Josiah West 1: Kaleidoscope (7 page)

Parente went through her final litany, “Reactors at critical, hydraulic pressure in the green and stable, environmental systems in the green, com system tested and set to standard order, nav systems zeroed, inerti
al compensators to reactive 1, drive cross-link verified; primary, secondary and tertiary links set to stand-by and standard consensus mode, drive set to stand-by and awaiting release. Sir, I have a green board.”

Josiah made a last scan of the screens and indicators in front of him, “I, also, have a green board.”

Parente entered the code she had used to lock down the drive system then raised her hand with the fingers pointing forward and the palm down. The rating that had been standing patiently twenty meters in front of the boat came to attention. She raised her hand to point straight up indicating that they were ready to lift. The rating did a last check to make sure there was nothing near the boat. He then stuck out his hands with palms up indicating it was clear to lift.

She
touched the com switch on her left attitude grip, “Tampa Ground Control, this is Admiral two-zero; ready to lift.”

“Admiral two-zero, you are cleared for north departure to climb corridor Victor 4 as filed; Contact Orbital Traffic Control on channel 4 on entry.”

She touched the switch again, “Admiral two-zero; north departure to Victor 4.” She placed her feet on the power level pedals and right hand on the right attitude grip. With her left hand she slid open a small cover on the armrest and touched the pad inside, “Going neutral.”

Drive coils could be built with a variety of output capabilities, but as a general rule they were all built with maximum thrust capability oriented toward the “forward” direction of the vessel. The other directions--left, right, up, down and backwards--were a compromise determined by how large, heavy and expensive you were willing to live with and by how much power there was available to feed them. Tugs were the primary example of large, heavy, and expensive with lots of available power. But, even their common design involved a double set of drive coils with one set oriented for a heavy reverse effort. Almost all drive coil type vessels designed for planetary surface operations had the ability to lift straight up against a 1G gravity field using the coils even if the ship was fully loaded; the problem was that the power levels that were required to do that created the largest possible danger zone. So, for the last thirty years, all drive coil vessels short of deep-space-only types were fitted with a GS system on the underside that cancels any gravity field and gives the vessel a “neutral buoyancy.” This allowed the drive coils to be able to maneuver the ship in any direction with minimum power settings when deep in a gravity-well.

Parente placed her left hand on the left attitude grip and swept a look to the left side of the boat, “Clear left.” Josiah did his check to the right, “Clear right.” They lifted straight up for 200 meters and then forward away from the buildings before swinging north to intercept the Tampa area climb corridor that went straight up 200 kilometers.

“Landing pads up.”

Josiah pushed the slide switch at the end of the center console to the upward position. In a few seconds the six indicators alongside the switch went from a blue ‘DOWN’ to a yellow ‘UP’. “Landing pads are up.”

Josiah noted her handling of the ship with critical attention at this point. Most flying was done on auto-pilot because of the speeds involved and the usual inability to see any problems before you were on top of them. Takeoff and landing were the two parts of a trip when the pilot got to actually fly the ship. A vehicle designed to move in three axes without atmospheric influence had a control system that required skilled coordination to say the least. Josiah was pleased to see the smoothness and skill that
she displayed.
A natural
, he thought.

They entered the climb corridor at the west side and rotated to a vertical climb in the
“09” slot or sometimes called the “9 o’clock” slot that was reserved for high speed or critical traffic. The “Admiral” call sign gave them critical status and Parente had taken advantage of it. On entering the 09 slot and beginning the climb, she switched to auto-pilot and watched the screens as the boat stabilized its alignment and accelerated to 1000kph. “OTC this is Admiral two-zero, I am in the zero-niner slot at one-triple zero, say traffic my slot.”

“Admiral two-zero acknowledge zero-niner at
one-triple zero. Traffic times two your slot.”

“OTC, Admiral two-zero say range to traffic my slot.”

“Admiral two-zero, range is five-zero and eight-zero at one-triple zero, no conflict.”

“Admiral two-zero.”

She moved her elbows back on the armrests and interlaced her fingers in front of her while her eyes kept sweeping the screens, “That matches my readings. ETA to Starline is 58 minutes from lift-off.”

Josiah turned his head in her direction, “My readouts say something closer to 54 minutes.”

