by Jeff Sims
“Why was that an issue?” asked Admiral Wertak, completely ignoring the traffic coordinator’s suggested opportunity for nomenclature improvement.
Chief responded, “This order wasn’t directed to the Sunflower; it was a generic order directed to any available ship. In general, orders such as these are automatically assigned to a ship based on classification and availability.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Again, this was fairly basic.
Chief continued, “By setting the entire Conron fleet to the status of On-Station, a generic order sent by the admiralty could not be automatically assigned to a ship and would therefore be routed to you for review and eventual assignment.”
Wertak nodded and responded, “That is exactly what should have happened. I should have gotten the order and personally assigned a ship to the mission.”
Chief said, “Well, the computer bypassed you and assigned it directly to the Sunflower.”
“Why,” asked Admiral Wertak.
Chief responded, “When the engineers finished their repairs on the Sunflower, the Humans set the ship’s status to On-Duty instead of On-Station or even On-Mission. As a result…”
Wertak over spoke him and said, “The order bypassed me and went directly to the Sunflower because they used the wrong status and were the only ship in the system that the order could get automatically assigned to.”
And so the root cause of the issue / opportunity was determined after only four whys. It was unfortunate that Admiral Wertak didn’t ask the fifth why. Specifically, he neglected to ask why the admiralty sent the important assignment as a general order. An order of this importance should have been sent directly to Admiral Wertak.
As a result, Admiral Wertak failed to find the true root cause of the issue – that a highly ranked traitor recognized that the Sunflower’s status was set incorrectly and purposefully sent the general message to lure the Sunflower to Opron.
Again, failing to identify the true root cause of an issue can lead to its reoccurrence. Which begs another unasked question; how many times has this particular, opportunistic individual sent the Sunflower on a mission?
…………………..
“Is it working?” Colin asked.
Kolvak checked the power generator. Its parameters were all well within normal operating range. He responded, “Yes. It seems stable enough. Nothing appears flaky.”
Shole smiled at the joke and said, “Computer, we should be nearing the station by now. Please tell me precisely when we will dock?”
…The precise time cannot be calculated …
Shole looked surprised. Calculating the time left in a jump with a reasonable amount of certainty was absolutely something that the computer should be able to do. She was concerned that the system was perhaps calculating probably incorrectly.
She replied, “Then estimate it.”
…Estimate 26 hours with an 80% confidence interval…
Shole looked concerned. She replied, “That estimate is way off. “Please explain your reasoning.”
…The flight plan was modified because the Sunflower received new, urgent orders. We are to proceed forthwith to the observation platform in the Opron system. As a result, the return time cannot be estimated with accuracy.
Kolvak, Shole, and Connor left engineering and walked halfway down the caribou corridor to the bridge. The blast door was open, so they walked through it and onto the bridge.
Kolvak said, “Hello Captain. Shole and I were evaluating one of the power generator subsystems when the ship left the station. We seem to be unintended passengers.”
Kolvak realized that he just made a rather unnecessary and obvious statement. He was certain that the captain had probably reasoned that one out for himself.
He continued, “We initially thought the cruiser was on a training mission so we neglected to mention our presence. I apologize for not asking to be off-loaded before jumping to Opron.”
Jim was surprised to see the Advranki on board. Further, he realized that in his excitement to leave, he had forgotten to verify exactly who was on board. He made a mental note to verify that here were no other uninvited passengers on board.
He thought for a moment and changed his mind. The two Advranki engineers were probably stowaways. They were more than likely placed on board with the orders to evaluate the crew’s performance – especially since Admiral Solear wasn’t here to protect them.
Jim replied, “We should be in Opron in just under 8 hours. Our mission sounds relatively simple. We are to proceed to the observation platform and retrieve a being with knowledge about potential Hiriculan criminal practices concerning Neto breeding.”
Kolvak replied, “Yes, it sounds relatively straightforward. Please let us know what we can do to assist.”
Jim said, “It is almost time for the sleep shift. I was just about to order the crew to get some rest before we arrive in Opron. I suggest you two do the same.”
Kolvak had been around humans now for two weeks. He was much less scared of them than before, but sleeping amongst them was something entirely different. He would be defenseless.
Jim recognized the hesitation and said, “There are two rooms in the officers’ quarters available. Those will provide you some privacy.” Jim quickly added, “Admiral Solear’s quarters are also available.”
Kolvak liked that idea. He could secure the entire 4th level of the bridge and sleep in relative peace and security. But he knew that he should offer it to Shole. He was about to mention that when Shole said, “Solear’s quarters are large. We can sleep together.”
Kolvak immediately noted that all of the humans laughed or smiled at that statement. He said, “Computer, does Shole’s previous statement have another meaning in English?”
…95.4% It means to have sex…
Shole said, “Really, I only meant that we are going to spend the night together.”
She saw that the humans were visibly snickering now and said, “Computer, English definition of spend the night together.”
…95.7% It means to have sex…
Kolvak said, “Computer, is there any way in the English language to state that a male and female of the same species are going to sleep in the same room at the same time without insinuating that they are going to procreate?”
