by Chris Hechtl
“What can you do for us, Commander?” the T'clock asked once the commander had been ushered into his presence. He believed in some things being short, sweet, and on point. This interview was no different. He'd already heard from Captain Zedd and Commodore Yashido that she was an outstanding officer, but he still needed to get a personal feel for her.
“What do you need, sir?” Alice asked cautiously. She wasn't certain about being summoned to the admiral's flagship. If she thought she was in enough deep pucky with her captain, finding herself summoned before the admiral made her even more on her guard.
“I was told you have engineering keys? That you've been Commodore Yashido's secret weapon?” the T'clock said.
“Yes, sir?” the commander replied cautiously. So far, that was safe enough to admit.
“You aren't in any trouble, Commander. Quite the contrary,” Captain Houser said as he got a read of her. She turned to the chief of staff. “What the admiral is being a bit too direct about is that we need you to upgrade and update the entire fleet.”
“I … can do that with the right support. I don't know how much you want done, sir. Some of it requires access to a replicator.”
“Which we don't have. Can you build one?” the T'clock asked.
“No, sir,” Alice replied with a shake of her head.
The admiral's antenna danced. “Pity.”
“We're going to need every advantage we can get. See, Bek B and the fleet here has declared for the Federation,” Captain Houser stated.
Alice's eyes went wide. She turned to him. “Is there a distinction, sir?”
“Unfortunately, yes. We're keeping a lid on the communications from Bek A, but it's not good. The civilian media broadcasts you might have heard have it right. Admiral Childress has refused to step down and has begun purging the fleet of anyone who doesn't support him.”
Alice grimaced.
“We're going in opposition of him.”
“Can you build a starship?” Admiral Sharp Reflexes asked.
“Sir?”
“Answer the question, Commander.”
“I can build most of one.”
“Most of one?”
“I have the keys to upgrade the yards in Bek A and B. I suppose I can do the same here in the repair yard for the upgrades you asked. But it is a repair yard, sir. I can't turn a sublight ship into a starship. It would be cheaper and easier to start from scratch. Unfortunately, I doubt your facilities can support that.”
“But, given the right materials you could?”
“And with other resources I can rough out an escort ship or a courier. Are you considering building a star fleet to go after Bek A, sir?” she asked carefully.
“No. If we were going to do that, we'd just go ballistic to Bek A. No, what I want you to do is upgrade our ships while also building a courier as you mentioned. We need to get back into contact with the Federation and let them know what is going on and where we stand.”
Alice nodded slowly. “I don't normally have the keys to a hyperdrive; they are usually for officers of higher rank. But, I had to make repairs to one once so I have a spare set. I can build a single starship.”
“One is all we need. When can you get started?” the admiral stated. He pushed a chip over to her. “These are orders transferring you from Albacore to the repair yard. I'll need you to come up with a list of what you need in transit. You'll have twelve hours to do a survey and assessment and get your initial changes in place. After that, you'll need to hit the ground running. I'll have the first ships to you within three days of your arrival. We need them in and out fast.”
“I … see, sir.”
“Any problems, Commander?” Captain Houser asked.
“Honestly, sir? I don't know where to start. I was a chief engineer; I only had a brief stint in the yard, less than two months and most of that was orientation. I wish you could get your hands on Commander Thistle; he's set up for this.” She frowned as her fingers curled around the chip. “What of Albacore, sir? And what about all the people in Bek A?”
“We'll scare someone up for Albacore, don't worry about her. As far as the people in Bek A, unfortunately, they are on their own. I am hoping and praying we don't have to shoot at them,” the admiral said with a shake of his head.
“Me too,” Alice said with a nod.
“Are you on board, Commander?” Captain Houser asked. “We'll do what we can for the people back in Bek A. I've got family there myself. But for the moment, we need to concentrate.”
Alice nodded.
“What we're doing is primarily going to be a defensive fleet for the time being, Commander. I have no intention of going Viking now,” Admiral Sharp Reflexes stated.
“Good to know. They'd chew us up for breakfast even with any changes the commander makes, sir,” the captain stated.
“Maybe yes, maybe no. There are too many variables involved in that sort of scenario to game out properly. For the moment, it doesn't matter.”
“Sir,” Alice said as a fresh thought came to her. “Can we get stuff from Bek A now?”
“Um …”
“I noticed Harmony of Space is overdue. Something is going on there. That means they aren't getting more up-to-date intel. If you intercepted any spy broadcasts …”
“Which we did,” Captain Houser said with a nod. “We shut them down and brigged those involved,” he growled.
“If nothing got out, they won't know we're still with the Federation for some time. We might be able to use that,” Alice said thoughtfully. “If you can request material and personnel, play like you didn't get the broadcast from Admiral Irons; we could get that material in the pipeline to use for our benefit without them being the wiser.”
Captain Houser snorted as he turned to the admiral. “I like it. It's nice and sneaky. We'll have a steady flow for weeks since it takes about nine weeks for ships to and fro from one component to the other.”
The admiral bobbed his antenna in agreement. He was putting a gold star next to the commander's name in his mental files.
