Rachel’s bag came and the Corporal grabbed it. He took off at a fast walk in the direction the others had gone. Rachel did not have to be told to follow. They wended their way through the airport until they reached the heliport. A Marine helicopter waited with its rotors slowly spinning. Colonel Connor pointed to a seat for Rachel and sat beside her. Corporal Boudreau closed the door and the helicopter lifted off. When the helicopter headed south instead of north, Rachel turned to Colonel Connors and asked, “Where are we going?”
“Canaveral.”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there.”
There were only a limited number of reasons one would go to Canaveral and most of them involved space flight. Whatever was going on had to be huge. The helicopter skimmed the water so low that they looked up at the freighters, cruise ships and tankers they passed near the port at Jacksonville. The flight was so rough that none of them thought of sleep. They held the straps and weathered the ride. The pilot was obviously pushing the helicopter as hard as he could, and the airframe complained the whole time. They approached Canaveral from the water and put down at the end of the shuttle runway. A shuttle sat facing down the length of the runway ready to go with its bay doors open and its giant propellers slowly spinning. A troop carrier container sat inside the bay doors with its door open.
The Marines rolled out the chopper’s door the instant it was safe. They grabbed the luggage and hauled it into the troop carrier. The cadets followed the Marines into the transport and took seats as directed. The doors closed and the shuttle rolled down the runway. As many times as Rachel and Wendy had flown the shuttles at Homestead, they had always taken off from the water. Taking off from a paved runway was so much nicer. Still, once they were airborne, the girls were overcome with the memories of flights with Blondie, Brownie, Katherine and Sam. They were not allowed much time to reminisce. As soon as they had cleared Earth’s atmosphere, Colonel Connors passed among them and handed each an envelope.
“You may open your orders. Read them. Do not discuss them.”
They opened their envelopes and in the dim light of the transport read with astonishment what they were to do. After reading their orders, they quietly folded the paper back into its envelope and put the envelope into an inside pocket. This was going to be a summer like no other and certainly not a vacation. They looked around at the Marines who traveled with them. Many were asleep, happy to catch whatever rest they could. These were not the young, fresh faces they had trained with. These were older, tougher, battle hardened veterans of civil wars, insurrections and operations on a multitude of planets. Many wore scars on their faces from knife wounds or laser burns. Wendy wondered if she was projecting her feelings onto these veterans, but she thought she detected a certain fatigue from having seen so much pain and suffering. Perhaps a sense of battle weariness. She wondered if they yearned for peace. Wendy was glad these people were her allies and not her enemies. These men and women were some of the best equipped, toughest fighters in the history of the human race. Whatever lay ahead that required so many of them promised to be ugly.
The shuttle linked with the cargo ship and transferred the troop carriers. As soon as the interior doors opened, Colonel Connors said, “Cadets, move out. Report to the flight deck.”
They did not need to be told twice. Half disbelieving the evidence of their eyes, they proceeded to the flight deck.
“Hello, Peter.”
“Hello Rachel, Wendy, Reuben, Rashi, Faye Anne and David. It is good to see you again.”
“Peter, what is going on?”
“I do not have enough information to know exactly, except whatever it is must be massive. Your father told me not to discuss what little I did know with anyone, including yourselves.”
“Is Dad here?”
“My instructions are to take you to the Nuclear Power School as quickly as possible. As soon as the last transport is attached, we will leave. Answers must await us at Mars.”
“Um, Peter?” Rachel asked. “Who’s pilot for this trip?”
“You are.”
“Sweet,” Rachel said with more than a little sarcasm in her voice.
Wendy said, “C’mon Rachel, it’s going to be like old times. Soon it’ll be clobbering time, and we’ll be right at home.”
Reuben settled into the flight engineer seat and strapped in. Rashi and David dragged the duffel bags and luggage to the crew quarters. Faye Anne propped her travel computer on the galley table and logged on to the ship’s data buss.
The trip to Mars was only a few hours in hyper drive. When they arrived, they gawked at the fleet that had been amassed in orbit around Deimos. Cargo ships of all sizes sat in formation. Perhaps a hundred P I ships orbited the small moon in neat rows. Destroyers guarded the perimeter, and pickets patrolled the interior. They were not the last to arrive. Ships continued to join the fleet. Many of the ships had large attachments which looked more than anything else like claws or ships’ cradles.
As instructed, the ship’s passengers, Marines, Cadets, some Air Force personnel and a small contingent of lost looking civilians boarded passenger shuttles that docked at the airlocks and descended to the surface of Mars. Wendy met Lt. Col. Strong’s eyes and nodded in the direction of the civilians. “Engineers,” she grinned. “Your sparring partners’ job is to see that they stay safe. I think they will have their hands full.”
“At least they had good practice keeping us out of trouble,” Wendy joked.
“You were a picnic compared to these guys!” Lt. Col. Strong replied.
