Elian said, ‘Well, Robert and I both believe in being prepared for every eventuality, no matter how remote. For example, you can’t have a decent fleet marriage if you don’t have an honor guard of marines, with their swords.” My exec gasped again, and blushed scarlet. Elian’s exec hadn’t been listening but when he turned back to look at us it was plain that to anyone with half a brain that Joan was flushed with embarrassment.
He wasn’t an officer because he lacked brains, and he knew that Elian and I skirted Fleet norms and practices just about every time we had the chance. He looked at Joan thoughtfully, and it hit me in that moment that I may have instigated something. Both officers were good people, very intelligent and quite capable.
As it turned out, what I instigated was an angry exec. The first moment we were reasonably alone she asked, “Sir, permission to speak?” I looked around and pointed at an alcove that seemed private and we walked the few steps in silence.
Before she could open her mouth, I said, “Joan, I apologize if I’ve embarrassed you. In fact, I know I have. I am so sorry. I think you are a superb officer and you have made a huge contribution to the smooth operation of the Grant. It is because of that that I made that remark, which was totally out of school. While we’re on that subject – Elian’s exec – do you in fact like him?”
I managed neatly to take the wind out of her sails, and enjoyed the momentary satisfaction of seeing my normally quick-thinking exec at a total loss for words. Momentary does not mean ‘for a long time’, unfortunately.
I watched her as the import of my words hit her. She was standing, rigid with anger at the beginning of my pre-emptive strike. Her tense posture relaxed as she heard my sincere apology, and then she tensed, but this time with confusion. I patted myself on the back for a job well done. Not actually patted of course, I was injured.
She paused for a second time, her words bitten off just short of launch. She looked thoughtful and then returned her gaze to my innocent blue green eyes. She narrowed her gaze for just a moment, but she couldn’t pull it off. She giggled once, then laughed.
I waited, not daring to smile for fear it would bring back her justifiable anger. She nodded her head and said, ‘Yes, I do in fact like him. We were in the same class in the academy, where we were acquaintances, not even friends. We studied together in groups from time to time, and competed with each other in athletics. I can run a 10k faster than he can, but he is better at martial arts than I am. So, yes, I do like him. Not that it’s going to do me much good now.”
I allowed a hint of a smile to touch my lips and said, “Don’t be so sure. We’ve just come through a battle, one of the biggest engagements in history, despite our relatively small number and makeup of ships. You are now blooded, and I promise you that you will never be the same as you were even yesterday. We are a fraternity, those of us who have entered into battle and survived. I believe that this bond between us, between you and Sasha may actually serve to bring you two together, if that is actually what you want.”
She continued to look at me with narrowed eyes, but broke down into giggles, causing me to grin. She nodded her head very deliberately and said, “Sir, you are an evil and devious man, but yes, I do want to ‘get to know him’, as you so inexpertly described it. I am greatly afraid, however, that that boat has sailed.”
I said, “And, what if it hasn’t, what if the ‘boat’, as you call it, has actually just come into port? What then?” She looked puzzled for a moment and asked, “What do you mean?”
I said, “If Sasha reacts to my, um, comments positively, what do I get for my trouble?”
She stared at me and grinned, “I’d give you my first born child.” I looked at her carefully, and realized that she was serious. She really liked the Lee’s exec. I said, smiling, “Name him Robert and it’s a deal.”
We resumed our walk in comfortable silence and discovered that Elian was waiting up ahead. Chief Kana had rejoined him and they turned and smiled. The chief looked around briefly, and saluted quite smartly. I grinned at him and saluted back as well as I could.
Master Chief Kana asked, “Sir, where did you buy that salute? I’m asking because I believe that you got robbed. Sir, whatever you paid, it was too much. You should ask for a refund, in my opinion, sir.”
I grinned and said, “Actually, Master Chief, I found it lying on the grinder at the academy. Someone had just left it there to die, but I managed to breathe life back into it. If I may say so, I’m quite proud of it.”
Chief Kana smiled and said, “Yes sir, I can see that. In fact, it is one of your best attributes.” I grinned and replied back, “Master Chief Kana, I would be careful if I were you. I know for a fact that Admiral Lee would love to, um, promote you. As you are currently at the top of the ‘enlisted’ rung, you can guess what a glowing recommendation from your present senior officer could accomplish.”
The chief gaped at me in dismay. “Sir, I am appalled, just appalled to hear you say that. I thought you valued my services, and here I discover that you have stooped to blackmail. Sir! Do you have no honor?”
Elian and I roared with laughter, while my exec looked on, not sure whether she should join the laughter or call for an MP.
After recovering our composure, the five of us sat at a table in the open enlisted mess and drank some coffee and ate some plain bagels, pretty much the only fresh food that happened to be available.
