by Tori Harris
“Did you notice that our chairs on Theseus’ bridge are much more comfortable than these are,” Reynolds asked, wearing a conspiratorial grin and leaning over so that only Prescott could hear.
This was the first time the entire first watch bridge crew had been present in the simulator at the same time. The frenzied pace of preparing the destroyer and her crew for departure had forced the XO into a “shotgun approach” to training where anyone not immediately required for duty onboard the ship was expected to be in the simulator. Although less than ideal, the entire crew had now successfully completed the minimal sequence required for designation as “mission ready” aboard the new destroyer.
“I was probably too distracted to notice. The rumor is that at least one person …” Prescott checked himself, looking around to make sure no one else was listening to their conversation, “soils themselves in here every day. Let’s just say that I was highly motivated to make sure that wasn’t going to be me,” he laughed.
“Seriously?” she grinned, suppressing what might have otherwise been uproarious laughter. “I never would have guessed something like that was happening, but thanks for giving me something else to worry about when I’m in here! Now that you mention it, though, I guess it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise, given how intense it can be. I think they finally got all the G-force stuff dialed in the way Fleet Training wants it, but I have to say I think they may have gone a little overboard. We’ve seen real combat once and also did a real-world simulation at the Live Fire Training Range, but I don’t remember it ever being anywhere near as strenuous as it is in here.”
“I think that’s all about adrenaline and distraction. In the heat of combat, a little G-induced discomfort from lagging inertial dampeners doesn’t really register. We did briefly hit 6 Gs several times at Gliese 667, thanks to our wannabe fighter pilot helmsman over there.” Prescott briefly raised his voice enough for Blake Fisher to hear the jab, prompting the young ensign to respond from the Helm console by raising his hand in a “thumbs up” gesture. “Kip says they updated all of their settings based on Ingenuity’s battle data, so it should all be pretty accurate at this point. It’s definitely not what I’d call pleasant, though,” he said.
“No it isn’t … and I had a slice of pizza for lunch while running between Ingenuity and Theseus, so I really hope they aren’t planning on any of that kind of thing during today’s briefing,” Reynolds sighed, puffing out her cheeks.
“Hah, the old ‘a pizza pie before you fly,’ eh?” he laughed. “I think you’ll be okay. As far as I know, it’s just Kip doing the briefing, and I don’t think he has any plans to demonstrate anything other than general system ops. By the way, I was pleased to see that you managed to get everyone through their initial qualification training sequence. That’s quite an accomplishment, given the time crunch.”
“Thank you, sir. I didn’t think it would go over very well if Fleet gave us a launch order and we had to respond with a ‘mission ineffective’ status. Besides, it’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up sleeping.”
“The extra few days have been helpful for all of us, but our luck, if you can call it that, may not hold out much longer. If our reconnaissance flights are going to find the Resistance ships at all before they show up here, it’s going to happen within the next forty-eight hours. So now that we’ve reached a minimal level of readiness, I want you to bump crew rest up to the top of your priority list. Well-trained or not, we won’t perform if we’re sleep-deprived … and you know how I feel about stims,” he said, staring into his XO’s bloodshot eyes with a furrowed brow.
“Aye, sir. Will do.” For her part, Reynolds had never been especially fond of the idea of putting her people on prescribed stimulants either. Fleet Medical’s official stance was that they were safe and effective for keeping crewmembers on duty for up to seventy-two hours straight, but only in cases of ‘urgent operational necessity.’ Although she took more of a pragmatic stance on the issue than her captain, Reynolds hated the way they made her feel. She already dreaded the “detox” period — which usually required a different set of meds to help force her mind out of its chemically-induced state of alertness so that she could finally get some rest. The absolute worst part about the stims, however, was the restless sleep and weird, unsettling dreams that always seemed to follow.
