Mace shook his head. “You people sure have some crazy notions about war. Here on Earth, we tend to fight until the enemy is utterly defeated. Generally, some type of armistice is signed, the attackers are tried and hanged or jailed, and everyone else goes home with promises to not fight again. Of course, other nations can have win-at-all-cost strategies where they will fight to the last man. For them, the victor takes and keeps the conquered territory and its people.”
Bontu tapped on his comm. “Captain, make arrangements for our groups to be brought to the U.K. We will be training them all in one place.”
Mace smiled. “I think that’s a good move, Mr. Montak.”
Bontu stood. “If you would excuse me, Mr. Hardy, I would like to converse with my counterparts. There are others who would benefit from this combined training. Their numbers are smaller, but the commitment equally desired. The small groups mostly hail from Europe.”
“How many are we talking?”
“Fourteen. Three each from Germany, France and Spain. One from Italy, one from Belgium, and one from Denmark. The final two from South Africa.”
Mace leaned back in his chair. “What do we do about translators?”
Bontu smiled. “The arm pad of each balfa has a built-in translator with all Human languages. When wearing a helmet, you will each be able to talk to one another.”
Mace nodded. “Interesting. Yeah, go make the call, Chancellor. I’ll be waiting here, studying these recordings.”
Several hours later, a shuttle docked. Johnny, Jane, Jasper, Jeff, Nancy, Vanessa and Tres, walked through a transfer tube. Mace and David were waiting. A black Dachshund and white Westy sprinted past the others.
Mace knelt down. “Hey, you brought our four-footed warriors!”
Mace was greeted with wiggling tails and excited barks. The Mawga standing behind Mace moved back out of fear.
Mace turned. “Relax, they’re harmless. Well, except for this one���you���re a vicious killer, aren’t you, Derwood?”
Johnny laughed. “I taught him everything I know.”
Jasper cut in. “That includes sniffing butts and urinating on carpets.”
Johnny reached down to scratch the head of the only member of his minions. “You gotta take the good with the bad, huh, Der-Der?”
Mace smiled. “Tres, Vanessa, glad to see you back with us. Feeling OK?”
Vanessa shook her head. “Physically, yes; mentally, no. I look back, and can’t believe I was doing the things I did. Almost like I was somebody else for a while.”
Tres stood beside her. “Yeah, I can clearly hear myself yelling at you before we stomped off to join the collective in town. Like she said, it almost seems like I’m accessing someone else’s memories.”
Mace stood, looking at Nancy. “Miss Davis, you doing better?”
Nancy nodded. “They gave me the antidote. No more cravings for the food, but I could use a stiff drink about now.”
After the short reunion, the American volunteers were all loaded onto the chancellor’s ship. Less than two hours later they were setting down at RAF Holbeach in the U.K., about a hundred fifty kilometers north of metropolitan London.
Johnny was the first on the ground. “Temperature’s nice, but a bit humid.”
Derwood raced down the ramp and bounded off through the half-meter-high grass.
Johnny yelled. “Careful there, Der! They still don’t like Germans that much over here!”
The three German volunteers were standing on the ramp behind Johnny. “That war was a long time ago, Mr. Tretcher.”
Johnny turned. “Oh, sorry. You were silent during that whole flight. Didn’t think any of you spoke English.”
“My name is Rudolf Kline. I spent four years at Ohio State. Karl Rheems attended Yale. Hans Mueller spent seven years in Washington with the Federal Foreign Office. We are all well versed in your language.”
Johnny bowed. “My apologies. What about the Frenchies, can I make jokes about them?”
Hans Mueller smiled. “If you don’t, we will.”
One of the French group replied, “I heard that, Hans.”
Hans laughed. “You weren’t supposed to be listening, Peter.”
The Frenchman walked down the ramp. “Mr. Tretcher, Peter Lefleur. I’m a fan of your wife’s. Have followed the sport for many years. Placed third in the Euro division four years ago.”
Johnny held out his hand. “She seems to have fans everywhere. Sorry about the Frenchie thing.”
Peter laughed. “You don’t have to worry about us, Mr. Tretcher. We’re familiar with American humor. Love that Jerry Lewis!”
The Frenchman walked and held out his hand to Jane. “Mrs. Tretcher. I’m thrilled to meet you. We’ll have to discuss our passions for shooting some time.”
Jane shook his hand. “And please don’t mind my husband. He feels the need to always be funny. Most of the time, it’s charming.”
Johnny rolled his eyes, looking over at Jasper. “What?”
Jasper said, “Big ape makes friends everywhere he goes.”
Johnny pointed. “First chance I get, you’re going for a ride out in space without a ship around you, old man.”
Jane pinched Johnny’s back. “OK, let’s move on, big man. We have things to do.”
The ground training went on for three days. On the fourth, the Mawga instructors declared the Human participants fully competent in all categories of individual fitness, weapons familiarity, strategies and tactics. The training moved to the shipboard phase.
Antic Rooga held out her kitna. Who will be the first to gain passage in the hallway?”
Peter Lefleur held up his hand. “I should like to try.”