The conversation was a little stilted, and did not even go anywhere near any subjects not strictly military in nature. However, I could tell that there was a change in the air, and it had to do with Elian’s exec. He was studiously not paying any attention to my exec, even going to the extreme of not speaking or looking at her. Aha! I glanced casually at Elian and he casually raised one eyebrow minutely. As usual, nothing got past Elian.
We tarried over our coffee until it was time to make our way to the meeting. Admiral Lee liked his people to be prepared and on time, which meant he wanted his people to be there early. We tried not to disappoint the admiral, he being the admiral and all.
We arrived ten minutes early and were practically the last ones. Elian looked at me and we grinned at each other. We were grinning quite a lot, something that an escape from death can easily engender.
The meeting was conducted, surprisingly enough, along the lines Elian and I used. The admiral walked us through the planning stages, the separation into four separate segments, and the engagements that ensued. When he finished he asked for additional input from the three attack groups. Their respective senior officers stood and added details that the admiral hadn’t included.
Within two hours we had a fairly complete view of the action. The admiral called for a brief break and most of us stood, stretched and walked over to a table laden with drinks and snacks. The admiral did like snacks, including fresh baked doughnuts.
We reconvened and Admiral Lee said, “It’s now your turn. I want you to cover everything we’ve not covered or covered in insufficient detail from the planning stage to the conclusion of the mission. Please consider that anything said here will stay here, short of smacking someone with your glove or stealing Lieutenant Padilla’s doughnut.”
There was general laughter. He started by saying. “Initially, it looked to me that separating our force into three segments and using a fourth to entice the enemy into an attack was the best possible method for dealing with the bugs’ forces. During the action, as our plans went to shit, as they usually do, I had occasion to reconsider that assessment. I’d like to hear from the senior officers, starting with Alpha. What I’m looking for is an analysis of our original plans, with the aim of discovering if some other approach might have worked out better.”
There was an extended period of fairly uncomfortable silence. I realized that these officers weren’t familiar with this type of after-action analysis. I raised my hand and the admiral nodded, a little gratefully, “Let's start instead with Delta.”
I said, “Sir, after our forces separated and
repositioned for the attack, it was discovered that the enemy had previously dispatched an unknown number of destroyers and fighters to attack us at our former position. Thanks to your timely arrival, we weren’t home, so, on behalf of all of us who continue to be able to draw that handsome salary fleet pays us, I thank you.” Surprised laughter greeted my comment, but it served my purpose, which was to relax them a little. The admiral’s eyes gleamed with pleasure as he noted the response.
I continued, “As the attack commenced and we discovered that the enemy was missing some of its forces, we responded by placing two of the Kestrels well to our rear to alert us if those missing units showed up. The bug response to our incursion and initial attack fell within the limits of our assessments. In other words, the bugs took the bait and attacked. Due to the missing forces, we adapted our initial plan and held back a large percentage of our missiles. We succeeded in destroying two of their BC’s with our initial salvo, as hoped for, er, as planned. The initial launches from Alpha, Beta and Gamma succeeded in destroying the bug mother ship, the main target, and inflicted some minor damage on one of the two remaining BC’s. At approximately this time, we located the missing forces, which were returning from their unsuccessful attack.”
I took a sip of coffee and continued, “The appearance of these forces created a problem for the Constitution and her supporting units, as it placed them between two potentially superior forces. We were finally successful in destroying both the main bug force and the second, smaller contingent. We sustained minor, albeit deeply painful losses, including six fighters and their crews, and four dead on the Grant. Compared to the losses we inflicted on the bugs, our losses were negligible. Now, in retrospect, dividing our forces into four small units created the possibility for us to be destroyed in detail. The fact that this did not occur is due to the fact that we were close enough to be able, barely, to support each other. I believe that had we not separated, and made a frontal attack we would have sustained similar or larger losses, and we may have become pinched between the two large fighter contingents at just the wrong time, raising the possibility of our complete destruction. I believe, therefore, that our plan, however risky it may appear to have been, was the correct one.”
I sat down and resumed sipping coffee. The senior officers of the other three segments stood and offered generally similar assessments to the one I had just served up. One, however, the commander of Gamma, noted that we could have accomplished the same results with only two elements, rather than four. We tossed his comment around and came to a general consensus that two elements would have succeeded just as well as four, and would have increased communication and lessened the danger that splitting up forces brings with it. We ended the analysis at that point.
The admiral then had one of his aides come forward. She discussed the status of our munitions, which was fair, and of our ships, which was fair as well.
She sat down and the admiral brought up a chart showing our position in the void, relative to the ‘new’ bug force. He said, “We estimate that it will take them approximately six months, at their present rate to reach what our analysts consider to be a possible preplanned joining of the original bug forces. That position happens to possess a nearby solar system that has a habitable planet. We do not believe that this is a coincidence. That raises some ugly questions: for example, how did they come to choose this particular solar system? How could they have known it had a suitable planet? Why did they choose this solar system out of all the closer solar systems with suitable planets, and what were their plans, once they hooked up?”
