CH49
It is now 7 years later:
Captain Bantam had a mission, a really dangerous one. One that she was just itching to get into.
Dell was a first. She was a detective that was in command of a military ship. And not just any ship, this little beauty (it was how she saw it. It physically wasn't anything to look at. Not going to win any design awards for looks. It was what it could do that made it a beauty in her eyes.) was the first true stealth ship in the Tellus Navy.
It had taken 7 long years to design and build her. Dell had been offered the position as captain about half way thru the building of her. Dell had been over every square inch of her while being built. She had reviewed the design plans dozens of times.
A detective as a captain of a scout ship that was designed to gather information about the enemy. It seemed like such a perfect fit.
Dell hadn't passed at the top of her class. She knew that her combat skills were not on par with almost all of the other detectives out there. Ok, maybe all of them. Still she had probably the sharpest mind of any in her class and maybe any class.
Dell had actually met both of the Castle twin detectives, as they were called behind their backs. Since Elena was married to a Marine who was on a design team, Dell had run across Leon one day. He had introduced her to Elena only to have Kali show up moments later.
The Castle's were already legends. No other family had three detectives in the same family. They could both take Dell and she knew it. But hand to hand combat wasn't her strength, and these two didn't seem to care that she couldn't.
"We're approaching the edge of the system captain." Her navigation officer called out.
Dell knew all of her crew, she had been allowed to hand pick them.
Wednesday was about as weird of a ship name as Dell could think of. Dell had watched all of the Adams Family movies that Earth had made and had loved the dark side. They were a family that actually loved and were devoted to each other, in a really weird sort of way.
Lynn had suggested the Lady Wednesday but Dell had shot her down. Too big a mouthful Dell had countered.
And this ship was weird, no doubt about that. There was a single bridge crew, half were on duty at the moment, and the other half was off duty. The biggest change from normal was the size of the engineering crew.
Most ships had just one engineering deck. This ship had what Dell called 2-1/2 engineering decks.
Wednesday had two FULL engine or power bays if you will the same size as a destroyer class. PLUS a smaller engine or power bay.
The two full power bays handled the power required for the reflective panels. The reflective tarps that were pulled tight around the retractable panels that would allow their ship to 'Disappear'. They were power hogs however!
The little engine bay was actually the ships power. It ran everything else.
The bridge crew was out numbered over 3 to 1. Three engines or power plants meant three teams to run them.
Wednesday had what every ship had plus one extra space.
Wednesday had an engine and reflective panel space that was second to none. Everyone lived or died on their ship not being spotted. Wednesday had no weapons of any kind. Not even a single torpedo.
Making sure those reflective panels functioned was what they needed and it was a top priority.
"All hands this is the captain, prepare for reversion to normal space." Now came the scary part. If they were too close they would be spotted. Even closer they would get shot to pieces.
"Normal space in 3 – 2 – 1." And everyone felt the familiar pull that made them shift a little in their seats.
"Lynn?" Dell asks her.
Lynn was Dell's AI unit. Every detective that graduated was teamed up with an AI unit. Lynn was plugged into the ship. If necessary Lynn could fly the ship on her own. Lynn was plugged into every system on the ship. Only a few available manual overrides could lock her out of anything.
"I have 3 of their scout ships just barely in scanner range, headed into the system. They are slow compared to any of our ships, including us." Lynn provides.
"Main screen on." Dell orders, and the normal mist descends down in front of everyone.
The bridge of Wednesday was different from other ships. In this case she was a semi-circle with a flat face. The captain sat way down front near the flat wall, while the main navigation stations that flew the ship were behind her facing the same direction.
The engineering, communications, life support and manned scanner stations were dispersed around the perimeter.
Dell stands. "Tactical of the system." She wanted the big picture, not the ships they were chasing.
"Navigation, give me a burn that will take us on an oblique course out around this way. Then we'll let the systems gravity pull us into the inner planets from this direction. Let's go see where our friends are going." Dell sits back down.
