“Ya you have a point.” Opening the escape hatch in the canopy Jack stood up and yelled. “Red. You doing strange things to my engines?”
Red snapped around to look at Jack and smiled. “Ya didn’t want this one going spastic on you Captain. You piloting this piece of junk?” Closing the hatch she started walking toward Jack standing in the cockpit.
“Ya, just thought I would run over and grab some of the Overseer Dumont families since they decided to stay awhile.”
Red’s smile dropped off her face replaced with a frown as sadness flashed over Jack and she stopped a few feet away. “Ya I heard. This piece of junk has lost a lot of weight recently so I thought I would beef up the Buzzard coils a little to handle the extra velocity just in case you get into the cloud.”
“Ok Red, what is wrong? You know you are a bit big to fit into a cockpit don’t you?”
“Yes Captain. It’s not that.” Taking a deep breath. “I just miss my sister is all. Never been away from her this long before.”
“What? Why didn’t you bring her over after we took the ship? No reason not to as far as I can see.”
“Didn’t know I could Captain.” Her face lit up as she grinned from ear to ear. “I have never ridden in a bomber before. Can I ride over with you to get my sister Captain? Please. I won’t take up much room and I miss her so much.”
Jack looked down the empty cargo hold over Chumps head sitting in the Weapons Officers Console running checks on the craft. “If you can get in, sure Red.”
Chump looked up at Jack as disbelief flooded from him mixing with the overwhelming joy Red was beaming with. 30 seconds later Red was climbing up through the open elevator hatch making herself comfortable with her butt on the deck, her back against one side, knees against her chest, feet pushing against the other side and her head scrapping the overhead. But she fit.
Jack smiled shaking his head and then suddenly Red let out a little scream. “Better do something before we leave Captain.” As she moved awkwardly back to the elevator hatch. “Better tinkle before we leave. I won’t fit in that head very well.”
Jack went back to the check list. A few moments later Jack’s comm beeped. Expecting the Ensign he was surprised when Pan showed up on the screen. “Captain, I am going to make a quick trip over to the Hulk Station now that we have a transport that can make a round trip in less than 8 hours. I will be back with Chump and the other families. That is unless you need my help with something right now.”
“No I gave up trying to dock this ship with the Hulk Station in the Simm for a while. You wouldn’t believe how much damage I seemed able to do. Anyway go, I am sure the ship will be fine.”
“Silly Captain.” Pan shook her head from side to side trying to imitate what she had seen Jack do but getting a lot carried away. Jack was afraid she would give herself whiplash. “The reason I am going over to the Hulk Station is to make the proper adjustment to the stern so the two ships can dock Captain. Until both ships are properly set you will destroy them both trying to dock. The shields and gravity coils and half a hundred other minor details make docking impossible until both ships are tuned to match each other.”
A mass of details she was talking about flooded into Jacks awareness from the depths of his mind telling him the thousand and one things that needed to be done to dock the two ships. Making Jack shake his head as well as he chuckled. “Damn I am going to have to figure out a way to remember or dredge things like this up before I make a fool out of myself.” Now that he knew what the problem was he knew it would be easy to dock the ships together.
“What was that Captain?” Pan said.
“Oh nothing. Have a nice trip Pan.” Jack cut the connection and went back to his check list.
Jack felt something tickling his mind and knew Pan was climbing into the hold and then he heard Chump say. “It was about time you showed up.” As he got out of the console and sat on the bench along the side hull next to Pan.
Jack finished the check list and looked out the canopy for Red. Suddenly hoping to see the Ensign coming. Tapping is comm he tried the ensign again and got her mailbox. Figuring she was still in the Simm he left her a message. “Hey Jock. Headed for the Hulk Station to pick up some dependents and test this new bomber/cargo configuration and get off the ship for a while and stretch my legs. Don’t say I never invited you along on a ride. I could have used a Navigator/engineer on this bus. Be back in about 8 hours. By love.” Jack felt the bomber move as the weight shot up a thousand pounds. Turning around he looked over his shoulder as Red took up the same position she had before with her knees to her chest. “Damn, that is one dense girl.”