She kept her eyes on her screens, “A dose of reality, sir, I figure metal-to-metal, and those Starline TC people tend not to be the brightest bulbs on the string. Hopefully, our Admiral call sign will help.”

Ten minutes later they were reaching the top of the climb corridor.
“Admiral two-zero, transfer to Starline direct as filed, monitor OTC on one-niner-two.”

“Admiral two-zero, transferring to Starline direct and switching to channel one-niner-two.”

She did nothing but watch as the auto-pilot followed the flight plan, aligned the boat onto the traffic corridor to the Starline Facility, changed com channels and ran the drive up to 5G’s. Fifteen minutes later the power came off the drive and the boat rotated for deceleration. She watched as the nav system made its calculations and, at the calculated moment, ran the drive back up to 5G’s. Thirteen minutes later they were coasting up to the mid-Atlantic synchronous orbit of the Starline Research Facility. The landing pads touched the traffic deck at 57.5 minutes after takeoff.

CALDWELL

37 minutes later they were on final approach to the Caldwell’s cargo reception deck.

“Caldwell, Admiral two-zero, I have visual a
nd automatic alignment on bay 1, continuing approach.”

“Admiral two-zero, alignment confirmed; you are clear for entry and contact.”

“Admiral two-zero.”

Parente had her hands and feet near the controls in case any automatic system failed. Unlike the arrival at Starline where it was only necessary to touch down on a landing deck and unload passenger
s through a pressurized walkway, this was a full cargo situation that required the boat to enter the Caldwell. It did so by entering a long airlock structure. With the boat in and down on its pads the outer hatch sealed behind them.

Sh
e went through the post-landing check list; placing most systems in stand-by and locking down the drive. When she had finished securing the boat she turned to Josiah, “Ready to vent.” Josiah nodded and tapped his com switch, “Caldwell, Admiral two-zero is secure and venting.” He then entered a command that vented a high-pressure air tank into the airlock. This method of vessels arriving from the surface bringing their own air supply to fill the airlock kept the host ship from wasting their supply because it wasn’t possible to pump an airlock down to near zero in any convenient time span; some air was always lost. After pressures in the airlock and receiving deck had equalized, the sides of the long lock structure lifted and slid up over the top to give complete access to the boat.

With the boat secure
, Josiah removed his com set, put his cap back on, and headed for the passenger compartment. After palming the hatch lock he turned to the Ensign and PO3 that remained, “Well, we have arrived.” They both thanked him for a quick and smooth ride and headed for the personnel office. Josiah turned back to Parente who was now standing behind him, “This was my last assignment before I got bumped to staff, and I’m just here to clean out my personal gear and see a few friends. I should be finished in forty minutes or so, and you have a boat to unload.”

“Yes, sir, the timing should work out fairly well. I’ll be here when you’re finished.”

Josiah stepped through the hatch and headed for the deck officer’s station. It was then that he noticed the people standing there.
Uh-oh, I had forgotten about a possible reception party. At least they didn’t fire up the band.
He recognized all five of them: There was the Caldwell’s Captain Derrick Berlin and first officer Commander Gladys Martinez, the Marine detail commander Major Essex Martin, Marine Sergeant Oliver Martin--no relation--, and the deck officer Lieutenant J. G. Walter Peska. He got within eight meters of them when the Admiral’s Star seemed to register; they all braced to attention and saluted. Josiah stopped a couple of meters away and returned the salute, “Thank you lady, and gentlemen. I will only be here for a fe--”

“WEST...ENSIGN WEST???” The loud exclamation had come from
Berlin after he had finally looked at who was wearing the fancy medals, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THAT UNIFORM?” Josiah was stunned by the outburst and couldn’t reply before Berlin turned to Major Martin and screamed at him, “ARREST THAT MAN.”

The major was confused and struggling to recover, “For what, sir?”

“FOR IMPERSONATING A STAFF OFFICER YOU IDIOT; HE’S AN ENSIGN ON THIS SHIP.”

It took another minute of loud threats from both Berlin and Martinez involving improbable reductions in rank and more realistic references to shipboard assignments in locations where the sun don’t shine to get Sergeant Martin to secure Josiah’s wrists behind his back with a tie-band.
Berlin and Martinez were practically breathless with anger while the rest just looked confused.

