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THE TURNER JOY

Jack looked up from the gravity coil control board facing the Port side of the ship's control bridge and over his right shoulder at the main navigation screens arrayed around the pilot’s cockpit. Then out the large view ports wrapped around the bridge as the last of the reentry firestorm cleared. He looked down at the Space Port beacon on the distant horizon. Something was wrong.

He glanced over both shoulders at the other crewmen sitting at their control consoles scattered around the bridge, intent on their screens looking a little bored. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary with them. He started to change his screen to the ship's navigation plot but knew if his brother or father saw him doing it now or checked the records later, he would be in deep shit. Jerking his hand away from the screen Jack frowned as he looked out the ports at the distant beacon yet again. The feeling that something was wrong growing stronger by the second.

Jack turned around and checked to make sure his father (the ship’s Captain), was looking the other way at his video phone on the other side of the Command chair deep in conversation. He was always talking to someone on the Comm. Jack unfastened his belt as he slid out of his chair to his left past the Engineering console and the man giving him a dirty look for getting out of his chair. Crouching, Jack took a couple of steps until he was slightly behind and to the side of the Command Chair. He peeked around the side of the chair and his father's shoulder, (ignoring the conversation his father was having with some big shot, scared shitless during landing and thought haranguing the Captain of the ship about not wanting his wife to get space sick during the most dangerous maneuvers of the whole trip was a good idea), and looked at the navigation plotting screen between the pilot and navigator.

The plot screen showed that the course vector line was green, stretching from where they were at that instant some 50 miles above the planet, to where they were going all the way to the Space Port landing pit a thousand miles down range. The screen also showed their speed and deceleration rate as they dropped down through the atmosphere. He quickly went over the half a hundred other read outs plastered across the console with more than just a glance before turning to survey the rest of the bridge he could not see from his control console, then slide back into his chair before his father could notice. Jack breathed a sigh of relief at not getting caught. The Nav plot and all the gages said everything was good and there was nothing amiss anywhere else on the bridge, but something in him still just felt abnormal, something about the deceleration rate was wrong.

Five years before, he would not have noticed or cared if he had. He had been placed on the grav-board as a technician simply to keep him out of trouble and under the watchful eye of both his father (Ship's Captain) and his brother (the ship's First Officer and Pilot), during landings and take offs. He was not expected to do anything with it unless told to back then. But that was long ago. Now if he did not make the right adjustments to the anti-mass, inertia/gravity coils when the ship passed through any of many anomalies, changed course or acceleration and his father or brother felt the ship bump or bounce, it was his fault and would pay dearly later. The hundred year old automatic gravcoil controls were simply not fast enough to compensate on their own. He learned to anticipate the hundreds of Gravity Coil and Acceleration problems even before they happened just to avoid a beating later by his brother or worse yet the look from his father of sorrowful pity for his no good stupid moronic youngest son. So now he just felt like there was a problem and even if it did not concern the Grav board, it still was a problem and he would get the blame no matter whose fault it was.

Jack suddenly realized that the blue and green planet with the flat lands stretching out from the viewing ports wrapped around the bridge, did not look familiar even though they had landed on that planet at least a dozen times before. There should have been a pair of the largest, tallest, snow ringed, bald topped mountains in the universe sticking up some 40 miles into the stratosphere ahead of them to fly between as they approached the port and they simply were not there. Was he remembering wrong? Frowning and knowing that he was headed for trouble, Jack tapped up the navigation Itinerary on one of his small side screens anyway and read the name of the Planets Starport they were headed for along with all the details for that port and the cargo they were scheduled to offload and load.

Shaking his head in disbelief he kicked himself mentally for not bothering to pay attention to the planet briefing his father had given that morning at breakfast. But then that was what he got for taking for granted the day's work once he had heard the name of the planet but missed the name and location of the Starport along with most everything else in the briefing.

Right then he knew the ship had a problem and that problem had something to do with the fact they were going to a different Starport on this planet than they usually went to. He switched the screen back before it was noticed. But what deference could that make? Starports were Starports and getting down through a planet’s atmosphere to land at any Starport should be pretty much the same no matter where they were on the planet. But they weren’t.

That morning at breakfast, he had been much too interested in the news broadcasts on the mess deck's bulkhead screens and then his PDA (when the screens were turned off for the pre-landing briefing), about the planetary system in the outer fringe of the Republic that had stopped broadcasting some days before, to pay much attention to his father reading the stupid landing schedule he had heard a hundred times before. The news this morning like the night before was mostly speculation as to what happened to the Battleship squadron and its base and the population of millions of people in the outpost system there. Not that star systems had not gone silent for short periods of time when their transmitter had broken down, but a standby transmitter had always taken over before long. This time the star system had just dropped out in the middle of a transmission a few days before and stayed off with supposedly no word from the military Sector Base’s transmitter there that most fringe worlds did not have.

The shocking thing was when last night's news had reported a just released recording that had been accidentally or purposely released, that had been received from the military transmitter at the fleet base there. The recording showed the base Commander screaming about an attack and showing a bunch of strange ships that resembled spiders that fired their weapons just before the transmitter went dark and silent.

The special hourly news programs that morning were now reporting about outpost systems much farther out on the fringe that had not been heard from for weeks, even months, which had gone from back page no one heard about news for a week to front page special breaking news this morning. Another seemingly unrelated but buried story that was suddenly big news, was of an unusually large number of ships from that area of space that had not arrived as scheduled at quite a few Republic worlds and were presumed missing. They had briefly flashed a long list of the missing ships up on the screen and Jack recognized several of the ship names he had friends on to his surprise. Suddenly the many reports of UFO's around that end of the Republic and photos of distant ships just like the ones attacking the outpost base, could no longer be ignored as phantasy any longer.

Speculation on the much lengthened special report news interrupting that morning’s entertainment shows, had run rampant. Centered on Pirates, since space beyond that region in that direction was pretty much devoid of life or habitable star systems and planets. Meaning that there was no empire out in that direction that could threaten the Republic. One news show late the night before was speculating that one of the empires around the sides of Republic space, was making an end-run around the heavily fortified systems facing them, trying to catch the Republic by surprise.

Only that morning, all of the Empires were vehemently denying any involvement what so ever. Even stranger yet, were rumors that these same Empires (including the Communists and United Arabians, who were still skirmishing with the Republic on the boarders over several worlds after 50 years since the war had ended), were talking about holding a massive combined fleet exercise with most of the other Empires and the Republic Navy in that fringe neck of the Republic. Cooperation unheard of for centuries.

The last thing Jack was paying attention to, was his dads monotone voice reading of the day’s landing and work schedule on a planet they had been to dozens of times before and always dropped into the same old Star Port with the same old basic boring work schedule. Land, unload cargo, make repairs, load cargo, check repairs, launch.

Now this afternoon, as soon as he had seen the name of the Star port on his screen and after looking out the view port again, Jack realized what had to be wrong and it could very easily destroy the ship. Slapping the Plot onto his main screen (even though it could not show all the readings of the larger plot screen and board), Jack took a closer look at the numbers including the plot line and engine thrust. He ran the numbers in his head and suddenly knew that his grandfather (the ships navigator), had entered the wrong gravity gradient into the navigation computer. The Star Port they usually landed at on this planet was on a mile high plateau in the middle of a bunch of very tall mountains full of a lot of heavy metals with a high mass content. That required the ship to use a considerable amount of thrust to fight the high gravity gradient as well as the altitude as they decelerated from orbit. The Star port they were headed for this afternoon was in the middle of a large low altitude, sea level plain, next to the coast and the planets huge main City, with no heavy metals and a comparatively light gravity gradient deep inside the atmosphere, requiring a lot less thrust over a considerably longer time.

The plot vector line was lying and the higher than needed thrust of their engines would dump them some 20,000 feet above the planet and hundreds of miles short of the port at a dead stop hover right in the middle of the planet's 300 miles an hour trade wind headed away from the Space Port. By the time they got out of the trade wind and back to and then down to land at the port, they would use up most of the 1,000 tons of additional reaction mass kept for landing emergencies. A very costly mistake and if something else went wrong, they could run out of reaction mass entirely before they reached the space port and its thick reinforced concrete landing pits. They stood a good chance of tumbling the ship on the soft jungle ground, if they could not find an emergency landing pit in time. Tapping his screen Jack brought up the surrounding emergency pits and all of them were beyond the port. After all if you were having engine problems the last place you would land is short.

But then his grandfather was coming up on 200 years old and it was not the first time he had flubbed. Though, if Jack had been paying attention that morning or even read the days schedule when he reported to the bridge instead of gossiping about the invaders, he would have noticed the mistake as the old man was in the process of plotting and entering the landing course when the bridge was still relatively empty before landing stations had been called. All he would have had to do then if he didn’t just enter the correct mass figures himself, was make some statement or comment about how nice the lowland port was to land at far away from the mountains and the old man (everyone called Pop,) would have caught it. Telling Jack that he had just been testing him, if he said anything at all.

Jack chuckled at the little games Pop and him had been playing over the years as his grandfather had gone from teaching him navigation along with a whole slew of College courses, to Jack checking the somewhat senile old man's work to make sure he was taking them to the right star system, the right planet inside that star system and even the right Star Port, along with the current ships mass down to the pound and a dozen other variables, without anyone else on the bridge crew noticing him checking and his little hints. The crew just figuring that Pop needed to continue to teach the young moron that seemed unable to learn simple basic navigation. Why else would Jack keep hanging around the old man every time he plotted a course?

The arguments in public Pop and Jack got into on the bridge during the long waits, as well as the mess deck during chow, concerning the Advanced College course material he was taking most of the time from Pop, went a long way to reinforcing Jack as a moron in their eyes. After all, Jack had to be pretty stupid to disagree with Pop, who was once considered one of the top University Professors in the Republic and the head of some big research directorate before retiring. Jack could not help but notice their looks of sorry derision toward him when they did notice him. Jack just figured since he was the Captain's youngest son, he was never going to be good enough in their eyes until he grew up and became a real Pilot, taking his brothers place.

Jack simply studied hard to get the right education so he could become a pilot, while trying to stay invisible and out of their way until then. His father (ship’s Captain), mother (ship’s Executive Officer sitting on the other side of the bridge) and brother (ship’s Pilot) did not help his stature as they went out of their way pointing out in great detail every minor flaw, mistake or infraction when they did notice him and worse yet, in front of the crew. Though he had given up log ago, trying to please them beyond doing his basic job, knowing they (especially his brother), would invent something if they could not find anything. But now, glancing back at the plot on his screen, he frowned and kicked himself for failing Pop and the ship yet again.

The problem was. If he said anything now half way through the landing, he would be called stupid and told to shut up by his father in front of the whole bridge crew even if his brother (the pilot) sitting just forward of him let him finish the statement before being slapped stupid for daring to talk on the bridge during landing. And even then, there was no certainty Pop would hear and understand in time to change the ship's course to avoid the massive expense and risk of missing the Port. Except then Jack would be blamed for disturbing Pop, the bridges routine and for the ship missing the Port even though no course change had been made. Then within minutes, the whole ship would know and he would not be able to stick his head out of his cabin's hatch for weeks without getting laughed at or derided for his stupidity. Especially with his brother egging and reminding everyone at every opportunity that it was his fault the ship almost crashed.

It had happened to many times already concerning other mistakes (most of them not his), to the point that every time something went wrong on the bridge, even when it could not possible have been his fault, Jack got the blame somehow anyway. Though the last time had been a good 6 months before. Ever since he had gotten in the habit of keeping a close eye on everything that went on around the bridge and either fixing them while no one was looking or dropping quite hints before most problems developed into something serious. Like checking Pop’s calculations, or noticing the landing gear locks were still on or the maneuvering thrusters were on cruise during landing or a board was malfunctioning and not showing an approaching ship or any of a hundred other things that could and did go wrong on a bridge. Things the ship’s Captain was supposed to notice if he was not always talking to the passengers or telling stories about how great he was at buying and trading cargo and getting lucrative transport orders that Jack had heard a hundred times. Though every port seemed to have a new story with it since the last time they landed or took off.

Jack’s years playing the (Battleship Command game) along with his punishments when something did go wrong on the bridge, had taught him to anticipate problems before they became problems, even if he was not responsible for them. So failing to correct such a simple mistake when he should have, was eating at him. He had to do something even if it was wrong. Either way he would pay for it, but at least it would not cost the ship or all their lives, even if he did get grounded for a month.

Unless he tried something different.

After failing to get his older brother's (the pilot) attention and in desperation, he reached to his right and forward around the left side of his big brother’s somewhat over weight belly, to the base of the thrust lever under his brother's left hand's fingers hovering above it. Hoping his brother would not notice, Jack pulled it ever so slowly back about 10 percent until the Nav plot (he still had up on his screen), showed them impacting the ground a hundred miles beyond the port at a thousand miles an hour.

As he pulled his hand back from the throttle he realized that it was not going to work the way he had thought.

The main screen’s Nav plot started squealing on him for everyone to see and hear.

His older brother suddenly looked down at the screaming Navigation Plot screen and back up at the suddenly red plot line in his heads up display. The pilot stared at the pair of diverging plot lines (the Red line showing the actual course of the ship above the Green plotted course line to the space port), for a few seconds and then pushed the throttles back up for the two lines to meet again.

Taking a few deep breaths as his brother turned away again getting the attention of one of the female officers he was putting the moves on. Jack reached up and pulled the throttle back again.

His brother the ship’s pilot whipped his head around as Jack’s hand slid back from the control board with a brief disbelieving, surprised, questioning look as a sneer started growing across his face. The navigation alarm started sounding for everyone on the Bridge to hear.

Jack’s brother raised his hand off the throttle. Debating with himself whether to back hand Jack senseless now or just wait and beat his much younger stupid pain in the butt brother later and how to do it so he would not get caught while having a whole lot more fun.

Jack smiled meekly and shrugged his shoulders trying not to shake too hard, hooking his thumb back over his shoulder at his granddad, Pop and forced out the words. "Pop. Not the mountain port…Wrong gravity gradient. Trade winds." Jack whispered in a voice that kept trying to squeak so only his brother Dan could hear.

Jack's father in the raised Command chair behind and slightly to the right of the pilot so he could keep a close eye on both the Pilot and Navigator and was usually too busy running the rest of the ship or smoozing passengers on the Comm, to notice most things going on around the bridge, noticed. It was hard to miss the plot screen flashing with the alarm screaming as it showed them impacting the ground. In a demanding voice that would have carried across a gymnasium. "Dan! What is going on here? Get that throttle back up this instant."

His brother's sneer disappeared, replaced with concern as he turning to the navigator seat across the navigation plot screen between them. "Pop; you want to check the plot for the lowland port. That is a nasty trade wind down there today. We don't usually have to deal with it at the high mountain Port."

"What? There is nothing wrong with my… Oh. Nab darn it. Flat Plain’s lowland port? Damn gradient." The old man started tapping on his keyboard. "Thanks Dan. That trade wind looks nasty doesn't it?" The plot slowly curved back down to the port and into the landing pit. Then his brother started shoving the ship around, drifting back and forth like the ship was a drunken pendulum around the course plot line. It took him a half minute to finely get the ship to settle onto the new plot line.

The whole time Jack's fingers flew over his control board, frowning each time his brother slammed his control stick from one side to the other as he kept over shooting the plot line.

Finally the ship crept up settling onto the line and Jack was able to relax. Taking a sip of his steaming tea sitting in the holder next to him.

"Good going Dan." Said their father from the Captain's chair behind them. "You have a sharp eye and will make a great Captain."

Jack turned around to protest but as he opened his mouth, Dan back handed him across the side of his head. "Get your eyes back on that gravity board moron. We don't need any damaged cargo simply because you weren’t paying attention during descent."

Jack's mouth opened and closed a few times trying to get enough courage to say what he wanted to say and then his father (the ship's Captain) spoke up as Jack started to protest.

"You heard him Jack. Get your eyes back on your board and get that screen back onto the grav-sensor readouts. We have a lot of fragile cargo this trip, not to mention passenger's that don't tip if they get space sick. You are going to have to back off just a little on the Y vector coils rate of decay since the low land port has a shallower gravity gradient than you are used to at the other port." Taking a breath. “That also means you get 4 hours of extra duty for watching a video. I told you what I was going to do the next time I caught you. You don’t have much to do on duty but videos are not part of it. Besides it will keep you off that stupid game for a while. About time you started pulling your weight around here anyway now that you are 18. Even if it is just cleaning decks.”

Jack turned back to his board fuming. He could run that board blindfolded with all the screens showing videos if he had to and do a better job. Besides, he had already backed off on the Y coils decay rate long ago, if his father had bothered to look. Jack had realized years before that he did a better job if he could see things going on around the ship, including what his brother was doing and anticipate what the ship was headed for. Things such as the Trade winds, strength of the magnetic and gravity waves they were approaching ahead of time, instead of just staring at the damn board like he was taught. Reacting to what the board and the auto controller finally showed him that missed half of everything he really needed. That is until it was much too late to change most settings before the ship jerked or bumped or swayed as the auto controller, late as always, tried to compensate. But then he was starting to get the idea subconsciously, that he could see things around him others could not. Impossible.

Well, the problem was, he could see things others could not, even if he did not realize it. Like gravity and magnetic waves as well as most other radiation besides just the reflected light everyone else could see. Jack just did not see cold empty black space or a planet’s simple blue cloudless sky like everyone else. He could see the electromagnetic waves around him and the ship in much better detail than the stupid ship's sensors.

There was no reason for him to think that everyone could not see the beautiful rainbow of energy lines crisscrossing the ship, the high energy electrical lines running through the compartments to the equipment around him and anything else that had energy or temperature. No reason to wonder if the rest of the bridge crew could gaze out the ports and see the gravity and magnetic lines arcing from the star, around planets and moons as the ship made its way into a star system. Even ships approaching the Turner Joy had their own magnetic fields as well as their weaker mass waves surrounding them that everyone certainly must see interacting with the Turner Joy's magnetic and grav fields when they got close.

The sun sets of flaming lines of light on the horizons of planets everyone always talked about as beautiful, he had to agree was mind boggling to him with all the arches and thousands of inexpressible colors crossing the heavens as the gravity and energy waves of the different stars met the sun and horizon of the planet in a fantastic dance long after the planet's sun disappeared below the horizon taking the red and orange reflection of blinding light on the clouds above and across the horizon away to finely let the other waves brighten the display into a truly glorious fireworks show for an hour afterword’s. Though he could not understand why people would lose interest just when the show was getting its best. Nor did he understand why he kept seeing simple anemic pictures of sunsets on hundreds of planets in magazines and peoples bulkheads and photo sheets as they bragged about their beauty, when all he could see was some nice, kind of pretty but simplistic colors that fell far short of his reality. The same was for pictures of stars and planets. They always fell short of his reality looking out the bridge ports.

In another time and place, if he had been even a little outspoken, he would have been accused of being on drugs or crazy and stuffed into a mental asylum. But he had long ago learned not to express too much detail about what he could see, as he took it for granted that everyone around him could see what he saw and just did not want to listen to an idiot talking about the obvious. They just were not interested in anything the moron had to say about the subject or most subjects for that matter.

That is except for his grandfather Pop, who simply smiled and grinned at his occasional strange comments about what he could see. Telling him that a Neutron star had made him special. But then Pop was just a crazy half senile old man, even if he was supposed to be a genius. Besides, special was what most planets called children born with deformities and mental handicaps. So he figured it fit. After all, his brother and parents were always telling him how stupid he was. Including his grandfather when they were arguing about some point of physics or some theory as Jack tried to understand the universe around him. Though, unlike his family and everyone else on the ship, Pop did not consider Stupid as a permanent condition or that the recipient was even wrong. Unbeknownst to others, once in a while, Pop was talking about himself when he made the statement after Jack had pointed out an idea or point of fact he had forgotten or never thought of during one of their arguments.

One thing Jack was sure of was that he could do calculations in his head faster than most people and even the computer auto pilot sometimes. With the spatial references seeming to just pop into his head like it had just done a few minutes before after noticing a few things like the ship's speed, thrust vector, air density and the strength of gravity around and ahead of the ship. It also allowed him to run the grav board, knowing how much power to add or subtract to what wave, from what direction, where on the ship and when, to counter act the movements of the ship and the fields around it before the passengers felt the ship go bump in the sky or even sway.

Jack took a deep breath shaking his head. What really pissed him off about getting chewed out in front of everyone was that he should have known better by now. The bridge crew was already looking at him even though it was not his mistake but they had heard him being chastised and that was enough. After all, it could not possible be Pop's mistake and they had seen Jack helping plot the course earlier, even if all he was doing was trying to learn how to navigate. "When was he, the moron, going to learn navigation or simply give up and quit causing trouble?" He had heard it all before, way too many times. Which is why he was stuck on the bridge at the Grav board during take offs and landings.

He was 13 when the ships navigation system's main power supply and all its backups had failed during launch, (a critical piece of equipment) sending the ship out of control. Jack had seen and felt the massive waves of energy the burning power supply was giving off before it finally blew from the children's acceleration couches at school and knew that fire was disastrous aboard ship. He had left the class acceleration couch room with the instructors screaming at him to sit back down though not one followed or tried to stop him. He was half way to the bridge as the ship took a nose dive. With the bridge screaming to get the power to the navigation system back on. It only took Jack a few seconds to get to the power distribution compartment on the deck below the bridge. Then to realize that the hot slagged missing section of cable leading from the burned out power supply must be what was wrong with the navigation system everyone was yelling about. It only took a few seconds more to jerk out a cold piece of wire elsewhere and short around the burned, blown and dead mains, holding the wire in place long enough for the ship to make orbit before being found with his hands still in the 4,000 volt power panel.

Jack never could figure out how he could have, let alone how anyone could believe, he had destroyed the hundred pound enclosed, hundred year old power supply, not to mention the already rusted, corroded, junk backups that failed to work, but they did. Though the power supplies on all the important equipment across the ship were replaced and upgraded in short order. Jack getting the jobs of hauling the old rusted junk backups out of the ship while the old working power supplies were put into storage just in case they were needed.

To keep him out of any further trouble, his father had stuffed him in the Grav board trim station that had not had an operator sitting at it since Pop had bought the ship some 30 years before, like a jail sentence for a criminal. It was Jack reading the manuals with a lot of help from Pop that taught himself how to operate the gravcoil station just to keep from dying of boredom.

Ever since then he had yet to miss a takeoff or landing on the bridge to keep him from destroying anything else. While the whole crew seemed to start treating him different, strangely different after that. Like he had done something terribly wrong and was now responsible for everything else that went wrong on the ship. He was still being blamed five years later and the story told with embellishments as he was pointed out to anyone new boarding the ship before they finished their first meal. He was fair game for punishment by anyone and everyone, anytime with no repercussions from his family. Especially with his brother encouraging the entire ship to participate. So he avoided everyone as much as he could. Taking refuge in playing (The Battleship Crew Simulator Game), in his cabin every chance he got.

Jack watched the gravity waves ahead lighten and made a minor adjustment to the gravity board as they left the high mountain plateau half of the planet behind. Avoiding that little imperceptible sway in his head most people would have only vaguely notice if they noticed at all. He was even ready when the ship hit the jet stream as he made the adjustments long before the automatic controls could respond, so the passengers did not feel the ship lurch from the 300 mile an hour side wind suddenly hitting the ship. He was even ready as his brother jerked the stick over much too hard to crab into the wind a second too late. Jack making the adjustments before the autograv could. Then again when they left the stream and his brother was late again straightening the ship back up and had to waddle the ship back onto their landing plot line with enough movement, (now that they were deep inside the atmosphere), to make anyone space sick if Jack had not caught and counter acted the side to side, up and down swaying as his brother jerked the ship around. Jack had gotten very good at his job. Though no one felt or had a clue as he played the gravity board like an instrument. Looking out of the bridges viewports at the vague beautiful impressions of clouds of energy swirling around the ship in a dozen different shades and brightness's of color he had no name for that would skew the ship off course, while keeping an eye on his brother stabbing at the ships controls. He ignored the jumble of harsh comparatively black and white and off colored waves and lines on his screens in front of him showing the pilot's and autopilots control inputs and the ship's sensors attempt to represent the fields outside the ship so humans could see and understand the invisible and respond properly. To Jack, the screens were a half second to slow, even if they could have shown a fraction of everything Jack could see.

They finally dropped down a bit hard into the pit as he flicked his fingers across the gravity board to counter act the sudden 3 gee landing gear flexing stop as they hit the concrete a little fast, straining the landing shocks. Then he faded the ships gravity into the planet's before shutting the grav board down. His cup of tea sitting on the console next to him had never even swayed let alone slopped a drop. The ships felt Gee meter had stayed pegged at 1.000 Gee the whole descent with zero side forces. Satisfied with his job, Jack leaned back and took a breath of satisfaction as he let his mind wind down for a few seconds after the strain. Already planning on getting onto The Game so he could talk to his friend that was already sitting in a pit as he rubbed his eyes and temple to relieve the tension.

A hand slapped the back of Jack's head as his brother turned around from the Pilot’s Cockpit. “Hey I was talking to you." His brother looked at him irritated for a second then smiled. "You just work hard crap face and some day you can land a ship as good as I do." Dan chuckled. "Like you could ever pilot a ship and pigs could fly.” Dan started laughing as he turned back to his controls while they waited for the ground crew to anchor the ship down.

Looking forward to getting off duty and back into The Battleship Game, Jack ignored him and tried to decide what mission he wanted to volunteer for. Though he knew The Game controlled what was offered. He knew there had been growing Pirate activity in his sector for a few days now. He mussed to himself as he ignored his brother. Jack already knew he could land the ship better than his brother. He had done it a thousand times in The Game. He thought he had recognized Tom's ship as they dropped the last few thousand feet into the pit making him smile with the reassurance of his buddy being dirt side and probably waiting for him. He had talked to Tom only hours before as they approached the planet while making arrangements to meet him later to celebrate both of their recent 18th birthdays.

All Tom could talk about for months, (each time they managed to hit a port together or close enough for the accessional game in space as the ships crossed paths), was going to some titty bar for a couple of drinks to celebrate as soon as they were 18. Jack was getting intrigued with the idea even though he was much too apprehensive (scared of getting caught or noticed and ridiculed) to ever go near one on his own. All Jack needed to do was waste a few hours now the work day was done and then when the quarter deck hatch opened for liberty after the Lobster and Steak dinner his father had been bragging about all week, join Tom for some fun.

"Guess what you get to do now?" His brother turned around slapping Jack on his shoulder with a big smile. It wasn't what Jack wanted to hear or see at that moment. His brother’s smile always meant bad news for him.

Hours later, Jack walked out of the auxiliary machinery space hatch and headed for the elevator wiping himself with a rag. Trying to get the last of the rinse water off after washing the shit off his air and water tight Jumpsuit. The Jumpsuit was required for landings and take offs and or when the ship was at emergency stations. It only needed him to pull the collapsible helmet folded into his collar around his neck, up over his head and down onto its caller seal and then stuff his hands into two special pockets for skin tight gloves to automatically seal with his cuffs, to keep him alive in vacuum in case of an emergency decompression in space. The fabric breathed moisture from his body under normal air pressure while being air and water proof as well as regulating his body’s temperature by either insulating, radiating or absorbing heat when it was needed.

The permeable fabric also let carbon dioxide through, while retaining the larger oxygen atoms in a vacuum, allowing prolonged use in an emergency. As long as the wearer had access to oxygen, the CO’2 would escape through the fabric into the vacuum of space, keeping the wearer from dying of CO’2 poisoning. He had kept the jump suit on while doing the nasty job his brother had assigned him knowing it not only provided him the protection he needed but would be easy to clean off and sanitize afterwards with a quick shower. Jack hurried along the passageway toward the Quarterdeck and the elevator, thinking about The Game as he tapped his wrist comm to call his friend Tom and tell him he would be on The Game in a few minutes.

"Just where the hell do you think you are going jerk?" Jack looked up at his brother Dan walking down the curved passageway from the Quarter deck area surrounding the elevators and gangplank, headed for him shaking his head in disgust. "Just stop right there shit head." His brother said holding out his hand palm out to stop Jack from getting far enough around the bend in the passageway to be seen by anyone on the Quarter deck while staying as far away from him as possible.

Jack could hear his father's voice thanking yet another passenger for flying with the Turner Joy and giving such a generous tip, echoing down the passageway. "I just finished cleaning that plugged sewage separator you sent me to fix and I am going up to get a shower before dinner." He did not say anything about The Game knowing his brother would ridicule him about it and even possible make up a job for him to do just to keep him off of it. "Is that OK with you? First Officer Creep."

A couple of familiar crewmen came down the passageway from the Auxiliary Engineering hatch and squeezed past Jack hugging the bulkhead to keep from touching him. "You stink, get out of the way shithead." Wrinkling up their noses. Then as they passed his brother one of them patted Dan on the back with a tissue in his hand as they met in the passageway. Leaving a brown colored streak of clumps of grease or something on the back of his bright white uniform. "Where's your gas mask Mr. Turner?" Chuckling. "No wonder you did not mind loosing that bet at cards last night. You're not the one that was going to do the work. I should have known better." Then started walking away. "As if you would actually do some work. I should have made you come up with something in addition to the job to cover my bet since you were not doing the work." Laughing as the guy dropped the tissue a ways down the passageway before they disappeared around the bend of the hull into the Quarter deck and elevator compartment. It should have been their job but now he knew why they had sat back laughing and making nasty rude remarks more than usual as he worked.

"I could smell you half way down the passageway rodent" His brother turned back to face Jack." Since when do you wear a Jump suit while working dirt side moron." Looking him up and down. "Not to mention that your jump suit looks like you rolled in shit." Dan started laughing. "That is going to cost you another fine. I will decide how much later."

Jack knew his jump suit was not dirty after scrubbing it clean in the decontamination shower. He would have had to do the same with a Hazmat suit before hanging it back up and wearing his jump suit saved him a good half hour changing before and after. The crewman that left a few seconds ahead of him had evidentially told his brother he was finished and getting ready to leave. But why his brother had to come running to catch him before he reached the Quarter deck was beyond him. Jack tried to ignore his brother but knew if he tried to push past him he would get decked. All he could do was wait for his brother to finish with whatever crap he had planned so he could leave. Knowing his brothers crap was never good.

"Dad wants the port main engine's mass injectors cleaned and checked this weekend. It shouldn't take you more than 5 or six hours even if you have to weld up a few cracks or burns"

"What? But? Oh Shit! Ya sure. But what happened to the spares I did at the beginning of the week?" It would not take long if all we have to do was change injectors.

"They already used them to change out the burned ones on the Starboard engine for you to weld up tomorrow while you are at it."

"But that will add hours to the job." Jack looked down at the deck. "Why didn’t you tell me yesterday when I had plenty of time to weld them?" Jack shook his head as he frowned. No his brother had him busy working on the damn air/oxygen conditioning system after class yesterday, but then he would have rather spent a little overtime then as they came into the system than now when he wanted to play with friends. The last thing he wanted to do was spend his Saturday welding and treating injectors. "Why can't the crew do it?" Jack whined.

Shaking his head and looking up into the overhead, his brother could not believe he had to explain himself again. "It is legal moron if you do it since you are family. None of the crew are certified and sending the nozzles out to a certified machine shop costs a thousand credits a nozzle, not to mention the wasted time in port and the day it would take ,that we don't have."

"Ya, I have heard it before. Since our family owns the ship we don't need to be certified as long as some family member has the certification and signs the job off as qualified." Jack said sarcastically. “Besides what happened to getting a couple of the crew certified. I thought Bowman and McCade got certified when we spent that week on Denim Prime a couple months ago. Certainly the paper work has caught up to us by now."

Jack stared at his brother's face as his brother gave Jack the sorry pitiful look he always gave Jack for being too stupid to understand simple facts. "Why spend all that money when you can do such a fine job Jack." His brother said with a smile. "I decided to spend the money where it was needed more." His smile turned into a grin from ear to ear as he remembered the fun weekends he had spent the money on with some knockout girls in hotels on planets and stations they had visited recently. Now the money was spent, he no longer felt the need to lie to Jack just in case he would have wanted a few credits of it for himself. To keep his mouth shut.

Realizing he had been lied to yet again, Jack shook his head resignedly. “At least it won't take that long with you helping." Jack hated the sloppy incomplete jobs his brother usually did (that Jack always had to go back to finish), while criticizing Jack’s work for even minor cosmetic flaws that mattered not. But while Dan was helping, the rest of the engine room crew always helped. Doing most everything including the prep on the nozzles, leaving the actual welding to Jack and his brother. Without his brother present, he would be stuck doing everything himself while most of the engine room crew stood around playing with themselves, making nasty comments about him that his brother would encourage when he showed up to check on him, which he did often.

"Sorry bro but you need the practice more than I do. Besides, I have a party to go to tomorrow, too celebrate with that new girlfriend you introduced me to last week. What she saw in a moron like you I still don’t understand. Must have been pity."

"Patsy?” The girl had dropped by to get Jack’s help on school work and they were getting along splendidly until his brother had suddenly showed up taking an interest in Jack that was typical any time Jack brought (or was around) any female back to the family cabins. Age did not matter. That always included his brother being extra nice to him while still managing to constantly put him down even while complementing him without actually saying anything nasty. Somehow, his brother always managed to push Jack out of the picture while flirting and touching the girl every chance he got. And somehow, the girl usually left giggling on his brother’s arm already half undressed. And the next time he would see the girl she would be putting cloths back on as she was leaving. Though sometimes it took a couple of days. Once in a while the girl would leave in disgust the second or third time his brother would touch her as he flirted in spite of Jacks futile attempts to stop or get rid of his brother when he saw that his advances where not appreciated. But they always finally left his brother's company in disgust or badly hurt after they had spent a few days or weeks doing what Jack did not want to think about.

The biggest problem was that his brother always got the girl and Jack always got the shit. Few girls would ever talk to him after his brother got done with them, even though he had tried to warn them. He finally just stopped talking to girls any more than he had to. His opinion of most girls for quite a while now, was not very high or trusting. “Ya that figures. Celebrating what?"

"You just don't worry your stupid little brain about it." Dan sniffed the air and gave Jack a nasty look. "Dad gave me a whole list of things that needs to be done that will keep you busy most of the weekend. Now go the back way. I don't want the passenger's or Dad seeing or smelling you as he thanks them for flying with us. We have already gotten some 20,000 credits in tips this trip due mostly to the fact that none of them got space sick during the landing thanks to my piloting. Something they are saying is not very common with the jet stream usually right over the port and knocking ships around. Now go around the backside and strip that Jumpsuit off and stuff it in a bag before you use the chain lift so you don't contaminate half the ship. Besides you are not supposed to be wearing it now anyway. You're lucky I don't fine you for that too. Just get it off before I do.” Turning to look around the curve of the passageway toward the Quarter deck and frowning as he sniffed the air again. “Go; before dad or a passenger sees or smells you turd.” Then turning back and smiling. “Just to show you how nice and loving I am. You can get a late start tomorrow at say 0900. I did such a nice job landing and with all the other good news today, I will let you sleep in an extra hour."

Jack frowned as he started to steam. "Ya. I didn't have to compensate on the gravity board; MUCH!" He said to his brother's retreating back as he spotted the streak of clumps and smiled. Raising his voice. "Hey! You have aa." His brother continued to walk away raising his middle finger in a wave. "At least assign someone to help me, damn it!"

His brother stopped and turned around before disappearing around the bend, looking at him. "Sure Jack. Go ask anyone you want to help you. You’re a big boy now. You are 18."

Jack's face lit up with hope. "You mean it. I can ask the Engine room crew for help?"

Walking back toward Jack. "Sure bro. Just wait for me to get there in the morning so I can watch them tell you to eat shit and screw yourself." Walking back down the passageway, Dan's face turned stern as he pointed at Jack. "Get it through your stupid little fracking head dipshit. You don't tell anyone to do anything ever on this ship puke face. That is my job. Hell it is everyone’s job but yours." Dan started laughing and walked away. "Oh. That is a good one. Eat shit puke face. Ho, Ho, Ho. The little baby moron wants help. To fracking bad."

Jack turned around and headed away from the Quarter deck and the elevators to make the long slow way back up the ship. Stripping off his Jumpsuit, pulling it off inside out using standard Hazmat protocols without thinking about it. Fuming, he grabbed a trash bag to stick it in and headed down the passageway past the Port Engine room hatch. A crewman walked out of the hatch and started laughing when she saw Jack half naked in his shorts. Feeling like crawling into a hole he made a run for the chain in his shorts trying to hide his private's bulge, bag flopping around in front of him, tears threatening his sight as he clumsily bounced off a hatch combing.

The slow rattling chain lift, with small man sized moving platforms every 8 feet along a cable running in a track on the bulkhead, ran continuously up and down the length of the ship. From the engineering decks up past the cargo hold decks to the crew decks, around a big wheel and then back down again. The chain of platforms provided a steady, reliable and cheap mass transit system for the crew in gravity or weightless free fall emergencies, since it ran on only a few amps and could run for days on a small battery charge. Standing on the little platform leaning against the rail, he clutched the bag in his hands across his front as he passed deck after deck. Embarrassment flooding through him as he prayed no one else would see him before he made it to his cabin. But the chain did not care and gave Jack plenty of time to be seen by a steady flow of people using the chain and to think of getting even with his ass-hole brother.

Though by the time he reached his families deck at the bow, he refused to think of his brother in those terms any longer, no matter how mad he had gotten at him. After all, the ass hole was his brother and in time Jack always forgave him. Blaming himself for everything. After all, he was the moron in a family of geniuses. Just ask them.

2-

BATTLESHIP DESTROYER.

Jack walked out of the shower into his cabin with a towel wrapped around his waist. A light was flashing on his game screen as he tossed the towel across his bed and slipped clean shorts on. Stepping up to the little cabinet in the corner of his cabin where another bunk used to be, he slid his game video helmet on, tightened it down snug then tapped a key on the control box hanging on the side frame and then the side of the helmet.

He was suddenly standing next to a Battle-destroyer's Command Chair wearing a navy Captain's uniform. Another Captain giving orders sat in the Command Chair at the moment that looked like his avatar. Wishing again that the damn game had picked an avatar that at least looked a little like him instead of the grizzly old man it had stuck him with after the last time he had quit the game letting himself get permed instead of even trying to make it to a life boat a couple of years before. Though if anyone looked close, Jack’s Avatar looked just like him with a few years of wear.

Turning, he surveyed the Destroyers Bridge and the crew, shaking his head as he frowned. The fact that he was already on the bridge meant that over half his crew was already there in real life and the mission had already started without him. But what mission? Tapping the side of his leg without thinking, the cubical grew a chair and he sat down in the virtual bridge's Command Chair taking the place of the game controlled Avatar without the rest of the crew even knowing he was there. He started going over the mission and ship stats even though his whole body simply wanted to get into the game. He knew his avatar could handle the ship for the whole mission of he let it. But then it could lose him his whole squadron if he let it. While it would follow his preplanned orders for basic maneuvers, it would follow the attack orders of whoever was in command of the fleet on the mission. Even if it was suicide orders to charge down the throats of the enemy fleet. Or worse, form a shield between the main fleet and the enemy fleet which had happened more than once. His only consolation was that unless he was in command, his entire fleet could get wiped out and he would still have his fleet in tact the next time he checked in. That included all his crewmen on all his ships, if they even tried to make it to a life boat before the ship was listed as a hulk or destroyed.

What he had to figure out right off the bat was what the mission was and if his little squadron stood a chance before committing himself to the battle. Looking at the tactical screen he read the mission profile and shook his head again. Disappointed that is was not a Pirate hunt and destroy mission. An enemy fleet was approaching the Star System and the fleet he was a part of, was deploying to defend the system. Not a mission that he would have accepted simply because it was, BORRING, but he had not been there because of his brother and the septic valve cleaning job, to add his vote. Worse yet, he only had 2 of his squadron's ships with him. Since he had not been there either to manually launch the ones that did not have a large enough real crew mustered yet to join on their own.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out with a grimace, he reached over and tapped the comm to invite the rest of his Destroyer squadron to join him even though it would take several hour's game time for them to catch up. Committing himself to the battle as his game avatar started moving only when he moved or talked. He noticed that several of his destroyers had already left the Starbase after acquiring large enough crews to deploy on their own and would straggle into formation over the next half hour, well ahead of the rest.

Looking around the bridge he studied the bridge officers trying to decide which ones were real and which ones were animated by the A.I. It made a difference in who he called to do what when things started getting hectic. The A.I. controlled crewmen did OK for normal routines but the real flesh and blood controlled officers and crewmen where just a little faster and better at most jobs and in battle. Able to follow the meaning of the orders through the changing situations not just the specific orders. A deliberate handicap that had taken him years to realize and use to his advantage. Though it forced him to get to know and interact with his real live crew in order to win battles instead of slinking away badly damaged because some A.I. crewman or officer could not hit a moon with his weapon or made a stupid mistake because of the role of the dice or took forever to decide to push a button to fire the ship's weapons or change the ship's course even when ordered or make the proper repairs when needed and in time to keep the ship fighting. Not that a real crewman could not screw up but as long as he treated them well and proper and saw to their training needs as he had been trained to do by the game for over a decade, he found it hard to loose unless he really screwed up tactically now that he had the right equipment and knew how to handle the crew.

Finally deciding who he could rely on, which was not that easy since all the crew looked like the real crewman, only a real crewman acted like a real person instead of just standing or sitting making random movements. Though sometimes it took a damn good look to tell the difference and even then to make sure he often had to actually talk to the officer or crewman to be positive. He would have to make a quick vide-comm tour of the ship as soon as he could and make the needed crew adjustments. He tapped a flashing icon on his command board and Tom's familiar face flashed on the bridge's main screen.

"Watched you land a couple hours ago. I was hoping you would show up. I thought we would head for the port's mall later after dinner. Stark Raving Mad is playing at the Blast Pit bar and since we are 18 now, we need to check it out old buddy. I hear they will be packed with gals tonight and that the strippers are the best and love to dance and squat on your table for personal dances, NnAaaKed!"

"I don't know old buddy. Our parents would kill us if they found out." Jack frowned as several other screens popped up. A bunch of guys he did not know from different ships that were currently in formation with him. Glancing at the list of ships already out in the fleet, he recognized many old friends and smiled. They were probably much too busy at the moment to visit which was ok with Jack, he hated visiting most of the time. Hell, he hated having to talk to anyone but Tom period, even though the game required it all the time. So he was not disappointed that no one else showed up on the screens just to say high.

And then his worst nightmare, a girl named Killer Queen 222 that he called Queen Bitch or Battle Bitch, whatever he felt like at the moment, showed up and he wished he had not bothered even turning on the comm screen, or at least making it private. But she was the acting Commander of the fleet so all he could do was frown. After all, he probably had all kinds of Captains that hated it when he was Acting Fleet Commander so he could not complain. At least he knew she was competent. But then you had to be competent before The Game put anyone in Command of the fleet for a battle. She was just more competent. She was almost as familiar as his friend Tom except he had never met her face to face even though she was on the Turner Joy. But then most of his ship’s crew of 40 was from the Turner Joy as well as the command crews on his other ships. Else he would have to find and waste time breaking in new commanders to his tactics and his strange little ships capabilities every time they came to a new system or leave The Game to command each ship which was a waste of good ships.

No, this Captain Bitch was a big pain in the butt much too damned often. More of an arch enemy than fleet mate. She took great pains and pleasure in killing him every chance she got but then he found it exhilarating taking his frustrations with his family (especially his brother), out on her, killing her in battle every chance he got. Sometimes after a particular frustrating or bruising day from his brother, killing her even if it meant losing the battle. Though it had been quite a while since he had gotten that carried away. His responsibilities to his squadron and the fleet he was assigned to growing to the point of trumping his pleasure at beating her ship to a pulp. Even allowing her to escape a few times when he didn’t need to.

Queen Bitch turned to the screen. "We are in trouble and outnumbered at the edge of the system. Get your butts out here and help already." The woman said without saying hello or introducing herself to the new guys. "You guys get your butts in gear and form up onto the tail of the battle line and hit your accelerator as soon as you can. I don't want to spend all afternoon in this battle. I will slow it back down when the battle requires it." She turned to Jack's screen. "You going to bring the rest of that stupid squadron of yours out or not? Not that you will be much help against such a large fleet, but your little ships will give the enemy something else to shoot at. I don't want to lose this battle or the bounty credits simply because you got lazy or stingy with your Destroyers."

Jack smiled at the gal named Killer Queen 222. "Well Battle Bitch, we can't have that can we now. I didn't think the enemy fleet was all that big and needed more than a few of my Destroyers to take care of. Besides, you look like you have plenty of destroyers already. The destroyer being the first major combat ship a player worked themselves up to Commanding, meant there were always plenty of destroyers. Even if they were mostly commanded by morons. “But if you insist, I will bring the rest out to play. I wouldn't want you to start crying." Jack continued taping on his command screen and issuing verbal orders to his crew as he started his comm tour around the ship talking to his crew in-between calls to the various Captains of his other Destroyers. Promoting warm bodies to important billets when he thought they could handle the job. Getting his Destroyer and his little squadron ready for battle.

Finally satisfied with his ship and squadron, Jack looking at the 3D tactical screen and frowned for a good minute before a smiled started to spread across his face as he hit his comma screen. "As you ordered Queeny, the rest of my squadron will be joining me shortly. But I am changing plans, I am going to go around their back side and attack up their ass while you guys with your battleships, keep them busy."

The girl turned to Jack and smiled with the corner of her lip twitching. "Good. You and your pigeons will keep them from spreading out or trying to flank me as they approach since they can't be sure what you have or what you are doing or your plans until you close with them." Narrowing her eyes at him as she sneered. "You want to make a bet how many of your rowboats you lose attacking the fleet. This isn't a raiding party or pirates this time. Your little Viking ships are going to get slaughtered."

"Slaughtered? Hmm. Not likely. If I was in to betting, I would take you up on a bet and give you odds just to be fair. No, if I am that wrong and I lose more than a couple of ships if any. I am getting out of The Game and taking up basket weaving."

"Oh, so you aren’t even going to attack. How chicken shit of you. But I should have expected that of you."

Frowning, surprised as he looked at Killer Queen. "Now really, what fun would there be in that. I finely get a chance to test my ships against a decent enemy fleet, only to fly around, doing an airshow to entertain them. Come on now. I thought you knew me better than that by now, as long as you have been trying to kill me Battle Bitch. You just worry about keeping your fleet from running before I get into position to attack. If you don’t keep their attention, I WILL get slaughtered."

Jack turned away from a torrent of verbal abuse as he slapped the mute. She shook her hand at him giving him the finger as her mouth kept moving like she was yelling at him, but Jack continued issuing orders to his ship ignoring her. "Ok Crew, look alive, we have a mission. Man your battle stations." Jack could see the new guys on the screens issuing orders as well, reading check lists and getting their Battleships and Heavy Cruisers ready for battle. While Killer Queen 222 (battle bitch, Tom just thought she was trying to make up for having such small boobs), realizing he was ignoring her, turned away and sat staring out across her bridge giving Jack the Evil eye every few seconds looking like she could not care any less. Her ship already primed for action as she waited.

One of the new guys finally looked at his outside screens and then back at Jack. Hitting his call button and waiting for Jack to activate his end. "Hey! Is all you have is a bunch of frigging Destroyers? We are up against cruisers and battle ships. Why buy a damn squadron of destroyers of all the stupid things to waste credits on? Don't you have anything heavier you damn rooky?" The guy studied his plot screen for a few seconds. "Hey! Where the hell are you going chicken? The fleet is this way." A scrawl came across the guys face. "Never mind rooky. Go. You would probably just wind up crashing into my ship anyway. The last thing we need is a rooky moron getting in the way."

"Hey Bad Ass Hole." Killer Queen snapped parodying his name. "How many kills do you have jerkoff?"

"What? What's it to you Queeny? But I have parts of a couple of battleships, a half dozen cruisers and without help I have shit on so many destroyers I stopped counting. Someone should take pity on the damn rooky Captains and give them at least a Cruiser when they start out." The guy chuckled. "At least it would make squishing them a little fun."

Killer Queen smiled a suddenly vaguely familiar smile he had not seen in years from an old friend he had not said more than two words to at any one time for those same years. An old ex-friend that he knew hated the game with a passion as much as she hated him so it could not be her. Then Killer Queen continued. "That Rooky you jerk off, has over 50% of a hundred cruiser and bigger hulks to his five year record. He has the majority off killing at least a dozen battle ships in the past couple months with the loss of only two of those damn little destroyers. He uses Cruisers to wipe his butt and if you are target practicing on Rooky destroyers when you know they don't stand a chance against you, then someone needs to stuff your ship up your butt. Now shut the frack up and get into formation ROOKIE, before I decide to have the fleet start target practicing on your frigging butt before we get into range of the enemy."

Jack smiled and chuckled in disbelief. He had never heard her say a kind word to or about him since he met her. He suddenly felt bad, mouthing off to her. "Don't worry your little heads about her guys. She only target practices on enemy ships and ass holes that know how to fight and neither of you look worthy. Besides my destroyers are not the average orbital or escort destroyer. These are Battle Destroyers with plenty of punch to take on any battleship at close range. Just join formation on the fleet while I flank them and then watch the show." Jack was already pulling up and away from the rest of his allied fleet and ordered full thrust ahead on his main engines that were big enough to power cruisers. His Destroyers left a trail of white hot reaction mass a thousand miles long behind them as they accelerated away. Out accelerating anything in space including the battleships though his maneuvering range was lousy.

Looking around he was glad to see his other two destroyers still in formation flanking him on each side and a little behind. Proving to his relief that they had hot Captains. Jack flew a long fast course back around the enemy fleet's flank without worrying about reaction mass or of enemy Battleships shooting at them. The enemy fleet Commander, would think they were just wasting mass trying to split his fleet up and put it down to an inexperienced fleet commander and ignore the ships for the time being. Knowing at that acceleration, Jack’s squadron had to run out of reaction mass long before they could threaten his fleet. That is as long as the Enemy commander kept his own fleet tightly bunched up so the enemy squadron, thinking that he could be cruisers by the size of their engine tails, could not pick off any stragglers.

He watched the rest of his Destroyer squadron approaching from the system's fleet base on an intercept course to join him as he headed around to the back flank of the enemy fleet. Accelerated time finally kicking in with all the Fleet's Captain's approvals. In accelerated time things happened fast in The Game.

Tom's Battle cruiser started firing his big guns at long range, still closing with the enemy battle fleet and still far outside of the range of the enemy guns. The thick yellow tinged beams streaking toward the enemy fleet that was still powering in a straight line not worried about getting hit, still out of normal Battleship gun range. Jack was a little disappointed at Tom missing such easy targets even if it was at long range but without targeting scouts close to the enemy, hitting them from that range was hard for anyone. Jack smiled to himself and keyed his comm to Tom trying to cheer him up after missing. "Damn you missed. But anyway. Thanks Tom, for getting their attention off of me early enough to hide my intentions."

"No problem old buddy. Glad to oblige but it looks like I need more target practice at long range. Maybe you are right and I do need a few scouts to deploy close to the enemy. I just did not want to spend the money on the docking bay they need." Tom was proud of his big Battle cruiser even though he had missed. But then Tom took everything light heartedly with patience. It had taken Tom years to save the credits in the game to afford the 3,000 foot long monster with its 16 huge 300 foot long guns you would normally only find on planetary defense platforms (that had plenty of prepositioned Sats for accurate long range targeting). Most battleship Captain's going for masses of 30 or 40 of the much cheaper normal sized 100 foot long guns to make sure they could score plenty of hits at normal Battleship ranges. It was just going to take Tom more time to add the auxiliary scout and forward targeting boats that would flesh out his ship and make it into the weapon he was hoping for.

Jack had decided to try yet a different route than Tom and all the others after studying the weaknesses of the standard battleships and cruisers. Jack had developed a ship that would use those weaknesses to his advantage. Though it took him a while and more than a few failed attempts to do it.

Jack had spent the largest part of his bounties since he made (forced by The Game) Captain 4 years before, building ships and testing them in battle to find out their weaknesses and then trying again. It took an incredible amount of credits developing the systems and doing tests in battles to find what would work and then develop the best of them. But now that he had the ship he wanted, there was one big drawback he could not get around. That drawback was that he required a lot of the fast little destroyers to be effective. To make up for their small size. The problem was that he could not afford to buy as many of them as he needed fast enough after spending most of his money on developing them and the infrastructure. He wanted a force of at least 24 which history has said is about the maximum that could be easily controlled in a battle by a single commander though he figured 50 or 60 would do a better job over the long haul, allowing for reserves.

That is if he could learn how to effectively deploy and fight them. He wanted a squadron or small fleet that did not need the distractions of a separate battleship fleet like he was preparing to us at the moment. He needed enough Destroyers so he could attack from two directions at the same time. Using one to decoy and split the enemy while the other attacked and then the squadrons would change rolls. Allowing his squadrons in the enemy's confusion to get up close enough for his 8 inch heavy cruiser guns, to do enough damage to take out enemy battle ships without the help of a fleet of expensive battleships. Not that Jack was greedy about sharing the bounties. He just realized that with his Destroyer design, he could eventually afford enough of them to not have to rely on a varying fleet of independent ships he could not control well enough to coordinate planned complicated well timed attacks where and when he needed to attack. Being able to take the Battle to the Enemy. Hopefully eventually even taking other systems like the fleet that was now attacking was trying to do.

Fact is he had been taking delivery of a new Heavy Destroyer or Battleship Destroyer as he liked to call them, every week now for months after spending the cost of a new battleship to upgrade the production line of the fleet base’s ship yard to drastically cut the cost of their production. A waste if you only wanted one or two ships. Though the rest of the fleet from the Turner Joy was taking full advantage of the cost reductions as was Tom though that meant having to wait for delivery on upgrades to his hug ship until they bumped into each other. A wait more and more Captains were using as the word got around the Star Systems and the Tramp Transports about the advantages the Turner Joy's shipyards enjoyed in The Game.

To Jack's surprise he was starting to have quite an income in The Game from the ship repair and production docks and had used the first six months lump sum income (he had not known about until he tripped over accidentally) from the dockyard to buy his last flight of four destroyers. The Destroyer was now cheap enough to produce that Jack's biggest problem, other than funding (which he was out of), was finding good crews for them other than A.I.'s (called Cold Captains or Cold Crews or simply Cold Ships). Looking around he studied the rest of his approaching squadron and smiled. "Well at least a squadron of 12 Destroyers was a start." He told himself including the one that just joined that week even if it was only a Cold ship. At least it gave him a full 3 flights of 4 ships. "A damn good start." But without a good showing today with at least a couple battleships taken out clean and without help, he was finished purchasing more ships for a while after inevitable combat repairs, stock replenishments, in game improvements and crew pay for character upgrades, weapons and eventually buying their own ships. Especially after starting production of a boat bay for Tom’s monster Battleship since Tom refused to spend the money and order one. Jack’s little birthday present for Tom. Jack would have it installed the next time Tom put in to the Turner Joy’s yard for repairs.

The good thing now was that after seeing the size of the enemy fleet, he decided this battle was not going to be that boring after all. It turned out the enemy fleet was a lot larger than he had ever seen let alone taken on before. Giving him plenty of chances to take out a Battleship or two on his own. Something he had yet to do with his Destroyers, though he had helped the battleship fleet take down many over the last few months as the majority bounty recipient on many of the destroyed ships. It still amounted to only a fraction of the bounty for his little squadron after all the other ships that had managed to get a few good shots into the hull before it was declared a hulk got their share.

Jack brought his little section of ships to a halt to allow the rest of his squadron to catch up to him. Then watched the enemy fleet start firing back even though it was still far out of range and a waste of time even if they were deliberately shooting at the cruisers and destroyers. Jack continued to smile since the enemy's own gun fire would reduce their detection range to a fraction for anything as small as his Destroyers. Letting him get even closer before being detected and fired upon. Let alone tracked as he positioned his ships for that attack.

After the last of his destroyers finally joined him, he hit his comm. "Squadron, drop 3 full tank sets and mark them for retrieval." Jack did as he had ordered. Dropping the full tanks lightening his ships up considerably by almost half. Increasing their acceleration and therefor their speed for their attack run. The next ship he wanted to get was a tanker that could haul the drop tanks for the Destroyers to refueling points on both sides of the enemy fleet so they could quickly grab reaction mass between battle attack runs, allowing him to lighten his ships up even more and increase their acceleration and therefor their attack speed and survivability. Taking a deep breath, it was time to attack. "OK. Charge it guys. Pedal to the metal. Lock and load and follow me." Jack's Destroyer turned toward the enemy fleet at full acceleration.

Some 30 minutes later (game time, 5 minutes actual) the Comm officer reported. "Captain, drop tank A is empty on all ships sir." The A set of tanks on Jack’s ship and the ships that had deployed early with him had been empty for a while already.

"Very well comm. Order fleet to drop Tank A in 5, decoy pattern Bravo 3 and a full set of torpedoes and missiles on attack mod Charley 7. Then course chance 20 degrees port."

On the count of zero, two dozen external disposable Reaction Mass Tanks a hundred feet long and 16 feet in diameter dropped from the squadron along with a mass of decoys, missiles and torpedo's. All staying dead silent for the moment as they drifted on an intercept course with the enemy fleet. Then turning, the Destroyers continued to accelerate away from the mass of tanks and torpedoes, around toward a different flank of the enemy fleet. Toward a point almost 90 degrees around from the intercept point of the tanks and decoys he had just dropped.

The enemy closed with Jack's allies as Tom's Battlecruiser turned to angle away to maintain his distance just out of effective range of the enemy guns. The rest of the allied fleet now approaching within their Battleships gun range, turned to present their broadsides crossing the enemy fleet's T and their head on charge. A big tactical advantage for Jack’s side. Giving Jacks allies, the Republic fleet, who were severely outnumbered in ships to begin with, more guns on the rapidly approaching enemy fleet that had only their bow guns pointing at and able to shoot.

The enemy fleet was trying to close the distance to point blank range where their greater numbers of ships and guns would have an overwhelming advantage once they were able to present their own broadsides. A tactic Jack thought he probably would have used if he had been the Commander of the enemy fleet. Though he would have added a few wrinkles to make it easier for his fleet to cover the distance without getting their assess (or Bows to be exact), shot off. His favorite was splitting his fleet to L out around the end of the enemy fleet to cross their bow forcing half their ships to point bow on to at least one of his battle lines. Allowing his broadside salvo beams to do the most damage possible down the length of the enemy ships instead of simply through and out the back side and hope they hit something vital. Though his gunners had to be well trained to hit the smaller aspect targets.

Tom's Battlecruiser continued scoring hits on enemy ships from long range but except for a couple of unlucky destroyers and a light cruiser accidentally hit knocking them out of the fight, he was having a hard time with the wildly maneuvering fleet, scoring enough hits on the same battleship to knock out one of the big boys even with his big guns doing considerable damage when a beam made a solid hit on one. Though even with his big guns, he still needed several solid hits to knock out a Battleship even from dead ahead. Even one scout would have allowed him to accurately concentrate his fire on one Battleship though a small squadron spaced around the enemy fleet would have more than doubled his hit rate. Jack just shook his head. Wishing he had spent the money for a flight bay for Tom long enough ago to have it ready for Tom to have put in before deploying for this battle. Surly he could have come up with some cheap old scout to use before he deployed. Though he had offered him a discount at his shipyard a year ago, plenty of time to have produced, installed it and even built new scouts by now.

Jack even thought about using his destroyers as Targeting Scouts for him this once just to show Tom how good the idea was. But realized putting his Destroyers close enough to act as Targeting Scouts and making them sit there while taking the necessary scans would insure the loss of far too many of them. They simply were too big for the job even if they were a lot smaller than a battleship.

Jack watched several of the closely spaced beams from Tom's Supper Battlecruiser's guns finally hit a wildly maneuvering heavy cruiser, blasting the ship almost in half from stem to stern and sending it tumbling end for end. "All right Tom. Looks like a kill to me. Finally getting their range old buddy." Though he knew it was just luck. Jack checked his own range and position and smiled as he turned to his comm officer. "Squadron Helm, come Port 45 degrees. Fleet Weapons, fire torpedo spread attack Tango 6 in 10 seconds." Jack frowned as several of the squadron's ships were slow coming around to the new course including his newest arrival. "Damn cold ships." Hitting the squadron Comm. "Squadron, Weapons hold." The squadron finally settled down on the new course. "Squadron Weapons, Shoot."

Six torpedoes with 24 missiles left each of the 12 ships in Jack's fleet of Destroyers and raced away to the Starboard side on an intercept course with the enemy fleet at low thrust, making it harder for the enemy to detect them this far out. Jack waited another few seconds to make sure the torpedo's were clear and running true and then. "Fleet Helm, return to original course."

Six torpedoes from each ship against a fleet as big as they were facing, just suddenly seemed pitiful. But then he had tried before to add more torpedo tubes but the destroyer simply did not have any room left inside the hull for more tubes and the magazines that went with them. Unless he did not want a crew. Watching the drop tanks rapidly receding into the distance. But maybe he could add tubes to the drop tanks. Only thing was he did not need to fire torpedoes every time he had to drop a set of tanks. Which meant careful planning on which tanks to put them on, not to mention the extra costs.

But then how much could it cost just to scab some disposable torpedo tubes in the front of a tank? Then come to think of it, if the enemy changed their base course during the attack. All he had to do was retrieve the tanks later and not worry about losing the torpedoes like he would for the ones he just launched. That alone could pay for the whole program. Maybe. Especially if he included missiles and decoys on the tanks as well. It would lighten up his ships as well for more speed, or allow him to fire more torpedoes from close range during an attack. And then if he added small engines to the tanks they could change course if the enemy changed its base course. Acting more like the real ships they were supposed to be.

"Damn." Jack said to himself. Now the tanks were starting to look complex and expensive. Defeating the whole concept of Cheap enough to lose. Not to mention the development costs.

Jack had to chuckle at that thought. He had found out the hard way that costs had a way of ballooning when a simple, seeming easy project became increasingly complex or difficult and costly when unforeseen problems cropped up. Then he had done what was only natural. Not wanting to waste already spent credits, he had pressed on and on and on. Dumping more and more money into what too often turned into a black hole. Sometimes the end product did not seem worth the development costs and all the work he had to put in by the time he had finished. But then sometimes the product was worth its weight in gold. But he could never tell for sure which ones were going to be what, until he had used them in combat. Sometimes the ones he thought were a waste of credits when they were finished, turned out to be pure gold.

This Destroyer was turning out to be one of the Gold's even though a lot of worthless hulks had been left behind and sold for scrap to get it right. Another great but expensive improvement was increasing the Destroyer's big 8 inch gun's rate of fire. Their old 10 rounds a minute was ridiculous when you only had seconds to fire at a close range target while strafing. Which was why Jack had originally installed 8 of them, having to design the ship around the guns to get what he needed. But eventually he did learn when to cut projects that did not look promising or started racking time and up bills. Though he found out later no research was ever completely wasted. Parts and pieces of any research, even failed research, could be used many ways and places if you used your head. Sometime with amazing results.

Jack studied the enemy fleet for a second. Wanting to impress Tom with what his little ships could do against such a large enemy fleet in the hope that he would sell his monster and buy a couple squadrons of his Battleship Destroyers, (a hopeless thought). He knew he needed to be able to make more than the four attack run passes on the enemy fleet, the tanks he was able to bring with him allowed. He needed more reaction mass drop tanks but the little ships could only carry so many without adding a lot of heavy racks.

He started thinking of the failed hulks that he had built that were such bad designs, that no one wanted them even at scrap prices. Trying to figure out a way to turn them into drop tank transports without having to spend a lot doing it.

He was already using the ships from one failed design attempt as tugs for recovering the tanks that survived the battles before they drifted too far away. Which is why he tried to drop his tanks in mass as they headed for the fleet to act as decoys. Most could be simply refilled (remassed being the universal term for filling the reaction mass tanks of Space ships) and reused or rebuilt cheaply even if they were holed or took a little damage. The little ships of the failed design were little bigger than boats, had a great rang for their size even with the destroyer sized engines (the first ships he had used drop tanks on) and were originally armed with only torpedoes and a few small point defense weapons. But it turned out that torpedoes simply ware not enough by themselves to take out most big ships even in mass attacks. Not to mention the fact that their small size against the point defenses of modern fleet Destroyers and Cruisers made them easy to kill once a destroyer got close enough as they made their attack runs. Usually long before they could effectively launch against a wildly maneuvering fleet. Then the cost of the massive numbers of torpedoes needed to get past the point defenses to take out even a cruiser had quickly made Jack realize that torpedo ships were not the answer. Though he learned to use them effectively against attacking destroyers once he upgraded their engines. The inexperienced destroyer Captain’s thinking his torpedo frigates were easy targets. Racking him up enough bounty all his own to afford upgrading the yard and producing his first Battleship Destroyers.

Jack did not like calling them Gunships even though that was what they were. Preferring to keep his secret weapon secret as long as possible even if they were out in the open for all to see in battle. That is if you were close enough during battle or paying attention when his Destroyers were outside coming or going from the huge air dock hanger he had them in while in port (mostly to keep his ships grouped together making it easier to get at and maintain them all).

Jack had appropriated the biggest Airdock that was used only for the biggest Battle Carriers (or Tom’s monster Super Battlecruiser), for his own use when he had upgrade the yard’s facilities. The fact that he had never seen it used until Tom had built his Super Battlecruiser in the Battleship Airdock on his own ship’s Starport, made him feel less guilty for hogging the huge Airdock on the Queens Starport all the time for his own use. Though if he got very many more Battleship Destroyers, he was going to have to start thinking about expanding or building a new Airdock. But then if he built one from scratch, he could make a lot of improvements for docking and handling the large number of destroyers and their crews. A lot of improvements he had started thinking about when he was planning on building hundreds of small torpedo ships but were shelved when the tests ships failed so badly.

The fast little ships scoring hundreds of hits across the enemy fleets multiple battleships time and again without destroying anything but destroyers was maddening. The bounties (when he was lucky), barely paying the cost of all the torpedoes, repairs and wages in the beginning. That was until he abandoned going after the big boys. Which brought its own guilt. Knowing that it really wasn’t fair but not having much choice about taking out the inexperienced Destroyer Captains simply to cover costs and give his little ships time to concentrate on the cruisers who had more experienced Captains as well as higher bounties.

No. Remembering the failed torpedo Frigates with a sigh. Even if he was a deep pocket Government and did not have to worry about the cost of torpedoes, he realized the numbers needed to take out a battleship was staggering. The fact was that just blasting a hole in the side of a ship did not work in space like it did in the great ocean wars of Earth. Space ships had nowhere to sink to in space, it takes knocking out the crew and most of the weapons and equipment to destroy a space ship. Just knocking a couple of holes in the hull was a waste of time. Destroying a big ship takes a lot of hits even with the powerful Laser guns on modern ships punching holes clean through ships from one side to the other taking out everything in their path. Though torpedoes do have their place with other weapons in attacks.

Though the small torpedo Frigates were failures, they were great drop tank recovery ships able to tow long strings of empty tanks. The shame was that the little ships were simply to small and underpowered to carry more than a couple of the fully massed tanks strapped to them at one time, so it was a waste of time trying to use them to remass his squadron. At least the few full tanks they were bringing out at the moment would replace the mass his section had wasted following the fleet before he took over.

His mind went back to his most costly failure. He had built a cruiser as a test ship that he hoped would survive direct hits long enough in a head on attack to get close enough to take on a battleship at point blank range. If it worked he would then have built a much costlier battleship version. He had placed all the weapons and personnel decks in the ship's aft section with the Engineering and engine decks. Then built some 500 feet of enlarged diameter squat mass tanks with heavily armored decks between them forward with the idea of absorbing the big gun shots from other cruisers and even battleships long enough to get close enough for the ship's mass of 8 inch guns on retractable towers to take out cruiser's or even a battleship's armament and engines.

It had only taken a few attacks to find out two important facts with no uncertainties. That unless you had a lot of the heavy front armored decked cruisers (or even battleships), attacking together in something like a wall, even a couple of fast light cruisers, or destroyers could easily get around behind the armored decks and play hell with the lightly armored stern section with their light guns and torpedo's. Long before his heavy slow cruiser could do much damage to the enemy cruisers or battleships and if a heavy cruiser got around the side it was all over. Then the fact that damaged and destroyed armored decks and hulls were damn expensive and time consuming to repair pretty much put paid to his grand idea of a front mass tank heavy armored decked cruiser squadron or even such a battleship. Worse yet, since even one battle could put the majority of his fleet out of commission for weeks as repairs were made to the armored decks, he could never earn enough bounty to maintain them.

But it had taken him building a second forward armored deck cruiser to finally figure much of that out as they both attacked only to get his butt handed to him on a gold platter with the enemy fleet's cruisers and destroyers getting around behind them and plastering his second cruiser weapons and engineering decks turning it into a hulk, while the two battleships proceeded to destroy his shield decks as they closed. Finally with his other cruiser, (that was much closer to the enemy destroyers and cruisers attacking around from the side), a hulk behind its mostly intact shield decks and his own ship's shield decks all but destroyed and no longer much to hide behind, he had little choice.

With the enemy cruisers closing in from his stern and the two battleships slowly tearing his ship apart from the front, Jack had nowhere to go and even fewer choices. Finally, he said the hell with it and ordered his crew to cut away the remaining heavy armored decks that were little more than Swiss Cheese anyway. The now much lightened cruiser, little bigger than a good sized fat destroyer by then but with big heavy cruiser engines, was able to rapidly maneuver and approach the battleships as Jack dodged the big Battleship's slow gunfire while out running the cruisers behind him. At point blank range, Jack unleashed his mass of 8 inch guns and torpedoes into the first of the two Battleships of the squadron as he used the battleship he was attacking as a shield from the second, devastating the first battleship.

Finally a couple of big 15 inch gun hits in a row from the heavily damaged second battleship with dozens of smaller gun hits taking out half of his 8 inch guns along with one of his engines, Jack decided he best retire from the battle while he could. The reality that he had screwed up big time with that design firmly planted. But the seeds of his final design had been planted and were growing like weeds. Especially as he contemplated making the needed very costly repairs with a third shield decked ship half built in one of the Battleship construction Airdocks sucking up his bounties, if he did not terminate its contract. Though he had to try the Torpedo Frigate first since the exploding torpedoes’ was what got most of his attention and not the tight beamed 8inch guns that were actually doing most of the damage.

Jack used the bounty from the 3 cruisers and 4 destroyers they had taken out when his other heavy armored cruiser had been destroyed, the two Battleships he had destroyed or damaged along with the damage done to a dozen other ships, for a new approach. He took some time to think and experiment. Coming up with the failed torpedo frigate design that at least did not cost that much and finely the Destroyer, only to have this new problem pop up. No. For a tanker he needed something cheaper to build and operate than the damn heavy cruiser hulls no one else wanted and he had abandoned as well. What was left of them that is. They were basically hulks now anyway. He had used the surviving engines and guns off of them for the first attempts at a Battleship Destroyer before coming up with what he now consider the perfect attack destroyer. Only he desperately needed more range.

The Republic fleet's battleships finally opened fire on the enemy fleet just as Tom's long range guns bracketed an enemy battleship scoring several hits on it though it did not seem to slow it down any. Jack watched it closely to see if its gun fire was reduced or not. When only half of its guns fired for its next salvo Jack smiled. "C flight, re-task to target Fox." Jack did not want to share the bounty, especially with Tom. Not that he had anything against helping his best friend but in this case the Battleship was the only one Tom had scored any good damaging hits on yet and Jack was going to leave it to him to finish off if he could. There were plenty of targets in the enemy fleet and Jack could always come back to it if he ran out of them. Though he knew he would simply run out of reaction mass long before that.

"Ten minutes to intercept Captain." Came the voice from tactical, (minutes actual).

"Very well. Fleet tactical, all ships cut power, attack plan Delta 2." The plan called for them to drift up alongside the enemy fleet without raising any suspicion since they were not headed directly for the fleet. Jack just hoped it would work with the help of the decoy tanks.

The fleet cut power as another six torpedoes were fired by each of the Destroyers from their reloaded tubes and the weapons bays of the ship's cooling fins started sprouting missiles at low stealth thrust. Within a few seconds hundreds of missiles followed the torpedoes with decoys mixed in. Jack had redone the missiles with two stage engines allowing them to stay with the torpedoes on their long slow run closing with the target and then sprint at high accelerations in the last few miles through the point defenses that were concentrating on the torpedoes and not the missiles.

Jack turned around to see the reaction mass drop tanks they had left behind some 20 minutes before start making enough noise and light from flashbang decoys to look like a fleet of cruisers attacking the enemy fleet. "Squadron, silent running if you please." Jack knew that attack plan Delta 2 contained that little tad bit but he had found that in the heat of battle, reminding the Captains and crews of the little but important facts, seemed to go a long way in making sure it happened throughout the squadron. You could never tell who had just joined taking the place of a cold crewman and had not had time to read the finer details of the attack plan or simply got busy and forgot.

Jack watched a dozen enemy Cruisers and Destroyers head out around the Republic's main fleet toward Tom's Supper Battlecruiser. Now that Tom's ship had pulled a considerable distance away from the Republic battle fleet to maintain his distance from the rapidly closing enemy while keeping the main fleet far out of his line of fire . It presented a nice fat juicy target. The Killer Queen and the Republic Battleship fleet continued zig zagging around in front of the enemy fleet trying to confuse the enemy gunners while maintaining their broadsides crossing the enemy fleets T as the enemy Battleships continued to close. Jack was glad to see that the enemy fleet was getting hit hard by the Republic fleet. He just hopped they would stop firing for the few seconds he was at close quarters during his attack. Another smaller squadron of cruisers and destroyers took out after Jack’s approaching squadron of tank decoys on the other side of the enemy fleet’s triple attack line.

Keeping an eye on Toms Battlecruiser he watched the rapidly approaching enemy cruiser fleet preparing to demonstrate the weakness of any Battle cruiser. It would not stand up to a coordinated attack even by Cruisers and Destroyers let alone a Battleship which is why Tom was staying as far away from the enemy Battleships as he could. Evidentially the enemy fleet commander was not stupid and had figured that out when Tom had refused to close.

The main enemy fleet finally decide that the drop tank attack was bigger than they had at first thought and turned most of their stern ordinance toward the mass of tanks which Jack had expected since those guns could only take pot shots at the main Republic fleet anyway as they maneuvered around their base course. Jack was surprised when it took them several minutes to hit the first tank even though the tanks were not maneuvering. As the enemy squadron of cruisers and destroyers finally reached accurate range of the tanks, Jack winced as he saw pieces of tanks start flying away and started adding up their replacement costs in his head without realizing it.

Then it was Jacks turn. The 4 torpedo salvoes finally came alive and seconds later were within point defense range and the enemy fleet erupted with its small weapons taking out way more than half of the rapidly approaching torpedoes before they hit. What made Jack smile was the fact that with the point defense weapons concentrating on the torpedoes they ignored the small smart missiles he had launched with them. While the torpedoes hit blowing big chunks out of the ships hulls and mass tanks, few hits were on engines and main gun turrets. They left the ships mostly undamaged as far as he was concerned. But the missiles targeting the point defense 3 inch quads, rapid fire 5 inch, 6inch, and 8 inch medium gun turrets, took out a good percentage of them with direct hits using their high speed sub caliber penetrating warheads. Concentrated around Jacks primary target ships and the ships nearby, opening corridors for his Destroyer flights to go through.

Jack smiled as he stepped up to the pilot's station dismissing the pilot. The game said he had to be the Captain now after playing the game for a decade since he was 8 years old and becoming a Captain at 16, (no matter how hard he tried to stay just a pilot), but it could not keep him from piloting his own ship into battle. He had trained his crew well and did not need to devote that much of his attention to them allowing him to concentrate on piloting the ship while simply giving short commands for the crew and First Officer that was a hot body to respond to when needed. The advantages of conducting set, halfway predictable battles and hours of boring drills.

Jack lined up his Destroyer on his assigned section of the targeted battleship with his flight of 3 other Destroyers close beside him lined up in a row and on their own targeted sections of the same ship. The other two flights were targeting different battleships to either side of his target. His Destroyer's large number of close in weapons including the 5 inch twin gunned and quad 3 inch turrets were well within range to hit the few remaining medium weapons such as 5 inch turrets and above along with the larger missile launchers that were dangerous to the Destroyer. Not that the 3 inch quads and 30mm Gatling guns could not damage the Destroyer but their hits were more annoyance than damaging with the leading edge of his arrow shaped Destroyers well armored against such hits. Though any crewman by chance, hit by the small penetrator rounds if they managed to hit the ship from the side would argue the point when they came back in from being fixed up at the ship's Infirmary. Jack kept the rest of the armor to a minimum, putting some armor around the engines and Command compartments. But not much. Everything else had backups or could be replaced cheaply later without risk of losing the ship.

As soon as he was lined up on his assigned target section of the Enemy Battleship he gave the order. "Fleet Go hot and fire." Jack pulled the trigger on his control stick. His rapid firing, 8 inch guns shooting yellow hot armor piercing beams able to penetrate at close range what a Battleship's 16 inch gun could from long range, started firing. The 8 heavy guns fixed in the leading edge of his wedged shaped Destroyer firing a beam pulse (called shells) once a second from each. He had replaced the ships big internal Reaction Mass tanks that took up a good portion of the ship, with huge Generators to power the guns. The reason for the drop tanks. The 32 rounds a second from the flight of 4 Destroyers tore into the sides of the battleship knocking out turrets and engines. In some cases coming out the other side of the ship. Though most expended their energy destroying large armored sections of the ship as the shells melted everything in their path unless they hit something hard enough to turn into a huge explosion.

Jack suddenly noticed in the little window on the corner of his targeting screen that B flight's shells were going through their target like paper. He had been fooled into thinking it was a Battleship when it was a damn Battle cruiser. Hitting his Squadron Comm with his thumb. "B; Split and go low." Jack said giving a pre-arranged order. “B; Split and go low.” He repeated.

The Battle Cruiser under B flight's guns suddenly started being torn apart as the 8 inch shells hitting it were changed into lower powered deep yellow tinged red beams, while doubling their rate of fire. Then 2 Destroyers of B flight’s 4, veered off (after they dumped a few extra rounds into the original target), to head for what looked like its sister Battle cruiser not far away. Taking it directly up the stern using the yellow hot shells of its armor piercing rounds to make sure they penetrated up the full length of the lightly armored Battlecruiser's hull. The smaller 5s and 3inch gun turrets tearing up the thin armor of their originally targeted Battlecruiser while it was still at close range before turning to hammer the new targeted Battlecruiser’s vitals.

With the normal 8 inch Capacitors too fat to fit into the narrow wedged shaped Destroyer's hull Jack had designed, he had installed two slightly narrower Capacitors side by side to power each gun. Then took advantage of that to let him fire each capacitor individually putting less power out the gun barrel tube but doubling the rate of fire for the less well protected targets such as Destroyers, Cruisers and even Battlecruisers.

Then Jack noticed, though only briefly (just to make sure it was happening), missiles and torpedoes leaving the sides of the Destroyers again headed for the surrounding cruisers and battleships taking out even more point defense weapons with the torpedoes targeting the engines and main gun turrets at close range. After 15 seconds of continues firing, the enemy Battleship was starting to wobble and drift as its engines lost power and explosions ripped the hull open from deck to deck. Resisting his urge to shift targets he knew the ship still had several of its big guns left operational and the ship could in time make repairs and re-enter the battle reducing his bounty or worse yet, be finished off by some other ship with a couple of shots later to claim the majority of the bounty even though Jack's squadron had done most of the work.

After 25 seconds with the 8 inch guns temperatures sliding into the red, the Battleship was a wreck from some Eight hundred 8 inch armor piercing yellowish white beams that had been pumped into it from close range. Jack smiled remembering the little torpedo ships he had tried the year before. The cost of the torpedo's to do that much damage would have been more than the cost of the Battleship.

Jack pulled up over the tumbling hulk of what once had been a battleship as his flight again released a storm of missiles headed for the ships around them. As he lifted up on the trigger just long enough to point his Destroyer at another battleship, Jack glimpsed the mass of his own 5inch twin, 3inch quad and 30mm Gatling gun turrets firing streams out from his destroyer at the point defenses of the ships around them. Including the few smaller destroyers and cruisers not off chasing Tom's Battle Cruiser or his ghost tank decoys.

Jack's flight approached the second targeted Battleship most of his resent torpedoes and missiles had been aimed at while C flight's 4 ships in two paired waves, strafed it from the stern dumping more torpedoes and missiles into it as well. The 8unleashed a good 10 to 15 seconds of mass destruction into the Battleship. The 8 destroyers pouring a good Eight hundred rounds into and taking it out of the fight for the day as well before sliding over it as the ships split up and started darting from side to side, up and down to avoid retaliatory fire from the other ships of the enemy fleet hitting them as they made their escape. Jack flicking a button on the control stick, strafed a Destroyer placing a good 3 second burst of some 48 of his low powered 8 inch rounds along with streams of 5 and 3 inch shells into it, leaving it a dead tumbling hulk in space so he did not have to worry about it firing at him as he passed. The 5s and 3s released from his control started helping turn a couple of cruisers they were passing between at medium range into junk as one of his flight's other Destroyers took each of them on. His forth Destroyer strafing another enemy Destroyer for several seconds before it blew up in front of it.

As they finally ran out of range and the point defense guns stopped firing back at the enemy fleet, Jack turned the helm over to the pilot and moved back into the Command chair.

The Pilot smiled at Jack. "Good shooting Sir. Too bad we don't have boarding parties. It wouldn't take much to take most of the ships we hit once they fall behind the fleet. Be quite a haul." Sitting down in the pilot's chair and buckling in.

Jack thought for a second and smiled. "Never gave that a thought Lieutenant but it sounds like a great idea. Why don't you see about designing an assault drop tank we could use to dump Platoons of marines onto the hulks like you said after the battle? Could be very profitable." Chuckling. "Wouldn't mind assaulting a battleship myself. Come to think of it, I met some marines back at the base who were interested in going along on raids on enemy transports and running after pirates. Maybe they would be interested in taking on a battleship or two. I, we, ah why don't you check into it when we get back to base." Jack suddenly recalled sighting a couple of fleet tankers trailing the enemy fleet. Could they take one of those and salve his drop tank problem without costing him credits.

"Thanks sir. I won't let you down." The Pilot went back to checking his board and his maneuvering systems for damage and preparing the ship for the next attack run.

Hitting his comm Jack smiled. "Hey buddy. We just bagged 3 Battleships, 2 Battlecruisers, a couple of cruisers and a couple of destroyers with heavy damage to several other ships. How you doing?" Looking down at the Tactical screen as he zoomed a screen in on Tom's Battle Cruiser, his smile dropped into a frown. Tom's huge Battlecruiser was spewing reaction mass out of several places along its long hull but then that was why Jack had talked Tom into building it over 3,000 feet long, so the ship would have a lot of reaction mass tanks for the enemy to hit. Then instead of clustering the guns together in groups easy to support but easy to hit and knockout as well, like the current crop of Navy battleships, Tom's big twin barreled gun turrets were spread down the long hulls full length. Which was expensive in itself since each turret had to have their own generators and support equipment close by. Though the empty or tanked space between them was a good replacement for a lot of heavy armor and a hell of a lot easier and cheaper to repair. Each time you doubled the thickness of armor you quadrupled the cost of repairs to it and the machinery inside it.

"Hey man." Tom appeared on the Comm screen excited. "I got me a battleship and a couple of heavy cruisers but I was hit by several torpedoes and I have a pack of cruisers and destroyers chasing me. I think I should have stayed with the fleet even if they are well within range of the enemy battleships. After all, like you said, they can punch holes in my tanks all day long without doing any real damage to my ship. Sorry I did not believe you old buddy until these guys started punching holes in me. I just realized that even if they hit an engine or two I could have still kept up with the fleet for protection. At the closer range, I could have taken out half the enemy ships in no time at all with my big beautiful guns."

Jack shook his head and smiled in exasperation. He loved his friend dearly but he just seemed so dense sometimes, taking forever to see what had been obvious to Jack for well over a year by then. With Tom not quit being able to grasp the seemingly simple basic tactics until he was damn good and ready no matter how frustrated Jack got. Making the same mistakes in battle over and over again. At least now he was starting to realize how to fight his ship right. Jack watched as Tom's ship took out another light cruiser with its stern's big guns but the ship was again hit by a torpedo up the stern as well as several 6 inch and 8 inch cruiser shells.

The Battle Cruiser suddenly slowed as it lost power in one of its engines. With no choice of out running the cruisers now. Jack watched Tom start yelling orders as he turned his ship hard around broadside on and brought all his guns to bear tripling his fire power on the small fleet chasing him and fired point blank at them knocking out both of the heavy cruisers in one broadside as his medium 8 inch guns started raking the destroyers. The enemy turned tail and started retreating. Leaving another spread of torpedoes running toward the Battlecruiser as they tried now to escape. Hoping the spread would buy them the time they needed. But the torpedoes were launched too far away and were too few even though they numbered a good hundred. With the Big ship now broadside on, its massive point defenses could easily take them out. The big guns concentrated on the cruisers and the enemy squadron started dying with each salvo now they were targeted by the ship's main gun director in the bow at point blank range. The Destroyers in turn started slowing and then literally disappearing under the massive withering fire power of 8inch, 5 inch and 3 inch guns. If Tom had deliberately run sucking in the enemy squadron, it would have been pure generous but Jack knew it was only desperation.

Jack watched Tom's ship take out the last of the torpedoes as well as another cruiser while hitting several more destroyers. He did not expect the enemy squadron to last much longer under the Battlecruisers guns now that they had Tom's full attention. It was over in only a few minutes as Jack watched Tom's bridge break out in celebration.

Finally Tom turned his attention to the Enemies main fleet. "Damn it Jack." Came Tom's voice as he shook his head. "It is going to take an hour to repair the engine and I don't dare close until I can out run them. Looks like I am out of the battle. By the time I get back it will be all over with. You better finish taking them out. I can't take on a whole fleet by myself. But at least I should have enough to add some armor around my engines. Next time I will hang with the fleet and take them all out."

Tom was a damn good fighter when he was cornered and had to fight. But that was Tom’s biggest problem, he had to be cornered. Jack knew that if he had taken on the enemy squadron from the beginning instead of running, he probably would have gotten holed a few times in the tanks but little else. He could have taken most of them out in short order before the rest escaped and went back to concentrating on the rest of the Enemy fleet. Though Jack realized that the Battlecruiser fit Tom's personality and fighting style perfectly. At least from now on he would stay close to his fleet, even if he got within the enemy's gun range. Next time at what would amount to point blank range for his guns, Tom would decimate the enemy and they all would start going for the really big gunned ships. Possibly starting a mini arms race. Jack chuckled at that. But he also noticed Tom had gone back to talking about more armor and not the Targeting Scouts. Damn!

"Ya. We have it bro." Jack thought for a few seconds and then smiled. "Tell you what Tom. Grow a few balls. Get your damn butt down with the rest of the fleet anyway and finish off the enemy battleships yourself. “Jack turned away as his squadron started closing back into formation after making their exit out of the enemy fleet's medium gun range. The big guns were much too busy concentrating on the battleships as he watched the Killer Queen's two Battleships turn from the main fleet and head around the flank to take out the damaged stragglers now the enemy fleet was outnumbered. Her move was also allowing her to keep her broadside across the T of the enemy fleet as they finally turned to present their broadside to the main portion of the Republic fleet. Jack smiled, she definitely had a head on her shoulders and wasn't afraid to charge to the attack when she had the advantage. But then he knew that about her already.

Turning, Jack watched his number 4 destroyer return to his formation trailing reaction mass vapors. It looked like it was missing a good portion of its Port side wings along with a chunk of the port side trailing tip wedge of the fuselage. "Number 4, damage report!" He barked.

"Sorry sir. That Damn Destroyer had to go and blow up in front of us. A section of it hit us. The outer portside guns are down and we are leaking reaction mass sir. But we are still running and ready for another attack."

"Ya but just barely. Your cooling fins are missing on the port side as are your tanks. Head for home, you are done for the day." The damage report on his screen did not look serious or expensive yet, though another run could change that quickly, making Jack smile. One of the advantages of Destroyers unlike the larger armored ships which were costly to make repairs to no matter how minor the damage looked. Thick armor was always expensive if damaged but then it was also hard to damage. Not to mention the cost of cutting hundreds of square feet of thick armor to get equipment out to replace after a beam only inches across completely slags and destroys a major piece of equipment. The cost of replacing was usually more than the cost of the equipment. And then the best fact of all was that sending one Destroyer home for repairs before it received additional hits making the damage serious and expensive, was not a big loss to the squadron’s firepower.

"Sir. Permission to transfer ships. Twelve is cold and still in decent shape. Let the A.I. take this one home."

"Very well. You have my permission to transfer crew and command." Jack realized he should have thought of that as he checked over the rest of his little fleet and decided they were in decent enough shape for another attack. His mind went to the enemy fleet now trailing a long line of damaged slowing ships and a surprising large group of dead hulks where Jack’s squadron had left them as the much smaller enemy fleet exchanged shots with the now much bigger allied fleet even though they had lost a few ships as well.

Jack studied the enemy fleet trying to figure out if it was going to run or not since it was now out numbered. Though just barely. It would make a big difference in how he made his next attack. A fleeing enemy spread out over half of space would be easy to pick off. But that would require picking up the drop tanks left behind first if they headed in the wrong direction. It also meant he would be able to concentrate on finishing off the damaged ships without having to make high-speed runs on them through massed formations, allowing him to conserve reaction mass and extending his time in the battle. Greatly increasing his ship count and bounty. But it did not look like they were getting ready to run. Not yet.

"Damn it. Ok, let's head in for another attack. We now have two sets of drop tanks to dump. Only this time we will follow these in, now that they know they are just drop tanks. Just remember where the drop tanks we stashed on the other side of the enemy are or you will be walking home and miss out on the next round of attacks."

Jack smiled. He was debating whether to split up his squadron into pairs of ships to plant good solid shots up the asses of the remaining enemy Battleships. Hopefully getting easy kills as damaged as most of the enemy ships were already from hits by his allied Battleship fleet, making short work of them before the advertised Steak and Lobster dinner that evening. But if the enemy battleships were not that damaged yet, all his two ship attacks would be doing was target practicing if they could not finish killing off the damn ships. No he decided he would make one more pass with his 4 ship sections taking out several more battleships cleanly. Then do one pass with two ship flights concentrating on hitting engines to cull out the more damaged ships. Once the damaged enemy ships got strung out behind their main fleet, he could slow his ships down and take his time destroying the isolated stragglers with his remaining reaction mass. He could have enough bounty for another Destroyer or two in his fleet's account when it was all over.

The problem was that if the enemy fleet was game controlled, it would have to be virtually decimated before the A.I. would run. It was going to be a shame when he had to break off contact probably just when the enemy fleet finely decided to run for home with him out of reaction mass for his ships. Damn shame. Oh well, maybe he would let his friend drag him to the space port's mall and the titty bar after all to make up for the lost opportunity. But then, Tom would have plenty of time to sit back out of range and pound the stragglers to hulks one after another. Jack smiled, Tom's Battlecruiser was good for something after all. Jack started mulling pulling his little squadron back after this next attack until the enemy fleet turned to run. The idea was looking better by the second. He would just have to wait and see how damaged the enemy was.

Then an idea popped into his mind as he stared at the destroyer in formation next to him. He wondered how hard it could be to redesign one of his destroyers into a drop tank hauler. Simply lengthening its hull by adding a long central boom with racks to stack full drop tanks too, couldn’t be that hard. After all it would only be adding a little mettle. With racks ready for the Destroyers to easily grab the tanks from. The possibility started to take over his thinking as a good design was proceeded to coalesce in his mind complete with auto latches and guidance systems for rapid docking for him to fall in love with. The details of the design starting to overwhelm his desire to go anywhere with his best buddy Tom. Even to a Titty bar. Suddenly shaking his head to clear his mind as he smiled. But for now, he had to force his mind back onto the job at hand. He had Battleships to destroy so he could afford to build one.

Then his ship exploded around him as the ships self-destruct tore it apart. His helmet went dark as he was knocked from his chair. His helmet flew off his head in pieces as he hit the deck hard. Looking up shaking his head trying to clear his mind and eyes, his brother was standing over him in sweat pants, a towel over his shoulder and a big smile as he lifted his hand again ready to strike. "You sorry son of a bitch. You threw shit on my uniform when I turned my back on you didn't you!" His brother screamed at him as he raised his fist to swing again.

Their sister stopped in Jack's cabin's hatch. "Everything Ok in here? What is the problem?"

"Nothing’s the problem. Just trying to keep Jack from destroying the rest of his room throwing a tantrum."

"Oh. What was that I heard about throwing shit?"

Taking a deep breath Dan sneered at his sister. "I told him to stop throwing his shit around his room sis. Looks like he is calming down now." Turning to Jack. "You are going to be calm now aren’t you Jack?" Smiling he turned back to his sister. "See. Nothing to worry about now. I will finish helping him clean things up."

"Good Dan. You are so helpful. Jack is lucky to have you as a brother. Don't miss dinner." She continued down the passageway.

Waiting for her steps to disappear out the next hatch. "Sorry brother but I hit your self-destruct on accident. I can't believe you did not code it you fool. Besides I did not give you permission to play your stupid game. You have another job to do before dinner." His brother was very proud of himself.

"Bull shit, you did that on purpose. You have to hit 5 sets of keys to self-destruct a ship." Looking at the screen next to the cubical with "Self Destruct Completed." Plastered across the screen. "Hell it takes a bunch of programing to have kept the warning off my bridge you asshole." Turning red in disbelief. "You killed me and my best crew. It will take me months to work my way back up to Captain and more months to rebuild a crew while my squadron breaks up going their own way with my ships damn you. You. You."

"So what dickhead. Get your butt down to…"

"You get your own butt down the shitter if you like or not." Jack said still lying on the deck where his brother had knocked him. To pissed to think straight. "I am off duty and am going to the mall with Tom after dinner you ass hole. I can't believe you destroyed my ship you prick." With his brother twice his size, growing red faced and balling his raised fists as he bent over above him. Jack suddenly regretted yelling and talking back at his brother and shrank away trying to hide since he was in no position to run. Raising his hands over his face more in an attempt to hide than to protect himself.

To immature and cowed to even think of fighting back against a brother twice his size. His eyes fell on the blinking icon in the corner of the screen on The Game console that said Tom and that pain in the butt girl was calling. He just hoped he would be alive to answer as he tried to hate his brother but then realized it was all his fault. He had to do something different and better and quit letting a dense stupid rock hit him all the time by doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different outcomes. The problem was that he had no idea what he could do different since his brother as with most people, was beyond understanding to him. Especially the fact that his brother supposedly loved him but kept going out of his way to do things he could not understand. But then so did his loving parents. Whatever the problem was he did not like it and was getting really tired of it all. The fact that The Battleship Game was predictable, consistent and understandable was the only thing that kept him going and half way sane. The Game would not tolerate any bad behavior no matter the cause. It was also very good at fixing mental problems when they showed up in crewmen. Not by putting them on couches but by creating and strictly controlling situations in The Game to draw out and then help the crewmen realize and repair their own mental problems. The culmination of a thousand years of programming by the best minds.

His brother started slowly lowering his raised hand and then sneered. "You are off duty when Dad says you are off duty creeton." His shit eating grin became even wider as he looked around and spotted a target. He swung at the game console instead of Jack. His big fist crashing down on the console smashing electronics everywhere and then he knocked the reality booth control module from its side and stomped it into fragments. "So much for you wasting time playing the stupid game." Bending over he placed his nose up against Jacks face. "You aren’t going anywhere for a month if I tell dad you disobeyed a direct order AGAIN or if I tell him you had a break down and destroyed your cabin." And proceeded to destroy the virtual reality emitters around the cabinet. With nothing left to break and satisfied, his brother stopped at the cabins hatch. "You say one word about this and I will have you charged with destruction of property during a mental break down. You won't leave the ship ever again after they put you in a padded room. Now get dressed and get your fricking butt down to the Number 2 generator. Something is wrong with it. Fix it before dinner or go hungry and don't forget to sign my name to it." Stopping half out of Jack's cabin. "Oh don't worry about your game. You aren’t going to have time to play it anymore anyway. Starting Monday, you are mine 8 hours a day starting at muster in the morning. Your lazy school days are over dick weed. I am going to work your butt off paying back all the money you owe me."

"What? I don't owe you shit. Besides I have finales coming up on 6 classes in the next two weeks and I need to study."

"No you don't. You aren't wasting any more time on useless, worthless collage classes. I told you. Dad signed you over to my maintenance section starting Monday morning." Pulling a slip of paper out of his pocket. "And I have your personal I.O.U. for 5 thousand Credits. I am taking that out of your monthly pay starting now since you have not bothered to pay me back over the last year."

"What? You lying sack of shit. I never gave you an IOU. For anything. Why would I. I have nothing to have used the money on anyway." Jack looked around his cabin.

"Not for me to worry about, but you need to stop gambling on line. You can't prove it is not your IOU." Chuckling. "I have more where this came from. Remember all those work orders I keep having you to sign. Really, why would I need you to sign a fricking work order?" Smiling from ear to ear. "Dad hates dead beats that don't pay their bills. Including you if I showed them to him. Don't make me have to do that. I don't want him thinking any less of you than he already does so I will just keep this between us little bro. Like I said you are working for me now. Slave." Then left the cabin laughing, headed for the shower.

Jack finished dressing as he hit the comm on his computer and the screen blared before he could say anything. "What kind of stupid moron Self-destructs his own ship in the middle of a battle when you are winning? You knocked out 3 Battleships and 2 Battlecruisers in one pass." Killer Queen said from the screen on the bulkhead of his cabin. "That was frigging amazing and then you suicide?"

"Ya buddy what is going on." Tom said from the half screen. "Your ship just blew up. At least your squadron took out another couple of Battleships before heading back to the Fleet Base." Looking down at the deck of Jack's cabin. "It is a shame your squadron could not help with the cleanup. Even I got another couple of…. Hell! What happened to your video helmet and game system? It looks like someone stomped on most of it."

Jack picked up one of the broken halves of his crushed vid helmet in one hand and the destroyed game console in the other and frowned, tears starting to stream down his face. "Ya, my brother stomped on them after he blew up me and my ship. He even disabled the auto eject killing my crew and me. We are all frigging dead and now I am his slave starting Monday. Hell, starting now or I go hungry."

"Slave? Ya your brother has always treated you like a slave so what's new. But Godstar. I have never heard of anyone coming back after they have lost so bad they had to suicide before. Have you tried to get on again?" Tom could not believe what had happened.

"Ya. Through my computer. Say hi to Ensign Hunter. I can’t even access my squadron command screen." Jack sat down dejectedly on his bunk. "After killing my whole crew no one will ever crew with me again, since they are starting from scratch too. So it does not matter what rank I have."

"Hell, without a Game Console and working Reality Booth, you are screwed anyway. It took you half a year to save up for them, they were the best you could buy. You want my help killing your brother?" Killer Queen 222 said from the half screen next to Tom. Hate dripping from every word.

"No, it is my fault for not being more careful, not reading all the work orders he gave me to sign. But then when was I supposed to read them, with him standing over me holding them while demanding I hurry and sign them. And then I went and talked back to him and he destroyed my game and my… Shit." Jack just sat shaking his head.

"Godstar, you are such a Putts Turner." The girl said disgustedly. “You don’t have to say anything and your brother still shits all over you, then blames you and you eat his shit like ice cream?

"I heard a guy lost a battle last year." Tom broke in. "Self-destructing his ship to keep it out of the hands and bounty of an enemy Captain he hated and died when he didn’t get out in time. At least his crew got out. By the time he got back up to Captain again, the game had given his other ship to its Captain and wouldn't let him have it back. He didn't even have a ship to command and had to start from scratch and like you said only crewmen no one else wanted would crew with him again." Tom shook his head. "Which is why I was not letting you talk me into selling my Battlecruiser the Starkiller and buying a squadron of Destroyers. It would be just my luck the ejection pods would fail when my Destroyer got destroyed. I have heard about it happening. Forcing me to start over again." He said smiling. "Oh but…. I have been reading since then. The game will allow you to give or sign away your ships, your squadron, away to keep it in tact. Then you can take it back when you make Captain again. But then you can't force whoever you give it to, to give it back and some guys never make Captain again." Smiling from ear to ear. "Give your squadron to me old man and I will use it to escort and serve as Targeting Scouts for my Battlecruiser so I can really do some long range damage until you make Captain again."

Jack smiled shaking his head. "Using my Destroyers as escorts is a waste. Haven't you been paying attention Damn it. “Jack looked up at the ceiling and rolled his eyes. Looking at Killer Queen on the screen next to Tom, Jack shook his head, his weak smile turning serious. He hated her but after battling her for years as well as killing each other time after time in private duals and battles that did not count in The Game, he knew she had a damn good brain in her head and she would see in time how to properly use his ships. "Killer Queen, you can have my Squadron, my Ships."

"What? You can go to hell Hunter! I don't want your damn squadron or anything else from you ever. Give them to one of your sycophant moron Captains."

"No. They are good Captains but they are new and still just learning to be good Captains and lack your understanding of tactics and strategy. You will do fine and even expand the squadron into a fleet eventually with the production facilities I have constructed. And if I am lucky I can at least serve on one of my own ships when I can finally afford to buy a new Game Console and Reality Booth." Jack started typing on his computer board. Attached to the bulkhead as part of the cabin, complete with fire and damage sensors that would record who was responsible, his brother did not dare destroy it.

"You can go to hell Hunter. I don't want your ships or anything to do with you. You got that? “Looking at Jack smile at her, she frowned turning red. “I will just scrap them Hunter if you give them to me. I swear, I will sell them for scrap to the worst Captains I can find."

"No you won't. You aren't stupid by a long shot and for someone that does not want anything to do with me you spend a hell of a lot of time chasing me down and trying to kill me. When was the last time you got a clean bounty for killing a Battleship on your own without a bunch of strangers in the fleet taking half of the credit? I bet within a month you sell your two Battleships for a whole fleet of my… No your. No, our Destroyers and a small tanker or two. Hell, I even have a design for building one of my destroyers as a drop tank hauler complete with racks to re-tank a whole squadron at one time. I will help you build it and more Destroyers since I still have my yard equipment."

Jack hit a finale key and looked up. "There, all you have to do is hit the Accept key in the E-mail I just sent you and my fleet is yours. I know you will take good care of the ships and my crews and a lowly stupid old ensign like me if for no other reason but to be able to torture me and make my life hell as you have in the past. Only now you can do it personally, if you put me on your crew. Besides, you need me to show you around the ships and the new weapons you now have. Though, my help for now is going to have to be by phone or E-mails for a while. My brother has been confiscating most of my pay for the last year by fining me every time I turn around. My own fault for not trying hard enough. At least toward the end of the month he goes easy on the fines so I do have enough for basics. Though my pay was not that much to begin with, since I was only working part time while going to school. Come to think of it, he has not paid me yet for any of the overtime work I have been putting in for most of this last year as well. I bet that will be plenty to pay for a new Game Box and at least a cheap reality booth."

"Don't hold your breath Turner." Killer Queen said from the split screen as she frantically typed. "Yes, I have your pay records here." Smiling at him. "You need to use a better pass word on your ships personal files. Ahhh. Shit! Says here that you have been paid all your overtime but that it went to a separate account under a secret name." She frowned shaking her head and continued to type. "You have less than a hundred credits in your main account Jack, after all the fines. Shit! He fined you for Farting and talking and being a minute late to all kinds of places oh and fined you for being early to others and you paid for maintenance supplies and rental on tools you used on the jobs. My Godstar have you really used all these tools?” Looking down the list of equipment. “When the hell were you out on the hull working on the maneuvering thrusters under acceleration?” Glancing at Jack and back down at her screen. “NO! You only use the blast shields for working outside the ship on a running engine." She looked up at Jack in disbelief and saw in his face that he had done exactly that, before going back to her own screen shaking her head. "And it all goes into the other account Aahhh, yes, aaa, it is being automatically emptied into your brothers account every month just after all your overtime pay is deposited.” Typing again. “This is strange. Your fines are deposited in your brother’s account as well. I thought fines were supposed to go into the ships account. MM. Left you just enough for basics as you said. You need to pay more attention to what you sign moron."

"What? My brother kept saying he was running into problems with my overtime pay and had me sign a few things a year ago but so what. I wasn't worried about getting it right away. I figured by the time I got my overtime pay, I would have enough to buy a grav-cycle to run around the planets we drop on." Jack sat for several minutes starring at the broken game electronics scattered around his cabin in disbelief. The little stuffed pink dog with long brown ears next to his bunk’s pillow, missing an eye and a lot of stuffing, with the crude stitches he had put in when he was 6 trying to repair it. Broken models. Broken toys. Ripped or ruined cloths he had crudely stitched back together. The few things he had managed to repair multiple times sitting on shelves on his bulkheads and in his closet of a cabin that was surprisingly clean and uncluttered for an 18 year old. Reminding him that his brother had been destroying everything he had ever loved since he could remember. And Jack was the one that got punished if he complained to his parents.

His sister stopped at his open hatch not even glancing at the two figures on the bulkhead screen. "I am sorry Jack. Dan said you lost your ship in your game. You really did not need to destroy your Game Console and Booth. They cost you a fortune. I will see about getting you into an anger management group and maybe some pills to calm you down." Smiling at him. "Come on get dressed and clean up the junk before dad sees it. Dinner is in an hour with Steak and Lobster. All you can eat. That should cheer you up." She left, headed on out into the family’s living compartments. Jack started crying as he stared again at the remnants of his Game Booth and slowly started dressing.

3-

SHIPS PILOT

Jack stomped into the mess deck after spending well over an hour working on the ship's number 2 main generator, still pissed at his brother but looking forward to the Steak and Lobster dinner his father had been talking about all week. Then he was headed in to town with his best friend Tom.

No, Jack's mind was on any and everything else but the world around him. That is until he saw all the eyes staring at him. He knew he was late and suddenly realized he had grease and dirt smudges on his face and work coveralls from tuning up the generator. Coveralls which he was not even supposed to be wearing to dinner, but he was so mad at his brother and hungry that he had forgotten. That is until he saw everyone sitting in there good dress uniforms at the Captain's table. Jack stopped and realized that he was way too far into the large mess compartment to leave without looking like even a bigger fool. Besides he did not have time to go back up to his cabin and shower and change. So he lowered his head between his shoulders as much as possible as he stuffed one hand into his pocket, looked at the floor and scratched his head with the other to hide behind and quickly walked to the Captain's table trying to sneak up around his brother hoping his father would not notice.

His brother laughed and said loud enough for half the mess deck to hear as he walked up. "How you manage to get so dirty playing that stupid Battleship Game all afternoon is beyond me Jack. But at least you finally remembered it was dinner time moron." Smiling as he dropped the empty shell of a giant lobster down to slide off of his over flowing shell bucket with what looked like a good half dozen lobster shells already in it. The big shell fell off and onto the deck beside his chair on top of a pile of steak bones. As Jack headed for the only open seat remaining along the back side of the table.

Dan seeing where he was headed, quickly stood up almost climbing onto the table knocking the shell bucket onto the deck, as he reached half way down the table to grab the last remaining lobster off a serving platter in front of the vacant chair along with the last steak a good 9 inches in diameter as the officers around him glared at him in disbelief as he straightened up with the lobster in one hand and the steak on a fork in the other. "Well, since you ass holes don't want it!" Sitting back down as Jack took the seat he smiled from ear to ear. "I took pity on you Jack and made sure they saved some food for you pea brain." As he slapped the steak down beside an already half-eaten steak on his plate and dumped the giant lobster on top. He motioned to the steward standing off to the side who left through a side hatch.

Jack sat down in the only empty seat between two senior officers half way down the table who were finishing up their steaks with lobster shell buckets mostly empty next to them. Jack looked up and down the table and noticed that there was not a single untouched lobster or steak left on the table, except what was sitting on his brother’s plate with half eaten steak and lobsters next to it. Despair crossed his face, welling up in his eyes as he slid down trying to hide behind he hands with his elbows on the table as half the mess still stared in his direction at the table on a slightly raised stage. Still fuming but remembering his brother had said he had saved him some. His face brightened up, looking forward to steak and lobster. Maybe his brother had taken the last lobster and steak on the table because they were cold and the steward was bringing him hot fresh servings. A recruiting commercial for the navy came on the screen covering the mess deck's side bulkhead across the compartment caught his attention. An attack fighter screamed across the screen with what looked like a new kind of huge fleet carrier in the background launching fighters. "Maybe his brother was not so bad after all." He said to himself.

A plate was brought in and placed in front of Jack with several pieces of chicken that looked like they had been in the fridge to long and a pile of cold fries on it. "Hey!" Jack looked back at the steward. "I want steak and lobster too."

"Sorry but we are out of both steaks and lobsters Mr. Turner." Said the steward as she smiled. "Your brother said you hated steak and lobster anyway."

"Butt shit. Everyone else got…"

"Shut up pig and feel lucky you got anything at all for being late." His brother said from the end of the table covered in food scraps as he took a bite from the new steak, even though the other one was only half eaten. Then sat back and patted his stomach belching over half the table as he used a dirty napkin to wipe his mouth unsuccessfully. "Damn I am full" He smashed the lobster then dropped the empty shell half onto the deck and dug out a good sized piece of meat from the other half, dipped it into one of a half dozen bowls of sauce in front of him and took a bite. Dripping the sauce down his chin and the front of his uniform. "Damn it is good, it may take me all night to finish this one I am so full." Looking at Jack with a smile. "Too bad you got stuck on your stupid game and missed the special meal dad ordered for everyone. What did you do, get lost in space. You look like you had to blow up your own ship?"

"Why you lying piece of…" As he started to stand.

"Jack!" His sister said from directly across the table from him. "Your brother went to all the trouble to order you some food so you would have something for dinner so show some respect and eat your dinner before it gets cold." Starring at him sternly as he opened his mouth to speak. "I said shut up and eat and quit embarrassing me and the family."

His father at the head of the table in the Captain's chair ignoring the discussion at the other end of the table, tapped his wine glass with his knife. The recruiting commercial faded into silence as someone hit the mute to the video screens as the Republic fleet's newest Battleship sailed into sight attracting and keeping Jack's eyes riveted as he looked out between his fingers mumbling with a scrawl as he took a bite off a cold drumstick then smothered a wad of cold fries with ketchup.

"Now that we are all here!" Giving Jack a stern look that he did not even notice. "I would like to thank everyone for such a good job this run and the cooks on doing such a great job preparing the steaks and lobsters I had specially brought in for the occasion. Everyone give them a hand before we all fall asleep after such a great meal." Everyone from around the mess deck looked up from their tables at the Captain smiling as they clapped for a few seconds. "Now down to business. We delivered all 20,000 tons of cargo without a single item damaged and ahead of schedule, earning the ship a good 10% bonus. On top of that our tip pot is over flowing. All thanks to all of you doing your jobs as well as the marvelous piloting of my son Dan, our First officer. I am declaring a holiday for the entire weekend for all ship's crew not essential to handling cargo." The Ship's Captain and head of the ships family smiled around the packed mess deck as it erupted into applause. Finally he held up his hands to quiet the mess deck again. "I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that because of all the bonuses we have collected over the last couple of years we will be buying another ship much sooner than expected. Fact is; we are scheduled to look at a couple of ships at our next planet fall. You all will get a chance to take a personal tour of them before we vote on which ship to make half our crew a new home in. You can find them on the ships webpage for a virtual tour."

The mess deck came alive again as the crew clapped and congratulated each other and speculating on what ship.

The Captain held up his hands quieting the mess deck again but it took several seconds. "That means that we are going to have to start forming a new crew with my son Dan here as Captain." Waving his hand for Dan to stand up. Dan stood up with stains running down his chin and the front of his uniform and promptly belched long and loud enough for the whole deck to hear him as he smiled holding up his arms waving his hands full of lobster for a few seconds before sitting back down. The Captain continued. "I will expect all of your requests for crew positions in the new ship as well as those wishing to stay with the Turner Joy by the end of next week. Enjoy your dinner and the weekend. We lift Monday morning at 0900. That is all." The Captain started to sit but stood back up again. "And one more thing. The deadline for submitting names for the new ship is next Friday as well. Thank you all."

The mess deck erupted in a bedlam of noise as everyone talked about the new ship and their phantasy position in it as well as the new ship's name. Though everyone knew that half of the name was going to be "Turner". It was a tramp family tradition.

Jack smiled. "All right! I want to be pilot on the new ship Dad." He exclaimed standing up to get his father's attention without thinking and then just as suddenly regretting it.

"You pilot?" His brother Dan said with a hearty laugh. Spewing a mouth full of lobster and sauce across the table. "I may make you sewer chief on my crew but pilot? Never."

"Now enough of that the both of you." Their father said from the head of the table. "Jack is staying right here on the gravity board where I can keep an eye on him and he doesn't have to do anything but watch the screen with a few supervised adjustments." Looking down at him for a second baffled. "Though he does seem to be able to read the screens better than most after 5 years on them. It is a shame you can't apply yourself as well to other tasks you are not chained to."

"Now Dad, I really think you should let him come with me. I just maybe able to teach him something. After all I have been babysitting him for years now for you and mom."

"But father, I am a better Ship's pilot than Dan." Jack said stubbornly. "It is my turn. My right to be ships pilot as he moves up." Jack suddenly regretted saying those words. After watching all the preferential treatment his brother had gotten over the years, the last thing he wanted was even a hint of the same but he was desperate. Grasping at straws without thinking.

The Captain stood up leaning over the table on his arms as he turned red. "You don't have any rights aboard this ship other than what I give you. There is more to piloting a 40,000 ton gross weight starship in real life than what you learn in a simulator or your stupid battleship game. Besides you don't even have your license nor are you a commissioned Officer or ever will be." His father took a couple of deep breaths as he calmed down and he sat back down. "You should feel lucky to even be alive after being born where you were. Most of the kids your age died within months even if they survived birth. Neutron stars are damn deadly to new life, especially as long as we were stranded there. I just wish you would try harder to be part of the crew instead of wasting your remaining time playing that damn game…"

Frowning as he suddenly jerked to one side, he looked over at his wife as he reached down below the table top to rub something on his leg and then back at Jack. Jack was one of only two kids born over a span of almost two entire years aboard the ship back then that were still alive. They had been stranded in the gravity well of a neutron star until their orbit took them close enough to an asteroid with enough reaction mass to get them to yet another larger asteroid they could remass from to get them to a comet to fill enough of their mass tanks so they could return to civilized space. Most babies had died during or shortly after child birth over those years, some long after they had left the system, making Jack part of a class of two stretching for almost two class years in the ship's school. Until the other survivor had decided she hated him. Most of the ship resented both of the survivors but Jack being the Captain's son, was a constant easy to remember reminder of half the crews losses during those two years. His parents did little to help matters.

"We have bent over backwards trying not to expect too much out of you because of your handicap." His father started to preach. "Letting your grandfather try his best to teach you something and all I hear is how stupid you are when you two are arguing about some idiotic point of physics or engineering that you can't seem to grasp or think you know better. Or do you simply like to argue to prove how stupid you are with one of the smartest men in the galaxy. Stupid, and then your brother having to jerk you away from that stupid game every time he needs your help and then all you can do is screw up every job he gives you, forcing him to put in overtime to clean up your mess. Now sit down and finish your dinner. We will talk about your future as a ship's none commissioned petty officer after we get the new ship trained and running cargo in a year or so. Until then you are going to have to start pulling your weight now that you are 18 even if it is in the galley scrubbing pots and pans."

Jack looked over at his grandfather who was busy slapping gobs of strawberry jam onto a heavily buttered piece of bread oblivious to everything going on around him. Jack slid down his chair as he took another bite of chicken. Trying to ignore the coming lecture about his failings. A lecture he was already too familiar with and had heard yet again at his little family only party for his 18th birthday only a week before.

"Even with your handicap there should be something you can do half way well, though all I hear from your brother is how he has to keep fixing equipment you keep fucking up no matter how many times him and the crew shows you."

Jack gave his brother a dirty look as he slid farther down in his chair trying to hide behind the officer next to him as he buried his face in another chicken leg. Hopping his father would forget about him if he could not see him. Sometimes it worked. Especially if he got distracted for a few seconds. But it did not sound like any distractions were coming this way as half the mess deck stared at him and listened. The thought of jumping ship suddenly crossed his mind just to get away from the embarrassment of everyone looking at him and thinking he was a stupid worthless screw-up.

"You are going to have to start putting in a full day's work. Fact is, Sewage Chief is a good start for you. I am sure your brother will help you get started before he goes' since he suggested it. Maybe with repetition and detailed directions, even if you screw up, all we are looking at is a mess to clean up. The work is easy and not complicated and you don't have to worry about dealing with people much since you have such a hard time even talking to anyone."

"Now Dad." Said Dan his brother. "He needs to start as sewage spaceman for a year and work his way up to Chief. It's the same job. Just gives him something to look forward to accomplishing before he die…."

His father slapped the table and stood back up starring at his son Dan, daring him to finish that sentence.

"Damn it!" Jack stood up knocking his chair over behind him. "What the hell do you think I have been doing for years now thanks to you?" Balling his fists as he screamed at his brother. "You ass hole creation. I am the one fixing everything around this fricking ship when no one else has time or can figure it out, while you party with anything that will spread their legs for you, only for you to take the damn credit." Jack kicked his chair flying back across the deck behind him as he left the table.

"There you go getting delusional again. You need to take a look at his cabin father…" His brother said only to be interrupted.

"Sit back down there." His father demanded. Then as Jack continued to stomp across the mess toward the hatch. "Where are you going?"

"The Silver leaf is in port, I am going to the mall with Tom." Jack left the mess.

A thin faced girl with spindly arms and legs but with a barreled chest and a baggy jacket (on a ship with a constant temperature of 72 degrees and short sleeves for a ships uniform), watched Jack leave. She frowned, ignoring her girlfriends around the table talking about how rude Jack was and laughing at the stupid idea of him being a ships officer, let alone a ship's pilot. The girl stared at the closed hatch for a few seconds and then let her eyes travel along the empty side bulkhead of the mess deck with the main passageway on the other side to the elevator room and then dropping her eyes to follow a line across the deck for a few seconds. Looking back up, she turned to her friends. "Let's go to the Port's Mall. I hear that there is a Streaking Gothic store in this mall that is radiations. We need to go take a look while we are here. It sounds fabulous."

Jack walked into the space ports Supermall with his friend Tom from the neighboring ship. Every bill board and screen within 10 miles of the space port and mall had been flooded with ads trying to recruit experienced crewmen. Plastered with Battleships attacking, fighters zooming and firing missiles, marines assaulting enemy ships and knightly sailors manning huge guns and winning the battle and getting the sexiest girls and guys in the galaxy. It was costing the government a fortune to preempt and replace a lot of the normal advertising. But Jack and his friend did not know or care about that, as they tried to pick their tongues up off the floor as they walked into the titty bar. Not even seeing the waves of recruitment commercials flooding the screens on the walls between the sections of stages. Each with a scantily clad woman taking it all off.

They walked in trying not to look like the cheery boys they were. But the harder they tried not to stare at the boobs and cunts on stage and boobs walking around serving drinks the longer their stares became. Finally after bumping into half the furniture and a few disgruntled patrons they took a table not too close to the stage to keep from looking eager as rookies like it was their first time, while not to fare away to see well.

Then the gal on stage finished taking her skimpy panties off and squatted down shaking her boobs focusing on the boys smiling coyly to have some fun. Both Tom's and Jack's jaws dropped and their tongue's hit the table to the delight of the performer. She stepped from the stage out along one of the walkway spokes across several tables taking her show onto their table to use her boobs to bat their faces back and forth as she squatted spreading her legs straddling each to present her shaved pussy only inches from their shocked eyes as she used her hands to keep them from getting too close. As Jack got his treatment Tom finally grabbed some Credits off the table sloshing beer across the table around the girl’s feet and held them up to get a repeat performance, stuffing them into the only crack that could hold them between her legs as Jack drooled next to him. And then she was gone back to the edge of the stage and back out other spokes to collect more tips before disappearing altogether with a bush of credits sticking out from between her legs. She was replaced by a school girl looking woman fully dressed on stage to start her act.

Two women suddenly sat down next to Tom and Jack as a large breasted waitress cleaned up the beer slopped across their table while the boys tried to drink and look at the same time. "Buy me a drink big boy." The Girls had asked each of them hanging their half covered boobs across the boys’ arms with coy smiles which they were more than happy to do. An hour and to many drinks later that included the girls unfastening their bras to hang to their sides exposing their boobs to rival the woman on stage as well as lap dances. Tom and Jack both were on cloud nine, sure they were going to get lucky as they left the bar with the two women.

A few minutes later Jack tried not to stare at the half naked girls that had suddenly dragged him and his buddy with firm grips around their arms into the Navy recruiting center while passing it supposedly headed for yet another bar just down the promenade of the mall with talk of their apartment being close. The half-naked woman after spending the last hour pushing their boobs and butts into them at every excuse had immediately dumped them to latch onto the flashy suited sailor standing in the middle of the office. A shocked and frustrated Jack and his buddy Tom simply stared at them open mouthed with their tongues hanging out trying to figure out why as their dreams started to fad. Finally they started inspecting the models space fighters, old battle ships and cruisers lining the office's front walls as they tried to think of what to do to get the girls back on their arms again and out of there.

Tom stopped at one of the model fighters hanging next to the entrance door explaining in a louder than normal voice the advanced features and speed of the fleet's newest fighter that had been rushed into production in record time to Jack. Trying to get the girl’s attention again as they kept glancing over at the girls now completely ignoring them. All the two beautiful girls that had dragged them into the recruiting center continued to do was swoon over the recruiting poster sailor in full dress blue uniform, complete with a dozen ribbons covering his chest. Catching a word now and then about the girls wanting to join the navy to be with such strong wonderful men as they pushed their large boobs into the young recruiter’s arms.

"I see you know your fighters young man." A Chief in dress blues, sharp and immaculate, bright flashy medals covering his chest, gold hashes down his sleeve, said as he walked up. "You look like you are from one of the tramp ships in port by your cloths. The Navy needs a few good men."

Jack turned to glance at the Chief more out of politeness than the desire to talk to him as he tried not to stare at the girl that had been clutching at him for the last hour as she talked about how hansom navy men were to the other girl and giggling. Her boob about to fall out as she rubbed against the man. Jack looked at the Chief recruiter with irritation as he stepped in front of Jack blocking his sight as he shook Tom’s hand as he introduced himself. Jack glanced away to keep from having to look at him and spotted the 3-D projection model of a ship sitting off to one side in the back like a pillar from floor to ceiling bristling with big guns. Jacks eyes got big, he suddenly forgot politeness and staggered as he tried to walk in the direction he was looking but not facing. The couple of too many beers he had at the tavern with the girls making him a little unsteady on his feet. Finally legally able to drink, the two friends had showed off drinking the drinks like soda pop. Mostly to prove that they were old hands to the ladies and much older than they felt and looked as the girls kept calling for refills. Not realizing that the girl's drinks contained no alcohol from prier arrangements with the bartenders.

The recruiter looked from Jack as he walked away, to Tom and back again, then his hand came up toward a screen at the back and flicked his fingers pointing at Tom. The recruiter caught sight of a transport uniformed young girl, as she stopped out in the middle of the mall staring in through the windows as several girls joined her before he followed Jack and noted that a recruiter was already headed that way. As he walked up to Jack again he smiled. "That is our newest Attack line Battleship. We are rushing 50 of them into service and they need crewmen like you young man. What tramp cargo ship are you off of?"

"The T, Turner Joy Sir." Jack stared at the Battleship. "I work, do, the Gr, Gravboard." He said with gushing pride.

"Now son don't call me sir. I work for a living but isn't the Gravity board an officer's billet. You don't look like an officer in that uniform son."

"I am the Captain's son. My brother is ship's pilot and First Officer." Jack said with disgust. “I am not an officer but I am expected to do everything from running the Gravity board, checking Pop's navigation, bridge graveyard helm watch while my brother sleeps with one of his girl friends for a few hours as well as everything else including welding injector nozzles for the drive engines, but not command. I have Doctorates in Astro-Physics, Astro Warp Navigation, Drive tube and Gravity coil engineering along with a half dozen bachelor degrees in related fields. Over four times what my brother has. But still my father doesn't think I am good officer material or can pilot the Turner Joy. Me being a neutron baby for some reason, whatever difference that makes."

Turning to the Chief, he puffed up his chest and grabbed onto the Chief's shoulder to steady himself. "But I am a bet, better pilot and navigator than my older brother who dad is making a frigging Cap, Captain of the new ship the family is buying." Starting to get pissed off again he turned back to the hologram model. "I bet I would make a better Pi, pilot for that new Battleship than my brother or anyone else on this stupid planet." He boasted loud enough for the girls to hear as he turned around to look at the woman that had been on his arm only minutes before and about fell on his butt as the recruiter caught him by the arm and took the opportunity to scan Jacks ID and medical implant.

"You look a little young to be an officer and piloting a tramp family transport. What is your name young man and how old are you?" Holding out his own hand. "I am Chief Starly by the way."

Jack turned back to the Chief. Looking down at his hand for a couple of seconds before finally shaking it as he tried to stand up straight. "I. I am Jack Turner of the Turner Joy and just turned 17. Au no, EIGHTEEN!" Jack said with pride. "You said they have made 50 of these beauties?"

"Yes and more coming down the production line every month young man and we need pilots for them fast." Looking at Jack as he narrowed his eyes. "If I remember right, you have to be 21 to hold an officer's rank in the transport service don't you?"

"Well.. Ya so what? I! I know more about piloting and commanding a ship than my windbag lying older brother even if he is 28." Jack frowned as he pouted. "It just isn't fare. Besides I don't want to be a Captain. I just want to be a PILOT." Jack leaned closer to the Chief to accentuate his words.

"Well you are in luck Jack Turner. The Navy does not have an age requirement for officers and with your education you are a shoe in to make Battleship pilot easily." Narrowing his eyes at Jack. "That is if you really are serious about being the best ship's pilot in the universe."

Jack's eyes got as big as gulf balls. "You! You… Will make me a Battleship Pilot? E, even with my handicap?"

"What handicap? You look alive and healthy enough for me. Just because you were conceived and born in a neutron star's radiation envelope does not mean you can't be the best you can be when you join the navy." Jack's medical record told the Chief about the neutron star and that he was in perfect health. "Why, you could captain your own ship one day." The Chief put his arm around his shoulder while going through the pages of Jack's records on his handheld's screen.

"I, I don't want to Captain a ship! I just want to be a pilot is all." Jack said again as he looked at the beautiful woman he had come in with sitting with one of the Navy recruiters, pressing her boobs down onto the desk making them look twice as big under the recruiters nose. A nipple popped out as she twisted around to smile at Jack before turning to fill out papers. Her sexy sweat voice talking about joining the navy so she could be with big important Navy pilots, making Jack jealous and confused as he kept dividing his attention between the Battleship and the girl. Jack thought about her serving with him if he was a pilot. "I just want to be a pilot.” He repeated.

"Well then, let's get you started." The Chief said as he started ushering Jack toward the back door. "Only thing is, the training transport is leaving tomorrow and if you don't join now I can't make you a pilot."

"What? I…" Jack suddenly looked unsure putting on the breaks feeling very sober. "I, I can't just up and leave without talking things over with my, my parents first. They depend on me and need time to replace me. If they would even let m…."

The Chief pushed Jack away toward the front door. "Go then! Go back to your ship and cleaning shit tanks and putting up with your brothers crap and maybe someday you may get to pilot a shuttle boat." Then with venomous disgust dripping from every word. "Get out of my sight. I can't stand baby boys that waste their talent on garbage scows. Especially men with the talent and training you have. The Navy needs men that think on their feet with the commitment to do the right thing without running home to ask mommy and daddy what to do. Please Daddy? What do I do now? Tell me please. Please let me. I want my Mommy. Boohoo. I am just a baby." Turning his back on Jack he started to walk away. "You disgust me BOY! Get Out of my sight!"

Jack glanced at the woman he had come in with who was suddenly staring at him, waiting expectantly. Then he turned and stood starring out the door at a vaguely familiar girl standing outside the office. He suddenly realized he had nothing to go back to the ship for. No unbroken possessions, no cabin that wouldn’t just be as trashed for any of a dozen reasons next week along with anything else he managed to buy. He was even broke with no hope of ever earning enough to buy a replacement game box that wouldn't just get broken again. Even his parents would not miss him or let him work at anything more than sewage plant operator and cleaning up shit for the rest of his life. Turning Jack staggered forward catching the Chief by the shoulder almost falling flat. "I am not a... A... I want to be a pilot!"

"What did you say boy. I don't listen to baby boys. The Navy needs men. Men that think and act for themselves."

"I think for myself!"

"Then be a man and step through that door and be the Navy Battleship Pilot you want to be and prove to your family you are the best."

Jack staggered for the back door as Tom stopped him (before the recruiter could interfere) and said. "Hey Jack, they want me to be a fighter pilot. Can you believe that? Me, from a tramp ship engine room to a fighter pilot. Let's get home so I can talk to my parents."

"Oh shut up and don't be a baby. We don’t' have anything back on the ship's we can't live without." Jack realized he had nothing back there to live for either. "Fact is, there is a lot back there I want to live without. You're going to be a fighter pilot and I am going to be a Battleship Pilot." Jack smiled at Tom. “Your butt is coming with me so we can get all the girls." Slapping Tom on the back as he looked at the woman at the recruiting table full of papers with her boobs holding most of them down staring at him with a smile from ear to ear. They both staggered through the back door with big smiles across their faces as well.

The Chief watched them go through the door and smiled as he let out a lung full of air. He thought he had lost them both for a second when his buddy was able to get to him before the first boy had gotten through the door. But then the first boy had dragged the second with him. The Chief chuckled as he turned away. It was a one way door. By law they had to walk through the back door without a recruiter to prove legally they joined of their own violation, but it said nothing about buddies dragging in friends. Over half their new recruits were literally, dragged in by friends. Normal everyday commonsense people who would have never even thought about joining, if it was not for their friends wanting to justify their own recruitment or too scared to go in alone. But usually once a group or pair broke up looking at and wanting different carriers. They also had different reasons for joining and letting them get back together usually just magnified their reasons for not joining, resulting in losing them both. So they went to extreme measures to keep such recruits apart. But this time it had worked out just the opposite. Instead of the second boy that was vehemently refusing to join dragging the first boy out to think about it, the first boy dragged the second in even though experience had told the recruiter it would take a squad of marines to drag him in threw the back door. What figures?

The Chief walked over to the two ladies as they disengaged themselves from the mass of papers and stood up. One replacing her boob back into her bra. "Thanks ladies; that was a very good job this time. Those little tidbits about his brother and cleaning the shit tanks sealed it." He handed them each some big credit bills. "Now get back out there and get me some more recruits."

One of the women stuffed the money down her bra. The other down her shorts that barely covered her bush and into the gap between her legs. "You sure you don’t want the local boys and girls? They would be a lot easier to recruit. Only half of the ones we bring in go into your back room."

"Sorry ladies, but we have thousands of the local hicks already, they take a year to train the basics too. The Trampship crewmen only need basic training for a couple of months not to mention the years of experience in space they have already. No, we need them to form the backbone of our new fleet crews. With what is coming down the pike, the navy simply does not have the time to train experience into all the new crews. Now get out there and shake your butts and boobs. And if you can get me the right little bitching details and heart's desire on each one you bring in, I could get every one of them to enlist. Make you a lot more money. Fact is, if I get the next ones you bring in to enlist I will double your fees." The girls left as another crewman in tramp clothes followed a scantily clad woman into the recruiting center.

The Chief started sizing up the man but then paused for a second as he heard a noise out on the promenade. Turning, a recruiter in dress blues was standing next to the girl he had seen before out on the promenade dressed in the same Trampship crewmen uniform as the boy he had just enlisted. She was telling him what she thought of him and all men for that matter for all to hear. She wore a tight wrap around her chest with a baggy blouse and jacket hiding her breasts with no makeup on a face that did not need makeup.

The Chief watched her actually tell the recruiter to get lost as she sneered at him pulling a stun rod, even though her friends who were with her started licking their lips as they gathered around the uniform with too many muscles and a chest full of bright shiny medals. That got the Chiefs attention as the girl that told the recruiter to get lost started to leave, looking apprehensively baffled tear filled eyes back into the Recruiting Center.

The Chief smiled, the tramp girl wore her pain for everyone to see if they knew how to look. And part of that pain just got recruited. He flicked another finger and a couple of woman recruiters ran out onto the promenade. The girl was a sure bet now they knew what buttons to push, with her dragging her 3 friends along so she would not feel alone, if they worked things right. Girls always ran in packs making it easier to recruit the whole pack than an individual and since the individual was already mostly a certainty, the girls were dead meat.

Stepping to the door into the promenade he smiled as he called out. "First Class Evens." Getting everyone's attention including the targeted Girl. "Mr. Turner will make a wonderful pilot and officer for the fleet, congratulations for signing him up." He knew the recruiters just getting out there would take his hint and run with it. He turned back through the door to the man with his nose almost up the call girls butt and smiled. He didn't have to look at the text the call girl had sent after sizing him up but he did anyway, just to make sure. He didn't want to take any chances, the stakes were too high. He had a ship to fill. He also sent a text to the recruiters with the girls out on the promenade, just to make sure they used the right bait even though his statement to hook the girl should have been enough to reel them in. Then made a note to make sure the girls were not assigned to the same training company as the two boys if they did manage to snare the girls. Though he would have laid a healthy bet with odds."

4-

BOOTCAMP SHIP

The universal Vacuum alarm went off. Jack jumped out of his bunk without thinking and headed for his suit locker only to stop at the foot of the bunk as he realized he was not in his cabin. Not only was his head trying to fall off but nothing looked familiar. Besides he knew from the feel that he was still planet side. Baffled he looked around at a hundred guys and gals doing the same thing down the row of bunks lining both sides of the compartment. Wearing only underwear with numbers printed on their fronts matching the bunk numbers they had been sleeping in. Looking around for his cloths he remembered that all their civilian cloths had been taken the night before leaving them with only the shorts they were wearing. But why were they here?

Then it hit him as he realized that he not only felt shitty and had a headache but he had signed enlistment papers before being sworn into the United Republic of Planets Navy. "Oh shit! Is my old man going to be pissed at me." Jack said to Tom sitting on the front of his bunk next to Jack's bunk, wondering what he had done. Except Tom knew why as he stared at Jack still in shock. Expecting Jack to do something about it or for the nightmare to end.

Looking down the rows Jack realized that a few of the faces looked familiar but could not remember some of their names as he sat down on his bunk holding his aching head. But then he was terrible with people's names after trying to avoid them most of the time aboard ship. Scared to death of being noticed and criticized.

A familiar man came into the compartment and said in a booming voice with no effort that sounded like it could carry across a stadium. "OK maggots. My name is Chief Starly. I want everyone in the big yellow box in front of their bunk NOW!" Chief Starly continued to walk down the passageway between bunks. "Move it Maggots, move it. We don’t have all day! Place your feet on the foot pads in the box in front of your bunks. Move it! Move it! Move it!" The Chief stepped up to a man standing half out of the box. Placing his nose within an inch of his even though he had to stand on tip toes. "I said! Put your feet in the box on the foot imprints idiot!" The Chief screamed showering the man with spittle, hurting Jacks ears even though he was ten bunks away. "I want to make sure you are alive and not the walking dead maggot."

As the man hurried to comply, the Chief turned around and spotted an empty box directly across from Jack's bunk. Rushing over to the bunk he stared down at the lump laid out in the bunk sleeping wrapped in a blanket with Navy printed across it that roughly resembled a woman. Then placed his mouth next to her ear and started screaming. "Don't tell me your ship taught you how to breathe vacuum shit head. Now get your butt in that box."

Turning over lazily she looked up at the Chief's mouth only a few inches from her one open eye. "I know what a vacuum alarm sounds like love. I also know what a leak and reduced atmosphere sounds like and what ships gravity feels like and we are still planet side. Besides I didn't get to bed until 3 this morning and it is 5 now. Give me a couple anti-hangover pills and wake me in another 5 hours like a good boy and I will head back to my ship. Maybe we can party again next time we are in port if you promise me more action. Last night's party was a bust and I never did get laid." Pulling down the blanket enough to expose her huge breasts. "None of the officers seem to be interested in these. Can you believe that?" She turned over and buried her head under the pillow. "I am losing my touch."

The Chief grabbed the mattress and dumped the woman off the bunk and onto the deck blankets and all. "Now get your ugly butt off the deck and onto your foot prints maggot. No more partying nights while you are aboard my ship. You are in the Navy now." He turned and started walking away. "Now maggots just to make sure we are on the same page. The Port side of the ship is to your left facing the bow. The Starboard side is the right side of the ship facing the bow. That never changes no matter where you are or which direction you are facing when talking about placement and directions on the ship. Otherwise your left hand is your left and your right hand is your right referring to your personal body. Do not confuse the two. Port and Starboard always refers to the ship and all its equipment and compartments and the area around the ship. Left and right refers to your sorry assess and only your assess."

The Chief took a deep breath. "The Navy has no ceilings aboard ships, they are called overheads. Decks are the things you walk on if it is air tight, if not then it is a grate, even if you can't see through it. The difference is important because sealing a hatch in a grate does you no fucking good at all to keep you alive maggots. All walls are called bulkheads unless they are not air tight and then they are partitions. Shutting a door in a partition will kill you if you expect to stay breathing during a hull breach. You need to close a hatch in a bulkhead to stay alive. If it is not air tight then it is not a hatch. The Navy does not have rooms aboard its ships except for the main propulsion spaces which are called engine rooms. All airtight spaces are called Compartments or cabins if they are not air tight, though birthing compartments are called cabins even though they are air tight. By regulations all birthing cabins must have hatches on them and be air tight no matter how small. So maggots if you hear the vacuum alarm in the middle of the night and you are in a 4 bunk cabin, check before you open the hatch or you may kill yourself and your buddies. It is very simple to remember even for piles of shits like you maggots."

The woman dragged herself up off the deck from under the mattress, shedding the blanket she revealed nothing underneath as she wiggled everything including her bare butt for all to see as she walked to the front of her bunk with her boobs bouncing with each step. Standing naked on her foot pads she rubbed her head pulling her long hair up as she stretched. Her bare boobs jutting out in front of her. Then she reached down with one hand and scratched herself under the boobs making them dance. Then she put her other hand down into the 6 inch gap between her legs for a second to scratch as she scratched her butt with the other.

Birthing Cabins are air tight to give you plenty of time to put on your ships uniform coveralls that double as an emergency life support suit that you are required to wear at all times when you are not in your birthing cabin and you will always be wearing them before you open the cabin's hatch. You are responsible for making sure everyone in that cabin has their suits on and are sealed before you open that hatch once the vacuum alarm has gone off. If you don't you will be spaced so you can join the poor sap you killed that thought you were his buddy…." Chief Starly was stopped half way across the barracks when he started hearing wolf whistles and turned back around to see her standing naked on her foot prints robbing her boobs around pinching her nipples with her eyes closed with a smile. Walking back as he studied every inch of the woman's body he placed his nose against her nose. "Just what in hell are you doing? Where are your shorts and sleeping bra maggot?"

"I don't like to sleep with anything between me and a man, love. Panties and even that thin sports bra are too restrictive and just get in the way of having fun and damn uncomfortable." Smiling. "Don't you agree sailor."

"Why of course maggot. Fact is I think you should not do anything that makes you uncomfortable, since my navy is so liberal. But your skivvies are government property and I would hate for you to loose government property. Get your god damn skivvies maggot! Now!"

With the Chief riding her ass, she grabbed her skivvies from the locker next to the head of her bunk and started to put them on.

"Did I tell you to put them on maggot?" The Chief dragged her out into the middle of the passageway by pinching one of her big red nipples and walking fast. "Now everyone take off your skivvies and put your panties or shorts over your head like a hat with the number up front and put your sports bra on backwards facing your ass with the straps over your shoulders." Everyone in the compartment did as they were told. "Now with your free right hand, take ahold of your crotch. That is wrap you hand around your dick if you have one or stick your fingers in your slit between your legs if you don't have a dick and hold on tight. Then repeat after me." The Chief started chanting. “Public privates are for all. Touch my skivvies and die. Public Privates are for all. Touch my undies and die. That means people, that if you walk around naked flaunting what you have outside the head and shower, anyone can jump in and play. The Navy is an equal opportunity organization. Which is why there are strict rules against exposing yourself. This is not a nudist camp. But we all have to live and shower together so every compartment is wired. Uniform and no touching rules strictly enforced even in the shower where ogling and starring and sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Now to that end let's get started by getting rid of the old school yard's reason for smirking at your fellow naked bodies.

"Now we will add an exclamation to help you remember better. After each verse of "Touch my privates and die." You will slap your own butt twice and hard. After the verse of "Public privates are for all." You will pull your dick or your crotch and push up your boobs, which ever you have for all to see with the words Hump, Hump. And if I don't hear a good hard slap or see the flag raised every time it is called for, my little helpers will help you. If you do not have enough breast to push up you grab it and jerk on it like a cow." Turning around to look at everyone. "Do you understand maggots?"

"Yes Chief!" most tried to keep from smiling but were not very successful.

After they had repeated the chant a few times complete with slaps the Chief said. "Now attention. Left face. Forward march. “The group started marching around the compartment in front of the bunks.” Public privates are for all. Hump, Hump." As the Chief stuck out his crotch with his hand on it pulling up to show it off. "Touch my skivvies and die. Slap, Slap." The Chief's left hand slapping his own butt making a louder slap than anyone else even though he still had his pants on. Continuing to repeat the chants and slaps over and over again as they marched around the compartment with every naked recruit showing off their privates. Most of the men getting hard rather easily weather they wanted to or not.

For an hour they marched around the compartment pulling and chanting and slapping. With a dozen drill Sargent's berating the recruits whenever they even glanced at another recruits private parts, which was hard not to do at first. Especially turning vicious when the recruits started getting aroused and knowing exactly where to painfully pinch or slap to deflate any desires. After a half hour no one was even thinking of looking at anything but back of the head in front of him or her. After an hour the last thing anyone wanted to do was touch their privates let alone pull on them. Finally after two hours of marching around in a circle naked, the sight of anyone’s privates was beyond arousing. The Chief stopped them on their own foot pads with perfect precision.

"Now that we are no longer children giggling at peckers and boobs you can put your skivvies back on and the next time someone decides they do not feel like wearing them outside the shower that includes your bunk, you all can take a tour of the ship naked and give everyone a chance to enjoy all your bodies. Something the gays would love to take advantage of as you stand at attention. Is that understood maggots?"

It took another good hour of shouting "Yes, sir!" and another hundred tours around the compartment naked before the Chief decided that he could hear them all and that they understood. Finally with the recruits dressed properly in their numbered skivvies, they marched to the recruit processing and uniform supply compartments to get a haircut and sign for their personal kits. Arriving just as another company was leaving. Jack thought he spotted the familiar face of a girl from childhood that he had grown up with but the size of the girls breasts sticking out a good foot in front of her told him that it could not possible be her. Her company marched past his company as they waited to enter the supply compartment. He tried to look to make sure but got that him chewed out with threats of a run around the ship naked as he did twenty pushups along with half the company who had looked at her breasts. Even though he was not looking at her breasts but her face. Finely deciding that could not be her. She wouldn't have been that stupid and had a wonderful loving family with no reason for her to join.

With his new uniforms that had been tailor machine made for him as well as all the other recruits during the night (they had been scanned the night before after dawning their numbered underwear) complete with his name stenciled on the front of each peace and on every item in his kit. Then after storing every piece away in its proper labeled place in his locker, Jack took up position again in the footpads at the head of his bunk. He was glad he was not the last few as a half dozen drill sergeants descended on the poor saps. The Chief stepped into the compartment. "Now that you look like worms instead of maggots we will go to a late breakfast and then ladies and gentlemen after a short class on your responsibilities as Navy Crewmen you will be allowed out onto the military landing tarmac to say good bye to your families. That is if you filled out your forms properly last night and for some that didn't; if it turns out your family really loves and missed you and read our announcement of your enlistment this morning in the news. Just remember one thing. You are in the navy now and deserters will be shot even in the back if you run, including any family you try to hide behind as accessories during the act."

Letting that sink in for a few seconds the Chief continued. "And to preclude any rumors. A planetary out post system on the fringe of human space went silent over a year ago along with a string of outposts since and now a frontier system with millions of colonists only a week ago. Since the first loss of contact, we have lost every ship that has gone out to investigate, including battleship squadrons and dozens of our fastest scout ships. Luckily some of those ships were able to get message torpedoes clear of the enemy before they were destroyed. Also lucky for us that we were already building new battleships at a low rate as the bugs in the new engines were being worked out, that had cropped up during initial production some 30 years ago. Luckily someone forgot to tell the automated hull factory about the engine slowdown but now that we need them we have a lot of battleships that finally have engines but no crews. Luckily again, we have you and thousands like you on dozens of training ships scattered across the Republic."

The Chief walked back and forth around the compartment as he talked. "Something big and nasty this way comes worms and that is a secret you cannot talk about to anyone including your loved ones. That is an order that will get you and your family thrown in the brig if you tell them. Just remember, all of you were handpicked to join. We really are producing battle ships faster than we can train good crews for and you are the best. Just remember that when you go out and start whining to your loved ones about how unfair the universe is, you may be the ones that save your family's ship and their lives."

Jack had his bunk's personal screen set on the space port as the training ship sitting horizontally on its belly, lifted on its huge gravity coils until it was high enough to fire its main engines and point its stern toward the ground and blasted into space leaving the planet and system behind. He had seen thousands of take offs before, but this was the first time he had ever taken off leaving his parents and family ship behind. He was suddenly very alone. A tear came to his eyes as he lost sight of the Turner Joy. Something he had not done saying good bye to his parents on the tarmac in front of the training ship. He had been taught that as the Captain's son, to maintain an even strain.

Besides after being berated for being stupid and joining the Navy by both his father and brother, a tear was the last thing that even tried to come out. Even when his mother started to cry, shocking Jack. He did not know what to make of his sister simply standing staring at him while shaking her head in bewilderment until much later when she finally hugged him and said into his ear. "You’re smart enough to get off the Turner Joy. Maybe you aren’t so dumb after all." Then kissed him on the cheek. Jack's other surprise was his grandfather, while stern faced, Pop actually hugged him and said. "You remember everything I taught you boy and you will go fare in spite of the stupid Colleges you were enrolled in instead of my university. Just remember The Game, and don't get in a hurry. It will come to you in time. Just do your best is all anyone can ask of you." Giving him another hug and kissed him on both cheeks. "I am proud of you Jack no matter what happens." Holding him out at arm's length he stared into Jack's eyes. "Don't be afraid to argue interpretations of proven facts. It was the wrong interpretation of facts a thousand years ago that kept man locked into the Sol system when the scientific consensuses interpretation insisted that nothing could go faster than light even after man had colonies across the planets and the right interpretation was starring them in the face. A moron finally saw enough of the right interpretation to finally design and build gravity coils to push his ship past the speed of light to the nearest star and back again in months before the scientific consensuses finally came up with the complete current interpretation. The speed of gravity limit may be just another wrong interpretation as well though there is no reason for us to worry about it right now. There are plenty of others about the enemy that could get you killed."

A high pitched voice practically screamed. "Leave me alone you pervert!"

Pop shook his head as he slapped Jacks shoulder. "Take care boy. I have to go kill your brother before he gets arrested." Glancing at his son standing next to Jack with a disgusted look, Pop turned and walked off in the direction of the scream.

Tom's parents suddenly appeared Immerging out of the throngs of people, asking Jack to keep an eye on their son and keep him safe as they hugged him, wishing him well. Jack tried to talk with Tom but with Tom’s parents in front of him and his parents flanking him with mom clutching his arm refusing to let go it was impossible. Then dozens of other parents from the Turner Joy started coming up to them. All expecting the Captain's son to provide a miracle even though a day before most were calling him retard or laughing at the idea of him being a ship's pilot.

A baffled and shocked Jack simply stood there to stunned to say anything. Still mad at his father and brother and unsure of himself. His parents, talking to the parents trying to ease their worries while Jack simply smiled as best as he could saying as little as possible, not knowing what to say in the first place. Especially when a vaguely familiar looking girl in a navy recruit uniform like his with huge breasts came up stopping a few feet away glaring at him for several minutes as his parents’ reassuring other parents. She suddenly lunged forward hugging him briefly and told him that he couldn’t run far enough to keep her from hating him and then gave him a peck on his lips. A spark arced between her lips and his and as she backed up he raised his hand toward his lips in surprise but caught her breast for a second instead. Already confused and embarrassed from all the attention Jack could only stand there in shock. With one of the twin suns half way up on the horizon in his eyes preventing him from seeing anything but her shadowed outline, he simply grunted at the strange girl as he started to reach his hand up to shield his eyes hitting her boob yet again.

She slapped him across the face and screamed at him. Though with everyone else talking only he heard her. “I am going to kill you, you pervert!” Grabbing his upper arm like a vice.

Jack was jerked around by another parent wanting his reassurance that he would personally watch out for their child even though their child was years older than he was. The girl’s fingers still digging into his arm. Jack suddenly noticed his brother with happy sparkling eyes heading his way from behind the man demanding his attention, to his dread at first. But a sudden growing expectation crossed his mind, that maybe his brother had a change of heart about him joining the Navy only to realize his brothers eyes were not on him but on someone a little to the side and behind him as he strode past him. Turning around as his brother slapped him on the shoulder without ever looking at him as he realized the strange girl was gone. Jack shielded his eyes against the sun as he watched the back of his brother pushing through the crowd chasing after some girl, doing his usual. Looking beyond to see too many women around to figure out which one had kissed him and then it downed on him what his asshole brother was doing yet again.

With the hottest of the suns beating down on him and the high humidity jungle surrounding the port making him sweat and not helping with his hang over. Jack wiped the tear from his eyes as he backed a few steps away from his father talking to the worried parents of the Turner Joy and even other ships when word got around that a Ship's Captain's son had enlisted. Shaking his head as his brother walked back up and started making passes at everything with boobs in sight. Jack wished he could crawl into one of the cracks in the tarmac so people would stop looking at him, blaming him for his brother. He was so embarrassed watching his brother making a fool out of himself trying to get the Comm number of even the recruits that were getting ready to leave the planet.

Not being able to watch his brother anymore, Jack turned again to study the ship laying on its belly across the miles long tarmac behind him. The huge mile long ship sat with half a dozen gapping hatches and thousands of recruits marching or running in perfect step up and down the ramps and around the ship. Most of them in Navy battle dress and weapons. Though he wondered about several small groups spread out around the corners of the ship that had been standing at attention without moving since his company, amongst the half dozen new companies, had marched out there to the fenced compound to say good bye to their relatives and friends. Or rather shambled out there in rag tag loose lines that kind of made him ashamed compared to the seemingly hundreds of strait lined precision marching and cadence chanting companies moving around them. He had to admit they looked good. He turned his attention back to the ship.

The ship was an old hundred year old assault transport that he had a badly repaired model of in his cabin back on the Turner Joy. The real ship bristled with dozens of self-defense and troop support gun turrets his model did not have. Seeing the real ship up close finally made Jack realize he was becoming part of something much bigger than himself. Something he could be proud of if he could ever get past being scared to death. Jack found himself wishing the Drill Chief would come and get them so they could leave as his mother kept clinging and embarrassing him. Especially each time he saw his brother making a fool of himself with another woman or girl that did not look old enough or. All the parents coming up to talk to his father to demand the impossible while they stared and gestured at him. Though he was glad they were not talking to him anymore. His family talking about him as if he was not there was just normal.

Jack had slowly dragged his mother a good dozen feet away from the crowd gathering around his father’s booming voice and everyone’sstares when his Grandfather turned to his mother. Pop pried his mother's fingers from around Jack's arm. "Pat, you need to help with these parents and let Jack take a break." Guiding her over to her husband through the group gathering around demanding Jack help them do something. Though Jack could not figure out what it was they wanted him to do. Pop came back and stood beside Jack not saying anything.

Jack heard his brother talking to one of the woman waiting to talk to their father, using the voice he hated that was several octaves lower than normal when his brother talked to girls. Lower than Jack could even speak. Though the girls seemed to swoon over his smooth stupid words aboard ship. But here it did not seem to be getting him anywhere as his voice kept getting lower and lower. His brother was good at taking no for an answer from women and not even taking a breath before hitting on someone else only feet away. Then to Jack's surprise, his brother found someone that he decided he would not take no for an answer from and started following her around continually trying to talking to her in that deepening voice that did not seem to impress her. Jack realized it was the woman in his company that had not liked wearing cloths. Bringing an embarrassed frown to Jack for a second as his brother (after she had squirmed away from him trying to touch her several times), grabbed her arm to keep her from walking off yet again and he suddenly dropped to the tarmac clutching his groin as she walked away forgetting about him like the trash he was.

Jack started smiling as his brother laid on the tarmac in pain. Though he wanted to crawl and hide in embarrassment. Pop saw Jack smiling at his brother's predicament. "About time he got his isn't it Jack?" He said to Jack above the noise of the crowd.

Jack turned and looked at Pop. "Ya. Too bad it took so long. Hopefully now he will have learned a lesson."

Chuckling. "Don't bet on it son. He has had that lesson many times before and he just keeps on going and going. Like a bunny in a commercial I once saw." Taking a deep breath. "You ready to go yet. There is nothing left here for you I am sorry to say. Your future is with the Navy now. They will treat you right and fair and they don't change their rules at whims or think you are a moron. You will do fine son."

Jack smiled as he turned around to look at the ship. "It’s a big ship Pop and I only left it because they did not give me a chance to hide." Looking back at Pop Jack chuckled. "Though I am glad I did come out to say good bye to you and I am glad you are not mad at me for joining up. But I could have done without all the yelling from Dad and Dan and mom hugging me is just strange. Especially in public. Fact is I can’t remember the last time she hugged me. And I am really sick of Dan embarrassing me making a fool of himself." Jack turned to his sister only a few feet away talking up a storm to some hansom guy in a recruit’s uniform with her arm around his as if they had been best friends for years. At least she was not embarrassing him but then she also did not seem to care he was leaving either.

"Sorry Jack but you needed to see it or you would have regretted leaving. Eventually giving you second thoughts about going and about what you were doing. It is best to close all the doors behind you before you start a new life. Making sure you realize that you have no life to come back to.” Pop started walking Jack away toward the gate leaving his parents to deal with the crowd.

"The only thing I am leaving behind Pop is one hell of a dept to Dan. I am still kicking myself for IOU’s I thought were work orders he made me sign. In spite of what Dan says, I am not into gambling or throwing tantrums like a 6 year old. Hell, I don’t even know how much in IOU’s Dan has and come to think of it, some of those papers he had me sign were blank.”

“I don’t believe you trashed your cabin or destroyed your ship in The Game Jack. And I know how hard you have been working around the ship all these years.”

Taking a deep breath and sighing as he shrugged his shoulders but then looking at his grandfather again, a smile crept into his face as a warm feeling settled into him to finely find out that someone he loved knew how hard he had been working. “You sure you aren’t mad at me Pop?"

"Never be mad at you boy, you’re the jewel of the family and don't forget that. Your father and brother are the morons of the family. Don’t worry about your brother and his crap now that you can see it for what it is. Just don’t forget it when you forgive him this time. I will take care of the IOU’s and make sure you have all your back pay back into your account when you want it. Though I don’t think the Navy is going to give you much time to spend it for quite a while.”

“Just remember that if I had not bought this ship 30 years ago, your father would be buried in the basement of some company on some God forsaken planet in a dead end job. Your mother would be back on Debenove on her third or fourth marriage, your brother probably would be in jail and you would never have been born. The ship is the only thing keeping your parents married. You go and make a new life and be the best you can be and forget about us. We will be fine. "

Taking one last look at his parents through the crowd and his brother back on his feet talking to some fat gal with a smile from ear to ear eating up his shit and catching the eye of his sister who waved halfheartedly with a baffled half smile at him before turning back to the guy she was with. Jack smiled at Pop, gave him one last hug and started walking, leaving the fenced area and heading for the Navy Assault Transport.

He had barely gotten through the gate when Tom came running up and joined him. Slapping him on the back as he started walking beside him in step. "I thought you would never leave." Tom gazed at the ship ahead of them as they walked.

A dozen steps later several more trainees joined them falling in step behind them. The woman his brother had been following around harassing was one of them making him smile. He could not help saying over his shoulder without explaining anything. "And you didn't kill the asshole. I am impressed. Too bad though." She just smiled back at him.

A hundred feet from the gate half his company was running up behind them, taking their places in a ragged formation behind them and trying to get in step as other companies started forming around the gate to the compound. By the time they reached the hatch they had marched out of an hour before, three quarters of his companies recruits were behind him with several other companies doing their best to march across the tarmac toward the hatch as well. Jack hoping that his company had not looked as pitiful as they did but knew they probably did.

Chief Starly stopped Jack at the head of the ramp. "What the hell are you doing worm?" The Chief said as his voice carried out the hatch. "You have another hour to visit with your families before we have to close up the ship for lift off." Looking at Jack and Tom and then the ranks of trainees behind them. "Get your butts back out there now."

Jack wanted to crawl someplace to hide as he stood at attention in front of the Chief with everyone behind him and no place to hide. His face drifting down to look at the deck with his eyes darting around. The last thing he wanted to do was go back out to his parents and all the people that knew him in the compound. The embarrassment would kill him. "No! Chief Starly." Jack burst out.

"What the hell did you say WORM!" The Chief turned to Jack placing his nose up to Jack's nose. Having to duck down to look up at his bowed head. "You get your head up like a worm or are you a maggot? Because if you are still a maggot, I am going to kick your butt out the nearest hatch and off my ship with a dishonorable discharge."

