Valor At Vauzlee

by DePrima, Thomas

  Although the act of saluting aboard ship is only required when entering or leaving the vessel, on occasions when flag officers are aboard, or when being called before the captain and leaving his or her presence on that same occasion, every rating and NCO that Jenetta encountered, stepped back out of her way, came briskly to attention, and held their salute until acknowledged. She returned the salute casually but definitively, and mumbled, "As you were," as she passed each. Only about half the officers actually saluted, but all stepped back out of her way and braced to attention until she had passed.

  "Is this formality usual aboard this ship, Ensign," Jenetta asked Ensign Willis. "Did Captain Corriano require such behavior?"

  "No, ma'am. The Captain actually preferred a pretty relaxed environment."

  "I see," Jenetta said before relapsing into silence. Although the crew of the Prometheus had become used to seeing her on a daily basis, she had to remember that she was still probably a bit of a celebrity here. She knew they'd get over it soon.

  After visiting each damage site and receiving a personal assessment of damage to the hull and repair progress, by the engineering officer or noncom in charge of overseeing the repair effort there, Jenetta had Willis show her the way to the sickbay. It was like the sickbay on the Prometheus, but much busier. The outer waiting area was filled with crewmen with minor injuries, who were naturally sitting, standing, or lying by while more serious injuries were handled first. Lastly, they visited the temporary morgue. Bodies in black cadaver bags were already laid out in two long rows, and those from the bridge hadn't even been recovered yet.

  In the next cargo bay, hull plates were being manufactured. A machine cut out the proper shape from huge, flat plates of Tritanium according to specifications already in the computer, then heated it until it glowed white hot. After being sculpted in an enormous press, it was allowed to cool in the new shape. Jenetta didn't understand why Lt. Commander Rodriguez's assistant couldn't handle the process since it appeared to be done completely by machine once the exact location of the needed plate had been determined, but this wasn't the time to raise such an issue.

  Within four hours, new tritanium bulkhead plates had been welded into place around the bridge and the radiation shielding replaced. Once the bridge was pressurized, the bodies of Captain Corriano, Commander Harant, and sixteen other officers and noncoms could finally be recovered and taken to the temporary morgue. Then it was just a matter of cleaning up. Jenetta had shaken her head sadly as the bodies were carried past her vantage point near the bridge entrance because someone had really dropped the ball. All off-duty command officers, other then the captain and first officer, should have been in the AC&C instead of on the bridge. It had been Harant's job, as XO, to enforce that SC regulation. It would have been more cramped in AC&C, and it didn't have the larger monitors that the bridge had, but when the bridge perimeter had been breached, a normal command structure would have remained in place and the ship wouldn't have had to quit the battle.

  Once the bodies were removed and the bridge cleaned, the electronic technicians moved in and started performing diagnostic checks on every system. Within two hours they certified the bridge to be fully operational, with the exception of the control panel where the wall had been breached. For that they took away the damaged electronics and began replacing them. By 0800 hours the rebuilt panel was ready for use, completing the bridge repairs. It was impossible to tell that there had ever been a problem on the bridge. The ship's hull beyond the bridge was still open to space, but the bridge was fully functional.

  As Jenetta approached the Captain's briefing room, a smaller, more austere version of the one aboard the Prometheus, the doors opened automatically. Someone, most likely Lieutenant Ashraf, had apprized the computer system of Jenetta's appointment as captain of the ship, and it recognized her as such now.

  Captain Corriano's personal effects in the briefing room had already been itemized by the ship's stores officer, boxed up, and moved to storage. The stores officer had the unenviable job of doing that for every officer, noncom, and crew-member killed in the battle. He and two ratings had been at it for hours, and many more hours of such work faced them.

  From the com station on her desk, Jenetta summoned the ship's personnel officer to the briefing room. The assistance of Lieutenant Sammarco proved invaluable. Jenetta was able to quickly appoint three temporary bridge crews. The Lieutenant would contact each of the individuals and have them report to the bridge.