The task force planning the Saturn shipyard relocation project occupied what had once been a thriving mining community on Mars before it had been abandoned when the metals they were mining ran out. In the six months since the planning started, the population had increased from a few dozen to thousands of military and civilian personnel who now taxed the once dormant life support systems. Colonel Connors and Lt. Colonel Strong escorted the engineers to the mess hall. The cadets followed. They had not eaten since Atlanta and that seemed like a lifetime ago. As the cadets surveyed the room they saw many of their Academy classmates, most of whom looked as bewildered as they were.
Suwanee found the six cadets still eating. “Hey gang! So who sent out the invite list for this party? Hey, I can’t stay to chat. I wanted you to know the gang’s all here and we’re doing fine. We’ll have great stories to tell when this is over! Later!”
Luther and Darius herded engineers in the other direction. They waved cheerily as they left.
“I don’t know if I’d call this a party,” David said.
“It’s all in your attitude,” Faye Anne quipped.
They chuckled as they carried their trash to the containers and headed for their briefing. A thousand people gathered in the community’s theater.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stepped up to the podium. His presence underscored what everyone had already figured out. This was a most unusual mission. “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Mars. Welcome to the most complex combined military and civilian operation in the history of the Federation. You are here because you have certain special skills we need for this operation and because someone has personally vouched for your trustworthiness. Every one of you was hand picked and your histories scrutinized before being selected for this mission. Effective immediately until further notice, all personnel and vessels will maintain radio silence. Everything discussed in this room is classified and may only be divulged on a need to know basis.
“As many of you already know, the mission we are undertaking is moving the entire Saturn Industries orbiting ship yard to a location which will be divulged to the pilots only after they are ready to depart.”
A low buzz of conversation filled the room. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. The mission will commence in forty-eight hours when Earth and Mars are at their closest. Flight crews assigned to defense will deploy immediately upon completion of
their mission briefings which will follow this so they can be on station before the operation begins. Our attempts to keep this mission secret have failed. We know that opposing warships are headed in our direction. With the regular Federation forces spread thin guarding our settlements, the possibility that the mission might fail due to enemy action is real. Everyone must be on their guard at all times. Do I make myself clear?”
When the murmur in the room died down, he said, “When I finish, engineers and transport flight crews stay here. Marines and Special Operations Forces please exit to your right. Combat flight crews, please exit to your left. People, stay alert. I cannot stress enough how much is riding on our success. Every one of you must succeed for the mission to succeed. There is no room for error. We are not asking you for your best. You need to be better than that. You are here because we know you have what it takes. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is no longer about luck. It as about skill. You will succeed because you are the best that has ever been! Dismissed.”
Wendy stood to leave and looked at Reuben who was still seated. “You coming?”
“Nope,” he answered, holding the orders he had been given in the shuttle. “Engineer.”
Rashi looked up and said, “Me, too.”
The four pilots looked at their two friends still seated and paled. Being shot at when you could shoot back was one thing. Being shot at when you were hanging out in space vulnerable and defenseless in a flimsy E V A suit with no battle armor was quite another. Adding the danger of an accident caused by haste or improper planning to the danger of enemy action, it appeared as if Reuben and Rashi had been assigned to the more hazardous detail. After hugs and heartfelt best wishes, the four pilots headed for their briefing.
Reuben and Rashi were assigned to join the team attaching the separated components of the shipyard to the transport ships and dispatching the ships to their final destination. It was estimated that they would spend twenty-four to thirty six hours in their E V A suits before they were rounded up for the long journey to follow. The pilots whose ships they were loading would open their orders with their flight plans after picking up their loads. Reuben and Rashi headed to the storage area where their suits had been prepared for their use after being assured that they would have the opportunity to collect their belongings on the cargo ship when they returned.
The pilot briefing was conducted by Admiral Dankese. She explained the overall defensive strategy and, without naming the commanding officers, showed where each squadron of warships would be deployed. There was no question in anyone’s mind that they had half the ships they needed to properly safeguard the operation from the ships they knew were on their way to attack them. The mood at the end of the briefing was somber. At the same time, there was the tingle of excitement at the potential of being in on one of the greatest “stunts” ever conceived. If only they could pull it off!
Final orders waited in large envelopes each individually labeled with the name of the person whose orders it contained. The four cadets stayed together and found a corner where they could sit and read their orders. Rachel, Wendy, Faye Anne and David were to take command of a squadron of light attack destroyers currently piloted by student crews and take a defensive position. The position was currently staffed at half strength with picket ships. Once the destroyers arrived, the picket unit currently on station would fall back behind the destroyers. They would rejoin the remainder of their unit and form a second line of defense behind the destroyers. Once the last of the shipyard’s components had been dispatched, the four cadets were to return to the cargo ship.
The four pilots relaxed in a corner of the corridor waiting for their ride back to the cargo ship where the light attack destroyers would meet them. The traffic in the corridor looked like a military convention. Service personnel from every major Terran military force passed in front of them.
Wendy heard the familiar uniquely off balance foot fall first. “Mom!” she shouted after turning to face the sound.
The four of them jumped to their feet. Avi, Greg and Admiral Sherman walked in their direction. Avi and Greg were in their flight suits, Admiral Sherman wore combat armor. Everyone started talking at once. Hugs and kisses followed immediately.