Then he heard Pan ask. “What you doing here Bigfoot?” The derision in her voice and mind shocked Jack.
Taking a breath to chastise Pan, Red spoke ignoring the insult before Jack could say anything. “I am going to get my sister and bring her back with me. I am so excited I feel like I am going to pop. She is going to love it here. There are a whole bunch of kids her age to play with and they have started a real school with real classes.” Red hugged her knees. “Oh I am so glad you are here Overseer. I need a new larger Cabin now. Can I have a two bedroom cabin like a real family? Oh this is going to be so great.”
Jack smiled to himself. “I am going to have to talk to Pan about what was with that attitude some time.” Jack said to himself in a whisper.
Pan turned around to face Chump and said. “It’s none of your business how I do my job Chump.”
Chump looked up at Pan from the pad he was working on. “What is your problem?”
“That’s my business. You just get your family and do your new job and don’t blather it up or I will have you back in the farm decks.” Then turned to her own pad.
Red turned and jumped in with both feet. Not caring what Pan had said about her but not about to let her get away with such rudeness to someone else. “Hey he has done a great job getting this bomber changed over to a transport and a program to get a whole squadron switched over in the next few hours until the new Cargo versions can be built as well as the factory starting construction already. And he has already made some changes on the flight deck that has speeded up the turnaround time for getting boats back into space. So Chill out there honorable Overseer.”
Jack had to smile at Reds use of the human expression.
“That is none of your business forklift. You just worry about your business learning maintenance since you are too good to carry cargo anymore and just get your sister.” Jack was surprised again at Pan’s attitude and realize that they were not talking English. Jack was surprised again that he could understand Godspeak so well. He thought about seeing how well he could speak it but decided that now was not the time to shit all over his executive officer even if she wasn’t technically his executive Officer. One of the reasons he had suggested she sign up as a Naval Officer earlier that day. But then such an outburst revealing their hidden beliefs was what he had been hoping for from the Dumonts he had in his office hours before but was surprised to hear the words coming out of Pan.
Jack narrowed his eyes as he turned back to tap the cargo hatch close icon on his screen. ‘A Ship’s Executive Officer was supposed to handle the needs of the ship’s crew and not abuse them or take out their own problems on the crew. He needed to change her attitude fast or dump her but now was not the time and place to have that out with her.’
Pan slapped her pad down on the bench seat next to her and turned to Red. “They will have a 3 bedroom cabin built for you and your sister by the time you return Forklift.” Puzzled that Pan had made an error in the number of bedrooms for Red’s Cabin he turned around as Pan continued. “Have you found a mate yet for your new child?”
“I have a year before the birth Overseer but thank you for asking.”
Pan seemed to study Red for a few seconds and then started talking using a strange new language Jack had never heard before but he could understand perfectly after the first few words. “Echini chenteca poni
a. You are young and your parents have died. You lack the proper guidance. You need to choose soon. Your new child needs the guidance of a second, a male mind to develop his full mental capabilities properly. I know you did not plan for your mate to die when you chose the sex of your child but now you must think of the child and put away your grief and choose a new mate. Soon.” Jack realized that Pan was talking to Red in her native language as tears started streaming down Reds face as she stared at the bulkhead across from her and not Pan. “Dear young one. You need to quit hiding on the flight deck and start spending more time with your brethren. Many eligible males see you and want to get to know you but will not intrude into your grief which is proper but it has been six months now. Your elders have come to me to force you from the flight decks to work closer with your people so they can help you with your grief and choose. They worry for both you and your child.”
Jack could not believe what he was hearing as his mind was flooded with new images and facts with each word as part of his mind did the takeoff check list and the transport lifted off the deck as he applied power to the lift coils.
