“Now, this could be the stupidest thing I’ll ever do, or one of the smartest. I’m not sure yet,” said Chase. “But if you’re with me, I will petition Fleet Admiral Harris to keep the crew as is until we can at least finish our current mission. The hostiles have been spotted in orbit of Hemera, and we are going to take them out.”
“I mean, that’s great on paper,” said Dryden. “But they came very close to wiping us out last time.”
“You’re not wrong,” said Chase. “But I was there when they rained down missiles on that place. I can’t stand idly by. If we’re taking the fight to them, I need to be a part of it.”
Dryden nodded, clearly taken by Chase’s passion. “I’m with you,” said Wokoma.
Martinez nodded. “So am I.”
They all turned and looked at Dryden, who shrugged. “Yeah, okay then,” he agreed with a shrug.
“Excellent. If you could just sign this,” Chase passed around a slate with a pre-written open letter. “It’s been fun serving with all of you. We’ll see how things go from here,” he said with a wink.
“I don’t think we have as little chance as you’re giving us,” said Dryden, which caught the others off guard. He was usually the most cynical of the lot.
“No, definitely not,” agreed Wokoma. “There’s gotta be precedent for this, right? What about during the planetary wars?”
Martinez had to think. “That was, what, twenty, thirty years ago?”
“Forty,” said Wokoma. “There was a crew ordered to retreat who stood their ground and saved the locals, and despite going against orders, had the orders retroactively rescinded, so all charges were dropped.”
Martinez thought. “Is this the same thing, though?” he asked.
“Close enough,” said Wokoma.
“You don’t want to fire the engine up before they can put a new crew in?” asked Dryden.
Chase thought. The idea was ridiculous, that they would steal the Trafalgar to win the epic battle. Mind you, if they did that, they definitely wouldn’t serve in the Navy again. Even if it was on its last legs, they’d be too proud then to ever let him command a ship.
“I think this is the best way to go,” said Chase. “We make a convincing argument, and they won’t be able to turn us down, surely. Besides, if the telemetry is true and they want people with experience, I mean, have you seen how few experienced people we currently have here? They’d be waiting far too long.”
“I’m with you,” said Wokoma.
Martinez agreed. Dryden rolled his eyes. “Fine. Just this once. But only because, as you say, I usually have a bit of rebellion in me. I couldn’t sit while good men—”
“So, we’re unanimous?” said Chase. “I can’t go back to the Admiral and say that some of us are prepared to do it. It needs to be all of us.”
Wokoma reached over and signed the slate, passing it to the others who did likewise, and handed it back to Chase.
“I’ll speak with the Admiral tomorrow. We have an 08:30 meeting in his office,” said Chase. “Are you guys bunking on the station?” he asked them.
“No,” said Wokoma. “I’ve still got quarters on the Trafalgar.”
The rooms had not been luxurious. Space was even more at a premium in those early days of space-faring than they were on modern ships. Chase, as ranking officer, had looked at the captain’s cabin but could not bring himself to claim it as his own. They had all taken up residence in officer’s quarters on C deck.
Chase settled for the executive officer’s suite, Wokoma in the chief medical officer’s quarters, and Dryden in the engineer’s quarters. Not much room for more than a bed and a desk. If Chase had gone with the captain’s quarters, he would have at least received his own ensuite, a luxury of the time.
Whilst conventional engines and repairing the armour and defence systems took priority, he was going to look into options for sonic showers throughout the ship, and a few modern conveniences would not have gone amiss. It would make all the difference to crew morale.
He was apprehensive about the meeting with Harris but was determined to put it to him straight. They would either go with it or his career would be over. He couldn’t be sure which side the way things were going.
Until recently, he had always assumed he would be made captain sooner rather than later. He was now one of the most experienced officers in the cluster, and that should go a long way. He just had to get on the right side of some of the brass, then he would stand a much better chance of getting the promotion he had long desired. Ever since he could remember, that was the goal that he had been striving for the day when he could walk onto his ship, it wouldn’t even have to be the Trafalgar, and answer to the name “Captain.”
Arriving back in Admiral Harris’s office on the higher level of the Caelus shipyards. Chase had been ushered in and asked to take a seat.
“How are repairs going, Lieutenant?” asked Admiral Harris.
Chase gave him a general breakdown of the upgrades to Trafalgar. The cooling system was well on its way to being fully functional, and the engineers had even laid out the groundwork for a second upgrade that they believed could drastically increase its efficiency in recharge time.