Jack froze, his face wrinkling up in terror as he slowly looked up into the Chief's eyes straitening his back. His lips started quivering as his eyes clouded up in terror.

Tom took a deep breath. "We said goodbye Chief. We are ready to start training instead of wasting time."

The Chief jerked over to give Tom the evil eye and then with a disbelieving look, he stepped away from Tom and Jack to look down the company ranks as another partial company marched up to stop at the edge of the ramp next to Jack's company. "You Worms want to train to become crewman?" The Chiefs voice carried out across the tarmac.

He was answered by hundreds of trainees yelling as a crowd. Impossible to understand. Then as they paused Jack said taking a few extra seconds to get the courage to join the flock but the flock shut up as he spoke. "Yes Chief. We want to train Chief." Jack's mouth dropped open in shock when he realized he had yelled the words all by himself.

The Chief turned to Jack staring at him shaking his head from side to side. Then tapped his wrist comm as he peered out at a half empty fenced compound. "Get your butts out of the break compartments. We have worms that want to become Crewmen." Turning to the company. "You worms look like shit. Cookie scouts can make a better formation than you shit heads. Formations are made up of the shortest to front Starboard and the tallest at the stern to Port. Now get formed up into four ranks properly you worms before I decide you all are maggots and don't deserve to be in my navy."

It was a ripple effect as Jack's company started trying to follow orders as every company in hearing tried as well with not much success as they kept milling around trying to figure out who was taller than who. Finally the Chiefs and Sargent's started rushing out to find their companies bringing order to the chaos.

With Sargent's screaming at them they finally formed up properly and started marching around in front of the fenced compound with relatives lining up to watch the formations as more and more recruits left the compound to fall in with their companies. The Sergeants at first shoving the few arriving recruits into their proper place in the formation. Then when several came back at once, the recruits shoved them around until they were in the right place while the sergeants were busy. The Chief saw this happen and the next recruit that came out to join up was left to the company to sort out her placement while the sergeants concentrated on training the late arrivals to march.

A half hour later Chief Starly stopped as Jack's company marched past the compound finally looking half way decent with the ranks mostly full with only a hand full of hold outs still crying and hugging their loved ones in a compound that was still half full of spectators watching. Shaking his head he smiled as he sent a Sargent to grab the last of the recruits before they headed shipside then tapped his comm. "Captain, we will have to try this on the next planet. Not wanting to look like shit in front of their families has cut the time teaching them to march to a fraction. Damn good incentive."

Then the Chief noticed a group of civilians walking through the gate out onto the Tarmac. He was the closest petty officer to them. Rushing over to them he started shouting at them. "Only military personnel are allowed on the tarmac. Get back into the compound now."

Stopping in front of the first bunch as more sergeants approached stopping to block them from getting any farther. Then one of the civilians spoke up. "We want to enlist Captain."

The Chief rolled his eyes as his mouth dropped open. Stifling his automatic answer about being a working stiff while looking around the large group in disbelief. "Ok. You want to enlist?"

"Yes." Said just about everyone in earshot. Then one continued. "We can see the news and we are not stupid. You want experienced spacers so here we are."

The Chief looked at more men and women filing through the gate, many with packs. Finally taking a deep breath, he hit his comm again. "Captain, we have more volunteers. Think you can delay take off long enough to process them?"

"What Chief? How many are you talking about?"

"Looks like a good company at least to me sir but they are one hell of a Hodgepodge in age and everything else. I doubt if most of them have been near a bar or the mall and I see uniforms from ships we have not recruited from." Turning around to look out across the Tarmac and the rest of the port, he saw a steady stream of crewmen headed their way. He was sure they were not family members of the recruits. "Ah Captain. Make that a couple of companies."

"Hold Chief. I will get back to you in a minute."

The Chief stood there for well over a minute before the Captain came back on the line. "Yes it does look like at least a couple of companies. Have them line up along the fence and get a count. We will be right out. You can tell me how you managed that when we get in orbit so we can do it again. I will delay launch an hour."

The Chief had them line up as ordered and started counting and getting names. A man stepped out of the line. "Hey Chief. You really going to enlist us?"

The Chief looked at him and smiled. "Ya that is the Idea. You did want to enlist right?"

"Hell yes. I have a cousin on a ship that has disappeared. Someone has to go get him. You got room for more?"

The Chief chuckled. "Ya we have room for anyone that wants to fight." His eyes narrowed as he watched dozens of wrists come up to make calls. Shrugging his shoulder he started counting again and then watched several more bodies come out of the fenced yard and get into the line he had already counted. Shaking his head he went back and started counting again. Another woman came out and started to cut into the line where he had already counted. Stopping he stared at her.

"Well Chief, I did not think they would take anyone this late with you lifting off shortly but since you are, I will join in the fun." The Chief continued to stare at her. "I have relatives out that way Chief." The Chief stared at her for another couple of seconds then pointed at the line in front of him. "Oh. Yes, you were counting weren’t you." She walked over and got into line where he was pointing. He then started counting where he had left off.

A minute later a boat came down that had just taken off from the other side of the port's civilian section and landed behind the Chief close enough to blow his uniform around forcing everyone in the line to shield their faces and recruits to run out of the boats way as it landed. The back hatch opened and a load of men and women walked out with duffle bags and started lining up all along the fence including where the Chief had already counted.

Counting to ten with his eyes closed as the boat took off again the Chief returned to the far right side of the line now way past the gate and started counting again as another boat landed directly behind him again. Turning to yell at the ones coming out the hatch to go to the back of the line, more people with duffle bags started coming out of the fenced enclosure that had been dumped off on the other side of the compound by a van. He caught sight of several other vans headed that way with another 40 or 50 individual scattered across the lots from the civilian pits walking that way. Shaking his head his comm sounded.

"Did you give those boats permission to land Chief?" The Captain was one heart beat from yelling.

Chuckling. "No Captain. Seems we have been going about recruiting all the wrong ways. You may have to get another ship to come back here and take some of our planetary stops if recruiting goes this good from now on."

"Hell Chief I am getting calls from all over the port for us to wait for recruits to find transportation to the fence line. I will start sending boats around the port as soon as we get them in the launch rails. No, we don't have the ships to come back here any time soon. We will crowd them in somehow until we can ship current classes of graduates out. I think you just made Master Chief. Just get them aboard and we will swear them in before launch and process them in as we go."

"Not me Captain. It’s the news and the fact that we are here doing something positive and ready to leave and no one wants to be left behind if they were even thinking about joining."

"Damn Chief." The Captain was not one to curse forcing the Chief to raise his eyebrows. "We are now getting calls from the stations, moons and rocks around this damn system wanting us to wait for people wanting to join your fence line. How the hell does a bunch of men lined up along a fence to enlist, make it clear to a damn mining rock on the other side of the system this fast. Well as I said Chief get them on board now and we will worry about the details later. We have a schedule to keep and now we are making a couple stops before we leave the system. There are 32 over crowded transports scheduled to pit at our next system full of possible recruits that won't wait for us being late. We launch in an hour and no later."

"Ah yes Captain we will get a count as they board sir." Looking around the Chief shook his head. "And Captain. It may be a good idea to call ahead and tell the Next stop we are coming. You may find them waiting for us when we get there. Make things go a lot faster on that end sir."

"Very well Master Chief. Get them aboard. Out."

Boats started flying off the sides of the ship as the catapult on minimum power made sure they cleared the ship. Some started climbing into the sky at full throttle while others arched around to land around the port.

The ship would leave the system with well over 3,000 additional recruits. Some of them having no more space experience than the ride in the training ship to orbit when they followed the recruit lines at the port. The secret of the alien invasion was no longer much of a secret in the space ship community. Or most anyplace else by then.

5-

LACK OF EDUCATION

"Jack." Tom said from the bunk next to Jack's, jerking him back from the tarmac outside the training ship. "I can't believe I am leaving my family behind. I can't believe how sad seeing my ship still sitting there makes me. I can't believe I have joined the Navy to become a fighter pilot. Hell. I can't believe I followed you through that fucking door."

"Ya man. I am still trying to figure out what happened as well." The form fitting bunk seemed to move under Jack to conform to his body as the decks gravity coils hesitated to keep up with the maneuvering ship as it climbed through the jet stream over the port. Then a few minutes later the picture in the screen turned as the ship took up a new course. "They aren't wasting any time heading for the next star system Tom. It's a shame the gravboard operator is a blind idiot. He is not compensating for anything until after it happens." Jack turned his head to look at Tom and came up nose to the form fitting plastic foam that had appeared forming a fence around the bunk as the ship took off. Surprised, he sat up enough to looked over the fence and closely at the bunk Tom was laying back in mostly out of sight He suddenly realized that the bunks had gravity coils built into them and the fence was to keep someone from hanging something out from the gravity field and getting it cut off by the possible hundreds of Gees difference. "Damn Tom. This must be one fast ship with gravity coils in the bunks." Looking back at the screen and the distant port wavering in the screen with the ships mere specks, Jack bit his lip and turned from the screen and shut it off.

"Haven't you read anything?" Said Tom. "All Navy ships have coils in their bunks in case the ship takes damage knocking out the deck coils. They don't want their crewman going splat into a puddle of goo at a 200 gees."

For the first time since he woke up to the sound of the Vacuum alarm, Jack started looking at the world around him with some interest. But all he could see was rows of acceleration bunks. A hundred to be exact, made out of their sleeping bunks so he took Tom's suggestion and started reading the Navy's introduction book after turning his screen back on and tapping the icon flashing at the corner of his screen.

Sometime later the ships public address system blared. "All recruits will report immediately to the placement test center when their names are called no matter what you are doing at that time. That is all."

Chief Starly came into the compartment a few minutes later. "Ok you lazy worms. Enough napping. Up and at attention on your pads! Move it! Move it! You are experienced spacers and a few gee's is nothing to you." Everyone took their place on their foot pads and the Chief and his training Sgt.'s spent 10 minutes adjusting everyone's attention stance. Finally the Chief stopped in the middle of the Compartment shaking his head. "I had hoped that crewmen from transports would at least know how to stand at attention but that just shows how stupid I was. Hopefully you will all improve with time." Walking to the entrance to the compartment. "We are going to take a tour of the ship now. We don’t want any of you worms getting lost on this little tub and walking out one of the locks without a suit unless you really are one of the few that insist on committing suicide in every class. Pay attention since we will only tour guide once and since you took so long getting into what sort of passes for attention, we will take it a little faster than planned."

"Company; Portside, Face!" One hundred recruits turned mostly as one to face the Chief and the entry hatch. "At the double time, and keep in step, right foot first, double ranks, forward, march!" Even with cadence their marching at double time was a cluster screw resembling a circus more than an army. But with training Sgt.'s seeming to come out of the wood work, they managed to make it around the ship stopping at the important spots for a short lecture as most tried to catch their breaths. Though Jack could not tell himself how to get to most of the places once they got there the first time around the mile long ex assault carrier. But by the third circuit around the ship, he was starting to make some sense of the layout even if he could not breathe and every muscle in his body felt like lead. The most important point was that the ship was laid out horizontally with the main deck running from the bow to the stern five thousand feet away with most of the additional decks above and only one below. Unlike normal transports with their hundreds of decks laid one on top of one another 90 degrees to the length of the ship from the stern up to the bow making it cheaper to build and operate with the gravity coils only having to compensate for inertia in the same direction as what gravity was needed.

The second time around the Chief slowed them down to a walking march and the training Sgt.'s started to get anal about keeping in step and distance and timing and poise and keeping their eyes forward. Jack used the slowed pace to veg out on the cap of the guy ahead of him and catch up on some sleep with his eyes open. A technique he had developed on his long days spent following his father or brother around the Turner Joy, bored out of his mind as they performed routine ship's inspections. Something his brother was always totally anal about taking as much as three times as long to do as their father ever did. Sometimes he felt that his brother was simply torturing the various crewmen.

Jack was just starting to relax and was half asleep when his name was called to report for testing. It took a couple of seconds for it to register that his name had been called. By then a Sgt. was already jerking him out of line. The Sgt. escorted Jack to the testing center, placing him alone inside a cubical before leaving. Jack sat there for half an hour snoozing with no excuse to keep his eyes open as he propped his feet up on the desk though it seemed like only a few minutes. A siren sounded making Jack jump. "Recruit Trainee Turner; please start your test."

"What?" Jack rubbed his eyes looking around as he stretched finally feeling half way human and noticed that the flashing table top was a glass computer control screen with a big outlined button icon that said. (Start Test.) "You know I would do a lot better after a good night's sleep and without this hangover." And realized that the short nap had gotten rid of the hangover though his mind still felt a bit fuzzy.

"Yes as would everyone. But we don't want academics that turn stupid when they are tired. We need crewmen that can fight smartly even when they are exhausted. Now please start the testing."

"Now that is the first thing that makes sense since I have been here." Jack tapped the icon on the screen. A half hour later the Vacuum alarm went off as he was in the middle of a test on basic physics. Jumping up he started for the door. Stopped, smiled and sat back down, continuing the test. Mumbling to himself. "Hell. I am 4 armored hulls from the nearest vacuum." A dozen times after that, alarms sounded or the compartment shook with the sound of distant explosions and eventually even smoke started filling the compartment making him cough for a while but Jack ignored them all.

Then half way through a simple boring navigation problem in real time he was trying to figure the point of, the board went dark. Sitting back a few seconds Jack frowned. The navigation plot had the ship impacting the planet if a course change was not programed in eventually. Suddenly things were interesting again. Shaking his head he started looking around the console and found a power breaker under a small hatch in the back that had popped. He reset it and the board came back to life but then he had to reboot it and reinstall the program then call up the navigation data and calculate the position of the ship. Catching the ship just before it would have entered the planet's atmosphere with several low moons and stations close by. He had to rapidly plot some radical maneuvers in his head to get the ship out of danger. Not having time to use the crude navigation program.

Finally able to relax with the ship safe he sat back, took a deep breath shaking his head satisfied with himself. And then looked up. "Really that ship should have had another 15 minutes before it was even close to entering the atmosphere from the time the power went out. Shame on you." He said to whomever was giving him the test in a whisper. Not expecting them to hear him. And then a few seconds later the next question that had come up that Jack had known the answer too immediately upon seeing it, disappeared before he could answer it. Jack sat looking around for a couple minutes.

Then the test restarted with a vengeance as if someone had decided to punish him. A few minutes later he suddenly felt like it had been hours as more and more of the questions jumped from subject to subject incomprehensively while forcing him to work to find the answers. Not that he did not know the answers most of the time but there just seemed not to be any rhyme or reason to the sequence of questions as they continued to get more complicated. Finally needing reference material he did not have. "Well. If you are going to cheat by giving me questions that can't be answered without books I may as well go home." A screen popped into life on the bulkhead next to him with a list of reference materials. "Ok." Making a face he reached out and touched the reference book he needed. And the screen changed to that book. "Ok, how about a scientific calculator while you are at it?" One appeared beside the test screen. "Damn. I should have had that 5 questions ago. Any other little goodies that will help me on this test?" Another list appeared on the other bulkhead to choose from. Jack glanced over it. "Well those should come in handy." And started taping the list.

From then on all he had to do was ask and it was provided. The call for dinner mess was sounded and he realized that it had been all afternoon and that he was starving. But being in the middle of a complicated problem he continued until he had finished and by then he had forgotten about dinner.

Then the test really got complicated.

Jack shuffled into the barracks compartment well after lights out. Beyond starving, his mind was total mush as he flopped into his bunk. Tom turned toward him. "Hey buddy. Where you been? Everyone else was back long before dinner. Was beginning to think they had dumped you out one of the airlocks. "

"Ya, me too. Been testing. Did not even let me out to eat… but then I did not think to ask. Talking about stupid. How did you do?"

"Well. I thought I was a good pilot but I did lousy on that part. I seemed to forget my own name let alone how to fly. Thank god they cut it off before I embarrassed myself too much. No, you where jerked out of line before me and I was only out an hour before I was back marching right up to chow time and then again after. At least you got out of all the marching but then you are the one looking like you were put through the wringer. You can go hit mid rats. It should start in another hour. I think this ship has midrats. Never heard of a ship that didn't while under way for the graveyard watch."

"Ya sure. Wake me in an hour ok." Jack was snoring seconds later. Tom followed a few minutes later in spite his efforts to stay awake.

They were woke up at 0300 in the morning and the marching started all over again after a good half hour of calisthenics. They were given a half hour for breakfast at 0700. An hour class and then more marching around the huge 50 foot tall cargo deck that reached 5,000 feet from stem to stern and 500 feet from side hull to hull with a hundred barracks between the inner and out hulls down the sides. Room for well over 10,000 marines, or in this case recruits. After lunch they were introduced to their weapon. Old M-1 laser guns almost 200 years old. Museum monstrosities that weighed 10 pounds before attachments or power magazine. After spending an hour learning how to field strip and clean them they went back to marching with breaks each hour to practice field striping their weapon before more marching. By 2200 (10:00 PM) that night they all collapsed into their bunks most too tired to talk, including Jack.

The next morning at 0300 it started all over again. Only instead of just marching with breaks to field strip their laser guns they started precision drilling. After each meal they had classes for an hour on the differences in equipment and procedures between civilian ships and the navy as well as how to be good Navy personnel and the rules. Having dealt with the differences for years in the Battleship Game, Jack used that time to sleep with his eyes usually half open though he did get caught a few times earning himself pushups and slaps across the head to wake him up with demerits.

Working off the demerits was the worst. It took an hour of guard or watch duty to work off one demerit and he seemed to trip over demerits every time he turned around. Guard or watch duty entailed watching something and waiting for something to happen and reacting properly. Usually for hours on end without breaks. Of course falling asleep was a big problem especially late at night staring at a screen full of boring numbers waiting for it to change certain parameters that required action or tell you to do something, earning more demerits and other punishments if you missed it. The common punishment for falling asleep was a horn, blast of gas, flame, water and even electrical shock. It was a psychological surprise punishment more than painful to teach the subconscious brain to stay awake no matter how tired the recruit was while on watch. The punishment would wake the dead and in only a few applications the recruits own subconscious would start making sure they did not sleep while on watch. The back of Jack's mind knew that could lead in the future to Post traumatic stress syndrome and the inability to sleep after leaving the service and that he would have to be deprogrammed someday as do all combat veterans but it did not even enter his thinking.

The company spent a lot of time just standing in formation looking at bulkheads while they waited to do something or the Chief needed to take a shit. Which he took great pride in taking plenty of time to complete and telling the company all the exacting details and if a recruit did not correctly repeat those details when asked hell would descend upon the recruits and everyone around him or her heads, complete with demerits. You were required to notice and remember everything that went on around you.

With no time off on the weekend except to attend Sunday morning church if the recruit wanted too. The training continued the second week with marching while the deck under their feet changed from normal gravity to several Gee's and down to 1/10 without warning and at unpredictable times. Drilling suddenly became extremely hard. With the formations usually falling over each other each time the Gravity changed during the first day. The second day saw much improvement with only a few recruits losing their balance and taking out whole sections of the company when the Gravity changed. Though it was starting to change so often that recruits were getting space sick making it even harder. The formations then had to drill through the mess laying on the deck and the legs of the surrounding recruits after chain reaction barfs.

A young girl tried to find Jack but she had not been allowed to access any information about other recruits. Even to find out what company he was in even though she really did not have the time to look him up. Though she finally spotting him briefly in another company and got the company number off the flag all companies carried with them. She, as with all the recruits were not even given time to socialize in the mess deck with companies segregated and Sergeants pushing them to finish and return to their barracks or drilling or classes with no time to even look around or anything else but eat.

The number of recruits suddenly started growing to being more than over crowded by the time she and Jack were halfway through training even though graduates were being shipped out weekly. Spacers knew what silent dead planetary and military base Comm Stations meant in reality and not the lies the Government was telling the populace as well as the ships that were disappearing in that section of space. By Jacks 3rd week of training The Botany Bay was turning down recruits for only the best as soon as it landed in space ports without having to run adds or pay hookers any longer and the company sizes were being doubled with double bunked racks added to the barracks for new recruits as some graduates were turned right around and made drill instructor Sargent's.

After finally getting used to marching in varying gravities without falling down or barfing, they were introduced into the obstacle course on the next cargo deck up with a minimum time for each recruit to make it through from one end of the ship to the other before graduation. Jack did not think he would ever make it in the specified time, even if he had 10 weeks to train on it. His body seemed to have two left feet and spaghetti muscles. Though he was glad to see that he was not alone.

The forth week saw the introduction of the old Mk. 3 Armored ship's Crew Suit (ACS). Armored being a relative term. The close fitting quarter inch think armor was not for weapons protection but simply the ability to survive concussive explosions, fire and jagged mettle during and after battle damage. It would keep you alive long after a civilian pressure suit had given up the ghost. Jack found it interesting that the suit looked so much like the suit in the Battleship Game he had been playing for years though a lot bulkier and primitive. The biggest difference being that he was actually having to wear it with all the aches and pains associated with it rubbing in all the wrong places of real life. Putting it on proved difficult at first, having to pull or shove the actual parts on as he crawled into it instead of just sliding into a simulation. Maintaining it in real life proved harder as well with pieces not fitting together as easily as in the Battleship Game. Though most recruits with experience in The Game like Jack, after a couple of hours to learn the real life eccentricities, they seemed to have no problem with the suit knowing how to maintain and wear it like they had been doing it for years. Though everyone had to learn how to walk in it like babies taking their first steps with the mass and other aspects of a real suit impossible to simulate exactly though again Jack was able to get the hang of it faster than most.

Week 5 had them on the firing range for the first time as the classes also started introducing new weapons for defending the ship.

Week 6 actually had them on the 3rd deck up, logging into Naval Ship Combat Simulators (NCS), that resembled an old game module sold across human space for decades but was 10 times more sophisticated. They were issued Navy personal names and Id's for the simulator and told not to forget them. The first time in the Simulator Jack could not help feeling a little strange. It was like The Battleship Game except by wearing the Combat Suit as he plugged into the NCS, the feedback the suit offered made it feel even more real than anything his old game console with only a video audio helmet, glove, body sensors and a few cheap grav coils could ever provide.

Jack opened the suits visor and looked down the row of a hundred suits lined up down the bulkheads on both sides of the compartment. Shook his head and lowered the visor again. He found himself in a ship’s compartment as it shook violently. He was surrounded by lines of Combat Suits, but the NCS's were no longer there against the bulkhead of the large 50 foot wide hundred foot long compartment. Punching up the tactical display, he realized that the ship had been boarded and hundreds of enemy troops were headed their way. Without thinking he raised his arms finding the M-1 laser gun in them. Turning he looked around seeing his company lined up and down the bulkheads along both sides of the compartment like he had seen them only moments before with his visor open. The Ship shook again and still no one moved as they started talking to each other trying to figure out what was going on. Finally with a hit big enough to shove most of them around, they started milling around clumping into small groups. No drill instructors were around while the recruit commander and squad leaders simply milled around with the rest.

Looking down he checked to see what equipment he had attached to his suit and smiled with satisfaction. "Not bad." Turning around he saw a hatch in the bulkhead. Going over to it he stepped through and pulled a cutting torch off of his belt and cut a quick firing port through the small compartment's bulkhead into the big compartment. Sighting through it, a suit came over to the hatch.

"What are you doing?" Jack realized it was Tom as the suit picked his own torch off his belt and looked at it as more suits showed up.

Jack looked up at them without speaking for a few seconds then shook his head. It was so much like The Game. "Start cutting holes like this down the bulkhead of the compartment so you can fire your weapon out of them." Checking his tactical again.

His squad leader came up. "What are you doing? We have not been ordered to do anything Turner."

Jack stood up from cutting another hole in the bulkhead waist high. "Use your tactical Corporal. We have enemy troops headed this way and shit is going to hit that main compartment hatch in about a minute. If we don't have cover and a way to fight back we are all going to die."

"But we have not been given orders yet to do anything." He said stubbornly as his fingers started tapping his forearm to access the tactical display in the suit.

"Well we have not been given orders not to have we?"

"No but well, I guess it would not hurt." Turning around to the rest of the squad. "Ok guys let's get ready." Starting out the hatch. "I better tell the Company commander what we are doing."

"Sorry Corporal but it is too late. Use your comm." Jack grabbed him and pulled him back into the compartment so the rest of the squad could get in as they started cutting holes themselves.

The hatch on the far end of the main compartment blew and in rushed a horde of enemy troops. As soon as the hatch went down Jack started firing his M-1 on full auto through the slit he had cut in the bulkhead. The rest of the squad joined in as they finished their slits while the rest of the company started falling dead where they stood or after taking a few steps looking for cover or trying to figure out what to do. The main compartment quickly filled with smoke as enemy bodies started piling up at the far end of the compartment. Few of the surviving recruits spread around the compartment diving for cover, even thought about raising their weapons to fight back for a good half minute if they did at all but then with Jack's squad providing covering fire delaying the onslaught, more and more started bringing up their weapons returning fire.

The enemy bodies piling up at the end hatch started slowing down. The squad’s mass fire taking its toll cutting the enemy fire to a trickle. Looking around the main compartment as he changed a dead magazine Jack could see most of the company was down with a few scattered around, firing back as best as they could. Then Jack spotted a group in the corner across from them hunkering down behind the bodies of the squad that had been between them and the enemy coming through the hatch on the other end.

Tapping his tactical he could see who was still alive and who was not. Hitting the command channel he tried to tell them to head for the side hatches for cover but realized that he did not have the command comm of the Corporal. Going over to the Corporal. "Corporal you need to tell…"

The Corporal shoved Jack away. "I am busy!" Terror filled his face as he went back to firing through his slit.

Going over to the hatch Jack peeked out at the massive fire the squad was laying into the blown hatch suppressing most of the fire from it. His tactical registered another recruit going dark. "Damn!" Taking a deep breath he ran out the hatch and sprinted for the other side of the main compartment and the other surviving squad still out in the open. Diving for cover behind a body as he got to them he tapped the closest one to him to get her attention. "You have to get to the nearest hatch for cover now." The terrorized face as the girl glanced at him and went back to firing at the hatch told him all he needed to know. Jumping up he grabbed her by the arm and to his surprise with the help of the suit he tossed her toward the nearest hatch. She landed on her feet and started to run the short distance to it. Going to the next suit in a crouch, he did the same thing and then the next.

Within seconds he had the 9 surviving squad members through the hatch and safety. Then started cutting a firing slit telling them to get busy. The plate flopped out of his slit, taking a couple of shots just as he noticed several enemy troops working their way leap frog down the opposite side close to the bulkhead killing individuals with only a body for cover, where his squad on the other side could not see to fire at the enemy. But now that he was on the opposite side he had the perfect position and quickly took them out.

With the squad on this side safe and able to provide a cross fire kill zone down the compartment, he realized all that was left was to get the surviving individuals scattered around the main compartment to safety. Dropping out the hatch he crawled up the side of the bulk head under the firing slits until he was clear of them and then ran in a crouch diving for cover every few seconds to the first survivor and like before he simply jerked him up by the arm and threw him toward the nearest hatch. Telling him to run for the hatch and cut a firing slit. Before going on.

He was half way up the main compartment having gotten a half dozen to safety when he suddenly found himself standing up right in front of the row of NCS's and the rest of the troops standing along the bulkhead without an enemy in sight except for Training Master Sgt. In charge of the training space only inches from his nose.

"Just what do you think you were doing maggot? Did anyone tell you to do that or did your little pea brain think all that up on your own? Who from one of the upper companies that has already gone through this exercise told you what to do or what was going to happen? Who was it? I am going to throw his butt in the pit for a week for even talking to you let alone what he told you."

Jack swallowed as he started to shake as he tried to back up away from the Master Sgt. but the NCS was in the way. "NN. NO. Ah a… W... W… One Master Sgt."

The squad leader jumped out of his NCS shouting. "Hey we fucked them over big time!" As the rest of the squad joined him patting each other on the back with loud bangs as armor hit armor as they danced around. The Master Sgt. did not move as sergeants ran in to stop the celebration.

"N, N, N, N. You have a problem scumbag? Who told you about the assault and that everyone was supposed to die in this first evolution?"

Jack swallowed again several times and then his blood started to rise as the Master Sgt. looked at him like his brother did once in a while when he was getting ready to do something unusually nasty. Getting pissed his fear evaporated. "No one Master Sgt. Anyone who accessed the Tactical would have known what was coming. And why were we supposed to die?"

"You haven't had the suit on fucking long enough to know how to activate the tactical. We have not taught you that yet."

"Sorry Chief but an old game I used to play taught me how."

"Hell boy half the cretonnes in this company played that stupid Battleship Game and they did not know how."

"Sorry ah, Master Sgt. but they do know how, it is simple. They just probably did not think of it."

"Oh and you did maggot did you? I am impressed you had a thought in your head."

"Actually Master Sgt. I did not think, I just did it." Swallowing again as he glanced around noticing that every recruit was at attention facing forward along with their eyes as drill sergeants paced up and down the lines. Taking a deep breath he stood straight as he could raising his chin. The Master Sgt. definitely reminded him of his brother. Hate boiling up in him. Curling his lip. "After 10 years playing The Game, the last thing I needed to do was think during a simple little attack like this was. It was simply A, B, C." Shrugging his shoulders. "Now if it had been a two prong attack that would have been a little harder but still just X, Y, Z shit. You either do it or die. Not much of a choice or thinking about it Master Sgt."

The Master Sgt.’s face turned red as he stepped away to face Jack's squad leader that had finally gotten control of himself. "You are fired." Turning to Jack he smiled as he watch the terror in Jacks face take over. "Not you worm." He reached out to his left and slapped the nearest recruit on the shoulder as he stared at Jack. "You recruit Spenser are now squad leader."

Jack's sudden growing terror evaporated as he heard the Master Sgt. declare Spenser the squad leader. The Master Sgt. saw that and frowned and watched the recruit relax after being passed over for squad leader. Baffling. Everyone wanted to be squad leader. Didn't they?

The Master Sgt. spent the next half hour berating and punishing Jack for acting without orders. Ruining his record.

Jack spent 8 hours standing and staring at the mess deck hatch that night in battle armor and weapons counting recruits going in and out ready to shoot anyone with a weapon coming out with the promise of unthinkable punishment if he missed either the count or the enemy. Dinner was the battle suit's emergency ration paste. He did not notice the gal that detached herself from her company after leaving the mess to walk toward Jack staring at his open helmet before a Sargent caught up with her to shepherd her back into the ranks of the company giving her demerits upon demerits as she dragged her feet still trying to look at the suited figure standing guard that never even looked away from the mess compartment hatch.

The next day after lunch, the class instructor turned to Jack as he was walking past headed for a seat and said. "You go out and tell everyone in the outer compartment to get their butts in here, it is class time."

Jack hesitated as the instructor headed for the front of the class room. Getting excited that the instructor had actually asked him to do something important, he headed out until he stepped through the hatch and sweat started popping out on his forehead at the sight of most of the company standing around talking and smoking or playing a simple game of hackysac or touch football to one side.

Swallowing he opened his mouth but nothing came out. "Then to himself. Frack what do I say. I can't order them. I, I...”

Looking around as he thought for a few seconds, he tried again. "Everyone. Time too…" his voice started to squeak." Luckily his voice was low enough that no one heard him.

Trying again. "Hey guys. We…" The nearest recruits turned toward him and stared at him expectantly.

Trying again. "Ah Guys! We need to go…. boys." He said plenty loud but as everyone turned to face Jack his voice froze on him.

One guy turned to Jack getting a disgusted look on his face. "I am not your boy ass hole."

Jack started backing up but hit the bulkhead next to the hatch. "We... We have to go…." Jack's voice squeaked again.

Someone in the back spoke up. "What, you need someone to hold your hand to go pee?" Half the recruits started laughing.

Jack retreated back in through the hatch hiding around the corner. Sweat running down his face. The instructor walked past Jack giving him a strange look before stopping in the hatch and bellowed loud enough to hurt most ears without trying. "Get your butts into class now."

The next week they started walking the ship's hull. Running obstacle courses around the hull. Men with thruster packs stood by, as recruits even with years of experience on ship's hulls, started falling off in droves when they missed hand holds or they did not use their gravity boots properly. The company started doing overnight guard posts around the hull. Taking on Senior companies making attacks throughout the night. The suit not letting anyone fall asleep even if they had time unless it was an allowed break period thanks to shock therapy.

But finally with the hull's obstacle course mastered they started repairing holes in the hull from the outside with air blasting out making it difficult but not impossible as most had figured it would be. Though after spending years on The Game, Jack already knew how but left it to others to try to follow the instructors detailed directions while making all the mistakes new crews made. It took several failed attempts and missed lunches before he started making suggestions to get it done right so they would not miss chow and then he was made corporal himself. Only to have his strip taken away from him when he refused to tell anyone to do anything, trying to do it all himself. Though after being demoted the new Corporal asked Jack's advice often as they learned how to find, plug and repair micro holes all the way up to shell craters 5 feet across before being moved back inside the ship for more damage control training.

Jack never ever offered any advice unless asked first. Content on simply getting through the training and being as invisible as possible as he was having a blast. Even the long marches around the hull, exercise decks and the obstacle course Jack had hated and he knew was going to kill him with exhaustion his first weeks, started to be tolerable after 4 weeks and easy after7. By week 9 they were even pleasurable as he flew through the obstacle course in half the time required. With the live weapons training in ever larger and more deadly weapons and ship defense and assault tactics and war-games that were old hats from The Game, Jack was having the time of his life and did not want it to end. He could not believe it was not a dream and kept waking up in the middle of the night scared that he was back on the Turner Joy with his brother making up for lost time while Jack had been away.

That is except when he was cleaning the shitters in the head with a tooth brush or told to stay put on guard duty for longer and longer times or to work off demerits by standing for hours watching a gage or screen or hatch or section of space. Getting more demerits if he missed something he was supposed to see or reacted improperly (which did not happen very often). Not knowing ahead of time what or when that was. The Game had never delved into long watches or polishing brass, urinals and swabbing decks while shortening time lines as much as possible to keep the game going. The part Jack hated the most about reality was learning to tolerate the long stretches of doing nothing while being ready for action typical in any military. But every time he thought about quitting or giving, up he realized that no matter how bad it seemed, the Turner Joy was worse and at least here he knew the rules and they never changed.

The 7th weekend Jack's company left the ship as soon as it had landed late Friday night on battle maneuvers and live fire exercises through some desolate countryside on a planet the Turner Joy had visited many times over the years that was a hub for the sector with a very large space port. The Company, in battle armor had spent a cold couple of nights with no supplies but what they had carried with them for this recruiting stop. As they marched back onto the base toward the ship that Sunday night Jack noticed a second recruiting ship just like the Botany Bay sitting not far away on the tarmac. It was late and Jack arrived at their barracks to find his bunk had grown with another bunk racked over the top and a new locker next to his making it very crowded in the narrow passageway between racks. A guy Jack had never seen before sat on the top bunk. Wondering what was going on Jack frowned and put his kit away as Starley came into the barracks calling for the Company to come to attention. Taking his place at the foot of the bunk next to the new guy Jack came to attention.

Starly looked around the crowded barracks and smiled. "These are your new Company mates. The Fifth week and above recruits from the Absent Bay have been folded into the Botany Bay to make room for them to take on more new recruits while we continue to our next system. It seems this planet has a lot of spacers that want to join up along with discharged and retired navy personnel that see the writing in the sky but have grown fat and lazy. I will give you 30 seconds to say high to your new bunk mates and then you can get your butts out front to do some marching and a trip through the obstacle course to get to know one another. Dismissed!" The ship lifted a few minutes later.

At the end of Ten weeks, Jack and Tom stood at attention with thousands of other recruits in the huge cargo deck that had served as a parade, calisthenics and marching ground between planets for the last nine weeks as the Captain of the training ship welcomed them to the United Planets Navy and then dismissed them. For the first time since they had boarded the training ship Botany Bay they were allowed to go most anyplace they wanted to without being in a company or squad and marching, even to eat chow when they wanted to during the designated hours that is. They headed around the ship for the hell of it, just because they could before going back to their barracks to find out what their assignments were. Jack found himself looking for someone without thinking though he could not remember who or why when he thought about it. Neither noticed being followed as a young woman tried to catch up to them. But the crowd of thousands of graduates suddenly able to go where they wanted made it impossible for anyone to follow anyone and the gal soon lost Jack in the crowd as she was swept away by her fellow recruits wanting to celebrate.

In their barracks compartment Jack noticed that all of his company had various assignments on the new Battle ships just coming off the production lines at the battle fleets production yard station they were due to ship out for the next day. The Company listed dozens of officers amongst them included a couple of pilots and even the company commander turned out to be a captain. All had assignments except Jack. All the screen said under his name was to report to the Classification Center when convenient. Turning to Tom baffled. "Maybe it is a computer error?" Tom said.

Jack was escorted to an office deep into officer’s country on one of the top decks of the ship. The woman behind the desk looked up as he entered, returning his salute she smiled. "Turner, please take a seat. I am so glad to meet you."

Jack sat down in the seat in front of her desk. "Why don't I have an assignment as a pilot sir?"

"That is the problem Spaceman Turner. We just do not know what to do with you." She watched Jacks stone face turn baffled. "If it was simply your lack of education we could cope but it is just so many things that do not make any sense to us."

"What do you mean lack of education. I have 3 doctorates along with half a dozen bachelor degrees. I would have had another doctorate and a bachelor's degree in sub-atomic mass particles by now if I was still back home on the Turner Joy."

"Sorry Mr. Turner but all your diplomas are not worth the paper they are printed on. None of the Colleges you have them through are accredited with even the transport commission let alone the Navy. Which is another of our dilemmas. Why would you spend so much time and effort at online universities that the transport commission would not recognize even for approving Officer certifications let alone the more sophisticated pilot criteria's you needed for the posting you wanted? Especially when certified accredited universities are readily available even if they do cost more."

"What the hell sir!" Jack's mouth opened as he tried to say something but failed. Finally. "My. Ah. My parents arranged the courses for me. Or should I say they gave me a list and I picked the ones I wanted. But they picked the Colleges. I didn't think it mattered what schools as long as they had what I wanted." Jack shook his head as he bit his lip and a tear trickled down his cheek. "I… I... that makes sense though. That is why dad never talked about me being a ship's officer and Pop kept adding to my lessons. They knew I couldn't but why? Am I as stupid as they kept saying I am? Is that why the courses were so easy because they were junk to keep an idiot busy. Why dad was talking that last night about making me a Petty Officer and my brother wanted to keep me a crewman."

"I do not know what your parents thought Turner. That is part of the dilemma. You have an I.Q that is off the chart and an unusually adept understanding of the subjects your junk diplomas are in. Fact is you understand far too much for what the courses taught. We keep records on all the schools for accreditation purposes and your Colleges do not even teach a fraction of what you know. We cannot understand why. We contacted your parents but did not get much information from them except that they believed the old junk science crap that said Neutron babies die short horrible deaths before they are 6 years old, along with a few other misconceptions we will not go into."

"I am going to Die before I am 6?" Jack's mouth dropped open as he looked down at the deck shocked.

"No Mr. Turner. They actually thought originally you would die before you were 3 and then 6 and then just extended that year to year. Only the severely deformed die young and you are not deformed even if your genetic makeup is a little different as is quite a few Tramp ship recruits. Another one from your ship in fact." With Jacks baffled look. "Your DNA has a few twisted normally dormant genes that seemed to have been activated that we do not understand but you are 100% human. What we are trying to figure out is how you knew what to study as well as how you accessed the advance information to go so much farther than what your anemic courses taught. We cannot find any emails or letters to instructors that could have pointed you in the directions you went as well as the material to get were you got. We have even asked every professor and scientist in the Republic that have the knowledge you have (over 10,000 of them), if they even know you somehow and while most of them say the name Turner is familiar, none of them have ever heard of you. Only the top accredited universities had the materials you needed and they are very tight about who they give it to. Yet you not only got the material but knew what to study out of all the crap that was worthless." She looked at Jack for a few seconds. "Did you have an instructor on the Turner Joy that pointed you in the right direction? Gave you the advanced material? Told you what the books don't? Answer your questions?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders as he looked down frowning. "Well yes I guess so. Pop would spend hours talking about astrophysics and any other subject someone mentioned or he noticed that I was working on. Giving me additional reading material and computer programs to do. I think he was a professor at some little collage a long time ago. He kept giving me books and grading my papers and telling me to do it again even after I got passing grades from the collage. Not to mention all the time we were arguing when he disagreed with what the coarse said."

"Pop? You mentioned Pop before as have others from your ship. What or who is Pop?"

"My Grandfather, George Phaph Turner Senior mam. We always call him Pop. Why? I don't know. At two hundred years old he can pretty much do as he wants. But then we are not supposed to talk about him off the ship. I think Pop is running from something in his past but who would care about a two hundred year old man who has trouble remembering what planet he is on."

She started typing into her computer. Her fingers racing over the glass top. "Oh yes. My god! He is still alive?" Her eyes grew big. "Your grandfather was the Chief Scientist and inventor of the drives we use in our ships. My god! You had him for a professor." She sat back staring at him for a good minute talking to herself. Finally shook her head and smiled. "He disappeared 30 years ago according to the Encyclopedia Galactic after buying a Transport ship to run cargo and study neutron stars. It is a damn shame your schools were not accredited. I could have bumped you up to the Propulsion Institution of Earth for your grandfather alone even without your other scores. But then your scores guaranty you would have went."

Taking a deep breath she sighed shaking her head sadly. "Now you need to decide what you want to do. I can give you the rank of Chief enlisted none commissioned officer and your choice of postings." Tapping her key pad, a screen appeared in front of Jack with lists on it.

"What the hell. I signed up to be a pilot on a Battleship and I don’t' want anything else." He spoke up stubbornly. "Well maybe a Fighter Pilot."

She looked at Jack sadly. "I am sorry if I did not make myself perfectly clear. You have no accredited degrees. You cannot be an officer or a pilot of even a life boat."

"What the hell! I have been flying shuttles and transport boats for a decade. Between planets as well as reentering the atmosphere and making orbit."

"Not legally you haven't'." She shook her head sadly staring at him as he stared back for several seconds but finally his shoulders slumped and he sat back looking down at the deck tears flooding down his cheeks. She finally went back to typing for a few seconds as she talked to herself again and then looked up with a smile. "Tell you what. I can give you credit for all your basic courses and some of your advance courses as upper basics or intermediates in the accredited universities." As he looked up baffled, wiping his eyes, she continued to type. "That means you can have most of your bachelor degrees back and they will be worth something in about a year with your doctorates after that if you work hard which I know you can do. You may even get away with simply submitting your doctorate theses from before if they are any good since the original schools were not accredited." Jack just continued to stare at her as her fingers ran across her desk. "I have enrolled you into the service's toughest academic university. One famous for eating students and spitting them out as raw meat. Only 20 % ever graduate in the correspondence program. The university your grandfather attended in person and graduated with honors and was a professor at and you should have been attending all along and at Governments expense. I have given you all the courses you will need to get your degrees back plus a few extras that will do you a world of good as well as the Navy. You get your bachelors and we will make you an officer where you can earn your basic pilots license. When you get your doctorates in engineering and Astro Physics, we will put you in starship pilot training for battleships if you won't let us send you to design new engines and weapons."

But until then you have to serve as a Chief tech. You have the training for that at least. That is the best I can do...” She touched her ear phone listening for a good half minute face going through several transformations, making a few comments as if Jack was not there. "He did what in The Game?" She listened for another minute and then. "Let me get this straight, if command was dumped on him in the middle of a battle he usually won the battle even if it was hopeless to begin with, but if he was given command to start with he would try doing everything himself without giving orders until he died and his men got slaughtered That does not make sense…"

She started going through screens scanning them almost too fast to read as she continued to talk to her self under her breath. After a good 5 minutes she sat back and took a deep breath and took over where she had left off. "But maybe it does. If he had to retreat into The Game some Ten years ago then that is where he grew up while he shut down in the real world to protect himself from the verbal abuse his ship mates reported and shows psychological signs of. If you give him command while he is out of The Game he is still a boy, if shit hits the fan while he is already in the game giving him command, he does great. It fits." Finally she shook her head with a frown before smiling as she looked at Jack while listening for another minute before continuing. "Now Jack; there is a problem concerning the rank of Chief now that we think about it. You have demonstrated no command authority during basic training outside the game even though they tried dozens of times to give you, (along with everyone else), the opportunity to command, to show us your abilities. Each time you have done everything to avoid telling or asking anyone to do anything while shutting down completely around groups." You could not command a dog if your life depended upon it. At least until you mature. That will just take time. If we are lucky things will fall into place about the same time next year when you finish your degrees. Until then you need to decide what you want to work at."

Jack just looked at her for a full minute not even glancing at the list under his nose. "You couldn't just? Ah… just let me? Ah, go to an accredited school and, and, finish getting my degrees? Could you please?" Jack pleaded

"Sorry Jack. That would be much too comfortable for you. Collage alone would do you no good right now. Especially with the liberal antiwar, big communist government party masquerading as liberal human rights and welfare class bent at most campuses. You are still a boy and would eat it up whole heartedly and be anti-military, anti-war even when the enemy chopped your head off or enslaved you. You would be worthless to us when you came out. They would have you believing that a democratically elected forever dictator would be good for the welfare of the masses with labor reeducation camps for those that do not think as them.

You need to get out on your own and learn how to be your own man and work with others equal or even inferior to you and feel what freedom truly is. Fact is; I am now sure that the best thing for you would be to start as a 3rd class. It was suggested spaceman but I am sure you would take being a spaceman as much too comfortable allowing you to hide behind other peoples orders. That would be fine if we had years for you to grow up since you really are not even a spaceman but a kid mentally right now. I think giving you a little responsibility and opportunity with the occasional spaceman to issue orders to while helping you on your jobs, will be character building and force you to grow up faster than you would otherwise." She did not say anything about not wanting him to have to put up with the abuse boot seamen got, figuring he had quite enough of that already. "Other than that we think it would be better if you had to earn your promotions at whatever job you pick so you can do just that. Grow up. Since you definitely have the training for any of a dozen prime crucial specialties, you just need to pick one."

She studied the devastated Jack as tears ran down his cheeks and he just gave up. Finally she touched her ear for a few seconds and then smiled. "Ok yes. I think you are right. The best thing for him... Jack; we are going to make one last decision for you. All other decisions about how you do in our Navy are going to be up to you after this. You can fail miserably on your own getting into trouble and destroying yourself in this unfair Navy or work hard, get the certified degrees I am offering you, become an officer and fly at whatever you choose including battleship pilot, but it will be all up to you and what you decide and do. You will find your ship assignment on the list when you get back to your barracks. Dismissed Third Class Gravtech Turner."

As Jack started to leave, tears streaming down his eyes, she spoke up. "Mr. Turner. If your assignment is not to your liking, I could assign you too the fleet Research Directorate as a research technician but you would be limited in your opportunities for advancement and never fly as a pilot. The Admiralty would love to entice your grandfather back to the Directorate now that his aaa, the accusations against him have proven baseless." She knew that would be the worst thing for Jack to do and wind up destroying him in a few years at most and probably only months when the Masters of Science at the Research Directorate treated him almost as bad as what he had on his tramp ship. Without any friendly faces he would certainly suicide sooner than later. But she had to follow orders and at least offer him the posting. Thank Godstar they could not tell her how or when and she made sure he had committed to the ship before she offered it. She just hoped she had read him right as she waited for him to answer.

Jack turned back getting a determined look on his face as he wiped his face with his sleeves. "No thanks. I am going to become a Battleship pilot if it kills me." Saluting he turned and left. She smiled as he closed the hatch behind him. Then added a red flag to his file so she could keep an eye on him. He was going to need some shepherding over the years to overcome his problems. Now she was going to ream the ass of a certain drill Sargent for chastising and accusing him of cheating the first time he showed the courage and independence and ability to command men in a hopeless battle and win. He could already have earned himself a commission as an officer instead of withdrawing back into his hole. The damage that Sargent had done in those few seconds was astounding. For the first time in her life she thought about having someone shot. Then thanked God she didn't have the power. But was going to make sure he could not do it again.

Jack returned to his barracks but his new ship was not on the list as his training mates celebrated or lamented their new jobs, though everyone he talked to had new Battleships as their assigned ships. His buddy Tom was not too disappointed at not getting assigned to Fighter Pilot training as he was headed off to officer candidate school to become a 90 day Ensign as a Weapons Officer, before going to his new Battleship. Fact was, most of the trainees were headed off to become Ensigns.

Jack had to wait until the next morning and almost lunch before he got his ship assignment as they were packing up. An assignment he was not happy with at all. The FMC-7 Red Dwarf, was definitely not a BB (Battleship). Or even a BC (Battle Cruiser) that he had heard talk of being built. A, BC was a battle ship without the heavy massive armor of a BB that could be built faster and because they would be lighter the BC had much higher acceleration or much longer range depending on how much reaction mass it carried. The type of ship the Navy was suddenly sorely needing the rumors said. Jack started speculating about what his new ship could be and the only thing Tom and him could come up with at first was Fast Mega Cruiser. Maybe a faster version of a Battle Cruiser or a huge Battle Cruiser like Tom had built in, The Game. “Now that would be stellar.” Both Tom and Jack talked about the Battle Cruiser for several minutes. Then it hit Jack. It had to be the Fast Mega Carrier able to carry a thousand fighters and torpedo bombers they had been hearing rumors about and he had seen in that one commercial. Jack could not wait as he tried to get his heart out of his mouth from the excitement as he was sure that was it.

6-

TANKS

The Passenger Cruise ship Queen Marry skimmed only a couple thousand miles above the Black Star. After a week cruising well below light speed inside the nebula with no stars to be seen, the continent sized cold dark blocks floating in a star wide sea of bright molten metal forming rivers between them was quite a sight to see. Not that Black Stars were all that uncommon but most spacers had never gotten that close to one. So once the word had gotten out, the observation decks were quit busy. The star was little bigger than an average sized gas giant but all of its gasses, along with all its lighter metals, had been blown off long ago when it had gone Nova leaving only the core. All that was left was a virtual cornucopia of valuable dense heavy metals. More metals than in and around every human planet in the Republic or could use in a billion years. If you could get to them.

The ship's Public Address system sprang to life. After a whistle announcing the Ship's Captain, he started speaking. "Your attention please. We will be arriving at the Rock in 3 hours. Eight hours ago I informed you that we were taking a short cut to knock a week from our trip. I also warned you that talking about what you were about to see to anyone once we docked, mentioning it in any form of mail or video including any diaries was grounds for a court-martial and execution. That included taking pictures of any kind. We have already caught 5 people disobeying orders and taking pictures on film that is not traceable digitally as well as two trying to send letters home telling their families all about the fabulous sight." The Captain paused a good half minute. "I am sorry to have to tell you that they have been found guilty and their sentences are about to be carried out. Three will be executed on the port side while 2 are executed on the starboard side. All hands will muster at their assigned viewing stations on the window decks immediately."

Ten minutes later Jack stood at easy starring down at the brightly streaked Black Dwarf when the ship was called to attention. Then shortly after that, a flailing suit less body with a simple plastic bubble over her head came floating past the view port as her mouth continued to scream soundlessly and her arms and legs made swimming motions. A man followed a few seconds later.

A few minutes later the Captain came back on. "We could not keep you from seeing what 99.9 percent of the rest of the Navy has never seen and never will. Even the most innocent comment or hint that, The Rock orbits a Black Dwarf in a cloud could lead to its discovery and the death of the Republic. The Rock's secret location is what has kept our most vital ship yards, fleet base and even Earth safe from surprise attacks that have wiped out every previous main base in the republic and almost costing us several wars. Destroying our enemy’s ship production facilities and supply basses is how we have won most of our past wars with our neighbors.

Now with the Spider ships breathing down our necks, it is even more important. If they are able to take out this base and production facility, the Republic is lost. I will say this one last time. The slightest reference to this cloud and anything in it at any time including in a bar in the middle of the base or a thousand light years away, in a diary or a letter home will get you immediately executed if an enforcer is present or it can be traced back to you. All recording devices, paper, digital or ancient film will be checked before you leave this ship and one innocent photo with the Black Dwarf in the back ground will get you convicted and all guilty parties will be executed. That is all. Ship’s company, dismissed." Jack turned around and a good sprinkling of people left the ranks, some running, toward their cabins. Smiling, Jack just stood there starring at the Black Dwarf, eventually moving closer to the view port. It was quite a sight and since he could not take pictures he wanted to remember every bit he could. Being a grav engineer, he started thinking of how to land on that incredible storehouse of new and unusual metals he had heard scientists had scanned on black dwarfs but never been able to get at.

The ship started pulling away from the star entering the dust cloud around it towered it's one and only orbiting planet. It did not take long before the bright molten metal faded into the cloud long before they reached the planet.

As the Queen Marry approached the dark planet. Jack could see the side facing the star was covered in slag streaking around toward the backside. The star going nova had stripped the planets mantel and scared the core. As they climbed up around the moon sized planet Jack watched fissures open up across the back side facing away from the star. The fissures averaged about a mile wide by the looks of it and ran for a thousand miles forming a crisscross pattern. The fissures looked like they extended deep into the planet. A result of the core melting on the side closest to the star as it went nova solidifying over a long period of time into one huge mass then cooling and shrinking over a million years. Pulling the thinner back side apart along fault cracks as it cooled.

The Queen Marry descended down into one of the crevices dropping for a hundred miles below the surface until it finally came out into a miles wide cavern along the floor. The fleet construction yard ran for a good 100 miles with new battle ships under construction running down each side wall of the crevice with partially completed hulls between them. Open tunnels going into the cavern walls could be seen around each ship with platforms hanging out of the wall at different levels for easy access to each deck of the ships.

Jack looked for his new ship. There were some hundred new battle ships lining both sides of the station in various stages of outfitting. It was hard to tell their sizes just looking at them next to the crevice wall towering out of sight above the ship as they slowly descended until they got close enough for him to see the huge exoskeleton construction vehicles walking around them that he had mistaken as suited men at first. Finally realizing that the ships must be a couple thousand feet long with rings of six huge double barreled gun turrets spaced around most of the ship's upper end. Just like what he had seen in the recruiting office. Two rings of gun turrets spaced a hundred feet apart just above the engineering decks at the stern with cooling/landing fins. Four rings of turrets were spaced a hundred feet apart along the main personnel living and command decks at the bow. The turrets staggered from ring to ring with the two most forward rings circling the narrowing sloped bow allowing for the bigger rings of turrets behind them to shoot forward over the tops of them. The thousand feet of hull between the two groups of turret rings was obviously tanks for reaction mass. The real Battleships looked better than the hologram in the recruiting office. Jack thought staring at them.

He could read the big hull numbers on the sides of the ships and not one of them were even in the teens let alone with the single digit 7 on the side of any of them. The ones he could see were in the hundreds. Finally giving up he typed in the name of his new ship (FRM-7 Red Dwarf) into his sheet to find out which one was his. Holding the sheet up to look through it as he looked out the huge port he expected it to be highlighted. But nothing popped up on the screen around any of the ships lining the station even though the screen said. "Ship found at construction station." He increased the brightness of the highlight and still saw nothing. Finally he switched to a beacon and still nothing.

Was his ship just starting construction? That was possible since it was obvious that the ships just starting constructed down the middle of the yard were not even whole shells yet. Constructed from modules floating in from farther down the crevice. Maybe it was a new class of battleship just starting production. Jack thought to himself.

The Queen Marry turned around to line up for landing in a large open area off the end of the production line where she could back up to a dock in the crevice wall allowing Jack to see back down away from the main Battleship production line. What Jack had thought of being tall buildings a few miles away when he first glanced at them as they descended down the crevice had one lit up with a beacon in his screen bright enough to hurt his eyes with. Similar buildings were under construction miles further down the crevice. Looking closely he realized that the building with the beacon had to be a huge miles long ship towering up the crevice since it looked like a ship and his screen told him it was a ship. But who and why would they build such a large ship with more being constructed farther down the crevice.

Each of the big ships seemed to be the length of a battleship wide or square and some miles long towering up into the crevice. He still could not punch up the specks of his ship as he started to hope that he had been assigned to one of the newest super carriers he had been hearing about with thousands of fighters and bombers even though the flat sides showed no signs of catapults or landing bay. Then the designation letters finally had words attached to them the fifth time he tried. Dashing his hopes, the FMC stood for Fast reaction Mass Cargo transport.

He was not only assigned to a frigging water tanker but one that had to be the slowest barge in the damn fleet simply because of its size. His heart sank like a rock burning up in the atmosphere. He had at least been heartened that he would be in the thick of defending the Republic and his family's transport and now all he was, was a damn auxiliary transport that stayed as far away from the fighting as possible. And since when did a tanker need a gravity board anyway. No one cared if a mass tank got stirred up a little. Talking about a useless job. Probably only had a crew of a hundred if that and he would be lucky to have frozen dinners to reheat and eat every meal for months between stars. Typical military Supertanker fare. The last thing he wanted to be was a god damn boring grave tech again, but being assigned a stupid tanker just added insult to injury. Kicking himself for not even looking at the list the officer had tried to show him and requesting something, anything else. No. Maybe not anything. Definitely not Sewage reclamation Tech or Cook or...Or... Jack felt like crying again as his eyes clouded up. It just was not fair.

Months later Jack sat on the deck with his back against the bulkhead to one side of a hatch with his sheet in his lap studying for the test he had to take the next day. A dozen crewmen played a game of hackysac in the middle of the platform in front of the hatch to the 5 deck tall tank. After much practice they usually kept it in the air for 10 and 15 minutes at a time with encouragements or insults between the players and derision for the one that finally dropped the ball even though the circle of players was usually 50 feet across and more by then. The First Class lay against the bulkhead on the other side of the hatch sleeping off too many drinks. Jack had wondered the first week aboard ship and on the job since, why the First Class was never disciplined. Though he eventually did his job opening up the hatch and assigning jobs with little more than a wave of his hand except when he was really drunk or upset and he would spend hours harassing the crew like they were in a bad boot camp. Especially if he had to take notice of their work. Jack did not care as long as he was left alone to study when he was not vacuuming up reaction mass water. As a 3rd class he got the job of driving one of the vacuum carts instead of squeegeeing reaction mass into the drains the spacemen got stuck with. But over time the First Class just seemed to get worse and worse costing him more and more time from studying.

Looking at his watch Jack shook his head. They had already dried one tank that day and had been waiting to get into dry the second tank for over two hours now waiting for the First Class to open the damn hatch. But he had come in and flopped down in his drunken stupor and had fallen fast asleep without even opening the hatch into the tank this time. Not that he had not done it before. So Jack knew that if they did not get started soon they would break for dinner. If things progressed as usual, they would be lucky to finish by midnight with the 1st class screaming at them to finish so he could go hit the bar before it closed. The problem was that Jack had gravboard watch at 2400. Which meant little sleep again when he took the test the next morning in the training and education office.

A test he wanted to do good on. If he passed the classes' beginning knowledge progress test with a 95% grade or better, he did not have to waste time doing and turning in 3 months of work assignments on things he already knew only to take the test again, though then all he needed to get was a 75% to pass it. He had spent the previous week studying for it as he had done for most of the other classes since he had boarded the ship. Learning the hard way, that the test officer did not listen to excuses that he had to work late and had watch and was too tired to do excellent on the test. They did not give a rat’s ass or do-overs or let you delay the scheduled test until you had some sleep and with only a 94 he wound up working his butt off doing assignments and taking another dozen tests for several months on crap he already knew. Not that it was hard but just tedious and time consuming when he needed to be reviewing other classes beginning knowledge tests, not to mention studying and working the text books of classes he had not taken and gotten degrees in before so he could pass their pretests.

In spite of that, he had been averaging passing a skills test with an average of 97% grade every week. He would have the all-important basic bachelor's degrees within another 2 months. Including the new courses he had not taken before. Then he would start on his Doctorates while finishing the rest of the bachelors he had put off that could wait. Though the Doctorate's would take longer even if he managed to use the old papers he had submitted for his original Doctorates. The Doctorate boards wanted to see the work. They knew you already knew the subjects. They wanted to know if you could think beyond the concepts with new valid ideas using accepted scientific procedures. Something that should be easy after the tutelage of the tyrant his grandfather was."

Looking at his comm watch again, Jack frowned and then looked at the First Class still sleeping. Shaking his head he went back to studying when his wrist comm watch beeped. An incoming video. Clicking on his wrist comm he transferred the message to his sheet and smiled. It had to be Tom telling him about his new Battleship now that he was an officer. Only it wasn't.

His mother looked out at him. "Hi Jack. I hope you are well. I am sorry to hear that you are not becoming a Battleship Pilot. I wish we would have looked closer at what the doctor's at the time were telling us about you. I can't believe we actually believed you would not be with us very long. Your father really feels bad about enrolling you in that unaccredited collage just to save a little money. He also feels bad about what he has been finding out about the way your brother used to treat you. We both know now we should have paid closer attention to you instead of keeping you at arm's length thinking you would be gone soon." Shaking her head she started crying.

Jack started to reach over and shut it off when she wiped her eyes and continued.

"After you joined the Navy, it seems your brother's piloting skills were flushed down the toilet. We wound up paying tens of thousands of credits in damaged cargo most trips and lost most of our first class passengers with our reputation for a safe smooth ride. We even had to land at an emergency pit hundreds of miles from the port out in the middle of nowhere last week. No one wants to be aboard a ship that misses the port with hundred mile detours with what resembles thrill rides on landing. Your father finally had to replace him as pilot and is still looking for a gravboard officer that is half as good as you were. I lost my dinner a month ago when the gravity jumped up to four Gees and dropped to - 2 and back again upon landing. The gal was trying to hard trying to do as good as you after your father yelled at her. Evidentially the board is not just window dressing after all now we have seen what a good officer can do with it. At least now we are not having to pay for damaged cargo or wind up missing the Starport completely and have to spend money on hundreds or in several cases, thousands of tons of extra mass just to land.

Your father was going to replace Pop as well when he got the ship lost for the second time light-years from our intended destination but realized that it was the Captain's responsibility to make sure the Navigator was navigating to the right planet and you have to admit Pop is a good Navigator and has saved the ship a lot of money and time between the stars and still does. That just meant your father had to start doing something else we found out you used to do without anyone but Pop knowing about it. That is besides your brother and all the things he had you doing for him to take credit for."

"Your brother finally confessed that you were doing all the maintenance tasks and that he forced you to sign the IOU’s. The crew went on strike when he started charging them for tool rents and fining them for hundreds of minor infractions not even on the books. Then the nozzles he welded up failed time after time. This time it almost cost us the ship when both engines blew most of their feed nozzles only feet out of the pit. Luckily we managed to land but it is costing us thousands in port machine shop work and a week's delay as well as the fines. We are just now finding out what your brother did with all the money we thought was going to crew overtime and training now that you are not here to do it."

"Your brother is no longer the Captain designate of the new ship. That is if we still get a new ship with all the money we have lost since you left."

"I know your father will never get over feeling like a failed fool or forgive himself. Especially with your Grandfather giving him the treatment he and your brother always gave you. And maybe someday he will drop you a line to tell you and ask for your forgiveness. But for now he is trying to figure a way to find out where your ship is and dead head to do that in person. I caught him checking to see how much fuel and mass it would take to dead head an empty ship to the nearest military station at the front this morning, just in case he can’t find a load headed that way even though your ship is not officially there but he can't find it anyplace else. This afternoon he sent notes to every tramp ship we know, asking them if they have seen your ship and send us a flagged emergency note if they do see the Red Dwarf. Don't worry dear, he is not about to even try to make you leave. Fact is he has been bursting with pride ever sense you left, (once he calmed down) at the fact that you would become a Battleship Pilot and even now that you aren’t. He even blames himself. It is the main topic with everyone he meets. No, he just wants to make sure you are doing well and apologize to you in person so you know how much we do love you. I have to agree that you do deserve hearing his apology personally and not from a video letter. Besides that is the kind of man your father is. So don't be too surprised if we show up."

"Now I know you are busy and I don't want to take up anymore of your valuable time. You just take care and be the best you can be. We all love you. Even your brother when he gets done being jealous of you. Good night Jack."

"Oh and one more thing. I just found out Pop sent a letter to the Navy. Or should I say letters trying to get your degrees accredited and you assigned to the Earth Propulsion institute or the Research Directorate as a research assistant. He told me that today when he heard that I was videoing you and wants you to know that he is impressed at your progress and the additional courses you are taking. He is getting copies of your tests shortly after you take them. The Navy is paying the costs to send them priority transmission to Pop." She chuckled at that. "Pop says to tell you that he is going to box your ears if you don't start getting 100's. But don't worry. I saw his test score transcripts years ago and he rarely got over a 96 on his pre-course tests. Bye love and vid when you get a chance."

"Criste dad! Dead heading across half the damn Republic would cost a fortune. NO! Not half enough to make up for all the years of crap and lies." Jack had to let that sink in for quite a while as he kept wiping the tears from his cheeks. "A hundred? Shit damn it! I am not going to do that sitting here."

Dragging himself up he started to head for the First class when the First Class opened his eyes and looked at him groggily. Stopping Jack in his tracks. Turning around Jack went half way back to his spot and stopped. Turning back around he swallowed hard and licked his lips then headed for the First Class again who was dead to the world again. Slowing down to almost a crawl, Jack walked up to him ready to run. "First Class Dickens?"

When he did not even move, Jack tentatively reached down and shook him. "First Class Dickens?" Then stepped back, waiting for hell to break loose as he bit his lip holding his breath.

First Class Dickens lifted his head, opened his eyes and groggily said. "What the hell... Huggump… do you... want? Leave me... alone." And waved his hand through the air trying to brush a fly away as he closed his eyes again and his head hit his arm laying on the deck.

Jack started to walk away then stopped. Turning back around he stepped back next to the First Class. "First Class Dickens; you need to open so we can dry out the tank." He said loudly only a couple feet away and then took a couple steps back waiting for the explosion.

Waving his hand in the air again he turned back over away from Jack grimacing. "You're a fucking 3rd class. Open the damn thing and leave me the fuck alone." Covering his eyes from the light.

Jack straightened up looking down at the poor excuse for a petty officer, shaking his head. Turning around he watched the game of hackysac for a few seconds and then looked at the closed hatch into the tank. Turning to the first class again Jack bit his lip. "Ah... Ahh…But...” His eyes starting to dart around the hundred foot wide platform ringing the pipe chase with a good hundred huge 3 foot diameter pipes running up the wide open center branching off to different tanks up the miles long chase. Finally he walked over to the lock control panel and started checking the condition of the tank. Looking over his shoulder every few seconds with his knees bent ready to run. Jack made sure the tank was empty, the valves in the mass transfer lines to it locked closed, oxygen levels appropriate with the air vent valves locked open and the tank safe to enter. Finally after the 6th check, his hands shaking, glancing over his shoulder expecting to see a monster, he tapped in the unlock code scared to death and hopping he remembered the code wrong.

When the light turned green he stared at it for a good minute hoping it would turn red again so he could forget he even thought of doing anything. When it didn't, he looked around at the first class still passed out. Not paying him even the least bit of attention as the hackysac game continued with the ring of crewmen over 40 feet apart and slowly growing bigger, yelling at each other as the sac flew high in the air across between them back and forth only to be kicked back into the air and across the ring of crewmen again.

Jack turned to the hatch, reaching out to the lever that would open it and stopped. Looking at the game with no one paying the least attention to him, ready to run if anyone even glanced in his direction. Grasping the handle tightly and glancing at Dickens again, Jack's heart beating a mile a minute, he pulled the lever around and the hatch started opening. The locking pins slamming open and the hatch motors started their wine as the 16 foot square hatch started opening.

Closing his eyes he waited for the heavens, or the fireballs of hell to descend upon his head or a hit full force on his back or across his head like his brother always did when he did something his brother thought he shouldn't. When he did not hear anyone screaming at him for opening the hatch or a sharp sudden pain in his back or stars from a head slap and that he was still alive, he turned around to see the crew staring at him with the sac laying on the deck alone and forgotten. Licking his lips as he looked at the distant elevator platform that could take him back down to the maintenance decks, he thought about running but it was too far away and then looked around for someplace to hide. With the row of huge tank hatches ringing the deck securely closed, the only place to hide was inside the tank with the opening hatch.

He started to walk into the tank and then stopped just inside it as he turned on his head lamp that disappeared into the dark distance. After a few minutes of standing alone in the huge empty tank as the hatch continued to open with nothing to do but stand there on the wet deck, Jack turned around and walked back out and over to his vacuum cart, he put on his helmet and drove into the tank. The crew that usually worked with him followed him as the rest went back to playing the game. He raised the light tower to some 20 feet above his cart, lighting up the vast interior of the tank.

With only one vacuum cart sucking out the seams between the removable deck plates and a half dozen crewmen working pushing squeegees of water into the drains and the rest just standing around watching or tossing the sac up and around again, Jack knew it was going to take well past chow to finish. Jack finally stopped to take a break, turned the suction vacuum off for some peace and quiet as he stretched. The squeaks from the few crewmen squeegeeing the deck and their footsteps echoing around the tank were drowned out as a good sized hacky sack game was again going inside the tank. Jack turned to the other 3rd class of the detail who usually ran the other cart as the sack was finally dropped leaving the other 3rd class standing around for a few second. Jack took several deep breaths as he worked up his nerve. "You...” His voice started to squeak. Taking another deep breath he tried again, trying to be careful to control his voice. "You." The guy's name fled his mind, “Could get the other cart in here. Things would go a lot faster. We, could get out of here by dinner and not have to come back."

Catching his breath he waited for the man to tell him to go screw himself. A normal consequence when he had asked for help on the Turner Joy especially if his brother was around. When the man turned and left the tank to return a few seconds later with the other cart and started where jack had left off. Jack could not believe it. In shock he watched the other cart for several minutes with his mouth hanging open. Finally Jack started running his cart again then after a few passes he went over to the group of goofing off crewmen and the hacky sack game and stopped next to them accidentally getting in their way stopping the game.

Suddenly scared breathless expecting a deluge of name calling and even an attack. He killed the cart trying to jam it into reverse and then froze knowing it was too late to unbuckle his seat belt to run. Resigning himself to the inevitable he waited. And waited as they just looked at him. No one said a word or tried to retrieve the sac he had run over. Swallowing several times over what seemed like forever to him, he finally sheepishly smiled. "Come on guys, you don't really want to spend all night here do you? Chow is in another hour." Jack sat there afraid to move but finally reached down and started the cart back up as one of them and then another quickly followed by the rest headed for the pile of squeegees laying where they had been thrown.

An officer sitting at a desk watched her screen smiled as the tank clean out crew went to work. After the major breakthrough of Jack actually opening the tank on his own, (though it had taken him long enough to even try), she had half expected (feared), Jack to try doing the whole tank on his own. He successfully asking the rest of the crew to help was a major accomplishment.

With the red flag on his file directing everything about as well as to and from him, to her desk. She had held his first letter from home for several weeks and then deleted almost half of what his brother had included (after the rest of the family had said their parts), as to damn damaging with its ranting’s and threats from his brother. Leaving enough from his brother for Jack to get what a lying asshole he was without the belittling names and threats, including things his parents supposedly had said. It left a jerky video but she had deliberate added to the incompetent editing job to show Jack what a stupid buffoon his brother really was. Then written a personal letter to Jack’s parents asking for their help while sending the original part of his brothers section of the family letter as an attachment. Informing them that a similar letter from their oldest son would get him arrested for interfering and threatening an enlisted crewman. She would see to it that he spent a very long time in prison.

She had held this last letter from home just for this instance when he was facing a dead line in the hope it would push him into acting. Even if it took the whole night for him to act. To doing something even if it had been wrong or half-baked or in desperation.

She now had two officers acting as crewmen along with the First class, all trained in how to handle any situation that could come up. No matter what he did, it had to look and end in success without any bad consequences for the kid. Then after all her hours of preparation and pulling rank and favors, he does everything perfectly without having to use any of her backups. But then her crew had played their parts to perfection. The first class using the perfect words to make him act without giving him a direct order. Then the others giving just enough resistance, then support and then squelching any derogatory names from the known trouble makers as they shepherd the crew to comply. In time he would learn to ignore or turn descent to his advantage but for now they had to be careful.

She didn’t know why she had decided to put all the effort into the boy. But she knew after looking at his records, finding out who his grandfather was, his off the chart IQ and military ratings that the war could very well depend on the boy. If she could repair even half of the damage. All she knew for sure was that if she did not even try, there was no way he would ever be able to make a contribution to the war. Whether he ever did or not did not matter.

The next day Jack opened the hatch as soon as they walked onto the grate from the elevator platform after seeing the tank number on the daily assignment board during muster. Most of the crew had not yet made it up, nor was the first class anywhere to be seen. They got done early that day after doing both tanks with the 1st Class finally showing up to pass out as usual.

From then on the First Class rarely even showed up. Telling Jack after the morning muster what tanks needed cleaning even though Jack could see them on the board until he stopped even showing up at muster. Weeks passed as Jack settled into his new role. At first hints and suggestions worked getting the tanks cleaned, but eventually the crew started getting lazier and lazier over the weeks. Then one day, after delaying Jacks study time again by not even entering the tank as they played outside in spite of his vague suggestion that chow was in a couple hours, he became desperate.

Stopping the cart next to the two guys leaning against the bulkhead talking, he sat looking at them as they ignored him. Not wanting to be impolite he waited for a break in the conversation but neither stopped talking long enough to get a word in edgewise. After several minutes with Jack getting more exasperated by the second he finally said. "Ok, Guys." They continued to talk. "Guys." He said a little louder and was still ignored. Taking a deep breath. "Ok guys, don't you think it is time to go to work?"

They stopped talking and looked at Jack for a few seconds irritated and then one of them smiled. "Why sure Turner. Why not?" They went over and grabbed a squeegee and got to work. If what they were doing could be called work but at least they were doing something but standing around just talking. Though they seemed to talk enough while they worked making Jack wonder why they thought they had to stop to talk in the first place.

Direct requests worked great for about a week and then a big man nicknamed Bigfoot by the rest of the crew said. "Naw, I don't think so. Maybe later." It did not take long before half the crew was again spending most of their time goofing off as the rest did most of the work, making the days get longer and longer.

Walking up to the tank hatch early one morning Jack opened it then turning around to watch a half awake game of hackysac, shaking his head in disbelief. He had spent half the night at battle stations doing drills then his regular watch with only a couple hours of sleep, Jack was pissed off with himself to start with for failing a pretest the evening before and was not looking forward to spending the next 3 months doing the class work he did not have time for thanks to the crew already goofing off that had prevented him from studying in the first place. He could not see things getting any easier ever, pissing him off even more.

Without thinking, with his head splitting in the front lob to his neck, Jack walked into the circle as his blood boiled with disgust. The bag sailed arcing down toward the guy he was walking by. Jack automatically reached out and grabbed it as the guys foot kicked up toward it and missed, lost his balance and fell backwards to the deck.

Walking out into the middle of the circle as Bigfoot yelled. "What the hell do you think…?”

Jack took a deep breath. "Get your fucking ass holes in that tank to work now!" Then threw the sac off the gratings into the middle of the pipe chase where it hit a pipe and disappeared down into the shaft. It was a court martial offense to throw anything down the pipe chase shaft. Not thinking, Jack had just wanted to get rid of what had become to him the symbol of them goofing off and him failing his test.

"Hey asshole that was my sac and it is a mile down to the bottom."

Rubbing his aching temples he looked up into Bigfoots eyes reminding him of one of his brothers friends who used to take pleasure in torturing him with his brother looking on. "No, closer to two. So what, you want to follow it down pukeface?" A line his brother used to use on him all the time suddenly popped out of his mouth before he could stop it. "Get your butt to work before I write your sorry ass up for disobeying fucking orders."

The crews beat him into the tank for the first time ever and he didn’t' have a problem with them the rest of the day. Getting the second tank done shortly after lunch after giving them a half dozen additional orders mostly to go back to work after breaks and lunch and cleaning up the tools at the end of the last tank and then the last order of the day, ordering them to knock off early getting a cheer from most of them except Bigfoot as they tried to beat each other out of their tool compartment.

After the shock of the men actually doing what he had ordered them to do had worn off and settled in. Jack stopped pleading with them each time something had to be done. Knowing that the faster they got the tank dried out the sooner he could go back to studying. Even then he spent most of his time disgusted at how slow things started going again as most of the men were in no hurry and simply followed orders but at least they were getting done before the normal shift was over allowing him to study.

A month later the division Chief pulled Jack aside after muster. Looking at him he shook his head frowning. "Look here Turner. I can't have a Third class running a tank cleanout crew." Handing him a sheet. "This is the Second Class test. Take it and hand it in to me when you are done."

Jack looked at it as he took it from the Chief. "Ah Chief; I don't understand. Am I supposed to take this to the training department office to take? Why not just tell me to go."

The Chief gave Jack a sorry impatient look. "We don't expect a Second Class to know and remember everything but we expect him to know where to find what he needs to know and use it." Shaking his head again. "It is an open book test. You will probably have to go over half the ship to find the answers. The same will be for the first class test eventually. I expect you to hand it in within a week and your pay increase will start the week after that. Now get back to work." The Chief turned to leave then turned back. "Oh Turner, since you are doing such a good job, I am assigning you 3 tanks from now on. Keep up the good work."

Jack stared at the Chief as he walked off. "How the hell am I supposed to do a third tank, study for my class pretests and take a frigging Second class test at the same time?" Jack said to himself as he looked up the miles long pipe chase though the Chief ignoring him anyway, disappeared into the side compartment hatch leading out of the lowest deck of the pipe chasse running up the center of the ship.

It took him until dinner call that day to get the third tank done. The next day exasperated with how long the first tank was taking he started paying more attention to the crews and how they were working. Realizing real quickly that most were simply going through the motions and not very helpful motions to begin with. After trying suggestions a couple of times Jack finally gave up when the guy simply looked at him and continued with what he was doing. Taking the squeegee from him Jack showed him how to use it the way some of the others were using it to good effect and said. "Now do it right ass hole. I want to get out of here at a decent hour today." His voice echoed across the tank. He spent the rest of the day riding half the crew’s asses but they got even the third tank done in plenty of time.

He managed to hand the 2nd class test to the Chief a week later with bags under his eyes not believing he even managed to pass the latest class pretest with a 96 the evening before. The fact that he had seen sections of the ship he had never been in before was a consolation prize he had found entertaining though tiring. He was surprised the next day when the First Class handed him a set of Second Class stripes. Shaking his hand and slapping him on the back in front of the men and women at muster. Then later offered him a drink to celebrate as he handed him the First Class Test.

Jack refused the drink and dropped the test in the garbage on his way out.

Half way through the first tank of the day, a third class showed up stopping Jack in his normal vacuuming rounds sucking out the water from the joints between deck plates covering the Grav Coil pits after the men had squeegeed the water section by section of deck into the drains. Looking at him baffled Jack asked him. "What am I supposed to do with you?"

"I was just promoted to Third Class two weeks ago and finished my vacuum cart certification yesterday." Looking at Jack with a face full of pride. I am supposed to run the cart Second Class Turner." The Third Class looked over the cart checking it out as he spoke bursting with pride.

"What? Then what the hell am I supposed to do?" Jack said without thinking.

"Why I don't know but my second class in the tank team I was, in spent most of his time yelling at the guys of the team telling them where and how to work." Smiling at Jack. "We were up to 4 tanks a day so 3 is going to be easy Second Class Turner."

Jack climbed out of the seat and the Third Class jumped in and took off before Jack could say a word. Barely having time to grab his study sheet as he pulled away.

After having to spend most of his time before going between running the cart and trying to get enough nerve to give orders to the crew to get things done, Jack suddenly felt relieved to have one less job. Though giving orders was still a bitch, it was getting easier everyday but he was still usually not giving orders until after much time and energy had been already wasted. Jack suddenly found that he could see what was going on around the tank more clearly while the added stripe seemed to make the crew more responsive to his orders as well as when he made the occasional suggestions as he pitched in to help them with problems when he did decide something needed to be done a certain way. But still half the crew spent as much time as possible screwing off when Jack was not watching them or going through the motions even if they were the correct motions. Though, how anyone could squeegee the same dry spot for 20 minutes without going nuts escaped him.

Jack finally had enough after the third time they had to work tell dinner call on a couple of difficult tanks. Borrowing a technique from his father and brother he hated with a passion, but could think of no alternative though he knew he would have to make plans beforehand. Then one day in desperation, he let the good workers leave at the normal end of the shift while keeping the lazy trouble makers to finish the work, including Bigfoot, while Jack sat back and just watched without saying a word as he studied. Picking a day he did not have to worry about not getting any sleep even if he did have the mid watch. The goofing off crew finally got done by midnight just in time for him to go on duty.

After they had packed up their equipment he called them to attention and smiled at them. "From now on guys you are B crew. A crew gets off at quitting time even if the tanks are not done and you get to finish them up. I am not going to worry anymore about you people doing your jobs because I can study watching you work for the rest of my tour no matter how late you fuckers want to work. Though I must admit I admire your dedication too fucking off tell midnight. Maybe you can shoot for 3 in the morning tomorrow night. Revile is still at 0700. Dismissed." As soon as he said it, Jack wanted to run and hide. Expecting the men to tell him to go fuck himself and maybe even pounce on him as his brother’s crew had done once for daring to demand anything. Getting ready to run he took a deep breath as he tried to take a step back when to his surprise he simply leaned against the bulkhead behind him. With nowhere he could go, he smiled, crossed his arms and relaxed and waited for the storm.

"Yes sir 2nd Class Turner." They all said as one and left without saying another word to him though he heard a lot of bitching as they left the compartment.

He started to learn how to handle men while his confidence grew. Climbing slowly out of his isolated hole not because he wanted to but because he had no choice. As various members of his crew started insisting he spend time with them even on the mess deck not giving him a chance to bury his nose in his study sheet. Then one night Bigfoot spent dinner eating with him and being very friendly as he told jokes, talked about aircars and women and on the way back to the birthing compartment section, he patted Jack on the back with a big smile and gave him an aspirin bottle. "Just for being such a good friend Jack. I wanted to apologize for being such a pain to you and giving you a headache all the time. Talk to you later buddy." And walked down the passageway to his cabin. Jack looked at the bottle of aspirin with the seal around the cap still intact and walked into his cabin and tossed it into the drawer of his locker smiling. None of the crew had ever given him anything before. Things were definitely looking up for him.

The next day a First class, Master at arms Sargent, Division Chief and the Division Lieutenant walked into the tank midmorning. "Second Class Turner. Please follow us to your cabin." Said the Chief.

Jack walked out of the pool of reaction mass carrying a bucket of crap that had been plugging the drain. He had only seen the lieutenant at musters in the mornings and never talked to him so Jack was a little surprised to have him in the tank not to mention the rest. "What? Can't it wait? I am a bit busy right now lieutenant."

"No Turner. The drug dogs have found a discrepancy with your locker. You will accompany us to your cabin."

"Ok," Jack put the bucket in the rear basket of the vacuum cart and lifted his leg across his knee and slipped off his boot emptying the reaction mass that had sloshed into it out onto the deck. "Well I could use a change of socks anyway." A coughing choking half laughing noise got everyone's attention as Bigfoot bent over beating his chest trying to keep from choking as he kept stifling a laugh as one of his buddies patted his back smiling from ear to ear.

Jack put on his boot and followed the lieutenant, chief and Sgt. as most of the crew looked on in shock.

In his cabin Jack unlocked his locker and stood back as the Lieutenant and Chief watched the Sgt. turn to Jack. "You have the right to remain silent but it would go better for you if you told me about any illegal drugs you have in your locker before I find them. It would make you eligible for rehabilitation."

A baffled look came over Jack for a second followed by incredibility as a smile quickly covered his face before he tried to become serious with little success. "No. You go right ahead and look to your heart's content Sargent." Holding up his hand toward his locker. "Ah, would you mind if I took my screen out to do some studying. I don't think you have to worry about drugs hidden on it." Without waiting for a response he reached past the Sargent and took the screen with a smile then turned and grinned at the Chief and Lieutenant as a chuckle escaped his lips. He shook his head back and forth in disbelief and sat down in his chair against the bulkhead next to the hatch, took off his boots and wet socks and propped his feet up on the bunk across from his off to the side of his locker. Jack turned the sheet on and started studying, ignoring the Sargent and his locker.

Twenty minutes later with the Chief and Lieutenant still standing rock solid without saying a word. Jack looked up at them starting to feel sorry for them having to waste so much time. At least he was getting something done. Then he glanced at his locker as the Sargent picked up the aspirin bottle he had tossed in it the evening before and he suddenly realized the ends of the tamper seal on the cap did not quite line up and the color of what he could see of the contents was off. His halfway cheerful smile left his face as his eyes grew. Jack quickly looked back down at his sheet trying to be stone faced but was not having much success at it. Taking a breath as he swallowed, realizing that he had been set up. Taking another breath he counted to ten and went back to studying, or at least looking like he was studying as he tried to smile while keeping an eye on the Sargent that was continuing to paw through the drawer he used to throw his small odd stuff in.

The Sargent took out Jacks can of (Wound Antiseptic Healing spray Foam bandage) he had picked up ashore but had not had a need to use it since his job was not taking things apart where he could cut himself like he had a habit of doing on the Turner Joy. After reading the label the Sargent put it back and then stepped back and looked his locker over rubbing his chin. Carefully studying the different sections again. Jack was just starting to breathe easier and had gone back to studying when the Sargent said, “That’s it.” He reached back into the drawer and picked up the aspirin bottle. Jacks heart skipped a beat as he waited for God to strike him dead and then the Sargent sat the aspirin bottle down to one side of the drawer and picked up a prescription bottle from a dental appointment he had had months before when his wisdom teeth had been pulled.

The Sargent held the bottle up to show the Lieutenant and Chief. "This is what the dog responded to sir." Turning to Jack. "It is expired so I am taking it with me to dispose of Mr. Turner."

Jack smiled. Relief flooding over him. "Sorry Sargent, I forgot I even had them. I only took a couple when the pain was really bad the one day. I don't like drugs. I have seen to many bad results. I usually got stuck cleaning up after the bodies were hauled off, tagging along with my father investigating the assaults and deaths and ruined lives drugs caused back on the Turner Joy." Jack shook his head embarrassed as he took a breath. Then trying to keep his cool while smiling with relief he waited for the Sargent and the Officers to leave.

The Lieutenant turned to Jack looking down at him. "My apologies Turner. I am hearing good things about you. Keep up the good work." Then turned and lead the way out of the cabin and down the passageway. He never saw the woman that had interviewed him and was responsible for his current assignment, standing just down the passageway.

Jack sat there for several minutes in shock. He slowly got up, grabbed a pair of clean dry socks staying as far away from the bottle as possible then slipped his boots on. Taking a deep breath as he stared at the aspirin bottle still sitting in his drawer, he leaned forward grabbed a tissue and picked up the bottle trying not to touch it with his tissue covered fingers. Looking at the bottle he could see a faint line down the side of the cap’s tamper proof seal with the writing not quit lined up across the crack. He pushed on the seal with his thumb and the seal popped off falling to the deck. Swallowing he took the cap off, the tamper proof foil across the top was pushed down into the bottle and the contents were nothing like aspirin tablets. Going to the hatch he carefully looked out, up and down the passageway, then made a bee line for the head where he dumped the contents down the toilet and flushed it, then ran the bottle under the faucet trying to clean off any trace of him with gobs of soap. Leaving it in the sink under running water he went over and grabbed a hand full of toilet tissue. Shutting off the water he let it drain then picked the bottle up holding it far away from anything of his that could contaminate it, using the tissue he took it over to the waste chute and dropped just the bottle down it then took the tissue over and flushed it down the toilet. Looking out the hatch to make sure no one had seen him, he returned to his cabin and closed the hatch leaning against it. The relief flooding over him slowly turned to shock that anyone could have done such a thing to him. Then in time shock turned to anger and then later cold blooded hate for the person who had tried to do it to him.

Jack returned to the tank after lunch. Some of the crew gathering around him to find out what happened. Jack just smiled as he looked at Bigfoot. "Well it seems that I had some prescription pain pills left over from a few months ago. I hear it drove the dog crazy when he entered my cabin. Luckily I had some aspirin to take for the headache afterwards so I am fine now. So let's get back to work guys and gals. Thanks Bigfoot. Your aspirin pain pills worked wonders. Great pills. You will have to tell me where you got them."

Though the "B" crew started pulling their weight it still took many weeks before he got fed up with all the wasted time and effort as the crews still went out of their way to do only what they had to. Not doing anything when problems occurred until he finished what he was doing even if it was taking care of another problem with the other crew. Keeping him away from studying. A bit on the tired side after a long night of studying after having to work late the night before with the B crew to finish up their 3rd tank after a series of problems. He simply said enough was enough to himself.

After walking over to the side of the tank that was taking an unusually long time to drain with B crew squeegeeing the same water over and over again into a large pool that did not want to drain he had to force himself not to do what needed to be done himself, since he could see another problem developing in another part of the tank with the other crew. Both problems had occurred many times before and he was getting tired of having to taking care of the some problems personally over and over again. He simply had enough.

Turning to the 3rd Class sitting on his vacuum cart half asleep as he waited for the deck to drain Jack took a deep breath. "What the hell are you doing 3rd Class Danials sitting on your fracking butt instead of doing your job?" Jack leaned over Daniels like he had seen the First Class do many times over the months intimidating the crewman he had picked as his target. Jack suddenly started worrying about the 3rd class popping him in the mouth for getting so close and screaming at him.

"But 2nd Class Turner, I can't do anything until the tank finishes draining." He said slinking down into his chair.

"Bullshit, find out why the tank is not draining and take care of it Maggot." Jack shook all over as he balled up his fists. Not in rage, just trying not to let himself run screaming in fear waiting for the 3rd class to punch him.

"But it is wet?" Looking at Jack for a few seconds he started sealing his suit to his boots as he tried to slide out the other side of the cart from Jack.

"What are you doing 3rd Class Daniels?" Jack backed off straightening up as he crossed his arms across his chest as Daniels looked up at him baffled and confused. "You have a half a dozen Spacemen in your crew. Tell several of them to check the drain moron. Start with Bigfoot there. He hasn't done shit today yet."

Daniels looked shocked for a few seconds as he straightened up starring at Jack. Then comprehension dawned on the 3rd class as a smile suddenly grew with the realization that he was a 3rd class petty officer and actually had some power after all. Turning to the crew spread out watching the water drain either leaning on the squeegees or goofing around. "Bigfoot, Dempsey! Get over there and clean out that damn drain now!"

Bigfoot dropped his squeegee with a clatter (making Jack wince with nerves already strung tight but he was still so pissed at Bigfoot that he did not care if he got beat up or not and then he suddenly realized that he had been given self-defense classes in boot camp. He could defend himself even if he got hurt. Hell he was going to get hurt anyway so why not hit back and he just may get a few good hits in himself. Giving Jack the evil eyes Bigfoot started wading into the water pool.

Dempsey followed reluctantly. "Damn it, Second Class Turner, it was going down eventually."

Bigfoot growled. "Hell, I bet it is some asshole's rag like last time."

Dempsey tried to walk on the water raising his legs up above the surface but only made more of a splash with each step especially when the water started getting deep. Splashing up into his crotch.

Jack stood there as his mouth dropped open. He could not believe it as he watched the two wade in without even questioning the 3rd class or him let alone retaliating. Jack suddenly felt disappointed. He wanted to get some retribution with a few good punches into that smug face even if he got beat up in the process. Turning he went to take care of the other developing problem on the other side of the tank while giving the guys that had already started to head for the hatch to take a break a close eye stare until they turned around and went back to work. He immediately started chewing out the 3rd class sitting on his butt wondering why he had not done this weeks before. Suddenly realizing that he had to do the same thing every once in a while in The Game as well. The years of training in The Game at handling men and getting jobs done came flooding back suddenly making it hard to tell which was real.

Over the next week he found using his years of experience in The Game on how and what orders to give the 3rd classes to run the crews, he started getting the three tanks cleaned in plenty of time each day. Letting the crews off early many days making him very popular with most of his crewmen. The best part was being able to sit in the hatchway of the tank and study while he kept an eye on the work and everyone doing their job with only an occasional order to one of the 3rds. And then after repeating the same order several dozen times in several deferent tanks he finally in desperation explained why he was having them do what he had been ordering them to do over and over and suddenly he stopped having to repeat orders for the same thing over and over. Not that he hated giving orders since he did hate it, but the time it took for things to get bad enough for him to notice the problem and have to issue the order. Was wasted time.

Then one day Jack heard one of the crew talking about The Game and suddenly he realized that if it was not for the reality and the boredom, he felt like he was in The Game. Maybe he should get back into The Game. But then under which name. Was he even allowed to use his name from the Turner Joy or did he have to use the game name the Navy had given him? Well it did not matter since he had too much studying to do every night as it was.

Jack talked to the division Chief one muster asking him if he could promote one of the tank squeegee crew's spacemen to 3rd Class not that he needed additional drain crew supervisors but that the man was a hard and smart worker and deserved the recognition and that was the only way he knew to give it to him. Jack had expected to be told no and to quit trying to be so lazy. But the Chief told him to have the ones that wanted to advance take the simple 10 page test on basic Gravity coils and command responsibilities and it would be done. And then to Jack's shock the Chief frowned at him. "Why haven't you turned in the 1st class test I gave you?"

"I. Ah I...” Jack just stared at the Chief as his mouth dropped open. "I Ah did not think it mattered."

The Chief shook his head and then patted Jack on the shoulder. "I expect you to have that test on my desk within a week. Part of an officers job Turner is training his crew to be the best they can be. I am glad to see you are trying to advance your crew up the chain, just don’t' forget yourself."

While the 3rd class test turned out to not be that hard after the second class test experience, he still took a couple of weeks to school his best candidates in the 3rd Class tests subjects while starting his two 3rd classes on the 2nd class test sheet. Though getting his own test completed in a week was a little bit more difficult and again after putting in a lot of late nights. He had the test in the Chief's hand late in the evening of the last day of the week shortly before lights out. Then once the two Spacemen had gotten their stripes several more of his two crews wanted to take the test and he suddenly found himself spending more and more time holding classes for not only his crews but the other tank crews. Giving him even less time to study.

After getting his 1st Class stripe he suddenly found he had plenty of time as he put his new second classes in charge of each of the two crews doing the tanks. Leaving the vacuum cart running third classes to concentrate on their jobs. Again the time to clean a tank was reduced. Jack was starting to feel his life was more and more like The Game even though he had no time at all to play it. That is except that the real life game was so damn boring while working his ass off without the constant breaks between game sessions.

Then one day as the rest of the crew were finishing up a tank with his second classes doing all the work, Jack wondered over to the tank next door they had dried out the day before. It now had several large gravity coils on pallets around the hatch. He walked in to find a crew with several panels off the sides and deck of the tank. Their head lamps making them look like miners as they climbed in and out of holes in the deck and bulkheads. Looking into the nearest group of holes he discovered First and Second Class Gravity coil maintenance tech's working on disconnecting a coil inside the middle open hole. "Ah. This… This is a brand new ship. Why are you having to repair solid-state coils already?"

"What. Who the hell are you?" Said the First Class Grav tech running a scanner over a coil as she looked up from the hole next to the one that was being disconnected by a couple of second classes.

"Gravtech Turner. I dried the tank out yesterday. Evidentially so you guys can get in here."

"Oh, well, I am Gravtech Willis." Though he already knew that from the name over her uniform breast pocket and the patch on her shoulder and the fact that she was scanning a gravcoil. Not to mention that he saw her most every morning at muster though he had never talked to her as she stood with her crew down the Grav Tech muster line. "For some reason the coils keep burning out." Pointing at the coil in the next open bay that was half disconnected and then the one she was scanning. "The one that burned out seems to have damaged this one as well." Pointing at the blackened streaks on the coil. "See, the coil windings on the side closest to the dead coil and the opposite side look partially burned. It does not make any sense. It is happening on more and more of them not to mention that we had one that we replaced six months ago just go out last night." She turned the scanner so Jack could see the screen and the carbon starting to form deep in the windings in the coil she was examining.

"Ok, that is not good." He said as she went back to scanning the coil. Jack looked around. His eyes were getting used to the dark of the tank with the only light in the tank from the head lamps of the techs. The flood lights standing outside the tanks hatch had not yet been brought in with the new coils still on the pallets outside. He was used to the vacuum carts lighting up the tanks he was usually cleaning with not only their headlamps but they also had tall towers with lights pointing in a 360 degree arc for the rest of the crew as they moved around the tank.

He slowly became aware of a dim glow around him not from the head lamps down the holes. Looking around he could see several brightening glows from spots across the tank far from the open holes with the tech crew in them. The deck and bulkheads started glowing softly as well. Turning he looked down into the hole at the tech unfastening the coil as his light shown into Jacks eyes when he looked up to place a bolt on the edge of the hole. "Hey do you see...” Jack started to say, turning around and pointing. The tank was black again.

The Tech looked at Jack and then back down the hole. "Ya I see water that drained into the mount when we opened it up. You need to do a better job guy. I have to mop that out and make sure it is dry before we seal it back up."

Jack looked around the midnight black tank. Trying to figure out if he was crazy or not. It was one thing to see energy and gravity waves across the planets and space but this did not make any sense. Shaking his head he turned back to the tech who was again busy down inside the hole. "Sorry I will see what I can do to make sure we get all the water from now on."

Turning to leave he looked up into the tank again and stopped as he stared. Three spots around the tank in the darkness seemed to start glowing again. As he watched they became brighter as the deck and bulkheads of the tank again started to dimly glow as before as the spots became bright beacons. "Shit. What the hell?"

Taking a few steps away from the open holes and the lights he realized that the basic glow around him was not solid but a bunch of lit rings in the deck below his feet and around the compartment. Walking up to the nearest of the bright beacons a good hundred feet away he realized it too was a bright ring only it was a little bigger than the rest and seemed to be trying to grow as the brightness seamed to expand the coil. Starring at the coil feeling like he was going crazy, he realized that he seemed to be seeing lines of haze converging on the bright coil from a ring of rings around the tank. With each hazy line going from the outer ring to coil to coil and getting brighter as it neared the center coil with the energy from them all making the center coil a beacon. The hazy lines seemed familiar, damn familiar. Like the hazy lines he saw out the bridges ports running the Gravity board on the Turner Joy. Studying the haze, he realized it was full of beautiful colors he usually never saw unless he was looking at system suns and even the intermix during sunsets or rises. "Damn."

Looking around the tank he realized that there were three other beacons around the tank each with their own rings at about a hundred feet and where the outer most rings of each beacon met the other beacons rings, he could see the dead coils the techs were working to replace. Getting over the shock of what he thought he was seeing it finally dawned on him that it looked damn familiar. Like something he had read or seen in one of his books sometime in the past so long ago.

Shaking his head he suddenly realized that it was not that long ago. He had restudied it not more than a few months ago in one of the basic grav courses and then pop's lecture to a 10 year old ideate many years before came popping back into his head.

Walking back to the hole in the deck Jack bent down. "Grav Tech Willis. I know what is wrong."

"Yes Turner I know what is wrong, the damn coils keep burning out."

"No mam. Aha” Jack suddenly stopped, trying to think of a way to tell her without making her mad or thinking he was crazy so she would listen. Shaking his head as she placed the scanner down on the side of the open pit and bent back down to pick up something she had dropped.

Jack picked up the scanner and scanned the tank with it as he started smiling, he held it down for her to look at. "See the hot spots scattered around the middle of the tank and the faint rings around them. Your burned out coils are at the intersections of the faint rings. The interference where the rings meet is what is burning out your coils."

She looked at Jack as he ran the scanner around the tank. "You have only been a first class for only a few weeks. You have not even been to grav tech A school." She pointed to the little ribbon on her chest. "What the hell could you know about gravity coils?"

"I know that the coils are combining to magnify the waves to burn these coils out."

"That is stupid Turner, the coils are failing from shoddy manufacturing. I just can't figure out why the burned out ones are damaging the ones beside them." She took her scanner back and returned to the pit she had been working in.

Walking out to the middle of the deck. Jack started looking around the tank at the half a dozen open coil pits trying to think. Knowing he must be crazy to be thinking what he was thinking but he finally smiled. "Shit." Going back over to her as she dropped down to inspect a different coil, he excused himself and grabbed the scanner from the deck beside her and walked back out into the darkness of the tank after being blinded again by the lights.

Willis climbed out of the pit and followed Jack. "What the hell are you doing Turner?" She was starting to get pissed off. "Give me back my scanner."

Jack had to force himself to keep walking. His feet felt like someone was filling them with concrete with each step.

Taking a deep breath. "I just remembered basic gravity coil physics Willis. It is called wave propagation resonance." Using the scanner he measured the distance to the different burned coil pits and then placed the scanner on the deck and smiled. "All right, this is it even if I can't see it clearly with you shining your damn light on everything but it is there, look." He moved over so she could see the screen.

Bending down she looked closely at the scanner's screen. "I don't see anything but vague coils."

"You have to look closely. It is hard to see but the... “Jack straightened up and thought for a second. "You need to take this deck plate off so you can see close up what I am talking about."

"Are you crazy? We have too much work to do now."

"Listen; the coils are burning out because of gravity stasis resonance propagation. To make it simple, groups of coils are acting together and setting up gravity wave lenses that are magnifying the coil output at the spots where all the surrounding coil gravity waves intersect that is called the prime intersect coils." Pointing down at the sensor. "Oh, yes. I almost forgot. You can tell by the increased strength of the waves acting on this coil and the lack of power driving it." He changed the sensor readout and showed her the meter readout making her eyes open wide and her jaw drop.

Then he continued. "By the looks of it you have 3 prime intersect coils in this tank. Where the feedback electromagnetic wave rings from the multiple prime coils intersect, the electrical resistance in those coils windings are increased at the intersect spots creating heat and burning them out. This is one of the three prime coils in this tank only because of its placement in relation to all the others." Looking at her he tried to think of what to say to convince her. "Ah, if you pull this deck plate you will find the proof. The coil windings will be expanded from the gravity waves coming together at this point. That is where the increased wave density reading is coming from. They create tremendous pressure on the coil windings making the coil bigger than the rest, like a balloon but rarely burns them out because the current draw and coil resistance going through it drops. You will see this in all the other tanks you have been having problems with and it has an easy fix. You won't have to pull and replace anymore coils. Is that worth pulling the plate to check what I am saying?" Jack talked as he walked over to pick up the tool for unsealing the deck plates.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Once upon a time, I had a Doctorate in gravity coil physics and coil engineering to name just two." And then walked back and started unfastening the deck plate.

7-

WATERPISTOL ENGINES and FLASHLIGHT WEAPONS

Jack sat down at the gravboard making a few adjustments the crewman he relieved did not see or care to make. Nothing major as the board was just one of about a dozen Main Server sector boards overseeing the hundreds of trim boards lining the compartment. A third of the trim boards were manned by 3rd classes and unless the ship was loading or unloading or transferring reaction mass from tank to tank, his sector board like the trim boards, usually did not need touched. But navy regulations dictated that the main server boards controlling groups of single boards be manned at all times in case of an emergency. So as a 1st Class it fell to Jack taking his turn at what turned out to be a different board every watch whenever his section had the duty. At least he was now at a main board instead of one of the trim boards he had been stuck at for most of the past year that was not even unlocked as it ran training drills for the 3rd classes to learn how to use the boards and keep them busy while on watch. At least this one could do something if the need arose.

As a First Class now, he was not required to run training drills all the time, his watch was keeping an overall eye on the gravity coils in his section of the ship. Though he still had to answer any questions the 3rd and 2nd Class trainees had. Jack usually used the extra time to study for his knowledge tests greatly speeding up his class work. And now that he did not have to dry out tanks so coils could be replaced, he was doing even better and managed to get a couple of hundreds. Though retuning tank gravcoil array's was still boring, at least he was not getting wet and it was a lot quieter.

He was even starting to enjoy teaching a half dozen First Class Gravtechs the procedures and finer points of the art. After a month they were starting to get good at it. Which was actually the boring part of the job now, waiting for them to screw up or run into a problem for him to salve. But then Ensigns and Lieutenants started sticking their noses in once in a while to ask a few questions, trying to understand what he and the techs he was training were doing. And usually started adding their vast knowledge to his to insure he was doing a proper job. Only to show off how stupid they were concerning Gravity coils. Expecting the Officers to at least have the basics down, being officers with degrees and gravity coils being their jobs, Jack was usually disappointed in them by the time they walked away and half disgusted at how dense they were. Doing his best trying not to repeat the many phrases his grandfather (Pop) used to use on him when he was just as dense.

"Your attention please. This is Captain Halsey. We have lost contact with a fifth major colony planet on the galactic side of the republic a few days ago called New Mexico. Luckily most of the million habitants have evacuated. The President has ordered the fleet to set up a blockade while a reconnaissance in force is made into the New Mexico system to finally find out just who the hell we are trying to fight. We will be one of the reaction mass transports for the fleet. That is all."

Jack (for some reason) found it hard to concentrate on studying the rest of the shift and well into the next day as everyone kept talking about the news and speculating on the attack and what kind of enemy crew would be found in what had over a year of news reports with few facts and much speculation, become known as the Spider ship enemy, after a news cast showed one of their scout ships at long range attacking and destroying a gravity coil factory in the Ort cloud around one of the inner systems far from the front lines. Most of the crew talking about how badly we were going to beat them. Jack found himself wishing he was on one of the battleships in the thick of the coming battle. Thinking how lucky Tom was to be on the front lines.

Finally for the first time in days he was sitting on his bunk studying again while waiting for chow, he was deep into concentrating on his studies when Willis walked up to him. "There you are. I have been looking for you everywhere including the 1st class mess and lounge. Not many crewmen spend their spare time in their bunks studying. Come with me, you are in my maintenance crew now."

Jack followed her to the central personnel elevator and not the cargo elevator he had been restricted to when going up ship to dry out the tanks. A crew was already there with tool and equipment carts. The elevator rushed up ship though the central open pipe chase connecting all the tanks with hundreds of huge pipes running up through it. But even at speed, it took quite a long time to get past all the grated tank decks then through the first armored deck to the officer, passenger and navigation section at the bow of the ship. "You just follow and stay close to me. I will tell you if I need you to do something which will just be running back to get things from the coil winding shop if we need something. For now just get to know and used to how we do things."

Jack frowned. He had only been in the grav coil winding shop a few times and did not have a clue where anything was in it. Making him start to panic at the prospect of being sent back down after something he would not have a clue where to find.

The elevator opened and Willis walked off with her crew. Jack tagging along behind down a long passageway that seemed to go on forever as they wound their way through the ship. They entered a compartment full of consul screens and plot tanks and consuls filled with officers and even larger screens on the bulkheads around some ¾ of the compartment and overhead. Then Jack saw the Captain sitting in a huge chair with control packed arms and see through screens completely surrounding it. Willis and her crew started pulling deck plates and checking coils talking in whispers. Jack just wondered around trying to look invisible afraid to get very far from the hatch and escape. Something he was good at on the Turner Joy. But something was wrong as he realized the bridge looked too much like the bridge on Tom's hug Battle cruiser and not anything like a transport’s much smaller and simpler bridge. Tom and Jack had spent much time and effort designing Tom's bridge to be the perfect bridge only for the game to turn it back to what Jack was looking at here. It had taken months before they had finally given up and let the game have its way. A lesson Jack let stand on his ships, finally realizing the only choice the game left them as far as the bridge went was basically the size and again unless The Game wanted it different for that ship. All Jack had wanted for his Destroyer Bridge was little more than the size of a fighter cockpit or shuttle boat bridge. At least nothing bigger than the Turner Joy’s transport bridge but the game would have nothing of it and always turned it back into a relatively large bridge with many crew stations in easy reach and hearing.

Then Jack looked at a nearby console and the button and control layout on it looked all too familiar right down to the buttons around the edge that included the worn lettering on buttons used more than the others. The same buttons Jack had worn down as he climbed the ranks performing the various jobs around the bridge over the years. After the third console that looked like one he had spent a year at, he had to turn away in disbelief to look at the view screens of space around the ship only to see what looked like a flight of fighters passing close between them and another Dwarf Tanker Transport in the distance. Only to realize the fighters in the flight of 4 in a V formation closely resembled a certain large Battleship Destroyer he had spent years designing complete with drop tanks covering the back and belly and huge guns sticking out ahead of them from low slung flush turrets above and below the bow. Though his Destroyer had no turrets. They were simply too expensive and time consuming to build and maintain on his budget. Though a turret would have freed up a lot of space inside the hull that he could have used for torpedo tubes and their magazines. The problem was exacerbated with the fact that the turrets he could see where exact copies of the turrets he had designed but was having problems getting all the bugs out of.

Quickly looking away in disbelief at the hallucination or trick of his eyes, Jack spotted a screen taking up a good portion of the back bulkhead and found a damage control map of the ship. The first he had seen. He quickly realized that he had only seen or even knew about a small fraction of the ship. Even the stern engineering section he thought he was well acquainted with had 50 decks of storage holds farther down between the ships huge engines as well as at least 20 heavy equipment and some 50 low overhead troop decks he had not found or even known to look for. Then Jack noticed the huge boats sitting in locks hanging out like huge tanks down the sides between each of the six cooling fins. Then he really got a shock when he saw the hundreds of passenger decks in the bow section. "Why would a Tanker have hundreds of passenger decks?" He said to himself. Then spotted the massive fighter launch bay that looked big enough to house fighters the size of destroyers.

The officer at the console next to Jack looked up at Jack staring at the 8 by 20 foot screen, did a double take and frowned. After glancing at the crew jerking up deck plates randomly around the compartment, she smiled taking a deep breath reaching into her pocket for her stun gun. Resisting the urge to reach out and touch him with it on full power. But finally took a deep breath shaking her head. "If the fleet can’t stop them, we are supposed to evacuate as many refugees as we can from their path of advance. The empty passenger decks are enough to hold a million in tolerable comfort with each mass tank able to squeeze in a thousand cargo containers holding cargo or 20,000 passengers in an emergency. The idea is to strip the next planet and the system before the enemy gets to it."

Jack looked at her shocked. "Now how the hell could? That does not even seem possible."

"The New Mexico system the Captain announced that was evacuated. The Orange Dwarf did that in a couple of months and in one trip."

"What? But we are establishing a line that will stop them. I hear we are producing 2 new battle ships every week and that will be doubled in a few months. We can't lose can we?"

She looked around frowning, then motioned Jack to come over beside her as she typed. Jack looked at her screen and gasped. The ensign gasped as well as Jack leaned into her to get a better look at the screen and she took in a deep breath as she tried to back up, but the chair would not let her, leaving her lips only inches from his cheek. She tried to reach for her pocket stun gun but he was too close to get her arm around for her to reach it. Confusing memories came flooding back to her. A strange battleship crossed the screen that looked more like a spider than a battle ship. With 4 long tubes on pylons sticking out the back like legs and a half dozen arms hanging out to the sides ending in long poles sticking out forward around a wide group of discs across the front of the barrel shaped central body, it looked like a huge strange spider. The reason they had earned the name Spider ships. Noticing Jack starring at it. “That is one of their Battlecruisers.” She whispered into his ear. “Only the longer ones with more guns and engines have been labeled as Battleships.

Looking at the details along the side Jack noticed an area in the gap between the barrel hull and the group of what looked like a stack of thick plates hanging out front with boats covering the open deck between them. Reaching out he tapped the freeze icon and zoomed in onto the gap between the barrel and the deck above and onto the boats. They kept growing and growing and seeing the hatches on the backs of them and the suited figures frozen in mid steps around them Jack realized those were big boats with many turrets on the sides of the boats telling him they were large assault boats.

Zooming out again Jack realized that was one big frigging ship. He did not notice the gal staring at him breathing rapidly in his ear, sweat beading across her pale face as he tapped the resume icon. But her smell without Jack realizing it, started awakening long dead memories and feelings in him. Shaking his head to get rid of the strangeness, he concentrated on the screen in front of him ignoring the woman he was leaning against that could not seem to catch her breath on the verge of a panic attack.

Then the scene panned out to show hundreds, maybe thousands of the big spider ships in the distance lined up in a huge wall. Only those ships seemed to have many decks stacked up in front with many more legs hanging out around the sides as he zoomed in onto the formation but before he could get much detail the picture started graining up into blurring, leaving him with the impression that most of the hulls where stacked decks as well. The Ensign took a deep breath and whispered into his ear. "Those are their Battleships. We don't know for sure how big those are but several things are definite, their weapons are more powerful while their smaller Battlecruiser ships are much faster than our fastest scouts using some kind of drive that does not seem to require reaction mass from what I can figure." Every ship in the wall seemed to flash bright bluish white beams off to the side and then a few seconds later several of the nearest Battlecruisers lit up as they fired their guns in the camera's direction and then the screen went blank. "Once contact has been made, only a few ships have escaped a system in the last year. Usually from hiding if they were far enough away to begin with. This is part of the newest Intel from the scout drones sent into the last taken system. The area the scouting fleet is scheduled to enter."

"My god. And we are going into that mess with this thing. It's a suicide mission for us. At least the battle ships can run." Jack stepped away from her placing some distance between them as he finally realized how close she was and uncomfortable it made him feel.

Trying not to look at him as she stared at her screen. "What? Not even close. Think about it. The battle ships are limited in how fast they can run because of the limited amount of reaction mass they can carry and all their armor. Even the new ships with 4 times the tankage. We on the other hand have almost an unlimited supply. If anyone can out run them, we can if we have a long enough head start. That is what we were designed and built for." And then thinking to herself as tears came to her eyes. "He doesn't remember or recognize me the ass hole." She thought about reminding him with her pocket stunner between his legs as she reached for it. Then shook her head. "No he never did touch me the ass hole." But a part of her mind did not care.

"1st Class Turner come here please." Jack turned from the screen and the Ensign as she put something back into her pocked. He walked over to Willis, trying to absorb what the Ensign had said. Tom was on one of those Battleships. Thank god his family was headed for the opposite side of the Republic according to the last letter he had gotten from them. But that did not help Tom. "Have you been paying attention Turner?"

"Sorry. I was getting briefed on the battle situation."

"What? Battle briefing? Damn it. The gravcoils are making the officers space sick. They keep varying in intensity and direction. The 3rd officer has just been taken to sickbay after falling and hitting his head."

Jack looked at her and thought for a second and realized that he had felt the variations since he entered the compartment and as he just walked over. He started walking around and smiled as he realized that in the gloom of the bridge he could see the haze of the powerful grav field wavering across the bridge making large bumps at strange angles. A lot more power than what was needed. "Sorry. After 18 years on transports I don't feel or see it anymore. Or should I say pay attention to it. But it is simple to fix. Where is your compartment's deck maintenance board?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You can drop and lock the deck plates back down."

"Not until you tell me what the hell you are talking about." Willis said loud enough to carry across the compartment.

The Captain's screens dropped down around her as she turned to look at them.

Jack was facing away from and did not notice that he had the Captains attention. "Simple Willis. All the high powered electronic equipment in these consoles are interfering with the gravcoil control circuits. Every time someone changes a setting or moves across a coil or past a console, the control circuits get confused. I bet that some yard puke fine-tuned the bridge coil controls with no one in the compartment and no equipment on and set both the sensitivity and power on high to make sure the officers did not get space sick. If you will show me the maintenance console for this compartment, I can retune the coil controls to account for all the variables now that the equipment is on and manned and smooth things out. Now be a good First Class and close up the deck before one of these poor space sick officers fall in and hurt themselves." Jack smiled at his joke as he started looking around for the maintenance console only to spot the Captain staring at him.

Turning white he froze for a second then he tried to make himself as small as possible dropping his shoulders, bending his knees, spreading his legs, ready to run. Looking down and away he waited for the hammer of fate to descend on his head. After a couple of seconds nerves forced him to do something and he reached down and closed the deck plate next to him and Willis and locked it. Then started going around closing others as he made his way toward the hatch and off the bridge.

The Captain watched Jack closing the deck plates and turned to her First Officer. "Mr. McCaferty; will you have someone show First Class Willis where the deck's maintenance console is located please."

Willis turned from staring at Jack to look at the Captain. "Turner; get your butt back over here and follow me to the Maintenance console. The rest of the detail can close the deck plates." She did not need to be shown the decks damn maintenance console.

A half hour later Jack walked back and forth across the bridge starring at a hand sensor screen Willis had given him trying to suppress even a little smile as his eyes had already told him that the compartment's gravity fields were smoothed out and even across the compartment and barely perceptible. Finally he stopped next to the maintenance console sitting in the corner and First Class Willis. "Looks good and flat to me. You can lock it down. But one problem that may surface is that if we backed off on the sensitivity too much there may be a slight delay during rapid changes in thrust or high gee fast maneuvers. I am not familiar enough with this ship abilities yet to be sure our settings are perfect. If I had the ships specks and detailed plans and a few hours to run the proper calculations I could be more accurate. But not enough to be worth the effort when it will only take a few minor adjustments if and when problems do crop up. Something the officer on the Master Gravboard watch could do in a few seconds if it does happen."

"Ok. If making the adjustments is so easy why did you say you are used to the fluctuations on your transport?" Willis said put off.

"It takes a lot of power to change a gravity field and the faster you change it the more power it takes, due to its wave mass on top of maintaining it. By keeping the sensitivity down as well as the density of the field itself low, you can cut the power needed to maintain the gravity field as well as changing its intensity and direction to a small fraction, saving fuel when you count the whole ship. If you want I can show you the calculations that prove the engineering. Ahhh... how much quantum physics have you had? No it doesn't matter. I think I can dumb it down enough for anyone to understand. After all, if my granddad could dumb it down enough for me when I was 8, I should be able to do it for you."

"Forget it. I really don't care that much. I was just curious. Let's go, the dinner bell has rung."

"Well I do." First Officer McCaferty walked up. "How the hell can a snot nosed 1st class know anything about gravity theory. I think you are talking out your ass. You probably read a few articles and think you can impress the cunt to get her in your bunk. Try explaining it to me and don't worry about my education level or dumbing it down for me."

Jack swallowed taking a deep breath and smiled. "Yes you’re right lieutenant. I just read a couple of articles. Can we go now? I really don't want to miss chow."

"You will more than miss chow if you don't follow my orders and that is Commander. Now explain it to me and be quick about it so you don't miss chow."

"A thousand years of advanced physics and you want it in a minute. Ok... have you heard of the Butaan principle of gravity wave mass propagation?"

"Who hasn’t? Go on."

"How about the Phenolly theory of particle and wave mass resonance? The Johnson curve and Morlies gravity bounce wave distribution and Hancock's subspace entry dynamics and…."

"So you know a bunch of names. That does not mean you know the theory behind them and what they mean and how they apply to gravity coils."

"Well if you don't know them then I have to explain each and every one of them and a half dozen more for you to understand why you don't have to drive a coil at maximum power to make it work efficiently and we are looking at hours just to explain coil drive dynamics." Jack suddenly looked past the officer with a stare. "Fact is if you drive a coil that has dense enough windings (like the coils in our latest engines and deck gravity coils), too hard or overdrive the coil according to one theory and hints from a bunch of others, you can actually punch a hole into subspace and create a black hole that can fuck up everyone's whole… day. Not to mention what it does to the engine…. And. And...”

Jack pushed past the Commander, going back to the damage control screen and the Ensign that had showed him the enemy fleet. "Show me again the enemy Spider Cruiser as it passes." Put it on the main damage control screen." The ensign gave Jack a strange look but did as he requested as the Commander walked up behind Jack. "Freeze that frame." Jack practically shouted.

"There! That’s it! That is their drive. See the long tubes clustered around the stern and the bright ring at the stern of each tube with a bright line that disappears into a dark pin point a ways behind the engine and then a bright flash aft of that. They are using massively overdriven coils to create a string of black holes that are anchored in subspace to push their ships against without having to use reaction mass." Turning to the Commander. "Call your ships back from the recon raid and get the hell out of here sir."

"What the hell are you talking about moron?” The Commander could not believe his ears.

Pointing to the bright lines streaking from the long pods hanging around the side of one of the closest ships that just missed whatever was taking the video. "The bright bluish white of their lasers tell us that their weapons are millions of degrees hotter than our sick yellow flashlight toys and now we know their ships do not need reaction mass making them faster than ours with unlimited range and the number they have in that wall is enough to slaughter us without us getting a shot at them. But we are in luck Commander. We now know how to build a massless drive as good as theirs and that we need to upgrade our guns to be at least as good as the Enemy Spider ship's guns."

The Commanders mouth dropped open without saying anything as he stared at Jack.

Jack looked around the bridge settling on the Captain. His excitement overwhelming his better judgment and fear. "We need time to scrap our water pistol engines and build comparable Blackhole drive engines and hotter weapons in the numbers that even they can't even dream about." Turning to look at a bridge that had their full attention focused on him. Jack swallowed. His excitement was starting to quickly wan but he was much too hungry to care if he did get yelled at and kicked off the bridge. He could at least get chow. "I can't be the only one that has seen the obvious. How easy a Blackhole drive is to make now that we have seen theirs working." Looking up at the overhead at nothing in particular as his eyes glazed over. "Hell; we can now make Blackhole drive coils to upgrade the drive engines on this ship. Making us as fast as a Battleship. Hell we could refit the whole battleship fleet in only a few months back at the fleet’s construction base at The Rock so we could at least retreat if we needed to and maybe even out flank them. And as far as the weapons, there are a dozen ways to crank up the heat in our lasers now that we know we have to."

The Commander closed his mouth, a grin crossing his face in satisfaction. "You just changed the subject Turner because you can't explain and answer my question."

Looking down Jack frowned and then chuckled. "It does not mater anyway. We are dead if we attack. We need to run like rabbits before they realize we are here and our proverbial asses are cooked with the first shots. As it stands now, they will be able to sit just out of our gun and torpedo ranges and destroy our fleet and we will be too damn slow to either charge close enough for our weapons to damage them or out run them when it finally becomes obvious that we are losing."

Looking back at the Commander. "Sorry sir but I'm not particularly hungry anymore now that I know we have lost the battle before it even begins. If you want to have that discussions on gravity coils now, just tell me how remedial you want to begin but the simplistic answer is that gravity waves have mass." Jack looked at the red faced Commander for several seconds without getting a response. "Then by your leave sir." Turned and headed for the hatch.

"Stop right there! Turner!" The Captain was already out of her chair and walking toward Jack. Jack turned around not really interested but sure he was going to catch hell for his outburst that no one was sure to believe. "Are you sure about that Black hole drive 1st class Turner?"

"Of course not sir. I was just babbling. After all I am just a lowly 2nd class tech Captain sir. Oh sorry sir I was just promoted to 1st class. I guess I am too stupid to even remember what rank I am."

"Cut the crap sarcasm boy! I just looked at your file including unbelievable scores on every technical test the Navy has given you that included a bunch of tests I have never seen them give recruits before. Most of which I remember taking in my career only after I had been through 4 Universities and did not do half as well. Scores that the Personnel Assignment Department evidentially did not believe either or you would not be here. We are headed for a battle that we are outnumbered at least 3 to 1 according to the latest intelligence (which you were not supposed to see,) in desperation because our President thinks we have no choice while our senior Admiral has an agenda all his own and could not care if we survive or not. An Admiralty Fleet Command that believes we at least have ships and weapons parity enough to hurt and slow them down buying us time without doing too much damage to the fleet. Only now we find out we have neither. Have you figured out how to make this massless drive, what you call, a Black Hole engine or not?"

"Yes sir. It is simple Physics sir. A child could make one now that we know for sure they exist and seen one up close operating. The enemy has given us everything we need now but the blueprints. Especially as much as Pop talked about the different theory and possibilities for producing one." Jack looked at the enemy ship still frozen on the screen. "They have shown us how theirs work weather they wanted to or not." Pointing at the screen. "It is all right there in front of your eyes for all to see. Luckily, now we know our latest engine is only one little upgrade step from a Blackhole drive. All we need is time. Time we don't have now unless we retreat and run like hell. Or they will easily catch us and slaughter the fleet while we shine our little flashlights trying to entertain and impress them with a light show."

The Captain walked up to Jack. "And it is so easy you can show us how to design a basic black hole engine? The principles and theory? "

Jack looked at the Captain and smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. "Shure thing Captain. Not just show you the basics. Once upon a time I had Doctorates in both Thrust Engine Design Engineering and Manufacturing thanks to my grandfather not taking no for an answer. I can design the whole damn engine and test it on the government's Prime Triple X simulation program."

"What! How the hell could you know about? No, never mind." The Captain placed her nose up close to Jack's. "How long would that take?"

"How long? Well.” Starving to death again, all he wanted to do was get the hell out of there to chow and answering the Captain was the fastest way to do that. Besides the old bag reminded him of his Grandfather now that she was close up in the dim light of the bridge. He had been missing the question grilling’s from Pop as well as the arguments on most of his advanced school work topics anyway. Demanding details and thinking on his feet to support his sometime asinine statements. Especially when Pop had caught him by surprise with an off the wall question while he was doing or working on something entirely different and then grading on his statement accuracies. “I could have the basic proof of concept design done in a few hours but a basic production model with all the production and maintenance issues worked out would take quite a bit longer. A few days, couple weeks at most since our existing engine is so close to being one already. All I have to do is upgrade the basic coils to create the black holes and strengthen the frame to support the stresses and then it is simply software the Triple X- A.I. can take care of in a few hours."

The Captain grabbed ahold of Jacks arm. "Good! We don't have much time. Come with me." And then to the Commander. "Number One. You have the Conn. Hopefully our Mr. Turner can convince our attack fleet Admiral Binghamton that we are not as desperate as we thought and turn his Battleship fleet around." As she headed for the hatch she stopped. Turned to the Ensign that showed Jack the video as she looked on in shock. Come along Ensign. I have never figured out why you insist on wearing a stupid jacket all the time but now you can lend it to Turner and take your insignia off it. He needs an escort in officer’s country anyway so you may as well take responsibility for his wellbeing and safety now while you are at it. Guard him with your life and don’t let him out of your sight for any reason. He has a psych stamped red flag in his file for some reason. If it is for depression I don’t' want him committing suicide simply because he gets overwhelmed with all the changes and the stresses. Nor do I want him going Psycho if that is his problem." The Captain pushed Jack toward the Ensign. "That is right Ensign. You have a Phycology Degree don't you? Makes you the perfect rating sitter for First Class Gravtech Turner here."

Jack was led into a huge conference compartment surrounded by screens by the Ensign. A big conference table sat at the center with electronics at each seat around it. Other seats in tears lining the bulkheads with their own controls on their arms and fold out see through screens. The Ensign sat Jack down at the back of the long table at the main speaker’s seat notched well into the table with extra screens around it in the table top than the rest of the seats had.

"Get to work designing an engine. I have a few engineering degrees myself so I will know if you just put a bunch of crap up there so don't even try." She straightened the jacket around Jacks shoulders and then stepped back to look at him. It was a tight fit in his arms but with her barreled chest it at least could be fastened in front and noticed him starring at her huge flattened lump around her chest, now at his eye level. She had her breasts strapped in tight to her chest with her bra designed to hide them and not lift and separate and push them out as fare as they could go like most women did. No, her breasts were as flat as she could make them. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to know she had them let alone show them off. And Jack was starting to piss her off looking at them. The reason why she wore the jacket in the first place, for double protection. "Mr. Turner!" she said with disgust. "You only have an hour at most before the Admiral and every propulsion expert on this ship shows up for you to wow with your bullshit. I know Admiral Halsey is not going to put up with any bullshit and if Admiral Binghamton is anything like his reputation, you had better come through big time or you will be going out the nearest airlock. Do you understand? You can't get away with your brothers brand of bullshit here." Then she noticed that he wasn't ogling her breasts but looking completely baffled at them as he seemed to be ignoring her. Shaking her head disgustedly "Turner! Get to work."

Jack's eyes slowly looked up at her eyes. "Oh ok. But do I know you?" He said before his eyes turned into the vacant stare of someone not really present let alone seeing much again. "Ya... Sure Ensign." She suddenly realized that she had been leading a zombie around the passageways for the last half of the trip here. She turned the table's next chair a few feet from Jack on the shoulder of the table around to sit in. The distance finally letting her relax a little. His eyes did not follow her but a few seconds after she left his direct sight, he slowly turned around facing forward in the seat and laid back staring out across the table at the top corner of the compartment.

For a half hour Jack sat staring off at nothing and then his eyes started moving like he was having a dream even though his eyes where wide open.

"My god, are you sleeping with your fricking eyes open?" Again she was disgusted at the rating sitting before her for wasting her time like all the other times, before betraying her. But then she suddenly felt sorry for him, when the Captain found out he was just as big a moron as his family on the Turner Joy had thought he was his ass would be cooked. And she would be there to see it. Elation disappeared as disappointment washed over her. Why had she thought he was smart when she had classes with him so many years ago? But now he did not even recognize her so how smart could he be. How satisfying would taking her pain out on him be if he did not even remember her. Tears of frustration started down her cheeks.

She wanted to slap him silly and stun him repeatedly at the same time. How the hell could she have felt sorry for the ass hole after what he had done to her? But then why the hell did she fallow him into the damn Navy seeking revenge in the first place. Only to lose him in the shuffle of recruits amongst hundreds of ships. Then to have him find her even if it was accidental only to not even recognize her. She could kill him for that simple reason not to mention what he had done to her years before.

She tried to wipe away the confused tears in her eyes. The Admiral would certainly throw him in the brig if not completely off the ship before she was able to get even with him if she ever could. It would take years of torturing him to even get a little payback. Torturing him in The Game she had been enjoying for years just was never enough. And then he went and gave her his damn ships! She thrust the confusing thoughts away. More determined than ever. Torture she knew she would enjoy even more in person if he would just remember her damn name and who she was. But it was not the same if she had to tell him her name. And now that ass hole was sleeping. Remembering boot ship training she pulled out her stun gun. "This will teach you to sleep asshole." She started to reach forward with her stun gun in her hand. A devilish smile crossing her face.

Turning his head and glancing at her with a frown. "Hell, I have been half asleep since I joined the navy." Then smiling he turned back to look around at the table in front of him. "Godstar, this looks just like the conference room in, in, The Game, when planning campaigns or picking sides for a contest battle. Only I don't think anyone I know is going to show up but then I usually don't know half of the Captain's anyway or the Admiral usually sitting here. It is getting harder by the day to tell the difference except reality is a lot more boring. I just wish I had time to go back in once in a while." A few seconds later he reached out and touched a spot on the table and then several more and a virtual keyboard sprang to life from the center table top screen in front of him. He started hitting icons across the table and in the air around him as more screens and virtual controls appeared around him. The chair straightened up and raised a little to support his back without obstructing his arm movements.

The Ensigns mouth dropped open as she let her arm with the stun gun drop between her legs. The weight of the gun and her hand against her leg pushed her thumb down on the trigger and the Gun zapped her leg making her try to scream as her hand and thumb contracted on the trigger and her leg started shaking and kicking and half her body jerking around like a rag dole on the edge of the chair. She continued to zap herself until her arm jerked from between her legs and her thumb was finally knocked off the stun gun, releasing the trigger. She sat with her leg and the arm (that was touching the leg) hanging paralyzed and numb as she slumped down half out of the chair trying to catch her breath, her face scrunching up into strange shapes with pain as tears streamed down her face. Trying to move her other leg and arm to keep from falling out of the chair completely as the stun gun clattered to the deck.

Jack’s arms started to blur as his fingers flew across the virtual control board keys around him as his speed slowly got even faster. Oblivious to the Ensign's twisting and jerking. Figures and equations started to crawl across the air in front of him. Only to disappear and start over again. Soon instead of disappearing they started moving off to the side to be replaced by new calculations that where discarded or shunted aside as well. Sometimes he would grab a sentence of calculations, slap them back in front of him and make a change that sometimes affected half the other calculations already floating around him and then throw it back out of the way to go on to the next.

The Ensign slowly regained the use of her leg and arm as she watched Jack work while trying to keep from sliding the rest of the way out of the chair.

A few minutes later, Officers started trickling in to take seats either at the table or along the bulkheads around the compartment. The Propulsion Chief, (A full Commander) in charge of the ships propulsion engines came in, sat at the table across from Jack and started going over his calculations. He finally got up, walked around almost tripping over the still half paralyzed Ensign next to Jack and pointed. "What is that all about Ensign?"

Jack's hands suddenly stopped flying over the board as he looked at where the officer pointed and then waved his hand trying to shoo the interruption away. "I don't know yet but it is the only thing that makes sense." Jack grabbed a calculation from the other side of the table and plopped it down next to that one. "I think these will intersect and make us our little black holes into subspace to create our drive but I just haven't gotten that far yet. Now leave me the hell alone will you. I don't have the time to conduct classes right now." Jack swallowed as he suddenly recognized the Engineering Chief from morning musters and then the Ensign half under his feet trying to crawl back into the chair with one dead leg and a still uncooperative arm, with what looked like drool coming out of the corner of her mouth, with a little portion of his brain before going back to work as his fingers speeded up again.

The Chief's face grew red as he went back to his seat, glancing down at the Ensign as he stepped back over her without really noticing her. The Ensign stopped trying to climb back into her seat and dragged her dead leg along the deck to sit on the deck next to Jack and without standing up or bothering Jack as she sat on her butt, unpinned the ensign tabs off the jacket's collar with one hand, kind of. Realizing now why the Captain had Jack put on her jacket, she zipped it the rest of the way up his front to hide his light blue petty officer's jumpsuit. The jacket had been baggy on her intentionally, but it was tight enough to almost pop the zipper on him. Then dragged her butt back to her chair and succeeded by flopping and squirming, using her good leg and arm to climb back into it. Getting strange looks and smiles from some of the officers arriving around the table and edges of the compartment as she wormed her way up.

Jack did not seem to even notice until he licked his dry lips, turned, leaning toward her as she sat half in and half out of the chair and asked. "Could you get me a glass of water or a... better yet, a cola? Oh and… and... A... A scrambled egg and mayo sandwich would be wonderful mom. Please. I am starving." His hands only slowed while he talked. Glancing at her with a frown his hands stopped cold. "Oops! Ah never mind I'm sorry Ensign. Forget it." Staring at her eyes for a second. "You look awfully familiar but no. Can't be." Then turning back as his hands started blurring across the board again. Retreating back into his own world as the Ensign turned in shock for a good minute. He had mistaken her for the only decent person besides Pop in his family. Didn't matter, he was still a low life ass hole and she was going to torture him to death. Just as soon as she could get him alone. But damn, that stun gun hurt a lot more than she had thought it would. She never wanted to do that again. Looking down at the stun gun still on the deck, she was not sure she even wanted to pick it up again. Damn it hurt. She squirmed around and tapped the comm to the Officers Pantry.

The Captain of the ship that had sent him down there, walked in taking up one of the seats across from Jack next to the Engineering Chief. Looking up at a copy of Jacks calculations that had been turned around for anyone on that side of the table to see. Her face getting more baffled as she read and talked to her Chief Engineer about them. Then as she pointed at a set of calculations discussing them, every screen went blank for a couple of seconds. The compartment went silent as everyone started looking around at everyone else. "What happened to the power?" The Captain said. "Someone get the power….."

The screens flashed to life again. A dozen rows of calculations appeared above one another over the middle of the table and started growing into lines. Working their way across the air, scrolling around to the left across the compartment in midair. Exchanging information with each other as they proceeded. Starting and stopping to keep up with each other. Finally the rows of calculations started merging together. First into 8 rows and then 6, then 5 rows that went on for yards too finally drop down to just 2 rows that suddenly ended into one single line. The single line finally stopped ending in a simple number.

Jack jumped up and punched the air above him. "All right it works! It fucking works! I can't frigging believe it. It is only half the thrust of our existing engines but it is a start. Can you imagine how much thrust it would put out if I started with a clean sheet with a bigger diameter instead of trying to replace what we have." He said as he looked at the Ensign smiling still half sideways in her seat.

Sitting back down he cleared the screen and his fingers started to tap the keys again putting up a sentence of calculations. "Ok now let's see if we really can get everything into the existing case and make it work so all they have to do is swap engines to upgrade the ships. The single short sentence started growing again as he typed and then the equations took on a life of their own. Branching out to two lines and then three. Adding lines every few seconds. Suddenly pieces of equipment started popping into existence next to the lines as they continued to expand as Jack's fingers slowed and he finally sat back to let the machine do its work. This time the lines did not stop with a dozen branches but kept multiplying and multiplying. The typing getting smaller and smaller to fit into the area as little drawings of equipment kept appearing next to sections of lines that either ended or grew into more lines and equipment seemingly ever expanding as they worked their way around the compartment. "Luckily most of what we need is already in production." Jack said to no one in particular. "The only thing that is really new is how the gravity coils are wound and programed."

Finally with hundreds of lines covering the virtual screens reaching the overhead, the Admiral walked in. "What the hell is going on here. How dare you start without me."

Jack did not hear and continued to work, though his hands only occasionally reached out to tap his virtual screen. He seemed to be simply guiding and making decisions the computer kept asking him. Though what those questions were, few if anyone could keep track of as they simply popped up along the lines of calculations only to disappear just as fast with Jack having already answered them with a flick of his hand across the keys. "Ya, this is just a massive upgrade of the coils actually. So far all the old engines original auxiliary systems are fitting just fine, though again with alterations to fit the needs of the new engine."

The Ensign watched Jack. Not realizing that she was the only other person that was able to keep up with Jack, reading what the Computer was asking and even having a fraction of a second to think about the answered before Jack answered it.

The ship's Captain turned to the Admiral and smiled. "It seems the crewman I told you about has finished the calculations for the basic theories of a Blackhole drive. While I ordered him to do just that, I have waited for you to arrive before we start asking him anything about it. But it seems that he has taken it upon himself to actually start designing a Blackhole engine to replace our existing engines. That is what you are looking at now."

"Very well Captain." The Admiral sat down next to the Captain. "How sure are you about the accuracy of these so called calculations of this crewman?"

"It is the computer making the calculations Admiral, using the theories and guidance of the crewman. If the Computer says it is possible then I have no reason to think otherwise. It is the Militaries Triple X program and will not allow crap programing. Everything has to check out a hundred ways or it stops everything cold. I have seen it happen thousands of times over the years while designing our existing drive engines and the battleships as well as this ship and especially its monster engines ten time the size or the battleship engines. Though I have never seen this program run this long without slamming to a stop, while a whole room full of scientists and engineers tried to figure out why and correct their mistake. I am also transmitting every key stoke of his work to Fleet Command Rock for them to check and verify later when they receive it." Pointing to the Chief at the table next to him. "For now the Programing Chief and his department are running checks on the computer looking for viruses and flaws in the root program and anything questionable about the programs integrity. He will tell us if he finds anything wrong."

The calculation lines slowed down to finally stop, leaving a small blank area directly in front of Jack surrounded by thousands of calculations and small diagrams of thousands of pieces of equipment around the compartment. Jack slowly turned his head and surveyed the compartment with his eyes darting around the packed rows of equations and little drawings (most with military part numbers over them). He had done this dozens of times designing his ships in The Game. Flicking his hand to point at something to change it and continued. Finally he looked around satisfied, waved his hand across the blank area closing them to make a clap and the small equipment diagrams suddenly rushed toward the center of the compartment to assemble themselves.

The Admiral looked up and watched as the new Blackhole drive engine finished taking shape. It was a nondescript tube with its length some 20 times its diameter with a few modules slapped on the outside. "That looks just like our Battle ship engines. What kind of crap are you trying to pull here Captain?"

Jack hit another icon and the engine shuddered, seemed to fart a bright ball out the donut at the one end and then sit still and dead with red ghosts of equipment appearing throughout the engine . Jack hit the icon again rebuilding the engine and the same thing happened. Turning he expanded the equations again and grabbed a section of the calculations that had started flashing, with his hand he moved the calculations around until he was in front of the flashing set. Studying the numbers for a few seconds Jack reached up and changed the equation and then hit another Icon. The calculations started changing around the compartment and then parts of the engine started changing and reassembling itself as several modules changed positions.

The Captain looked around at the Admiral. "As you already know Admiral, the enemy are using some kind of advanced propulsion engine that seems to have a great range advantage over anything we have that can out run our fastest ships as you already know. This young man thinks it is a reactionless massless drive he calls a Blackhole engine. Our ship drive experts after a year have already agreed with what the crewman pointed out and it only took him one look at one of the new Intelligence photo's we just received from our scout drones before they were destroyed. This young man thinks we can re-engine our ships with what he calls this Blackhole drive, giving us drive parity with the enemy ships. Giving us a chance to out maneuver them or out run them if the battle does not go our way." Looking up at the engine hovering in the middle of the compartment.

When the engine and the recalculations finally stopped jerking around, Jack hit the start Icon again and the stern of the engine grew bright and then entire length of the engine collapsed into itself sucking up the entire engine into a pin point hole until jack slapped the stop icon. Going back to a new flashing calculation, he changed it and then several others that were only highlighted in yellow.

"It looks like this Black hole drive engine is our only hope of producing a ship that can keep up and defeat these monsters." The Captain frowned. "You know as well as I Admiral, after losing the main fleet last year when these monsters first showed up, all our eggs are in this fleet's basket. We have no second or reserve fleet to replace us if we are slaughtered, for at least a year. And with their powerful drive with no need to re-mass, all they have to do is retreat staying out of our Battleship’s gun range until we run out of mass and then come and pick our sitting ducks off at will."

The Admiral smiled. "That is why we plan to use a small scouting fleet to lure them into a trap they could not run from."

Jack slapped the start icon again and the engine sputtered to life and kept running. Again Jack started running his hands over the virtual keyboard and the engine started to shake as the thrust figures above it started going up and up until the whole thing seemed to blow up into a million pieces for a fraction of a second and then disappear back into a small black hole.

"It isn't them I am worried about running Admiral. We know now they outnumber us in ships and their size. It is us being able to disengage and run if they start slaughtering us like they have done with every other squadron we have sent out there including the main fleet last year."

The Ensign heard that as she finely got enough feeling in her leg to move it, but stayed slumped in her chair. The Captain and Admiral were only some 6 feet away across the conference table and in perfect hearing distance. She was shocked at what she was hearing.

Again Jack went back to the calculations still wrapped around the compartment. "I can't get the thrust up to even what the old engines are at because of the thickness of the case needed to keep the engine from exploding from the forces creating the black holes. The existing case diameter is just too small."

While making a change the Chief Engineer walked over. "Ah. Ok. Well. I think this will work better." He cleared it and changed a couple of things and then leaned back.

"Ok, I had not thought of that but it does look neater and should help." Jack went back to making minor changes on other highlighted spots and then sat back as the engine completed the redesign and started again. "What do you think of this?" He brought a section back around for the Chief to look at. "It works but I don't like it. There has to be a better or neater way. I think it is limiting the power we can get from each black hole as we push it down the tube." The Engine sat running smoothly at the power Jack had it at when it destroyed itself a few minutes before. "But it is still producing only half the thrust of the existing engines even if it does not require any reaction mass." Thinking for a few seconds. "Though without having to carry all the reaction mass, that may be good enough."

The Chief looked at the calculations for a good minute as Jack sat back waiting. Then the Chief turned around and said. "Norm get over here. What do you think of this?"

Norm did not even bother getting up. "Sorry Chief but this is all way above my head." With the Chief staring a hole through him Norm shifted in his seat. "But I do know someone that it probably isn’t Greek to, but she is not an engineer. Just an old physics nerd that works for United Engines." Then shaking his head and smiling. "Oh. I forgot we do have the Research Directorate Department Head on one of the Other FMC's. You could have him and his crew brought over but I will give my friend a call and get her down here anyway." He raised his wrist comm and tapped it a few times then started talking into it. The silent setting on his comm sending out a low negative sound wave as he talked preventing anyone else hearing him speak let alone what he was hearing.

A rating came in delivered a sandwich and soda to Jack and left. Getting up Jack increased the power a little bit before the calculations started turning red and he reduced it back again. Then moved away from the table trying to get room to eat as several more officers came over and started adding their two credits worth of wisdom. Taking a bite out of the sandwich and then a drink he sat down in one of the chairs away from the conference table against the bulkhead as the engine continued running smoothly, still at only half the original engines thrust level.

Taking a deep breath to relax, he set the sandwich and drink down, stood and tried to stretch but the jacket was just too tight not even allowing him to raise his arms very far. Jack took off the jacket and stretched his arms up and out and around taking big breaths and smiling. Sitting down he continued to eat.

"Damn it Admiral!" The Red Dwarf's Captain said. "They can out run us with enough ships to surround any trap we set according to our latest drone Photo’s. We need to retreat into harassing attacks to slow the enemy down while we evacuate systems. Until we can at least double the fleets size and get them reequipped with this new engine as well as the new hotter 24 inch weapons finally coming off the production lines. You know our battleship's 16 inch gun tubes were only installed in the turrets as a stop gap measure while the bugs are worked out of the 24inch high temperature gun tubes. Not to mention the ships the other empires are sending to help."

"No Captain." said the Admiral. "We are about to enter battle and if everything goes as planned we will liberate New Mexico and put an end to any threat to the rest of the republic and we don’t need guns that may never be ready or the help of a dozen enemy Empires that are just as likely to turn their guns on us as to help us." Looking up at the engine with the bright donut ring around the inside of its stern and the long pole and bright light at its end. "This engine can be introduced into the fleet next year with the new 24inh main guns if they do show up when all the bugs are worked out and the engine is producing enough power and we have had time to produce enough of them if we still need them. The enemy is going to be gone after this battle or I am going to die trying."

Looking up at the engine the Captain shook her head. "Bullshit Admiral you have never lead from the front but with the discrepancy between our ships and theirs you just may get your wish. With what these calculations are showing us, the enemy definitely have the speed and acceleration to fly rings around our fleet as we have observed in the past. Even if we had unlimited reaction mass for every ship Admiral. But we don't. We have to retreat. We have accomplished our mission and found out what we need to do to defeat the enemy. If we don't throw our fleet away now."

The calculations changed as the Chief hit the input icon and the engine blew up sending millions of pieces rushing out across the compartment making everyone duck involuntarily. Strange fire balls and black holes danced where the engine once sat over the table.

The Admiral turned to the Captain. "My orders are to stop them here." Looking up at the dancing fireballs. "It could take years for the experts to finish developing this so called Blackhole engine."

“Bullshit Admiral, this was only supposed to be a reconnaissance in force and you are turning it into a major battle trying to rescue your family. You know as well as I do that it will take them at least 6 months to strip this system before moving on to the next if they follow past performance with plenty of time for your family to make it to the hills and disappear like many have on the other planets. The enemy does not seem too interested in chasing down the locals as long as they are left alone to strip the planet of everything useful to them. That should not change unless you change the dynamic and get the fleet massacred leaving nothing to keep them from taking the rest of the Republic now. They already destroyed the hundred ship fleet we sent out there a year ago. Not even giving them a chance to transmit a report back of what killed them. Now we know and that makes this mission over.”

“No it does not! This mission is not over until I say it is over. The fleet a year ago was made up of mostly reserve Battleships some of which were a hundred years old with most having only 10 and 12 inch main guns and only a couple dozen had half way modern 14 inch guns. We now have over two hundred brand new 16 inch gunned Battleships and we are going to put an end to these monsters now and rescue my family.”

“Admiral we are up against Five hundred top of the line battleships at least. We could be up against a thousand battleships twice our size with guns that our intelligence people now know, are at least 36 inch guns with twice our range from long range scans along with these sensor images and now we find out from this young man that they can run us down and surround us and slaughter every last ship if we attack. Just like they did to the last fleet we sent out which was the only thing we did learn about the last battle from the few cryptic radio messages and long range scans that did make it out. We have seen enough and need to leave now. You need to recall the fleet from the assemble area and return the fleet to its picket positions while we rearm with the new 24 inch guns and re-engine with these new engines.”

“What! How did you find out about the size of their main guns? I slapped a hold on that information below flag rank let alone getting back to The Rock.” Staring at Captain Halsey, his eyes dropped down to her collar for a second with the Admiral stars on it and his face turned red. “I am in command here and I say when this recognizance in force has seen enough Vice Admiral / Captain!” Standing up, the Admiral started to leave and saw Jack across the table sitting in his rating uniform with First Class patches on his sleeves. "What the hell! You brought me down here to see a programing joke by some First class Gravtech."

Someone reset the simulation after making more program changes and the engine only ran for a few seconds spewing a flaming tail out the back and through the compartment side bulkhead before turning into a big black hole.

The Red Dwarf's Captain turned to face the Admiral. "Well my orders tell me to abandon your fleet with taskforce 58 or half the Dwarfs if I think the battle is lost once we find out what we need to know about the enemy while you set up a holding action to buy us time and try to evacuate Chandra before the enemy reaches it. The other Taskforce Admiral has the same orders concerning Epsilon Cordon though he has more time with Epsilon Cordon five lights farther from the enemy. As it stands, with the new intelligence we have just gotten from the single scout of a dozen we sent in that survived long enough to report today. I have no choice but to leave your taskforce as soon as we reach the assembly point in order to stand a chance of having enough time to evacuate the systems I am charged with evacuating." The Captain took a breath as Jack noticed the stars on her collar beside the Captain's Oak leaves. "You do not stand a chance in driving the enemy out of that system and rescuing your family. You have to retreat and give the fleet time to expand and re-engine before we commit to the only battle we will get a chance to conduct if things go wrong."

"I cannot believe you are going to end your career on the crazy ramblings of a damn tech fresh out of high school. The damn engine does not even work in the computer simulations."

"This 1st class tech Admiral, I have found out in the last hour, is the Grandson of the inventor of the engines our fleet is using now. He has PhD's that make my credentials look like a high school diploma not to mention that half his education records are signed by the Inventor himself Dr. Turner. I spent a week at a conference on propulsion with the man and learned more from him in that short time than years with a dozen professors at Earths best universities. This young man had him every day for 18 years. I would take what he says as gold Admiral. And just in case you have not noticed, the engine does work at its designed thrust."

"You would abandon my fleet because of this turd." The engine blew up again over their heads, the Captain giving Jack a quick frustrated look as the Admiral continued. "I knew that man a lot better than you Captain, having spent time as an attaché in the Research Directorate Institute when he was Director and he was finally kicked out when he could not salve the anomaly problem with the new Battleship Engines design. He kept talking crazy about dumping the new engine for a pie in the sky engine no one believed was possible. After spending billions on developing that engine. The Deputy Director finally had him committed and kicked out with the approval of the Senate over the then Presidents objections and one thing I am certain of. He is an intolerant crazy bastered and I feel sorry for anyone that grew up in the same family as him. Now that I know this kid is probably as crazy of a loon as his grandfather, with the smarts to trick everyone into thinking the impossible. I have no reason to change my original assumption. There is no such thing as a Black hole drive and all the stupid reports about the enemy being more powerful than us, are nothing but bullshit by a bunch of unpatriotic treasonous saboteurs that will be charged and spaced as soon as I win this battle and free the planet. Hell, I will be the next President of the Republic and heads will start to roll then."

The Admiral hit some keys in front of him and a screen on the bulkhead came to life showing an enemy ship close up. It had a long ballooned forward section that looked to be a series of large separated decks stacked up taking up ¾ of the length of the ship from the bow, with all the weapons and what looked like targeting radars sticking out around the sides from the narrower stern section with 8 engines at the stern on short pylons. "Now you had better get with the program. The engines simply have to be so efficient that they use so little react mass that we cannot see the stream spewing from the engines. But they still have to use reaction mass. Why else would they have such long hulls in front of the weapons section of their ships? It has to be all the reaction mass tanks. A great place to put the tanks to act as shields if you ask me. Good protection. I have contacted the Fleet Design Directorate and they are designing a new Battleship using that layout now that they have shown us the design but we are going to retake that system, rescue my family and hold the enemy here until those ships are ready."

"Sorry Admiral." Jack could not believe he had spoken. The fact that everyone heard him in the silence that fallowed the Admiral's statement made him want to crawl under the chair. But one thing his grandfather had taught him. Once you started a hypothesis, you had to finish no matter how stupid it was or suffer even worse consequences. "That does not explain the black hole at the stern sir."

"Black hole? Yes it does boy! That would explain why we can't detect the exhaust. The black hole sucks it in."

"Sorry Admiral. A black hole would just stop the reaction stream, throwing the mass force back into the ship as it was ingested. Then destroying the ship when the black hole was shut off and that mass was released in pure energy that would engulf the engines and the ship. If you left the black hole on, it would become a huge anchor keeping the ship from accelerating. Basic conservation of motion Admiral. The energy released by the collapsing artificial black holes at the back of the enemy engines we are seeing have only a few atoms of mass or leakage, (or they would destroy their own ship), creating the small explosions far enough away from the engines to keep them from destroying the engines. No. even if they were expelling mass much more efficiently bypassing the Blackhole (though why you would want a black hole if you were simply expelling mass) we would still be able to detect it no matter how small the stream of particles were and we aren’t detecting any kind of a mass trail or stream. Not even ion particles." Smiling as something just dawned on him, Jack looked up at the ceiling thinking for a few seconds. Shrugged then shook his head and looked at the Admiral. "Nothing Admiral. NOTHING."

Jack walked back over to the table. The other officers had already backed away when the admiral had called the engine a clever fake. "Now that I have gotten something to eat and taken a break I see that this is the best we can do for a Blackhole engine without redesigning the ship around one or putting them out on pylons like the Spiders have done with their engines that are some 5 times the size and 20 times the weight of ours. Fact is, because of the forces needed to contain the black holes inside a case, there is a limit as to how big and powerful we can make a black hole engine. With the weight of the case going up geometrically with the size of the engine. To double the power you need a case twice the size but 4 times the strength." Tapping a bunch of keys erasing most everything the other officers had added or changed and then making a few changes himself, Jack hit the start icon and the engine burst to life again still at half thrust of the existing battleship engines but running smoothly. "But even if we got as much thrust, it still would not be good enough. We need something that is better than the Spiders, not equal. "

The Ensign still sitting next to Jack shook her arm, flexing her fingers and spoke up. "The problem with your theory Admiral is that the enemy capital ships do not change in mass. Every one of them have the exact same mass (depending on their size) in every sensor reading we have on them over the years even when they first came in from deep space and all we had were long range readings. We could still accurately determine their mass. I have not had much to do on the Damage control board so I have run the numbers many times looking for mistakes and trying to explain it."

Looking over at the admiral with his mouth dropped open in the silent compartment, she continued. "We also have close ups of the smaller ships that are running around as scouts ahead of the fleet and amongst our outer systems and I cannot understand why anyone has not made a note of this before. Though I have to admit, this is the first time we have had a good look at more than one at a time, and then what we did have were fuzzy long shots." She started typing on the keypad in front of her and enemy ships started appearing on the bulkhead screens. "But all their small ships are just big ships with parts of their front hulls and weapons and engines blasted away or missing." Pointing at one on the screen. "That one has several hundred feet missing from its front hull already with the top deck full of holes." She moved the enemy ships around to compare them beside each other, each with fewer engines and front decks than the one next to them from the biggest to the smallest ranging from some 14 decks and 8 engines all the way down to no decks and only two engines and then continued. "In fact. Some of their smallest ships are only the short barreled stern central section with no heavy weapons with a couple of engines instead of the 8 on the full sized ships. If you were correct about the forward pancake decks being reactant mass tanks, these smaller ships with none of the pancake decks but jagged hull fragments in front of the weapons arm and control decks, would have a range that would not get them out of a system unless they had no crew to make room for the mass tanks which kills the mass tank theory anyway. That is if you ignored the never changing mass readings on all their ships."

The Ensign suddenly looked amused. "Fact is, I am shocked since my job is damage control; that none of the enemy ships show any signs of repairs at all. Are they that far away from a yard or just lack the ability to repair ships even though they look so modulated they should be extremely easy to replace parts on. How did so many of their ships get so damaged anyway? Surely not from our few battleship squadrons that they have slaughtered taking our outposts and colony systems with the few orbital gun platforms they had. Can they even make new ships, is this all they have until reinforcement arrive? And when is that. If you ask me sir. This has to be a very old and experienced Commander and he is going to be damn careful where he uses his ships and is not going to rush into any trap even if he was sure he was fighting rowboats which they are. He has no reason to chase our pitiful bait squadron into a trap. These are not shiny new ships, these crews are not Rookies that run after chasing rabbits and ignoring reality sir. But obviously you are Admiral."

"If you cannot replace your losses." The Red Dwarf's Captain said. "Tactics dictate that you move only when you are sure of the enemy and the battle and only in massed attacks and avoid any surprises. That is why they are taking their time advancing or they would have been in Earth orbit already. The fact that the systems they are leaving behind are stripped of all heavy metals is a good hint, as well as to why it is taking so long to go from system to system. Then they are only keeping ships at 4 or 5 systems to keep their supply lines short. They don't have to rush squadrons around looking for our fleet that can fall into traps where they can lose ships even to rowboats. Admiral, you can do nothing at this time to prevent them from continuing to occupying and stripping New Mexico and maybe even the next system a few months after this if they stay on schedule. But you can slow them down simply by being here and staying out of their reach as a threat. Or you can lose the fleet and insure they quickly take every human system left in a matter of weeks. We cannot fight their war Admiral right now. We have to fight a gorilla war sending ships around to attack their supply lines even as short as they are, delaying them until we can build the fleet and weapons that can take them on head to head. You are just going to have to hope that your family made it to the hills and can hide out until the Spiders leave in a year or two after they have stripped the planets heavy metals. Not to mention the fact that the Communists and Arab's along with a Dozen other Empires are martialing fleets to come to our aid and help us in 6 to 9 months. Our combined fleets may be able to do what you are planning."

The Admiral turned beet red. "How dare you lector me about the enemy and tactics. All we have to do is box them in to keep them from running and pound them to pieces before those damn Commies or Muslim fanatics back stab us again." Looking at the Ensign. "I want that Ensign out of here, thrown in the brig and court-martialed for disrespecting a superior officer."