Prescott stared at his XO a moment longer, knowing full well that she had worked herself well beyond the point of mental and physical exhaustion. He knew she was doing what she felt was required, and the last thing he wanted to do was discourage her after the monumental effort of the past several days. Instead, he contented himself with a subtle tilt of his head and a look that he hoped registered his concerns without any implied criticism.
“I know,” she smiled, nodding her head and closing her eyes momentarily. “I haven’t had one in twelve hours, and I’m hitting the rack right after this briefing.”
Prescott nodded his approval without comment, then paused briefly before getting back to the subject at hand. “Logan has been pretty tight-lipped about what he has to show us today, but I gather it’s mostly about new systems, particularly getting us up to speed on the shields.”
“Uh huh … I think I would appreciate eventually being assigned to a ship that’s loaded up with technology that has proven itself reliable over a long period of time. And by ‘proven itself reliable,’ I mean by someone other than us.”
“Oh come on. You have to admit we’ve been very fortunate along those lines so far. Besides, if the shields don’t work properly, we’ll be the first to know as soon as someone starts shooting at us again.”
“How did Joseph Heller say it? ‘That’s some catch, that Catch-22.’”
“‘It’s the best there is,’” Prescott chuckled, completing one of his favorite literary references.
The bridge simulation facility was becoming increasingly crowded as members of all three of Theseus’ bridge watch crews filed onto the floor of the simulator area itself. Since the room was designed to be quickly reconfigured to mimic the bridge layouts of all four of Fleet’s primary ship classes, it was a bit larger than Theseus’ actual bridge, thus providing a fair amount of standing room around the perimeter. At the same time, an even larger group composed primarily of crewmen from other departments filled the round observation deck perched high above the simulator floor.
Although not designed for the delivery of technical briefings, the room performed admirably well in the role in spite of its minimal seating capacity. Every system present on the destroyer’s bridge was faithfully reproduced to the smallest detail. This included a fully functional ship’s AI, which, while clearly overqualified for the purpose, made for an excellent audiovisual assistant. Perhaps most importantly, the enormous, wrap-around view screen lining the front of the bridge was visible throughout most of the facility, and was supplemented, where required, by a few additional screens installed around the perimeter of the observation deck.
After a few minutes, Theseus’ chief engineer, Commander Kip Logan, squeezed his way through the rear entrance of the now-crowded simulator floor and made his way to the open area between the Helm console and the front of the bridge.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” he began, playing up his disarming Southeastern U.S. accent as he often did when speaking publicly. “I think most of you know me by now since I’ve been the guy running around yelling at everyone within earshot for the past several days. In case I haven’t yet had the opportunity to yell at you personally, I do apologize, and I’m sure I’ll get around to it soon. Anyway, I’m Commander Kip Logan. I was Ingenuity’s chief engineer until a few days ago, when I was reassigned to the Theseus. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not sure being Ingenuity’s Cheng necessarily makes me qualified to transition immediately into the same role aboard Theseus. After all, it’s a completely different class of ship, right? The good news is that, even after only a few days of working with her, I can tell you without hesitation that
the whole ‘mod/com’ concept works, and works very well. I was skeptical at first, as I’m sure many of you were, but I have to tell you, folks, I’ve become a believer in a big hurry.
“On all four of our primary ship classes, parts, systems, and even crew procedures are interchangeable to the maximum extent possible. While it’s not one hundred percent, I’d say it’s probably about as close as we’re likely to ever get. We operational guys tend to beat up on the eggheads at Fleet Science and Engineering quite a bit for being out of touch with real-world requirements, but I think they’ve truly done a great job in this case. In fact, I think as soon as I can get someone to show me how to start her engines, Theseus will be ready to go.” Logan smiled and looked around the room in an effort to gauge his audience, but other than a few people clearing their throats or shifting in their seats, his attempt at humor was met with complete silence. Searching for encouragement, he glanced at his captain and XO and saw that each was wearing a lopsided grin while slowly shaking their heads – both clearly enjoying his discomfort.