The Frenchman stood in the ready pose. Antic nodded for him to begin. Eight seconds later, Peter lay on the floor, disarmed.
Peter winced as Antic bowed. “The pain is real, however the practice swords will not puncture. What you are feeling is the result of a mild electric shock. Had this been a real encounter, you would be bleeding out through your neck and groin. These are two of the targets you will want to focus on. Neither is easily moved from its position, giving you a longer opportunity to strike. And please, keep in mind, your enemy is well aware of these same tactics.”
Liam Hobbs stepped up next. Eighteen seconds later he lay on his back, his kitna waving in the air in a last-ditch attempt to stop his attacker.
Jasper Collins came forward. “I’ll take on the little lady.”
Antic Rooga nodded for the match to begin. Jasper, with the exosuit fastened over his balfa, leaped up, crashing into the ceiling before dropping onto his stunned opponent. After a short struggle to free herself, Antic Rooga conceded.
“Well played, Mr. Collins, that is the first time I have been attacked from above. I will have to work on a proper countermeasure.”
Jasper grinned. “Just let me know when you’d like me to drop in again.”
Johnny turned to Mace. “Figures the old coot would come up with something like that. I can already tell he’s gonna be one to fight dirty.”
Mace laughed. “Better dirty than dead. At least that’s what my squad commander used to say. When it comes to life and death, if you live, you can always say you’re sorry later.”
For the next hour, every fighter attempted a rash and unpredictable move. All were countered after Antic Rooga reestablished control of the space around her.
Mace’s attempt kept him alive for forty-two seconds. Johnny for thirty six. Jane drew first blood with a bold move down and up into the armpit of the Marklet-rated instructor, but two quick countermoves put an end to her assault.
The two days that followed were spent learning how to advance down a hallway. After an additional three days of practice, all eighty-nine Humans had received a competent rating.
With the shipboard assault training complete, the first group of Human volunteers was taken to the massive community center in the Holloway section of North London. A long walk moved the group past
a bustling dining hall and into an entertainment area. An hour’s worth of instruction led to all eighty-nine trainees sitting in individual simulation pods.
Johnny came over a comm. “Red Rover, this is Ape-man. Come in…”
Jasper’s reply was simple: “Shut up.”
Mace said, “Prepare to be wowed by this tech. The sensory input is very close to real. What you see and touch and feel can make your brain think you’re actually in whatever environment they put in front of you.”
“I got the tour in D.C.,” said Johnny. “It’s like nothing I’ve experienced. Was hard to get out of once I was immersed.”
A new Mawga instructor fuzzed into view in front of each of them. “Welcome. My name is Dratt Wahoka.”
Jasper said, “Aw, drat.”
The instructor replied, “Yes?”
With his attempt at humor failed, Jasper sighed. “Nothing. Please continue.”
Dratt pulled a blaster rifle, appearing to fire a round into all eighty-nine Humans simultaneously. Two dozen shudders were followed by a handful of “Whoas.”
The rifle disappeared. “Good. Now that I have your full attention, we can begin with our ship station training. We will start with maintenance, move on to environmental, then power, then navigation, and finally defense. You will all be proficient at each station before we move to the next. Now, shall we begin?”
An image came to life in front of everyone. “This is the recycling plant. Water, sewage, food waste, and other byproducts from the ship’s operation, is all gathered in one of these three tanks. At any time, one of these tanks is fermenting, while a second is filling and a third is being emptied and cleaned.
“Materials come in here. When a tank is full, enzymes are added that will rapidly break down the contents into individual substances that can later be reprocessed. When the enzymes have been added, it enters the fermentation process. This breakdown of materials lasts for the better part of a week. When the fermentation is complete, siphons and pumps move the material through separators. In the final stage, the separated substances will get reprocessed many times before they are again ready for consumption. It is a highly efficient system, but requires regular care.
“Today we will be adding enzymes. The system console will tell you what portions to mix. You will each be conducting this drill in your simulation until you are deemed proficient. The instructions are before you. Please begin.”
Jasper came over the comm to Mace. “When they said training, I wasn’t expecting this.”
Mace laughed, “Yeah, I hadn’t thought about this end of the operation. You get in your head that all you have to do is fly and shoot.”
“Little cleaning never hurt anyone,” said Johnny. “A clean ship is a happy ship.”
The training progressed from fermentation to separation to tank cleanout. Each individual was responsible for their own simulation, and each simulation was run multiple times. After two days in the recycle plant, the simulations were moved to maintenance for the remainder of the ship. All things mechanical were lubed, filters changed, and seals and fluid levels checked. Fourteen different pump systems were disassembled and rebuilt.
On the fifth day, the group moved on to the operation of the environmental systems, which included carbon dioxide scrubbers, re-oxygenators, housing, and laundry. On day eight, the power systems were reviewed, shut down, restarted, and tested for loads, spikes and shorts.
When the power training was complete, Dratt appeared in front of the Humans. “I will say, you have all excelled in your training. A similar sized group of Mawga will typically take three times as long. However, given your Human experiences, due to your way of life and given what you have all had to endure of late, you might be a sampling of a much more experienced pool. The Mawga are coming straight from their fifteenth term of education, having little knowledge of the working empire outside their homes.”
