Shaking her head as she fought to control her temper. “That should be Standard Operating Procedures across the Navy anytime food starts growing short on a ship as well as anytime resupply ship arrivals are questionable. SOP should be cutting back to the bare minimum of solid food and taking the pills as soon as they realize they have a possible food shortage. Even if it is only a pills a day with half rations to begin with and working down from there. By taking the pills from the start with say even a tenth of a ration, the body still has something to feed on while the pills provide most of the nutrition allowing the body to maintain muscle mass for months or even years if they can stretch the soled food out to even a couple bites a day. Reducing the negative side effects of the pills so by the time the food is totally gone the bodies are already acclimated to the pills cutting out the tragic massive loss of lives as well as allowing the body to maintain its strength and last longer with only the pills.” Suddenly frowning. “Sorry Admiral. I did not mean to lecture. I know you started adding the pills and reducing rations months ago. I just keep tripping over policies and procedures that disgust me. But then that is why I joined the marines. I could take care of people the way they needed to be taken care of without a thousand and one politically correct rules and regulations designed to hamstring doctors and line lawyer’s pockets.” Taking a breath as Jack discovered his hot tea. “My apology again Admiral I will go now and check on the Staff.”
“Well it looks like I am calling Pan for a different reason than I had thought.” Taking another sip as Sgt. Terrel left the bridge.
“New Home and Overseer Pan, Admiral. On the screen.” The Comm officer said.
Pan appeared bringing a smile to his face until he noticed Pan looked a little ragged. “Ok Pan what is wrong?”
“Wrong Captain? … I am sorry, Admiral. No. Nothing is wrong but I am very busy. How may I help you?”
“Several things. Mainly, as you know we found Task Force 58 and not our food so now I have a Quarter of a million crewmen that have been on nutrition pills for a while and it is starting to kill more and more of them. We are going after supply ships and food in just a few weeks and should have plenty of food in a month or so if we are lucky but in the meantime a lot of crewmen are going to die if they do not start taking some kind of solid food, even a few calories I am told. Fact is, that is all they can handle right now with their bodies digestive systems shut down. You said your people were working on finding food humans could eat safely. I need to know if you have something we could start feeding a few calories, even a bite or two for the crewmen to take with the pills for each meal. That is if you have enough to spar for a month until we can return from our next mission with solid human food.”
Pan held up a finger for Jack to wait one. Copying a gesture Jack had used many times that he now found irritating when others used it on him, deciding to stop using it himself but not able to stop others that had acquired the habit. Pan went to work on her alien PDA talking to others. Jack took a sip of his tea as he noticed that the group she was talking to got bigger and bigger by the second. He found he could understand much of what was said but since he was on a Comm and not in direct contact, there was many new words that came to fast for him to recognize.
Finally Pan stopped and turned to Jack. We have studied human food and specifically your nutrition pills and come to the conclusion that they are some nasty pills that we can improve upon in the future. But for now we have found a grain that humans can thrive upon if processed properly and is already eaten by most of our species. We will have enough of the grain to feed small doses to 250,000 people for a week to start their recovery ready for shipment in 24 hours. The doses will be in single drink packets to be taken as hot tea with each pill for the next week. Another shipment next week will have a different stronger mix that will continue strengthening the body and should only be taken 3 times a day with the pill instead of 4 with no 4th pill. The 5th week they should be able to eat small portions of normal food without problems and with only one pill a day. Though over eating will still easily kill them for the first month after they stop taking the nutrition pill so care must be exercised.”
“I know you are busy bringing the transport fleet here. The Destroyers here are busy so I will free up enough of the bomber Transports to fly the food supplement packs to Entry Base Delta-7 along with Doctors to insure proper use and check the patient’s conditions and reaction to the food, fine tune the dose as well as the effects of the supplement over the first week to better tailor the next week’s packets. Is there anything else Admiral?”