“Oh, come on, people … that’s pretty good comedy as far as engineers go. Trust me when I tell you that I can do a lot worse.”
“It’s the truth, he can!” Reynolds interjected, which finally drew a smattering of laughter from the impassive crowd.
“Okay, now that I see what I’m dealing with here, I’ll move on. Oh, and before I forget, all of you know that essentially everything you see, hear, smell, or touch at the beautiful Yucca Mountain Shipyard is classified, Top Secret, code word MAGI PRIME. Even though the entire facility has been raised to this classification level, Fleet still wants you to be reminded of your responsibilities along those lines when we start talking tech. This is also intended to be an informal presentation, so feel free to interrupt with questions anytime. Most of you look like you’re way past due for a nap, so I’ll try not to keep you too long today.
“This briefing is primarily for the benefit of Theseus’ bridge crews, all of whom I believe have now been designated as ‘mission ready.’” Logan glanced at Reynolds for a confirmation and received a nod in return. “Alright, that’s good. So that means you all have at least a basic understanding of the ship’s systems, so I’m not going to spend too much time talking about those today. For those of you coming from Ingenuity like me, a good rule of thumb to remember is that many things on Theseus are simply three times what they were on Ingenuity. That applies to quite a few basic stats like length, displacement, crew complement, and number of reactors, to name a few.”
On the bridge simulator view screen, and without prompting from Commander Logan, the AI provided supporting information in perfect synchronization with the briefing. At the moment, multiple views of both ship types were displayed, with specific traits highlighted as he continued to speak.
“The truth is that our ‘factor of three’ observation doesn’t come close to telling the whole story. Even with Earth under the threat of a possible attack, the Theseus-class ships were held in port until the remainder of their systems could be fully integrated. I think you’ll all agree that this was a huge risk, given the circumstances, right? Well, the reason the Admiralty was willing to take that risk is evidence of the tactical advantages these ships have over all other Fleet vessels at the moment … and hopefully over the bad guys too.
“Quick question … and feel free to shout out your answer. Successful warship design always has and always will come down to one thing — and that’s …”
There were a number of answers around the room including “speed,” and “big guns,” before someone came up with the word “power.”
“There it was, finally!” Logan laughed, “It all comes down to power. All of the other answers I heard depend on our ability to generate ridiculous amounts of power. All else being equal, the ship with a power advantage tends to win the battle. Now, even though we Humans are new at building starships, this is a fundamental tenet of warship design that we have been applying for a very long time. So the first thing you need to know about Theseus is that she can generate, manage, and direct power in the general direction of her enemies more effectively than any of our other designs. This is one of the two reasons why I believe the Theseus-class is a game-changer for Terran Fleet Command. It’s also one of the primary reasons their deployment was delayed slightly so that they could benefit from the lessons learned during Ingenuity’s shakedown cruise and first operational missions. Going forward, we’ll see many of these same improvements retrofitted into our existing frigates, cruisers … even the carriers to some extent.
“So, if you are transitioning from Ingenuity, surprisingly little has changed with regard to how the ship operates. Big picture though, where power generation is concerned, that ‘factor of three’ rule I mentioned becomes a factor of nine. That means Theseus should always have an excess of power available to run every one of her systems simultaneously, while still maintaining fully-charged capacitor banks in case ‘getting the hell out of Dodge’ starts looking like the best option. Having survived a battle aboard Ingenuity where we were significantly outgunned, I can tell you that you don’t ever want to find yourself in a power-deficient situation. I strongly recommend that all of you, particularly those who were not a part of Ingenuity’s crew, spend some time studying how that engagement unfolded, with an eye towards what other options we would have had available had we not found ourselves short of power at a critical time.” Logan paused and glanced around the room. As was often the case, there were quite a few young officers assigned to the bridge crews. Although he was never one to dwell on the dangers associated with their chosen vocation, he wondered if most of the young men and women present — many of them still just kids from his perspective — had the foggiest notion of what they had signed up for.