Alice started to get into the project “I think we can use Captain Thistle too. The last I heard he was stuck in logistics. If we play it right, he'll do what he can for us.”
“You are asking your friend to take an awful risk, Commander,” the admiral warned.
Alice nodded. “I think he's game. If he isn't, he won't do it. I know he's pissed about being stuck where he is.”
“So, he's more likely to want to get back at Childress. Yes, I can see where we can use this,” Captain Houser murmured, rubbing his chin.
Admiral Sharp Reflexes looked at his chief of staff and then to the commander. “All right, we'll try it your way, Commander. We need to be sure our position doesn't leak too early.”
“I'll come up with a wish list that doesn't spark too much interest, sir. I'll just let him know I'm 'fixing things.' He'll get the general idea. I know he'll want to help.”
“Understood. Write the email on your way to the repair yard.”
“Yes, sir,” she said as she cocked her head.
“Your shuttle is waiting. We've already ordered Captain Zedd to have someone pack your kit. It will be on the shuttle. Scoot,” the admiral said.
“Yes, sir,” she replied as she snapped to attention. She saluted. He returned his species version of a salute and then she struck her salute and left the compartment.
“I feel a little better. I've read her record; she's good, so good it's scary. It might be her implants or her different world view,” Captain Houser stated.
“We'll see. What's next?”
“She'll need resources. I'm working on that based on what Commodore Yashido told me she used as an initial starting point. I have a feeling she's going to get along well with Commodore Brunswick; he's been eager to upgrade and has been bugging me about it for a while. We're still getting a handle on logistics. Interestingly enough, we've got personnel stepping up and volunteering.”
“Oh? For what?
I don't remember any missions on the docket other than the picket. You canceled the next exercise rotation, correct?”
“Yes, sir. No, I should say ex-personnel. Veterans are stepping up with interest.”
The bug stilled for a moment as he met the Neoogantugan's eyes. “You are serious?”
“Yes, sir,” the ape replied with a nod. “Interesting?”
“Somewhat. See who we might use. I'm curious about that. At the least it could fill in some of the blanks from the personnel who are taking themselves out of the equation.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
@
Alice picked up her duffels and slung one over her shoulder. The other she tucked under one arm. Her carry-on she shouldered onto her left shoulder with difficulty, then the garment bag with her dress uniform. When they said they'd packed her stuff, they hadn't been kidding. She had her full kit plus some of her favorite tools with her. Not that she was complaining, at least out loud. A porter would have been nice though.
“Commander Walengrad?” a voice asked as she exited the shuttle.
“That's me,” she said, using her hearing and implants to orient on the voice.
“Good to see you, Commander. I'm Commander Jeffrey Hobart, Commodore Brunswick's chief of staff. Oh, here, let me get some of that,” the commander said, taking the duffel she had under her arm.
“Thank you, sir,” Alice said her relief evident. Some of the tools had been poking her in the ribs.
“Damn, heavy! What'd you pack, a frigate?” the commander grunted.
“I didn't pack it; that's the problem,” Alice replied as he motioned for her to follow him. She could see the smaller man was struggling with the bag. “Here, trade,” she said, offering the carry-on for the duffel.
“It's okay, it's just bulky,” the commander gasped. But he let her take it and swap them out. “How do you do that?” he asked, eyeing her.
“One part a lifetime of turning wrenches and one part implants,” Alice replied as she tucked the duffel under her arm once more. “Lead the way, sir,” she said.
“Oh, you don't call me, sir. I'm a lieutenant commander too, sorry, I thought you knew. You've got me by date of rank, ma'am,” he said. “By the way, I've been reading your emails. First rate. We're already gearing up and making some of the changes you recommended.”
“Good to know. Since we're both commanders, why don't you call me Alice?” she asked.
“Sure. Call me Hobs,” the commander said. “And welcome down the rabbit hole, Alice,” he said with a grin.
Alice chuckled. That made her instantly feel better about the assignment.
@
Commodore Brunswick nodded as he read the latest progress report. Commander Walengrad hadn't wasted much time. He approved of her changes. He was doing more than rubber stamping them of course, but a lot of them were incremental and made sense. He wished fervently that they had access to a replicator, but if wishes were fishes … he shook his head.
Hobs had given the commander a clean bill of health. She had a good sense of humor and was willing to work with him. She'd opened up to him right away. She'd also impressed him. A lot of fire eaters came onto a repair base and then ran out of steam. Commander Walengrad had yet to lose hers, which was good. They needed that full head of steam. As long as she paced herself, they'd do well.
He was still of two minds about a shooting match with the rest of the navy. It bothered the hell out of him, just as he was sure it bothered the hell out of everyone else in uniform. Undoubtedly, there were friends and colleagues trapped on the other side, just trying to hunker down and do their duty.
“Commander Walengrad is on her way in, sir,” his yeoman chittered.
“Good,” the bear replied as the circuit was cut. He nodded to the young woman as she came in with a tablet tucked in her hand. She came to attention across from his desk.