“Aaa don’t worry about freeing up the Bomber Transports. And what could the Destroyers be doing that is that important? No, it doesn’t matter right now. The Red Pepper should be there in 48 hours well ahead of the first batch of Transports and we will pick it up and jump it over to Delta-7 days ahead of what the bombers could deliver it. Which is another reason I am calling. We are dividing up the transports into squadrons according to when they can get there. Spreading the arrivals out over the next two weeks starting in about 5 days. Should make things easier on your end.”
“Make easier! No. No. Not Easier. Much harder. No not good. Not be ready in time. Must change much. Much difficulty. Much change. No! Not ready for 50 Transports Captain. Not planned for. Impossible. We cannot do. Stay away. Yes. Stay away.” Pan started moving back and forth in front of the console as Jack had talked and was now getting faster and faster as she talked.
“Not 50 Pan. The first squadron will only be a half dozen if I know my transports and are still a week away. The next 10 or 12 probably 18 to 24hours after that.”
“Half Dozen…Maybe? Yes. Can work but much to do. Much work. Very busy Captain. Not planned for this. No, not planned at all. Must go. Much to do Captain.” Pan ran back and forth several more times then. “Yes you come, 48 hours then go. Will work fine but much to do is. Busy, busy, busy. Must go Captain. Much to do and no time to do it is. Must go Captain.” Pan cut the connection.
“What the hell was that all about? Is she losing it or is something wrong back there. Comms, get me New Home again and Captain Burk ASAP.”
Jack started tapping his fingers a minute later as he waited.
After five minutes he got up and walked around the Bridge.
“Comm. What is taking so long?”
“I am sorry sir but he is busy. I just got through.”
“What the hell do you mean busy. One of the damn perks about being an Admiral is no one is ever to busy when an admiral is calling. Now get him on the damn line. I want to know if we need to hit that place with a battle squadron soonest.” Taking a few more steps. “Hell that is a good idea. Navigator plot us a course to New Home straight there. Fuck the twists and turns of the connecting Passageways to our new tunnels. How fast can you get us there?”
“Give me a few minutes Admiral. I have not even plotted that out.”
“What the hell do you mean you have not plotted it out? That is all your job is. Is to plot out possible routes to everyplace we may need to go and keeping the results on an up to date list. Or don’t you think that just maybe we may need to take a more direct route Home. Especially if the fucking Spider Gods are attacking it right now. But no let’s all go take a nap while you are playing with yourself and we will just get there whenever you feel like you can pull your head out of your ass and bother to do your job and hope someone is still fucking alive when we get there. After all if we can’t do our jobs, maybe we can finish helping the enemy do their job and bury the bodies for them.”
Jack stared at the man trying to go faster and having to repeat procedures when he screwed up. Jack shook his head regretting his words. It was not the man’s fault. Jack was too frigging busy running a fucking fleet to run a ship. But then, it was his responsibility to make sure his crew was properly trained and it was obvious that this man was not properly trained and Jack was to blame for that. Fact was as little time as he had spent on the bridge training his crew he should be
relieved that they weren’t tripping over each other and pissing themselves. Shit, was there anything he could do right. He had gotten people killed trying to have fun piloting the ship during Combat 7 months before when he should have been fighting the ship and now he had endangered the ship and its crew again because he failed to train them properly for Combat because he was too busy playing Admiral, making it very likely that crewmen would make mistakes during combat like this pour sod was doing. Possible getting the whole crew killed. Being an Admiral was just taking too much time away from being a Captain.
“Admiral, 17 hours and 25 minutes.” The navigator announced with satisfaction.
Jack had been looking over his shoulder and seen several major mistakes. Shaking his head as he placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and sighed. “Try it again and take your time this time.” Then turned away and sat in the Captain’s Chair.
“Admiral, Comm. The Staff in the conference room would like to talk to you about the cargo list. The last of the Transport efficiency reports just came in and is waiting for you and I finally got through to Captain Burk Admiral. What do you want to do Sir?”
