“That is fine Wing Commander that is your prerogative. You are in charge of training now. Just remember that everyone makes mistakes while training. Don’t expect him to be perfect. You can drill the rough spots out in the Sims when you get back to the Ship. He only has to get the fighter home. Oh and the other thing, weapons/engineers are going to be expected to help with maintenance from now on so they can make minor repairs in flight instead of red lining a bomber in the middle of a mission when a simple repair would keep it in the fight. So I expect to be looking to maintenance crewmen for volunteers for the weapons crewmen positions along with the refugees. Think about it on the flight back and get with me to discuss any problems you see or changes you want to make. Have fun Wing Commander Klink.” Jack smiled hoping Custern performed well on the trip back. As the Ensign had already figured out. It would make filling the fighter and bombers pilot ranks a whole lot easier and quicker. Trainees with several hundred hours in Sims ware damn near pilots already if the Sim programs were any good.
Jack watched the two fighters disappear in the distance and then glanced down at the screen showing the Destroyer still at least an hour away to as it maneuvered to catch up to them. The canopy had already sealed with the cockpit pressurized as he turned around to look at the Ensign who was already stripping off her suit.
“What the hell is taking you so long fly boy. I will teach you to go off without me. Or do you like male Gronks now?”
Jack pulled her close locking lips with her as she started unfastening his suit. After thinking that he had lost her he was in just as much a hurry as she was.”
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Chapter 5; Bad maintenance
Jack walked into the bridge to the announcement, “Captain on the Bridge!” Not only did he hate that but to him the Bridge was really strange looking. Part of the strangeness was the fact that months before, that whole section of the ship had been gutted by his ship the Red Pepper during the cloud battle when they had ambushed the Spider Battle ship and then at point blank range crossed three of their four captured monster Godgun’s beams inside this section of the ship to create an explosion that would have destroyed any Republic ship easily yet only took out some 30 Godofficer Command decks on the Spider Battleship. But then no Republic ship was over a mile long with a half dozen huge shield decks stacked up out front for a bow or had such thick hulls. The other stange thing was that the consoles circling the Captains Command Chair were facing toward the Captain and not outward toward the enemy as were Republic ships. For some reason the Godofficers liked to look at their officers and not what they were doing. Not that the Command chair didn’t have plenty of screens and controls around it but Jack just hated having the entire bridge crew staring at him when they were not looking down at their own screens on their consoles.
Yes he knew that the Alien crew had worked hard to finish the Bridge in time for him to use moving their ship around the bubble to the Hulk Base so he was trying his best to use it. He just hated it even though there was a constant stream of aliens in and out bursting with pride at the Gift they had given their liberator. Not that they were a nuisance as big as the bridge and the park around it was. The tourists never got close enough to bother operations from the balcony that ran around the circumference of the huge compartment but the balcony seemed to always be full when he was on the deck giving him the willies. Besides he could not believe the God Officers had allowed a balcony around their bridge for tourist anyway even though Pan assured him that the bridge was mostly a copy of the God Officer’s Bridge altered for humans.
Still, walking across a hundred feet of open space before reaching the first circle of control/monitoring consoles was made stranger by the damn art work and park like setting around the bridge area itself that even included a damn hot tub and whirlpool and workout equipment scattered around the parks paths and statues. Additional Captain’s chairs and control consoles were scattered around the park as well, including one in the middle of a damn swimming pool. Some of the pieces of equipment for the Captain’s enjoyment that were scattered around the park looked so strange that Jack did not even want to know what they did.
What made the whole thing worse was the Captain’s quarters just through a hatch off to one side of the bridge was fit for a king with at least a dozen lavishly appointed rooms including a Zero gravity bed and enough servants to boggle his mind following him everywhere trying to serve him every time he turned around including sitting on the heads command chair trying to take a dump. Though the huge pantry only contained a few emergency bars and food pills for the 3 chefs to serve. Conference rooms, a ball room and party compartment as well as two court rooms (though one looked more like a thrown room) along with a dozen other rooms he could not even figure out what they were for, were through additional hatches circling the damn huge Bridge/Park Compartment.
It had taken Jack a week to get rid of all the servants and be able to take a shower without a string of strange creatures trying to wash his back and other parts. The servant that showed up when the Ensign and he were getting frisky in the shower to help them copulate was beyond creepy. Having to find productive work for the servants elsewhere without making them feel and appear failures for being kicked out of the Captains Quarters had Jack about ready to desert running back to the Red Pepper. Though by the time they were half way to the Hulkship Station, Jack had managed to talk Pan into taking out 90% of the lavish appointments for the Captain and at least get it looking more like a Republic Naval Captain’s quarters (well probably more like the Supreme Admiral’s). Still it was livable. The fact that Jack was bouncing back and forth between the Battleship and the Hulk Station in fighters every few days helped him keep his sanity as well with the Captain’s quarters getting smaller and more acceptable each time he returned. Though they could not do anything about the bridge itself while it was in use navigating the ship in the narrow clear band of space around the Bubble. The fact that they were controlling some 22 Destroyers mounted around the stern of the hull made interrupting the bridges operations in anyway impossible.