"Plotting the burn trajectory. …. Course plotted, ready for burn."
"Engineering, prepare for panel deployment." They were about to disappear.
"Panels ready." Comes back from one of the crew behind her.
"Take us in Mr. Sulu." Dell was grinning. It was a joke between her and him. Deutscher Wetterdienst was his real name. However Dell found that difficult to pronounce all the time. Until she found out they were both Star Trek buffs and had watched everything at least 5 times already.
"Aye captain." He was grinning too. He was a living Sulu from an old Earth TV show. It was amusing.
"Burn complete. … Course stable."
"Deploy the panels. …. It's time we became a hole in space." Dell orders.
Everyone could soon hear the panels being deployed. Wednesday had been designed around two things. Power and the panels. Almost all of the rooms on this ship were weird shapes. Since the panels needed to be retractable, that meant they had to be held inside the ship when not in use.
From the outside you could see the various panels in a lot of different sizes and shapes come extending out from the ship, then they pivoted on an axis so that the panels were facing outward.
Still there were gaps between all of the panels. It wasn't 100% coverage. The panels didn't join and lock together. To keep from having any panel from accidentally hitting another panel during deployment they didn't overlap either.
Wednesday was however painted black. Black as night black. She actually seemed to soak up any light that hit her. This made visual sighting more difficult. Not that anyone was supposed to get that close in the first place. But just in case.
"Panels deployed. … system is active. Computer modeling suggests 96% effectiveness." The engineering officer announces.
"Lynn?" Dell wanted confirmation. This was their first real flight into a real hostile area.
They had done testing at home using their scanner system. Based on what they found on all those fighters, of which there were three different variants. It reminded some of the Earth personnel of the variants they would put out for say the B-17 bomber that had variants A thru G, depending on when they were built.
It told them the enemy was making upgrades to their fighters and not throwing away the older versions. It also told them what scanner systems were being used in their fighters. Hopefully the same system was used on their capital ships.
"No scanner transmissions detected on any of the panels." Lynn confirms, since she knows what to look for.
"So far so good. … You have the bridge Mr. Sulu." Dell was still grinning.
"Aye captain, I have the bridge." It was going to take them at least two weeks to get deep into the system, since they were going by momentum and gravity alone from that single burn.
Dell went down to one of the engineering decks. The main engineer in charge down here was Amaury Wilhelmina.
"Hi Scotty, how are things down here? We are going to be in this system and getting deeper for weeks to come." If they were spotted they were as good as dead.
Amaury was grinning too. She wasn't as big a fan of Star Trek as the captain, still she had watched a number of the shows. And being called a guy's name had been a little weird at first. But this crew had trained together, and they were all a little weird. You had to be to serve on a military ship that didn't have any weapons.
"We're doing fine captain." She only called Dell captain Kirk when she was in the mood to tease her. "These panels are real power hogs. We're going to have to solve that problem someday." She knew they couldn't keep building ships with power plants big enough to handle two ships, just to feed power to the panels.
"Yeah, maybe someday. Is the game still on?" Dell wanted to make sure everyone was still available for tonight.
"We'll be there." Her and two other of the engineering crew (which was about all the crew there was) had been willing to play.
"Great, I'm going to go grab a snack." And Dell heads for the galley area.
Mess was open 24 hours a day. Only the first Explorer class ships and the old cargo ships didn't have galleys on board. Thanks to the colonies there was enough food, fresh and frozen, for every ship to serve real food now.
There was an observation deck on the Wednesday too. There were two recreation decks below that. None of them were overly big. Not like those of the destroyer or cruiser class, but then their crew size was smaller too.
"You four ready to hand over all your money?" Dell teased them.
"In your dreams Kirk." Scotty taunted back. Everyone pulled out their phones, though Lynn's phone was built in.