"Damn it Admiral. That war was over 50 years ago and how do you plan on pounding them into pieces when they have thick armored decks designed to hide and protect anything vulnerable on their ships and absorb weapons fire from guns hotter and twice the size of anything we have on our ships while they tear our ships apart with every shot." The Ensign said disgustedly. "Even if we manage to get within range of our cold yellow guns and slow torpedoes we will lose simply because they have more ships than we do and we can't out run them with the engines we now have. Again Admiral, we are unarmored barges using water pistols for propulsion, with flashlights for guns compared to their ships." She sneered at Jack thinking about zapping him before she left but shook her head as she headed around to leave and looked at the Admiral deciding he was the one that needed stunned. "

"Get the hell out you. You disrespectful spy." The Admiral yelled, turning red. " How dare she talk to me like that! I want her arrested this minute.” The Admiral screamed.

"Ensign! You still have your orders. Now go back and sit down." The Captain ordered trying to suppress a smile knowing she was right. "And keep your mouth shut. You have said quite enough."

The Ensign walked back around the table as Jack watched her. Shocked. He could not believe she had stood up for and helped him.

The Admiral stood up. "Enough of your defeatists talk. Their ships can't be that big. More likely they are only destroyer sized, massed together to form that stupid wall trying to scare us into not attacking them. So Gentlemen. We are attacking as planned and if your Ensign is correct and they don't have repair facilities. Then taking them out now is imperative before their reinforcements arrive or they build repair facilities. Send your currier ships with this boy and his junk engine idea back to Earth to start development. But it is a waste of time and if you pull out before I order you too, I will have you court-martialed when I win this battle." Looking at the Captain with narrowed eyes. "And if we don't win, I can blame you and still get you court-martialed Captain Halsey." Deliberately using his brevet rank while commanding a ship.

The Captain stood up. "That is Admiral Halsey to you Admiral. I don’t know how you managed to get the President to order you assigned to this fleet for this battle, bypassing the Admiralty, but I will not let you destroy the fleet in a futile attempt to rescue your family that you refused to evacuate in the first place, more worried about losing your vast land holdings there than your family, even though you were told the enemy fleet was coming. You have no chance of winning this battle Admiral. But very well sir. I will stay with the fleet long enough to unload most of my reaction mass if you use my ships first to mass up the fleet at point Charlie. The last re-massing of the entire fleet before contact with the enemy."

"That is going to delay things having to mass from one taskforce instead of both Admiral Halsey." Admiral Binghamton said frowning not wanting any delay keeping him from his battle and his family. Not caring about anything else even if it cost the Republic the war and the lives of billions.

Jack sat back realizing that sending him and the plans back was the only sensible thing to do. So why did he feel like he would be deserting. Hell it was a suicide mission to stay. He sure as hell did not want to die. So why the hell was he even thinking about an alternative? He cleared the screen, deleted the holographic Blackhole engine and sat back thinking. How stupid could an admiral be thinking a black hole could absorb mass without consequences. Besides shooting mass at such a small black hole was stupid, most would most likely skip around to be flung out the other side at a greatly increased speed unless you were very accurate and actually hit the mini black hole itself. Jack smiled. If you made that black hole the size of an atom or sub atomic particle you would not have all the stresses associated with the large basketball sized black holes the enemy was using on their ships engines.

The Admiral stopped at the hatch. "Very well Captain. You can leave early if your tanks are empty just in case we do ah... Run into problems. I want you out of my hair anyway."

"Ah, hold on their Admiral." Jack almost shouted surprising himself. "Can I make a suggestion please?" Jack's fingers started running over the virtual keyboard again.

The Admiral turned around to face Jack. "What the hell is it boy. Haven't you caused enough trouble for one day?"

Jack's fingers continued to fly as an engine started to materialize in front of them. The Admiral looked at Jack for a few seconds and then frowned as he started to turn back around to leave. “I did not think so.”

"Admiral! I think I can use your idea of a Blackhole hiding the reactant mass. Not to hide, but to accelerate the reaction mass. I can use it to increase the thrust of our fleet engines by a factor of 10 at least, while reducing the required mass by 99.99999 percent. Something we can install in a few hours in our existing engines if you don't mind delaying the attack a few hours. Well days. It will not only make them think we have engines as good as theirs but get rid of the drive mass in the tanks and lighten the ships making them maneuverable enough to fly rings around their ships. It will allow our fleet to retreat if the battle goes bad at an incredible acceleration instead of running out of mass and getting wiped out." Staring at the Admiral who was staring back at him. "Your idea Admiral. It deserves a chance." His fingers continued to fly over the virtual board directly in front of him without seeming to look. Sweat starting to drip down his face from fear as he swallowed. "You will not only be able to out run them but make flanking there wall easy, where you can get close enough to shoot them in there unarmored ass. My favorite tactic in The Game sir."

The Admiral stared at Jack for a few seconds and returned to his seat at the table. "I am one step from ordering you thrown out an airlock boy. What are you talking about?"

The engine finished materializing and then broke in half down the center length ways, showing tank deck gravcoils installed down the center. "The engine we have now is virtually one step below a Black Hole engine when it comes to the drive coils and would soon lead to developing a Black Hole drive in a few years even if I had not come along. Though you did say my grandfather was trying to do just that when someone kicked him out of whatever they kicked him out of. Oh and what anomaly?" Jack looked up frowned and shrugged then went back to work. “But that would only give us parody with them. Actually Engines that fit our ships would not be equal to theirs in power but at least have unlimited range. Besides a quick calculation showed that the Black hole drive is limited in how fast it can be pushed velocity wise because of the limit in the distance behind the ship you can push the Blackhole before releasing it. Not to mention that the closer you get to the speed of gravity the harder it is to push against and therefor limiting its maximum speed to a small fraction of the speed of gravity in fact. Maybe only as much as 5 percent. Luckily we have just the opportunity to skip a generation. Create an engine that can make our ships able to fly rings around theirs according to my initial calculations with no limit in max velocity. Ah unless you count the speed of Gravity but then I can’t even imagine going that fast." Jack shuddered.

The Admiral's eyes narrowed. "Is this some kind of joke boy? I am getting ready to toss you out the airlock with my own hands."

"No sir. I am talking about measuring thrust in billions of TONS and not just billions of POUNDS. While a clean screen engine would produce the best results. The gravcoils we use in the tanks of this ship and all the Dwarfs are about the perfect size to fit down the center of our existing Battleship engines. By combining the engines mass acceleration coils with the ship's tank deck gravity coils acting together, we can create artificial gravity black holes the size of atoms that we can use to accelerate Ions many times the velocity ever dreamed of sir. Fact is, by accelerating ions instead of molecules, the exhaust should be able to get all the way up to the speed of gravity barrier to virtually push against before being converted to gravity waves before exiting the engine on the advanced models in the future. I just checked and we have enough spare coils to convert about half of the new Battleships in the fleet to the new engines I think."

The Captain smiled. "Admiral, with that much power on our Battleships. You will be able to catch the enemy in that trap you have planned without them escaping or escape when you find out our weapons are useless against them. "

The Admiral sat there for several minutes as he watched Jack working on the engine calculations as it took shape over their head before finally nodding. "We are two days from fleet rendezvous. You have until then to convert one ship as a test. If it works, we will hold off the attack until as many ships as possible are converted. If you can't, I want this imposter and his Ensign in the brig and executed shortly after." The Admiral left the compartment.

"Ok. How the hell are we supposed to convert a ship while under drive? Not like we have a mobile repair dock." Jack said to no one in particular as he worked.

The Engineering Chief came around as Jack's fingers flew over the keys and slapped him on the back. "What! You don't know everything? Come on, I will show you one of the ship's Airdocks Our own repair dock for the fleet. We can get dinner on the way."

"Sorry Sir, but I have hours of work to finish up the details of the conversion."

"You have done enough work for now. It is going to take a day just to get a Battleship into the lock and we have plenty of work to do before then. Besides the engineering deck has a Printer, Fabrication and Production control station that has a much better imaging and simulation suit than this hole." Turning to the Captain as Jack continued to work loosing himself again. "How about sending one currier off after we see how the conversion goes sir? Just in case the FTL Transmission does not get through."

"Very well Chief." The Captain tented her hands in front of her. "Chief; what do you think of this engine conversion? Will it work?" Watching Jack work, his hands flying over the and around him.

"The Blackhole drive is pure Genius Captain. Though I would not have believed a word of it even with the Triple X doing it if the damn calculations and its approval if the Blackhole engine had not matched perfectly with what we can see on the sensor screen from that last recon ship. You need to give them a medal for getting it. They probably have doubled our chances of winning this thing. As far as the engine upgrade to this Ion Warp drive? The only clue except for him coming up with the Blackhole drive and making it work, is the numbers I have seen for this Warp drive that make sense, but the boy has yet to finish his work and we won't know for sure until he does finish and the Triple X gives its approval. Except from what I see, we don't have a choice. If this does not work the human race is doomed unless you can talk Admiral Binghamton into at least changing his tactics for this battle and accepting the loss of his family."

"Yes it is obvious now that we do not stand a chance thanks to that recon crew. It is a shame they were run down by the enemy even though they had a full light day head start on the enemy ship chasing them. They had the fastest ship in the fleet especially built for speed to out run the enemy which they were doing right up until they ran out of reaction mass. I will have to insist they all get medals posthumously. You make sure this engine works if it is even remotely possible." The Captain left the conference room glancing at the Ensign as she stared at the First Class with hate in her eyes. Stopping at the hatch as she remembered the red flag on the boys file. "Ensign, I don't know what your beef is with him but you don't let him out of your sight. I don’t need him harming himself or you taking out whatever your problems are on him." She thought about replacing the Ensign but she did have that psych degree and was from the same ship as the boy. She should know him well enough, include his moods allowing her to cut him off at the pass before he could harm himself or someone else. At least until he finished the engine. Though she had watched the Ensign start to stun him with unbelievable hate in her eyes only to stun herself when checking to make sure the rating was doing what she wanted him to. Now she was wondered what could have happened to make the ensign hate him so much. She would have to ask her when she got the time.

8-

RUNNING STUPID

Jack walked out onto the ramp and looked over the rail and down the full length of the lock and the Transport/Tanker ship in it. It was not just a big boat like he had thought it was looking at the damage control schematic on the bridge. He was still having a hard time coming to grips with the enormity of the ship he had been stationed in for almost a year.

The Chief slapped him on the back almost throwing him over the rail. "Welcome to one of Red Dwarf’s 6 mobile repair locks. The Battle Transport you see before you is just a Battleship without all the armor coming in at less than half the gross tonnage. It only has a half dozen of the heavy gun turrets at the aft end mostly for show against raiders on or off planet, though it still has its point weapons for basic self-defense against torpedoes and fighters. Even though it only has two engines it still can keep up with the fleet because of its light tonnage. With full tanks it can go a quarter of the way across the Republic without re-massing but its primary job is transferring Reaction Mass and supplies from the mother Dwarf to the fleet while underway. Her second job is shuttling as many as 50,000 refugees in the 10 refugee decks in the forward section where the main armament was located on the BBs and a million tons of cargo containers in its empty mass tanks to the Red Dwarf. Because she is carried by the Red Dwarf most of the time, she has a minimum crew of only 75 for refueling operations plus specialists when needed to help with refugee security and cargo handling if the need arises. Daily maintenance is taken care of by the Red Dwarf Repair docks. Give them something to keep them busy between battles. Though a few of the other Dwarf captains have assigned permanent 150 man skeleton crews to their shuttle ships, I talked Captain Halsey into keeping the maintenance crews lumped into one Battleship Maintenance Department able to do a better, faster job on damaged Battleships as well the transports. The larger central crew is better equipped and manned to take care of all the problems including battle damage on the Fleet Battleships as well as the shuttles between their short deployments, actively shuttling to or from the Dwarf mother with just a Shuttleship crew Chief to keep track of what needs to be done on them when they are in dock. The flight director has done the same with the flight crews which is why it will take a few hours to get the crew aboard and the ship rechecked for flight since this is a last minute assignment."

"We will drop down to the lock’s slide deck to take a look at the engines to give you some idea how big a job we have doing your upgrade. It has the same engines as the Battleships but as I said, only two of them. As soon as this ship gets crewed up and leaves tomorrow, a Battleship will take its place for us to do your magic on." The Chief walked over onto a platform next to the locks bulkhead just off the ramp leading out to the bridge navigation section at the bow of the ship. Rings of auto point defense 30mm, 3inch and 5 inch turrets covered the upper part of the bow. Rings of small portholes stretched around the hull marking the refugee decks every 10 feet down the side of the ship for some 160 feet. As the platform started to descend, Jack could see the closely packed rows of acceleration chairs in the large barracks sized transit compartments behind each port. Where he had seen the rings of big gun turrets on the BBs at The Rock's Ship yards almost a year ago. Then he noticed the lowest two deck rings of main gun turrets just above the top of the mass tanks was missing port holes with large plates covering the 30 foot diameter turret mounting rings where 16 inch twin gunned turrets should have been on the ship. Ok why didn't they just make those gun decks into more refugee decks as well? Jack thought. Did they change their minds about leaving a couple rings of turrets aboard the ship" Glancing down, he could not miss the single lower ring of turrets around the lower part of the hull below the reaction mass tanks just above the landing /cooling fins. Yet more rings of ports circled the ship just above the lower turrets. He smiled at the big gun barrel tubes reaching up toward him from each turret sitting on top of a short tower. "At least this thing has some teeth Commander. You would think the Red Dwarf would have some kind of defensive armament."

The Commander smiled. "It does Turner. We have a dozen big Orbital Fort guns in flush mounted tubes running down the side of the upper mass tanks and a hundred fighters and bombers in the flight bay making up part of the gun deck. The fighter and bomber pilots are serving as shuttle pilots right now because we are short on pilots. We have room for a thousand fighters and shuttles in the flight bay by the way. But it is a waste if you don't have pilots for them."

As the platform dropped down the side of the repair lock, Jack started wondering what he had gotten himself into. It was one thing coming up with the plan in the small conference compartment with a bunch of pictures and plans that had no obvious scale of reference to them and another thing once he saw the enormity of the ship up close and not just sitting at a graving dock in the distance at the bottom of a craves on a moon. It only took them a few minutes to descend the two thousand feet to the bottom of the lock but it seemed to take forever to Jack.

On the way down he noticed vague outlines of 20 foot round cornered square hatches ringing the ship every 50 feet down the side marking the individual tanks on each of the decks. Jack counted 23 tank decks before they reached the lower rings of portholes and then the big 16 inch twin gun turrets. Jack wished he could stop the platform to study the guns and turrets only feet away as they passed them a couple hundred feet up from the stern. Though the quick look at them puzzled him at first as he looked at a much too large short tube sticking out a short distance around the base of the 16 inch gun barrels until he remembered the turret was originally supposed to have 24 inch guns and not the 16’s. Well at least they would only have to slide the larger gun barrel tubes in once they got them. He still could not believe the Admiral being so dead set on rushing to battle even with all the fleets’ short comings.

Jack finally looked down away from the turrets after getting a kink in his neck and got a big surprise as he saw the huge open hatch next to one of the ships cooling landing fins into a horizontal landing dock running through the center of the ship. The landing and launching bay took up the entire deck on that side of the ship straddling the ships core hull and the two engine trunks. The lock seemed to be full of decent sized landing/transfer boats chained to the deck in rows. Hatches large enough to slide shuttles through, lined the opposite side from the core down the long bay. He could not see through the Landing/cooling fin but knew there had to be another hatch just around the ship on the other side of the fin to another boat lock that covered the other a half of that deck with the two engines and ships core hull separating them. They passed the hatch opened down to make a landing ramp with a dozen crewmen and their equipment working to replace the seal around the 20 by 40 foot hatch opening in the hull. Empty buckets of cleaner and grease littered the ramp around the hatch. Jack shook his head. He had helped do that nasty dirty job on the Turner Joy more times than he wanted to remember and on a main hatch as big as that, it was not a job for a skeleton maintenance crew of only around 75 crewmen for all the disciplines needed to maintain such a large ship even a transport. No, a skeleton crew would only have had a hull maintenance crew of 4 or 5 crewmen doing the hatch seal instead of the 15 he could see and probably would not have had access to the heavy equipment not normally carried by ships he saw doing most of the work. Looking around the huge lock, Jack realized he could see the lift rails far up on the overhead as well as equipment and hatches to equipment he knew a yard lock had to have to do major maintenance on a ship. Jack was impressed with the equipment he could see around the lock that was not normally in most civilian dockyards.

They dropped down past more point defense turrets and then below the stern of the transport and came in sight of the lower end of the big engines hanging down below the fuselage. Jack tried to take in all the details of the point defense guns clustered around the stern and on the cooling landing fins, having seen engines before.

The Chief slapped his shoulder again. "We are damn lucky you figured out what was wrong with the gravcoils in the tanks freeing up the thousands of coils we had stocked up to replace them as they burned out. Or should I thank the yard pukes to busy or stupid to do the proper tune up job on all the FWCs to begin with or the ship building engineers too busy to look at the problem in the first place no matter how many forms we sent in. We would not have the coils we need. It just better work boy."

Jack could not help staring at the name of the ship written in huge letters across the stern. He could not believe anyone would name a ship what he was seeing.

The Commander saw where Jack was looking and smiled slapping him on the shoulder. "I know it is hard to believe but someone back at the Rock decided that since these were Shuttle Supply ships permanently attached to the individual Supply Dwarf's and were too important to just have numbers, but not important enough for normal ship names, they named them after Food Condiments. Strange but once you get used to it, you know which ships belong to the Dwarfs. "

They walked off the platform onto the Airdock's deck with the ship towering two thousand feet above them. It took several minutes to walk the 75 yards under the ship. While Jack was definitely getting a kink in his neck looking up at everything including the point defense guns with some of their barrels sticking down almost touching the lock's deck. But finally he took a look at the engine exhaust tubes some 30 feet above him. Walking under the closest of the engines, Jack stopped as he looked straight up, shinning his small belt light up into the engine and the hollow core going up the center where the reactant mass with the help of a thousand drive coils, was hurled out to drive the ship. The big 8 foot wide hole was needed to keep the mass of ultra-compressed (million+ degree) reaction mass from melting the ceramic coated tube even with active cooling strait to the cooling fins.

Jack smiled as he caught sight of the large feed nozzles at the top of the engine 200 feet up. Recalling the hundreds he had welded up for his brother and the Turner Joy. Wondering if the Navy bothered to weld theirs up or just replaced them. Finding out after he had joined that it was his brother that had been told to weld them up and not Jack and then taken credit for them pissing him off again. He suddenly did not want to wait until the next day to get started. "Chief, I am sorry but I think it will be easier than I thought. Now that I am up close, I think all we will have to do is slide the gravcoils up the ass of these engines, anchor them down to the main ceramic cooling tube and hook them up. The hard part is producing the nozzle system to feed ions instead of molecules down the rows of black holes. Wait no! I was wrong about that too. I think I can set up several different sized small gravity coils at the feed end to break the normal reactant down into atoms and then crush them down into sub atomic particles and then Ions. Godstar, I wish Pop was here, he would be a big help. He knows this feed shit better than I do. He has forgotten more than I ever will know. "

Jack turned to the Chief. "I know we just got done with dinner and thanks for letting me eat in the officers mess, they have some good food but if you are willing to use this ship as a test bed, you can start getting the coils and crews assembled, I can have the basic coil installation plans ready in a couple hours and the ion feed system by midnight. I know it is late but I will keep things simple so it should not take the machine shops long to make the few parts we will need. I think we can have this baby ready to test the drive by noon tomorrow if not reveille. Save us a lot of time, since we have a dead line. If you will show me that design compartment you told me about, I will get started sir." Jack turned toward the only hatch he had seen next to the lift platform they had ridden down in and ran straight into the Ensign as she tried to move out of his way but was too late.

Jack hit her hard in his excitement to get to work, bumping heads as he wrapped his arms around her. Bulling her over as he fell on top of her to the deck. Knocking her breath out of her for a few seconds. Jack tried to turn so he would not land on top of her but was only partially successful. He did manage to protect her head, bringing his hand up in time to cradle her head as his hand hit the deck. Holding her in his arms laying on the deck beside her, he tried to apologize before he started squirming, trying to free himself but she was laying on his arm tight against him. He finally reached over to push her away while pulling his arm out only to grab a hold of a big hard not quite flattened mound compressed close to her chest for a second until he realized what he had ahold of and let go speechless and gave up. He cringed shying away as he turned his head, waiting for a scream and beating from a panicking disgusted female. But none came.

The ensign finally got her breath and pushed herself up off of his arm using his chest to push against as he had started to do to her. Her shocked look turned into snarling disgust as she rolled away and climbed to her feet with her hand automatically grabbing the stun gun. She looked down at him as she started to snarl trying to make up her mind what names to call him knocking her to the ground just to cop a feel and saw him cringing away from her waiting to get hit. Shaking her head as she shut her mouth without saying anything. She wanted to hit him and would have used her Taser if she had had time to reach it before she rolled away and got up, but now. Seeing his reaction, all she could think about was all the times she had seen his brother pummel him years before for no reason that made any sense to her. Her snarling sneer softened into a grimace as she shook her head. Not believing what she was thinking. How could she ever feel pity for him? She could not believe it when she held out her hand to him and said. "Come on Turner, you have work to do." Feeling like someone else had control of her and was powerless to stop.

Jack opened his eyes and looked up at the Ensign baffled for several seconds before holding out his hand to take hers. Surprised when a spark leaped between their hands, just as she took his hand into hers and gripped it tight. His head seemed to swim as he stood for a second trying to get his balance and walk at the same time. Trying to figure out why her body seemed to shimmer to him.

Dragging him off the deck she turned around and headed for the hatch trying to keep Jack from falling as she looking over her shoulder. "Chief; I will take Mr. Turner to the Virtual Testing and Design compartment, I will get the first design sheet to you as soon as he has it." Then turned around looking at Jack wondering if he had hit his head while protecting hers. She started to think, "She hoped so." Then bit her lip to keep from completing the thought. Suddenly ashamed of herself. Then noticing she still had a firm grip on Jack's hand with her arm tightly around him and pushed him away, hard. His body seemed to shimmer in her eyes before she let go but she knew that was impossible. She speeded up ahead of him toward the hatch. Briefly afraid he would fall as he staggered around for a second but refusing to slow down as she started to panic at the thought of him falling and hurting himself. Her mind racing around confusing thoughts she never ever thought she would ever think again. Tears coming to her eyes as she raged at herself for thinking the thoughts she was thinking.

The Chief had not noticed as he was already on his comm asking the Captain for permission to convert the transport as Jack had asked. The transport would be twice as easy to convert as the heavily armored and cramped Battleship would be. Especially for testing. His opinion and confidence in the boy took an immediate jump. Waving a hand to acknowledge the Ensigns statement.

Jack finally finished about 3 in the morning. He sat back sliding the chair away from the design table and surveyed his work hovering over the table and around the compartment. Not really knowing what to do now. Too tired to do anything anyway but his mind was still racing without a hint of slowing down. The Engine had been running for a good 10 minutes at full power and four times the thrust of the ship's original Reaction Mass engine. After blowing up on most of his attempts over the last hour, the fact that it was running now was good enough for the night. It was bugging him that it was running a little rough, with slight power fluctuations but it was running. The fact that a couple of nasty flaming burps had come out the back when he started it up until he had slammed it up to full power, was bothering him to, but with his head and eyes hurting beyond belief, he was ready to call it quits. "Well that is that, I think." Slapping the off switch and missing, Jack stretched in the seat then turned as he started to get up to leave catching sight of the Ensign, surprised. "You still here? Thought you had hit your rack hours ago." Jack settled back into the chair.

"No, just checking on how things were going out in the lock. She looked at the engine still hovering above the design table. The Chief decided to do only one engine. Each engines is angled in slightly with their thrust through the center of the ship's mass allowing it to run and maneuver on only one engine without any problems. The Starboard engine was left untouched just in case the conversion does not work."

"I have been worrying about the same thing in the back of my mind for hours know." Leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "I just feel like I have forgotten or was missing something but my mind is turning to mush."

"You said that the engines would be a lot more powerful, but I did not believe it would be this much more powerful." Shaking her head as she studied the readings on the data sheet. "Did you reinforce the engine mounts and structure? I have been busy straightening out bottlenecks and misunderstandings about your plans back in the machine and fabrication shops. Then how to install them. So I have not been able to follow your recent work as closely as I would have liked. A lot of steel has gone into the ship but I do not know what all of it was for."

Jack smiled. "Ya. At two times the thrust of the unconverted engines it would not need reinforcing but I added a lot just in case it will do what the numbers say it could do. The battle ships won't have that problem since their armor will act as plenty of support and we will know for sure by then." Jack stretched again and yawned. "No, there is something else I am forgetting. A problem drifting around the back of my mind. It is just outside my vision like a ghost that I know is there, but I just can't put my finger on it. Has to be something important but I just can't see or grab it." Jack yawned again rubbing his head and eyes. "Godstar my head hurts." Rubbing his eyes. “Oh shit! My watch! I missed my watch! Crap I am screwed!” Jack jumped up tripping as he did and fell to the deck flat on his face.

Looking down at him she frowned. “About time you remembered but I already reported you off watch duty a long time ago. You are safe.” Continuing to frown down at him not allowing herself to laugh at his predicament as she shook her head still trying to get things strait in her head about him. She was surprised at what he had accomplished in such a short time. Forcing herself not to be impressed. "Now then get your ass up and come with me. A little walk will do you good. Get your blood flowing and you can see what you have labored so hard at designing." Jack followed her back to the number One repair and docking lock and was surprised to see large pieces of equipment under one of the ship's engines shoving the huge tank deck gravcoils up the tube. They did not look like they would fit but he had checked that first off hours ago after panicking when he realized the whole conversion depended on them fitting. The Ensign weaved her way through the equipment to an elevator's platform hanging down from the center of the ship between the two propulsion engines. Jack followed her onto the huge 20 by 50 foot platform as equipment was loaded onto it.

They rod up and got off with the equipment and construction materials on what looked like a mostly vacant multi story deck the size of a football stadium with a large dome placed to one side of the elevator and a hole on the other. What looked like miles of pipes and cables stretching down from the overhead to the dome while the hole on the other side had been stripped. Most of it was the Mass feed systems for the engines. Huge sections of pipes were being dragged out of and away from the hole to make it easier to work. Masses of people and machinery crawled over and in it. Long strait tubes where stacked off to one side of the hole for creating a large reinforcement structure to the upper deck that was already reinforced for the gun turrets that were there and would provide added support for the increased thrust from the engines.

Jack walked over and peered down into the hole at the top of the first set of complete coils of the engine. The 7.5 foot wide deck gravity coils looked puny inside the 30 foot round massive engine drive coil. The conglomeration of several deferent sized gravity coils used for other purposes around the ship he had designed into a feed system to crush standard ship's reaction mass into Ions to feed down the engine was taking shape off to one side. The Complicated but simple racks and coil tubes made in the Red Dwarf’s machine and fabrication shops would replace the mass feed pumps and controllers originally used to force feed tons of reaction mass a second down the engines throat. He looked around and found the old feed system laying across the deck out of the way. Relieved that they had not thrown them away or junked them. They looked like they could be thrown back in, in only a few hours if his design did not work.

The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that he was crazy and the damn engine would not work. It was all coming together way to easy. Impossibly easy and what he had designed was becoming less understandable by the minute. The fact that his upgrade used existing coils in a slightly different way with software doing most of the work just made Jack feel like it had to be impossible.

"Well First Class Turner. If nothing has come to mind then it is time to hit our racks." She headed back for the elevator. "They should be done by the time we finish breakfast in the morning."

Back in the Red Dwarf Jack started to stop the elevator at the enlisted personnel crew decks just below the lowest main mass tank. "Hold on Turner." The Ensign tapped the button and continued up. "I had your locker cleaned out and your things taken to where I can keep an eye on you in officer country." It took a good 5 minutes before he followed the ensign off the platform but with his head pounding it felt like an hour. Jack hesitated at the hatch that said “Officers Only,” only to be jerked through the hatch by his arm and then they stopped by the Junior Officers Wardroom for a snack and some hot herbal tea to relax.

"I am beat Ensign but my mind is still flying even if my head is killing me. I just don't know why I can't understand half of what I did tonight anymore. It’s bugging me. I don't think I can get much sleep."

"Don't worry Turner, you can hardly keep your eyes open now. You'll sleep." And finished her tea. “Finish your donut and tea. I am beat.”

She took him to a cabin with only one name in the two nameplate slides next to the hatch with two bunks in it. One on each side with a head next to the entry hatch across from a sink. As soon as she was through the hatch she started stripping off her clothes. When Jack just stared at her from the hatch open mouthed, she turned back around and said grimly. "Close your mouth. That is your bunk." She pointed to the bunk across from her. "My bunk is off limits 1st Class Turner." She held up a pocket Taser. Now get in yours. Reveille is still at 0700." She climbed into her bunk with her panties barely covering her butt with a bra that looked more like a wraparound bandage than a bra making her look not quite flat barrel chested. He could see her breasts squished down pulled around her sides until they were only sticking out front a couple of inches. Creating the big double lumped donut close around her chest instead of mountains sticking out. It looked painful to him. She was not even close to being fat like he had thought she looked. Then she pulled the blanket over herself, turned over, closed her eyes and was lightly breathing in seconds. Jack used the head and hesitated pulling off his pants to lay down in the other bunk. The shock of having her for a cabin mate instead of 3 other guys, let alone in officers’ country, driving all thought of the engine conversion out of his head. He stared in disbelief at the back of the woman in the bunk next to him as he sat down on the bunk. After a few minutes he finally stripped down to his shorts and climbed into the bunk and turned out the light. He fell asleep in seconds.

The Ensign opened her eyes and frowned at Jack lightly snoring across from her. A little disappointed that he had not given her an excuse to use her Taser on him and turned over on her back. Taking a quick look to make sure he was asleep, she pulled her bunks curtain around from the foot of her bunk leaving it partially open at the head of her bunk so she could keep an eye on Jack. She pulled down her blanket and unzipped the Velcro clasp up the wide band of her bra letting her breasts spring out into huge mountains. Taking a big breath of relief as she rubbed them back and forth and around with her eyes closed. It felt so good to finally be able to breathe without all the restriction and pain. She left the bra hanging with the cups that were more wide strap than cups, loose to her sides so she could quickly fasten her boobs back into flat mounds if Jack woke up. A precaution she used in her cabin during the day and evening hours while she worked on the hours of paper work demanded of officers.

Leaving her blanket down over her stomach she left her breasts towering above her chest, exposed to the air letting them and herself breathe. Finally relaxing as she continued to rub them trying to work out the sore spots from the tightly wrapped bra. Eventually she pulled the bunks side curtain down far enough and reached around to a drawer beside the head of her bunk and pulled out a tube of cream and spread it on a sore running across under her breasts where the tight lower hard strap of her bra had rubbed her raw. A chronic problem with the tight strapping bra.

Grimacing every time her fingers rubbed the cream over the sores under her breasts. Staring at Jack in the pitch black darkness wishing she could block the light he was giving off so she could stop seeing him but she had already taken out every bulb and even replaced the glowing LED clock on the wall with an LCD so it did not glow at night keeping her awake. The pitch blackness also providing her with some safety in her mind, from any intruders breaking in to rape her. The reason she had an officers Cabin usually for two to herself after Tasering her roommate when her roommate had gotten up in the middle of the night and startled her. But she could still see Jack’s body heat and blood pumping through his veins as plain as day. Shaking her head she started to draw the screen back up around her bunk but stopped. Staring into the darkness as his face and body glowed at her in the dark. She was not going to give him a chance to sneak up on her without her being able to see him as soon as he moved. She left the screen curtain open part of the way toward the foot of her bunk. After all the Captain had said not to let him out of her sight and she wanted to be able to move fast if he even so much as got up and came near her bunk. She had been looking forward to doing that to him for years. Now she could not believe he was in the bunk next to her. But she also knew he was much too tired to attack her at the moment so she would wait and closed her eyes. She knew that she was good at coming out fighting if he did try when she was asleep. After all, her old roommate had tripped in the total dark and fallen into her bunk on her way to the head and had gotten Tasered months before. She just wanted to be awake when she did it to Jack, so she could enjoy it.

The Ensign rolled out of her bunk ready to Taser someone, a few hours later after her alarm went off but no one was around to Taser. Calming down, she realize that he had not moved. Fighting the urge to Taser him anyway, as a way to wake him up, she sat on her bunk with her boobs hanging out and took a deep breath. Then went and showered and dressed taking her time. Then spent 10 minutes getting him out of his bunk before she could drag him down and push him into the shower still half asleep as she tried to keep her eyes closed as she kept having to wake him every few seconds, trying to keep from looking at him naked. In the officers mess he was still talking in monosyllables taking several minutes to pick out what he wanted for breakfast as she kept making suggestions and then eat with his eyes half closed leaning on one elbow. In no hurry what so ever.

"Come on Turner; they are going to test your engine in a few minutes. Finish your damn breakfast." She was getting exasperated.

"Engine? Oh ya. They have it built already. My, that was fast. Boy am I going to be embarrassed when it doesn't work." Shaking his head back and forth as he frowned. "It is all such a blur. I hope I didn't screw up to bad." Yawning, Jack stretched his arms above his head and pushed away from the table. Picking up the half eaten plate he looked under it. "I can't believe they listened to me. What happened to the tray?" He picked up the knife, fork and spoon off the table and put them on the plate then looked around for someplace to take it.

"Leave it on the table Turner. The busboys will take it. Let's go." She wiped her mouth and hands with her cloth napkin and threw it on her plate as she got up.

Jack stared at the plate in his hand for a couple of seconds and watched the Ensign get up leaving hers behind. Then slowly put his plate back onto the table and glanced around at a bus boy cleaning tables. He used the napkin to wipe his hands and mouth and then strolled slowly after her stuffing his hands in his pockets in no hurry, glancing back at the dirty plates then around looking for the scullery. They finally got out of the officer’s mess with the Ensign turning around at every hatch and bend trying to speed Jack up. Finally as the elevator platform dropped past the lower tank deck filled with mustering enlisted crews Jack started to wake up. "What about muster." He said as he looked back up through the deck hatch above them as it closed. "They are going to check me AWAL and put me on report."

"I mustered you already while you eat." She looked at him as the platform continued to drop down the core. "I know what you need. Some exercise. Start running in place Turner. Come on, run with me." She started running in place. Jack started following her halfheartedly a few seconds later. They ran in place until the platform stopped at the lock deck and then down the passageway into the lock. Half way across the lock and under the ship the Ensign stopped and turned back to face Jack. Seeing his eyes still half closed. Disgust crossed her face and then a devilish smile crossed her face and she shed her jacket. "Jumping jack time, Jack.” She started jumping up and down swinging her arms up and down to her sides and grimaced for a second as her boobs flopped down for the first time before getting tight lipped as she continued. Jack followed her lead again halfheartedly.

Jack jumped through the motions for a good minute as he kept looking at her face trying to figure out why she looked so familiar and then he seemed to catch sight of something very interesting and tried to smile as he suddenly started sucking in large hunks of oxygen. His eyes glued to her huge breasts flopping up and down in time with her jumps in spite of the tight breast flattening bra. Though with her breasts pushed together and flattened they did not flop far nor showed any cleavage. Jack's jumping started to get more vigorous as he lost all sense of timing as he concentrated on trying to figure out what was so strange about her and her boobs and why she insisted on wearing that ridiculous wrapping so tight. He made a bet with himself that without the wrapping her boobs would really flop around. Bringing a big smile to his face. Trying to imagine that while waiting and hoping for the wrapping to break and let them free. Looking up into the Ensigns hate filled eyes he started to get embarrassed again until he realized her face looked to damn familiar and he looked away. His gaze dropped down past her strange mounds to the huge almost 6 inch wide gap between her legs and large butt made to look even larger by her small waste now that she had taken off her jacket.

The Ensign suddenly stopped as she tried to suppress a disgusting snort as Jacks eyes left hers and his coordination completely left him as he kept staring down between her legs. She was not used to men looking below her chest and did not quite know what to think. Quickly putting her jacket back on to help hide the obvious. Jack slowed down and finally stopped as she zipped her jacket covering her breasts, dangling over her thin waste making her look fat again. "Ok, I think you are awake now slime bucket creeton. Let's go Turner."

Jack looked into her eyes, his face turned baffled. "I know you don't I? No, the girl I knew did not have huge breasts or a gorges butt." He looked down as he made the observations. "But she was the only girl on the whole ship that looked like an angel that you could love for the rest of your life." Jack sadly frowned as he turned away. A tear ran down his cheek. "No. I just wish I knew what I did to make her hate me before I left home." Jack headed for the ship's small personnel elevator platform sitting on the deck. Stuffing his hands in his pockets.

She stopped sneering at him as she started feeling something inside herself that surprised her and said softly. "Jack, I don't hate you." But he had stepped away and did not hear her. She watched him stop at the platform starring at it with his hands in his pockets. "What the hell did I say?" She asked herself. Then out loud for the world. "You bet your ass I hate you Turner." She stomped onto the small elevator platform. Trying to remember why she hated him. It was getting harder and harder to remember and feeling less and less like hate. "Get your damn butt on the lift so we can go." She practically screamed at him though he had already followed her onto the lift.

"Go where?" Jack took a deep breath as he looked up at her. "Oh ya the ship. You don't have to get mad about it." He looked up at the two engines spaced some 75 feet apart in the stern of the ship. He did not have to look closely up the tail of each engine to spot which one was the converted engine with the addition donut coils running up the insides. Instead of 8 foot holes the converted engines had small 1 foot tubes from the added coils. He leaned onto the rail of the small 10 foot by 10 foot elevator platform as empty as the lock now was and they shot up into the ship. This time the platform raced through the engine mass feed deck at the top of the engine but did not stop. As it flew through and continued up. Jack caught a glimpse of equipment still scattered across it and a big tube on that side running up to the next deck instead of a dome he had seen only a few hours before and was still on the other engine on the other side of the lift.

The elevator went through a dozen decks too fast for Jack to do more than notice in his condition and then opened up into a 75 foot wide pipe chase running up the center of the ship. Catwalks circled the chase every 50 feet with pipes running along the inner hull between the six tanks, 20 foot square hatches ringing the catwalk providing access into the 6 tanks on each deck. Several 20 by 50 foot elevator platforms covered the center of some of the grated decks with a stack of the 20 by 50 foot elevator platforms taking up part of one of the shafts. A smaller version of the Red Dwarf. Jack noticed the 10 by 10 foot platforms slid out of the way under each platform at each deck, ready to slide out into the open shaft if needed. After the Red Dwarf's huge pipe chase, this ships chase looked cramped. At the top of the chase, the platform shot through the overhead. Finally after another 20 odd decks they came smoothly to a stop and the ensign lead him onto the bridge of the ship.

"It is about time you two made it up here. Did you see something wrong with the installation?" Captain Halsey from the Red Dwarf said from her Command Chair.

"What?" Jack said puzzled.

"You took so long under the ship. I thought you must have spotted something. Did you?"

"Ah… Nothing too interesting." Jack turned around looking at everything and anything but the Captain trying to hide his embarrassment and landed on the pilot’s cockpit a ways in front of the Captain. Walking up to the pilot's position he suddenly wished he could be sitting there, surrounded by controls that would make the million gross ton ship perform anything he wanted with a light touch. Three dimensional screens able to see the universe around the ship for light years or a person on their landing pit from orbit, circled the pilot. Jack studied every minute detail of the pilots somewhat too familiar position. Trying to figure out what had to be different from all the equipment and controls that looked like they were right off the bridge of his ship from, "The Game". Disbelief building in him by the second.

If he had been looking at the Turner Joy’s civilian tramp ship’s simple austere pilot's position he could not have been more surprised.

"Then let's get this show on the road." The Captain hit an icon on her chair's arm. "Prepare to launch ship. Seal the ship. Evacuate the lock." Turning back to Jack. "First class Turner, take the assistant engineers console to monitor your engine please. Though we won't be lighting it off for a while yet. The Engineering Chief is in Central Engineering Control. You have a direct connection to him on your board. You might want to run some checks on your engine while you are waiting. It would be nice to know if something was wrong with it before we cycled out of the Red Dwarf."

"Ship sealed. Positive pressure in the ship Captain." A voice said from the far side of the bridge.

"Lock evacuated Captain." Came another voice.

"Very well. Release all bow mooring clamps. All hands! Prepare for platform extension."

Jack sat down in the Assistant's Engineering console as the bridge woke up with a constant coria graphed barrage of reports and orders getting the ship ready for launch. Used to a simpler version on the bridge of his family's tramp transport ship the Turner Joy, he ignored most of it as he started running tests on the engine that had been converted. The fact that the ship’s check list mirrored his check list for getting under way in "The Game", Started nagging at him. He kept finding himself mouthing the next items on the check list before it was read while trying to tell himself he was not in, The Game.

"Check platform clamps and locks. Release stern mooring clamps." Came the Captain's voice.

The Ensign sat down in the jump console next to him, punching up the engineering suit for it. Jack looked over at her. "I signed up to be a Battleship Pilot not a frigging propulsion nerd tech or a Gravtech for that matter." He said bitterly as he glanced at the all too familiar pilots’ position.

"Join the party." The ensign said with a half-smile. "So did I and look wear they put me. One of my friends got stuck in propulsion engineering on the St. Mary and one got supply on this bucket. At least the third, Marg got what she wanted in medical though she was through her 4th year to become a Doctor." She frowned. "Maybe we are the lucky ones unless your conversion works to give the fleet a chance."

The ship lurched to one side as it reached the end of the ramps travel and came to a sudden lurching stop but the bow they were in some 2,000 feet above continued to sway for a few seconds. Jack looked around for the Gravtech that should have caught the lurch as well as the swaying. "Godstar Grav, get your head out of your ass." Jack said without thinking then realized where he was and looked around embarrassed and went back to checking the engines as he ducked his head trying to hide.

The Captain stared at him for several seconds. She had started to say something to the Grav tech herself but Jack's outburst had cut her off. Turning back forward she went back to the check list. "Single up platform launch clamps." The Captain said. And then after the main clamps were confirmed off she said. "Pilot, you can launch when ready. Take up a position 100 miles from and parallel to the Red Dwarf."

Jack watched the power meters on the unmodified engine increase until the weight of the ship registered well into the negative and then the pilot hit the launch clamp release Icon. "Ship away Captain." The ship soared out away from the Red Dwarf and settled into the designated position a few minutes later. The one running engine was at almost full power just to keep up with the Red Dwarf, but then she still had full mass tanks.

"Engineering; you may commence tests on number one engine when ready."

"Eye Captain. Test when ready." The Chief Engineer said.

Jack concentrated on the test engine as power was introduced to it and it burped. "Wooa. I am getting an anomaly here." Hitting the comm to the Chief. "Are you seeing the anomaly I am seeing Chief?"

"Anomaly? Mr. Turner; that is not an anomaly, these engines always do that on start up. You would have seen the same thing if you had been watching start up on the unmodified engines. Didn't you ever get down to the Red Dwarf's engine rooms, even they do it and they are considerable bigger? This class of engines always burp a little at idle no matter the size. The Red Dwarf's engines have been known to shoot plasma out of the throat for a thousand miles when they burp at startup. Then smooth out at thrust. Evidentially it is something to do with the technology and not the designed components according to the best minds."

Jack felt like crawling under the chair. "Sorry Chief, I always had my nose stuck in the grav department." Even while shame washed over him at not knowing about something he could not have known, the feeling of something wrong persisted as it burped again. "The converted engine should not be doing that unless something was not right someplace." Jack said to himself as the engine started burping one after another. "Something that gets covered up at higher throttle settings on the normal engines with massive amounts of reaction mass, but on an engine designed to run on even less mass than what a normal engine uses at idle; it could be very destructive." The Engine burps started growing more rapid and violent.

The Ensign suddenly reached over and slapped the red cut off button as the readings started to fluctuate wildly. Jack was just starting to register something bad really was wrong. "After my little show this morning for you Jack, I thought your mind would be working a little faster." She said disappointedly.

Jack ignored her as he studied the read outs in front of him. "Damn it." He started slowly typing. Bringing up different screens and readings and then cursed again as he fumbled around hitting the wrong icons. "I can't access what I need from this stupid board. You would think they would put a decent board on the bridge." He slapped at another icon and missed getting frustrated. "How the hell is anyone supposed to…?”

The ensign lightly slapped her open hand across his head as she got up from her jump board stopping his ranting. "Captain: request permission to go down to the engineering control room to analyze the trouble. I have locked out the engine controls to engine Number One, the test engine sir." She dragged Jack out from the engineering console before the Captain could answer.

"Permission granted." He said as the two were half way out the hatch and Jack ran into the side sill of the hatch almost falling as he clutched at his face with one hand but the Ensign managed to keep him upright as they disappeared out of sight. Frowning she stared at the empty hatch. She knew that they often had problems with well establish and long proven equipment installations when they first lit them off after repairs or even overhauls. It did not come as any surprise that they were having problems with this piece of revolutionary technology even if it was just an upgrade on a proven engine. Still she suddenly found herself scared to death that it would not work. She had been in dozens of battles with ships that had been heavily damaged, watching other ships die and never felt this scared. But then it was over 50 years ago and this time she was relying on a kid to pull off a miracle. Even if the kid's granddad was considered the smartest man in the Republic at one time before he lost it. But then she had heard all the rumors that Ion kids were usually considered handicapped morons and had never bothered to check into the condition. Nor had she even thought of checking since the boy had come up with the plan but it was definitely time to check into the rumors now, after what she had seen. The thought made her sick to her stomach as sweat started forming on her brow and she started pacing the bridge. Trying to calm down before she started calling around to everyone in the fleet that could possibly know anything about the handicap. Hopping that a handicapped moron of the boys Grandfather was still smart enough to pull this off. After all she had read reports on ideate savants doing some amazing things. Even working miracles. Damn, they certainly needed a miracle now.

Jack seemed to be dazed as the elevator dropped toward the stern of the ship. His eyes kept drooping until they were closed as he leaned against the platforms rail except when the Ensign talked to him and then all he would do was grunt or smile or agree. Finally she asked him a direct question getting pissed at him. "What the hell is wrong with you Turner?"

Jack opened his eyes and looked at her as the pipe chase catwalks flashed past them. His eyes finally focusing on her as he smiled. "I'm fine. Just a little tired is all. Didn't get much sleep last night it seems. I don't know why I stayed up so damn late but I was just having so much fun. I just wish it made a little more sense to me today." Jack yawned and shook his head as he stretched his arms above his head and then scratched, running his fingers through his hair as he watched each tank’s catwalks grate running around the chase flash past.

"Do you have any idea what the problem is with the engine?" The Ensign glanced at Jack frowning before looking away at the grates flashing past.

"Sure, I think. Several in fact, I think, but some don't make any sense to me at all and I just can't seem to put a finger on any of the others. I am hopping a good look at the raw data will help." Jack leaned back against the rail as the catwalks passed by rhythmically and his eyes started slowly closing. "I think… That the, ah, anomaly, in the main engine, has got to be, at least related to, if not the same cause…."

A minute later the elevator after passing through the bottom deck of the pipe chase, the lower crew birthing, the lower ships storage, lower gun platform, the engine feed deck, a bunch of cargo handling decks, past the boat hanger deck and the last of the cargo elevators, past several engineering decks to finally stop at the Engineering Central Control deck, to quietly slid to the side out of the twin side by side up and down shafts into a small compartment between them with a hatch far enough above the deck to allow the platform to slide up to it. The Ensign stepped off alone. "Well. As soon as you figure it out, you can take a break and get some more sleep." Turning around she saw Jack still leaning against the rail with his chin touching his chest snoring.

She stepped back onto the platform grabbing Jack's arm jerking him awake. "The problem. I just have to figure out what it is." He said as he looked at her in surprise then let her lead him off the platform and through the hatch. They entered a passageway that went right and left but she hit the access control for the hatch strait across the passageway. They entered the engineering control room. The room was a good 75 feet wide but only roughly 35 feet long with a row of office doors on the bulkhead directly across from them, with 2 control console groups at each of the ends of the compartment to each side against the armored inner hull in front of large armored windows looking into the engine rooms for the control of the two individual engines. A central control group sat in the center forming a circle facing outward. A big difference from the cramped engine control room of the Turner Joy and even the ships he was familiar with in The Game. But here there were a lot of upset busy strangers around the consoles and looked like they were pulling out what hair they had by the sounds of things. Frowning Jack started slowing down. Starting to get defensive not knowing what was going on.

The Chief Engineer looked up from the central control console. "Why the hell did you kill the engine? It would have settled down in a few seconds."

"And what if it hadn't and the engine blew up or destroyed itself and the ship." The Ensign raised her voice at the Chief to make sure he heard her over all the talking around them."

"I don't care, you tell me what you think the problem is. You don't go hitting the emergency STOP, killing everything. It is going to take an hour to get it started again." The Chief was livid. Directing his ire at the Ensign."

Jack smiled, now that was something he did know about and stepped forward between them. "Ah. Commander. The variations resembled test runs last night on the Sims that resulted in complete destruction of the engine Chief. It happen several times but I was never able to isolate the cause before I ran out of time. I should have stayed and figured it out. Sorry. Give me some time to check a few things. Beginning with that anomaly you said every engine of this generation seems to have when they start up. Since I was in the Gravity Coils department, I never heard of it or I would have looked at it more closely in my calculations. Though the computer seems to have known about it, plastering intermittent yellow flags on several equations dealing with the main coils interfaces. Maybe the fact that I spent all of the only successful run time at full thrust that last time reduced the probability of the explosion."

Jack paused and looked up with a chuckle. "Come to think of it, Pop said something one time about some engine he was working on before he bought the ship had a burping problem and the powers that be blamed him and then would not give him time to fix the problem. Something about some ass hole using that as an excuse to take over the Directorship. Whatever that means." Shaking his head from side to side and smiling as he turned to the Chief of Engineering. "You can start by filling me in on everything you know about that anomaly Chief, if you don't mind." Jack sat down in one of the vacant seats at the central group of control consoles. He crossed one leg up over his knee, put his elbow on the console's screen top with his chin in his hand and waited as his eyes started to droop.

The Chief looked around the compartment and finally sat back down. "We have studied that damn anomaly for decades trying to iron it out but since it disappears as soon as you start producing any thrust at all, there was no reason to hold up production any longer since the engine was needed so badly for the new ships after the enemy showed up." The Chief brought up the test data on the anomaly on the screen in front of Jack. The Ensign nudged Jack on the shoulder and his eyes leapt back open and stared at the screen as the test data streamed across it. "I think you are jumping up the wrong tree here Mr. Turner. So what if the mass stream keeps burping at idle on the original engine?"

"Sorry Chief but the new engine runs at full power with less fuel than the original engine does at dead idle." The Ensign said as she slapped Jack across the top of his head to wake him up again.

Jack’s eyes popped open and continued to stare at the data as it streamed by without repeating itself. "That is a lot of data. Variations of the anomaly repeating itself in each test without any changes to the engine but not perfectly. Yet each test with changes made in programing or equipment was just as baffling with little difference for the better while usually making the engines efficiency worse." Taking a deep breath as he yawned. "Could you run the engine data from today's start up on the screen next to it please? Oh and put up what you've got on the Mark 7 engines on the Red Dwarf as well since you said they have the same problem."

The data from the engines started running on the screen next to the anomaly screen. Repeating the data from the 16 second run over and over. "Could you slow it down by 10 please?" Jack rubbed his eyes as he watched it for a few loops and then started lazily pecking with one finger on one hand, keys and icon's on the console top in front of him still cradling his chin in his other hand. In no hurry. A virtual screen over the table came to life and calculation figures started running across it. First one line, then two. In a few minutes a dozen lines streaked across the screen almost too fast to see let alone read. Finally satisfied he let his arm drop down to lay across the glass top. "I am checking for any pattern on the new engine's test with any commonality between that class engines no matter how rare or insignificant over the lives of every engine in the fleet. Chief; could you tell me what you have heard or think could be causing the anomaly? Everything no matter how ridiculous or absurd the ideas are. Smiling over at the Chief with his eyes wide open but blinking."

The Chief studied Jack for a few seconds. Then shaking his head he started running down the list. Ticking them off on his fingers as he looked up, until he ran out of fingers and then just kept going as he sat back and looked up. He finally ran out of theories and started talking about the test program and their efforts over many years to find the problem. Winding down and taking a deep breath the Chief looked around at Jack and stopped talking when he saw Jack sound asleep snoring. The ensign looked up from taking notes of what the Chief was saying and slapped jack across his head again waking him back up.

Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose and then his temples. "You got any Tylenol? I have a splitting head ache." Shaking his head he looked back up at the screens and squinted. Then rubbed his eyes again as he seemed to be trying to get the screen into focus. "My mind feels like mush. Nothing is making any sense anymore. Ah what was that Chief?"

The ensign got up and grabbed Jack by the arm and dragged him up beside her. "Let's go! This is a fucking waste of time Chief. He is exhausted from last night and less than 3 hours sleep this morning. I am putting him to bed for 8 hours. Tell the Captain that I am sure he will have the engine running this evening if not shortly after he wakes." She said over her shoulder as she left the Compartment with Jack in tow hardly able to walk looking more like a drunk child than an adult.

9-

RUNNING BLACKHOLE DEAD

"She said what?" The Admiral yelled on the screen. "I never heard of such a thing. We train our troops to get by on 3 hours of sleep for weeks and operate just fine. You get his lazy ass back into that control room now or... No that is it. He does not know how to fix it and is just hoping someone else will figure it out for him. I bet it was not his idea anyway. Or better yet trying to figure out an excuse why it does not work or something new to sell your gullible ass on Captain." The Admiral chuckled. "That’s it Captain. Bring the tanker back into dock and continue as planed and throw Mr. Turner's butt in the brig. If you decide not to send the Currier to ComRock that is fine with me. His so called Blackhole drive is just as much fake crap as well. I told you so Captain. At least we don't have to worry about up grading the engines in my battleships. Good. Out."

The Captain cut the connection and sat there. Turning to look out the bridge ports and the Red Dwarf taking up a large portion of space on that side now that they were not testing the engine and had moved closer. Punching the com to the Engineering department. "Chief. We are running out of time. Can you get those engines working or not?"

"I don't know Captain. I had the guys back on the Red Dwarf run simulations and Turner was right according to the Computer. The engine tore itself apart then collapsed into a 6 foot wide black hole taking half the ship with it before the black hole collapsed when the power finally failed and one hell of an explosion occurred. It should not be able to create that big of a black hole sir. They are supposed to only be the size of needle points. I have got every engineer in our squadron working on the problem now and unless we find out what that damn burp is, I am not even going to try lighting this engine off. But hell, the burp may not even be part of the problem but we don't know. I hate to give up on the upgrade. It is such a massive increase in thrust and efficiency and it looks like it should work. Hell everything including the XXX Comp. says it is supposed to work great but it doesn’t. Well that is except for the engine Sim Mr. Turner started last night. It is still chugging along at full power."

"The entire Republic development industrial complex including the National Research Directorate could not find a cure for that burp Chief, I don't think our fleet engineers are going to do much better.” Shaking her head she frowned as she took a drink from a tumbler. “I am going to send every maggot in the fleet with engineering or physics degrees (even from community Colleges), your way. Hopefully the Navy personnel department has continued to screw up and we have a few more geniuses hiding as space men scrubbing decks or washing pots in the Galley. Evidentially we can't count on Mr. Turner anymore. Whatever happens we have to have that damn engine running. Even if it only produces half as much thrust as the computer says it can, it is still practically reaction massless. I agree with you, it is still a hell of a lot better than what we have now. Keep me updated. Out."

The Red Dwarf's Captain thought about it for a few minutes staring out the port again and then hit the com to the Red Dwarf. "Number One; start converting the engines on the other tanker and transports in our docking bays immediately, all their engines. I need it done by tomorrow, put the ship on skeleton crew watch and watch if you need the personnel, but get it done. Out."

"Captain Sir." The First Officer blurted out before the Captain could cut the connection. "The Battleship New America is approaching. Do you want me to put it in the empty lock for conversion as well?"

The Captain frowned thinking for a few seconds. "Yes. Go ahead but our transports/tankers have priority. They have to leave as soon as they are finished and we finish testing, but do not even think of lighting any of them off before we finish working out the bugs here. Anything else?"

"No sir. Ah, yes sir. What do I do if the Admiral objects sir?"

"You already know I am an Admiral Number One and only Captain of the Red Dwarf because we are short Captains. I have orders that supersede the Admiral's orders under specific circumstances Number One. You can access Fleet order 13029 yourself but keep it quiet, everyone does not need to know I have orders to abandon the battle fleet with all the squadrons Transport Tankers if I see fit, Though I don't think Command Fleet Rock would approve of what I plan on doing with it.. I gave you the only orders you need worry about right now. Seeing the worried look on the First Officers face the Captain continued. "Admiral Binghamton is in command of only the Attack Fleet." Taking a deep breath she shook her head. "Which brings up another point Number One. We are going to have a lot of traffic between the Dwarf transports over the next few days. Drag the rest of the enter ship shuttle boats out of storage and triple the shuttle runs. I am going to have the other battle transports and currier tankers in my squadron converted as well and the other squadron of the fleet if I can talk Admiral Fitzsimmons into it as well. Out." The Captain/Admiral started punching the comm for his FMC Captain's.

Leaving the bridge a few hours later the Captain stormed over to Officer's Country. Knocking on a hatch, she walked in to find a darkened cabin with the Ensign sitting to one side with the bunk folded up and the computer desk pulled down with the screen set on low illumination and 1st Class Turner asleep in the bunk behind her on the other side of the compartment, lightly snoring. "It has been eight hours Ensign. It is time for him to wake his ass up." The Captain boomed.

The Ensign spun around in her chair, her mountain breasts hanging (what looked at first glance) a mile out in front of her blouse, naked with big red nipples in full view in the light from the open hatch. Leaping up, fastening her bra with a practiced flick of both hands tucking both peaks into a flattened range, she pulled up the straps over her shoulders. Then she pushed the Captain out of the little cabin shutting the hatch behind her with a lite click then zipped up her jacket. "Listen Captain. What if you spent 20 hours running a marathon? If you could run a marathon. How well would you be able to walk the next day with only a couple hours of sleep let alone run another marathon? I bet it would take you a couple of days before you could even walk without half your body complaining and refusing to cooperate. Leave him be. His mind was exhausted. Let him sleep. That is if you want his best."

"Ensign! I have the whole fleet trying to figure out the problem with the upgrade on these engines with no one having a clue what even the problem is. I need him now Ensign!"

"Captain. A few more hours won't make any difference to the fleet but it may make a difference to weather Turner can solve the problem or not. Just a couple more hours Captain. Please sir. Let him wake naturally when his mind has recuperated and get something to eat and shower and you will have the engine upgrade problem fixed sir. I guaranty it sir." The Ensign looked at the hatch to the cabin. "I have been going over what Jack was looking at when I stopped him and I think he found it but his mind was just too exhausted to see and understand it. I think I can see it, see something, but I can't quite put my finger on it either. Like a word I want and know but can't remember." Looking back at the Captain. "You will have your upgrade Captain. Just let him sleep until his mind has recuperated."

"Very well Ensign. Call me the instant he wakes up. And send what you've got to the Chief. Carry on." The Captain watched the ensign enter the cabin with Turner still sleeping as her blouse and jacket sprang wide open to her sides again and she gently close the hatch behind her. Staring at the hatch for a good minute, "Damn those were big monsters. No wonder she keeps hiding them. Talking about Creep Magnets." She turned and headed down to Engineering Central Control as she started thinking of the growing problem of male officers pulling rank to secure female favors. A rapidly growing problem with the fleet growing as fast as it was. Made worse by females that thought nothing of giving favors to get better treatment or jobs from superiors. Not to mention natures biological drive for females to go after the so called Alpha dogs (officers) to mate with even if it was done unconsciously. Making it almost impossible for those females that wanted nothing to do with, let alone refused to provide like favors for the Alpha dogs. As Admiral and Captain she had to come up with something since the rapes, whether wanted or not, had to be stopped soon before the fleet started falling apart as women and the crews seeing such blatant cronyism started taking matters into their own hands or simply stopped caring and doing their jobs.

All too soon she was outside the Engineering Central Control Compartment still with no solution.

The large, normally mostly empty compartment was packed with people and equipment transferred over from the Red Dwarf and other ships around the fleet. The Captain almost tripped over what looked like an enlisted crewman with a cooks patch on her arm in heated conversation with several officers about astrophysics. Nothing to do with the engineering problem facing the ship. Walking up to the Chief Engineer. "Any progress Chief?"

"I have just received some highlighted records you had the Ensign send over of what Mr. Turner was looking at, with notes of what it may mean. I am forwarding it to everyone but I don't think it will do any good. I am sure we have already gone over everything he has done and looked at about that stupid anomaly already. Including the drive coils he was looking at. There is nothing wrong with the damn drive coils. They are our most efficient most powerful coils ever made. Hell, I just can’t believe that could be the culprit. But we have not been able to find anything wrong in the equations or the equipment but the simulation keeps blowing up and even the computer does not know why. It highlights a section of calculations dealing with the interface fields between the existing propulsion coils and the added grav-coils where the explosion originates but can't tell us what the problem is and so far all the alterations we have done to the calculations only makes things worse or the engine does not work at all." Looking around the Control room. "I don’t' think anyone really understands half the calculations anyway, let alone the principles behind them. I just hope Mr. Turner does since he is the one that started all this. Where the hell is he Captain?"

The Captain looked at the Chief and frowned. "Sleeping it off Chief."

"What? Sleeping off a hang over? When the hell did he have time to get drunk?"

The Captain smiled as she shook her head. "No. not drunk. Though that is what he was acting like this morning, come to think of it." Trying to think if that was truly possible. "I just think he was tired from running a marathon yesterday Chief."

"What marathon? What the hell are you talking about Captain? He hardly got out of his chair."

"Nothing. Never mind. Carry on Chief."

The Chief looked at the Captain for a few seconds. "I am setting up a test stand on a boat with another engine we can test. It will be ready in about an hour. Though I have a few physics professors you sent us that insist that no matter what the Sims say, there is no possibility that an engine will create a black hole and destroy itself or suck up a ship. But then they also say the engine is theoretically impossible anyway."

"Well that sounds familiar." The Captain turned to go and stopped. "Ah Chief, a shuttle from the Yellow Dwarf on the other side of the fleet will be docking in another hour with the Republic's head of the Research and Development Directorate and his team. They have been provided with everything we have and should be up to speed when they arrive. Hopefully they can get the engine going."

"Oh God Captain. You have got to be kidding.” The Chief Engineer sneered. “I have worked with that ass hole before and I just as soon kick him out the air lock."

"Enough of that Chief, I have heard the rumors too, but if he can get this engine going I will kiss his butt."

Three hours later one of the largest shuttles in the fleet big enough to carry a full sized battleship engine left the Red Dwarf. A half hour later it lit off the battleship engine and started accelerating away from the Red Dwarf and the Carrier/ Tanker running next to it.

The Captain of the Red Dwarf and her Chief Engineer watched as the little transport boat at 10% thrust with a pin point light at the back end of the engine reached 10 thousand miles ahead in only seconds.

"Kill it now!" Shouted the Chief. "It is going to explode! The reading are getting more erratic by the second."

"Don't be stupid Chief." The head of the Republic's Directorate of Research and Development said. He had taken over the research effort after arriving on the transport an hour and a half before. "I am the Director and I will decide when the test is terminated and not a lowlife Chief Engineer."

"Director." Captain Halsey turned to the Director. "Shut it down until we can take a look at what is going on."

"No Captain. I am in charge here and I will decide…"

The telemetry read outs suddenly cut out and a fraction of a second later a blinding fireball a hundred miles across appeared as the video of the boats bridge crew cut out right after they reported a huge anomaly with the engine that was obvious on the telemetry now that it was frozen on a side screen since it was the last readings.

Turning to the Director of Research and Development Directorate, the Captain stared at him. "You said you had the problem solved? What happened?"

"I will tell you when we have had time to go over the records Captain. Prepare another boat for testing. We will have a possible solution ready to test in a couple of hours."

"There won't be a next time unless you can tell me what happened and what you are doing that is different than what we have already tried. And don't even try that crap about me not having the security clearance or the need to know as long as you provide a working engine. You lost that right with the deaths of that crew."

"How dare you Captain. I am the Director of the R and D, Directorate authorized and commissioned by congress. I will tell you when and what I decide. Besides now that we know the calculations are accurate and the engine actually works, kind of, we can get to work." He turned around and walked toward the other side of the Engineering control deck and the few consoles that his group had brought with them.

The Chief Engineer turned to the Captain. His face growing red. "Captain! That son of a bitch just killed the shuttle crew and one of my engine room crews just to prove the calculations were accurate? He did not even try to fix the problem. I am going to kill him Captain."

"No Chief, but you have my permission to dump them in one of the refugee compartments with only their terminals to work. I will press charges later after we get the engine working." Unless that ass hole is the one that gets it running. The Captain thought to herself shaking her head. "Turner, you damn well better come through with a fix when you wake up."

Jack walked into Central Engineering Control and stopped as the Ensign continued to walk a few seconds before stopping and turning around looking at Jack. He looked around at the packed compartment for a few seconds. Nothing was familiar around the strange open space full of desks and tables with holographic engines over half of them in various stages of assembly, while others took turns blowing up. He decided there were too many people to count and decided to leave. The Ensign came back for him and as he realizing no one seemed to have noticed him, so he let her drag him forward. "Ok sleeping beauty, it is time to do your thing." A console had been set up like the development console he had used on the Red Dwarf at the center of the compartment next to the ring of control consoles. The Ensign stopped beside it telling the Lieutenant in it to get lost. Captain's orders. Then turned to Jack. "Sit down Turner and make yourself at home." Several people turned to look at Jack, recognizing the name.

Nothing about this remotely reminded Jack of anything in The Game. It did look all too much like a typical trade commission or meeting his father always dragged him to only to let his brother go out of the way belittling him at every opportunity. With not even his mother in sight to hide behind for protection. Anything he said or did would only cost him pain or ridicule. All he could do was hide, keep quiet and just endure.

Jack sat down trying to ignore the lieutenant standing a few feet away staring at him. The man tapped the lieutenant next to him on the shoulder. As the man turned around the lieutenant spoke to the Ensign, his voice carrying across the compartment. "What the hell Ensign, that is just a stupid frigging 1st Class enlisted puke. What the hell could he possibly know about any engine this advanced? Get his low life morons ass out of that seat. We don't need the table cleaned or polished. I have important work to do that this pea brain could not possibly understand."

"You find someplace else to do your important work lieutenant. As I said, Captain's orders. This is the inventor of the damn upgrade. Now get lost or you may learn something." Her raised voice carried in the now much reduced noise of the compartment as more people tried to get a look at what was going on.

Jack looked around at everyone now looking at him and scrunched down in the seat bringing his hands up to hide behind.

The Ensign squatted down next to Jack. "Ok Jack, it is time to shine. Get busy. I know you know what the problem is."

Jack looked around at a hundred pairs of eyes staring at him and slunk down farther in the big chair until his knees hit something under the table, his armpits on the chair’s arms, his hands tented over his face. Hiding.

"Jack! Sit up and get to work." Getting a strange look on her face, pleading for lack of anything better. Feeling embarrassed she pulled Jack up into the chair as terror suddenly filled his eyes until he turned to look at her and his terror slowly subsiding as he stared at her. Then at a noise his eyes darted around the room as he again started to slink down.

"Come on Jack. Look at me. I know you can do it babe. You can fix the engine." She pulled him back up strait in the chair and pushed it closer to the desk.

Jack reached forward and tapped the desk top, clearing the single screen of what the lieutenant was working on without saving it. With his eyes on the Ensign he straightened up in his seat and started building the series of interface boards and screen wrap a rounds, he had been using the night before.

"Hey! I spent an hour working on that." The Lieutenant exclaimed.

Jack started hitting icons in midair. Bringing up reports. "Sorry... Ah... But. Ah, it was all useless crap, we already tried that line not to mention you were working linearly instead of dimensionally and not to mention it was sloppy and childish using information years out of date. Go back to junior college and start over again and apologize to your parents for wasting their…" He glanced around at the lieutenant and caught sight of others staring at him again. Jerking his eyes back to the screen he froze in the middle of hitting icons for a few seconds and then started again slowly. Hitting the wrong Icon he had to start over while hesitating between taps as he started sliding back down into the chair.

"How dare you little puke? I have degrees in propulsion engineering and drive physics and…"

Jack continued to slowly slide down into the chair bringing his hands up with his elbows on the chairs arms to hide behind again as he glanced around the compartment peeking out from around his hands. Uncertain panic growing in his face but snuck a smile as he said. "You wasted your parents’ money and your instructor’s time. Though I bet you enjoyed all the parties screwing the gals and smoking your brains out." Then Jack leaned as far away from the lieutenant as he could. Cringing as he expected retaliation.

The Ensign knew the lieutenant was not about to physically do anything but realized that Jack didn't know that and stepped between the lieutenant and Jack so he would not completely break down. She looked around at all the eyes and then Jack's look of returning panic. Jerking her jacket off, throwing it down at her feet. She unzipped her blouse down over her mountains, looked down at the bra holding her boobs pressed in tight to her chest and slipped the bra straps off her shoulders and undid the top fasteners on the front. Her breasts popped almost completely out of the bra with her nipples barely under cover of her blouse. A canyon of cleavage for all to see with a blouse hanging open almost to her belly button simply because her boobs protruded out so fare her blouse could no longer contain them.

She zipped her blouse back up as far as it would go under her breasts and stood up as tall as she could, her breasts jutting out a good foot in front of her and started screaming. "You fucking perverts! Quit starring at my boobs. I will have you all in the brig for harassment. Now get the hell out of here or get back to work. The next guy that even glances at my boobs gets court-martialed for sexual harassment. Got that you freaks! Out everyone out Now! Or get to work!"

Every male looked at the almost topless Ensign. Their eyes suddenly bugging out at the maniac Ensign, then they started turning away. Some slower than others. Some just started smiling. She held up her wrist comm and started taking pictures of guys looking her way and suddenly no eyes could even be seen as everyone got very busy. Turning to the Lieutenant. "That includes you pervert. Now get lost and go back to school and pay attention this time and while you are at it, learn how to properly us a control console."

As everyone suddenly got busy again she bent down next to Jack. "That should end that Jack. That is what I like about you Jack. You don't stare at my boobs every chance you have." She turned his gaze to point back at the screen. "Do you think the problem is in the original propulsion coils?"

Jack's eyes got big as he stared out the corners of his eyes at the bare cleavage of her breasts exposed between zipper halves running down her parted blouse and the canyon. His eyes darting back and forth between the almost exposed nipples just hidden by the blouse only a few inches from him.

"Jack." The ensign smiled down at his face and eyes that could not make up their mind what to look at. "Jack." He finally looked up and into her eyes and smiled back at her and then swallowed as his face turned red and sheer terror sprang up. He started to back up but the chair prevented him from moving.

"I... I… I didn't. Mean to look. I am sorry Ens…" Jack started.

"That is ok Jack. You can look at my boobs as much as you want. I like it when you do" And suddenly realized that she did. She fought down the shock of even saying that let alone thinking that after all the years of hating any and every one that even looked at her when she was not strapped down flat. Swallowing she took a deep breath. "Ah, now we need to find out why the engine does not work. Ok" She looked away trying to figure out why she had said that she liked him looking at her boobs. Why half of her wanted to Taser him at that moment for looking at her and a growing part of her that truly wanted him to do more than just look.

Fear slowly left his face as he swallowed, replaced by bafflement. He looked down at her breasts and then back at her watching him as she kept a half smile. Without a word objecting or look of disapproval, without having to fake it. Still wanting him to look. Fighting the urge to rip the rest of her bra off for him.

Biting his lip and swallowing again, he smiled looking up into her eyes and truly seeing her for the first time. No longer interested in her breasts for the moment. "Let's see why this piece of junk is not working shall we." Turning back to the console his fingers started slowly tapping as he glanced over at her boobs several times but as his fingers quickly increased in speed he soon forgot about the mountains and his fingers were soon flying across a board that expanded around him as the air and screens around the big compartment started filling with calculations and lists and reports and equipment breakdowns as he took over more and more of the control of the consoles around him from the engineers that had been assigned to them. Bringing surprised looks and complaints in his direction he did not notice.

Then a large engine appeared in the middle of the compartment over their heads that started and blew up and collapsed only to be replaced by another that repeated a variation of its destruction. Then another and another and another every few seconds.

The Captain walked into the compartment with the Chief. "Captain on deck rang out across the compartment as yet another engine exploded and everyone except Jack sprang to attention." At ease. What is this about an Ensign arresting the next bum that looked at her boobs?" The Captain stopped at the group of consoles around the center of the compartment next to the ensign and looked down from an engine that had exploded doing a double take before looking away at the engine over her head materializing. "Ensign you are out of uniform."

"Yes sir. Mr. Turner is making progress sir. The engines are running longer before exploding or destroying themselves." As the latest engine exploded as soon as it started. "Most of the time."

"Captain!" The lieutenant that had been kicked out of the console forced his way up to the Captain. "That ensign kicked me out so a damn 1st Class grav tech could play with the main control console and then threaten to arrest anyone that looked at her. You have got to do something Captain."

Another officer stepped up next to him. "Captain, I saw the Ensign with this 1st Class rating in the officer’s mess just a few minutes ago. That is against regulations sir. I heard she had him in there last night as well and he slept in and officers cabin. You have to do something sir."

"Yes Lieutenant. I do have to do something don't I. Can’t have an enlisted man in the officers mess or cabin or being the lead investigator now can I." Looking around the Captain smiled. "Ensign, since you are half out of uniform already, pin the ensign tabs off your jacket on Mr. Turner there and rip off those 1st Class chevron patches. He is now Ensign Turner." Turning to the Lieutenant that had complained about getting kicked out of his the console. "Lieutenant, you can go up to personnel and take care of all the paper work needed for a battle field commission for Mr. Turner. I want it on my desk in the morning ready to sign so I can swear him in. Dismissed."

The Engineering Chief turned to the Captain. "I have most of the scientists you sent over working on this. I sent the accounting, Poetry, Basket weaving, Drama, Political science and P.E. Ph.D.'s back to scrubbing toilets. I don't have a clue what the rest are working on exactly though. Most insisted on being left alone to investigate the problem. Said that would get the best results. I have not heard a word out of the Research and Development Directorate since I put them in Refugee transport compartment 13C. But then they have been working on the problem for 30 years without success so I am not surprised they have not come up with anything but murdering my crew."

Jack glanced at the Chief for a second with a frown at what he heard, shook his head and smiled. "Sir if I may. I ran through what everyone was researching just to see if anyone had solved or looked like they were getting close or had an idea I had not thought of and I am afraid that most of them are wasting their time on basics that have been gone over years ago let alone what we are working on now. Which is why I closed them and their consoles down. Though there are several that are showing very good work. Some that have even given me a few good ideas with the engine. The Ensign here is one and has done some fabulous work over the last 10 hours. I can't believe I slept 12 hours. Anyway she has gone through and cataloged and collated and compared all the tests we did before including the one you put on remote that destroyed itself. Saving me hours and came up with a damn good list of possibilities she ran through the simulator that has helped narrow down the culprit tremendously.”

“A half dozen others are finally up to speed and making contributions but a few of the ones that are not even working on this engine may turn out to be just as important. One guy is trying to reduce my design down to work in the fleet's cruisers. That is a job in itself because it is not just a matter of reducing the size of the components. His efforts at reduction has produced a lot of data points that look helpful in debugging the big engine as well since it uses single coils instead of the twin coil step design we are having to use here. Another is working on what looks like a variation that may produce a shield against laser weapons that looks revolutionary, that I do not quit understand yet from lack of time. I have a list of researchers in that field here that I have already cut from the engine program since they really were no help and assigned them to that program and should speed things up if he has something. Then there is the gal that thinks she can use plasma to transfer power around the ship's power equipment directly and a hell of a lot more efficiently. Several others have ideas about increasing the power of our weapons that know nothing about propulsion physics and I have reassigned those that can help to that program. You should put these other groups someplace else so they can concentrate on those projects. Another half dozen are working on things I don't have a clue about and haven't had time to look close enough to figure them out yet but they look promising and should be given at least some time to flesh their ideas out. You might want to check on them and find out if it is something that we need now and give them additional help or kill them."

Jack's hands did not seem to even slow down as he talked. The lists of people and his suggestions appeared on a side screen in front of the Chief. Jack turned his attention to other matters for a few seconds then turned back to the Chief with a baffled look on his face. "You sent a group into a refugee transport compartment that I don't understand. They seem to have data on engines from over 30 years ago but they are stumbling around like they have never even seen an engine before let alone know what makes the old reaction engine work and the stabs in the dark as far as the Ion drive goes is ridicules. Their work is disjointed and childish but they are down loading everything we do up here and replacing the time stamps on the data to months ago. What is that about sir?"

The Chief looked at Jack. "How do you know all of that Turner? The time stamps and all."

Jack looked at him as he turned his head a little. "I sent a bug up to them to find out if they really were that stupid and to see if what they were really doing could help and I am getting back every key stoke they make and can see the programs they are using. They are changing the design of the engine just a little as they change the time stamps on everything, but some of what they are deleting is what makes the Ion engine work. Probably because they don't have a clue of the basic principles. Oh but they do have the Black hole engine down pat. Using the same time stamp change procedures, they have copied all the work I did yesterday on the Blackhole engine without making any of the stupid errors they are making on this one. Oh and back to this engine, they are really getting stupid. They are dumping the ion feed and trying to shoot water mass atoms down it trying to make it just a more efficient mass driver hoping that if they dump enough mass down it, they will solve the problem of it destroying itself. Only thing is, I already tried that last night when I was feeling desperate and stupid and it doesn't work. Even if it was to salve our problem all you wind up with is an engine that you cannot shut off because a portion of the atoms get sucked into the mini black holes. The longer it is on the more mass the black holes eat. Then when you turn the artificial

Blackholes off, they explode. Worse yet, the longer you run it, the more massive the black holes get. The larger the Blackholes get, the higher the percentage of the mass you shove down the engine the Blackholes eat. It is a viscous circle. The more you shove down the engine the more it eats until most of the mass you send down goes directly to the black holes until the black holes get so massive they are eating 90% of your mass and act as anchors and the ship goes nowhere and if you shut off the black holes all the matter they ate explodes." Jack looked at the Captain. "It took me all of 5 minutes to figure that out last night even as stupid as I was and these bozoos have been working down that line since you sent them up to the compartment hours ago."

The Captain shook his head and took a deep breath. "Chief you can cut the power and the net lines up there and we will deal with them later." Then bent down studying the list of projects and people Jack had put up on display on the smaller side screen. The Captain studied the list for a good minute and then tapped a com icon on the table. "Lieutenant Commander McPherson, I need you to transport several groups of personnel back to the Red Dwarf and set them up in separate facilities with anything they need to continue their work. I am sending you the list now. I want them out of here in 15 minutes. Thank you. Out." Turning to the lieutenant that had complained about Jack being in the officers’ mess. "I need you to check on and get a detailed description of what these other rouge personnel are working on in detail and add them to the list of transferees if they have nothing to do with the engine program. Send me a copy of your findings as soon as possible. You have 15 minutes for a preliminary so get busy." Turning around she caught sight of the Ensign again. Ensign. You are out of uniform."

Jack suddenly stopped and stared at the screen of a shuttle blowing up into a fusion ball a hundred miles across. "Shit! It must have sucked every atom in the damn shuttle into the damn Blackhole stripping the atoms down to their subatomic particles before it collapsed back into real space." He said to himself. "Why the hell did you let that group in the Refugee Compartment put a fucking engine in a shuttle? They did not even have the right sensors on it making the whole experiment a waste." Turning to the Captain. "Thank Godstar it was only a drone."

The Captain looked down at Jack and frowned. "We had to make sure we really had a problem Jack and the only way to do that was a test it in real life. Boats do not fly themselves or engines operate in a vacuum."

Baffled Surprise turned to concern as he worked through the impossible. "What? Did it have a crew on board Captain?" Jack said through clamped teeth. To upset to be scared.

The Captain frowned. "Yes it had a full crew Mr. Turner."

Swallowing Jack looked down. "I hope they were volunteers at least."

"No Jack, it was the shuttles normal crew along with the engine room crew from the ship we took the engine out of and 3 engineers I picked. It was their job and they did it as we will do our jobs and maybe die for the cause as well. Though I now see why the Director of the Research and Development Directorate refused to send any of his own engineers or scientists along."

"You sent half a hundred men and women to their deaths along with a perfectly good shuttle." Jack's mouth dropped open with his eyes wide open as his face turned white.

The Captain looked away. "We are getting ready to send a quarter of a million men and women into battle with a good chance of dying trying to save this Republic and maybe the human race. That engine of yours will give that quarter of a million crewmen including you a good chance of surviving if we get it running in the next few days and I will sacrifice as many shuttles and crews as it takes if we need to."

The Captain let that sink in for a few seconds. "I am already converting the engines of 62 transports like this one you are on so we can make a quick run to the Rock to procure enough coils to upgrade all 200 battleships with engines and hopefully the new 24 inch weapons that is supposed to be in production and arriving at the Rock now. Don't make me sacrifice another crew Turner."

Turning around the Chief Engineer smiled down at Jack. "Mr. Turner, maybe it would be a good idea if you went over exactly what the differences are between these new Warp Engines of yours, the enemy’s engine, the first Blackhole engine you designed and our current battleship engines that are already obsolete. Leave out the PH.D. crap details and just keep it grade school basics. It should put everyone in the room on the same page to start with. Should speed things up a bit."

Jack's face slowly regained some color as he frowned. His fingers and hands started slowly moving as he tried to get his mind working again after the shock but finally came to a dead stop as he turned around and stared at the Chief. Shaking his head, a week smile crossed his face. "Damn! You do know Pop. He always said that if you can't explain something for a grade-schooler to understand, you don't know what you're talking about. His favorite was. "Getting back to grade school basics can salve most problems." I always thought that old fart was a little crazy but here it goes." Frowning as he thought of the dead crew. "I can't seem to concentrate on anything anyway right now. How could anyone send a ship and an entire crew to their deaths just to test a theory? But then I lost many ships and crews testing theories and strategies, but it was in The Game and not real people." Then a horrible thought accrued to Jack. "Godstar! We almost went up in a Blackhole explosion when we lit off the engine yesterday." Swallowing hard.

"That was no theory Mr. Turner. It was a real engine that is going to work one way or another." The Captain said scrawling. "The only regret now, is that you tell me that it was a complete waste of time and lives thanks to the Esteemed Director. I want a report when you are finished here on exactly what sensors should have been on and around that test boat when it blew up that could have possibly made the test worth their lives. I am going to use that at the Directors Court-martial."

"Jack, the engine. We need that engine." The Ensign said softly placing her hand on his leg as she knelt beside him to hide from most of the compartment but where he could still see her breasts.

And then looking over the top of her he caught sight of everyone in the room again even though most were not looking at him. Jack started slinking back down the chair as he leaned back as far out of sight as possible. "Ah ... it. Well. The... You want me... To tell everyone?" Fear sprang back into his face.

"Jack! No. Just tell me." The ensign leaned over as she squatted next to Jack. "Look at me Jack. She turned his head around to look her in her eyes and smiled. "Tell me about the engines Jack and keep it simple for dump old me. Ok?"

Jack looked into her eyes and the fear started to leave them. Smiling he looked down at her breasts and then jerked them back up with fear starting to cross his face only to see her approving eyes before looking back at the screens. Looking away he did not see her reach for her Taser without thinking or the shock as she realize she would Taser herself again before she ever touched Jack with it. Smiling weekly again and shaking his head Jack’s fingers started flying over the console again as he spoke. "You are not dumb or stupid. Our standard Propulsion engines for the last two hundred and fifty years has used propulsion coils to push large masses of reaction fluids down a tube to be expelled at many times the speed of light producing thrust." An engine cut in half appeared in the middle of the compartment over everyone's head. "Our latest engine for the Battleships uses propulsion coils just short of powerful enough to produce miniature black holes as they compress and fling the reaction mass down the tube and out the other end so hot, the molecules break down into atoms ." The virtual engine showed fluid being shot in to one end of the engine and out the other end as hot particles spreading out behind.

"When the new Battleship engine coils were being tested, they were over powered during a stress test and actually produced an artificial black hole in the laboratory. A very nasty accident that killed a lot of people. According to an old magazine article in Space & Technology week and then I just saw a more detailed report in what the Refugee Compartment group has that is a bit shocking."

Jack sat back staring at the overhead for several seconds before frowning and continuing. "Anyway. This brought up the theory that it could be possible to create artificial mass using small black holes that would be so massive that it would be impossible to move or change their velocity, providing something solid for the drive coils to push or pull against to create incredible thrust without using physical mass. But the preliminary calculations pointed to the fact that the massive black holes would grab the engine as well making pushing against them almost impossible and possibly destroy the engines from the gravitational effects of the moving black holes tearing the engine apart. The theory was not taken seriously sighting basic conservation of momentum issues as well."

"What I noticed when I saw the latest video of the enemy ships was that the theory was correct. The enemy was using the Blackhole engine drive and that the black holes where actually moving out the back of the engines and not just disappearing as they reached the end of the engine to get around one of its biggest problems of releasing any energy collected while the black hole is in existence destroying the engine and ship. They get around this by strictly controlling what little goes into the black hole and then releasing it far enough away from the engine to keep from damaging anything vital. The evidence being obvious now. It simply meant the enemy was not using massive million ton black holes in their drive engines but smaller thousand ton sized black holes easy to move requiring what looks like a hugely thick engine casing that must help in keep it together from what designing our own engine has shown."

The Blackhole engine appeared as Jack talked. “Our Blackhole engine is simply smaller to fit our battleships but its power output is damn weak and require specially constructed grav-coils and as the Admiral pointed out, could take some time to create a working mass production engine. But the Admiral in his infinite stupidity, gave me another idea that does not require moving the black holes down the engine and all the forces and moving stresses." Jack glanced at the ensigns eyes and continued. "By keeping micro black holes static, fixed to the ship or engine, we can feed subatomic particles across the black holes to be accelerated and create thrust. Using our deck gravity coils to boost the engines original drive coils (already just short of making their own Blackholes) to actually make mini Blackholes, we can warp Ion particles across from Blackhole to Blackhole down the tube, reaching undreamed of exhaust velocities close if not too the speed of gravity creating massive amounts of thrust using practically no fuel, comparatively speaking. Without the conservation of motion issues and massive reinforcing needed for the enemies black hole drive."

Jack smiled. "I think we are skipping a generation Chief. Going from a mass drive engine with coils on the verge of creating black holes to building new drive coils slightly more powerful to make a pitiful Blackhole drive. Then bypassing that generation all together by upgrading the existing engines drive coils to create an Ion drive." Becoming thoughtful Jack smiled again turning, his hands started flying across the keys again bringing up the shuttle engine that blew up. Running the data through several times, he started shaking his head.

"That's it Chief! That's what the problem is. Why didn't I see this before? It is so obvious now that I know what the problem is." Turning to look at the Ensign and then the Engineering Chief. "The Battleship drive coils are not on the verge of creating black holes but ARE creating proto-Blackholes that are causing the burps when the original engines are at idle, until they have enough mass going through them to absorb the gravcoil power before proto-Blackholes can start forming. The new engine uses deck coils to magnify the base power from the main drive coils already in the engine to produce and control the mini black holes to accelerate the ion particle. It is these same Deck Gravity coils that are magnifying the proto black holes created by the main coils when they form and then combine the proto black hole with the mini black hole that increases the size of the combined black hole exponentially causing it to grab onto the surrounding mini black holes and any nearby additional magnified proto black holes to start chain reactions in random unpredictable surges until a black hole is big enough to suck in all surrounding matter and destroy the engine and then the ship."

Jack leaned back placing his hands behind his head as he smiled and looked around satisfied with himself and saw everyone staring at him again. Most of them baffled. Though a few smiled thoughtfully.

Though happy with himself, with all the eyes on him he immediately started slowly sliding back down the chair as shear panic crossed his face and froze there for several seconds. Then his eyes started darting around looking for a place to hide before they dropped to the deck. "Ah… I. It… Daaa..."

"No Jack!" The ensign said. "Everyone is just looking at my boobs. Not you."

Jack looked into her eyes, fright covering his face.

"Jack! They are just looking at my boobs. Look Jack. Look at my boobs." She reached out and pushed his head down so he had to look at her boobs as a nipple popped out. "See Jack. No one cares about you or what you are doing. No one is going to criticize our yell at you. Tell the Chief what we have to do to fix the engine before someone else dies."

"Your boobs are huge." Jack licked his lips and started to relax as he stared at her protruding nipple as if he had never seen one before and then a thought occurred to him. "Before someone else dies?" Closing his eyes his face became grim. "It is my fault those crewmen died because I could not see what was staring me in the face." Shaking his head frowning. Suddenly his fears seamed so pitiful.

The Captain could not believe what she was seeing. "Ensign what the hell are you doing?"

The Ensign stood up turned around putting her hand on Jacks shoulder so he could not go anywhere as she tried to cover her boobs back up and getting close to the Captain's ear. Speaking softly. "You said yourself his Grandfather is a perfectionist, domineering ass hole. I am from his ship and let me tell you. So are his parents and his brother was a lying bully. Luckily they ignored him most of the time except to criticize him when they did notice him even if they had to invent something. He has learned to shut down when noticed simply to avoid being criticized and belittled as not good enough. Yes he is in the Navy and a great mind but he is still a 10 year old boy afraid of his own shadow or of being noticed and still thinking that the world orbits around him and sees his every action. I am just getting his mind off of the people around him and on me so he can function. I am trying to let him hide behind me. Without making it too obvious sir. Which would be devastatingly embarrassing for him if he figures it out or is told." She turned back around and started screaming. "I told you asshole perverts to stop staring at my boobs!"

The Captain smiled and shook her head as she remembered seeing him trying to make up his mind whether to run or hide so many times since she first laid eyes on him. She did not bother to look down around the Ensign to look at him again and the new more mature expression on his face. "You heard the lady, the next crewman that even looks in the direction of her boobs gets court-martialed." Her voice boomed across the compartment.

The ensign had bent back down to talk with Jack who did not even look at her as tears ran down his grim stone face.

The Ensign turned Jack's face back around to look at her. He finally looked into the Ensign's eyes and finally smiled painfully. She did not notice that the scared child was gone as he slowly continued. "It is my fault those people died." Taking a deep breath. "Yes it is simple now that I know what the problem is." Disgust in his voice. "Fact is, I am surprised we had not stumbled onto the cure since we have been shooting in the dark and hopping for the best for days or should I say decades for certain other people. But then this fix is a little peculiar even if it is so damn simple." Jack pulled himself back up to the console and started typing. "All we have to do is turn every odd numbered main propulsion coil's electromagnetic poles around so the alternating coils grav fields cancel each other out and two coils do not combine to produce proto black holes that affect the micro black holes while still producing the basic power needed for the deck gravity coils to do the rest of the work." The engine hanging over the middle of the compartment suddenly came to life spewing out a hair fine stream of particles. The thrust readout quickly built to hundreds of millions of TONs of thrust.

The Chief's mouth dropped. "Shit; at this thrust level our ships will run rings around their ships as if they were standing still Captain."

Jack ran it down to idle than back up to full thrust and back again. Letting it sit at idle for a few minutes purring before ramming it back up to full power again several time and then leaving it at idle. "We can do the same for the old engines if you don't upgrade them to get rid of the burping at idle if anyone is interested.

Jack sat there smiling. A half hour later it was still running smoothly even after running it up and down the thrust scale continuously. Jack sat with his hand behind his head monitoring the readouts in front of him taking occasional peeks at the Ensigns big blue eyes and then around him. The mass of strange people did not scare him anymore after blaming himself for the deaths of the boat crew after listening and watching them work right up until they died on the test recordings for the sixth time and wishing someone would punish him for what he had not done in time. Yell at him, hit him, do something to make him forget. But no one seemed to care what he had done as they worked at their consoles finalizing the design and what needed to be done. They should be condemning him but they didn't. They should be starring hateful holes through him but they were far too busy with their own problems to care about his.

He wanted them to yell and scream and punish him for his stupidity and getting a whole crew killed as he watched them die time and time again. Now that he wanted them to notice and punish him they did not even notice him even when they seemed to look right at him. He wanted to stand up and say here I am. I killed all those crewmen. Come punish me. But he was not that brave. Making him feel even more ashamed.

Two hours later a boat with a converted engine was lit off with the engine's and boat's original crews. Jack found himself volunteering to join the crew as he was shaking in his boots but was refused by both the Captain and the Ensign when he complained to her.

Finally with the boat flying rings around the ships, the Captain turned away from the screens and looked around the room. "Ensign, cover your breasts and put your jacket back on please."

The Ensign bent down looking at Jack, a little disappointed when he looked deep into her eyes and not her breasts hanging down and popped out in their spender for him to see up close as she picked up her jacket. Fighting down the urge to shove them into his sad looking face and make him notice them with that childish longing look of wonder again, she pulled her bra straps back up over her shoulders squeezing her breasts back down into the strapping bra and zipped up her blouse. Jacks eyes not leaving hers as she started to fall into them. She was jerked back into herself sending a wave of embarrassment through her as the Captain started talking.

"Your attention please!" Bellowed the Captain. ''All officers and crewmen. Your Attention Please." Everyone in the compartment came to attention with the Ensign pulling Jack out of his chair to attention. The compartment suddenly was quiet enough to hear a pin drop even with the low drumming of the one running engine throwing tons of mass down its throat only a few decks away.

The Captain turned to Jack. "It is my pleasure to thank Ensign Turner personally for all that he has done over the last few days and to tell you that everyone in the Republic owes Mr. Turner a big hardy thank you and a Silver Star medal as soon as I can get the paper work in." Polite applause spread through the compartment.

Not knowing what to do, Jack bit his lip as his knees started to give way turning to Jell-O only to have the Ensign hook her arm under his to hold him up. All he could think about was the living breathing crew he had killed and the look of terror on a couple of their faces when they realized they were going to die.

The Captain leaned over to the Ensign's ear. "That should be enough ego building for any kid. The Captain straightened up smiling and held up her hands for silence. "Ok Gentlemen. Back to work. Let's make the final alterations and adjustments. We have this shuttle to get ready to test and a half a hundred ships to finish converting and a battle to avoid." Turning to the Ensign she whispered for only her to hear. "That is something else I cannot figure out. Why does an ensign that wants to be a battleship pilot have 3 Doctorates in psychology?"

The ensign smiled, turning her head to the Captain. "I finally realized that the Turner Joy had a dozen transport ship pilots already. Most of them named Turner. I figured that since I refused to use my boobs to get ahead (even if it would have worked as far as piloting went), that I had better change my primary occupation. Psychology sounded like I may be able to learn how to use my abilities to get around the nepotism and prejudice as well as my breasts." The Ensign smiled around at Jack then turned back to the Captain. "As far as ego inflating. That is going to take years and even decades of close intense work to drag him out of his shell and fix all the damage Captain. This boy needs professional help and I know that I am not qualified and to emotionally involved, to help him, even if I do have a few degrees." Then to herself. "Besides, I may still want to kill him."

The Captain turned to look at a woman standing a few paces behind them just to make sure she still agreed with their plan. Getting an approving node, the Captain turned back around. Looking at the Ensign standing as close to the boy as she could get, the Captain smiled. "To bad Ensign. You are all I have so you are stuck with the job. I have seen too many good people kill themselves under stress and with a red flag on him you are going to make sure that does not happen."

Chuckling for a second she looked at the Captain. "It is a shame this is the real world and not The Game. He is a self-confident holy terror running a ship and winning battles without any of these foibles in The Game." The Ensign turned back around and looked at Jack still standing there like an embarrassed kid that would like to be anywhere but where he was. "She had stumbled upon him in the game and only figured out who he was by accident and then spent years trying to get him killed and punished every chance she got. Even spending extra hours, days and finally years trying to kill him. But now in real life when she could kill him something was changing in her.

The Captain looked over at Jack narrowing her eyes. "The Game you say? The Battleship Game? You would not happen to know what his game name is would you?"

10-

WOUNDED BREASTS

Jack closed the cabin's hatch as the Ensign stripped off her clothes and climbed into her bunk without saying a word and was snoring a few seconds later. Looking at the clock on the wall Jack shook his head. After sleeping half the day the last thing he needed was sleep, even if it was midnight. Folding up his bunk against the side bulkhead and pulling down the computer terminal and chair from the overhead, he sat down and hit record.

"Dear Mom; Sorry for not getting back sooner but I really have been busy and." Hitting pause Jack sat back thinking for a minute and shook his head taking a deep breath before continuing. "I am not ready to forgive my brother or dad and I am finally realizing that my sister was not as sympathetic and helpful as I had thought and just as conniving and bossy as Dan but at least she never lied to me or… A… Made me her slave. I still love them both. Tell dad not to try to find my ship. We are in a War zone with an enemy that destroys tramp ships without thinking about it not to mention anything else they can shoot at. And you can't out run them, hell nothing in the Navy can out run them, so forget it. Oh Well. Almost nothing. That is what I am working on now. You need to stay as far away from this neck of space as possible. You should even plan on finding a hole someplace just in case we can’t and they take the rest of the Republic planets. I have met the Battle Fleet’s Admiral personally and seen what we are up against and it will be a miracle if we are able to stop them this time around even though he insists on trying to rescue his family that never should have been on the planet in the first place and may not even be in that much danger if they made it into the hills."

"Thank Pop for everything. I have been given the chance to redesign the standard Battleship engines he designed for the fleet that are little better than water pistols compared to the enemy’s. I think I can design engines that are a generation ahead of the Enemies engines giving us a hell of an advantage and we are (CENSORED) so we have a chance of (CENSORED) the enemy fleet but we are still shooting (CENSORED) compared to their blue hot lasers against ships designed to take a lot of damage and survive. Maybe I should tackle that next. Fast barges still do not stand much of a chance against those monsters.

"Oh I have been promoted or commissioned as an Ensign. Can you believe that…? Your loving son Jack."

"PS. I was not kidding. Find a hole someplace out of the way far from any human planets and stock up. I (CENSORD) think we stand a chance of winning this unless we can stall them for a (CENSORED) so we can produce the weapons we need in the numbers we need and maybe not even then. I think this enemy fleet is the remnants of a huge battle fleet sent to the back waters of their empire looking for resources for a war with (CENSORD, CENSORED, CENSORED) fleets. Like old Earth's American West and the Indians. Only we are the Indians. Even if we take these guys out, another fleet will come eventually. A fleet (CENSORED) than even I can dream of. Love Jack."

Jack took a deep breath figuring that most of his letter would not make it through the sensors. And started setting up the terminal to get to work. Then started going over what the other side groups that had been transferred to the Red Dwarf were doing and got a surprise. A group trying to reduce the size of the engine to fit the torpedoes was still hard at work that late at night so Jack joined in. He soon had a small engine hovering over his desk as he talked to the rest of the group in low whispers to keep from waking the Ensign up. At first Jack did not talk much but after the video image of a kid not much older than him appeared to one side he started to relax and soon they were exchanging information and theories using only half sentences as they continued and after abandoning the strait ion engine and going with just an incredibly efficient mass drive engine they soon had a working model producing 10 times the torpedo's original engines thrust that would run 10 time longer, even if they could not throttle it. But then they could shut it down and restart it over and over again. "All right!" Jack shouted and then turned around to see if he had wakened the ensign and noticed that her blanket was half off of her and that she was clawing at her chest and whimpering.

Staring at her, Jack forgot all about the engine and the open line to his new friend. Biting his lip as he swallowed, he turned his chair and rolled the few feet to her bunk looking down at the tears streaming down her cheeks as another whine escaped her lips and she clawed at her bra again. Shaking his head he reached down hesitantly and unzipped her Velcro tape on the front of her bra and her breasts flung themselves out into the open air. The bra flying to the sides and she took a deep breath and lay silent with a peaceful half smile coming to her face.

All Jack could do was star at her monster boobs for a good minute. Shocked at their size. Her hand started rubbing them until she rubbed underneath her breasts and a wine escaped her lips again. Looking closer, Jack saw a long red line where her tight under bra wire had been digging into her chest for a very long time and what looked like blood trickling down her side. Taking out the pocket light every spaceman was required to carry, Jack took a closer look at it using his hand to lift her breast enough to get a good look at it and shook his head. The red line was an open sore. Sitting back as he rolled his chair back to his side, Jack started to call the medics putting his wrist com watch to his lips but then stopped. "Damn. That is all I need is accused of stripping and molesting my bunk mate but I have to do something." Looking around he remembered a tube he had seen on the pull out shelf the morning before and went to the little drawer at the head of her bunk and pulled it out and took a deep breath of relief. "You have had this problem for a while but you still wear that damn contraption." Shaking his head he pulled out the tube of anesthetic cream with a prescription label on it.

Reading the label Jack smiled. "Says four times a day and I bet you haven't had time to use it more than twice." Jack squirted it onto his fingers and spread it across the sore under her breasts, lifting her breasts out of the way with the other. He was just trying to get the last of the cream off his fingers onto the sore when she reached up and started rubbing his hand with the cream all over her boob farthest away from him. Around her boob and across her nipple several time as she let out a long breath. She finally pulled his hand up and tucked it under her cheek as she turned to face the bulkhead dragging him out of his chair and across her body until his bare arm was lying across her breast closest to Jack still on his knees beside her. A cute smile crossing her face as she finally settled down to a peaceful sleep.

Jack stared at her for a few seconds before terror left his face replaced by complete bafflement. He tried to pull his hand out from under her head but her hand squeezed tighter preventing him from moving. After a good five minutes and several more attempts to get his hand back Jack started getting exasperated but finally she turned back with her head facing his way and took her hand out and rubbed it over her other breast. Jack took the opportunity to pry his hand out of hers as she tried to stuff it under her blanket toward her panties and scratched for a second. Pushing the blanket even farther down her belly.

Sitting back Jack looked down at her for a minute afraid to move but finally he grabbed the blanket and pulled it up across her breasts and tucked it around her shoulders. After starring at her face for a few more minutes he turned back to the terminal with an unbelieving smile as he sat the tube on his desk next to him and went back to work. But stopped after only a few minutes as his eyes caught the label of the tube in the light from the screen.

He looked at the medicine label and frowned. "It said for rashes and mild burns. Turning back to the terminal he typed in the name of the medicine and sat back and swore. "Not for open wounds." Shaking his head he pulled her blanket back down, then used his hand to wipe most of the medicine from the tube off from beneath her breasts, dripping some of it across her boobs without noticing as he turned to wipe his hands on a towel next to the sink. Grabbing a wash rag from the sink, running hot water on it he proceeded to clean the wound with the hot washcloth getting a moan from the ensign as he finished up when he scrubbed to hard.

Drying the wound off with the other end of the hand towel. He turned around looking at his side of the cabin. Not having unpacked his own duffle bag, he had no idea where any of his things were. He started going through the drawers on his side until he found a pouch and pulled out a spray can and read the label very carefully. He was always cutting or scraping himself as he worked around the Turner Joy and had picked up the can of spray on foam liquid antiseptic healing bandage just to be on the safe side when he had first reported aboard. Though he had not had a chance to use it before this. Jack finally turned back to the Ensign, lifting her breasts slightly though the hard tall peaks needed little lifting. He sprayed the cans contents along the wound from below the far side of one breast to the middle and then around below the close side of the other, filling in and covering the open sore completely with a foam that quickly dissolved into a solid wound filling bandage as Jack watched, keeping her boobs lifted and anything from touching it until it had hardened after a good 10 minutes. Satisfied he pulled her blanket back up tucking it back in around her shoulders then with a smile he turned back to his terminal and went back to work.

Finding that the guys working on the engine had quit for the night. He started going through the other projects. One was trying to use the black hole effect of sucking any and everything into it and then releasing all the atomic particle energy when shut off into a huge explosion for use as a torpedo warhead. Jack found it fascinating and with the researcher still working on it even that late at night he joined in. Though he was a bit disappointed and intimidated at first to find that it was an older gentleman. He soon lost his fear as the man treated him with respect as they discussed ideas, possibilities and designed systems and planed testing.

An hour later with the warhead coming along splendidly and the old man finally ready for bed he shut off the terminal and went to bed himself. Finally tired enough to sleep. Satisfied with the new engine for the long range torpedo as well as the warhead that could be used with the fleet and the fighter torpedo bombers to great effect. Now all they needed was an engine for the fighter bombers to allow them to get around behind the enemy close enough to fire them. Only thing was the Red Dwarf did not have the small grav coils needed to convert the fighter engines even if he designed them. Fact is they did not exist yet. At least the old man and him were able to put together a warhead using existing parts in the fleet stores.

Jack's mind kept bouncing to the video of the boat crew just before they died until his glances at the sleeping Ensign turned to longer and longer looks and finely a vacant gaze and he finally smiled as he slowly fell asleep, succeeding in wiping his mind blissfully blank seeing her angelic face that looked so damn familiar.

The Ensign woke before revile. Turning over on her side with one hand under her head, she opened her eyes to see Jack sound asleep across from her. She smiled as she stared at him. Happy with the universe around her. Taking a deep breath she slowly let it out as she threw her blanket back off the top of her and the cool air hit her bare breasts. Looking down at herself as her bra fell away and the smile left her face. Her eyes grew big as they fell on several white dried streaks and blotches across her boob. Feeling her cheek her fingers came away with a gooey sticky mess from a blotch.

Jumping up she grabbed the nearest object she could reach and started beating Jack across the head and shoulders. "You creep! How dare you undress and use me for a toy you pervert. I am going to have you court martialed you mental creep." She continued to hit him as her breasts bounced in all directions, her bra fell to the deck. He finally rolled out of his bunk trying to get away from her. Kicking him after he hit the floor. "I hope they throw you out of the air lock you pervert! I hope you enjoyed yourself you low life dog scumbag. “She stomped out of the cabin toward the showers still half naked, her breasts bouncing out in the open, forgotten in her rage, dragging a towel with her kit leaving Jack open mouthed baffled as the cabin's hatch hung open behind her. The few other officers up that early staring at her huge parading bouncing boobs as she stomped past.

Climbing up off the deck Jack cleaned a spot off his bunk onto the deck and sat stunned starring out the open hatch and around at the mess, wondering what had happened. Finally realizing what it had to be about, his stomach growled and he decided that he should have just left the bitch to suffer and he climbed to his feet and grabbed a towel and his shaving kit and stopped. The last thing he wanted was to see that crazy bitch again as he rubbed his face and chest. Dropping everything back on his bunk he used the sink across from the cabins head for a quick shave and dressed.

In the officers’ mess, Jack grabbed biscuits and gravy, then smothered it with scrambled eggs off the buffet and sat down. He decided that the officers eat pretty well. At least he was getting one last good meal before the bitch ruined what little of a career he had.

A Lieutenant walked up to Jack. "You Ensign Turner?"

Jack looked up at the guy as he was shoveling in a full load of biscuits, gravy and eggs and did his best to smile at the lieutenant as he slowly enjoyed every aspect of a mouth full of his favorite breakfast. His brother had a habit of interrupting his meals so Jack had developed a method of finishing every bight as slowly as possible before answering. Else chances were, he would not be allowed to finish. Taking a big drink of milk to wash it down he scooped up another big fork full. "Yes Lieutenant Sir." Realizing that the lieutenant was the same one that had tried to kick him out of the engineering chair the day before while calling him names. He stuffed it into his mouth and smiled as he took forever chewing and savoring the bight. Remembering all the times he had made his brother wait with satisfaction. Figuring that the lieutenant had shown up to arrest him even though he thought it was a bit soon but then maybe this ship takes crazy accusations serious. Even without proof.

"What the hell are you doing out of uniform Ensign?" The Lieutenant watched Jack slowly chew his food. "Well maybe that explains why the Captain wants you up in her cabin first thing this morning for a swearing in ceremony. So technically you are not quite an Officer yet and should not be eating here but then that is a bridge long passed." Shaking his head back and forth with a smile. "You can worry about picking up a proper uniform afterwards on the way to the training bay. I am supposed to throw you in a simulator this morning and see how qualified a pilot you are."

Jacks eyes grew as big as gulf balls as a smile burst out on his face. Jack forced himself to swallow instead of just spitting it out as he started to get up turning the fixed swivel chair so he could get out.

"Hey slow down Ensign. We have plenty of time. Finish your breakfast. It is going to be a long day for you. We are low on qualified pilots with all the shuttle ships being pulled out of storage to put on runs around the fleet. Something about upgrading the engines on all the transports over the next few days which we don't have pilots for anyway. One reason most of them are still in their docking bays." The Lieutenant sat down across from Jack. "The new transport crews and the pilots are not due in for another week from The Rock. Fresh out of the training ships. That is what we get for stamping out Battleships and fighters like com-phones. The Scab transports have a low priority. Sit tight and slow down, I have not had chow yet either."

Jack finished his breakfast in a few minutes and was ready to go while the Lieutenant sat slowly enjoying every solitary bight as well as his juice and hot tea afterwards. Jack squirmed in his seat as he tapped the table fidgeting, trying to keep from jumping up and running around the compartment in his excitement. All thought of the Ensigns threat forgotten. The Lieutenant sat smiling, enjoying himself. Mostly at Jack's displeasure at having to wait.

11-

FREEFALL DEAD

The Ensign walked into the cabin with a towel around her fuming and immediately picked up the Taser she had dropped and forgotten, ready to zap Jack at the least excuse, expecting Jack to still be sitting on his bunk. "You son of a bitch had the…" Only Jack was not there. The empty cabin echoing her words back to her. Throwing her kit onto her locker as she stepped over Jacks blankets and junk strewn over the deck, folded up her bunk and pulled down her terminal and hit record. "I am officially submitting a complaint against Jack Turner for molestation and possible rape." Pulling out several plastic bags with several swabs and gobs of white goop in them. "I have evidence to submit…"

Her eyes fell on the tube of medicine laying on the partially pulled out shelf at the head of her bed with the drawer she kept the medicine in, cracked open below it. The Steward had packed her things from the Red Dwarf and unpacked them into the same places on the Currier/tanker. She could not remember using it the night before as tired as she was. Staring at the tube for a few seconds her mouth dropped open as she looked down between her boobs dropping her towel. Pulling them apart to look under them as best she could, at where the open sore from the bra wire strap running beneath them should have been. It just seemed to be getting worse over the last few weeks going from simply an irritating rash then a burn to raw skin and then an open bloody painful sore. The red line of the open sore was still there but it was covered with something. Touching it, her finger slid over something slippery and soft but firm without hurting herself. She withdrew her hand, rubbing her fingers together and smelled it. Her long shower had washed the soft plastic covering protecting the sore squeaky clean as she rubbed her finger over it again without hurting or drawing blood.

Looking up she saw the can of spray foam wound bandage sitting on the back side of the shelf with the medicine tube in front of it. "Hey you moron. I have a prescription for medicine for the damn bra burn." She thought for a few seconds and then picked up the tube and read the labels fine print then typed in the name of the medicine. Reading she shook her head. "Not for open wounds." Looking down she noticed the wet washcloth and blotched towel in the corner. "Evidentially the idiot can read better than I can." She picked up the can and read the label biting her lip. Sitting down on her bunk she started feeling the sore below her boobs again shaking her head as she sat down on Jack's bunk without thinking.

Finally taking up the tube of medicine, she smelled it and wrinkled up her nose. Then she opened the plastic bag and smelled it wrinkling her nose again and smiled as she shook her head. "Shit! Just when I figured out how to really hate him along with his brother." She tried to pull her knees up into her chin placing her feet on the edge of Jack’s bed in front of her but her boobs got in the way until she pushed them to the side enough to let her hug her own legs and put her chin on her knees as a tear ran down her cheek sitting on Jacks bunk completely naked.

Jack scanned the screens in front of him packed with information on the boat he was piloting as he approached the Red Dwarf. The shuttle lock loomed ahead of him filled with rows of shuttles as he headed for the trap through the large hatch in the side of the ship. The trap was a short tube of smaller and smaller grav-rings for catching high speed Shuttles boats, fighters and torpedo bombers making landing large numbers of boats and fighters fast and easy. The ship's side thrusters fired as Jack thought about it without him consciously having to move his hand. The shuttle turned to head for the opening. He had done this hundreds of times before in The Game and hardly had to think about it. Which was amazing to him every time he turned around.

Jacks comm watch sounded. Slapping at it with his opposite hand's finger, a voice bellowed out of it. "Ensign Turner. Will that torpedo engine fit into the fighters?"

"What?" Thinking about it he shook his head. "Well. Yes I think so Captain but you can't throttle it much. Once you reduce the thrust below 75% it is about as efficient as a fire hose. Other than that the fighter would have room to add armor around the engine in each of the fighter’s two engine bays. "Thinking for a few seconds as he made corrections to the shuttles course without thinking. "The bigger fighter torpedo bombers will take 4 clustered together in each of the two engine bays with what I would think would be the range of a destroyer using the old mass tanks."

"But we do not have any of the right coils to convert any do we?" The Captain said hoping the opposite.

"Yes sir. We do not. The only coils we have in the fleet close to what we need are not powerful enough to make a sub ion engine. I had to design new ones from the wire up but I do not know if they are even mass producible yet and I have heard that the surviving ort cloud factories are running at full capacity for coils as it is. That is if they will even work as small as they are. I really need to do some testing on a live engine first sir and actually an engine designed for the fighters and bombers would be much more powerful than the torpedo engines who small size limits there power. You would be able to throttle it as well. If we are going to start designing new coils, the ion Engines for the Battleships would be a hell of a lot more powerful if we started from scratch. Give them a real kick in the ass." Jack turned the shuttle around and slowed it down a few hundred feet per second and checked the alignment of their approach from habit not having to really think about it as he whipped it back around to face forward. "But then the deck grav coils would have to be replaced as well to keep the decks at 1 Gee and I can't see how we can get any more power out of them without increasing their size making it impossible to retrofit them into the existing deck pits." Thinking about it as he slid the shuttle a little to the side to align with the trap. "But then we just may be able to…"

The Captain interrupted Jack. "Well concentrate then on what you need to convert the fleet's torpedoes and fighters back at The Rock. What do you think of these other projects you have started?"

Jack made some adjustments on his controls. "Red Dwarf; this is shuttle 7. Thirty seconds from trap 2. Switching to lock approach control." Tapping the controls. "Sorry Captain except for the black hole torpedo warhead, I have not had time to take a close look at very many of the other programs yet. I will take a look when I get a chance sir."

"I am sure you will Mr. Turner. Make sure it is soon. I will expect a report on my desk tomorrow morning. Carry on Ensign." The Captain cut the connection.

"What? A report? When the hell am I supposed to do that?" Jack hit his com-watch and tried to get the Captain Back on the line. Without thinking he hit the control stick moving it to one side sending the shuttle off course. Alarms started blaring as the side of the lock approached. Jack jerked the stick the other way over controlling, sending the shuttle spinning into the other side of the lock's entry hatch. The shuttle disintegrated around him shaking Jack like a rag doll in the pilot's seat.

Everything went dark as Jack's seat stopped shaking. The lights came back on. "Now that was a very interesting docking. Never had anyone try to dock with the lock's hatch before. But there is a first time for everything Ensign."

Jack turned around to face the instructor sitting behind him. "Ok; I screwed up my first approach. Let's try it again sir. I can do this."

After dinner Jack went over to Engineering's Central Control compartment to go through the various research programs that had been started. He then spent the entire evening at the engineering simulation terminal checking what the teams who were working on various projects were doing and writing up reports for the Captain. Finishing the reports he started helping where he could. Though some did not appreciate his offered help or suggestions. A few did appreciate his help salving the many problems until they started shutting down for the night. He had been quite impressed with what most of them were trying to do. What he needed to do now was get back to the Red Dwarf so he could work with the groups in real time. The many problems buzzing around his mind, interrupted by his failure to salve the Ion's engine problem in time to save the test boat's crew. Wishing now he had not insisted on hacking into the system to see the damn video of them dying at their stations.

Then the terminal went dark and Jack had no choice but to give up after calling maintenance too tired to look into the problem himself. He headed for the ward room to grab some tea on his way to his bunk. Suddenly wondering where he was supposed to sleep and surprised that he had not been hauled off to the brig yet having forgotten all about the incident with the Ensign's boobs.

Stepping onto the platform to head for officers’ country in the bow of the ship, several men joined him. They were not in Navy uniforms with two of them in civilian work coveralls and the 3rd a fancy tailor made lab coat. Jack had never seen any of them before. Even though it was late and most of the ship deserted, he did not think it was unusual to suddenly have 3 civilians on the platform with him as he continued with his own thoughts. The faces of the dead test shuttle crew dying in front of him yet again still not believing what had happened.

"You know who I am boy." The lab coat man said to Jack as the platform entered the pipe chase rising up past the first of the deserted, empty grates circling the outer part of the core. The empty cargo elevator openings in the center of the grates towering up through the platforms. The cargo elevators folded up against the outside of the chase on each deck to make room for an individual cargo elevator if needed, to run up or down the open center of the chase unobstructed.

Jack's eyes blinked as he focused on the man, dragging his mind back from the screen in his mind showing the shuttle and crew. Baffled at the hate in the man's eyes and the two men flanking him menacing expressions. Too many things troubling him to be scared for himself when he finally realized they were not happy with him. They had the same expression his brother usually had before punished him for something imagined or not, but knowing he had always been alive after wards, unlike the poor saps on the shuttle, he could not make himself care anymore about his pitiful problems. Tired and disgusted with himself for not seeing the obvious problem with the engines from the beginning. He frowned and said. "Ah, let me guess. Civilians on a Navy test ship with a crew of less than a hundred right now. Yap. You must be with that party of bozo's I could not find an original thought in anything they have done since they boarded, but seem quite adept at changing computer date stamps. You going to try making your orders to destroy a shuttle and murder its crew disappear too?"

"Why you little shit. How dare you? How did you find out? Your granddad was good at figuring things out too. I bet you’re the one that cut off our access to the technology. That moron Cunt Captain is too stupid to figure anything out. Tell me how you found out and then we will have a little going away party."

"I am the one that shut you down? I did not know I had such power. Sorry but that was the Captain after I told her what you were doing and that you were stupid morons from what I saw of your work." Jack touched his comm without looking at it.

"How dare you. How did you?" The lab coated man looked around quickly then stared at Jack. "No it does not matter. You are a Turner. It took me decades to get rid of your grandfather." The man smiled at Jack. "It is not going to take me that long to get rid of you. Then convincing the Captain you lied and I was the one that figured out how to fix my engine will be simple with all the legal irrefutable records we will have by morning." Turning to the men with him. "It is a long fall down this open chase." And jerked his head in Jacks direction. "It is a shame you are going to commit suicide like so many high strung smart neurotic brains Turner. The stress of failing is just too much for you." Smiling from ear to ear. "It is a shame I could not make your grandfather suicide, but he was such a stubborn self-centered asshole shit no matter how much I abused and lied and degraded and embarrassed him in the media. No, I don't need to take the time or risk with you. The Captain is already worried about you jumping." Turning to his men. "Make sure he is looking down so he does not miss anything as he fly's."

The men approached Jack from both sides as Jack looked down over the side of the platform rail and the open center of the shaft dropping down hundreds of feet to the lower deck and getting higher by the second. Jack frowned as he stepped to one side without thinking so he did not have to take on both men at the same time. The man approaching him with his arms spread suddenly reminded Jack of one of his brothers favorite attacks that started with him grabbing ahold of Jack and throwing him across the compartment, (only this 20 foot wide square platform was not big enough to throw anyone very far). That is until Jack had learned to turn his brother’s attack against him, to use his own weight against him. Jack had started taking defense classes at his grandfather's insistence when he was 8. Though as big as his brother was and as light as Jack was and scared most of the time, Jack always lost in the end and usually found it easier to just give in to save himself an even worse beating. But not always. But now with the military training of one on one over a full 10 weeks, he stepped forward to tap the man on his chin before he could closer his arms around him.

The big man started to swing back at Jack and the lab coated man yelled. "No. If you hit him, it will not look like a suicide moron. Just throw him off the damn platform."

"With pleasure boss." The big man said.

Jack moved around against the side rail trying to put as much distance as he could from him but the man on the other side was coming back around the other way boxing him in. "Damn!" Jack suddenly realized that neither of the men were as big as his brother even if they were still a lot bigger than he was. But they seemed to be just as slow taking their time and no chances and from his defense lessons in boot camp, neither were holding the right stance or posture or their arms and hands correctly. He quickly realized that would not matter if they both got their hands on him. "Damn you to hell anyway." Jack lunged at the closest one hitting him in the gut with his knee doubling him over then shoving him over to the side against the barrier running around the platform. Taking a position at the center of the platform as far away from the edge as possible and waited.

The second man lunged at him and Jack side stepped him giving him a shove as he passed pushing him down to slid across the platform where he hit his head against the side barrier dazing him for a few seconds.

"Get him over that side you two, or I am going to make sure both your families kids are expelled and banned from every public school in the Republic. Your kids will live as illiterate slaves for the poor, as long as they manage to survive."

The lab coated man took a step toward Jack getting his attention as the first man finally catching his breath, his face turning beet red, rushed Jack and grabbed firmly onto Jack's arms from the front as Jack turned too late to do anything. Trapped, Jack grabbed the upper front of the man's jumpsuit as the man's smile grew from ear to ear at getting Jack right where he wanted him and started lifting as Jack jumped up bringing his legs up placing his knees on the man's chest and fell over backwards taking the man with him to the deck and then kicking out as hard as he could without thinking trying to get the man as far away from him as possible to give him time to recover before the next attack. The man sailed over him and Jack let go as the man hit the side rail of the platform's barrier on his back across his shoulders, his legs carrying him rotating over the top and out into open air. As his arms bent back over his head the man could no longer hold on and continued sailing out into the center of the pipe chases void and down out of sight.

The lab coated man and his single remaining henchman's face suddenly looked shocked as both their mouths dropped open. A scream continued for 12 seconds and then a bang echoed from far below.

Both men looked at each other as Jack climbed back onto his feet and looked over the rail at the body below, not believing what he had done. Then the lab coat said. "Kill him. Now. Beat the shit out of him, make him scream then throw him over. I will testify he attacked and killed Phil and you just defended yourself."

The other man lunged for Jack swinging and hitting Jack across the head before he could more than turn around.

Suddenly feeling lucky that the man had not simply grabbed him and boosted him over the rail as well, instead of hitting him first while he stood there stupid. Jack took the punches as he moved around the man from the rail blocking as many as he could though after his brother hitting him for years and boot ship he hardly felt them. Finally with the man getting tired and reaching the middle of the 20 foot square platform where he did not have to worry about anyone getting thrown over the rail Jack made his move. Grabbing the man's arm as he threw yet another punch, Jack stepped into him and turned bending over and throwing the man over his back with all his might. The man tumbled in the air hitting the platform onto his shoulders, then his back, rotated across his butt and back up onto his feet and tumbled right over the side and out of sight slapping at the rail as he went over but not getting a grip. Another scream warbled down and away until another bang echoed back up the chase.

Breathing hard Jack turned to the lab coated man. "Now what? You going to get stupid to?" Stepping as far away from the man as possible as he repeatedly glanced over the rail again and again but this time he kept a close eye on the man.

The lab coated man was already standing against the control panel for the platform and simply turned around and punched an icon. "No Turner. I am not that stupid but by the time my men get done with the video on this thing, you will be charged with murder and out of my hair."

Jack frowned not believing what just happened as he looked down at his wrist comm. "Ok so your skills go to video skimming as well as time stamp fraud. Some outfit. Just who the hell are you again?"

The lab coat smiled. "Save me having to have you killed later and thanks for finding your grandfather for me so I can finish the job I started 30 years ago. Can't be too careful, he may come back. For some reason he still out ranks me sonority wise. I was never able to get him fired since I could never fix the problem I lambasted and ridiculed and got him fired for."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"God you Turners are so frigging stupid. The man stared smiling at Jack until the platform came to a stop on the empty gun deck just above the mass tanks. Stepping off the man ran toward a trunk ladder hatch not far away.

Jack stepped to the control screen and tapped the officers deck and then the platform started up again as he watched the man disappear into the hatch. Shaking his head he tried to figure out what had just happened until he caught sight of the emergency button in the corner of the control panel as the platform stopped on the officers’ deck. Not knowing what else to do but knowing he needed to report something to someone he hit it and all hell broke loose.

Jack stepped off the platform and went to the nearest come screen on the bulkhead as alarms screamed in his ears. Tapping out of the comm system he entered a security screen using his bio ID and then into the sensor cameras around the ship and got a shock. Someone was already in the system. Jumping in on top of them Jack watched as the image of the lab coated man was being blotted over in the process of erasing him from the records. Not having time to do anything else Jack touched his wrist comm, synced it with the screen and started recording what they were doing.

A few seconds later several officers and men came running up the passageway and into the core next to Jack. "What is going on here?" The lead officer said as he saw Jack.

"Look at this. Sir." Pointing at the screen. The officer looked over at the rapidly advancing scene on the screen as Jack was attacked and the man tumbled over the rail while a roughly boxed shaped man to blurry to identify as he was being erased stood at the edge of the platform. The box moving as he did. The platform continued up until it reached the gun deck and the boxed man left the platform.

"Ok Ensign what is this about?”

"You should find two civilian biddies at the bottom of the pipe chase sir. As you can see, I was just defending myself. I doubt the record will show what you have just seen. Someone is altering the record as we speak."

The Lieutenant tapped his comm. Seconds later the Intruder Alert alarm started sounding and 5 minutes later Jack was in the Captain's Cabin. The Captain sat behind her desk hard at work as Jack walked in. Looking up she dismissed the Lieutenant. "Now you look like shit Ensign." Handing him a towel pointing to the cut on his forehead. "What the hell is going on here? What is this about bodies?"

Frowning, Jack mopped his forehead whipping off the blood then holding a corner of the towel to the cut. "It seems someone did not like me interfering with business as usual in the Research Directorate." Jack synced his comm with the captains screen and hit play.

The screen Jack first recorded appeared over the desk with the lab coated man talking then showing the two men attacking Jack with the man at the side of the platform demanding and threatening the other men. The playback finally changed to show what Jack had recorded from the security screen until it stopped as the security file finished being wiped.

The Captain sat there for a good five minutes after words as Jack quietly sat waiting to find out his sentence. Feeling guilty for tossing the two men over the side accidentally. Then the Captain’s comm sounded. "Captain, we have found two civilian bodies lying at the bottom of the mass tanks pipe chase. Looks like they fell quite a ways. One body looks a bit beat up."

"I am sure he does. Make sure our guests are in their Compartment and if anyone has returned in the last hour. Then lock and hold them for security from the Red Dwarf to arrive. We don't want any more of them wondering off and falling down the ships chase." The Captain punched up the security records of the platform and watched as Jack threw the two off the platform again except half the original wrestling match was missing showing Jack kneeing thin air before suddenly being grabbed by a man that just appeared out of nowhere for Jack to throw over the rail. "Now that is quite a feat. When the ship went to Intruder Alert the systems and decks were isolated as standard procedures, whoever was doctoring the video lost contact with the security system. Too bad they managed to hide the third party before that." Shaking her head. "Damn shame your comm watch is some cheap piece of shit and the video is so grainy I can’t tell for sure who that is. Did you happen to get the name of this third party?"

"Sorry sir. I have never had much use for much more than the occasional call that usually simply meant that I was in trouble again, but it was just some old guy with a very expensive tailor made lab coat. I could see where a name pin had once been but that is all. But I did record some of the conversation with him on my comm as you saw."

The Captain tapped a couple of icons and the Refugee Compartment with some 50 people mostly in lab coats appeared on his main screen. "Anyone their look familiar?"

Jack looked around and then pointed at a figure. "That was him. Said a bunch of things I did not understand about my grandfather while saying something about being able to prove the Ion Engine was his idea once he got rid of me and doctored the files before I hit my watch to record it."

"Looks like the rumors I have heard are true. That is the Director himself. This must have been off the cuff since he got his hands dirty. Hopefully since this is a spur of the moment attempt maybe our security people can find the evidence when they get here but I won't hold my breath. This guy has been top dog in the Directorate for decades and has many very influential people in high places."

The Captain's comm sounded. "Captain, no one has left or come back into the Refugee compartment for over two hours sir. The director and his staff have sworn to that and the hatch logs confirms it. The Director wants to know where his two men are. What do you want me to do?"

"Follow orders Lieutenant and manually lock the hatches and place guards on them until marines can be sent from the Red Dwarf. Also open the manual isolation switches for the Comms and computer lines in the core for that compartment, ahhh, that whole deck as well as the two surrounding decks and then stand down from Intruder Alert. Out." Turning to Jack "Mr. Turner, it looks like you were assaulted by two civilians for no provable reason at all according to the legal records." Nodding at Jacks disbelief. "That is for now. Maybe security will get lucky. The main point is that you are in the clear with the case records sealed by me. Go down to Sickbay and get fixed up then head for your bunk. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Dismissed." The Captain went back to work as Jack sat.

A half a minute later the Captain looked back up and frowned at a frozen shocked Jack. "Mr. Turner, you did a great job defending yourself and had no choice but what you did. I know you could have killed both men dropping them at your feet in only a few seconds as untrained and stupid as they were, if you had wanted to kill them. I saw your records and several of your defense training bouts trying to figure you out and you are well ahead of most other recruits in your ability to kill. They stood no chance. The fact that you tried throwing them to the deck trying to incapacitate them several times instead of killing them proves that. It is a shame they do not teach police holds and take down procedures that do little harm to suspects but that would only confuse you in combat were police procedures would only get you killed. You had no choice Mr. Turner. Those men killed themselves the instant they decided to try killing you. You even gave them both multiple chances to change their minds so do not blame yourself and that is an order Mr. Turner. Now get your butt to sickbay, the Doctor is waiting for you."

Later that night after a half hour under growth repair beams on his bruises and cuts, the Doctor had turned him loose. Jack still half in shock trying to figure out what and why, he opened the hatch to his cabin, walked in and froze. He had checked to see if he had been transferred to a new cabin and found out that he hadn't and took it for granted that the Ensign had transferred out. But the Ensign was laying on her bunk with one bare naked breast hanging out from under her blanket over the side of the bunk with one arm almost to the deck. He stood there with the hatch hanging open starring at her in the light from the passageway and the immaculately clean cabin for a good minute. Finally deciding that she had had his things moved out and was not expecting him back allowing her to sleep naked, he took a deep breath and started to back out and shut the hatch only to see his pictures on the bulkhead. Pictures that had not been on the bulkhead that morning or any bulk head ever, his pictures of his mother, a few friends and a ship he liked. Looking closer he started seeing more of his things around the cabin neatly laid out on shelves or hung. Then he noticed the comforter his mother had sent him on the bunk replacing the Navy issue blanket. A comforter he had left packed in the bottom of his locker, too embarrassed to use it on his bunk with 3 other guys in his enlisted cabin. Shutting the hatch behind him as he stepped in and patted the comforter on his bunk to make sure it really was there and swallowed. His bunk's reading light's pool of radiance shining down onto his bunk had just enough spillage for Jack to see the Ensign across the narrow space between bunks.

Sitting down on his bunk he stared at the Ensign and her boob with a big bright red nipple hanging out over the side of her bunk, wondering why she was not falling out onto the deck. To stunned to wonder why she had unpacked all his things and was sleeping naked against navy regulations after almost beating him to death.

Worried about her falling, he got up taking a step toward her to push her back up onto her bunk before she fell out but froze jerking his hand back at the last instant. Sitting back down on his bunk. "Sorry missy; (using a term his grandfather used) you can just fall flat on your face." He said bitterly then smiled. "With that much padding on your chest you won't hurt yourself." But frowned as he got up to get ready for bed. Looking at his folded up terminal he thought about checking to make sure that he had not missed anything when he had checked the programs and written up the reports for the Captain. But he would worry about that tomorrow after he had some sleep. Besides he still could not believe what had happened on the elevator platform as he laid down. His mind could not make up its mind as it went to the transport boat's test that morning and his feelings of pride when it did not end in a black hole explosion killing another crew and how the researchers and crewmen filling the engineering control room had started pounding his back and congratulating him on a job well done. They had fired up the ship's converted engine shortly after the successful boat test. The ship had been running on it at low power with the old engine shut down since filling him with growing pride. That he had done it. And then his mind jumped without warning to him killing those men in the pipe and elevator chase of the ship.

In his bunk he found himself opening his eyes to stare at the Ensign's face and boob in the glow from his bunk light. Sleep evading him as the attack on him kept flashing back into his mind. Finally she turned over onto her back and Jack sighed. He found he had been using her boob as a distraction and now that it was gone out of sight the vision of the men disappearing over the side and out of sight as the worst terrorized scream he would ever hear still echoed in his ears as soon as he closed his eyes. Then she pull her blanket down off her breasts as she rubbed them for a few seconds leaving them jutting half way to the overhead. Starring at them for a few seconds as the memory of killing the men started to fad his eyes wondered up to her face and said without knowing why. "Godstar I miss you." he turned out his reading light and through the pitch black he could still see her face grow an even more angelic glow that had to be in his mind, as he gazed and in time finally found asleep.

12-

FAILURE TO COMUNICATE

Jack went flying over the platform's rail as the Ensign grabbed Jack's arm shaking him. "Up and at them Turner. It is a beautiful day. Get your butt up and let's go."

Jack turned over opening his eyes as the Ensign pulled a sports bra out of a drawer and over her breasts that hid little and did not try to flatten or shape them but lifted them slightly. Covered in sweat, Jack tried not to stare even after they were covered trying to forget his waking nightmare.

"I want to thank you for taking care of me the night before last. Sorry I over reacted." She talked with her back to him as she made up her bunk with her almost bare butt sticking out at him as she bent over. "I have not had very good experiences with men when it comes to my breasts. I hope you can forgive me. I went to sickbay yesterday and the Doctor was impressed with what you did and told me I could not strap down my breasts for a while. I hope you don't mind if I use you for a shield to hide behind for a while. I am a little self-conscious about these." She turned to profile them before facing him. Then held them out for Jack to inspect using her hands to move them back and forth, up and down in front of him.

Jack pulled his blanket bunching it up in front of him to hide the erection he woke up with and was trying to get bigger, painfully.

She looked down at his blanket and smiled, licking her lips, then bit her lower lip as she turned around and grabbed a towel and her shower kit. "I am headed for the showers. Think about me naked in the shower for a few minutes and then get your own shower. I couldn't hardly eat yesterday I was so upset with myself and I am starving, so be quick about it." Stopping at the hatch, she threw a washcloth from the rack over the sink at him as she went through the hatch smiling at him as she wiggled her butt.

Grabbing the washcloth in midair he stared after her and then down at the cloth perplexed.

The cabin's comm sounded. Turning around Jack pulled the screen down from over his bunk and slapped at the on button without thinking. "Turner here." He said as he stared down at the washcloth.

"Mr. Turner." The Captain blared out at him.

Jack suddenly stuffed the washcloth down out of sight as he turned to the screen. "Yes Captain?"

"Mr. Turner I found your report interesting. I find your take on the three laser upgrade groups baffling though. Do you have a favorite one that you think will work best?"

Jack looked around a little baffled. "Sorry Captain but I thought I made that clear. It will take all three of them to get our Battleship lasers even close to being hot enough to take on the enemy. The group I think that has the best possibility long term though Captain, is not even working on a laser, the Plasma Ball guys numbers are damn good. I think they can create a ball a hundred times hotter than the hottest laser gun and maybe even as a new warhead on our torpedoes. I think it would be able to penetrate most of the armored decks on those monster ships like butter whereas the black hole warhead may have a problem maintaining cohesion with any penetration. The stresses of impact along with the black hole itself can combine to make maintaining power for the coils almost impossible with more than a few feet of penetration but then you get one hell of an explosion.” Sat back and frowned. “There may be a little problem though. It just downed on me that the enemy ships may have shields already that may be effective against torpedoes and highly magnetic plasma balls. Is that why we have not seen any torpedoes from them. Are they worthless with the shields deflecting them so they don't even carry torpedoes so we have to figure a way through or are their magazines simply empty? Could also mean they just have not had a reason to launch any yet since we have shown no real weapons that can hurt them. And then how good are the shields against lasers? Captain we are so far out gunned and stupid about so many things I just can't see how we can catch up in anything less than a year sir. There is just so much work that has to be done Captain."

"Good to hear that Turner but quit stressing. With so many weapons coming down the road something has got to work. Report to the shuttle bay after breakfast."

"Ah. Captain. I am sorry but I really don't have the time to waste training in the simulator sir. We need something like the ion engine for a weapon. Something they don't have." Standing up his blanket fell to the floor as he started walking back and forth across the cabin in his underwear with his pole sticking out stretching his short's fabric still but no longer painful. Though the washrag he had dropped was hanging off of the tip of the bulge. "Something that makes their blue white hot beams look like pea shooters. Though we do have a group that thinks they can create our own black hole shields that can block their lasers from even hitting our ships but then how do you get rid of the energy build up when you cut power and collapse the black hole? The explosion could be worse than the laser beam." Stopping in the middle of the cabin Jack turned to the Captain. "I need to go straight to the development board in Engineering Central Control sir."

"Turner! You need to follow orders Ensign. The Shuttle bay at 0900 hours and get a cold shower. Captain Out."

As the screen went blank Jack frowned starring at the screen for a few seconds then picked up his blanket and made his bunk without thinking about it. Picking up the wash cloth after it fell to the deck he looked at it and then at his flagging member, took a deep breath and smiled still trying to figure out the Ensign, then hung it back on the rack over the sink. Grabbing up his shower kit and towel he headed out the hatch and met the Ensign coming back from the showers.

She squeezed past Jack pressing her boobs into him as he froze having no place to go to get out of her way. "Excuse me please Jack." She smiled as Jack moved his towel to cover his front as she noticed something starting to grow again. "Wow. So soon afterwards. Maybe you still like me after all." She watched Jack hurry down the passageway then closed the hatch smiling from ear to ear until she spotted the washcloth hanging on the rack above the sink. Frowning she grabbed the cloth off the rack and felt it before throwing it across the cabin and sat down on her bunk. "That explains that. Does he hate me that much now? I don't blame him after beating him up. After all I was trying to hate and kill him at the time. Thank Godstar I forgot my Taser at the time. Damn it, I am a fucking psychologist and should know how to talk him into forgiving me without stooping to childish behavior like flashing by boobs and talking nasty. Shit. I can't believe I did that. Thank Godstar I didn't just give him a blowjob as soon as he turned over." Tears came streaming to her eyes as she buried her head. "Well. It would be one way to ask him to forgive me and show him how I feel." Slapping her leg. "No! Goddamn it, I hate him." Then went back to crying while trying to figure out why.

A few minutes later she straightened up wiping her eyes and started dressing. She picked up the strap to bind her breasts out of habit and looked at it for several second. Finally taking a deep breath she threw it across the cabin with the wash cloth and finished dressing and then pulled down her terminal and by the time Jack returned she acted like nothing had happened. Ignoring him as he ignored her until he was ready to go and then she just followed him out the hatch. She found herself doing just what she said without thinking. Using him as a shield from the stares of everyone as they proceeded down the passageways and into the officers’ mess. Not touching him but just putting him between herself and prying eyes. She appreciated Jack finding a corner away from people where she could sit in relative anonymity but then she had to tell herself that it was just habit for him.

Half way through breakfast Jack finally started talking. "The Captain called shortly after you left for your shower. I am supposed to report to the Shuttle bay at 0900." Jack took a bight of eggs. "Not that I do not appreciate the pilot training but I just have too much to do with all the research projects going on to waste the time. I think I can make a real contribution to the war there and I feel guilty not working on the weapons as much as possible." Taking another bite of hash browns. "I can't believe how stupid most of these guys are even if they are coming up with some great ideas. They are supposed to be the best and brightest of the Republic?" Taking a drink of milk he thought for a second. "God's star, is this how Pop felt around me?"

The Ensign smiled at that. "How did you feel around your grandfather?"

Jack thought as he eat. "Well, you have a point. Thank God I have been keeping my mouth shut most of the time and not saying what I have been thinking. Now I feel guilty for even thinking it. But it is just so hard sometimes to look at something they are struggling with and not yell out what morons I think they are for not seeing the obvious. Well at least obvious to me but what if I am wrong? Hell it took me days to see the obvious with the engines and I just don't want to cost anymore lives."

The Ensign smiled. "No one is right all the time. You can suggest things without yelling at them or telling them they are stupid Jack. Suggestions are never taken as stupid in a research environment or for planning Combat for that matter."

"Ya but what if I am wrong. They will think I am really stupid."

"Didn't you just listen to me? Most suggestions are supposed to be wrong. That is how you eliminate the bad ideas and find the good ones."

"Ya but it is embarrassing."

"Only to a child. So what do you do? Go off and do everything yourself not saying anything to them until you have solved all the problems correctly by yourself and then telling everyone how smart you are." She looked at Jack smiling. "That only works a few times and then people stop talking to you and showing you their work." Shaking her head and frowning as she ate.

"I don’t tell everyone how smart I am or how stupid they are. I will just show them that I fixed the problem."

"Same frigging thing Jack. How did that make you feel when you grandfather did that to you."

"He didn't." Jack said around a piece of toast and jam. "He always asked me some stupid questions that made me see what I had done wrong unless I was really stupid or refused to see his point and then he would look into the overhead and ask god to give me some smarts or walk off shaking his head telling me to try again and to use my brain this time or tell me to leave until I found my brain again or one of a dozen other insults." Jack looked at the table and smile.

"Oh yes I am sorry. I remember now. It was your brother that would take something you said or did and run to your father taking credit for your work. How did that make you feel?"

"I hated him for it and stopped telling or talking to him about things unless I had to most of the time. Well some of the time but that was different."

"Oh you really think so?"

"I guess not but we just don’t have the time for me to play teacher to a hundred guys in a dozen projects when I can do the work faster."

"A dozen? I thought it was up to 18 already but then you are superman and can do 20 at the same time right? Or thirty if you include the needed research progress will undoubtedly uncover as the programs mature. That is great. Until no one talks to you anymore or you make a mistake. Just remember; One (Ah Shit!), wipes out a whole lot of (Ataboys) when you are stepping on toes. Tell me what happened after you tried to dock with a hatch yesterday?"

Jack looked at her with a frown. "We went back to basics after the instructor chewed me out for not telling the Captain to; "Frack Off", while we were docking. His words exactly." Jack smiled at that. "That I was the Captain of the ship while Docking or in any other dangerous situation, unless the Captain or a superior officer is actually there, aware of the situation and gives me, the pilot, a direct order. And yes the Captain has the authority to crash his ship or even blow it up. At least that is what the instructor said. I think I am going to look that one up. I have had enough of ships blowing up around me." Jack thought for a moment. "Anyway he said that the pilot is responsible for piloting the ship and the pilot had better damn well pilot the ship and not take phone calls or play with himself while doing it." Jack shook his head. "I made a half dozen perfect dockings but he still kept harping on the one bad one."

"Yes Jack. Ata boys are fleeting while Ah shits have a life of their own and last almost forever." The Ensign chuckled. "I am also sure you made all those perfect dockings all by yourself didn't you."

"Well the instructor did help a little. Gave me a few pointers but I would have done fine without them."

She raised her eyes and stared at Jack.

He finished up his plate glancing at her a few times as she stared at him frowning. "Ok he gave me quite a few good pointers to make things easier especially handling these new shuttles. I already knew the basics. What is the point? I have been docking shuttles in air locks since I could reach the controls."

"The point Jack is that the instructor was wasting his time teaching you the finer points of docking the new shuttles wasn't he. After all he is very good at his job and I am sure he can fly a dozen or 18 shuttles by himself at the same time and dock all of them better than you ever can. All at the same time." She placed her elbows on the table with her hands clasped under her chin smiling at Jack and starring.

"Now that is ludicrous! One guy docking multiple shuttles at once. You can't be serious about thinking that…? You are not making any sense."

The Ensign sighed and got up from the table wiping her mouth with the cloth napkin looking up into the overhead. "Pop; you wasted your time too evidentially." And headed for the exit shaking her head.

Jack and the Ensign walked into the Shuttle Bay. It was full of crewmen getting a shuttle ready and the engineers and scientists from the engine upgrade project standing around with their bags, wondering what was going on. Most of them talking in small groups. Jack was starting to get used to everyone staring at the Ensigns breasts and ignoring him with some relief. Using her to hide behind forgetting that she was trying to use him to hide behind. But still he stopped after coming through the hatch out of habit, still apprehensive about walking out into the middle of any compartment where people could not help seeing him. He turned and walked a ways down the side of the compartment and sat on a cargo crate. One amongst several and half hidden. The Ensign plopping down next to him squeezing in between him and the stacked crate to the side of him and slid as far back as possible out of sight against the bulkhead, crossing her arms in front of her trying to make her breasts less noticeable while Jack fidgeted looking around down at the deck without looking at anyone possibly looking at them. The few that had noticed them had long before gone back to what they were doing or talking to. Noticing the pair for only a few seconds at most if at all.

After a few minutes a man entered the lock walking around talking to the various little groups until he spotted Jack. Collecting a group that came in behind him he wondered over to the crates. Jack recognized him as soon as he saw the lab coat wearing man. This time he had a bunch of expensive looking identification tags with his name, multiple directorate positions with a bunch of medals across his lab coat. The old man leading the small group smiled at Jack holding out his hand. "So you are Professor Turner's grandson. Glad to meet you." Jack refused the man's hand. "I am very impressed with this Ion engine upgrade for the battleship engines." The man finally dropped his hand as the Ensign frowned at Jack. "Is this Ion engine something your grandfather came up with? It is isn't it? I bet he was working on it before he left the research directorate."

Jack's shock as the man walked up turned to embarrassment at the beginning complements then was replaced by surprised bafflement as the man smoothly finished with his accusation. Jacks mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to think of what to say when the Ensign spoke up. "Professor Turner spent hours talking about the new advanced Mass Drive Battleship Engines he had worked on someplace and about the many theories of possible warp drives using black holes. Mostly disappointed that new materials did not exist that could withstand the tremendous forces using black holes as anchors to push against would have on any future advanced engine once they found out how to create them without destroying themselves." The Ensign looked earnestly over at the man and his group. "But I can't seem to remember ever hearing about anything resembling this Ion drive of Jacks, using black holes to accelerate any mass let alone Ion's and my last class with the Professor was only a few days before we joined the navy." She smiled over at Jack. "Unless it was some vast secrete by an old man that spent half his time talking about his breakfast and bowl movements and everything else going on in his life to anyone that would listen. What about you Jack?"

Jack chuckled as he grimaced. "You didn't have to tell them about him talking about his bowl movements for Pete's sake." Looking up sheepishly and then turned to bafflement as he looked at her anew. "No. The only thing I remember him saying is that someday someone would figure out how to use Ions for reaction mass and then they would have one hell of a drive. Until then inventing the Black hole drive would have to do if anyone ever figured out how." He continued to stare at her with a puzzled smile wondering how she knew Pop.

"So you admit that your grandfather is the one that invented the Ion drive using work he stole from me?" The man said triumphantly turning to his comrades. "You all heard them admit that."

A voice boomed from around the crates. "That is not what I heard Dr. Johnson." The Captain walked out of the crowd from the entry hatch. "Ok everyone on the shuttle. We lift in 15 minutes for the Red Dwarf." Turning to Jack. "You are piloting Mr. Turner."

Taken back Jack closed his mouth and turned to the Captain. "But sir? I have only had one day of training. You can't be serious sir. You must have someone better than me."

"Mr. Turner I did not ask for your opinion but you have had 10 years of experience and passed your simulator training. We have too many shuttles and jobs to do for what few pilots we have and I am not going to waste a good pilot when you are qualified. Unless you are saying you are sick or incapacitated after your little fracas last night. Are you Mr. Turner? Incapacitated?"

"Ah no sir. But shouldn't my first flight be with someone other than our best scientists and you aboard sir. Just in case I screw up."

"Mr. Turner I would never ask my crew to do something I would not do myself. Though I am delighted that you think your colleagues are worth keeping around after all. Now get your butt up to the shuttle's bridge and start your pre-flight checks."

Jack let the Ensign drag him off the box and up the ramp leading into the already half full shuttle as the small group that was very outspoken and led by Dr. Johnson put on the breaks. "I am not about to risk my life with that boy piloting any shuttle I am on. Hell he was just a fracking 1st Class gravity tech the day before yesterday and has only a high school education. Besides I am missing two men and I insist you find them before we leave and make the man responsible pay."

The Captain stopped half way up the ramp into the shuttle turning back toward the Director narrowing his eyes. "Make who pay for what Dr. Johnson?"

"Why…" The Director puffed his chest up taking a breath. "My men would not be missing if something had not happened to them by some unknown criminal."

"Now Director, they could have just decided they did not want to work for you anymore and left to join the Navy like a lot of patriotic people have done in the last few years. Have you got a reason why they would not do that?"

"That is preposterous Captain. They would never do that with what I have…They are much to loyal to do anything like that with their families back at the Directorate university under my aaa care.” Glancing up toward the cenral core pipe chass’s main deck not believing the bodies had not been found yet. “I insist that you find them immediately Captain so they can leave with us."

"Very well Director. As you wish." Captain Halsey pointed off to the side as a couple of caskets on a pallet was being driven into the lock. "They attacked Mr. Turner last night and he had to kill them. Do you know why they attacked the Ensign?"

"What, they never would attack anyone. They were simple innocent men that would never hurt a sole. Mr. Turner must have killed them for no reason and lied about it. I demand that he be arrested immediately for execution."

"Without a trial Dr. Johnson? Sounds like a typical dictator. You have something against Ensign Turner? What is that?"

"His grandfather was an embezzling thief that stole other peoples work putting his name on it to fool the authorities and gain profits then disappeared when he got caught. His grandson must be doing the same and my men found out about it and he killed them. As I said a few minutes ago, the Ion engine is my work stolen by Director Turner to get the fame and fortune that will result from it." Turning to face Jack. "I demand that you arrest him immediately or I will have you jailed as soon as we return to Earth and New Washington. I am on the President's Cabinet with his personal ear."

“How dare you say that about my grandfather you lying pile of crap! I will…” Jack started back down the ramp.

"Now isn't that cute Director.” The Captain held out her arm to block Jack as she cut him off. “Just like a good University Enlightened Liberal. Always ready to Dictate to others with no proof but what you feel the truth should be, for the good of the stupid that do not think exactly like you. Luckily we do not live in a Dictatorship yet Dr. Johnson." The caskets were run up into the shuttle's cargo bay past the Captain and the rest. "Your assassins are on board. Now get on the shuttle Director."

"We are not going anywhere with that uneducated murderer piloting anything." And stood there with his arms crossed. The shuttle started emptying out as civilians that had just boarded started walking out and down the ramp to join the group refusing to board the shuttle as Jack spoke up.

"Sir; I am sure you could pilot the shuttle a lot better than me sir. I would not be offended sir."

The Captain turned red as she stared at Jack taking a couple of deep breaths. "I will tell you what Mr. Turner. The day you become Captain of your own ship you can decide who pilots better than you. Until then you can keep your fracking mouth shut until you are asked! Now don't make me tell you again.” Holding out her hand to grab his arm as he started to move to obey. "But for now wait just inside the Shuttles lock and you may learn something." Turning to the rest of the group standing at the foot of the ramp. "As for you assholes. Ensign Turner has been found innocent of all possible charges and commended for his efforts to keep from killing his assailants as he defended himself. My decision in an official enquiry with an abundant amount of evidence in spite of someone's attempt to cover up the attempted murder of Mr. Turner. Earning him a Bronze Star as well as a self-defense medal." Looking around the group. "Now. You can get on this shuttle or stay there and suffocate when the lock is evacuated when I leave because you are not leaving any other way. I am ordering the hatches back into the ship locked. Is that clear? Get. Aboard the shuttle or die as the deserting mutinying murderers, I know at least a few of you are. I am closing this hatch as soon as I get in the lock." The Captain turned and started walking up into the shuttle.

Some from the back of the pack beat the some only a few steps from the hatch into the shuttle as they suddenly started racing each other not wanting to risk being left behind. Dr. Johnson stood at the edge of the ramp as the Captain turned at the hatch controls. The ramp emptied leaving only Dr. Johnson standing starring at the Captain still not moving. Hitting the switch the lock's hatch started slowly closing and Dr. Johnson finally started slowly walking up across the ramp as it started to rise. Just fast enough to let the hatch close in front of him as he reached the hatch forcing the Captain to hit the hatch stop button to allow the Dr. to walk through the opening before closing the hatch. The Doctor smiled with his nose in the air as he walked past the Captain, Jack and the Ensign.

"Mr. Turner follow me."

Jack and the Ensign followed the Captain up into the boats little bridge. Ordering everyone to clear the bridge. The hatch closed before the Captain turned on Jack placing her nose an inch from Jack's. "That little show was your fault and if those ass holes had been a little more stubborn their deaths would have been on your head Mr. Turner. Now I don't know how they do things on tramp ships but in the Navy an officer expects his subordinates to obey orders when they are given and if a subordinate has any problems with that order he or she does not voice them in public or in front of the crew. Is that understood Mr. Turner?"

"Ah... Yes Sir." Jack swallowed.

"That is. Yes Sir. Captain Sir! Or do I need to send you back to the boot camp ship maggot? Because if this happens again you are going out the airlock. Brains or no brains."

"No! Sir Captain Sir." Jack bellowed to his own surprise. "Yes Captain Sir. I will follow all orders without objection Captain Sir!"

"That is in public Mr. Turner! This Navy does not want a bunch of mind numb robots."

"Yes Captain Sir. I will make any objections I have in private from now on Captain Sir."

"Very good Mr. Turner. You can call the bridge crew back in and prepare the boat for departure."

Jack swallowed. "Yes Captain Sir. Prepare the boat for departure. I sir." Jack stepped to the hatch and swallowed as he opened it back up to find the bridge crew waiting in the passageway beyond. Bighting his lower lip he tried to order them back into the bridge but froze as everyone stared at him. Closing his eyes he realized that the boat's bridge and passageway were exact copies of The Game even though the crew looked slightly more real than the game crews but only slightly. Swallowing again he took a deep breath and said. "Man your stations. Prepare for launch." The volume of his voice surprised him. Turning around he stepped to the pilot’s chair. Starring at the control panel for a few seconds Jack shook his head. "Just like The Game the first year I played." Looking up, his eyes drifted around the Shuttles bridge that was little bigger than a cockpit. "This is getting eerie. To damn familiar."

The Captain turned to the Ensign standing a few feet away trying to stand in a way to make her boobs look smaller with her arms crossed in front of her trying to hide from the bridge crew that kept starring at her every chance they got. "Ensign; you missed half of yesterday's training but I am told you are a competent navigator and copilot. Take the copilot's chair." Then turned back surveying the forward part of the bridge and the rest of the crew on the bridge.

The Ensign's mouth dropped open. "But Sir?"

The Captain whipped around and stared at the ensign wide eyed daring her to continue.

Taking a deep breath she said. "Yes Captain Sir." And headed for the copilot/ navigators chair.

"I am glad you are not wearing that damn strap but where is your jacket Ensign? Don't you think it would come in handy right about now?"

The Ensign sat down. "My jacket does not fit me right now sir. Fact is this is the only Kaki blouse I have that does."

"Is that a fact Ensign? Well good, you have been hiding behind that strap and jacket long enough. You can pick up new blouses when we get back to the Black Dwarf but you will have to be quick about, we won’t be there long.” Looking at the crewmen that kept glancing at her breasts and then sighing disgustedly. “You have my permission to use a baseball bat on anyone that annoys you from now on. Be proud of your looks, you have a beautiful face and hair. Fact is considering your new job and what happened last night, I want you to pick up a weapon from the armory while we are on the Black Dwarf. I will have security start you on special defense classes.”

The Captain smiled as a thought occurred to her. “Fact is Ensign. Use it on stun on anyone that makes any improper advances, proposals, or orders no matter their rank instead of a baseball bat. I still need them when you get done with them. I have been hearing to damn many rumors about too many harassment, sex slave or rape incidents that don't get officially reported but talked about. One problem with such a rapidly expanding Navy. We have not had time to weed out the turds walking amongst us. With your bait, you have my permission to start the clean up as long as you do no permanent damage.” Looking around the bridge as everyone found their work suddenly very important. “Very well Ensign. Carry on." Turning to Jack and shaking her head. She had thought about arming Jack but with that damn red flag on his file, she did not dare.

The shuttle boat was only a hundred feet long but unlike most boats it could keep up with the other ships accelerating at hundreds of Gee's flying between the stars. For a short while anyway. Half the small ship was still mass tanks. The shuttle accelerated down the short catapult and out the side away from the 2,000 foot long transport. Jack pulled the nose around and headed for the Red Dwarf fallowing a course set by the Ensign. The ship now far in the distance, only a little pip in the sensor screens. Once the new upgraded engine had started working the Captain had left it at low power but the ship still ran away from the Red Dwarf. It was now the fastest ship in the fleet even with only one engine and going strong. The Shuttle was having to slow down to let the Red Dwarf catch up to them by accelerating back along the course to help the Red Dwarf catch up faster.

The Captain started telling Jack stories and asking questions. A constant stream of lessons about piloting and Captaining a Navy Combat Starship. Several times he had the Ensign plot evasive maneuvers and Jack pilot the ship avoiding the virtual enemy ships as well as making attack runs.

Four hours after launching, the shuttle reversed course, came to a relative stop beside the Red Dwarf, slid into its shuttle bay coming to a rapid stop in the trap and smoothly docked. The only time the Captain did not talk was approaching the trap. As Jack docked, shut down and locked the engines the Captain continued where she had left off.

Jack finally sat back to relax for a few seconds and closed his eyes wishing the Captain would just shut up for a second so he could catch up.

