Last Stand Read online

  Even with robots and other modern space construction equipment and techniques, it took them 23 exhausting days to complete the repairs and refit of the scout. Ian Huntington-Smythe had scoured Camadin Station for every available engineering personnel from other ships that had been destroyed in the war. He pulled them from their temporary assignments and put them to work on the scout vessel that had been selected to serve as the core of their rebuilt vessel.

  Pat Deckard and Ian Huntington-Smythe had developed a quick set of new plans and began issuing work orders to their personnel almost immediately. While one team worked on cutting bulkheads another was rerouting power, ventilation, and other vital ships systems. A third team was pulling out damaged modules while still another began gathering the various new or scavenged components from supply warehouses, the two other scouts, and even some larger vessels that were being parted out.

  In short order, the hangar floor and the surrounding repairs docks were a flurry of chaotic-looking activity. Deckard and Huntington-Smythe could be found in the midst of all this activity, sometimes issuing new orders, other times working with a team to help them resolve a sticky problem. Because the project operated on a three-shift, 24-hour schedule, one or both of the engineers stayed on duty to lend a hand. This meant long hours of work for both with limited sleep, so at times they were tired, grouchy, and a little less dapper than usual.

  To save time, Pat and Ian stopped shaving and began wearing coveralls instead of their usual Fleet uniforms. They had their meals brought to them in the shack or on the hangar floor. They even had a cot set up in a small storage room on the back wall of the hangar and one or the other spent a few minutes trying to catch a little sleep whenever he could find it.

  The result was a truly composite vessel: part scout ship and part fast-striking attack ship. It bore only a passing resemblance to the original class of scout vessels it came from. It was Commodore Rivers, with his vast knowledge of military history and ancient popular culture, who recognized what they had created.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, what you have accomplished here is simply amazing!” Rivers said after his tour of the new vessel. “You have created a modern version of the old motor-torpedo boats of World War II or the fast attack ground vehicles used by British commandos in the North African deserts during the same war. Those ancient war machines were notorious for conducting quick hit-and-run raids on enemy forces. While this particular vessel has another mission awaiting it, you may have developed a vessel the Fleet can use to get past the Azairi defenses where our larger vessels can’t. Commander Deckard, you and your team need to shift gears. I’ll put out an all call to the Fleet for our remaining scouts to converge here at Camadin. Rapid refits will be the order of the day!”

  The shipyard personnel were thoroughly exhausted but cheered the commodore anyway! Rivers let the crowd’s enthusiasm run its course, then turned to Bradley, Caulder, and Huntington-Smythe. “We’ve created a new class of vessel for your mission, so it’s up to you to name the class and this ship. What do you think it should be?”

  Bradley and Huntington-Smythe turned to Jarrod Caulder. “It’s really your mission, Jarrod,” Ian said to his friend. “It should be your choice.” Bradley nodded his agreement.

  Jarrod smiled at his friends in thanks. “Commodore, like you I have an affinity for military history and old popular culture. Thank you for recommending the old television shows and movies to help us prepare for this mission…and provide us with a little entertainment, too! Several names come to mind but one sticks out above the others. It’s from an old movie. A group of travelers in an old aircraft crash in the desert. To survive and return to civilization, they rebuilt their damaged aircraft.” Commodore Rivers had to chuckle. He knew the film and its numerous remakes well.

  “Commodore, those survivors named their rebuilt aircraft…the Phoenix! Because it rose for the ‘ashes’ of its predecessor, much like our ship has. Sir, I recommend we name this new class of ship and this one in particular…the Phoenix!” Jarrod said proudly.

  “An excellent choice, Commander Caulder!” said Rivers. “Commander Deckard, log the name into our copy of the Fleet Registry!” Deckard acknowledged the order and typed the name into his comm-unit. Who knows when…or if…we’ll ever get to update the official Fleet records, Deckard thought to himself. Terrango Station, the site to which Fleet HQ had transferred from Earth, had gone incommunicado two days earlier. Either it had been captured, destroyed, or been too damaged to remain in contact.