He usually remained seated because his size sometimes intimidated some people. He still remembered Hobs damn near peeing in terror when he'd gone into a rage over some bureaucratic snafu. He shook his head mentally as he sized the woman up once more. Something told him the woman was made of sterner stuff. “What do you have for me, Commander?”
“I completed the initial survey as ordered, sir. I've made a list of changes, I broke them down by what can be done right away and what can wait. I do recommend throwing together some truss bays together as soon as possible though,” she said, offering the tablet as well as a flash chip.
“Just the chip,” he said, taking the chip from her. “What else?”
“If Weaver, excuse me, Commander Thistle can come through for us, I don't see a problem making the phase two and three upgrades as well as a courier vessel. It depends on the size of the industrial replicator of course. Two or more is better, but I'll take whatever he can get us.”
“Me too.”
“I've pulled my software upgrades and passed them on to Commander Hobart for review by the coders. I already tested most of them on Albacore and other ships but he wanted to be certain.”
“Better to be safe than sorry, I know. I'll make certain he expedites the review and then gets the update off to all ships as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, sir. Those are the first parts of my phase one upgrades. They are the simplest and easiest for everyone in the fleet to make without having to come into dock.”
“Good to know. Simple and easy isn't necessarily true though. A lot can go wrong. I've never met a sailor who couldn't frack something up. And we both know something can be lost in transmission,” the bear said, knitting his claws together in front of him.
“Yes, sir,” Alice replied with a grimace. “I believe the coders can handle any sort of problems once they are familiar with the code and the tutorials, right?”
“They should be. That will keep you from getting swamped if it comes to that,” the commodore said. “What else?”
“Any ship currently in yard hands I can survey. Depending on the schedule you want, I can tailor refits to them. We need to set up an industrial plant to make some of the parts.”
“Yeah, I know. And getting money to pay for it is still up in the air,” the bear grumbled. “Funny how the brass gets these bright-ass ideas but forgets the basics like that,” he said.
The commander smiled slightly in sympathy. “Yes, sir, they tend to do that from time to time. I have an easy list and a hard list.”
“Start with the easy list. We'll learn to walk before we can run. I take it some of these parts require greater tolerances and molecular structures than we're used to?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then definitely the easy list. I'm going to hazard a guess that the power train is at the top of that list?”
“Yes, sir. Things like force emitters are on the hard list obviously.”
“You have all this memorized?”
“It's in my implants, sir. I have the files open on my HUD now.”
The bear stared at her. He realized he wasn't unnerving her at all. He slowly grunted. “Interesting,” he said as he sat back. “I wish I could get my hands on implants.”
“Or the engineering keys that go with them, sir? In order to do that, you'd need to get one of the medics that came with us as well as a medical replicator.”
The bear cocked his head. “Really?”
“They're here for that reason, sir—to give every sailor and jarhead basic ID implants.”
“You are telling me they can do that? How many came with you?”
“Two, sir, ensigns both.”
“Two ensigns can give implants to millions of sailors?” the bear asked, eyes wide.
“Yes, sir.”
“Impressive if it were true.”
“It is, sir. The admiral sent us packed with the tools and data we needed to upgrade Bek as much as possible in phases. Each successive arrival of trainers and personnel would further the process and accelerate it. That was the plan at least.” She grimaced.
&n
bsp; “The admiral?”
“Sorry, sir. Admiral Irons.”
“You've met him?”
She shook her head. “I know of him, sir. I took some of his online courses in training. I have some of them on file too,” she admitted.
“I'd like to see them and anything else you've got in that regard,” the bear said.
“Yes, sir. Not a problem.” She looked around the room.
“Not now,” he said in amused exasperation.
“I was looking for a spare chip to download them, sir,” she said. “But I can deliver it to Commander Hobart for your convenience of course,” she said.
“Do so,” the bear said, eyeing her again. He liked her he privately admitted. His people were still getting a read on her, but so far so good.
“Okay, we'll work on your lists. The easy list, the changes to the yard, and the industrial complex changes. Did you make a list that the ship engineers can do out of their own resources now?”
“I have, sir, and tutorials.”
“I'm not sure about the wisdom of them monkeying around with changes, especially untested ones …,” he held up a restraining hand as she opened her mouth to protest. “I know; you tested them. That's fine. But I haven't tested them or seen the results for myself.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Glad we're on the same page. I'll go over it and then distribute it. Anything else?”
“Where do you want me to start, sir? On one or more of the ships currently being repaired or on the industrial changes or the tutorials?”
“All of it, Commander, that and the changes to the yard itself.”
She blinked at him and then whistled silently. He chuffed in amusement. “In the deep end,” she murmured.
“Indeed. Can you handle it? I need to know if you can swim. I don't want to sink you, but this is vital that we get everything moving on the drop-kick.”
“Yes, sir. I'll do my damnedest,” she said.
“There goes sleep for a while,” he teased with a mirthless smile.
She shrugged. “I've got implants, sir, I'll cope.”
“Good to know,” he said with another nod. “Get on it then, Commander.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
@