"Well Mr. Turner now that you have earned your pilots license, I suppose I should give you the rank that goes with it." Jack turned around looking at the Captain with his mouth open. The Captain handed Jack a little box. "Here are my original Lieutenant bars Turner. They belonged to my father. Don't disgrace them. I have given them to only 6 officers over the years, each one of them have gone on to great things. You can start with the Junior Grade bar and hang on to the others until you need them then return them." Turning to the Ensign. "You did a nice job navigating and copiloting. Finish your qualifications in the simulator and I am sure you will get yours." The Captain got up and headed off the bridge and stopped at the hatch. "Ensign; battlefield commissions are only temporary. Make sure Turner finishes at least one of his bachelor degrees as soon as possible. I want them on my desk by the end of the month."

Jack and the Ensign followed the Captain out of the shuttle. As the Captain started down the ramp Dr. Johnson intercepted them.

"What is going on here Captain? They will not let us back into the Red Dwarf."

"Because Doctor, you are being transferred to the USS Parsley. It is waiting for us in Ship Docking Bay 5 now down on the other end of the ship. The stern. The cargo elevator at the core of the bay will take your whole entourage along with the rest of Jacks research teams down in one group. The Parsley will launch as soon as we are aboard. The rest of your scientists and civilians scattered across the fleet are already there."

"You can't do that. My crews are tasked with examining the enemy and reporting on possible advancements."

"That is what my orders said." Captain Halsey smiled. "To bad all your people insist on sending everything to you without giving my commanders or me even the basic facts to help us in our coming battle. A God-damn First Class Gravity tech had to tell me the enemy had a Black hole massless drive. Then I find out yesterday from what Mr. Turner down loaded from your files that you knew weeks ago from the data our scouts were sending back, while you were trying to figure out how to make an engine that you could profit from. And failing miserably" The Captain smiled at the Director. "I am authorizing the company contract personnel sent along by most of the big corporations access to all information we receive on the enemy from now on. They have been extremely forthcoming and helpful since I gave them clearance unlike your people." The Captains face and voice changed getting rough. "Now get your treasonous Assess down onto the Parsley before I decide to space the lot of you before we launch."

"Launch? Going where?"

"Why, back towards Earth of course Doctor. Does that meet your approval?"

The Doctor did not bother to answer as he ran off telling his colleague that they were headed the hell out of the war zone. To Jacks surprise several groups of engineers and scientists came up asking the Captain to leave them behind so they could do their jobs gathering needed information on the enemy technology. Promising to report everything they found now that the Director was leaving.

The Captain smiled. "Don't worry Gentlemen we would be back in plenty of time to get all the info you want on the enemy if you decide to actually start helping the Navy. Write now you have much more important jobs to do. Making sure the fleet is able to defeat that enemy for you to study. Now get aboard, we will be leaving shortly."

The Admiral's cart came running up to the foot of the ramp. "Captain! What the hell are you doing? You said you would re-engine my battle ships and here you have so far only reequipped your transports with the new engines."

"No Admiral. I have equipped one Battleship to be exact. I am taking 34 of the 66 auxiliary transports and tankers from the FMC's back to the supply rock to pick up new coils to do just that as well as new torpedoes and the 24 inch laser guns and something the enemy has that we don't. Shields for our ships. I am leaving you plenty of tankers and supply transports from the Dwarfs, for any emergencies. You are going to have to delay your battle a little while longer. We will be back in three or four weeks with another week to reequip the fleet and you can have your battle with some chance of winning."

"What? I will not stand for that Captain. You will re-engine my battle ships now damn it. And that is an order Captain. My family could be close to being murdered now."

The Captain looked around the landing bay that was empty of everyone but a few crewmen. "No admiral. We do not have enough coils to equip all your battleships. That is the original reason we are going back to The Rock. With these new engines I can make it back to the rock in a couple of weeks instead of two months. And since I talked to you last, the engineers and scientist in the fleet have come up with a few improvements in the weapons and you are going to take advantage of them weather you want to or not. Giving you plenty of time to remass your entire fleet from the Red Dwarf before it leaves to start evacuating the nearest star system while you are waiting. Until I return, you will stay far enough back from that wall of enemy battleships to stay safely out of contact. That is the orders I received from the Admiralty a couple of hours ago as have you and that is Vice Admiral in command of the transport fleet, Admiral. With the authority to leave your butt high and dry so don't push me or I will pull them all." The Captain turned and walked down the ramp. "Lieutenant JG Turner; get your butt down to the bridge of the Parsley and prepare to launch with half the Condiment fleet. You Ensign have some errands to run.”

The 4 transports from the Black Dwarf launched together a half hour later. Even though the crews of the auxiliary transports had been able to test the engine up grades at idle while still in dock, Jack was still surprised to have all 4 of the transport's engines power up to full thrust with no problems after taking up a direct course for the Rock. Which was a surprise to Jack. The normal shipping lanes normally wound around zig zagging from inhabited star system to inhabited system to refuel between legs making their slow way across the Republic. For the first time, with the new engines, that was not needed. The biggest problem with the acceleration the new engines allowed was that the grav coils in the in the decks had to work above there rated capacities as the engines kicked the 2,000 foot long ships in the ass hitting a thousand Gee's easily even though Jack had the throttle at 75% power. But then the transports were empty. Doing a little dance in his chair as the Red Dwarf and her 11 sister ships fell rapidly behind. Until he noticed 4 of the transports in the fleet lagging behind and surmising that they had engine problems which was confirmed a few minutes later. The Captain (Vice Admiral) telling them to group together as a squadron, placing a captain in command to follow as they worked out there bugs.

Jack watched the fleet settle into a loose formation around the Parsley. Something he had never seen before in real life with the Turner Joy and tramp ships. Though he had done it many times in The Game. The hours that fallowed started to reinforce his feelings of being in The Game again and not on a real ship. Nervous at first, he was glad he did not have to match course and speed with anyone though he knew what was expected of him as lead ship and The Game he had been playing for a decade continued to take over more and more as he kept telling himself that it was not The Game. The biggest problem Jack was having was the fact that, The Game, did not let you cruise very long without something happening. He had to get used to the fact that he did not have to worry about pirates or enemy ships ambushing them or a disastrous accident aboard ship or simply equipment break downs or something else that demanded action even if it was nothing more than to tour the ship to stem crew problems, The Game used to keep The Game interesting and the player hooked. The Game simply did not allow for much free time to get bored and think. The fact that he was only a pilot and not Captain and it was not his responsibility no matter what happened made him greatly relieved. Though it had been years since he had been just a pilot.

But still the feeling of being in The Game was getting to eerie to ignore. Keeping him from relaxing as he waited for something to happen. He fell fast into The Game as lead ship, he had to keep a good eye out for space crap giving the ensign plenty of time to plot and maneuver the whole fleet away from it. And at the speed they were going the sensors where barely able to give him time to maneuver the ship let alone the fleet. He was very glad when the Captain ordered the Ensign to plot a course to the rear of the fleet ordering the next ship in line to take the lead for a while. But then Jack had to worry about keeping in formation with the ships close around him and he wished he was back at the lead until he got the hang of it and he could relax. Then The Game kicked into his head again as he fought trying to differentiate the reality of boredom on the long watch and waiting for The Game to do something bad that would require action. Fast immediate action. The end of his watch came none too soon with nothing happening of note the whole time. If he was not so worked up adrenaline wise with the reality of it all, he would have thought about complaining about how boring it had been.

"Mr. Turner now that you are done playing transport pilot, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the officers mess for a late lunch." The Captain stood, turned and without looking to make sure Jack was following, headed for the hatch. The Ensign not sure what to do, stood looking around the bridge waiting for the rest of the relieved bridge crew to leave before heading out herself until the Captain said as Jack and her reached the hatch. "You too Ensign."

The Captain continued to talk about piloting and commanding starships during the lunch until she finally wiped her mouth and hands then smiled at Jack. "Ok now that you are fed and relaxed. I want you to design and upgrade the FMC's propulsion engines. The difference over the other upgrades is that you have no grave coils big enough to use on those monster 2,000 foot long engines. But that just means you have the opportunity to design new coils from the ground up to make the engines the best they can be. Only thing is you only have a few hours to do that before we are out of laser comm range with the Red Dwarf so they can transmit the specks to earth and the Robo-factories that can produce them by the time we get there."

"What the frack Sir." Jack's mouth dropped open as he stared at the Captain. "The last fracking; I am sorry sir, Frigging thing I needed to be doing was playing pilot sir." Shaking his head. "I can't design a whole new god star damn class of coils in only a couple of fracking hours. Why the hell didn't you tell me hours ago, giving me time to get everything that needed to be done, done."

"Thank God as Captain I don't have to explain shit to you Lieutenant JG Turner." Smiling at Jack as she dropped her napkin to her plate. "You will find the design terminals and the engineers and scientists down in the lower hold deck, deck 72, you have hold G. Pull any of the others off their projects in the other holds you need to get the coils designed in time Mr. Turner. Oh and your cabin is just below your hold in the engineering officers country. I had your things unpacked for you while you were on watch. And by the way. They have just finished setting the terminals back up after transferring them from the Red Dwarf.” The Captain watched Jacks eyes glaze over looking at nothing as she turned her seat and stood up to leave the table. “You are dismissed Mr. Turner." Standing up she spotted the Ensign’s side arm with satisfaction and started to walk away then stopped when Jack did not move. "Lieutenant JG?"

"Captain Sir." The Ensign spoke up. "He is working now sir. Organizing his thoughts. I will make sure he gets down to the lab sir when he is ready. For now I think I shall have some desert now that I am not trying to starve these off." She hefted her breasts up with her hands and stood up. "It was not working anyway. It was just making them look even bigger as my waist shrank and they got firmer."

The Captain just shook her head as she left.

Two hours later the Captain walked into hold 72 G. Looking around at the two hundred foot deep pie shaped hold with the ship’s hull curving around the far side and a deck 50 feet above, with Jack and a small crew scattered amongst the dozen design and production consoles grouped together a few feet inside the hatch, she frowned. Even with the huge (cut in half) coil hovering in midair in the middle of the hold, the hold looked empty. Jack's arms and hands seemed to fly over the virtual keyboards surrounding him much too fast to keep track of as the coil suddenly multiplied into an engine and started running. Walking up behind Jack she noticed the thrust reading on the board beside Jack.

"Thirty million pounds of thrust is not much thrust Mr. Turner."

Jacks hands stopped flying as he turned around to the Captain. "It is when you are dealing with a fighter sir. We had a few minutes so I reduced the new combined coils down for a fighter engine sir. It will give them at least a good 2,000 Gee's acceleration sir."

"Ok now that is respectable even for a fighter but I would rather you have put your efforts toward improving the FMC engines Mr. Turner."

"Already done as well as for the fighter bombers sir. All the work the guys have been doing over the last few days has paid off. I was thinking about doing the upgrades for the torpedoes but realized with so many torpedoes already produced using the other coils it would not be cost effective right now to upgrade them as well. Besides I just thought of another modification I want to put on the FMC engines." Jack turned back and his hands started flying over the keyboards again. "How much time do we have Captain?"

The Captain looked at her watch and frowned. "About 10 minutes until we have to finish the transmission to make sure it gets through with no glitches. We may still be able to transmit for a half hour but I don't want to have to rely on vital information getting through that late."

Dr. Johnson burst into the hold. "I must protest Captain. How dare you give this uneducated moron preferential treatment with the best equipment. I was assigned by the congress to the Science Institute Research Directorate to head the alien equipment science studies department on this expedition." A group of men came in with the Doctor as a huge coil appeared out in the middle of the hold and then a few seconds later the coils multiplied to form an engine that sprang to life. The engine disappeared to be replaced by another coil that grew into another engine that sprang into life. Several more times coils and then engines sprang to life and then Jack turned around. "Ok Captain. Ready to transmit sir."

She looked up at the last engine and smiled. "Even included the new Ion coil and feed system for the torpedoes?"

"Sorry Captain, the Torpedo's are simply too small right now to put an Ion engine in them but I did redo the coils. More powerful to make them even faster and we can throttle it down to 50% thrust instead of having to burp them on and off. Allowing them to cruise at half thrust for longer range and then full thrust to attack.

The Captain smiled. "Very well Mr. Turner you may transmit…"

The engine disappeared as the console went dead. Several guys started dragging the power cable from the consoles out of the hold as others started disassembling the consoles.

"I am taking my equipment for my men to use Captain. If you object you can petition the council. Oh that is right. You are out of transmitter range now. Too bad."

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Jack lunged for the power cable and was knocked down by one of the men hitting him from behind as he grabbed the plug end.

The Captain bellowed. "You men stop what you are doing this instant. That is an order!"

"Sorry Captain." Said the Doctor smiling. "These are civilians and my crew. You can't order them around."

The Captain brought his wrist up to his mouth. "Security to deck72 hold G. Code 1. Emergency maintenance crew as well, stat." Turning back to the Doctor. "I am going to give you one chance to keep your butt out of the brig Doctor. Hook that terminal back up so we can transmit the engine specs before we are out of range and I won't execute you."

"Frack off Captain. I am the one that will decide if we need to send anything to earth after I have had time to check it over and I can tell you right now that the crap I have seen this idiot putting out won't be amongst it." Smiling. "Though I want to thank you for letting me develop the Ion drive engine Captain. By the time this ship gets back to earth my name is going to be famous."

The crewmen Jack had been working with around the consoles rushed across the hold trying to free the equipment or drag the men off the power cabled. Jack picked himself off the deck and started dragging the heavy one inch thick power cable back to the terminal only to get jerked to a stop. Several of the civilians were on the cable dragging Jack and the cable out. "Damn it! Get those scumbags off the cable!"

The closest crewmen turned and looked at Jack baffled for a second then started jerking the guys off the cable throwing them across the hold. Jack started dragging the cable again only to have another man grab the cable.

"Damn it guys! Will you clear the damn cable! Now! “Seeing that everyone was busy Jack started toward the man as the man sneered at him stopping him in his tracks. Backing up as he frowned. "Damn it." Jack looked down at the cable and then at the man sneering at him. Jack pulled himself hand over hand along the cable giving himself 7 or 8 feet of slack as the man pulled him across the deck. Then taking the loose cable end in his free hand as he kept pulling with the other he whipped the loose cable end around like a whip and hit the man in the head with its heavy plug end knocking the big man across the hold onto his face. Jack made a run for the terminal dragging the cable behind him. Plugging it in Jack started slapping the pieces of the terminal back together with practiced hands and was soon turning it back on as the rest of the crew did their best trying to keep the director's henchmen far from the cable until a marine squad ran in and started kicking butt.

"Captain." Jack pounded the glass top. "Damn it! Come on all ready. Load! Captain. I am sorry for not down loading it into the ship's memory but I was waiting until I had finished everything. How long do we have until we lose contact sir?"

The Captain looked down at her watch. "It is already past optimum transmit range. Only minutes Jack and that is if we are lucky. Anything we send now has no guaranty of being received."

Slapping the top of the table again. "Damn." The table finally lit up and Jack started slapping icons bringing up what he needed. "Well Cap. I am sending the files to the bridge so they can transmit them. We will just have to hope right?"

The Captain raised her wrist. "Bridge you should be receiving some files from Mr. Turner in this hold. Transmit them priority 1 A, Class secret. For retransmit. Immediately. Try to get a confirmation if you can, but send them anyway."

"Sending Cap." Jack sat back and took a deep breath as he turned to look at the civilians being rounded up with the Director.

"Yes, got the files Captain. Sending them now." The bridge came over the comm. "Priority A, Secret sir. We had contact a minute ago and the Red Dwarf knew to expect them, so they should go through."

The hold grew silent as most of the Doctor's men were ushered out under restraints.

"It won't do you any good Captain." The Doctor said with a shit eating grin. "I sent my report in already so I will have the Patent claim and the inventing fame for the engine and the other alien technology we have uncovered so far. And by the time we get back to Earth I will have the note books finished proving I came up with the design years ago before this moron's Grandfather stole it from me."

The Captain turned on the Doctor. "I don't give a fly's ass who has the patent rights or the credit and fame. What I do care is that valuable information that could save a lot of lives may not have gotten through when it was needed all because of you. If I were you I would start praying that the Black Dwarf gets this message Doctor. Because if it doesn't. What credit you do get will be posthumously and not what you are used to. Got that Doctor."

"Well if it is that important then stop the damn ship and go back to the Red Dwarf and send it."

"I am starting to think that the rumors I have heard of you stealing all your big discoveries from your subordinates and others is correct with that single statement alone. We are already going too fast to turn around and return back within range of the Black Dwarf in less than 4 days and then another day to turn back around and get back up to the speed we are at now. No. Any moron with a decent physics degree knows that but you don't. The famous program director of the Earth Research Institute with so many diverse patents and credits in your name already." The Captain's eyes narrowed. "Oh yes. You still are not as famous as Doctor Turner who invented the Reaction Mass Star Drive almost 100 years ago." Shaking her head. "You pitiful little weasel."

"I knew all along you could not go back to transmit Captain. I was just testing you."

The Captain smiled. "Well maybe then you already know that without me slapping a priority 1A label on what you sent to the Black Dwarf. Your shit claiming credit is still sitting in ships memory waiting for my approval to send after I cancel communications silence for everything but priority 1A messages."

"Don't look so green Doctor Johnson. I did send full documentation off as soon as Mr. Turner finished his first engine even before it was a success just in case things hit the fans before he could finish with my belief that earth certainly could work the bugs out if given time. And then again after he worked out the bugs with Mr. Turners name plastered all over the work which I also named the Turner Drive." The Captain motioned for a marine to take the Doctor. "And just so you don't worry. I will make sure your work gets transmitted as soon as this ship gets within range of the rock complete with charges of fraud for you to answer to." Turning back to Jack she raised her wrist again. "Comm; did you get a confirmation from the Black Dwarf?"

"Sorry sir, but no sir. That does not mean they did not get it. They have more powerful receivers than us sir."

"Thank you Comm. Try relaying a signal through the squadron trailing us please.”

"Already tried sir. We were out of their range an hour ago Sir."

"Very well. Captain out."

The Ensign came running into the hold, out of breath with her breasts bouncing with her long leaps. A pistol out waving around the hold. "Jack! Jack!" She screamed as she slowed down to stop when she found nothing wrong and everyone staring at herd. "I was told security was called for some kind of mutiny." She finally saw Jack sitting at the terminal and rushed past the Captain as she put away her weapon. Slowing down as she approached Jack, taking a deep breath. "Well looks like I was told wrong." Then she saw the cut on his head. "Damn it no!" She pulled out a scanner and put it to Jacks cut then scanned the rest of his head. "Only a cut and no concussion. You will live." She kept touching Jack on the arm and shoulder only to pull back and do it again. "What happened here?"

Jack looked up from the terminal as he expanded the controls around him again. "Oh not much. The idiot Doctor tried to take the terminal just when we were getting ready to transmit the coil specks, weapons and engine plans to the Red Dwarf and then Earth Central, The Rock and the factories. We managed to get the terminal back up but we don't know if the Black Dwarf got the transmission." He turned back to the terminal as his hands started flying again. "Damn it. I am locked out of the other terminals now. How are we supposed to work if we are locked out?"

The Captain smiled as she walked up. "Don't worry about it right now Jack. It has been a long day. It is time to knock off and get some off time and relax. I need you up and running at your best tomorrow morning and not half catatonic or a walking zombie again. You have the cock watch in the morning so get to bed early tonight. You can start helping the other groups after muster. In the mean time I will find out what is going on with them and how much damage the Director has done and get it repaired. We will talk about what needs worked on during our bridge watch." Turning to the Ensign. "I thought I told you not to let him out of your sight Ensign. This is why I gave you the damn pistol in the first place. Don't get out of his sight again or your head is going to roll." The Captain left the hold.

Jack turned around. "Shit! I hated having bridge duty with my father. I could never relax. Hell everything I did was always wrong."

"Don't worry Jack. The Captain is not like that. She runs a tight watch but pretty much ignores you unless you fuck up really bad. Now let's go. We have a couple hours before dinner so let's get some of your classes out of the way. I see you have been doing pretty well on your pretests but I think you can do better with a little help from me and take more than one a week."

"Crist! I have not even had time to shit let alone study and I am supposed to take two tests in one week?" You are totally crazy?"

"Yes or I wouldn't be with you. Now come along before I have to pull my gun to stun you for not following orders."

"Hay. I out rank you now."

"You don't out rank my gun. Now move it."

13-

WEAPONS PRACTICE

Jack sat at his desk answering questions on his terminal as the ensign entered them on hers. All she had to do was check a question sending it to Jack's terminal who then read and answered it verbally. Then the Ensign simply checked right or wrong and corrected him if it was wrong, which didn't happen very often. It allowed her to ask several questions a minute unless the answer was very involved. After a good hour the ensign finally took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at Jack.

"Ok ass hole answer it correctly or suffer the consequences.”

"But I already am an officer and piloting a starship. This is a waste of time. Besides so what if I don't pass all the pretests now. I have plenty of time later to take my time and enjoy the classes instead of cramming. Especially the ones I haven’t taken before which is most of the ones that are left."

"Sorry, the Captain does not see it that way. She wants you legally commissioned as soon as possible. Now answer the question correctly or suffer the consequences. "

Jack smiled at her and answered and she drew her pistol and shot him in the arm after she turned down the power with her thumb. "Godstar. That felt so frigging good."

Jack yelped as he reached for his arm with his other hand. "What the hell was that for? It didn't feel good to me."

"Good. That was for pissing me off. I told you that I would make you pay for a shit ass answer. Now answer the question if you can or I will shoot you again. Believe me, I have been wanting to shoot you for years and I will do it again."

Jack looked at his numb arm as he tried to move it. Finally flopping it up on his lap. "You little butt hole." Getting a baffled look on his face. "Why the hell would you have been wanting to shoot me for years? We just met a week ago." Shrugging his shoulders he smiled. "I am going to get even with you for this you know."

"Good. Now answer the question. And if you can't remember me, then I sure as hell aren’t going to remind you. Now answer the question."

Jack looked at her then frowned as he looked down at his arm. "I can't. I don't have a clue."

"Glory hallelooya! There is a god after all." She asked him another 20 questions then sat back pleased with herself. "Now that I know what you don't know. I can show you what you need to read so you will know without all the other crap." She started hitting the terminal pad. "Start reading while I line the rest up. I can quiz you about it before we go to bed." She smiled back over her shoulder at Jack. "You will be ready for the test tomorrow easily."

Jack walked into the Officers mess with the Ensign behind him. The ship was making a long run and had its maximum complement of 300 crewmen. Most had never seen each other before the assignment only hours before launch. He was starting to get used to her using him as cover to hide behind. Beside it made it easier for him not to look at her breasts as well. While most of the enlisted men seemed to go out of their way not to stare at the Ensign. Some Officers felt no compunction not to look and stare and comment in the busy officers’ mess. The senior officers were taking dinner with the Captain in the wardroom.

The Officer's dinner mess called for the officers to sit properly and wait for their dinners to be delivered to them. After finding an empty table for 4 (the smallest in the Officers mess) they sat down and talked as they waited. Mostly about the lesson Jack was studying. Then a couple of Lieutenants sat down smiling at the Ensign while giving Jack a cursory glance.

"You are looking very well tonight Ensign." Said the one on the right seated next to her as he kept looking down at her breasts.

The lieutenant across from her next to Jack smiled. "I hear you have been assigned Navigator on the Captain's watch. Isn't that a full lieutenant's post?"

Jack smiled at the lieutenant. "She should make lieutenant by the end of the week."

"If I wanted to see your mouth flap JG. I would have asked you. Why don't you go and bug someone of your own rank at another table? This little lady is busy."

Jack turned to the Ensign. "Are you busy tonight Ensign?" Four dinner plates were placed on the table before them.

The Lieutenant raised his hand waving his finger in front of Jack to get his attention. "I said to shut your trap JG and leave. I did not tell you to talk to the young lady. Yes she is busy. She is going back to my cabin to discuss some very important Navy business concerning those beautiful mountains so get lost. Now! That is an order."

Jack started turning red as his jaw tightened up and he balled his fists. Turning his chair to get up he started to reached across the table for the lieutenant. The Ensign reached out with her left arm and pulled Jack back into his seat. She raised her right hand with the pistol in it and fired directly into the lieutenant's chest. He collapsed slumping strait down. His face falling into his dinner plate with a thump splashing food out over his perfect white uniform and the table.

Turning to the other Lieutenant she smiled. "Now do you want to take these boobs back to your cabin?" She smiled from ear to ear as she pushed them forward closer to him as she leaned over the table.

The lieutenant looked from his buddy to the Ensigns boobs and back again and then looked into her eyes as his mouth started moving without saying anything as his gaze dropped down to her boobs again with his lips still moving, his eyes as big as gulf balls.

"Aaank wrong answer." She pulled the trigger and the lieutenant slumped down into his seat getting a face full of food.

Turning in her chair she got up with her full plate. Everyone in the mess stared at them frozen. "Come on Turner. I don't like the company at this table." Picking up her plate she turned and sat down at the table behind them with a female lieutenant sitting at it. Jack sat down next to her as he continued to glance over his shoulder at the two lieutenants still out cold.

The female Lieutenant looked down at her plate then up at the Ensign and said. “Where do I get one of those?"

The Ensign just smiled at her. Then turned to Jack and continued the lessons without even a glance over her shoulder. Later she walked over to get a desert and another guy dropped to the deck out cold.

A few minutes later the Master at arms Chief came down from the ward room. "Ok children what happened here?" As he looked at the two lieutenants just starting to recover.

The Female Lieutenant sitting next to the Ensign stood up. "Well Chief. Those guys just simply dropped where they sat. I think they got a little excited while they were talking about screwing each other. If you ask me it was shameful but it is not mine to judge."

The Chief looked around and noticed the guy laying on the deck in the corner by the desert table. "And I take it that guy just got excited about the deserts?"

"Well sir. I have heard that a few officers have some wild fetishes." She smiled down at the Ensign trying to suppress a laugh. "He did seam awfully excited to hear about the new donuts with the extra small holes."

The Chief looked at the Ensign and did a double take at her boobs. His eyes getting rather large for a few seconds before looking around the compartment. He walked over and checked the two lieutenants again and then turned to an ensign a few tables away. "What did you see Ensign?"

"Just a couple of big mouthed idiot pricks making inappropriate plans falling over each other sir."

Turning back to the lieutenant still standing at her table he spotted the weapon at the Ensigns hip. Walking up to her he held out his hand. "Do you have authorization to carry a weapon aboard ship Ensign? You are not part of my security teams."

The Ensign took another bite of her desert then reached into her bra exposing quite a bit more and held a card up for the Chief to see. "With everyone on the crew new. It is understandable you don't know me. Signed by the Captain, Chief. "

The Chief ripped his gaze away from the big valley between her breasts and looked at the card. Then back at her breasts. Then back at the card and moved the card so he could see her cleavage as if he was reading the card though he was still looking down her bra.

"Chief! Now it is one thing when pricks make rude comments and indecent proposals concerning illegal orders, as well as the use foul language referring to my extended attributes, but it is also against regulations to use your authority to ogle those same private attributes." The Ensign turned placing her attributes directly below his nose so he would have to look down with her eyes locking onto his and a hand on the butt of her weapon. "Do I need to show you how proficient I am? I could use some more target practice tonight sir."

The Chief slowly handed her the card without looking away from her cold eyes then turned and left the mess. The female lieutenant sat back down with a smile on her face and everyone returned to eating as if nothing had happened. Except for the two Lieutenants who were starting to wake up and smearing their dinners all over their heads and uniforms. A medical team showed up a few minutes later but simply checked the saps for vital signs and that no food blocked their airways.

The Ensign finished her banana split and this time led Jack out of the officers’ mess with her head held high and smiling from ear to ear.

14-

SUDDEN DEADLY DETOUR

The Captain came onto the bridge with Jack and the Ensign already sitting at their posts. The rest of the bridge relief's slowly trickling in as the Ensign talked to one of the outgoing females.

"That was so cool last night at mess." Said the female Lieutenant. "Someone should have done that a long time ago with those jackasses."

The Captain could not quiet hear what the Ensign was saying as she answered the young woman. She had heard of what had happened and was trying to make up her mind if she should take official notice or not. The officers in the incident had not filed a complaint so far, telling her that the Ensign was probably justified but she did not want her going rouge on the ship.

Jack looked over at the Ensign and then up through the deck and then back at the Ensign still talking. "Are you going to do something pretty soon?"

"No. I think I did quite enough last night."

"Last night? No." Jack pointed up and then at the forward enhanced view screen. "Are you going to do something about that before we hit it?"

The Ensign looked up through the deck and then at the screen as did the Captain but the Captain could not see anything in the screen let alone up through the overhead. Looking over to the sensor screen the Captain saw nothing ahead on it as well.

"Damn it." Jack reached across to the navigator's board and punched in a new course one handed. His hand flying over the console for a few seconds simply punching in a course without using the computer to calculate anything and hit enter. The course line made a radical sudden steep turn to Starboard into a climb with the main engines thrust going to 120% and around something big ahead that the Captain could not see out the sensor screens.

"What are you doing Jack?" The Ensign said. "There is nothing there." She pointed at the view screen and then at the sensor screens. "What are you doing?" She started typing in a return course back to the original line of travel only to have Jack slap her hands away.

"No!" Jack frowned. "You can't see that?" He pointed up to the side as the fleet strained through its steep turn to go up and around whatever was out there. The deck coils winning to keep up. "Godstar Woman! You have to see that." Jack had spent years with his eyes looking out of the bridge ports watching wonders pass the ship few seamed to even notice let alone appreciate. He just figured the marvels were old lawn ornaments to them with everyone else on the bridge many years his senior and never gave it a second thought. Another reason he was picked on as much time as he stared in wonder out the damn ports at nothing. Especially if it was not out the ports.

"See what." She looked to the side around Jack in the direction the ship was now traveling as its engines were hard at work at 1200 Gees thrusting them to the side of and changing the fleet’s course. The Ensign started to type a return course and this time Jack simply reached across and placed his hand over hers keeping her from typing while he worked the controls with his other hand to follow the course he had set.

The Ensign stopped typing since she had no choice as she looked up at Jack bighting her lip and then suddenly past Jack to the side at something and froze as her expression changed to terror. "Shit all mighty. What the hell is that?" Trying to say more, her mouth dropped open for a few seconds and then she licked her lips and continued to stare frozen in place.

The ship close to the ships starboard side started to drift toward the Parsley and Jack moved the Parsley to one side to give the ship time to react and then hit the emergency com at the top of his board. "USS Ketchup! Watch your position. Please steepen your turn."

"Ketchup to Parsley. What the hell is going on? We are having problems with the grav generators." The Captain of the ship was straining to breath and talk. "We are at five Gee's on the deck reporting casualties. Request permission to ease maneuver."

Jack looked out the side screen and frowned. "Negative Ketchup. Cross connect your secondary power supply to your coils but maintain maneuvering thrust. Command to all ships; give the Ketchup room. Slide over but maintain thrust."

"What the hell are you doing Turner? Get the ship back on course now. Ensign plot a course for the fleet back to our heading."

"No Captain. Not at that monster sir." she said pulling her hand from beneath Jacks to point at something off to the side.

The Captain's mouth dropped open as she looked at Jack busy trying to keep the ship away from the wondering ships in the formation and the Ensign who looked terrified, starring through the side bulkhead screen that showed nothing to the Captain. Examining the fleet tactical, she saw several ships drifting dangerously close to others. She slapped the fleet comm. "All ships cross connect grav coil power supplies. Watch your spacing and the ships around you Gentlemen."

"Captain!" The Comm officer turned around. "Casualties being reported by half the ships in the fleet sir. The Vinegar, Garlic, Butter, ahhh many ships asking permission to reduce thrust sir."

The Captain looked at Jack busy with both hands flying over the control board trying to keep his own ship in position in the fleet while glancing at something out the port side viewport with a worried tight lipped frown verging on panic every few seconds. His line of sight followed something that seemed to pass the ship rather rapidly before returning to something ahead of the ship. The Ensign still frozen starring in shock. Looking out the port herself still without seeing anything and then back at the frozen expression of the gawking Ensign. She turned to the Comm officer. "Permission denied maintain thrust at all costs." The Captain shook her head frowning as she looked back at the screens and then at Jack and the Ensign's terrified face and back at the side external screen. "Sensors focus on space ahead on our course. Is something out there or not?" A few seconds later she thought she could see something but was not sure. Something that was not there but was. It took another 5 minutes for her to finally be sure she was seeing a haze slowly growing more distinct mass off to one side in the direction the ship was headed. No, some kind of cloud. The ship seemed to be headed toward a faint cloud. Looking down at the Ensign still starring. "Ensign." Said the Captain.

"Captain!" The sensor operator practically yelled. "I am picking up a Class R cloud sir; small Ice and rocks sir. At a temperature so close to absolute Zero our sensors could not detect it at range. Density readings have a 90% chance of at least one ship being hit by a one pound rock with smaller rocks impacting multiple ships per minute sir."

The Ensign slowly looked up and sat back in her chair as the sensor screen came to full life. "I thought I was seeing things." She looked up startled at the Captain then started rapidly hitting keys. "Captain, I think we are going to miss it but not by much. We are starting to climb up to starboard toward a notch or gap in the cloud. It is going to be close." The Ensign said. "If we had more time…We have been out running the range of our sensors Captain." The Ensign looked up half scared as she turned around to look at the Captain as did half the bridge crew.

The Captain's face remained calm as she forced a half smile as she looked at the navigation plot seemingly unconcerned. The crew slowly returned to concentrate on their stations. But she knew that if they had waited until they could see the cloud on their screens they would have plowed right into it with no possibility of missing it and at their speed the cloud could have done a lot of damage to the fleet. Looking back at Jack as the bridge seemed to settle down she shook her head as Jack kept the ship on course with a more relaxed normal manner while keeping a close eye on the edge of the growing cloud as they approached it.

"Captain." the Comm officer turned around in her seat. "Ah half the ships are requesting permission to increase thrust if they can sir. Some think they can get up to 130%."

The Captain looked at the Ensign. "Navigator are you sure we are going to miss the cloud?"

Looking closely at her screen she frowned and without turning around. "Yes sir. It will be close. I have changed course a few points to center on the notch Jack was headed for. Catching the fringes of it with a few gas particles that should do little, hopefully no damage to the fleet sir."

"Very well. Comm, Fleet; maintain plot. Navigator, turn the fleet into the cloud just before we enter the fringe. Even gas particles can damage a ship hitting it broadside." Turning to the science station. "Lieutenant leave a beacon torpedo here to slow down and mark this for our following squadron as well as future ships. And make sure it is IFF coded."

"Programing it now sir." Said the weapons officer.

Jack leaned a little closer to the view port. "Now that I can relax a little I have to admit that cloud is quiet beautiful." They could see a finger sticking up to one side of their course as they rapidly passed it in their approach and soon it became obvious that they were headed for a notch in the gas cloud as it continued to grow to monster proportions.

"Captain.” Said Comm. "All ships report grav coils cross connected. Sending casualty reports to medical. No major damage reported. Oh Captain sir. I... I have reports of deaths sir from high G falls and even… Even… Sir! Coils failed to keep up with the acceleration. God sir. The Honey sir. One whole deck jumped to 15 Gees before cross connecting returned the deck to normal. At least 20 died that were not in their bunks sir. They are still counting though they have found a few survivors not in their bunks but they are critical."

Jack turned starring at the Comm. Officer. Frozen in place as the ship started wondering toward another.

"Mr. Turner!"

Jack glanced at the approaching ship and changed course sliding back to the ships station as he bit his lip.

"Mr. Turner. It is not your fault. You did good saving the fleet. Hitting that cloud would have torn the fleet to pieces probably destroying several ships at least, if not most. We have learned a new lesson to keep the coils cross connected for just such emergencies even after we beef up the power supplies for new ships. It is a shame that sometimes lessons cost the lives of good crewmen but it cannot be helped. All we can do is make sure their sacrifices were not in vain. At least now we know what needs improving next and put sensors at the top of the list." She watched Jack grimace as he stared at the approaching cloud.

"Captain, Comm. More Casualty reports coming in. Another ship has reported massive…"

"Comm! Forward all casualty reports to medical and shut up. The bridge does not need a running commentary. We will get a full report later." Taking a deep breath she wondered how Jack could have seen the cloud when no one else could. Especially up through the ship since he wasn't looking at the screen when he panicked, but it was going to have to wait. "Mr. Turner, do you have any ideas how we can improve our sensors to keep this from happening again?"

Jack stared ahead for several minutes as they worked their way toward the top of the cloud while other islands and fingers started disappearing past and below them.

"Ensign, how long before we turn into the cloud?"

"I don't know how Jack did it but he had us going damn close to this notch through its edge to start with. I did not have to fine tune course by much. I am not detecting anything in the 10,000 mile wide, 100,000 mile deep notch but I am still delaying turning into it as long as possible to get as high as possible into it. I have it set for 32 minutes from…. Mark... that will put us close but going through the upper part of the notch instead of the lower as it runs up across the top of the cloud."

Jack took a breath. "The problem with sensors is the speed of light being so slow." Jack started talking as he watched the ships around him very closely. "That is Ok, with most passive sensors detecting objects with heat that do not move fast. But for things out in the deep cold space this fare out between stars where heat is all but nonexistent we have a problem. That is why we use gravity wave sensors but we still have a hard time detecting small masses from any distance or spread out such as this cloud. The week gravity waves from the spread out matter become part of the back ground waves."

Jack thought for a few seconds. "While I don't have a clue right now about single ships, I think that if we connect the fleet ships individual sensors together with lasorcomms between ships into one large sensor array, we should have no problem seeing even this small mass density in plenty of time." Turning around in his chair to look at the Captain. "Give me time and I will figure it out Captain." Then turned back to watching the fleet and space ahead.

Jack turned to glance at the Ensign a half hour later as she counted down to one and he started the slow easy pitch over as they approached the canyon through the cloud. Backing off gradually on the throttles at the same time. The ship entered the top of the canyon and raced up the slot. The fleet pitching over fast enough to stay above the cloud but not raise above the rim. Jack watched the towers from the cloud raise far above them on the port and starboard sides as the stars again became sharp points of light ahead. It looked like something had simply gouged out the canyon to make the towers. Hours later the canyon started dropping down away from the fleet and then finally the cloud disappeared behind them.

Jack finally sat back and relaxed as he was tapped on his shoulders. "I relieve you sir."

"What?" Jack looked up at the bridges clock. He was two hours into the next shift. Looking around he saw that no one even looked familiar on the bridge except for the Ensign who was being relieved as well. Checking his board one last time he gave the pilot the ships course, known obstacles ahead and condition of the propulsion engines then got up. His muscles creaking as he moved working out the cramps. Jack stood beside the other pilot for a good minute just taking in the sights relaxing.

"You are relieved Mr. Turner." The First Officer said. "Please leave the bridge." The Ensign waited at the hatch looking at Jack.

As they passed the open hatch to the Captain's day cabin the Captain's voice carried out into the passageway. "Mr. Turner will you please come in."

Jack stopped in mid stride. Stepped back to the hatch and stuck his nose through it. "Yes Captain?"

"Come in for a minute." The Captain was laying on the bunk with her back against the bulkhead with her hands behind her head. Her legs crossed. The bunk was surrounded by screens showing what the command chair usually did. A computer terminal and chair took up the end of the narrow compartment at the foot of the bed, anther chair sat beside the head of the bed at a writing desk. A small door to a head, a sink, drawers, cabinets and a closet big enough for a battle suit lined the bulkhead of the passageway from the bridge. Pointing to the terminal. "Sit… What was it that you saw Mr. Turner that prompted you to take control of the fleet?"

"Ah." With no idea what to say he didn't even try. "Thanks Captain but I would rather stand. I have been sitting a long time. My butt and back are killing me." Jack started stretching his back from side to side as he rubbed his butt.

The Ensign poked her head around the corner standing in the hatch.

"Come in Ensign. You saw it too. At least you can sit." The Ensign slowly, tentatively stepped into the cabin and sat down at the terminal. "So what did you see Mr. Turner?"

"Ah just a big blank growing wall sir. That is until I spotted some fingers and islands going by to give me some depth and I realized how close we were and that I was sure we did not want to go through it. I tried once in The Game on a similar cloud. I almost lost my ship and years later I watched an enemy fleet hit one almost as dense as that one looked and all I had to do after wards was pick off the damaged survivors. I was able to capture a half dozen ships. Though a couple almost cost as much to repair as buying one. The ones I felt sorry for were the ones I watched come apart at the seams as the cloud tor them up."

"What the hell. How long have you been playing The Game? No never mind for now." Turning to the Ensign. "What did you see?"

"The same thing once Jack pointed it out a dozen times. I saw the solid wall and the finger sticking out to the sides of us getting closer as we were turning. I thought we were a goner for sure. I was Captain of one of the ships in the fleet Jack talked about being destroyed. The ship came apart around me. I had to start over. It took me months to work back up to my own ship again and then I figured out what Jack's name was in the game."

Jack looked at her, his eyes getting wide. "So that is how you know me and why you want me dead. You are the Battle Bitch."

The Ensign rolled her eyes. "Godstar you are stupid."

"Well the fleet owes you both a dept of gratitude. You were right. The cloud could have severely damaged the fleet destroying several ships. I would like the ship's Doctor to take a look at your eyes but I will just put it down as better than normal eyesight for now. I suppose it is a byproduct of you two being neutron star babies. We will have to see about using that ability in the future Mr. Turner but for now you look like shit. Get yourself to chow and then your bunk for a few hours' sleep and then I need you to figure out networking the fleet sensors and don't forget you still have mid watch again along with everything else on your list."

"Don't need to sir." Jack said stretching as he leaned against the bulkhead. "Astronomers already have programs to tie sensors together to form large arrays. You should have them in your data base already. The military used to use them as well hundreds of years ago when all they had where weak radio waves and telescopes for sensors. You just need to use modern secure comm gear to make the connections and reprogram in the differences in the speed between light and gravity waves. Our comm tech department should be able to do that easily...”

"Got them Captain." The Ensign said turning to glance over her shoulder from the terminal. "Programming in our comm protocols and the speed of gravity waves and I will have it for you in a few minutes."

Jack walked over next to the Ensign and looked over her shoulder as she worked. "No, it would work better if you move that to..." Pointing at an algorithm.

She cut him off. "No. it will work just fine. Just wait for me to finish."

"But you have too… Oh well. I guess that will do but... I think...”

"I have it, see. This makes sure the signal is not delayed. OK." The Ensign glanced up at Jack.

"Yes I see but you have to combine and repeat… Ok." Jack watched her for a few seconds then rolling his eyes. "Fine but what about corrupted packets...”

"But nothing moron! It works just fine without having to repeat everything a dozen times. It does not matter if it is not perfect. It does not matter if it missis a few bits once in a while. The rate of new data from each sensor is so great that anything missed once will be replaced by new before anything could be repeated. This way the result is always from the newest data and not backed up or cashed data which just wastes time and corrupts the images and degrades the clarity. We are not dealing with accounting or bank deposits so a small percentage of corrupted information does not matter."

"Ok ladies. Get it done already." The Captain smiled at their arguing.

"I am down loading it to the other ships now Captain." The Ensign said as Jack turned shaking his head in exasperation. "It should be up and running in a minute if I did not screw up while being interrupted every few seconds." She gave Jack a look of irritation then sneered.

The screens around the Captain died then lit up a few seconds later with several planet sized bodies scattered across the empty space a light year ahead of them with an increasing number of smaller and smaller bodies the closer you got to the fleet. You could see the dense areas of space mater and the clear areas with not even gas clouds ahead of the fleet in the navigation tank. "Damn this will make navigating a breeze." The Ensign said turning to Jack. "Ok let's get breakfast. I am starving."

Jack stepped up to the head of the bunk next to the Captain to look at the screen over and behind her head showing the cloud now behind them and his mouth dropped open. In the center of the cloud was a star that seemed to be in a small void with a small planet circling it. "I thought I saw a little spot that was a little brighter than the others." Tapping a few icons as he leaned over above the Captain. "Damn it. I can't get a reading on its temperature or anything else about it through the cloud. The cloud must be even denser than I thought. Strange. The cloud seems to be mostly static not moving in any direction, not even orbiting the star inside. How is that possible?"

"Mr. Turner that is enough for one day. Thank you Ensign for getting our sensor array up and running so nicely. See me when you have gotten some rest. I have another job for you Mr. Turner. Now both of you, off you go. My breakfast is getting cold." Jack and the Ensign left the Captains Day Cabin as a steward was bringing in a tray.

Jack walked off the elevator platform on deck 72 heading for hold G and his research terminal but noticed a large group of men and women in long lab coats through the open hatch in one of the other holds. Curiosity led Jack to the open hatch.

"We spent 6 hours locked into our bunks this morning without a word of reason from the birthing officer. After throwing the Doctor in the brig we need to show them we will not take being treated like cattle. We have rights." The old balding man stood on a chair so he could be clearly seen by his fellow scientist.

Jack smiled as the Ensign stopped beside him and started speaking to Jacks surprise as her voice seemed to carry across the hold. "You Gentlemen should kiss your asses with joy for being alive. The casualty figures for the fleet after the little action we went through this morning is over 60 crewmen dead and hundreds wounded. Now I am sorry you all were inconvenienced but some or all of you could have been killed or badly hurt. Besides you should have been in your bunks sleeping anyway unless you were up to mischief. Which is the only reason you would have been out of your cabins that early in the morning." Looking around the group. "Again."

"What? We were in a battle and were not told about it. I thought we were headed for the Rock and Earth. We were lied to." The man was some distance away as he concentrated on the crowd around him.

"No you were not lied to." The Ensign bellowed drowning out his voice to Jack's surprise again. "The fleet came close to hitting a cloud and had to perform an extreme maneuver stressing every ship in the fleet to the limit and some of the deck grav coils could not keep up. You were kept in your bunks as was most of the crew to keep you safe."

"What? The grave coils could malfunction?" They started looking around the hold. "God damn Navy can't even maintain grav coils that are supposed to be idiot proof if maintained properly."

"What can I say? The coils were never designed for 1200 Gee's nor was the power supplies." The Ensign smiled.

"If you are going to defend your Navy, don't tell such big lies Ensign. I don't care how good Mr. Turner’s engine upgrade is. That big a jump in acceleration is impossible." The man looked at the Ensign over the heads of the crowd around him. "You just wanted us kept quiet while you abused our director for not putting up with the normal Navy crap. You just wait until we stop at the forward supply base and the senate sends orders."

"You really that worried about your director?" Jack spoke up. He did not want to be there but orders were orders and he started walking toward the research console closest to the hatch shaking his head in disbelief. "No change in plans, we were never stopping at the forward supply base. At this speed stopping is a waste of time. We are going straight to The Rock instead of making such long detours that are not needed now. Which is why we ran into the cloud. No one had ever gone through this part of space before as empty as it is or thought to be." Pushing his way through the few scientists still around the console Jack started typing on the glass top. "You people need to start worrying about staying alive and doing your jobs to save the Republic. We have a lot of information about the enemy now and it is your job to help improve our weapons from what we have learned so we can fight back. It is imperative that you people help with the programs we have going, before we reach comm range of The Rock. I have sent you all a list of the programs for you to choose from. And just to remind everyone. All information will be shared between groups and Command. All information."

"Just who the hell do you think you are Lieutenant?"

"I am the Navy liaison officer to you wonderful people."

"And don't you forget that Mr. Turner. I am in charge of the investigation programs." The Director pranced into the hold as Jacks mouth dr0pped open in disbelief. "Ok, I want department heads to follow me now. The rest of you return to your assigned terminals or holds."

Jack started to follow the Director but the Director held up his hand toward Jack. "This is a department heads meeting Mr. Turner. I will call you when we have something to report." Then turned around and started to leave the hold.

Jack frowned and turned back to the console and started typing. "Ok I may as well as get started."

The Ensign walked up to Jack and grabbed his elbow dragging him away from the terminal. "You are the liaison for the Navy and in charge of all the programs. The Director's only job is assigning his scientist to the programs they can help best at. You are the department head and need to be on top of everything that is going on around here." They followed the Director as she whispered gruffly just for him to hear. "I have followed this ass holes carrier. Don't let him push you out or you will be of no use to the Navy. He will hide everything important until he can publish and take credit for his results long after it will be of any use to the Navy or help win this war."

"What do you mean, I am the department head? You and me do not make much of a department."

"You are in charge of all the Navy personnel that have been reassigned to these projects. All the personnel that was transferred from around the fleet that helped you make the upgrades for the engines. That includes the side programs you asked the Captain to start. You actually have more personnel than the Director does."

"What the hell. I don't know anything about being a department head."

She smiled over at him. "Then you are going to have to learn fast. You can start by following the Director's Department heads around and getting to know them while learning from them. But really, with your father being a Captain you should already know more than you think. Not to mention you were a Captain in The Game. I served under you enough times to know you are a good Captain in The Game. Now start acting like a Captain even if it is real life."

Jack stared at her as they walked. "You served under me in The Game?"

"Yes you moron. So did Tom and half the crew on the Turner Joy, but they did not know it was you. Well except for Tom." At Jack's Baffled look. "I grew up with you remember. I would know you no matter what name you used. Though it took a while for me to realize and confirm it Captain Hunter 22. Though you spent part of your game time as an Admiral commanding your fleet of special ships. Now those are the ships we need to defeat these guys."

"Shit!" Jack got wide eyed as his mouth dropped open. "What was, no. What is your real name?"

"Tell you later when you figure it out. We talked enough in The Game."

"No, if you were on the Turner Joy. I should know your real name and I don't. What is it?"

She stopped in mid stride getting a disgusted look at him as she shook her head. "Well, if you don't recognize me yet, you never will. Too bad. Suffer." Then took several quick steps to catch up to the Doctor. Dragging Jack with her.

They fallowed the Director and his department heads onto an elevator platform. "Mr. Turner I told you, I would call you when we had something." The director and several of his top department heads ignored the ensign as if she was not there, though most could not keep their eyes off of her boobs and did not even try to hide it. The Director seemed all too busy to notice anything but himself at the moment, let alone the Ensigns attributes.

"Yes I heard you Director. I thought I would just give you another chance to try and kill me on the trip up the chase. How many are you going to threaten their families and order to their deaths this time?" The Director gave Jack a dirty look as the platform started up and did not stop until it reached Senior Officers Country. The scientists standing as far away from Jack as they could stand. Several started looking at the Director with strange looks. Several Department heads started discussing possible weapon upgrades but was pointedly interrupted by the Director. Jack and the Ensign followed them across half that deck to a hatch that said Admiral's suits. An old bald scientist blocked Jack from entering as the last of them entered then closed the hatch in his face with a smile.

Jack stepped back looking at the hatch for a few seconds and the Director's name and tittle glued across the front of the hatch. Taking a deep breath and shaking his head. "Now that was rude." He turned around and started to leave. "Thanks Ensign, for embarrassing me again."

"You are welcome Jack but shall we go in now before we miss the meeting. It should be interesting. “She placed her palm on the lock sensor plate and opened the hatch. “This is Navy property and as officers, we have access to the flag suits. She walked through the hatch and down the passageway stopping outside an open hatch.

Jack caught up with her and heard the Director inside talking. "A toast to the holy Grail Gentlemen. By the time we get done stripping the programs Mr. Turner and the Navy has developed over the last few weeks and what we now have on the enemy and their secrets, we all are going to be rich and famous for thousands of years. That damn boy and his Ion drive is just going to be a footnote after we publish the advanced technology from my discoveries. It is a shame we could not get information any closer to them at this time but the probes and scouts that did managed to send information back should give us plenty for our first papers." The director walked over to several young department heads sitting a little off from the others glaring at them. "Just remember everything goes through me first and then I will decide what the Navy is told and when. Remember anything we give the Navy we cannot patent and make money off of let alone get credit for."

"But Director." The youngest of the group spoke up. "If we wait too long the Navy won't be able to use our findings to defeat the enemy."

"You just let me worry about that Smith, but most of what we find will do the Navy little good in any battles for years to come. Plenty of time for us to publish and take credit for the advances."

"What is this about us and we?" The Ensign spoke up. "The only one that has ever gotten credit under your directorship is you director while dozens if not hundreds of good scientists have been barred from ever working again after you publish your great famous papers and black list your associates. Hell you don't even bother to re-right them in your own words anymore before banishing their authors to obscurity unless they play your game and kiss your ass." Looking at the junior department heads she smiled as she walked over and poured two drinks from the open container on the bar. "Big shame too. When Dr. Turner ran the place they had hundreds of famous research scientists making discoveries every year. Which is probably why you were able to boot him out. He did not have his name and only his name attached to every paper that left the Directorate."

All their eyes followed her as she handed Jack one of the small glasses. "Here is to the Navy you are not going to be allowed to shit on." Taking a good drink. "This is a Navy ship and the information you are trying to horde has been bought with the lives of Navy crewmen and ships. Everything you discover from that information is Navy property which is paying you good money for all your work. The Navy will also insure that everyone making important discoveries gets credit for those discoveries and not just you Director." Taking another drink killing the glass. "One minor thing you should remember is that anyone caught keeping information from Mr. Turner, the officially appointed Navel representative, will be terminated with prejudice for treason. Termination means just that, executed. You director do not have the military background to even try to decide what maybe vital to the Navy and the upcoming battles and saving the human Republic from extinction."

The Ensign sat down and smiled at them all as she got comfortable.

Jack joined her with most of his glass untouched.

As the Director stared at her open mouthed, the Ensign finally said. "Carry on Director. Don't let us slow you down. The Captain needs to know as much about the enemy weapons as soon as possible."

"How dare you come busting into my private quarters. Get out! Now! Your lies about the extinction of humanity is beyond credence."

"Sorry Director but these are not your private quarters. The only private, quarters you have aboard this ship is your sleeping cabin and then only if you are alone." The Ensign smiled. "Under Navel regulations that is Director."

"How dare you intrude? I will report you to your Captain. I will not work under such barbaric conditions. I am a civilian and I am not bound by your stupid rules. I have rights that supersede the Navy by the authority of congress and the President."

"Sorry Director but Congress has no direct authority in the Navy." The Ensign started in. "As far as working under such Barbaric conditions you all signed contracts requiring you to follow all commands from all Naval Officers including low life's like me as well as restricting what you can and cannot do that includes everything you develop is owned in part by the Navy even if you wait 10 years after the war to come out with it. Now the Navy is not going to care what you develop for the civilian market after the war but it does care what you work on now during the war. That is why Mr. Turner and I are here. To make sure you work on what the Navy needs you to work on whether you want to or not Director. So in fact Mr. Turner is your boss. You should count yourself lucky you did not get kicked out the airlock yesterday and try redeeming yourself by relying on your own hard work to earn yourself your own accolades for once. At least until you don't have to worry about some alien sticking something up your butt instead of your department heads dicks."

Jack reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, not believing what he was hearing. "Ok Ensign that will be enough. Let the Scientists get to work." Turning to the Director. "You have the list I made. You only have to assign your personnel to the projects you think they will do the best job at Director. Working on unauthorized projects will be deemed treason. The Admirals words."

The Director stared at them for a good minute as Jack nursed his drink. "You are not welcomed here. Get out. We are not doing anything while you are here."

"Guess I will just call the Captain and tell him to throw you back in the brig." Jack smiled. "Get used to me Director. You were brought along because you are good at stealing others ideas and technology and figuring out how to produce something worth something. Something most scientists are damn stupid at. You did not have to ruin the careers of the scientists you stole them from to make your fame but you did anyway. The Navy is not going to allow you to do the same here at least while you are aboard this ship."

The Director continued to stare at Jack as his face turned several shades of red. Finally he turned to the department heads and started making assignments and priorities until Jack butted in. "Sorry Director but we need you to concentrate on the list I have posted, weapons, the shields and communications equipment to begin with. Though Communications and shields will probably have to wait until we can get boots on a ship. You should be able to tell us a lot about their weapon's construction, capabilities and power since the barrels are sitting in plain sight and you have plenty of recordings of them firing and their effects on the scouts they blew out of this universe to get you that information. Then there are the weapons programs I have set up that need your help."

"That is not up to you Lieutenant. We are a civilian university operation and weapons are not a priority. The market and profits are not that big for general research on weapons even if the research is successful which it rarely is. "

"Sorry Director we are not interested in your profits. Just winning the war and knowing what the enemy weapons are and how to defeat them is our priority. So is upgrading and developing new weapons to defeat them. If you do not want to cooperate to our benefit then you are a traitor and there is no reason for you to be breathing Navy air."

The Director gave Jack a look of hate and changed the list of priorities then went on getting into the details about assigning personnel. With Jack vetoing several appointments the Director tried to make to the Navy Teams but finally with the basic assignments done, Jack used his sheet to make the rounds around the teams so he could see how they were doing. Not content to just sit and listen to the Director once he started at least sounding like he was cooperating.

Finally Jack could not take the director any longer when he went into his fifth story about past developments and the fantastic role he played in them. With plans flying around his head and the sheet in front of him filled with calculations and lists made while talking with all the projects, only half listening to the Director wasting time. Jack excused himself and headed for the hatch. He had a dozen teams to visit, organize with the new people and even change the focus of a couple that had gone a bit awry from what the Navy needed at the moment. Stopping at the hatch Jack turned around. "Director; thanks for your cooperation. I will check in with you and your people later. You should…. No, will have some basic information by then or...” Jack thought about including some kind of threat but cringed at the idea. He had spent too many years being threatened every time he turned around.

Jack and the Ensign walked out. As they walked down the passageway they heard the hatch slam close behind them with a thud.

The Ensign turned around at the noise and said. "So much for studying weapon's barrels and shield antennas and the new engines and warheads." She stepped through the exit hatch from the Admiral's suit as Jack held it open for her. "And finding out for sure how much armor really is on those Battleships is not going to be one of their priorities either."

"That's ok. They will still get it done if for no other reason than to hide what they really are doing. At least for a while. Hopefully long enough to get what we need. You can't expect much more when the enemy is doing the research."

"And what if he destroys your academic carrier while he is doing it? Like he did your grandfather."

"What academic carrier? I am a space rat like my father before me and his father before him. The fact that this asshole destroyed my grandfather's so called academic carrier is why he settled down, bought a Tramp ship like his father before him and then my father had me." Jack smiled. "I guess I may even owe him a hug of thanks."

The Ensign turned cold hateful eyes on Jack for a second until he started laughing and then hit him a good one on the shoulder.

"So tell me your real name, how I know you. Your name plaque does not ring a bell."

She groaned shaking her head and walked off.

Life settled down on the ship with Jack spending his time amongst the research teams, studying during chow, some very boring watches and his sleep periods with the Ensign in the bunk next to him. The busy days went fast and the Ensign still refused to tell him who she was and how she knew him.

15-

EAGLE EYE SENSORS

Jack's comm sounded. Tapping his wrist, the Captain's voice shot out at him. "Mr. Turner; we need you on the bridge if you please."

Jack turned to look at his wrist comm baffled. "Ahh. Be right up Captain. "

Jack was still reading a report sheet as he followed the Ensign when they entered the bridge. The Ensign stopped next to the Captain in the Command Chair and Jack bumped into her as he was reading. After standing for a few seconds as Jack continued to read the lit sheet in the glume, she nudged him. "Jack?"

Jack looked up from the sheet, taking a second to notice his surroundings and said. "Reporting as ordered Sir."

"Very well Mr. Turner." The Captain pointed at the main screen. "What do you make of that?"

Jack studied the screen for a few seconds and then went forward to the screen and stared at it for half a minute. "Could you dim the lights or even shut them off for a few minutes please." The Captain ordered the lights shut off leaving only the light from the screens which dimmed automatically over a few minutes as the crews eyes acclimated to the darkness. Finally Jack reached out and tapped the edge of the screen bringing up a virtual keyboard in front of him. He started adding sensors inputs to it going up and down the spectrum including the gravity board sensors. The screen soon was crisscrossed with vague lines and clouds cress crossing it in multitudes of colors across the spectrum and beyond what normal humans could see. "Shit all mighty. Godstar help us. We are screwed."

"My Godstar that is beautiful." The Ensign said.

The Captain looked and shook her head. "All I see is a bunch of confusing lines and a mush of color that does not make any sense to me. There is nothing to see."

"Oh aaa. Yes sir. Ahh, Jack and I can see a little beyond the normal radiation bands most people can see sir. That is how he, ah we saw the cloud we, the fleet almost ran into sir."

Jack looked at the Ensign with a frown and then at the Captain. "Ah, Sir. What do you see on the main screen sir?"

The Captain looked from Jack to the Main screen and shook her head. "All I see is a bunch of shades of gray clouds, a whole bunch of points of light, a few with red, orange and yellow colors I take it are stars and mostly black empty space." Looking at Jack. "What do you see?"

"Ah, and you really did not see that cloud last week until the sensors operator put it on the main screen and tactical?"

"No Lieutenant. All I saw was black empty space."

"Then why did you let me take control of the fleet sir?"

"I have to trust my officers Lieutenant or I would not be a Captain or an Admiral. I knew you were good at what you do, though I am still learning what that is. You and finely the Ensign were terrorized by what you were seeing. That was good enough for me."

Turning to the pilot. "What can you see on the screen?"

Shrugging his shoulders. "Ah, just what the Captain said Lieutenant. Not much."

Narrowing his eyes skeptically and pointing at the deck. "Do you see the power cables running below the deck grates to the control consoles?"

"Oh come on Lieutenant. No one can see under the deck grates. Heck as dark as it is, I can't even see the deck grates. Ah do you mean if we turn on the lights and raise the deck grates?"

Jack could not believe his hears. Swallowing he continued. "This room looks as bright as day to me with the light given off by the gravcoils and power lines running through the deck and in the consoles not to mention the overhead screens."

The Lieutenant looked at Jack in disbelief. "Hell sir. I can barely see you as a dark blob now that my eyes have gotten used to the dark. What are you talking about gravcoil and power lines lighting up sir?"

"Jack!" The Ensign interrupted placing a hand on his arm. "Jack, we are the only ones that can see all those things. To everyone else space is just a dark empty void except for the pin point light from bright stars. They do not see the gravity and all the other energy waves we see."

Jack looked around at the bridge crew as someone just entering the bridge groped their way across from console to console bumping into things using her hands to feel her way around. "What? That is impossible!"

The Captain was about to say those same words and stopped as Jack said them.

Shaking his head Jack turned to the Ensign. "Ahh. What exactly can normal people see Ensign, since you seem to have some idea and I am in the dark, figuratively speaking."

"Ahh oh shit. That is a hard one. How do you show someone what the blind can see?" The Captain's mouth dropped open as she heard those words. The Ensign pushed Jack aside and started tapping on the virtual key board and the main screen went blank with only a few stars on it and nothing else. "That is what everyone else sees Jack."

"Yes I know that is all the screens show until I started tuning them to the other frequencies, but so what?"

"No Jack. That is what everyone else sees all the time. Even out the ports and in the open sky at night." As Jack stared at the screen she tapped again and the screen changed to show the darkened bridge. "And that is what the bridge looks like to the rest of the bridge crew and the Captain."

"What? No? No. That can't be. That is not possible. You have to be trying to put one over on me." Turning to the Captain. "Captain. Is that what you see the bridge is like right now?"

Not believing what she was hearing she answered. "Yes Lieutenant. That is what we are seeing. Ensign. Can you show me what the bridge looks like to you and Mr. Turner?"

"Ah... I think so Captain. Just give me a minute. It won't be exact but I think I can come close." She started typing and the screen started lighting up. First the power lines under the deck running to the different pieces of equipment and consoles and overhead screens lit up. "The power lines to the overhead lights start glowing when the lights are turned on but the visible light overwhelms the glow." The deck coils appeared with glowing circles radiating up from the deck and around the consoles and people with a soft purplish reflection off of the bulkheads and everyone. Barely perceptual waves of purple light seemed to wash over the bridge from different random directions at seemingly random levels of brightness. "The purplish glow is gravity waves from the coils and objects around the ship. I added what we would see if we were going through a star system or near a planet and moon with other ships in the area." A light orange glow was added to the background again almost imperceptible. "The soft orange is the background radiation of the universe. Again it is washed out by any other light or energy source at all." The bridge lit up blindingly from the side on the screen for a second. "Oh that was the radar from one of the other ships washing across us. We can see that from really long distances and the reflections almost as good as the ship that sends it."

The people standing on the bridge suddenly lit up with their hearts beating in their chests sending blood flowing throughout their bodies and then their brains started glowing with small pulses streaking through their spinal cords and again throughout their bodies lighting up the areas around them.

"What the hell, you can see peoples bodies and minds?" Jack snapped, shocked.

Looking up at Jack, her fingers rapped across the board and the glowing bodies disappeared. "Sorry I got carried away." Turning to the Captain. "There are a few finer details Captain, but what you are seeing on the screen is pretty much what Jack and I see normally unless the ship's lights are on, washing over everything else blinding us until we can only see what you and everyone else can in normally visible light." Taking a breath as she looked at Jack trying to gage what his reaction was going to be to the discovery that he was different than everyone else. It did not look good. Frowning she decided to try to give him more time to digest the information. "Fact is visible light is so overwhelmingly bright and painful at times, I have to kill every visible light source in my cabin, including the wall clock, to be able to sleep at night." Turning to the Captain who looked just as shocked as Jack. Which was not good. "Jack is new at this seeing radiation thing and it will take time for him to sort things out in his mind. At least for some of the frequencies. His parents after he reached 5 or 6 went out of their way to discourage any talk of his abilities putting them down as just a kids wild imagination. That is if they didn't just ignore what he said."

"How the hell do you know so much about me and what I can see?" Jack demanded from the Ensign. "I don't know you. I don't remember you from the Turner Joy."

"Godstar Jack don't be so dense. We were born only a few weeks apart and were the only survivors from the Dead Infant years. I grew up sleeping with you until...”

"No! I would remember you. The girl I grew up with was smaller and looked different and did not have those damn things on her chest…. Her name was not yours." He tapped her name badge above her breast pocket.

"You never called me by my given name. I remember now, you never knew my real name when we were growing up. Hell, I did not even now it until I entered high school but it was me you dense Moran. Damn it, you even said I looked like your Angel a few weeks ago. But refused to believe it. Quit being so damn Dense Jack."

"Enough you two!" Bellowed the Captain. "What the hell are we headed for Jack. What is that our sensors are seeing? That you can see that we can't?"

"How the hell did you get here?"

Looking up to the overhead, she shook her head. "Does it matter? I am here."

"It matters to me. How did you get here? In the Navy and on the Red Dwarf out of all the ships in the fleet and on that bridge and …"

"Now you want to talk fate or destiny or what? I don't know how the hell you found me after I lost track of you after Bootship. You sure as hell didn't try tracking me down. All I know is that I followed you into the Navy to kill you for deserting me when I needed you the most!" She shouted as tears started to run down her face.

"I deserted you! You are the one that hates and deserted me!"

"I said, Enough!" The Captain rolled her eyes. "Jack! The Sensors. If you know what is out there I need to know. Now!"

"Ahh. Yes Captain Sir." Jack stared at the Ensign for a few more seconds and then turned to the screen roughly pushing the Ensign away from and taking the keyboard. Jack went back to playing with the screens inputs. "Ok, I have filtered down and created a program to eliminate random fields and convert what I evidentially see and you can't into light everyone should be able to see and we are left with the two enemy black hole drives not fare away. I have cut out the ones in the distance we need not worry about for now. Which is what the sensors were seeing but just did not understand. After all we never had to worry or thought we needed to track Blackhole drives before." Pointing at the one on the Port side. This one is definitely brighter than the distant stars and looks slightly oblong and I think and the sensors are already telling us that it is closing, coming our way. Which is why you called me up here in the first place. I have given you as close to what I see as possible but to me the light from it is slightly off color but I don't know what that means." Jack turned and pointed to the other corner of the screen. "I see another black hole drive like it over there but it is much fainter farther away and I get the impression that while we are catching up to it is actually going in the same direction as us but I am not sure until I can focus our sensors array on it."

The Captain turned to the sensor officer. "What does your sensors see concerning this other point on the screen?"

"I am looking now sir."

A minute later the Captain growing impatient said. "Lieutenant Pratt?"

"Still looking Sir but I am not seeing anything but stars sir."

The Ensign stepped to the science station. "Excuse me lieutenant." She leaned over around the officer sitting there to access the controls. "Ah Lieutenant Turner, could you send your converter program over to this console please." Jack smiled and touched the screen with his fingers. The area around the spot started to focus and sharpen, seeming to enlarge, to show a bigger brighter version of what was on it before. Its plot line finally appeared going in the same direction as they were but moving toward them, according to the distance readout. A couple seconds later the Ensign spoke up. "It looks like this ship is headed for where the other ship left from. This one is a half a light year away, accelerating at approximately 300 Gee's in the same direction we are going. But we are catching up to it. The other enemy ship is only a Quarter light year away doing approximately 300 Gees toward us." She did some calculations and smiled. "The one headed in our direction will pass us close enough to our course to intercept sir but will miss the cloud that almost got us as it heads for its home fleet. At our closing speed we would be well within our gun range before it could even turn to run if it could out run us sir." Turing to the Captain. "With the 12 guns on each of our fleet's ships firing as one and the fact the enemy ship has to be one of the damaged scouts with only one or two armored decks if any, we should have no problem destroying it as we pass sir."

"Oh, really Ensign." The Captain looked at the Ensign with the light from her terminal on her face smiling at her. "I have to admit it would be quite a morale booster if we could finally destroy one of these bastards even if it does seem a rather unfair advantage of 36 to 1." Looking around at the screen she punched up the nearest one headed for them that they would be targeting. "We are not even sure our weapons will even damage the sucker but we have to start someplace. At the speed we will be intercepting the ass hole, we will not get a second chance. Luckily, nor will they. Navigator, plot an attack course for the fleet as target Alpha please. Oh, let's not give away our new capability if they don't already now and reduce our acceleration back down to 300 Gees and give me time to intercept when ready."

A few minutes later. "Intercept time is 6 hours at 300 Gee's. Implementation scheduled for 15 minutes sir."

"Very will Navigator. Comm, alert the fleet that we plan on attacking."

"Ah Captain." Jack walked up to the Captain. "Ah, I, ah. I think. If we attack in one mass. Ah. Even. Even at 600 times the speed of light we will be passing at. The ah. The enemy may still be able to out maneuver us if he sees us in time. If ha, if you want to stay at only 300 Gee's. Not ah, to mention the fact that the, they, as one ship, can maneuver, ah, change course faster than any fleet. If... ah sir. It would be a good idea to employ a… a ah. A pincher attack assuring that the majority of the fleet will be in range no matter what the enemy ship does to escape sir. A five or even six pronged attack sir. It. Ah it would also make it harder for the enemy to target anyone ship and allow each 5 or 6 ship squadron to maneuver faster than the whole fleet sir. And it would preclude the enemy from facing any armor it has left at the whole squadron as one without the rest having clear shots at unarmored areas of the ship sir." Taking a deep breath. "Not to mention sir that the more ships you have in a group the smaller your arc of fire is for each ship as the enemy passes and the more likely it is for one of our ships to hit one of our own. A ah, and a fleet divided into a 5 pronged attack force on a single high speed passing target at close range has twice the firing time as a single massed fleet. Assuring a better chance at destroying the target sir."

"Ok Mr. Turner." The Captain looked at Jack skeptically. "Just how do you know all that?"

"I ah. I." Jack wanted to suddenly hide. Wishing he had not said anything. After all what does playing video games have to do with reality but his grandfather had taught him that once started he had to finish no matter how stupid the statement was. Looking down at the deck. "My grandfather gave me a game called (Battleship Commander) to play with my friends. He always called it The Game. He said he stole it along with the X-Design Engineering programs from the military when he left. You should try it sometime. It is incredibly realistic and is not forgiving and a bitch even in the basic training mode. I must have quit playing the damn thing a dozen times but always went back again to try a new strategy or new ship's design or figure out where I went wrong the last time." Jack closed his eyes feeling childish shame for speaking up about the stupid game he was always in trouble about back on the Turner Joy.

"Well ok." The Captain did not sound scornful. But then it was early. "How far did you advance playing your little bootlegged copy of The Game?"

"What? Ah well sir I only made it to level 12 but then it started getting into politics and dealing with negotiations on worlds and well, having to deal with Admirals and Presidential orders that made no sense in reality and tied so many knots around what you could and could not do that the game became ridiculous. So I usually played in level 10 or 11. In those levels all you had to deal with was other ships captains and a few admirals along with the ship's crews as always."

"Very well Mr. Turner but now tell me how many levels did you skip?"

"Skip? Sorry sir but in that game you cannot skip a level. Besides skipping a level would make any other higher level impossible to do. Too many rules and interconnecting facts to skip even one part of one level. Besides The Game won't let you, it controls what level you are on." Jack looked up and shrugged. "Fact is once I got to level 6 and became a Ships Pilot, it was so satisfying that I usually stayed on each level until the game simply kicked me up to the next without letting me go back. I had to get all the way up to 10 before it let me go back to the lower levels and then they were so elementary about dealing with every aspect of the crew that they were boring until I started designing my own ships. You can't imagine how exciting it is to designed a ship and then Command it into combat to see how stupid or smart the design is or was or... Usually I got my head handed to me on a platter as soon as the enemy figured out the week point in my design. That is until the last one I did. Things got real boring again when it got down to shooting fish in a barrel but it taught me how to use a fleet of high speed Destroyers against Battleships effectively. Something like what we are dealing with now." Jack looked up at the Captain. His smile fading. "Sorry Captain I did not mean to imply... Or. A. Can I be dismissed sir?"

"You are in luck Mr. Turner. I have had some training in handling fleets as well." The Captains fingers stopped flying across her screen and sat reading it for a good minute as Jack stood there. Finally she took a deep breath and looked at Jack shaking his head. "Your new General Quarters Duty station is now the pilot Mr. Turner." The Captain hit the comm on the arm of her chair. "Your attention please. All ships. We have spotted an enemy ship approaching and I plan on taking a swipe at him as he passes. We will be going to General Quarters in 5 hours. Prepare the ships and yourselves for battle and get some rest before then. That is all." Turning to the Comm officer. "Inform the fleet's Captains that I will have a conference with them in one hour." Then to Jack. "Mr. Turner I want everything your teams of bright boys and our civilian science department can dig up on that Enemy ship before then and then have them monitoring the enemy as we attack for anything they can glean from him. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir." Jack saluted and left the bridge.

The First Officer turned to the Captain. "Sir! Can I have a word with you please?"

"No you cannot." The Captain smiled at her First Officer. "How many levels were you able to get through the Game Mr. Gagnon?"

"I don't understand Captain? Ah... I finished 5.3 levels sir."

"Yes that is the average for First Officers. I am on 9. You are a good officer Mr. Gagnon even though I only met you a few days ago but I see you have not used the Fleet Training Game for over half a year. A trend that I see is all too common even before the resent rapid expansion of the fleet. You need to find time to use it at least 5 or 6 hours a week. Fact is I can see we are going to have to make it policy for all officers to spend at least 5 hours a week on the Training Game and encourage 10. Especially with all our new officers no matter their rank."

"But sir it is only a game sir."

The Captain smiled up at his First Officer. "Since man could fly, pilots have spent countless hours training to fly aircraft and then Spaceships in simulators. All of us had to use simulators before we were allowed near the controls of a ship and fighter pilots still spend thousands of hours a year on simulators. No Mr. Gagnon. The Navy realized that all shipboard officers could benefit from an accelerated training regimen and spent a billion credits designing and developing the Naval Officers Battleship Training Game or (The Game). Each hour of The Game is equal to weeks and even months of real time training depending on how good the officer is and how far the game can push him or her." The Captain shook his head. "The sad problem is with this rapid expansion and all our new officers from civilian Transports usually with good basic experience, The Game has kind of gotten dropped along the side of the road. We should not have let that happen." Turning to the Executive officer sitting at the ships Damage control and crew console. "I will leave the reimplementation of the training program for all officers to you Exec. Fact is let's extend that to the petty officers as well and specialty crews. Even if that means having to start scheduling time in the Sim compartment day and night. Comm inform the fleet if you please." The Captain got up and headed for the hatch. "The con is yours again Number One. I am also going to need you to take Mr. Turner under your wing so to speak and show him the finer points The Game is not clear about or weak on. For now I am going to spend a few minutes on The Game going over attack plans. I have never commanded a large lightly armed fleet attacking a single target at the speeds we will be passing. Never thought it was a possibility. Evidentially Mr. Turner has."

"Captain leaving the bridge." The Ensign heard as she followed the Captain off the bridge. She watched her enter her day cabin and walked past as the hatch closed. They had used The Training program extensively the last few weeks of boot camp surprising her after playing it aboard the Turner Joy. Now she got another surprise finding out that not only did the Navy sanction it aboard ship but that Jack had done so well in it when she had been stuck on level 6 though that explained why he made such a good Captain in the Game. But then he probably played it more than she ever thought of while she was running around with her girlfriends. Bringing her wrist comm up to her lips. "Computer; where is Turner."

"There are 2 Turners aboard ship, 78 in the fleet 1,234 in the Navy. Which Turner do you want?"

"Jack for Pop's sake. Jack Turner from the Tramp ship Turner Joy."

"I do not have the crew list for the tramp ship, Turner Joy. There are 5 Jack Turners in this fleet. Twenty seven in the Navy. Do you wish the Jack Turner on board this ship?"

"No! I want the Jack Turner on Pluto. Of course I want the Jack Turner on this ship."

"I do not have the station crew list for Pluto. I cannot tell you if or where a Jack Turner may be on Pluto. The Jack Turner aboard this ship is in his Cabin."

"Thanks." She headed for the platform elevator surprised that Jack was in their cabin. "That was fast."

"You are welcome Ensign. Thank you for the complement."

"I was not complementing … Oh never mind. Out." She dropped her arm as she headed for their cabin.

16-

BATTLE NERVES and FLASHLIGHT WEAPONS

The General Quarters alarm screamed through the ship. Crewmen ran to their stations. Jack and the Ensign clomped onto the elevator platform with a dozen other crewmen. Some still pulling on their suits as the platform shot up.

On the bridge Jack clomped up beside the Pilot's chair. "I, I am relieving you Lieutenant." Looking around at the Captain hoping she had changed her mind. But the Captain stayed silent as the Lieutenant started updating Jack on what he needed to know. When the lieutenant was finished Jack took a deep breath closed his eyes and repeated everything the Lieutenant had said and then took another deep breath. "I relieve you Lieutenant."

The Lieutenant got up from the chair. "You have the ship."

Jack sat down expanding the pilots chair to make room for his battle suit and tried to relax. He knew for certain now that he knew where and how everything worked. He had probably spent several thousand hours in the pilot's chair in the simulators on the Turner Joy in The Game. His conscious mind still could not believe they were the same even now that he knew for sure. After all, these were on one of the Navies newest ships and something had to have been changed or updated. And then he remembered. The Game had changed the appearance and function of the various control stations, displays and equipment several times over the years he had been playing even though the bridge's general layout had always remained the same. No, at least his subconscious mind knew exactly where everything was and how to use it all to the best advantage of the ship. The only disadvantage now was the fact that he was piloting a battle transport and not the old battleship in the simulation or one of the many ships he had designed, let alone the Destroyer he had cleaned up with against the best the computer could put against him. But then the Computer had never seen one of the latest enemy ships.

"Mr. Turner." The Captain's voice carried across the hushed tense bridge. "We are going with your plan of attack. The other ships Captain's and I have spent a couple hours going over contingencies and developing maneuvers. You can find them on your board. Take a few minutes to study them before we deploy into attack formations."

Jack tapped one of his side screens and the fleet’s basic attack formation popped up making him smile. The attack formation had 5 groups circling a 6th command group in the center. The only difference from his proposal was that the formation's name was different than what he had used. The maneuvers where close enough to his not to be a problem, except again for the designations. Their designation just happened to be for a wildly different attack plan under what he was used to.

The First Officer pulled out a jump seat next to Jack and sat down.

"Ah Captain; Ah is aa? Is it too late to change the name and designations? Not ah. Not that they are not a, pretty names. It's just aahh. I. I. I am just used to using different designation letters for each of your maneuvers over the years now and aa. And….. And I am afraid of. Of confusing them in the confusion of battle is all sir."

The First Officer grabbed Jack's shoulder and leaned in. "What are you doing Turner. Just use your brain and remember the new letters."

Jack frowned. "Yes Sir. Ah Captain a sir. Ah I, I have one additional maneuver for your consideration sir." Jack's fingers flew over the screen for a second as the First Officer stared at him. "This one was my favorite for this type of formation. Offering the most flexibility, allowing my ships to maintain effective fire on the enemy during a high speed head on pass for the longest time possible no matter which way he dodges."

The First Officer Gagnon was turning red. "Turner, the Captain does not have the time to listen to a thousand stupid suggestions from moron Lieutenants."

"Hold off there Number One. Take a look at what he put up. It is a little unorthodox. "

Glancing at the screen the first officer shrugged. "It looks like a frigging pretty air show flower bloom trick to impress the tourists. All it needs is some colored smoke."

"Yes but instead of turning into the ship cutting the range rapidly it has our ring of ships turned away before it passes, increasing the range and effective time they can continue firing at the sides of the enemy ship without getting into each other's way while the center command ships are already slowing down as it zips past." The Captain studied the maneuver for a few seconds. "Works especially well with our guns on the transports sterns. As long as everyone stays close to their positions no one will be firing at a friendly ship. I don't know if I will use this but we may as well have it if we do need it. Comm, send this to the fleet and conference each of the squadron commanders here in 15 minutes. After we finish deploying into attack formation. And while you are at it, Mr. Turner give comm the maneuver designations you are used to. No sense in asking for problems when no one else here has had time to memorize anything."

The First Officer looked up as he turned away seething. "I don't fucking believe this!" He whispered to himself. "How does a boot lieutenant already have maneuvers that were just designed and decided upon in a fleet conference only a half hour before?" Then the first Officer noticed that the list of designations Jack had put on the maneuvers skipped letters while some had double letters as well as not being in sequence. "Just how many additional maneuvers do you have memorized Lieutenant?" He whispered.

Jack's hands flew over the screen to his right. "Oh a couple dozen basic with double the variations but they are for different circumstances not applicable here sir."

The Captain sat back and took a deep grim faced breath. "Comm; Fleet. Deploy to attack formation 5 in one minute. Attack formation 5 in 1…. Mark."

Jack finished and sent the screen to the Captain behind him, the Comm behind and to the left and the Navigator to his right beside him with swipes of his hand toward them.

Once they were in Attack Formation Jack found himself bored as he waited. In the Game he always speeded it up so he didn't have the long periods of nothing while the ship crossed the vast distances of space. This time the half hour seemed like forever. Looking around he spotted the Ensign sitting in a jump seat at the Science board. He had tried to get the director to come up for the battle so he would be handy for the Captain to talk to but he refused. Saying he could see better using his equipment down below. Though Jack knew he was not going to be the one using it. Sending one of his most junior scientists instead to sit in a jump seat on the other side of the console. Jack was at least happy that the one he had sent was the one that had been most helpful trying to get things done over the last week.

Jack was glad the Ensign was there as well. He was starting to realize that this was for real and everyone could die in the next hour including himself. He had yet to force a confrontation with her over their past, still trying to digest that she was his long lost friend who hated him and wanted to kill him.

The Captain ordered the fleet to reduce their acceleration down to 50 Gees. Then addressed the fleet. "Gentlemen if we are lucky and our sensors are comparable to the enemy's fleet sensors, he should not see us until the very last half minute. That will give us less than half a minute of firing time with our guns and torpedoes as we pass at point blank range. But that will be plenty of time to take this bastard out if everyone does their job. Good luck and shoot strait. Captain, Vice Admiral, out."

Jack chuckled at that. The fleet had only done a couple of gun drills the whole time he had been on the ship and knew that was not even a fraction of the needed drills to work the crews up to being as good and fast as they could be. Not to mention that target practice always made for more accurate shooting.

"Mr. Turner; since the Director of science did not have anything new about the enemy that he thought would help us. You have been with the scientists. Have they said anything to you about the enemy ships?"

"Yes sir. They are very excited about all the technical details they are putting together but since they do not have a clue about combat, I do not think they could recognize something useful to us if it bit them on the balls sir. Oh a, sorry sir. I meant no disrespect sir. I have forwarded everything my teams came up with witch is quite a bit sir."

"Captain." The Ensign spoke up from the science terminal. "I don't think they are even looking. The department heads have a few grad students in our teams looking at what Jack told the Director to study while most of the heads have their best people studying things that could only be applied to civilian applications and upgrades damn near as soon as we turn our backs." The Ensign shook her head looking down at the deck. "As I was just leaving, I stumbled onto several department heads having coffee and talking about discoveries that will make them millions as soon as they get back to civilization sir. You have to be serious about looking before you can see sir."

"Well Mr. Turner. If we survive this, you are going to have to do something about that since you are the Navy's liaison officer and it is your department."

Jack watched the other ships form up around him. He was glad only five ships took up flanking him at only a couple miles away with the other 6 groups of 5 ships a thousand miles distant on his instruments and his screens. The single enemy ship ahead had most of his attention as he shook his head at what the Captain had said. "How the hell am I supposed to do anything about that? The Director made it perfectly clear that as far as he was concerned, my only job was to report what he tells me to. Told me to screw myself when I told him to report to the science station here on the bridge even. I was stupid enough to think he might have a few intelligent points that may help as fast as the battle will probably go. But then he is good at being tight lipped especially when he does find out something useful to us."

"What the hell did you say Lieutenant?" The Captain leaned forward. "You gave him a direct order to report to the bridge and he refused?"

"A yes sir. He said he did not need to sir."

"The hell he did." The Captain slapped the comm controls on his chairs arm. "Science deck. Get me the Director!"

"Sorry Sir." Jack recognized one of the Navy officers that had helped him on the engine upgrade he had put in charge of one of the Teams. "The director and most of his a, the civilian scientists left as soon as the General Quarters alarm sounded sir."

"What the hell? Where did they get off to? They are supposed to be down there studying that damn enemy ship as we approach. It would be nice to know where the hell it's week spots are to target to start with. We even installed acceleration couches for them."

"Sorry sir but I do not have a clue except that they did not go back to quarters and a lot of materials and equipment is missing. As far as information on the enemy ship. We have been studying the enemy weapons on that recon photo tracks and if this ship has the main weapons those battleships have we are screwed. They have 36 inch bores with carbon crystal linings in the barrels that can easily withstand a beam of several million degrees which explains their bright blue tint. I now it is not much but the director keeps pulling my team off to do other things as soon as Mr. Turner leaves. Oh and their smaller guns seem to be the same high temp from a quick glance sir. At close range they could be just as deadly as the big guns sir."

"Can you tell me what weapons are on this enemy ship?"

"Sorry sir but I was forbidden to even scan this ship let alone use the good equipment before they took it sir. I cannot tell you."

"Well Lieutenant. You have my permission to scan them now." The Captain gave Jack a disgusting look even though Jack was facing away from her.

"Sorry Captain but I already tried as soon as they left and what they did not take they locked up."

Jack slapped his comm. "Lieutenant. You can use my terminal in G hold. If they have not stolen that too? Get the rest of the crews working now."

The Captain looked down at Jack for a second. "Call as soon as you have something lieutenant." The Captain slapped her comm again. "Security, ship wide search for the civilian scientists top priority. I want all their equipment secured and have them all strip searched. Out." Turning back to Jack. "Now Mr. Turner remind me later to bust you back down to space man for making me do your job. Is that understood?"

"No sir. I am only the liaison. The Director has made it perfectly clear I have very limited authority over the Civilians."

"Mr. Turner, a god damn Petty Officer 3rd class has authority over all the Civilians, even the Director aboard a Navy Combat ship."

"Captain!" The Ensign brook in. "Even talking back to a Civilian let alone ordering one around is enough to get anyone but top officers kicked off a Tramp Ship Sir. That is unless you are specifically ordered to by a senior officer sir. It is not his fault sir."

The Captain started turning red. "You are not on the damn Tramp Transport anymore."

"Captain." Said the Navigation Officer. "Five minutes to weapons range contact sir. They will pass 40 miles to our port negative side sir."

The Weapons Officer turned to the Captain. "That will give us exactly 31 seconds inside of optimum main gun firing range before intercept sir."

The Captain quickly lost her beet red color. "Optimum torpedo range Weapons?"

"3.23 minutes from intercept sir. They will hit just before the big guns open up so we don't fratricide our own torpedoes sir."

"Comm, pass that on to the fleet."

"Captain this is security. We have found the Civilian Scientists. They are in the ships shuttle boats on the Port side flight deck and supposedly on some of the life boats on the passenger decks. I am sending someone up there now to check. The Director is in the Admiral's barge locked up tight as are the Captain's Gig and the Whale boats. A lot of equipment has been left around the locks. They evidentially could not figure out how to open the rear cargo ramps on the boats sir. They also must not have known about all the shuttle and transfer boats stacked up in the hangers. Do you want us to blast them out sir?"

"No leave them alone. We will deal with them later. Leave a guard on them and take that equipment back to the lower hold then return to your battle stations."

"Sir!" Screamed the Comm officer. "I am picking up an FTL transmission from the Admiral's Barge through the ships systems sir. It is beamed directly toward the enemy ship sir."

"Put it on the screen comm. It is too late to cut it, they now know we are here. May as well as hear what the windbag has to say."

A side screen changed to show the Director speaking in mid-sentence. "….work in peace together for both of our benefits with my help directing the transfer of Technology. We are both intelligent races and can come to some understanding. All you need to do is tell us what you want us to do to stop this war before more people die. Your people and ours. I know our weapons cannot hurt you, take our offer back to your Commanders, or King or Potentate and tell them that the human scientific community stand ready to help you bring new enlightened harmony to all people. Yours and ours together."

"Damn it! Comm; cut the ship connection to that sucker! At least in the lock he can't do any more damage. Comm, tell me if we get any answer to the transmission. "

"Four minutes Captain." Said the Navigator.

Four large beams streaked past the little 6 ship squadron as the enemy ship lit up. None of the beams coming close.

"Captain to fleet. All ships launch torpedoes immediately."

The ship shook as the 12 torpedoes shot out of the bow of the Parsley as 12 streaks left each of the 29 other ships in the fleet. All headed for the enemy ship. "Hopefully the torpedoes are small enough that they will not be seen until it is too late to maneuver out of their attack profile now that they have been warned. Security; you have my permission to blast them out now. Captain to fleet; evasive maneuver Delta in 15 seconds mark." Turning to Jack. "You have the fleet Lieutenant."

The Security Officer practically screamed. "Captain! The hatch to the ship's Port side flight deck has been blown off using the emergency escape explosives. I have lost crewmen blown out with the escaping air sir. The Admiral's Barge is just launching sir."

"What the hell?"

"Captain; now the Captain Gig and their goes the Whale boats just launching."

"My god sir." The Damage Control and ship's Executive Officer turned to the Captain. "We get hit in that open hatch instead of the armored hull, half the stern section of the ship could be destroyed."

"Captain we are doing over 1000 lights." The First Officer next to Jack said. "Way too fast for any boat to slow down to orbit a system. Don't they now they will continue forever in deep space unless they are picked up. That is if they last that long without being hit by an atom or something bigger. They don't have the shields to protect them at this speed. What kind of morons are they."

"Nothing we can worry about right now Number One. Mark the location of the crew blown overboard for later pickup when we can get another boat unpacked and launched. Hopefully they got their helmets sealed up."

"One minute to torpedo intercept Captain." Came the weapons officer's announcement.

Everyone forgot the boats and the scientists as the life boats started shaking the ship with each of their launches. The catapults driving each boat away from the side of the ship at several hundred miles an hour in a staggered launch. "Damn it. Engineering. Stop those idiots from launching. Security get to the damn life boat ring and stop them."

The launches continued for a good 15 seconds. Then security came on the line. "Sorry Captain, we were not able to stop any of the occupied Lifeboats even though we got here before the last couple of them launched. They had the outer lock hatch jammed and they do not need power to launch." The life boats joined the Admiral's barge, Captain's gig and Whale boats as they fell toward the enemy ship and the Republic fleet continued to De- accelerate (slowing) as they approached the enemy ship.

"Mr. Turner?" The junior scientist next to the Ensign spoke up. "Most of the interns and junior scientists have returned to the holds with most of the important equipment. They did not have much choice while the Director was there watching but once he locked himself and his close assistants and secretary in the Admirals gig. They saw no reason to follow his stupidity when the director ordered them to the life boats and should have the equipment back on line in a few minutes." He looked around the bridge and then back at Jack. "Sorry Mr. Turner but the director is very good at destroying the lives of people that cross him. One word from him and we could be put on the Academic Black list and be barred from every University in the Republic. I know a guy that is working at Micky D's that has a dozen degrees simply because the Director did not like the way he looked at his wife. Though come to think of it, now that the ensign has pointed it out, he did say something about the director trashing one of his papers from being published and then an exact copy came out under the Director's name. Said he was stupid enough to argue with the Director about it, threatening to go public. He was thrown out onto the street within minutes with only the cloths on his back. Barred from returning to his University apartment and offices since they were university property. Now he can't even get a job teaching grade school."

Jack glanced at the Captain and then back at the young man and shook his head. “Well, then you probably need to sign up so the Navy can protect you. That is if the Captain is willing to keep you in the research department. We will talk later. See what you guys can get on this enemy ship for now."

Everyone's attention turned to the torpedo streaks headed for the enemy ship. Three hundred and sixty torpedoes raced toward the enemy ship. And then one of the torpedoes turned to the side away from the enemy. Then another and another. Their bright tails pushing them off course in random patterns.

"Captain! Several torpedoes have turned back towered the fleet."

"Well hit the self-destruct on them."

"I can't sir. I don't know which ones have turned back. The majority are running true. They have all locked onto something but there is no way to tell what anyone specific torpedo has locked onto unless we check each separately and there are just to many and no time sir." The officer swallowed licking his lips. "Do you want me to terminate the entire torpedo launch sir?"

"Hell no. We are just going to have to hope we can take them out before any of them hit one of our ships. But I don't understand why their friend or foe system is not working."

"Ten seconds to impact sir."

The enemy ship lit up as its guns started taking out torpedoes.

"Five seconds to impact sir. 30 some knocked out already."

"Three."

"Our rogue torpedo's have not responded to jamming but are not targeting our ships."

"One. A hundred gone."

"Impact on the enemy. Registering damage but no details sir."

The Ensign spoke up from the science console. "Looks like over half have hit the enemy ship."

"Captain. More hits sir." The weapons officer said surprised. Then. "No! Captain. The rogue torpedoes hit 3 life boats and the Captain's Gig… Destroying them sir." He turned around to look at the Captain. "Sir. The boats where too far away to protect Captain."

"Lieutenant! How long tell we are in weapons range?"

"Ah. . . 76 seconds sir. The other rogue torpedo's sir have responded to the explosions, reset themselves and relocked onto targets. Most are now headed for the enemy, though a few seem to still be headed this way. Going through their targeting sensors now."

"No. Lieutenant. Let the torpedo control do that and concentrate on making sure our guns hit their targets."

"Yes sir. 55 seconds now sir. Torpedo room reporting ready to fire second salvo sir."

"Well we were not planning on a second Torpedo shot but we had not planned on launching the first strike so soon. Launch second fleet wide strike when ready." The ship shuddered as 12 more torpedoes left the ship.

The enemy ship lit back up as two long lines from big lasers streaked past the central ships of the fleet. Missing the Parsley and her squadron by some 50 miles.

"What the hell was that?" Exclaimed the First Officer.

"Captain.” The Ensign had taken over the science station shoving the lieutenant out of the way. "Registering 2 laser cannons peeking out from the sides of the Enemy ship just before firing. They have now retracted behind the hull in front of them. It was this hull that all our torpedoes hit. They knocked off most of the junk bulkheads and the remnants of the deck above leaving a clean deck that appears to be heavily armored. There is no evidence that any penetrated the armored deck itself sir. They all exploded on or in the deck. I see only a few small craters. That has to be tough shitting armor since they are designed with armor piercing shaped charges and can penetrate 60 feet of hard carbon steel armor sir."

"Weapons; how long to reload torpedo tubes?"

"Another two minutes. The battle will be over by then sir. 45 seconds to range sir."

"The guns are appearing again around that damn deck sir."

Jack turned the ship hitting the throttle changing course with the rest of the squadron following in perfect formation. Two laser lines streaked past the Parsley and through the squadron without hitting any ships. One coming within a half mile of the trailing ship.

"Very well Ensign. Navigator. Attack plan Charlie. That is your air show maneuver Mr. Turner. I hope it gets enough hits behind that damn armor to take that bastard out. Though it means we have to hold their attention while the rest of the fleet's squadrons hold their fire until they get a clean shot at the sides and rear."

"30 seconds to range sir."

"Very good lieutenant. You and the command squadron can commence firing now instead of waiting."

The 16 inch guns of the squadron opened up immediately. The 12 guns from each of the 6 ships sending 72 yellow beams into the enemy ship hitting the armored deck in front.

"No damage to the deck sir." The Ensign said matter of factually without emotion. May I suggest Captain that we aim for the cannons the next time they appear?"

"Weapons, the cannons. Hold the next squadron salvo for them."

The enemy beams streaked through the squadron again before the guns could recharge. Coming close but not hitting any of them as Jack maneuvered into a tight turn just before they fired, then straightened out toward the enemy again.

"Our guns are recharged now sir. Waiting for targets. Are you sure about targeting the enemy guns sir."

"Yes lieutenant. Patience. "

The seconds seemed to drag on as the enemy ship got closer, rapidly growing in the screen. Every fiber in him wanted to take the ship and run but he had to keep it locked onto a course as they decelerated. Straight and narrow so all 6 turrets ringing the stern could fire back past the Cooling /Landing fins unobstructed. Though he wished their pedestals were a lot higher to give him some maneuvering room. Though he had made sure the squadron had moved well to the side and not lined up with the life boats and gigs as they continued to fall toward the enemy ship. Though he knew the little fleet would miss the enemy ship by miles. He just made sure the Squadrons guns would miss them as well.

"Enemy guns appearing Captain." The Ensign said.

"Weapons Fire when ready."

The lasers flared from the squadron the same instant the enemy ship's lasers streaked back across space.

"Captain!" The Comm officer yelled. "The Mustard has been hit. They are losing power. Heavy casualties."

The screen shifted to show the Mustard as it puked gas and materials out both ends. The enemy beam had gone completely through the ship from stern to stem (Bow). Some of the debris looked like unsuited crewmen. The ship immediately started slowly tumbling as the out gassing and exploding ordnance pushed the unpowered hull around.

"Gentlemen we still have a job to do. Time to target?"

"15 seconds sir. Time for one more shot from them before we pass sir. The ring of squadrons are opening fire in 3, 2, 1.

Over 300 beams converged on the enemy ship from the sides. Suddenly the sick yellow color of the fleet's main 16 inch gun beams became glaringly cold after seeing several broadsides of the hot eye hurting deep White, Bluish tinted beams of the enemy.

"Captain." The Ensign turned around. "I am getting feedback from a comm beam pointed back into Republic territory. Back from where this enemy ship just came from sir."

The enemy ship raced toward them seemingly un hurt and then it fired again as the squadrons guns tried again to pick off one of the guns. One beam looked like it hit them filling the screens until the pickups burned out. Jack waited for death but the ship did not shake or jerk from a hit. No casualty or damage reports flooded the bridge.

"The Chichimec has been hit sir."

The screens came back on showing the closing enemy as the ring of ships again sent beams into it as fast as each ship could recharge it's guns. Creating longer and longer bursts of streaks each time the fleet fired.

The enemy ship fired again without hitting any of the squadron as the second wave of torpedo's streaked in to its sides this time, combined with another fleet wide gun salvo and then it simply blew up as it passed filling most of the bridge's main screen in an expanding fireball as hull sections and engines and gun pods went spinning off into a donut ring around it.

Jack waited for word of another hit ship and dead crewmen but none came as the Bridge exploded in shouts. The cloud of expanding gas and particles rushed past the bow of the ship then away disappearing in the direction the fleet had come from. Jack caught a glimpse of a tumbling plate disappearing in the same direction.

The Captain raised he voice without shouting. "Ok enough celebrating. We have work to do. Three damaged ships to take care of. Tracking, where are my boats?"

"Only the Admiral's barge is still on the screen Captain. The expanding enemy wreckage cloud took all the rest out sir. If the enemy had been a little better shot, the Barge would not be there as well."

"What the hell! All the launched life boats and all 4 gigs were destroyed?"

"Yes sir the gigs stayed with the life boats trying to keep them grouped together to keep them from drifting away while the barge ran putting as much distance between it and the battle."

Turning to the Ensign the Captain looked baffled. "Ok, you said that the enemy ship fired its last volley at the barge? Don't get me wrong, I am glad or it would have hit another one of my ships. But Why?"

"Only thing I can think of sir is that it was easy to lock onto with it transmitting in the open to the enemy. Sounded like the Director was trying to negotiate a deal to be the enemy’s personal representative to the human race and control the transferring of new technology from them even though they evidentially did not want to talk to him. You are not going to believe what he was telling them. Even said that the fleet attacking them at the front are our last new ships and it will take years to replace them so once they are destroyed they have nothing to fear from us. Do you want to hear the recording sir?"

"No. Not now. Later. We have too much to do. Comm tell the squadron commanders to maintain position but send a ship in to help with rescue and recovery efforts along with as many boats as they have pilots for and their damage control marines." Turning to the damage control board. "Any damage on this ship?"

"No sir. Not enough to speak of. Burned out sensors that have already been replaced by backups and the paint burned off the hull making the ship nice and shiny on one side."

"Very well." Turning around. "Exec, get me damage reports from all ships as soon as possible. Comm tell the Lettuce to go retrieve our wayward Barge and arrest the idiots in it. Don't be too polite to the traitors either."

"Now Ensign. What was this about the enemy ship sending a message back into the Republic? Makes more sense if they sent a message toward their fleet in the opposite direction. The direction they were headed in."

"Yes sir but it would have blasted our ears off even though it is at a frequency we have never heard before or can transmit at. All we would have heard was the carrier wave washing over us and not be able to understand a word even if it was in English sir. No, this was just the negative back wave wash of a message headed in the direction we are going sir. At least now we know how they communicate, now we can figure out how to listen." Looking over to the plot navigation screen she frowned. "He could have been calling for help from the guy we were approaching from behind sir."

Jack spoke up. "No. He was probably telling someone we are coming. There was no way he could have knocked out the whole fleet and he knew it. Probably why he was concentrating on what he thought was the Command ship before he continued on to his home fleet. He did not expect to be destroyed and I agree. He shouldn't have. I think we got lucky. Like he was one of those ship's the Ensign had talked about with a lot of old unrepaired damage over a vital area like the Fusion Reactors that we just happened to hit that our pitifully Yellow guns were able to penetrate."

"Well, if that was the case we need to figure out how to get around that shield and upgrade our guns. At least we have sensors that can see them coming." Looking up at the three damaged ships in the screens. "We are going to be here a couple of days at least making repairs or abandoning the damaged ships. It will make us late getting to the Rock but I will not leave good ships behind unless I have to." The Captain studied the star charts. "Comm, are we in comm range of the Rock yet?"

"Not for reception sir, but they should have no problem receiving us with the monster Array they have. They need to know about killing our first enemy ship sir. That it can be done."

"Very well Comm. Send using the new Code Charlie 5 rotating through Navaho, Pigmy and Ancient Egyptian, Sumerian and first Dynasty Chinese. Use name transposition, Johnny 3 and ham it up."

"Sir. Johnny 3 was used last month. How about Johnny 4 sir?"

"Very well Comm. Send everything we have in my approved bin. I will add to it in a couple of hours." Turning to Jack. "Mr. Turner take us up next to the Shichimi for docking. They seem to be in the worst shape." Then hitting the comm on his chair. "Attention. We are going to dock with the Shichimi. I want all damage control, medical and maintenance teams ready to go as soon as the hatch opens. Hull and system techs, I want air restored as soon as possible. You all know what has to be done and I know you will all do your best. Out." Hitting the comm screen again. "Chief Dodson. I need you to tell me as soon as possible if we can restart her engines."

"Already talking to her Chief engineer. One of her engines took the blast full on and is gone. Just a big hole up her stern. The problem is that half her engineers are casualties from the beam blooming sir. She is still checking the other engine for just how much damage. We will know more in a couple hours after we dock with them but I doubt if the other engine is going to be reparable any time soon. The slag from the destroyed engine probably burned most of the Engine coils out. There is not that much armor around the engines and core."

Jack brought the ship up to the crippled Shichimi while marveling at the damage. The deep valley gouged out of one side of the bow of the ship continued half way down along the ship getting deeper with every deck until it disappeared into the ship's holds. Jack could visualize the damage it wrought inside crew’s quarters with the empty cargo compartments coming off light and then the aft living and working spaces. He could not see where it had hit on the solid engine at the stern but he could see the damage from the beam that mushroomed, blowing holes out the side of the aft section in half a dozen places before the beam shot on up through the ship. He could not believe the ship was going to be salvageable as he matched rotation and docked onto the opposite side of the hulk from all the damage. A dozen tubes where shot across to hatches, sealed and opened to allow fast and easy access after mooring lines were attached and snugged up to hold the two ships securely together.

The Captain studied a ship pulling up a couple thousand yards off their bow. The other ship launched its half dozen gigs along with some 30 life boats. The gigs quickly gathered up the life boats attaching groups of 5 life boats nose to stern to each other using the bow and stern hatches in each lifeboat and then to the nose of one of the gigs forming one long boat able to hold several hundred tons of supplies or hundreds of casualties. Six long cargo, casualty barges where soon shuttling back and forth between ships. "Good thinking Harry, when you don’t' have the pilots for the dozens of shuttles in your hangers. Comm, pass that recommendation on to the other ships." Jack used his thrusters to slow and then stop both ships rotation. The Captain turned to Jack. "Mr. Turner that was a damn good docking. I don't think I could have done any better."

"Thanks sir. All the practice assaulting ships in the Game sir. I never dreamed I would ever actually have a chance to do it in real life. Having the two ships carbon copies helped tremendously though sir. Ah. Permission to join the Engine recovery teams sir?"

"No Mr. Turner. We have plenty of people to do that. You are going to gather your crew of misfit scientists and engineers and get busy figuring out how to make our main guns and torpedoes better weapons. I don't want to have to throw spit wads at the enemy again."

17-

BLOWING UP THE GUNS

Jack walked up to a view port in the 2nd crews mess and sat down at a table. The Officers mess as well as the main crews mess was deep inside the ship and he wanted to see what was going on outside the ship with his own eyes and the 2nd crews mess was the only place on the whole ship that you could without climbing into a gun turret. It was placed along the leading edge root of the number One landing wing/cooling fin, with large windows allowing almost a complete view around the ship. Four ships sat scattered around the pair of docked ships with some 30 of the long cargo barges shuttling between them with more shuttle and transfer boats joining every hour as more pilots were found from the depths of The Game and passed their qualification Sim ride. The Captain / Vice Admiral had decided to abandon the hulk and the ships were in the process of stripping the crew and everything useful off of it. With empty holds, they had plenty of room to put even the largest pieces of equipment including the one remaining engine (what was left of it) inside to transport. Someone had figured they would finish stripping the hulk about the same time they finished getting the other two damaged ships ready to run and just in time to start slowing down to rendezvous with the cloud before making their way to The Rock. It added a week to the trip but finally killing one of those monsters was worth it. They were using that time to make sure only a junk shell was left with not even the weapons just in case it missed the cloud and was not burned up. After all, it was headed for the enemy fleet.

As Jack ate, the last thing he wanted to be doing was sitting on his ass at a terminal as everyone else stripped the hulk. He wanted to get his hands dirty, do something, anything but sit. Even if he was working on the newest weapons possible for the fleet. That is, his teams were hard at work designing new weapons for the fleet. With the Ensign's coaching, he had been leaving most of the work to the teams and just offering helpful suggestions when he had some. Going from team to team keeping track of their progress was a full time job. Still he wanted to get more involved with something he could bury himself into instead of just taking dips here and there. Even if it was just tearing out a piece of equipment.

The Ensign sat down beside him. "Here you are. I hear you guys are planning on doubling up the Capacitors on the guns to increase their power. Sounds like a good idea to me."

"Ya except that it will just burn out the barrels, maybe after only a few shots." Jack stuffed a fork full of tuna stroganoff into his mouth, not even tasting it.

"Well a few good shots are better than a lot of crappy shots."

"Ya that is a point. A few good shots is all we would have needed to get through that damn shield plate in front. How is the salvage business going?"

"Pretty good. We have taken most of the guns off already and now we are trying to figure out how to get the Capacitors out. Whoever designed this ship needs shot. The Turret rings were evidentially built around the Capacitors. Looks like we are going to have to cut half the deck apart just to cut them loose, let alone out of the ship as big as they are." She dug into her dinner. "The ship could crash and they would not go anywhere as well as they are mounted.

"At least you are doing something." Jack pouted.

"I will trade you. Salvaging is a pain in the butt. At least once we get them out, all we have to do is push them up to one of the holds and chain them down."

"Push them up to a hold?" Jack sat back from the table holding a spoon full of stroganoff in midair halfway to his mouth. Finally he finished the bite and smiled. "I think it will work." Jack got up from the table and bent down and kissed her on the cheek with a brief hug then left the mess as a baffled Ensign watched him leave. His plate still on the table forgotten.

"Hey. They don't have busboys here." She said as he disappeared out the hatch.

A couple hours later the Ensign finally stood back as the last steel was cut, freeing the huge pair of Capacitors needed for the twin barreled turret. The turret ring that held the base of the gun turret mount was built around the Capacitors simply to get them as close to the gun as possible. All the steel and supports were for resisting the recoil forces of the gun and not to keep the Capacitor from moving or ever being replaced even though it had that effect. After all, Capacitor's never needed replaced.

Then Jack walked up to the Ensign to the Ensigns surprise. "Hi Jack. You here to shut down the grav coils so we can move these monsters?"

Jack smiled at her. "Sorry, no. I need you to move this pair of Capacitors into the engine head deck so we can hook them up to one of the gun turrets. All the others will follow. Hopefully we can get at least one pair hooked up in time to test it on this hulk when we leave. The other ships will have to cross connect the capacitors in the turrets to fire one gun at a time if this works. The Captain won’t let me cross connect the coils to one gun tube in the turrets until we test doubling up the capacitors with one of these. She doesn't want her guns screwed with incase the enemy shows up. But that is working out great. Once I run the tests, we will be the only ship able to fire both turret guns at a reasonable temperature at the same time, thanks to you guys."

"What? How did you get around all the problems of putting such massive power through the feed modulator and beam generators? They were not designed to handle that much raw power."

"We are working on that now but I am banking mostly on the fact that they designed the guns never to wear out by over building everything on them like the mount you have been tearing apart. You just get them into the engine head deck and pray I am not completely crazy."

The Ensign walked up to the hole in the hull with Jack and then jetted out into space for a few feet before jetting to a stop, leaving Jack standing on the edge looking at her. She looked around and across to the ship docked to the hulk and saw a big hole in its side just below and between two of the turrets. The big cut out hull plate floating not far away tethered to the ship. "Ok, Mr. Turner, we will get them there for you." Turning, she looked over to the other gun mount basses and checked the growing holes in them. "You should get another pair in about 6 hours. The rest not long after as we get more crews released from other work."

She floated back down to land next to Jack. As she entered the gravity field and her feet touched the deck she continued. "I hear you are doubling up on the debris shield coils in the bow with the ones taken from the hulk. What's that about?" She took off headed toward the back of the large compartment with the pair of capacitors in the center at a good clip.

"That and adding spare engine and grav coils to them. One of my teams is trying to produce a few billion very small artificial black holes spread out across the front of the ship to absorb the beams and anything else the ship runs into but we are running into problems getting enough power up forward that far from the engines. But then that is the problem with adding the power from the extra capacitors to the guns. It is one thing running a couple of foot thick heavy bus bars up a deck or between gun tubes but running a mega power cable up 1500 feet to the bow shields is another thing. Especially when you don't have it and stripping it out of the hulk would take too much time."

Jack slowed his rapid walk as they approached an arm thick cable cut off and laying across the deck and kicked it without moving it much before catching up to the Ensign. "No. Luckily one of the other nerds has figured out how to use the plasma the fusion generators produce. All we need to do is run a ridiculously small plasma pipe up to the bow to supply the massive amounts of power from the engine to the grave coils we are going to need to create the new shields. If that works we could lighten up every ship in the Navy by thousands of tons while reducing the work needed to lay all the heavy cable and replace them with a few small light plasma pipes, not to mention eliminating all the power lost in transmission through the solid cables even for the short distances on the ship. I just wish the bread board power supplies the team is assembling did not look so much like a Rude Goldberg hundred step mouse trap or a perpetual motion machine impersonation."

Jack was walking with the Ensign as she returned to the back work area of the Capacitor when the gravity was cut off and it finally floated free from its supports. "My problem now is what happens to all that power and energy the artificial black holes absorb. Will it blow up the ship when the black hole is turned off? Someone brought up the theory that if the black hole absorbs enough energy (since energy is just another form of mass), it could turn in to a real black hole and swallow up the ship. I am trying to figure out some way to bleed off all the energy slowly so it does no harm but I keep running into walls." Jack was looking at the Ensign as they walked up to the capacitor and slammed his head into a sharp ended support that had been cut off waste high but was now head high, knocking him spinning across the deck cracking his crystal clear crew helmet while knocking a small hole in it.

As air started to blow out the crack, with Jack tumbling above the deck unable to reach or help himself, the Ensign grabbed Jack by the arm and dragged him down then took off in a bent legged run before adding her thruster pack on full power, (keeping at least one foot on the deck, dragging it behind her) as she pulled an emergency patch out of a thigh pouch flinging several others across the compartment in the process. Slapping it onto his helmet's bubble. Finally she threw him into the nearest lock and followed. "Medic to lock 42, deck 196. Cracked helmet. Stat." Hitting the big red emergency repressurize button. Her suit started to deflate but her helmet popped off flying across the compartment before the air stopped shrieking into the lock. Carefully she slipped Jack's helmet off his head and used her hand to pinch the bridge of his nose to stop his nose from bleeding until she could drag out a bandage from her medical kit.

The shrieking stopped and the medics ran in pushing the Ensign aside before she could slap the expanding foam bandages up his nose. As they slapped Jack onto the stretcher the medic that had pushed her away grabbing the standard bandages out of her hand and bent over him blocking her view. They whisked Jack away. The Ensign sat back against the bulkhead of the lock. After they disappeared around the first intersection she buried her head in her hands. "I can’t take my eyes off you for one frigging second can I you stupid moron." Breathing hard after the airlock had stolen the air from her lungs she finally stopped feeling light headed and climbed to her feet and started after Jack. Stopping at the inner hatch and grabbing one of the hand rails for support, she realized that they were not about to let her see him for quite a while. Turning she started back into the airlock picking up her helmet again using the hand rails to keep from falling and then stopped with her helmet half on. "Screw the damn Capacitor!" Hitting her comm. "Control, I am reporting to Sickbay."

"Affirmative Ensign. Lieutenant Hendrix has already reported your incident and has merged your team with his. Give us a call when you are ready for duty again."

She had been fighting the Lieutenant for control of the job and her team since he had arrived and started issuing stupid orders without knowing what was going on. Several times she was ready to shoot the asshole or kick him out the hole in the hull without a thruster pack. But now she did not care what he did or the job. She was going to see and make sure Jack was ok so she could kill him for getting hurt or tear down sickbay trying. She did not notice the trickle of blood from her nose or that her ears hurt as she rapidly walked down the passageway weaving from bulkhead to bulkhead not able to maintain her balance worth shit, forcing herself not to run. "Ya Central control. Will do. Make sure the Capacitors are taken to the new storage location on the Engine head deck to be hooked up to the guns. Out."

The Captain walked into sickbay and up to Jack's bed. The Ensign sat in a chair next to Jack reading a sheet making notation's on it with a stylus. A bandage was wrapped around her head and ears "Attention on deck." The officer with the Captain said as they entered.

The Ensign jumped to attention and promptly fell over catching herself on the chair as she went down.

"At ease Ensign, stay seated." The Captain stopped in front of the Ensign as she sat back down clutching her tablet sheet in one hand. A trail of blood still covered her uniform where it had run down inside her suit “I hear that you terrorized half the sickbay staff earlier." Looking at her shaking her head. "Well Ensign, I guess I did order you to keep a closer eye on Mr. Turner after all. I watched the recording of the incident in the gun mount base and I am happy to award you a Silver Star commendation Ensign. "She pinned the medal on the Ensign's chest. The medallion hung down off the tip of her breast dangling at the end of the short ribbon hanging down from the bar pinned above her pocket. "Congratulations Ensign." She shook the Ensigns hand.

The Captain turned to Jack. "The Doctor says you will be out of here in a couple of hours and fit for light duty until tomorrow. How do you feel?"

"Except for my head hurting and feeling pretty stupid, I feel fine sir." Jack smiled as he raised his head and then wrenched into a frown. "That is unless I move my head. Then the world turns."

"Yes that is normal son, they had to fix your ear drums. You evidentially tried holding your breath when your suit lost air. That alone almost killed you." She shook her head. That was what The Game could not teach you. To breath out without thinking about it when your suit got holed though Bootship should have. "But they fixed you up like new. Your body just has to catch up and the drugs wear off is all. They just about have the first capacitor installed on the turret and will be ready in a few hours to test it."

"Oh yes I have work to do." Jack started to throw his sheet back and sit up to leave when he moaned and laid back down.

"No Jack, stay in bed. We well wait testing the gun until you are out and around. You have put together a good crew and they are doing fine. The plasma pipe team is almost finished installed the piping for the Plasma generator to the new shields. I understand how powerful the fusion power generator plasma is but I don't understand how you can convert that to electricity we can use, outside the fusion chamber. Let alone produce the massive amounts of power you and the Cook, ah, Hastings is talking about."

"Jack smiled weakly." Pushing a suddenly realized worry about not providing enough power to the guns to power the added capacitors aside. "Sorry sir but it is a bit complicated but damn simple. The hot fast plasma circulating through the pipe creates a magnetic field. A very strong magnetic field that we simply threw a few superconducting windings around to tap off the energy or to put it another way, generate the electricity we need." Closing his eyes as his head started spinning again he tried to clear his mind hopping that would help.

"So what again keeps the plasma pipe from destroying everything around it if it gets cut or the pipe punctured?"

Jack smiled opening his eyes. "Simple sir. The plasma going through the ceramic pipe is smaller than the size of a human hair, only atoms across and if the pipe is damaged and the coils holding the plasma in the center vacuum of the pipe are turned off or fail, the plasma in that section melts the surrounding pipe hitting the air witch is at a higher pressure than the plasma and cools it into a plug sealing the pipe stopping the flow of 20,000 degree plasma. It may create a small localized explosion around that section of pipe as the plasma stops flowing and cools but it is a lot less than the typical high voltage/amperage electrical short when they usually blow. It is entirely safe."

"Well son. You still seem to have your mind intact. The doctors were afraid that the swelling of your brain may have resulted in brain damage. The Captain smiled down at Jack. “No son. I was looking over your records on The Training Game and I notice that you spent a lot of time as a Captain and Commodore, even if they were on small Destroyers mostly. Which explains why you knew how to attack the enemy ship we knocked out." The Captain combed her short hair with her hands as she slowly shook her head. "I have watched you do amazing things commanding your ships in The Game, no matter what size they were as you took on superior enemies. Figuring out what the enemy week points were as well as the strengths of the different ships you commanded and all too many times winning when I did not think you had a chance. Doing things as pilot I never even dreamed of to get your ship and fleet out of traps normal average Captains would have died in. Well lost their ships in The Game."

Jack could not believe what he was hearing from the Captain or why? But he smiled from ear to ear just the same.

The First Officer coughed. "Bullshit."

Looking at the frowning First Officer standing next to the Captain, Jack lost his smile. "Ah but then that was just a video game Captain with no basses in reality."

The Captain looked over at her First Officer. "Ya just a video game." And smiled. "Number One, Mr. Turner has a few hours before he is released. I want you to take advantage of that time to expand his knowledge of what is expected of a ships senior officer. What The Game does not cover." Turning to the Ensign. "Number One can take care of Mr. Turner for now. You look like shit. Go get yourself cleaned up, something to eat and a few hours' sleep. How are you doing on the pilot Sim Ensign?"

"Ah. I have not had the time to breathe for a week now, let alone spend time in a Sim sir." The Ensign frowned wanting to add the fact that she was told not to leave Jacks side again.

"Well. You have time now after you get cleaned up and some sleep. That is an order."

"But sir I have way too much to do right now to waste time in a Sim. Especially with us approaching the Rock and all the pilots you will have available."

"I said that is an order Ensign! I have already informed Sim control what I want you to work on improving. I can't have an Ensign bunking with a Lieutenant. A full 60 minutes. Dismissed."

The Ensign slowly got up and turned to Jack, her face becoming rock hard defiant. Taking and squeezing his hand as a baffled Jack looked at her and then his hand as her knuckles turned white. "I will see you later Mr. Turner." She said tight lipped and left stiff legged holding onto the bulkhead for balance.

Jack watched her leave. "What is her problem now?"

The Captain smiled as she shook her head. "You will figure it out eventually Mr. Turner."

"What? I gave up trying to figure out why she is always mad at me when I was 10 when she disappeared on me."

"Well you have to admit she is persistent." Taking a sheet from her first Officer she studied it. "You have 12 teams working on 10 projects that I have to agree with you on. They can go a long way to insuring us a victory if even a few of them turn out to work. Why did you pick those leaders of those teams? Not one of them I would have picked, not to mention having two teams working on several of the same projects?"

"I didn't pick them sir. They picked themselves. I simply made sure the ones that new the most and understood the new technology best was leading. Even if it was not their Idea though I am trying to make sure the one with the inspiration still has a lot of the say. Every team member of each team is leading certain sections and parts they know best. As for doubling up the teams on certain projects. I found out that smaller teams work best by getting to know each other well enough to know each other's weaknesses and strengths as well as giving each other the freedom to voice opinions and grow. If the team is too big, odd ideas that lead to breakthroughs get less and less as the size of the team grows. Then there is competition between the teams that works amazingly well. Especially when I get them both together to compare notes and the fir fly's. Pop's insistent boring talks or out of the blue statements about an old job he had in research, is coming in handy even though I tried my best to not listen."

"So how much help do you think you need to give them?"

"Me? Help them? They are the best in their fields. No I think the last thing they need is me butting in getting in their way. Not that I haven't helped but they are all good groups. All I have a tendency to do is butt in where I am not needed. According to the Ensign. Though a few questions when I think they are getting lost or headed down the wrong track seem to be amazingly effective."

The Captain turned to the ship's First Officer. "Number One, he is all yours. Do what you can." Then left the sickbay.

The First Officer turned to Jack. "I think I am wasting my time but it is Captain's orders and I damn well am not going to let the Captain down if it kills you."

Jack walked onto the Bridge of the Parsley followed by the First Officer. The Captain was already on the bridge sitting in a chair along the back bulkhead, far away from the central Command chair. The First Officer joined the Captain at the back bulkhead taking a seat next to her. "Are you sure Captain?" He said as he sat stone faced watching Jack approach the center of the bridge and the command chair. He got no answer.

The Ensign sitting in the pilot's chair turned to Jack as he walked up. Smiling she slid out of the chair standing back, making room for him to sit. "Am I glad you are here. I was afraid I was going to have to pilot this thing out of this mess."

Jack stopped a few feet away from her and frowned licking his lips as he looked down at his feet. "It's only THE GAME. It is only The Game." He whispered to himself and then looking up at the Ensign taking a deep breath. "You did just spend the last 6 hours in the Sim doing just that amongst other tasks or did you not Ensign?"

"Ya. The Captain kept ordering me back in the Sim after I got a little sleep instead of rejoining you. I think it amounted to about 6 hours total Jack."

"Then sit back down. You are piloting this ship from ship boarding dock. It will be a piece of cake for you." Turning to the Command chair he saluted the Lieutenant Commander sitting there. "Reporting to relieve you Sir."

"Very well Lieutenant JG Turner. Ship is securely moored. Engines are warmed for prestart. Thrusters are on station keeping. All stations manned and ready for departure. The con is yours, Lieutenant JG Turner." The Lieutenant returned Jacks solute not very happy and stepped from the Command Chair and took a seat next to the Captain and started whispering in her ear.

Jack sat down and looked around the bridge at everyone at their posts busy getting the ship ready for undocking. Frowning he looked down at the controls on the Chair as sweat started popping out on his face as he fought down panic. Jack just stared at the Ensign for a few minutes and then around at the various control stations around the Bridge.

Finally the Captain appeared alongside Jack. Her arms crossed looking down at him with a frown on her face that slowly changed to concern. "Damn it Turner." She whispered.

Jack turned and looked up at her shaking his head no. "I. I... I can't do this Captain. I... I was just a Trampship crewman a few months ago." Jack pleaded.

"Mr. Turner. 10 years ago you started playing a game your grandfather gave you right?"

"Well yes." Jack was taken back. "What the hell does a game have to do with?” Jack took a deep breath. “So what?"

"That game was designed to take a raw recruit fresh out of high school and teach him or her how to eventually become a vital crewman in as short a time as possible to begin with. Then compressing years of boring duty into hours of information packed and entertaining assignments to achieve specific goals to make the best ship’s techs they can be. As well as the ones that are capable, into officers and eventually command a ship." Taking a breath trying not to look impatient. "It starts by teaching them how to do jobs around the ship and then to command crewmen to do those same jobs. Real jobs that every seaman, then rating and then officer has to do. And to do those jobs successfully, you have to give the proper commands to crewmen that act and talk and respond like real crewmen have for tens of thousands of years simply because most of them are other crewmen who are starting out in the game. If you did not give the proper commands to the proper crewmen in the proper order and at the proper time and treat them like real crewmen, the jobs did not get done and you failed and if you did bad enough the game kicks you out or simply keeps you at the level you are competent at. Crewmen in The Game are like crewmen in real life, some are reliable, some are not and some even would get mad and sabotage the work and you had to learn how to handle them all."

The Captain uncrossed her arms putting them on her hips. "Yes you failed a lot for an 8 year old but you were stubborn and you learned to do the jobs yourself and then handle men and get the assignments done quiet efficiently and too a credit to yourself over the years, I will add. You worked hard and over the years an hour or two a night sometimes, or not for weeks sometimes and even once in a while for whole weekends. You slowly learned and got your ass promoted. Promotions you worked hard at and deserved. And if you were in the Navy at the time, promotions that would have been real on real ships like this one. In The Navy Training Game you are a damn fine officer. I know. I have spent days reviewing the detailed Game records The Game keeps to track of on all players. Surprisingly to me, even the civilian players from pirated games as soon as they went on line and The Game down loaded the most current updates and made the proper changes to whatever system you were on. I did not know before a couple of weeks ago, but thanks to you and the Ensign, I now know that The Game went out of its way to train civilian crewmen.”

“I watched you perform miracles in The Game. Watched you take ship after ship into orbit and land. Command ship after ship in ship assaults and combat maneuvers against desperate odds that The Game loves to use to chew up experienced Commanders into raw meat and spit them out as garbage and yet you prevailed. Real battles from recorded past, that happened with real fleets that you seem to do the impossible with and win when the original fleet lost. Not that you are perfect. You have done some pretty stupid things and lost as well but not very often. But. Right now that does not matter."

Bending over to look Jack close in the eyes. "You learned to lead crewmen in The Game Mr. Turner. Crewmen that are real crewmen in every respect including their actions and feelings and they grew to love and trust you. Even the half that were your own ship mates off your Turner Joy. Which is a lot more difficult to do in The Game than real life which is why a young Ensign loves you even if you are too stupid to realize it. Thank Godstar that your shipmates did not know who you were in real life or you probably would have had half the ship defending you from your family and never have been allowed to, if you had still wanted to, leave your ship. You also learned to undock a damn ship and take it out to target practice on enemy ships you had taken just for the fun of it. I watched you do it dozens of times after you decided some ships were not worth salvaging." She stared into Jack's eyes for a full minute as that sunk in and he looked at the Ensign. "Now you are going to think of this as just another exercise for you to have fun with in The Game and take this crew and this ship like you have done a hundred times in The Game and test your gun up grade Mr. Turner. Now!" The Captain turned around and returned to her seat at the back bulkhead.

Jack watched her sit down and then turned back around to see half the bridge crew and then the Ensign starring open mouthed at him. The Ensign's mouth turned into a big smile. "Your orders Captain Turner."

Jack took a deep breath, swallowed and with a tight lipped grimace said. "Ok Gentlemen. Prepare the ship to undock from this hulk. All stations report. Engineering, start your engines. Bring them up to idle. Single up all mooring lines. Seal the locks and report pressure tests. Personnel, muster the crew. I do not want to leave anyone behind."

The Captain raised an eyebrow. She had already mustered the crew but he could not know that and adding that to the list of prelaunch checks was a nice surprise.

"I see we have the Admiral's Barge back aboard. Prepare the Admiral's Barge to launch and observe the test. Weapons, tell the gun deck I want an observer to report to the boat bay and the Admiral's barge. Cargo Chief, I want every piece of cargo's tie down chains double checked. We have a lot of big odd shaped equipment laying in the holds and the engine head deck. "

Fifteen minutes later the ship was ready but Jack just sat there studying the screens around him. Frowning the Captain shook her head sadly. "Damn. He was starting to shape up too." She started to get up. Unbuckling her seatbelt. "I was just expecting too much from the boy."

"Personnel, I still do not have a muster. What is taking so long?"

The Captain stood for a few seconds then turned to look down at the seat she had been sitting in and then her first officer. "Number One, I am going to my day cabin where I can be comfortable. Besides it is too easy to interfere with me on the bridge and looking over his shoulder. Once we are away from the hulk you can join me for a couple of drinks. Since someone did not bother to follow my orders to empty the liquor cabinet before we left."

The Captain left to the sound of. "Captain leaving the Bridge." Announcement.

The ship undocked a few minutes later after the muster report came in. "Sensor's, scan the hulk for life signs. Boat deck, you can launch the Admiral's Barge when ready." The ship took up position a few thousand miles from the hulk. The fleet had retreated even farther behind the Parsley. Without station keeping thrusters of her own, the hulk started slowly tumbling as out gassing from many of the cracked compartments started acting on it.

Scanning the ship as they drifted out from the hulk Jack turned to the science station. "I can't see any signs of life. What about you Ensign Reeves?"

"Sorry Mr. Turner but no energy readings or hot spots sir."

"Thank you Ensign." Changing the Command chair screens to access the weapons screens Jack smiled as he hit his comm. "Gun deck. You have permission to fire when ready."

The gun fired a few minutes later after a short count down. The bright white beam streaked across the short distance slicing through the ship like butter. Jack studied the readouts a little disappointed. He was hoping that it would have a bluish ting to it. Looks good Gun deck. I want a full examination of everything including the barrel before we do another shot with that barrel but let's hit the hulk with one of our standard beams to get a comparison. Command out." A minute later a turret on the that side of the ship put a now sick looking yellow beam into the hulk that only went half way through. Shaking his head in disbelief Jack watched the examination of the gun and power feed system on his monitors. Masses of information flooded his screens as they did each test. The results making him smile until they came to the Barrel lining of the gun. The wear pattern and statistics did not bode well even if they were better than he had feared.

Finally the Gun deck came back on the Comm. "Command, everything checks out above specks. Permission to fire another shot?"

"Permission granted Gun deck." Jack sat back and waited. A half minute later after a short countdown the gun fired again and Jack smiled at the screen showing the view from the barge. The beam was still white hot as it went completely through the hulk again this time from stem to stern. Not as good as the enemy’s bluish white beam but a hell of a lot better than the old ship's gun's yellow beams were. "Run another check on the guns Chief and we will try again from a little longer range." Jack said to the Gun deck. "Navigator plot a course out to 10,000 miles from the hulk please and hold. Pilot, execute when ready."

After a dozen shots with the ship at ever increasing ranges Jack was starting to relax when on the 13 shot the outer half of the gun barrel blew up sending molten metal scrap racing away in all directions and bouncing off the hull.

"Damn! Damage Control Report damage to the ship." Jack shook his head frowning. "According to our last reading we should have gotten another dozen shots from the damn thing at least. Gun deck, Chief, what happened?"

"I think it was a flaw in the barrel sir. Not critical with the old yellow beams but evidentially is with the upgrade. Even then we would be lucky to get another dozen rounds even on a perfect barrel sir. Not very good for combat sir."

"That depends on how much combat we have to do but you are right we have to find something to line the barrel. Run your checks and I will schedule a meeting later to go over everything with the Captain." Jack cut the connection, got out of the command chair and started pacing back and forth across the bridge. "Pilot, let's go back and check out exactly what kind of damage the new beam shots did to the hulk. Comm, tell the crew to stand down from gun stations." As the announcement to set condition 4 echoed through the ship, Jack continued to pace as he used his personal comm to talk to the research teams for ideas.

Jack suddenly stopped. "Comm, Captain please."

"Yes Mr. Turner. You did not completely forget about higher Command after all."

"Sorry Captain. The test went well until it didn't. The beam was white hot as expected and initial tests showed we should have gotten from 20 to 30 shots before the barrel would need to be relined but a flaw in the barrel caused the beam to fall apart and slagged the barrel. They are cleaning up the mess and checking for damage to the mount now. I will inform you when the damage results are in. Crews are already installing the Capacitors on the other guns."

"Not much of a weapon Mr. Turner if we can only get 13 shots from a barrel before it destroys itself."

"We are working on that now but we do have a few spar barrels at least. It may be possible to adapt the plasma pipe technology to line the barrel so the beam never touches the barrel but that would mean reducing the size of the beam by several inches even if we bore out the barrel a bit if it will still handle the pressures. Though a smaller barrel tube may result in an even hotter beam if we can get the beam generator to cooperate and not burn itself out."

"Very well Mr. Turner. Carry on."

"Oh a Captain. It would go much faster if I could be relieved to help with the effort sir."

"No. We are running 6 and 18 (6 hours on watch, 18 hours off duty) Mr. Turner and you need the command time. Especially the boring seemingly wasted hours under your belt that The Game does not provide. You have a lot to learn yet even if you did just earn yourself a promotion to full Lieutenant. And while you are on the comm. We are coming up on the point we need to start decelerating to the Rock. The Thyme is going to lead the fleet. You just have to put the ship into its assigned place in the squadron when Fleet Assembly is called and then follow the leader. You have done it a hundred times in The Game, so I know you can do it. Carry on Lieutenant Turner. Captain out."

Jack looked up to see the whole bridge looking at him smiling. He suddenly realized that he was on open bridge wide com and everyone had heard.

"Congratulations Mr. Turner." Said the Navigator next to the Ensign.

The Ensign turned her head to smile up at him as she brought the ship around to head for the hulk. "Coming to course 310 mark 72, Lieutenant Turner. We will be beside the hulk in 30 minutes sir."

As Jack continued to pace across the bridge as everyone kept congratulating him on his promotion to his shock and aaw. As he paced with half the crew insisting on talking to him about The Game and their exploits in it, he started getting too embarrassed to continue. Jack finally sat down in the Command chair just to stay away from them and in a few minutes he was again in deep thought about the gun problem and when he could not stand not doing anything any longer he cut the Command chair terminal into the production design system the development teams were using and got to work. Keeping an eye on what was happening around him and what needed to be done for the ship, slowed his development work down considerably even as he assigned more people from the other teams to help. Finally he looked up and around at the bridge crew and the Ensign in particular and realized that it was just like The Game he was so familiar with. He started to relax and enjoy being on the bridge. After all it was just, The Game.

The Captain sat back in her easy chair watching the screens around her which were carbon copies of the command chairs screens Lieutenant Turner was hard at work at on the bridge. Her First Officer turned from the terminal he was working at next to the foot of her folded up bunk. "Captain you won't believe this. The Game has suddenly been flooded with officers and crewmen putting in training time. How did that information travel so fast? No one has left the bridge yet."

"Word of mouth is faster than light Number One. I will bet you that the same thing is happening on every ship in the fleet."

"No. sir. Not taking that sucker bet. But it is a lot of risk promoting Mr. Turner so fast just to get the crews back to The Game sir. I still do not understand why?"

The Captain turned around to look at her First Officer and took a sip realizing that he probably never would. "After our first encounter and win with the enemy. Or should I say successful encounter. We finally have enough evidence to prove that we are going to need thousands of smaller ships and not just the hundreds of Battleships Command originally was thinking. The Asteroid factory Destroyer output turns out not to be such a waste after all. Especially now I know where I can get the crews, not to mention Captains for all those new ships. We just need to use the full Training capability of The Game. Besides we were or should I say already are lacking thousands of officers needed just for the planed Battleships." Taking a sip of her drink. "No. I did not realize how good The Game was at training crewmen even though I have known about The Game for 50 years since it was first proposed. Like most Commanders, even though there are standing orders for crewmen to use the game as much as possible for training, I basically forgot about it and never checked on crew training time spent in The Game. In peace time there was no reason to. But now it is a resource that has to be used to its fullest capability if we are going to win this war. That means pushing it on the civilian masses as much as possible as well as the fleet. Mr. Turner is the first step in that drive. Tell me Number One, how much use has the game gotten since I ordered the Exec to increase training time for the fleet ah, last week?"

Tapping on the screen in front of him. "Ah training hours went up 1 percent."

The Captain took a good swig finishing off her drink and smiled as she refilled it. "That was what the Exec told me yesterday. Issuing orders for the crew to use The Game when most of the crew saw no sense in playing a game they considered a useless waste of time. Simply because the peace time Navy was still using mostly time on duty in the real world for determining promotions and not ability and I don't blame them. Especially now with a war on and ships are short crewmen at only75% manning levels, so their jobs are keeping them busy. As the Exec and I found out when the few that complied with last week's orders were simply putting in the time with little effort. No, we are going to start getting the first of millions of Dirtbags out of the yearlong training camps starting next month, that will be lucky to have a few hundred hours of vacuum and weightless time under their belts. They are as likely to vomit on the equipment they have been trained to maintain as fix it and will barely know which end of the ship is the bow and need good officers while we are short on even bad officers for the crews we have now. It makes me sick."

The Captain leaned her chair back to relax as she took a sip of her refilled drink. Savoring a long lost friend. "The only way to get the majority of crewmen to use the program efficiently was to make an example of someone. Luckily we had a damn good candidate aboard once I got his old game record. Not that we did not have the record already. What we did not have was his game name and like most of the recruits when they were signed on at boot camp, Mr. Turner used the new name we gave him. Though The Game seemed to know him somehow, it just didn't tell us. The Ensign provided me with his old Game Name and to my surprise he turns out to be the very person we have been looking for." Shaking her head. "Looking for, for the last fracking two years." Taking another sip she smiled as her First Officer looked at her baffled. "Mr. Turner is the designer of our new fleet Destroyers Number One. The ones being massed produced at the Earth system belt construction station for over a year now. Though the Admiralty moved the fixed rapid fire 8 inch guns into turrets and are stockpiling them on Mars because we don't have crews for more than a handful of them. I did manage to get a hundred of them as escorts for the Dwarfs since they refused to give me any battleships and a hundred more to patrol and close in defense of The Rock. Though with only 8 inch guns most consider them useless even with a good load of torpedo's and missiles as short ranged as they are even with a full load of external drop tanks. Which is why no one is in any particular hurry to activate and crew them with no evidence the enemy has anything small enough they think they can fight. But now with Mr. Turner’s new Reaction Massless engines and dumping their drop tanks, they can out run our fastest scouts ships and look like they maybe powerful enough in groups to take on our battleships. Too bad even our battleships can't take on theirs at this time in a fair fight." Taking another swig. "We are not likely to get another chance to take on one of the enemy battleships at 36 to 1 again. Which means we are screwed unless we can get enough of those damn Destroyers and crews for them and even up grade them."

The ship's First Officer stared at her shocked. "But Captain, you even said those Destroyers are untested in Combat. You can't bank the Republic's whole defense on them."

"Who said banking, Number One? All the disposable Destroyers need to do is survive long enough running around the enemies rear areas shooting up their supply lines and stations to side track the enemy into breaking up into small enough fleets chasing them so our massed Battleship fleet can take on one at a time once we have built up enough of the New Battleships. Shaking her head as she took another sip of her drink and chuckled. "We have been looking at all the engineering Colleges and ship companies trying to find the person that had designed the ship on The Game, with no luck and he just drops in by shear chance. No. A few days ago I had the Exec. change the protocols to signing our new recruits as well as old crewmen onto The Game to include asking them for all past names on any pervious programs they may have played as well as previous E-addresses and I would be disappointed if we do not find a lot more surprises."

The First Officer turned back to the terminal and tapped keys for a few minutes. "Damn sir. You know how to call it. There are all kinds of experienced, The Game officers and even Captains popping up now. If this holds up on the rest of the Support and Battleship fleets, we have plenty of officers to bring us up to quota for the Battleship fleet and the new Dirtbag Recruits coming down the pipes."

Looking at the First Officer she had picked for this ship only a few hours before they launched on this mission, mostly because she hoped with a little time as First Officer she could make him into a tolerable Captain, like she had done to her First officer on the Red Dwarf. She suddenly wondered if it was possible to take someone the game had made into a Captain and simply give him or her a ship. No it had taken her getting a stiff drink to hand over the ship to Mr. Turner just for target practice and stimulate The Game participation. She would turn back into a raving alcoholic if she made him a frigging Captain. "Yes Number One, though I had the best of the recruits that had enough Collage degrees to become officers, (even though Beu-Pers did not like their Colleges), assigned to the Transport fleet even if I had to make them Cooks. I am surprised that most of them turn out to have The Game time as well. I hope that we will find you are right. Though I have a feeling that Admiral Binghamton is going to do something stupid before I can get back with the fleet upgrades. If he does, the likely odds of the fleet surviving his battle with the enemy is incredibly small. History shows that the defenders in any new war have a grave disadvantage simply because they are fighting with old tactics and equipment the enemy knows all about and how to defeat them or they simply do not attack in the first place."

She took a big swig of her drink. "No. My orders from Central Command were to find out what the enemies strengths and weaknesses are and survive long enough to get that information back to Earth and The Rock, so we could build a fleet to defeat them. I was planning on using the unaccredited Collage graduated crewmen after a lot of additional training to make up the cores of the crew Officers we were going to need if we managed to escape. We just lucked out that Mr. Turner showed up at just the right time with that engine of his or his grandfathers, to hopefully avoid a major but expected disaster." Chuckling as she shook her head. "And now has shown me how to take care of our Officer Training problem for the new stupid Dirtbag crews as well."

"Ok Captain. So this Mr. Turner is a poster child for The Game to train new officers. How far are you going to push him up the ladder before you dump his ass back down to where he belongs? He does not hit me as real Captain Material."

The Captain turned back around leaning up toward her First Officer waving her drink in his direction thinking to herself. (Like you would know Captain Material if it shit on you!) Then out laud with a smile. "As far as it takes Number One. Besides it does not look like I will have to do much pushing, if I can keep him from being afraid of his own shadow and freaking out when someone looks at him sideways. After all that was what the game was all about. I am still waiting to criticize him simply out of fear he will fall apart in front of the crew with his background of abuse. That could kill The Game for training Officers in an instant when it got back to Fleet Command Rock. No. We are going to have to choreograph his first big mistake very carefully."

The Captain thought for a minute. "No, we have to be careful but we are going to push him until he is no longer useful to the cause while wringing everything out of him that is possible as far as new advanced technology goes. Including designing a NEW CRUISER TO TAKE ON THE ENEMYU BATTLESHIPS. Which is why we were looking for him in the first place. No. We can bury him in a research posting so he never gets near even a commanders posting on a ship. Then, if we are lucky he will get himself killed in some glorious way making him a martyr for recruiting and The Training Game's cause before he could do something stupid. Having to court martial or demote him would not be good, in fact disastrous."

She turned and watched Jack sitting in the Command chair working hard on the gun upgrades with carbon copies of his screens in front of her flashing pages and calculations and diagrams too fast for her to read any of them. Looking away because her eyes were starting to hurt she pinched the bridge of her nose. "But then getting him killed even as a martyr would be a waste and he is a good looking likable kid perfect for a Poster Boy and he just may be able to offer some more help in the equipment design department. I could bury him in the old ship production factory in Earths Rings that is producing the new Destroyers, where he could do no real harm and still be handy when I need to drag him out again when The Game usage starts to slow down or we need someone to flash in front of the Press and Politicians while he works on new improvements for the fleet. That is if I can make a hero of him somehow. After all he did create our new propulsion engines. Though most inventors usually only have one good idea in them, but we will see. Mr. Turner has turned out to be a good organizer when it comes to scientific programs. But we can't let that stand in the way of promoting The Game. We already have a good organizer even if he is a lying creep if I need to use him. I will just have to wait and see how the game is going later on and if we have to, we can always make Mr. Turner a martyr."

"What? Glorious deaths are hard to engineer Captain and leave traces and lead to inquiries."

"No, not with an enemy that loves to kill. All we will have to do is send him out in a ship when we are done with him and have the need of a hero and the enemy will take care of that for us. Probably in one of the very Destroyers fresh off the production line to test against the real enemy. He will perform one last final service and tell us what alterations are needed to the ship if the first test battles go badly."

"What! You are going to make him a Captain of a ship? That is ridiculous Captain ah, Admiral."

"No. Don't be jumping to ridiculous conclusions Number One. He only has to be on the ship of that class to die in battle to become the martyr we need. What rank he achieves is going to be up to him and his abilities. But then you do have a good idea. Having a young The Game trained Captain is worth a ship's weight in gold for publicity, advertising, bond drives and recruitment. We could have millions across the planets enlisting when we make him a Captain in a year or two. Yes we are going to have to promote the shit out of that boy until most of our crews are on the Game each and every day. God, we are going to have the best trained crews in history right out of the yards."

"Now wait just one. If you even make him a Commander let lone give him command of a ship without being qualified, they will burn your ass alive and burry you so deep you will never see the sun again. You won't get a chance to send any of those Destroyers into battle."

"Then you just be sure he is qualified Number One if we need him. Besides, I am not sure we are going to need him to make even Lt. Commander. As you said, The Game is doing just fine, finally."

"And what about that Ensign that keeps tagging along and won't let him out of her sight. We or you have got to get rid of her or she will blow the whistle on you once he is buried or gets killed. Let me transfer her to another ship."

"Ah, No. I am the one that ordered her to keep a close eye on him. She is no problem if she is with him. No. Fate seems to have thrown them back together for some reason anyway, so don’t' fight it. Go with the flow." The Captain was still worried about that damn Red flag on his file even though he had met the woman that had put it there and the Ensign was actually working out well even if she did have to ignore a few regulations. She suddenly realized it even made for a better story to the press. Ship mates trained together on The Game, fighting the good fight to the end. Smiling. "I like it. Besides I get the feeling that without her he would pretty much fall apart, even if he doesn't know it, she does." The Captain laughed shaking her head. "I assigned her to guard him simply because I needed her jacket to hide his uniform and someone to keep an eye on him while I was busy checking on him and arranging the meeting with the Admiral of the attack fleet. Then watched him fall apart until she stepped in and it became clear that she was an old ship mate and madly in love with him and he was without a clue. They are even sleeping in the same cabin without sleeping together. But then I have heard that most geniuses are socially stupid. Probably some moronic belief in chivalry or something. But then he may just be too afraid and immature to try and touch her even if she laid down naked in front of him with her legs spread. No. I think we need to keep those two together. If nothing else but for the entertainment." They both started laughing. Cutting jokes at Jack's and the Ensigns expense every few minutes.

Holding up the empty liquor bottle she looked through its clear sides and shook her head. "Oops. Looks like I fell off the wagon." Throwing it at the First Officer where it shattered on the hatch. "That is what I get for not checking to make sure the Captains liquor cabinet was emptied before coming aboard this damn ship." It really wasn't a complaint.

18-

OUT NUMBERED

Jack only had an hour of his watch left when the word came to form up the fleet for deceleration to the Rock. He quickly brought the ship into its position in the squadron and the long deceleration started with the fleet quickly building up to 300 Gees as not to give the suspected enemy scouts in the region a clue to the new engines capacities if detected. Besides that was all the wounded ships could do. Though Jack suddenly realized that an enemy scout passing close may see that the ships where no longer spewing tons of reactant mass per minute and realize that something was different, Jack turned to the Sensor Station. "Lieutenant, keep a close watch on anything that may be an enemy scout even if it is just sitting there as we pass."

The sensor operator looked around at Jack. "Oh yes sir. We don't want to get ambushed. I always loved it when we did that in The Game."

The Ensign turned and looked at the sensor operator smiling as did half the bridge crew.

Jack smiled over at the officer as well. "Yes we don't want to get ambushed Lieutenant. Keep your sensors tuned up tight and…"

Thinking for a few seconds as he looked at the navigation tank. "Plot, how far away are the other squadrons?"

"Ah… Roughly a thousand miles away sir." The lieutenant studied the screen as she checked each squadron. "The farthest is 1286 and the closest is 921 sir."

"And the ship spread in the squadrons?"

"Roughly 5 miles sir. Do you want an exact sir?"

"No but thanks." Sitting back Jack drummed his fingers on the arm of the Command Chair for a good minute.

The Ensign turned around in the pilots chair to look at Jack over her shoulder. "Yes Jack. Not optimum or hell, even good. A thousand miles is hitting off an odd fraction of a wavelength."

"Which means the sensors are missing most of the information coming in from any great distance." Jack tapped the comm screen. "Captain. This is a Lieutenant Turner. A, Officer of the Conn. I ah."

"Yes Mr. Turner I know you are Officer of the Conn and yes you have the Conn. How may I help you?" Jack was not sure but he detected a slight slurring of her speech.

"Our sensor array ships are not at optimum wave reception distances for maximum detection range or sensitivity for an array. We could increase our sensor range by a good factor of four if we redeploy the fleet to the proper grav wave length. Sir."

"You don't say. No, we can't have that now can we Mr. Turner. We don't need optimum battle formation when we are headed home and looking for any bad guys that are lurking around do we. Well then, tell the Thyme to redeploy the fleet." The Captain took a sip of her drink. "Is there anything else I can help you with Mr. Turner, Officer of the Conn?" She smiled out at Jack.

"Ah. No Captain Sir. Oh a yes sir. I have been thinking after you said you don't want the enemy knowing we have these new engines. The Ion drive puts out a distinctive signature sir. But I think we can mask it by adding a trickle of reactant mass to the exhaust stream sir. I would like permission to set up a quick group to do that as quickly as possible?"

"Very good Mr. Turner Officer of the Conn. You are doing a smashing job. Keep up the good work. Out." The screen went blank.

Jack looked at the blank screen for a few seconds baffled by the Captain's responses. Then turned to the Navigator ahead to his right. "Lieutenant, do you know the proper spacing and alignment for a grav wave detection array?"

"Ah. I think so sir." Not sounding at all sure.

Jack turned to the pilot chair ahead to the left of him. "Ensign, give the navigator the proper spacing and alignment for a gravity wave array if you please." Turning to the Navigator again. "Send that priority 1, under the Vice Admiral's authority to the Thyme if you please."

A half hour later the fleet started redeploying. "It's about time." Jack said to no one.

As more of the ships reached their assigned places with 10,000 miles of space between each group, forming two long lines crossing about a quarter toward one end of each line, the sensor screen started picking up more and more details farther and farther away. A half dozen ships still had not reached the ends of the lines when alarms started flashing.

"Enemy ships detected Sir." Screamed the sensor Officer.

Jack hit the Comm for the Captain. "Captain! Enemy ships detected on a course to intercept our course sir. Intercept in 102 hours sir."

The Captain appeared leaning against the hatch. "Yes Mr. Turner I see them. What do you think?" The Thyme Captain appeared in the Comm screen.

"Me? Ahh. Well. Ah... I think they got the message sent that way, but not any way close to sensing us at this range with that formation spread and only 5 ships. I don't think they will be able to detect us until they are only minutes away at most sir. Ahh… We have plenty of time to set up a multipronged attack on them at 300 Gee's sir. Attack plan Echo 5 would be perfect Captain, even if a few more enemy ships show up. With the fleet upgraded with two capacitors on each barrel, we can easily take them out before we start losing guns."

The Captain/Admiral took a step onto the bridge toward Jack and then swayed a little and changed course to grab onto the shoulder of the Executive Officer sitting at the Damage Control and crew dispatch board. A glass tumbler with large ice rocks tinkling in it as she moved.

"No Admiral." The Captain of the Thyme said. "We can easily go around them without them being the wiser. We don't have the weapons to take on 5 enemy ships. Yours is the only one that has guns that can even possibly take on those ships. None of the others have finished the needed alterations."

"But Captain." Jack turned around from looking at the Captain of the Thyme talking. "With what we know now about the enemy, our 30 ships can easily take all five out with a coordinated attack."

Waving the tumbler around in front of her at Jack. "Are you forgetting that we have two ships that are badly damaged and I am not about to sacrifice two crews to these things unless I have too. Not to mention the fact that I would rather not advertise the fact that we have up graded our guns just yet or can see them over a full light year ahead. Not to mention that most of our fleets guns don't have extra Capacitors for their turrets until we reach The Rock. Mr. Turner, how is the gun research going? Is there some way to upgrade our guns without more capacitors or burning out our gun barrel tubes?"

"We can easily increase the temperature if we squeeze the size of the beam down with the new plasma linings. Ahhh, that is, if we could even make them right now. But that will take more equipment than what we have in the fleet. Sir... but for now I think we can simply finish cross connecting the capacitors between the pair of guns in each of the turrets on the other ships. That also gives us two capacitors on each gun and the advantage of when one barrel burns out in a turret, they have the other barrel in the turret to fire. And if we are lucky, we will have the shields in place on this ship in a few more hours ready for testing. I think we can put shields on most of the ships before we attack." Jack looked over at the plot tank. "I think we even have enough time to split the force into several attack wings to hit the enemy ships from 3 directions at the same time at high speed allowing at least two of our groups to get a good dozen shots at their asses no matter what direction they turn without having to wait until we are passing them to only get one or two shots at their sides. It would take very good coordination to achieve perfect timing in the assault, but we can take them out with the improved guns in only a few shots at long range up their assess before they can get more than a couple of shots at us."

"You want to attack 5 of those monsters when we had trouble destroying one with over a thousand gun shots and over 600 torpedoes?" The Captain of the Thyme said shocked.

"We know what we are up against now Captain. We still have the odds in our favor." Jack said. "If we attack with all 6 squadrons from widely different directions at the same time they won't be able to target all their ships on one squadron, we can take them all out with few casualties."

"Ya you saw what one ship with only 2 guns did to one squadron. If those ships have 4 or 6 or 12 guns each they could slaughter all 30 ships of the fleet." The Captain of the Thyme was almost yelling.

The Captain/Admiral started to stand up straight but grabbed ahold of the Exec again. "The problem with your plan Jack is that as soon as we break the sensor array to deploy the squadrons, we lose contact with the enemy making it impossible to even come close to coordinating an attack of 6 widely spaced squadrons as you propose. No. We will slide to one side and see if we can sneak around them since they are headed to intercept the course the ship we destroyed reported that we were on and can't actually see us.

In the mean time we can add cross connects between pairs of turret guns and upgrading the feeds, fleet wide as well as the shields you were talking about if you can get them to work." Turning to the Captain of the Thyme she sloshed her drink and watched it hit the deck shaking her head. "Damn waist." Looking back up. "I will put together a massage to the Rock. After we transmit the message that the enemy is sure to pick up confirming our location and are on our way to their intercept point and their ambush, we will start sliding around to one side." The Captain started to take a drink but stopped with it at her lips and looked at the Thyme Captain and then Jack. "Well Gentlemen, you have your orders." Turning to the Exec she was still holding onto. She thrust the still half full glass into his hand and leaned forward to whisper into his ear and then said loud enough for the whole bridge to hear. "Take this damn shit and clean, ah clean out the rest of the booze from both my day cabin and living quarters cabin and lock it up in sickbay. I don’t' want to see another bottle. And send the doc up to give me a shot to sober me up. The least of our worries is a damn boy sitting on the Conn." Then staggered off the bridge.

Jack had seen his father and his brother drunk on the bridge many times between stars and did not think twice about her condition but was glad of what he had heard. Jack watched the blips on the tactical plot screen as the Captain of the Thyme left his comm on as he talked to the various teams before sending the needed information to the fleet. The fact that Captain or Admiral Halsey was ignoring a ripe juicy easy target, started eating at him.

Something just did not seem right as he watched the five enemy ships as they slowed down to stop at the interception point. It just was not right that they were chickening out of an easy kill. The enemy ships would be sitting ducks waiting to ambush the Republic fleet only to get ambushed themselves. He liked the idea of turning their trap back onto them. So what if they were out of contact with the enemy as the squadrons maneuvered to attack. The enemy ships were not going anywhere while they waited to spring their ambush. But then he realized the more he thought about ambushing the enemy the more he felt he was forgetting something. But what could that be? The enemy was right there in front of them. Then as he shook his head telling himself how stupid the Captain of the ship/ Admiral of the fleet, was, a new blip appeared approaching the interception point from the opposite direction from the original enemy squadron.

"Damn. That is too soon to be the other enemy ship we spotted going the same way we were." Jack shook his head turning his head to look for that other ship and not seeing it. "The sensor array was too focused to see it or this ship before now. Covering such a thin slice of space in front of us." Jack said to himself as he turned back to the comm screen with the Thyme Captain still on it. "Captain we need to start moving the focus of the sensor array to check out a larger area. It will take a little coordination but…"

"Don’t tell me how to shit Lieutenant. I see the other ship and I am already sending the orders. You just make sure your pilot carries them out properly. Out."

Jack's watch ended a few minutes later with the discovery of 6 more enemy ships headed for the intercept point as the coverage area started increasing. He was suddenly glad the Captain had not taken him up on his plan. It was looking like they were already out gunned not to mention how many more would show up in the next 4 days.

The Ensign walked with Jack as they headed for the Officers mess. "God, I screwed up big time. I could have gotten us all killed. Did you see that mass of ships collecting to ambush us?"