  The crowd cheered again! Rivers held up his hands to quiet them. “One last order of business, then onto some well-deserved festivities. Commanders Bradley and Deckard, front and center.” The two officers stepped forward and stood at attention.

  “For your hard work and new levels of responsibility, I hereby promote you both to Captain, with all due rights, priveleges, and responsibilities thereof. Congratulations, gentlemen! There shall be commendations and promotions for other personnel who worked on this project coming soon. I thank each of you for your hard work! Now, the food and drink have arrived so dig in!” Rivers waved a hand towards the tables of food and drink lining the back wall of the hangar. “Enjoy yourselves!”

  Rivers looked over at Bradley, Deckard, Caulder, and Huntington-Smythe and signaled for them to follow him to a quiet spot away from the crowd. Once in private, Rivers spoke to Deckard first. “Pat, you’re going to be in command of the new project as well as the repair yards, that’s why I’m bumping you to captain. It’ll give you more pull with the ship captains when you have to deal with them. Plus, it’s long overdue.”

  The commodore turned his attention to his old friend, Bradley. “Mac, you’re going to be in command of the Phoenix. As I said before, you’re in charge of the space-borne portion of the mission and in dealing with the defense of the ship and crew. I wish we had the time to give you a proper shakedown cruise…but it’s not the first time a vessel has launched without one. Keep in mind, your secondary mission to identify potential fallback positions if the war continues to go south on us. Hell, if Jamie was old enough, I would send her with you,” Rivers said, the thought of his young daughter being in danger from the Azairi was never far from his thoughts.

  “I’ve contacted the remnants of the Terran Colonial Fleet. Meaghan O'Reilly is bringing the Conestoga here to Camadin to assist in an evacuation, if it’s needed,” Rivers said. O’Reilly had been his first officer when he commanded the Conestoga. She had succeeded him in command of the colony vessel upon his transfer to Camadin Station. “Sadly, an evacuation may be too little, too late. We may only be able to save a few tens of thousands out of hundreds of thousands.”

  Finally, he looked at Jarrod Caulder. “Jarrod, I’ve just recently promoted you, so another promotion isn’t in order just yet. You’ll be first officer of the Phoenix and will also be in charge of the mission to find your father and the Proge homeworld. I expect you to consult with Captain Bradley and vice versa. Ian, you’ll be chief engineer of the Phoenix for the time being but I expect you to be the head of the technology acquisition and application project when you return! Everyone good? Great! Let’s eat!”

  **********

  It took another week to finish provisioning, uploading new navigational data and computer safety protocols, and assigning new crew members to the vessel. Lieutenant Commander Maria Esteban-Smith supervised the uploading of the navigational programming and Proge research data into the Phoenix’s computer system.

  Chief Engineer Huntington-Smythe spent the week double checking every system aboard the vessel. When things were found in less than optimal condition, he had his new team of engineers fix the problem. They had to become as familiar with the Phoenix and her systems as he was.

  Captain Bradley and his first officer, Commander Caulder, were everywhere! Crew selection was at the top of their list of tasks. After that was becoming familiar with their new vessel and planning their first mission.

  The new crew members were soon piped
aboard, assigned duty stations and quarters, and then put to work readying the ship for departure. Provisions had to be stored along with hand weapons, space battle suits, spare components, and miscellaneous other supplies and materials. Space was at a premium aboard most scout vessels and especially so aboard the Phoenix. The space usually reserved for a larger crew had been used to house the new, more powerful, faster-than-light drive unit, shield generators, plasma weapon generators and projectors, as well as additional bracing and bulkheads to strengthen the vessel’s structural integrity.

  Crew quarters and the ship’s mess were cramped but survivable, much like the submarines of Earth’s past. Bradley and Caulder had selected a total crew complement of 40 personnel. This included several Fleet Marines who were also rated on ship’s weaponry and other shipboard functions.

  There was no time for a shakedown cruise to identify any problems with the vessel before departure. There was no fanfare at the Phoenix’s launch beyond the Commodore Rivers and Dr. Rivers joining the repair yard engineers and the Phoenix’s crew prior to departure. Commodore Rivers wished the crew a safe and successful mission then stepped over to speak privately with his old friend, Captain Mac Bradley. Dr. Rivers took a moment to speak with Jarrod Caulder and Ellie Rai about the ongoing treatment of Jarrod’s radiation poisoning. Sufficient quantities of Jarrod’s medications had been stored about the Phoenix for use during the mission.