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Harris was impressed. “That’s excellent news,” he replied.
“There is one other thing,” said Chase.
“And what’s that?” Harris replied, leaning forward in his chair.
“I’ve been speaking with my crew,” said Chase. “While we understand there would be certain benefits to bringing in more experienced battleship personnel, no one has had battlefield experience aboard the Trafalgar, and I believe that makes me and my people uniquely suited to serving aboard her.”
Harris noticeably bristled at this. “This is sounding an awful lot like questioning orders.”
“No, sir. Respectfully, I believe we offer the best solution to the immediate situation.”
Harris stood up and paced the office, looking out at the shipyards below. Half a dozen more ships had arrived in the time that Chase had been at the shipyards. The first wave to make the months-long crossing from Sol Station.
Clearly, they were attempting to get as much of the fleet upgraded for whatever was coming. Harris turned and looked back at Chase.
“We had a ship that was on its way to Hemera when the first attack happened. We had them, rather than pull back, continue on to supply us with surveillance images.”
Chase wondered at the change in subject.
“Two hours ago, they sent us telemetry,” said Harris, “that shows a hostile fleet closing in on the planet. Our analysts believe they plan on taking it.”
Chase thought it odd that the hostiles would attempt to claim a farming colony. Having a missile strike was one thing; attempting occupation was even more ridiculous. It was simply of no strategic importance.
“Clearly,” said Harris, returning to his desk, “they believe they will face no resistance upon arrival and with your ship, we can make that possible. Now, you raise some valid points and some… less valid points. However, at this very moment, there is no time for a new crew to be found or trained in the Trafalgar’s systems and your comments are duly noted, but I want you and your team to report to Trafalgar and make ready for departure at the earliest possibility,” said Harris.
“Yes, sir, Thank you, sir.” said Chase.
“Now, we have a fleet that we are sending to Hemera, and we intend to defend it as best as possible, possibly retake it if necessary. Currently, they are three weeks’ flight time from there, whereas you can be there this afternoon. It’s possible you could even get there before the hostiles.”
Chase smiled. “Yes, sir, we will be ready.” He stood up and saluted, which the Admiral returned and shook Chase’s hand.
“Very good, Mr Chase. I know you will be.”
He left the Admiral’s office with mixed feelings. Had he known the way things were going, it would have been a lot better for all of their careers that he kept his mouth shut, as they were unable to immediately replace them on the Trafalgar.
Chase pulled out his communicator and signalled Trafalgar’s bridge to have all shore leave cancelled and all crew to report to stations within the hour.
The Trafalgar was a bustle of activity. The engine room was still full of mechanics, many of whom were now looking to disembark before the ship left port. Dryden was doing final checks.
“How’s it looking?” said Chase, looking up at the tool engine drive admiringly. The bright-coloured gas clouds swirled within the translucent cylinder.
“We’re in good shape, Lieutenant,” said Dryden.
“How’s the restart time looking?” asked Chase.
“The mechanics seem confident. They think we could do a trip and return in two hours.”
“Two hours?” Chase said. “That’s a remarkable cutdown time.”
“It is,” said Dryden. “It’s also not been brake-tested.”
“The other option is shorter jumps. Use much less energy. After we jump halfway across the galaxy, we could still then jump again if it’s only say, one system over.”
Chase nodded. “Excellent work. I’ll be on the bridge.”
He headed down the corridor to the express elevator to make his way to the command deck once again. Every station was manned. Wokoma stationed at the helm, with Martinez to her right.
The elevator door opened. He turned to see Lieutenant Winter, the tactical officer Chase had served with on the Nelson step out, her dark hair clipped back in a ponytail.
“Lieutenant Commander Chase, permission to come aboard,” she said.
“Winter, what are you doing here?” asked Chase.
“With Captan Wessex on Hemera, the Nelson’s crew is being reassigned, It’s my understanding that you could use every pair of hands you could get.”
“Welcome aboard,” said Chase. “Take your station.”
She returned a smile and took her seat. He indicated the weapons station. She had a moment of concern, however, looking down at the unfamiliar interface.
“They did things differently two hundred and fifty years ago, but the idea essentially works the same. You’ll get used to it,” said Chase.
“Thanks,” she replied nervously.
Through her audiolink, Wokoma took a message before she turned to Chase. “All personnel are aboard and reporting ready.”
“Okay,” said Chase. “It’s time for us to get underway. Signal the dockmaster for disembarking.”