“Some do not respect my grief and only see an opportunity for an easy conquest of a small helpless woman child. My disgust for the few that refuse to leave me alone make it impossible for me to see any others. Having my sister with me will help both my grief and my child Overseer. Please do not force me back to the cargo decks. The fighters and bombers and now the transports require all the systems of a whole ship in a smaller complete package allowing me to work on and maintain everything and not just a single system as with the ship’s crew even if that system is more complex or simply larger. Here I am happy working with people more my size and can use more of what my ancestors have studied for so many centuries without being able to touch.”
“Yes my child, but remember half your memories are from your fathers Ancestors. Do not rob your child of those memories.”
“Please Overseer. I believe that my child already has my mate’s memories and does not need an oaf trying to force his to over right my loves. I want a partner that will teach and mold and help my child understand the memories my child already has while adding his own to expand my child’s mind, not dominate.”
Jack could see in his mind Pan looking at Red for several seconds as he slipped the transport up out of the hanger following flight control’s directions up across the upper flight deck following the route the fighters had taken for their first patrol looking for the God Currier ship the week before.
“Your elders believe that your grief is blinding you but I see that is not the case. I will talk with them to keep the creeps away when you are on the transport decks and your new cabin I have placed in the center close to the school. Forcing you to have to interact with others but I will allow you to stay working on the Flight decks as you wish.” Pan seemed to smile in Jacks mind. “I hear you have already talked to Chump about building a Simulator large enough for you. I will have a word with him as well. We have many Forks your size now from this and all the other ships families and having you earning your pilots rating could work as a good example for them to broaden their horizons as well instead of feeling handicapped and relegated to the one job as cargo handlers.”
The transport slid away from the ship as Jack looked down at the ring of Destroyers pushing the big ship through space. Their ring of exhaust trails streaking back away from the tail end of the ship.
Pan turned to Chump reaching out and batting the pad he was busy on, off to one side. “Chump, I want you to build the new Bomber/transports with cockpits big enough for the forklift dwarfs to pilot. Now that they are not having to stay hidden to stay alive we should start using them were we can besides teaching.”
“What are you crazy, they weigh a (1/2ton) at least.”
Pan frowned at him. “The small ones are not that much bigger than a Gronk. Just do it. Not like I am asking you to build a fighter big enough for them. Fighters are much too dangerous to risk Forklift lives in. Just do it before I decide to send you back to the farm decks. I am not sure the new Overseer will be able to handle them without reducing production.”
“Don’t worry, Tymes will do just fine. I will see to it.”
“Good. Build several Flight Simulators for Red and the Greenfoot/Forklift Dwarfs as well while you are at it. Most of the other Dwarfs Forks have expressed interest in working the flight deck but I have put them off waiting to see how this Fork fares.” Jack could not understand or believe how it was becoming easier to understand different languages and how his mind substituted English words and names he had given people for the usually unpronounceable names in the native language. Pan’s sudden changes of attitude was also baffling. Though he was going to have to work on her people handling skills. She was still talking like the dictator of old.
“Are you insane? Just making the change when I get back will delay the production days. It will take me days just to enlarge the Cockpit and the other parts of the Transport bomber to accommodate Dwarf Dumonts.” Frowning as he took a deep breath filling his chin sack and letting it out again as he calmed down. “I will make the change as soon as I can. Hopefully in time for half the Transports to accept Dumont Dwarf pilots and sensor/engineer/load master consoles operators.”
With the transport now away from the ship and on course to the Hulk Station. Jack hit the auto pilot and turned in his seat to look back along the console and paused.
Pan whipped around and stared at Jack for a few seconds in surprised and then. “What the God hell are you doing here!” she said in dumonties.
Jack almost answered her but caught himself in time. “Aaa, what was that?”
“I was just a bit surprised that you are our pilot Captain. Don’t you have work to do back on the ship?”
“Thought I would take a break and see the sights. Not to mention I should check on how the Station and the Red Pepper are doing. After all I have been gone a few days now.”
“Yes Captain we have been gone a lot longer than we had planned.”
“Well since I did not grab a sensor operator, which one of you wants the job this trip?”
“Aaa. Captain.” Chump looked at the console. “I do not have a clue how to run the auxiliary board on one of these things except for maintenance. I did the basic startup checklist but that is about all I can do. Do you wish me to monitor the engines?”