"What are you talking about Jack? You saved our butts. If not for the array being established when it was, we would be dead meat and everyone knows it and so do you. Just quit being so damn Asteroid headed stubborn."

"But I suggested an attack that would have gotten the fleet slaughtered."

"Maybe, but that is what you are supposed to do. Evaluate the situation and make suggestions according to the information at hand. The Captain did her job surmising what the future possibilities are and making decision accordingly. You do not have the power to do anything that would endanger the ship. So forget about it except remember the lessons. That making suggestions to the Captain is your job." She grabbed his arm as they walked toward the officers’ mess on the other side of the 300 foot wide officer and Command deck.

"Ya. I should have realized how narrow the sensor beam was focused and suggested tipping the formation to look around before making such a stupid attack suggestion." He looked down at the Ensign and realized that she was not just steadying herself as they walked and not hanging on either, but simply had her hand around his lower arm as her shoulder lightly brushed his. He decided he liked it but it was very confusing.

"Well you did not have much time to think. The enemy had just appeared on the screen." She smiled over at him. "Next time take a few seconds and think. You are good at that when you want to be. Just don’t get into a hurry."

"Huuuaa?"

"That is good but without a questioning tone. Look up or away like you are thinking and make some non-committal sound like that. If they think you are in deep thought, people will usually wait for you to speak. Give you plenty of time to think, just remember the Captain was just asking for your opinion. Trying to get all the facts and possibilities. It is her responsibility to make the decisions and give the final orders."

"Ok, that makes sense." They walked on to the mess without saying another word as Jack just enjoyed having her next to him. She finally took her hand off his arm as they entered the mess. Everyone was talking about the enemy ships and Jacks promotion and exchanging The Game names. What became depressing to Jack real quickly was that everyone was talking about how great he was but no one noticed him even when he stood next to them in the line and then sat next to others. No one cared about who he was. Like he was invisible. "Ok? Are people so wrapped up in their own lives that they don’t even notice most other people or care?"

"Yes Jack. That is how normal people behave. They don't give a shit about most anyone else but themselves. Your family was strange but typical with big families in position of power. They expect everyone especially family to be perfect and see and notice all their faults. That was never the real world Jack. Even if you walked through this mess naked most would not even look at you and the ones that did would just go back to eating and not care. That is unless you have something everyone wants or thinks they want. Like me, I would get half the men following me around drooling over themselves with half of them trying to stop me so they could talk me into going to bed with them." The Ensign took a couple of bites and then looked up into Jacks eyes and with tight lips she started to speak so low Jack had to bend over to hear her as tears formed in her eyes. "No, I got rapped when I was 10 because of these and I hate them and anyone who looks at them. Something you never have to worry about."

"Ok. So that is why you always wrapped them down flat. God that must have hurt all the time." Jack found himself looking at her breasts jutting out across the table and jerked his eyes up to hers. "Ah. So why aren't you wrapping them anymore?"

"Well Doctors orders and I feel safe around you and. And I like it when you look at my breasts." She picked up a big fork full of food, raising it toward her mouth but hit the tip of her breast knocking the food off her fork and down the front of her blouse. "Ahh, still getting used to them hanging out there." She said embarrassed then grabbed another fork full and carefully raised it out and around her breasts with each bight most of the time after that. "This is good stuff." She said between hurried bites. Finally she slowed down as Jack stared open mouthed at her. "You were the only one when I was growing up that always talked to me and not my rapidly developing boobs in class and when we studied with your grandfather and even together. You never made a pass at me once or came up with some stupid excuse to fondle or squeeze my breasts or paw at me or, or. No. you were always the perfect fracking gentleman and you haven't fracking changed." She threw her napkin down onto her half-finished plate and stomped strait arms locked down to her sides off the mess deck. Jack still starring open mouthed at her receding back without noticing half the men in the mess starring at her or her boobs bouncing up and down with every stomp.

"Ten? That was when she stopped coming to class and the tutoring sessions with Pop and talking to me and she turned so nasty to everyone and my brother told me that it was my fault that she hated me and everyone else." Jack got up and slowly followed her, forgetting all about his half full plate on the table. Finding a trail of stunned guys down the passageway as he walked.

One of them was just standing back up as Jack approached. Turned to Jack and said. "All I did was say hi to her I swear it. Even if her boob was hanging half out of her blouse." Jack recognized him as one of the ass holes that liked to make dirty comments about her behind her back only to fain innocence if she turned around.

Jack hit him up alongside the head knocking him to the deck again. "No more shit boob comments ass hole or you won't have to worry about a fracking stun gun."

Stopping outside his cabin's hatch, he started to knock and stopped with his hand inches away from the hatch. Finally he unlocked it and went in. The Ensign was laying on her bunk faced away from him as he closed the hatch. Her blouse, pants and bra were on the deck. Her thin panties did little to hide her butt.

Licking his lips. "I am sorry for whatever I did to you to make you hate me and everyone else so much 8 no 9 years ago."

She turned her head to look over her shoulder at him disgustedly. "You didn't do shit to make me hate anyone except telling your brother I wanted him to screw me and you wanted to watch on video, which I will always hate you for." Then turned back over away from him. "No. That is the problem, YOU don't do shit. Ever."

"Hell I do plenty of shit! I have had girlfriends." His eyes suddenly opened wide. "What! I never told my brother to screw you or do anything to you period. Why would I? Hell I can't tell my brother to do shit. That is so stupid it does not make any sense. Besides why would I want to watch him screw you when I had my own girlfriends?"

"Ya you had girlfriends when they dragged you around by your dick because you were the Captains son. Until they thought they could get your brother who was always ready. Especially if they were paying attention to you. You could not even talk to me years later no matter how many times I tried aboard the Turner Joy."

"Why should I talk to you? You hated me remember… You slapped, or screamed or snarled at me every time I got near you, let alone tried to talk to you for over a good year back then" A sick baffled look came over Jack. "Did my brother really, really? Do. Do that to you?"

"I do hate you more every time I even think of you telling him to screw me. Yes he raped me. Godstar you are stupid. Why years later would I talk to you in the passageways and at mess and at games if I truly hated you? Not to mention when I managed to get us trapped in the fracking water tank with me wearing a wet tee-shirt and shorts half way up my ass and almost down to my pussy. And you managed to fracking figure how to get us out without you saying more than two words to me."

"Oh I thought it was an accident and... Hell we were 15 by then. You practically took my head off every time you saw me for 3 years before that. And. How come when I did get us out of that tank, all you did was stomp away when I did start talking to you. Talking about a fracking ingrate for rescuing you. I thought I would at least get a thanks from you. And. And talk to me and explain. I just thought you were being polite in public all the other times after that. Hell. You still always looked like you hated me and wanted me dead after only a few seconds or minutes."

"You can't be that stupid Jack. Well I was a little conflicted. I did hate you and wanted you dead but I wanted to tell you that so you could tell me your brother lied to me so I did not have to hate you any longer." Turning back over to look at him tears dripping down her cheeks. "Then in time all I had left was the hate. More hate for you than for your brother because I could not believe you told him to rape me so you could watch."

Jack stood there starring at the back of her head. "I… I was... I was... I was afraid of saying the wrong thing and making you hate me even more. I... I never told him to rape you for Fracking sake."

The Ensign sat up looking at Jack. "Now that was the first thing you have said that makes sense. Finally. Why the hell did it take 9 fricking years to say it?" She scooted to the edge of the bed. Her bare boobs hanging out in front of her. Her nipples turning bright red throbbing, straining, growing hard.

Jack continued looking at the deck. "I could not stand the thought of you hatting me anymore than you already did, if I said anything wrong."

The Ensign smiled. "Jack. I have never really hated you, though I blamed you for not rescuing me even after I found out that your brother had locked you down in engine room to work on the engines during it. Fact is I have been in love with you since I was 3 I think. I don't know for sure when." She looked into Jacks eyes as he looked up at hers. "All I know for sure is that when I was rapped I hated every male on that ship but my family and you. I just could not be around any of your family members is all. They reminded me of what happened. I am sorry if you thought that meant you even though I acted like it and I guess a part of me did."

"How could I think otherwise? You told my brother that you hated me for something I did. I have been killing myself since trying to figure out what I did to make you hate me." He started to step closer to her but stopped and stepped back staring at the deck.

The Ensign pushed herself off the edge of the bunk and stepped to Jack taking ahold of his arms brushing her tits into his chest ever so slightly. "No! You did not rape me. I did not tell your brother I hated you. I told your brother that I hated him and that you were the only guy for me and if I ever had the chance, I would kill him. No. You did not rape me Jack. You have never hurt me. Pissed me off a hell of a lot but never hurt me physically. And for that along with everything else, I will always love you. Though it took getting rapped and a few years of therapy and a Doctorate in Psychology to figure that out"

She stared at Jack as he started to lean into her with desire but suddenly he backed off with uncertain apprehension flashing into fear in his eyes. "Oh hell." She plastered her lips onto Jacks. Pushing her breasts into him as hard as she could trying to force the stupidity from him as she wrapped her arms around him and realized that was impossible after so many years, but enjoying the attempt anyway.

It took Jack a full minute for his body to finally win over his fear before he let himself melt into her letting his hands slide under her stretch sports panties lifting her up onto him and her hands clumsily started undressing him.

She spent several hours trying to squeeze all the stupid fears out of him as he filled her hungry empty sole and again she knew it would take years and hard constant work she was looking forward to.

The next morning reveille sounded waking the Ensign with Jack's head using one of her breasts for a pillow with his arms around her holding on for dear life. She had one leg hanging over his hip with something hard sticking into the leg.

Jack started stretching as he yawned turning his head he got a mouth full and started sucking making her moan as she closed her eyes. Not believing how sensitive it was to his tongue. His hand started wondering over her butt making her forget reveille and then his hand dropped around and between her legs and flame started raging out across her body. Her mind flashed to the fact that he had tried to get out of her bed during the night to return to his bunk and finally got out of him the fact that his brother had said slut's never want you in their bed in the morning no matter what you make them say. Making her latch onto him to prove she wanted him there. Ignoring the name he had accidentally called her quoting a stupid comment of his brother. Knowing that he had not meant it as it sounded. She decided that she definitely was never going to wake up in bed ever again without him. Then she promptly forgot everything for another half hour as he went out of his way to make sure she was pleasured several times.

Jack came back from his shower and started dressing without saying anything. Steeling glances at her every few seconds or starring when he thought she was not looking. His stomach growled and he looked down embarrassed. "I am starving, sorry."

"You should be. You didn't finish dinner last night." She looked at him as he sat on his bunk fully dressed trying his best not to look at her. Taking a deep breath she knelt down in front of him taking his hands in her. "Look at me Jack." He looked up at her as she smiled. "I meant what I said last night. I love you and I like it when you look at me. Hell I love it when you stare at me. Every inch of me."

His stomach rumbled, seeming to echo off the bulkhead. Pulling back Jack smiled. "Ok I am starving to death I guess I missed dinner last night too. Can we go to breakfast please? I know this is going to sound stupid but I still can't believe it. It is still too much like a dream."

"No, it is not a dream. It all is yours and will be there anytime you want it and sometimes when you don't." She kissed him on the lips for several seconds as he grabbed a hand full of boob and reached down between her legs and his eyes became big as he pulled his mouth away.

"You shaved down there when you showered?"

"Ya. I can't stand to kiss a beard. They disgust me. So why would I expect you to kiss me with a beard and I do love your kisses especially your tongue." She bent down again and kissed him, slipping her tongue into him then kissed his lips as his stomach howled. "Oh shut up." She said to his stomach. "He has his hands right where I want them." She moaned as he rubbed her G spot between her legs again then pushed her back and buried his head between her legs.

It only took her a few minutes before she was arching her back and screaming. Finely she pushed him away as she tried to catch her breath. "I am going to have to get that permanently shaved for you."

Jack pulled his hands out and off her giving her butt a light slap. "What did you say? I am half deaf from some siren going off. You will have to tell me what emergency that alarm is for." Slapping her butt he got a strange look on his face as she smiled at her. "I had a dream last night that I can't believe. The colors were so vivid and real as we flew around the ship but the people seemed to glow strangely but I could not hear them talking except you and it was some kind of strange language I could understand but not."

She looked at Jack smiling. "Hell Jack, we did that since birth practically until we were six and your parents separated us and started telling you what they thought the truth was. Don't forget we are the only neutron babies that survived and born the same week. The only difference between us is that your parents put you in a bubble with my mother taking care of you, of us, until we were 6 and both our parents decided we were not going to die in a month or two after all. We grew up and did everything together with our own language that no one else could understand until we were forced to learn English. Doing the same things and playing the same games, including military and house and the same classes including all the math and science classes your grandfather could shove down our throats. We were inseparable day and night including sleeping together half the time at each other's houses until I started growing boobs at 8 and our parents decided that we were too old to be so close and needed psychological help because we could not speak properly. Then I or my boobs kept getting me a lot of attention and I stupidly drifted away from you getting in with the wrong crowd and then." She turned away as tears came to her eyes. Then I got raped several times by different men. And our past life together seemed like a fading dream but it happened. I know it happened. And I wanted it back so badly it hurt." Taking a breath. “I still do.”

Jack shook his head. "I used to dream. Still dream about a past life that could never have happened. It couldn't have. I told mom when I was younger about playing and flying when we slept with a beautiful angel when I was a child and seeing threw walls and sailing with her around the ship and nearby stations or other ships to see all the other angels and going outside our nursery where we were not allowed to go. Of how strange people and things looked." Shaking his head stubbornly. "No. Only to be told I was a crazy lying baby. That it could not have happened and they are right. It couldn't have happened. It was just stupid dreams in my crazy imagination and I will not let it happen again." Jack turned away and stood up. "I don't understand you or any girl for that matter. All you will do is like you said. You will drag me around by my dick using me until you get what you want or get tired of me and find someone else like my brother and leave and hurt me again." Stubbornly, Jack started through the hatch.

The Ensign kicked the hatch closed almost catching Jacks hand as he jerked it back out of the way just in time. "Damn it Jack I was stupid back then and I will never leave you again. I promise. I will never hurt you again. I was stupid. Jack please remember when we were kids, it was not all a dream. It happened and I know you don't remember it and have a hard time realizing that what little you still see others can't, except you did see that cloud when everyone else including me at first could not and saved all our lives. Just don't close your mind again and give me time to make you remember." She took Jack's member in her mouth and quickly drained it again as she held him propped up against the hatch from falling. Swallowing every drop. "Now let's get to breakfast before you starve to death." A shocked confused Jack was guided out and down the passageway with her on his arm.

Sitting in the Officers Mess Jack ate without talking as he tried to absorb the night’s events and morning talk. He could not take his eyes off of the Ensign but finally it dawned on him that she was not eating what little she had on the plate in front of her as she sipped her morning tea.

"I was starving and you have not had anything to eat all night either and should be starving. Don't tell me you don't like breakfast?"

"No I love breakfast but I had a couple of snacks of you last night remember and then this morning I had breakfast after you woke up. I am full love unless you want to go back to our cabin." She chuckled. "No? I am so happy I finally don't have to hate you, I can't even think of food until I come down from orbit." She smiled at Jacks open mouthed stare.

"You like it. My a, stuff. My brother said girls hate it but he makes them do it anyway." He wrinkled up his nose painfully as fear started to cross his face.

"Sorry. Your brother is a lowlife creeton asshole. I don’t know about anyone else except what a few girl friends have told me. Some hate it and some think it is tolerable ok. All I know is that I love everything about you including how sweet you taste love. Like you make it just for me. I will take all you will give me." She smiled at him licking her lips. "Ok, before I want seconds we need to start thinking about work. We have 4 hours before watch and I have to spend at least a couple in the pilot's simulator learning to land this beast. Besides there is a no fraternization policy in the Navy and we should keep this romance to ourselves for now." Frowning for a second. "Damn it is a shame the Director and his few surviving henchmen are all in the brig and I don't have an excuse to follow you around like a watch dog. We could catch up on some fun all over the ship."

"Ok? You can't go with me to the hold?" Jack frowned. "Of course you have your own things to do now. I just thought that maybe we could. That I could use your, help." Looking puzzled he continued. "I don't know... I. I a." He slammed down his fork. "I've got work to do." Turning his seat to leave. "Go to your damn simulator!" Standing up Jack started to leave and stopped. Turning back he sat down and leaned in to wispier. "Sorry. I just. Hell I just feel like something will happen if you leave me and it will go back to the way it has been for so many years. I don’t' think I could take that again. I have been so lonely since you left. Like I was missing part of me. A big part of me. My soul mate."

"No Da. Finish your breakfast and I will go to your hold with you. I can Sim later." She never did make it back to the Simulator that day. Nor did Jack get much work done in the hold either.

19-

CAUGHT BY STUPIDITY

Three days later, Jack and the Ensign walked onto the bridge a good 15 minutes early. The Officer of the Conn was all too eager to give up the Chair as Jack studied the screens around the compartment. He realized that they were halfway around the enemy fleet as he expected. What he was not expecting was that the enemy fleet had grown to some 37 ships and that the enemy fleet were starting to spread out looking for them. But then that made sense. The enemy had been expecting the human fleet to show up on their own scanners by now which they would have if they weren't a half a light month to one side of them.

Jack took the Conn. As Jack sat down, the Lieutenant Commander he replaced looked at the screen and said. "I cannot believe they have that many battleships this deep in our territory so close to the Rock without us knowing about it." Shaking his head he walked out.

"Battleships?" Actually it would be nice to know what ships they do have wouldn’t it. Jack finished his watch checklist noting that the ships around him all had their mass injectors working putting out a thin very high velocity stream of Reactant Mass molecules hiding the ion stream. If he had not known better he would have sworn that they were using a very efficient mass drive engine. Even after getting all his research teams together from their many projects including the civilians that had stayed behind refusing to leave when the Director ran in such a hurry, he was still surprised how quickly they managed to get a system designed and built to add cloaking mass to the ion stream. Smiling Jack started bringing up his development screens again. He worked for a good half hour and then stopped shaking his head. "I need more band width. A better connection to the other ships…. Comm, get me a data channel with all the other ships directly. No relays." Punching the comm for his research department. "Geek squads, I need you to bring up the standby data processors and piggy back them onto the fleet sensors." Jack looked up and around the bridge and finally pointed at a lieutenant. "You Lieutenant, take the pilots chair. Ensign I need you on the Science sensor board."

A few minutes later the mass of specks on the screen started growing. Zooming in as if they were attacking at an incredible speed. The enemy ships started to look like ships instead of little blobs and still kept growing. They shortly started growing details as they grew in size. All ready one ship was starting to stand out in the center of the enemy fleet. One ship that did not look like the rest. One ship that was long and big instead of short and squat and comparatively small. Jack realized that it was one of their undamaged battleships. Which is what Jack was not expecting. The full fledge battleship with what looked like a mile of armored decks sticking out in front, 8 engines on short spindly arms out the back and some 16 big guns hanging out around the sides of the armored decks like a huge fricking Spider was definitely not expected. Though most of the enemy ships had at least 4 engines, half a dozen guns and at least a half dozen of the armored decks out front to hide behind in a battle.

Jack suddenly noticed that most of the ships were converging onto the original squadron. "Tactical, run a plot line where these ships came from please?" A plot line from each ship bloomed from every point in the compass back around the cloud the Republic fleet was headed for. "Navigation, add the location of the Cloud in the distance." A faint cloud appeared with the Republic fleet's plot line ending at a point on the edge. While the plot lines of all the enemy ships originated from different points scattered around that side of the cloud's perimeter. "Damn. Looks like the Rock has been under siege for a while now." Jack hit the Comm panel on the arm of his chair. "Captain, bridge, I think you need to see this. The Cloud...”

The Captain walked onto the bridge. "Captain on the bridge." Stopping behind Jack in the Command chair. "Yes I can see that Lieutenant Turner. Good work. That could change everything. Plot, extrapolate additional ships from multiplying calculated origination points of known enemy fleet's ships."

"Yes sir. Calculating now." The Tactical officer said. "Just take a couple of minute’s sir."

Jack stared at the screen for a few seconds and frowned shaking his head. "Looks like another 46 ships scattered around the back side of the cloud sir. Close enough for at least two ships to support each other if anything big comes out of the cloud."

Jack continued to zoom in on the battle ship pushing the rest out of the field of view as he realized that Dozens of boats where moving from between the lowest shield decks and the narrower weapons and engineering section of the biggest Battle ship. Pulling out and away from the big command ship to the surrounding fleet. "Ok. They are taking this opportunity to resupply the ambush fleet." Getting as close into the battleship as possible the details again started becoming fuzzy. Jack backed off and started cataloging the ships in detail. The number of guns, engines, decks and anything else they could pick up on each ship.

Tactical turned to the Captain. "Sir. We get 46 ships scattered around the back side of the cloud sir. Though we have no way of confirming that at this time.

The Captain shook her head as Jack was trying to fine tune the details of some long towers sticking out on most of the ships where a few of the big main guns on arms used to be. "Mr. Turner. Good work. But don't you think that it is about time we took a look at the rest of space around us just to see if there are any boogey men out there that may give our position away to the enemy?"

"Ah… Yes sir. Sorry sir. I got busy. But I am sure the previous watches sweep in the last hour would have picked up anything if there was something." The ship in the screen disappeared replaced by the dots of the enemy fleet. "One nice thing about the increased band width Sir. Is that we can slue the sensor reception in almost a 360 degree arc around the fleet. Without moving the ships." Jack started checking the scanning logs and said. "Shit. No one has done a complete scan of the surrounding area behind or on the other side of our plotted coarse Captain. Not even me on the last watch. I got busy and took it for granted that someone else had."

The screen started moving around behind the fleet catching again everything the approaching scans had already shown them including the millions of small rocks and ice balls and even hundreds of wondering planets big and small scattered out into the distance, including an enemy ship that was sent up track toward where their fleet would have been approaching from, if they had continued without slipping to the side and around the enemy fleet. "Ok that is not good." Jack said to no one as the screen continued around behind the Republic fleet and across to the other side as Jack thought for a few seconds and then tapped a few keys and frowned. The more they looked the more Jack new they were going to find something wrong. Looking around toward the one place he knew would be the worst place to put an enemy ship right then he frowned. Wishing that he had swept the damn beam around front first so it would have already covered that area.

The scan was half way up the other side away from the enemy fleet when a big hazy blip started to coalesce at the edge of the screen. By the time the screen centered on it, the blip had grown into an enemy ship headed for the enemy fleet on the other side of them and would cross behind them at considerable speed.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was going way to fast to intercept them but then realized that it would pass way to close to miss seeing them. "Damn it. Captain! The enemy cannot intercept us but he cannot miss seeing us either." Thinking for a few seconds. "But we can intercept it. If we increase or thrust we can slow enough to get close enough to take him out. Possible before he is able to contact his fleet."

The Captain studied the screen for a few seconds then turned to the plot tank. "We have a few minutes if he has not already seen us Mr. Turner. Finish our sweep and see if there are any other boogies out there."

Jack looked up at the Captain not believing that she did not jump at the chance to attack the enemy ship before he could see and report them. Then remembered the last time he had jumped to a conclusion and wanted to attack. He started the sweep again covering the forward half of space and the course the fleet was headed. Picking up no traffic across their bow he stopped the sweep on the enemy fleet for a few seconds then switch the main fleet to a side screen to put the approaching enemy ship back on the main screen. Jack studied the new ship but stopped after a few seconds.

"Shit; I don't believe it." Jack switched the screens, putting the main screen back on the fleet. “Damn. Captain, the fleet is turning to accelerate in our direction. Or should I say in an intercept course sir." Shaking his head... "The enemy ship has already seen us. But how?" We should have been way out side of his sensor range still."

The Science Officer suddenly bellowed. “Oh that was what that was sir. The Officer I relieved had this strange sensor readings he could not explain when I took over the watch. It is the ship crossing behind us transmitting in that ghost frequency the Ensign found during the other attack sir. He just thought it was just a part of our sensor Array sir." The Officer swallowed. "They have been transmitting off and on for an hour sir."

Bringing the speeding enemy ship up on the main screen Jack took a closer look at it and the blobs he was trying to focus the long ranged sensors at on the fleet. At this range the blobs popped up immediately. "Captain this ship has tall towers with massive sensors replacing most of their big weapons. Probably with 3 or 4 times the range. No, this ship has had us in sensor range for a good half hour now." Jack shook his head. "But then with the narrow beam even if I had not pulled the sensors off of general forward sweep to focus on the fleet we would not have seen him in time to avoid him. It is my fault Captain. I should have went to a wide beam to check the area around us as soon as it had the band width to do it yesterday. We could have spotted him then sir."

The Captain looked down at Jack and frowned. "Boy! Do you really think you could pull the fleet’s entire sensor network to focus on one target if I had not let you? It was my responsibility to make sure the fleet stayed covered. I failed to order the sensors to do sweeps farther than 45 degrees off the targets days ago when I should have." Shaking her head. "Don't flatter yourself Mr. Turner. Your head is not that big. That is my responsibility Turner and not yours. I am the one that screwed up." Turning to the Tactical board. "How long before they intercept us?"

"Ah, working on that now Captain, the enemy fleet is starting from a dead stop and it looks like a good 4 days if we maintain this deceleration Gee's and just before we enter the cloud if the enemy stays at 300 Gee's sir." Looking up at the enemy fleet as it was forming up on an intercept course. "That is if we survive the battle. But we are far enough away to turn away and out run them with these new engines without increasing our Gee's over what we are doing now and they would never catch us sir. But we would not be able to stop at the cloud, let alone The Rock."

"No. Lieutenant. We are not going to run past our old engine's reaction mass range and tip our new abilities to the enemy."

Jack looked up at the Captain as he got up from the Command chair. "You have the Conn Captain."

The Captain turned on Jack. "Did I ask for the Conn Mr. Turner? I have better things to do. Sit your butt back down and give me a hard look at that enemy ship as it passes us. I want to know where the crew dumps its shit overboard and anything else you can tell me about the enemy. Even the size of a personnel hatch would be nice. We have never gotten this close a look at them with decent sensors thanks to the Director screwing up our sensors when we took on the other enemy ship and the sensor torpedo images of the enemy fleet ships at the frontier was not a fraction as good as what you should be able to get from the fleets sensors at this range. Take advantage of it. I want to know if they really are all the same ships only with different attachments and decks. Fact is I am going to tell the Thyme to reposition the fleet to track it as it passes. Be ready Mr. Turner. Don't blow it." Turning to the screen with the enemy fleet on it. "It is going to be interesting to see if that big mother battleship can keep up with the fleet or if it is limited to less than 300 Gee's even though it has some 8 engines. Oh see if you can find me an open bridge or a view port with the Captain starring out at us while you are at it. Carry on."

"Captain leaving the bridge." Echoed across the bridge a few seconds later.

Jack walked into the briefing compartment with the Ensign and a dozen crewmen from the teams working on the various projects he was helping with. Stopping in mid stride, Jack stared at Director Johnson sitting next to the Captain. "I thought the Director was sitting in the brig for murder and mutiny?" The others continued in to sit around the table placing their tablet sheets and drinks down.

"No. The Director has agreed to take over the administration and coordination of the research for you Mr. Turner. You have too many projects on your plate to do them all."

"No!" Jack dropped his tablet on the table. "That son of a bitch can just rot in a cell. He is not going to get another chance to ruin anymore careers or kill people with his stupidity. Especially the civilian scientist that refused to follow him off the ship. He already threatened their families."

"No Mr. Turner. He does not have that authority anymore. He is only administrative coordinator and cannot do any research which our tests have demonstrated he could not do anyway no matter what he says. What he is good at is explaining what scientists tell him so the average person can understand and figuring out how to make money and useful equipment off of what he and the other scientists learns. Both skills most scientists suck at. Combined with an aptitude for lying and no moral values enabled him to do the criminal things he has done. He is not going to get that chance while he is with us Lieutenant. Now sit down. We have a lot to cover and you have The Game to get into. You have to figure out how to get us out of this trap and save our lives without tipping our hand."

"But sir all we have to do is out run them. We can do that easily." One of the civilian scientists said.

"No we cannot Mr. Eliot, I am not ready to give away our trump card just yet, but I don't want to sacrifice half the fleet saving it either. Not to mention that two of our ships are at their maximum acceleration now flying on one damaged engine." Noticing the man's Bafflement. "Fragments from the destroyed engine knocked out a lot of the engine coils reducing the available power from their one good engine. Being transports there was no armor between them. Something we will have to fix in the future. The amazing thing is that the engines are running at all with all the damage. Tuff little suckers as it turns out."

Jack frowned as he looked away from the Director. "We are close to the Rock which I figure all these enemy ships are here at the cloud trying to find in the first place. Do I get to use the Rock's resources as well? A new ship has not joined the fleet in six months. They should have between 20 and 30 of the new design by now ready for combat. After all they already had the hulls half built from what I understood from putting together the bits and pieces I have heard. The new ship was just supposed to be an alteration of our current battleships to include the new mass tanks as shield decks in front and everything else moved into the back half. Nothing that hard to do even if it is revolutionary."

The Admiral smiled. "They would have over 50 if they were not being refitted with your engines and the new larger guns that finally arrived. They are very excited with your team’s new Plasma pipe barrel liner as well as the black hole shields if they can make it work. One that does work rather well are the new torpedo Black hole warheads and those upgraded torpedo engines. Not to mention the possibility of tapping into the enemy communications as well as all the other projects. If they can make them work. The advances have been quite remarkable so far. The Director will continue the teams on those lines. He thinks he can improve on the speed of the work by shuffling the personnel in the teams around a little. Putting the most experienced people where they belong."

"Bullshit Captain. The teams are just fine the way they are. The best people are already where they belong and that has nothing to do with experience. But loyalty does have a lot to do with controlling people's jobs and where they work. That is the director's game. Using intimidation and threat of firing and job assignments to make people do what he wants or shut them up."

"Relax Mr. Turner. I will have veto power on everything he does and firing people is not one of his abilities." Looking over at the Director and frowning. "Ok Jack. You will have veto power on any reassignments as well. Now let's get to the reviews and reports so everyone can get back to their work."

"What the hell am I supposed to do Captain!" Bellowed the Dr. Johnson the Director. "If I can't reassign personnel and fire them, I can't do anything to improve their performance or get you what you want. I need to have power over these people if you want results."

Jack stood up. "You had the power before and not only did not help us or get results you used it to terrorize your teams while withholding information…"

"That is enough Lieutenant." The Captain turned to the Director. "The Director will just have to use other methods like his sparking personality to motivate the teams." Smiling at the director. "And all reports from each team will come straight to my desk Director. You have no say or right to change anything they produce, not one word. As I said you will use your sparkling personality, reputation and brains to cultivate and guide your teams to their great accomplishments and breakthroughs like all Captains of great ships do."

An hour later Jack sat stone faced as the Director stopped next to Jack on his way out of the mostly empty compartment. "You have done a great job with the work you have accomplished so far Mr. Turner. I will do my best to continue where you left off. You have made some great advancements and put together some great teams. You should be proud of yourself and them. But you simply don't have the experience to get the most out of the work teams. I do."

"Director, I am proud of them and I will not let you destroy them like I have recently heard you have done too many others over the years including my grandfather."

"Dear boy. Your grandfather wanted out of the lime light so he could raise a family in peace and I helped him and others with their full knowledge and cooperation. I destroyed no one. Most scientist only have one good idea in them and I just made sure that one good idea made them some money and helped humanity."

“Humanity Hell! The only one you have ever helped is yourself. The Congress may eat your shit but I have you on my phone threatening the families of the guys that tried to kill me while confessing to trying to do the same to my Grandfather then planning to finish the job. I have looked at your records since then with the Ensigns help and far too many scientist that have worked for you have disappeared or committed suicide to even be believable outside whoever you are bribing.

"You little shit. You’re the ones that should have been killed attacking a race a million years older and more advanced than us. I was trying to save them and the rest of the human race. The Spiders have to be advanced and know they can achieve more from peaceful trade than war."

The Captain stopped at the hatch. "Ok Gentlemen that is enough. You both have work to do now get at it. Mr. Turner, I expect to see you on The Game within the hour. The auxiliary bridge has the best connection and equipment. It is all yours." Turning to the Director. "Just remember. If you try to contact or transmit or leave this ship you die and if you lie or try to sabotage a program or create a mutiny I will kill you myself. That includes one threatening word of any kind."

The Director pulled down his shirt collar showing a thin metal ring around his neck. "Yes Captain I understand fully. It will record my every word and move. Any tampering trying to get it off and it will kill me. I am your slave."

"Just don't forget that Director." The Captain left.

After watching the Captain leave, the Director gave Jack a disgusting look and started to leave and then caught sight of the Ensign as she got up to leave. "Oh my. What do we have here? What team are you on darling? Oh it does not matter. I will have you transferred to be my personal assistant so I can get a feel for what you have to offer." His smile reached from ear to ear as he licked his lips. His stare going from her breasts to her face. "Oh, I remember you now." He glanced at Jack. "Yes, as my new assistant we will work very well together starting tonight."

"Why you damn asshole...” Jack started to get up but the Ensign put her hand on his shoulder pushing him back down in the seat with more than a little force.

"So you think you want some of this do you Director?" She smiled over at him as she pushed out her chest and turned sideways to show him the full length of what she had to offer."

"Why yes my darling. I am a very powerful man back on Earth. I can take you far in my organization as my personal assistant. I am sure we will be working many late nights together in my private quarters but I will make it worth your time. You will advance fast in my University system."

"Oh really Director. I can't tell you how excited that makes me, but I can show you exactly how much I want to join your little club so you can start threatening my whole family if I displease you."

The Ensign pulled the stun pistol off the hip that was out of his sight and thumbed it up to full power. As she pointed it at the Director's nuts, she smiled. His eyes got even bigger as they left her breasts and fixed on the pistol. “Are you starting to get an idea of just how much I am looking forward to working with you?”

"What the hell are you doing? I am a very powerful man. I can make your life miserable or very comfortable and all you have to be is my close personal friend."

"No! You are a shitty pervert. And if you ever talk to me again I will kill you." She pulled the trigger knocking the Director across and into the chair he was next to. Excruciating pain escaping his screaming slips until he ran out of air to seem with.

Jack raised his wrist comm to his lips. "Medical team to the conference compartment, 23- 19. Director Johnson has been stunned at full power." Jack stood up, checked the Director's pulse and then kissed the Ensign as they waited for the medic's to arrive. "I don’t think his job offer still stands love. I hope you are not too disappointed if he did not like your answer."

The Ensign sniffed the air. "Oh god. He shit his pants big time. Let's wait outside in the fresh air." They walked into the passageway as the medic's arrived.

One of the medic's saw the Ensign and looked at his watch. "You set another record Ensign. You waited for a whole two hours after breakfast for your first shooting." Looking inside the hatch he took a whiff. "Christ. Another one we have to clean up. Damn it Ensign. Well, you said full power and that is what usually happens. We will take him to his cabin to sleep it off." They lifted him up onto the gurney.

"No." Jack smiled. "No. He has too much work to do to laze around in his cabin. Take him to the research hold deck directly and leave him just inside hold B where most of the teams are and do not clean him up. He can do that himself when he can move. That is an order." Jack's eyes flared. "Oh that is even better. Do not administer any pain medicine or sedatives for his headache and muscle cramps; simply make sure he stays alive. And since we don’t want him thrashing around when he wakes and hurting himself, you had better strap him down tight and make sure he is fully awake for a good half hour before you unstrap him. Safer that way. He is likely to jump up still half stunned and hurt himself."

The medic looked at Jack and then the Ensign and smiled. "Sounds like sound medical advice Lieutenant. We will strap him down tight and make sure he is fully awake before we release him. Thank you for your concern." The medic pulled his emergency fold down helmet up from around his neck and rolled it over his head sealing it to his suit as the others followed suit. "You owe me Ensign, big time. I have never seen anyone stunned before, call me the next time before you have fun shooting someone, so I can watch and make sure the victim is safe."

"You are a strange one but if I have time." The Ensign smiled as they left with the loaded gurney. Jack and the Ensign walked the other way so they were not following the smell. "I need to stop by the Cabin on our way to the auxiliary bridge." She said smiling with a twinkle in her eyes as she started down the passageway. "I need you to take care of something. And I need you fast." She punched him on the shoulder and started running toward their cabin.

20-

IMPOSSIBLE BATTLES

"Come about, course 272 mark 93. Fire target 17." Jack tried not to scream as the ship shook from another hit. The Enemy spider ship they had just finished targeting tumbled, expelling gas and pieces of itself.

"Captain the mother Battleship is turning toward us."

"Good." Jack hit his Comm screen. "C, Charly squadron, target the battleship. It has its tail toward you. C Squadron Target the Battleship!"

The Parsley started firing on the rear of Target 17 and another Gun blew up as Jack realized that C squadron no longer existed. "Butch Squadron Target the Battleship."

Turning to the Weapons Officer. "'Damn it Target the remaining weapons! At this range you should have hit both of them. Pilot, evasive maneuver Delta 9. Delta 9."

Jack looked around just in time to watch target 7 fire its guns on them. The Parsley shuddered and started tumbling. They had been hit in the engine section from the side, taking out their last engine. "Damn it. Only having two engines with no armor is crap."

The maneuvering thrusters brought the ship under control as the ships guns fired again. This time they hit target 17's guns dead on.

"Weapons Target 9. Target 9." They were in the perfect position for another tail shot.

Jack looked around just in time to watch the battleship fire all 4 of its remaining guns and the ship bucked violently as alarms sounded briefly before the bridge went dark and silent.

A few seconds later the main screen and battle plot tank came back on showing the enemy with 5 ships left including the Battleship as the fleet with 11 ships continued the battle. "Better than a two to one odds." Jack frowned. "We have to get them this time."

But the battle ship again split its fire between several fleet ships as the range closed taking out two more attackers with its next shots as only one of the enemy ships went dark.

Then the remaining 3 enemy Battle cruisers each took out a fleet ship and it was 8 to 4.

Then it was 8 to 3 and Jack was starting to have some hope that they would at least get the damn enemy fleet's battleship.

But then he realized that all the fleet ships on one side had been knocked out. And the damn Battleship had nothing that could threaten it from behind.

The 8 remaining fleet ships launched torpedoes again in a mass wave just before 2 more fleet ships died though 2 more enemy Battle cruisers went dark seconds later.

But Jack knew the writing was on the wall. The last Battle cruiser died as the fleet charged the Battleship but it picked the fleet ships off one at a time as they closed trying to get around for a stern shot.

The fleet ships guns and torpedoes disappearing harmlessly into the damn shield decks knocking pieces off and destroying them one by one after half a hundred shot for each but not doing any real damage to the enemy armored shield deck.

The enemy battleship's remaining guns simply kept firing one at a time at a ship until it died and then switched to another target shooting one gun at a time until that ship died as well instead of wasting shots in salvoes. Using only a couple of shots down the throat of each ship to finish knocking them out.

The last fleet battleship reached a thousand miles from the enemy battleship before it died. And the screen declared victory for the enemy.

"No fracking Daa." Jack hit the arm of the Command chair shaking his head. "Damn it to fracking hell." Shaking his head he looked around glad that the ensign was not there to see him fail yet again. "If there was just some way to sucker the majority of the enemy Battle cruisers away from that damn Battleship we would stand a chance." But he had tried everything he could think of and the scouts just simply refused to leave the battleship. Grabbing his head with both hands, he tried to pull his short hair without success. "Think damn it! Think!"

He suddenly turned around to the tablet sheet he had propped up beside him. A straight lipped smiled crossed his face as he saw the Ensign. "The Ensign sat in a pilots chair hard at work. Her hands periodically tapping the controls with one hand the stick in the other as the bridge around her shook every few seconds as she concentrated.

She glanced over at the Jack and smiled. "Sounds like you are having a bit of a problem there love. Care to elaborate?"

"Hi. Just can't figure out how to use the enemy’s weaknesses against them when they don't want to cooperate."

"Yap. I hate it when the enemy doesn't play stupid for me." She said as she turned her full attention to piloting the ship. "What is the best strategy with a smart enemy?"

"Hah. Simple. Hit fast and run." Jack smiled. "Hitting them at high speed from several directions at the same time insures that we get several shots at the stern of their battleship at close range before they have time to fire to many shots at us. Makes knocking out their flag battleship easy on the first pass along with a good portion of their battle cruisers. Then taking out half of the rest on each succeeding pass without blowing up half our guns from over use and losing to many of the fleet."

"Sounds wonderful. So what is the problem?" She glanced at Jack and then went back to concentrate on piloting.

"The problem is that without the ships to form the sensor array we can't track the enemy fleet and our high speed squadrons can't attack at the same time letting the enemy fleet turn in plenty of time to concentrate their massive fire on each squadron as it passes, blowing us out of space without harming them much." Jack frowned shaking his head. "If I use enough ships to track the enemy fleet I don't have enough ships for the high speed attacks even if it is from several directions and the enemy still is able to concentrate his fire and wipe us out before we can make enough passes to kill the Battleship let alone their Battle cruisers. No. The only way this works is if I have enough ships attacking to overwhelm their defensive fire and kill them before they have time to shoot more than a couple of shots. I just need more ships." Thinking about it for a second. "Or real battleships that carry enough guns to do some damage quickly. Or make them think I have real battleships. A way to make them fixed targets. A way to back them up against the wall. No. The cloud. Yes the cloud." Taking a deep breath. "I need to find out what the Damn rock has that we can use."

"Did you try using the ships boats as decoys to give you more time?"

Jack Smiled at her. "Ya. And the ships life boats and decoy torpedoes and chaff and smart rocks. Yap. Already done that and that buys us the first few shots if they don't have overwhelming numbers or time or we attack from one frigging direction. I need to get their attention while they are attacked from behind with overwhelming force." Jack sat back and thought for a good minute as the Ensign became very busy. She tried to glance in every screen at once with one hand flying over the controls, the other gripping the stick white knuckled and her seat shaking with the bridge around her.

The Ensign finally jerked one last time with the bridge around her and suddenly sat still with the bridge rock solid as she sat stiffly in the seat waiting for something to happen breathing deep and fast as she tried to read all her screens at once.

Jack leaned over to the tablet. "Good landing love. Manual landings are a bitch aren’t they? Later." Jack got up and left the Auxiliary Bridge. He hated those rough assault landings on heavy thick atmosphere planets, especially on manual with no auto pilot to help, but it was still required for Sim training.

She glanced at the tablet as Jack left the screen and returned to studying the screens around her. Taking longer and longer glances at the tablet showing an empty Command chair until she was staring at the tablet as a tear came to her smiling eyes. She reached out to touch the tablet's screen. "Thanks. Later Love."

Jack knocked on the Captain's main quarter’s cabin buried deep inside the ship and then went in without waiting for an answer or invite.

The Captain looked up as she placed her Iced Tea down on the table next to her chair. "Yes Lieutenant. How can I help you?"

"I need to see what the Rock has that can help us. That I can use to help us." Jack stood at attention.

"Yes I have noticed that you have not had much luck in The Game yet. Keep at it. I am sure you will figure something out."

"No. Sir. I have already figured something out. A way to take out the enemy fleet without very many casualties on our side if any, but I need help from the Rock sir."

"What help from the Rock do you need Lieutenant?"

"I won't know until I can see what they have to offer sir." Swallowing and taking a breath. "I have dozens of half-baked plans that will insure the entire fleets survival if we have help from The Rock. At least half the fleet dies if we don't and are left on our own."

"Well now Lieutenant. One problem with that is that the Rock has been under siege since just after we left the battle fleet." The Captain let that sink in for a few seconds. She had just found out about that little tid-bit and was debating whether to tell the crew or not. Though thanks to Jack figuring it out most of it on the bridge the crew already knew The Rock was under siege but not how long. "Every ship they have sent out in the last two months has been intercepted and destroyed. They are finding more enemy sensors scattered around the edges of the asteroid cloud every day with a lot of ship intrusions until we showed up. The last ships to make it in, were the 4 ship squadron that got separated from us a couple of weeks ago and then they had to shoot it out with a picket ship before losing it in the cloud. Taking heavy damage. Thank god the Fleet Commander I assigned had the sense to stay at normal Gees when they were chased into the cloud and lost their pursuers." The Captain took a sip of her drink. "They have been building up a fleet to take the enemy on but it won't be ready for another month at least Lieutenant. Especially after what we have found out in our little skirmish the other day." She leaned over and hit a control changing the Cabins main screen to show the cloud. "At least with the enemy fleet chasing us they think they can get a few more supply ships in but it does not look good for us."

"Captain let me be the judge of that. I have to go on watch in a few minutes. Please let me see what the base has to offer. We don't need much to let some if not most of the fleet survive this battle. Even a couple of transports reaching us with the right supplies could make the difference. Though I would rather set a trap for them on the edge of the cloud." Jack looked at his watch even though the Captain's cabin had several prominent clocks. "I have to go on watch sir but please think about it sir." Jack started to leave.

"Just stop right their Lieutenant." The Captain took a drink. "The First Officer has already been assigned your watch. Sit down." Motioning toward the standard computer console with a nicer chair than most at the side of her large sweat and office. "I don't know how it could do us any good but you can have access to everything the Rock has as well as updates on all the ships and construction programs. Just remember it is all top secret and not to leave this cabin. The only thing you must not look at is the position plot of the Rock. Only a few ship's Captains have the clearance to know where that is at." She studied Jack with stern eyes. "Most ships have to stop at one of the martialing bubbles and pick up a pilot that take them to The Rock."

Jack looked back and frowned. "Stay out of the plot screen ok." Then smiled. "Thanks Captain. I am sure I will find something that can help us."

"I hope you don't mind if I don't hold my breath or bet on that." She tapped the control screen next to her chair. The main screen changed to show the entire cloud with enemy ships scattered around it. "See what you can do to draw off some of these remaining pickets while you are at it. We have a couple hundred transports waiting to get in and out." Jack could already see that some of the enemy ships on the far side had started to move toward the side the fleet was headed for as the remaining picket ship redistributed to cover areas the fleet chasing them had left. Then noticed a fast Republic Transport that was sneaking out through the gap originally left by the fleet that had massed to attack them. A quick bit of calculating showed it getting clear but just barely.

Jack spent the next 10 hours without a break as the Captain's steward fixed him chow when the Captain eat and used the Captain's head but finally he sat back stretching as he rubbed his temple. "Sorry Captain but I am beat." Turning as the Captain came in from the conference room attached to her cabin suit from a meeting. "I think I have found what we need but I need time to figure out the best way to use it." Standing, he stretched again. "Can I come back in the morning Captain? It should not take me long to work out the details."

The Captain sat down in her chair frowning. "Now what did you find that can help us Mr. Turner?"

"Ah. Too much to list Captain without deciding what and how to use it. I do know those 4 upgraded transports that arrived ahead of us will be needed and as many of the cloud guard frigates and destroyers that they can spare along with every empty freighter I can lay my hands on. The big problem now is that the enemy will see anything we throw at them long before we get close insuring heavy casualties unless we time everything perfect sir. But we can do it. Luckily the formation the enemy is using is a great tight combat formation and I think I have figured out a way to use that to our advantage." Jack stopped at the hatch. "I am beat and need to hunt down a friend before she thinks I hate her and ran away." Jack smiled bashfully.

The Captain looked at Jack with narrowed eyes baffled. "She is just outside the hatch Mr. Turner. Sitting down with her back to the bulkhead half asleep when she was not starring at the bulkhead in your direction since she got off duty." Then glanced at a small side screen. "She did not even leave for chow while you ate in here."

"Oh thanks for telling her I'm here. Sir." Jack frowned. "Damn. I took it for granted she would eat without me and why is she sitting out there?" Jack looked at the hatch and then his eyes drifted to the corner of the bulkhead a few feet away for a few seconds before jerking his eyes back at the Captain.

"I did not tell her anything. Didn't you tell her?"

"No sir. I sent her a message telling her I was working but not where. She must have asked the ship."

"The ship does not report anything or anyone in my cabin ever or any other security compartment. It cannot see in my cabin and would have simply said that you were busy. I told no one you were here and neither did my steward. Fact is, how did you know I was here and not in my day cabin or the wardroom or any of a hundred other places on the ship? Did you look in my day cabin or on the bridge or anyplace else first before coming here?"

Jack looked puzzled. "Ah no. I just knew sir." Opening the hatch Jack frowned until he saw that the Ensign was standing with her nose to the hatch. "Oh Hi Hun. Why have you been waiting here of all the places. And how did you know I was here?"

"I always know where you are day and night. You always know where I am at too. If you would just remember how to use your eyes from when we were kids."

The Captain stepped up behind Jack. "Ensign. How did you know Jack was here and for that matter that he was getting ready to leave? That hatch and this compartment is heavily armored and sound proof and yet I watched you stand up and look at Jack through a foot of armor as he stood and then followed him to the hatch as if the damn armor was glass." Turning to Jack. "And you can't tell me you were surprised to see her. Not that you knew she had been sitting there but I watched you watch her walk up to stand on the other side of the hatch before it opened."

"What? That is impossible Captain. No normal person can look through walls." Jack got a funny look on his face. "I don't know what I saw for sure."

"You saw an invisible wall of clouds that would have destroyed the fleet when our instruments could not detect it. Maybe it is because you both are Neutron babies but whatever the reason, it must be why you two are drawn to each other." The Captain turned back around and returned to her seat before looking at them again as the Ensign stepped up to rub lightly against Jack, shoulder to shoulder. "Well, you both are definitely human and I can see no harm in simply having better eyesight than most but I cannot have a pair of officers of different ranks fraternizing. You both get some sleep and you Ensign, can put some more time on the Sim and then The Game after watch tomorrow and earn that promotion. Dismissed." Picking up her drink she paused as they started out the hatch. "And I meant good sleep. No more than a quarter hour of play and then sleep. And that is an order." It was obvious that she had lost the bet.

Jack rolled over with his back against the bulkhead as the Ensign slid a little to the edge to give him room. Raising her head up to allow him to put his arm under her neck in front of the fluffed up pillow. Jack, rubbing her stomach as he caught his breath and relaxed closing his eyes sated. He lifted his hand up to cup a small portion of her breast and relaxed but it slowly slid back down to her lower chest from the pull of gravity. Several times more he tried to make it stay and each time he relaxed his hand slid back down. Finally she cupped his hand in hers and held it over her nipples smiling.

"Is that better babe?"

"Ah haa." He said as his breathing leveled out.

The cabin was quiet for a long time with the two of them breathing in unison and then suddenly the Ensign said disgustingly. "Damn it! Of all the damn nights for that crap!"

Jack jerked awake looking around as he tried to get out of bed. "What the... What is wrong." Seeing nothing in the dark he reached for the light switch only to be stopped by the Ensign's hand.

"No love. Wait and look."

"Look at what? It is pitch black in here. At least turn on the reading light or uncover the clock so I can see something. I don't see why you covered it in the first place."

"No." She reached up gently grabbing Jacks chin without grouping and turned his face toward the other side of the cabin where he used to sleep. "Now just look. Wait a few minutes and tell me what you see."

"I don't see anything. It is pitch black." Jack let his eyes close as he started to relax. His whole body just wanted to sleep after the vigorous workout a few minutes before so he just let his eyes close as he held his head up to make the Ensign happy.

"You open those eyes this instant babe. Look damn it."

"How did you know I closed my eyes? You hear my lids or something."

"Don’t be silly. Just look and shut up darling."

"And what am I supposed to see?"

"You will see. Think back to when we were 3, 4 and 5 when we would be put to bed with the lights out, while the grownups partied or played games. And we did not want to be left out of the fun. Remember what we used to do."

"I don't remember."

"Yes you do. But your parents' were not at all patient and chastised and ridiculed you every time you told them or they saw you looking strangely around. My parents' just smiled and played along even though they did not believe me." She started rubbing his hand still under hers, over her breast squeezing his hand to squeeze her nipple. She knew that would keep his attention for a while. Hopefully long enough.

She was starting to get dejected as Jack started getting interested in playing with her breast and not looking. But then she was getting interested in what he was doing too.

Just when she had given up and decided she wanted him to start rubbing something else lower down Jack said. "What the heck. What is that?" Jack stopped pinching her nipple even slightly.

"No don’t stop!"

"Is that someone in my bunk? How? No it can't be." Jack let his hand drop to her stomach as he sat up on his elbow and slowly rubbed his hand around on her flat stomach not really paying attention.

"Yes. Yes, lower. Go lower love."

"No that is the guy in the next cabin."

"Yes rub lower Hun." She pushed his hand lower. "No love, ignore him. Rub here."

"What is he doing? No he. Damn. Can you see that?"

She spread her legs as she used her hand to push his hand between them. "No don't look now. Not now."

"God he is masturbating babe!" He tried to pull his hand out to point but only pulled his fingers deeper into the Ensign.

The Ensign let out a Howling moan and said. "Yes, yes babe, yes harder babe, harder." Jack started cooperating as he kept watching the guy with his hand getting faster and faster.

Turning around in disgust and trying to concentrate, he looked down between the Ensign's legs and saw a beautiful flaming body pressed against his not so flaming body. As he stared at his fingers sliding up inside her and her body starting to squirm beside him in time with his fingers he saw something move over his shoulder. A woman was only inches away with her own hands between her legs bucking on her bed with her mouth silently screaming in time with her hands. One clawing hand's fingers up inside herself and the other rubbing her outside button like a buzz saw.

One by one the bunks around him became still again with the Ensign the last to collapsed with her leg falling off the bunk and the other across his thigh while the woman behind him rolled over against the bulkhead pressing her body against Jacks back with only a half inch of composite bulkhead separating them. Her face only inches from his as she started slowly rubbing herself again.

"Ok this won't do at all." Jack pulled his arm out from under the Ensign as he crawled over her to let the Ensign sleep only to have her reach up and pull him down against her body, her legs wrapping around him.

She worked him into herself with his cooperation, kissing his lips and cheek and working over to his ear. "Look all you want love, but if you touch I will kill you."

All Jack was looking at was the Ensigns flaming body as he pumped away. Her breasts shaking around in time to his thrusts as fire flowed through her veins. Until she said something and he noticed the woman was again playing with herself and was getting into it but she was a dull energy source compared to the Ensign as her body went nova under him getting his entire attention The Ensign won out hands down. Jack did not even glance at the other dull woman again in his excitement as he finish. They both lit up the cabin like a flare for half a minute, so bright it hurt his eyes as he marveled at her, hoping the cabin was sound proof but not really caring.

She lay sprawled across the bunk passed out with no room for company as Jack slid off of her and onto the deck. Pulling up the blanket he kissed her sweetly on the cheek then turned to his bunk and laid down pulling the blanket over himself and fluffing up the pillow. Laying on his side with a hand under his head on the pillow looking at the Ensign flagged out across from him. His body was dead and he wanted to sleep but could not, as his gaze started wondering.

Seeing the electrical power and comm lines running around and through the cabins bulkheads, overhead and deck. He started noticing other things outside their cabin. Marveling at the people he could see around him on that deck and the decks below and above. The longer he looked the farther he could see. A person using the head on the deck above him grossed him out while the gals showering farther down made him smile. He could not help noticing people all over the decks alone in the privacy of their bunks copying the crewmen in the cabins next door or sleeping or simply playing games with others from around the deck. And then he realized that by concentrating he would zoom in on anything not too far away.

About the time he saw the Ensign move he realized that his eyes were killing him from the unusual strain. Focusing on her he watched her swing her vain and nerve streaked legs as muscles moved under a ghost body off the bunk, letting her blanket fall away not revealing anything new. He suddenly remembered see it all when he was small as he looked at her in all her glory but found all he wanted was to hold her in his arms. Her radiating body stood up and lightly stepped over to Jack as he lifted his blanket, he slid against the bulkhead. She lay on her side next to him as she rolled half onto him laying her head on his shoulder with one breasts across his stomach, draping her leg across his thighs and kissed his cheek and then his lips as he turned his head "Good night love." She said.

Jack slid his arm around her holding her glowing body against him as he pulled the blanket around them both. "Night love."

"The morning alarm went off and Jack's eyes sprang open. Blinking he looked around seeing the entire ship from the bow torpedo tubes to the rear engine tubes and every deck between with the waking and duty crews going about their mornings as well as the life energy pulsing through the ship. Staying away from the heads he started checking out places he had not managed to go when the cabin's lights suddenly flared on, blinding him for several seconds. "Godstar! Warn me next time. That hurt. Oh ouch. I was seeing all over the damn ship! Do you believe that?"

Chuckling the Ensign kissed him as she got up. "No. Not a word. I am the one that was trying to make you remember and see, remember?" She stepped to the head in the corner.

With the lights blaring Jack suddenly could only see the cabin. "Hey? What happened? I can't see anymore."

"Regular light is over powering your eyes right now. In time your eyes will get used to the other wave lengths allowing you to kind of see a little threw the light if you want to." She said from the little booth with the head.

Jack suddenly realized he needed to go too and crossed his legs. As soon as he could he pushed past her still naked body getting a quick peck and hit the head.

Finally relaxing he started relieving himself then looked around the corner of the booth to see the Ensign looking at him. Suddenly embarrassed he turned red and everything stopped. "Ah. Please. I am trying to do something here. Don't you have to get dressed, put on makeup or something? Do you have to sit there naked looking at me while I…."

"Love. I don't use make up and I have been watching you sleep most of my life. That includes going to the head as well as masturbating."

"What? I never master…" Jack slid the heads door shut. "I never did anything like that."

The Ensign smiled. "I used to strip in bed getting naked when I saw you start looking at your dirty pictures and playing with myself as you got hard and when you came I pretended I was in bed with you beating you to a bloody pulp as I came with you."

"Godstar that is not a good mental picture." Then smiling. "You? A girl, masturbates?"

Chuckling. "Girls have needs too. What was hell was when you would get involved with a new game or project and go for a week or two without and I would be ready to kill half my family and friends by the time you would get horny again so I could relieve myself with you. The only time I could for some stupid reason after I was raped. So tell you what. Just be glad I am not wrapping myself around you even while you shit, I want to touch you so bad all the time right now to make up for the years of hating you that I can't stand myself, instead of just looking at you. So feel relieved I am just looking at you in the head. It is no big deal to me watching you in the flesh doing something I have been watching your body energy do for years. Not that I have a fetish but I just missed and hated you so much I just had to settle for just watching you when I could, no matter what you were doing."

"Oh shit! How long have you been watching me? You saw everything I have done?"

"No, watching is the wrong way to put it. Actually most of the time I was not watching you as like seeing and being aware of every detail you were doing. I mostly just saw you as being there. Of all the people on board the ship, I just knew exactly where you were all the time without actually having to pay attention to you. Does that make any sense? I am just so overwhelmed right now with emotions being with you. Especially now that I can see and hear you in person. See you as a beautiful soft skin beautiful flesh colored person and not the flaming heartbeat, blood and nerves pulsing inside of your entire body. I just cannot keep my eyes off of your beautiful body with pale skin and your blue eyes and brownish blond hair love. I just want to drink in every detail of you right now. Even when you are on the stupid head."

"Sorry but I am not used to being with anyone. I like being alone. Especially when I am in the head or alone in my cabin playing the game. You saw everything all the time."

"No love. I had better things to do than watch you 24-7 but when I was not doing anything or late at night especially after I was raped." She looked away from Jack. "When I was lonely I could not help myself. My eyes would wonder over to you no matter where you were and I did see a lot. Yes love. Even your girlfriends and when you slept with them I wanted to kill them especially the one that was sleeping with half the guys she met anytime even when she was seeing you. And when they broke up with you I wanted to kill them for hurting you while hugging them for hurting you. But what hurt me the most was how your family kept treating you. Especially your brother. I cannot believe or understand the lies I kept hearing about you though I started to believe some of them myself. I wish this sight was not silent pictures so I would have heard the lies and abuse. I just wish now I had forced myself to tolerate your family and especially your brother." Her voice dripped venomous hate as she said those last words. "At least long enough to be with you, to talk with you but I could not force myself to even step on your families deck even to see you." Tears started dripping down her cheeks.

Jack flushed and stepped out of the head closing the slide door behind him. "You may want to let that air out for a while." After washing his hands he sat down on the edge of the bunk opposite her not seeing her reach for him as he walked past her, he frowned as he pulled the blanket around hiding his privates as he tried not to star at her naked body and huge breasts and shaved smooth slit with nothing to hide it between her slightly parted legs. "I am sorry but I am not sure about anything right now. I want you but I feel real uncomfortable being around you. No not you. I mean anyone all the time. I. I don’t know what I want. I just don’t. Ah. I want to touch you. Be with you. But I don't. I want to run back to my family but I don't. I am just used to sleeping alone, well with 3 other guys in a cabin but all we ever did was play games and talk about girls." Jack looked at her and then away, embarrassed. "But I just don't understand or believe what is going on. I thought you hated me for years and now there is so much I just don't understand." Jack continued looking around the cabin trying not to stare at her. "Can we slow things down just a little or something? I don't know?" He picked at a corner of the bunk to stare at and did not see the terror crossing the Ensigns face. In time he would be able to feel that terror but not now.

Jumping up the Ensign started dressing. "I am starving. Get…Ah...” She stopped for a second taking a deep breath then continued hurriedly dressing.

Jack watched her back for a few seconds and started dressing as well. "I still can't believe what I was seeing last night and a few minutes ago." Pulling on his shorts he opened his locker pulling clothes out and slowly dressing. "I kind of remember a little about seeing things when I... We were kids. But it is so faint or more of an impression.” Shutting his locker. “You really have been seeing like that all along? All these years? "

The Ensign finished dressing and paused at the hatch. "Yes. For all these years." She bit her lip as she started to open the hatch then stopped. Turning she looked at Jack for a second as he put on his shirt then started to leave but stopped again and looked over her shoulder tight lipped. Turning she stepped up to Jack, turned his head toward her and kissed him on the lips then as she walked out of the hatch she said. "See you at breakfast love. I am starving."

As the hatch closed she leaned back onto it and started bawling, tears running down her face. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid damn it!" An officer walked past her giving her a strange look but kept going. "I knew better than to rush him but I just did not stop to think. Damn stupid! Damn it!" She pounded her head on the hatch along with her closed fists. The last thing she wanted to do was eat or for that matter go to the Officers mess full of lecherous ass holes that would flare up into beacons impossible to ignore at the sight of her stupid fracking boobs. Fact is, all she wanted to do was go and hide in the lowest darkest bilge hole in the ship with the fear that Jack would reject her totally because of her stupidity. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Jack almost dressed. Panicking she rushed down the passageway before he could come out and see her crying.

A few minutes before, Jack had turned hurriedly pulling on his shirt to catch up to her and hearing a pounding he glanced at the hatch. Looking hard he realized that he could see the Ensign on the other side leaning with her back up against it facing away so she could not possibly be looking in at him. Smiling he turned back to finish dressing. Taking his time now as he relaxed knowing she was their waiting. He did not have to rush to catch up with her. The pressure was off not feeling like he had to hurry he started feeling more comfortable being around her. To enjoy having her there nearby without worrying about doing something wrong with her right next to him watching every move he made, everything he said, scared of doing something wrong. Finally ready to leave he stepped to the hatch, wanting to be with her again only she was gone. Turning he looked for her but with the bright passageway lights he could not see anything beyond the bulkhead and hatch. Stepping out he started down the passageway as an officer came out of a cabin down from his.

"Oh Mr. Turner. How are you doing this morning?"

Jack was taken by surprise. He could not remember the officer but he was being nice and friendly and for the first time he did not feel threatened. Though most of his mind was still on the night before and the Ensign and not worrying about saying the wrong thing or caring if he did, so he slowed to talk with him for a couple of minutes while they walked.

The Ensign stopped at the hatch to the Officer's mess. Catching her breath she turned to look behind her to see Jack talking to someone in the birthing deck passageway. "What? That is not like him." She watched him walk with the officer down the passageway making small talk of no importance by the look of their expressions until the woman that had been in the cabin next to them the night before masturbating, came down the passageway and stopped to talk to Jack, again making small talk. Then the man continued on as the woman put her hand on Jack's arm and smiled stopping him from following the other officer, isolating him. "That bitch! How dare she!" Turning away she bit her lip clenching her fists battling back the tears. "No! It is good for him to be with others. He is coming out of his shell. Realizing he does not have to be scared all the time. Becoming his own man, finding his own life. That is good according to the books. But will it include being with her.

Turning around she watched Jack walk down the passageway talking with the woman as another officer joined them. Suddenly panicking she realized that she had missed watching them when they were alone and what if the bitch had kissed Jack! She had to stop herself from becoming enraged at what she could imagine they had secretly talked about or done. She probably asked Jack to come to her cabin and frack her as soon as possible the bitch.

Jack and the group he was talking with stepped through the main hatch from the birthing compartments and headed for the mess.

"Oh god. What am I doing standing here like a stupid little girl?" She ran into the mess before slowing slightly to rapidly walk to the front of the short line cutting in front of a Lieutenant that looked at her with shock as she grabbed what she wanted shoveling her plate full then turned around and scrapped half her plate onto the Lieutenant's plate behind her then she rushed to a table with a male lieutenant at it and sat down next to him. "Hi. How are you this morning?"

She watched Jack and his new friends walking up the passageway over the shoulder of the man at the table with her. Jack was spending more time talking to the man while seeming to be polite to the woman as she kept butting in for attention. Turning to smile at the officer across from her, she realized that she was being childish. All her phycology training yelled at her to quit being stupid. That this was just her jealous hormones doing something stupid.

"Sorry lieutenant. I thought you were someone else. Bye." She got up and moved to an empty table and sat facing away from the hatch and started playing with her food and using the napkin to clean up her face and wipe away her tears. Then sat fighting with every fiber in her being to keep from turning around to look for Jack. Not even to make sure he entered the mess. She just knew that he was going to forget about her and sit alone with that stupid chick but she dared not show concern about it even if he did. Though she fantasized about shooting the masturbating man stealing bitch with her stun gun set on kill or better yet stunning her on high just when she was climaxing in the throes of passion. The over stimulation would probably stop her from ever getting romantic again even with herself.

A year later even if it was only a few minutes, Jack sat down next to her placing his plate down as the officers he had been talking to sat down in the other chairs. Bighting the inside of her lip until it bled she waited for Jack to make introductions, (fighting the erg to wrap her arms and legs around him and tell him how sorry she was for being so smothering and tying to stupidly explain why, while she smothered him even more). Taking a deep calming breath she said. “Hello.” With as sweet a smile as she could muster. Digging in to her breakfast finally, she ate like she had not eaten in a week as they talked just for something to do trying to calm her nerves. Jack reached over and placed his hand on her leg when they started talking about their Tramp ships and she melted forgetting what they had been talking about or anything else. Knowing only that she did not want him to take his hand away. But not being able to even think until he did.

Then the female Lieutenant placed her hand on Jack's arm with a big smile as she leaned closer to him breathing into his face. The ensign's phycology training told her it meant nothing to Jack after wringing everything out of him the night before. She doubted if he had any hormones left at the moment. Though it was an obvious attempt for the woman to seduce him and the Ensign's 19 year old female hormones raging deep inside her took over and would not listen to reason. The Lieutenant did not know what hit her.

The Rock was lost in an asteroid and gas cloud the size of a hundred star systems. In another million years or two the nursery would coalesce into dozens of star systems but for now if you did not know the currents of trillions upon trillions of cubic miles of cloud and placement of trillions of trillions of rocks and planetoids it would take you years to cross it and thousands of years to search it. The Republic had used that fact to keep its main Military's control, storage, and supply and construction base hidden from old colonies and alien empires that thought they should rule all of human space. Especially mother Earth. It was working just as well against this new enemy that did not like not knowing what the Republic had hidden in it but dared not or cared not or was simply not ready to move against it until they were sure or ready. Though they had noticed the new battleships coming out of the cloud after following huge transports into it only to lose them in the maelstrom.

The Republic fleet had been headed for that rock cloud until it had discovered the enemy fleet blockading it. Now they were on a course to the cloud with the enemy fleet on an intercept course trying to catch up and intercept them before they could reach the cloud. The new enemy had found out from experience that they simply could not follow a ship into the cloud unless they were within a few hours of its tail and could catch it before it got lost. Not knowing the currents and the ever changing path ways through the boiling cloud always resulted in losing their pray along with severe damage to their ships before they could get back out if more than 12 hours had passed. Not that they could not penetrate the cloud but with no idea where the Republic base was, blundering through all the rocks and dust and billions of mines was not worth the cost. They were having to make do with blockading the cloud.

The scout ship that had found the cloud had followed a steady stream of transports to find that the Humans had some kind of Military Base hidden in it. The scout was very surprised when the Republic's main Battlefleet with hundreds of ships had left the cloud to head for their frontier and the latest planet taken. Once the main fleet had left there was no longer any doubt that it was the human Empires main military base. The scout’s cryptic message about the enemy stationed had brought the small hundred ship fleet there to keep any reinforcements and supplies from joining the human fleet while trying to starve the base out of the cloud with a blockade if they could not readily destroy it. The enemy commander knew that if the humans did manage to mass a big enough fleet to endanger his fleet, all he had to do was out run the stupid backward humans. But the experienced Commander was not worried about anything the humans could do now they had found their main military base. They would starve it out until a large enough fleet could be dispatched to hunt the base down inside the massive cloud. He just had to be careful to stay away from any traps. The human’s primitive weapons could still harm their ships in desperate attacks.

This human fleet approaching from the front was the first fleet to challenge their blockade. Not un expected, what surprised the enemy commander was that the transmissions from the currier ship that had stumbled across the approaching human fleet showed that it was just a bunch of armed transports and posed no threat to their Blockading fleet even though the humans had somehow managed to destroy the lone currier ship in a surprise attack using primitive weapons. Losing a few ships was just normal anytime they had taken a new empire on and thought nothing of it, except that they were going to get to have some fun and glory destroying the Human Transport Fleet. While they waited for the humans to finally send a worthwhile enemy for them to smash. Then was when he expected to lose a few of his valuable ships. But as long as he lost them to a worthwhile enemy in combat and not in accidents like what happened to the currier or destroyed in ambushes in the cloud he would be at the top of the replacement list when the God’s Iron rich stars were finally found and conquered giving the whole Phalanx of fleets back an industrial production base for their sole surviving Factory Star.

The Captain followed Jack as he walked onto the Bridge with the First Officer sitting in the Command chair. "Ok Number One. Mr. Turner has a successful attack plan to destroy the enemy and get us into the cloud without losing half the fleet. Turn the Conn over to him if you please."

"What? You have to be kidding Captain. You are going to turn our lives over to this kid?" The First Officer turned around to look at the Captain. "Just how the hell is he going to do that?"

"You would not believe it Number One if I just told you. Hell I did not believe it the first dozen runs through but he consistently does it time after time under different circumstances no matter what the enemy fleet does. He says they have made a mistake you could drop a Nova Star through."

The First Officer got out of the Command chair. "Here, take Command Lieutenant." Moved over to the science station and turned around and smiled at the Captain. "You already know about the enemy ships along the backside of the cloud moving in our direction that our sensor array has found I hope?"

Jack turned to the back of the Commander. "Yes First Officer. But could you please do a proper turn over briefing please. I have been in The Game for a very long time and may not be up to date."

The First Officer smiled at Jack as he turned around. "The fleet is decelerating at the old engine's full thrust of 350 Gee's directly for the cloud. We will make it there an hour ahead of the enemy fleet. Not enough time to disappear without sacrificing half the fleet. Could you tell me what your plans are for the fleet Lieutenant and why?"

"What is this an inquisition First Officer?" Jack Smiled back as he took the Command Chair. "Just to make sure I understand what you and the other senior officers have come up with to get us into the cloud. I take it that your plan is to stay on this course and let the enemy fleet catch up to use inside the cloud. Defeat the enemy fleet using the fringe of the cloud as cover allowing our squadrons to surround the enemy fleet getting behind their shields. All without revealing to the remaining enemy ships that we are no longer limited in reaction mass range and no longer require tankers and have up graded our guns. Is that correct?"

"Mr. Turner. We have been running our own simulations as well and yes that offers us the best bet for getting as many ships safely into the cloud as possible. We lose the rear guard but most get home to the Rock. Any other entry point farther around the cloud to the Portside that allows us to out run the enemy fleet approaching from our original course from the Starboard side has us being intercepted by enemy pickets. As many as a dozen before we can even get close to the cloud with the pickets following us into the cloud and delaying us allowing the main fleet to catch up to us and inflect even worse damage to the fleet."

"Did you get more than half of them back to the Rock in any of your simulations First Officer sir?"

"Yes. The best was 53% of the fleet. But that is the best we could do. Less than half the fleet left behind as rear guard to give the rest time to disappear inside the cloud just resulted in the rest of the enemy fleet blowing past the rear guard and hitting the main fleet anyway and even more losses as the fleet split up going their own ways deeper into the cloud. Unless we use full thrust from these new engines to enter the cloud a full 12 hours ahead of the fleet so we can disappear deep enough into the cloud before they get to it so they can't follow us into it. So how the hell do you think you can do any better?" The First Officer spoke as he studied the plot tank."

"Sorry First Officer, Mr. Gagnon sir. You would not believe it if I told you which I don't have time right now but I do need our best pilot on the helm sir. Since the Captain won't let me pilot that leaves you if you please."

The First Officer looked at Jack for several seconds then got up and walked to the Pilot's Chair and the Helm. The Ensign took his place at the Science sensor station.

"Very well Mr. Gagnon sir. I have already entered the plot into the Navigation computer. Please follow the new course plot. Mr. Dewarty, please release a full spread of decoys and emitters from each ship using decoy pattern Alpha. Fleet will go to silent stealth running as soon as the decoys go active."

The First Officer turned the fleet away from the closest point of entry to head for the cloud about a quarter of the way around the side but instead of decelerating to stop there plunge toward the cloud, they started accelerating adding velocity while decreasing the thrust to half the old engine's power at some 150 Gees. The enemy fleet had just turned around to start their deceleration at their full 300 Gees as they headed toward the original intercept point directly ahead in the middle and closest point of the cloud, going almost twice as fast as the Republic fleet as they were catching up to it. But now the Republic fleet was zooming off onto a side vector rapidly increasing their distance from the enemy fleet.

"Lieutenant, that is a stupid move." The First Officer could not believe what he had just done. "Why head for a section of the cloud that has a squadron of picket ships massing? There are none if you head for the middle where we were going. And then to accelerate. We will be going too fast to stop before we enter the cloud Lieutenant."

The Captain shook her head taking a seat at the back of the bridge behind Jack. "Ensign, tell us the instant the enemy fleet turns to intercept us please." Then turning to the First Officer. "Yes Number One, it is very stupid since everyone knows that we cannot enter the cloud at the speed we will be going at if we continue on to hit the cloud. Even the enemy Commander must know that but he cannot know for sure. The whole plan depends on the Enemy commander taking the bait and trying to intercepting us anyway. But not too soon."

The First Officer turned to the Captain. "Now why would he do that when he knows we will destroy ourselves if we hit the cloud at that velocity and he has additional ships already vectored in to intercept us if we continue? He has no need to follow us let alone intercept us."

"Well Mr. Turner. Can you answer Number Ones question? I kind of wondered that myself even though I saw them chance course to intercept us time after time in the simulations you ran in The Game?"

"Because the enemy Commander cannot be certain that we do not have a fleet waiting in the cloud for us to combine with and destroy the picket ships and then either disappear into the cloud or turn and destroy him if he tries to stop us. And second, he knows we have only so much reaction mass which is why we were headed straight for the cloud in the first place, so we would have enough mass to slow down and enter the cloud safely. The fact that we have speeded up now after talking to the cloud for the last few days, can only mean we are expecting help of some kind farther around the cloud probably closer to our base. Weather it is a battle fleet or just transports does not matter. He must catch us before we get there if he can. Which is why we are accelerating away but I have decreased our thrust to half the old ships power. One is to conserve reaction mass even though we don't need to for his benefit but it is mostly so he could catch us when I want him to." Jack turned back to the Captain. "He has no choice Captain but to chase us sir. Eventually but not too soon as you said."

The bridge grew quiet as everyone did their jobs. An hour later Jack started looking at his wrist even though the bridge clock was on the bulkhead for everyone to clearly see.

The Ensign hit an icon on her screen as the enemy fleet changed course. "Enemy fleet starting to change course sir. They are having to continue spending most of their thrust stopping their plunge toward the cloud instead of running after us. Their best possible intercept time if they continue is 7 days. One hour from entering the cloud again sir. Right on time as we expected."

The First Officer turned to Jack. "What are you going to do when we reach where we would have run out of reaction mass?" He thought for a few seconds. "That is it. We will have to re-mass and that will take tankers. Is that what you are doing, closing the distance to rendezvous with tankers the Rock is sending us? I know they don't have any Battleships conversions finished. You are going to risk wasting tankers just for a ruse."

Jack just smiled at the First Officer. "Yes Sir. But not for a ruse and for that matter the enemy cannot know how many of our ships are actually transports and how many are tankers. Over the next few days we will shuffle the fleet around to make it look like we are redistributing mass between the ships of the fleet."

A good hour dragged on with nothing really to do but sit and wait.

The Ensign finally spoke up. "Mr. Turner the enemy is starting to mass their picket ships to intercept any transports or tankers that may make a run for the fleet." She studied her screen for another few seconds and smiled as she tapped another icon. "They are bringing the picket ships from around the back side as well. At full thrust sir."

The Captain shook her head. How long for them to mass into another fleet Ensign?"

The Ensign's fingers flew over the control top and finally turned to the Captain all smiles. "Predictions hold at them massing into a spread out fleet around that area of the cloud in 4 days sir. Nothing is going to be able to get out of that area without being intercepted and if a transport gets out of anyplace else on this side of the cloud they can be easily intercepted before they can rendezvous with this fleet."

"Captain!" The First Officer turned from the Helm. "This is stupid. The Lieutenant is just giving them time to mass another fleet that will more than double the number of enemy ships we will have to face before entering the cloud making any attempt suicide not to mention the fact that we will have no choice but to show the enemy all about our new engines capabilities when we go beyond our old fuel mass range."

"Don't worry Number One. The enemy cannot know our exact range that is why we will be shuffling ships around to convince him we are short on reaction mass but not that short. It is all according to plan." The Captain said getting up. "Stand the ship down from Maneuvering Stations Mr. Turner when you are satisfied the enemy has done everything he needs to do. You can give the Conn back to the First Officer. This is going to be a long week." Then left the bridge to the announcement. "Captain leaving the Bridge."

"Mr. Turner. Just why the hell are you taking us into a trap that will get the fleet and everyone in it killed?"

"Sorry First Officer but I am not suicidal. The fact is, with the enemy fleet massed in front of us, the Rock can get supplies. In about 3 days several hundred transports that have been waiting hidden, orbiting out of range of the enemy will start arriving on the other side of the cloud with enough materials and supplies to last the Rock a year of construction. Including the much needed big new 26 inch high temperature guns that should be able to take on the enemy ships with some equality. Along with new recruits for crews."

"So we are giving our lives so they can finish the new battleships. At least I can understand that. Why didn't the Captain just say that?"

Jack smiled. "Because we are not giving our lives First Officer. The Rock has a lot of other weapons and hundreds of destroyers and fighters and transports. We are going to use them all so just relax and pray that the enemy walks into our little trap and that the Captain can talk the Commanders in the Rock into doing what we need done when we need it to break this blockade for more than just a few days and yes to save our lives if things don't go right."

"Oh great." The First Officer said disgusted. "I have never seen an operation as big as this is looking to be, put together this fast as this is being clobbered together, without half the forces even being able to practice together, let alone knowing each other; work. We are dead. Just what the hell is your plan Lieutenant? You have a whole week to explain it to me by the looks of it unless you plan on running off in some other direction half way there."

"Well First Officer that is a possibility, but as soon as you are off watch you have my permission to access the basics but as you said, it is going to change as the enemy reacts to what we do. Go through it and then I will answer any questions you have."

21-

FIRST RIM BATTLE

Jack watched 4 days pass agonizingly slow as the main enemy fleet dipped close to the cloud before arching back up toward the Republic fleet as the picket squadrons grew closer together. He continued with his new duties and making the rounds in the research departments giving help where he could while keeping a close eye on Director Johnson. The ship ran drill after drill around him. Taking time in the evenings to play The Game along with a large portion of crewmen from the fleet. Though with Jack being killed when his brother self-destructed his ship, he was sent back to start over as an ensign requiring him to work his way back up through the ranks to even be able to pilot. He worked hard at it as the ship the battleship he was assigned to participate in battle after battle with the Spider ships and always lost, limping out of the battle field system as Jack and the crew worked hard keeping the ship in service through battle after battle in only hours.

It was agonizing to then go back on watch on the bridge and watch for hours with nothing to do as the real enemy made little adjustments in both there fleet and the picket ships massing into squadrons to intercept any resupply ships that may decide to try to reinforce the Republic fleet. Ready to mass as well if a human fleet appeared from the cloud. Jack spent most of his watches trying not to go crazy from boredom, (even looking around the closest decks with the low light levels of the bridge), got boring after a few minutes of watching people walking around doing their jobs in the many sub control rooms surrounding the bridge. As time passed he was starting to look forward to the Ensign being around. Especially at night in the rack oblivious to the fact that she was on pins and needles around him. They both were afraid to say or do something wrong, so they said and did little except screw every chance they got. It was hard to go wrong there. Both being too immature to break the destructive circle of tension on their own no matter how loving it was.

The Republic Fleet was again decelerating, one day from the enemy's main fleet intercepting them at the edge of the cloud, with the newly formed picket squadrons rapidly approaching the intercept point from half a dozen directions. The two enemy fleets getting ready to combine into a pincher attack onto the Republic fleet only hours from entering the cloud.

The Republic fleet faced certain destruction by two overwhelming superior fleets attacking at the same time.

Jack sat in the Command Chair with the Captain behind and to the side, the Ensign at the Science terminal and the First Officer at the helm. Jack took a deep breath. "Helm you may start our turn to come parallel to the cloud now. It is a shame we are not a fighter. We could use our wing maneuvering coils to sharpen the turn but thrust will have to do. Go to 350 Gee's thrust if you please. Counter measures, release 2 full sets of decoys and emitters."

"This is not making any sense why turn parallel to the cloud this high up?" The First officer shook his head again. "I know this is according to plan but I still do not understand why we don't just go on down and take on the squadrons as they attack one at a time when we can overpower each of them easily before the main fleet arrives?"

"Sorry First Officer but they are already starting to mass into one big fleet the closer we get to the cloud and by the time we got down to them in a day they would have been massed into a second even bigger fleet than the one chasing us with the other enemy fleet coming up are assess." Jack was trying to be patient. "No. We still need to get the main fleet trailing us into the right position behind us and the picket squadrons massed close to the right place over and even closer to the cloud."

Time passed slowly as the fleet pulled up from diving at the cloud to finally running parallel to the cloud. Rushing along it with only the occasional quiet whisper as reports were made. "You may reduce thrust to 150 Gee's again Number One." Jack said as he watched the tank as they continued to accelerate away from the enemy fleet still approaching the entry point they had been headed for. Seeming to be oblivious of their victim's course change.

The bridge remained silent for a good hour as everyone watched their screens. The Ensign suddenly started tapping Icons. "The enemy fleet took an hour to respond to our change in course but they are now coming around. Two point six days now to intercept Mr. Turner. The enemy fleet went from taking a short cut and cutting us off at the pass an hour from the cloud, to being directly behind us and going too fast the wrong way. Again they have to use a good portion of their thrust to stop their head long plunge toward the cloud instead of chasing us allowing our fleet to gain over another two days lead. Sir."

"Damn that was good but it only delays the inevitable Lieutenant." The Frist Officer said. "The picket fleets are turning to follow along spread out below our fleet above the cloud. They are just waiting for the fleet following us to close up so they can all attack at one time slaughtering us. At least increase our acceleration Captain. At 350 Gee' thrust, we can easily out run the trailing fleet with these new engines. Why should they let us lead them into a trap anyway?"

"Why worry First Officer, when they have us right where they want us. Flying right into their trap running out of fuel. Besides if we increase our thrust to out run them, all they will do is have time to consolidate their fleets into one massive attack force. Which would be nice if they would do it before we had to spring our trap. But we can't wait that long so we have to take care of them while they are separated. "

Nothing happened as they slowly orbited around the cloud only a day's old engine maximum acceleration away from the gas, dust and rocks of the cloud. The picket squadrons less than a half day's acceleration below, half way between the cloud and the Republic fleet, spread out to keep any resupply ships from getting past them. The main enemy fleet rapidly accelerating now assured of catching the Republic fleet even if they went to maximum 350 gees thrust. The enemy fleet was within 12 hours of intercepting the fleeing Republic fleet in a rapid high speed fly by that would probably spell the doom for most of the Republic Fleet. Jack could not believe that the enemy was right where he wanted them to be.

"Captain. Are you sure the Rock has everything set up for us at the coordinates? If we start this and they don’t' show up we are screwed."

"They said they will be ready Mr. Turner. That is the best I can tell you right now. Follow the plan Lieutenant. Follow your plan."

"Mr. Gagnon, time to scare the shit out of one of the Enemy squadrons below us. You may start your turn. Come to course 354 mark 87 at 200 Gees. Weapons, prepare Torpedoes for mine attack Delta 5." The First and Weapons Officers already knew the plan but Jack repeated the details from habit. In The Game you never knew when some artificial crewman would be replaced with the real player that would simply not have bothered to read the crewman's turnover order sheet before entering The Game or someone simply got busy and forgot.

The fleet turned toward one of the central picket squadrons only a half day max acceleration below them.

The Ensign waited the half hour it took to make the turn. "Mr. Turner we are on an intercept course with the central picket squadron of 6 ships and will intercept them in 12 hours sir."

"Sir, the enemy fleet behind us is turning down to intercept us at speed in 6 hours. We are no longer accelerating away from them as we make our dive while they are continuing at their full 350 Gee's thrust." The Tactical Officer said.

A good half hour later the Ensign declared. "Mr. Turner. Our target squadron along with all the scattered Picket squadrons are thrusting down toward the top edge of the cloud and will rendezvous in 18 hours 1 light hour above the cloud and 6 hours before we intercept them." Shaking his head. "Exactly according to plan, sir." The Tactical Officer spoke up excitedly.

"Very well. Maintain Course and thrust."

For 3 hours the fleet stayed on course as the enemy fleet from behind finished its turn and starting their own dive to intercept the Republic Fleet diving down onto one of their picket squadrons. The enemy's main fleet continued using full thrust to increase the closing rate as Jack had expected. Then the bridge crew seemed to jump as Jack suddenly said. "Number One, 250 Gees please."

Ten minutes later Tactical spoke up. "We have cut the time to reach the massed picket fleet Captain to 20 hours, they are dropping their rendezvous point down closer to the cloud and will mass only a half hour before intercept sir." Tactical calmly announced. "Our trailing enemy fleet is turning to intercept us in 3 hours sir. They will be heading down toward the cloud at a 45 degree angle sir."

"Thank you Lieutenant."

Another hour passed as Jack ordered hot tea with extra sweetener and stretched in the Command chair. "Number One." Jack suddenly bellowed as he stretched for the third time in as many minutes. "You may go to 300 Gee's if you please."

It only took a few minutes for the Tactical Officer to announce. "The Main trialing fleet has changed course to intercept us in 2 hours sir. We are now intercepting the Target Picket Squadron in 20 hours, again they are dropping down closer to the cloud. Sir."

Jack sat there for almost an hour fighting to keep from fidgeting and walking around the bridge. He was fully in The Game Zone. He knew from experience that if he showed signs of nervousness or not being sure like doing the one thing he felt like doing (Puking in the nearest waste basket), the bridge crew would pick it up and could do some amazingly stupid things when the time came. Even worse was the fact that he could not speed real life up to cut the waiting time down to something a little more bearable. He had yet to develop what most fleet Captain’s did over time, a way to pass the time without going nuts. Even though the ship's Captain kept popping onto the bridge every now and then trying to show him. With his mind folly focused on the enemy like he always did in The Game when minutes always counted, he did not even notice her most of the time. The hours of concentration started taking their toll on him. "Number one 350 gees please."

"Enemy Fleet A, changing course to intercept in a half hour. They are headed down after us at a 70 degree angle now Mr. Turner. They must want us bad. Why don't they just let the fleet we are diving on take us out?"

Jack smiled. "Good question. But probably because we suckered them in by not starting our dive at 350 Gees to begin with and they turn out to be more human or animal than is good for them, but good for us. The first fleet commander wants the Glory of killing us something awfully bad. Mr. Gagnon, 400 gees please."

The Captain finally came in and sat at the back of the Bridge. "Well Mr. Turner; are you ready?"

Jack jumped out of the chair like a spring. "Jesses Christ, I have been ready for fracking hours. Damn It. Get off My fracking Back."

The Captain's eyes opened wide as she sat up strait.

Jack's mouth dropped open in shook as he looked around and down at the deck covering his face with his hands trying to hide. "Ah… Ah.” Finally looking back up at the Captain. “Captain; my apologies Sir. I. Ah. I”

The Tactical Officer turned around. "Main fleet astern will intercept us in 10 minutes at an 80 degree angle doing half the speed of light relative, sir."

"Very good Tactical." Jack turned and walked around the bridge stopping next to each station for a few seconds then looking at the view screen before going to the next console.

A few minutes later Jack sat back down, closed his eyes as he held his head up and said a few words and then. "Very well Number one. Initiate side slip maneuver if you please. As soon as you are ready."

"But Lieutenant this is 6 minutes ahead of schedule."

"Yes I know Commander. Please initiate turn now. Weapons, you may fire a full spread of torpedoes and missiles set on Mine mode 5."

The ship suddenly lurched to the side as Number one turned the massive ship along with the fleet as the ship shuddered from torpedoes being flung out away from the bow to the sides of the ship. The fleet took off at 90 degrees to its original diving course at 400 Gees of thrust pushing them out of the rapidly approaching enemy fleet’s path.

"Enemy fleet does not even have time to try to follow Captain but unless they can pull over 500 Gee's, they cannot even get into gun range sir." Jack said with a smile. "If they have torpedoes they should use them now sir."

"Torpedoes Captain ah I mean Mr. Turner, hundreds of them sir. They are pulling 900 gees sir. They can make the turn if they have the range. We should have waited the planned 6 minutes sir. Our Torpedoes are running hot and true sir. Oh the enemy fleet is trying to follow us and is pulling 300 gees sir."

Everyone watched the Main enemy fleet zip past them as hundreds of guns shot toward the Republic fleet's direction still fare out of range without getting close. Over a hundred explosions (from the torpedo's and missiles left behind) could be seen on the enemy ships as they passed. "If they do not start pulling out in another minute sir they will not be able to pull out in time and will hit the cloud sir."

"Captain, Weapons, our solid kinetic warheads should have penetrated the half dozen armored decks at the speed they hit. Point defenses look to have been ineffectual with the warheads already lined up on the enemy ships sir. The hundreds explosions we witnessed should mean something was damaged.

Jack watched as he held his breath waiting but suddenly the enemy fleet turned pointing their engines down at the cloud and at 300 Gees they started the long climb back from certain death. But at least they were out of the fight for now. "It is a shame we did not have any of The Rock's weapons I just found out about last week. The fusion balls would have worked perfect for taking out this last fleet as they passed behind us."

The First Officer turned around and looked at Jack. "What are Fusion Balls?"

"If they are any good you will find out all about them in just a few hours Number One. You can start accelerating 350 gees on attack course Delta for the targeted picket squadron. ."

"Captain, Tactical, we show 4 enemy ships leaving the enemy fleet, falling behind pulling less than 220 Gee's. The torpedoes and missiles must have taken out one of their engines. The plot, has them entering the cloud at well over a hundred times the speed of light in 6 hours. If they can't start pulling 300 Gee's in the next minute they are dead sir. It will be too late even if they can make repairs. The main enemy fleet has changed course and will intercept our fleet in 26 hours, their high rate of closing on us has made them over shooting us farther around the cloud and forcing them to turn around to come back at us sir. The best they could do at the speed they were going trying to catch up to us." The Ensign turned around with a big smile. "They are missing our first trap above the cloud but they are out of this little battle Captain. Once we deal with the picket fleet we are home free."

The Captain turned to Mr. Turner. "Lieutenant you turned a good 6 minutes to soon according to your plan and may have lost my fleet. The Main enemy fleet is going to miss the trap completely and will be able to return and may possible intercept us before we can enter the cloud. The second trap is a failure as well. The enemy Picket squadrons started to scatter as soon as you turned away so the main fleet would miss us stopping your attack on them. You choked Mr. Turner but then I should have expected that from a damn boot Lieutenant."

"No Captain, circumstances changed only minutes before forcing me to change the plan but that is Ok, I have planned for that. Besides he may take us up on our offer later if he decides we don't have a battleship fleet in the clouds after all. Let's just wait and see what happens sir."

"Just what circumstances changed Lieutenant? I did not see anything change."

"I am sorry Sir but it is hard to explain just now. I have too much else to watch and worry about sir."

Tactical burst out almost shouting. "Picket squadron, Target Alpha, has changed course again and is now headed toward the cloud along with the rest of the squadrons that were starting to spread out again. They will now rendezvous and intercept us only minutes above the cloud."

The Republic fleet plunged down toward the cloud as the enemy squadrons started to converge again. The Captain watched Jack smile satisfied at the good news, rub his eye's and then the bridge of his nose before shaking his head trying to clear it before he turned to the navigator. "Plot, how fast are we going across the cloud?"

"Sir we are skimming over the cloud at a 135 times the speed of light."

"That is too fast we need to slow down a little. Helm turn our tail into our course twelve degrees." Jack watched the fleet change their angle of deceleration. "Navigator, fine tune the course to intercept the cloud at a velocity that will put us over the trap coordinates on time. Captain are the ships from the Rock ready?"

"Mr. Turner they are in Comm silence. We are not going to take a chance anything will give them away."

"Oh, yes of course Captain. I should have remembered that."

"Sorry Mr. Turner, but you don't have the responsibility, I do." The Captain frowned. "Yours is just tactics and not the rest of the crap." Getting up she stepped up next to Jack. "We have another 10 hours before we go to battle stations. Go get some sleep and eat."

"No Captain. Too much can happen over those hours and if I am not here to make the only right instant decision like I just did, we could lose the fleet."

"I have yet to hear you justify what you just did as it is. The ships are all on course. Fate is in the driver's seat and I want you fresh for the battle. I will not have you choking again just when we need you most. Come, what could happen now anyway? "

"Well now let's just keep the list simple of all the things that could go wrong. The main enemy picket fleet in the next 10 hours, probably when we turn and start decelerating, could decide to suddenly intercept us up here with it 's separate squadrons spread out as they already are. Boxing us in to trap us between them and ignore and accept the losses that would cost them (as we concentrated on individual squadrons), instead of them massing down below able to present a unified shield wall we could not flank. Cutting our ability to separate into squadrons and flank them even though it would still not allow us to win against such a large fleet outnumbering us. But it would cost us the battle since they would not be in position to spring our trap, unless we prevented that at the first sign with the proper response." Jack took a deep breath. "And then what happens if the picket fleet spots the transport fleet in the cloud they are approaching and rush us before taking them on or rush them or a dozen other things I could think of. No. The next 8 hours are critical and every second could make the difference between winning or losing everything." Jack looked around the bridge. "Get me something to eat and someplace in the corner I can sack out for a couple hours and I will be fine."

"No you won't. I relieve you Mr. Turner. Now get off the bridge Lieutenant." The Captain folded her arms across her chest. "Now Lieutenant."

"Very well Captain. You have the Conn. Sir." Jack got up saluted and went to the science station. "Ensign be sure to keep a close eye on the main fleet for the next hour. Any change in aspect or thrust emissions or anything, you start screaming.” Jack turned to the Plot officer. "By the way, how many ships are headed for the rendezvous and how many will make it in time?"

"We can detect 47 but only 42 will make it there before we arrive and the trap is scheduled. The other 5 will be at least 15 minutes late after we intercept the rest. They are coming from back around the cloud almost to our original entry point and have been dragging their feet the whole time for some reason. Your last course change moved the intercept point 30 minutes farther up the track closer to them but they slowed down even more and it looks like they are dropping down even closer to the cloud top to make sure they were late. I don't think this commander wants to play with the fleet."

"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. "Kiss 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. "Another 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 course. 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."

A few minutes later the tenth salvo from the enemy finally found the range and streaked through the fleet this time. Luckily missing every ship. "The enemy wall formation makes sense now Mr. Turner. It allows them to fire at longer ranges against an opponent's wall formation. Massive fire power makes up for the lack of accuracy at long range. Kind of sounds like the musket battles of 18th Century old Earth." The Captain got a horrified look on her face. "Navigator spread out the formation to 10 miles between ships. The last thing we need right now is a tight formation." The ships immediately started spreading out. Putting distance between the ships as another massive barrage streaked through the fleet.

"No Captain. We need to stay tight until we launch the decoys." Jack turned around to face the Captain. A compact mass of decoys and boats is twice as effective as being spread out all to hell.

"Captain." The Ensign turned from the science and intelligence console. "Each enemy ship of the picket fleet has at least 4 guns and most 6, with a few having 8 guns. At this range and aspect, it is hard to tell how many decks they have for shields but we are not facing a fleet of scouts. They are using mostly heavies for the blockade picket fleet. It could be why they did not feel the need to combine the two main fleets before this. We are definitely out gunned and out armored." Another salvo of beams streaked past the ship's bridge but looked thinner as the ships continued to spread out.

"Navigator hold position at 2 miles separation.

"In other words we would not have done well at all charging straight in on them." The Captain smiled shaking her head. "But I do wish we did not have to worry about burning out our barrels. I would return their fire just for morale purposes, to see what happened and hopped we got lucky."

"Actually sir." Jack spoke up. "I think that is why they are shooting at us from such a long distance trying to get us to shoot at them. They would use the energy from our own guns to target in on us. Pinpointing each ship exactly so they can hit us at this range with a concentrated barrage that has a good chance to hit."

"What are you talking about Mr. Turner?"

"In the records of the few loosing battles for the outer systems we have gotten. They only hit ships at long range that shot at them. Returned their fire. They hit the rest, the transports only when they finally got close enough with their superior acceleration to within light seconds before they stopped missing and then it still took half a hundred rounds to hit them as long as they did not fire back. Every time one of our ships fired at them it only took a couple of salvoes at most to hit and kill it." That is their biggest weakness sir. A weakness we can use to win if we have the right ships and tactics."

"Good then we should run right in and attack at the same time as the transport fleet attacks from the clouds." The Captain sparkled in her eyes and face.

"No sir. We do not have the right ships or weapons. That is not the right tactic here in this situation. If the transport fleet does not deliver we would be slaughtered. Even if they do deliver as promised, we could still suffer way too many casualties from friendly fire." Jack swallowed. "No sir. By swinging around behind the enemy fleet and then down into the canyon while we slow our race along the cloud, we stand the best chance of getting the fleet safely out of this trap without a loss no matter what happens. Even if the enemy fleet is not completely destroyed by the transport fleet trap we will be down inside the canyon or chasm or trench or whatever you want to call it and out of sight of the enemy. With any luck they will think we disappeared into and was destroyed by the Cloud at high speed and not even chase us. By the time we have to pull out of the trench we will be fare out of their detection range even if they are looking for us." Taking a breath Jack frowned and glanced around at the Captain’s big smile. "Oh, you were being facetious. Sorry sir. I am not used to Captains joking."

"You should try it sometime Mr. Turner. It can help break the tension on the bridge." The Captain studied Jack for several minutes then turned to the weapons officer. "Prepare to launch torpedoes at designated targets under Wolf Pack swarm 5 command programing, on the Tactical Officer's command."

Jack turned around studying his screens.

"Comm, have we gotten a synchronization beep from the Transport Fleet yet?"

"No sir. Nothing, but it could have been lost in the back ground and enemy fleet interference or simply not sent to maintain comm silence."

"Very well. I was not expecting one." The Captain sat back and watched her screens for a good minute then got up and walked to the front of the bridge and looked closely at the forward screen for several more minutes.

Walking back to the tactical console. "Weapons, prepare to fire torpedoes."

"Count down 10, 9."

The Captain reached her chair glancing down at her screens. "7, 6."

Then looked over everyone's head at the ship’s main screens again at the distant specks of the enemy fleet in their miniature wall. 4, 3".

Taking short stilted breaths between each number the Tactical officer was trying to be precise. "2, Shoot. Shoot. ShooT."

Four hundred and twenty torpedoes leaped from the fleet launchers. And disappeared in the dark vastness of interstellar space. With the tubes so close to the bow, the bridge shook with the "Harrumph", of the mass launch.

Jack sat back and started watching the tracks. As another salvo of the enemies big gun streaks lit the bridge way to close for comfort.

"Comm, Fleet, Launch the Shuttle boats."

Jack heard the Captain. Turning around in surprise it took half a second for Jack to remember that he was the one that had asked for them to be added to the decoy swarm to make it look like a fleet. A bit sad since he had helped drag them out of storage and pre-trip them for the ship to use and now several where leaving on one way trips. Just like the original boats. "Thank Godstar they were going out empty this time." He said to himself.

"Decoys being launched Captain." Came the countermeasure's officer's voice."

"Weapons, prepare to launch long range Missiles on a delayed attack profile." The Captain noticed Jack turning around to stare at him. "Now Mr. Turner. A missile's penetrating warhead traveling at close to the speed of light can do a lot of damage to even a ship. What is our closing velocity Mr. Turner?"

"Ah yes sir. Close to .01 the speed of light." Jack turned red as he swallowed looking around for someplace to hide.

"Don't feel so embarrassed Mr. Turner. It is nice to know you can still learn something from us old Asteroid heads."

"Captain!" The Executive officer turned to look at the Captain worried. "Captain's Gig and 2 whale boats launched sir."

"Very well Exec. Tell the First Officer Good job and to get his butt back up here."

"Sorry Sir. But I can't." The Executive Officer continued to look at the Captain. "The First Officer is aboard the Captain's Gig sir."

"What? Get me the Captain's Gig immediately Comm."

The First Officer only took a few seconds to appear on the main screen. "Damn it Commander Gagnon! What the hell are you doing?" The Captain was a bit upset.

"We have some 100 + boats loaded with missiles and torpedoes headed for the enemy and they need someone to command them into an effective attack if you want the enemy to believe these really are ships for any length of time. Someone told me that if we don't shoot our guns at them they will pretty much ignore us and I have months' worth of supplies on board this gig fit for a Captain and I need a vacation any way. Someone can pick me up later."

A crewman walked onto the bridge of the Gig behind the First Officer Startling him. "What the hell are you doing on here Chief?"

"You needed at least a skeleton crew to reload the missiles and torpedoes I had thrown into the cargo bay with the coils before we launched."

A couple of ratings walked onto the boat's bridge taking up the important control stations.

"Torpedo Tubes reloaded Captain." The Weapons Officer announced.

The Captain Shook her head grim faced. "Launch Torpedoes'. Switch all comm traffic to the boats, energize the added Grave Coils, wave emitters and heat radiators Number One. You have the Countermeasures traffic." Turning to the Comm. “All ships, go silent. Shut down all emitters and start silent stealth running." Then back at the First Officer. "Good luck Commander Gagnon and one last point. You make it back, you have Command of the Parsley." Saluting her first Officer she cut the connection. She had been planning on giving him the ship when they got to The Rock. He deserved to know that before he died. She was planning on taking one of the new Battleships for her flag ship but now she needed to find a new Captain for the Parsley. "Damn you Gagnon." She needed people like him for Command, not throwing their lives away even though someone had to do it. She should have seen it coming and arranged for someone else to do it.

The Comm Officer turned back around. "Captain, secure micro burst laser com reports are coming in that most of the boats launched have at least skeleton crews on them with added pallets of torpedoes, missiles, reaction mass tanks and food sir." The Comm officer turned white as she listened with her hand to her ear. "Most of the ships are reporting that they launched every boat capable of launching weapons they had sir. All six of them on some with at least one manned to control them though most are manned sir. I count a hundred and forty boats sir."

The Captain closed her eyes. "May God be with them all." Taking a deep breath. "Mr. Turner, you are now my temporary First Officer." Looking at him narrowed eyed. "Don't worry, no way in hell are you ever going to be a Captain, but I need a First Officer and you are it until after the battle and I can rotate crew positions. You may start your deceleration turn."

"Captain!" Jack could not believe what just happened. Nor what the Captain had just said. Though in his terror he had missed part of it. Turning to look at the Executive Officer. "Make him First Officer. He is a Commander Sir." Jack blurted out.

"Mr. Turner, the Executive Officer is in charge of the ships paper pushers, supply, personnel and general maintenance, they make sure the ship and her crew has everything they need and to fight. The First Office runs the ship and trains the crew to fight, so the Captain can fight the ship. Executive Officers are not Flag Officers and do not have the training to fight a ship as you already know." Looking at Jack's terrified face. "Don't get comfortable Lieutenant. As soon as this battle is over and we have time, I will shuffle the officers around and replace you even though the pilot is usually the replacement for the position."

Taking a deep breath Jack brought the ship around but suddenly remembered what the boats were in for. "My God Captain, even if they shut off the decoy emitters. Once they start firing those torpedoes at close range the enemy will see and classify them as enemy and take them out. And if they survive that, the gas particles that close to the cloud at the velocity they are at alone will destroy them not to mention they will be in the middle of the kill zone of the ambush trap."

"Yes Mr. Turner. Commander Gagnon realizes that though I don't think most of the crews manning the boats knew. See what happens when you make snap decisions with incomplete orders. The crews do what they think is best even if it kills them sometimes. Though now that I have had time to think about it, in this case they do now best. Empty boats where not likely to fool anyone. Now turn back around in your seat and do your job and get this fleet on your plotted course before we get close enough for the enemy to see what we are doing. And turn off your mass squirt gun from our tails. It is too damn easy to see."

Jack turned the fleet some 90 degrees to start decelerating and slowing their orbit around the cloud without slowing their plunge into the cloud as they headed around the enemy fleet. They pulled away at 350 Gee's from the swarm of boats as well as the enemy fleet below them still massed for an attack from the decoys plunging down on them. The enemy tracking and firing their big guns in mass at the swarm of radiating boats in small groups positioned to look like the ships they were launched from even on the Ensign's screens.

"Mr. Turner, put the fleet into tandem line formation pointed away from the enemy fleet please. If all they can see is one or two ships it will make it harder for them to detect us."

Jack tapped several icons on his control board. Still stunned as the fleet of armed transport boats continued dropping toward the enemy fleet as they orbited around the Nebula cloud. The fleet of small boats sending out long streams of reaction mass as they slowed down to intercept the enemy fleet. Reaction mass streams that would have paled next to the Battle transports old reaction mass streams but now looked massive with nothing to compare them too.

After some 12 minutes the ships had formed up into the line and they were passing the enemy fleet as the enemy fleet continued to fire at the approaching fleet of decoy boats a good 3 minutes above them, the Ensign spoke up. "Detecting a cloud approaching the enemy fleet from down track around the cloud. Or should I say a small cloud has appeared in front of the enemy fleet orbiting around the nebula cloud. It is reflecting the energy from the enemy’s guns each time they fire at our boats. It shows signs of being made up of billions of small gravel sized rocks. Impact with the enemy fleet in 3 minutes. The enemy fleet still has time to dodge the cloud if they see it in time. Sir."

"Comm. Flash Commander Gagnon to update the running torpedoes to coordinate with the asteroid cloud." The Captain started tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair. "If they can keep the enemy fleet's attention for another minute or two we have them."

"Captain!" Jack glanced over his shoulder at the Captain. "I think the boats are on a collision course with that same cloud sir. They need to maneuver out of its way now sir."

"Yes they do don’t' they Mr. Turner." The Captain closed her eyes for a second frowning.

Several seconds passed and Jack looked over his shoulder at her again. "Well Captain. Aren’t you going to warn Commander Gagnon so he can avoid them?"

"The boat fleet already knows the cloud is their Jack, from the targeting update we sent them." The Captain took a breath and let it out slowly. "Mr. Turner. I launched the boats as decoys knowing that it was possible that the boats would be intercepted by the cloud that your plan put there for the enemy fleet to run into in the first place. You had to know that possibility as well when you suggested sending the boats as decoys. The fact that the boats are now manned instead of stupid hulks does not change the fact that if they try to maneuver out of the path of the attacking cloud it could alert the enemy to its existence and give them time to maneuver around it as well. That is if Commander Gagnon even tried."

The Ensign interrupted the Captain. "Torpedoes are changing their courses and accelerating to intercept the enemy at the same time as the asteroid cloud." The Ensign tapped several icons on her board. "Detecting new torpedo and missile launches from the boats sir. Telemetry from them indicates that they are targeting the fleet to arrive at the same time as well sir." Large explosions started appearing around the boats that looked a lot like big guns firing without the big beams streaking toward the enemy. "Captain the boats are detonating flash bomb decoys around themselves. Why?" She said baffled.

"To an enemy it can look like they are being fired upon if you don't look very close and I have a suspicion that the energy surge of the gun firing is all they look at anyway."

"We just lost a boat Captain!" Tactical suddenly said.

"My God! Why don’t they get out of its way damn it?"

"Duty Mr. Turner. They went knowing it was a one way trip Lieutenant. Now get ahold of yourself and do your duty."

"One minute to impact sir. The enemy ships have started firing their close in defensive weapons on our torpedoes and missiles sir." The Ensign’s hands flew over the controls at the science station. "The enemy fleet is facing our attacking torpedoes and missiles and are taking a lot of them out sir."

"We just lost another boat sir." The tactical operator shouted. "Sensors show a direct hit vaporizing the whole damn boat and everyone in it. No survivors or even pieces of the boat. Just a small expanding vapor cloud. Two more….. Are gone."

"Impact in 30 seconds. They can't miss now sir."

"Mr. Turner you are drifting off your course plot. Get that nose up! Or do I need to relieve you?"

Jack suddenly woke up. "Relieve me?" Ah no sir. Shit! Damn I should have been slowing our decent seconds ago not to mention we need to follow the damn trench." Jack brought the nose of the fleet up and around. Luckily, he was already off coarse drifting in the direction they needed to go to follow the trench as it rushed up at them. The sides of the curved trench in the cloud suddenly loomed above them as they dropped into it and started approaching the far wall of the curve that lead into the long straight trench that ran across that part of the cloud along the course they had been on. Jack had simply entered the curved end of the trench early to get around the enemy fleet just in case it was not taken out by the trap they had set up for it.

Realizing that they were approaching the wall of the trench much too rapidly he dropped the nose of the fleet turning to direct the full thrust of their engines in an effort to keep the tail end of the string of ships from hitting that wall as they raced around it to enter the long straight trench.

"Half our torpedoes have been destroyed Captain. Fifteen seconds to interception of the first wave of torps and rocks. The second torpedo wave launched from the boats will be a few seconds behind them since they have had to catch up from the decelerating boats. The enemy still has not responded to the asteroid rock cloud approaching them from their 5 o'clock or stern side quarter along their orbit. And I am detecting soccer ball sized boulders behind the gravel now." The enemy fleet was hard at work firing hundreds of beams into the large spread out mass of decoy boats as flash bombs continued to explode amongst them and the boats continued to launch missiles and torpedoes as fast as they could reload them. While the boats continued to die.

"Another dozen boats have been vaporized Captain." The Tactical officer was sounding half sick. The excitement long gone from her face and voice. "Three more sir. The boats are launching another round of torpedoes sir. I can't believe they reloaded that fast sir. How big of crews did they send with them?"

"We are going to hit the trench wall!" The Navigator bellowed catching everyone by surprise except Jack.

Jack pushed the throttles to 400 Gees, the fleet straining to keep up as the two damaged ships started to fall behind with their damaged engines not able to produce the needed thrust. They slowly fell down the line of ships from their protected position in the middle of the line as the wall quickly approached. One ship falling faster than the other.

"Five seconds until weapons impact with the enemy sir. The enemy still shows no signs of seeing the…"

The massed enemy fleet of picket ships hit the cloud of gravel doing over a hundred times the speed of light. Each little carbon ceramic pea penetrated the relatively thin side and stern armor of the enemy ship it hit from the quarter rear side leaving a hole. The hard ceramic carbon rock barely having the time to heat up until it hit something really hard like an armored deck or engine or gun tube where it would fission with the mettle releasing the energy equivalent of a thousand tons of explosives promptly tearing whatever it hit apart. Most of the enemy ships lost a gun or two or an engine with at least a hundred pebbles hitting each ship though spread out as they were, most did not hit anything vital. Hundreds of holes opened into the enemy ship's sides while defense turrets, targeting sensors and heat radiators were knocked out. But with the big armored decks facing roughly toward the Republic fleet all Jack's crewmates could see was a few engines and weapons attached to the ship on pylons start to drift away while the enemy ships continued to operate without skipping a beat, though not quite so aggressive. Jack missed the sight as he concentrated on the wall they were approaching.

The Ensign studied the damaged enemy ships on her screen as the whole bridge tried to make up their minds weather to watch the battle on the screen or the approaching deadly wall. "Most of the enemy ships seem to have been hit. Captain. But the damage seems to be light comparatively. A blown up gun or engine on most of them but they are still operational. The torpedoes are going in now. Maneuvering around the sides of the armed decks going after the weapons and sensors. Point defenses seem to be greatly reduced. Three, Two, One."

The light show started again on the screen. Most noticed that the close in self-defense gun fire was somewhat reduced as the torpedo's made their final plunge. The torpedo explosions seemed anemic compared to the pebbles hitting the fleet but seemed not to be so random and better targeted. Engines and big long guns started spinning away from ships or suddenly acquired a strange angle.

Jack watched one of the damaged ships lagging behind the Republic fleet enter the wall of the cloud sliding sideways tail first across it. He watched it disintegrate as dust and gas molecules started hitting the ship blasting holes into it and then one of the landing cooling fines flew off and then another. The ship started tumbling as it turned into Swiss cheese. Explosions wracked the ship tearing it apart before it disappeared into the wall.

The fleet continued approaching the wall as Jack watched in horror. "Damn it. Damn it. I took my eyes off the damn plot and see what happens. Damn me to hell. Captain permission to go to full thrust."

"No!” She glanced at the Gee meter. "No. You are already at 400 Gee. No more." She had not noticed the rapidly approaching wall behind her with her eyes fixed on the enemy fleet.

"Captain, the enemy has started targeting the smart boulders, they are swinging half of their ships around to face them. A minute to impact sir. The boats are launching another wave of missiles and torpedoes. The second wave of torpedoes are a minute out sir. And we are picking up missile signatures on the other side of the boulders, thousands of them. Sir. The stealth missiles should have attacked next and gotten closer before powering up and giving away their positions sir. Someone screwed up sir. They already had plenty of velocity. Or should I say the target has plenty of velocity and all the damn missile had to do was use its powered thrust to make sure it hit a target. From this fucking distance the enemy may be able to maneuver out of the missiles tracking parameters."

The smart boulders hit next. Only a little over half a foot around with a simple guidance system, the rocks had cores of compressed ultra-heavy dense hydrogen called Quadreum. Most of the heavily armored soccer balls managed to not get taken out by the greatly reduced close range self-defense weapons. With several hitting each ship at a hundred times the speed of light. The armored Soccer balls had a cone in the back side of the armor where their propulsion and guidance package was housed. The cone was designed to focus the energy of hitting a solid target into the Quadreum using the armored front as an anvil by turning around to present the cone onto the target just before impact. Most that managed to penetrate the defenses, managed to turn that cone around just before they hit. Most of those that made the turn exploded, producing megaton fusion explosions that tore apart the heaviest shields and the ship behind them in mile wide fireballs.

"My God sir; most of the enemy Battleships just disappeared. They are gone." The ensign said shocked.

"The pebble cloud hit our boat fleet sir." The Captain turned to face the Executive Officer making the report. "We lost 5 boats with half the rest damaged with pea sized punctures in the hulls. Evidentially if the rocks didn't hit anything solid to explode against, the boats only have to patch the small holes."

The seven enemy ships that were left had almost a thousand feet of armored shield decks facing the on slot of smart rocks and survived with half their shield decks missing and the rest pancaked down onto the top of the bottom armored shield deck. While all 7 started tumbling after the blasts, only half of them proceeded to stabilize themselves and immediately started firing at the decoy boats again turning their shields toward them. Evidentially blaming the boats for the fusion bombs. The 7 were immediate the target of almost two hundred torpedoes from one side in a large arc and over a thousand penetrator tipped missiles attacking from 140 degrees to the side. Several more of the enemy ships started to recover and turned to face the torpedoes while some faced the missiles. It did not matter. Between the two attacking groups against even the few defenses the enemy ships had left, they did not stand a chance.

The torpedoes programmed to go around the shield decks by Commander Gagnon's orders and at their slow relative speeds after being launched from the boats, had no problem going around and attacking the Enemy Battle ships soft assess. With all the torpedoes talking amongst themselves to insure every ship had an equal amount of attention. The close range self-defenses on all the remaining and already damaged ships simple could not cope with such a massive attack from both sides. With an average of 40 torpedoes hitting each ship tearing into the lightly armored personnel and control sections. While the penetrator warheads of at least 350 missiles hit each ship ignoring the shield decks. Going too fast to maneuver very far, the missiles managed to penetrate the 20 foot thick armored hulls of the engines and guns as well as the personnel decks sending million degree metal fanning out through the insides of the personnel and equipment sections of the ship followed by the main warhead of the missile exploding. Devastating to the insides of the ship even if the missile had no shield to hit as it penetrated the ship.

The high velocity missiles hitting the 7 remaining equipment hulls on the ships turned them into Swiss Cheese as they started to tumble with flames showering out from scattered holes.

"Well we may have some hulks to check out after all if we get time." The Captain stood up with a huge smile on her face, stepping up as close to the forward screen as she could get looking at the hulks. "Almost be worth losing the secret of our new engines to take the time to check them out and find out just who the hell we are fighting as well as their secrets."

"Captain." The Tactical Officer sounded baffled. "I am picking up the readings of thousands of the Heavy hydrogen core rocks approaching the hulks. A few transport must have been late releasing their cargo. Most are ignoring the hulks."

Seconds later the last remaining enemy Battleship hulks ceased to exist as they became atoms as several balls hit along the length of each hulk within microseconds of each other.

The Captain looked on with her mouth open trying to comprehend what happened.

"The first swarm of Fusion Rocks avoided the Decoy boats Captain and are continuing around the cloud in an increasing higher orbit as they spread out. The second swarm is doing the same. Using their electric thrusters, they seem to be trying to create some kind of mine field, with some speeding up in fairly equal directions and some slowing down arching toward the enemy fleet coming back around." The Ensign continued to study a replay of the battle trying to understand what happened. "Damn Captain. That was done with stock weapons from the Rock sir?" The Ensign exclaimed still not believing what she could see."

"One reason the enemy has not penetrated far into the cloud." Shaking her head as she frowned going back over the battle as well. "Though we have never even dreamed of using them on such a scale before simply because it was impossible to predict where the enemy ship, or in this case ships would be as the enemy made random penetrations long enough in advance to get the little rocks up to the needed velocity to fusion. Jack just lured the enemy into massing their picket Battleships into a fleet and then into a predictable position where they could be easily gotten at. Then used The Rock's unused transports to deliver the weapons in mass while staying safe inside well mapped fingers sticking up from the cloud." The finger in question flew past the fleet in a blink. Or Vice Versa. "Damn, I was looking forward to finding out something about these monsters." Turning to Jack. "Next on your weapons list Mr. Turner. See if you can make the Fusion Rocks stealthy and maybe use them as a torpedo warhead, if you can get them going fast enough."

22-

SECOND RIM

The Captain turned around and shook her head wondering why Jack did not answer her. "But what the hell are we doing this deep inside the damn canyon now?" Then she noticed the fleet screen showing that one of the fleet ships had been destroyed. "What the hell?"

The second damaged ship straggling behind was close to the wall of the canyon as Jack realized that it was finally gaining ground and lifting away as the turn slackened. Finally taking a breath in relief. Suddenly a finger of the wall just seemed to reach out and envelop the ship for a fraction of a second. The ship became full of holes as it came out of the other side of the finger and then just fell away from the fleet into the wall as its engine gave out. The ship just disintegrated before their eyes.

The Captain's eyes followed the bright spot in the canyon wall as the fleet left it behind sliding rapidly to the side. The wall arching around in a curve with the canyon turning away behind them as a strait canyon opened up before them. Her eyes growing big she turned around to see the canyon straighten out into the distance as the fleet started pulling away from the wall and head for the opposite side to avoid the remainder of the shallow S curve. "Mr. Turner get us the hell out of this canyon now!"

"Yes sir. Getting the hell out sir." Jack grimaced as he finally looked away from the spot on the wall far behind them. Suddenly dozens of transport ships slid out of the canyon wall ahead of them on a collision course. The Dozen ships grew into 20 and then 30 as the fleet rapidly approached the spot on the canyon wall they were exiting from. Pulling up he watched more ships exit from the wall directly in the fleet’s new path higher on the canyon wall.

"Oh Shit!" Jack wanted to close his eyes knowing that they could not miss this second fleet of transports exiting the cloud to use the canyon as a highway back closer to base. A route they had used from the base in order to get there in time to set the trap. Jack could only watch as they flew through the fleet expecting to die in one massive collision.

Swallowing Jack turned around and looked back the way they had come. The transport fleet was disappearing in the distance as the rim of the canyon approached. Relieved he started turning the fleet back to decelerating aching them away from the canyon wall. His thoughts turning back to the problem of the last picket squadron. Not really believing the fleet had missed them all.

"Enemy Squadron 5 minutes away and closing." Came Tactical's voice.

"I don’t' think they have seen us yet Captain." The Ensign said a couple seconds later.

Without thinking Jack reached over and hit battle formation Wolf 6 icon. "Weapons, Torpedoes, stealth, hunter killer, vector 360 mark 70, fire three rounds. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot." Hold all gun fire. Repeat hold all gunfire. "

The Captain turned. "Go to battle formation Zeee…. What the hell are you doing Mr. Turner?"

"Setting up to kill the enemy before they can kill us."

"Good idea. Weapons fire the fleet’s gun. Target the enemy ships."

"No! Sir. Belay that order sir. If we fire before we are in the proper position; all they have to do is turn to face us and we are all dead." Jack continued to hit icons on the control consol. "Battle formation Wolf has our fleet divided into two arms to surround the enemy squadron so we can attack from both sides at once preventing the enemy from using their armor effectively against us."

Jack looked up at the screen with the enemy ships just hanging above them facing toward where their fleet had just been destroyed as the bridge shuddered from firing the first salvo of torpedoes.

"Right now they are concentrating on the boats they think are Battleships that just took out their fleet and trying to decide whether to attack or not. Giving us time to get into position to destroy them. If we fire a damn gun at them now, they will know we are here and take a whole bunch of us out before we can get into position to effectively fire on them. Not to mention that we are severely limited in how many shots we can fire at them before our guns give out. Captain! We have to make every shot count." Another round of torpedoes launched. "We also have to waiting for our torpedoes to reach attack positions close to the enemy fleet as well."

Turning from the enemy squadron closing above them to look at the Captain. "We have the time Captain, take advantage of it. At least wait until the enemy sees and starts to turn toward us before wasting our shots." The fleet split into two squadrons, each heading for a different side of the 5 enemy ships. “And are at point blank range sir.”

The Captain looked from Jack up to the Squadron now hanging off above the bow, close enough to see with her naked eye as they continued to close. "But they are close enough to scare the shit out of us. Weapons, track and lock targeting on the closest enemy ship control section. Wait for my command to fire."

"Locking on target designating as Alpha now sir. The four remaining enemy ships, close too far, designating as Bravo, Charley, Dog and Echo. Sir."

The two squadrons continued to rise arcing toward the squadron as the long slow seconds ticked by.

The Enemy suddenly started firing long range at the boats that still were registering as ships on the screens.

"Captain!" Came the excited shout from the weapons officer. "They are firing their guns sir. Permission to fire back sir."

"No. not yet lieutenant. They are firing at our boats at very long range. Just hold your fire until I give you the command." The two squadrons where approaching from the rear quarter of the enemy ships with them some 70 degrees off the fleet's bow. "Weapons you may target the torpedo's now in position onto the enemy's stern to attack their big guns and engines and then coordinate the fleet to fire on the enemy just before the first wave of torpedoes hit. Let's launch a 4th and 5th wave of torpedoes while you are at it. Target 1st squadron's guns on target Alpha and 2nd squadron's on Bravo."

The nose of the ship shuddered as another spread of torpedoes left their tubes. "Mr. Turner you may turn the squadron so all our guns can target the enemy. I can't believe they have not seen us yet. How can they miss us being this close?"

"Captain 10 seconds to torpedo impact. Firing guns in 4, 3."

"Admiral to fleet. Good luck, give them hell."

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

"No. Not yet." Jack shouted but too late.

The ship shuddered as all 12 guns fired at once. 108 guns of the rest of the 1st squadron fired at the same instant hitting the nearest ship with its ass toward them, targeting Alpha's equipment and command section. The other, 2nd squadron, fired its 90 guns at the ship closest to it, target Bravo. The stern sections of both ships seemed to disintegrate from the deluge of close point blank shots.

"Weapons split your next salvo’s 70/30 between the next closest ship of each squadron and the odd one left, Target Echo." The guns and hulls of the 3 remaining enemy ships started turning as the torpedoes started hitting. Most of their explosive warheads seeming to bounce off the thick armored weapons and engines without doing any real damage while others disappeared inside the hull. Though some engines and guns did quit or take up orbits on their own for no obvious reason.

Jack turned to the Captain. "Sir. We hit them just before they were going to fire another salvo at the boats instead of just after. They have time to fire at us before we can recharge."

The whole bridge watched the enemy guns of the remaining 3 ships rapidly slue around to point at the fleet much faster than they could turn their hulls. With the enemy still half broadside to the two fleets, half their guns fired at one fleet and half at the other. Each half of each enemy ship targeting one ship in the fleet as the ends of the barrels lit up bright enough to hurt your eyes.

Jack turned around to look at the damage control section of the bridge and the row of screens on the upper bulkhead showing each of the fleet’s ships. Several of them showing large holes and gashes to their hulls where beams had struck them. One ship was already broadside to the enemy with a dozen flame, gas and equipment spewing holes in the hull around the bow.

"Captain!" The Comm officer tried to keep her excited voice calm. "Ships reporting heavy damage sir."

"Weapons, target our torpedos on their targeting sensors and command decks." The Captain said as she glanced at the damage control screens. "Forget the main weapons and engines."

"Ok. Where are their command decks?" The weapons officer said.

Jack could only sit and stare at the enemy ship. All his primeval animal being wanted to bring the ship around and make a run for it. But his rational mind told him that it was too late for that. They had to stay and finish it fast before the enemy could fire again. He finally realized that he was whispering to himself. "Fire the damn guns already. How long does it take to recharge damn it. Fire."

Most of the second wave of torpedoes hit the weapons again doing little damage.

Jack punched up the weapons status on one of his side screens to show a slowly growing charging bar. With two Capacitors' to charge for each of the 11 guns instead of just one, it was taking twice as long to recharge as normal. "Damn! Why didn’t I think of adding the generators from the hulk along with the capacitors? With the Generator's dedicated to the guns they could have recharged them in a fraction of the time the rest of the fleet needed. Possible …."

The rest of the fleet still having the same amount of capacitor's supplying half its guns. Did not require the extended recharge time and fired sending over 100 beams into both squadrons primary target battle cruisers and almost 100 into the odd target Echo Battle cruiser targeted by both squadrons. Jack looked sadly at their gun power meter still only half full.

Another salvo of torpedoes hit the enemy ships. This time ignoring the enemy's weapons and interring deep into the enemy ships hulls before exploding. Though most of them hit targets Charley and Dog while ignoring Echo. A mistake by the weapons officers. The explosions worth a hundred tons of conventional old fashioned TNT explosives showed little out ward signs of doing any damage except for diminishing the close ranged self-defense weapons fire targeting other torpedoes.

The next salvo of torpedoes hit without losing half their numbers. As the enemy ships finished turning to face the attacking enemy on one side or the other, Jack noticed that they were trying to position their ships so the armored decked hulls of each ship would protect the vulnerable sterns of each other. The odd ship target 5 (Echo) was trying to back up to put some distance between them. The original targeted ships were starting to show signs of movement as one or two of their guns turned around to line up on the Republic fleet.

Jack watched the gun power meter reach 90% when the enemy ships fired again. Each of the 5 ships firing one or two guns instead of the 6 or 8 of their original broadsides.

"Weapons, fire another salvo of torpedoes." The Captain stared grim faced at the enemy ships. "Target the base of the enemy fleet's gun towers on all 5 enemy ships."

Jack looked around at the damage control screens again surprised at not seeing any additional damage on most of the ships. And then he realized that the ship that had turned broadside had launched its lifeboats with the bow looking like Swiss cheese as another enemy beam. From one of the first ships knocked out hit it. The little dots swarming from the ship.

The fleet fired again. This time with all 12 guns of the Parsley added to the salvo. (The blown up barrel having been replaced by a spare taken from the abandoned ship the week before.)

All five enemy ships started drifting but the Captain put two more of the Parsley's and four of the fleets salvo's into them before ordering the fleet to cease firing. "I do not see anything on any of the enemy ships that can hurt us now." Turning around she looked at the damage control screens. "Well that is fewer than I had feared and only one has launched lifeboats. Damage control, report."

"Six ships hit with two suffering major damage sir. The Red Pepper has been abandoned after the forward section took at least a dozen direct hits killing the senior Command officers and most of the crew in the forward section with major damage to the ship's engines. The Cabbage has suffered heavy damage to both engines and most of its decks. It is requesting permission to abandon ship. The four other damaged ships are making repairs and will be underway again shortly with at least one engine operational on each of them."

"Comm, get me the Cabbage." The bridge of the Cabbage appeared a few seconds later as a side screen zoomed in on the ship showing the stern of the Cabbage missing large chunks of her hull along with several landing/cooling fins. "Captain Williams, your ship does not look good."

The Cabbage's Captain looked back out at them white faced. "Six beams hit us in the nose and went out the stern sir. Nothing is working anywhere within the ship except the basics on emergency power. We are finding few survivors on the main gun deck or engine rooms though we are having a hard time getting to the lower sections. I am hoping that some of the lower small self-defense gun turrets still have survivors if and when we get too them. It is quite a mess across the entire ship but the stern seems the worst where the beams hit solid objects and bloomed. With no gravity making it dangerous slow going. Half the crew did not have their battle suit helmets on, so we keep losing people cutting through bulkheads and decks."

"Captain Williams, it cannot be helped. We have the main enemy fleet breathing down our throats. You only have a couple of hours to rescue your trapped crewmen or we leave them behind."

"No Captain. It could take hours to get to and check all the aft compartments. I am not leaving the ship without them." The Cabbage's Captain stared out of the screen grimly determined. "If a ship could come alongside and take my wounded and most of the survivors I will stay with my damage control crews and follow you in the ships boats later."

"We are sending over additional marine search crews Captain Williams. Do the best you can. Out. Comm, get me of the Red Pepper’s Captain."

An immaculately uniformed man in a cramped shuttle boat's pilot seat came on the screen. "I am Commander Buttoner, Engineering Officer of the Red Pepper Admiral. Senior surviving officer. If you will be so kind as to come pick us up before the enemy fleet gets here I would be forever in your dept., Sir." Another side screen was switched to show the Red Pepper with little outward signs of damage to most of the ship except for all the holes in the nose that seemed to go straight across from side to side. The ship was not even tumbling.

"Report on the condition of your ship Commander."

"My ship is destroyed Captain. Can't you see that? We lost all contact with the forward sections of the ship and both engines were knocked out. The crewmen I sent forward told me that all they found were bodies, blood and too much wreckage to go very far. So I ordered the ship abandoned. I have a hundred survivors. Forty walking wounded I think."

"You only had a few minutes between the time you got hit and when the lifeboats started popping out of the ship." The Captain said disgustedly. "You could not have had time to do much searching." Turning red she curled her lips. "You get your fucking butt back on that ship and start a descent search of the nose section. I will be over there within the hour and you have better show me a couple hundred bodies or some survivors from the nose section Commander."

The Captain hit her comm icon with the force to make her chair shake as the Commander disappeared. "Comm, get me the 4 other damaged transport Captains in Conference comm as soon as you can. Mr. Tuner, hard dock us to the Cabbage and be quick about it. Plot, where is the Enemies main fleet? How long are they to intercepting us?"

"They are 15+ hours out Captain, with the destruction of the picket fleet and now the squadron, they have changed directions to stay farther away from the cloud increasing their return time by the minute. I will inform you when they finish their maneuver and settle onto a new course sir."

Three Captains and a Commander popped up on four screens across the front of the bridge. "Gentlemen, my screens show you all still each have an engine left and are getting your fires under control. I am not going to lose any more ships simply because they cannot keep up. You will immediately start decelerating to cloud penetration point Zebra 8 is that understood? Zebra 8. With 1 good converted engine, you should still be able to pull a good 350 Gees but I am not going to take a chance you can maintain it. Get started now as a squadron."

"But what about my boats? My 4 surviving boats are sitting at the battle sight. Not to mention the boats from the two ships we lost in that damn canyon. Whose stupid idea was that?"

"You let me worry about the boats Captain. I will be ordering them picked up by other ships as soon as we get off the Comm. I want you 4 powering out now since there is no chance you could get more than 400 Gees to escape if we do run into another fleet." Turning to the far left screen Commander, where is your Captain?"

"The bridge was hit killing everyone in it Vice Admiral Sir. I am the 3rd Officer Lieutenant Commander Murphy and was stationed in the auxiliary bridge sir. How soon can you send over another Captain Admiral?"

"I am not. It is your ship Captain. Get it back to the Rock and I will make that permanent. Captain Robinson, you are now Commodore of the 4 ships, get them home safely and remember protocol's and procedures for transferring the Rock's picket coordinates and Codes to our new Captain as soon as possible just in case you get separated. I see several of your ships still have active shuttles on board. Use them. Good luck to you all. Admiral out."

The ship approached the slowly tumbling Cabbage. "Captain or Admiral? Ah. Maybe you should have someone else docking the ship sir. I am the one responsible for the destruction of the two ships in the trench sir."

"It is still Captain while I am commanding a ship Lieutenant. We are short Captains during this massive fleet expansion and I have told you before, you are not responsible for the destruction of anything. You are responsible for saving this fleet again so shut up about what could not have been prevented. We have why too much to do to go crying over the lost. Get this ship docked." Tapping her comm. "First squadron send your marine search parties and render assistance where you can to the Cabbage. Second Squadron Ditto to the Red Pepper. ASAP for all Captains, we don't have much time so get it done.

The 4 damaged ships started decelerating away as they slowly closed in on each other. Slowing their race across the clouds of the Nebula as Jack clanged onto the hulk of the ship. As soon as the ships were locked together Jack stopped there tumble with his thrusters then put them on station keeping. "Damn. That was sloppy the second time around. I am losing my touch."

"Very good Mr. Turner. As my first officer you need to follow me. Second Officer Strickman you have the conn." The Captain left the Bridge followed by Jack and the Ensign.

"Ensign! Where do you think you are going? Get back to your console." The Second Officer bellowed.

The Ensign stopped half way to the hatch and turned around with a scrawl but headed for her seat.

Jack turned at the hatch. "She is with me Mr. Strickman. Call a replacement tech."

“Ensign, get to the Admirals Barge on the Cabbage and get it ready for space.” The Admiral said over her shoulder as she took off at a brisk pace

The Captain wound her way through the ship, finally stopping in front of an armored hatch with a big, foot thick arm, reaching down from the overhead with a combination pad on it. Typing in a few numbers she placed her hand on the pad as her eyes were scanned and said. "Code 21C3Z." The hatch started opening out on the end of the arm. The sides of the hatch was stair stepped in about an inch every foot as it continued to slide out.

After some 5 feet of solid hatch had slid out with no sign of the inside edge of the hatch Jack was starting to wonder. "OK Captain. What needs a vault this thick?"

The hatch continued to slide slowly out. "Have you ever heard of premorbid strings?"

"Sure. Energy left over from the big bang that looks like long microscopic strings. So?"

"What do you know about the old nuclear fusion bombs?"

"Just that they use fission bombs to create the fusion explosion. I have read about them but never heard of anyone using them in space for combat. Though I have read about someone using a few to annihilate a few cities long ago on Earth. Seems like they would make good torpedo warheads. Especially against these monsters."

"No they would not Mr. Turner. What happens when an energy string touches matter?"

"The string turns into whatever element it touches but they are so thin they pass through most ships without touching anything. Even if they touch something all they do is add a little to the mass of the ship. Most ships have warts scattered on their hulls adding a few pounds from strings."

"Well Mr. Turner what do you think would happen if you added a couple of pounds of Enriched Plutonium or Uranium to a nuclear bomb along with a lot of energy?"

"It would probably go boom."

"Very good Mr. Turner. There is hope for you yet. Uranium and Plutonium are both very dense and the miles long strings seem to be attracted to them or the concentrated energy they give off. Every ship has an Atomic Vault for self-destruct bombs only. Normally only Combat ships carry the bombs but since I am an Admiral with information that can never fall into the enemy hands I carry several with me on every ship I am on." The Door finished opening and the Captain walked in. "We are putting this bomb on the hulk to make sure the enemy does not take possession and discover our new technology. The few minutes it will take to transfer the bomb should be safe but every second out of the ten foot thick super dense depleted uranium walls of the vault is risky."

Several technicians and armed marines rode into the vault on narrow carts behind them. The technician driving with the marine sitting behind him facing the opposite direction. In the center of the vault sat a cart with a big 16 inch diameter tube 4 feet long with rounded ends. The Compartment had room for a dozen such containers but it only carried three.

"From now on every ship with the new engines will carry such a device and as temporary First Officer, and if you do eventually make Commander you will need to know." They followed the device out of the vault and as soon as the crew hit the end of the hatch the train of carts speeded up rushing down the passageway and the connecting lock to the other ship. A cart train pulled up and a few seconds later they were quickly racing along behind the bomb. "If a string hits the plutonium cores outside the vault it will destroy the ship in a multi megaton explosion. You should always make sure the other ships vault is open before you transport the device to lessen the transit time if you are outside an atmosphere without a magnetic shield."

"I thought concentrating uranium into fissionable materials was prohibitively expensive. Why go to all the trouble if it is this dangerous in space?"

"Weapons grade material has not been produced for over a thousand years that I know of. This is left over from the Cold Wars before man got out into space and discovered how plentiful strings really were outside star systems. That strings are attracted to the dense highly radioactive cores. But for some jobs nothing does as good as the devices. Jobs that do not require a ship to carry very many of them or much time outside specially built vaults. No, if you could figure some way for a ship to carry more than a couple of warheads and deliver even one of them onto a target without being destroyed either in the ship or on its way to the target I would give you your own ship. But excuse me if I do not hold my breath. They have been working on that for thousands of years while trying to come up with something like science fiction’s Warp Gates or Wormhole tunnels to transfer ships instantaneously between star Systems.” The Admiral smiled at Jack. “Make you First Admiral of the Republic for that one Commander."

Jack chuckled at that one as the cart trundled along. Pop and Jack had spent hours arguing the reason why fiction righters had thought man could not go faster than light long ago (but worm holes and hyper drives were just fine). When Scientist on old Earth before man made it to the stars insisted that light was the absolute speed barrier when it was so obvious to everyone now, that Gravity was the speed barrier. Looking at Einstein’s Calculations Jack could not understand how anyone could make the error Einstein had made even if it was only a couple of calculation decimal points. Especially since the results did not quite match so many real world observed facts. They were usually off by several percentage points and required what engineers back then called fudge factors. Ridiculous when a simple calculation change accepting Gravity as the max speed got rid of the need for all the fudging crap. Pop argued the mistake was natural for the time but when observed facts that questioned the dogma became obvious, they should have not turned Einstein into a God and science into a religion. Pop warned Jack to keep a careful eye out for people that do the same in the modern universe. The concrete rule that nothing could pass the speed of light almost cost man the stars as well as extinction.

The carts practically flew through the ship and around airless sections, through passageways with damaged equipment and bulkhead air patches. Finely they raced into the hulks own vault still in perfect condition. The Captain turned to Jack. "If there was any other way to reliably destroy this hulk beyond the enemy’s ability to reconstruct an engine I would use it but nothing beats a multimillion degree, mile wide fireball."

What had Jack surprised the most was during their trip through the hulk and the passageways that were dark holes only lit by dim scattered emergency lamps; he could see far into the ship. See the few remaining power lines, see the heat and radiation from the many crewmen still being rescued around the ship as well as the crew that was being evacuated through the half dozen locks attached between the Parsley and the hulk. Jack caught a glimpse of another ship docking onto the other side of the hulk. Each time they went from a dark passageway back to the lights, Jack found himself being able to see a little longer before being washed out by the glare around him. With the vault section being lit by only half the normal lights and with the ones that were working trying to fail flickering off and back on, Jack found himself paying more attention to the rescue efforts and the condition of the ship around him than on what the Captain was saying.

Finally with the bomb safely in the vault, the armored hatch started to close and stopped as the power went out to the hatch. The Techs started cranking the emergency manual power supply. Working up a sweat as they took short turns trying to keep the pace up. The huge hatch slowly started to close an inch at a time. Looking around Jack shrugged and stepped over to take his turn.

"No Mr. Turner. You are an officer. Senior at that. If you want to help? Use your head and go get warm bodies to help them."

Jack frowned as he looked around then smiled. Stepping around the feverously cranking crewman and over to the back of the base attachment point of the thick arm he pulled off a cover and pushed a button hidden in the recesses of the machine. The arm sprang back to life closing the heavy hatch in only a few seconds.

With the questioning look from the Captain, Jack continued to smile. "You said to use my head so I did sir. Looked like a power surge blew a week breaker stopping the energy path. Hard to miss once I looked for it instead of panicking."

As the hatch locked closed the Captain turned to the cart train driver. "Take us to this hulk's one remaining boat in B lock." Then to the comm on her wrist. "To all personnel, this hulk is set to self-destruct in 6 hours. I want everyone off in 3 and at least a hundred miles away. Out." As the cart train made its way through the ship using the unused elevator shafts lined with weak grav coils and missing their elevator cars as a highway the Captain sighed. "Now all we have to do is decide if we need to move the other ship alongside this one or try to save it. I hate to have to lose another ship but it can't out run that damn enemy fleet on one engine unless it can leave now and it does not look like that is very likely right now."

They entered the lock and ran up the shuttle boat's stern ramp. The shortened cargo space in the back told Jack that it was an Admiral's barge with not only the accommodations and extra comm and sensor equipment but had the tanks and the range of a small ship.

"Mr. Turner, you are piloting. You still have 15 minutes to get me to the Red Pepper. I don't want to be late so get your butt up to the boat's bridge and get us out of here. You have my permission to blow the lock hatch to save the five minutes it takes to evacuate the air since we are scuttling the ship. I am going to be in Flag Comm. Call me when we are docked."

Ten minutes later Jack dimmed the Bridge lights as they pulled up to the wounded ship. Docking control was on the line with several shuttles ahead of them giving Jack a few minutes. Carefully looking it over, he could not see that much damage even inside the ship. That is if you ignored the bow's command and control section and a couple holes half way through the top cargo holds. Or were they mass tanks? It really did not matter to him. He still could not believe how many hits it had taken from the side, blowing tunnels clear through the ship. He was shocked to see hot spots scattered all across the upper section with several rescue parties making their way through the mess and then noticed a lot of movement in the ship's bow torpedo room. "Good, survivors. Looks like about a hundred in all I think. It is going to take a while to get them out." He turned his gaze toward the stern and the engines.

Then the Ensign spoke up, making Jack jump. He had lost track of her outside the bridge. "Jack. It looks like they tried to turn around just before they were hit, making them the biggest looking target out there to the enemy. Probably why the enemy targeted them instead of the ships facing them so all six guns could fire. Looks like only half the ship's guns fired which makes sense if it was broadside to the enemy."

"Are you seeing what I am seeing Ensign?"

"Yes Jack. I see crewmen still alive scattered all over the bow section."

"Oh yes. I saw that. No, what I am talking about is the stern. I see little damage and then that is from the enemy ships smaller guns as close as we are to them. Without all that much damage."

"Ok. That does not make sense. The Commander had said the engines where to badly damaged to repair. Speaking of the enemy ships. This Red Pepper is getting damn close to them. Whoever turned the ship, turned it in the wrong direction and changed the course from passing, to heading toward the enemy ships instead of away from them. I know astronavigation in weightless space orbiting around large mass bodies, especially a cloud is hard but that is a stupid mistake by someone that must have thought that turning away from the enemy meant getting away from them but instead wound up headed for the enemy as their orbit changed." She turned to look at Jack. "I don't think the ship was being piloted by the bridge crew Jack."

Jack finally got clearance and the Admirals Barge nudged into the ships open port side boat bay as a gig slid out the hatch on the other side of the ship ahead of them. Jack could not believe what he saw. The bay was packed with lifeboats parked wherever they happened to land. A gig was sitting next to the half circle core hull protruding out the side at the center of the bay with battle suited marines pushing lifeboats off to one side trying to make room to unload equipment and cargo containers from the gig (boat). With no place to set the Admirals barge down between the scattered lifeboats. Jack hit the comm, punching up the marines. "Damn it. Don't just push the damn lifeboats around. Throw the Damn pieces of junk off the ship and clear the bay and be quick about it. We need room to get more gigs in here. NOW." Jack knew of at least 5 other gigs waiting to get in the bay he had pushed ahead of.

Jack hovered as the half dozen squads of marines in the bay ran as only Battlemech suited marines could, to the large 20 by 40 foot hatches and started pushing the lifeboats out the hatches starting with the boats closest to the outer hull after doing a quick check to make sure each was empty. The marines able to slide each boat out the hatches into weightless space and around onto the hull up away from the hatch and clip a short safety line to hold it from drifting off. It did not take long for the 60 marines passing boats from deep inside the bay to the outer hatches and outside the hull too waiting marines to clear enough room for Jack to finally drop down next to the shuttle still unloading cargo containers from its stern ramp at mid bay. Another gig was already entering the bay.

"Why are they unloading weapons containers?" The Ensign asked. "This is a rescue mission not an assault."

Jack glanced down as they passed over the containers and smiled. "Marines never go anyplace without their weapons. They never know for sure where they are going next or when, so leaving them behind anywhere is a big no. Especially during wartime. You never know when the enemy is going to strike. Don't worry they also brought plenty of rescue equipment after all that is one of their primary jobs you know." The Battlemech suited marines main job was tearing up ships to get at the enemy so that made them damn good at digging out trapped crewmen from battle damaged ships where ships crewmen dare not venture. Each squad was equipped with experts in extraction, demolition, emergency repairs, construction, cutting and a Medic making them perfect for the job. Each ship had at least one squad with the battleships usually having several. With some 15 ships sending their squads to help, Jack knew the priority was clearing the bay so they could get there. With a good hundred trapped in the bow, they were all going to be needed.

Jack finally got the Barge down on the deck and hit the Comm. "Captain we are docked and...”

"Yes, I can see Mr. Turner. Good, rite, even if you are a few minutes late. Meet me at the airlock hatch."

Looking around the boat bay through the Barges side airlock ports he started noticing old garbage scattered over the compartment bay along with rust patches on the bulkheads and overhead from paint that was exposed to vacuum too soon after application and then subject to long periods of moisture. "Damn, I thought this was a new ship?"

"Yes, it is only 6 months old Jack." The Captain came into the lock with her helmet already on but the face shield up. "Though it is from a Dwarf that kept it manned with a skeleton crew. So it should be well maintained." They closed their helmets as the inner hatch closed and blew the locks air as the outer hatch opened not taking time to pump the air out.

As the boat’s ramp hit the deck, the Commander they had seen earlier stepped up onto it. "Admiral Halsey I am Commander Buttoner, we are ready to evacuate the ship. The crews are getting the last of the trapped men from the bow out now."

The lock's lights flickered and went out, replaced by the dim emergency lights in the distant corners and above the hatches and the marine's lights scattered around the lock still pushing the lifeboats out the hatches. Jack could suddenly see the entire ship including the finer details of the engines and the engineering spaces only a few decks away.

The Admiral stepped off the ramp and headed for the bay's airlock hatch into the ship.

"See the damn ship is falling apart Admiral. We don't have much time." The Commander ran after the Captain.

The Captain shook her head. “What is wrong with your engines? Did they take direct hits? I don't see that much damage on this end of the ship."

"Yes they got hit Admiral. Can we leave now?" The Commander tried to block the Admiral/Captain from entering the lock but Jack pushed past him followed by the Ensign.

"Ah Commander. Where were you when the ship got hit?" Jack asked as something suddenly downed on him. The Commander was in too much of a hurry to leave.

"Me Lieutenant? None of your business shit head. Now let's get out of here."

The Admiral/Captain kept walking, looking at Jack as he asked the question and then her eyes narrowed at the Commanders answer. "Well it is my business Commander. Where were you?"

"I was trying to save the ship when we got hit and then with half of my engineering crew on those stupid boats making a suicide run against my orders and then more being killed in the attack I don't have the personnel to fix them if I could. Now let's go!"

"You were on the emergency bridge Commander." Jack said disgustedly.

"Yes, so what Lieutenant. That was my duty station with half the senior officers on those stupid boats. It was not my fault the Captain was pointing the ship directly at those monsters. I tried to save the ship."

"You didn't even try to repair the engines did you Commander?" The Captain said as the large cargo lock half full of marines and equipment containers waited for the lock to pressurize.

Jack stood at the lock's control screen tapping icons as a torrent of air rushed into the lock blowing lose papers and debris around, across and through the marines and cargo containers. The light turned green with a large "O" telling everyone even in the heat of battle when colors are hard to see that the hatch was safe to open. Opening his helmet with most of the rest Jack heard the hatch motors start straining but the hatch remained closed. Jack hit the hatch’s controls stopping the motors and then tapped the air control and the hiss of air blowing into the lock could be heard as men started closing up their helmets or simply swallowing to equalize the pressure building up on their ear drums.

"Jack what are you doing?" The Ensign said worried.

"Stop that you fool." Commander Buttoner almost screamed and started to move toward Jack but a marine stepped in his way.

Jack smiled over at the Ensign and pointed at the hatch seal. "See the mush or film on the edge of the hatch seal. I don't think the original seal cover was scrapped off and the hatch blade has stuck itself to the seal. The motor would most likely have eventually opened it as it has in the past if it did not burn out first but it most likely has been over loading to open the hatch for quite a while now and won't last much longer. I am just popping the hatch to save the motor. We need this hatch to work properly for the next few hours or a lot of people are going to die."

Shaking his head sadly at the Commander, Jack turned and pointed at the closest marine Sargent. "As soon as the hatch pops, get the seal cleaned off and greased and check the other hatch. We can't afford them failing right now." Pissed off at whoever was responsible for the incompetent maintenance Jack had lashed out at the nearest body without thinking and was shocked when the Sargent had saluted and started issuing orders to his men.

The hatch suddenly popped making the Ensign and Commander jump as Jack reached back over, cut off the air and activated the hatch motors again smoothly opening the hatch. Jack was not even out of the lock before the Sargent's squad was already at the lock's rim seal, cleaning it.

Walking into the cargo handling bay with the large elevators sitting side by side in the middle Jack looked around out the viewing ports into the boat bay and noticed more marines and cargo coming off the gig that had followed them in. Turning he followed the Captain toward the smaller 10 foot square personnel elevator platform on that side as a lot of the cargo boxes was being pushed over to one of the cargo elevators. The platform started up with a jerk and then seemed to rumble as it jerked from side to side slightly as it ran up the two corner tracks that extended up through the overhead decks. The deck hatches above standing wide open with their maintenance locks in place keeping them from falling closed during maintenance. The maintenance locks were never to be used except for short periods when repairs were required. With the hatches open a hole in any deck would put half the ship into vacuum. It looked like most, if not all of them, were wide open from what Jack could see.

Stepping off at the deck with the Emergency, Auxiliary or 2nd Command Bridge, Jack lead the way as he sniffed the air looking around getting more upset by the minute. Walking down the passageway toward the 2nd bridge Jack turned into an alcove with a maintenance station in it with several pieces of equipment and started punching keys and icons as the Captain, Commander and Ensign passed him before following them. They came to a hatch that would not open as they approached or when the Captain hit the manual switch. Jack stepped past her and kicked the corner of the hatch then turned the manual release before shoving the hatch to the side a little with a groan. Hitting the manual switch again it suddenly creaked and slid aside. "Half the equipment I have seen has not even seen basic maintenance including the Air-conditioning just by the smell. The Oxygen levels are high with a 90% humidity rusting everything not protected as well. This ship is rapidly turning into a piece of Junk. Sir." Jack turned to the Commander. "Aren’t you the maintenance Chief?"

They entered the auxiliary bridge as the Commander answered. "So what. I can't be responsible for the incompetent crew they gave me."

Jack went to the engineer's station and started tapping icons as the Ensign went to the Damage control console. Officers were at the Comm, pilot's chair, weapons consoles.

The Pilot turned as he heard the hatch open and saw the Admiral/Captain and jumped up saluting. "Captain ah Admiral on the bridge! Fifth Officer Parker sir."

"At ease Mr. Parker. What is going on here?"

"Ship is waiting for orders Sir. Both engines are down with half the available engine room crews working on repairing the Starboard Engine. Every available crewman including half the engineering crews left aboard are up trying to get to survivors in the bow sir. The first of the arrived marine rescue squads are headed that way now sir."

"Good. I need you to set a course to rendezvous with the Cabbage, maneuvering thrusters please." The Captain/Admiral started to sit in the Command chair only to be blocked by the Commander sitting in it first.

"I told you Admiral that we are abandoning this ship sir. Parker is full of shit. No one is left in the engine rooms. There is no need to move the ship."

Standing next to the Command chair she looked down at the Commander. "If you don't mind Commander. We are going to use this ships maneuvering thrusters to tuck it up against the Cabbage so we can blow them both up together."

The Commander looked at the Admiral/Captain disgustedly. "Why bother blowing either of them up? They are no good to the enemy."

"I thought you said you where the Engineering Chief Commander? What do you know about your engine upgrades?"

"So some techs came aboard and did a few up grades. Whoopee ding Admiral." The Commander rolled his eyes. "The damn bug ships are a million years ahead of us. What could we have that would interest them."

Jack turned around to the Captain. "Sir. I am talking to the Starboard engine’s crew and they think they can make repairs if given enough time. Oh and they never left their posts."

"What? You said you evacuated your ship Commander."

"It is not my fault some of the crew would not follow my orders to abandon ship. That is on their heads not mine." Commander Buttoner smirked.

23-

CAPTAIN OF THE HULK

The Captain grabbed ahold of the Commander and jerked him up out of the Command Chair and sent him sailing across the deck. Sitting down she started tapping icons. "For your information Commander. Our new engine upgrades are a generation ahead of anything the enemy has and I would like to keep it that way. I see here in your file that you where the perfect officer on your Tramp Family Ship. Advanced right up the ranks to become Captain of your families new ship two years ago. Oh I see. Your father was the families Mothership's Captain and you lasted a total of 6 months before returning to your parents ship as first officer until you joined the navy a year ago as a Captain but was finally assigned as Chief engineer on the Red Pepper six months ago and the ship has only been out of the dock a total of 7 times with a constant history of breakdowns making the ship miss at least 4 scheduled training missions. How is that even possible? She is a brand new ship."

Tapping through the screens of the commanders service records the Captain could only shake her head. "This record is unbelievable Commander. You have perfect marks in everything right up until you were relieved of Command of your families 4th ship for no apparent reason." Stopping at a page she started reading in detail. "Now this finally makes sense. Your marks and evaluations sucked with you staying an ensign well into your 26th birthday and then you brought charges against a superior officer for incompetence and the deaths of several crewmen when you followed his orders. In spite of the officer saying that he gave you no such orders. He was found guilty, probably on mostly your testimony (after all, you are the Ship's Captain's kid and would never lie,) then executed and you took his place." The Captain could only shake her head. "Now it all makes sense. Bureau of Personnel put you where they thought you were qualified and would do the least harm; maintaining the ship with a note never to make you a flag officer. So what does the Captain do but put you in the Auxiliary Bridge."

"Captain." The Ensign turned from the Damage Control Console. "Sickbay is reporting wounded they would like to evacuate this time if the Abandon ship order is given again. They did not have time last time to get to the boats before they launched."

"Ah Captain." Jack turned around as well. "I think I can get at least one of the engines going if not both. If I am given enough time sir. I will head down to the engine rooms now sir."

"OK Mr. Turner. How long do you need?"

"A couple hours ahhh." Turning to the Fifth Officer. "How many of the engineering crew is still aboard."

"The ones not on the boats or in Engine Room 3 are up helping rescue trapped crewmen. About 23."The Ensign turned from Jack to the Captain. "Do you want me to pull them off the rescue crews Captain?"

The Captain frowned looking around at Jack. "I don’t have time for this. Mr. Turner. You are now a Commander and this ship's new Captain. You have one hour to get this ship space worthy on at least one engine to start with, preferably both in two hours.” Looking at Jack as her eyes narrowed. “I want this ship decelerating on at least one engine in an hour. I will send the Admiral's Barge back with a few more boats including engineers and any essential personnel you may need before then. If you can't make the needed repairs by the time the fleet is under way, you will either dock with the Cabbage or aim the ship to destroy it's self in the cloud and take the Admiral's Barge and Captain's gigs I will send you to rejoin the fleet. They will have the range and speed to catch up. I will take all the wounded and none essential crewmen with me on one of the personnel gigs." Standing up she headed for the hatch. "Get your crews working on the engines, the wounded and extra crewmen headed for the boat bay and then join me in the Chief Engineers cabin. I have a few things you need to know now that you are a ship's acting Captain."

"What? You can't just barge into my Cabin" The Commander had picked himself up off the deck. "My personal property is in there."