"Let the games begin." Dell was grinning. Monopoly Zapped, Tellus addition. Lynn had the game built into her when Dell had received her after graduation. Lynn couldn't tell her where it came from or why she had it, however her and Dell had snatched up every chance they got to play it. For some reason Lynn truly loved this game. Lynn knew she had never played it before and yet she always had a blast when she did play it.
Lynn even changed personalities while playing. Suddenly enthusiastically asking for players to hand over the money she was owed. Calling them dead beats or any number of other descriptions. Dell kind of liked this side of Lynn. Lynn wasn't just her AI unit anymore, she was fast becoming her best friend.
Dell had been shocked when Lynn had called her a Munchkin or an Ooompa Loompa the first time. It soon became a term of endearment that Lynn only used while playing the game. Lynn didn't know where those words came from, just that she knew them somehow.
Then one day came a big shock. Lynn and Dell were just talking about their lives and living the life of a ships captain, when instead of Lynn calling her Dell or captain, Lynn called her pumpkin.
Lynn apologized, she had no idea where that word came from, she had said it without thinking about it. Then promised she would never call her that again.
It had been one whole boring week. Dell had checked in with Scotty every day to make sure for herself that everything was running smoothly.
Dell made it to the bridge. "Report!" They were deep into the system now. One more week and they would be even deeper and on the far side as they made a swing around this systems sun.
"There are eight planets in the system. Two are gas giants, the outer most is a ball of ice. The next two are filled with mostly methane gas, very cold methane gas. All the others are rocks. The one closest to the sun is a really hot rock. Barely solid. None of them or their moons are fit for habitation." The guy at the scanner station provides everyone.
"And our friends?" Just what was here.
"There is a lot captain. …. Reading 6 of the scout ships that exited our system safely. I've got 24 that are roughly equal in tonnage to our destroyer class. Same size and configuration as the first three we encountered." Dell was deflating. This was starting to look bad.
"I've got 8 of the cruiser class, …. correction make that 11. Three more are at the edge of the system and just exited from FTL and are making their way into the system." There was a pause.
35 ships so far Dell was thinking. Maybe still more in FTL on their way here.
"I've got 6 ships that are equal in tonnage to 2 of their cruisers. Designate as heavy cruisers, and I have 1 behemoth that is equal in tonnage to the Battleship we had in design that was scrapped."
42 ships in system, not counting those scout ships. Dell was keeping count.
"I've also got another 22 ships that 5 are presently docked with one of the other ships. They are larger than the scouts but smaller than their destroyers."
"Supply ships most likely. Anything that looks like a troop transport?" Where they here to fight or take a planet.
"That's it. If there are any they are not here yet."
"Lynn?"
"I am reading scans hitting the panels all on our bow and starboard sides. Panels are holding at 96%." Lynn tells them. So they would see them or do see them, but at only 4% not enough to tell them it's a ship they are seeing.
"Communications, get me Admiral Martin Fischer, I think it's time we taught these people a lesson." Dell orders.
"Captain Bantam, what have you got?" The Admiral asks.
"Download our data and send it." Dell orders. The fighters didn't have subspace so hopefully their capital ships didn't either.
Everyone on Wednesday waits. "That's a lot of ships." The Admiral tells them.
"Recommend our destroyers make a run, fire their torpedoes then turn and run and jump to FTL to the rendezvous point. Let us detonate the torpedoes by remote or let them detonate by proximity.
Then while they are licking their wounds have the cruisers come in and do the same. Then we can evaluate what to do next. Maybe the destroyers come back on all three sides and fire their MAC guns and then retreat again.
We can follow up with the cruisers again as needed." Dell offers. "Maybe get in close at that time and finish them off."
The Admiral is silent for a moment. "Sounds like it will work, but I want that Battleship of theirs gone. It might not be a weapons platform." Getting Dell to cock her head to one side. What did he think it was?
"That might be a troop ship meant to be able to take a planet. It's just the first one here. We can't have them getting their feet on the ground." The Admiral knew that Tellus had a ground force, but he had no intention of fighting on his own planet(s).