  Ashraf was the first to arrive. The briefing room's computer interface softly announced, "Lieutenant Ashraf is at the door, Captain," when the lieutenant moved into sensor range outside the room.

  "You wanted to see me, Captain?" Ashraf said a little hesitantly as she approached the desk, sure that she was about to be severely reprimanded for her earlier remark now that they had some privacy.

  "Yes, Lieutenant. I've put together the temporary bridge crews and I've designated you as Acting First Officer."

  Ashraf stiffened in surprise. All she could say was, "Me, ma'am?"

  "I don't know how long the duty will last. Captain Gavin may have other ideas about assignments once things are sorted out, and may even transfer other officers to the Song to fill the senior positions, but for today, you're it."

  "Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

  "The rest of the bridge crew for this watch will be reporting to you as soon as Lieutenant Sammarco contacts them. Here's the list," Jenetta said as she held out a portable viewpad. "Your first priority is to ensure that every crewman, on each watch, is familiar with his or her duties and responsibilities."

  "Aye, Captain."

  "Questions?"

  "Will you be remaining aboard as Captain until we reach port?"

  "I expect to be returning to my duties as XO aboard the Prometheus within twenty-four hours. By then Captain Gavin will probably have found a qualified replacement with the rank of full commander, or at least someone with more time in grade than myself. But I fully intend to have the command structure aboard this ship back in good order, and the repairs proceeding efficiently, when I turn over command."

  "Yes ma'am."

  "If there's nothing else, you're dismissed."

  "Aye, Captain."

  As soon as Ashraf had gone, Jenetta called up the damage reports on the console and observed that the work was progressing well. Lt. Commander Rodriguez might be a micro-manager, but he was an efficient one. Two of the larger hull breaches were already repaired, at least to the extent that a first layer of new exterior plating allowed the areas to be pressurized. Work on installation of the self-sealing membrane and interior plating was just beginning. Applying the additional outer layers of plating that formed the ship's armor in those areas would be left until all emergency repairs were complete and the engineers had an opportunity to reforge the damaged plates by melting tritanium scrap to fill holes and then shape the reconstructed plate. All other damaged tritanium plates would be reforged, reshaped as flat sheets, then stored until needed after some future engagement.

  As much as she would have preferred to be doing something physical, there was ‘electronic' paperwork and a growing queue of message-work to attend to, so she dove into it. Her first order of business was to prepare a complete report on the state of the ship based on her earliest observations. She listed what she had found when she arrived, and the actions she had taken to restore a command structure, along with an estimate of the time required before the ship would be able to function normally. She knew that the report would most likely make it to the highest levels in Supreme Headquarters, so she took great pains to craft a document that was accurate, organized, and complete. She signed the finished document as ‘Lt. Commander Jenetta A. Carver, Captain, GSC Heavy Cruiser Song GSC-CH502'. She'd debated with herself whether to include ‘Acting' before the title of Captain, then decided against it. It was normally used where a senior officer was absent from duty for any of a variety of reasons, including death or injury, and a subordinate t
emporarily takes over in their stead. While her appointment by Gavin was a temporary one, and would never be confirmed as a permanent appointment by Supreme Headquarters, a battlefield appointment by the senior officer at the engagement was nevertheless an official appointment.

  She appended a copy of the ship's imaging logs from one-half hour before the battle to one-half after, and marked them for immediate transmission. Gavin would file a report from the Prometheus that covered his ship's performance, as well as a full report of the action in his role as task force commander, but the captain of every ship involved in an ‘incident' was required to make their own full report directly to Supreme Headquarters within twenty-four hours. Since Captain Corriano was deceased, the duty requirement fell to Jenetta. The ban on outgoing communications was still in effect, but that didn't extend to reports to SHQ and other such official communications.