The Captain turned to the Commander. "You abandoned ship remember. You have no personal property left on this ship. With the Captain's cabin destroyed along with the bridge and officers country, the Chief Engineers Cabin is the only one left with a Command sweat in it. It is now the Captain's cabin." The Captain took a breath. "How many of your engineering officers are left Commander?"

"I don't know. A couple I think went with the gigs though a few are up with the rescue teams I think." Getting a disgusted look on his face. "Why the hell should I care anyway."

Jack watched in disbelief as the Captain/Admiral turned and walk off the bridge without saying another word. Jack's mouth hanging open trying to say something as he stared in shock.

"Captain Turner." Jack slowly turned to face the Fifth Officer. "Do you want me to recall the engineers from the rescue parties to start work on the engines?"

Jack looked around the emergency bridge and realized it looked a lot like his Destroyer's bridge on The Game as small as it was. Nothing like the big main bridges he had been getting used to for several weeks now. Fact is it was easy to think of it as his Destroyer's Bridge in The Game.

"Captain Turner?"

"Ah. Yes. It is only The Game." He said under his breath as he looked over at a shocked Ensign. Taking a deep breath. “Your damage control teams can take care of rescuing the trapped crewmen without their help with the arrival of the marines. We have got to get those engines up and running." Standing up Jack stepped to the Command Chair putting his hand on its back swiveling it back and forth. "Mr. Parker; you are my first officer now. Put the ship on auto pilot station keeping, assign someone you trust on the con and get the wounded and anyone the ship does not need down to the Shuttle bay. I will be with the Admiral for a few minutes." Letting go of the Command chair's back as he gave it another push, Jack walked to the hatch and stopped. Turning he looked at the Commander, The Engineering Chief. "What the hell am I supposed to do with you?"

"Nothing, I am leaving on that shuttle you moron."

"Oh yes, you have been trying to get off this ship since the Admiral's barge docked."

"Hell, I have been trying to get off this ship since I stepped aboard the fucking thing six months ago."

"Well now I can believe that. Explains why this ship is a piece of junk." Jack looked around and smiled. "Tell you what Commander. For some reason Beu-Pers thought you were a good mechanic or they would not have made you the Chief Engineer. You go down and get the engines running. Say, one of them in the next hour and the other after we get underway, along with the rest of the auxiliary systems on the lower half of the ship before we get to the Rock and I will transfer you legally onto another ship, the Rock or even out of the navy if that is what you want."

"Are you crazy? I am leaving now with the Admiral."

"Mr. Parker. Call the Master at Arms and inform the marines. If the Commander tries to leave this ship. Hell, even if he steps into the boat or life boat bays, shoot him as a deserter. Do not arrest him or even ask him what he is doing. Just shoot his fucking butt dead." Smiling. "As I said before, you get this ship back into shape and I will transfer you anyplace you want to go. If you don't, you will be on this hulk when it plunges into the fucking cloud at speed or the Cabbage blows them both up." Jack stared at the Commander as he turned from red to green. "Do you understand me Commander Buttoner? You get your fucking butt down to those engine rooms and get to work. If you can't remember where they are, I am sure Mr. Parker will show you." Turning to the Ensign. "Ensign, concentrate on getting the wounded out first so they can leave on the next shuttle."

Jack left the Bridge to the sound of. "Captain leaving the bridge." He had to stop just outside the hatch for a few seconds in disbelief before continuing down to the new Captain's Cabin. Telling himself that it was only The Game.

Stepping into the Engineer's/Captain's Cabin Jack said. "Are you crazy making me the fracking Captain of this hulk? Hell I was a fracking First class a couple weeks ago."

"You ever hear of the phrase. (Promoted into incompetence.) So far you have been doing everything competently. Not that you have not made mistakes but everyone makes mistakes and you usually learn from your mistakes. Besides, The Game never lies."

"Damn it Admiral. This is real life. There are no do overs and people really die."

"There are no do overs in The Game after level 6 Commander Turner."

"Hell there isn't. All you have to do is start under a new name and...”

"And The Game figures out who you really are after only a few days or weeks and starts bumping you up the chain of command as you qualify weather you like it or not or it doesn’t. But it is never the same and it still takes a whole lot of time to get back up to where you were before. If you make it, The Game can realize incompetence and the second time around it does not make the same mistake. Some players never make it to the same rank again. I noticed you restarted 3 times using the same name and each time you advanced even farther. Why did you try a fourth time Commander?"

"Like you said, time. The Game kept promoting me when all I wanted was to be a ships pilot. I even tried as a simple fighter pilot and it insisted on giving me command of a fracking ship even after I refused to take it. But I never went from Ensign to Commander in a few weeks Admiral."

"No you didn't but this is real life and we don’t have time to frack around like The Game has. I needed a Captain to fix this ship's engines and get it back to the Rock and you are the only even halfway qualified person close enough to get the job done in the few hours we have. I had no choice but to make you a Commander or scrap this ship and I am not going to lose another ship if you can help it." Taking a deep breath as she stared into Jack's eyes. "Now pay attention because I have a lot to tell you and not much time or you are going to be one hell of an incompetent ship's Captain lost in that fracking cloud until you starve to death or the ship just falls apart around you. The damn ship is already a frigging HULK. It wouldn't be the first time. We find ships all the time that have been lost in that cloud for years or decades and even a few that have been missing for hundreds of years. Hell, half the sensors have been placed in that maelstrom simply trying to find lost ships and not intruders."

Jack walked into the Starboard Engine room to the sound of the Chief Engineer yelling at someone. Looking around he could not believe how clean and well maintained the space was compared to the rest of the ship. He had taken a tour around the accessible sections of the bow trying not to be shocked by everything he saw and start butting in to help the marine recovery crews who did not want his help but it was hard. Now he had just finished going through the other engine room and was again sick at their basic condition and lack of even basic maintenance and how fast a ship could turn into junk without it.

The Chief saw him and came walking up. His eyes flaring hate as the man stared at him "This engine is ready Captain but the Port engine is going to take time. I can't see how it will ever get repaired"

Jack smiled knowing from the game and personal experience that hate could be a power full motivator. He almost felt sorry for the man but realized that that was the last thing this ass hole needed right then. "So what Chief!" Jack spat back at him. "This engine was ready when you abandoned ship. Why aren't you in getting the other damn engine going?"

The Chief was taken back at Jack's attack. "I. I was just getting more help. I am leaving a skeleton crew here and taking the rest to work on engine two Captain. I should have it up and running in a couple hours after I get all the junk off of it."

"Some of the engineers from my old ship have just arrived to help. They are damn good engineers, treat them with respect and they will do wonders for you. All you have to do is get them what they need and shut up. Got that"

"I will get the damn engine running Captain!"

"Just see that you do Commander or you are going to get mighty lonely aboard this hulk when it plunges into the cloud at a hundred times the speed of light. What about the rest of the ships auxiliary system?"

"What the hell. You said… I don’t have the time to worry about anything but the engines if you want them any time soon now get off my back." The Commander stormed out of the engine room.

Jack walked up to the First Class standing at the control board in front of the engine and read the engineman's name printed across above his pocket. "How is it going First Class Quincy?"

"It is running but that is all I can say about it." He was not a happy camper.

"Good work, Keep it that way." Then turned and left the engine room going to the main engineering control compartment between the two engine rooms.

A Chief was sitting at the auxiliary control console.

Jack smiled. He had already stopped by most of the critical auxiliary equipment compartments and knew that the damage was light in all of them and was mostly lack of proper maintenance. It would only take time to get them up again. "How are you doing Chief Stark?" Jack said with a smile to the NCO (None Commissioned Officer) Chief. I just finished taking a look at the auxiliary equipment spaces and they need work."

The Chief looked up at Jack frowning. "As does everything else on this bucket sir. That is except the brass. You should have seen the bridge, the ward room, the Captain's Cabin and hell all of officers country. They sparkled." The Chief looked like he wanted to spit. "As long as the Captain's shitter sparkled he did not care about anything else." The Chief waved his hand around the control room.

Jack looked around and realized that the control room had an enormous amount of sparkling brass and crystal and silver all polished up. The deck looked like you could see yourself as you danced on it. Four crewmen were in the process of polishing the gages and trim. "What the hell?" He suddenly remembered that the Chief Engineers cabin had been just as ornate but he had been to shocked and busy to notice. Shaking his head Jack turned to the NCO Chief. "Chief, if I see another crewman polishing the silver I am going to space someone. You have 30 seconds to get those crewmen doing something useful. Preferably fixing the damn air conditioning and oxygen systems aboard this garbage scow of junk before we suffocate." The Chief turned to Jack getting a big grin on his face. "The emergency Auxiliary maintenance Crew just arrived from the fleet. Tell them what the priorities are and get them what they need to get them going. Do you have any questions Chief?"

"Ah, what about Engineering Chief Buttonbutt sir. He gets very upset if the brass is not polished to his liking sir."

Jack took deep breath. "Your priorities are maintaining this ship not polishing the damn brass!" Trying to control himself he turned around to leave.

"Ah Captain Turner sir. Commander Buttonbutt gave me direct orders not to leave the control room as well as a strict polishing regimen sir."

"You no longer take orders from Commander Buttonaaa whatever the hell it is, Chief Stark." And walked out of the control room without looking back.

The ships only remaining Bridge, the emergency bridge was only a few decks above the engines and as Jack walked into it he heard. "Captain on the Bridge." Taking the Command Chair he bit his lower lip trying to wake up from his nightmare but then The Game took over.

Looking around at the bridge and the crew that he did not even know most of the names of, he wondered what the hell he was supposed to do but he had to do something. Jack took a deep breath. Accessing the ship's equipment and damage schematic Jack got a small shock. Then tapped the comm icon. "Transport control. This is Captain Turner, what is this I see about the portside boat launch bay being empty and locked out?"

"Ah Captain Turner? The south hatch is malfunctioning and Commander Buttoner put the bay out of commission. We opened the North hatch just long enough to launch the shuttle boats with the rest and then closed it down as per Captain's orders sir."

"Damn it, we have boats sitting off ship waiting to get aboard and you have a fracking bay closed." Jack counted to 5. "Open the North hatch on the Port bay and get those gigs aboard. Start using your fracking brains." Taking a breath as he cut the connection. "Ok maybe it is my fault. I did not realize how bad it was on this ship and relied upon crewmen to use at least a little common sense."

Jack hit the general ship's comm. "This is Captain Turner. Your new C.O. Your ship has been hit hard and you have lost many good crewmates but you survived thanks to all of your hard work and some of you going above and beyond. Just be satisfied for now knowing that we got the bastards that killed your friends and in time we will get the rest. Now the Navy needs every ship it can get its hands on so instead of scuttling this girl, I am taking this ship with your help to the Rock for repairs and crew replacements. I would like to show them when we arrive just how good a crew I think this ship has but that will be all up to you and for you to get us there. To get this ship there instead of blowing it up or plunging it into the cloud to destroy it while we become second class orphaned refugees in a fleet that does not want us because we were not good enough to make the simple needed repairs and get her back to The Rock."

Jack let that sink in while he tried to decide how far to push it. "You must all realize and come to grips with one simple fact. We are on our own. No one is going to come hold our hands or rescue us if you frack up. That means you all are going to have to do your jobs the navy way. The way you have been trained and not the way you have degenerated down to. I am not your old Captain, good or bad and I don't care what has happened in the past. All I care about is the future and getting this ship back to The Rock so we do not becoming the laughing stock of the fleet. I know you can do your work right and properly and I expect you to do your work right and proper. I am not going to check up on you to make sure you are doing it right because I just don't have the Frigging time. I have my own job to do and that does not include worrying about you all doing your damn jobs right. The problem is that if each and every one of you do not do your jobs the best you can we are all going to die. Your only job is to give me a ship in proper working condition and running at its best and my only job is to get this ship safely home. You give me this ship working the way I know you can and I will get you all home safely. That is all. Captain out."

"Captain, Admiral on the Comm sir."

"Well, put her on the main screen."

"Captain Turner. Can you make repairs on that bucket or not?"

"Yes Admiral. We were just about to get under way on one engine while we work on the other sir."

"Good. How long do you think it will take you to finish repairs?"

"The crew will have them repaired in time Admiral."

"Time is something you do not have a lot of Captain Turner. We are picking up the boats now. I expect to have the fleet underway in an hour at 400 Gee's. I expect you to have at least two engines running by then. Otherwise you are going to have to abandon the ship as planned. You cannot out run the enemy fleet on only one engine. Is that clear Captain?"

"Yes sir. Should be plenty of time for repairing the engines Admiral. But even if I cannot make it in time, it is going to take longer than that to finish cutting out my trapped crew sir. Most are individuals that are going to take time to get out when the crews are freed from the ones they are working on now."

"Very well Captain Turner. The last of the Cabbage survivors are out and the ship is in the last stages of being abandoned. I will have the rest of the recovery squads sent over. Good luck. Admiral out."

Jack tapped the comm for Engineering. "Engineering Chief, how is it looking down there? Are you going to be able to given me that second engine yet?"

"That is impossible, it will take days to get the Port engine in shape again. As you already know, I got you the Starboard engine working."

"Well that is not good enough Chief. I have looked at that engine and know there is nothing that wrong with either of them except bad maintenance. Which is why the hits in the bow knocked them out in the first place. If I have to come down there and finish your job for you there will be no reason to keep you adored ship and I will kick you out the lock. Now get me that Port engine."

"Why you little shit. I just heard one of the crewmen from your ship talking about you being a fucking Gravity Tech a few weeks ago and now you are trying to tell me how to do my job."

"What can I say?" Jack fought down the terror that was welling up in side of him at being discovered to be the fraud he felt like. Taking a breath he tensed his jaw and forced a smile. "It took a while for the Navy to find my records." He said hesitantly as he turned around and spotted the Ensign staring at him with a reassuring smile. Taking a deep breath. "Now I expect you to have that engine on line in an hour. Can you do the job or not Commander or do I need to lighten the ship and do the job myself?"

The Chief looked out of the screen as his face turned white at the thought of breathing vacuum. Swallowing several time, his mouth opened and closed a few times then after taking a deep breath he said. "No. I can do the Job Captain!" He spit the words out as his eyes turned to hate.

"Good. Captain out." Turning to the Navigator as he wondered how the new information was going to affect the crew. "Set course for Cloud entry point Zebra 8."

“Ah. We have drifted quite a ways and that course is going to take us through the enemy ships we just destroyed sir."

"Science, any sign that any of them are still alive?"

The science console officer turned to face Jack with the Ensign sitting in a jump seat beside her. "I have been studying the squadron and I cannot see any signs of movement. I can see what looks like emergency fusion cores still going on most of the hulks but no weapons or life though that just may mean they are too deep inside the hulks for us to get a reading on them. I can detect several hot spots on target ship Echo the closest one to us. It is not as damaged as the others. It is possible that it has crewmen still alive on it sir."

"Ok. Pilot ahead dead slow if you please. Let's get a little closer and take a look. Weapons do you still have any guns able to fire?" Jack watched the engine power up and frowned at their low acceleration figures and the stream of mass shooting out the back.

"We have all our weapons ready to fire Captain. Most of the gun crews stayed and made repairs but with most of the generators off line, it will take a while to recharge them sir."

"Very well weapons, start charging them one at a time. Cargo officer. What are we carrying? What is our gross tonnage?" Jack suddenly realized that he should have found that out as soon as he sat down in the Command Chair. He was not even sure weather this was a cargo ship or mass tanker.

"Except for tanks 50 A and D, Our tanks are full of reactant mass Captain. We are at our Gross limit sir." With Jack just staring at him for a few seconds the man continued. "Captain Stuckored thought that the fleet just may need remassed if something happened to the new engine conversions and we had to go back to the original engines sir."

Jack smiled. "That was good thinking Lieutenant." Turning to the damage control console. Jack thought for a second. "Did any of the other tankers with mass still in their tanks get hit and did the reactant mass offer any protection to the aft section?"

"Ah... I don't know about that Captain. We still have trapped crewmen forward in the torpedo rooms. They are attaching a lock to the bulkhead now so they can cut into the compartment. It will take a while yet...” Came the Ensign reply after a few seconds.

Then from his new second in command. "All the Tankers are at or near gross weight, were dragging a little behind the rest in the formations as they shut down their engines coasting. So we could turn to point at the enemy bringing all the fleets guns to bear when we fired. The only reason this tanker was closer to the enemy than the rest of the squadron when she was hit, was because the fool Engineering Chief took control. He put the new engines at full powered thrust, lunging ahead of the fleet before he started his turn trying to escape. The enemy took full advantage of the opportunity when he made the ship a perfect target."

"Well, we will just have to hope that the reactant mass helps protect us if they do fire at us." Jack frowned and took a breath. "Ah, since the crews are still in the torpedo bay. Can they fire any torpedoes if we need them to?"

"Ah not without power sir."

"Well ensign. See if you can get them power up there. Navigator, I want a course to bring us within a mile of the enemy ship still half way intact, target Echo I believe it was, as fast as our single engine will get us there. See if you can keep our bow pointed at them as much as possible as well. Weapons, keep our guns trained on them. That includes our close in weapons as well. Oh and do we have any marines not needed for rescue work?"

The First Officer turned to Jack. "Yes sir. We have a couple of squads that just arrived that are still on the lower deck and all weapons personnel have had training in repelling boarders."

"Good Number One. Get the crewmen armed and suited up in armor just in case and a shuttle ready with as many of the marines as you can break free for a few minutes. Damage Control, Ensign, do we have any repair crews we can pull off general repairs for an hour. We are going to need them if I decide to make a fast raid onto one of their ships to retrieve a few tech memento's to take home with us. Maybe we can even find out who the hell we are fighting."

"Ah Captain, they have reached the torpedo room and made a list of crewmen trapped there and who they think are still trapped around the rest of the forward section of the ship. The ships First Officer is on that list in the Torpedo room sir." First Officer Parker turned toward Jack. "He is wounded but they are saying that he ordered the hatch to the torpedo room left open long enough to get most of the surviving wounded crewmen with damaged suit trapped in the forward part of the ship that could move into the armored torpedo room before closing the hatch. Besides the crewmen in the torpedo room, we still have almost 50 men they are trying to extract elsewhere. Are you sure you want to continue with this reconnaissance of the enemy ships with that many men still trapped up there sir."

"No I don't want to do anything with the crewmen trapped up there Ensign but we do not have time to get them out first with the enemy breathing down our necks. We have to pass the enemy ships anyway, so let's take a closer look and then if something does not look right we can leave. But at least let's be ready just in case the opportunity presents itself."

"Captain it is going to take time to transfer all the crewmen in the torpedo bay one crewmen at a time out through the single emergency airlock after repairs have been made to the compromised suits even when they get the hole cut."

"Well then don't. Just replenish their airpacks repair or replace the suits and then blow the air out of the torpedo rooms and take them out in one mass and be quick about it.” Tapping a few icons. “You have 15 minutes, now go and get it done." Jack glanced down the list of trapped crewmen that included half the senior officers of the ship. Most of them could replace Jack as Captain in a heartbeat. "If we are going to pull this off we need the help of all of them." Standing up Jack stepped to the pilots Helm Chair. "That means they are going to need your help to Number One. I will take the Helm."

The Pilot looked up at Jack and finished his maneuver turning the ship to head directly for what was left of the enemy squadron as he spoke. "We will have to line the rout down through that mess in the bow to the forward tank chase's intact bulkhead and have the forward part of the chase evacuated until the refugees are in the chase compartment before repressurizing it, but I think we can do it without losing anyone even if their suits are leaking sir."

"Good.” Jack took the seat and smiled as he felt the ship under his direct control again. Though he wished the First Officer had left turning the ship onto the plotted course for him to do. "Ok. Sensors, put the enemy ships on the main screen please. Start sweeping the damn things for any signs of movement or traces of new hot spots or charging weapons around the ships." Looking up at the screen and the hot spots on the one ship that was still mostly intact. "Science, what do you make of the hot spots on Echo?" He pushed the throttle forward to quarter thrust and watched what looked like a fire hose spew out the back. "What the hell!" he thought to himself.

"It does not seem to be near any weapons or vital equipment that we know of but then they are aliens and we are going by what we were able to see close up when that enemy ship passed so close to the fleet last week. Which is not much." The Ensign tapped a few icons and shook her head. "The only thing I can think of is either emergency generators or pockets of surviving crewmen. But then this ship seems to have been better equipped than most of the rest to begin with. It had 8 guns and a half a dozen armored decks instead of only 2 or 3. I think it must be the command ship for the little squadron. We could be looking at intact command facilities and maybe even the squadron commander."

"Otherwise you are saying that ship could be a treasure trove of intelligence that just may help us win the war." Jack took a deep breath. “That also means it is not going to be easy. Weapons, I want you to split off the gun capacitors. At this range I don't want to destroy too much of what is left if we have to fire."

"Sorry Captain but the capacitors are connected with busbars welded between capacitors with one gun cut out of the loop. We would have to cut the bars to split them and weld a new bar back onto the idle gun. The plan did not have a bus bar switch in the design."

"Well then you are going to have to cut the damn bars and clamp something back on you can take back off and move if you have to." Tapping on his comm. "First Class Quincy…. Engine Room One, Quincy."

"Oh sorry Captain. A bit busy down here."

"That is all right. Why don’t I have any decent power on my one and only working engine?"

"I am sorry Captain but The Engineering Chief insists on us doing things his way but he does not have a clue how these new engines work. I am basically just dumping reaction mass down it just to get it working as well as it is."

"Yes I can see that. Ok, where is the Chief now?"

"In engine room 2, tearing out the new feed system to replace it with the old."

"God Star. Get over there and kick his butt out of the Engineering spaces. You are now in charge of the Engine rooms. Tell that son of a bitch that I want to see him immediately. We will be stopping in a few minutes and you will have a half hour or so to get # 1 repaired and then you can get engine 2 going."

"The fleet crews are working now but the shock absorbers on engine 2 the Port side engine were rusted frozen and the hits forward did a tremendous amount of shock damage to the auxiliary and support equipment and structures. Nothing that can't be repaired but it is going to take some time. A good 6 hours for engine 2 and it is going to take longer than a half hour to repair engine 1 sir."

"Damn it! Put both crews working on engine 1 the Starboard engine. Repair it back to the new Ion standard and forget about 2 for now. We need 1 as soon as you can get it up. I don't care how you do it just get it done. Keep me informed."

24-

THE RAID

The ship slowly approached the enemy's apparent hulks as Jack and half the crew studied them. A hundred miles out some of the enemies small self-defense turrets started firing at them but they were quickly silenced by the battle transport's 5 inch and 3 inch turrets without having to resort to using the ship's big 16 inch guns. He waited until the ships were almost on top of them before turning around and using the single engine at its puny full thrust to slow the ship down to stop only a mile from the enemy's still half intact battleship, target Echo. Then whipped the bow back around to point at the enemy ship to use their reactant mass storage tanks as a shield. Finally breathing a sigh of relief when he finished the maneuver without the enemy even moving let alone firing its monster guns at them.

An Officer with Commanders leaves came storming onto the bridge. "Just who the hell's idea is it to assault a fucking enemy Battleship?"

Jack turned around. "Not assault, scavenger raid if possible. And who are you?"

"I am this ship's First Officer and with the Captain dead, in Command."

Jack swallowed. Suddenly unsure of himself. But he had known it was going to happen.

Mr. Parker walked in behind the man and said. "Ahh, Mr. Wilson. I am afraid that while you were trapped in the bow, the Admiral made Commander Turner the ships Commanding officer. Captain Turner made me first officer but I will gladly turn the post back over to you with the Captains permission."

"What the hell!" The Commander looked Jack up and down as Jack climbed up out of the Pilots chair. "You are just a fucking boy. What 18 or 19. What fool would make you a ship's Captain?"

Jack bit his lip as he finished climbed up out of the pilot’s chair, trying to think of what to say or even do. Standing to face the upset Commander, Jack finally smiled. Deciding to continue with what he had planned and let the Commander settle the ships command arrangements with the Admiral. "Good to see that you are alive Mr. Wilson. I will take Mr. Parker up on his offer and let you rearrange the officer billets on the ship since you know who survived and who did not but he deserves a good promotion for keeping the ship alive in spite of the Chief's orders to abandon ship. You have the bridge while I take a boarding party for a quick raid. I expect to only spend 15 minutes on the enemy ship. That should be plenty of time to grab some equipment and bodies but you never know. I put First Class Quincy in charge of the engine rooms replacing Chief Buttonbutt who I barred from the engine rooms. Quincy is trying to repair the engines and should hopefully have at least one ready to go by the time we get back to the ship and we can rejoin the fleet. Are there any questions Number One?"

The First Officer looked at Jack baffled. "I did not know the Chief even knew where the engine rooms were. Hell, I was on my way to shoot the son of a bitch chicken asshole for taking over the ship from auxiliary control, when we got hit. And you left him in Command of the engine rooms?

"No Commander, I fired the Commander and promoted First Class Quincy to take his place in command of the Engine rooms along with a fleet engine room crew to replace the crewmen lost on the boats. You can shoot the Commander if he steps back into any of the engine rooms. I was going to put him in charge of auxiliary maintenance. It is as bad as the engines. But I will leave that to you now. Rearrange the crew as you see fit."

"Fine I will shoot him for mutiny and causing the deaths of so many crewmen including Captain...”

"No Commander. We are short on trained crewmen as it is and one thing he was good at (according to his tests), was maintaining the auxiliaries on his families transport, which was why he was promoted to Engineering Chief. Hopefully he is competent, there is a lot of work to catch up on. Half the crew is only a few breaths from suffocating as it is. We will never make it to the Rock without a lot of auxiliary repairs. I motivated him so well he almost destroyed at least one engine. I will leave any farther motivation attempts to you." Jack squeezed pass the Command Chair. "I have left our attack plan on the tactical. You can go over it as we depart and make any changes you deem necessary then send it off to the Admiral and have a chat with him about taking over the Command of the ship." Jack smiled over at the Commander. "Frankly Mr. Wilson. I hope he does give you the ship but whatever happens, keep your eyes on the enemy while we are over there. We may need your gun support in a hurry just to get aboard let alone when we leave. You have the Conn Number One."

Jack left the bridge to the announcement of. "Captain leaving the Bridge."

Jack walked onto the crowded shuttle's cargo deck to the announcement of. "Attention; Captain on the deck!" The marines jumped to the sides of the long cargo bay coming to attention in front of the seats lining the sides with piles of weapons and equipment in front of them.

Jack looked down the rows of marines uncomfortably for a few shocked seconds then hurriedly returned their solutes and said. "At ease. Carry on." He wondered who was left to do the rescue work and then realized that the shuttle gig or boat would only carry a hundred marines at most as he walked forward headed for the shuttles bridge at the far end of the cargo bay, only a small fraction of the marines that had descended onto the ship from the rest of the fleet. Almost a hundred pairs of eyes followed him. Finally he could not take the silence and scrutiny anymore and The Game kicked in pushing the fact that these were his troops headed for a battle that could get them all killed. He had sent troops into ships before in The Game and while training was important he had found out the hard way that simply talking to the troops for a few minutes and telling them what was needed of them and why made a big difference whether or not they won or suffered a lot of casualties in defeat. Not that victory was assured but he wasn't about to take the chance in the real world.

Taking a deep breath Jack stopped half way up the bay tapping his comm so they all could hear him without having to yell. "No Republic ship since this envision started 2 years ago has ever gotten close enough to see let alone board an enemy ship and finally find out who the hell we are fighting. We are going to remedy that. We are headed for a fast raid to find out just who the hell we are fighting. We have no idea what their strengths are or their weapons or even what they look like let alone how many that may be still alive aboard that ship. But we have to find out no matter what it costs. If we can survive long enough on that ship to send that information back to our ship and the fleet then whatever happens over there will be a success. Not that we are on a suicide mission but I do not expect that many of us including me will return. But whatever it costs, the information we find on that ship will save the lives of millions."

Jack tried not to puke as he suddenly realized that what he was saying was facts that he had not thought of before or realized. Looking around the bay he tried to speak several times but finally swallowed licking his lips and continued. "Once we land, move out quickly. Secure the perimeter then move your search attack teams to your objectives. If you can, take prisoners but do not risk your lives to do it. At this stage even bodies will do. Get your objectives secured and then get out using a different route if possible. And one last thing I hate to add but I must reinforce the order with no exceptions. We do not have time to take out our dead. A piece of equipment or alien body is too valuable to leave for the dead that died to get it. Is that clear? We have to strip as much information out of that ship as possible as fast as possible. Is that understood?"

Jack could not believe he was saying those words but because of The Battleship Game he knew he had to say the words. Had to give the orders if the mission had any chance of success. He could hope that his original thoughts and ideas for the mission was correct and they would just waltz onto the ship, get what they wanted and leave without any casualties. But he suddenly knew that was not likely with the large heat sources still on the ship. That they really would be lucky to get back off that ship but he also knew that it was a thousand time more important that they try and get something than he had suspected at first. Jack suddenly wanted to run. To cancel the operation. Do anything but...

"Yes Captain Sir." The shouts of a boat load of marines almost deafened Jack as they stared at him shouting. "Recon, Recon!" He turned and looked back at the stern of the shuttle thinking seriously about making a break for it until the ramp suddenly rose up to close off the end and easy escape. A marine Lieutenant walked up to jack. "We will complete the mission even if it kills us. We will get the information Captain Turner sir. You can count on us Sir."

Jack smiled as best he could. "That won't take much Lieutenant." Then continued up the bay noticing the side hatches and wishing they were open so he could leave but continued to the bridge.

"Captain on the bridge." Jack sat down in the Command Chair and looked around spotting the Ensign sitting in the Pilots seat. "What the hell are you doing here? Get your butt off this boat now. It is bad enough I am being stupid, you don't have an excuse."

"Sorry Captain but I have orders from the Admiral. I am staying. Besides you need a second set of eyes that can see where the enemy is and isn't. You go with one section and I will go with the other and maybe we can keep them both alive and get off that piece crap hulk."

"You are assuming that we can even make it onto the enemy ship. It would only take one good hit from one of their medium sized guns to make it a short trip to nowhere."

The Weapons Officer Mr. Parker turned around and smiled. "At least at this range it will be easy to see what size of medium guns they have. Something no one knows yet so it would not be a total loss."

"The lock is evacuated Captain." The Ensign said. "We are ready to launch by your command Captain."

Jack felt like he was riding a freight train careening down the tracks as The Game took over. "Launch when ready Ensign. Mr. Parker be ready on those weapons."

The shuttle gig flew out of the lock at full thrust and headed for the enemy ship. Weaving back and forth trying not to present too easy a target.

"Captain Turner. This is First Officer Wilson. I did not understand what was going on until I heard your briefing to the shuttle crew. I suggest you change your landing site on the ship to a hole I will blast in the enemy ship's hull next to the middle hot spot with a couple of the ship's guns just before you make contact. It will allow you to take that part of the ship by surprise after we have destroyed most of the local resistance and put you half way between the other two objectives of your search. The low heat of our single capacitor guns should leave plenty of intelligence for you to gather. I will move the ship around where I can support you better before you move out of your landing zone."

"Very well Number One. Ahh. I take it the Admiral would not relieve me? Sorry. You should have it shortly anyway. Out."

"Not if I can help it Captain. I did not even talk to the Admiral besides I have had my hands full. I just passed along the battle plan for the record along with your briefing. You will be landing in 30 seconds Captain. Our main guns will open up your landing zone seconds before that. Good luck. Out."

"Well Ensign. Head for the new landing zone and pray the guns open up a big enough landing hole in the hull or we are going to be one big bug splat."

The boat rushed toward the enemy ship as Jack stared out the bridge viewing ports. "Weapons, make sure your guns are set on point blank range and manual targeting when we approach and enter the hull. It looks like a good sized compartment." Slapping the comm on his chair. "Marines, we are about to hit a vacuum landing zone, the hull will be melting hot just after it is hit by our big guns. The enemy should be shocked for a few seconds with bodies still alive or not and equipment expelling out the hole. We will be landing with our ass hanging out the hole and only our forward side hatches usable. Crewmen try to catch what you can of what comes out past the boat. Marines establish a perimeter as fast as possible while leaving fields of fire open for the boat's forward guns. All of you take advantage of the confusion and get me a live prisoner in one of your sealed cans but be careful."

"Mr. Turner!" The Admiral's voice suddenly intruded into the bridge. "What the hell do you think you are doing Mr. Turner?"

The ship's gun's beams appeared hitting the hull of the enemy ship just before the shuttle slammed into the half dozen holes stitching the side into one large landing zone that appeared there.

Coming to rest as gasses rushed out pushing blobs moving too fast to tell what they were, out past the boat. Rescue guns puffed from the open stern ramp sending balls at the end of lines streaking out to intercept the flying blobs. Only half the balls came near enough to the blobs to open up into nets and catch the blobs at the end of the lines and then became bodies and equipment that was hauled in.

Jack cut the connection to the Admiral as he watched space disappear and the compartment's overhead and bulkheads replaced the empty void. The last thing he needed was the Admiral distracting him the next few minutes. "Someone kill the lights." Looking around him as the lights dimmed, he let the enemy ship appear to him as he watched the energy signatures of the marines take the compartment then branch out into the surrounding hull without running into any of the enemy crew alive. He realized that if there had been enemy crewmen alive the laser main gun blasts and sudden vacuum had killed them.

"Captain, the energy signature was coming from a power or signal transmitter of some kind on the other side of the Compartment. It probably goes with the tower hanging out from the hull on the side of the compartment. It could be part of their comm equipment." The Ensign stood at the front of the bridge looking out the forward view ports.

Jack looked where she had said and quickly found it. "Good let's get down there and check it out. I see enough bodies around here to call the mission a success already. We may not have to search the ship any farther."

"Captain." Said Lieutenant Parker. "The Admiral is on line again, asking for you sir."

Jack turned and punched the comm icon on his chair. "Yes Admiral we have landed on the enemy ship and found the mother lode of equipment. We should be leaving here shortly with no casualties."

"What the hell. I did not authorize an attack. But since you are there and not running into any resistance, I want you to search that ship for everything you can find that can help us. Your little speech is right on. You and your crew are now expendable. I want to know who we are fighting and for you to get as much equipment out of that ship as possible. Even if it takes all your lives"

Jack looked around the compartment and the mass of equipment already there and flooding in from around them as the marines slowly penetrated deeper into the decks around them. "It looks like we already have a boat load of equipment to take back to the ship including what looks like a comm terminal. We don't have room on the boat or need to head for the other hot spots Admiral."

"Captain Turner, the closest hot spot above you looks like some kind of weapons center while the one below you could be their command center with all the warm heat sources that look like bodies. We also need live prisoners. See that you get some. As for room on the boat. I sent you 2 Captain's Gigs and 3 transport gigs along with the Admiral's barge I left behind with the power and room to help evacuate the ship if you failed to get the engines going. Use them to strip that ship. You have 3 hours."

"Admiral…. Damn it Admiral, we don't have the time."

"You have an hour before we leave and 4 hours before you have to leave to out run the enemy if you have both engines. You said you could get the other ships engines running, so use the time. Use all the time you need and get me their secrets Captain Turner. I want to know what the hell we are fighting and witch orifice they shit out of. Admiral out."

Jack slapped the comm off then looked around the compartment the shuttle was in. Shaking his head he slapped the comm. "Mr. Wilson, you can start shuttling the boats over to pick up equipment as we strip this hulk. Use the guns to blast landing zones in the hull as the we move around the ship and put together more landing teams and as many of the marines as you can spar to help strip it. Oh and you can clamp the life boats together into long transports to help. Out." Turning to the pilot. "Mr. Parker. Guard the shuttle and be ready to pull out as soon as you are loaded. You can help coordinate the other shuttles to landing zones as we make progress through the ship. I only want to have to guard a small bubble around each company as we move up and down the ship. No landings at any but designated and guarded landing decks." Then left the bridge.

At the hatch to the lock into the evacuated cargo bay the rating held out weapons for Jack and the Ensign as they sealed their suit's helmets. "Regulations Captain. No one goes out unarmed when boarding enemy ships."

Placing the pistol belt on his hip Jack entered the lock with the Ensign by his side. "Jack, did you look at the other hot spots yet. There seems to be a lot of movement in them but I cannot make out or understand what it is except that the upper top one seem to be growing."

Jack reached over and cut the lights in the lock and stood staring up through the deck above them. "Ya I can't tell what or how many. The energy around the compartment is washing out most of the details but it does look like a lot of ghosts. Hopefully it will get clearer as we get closer." Jack glanced around the decks above and then below them and saw nothing alive but a few power cables anyplace close. Looking up again he saw one big set of cables with power running to a medium sized gun turret. "That looks small enough to take back to the ship. I will head for that to start with. You want to go in the opposite direction? Just be careful and establish a landing zone every few decks and keep your crews together. Don't let them spread out. I don't want to lose anyone in isolated traps. There are too many dark area's I can't see into and I don't know why. Do you?"

"No I have never seen that before on any of the ships I docked close enough to look at over the years. Most of them though touch the outer hull someplace. The only thing I can think of is that they are open to the cold and vacuum of space and long abandoned."

Outside the shuttle an officer came up to them. "You may want to see this Captain. It is very strange." They followed the officer to what the Ensign had thought was a Comm terminal on the fare side of the compartment toward the center of the ship. What Jack saw before he reached it was a mass of switches and cathode ray tube screens.

"No wonder it was putting out so much radiation and heat. This is unbelievable." Jack let his gaze wonder over the crude equipment and then to the row of terminals lined up along the bulkhead next to that one, with half the tubes and switches missing. Reaching out he touched the dead but intact terminal next to the powered one wiping away a layer of dirt from it. The next terminal over was just a shell with rust streaks and dents in the casing and even a shattered glass picture tube monitor in one of the holes. Jack looked around the compartment suddenly not looking at the equipment still intact but the junk littering the corners and bulkheads that included old cathode ray tube monitors and realized that most of the junk was not damaged by the blast opening the holes in the side of the hull but of old age. "My Godstar, most of this crap most be hundreds of years old."

"No Jack." The Ensign straightened up from closely examining a pile of what looked vaguely like a terminal at the opposite end of the row of terminals. "This pile has to be thousands of years old. The metal is mostly rust or corrosion and the plastic insulation on the wiring is so brittle it falls apart with the least pressure not to mention the thick layer of dirt over everything inside it." She worked her way along the row of terminals. "It looks like instead of fixing things they just replace them with new units when they finally broke down too much to fix. That would explain the modular gun and engine pods and why there is such a discrepancy in numbers between their ships." Pulling out a vacuum tube from the shell a few terminals away. "Fricking Vacuum tubes sir." She pulled out another tube and looking at it. "Ok. A vacuum tube with a microcircuit making up part of the tube's insides." Setting it down on the shell she looked around the good working terminal and smiled through her suit helmets visor. "A half dozen connections and this terminal can be moved intact." Looking up through the deck. "That would explain all the interference from the other hot spots. It is going to be interesting to find out just how primitive the electronics are in this ship and whatever else we find around the ship." Walking over to a row of cabinets on the side bulkhead she opened one to find rows of electronic tubes of various sizes and specifications and turned to the crewman working on the good terminal. "Take this with us as well as most of the junk around the compartment as you can. We need to see if any improvements have been made over the life of the terminals."

As the crew disconnecting the terminal, Jack grabbed the shoulder of one of the techs. "Make sure you test and record every cable you disconnect for power voltage and frequencies as well as any comm signals going to or from it. Should help figuring it out later."

The Tech looked up shaking his head. "Yes Captain, I will follow the book. Been recording all its inputs and outputs while you looked it over sir. We are also going to grab a couple of the other terminals that do not seem to be working to use for dissecting before we touch this one along with the tower just outside on the hull." The tech turned back to what he was doing as one of the other terminals was jerked away from the bulkhead towered the shuttle.

Jack turned to watch a steady stream of equipment being rushed into the shuttle gig as a marine Commander walked up. "We will be ready to move out in 5 minutes, as soon as they finish loading the shuttle Captain. Did I hear right that you are accompanying us up the ship?"

"Yes Commander Murphy. I want to head for a turret 5 decks above us that looks like it is still intact. I want to inspect it before we have the ship blow us a landing zone in the side of the hull. I don’t want to damage it before we know what we have."

"Very well sir. I will have the squad start edging that way now. Is there a rout you want the platoon headed down south to take?"

Jack turned around. "The Ensign here will be taking care of routing for the southern platoon but I think what looks like a crew birthing compartment a few decks down and a galley below that would prove interesting to start with. Not to mention what appears to be a lot of store rooms. We will want a good sampling of everything in them." Jack turned to look at the body of an alien in a space suit without a helmet laying across the compartment wedged in the corner. The bloated head was impossible to tell what it was at one time except that it had two long massive armored arms and two tree stump legs. The suit including a big pistol weapon on its hip looked like it was made of something unknown to humans which contradicted the Terminal they had just been looking at. As the body was suddenly stripped of its weapon and flopped into a body bag to be hauled into the shuttle Jack turned away. Ensign, you be careful. I don't like splitting up our forces but we don't have time to do anything else. Follow the directions of the platoon commander. Just give him as much information as he needs to decide where to go. Any resistance at all and you call in the shuttle and get out while the ship plasters the area and that is an order."

"Yes Captain Sir." The Ensign smiled as she turned to walk toward the reinforced platoon that was mustering the crews that would go south with them as they became available.

Jack turned to the Marine Commander. "Never leave a shuttle unguarded Commander. Leave one squad here until it pulls out then they can start dropping down. That turret may take a while to pull or strip which ever we have to do so I will be going." And headed for the hatch without waiting for the Commander to answer. His eyes wondering around the deck above and not seeing any dark spots he continued down the passageway to the nearest shaft and headed up past work crews stripping the compartments around the deck. While he walked he kept being amazed at the corroded condition of everything he looked at including hatches that where frozen open or simply replaced if they were critical. Though most of the worst hatches that had already been opened, seemed to lead to empty garbage strewn store rooms.

Finally reaching the deck with the gun turret Jack walked across a large compartment and over a long narrow grate in the deck that ran along the lower side of the upper 2/3rds of a cylinder laying on its side from a row of bolts around the cylinder on the hull. The grating on the deck ran back to the blunt end of the tank a hundred feet away toward the center of the hulk and disappear around the end of what could only be the long narrow power equipment compartment for the turret. Smiling at the marines using a scanner to probe the other side of the hatch leading into the turret machinery room. They prepared to open and go through into the turret. Jack opened the hatch without slowing down and stepped through. The Marines jerked the man with the scanner blocking their way across the deck behind them and piled in after Jack. Spreading out around the turret compartment they quickly cleared the turret itself then heading back into the power room. Jack followed at a slower speed checking out the turret and its equipment for several minutes. The main thing he noticed was how modern, clean and well maintained the turret machinery was. The bodies inside seemed to have been knocked across the compartment from control chairs with the seat belts hanging lose never used. Opening an access hatch in one of the consoles Jack whistled. He had never seen or heard of the electronics of the sort in front of him before except in science magazine's trying to explain new electronic concepts on the horizon. Wishing he had time to examine the console in more detail he turned away knowing they had to take this turret.

Stepping out of the turret again he walked around the tube that made up the turret and its equipment and power storage bank. "I don't believe this. All we have to do is unbolt the damn turret cylinder from the hull and a few connections and pull it out." Tapping his suit's forearm's comm controls as he stepped into a nearby compartment. "Number One I need you to blow a hole in the ship at the marker I will place in a few seconds and have a shuttle dock with a crew to disconnect and pull this turret. You can place it in one of the vacant boat bays… No. See if it will fit in the upper empty gun deck. We have a lot of empty space in the blasted bow decks for that matter. Vacuum won't hurt this thing along with a lot of the equipment we take out of this hulk." Jack pulled a beacon from his waste as he walked around the inside of the hull of the compartment some 50 feet away from the turret bay. Placed the beacon on the hull and activated it. He had barely left the compartment when the deck shook under him and debris came flashing out of the hatch knocking him off his feet and across the deck to slide up against the turret.

Looking back he watched the nose of a shuttle appear through the bulging open hatch and a few seconds later the crew came running in.

An officer rushed in and up to Jack as he looked around the compartment uneasily with a gun in his hand. His white face and blue eyes jerking around trying to see everything. "Ok Captain. What do you want pulled?"

Jack patted the curving bulkhead behind him and then pointed at the bolts on the hull and along the deck supports. "We are taking this 8.5 inch gun turret. There are a few braces and lines plugged into the back or bottom along with the bolts on the other side and then the turret should just pull out."

A marine medic rushed up to Jack spending a couple of minutes checking him and his suit out before letting him up off the deck. Hitting his comm as the medic worked, Jack ignored the medic. "Commander, is the squad clear of landing zone A yet. We need to move now." Jack looked around the ship above him trying to figure out the next place to head for. Should they grab another turret or just head for the hot spot that was starting to make some sense? He was starting to be able to isolate the live bodies from the cathode ray tubes, vacuum tubes and what had to be a generator of some kind but it looked and radiated such strange energy he could not be sure.

The Marine Commander walked into the Compartment as men started pulling grates and bolts from the hull flange of the turret. "No Captain, we are not clear of the landing zone. We have 2 boats backed into it now loading equipment and cargo from the surrounding decks. I have assigned a squad to you wherever you want to head next?"

The Deck shook under his butt as a flash got his attention from the other side of the turret and another boat backed into the new hole. Shaking his head as he looked up through the decks. "There is a ring of ships main turrets on towers sticking out from the hull a half dozen decks above us. It also has a lot of equipment lined up in long racks all over that deck I think. Let's see if we can make that deck but I can't believe they would leave it unguarded. Though the only live bodies I see are some 30 decks above that at the big hot spot that looks to still be pressurized."

The Marine Commander gave Jack a funny look for a few seconds. Not understanding how his Captain could know that but finally taking it for granted that Jack knew. "Very well Captain we will head up ship.

Climbing up off his butt Jack went around the turret cylinder and headed down a passageway toward the middle of the ship. Walking around a corner Jack found several marines trying to open a hatch frozen and cracked open a couple of inches. Something was wedged into the lower part of the crack with a mass of material bulging out into the compartment. Jack could not understand why the hatch seemed to be stuck. It along with the other hatches around the turret looked almost new. And then he noticed that it was warped.

"Stand back everyone." Came the voice in Jack's ears. "Blowing the hatch in 5 seconds." A marine stood up from the hatch's hinges and jogged back to join a group of marines that grabbed Jack to step back around the corner Jack had just come around some 30 feet from the hatch as they turned their backs and bent down on one knee.

The Marine Commander grabbed Jacks shoulder turning him away from the bend leading to the hatch, pulling him down onto his knee and bending forward to present his back with as small a target as possible to anything bouncing off the bulkhead around the corner from the blast.

The Compartment lit up with a bright flash followed by a wall of gasses washing over them a fraction of a second later and the marines turned around and rushed for the hatch.

Jack and the Commander followed behind them through the hatch. Bodies lay strewn down the passageway toward the center of the ship. The mass half through the hatch was obviously a body that had almost been sucked through the obviously warped hatch. One of the Marines took a pistol off one of the bodies and pointed it down the passageway and pulled what looked like a trigger made for a big hand with three fingers and a thumb. It sent a ball of energy streaking down the passageway that exploded on the distant bulkhead over a hatch, leaving a hole about 3 inches around in the armor.

It did not take long for the body’s to lose their weapon if it had one. Though half the bodies seemed to look and dress different than the others. It took a few seconds but it finally dawned on Jack that the other weaponless bodies were several different species and had to be technicians with tool belts around their wastes. All of them showed clear signs of being exposed to sudden vacuum making it hard to tell anything for sure. The mass sucked half through the cracked hatch had to be one of the technicians. "Get these into body bags and take their tools back to the ship with the turret." He said examining some of the tools the techs had on them. Most of them looked like the tools he had in his toolbox but some looked completely alien.

Jack stepped past the bodies and at the hatch he examined the crater made by the alien weapon that did not resemble damage from any human weapon he had even heard about. Then continued through the hatch making a quick running tour of the deck and the other turrets before going through a hull hatch in the large core filled with elevator shafts and ladders and headed up. The next several decks consisted of storage Compartments containing equipment and supplies that looked familiar but wasn't. He called in another shuttle to back into a new landing hole and pack out as many samples as they could in the time they had.

Moving up one deck at a time Jack was starting to worry. It was taking much to long since everything they found seemed to be strange and unusual and even incomprehensible. Though even if the technology that looked like it was a thousand years old by human standards had to be taken since they were not sure about anything the way advanced tech was combined with ancient. Agonizingly slow, they moved up the enemy ship's decks as transport boats shuttled back and forth between the two ships, expecting an enemy sledge hammer to hit them at any time even though he kept a constant close look at the decks ahead. The fact that the decks were a thousand feet across did not help either as they had to clear each and every deck for hostiles. Though the large compartments helped that at least. Then Jack saw several squads of marines jumping off of a long life boat chain as it docked to load cargo.

Not recognizing their ship patches amongst the 10 squads making the initial assault with him, he stopped a lieutenant. "Aren’t you supposed to be back on the Red Pepper cutting out trapped crewmen?"

The Lieutenant smiled through his faceplate. "Got most of them already Captain. We were just getting in the way. Besides, sounded like you guys were having way too much fun over here."

The decks seemed to start going much faster as he saw more and more ship patches on both the marines and the ships personnel. Tapping his comm. "Mr. Wilson, why do I keep seeing more and more ship patches over here on the crewmen? You were supposed to start sending the crews back to their ships when they finished their emergency repair work."

"Sorry Captain, I sent them over after only the most critical of the repairs have been made so they could help strip the hulk. We are going to need them back aboard ship when you finish there sir. Besides it is too late now. The fleet has already left."

Jack looked at the time and realized in shock that it had been hours already and decided it was time to take some short cuts to get them up ship faster. Climbing to the tall deck just below the Hulk's main gun deck Jack climbed into what could only have come out of a museum back on Earth. He entered a large compartment with what could only be a nuclear core pile with large steam pipes running to a huge hundred foot long steam driven generator attached by a 3 foot diameter shaft to a generator standing 50 feet tall. Thick power cable ran up through the overhead and into the tower running out to one of the main gun towers to the monster gun at the top pointing off at an odd angle compared to the other guns circling the hulk at that deck. Shaking his head in disbelief. "Godstar Commander. Who powers their main guns with a damn nuclear reactor driving a steam generator? Hell, who uses a nuclear reactor to power anything anymore." Since Ultra dense Hydrogen had been discovered on Earth's Moon. Along with the world's largest mass collider hundreds of miles in diameter producing enough plasma waste that was used to heat and compress pin point sized pellets of the Ultra dense Hydrogen to create the first self-sustaining fusion reactor, nuclear reactors have been outlawed. The Ultra Hydrogen mining on the moon and elsewhere in many system’s gas giants, also managed to pay for the explosion of man into space and eventually the stars. Shaking his head Jack decided they did not need to grab the dirty ancient power supplies for the main guns after all even if they were in easily replaceable modules and needed to power each gun.

Jack was finally about to open the hatch into the ship's main gun deck after climbing up what looked like an emergency trunk running up through the nuclear generator room when Commander Murphy stopped him at the hatch and slapped a scanner on the face of the hatch and looked through it. "Captain. Let my men get into position in several of the other trunks. Storage compartments are one thing but this looks like one of their main weapons decks from the scan. We need a coordinated attack this time sir. Just to make sure we don't have casualties."

Jack smiled at the Commander. He could see what was on the other side of the hatch a lot better than the scanner, especially if it was radiating any energy and all he was getting was a few power lines and low powered lights and a few rather warm spots around the other side of the core going up the center of the ship that had to be some kind of control consoles and could not possibly be live bodies as cold as they were. But Jack backed off from the hatch and waited. Finally a half dozen marine fire teams were ready and the Commander gave the signal and 4 marines rushed through the hatch into the compartment ahead of the Captain and Marine Commander.

Stepping through the hatch Jack watched the teams spread out around the huge compartment that seemed to run from one side of the ship a thousand feet to the other side without an obstruction except for the large main vertical central tube and roughly a dozen smaller tubes that included the small 8 foot diameter emergency access, pipe and power chase tubes they had come up in. Jack turned to look around the outer hull that seemed to be lined with large stubby cylinders sticking into the compartment that had to be the basses of the Main ships guns on towers around the ship with a 20 foot wide hole in the hull from a direct hit by one of the fleets torpedoes that must have opened the deck to vacuum taking out several racks along with a long 30 foot slice of deck protruding into the compartment. What Jack was not ready for was the row upon row of racks with weapons on them and the hundreds upon hundreds of bodies scattered around them. Mostly of huge heavily armored three fingered Apes. The only clear space was a hundred foot area in front of the hole blasted in the hull itself.

Looking around Jack suddenly saw a flash and then an expanding wave of gas from one of the tubes across the compartment as a rusty broken handled hatch flew across and into a rack of weapons. A few seconds later another flash and another gas wave repeated the first followed by more marines rushing into the compartment.

Jack looked down at several of the helmetless suited bodies. "Where are all of their helmets? This is too large a compartment for them not to have had time to get them on if they were close." He also notice that they carried some kind of power packs in pouches across their chests. Even the ones that had not gotten their weapons yet. "Ok. Where are the power packs stored?"

Something streaked across the compartment as a brief scream erupted in Jacks ears before vacuum made screaming impossible for the marine that died. A scream he had never heard the likes of in The Game ever over the 10+ years he had been playing it. A scream that would hunt him for the rest of his life even though he would hear many more of them.

The Compartment was suddenly lit up by lasers in a cone across the compartment focused toward the warm area Jack had seen earlier and thought were control consoles. With streaks of balls going back out from the small area.

"Damn it!" Someone screamed. "Our lasers are not penetrating their armor."

A few seconds later, fireballs started streaking back toward the enemy from weapons and power packs taken off the hundreds of bodies that looked like large apes. Another marine screamed and died but a few seconds later the compartment quieted down as the marines cleared the last of the enemy.

As the marines spread out across the rest of the compartment checking for anymore enemy Apes, the torpedo hole suddenly expanded to some 50 feet wide between turret towers behind them with a blinding flash lighting up the entire compartment for a brief second as a half dozen low powered 16 inch beams opened up a wider docking port. The blast leaving the edges of the hull and deck red hot. A shuttle backed into the hole, having to cross the missing deck before letting its stern touch down on solid decking. The stern hatch was already open and crewmen started jumping over the gap before the shuttle touched down, running to start disconnecting the nearest turret on one side while another crew started work on the other side.

Jack walked up to the officer standing on the ramp as the shuttle touched down. He wanted to yell at him for almost killing several marines that would have been near the blasted hull if not for the fire fight that had ended only seconds before drawing them away from that part of the hull, but it was not the officers fault and he did not have time to call the Commander who had ordered the guns to fire and widen the landing zone before Jack had ordered it. "I need the rest of your men to join the cargo crew to start gathering weapons off these racks. I want to strip this compartment of all the weapons as well as the power pack magazine when we find it."

"Do you want me to stop work on the turrets sir?"

"No. The turrets should not take long. Just get any crewman not on the turrets humping weapons off of racks." Looking up through the deck Jack headed for the nearest trunk and then stopped. Turning he walked across the compartment until he came to the enemy squad that had managed to get their helmets on. "Why could I not see you guys?" He looked closely at the bodies as several marines shined bright lights into their helmets to study them better.

Trying to shield his eyes from the glare of the faceplates holding up his hands. "Damn it. Turn out those stupid lights. I can't see a thing with them blinding me."

They shut off their head lamps. Jack suddenly was able to see the faint glow one of the bodies was giving off. Looking closer Jack realized that the enemy gorilla was still alive with only arm wounds and a suit that clamped a tourniquet above the wound to keep it from losing its air and bleeding to death. "We have a live one here. Get a medical case and strip it of everything on its suit. Where is that doctor we brought along just for this reason? He needs to find out what they breathe and anything else we need to know to keep it alive." Looking around at a half dozen frozen marines. "Move it people, we don't have much time here." Standing back away from the lizard scaled creature that looked like a gorilla with scales, Jack stared down at it. "No wonder I could not see you, you bastered. You’re a fucking cold blooded lizard." He said out loud as he looked up. "Now that I know what to look for, your cousins are not going to kill any more of my marines."

As the Doctor rushed up, a Sgt. held out his arm to stop him. "Let us finish securing the prisoner Doc and then you can work on him." The prisoner's legs were bound together so they could not move and both his arms where pulled away from his body and over his head and tied to a bar to keep his good hand from reaching any controls. They finished stripping it of anything that would come off except what looked like a life support pack before letting the Doctor near it.

The Doctor turned to one of his medics. "Get me a bunch of those air packs off the other bodies and test what is in them. As soon as I go over this guy we will be taking him into the shuttle."

Jack spent a good half hour organizing the removal of as many weapons as they could pack into the shuttles that kept arriving. Making sure they had a good sampling of the different types of weapons in the racks scattered around the deck. Some of them taking two power armored marines to move them. But finally with a report from a scout on the deck above, Jack headed for the nearest trunk going up. As he started through the hatch the Commander gave Jack one of the assault guns off a rack and a much too large pouch with power packs. Showing him how to use the weapon. When Jack protested trying to push the weapon away the Marine commander smiled. "Sorry Captain but you are going to be armed with the best available or my men will throw you on the nearest shuttle. I am not going to lose a Captain to stupidity. The next time shit starts flying and you insist on heading for the gunfire, you are going to be well armed at least." As Jack started to go through the hatch again the Commander motioned a squad to follow. "Oh Captain. This is the 3rd landing zone we have open right now. I can't guard another until we close the one below in another 15 minutes. Please don't go too far up until I can free the troops to follow you."

Jack looked up for a few seconds and then glanced at the Commander. "Very well Commander. I just want to check the Magazine on the deck above. Hopefully they will have power packs for our new weapons. I want to see what it will take to get too them and transfer them down to this weapons deck to load them." Jack started climbing the ladder in the trunk as the marines followed him.

Tapping his arm comm, Jack started talking as he started gulping air as he climbed. "Ensign, how you doing down there?"

"Oh Jack. I heard you lost a couple of marines to a fire fight. Sorry Hun. Are you alright? You sound winded. Do you need help? It would not take long to jump on the shuttle just getting ready to leave and drop up there to help."

"No. We are fine. I am climbing a ladder headed for the next deck up. We have a live prisoner so I just may call mission accomplished when I find the magazine for all the weapons we just found. How far down are you and what have you found?"

"We are going through the birthing decks and you will not believe what we are finding. There must be a dozen species crewing this vessel and I think even some, (if not half the crew) could be slaves."

"Ok. That makes sense. Ah have you found a big ape lizard yet. The enemy ship's marines. It is cold blooded and hard to detect alive and very deadly. Fact is, send up your shuttle and get a load of their weapons for your marines. Our laser guns are worthless against these monster's armor. Hold your position until you can rearm."

"That sounds good, it is taking time to go through all the compartments and what looks like a library with translation and teaching books and programs for teaching different races a central language. I will have my next shuttle stop by on its way back from the ship. It will be up there in a few minutes. Out."

Jack stopped to catch his breath outside the next decks hatch as he tapped his comm again. "Commander we need another landing bay down there. The lower platoon is sending up its shuttle for the enemy weapons. Hopefully I will have more weapon charge mags for you in a few minutes. Out." Tapping his Comm again. "Number One, we need another landing port in the deck below please."

"Yes sir, monitoring you transmissions and blasting one now.”

A marine joined Jack on the grated deck next to him as Jack hit the hatch release and it opened. The deck was brightly lit compared to the gun deck below. Jack headed toward the center of the deck they were on meeting the original scouts.

Jack was hoping the core shaft elevators would have some kind of magazine handling system. But no marine was stupid enough to take the elevator anyplace on any ship unless they already controlled both ends. They passed side corridors running around the ship lined with heavy hatches on the hull side of each corridor. Now that they knew the enemy could really be deadly, his enthusiasm for exploring had vanished. Though it was not the terror he had felt when they first landed. He now knew what the unknown was and he just wanted to get off the hulk before he lost any more men. All he wanted to do was find the stupid power pack magazines and grab packs for the larger weapons they had not found power packs for down below and get out of there. Besides they were running out of time with the enemy’s main fleet barreling in on them.

He came out onto the central core with several Apes watching hatches in the core with their weapons raised and their backs to the passageway they had come down. His heart suddenly caught in his throat before it started beating fast enough to beat out his chest. He slid back behind the corner of the passageway dragging the two marines with him. Looking around he motioned the 4 other marines following him to catch up. He spread them out in a line and whispered. "From left to right, One, Two, Three, Four, Five. I will take the 6th to the far right and you." Pointing to the last marine. Take out anyone that gets missed or does not look dead."

Jack peaked around the corner as the marines squatted down or crawled out around the corner exposing as little of their bodies as possible.

"Three, two," Jack took carful aim. "One, and fire." Jack squeezed the trigger and nothing happened. As 5 bright balls, then a sixth a half second later streaked out to hit the 6th as the first 5 Apes fell to the deck. As they dropped falling away from the gasses spraying out the side closest to the marines Jack dropped his gun from his shoulder and looked down at it.

A marine reached up and flicked the safety off. "Shoots a lot better Captain with the safety off. I like where they put it but I don't like the pistol grip being made short for only 3 fingers even if they are big fingers." Looking up at Jack turning red. "Don't be embarrassed Captain, it takes a lot of practice to remember the safety in combat." Slapping Jack on the shoulder he flicked the safety back on then walked down the corridor and headed around one side of the core with two marines while three others headed the other way with their weapons up and ready to fire. The seventh marine waited with his weapon ready checking the passageways leading from the core and the Ape bodies.

Shaking his head after looking carefully through the core as he followed the marines. This time he fired as they took out several Apes guarding the hatches on the other side. Jack finally felt confident that he could see the relatively cold apes and looked around the deck as he walked over to the core and the hatches. Finding no other relatively cool Apes around, he studied the hatches. Picture symbols were etched in the metal next to each hatch, making it clear what each hatch was for. The one on the right showed what looked like a platform conveyor chain lift. The other a standard elevator car. Punching the button with the worn down arrow on the conveyor lift, the right hatch opened and the conveyor started. Expecting a clanking chain he was surprised to see a solid state gravity coil lift platform.

Turning he walked to the nearest armored hatch toward the outside of the open area facing the core and studied the symbols on it trying to make some sense of it. A marine Sgt. stepped up beside Jack. "Looks Greek to me sir. Or should I say old Egyptian."

"Well it does not matter Sgt. I doubt if they say press her and open says me. They must have a lock on the hatch of some kind. How do we open it?"

"Well Captain. These old power packs look solid state to me. Why not just blast the hatch open?"

"Ok give it a try. You got something to do the job or do you need to send out for delivery?"

The marine Sgt. smiled. "Got just the stuff Captain. Morgan, get your butt over here and blow this hatch. It looks like it has some kind of transport pad on the deck so just blow the sides and top."

The Sgt. took Jacks elbow and started walking around the nearest corner. "This could be nasty if the magazine goes up Captain. Morgan will tell us when it is clear."

Jack’s eyes widened at the thought of the whole magazine exploding as the Sgt. Kept putting distance between them and the magazine’s hatch.

The Sgt. Chuckled. “Don’t worry Captain. Magazines are designed to explode without taking out the surrounding magazines. At least human magazines.”

A minute later a bright flash lit up the compartment with another wall of gas mixed with vaporized metal streaking around the core and down the corridor. Slapping the Captain on the back. "Ok Captain let's see what happened.

A marine was already pushing out a pallet stacked full of boxes. Stopping just outside the hatch another marine opened one of the boxes and pulled out a power charge clip. "This what you were looking for Captain?"

"Ya sure, it’s a good start. Now shove it on the conveyor platform and we will see if the transport system works."

The marine pushed the pallet onto the conveyor platform and it slid out and down to be replaced by another platform a millisecond later sliding out from the deck.

A marine from the magazine hatch hit his comm. "Captain these pallets are attached to each other in a train. Is it possible the conveyor will take the train without disconnecting them first?"

"It is possible but I would hate to jam up the works if it did not work." Jack looked at the train of pallets as it came out of the magazine. "It looks like it should. But try it in the… No. wait. The other side of the core's conveyor, if it works, would dump them out headed for the shuttle instead of having to take them around the core. Let's see if the conveyor on the other side works and if so we will try putting in a train on this side and if it fails we at least have the conveyor facing the right direction. Sgt. keep stuffing them in one at a time for another few minutes."

It only took a couple of minutes to make sure the other conveyor was working and a minute later the word came up from the deck below that not only did it work but the train followed the pallets already being pushed to the back of the shuttle around the core.

More marines joined coming up in the elevator once they figured out what deck the symbols matched. Then jumped into blowing hatches and pushing trains to the two conveyors with a vengeance. Until someone noticed that if you pushed a little button with the shape of a train on it just inside the magazine's open hatch, the trains in that magazine started automatically and ran to the nearest conveyor and down to present itself to the shuttle for loading.

Things really speeded up when Jack took a look at the panel and the symbols lined up on it. They suddenly started making sense once he knew what a few of them meant. Turning to the outside panel he smiled and stepped to the next hatch a marine was getting ready to blow and pushed two of the buttons at the same time and the hatch opened. He had just taken it for granted that they would be locked up and had not even tried. Jack started to get frustrated as they were wasting time trying to find the power packs for all the weapons they were packing out below and then Jack noticed that the Ape Pistol he was carrying had a symbol that matched the symbol on a box on a pallet that was going past. Grabbing the box off the pallet he opened it to find the power packs that matched his weapon. Comparing the different symbol on the assault gun one of the marines had, Jack found the matching power packs for it on a pallet and noticed the same symbol over a magazine hatch.

They soon were opening magazines already knowing what was in them using comm photos of the symbols on the weapons being loaded below. With both conveyors going full tilt, a steady stream of pallets were headed for the boats with trains lined up down most of the passageways on the magazine deck. Automatically taking turns to enter the 4 conveyor lifts into the deck below and running to the boats to be loaded. Marines started stacking weapons on top of the pallet trains to save time carrying them all the way across the deck since they were headed that way anyway. The cargo masters packing them in as tight as they could not bothering to tie them down even though the Spider ship pallet lock down system differed from the Republic pallet locks. They simply did not have the time anyway. As soon as a boat was stuffed the hatch was slammed closed and the shuttle or gig or stacked life boat was gone.

A good hour later shaking his head Jack started looking up again as he stepped into the elevator to go down to check on loading. "Hell it will be a few minutes. I may as well see what is up there." Jack punched the button for the next deck up now that he could read some of the enemy symbols. As the elevator stopped he suddenly wondered if the Apes would be guarding this deck too. Feeling incredibly stupid, suddenly he looked desperately for a button to stop the elevator. Reaching to hit a button just to be hitting one the elevator doors opened and Jack brought his weapon up but knew if there was even one Ape ready to fire, he would lose.

The doors opened on an empty space around the core. Picking himself up from the deck after diving for cover when he realized he would be caught flat footed, he peeked out around the edge. He blocked the doors from closing as he tried to catch his breath. Looking around he realized that this was one of the decks that was completely closed off and cold from him seeing anything on it except for the lit compartment directly ahead of him. Carefully Jack walked toward the compartment as he tried to see in it but could not see any shapes even though he could see the heat and light in it and some power lines going to rows of some kind of modules running down both sides.

Trying to think of what kind of weapon could be inside, he opened the hatch slowly, carefully. Jack peeked into the compartment through the crack he made down the open side of the hatch. Ready to run if something tried to get him. He stared for several seconds through the crack not believing or understanding what he was looking at.

Throwing the hatch wide open he stepped into the compartment with his new gun ready after making sure the safety was off. Both sides were lined with upright canisters leaned back about 30 degrees with clear lids hanging up in front of the open empty canisters. Canisters just big enough to house an Armored Ape. Jack examined a couple of the canisters closely then walked out and to the next hatch with nothing but darkness on the other side. Opening the hatch he stepped inside. The cold registered slightly above absolute Zero. A faint glow of electrical lines running to the rows of canisters left the details vague. Tapping his arm brought a flood of light showing a hundred closed canisters filled with Lizard Apes through the clear lids.

Swallowing hard Jack had to remind himself to breath as he made sure he was recording what he saw. Again he examined the canisters and the controls around him being careful not to disturb anything. Finally realizing he had been there a good half hour when he sealed the hatch behind him and returned to the elevator. Dropping back down to the magazine deck he grabbed a crate of power packs and placed it in the elevator's door. Then ran around to the other elevator and did the same to it. Tapping his comm pad. "Commander, how long until the shuttle is full?"

"We are on our 4th pair of boats now and we only have gotten through half the compartment though I think we have a good assortment of the weapons. Why? Do you want me to send up another squad to go up ship with you?"

"Been up ship Commander." Jack looked up at the hot energy radiating compartment some 20 decks above them. Now he knew exactly what was up there and he did not like it at all. "There are about a thousand Lizard Apes and growing in that hot compartment above us and maybe 10,000 in hibernation on the decks between there and here.” Jack watched another compartment below the hot decks start to heat up. "We only have a few minutes before they decide to come visiting us. Start wrapping it up." Jack looked down at the deck for an instant. "Ok. I want you to cut the elevator shafts two decks above us. I also want to see if we can get a couple of the canisters with the Lizard Apes still hibernating in them."

"Very well Captain, sending up a squad now. There are too many pipe and energy chasses to cut them all anytime soon but…"

Blaster fire suddenly erupted down the passageways from a single and then a dozen directions around the magazines. "Damn Commander! Too late. They are already here. Start evacuating the men on this landing deck to the shuttle. We will delay them as long as possible. Out."

Jack had his weapon off his shoulder and stood there not having a clear direction to go as his sight told him that marines were fighting in every direction. "Pull back now everybody. Pull back to the core now!" he said over his command comm.

Looking around he realized that one team was having a hard time as several became wounded and took off toward them to lend a hand. Flicking off the weapon’s safety, he made the distance in only a few seconds getting there just in time to help fight off a charge of knife and sword wielding Lizard Apes. As the last Lizard Ape dropped to the deck dead, a 4 foot long saber came tumbling down the passageway missing Jack by inches sticking itself into the bulkhead next to him. Several plasma balls zipped down toward the swords origination point.

With the passageway quiet for a moment, two marines started dragging the three wounded marines down toward Jack. Several more Lizard Apes appeared again charging down the passageway and Jack started firing over the heads of the crouching marines dragging their wounded mates. One of the wounded with a leg hanging at a strange angle kept shooting as he was being dragged backwards. They finally reached the corner as the last Lizard Ape dropped dead as a train of palates passed them from the magazine the team had just opened up.

Jack turned and grabbed a hold of one of the wounded from the marine dragging two and started running. The other two dragging their wounded behind them passed Jack at a run. The two marines reached the core and turned the corner then appeared again with their weapons raised and started shooting to each side of Jack down the Corridor.

Jack reached the core and looked around. It was full of marines shooting down the corridors radiating out as trains of power packs continued to disappear down the conveyor lift. "Stop the trains to use as barricades inside each corridor." Jack said as one of the marine stopped one of the trains.

As they worked making barricades and shooting Apes, Jack looked around for anyone that had been left behind in one of the corridors. After a few minutes he was glad to find none. "Sgt. How many have we lost?"

"My count says 3 sir. But they just may have dropped down one of the chasses or garbage shoots, or blast holes from the gun fire that had hit the ship."

"God how could I forget." Jack slapped his wrist comm again. Number one I need you to target the decks above especially the hot deck we were headed for above us. We are undergoing a massive assault. Luckily they only have swards and knives at the moment. But we need time to drop down the elevator and taking out their command and control deck just may slow things down."

The ship started shaking under them as the hot deck above them started taking 16inch gun and torpedo hits blasting chunks out of the hull. "Ok men to the elevators now. Pack them in. I want everyone in them now." Jack watched the hot compartment some 20 decks above him take several direct gun hits and then seconds later another dozen torpedo hits. The decks above start to cool but then within seconds, instead of just one deck at a time heating up, every deck between them and what must be some kind of command deck started warming up.

The marines started an orderly withdraw into the elevator as Jack watched. He backed up to the bulkhead next to the elevator hatch. Pallet trains continued to go around the barricades to disappear down the shafts. The ones they had stopped started up again.

Then with three marines left standing next to Jack, they started to back in when the hatch closed pushing him and the three marines’ butts back out so the hatch would close. Jack watched the energy trace of the elevator drop down. "Shit. Come on guys around to the other. They moved as one firing down each corridor as they passed in their flight around the core past the conveyor half way around to the other side having to jump over the train of pallets. The rear marine throwing grenades down each passageway as he passed.

Just as they reached the elevator hatch it closed pushing the gloves trying to keep it from closing, back inside leaving an additional marine out in the cold.

Turning as Lizard Apes started pouring out of the corridors Jack fired as he was run down by a pallet train headed for the conveyor next to the elevator when the Apes stopped the train coming out another passageway trying to follow the train ahead of it already in the conveyor.

Getting back up and shooting over the pallets as they disappeared down the conveyor one at a time he suddenly stopped firing as he studied the pallet going into the conveyor and disappearing down it.

"Shit. That’s it!" Turning to the marine next to him as the marine started to change power packs Jack grabbed him by the rescue loop on his back and jerked him around and onto the top of the next pallet headed into the conveyor.

As it disappeared down with the marine on top of it Jack smiled. "Everyone down the conveyor on top of the pallets. Now!"

Jack grabbed the next marine in line as he turned around to head for the conveyor and helped him on with one arm as he continued to fire at the Lizard Apes.

Two more times he help the next marine in line onto a pallet until the Sgt. stood next to him. "Go Sgt. I will follow you."

"Sorry Captain you first." The train ended as another closely followed it.

"You go now Sgt. that is an order."

"Sorry Sir but I out rank you here." The Sgt. took a couple of grenades off Jacks chest harness and throw them across the compartment and then took something bigger from his thighs as explosions lit up the passageways around the corner sending bodies out across to hit the elevator doors. As two more of Jack's grenades followed them.

As the grenades started exploding followed by two much bigger explosions the Sgt. grabbed Jack by the rescue loop on his back and an arm and leveraged him over onto the next pallet train as it passed. As Jack came to rest on top, he pulled the last grenades off Jacks power pack vest and stepped back as Jack dropped away from the fight.

"Damn it Sgt." He knew that there was no way the Sgt. could make it onto a pallet without being overrun first.

Jack was dumped onto the gun deck joining the pallet that had gone down ahead of him to form a train with the other marines a train ahead of him as another train came around the core and headed for the shuttle sitting in a new landing hole in the open hull between the empty holes in the hull of two turret mounts. Then another pallet dropped out of the conveyor and onto the long row of pallets as the train headed for the shuttle a good (or bad) 500 feet away. The Sgt. was facing back at the conveyor with his weapon ready as the inside of the conveyor lit up with a huge explosion that continued for several minutes as the train rushed toward one of the two remaining boats. The other boat took off with the stern ramp packed, not giving the hatch room to close.

Jack looked around to see how many troops were left on the gun deck and got a surprise as the boat's stern guns started hammering away at the core and utility chasses running from the deck to the overhead spaced around the huge compartment.

The pallet train finally reached the last boat. Running up onto the ramp as the shuttle pulled out of the ship. The rear ramp started closing as the guns from the ship dropped its fire from the decks above to the gun deck obliterating the Apes coming out of the chases along with the weapons. Then magazines above started blowing in mass ripping the two decks apart knocking several of the remaining gun towers into strange angles from the hull.

Jack slid off the pallet and turned around on the ramp to a packed shuttle with most of the troops and crewmen laying on top of pallets already stacked up head high, bulkhead to bulkhead. "Ok, whoever is in command of this shuttle, drop me and the marines off at the other platoon's landing zone before you head for the ship." Turning to the Sgt. "Damn Sgt. I thought I had lost you back there. I didn't now marines carried explosives that big."

"We don’t' Captain but the Lizard Apes do. We were able to grab quite an assortment of ordnance along with the power packs. I think we even have something that will take out a tank. If you will excuse me I need to restock my men before we head back aboard that ship sir."

"Yes Sgt. Oh and sorry for the men you lost. I wish it…"

"Did not lose anyone Captain. They dropped down through one of the Trunks when they got cut off. They even managed to plant a bunch of explosives before they dropped down. They did well Captain." The Sgt. said as he climbed up onto the layer of pallets and started hunting around for specific ordnance.

25-

ENEMY SLAVES

The shuttle curved around and backed its stern up against a hole sitting between the tower arms of another of the enemy ship's smaller caliber turret gun deck's just after another shuttle left for the ship. Jack and the platoon got off taking a bunch of the power pack grav pallets with them. As work crews started off the ramp Jack turned around to the lieutenant that seemed to be in charge of them. "Hold on there. We are pulling out and I need you to unload this shuttle on the other end so we can get everyone off this ship as fast as possible. Can you do that Lieutenant?"

The lieutenant looked longingly into the enemy ship but turned to Jack and saluted. "Yes Captain, we will have this and the other boats unloaded in record time sir.

"Good Lieutenant. Get it done." Jack returned the solute then turned around trying to see what was going on around him. A mass of equipment and pallets started piling up for the next shuttle with a mass of work crews and marines scattered across that side of the enemy ship. He found The Ensign in only a few seconds several decks below him.

Turning to look for the easiest way to get to the Ensign Jack noticed a work crew at the base of one of the gun towers trying to disconnect the tower from the ship. Stepping up to one of the holes in the hull Jack looked up at the gun mount. Shaking his head he made a beeline to the work crew. "Ok gentlemen. Stop what you are doing." It looks like some kind of point defense turret on the end of the tower. Half of you go out to the end of the tower and knock the mount off. The rest can start loading boats. "We already have 4 main guns and a good sampling of most of the other weapons. We need to get the hell out of here." As the crew gathered and just stood looking at him. "Come on guys get going. We don't have much time."

As he walked away half the crew disappeared up the tower while the rest ran out the hatches up ship to the deck that was being stripped. "Ensign, you have better start wrapping things up. We need to get out of here. I bet an army of Lizard Apes are headed this way and I would not be surprised if they had something besides knives and swords for weapons."

"But I am almost to what looks like some kind of main personnel compartment. That area is better protected than most of the rest of this section of the ship and could contain air pressure by the looks of it. I was just getting ready to head down for it."

"We don't have time now Ensign. We have plenty of loot. Time to go."

"Ya, sure Captain Jack. Be right there."

Jack hit his comm again. "Cargo Chief, how many landing decks do you have open?"

"Two with the closing of the main gun deck you were on. I will be closing the next upper one in a few minutes as they finish loading what the crews have collected."

"Good. I want you down here on the lower gun deck as soon as possible. We are pulling out." Jack looked down through the decks and saw The Ensign head down toward the hot spot full of hot moving shapes. Hitting his comm. "Commander I need a squad with me. I am headed down for what looks like an army below us." He started running to catch up with The Ensign. "Ensign Stop right there. It looks like a frigging army is down there. What do you think you are doing?"

"It is not an army."

"Captain." Came the marine Commanders voice. "I need all my squads for blocking the Lizard Apes until we can get the work crews off ship Captain. We are setting up defensive positions now."

"Well you are going to have to do it with one less squad Commander. The Ensign is getting herself into trouble. We have hostiles below us." Jack said as he dropped down the nearest pipe and cable chase trunk, holding the sides of the ladder and letting himself slide down several decks to intercept the Ensign. Jack heard the call of another shuttle backing into the landing zone and the orders to the crews to stop what they were doing and load the shuttle and start evacuating the ship. Jack had to kick the rusted hatch open onto the deck. As he headed for the Ensign hopping to cut her off before she started down again, the Sgt. that had saved his life a few minutes before joined him with a five marine fire team instead of a full squad pilling out of the chase behind him. "Damn it Sgt. I need a platoon but asked for a squad because I know they are going to be needed above and the Commander only sends me a fire team."

"I don’t know what the Commander sent you Captain. I just followed you with what I thought I needed to protect you. I have not heard a word from Command yet."

"Good. Maybe I will get the troops I need after all. All we have to do is grab the Ensign and get the hell back up ship to evacuate before she does something stupid and gets herself killed." Jack continued down the passageway hitting his comm. "Ensign. Stop right there damn it. That is an Order. We don't have the time or troops to take on another army."

Jack stepped around a corner just in time to see the Ensign watch him come around the corner then turn and disappears down a ladder trunk. "Damn it Ensign I said stop! That is an order." He said exasperated.

Jack followed her down the ladder trunk trying to catch up to her but she stayed ahead of him as he took just a little longer than her to make the turns around and down each flight of steep ladders. Jack growing more pissed and scared as the mass of strange looking hot bodies on the deck far below got closer and the mass of bodies and energy he could see emanating from them grew more distinct.

The Ensign finally left the trunk and ran through a hatch into a long passageway with moving hatches and then down another passage into the compartment packed with life forms to Jack's horror.

A few seconds later Jack rushed through the same passageway of moving hatches and into a short passageway with a closed hatch on the other end that opened as he rushed at it and out into a huge compartment ready to kill any and everything in sight.

As soon as he jumped through the hatch he pulled the assault gun up as it fired hitting the overhead barely missing a creature a few feet away with its four empty arms held up over its head. The marines piled out behind him two at a time ready to kill.

"No! Stop! Don't shoot!" The Ensign screamed. "These are slaves. Don't shoot damn it."

The marines did not fire but they spread out with their backs against the bulkhead covering the hundreds of aliens massed across the large Compartment.

Jack stood there staring at the long snouted creature with 4 raised arms and then started noticing many other races of aliens that included some that looked all too human. Most with their arms raised.

A thin spindly frail looking creature that almost looked human but with a big head and small eyes and mouth slowly walked up to Jack and the Ensign. It made a jester for jack to take off his helmet. Fighting down panic as The Ensign took off hers, Jack reached up and unlocked his visor letting it slide up and back out of his way. Taking a small breathe the air smelled sweet. Much better than the stale sour burnt air aboard the Red Pepper.

The big headed creature started speaking. "My name is Moo Goo Guy Pan. Speech slave to the Great God Race. I have recently learned human speak. Forgive me if I do not speak well. We see you stripping the ship and fighting the God Army above. You are getting ready to leave. Please take some of us with you. We can help you fight the God Army. We can teach you the ways of the Gods. The technology of the Gods."

Jack could only stare at the creature as the Ensign spoke. "You will need vacuum suits. We do not have time to place an air bridge to transfer your people."

The creature turned and started speaking a strange guttural language. It suddenly stopped and whipped around to face the Ensign. "Forgive me. I do not wish to insult. May I talk to the other races in God speak they can understand to arrange a consensus?"

"By all means. Sure." Jack said then turning to The Ensign he whispered. "We do not have the time or room to take on a bunch of slaves."

As the creature looked at him without moving for several seconds, The Ensign spoke up. "Yes Moo Goo Guy Pan. Please talk with other races in God speak. You can call me Ensign Pullver." She pointed to the gold name plate above her breast. Then pointing to Jack. "That is Captain Turner."

Bowing before the Ensign and then Jack. "Please call me Translator slave Pan." The alien pointed at the collar around its neck "I am honored to know your names Ensign Pullver, Captain Turner." Then turning back around it started talking the guttural speech as several aliens walked up.

"What are you doing Ensign? We do not have the time to rescue even some of these a, aliens."

"We can make time Captain. If anyone knows what we are up against these slaves do."

"And how are we supposed to know if they really are slaves Ensign? They could be lying."

"Damn it, look at them. I have been going through their birthing and work decks for hours now and these people are slaves. Besides you want prisoners? You have prisoners. Don't turn down the Christmas Gift. We can sort it all out on the ship later."

The translator turned from the assembling group. "We have decided that most of the maintenance slaves want to go with you as well. We have suits. We also have a boat lock plenty large enough for your boat to fit into. We can load your boats much faster without the inconvenience of vacuum."

Jack could not believe what was happening. "You expect us to lock one of our boats inside an enemy ship? What if you can't open the damn hatch again? No, you can wear suits even if I decide to risk taking you aboard my ship."

"Please begging your forgiveness Captain Turner. Several of the slave races do not take to vacuum suits very well."

"They can just damn well get used to them. We are a combat ship and the entire crew wears vacuum suits to keep from dying if that section of the ship is hit. Your slaves will not be allowed an exception even if they do not like suits." Jack looked up shaking his head in exasperation. "I can't believe I am arguing with an alien I am not even sure I want to even try to rescue over vacuum suits. My God. I am not going to let you die from something as stupid as the lack of vacuum suits after going to all the trouble to rescue you. If we do."

The Alien turned and spoke to the crowd for a few seconds. Then the whole compartment erupted in howls, grunts and screeches as half of them started jumping up and down. Jack and the marines gripped their guns tighter.

At a yell from the translator they all dropped to the deck bowing before the humans and then jumped up and scattered. Some of them going so fast Jack had a hard time following them with his eyes. Translator Pan turned back around. "Please forgive our outburst Captain Turner. No God has ever expressed worry about the life of a slave."

Rolling his eyes. "You are not slaves but you will be prisoners until we can determine if you can harm us or not and I expect that the medical boys are going to want to study all of you in great detail so you may well wish you were slaves again with your god. Ah oh. We are not Gods. Does that change your minds?"

"No Captain Turner. Yes we fully expect that you will want to dissect several of each race but that will still leave most alive to provide you with information and knowledge."

"Ok wait one. No one is going to dissect any of you. Humans do hot do that. Though what they do, do to you may heart like hell for short periods of time, they will not kill any of you on purpose. We have already run into a few alien races and dissecting is definitely not on the table for any of you unless you give us permission to dissect a body that dies of natural causes."

Translator Pan bowed and turned as he brought something up to his face and spoke into it. After an answer came he turned back around. "Captain Turner. Please do not take my next question as disrespectful and I would understand if you decide to kill me for even suggesting such a, a, a ridiculous thing." The alien seemed to swallow as its blue color turned pale.

Jack looked at Translator Pan baffled.

Translator Pan seemed to stand an inch taller as it braced and straitened its back and waited for the worst as it asked. "Your honorable Captain. We would like to take our small ones, our off spring, our children with us? They are not allowed vacuum suits and would require a boat to transfer to your ship. We are willing to risk their deaths from vacuum if your ship is damaged in battle. We understand that freedom is costly and will kill or leave our young ones here with the few volunteer caretakers we are leaving with the babies, if you do not wish to risk them on your ship."

Jacks mouth just dropped open for several seconds and then he raised his hands to his face rubbing his forehead. "God, I don't believe these people."

Ensign Pullver took a step closer to the Translator. The Translator's muscles rippled across its body as it tried to keep from cringing. She reached out and put her hands up on its shoulders. "You will take even your babies with you. We have air bags for even the smallest babies to keep them safe. Do you understand me? Leave no one behind. Is that clear? No one stays behind."

The Alien looked down at the Ensign as color came back to its face. "No one stays behind? Do I understand you correctly Ensign Pullver. Leave no one behind? Does that mean every person large and small can go with you?"

"Yes Translator Pan. No matter how, a, large or small."

Pan turned around and yelled for a few seconds in the guttural language and the deck started to shake under their feet as a huge green man with his head brushing the overhead some 20 feet above came running into the huge compartment. He was followed by several green monster men and women a little shorter than he was. One woman carried an obvious baby suckling at her breast the size of a large human child as she walked not even trying to keep up with the others.

Jack felt himself start to back up as the giants rushed up to them. Ensign Pullver grabbed his trembling arm preventing him from running. The group pounded up to them slowing as they approached to stop only feet away. They looked down at Jack and his party and started talking in the gutter language.

The Translator raised its hand to quiet them and turned to Jack. "They pledge their allegiance to you even if you cannot take them along after all. They understand and will keep the God troops back long enough for you to leave with everyone else."

Jack looked up at the giants and then at the suckling mother as she walked up baby cradled in her arms. Shaking his head. "The Ensign said NO one will be left behind and that includes the Giants even if I don't have a frigging clue where to birth them. At least tell me they have vacuum suits."

"I think that was a question Captain. If it was, the Greenfoots have breathers for moving heavy equipment and stores in vacuum. That is for the adults. We can make bags for the very young children that have not grown a thick, hard enough skin if you show us one of your air bags if your decision depends on that Captain."

"No my decision does not depend on that though I will take you up on it for their safety later when we have time." Shaking his head as he looked up then closed his eyes and whispered something. Looking back at the translator Pan. "Open your boat lock bay. We do not have much time." Turning away he tapped his wrist comm. "Number One. You will be seeing a hatch opening in a few seconds someplace around the deck I am on now. I want an empty shuttle backed into it ASAP. A ah, include a few marines for security. We are picking up a few refugee slaves." Hesitating for just a second." Jack turned to the Pan. "How many are we talking about Pan?"

"The exact count is One Thousand Two Hundred and Seventy Four Captain."

Jack turned white. That many. Ok Well Number One. We are going to have our hands full. It may take more than a couple of boats if there are a lot of Greenfoots. Ah... You probably should lock the bridge hatches on the boats as well as the boat bays and isolate the troop decks by welding most of the side hatches closed for now just to be on the safe side. We will keep them there for now Number One. Captain out." Though the troop decks was where he was going to birth half the crew with the bow of the ship destroyed. He would have to come up with a different plan later. Tapping his wrist again as he studied the upper decks. "Commander I don't see that many enemy troops or Apes, coming down ship yet. Hold as long as you safely can then start dropping down ship with delaying actions as long as you can. It looks like we are going to need as much time as you can give us. We have a bunch of refugees to evacuate now. Captain out."

"Come Captain." Pan said as it looked down at a pad. "Let me show you the boat lock. One of your boats approaches now."

Jack and The Ensign followed with the marines spread out behind them. Their weapons across their chests at the ready instead of to their shoulders.

They walked down a passageway and Pan stopped at a hatch. "Just one minute Captain Turner. Please, since we had to pass this way anyway. The Gods punishment for failure is death. The punishment for their troops that do not maintain proficiency or fail a task is reassignment with the maintenance slaves as workers. If they fail proficiency at the maintenance they are assigned they are then recycled as food as are we. We have well over a hundred of what you are calling Lizard Apes working as slaves." Pan pushed open the hatch. "Please do not be alarmed. You do not need to fight these though if you wish to kill them they will put up no resistance." Pan's face twisted a little into what Jack would learn later was its smile as it made the statement.

Jack walked through the hatch into a compartment with lizard apes lined up along the far bulkhead just standing without armor or suits or weapons. The translator Pan stepped to one side leaving a clear shot for Jack and the marines at the Lizard Apes. "Many have been wounded and did not heal properly but most simply got tired of the killing or did not carry out some order properly of fast enough or questioned an order. Often after a long period of none combat they will be tasked with providing targets for the troops rotating out of storage to fight against. This last is particularly annoying if we have spent a lot of time and effort training them for specific jobs."

Jack lowered his assault gun from his shoulder after none of the lizard apes moved or showed any sign of aggression. "Do they have a leader?"

"They are not allowed a leader. They must do as anyone tells them, even kill themselves if told to. They are the walking dead. Though we would never think of it. The God Officers do enough of that already."

Jack turned to Pan. "Tell them to pick a leader to speak for them."

Pan looked at Jack as if he had insulted the alien. "You do not understand Captain. They are forbidden a leader. They have only gathered here because I told them to, so you could kill them."

Turning to look at Pan. "Have any of them ever hurt any of you? Gone berserk or ran around killing any of you? Disobeyed orders or followed orders to kill slaves in the past? Or anything to make you hate them so much you want them dead?"

The tight lipped translator Pan looked over to the line of Lizard Apes. "No. They have never hurt or killed any of us for any reason. The God Officers would not even bother ordering any of them to kill us. They are not worthy of a God Officer's orders."

"Then why do you hate them so much you want us to kill them?"

Pan turned back to Jack. "They get a second chance to live when they fail. We are killed immediately for the least mistake."

"That I understand but we do not kill innocent unarmed people even if they are our enemies. Oh and we do not kill anyone for the least mistake. Mistakes are normal and human."

The Ensign took the assault gun out of a nearby marine's hands and gave it to Pan. "Here, if you want them dead. You kill them. We will not. Nor will we kill any of you for making mistakes unless that mistake is deliberate and kills someone else."

The translator Pam looked down at the weapon it held in its hands for several seconds. Then raised it to its shoulder as the marines had done without using the sight or putting its finger on the trigger. "My mate made a minor mistake and was hacked down by one of those monsters. But it was not one of these. Though even if it was, killing it would not bring him back."

Jack suddenly realized that pan` was a she, a female, complete with small breasts of sorts now that he looked. She turned and gave the gun back to the marine and started talking the Gutter language.

After Pan was done, the whole line of Lizard Apes looked at each other up and down the line without any of them coming forward.

"Ok. Tell them that they each have to make a decision. They can come with us or they can stay. The ones that want to come with us need to move over to the left side of the compartment." Jack pointed off to his right. "If they want to stay here simply do not move.

The Lizard Apes just stood there looking across the Compartment at Jack and the marines with their weapons.

"Ok, that settles that." Jack turned around to leave as the Ensign spoke up.

"Are you sure you told them they had a choice?”

"I would never risk displeasing you or the dishonor for failing to translate accurately." As she turned to follow Jack and the marines.

A loud voice echoed across the compartment in Gutter speak. The translator Pan turned with Jack, the Ensign and marines to face a solid line without being able to tell who had talked as Pan translated what had been said. "Why should I come with you? Do you offer me an honorable death?"

Taken back by the question Jack shook his head. "That is up to you. What is an honorable death?"

After Pan translated, several Apes talked at once until the translator shouted at them then turned around to Jack. "An honorable death is to die fighting ones enemy."

"Ok. Who is their enemy?"

"Most do not care or know." Said the translator after several had spoken. "But some say the Gods are their enemy now."

"Very well. Tell them that in time they may be able to earn their right to fight with us against the Gods or they could do some other honorable profession that does not require them to fight and die if they so choose."

The translator had barely finished the sentence when some started crossing the Compartment. Then a lone voice spoke and the translator turned to Jack. "This one says he likes to build things with his hands. Can he build things until he makes a mistake? It would be worth dying to him if he had a chance to build things."

"Tell them all that we do not kill for making a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes once in a while and as long as you learn from your mistake, the worst that can happen is that you get…" Jack started to say terminated but realized that was the wrong word. "Transferred to something you are better at and make fewer mistakes."

The Ape that had spoken started across the compartment and was followed by most of the rest. Jack was satisfied until he noticed that about a dozen remained against the bulkhead. "Ok. Ask them what their problem is? Why do they not want to leave?"

Translator Pam finally turned to Jack after much discussion with the ones that remained. "They say that they have killed and enslaved many humans on the planets that they have conquered over the last two years and feel that they will not be wanted amongst you humans."

"Ok. Are they sorry? No they were just following orders. Tell you what. If they promise not to kill humans ever again and even promise to help humans and other races live, we will forgive them as long as they never kill or harm another human. But if they do break their word, they will receive the most un-honorable death possible. Ah. That goes for the other races as well.”

"I am sorry Captain but I do not really understand the concept of forgive."

"Well. How about we will forget it happened as long as they behave themselves and do their best from now on to make amends. It is the same principle concerning mistakes. Forgive, learn and go on with your life doing the best you can."

"Best? Why would anyone do less?" Pan shook her head as she turned around to speak to the remaining Lizard Apes. A minute later the dozen joined the rest.

Walking into the boat bay Jack could not believe the mass of aliens and freight already going into the shuttle. Pallets large and small seemed to come out of every connecting passageway into the bay. Jack could see some thirty Greenfoots hauling large equipment into the shuttle by themselves and in cooperation with several on the big pieces. Walking over to look up the shuttles long cargo hold he realized that there was little room left for any of the aliens. The last pallets where shoved in and the translator turned to Jack. "The boat is ready to go. We have included all our teaching and technology training equipment as well as examples of most ships smaller equipment. We will start shipping larger equipment and ourselves over with the next boat."

Raising his hand up in front of the Translator. "Pilot. Have your cargo chief drop as many of the mid deck grates down as possible for personnel." He listened for a second then. "Yes we have a lot of refugees. A lot of strange alien refugees. Now be quick about it. We don't have much time." Then turned back to the translator. "Start putting your families and wounded up on the grated deck above the cargo and be quick about it, we do not have much time." Jack looked up to see deck grates being dropped down from the overhead of the boats cargo compartment far to the front and working their way back.

The Translator pulled out her pad and started talking into it as she scribbled on its face. A few seconds later a line of big and small aliens with packs on their backs and arms full of boxes or bundles or kids, came running out of a side hatch not fare from the back of the shuttle. Many small copies of the larger aliens ran around the line with their own bundles or packs including toys in the arms of some. Turning to Jack the translator said. "We can get over 400 on the boat without crowding. We are not comfortable sending our families ahead of ourselves but every able body is needed to finish stripping the ship of what is needed."

Jack smiled at Pan. "Don't worry they will be fine. As for crowding. Pack them in translator until no more will fit."

Pam looked at Jack then turned to her pad and started scribbling again. "Most are small and take up less room. We will put over 500 in. Most of the young and caregivers."

The ship shook knocking many off their feet. The Lizard Apes did not even slow down and seemed used to the shaking. Jack was on the comm immediately. "What the hell was that?"

"First Officer here Captain. The alien fleet is 12 hours away and has evidentially been firing torpedoes at our fleet from extreme range hours ago. Evidentially one of their torpedoes has gone astray and scored a hit on their own ship's armored hull that is hard to miss. They have not come near us yet but then I am hiding behind their hulks. I don't think they know we are even here at the moment."

"Very good Number One. How are our engines looking?" Jack said as he looked at the rock steady Apes and Greenfoots as they continued to run cargo to the end of the lock in preparation for loading on the next boat.

"Sorry sir but we only have engine number 1 up to specks finally. The Chief did a number on engine 2 and it will be a while before it is ready."

"We need to have started decelerating hours ago to out run them on only one engine. We are well past that. We are going to need at least another engine going if we stand a chance of out running the enemy fleet now."

"Ah, it is going to take a lot of work yet to get the other engine going. Besides Captain, we are still unloading boats with most of the maintenance crews. We are running out of room for all the cargo you have been sending over as it is. Not to mention all the time it is taking to haul it up the pipe chase to the catwalk decks. It will be another 10 minutes before we can empty another boat to make another trip."

"Damn it Number One, put a fire under both the engine and cargo deck crews. We should not have that much more to ship. We are pulling out now. Just do the best you can with the cargo. Just get the damn boats back here so we can get off this hulk and the engines going so we can leave when we do get back to the ship. Captain out." Turning to Pan. "Get 600 in that shuttle now. We may only have time for one more boat." Tapping his comm. "Pilot, start stuffing them into the compartments between the hulls. You can including the bridge. We are running out of time and boats."

Five minutes later the shuttle took off and was replaced by another one immediately to Jack's surprise. What really shocked Jack was that the end hatch opened to reveal open space and the stars beyond while the lock was still pressurized. The boat eased out through a shimmering curtain and the other boat slid back in. Shaking his head as the stern hatch of the boat opened to show it was half full already from the upper deck landing zone that had just been closed down. Before Jack could turn around, stacked cargo was already flowing into it.

Looking up Jack noticed a lot of energy streaks flying all over the decks above. Hitting his comm to the marines. "Commander, how is it going up there?"

"Not too bad. Mostly probes right now. Most of the Apes are only armed with swords. What I would like to know is where they are getting their weapons? I thought the ship blasted what we did not take." The Commander said exasperated.

"The Apes I saw on the upper hot decks guarding what was probably the ships bridge probably had their weapons already, however many there were. Try to keep what weapons you can from being recycled when the enemy falls but with 10,000 apes coming out of cold storage even enough bodies with swords will over whelm us eventually. Give me a yell when it starts getting busy. No heroics up there Commander, we are leaving and I want to take everyone out alive. Captain out."

Turning to the side of the boat Jack headed for what looked like a large tank on treads with pipes and arms laying along both sides and the top, headed for the back of the boat that he did not think they had room for or reason to take and noticed a laser assault gun walking away from the boat. "What! Who the hell is stupid enough to even be carrying one of those anymore and not a blaster?" Jack realized that the laser was attached to a Commanders uniform and looking closer he was shocked to recognize the Engineering Chief he had fired from the engine rooms and should have been repairing the damn ships oxygen, air cleaning and conditioning system. With this many bodies being added to the ship it had suddenly become the second most critical system on the ship next to the engines.

"Damn it. He finally made it off the ship the fool. I am willing to bet he did not come to help." Jack started jogging after the Commander shaking his head debating what he was going to do to the louse when he caught him. The Commander walked around the back side of the tank with treads as Jack jogged after him. Going around behind the tank only a few seconds after the Commander, Jack came face to face with a crowd of aliens carrying boxes and packs rushing for the back of the boat. Some of the boxes and packs were bigger than the aliens carrying them as they rushed past. The Commander was nowhere in sight amongst the rapidly moving throng.

"Damn him to hell." Jack slapped his comm. "All crewmen on the enemy ship. This is Captain Turner. The Engineering Chief has deserted his post and the ship and must not fall into enemy hands with all the secrets he possesses. He is armed. Do not try to apprehend. Shoot and kill him on sight. That is an order. Captain out." Kicking himself for not shooting him while he had the chance. Jack was swept along with the rushing aliens as the tank on treads stopped at the bottom of the ramp as the boat was flooded with the aliens.

Climbing up onto the tanks cab across the top front corner, Jack started to open the hatch to talk to the driver but it did not open. Knocking on the hatch the alien driver turned to face Jack through the window and smiled. Suddenly the hatch opened knocking Jack backwards off the cab and down into the arms of a woman Greenfoot only 10 foot tall that looked all too human except for her green skin color, wearing a jump suit that was unzipped down the front to her belly button. The Green foot had dropped the big box she was carrying just in time to catch Jack as he fell.

Looking down at Jack cradled in her arms pressed against her breasts as she came to a stop a couple steps past and in front of the truck as she stepped aside to let the mass of aliens behind her pass. "Yes Captain Turner. How may I help you?"

"What? You can speak English?"

"Simple language. Got a memory disk from Translator an hour ago and played it for all Greenfoot to listen to while loading cargo."

"Ah…?" Looking around surprised his eyes stopped on the tank they were standing in front of. "What and why do we need a tank on treads for?"

The 10 foot tall Greenfoot still held Jack complete with armored suit and weapons in her arms like a little doll as she smiled at him. "We use that to make repairs to the ship's decks and hull. Your ship needs much repair work. Captain. Especially if it is going to be home to all of us."

Jack turned his head back around to look at her getting a face full of soft naked boob jutting out from her jump suit. "Ok. Ah. You can let me down now please. I just can't see how you can get it in with all the people that are flooding onto the boat as well. There just is not room enough for it and them."

"Captain, we are not going right now. We are just loading the boat." Turning around so Jack could see down the long cargo hold of the boat. Jack could see the flood of aliens dumping their boxes and packs into every nook and cranny in the hold clear to the overhead. They had started from the very front of the hold filling over the cargo that had already been loaded from the ship’s deck above and were almost to the back as Jack just shook his head in amazement.

"Ok, you can let me down." Turning she waited as she looked back alongside the treaded tank. "Ah you are a lot smaller than the other Greenfoots. I thought they sent all the children to my ship already." As the mass of aliens stopped she stepped out from in front of the big machine and sat Jack down to the side of the boat out of the way as the treaded tank lumbered up into the back of the boat where the mass of aliens suddenly rushed in to fill the voids around it.

"I am not a child. I am just small for my age. Almost a Dwarf but not, in your language." She looked down at Jack, smiled then turned and strode off back into the ship. The back ramp hatch closed and the boat slide out through the shimmering curtain turning to the side as another boat backed into replace it as pelleted cargo started piling up around the end of the lock.

"Captain!" Jack's comm sounded. "We are starting to get busy up here. The Apes have finally gotten smart and only Apes with swords are charging while blasters cover them from protected positions. We are not going to last much longer up here before they make a break through someplace along the deck and we will be forced to withdraw. I have no reserves."

"Very well Commander. Do your best." Jack started walking back along the boat looking for Pam as he thought. Finally finding Pan again. "Do any of your people know how to fight?"

Pan looked at Jack getting a strange look on her face. "No Captain Turner. We are forbidden to fight even amongst ourselves. To show any aggression at all is an immediate death sentence. Only the Apes are allowed to fight."

Jack looked at her for a few seconds as he grimaced at not liking what he was thinking. But finally he took a deep breath. "Ask the Lizard Apes to come here Pam." With a couple of scratches on her little screen the Apes dropped what they were carrying and ran over to stand in front of Pan and Jack. It took several minutes for the rest of the Apes to arrive out of the various passageways and compartments around the lock. With Pans announcement that all the Apes were there, he took another deep breath. "We are about to be overrun by your old ship mates before we can get everyone off this ship. I need volunteers to help fight and buy everyone time to get off this ship." Notice the vacant looks from the Apes. "Ah this is not a suicide mission. We all are going to leave. We just need more time to load everyone."

As Pan talked, they looked on dead faced as if they could not understand. Finally one spoke a few words and Pan turned back to Jack. "What is Volunteer?"

"You do not have to fight. You can continue to help load the shuttle and leave with the rest when they go. Or you can fight and kill other God Apes, the enemy of humans until everyone has left the ship then we will follow. We will give you weapons and fight beside you on this deck if you do not have your armored suits any longer." They continued to look on dead pan faced until pan had finished. Then as one they all turned and ran down the length of the lock and into a side compartment. Jack turned to Pan. "What is that about? Are they going to help fight or what?"

"I do not know Captain Turner. I have not spent much time with the Lizard Apes."

Hitting his comm again. "Sgt. We are going to have to go help delay things. Meet me in the central compartment where we entered the deck. We aren’t that many but we should be able to act as some kind of reserve."

"Be right their sir."

Jack watched as marines disengaged themselves from directing traffic and checking the cargo for weapons and bombs to head for the interior of the ship. Turning, Jack started jogging in that direction with Pan close behind. Entering the central compartment next to the core Jack found the marines with a couple dozen armed ship's crewmen that at least looked like they had practiced with the weapons a few times. The Sgt. divided them up into fire teams with a marine in charge of each group. One of them yelled. "Apes!" And turned bringing his weapon up.

"No! Don't fire!" Jack yelled as a fireball streaked across the compartment hitting above the group of Apes marching into the compartment. The marine of that group knocked the weapon up before the man could fire again as the Apes seemed to ignore the shot as they continued into the compartment in full battle dress and weapons. The column of Apes stretched across the compartment as they stopped. And turned as one to face Jack and the humans. They raised their arms above their heads and shouted something and came to attention.

Jack looked at the column. "Ok, who is in charge?"

Pan talked to them but no one moved but all said something together as one voice.

Turning to Jack Pan said. "You are in charge Captain."

"Shit this is just fracking great." Going over to one of the fire teams he patted the marine on the shoulder. "Follow me." And then to the Sgt. "Spread the teams out across this side of the compartment."

Jack walked half way across the distance separating the Apes from the humans and told the marine to stand fast. Walked a few steps to the side then pointed at the end of the column he held up his hands with his fingers out stretched up and out. Using one hand he counted the fingers on the other hand, pointing at each and then did the same for his other hand and then swept his hands of outstretched fingers to point to the marine and his little squad. When nothing happened he tried again, pointing at the end of the column he held out all ten of his fingers and then wiggled them at the deck and walked them over to the marine. The Column of Apes seemed to smile at Jacks antics as Pan walked up. "Do you want 10 of them to join this group of humans Captain Turner?"

Jack shook his head in exasperation. "No I want them to dance. No wait." Turning to the Sgt. "Get over hear Sargent. I want you and Pan to teach them combat sign language. Just the basics and make it fast. Before we lose the main gun deck. They need our help up there."

The Sgt. and Pan proceeded to teach. The marine doing his best with his squad to demonstrate the hand signal commands when words were not enough. Jack turned away tapping the comm. "Commander I am gathering over a hundred reinforcement for you but don't be shocked. Most of them are ex-Lizard Apes that are on our side now. We should be joining you in just a few minutes."

"Great Captain. But how are we supposed to tell the difference between them?"

"Oh that is right. Back in a minute."

Turning back to Pan as the marine and his squad acted out a command from the Sgt. "I need some kind of paint or flag we can use to mark the Apes so we can tell them from the enemy. Something bright and florescent if possible." Jack watched what looked like a frown on Pans face as she scratched on the pad again before turning back to the Sgt.

The Ensign came running in. "How dare you go off to fight without telling me damn it."

Jack turned to face her. "You don't even have a weapon…" He stopped talking as she held up an assault gun. "Ok. But what close range ship combat experience do you have?"

"Enough to kill you in Pirate games all the time." Smiling up at Jack. "I am the Leopard Knight that has been busting you butt in personal combat for years."

"You are that bitch. I hate you or her, oh well, shit." Looking at her with new respect. "Ok damn it. You know battle sign?"

"Of course silly. You have to know it to play and order or understand your squad mates without wasting time talking or trying to access a stupid menu or hit a specific key. It is a lot faster to just make a sign with your hand especially when talking can give your position away."

"Ok Captain that is the basics but I don’t know if they understood them all or how well they will remember them."

"Thanks Sgt. Let's try this again." Jack stepped forward and made a couple of hand signs and to his shock ten Apes left the end of the Column and ran over to line up in front of the marine and his squad. "Ok Marine, try a maneuver."

The marine held up his hand making a few signs and the squad of Apes divided into two ape groups and spread out. The marine turned to the squad of crewmen. "That means you bozoos." The crewmen spread out with each crewman taking a pair of Apes. The Marine signed again, the groups spread out into a wedge formation. To Jacks surprise one of the crewmen placed his team a ways out of line and one of the Apes in his team tapped him on the shoulder and signed for him to move over into the proper position.

"Well. That is a start." Jack finished giving each marine squad leader ten Apes as a cart was rushed into the compartment by several Greenfoots. They immediately went to the squads and started painting the Ape's armor a florescent bright Red using large paint cans. Jack grabbed the cart and pushed it toward the Apes that remained in the column. Then made signs for them to paint each other. Turning to Pan as the Apes started grabbing cans of paint Jack smiled. "Tell them that this is so we can tell them from the enemy and to show the enemy who are the most honorable." Looking at the armor of the Apes as they were being painted Jack could only shake his head. "They do stand out don't they." Turning to Pan he grabbed a can of paint and gave it to her. "Paint my suit please." When the translator looked at him and then the can and back again. "It is not honorable to let them take the risk and not share that risk." Jack said.

Pan looked from Jack over to watch the Apes painting each other and then back at the can as she held the can up and pushed the button on top painting herself in the chest with a sudden expression Jack could only take as surprise as she dropped it. The Translator just stared as jack picked it up and handed it back to her showing her how to hold it. She looked at it as she turned the can around and finally started painting. Or to be kind. Spraying Jack's suit with more than a little ineptitude. Holding the can to close, then too far away and then not fast enough creating huge blobs that ran down the suit. But finally Jack was somewhat covered with bright red paint streaks and blotches and runs all over his suit. Jack waving the Ensign off when she tried to take over for the Translator. "Let her. She obviously needs the experience." Turning to the Sgt. as he pulled a tactical screen out of his leg pocket and pointing to the opposite side of the ship from the boat lock they were using to evacuate the ship from. "Ok Sgt. this is where I want you to start deploying your squads. Distribute 5 Apes to each of the marine squads on that side of the ship. I will take the rest to act as a reserve force. "

"Ah, Captain. The ah Apes have no ammunition. No power packs for their weapons."

"What? Damn it." Glancing at the nearest Ape Jack turned to Pan. "We have pallets of energy packs for our weapons out next to the shuttle for supplying the troops. We need a couple of those pallets in here fast."

With empty paint cans sailing across the compartment, the small army was finally ready to go as pallets of power packs suddenly rushed into the compartment in the arms of several Greenfoots. Each of them going from squad to squad or along the column. Hitting his comm. "Commander I am sending most of my Apes to mix into your squads starting at the choke points and defensive positions on the far side of the ship from the lock. The Ape are painted bright red so don't confuse them with the enemy. Your marines can communicate with our Apes using standard combat sign language. I will have a reserve force of apes directly under you for you to send where you want us. Give me a couple minutes to get into position. I will tell you when we are ready."

"Bull shit Captain. We are pulling back now. They have just broken through to the next deck on the fare side of the ship. We have to reestablish a new line."

Jack looked to the fare side of the ship as he headed for the column of Apes. "No Commander. That is what reserves are for. I will clear that deck and reestablish the line. Just hold what you have on your side of the ship." Turning to Pan over his shoulder as she tried to follow. "I need you to have your people start sealing every trunk and entry into the boat deck as well as constructing defensive protected redoubts around the boat bay." Then turned and waving at the Apes still remaining in the original column he signed them to follow him and ran down the passageway to the other side of the ship. Tapping his comm. "Sgt. I need you to take a squad to the trunk of the deck below the breach and seal it off so they can't drop any father down. Out"

The Column turned as one and easily kept up with the much smaller Jack as several Greenfoots continued to hand out power packs running alongside the column. Turning down a side passageway they started climbing a series of ramps that finally turned into an airlock several decks above the boat lock deck. The first operating like a revolving door letting the Apes pass through the long up corridor behind a moving bulkhead or hatch. A new hatch closed off the bottom of the ramp corridor when each moving hatch had moved 10 feet up the corridor. The air from that compartment bleeding into the down ramp moving compartment on its way down. Only the wisps of air in the last 20 feet needing to be pumped out. At the top end of the ramp passageway the hatch opened into vacuum with Jack and the few Apes with him as the hatch made its turn around to seal off the down lock corridor and started moving in the opposite direction. Apes started piling out of the corridor ramp as each moving hatch made its turnaround back into the down passageway. Jack found himself wondering why they had not simply used one of the air curtains from the boat bay hatch.

Coming up off the ramp onto the deck below the main gun deck battle, Jack turned right and signaled the column to spread out into two arms to sweep the ship for the enemy. He wanted to tell them what to do once they met the enemy he could see ahead of them but the simple hand signs did not allow that. The two arms of Apes ran down the passageways to both sides as Jack waited for the line to form. Then with a good sized squad behind him and fire teams stopped at every intersection down the passageways to both sides, Jack started moving forward down the large main passageway again at a jog.

He watched one of the fire teams off to the side meet an advancing Black Ape patrol at an intersection and make quick work of them. The enemy not even getting off a shot thinking the Apes were on their side. As they got closer to the breach Black Apes learned they had Red Apes fighting against them and the fights increased in numbers and size but they never seemed to have the energy and determination the Reds had.

Jack sent a squad down a side corridor to an out numbered fire team he thought would need help but the enemy was quickly dispatched before the help Jack sent could get there and the squad quickly returned. Then Black Ape patrols started turning into hard points guarding intersections.

After taking on a couple of small enemy units guarding intersection hatches with the Apes out running him in quick fast assaults to the next intersection Jack stopped them at a hatch at an intersection just short of the objective. The access chase compartment the Black Apes had taken as a breach.

He saw the enemy massing in the large compartment ahead under the breach with the Sgt. below planting bombs to contain anyone trying to use that trunk to drop any farther. Being carful he signed to a couple of individual Apes, trying to tell him to go out to the teams on the arms and have them close around the breach into a pincher movement on the compartment with the taken ladder Chase directly ahead of them. But after speaking for several seconds in their helmets without Jack hearing them let alone understanding them, they just stood there staring at him. He tried pushing one of them down the passageway but the Ape stood like a rock looking down at him. Jack tried again motioning the Ape to go out and close the arm around the compartment ahead of them by sweeping his arms around to meet and shook his head yes. Since he knew that Pan had explained to them that the up and down gesture meant yes and that a side to side motion meant no.

The Ape mimicked Jack but then tapped his ears and pointed to each side down the passageways and shook his head yes. Then tapped his wrist with 2 fingers and stepped next to the hatch to the passageway leading to the chase comportment and waited with his weapon ready.

"Ok. Does that mean they have radios and they are getting ready to attack in two time periods or not and what time periods?"

"Well that is how I read his jesters." Jack whipped around to see The Ensign standing a few feet away in a shiny perfectly painted bright red suit. "I took a minute to have them do a decent job painting my suit and turned around and you were gone with the army." Smiling over at Jack. "Thought you could get away from me didn't you?"

"Damn it Ensign. This is no place for you. Someone is going to get killed in the next few minutes and I don't want it to be you."

"Well, I don't want it to be you but if it happens then I am going to be with you one way or another love."

An Ape tapped Jack on the shoulder, tapped his wrist with one finger and pointed at the hatch and shook his head yes.

"Ok. Does that mean we have a minute or he is asking for permission to attack?" Looking around he noticed the rest of the Apes tensing themselves ready to spring. "Ok that must mean it is time to go."

Taking a deep breath he looked threw the bulkheads and saw that Apes had surrounded the compartment where he had wanted them to be with their weapons ready. "Shit. Geronimo!" Jack lunged through the hatch and down the passageway at a run. Only to be passed by Ape after Ape in their dash at the distant hatch.

One of the Apes threw something at the hatch and it exploded the hatch into the compartment just before they reached the end of the passageway to dive into the compartment that seemed serial peacefully full of black suited Apes milling around for a fraction of a second as Jack approached the hatch and then a hundred fireballs streaked across the compartment. First from the Red Apes that were quickly answered by the Black Apes.

Jack and the Ensign stopped and started shooting through the broken hatch at the mass of none painted Apes in the center of the Compartment surrounding the stair trunk leading up as Red painted Apes spread around the outer edges. A couple of quick explosions in the middle of the compartment made short work of most of the Apes and then the Reds charged into those that where left.

Jack stopped firing in fear of hitting one of the Reds until he saw some Apes headed for one of the passageways to the side from him trying to escape and started taking them out with the Ensign's help.

Two Apes made it, disappearing down the passageway then turning around to fire a couple of shots back out into the backs of the Reds before a deluge of plasma balls shot back at them. Jack took off back down his passageway, through the hatch he had left only seconds before and then turned down another passageway as the two Apes burst around the corner.

Jack already had his gun ready and pulled the trigger just as the first started around the corner cutting him down as explosive balls hit it. The other using the first Ape as cover made it into the passageway from behind his dead buddy and started firing as Jack lunged for the deck. The Ape's shots flying over Jack as he slid along the deck toward the Ape.

Bringing his gun up Jack pulled the trigger again sending the string of fireballs up the Apes crouch stitching his stomach and chest before blowing his head off.

Jack continued to slide toward the Apes as they dropped to the deck in a spreading pile of yellowish red gore. "Shit. Just like me to find the only deck on this rust bucket that was waxed." His arms and legs slipping on the deck trying to keep himself from sliding into the quickly evaporating relatively hot liquid steaming up in the vacuum.

Finally getting some traction Jack started to slow himself down with some likely hood of stopping before he hit the yellow and red mess when he noticed something moving out of the corner of his eye. Jerking his head around he saw the faint energy outline of another Ape coming down the passageway at speed.

Trying to whip the assault gun around to shoot the Ape as it came around the corner Jack slid into the gore as he raised his heavy weapon. Pulling the trigger in desperation he shot the corner of the bulkhead as the big Lizard Ape flashed out around it in a skidding turn. Two more shots caught vacuum and the bulkhead across the intersection before Jack could lift his finger off the trigger at the sight of Red paint.

The Big Red Ape danced to a stop with its feet slipping on the deck but keeping his balance a few yards away from Jack, looking down at him now covered in red yellow gore. Staring at him as he tried to get up only to slip covering even more of his suit in the yellow red streaked bloodied gore between and onto the Black Ape bodies. The Red Ape threw its head back and opened its mouth showing teeth as roaring laughter came across Jacks earphones. The Ensign came running up behind him not having any trouble at all about slipping.

The Ensign bent down to check Jack's health readings on his suit and practically screamed drowning out the Ape's laughter. "Where are you hit Jack? Where are you hit? I don't see anything… Where are you hit damn it?"

"Nowhere love. I am fine except for my pride."

The big Red Ape bent down and picked Jack up one handed by his rescue ring in the small of his back, grabbed the power pack webs and weapons from the dead Apes with the other and started down the passageway back to the battle. The Ensign following behind.

Coming out into the Big Compartment surrounding the ladder trunk the Red Ape started talking in Jacks ears. "The little Human Officer killed two elite storm troopers in hand to hand battle. The evidence is covering him. We have a leader! All bow before our Officer." The Big Red Ape placed Jack back down standing on the deck then stepped back and knelt down on one knee bowing before him.

The Red Apes, some with blackened marks from fireballs on their suits stopped stripping the black suited bodies around the trunk, turned and knelt on one knee bowing their heads to touch the forehead of their helmets to the palms of their hand with an elbow placed on their upraised knee. "Allegiance to Officer Captain Turner." A hundred voices said as one in his ears.

"Ok. What the hell is going on? How are you suddenly able to use our battle comms let alone speak English?"

"The communications translator provided us with your comm codes and our suits translate automatically."

"You have translators in your suit programing along with our codes?"

"Yes Officer Captain Turner. We must be able to talk to the gods new slaves we concur. Our suits are programmed with the species languages before we assault each new race and the ships we have captured in your other star systems have given us your basic suit comm codes."

"Ok why did you wait so long to talk to us yourselves instead of playing dumb."

"We did not have translators to begin with without our suits and expected to be slaughtered without questions when you conquered the deck. Then with the suits on, we are not allowed to talk to sub races without permission of an officer. When you killed the Elite Storm troopers in hand to hand combat you became our officer and now we await your command while the squads already assigned to your other troops can now talk to your junior officers."

"Now isn't that something. Ah one moment please and continue with whatever you were doing. Carry on. Oh and in this navy we just solute and not bow." Jack saluted them to demonstrate." Turning away Jack hit his comm. "Commander, the Red Apes seem to be able to talk to us now and they do fight damn good. We have the breakthrough taken care of and the deck secure. We will be moving up to your gun deck shortly."

"No don't move Captain Turner. Most of the Apes with guns are headed your way taking the pressure off the rest of us for the moment. Set a Rat Trap down there for them and let them come. And yes that was quite a shock when they started talking a few minutes ago and yes we are going to the new comm code Mandarin. Out." Jack started to turn back and noticed a Red Ape body on the deck still out gassing through a hole in its side. Going over to it he looked into the faceplate at the Ape inside and saw pain on its still breathing face and the signs of low air pressure. Grabbing a patch from his leg pouch Jack looked down at the hole and slapped the patch on. "Why didn't you put a patch on damn it and where is your medic?"

The Ape started breathing better as air pressure was restored. It slowly reached up and touched a control. “Why did you stop me from dying peacefully honorable Officer? Now I will suffer many hours as I bleed to death in my suit."

"Not if I can help it." Turning to the nearest Apes. "Get your butts over hear now and take this man down to one of your medics or my doctors on the boat deck and be quick about it."

The Ape that had carried Jack back to the compartment walked up. "We have no Doctors or what you call medics honorable Officer. Let him die in peace. He has earned his place in Heaven."

"Sorry but we need him down here for now. Take him to our medical section down in the shuttle bay." Pulling out his tactical screen Jack showed the Ape where it was. "Assign however many you need to get him there. No wait." Looking around he spotted one of the Greenfoot Giants with a breathing helmet on but no suit. "OK. Ah. Can you tell the Greenfoot to take your man there?"

The Greenfoot dropped the pallet he was carrying and jogged over shaking the deck. "Did you call Officer Captain Turner? How may I help you?"

"Ok… Ah. Take this wounded man to the medical treatment module located here in the shuttle bay as fast as you can." Jack glanced at the Greenfoot that looked shorter and thinner than the normal giant. Wondering if he could lift the Ape very well if at all, Jack pointed at the tactical map. "Can you do this?"

"Yes Officer Captain Turner."

"Just Captain is fine or just plain, sir. Good, get going." Then watched the Bigfoot scoop up the heavy Red Ape in his arms and started running as he left the compartment. Turning, Jack looked for more Red Casualties and headed for the nearest one. "I need you guys to clear the compartment. We are going to set a trap but everyone check for wounded that are still alive, slap a patch on the hole and tell me so we can see about saving their lives." He said holding up a bunch of patches in his hand.

The Ensign was already bending over a Red body placing a patch over a hole. "I have one here Jack that looks good now. It or she looks like she is starting to breathe again."

Jack looked down at the body he approached and realized that the Ape was out of luck with half a dozen holes in its suit and the face plate blown off, the Ape was definitely dead. A Greenfoot scooped up the wounded Ape the Ensign had been working on and ran off with her. Tapping his comm again. "Commander, I have a couple of wounded Apes headed for medical in the shuttle bay by some Greenfoot giants they use around here for forklifting cargo. They are harmless but I need our Doctors to try to save the Apes lives if they can."

"And how am I supposed to know anything about the Apes let alone talk to them out of their suits?"

"Ah good point Commander. I will send someone along to act as translator and it may be able to help with medical information. Out." Turning around he looked over the Red suited Apes. "I want every one having a wound that prevents him from fighting well or life threatening, brought to me now."

Several Apes came up to Jack with at least one arm hanging down to a side. One with both arms dead. Another walked with one leg stiff swinging it with every step. "Yes Officer Captain Turner. We will lead the next charge and die honorably taking the enemy shots so others can fight." Two Apes came up dragging another with blast holes in both legs and carefully laid him on the deck next to the others as several Black Apes came running out of the trunk hatch into the compartment firing their weapons or swinging their swords. The surprised Red Apes standing around only took a half second to return fire and take them out.

"God's Star." Turning away he pointed at the trunk hatches. "I want a squad covering each trunk hatch from the cover of the passageway hatches into this compartment. Cut some holes in the bulkhead next to the hatches for firing ports." Shaking his head as he turned back. "And what happens to you if you survive the battle? Do they kill you anyway?"

"No Captain, sir. Our arms and legs would grow back in time. But if killing your handicapped troops is your way. We will make sure we die gloriously this battle."

"No I would rather you live to fight well another day." Looking at their arms and legs. "If I had more patches I would slap them on your arms and legs hopping it would help but I need to save the few I have for mortal suit holes. Take your wounded companions down to the shuttle bay to the medic station, see what the medics can do for you. At least one must stay with the medics if they can fix you all up mobile, doing what you can to help the doctors and medics by translating for the wounded that are out of their suits and telling the doctors what you know about taking care of Ape wounds. One of you can bring more patches back for the rest of the Apes and act as a medic for the Platoon doing just what I did. You others that can walk can do the same for the rest of the squads scattered around the ship and tell a few of the green foots to act as resupply and stretcher bearers to take your and our wounded down to the medic station in the bay when needed."

An Ape came up to Jack. "What do you want to do with the black apes that are wounded Sir?"

"Oh shit. I would like to try to save them too but I cannot have an enemy Ape tearing up our medical tents not to mention killing our doctor and medics. And we don't have the troops to guard them. Damn it to hell." Jack thought for a few seconds and dug a handful of patches out of his thigh pocket. "Slap a patch on the critically wounded and have a couple assigned to take them down to the boat lock deck and guard them until we figure out what to do with them." Shaking his head. "Tell me. Is there any way we can turn them to the Red Ape side?"

A bunch of Apes suddenly burst out of the hatches of the trunk. Jack dove for cover as he brought up his weapon but the squads already setting up positions at the passageway hatches made short work of them.

Things quieted down after a few seconds as the wounded Red Apes left and several black apes were carried out of the compartment. Looking around Jack grabbed a paint can that Apes had been using to touch up the scorch marks on their suits dropped by the Greenfoot and started painting a big Red line in a circle half way from the trunk hatches to the outer bulkhead. "Someone take another paint can and do the same around the other trunk hatch." Jack finished his line and started walking toward the nearest hatch. "After we get the compartment clear. No one fires at an enemy before they get out of the red circle. Got that. We want the enemy to feel safe for a while so more enemy troops will come down thinking this is a breakthrough. So stay under cover hidden and don't fire until you have to. Got that?"

"Yes Officer Captain Turner Sir."

A bunch of black suited Apes came rushing out of the hatch Jack had just finished painting a circle around and started firing at him. Diving to the deck behind a couple of Black Ape bodies. No one returned the fire flying over Jacks head as the Black Apes quickly took cover behind bodies inside the red circle and continued to fire at Jack and the other Red Apes who dove for cover around the compartment. The Greenfoots picking up wounded Black Apes and the pallets of charges were completely ignored with even the Red Apes having only a shot or two fired in their direction.

After a few seconds and no one still returning fire against the Black Apes Jack tried to keep from screaming. "I said after we get clear of the damn compartment. Fire at and kill them for crying out loud!"

The deluge of fire from the outer hatches with their newly cut armored firing slits in the hatches and side bulkheads quickly dispatched the Black Apes.

Getting up Jack noticed the bodies he had taken cover behind looked like Swiss cheese on the Trunk hatch side. Shaking his head he walked as calmly as he could to the nearest hatch as the Ensign ran up to him. "What the hell do you think you were doing out there?"

The compartment had just finished being cleared when the next group of black Apes came bursting out of the trunk hatches and took cover. With them providing covering fire more Apes started streaming out of the trunk hatch.

Jack smiled. "Ok good, I need you to do the same at the next junction hatches all the way around the compartment and get enough explosives to blow the hatch and side bulkhead at the trunk end of the passageway so they don't have quite as much cover. We have to make it look like they are making progress down here if we want to continue suckering them in."

The Red Apes safe behind their barriers and firing slits started firing as the first enemy troops crossed the red lines. Ignoring them until they did cross the Red line as Black lizard Apes continued to pile out of the trunk hatches.

The Ensign walked up to Jack. "I can see that most of the Lizard Ape hibernation decks are being warmed where you were up ship. I can see thousands of Apes working their way down here. Even with this trap we can't stop them all Jack."

"What is even worse, is that I thought we destroyed all their weapons." Jack tapped his wrist comm. "Number One, we really need you to dump a few rounds into the upper ship taking out those decks being warmed up."

"Captain if we fire, the enemy torpedoes will start targeting us as they pass heading for the fleet."

"Well fire a broadside out in the open, plant some active decoys on the other hulks and then move behind cover. We need some support over here now."

"Yes sir. We will be sending you a broadside and another salvo of torpedoes in a few seconds." Jack turned around and looked down through the ship at the boat bay. Another shuttle was just backing into it as a shuttle was just leaving in the background.

Looking up Jack could see the marine squads being pulled out around that side of the ship and the breakthrough and back to the other side of the ship leaving the Apes behind. That was not what he had in mind even though the Red Apes seemed to be doing a damn good job guarding the trunks on this side of the ship without human help. "Ok that is not going to work at all.

Jack's comm beeped as he was reaching for his forearm comm. "Captain, I am pulling back my troops to this side of the ship as we drop down to our next strong point deck. It will be easier to defend a few deck junctions on this side of the ship than an entire deck across the whole ship. Only your Apes are refusing to redeploy without your orders. You need to start pulling back and bring them with you to this side of the ship."

"No Commander. You need to hold for now. We have set up trap to buy us time and it is working. We have to hold in place until the refugees are finished loading. Start setting traps on the decks below to buy us time when we do head for the boat. With your reinforcements from this side of the ship you should have no problem hanging on until it is time. Captain out."

Jack looked around his side of the ship looking for good places for traps below the deck the Red Apes were defending and noticed a large compartment down on the boat lock deck that looked like the boat bay on the other side. Only this one looked like it had a big boat in it. Comparing both locks he realized that the boat on this side of the ship was a hell of a lot bigger. Turning to one of the Red Apes Jack smiled. "Do you know anything about another boat bay on this side of the ship?"

The Ape turned from the firing slit. "Yes Officer Captain Turner Sir. It is another maintenance bay for our assault boats."

"Good. On the next assault I want you to let the enemy start getting closer to this passageway. Then in a couple of more assaults you can fall back to the next junction and let them get well established at this hatch before blowing it. Then again start letting them get a little farther down the passageway before taking them out on each subsequent assault. Then pick another passageway around the trunk compartment and tell them to do the same thing. Do you understand that?"

"Yes Captain. Why Captain?"

"They have to think they are making progress to keep drawing troops into our trap. I am going to check out that boat in the other lock. Do you have any pilots amongst you or at least someone that is familiar with your Assaultboats?"

"We have no pilots’ sir. That is for Officers only but we do have troops trained in the weapons on assault boats. Do you want a Weapons Trooper to accompany you sir?"

"Yes that would be good. Thank you." Jack started to leave then turned back to the big Red Ape. "Ah. Do you have a name?"

The Ape said something Jack could not understand but sounded like Gutner Dank"

"Ok Gutner Dank, call me then with an update on the enemy progress every few minutes." Jack turned and headed for the lock not far away.

The Ensign Catching up to him asked. "Why the hell do we need another lock to defend?"

"We are going to be deluged with enemy Apes shortly and I am hoping that it may allow us to sneak out the back door when the time comes if that assault boat of the Ape's is any good. Besides it will probably have everything a ship needs to navigate and communicate in enemy space. The next best thing to taking this ship's bridge."

26-

LEFT BEHIND TRAPPED

It only took a few minutes of close examination to see that the enemy boat was in good shape but that he had no idea how to pilot it. The controls were so foreign. Even with the help of the Weapons Ape translating the console readouts and controls, Jack realized that it would take a while to figure them out, not to mention getting the engines lit off. Time he did not have. Jogging back to the other side of the ship he found the boat bay still full of aliens loading pallets to the ceiling of the boat not leaving any room for people to ride along.

The Translator Pan rushed up to Jack with what Jack decided was what his species called a smile. "We are making great progress in loading supplies and equipment Officer Captain Turner. I heard of your great glorious battle victory."

"Damn it. I was expecting you to have most of your people off the ship by now Pan."

"Yes Captain. We are using your great victory to allow us to load as much cargo as possible."

"Yes I can see that. There is no room left on this shuttle for anyone but everyone leaves on the next shuttle. Got that? We cannot hold much longer. We have to get off the ship before we get slammed by all the reinforcements headed down ship."

"Yes Captain Turner."

Jack shook his head in amazement as the packed shuttle left the bay and cargo continued to pile up at this end. "What can you tell me about that other boat bay and the enemy assault shuttle in it?"

"It has just finished being overhauled Captain and was scheduled for a test flight before handing it back to the God Officers."

"Captain Turner." The Lizard Ape Gutner Dank said in Jack's Ears. "Something is wrong Captain. The Enemy Apes are not being aggressive even though we have pulled back several corridors. In spite of the hundreds we have slaughtered, they should be sending more at an increasing rate and we are only getting a steady trickle that are not making any coordinated attacks."

Jack looked up and frowned. "Ensign what can you see on the enemy decks above us? I hope it is not what I am seeing?" Jack said with some alarm.

"Yes Jack. They are massing on this side of the ship while ignoring the other except to keep them busy."

"Damn!" Jack slapped his comm. "Commander; you are about to get slammed with a couple thousand Apes. I am sending you reinforcements now." Tapping the comm again. "Gutner Dank. Have all Red Apes Seal that trunk up now and prepare to with draw when ordered." Slapping the comm again. "Sgt. you are going to have to take your troops to reinforce the marines leaving that side to the Reds. We will be taking this last boat out." Jack watched another boat back into the bay.

Stopping by the medical tent. He was surprised to see aliens helping along with the wounded Red Apes. "Get your wounded on that boat now Doctor, we are getting out of here."

Jack left the boat bay and started climbing, reaching the Marine Command post. Jack walked up to the Commander as he turned around and spotted Jack. "Damn Captain, you told us just in time. But we can’t hold for long."

"You don't have to. We are leaving on this next shuttle. When you are ready the Red apes will withdraw and reinforce you."

The Sargent's platoon of marines and armed ships crewmen showed up a few minutes later and the Commander spread them out on the deck below the battle deck around the trunks to cover the retreating marines when they gave up the deck above. The deck above had simply became over run with enemy lizard apes wielding swards and axes along with a growing number of blasters.

Running back down and into the bay to make final checks for their retreat Jack jerked to a stop. "What the hell is going on here?" The shuttle was packed half full of pallets again with the grated deck down and packed full of aliens. Wondering if they could even get the hatch closed Jack exploded. "I have about 200 marines and Red Apes not to mention the Greenfoots still standing around. How the hell are we supposed to get off the ship?"

"On the next boat Captain." The Translator Pan said walking up to Jack. We will leave with you Captain."

Hitting his comm. "Number One how long until the next boat gets here?"

"Sorry Captain but we have run out of room to put everything. We are having to shuttle things around to make room. It will be another half hour before we can get another boat unloaded by the looks of it. I thought everyone left was going to be on this boat sir."

Jack closed his eyes shaking his head. "Ya I thought that too but no one told the Greenfoots loading it." Shaking his head frowning. "Do the best you can Number One and we will just have to hold on. Out"

"Damn it! We simply do not have the damn time on this ship not to mention waiting for the enemy fleet to catch us. We have to all go now on this boat damn it." Jack looked at the ramp as it start to raise on the shuttle. "Hell we don't have time to unload that mess." Jack thought for a few seconds debating on how to stop the hatch and then clear out the shuttle's lower deck in only a few minutes and decided it was impossible. "Damn it. Oh, yes we do have another boat don't we?" Turning to Pan. “You said the God boat was scheduled for a test flight before handing it over? Does that mean you have pilots or someone that can fly the Assault boat?"

"Yes of course we do Captain. God Officers would never fly a maintenance test flight."

"Good, get me the crew for it now!" Jack hit his comm. "Pilot, drop that ramp for a few seconds. I have a boat crew to unload and then you are cleared for launching."

The Translator tapped on her tablet and the people on the upper deck in the shuttle started to move and shift and aliens started dropping off the pallets and grated deck and running down the ramp as Greenfoots resumed throwing boxes in to fill the extra room.

Jack tapped his comm. "Gutner Dank you can start dropping down to hold the other boat bay now in a slow coordinated withdrawal, setting traps as you go to delay the enemy while we get the other God Boat ready to launch." Looking around at the defensive works they had built around the bay for a last stand to get the last shuttle out safely Jack sighed. "We are just going to have to wing it damn it."

Walking over to the redoubt that was being used for the medical station Jack walked in around the blast barriers. Spotting the Doctor working on a wounded marine at the other end. Jack walked down the row of wounded marines and red apes. "Doctor, how come these wounded have not gone back to the ship already?"

Looking up from his patient he shook his head. "There is no one over there to take care of them. All my aides and corpsmen are here. When I go they go." Then turned back to spraying foam into the chest wound of the marine.

"Well you need to move them and yourself over to the other lock and the boat waiting there now. We are leaving."

Without looking around at Jack the doctor shook his head. "It is going to take another 15 minutes to get everyone ready to move. That is as soon as I get the rest of my people back down her from the front line."

"Well get them on pallets and the Greenfoots will move them for you and be quick about it. We don’t' have much time left before we are overrun." Turning Jack left the long narrow redoubt and headed for the other lock.

With some 30 alien boat crewmen and what looked like a hundred Greenfoots, they headed for the other boat bay as the last shuttle slipped out of the bay. "Commander, we are headed for the other boat bay. You can start abandoning this side of the ship."

"What happened to the shuttle?"

"It was full. We are going to use an enemy assault boat in the other boat lock to leave this little cruise ship."

"What the hell!"

"My sentiments exactly Commander but we have no choice. We will need a few minutes to get it going but I am told they just finished overhauling it and were getting ready to take it out on a test flight. So we should have no problems. The Doctor says he will have the wounded ready in 15 minutes."

Jack walked into the boat bay with the enemy assault shuttle taking up most of it. He looked around the enemy boat for the second time as the alien crew ran into it and the Greenfoots started loading it with pallets. "No damn it. We need to leave room for everyone this time. Leave the cargo out of it. No more cargo." Jack said as he tried to convey to them with his hands to not load anymore cargo as he stopped one of them

"But there is so much cargo room. Much more than your boats." The Greenfoot alien Jack had spoken to said as Jack tried to stop him.

"Busy mind is sharp mind. We calculate plenty of room for cargo and all humans, apes and us Greenfoot. We are very careful. Got all aliens and cargo into other boat. Did not know it was last boat. Was not told or would have left room for all. We leave room for all on this boat plus cargo. Do not worry." The hundred Greenfoots around Jack continued to load cargo.

"Ok, just what is so important about all the cargo? Why not just leave it?"

"Food needed for all aliens until more can be grown or synthesized as well as wealth to support us in your economy. Advanced equipment and materials you are not likely to possess in your under developed society. We will live on helping you advance economically and to fight the God Ships and Lizard Apes. Need to take as much as possible if we are to survive with you humans."

"Unbelievable." Turning Jack headed for the bridge of the boat where he had been only a short time before after giving up trying to understand the controls. The alien crew was busy all around the boat getting the boat ready to leave. On the bridge the aliens manned all the control consoles except for one central chair behind the pilot. Sitting down in it Jack watched them at the consoles feeling like he knew what each console was for by its placement and the crewman’s familiar actions but could still not understand what control was for what.

The alien sitting in front of Jack turned around and got up stepping next to Jack and started pointing out controls and Pan started explaining in a strong voice a half a word behind the crewman talking in a whisper without stopping. Jack quickly started hearing as if the crewman was talking instead of the interpreter. He soon had the controls on the chair down and the crewman started pointing at the different stations explaining their basics as well, reinforcing what the Red Ape had explained before but in much better detail.

The Crewman finished and retook his seat going back to preparing the boat for launch. Looking back down his screen was suddenly in English. "What the hell?"

Pan bent over. "We long ago converted the God language to our own languages. We use them as much as possible when the Gods are not looking. I took the courtesy of adding English for you to its data bank. In time we can down load most of our languages including the God language for you to use when you need to."

Jack looked around the bridge and trying to estimate how long it was going to take to get the boat ready. Turning to Pan. "How long before they are ready to launch?"

"Approximately two minutes Captain if no problems are discovered."

"Good." Jack tapped his comm. " Commander, you can set your traps and mines and start your retreat. We will be able to lift off as soon as you are loaded." Turning to Pam. "Make sure the Greenfoot’s are on board in two minutes. I don't care if they are finished loading cargo or not." Jack started to step to the cargo holds view port and stopped. He did not need to with the big warm blooded Greenfoot’s standing out like beacons in the hold and boat bay. They seemed to be tossing large pallet sized boxes along a chain gang from a cargo elevator conveyor just a few yards to the side of the stern of the Assault shuttle into the boat. The pallet boxes traveling at an incredible speed along the chain of Greenfoot to Greenfoot and into the hold already half full. Stepping to the back of the small bridge he opened the hatch onto the upper grating into the boats hold that was surprisingly similar to the Navel boats. Jack watched grates similar to the ones in the human shuttles being dropped down over the cargo pallet boxes being rapidly stacked in rows down each side of the hold with a small 20 foot wide isle between them down the center. A Greenfoot suddenly ran into the hold and down the center open isle with a pallet in his arms and several wounded marines on it. Jack suddenly realized it was a she with her breasts hanging over the pallet as she gently placed the pallet down at the front of the hold below Jack under the side grating on top of the stacked row of boxes and just as quickly was gone to be replaced by another pallet of wounded that was placed next to the first. The line of wounded quickly grew to include Apes stripped of their battle suits, several chained spread eagle to the pallet Jack took as enemy Apes.

Jack felt the boat rumble as the engines tried to start and then nothing. "Shit!" Taking a deep breath he held it without thinking as the boat rumbled again and he watched smoke belch from one side of the open stern hatch outside the back of the boat. "Damn."

As the bridge crew worked desperately at the engineers console, Jack jumped down the short ladder and headed for the stern of the boat. Tuning to yell at Pan trying to keep up with him. "Can you down load that translator program into my suit so I can talk to the engineering crewman?"

"Yes Captain but it will take some time."

"Well do it now damn it. I need to talk and understand what is going on with the damn engines."

Pulling out her tablet again she started tapping on it and then stopped. "I am terribly sorry Captain but your suit will not allow me to down load my foreign program onto it. I do not have the right codes for me to access your Command Officer's suit."

"What? I know this suit has a bunch of extra comm channels and programming but…"

"Translator Pan." Came the Ensigns voice. "Down load your program to my suit. It's programming is not as sophisticated as the Captain's and I can tweak the suit to accept the program. I can then up load it to the suit system for everyone to use. I am on the boat's bridge."

The Translator Pan pulled a small wire off of Jack's suit, stopped and turned around to head back for the bridge.

Jack slowed down for a moment surprised that she had planted it on him to begin with then speeded back up. "Damn. How the hell am I supposed to talk to the mechanics until the damn translator program is up and running?" Then going around one of the tree trunk legs of a Greenfoot Jack looked up as a Greenfoot finished placing a pallet of wounded marines on the shelf of pallet boxes and then turned and slipped around him and another green foot bringing in another pallet of wounded and headed for the stern ramp nimbly skirting past another Green foot entering. It took Jack another half minute to jog to one of the engine rooms hatches at the stern of the boat some 200 feet away. Holding up his hands to a smaller and slimmer Greenfoot passing him that he suddenly recognize as the one that had caught him earlier as she entered the boat. Realizing that she was small enough to actually get through the engine room hatch. "Stop! Please. I need you to help me." He shouted trying to remember if he had gotten her name. "I need a translator to talk to the engine room crew for a few minutes. Can you translate for me?"

The small Greenfoot female ran several steps past Jack before stopping and looked back down the cargo bay at Jack. Her jump suit zipped down far below her navel. At only 10 feet tall she was still enormous. "Oh yes Captain Turner. I can translate for you dear but I would have to crawl to fit through the engine room hatch and I do not think there is much room inside."

"Yes I know but I have no choice. If we do not get these engines running in a few minutes we are all dead."

She knelt down as a Greenfoot holding a pallet higher than normal squeezed past them without slowing down. The smaller Greenfoot turned to a Greenfoot leaving and spoke a melody language that sang in Jacks ears with a tenor and bass beat that made Jack wish she had not stopped when she turned back to Jack. Handing the pallet of wounded to the other to take on up the shuttle. "I will help as much as I can." She deftly opened the engine room’s hatch. "Lead the way Captain Turner."

Jack walked through the hatch looked around at the machinery for the second time and then turned around to speak to the Greenfoot female and found himself looking at her huge light green almost white boobs with huge red nipples hanging down right in front of him as she crawled through the hatch on hands and knees.

Backing up to get out of her way he could not help staring as she turned her face toward him. Close up only inches away from her face he realized that she was striking in appearance. He had not looked past the green color and size before to notice how beautiful she was. "My god. How old are you?"

"Me. Why Captain. I am just a young thing. Only aah, let's see ah... Yes, 40 earth years old. How old are you?"

"Ah, just turned 19 a couple months ago."

"Oh. Then you are just a baby and a Captain. Are all your Officers and Captains so young? We have to be at least a hundred to hold a leadership position."

"No. I have only been an officer for a few months and was kind of promoted out of desperation on the Admiral's part because of my experience on The Game. Most Captains are 30 something at the minimum."

"Still babies. But don't worry I won't tell anyone." Her smile turned puzzled. "What is this game you talk about?"

"It is a computer virtual training game about shooting bad guys and running a transport ship I have been playing for fun since I was a child. I did not know it was for real and used by the military for training." Dragging is eyes off the girl's boobs and face he turned around to look at the engine."

"Humm. You will have to show me this game sometime. It sounds very interesting." Looking up at the engine following Jack's gaze the big green girl smiled. "I have been told that my race invented the drive engines you are looking at and what powers their battleships tens of thousands of earth years ago." Glancing around she smiled. "But I can see that they have changed little in thousands of years."

A small 4 foot high creature resembling a human dwarf came running up with tools almost as big as he was on his tool belt talking a mile a minute shaking his finger at the Greenfoot giant. She turned around to sit with her back against the bulkhead next to the hatch and Jack. She waited for the Dwarf to finish as she looked around and then turned to Jack. "He says he is going to report me to the God Officers if I do not leave his engine room immediately."

"OK. Tell him that if he does not get these engines running before the God Officer shows up, we are all dead. Ask the Gentleman why the engine is not running?"

She spoke for a good minute with the Dwarf getting excited and talking a mile a minute. She had to cut him off time and again until she got her point across. Turning her head back to Jack. "It seems that he is not worried about the God Officers killing him and his crew. No one else can fix their engines for them." She smiled. "I explained to him that the whole boat and all of us will be killed as mutineers trying to desert and simply because he and his crew know about us trying to desert. Then reminded him that his family is already on the Human ship." She watched the little Dwarf walk over to a large control panel and punch several fist sized keys then ran back along the side of the engine toward the stern. "He says he will try harder but that he is having problems with the fuel feed system on both engines. Something is not right with them. They keep blowing the fusion energy ball out each time he starts the fusion chamber to power the engine. He only has a few plasma shots left before he will have to go get another plasma bottle from one of the main engine's Plasma Tanks to try again."

"Well big girl go see what you can do since your people helped design and build it."

She squirmed around squeezing past Jack heading for the control panel. The Gap between her breasts catching him in her floppy unzipped jumpsuit and scooping him up butt first in past one of her breasts with her suit holding him firmly trapped, his face against her nipple as she bent over to the control board only a couple feet off the deck. His feet hanging out with his butt wedged around her side against the bulkhead and his arms wrapped around her huge breast trying to pull himself around and out. She studied the read outs without seeming to notice Jack and then her fingers started taping the board that was designed perfectly for her big hands and fingers. "Ah… Yes I think I know what is wrong Babe." She looked down into her suit at Jack and smiled. "Oh my. You are such a love but I don't think you are big enough to make me squirm babe but I appreciate the thought. Besides I have a mate and I am expecting child. A little girl." She continued punching keys.

Jack tried to talk with his mouth pressed firmly against her nipple making it hard for him to even breathe. "Let me out I... I Can't even move or breathe." He tried pulling himself up again with her boob but all he managed to do was pull her boob down tighter into his face until he could only look up at her with one eye as her growing nipple plopped into his mouth making it even harder to talk around it or even close his mouth as well as breath. "Le,, me ouw!"

"Oh my god. What are you doing baby. Get out of my suit and quit sucking on my boob."

Turning his face a little. "Let me out. I can't breathe." The Greenfoot moved back trying to reach for Jack as he tried to pull himself out and talk again but all he managed to do was bight as her nipple tit wedged back into his open mouth and kept growing bigger and longer. Twisting his head around trying to clear his nose so he could breathe but only wound up bighting her again as liquid started filling his mouth.

She took her hand off the control panel and suddenly stood up trying to push Jack away as she said. "Stop that and get out of my suit!" She hit her head on the overhead pipe running along the engine and fell to the deck trapping Jack under her.

With her leaning against the bulkhead as she laid on the deck, Jack was able to get his outside hand around to press enough of her boob away from his nose so he could breathe as the sweet liquid kept filling his mouth. Reflexively Jack swallowed, his mouth closing without thinking and bighting her nipple again drawing an abrupt squeal from the girl as she started to squirm and even more liquid filled his mouth and without thinking again he swallowed trying to squirm around to breath and bit down again. She tried to roll over with a closed eyes smile only to wedge him in tighter. With her nipple teat growing even longer into his throat making him gag, he tried again to twist his head away as his mouth closed bighting even harder without thinking swallowing as he tried to clear is mouth to breath.

With his mouth wide open trying to gulp air between swallowing he could not help tasting even more of it. As he fought for air he found himself starting to enjoy the taste but realized that it tasted funny or strange but familiar.

The Ensign came running into the compartment almost tripping over the sleeping giant's legs. Running past the green giant she yelled. "Jack! Jack! Where are you damn it!" As she looked at the scanner in her hand.

Stopping several steps down the side of the engine, she turned around and looking down at Jack with his legs and arms stretched out hanging half out of the giant’s suit waving back and forth. His muffled cries for help making no sense.

The Ensign shook her head. "What the hell is going on here? Your suit is going crazy like you are suffocating and I find you here with a half-naked Greenfoot woman?" Grabbing his arm she pulled him out from under the giant rolling her over from atop him with some effort. He sputtered a milky liquid out of his mouth as he gulped air taking in deep breaths. Then she noticed Jack's suit control screen on his fore arm flashing red. Looking closer she whistled. "Alcohol? How the hell did you get drunk here in such short time and on what?" Then she noticed the milky liquid running down the side of the alien's breast from the long nipple teat and the white liquid over Jacks face and lips. Reaching down she got a couple of drops of the milky liquid off Jacks face and put it in her mouth. Licking her lips. "Damn this shit must be 200 proof alcohol." Running the scanner over Jack she plugged it into Jack's suit. "Damn. I can't leave you alone for five minutes without you getting into some kind of trouble." Scratching on the screen she injected Jack with what the medical scanner recommended and then sat back as the Dwarf came up to her.

The Dwarf started wiggling its finger at the giant. "I told her to get out of my engine room before I had to report her to the God Officers to be killed and what does she do but stuff the damn human male into her suit and hit her head on a pipe." The Dwarf turned to the panel and started punching the huge buttons with his closed fists in rapped succession then headed for the back of the engine again. "Now if I could only figure out why this stupid engine won't start."

Jack started to moan between breaths bringing his hand to his forehead then rubbing his eyes. "Damn. My head hurts."

"I am about to make your head really hurt worse slapping you stupid. It will take a few minutes to counter act the alcohol. What the hell were you doing? My boobs aren’t big enough for you?"

Jack sat up holding his head and looked at the green breast next to him and moaned. Reaching out he zipped the Greenfoot's suit back up above her breasts having to push them in to do it then turned back to the Ensign. Taking the scanner out of her hands he ran it over the sleeping Greenfoot. "Ok. This is seeing and telling me much more than it should be able to but I shouldn't complain. At least she does not have a concussion but how the hell did she get me drunk?"

"You had fun sucking her tit. Do you want to tell me what the hell was going on before I shoot you?"

"What? Nothing was going on except for me getting stuffed and trapped in her suit and trying to breath with that monster in my face." He pointed at her boob. "Think I will be terrified of big boobs the rest of my life. No. She stood up from looking at the control console sitting on the deck when she realized I was trapped in her suit she likes to wear unzipped. She scooped me up into it when she bent over to examine the control console. Turns out her race invented the damn engines before they were made slaves. According to their legends. She thinks she knows what is wrong with the engines." Looking over at the sleeping giant he shook his head. "We have to wake her up quick or we are all dead."

The Ensign took the scanner out of Jack's hands and started scratching on the screen with her finger. "Lucky for us Pan was able to down load the translation program into my scanner along with a whole library of information about all the different races aboard ship. Including their medical programs. It seems to have a recommendation to fix her up." She held the scanner to the neck of the peaceful Greenfoot. "Let's see if that matches what the program wants."

The Ensign grabbed Jack's arm and helped him up off the deck and away from the giant as she started to stir. Taking out a tactical screen from her thigh, she opened and held it over the control board for a second then turned it toward Jack. "That is the translation of the controls keys if it is any help."

The Greenfoot sat up holding her head. She looked around at Jack and frowned. "No! How dare you." Looking down at her suit with a frown as she zipped the suit the last couple inches up to her neck. "But then I should have been more careful in the cramped space but you did not have to take advantage of it. I can't and don't want to marry you. "

"Ya. Break my heart why don't you." Jack said sarcastically. "Can you fix this engine or not big momma?"

Looking at Jack strangely, (though all looks from the aliens where strange) she shook her head. "Of course I can. I think anyway. I have to go up and check the feed lines to the power generator's fusion chamber." She unzipped her suit fanning the sides open and closed exposing her breasts again. "Damn it is hot in here."

"Why you wearing a suit anyway? The other Greenfoots are not wearing anything."

"I am too small for my skin to toughen up enough to only need a helmet breather. So I have to wear this stupid suit every time I go out into a vacuum."

She turned over climbing onto her feet and crouching a little under the cross piping and lines as she looked up at the culprit that had knocked her out. She stepped around Jack and the Ensign as they pressed themselves up against the bulkhead beside the control console to let her by. The ensign ducking to let her boobs pass but her open suit caught Jack's head again sliding off her boob as she squeezed past him in the narrowing passageway between engine and bulkhead. Her bare boob pushing into Jack's face again as her open suit tried to suck Jack back in head first. Jack watched cross eyed as her boob's nipples rubbed against his cheek leaving a wet trail as the Ensign reached up and pushed the big green boob away from Jacks mouth pulling his head back out of the open suit as it tried to drag him along.

"It should not take long if you want to come. I will show you what I think is wrong and how to fix it." She frowned around and down at the Ensign removing her hand from the Greenfoots big breast as she started to move on past Jack but stopped. Leaning down she grabbed Jack's face between her hands and bent over placing her mouth over his lips. Using her thumbs on his chin she forced his mouth open, placed her mouth over his and slid her tongue deep into his mouth for several seconds then she inhaled deeply sucking Jack's lungs dry before breathing into him until his chest expanded like a balloon and would hold no more before breathing in again until his chest collapsed. Sticking her huge tongue back inside him again for a few seconds before she parted lips as Jack pushed hard on her boobs to get away from her.

Stepping away she smiled down at him. "Now we are even baby and I still won't marry you. Even if I did like it. Don't worry my husband will not mind. After all it was just an accident."

Jack watched her squirm and crawl under and over pipes and equipment as she made her way up the side of the engine where only a dwarf would normally go. Trying to catch his breath he looked around at the Ensign as she put her pistol away. "I guess we are even. Shall we follow?" Jack said as he started to follow the Greenfoot.

"Only if I can ram this pistol up her butt and pull the trigger." She pushed past Jack to lead the way putting herself between the two."

They followed the Greenfoot to the fusion chamber at the front of the engine where she took a look tracing out the lines and then turned to Jack pulling him around the ensign and up alongside her. "See they have the feed lines crossed. All you have to do is change the lines around here and here." She pointed out the lines to Jack as she held him pressed up against her bare breast with her suit dragged down off one shoulder from squeezing past a pipe.

"Good going Big Green Momma. So Fix it. I see some tools just past the chamber."

The Dwarf ran up yelling in a high pitched voice. "What are you doing you cargo handler. You will be executed along with your whole family if you touch this engine. Besides the over haul crew is the only ones that rebuilds these engines and are the only ones authorized to make any changes. If the God Officer Captain Turner insists on ordering the changes now, I and my crew will make them as soon as I find them."