Pan’s face frowned as she shrugged her shoulders in another imitation of Jack. “I have not a clue as well Captain.”
Red smiled. “I can Captain, I can’t fit into a simulator but that does not mean I can’t study the manuals and control consoles are control consoles. I think I have the Weapons/engineering/sensor console down good enough to spot and track anything around the Transport and even operate the defenses. The engineering side is no problem. I have that down pat.” Red started crawling up past Pan and Chump. Pan and chump having to press themselves up against the bench as she squeezed past them. At the console she took something out of a pocket and did something to the seat then moved it back beside the console out of her way and fastened it back to the deck. Then she crossed her legs in front of her with her knees touching the sides of the console with her butt on the deck and back against the bulkhead. Jack realized that while the Gronk had taken up most of the space sitting in the consoles chair. Red took up all the space but without the chair in the way, her head and arms were at just the right height to use the console. Red taped the horizontal control screen’s face making the icons grow to fit her fingers losing some to a second page. While the main vertical viewing screen’s icons actually grew smaller with many Jack had not seen before added.
“Got the scans going out and running a check on the transport now and brought up the Comms on the next relay sat.”
“Very good Red. You might see if Pan or Chump have anything they need sent back to the ship or on to the Station.” Jack watched as the tactical screen in front of him grew more crowded as Red added more information to it.
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nbsp; Then Pan’s irritated voice intruded into his thoughts. “No! Not that big you dunce. Quit being ridiculous.” They both were looking at their stretched hand screens that were tied together sharing information. “Get real here. Can’t you see she almost fits into an existing Gronk console? I was not talking about putting a 16 foot tall Forklift/Bigfoot to pilot the transport. We only need room for Gronks 10 foot tall. You are just trying to make it too big to produce so you don’t have to, is all you are doing. Now do it right!”
“I am doing it right. If you want the Forklifts to fly then it has to be this big.”
The two Dumonts started arguing in mind speak over every minor detail of the alterations to the transport including items that were not a result of enlarging the cockpit. At times making Jack’s head ring with their volume.
They finally transmitted the up dated plans and immediately started arguing over the best way to run the Farm Decks.
Jack brought up the plans they had transmitted and could only shake his head. The transport looked like something any committee that did not know their ass’s from a bird’s beak, would design or in this case alter. Jack made the necessary changes to make a decent transport that Red could fly without taking up half the cargo hold and sent them off to replace what had been sent to one of the factories. Jack had basically simply lengthened the cockpit a couple of feet to make some leg room lowered the seat a little and raised the height of the canopy (easy to do) to clear her head while increasing the outside view. Moving the Weapons/engineering/sensor console to face forward behind the pilot with their legs up straddling the pilot’s seat since the hull of the transport was several feet wider than the Torpedo/bomber still allowed for the pilot to step back around the Weapon’s Console into a small area for the head and galley and then an airtight bulkhead with a hatch to a much longer, wider and taller cargo hold. Making the seats and controls adjustable allowed anyone from a small human to someone a little bigger than Red to pilot the transport or man the auxiliary console. Though having Greenfoots man both positions at the same time would make for a very cramped cockpit. Jack had thought about taking the auxiliary console out entirely but decided that being able to add weapons back on if needed was a good idea. Then Jack got carried away and added the ability to have a full length belly hatch in an even longer cargo bay hull that doubled the weapons or cargo it could carry while upping the size of the tail turret guns and their firing arcs. He was surprised that he was able to keep the stealth lines of the bomber even with the wider cargo hold by keeping the height of the hold down to the minimum. He decided to try something new for the hell of it since he had the bomb bay doors in for launching weapons and changed the clamshell doors that let weapons fall or be ejected out the bottom, into a solid elevator hatch across the belly of the bomber transport that dropped down on solid arms to the deck for easy loading and unloading cargo from all 4 sides if there was no tanks or weapons hanging down from the wings. A weapons pallet could also be slid on to carry any weapons you wanted.
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 31
