The sound reminded him of the last few minutes of the previous day's simulation, right before the ship took critical damage and forced the program to end. Then, like now, he was paralyzed with the realization that the situation was out of his control.
Wasn't there something he was supposed to be doing? Like finding the nearest life pod and exiting the ship?
No, he was in charge. If something was happening and the ship was going critical, it was his job to make sure everyone else got off the ship before focusing on his own survival. With that, he focused on his breathing and got to his feet. Once there, he pressed the comm button on his nightstand only for the alarms to stop, bathing his room in silence.
"Bridge, what was that?"
"It's nothing, Commander. Engines temporarily lost containment. Chief Engineer Vaughn has the issue fixed." The voice was unfamiliar, perhaps one of the admiral's techs had answered the call.
"I don't call the loss of engine containment nothing." He wanted to chew out whoever this was for disregarding nearly a half dozen protocols. If this problem was something that had been persistent throughout the night, they should've woken him up. He was in charge of getting the ship together and by damned he wasn't going to let last-minute oversights put that in jeopardy.
Bremerton tapped his comm unit one more time to get a new connection. "Vaughn, what is going on down there?"
"Engine containment left a lot to be desired, Commander. Me and a handful of the admiral's techs have been working all night to get her back into order." His voice sounded strained and tired, as if the man had been up all night working on the blasted thing.
"The ship has yet to leave the station. Why is it she already has issues?"
"Every new bird has issues, Commander. That's why Admiral Flemming has her best techs working out the bugs."
Bremerton sighed. One would've figured these kinds of bugs would've been worked out long before it was time for the ship to leave port. The NEC had gone through the trouble scheduling the launch for today, including shipping hundreds, if not thousands, of people to watch it leave port for her first time.
He supposed the people were here for a show and if nothing else, the Endeavor's engines going critical would be quite the display.
"The tech on the bridge said you had it under control, but I'd like to hear it from you."
"The tech is right, Commander. Containment is at eighty percent. I expect it to be near ninety percent by the time the captain gets onboard."
"Very well, keep me appraised of any changes," Bremerton said, nearly hitting his comm to terminate the connection, but stopped. "And Vaughn, please let me know if anything like that is going to happen again otherwise Doc Simmons is going to have hir hands full early."
"Aye, Commander. I'll do just that."
"Thanks, Rick. Bremerton, out."
With the situation under control, he allowed himself to collapse back on his bed. He closed his eyes and took in deep, deliberate breaths trying to get his heart rate back to normal. It wasn't like him to panic like that. Though his childhood he hadn't so much as had a situation that had rattled him so intently, let alone had it happen two days in a row.
He believed it may have just been his nerves working in overdrive. He was, after all, about to embark on his new career as an NEC senior officer. It wasn't unheard of for others in his position to react the same way. While he wasn't content with his explanation, he figured it would have to be enough.
After a few minutes he sat up on the bed and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. He sighed as he realized the time. It was only 0500 hours, meaning he still had three hours until he had to report. Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep worth a damn, he pulled himself up, grabbed a clean uniform, and headed down the hall to take a shower. If he wasn't going to be able to sleep, he sure as hell wasn't going to spend the rest of his time brooding in his quarters. There's plenty of work to do. Might as well get to it early.
Chapter Thirteen
New Earth Station
Flight Deck, NECS Endeavor
Lieutenant Tegan Bradley did one final sweep of her fighter, ensuring her bird was fit for service. This was not part of her regular duties, but the flight mechanics had their hands full with a dozen fighters that hadn't booted up properly and thought they could use a hand. Besides, she intended to do a full inspection after they had completed their inspection anyways. As much as she trusted the CAG and her crew, she didn't like to leave the maintenance of her fighter to chance.
Some fighter jocks consider their fighter a weapon. One they command and control in the thick of battle in defense of their ship. She understood why they thought that way and wasn't going to attempt to change their minds. But to Tegan, her fighter was an extension of herself. Sure, her arms and legs guided the craft, but it was as much a part of her as she was it. Without the fighter she couldn't survive in the vastness of space, and without her it was nothing more than a few million dollars worth of metal and electronics.
She finished her inspection and made her way across the flight deck to help the rest of her squad with theirs. Resting ten yards from her bird was Lancer's fighter. The jock was underneath his fighter inspecting the landing gear and laser batteries.
"You know the lube is for the bird, right Lancer?" Tegan joked as she kicked Lancer's feet.
"Be easier if they didn't put the crap everywhere." Lancer grabbed the side of his fighter and pulled himself out from under the craft. Seeing the rest of his body, Tegan wasn't sure his fighter had any grease left in it at all. The fighter jock was covered head to toe in the gunk, leaving few spots on his suit clear of grime. Even his usually pristine hair wasn't immune, with clumps of it matting his hair.
"How's she looking?" Tegan strolled around the bird, running her hand along the hull as she passed. It was amazing how alike each of the birds looked brand new, as none of them had so much as ventured outside the confines of the space station. In the coming months each fighter would get scratched, dented, and even scorched, ensuring every one was as unique as the pilots that operated them.