  The requests from her officers took the most time to handle. Every one had to be read, and responded to individually. Most were requests for temporary personnel reassignments to handle specific problems not normally handled by a particular rating's class, or requisitions for supplies and equipment from emergency stores. They were the sort of requests ordinarily handled by the XO, but there hadn't been an executive officer when the messages were queued, so they were routed to her. She would have passed them on to Lieutenant Ashraf, but the acting XO would have her hands full for quite a while just getting the new command staff organized, and the requests couldn't wait.

  At noon, Jenetta called the Prometheus from her briefing room. "Commander Carver here. Put me through to the Captain."

  A few seconds later, Gavin's image filled the screen. "How are you making out, Carver. Need help?"

  "Negative, sir. We have eighty-nine dead, fourteen critically injured, and three still ‘missing and presumed lost,' but we're coping. The bridge is fully operational again and I've appointed temporary bridge crews to replace those killed in action. All major hull breaches, with the exception of the acute torpedo damage on A Deck, should be sealed within twenty-four hours. Due to the extensive hull damage on A Deck, we'll require as long as fourteen days of intensive repair effort to seal that part of the ship. We also have over two hundred minor hull punctures. The repair crews will begin to tackle them after they get some needed rest. The good news is that the Song will be able to continue on to Earth under its own power, and with its current crew. As temporary captain of the ship, I've forwarded the logs from the time of the battle and my initial assessment of the ship's condition to SHQ."

  "That's excellent, Commander. You've really pulled things together over there."

  "If you've selected someone to replace me as captain, I can turn over command of the ship and return to the Prometheus at any time, sir."

  "I haven't given it much thought yet. I've been too busy with the clean up efforts. We're using tugs from the freighter to pull all the Raider ships together. The Marines and engineers from the Dublin and Calcutta are busy rescuing survivors from airtight compartments in the Delhi. When that's complete, we'll have to do the same in each of the thirty-four Raider ships. That's naturally our top priority now and will probably take several days. Stay where you are until all repairs have been completed. I expect that we'll all be here for at least two weeks, and likely a bit longer."

  "Aye, Captain. I'll need some clothes if I'm going to remain here for a while."

  "I'll have someone pack a bag for you and bring it over next time a shuttle goes out."

  "Thank you, sir."

  "Prometheus out."

  "Song out."

  Jenetta leaned tiredly against the back of the comfortable ‘oh-gee' chair. She was anxious to get back to the Prometheus and oversee the repairs to her ship, but she would have to remain here to oversee the effort until Gavin recalled her. It was probably just as well. She would have felt guilty about relinquishing command of the Song to someone else while things here were still in such a state of confusion. She shook off her disappointment and returned to her paperwork.

  Rising from the chair behind her desk two hours later, Jenetta went to the beverage synthesizer where she ordered a sixteen ounce mug of Colombian coffee with two sugars. It tasted slightly different from the synthesized blend she was used to on the Prometheus; not bad, just a little different. It still had the wonderful taste of recently roasted and freshly ground Colombian coffee beans. Taking the coffee over to the couch against the sidewall, she lay down. It had been more than thirty strenuous hours since she had slept and she needed some rest.

  * * *

  Jenetta awoke to the sound of the computer announcing Lieutenant Ashraf's presence outside the door. "Come," she said.

  Ashraf entered, and not seeing Jenetta behind the desk, scanned the room. When she realized that Jenetta was lying on the couch, she said, "Sorry to disturb you, Captain. I didn't know that you were resting."

  Jenetta sat up and put her feet on the floor. "That's okay, Lieutenant. What do you need?"

  "I wanted to inform you that all major breaches of the hull, except for the damage on A Deck, have been sealed and are holding pressure. I've told the hull repair crews to get eight hours rest before they commence work on the A Deck hull, complete the self-sealing membrane and inner plate work in the other damaged areas, and begin work on the smaller punctures. I have clean up crews working a rotating schedule to get the ship back into shape. Uh, the Prometheus sent over a spacechest and several other cases for you."