While the bridge and Captain’s quarters were an irritation, Jack found that his biggest headache was the destroyers themselves. They were not 24 hours into the voyage around the bubble after cutting the last Godgun out of the mass of rocks on the surface of the bubble when the first destroyer started losing power in its engines.
Walking the first time out through the hole cut into the thick hull of the Battleship, through the short tube connected to the Quarterdeck lock in the belly of the Destroyer, Jack was amazed at the Battleships crews ability to get the impossible done. And then Jack turned 90 degrees to stand upright as he climbed into the Destroyer’s lock and stopped at all the filth and rust covering the lock with half the equipment and fittings inside the lock looking like junk with corrosion everywhere even if everything seemed to work. Saluting the flag and the officer of the deck before asking permission to come aboard Jack could only shake his head in amazement. Then climbing up two decks to the Destroyers Main deck’s central passageway that ran from the stern to the bow, Jack tried to maintain his temper.
The ship’s Captain Jack met and shook hands with as he stepped out onto the main deck was a good ten years older than him but then that was expected since Jack had barely turned 19 when he was shoved into Command of the Red Pepper’s hulk simply because the Admiral had no one else. He had still yet to make it to The Rock as ordered. And now Jack was here to find out why this Captain could not keep his engines running at full power.
Jack fingered his Lieutenant Commanders insignia etched on the end of his name plaque as he noticed the full Commanders insignia next to the other Captain’s name plaque on his chest. The Captain’s silver oak leaves on both their collars with a bare under them said that they were both acting captains. The fact that Jack had been only a Lieutenant Commander for a few hours when given Command of the Red Pepper while the man before him was a full Commander with two years in the gr
ade made Jack feel all too incompetent to criticize the Captain. But then half his Command staff on the Red Pepper were full Commanders or full rank Captains that refused to take Command of the ship from him after they were rescued from several God battleships by Jack’s crew, even though he practically begged them to. Now the lives of some 90,000 new rescued refugees and slaves as well as half his original crew were counting on the Drive Engines of the 22 Destroyers attached to the Battleship and he could not allow a Captain that did not seem able to Command a simple Destroyer with a crew of just over a hundred to jeopardize their lives.
Jack introduced his Chief Engineer (a full rank Captain’s Oakleaf next to his name with Commanders pips on his collar with a bar above them showing his brevet rank while serving at the post) and shook hands with the Destroyer’s Chief Engineer that had lieutenants bars on his collars and next to his name on his chest (as expected).
The ship’s Captain turned to a rating that was walking past that saluted the Captain’s respectfully and instead of returning his salute he started screaming at the rating.
“What is your problem Second Class Whim? How many fucking times do I have to tell you that I will not tolerate dirty uniforms on my ship?” The Captain flicked his finger at a smudge on the sleeve of the electronics tech. “Get your butt to birthing and change that uniform immediately. You are already on report now. Don’t make it any worse.”
“But sir I was in the middle of repairing…” The tech started to hold up a plastic wrapped module in his hand but stopped at his Captain’s look. “Yes sir. Right away sir.” The rating turned and went back the way he had come pissed.”
“Too late Whimp. No chow tonight for back talking me.”
Jack knew the piece of equipment that rating was working on probably would not get repaired that day. “Shall we head for the engine room Captain?” Jack moved things along since he had just gotten a report as they climbed up the ladder from the quarterdeck that another Destroyer had been added to the list of DD’s that had dropped down to half thrust or worse.
The Captain dressed down another rating and then an ensign for failing to have his crew keep a spotless work space he had noticed earlier. All before they had traveled a hundred feet to the engine room.
In the port engine room Jack looked at the spotlessly clean, perfectly ordered space and the row of crewmen hurriedly lined up next to the hatch in descending height, regulation space between them in a perfectly straight line. Before the Captain turning red could yell at a rating trying to hide a cleaning rag stuffed into his back pocket, Jack turned to the closest crewman and smiled. “Where are the mass injectors Crewman Riggs?”
The young man’s face that looked 17, turned baffled. “Aaa.” Swallowing as he looked at his first class and then his Chief before his face lit up and he pointed at the end of the long engine that disappeared toward the stern. “On the engine Captain, Sir.”
Jack ignored the pointed finger. It was pointed at the wrong end of the engine. “Yes Crewman Riggs, but where on the engine?”
The crewman’s face fell into indecision. Jack stepped to the next Crewman. “Can you tell me where the reaction mass injectors are Crewman Plat?”
Crewman Plat smiled. “On the front of the engine sir.”
“Good, crewman Plat. And what on the front of the engine are they attached to?”
Her eyes shifted around starting to panic before her face lit up and she said with pride. “They are attached to the front of the coil core sir.”
“Very good crewman Plat. Now can you tell me where the spare nozzles are kept?”
“Spar nozzles sir?”
“Yes, the things the injectors use to squirt the reaction mass into the engine that need replaced every few thousand hours of operation if they are installed and maintained properly and the engine properly tuned. If not they burn out and the Engine starts losing power after only a few hundred hours.”