Jasper said, “I’m surprised we haven’t been held back by that big oaf Johnny.”
Johnny laughed. “Watch out, old man. You’re gonna get yourself spaced. And I’m surprised you were able to master those computer systems.”
Jasper grinned. “Spent a lot of time kicking the ass of my nephews and their little friends with a number of online games. That was before the arthritis kicked in. But I know my way around a computer. Had to use one to do my books for the cave all those years. Not that hard.”
Johnny shook his head. “You’re sure full of surprises for a geezer.”
Dratt smiled, taking back the conversation. “Yes, well, you have all been excellent students. For the remainder of the day, I encourage you to make use of the simulators to walk the ship, and continue to familiarize yourself with the systems we have reviewed. And take your first looks at the bridge and defense systems. Feel free to press buttons, pull levers, or take any other action you see fit. This time is being made available for you to relax and recharge. Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy.”
Chapter 25
*
The bridge simulation came on-line.
Jeff remarked, “I still find it fascinating that you can stretch out your hand and it feels as though you’re actually touching the equipment in front of you. They’ve done an impressive job of incorporating all the sensations one might have as real-time feedback. If I reach out to press a button, it actually feels as though I pressed it. Maybe not a completely accurate experience, but enough so that my brain believes it.”
Tres replied, “When we went through the simulations of the restrooms, I thought I might actually be peeing in my suit.”
Vanessa giggled. “Those tiny toilets still crack me up.”
Dratt appeared in front of each individual. “Today we begin navigation training. On the left you will find the routing map. We will be determining a course we wish to take, followed by entering in the waypoints for the ship to follow.”
Mace asked, “Will there be any sessions of free flying?”
Dratt nodded. “That will come at the end of the navigation exercises. As a rule, we rarely fly without a complete plan. However, we have seen a tremendous call for it with our diplomatic vessels. So time has been allotted at the end of the training session for such.”
Liam frowned. “Really? The majority of your flying is done by the computers?”
Dratt pulled up a table of figures. “The majority of our missions are merely patrols. Waypoints are set, the ship takes us to those points.”
Liam asked, “What about in battle?”
Dratt pulled up more statistics. “Even during a fight, 99.8 percent of our travel is under pre-planned routes.”
Coran said, “Is there any possible way to add more time and training to the free flight portion? I believe most everyone here would tell you they believe it to be of high importance.”
Dratt cleared away the stats. “To do so would be to push back the defense portion of the training. And I hope you do realize that any delays will be delays in your taking possession of an actual ship.”
Jane asked, “So how much longer can we expect this simulated training to run?”
“Three days for navigation and two on defense.”
Jane half smiled. “That’s it? Then we’re done?”
Dratt nodded. “With the simulation training, yes. After that we begin the shadow portion on an actual ship. You will each be assigned duties where a Mawga crewman will be overseeing your actions. When you have each rotated through all stations and received satisfactory reports as to your competency in each, that portion of the training will end.”
Johnny frowned. “That sounds like it might be a longer training regimen than this. How long would you expect that portion to take.”
“Several months, at least.”
Johnny scowled. “Months? That seems excessive.”
Dratt pulled an image of a cruiser up in the simulation display. “Mr. Tretcher, this is a powerful warship. The training you have received in the simulations only covers the basics. When you move to real-time mainte
nance, you will find that operations and procedures take much more effort. You will also be forced to go outside your basic training to solve the normal problems that arise from time to time. This ship is a complex machine. It requires extreme care. Out there in space, you can’t afford mistakes.”
Johnny held up a hand. “My apologies, Dratt. I think we’re all just eager to get done with this.”
The navigation training went as planned. Days were spent reading star charts, identifying waypoints, and plotting out paths from one location to another. As stated, a short period of free flying was allowed before the group was declared competent in navigation. Time spent training in each of the gun stations on the ship went equally well.
Dratt stood in front of all his trainees. “Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on your completion of the initial coursework. We still have one remaining training session. I didn’t mention it before, because your full focus was needed for the others. In this session, you will take all that you’ve learned and apply it to a variety of situations. Your reactions will tell us if you are ready for live training or if we will have to send you through the complete simulation training once more.”
“What?” said Johnny. “We passed all the courses. You never said anything about this.”
Dratt nodded. “I am sorry, Mr. Tretcher. This is our normal course of training. Every Mawga must pass this vital portion before moving on. We require the same of you.”
The image in front of each individual changed to one where they were standing at a station, all occupying the same simulated vessel. “We now move on to the situational training portion of the simulations. Systems will fail, fires will erupt, other warships will attack, and boarding parties will invade. How you react to these incidents will determine if you are ready to move on to the next phase of training.”
A facial image of several of the group showed on the display in front of everyone. “For this first simulation, Jasper Collins will be the ship’s commander. Liam Hobbs will be his second, and Hans Mueller his third. You are all to follow the lead of your commander and his officers. Good luck. As you say, you will need it.”
HADRON Axiom Page 23