  Departure time arrived and the crew boarded the Phoenix. The repair station crew moved away from the scout vessel and massive barriers began to extend from the hangar floor and ceiling. Once fully extended, these barriers formed airtight walls closing off the part of the hangar housing the Phoenix. Commodore and Dr. Rivers joined Captain Deckard in the supervisor’s shack and watched the departure through the shack’s dura-plaz floor.

  With the walls extended on either side of the Phoenix, the repair station crew pumped the air out of that part of the hangar. Once the atmosphere had been evacuated, the massive doorway to space opened slowly.

  “Phoenix, this is Deckard,” came the message from the repair station over the speakers on the scout’s bridge. “You are cleared to depart!”

  Captain Bradley activated the microphone on his headset, “Phoenix copies, thanks Pat! See you all soon!” He cut the radio connection and looked over to Maria Esteban-Smith who was at the combined Pilot/Navigator console. “Take us out, Maria!”

  “Aye, sir! Forward thrusters coming online. Departing the hangar at 30 feet per second,” Esteban-Smith reported professionally. The Phoenix moved slowly and gracefully from the hangar. “Captain, we’re clearing the hangar bay doors. Phoenix is in open space!”

  “Excellent!” said Bradley. He activated the ship’s intercom and spoke, “All hands, prepare for maneuvering system operational test and system departure! Maria, run your tests then set course for first target system and engage sublight drive system at your discretion.”

  “Aye sir,” Maria responded. Once the Phoenix was more than a mile from the repair hangar, she ran a quick operational check of the ship’s maneuvering controls. The Phoenix performed a series of twists, turns, and pirouettes in space. To those watching from the repair hangar windows, the Phoenix performed a ballet in space. To those aboard the scout vessel, the vessel’s artificial gravity and inertial dampening systems made it feel like the ship was perfectly stable.

  Other than a tendency for the ship’s nose to pitch up sharply when using the bow thrusters, Esteban-Smith was satisfied with the ship’s control functions. With her test maneuvers complete, Maria oriented the vessel with their intended course. She ran a final check of her controls and navigational settings then reported to Bradley, “Ship responded nominally, sublight drive coming on, ahead one quarter light speed.”

  The Phoenix surged forward! The vessel’s inertial dampeners functioned properly, preventing the crew from being smeared like jam against whatever wall was aft of their position. “Quarter light speed, captain!” the pilot/navigator reported. “Vessel is handling within prescribed parameters, sir!”

  “Thank you, commander!” Bradley replied. He nodded to his first officer.

  Commander Jarrod Caulder keyed his microphone. “All department heads report, please!” he said over the vessel’s intercom system.

  “Engineering here,” Huntington-Smythe’s prim and proper British accent came from the speakers. “Sublight drive is optimal. Life support systems are optimal. Shields are optimal. FTL drive is warming up nicely!”

  “Computer systems in the green!” reported Lieutenant Ron Fassnacht.

  “Med-bay okay,” responded Lieutenant Ellie, who was serving as the ship’s medic and ‘doctor’.

  “Ship’s security A-okay!” replied Lieutenant Commander Gary Petersen.

  “Ship is on course and maintaining set speed,” reported Lieutenant Commander Maria Esteban-Smith. “Standing by for velocity increase, sir!”

  Caulder grinned at Bradley and made his report. “Captain, the ship is secure, all systems optimal. Pilot reports ready for velocity change at your order, sir!”

  Bradley grinned back at his first officer and nodded his head. “Maria, half-light speed please.”

  “Aye sir, half-light!” Maria replied and punched the change into her console. The Phoenix responded immediately and a moment later the pilot/navigator was pleased to report the ship was handling well at the new speed. Bradley and Caulder acknowledged her report. Another increase in velocity was ordered, this time to three-quarters light speed. Again, the Phoenix handled the change well.

