"God damn
it, what's taking so long?"
"I don't
know Captain, Control just told us to stand by."
The question
had been rhetorical since Cal was on the bridge when the instructions from
Control had come through on the comchannel, but the young Lieutenant who had
answered him was probably just as anxious to dock as he was. It had been a long and tiresome voyage and all the crew, both
civilian and Naval, were desperate to get some shore leave. Spending 16 months
on a civilian carrier was a test of any good crew. Pandering to the tantrums of
spoiled fare paying passengers could send any strong seaman to the bottle, even
knowing it was a court marshalling offence. Cal smiled to himself, it was almost
as bad as sailing a Diplomatic Cruiser, diplomats were far worse in their needs
than a civilian, and they were much more difficult to put in their place.
"Control
to New Mexico, please standby,
permission to dock will be granted shortly."
Cal tapped the
comscreen, "Control New Mexico
here, please advise what the delay is."
"New
Mexico please standby." came the terse response. Cal gritted his teeth,
as he did so he saw his number one cover a grin with her hand.
"Something
funny?"
"No, but
don't chew him out too severely, he obviously hasn't heard about your
temper."
"Thank
you for the advice, but these controllers are too full of themselves." Carl
smiled despite himself.
"Yes, but
remember, they have to deal with lots of captains whose ships’ shouldn't have
to wait to be docked." Kelly said, stating her case.
Cal laughed,
Kelly had been his steady stone on many a voyage, and she was always there to
calm him down when he was ready to blow up.
They were a good team and that was one of the reasons they had a
dependable crew, they created the right working environment.
"Control,
this is Captain Wallace of the S.A.C.C.
New Mexico, I have passengers who wish to disembark, please explain why we
are waiting for docking permission." Cal
was impressed at his control.
"New
Mexico, this is Lunar Control, you are in line for docking, priority has
been given to the Diplomatic Cruisers Amadeus and Wellington.
Please stand by".
"Bloody
diplomats," Cal cursed out loud. He slapped the comscreen again,
"Control, you have five docking bays are you telling me they are all in
use?"
"New
Mexico that is an affirmative, all bays are docked. Would you like me to
list the Space Administration vessels now docked here?" the sneer was
clearly audible over the channel.
"Yes I
would, and please list clearly so I can enter into my log the reason for the
delay.” Cal was now beginning to really lose patience with the faceless
administrator.
“Certainly
Captain Wallace, apart from the two Diplomatic Cruisers already mentioned, I
have the Civilian Carrier Dusseldorf,
Medical Vessel Arabella and the Cargo Freighter Dulan. Is
there any other information you require Captain?”
“Yes, why
was a cargo freighter docked when a civilian carrier was due to arrive?”
Cal was sure
he heard a weary sigh before the voice replied “The Arabella
is undergoing refuelling and cargo loading before sailing to the Demaric
colony, parts and supplies for her voyage are on board the Dulan. Now, Captain, is there anything else you require?” The
barely concealed sneer in the voice only egged Cal on farther.
“Yes, at
what time do you expect us to be given permission to dock?”
“As soon as
the first bay becomes available.”
“And when
will that be, please quantify.” Cal ignored the lack of comprotocol since
Control had initiated the breakdown.
“The Dulan
is now refuelling, the Dusseldorf is
waiting for the last few of her passengers to embark. Whichever departs first
will free a bay for the New Mexico.”
“Thank you
Control, you have been most helpful.” As a final touch Cal added, “Who I am
speaking to, for my log you understand?”
“This is the
Lunar Control Computer, Captain Wallace, my designation is Adam.”
“God dammit,
I’ve been talking to the bloody computer” Cal raged.
Kelly burst
out laughing, “I could have told you that, at this time of night the Control
is going to be on nightwatch.”
“Thank you,
your comments though would have been more valuable at the beginning of this
conversation.”
“What, and
miss out on the repartee, I couldn’t.”