“Put Captain Burk through please.”
“Yes Admiral.” Burk did not wait for the Jack to open his mouth. “We are a bit busy right now with transports coming in early. How may I help you?”
“I just talked to Pan and she seemed a bit upset to say the least. Is everything Ok there? Any big problems I should know about?”
“Problem? Hell yes there are problems. We have over a hundred ships including a fucking Dwarf due in here in a month. We have everyone working now on the station after shutting down the damn work crews for the domes just trying to get everything done in time for the arrival of a dozen transports packed with food and you go and through a monkey wrench into the works with overhauling a fucking fleet. No, everything here is all fucked up but we will manage to have it done enough for your first dozen ships when they get here and hopefully we can keep up with new arrivals after that but quit busting our balls ok.” The Captain took a breath and calmed down and tried to smile. “Don’t worry Admiral we will have things ready when they get here.” And then smiled from ear to ear. “But you may not like what you see when you get a good look at it but it will work. Need to go Admiral unless you have something else you need?”
“No that covers it Captain.”
“Oh wait.” Captain Burk said. “Pan says that they talked to Terrel and gotten the body scans from the officers and that one of the officers would have died before the day was out if not for the broth Terrel is feeding them. They say that it is worse than they thought now that they have seen the scans of actual patients. Twenty to 30 crewmen are probably now dying an hour back in the fleet. You need to get them the food packets now. They are speeding up the production of the packets and want you to get here as soon as possible and pick them up.”
“Very well. Already planning on moving up our arrival 24 hours. I will be there as soon as I can. Out.” Jack turned to the First Officer. “Follow me Number One.” And walked out of the bridge and down the passageway a few steps. “Ok. I know you are new to the rank and the position. You have done your best as First Officer while I have had my head up my ass trying to be a damn Admiral but what the hell have you been doing? I am sorry I have been a bit busy and I should have taken a more direct role with you and guiding you but the First Officer is responsible for training the crew. Now get off your ass and start running drills covering the basics and when I get back I will get with you about the finer details. You have the Conn and I best not see people tripping over the basics like I just witnessed the Navigator doing when I get back.” Jack smiled trying to be reassuring. “Have Destroyer 1701 ready for launch in 15 minutes.” Jack turned and headed for the conference room. Wishing know the Phoenix was available.
“Ok,” It only took a minute to reach the conference room and Jack noticed some color in the Staff Officers’ faces. Not realizing until just then how paper white they all but the Captain had looked at breakfast. “Listen, I am going to run a quick mission. You are on the Admiral’s Staff Captain Leslie.” Jack said to the fit Captain his mind had reservations about with her being fit when the others were not but he was in a hurry and after all she was on the Admiral staff so how bad could she be even if she was not talking to herself much, she had not said anything in her mind to make him doubt the Admiral’s choice. “Now you should know what has to be done over the next couple of days. With my standing orders to fill in any gaps. I am leaving you in Command of the Transport fleet and the escorts.” Jack suddenly realized what a relief it was not to be in command of the fleet. “You already have the engine efficiency specks for the fleet transports allowing you to group them into squadrons as you suggested and string the transports out to arrive over the next couple of weeks.” Jack was glancing at the cargo lists on the main screen and what was being cut and it seemed that a lot of the most important items were being cut. Baffled he turned to the Captain. “As for the cargo lists. A powerful AI did the cargo list so I am not too worried about them right now but we can go over them later when we have more time and I have had time to read your suggestions and you can explain why you want to cut the most critical items. Try it again after all of you know what New Home needs after you have spent a few days there though you should already know what your Task Force needs even if a I would think they could use a few of the items you cut.” Frowning Jack pushed the list out of his mind, he had a DD to pilot on a fast run to the Station. He was going to have some fun. Jack smiled from ear to ear at the thought of sitting in the DD’s pilot’s cockpit.
