Battleship Destroyer (69 page)

"
Yes, perfect place to be when we attack to flank us. That Commander is a very smart Commander." Jack said impressed.  "Very well, thank you plot. Comm, what can you tell from the communications traffic between the two fleets?"

"Only that they are talking up a storm sir but we can't understand them yet. Just a lot of babble. The cryptography people are having a field day though
not having a language to work from is hampering things. Oh, that is except for the slow squadron. They are unusually quiet for some reason. Evidentially the Squadron Commander does not like to talk much either."

"Good to hear
at least the main fleets are busy talking. Given time our people should be able to decipher concepts at least. Especially after each of our course changes and the resulting orders going between ships and fleets." Jack stared at the screens over the head of the officer. "Oh yes. Comm, send a general desperate sounding plea for help into the cloud. Be sure to include the current positions of the two fleets with emphasis on the Picket fleet we are approaching and our intercept coordinates. Make sure our other fleets below can get it even if they do not respond."

The Comm officer turned to the Captain. "Sir?"

Jack saw the officer hesitate. Jack blurted out. "Captain, if we really where in trouble don't you think we would be screaming our heads off for help and not screaming our heads off may make them suspicions."

"Very well Comm, start transmitting distress signals in all bands as the lieutenant says.
It may even mask any accidental transmission from the ambush fleet."

The Captain watched Jack
walk up to the main forward screen and stare at it.  "Mr. Turner I understand that a lot could happen so tell me what we need to do if the Picket squadrons do decide to shorty our way in the next hour?"

Jack turned around and smiled shaking his head.  "Ki
ss our assess good bye Captain. Sir." Turning back around, he stared out the port. "I don't know for sure Captain. Maybe nothing but that would depend upon exactly what they did and what I come up with in the next few hours while we wait. I have a thousand plans buzzing around in my head right now for a hundred possible things they could do and just saying they turned toward us is to frigging vague."

"Well
Mr. Turner. Take the command tactical tablet and get some chow while you think in the ward room before you head for your cabin." Handing Jack the tablet from the back of the Command chair. Turning to The Ensign on the science console. "You can go too Ensign. Make sure he eats and gets a few hours' sleep. The Lieutenant Commander that is assigned to the console can take care of monitoring the fleets without your help while you are away." 

Jack walked out onto the outer enlisted Mess Deck that only served
cold/hot sandwiches and chips or hot hotdogs, burgers and fries for lunch and dinner and cold/hot cereal, breakfast roles and fruit for breakfast. It was located in the top fairing of the number 1 of 6 engine cooling/landing fins with large panoramic window ports showing a large part of space around the ship. If you did not feel like waiting in line or a big meal you could come there to eat. It also served drinks after hours. That is if you were an enlisted crewman and did not mind taking a blood test before every drink to show you were under your limit. Supposedly out of bounds for Officers. Jack grabbed a hamburger and fries and walked out to the farthest table out on the narrowing fin with over a 300 degree view around the ship.

The Ensign sat down next to him a few seconds later. "What are you doing? This is off limits for officers Jack. If for no other reason than it is the most unprotected compartment on the ship."

"Really Ensign. I loved coming out here to eat while we were stripping the other ship and you even followed me here and did not mind it then. I love it for no other reason than to get away from everyone during the day and to see what is really going on around the ship. Besides it has the best view of the stars of any ship I have ever been on. The Bridge screens just don't do them justice."

"Yes I know. This
was originally the emergency bridge on the original design. As long as the officer had engine power and a phone line or could even yell down the passageway to the engine control room, he could maneuver the ship. Then someone realized that if both the other bridges where knocked out, the ship would be so damaged it would not likely have any engines left even if this hole did survive. Though I have to admit it is damn well armored now that I have time to look at it." She continued to look at the bulkheads and deck around her.

"You know
, you could look up out the ports for a few seconds. It is quite a sight. Almost as good as being in a suit without being in one." Jack smiled at her.

She looked up and her mouth dropped
open at the star packed splendor around her. The edges of the brightly colored cloud peaking around the sides of the ship.  "Ok I am eating here from now on. This view beats a screen any day."

Jack smiled as he sat back starring at
the enemy fleet that was rapidly receding down range along the cloud as he took another bite of his burger. "Thank Godstar the main enemy fleet did not dip as deep as they could have."

"What?" The Ensign turned baffled. "An
other 5 minutes Jack and they would have entered the first trap like you originally planned."

"That was just the point. I
originally scheduled it just because I could without thinking it through though. By the time the enemy fleet chasing us had caught up to us, they were spread out over half a light minute. If they had hit the trap only a few of them would have probably been taken out simply because they had spread out so far. Much too far for the trap to be effective and that would have tipped our hand for our second and main trap for the massed picket fleet which is actually larger and more dangerous. They would have scattered and been forced to come up after us before we were ready. That is why I started our turn into them a good 5 minutes to soon. I realized I needed the first fleet to escape without springing the first trap. Damn shame I did not think of it to begin with, all the ships and warheads could have went to taking out the picket fleet. I knew the fleet chasing us would be out of the picture and no real threat by the time I was through, but I got greedy. Now because of my stupidity, some of the massed picket fleet may survive simply because I sent half the warheads to a second ambush sight. If even a quarter of the enemy picket ships survive, we are screwed."

"Ok then why didn't you simply tell the Captain that instead of letting him believe you were losing it?"

"As I said my mind had already gone on to other more important things and I simply could not remember right off the top of my head why I had done it, without taking time to think back about it. Now I have the time."