Cal grumbled
under his breath as he noticed the grins on the faces of the rest of the bridge
crew. To think he had left the Academy with the intention of installing fear
into his crew so they would respect him. It wasn’t his nature though, so that
notion had passed quickly, unlike many of his fellow Captains of the Fleet. He
was more comfortable giving his crew the respect they earned. In return, he
found they worked harder and more efficiently. That way, long space voyages were
easier to endure.
“Thank you
Control, please advise when permission is granted.”
“Of course,
Captain.”
Cal hated that
computers had been given personality programming, he had yet to find one he
actually liked.
“Kelly,
advise the passengers of the situation and let me know when we have permission,
I’ll be in my ready room.” With that Cal left the bridge.
As he
sat at his desk updating his log he thought about his crew. On most
Administration Vessels there was a naval crew and a civilian crew, this was
except for Enforcement Ships and Exploration Vessels. The naval crews were
officer trained by the Administration and held all the senior posts on the ships
while the civilian crews, although Administration trained, were only taught
space safety, ship discipline and the functions of whatever role they were going
to fulfil on board. It meant many of the civilian crew was still quite young.
Cal had taken over as Captain of the New
Mexico two years ago and had a naval crew of forty-four and a civilian crew
of ninety-one. This was to be his last voyage on the New
Mexico and he was going to miss them. Cal had received the news of his
promotion last month in a comvid from Administration Headquarters. He had gained
the step up by his handling of the escalating conflict between the two colonies
on the planets of Tiberna and Minah2, or so the comvid had said. He had actually
just been in the right place at the right time. The two groups had been feuding
over transportation costs for the ores and minerals they mined, the situation
had been growing rapidly worse over a short period of time. A Diplomatic Cruiser
was on its way from Earth with an Enforcement Ship following, but the New
Mexico had been arriving at Minah1 when Cal got wind of the trouble. As a
Captain of the Fleet, and the most senior officer of the Administration present,
he had taken the unusual step of ordering representatives of the two colonies to
the New Mexico. After a very difficult three weeks he had managed to
hammer out an agreement between both parties. His passengers had not been happy
at the delay and he had found them more trouble than the two warring factions he
was negotiating with. He had managed to pacify them sufficiently enough that
they actually began to enjoy their time on board as well as the extended trips
to Minah1’s surface. His crew had really worked damn hard then to keep things
running smoothly. Cal realised that his promotion was, probably, also due to the
fact that Admiral Glenn of the Administration had been on board with her family
at the time en route to Florenta for a holiday. Though she had not taken an
active part in any of the negotiations, he was sure she had kept the
Administration apprised of his actions. Even though they were, at times, rather
unorthodox. The Administration had felt, he had ‘performed exceptionally well
as an Officer of the Fleet and dealt with the situation in a right and proper
manner.’ So they were now promoting him and, though he would remain as a
Captain, he was now to command an Enforcement Ship, the highest command a
Captain could attain in the Fleet.
Cal had
wanted to be in the Administration since he had been a child. His dream had kept
him studying through the night when he was a teen instead of out with his
generation in the holostudios. By the time he was accepted into the
Administration Academy at the age of fifteen, a year ahead of normal entry ages,
he already knew Administration Rules and Protocols. He had taken on extra study
to bring his maths up to speed and then spent any free time working on
astrophysics. He was propelled past
second and third years of Academy, much to the annoyance of many of his fellow
students. He was now twenty-nine and had graduated five years ago. Most of that
graduating year were now working their way up the promotion ladder on cargo
freighters and civilian carriers, Cal had went straight from the Academy,
bypassing the rank of Ensign, to become Lieutenant on a cargo freighter, the Tako. He had been there a
year when the Administration promoted him to Lieutenant Commander on the
Civilian Carrier Zagreb. That had been
a difficult time, the Captain of the Zagreb
was a tyrant, good with the passengers but a bastard to the crew. His First
Officer was no better, so Cal took it upon himself to look after the crew as
best he could. It hadn’t been easy, with his duties in engineering, he had
little time to himself, but the effort paid of. The Lieutenants obeyed his every
order without question and even the civilian crew would happily carry out any
duty he assigned them. That tour of duty had lasted just over a year when the
Captain had summoned him to his ready room to inform Cal the Administration were
sending him onto the Civilian Carrier Akagi
to be their First Officer.