Yes, they had been here since December.
Yes, the inertial compensator worked, sort of.
No, the kids would not be using it this trip.
Yes, they had met the sparring partners. Impressive.
No, they couldn’t explain.
The sparring partners were on their way to the shipyard with the other Marines ready to spearhead the assault.
Yes, there would be time to bring everyone up to date on everything after they arrived at the reassembly point.
Rachel, Wendy, Faye Anne and David had been temporarily promoted for the duration of the operation to Captain J. G. and no one had ever heard of that rank before.
Yes, Avi and Greg would each command a squadron of full size destroyers. They would be in quadrants distant from where the others were deployed.
Yes, they expected trouble. Entire battle groups of enemy ships were known to be headed in their direction.
No one knew who the enemy was although Swordsmen were the likely suspects. Intelligence seemed to think that the Swordsmen were busy elsewhere, but they could offer no explanation as to who might have a fleet as large as the one that appeared to be headed in their direction.
Yes, they really were about to pull off the most incredible rescue in the history of humanity.
All too quickly, it was time to catch their shuttles so they headed for the docks.
The squadron of light attack destroyers assembled around the cargo ship. The squadron included four flights of four ships. Each flight maintained a “finger-four” formation arranged like the fingers tips of the right hand. Each flight maintained the same formation with the other flights to form the squadron. “Red One” was the squadron command at the tip of the middle finger and leader of the flight of four destroyers. Rachel entered the docked ship through the matched airlocks to take command of the flight and squadron. “Blue One” was the leader of the second flight and Wendy entered it. Faye Anne took “Green One” and David took command of “White One”.
Once the four cadets were on their ships, Rachel handed the pilot a paper with a set of coordinates marked on it. “Are all the ships linked via secure fiber optic cable?”
“Yea-uh,” he slurred his response.
“Yes, Ma’am!” Rachel shot back.
“I outrank you,” the pilot replied with a sneer.
“No, you don’t, Lieutenant,” Rachel snarled, “and I am in command of this squadron.”
“Denny,” the navigator interrupted. “Do you know who she is?”
“No,” the pilot said.
“Do as she says. Don’t mess with her. She’ll space you in a heart beat,” the navigator warned.
The flight engineer and fire control officer who were on the flight deck and not at their stations, turned to look at Rachel. Recognition slowly dawned.
The fire control officer quietly said, “Oh my god!” under her breath.
The flight engineer cleared her throat and swallowed. “It’s true, we are going into combat.”
“Yes, I think so,” Rachel replied.
“We’ve never been in combat,” the flight engineer continued.
“That’s why we’re here. We have, some of us more than once,” Rachel offered.
Rachel sat in the instructor seat. Light attack destroyers were designed for four crew positions. The training version had a fifth seat for the instructor. Once strapped in, she said, “Command Mode!”
“Authorization code,” the computer responded.
Rachel pulled out the keypad from in front of her console and carefully entered a series of letters and numbers. She only had one chance to do this correctly. If any one of the characters was wrong, the computer would lock up and refuse her instructions.
“Command Mode, Aye.” The computer verified
that the code had been entered correctly.
“All crews to stations, please. Display flight readiness of all ships. Verify data connectivity,” Rachel commanded.
The crew members of all four of Rachel’s ships inhaled sharply as the realization sunk in. This was not a drill. Rachel’s display cycled through the status of all sixteen ships in her squadron.
“All ships, verbally report flight status,” Rachel commanded.
Each of the pilots reported their status as flight ready.
“Transfer navigation and flight control to squadron command.” One green icon for each of the ships in the squadron appeared on her display.
Rachel addressed her pilot, “Lieutenant Quail, initiate flight procedures. Set speed to ten percent of standard drive. Set course as per the coordinates I gave you.”
“Flight procedures initiated, aye,” the pilot replied, subdued.
“Setting course, aye.” The navigator, Lieutenant Raphael Rivera, read back the coordinates.
“Maintain safe speed until we clear local traffic. Blue leader, rotate your flight ninety degrees left. Green leader rotate your flight ninety degrees right. White leader invert your flight. Maintain radio and radar silence. Maintain visual collision avoidance. Communicate only via fiber link.”
“Peter” blinked the outermost running lights to say farewell. Rachel smiled when she noticed.
Sixteen light attack destroyers, linked together by tiny fiber optic cables gently pulled away from the other ships in orbit around the tiny moon. They traveled at minimum speed for an hour until they cleared the area occupied by the enormous fleet. The flight deck of the light destroyer had the pilot’s and navigator’s seats in their traditional position left and right in front of the instructor’s seat. The fire control seat with its mobile display shell was behind the instructor’s seat. Behind that was the galley and crew quarters. Behind all that was the engineer’s position buried deep within the heart of the ship furthest away from everything that could harm them. Once clear of the local traffic and certain that no other ships were in their path, Rachel commanded, “Extend weapons pods.”
Solomon Family Warriors II Page 57