"About as good as she's going to be. Like to get her out and do a few flybys, but I doubt the CO will allow that."
Tegan nodded as she felt the same way. Being cooped up on the ship wasn't doing her any favors. She signed up to be a fighter pilot to have the change to get out of the ship every now and again to look at something different. Life inside of a starship was too dull and boring for a person like her. She desired freedom. Craved it even. Even if that freedom required her to stay behind the controls in the cramped cockpit of her fighter.
"Doubt it's the CO we have to worry about." Captain Wellard would probably be all for them doing live flight exercises. But given their situation, not to mention proximity to the base, meant they were required to stay inside. The last thing anyone wanted was a fighter pilot colliding with the base or one of the civilian ships in the system.
Lancer wiped his filthy hands on the legs of his suit. "Something on your mind, Lieutenant?"
Tegan glared at Lancer, wondering where his sudden concern came from. Sure, he was one of the louder ones in the bunch, but he wasn't known for giving a shit about anyone but himself. If he was asking, it meant the man knew her more than she could ever allow.
"Nothing, cadet," she lied. "Just eager to get this tour started."
Lancer gave her a half smile and a reluctant nod. Tegan could tell by the look on the man's face he knew she wasn't telling him the truth. But how could she tell him what was really on her mind? As far as the rest of the crew knew, she was an only child. Never once had she spoken to anyone about her brother or sister aboard the Aplin doing regular security sweeps. They couldn't know neither of them had sent their weekly message to let them know they were both OK.
Tegan supposed they might be in one of the few systems on the outer rim the NEC hadn't installed beacons in. They had missed calling a time or two before, and both swore that was the reason.
This time, however, something
felt different about the missing call. She didn't have a better way to explain it other than to say it didn't seem right. Perhaps it has something to do with the work I've had to put in to get the fighters ready, she thought. Once we depart and I'm able to get into my fighter and out into space, everything will be fine.
She wasn't sure how much truth there was to her thoughts, but it was the only thing she could do to keep going.
"If you're done with your bird, why don't you see if anyone else can use a hand. The captain expects them in operational status by this afternoon."
"Yes, sir," he said as he snapped off a quick salute which Tegan returned.
Lancer turned to head towards Switch's bird while she stood there, wondering why she hadn't told him the truth. Everyone on the ship had family out there somewhere. By blocking him out of her life she had proven herself to be no better than most the other officers in the NEC. It was something she vowed not to do once she took her promotion, yet her first day on the job she had done just that. She made a mental note to make it up to Lancer later that evening before heading into the fighter by to help Commander Thompson make sure every last fighter was ready for service.
Chapter Fourteen
New Earth Station
Bridge, NECS Endeavor
Captain Wellard arrived on the bridge to find it a flurry of activity. As expected, his XO was at the helm orchestrating the controlled chaos he saw before his eyes. Seeing the kid in action was intoxicating. He'd watched the footage of the simulations from fleet academy and the simulation he'd ran himself, but seeing the man in action made him believe things would be fine. As long as he could hold the ship together during their first few missions Wellard was sure he'd find himself on another ship preparing a fresh batch of recruits for their term of service.
Wellard made it three steps into the chamber before Bremerton stood up and snapped to attention.
"Captain on the bridge." With the words, the bridge crew not engaged in critical activities joined the commander in his salute.
"At ease," Wellard said, stepping further inside. "I assume she's primed and ready for service?"
Bremerton nodded. "As ready as a ship of her caliber could be. They say you have to take them out on a few jumps to find all the bugs before they are ready."
"Any major issues I should know about?" It was a rhetorical question as his datapad had been getting updates on the ship's status since early this morning. What he was looking for was for his new XO to tell him the truth. For what reasons is unknown. Perhaps they felt like they might lose their rank, or that the issues would be blamed on them if they spoke up.
But as expected, his new XO was smarter than most. He filled him in on every detail, regardless of how minute. With few exceptions everything seemed as expected. The only concern Wellard had was for the engines. The last thing he could afford was for the engines to lose containment once they were out on their own. It could take days, or weeks before a rescue ship was sent to retrieve them once they sent distress signal after auxiliary power kicked in, removing their ability to use nonessential ship functions.
"Very well, Commander," Wellard said with a nod of approval before hitting the button on the comm. "Engineer Vaughn, I assume you have the engine problem under control."
"Yes, Captain. I didn't trust the stock containment unit to hold up under stress, so I made a few modifications."
"Am I to assume these modifications were approved by fleet command?"
"Indeed. The Endeavor isn't the first ship to have containment issues before leaving the shipyard. Figured it was best to make the repairs while we had proper supplies and the admiral's techs."
"Wise decision, Vaughn. Keep up the good work. Wellard, out."
Wellard strolled to the center of the bridge and took a seat on his chair. "Open a channel to the entire ship."