…Scanning. 72.9% Married, with children…
The four humans in the room burst into laughter, so Kolvak figured that that the conversation was not salvageable. Kolvak motioned to Shole and they walked to the far side of the bridge and entered the electro lift. They rode it up one level to Solear’s quarters. Once inside, Kolvak locked and sealed the door. He knew that the humans could break it down if they really tried, but he felt safer anyway.
Kolvak adjusted his smart suit to night and lay on one side of the bed. He normally removed his pants and replaced them with shorts before sleeping, but he was self-conscious with Shole in the room.
Kolvak reconsidered and got back up when Shole went to the restroom. Kolvak found a pair of shorts in refresher, quickly changed, and lay back down. He decided it didn’t matter if it was a little risqué, he wanted to be comfortable. He let the pillow form around his head and adjust for perfect counter weight.
Shole walked around the bed and lay down on the opposite side. She settled into bed and let the pillow and mattress adjust for a few moments.
Since Kolvak was already in bed, he didn’t feel that he should acknowledge her. However, the silence felt awkward. He relented and said, “Good night.”
Shole said, “Good night.” She paused momentarily, then added, “I have a small confession.”
Kolvak turned his head so that he could look at her. He said, “A confession?”
Shole replied, “I wasn’t entirely honest about why I wanted to work with the Humans.”
Kolvak: “Oh?”
Shole: “Well, solving the mystery was interesting, but not my primary motivation.”
Kolvak replied, “Okay, I’m curious now. What was
your main reason for volunteering to work with the Humans?”
Shole didn’t answer. Instead, she leaned over and passionately kissed him.
Kolvak grinned. Apparently, the English definition of sleeping together was correct after all.
……………..
Kolvak felt uncomfortable, or perhaps a better description would be ill at ease. Perhaps even better would be silly. This was the first time since preliminary training that he had worn the entire smart suit. He looked over at Shole. She was still getting dressed.
Kolvak decided that it would be better for them to leave the room separately. They may have slept together last night, but they certainly didn’t need to advertise to the humans that they were sleeping together.
He looked at his feet and moved one of his heavy boots. He checked his collar and verified the helmet was neatly folded around his neck. He checked his arms and verified that he was wearing full length sleeves with the gloves attached.
Kolvak rode the electro lift down a level, entered the bridge, waddled across the floor, and sat down at one of the two unoccupied stations. He scanned the room. Jim Donovan was sitting in the captain’s chair. Russ Brand was manning the navigation station and Connor O’Neal was at the weapons station.
Shole came in shortly after and sat at the last open position, communications. Jim asked, “Shole, do you know how to operate the communications position?”
Shole replied, “Yes.”
Kolvak wasn’t asked, but he responded anyway, “I don’t have any experience with the first officer’s role. However, I can remotely log into engineering and monitor the key systems from here.” Kolvak activated his panel and began typing.
Jim replied, “Kolvak, Thank you. Shole, please open a ship-wide channel.”
Shole nodded when it was ready and Jim said, “All hands, we are exiting hyperspace in just under 10 minutes. Report to battle stations and prepare for combat. Verify that you are safely strapped to something.” Jim motioned for Shole to close the line.
Jim asked, “Time to Opron?”
Russ responded, “Exactly 7 minutes, 43 seconds.”
About two minutes later Russ said, “Both launch barriers are in place. All 58 pilots report ready to fly. All missile launchers but one are manned and ready to fire.”
Jim said, “Bridge crew, activate your safety straps and prepare for reentry to normal space.”
Shole did and asked, “Do you think this precaution is warranted? We are jumping to a neutral system.”
Jim shrugged and replied, “I doubt it. However, Admiral Dolen issued a mandate stating that all warships must use their safety straps when exiting hyperspace in a foreign system. It is standard procedure now.”
“No, I mean full smart suits and battle stations.”
Jim replied, “I hope not.” He turned and looked at Russ and said, “Updated time to Opron?”
Russ responded, “3 minutes, 12 seconds.”
Jim thought for a moment and said, “Russ, exit hyperspace .3 seconds early.”
Russ said, “Aye, aye Cap-i-tan” and programmed the exit time.
Jim was excited; this was his first real jump as captain. He tried to stand up, but the straps tightened and held him forcefully in place. Jim instead watched at the countdown clock as it slowly ticked toward zero.
Chapter 15
Loid’pe, former navigator of the Hiriculan battleship Avenger and current award winning sewage engineer, cursed for probably the 20th time in the last 5 minutes. He had run out of Hiriculan curses and noticed that he was now saying Solarian ones.
It was completely dark, save for the small area illuminated by the light strapped to his head. Loid took a shallow breath and held it for as long as possible before exhaling. The smell was horrific. It was beyond bad; it was awfully awful.
Loid was wearing a mask and a rebreather, but the foul smell still filtered through. He took a deep breath by accident and almost gagged.
He had known for some time that he would have to do this unpleasant task. However, it had always been sometime in the future. Having had time to prepare for the task really hadn’t helped when it came time to actually perform it.