Berlin
stepped forward almost nose to nose with Josiah, “I have no idea what you think you’re doing but you’re going to pay for this. Did you really think you could make me look bad by nearly killing Admiral Jacks and then pull this stunt?” He then started stripping the hardware off of Josiah’s uniform, “Full Lieutenant? Admiral’s Star? CI wings?” They all hit the deck as Berlin yanked them off and threw them. “Major, look at this, he even went so far as to include the MCA and Bronze Cluster.”

Josiah just stood there in amazed silence. He knew that at some point
, someone would get the message. Besides, it was fascinating watching one of the worst officers in the fleet dig a very deep hole.

A chime sounded from the wall screen behind the deck officer’s station. The face of Chief Bates from the com section appeared, “Lieutenant Peska, I have an emergency call for you from HQ.”

An even more confused Peska replied, “Ah...put it through.”

Everyone was looking at the screen as one face was replaced by another
…that of Master Chief Molly Shepard. Silence held sway while both sides tried to figure out what the other was doing. Molly spoke first, “Lieutenant West, what am I looking at?”

“Hello, Molly, it’s been an interesting day, Captain
Berlin and Commander Martinez just had me arrested for impersonating a staff officer.”

Molly was very quiet and controlled as she shifted her gaze to Captain
Berlin, “Captain, I personally sent an advisory notice to your ship almost two hours ago detailing the promotion and reassignment of Lieutenant West. Are your people that sloppy?”

Berlin
had, apparently, shut off his higher brain functions, “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TALK TO ME THAT WAY? I’M A GOD-DAMNED CAPTAIN AND YOU’RE SOME ENLISTED SCUM. I WANT TO TALK TO YOUR CO RIGHT NOW.”

Uh-oh!

Molly leaned a bit closer to the pickup, “You will have the opportunity to talk to my CO in a minute; as for me, I am Master Chief Petty Officer Molly Shepard. I am Chief Administrative Coordinator for the Division One Commander Admiral Arthur Jacks.” Molly then reached with her right hand to pull her left sleeve to where the rank insignia could be better seen. She placed one pointing finger on the red background of the chevrons. Her voice acquired a very hard edge, “Does anybody there NOT know what this means?” There were no replies, “Which of you restrained Lieutenant West?”

Sergeant Martin nervously held his right hand up a few centimeters, “I...I did Master Chief.”

“Well, Sergeant, you’re going to be cutting him loose now aren’t you?”

“Yes ma’am,” he blurted as he pulled a cutter out of his pocket and practically jumped behind Josiah.

Molly once again looked at the entire group, “You will all remain exactly where you are while I brief Admiral Jacks on this situation.” She smiled, “I’m sure he will want to talk to you; oh, and thank you for calling, Ensign Parente.”

Only then did Josiah realize that
she was standing beside him, “You’re welcome Master Chief.” She looked at Josiah with a confused smile on her face, “You will explain this to me.” It sounded like an order.

The screen had changed to the First Division symbol indicating a hold on the transmission.
Berlin was still standing in front of Josiah facing the com screen. Josiah leaned forward and spoke quietly but loud enough so that all could hear, “The official finding was that the shuttle’s right side drive-link relay failed catastrophically because of poor maintenance practices. It nearly cost the Admiral his life. I managed to save him. Master Chief Molly Shepard is his wife; she loves me; he loves me; I’m now his personal shuttle pilot. You are going straight to hell.”

And there it was:
Berlin turned his head and looked at Josiah with fear finally showing in his eyes. Reality was such a bitch.

The screen changed and Admiral Jacks appeared. He remained silent for a moment while he looked at everyone, “You’re kidding, right?
Berlin, Martinez, you arrested one of my staff officers? Who was it that stripped his uniform?”

Berlin
managed to reply, “I...I...it was me...sir.”

“Well, Captain, you are going to pick
up everything and there had better not be a scratch on anything or I will replace it out of your pay and file charges of assault and damage to government property.” He then shifted his gaze, “West, com me on your pad and go to a back corner so we can have some privacy. The rest of you stay in view of this pickup.” The screen went back to the hold symbol. The group retained a reasonable approximation of paralysis as Josiah unfolded his pad and moved away. Berlin finally started moving to collect the discarded hardware and Parente stood with her hands behind her back watching the confusing scene.

In a moment he had Molly on the screen. She received the call on a portable pad and
handed it to the Admiral. He glared at Josiah, “Are those two really that useless?”