Jack could not believe how relieved he was feeling and how much he was looking forward to taking command of the Destroyer to make the run to New Home and back to the Task Force. Fact the Red Pepper would be better off in a better Captain’s hands. Taking a big breath. “Tell you what Captain Leslie. You can take Command of the Red Pepper while you are at it.” ‘Hell, she couldn’t do any worse than I have been doing.’ Jack thought to himself hitting his comm. “Bridge. Admiral Turner. Captain Leslie is now Commanding Officer of the Red Pepper.” Jack saluted the Shocked Captain. “Good luck Captain.” Jack turned and left. He would worry about the paper work later. Right now he had lives to save. One thing he was sure about was that only he could get that ship to New Home and back across that end of the cloud fast enough to save the most lives. It was also damn nice only having to worry about one little thing for a long change. Not a thousand things trying to pull him apart in a hundred directions, no guess work, no maybes, no enemy trying to kill him or Fleet Admiral trying to starve his crews. Just out right blinding mindless speed. What more could a person let alone and an Admiral ask for.
And as soon as Admiral Spencer reached New Home he wouldn’t even have to worry about the Stations. Jack jogged through the Destroyer’s airlock. After all. All he wanted to be was a Destroyer Captain. Jack smiled from ear to ear as he sat down in the Destroyers Pilot’s Chair that was more like a fighter’s Cockpit as the few still absent crewmen rushed in behind him taking up their stations. A Captain came wondering in taking the Command chair and stared at the Admiral. Wondering what was going on as the Admiral started barking orders without even glancing at the Captain behind him.
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Seventeen Zero One flashed out of the cloud and into the cleared area at the edge of the fog surrounding New Home with it’s stern toward the bubble far short of 23 hours later. “I knew I could do it in less than 24 hours. Yowl.” Jack yelled to no one. The Destroyer dodged around a transport before coming to a stop then pitching over to head into the fog bank surrounding the Dome Mountains still leaking gases and particles. Jack was already on the comm. “Approach control. 1701 making an emergency stop to pick up medical supplies, give me a clear path and birth immediately. I want sensor upgrade crews to be waiting to upgrade 1701 to Phoenix’s configuration. Priority One. Admiral Turner standing by for directions.” Jack di
d not bother looking over his should at the monster coming over the distant horizon that he had no clue about nor did he check the tactical. But then he had other more important things to worry about after spending the majority of 20 hours in the pilot’s seat flying like half a bat out of hell. He was looking forward to flying like a whole bat out of hell now that he knew the route in the cloud he had to fly through.
“Seventeen Zero One you are cleared for direct approach. Follow the yellow brick road. You made good time Admiral. Medical supply and engineering cargo pods will be waiting for you at your dock. Sensor upgrade crews are on their way as well as are the medical staff and engineering specialists. We will have you out of here in a half hour. Over.”
“Damn it. Make it 15. Get the externals plastered on and the inside crews can work on the fly. I surveyed this side corridor on the way in so I can do without the sensors for part of the trip. Every minute you waste people are dying so get your butts in gear. See if you can get me out of here sooner. Over.”
Impatiently Jack slowed down as he ran into more and more traffic of boats and tugs pushing prefabricated station sections around a partially built Station. Jack followed the Yellow brick road on his heads up display as it arced around and down onto a familiar looking flat disk a couple thousand feet across with 6 long arms of the new station docks protruding from it. The sections he had been dodging around being added to the arms as he dropped down onto the flat disc. He was surprised as he touched down to see people running around on the disk as equipment and the mass tanks converted into cargo pods was brought up to the ship but he didn’t have time to look very closely as he jumped up. “Someone get me a hand navigation screen.” And dashed for the little head just behind bridge. Someone handed him the flexible navigation screen through the door a couple minutes after he sat down. Studying the scans of the area around the narrow corridor he had just navigated down to reach the station and the debris around and already drifting back into it.
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 86
