Chronicles of the Stellar Corps: Sassy

by Bernard Paul Glover

  One of the courses that required Sarah to work with classmates was the starship simulator course. As it had been with other similar courses, she was in a class with students who were a year or more ahead of her.

  In the simulator her field rank was lieutenant-commander. She was the “ship’s” third officer. The captain was a fifth-year Cadet.

  In his final year, and preparing for graduation in a few months, Cadet Captain Leo Clark welcomed Sarah to his team with enthusiasm. He knew that his chances for success were greatly increased when Sarah joined his crew. He was less happy when, halfway through the term, Sarah was “promoted” to a command of her own.

  Before that happened, Sarah, as his helm and tactical officer, was instrumental in getting the “LSS Academia”, as the simulator ship was called, out of many tight spots. It was her tactical ability along with her intuitive control of the helm that won her a commendation. The Academia’s executive officer, by contrast, demonstrated a tendency to freeze up in difficult situations.

  Cadet Commander Hélène Lauzon was another cadet who was believed to be a “whiz kid”. In the tactical scenarios presented in class she could invariably come up with very creative, often novel, solutions. This had initially won her the executive officer, or “exo”, position on Clark’s crew. After their first few missions, however, she was ready to request reassignment.

  The pressure that she felt on the bridge of the Academia, Lauzon took out on Sarah, setting her near impossible navigational problems whenever the captain gave her the con. Rather than responding negatively to the pressures Hélène put on her, Sarah came to the exo’s rescue.

  After one particularly difficult situation involving a binary pulsar where Lauzon had found herself unable to issue commands, or present the captain with options without stuttering to the point of unintelligibility, Sarah took her aside.

  “Hélène, I have noticed that you tend to choke under pressure. I have something that may help, if you’re interested.”

  An unusually competitive student, with a reputation for climbing over others to get ahead, Hélène wondered where Sarah was coming from. “Why would you help me? If I drop this class you’re sure to be appointed the new exo.”

  Sarah looked her in the eye. “I know that.” She answered matter-of-factly. “I also know that I’ll get there soon enough anyway. Stop and think about it, you’ll see that what I’m saying is true.”

  Lauzon had to admit that what Sarah was saying was right. “Still, why would you want to help me? If the roles were reversed I wouldn’t be offering to help you.”

  “That’s what I hear,” Sarah answered. “I have two reasons: The first is because you also have a reputation for excellence. The brass keep telling me how the Corps needs good officers out in the field. You have the potential to be one of the best. The second reason goes to two of the key attributes found in all great officers, loyalty and team work.

  “You need to know how to work as part of a team. Sometimes you need to let others take the lead, even to shine, for the good of the ship or the mission. That takes loyalty to your crewmates, your ship and the Corps. It occurs to me that by accepting help from someone you see as a rival, you may see the value inherent in both. Being the top of the class in the Academy doesn’t translate to being a great, or even a good officer.”

  The Cadet Commander as taken aback by Sarah’s answer, and at first was affronted by it. But she had the talent to be a good officer, so she was able to set her hurt feelings aside. “Okay, what is it that you believe will help me out?”

  Sarah gave her one of her winning smiles. “In traditional martial arts, like I learned as child, I was taught that the sensei must calm her body and her mind; to bring them into harmony with her spirit, where the true strength of a warrior resides. There are exercises that Sensei Hikaro taught me that I can pass on to you.”

  “Don’t these techniques take years of practice?” Hélène asked.

  “For ultimate mastery, that’s true, but almost from the beginning the disciple begins to see the benefit. If we begin tonight, by our next mission you should be able to relax a great deal more. I do stress, though, that this is a discipline. For it to continue to work you must keep up the practice, at least twice a day.”

  Hélène smiled. “When do we start?”

  Sarah returned her smile. “I would recommend tonight, at 2100 hours. Shall we meet in my room or yours?”