That had been
a good ship. It sailed the best routes, to some of the most beautiful planets in
the federated colonies. The crews were hard workers and had been with the Akagi
for many years, so they treated her with great respect. The Captain, Captain
Neal, was also a dedicated officer, spending as much time with his troops, as
with the passengers. One night at dinner, the Captain had announced to the
assembled passengers and crew that Commander Cal Wallace, his First Officer, was
to be sent to Farburn, as soon as was possible, in order that he should take
Captaincy of the Space Administration Civilian Carrier New
Mexico. Cal had only been on board the Akagi
just over a year and a half and now he was being promoted again. This time he
was sad to leave. Perhaps it was because of his nervousness at becoming a
Captain so soon, he wasn’t sure. He remembered being euphoric when first
hearing the news of his promotion, then he became quite despondent at the
thought of leaving the Akagi when he
was so happy. Added to this was the nagging self-doubt that he was only out of
the Academy three years and he was to captain such a ship. The turning point was
a lunch he had had with Captain Neal. The man was so in tune with his crews that
he had had noticed straight away that Cal was not as happy as he should be.
‘Commander
Wallace, you have been given a great honour, why do look like you have been
sentenced to corporal punishment?’ was the old man’s opening line at the
lunch. Cal had then told him exactly how he felt.
‘My God man,
do you think the Administration is stupid? They wouldn’t give the captaincy of
a ship such as that over to someone they had any, and I mean any, doubts about.
Don’t forget your exceptional record of performance, you and they both know
you are capable of doing the job. As for not wanting to leave the Akagi need I point out that we often have to do things we’d rather
not. You have a duty to do and you will do it. Remember that in the time you
were here, short though it may have been, you stamped your own way of working on
to this crew and you helped create the atmosphere. You must now go on to the New
Mexico and do the same there. The only difference will be that you will make
the final decision on everything that happens on your ship. You will be
ultimately responsible for the safety and well being of your crews and for the
safety of your ship.’ Seeing Cals’ expression had softened only slightly he
smiled and said ‘How infrequently did you come to me to check you were doing
the right thing? You will do just fine with your own ship.’
Cal had smiled
broadly at Captain Neal and his mentor had just nodded back in answer.
After that
lunch his last few weeks went by quickly on board and the rest of the crews were
almost as pleased for Cal as he was.
When he
finally left the Akagi he had to use
all his training to contain his exuberance at the thought of walking onto his
own ship. He remembered the smile on the Pilot’s face when Cal asked him to
circle round the New Mexico and hold
position on her starboard side as she sat docked to the Farburn space station,
so he could get a good look at his ship. She had seemed so massive then. She
was, after all, one of the Administration’s largest civilian carriers. Capable
of remaining in space for two years without docking and built to travel on any
inter-stellar route, she was also one of the fastest in the fleet.
Her light grey hull had given her the appearance of being a newbuild,
fresh from the shipyards in Glasgow or Jakarta. She was only a couple of years
old and she had just been given a refit so now she sat at Farburn with her crew
waiting for the passengers to start arriving from the planets surface and for
their new captain to come on board.
After
the shuttle had docked at Farburn’s station Cal had walked slowly through it,
using the time to prepare himself. He went through his Captains training,
remembering what his tutors had taught him. He knew he was trying to steel
himself for the inevitable so he quickened his pace.
He
remembered seeing Kelly standing at the bay doors as he arrived. The memory of
seeing her standing there to attention made him smile. Somebody must have warned
the bridge of the New Mexico for Kelly
to have arrived there in time. She had snapped a salute, gave her name and rank,
then welcomed the Captain on board his ship. It wasn’t until later, after he
had met his senior officers in the conference room, been shown around the ship
and met the rest of the crews, that he had ordered Kelly to his ready room. As
soon as she had walked in she had laughed and they spent the next two hours
catching up. She had transferred to the New
Mexico about a year ago from the Civilian Carrier Port Town and had been on secondment to the Farburn Space Station
while the New Mexico had been
undergoing her refit.