Jack looked down at the Dwarf. "No. The damn lines are as big as your legs and would take special tools and a half hour at least for you and your crew to change them if your crew was even here. She can do it in a few seconds with a couple of wrenches. Get them for her now Dwarf or you are the one getting kicked out of this engine room. You can supervise and help her." Jack looked at the terrified Dwarf and then up and around that end of the compartment. Turning back to the Dwarf he frowned. "In a couple of minutes the whole God Officer Army is going to descend on this boat and kill all of us including you if we can't leave before then. I need you to cooperate now with the Greenfoot and then you can have your engines back."

The Dwarf started to protest but then turned around and ran to the tool locker at the front of the compartment. His little legs pumping for all they were worth as he cursed the Gods.

Big Momma looked down at Jack. "I cannot work on this engine. We are not allowed to do any maintenance." Her face scrunched up as her eyes watered up. "I don't know how to take anything apart and put it back together again."

"That is ok Big Green Momma. I will help you through every step. What is your name anyway? I can't keep calling you by a nick name I dumped on you as a joke. Besides I don’t' think you are a momma yet and you certainly aren't big compared to other Greenfoots."

"I will be a momma and I am." Jack heard a few words he could not understand and then the translator said. "Red Flower of Loading clan 73747." And Jack realized that her hair had just a ting of red to it as the Dwarf brought the needed tools. "Ok Red, let's go. We start by shutting off the lines and equipment. You can do that Dwarf and be quick about it." Even though the big tools were made of lightweight materials Jack was impressed as he lifted one of them by how easily the Dwarf had grabbed them all up and carried them in one trip. He doubted he could have carried them all.

It only took a few minutes to change the lines around with the Engine Dwarf helping the little Greenfoot. Jack kept looking over his shoulder through the bulkheads at how badly the battle was going with the black apes flooding down the core. Finally they were done as Red tightened up the last fitting and they headed back around the engine to the main control station. The engine fired right up into a soft purr as soon as the button was pushed. "Ok Red, you and grumpy can take care of the other engine." As he started back down the side of the engine, he turned around. "That means you to Master Engineer Dwarf. She will need your help too. I need to get back out side. The battle does not look like it is going very well."

Outside the engine, Red finished crawling through the engine room hatch and ran up to Jack and picked him up giving him a big hug and wet kiss again sucking him dry and sticking her tongue half way down his throat before letting him breathe again as she hugged him. "Thank you Babe for showing me how to work. I cannot believe how wonderful it is to fix things. I am going to do that again to the other engine." Setting Jack down to catch his breath she ran off to the other engine room looking over her shoulder at Jack with a big smile as she knelt down to go through the hatch. The Dwarf running along with his short legs behind her. Jack caught a glimpse of her boobs hanging out of her unzipped suit as the ensign slapped him across the back of his head.

The Ensign started walking up the cargo hold. "Come on lover boy, we have work to do. You can drool over my boobs later. That is if you are still interested in my small, little, insignificant things anymore. After hers, I am never going to be self-conscious about mine ever again"

"Pop them out and I will show you how interested I am in them. We will have to try that breath thing she does. It is kind of neat once you get used to it. Though I thought her tongue was going to come out my butt for a second." Jack caught up to her in only a couple of steps as he started looking around that end of the ship again. "It looks like most of the marines are being cut off in the other side of the ship. A massive force has taken the damn core area. Thank God Star the other boat lock had the redoubts for them to retreat to." Shaking his head in disbelief. "Whoever is commanding the forces against us realizes we don’t have a chance split up like this. All he has to do is mass enough forces to take us out before we can leave in the Assaultboat and he can deal with our troops in the other boat bay at his leisure."

Jack tapped his comm. "Gutner Dank, pull back to the boat now."

"But Captain, we are about to launch an attack to break through to the other boat bay."

"No! You don't have enough to break through without heavy casualties or hold it open long enough to get the others out. There are thousands of Black Apes between us and more descending down the core fast. No. Pull back to the boat now. We have to get out now while we can or we are going to be over ran and no one will get off this ship alive."

A Red Ape came on the comm sounding different. "We are battle worriers and will gladly die to rescue your marines God Officer Captain Turner. Let us go and earn our place in heaven now before our short lives end."

"No. You will earn your place in heaven later Worrier. I need you alive now to fight a much more important battle another day."

The Red Ape's voice almost deafened Jack. "What more important battle could there be than to rescue your men?"

"Hopeless causes or throwing your lives away stupidly do not earn anyone a place in heaven or recues trapped brothers or win wars. Get your butts aboard this boat now."

"Yes Captain Sir!" The Red Ape said disgustedly with a growl. "You abandon your Marines Captain so light heartedly is not good or honorable."

"Don't tell me your God Officers have never abandoned your troops. I know better."

"Yes they do but only when the troops have failed." The Red Ape said proudly.

"I would be willing to bet that it was the God Officers that failed and not the troops. Like I have failed here. But it does not matter. Get your Red suits on this boat now. I will not fail with you. And while you are at it you can figure out how to man the weapons on this assault boat. Especially the stern guns before we get overrun."

The Red Ape said several names of species reproductive and eliminating organs Jack could not believe the translator understood as the comm went dead.

Turning to the Ensign as they walked up along the catwalk with the packed suddenly silent cargo bay below them. The Greenfoots packed into the passageway between cargo boxes, and wounded Red Apes laying on the cargo boxes stared at them as they passed.

One of the biggest Greenfoots he had yet seen with knurly wrinkled skin reached over blocking Jacks' path. "Normal Lizard Ape weapons do not penetrate our hides very well and I have not seen any heavy weapons on them yet. We can get through to help your marines trapped in the other bay and bring them back."

Jack looked at the old haggard Greenfoot staring at him determinedly. "Thank you for your offer but I will not risk losing you for a few humans that would not survive the trip back if we could even last that long to get back here." Shaking his head. "No. I wish there was a way we could break through to them now but there is not. No matter what we tried, more would die than would be saved even if by some miracle we did not all die."

Jack pushed past the giant and noticed they had not left passageways through the stacks to the forward side hatches. "Damn." As the Ensign caught back up with him she sniffled as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Jack! There has to be something we can do to save them? Some way to break through to them damn it."

"No love. Everyone here would just wind up slaughtered. No. We have to get this boat and the survivors we have out of this lock now while we can."

Jack walked onto the bridge as his suit comm beeped. Tapping it the voice of the Marine Commander Murphy filled his ears. "We have been driven into the lock from the surrounding decks but I am almost ready to start a push toward the other lock. I need your help from that end Captain."

"You have 3,000 enemy troops between us and you, with hundreds more arriving down the core every minute. Luckily they are all massing around the core for now and not attacking but you would never make it to the core let alone past it to this lock. Sorry Commander but you are just going to have to hunker down in the defensive positions the alien slave crew made for you. No assaults or attacks. Just hang on as long as you can. That is an order. Out."

Jack watched the last of the Red Apes run up the stern ramp in a hail of gunfire with the ramp slamming up shut behind them. "Ok Pilot get us the hell out of here now. Blow the hatch."

"Damage the Ship intentionally Captain?" The hatch in front of them slowly opened as the Air curtain formed keeping the ships air in. "We have spent our lives maintaining this ship not destroying it." The boat slid out of the lock on one engine in a hail of small arms fire as the pilot announced. "Engine number 2 coming on line now Captain."

"Good, swing us around to the other lock." Slapping his comm. "Gutner Dank. I asked some Red Apes to get the shuttle weapons manned but I have not seen them fire yet, see if you could give them a hand and make it fast. We only have a few minutes to rescue the marines in the other lock. Out." Slapping his comm again. "Number One, I need you to shell the Core of this ship down here to buy me time to get our guys out and don't give me any crap about the enemy torpedo's targeting our gun flashes. Shoot and scoot. Got that?" Slapping the comm again. "Commander get your men ready. I am going to back this assault shuttle into your bay but we are only going to have a few seconds to make the pickup or we will all be dead once they figure out we are stealing their bait. You will have only the stern ramp to load. Got that? But stay inside protected in your redoubts until I tell you to board the boat. Things are going to be very nasty in that lock for a few minutes after we get in there. Good luck. Captain out." Turning to the pilot. Can you make everyone aboard the boat hear me Pilot?"

The Pilot turned to Jack and looked at him for several second as the boat slowly arced around the enemy ship's hulk. 10 bright yellow and one white beams sliced into the side of the hulk as Jack jerked his eyes out the boat's view ports. All but one of the beams did not penetrate very far into the ship. The pilot finally answered. "Yes Captain Turner but I do not understand why you need to talk to everyone on the boat. I have never even heard of the God Officers doing that before even though the ships and boats are equipped with hull wide announcing systems."

"Just put it down to us strange humans Pilot and open the comm."

The Pilot turned back to the console. "Open Comm to the boat Captain."

"Your attention please. This is Captain Turner. We are about to back into the other lock. We only have a few minutes to load the stranded troops there and leave. Do what you can to form a protective barrier at the stern of the boat without hampering the loading but I am afraid that casualties are unavoidable, do your best for them until we get back to the ship. God help us all. That is all." Tapping his suit's comm. "Number One that last barrage was a waste. It did not penetrate through to the core. Double up on the capacitors and try it again. Out."

The boat slowly turned to line up with the lock as Jack watched the pilot. Tapping his fingers on the chair arms as he leaned forward to see over the pilot's shoulder. Wishing he could read the pilots damn board, Jack suddenly sat back in the chair frustrated. Turning to the Ensign. "Didn't you say you had a translation program on the suits like you showed me on the Tactical screen?" Without waiting for an answer Jack closed his helmets visor. "Get me that program on my visor."

The Ensign leaned over Jack taking his arm in her hands and started scratching on his forearm screen and suddenly he could read the symbols on the chair's arms and around the bridge. "I could kiss you right now Ensign but I am busy." Pushing her out of his way as he leaned forward until he could see the Pilots control board, Jack smiled as he got up. "Excuse me Pilot but let me try flying this thing if you please. We don’t' have the time to follow all the safety rules."

The Pilot turned to look up at Jack for a few seconds before getting up and standing aside. "Your honorable Captain Turner, I must protest. You are not familiar with the controls and could damage the boat. Please let me continue. I will dock the boat safely without any damage."

"Sorry Pilot but we don't have time for safety. You just stay next to me and prevent me from doing something to stupid but speed is not one of them." Jack sat down and hit the thrusters tentatively, thrusting the boat speeding toward the ship's lock.

Taping his suit's comm. "Commander, Make sure you troops are all in the redoubts with the hatches closed as we back into the lock and keep them under cover until I give you the word. I am going to hit the main thrusters as soon as we are locked down to help clear the hatch towered the core. The redoubts the aliens built you are plenty strong to protect your troops from the blast. It will give you more time to load. Out."

Hitting the side thrusters Jack fine-tuned the boats rapid approach to the lock as Jack glanced around him. "Weapons, have they got at least the stern guns working yet?"

"Sorry Captain but the God Officers are the only ones authorized to use them." Jack did not recognize the alien talking and the program seemed to lag behind its voice more than the others.

"You must have a way to test them after repairing them do you not?"

The Alien with bright red skin and horns looked at Jack. "Of course Captain but the God Officers have the codes for operating the targeting system. We can only test each individual gun one at a time on manual control and then only at specific target areas."

Jack looked at the alien in disbelief. "Then go show the Red Apes how to fire the guns on manual control. Please." Jack bit every word trying to maintain control.

Dozens of explosions started going off around the hulks and the boat lighting up the bridge making Jack's eyes dazed and then blind for a second as his visor darkened down automatically to protect him from the glare. "Shit!" Expecting something to be destroyed from all the torpedo hits he suddenly regretted telling the ship to shoot no matter the consequences as he looked around and finally spotted the Red pepper in the distance still safe and sound.

The alien pilot started yelling. "You are going too fast. We are going to crash into the lock."

Turning back around Jack quickly started hitting thrusters lining the boat back up on the lock again just in time to slide into it. The locks grav beams rapidly slowing the boat as they streaked into it sliding across the deck. Jack was hopping the extra speed would put them at the far end of the lock by the time they stopped but the grav beams still stopped them perfectly in the middle. "At least this bigger shuttle sticks farther in than ours."

He watched enemy Apes pouring through the large hatches at the end of the lock now that the marines were all under cover and not able to fire at them. "Get this boat anchored down now!"

The Alien Pilot reached across Jacks arm and hit a large button between Jack and the Copilots console next to him. "Boat Anchored down Captain."

"Permission to secure the main engines Captain." Said the Alien Copilot.

"No. leave them running and the ships lock hatch open. I don't care if it is wasting energy. I want to be able to leave at a moment notice. Got that." Jack checked the main screen showing the lock to the stern of the boat. Seeing only Apes and thousands of them he hit the boats main engines at full power without thinking, slamming them up to their stops before bringing them back to idle.

The stream of ultra-hot super velocity gasses clouded up blocking out the screens view of that end of the lock. Slapping at his suit comm. "Commander get your men on this boat now."

Jumping up from the Pilots chair jack headed for the back of the bridge, past the ladder to the lower decks and up to the hatch out into the upper hold only a few feet away. Glancing out the port he threw the hatch open and stepped out onto the deck grate running around and down both sides of the 20+ foot tall hold. Cargo boxes formed another deck some 7 feet below running down the sides as well. Packed with Apes and human wounded on pallets at the front end and combat ready Red Apes crowding to the back trying to push the Greenfoots out of the way and behind them for protection forming a shield wall as they shot out through the stern hatch. The Greenfoots not taking kindly to the Red Apes trying to protect them weather they wanted to be protected or not. Jack was glad to see the grated decks running high along the sides where empty waiting for the stranded troops to fill them up.

Taking off at a jog he ran down the side of the hold. Clambering on the grate with every step from the heavy suit. As he reached the stern he could see marines headed for the back of the boat carrying their wounded on stretchers. Several pairs of Greenfoots suddenly pushed their way through the Red Apes blocking the end of the boat's hold and ran out carrying long pallets and quickly reached the wounded coming out of the redoubts. Throwing the ones out in the open onto the pallet they grabbed the edges of the redoubt hatch and tore a good hunk out of the side of each redoubt and then reached in and started dragging wounded out and onto the pallet stacking them side by side. After sticking a head in through the opening one last time, they started their run back toward the boat. The Pallet seeming to float as they took their long running strides leaving the healthy troops running along behind them.

Jack reached the stern of the boat as the smoke and dust cleared from the far end of the lock revealing a long tunnel blasted through a dozen bulkheads to the core hull of the ship and the big armored hatch facing them in the armored hulled core. The hole in each blasted bulkhead a little smaller than the one in front of it forming a reducing cone of bulkheads all the way to the armored core. Half a hundred perfect protected firing positions for enemy Apes to fire directly through the open stern hatch and down the full length of the boats hold packed full of refugees. "My God did I fuck up this time. It was supposed to collapse a few bulkheads forming a barrier not a fucking cone of death. I should have nosed the damn boat in but then we may have been over ran before we finished loading. Damn it."

The Ensign walked up beside Jack. "Looks like you took out a couple thousand Apes with that engine blast Jack. Good going. From what I can see, it incinerated most of them on this side of the ship. "

"Oh. Ya but there are thousands more where they came from."

"Well hopefully we will be gone by then. The marines should all be onboard in a minute and we can leave."

The big armored core hatch opened and out came a couple of large containers some 20 feet across and tall rushing toward the boat. "Damn It." Slapping his comm. "Gutner Dank! Get me at least those stern turrets on this boat working now. We have a big box probably a weapon or even full of Apes that looks plenty big to take this boat. If it gets here." Jack looked hard, squinting his eyes against the glare of the lock's lights. "Damn there must be 10 of those damn boxes coming down the damn core shaft, heading this way fast."

"Just about got it going Captain. Give us a few more seconds and we will have both of them working on the stern corners. They won't be very accurate until we can sight them in but at least you will have something." The grated deck around the cargo hold was quickly filling with marines.

The first box was half way to the boat when the first turret fired missing it by 50 feet. The plasma ball hitting the overhead. "Just give us a few more seconds to adjust the sights Captain."

"We don't have a few more seconds damn it." Looking down Jack suddenly wondered why the Apes were not firing at it. Were they that pragmatic to not waste ammo if it had no chance of penetrating? But then he remembered how powerful their weapons were and was sure they could penetrate the average damn cargo container. Leaning over to yell down at the Aps to fire he came up nose to nose to the short red tinged haired Greenfoot just stepping up on the deck of boxes below him. Her suit again zipped half way down her chest giving Jack a magnificent view that he ignored.

Her Green eyes leveled with Jack as she looked into his eyes. "Why are you shooting at our cargo box of refugees? You miraculously clear the enemy away for them to get here but then fire on them. You do not make any sense Captain."

"What? You have refugees in those boxes? Are you sure they are not enemy soldiers using a Trojan horse to get close enough to kill us?"

"Yes Captain. We are talking to them now and know nothing about a Trojan horse. There are no enemy Lizard Apes in those boxes. Only the last of our alien brothers from the God Officer Part of the ship."

"Shit all mighty." Another blaster ball hit close to the leading box as more formed a line behind it and he saw a big green head pope out from behind the lead box to look toward the boat. Jack hit his comm. "Gutner Dank, hold your fire. Those are refugees in the boxes not enemy Apes." Tapping the comm again. "Number One, hold the cannon fire until I say. We have friendlies in your line of fire. I say again hold your fire." The last of the marines ran up the ramp past Jack and into the boat and climbed the ladder up to the catwalk.

The Marine Commander stopped beside Jack. "All present and or accounted for Captain. We can leave anytime."

"I wish we could but we have more refugees coming." Looking down at the center isle down the middle of the boat filled with Greenfoots. "I don't know where the hell we are going to put them through."

The first box had almost reached the boat when the enemy started firing sporadically into the lock and the Red Apes opened up in return. The Greenfoots suddenly started rushing out of the hold pushing past the Red Apes firing past the incoming boxes at the enemy Apes now shooting from the step ladder cone of bulkheads Jack had made for them. Reaching down to get Red's attention Jack grabbed her head pulling her closer. "What is going on? It is dangerous out there. Tell them to get back onto the boat."

"They will in a few seconds Captain. They are just making room for the new boxes." The Greenfoots started laying down on the deck beside the hatch or running out to help push the boxes.

The first big cargo box was pushed up the ramp and down the center of the hold and the isle just wide enough for them until it slammed up against the end bulkhead. The four Greenfoots quickly locked it down and then jumped on top of it as another box was pushed onto the boat and down the center isle of the hold to be locked down and then used by the Greenfoots to sit or lay on. A bolt streaked through the side of the hatch hitting a marine as he tried to help a wounded marine laying on the grated deck knocking him down.

The boat's stern gun turrets started firing. The gunners walking the fireballs into the enemy firing around the sides of the blasted bulkheads. It took Jack a second to realize that the turrets were not firing at the boxes to his relief.

The Red headed Greenfoot girl with Jack's hand still on her head, turned placing her huge hand on the back of Jacks head and pulled him over to kiss him slobbering all over his face in one wet kiss taking another couple of breaths into him. Her big long tongue darting into his surprised mouth before backing up. "Thanks Babe for saving my cousins." Smiling at Jack. "We will be loaded in a few seconds and we can leave."

Jack let his hand drop away from her head in shock wiping his face off. "Ah ya. Your welcome but why the hell didn't you tell me about you having clan up ship. We could have gone up and gotten them a lot safer than making them come all the way down here or leaving them behind."

"No Babe. We can go anyplace on the ship without the Apes or God Officers even noticing us if we are even a little careful. The Lizard Apes are not even shooting at us as we load being none entity slaves. As far as not telling you, why did you not tell us you were planning on docking here to pick up your marines? We could have done many things differently to facilitate the rescue." Another bolt streaked close past Jack making him flinch.

Jack watched the last of the cargo boxes drop down the core elevator to the boat deck without detecting anyone even trying to stop or fire at them. "No. I could not take the chance that someone amongst you would tell the Lizards Apes. If they had found out my plans they would have wiped this lock out before we could get around to saving them."

"Yes. Our thoughts exactly. We did not know how much we could trust you and most did and do not but most were willing to take a chance. Not with all until you came back for your own. Some still don't but don't worry Babe, I trust you impeccably with my life. We are bonded now but I still won't marry you even though I now could."

"No? I am devastated love but I will just have to do my best to live without you."

The last of the boxes were pushed onboard the boat with the Greenfoots on top of them and the hatch started closing. Jack took one last look out the hatch. A bright flaming torch was dropping down the core with several cold Lizard Apes. "What the hell?” Looking closer, Jack could tell it was somewhat smaller than the Apes with two arms, two legs, a head and was carrying something hot in its arms. Something that burned even brighter than the little humanoid but with 6 legs, a long flopping tail with something wide and flat at the end and a head that looked king of like a dog. Whatever it was, kept squirming until it freed itself scampering away around the elevator car amongst the Apes as it was chased by the little humanoid around the much bigger and colder Apes. Jack finally realized that it was a girl with little boobs as she finally caught up to the 6 legged pet picking it up.

"Shit! You have a straggler coming down the core elevator with some kind of 6 legged pet?" Jack turned to the Red headed Greenfoot. "Are you people missing a child?"

"Yes. I will miss her." She looked at Jack with her eyes growing big as tears started clouding them. "I was told my sister disappeared running after her stupid pet and they did not have time to look for her. She will be well taken care of by the Gods. But you say she is in an elevator in the core?"

"Yes with some Lizards that seem to be ignoring her."

"Yes. She is too stupid to be noticed unless she gets in their way and then they will kill her without even thinking about it. She knows this well. Our brother was killed years ago for that reason." Taking a deep breath as the boat continued to be hit by the weapons fire of the lizards. "I will understand if you cannot wait for her babe. Losing loved ones is just part of being a slave."

"Well, you are no longer a slave and we are not going to lose her if I can help it." Turning to the alien at the ramp controls. "Close the hatch but leave it part way open so we can continue firing out of it while some of the hold is protected." Turning back to the red head. "I won't risk going after her but if she comes this way we will wait for her. Is there any way for you to contact her? A phone or something?"

"No, she is only 20 years old and not old enough to have a communicator yet."

The hatch closed and locked. Turning back to the operator he started to yell at it to open the hatch. "I said to only close the hatch part way."

"Yes. Open part of the hatch Captain." the alien said looking up at Jack. Then the center 3rd of the hatch suddenly started opening. "Damn why didn't they do this before. It would have helped save some of the people getting wounded from enemy fire up the sides at least." The grated ramp that had been extended to the deck below moved to form a deck across the ramp opening.

Walking over to peak around the closed third of the hatch Jack looked at the descending Greenfoot girl. "Ok do we have anymore we need to get?" Looking around the ship his eyes dropped down a few decks as he noticed a bright spot some 20 decks below them and seemed to be growing hotter with a hot figure moving around it. Turning to Pan. "Is that one of your people down a few decks and what is that hot spot? It looks like some kind of reactor."

Pan glanced at Jack and then down at the deck where Jack had looked, frowning. "The Ships Main Fusion reactors are down several decks. Volunteers are staying to operate it long enough for us to leave."

"Well we are leaving. Get them up here now." Jack looked as several more hot spots walked out from around the Fusion Core.

Pan continued to stare out the hatch as the firing from the bay increased. "They will stay to make sure we are safe and then blow the Reactor destroying the Godship hulks so they cannot be salvaged."

Jack suddenly realized many things that he had been trying not to. Swallowing. "Ok. Ah. What about the other hulks. Are there not refugees like you on them as well?"

"A few survive. We have talked to them. They do not expect you to rescue them."

Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he looked past the ship's hull at the hulks surrounding them that were taking a plastering from their own fleet. "Can any of them reach boats of any kind for us to pick up?"

Pan turned to Jack staring at him. "Yes if you will pick them up. Some can reach boats."

Jack looked up to the overhead of the boat. Shaking his head. "I know I am going to regret this but we will pick up as many as we can. Ah. If you can assure me no enemy troops are on them."

Pan turned to Jack and raised her chin up several inches and back down. Taking out a large box from a pocket she started speaking into it for almost a minute. When she was done she held the box out in front of her for several seconds and then a series of different voices started making short statements from it.

Jack watched the elevator reach the boat bay deck and Apes start to pile out of it. He noticed now as close as they were, that they had no weapons but swords at their hips. Smiling he let out a long breath of relief until a blast ball landed close beside him.

The voices stopped coming from the box and Pan turned to Jack. "Several thousand think they can reach boats to leave their ships in the next few minutes. I will know if any enemy troops are on any of them. But one ship is to badly damaged and has no working boats. Though few survive on that ship."

Jack watched the child in the elevator slowly walk out into the wide core compartment full of apes milling around and noticed what looked like a hot can rush out of a smaller tube to one side of the main elevators. The Apes suddenly started lining up into rows.

Shaking his head in bewilderment at the new being that could be an officer. Jack focused on the human sized can floating around the core compartment and started to ask Pan if that was a Godofficer. Then something bright past one side of the hot human sized can caught his eyes. Something out beyond the hull of the ship they were on. Jack still had a ghost vision of the ship hulks through the hull if he concentrated and suddenly realized something moved on one of the ghost hulks he had only noticed but ignored up until then. Focusing on it, he watched a small boat pull away. Slapping his comm. "Number One hold your fire. That should be a refugee filled boat. Send one of our empty boats over to check it out. Make sure they have everything they need in case it turns out not to be friendly or an enemy."

"More Refugees Captain. Where we going to put them?"

"Hell I don't know. Empty out a couple of the mass tanks." Turning to Pan. "How many refugees did you say we are talking about?"

Taking a deep breath Pan raised her chin a fraction and held it there as she answered without looking at him. "Roughly three thousand Captain if they have time."

"Christ all mighty. What have I agreed to?" Jack knew they not only did not have room for that many but they definitely did not have the time to pick that many up let alone get them loaded and still make an escape." Closing his eyes, dread was quickly overwhelmed with fear at never getting out of there. "Well anyway get those guys at the reactor up here. I don't care if they salvage this hulk or not."

Pan turned to Jack. "We do. This was our home for our entire lives going back to a hundred generations. When other ships come to strip our souls, the armored decks, weapons, engines and anything else they can find that still works; the Fusion Reactor Chief will detonate the core with the other hulks of the squadron and take out many more Godships at their weakest. It will keep them from finding out we are gone while weakening the Godfleet a little, increasing our chances of survival with you humans."

Opening his eyes he watched the child wait inside the elevator core as the Apes around her ran out and then slowly she followed looking around the inside of the core at the other elevators discharging Apes. Telling himself to breath he waited for her to slowly walk out of the core and looking around. While he could not be sure, it looked like she was crying. Finally she faced him and the boat hundreds of yards away. Turning to the Red head. Is their someway for you to tell her to run here damn it?"

Red smiled then jumped down to the foot of the ramp in a hail of gunfire and shouted loud enough for Jacks earphones to block out most of the decibels. "Wiggle Butt! Get over here! Run fast sister. Run as fast as you can."

The little girl waved and then started running. Her butt wiggling as fast as she ran with the pet in her arms. The Lizard Apes ignoring her as they fired at the boat or charged by the hundreds only to be cut down. The tail guns and Red Apes taking an incredible toll on the enemy apes who replacements simply climbed across the dead bodies ahead of them picking up their weapons to take their place to fire or continuing the charge.

The Red head suddenly fell backwards onto the ramp. A big black spot on her chest between her breasts sticking out of her open suit. Jack found himself jumping off the catwalk and down onto the ramp beside her. Then trying to drag her back into the boat but her size and weight was making that hard even with the help of his powered suit.

An old knurly hand reached down and gently pushed Jack aside then two arms picked her up turned his back on the steady stream of fireballs and walked back into the boat as several black splotches appeared on his back.

Turning around to see the little girl still running, still several hundred feet away with plasma streaks flying past her. Jack suddenly felt very exposed and ducking he ran back up the ramp behind the Green Giant and into the boat around the corner of the hatch as the Red head was deposited on a pallet and the ship's doctor and several Greenfoot women clustered around her. Turning around to peak out the hatch he watched the little green girl trip on the remnants of a blown away bulkhead about half way to the boat losing her grip on her pet. The pet bounded away and into the air as huge wings sprang from the back of its body.

The little green girl started crying as she watched the pet fly away around the lock. "Shit damn it all anyway!” Jack said as he started down the ramp only to be picked up and deposited back into the boat's hold as the old knurly Green Giant stepped down the ramp and quickly bounded to the little girl letting out a loud whistle as he ran.

The flying pet dove from the overhead to land on the Greenfoot Giant’s outstretched hand where a short line was attached to a vest around its chest by his other hand. Picking up the girl as he reached her, he turned his back to the enemy and clipped the line attached to the flying six legged dog around her chest under her arms. The Giant started running back to the boat with her protected in his arms but quickly slowed to a fast walk that just kept getting slower as his body kept shuddering from the mass of hits to his back. The enemy Apes or their Godofficer had decided that it did not want that big Greenfoot escaping for some reason after ignoring all the other Greenfoots up until then.

"Run damn it. Run!" Jack yelled out the hatch but the Giant continued to slow down as his body kept shuddering. "Damn the ass holes are targeting him." Jack said in exasperation. The constant pom, pom, pom, of the side turrets with the mass streaks of Red Ape assault weapons back past the Green Giant did not seem to slow the growing mass of fireballs streaking into his back. Though why they suddenly decided the slaves were worth shooting at was beyond Jack. Unless it was simply a matter that they could fire on him without exposing themselves to fire from the boat.

He crossed the last few feet in agonizingly slow steps until he was just 10 feet from the bottom of the narrow ramp and with a smile he threw the little girl and her pet. The pet’s wings springing apart with the girl clipped to its chest and they glided into the back of the boat. "You take care of my people Captain. They are all yours now." The Green Giant's eyes went vacant as he fell forward onto his face with an out stretched hand on the ramp, his chin on the deck holding his head up with his eyes staring up at the Jack. He had no back left. Just a huge vacant hole where thousands of shots had eaten away most of his chest from the backside in.

The hatch closed as Jack stared until he could not see the body. Turning around he glanced up at the crying child as tall as he was and her strange pet and tapped his comm. "Pilot, cut the landing lock and full thrust on the main engines. Now." With some satisfaction Jack watched the entire lock deck turn into a cauldron of massive flames and melting slagged metal that started flying out the other boat lock on the other side of the ship. That end of the ship continued to burn as the hulk fell away into the distance.

27-

OUT OF THE HULKS

Jack climbed up onto the catwalk platform around the upper part of the hold and made his way up to the bridge. Finally having to be a little rude when troops both marine and Ape along with the Greenfoots kept trying to talk to him. As he kept seeing glimpses of boats leaving the other hulks. Fearing an ape assault.

Tapping on his comm as he stepped around a wounded marine wishing he had time to check on him and the rest. "Number One, make sure no Apes are on those boats. How are things going?"

"I have two boats out rounding up and checking life boats now Captain. The others will join them as soon as they are empty. We are just having a hell of a time trying to find room for everything let alone move it there."

"You will have help moving cargo as soon as we dock. I have a hundred plus forklifts ready to go. Though our short compartments and passageways may prove a problem."

"Sorry but our shuttle bays are packed with barely enough room for them to get in. Our sensors are telling me that boat you are in is a lot bigger than our boats. We don't have room for you to dock until we get one of the bays unloaded if it will even fit in."

Jack finally walked onto the Assault Shuttles Bridge taking the command chair. They were approaching the Red Pepper. A large crystal white cloud drifted around the ship from the tanks that had already been dumped. It was slowly spreading around the hulks. The 4 big 500 foot long main battleship guns were strapped to the outside hull along the tank section. The forward half of the ship had equipment stuffed into every available open deck that was not completely destroyed. The Admiral’s barge slipped out of a bay heading for a cluster of lifeboats near one of the hulks. Through the open hatch Jack could see crates stacked around the bulkheads of the lock making him wonder how the barge had managed to fit into it. Shaking his head he turned to the pilot. "Does this shuttle have that air curtain field I saw on the ships boat bay lock hatch?"

The pilot turned around to look at Jack. "Yes Captain Turner. We can open any hatch on the boat without losing air. That is why you cannot see any emergency double hatch locks though the Assault boat has them."

"Good I want you to back up to the open lock in front of the boat." Slapping the comm. "Number One, we are going to back up to the lock long enough to unload you some help along with some cargo. We are going to need some emergency bubbles to get the wounded off. Blow off all the mass tanks on the lower tank deck to make room for everything." Jack hoped that would be enough room.

The pilot swung the shuttle around and kissed the lock. Just placing the stern inside the hatch even though it barely fit. Turning to Pan. "Ok the lock is still in vacuum but we can get most everyone and some cargo out. We have bubbles we can bring in for the wounded after we make some room for them." Stepping to the back hatch of the bridge he was surprised to see the hold was half empty already with the boxes that had been shoved in last with the refugees sliding down the deck of the lock surrounded by Greenfoots and Red Apes throwing pallets around like balloons stacking them to the overhead. Smiling Jack started through the hatch to help when his comm beeped frantically.

"Captain an Assault Shuttle just left hulk number 4."

"Shit." Jack turned around and ran to the front of the cockpit. "The last thing we need is trouble. Number One, fire on my command." Then the shuttle did something not expected. It slid over to hulk number 2 and latched itself to its side. Belly to the hull of the hulk.

"Pan!" Jack turned around and ran into her as she came up behind him from the cargo bay. "Pan what is going on?"

"The boat has docked with the hulk to take off its few survivors. All the life boat bays have been destroyed so it had to use its assault mag to lock it to the side over a hatch. Though it could make its own opening in the hull if needed."

"Ok." Jack studied it for a few seconds then started looking around at the mass of boats." Will it stay locked to the side of the ship under power?"

"It would not be worth much if it could not."

Tapping his comm again. "Number One open the hull hatch on one of the empty mass tanks on the lower deck on this side." Crystals started spewing from the ship around the opposite side and then a few seconds later a large hull hatch opened up on the close side as it slide into the already empty tank leaving a large 20 by 20 square rounded corner hole. Turning to the pilot. "Can you dock against the hull over that hatch with an air tight seal to allow the transfer of cargo and passengers?"

The pilot looked up and turned to Jack. "Yes Captain by your Command."

"Good." Turning to Pan. "Throw the cargo back into the boat including the refugee canisters and we will dump them directly into the tank. Pack it in leaving the belly hatch free." Walking to the back of the bridge again he frowned seeing the boats hold almost empty as the chain gang stopped and looked around towered the bridge as one. Then looking at each other the chain started back up stacking pallets crates back into the boat. Tapping his comm. "Hold the bubble wrap. We will transfer the wounded into the tank once it is repressurize. Should be a lot safer." Tapping his comm again. "Number One how is the pickup going?"

"Fine except we are running out of room in our boats and having a hard time keeping track of the ones we have already been to with them moving around."

"Hold on a second." Turning to pan. "Have the boats that still need picked up turn their navigation lights on or some kind of lights." Then looking out the bridges ports he could not help seeing way too many turning on flashing lights still needing picked up. "Damn it!" frowning he looked up at the open hatch in the tank. "Have your boats head for this ship. I think most of them are small enough to fit inside the tank hatches. That should get us out of her a lot faster. That is if they can move on their own." Thinking about it for a few moments. "Ah Number One. Dump the upper most deck tanks still intact. We can land them in there far enough away that if they have any unwanted guests we can take care of them without wrecking any of the remaining operational parts of the ship." Turning to look back out at the other shuttle. "You can open a tank on the other side down here to balance out this one to put the other Assault Shuttle against. I will be in directly."

A Dozen torpedoes streaked through the throng of boats and hulks as Jack surveyed the mass of boats. Most of the torpedo's hitting the hulks but a few targeted boats at the last second. The huge torpedoes the size of fighters staggered each ship with a massive explosion blowing whole sections out of them. The boat's they hit simply disappeared in a fireball hundreds of feet across.

"Captain!" Came the First Officers voice. "One of our boats has been hit." Hold on for details. Jack could see the boat that was hit as it started to slowly tumble. It had ventured out from behind the hulk designated Charley who's boats it was picking up. A torpedo had hit the boat it was heading for, sending a chunk of shrapnel big enough to see from this distance thrusting through the boat's mid-section. Gas and bodies came tumbling out of the hole punched through it for a fraction of a second and then stopped. Several of the other small boats scattered between the hulks exploded or simply fell apart as torpedoes hit them or a boat close to them. It was impossible to tell if they had already been emptied or were full of refugees unless you had been looking at each boat before it was hit to see if it had any lights on.

A few seconds later the Red Pepper's boat’s damaged thrusters fired, sending it back into the shadow where it should have been in the first place.

The First Officer came back on the line. "It went through the cargo hold killing everyone around the transit point but the lieutenant had the brains to pull and leave the damage control curtains up and they only lost the ones not in a suit and tied down in that section not actually killed by the shrapnel. It was pretty packed but the lieutenant could only give me an estimate of possibly 30 killed with 15 or 20 wounded. "

“Affirmative Number One. I only counted at most a dozen blobs or bodies floating out with the gas. Hopefully some of that was cargo. But that is enough. Recall our boats. The rest can make it here on their own or stay, I am not risking anymore of ours.” Turning to Pan. “Ten minutes Pan. Tell your people to get their butts in gear and head there boats for the open hatches on our upper tanks. We are leaving before we get trapped here by your Godfleet." Jack left the boat ignoring everyone around him as he walked through the lock and headed up for the bridge as cargo continued to stream into the cargo hold of the boat. Pan and the Ensign rushing trying to keep up with him.

"Captain on the Bridge." Bellowed a voice across the bridge as Jack entered.

The First Officer jumped up out of the Command Chair. "The Admiral has been trying to get you for hours now sir. Calling every 5 minutes now for the last quarter hour. I am afraid my carrier is shit by now but I knew the last thing you needed was talking to the Admiral while you were over there Sir."

"Very good thanks Number One. I have the Conn. You’re our pilot now. Take us over behind hulk Alpha and be quick about it."

The First Officer tapped the pilot on the shoulder taking his place and hit the thrusters before he strapped in. Keeping them on as he belted in. "One minute to intercept Captain." Flipping the ship around half way there.

"Range to the approaching enemy squadron Tactical?" Jack looked around across the squadron of hulks at Echo, hoping the volunteers manning the fusion reactor would not get in a hurry to set it off.

"Ah. 4 hours until they are in gun range if we stay here and they continue to decelerate at this rate sir. Though they will still be going at quite a clip when they pass. They are more interested in getting here than staying Captain. Fact is they are on a collision course with the cloud if they do not pull up soon. If they wait until they pass us and the hulks, they will have to use maximum thrust to miss the cloud. They will pass one light second away. Why they are not headed straight for the fleet is also baffling to me. It's like they are going to check the battlefield yet they are going much too fast to shoot much or even stop."

"What the hell? We were in that ship for that long?"

"Ah yes and no Captain." Said the First Officer. "They just did not turn over to slow down when we expected them to. Cutting off more hours from our original estimate sir. Fact is sir I think they are chasing the fleet and not us. It is possible they did not even know we were here. Though you were aboard the Battle ship for 6 hours and 37 minutes sir."

Jack studied the distant squadron growing in the screen and marked the largest ship in it having the most guns and seeming to have the largest number of armored decks from what he could see looking at them from an angle on the bow. Thank Godstar we do not have to shoot threw all those armored decks. If they are going to pass that close to us that fast we should be able to get a couple salvoes at them and maybe even a torpedo hit or two." We have a few minutes before then so let's get these boats loaded."

Weapons, I want a full spread of torpedoes at those monsters on my command when we are in position. Do your best to position the torps to attack when they have to turn their ships to miss the cloud presenting their sterns at the torpedoes when they pass. Though they will be at extreme long range the enemy is not maneuvering so it should not be too hard. This may be the only torpedo shots we get at it. It is a shame we don’t' have any of those new torp warheads my guys designed for them. Or for that matter the new torpedo engines. "

"Captain!" Comm said. "The Admiral again Sir."

"Put him on the main screen Comm."

The Admiral popped onto the screen. "I want to talk to Captain Turner Now Commander or…" The Admiral caught sight of Jack sitting in the Command Chair still in his scarred combat suit covered in bright red paint, with yellow, green and blue blood of aliens splotched around it and fireball blackened craters. "What the hell have you been doing Captain? I send you over to get a little intelligence on the enemy not take the damn ship. Now it is too late to make the cloud entry point I assigned you even if you did not have a fleet breathing down your neck. You are going to have to let them pass you by. Since they probably don't know you are there. Staying hidden should be easy, then make for Earth before the second fleet intercepts you. If you can make earth their defenses should make short work of the few enemy ships now they are increasing the heat in their guns. Though I cannot see how you can get out of there now without using full thrust on your engines if they are even fixed. Just to remind you. If you blow the secret of our new engines I will execute you myself."

"Sorry Admiral they already know we are here. There is no other reason for them to do this close a fly by and what second fleet sir?"

"The squadron getting ready to pass you has left the main fleet behind. The Fleet is still slowing down and will stop in your battle field in 10 hours when we had expected the fleet too arrive. The main fleet is what you have to avoid to get your butt out of the ringer. The squadron passing you is going too fast to be a threat to you if you head straight for earth instead of slowing down to enter the cloud. The enemy will just have to believe you found enough reaction mass on the hulks to allow you to get there before they can catch you. My navigator says you can get past their fleet if you leave now and if you can do 350 gees on your one good engine. Thank Godstar we have a wealth of information about the enemy thanks to you already even if you have to destroy yourself. It will be a shame if you do from what we have seen you load into your ship but I have my own problems. The Squadron I sent out ahead are having problems maintaining thrust from even one engine on several of the ships and the enemy squadron passing you is close enough to track them into the cloud if they don't catch them first. I may lose them as well. But even then loosing 5 ships is better than 20 or the whole fleet."

"Ah yes sir but loosing no ships is better than 5 and I do not plan on being one of the losses. I am already trying to get the attention of the squadron running after the slow squadron.”

With the comm in contact with the fleet, Jack had an up dated Tactical screen. Now that he had time he could see both the enemy fleet and squadron as well as the main Republic fleet well up the cloud heading for their entry point in a week or so and safety. He could also see the lone Republic squadron limping towered the cloud with the enemy squadron that was getting ready to zip past the Red Pepper at point black range in hot pursuit. The enemy squadron able to catch the damaged ships shortly after they reached the cloud two weeks from then. Following them in close enough to track and eventually kill them unless the Republic Squadron Commander was very smart and lucky.

The fast enemy fleet could have easily caught the slow Republic squadron before they enter the cloud if they had not taken a detour to run so close to the destroyed squadron and the Red Pepper looting it and risk hitting the cloud. No there is no way the enemy did not know Jack and his ship was there. They were not going to take a chance the Red Pepper was going to escape before the main fleet arrived. As Jack counted what looked like some 30 torpedoes headed his way.

The Interpreter Pan walked onto the bridge, stepping over beside the Command chair and Jack. Followed by the Ensign.

"What the hell is an alien doing on your bridge Captain and where the hell did it come from?"

The ship drifted toward hulk Eco’s armored decked bow. The hulk had the most armored decks of all the hulks on that end of the row of hulks, offering the most protection from the approaching enemy torpedoes as it slowly tumbled. "She is part of that intelligence you sent me after Captain. Along with about a thousand other refugee slaves that maintained the ship. We also managed to strip most of its secrets except taking a God Officer alive or dead. Though we have plenty of their Lizard Ape solders. It seems the God Officers like to command behind the protection of a couple thousand Apes. Though we even managed to grab a company of Apes sentenced to death that defected to help us get off the ship alive when 10,000 Apes started waking up from cold storage." Turning back to the control console on his chair Jack said. "Weapons, Shoot when ready." 1 torpedoes streaked toward the enemy's closest intercept point. The little thump was only heard not felt with the tubes on the opposite end of the ship.

"What the hell are you doing now Captain? You are supposed to be hiding and getting ready to leave not fighting the fucking enemy squadron. And make sure those alien refugees are locked up and not running around the damn ship. I don't need them taking over the ship." Jack suddenly felt like a Space Pirate.

"Yes sir, but it is a bit too late for that. We don't have any one place to lock them up in. Too much damage and definitely too much booty striped off the enemy ship. The refugees are scattered all over the still operational end of the ship since this is a Currier/tanker and not a Cargo transport. Just a bit crowded at the moment especially for the 16 foot tall Greenfoot's." Turning to the cargo master Jack was interrupted as his mouth opened to talk.

"Captain we have in coming. Looks like more torpedoes. Intercept in 5 seconds. I do not understand why we did not see these coming minutes ago with all the rest much farther out. Even with the hulk blocking our sight in that direction for a few minutes."

"Damn! Number One, get us back behind this hulk. Weapons activate all point defense weapons." Then turning back to the Admiral. "Just tweaking what I think is the squadron's command ship's nose Admiral. Or should I say ass, since hitting their nose is a waste of time.

"Captain. One of them is headed for the hulk we are approaching sir. "

"What?" Hitting the ship wide comm as he looked at the forward screen that was supposed to show the enemy but with the cloud of reaction mass around them it was impossible to see anything. "All hands. Prepare for impact. Incoming torpedo."

A giant fireball erupted in the hulk's shield decks on the side facing the enemy fleet as a torpedo hit the hulk. Pieces of the hulk flew off scattering out from the opposite side of the hull from the explosion and toward the Red Pepper.

The bridge shook, knocking Jack half out of the command chair since he had forgotten to strap down.

"Solid hit in Tank B and E on cargo deck 43 Captain but the reaction mass seems to have absorbed most of the energy sir. We are losing most of the reaction mass in those tanks." The reaction mass quickly adding to the vapor cloud engulfed the ship and hulk. "Damage control is headed up to try to control the leak."

"No. Finish dumping that deck along with tank decks 44, 45 and 46. Emergency dump. I want them dry now. Pilot make sure we stay completely behind the hulk this time during the next attack please. Weapons, I want you to launch every remaining torpedo we have to intercept that fleet. How long before our tubes are reloaded?"

"All tubes reloaded in 45 seconds Captain. We have 36 torpedoes left in Magazine A to launch, they can't miss hitting vital areas and doing some damage now that we know where to hit them while their assess are pointing at us as they turn away from the cloud." A cloud continued to form around the ship. “They can’t turn their shield decks towards the torpedoes without hitting the cloud.”

"Tank decks 43, 44, 45, and 46 will be empty in 10 minutes Captain." Said the Cargo Officer.

The Admiral shook his head. "Captain Turner, what are you …"

Jack looked at the tactical tank as another group of torpedoes arched toward the squadron of hulks. Turning back to the Admiral. "I have several departments sending you a stream of data about the enemy ship and what we have taken just in case we do not make it. It will include the masses of records and specs our new friends have supplied. That will have to suffice for now Admiral."

"Enemy torpedo expected in 5, 4, 3, 2, and."

Space was again filled with a huge explosions with ship shrapnel from the explosions flying across space and seeming to hit other hulks this time miraculously missing all the boats and the Red Pepper. The Cloud of mass vapor expanded around the huge chunks of wreckage orbiting the hulk they were behind including an engine module.

"Ok Number One. Keep it as close to the hulk's stern as you can. How many boats are left to land?" Jack studied the tactical again. "Cargo, Emergency dump tanks decks 47, 48, 49 and 50. Unzip them guys. Weapons, fire torpedoes when loaded. I want our magazines empty as soon as possible."

"Mr. Turner I am talking to you. I said to hold your fire. Not...”

"Weapons Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" The weapons officer hit the firing key on his console. 12 more torpedoes streaked toward their intercept point with the enemy fleet. Doing their own part to expand the growing cloud leaving a trail of mass behind them.

"Pan are all the boats in yet?"

"The second Assault Shuttle is coming along side Captain Turner. It will be hard docked in 30 second. There are still 7 boats headed this way."

"It has been ten minutes Pan. I told you only ten minutes."

"Captain, Dock control. Our boats are in and the locks sealed sir. Ready for maneuvering.

"Thanks Chief."

"Captain I am talking to you. Cease fire damn it."

"Weapons, how long until our last torpedoes are loaded and fired?"

"15 minutes Captain. We are having problems getting them up from the magazine."

"Very well Pearsons.”

"Captain Turner! I am ordering you not to fire. There is no reason to expose yourself to the enemy fleet."

"How large is our cloud now Tactical?”

"About a mile it seems to be hanging around us and this hulk sir." Torpedo's hit the other hulks knocking more debris mostly from their shield decks. “Another life boat was destroyed sir. Direct hit over next to hulk Charley sir."

"Firing another spread of Torpedoes Captain." Said the weapons officer in a monotone. All excitement gone from his voice as thumps were heard through the mettle of the deck again from the opposite end of the ship.

Jack watched the torpedoes carve bright streaks through the crystal cloud out from the ship. "Pan how long until your guys are loaded?"

"The last three boats of the group are approaching now Captain."

"30 seconds to another salvo of enemy torpedoes sir. Three are headed for this hulk sir." Came Tactical’s voice. "One life boat in sir. The second is 10 seconds away and the 3rd is 15."

"This is the last of them right Pan?"

Pan turned and looked at Jack for several seconds and then turned away. "Yes Captain you will have them all."

Jack closed his eyes shaking his head. "Pan you are a terrible liar." Then as soon as the last boat disappeared into the tank. "Number one. Time to change hiding places. Head for...”

"Captain the torpedoes headed for this hulk have lost their locks. They are searching for a new target."

"What?" Jack could not believe what he had heard as he looked at the tactical display. "All three of them have lost lock?" But even his eyes could see that their course plots showed them missing the hulk they had been locked on only seconds before. "Spook, Launch passive counter measures close spread. Keep them inside the cloud around us. It seems the trace elements in our reaction mass are making it hard for them to lock onto this monster hulk."

Hulk Alpha took 3 direct hits in its armored decks blasting away huge chunks of them as 3 torpedoes zipped past the cloud surrounding the Red Pepper and its cloud shrouded hulk.

"Captain there are at least a dozen life boats left out there with their lights flashing." The Ensign said in a whisper.

"What?" Jack looked around at the Ensign then turned to Tactical, just how many strobe flashing boats are left?"

"Ah just give me a few seconds Captain and I will have them up on the plot."

"Damn." Looking around grimacing as boats started appearing on the tactical.

"Captain Turner. These boats could not make it over to you in your time restraints." Pan said standing next to Jack.

"Damn it." Turning to Pan with a grimace. Jack stared at her for a few seconds. Then tight lipped. “Are there any more around the other hulks?"

"Yes but they could not arrive according to your directed time line. Give me 30 minutes Captain and we will have them all." Pans face made several expressions Jack could not read. "Please Captain Turner."

"No. Shouted the Admiral from the side screen. "I order you to leave now Lieutenant Turner. You have dozens of those damn monster torpedoes headed for you now and you only have minutes to leave before the enemy fleet will be able to intercept you unless you have both your engines and accelerate above 400 Gee’s witch I already ordered you not to. You need to get out of there NOW. Leave the rest of the refugees behind. That is an order Captain."

Jack turned to the Admiral. "Sorry Admiral but we can't leave people behind. Cargo open all empty tank outer hatches. Especially when we seem to be protected by this cloud for the moment. Maybe we can make it last long enough to get them all."

Jack studied the tactical as more boats appeared on it, shaking his head. "Damn!" Jack said as he turned to Pan only to find her over next to the cargo control console with her phone in her hand. Directing boats to tank hatches with the help of the Cargo officer.

"Pan, can you speed things up? I really don't want to hang around here any longer than we have to. The last of our torpedoes will be launching in a few minutes."

Pan turned away from the cargo terminal. "One of the boats headed for us is not one of my boats. Boats already took everyone off the ship it originated from though a boat went from the ship we just came from to that ship some 15 minutes ago. I do not know who is aboard it except it may have Godofficers and fresh troops on it."

"Weapons, target that boat with point defense. Knock that sucker out now. Cargo, close up the ship now." Taking a quick look at the damaged Swiss cheese bow, Jack had to grimace.

The ships 3 inch and 30mm turrets started firing before Jack had finished ordering the hatches closed punching holes into the large boat. It took another few seconds for the 5 inch guns to start. And then the boat seemed to lung forward as it stopped trying to blend in with the rest of the life boats. A good minute later, dodging fire from every 5 and 3 inch turret that could bring a gun to bare on it, the boat crashed into the side of the Red Pepper belly first and started discharging Black Apes across the hull heading for the forward section of the ship and all the open holes in the damaged section that would make it easy for them to get into the ship and hide.

"Sound repel boarders!” Jack could not believe the boat had landed short of the huge holes in the damaged section of the ship. The fact that it looked like it was dodging the 3 and 5inch gunfire from the bow was beside the point. The guns were not hitting it and the boat would have safely disappeared through one of those holes where they could have taken over half the ship before they could be stopped. Though their position on the hull was close to several of the open tank hatches before they were closed and between the big guns slapped on the hull that had been salvaged. Safe from most of the hull turrets.

The Weapons officer turned to Jack. "Captain, permission for target practice with the 5 inch guns on the hulks sir. We should have been able to take out that boat before it reached us sir."

"No Daa Lieutenant. But not the hulks, they are too damn easy to hit. Have Gun Chiefs target empty boats with pop shots on targets you designate. First hits get prizes. Most, first hits gets top gun. The next time they miss a sure shot I will space the lot of them and get me new gunners." Jack watched the approaching torpedoes shaking his head. They had 15 or 16, 5 inch guns able to target the boat at point blank range and missed. But then the 3 inch guns did little better and there were twice as many of them. “Do the same with the 3 inchers as well.”

Jack's eyes turned to the hull monitors as plasma balls started streaking our from the holes blasted into the ship's bow followed by a charge of Red Apes mixed with Marines flooding from a dozen hatches that suddenly opened in the hull as the ships 30mm and 3inch guns that could still bare continued to fire into the boat anchored to the hull. Though the boat had managed to pick the only place on the hull that had a couple of guns able to shoot at them."

Jack watched as another wave of torpedoes streaked through the squadron of hulks. Several missing the cloud of reaction mass again. Then a bloom appeared between the hulks as a boat disappeared from the tactical.

"Captain, lost another boat headed this way sir.”

The rest of the enemy torpedo's streaked into the 2 hulks on the other end of the know stretched out squadron as some 9 torpedoes literally tore the hulks apart, breaking them into several large chunks with explosions and flames. The two drifting, now chopped up hulks had put a good distance between them and the other 2 hulks grouped together with the hulk Jack was using to hide behind now several miles away on the opposite side. Glancing around, Jack could see boats coming over from the center hulks 3 and 4 with one looking bigger than the rest but he could not tell how much bigger except that he doubted it would fit into the tanks. Shaking his head he glanced at the hull monitors and watched the last of the Black Apes start drifting away from the hull as gasses spewed out of their blasted suits. Red Apes and marines flooded into the boat. "Pan, just make sure none of the rest of the boats have any Apes aboard."

Pan turned around and looked at Jack. Her eyes narrowing. "Yes Captain Turner. But some boats have slave apes on them. They wish to join your Red Apes."

Tapping his screen shaking his head in disbelief, Jack sent a sensor beam at the large boat. The main hull would fit in the lock but just barely but all the protrusions sticking from it including its engine cooling fins telling him it wouldn’t even come close. Then he noticed a second large boat emerging from the wreckage around hulk 4. It looked like it had been severely damaged in the mid-section. "Pan, any chance the large boats will scab themselves on the side of the ship like the assault shuttles?"

"No Captain Turner. The large boats are simply transports."

"Jack, I think the ice particles from the cloud of dumped reaction mass is starting to dissipate." The Ensign said frowning. "I don't think our shield is going to last much longer than another 10 minutes.”

"Tactical, how long until the last of the boats arrive?"

"20 minutes now sir but the last two look much too big to fit into the tanks sir."

"Yes. Thank you lieutenant. Pan, how likely is it that these large transport boats have advanced technology the Assault shuttles we already have anchored to our hull, do not have? Can we just empty them out and dump them?"

"The Assault Shuttles are designed and built to be captured. They are not used for anything else and contain old tech. The transport boats are in constant use amongst the fleet and contain the fleet’s latest tech. I would strip them before dumping them Captain Turner."

"Well we do not have time to strip them. Pan will they fit inside the boat bays?" He knew better but asking the question gave him time to think and face the reality that they were going to have to simply dump them after unloading the refugees.

"Yes Captain. Each will take up 230 feet of the 300 foot long bays but a few alterations will have to be made. You will still be able to operate your gig boats stored in the side compartments of the bay in the space left between the transport and the other hull hatch in each bay."

Slapping the comm. "Boat lock control, pick enough boats to clear out 230 feet of each boat bay and empty them out, we are jettisoning them in 15 minutes. Use whatever it takes to get them empty. Don't forget to arm their self-destructs. Clear the 250 feet from opposite ends of the bays. No belay the jettison order. Launch them on auto pilot for the nearest station complete with decoys."

"The Admiral's barge is already damn near empty Cap. No problem."

"No. Turner." Yelled the Admiral. "My barge has top secret communications equipment and codes on it. You can't let it fall into enemy hands."

Jack frowned shaking his head. "Ok. Damn. Boat Chief, pick…. No. that is perfect. Admiral I need your transmit codes for the comm system on the boat."

"What the hell. No!"

Jack smiled. "Yes Admiral. I need bait to lure there second fleet into our trap so when hulk Echo fusions it core, it will take as many of their ships with it as possible. Them thinking you are stranded here is perfect. It could lure half the fleet into the trap if it works at all."

"Captain, Torpedo room. We have finally gotten to the Bravo torpedo magazine and are ready to launch 12 more fish with another 48 still in the magazine. We are transferring the next batch up into the Alpha ready magazine now. We can get 48 more launched in a half hour if you wish. "

"Good going Lieutenant. What about Charley magazine? How long until you can get to it?"

"Sorry Captain but it was sandwiched between 3 beam hits and though it was missed, the ship around it is wrecked so badly it is going to take a week to get to it. Then we will have to transfer them by hand one at a time around half the ship to get them up there. Don't count on them anytime soon sir."

"What oh. Well. Fire what you have at the passing fleet... Use…" Jack punched up a list and started going down it. "Bravo 5. If profiles are the same as The Game…. Yes. Bravo 5.2 should do it with the torpedoes we have already launched. Send them out to join the rest to intercept the fleet as it passes before they go dormant. That should slow them down a little. Oh, and I need 3, no 6 from the last launch to suicide the Admiral's barge if anything gets near it." Turning to the Admiral. Is that satisfactory for you Admiral?"

"Firing torpedoes in 3, 2, Shoot." Came the weapons officers voice with another 12 streaks leaving the ship

Jack looked out at the approaching boats. The big transport boats were not in sight. Hidden behind a cloud of debris. The small boats approaching the ship had slowed down to a crawl. "Damn it Pan. They are moving to slow. I don't care about damaging the tanks or the boats just get them in now."

Jack found himself going between watching the timer to the next wave of torpedoes and the boats approaching the tank hatches. He watched the closest boat fire their retro thrusters to slow themselves down as they fine-tuned their line up before entering the hatch.

Then 2 seconds too soon some three dozen beams flashed down around hulks Charley, Delta and Alpha, not even getting near the Red Pepper and hulk Echo. Jack just sat there with his mouth open as hulks Charley and Delta took a beating. The hulks seemed to break apart in the middle. Huge pieces of each drifting away from each other.

"Sixty Three seconds to next gun attack." Said tactical. "The torpedoes are now using all their power to speed up instead of zig zagging defense maneuvers."

"All the small boats are safely aboard Captain Turner." Pan turned to Jack. "That is except the two big transport boats."

Jack hit the comm to the Boat Chief in the lock control room. "Chief, I need you to light off the barges engines and put it on remote pilot. Make sure no one is left aboard it. We will hide it in all the wreckage. I need that barge in 12 minutes how are you doing?"

Jack turned to the Admiral. "Admiral please send your codes to the Chief."

"This had better be worth it Turner. It is going to be hell for me to change all my codes. I can't just change the ones I send you."

"I hope so too Admiral. Tactical are you tracking the large boats? I don't see them in the tank."

The boat appeared in the tank. "Sorry sir. I was concentrating on the incoming torpedoes."

Glancing at the tank. "Navigator, that new trench is snaking around under us, plot a course for us to enter the trench as we pass over it."

"Yes sir. Time of our departure sir?"

"If we are not out of here in 13 minutes we won't be leaving." Looking up Jack raised his hand to sight down his out stretched thumb then raised the other to sight down it at something else a foot away. Then turned back to tapping the plot screen. "Plot us leaving in 12 minutes and 23 seconds on this heading. The hulks must stay between us and the enemy fleet. Now that they are so close. The remnants of the mass cloud and expanding wreckage will keep us hidden from the approaching fleet long enough for us to make the trench in the cloud where we can use full military thrust of the new engines at the bottom."

"What, I ordered you not to use full thrust Turner." The Deluge of torpedoes continued to break up hulks Charley, Delta and knocking armored decks off of Alpha into a dozen sections as explosions tore them apart showering parts in all directions.

"Hopefully Admiral, they won’t be able to see us at the bottom of the trench with the walls between us and them."

"Launching another spread of torpedoes Captain. First spread of torpedoes reaching deployment area now. Estimated time to lead enemy squadron entering enemy gun target range is 10 minutes 52 seconds."

"Chief, where is my barge. I need it launched in five minutes."

"Captain we are having problems with the remote piloting system. We don’t have time to replace it."

"Do you have the Admiral's comm gear activated?"

"Yes Captain all the come equipment is functioning 5 by 5 with the Admiral's codes accepted. It has established open connections to relays in the cloud and back toward Earth. But the auto pilot remote control is not operational and we have no spare modules handy."

Jack closed his eyes for a second then took a deep breath. "Chief, put some one that can fly it, in it and launch it. No one above the rank of Ensign. No… Put a maintenance rating in it… No! Damn it. Just kick it out the hatch and pray that the damn thing just drifting fools them anyway. That is if it survives long enough."

Jack sat back knowing that it was a waste of time just kicking the barge out without a crew. But he just could not force himself to sacrifice anyone. “Add some hot decoys and a couple of body’s from the morgue.”

"Bullshit Captain Turner." The Admiral said from his screen. "You know that is not going to work. Remote piloting would not have worked either. Without a worm body with all the signs of life, l they would have smelled a trap a hundred miles away even if it was moving around hiding using a remote. For this to work it requires at least a pilot if not a skeleton crew. I was hoping you would come to realize that before I had to intervene. Now I am taking it out of your hands. I am ordering you to put a junior crew on board the barge with extra weapons that can operate it and protect it so the enemy has to actually enter the debris field to pry it out."

"But Admiral." Jack protested.

"Chief, you have your orders. Carry them out." The Admiral said.

"But Damn it. No Admiral. I will figure something else out."

"Turner, being in command soon teaches you that second thoughts usually get people killed and even lose battles. You know this is the only way but you are not mature enough to accept it. That is part of commanding a ship. Now I have taken the responsibility so launch the damn boat."

"Boat launched Captain." Came the Boat Chiefs voice seeming to boom across the bridge. He had none all along it needed a crew.

Jack turned and watched it work its way through the wreckage away from the ship. To shocked to even say anything. Finally he tapped the comm. As the young eager face appeared on the screen Jack looked down trying not to look at him. "Shuttle 3992, take station behind hulk Echo until the barrage stops. Do not approach the hulk. It is still crewed and possess your biggest threat. When we leave you will have 5 minutes until the next strike. Move over amongst the larger pieces of wreckage in one of the other hulks and hide the best you can. The longer you stay hidden the more ships you will attract looking for you."

Pan walked over to Jack. "I have told the fusion core crew about your bait and placed a volunteer with a comm unit on the shuttle. He will help advise your crew how to stay hidden and communicate with the core when to run the fusion cores up to full power and detonate."

Jack suddenly took an interest in the young face in front of him as dread washed over him.

"I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity for my first command Captain. I will not let you down." The overly eager boy that looked wet behind the ears as Jack tried not to throw up.

Then he noticed the alien standing behind the young Ensign. "Ensign I need you to pull your weapon and restrain the Alien immediately." The Ensign pulled his weapon from his hip and slowly pointed it at the alien. Baffled. "Be as polite as you can but have your crew strip and tie it to one of the jump seats as fare from the main controls as possible. Make sure it cannot move or get away or reach anything." As the Ensign complied, Jack turned to the Weapons officer. "Have the close in defense weapons lock onto the shuttle and prepare to activate the suicide torpedoes."

Everyone around the bridge stared back at Jack unless they were carrying out his orders or had something better to do.

The shuttle was hugging hulk Echo when the Baffled Ensign rejoined the com, Jack grimaced. "Sorry Mr. Stewart and you Pan and your brethren. I have read a bunch of battle reports since I became an officer. One of the details that stand out is that the only ships that they have tried to capture instead of just destroying them outright, are the command ships and command stations. The fact that they have the best comm units and the master codes may be the reason why we have received more reports from them than the other ships they have destroyed and yes they may have even tried to capture other combat ships that did not fall into their hands, but I really don't think so. What they have been after I think, are our comm equipment and master flag codes. Luckily all the command ships and stations have fusion bomb self-destructs in them with the comms reporting that they were activated before losing contact with them. The Admiral even made a point of telling me that he takes one where ever he goes just for that reason."

Looking around the bridge suddenly unsure of himself. "In order for us to get out of here we need the enemy to have its eyes and attention on something else and remembering we had the Admiral's barge works out perfect. I am sorry Ensign that a wonderfully brave and bright officer like you has to be part of the bait. I hope you can forgive me when we meet again which may be sooner than I hope." Looking from the Ensign to Pan. "I am also sorry Pan that I cannot take the chance that you may have a traitor in your midst that would not think twice or even after thinking long and hard about death, change his mind, kill the crew and turn over the shuttle and comm unit and codes to your Gods, the Spiders. I hope you can understand."

"Captain, this is engineering. The aliens have hooked up a generator. Do you want me to add its power to weapons as well or restore life support?"

"Send the power to life support for now but make sure it can power the weapons if needed Chief.”

"Captain, next attack in 10 seconds. The torpedoes are coming straight in sir."

"Ensign Stewart, every ship you can sucker into a range of 10 miles of hulk Echo when it detonates will save millions of lives. Though once we are away and safe, I wish I could think of some way for you to leave as well but I can't without a good chance you will be caught and taken alive or even killed with the equipment still intact. That cannot happen under any remote circumstances. Is that clear?"

The young man jumped to attention. "Yes Captain, I will not let the Comm equipment fall into enemy hands under any circumstances sir."

"Very well. Good luck Lieutenant Stewart." Jack saluted.

Some 20 torpedoes streaked into the hulks a few seconds later. One of them hit the hulk the Red Pepper was hiding behind as Hulk Charley took the brunt of the attack. Jack was turning around to talk to Pan when the bridge lit up with the light of a sun. Jerking around, he shielded his eyes with his hands as the expanding fireball quickly started fading.

"They must have hit the fusion core on hulk Charley Captain." The Ensign said from her science sensor station.

"What about the Admiral's barge? Did it get caught in the fireball?" Jack glanced at the static covered screen that had been the Admiral's barge. It flickered and then the ensign appeared on it again a little shaken up. "Ensign how badly is your shuttle damaged."

The Ensign climbed back into his seat and looked at Jack. "Only minor damage from what I can see Captain Turner but it was close. I think I will stay a little farther away from hulk Echo just in case it goes up as well sir. I take it that all the hulks have self-destruct cores set up."

"Very well Ensign."

"Captain, we are ready to launch the last shuttle needed to clear space. The locks will be cleaned out in another 5 minutes."

Jack watched the two transport boats approaching the ship. "Very well Chief." Turning to Pan. "I want those boats aboard as soon as the locks are empty."

A hundred beams rained down around the hulks and the Red Pepper. Several came close to the ship with one barely missing one of the boats as the hulk they were hiding behind took one in the stern.

"The lead squadron is in long range beam weapons range Captain." Tactical said as another spread of 12 torpedoes left their tubes with a distant thump.

Jack looked down at the dwindling numbers of torpedoes from the almost empty ready magazine. "Weapons I need you to save a spread of torpedoes for when we leave." Turning to the cargo officer. "Cargo, finish unzipping the rest of the cargo mass tanks. Every one of them." Jack hit the screen controls bringing up the locks being emptied out for the two transports. It looked like they had a ways to go yet even if it looked like half the crew was down there amongst the towering Greenfoots humping cargo.

"Captain." Pan walked up to his chair. "The transports will not fit through the bay's hatch without enlarging the hatch. Even then we will have to cut a few things off the boats hull to clear the bulkheads and overhead. We have installed an air curtain field to seal the lock until we can finish enlarging the lock hatch. The lock is also to narrow at the core hull. We need to notch out the ships core hull into both bays. That will allow a transport boat to fit into each bay and leave enough room on the other end of each bay for your gigs to operate from."

"We don't have time for this right now damn it Pan." Jack could not believe what he was hearing. "I thought you said they would fit… Pan?"

"Yes Captain Turner, my people can have it done in minutes. We are good at this type of work."

"Pan, the core hull his a load carrying structure that transfers the engines thrust up into the rest of the ship. If you cut too much of the core hull away to get that damn boat through, the engines could collapse the decks up through the core destroying the ship."

"Honorable Captain Turner. We are well aware of the forces and are already reinforcing the core structure beyond its original specifications." Bowing before Jack. "Please trust us. We did not come this fare to die either from a stupid mistake. Let us do what is needed. We are running out of time Captain."

Jack let a low growl escape his gritted teeth and hit the comm. "Chief Williams, the aliens are going to do some quick modifications to the outer hatch and core hull of the boat bay to accommodate the transport boats. Help them as much as you can." The core hull and one of the outer hatches of each side by side bay suddenly flared in Jack's screens on opposite sides of the ship. A few seconds’ later holes opened up taking out the quarter section part of the core hull that extending into the bays to each side producing a straight line from hull hatch to hull hatch. He could see the mass of piping and wiring running up the core from the deck to the overhead where the core bulkhead had been as a mass of aliens descended on them.

"Shit!" He had forgotten the mass of control and power conduits running up the core. Slapping the comm again he watched the large conduits and fluid pipes quickly fall away as the aliens stripped them out. Starting to cringe but when alarms did not start sounding from the damage control station Jack turned to look at the damage control screen on the back bulkhead. It showed control and service lines already routed around the breaks.

Turning back to the screens he watched as foam was sprayed around the lip of the holes cut into the core and outer hulls. They quickly grew into thick masses arching from the deck up to and across the overhead of the core and outer hatches. The outer hole in the hull already shimmered from the air curtain across it. Jack looked up as several torpedoes streaked past the ship as more fireball detonations appeared on large broken off hull sections of destroyed hulks a few miles away. The area was starting to resemble a junk yard around them.

The rectangular box hulled transport boats finally approached the ship's now mostly empty boat bays. The newly installed air curtain field now allowing the bays to stay pressurize as Jack noticed pieces of junk metal, plastic and paper sheets, boxes as well as general garbage flying around in the tornadoes of air rushing into the bays. The mass of crewmen and aliens ignoring the storm as they hurried to finish their duties. The growing mass of foam around the hole in the core hull had aliens standing around it with hand held boxes with flat panel antennas seeming to direct the growth of the foam. Other screens showed aliens swarming over the outer hulls of the big box hulled boats cutting off antennas, boxes, mounds and fins sticking out of the hulls and tossing them into the bay. The hulls were soon as smooth as blank walls as they laid their sides up against the landing cooling fins that extended strait out from each lock bay. Allowing them to line up perfectly with the bays.

Another hundred beams streaked past the ship and the fringes of the cloud looking like a forest. With no new explosions Jack looked over at the tactical screen. He could not see where any of the beams had hit anything except to punch holes in the growing cloud of reaction mass. "Ok, now that is unbelievable."

As the first boat started to back up to the wide open lock, Jack watched dozens of marines rush up to the hatch and leap across the hull gap and the short distance between air fields into the open stern of the transport and the cargo hold packed with equipment, cargo boxes and aliens. The Marines spreading out checking aliens and boxes with scanners as both Red Apes and marines lined the lock with their weapons ready. More marines joined the growing force inside the transport boat. Jack had forbid the Red Apes from joining the initial assault checking the transport. The marines now had the translators in their suits and he did not want to risk the Red Apes being confused for any enemy Apes on the transport or worse, one of the Apes on the transport being mistaken as a Red Ape and missed.

Shaking his head, Jack watched the huge boat slowly slide into the lock looking like it was part of a telescoping rod than a boat. He could see no gap between the boat and the lock’s overhead. The inner side toward the now gone core hull bulkhead looked like it had about two feet of clearance. While the row of storage compartment hatches along the other side of the bay into the storage bays curving around the outer hull had plenty of room to drive trucks along the side of the boat. Plenty of room to get at either the boat’s side hatches or the storage compartments, packed with boats and gigs lined up bow to stern with no way for most of them to be launched as long as the huge boat was in the way. Though Pan had said something about cutting hatches through the bulkheads between the compartments to connect them with the section of each bay that was still open.

The boat slowly slid in foot by foot making Jack grimace at the time it was taking but he was starting to learn better than to complain. As tight as the fit was, it would be easy to get it stuck half in and then they really would be screwed. He was having second and third thoughts about letting the boats dock instead of simply unloading them. But it was too late to stop now he told himself for the tenth time and it was. Another mass of beams streaked around the fleet from the squadron rushing up on them.

The second transport boat started backing in with marines flooding into it to make sure nothing was aboard that could hurt the ship and its crew.

The first boat slid past the camera pickup blocking out most of the view with only a few inches separating the boat upper hull and the overhead of the lock. The side bulkhead had barely enough room for the Red Apes as they opened a side hatch in the boat and entered. "Godstar that is a big boat." Turning to look at the other boat backing in he noticed that it was stopped barely a quarter of the way in.

"Pan what is wrong with the second boat?"

"Sorry Captain but several nodes on the hull were not properly cut off and the boat must be pulled back out a few feet to complete the cutting."

"Damn it Pan. I thought your people were supposed to be better than that." Shaking his head as the boat slid back out of the lock a few feet. “Another few minutes and the enemy squadron will be close enough and at an angle to see us leave which could cost us all our lives. Damn. I should have just dumped the damn boats. Hell. I should have never agreed to wait for them in the first place."

"Captain. Do you wish to dump the boat now or will you give us time to at least empty our people off the boat into the lock?"

Turning to the stone faced Pan. "What the hell? Just get it fixed and the damn boat loaded in the bay already. Hopefully I can come up with something that will get us out of this jam and keep them from seeing us leave." Pan's response to his ranting to reduce the tension he was feeling was not what he had expected but drove another nail into the maturity lesson of being a Captain. He was going to have to watch himself closely to keep from upsetting the aliens as well as the crew. After all Captains were not supposed to rant. He was going to have to figure out something else to do like take up smoking or drinking or drugs or knitting or something. Anything to learn to keep his mouth shut.

"Yes Captain." Pan turned away.

"Captain, man overboard." One of the crewmen at a console yelled.

"What the? Not now. What's next? Deploy the rescue pod Number One."

Pan turned back to Jack. "Please Captain. This is a more humane death than being tortured and executed in front of the clan. Let him go. His death will at least be peaceful as he remembers his loved ones and life before he dies."

Jack just stared at Pan for a good half minute. "What?" He still could not believe what he had just heard.

Pan finally continued. "He did not cut the entire hull hump away to bring the boat's hull into the proper dimensions to fit the lock." Pan looked stone faced at Jack. "He failed to perform his task properly."

"Oh come now Pan. Everyone has been running around like a rooster with its head cut off and he took a short cut that did not work out. Give the guy a break. Just worry about getting that boat into the lock so we can get out of here."

"Captain Turner I again beg you for mercy. Let the Waroble go."

"Damn it pan. I am not going to let anyone just go drifting into the void to die in the vacuum of space just because you think it is humane."

The boat started sliding back into the lock. Glancing at it Jack smiled. "Good. Number One prepare the ship for departure. Pan, how long until the inner core can support propulsion loads?"

"The core hull is at its original strength. We are adding another 20% to both the core and hatch. The ship is ready when you are Captain Turner."

"Good let's get out of here." Jack started tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair. More of the crew started looking at Jack starring at tactical. Finally he turned to the screen from the Admiral's barge. "It is stupid to leave a good crew behind even if it would take out a few more enemy ships. Comm, order the barge to return to the ship. I am not leaving them behind to die."

"Jack." The Ensign turned to Jack. "The barge crew is already dead. The fusion blast gave them a lethal dose of radiation. They only have a few days to live even if you bring them back aboard. As it is, we got a good dose and the ship's doctor will be issuing advisories to the crew outside the core to take their radiation pills now, not to get any x-rays for a while with shots for the whole crew as soon as we stand down from battle stations and supplements in our food for a few weeks."

Jack closed his eyes and grimaced. "Damn." Turning to the First Officer as the last boat cleared the outer hatch. "As soon as the recovery pod is back we are getting out of here. Weapons lay down a row of torpedoes between us and the fleet and detonate them as we leave, you have one gun salvo at the fleet just before we leave. Then secure all targeting emitters." Jack looked at the tactical screen as a hundred beams streaked past the ship. This time several hit the hulks around them. Still Jack stared at the screen.

Finally explosions started appearing as torpedoes hit the sections of hulks and even the empty boats drifting around the area. The last torpedo hit one of the empty boats (they had jettisoned and programmed to randomly patrolling around the hulks until they left before heading out as one of 37 decoys, now 36), a few hundred yards from the ship sending a wave washing over the ship as Jack smiled. "Ok Number One, slide us out from behind this thing and point our ass toward the enemy. Weapons you have one high amp salvo at the flag ship. The new target Alpha. Make it good. They are running straight with their asses to the cloud. Should be an easy target" Slapping the com on the arm of his chair. "Chief, switch all generators to weapons but keep the engines hot. We will be leaving shortly. How long until that recovery pod is aboard?"

Six beams streaked from the ships guns toward the enemy. A few seconds later the lieutenant jumped out of his seat. "Direct hits on the fu… Sorry Captain but only 5 of our 6 beams hit square on the target."

Jack could see that the beams had hit. The targeting screen showed it clearly. Jack glanced at the tactical screen and smiled again. "3, 2, 1...”And pointed at the screen as explosions started appearing on the screen. "Let's see what 72 torpedoes up their butts’ can do."

"Captain 20 seconds tell the guns are recharged." Said the weapons office. "Permission to fire again?"

"What? Already?" Jack looked at the tactical screen that showed that no torpedoes were heading their way and the next enemy gun salvo was 40 seconds away. "Permission granted. Make it count. Full spread of decoys times 4 now. Start dumping dumb flash bombs until engine start."

"Captain, tactical, we have 23 torpedo hits on target Alpha and a, 4 or 5 on each of the other 6. No, 12 hits on the target nearest the Command ship sir."

"Firing Main Guns in 3, 2, Shoot." Six beams streaked out towered the enemy squadron's Command ship again.

"Captain, Bay control, Rescue pod is 2 minutes until it is back aboard sir.

"What the hell." Looking up at nothing in particular as he mumbled to himself. "Number one lets jump back behind the hulk again."

The Red Pepper slid back under cover a few seconds before another deluge of beams streaked past them. "OK. We may as well get some more target practice in. Number One, slide us back out. Weapons see what you can do."

"What the hell are you doing Turner? Get out of there."

Weapons, split your guns half with the Spider that was hit with a dozen torpedoes. Let's see if we get lucky." Six beams streaked out toward the enemy squadron.

Jack watched the crowded boat bay as refugees started coming off the transports. "Godstar, where are we going to put them?" Jack shook his head in wonder. The rescue pod was approaching the rapidly drifting alien. Well clear of any protection from the hulks.

"Torpedoes' inbound Captain! 5 seconds."

"Point defense weapons shoot, all decoys fire." Jack practically screamed without thinking. "Where the hell did those come from? Well, we can't run and hide with our rescue pod hanging out in the open.

The 5 inch guns started flashing beams at the incoming torpedoes followed a second later by the 3 inch quads. The dozen anti-missile launchers puffed sending missiles streaking toward the incoming torpedoes.

"The 5inch took out one at long range. I knew they could do it and there goes one by the 3's." The 30mms started in as the torpedoes crossed 3 seconds out.

Jack watched the enemy's giant torpedo after torpedo die in the last 2 seconds suddenly realizing that as big as the enemy's torpedoes were, it would only take one to finish them off. Especially with their ass pointing at the enemy firing their own big guns and waiting to blast out of there.

A torpedo hit the shield deck of Echo as the last torpedo heading for the ship exploded less than a mile from them.

"Guns firing Captain, 3, 2. Shoot." Another 6 beams streaked away.

"20 seconds to recharge Captain. 35 seconds tell enemy's next gun salvo."

"Captain Turner, I am ordering you to leave before that next enemy salvo."

Pan turned toward Jack, her face seemed pale as her lips seemed to tremble slightly. "Captain Turner why do you risk the lives of everyone aboard your ship for a single Waroble that does not deserve to live?"

Jack turned and stared at the alien realizing why it was so important that he taught the alien what Humans were all about. "You of all the Aliens have better come to realize one little frigging fact. Especially after all the death and misery you and your people have been through." Letting that sink in for several seconds. Holding up his hand when Pan opened her mouth to speak. Shaking his head he finally said. "Every life is just as important as everyone else's and one little mistake does not make someone worthless."

"Firing main guns in 3, 2, Shoot!" 6 beams streaked away from the ship."

"15 seconds to enemy salvo Captain."

Jack kept gazing into Pan's eyes. "If you insist on blaming someone for the Waroble making a mistake, blame yourself. Fact is, the next time you want to throw someone overboard for no reason. Throw yourself over board first."

"10 seconds to enemy salvo Captain."

"Spook, flash bombs at Charley's location." Jack said without taking his eyes off of Pan. "Now instead of worrying about killing someone that does not deserve killing: why don't you quit standing around here showing me how stupid you are while making yet another mistake and get me some weapons that we can use against these pricks or making sure your people don’t get flattened dead when we leave here simply because you screwed up and did not get every single one of them a tested acceleration couch or a hundred other things your people need."

"Five seconds to enemy gun salvo Captain. Shouldn't we get under cover?" Six flash bombs exploded where the Hulk Charly had exploded in a fusion fireball only minutes before.

"Spook, full spread of decoys now." Jack watched the Pod scoop up the alien worker Pan had called a Waroble and headed back toward the ship. Tactical how are we doing with our guns?

"The spiders have not even tried to dodge Captain. Every beam we have fired at them over the last two minutes has hit Target Alpha and Bravo sir. No signs of damage so far Captain."

Only some 20 beams streaked past with most of them streaking through the radiation cloud that was all that was left of hulk Charley. None came close to the ship.

"Captain, target Bravo has changed course off to the lee side increasing his velocity at 200 gees around the cloud instead of slowing down. Ah, changing course again sir. I think we severely damaged its engines Captain. Slowing again to 150 Gees sir."

"Captain, Main guns, target Alpha firing in 3, 2, shoot." Six beams streaked away again.

Turning away from Pan he looked at the pod streaking back toward the ship. "Weapons looks like you will have one more shot and then we are out of here. Target its engines just for the hell of it."

The guns fired again as the pod approached the boat bay without really slowing down. Not bothering to head for the Pod hatch to save time. Realizing he had the room to slide to a stop down between the rows of gigs.

"Captain, 10 seconds to Pod boarding. 15 to charge the main guns and 17 seconds to next enemy salvo."

"Very well lieutenant we mint as well as take one last shot. Weapons you have one more shot. Mr. Wilson be ready on the engines." Taping the comm. "Boat bay control. We will be doing 400 Gees 7 seconds after the Pod lands and a 1,000 shortly after that. Be ready."

Jack turned to Pan who was plaster white, with sweat beading across her face and down her bare chest. She turned as Jack looked at her. Her eyes catching his as Jack realized that she was more scared than he was. Jack smiled at her. "Don't worry Pan. We will make it out of here with everyone."

Pan's eyes slowly returned to normal as what Jack later realized was a smile came to her face and she took a deep breath seeming to relax as she stared into Jack's eyes."

"Captain, Boat Bay, Pod aboard."

"Captain, firing in 3, 2, Shoot."

"Number One, 400 Gees on plotted course to the cloud NOW. Get us out of here. Detonate shield torpedoes and deployed flash bombs. Deploy another full spread of decoys times 2 now. Initiate boat decoy course programs."

The Red Pepper dropped down at 400 Gees on one engine.

"All six beams hit the Command ship target Alpha in the ass Captain. Target Bravo has lost all power and is tumbling." The Weapons officer punched the air over his head. "Damn! Target Alpha the Command ship is dead and starting to tumble as well sir. The other squadron ships are slowing down staying with the Command ship sir."

The other engine suddenly came on line thrusting the ship forward for a few seconds with the Gees building rapidly up to 500 before the first engine started dropping its power back to compensate.

Turning to the Admiral still on the little side screen as the hulks quickly disappeared behind them amongst a continues string of explosions scattered through the hulks and a fleet of what looked like Republic ships streaked out toward the nearest basses and star systems. "Bye Admiral, we are going to silent running stealth. My torpedoes and gun fire seem to have slowed the majority of the attack squadron hopefully enough for the slow squadron to disappear. It is time for me to get my own butt out as well. I am heading for the cloud and entry point X-ray 13 to pilot station 1331. It would be nice if you could arrange an escort." Jack hit the cut switch as he turned to the tactical screen showing the enemy fleet. "Comm cut all transmissions. Engineering, cut all external radiation and heat emitters. Tune engines for stealth." He had said that last out of habit with the old Mass acceleration Engines needing to be tuned into a narrow beam to be anything close to being stealthy and realized there was not much you could do to the new engines to make them more stealthy than they already were once the stream of decoy reaction mass was stopped being pumped into their exhaust. But it had not hurt.

Punching the ship wide comm. "Captain Turner to crew. We are going to silent running. Shut down all emitters and none essential equipment." Jack started to punch the comm off but stopped and smiled. "Just thought you would like to know that we have managed to kill two enemy ships with our salvos of torpedoes and guns, hopefully saving our squadron of damaged ships slowing to enter the cloud. The Command Battleship we have been launching torpedoes at for a half hour to set up a trap is dead in space and dropping toward the cloud to be destroyed in about 50 minutes if it maintains its predicted course while another enemy ship should hit the cloud a few minutes before that. It looks like the rest of that squadron is hanging around the tumbling Battleship... And just to kill the roomers, Ensign Steward and his crew on the Admirals barge have received a lethal dose of radiation from one of the hulk's fusion core exploding a few minutes before we left but will survive long enough to complete their mission to lure the second enemy fleet into a fusion power core trap and act as a decoy while we escape. Hopefully. May God be with him and his crew. The barges crew list will be posted soon. We are not off the planet in orbit yet but if everyone does their job as well as I know they can, we will make it and get what we have learned back to the Rock and Earth. God help us and our souls if he or she sees fit to do so. That is all." Jack killed the comm. He knew that Commanders had been sacrificing rear guards to allow troops and ships to retreat from hopeless situations since time began. It still did not make it any easier.

The Admiral's Barge had already started making enough noise to wake the dead behind them.

Jack just wished he did not feel so much like a low life creeton for leaving him and his crew to their deaths even though the Admiral had ordered it. The fact that he had been ignoring the Admiral's orders all day was nagging at the back of his mind. He was just hoping that everyone aboard the ship including him would not wind up following the crew of the Barge to the Promised Land. He did not hold much hope for their own chances even with the barge as a decoy.

All he could do was to solder on. "Number One, you can cut thrust now. We have plenty of speed now. You can shut down the Engines as soon as you are ready and check the ship for radiation leaks. I want this ship to look like a rock."

28-

IN THE TRENCH AGAIN

"Captain, most of the lead enemy squadron survivors have stopped firing at the hulks and are powering away from the damaged Battleships. The second enemy fleet has stretched their arrival out for another 45 minutes as they probe the wreckage from what our passive scanners can tell. The information transmitted from the Admirals barge shows they should arrive there in 8 or 9 hours." The Tactical Officer said starring at his screen.

Jack turned to Pan. "Ok, how many thousands of refugees did we get? I suppose anything that could crawl came along."

Pan looked down at her tablet and started scratching. "Not all slaves who survived the battle wanted to come. Many stayed with their ships believing that the Gods would come and rescue them when they strip the ships. Though most of the Ape slaves did come after watching your Red Apes successfully defend you to become honorable again." Pan bowed. "They are now sworn Red Apes and they have done you the Honor of painting their armor Red marking them as yours if you will have them. With no boarding threat waking the Apes on the ship's ape storage decks. The Slave Apes were able to access the heavy weapons decks and brought you as many examples of the heavy weapons as they could get their hands on." Glancing down at her screen again. "Only another 3,412 slaves on all the boats Captain Turner with another 310 Red Apes."

"Captain, one of my marine platoons has found something interesting on the Assault boat that crashed into the side of the ship with the black Apes."

Jack turned to the screen showing the wrecked boat clinging to the side of the ship between two of the big guns taken off the enemy Battleship. The small roughly hundred foot long by twenty foot wide Assault boat did not have one single section of its hull that was not pierced or blasted leaving frames exposed and protruding. He could see marines moving inside through the many gaps. An open tank hatch was in the hull not far from the hulk with the hatch lights flooding out across it. After waiting a few seconds for the marine Commander to continue. "Yes Commander. What is it?"

"You should come up here and see for yourself Captain." The Commander shook his head. "You won't believe it otherwise and you need to make a decision. Deck 43, tank C is the closest hatch to the boat sir. The Apes have set up an air curtain in the tank's hull hatch."

Jack started to count to 10 as he turned to the plot screen showing the ship had a good hour before they needed to pull up from hitting the cloud. Shaking his head. "I will be right up."

Turning to Pan. Looking at the masses of refugees packing the ship on the screens lining the back bulkhead behind the damage control and security consoles. "We are getting ready to do some extreme maneuvering and acceleration in just about an hour. During that acceleration, everyone will be required to be laying in acceleration beds or chairs just in case the grav-coils can't keep up. We have a few extra but with all the bow damage we do not have even close to enough for everyone if our bunks and couches would even fit some of your people. Do your people have any idea what they can use to protect themselves if our grav coils can't keep up when the ship does maximum Gees acceleration and the decks gravity jumps to 10 or 20 +or even 100 Gees above normal briefly?" Looking at Pan with a pained expression. "An hour is not much time to do much of anything before we have to start maneuvering but that is all I can give you to prepare. You are also going to have to reinforce the anchors on your Assault boats attached to the hull."

"I do not understand Captain Turner. You are not able to control your gravity coils accurately enough to maintain constant gravity? You are much more primitive than I thought."

"We are able to control our grav coils just fine under normal circumstances but we have recently upgraded our engines to be able do a lot more Gee's but have not had time to upgrade our coils yet."

"My apologies Captain Turner for miss understanding. We will fabricated enough gravity coil beds in time for all our people. We will also connect the Assault boats to your ships power and life support for powering the gravity coil anchors. That will only take a few minutes to emplace. If the calculations we have made of the reinforcing you have done to anchor the guns to your hull is accurate and you can do over 1500 Gees our boats on your hull should be fine with the added power. Though they have never been tested above 300 gees."

"Captain, Boat lock Chief here. I have some alien engineers wanting to start remodeling the core elevators around the core cuts so we can unload the cargo from the new boats. It looks good to me and would solve a lot of other problems. Especially if we are going to keep them. What do you want to do?"

"Do what you think is best and get back to me. Just make sure they maintain the damn core hull strength for the engines. Out." Jack headed for the hatch. "Number One you have the Con. Call me if anything important happens. I will be back as soon as I can."

Jack walked up to the edge of the tank hull hatch. The air curtain shimmered with the airless void on the other side. The Marine Commander stepped through the curtain pivoting around the edge as he bent his knees then straightened up onto the hull standing 90degrees to Jack still on the tank deck. Jack followed suit. Used to doing the grav change squat from airlocks in vacuum he was careful as he squatted down at the edge wondering if the air curtain field would interfere with the usual fluid motion. But except for a slight feeling of resistance, having to push through it as he rotated around the corner he managed not to embarrass himself.

Walking up to the battle damaged boat Jack actually was amazed that the pilot had done a nice job of landing on the hull without doing too much damage to the small assault boat. Most of the boat's damage had been done by the battle and the few 30mm and 3inch turrets he could see sticking up from the ship's hull on short towers giving them a larger field of fire than if they were flat on the hull. Suddenly wondering why none of the smaller anti-personnel turrets were not in sight.

Making a note to check on that later and add some, Jack entered the back of the life boat following the Commander. Black Ape weapons, armor and equipment lay attached to the inside deck and hull of the boat where they had been stripped off of bodies before the bodies had been dumped over the side into empty space just to get rid of them. They continued up the narrow 12 foot wide cargo bay toward the forward end of the boat stepping around large weapons and piles that had not yet been cleaned up. Reaching the forward bulkhead he stepped into a compartment as the last of the dead Apes where chucked out a hole blasted in the side.

The Commander stopped at the forward end of the compartment full of consoles, (half without seats) and strange little alcoves with plugs perfect for holding trash cans and motioned toward the hatch onto the bridge. "Take a look Sir."

Jack stepped through the hatch and stopped. The inside looked like it was covered with blood and slime and pieces of bodies everywhere. At the front in what looked like a Co-pilot's position on the Starboard side with simple controls similar to what he had seen in the other Assault boat sat a goop and gore covered headless body. Next to the copilots seat on the pilot's or Port side, missing any kind of seat stood a large fat cylinder that was split open along a thick jagged seam from top to bottom in the back. Appendages were hung on the sides at shoulder height with a cable going from the top front chest of the cylinder to the control panel. The bottom of the cylinder sat on some kind of thin platform that looked like gravity coils. Looking through the split in the back at the inside of the armored cylinder he could see it was full of gore and masses of vaguely familiar organs with some kind of jelly clinging to the insides. The same kind of jelly seemed to cover most of the compartment except at a couple of relatively clean seats that looked like they may have had Apes sitting at them when the canister at the front exploded. Another seat had something in a suit covered with the jelly gore. Looking closer at the boat's hull next to the canister Jack could see a 3 inch hole in the hull. Stepping closer he could see the 3 inch hole in one side of the upright canister directly across from the hole in the hull but no exit hole on the other side of the canister. "Ok looks like the damn thing was hit by a 3inch beam and just super boiled inside the canister until it exploded from the pressure." Jack studied it for a few seconds. "Could this be one of their God Officers?"

"That was what I thought Captain." The Commander said as he stepped into the compartment.

Jack turned around. "Well get the Doctor out here and get what we can from it before we dump the boat." Frowning as he turned back to the split canister. "You did not need me out here just to see this. What is up Commander?"

The Commander smile shown through his helmet. "Sorry Captain but you need to decide what to do with this peace of shit." He tapped the gore covered suit seated next to him on the head with the tip of his finger trying not to get any of the gore covering the suit on him.

"What the?" Jack looked down at the seated suit and realized that under the covering of gore it was tied down to the acceleration chair with several straps with its hands tied together in front of it. Stepping closer he peered into the visor someone had wiped half way clean. Jack took one look and stepped back. His eyes growing big as he shook his head. "Godstar that is impossible… How the hell." Jack stepped back up to the suit and peered inside the helmet again. The face that looked out at him was shouting as its eyes darted around. The vacuum keeping jack from hearing what he was saying since the suit codes had been changed as before they had left the Battleship.

Jack looked back up at the Commander. "How the hell did he get here? The last time I saw him he was running away from a boat in the dock on the enemy battleship."

"He says he was Captured after wondering around the Battleship for a while." Shaking his head. "Sounds like he made a deal with the God Officer to help take over and command the Red Pepper. There were no slaves on this boat and the Apes do not know shit about manning a ship so I don't know who they were going to get to crew the Red Pepper. What do you want me to do with him? Leave him on the boat when we dump it?"

Jack wanted to agree with the Commander but shook his head no instead. "He is the only human that has ever seen a God Officer as well as half the ship we never got to. We need to interrogate him to find out what he has seen and heard about and from our enemy." Frowning. "And what he told them." Stepping past the Commander on the way out. "Dump him in our deepest darkest cell and keep him isolated. Do whatever you have to, to make him talk. I want to know every step he made and saw and heard on that ship." Turning to glance at the canister. "Especially about the God Officer." Looking around the compartment. "Just for the hell of it. Shove this boat inside the tank. Maybe there is something here the God Officer brought with him that we could use but it is going to take time to clean this mess up to find it." Taking another couple of steps. "Oh and let's keep this from the aliens for now and seal off the tank. We can use it to check some of what they tell us about the God officers for accuracy. They are the ones this God Officer would have used to crew the ship. And put guards on all the vital spaces. I don't want any aliens in the engine rooms ever or on the bridge unless I approve them." Without stopping as they walked to the open tank hatch. "You only have a half hour until we have to close up ship and go to maneuvering stations to get it loaded. Best get going Commander.”

29-

HITTING THE WALL DEAD

The ship continued to drop. "Number One, I guess we had better get ready now. If they were going to see and shoot at us they would have already." He said studying the plot tank. Looking up at the walls of the canyon as they approached them made him damn apprehensive after killing two ships and almost the fleet only hours before when he got side tracked for a few seconds. "You can turn the ship around and prepare for pulling out of this dive."

The Ensign saw his face as he stared up at the canyon. The First officer started turning the ship around to present the ships tail to the cloud in preparation to pull out at the bottom.

"Captain, Jack." The Ensign turned to face Jack. "I ran a simulation on when we dropped the first time into a canyon and even if you had started the turn sooner it would not have made a difference. We would have still lost the ships. From the logs the Captain of the Relish sent out on laser burst comm when he realized that his ship was not going to make it, showed that one of his engines was losing power even before he entered the canyon. The engine was tearing itself apart from damage it had received during the battle. Most likely he would have lost that engine before we got out of the turn and even then the wall that got the Mustard and we barely missed would have gotten both of them at the same time if he had not lost power. Even if you had started the turn as soon as you could have, the Mustard would still have hit the wall. The wall or actually mountain (at 100 times the speed of light, the ten thousand mile long mountain just looked like a thin wall), was just too tall."

"Ya we should have never gone down into the canyon in the first place." Jack was staring down now at the approaching canyon.

"Now that is the most stupid as nine thing I have ever heard. To start with your plan is what destroyed the Picket fleet in the first place and If you had not taken us down into that canyon the enemy squadron would have seen us coming a million miles away and slaughtered most of the fleet, if not all before we got close enough to even shoot at them. The only reason we won that battle is because you were able to sneak up on them and shove our guns and torpedoes' up their asses’." Looking around as the canyon walls started to pass up past them. "Now what do we do Captain Sir?"

Jack turned to look at the Ensign. A week smile came to his lips as he shook his head sideways. "Well, we follow the plan and quit trying to second think everything Ensign." Taping the ship wide comm a whistle sounded getting the crews attention. "Your attention please. This is Captain Turner. We are about to do some major high Gee maneuvers. All personnel, take your bunks and for those new to the ship if you have not been provided with gravity pads, ships personnel will provide you with straps and what padding we can find. You have 15 minutes to get laid and strapped down some place and we start the pull out."

Jack took a deep breath thinking. "Ah. We are entering a deep winding valley with many towers and mountains randomly protruding above and around this section of the cloud that we can hide behind as we continue to slow down to enter the cloud. The problem is that we have an enemy ship that is above and to one side that we have to slide under without it seeing us. The fact that it will be dead in another few minutes when it crashes onto the cloud does not matter. If it sees us it will call the ships we have closing in on the trap and decoy we have set for them at the hulks we just left behind and if they start chasing us soon enough, it will make it impossible to enter the cloud without them following us. To do that we have to stay in the canyon shadows in a forever changing canyon not well mapped and full of surprises for as long as possible. This ship has good powerful gravity coils but they were not designed and built to run at the Gees we will be pulling and the control circuits can be a bit slow varying the perceived Gee forces by a small percentage that can amount to as much as 10 to 20 Gees for brief periods." Taking a breath and trying to think what else needed said. "We will get through this and once we are out in front of this enemy fleet we are home free. Good luck. That is all."

Jack sat back in the Command Chair staring down through the ship around the canyon with glances at the map on the Tactical tank. The Ensign walked over. "Jack, you need to pilot us through this. Your reflexes are faster and you can see things the First Officer cannot."

"Come on Ensign, I almost destroyed the fleet in the last canyon."

"Actually sir." said the First Officer. "I tried the same run in the simulator 3 times while you were in the alien ship and got the fleet destroyed each time. You never made any big changes but you were able to make the right changes every time. You did miss the wall and the ships that suddenly pulled out of the wall. 27 officers have tried it in the simulator as well and no one has survived the run. I think I know what you did right but even then, I do not have something to pull it off." Standing up. "I will run the ship so you can concentrate on flying if you please sir." It was not a request.

Looking around Jack could suddenly not see anything but the bridge with no ports and only screens. "No. I can't see. I am blind Ensign. The Commander has thousands of hours at the helm."

As the Commander frowned at Jack's statement. The Ensign shook her head and started looking around the bridge. Suddenly snapping her fingers. "Shut down the lights. Now! Emergency lights only." She said to the Engineering board officer.

The Lieutenant shut them off. "Ensign that is not going to do any good. I can't see. I am too tired or shocked or disgusted with myself for ordering the death of so many good crewmen." Taking a deep breath. "You pick what sounds good to you but I can't do it."

"Oh shut up, get up off your fat ass and sit down at the helm." Pulling on him to get him out of the chair. "You have 14 minutes and if your eyes do not adjust in 13 you can always turn it back over to the Commander. Captain!"

Getting up she pushed him into the helm and sat him down. He tried to just sit there. Intending to wait a few minute to make the Ensign happy and then go back to the Command Chair and let the Commander have the helm back. Only as he sat there staring off to the side and down at the deck he started seeing things outside the ship. Without thinking he started running the normal systems check he had done a thousand times in The Game. Habits started taking over without thinking.

The First officer sat down in the Command Chair and started issuing orders preparing and making sure the ship and her crew were ready. As he worked he started noticing Jack looking around the bridge as if he was looking through the deck and solid consoles. But he could not be sure in the dim light of the screens surrounding the pilot’s seat. Then when Jack turned off most of his screens leaving only the bare minimum basic information about the ship and space around him he started getting worried as he leaned forward.

The Ensign walked back over and put her hand over the Commanders shoulder and whispered only for him to hear. "Jack and I can see things most other humans can't Commander. Our Genes were altered by a neutron star long ago before birth. He can see the cloud better than the ships instruments. Relax. It was what made it possible for us to know what the Apes were doing in the enemy battleship in time to react. It is why he was able to pilot the fleet in the canyon the first time successfully when you could not. For instance, it looks like day in here to him and me with the bulkheads and deck vague ghosts as long as the lights are out. If you don't believe me I can tell you everything you have in your pockets and your lockers in your cabin. Fact is, he will one day see a lot more but he was abused into retardation when he was growing up and it will just take time."

Looking at the shocked face of the Commander. "It is not that different than normal people. We just can see additional wavelengths both up and down the spectrum. It is normal to have genes turned on that make people a genius and the hospitals are full of people that see things they cannot explain, understand or handle after certain visual genes have accidentally been activated. We are just blessed to have the brains to process the additional information flooding in and raised where the lower and higher radiation spectrum is plentiful and damn useful. Relax and just do your job without making the rest of the bridge nervous and make sure he is left alone to do his without distractions. He is still rather new at it and it takes him a lot of concentration." She went back to the science sensor board with the First Officer watching her in the gloom for several seconds.

"So why don't you take the Helm if you can see so much better?" The Commander said in a whisper.

The Ensign smiled at him. "I can see better but I only hear like everyone else along with all the other normal human foibles and imperfections including only being a fare pilot. What was your question sir?"

"Never mind Ensign." The Commander turned back to taping the screens in front of him, checking the ship while getting it ready to rock as he watched the marines leverage the wrecked assault boat into an empty tank. Shelving what he had been told for the moment but hoping it was true deep down inside because he wanted to live. He let habit and training take over and not the fear.

Jack started sliding the ship over closer to the side of the canyon as he kept looking up through the overhead dead viewing screens.

The Ensign went back to her sensors. "Target Alpha 30 minutes from impact. Target Echo intercepting Target Alpha in 10 minutes. Bravo has changed course some and will impact the canyon wall in 20 minutes as we pass in gun range under it. I think we can get away with firing a couple of salvos at it without being spotted by the rest of the fleet. If we don't take it out it could take us out not to mention warning the others if it spots us. Then if Echo stays with Alpha or even manages to repair it, we are screwed as well." Looking over at Jack. It was 2 minutes until they had to start changing course. "Captain, Jack, did you hear me? Alpha and Echo with a third contact is headed down the same canyon we will be going down with plenty of time to see us before Alpha hits and Echo still has plenty of power with only one shield deck to maneuver back out along with 4 good main guns at point blank range."

Turning to look at her. "Check the Nav Plot Ensign. We are not going near Alpha and Echo and that is what I was talking about to the ship. We will slide under Bravo without being seen if we are lucky. I think they have other problems to worry about."

The Ensign turned back to the Nav plot, it showed them going up the canyon making a gradual starboard turn into a hard sharp S turn to port and then back hard to starboard to straighten out to run up under the projected course of Alpha and Echo… No. looking closer she realized that she had just glanced at it and took it for granted that they would stay in the main canyon but just as they entered the sharp S turn a narrow finger shot off to the Starboard side that the plot followed headed away from Alpha and Echo. With all the information flooding into her eyes the electronic plot line was not that easy to see from where she was. Smiling with relief. All they had to do was get past Bravo and they were home free. Besides the last half of the canyon S turn, now that she looked closer at it, looked way to sharp to turn at the speed they were going at.

"Number One, you should have a couple of minutes after we level out on the bottom to prepare the weapons crews just in case Bravo sees us.

"Yes Captain." Tapping the ship's public address system. "Ten minute to acceleration course change. All hands take your positions."

"Oh Number One, is everyone out of the enemy assault shuttles. I can't believe they will stay attached through the acceleration and I don't want to lose anyone."

"Most are out but the crews want to stay with them to make sure they do stay attached. What they can do to help is beyond me but we don't have time to argue about it. I had the tank hatches closed just in case we do lose one or both of them."

"Just curious Number One, do you have a head count yet?"

"Not exact yet but it is well over 4 thousand alien refugees along with several hundred more Red Apes from the other ships. That part has me worried. And a surprise, we have some enemy ships crewmen as well, some kind of lizard they tell me. Not all of them are slaves evidentially."

Jack glanced around at Pan in one of the Jump seats that had been pulled out. "What is this Pan? Crewmen?"

"The AgampyColeen is or was still new enough to still have some of its original crewmen aboard. They may be a problem. I shall talk to them when I get a chance and tell you if they are."

"New enough? Just how old are we talking about and why doesn't your ship still have crewmen?"

"Roughly a thousand years old. My ship, the Campacheea is almost 10,000 years old and the home system was lost to an enemy Empire 5 thousand years ago and never retaken. Without the ships home system to provide crewmen, the God Officers use slaves from conquered systems as crewmen. Taking slaves from specialist planets to fill their needs. The advantage to slaves is that they are mostly self-replacing, which is why the God Officers tolerate children and can grow their own food. Crewmen from mother systems must be replaced when they die with specialist trained hatched crewmen from the mother system and fed from the mother system. The crewmen will start dyeing when their stored food from their home system runs out so I do not understand why they came. They could not have taken that much food. It is also their costume to die with their ships. Very perplexing."

Jack glanced around at Pan again skeptical. "The Ah,, AgampyColeen’s crew is only a thousand years old? Do they keep them on ice too and take them out for maintenance one day a month?"

Pan chuckled. "No Captain Turner. Like the Apes they carry several Tens of thousands in cold storage. We constructed the slave quarters out of their cooler decks when we replaced them. The God Officers would take them out when replacements were needed as with their food. We slaves grow our food between the shield decks. The Campacheea had many shield decks and we ate well. Some ships with only one or two shield decks barely survive having to trade for food from many shield decked ships. Though some God Officers Captains are good at acquiring shield decks when other ships are destroyed in combat while others are not. I have seen ships attack ships that have lost too many of their main guns to defend themselves in close combat, stripping them of their armored decks. Though a good God Admiral makes sure he moves guns and decks around to maintain a roughly even number amongst his ships to prevent that from happening. "

Pan sat up and looked at Jack with some concern. "That is what the God fleet is doing now as it takes your outlaying systems. They are using the systems riches in mettle to replace weapons. The problem for the Godfleet is that the conquered systems and their planets only have the heavy metals they imported before the God fleet showed up creating quite a competition amongst fleet commanders for the few new pieces of armaments they are able to replace after striping the systems. New armored decks will have to wait for them to take a fertile Iron star. That is why you humans may be able to win. The Iron stars they have taken from you so far are Virgin. "

Jack glanced around at Pan as the plot clock hit zero and Jack advanced the throttles. "What the hell is a Virgin Iron Star?"

Looking at Jack with a frown. "Virgin means the Star is old enough to have turned much of its hydrogen into heavy metals but has never gone Nova to spread the heavy metals around its sector then collecting enough hydrogen over the eons to restart the star again. The Iron stars we stopped at before entering human space were all Virgin and a great disappointment to the fleet as were the population on the one with intelligent life. They were too week to make good slaves so they were eliminated. "

"What do you mean eliminated?" The First Officer asked as the ship reached 300 Gee's

Jack continued to slowly increase the throttles as he slid in closer to the side wall and deeper into the shadow from the enemy ships as they continued to descend down into the trench.

"Ah a better word in your language would be exterminated I believe." Taking a breath as she watched the Gee meter go up past 600 Gees. "But don't worry you humans have passed all the tests with flying colors. You make very good slaves even if your revolt quotient is high. It can be dealt with."

"Ok is that why your Gods are invading our stars?"

"I understand you have several fertile iron stars which is why this God Empire wants your stars after losing its Battleship engine production Iron stars in the core. It is desperate for new factories to resume engine production. Producing its engines out here in the never stars, they should not have to worry about raids destroying the factory worlds or losing the system when the front line changes." Pan's eyes grew big as she watched the Gee meter slide over 800 Gee's. "But then this empire fleet, is very old and was decimated when it was trapped by several enemy fleets while trying to take back the last engine production Iron star the Empire had. Though it managed to rescue the factory station before withdrawing.”

“The problem was that without a fertile Iron star system to supply raw materials for the Prime Factory. No replacements were possible for the decimated fleet and no longer of any threat to enemy fleets and of no value to the Empire, the God Empire sent us out here to find a new home for the factory safe from the many enemies." Closing her eyes so she did not have to see it reach a thousand Gee's, she continued nervously trying to ignore what she knew was impossible. "The God Admiral had the fleet travel 10,000 light years from the last Empire star before he stopped the fleet to look for possible fertile stars. We have traveled thousands of light years since. Out here with stars so far apart most nova stars never acquire enough gas again to restart and simply fade away lost for all time dark and cold. You humans just turned out to be lucky. Your captured ships have shown that you have several rich fertile iron stars in your empire. The God Commander just has to penetrate fare enough to find out which one is fertile without losing the fleet. Then he will produce millions of battleships using human slave labor."

Jack glanced at Pan and then the corner of his heads up display and the Gee meter hitting 1200 and back at the actual plot line showing that the ship would clear the canyon floor. "Well Number One, how is the crew doing?"

"No spikes Captain and the assault shuttles and Gun barrels are still attached. The cross connected Coils seem to be handling the load just fine with no reports of delayed coils. Though that additional alien power supply maybe helping there.

The ship reached the bottom of the trench and Jack started easing the ship over so the thrust was starting to slow them down instead of just changing their course from straight down into the cloud to flying level at the bottom of the trench or canyon or crevice or whatever you wanted to call it. Being a space hound, planetary terms baffled him most of the time. Figuring he had it at 1200 Gee's already, he may as well as use it for a few seconds to get them farther away from the enemy fleet before dropping it back down to make the Admiral happy. The Bravo target was still up ahead around a bend and out of sight as was the enemy fleet up behind the corner of the canyon wall still approaching the hulk squadron with the barge posing as bait. With the ship finally running parallel to the bottom of the trench and the ships tail pointed in the direction they were going, he watched their velocity rapidly dropping. At that rate they would be slow enough to enter the cloud in days instead of weeks. But he knew he could not keep up that thrust for long.

As they approached the bend where Bravo would be able to see them, if it looked, he started backing off on the throttles as he dropped the ship down as close to the floor as possible without having to jump up over the occasional protrusion. By the time they reached the bend the ship had slowed to 300 Gees exactly. The ship started to slid out from the wall as the trench started turning to starboard and Jack eased the nose around pointed towards the wall curving away to thrust the ship around the bend staying as close as he dared. Needing to stay far enough out to see what he was turning into with time to dodge when needed.

As they came around the bend Jack eased back on the throttles so by the time the Bravo target came into sight he only had enough throttle on to keep them turning around the corner. As they came out, he cut the throttles completely with the ship just above the floor and skimming the wall. Rotating the ship around he pointed it at the ship that was the most resent Bravo target and then tried to study it as he kept a close eye on the wall and floor ahead for possible obstructions just in case the automatic anti-collision system missed something. The wrecked nose with only the armored torpedo compartments left intact, provided plenty of structure to return radar and light waves. Jack was just hoping they would be too busy trying to survive or at least looking at what was about to kill them to look down and back at the little speck that was the Red Pepper sliding under them across the canyon.

"Weapons, you have guns locked and ready just in case we need them?"

"Captain, this is Gun Chief Benson. We bore-scoped the guns and found cracks in 4 of them. We are trying to weld the capacitors to the other barrels now but it is going to take a few minutes. We could fire them at normal charge Sir."

"Well they are not much good with a normal charge now are they Chief. Besides your crew are supposed to be in their acceleration bunks or chairs not crawling all over the frigging guns. You are no good to me splattered all over the deck like road kill."

"Too much work to do Captain. We need these guns."

Jack frowned as he stared up at the spider ship. We may at that.

Though both the enemy and the Red Pepper were traveling at almost a hundred times the speed of light across the cloud, the only noticeable movement was the huge enemy ship drifted down at an angle strait across the trench toward the wall as they slowly caught up to it.

Jack kept glancing up at the ship as they approached and suddenly noticed it start to puke out boats that quickly accelerated away from the ship and the approaching wall. Though he knew it was too late for them. Then the armored plates at the front popped off sailing out ahead of the ship toward the wall in a desperate effort to stop their head long plunge as an engine tried to start but quickly puked its guts out.

Jack found himself rooting for them to succeed. To survive as the Red Pepper drifted past, far below and behind them down in the corner of the trench. It made him grimace when the first armored plate started hitting the edges of the trench and he found he could not take his eyes off of the disaster even though he knew something ahead of them could jump out and kill the Red Pepper and all aboard her. The tragedy was just too terrible not to watch. The first plate started glowing at the front edges hitting the cloud. Wobbling it started to tumble and then the particles caught the flat side to push on and it flew out of the cloud hitting the second armored plate at an angle starting it spinning as it fell back to hit the ship. The spinning plate bounced back off the ship destroying it. Crushing the ships decks, engines and guns into a jumbled mass along with a few boats not fast enough to escape.

The first plate rebounding from its collision, entered the cloud tumbling in the opposite direction from the first time it hit the cloud. The dust particles hit the opposite flat side this time, sending it deeper into the cloud to jink around as it tried to fly in a different direction each time it changed sides in its tumble while it burned leaving trails of superhot particles behind it as it got deeper and deeper into the cloud going in one direction and then another. The second plate still spinning rebounded off the ship it had just destroyed, drifted back away from the ship and hit the cloud at a slight angle and skipped off shooting across the trench toward the opposite wall. Slag flying off of it as it spun. The plate hitting several life boats that could not get out of its way without slowing it down.

Shaking his head Jack watched the jumbled hull enter the cloud and start sending flaming wreckage fanning out to end in large fusion fireball explosions. The life boats lucky enough not to have been hit before were desperately trying to accelerate away, entered the wall one by one to burn up like meteors in the night.

"Tracking target Bravo across the canyon Captain." said tactical.

"No. Bravo's destroyed. You are tracking debris now." Jack looked back down the track of the ship and had to jerk the controls to miss the gradual rise in the canyon floor he had been too distracted to see. Turning the tail back around he brought the thrust back up to continue decelerating the ship as they approached the S curves and the Y where they would turn off away from the main canyon and safety. Out of sight of the enemy again the Gee meter quickly reached a thousand. He knew it would not make much difference at the speed they were traveling at but he wanted to shed as much velocity as he could before entering the S Curve ahead. Even a little bit could make the difference if something went wrong. He hoped anyway.

"Another couple of minutes and we will be in the side trench and home free Ensign." Jack said more to himself than the Ensign. After watching the enemy ship destroy itself in the cloud wall the last thing he wanted to do was take on that damn S turn. Looking over at the Nav map. It would be a lot easier if he just popped up over the S curve and back down into the side trench and stayed as far away from the trenches S curve as possible. But then glancing at the Tactical tank he knew that if he showed himself now, the enemy fleet of some 23 ships approaching the hulks would see him and give chase. At most only 8 hours or two behind him if they stopped trying to decelerate and decided to chase him instead. Much too close to stop and enter the cloud without them following him in and with that many against him the ship did not stand a chance.

Well maybe a little of a chance. But with a ship load of refugees there was a good chance he would get a bunch of them killed before losing the enemy fleet if he even could. He was used to flying a Destroyer and not a damn armed transport. Even if it was a fast armed transport but then he was not allowed to use its new found speed to run away from them. Shaking his head he pushed the throttles up against the stop just to loose just a little bit more velocity before they got to the S.

"Tactical, how is our little Hulk trap going?"

"Ah. Just one minute Captain." The tactical Officer said.

"They are 7 hours from the hulks sir." The Ensign said. "The boat’s Ensign is doing great sir. He is screaming his head off for help and playing the clips the Admiral sent in the boats cabin and not wired in so it sounds like the admiral is really there with the engine, life support, bangs, creaks and panicked crew noises in the back ground. He has even managed to get most of the nearby repeater stations on the lines and is giving an incredible amount of information about the ships and tactics he is observing. With about a hundred channels of sensors and video of both our campaigns on the enemy ship along with recordings of a lot of the alien material we acquired going out alongside his emergency beacon. Even if we don't make it, Earth should have quite a bit of information to work with." Turning from the console she shook her head with a frown. "If I did not know better I would swear he had been stranded when we were destroyed. I keep having to pinch myself to make sure that I really am still alive. Not to mention that we really stranded the Admiral."

"Ah. Admirals are a dime a dozen, besides she was a wind bag anyway and was starting to be a real pain." Jack looked at the deck frowning.

"Ya, I will tell her that the next time I see her.” The Ensign chuckled with tears running down her cheek.

Jack took a deep breath. The important point was that they were stuck doing the slalom or the Ensign and his crew's lives would be wasted. The side trench entrance was starting to look damn small on the tactical for some reason the closer they got to it the smaller it looked. "As long as I approach it strait on it should be a synch. All I have to do is thread the needle." He said to himself as the ship started drifting up away from the canyon floor. He guided it back down without thinking. Feeling safer from the Spider fleet the closer he got to the floor.

With the throttle still on the forward maximum mechanical stop he started turning the ship to thrust around the first shallow corner still using as much thrust as possible to slow their progress. He let the ship drift out from the inner corner of the turn deep toward the center trying to peer around the corner. Half way across and before they entered the sharp S turns he flipped the ship over to head for the inner corner of the first turn of the S not trying to make the turn. All he wanted to do was skim the inner edge of the turn and then head out across for the cutout in the turns outer wall that would be the entrance to the new trench he wanted to use.

As he skimmed up to the inner edge of the first sharp turn of the S, he kept the ship in a gentle shallow turn so he could straighten out to cross the S turn trench perfectly lined up to enter the new trench. Only after coming around and almost kissing the inner side of the turn Jack looked up to see only blank wall on the outer side of the S curved trench.

Not believing what he could not see, his eyes darted around in disbelief as the ship started across the trench headed for the blank solid looking wall. Then he saw the notch at the very top of the trench wall. Much too high to reach in such a narrow trench.

With a flick of his hand the ship turned around to blast around the corner but the inside wall kept dropping away from the ship. "Engineering: All auxiliary power to the engines including the generators and lights. Only keep the Mag-coils powered." The lights went out as the Gee meter tapped up a little but it was not near enough. "Chief; Dump the gun Capacitors back to the engines!"

A Lieutenant Commander came on the screen. "What Captain? I have never heard of such a thing. How the hell...”

"There is a bypass bus bar in the bottom of the circuit breaker feed cabinet on each capacitor. Just slam them closed, one every 5 seconds. The turret's electrician should know about it. Just make sure they do not close two at once. It just may be enough."

It seemed like forever to Jack as the ship started coming around but not even close to fast enough as the fare wall started rushing at them. He kept checking the ships attitude to provide the most thrust to keep them off the quickly approaching wall but the thrust was not near enough. "Come on Lieutenant Commander. Sometime this century." Jack reached over and started using his fingers on the navigator’s board trying to see if he could plot a successful course out of the turn without hitting the wall but nothing he tried even came close. Then the navigator saw what he was doing started trying different courses himself in desperation.

And then the thrust of the engines suddenly jumped to 2,000 Gee's and Jack was shoved down into his chair like an elephant had dropped on top of him. Just as Gravity was dropping back to normal the additional thrust burped and he was suddenly dumped on again and five seconds later again.

Jack smiled. The rate closing scale dropped cutting in half each time the elephant dropped on him making it easy to ignore the pain on his chest dragging his arms down.

But even then the plot line had them still hitting the wall before the trench turned back around to resume its original course. The ship would hit the wall just as they were starting to point back over into the trench itself instead of parallel with it as if they could take the short cut missing the second final S turn bend completely.

The ship and everyone aboard it was dead. They just did not know it yet even if he did. He had killed everyone that was depending on him.

He could not let that happen.

In a fraction of a second he realized they had one chance and only one chance to survive and he had no idea if it would even work but he had no choice. "Number One, sound collision alarms.” The wall continued to rush up at them. Tapping the comm he took a deep breath as the elephant continued to sit on his chest.

"Chief: I need you to detune the damn engines. I need them to fan out with them throwing as much ionized mass out as possible to dig us a hole in a wall we are about to hit and then tap off as much power as the stern shields will take from the engine fusion heads. Add that change to the trigger on my stick so I can activate it just before we enter the cloud. We use the engines to cut us a hole through the cloud Chief or we die."

The Lieutenant Commander instead of the Chief had popped up on the screen as soon as he had tapped the comm. "What the hell Captain I don't understand."

The Ensign came on. "I think we can do it by reprograming the pinch coil controls at the end of the engines and reattaching the original head coils for ionizing the reaction mass we are not using any more. The Second Officer joined in going over the details of what was needed as Jack concentrated on keeping them away from the cloud as long as possible.

The ship slid toward the cloud at almost a hundred times the speed of light as the bend came around to meet them. "Come on guys we are running out of time here."

The bend in reality was only a couple of degrees over millions of miles of trench but at a hundred times the speed of light it looked as sharp as a 90 degree Carpenters Square to everyone on the bridge. It was called relativity.

"Working on it Captain, just another few seconds. I am not sure it will even work sir." The Lieutenant Commander said as his hands flew over his screens. He had a similar arrangement as Jack had used designing the engines a few weeks before. "Now that is a possibility." As one of his screens suddenly blanked out to be replaced by something else.

The Ensign over at the Science console suddenly said. "Yes that is it, you have it. Now add the fusion head tap."

Then Jack was simply out of time as cloud filled his screens and the ship’s hull started heating up from gas particles impacted, shaking the ship. "Hitting his trigger the engines suddenly changed sound losing half of their power as their pencil thin streams blossomed out to form solid cones arching down away from the ship. The two engine cones combining forces to make sure nothing bigger than an atom survived going through their cones forming a flattened bubble of burning vaporized dust and rock particles to add to the gas atoms already there as the heavily reinforced shields pushed the massively ionized atoms out around the ship creating a tube for the ship to run through. Though an occasional wisp of atoms made it through making the ship buck as the hull and fins on one side or the other flashed briefly bright.

Jack stared at the screens for a good minute as the ship punched its way through the cloud leaving a tube behind them. Checking the bow sensors he could see the tube behind them. Ball lightning flamed across the tube following them as the heavily charged particles tried to release their charges. Taking another deep breath without the Elephant on his chest. "Casualty report."

"No fatalities reported sir. But many injuries all over the ship sir. It is going to take a while to sort things out as well as take care of the wounded sir."

"Ya that is to be expected. Even in The Game it took time." Jack continued to watch the screen as he checked the ship making minor adjustments to the ship going through the cloud creating the tube. Finally relaxing he looked up at the navigation plot screen and realized they were heading in the worst possible direction. They were going to come back out into the main trench only a few light minutes from Targets Alpha and Echo.

Jack started tapping the controls getting frustrated after a few seconds. "Damn I don’t seem able to turn this beast even when I get the ship close to the tube's wall. Have to work on that." Turning to the Co-pilot. "You have the helm for a few seconds. Just keep the ship centered in the tube." Getting out of the chair. "You can take the helm if you please Number One." The First Officer hesitated. His eyes growing big as he stared at Jack while shaking his head no but finally he changed seats. "They can't miss us when we come out right next to them headed straight for them. We will have to use power to straighten our course down the trench. Any ideas what to do? We have about 3 minutes."

Jack walked around the bridge stretching his legs and arms. Stopping next to the Ensign he squeezed her shoulder. "Thought we were goners for a few seconds there." Patting her arm he turned and walked over to the Command Chair. He wanted to run around the bridge to get rid of all the energy that was suddenly streaming through his veins but knew better as he sat down in the Command chair. "I am still not coming up with anything people. Does anyone have any ideas at all?" Jumping up and walking around the front of the bridge. "I am still back in that tunnel. I still can't believe it worked. Do you know how many reasons why that should not have worked?" He walked back up the other side of the bridge to the Ensign and squeezed her shoulder again. "Hell; if I knew it was that easy I would have just bore our way back up to the other trench instead of coming over here just to get our assess shot off."

Back in the Command Chair he tapped the comm to Engineering. As the Lieutenant Commander Came back on the screen. "Lieutenant, where is the Engineering Chief?"

"Ah, he is working on the engine sir. Do you want me to try sending someone up to get him? We are kind of busy right now though sir."

“No.” Jack looked down at his name plate and did a double take. “Now tell me that is a joke Lieutenant. Your real name is Scott?"

The Commander looked down at the name plate on his chest as he fingered it up to read upside down. "Well that is what it says sir. Must be true." He said with a worn smile.

"Very well then Mr. Scott. I will let you get back to work. Oh and damn good Job Lieutenant. You all saved the ship."

"Thank you sir but I really don't think it was…"

"Enough Lieutenant. We are headed straight for a couple of Spider Battleships and we both have work to do. Captain out." Jack took another deep breath. "Tactical, how is our little trap doing back at the hulks?"

"Sorry Captain but with the Ionized bubble around us and inside this cloud we are not getting any sensors or comms sir. The fusion core could detonate while we are in here and we would never know about it."

"Ah that is not quite true Captain." The Ensign said from the science/sensor station. We would be able to read a spike in neutron radiation and a few other particles if a core fusions off sir. We have not seen such a spike yet."

The Tactical lieutenant looked over at the Ensign. Not happy with getting interrupted. "Bad news sir. Just before we entered the cloud, 3 of the first enemy squadron ships changed their course to intercept the slow transport squadron sir."

Jack shook his head. "Weapons, how are the repairs on the guns going. We may need them rather soon. I think we are going to have to come out shooting everything we have including our long range missiles. I wish we had saved a few torpedoes now but we used what we could."

"Ah sir, we did not want to bother you but the aliens are helping the Gun Chief repair the gun tubes a, all the gun tubes. The guns are out of commission until they are finished."

"What?" Turning to Pan Jack slapped the comm. "Gunner Chief Sherman, what is going on with my guns. We are going to need them in just a few minutes."

"Ah Captain, Ah, the Aliens have some kind of process to line the barrels with a carbon crystal layer that will keep the barrels from burning out. They plugged the barrels and pumped some kind of gas into them at extreme pressure. They say that even a few minutes of growth at that pressure should form a layer thick enough to keep the rest of our barrels from destroying themselves when we fire them. They also said it should add some power to the shots sir."

"And how long will it take to get them back into service Commander?"

"Ah," The Commander turned to one side to listen for a few seconds. "They say we can shoot them anytime though they would like to recover the gas. They only have a limited supply. The beam will simply vaporize the plug in the end expelling the gas. They also said that if the gas is left in, it will slowly thicken the barrel lining reducing the bore size of the barrel tube, increasing the temperature of the beam. If we leave it in long enough we should be able to shoot as hot a beam using only one capacitor at a time. Allowing us to shoot both turret guns at once with just as hot of beams delivering twice as much damage as we are now. Though I can see how reducing the bore size of the barrel can up the temperature of the beam, I can 't see how a barrel of only 10 or 12 inches could do that much damage even if it has the penetration."

"Very well Chief. We will be firing as soon as we get into the trench and get the guns charged. They have a minute to drain the gas in half the barrels. Captain out."

Turning to Pan. "I am impressed Pan. What can you do with our smaller guns when we get time?"

"You did not ask your Chief Captain, but we have already started growing barrel linings in all your ship defense guns. We used much of the gas and do not have time to recover it before you enter battle." Pan bowed her head slightly still sitting in the jump seat. "We are already working on up grading your Capacitors."

"Well, I will wait as long as possible with the main guns but it depends on what the Spiders do. The small close in defense guns are probably safe unless they have any torpedoes or fighters left."

"Captain." The new Engineering Chief (appointed by the 1st Officer and temp until Jack's approval) appeared on the screen and looked worried. "We are starting to overheat. The space around us in this tunnel has risen to over a thousand degrees making it impossible for us to radiate our waste heat. Our engines and shield nods are reaching the red zones. They could trip out any time sir."

"Well get crewmen over and bypass the circuit breakers. If we lose either in this cloud we are dead. Damn! I knew I was forgetting something." Tapping his controls to bring up the engineering screen and studying the systems looking for some way to stretch their time long enough to make it out of the tunnel. "I can't see or think of anything to use for a heat sink. Reaction mass would have been a possibility but we dumped all the tanks."

"No sir. We still have our engine feed tanks that are completely full. We can cross connect them directly to the coolers. I should have thought of that Captain a long time ago but using feed mass for anything else just did not cross my mind." The Chief disappeared from the screen.

Jack watched the temperature of the engines, grav-coils and shield node coils continue to climb into the red for another half minute and then start to rapidly drop. Tapping the comm again for Engineering. "Chief, I need you to flip our engines back to maximum thrust from the cones as soon as we are out of the cloud. Captain out."

And then they were out of the cloud and the First Officer brought the ship around to parallel the trench. They were about half way up the side with target Alpha and Echo about 4 light minutes ahead of them running down the trench at a shallow angle toward the opposite side maybe 10 minutes from impacting the wall. The Red Pepper was closing with them at about 1 light minute per minute. Jack looked around to see just how far they were from the close side of the trench and got a shock. The Red Pepper was reflecting off the side of the trench like a bad mirror. The red hot hull and radiating panels lit up like beacons.

Turning back around he knew he had no choice. "Weapons target Echo and prepare to fire. Charge all weapons. Fire missiles, attack profile Beta Nine." Then as the main screens locked onto the targets Jack’s eyes grew big as his mouth dropped open.

The targets were firing on each other. "Cut active targeting! Passive only. Hold gunfire. Change missile profile to Delta 2 Repeat Delta 2. What the hell is going on with them?" The spider ship with 7 armored decks was drifting toward the cloud while a spider ship with two decks, 4 guns and two engine was firing on another spider ship with two armored decks and 4 guns attached to the front firing back at it while approaching the 7 armored decked hulk from a different direction.

Pan spoke up. "The two ships are fighting over who is the new Fleet Commander while capturing the scepter of authority. The shield decks. It was nice of you to take out the old commander for them."

"You have got to be kidding. Command is determined by who has the biggest phallic shield?"

The addition of the 7 decks with the 2 they already have will give them command of a fleet with half a dozen squadrons when he returns to the main phalanx."

Jack just shook his head in disbelief. "Number One, start dropping us back down toward the bottom of this trench. Maybe if we are lucky they both will be too busy to notice us sliding past under them even though we are lit up like a beacon."

The First Officer pointed the ship's tail up and gave them a good bit of thrust down into the trench. The Course Plot line dropped down to intercept the bottom corner of the trench a good two minutes away from the fighting spider ships. The two ships continued to shoot the shit out of each other seemingly unaware of the approaching wall of the cloud. By the time the Red Pepper had dropped to the floor of the trench the battle was over with the relatively undamaged spider going in to capture the armored decks while a bunch of boats rushed over to the spider hulk. The looser started to climb out of the trench on only one engine. Jack made a few calculations in his head and knew he could not possible make it up and out in time. He was already dead and did not know it.

"Ok what is going on now Pan?"

"Now that the battle is over the victor is claiming his spoils. He will strip the other ship of anything he can use to strengthen his own ship and crew. The old commander's ship is well known for its large fearless Apes and competent maintenance slaves. If he can acquire additional Apes and slaves he can greatly increase his influence by stationing Apes or slaves on other ships or even use them to take other ships out right for more decks or resources on planets."

"Ok and what if he loses the Apes he is sending over to take the other ship instead."

"You do not understand Captain Turner. The Captain has already won tittle to the other ship. All he has to do is take possession of the crew and take the other Captain back to the swarm to be reassigned a new ship when production is started again."

"Well he is not going to take possession of much before they plunge into the cloud."

"That may not be the case Captain Turner. Just wait and watch."

Jack frowned. "Ok. Let's at least try to keep them from escaping. Weapons, start firing missiles as fast as you can reload. At this speed they should have no problem penetrating. Target the base of their weapons and engine discharge cones and arms. Pan, how long until you have your gas recovered from one gun in each turret so I can fire them?"

"Another minute Captain Turner."

"Good. Weapons, how long will it take to recharge both capacitors in each turret if you have all 4 Engine generators as well?"

The Weapons officer turned to look at Jack for a second then back at his console for several seconds as his fingers flew over the board. "With the new generators from the aliens on line as well, about 10 seconds sir."

"Very well. Thank you Lieutenant." Jack stood up and walked to the front of the bridge watching the spider ship approach to latch up to the shield decks. Jack closed his eyes for a few seconds then took a deep breath. "Number one let's pull a Spider trick and point our nose at the enemy. The nose has cooled down quite a bit and should make it harder for them to see our side radiators. It will also make targeting them easier as well as using the engines if we need to maneuver up off the floor of the trench. Weapons you can go active. Target their engines and then their weapons. We have to get them before they can finish and hide behind the dam shields. Hopefully they were damaged during their battle with the other spider ship."

"One light minute from target Sir we will pass only some 5 light seconds below them." Came Tactical’s voice across an all too quiet bridge.

"The spider ships do not have any sensors going. They are dead to the universe. That does not make sense." The Ensign said.

Pan turned to the Ensign. "They are using all their resources including the crew to strip the other ship. Under God Law they are safe from attack until they are finished.

"Well we have a captive target that can't move even if we are almost a light minute away. Pan how long until you have the gas pumped out woman?"

"Another ten seconds Captain."

"Engineering, maximum power on the engine generators and send the power to weapons. Weapons, how long until our missiles start hitting?"

"They should be hitting the target now Captain. We will know in another 45 seconds sir."

""One Gun tube ready on all turrets Captain." Said the Gunnery Officer like a race horse from the starting paddock.

"Fire when ready weapons. Hold additional missiles."

"Firing, 3, 2, Shoot! Range 41 light seconds sir."

Jack found himself holding his breath waiting for a report on whether they had actually hit something.

"Missile spread hitting target Sir.

"Recon missile reporting sir. Torpedo hits on all three main targets from first spread. Two on the engine mounts of Bravo, 3 on target Alpha’s and 7 on target Echo." The recon missile transmitted view was up on the screen.

"Firing second salvo, 3, 2, Shoot. 32 light seconds to target sir." Said the Weapons Officer.

"Can you tell what damage was done to target Echo Ensign?"

"Not yet sir. Missiles detonated inside the hull. Target has not moved. Or attempted to move yet. It is probably still hooking up to the shield decks."

"Firing guns, 3, 2, Shoot." 24 seconds to target."

The screen suddenly saw the spiders start to sprout short range weapons fire as 12 missiles of the second wave swarmed at the ships. Ten got through with 7 on Echo and 3 on Alpha. All of them disappearing inside the ships again. Then a second later 6 beams streaked into Echo making solid hits.

"Gun hits on target Echo, recon torp shows 4 hits, two misses." Said Tactical.

"Third wave of missiles hitting target sir."

"Guns firing, 3, 2, Shoot. 16 light seconds to target."

The screen showed all 12 missiles hitting Target Echo around the engines with only a few guns trying to take them out.

"Guns firing, 3, 2, Shoot. 8 seconds to target" With the enemy quickly climbing above them at only light seconds away, Jack swore he could see the beams streak up to hit the targets engines. Then 2 beams streaked down to hit the cloud off to the side of the Red Pepper.

"They targeted our reflection Jack." The Ensign practically yelled."

"I should have thrown another salvo of missiles at them." Jack grimaced. "Too late now. They would never be able to slow down enough to hit them if they fired any more missiles now. But then if 36 is not enough then 12 more probably would not have made a difference. Ensign how is the interference. Can they call home?"

"Firing guns, 3, 2, Shoot.”

“Hits Captain. Doing damage assessments now.”

"I don't think they will get the chance before they hit the cloud sir."

"Firing guns, 3, 2, Shoot. Six seconds to target."

There was nothing to do but wait as Jack sat back. It would be another 45 seconds at least before the Spiders could shoot again. Four more gun salvos would hopefully put paid to them. "Ensign any sign of them having any propulsion?"

Target Echo suddenly parted from all 9 shield decks and not just the 7 it was trying to salvage as a beam shot from the hulk of target Alpha cutting an engine in half just as it came alive pushing the ship away from the armored decks up toward safety. Target Echo was suddenly drifting in formation with target Alpha and slowly tumbling.

"They think the other ship is attacking them." The Ensign said surprised.

“Four seconds to target."

"Enough Gunner. We don't need a running count anymore." The recon torpedo continued showing hits about every 8 seconds.

“Passing closest approach now Captain.”

The beams were too close to see more than a flash hitting the enemy ship as they started to pull away.

At a full minute from what did not even look like spider ships anymore Jack ordered them to cease firing. "I think we are done with target practice gentlemen. Time to check the guns for wear on our new liners before they blow up. Engineering you can power up the engines again. We will be going to cruise thrust as soon as you are ready. Number one, maintain course and normal cruise thrust. Let's keep the Admiral happy at least until the spiders hit the wall.

They watched the last laser streaks rip into the two hulks as they passed almost 2 light minutes from the enemy. "I can't believe we dodged that bullet. All the Spider fleet needed was one FTL call from these assholes."

"Jack! Small boat leaving target Alpha. No, it’s too fast. Accelerating at 200 Gee's sir. Must be a currier ship. Course straight toward the Spider Fleet. Should arrive in about two hour sir."

"Captain, permission to throttle up to max thrust." The First Officer turned around to Jack hopefully.

Jack shook his head frowning. "No, maintain the old maximum acceleration Number One for now." Closing his eyes for a second. "You said a couple hours. Well, no sense in getting in a hurry about calling the Admiral.

"Permission to fire Captain! Tracking it." The Weapons Officer said.

Jack watched the Courier changing course every few seconds to make targeting them impossible at the range they were at and shook his head again. "No, the chances of actually hitting it is slim." Standing up Jack headed for the hatch. "Number One, you have the conn. Call me when the currier is out of sight and get us out in the middle of the trench."

Stopping at the hatch, Jack shook his head again as he looked down at the deck resigning himself to doing something he hated. Wishing he did not have to. "Aa Comm, Ship wide address." Then after the attention getting whistle. "This is the Captain. We have dodged several bullets over the last few hours but we are not home yet. A currier managed to escape when I ceased fire when I thought the enemy was no longer a threat which means we may have to deal with the enemy fleet later but as of now we do not know for sure. For those who care you can watch our latest target hulks hit the cloud in about a minute on your screens. Feel free to access the none restricted battle recordings at your leisure. Every kill and maneuver we have made would not have been successful without all of you doing your very best and I just wanted to congratulate you all on such fine work. I am honored to have each and every one of you as part of my crew. But remember we still have a long way to go and a hard job ahead. Keep up the good work. Captain out." Feeling like a fool but knowing that if he had not talked to the crew, especially after they had won a significant skirmish. Most of his crew would have dropped out to celebrate or eat or something, leaving him with mostly a bot crew and the prospect of losing the main battle. At least that was how it worked in The Game.

Jack left the bridge. If he did not take a walk (even though he wanted to run) and get rid of some of the energy rushing through him, he would burst or start screaming. He soon found himself all the way forward looking for someplace isolated and wound up inside the ship's most damaged sections. Sections that had cost the ship so much of its original crew. Holding onto the jagged lip of a hole blasted in the hull, he watched the cloud drifting past as the ship tried to slow down at what was feeling more and more like a snail's pace of only 300 Gees'. A pace that would get them killed now that a currier was headed back to warn the enemy fleet. Telling them that they were still alive and able to kick butt."

"Captain Turner, this is Commander Picket. The Spider Currier has disappeared over the rim of the trench. Did you want to call the Admiral and brief him?"

Jack turned from the sight outside the ship to inspecting the compartment only to come across a body wedged in the corner. "No Number One. Not yet. No sense in letting them know we are here before that currier tells them. We are either home free or not. This trench ends in another 12 hours at the rat we are decelerating. We will skim up at the end and take a look around, call the Admiral then and hope the Spider fleet is taking their time and we have out ran them. If we haven't there is nothing we can do about it right now. Put the ship on condition 2 and get everyone fed, bedded and some semblance of normalcy going for now."

"I am sorry Sir but we are only 6 hours from the end of this trench at our deceleration of…"

"Number One; I am sure that we are decelerating at a rate that will give us at least 12 hours before we reach the end of the trench. My biggest worry is that we stay low enough not to be detected. Now just quit dawdling along and get me at least 12 hours Number One or do I need to put someone on the helm that is not afraid of a few gas atoms in this trench. I am busy in the forward damaged sections of the bow. It is a mess up here. Captain out."

Jack turned back around to stand at the edge of the hole blasted in the side of the ship again, hanging onto a stanchion as the trench below and to the sides slowly slid up past as the engines worked hard slowing them down. The Gee meter in his Command Suit slowly rose to a thousand Gees. He knew it must be a figment of his imagination but he felt like he could see the speed of the ship passing over the clouds actually start slowing down. He felt his spirits pick up as hope of getting out of this mess started seeping back into him.

He finally looked away from the canyon drifting up toward the bow of the ship like they were in one unbelievable long landing pattern to notice the butts of the huge Battleship guns laying against the ship's hull to each side of him. The gun tube folded into the extension arms reaching along their sides down the hull to the hinges on the mounting base cylinders slid into the side of the ship's original 4th gundeck. A gundeck that had been simply left empty when it was decided to make this hull into a fast tanker instead of a Battleship. The original gun mount holes in the hull had been enlarged to make room for the huge mounts simply because scabbing the gun onto the side of the ship would not have been enough to survive the strain of acceleration. His gaze dropped even farther down the hull to the enemy Assault Shuttle scabbed onto that side of the ship so far below. He still could not believe after jumping over to the enemy Battleship in the hope of grabbing a few pieces of equipment and maybe a body or two in a quick raid so they would have some idea who they were fighting, that he had wound up coming away with his ship packed to the brim.

Shaking his head he turned back into the ship and started working his way around the gravity coil dead zones where the knocked out coils allowed the gravity to spike. Though luckily with the coils in the decks below and above the dead zones still active, the Gees never got above 30 or 40 Gees in those areas even though the ship was doing a thousand Gees. But still he had to make sure he went around the dead zones as he climbed through the wreckage looking for what he did not know as he passed bodies and wrecked equipment. His eyes showing him the devastation many decks and compartments away allowing him to go around the worst parts.

Jack finally found himself at the captain's cabin. Surprisingly it was undamaged as he knew the bridge had taken a direct hit. Looking around he tried to figure out what kind of a man the old Captain had been. At first he was baffled finding few personal possessions around the cabin but finally realized that all the fancy polished brass and chrome and crystal and fancy decorations and pictures on the bulkhead of what must have been the Captain with important people Jack did not know told him a lot about the man. Then he found a family picture screen next to his bunk with different pictures coming up every few second of family and friends. Evidentially he had 2 boys and a girl with a beautiful wife in a fancy apartment on an orbital habitat with the earth out the bay windows. The tablet on his desk was still open with an unfinished letter to his wife. Jack read the first few lines telling her that he was glad that her and his kids were safe at home and that he was glad that he would be seeing them in a few weeks back at The Rock.

He could not make himself read any farther as he realized the Captain's family would never see the Captain again.

Taking a deep breath he left the death and destruction and over the next two hours he visited most of the rest of ship talking briefly to a lot of people without trying to get in their way while making decisions about who and what went where. Being polite when someone recognized him but firm that he did not have the time to say more than a few words right then. He was surprised how well the human and alien crews were getting along. He was even more surprised that the aliens were making themselves at home so rapidly and without complaining as they started to convert many of the tanks not newly filled with pillage and cargo into homes with what few possessions they had managed to bring.

After touring the ship and deciding things had settled down enough Jack started assigning crews to go up and start going through the destroyed personnel and command decks at the nose of the ship. To start work on opening up sections and start recovering bodies. A few aliens that wanted to know what they could do around the ship to help, Jack sent up as well to join them. Then later when coming out of one of the engine rooms he bumped into Pan in a section of the ship that had been packed with aliens when he went into the Engine room but was now empty, he could not help asking what had happened to them all.

"Every spare worker is up in the forward damaged sections of your ship Captain Turner looking for your dead and any survivors. Our engineers are already planning repairs to start as each section is cleared as you directed."

"I am sorry Pan but I do not remember giving such orders."

"You told several workers to join and help as best as they could the crews in the damaged bow of the ship and they passed your orders along to the rest of us. We wish to thank you for putting such trust in us so soon after joining your crew Captain. We are trying our best to live up to your expectations." Pan bowed her head slightly. "Now that I have found you. Is there anything else we can help you with? We have more workers than can be efficiently used in the cramped space of the damaged bow at this time."

"Ah, no. Not that I know of at his time. Besides your people have been through a lot. Take some time to make yourselves at home and relax and recuperate. We will go over what needs done after everyone has had time to settle in. Let's set up a meeting tomorrow and we will see what we can come up with that needs to be done." Jack patted her on the shoulder like he had seen his father do hundreds of times to crewmen that had done a good job.

The Ensign came into the compartment and made a beeline toward Jack. “There you are. You look like shit but then I have been hearing about you all over the ship. Time for you to eat and sleep before you drop." Grabbing his arm she pulled him along as she smiled at Pan. "Later Darling, you can have him back after he has had some rest and a good shower."

30-

SAFE AND SOUND OR NOT

Jack walked onto the bridge to "Captain on the bridge."

Taking the Command Chair he turned to look around the bridge. It looked like The Games Bridge but now the crew were more than just a bunch of constructs or avatars. These were real living crewmen and a ship full of living souls.

"Lights 20 %." The Ensign said from the Sensor/Science console. "The fusion trap was tripped 3 hours ago according to the neutron serge we got then. We have no idea if it took any ships with it yet. The abandoned Republic hulk went about an hour later."

As the lights dimmed, Jack found himself sitting with the trench quickly shallowing around him. The tail of the ship sending a stream of ions out to hit the rising floor of billowing clouds ahead. Studying the navigation plot line arcing up out of what now was little more than a valley. "Conn, back off to 300 Gee's please."

Jack's head started to swim as the Gee's rapidly but smoothly reduced to 300. Reaching to his head he rubbed his temples until the ship settled in at 300. "That was different. How come I can feel the difference? Can't be good." Looking around the bridge, he noticed the Ensign looking at him smiling like she knew something he didn't. "Sensor's, you see anything yet?"

"Just coming above the rim now sir.” The Ensign said smiling from ear to ear at Jack. “It will take a few minutes to run a long distance scan but nothing within the quick close scan of 6 light hours sir. But being a single simple armed tanker, they would have to be big and ugly and stupid for us to see them."

"Yes I know Ensign so what are you smiling at?"

"You discovering a new sense for the first time and wondering what the hell it is." Turning back to her board. "No sign of anything solid out to 6 hours but traces of Spider Engines beyond our range roughly dead astern of our course sir."

"Very well Ensign. Comm, establish a Laser Comm with the fleet now we should be in line of sight, give the Admiral a call and tell him we are alive and well and see if their array has the range to tell us if our ass is clean or not."

A few minutes later the Comm Officer turned to Jack. "Captain, they do not seem to be where we were expecting them to be. Permission to use a wide beacon cone to establish contact Sir?"

"Tactical, any chance that a Spider ship is in that quadrant?"

"If it is sir. The Fleet is screwed sir."

"Point well taken. Cone away Lieutenant."

They had a return FTL beam within seconds.

"Captain it is about time. We wrote you off hours ago. Where are you?" The Admiral looked around off camera. "You are just coming out of that trench at this time? I told you not to use full thrust on your engines Captain." Looking back at the tactical tank. "But you were at the bottom of the trench out of sight and if they can't add, you may pull it off but then you are 10 hours from the enemy fleet now and they just may buy it. I will have to go over your reports but if you would have come out when you were supposed to, you would only have been a couple hours ahead of the enemy at most if that and the likely hood that you would be able to escape without using full thrust would be unlikely. The speed they got underway after the currier popped out of the trench tells me you must have added a couple more enemy ships to your kill total. Good going Ace." The Admiral smiled. You just may manage to lengthen your lead in the next couple of weeks allowing you to enter the cloud without being followed by the main fleet with the advanced enemy squadron headed for our slow damaged squadron you should have no problem."

"Ah Admiral, I hate to be difficult but according to my calculations the fleet will be running out of fuel long before you reach the cloud and I don't see the resupply fleet on the tactical that we had planned. Now as a tanker, I don't have to worry about fuel even though I dumped all my tanks to hide behind. They don't know that and with empty tanks the old engines could easily do almost 400 gees and out run them even if I didn't have the rebuilt engines."

"Change of plans Captain. The transports that delivered the strike cannot make it around in time without taking damage. Admiral Forester has decided not to risk it just for a ruse. I am just hoping the Spiders think we have a fleet of mostly tankers instead of transports. We will enter the cloud a good 15 hours ahead of the enemy fleet if they come for us. But the slow squadron is another story. They are too far behind and I am going to have to send them to a different entry point. It is one the enemy has already found by following and destroying a transport that entered there. I am not going to waste a good entry point as close as the enemy squadron is and then the fleet is going to be on their heels. Hopefully they will lose any tails in the cloud maze and make it to a check point bubble I will assign them before we enter the cloud." Looking down for a few seconds. "You on the other hand are a different matter. I am also sending you to an entry point already found and explored by the enemy so even with a head start you will have to get deep into the cloud in a hurry and then wait at the bubble for farther orders. A bubble the enemy already knows about after following a transport into and destroying it."

Jack just stared for a few second. "Why do I have the feeling that I have just been screwed Admiral. You could set up a nice little trap for my tail over the next couple of weeks."

"Captain Turner, I am having a hard time even getting clearance to allow you into the cloud with your ship full of possible spy's. The Admiralty is not going to risk giving the enemy anymore entry points. It is bad enough that we are probably going to lose 4 more transports when the enemy catches them."

"What the hell Admiral, it is our territory in our cloud and an entry point you picked. Setting a trap would be easy and guaranty the transports got through." Jack looked at the Admiral with narrowing brows. "Ok what happened Admiral?"

The Admiral frowned. "The frontier fleet went forward with the attack before their engines could be upgraded in spite of my and FleetComRock orders not too. Luckily the enemy did not pursue the survivors but almost half the fleet was lost according to latest figures. We are hopping more will show up eventually. Most of the survivors are damaged as it is. They are abandoning the outer frontier systems now." The Admiral wiped her eyes as she bit her lip and then grimaced. "You destroyed more ships in your little engagements than the entire fleet damaged in the full out battle." Sitting back in her chair. "Command has made you a hero on the home planets already while hiding the defeat as best they can calling it a skirmish instead of the all-out battle it was." Shaking her head. "Only thing is they are afraid to commit any ships to any battle until they figure out what went wrong even to rescue you. Afraid of their own shadows. They figure you the hero can rescue yourself. You are on your own even though you probably have what we need to win this war. You would not believe the panic that is gripped the fleet Command at The Rock."

"What about the new fleet at the Rock Admiral. The new super Battleships?"

"They just tripled the temperature of the guns Captain without upgrading the tubes thinking all they had to do was carry extra tubes with a rapid change system. What do you think happens when they fired them?"

"They blow up the barrel tube on the second or third shot."

"Not that good Captain or they would be out setting up that trap you were talking about. At least the entry point is already reinforced with thousands of smart mine torpedoes just in case the Spider ships decide to venture into it again. Giving the squadron Commander plenty to play with witch is why I picked that entry point for them in the first place. But they still have 16 enemy ships running after them even after your fusion core trap took so many out with the 3 ships left from the first squadron hot on their heels. Very long odds. I am trying to get more mines and a few destroyer squadrons with your new torpedoes emplaced but I am not betting on them getting there in time."

"Well Admiral. If you could make a little noise up there to get the Spiders attention and make them chase you, our damaged squadron just may be able to sneak through the cloud maze ahead of the little squadron chasing them if the Commander is any good."

The Admiral looked at Jack for a few seconds then smiled. "Shaking her head. At least it is something and it just may help. Ok we will start being a clown civilian transport fleet screaming our heads off for help while losing some of our cohesion. I could even reduce our deceleration a little without risking the fleet. Stop putting on the breaks a little and make a faint toward them. Tease them a bit. Sounds like a bit of fun and good maneuvering practice for the fleet even if it does not work." Turning to look at Jack. "I am going to contact the squadron Commander now to take full advantage if the enemy takes the bait. You can continue down load as much as you can while you are making your run for it."

"Ah no sir." Jack tapped his fingers on the side of his chair. "What we can down load is little compared to what treasure I have in my holds sir. Transmitting will only give the enemy a chance to track us from the back scatter as close as we are to the clouds. Though I will send the details of our tube upgrades for the guns just in case we don't make it but little else is transmittable and even then I do not know if you can produce the gasses required without the aliens help." Standing up he leaned in toward the screen. "Sorry sir but I will see you at the Check Point Bubble Admiral. Please don't abandon us there." Jack cut the connection. He had much to do and little time to do it.

Sitting back in his chair. "Number one we need to figure out how to keep the ship cool while we bore a hole through this cloud so we don't have to worry about the enemy catching us. We will simple head straight for the bubble and bypass the entry point entirely."

"Ah, Captain." The Ensign turned toward Jack. "The slow squadron ships won't stand a chance by themselves with the advanced squadron arriving 4 hours behind them even if there are only 3 Battle cruisers and not full fledge Battleships."

"Yes I suppose so Ensign... Damn it. Well I would hate to get stranded in a damn bubble while waiting for an enemy fleet to track us down anyway." Looking up at Pan. "How is upgrading the guns coming Pan?"

"In 5 days you will have your 16 inch barrels reduced to 12 inches with beams as hot as the God weapons. We are also making upgrades to your generators that will allow the main guns to fire a shot a second. Your smaller weapons will be finished in 2 days. You have a choice on your 5 inch guns. At 4 inches they will have double the range at God weapons temperature. At 3 inches your 5 inch guns will have the range your original 16 inch guns had along with the same penetration ability. We believe you should let us up grade them to 3 inches even though it will take an extra day. Your targeting with their penetrating ability will allow them to knock out most of the battleships self-defense guns making your torpedoes more effective. They also will be more effective point defense weapons against the God torpedoes at long range."

"Ok… You people are the experts concerning the God weapons and how to damage the Spider Battleships. So do what you think is best." Jacks eyes glazed over.

Pan continued. "We are in the process of using the life boats many of us arrived in as material to turn one tank deck into birthing compartments for the Greenfoots and have started major repairs to the hull. We…"

Holding up his hand palm out toward Pan Jack interrupted her. "What if you reduced the bores of the 16 inch guns on down to 10 or even 8 inches? Would that make them able to penetrate the Spider battleship shield decks?"

"My apologies Captain but only the Gods 36 inch main guns can penetrate a shield deck but the 8 inch beam would have a considerable longer range than the Gods main gun if you can hit the main ship behind the shield decks which you do have an unprecedented ability to do. The shield decks because of their composite construction require a considerable amount of energy to be penetrated and not simply temperature. It takes an average of 11 main gun hits to destroy each shield deck though it has been recorded to take as many as 20 occasionally in the past battles my ship was in." Pan seemed to cock her head sideways as she watched Jack's face change through several expressions as he held up his hand again palm out for several seconds.

Jack finally lowered his hand. "Ok, what would it take to get the 4 main guns we took off your ship to work? You wanted something for the rest of your people to do."

Pan looked at Jack with a stone face for several seconds. Her eyes blinking several times before she looked down at her pocket pad and started scratching on it. Jack watched her for a good 20 seconds and then turned away to his screens and started working on something himself. A point appeared on the navigation screen. "Navigation, I want you to plot a course to this cloud bank point as if we were entering the cloud to escape. We are going to see if we can sneak around and ambush that squadron before it gets to the entry point if they do not take the Admiral’s Ruse." Jack looked up at Pan still busy on her pad.

Jack tapped the comm controls on the arm of his chair and opened his mouth when Pan suddenly spoke. "We can finish installing the weapons on your ship where they are emplaced but you will not be able to recharge them at the same time as your other weapons and then it will take the entire output of your ships generators including what we have added, 3 minutes to recharge them. It will take at least a week if not two to do the installation though it appears you have a better targeting system than the Gods giving you an advantage in ship to ship combat. The Gods rely on mass battle wall tactics that do not require targeting systems for ship to ship engagements."

"Ok." Tapping the comm pad again extinguishing the comm light. "Can you upgrade the heat of the Gods main guns as well from 36 inches to say 24 or even 18? I don't care about destroying the shield decks I just want something that will penetrate a couple or three of the decks in one shot. Most of the battle cruisers have only 1, 2 or 3 decks and are very fast at turning them to face a threat. The battle ships with 4 decks and above and 6 guns and up are not much of a problem once we catch them from behind as slow as they seem at turning.”