  True to Sarah’s prediction, the exo of the LSS Academia was already feeling more focused by their next mission. It was a few short weeks after that mission that Sarah was offered her own simulator command. However, her sessions with Hélène continued until Cadet Commander Lauzon graduated in June, and was assigned as an ensign aboard the League Star Ship Triumph.

  For simulator Captain Sarah Maloney, her first few missions were fairly routine, but they were an opportunity to work with her crew, and bring their performance level up to a new standard. By mid-term she commanded a crack group of cadets that was pretty much ready for anything, or so she believed. Their next mission was an eye opener.

  When Sarah and her bridge crew reported to the simulator at 0800 hours she was surprised to find waiting former Lieutenant, now Lieutenant-Commander Nelia Grifn, the Drixian Tactical Officer who sat on her evaluation committee, when Sarah was first accepted to the Academy.

  “It is a pleasure to see you again, Cadet Captain,” Grifn began, “though you may not feel the same after today’s mission.” Sarah looked at the Drixian officer quizzically. Grifn continued, “I know how much you hate to lose, but so far this mission has become known as the ‘no-win scenario’.

  “It is drawn from an actual attack strategy used by the Galorans. As you know, there have been times when they have tried to acquire the League’s jump technology by force. Their most recent attempt used the strategy that we are setting for you today.

  “As you know, only League worlds have jump technology. Galor Prime would have been on-track to acquire Jump-ship technology if they were still a League world and they want it, badly!

  “Last month they used this tactic trying to get their hands on a Jump-one class ship. Ever since they first used it we have assigned this simulation to our best and brightest students. As far as we know there is no positive solution. We’ve been hoping that someone will prove us wrong. Equally important, however, is evaluating how a ship’s captain and crew would handle the failure and immanent capture, if a solution can’t be found.”

  Sarah and her crew listened closely, taking it all in before they assumed their posts on the bridge. “Ready,” Sarah announced, to signal the control room to begin the simulation.

  A moment later the Academia was in deep space. As the crew set to work at their assigned tasks the communications officer spoke up: “Captain, we’re receiving a distress call from the League Commercial Ship Dresden, carrying medical supplies to the Palor colony in the next sector. She reports that she is surrounded by unmarked warp-class vessels. She is under attack and her shields are failing. Dresden reports four hostiles, class four warp ships. She anticipates that her shields will fail in fifteen minutes or less.”

  “Transfer her coordinates to the helm, Lieutenant,” Sarah ordered. When the helm officer confirmed that he had received the Dresden’s location Sarah asked “Time to intercept? Can we do it in time?”

  “Just barely, Captain.” Ensign Britton replied, “We’re about twelve minutes out at warp fourteen.”

  “Very good, Ensign. Lay in a course and engage at maximum warp when ready.”

  “Warp fourteen, aye, Ma’am.” Britton confirmed.

  Sarah activated a toggle switch on her console for the intercom. “Engineering, prepare the jump engines for an emergency jump tow, and set the grappling tractors to maximum.”

  “Aye, Captain,” the simulation replied.

  She closed that switch and activated another. “Weapons Control report,” she commanded.

  “Tactical Officer Briggs, here, Captain,” the simulation
responded.

  “Load all tubes with Mark 5 torpedoes. Charge all Phased Pulse Compression weapons at one hundred and twenty percent.”

  “Ma’am, one hundred and twenty is pushing the upper limit,” the simulation responded.

  “Make it so, Briggs; on my authority.”

  “One twenty percent, aye, Captain.”

  “Ensign Britton, conical approach; Sanders, we’re going in weapons hot, but don’t begin firing until we are we within fifty thousand kilometers of the targets.”

  The bridge tactical officer reacted to that last order. “Ma’am, at a hundred thousand klicks we’ll be in range of their PCW’s and their torpedoes.”

  “Not to worry, lieutenant, our shields can hold, and at warp fourteen we’ll be a very poor target, also at fifty thousand klicks, and charged to one hundred and twenty percent, our PPCs will be able to penetrate their shields, and our torpedo accuracy will be ninety-eight percent. Use a floating target lock, to give us maximum tactical flexibility. We won’t be sure of their attack configuration until we are within scanner range. We need to be able to change our strategy on the fly if necessary.”