She had been
on board now for two weeks getting the crew and ship ready for Cals arrival.
Looking back Cal realised he had been so glad Kelly was there.
Now,
here he was, leaving the New Mexico to
take over his own Enforcement Ship, the Administration hadn’t even told him
which ship he was to command, so he couldn’t even prepare himself by going
over the technical specs. He was well known because of his age and rank so he
knew his new crew would have their preconceptions of him, if they were anything
like those held by some of his fellow captains he was in for a tough ride, he
could handle it though. He’d been told at the Academy to soften his approach
when dealing with crews because at times he was too tough. When he had gone on
to his first ship he had softened naturally, but he knew he could deal with any
insubordination if it came up.
The
chimer rang on his desk, “Yes?”
“Captain,
Lunar Control has granted us permission to dock.” Kelly said.
“On my
way.” He would miss Kelly so much. They were so compatible. They led by
example, always being available for the crews. Taking time to get to know each
one individually, never dismissing the enthusiasm of the younger members, but
nurturing them on. He went through
to the bridge.
“Mr Russell,
please take us in and dock manually.”
David Russell
almost choked, “Em, Captain, I haven’t ever docked manually except on a
holosimulator.”
“Well it’s
about time you did.”
“It’s not
standard procedure sir at Lunar Base.”
“I am aware
of that Mr Russell, please begin when ready.”
“Aye aye
sir.”
“Lunar
Control, this is S.A.C.C. New Mexico,
ready for docking. We’ll be coming in manually.”
David sounded
almost embarrassed.
“New Mexico, this is Control, is there a problem?”
“No Control,
there are no problems.”
“Then may I
ask why docking will be done manually?”
“The vessel
Captain has requested we dock manually.”
“Negative New
Mexico, docking is to be done under the control of the Station Computer.”
“Control,
this is Captain Wallace, my pilot will control docking.”
“Certainly
Captain Wallace, if that is your wish. You do realise I will have to log your
decision?”
Cal grimaced,
he supposed that was computer humour.
“I
understand Control. When you’re ready Mr Russell.”
“Aye
Captain. All hands prepare for docking, engine room secure ISD, all control to
bridge.”
“Engine
room, aye, ISD secured and all control to bridge stations.”
“Thank you
engine room.” Cal could see David gulp and surreptitiously wipe his forehead.
He remembered his days of docking at the Academy. Not fun under the watchful eye
of a tutor in a holosimulator, never mind that of a Captain. He had only done it
once himself when Captain Neal had made him dock the Akagi at the Space Station orbiting Arlina. That was difficult
because of the strong electromagnetic ion storm that was raging around Arlina
that day. Docking the Akagi had been
hell, the thrusters had been worked hard maintaining the ships position.
“Nice and
gently Mr Russell, just remember your procedures.” Cal reassured the
Lieutenant.
“Yes sir.
Frieda is the ship ready for manual docking?”
“Affirmative
Lieutenant Russell, Inter-Stellar Drive is confirmed as secured, landing signals
are being transmitted on all frequencies, ship systems are showing green and all
decks are reporting ready.”
Frieda was the
ships own computer, she would now work with the pilot and monitor the ships
functions. It was an added safety procedure in case a bridge officer failed to
notice a problem on his console or something happened rendering them unable to
respond to a console command.
“Have you
established a link with Lunar Control Frieda?” David asked.
“A data
stream link was established when we arrived Lieutenant, Adam and I have been in
constant communication since then.”
“Oh good,
then perhaps you can advise me when Adam is ready to begin docking then.”
Cal tried not
to smile too obviously, at least he wasn’t the only one to get irritated by
computers.
“Adam has
given the Civilian Carrier Dusseldorf
final permission to depart, her engines are now primed and she is preparing to
break moorings.”