The Ensign grabbed the tactical screen from Jack and started typing while asking him more questions about what he had been thinking during the past few hours and all the decisions he had made and the reasons he had made them. Though it was like pulling teeth to get each answer out of him.

-----------------

Jack walked back onto the bridge with
a sharp clean uniform and the Ensign behind him. The Captain turned in the Command chair. "You have the Conn Mr. Turner. The first enemy fleet has managed to spread themselves out over half a light hour as it makes its turn to come back." Shaking her head as she got up. "From now on, you take a second and tell me what is going on in that head of yours while you are thinking it, so you don't have to worry about explaining yourself afterword's."

Placing the Tactical tablet screen in the pocket
on the back of the chair Jack sat down. Then stared at the Tactical Plot tank.

The Captain looked around the bridge. "Well let's get this show on the road. Sound General Quarters Comm."

Five minutes later the Executive Officer reported. "Ship at Battle stations Sir. All departments report fully manned and ready for combat. Sir."

"Very well. Fleet
’ Weapons. Charge your guns and load torpedo's into your tubes. We will be firing two volleys as fast as you can reload them. Fleet Counter measures, I want a full spread of decoys following the torpedoes. Make sure they see them when we activate them, at least for a few minutes.  Plot time to intercept?"

"45 minutes to intercept sir."

"Thank you Plot."

"
Mr. Turner, has anything changed about the attack plan while you have had time to think?"

"Yes sir.
I have run a few more Sims with the latest information and as soon as we fire the fleets torpedoes we need to go silent and turn instead of simply dropping down into the canyon that will be opening up for us . We are going to have to slow our velocity around the cloud enough to hopefully avoid that late Squadron of picket ships if possible. It will at least put us in a better position to defend ourselves if we do run into them but I am hoping that if they stay off to one side of the trench, we can simply sail past them unobserved in the trench."

"Mr. Turner that will put us descending deep into the cloud before the clear
canyon you are predicting appears.

"Guns charged Captain
." Said the weapons officer.

"Yes I know Captain but
it will just be on the corner of a turn and should not be too hard to get around. It will be a rough ride but the fleet should not take much damage. This will allow us to come up underneath the squadron using the far edge of the canyon as a shield from the censors of the enemy fleet allowing us to get in close to the squadron before they can fire at us even if they see us. That is if they change their course and drift up to the trench. It will also give us a better chance all around but I am hoping we will just sail right past them."

"Torpedoes loaded and ready to fire Captain. Second salvo
in the saddles and waiting for loading."

"Captain." Jack continued. "Lunching a shuttle boat placed on auto pilot
with a half dozen large gravity generators on full overload power, along with its Comm transmitting the emergency and enemy position messages, with the counter measures from each of the fleet's ships before we turn and go silent could go a long way to retaining the enemies attention long enough for The Rock's fleet to spring their trap sir."

The Captain looked over at Jack
frowning. "We don't have much time to load and hook up coils Mr. Turner. Why didn't you come up with this a couple hours ago?" Not waiting for an answer the Captain turned to her First Office. "Damn! Number One, get this done in time to launch. Comm, transmit this to the fleet. Mr. Turner you take the helm since Number One is suddenly busy."  Studying the tactical plot tank she smiled as she walked up to the Command Chair. "We are close enough to the Picket fleet to see with our naked eyes and we don't need to know exactly where the main enemy fleet is for now. Comm, send to fleet." The Captain took a deep breath thinking. "Battle formation Zebra 3, form up on this ship and keep it tight."

"Sorry Captain but I just came up with it.
Finally had time to think about other things beside countering the late arriving squadron that is coming from the direction we need to go as well as the Main fleet arching back at us in some 16 hours and talking you into making a dangerous detour."

"I thought you said it was not dangerous Mr. Turner?"

"Ah, relatively speaking Sir. It is a cake walk compared to taking on the enemy fleet head on if the transport fleet from The Rock fails. If we wait to change course, an undamaged enemy fleet that large could wipe us out with no chance of getting away not to mention any wild shots from The Rock fleet attack Sir. and then there is that first enemy fleet. We need as long a head start slowing down from them as possible. Even if we dip farther down into the canyon than planned."

Jack took the First Officer's place
at the Helm that was the fleet's helm as the ships maneuvered into Combat formation.  Watching as each ship dropped under his control as they became welded into a tight formation that would follow his every move or input without having to wait for all the other ships to see and respond. Their pilots only able to make fine tuning placement adjustments within the fleet.

Twenty minutes later
as the last ship took up their close formation Jack keyed his comm. "Fleet is in formation."

The enemy fleet grew on the screens.
Twenty minutes from the enemy fleet the enemy opened fire with their huge guns, still far out of the gun range of the smaller, weaker main guns of the Republic fleet even with their capacitors cross connected to single barrels. Their beams streaking past Jack on all sides. Beams that could kill a ship let alone a lone pilot in the nose of the lead ship facing the enemy.

Without
thinking and his wide open eyes on the enemy gun streaks, Jack started drifting off course. This was suddenly not like The Game at all. "Those are real main gun shots."  Jack whispered to himself.

"Mr. Turner maintain your cou
rse. We need a stable platform for launching the Torpedoes as well as the shuttle boats not to mention the programmed launch point." The Captain smiled as the enemy ships grew closer. "Besides they seem to be out of accurate range of their own targeting systems by the looks of it no matter how devastating their beams are."