutenant!" the captain shouted from the opposite side of the bridge, snapping Lee out of his reflections.
"Yes sir!"
"Take the deck and the conn."
"Aye aye, sir," Lee replied mechanically, wondering what it was that the captain was up to. He crossed over to where Yuan was standing, shouting as he went, "this is First Lieutenant Lee, I have the deck and the conn. Belay all reports."
A chorus of ayes followed as every station at the bridge acknowledged the change of command. Lee looked at the chart table, which had small ship markers to signify the forces they were engaging. He knew that the talker would be relaying the fact that he was now in charge of the ship, so he turned to the next order of business.
"Tactical report!"
"Sir," the officer standing at the operations console replied, "we are currently engaged with three Fire Navy cruisers, all to the starboard side. One ship is badly damaged and listing, most likely fatally damaged. The remaining two are maneuvering for a better angle, one potentially to aft to swing around to the port side."
"Monitor that ship and keep me posted. Damage report!"
"Sir," this time the damage control officer spoke up, "the number one fire room is depressurized and out of commission. Repair parties report that the fire near the number one magazine is out, reflash watch has been set. Hull patching teams are repairing holes in the fantail and the fo'c'sle."
"Very well. Engineering report!"
"Sir, engine rooms report the capability to make all ahead two thirds, with emergency capability to run all ahead full."
"Very well."
Lee forced himself to slow down as much as he could afford, to process the entire situation and determine what the best course of action would be. He could almost feel captain Yuan's scrutiny, and wondered again what the old man could possibly be up to. The only time the First Lieutenant would be called on to relieve the captain in a battle situation would be if the captain were killed or incapable of leading anymore.
Focus, he told himself, returning to the immediate problem. Thinking back, he tried to recall everything he could about the Fire Navy cruiser. He knew that his own ship would be able to take a much heavier beating, but he couldn't remember which had a higher speed. If he recalled, the Empire class would do about two knots more at flank speed than a cruiser would, but he didn't have flank capabilities at the moment.
"Sir," the operations officer called out, "the third ship has made her way around aft and is coming up on our port side. Orders, sir?"
Lee thought hard, considering his options.
"Run mount number two to full port, with orders to engage the cruiser approaching on that side."
"Aye aye, sir."
The orders were relayed, and Lee moved over to the tube he would need access to in order to relay orders to the gun crews. While the gunnery officer could find targets and order solutions, only the captain or himself could give a firing order. Even then, Lee could only give the order if the captain was incapacitated.
"Attention all mounts, this is the First Lieutenant. I have the deck and the conn. Mounts one and three, you are ordered to engage the Fire Navy cruiser to starboard. Mount number two, you are ordered to run out to port and engage the cruiser approaching on the port side. Your firing orders are four rounds, salvo fire. Aim for the enemy ship's command tower. Fire when ready."
Lee hoped his reasoning behind the call was sound. He knew that the crew on mount two was the fastest he had, and he was banking on them to put out as heavy of a volume of fire as the other two would be able to on the opposite side. Muffled whumps and flashes of light announced that the gunners had their solutions.
"Lee helmsman, all ahead full."
"All ahead full aye," the lee helmsman said hesitantly, as if he wanted to remind him of the condition the engine rooms were in. He said nothing else, however, and spoke up when the engines met the request.
"All ahead full, indicated and answered for."
"Sir, engineering reports that they will not be able to keep up full speed for very long on the load of steam they have."
"Very well. And your concern is noted, engineering. Tactical report!"
"Sir, the cruiser to the port side has suffered a direct hit to their bridge and is in an uncontrolled turn to port. They're out of the fight. The cruiser to starboard is still engaged."
"Very well. Order number two run back out to starboard with orders to continue their salvo once on target."
"Sir, engineering reports that steam load is down, and engines can only answer for all ahead one third."
"Very well," Lee said, biting back a curse. The decision to try to sprint had been stupid. As the old navy saying goes, stupid will be punished.
"Sir, repair party reports a hit to the number two gun mount. The crew is out of action."
"Very well. Tactical report!"
"Sir, the final cruiser engaged is hit badly and trailing smoke. Lookout reports a list to starboard."
Captain Yuan stepped forward at that point, apparently satisfied with the way the drill had been conducted.
"The enemy cruiser has struck their ensign in surrender. This is the Captain. I have the deck and the conn. Belay all reports."
There was a hushed cheer that went around the bridge at the "victory," and Lee breathed a slight sigh of relief. The captain was smiling reassuringly at him, saying wordlessly that he'd done fairly well for himself.
"Damage control, get these casualties wrapped up so we can secure from general quarters. The crew's done well today, but I'm not going to leave anything halfway done."