Watching
on the viewscreen Cal saw the Dusseldorf
rising from the moon’s surface. She was slightly older than the New
Mexico, but she was larger in size and carried about five hundred
passengers. Her hull was the same pale shade of grey that most Civilian Carriers
were and its shape was similar to that of ocean going liners back on Earth. The New
Mexico was as well appointed though and also slightly faster. It had a more
streamlined hull, simply for aesthetic purposes and was capable of faster warp
speeds. The Dusseldorf would be
heading off to the far colonies now, Arlina, Farburn and Florenta. Colonists out
to start new lives, passengers on holiday, there would be a wide range of people
on board enjoying the luxurious voyage. Her breaking lights were flashing on and
off and as she turned, Cal could see the bright flare from her exhaust ports as
the ships engines, primed, were being initiated.
The Space
Administration had seven types of space going vessels: Civilian Carriers,
Diplomatic Cruisers, Medical Vessels, Enforcement Ships, Cargo Freighters,
Exploration Vessels and Interplanetary Shuttles. When space travel had begun
from Earth, about two centuries ago, the United Federation of Nations had
created the Space Administration to control all things interplanetary. Over the
years it had become the single largest Federation Department and now was given
almost complete autonomy. It was a formula that worked, successive Admiral in
Chiefs had set standards that kept accidents to a minimum and the loss of life
had all but disappeared. All crews were trained to such a high level, the ships
had stringent safety examinations and were maintained regularly. Even the IP
Shuttles which, though they could be bought or hired by anyone, had to be
piloted by an Administration trained officer. The Administration didn’t want
to take any chances, one accident in space would mean the loss of hundreds of
lives and their reputation could be tarred beyond repair.
Cal could see
the Lunar Base clearly now through the viewscreen. It was a jumble of dark
coloured boxes joined together by large corridors leading from a massive central
rectangular box. Lights could be seen through the many windows. The central
building had five arms projecting from each side, well above ground level. One
side was bays for Interstellar ships and the other five for IP shuttles. The
largest building held transit lounges and cargo bays, while the smaller ones had
shops, restaurants and housing. At one end of the main building, sitting on top,
was the circular building that was the Lunar Control Command Centre. The Control
Computer maintained the Bases’ systems and monitored the space around the
Moon. During Earth’s daylight hours the control was manned, but at night there
would only be a skeleton crew to oversee the computer. Cal could see lights on
further in the distance, this was where the Federated Nations Infantry had a
base.
Cal suddenly
realised his ship was almost at Base level and hadn’t even noticed the ships
thrusters being initiated, smooth ride he thought to himself. He loved watching
a ship dock. Knowing the size of them and seeing how gently they could move.
They had to, one false jet could push a ship into the docks very easily.
David
turned the New Mexico around, port
side in, so her doors were now facing into the Base, slowly he eased her down
into position. The bridge crew was silent while they watched the Base getting
closer on the viewscreen. The pilot was now concentrating on his console,
watching the image of the ship and its proximity to the Base shown on the
screen. Once she was at the right level he allowed a slight jet from the
starboard thrusters to slide her on to the bay.
“Control,
this is New Mexico ready for
mooring.”
“Acknowledged
New Mexico, initiating Base mooring
sequence.” Came the response from the computer.
After only a
moment, there was a slight bump as the docking clamps extending from the base
and locked onto the ship. After a few seconds the sound of the Base bay doors
could be heard as they gently touched on to the side of New Mexico and locked onto the ship hull. Warning sounds chimed from
the console as the pressure in the docking tunnel was brought into line with
that of the Base and the ship. Finally, the console rang out, the lights flashed
green and there was a triple chime that indicated the ship's outer doors had
unlocked.
“Control, New
Mexico shows docking successful, do you verify?” David asked.
“Affirmative,
New Mexico. Base verifies, docking
successful.”
“All
stations, docking complete, begin final shutdown.” David advised the crews as
he started his own shutdown sequence.
Cal watched
David tap his screen and lockdown the controls, powering down his systems.
Turning round slightly in his seat Cal saw Ops and Engineering were doing the
same with their screens.
"All
stations now secured." Frieda reported.
“Control,
this is New Mexico, all panels show
green, docking complete.”