Josiah could see that he was very mad, “Yes, sir, you should have heard Captain
Berlin scream when he recognized me. I expect he was heard two decks away.”

Molly’s voice came from off screen, “Arthur, deep breaths now.” The Admiral looked up at her with a look of annoyance
, but he did pause and did seem to get his heart rate down, “Ok, tell me about those other people, and who is that Ensign Parente that called us?”

“Well, sir, Lieutenant Peska is one of the ‘group’. He has been here about a year and he’s a good man. Major and Sergeant Martin; no relation, sir, just coincidence, are not part of the ‘group’
, but they seem to be competent and do their jobs well. I have no complaints about them. Ensign Nora Parente is the local gopher in the Terminal Transport Department; she was assigned as my right-seater when I agreed to lend a hand by bringing a load up in a Gardener. Sir, I get a vibe that Ensign Parente is one of those people you are looking for; she is sharp and impressive. I’m giving her a check ride on this flight, and if she passes, which I think she will, I would like to suggest an immediate promotion to J. G.”

“You know, West, I’m beginning to get the feeling that the people I’m looking for are the ones wearing work greens.” He looked up at Molly, “Set up a promotion order for Parente and pull her record.” To Josiah he said, “I will sign that order on your final recommendation and my approval. Now, give me a name of someone on that zoo up there that you think will make a good Captain.”

Wow, this is going to be fun!
“Well, sir, the name that sticks in my head is Lieutenant Commander Sasha Weldon.”

“A Lieutenant Commander, West?”

“Yes, sir, I know it’s a double jump but she was passed over, and anywhere else she would have been a full Commander a year ago.”

The Admiral thought for a second, “She was one of the names on my short list.” Again he turned his head, “Molly, set up promotion and reassignment orders for Weldon.”

“Ok, West, back to the group.”

The call terminated and Josiah headed back to the reception desk. Nobody had moved and
Berlin was holding Josiah’s hardware. The main screen changed back to Admiral Jacks, “Officer of the Deck,”

Peska practically jumped, “Sir.”

“You will request the immediate presence at this location of Lieutenant Commander Sasha Weldon. You will emphasize the word ‘immediate’.”

“Yes, sir”
, and he hurried to the com panel.

“Captain
Berlin, I see you have recovered the symbols of rank and award that
I
personally placed on the uniform of LIEUTENANT West. You will now restore them to their previous locations.”

“Y-y-yes, sir.”

Josiah had all he could do not to grin as shaky hands replaced those items. It took a couple of tries but things finally got resettled.

About that time
, Commander Weldon came trotting through the nearest hatch. She was a rather plain looking woman with messy brown hair, wearing dirty work greens and wiping her hands on a greasy rag, “What’s so damned important th--, oh, sorry, Captain, I was told to report as is.” Berlin didn’t reply, but she caught sight of Josiah. She stopped wiping, “West, is that for real?”

A voice behind her said, “Yes, it is Commander.” She turned, looked, and then turned some more until she finally saw Admiral Jacks on the screen
; she braced to attention, “Sir, Lieutenant Commander Sasha Weldon reporting as ordered. Sorry about the uniform, sir, I was told that seconds counted.”

“At ease, Commander, I have a growing appreciation for work greens.” He gave Josiah a bemused look, “I have orders for you, Commander.” He looked up, took two data pads from Molly, and placed them on his desk. He signed both of them, “Upon final recommendation of Lieutenant Josiah West: Effective immediately you are promoted to the rank of Captain. Effective immediately you are assigned as commanding officer of the Maxim Caldwell.” He handed the pads back to Molly, “Captain Weldon, you will have on my desk no later than 0900 hours tomorrow base time your selection for your first officer. You will have on my desk no later than 0900 hours base time next Monday your recommendations for any
, and I mean ANY, crew changes. Are there any questions?”

Weldon was a very intelligent woman. She
looked at the people around her, at their expressions and body language, at the shocking transformation of “Ensign” West and that recruiting poster Ensign in the work greens with her hands behind her back that was just smiling and nodding. She knew that the situation on the Caldwell had just hit the fan, “No, sir, there will be no questions.” She turned to Josiah, “See me before you leave.” Josiah nodded. She turned back to the Admiral and saluted, “By your leave, sir, I believe I have work to do.” The Admiral returned the salute and Weldon left the cargo deck.