  "Yes, Captain Gavin has ordered me to remain in command here until the task force completes its repairs."

  "Wonderful, Captain. I had your things brought to the Captain's quarters in case that might be the situation. Housekeeping bots changed the bed linens and cleaned the suite after Captain Corriano's personal effects were removed. You should get some rest, ma'am."

  Jenetta glanced up at the wall chronometer. It was 1608 hours. "Yes, I could use a couple of more hours if there's nothing pressing. You look exhausted. You'd better get some sleep also."

  "I'm leaving now, ma'am. I was just relieved by Lt. Elizi, who's come back on duty after having six hours off."

  "Okay, Lieutenant, thank you. I'll see you on the next watch."

  "Aye, Captain."

  Jenetta stood up and stretched after Ashraf left. The four hours that she had slept only left her wanting more. She rubbed her eyes, straightened her tunic, and walked out of the briefing room. A crew of semi-familiar faces that she'd only seen as she prepared the bridge crew list from the computer files, were manning their stations on the bridge. The twenty-nine-year-old lieutenant with short black hair and dark-chocolate brown eyes who had just taken the command watch, Lieutenant Elizi, smiled benignly in greeting from the command chair as Jenetta walked towards the door leading to the corridor. As she returned the smile, Jenetta speculated that the five-foot eight-inch woman must, like Lt. Ashraf, be of Eastern Mediterranean lineage.

  Since the standard designation for the captain's quarters on all GSC ships is A-01. Jenetta located it easily and the computer opened the door for her as she approached.

  Standing just inside the entrance, she glanced around the enormous sitting room. Although slightly smaller than the captain's sitting room on the Prometheus, it was still impressive. Two sofas and half a dozen chairs were available for visitors since the captain was expected to entertain staff and visiting dignitaries on occasion. An open door on the rear wall revealed a half-bath, provided so that visitors wouldn't have to use the private bath in the captain's bedroom. The door on the wall to Jenetta's left was open and offered a view of the captain's office. It contained a large desk with an abutted conference table capable of seating eleven. Of the two other doors in the room, she imagined that the closed door on the rear wall led to her bedroom, so she moved to the closed door on her left. As she neared it, the door opened. She stopped instantly and then took a quick step backward, assuming a defensive stance as a looming figure appeared in the darkened room in front of her.

  "Good after
noon, Captain," the figure said softly. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"

  "Uh, good afternoon. What are doing in here, Chief?"

  "I'm the captain's steward, ma'am; your steward now. I'm Chief Steward Woodrow Casell. I'm sorry if I startled you."

  Jenetta relaxed and lowered her arms. She had forgotten that the captains of all frigates and larger ships have a full time steward. It was a luxury and a status symbol that the captains of lesser ships aspired to attain for themselves. Even though they didn't have private galleys attached to their quarters, and weren't officially assigned a full time steward, destroyer captains usually designated one mess steward to see to the preparation of all their meals and deliver them either to their quarters or their briefing room at meal time. Captain Gavin's steward would be joining the Prometheus when it reached Earth. For now his meals were brought to him from the officer's mess.

  Chief Casell had a kindly face, and an unremarkable body. His hair was sort of an auburn color, and as full as it had ever been. He appeared to be about forty years of age, so Jenetta assumed that the five-foot ten-inch tall NCO might have been acting as Captain's Corriano's steward for some time. It wasn't uncommon for a captain to bring his steward from a previous command with him as he moved to a new ship, if he was satisfied with the steward's service and food preparation.

  "Not a problem, Chief. I was just exploring. Why are you standing in the dark?"

  "I just stepped into the room from the galley, ma'am, when I heard the door annunciator. I'm so familiar with the captain's suite that I don't always put the lights on when I'm passing through a room." Stepping back out of the way, Chief Casell said, "Lights on," then, "This is your dining room, Captain. The door on your immediate right leads to the galley, and the door on the far right leads to my quarters. If you don't mind, I prefer to be called by my given name of Woodrow."