“Replaced Captain?”
Jack closed his eyes as he counted to five. Then turned to the ship’s Captain. “With your permission I will leave my Chief Engineer to finish checking things down here. I would love a tour of your ship Captain. I helped design these and it would be a great pleasure to actually see and touch one in real life. Nothing like the feel of hard metal.” Jack did not wait for the Captain to agree as he walked out of the engine room. He knew what the problem was without further investigation after the reports he had received from the Hulk Station when the other squadron had docked for repairs. At least it was not anything serious. With Jacks bragging about being the ship’s designer wiping off the look of contempt the Captain had worn after glancing at Jacks Lieutenant Commander’s insignia on his chest when they first shook hands. Even though the Temp. Captain’s Eagles on their collars while commanding a ship made them equals. Now the look of incredulity that settled on his face was little better even if it did silence any complaints for the moment.
Jack went straight to the Simm Compartment that was made from a section of the original birthing Compartments leaving the crew to bunk 36 to a compartment in 3 high bunks instead of many spacious cabins with 4 crewmen in roomy paired bunks. Sitting down in the number 1 Simm at the front of the compartment’s forward side, Jack typed in his command code and shook his head at the list of the games the crew had been using the Simms for. Most were civilian games from simple solitaire card games, simple Bubble drop style games, first person shooting games and a lot of Casino gambling games. Only a few accessed, The Battleship Crew Training Game (or The Game). Recording the names of The Battleship Crew Game players and their Game ranks, Jack shook his head as the ship’s Captain watched Jack delete and lock all the civilian games out leaving only, The Battleship Game (simply called, The Game, aboard Navy ships).
“What the hell are you doing? You can’t do that. The Crew can play anything they want when not on duty. I am one of the top players of Combat Duty and the Casino.”
Jack got up looked around at the many unhappy crewmen now sticking their heads out of the sim cubicles and smiled at the Captain. “Shall we go someplace we can talk Captain. You don’t want your crew to hear what I have to say.”
“You have nothing I want to hear or talk about Lieutenant Commander.” He sneered. “I don’t believe for one second you designed this ship.”
“The next time you step on your bridge, take a look at the builder’s etchings under the forward screen Captain.” Jack smiled. “Now, you are docked and locked to my ship and since I am technically a Base Commander I out rank you and technically ending your authority as Captain until I release your ship Commander. Now if you want, I have 5 full rank Captains under my command authority ready for a Full Captain’s Board as to your competency for Command and a whole bunch of Commanders that would love to take your place. Shall we adjourn to your cabin Captain? And I mean Captain only as a courtesy at the moment that is about to change if you say one more derogatory word in public.”
The Captain’s mouth dropped open as he started to say something only to freeze. He suddenly remembered the full Captain evidentially willingly serving as this Lieutenant Commanders Chief Engineer. He jerked around and headed forward practically stomping. The Captain’s viciously dressing down several more crewmen on the way forward.
Jack shut the hatch after following the Captain into his cabin and stood as the man jumped into the plush chair behind the large desk making sure Jack could not get to it. Motioning Jack to a rickety chair in front of the desk. Jack ignored the chair and stayed standing.
“Now I don’t know how you made Commander but my short few minutes with you dressing down damn near every crewman we met over minor discrepancies mostly concerning cleanliness to the point of intimidating your crew into catatonic inaction, confirms the rank you have in The Game. Only an ensign would insist that everyone have starched poster recruit uniforms during the working day and everything on the main deck be clean enough to eat off of and polished bright enough to see themselves, even the engine room decks. Thinking that
spick and span meant perfect performance. You have harassed your crew into stupidity. Banishing a crewmen from the chow line because of a spot on their sleeve hours before chow call is ridiculous. I can just imagine half your crew going hungry most days over such stupidity in the chow line itself. Explaining why your ship is such a pretty pile of shiny junkyard crap in half the ship and the rest just rusted junk yard crap.”
“Respect and discipline must be reinforced and maintained through cleanliness’ for one’s self and their ship.” Blustered the Captain.
“Yes, said like a true fucking moronic Ensign. Evidentially somehow you were handed Commander’s Oak leaves without the years of proper training even as a lieutenant.” Jack said shaking his head as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Now Captain, if you want to continue in Command of this ship, you will spend the next month while attached to my ship spending 12 and 16 hours a day in The Game, learning to become a competent Commander. Notice I did not say Captain. Captains take years to become competent. Time you do not have at the moment but luckily a Competent Commander can Command a Destroyer with a crew of a hundred or so.” Jack took a deep breath. “Your engineering crew will spend the next week monopolizing the rest of the Simm booths re-learning what you have spent the last 6 months trying to drive out of them and that is how to maintain their propulsion engines while the Chief and part of my crew help. The rest of your crew will fill the rest of the time slots relearning their jobs as well over the next month. Later today I will give you a list of reassignments for your officers putting them into jobs they should have had to begin with that includes a new First Officer.”
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 21