"Channel open, Captain," Lieutenant McRee said.
"Crew of the Endeavor, this is Captain Vincent Wellard speaking. As you are aware, we are about to embark on this fine ship's first voyage. For your first test, Admiral Flannigan has ordered us to help escort Vice President Landry's ship as it makes its way towards the Atroxxin sector. I can't speak openly on the reasons for his visit, but suffice it to say it is in the best interests of the NEC and her allies. While I understand this is many of your first voyages away from home, I intend to bring every one of you back home to your loved ones in one piece.
"Truth be told, I'd expected to be leaving the moment I got to the bridge, but as fate would have it our esteemed representative is not ready to disembark. That gives us a few hours to kill, so I've temporarily suspended the transmission limits for everyone on the ship. I advise you to take the time to contact your loved ones and say your goodbyes. In two hours I expect every one of you back at your post and ready to depart. Wellard, out."
Wellard leaned back in his chair and smiled as every member of the bridge crew turned at him with a look of surprise. He took in their expressions for a few moments before speaking up. "That goes for you too. I'll man the bridge while you attend to your families." When they hesitated to move he added, "that's an order."
And with that, the bridge was empty, leaving him alone to enjoy what last bit of silence he would have for the next year.
Chapter Fifteen
New Earth Station
Officer's Sleeping Quarters, NECS Endeavor
Jason Bremerton sat on the edge of his bed anxious as he'd ever felt in his life. Who would've guessed that something as simple as calling his fiancee could elicit such a response?
The last time he'd talked to her was a few days before he graduated from the academy. The conversation didn't go well. In fact, it had went worse than well, leaving him wondering if they were still together at all.
But now wasn't time to dwell on that. He was given personal time to make the call and by god he was going to force himself to do it.
Walking across the room, Jason grabbed his uniform jacket and pulled it over his head. He supposed he put it on more to emphasize he wasn't going anywhere. Besides, he was already assigned to a ship. It was too late for him to change his mind now.
He sat at his personal viewscreen and punched in her information. Sitting there for a moment, he wondered if he should even push the button. Nothing he could say or do would change her mind. Before he could dwell on it any further, he pressed the button to transmit and waited while the call connected.
It wasn't a sure bet Violet would even answer the comm. Without notice it was hard to believe she would sit around waiting for one. As far as she knew, he was still upset about their last conversation. The one where he so eloquently told her she could deal with him being in the military or she could leave. He knew he came off too harsh in that conversation, but damn it, he meant every word.
The comm unit beeped for an eternity until a familiar face filled his screen. Violet's blue eyes and shoulder length black hair drew his attention before her spiteful glare. Boy was she beautiful, and boy was she mad. He wasn't sure if any good would come out of this conversation, so he decided to be civil in case it was the last time they spoke.
"Hey," he said, fumbling for words.
"Hey." As she said the word the spiteful look on her face seemed to lessen a little. It was enough for him to realize she still cared. For the first time in weeks he felt like he could salvage their relationship.
"Captain Wellard gave us personal time this afternoon and figured I'd call." He let the words linger a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry about the last time we talked. I didn't mean what I said."
"You meant every word and you know it." When she said the words, she almost sounded disappointed, as if she'd expected him to change his mind. But he was as stubborn as she was beautiful, which meant she had one hell of a task ahead of her if she wanted that to happen.
"No," he retorted. "Well, yes. I meant what I said, but I didn't need to say it the way I did. You didn't deserve that."
She stared at her viewscreen, studying his featu
res as he stared back. He was having a hard time reading her, which made him uneasy. More uneasy than when the torpedoes slammed into the hull in his last simulation. All he wanted to know was where he stood with her. Was their relationship beyond salvageable, or would they be able to pick up the pieces and move forward?
"So," she said, resignation thick in her voice, "where are they sending you?"
"Escorting the vice president to a mining sector on the edge of NEC space."
"Sounds boring," Violet jabbed. "But at least you won't be in danger."
"First six to twelve months should be combat free unless our Russian friends get frisky. The NEC doesn't like to send green crews into combat too early."
"What happens after that?" she asked with a frown. "When they give you full command of your ship?"
"I go where they tell me to go."
"And if they send you back to Earth?"
Jason opened his mouth to blurt out a response, but caught himself in time to avoid saying something else he'd regret. Instead, he considered his answer before speaking.
"Then that's where I go. I know it seems like I made a rash decision, but I promise it was well thought out."
"Thought out without talking to me."
He frowned, then nodded. She was right. After his first conversation with an NEC recruiter, he was quick to sign the paperwork that would send him deep into space for the next five years. All it took was the promise of a nice pension after ten measly years of service. To him, the choice was a no-brainer. Ten years of service would earn him more than enough money to support his family for the rest of their lives. He was still young, young enough to have a dozen kids if that's what she wanted once he got out. He could use part of his money to buy a nice farm on Antares Three and still not have to work another day in his life.
Endeavor (The Mythrar War Book 1) Page 5