The admiral paused for a sip of coffee and resumed, “We do not know the answers to these questions. It is estimated that the bugs will not become aware of our destruction of these forces for some time, or if it does, it will not be much before it arrives at that solar system. This gives us ample time to return to base for resupply, refurbishment of the Dresdens and to acquire additional fleet units. We believe that we will have to engage this new force, and we also believe that we do not have sufficient forces to accomplish the complete destruction of it. Our successes to date have come about due to the fact that their forces were widely separated and as a result we were able to attack and destroy them in detail. This new enemy is not so configured, it has available to it perhaps as many as six hundred plus fighters and has at least as many supporting elements as the combined total of the forces we have already faced. All of these units have presumably trained and drilled together. Until we know more about the capabilities of this new force, what its relationship is to the first five and how it will react to our presence, we operate under a severe handicap.”
The admiral paused for a moment to take in the very quiet room, then resumed, “Meanwhile, I’m ordering our scouting units to hold well back from their position. I’m also tasking them with sending larger numbers of drones through their fleet to gather as much additional information as we can. I don’t perceive the danger of their discovery of our drones to outweigh our urgent need for more information. We should be able to recover the drones on the far side and reuse them, which will make our bean counters happy. Now, I’ve got just a few moments for any questions.”
A number of hands were raised and the admiral pointed at a senior lieutenant commander. She stood up and asked, “Sir, are we going to be getting any new production in the near term?” The admiral grimaced, which was probably the answer, and said, “Yes, we will be getting some new hardware. We were impressed with the Kestrel even before today, but the factory that designed it can only produce about fifty per year. We need hundreds of them, so we’ve arranged for two additional factories with greater capacity to manufacturer it under license. Within two months we should be getting as many as four per week.”
“Additionally, we’re going to get some new destroyers, built along the lines of the Dresdens and Kestrel classes. That is to say, they will be fast, heavily armored and heavily armed. We should not expect, however, in answer to your question, to get anything save some Kestrels in enough time to do us much good with this next incursion. Fleet is bringing mothballed ships back on line as rapidly as possible, upgrading their energy systems much as we’ve done with the Hawks and Dresdens, and some of that will be available to us over the coming months. However, the discovery of this latest incursion has once again terrified every politician in human occupied space. Every system government is demanding large forces for system defense, and while I wish it weren’t so, I can understand.”
“In short, we are going to be facing an enemy with a numerical advantage of perhaps five to one in its favor. I personally don’t think that is going to be enough for them, do you?”
A surf swell of sound swept through the auditorium, washed up to the feet of Admiral Lee, and bounced back again. He stood on the dais, looking down on the men and women who had just survived one of the largest battles in human history. Their ships were typically older than the crews manning them, and they had suffered some equipment problems at critical times, but there had been no personnel problems at all.
Elian and I returned to our ships. Admiral Lee ordered my ship to head to Lubya at the best possible speed, accompanied by the Lee. I had thought we would head to Jupiter base, but Admiral Lee smiled and said, “Robert, Jupiter base is overwhelmed with work as it is, Lubya will be able to repair the Grant faster. You don’t mind going to Lubya do you?”
I grinned at my admiral and said, “Sir, I will miss your doughnuts.” He grinned back at me and said, “I don’t think so. By the way, you two are out of uniform once again. I’ve spoken to you once before about this very same situation, and I thought we had an understanding, but apparently I was wrong.”
He waved us forward and pinned brand new Lieutenant Commander bars on my collars while Lieutenant Graziano pinned a set on Elians. The admiral grinned like crazy and said, “Gentlemen, I have asked a great deal of the two of you in the recent past, and I expect I’ll be asking even more from you in the coming months. Unless there is some hidden st
ructural damage, the Grant should be out of the repair docks within sixty days. That should be enough time for your wives to get tired of you, don’t you think?”
Twelve hours later, with my ship still under par but operational, Elian and I departed for Lubya. We jumped directly out, escorted by three Hawks who needed repairs our FFC’s were not capable of performing. We arrived at Lubya within forty hours.
The Netherlands was on station and neither Carolyn nor Nastya were able to meet us when we landed, this time on the surface fleet base, where our ablative shields were to be repaired.
I was extremely busy over the next two weeks, but did get the opportunity to spend an evening with a large contingent of Dresdies and Hawkies. They were the recipients of numerous free rounds of drinks, which rounds were consumed promptly and noisily. I enjoyed myself, and noticed that Elian nursed one beer for the entire evening. I asked him, “What’s with the beer?” He grimaced sadly and said, “Marriage, my sober young companion. Marriage has ruined me.”
We talked about our wives and about the possibility that we wouldn’t be able to see them before our return to the Void.
Hawk Seven (Flight of the Hawk) Page 72