  “Understood, Captain,” Lieutenant Sanders responded.

  “Besides,” Sarah continued, “we’re going all the way at maximum warp. We won’t drop to sub-light until we hit the fifty thousand kilometer point. When we drop out of warp, Sanders, I want you to fire our first volley from the forward tubes and fire our forward PPCs simultaneously; another reason for using the floating target lock. You’ll have just enough time before we drop out of warp to get your first fix. Obviously our first target will be the nearest marauder.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “Dropping to sub-light so late will cause us to overshoot. Our second volley will be as we pass the marauders along the dorsal side of the Dresden. If we fire PPCs at the ship on the dorsal side while firing Mark 5s at the marauders on the port and starboard sides we can inflict maximum damage to all three ships.”

  “Aye, ma’am” Sanders replied.

  “Britton, make the swing to correct the overshoot slow and wide. Sanders, when he does, divide the starboard tubes between the dorsal and ventral hostiles. That should eliminate the dorsal ship and, hopefully, disable the ventral.” The captain turned to the communications officer. “Baxter, contact LCS Dresden, use pulse code number six and invert the algorithm. Inform them of our ETA and tell them to be ready for link up. We’ll drag them out of there if we have to.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Baxter responded.

  Turning back to the tactical station Sarah added, “Sanders, have five assault teams at each of our ventral air locks. As soon as we clear the area we’ll want to start off-loading the Dresden’s casualties. I want adequate insurance in case the Dresden has already been boarded. We don’t want hostiles pouring into our ship without a proper reception committee to greet them.”

  “Aye, ma’am,” Sanders replied, turning to her own intercom to pass on the orders.

  Ten minutes later the Dresden was on the Academia’s main screen. It turned out that there were more than four ships attacking Dresden. She had ships encircling her at six o’clock, twelve, three and nine. There were also hostiles fore and aft.

  Sarah immediately revised her plan. “Britton, alter course; direct approach. Sanders, use forward tubes and canons on the ship off Dresden’s bow.”

  Turning back to the helmsman she added, “The moment Sanders fires, alter course to do our fly-past over the ship at twelve o’clock.” Then again to Sanders, “Half of the port and starboard canons will fire on the ships at three and nine, but I also want you to drop two torpedoes set to proximity burst just as we approach the ship at twelve. Let our wake carry them to their target. As we clear the aft ship give them our aft tubes and canons.

  “Britton, as soon as we hit sub-light make an end over end turn to come back for the Dresden. Unlike before, we need to move smartly. We’ll link-up with the Dresden and immediately jump to Corps Base 9 at Emmar.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Britton and Sanders answered, almost in unison.

  In the time it took Sarah to issue her orders the Academia arrived at the fifty thousand kilometer mark. The first volley from the lead marauder hit her shields, draining ten percent of their power. The Academia’s first volley disabled her as Sarah predicted.

  She had just enough time to note that the ships were Galor Prime’s destroyer-class warship. The Galoran’s were serious about taking the Dresden and whichever ship came to her aid.

  Passing the ship at twelve o’clock, the Academia dragged the two Mark 5 torpedoes into the Galoran ship atop the Dresden. The Galorans were caught off-guard and took damage, especially to their main bridge. The aft ship suffered the same fate as the ship at the Dresden’s bow. The ships at six and twelve also sustained heavy damage, but were still manoeuvrable at sub-light speed. They had little chance of catching the Academia as Britton, at the helm, executed a tight end over end turn.

  As their bow came around to the one hundred degree position of the turn, Sanders, acting on her own initiative, fired another volley from the front canons and tubes at the vessel holding position at six o’clock, taking out her engines, leaving her dead in space.

  Before the port and starboard Galoran ships could reorient themselves into firing positions, the Academia was grappling the Dresden and preparing to make her jump. That’s when it all went wrong.