“Affirmative
New Mexico, docking complete, welcome
to Lunar Base. Captain, my compliments to your pilot on an excellent docking.”
“Thank you
Control.” Cal smiled maybe computers weren’t that bad. “You heard him Mr
Russell, well done.”
“Thank you
Captain.” Cal hoped the new captain would be good to this crew.
“Crew
prepare for civilian disembark.” Kelly said over the comchannel.
Cal then
touched his comscreen, “This is Captain Wallace to all passengers, we have now
docked at Lunar Base and the crew is ready to assist with your disembarkation.
We hope you have enjoyed your voyage aboard the S.A.C.C.
New Mexico and Godspeed to Earth.” Cal then turned to his First Officer,
“When the
civilians have disembarked gather the crews in cargo bay one please Kelly.”
“Aye aye
sir.” She responded.
Cal then went
through to his ready room to wait.
The
chimer broke him out of his reverie.
“Yes?”
“The crews
are waiting for you in the cargo bay Captain.”
“Thanks
Kelly, I’ll be out in a moment.”
Cal smoothed
down his hair and straightened his uniform, needlessly, but he did it anyway. At
the Academy it was drilled into the cadets from day one, the importance of
having a spotless uniform. The punishment for being untidy was not something you
forgot. He took a deep breath and went through to the bridge. It was almost
deserted except for Kelly standing looking at the captain’s chair.
“You might
be sitting there soon.”
“Hmm, would
be nice wouldn’t it?” she said turning to him, “but I was thinking how
much I had got used to seeing you sitting there.”
“You deserve
that chair, you’d make a good captain.”
“Thank
you,” Kelly managed to smile though the expression on her face betrayed how
she was really feeling. “I’m going to miss you, you big ape.” She said.
“Come here
you,” Cal said as he went over to her and gave her a hug. “Stop crying,
remember you’re an Officer of the Space Administration.”
“I know, but
I’m still going to miss you.”
“You’ll
survive.” Cal said as he unwound his arms from around his First Officer.
Kelly smiled
and managed to regain control of herself.
“Okay
Captain Wallace, let’s go face your troops. I just hope I don’t start
snivelling in front of them.”
“Don’t
worry, you look lovely when your eyes are all red and puffy and your nose is
running.”
“One of
these days your going to lose your good looks and then what will you do?” Cal
smiled at that. He knew he was sort of good looking, judging by the admiring
looks and suggestive comments from some of his passengers, but he had never
thought to use them for anything. In fact he had to think for a moment to
remember when he had last had a boyfriend. He realised he had made the
Administration his life and that left little room for anything else. Suddenly,
Kelly jumped up and tousled his brown hair. Although he kept it short, he knew
it would be spiked up now thanks to his friend. It was a prank Kelly had started
at the Academy, whenever inspection was about to begin, or they were almost
ready to enter an Officers room she would do it. Before he could retaliate she
was moving toward the lift.
“One day,
Commander, one day, I will get you back.”
“Promise?”
Kelly said laughing.
“You better
believe it. Now move.”
They
took the transport lift to the cargo deck in silence and walked to the doors of
Bay 1. Both of them stopped in front of it and looked at each other, Cal nodded
and Kelly turned to tap the keypad. When the doors had fully opened Kelly
marched in and brought the assembled crews to attention.
"Captain
on deck." She bellowed.
As Cal walked
through the doorway Kelly and the rest of the crews snapped a regimented salute,
eyes front.
"At
ease," Cal responded after he had returned the salute. "As you all
know, this was my last voyage on board the New
Mexico. I could not leave this commission without extending my sincerest
gratitude to you all. Each and every one of you has carried out your duties in
an exemplary manner and you should be proud of yourselves. I do not know who
your new Captain will be, but I hope they will appreciate your efforts as much
as I have. You are all a credit to the uniform you wear." With that Cal
saluted and then turned to Kelly, "Have the senior officers report to the
bridge."
"Aye
Sir."
When he passed
back through the doorway he heard Kelly dismiss the crews.
The
senior officers arrived with Kelly a few moments after Cal.