  An hour later, Bradley rose from his chair and turned to Caulder. “Jarrod, I’m going to take a little time and ‘walk the ship’ and look in on the crew. Maintain current course and velocity. You have the conn, sir.” Bradley was mimicking one of Commodore Rivers’ habits of taking the time to tour his vessel to get a feel for how the ship and crew were doing.

  “Aye sir! Maintain current course and velocity. I have the conn. Captain’s off the bridge!” Caulder called out as Bradley stepped through the hatch of the elevator at the rear of the bridge.

  Given her size, a walking tour of the Phoenix wouldn’t take long, Bradley realized. But, after serving with James Rivers, he’d come to see the benefits of doing one. He made a point of visiting each of the vessel’s compartments and speaking with the personnel there. He spent significantly more time talking with the crew members in Engineering, Computer Systems, and in each of the Weapon Operation Centers. On the way back to the Bridge, he stopped off in his quarters to freshen up and change uniforms. This was something else he had learned from Rivers…to always look sharp in front of his subordinates.

  “Captain on the bridge!” Caulder called out as Bradley stepped back onto the bridge. “How was your tour of the ship, sir?”

  “Excellent, XO!” replied Bradley. “Everyone and everything operating at peak efficiency, I’d say. What say we stop lollygagging around and see how the Phoenix does at FTL velocities?”

  “Yessir!” answered Caulder. He looked at the captain with an unspoken question, Do you wish to take command, sir? Bradley smiled in return and shook his head. The captain waved a hand as if to say, Go ahead!

  Caulder activated his headset microphone. “Engineering, Bridge. Status of FTL drive, please?”

  The voice of Chief Engineer Huntington-Smith came back, “FTL drive is ready at your discretion, sir!”

  “Very good, chief! Standby. Commander Esteban-Smith, take us to 1.0 light speed, please!” Caulder ordered.

  Maria Esteban-Smith smiled and responded, “Aye sir…1.0 light speed!” A warning klaxon sounded and then Maria spoke over the ship’s intercom. “All personnel standby for FTL insertion! All personnel standby for FTL insertion in 5…4…3…2…1…now!”

  Once again, the Phoenix accelerated but this time in a totally unique manner. The FTL drive altered space/time around the vessel allowing it to travel at or above the speed of light without violating the laws of physics.

  “Su
ccessful insertion! Light speed, captain!” Esteban-Smith reported. She scanned her console then the status board just below the primary monitor. “All ship’s systems in the green!”

  Caulder examined the status board as well then looked over at the captain. Bradley gave him a thumbs-up, so Caulder said, “Very well. Go to 1.5 light speed, please.”

  Esteban-Smith acknowledged the order and punched in the new velocity. Again the Phoenix responded well.

  “Pilot, 2.0 please,” Caulder ordered next. The status board soon registered 2.0 times the speed of light.

  Jarrod asked for all departments to report. Once again, all stations reported in the green. Bradley leaned back in his chair, pleased with the performance of his ship and crew. “Commander Caulder, let’s hold this velocity for the next four hours. If all remains in the green, we’ll take ‘er up a notch or two more.” Caulder and the other bridge officers answered quickly with “aye ayes” and went about their duties.

  Chapter 7

  Ship's Log

  TDFSV Phoenix

  Earthdate: 23 December 2230

  Captain McLelland Bradley, Commanding

  What a ship! Two days in flight and we’ve reached top cruising speed. The crew is settling into a routine. No hiccups, no problems. Still, the ‘security chief’ in me keeps reminding me that this trip isn’t going to be all fun and games. We need to find the Proge homeworld…we need to find a miracle to stop the Azairi and save the Terran Federation! Who knows what…or who…we’ll encounter along the way?

  Two days later, the Phoenix and her crew were indeed traveling at the vessel’s maximum safe cruising speed. The FTL drive and the rest of the ship’s systems were operating at peak efficiency while the crew had settled into a standard three-shift rotation to ensure everyone got sufficient rest.

  Jarrod, Ellie, Maria, and Ian continued to work with their smaller computer science team to finish deciphering the Proge data from Professor Caulder’s e-mails. The team had made significant progress in the last couple of weeks and only a few passages of text still needed to be translated.