Dell lifted her eyebrows. "I guess we'll find out in their response to our attack." What it did might tell them a lot.
"I'll draw up the plan and have it sent to you. Give us three days till firing of torpedoes." And the Admiral ends cuts the transmission.
"This is going to be a long three days." Dell whispers out.
It was only a few hours later that Dell got the Admirals plan. The strike fleet was made up of 9 destroyers and 6 cruisers. They were sitting a few hours out by FTL from the system a little off center from this system to Tellus in a straight line.
The other strike fleet was sitting on the edge of the Tellus system just off to the other side of center in case anyone made it past the strike fleet. The second they exited from FTL they would pounce on them.
The Admiral was splitting the destroyers into three groups of three. Three would come in head on while the other two groups would come in as a pincer. Two of the six cruisers were already in FTL and would be exiting at the edge of the system on the far side. They were going to fire on the newcomers that had just entered the system on that side.
Dell had shared the plan with her bridge crew and with Lynn. "This is going to be a lot of torpedoes to manage. Lynn I want you to concentrate on the 2 cruisers and the torpedoes that they fire. Just be ready to help with the others.
Everyone keep track of where the enemy is over the next three days and anticipate where you want to detonate. This will be fluid I know. As soon as our destroyers show up on their scans they will likely start to maneuver their fleet to counter us."
It was only a few hours later when the 9 destroyers exited from FTL and started their flank speed run into the system. It would take them 2 days to get to their firing point.
Wednesday was well off to one side of the system still. It would be a few more days before they were on the back side of this system.
It was one more day when Wednesday noticed that the enemy fleet was forming up to the threat that was approaching their position.
"They've been spotted." Dell softly comments as she stares at the main screen that was presently in tactical mode.
"Interesting. … Just like the last fight. The destroyers are forming a screen in front of the bigger ships, with the Battleship far in the rear. The Admiral just might be right. A troop ship. … Lynn." Dell calls out.
"Battleship is now designated as primary target for torpedoes from the cruisers." Lynn knows what Dell is thinking. Getting Dell to grin. Leave it to Lynn to read her mind. It was something Dell was grateful for. Lynn had never been able to explain it. "It's a gift I guess."
"Captain, I'm reading that our cruisers have just exited FTL and are making their high speed run from the rear. At their speed they will overrun the three enemy cruisers coming from that direction in only a few hours hours." Lynn informs everyone.
"Three enemy cruisers against 4 MAC guns at 100% charge." Dell was grinning. "Bye bye enemy cruisers." Getting the other bridge crew officers to grin with her.
"Ok, let's do our job. Target each enemy capital ship according to depth from our destroyers. … Alpha for the closest, Beta for the next layer, Charlie for the next, Delta for those big guys in the back and Zeus for the Battleship. With Gamma for the short lived enemy cruisers bringing up the rear. … Ignore the supply ships for now" Dell orders.
Within a minute all designations show up on the forward screen for everyone to follow.
"Lynn?"
"I have extra scans hitting the panels. They know our ships are here. Panels are down to 95% effectiveness. No indication they have spotted us." Lynn reads her mind yet again.
"Ok, we are going to be busy in a few hours. I want the bridge crew down to a skeleton crew. Everyone else go get some sleep. Tired minds don't think straight. … Lynn I want you to sound general quarters one hour before the anticipated launching of our torpedo strike." Dell orders.
"Understood." Lynn acknowledges.
"Aye captain." All but one grumble out. Sleep? Right, like that was going to happen. But at least they would be resting in their rooms.
Dell had made it down to engineering before heading to her room. "Better switch to skeleton crew Scotty. It's going to get crazy in a few hours." Dell doesn't order her. Dell lets Scotty do what she thinks is best.
"Here comes the cavalry?"
"Yeah, we're all going to earn our pay soon. And give these panels a serious test." Dell tells her.
"We'll be ready." Scotty was going to make sure they were ready.