“Well, I guess that just about covers everything that’s new and exciting about the Theseus. Did any of you have additional questions before we all get back to work?” Logan asked, deadpan. In response, the word “shields” erupted from several locations around the room and from the observation deck. “What’s that … you want me to talk about grav shields? Astounding. I never would have guessed.
“Alright, here we go,” he began again. “First off, let me give you a brief history. Much like what we saw during development of the C-Drive, gravitic shields are in many ways just an extension of technology already deployed aboard all Fleet vessels. Also very much like the C-Drive, their ‘discovery,’ if you will, was something of an accident.”
Precisely on cue, the simulator AI began playing footage of an F-373 Reaper aerospace superiority fighter, apparently in the process of executing a low-level attack run against a distant ground target that was not yet visible on the screen. With the exception of the missing engine nozzles that once protruded from the rear of such aircraft, as well as the lack of any visible cockpit canopy, the Reaper’s appearance clearly portrayed a direct lineage extending back to the late twentieth century and beyond. Although quite large for a fighter, the ship’s aggressive, flowing lines and incredible speed mere meters from the terrain below left little doubt that she represented the culmination of over three centuries of fighter aircraft design. Also very much in keeping with top-of-the line fighters of previous generations, the F-373 was, pound for pound, the most expensive aerospace vehicle ever constructed by Human hands.
“And here we have the Reaper,” Logan said, turning to admire the footage playing on the enormous view screen. “I gotta tell you guys, I’ve been putting together models of fighter aircraft since I was a kid, but the 373 makes all the others look like a bunch of boxy crop dusters. If you can watch something like this without getting fired up about it, I’m afraid you may have chosen the wrong career path. I was lucky enough to be assigned to the first operational starship and then survive the first true space combat twenty-four light years away, but there is still very little in my experience with a higher ‘cool factor’ than an aerospace superiority fighter. Hooyah?”
“Hooyah!” came
the enthusiastic, albeit obligatory, response from the crowd.
“Alright then, some of you might actually be awake now. I just have a couple of additional things to say about the Reaper before we move on. Military analysts have been predicting the end of crewed fighter aircraft since shortly after they first arrived on the scene in the twentieth century. The problem is that, even as advanced as our AI has become, there are some missions where having a Human in the loop is still seen as either critical, or at least a necessary compromise. There actually is a pilot in there, by the way, although the cockpit is now a heavily armored cylindrical structure — often referred to as the ‘bathtub’ — located in the center of the fuselage. As you can see, there is no canopy and no windows, but once the pilot is wired into the aircraft’s systems, he is literally no longer able to see the aircraft itself. Instead, the AI provides him with a full three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the space around the ship. Any data the pilot needs is projected into his field of view. There is also no longer any need for traditional controls since all of the ship’s systems are managed via neural interface, much like those embedded in combat armor and EVA suits. As has always been the case for multirole fighters, every cubic centimeter of internal volume is packed with the most advanced hardware available. With the recent rapid advances in technology, the fact that Fleet has managed to keep a significant portion of the (albeit small) F-373 fleet flying while constantly upgrading components and software is a tremendous accomplishment.
“So what does this have to do with grav shields? Well, first off, I’m sorry to say that it was actually the Reapers, not the Theseus-class destroyers, with the first operational shield system.” This bit of news was met with a smattering of boos from the now-engaged and understandably biased crowd. “Yes, yes, I know,” Logan soothed, “but the reason for that is pretty simple. The effect that ultimately led to their development was first discovered by an F-373. This one, in fact.” Logan said, turning to gesture once again at the view screen. Thanks to a bit of clever timing on behalf of the simulator AI, the fighter pulled up slightly to gain a few extra meters of altitude before a weapons bay door opened beneath its fuselage, followed by the immediate launch of an HB-7 missile in air-to-ground attack mode. A fraction of a second into the missile’s flight, the AI froze the footage, highlighting several items on the screen in brackets with accompanying blocks of textual data.