  From out of nowhere four ships, half the size of the Galoran destroyer-class ships, came speeding in. They had obviously been outside the range of Academia’s scanners as they approached, and their presence had been masked on Academia’s arrival by the massive ionization from her blitz attack.

  Although smaller than the destroyer-class vessels, these new ships had the same size power plant. It allowed them to move much faster at sub-light, and gave them superior compressed pulse weapons.

  Attacking from either side, they hit Academia simultaneously. The force was enough to knock out her jump drive. This was immediately followed by reports of Galoran shock troops forcing their way into the ship through the ventral airlocks. They were, for the moment being repelled by the assault teams.

  The two Galoran fighters were coming around for another pass. Scanners indicated that they were targeting the bridge. The remaining destroyers had come about and were targeting Academia’s weapons centre. The lower decks reported that the Galoran boarding parties had driven them back to the adjacent sections of the ship. They might soon overwhelm their defenses.

  Sarah turned to her Execitive Officer. “Exo, report to command station.” Commander Braedon joined Sarah at her chair.

  “Two more of the smaller ships coming in fast, Captain,” Sanders reported. Two more volleys from Compressed Pulse Weapons hit the Academia. The whole ship trembled. “We just lost weapons, ma’am,” Sanders reported.

  Sarah looked at her second-in-command. “You know what we need to do,” she said with finality. Braedon nodded.

  Sarah tapped a few keys on her computer. The screen read “Engineering Control.” She hit another button and said, “Disengage magnetic curtain in the anti-matter control unit – Captain’s Authorization: Delta three nine seven Omega.”

  On the screen another message was displayed. “Does the executive officer concur?” Braedon responded, “The exo concurs; authorization: Beta six Delta one Omega.” Everything went dark.

  Two of the stations on the port side of the bridge slid away to reveal the simulator control room. The large “Mission Status” screen was filled with one line: “Self-destruct successful, both ships destroyed.”

  Lieutenant-Commander Grifn was not exactly jumping for joy. “Maybe it really is a no-win situation, if even you can’t win it,” she said to Sarah. “Of our best and brightest, you are top of the class. Maybe we’re just going to have to start running convoys through the more dangerous sectors bordering on Galoran space.”

  “Maybe,” Sarah answered, “but maybe not! The Academia is a simulated J
ump-one ship. More and more in the real fleet they are being replaced by Jump-two and the new Jump-three ships. Those are much more powerful – bigger power plants and stronger shields. Perhaps all we need to do is assign the bigger ships to patrol the border sectors?”

  “Brute force instead of tactical finesse?” Grifn asked.

  “Not totally,” Sarah told her. “We still need to come up with a tactical response, and maybe some new weaponry to even the odds; possibly something resembling a smart cluster bomb or torpedo. A weapon that would disperse a large number of photon-type charges programed to bounce off our shields without reacting, but detonate when one of their ships runs into them.”

  The Drixian officer considered the idea for a moment, and then smiled at Sarah. “I like it. The charges would be small, but numerous. The cumulative effect could be damaging when the Galorans bring in their new ships with the large power plants.”

  “They would be running into clouds of photon charges; each one too small to show up on their scanners, but all together they would be capable of causing useful damage,” Sarah finished her thought. “It’s a kind of cross between brute force and tactical finesse.”

  “Yes, I like it,” Grifn repeated. “It’s not perfect, but it is a good start.” She smiled at Sarah, and received one of Sarah’s best smiles in return.”

  “Also, Lieutenant-Commander, I’m not sure why it doesn’t exist already, but it occurs to me that there should be a code or phrase that could be left off the end of a distress call when the ship in distress has already been taken by the hostiles,” Sara added.

  “Sound thinking, Captain; you’re correct. We should have thought of such a thing a long time ago.

  “By the way, Cadet Captain, the only winning move for this scenario, so far, has been self-destruct, but many Cadet Captains are unwilling to act. Your decision today was correct. Well done!”

  Grifn was right, Sarah hated to lose, but the Drixian’s last comment did make her loss in the simulator a little easier to take.