He took a step and felt the water swirl around him. Water, he thought. Just keep telling yourself that you are only walking though water. He took another step and felt something squish under his boot. He knew that wasn’t water.
“Almost there,” he said to try to reassure himself. “Just a few more steps.”
He shouldn’t have spoken aloud. The exhale of air caused him to take another deep breath. This time he felt vomit in his mouth and forced himself to swallow. Swallowing his own vomit was preferable to removing the mask and getting a whiff of unfiltered air.
He took another step and another; mentally forcing himself ahead. He concentrated only on the next step and tried desperately to block everything else out of his consciousness.
As a result, he was surprised when he reached the ‘T’ junction in the tunnel. He looked left, then right, then back to the left again. It was completely empty. He grinned at his mistake. Of course the tunnel was empty. No one in their right mind would ever consider wandering through a sewer system. Heck, no one in their left mind would either.
Loid established his bearings and turned left. He took about three steps and jerked to a stop. His boots lost traction in the slippery tunnel and he fell face first into the muck. He was lucky enough to get his hands underneath his head and keep his rebreather from getting dunked in the dank water.
Loid collected himself and carefully stood up. He was now covered in poo from head to toe and smelled as bad as he looked. He bent down again and grabbed his light. This time he gagged uncontrollably. He ripped the mask and rebreather from his face and vomited everything that he had eaten for the last week, or so it felt.
He made a mental note to not have a large dinner before wandering through a sewer. He made another mental note to not wander through a sewer. Little help either notes were now though. He repositioned the mask and the rebreather over his face. He pulled some sanitizing gel out of his pocket and washed his hands.
He then turned and looked back. One of the two electro carts that he was pulling had stopped working. He walked back and examined it. The cart was contaminated with gunk and would no longer hover.
Loid pulled the cart, but there wasn’t enough liquid in the sewer system for the loaded cart to float. Loid abandoned it and pulled the remaining electro cart the final 30 meters to his approximate destination. He unloaded the functioning cart and returned to the broken one.
Loid could hear the second cart struggling to maintain lift. It was going to die soon as well. He quickly transferred the material from one dead cart to the barely operable one. He was only 4 meters from his destination when the second cart broke. Close enough, he thought.
Loid pulled a cheap GPS unit out of his pocket and verified his location. He would have preferred to use his communication pad, but he was afraid that he would ruin it. Besides, he didn’t plan on keeping anything he was wearing in the sewer.
He walked a few more paces until the GPS beeped. He pulled a light cube out of a different pocket and placed it on a tiny electro guide. It stayed perfectly in place and lit the area.
Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Crap, he couldn’t resist. He looked down and saw a pile of raw sewage directly underneath. The sight made him gag again. Fortunately, there was nothing left in his stomach for him to puke out.
Loid recovered, returned to the cart, and grabbed a heavy steel jack. He dragged it back to the light. He cleared out the offensive material with his boot and set the jack in place. He activated the switch and the jack fused itself to the floor. He repeated three more times.
He next dragged a heavy wood beam across the tunnel and placed it in the jack. The end of each beam was cut at a 45 degree angle so that each jack would support the corner of two beams - making a 90 degree angle. He repeated with 3 more beams. Now, the 4 beams made a perfect squa
re with a large space in the middle.
Physically exhausted, he sat on one of the beams and rested. He had planned on using the electro cart for moving and positioning the beams. Oh well, that plan was now literally stuck in the dung.
Loid checked the time. He only had a few minutes to spare. He activated the jacks and raised them until they almost touched the ceiling of the sewer tunnel. He checked the time again – he still had four minutes. He dragged the laser drill to its proper location and waited.
When he heard the first explosion, he started drilling upward. He broke the top of the sewer pipe into several small pieces and let them fall through the center of his stand.
Once he was through the sewer pipe, he began drilling very precisely. He made a perfect square that aligned with the center of each beam. He had to be very careful – if he drilled too far he would break through to the floor above him.
He doubted that the occupants in the building directly above him would appreciate a hole in their floor. Further, they would certainly investigate. He doubted that they would like what they found.
Finished, Loid turned off the laser and activated the 4 jacks. They raised up and made contact with the compromised floor. He inspected the alignment of the beams. They completely covered the seams in the floor. He activated the second switch and fused the jacks into place.
There was no electricity or hover capability with these jacks, just steel and wooden beams. The makeshift brace would hold the floor above even if the Solarians activated their darned global EMP device.
Loid had originally planned to take all of the equipment back on the electro carts. However, since they were both dead he decided to just leave the equipment. He dragged the drill and the empty electro carts to a corner and covered them with rocks from the top of the tunnel.
If anyone saw it, they could potentially believe that there was a collapse in the sewage drain and the brace was placed to reinforce the floor. Of course, no one was going to wander through the tunnel and see it.
He retraced his steps and crawled out of the sewer system right beside the obstacle course. It was dark outside and the area was empty. Everyone was elsewhere, which was why the timing for this particular operation was moved forward.