"Aye aye, sir."
The sun had just gone down when Lee received an invitation to join the captain in his quarters. He wondered at what the occasion could be while he squared his appearance away. Just before leaving, he stopped and looked at the gift that Qiao had given him before they'd gotten underway, almost a week before. The simple package had been a portrait of the young governor, along with a note telling him that every sailor deserved to have a picture of the woman that they were fighting for to look at while they were away. He smiled at it before leaving his room and heading upstairs.
The captain's main cabin was located at the base of the command tower. He also had a smaller stateroom near the bridge that he slept in while the ship was underway so he would always be near if they needed him. While the "at sea" cabin was primitive and small, much like Lee's own stateroom, the main cabin was spacious, with a dining table that could seat twelve people comfortably that was often used for meetings or special meals for visiting guests.
Yuan's personal steward and cook met him at the door, saluting and bowing with a flourish.
"Good evening, First Lieutenant. The captain had to step out to the bridge for a moment, but he asked that you make yourself comfortable. Is there anything I can get you?"
"No, thank you. I'm fine for the moment."
The steward saluted and bowed again before returning to the small galley used solely for the skipper. Lee made his way into the interior of the cabin, noting how empty it looked without the Fire Nation insignia plastered all over everything. For the moment, the walls were simply bare steel, lit in places by the red oil lanterns. Lee took his the first seat to the right of the head of the table, the customary location for the most senior officer present when dining or meeting with the captain.
A few minutes later, a watertight door screeched, signaling the arrival of the captain. Lee stood up, and noticed that the steward had practically run out of the galley to stand by in case the old man needed anything. Yuan walked in rubbing his head and sighing, but still exuded the usual air of authority he had whenever he roamed the deck plates.
"Can I get you anything, sir?" the steward asked, performing an even more elaborate salute for the captain than he had for Lee. If that was even possible.
"Yes, actually. Brew up a pot of tea for the First Lieutenant and myself, if you would be so kind."
Yuan looked over at the table and smiled slightly.
"Go ahead and sit down Lieutenant. I'll join you momentarily."
Lee nodded and took his seat. Ordinarily, he would have saluted, but he knew that Yuan absolutely hated to be saluted in his own quarters. That he tolerated it from his steward was remarkable, but he understood the young man's need for formality. Most enlisted men refused to get too familiar with the officers for fear of what happened to the men accused of fraternization.
Captain Yuan stepped back out a moment later and walked over to take his seat.
"So, in your opinion based on the drills we've been conducting, do you think the crew is ready for battle?"
Lee thought about the question for a moment. They'd lost just under half their complement when the announcement about the revolution had been made. As a result, they'd been forced to integrate crews from the CDF into their own, in order to get them back up to the proper manning levels. The defense force crews were well trained men, but unfortunately they still required a lot of bringing up to speed.
"Overall, sir," Lee replied, "I think we're about as ready as we're going to get. The only way to really see if the crew is going to be ready is to actually get into a fight."
"Understandable, I guess."
The steward arrived with the pot of tea, along with a pair of small ceramic cups. Lee allowed Yuan to pour himself a cup before doing so himself. The tea was strong, the way most Naval officers preferred it, but the steward always found a way to introduce a slight amount of sweetness to it, making it a delightful beverage to partake in.
"I've been meaning to ask you, Lieutenant," the captain said after a few short sips, "what inspired you to order the gunners to target the enemy command towers during the exercise today?"
"Just an idea I had, sir. Take out the enemy bridge, where all the important officers are, and you cripple the ship's ability to make tactical decisions. Not to mention, you momentarily interrupt her steerage."
Yuan scratched his chin thoughtfully. If Lee was any judge of how the captain reacted to things, he would have said that the man was impressed with the idea he'd had.
"Brilliantly resourceful, Lieutenant. That's the type of thinking we need in a naval officer. I suppose you're wondering why I put you in command today, however."
"Yes, sir."
"It's a simple thing, really. You're going to be a captain someday, Lieutenant. That's a given. You're a good man and a fine officer. Whether you'll command this tub has yet to be seen, but you will receive a ship of your own. I put you in command today to see how you'd handle the pressure. It's not a battle by any stretch, but every man has to start somewhere."
"I see. Well, thank you sir. That means a lot to me."
"Don't get all choked up on me, Lieutenant. I'm just telling you how I see it. Also, I trust you're aware of the date?"
"Yes sir."
"The deadline is tonight, which means that tomorrow Commander Long will be sailing for us. The council should be sending out the declaration tomorrow morning."
"I guess this is it, then. We're going to be at war with our mother country tomorrow."