Pan seemed to frown as she bent her head down again to scratch on her pad for several seconds and then waited starring at it. Finally she looked up. "At 18 inches the beam will possible penetrate 3 shield decks but it is hard to tell if the beam will have enough power left to do much damage to the main ship behind. We are not comfortable reducing the bore down beyond 18 inches with the high possibility of failure."

"Well, if I can get even a dozen shots out of it before it explodes it will be enough."

"I am sorry Captain Turner. But if it worked the number of shots is not a problem. The problem is that it may slag the generating section of the barrel destroying the gun on the first shot. The reason it may take 2 to 3 weeks to complete the conversion, trying to design around the guns long standing weaknesses."

Jack closed his eyes shaking his head no as he took a deep breath and let it out while rubbing his forehead before looking up. "Well Pan. The gun is not much use to me unless it can punch through the decks I need it to. See what your people can do and we do not have 2 weeks let alone 3."

Pan bowed deeply. "Your orders are my command Captain Turner." Then rushed out of the bridge.

"Navigation." Jack brought up the course plot screen and tapped a point that was in the middle of a large range of deep and meandering valleys with a large mountain ridge sticking above the clouds forming a barrier wall between them and the cloud entry point canyon of the slow transport squadron. Several large cloud fingers stuck up above the main cloud deck across the canyon from the ridge at the entry point. It was a perfect place for an ambush. "Plot me a course to this point. Comm, get me the Admiral and send the new course plot stat." Hitting the ship's internal comm panel on the arm of his chair. "Engine……"

"Captain Turner, how nice to hear from you so soon…"

Tapping the comm to engineering back off. "Change of plans Admiral. I am sending you my new course…."

"Course laid in Captain. ETA, 13 days, 19 hours and 42 minutes at 410 Gees sir."

"Pilot new course on plot, engage. Admiral, I am going to take out the advance enemy squadron so the transport squadron can escape. I need you to give me command of the recon and defense torpedoes at the entry point."

"What the hell Turner! No! Continue to your designated cloud entry point and leave the transport squadron to their fate. They have self-destruct devices that may even be able to take out one or two of the enemy battle cruisers if they are caught. Your job is to get your alien Battleship loot to where I ordered you to go as fast as possible."

"Sorry Admiral but we both know they don't stand a chance against the 3 well-armed Spider Battle Cruisers that are close enough to follow their trail down the shafts maze. Their armored decks give them a definite speed advantage in the cloud as well. I have the upgraded weapons and speed to keep them from even entering the maze. All I need is the mine torpedoes to tell me exactly where the spiders are and to get their attention with coordinated attacks up their asses."

"No Captain you will follow your orders. Now."

Jack stared at the Admiral for several seconds then shook his head. "Sorry Admiral but I can't leave them out there to die when I can prevent it without much risk to my ship."

The Admiral turned red as she counted to under her breath. "I am ordering you for the last time to return your course to your designated entry point Captain Turner."

"Sorry Admiral I can't."

"Commander Wilson; you are now Captain of the Red Pepper. Take the ship to its designated entry point."

The Commander turned from the science station and looked at the screen with the Admiral on it. "Let me get this straight Admiral. Captain Turner has saved this fleet at least 3 times that I know of and this ship at least twice along with thousands of valuable refugees including technology that could win us this war. Now Captain Turner wants to test that technology that has been applied to our weapons to save valuable irreplaceable ships and their crews. But you are ordering him to go to some out of the way bubble to sit in quarantine. Until someone decides he does not have a ship full of spies and traitors and traps, before you even think of touching technology a thousand years more advanced than ours. Technology the Admiralty does not even know if it wants. Your orders do not make any sense Admiral and I do not understand them. Sorry."

"You do not have to understand Commander. You just have to obey orders."

"Sorry Admiral your transmission seems to be breaking up, I am obeying the orders of my Captain. Chain of command and all that sir."

"I am giving you new orders Commander to take command of that ship and…"

"What was that Admiral? You want me to follow the Chain of command? Yes I will obey Captain Turner’s orders to the letter as you command sir."

"Damn it! Who is the Second Officer their Commander?"

The Second officer looked up from the weapons station. "I am sorry Admiral but your transmission seems to be getting worse by the second. Did you ask me a question about the weapons the aliens are upgrading? Sir? If that is the case. In a week we should have the gun power of a dozen battleships with twice the power and range of the old 16 inch guns at a salvo a second along with our 5 inch guns having the range and penetration of the old 16s. In two weeks we should have the 4 God weapons hooked up with improvements to them as well. Don't worry Admiral, with the mine field torpedoes help, the spider Battle Cruiser Squadron does not stand a chance with Captain Turner in Command." He smiled from ear to ear.

The Admiral grew beet red starring from one officer to another around the Red Pepper's bridge until she finally reached out and cut the transmission.

Jack walked out of the large mostly empty control room for the torpedo loading and launch room above and down a long passageway until he came to an armored hatch in a section of curved bulkhead. Stepping through the open hatch into the power room of 2nd deck's number 6, 5 inch (now 3inch) turret he glanced at the generator that made the turret and its two guns independent of ships power. He almost tripped over the pair of thick power cables that ran through holes cut into the bulkhead next to the hatch and down the passageway to a large generator that the aliens had placed in the middle of the torpedo control room to increase the power available to the decks 5 inch (3inch) and 3 inch (now 2inch) turrets. He stepped onto the turret's turntable and climbed up into the turret, past the breaches of the 2 guns hanging down toward their deck wells in the turrets lower basket, to stand beside the already filled seat of the gun captain's targeting sights. "Ok Chief, what is the problem?"

The Chief smiled at Jack. "I have already sent a target out ahead of the ship at a range only the 16 inch guns could even try to hit." The sight was already tracking the little rocket streaking away doing spirals. The Chief pulled the trigger and the two guns barked in sequence as the massive barrels bucked in their slides, the breaches jerking back into the wells in the turn table basket made for them as Jack tried to keep from covering his ears. (The Game was never that loud). The second shot hit the target destroying it. "No problem Captain but watch this." The Chief slued the guns around to the side onto another target and pulled the trigger again and the guns bucked a half dozen times in a second long burst but missed each shot even as the targeting system tried to compensate as the target moved around the ship. The Chief tried 3 more second long six shot bursts and then held the trigger down to blow some 30 rounds at the flaccid lazy target and missed every shot. "That was at a range the 3 inch guns would easily hit." The chief took a deep breath. "I think the additional shield coils you have installed in the bow is disrupting the sight alignment. I get it zeroed in straight ahead but when we shoot at a target to the sides over the coils we can’t hit the broad side of a planet. Even zeroing it in to the side the sight changes as we move from side to side. The only thing I can think of is those new coils for the shields are warping the beams. It only takes a fraction of a micron at the ranges we are trying to fire at now and those are powerful grave shield coils."

"Well. How long will it take you to map the fields to compensate?"

"Captain, that takes thousands of shots from each gun and we don't have the time right now and I am at a loss what else to do. I would like to cut power to the new coils to make sure that is the problem. But then if it is, then what?"

"That I don't know Chief. Cut the power and make your tests and I will see what we can come up with." Jack looked out the targeting bubble at the gun barrel tubes pointing forward from the other 5 turrets circling the torpedo room and back at the barrels of the turret he was in still hanging off to the side then glanced down at the temperature gage at the side of the screen still well down in the green. "At least the barrel tubes are staying cool with the new linings." Turning to look out the side he could see the circle of quad barreled 3inch (2inch) turrets on short towers circling the slopped hull just forward of where the front circle of 16 inch turrets or gun deck 10 would have been on a real Battleship. He wondered if the 3 inch guns now reduced to 2 inch bores where having a targeting problem as well. But damn they were going to need the strengthened shields inside the cloud.

Shaking his head frowning. "Well, I am glad you talked me into doing some target practice Chief. Even if it can provide a beacon for the enemy to track us. Check the 3 inch quad gunned turrets while you are at it and the 30 gats." Remembering that the point defense 30mm Gatling guns had been reduced to 20mm making their range equal to the original 3 inch guns and that they could be affected as well. "Test the stern guns as well while you are at it." Slapping him on the shoulder he dropped down to the turret's turntable basket and then down through the hull onto the fixed power deck. He was proud of all the work that had been accomplished but now he was starting to wonder if it was good enough. If they could not hit a battle ship at point blank range, the improvements were worthless and would get them killed. He left the turret and headed down ship to his next urgent meeting.

Hours later Jack grabbed a hamburger and fries and sat down at the table farthest out on the fin. A million stars surrounded him with the cloud to one side and the ship's hull behind him. The Ensign sat down beside him. "Fancy meeting you here. You come here often? I hear it is very exclusive here. You have to know the right people to get in."

"Ya it helps being the Captain." Shaking his head. "The closer we get to the enemy the worse things get. The weapons that we have tested do not seem to be working properly and we don't dare test the up graded 16's. I don't want to tip our hat too soon but if I wait too long they may not have time to fix any problems that show up. Then there are the big God Guns. Are they worth all the work and effort we are putting into them since we can't recharge them in the middle of a battle but then we don't have anything else that can penetrate their shield decks if they will even work when they finish with them." Jack felt like he had said a mouth full but not caring if it made sense or not. He was mostly venting anyway. Now hoping the Ensign did not ask him to explain.

"Ah, I can see why you are trying to penetrate 3 decks." The Ensign said with a smile. "But just having the big guns working for this battle would be a big help especially if we are not sure of the other weapons. They have already reduced them down to 28 inch bores that should have no problem working. Leave it at that for now so we at least have something to shoot with."

"But they can turn so damn fast with only the 2 or 3 decks this squadrons Battle cruisers have. We may only get a few seconds to shoot at them otherwise." Jack frowned shaking his head. "It is essential we have something that can penetrate those decks."

"That would be nice Jack but by the looks of it, they won't be done reducing the bores down to 18 inches in time no matter how hard they are trying to speed the crystal growth up in the barrel tubes by pumping the gas up to extreme pressures and raising the temperature of the gas to the core of a star. Not to mention getting the beam feed pumped up to the new temperature without destroying itself.” Shaking her head from side to side as she stared at Jack. “Take what you have and give them time to work out the problems for what you want. Besides they have never pumped these guns up to even this density before. Letting them test the guns at 28 inches now when you need to use them, will make it more likely you will get the guns down to 18 inches later."

"Ok then why have they not told me this? Pan said they can do it."

"You are their God Captain. To argue with a God Captain in their universe is death not to mention that they really want to please you since you are their H.E.R.O. Jack." The ensign smiled across the table as she took a bight of food. Letting that sink in as she chewed and finally swallowed. "Help them help you Jack. Take what they can give you now when it will do us some good. Having the new 28 inch guns with the 8s will make it easier blasting the Spider Battlecruisers in the few seconds you have to attack them before they can turn on us. Besides, do you really want to get into a slugging match with these Battle cruisers when even one hit from them will do so much damage to us?" She batted her eyes at him leaning her boobs across the table using her crossed arms to push them up even bigger at him. "I have been watching you make fast brief attacks out of the clouds and simply disappearing after only a few shots against these guys in the simulator for over a week now. Don't change your tactics now."

Jack continued to eat for several minutes as he stared out at the stars and the cloud beside them ignoring her breasts until she gave up and sat back to resume eating. They were still a few days from the cloud point Jack had chosen to stop the ship at across the mountain ridge from the entry point of the little transport squadron. He thought he could see the entry point but he knew it was just an allusion but he had the cloud formations around the area memorized by then. Or at least the most resent maps made as the little squadron had approached the area ahead of them.

Finally Jack tapped his wrist comm. "Pan, could you come see me when you have a few minutes please." Jack looked up at the Ensign and smiled. "This is the first time I have had to call Pan. She was usually already beside me when I needed her. But then I have seen little of her since I requested the big spider guns be upgrade. Could be it was a bigger job than I thought."

The ensign smiled. "You know their guns were pretty hot to begin with Jack. Not like our flashlights. Cutting their main gun barrel size in half like they are doing to ours has got to be a major undertaking."

Pan ran into the mess deck compartment breathing hard as she slowed to walk the last few steps and bowed to Jack. "I am at your service Captain Turner." She continued to suck in large chest and boob expanding breaths as she stood straight with her hands clasped in front of her belly. Her naked boobs expanding out several feet in front of her and back again to disappear into her blouse each time she exhaled.

"My god Pan. Where were you? You did not have to run." Jack said looking at her bare boobs that kept expanding into big balloons from slits in her loose blouse and then mostly disappear with her heaving chest.

"I was in the God Gun turret you have designated as number One when you called. We are attempting to upgrade the beam feed for the new bore dimensions." Pan said tight lipped stone faced as she bowed deeply just as she had taken another deep breath. Her boobs practically sweeping the deck.

Jacks mouth dropped open briefly realizing that she had probably ran most of the way. "That is what I wanted to talk to you about Pan." Jack tried not to stare at her hug boobs retracting again as she let out another long breath then looked away. "Ah. I appreciate what you and your people have been trying to do but I have realized thanks to the Ensign here that I may have asked to much of you. I would like to test your God Guns at the 28 inches you now have them at and worry about reducing them farther later after your people have had time to study the problems more." Noticing her face suddenly relax as her eyes, lips, cheeks, forehead, ears, eyebrows, nose and everything else that could move on her face as well as her arms dropped slightly as she relaxed her shoulders with the rest of her body no longer as straight as a board. "Ah, we will need those guns in the upcoming battle even if they cannot penetrate 3 decks. My apologies Pan for not taking the time to discuss the many problems concerning my request. Please, the next time I give you an impossible order when I am in a hurry, schedule a time with me to discuss things in more detail."

"Your request was not impossible Captain Turner. Just very difficult with many problems. I will in the future take the time to explain problems in more detail." Pan bowed slightly. "I must explain now in more detail that we cannot stop the growth process at the 28 inches the barrel tubes are at now. At the pressures and temperatures they are at now it will take some 16 hours to slowly cool and reduce the pressures safely. The Barrel Tube size will be around 27 inches when we finally stop the growth. A size that will be able to safely handle the operating power of the beam feed system with the upgrades we have already made insuring the operation of the guns. Operating the guns at this beam power densities will give us the data needed to enable us to salve the many problems with the denser beam with a 99% chance of success when we reduce the bore down to 18 inches later Captain."

"Ok Pan. Ah, just for curiosities sake, what percentage chance did you have of successfully reducing it straight down to 18 inches?"

"Our engineers do not agree exactly Captain. The estimates ranged from 20% to 50% with the average at 35% success possibility."

Jack rolled his eyes and counted to five. "Pan. Next time be sure you talk to me about little details like this. Especially the little facts like testing or building or scheduling half steps when it will produce a better product or result." Jack shook his head taking another bight of his fries thinking as he chewed as Pan scratched on her little pocket pad held out with her boobs expanding out to the sides past her pad barely leaving her the room to see it between them as she worked.

Pan finally looked up with what Jack was starting to realize was a smile. "Is there anything else I can do for you Captain?"

Jack looking up at her and realized she was standing. "OH. A, Pan. How rude of me. Please sit down." Jack turned one of the empty attached swivel chairs around for her to sit in. "Would you like something to eat like a sandwich or a donut or something to drink." Jack pointed to a rating a couple tables away eating a sandwich. Snapping his fingers getting his attention. "Please get whatever Pan would like. Ah, Second Class Evers."

Pan bowed slightly and sat in the offered chair. "No thank you Captain. I am fine. I need nothing." Turning to face the table and then Jack, she took in another deep breath sending her boobs out to almost touch Jacks chest. Jack could not help looking down his nose at the tits that seemed to protrude even farther almost touching him. They slowly deflated back into her chest as she slowly breathed out. Grabbing them with her hands pulling them back in as she exhaled and continued to hold her hands across her boobs as she spoke. "A, My apologies Captain. I see you are a bit surprised by my lungs expanding my breasts so far. I will try to control my breathing from now on."

"Ah no need Pan. I was just surprised is all. Breathe as much as you need to when you need to." Jack said trying to keep from smiling.

"You must excuse Captain Turner, Pam." The Ensign leaned over toward her. "He is just a stupid Horney male of the species. Big breasts are a big sexual component in our mating processes. Men are attracted to them like flies. They have little control over their animal instincts when it comes to big boobs. You may want to start carrying a stun stick around with you if you continue to breathe like that much." The Ensign said looking at Jack disgustedly.

"Enough Ensign." Jack said. "Pan we are having some problems with the additional shield coils I have had installed on the bow and stern of the ship. They are making our guns useless. Unable to hit their targets when the coils are activated. Could your people have a look at the problem for me? Oh. Aaa, do we need to test the up graded 16 inch guns. I really did not want the enemy knowing what the 16 inch guns will do at only 8 inches taking it for granted your people would make them work as planed and not blow up or slag the feed chamber throats." Jack stuffed more fries into his mouth.

Pan continued to breathe, trying to use shorter breaths as she held onto her boobs from expanding as her chest started expanding more than before trying to compensate. Though her boobs kept trying to pop out around her hands each time her chest expanded as her breathing rate continued to slow down as she sat. "No need to test the 8inch guns Captain. Our engineers are quite confident they will pose no problem performing as planned with all the upgrades we have supplied. As for accuracy glitches with the additional shield coils, we should be able to help you there as well as adding additional hard shielding directly to the hull." She let go of her boobs and started scratching on her pad laying on the table. Her boobs only expanding a few inches from her chest and back as her breathing slowly continued to reduce to normal.

Glancing up at Jack briefly as he glanced again at her much smaller but still expanding and contracting breasts. "My ancestors developed on a world with many volcanic poisonous vents and needed large lung capacity to stay in the poison clouds as well as oxygen starved caves for long periods of time to avoid predators. The males developed sacks under their chins around their necks while the females’ breasts simply grew additional air bags outside the rib cage under the milk glands. If I choose, I can separate the oxygen out of the air over a period of time and store it in my breast sacks giving me the ability to survive for hours and even days without breathing depending on how much activity is required." Turning to the Ensign she smiled again. "To me a male with what you humans would call a huge donut around his neck is sexy. Flat necked humans are disgusting." Turning back to Jack and bowing slightly. "Forgive me Captain Turner. I will always love you for saving and freeing my people, no matter how impotent you look to me. I know you are a great Captain that I will happily follow to the ends of the universe." She bowed again. “Gladly sacrifice my life at your word.”

"Ok." Not knowing what to say Jack looked over at the Ensign's big ear to ear smile. Then looking back at Pan as she continued scratching on her pad. Her nipples barely peeking out of the blouse and back in with each breath. Jack going out of his way not to look. Feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Ah. Thank you Pan. Ah, you sure you do not want something to eat."

"I am sorry Captain but." Pan looked up at Jack. "We have not had time to complete tests on your food yet for nutritional compatibility and poisons. That will take another couple of weeks but thank you anyway."

"Oh God. I did not even think of that possibility. I just took it for granted you could, but now that you have said something I really feel stupid. Please forgive me again. I was not trying to poison you."

"No apology needed but accepted. Your race has not had much dealings with alien races. So far we have been able to confirm that many of our races can eat your food nutritionally but poisons take a little longer to confirm." Smiling over at Jack as she placed her hand on his. "I will take you up on your offer at a later date Captain."

The Ensigns smile started to sour but quickly returned. "Pan, it has been so great to talk to you like this. I just love finding out about your people. Maybe you could accompany me up into the bow of the ship and go over some of the salvage operations going on up there while we talk. The Captain needs to gets back into The Game so he can figure how best to use the big guns as they now are."

Pan leaned back in her seat smiling, raising her arms up from her sides. "I would be happy to Ensign Pullver." Stretching her arms she started breathing in, and in, and in. As she finished filling her lungs she stretched her feet out under the table with her arms stretched out as fare as she could and started holding her breath with her mouth wide open. Her bare naked boobs jutting up and out clear across the table the size of long 10 gallon plastic barrels side by side as her body tensed up and started shuddering as if she was trying to move and breath out but couldn't. Jack could not believe her two foot long boobs did not fall plopping down across the table. Wanting to reach out and touch them to see if they were real. He could not stop his hand from reaching out to touch the closest one only a foot in front of his face. He squeezed it and realized it felt like a large balloon and not a breast.

The Ensign looked on with most everyone else in the mess as she continued what looked like an old fashioned human mouth wide open yawn that continued for several minutes before she finally started letting out her breath as she opened her eyes looking at Jack starring at her boobs with one hand still squeezing the side of the closest one to him as he jerked his hand back and she continued exhaling, and exhaling as her boobs slowly shrunk and exhaling and a good minute later as her body finally relaxed into her seat again looking like her normal almost flat chested self she smiled. "Thank you Captain. Did you think they were going to fall?" Not giving Jack a chance to answer. "I have not been able to relax for over a week and it just caught up to me now I no longer have anything to worry about.

Standing up she was her prim prime self again with her hands clasped in front of her and only the small mounds on her chest with her nipples peeking out the slits in her blouse where her boobs had protruded only seconds before. Turning to the Ensign. "Shall we go Ensign? I would be most interested in comparing your human mating rituals with my own and others now on the ship. I see know that we must forestall misinterpretations before they arise. I should have warned your Captain Turner. Luckily I choose to forgive his little indiscretion since the look on his face reminded me of my son the first time he saw a candy storeroom."

Jack watched them leave and finally turned back to the few cold fries still on his plate. Plopping one in his mouth. "I think I was just insulted but then is there any other way I could have screwed up while I was at it. But god those were enormous." Chuckling he got up and left the mess deck heading for the simulator compartment and The Game.

31-

AMBUSH

Jack walked down the passageway from the base of the 27 inch God gun turret. He still could not believe how small the energy storage capacitors were on the mounts. He was just not happy with how long it took to recharge them. He was glad to noticing that all the aliens he saw were wearing hard armored battle suits. He still could not believe they had made so many of them so quickly. Even making new armored suits for him and every other human needing one to replace their damaged inferior suits. Even the Greenfoot giants had suits simply because Republic Navy rules said everyone needed a suit with no exceptions. The Greenfoots wearing them like badges of honor. They had never had a suit before and since they were not needed against the elements, they decided to make them with enough armor for a tank along with the augmentation and attachment points for heavy weapons. They were not about to go down without a fight this time.

Jack dropped down the center core of the ship on the open elevator platform. Moving down through the pipe chase he could see through the open tank hatches. The first deck had hundreds of Bigfoots across the tank sitting at huge Greenfoot sized chairs and tables with tall narrow cabins lining the outer bulkheads and hull with what looked like huge gravity bunks in each. The other decks had a few cabins started but were filled with new gravity bunks lined up in rows around the inside of the tanks. People were still running in and out of the tanks completing last minute tasks before everything was locked down around the ship. Pan was next to Jack. Her breasts enlarged in her hard suit. She had opted for using her internal oxygen storage in her breasts along with the suits. She said it made her feel better. Though Jack found her looking down at her large new suit's breasts running her hands over them every time she did not think anyone was looking at her.

Jack dropped into the second mess, stopping to get a drink before walking out onto the fin as he looked around at the stars, billowing clouds and mountain ridge wall separating them from the entry point the enemy battle cruiser squadron was rapidly approaching on the trail of the Republic Squadron that had disappeared only a few hours before. The problem was that the Spider ships with their shield decks had quickly learned that they could out run the Republic ships in the cloud unless the Republic Captain was very good at running the relatively clear areas winding between the slowly coalescing clouds and very lucky. A little debris was always in the cleared areas that was deadly to transports traveling to fast and not to the spider ships with their thick shield decks.

Shaking his head Jack looked up along the hull of the Red Pepper and the layer of crystal the aliens had grown around the entire ship covering all the holes blasted into it, using the tracked machine Jack had fallen off of a few weeks before. Jack sighed, sad that the bigfoot woman that had caught him had been killed trying to save her sister after saving everyone that had been trapped on the Spider Battleship by getting the engines running in time.

The 2nd mess deck bubble extended a good hundred feet from the hull allowing him to see the crystal covering of even the destroyed forward personnel and command section that had made it air tight only the day before allowing repairs to be started in earnest, once they had the time. That was if they survived Jack's idiot attempt to save the wounded transport squadron. He was having second and even 10th thoughts about what he had so confidently planed only days before and if he could figure out a way to run without looking like a chicken shit fool he would now, no matter the cost to the transport squadron. So what if a few hundred crewmen on 3 or 4 transports were killed. Chances were good that at least one would be able to lose the enemy squadron if not all so why risk getting thousands killed and the new technology lost to the Human universe just when they needed it. But then the aliens had said that they had been able to deposit yards thick crystal on the bow and stern that would stop all but the biggest pieces of debris in the cloud and even deflect a glancing hit from the beam of the huge God weapons. But then what if the point defense weapons were still no good for knocking out the big enemy torpedoes? One hit from them and the ship was dead not to mention one good hit from their big guns and he had no way of knowing for sure if their own big guns would even work as advertised.

After all the Spider Battle cruisers were going after the wounded transports and ignoring him completely. All he had to do was turn the ship around and start its engines and leave. They could work their way to the next entry point in only a couple of days and safety. With the new shields and crystal shell around the hull they could make good time in the clear area between the clouds to easily out run any pursuit and disappear.

But then he knew for certain in his heart that most of the ships and their crews in the transport Squadron was sure to die if not all and from his many hours and years of war game battles in The Game, he knew he had a good chance of saving them. If everything worked the way they were supposed to. Besides he was already finding it hard to sleep after allowing the young crew of the Admiral's Barge to die simply to take out a half dozen stupid Spider ships, even if it did allow the Red Pepper to escape. He could already hear his Father and brother calling him a coward if he let those 4 ships and their crews die when he could have saved them with little risk to his ship or himself. No he had the weapons now and the tactics and the clouds and no legitimate excuses except that he was scared shitless.

Jack stood looking out the large view ports at the bright beacons shining through the cloud mountain ridge. The bright beacons of the Spider Battles cruiser's large black hole engines rapidly slowing down while the cooler, dimmer beacons of the transports mini black hole ion engines were running for their lives working their way down into the clouds along a well mapped rout. Jack was surprised to see the little pin point, almost invisible flashes of debris hitting the transports with the power of large bombs as the ships sped down the not quite clear areas much too fast, desperately trying to out run the Spider Battle cruisers in their rush to safety. "God they must be taking a beating." As Jack watched, one transport started dropping behind the others after taking so much damage it could no longer maintain the speed.

Shaking his head Jack looked back at the slowing Spiders. "Damn, if we just stick our butt out of the back side of this cloud while they are still slowing down with their engines pointed at us, they are not likely to see us with all their engine interference giving us plenty of time to shoot and scoot safely back into the cloud. We should have a good minute to fire and test our guns and if they don't work we can always head to the entry point. At least we tried."

Starring out of the view ports with a cup of tea taking sips Jack shook his head. "Damn, it is a shame they moved the auxiliary emergency bridge from here to bury it deep in the hull. Even if it is better protected, I like being able to see with my own eyes." Turning to Pan standing a few feet away. Looks like the enemy is about where we want them to be. Time to go to work and you should try praying to the one universal true God most humans believe in Pan instead of a race of ego maniacal posers." Jack turned and left the 2nd mess. Suddenly hopping he had not insulted her.

Jack walked into the bridge to the sound of "Captain on the Bridge." and sat down. His chair had been set to fit the normal Republic Navy battle suit forcing Jack to reduce the chairs size to snug around and grip his new smaller suit Pan had had made for him. Taking a deep breath he looked around the bridge and said. "Very well Number One, call battle stations."

As "Battle Stations" was sounded throughout the ship, Jack started tapping on his screen.

Less than a minute later the executive officer spoke from a side console. "All personnel accounted for, all battle stations manned, all guns charged, Torpedo tubes and magazines empty, Missile rails full with 40% magazines. Engines ready for max power and to answer all bells, all Generators on line, Boats manned and ready for launch. Auxiliary Magazine stores are as follows, Active decoy 71%, passive decoys 66%, and sensor missiles 87%. Shield coils are on line and at stand by power…” The Executive Officer continued to read down the battle stations check list without pausing but then the ship had been working up to battle stations unofficially for an hour and for all practical purposes, had been at for hours before that.

The Exec. Finally turned to Jack. "Captain, Ship is at battle stations and ready for battle."

"Very well Mr. Comings." Jack hit the ship wide comm. "This is Captain Turner. We are going to punch through the cloud separating us from the entry point, stick our butt out and try to kick the asses of the approaching Spider squadron. Hopefully it will slow them down enough to give the transport squadron time to escape. Though one of the transports has already suffered damage trying to speed down the entry rout and has fallen behind the squadron. The Red Pepper is as ready as it can be thanks to our new crewmembers and the added technology and if everyone does their job, we will get out of this in one piece and kick some spider butt doing it. Captain Turner out."

The ships Priest came on the ships comm and said a short prayer reading from Geneses probably for the benefit of the aliens as Jack stared at the tactical tank. With the last words of the priest Jack took a deep breath and said. "Number One, following plotted course, 400 Gees thrust ahead. Shield at maximum. Radiators at full output. Cool this sucker down before we enter the cloud. Shut down all auxiliary heat sources." They had been over the planned attack a dozen times over the last 24 hours and everyone knew what was needed to be done but Jack fell back into The Game and could not help listing the basics to keep everyone on the same page.

Jack suddenly realized there was no reason why he should have to just sit with nothing to do while everyone else had all the fun. Getting up he tapped the pilot on the shoulder. "Number One, I will take the helm from here." Taking the pilots chair that was more of a cockpit than simply chair. He quickly belted in and counted down, "3, 2, 1, Cut." Jack pulled the throttles back cutting power to the engines and then slammed the stick over to whip the ship around tail to the cloud. "Engineering, start boring on the engines." Then slammed the throttles forward to their programmed stops as the cloud rapidly approached.

"Engine coned. Stern shields at full power. Point defense activated. Entering cloud in 3, 2, 1, mark." Number one said and then they were punching a hole through the cloud as Jack kept the ship balanced on its stern as it made a straight line hole through the mountain of cloud.

Jack started breathing again after they had successfully bored a hole in the cloud for a few seconds without the ship being torn apart as soon as they hit. Even though they had done it once before he still had not really believed it until just then when they had done it a second time. He suddenly wished he had figured out some way to make turns while they were inside but he had not had time to give it much thought and started giving it some.

Then remembered that heat was a big problem before and brought up a small side screen checking that everything on the ship that created heat had been shut down that could be shut down then he turned his attention to the navigation problem simply for something to do to get his mind off doing the impossible and an idea started to form in his mind as his subconscious kept trying to think of the battle and the possibility of being killed weather he wanted to or not.

He just could not grasp the idea he knew was there as it bopped around in his mind even though he knew it was a good idea from the glances he got of it in his mind between all his other concerns along with thoughts of dying if the enemy could somehow track them going through the cloud and was waiting for them at the other end ready to fire at them.

The ship bucked as the vapor remnants of a larger rock destroyed by the engine exhaust but too big to be completely deflected had hit the ship. As he straightened back up in his chair and tightened down the straps as tight as they would go he realized that he had seen the vapor cloud in plenty of time to dodge it but had not even tried as his thoughts were elsewhere.

He started concentrating again dodging a couple of vapor wisps and then a peace of rock that was simply too big for the engines to completely vaporize let alone allow the shields to sweep it to the side. He was able to miss the molten fragment by only a couple hundred feet. "Damn, now that could have ripped a cooling/landing fin off or even killed an engine if it had hit." The idea of losing an engine while boring the hole suddenly brought the idea for steering the ship into clear focus. By reprograming the engines to form the cone with 1 of them he could use the 2nd to steer the ship around corners. Smiling to himself at his genius, the ship suddenly shook jerking Jack hard to the side in his straps as the ship hit the vapor cloud of the remnants of a house sized rock zipping past skimming the side of the ship turning that side of the hull white hot. Ships sensors saying it had passed between two of the fins missing the hull by only feet though he knew better.

"Damn! What the hell am I doing? I'm supposed to be piloting the damn ship and not worrying about a hundred other things." Jack thought to himself getting disgusted. "That fucking rock could have destroyed the ship and I didn't even see it until after."

Jack started concentrating on piloting the tunnel tube forcing himself to push other matters out of his mind as he dodged the remnants of another monster rock. Thoughts of the needs of the ship and crew kept trying to interfere making him feel guilty for ignoring them as he piloted but he had no choice. He dared not think of anything else at the moment.

"Captain, we are tracking the enemy Spider squadron approaching the cloud entry point."

Jack suddenly had a hundred questions concerning the Spider squadron and their ships but he dared not take his attention away from the tunnel being bored through the cloud. He had been lucky too many times already as he shoved the ship over to one side of the tube to avoid yet another damn half vaporized rock. A thought of the 5 inch (now 3inch) guns popped into his head for an instant as he dodged the ship around yet another rock. He could not believe how thick the damn rocks seemed to be in the damn cloud.

"Captain, the spider ships seem to be concentrating their scans on the entry point." First Officer said. "I am concentrating all our fire on the largest ship as target alpha when we break out and are ready to fire. We should destroy it in only a few seconds."

Jack thought about that for a fraction of a second as another large vapor cloud popped into existence where a rock used to be and he dodged around it. He had thought that he had made it perfectly clear that all he wanted to do was slow them all down so the transports could escape. They did not need to kill them though they could if they had enough time. No he had meant to target all three ships. Two with half the 16(8) inch guns on each and the 3rd with the big 36(27) inch Godguns. At the range they were going to be at most of the shots were bound to hit easily knocking out engines and guns in the opening salvoes. Giving them plenty of time, literally minutes, to fire at the Spider ships before they could return fire effectively. Once slowed down and damaged they would have plenty of time to simple go around and finish them off at their leisure from long range. But Jack had to jerk the ship to miss another rock with more rapidly following. Not giving him time to think let alone say anything without endangering the ship.

Every time he started to open his mouth another rock or gas cloud appeared forcing him back to work. Never quite getting anything said beyond gibberish.

The Red Pepper finally popped out of the cloud just as it was coming to a stop. "Cut engines. Weapons, target Alpha, fire when you have a lock. Engineering, all generators to the weapons." The First Officer said as Jack concentrated on lining up the stern of the Red Pepper on the approaching enemy squadron allowing all guns to track.

"Number One…" Jack took a breath to change the orders.

"Fire all guns!" The First Officer said.

The 16 (8) inch guns started firing, sending a steady barrage of 72 shots a second from their 6 twin gunned turrets. The God guns suddenly flashed, their beams washing out the screens and sensors for half a second. When the sensor screen came back to life they showed the stern of target Alpha start to fall apart from all the hits it was taking and then the other 2 spiders main guns fired. 4 streaks from each ship passed the screens seeming close enough to touch forcing half the bridge crew including Jack to duck. The fact that trying to dodge the beams was impossible did not even register until afterwards.

Jack looked around at the damage control screen fearing the worse even though he had not felt anything. Without thinking Jack jerked the ship around and hit the throttles sending it back up the tunnel. "Number One. Engineering, all power to the engines and shields." Jack turned to look at the damage control board. When the board stayed green he turned back around to the targeting screen. Target Alpha was definitely breaking up.

A collision alarm went off and Jack jerked back to the tunnel and turned the ship a few degrees to bring the ship back to the center of the shaft as they quickly accelerated up the tunnel they had made only seconds before. Jack suddenly trying to remember if the forward point defense guns were still independently powered from the rest of the ship or had they been spliced into the systems like they had talked about the week before. "Weapons, are…"

The forward 5 inch guns suddenly fired on a large piece of rock that was on a collision course turning it into vapor that harmlessly passed a thousand feet away from the ship.

As Jack glanced at the vapor cloud zipping back past the ship and took a breath of relief.

The Weapons officer turned around to look at Jack. "Yes Captain?"

Taken back by the officer’s sudden question. "Ah, good shooting all the way around."

"Thank you Captain I will pass that along to the crews."

Relaxing pride started to wash over Jack. "Godstar that was easy." And just as suddenly disappear. "Damn, we had almost a minute before the Spiders could have fired at us again. We did not need to run damn it." Jack said to himself. "We had plenty of time to take out at least one of the other Spiders. Damn." Shaking his head the bow screens flashed making Jack flinch thinking it was another rock about to hit the ship. Raising his hand half way to shield his eyes before the screens compensated and dimmed. A lightning bolt danced from the side of the tunnel to the tower sticking out from the bow a couple hundred feet ahead of the screens pickup with a gravity sensor pod at the top. The tower being an appendage was not counted as part of the hull and not included in the official length of the ship. It placed the bow gravity pod sensors away from the ship's hull making them more effective. The tower was also acting as a lightning rod as Jack suddenly realized that lightning bolts where also arcing to the tips of the landing cooling fines around sides of the ship. The little screens around the sides of the bridge showing the bolts but were not big enough to flood the bridge with light like the main screen had.

Frowning. "Sensors how long is this tunnel going to stay open. Do we have enough time to get out the fare end?"

"The tunnel wall is ionized with a latticework of charges all the way around forcing the wall to stay intact and will take several weeks if not longer to close with only the larger pieces of debris floating into tube so it should stay less dense than the surrounding cloud for months. What we have to worry about is the debris floating randomly through the cloud which is what we are starting to seeing enter now." A lightning bolt seemed to arc from the tunnels rim out into the cloud to hit what looked like a large house sized rock as the ship passed. "We are scanning the tunnel now for such debris sir."

"Engineering. Return power to the main weapons please. Weapons get the 8s charged up as well as the big boys. If a house sized chunk drifts into the tunnel we may need them." Jack pulled back on the throttles. "No sense in hurrying around now. Weapons, feel free to take out anything getting near us."

8 beams streaked into the cloud a hundred miles to the side of the ship, centered on the mouth of the tunnel they had shot at the Spider Battle cruisers from. "Well at least we know they can't track us in here but that brings up how the hell were they able to shoot at us so fast when we shot at them?"

"Captain, permission to target practice on targets of opportunity?"

"Well, there seems to be plenty of them. Go ahead Lieutenant."

Jack started to tap a side screen bringing up the files on the battle and stopped. Looking out ahead of the ship and then only glancing briefly around at the First Officer. "Ah Number One, maybe you should take over piloting." As soon as the First Officer stood beside him Jack climbed out to let him sit. Then took the Command chair and promptly brought up the records of the battle. It showed the enemy ship with their guns already pointed directly at them. "How the hell?" Bringing up the sensor logs. "Ok they had their sensors sweeping the entire cloud on this side of them." Magnifying the Spider ships he noticed that their guns were not exactly aimed at them but just back alongside their ships in the direction they were decelerating in. "Ok that makes sense. Their back side is their week side so they would protect that as they slowed. I should have known that and come in from a different direction. Damn."

Shaking his head he watched the tunnel ahead as the lightning bolts seemed to grow fewer and less massive as the bow guns continued to target practice on anything that showed itself inside the tunnel. "Weapons, see what you can do with the big chunks outside the tunnel." A quad 3(2) inch turret sent a stream of hundreds of beams at a small chunk in the wall, walking the beams into it. A 5(3) inch turret fired at a rock a hundred miles from the edge of the tunnel. The rock started breaking up after half a second and then the rest of the turrets on that side of the ship started taking out the chunks drifting away.

"Ok Weapons, just how far can you see into the cloud?"

"Thousands of miles easily Captain. I was just plotting a dozen to try our guns on. We figure targeting and the weapons have about half their original range while in the cloud. We are even still tracking the Spider squadron through it. Permission to fire at them sir?"

Jack thought about it for a few seconds when 8 beams streaked past the ship. The closest about 10 miles away. "Ok, they must be targeting our 5 inch gun beams. They are making quite a show. Number One, engines stop, turn the stern into the targets. Weapons if you can get a good lock on one of them fire away. Let's see what happens. Tactical count down to the next Spider gun volley."

"Captain, lock on Target Bravo. Firing in 3, 2. ShooT."

Seventy Two shots a second started streaming out through the cloud. The high temperature 16(8) inch beams punching holes through the cloud without a lot of blooming. Jack was surprised when the cloud did not seem to affect the beams more than it was.

"Sensor missiles recording hits on the enemy Captain. Looks like about 10 percent are hitting. The cloud and tunnel seems to be bending the beams slightly in random directions. Probably from uncharted masses we have not had time to map and the high amperage electric fields in the wall of the tunnel. Mapping them now sir."

"Still 10% is damn good. How long until the big guns are charged?"

"A hundred and thirty seconds Captain."

Jack studied the sensor missile screen. The sensor missile was actually a torpedo but for stealth purposes and the fact it did not need a warhead was made small enough to fit in the missile magazine so it was called a missile to keep tired and busy crews from being confused when loading. Unlike missiles, it could shut down or move when needed while ferreting out and reporting on the enemy. Though once it started transmitting at long range through the cloud, it was easy to detect. Which was why the sensor operator had dropped a dozen as soon as they had exited the tunnel before they even had a chance to fire at the enemy. The one active sensor was now transmitting in burst laser mode with the Red Pepper still in sight making it almost impossible for the Spiders to pick them up. Though the interference from the cloud was making reception less than perfect.

Jack suddenly felt guilty again for being too busy piloting the ship to make sure the crew had carried out the plan or make the right decisions. One that could have taken out at least another Spider ship. He was starting to wonder how many more things he screwed up while he had his head stuffed in the cockpit trying not to run into things instead of Commanding. The slowly raising hit percentage scored on the Spider Battle cruiser was satisfying to Jack making him smile until he thought again of the opportunity he had lost from not doing the job he was getting paid for and entrusted with while playing battleship pilot.

"Enemy broadside in 15 seconds Captain." The Tactical officer turned to Jack.

"Very well. Weapons, cease fire please." Jack went back to studying the Spider ship that they had targeted.

"Captain." The First Officer turned to Jack. "Should we start accelerating?"

Jack realized that if he was still in the pilot's seat he probably would have done just that. "Ah, no Number One. We will let the enemy do that for us."

The First Officer looked at Jack as his mouth dropped open and several of the other officers turned to look.

"Enemy salvo in 5, 4, 3, 2." Seven enemy big gun beams streaked across the Red Peppers bow in a tight string piercing the tunnel about a thousand miles ahead of the ship.

The First Officer turned to look at the main screen and the string of holes punched in the sides of the tunnel ahead of the ship. "Damn Captain that would have been close."

Jack just smiled. "Weapons you can fire when ready."

The 16(8) inch guns started firing before Jack had finished the word fire. Jack watched as the percentage of shells hitting the ship increased toward 20% as something separated from the target ship. It started to turn around to place its shield decks between them and the weathering fire from the Red Pepper. Picking protection over slowing to keep from hitting the cloud wall. "Weapons, task guns target Charley."

"Changing targets Captain." The guns did not seem to even stop firing as the beam streaks started hitting the other ship.

A half a minute later the Tactical officer said. "Enemy broadside in 15 seconds Captain." Five seconds later he said. "Enemy broadside in 10 seconds Captain." As the guns kept firing. Then. "5, 4,"

"Number One 400 Gees now."

The ship sprang up the tunnel while one side of the ship continued to fire and 6 tightly clustered beams bracketed the tunnel where the Red Pepper had been sitting only a second before. "Engines stop please. Reacquire center line on target."

"Captain, weapons, God gun ready to fire in 20 seconds."

Jack smiled. "Good. It is about time." Then he noticed the second ship turning its shield decks around to face them. "I don't believe this." Shaking his head. "Weapons as soon as you are charged, no. Fire Godguns now."

"What? Ah yes sir. Targeted now." Slapping at his comm pad. "Crews firing gun premature. Everyone to firing positions. NOW." The Weapons Officer tapped the side of his console with his fingers as he stared at it.

Jack watched the spider ship slowly turn as the 16(8) inch beams continued to streak around and into the sides of the weapons section with the number of hits now at 21%.

Finally an icon on the Weapons Officers board turned green and he slapped the firing key and one of the guns fired jerking the ship around followed a second later as he slapped another key and a second beam left as the gun recoiled back along the side of the ship jerking it around again in the opposite direction. A couple seconds later he fired the last two guns at the same time as their icons turned green.

Jack watched the first beam miss the ship as well as the second then the last 2 beams hit dead center onto the angled shield deck with a huge eye hurting, blinding flash. He could not see any signs of the beams penetrating the 3 shield decks or doing any damage for that matter as the screen came back to normal vision. But what the hell was the explosion. Then he noticed something strange about the shield deck it was shiny, reflecting the clouds and the stars above across its service as 16(8) inch beams continued to streak into the solid armored deck creating a rapidly growing number of black blotches across its face. Counting to 10 as he shook his head closing his eyes. "Number One, get us out of here. Safe the main guns Weapons. Damage report Exec."

"The Crystal hull is registering 3,000 degrees on the outside surface, the main hull is safe well below a thousand. Gun barrel tubes are well below limits even though the crystal linings on most are registering well above 4,000 degrees but under the stated max of six thousand. Except for the inside of the ship being a little hot though still within limits, I am registering no apparent ship board damage. No reported casualties either Captain." The Executive Officer that was also responsible for damage control smiled.

Jack sat with his eyes closed taking a deep breath and thought to himself. "We could have gotten at least two if not all three of them if I had not screwed up taking over the helm. As it was, I almost cost the ship going back down this rathole to soon with my mind still concentrating on piloting and not Command. Damn it."

The Red Pepper came out of the tunnel as target Alpha hit the cloud broadside. Jack could not tell if the big ship was just drifting or was trying to turn its armored decks toward the cloud to save themselves. Hitting broadside the Spider ship started to break up in a fiery ball. Each armored deck going their separate ways, corkscrewing, or flopping, or tumbling around the cloud on their own trajectory as the weapons and personnel section finished destroying itself to cheers across the bridge.

"Enough! We still have 2 ships chasing our hens." Jack ordered the course change according to the original plan as he watched the enemy Battle cruiser, target Bravo, slide into the cloud. Shield deck first. The sensor missile showing the 6,000 degree shockwave being pushed out around the ship as it slowed under control. With any luck it would be back out and chasing the transports in minutes. The other ship was not wasting time as it had turned back around to resume decelerating as soon as it had seen the Republic ship continue down the tunnel with its point defense guns taking out rocks along the way giving away their location. Target Charley was now rapidly dropping down the hole the transport squadron had disappeared down and was tracking their wake and fusion power plants that were still in range. It was easy to see as close as the squadron was that one Republic transport ship was lagging behind the others. The Spider was out for blood.

"Damn it is my fault they are still alive." Shaking his head as he tapped the screens in front of him. "Number One, make 400 Gees. We have to get over this damn mountain now. If Bravo survived it will have the tunnel covered even while inside the cloud." Jack was hoping they would think it was an old tunnel made for just such an attack. It was a shame they did not have enough time to put enough distance between them and the mountain again to punch another tunnel so that left jumping over the top. "Number One, make that 450Gees please. With any luck they would be able to follow Target Bravo down the hole after it came out of the cloud, shoot them up the ass and then catch up to Charley before he caught up to the transports. "We can deal with them each individually with no problem since they went to all this trouble to separate."

Taking a deep breath Jack frowned. "Ok now what the hell was that explosion on Charley's shield deck?" Bringing up the feeds from half the scattered recon missiles he studied the beams hitting the shield deck and the explosion. Slowing the feeds down to millionths of a seconds he finally saw what he was looking for. The two beams touched just before they hit the shield deck. "Damn! Basic laser dynamics and I forgot simple facts. I should have flunked that course both times even if I did have to take it again on the Red Dwarf.(Being one of the first pretests after arriving on his new ship, he had been so confident of passing the basic course that he had not bothered to study and wound up only getting an 88 on it. Then cursed for 2 months for having to do the book work.)

The out of phase beams had interfered with each other's cohesion releasing all the energy they both contained in the huge explosion. If the beams had been in perfect Phase they would have combined more than doubling their power into one beam. Jack suddenly wondered how many decks a beam powered by all 4 God Gun beams phased together would go. But perfect phasing was very hard to achieve with even 2 beams let alone all 4. No he was better off using the 4 out of phase beams to enhance their effects inside the Spider ship's shield decks. Hell, it just may be possible to blast the decks apart and off the main weapons section leaving the 16(8)'s to finish the ship off. Or if they could catch them with their pants pulled down again to hit them at long range with the God guns crossed beams and simply vaporize the damn weapons section in one salvo.

Weapons, since crossing 2 beams makes such a big flash. Let's do that with all 4 on our next attack. See what you can do to target them to meet where we want them too. Oh and make sure they are all a long ways out of phase with each other." Jack got up from the command chair and tapped the pilot on the shoulder. "I will take it from here Number One. You run the ship."

Jack took the helm and settling into the seat and the controls out of habit pushing back the warnings flashing through his mind about it being another big mistake but he was pissed at both himself and the Spider Squadron. Running system checks and getting the feel for the ship as he started doing gentle maneuvers for a few seconds as they climbed up the side of the mountain towered the ridge separating them from the enemy. "Tactical, both the enemy squadron and fleet is on the other side of this mountain of clouds hiding us from them, right?"

"Yes Captain. The Spider fleet is 7 hours from reaching the entry point."

"Good, thank you." Jack slid the throttles up until the ship was doing well over a thousand Gee's. Fifteen minutes later Jack had the ship turned ass up as he decelerated arching them across the top of the ridge line still at over a thousand Gee's. They zipped over the top and started down the other side and Jack pulled the throttles back to only 400 Gees. "Navigation how long for us to reach the entry point?"

"At 400Gees sir, it will take 28 minutes sir."

"Tactical, tell me as soon as you find Bravo. Passive only." Jack slipped between banks of clouds in a cut down the side of the mountain.

"Got Bravo now Captain. Just started receiving laser comm from an out laying recon missile in the chain relaying tactical of Bravo at the entry to the tunnel we bored through the cloud. Bravo is sitting with its shield to the tunnel firing a shot down it every 15 seconds. Looks like it is enlarging the tunnel but that does not make any sense sir."

"Ok. Definitely puzzling. How long until we are within range with the God Guns?" Jack reached over tapping the navigation controls and the collision alarms went off. Jack jerked the ship around the finger that appeared ahead of them. Trying again, he started drifting toward the side for several seconds before catching his mistake.

The Ensign walked up beside Jack and bent down to whisper in his ear. "You are the Captain Jack. Act like it instead of a spoiled kid before I have to slap some sense into you."

"We will be at a range of 60 light seconds in 21 minutes Captain." Said the Tactical Officer.

Jack frowned over at the Ensign shaking his head. "How dare you…" He whispered back stating to get mad until he had to pull up again over a rock that came out of the mountain side that he almost missed while glancing at the Ensign. "Shit! Dam, Ok already and smiled sheepishly. Pulling up a few thousand feet he turned to the navigator/copilot. "Helms yours for a few seconds. Number One take the helm please and then drop us back down as close as you can get." As he climbed out and waited for the First Officer to take the helm then sitting in the Command chair again. Jack wondered what the hell he was supposed to do now.

For 20 minutes Jack tried to keep busy between running the ship but the constant decisions only took a few seconds at a time leaving him getting more board and nervous by the minute. Finely his mind left his love of flying and hate of everything that kept him from the cockpit. He started having to fight down demons and things that could go wrong and what ifs and suddenly he was very busy and not even near ready when the Tactical Officer whispered. “Captain.” Making Jack jump.

"We are 3 light minutes from them now if you want to try a long range shot with them just sitting and not moving sir." The Tactical Officer said starring at his screen.

Jack looked at the main targeting screen with the Spider ship busy shooting up the tunnel. "They seem to be well occupied so let's get a little closer. Weapons, how close do we need to get to cross beams on the target?"

"We may be able to do it at 60 but the closer we get the more likely we are to succeed on the first shot sir. If we have time to do a few practice shots, we may be able to cross beams at 120 light seconds and better Captain."

"Na, let's not advertise to the universe to soon." Jack had been expecting to find the Spider ship far down inside the entry point and had timed the turn over point to start slowing down to bring them up behind them slow enough to dodge into the cloud if they were seen too soon. But with the enemy high up the side of the mountain they had no place to hide while coming up close onto them. Looking down the hole and the second enemy Battle cruiser racing after the transport Jack realized the old plan was not going to work. They did not have the time to sneak up on the first ship and then speed up to take on the second. Jack started playing around with the plotting screen and after a few minutes he had a plan.

"Pan, can we fire the God guns pointing forward instead of aft?"

Pan looked down at her pad and started scratching. "Yes but the barrel tubes will extend out ahead of the shields where any molecules hitting them will damage them. You should pull up far from the clouds."

"Ah, how long will it take to turn them the 180 degrees?"

"A good minute Captain with only ships power going to them."

"Ok. In other words, me not grabbing the pieces of antiquated steam turbine junk they call power generators for the guns was a big mistake even if we had no place to put the monsters." Jack zoomed the tactical screen onto the Spider Enemy fleet barreling in behind them about 7 hours away.

"Yes Captain, if we had known you planed on powering the Godguns we would have grabbed some newer generators big enough to power them. My apologies Captain for not thinking ahead."

"Stuff it Pan. Quit apologizing for things you have no control over or could not have known." Jack looked down at the tactical screen. "We will just have to get by on what we do have." Taking a few breaths as he tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. "Weapons, we will be leaving the protection of the cloud in about 10 minutes. You will turn the God guns around then to face Bravo ready to fire on my command. Number One, we will not be making turnover. We are going to power down past Bravo and hope we take them out. If we can't we are still going after Charley before it catches the transport and deal with Bravo later. So when I give the order you will have about 2 seconds to point the ship at Bravo so Weapons can fire our guns. Until then you can relax."

The First Officer pulled the ship up over a bench in the notch’s floor and back down again. Sweat poring off his forehead as he glanced around out of the corner of his eye before whipping back around. "Yes sir. I will relax and take a nap." And hit the side thrusters. "Nothing like a nice drive in the park." He said through clenched teeth.

"Very good Number One." Jack got up and headed for the hatch. "Exec, you have the con until I return. Don't damage the ship while I am gone."

The Executive Officer was the ships basic book keeper and was not a flag officer. Turning to look at Jack with his mouth wide open, eyes as big as golf balls. "B... But Captain? I can't. I don't know how or what to do."

Jack turned around at the hatch and walked back to the Exec. "Sure you do. I have seen your record on The Game." Taking him by the arm he escorted the Exec to the command chair. "Everyone else is doing their job and can't be sparred so you do what The Game says you can do until I get back." Turning, Jack left the bridge. "Come on Pan, I want your lead engineers with us and you too Ensign."

A few minutes later Jack walked into Engineering past the marine guards stationed there to keep the aliens out. "You will no longer be needed here marines. Pass that down the line." Jack said as Pan and a half dozen different breeds of engineers including a Bigfoot followed him in.

The Chief engineer turned as the big foot crawled through the hatch and stood up. "What the hell… Oh, Captain. I thought aliens were not…. Well. How can I help you?"

Jack walked up next to the Chief and started typing on one of the central consoles. "We need more generating power to our God guns. Before I was put in Command of the Red Pepper I was in charge of researching new technology. We need that technology now or a lot of people are going to die." Virtual Screens started growing around him. Finally a large one came alive with the schematic of a fusion reactor and Jack turned to look at everyone clustered around him. "This is the typical fusion reactor that seems to be powering both fleets. The Spiders to some lesser extent from what I can gather. It uses a ball of plasma to keep the fusion process going as fuel is thrown in to fuss in the pressure but mostly billion degree heat. Coils and radiation cells lining the chamber generate the electrical power we use throughout the ships using standard hard mettle and trace ceramic super conducting lines."

Jack looked around the group to make sure he still had their attention after going over the simple ABC everyone already knew. "One of my research groups had come across the idea of tapping off the plasma ball and sending the plasma down small Gravcoil lines directly to the equipment that needed the power and tapping the line with a complicated but compact set of coils to generate the electrical energy needed. We were talking about powering a black hole shield at the bow of the ship using a simple small garden hose sized plasma line and a generator box the size of a refrigerator. I think we can use that same plasma to power the God guns. We are only doing 400 Gees so we can shut down one of the engine Generators to tap into their fusion chambers and use your crystal fabrication tech to build the lines if you can figure out how to build the power converter."

Jack started running through the calculations and schematics. "The group did not have every problem solved or a design completed when I had to leave weeks ago but as good as you people seem to be I think you can finish up and give me the power I need for the God guns. If we cannot attain a firing rate of 4 times a minute we don't stand a chance against the 16 ship fleet getting ready to pounce." Jack turned to look around the group. "Of course that depends on our surviving the next half hour and the two Spider ships still out there but there is nothing you can do to help that battle but there is a lot you can do to help win the next. I have unlocked all the research I was involved with before coming here for you to glean what you can. Though most of it you probably already have covered." Then started explaining what he knew of the calculations and engineering work already completed.

A few minutes later the screen stopped in mid schematic and Jack turned around. "Well that is all I have and since I have to get back to the battle I will leave it in your hands. Just get it done." Jack walked out without looking back.

"Captain we are coming up on 30 light seconds from Target Bravo."

Jack looked around the ship. They were sailing out into the middle of the trench far from any possible cover so they could get a clean shot at Bravo as it made its slow way down the tunnel. Only thing is the enemy ship Bravo could have already fired at them and it would be another 30 seconds before they knew about it and then it could be too late. They could be dead already and not know it.

The targeting screen showed Bravo still firing shots down the tunnel every 15 seconds from one of its four guns while the others recharged. With the recon missiles showing live feeds he knew Bravo was not yet a threat and he wanted it to stay that way. "Sensors, why am I not seeing anything in the tunnel?"

"We have two recon missiles working their way toward Bravo but they just don't seem to be noticing it yet sir."

"Well get a little more aggressive about it."

"Finishing our turn Captain. Steady on course."

"Very good Number One. You can shut down the engines now but keep them on standby. And line up on Bravo. Weapons, prepare to fire guns on my command. How long until the missiles are in detection range."

"Recon missile being targeted by Bravo sir. Missile performing evasive maneuvers." Sensors said.

"Our missiles will be in detection range in another 67seconds sir. They will hit in 82 seconds Captain."

"Very well." Jack glanced at the hull temperature as it continued to rise the deeper they dropped into the valley toward the exit hole and the thickening atmosphere keeping the clouds separated. Turning the ship a little to the side to track the target was not helping. The side shields were not as strong as the bow and stern shields. Weapons, fire guns to hit Bravo when our missiles are just entering detection range. Include the 5(3) inchers, they will be on the fringe of their new range envelope but that Battle cruiser is a big target. Though I don’t expect them to hit anything but the ship, a few thousand hits from them before the missiles enter their point defense range may take out enough point defenses to allow more of our missiles to make good penetrating hits."

Jack watched the targeting screen. Anxiously waiting for any sign that the Spider Battle cruiser had seen them as he waited for the Weapons Officer to start firing their guns. Each second seemed to get longer as he watched the Spider slowly work its way deeper. Knowing that the enemy had plenty of time to move or turn their shield decks toward them or even shoot back before anything the Red Pepper had already launched and would launch at them, hit.

A message started blinking on his comm screen. Looking down at it suddenly worried that something had gone wrong. It said, "Breath! And quit grinding your teeth and relax your jaw. Your mouth is going to freeze that way and you won't be able to eat for a week. Oh and your chair's arm is not a drum. Love you. You look thirsty, Order some hot tea. You ever hear the joke about the chicken in orbit?"

Jack shook his head and sat back in his chair. He had loosened his belt to peer over his First Officers shoulder in the pilot's seat. Tightening his belt back up. He took a deep breath. "I think I have time for someone to get me a cup of tea." The Spider fired another gun down the tunnel as he turned to face the Ensign. "Ok Ensign, what is this about the chicken in orbit?"

"Well it saw a beautiful farm down on the planet with all the most lushes’ wonderful food it had ever seen. The Farmer said to come on down. That the Chicken could join them at the table if it hurried for the best meal any chicken had ever been. The chicken immediately jumped, but because it was in such a hurry it forgot its suit and by the time it arrived at the table it was roasted golden brown and quite tasty. The best meal any chicken had ever been."

Jack chuckled. It was the stupidest joke he had ever heard. His tea arrived with sweetener next to the cup on the tray. Jack fixed the tea taking his time as he studied the large tactical showing all the enemy contacts around them including the large enemy fleet catching up to them. Charley with it shield decks glowing brightly from friction was rapidly winding its way down around the natural voids through the clouds in this area chasing the transport fleet. All Jack had to worry about at the moment was Bravo and with the engines shut down and the ship running silent Bravo would have to actually scan them to see them and its scans were all pointed down the tunnel. But he still found himself tensing up from the strain of waiting. Closing his eyes he went back to tending his tea just for something to do. Taking a sip and trying to enjoy it. "Yes Ensign, roasted Chicken would be a nice change." Most of the food had gotten destroyed with the forward section of the ship and all they had to eat for the last few days were MRE's that tasted like they were a thousand years old and could very well have been. Jack almost preferred the Nutrition Meal Pills but not quite.

"Firing guns in 5,4,3,2, ShooT."

Every gun that could reach Bravo fired. The ship bucked slightly from the recoil. Jack was surprised to see the quad 3(2)s even firing making him smile. It was probably a waste of time but the quads were self-contained and it would have made him feel better shooting if he was a gun crewmen on one of the Quads and just maybe it could help, it definitely did not hurt the Red Pepper. Jack just missed the sound of the guns with most of the ship in vacuum. Hearing the noise of the guns transmitted through the hull from compartment to compartment just added realism to The Game. It was a shame reality was reduced to a slight vibration in the deck as the mass of beams left the ship. Just seemed anticlimactic after all the buildup.

"Twenty seconds to target." Said the Weapons Officer. It would take another 20 seconds after that for us to find out if anything hit.

The mass of beams continued to stream toward the Spider Battle cruiser some 600 miles inside the cloud minus the God gun's monster pulses after the initial salvo. It was going to take the best part of another 3 minutes to recharge them unless he had to send the power back to the engines where it belonged.

Jack thought about stopping the guns after 15 seconds realizing that if even a portion of the beams had hit the target in the ass, the Battle cruiser was as good as dead but remembering the lost opportunity from the tunnel he let them continue. He did not want a Spider with weapons shooting at them as they passed.

Taking a sip of his steaming tea as the count clock hit 21 seconds a wave of nausea rushed over him as his head seemed to short circuit for an instant. Turning in shock he could see the Ensign clutching her head as she slumped down into her chair.

Shaking his head. "Shit!" Finally he was able to glancing up at the shot clock that said 26 seconds. "Cease fire! Wilson! Turn this crate around NOW and max thrust directly away from target Bravo."

The ship started turning as the First Officer turned around and looked at Jack. Jack mouthed, "Now", but the ship continued to turn much to slowly as the seconds ticked by with most of the power still going to the weapons. "Shift all power back to the engines. Use life support as well." Jack looked to the side of the bridge toward the target. A bright wall of swirling bright waves rushed toward them washing out the bridge lights. "Number One get us out of here or we are dead!"

The ship started accelerating back the way they had come at 400 Gee's. "Shit." Jack lunged forward but his seatbelt held him to the seat. Flicking the buckle he lunged again. "I said max!" Sailing over the First Officers shoulder he slammed the throttles forward to their stops.

The Red Pepper's engines kicked into full power shoving them ahead at over a thousand Gees. Climbing back into the Command Chair he hit the comm panel. "Engineering, I need everything you can put into the engines now. We are trying to out run a nova explosion and have only seconds. Out." Slapping the ship wide comm. "All personnel brace for impact."

"1400 Gees Captain."

"Grav sensors showing some kind of mass wave rapidly approaching from the stern Captain. The wave is doing 9/10ths the speed of light. What the hell happened?"

"The Spider Battleship's fusion reactors blew inside the cloud. The shock wave will destroy the ship if we are close enough to the epicenter."

"1500 Gees Captain."

"10 seconds to impact."

"Engineering, stern shields and damping fields to full, double up the power supplies with the auxiliary generators." Jack took a deep breath. "Damn I forgot. Number One, Engineering, CONE the drives! Punch a hole in the wave."

The engines burped as Jack watched the wave start to wash over them violently shaking the ship sending Jack flying across the bridge and then the engine cones appeared behind them. A tunnel appeared around the ship as the ship stopped shaking. The cloud streaked past the ship for a good half a minute before it dissipated.

Jack picked himself up off the deck. Checking the dent in his helmet and rubbing his shoulder, he sat back down in the Command chair, looking around not at the bridge. The shell of the explosion rapidly dwindling into the distance toward the enemy fleet.

Taking a deep breath. "Ok Number One, turn this bucket around. We have another Spider to run down. Full thrust. The enemy fleet is going to be blinded for quite a while so pour on the power. We have a lot of lost time to make up."

32-

DEAD DUCK DUEL

Jack studied the hole blown in the cloud with its center where the Spider Battle cruiser had once been. The blast wave had blown out half the cloud mountain with a huge hole big enough to fly a fleet into punched through to the other side where the tunnel had once been. The valley around the blast had been obliterated with a hug crater in the side of the mountain. The entry point at the bottom of the valley had been collapsed leaving a half dozen cleared areas or gaps in the clouds instead of just one small entry point. "Well that could make it harder for the enemy to follow us down into the cloud with new cleared areas added to the maze but it allows them to get farther to start with. Also makes it harder to miss the entry point."

The ship plunged past the blasted crater. "Navigation, plot a course strait to intercept the transport. We will bore holes through the fingers and clouds the cleared path meanders around." Glancing again at the hulls temperature Jack frowned. Could they get up enough speed to reach the transport lagging behind the squadron before the Spider Battle cruiser caught up to it. If the transport maintained its speed they had 40 minutes. They were at least 70 minutes behind if they had to stay on the surveyed route through the cleared areas.

"Chief, there has to be something we can do to increase our forward shields. We need more velocity in order to bore our way straight through to the transport."

"Sorry Captain but we are running them at 150% voltage now. We don't dare increase the voltage any farther. We will burn them out and we have no replacements for even one of the coils."

"Well, see what you can do to cool the coils and increase the voltage. We need the speed the added protection will allow in the next few minutes." Turning Jack looked around the bridge. "Come to think of it I have not seen Pan for quite a while now." Looking at the Ensign. "Parker, what happened to Pan? Maybe her people can help."

The Ensign turned from the screen she was studying and frowned. "She has been with the group you put to developing the new plasma power generators. For a mere translator she sure gets involved in the working details and decisions."

"Ok, I guess that is good. How are they doing?"

"Busy. They are acting like it is X-mas. They have already produced a section of plasma cable. I don't know about the power generator. Do you want me to get her?"

"No. Leave her working on the generator. We will just have to take care of this on our own." Jack continued tapping on the air screens he had built around himself and finally stopped and sat back shaking his head. "We are going to have to do this in two stages. Number one, new course. Weapons, swing the Godguns back around facing aft. We will target the Spider directly with the Godguns as soon as we get close enough before it catches the transport."

"If you have a minute you may want to look at what happened to Target Bravo when our beams hit." The Ensign said with some concern.

"Can't it wait Ensign?"

"No. Take a look. I already have it punched up for you."

"Very well Ensign. Put it on the main screen."

Target Bravo appeared on the main screen looking at it from the side. The Spider Battlecruiser had a haze around it. It shot one of its four god guns down the tunnel, fire blooming around the beam. "I am slowing it down so you can see it more clearly." The Ensign said as twelve 16(8)inch, some forty 5(3)inch beam and hundreds of pin point 3(2) fire wrapped pulses started peppering the Spider Battlecruiser from about 30 degrees off the stern. Pieces of hull and objects started separating from the ship as holes appeared in the stern.

"All right! Dead on!" The Weapons Officer almost shouted as he watched.

Then 3 large beams (from the Godguns), so close they almost looked like one, hit the back half of the ship just forward of the flattened stern. The 4th beam hit the ship well forward of the weapons section just aft of the first armored deck. The 3 beams hitting the very stern seemed to penetrate deep into the ship and then the back quarter of the hull below the weapons decks exploded out in a bright fireball that suddenly slowed even more until the recording had almost stopped. The fire ball that had been the back part of the ship seemed to freeze for a brief second and then an even larger brighter fire ball started expanding out engulfing the entire ship and kept growing until it hit the recon missile transmitting the image.

"My Godstar, it worked." The Weapons Officer said in shock. "The damn beams converged and took out the stern section of the ship. But that was one hell of an explosion?"

"That was the Spiders 3 Fusion cores going up together and all the fusion fuel in the main central storage tank between them if I remember the Battleship plans right. They must have had a thousand years' worth of fuel aboard to make an explosion as big as they produced."

"Actually Ensign Parker." Pan walked onto the bridge. "Only a hundred years' worth. The Battleship cores are first generation cores and are extremely inefficient which is why they are huge. Their reliability is why they have continued to be built to equip what you call God Battleships for 10,000 years." Stopping next to Jack at the Command chair. "You ask for me Captain?"

"Captain, centered on new course, 1200 Gees." The First Officer said.

"Very well Number One. Turn our ass around and start punching a hole through the air at minimum thrust." Taking a breath Jack smiled at Pan. "Yes. I did not know you were busy working on the plasma generator. How is it coming?"

"We are having a few problems with the generator Captain. We believe it should work but it does not. Please forgive us for building a full scale generator believing that it would work. We should have produced a small prototype first to prove the concept and work out the bugs."

Jack turned and looked at the tactical screen for several seconds then smiled. "Exec, you have the conn. We are 27 minutes from the next open area transition where we will commence our attack. I will be back before then. I am going to take a look at this generator." Jack led Pan off the bridge with the usual announcement of Captain leaving to his irritation.

Jack walked down the passageway and to the core hull hatch and turned to step into the elevator platform next to it. The platform raised up 10 decks and into the open pipe chase between the tanks packed with large 3 foot diameter pipes for transferring reaction mass up and down the ship. Expecting the chase to be empty with the crew in their acceleration bunks he was shocked to see aliens on every deck running around or working.

"Ok Pan, what is going on? We are still at battle stations. Why are these people out of their Gee bunks?"

"My apologies Captain but they are running the new Plasma lines from the engine fusion generators to the God guns plasma generators." Bending over the rail looking at a group working on a grating as the platform passed them, then started scratching on her pad for a second before turning back to Jack. "We will have the Generators and plasma lines hooked up ready as soon as we have worked out the performance problem. We believe it is a programing problem and not equipment."

Jack looked around the chase and the quarter section no one was working at. A bright pair of lines jumped out at him running up from the engineering stern of the chase up past him through the overhead far above them. Jack suddenly realized that the 2 inch set of crystal pipes wrapped in wires had thread thin million degree plasma streaming through them, one streaming up and the other streaming back down toward the engines. "Ok. How hot is the pipe casing? Don't you need to put shields around them?"

Pan looked at where Jack was looking and smiled. "I was just about to tell you about the plasma pipes Captain. No need to worry, the casing is cool to the touch. One pair of lines would be enough according to our calculations to power all 4 God guns but we decided for damage control purposes to run a separate line to each God gun with cross connects incase a line was breached. I hope that meets with your approval sir."

Jack started to say something about being a waste of time if they could not get the damn generator to work but held his lips. "Very good Pan."

The platform shot through the over head of the pipe chase through and into the lower gun deck of the main weapons and control section of the ship. Jack grimaced as they entered, dreading seeing all the damage he knew was there only to find what looked like a thousand aliens working, making the finishing touches to repairs on the deck. "Damn it Pan, these people are supposed to be in their Geebunks. Repairs to the ship can wait until after we take care of the enemy."

"Sorry Captain but the God gun mounts needed reinforcing to handle the loads of continuous firing once the generators are installed." They started walking toward one of the gun mount basses protruding hundreds of feet into the ship from deck to the overhead.

"Well. They have another 30 minutes before we enter battle. I want them all in their Geebunks by then weather the deck is reinforced or not."

"Yes Captain Turner." Pan led the way up the side of the gun mount base, then up a short ladder and through a 6 foot thick hatch a few feet from the hull. A one inch diameter crystal plasma pipe curved around too run through the thick bulkhead next to the hatch. Inside they followed the crystal pipe to the center of the compartment where it curved around to enter a larger one foot diameter some 12 foot long crystal pipe that had 3 inch mettle cables running out of both ends next to the crystal plasma pipes. The 3inch cables ran to the main power box for the turret gun. "This large case has a million thin metal plates stacked from one end to the other with the plasma stream flowing down the center. The million degree magnetic plasma flowing through the thin metal magnetic plates in pulses at a significant percentage of the speed of light produces electrical power through simple magnetic principles used to generate power since electricity was discovered at the beginning of time. It cannot fail but it does. We do get power but only at a trickle of what it should be. We should be able to pull a million Amps at a million volts but we can't. As soon as any significant amperage is pulled the voltage jumps to a million-volts and stays there with the amperage spiking and dropping to zero."

Jack looked at the case of the generator shaking his head thinking. He could see the plasma flowing through the tube down the cascade of plates and the power that was flowing off the plates through the phase controller and out the cable to the guns power breakers and everything looked like it should be except not one Amp of power. "Ok Pan, run a power test for me please."

"Sorry Captain Turner but the Godguns are already charged. We have no load to put on it." Pan started scribbling on her pad again for a few seconds and then looked up. "We are just finishing installing a generator up in the forward 2 gundeck to power the 5(3) inch and 3(2) inch guns. Supplanting the generators already there if we can make the plasma generator work. We can pull significant power through that generator by cycling through those guns."

"Ok?" Jack looked at his watch. "Let's get going before I have to return to the bridge." He said as he headed for the hatch.

The elevator platform popped up into the top Auxiliary gundeck. Pan led the way over to the crystal pipe that came up through the deck then bent over to an exact copy including the size of the plasma electrical generators in the Godgun mounts. The conventional fusion generator the aliens had already added the week before was on the other side of the elevator platform on standby.

Jack shook his head. "Isn't that a bit over kill Pan? A generator half this size would be killing it and then some."

"No time for the work to redesign a smaller generator at the moment Captain Turner. Though we have added lines of programming to the gun controllers to take the added power to decrease the charging times on the guns."

"Come Pan, the guns are already doing several rounds a second now." Jack patted the new generator. "Well let's get started before I have to return to the bridge. Tell me when you are ready. I will order the guns fired."

"The generator is already hooked to the guns sir. We are in the process of running a line up to the shield coils as well. The stern guns and shields will be next."

Ok." Jack tapped his comm. "Weapons we need to test fire the forward 5(3) inch guns to test one the new generators." Jack looked out through the hull at the hot gasses arching around the ship streaming up behind them. "Fire a round from them all up into our slip stream. No need to target anything, just fire them."

A dozen beams pulsed up from the ship as Jack felt a slight throb in his boots. "Ok Pan run your test." Pan nodded to an alien standing next to a panel screen on the bulkhead next to the generator with a schematic of the generator coils on it in the middle and power meters that were reading zero to each side. The alien touched the screen and the power meters burped up into spikes and fell just as fast. "That was anti-climactic. What the hell is wrong?"

Pan and several aliens clustered around the large screen as program code Jack was not familiar with but was, started rushing across it. "Pan, it would be helpful if I could read…"

"Captain, Weapons, do you want me to fire the 5(3)s again?"

"What?"

"Captain, Tactical, the Spider Battlecruiser target Charley has changed course out of the cleared area. It looks like they are cutting across where two clouds meat to the clear area trail that made a switch back. Depending how long it takes them to cut across they could cut the intercept time to the lagging transport down to only one light minute from 10 light minutes. Well within the God guns range even in the cloud sir."

"Shit! Damn it. I am coming now. How long before we hit the clear area so we can turn?" Jack ran to the platform and hit the panel for the auxiliary bridge deck.

"A little under 10 minutes Captain."

Jack turned as the platform dropped. Pan and the aliens deep into discussions as they pointed to calculations or sections of the schematic on the screen. Pan was talking about substandard work to one. While one of the others wiped some of the calculations and started adding new calculations while the alien that had written the original group of calculations told the second what he thought of his intrusion as Jack's head dropped past the edge of the deck. Jack had heard scientists and engineers arguing before on the programs he had been a part of for months but was surprised that it was not just a human trait.

Walking back onto the bridge not even hearing the Captain on the bridge announcement and took the place of the Exec as he studied the tactical screen. "There is nothing we can do to catch the Spider in time to save the transport sir. They are only minutes away from being in range of the transport."

Jack turned to the targeting screen showing the Spider Battlecruiser in real time with a grainy picture of white hot plasma coning out around its shield as it made a high speed run across the somewhat less dense area where the two clouds had met. The Spider was only having to transverse a short section where the two separate cloud’s curved outer shells kissed instead of the whole body of the cloud. Once through into the cleared area it was only a matter of going around a couple bends of cleared trail and they would be within striking range of the slower transport.

Turning back to the tactical screen Jack could see the hapless transport. Its Captain knowing time was running out suddenly took a turn down what the map said was a dead end leading away from the surveyed track of cleared areas but with a fraction of the gas particles that had been hindering the transport's speed. The transport accelerated almost doubling its speed down the strait line of the finger between the clouds in seconds. Then tripled it before slowing to make the first corner only to speed up again going in the opposite direction of the squadron. Shaking his head Jack could not believe the transport Captain was sacrificing himself to save the squadron. Or was he hopping the Spider would continue on after the much juicer pickings of the squadron and leave him alone to eventually hide when he was able to put enough range between himself and the enemy. "Good for him." Jack said to himself. "I hope it works. It will give me time to take out the Spider clearing the way for them all." Except for the Spider Fleet rapidly approaching Jack suddenly remembered. No, if he can lose himself deep enough into the cloud and get cold, he needs to stay there and make his slow way to another check point after the enemy fleet disburses back out of the cloud.

The bridge watched on the targeting screen as the Spider broke out into the clear and suddenly a hundred pinpoints of light streaked towards it to impact on its massive still white hot front shields without even getting near the vulnerable stern. Shaking his head. "Comm, get me the Commander of the squadron. It is time to stop wasting torpedoes."

"Captain, Tactical, I only read a few hundred torpedoes left sir."

"What the hell happened to them all? They had thousands."

"I can't control them sir but the ones I can read are set on immediate attack upon detection. I bet the Spider's shield deck looks like the surface of the average moon sir. Why are they not set on stealth wolf attack sir? Attacking its ass after the Spider has passed would have gotten a few hits and slowed it down. Well that is if they were not targeted on the damn thick casings of the engines or weapons and if they knew where the venerable spots were on the ship. I am sure we put all that in the transmissions we made sir."

"As I said a real waste all around if morons don't bother to read." The Spider made its way up around the bends in the clear area following the squadrons trail. Its shield still white hot from gas friction as it kept up its speed.

"The squadron is not acknowledging our transmission Sir." Said the Comm Officer.

The Spider raced past the finger the lone transport had turned up and kept going to Jack's relief. Then suddenly turned around so its engines could slow it back down. Jack watched hopelessly as it went back and started up the finger to follow the transport. With the transports range opened out to several light seconds Jack was surprised when the Spider fired its 4 main Godguns as the transport rushed down a strait section of the finger it was on making good speed. The two beams hit the stern of the transport knocking out the two good engines and the main fusion cores. The transport started tumbling.

It took the transport a good minute but it managed to get stabilized again with an engine running again trying to slow it down before it hit the next bend in the clear area.

The Spider turned back around and started slowing down. As it came to a stop and started back down the finger to follow the squadron it fired again. All 4 beams hit the transport in the stern knocking the single remaining engine out and sending the transport into a tumble again as it headed at speed toward the cloud wall at the next turn.

Jack wanted to scream as he closed his eyes and counted to ten. The Spider had cut across the corner of the finger to resume the trail after the squadron. Turning its sensors ahead, scanning the area of pursuit looking again for short cuts to help it catch up to the squadron. The Spider ship was taking it for granted that the transport would burn itself up when it entered the cloud at the end of the strait section of the passageway.

Jack looked at the screen of the tumbling doomed transport as it approached the cloud wall. A tear came to his eyes as he tried to keep from screaming or crying. His jaw and neck knotting up until he could not breathe.

Then the transport only seconds from the wall suddenly came to life. The ship straightened out and the transport entered the cloud stern first punching a tunnel through the cloud with its engine section heating up until it was white hot. Hull sections started sloughing off the transport tumbling away in fireballs as it rapidly slowed.

The engine section was quickly consumed with the cargo sections starting to take the heat and then a massive plasma bubble started forming around the stern of the ship as it penetrated the cloud. The plasma streaming back alongside hiding the transport and Jack suddenly realized what it was.

The transport was a tanker and not a cargo ship and the Captain was using the reaction mass to cool the ship as it slowed its plunge through the cloud. Jack started shaking his head. If the transport started tumbling before it could stop the side forces would tear it apart no matter how much reaction mass they had to throw away. "Come on you can do it. You can do it." Jack found himself chanting.

Looking back at the map trying to decide if the transport was far enough away from the spider not to be detected if it managed to survive long enough to stop and spotted the density readings for that section of cloud. Shaking his head and smiling. If the transport managed to stop deep in that section of cloud it would be safe. The section it was headed for was many times denser than any readings he had yet seen. The section of cloud was not far from forming a gas giant in the next few million years. The transport would be undetectable once he stopped and cooled down. Evidentially what the transport's Captain had planned. Jack decided he had to meet that Captain if the rest of them survived long enough to.

The Red Pepper entered the clear area with little velocity left and turned to an attack heading to intercept the Spider ship a good 5 minutes before it could get within God gun range of the squadron. Hopefully they could take the Battle cruiser by surprise and knock it out before it had time to fire at them. Jack did not have to order the ship opened back up to full cooling on all the radiators as the crew already knew what to do but out of habit from The Game, he did anyway along with a hundred other orders to prepare the ship for combat. He even made sure all the aliens were stuffed into their Geebunks with the rest of the crew this time. He wished he had time to let the crew out of their suits for a few minutes but with most of the ship in vacuum that was impossible. They would just have to wait until they took care of this Spider ass hole and then they could take a long break before they had to worry about the enemy fleet. The one thing he was hoping he would not have to deal with once he caught up to the squadron and they could zip away down his tunnels and be long gone before the fleet arrived. He was getting used to making tunnels and was starting to flesh out a way to be able to turn while making one.

Doing over a thousand Gees down a straight cleared path for half a minute Jack ordered the ship turned around and they were again tunneling their way through the clouds but this time they would punch through directly behind the Spider ship with their guns already aimed and ready to destroy it. Though Jack had decided that using the crossed beam approach was just a little dangerous for such close quarters. Not wanting a repeat of trying to create a sun again he had even restricted to shooting the Godguns one at a time over four seconds targeting the forward command section of the hull with the 16(8)s as well as the 5(3) concentrating on the weapons and engines for the first few shots. Once they were put out of commission they could concentrate on the ship's hull at their leisure.

"15 minutes to clear area and target Captain." The Navigator said.

"All weapons on line and ready. Targeting loaded and ready." The Weapons Officer reported.

As Ships status reports continued to come in, Jack's mind started wondering. Tapping his comm. "Pan, any progress on those plasma pipe generators?"

"We have finished installing generators for all the weapons but have not been able to do any additional tests Captain. We have checked and tuned everything we could think of with all 23 variances on the control programing we have come up with to try once we are able to us power."

"Ok. I though you said you were running power up to the shield coils. Power them up with your new generator."

"My apologies Captain, we must wait for the next time we can shut the plasma system down. We did not have time the short time we were stopped in the clear before the attack commenced."

"My fault Pan, I ordered the attack as soon as it was possible. Though I could have waited a few minutes if you had told me of the need.” Taking a deep breath and slapping Pan on her back. “Relax, we will have plenty of time once we take out the Spider Battle cruiser. With what you have accomplished already we should be able to slag the ship in only a few minutes after catching it by surprise with its guns aimed forward around the shield."

Pans whole body turned sad as her face became hard as a rock. "Yes, we will morn our family comrades held aboard the God ship Excrementine at their passing. Many of our families have been split up to crew that ship. The God Captain takes considerable pleasure in killing his crewmen for sport and then buying new crew from fat crewed ships. Our family was just his last acquisition. My children amongst them."

Jack suddenly stared at Pan as his mouth opened. "Godstar, I am so sorry Pan. I did not know."

Pan bowed. "There was no way you could know and we would rather their deaths come from us than at the torturing hands of that sadistic God monster. They would have died anyway in a few years." Do not pain at their deaths. We shall see them again on your human’s Godstar."

Jack did not know what to say to that so he said nothing as they watched the time tick by as they waited. Painfully slow as they waited. Jack forcing himself to sit relaxed even though he felt anything but.

"Captain, plot, 5 minutes from clear area attack point."

"Captain! Target Charley has changed course. They are cutting through a narrow section of cloud to a clear area that will intercept the squadron 5 minutes after they clear the cloud. Trying to calculate how long it will take them to get through the cloud now sir." Tactical Officer was beside himself trying to hurry to give his Captain what he needed.

Jack studied the screen. "Damn, we are trapped in this damn tunnel for another 5 minutes." His fingers started running over the virtual board in front of him as he ran scenarios trying to attack the Spider Battle cruiser before it reached the squadron.

Jack's fingers stopped as he lowered his hands to the arm of his chair. Grimacing he took a deep breath shaking his head no. "Weapons, we will be firing the Godguns at extreme range inside the cloud when we transition into the clear area. Maybe we can get its attention away from the squadron. You should have time afterwards to recharge before we reach the target for the main attack. Use the 16(8)s for range shots and cloud atmosphere mapping to increase the probability of the Godguns hitting the target. Try to get it above 80% if you can but I can only give you 30 seconds to fire and then we have to start tunneling again."

Jack studied his screens again and then. "Number One. You are going to have to whip this ship around as soon as the Godguns fire and give us as much velocity as you can then whip us back around and start tunneling before we hit the cloud." Taking another deep breath. "Weapons, as soon as you fire the Godguns, you will have to start charging them with whatever power not needed elsewhere. We will fire at the Spider again as soon as they get recharged from inside the tunnel. We should be a lot closer by then and hopefully you will be able to hit it. All you have to do is slow it down so we can get to it before it reaches the transports. Fact is cross the beams now. The likely hood of the beams hitting the ship let alone the ship's core is slim and the beam explosion even if it misses just may impress the ass hole God Captain."

The Red Pepper streaked out into the cleared area with the First Officer having to use considerable thrust to stop them from hitting the other side of the cloud before he could turn the ship's ass to fire the God Gun at the Spider. Though the weapons Officer only needing one gun shot at a time to map the cloud he started shooting the 16(8)s as soon as they were out of the cloud and was very happy when he finally hit the key to fire the Godguns in a single salvo. The Red Pepper was well into its new tunnel before the ships sensors told them that they had come close to hitting the Spider Battlecruiser by the shockwave bouncing off the enemies hull a mere millionth of a second after the crossed beam explosion. From what they could tell they had come damn close to the front shield deck of the Spider. Close enough to clean it off nice and polish it up with a good shine.

"Too bad we did not come that close to the back side. The battle could have been over." Tactical said to the Weapons Officer. "You will have to put your glasses on next time."

The Weapons Officer gave the Tactical Officer the finger with a smile.

"Nine minutes to intercept enemy Battle cruiser." The Plot Officer said.

"Three minutes until the enemy Spider Battle cruiser is within range of the squadron Captain." Came a dejected Tactical Officer. "They did not take the bait Captain. Weapons, you should have hit them damn it."

"Enough gentlemen. Weapons did as best as he could. A lot better than I had hopped."

"They definitely know we are here now Captain." The sensor Officer spoke up. "We are being scanned big time. The majority of their sensors in fact sir."

"Well then let's send out a full spread of active decoys and see what they think of that."

"Captain, do you want to set out passive decoys, chaff shields and activate Electronic Countermeasures.?"

"No. if they can't see us coming they can't be scared of us. Makes it a lot harder for them to ignore us. I want them to be scared of us. I am hoping they will think our active decoys are really ships."

Jack watched the Spider ship close with the squadron trying to think of what else they could do to stop or slow him up long enough to reach him.

"God Gun recharged Captain. Ready to fire." The Weapons Officer said.

"Enemy Spider has his shield deck toward us Captain. Our fire will be ineffectual unless we can get around the shield."

"Hold your fire Weapons. As long as he thinks we can fire at him he should maintain this aspect keeping him from powering toward the squadron."

"Ah, Captain. The Spider is still accelerating toward the squadron."

"Plot that is impossible. It has its shield deck pointed at us."

"Sorry Captain but my sensors tell me it is still accelerating and will be within gun range of the squadron in another minute."

"Captain, Science." Jack turned around to look at the Ensign. "I am reading definite signs of the black hole engines running but they are turned on their pylons thrusting the Battle cruiser to the side while it maintains the shield deck towards us."

"Captain, Tactical, Spider firing God guns at the squadron at long range through the cloud separating them."

"Squadron passing our exit point now. The enemy Spider will be passing it in another two minutes after rounding the corner. The Squadron will be caught in this long clear strait section for a full minute before we can exit and engage them sir. This section of cloud is simply too dense to fire through even at this range."

Jack watched the enemy Battle cruiser pass in front of them as it come around the corner with its shield facing them. Its Godguns flashed at the hapless transports as it continued down the clear area away from them with its shield still pointed at them.

"Hit on all three of the transports. One is tumbling."

"Thirty seconds to entering the clear Captain."

"Engineering, I want all ships power going to the stern Shields and Guns. Number one increase the power, I want a big enough tunnel to turn the ship and our weapons toward the enemy before we exit into the clear. Pan, if you can make those damn generators work now is the time. We are going to have to punch our way through the Spider ship Excrementine Shield decks to kill it and that means a lot of fast shots from your Godguns and not one every 3 minutes. We need your generators."

"Captain, Spider has extended its Godguns out around the shield decks."

"Ok Weapons, we are going to have about 5 seconds of firing time before they shove four beams up our assess. Make them count. Godguns cross beam inside the shield decks. All other guns and missiles aim for the Godguns. Good luck everyone." If he could have, Jack would have run and hid but there was no place to run or hide so he sat starring at the deadly Godguns suddenly tracking them through the cloud.

The end of the tunnel was cut out and the ship turned to face its enemy as they slid out into the clear. "Fire!" Jack said trying to keep his voice from breaking or squeaking or screaming incoherently.

Every gun smaller than the Godguns started sending streaks toward the enemy guns and sensors sticking out around the shield decks. A full 4 seconds later the Weapons officer tapped the firing key on his console and the Godguns sent their 4 beams into the center of the enemy's shield only 30 yards from each other where they intercepted deep inside the decks. The center of the deck exploded out in a large cone away from the deck expanding out in front of the Spider ship as well as sending a ring of debris out the sides of the sandwiched decks just as the Spider ship Excrementine fired its own Godguns.

The Spider's Godgun beams bracketed the Red Pepper down the four sides of the hull taking out the ends of several cooling/landing fins as they passed.

Jack just sat there in disbelief at still being alive as he checked the damage control board over his shoulder to make sure it was not just the bridge.

"Captain, the Godguns are already recharged. I think. Should I try firing them? It is way too soon."

Jack turned around and looked at his own weapons screen as his mouth dropped open at the sight of the charge bars at full capacity. He swallowed and then. "Hell yes! Fire already."

The Godguns fired and another enemy shield deck disappeared.

Suddenly Jack noticed that the 16(8)s were firing every second while the 5(3) were literally sending machinegun streaks into anything that stuck out beyond the shield deck which was not much as Jack took a close look. He could see the four Godguns sticking out around the shield but they looked strange as their muzzles were slowly being whittled away as peace's started flying out of the insides of the barrel tubes themselves.

The Red Peppers Godguns fired again taking out another armored deck leaving a large 500 foot donut hole down the center of the shields. Once the debris cloud expanded away Jack could see what looked like the top of a ship's deck with shuttles and fighters and…

The Godguns flashed again as Jack watch in slow motion as the beams that seemed to be spread a lot farther apart than before, disappeared down into the deck and suddenly an explosion reared back up through the donut hole flinging shuttles and fighters and whole sections of decks up through the armored shield toward him.

A second later a large piece of ship was sent tumbling out to one side of the shield decks with engines attached to the stern and pieces of guns hanging out from slivers of hull sticking up forward from what was left of the ship.

Every gun smaller than the Godguns concentrated on what was left of the Godguns and the still working engines hanging out away from the main hull. Most of the beams seamed to hit the engines or gun remnants though a few missed as the targets passed in front of what was left of the hull to blow large holes into the ship behind them.

Jack slapped at the big red cut off button on the arm of his chair and missed it. Having to look at it to hit it on his second attempt just as the Godguns finished recharging with the gunners sights in the middle of the tumbling wreckage.

Space was suddenly black again with a few fires around the inside of the huge donut and on the front of what remained of the Battleship. Jack took a deep breath and let it out. Took another and tapped his comm. "Pan, you want to call your kin and see if they want to surrender. I think we destroyed the ship all the way back to just above the slave decks. Hopefully we destroyed all the Ape decks as well."

It took a few minutes before Pan came back as Jack watched the wreckage for any signs of hostility. "Captain Turner. Except for a few guard Apes which they have taken care of they wish to surrender to your honorable sir. They have two assault shuttles that they have finished repairs. They can use them to bring the 1200 personnel that are left alive to speed things up before the fleet gets here."

"No Pan, we will send our shuttles over with a contingent of marines and Red Apes to check things out but you are welcome to go along to organize the transfer of personnel and anything else they need. We still have a few empty tanks left and at the rate your people are repairing the upper decks we should have plenty of room. Though the new shuttles will be helpful when we do start transferring personnel." Jack looked around the bridge and then at the screen with the squadron of transports not far away. "As soon as the shuttles are away we need to go and check on the squadron’s damaged transports. Give you some time to make arrangements." Taking a deep breath and stretching in his suit. “No sense in keeping these buttoned up for the moment. Exec, sound condition 3 and get the crew fed. We are looking at hours before the rest of their fleet get here and I need out of this suit for a while.” Jack was glad to see the air pressure already start to rise.

Jack spent the next 20 minutes making arrangements to evacuate yet another alien ship. "At least this time we don't have to take it deck by deck then run for our lives. You have the conn." He said to the Exec. As he got out of his chair and stretched without his suit on. "Let's get the Assault shuttles underway so we can take care of the transports." At the hatch Jack patted the Ensign on the shoulder. "I want you to go with the marines so you can look into the ship before they board. I don't want to lose anyone if…" (Captain leaving the bridge) Jack stared at the rating for a second. "If it turns out to be a trap." Jack gave the rating that made the announcement standing next to the hatch a dirty look as he left.

In the tank with the hull hatch open into the God Assault Shuttle Jack stopped the marine Commander with the Red Ape Gutner Dank. "You both make sure the Ensign makes it back here in one peace or don’t come back. She can see into the ship like we did before. Use and believe her if she says there is a problem." Jack took a deep breath shaking his head. "Priority are crewmen and then food, weapons and equipment if you don't think we have samples of it already." Thinking for a second. "Oh and raw materials such as the gas they are using to grow the crystal material to rebuild the ship and guns. Then there is that damn torpedo we have been dodging for the last week. Good luck and no risk taking period. The ship will be a good half hour away if something happens so make sure you don't stick your necks out and keep a secure base to work from. It is going to take us time to get back here to support you if anything happens. Keep the Transport boats at a safe distance until you are ready for them and then I only want one of them on the ship at a time and then only long enough to load and leave. Except for scouts, I don’t want you spreading your forces around. A scattered force is a dead force." After making them repeat the orders, Jack turned and left without looking back.

Jack walked back onto the bridge pointing at the rating at the hatch daring him to say anything. "I just left a couple minutes ago and now I am back already alright." Jack said in a low voice not wanting to disturb anyone from their work and headed for the Command chair with the Exec in it. Figuring he would rather stand for a few minutes and relaxing before he took over the conn again when they headed for the other transports.

A Lieutenant across the bridge turned around seeing Jack approaching the command chair with a cup of hot steaming tea in his hand blowing on it to cool it down to drink. The Lieutenant came to attention in his seat and practically yelled. “Captain on the bridge.”

The Executive officer jumped up colliding with Jack and his cup of hot tea splashing it all over the two of them and the consoles around them. Including down the back of the First Officer piloting the ship at the moment in his nice clean pressed fresh uniform after shucking his suit as well.

The ship did a spontaneous 360 degree roll in about a half second at full power as the First Officer jerked the stick to the side from the sudden unexpected pain running down his neck and back. Jack and the Exec went flying across the Bridge landing on top of different officers at their consoles as the grav-coils lagged a millionth of a second behind.

The First Officer grimaced as he quickly stabilized the ship as he arched his back trying to keep the hot whatever it was soaking the back of his uniform from touching his already burnt back.

Jack and the Exec. Picked themselves up off the consoles and deck.

“Comm. Casualty reports. ASAP. Turning and seeing that the First Officer seemed to be alright. “Number One, are you Ok?”

“More surprised than anything and wet sir.”

“Well, you can go change when the First Officer returns. Turn the helm over to the navigator.”

“Captain, a few crewmen shaken up along the core but the crew outside the core did not even feel the roll.”

“Figures, more coils that were not tuned right.”

It took another 20 minutes before the assault Shuttles were ready. Jack using that time to change uniforms again and get the bridge cleaned back up as well as another cup of tea. This time not saying or looking at the rating at the hatch when “Captain on the Bridge.” Was announced.

"Captain, Assault Shuttles away. Transports launching in one minute."

"Very well boat control. Exec, I want the Port section gun crews at their mounts just in case they run into any surprises. Rotate sections in a half hour."

"Captain, Comm, the Squadron Commander is on the line."

"This is Captain Turner, Commodore. My ship will be in your area in a half hour to assist in rescue operations. What are your orders sir?"

"Very good shooting Captain. I did not believe it was possible but you got lucky. Too bad you did not show up earlier. We are abandoning all three ships Captain Turner. You will pick us up for transport to The Rock."

"Ah... What? Commodore, tie me in with your command channel. I need all three ships conditions to plan transfer operations."

The Commodore turned away from the screen for a few seconds and then information started flooding in. He turned back. "Captain Turner, we have 5 boats left amongst the squadron to use as shuttles between our ships and you to speed things up."

Jack studied the information and got a shock. He was expecting three ships that were mostly hulks. Instead he was seeing two ships that were hardly damaged and only one complete wreck. "Commodore, two of your transports still have a working engine with only relatively minor damage to most of their systems including life support even though you have been holed through and through half your cargo decks."

"That does not mater Captain. We cannot out run the enemy fleet rapidly approaching and you can. I don't know how you manage to travel so fast in this cloud soup but you will take us aboard and get us to safety."

Jack could not believe his ears. Shaking his head with a frown he took a deep breath and finally said. "No Commodore. You still have two ships that can navigate and in this cloud one engine is more power than you can use with the limited velocities our ships can do. You will use your boats to strip the hulk." Jack studied the map of the clear surveyed rout through the nebula clouds. "Commodore, I am going to punch you a way through this maze of clouds to a relative strait highway beyond. It will cut 7 hours off the time it would take you to make the same distance where you will be able to out run the enemy fleet. It will take me about an hour to return while you are rescuing the crew and striping the hulk. Then I will run back and rescue the transport crew that you left in your wake and then join you later. Are there any questions Commodore?"

"No Captain. I am ordering you to pick up my crews from these ships and leave. The ship we had to leave behind is just a casualty of war."

"Sorry Commodore but I don't see it that way. I will make sure that your two ships can escape but we are going back for that crew. That is unless you want me to go back first but that may take a couple hours and then I will still have to punch a hole through the maze giving the enemy fleet time they may be able to use to follow and catch you." Jack looked at the shocked Commodore for several seconds as his mouth opened and closed. "Take plan A Commodore." Jack cut the connection.

"Comm, get me the Ensign and the Marine Commander." Tapping the comm on his chair's arm. Boat lock control, prepare as many boats as you can find pilots for, for launch in 5. They will be needed to transfer cargo from the transport hulk to the other two transports to speed things up and then they can go over to the enemy hulk and start loading for when we return." Jack started plotting a course on the navigation screen.

"Captain, the Marine Commander and Ensign."

Smiling as the Ensign came on the line. "Sorry but there is going to be a delay before we can start transferring cargo and we are not going to be around close for at least an hour so be careful over there. I am having to drill an escape route through the maze. I am launching all the ship’s other boats that we can to help here and later for you and we will be back as soon as possible."

"Don’t' worry Captain, we have things well in hand over here even though the two Assault Shuttles docked only minutes ago. We have already taken most of the ship including the Auxiliary Bridge below the fusion cores so we have control of all the ship’s internal sensors. We have also found plenty of boat sized storage containers that we can pack while you are gone for fast easy transfer when you return."

"Very good Commander. Especially with the Auxiliary Bridge. Make sure you strip it of everything you can cut out. The Comm equipment, navigation logs and maps are priceless. Captain out." Jack let a smile escape his lips briefly. "Number One, as soon as the boats are away you will have some fancy maneuvering to do. Take a look at the plot and if you want, I will do it." Jack tapped the comm again and started issuing orders getting the ship ready for drilling the longest tunnel they had yet attempted.

As soon as the last boat was away the Red Pepper slid up next to the squadron and then powered back down the long stretch of clear area and plunged into the cloud going back toward open space and the closing enemy fleet. They punched a hole thousands of miles long ending in the middle of a thick cloud where the ship finally stopped already pointing in the direction they wanted to go back through the tunnel.

Jack looked at the screens around him as the tunnel they had just drilled stretched out ahead of them through the cloud. "Ok Number One. Give it all she has."

The First Officer eased the throttles forward to their maximum stops as the Red Pepper quickly accelerated up to 1200 Gees rapidly gaining velocity down the open tunnel as the ships guns flashed at intruding rocks and debris.

The ship zipped through the clear area flashing past the Spider hulk and the squadron and then the Red Pepper suddenly turned tail to and started punching another tunnel through the clouds. This time away from the enemy fleet still hours away and slowing down trying to catch them.

For twenty minutes Jack sat back trying to look and act like a Captain even though he wanted to get up and run around the bridge just to get rid of the energy boiling up in him. Instead he settled for ordering tea and a snack. Finely having time to enjoy being out of his suit. He always felt like he was in an open field on some planet breathing in the best fresh air in the universe each time he got out of his suit after a long stay closed up. The fact that it was still the same canned ship's air as always did not matter.

"Captain, Engineering, the hull temp is up to 4,000 degrees and with 20% of the cooling fins missing and another 10% damaged, equipment and cabin temps are going up faster than we predicted."

Jack looked at the navigation screen. They were still 10 minutes from entering the clear. "We already have shut down every heat source not needed. What do you want to do Chief?"

"We are going to have to start shutting down some of the essential equipment. We can shut down the old generators. They produce 10 times the heat as the new plasma generators. Fact is Captain the plasma generators are even 10 times more efficient than the old radiation and thermal cell generators."

"The plasma generators are brand new tech Chief, we have only been using them for a few minutes now. You sure you want to shut down the cell generators. We don't know yet what can go wrong or the possible draw backs they may have."

"The Engines are still on cell generators using the fusion cores as their energy sources. We face little risk from most possible failures with the cell generators still on standby in case they are needed Captain. But you should see the plans for the new fusion generators we and the aliens have come up with. They are smaller and will produce twice the power using coils around the case with a spinning fusion core like the old mechanical spinning magnet generators used thousands of years ago. Fact is as soon as we have time to shut down one of the engines for a while I would like your permission to convert our main engine fusion cores by stripping off the cells and adding the new super conducting coils to both start spinning the core and tap power off of it. The power output possible could double our Gees again."

"Well now Chief. Aren’t you forgetting something like the deck grav coils? They are at their max now. I don't think we could double up on the Gees again without changing them as well."

"Oh yes. I will have to give that some thought but I would still like to convert at least one engines Core to test the principle Captain."

"That we can do when we have the time. For now just start shutting down the Cell Generators and keep a close eye on the new Plasma Coil Generators and switch back at the first sign of trouble." Jack continued starring at the Nav screen for another few seconds and turned to the navigator. "I want you to plot a course through that next short cloud past the last switchback clearing that takes off at an angle. If we can add enough velocity to the velocity we will still have exiting this cloud while changing course in that short clear area before hitting the next cloud, we can add another hour to the squadrons distance from the enemy fleet in only a few minutes."

The Red Pepper raced out of the cloud and thrusting at 1200 Gees it changed course while adding just enough velocity before it entered the cloud band on the other side of the clearing to take it through the cloud to the next clear passage heading deeper into the cloud and safety. Upon reaching the end Jack turned the ship around and proceeded back through the tunnels vacuum getting up close to the speed of light. They came back out next to the squadron exactly an hour after they had left.

"Commander, put your ship with the best guns in the lead to take out rocks that stray into the tunnel and punch it. The tunnel has a damn good vacuum in it and you should make good time even with one engine. Your trailing ship can cross a couple of its main gun beams just to one side of the tunnel to collapse the tunnels entrance making it hard for the enemy to find even if they make it this far."

The two ships that was all that was left of the squadron edged up to the tunnels entrance. "Captain Turner. You have got to be kidding. I can't take my ships into that and half the directions you sent over do not make any sense. Besides that tunnel could collapse and squish my ships or leave us stranded half way between clear areas. No I will not. You will take me and my crews aboard your ship and get us out of here now. And that is an order. Besides we split the hulks crew between us and it has gotten damn crowded and I do not want to spend the next couple of weeks pushing through to the check point as crowded as this ship is."

"Sorry Commander for your inconvenience with a hundred or so extra crewmen but I have about 4,000 crewmen and alien refugees aboard now with another 1200 to pick up from the hulk I just killed and yet another transport's surviving crew to pick up half way back toward the enemy fleet so quit being such a baby." Jack smiled at the Commander. “I was not attached to your little squadron so I do have a choice though I can tell you that I would still have told you to stuff it if the Admiral had attached me to you. You did a nice job retrieving the hulks surviving crew and making repairs on your two ships. Now take your ships down that tunnel to safety or stay here until the Spiders catch and kill you. I don't care. I have done my duty to you and your squadron. The decision is up to you. Now I have duty and work to do elsewhere. Goodbye Commodore and good luck. Captain Turner out."

The Red Pepper slid up a few miles from the Spider hulk and the two big transports backed up to an open tank hatch and started shoving large roughly 40 foot long by 8 foot wide and tall containers out their back hatches into the ships old reaction mass tanks which took less than a minute and then rushed back to the hulk for another load. A minute to make the trip and dock, a minute to reload and another minute to return and every 4 minutes another load of cargo containers were dumped into the ship by each of the two human piloted transports not worried about making a few bangs or dents. The Red Peppers large Assault Shuttles and the hulks 2 Assault Shuttles took a little longer to make their round trips to dump their containers into tanks with the alien pilots at their helms.

Jack walked out into the bird cage of the 2nd mess and sat down eating while he watched the boats shuttling between the ship and the hulk. It had been an hour and they were still going strong. Shaking his head. Things were going to get damn crowded real soon. Most of the tanks had been covered by Geebunks. Now the tanks were quickly filling with cargo, he had no clue as to where to put the Geebunks.

Pan walked up to Jack's table with a smaller pair of carbon copies beside her. She bowed. "Captain Turner I would like to introduce you to my children. Ban and Leep." She pointed first to the young girl and then the young boy. "I hold you personally responsible for rescuing them and pledge my family's lives to you Captain." She and the children bowed almost to the deck then turned and started to leave.

"Pan, I am glad and honored to meet your kids. Please join me for a few minutes and explain what is going on with the crew and the hulk and all the cargo."

Pan dismissed her kids and sat down across from Jack. "Captain, you know why or you would not have allowed the ship to stay so long with the Godfleet rushing in and one of your transports still needing rescued. Your real questions are what cargo and how long until we are done." Pan looked over at the hulk as another transport left it to be replaced by a shuttle. "My answer is that the more we take from this hulk the easier and more likely humans are to win and survive and of course all us aliens along with our new found freedoms." Pan bowed her head briefly. "How much time do you need to rescue your transport's crew Captain? How long can you give my people to strip the hulk Captain?"

"Well now. If it is that important why not simply repair the engines and fly it out of here Pan?"

"Your gunners are very good at hitting their targets Captain. The engines are scrap." Looking at Jack she frowned copying one of Jacks expressions as best as she could. "Even if they were not scrap, taking the whole ship or what is left of it is not a good idea. The Gods go to great lengths to keep their ships from falling into enemy hands. It is impossible to find all the traps they have built into their ships over 10,000 years. If nothing else but a simple trip that detonates the fusion cores in the middle of an enemy base or a beacon that allows them to find your main ship yards when you try to strip the hulk and without your shipyards you lose. There are many ways to lose a war other than taking on the enemy Battleship Wall."

"Well then Pan. I can give you 3 more hours or we risk not getting the transport crew out." Jack looked at Pan waiting for a request for more time but Pan just looked at Jack as Jack looked at her and waited.

Finally Pan spoke. "Thank you Captain. We will get most of what we need in that time period."

Expecting a good old human negotiation for more time. "Good, but what do you mean most. What would you get if I give you say, another hour?"

Pan looked at Jack for a few seconds and then. "Some equipment takes time to disconnect without damaging it. We are also using as much time as we can to produce materials in the ships factory."

Jacks eyes got big. "That hulk has some kind of factory aboard it? Screw the materials. Take the damn factory if it will fit in the ship Pan."

"My apologies Captain but it would take at least 10 hours to get the basics and days to strip all the equipment that makes up the factory though the standard cargo box sized modules would only take up most of the tanks on a couple of decks."

"Ok… What exactly does the factory make Pan?"

"Amongst other things, it produces the gas we use to create the crystal armored structures that repair the ship's hull and decks and upgraded your guns. It also produces the Ape combat blast guns along with their power packs and a lot more. It also produces most of the consumables and replacement parts the ship uses. Fact is Captain, the factory is the only major piece of equipment that has constantly been upgraded since the ship was built thousands of years ago."

"Ok... Show me what you are talking about on that pad of yours. The factory equipment and some of the processes. "

Pan pulled out her pad and laid it down on the table then tapped the face and a three dimensional picture of the factory's modules materialized over the table. "The Factory consists of many interconnected modules responsible for specific areas of production. From chemical to machining." Pan continued to run down what the different modules did as well as their processes as they appeared above the table.

Finally Jack held up his hand shaking his head no. "Damn! I have several degrees in manufacturing processes and half of what you are showing me looks to be a good thousand years in advance of anything we have outside the lab." Jack stood up and walked over to the ports as a transport flew past headed for the hulk again. "Pan, I want you to put together a volunteer crew to stay on the hulk after we leave in 3 hours and finish disassembling the factory for us to come back later to pick up." Turning back to Pan. "I also need you to gather a cross section of all the God technology and load it into two of the Assault Shuttles with volunteers that can explain the technology to human engineers. I am going to send them to catch up to the transports already leaving so at least some of this gets to The Rock to be used. We need to launch the Assault Shuttles as soon as possible in order to catch them. I will be on the bridge making arrangements for them to be picked up." Jack walked out leaving half his food still on the plate. Pan scribbling and talking to her pad still sitting at the table for another Quarter hour.

The Commodore was happy when Jack commed him. “Captain Turner, your tunnel worked great. I cannot believe we made so much distance in such a short time. We are getting ready to enter the next tunnel as soon as the hulls cool down."

"Good to hear that Commodore but I need you to hold your position so a pair of boats can catch up to you. They will know were the entrance to the tunnel you closed up is and be able to use it. I am sending you a sample of as much of the alien technology as we can get on board the boats." The Commodore's mouth dropped open again. "We have run across a factory aboard the alien hulk that is a thousand years ahead of anything we have. It is going to take at least 10 hours to pull it out. I am relying on you to get the samples of what we have found so far to The Rock just in case we don't make it out before that damn enemy fleet catches us."

"No Captain. I am not waiting around here for anyone, especially a bunch of junk."

"Commodore, thousands of people have paid with their lives for what you call junk. This junk represents technology that can save the Republic and the human race by giving us the weapons to defeat the God Battleships. I am giving you orders in the name of Admiral Halsey to wait and take this junk to The Rock. I am also sending copies of that order to The Rock and the Admiral in multiple message torpedoes. If you show up without this junk you will face being executed for treason as well as costing the human race the war and extinction if my ship fails to survive."

"How dare you threaten me you little shit? I will have your...”

"You will have nothing if you fail to wait for these Spider Assault boats that will simply clamp onto the outside of your hull since they are too big to get into your locks. The boats themselves are examples of a lot of advanced technology. You will also treat the alien engineers and experts I am sending with them as respected guests and not simply throw them in cells. The Red Apes and Marines I am sending with them will insure that. They can lay waist to your whole ship if you try shitting on my people. The boats should be with you in less than an hour. Even if they are late, you will wait for them Commodore. Besides, they will have kits to upgrade your guns during your trip to The Rock amongst other things just in case something gets past me."

"I do not have to listen to any orders from you. I out rank you moron."

"Well then let me just say this. You don't pick them up leaving them stranded to starve and die and I will kill you myself if I survive."

"Up yours Captain but I will wait an hour. Out."

Jack turned from the blank screen and headed for one of the tanks Pan was using to collect the items they were sending.

33-

HIDE AND KILL

Jack sat studying the tactical screen showing the maze of clear passageways running around the hundreds of connected clouds forming the edges of the nebula in that area. Most of the passageways led to dead ends or back onto themselves. The Spider fleet was in the process of trying to fallow the squadron back through the maze to the one passageway that would allow them to catch up to the squadron and even find the check point. Jack had gone out of his way to confuse the process by spending a couple of hours sending the Red Pepper and the ship's boats around the passageways in a calculated pattern to confuse the Spiders. He watched the Spider fleet spread itself out around the maze following his trails with some satisfaction.

One squadron of 3 Spider Battle cruisers Jack was keeping a close watch on worked their way around the bend of passageway with a short slit running back away from the bend into a thick cloud. Jack had planted a beacon farther around the bend to get their attention after they made the corner.

Jack smiled as the 3 Spiders spotted the beacon and stopped to look it over. "Number One, half ahead and get us out of this cloud. Weapons, prepare to fire on my command. Target the trailing ship first then split the guns on the other two at my command.

The Red Pepper flew out of the split between two clouds into full view of the enemy. "Fire all guns!"

The ship bringing up the rear in the Spider Command ship position disintegrated behind its still perfectly intact shield as every enhanced gun on the Red Pepper pummeled the hapless Spider Battle Cruiser. The guns and engines flying off in all directions.

"Weapons, Re-task the guns." The Red Pepper sailed out into the clear as both remaining Spiders started to disintegrate behind their shields. The four36 (27)s firing every 5 seconds, the twelve 16(8)s firing like the 5(3) had been firing at twice a second, while the 5(3)s looked like machine guns. The 3(2) quads just added to the bedlam firing so fast you could not tell there was a gap between shots with the naked eye.

The portside Spider was able to launch a spread of the huge ship killing torpedoes before it died that immediately targeted the Red Pepper and without a pause streaked toward it. The Quad 3(2)s already firing sending quad streams at the monsters baring down from point blank range. The 18 mounts able to target the 12 torpedoes, started taking them on before they had traveled a mile from their launching ship. Each gun had a separate torpedo targeted with the closer ones in line each getting one of the extra mounts. Not one of the still accelerating torpedo’s survived past 5 miles from the launching ship.

A minute after retargeting the guns Jack whistled then. "Number One, come about and make for target trap Charley." The ship whipped around and the engines roared sending the ship streaking down the clear passageway to disappear into a cloud bank. The guns firing until it entered the cloud and then a second later a pair of guns fired one last time crossing their beams next to the tunnel entrance the ship had carved sending cloud matter sealing up the tunnel again like it had never been there.

The ship slid to a halt inside a tunnel bored hours before far short of the corner Jack had already set up as a trap and then started slowly forward out of the end of the tunnel into the cloud. Using the cloud mater to cool the ship's hull as they slowly slid forward toward the point Jack had picked to hide at next to a big moon sized rock that happened to be there. The enemy Spiders still 10 minutes away, the Red Pepper came to a stop. "Attention, this is Captain Turner. Cool running. Shut down all none essential systems, stand by weapons and engines. Enemy 10 minutes away."

Again the Spider squadron slid up around the bend and then another decoy came to life on down the passageway. Jack studied the sensors a second time and started hitting keys trying to get a better look through the clouds. "Damn. The trailing ship is turned around with its shield pointing back at us. Damn the engines on those pylons being able to point any direction they needed." Shaking his head sadly. "Stand down weapons. Number One we will be getting out of here as soon as they finish going around the next corner out of sight." The lead ship fired its guns taking out the decoy as it slipped around the corner. The other Spider ships followed shortly after.

The Red Pepper slid out into the corner, turned and shot down the passageway to disappear into a cloud as the rear Spider rushed back around the corner after detecting something. Its guns ready. It sat there for 5 minutes trying to figure out what had set off its alarms but finding nothing it returned to the squadron.

Again the Red Pepper sat just down from a corner in the fold of 2 clouds as a squadron of 2 ships slid past and then at point blank range sent half its guns up the asses of each of them before racing off to another preset trap. The hundreds of torpedoes left over set up as mines acting now as recon torpedoes under the Red Peppers control keeping Jack informed of the fleets every move.

For hours Jack slowly whittled the fleet down until only 6 ships remained. Five Battlecruisers were now clustered around the 10 deck, 12 Godguned fleet Command Battleship. Three of the Battlecruisers were the squadron Jack had let pass when he found the trailing ship had its shield and weapons pointed right at him. Kicking himself for not attacking then even if it had been under the guns. But then he told himself, under another enemy commander he could be facing 9 or 10 Battlecruisers along with the Command Battleship. Another commander may not have spread his fleet out so far not allowing him to pick the squadrons off even after they started to regroup. Jack silently thanked the enemy commander for allowing him to only be facing the recombined closely grouped fleet's six ships that was slowly making its way up the center of the maze. Though to Jack's consternation, somehow it was managing to follow the transport squadrons trail in spite of all the false leads Jack had laid.

Jack stopped the ship sort of another corner and waited for the fleet to slowly make its way past and into a bubble this time instead of just another passageway. The Spider ships spread out, trying to cover the entire bubble looking for clues of tell tail remnants of ships gone by. Jack was expecting the tailing ship he had designated target Frick (simply because it was such a pain in the ass) to again have its shield decks and guns reversed protecting the squadrons back side and was not disappointed. He watched the Command ship sail through the center of the bubble with its ass toward him providing a wonderfully juicy target but the damn rear guard ship (Frick) had its shields decks and guns pointed close enough at them to make it suicidal to fire. Shaking his head Jack kept trying to talk himself into firing anyway. Finally the outrider ships headed back from checking the surrounding dead ends as the two lead ships started up one of the smaller shafts (that the transports had taken), followed by the Command ship. Then the Spider ship (Frick) that Jack had started to believe could not fly right with its guns and decks facing the rear, turned its armored deck and guns around forward to follow close behind the Command ship, leaving the two remaining ships to bring up the rear. The Battlecruiser (Frick) followed to close to leave the clear shot at the Command ship Jack would have preferred but at least he could take out the pain in his butt and maybe if they got lucky even the Command ship.

"Number One, Quarter forward 15 seconds then reverse, stop and be ready to run. Weapons, take out target Frick with the 16(8)s and the Command ship with the mains crossed in pairs if you can. I think we should see enough of it as it is going around the corner if it stays behind the leads. Be ready to split the 16(8)s onto the other targets Lima and Mama approaching from the sides if we get time." Jack thought for a second and smiled. "You can target the 5(3)s on the side to, Lima and Mama so they don't feel left out. Should be interesting to see what they can do on their own."

The ship came to a stop peaking around the corner a ways down the passageway the enemy fleet had entered through a half hour before, tail toward the fleet entering the passageway on the other side of the bubble from them. "Weapons, fire. Decoys full spread now."

The 16(8) beams poured into target Frick as the 5(3)s targeted the side ships making their way to rejoin the fleet. The Weapons Officer held his finger above the firing key for the Godguns waiting for the best shot at the Command ship as target Frick slowly disintegrated in front of the Command ship but with its intact shields providing protection for the Command ship.

The ships on the flanks taking a pummeling from the 5(3)s into their sides, fired torpedoes as they seemed to be searching for targets around their side of the bubble. Their guns slowly waving randomly around that side before finally started to turn toward the incoming fire across the bubble. The enemy’s monster torpedoes making wide meandering rings as they worked their way down the bubble looking for the Red Pepper as the Quad 3(2)s started destroying them. One by one the survivors started finding and targeting the ship. Usually just before they died. Another wave of torpedoes was launched from every ship in the bubble with several of the 5(3)s targeting the launchers on the sides of the spider ships, destroying many as they came out the armored tubes before taking out the tubes now that they knew where they were.

"Weapons, Retarget the 16-8s on Lima and Mama." Jack said wondering why the Weapons officer had not fired the main Godguns yet as he watched the targeting blip of the big Godguns move from the weapons section that was still hidden to the shield decks sticking out the side as the ship already turning to go around the corner, continued to turn to face its shields toward the enemy attacking them. The Red Pepper.

The Godguns suddenly fired hitting the Command ships shield decks from the side just forward of the still hidden weapons section. The 4 beams crossed at the edge of the shield decks and the resulting explosion blew a huge section out of the side of the shield decks forward of the Weapons section knocking the ship around into a spin.

The 16(8)s started hitting the two ships coming in from the sides just as their guns finally got close to lining up on the Red Pepper. Jack shaking his head said. "Go!" The ship seemed to disappear from sight as the engines kicked in sending it back into the cloud long before the first enemy shot streaked in their general direction. A hand full of torpedoes chasing behind them as the 5(3) joined in helping to take them out.

Jack studied the feed from the recon missiles they had launched around the bubble long before they left. He could tell that target Frick was definitely dead while the two ships to the sides that were rejoining the fleet looked heavily damaged but still operational while the Command Ship only had a large chunk knocked out of its shield decks forward of the weapons section as it regained control and came back out into the bubble looking for a target. Shaking his head mad at himself for calling for retreat several seconds too soon. They could have gotten another good dozen shot off with the 16(8)s that just may have been enough to take Lima and Mama out. If the spiders had given them time which he could not be certain of.

The Ensign tapped their private line. "And another few seconds would have allowed them to hit us with at least one shot by either of those Battlecruisers or even the Battleship that would have killed hundreds if not thousands aboard ship. Quit second guessing yourself Jack."

"How the hell did you know what I was thinking?"

"I know you and your expressions. I know exactly what you were thinking. I just did not have to wait for you to tell me later after you had built up a hate for yourself or done something stupid in our next encounter in an hour or so like jumping out and daring them to kill us while you take your time to make sure you killed something. Fact is, it is time to take a break. Let's go and rescue the trapped transport before this enemy follows their tracks to them."

"Ok. It has been a long day. Time for a break. Nav, plot us a course around these ass holes to the passageway outside the lost transports' tunnel. Exec, get the two Assault shuttles ready to jump down that tunnel and retrieve the crew. That is an unusually dense section of cloud and I don't want to take the ship down it with our cooling fins already damaged." Tapping the ship wide comm. "Your attention please, we are going to take an hour’s break. Set condition 2. Rotate all crews into the core to get out of their suits for a while and a hot meal. Port section first. We are going to rescue the stranded crew of the Cinnamon."

The Red Pepper made its way tunneling to a passageway far ahead of the enemy fleet and then ran up the passageways and tunnels made hours before and slid up to the mouth of the small tunnel made by the supposedly doomed transport's hull as it slowed down melting the ships stern off. Jack wondered at first if the shuttles could make it up such a small tunnel that was only a little over 300 ft. across, size of the battle transports hull.

"Well I suppose we should see if anyone is alive up there still before I worry about sending a shuttle up it." Comm, see if you can raise the hulk."

The Comm Officer started calling the transport. After 5 minutes Jack was about to give up as he debated if he should send a boat up anyway just in case their comm was out with someone still alive trapped.

"Red Pepper, where are you at?"

Jack smiled. "Just outside your tunnel. I watched you make it as your engine section destroy itself. I am sorry for your losses but impressed. I am sending a pair of shuttles to pick you up. How many survivors and do you need medical help?"

"Thanks Red Pepper, I pulled the crew out of the engineering section knowing that would be the Spider's primary target and all of my crew is alive with none critical. Fact is except for engineering and half then tank decks, the ship is still in good shape. We will be waiting for your boats."

Jack sent the shuttles up the tunnel and sat back relaxing. His helmet sitting behind the chair, studying the tactical screen. Watching the Spider fleet making its way up the maze of passageways. Winding their way around clouds slowly getting closer to them but still hours away. Plenty of time to finish retrieving the crew. He started running plans through his mind to pick the remaining ships off as they made their way through the maze.

Estimating how far the fleet would work its way up the maze Jack picked a spot where several passageways met creating an intersection with 7 fingers taking off in as many directions. Jack smiled and started planning the trap to end all traps. Zeroing in on that section. A half hour later he had plans on top of plans that put doom to what was left of the enemy fleet. He would punch holes between most of the fingers allowing him to get behind their shields no matter what direction they faced or where they were. They simply did not have enough ships to cover all the fingers with a shield. He was starting to believe he would have some fun taking out the last of the fleet, especially the Battleship. Thinking he just may hit it hard from one direction taking out its engines and some of its guns. Then running around to get it from a different direction to take more of its guns and engines out.

"Captain, ah, you need to see this." The Ensign little more than whispered.

"Yes just a minute. Let me finish this...” Jack was having all too much fun planning to have fun.

"Captain, tactical, the enemy fleet is in one of our tunnels approaching fast."

"What?" Jack zoomed the main screen out to show the Spider fleet. Or what the system thought the Spider fleet was from long range scanners since Jack had not deployed any recon missiles into any of the tunnels including the one the Spider fleet seemed to be in. "Damn, recon, get me something into that tunnel now. Got to have something close to it to send in."

Jack studied the tunnel and the area around it. They were only some 15 minutes away once they came out of that tunnel depending on which way they went in the clear passageways and by the looks of it the lead ship was only some 5 minutes from exiting the tunnel with traces of ships spread out as far as 10 minutes behind that.

"Battle stations." Jack said. "Comm, tell the boats we will come back for them if we survive. If not they are to grab the spider hulk crew and make a run for home through the heart of the cloud. Number One, get us here as fast as you can." Jack tapped a point on the tactical screens down the passageway from the exit point of the tunnel. The First Office slammed the throttles to the stops and the ship raced down the passageways spending most of its time at 1200 gees. "Weapons, prepare to fire everything on my command at your best targets of opportunity. Your gunners should know by now what to shoot at without being told."

Tapping the ship wide comm. "Your attention please. This is the Captain. The Spiders have discovered one of the tunnels we used to take a short cut past the maze and are only minutes from here. We are now going to intercept them. Hopefully we can use the fact that they are now stretched out along the tunnel instead of bunched up into a defensive group. Do your jobs well and with Godstar's help we will put an end to this fleet blockading The Rock once and for all. Captain out."

The ship screamed around turns in the passageway while punching through some corners and clouds instead of doing S turns or going around switch backs. The ship flew around the final turn as the Spider popped out into the passageway, side on toward them. Its shield still white hot around the edges from hitting the sides of the tunnel.

"Shoot!" Jack said trying to keep his voice calm.

Every gun fired into the side of the Spider behind the shield decks raking the weapons and engineering hull from one end to the other. The 16(8)s crossing the beams from each of the twin gunned turrets deep inside the ship along with pairs of Godguns. The explosions blowing huge chunks out of the ship or making the outer hull bulge depending on how deep the crossed beams met. Some turrets having to walk their crossed beams into the ship when they met too soon. It did not take long for the 5(3)s twin gunned turrets to start using the targeting app to do the same on the Spiders guns and engines, blowing holes into the thick armored sides with their machinegun beams digging through with strings of salvo's into the guts of the engines and Godguns or raking the main hull blowing self-defense turrets clear off or adding to the carnage inside the hull.

The Spider ship had slowed down exiting the tunnel but its momentum carried it across the passageway and into the cloud bank on the other side after a good 15 seconds. The hull wracked with explosion from stem to stern even after the guns could no longer target the hulk. Ships sensors registering the explosions and fires as the hulk drifted deeper into the cloud apparently dead.

"Very well. Number One, you can stop this crate now. Gunners on your toes, auto target and auto fire. We do not have the half second it will take for you to pull your triggers to waste." Jack watched a Spider Icon appear just down the tunnel rapidly approaching the passageway. The Battlecruisers engines slowing it down tail first by the looks of the vague image he was seeing. "Now." He said without getting time to take a breath.

The Spider ship backed out with its engines blazing. Its lines of black holes reaching back hundreds of feet from its engines before they winked out releasing what energy they had absorbed in an explosion of light.

The Red Peppers guns started firing on auto before the Spider was even in sight. The guns carving a trench into the clouds wall into the tunnel before it emerged into sight. The engines on the targeted side suddenly stopped working as they were knocked out by direct hits and with the engines on the other side still running the ship tumbled presenting the shield decks for the guns to rake taking huge chunks out until the weapons and engineering section again presented itself to the massive firepower pouring into it. Knocking out the last running engine as soon as it peeked around the shield decks before the gun shots again concentrated on the main engineering hull and worked up to the weapons section. Only again to concentrate on the engineering section as it tumbled shielding the front until the weapons section again presented itself for the massive volume of destruction as the Godguns crossed beams entered the forward command and weapons section to detonate blowing large chunks out the hull's sides.

The Spider tumble out of the passageway following its brother Spider. Chunks of hull, engines and guns parting company as explosions continued blowing holes out the side of the hull long after it diapered from sight.

"Number One, take us up over the tunnel to that crevasse in the overhead now."

The Red Pepper accelerated up toward the tall vaulted overhead of the passageway where the two clouds paralleled each other for a ways as they formed the long section of passageway. Jack could see indication from the long range scanners of something that seemed to be accelerating toward the passageway down the tunnel instead of slowing down. Intermittent heat sources and engine energy readings masked by the clouds. "Present guns." Is all Jack had time to say before the Spider Command ship stormed out of the tunnel. The First Officer managing to get the Red Pepper turned to aim its main Godguns after the enemy was already half way across the passageway, accelerating and headed for the safety of the cloud bank at speed with its 10 decks serving to protect it from hitting the cloud at such a high velocity.

The Red Pepper's 16(8) turrets on that side managed to target the Command ship as it came out of the tunnel. Their auto targeting systems doing what no man could do in the fraction of a second they had to target the Spider Command Battleship before it even emerged from the tunnel. Their fire raking the shield decks before the Weapons and Engineering section was detectable behind the much larger armored decks. Still, each of them were only able to put a dozen rounds into the Spiders hull before it disappeared into the cloud on the other side of the passageway while the Godguns had only time for one shot each as the rest of the 16(8)s joined in for a few extra hits each.

Still the God Command Battleship suffered damage as the now perfectly tuned 16(8) turrets crossed beams deep inside the ship with each turret's twin guns firing salvoes 4 times a second, the pairs of God guns hitting their prime targets blowing out the Apes hibernation decks and a large section of the ship's God Officer and Command Decks above them. Several of the Spider Godguns were knocked out with two of its six engines put out of commission by the 5(3)s at point blank range hosing them down with the crews cranking the power up deep into overdrive red on them. Luckily for the Spider Command ship. The knocked out engines forced the ship to veer off course missing the 2 hulks drifting unseen in the cloud directly in line with the tunnel and the Spider Command Battleship's original course. The asymmetrical thrust sending the Spider Command ship curving deeper into the clouds as it tried to escape the death of the other ships in its fleet, finally giving up at the last second on any attempts to attack after watching the two Battlecruisers ahead of it destroyed. But now command less, the ship simply continued to push on into the cloud with the controls frozen and the engines locked in position.

Taking a breath Jack watched the Spider Command Battleship arc away as the asymmetrical drive started rolling the ship as well, making it cork screw around as it meandered deeper into the nebula cloud. Its shields heating up as it pushed its way through the cloud in its rush to escape. Remembering the stories he had heard of ships lost for decades, even hundreds of years or never found at all, he shook his head. "I hope their inertial navigation systems are out." And chuckled as he started looking for the last two Spider Ships that must be bringing up the rear of the column. He finally found them as torpedoes and recon missiles he had re-tasked earlier started getting close enough to show good detail of the tunnel and got a shock.

The two remaining Spider ships were accelerating back down the tunnel away from that end.

"Damn; they are getting away. Number One get us into the tunnel just long enough to fire our Godguns and then back out to the side. Weapons, don’t try crossing beams, just fire down the tunnel with everything we have for half a second."

The ship dropped down into the tunnel. The weapons fired and the ship slid sideways back out just as fast. A half second later 3 Godgun beams streaked out of the tunnel.

"Damn we are good. After them Number One. Weapons fire at will."

The ship dropped back into the tunnel and accelerated up it as the ships guns started sending an avalanche of shots down the tunnel even before the Godguns could be rotated around to fire forward.

"Sensors keep a close eye on the targets. I don't want to literally, run into one of them."

"Captain the trailing ship has stopped accelerating and seems to be tumbling. We will catch up to it in 3 minutes sir. Second target is still accelerating down the tunnel sir."

"Number One, slow and pass to the side of the hulk. Weapons continue to fire when the shield decks are not in the way. I don't want it coming back alive as we pass."

Pan turned around looking at Jack and coughed.

Jack suddenly realized that his armored battle helmet was still hung on the back of his chair and that the bridge was still pressurized. The Cough sounded again as Jack turned around to see Pans stone faced disapproval. "Oh Christ. Stop firing, weapons. Pan, are you sure their weapons are dead. We are going to be damn close and impossible to miss if they fire on us as we go around them."

"I am talking to the few survivors now that we are close enough Captain. They say the ship is dead including the weapons. Will you pick up the survivors?"

Jack watched the last remaining Spider ship making its way down the tunnel as he took a breath resignedly. "If they can get off the damn ship we will pick them up. I am not going to risk lives battling 10,000 Apes to rescue a few survivors. We will pick them up after we take care of this last ship."

The Red Pepper slowed and side slipped around the tumbling hulk as fires raged up and down its length spilling out hatches and holes blasted into its hull. "Number One, we will repeat a quick round of fire down the tunnel at the enemy ship and then side slip." Jack turned and glanced at Pan and then looked back starring at her for several second. "Belay that order Number One. Pan, are you in contact with the other Spider ship Target Mama?"

Pan looked down at her pad and then back up at Jack. "Yes Captain Turner. I can talk to the slave crew. I have my counterpart on my pad now. Another cousin 5th removed."

"Ah... How sympathetic are they to helping us now or does that only come after we defeat the God Officers and they face death."

"I do not like what you are insinuating Captain Turner. We are helping you because we want to be free and you have demonstrated that you are an honorable human. The fact that we only found this out after you defeated the God Officers has nothing to do with our loyalty. Likewise, as our story and the truth of freedom has spread through the fleet slaves on more ships are willing to risk all to join you. Do you wish the slaves on the remaining Godship to help you in return for freedom?"

"Well Pan. That is the general idea. If we go in guns blazing most if not all of them are going to die. If they can sabotage the ships guns and engines and leave the ship. We can destroy it and its thousands of Apes easily while we pick them up without killing most of them."

Pan's face contorted in what Jack had learned to take as her races smile. "Thank you Captain Turner." She started scribbling and whispering into her pad. Her mouth moving so fast her lips seemed to blur.

The ship continued to drift alongside the tunnel toward the enemy still accelerating away in its rush to flee."

"Captain, we do not need to drop down into the tunnel, we can hit the target from here just as well." The weapons officer was getting impatient to fire. He wanted that ship before it got away.

"Thank you Lieutenant. Hold your fire for now."

Pan turned to Jack. "They are cutting power to the engines and guns. They have to replace a few items on the boats they have half overhauled and they will be off ship. It will take a half hour. They ask that you stay back so not to alarm the God Officers for them to activate the Apes. They are telling the God officers that the engines and weapons have overheated in the tunnel and need time to cool."

"Number One, turn around and go back behind the hulk. Weapons, you can use the shield decks for target practice with the point defense weapons. It should make the second ship think we are too busy to worry about them."

"Captain, the survivors from the hulk are requesting permission to board." Pan got up from her chair. Permission to greet them Captain? They have many wounded and will need medical help."

"You a doctor as well Pan?" Jack's eye brows raised as he smiled. “Go do what you can." Turning back to his screen. He knew the ship's Doctor was headed there already. "Security, go over that boat before it is allowed into the dock."

Fifteen minutes later Jack watched the carnage coming off the boat. Only a couple hundred odd aliens had survived out of thousands. Shaking his head he looked at the distant ship slowly drifting down the tunnel in the main screen. "Well. At least we will get most of those alive and well. Then we can get in some more target practice with the big guns." Glancing at the clock readout. "Plenty of time." Jack got up and walked back behind the bridge to the pantry, brewing himself a cup of Earl Grey tea with one sweetener. He liked his tea sweet and preferred two but with the little packets in short supply he rationed himself to one. Taking the cup he walked back into the bridge giving the rating next to the hatch a warning eye to keep his mouth shut and sat down. "Ok let's see if we can find our reticent Command ship. Anything on our long range sensors?"

"Sorry Captain, our last readings were 5 minutes ago, it was still going strong corkscrewing its way into the nebula cloud. If it continues on its base course and speed, it will come out the other side in about a thousand years or two if the shields last that long."

Pan came onto the bridge with a big human smile on her face. "Thank you Captain Turner. My cousin's wounds will heel." Pulling out her pad she started scribbling on it again. "Now let's see how our brethren are doing on the other ship."

Pan suddenly started yelling in some strange language as she stood up running to Jack and showing him the pad filled with chicken scratches. Continuing to yell at Jack.

Jack's mouth opened for a second as he tried to figure out what was going on, what she was saying. Then frowning he turned and reached around the back of his chair grabbing his helmet and the translator inside until he remembered that the new suit that Pan had had made for him had the helmet built into the collar and reached around the back of his neck and pulled it up across his head.

Pan pushed the helmet back off Jacks head before he could finish pulling it down over his face. "I am sorry Captain. My. I. The berserkers have arisen and are slaughtering the slaves on the other ship. Most are already dead which is why I was not called. My counterpart was probably one of the first to die."

"Berserkers? What the hell are Berserkers?"

Grabbing Jack by the arm and squeezing hard enough for Jack to feel through his armor. "We must leave immediately. Now! Run! The human captives killed the God Captain and God officers not knowing that would activate the Berserkers."

"What are you talking about Pan?"

"With the death of the slave crew by the berserkers, the cores are set to auto destruct. You have only a few minutes to leave the area Captain before they detonate.

"Captain, energy spike on the Spider Ship. Fusion Cores are cold starting. Hell sir. 5 of them Captain. One was already going. I can't believe at least one of them did not blow from the cold start. "

"Shit, Number One, Get us out of here, down that tunnel at full thrust now."

The ship made a swing around the hulk and started down the tunnel.

"Hull heating up Captain, 3,000 and going up fast."

"Exec, emergency crash alarms. Get everyone in the Geebunks."

"Fusion Cores, are heating up fast Captain. They are already at their max temp. If they have enough fuel stored between them we will have another sun as bad as last time sir."

The ship raced out of the tunnel and down the passageway.

Jack stared at Pan trying to figure out what had happened.

"Auto response Captain." Pan said. "If the God Officers kill too many or turn the Berserkers loose onto the slave crews, they detonate the cores. Standard operating procedures to protect us slaves from too much persecution. It was one of the Godships that had taken part in the invasion of one of your frontier worlds and taken several hundred prisoners that look like your marines." Pan studied her screen. "I down loaded the ships logs and it looks like your humans did the unthinkable and took guns from their Ape guards when they were transferring them below to our decks for indoctrination into slaves at my counterparts request so they could take the humans with them. The prisoner holding area is directly below the flight deck below the first armored deck and they managed to arm themselves just as they had descended down to the bridge level on the God Captains deck. It is possible the humans did not know they were being freed and took advantage of a situation." Scratching her pad. "Yes, many died getting the weapons and then they killed the God Captain taking the God Officer's deck and headed back up toward the flight deck."

"The Apes were released in berserker mode automatically with the death of the God Captain." Looking up at Jack Pan looked white. "That is when they are dumped out of hibernation in seconds without time to properly thaw and given excessive amounts of chemicals. They come out basically stupid high speed killing machines that have a life span of only days and twice their normal strength and resistance to damage. Their only function is to kill ships invaders as well as every living thing left on the ship not a God." Glancing back at the pad. "Your marines did not make it to the flight deck." Looking back up at Jack. "There are only a few slaves left alive with almost 10,000 berserkers running around the ship Captain. The 6 cores will detonate perfectly timed shortly after the last slave is dead. Unlike an accidental or damage induced detonation. A perfectly timed detonation includes flooding the compartment around each core with all the remaining fusion fuel. This is going to be big. If it was detonated in the atmosphere of a hydrogen gas giant, it would light it into a miniature sun that would burn for thousands of years before going out from lack of mass. In this cloud the plasma shock wave will be just as bad even though a miniature sun will not be created. I have no record of one going off in a nebula this dense so I do not know exactly how big the fireball will be but most likely at least half way to the God hulk we left crew on."

"Shit Pan." Jack looked over the tactical and the boats coming down the narrow tube from the hulk transport stuck there and the Red Pepper weaving its way down the passageways. "Number One, cut through the cloud. We are picking up the Assault Shuttles on a drive by." The ship spun around and started cutting a new tunnel directly toward the boats. Jack tapped the comm. "Captain Clancy. I am glad you made it off your ship but we have a problem. We have a Spider ship getting ready to detonate its cores, six of them. You are in its blast radius. We are making a run past you but cannot slow down as much as we should. You are going to have to match speed then clamp the Shuttles to the hull of the ship as we pass. The pilots have experience doing that. Trust them to do it right. You just get the velocities matched and hold on."

"You have got to be kidding Captain Turner. Who detonates six cores on purpose?"

"We will be there in 2 minutes. Sending you our course and speed data. Be there Captain or find a bunker to hide in." Jack smiled. "Slaves do when their Gods start slaughtering them. One minute 55 seconds Captain. Good luck. Out."

Jack watched the Assault Shuttles race down the last part of the tunnel and out the end. Then down the long passageway that had allowed the transport to accelerate up to the velocity it had needed to punch itself a tunnel so far up inside the cloud where they could hide. The Spider Assault boats only hope was to make it to the end of the passageway where Jack planned to enter and hope they could catch up with the Red Pepper. Matching velocities before they reached the end where the Red Pepper had to start punching its way down a much too small tunnel while missing the hulk sitting at the end.

"Jack. Breath and take a sip of our tea before it gets cold." Jack looked around at the Ensign as she started whispering in his ear again. "You are scaring the crew."

Jack realized his jaw was starting to ache from grimacing and he was starting to feel light headed. Taking a deep breath he tried to smile. "Ya well, I already am." Looking down at his still steaming tea he picked it up and took a sip and made a face. "Hell, I should have put two in." Kicking himself for trying to ration the few remaining sweetener packs.

She slapped a packet of his favorite sweetener down on the chairs arm. "Here have mine and shut up you baby."

Jack gave her a dirty look as he smiled at her and picked up the packet, tearing off the top and pouring it into his cup then stirring it in. "Comm, get me the Spider hulk and Commander Murphy." Then took a sip and then a deep breath trying to relax.

"Commander Murphy on the line Sir."

"Commander, a spider is getting ready to detonate its cores and while you are not in its fireball blast radius we hope, you will receive a damn big shock wave some 5 minutes after it goes off. Pull everything into the hulk and button up as best as you can to ride it out. We will join you as soon as we can if we survive. No time for questions or answers just get ready. Out." Jack cut the connection and took another sip of tea as he watched the Assault Shuttles reach the end of the passageway and sit there side by side.

Looking at the icon of the Red Pepper rapidly approaching the two sitting Assault Shuttles Jack started shaking his head. "Ok guys, you can start accelerating." Looking back and forth between their Icons. "Come one Captain Clancy, Now. Go for Stars sake." But they both just sat.

Jack hit the comm and started opening his mouth when the two Icons started moving. Shutting his mouth and closing the comm he forced himself to breath, trying not to grimace or scream at the Shuttles for not starting sooner or a hundred other things he wanted to do to release the tension. "To late damn it." He whispered to himself. Knowing in his heart that they would miss the rendezvous.

The two Assault Shuttles quickly gained speed as the Red Pepper burst out of the cloud and using 1200 gees changed its course slightly to head down the passage going like a ship shot from one of the God guns. Turning the ship tail first she started slowing down as the Assault Transport boats accelerated at full throttle leaving a stream of reaction mass behind them trying to make even 100 Gees. Jack glanced at the Shuttle Icons showing their acceleration and felt pity. The Gods could make black hole engines for their battleships but not for their boats. But then as massive as the coils had to be with all the reinforcement needed in order to create those black holes, maybe they had no choice and were limited on how small they could make them.

The Red Pepper streaked past the Assault boats as it continued to slow, pulling well below a thousand Gees as the First Officer worried about the ships exhaust destroying the boats until he was past them before going back up to max thrust.

Jack watched the end of the passageway looming up all too fast as the boats finally started catching up to the ship. "Damn. Why didn't you start sooner the damn you so the ship would not have to come back after you." He knew the end of the passageway would win that race. With the boats still a thousand feet behind the ship, they entered the cloud. Jack bit his lip as he watched the boats hit the end of the now much widened passageway and continued to slowly gain on them.

The First Officer had switched the engines over to boring a tunnel through the cloud as they followed the original tunnel. Which did not help matters.

Jack started looking at the end of tunnel and the rapidly approaching hulk they were headed directly for as the boats ever so slowly caught up to the ship. Threading the distance between the hull and the white hot tunnel sides they slid up alongside the ship.

And then simply sat there as they again slowly approached the hull trying to make a soft landing to keep from damaging anything. "Godstar almighty! Dock already! Jack said aloud."

Suddenly the ship jerked sideways slamming into the belly of one of the shuttles and then to the other side to slam into the other. With them both finally locked down onto the ship's hull Jack looked at the rapidly approaching hulk knowing they were going to hit it.

The First Officer turned the ship at an angle hitting the throttles digging a long hole to one side then turned the ship to the other side at an angle to use the engines to push them into the angled tunnel before straitening the ship out again into the new tunnel barely missing the hulk at the end of the original tunnel.

"Damn good Going Number One. That is one hell of a way to change course." Taking a breath. "Tactical how far are we from the edge of the estimated blast zone?"

"At this velocity Captain, 2 minutes but punching a tunnel is slowing us down." Tactical came back without waiting.

"Two point three minutes." Said the Navigator. "If deceleration remains constant. Though I have noticed that deceleration rates depend a lot on cloud densities sir."

Jack swallowed. "Number One do you think you can punch a long enough hole out ahead to turn around and add some speed to help out?"

The First Officer frowned as he dodged around a rock even though the guns had vaporized it. "It is worth a try Captain. I did not think I could do what I just did until I tried it."

Jack chuckled. "Ok give it a try. Maneuvering stations Exec." Jack said even though the ship was already at battle station. He had found out early in The Game that issuing a variation of already give orders was never a waste of time when the circumstances have changed."

The First Officer burped the engines power up for a half second and then whipped the ship around in the long coned bubble he had created while switching over too standard thrust mode and pushed the throttles about half way forward for a good 5 seconds then whipped the ship back around and started punching the tunnel again just before they hit the wall at the end of the bubble.

"Well that worked out good Number One. Try it again with a little more force."

The Engines slammed up to full power for a good second and then the ship whipped around and again the ship jumped forward this time slamming up to 1200 Gees for a good 10 seconds before the ship was whipped back around to start digging again. Though this time the ship hit the end of the bubble before the First Officer could make the engines start digging a cone out in front of the ship again. The ship lurched and alarms started going off.

"Damage to the Cooling fins Captain. The lower hull heated up a bit but the Alien armor coating did fine. Give me a few seconds and... Cooling reduced 20%. We were already on the red line Captain, this damage reduces the time we can stay in here considerably sir."

"Well we are in luck then lieutenant. We won't have to stay long one way or another. We will either be in the clear after the blast blows the cloud away or we will be dead from that blast. Good enough for you?" Jack shook his head smiling at his stupid little joke. "Try it again Number One. Let's see how long you can make a bubble."

The engine pegged out for several seconds and the ship whipped around and went to 1200 gees and stayed there.

And stayed at 1200 Gees. Jack looked at the navigation sensors as the First Officer started weaving around partially melted rocks too big for the 5(3) to take out until they started crossing their beams without being told to. Then after what seemed like forever, the ship whipped back around and started punching a tunnel again in plenty of time.

Jack heard the Ensign scream as he felt his mind try to short circuit.

The flash of pain through his mind stopped and then. "Core detonation Captain!" Yelled the Sensor Officer next to the Ensign. "Big mother Frigger too Captain."

"Five Seconds to blast wave interception Captain." The Officer said as the Ensign straightened up in her chair with her head still lolling around.

"Punch BIG, One. Then turn our butt to meet the wave and Punch big again. Full throttle."

The ship whipped around inside the new bubble just as the plasma wave hit the cone the ship's engines was trying to punch through it at full power.

It was not entirely successful. All the ships external pickups turned white as the ship lurched, throwing anyone not buckled in across the bridge. The screens too bright to look at blinding everyone that was looking at them before they could look away or shield their eyes as the automatics dimmed them. Several crewmen just hung limp in their chairs after their unprotected heads had been whipped around like rag dolls.

"Captain, hull at 6,000 and climbing." The Engineering Officer said matter fact like he was reporting the weather. "The whole ship is bathed in million degree Plasma sir. Our cooling/landing fins are gone."

Suddenly the screens went dark. "Damage control get the screens back now." Jack ordered. "Medic to the bridge."

The screens came back on showing bright light coming from the stern of the ship. A haze covered the rest of the screens. Nothing like the dark clouds they had been looking at for hours since entering the nebula. “Damage Control, what is wrong with our screens?” Jack looked around baffled.

"Jack! There is nothing wrong with the screens or the pickups." The Ensign reported.

Jacks eyes started getting used to the reduced normal light level. Turning he watched the wave of bright plasma sweeping through the cloud away from them. The light from the expanding bubble of plasma lighting up the bridge screens. While the bright light from behind the ship seemed to penetrate the decks below his feet having nothing to do with the screens.

"Hull temp dropping below 6,000. Sensors reading space temp is high but dropping sir." The Engineering Officer said. "We need to shut down the engines sir. We have no cooling for them. They are starting to overheat sir."

"Shut down Engines Number One. Engineering, get me some cooling for at least one of the engines as soon as you can." Jack watched the plasma bubble continue to expand into the cloud gas and material in front of them. It looked like it was slowing down from a good portion of the speed of light as it expanded against the mass of the dense cloud. "I hope the Commander was able to get everyone under cover in time. Oh shit. Do we still have anything attached to the hull or did we lose them? The Assault shuttles and weapons."

"All Assault Shuttles accounted for though damaged from what I can see, sir. Luckily they were facing back toward the ship's stern, where their reentry shield and thickest battle armor could take the brunt of the plasma wave. I think the engine cone was good enough to deflect the majority of the blast wave around the ship."

Letting out a sigh of relief. "Get the hatch open in the tanks pronto Exec. And get those people out."

"Jack, Captain, the bubble is starting to form a wall now that the plasma wave has cooled below 10,000 degrees and stopped expanding. I can’t tell how solid it is, not to mention that it is much bigger than we had estimated. The Spider ship must have had quite a bit more core fuel than we had estimated sir." The Ensign frowned as she studied her screens. "I cannot detect our captured Spider hulk with our crew aboard where it should be. Where we left it. I can't believe the plasma wave vaporized the entire hulk but it simply is not there or any wreckage. Fact is I can't find any of the hulks. No wait yes I can. 11 of them scattered around the bubble on the other side of the fireball in various stages of slagged. The closer to the fireball the worse shape they seem to be in. And sir, I can't believe the fireball is still a fire ball sir. Registering at a million degrees."

"Captain!" the Tactical Officer turned around. "I have found the transport we just rescued the crew from. I cannot believe it is still in one peace."

"Put it on the main screen." The transport's long hull along the mass tanks on the side hit by the plasma was pushed back through the decks into the opposite hull forming a concaved channel that was bent back into a curved crescent moon from what was left of the forward personnel section where the hull was simply pushed into a flattened plate with large holes melted through the hull exposing melted and twisted decks and compartments deep through the ship to the other hull. The hulk sailed through space tumbling like a boomerang trying to curve back around where it started but never quite making it as it slowly made its way toward the far away edge of the bubble and the cloud.

"If that is what is left of the transport I don't see much hope of the Spider hulk surviving since we can't even see the wreckage." The Ensign said dejectedly. “But then it is the farthest away from the explosion and should have survived Jack.”

Jack turned to her shaking his head. "Tell you what Ensign. The fact that we can't see the wreckage just means that there is a chance." Turning to Pan. "See what you and your people can do to help get at least one engine back on line please Pan." Taking a tired breath as Pan left the bridge Jack looked down at where his tea cup had once been which was nowhere to be found as he looked around. Shaking his head. "I could really use that tea right about now. Especially since it had two sweeteners in it." Frowning. "Ok People. Sensors, I want a full sweep at extreme range. Put out the last of our recon missiles and net them together to extend our range. We are sitting ducks out here with no engines and I want to know what is out there in that cloud before something puts a torpedo or Godgun bolt up our butts. Like that Command ship that is still Out There!"

Looking around at everyone still in as much shock and as tired as he suddenly felt and simply looking at him. "Come on people we have work to do. Where are my damage control reports? This is a big ship and we have to have had damage someplace after almost getting slagged. Do we even have weapons? What about casualties? Damn it people I remember problems from hours ago. They all could not have been fixed. Let's go. Move it. NOW! “The Officers turned back to their consoles as Jack smiled at them shaking his head satisfied. They had won an impossible battle and deserved a rest but as with anything else, the job was not done until the cleanup work was finished. Like finding their lost crewmen and the hulk they were on. Jack hit the ship wide comm as he took a deep breath. The ship deserved to hear that as well. "Your attention Please."

After the announcement that seemed all to brief, too little and too stupid to Jack, the bridge crew seemed to be reenergized and quickly became busy along with the rest of the ship as they started recovering from the Plasma Blast Wave and cleaning up the mess. Jack got a cup of tea with two packs of sweetener, frowning at the few that were left.

34-

DEATH TRAP

The ship pulled up to the last plotted location of the Spider Battle cruiser hulk that had over a thousand crewmen aboard it only some 12 hours before. Both human and alien. Now nothing could be seen or detected of them. But then the bright fusion core still radiating massive amounts of light and energy behind them, was making it hard to see anything as it reflected off the cloud that was not there anymore. The Cloud had stopped glowing in the light wave region and now except for infrared it could not be seen at all. The light from the massive million degree fusion ball seemed to either be completely absorbed or to Jack’s growing dread, reflected directly back at the miniature new star at a higher percentage than any mirror ever created.

The ship looked like a wreck with only short melted stubs of landing and cooling fins left sticking out on the upper roots. The only protrusion still reported intact was the 2nd mess deck. If you looked close you could see the stern hulls new crystal armor that had been layered up extra thick to several yards only days before was melted and charred. Gouges and melt streaks ran up the side of the hull. A pair of Blackened Assault Shuttles looking like they had made quite a few to many planetside landing assaults nestled between God guns that seemed a little worn around their muzzles with their base towers blackened and streaked with scares.

The ship was surrounded by every recon missile it had left spread out for thousands of miles in an array to facilitate the ship looking in the direction the blast must have sent the hulk careening since it had no working propulsion itself. Jack was hoping the hulk had disappeared into what was now a wall of clouds forming a huge bubble around the detonation point of one hell of a temporary sun that was still a ball of million degree fire that was cooling way to slowly if at all. Jack’s hope was that the hulk had survived and not gone nova itself if the hulks fusion core had been destroyed by the shock wave. Mostly Jack was working on ifs. And most of those ifs was not pleasant.

Jack sat looking at the tactical screen showing what the recon missiles combined with the ship's sensors could glean from the mass of nothing they were receiving beyond the incredible amounts of energy that seemed to be coming off the wall of clouds. Taking a sip of what was his much too sweetened tea after forgetting how many he had put in as he concentrated on the screens of raw none data.

"Sorry Captain but that wall is still too charged to penetrate very far if we are penetrating at all."

"Very well Number One. Pilot, half ahead on maneuvering engines if you please. Number One, keep the recon missiles in their place. We need to keep the sensors tuned." The second officer was piloting so the ship's First Officer could fine tune position of the recon torpedoes for the searching sensor array.

The ship slowly approached the bubble's wall that was proving to be as impossible to see through as it was to see.

"Comm, any answer to our hails?"

"Sorry sir, no, but our transmissions seem to be reflecting back at us. We may not even be getting through which I have never heard of before. Any Idea why sir."

"No, I don't have a clue unless it has something to do with the fusion detonation happening inside a fairly dense nebula cloud. I don't remember ever hearing of such a thing but it must have happened someplace." Jack watched the sensor readings to the edge of the bubble getting closer. "Could it be possible the plasma wave front expanding, cooling and condensing in such a dense cloud forming a physical wall of materials around the bubble's edge?"

"I am getting a hard wall reading Jack from our lasers as well as radar waves." The Ensign said. "It does not make sense but I think you could be on to something."

"Distance?"

"1,450 miles and closing." The Ensign said.

"Number 2, bring us to a stop please. Number One, send one of the recon missiles in to check it up close." Jack looked at one of the upper side screens and froze for a few seconds. "Engineering, turn off our running lights please."

The engineering officer at his console turned to Jack baffled. Seeing where Jack was looking then followed his eyes and shrugging as he reached down and flicked off the ships external navigation, running lights. Then looked back up at the side screen again that was suddenly blank and dark and frowned. What looked like a ship in the distance with its navigation and running lights on, was gone.

"Turn them back on." Jack said.

The engineer turned them back on without looking away and the ship lit up in its bright glory. "Captain, I am sorry sir. I don't know how we got the navigation running lights backwards sir. I will have them fixed today. Sorry again sir but we don’t get many chances to look back at the ship from a recon missile sir."

"No Lieutenant. That is not from a recon missile. The navigation lights are not backwards." Jack switched the small side screen to the main screen. "That Gentlemen is our reflection in the bubble wall surrounding our little universe." Letting that sink in for a good minute as the recon missile approached the bubble wall. "Ensign, hit the wall with a particle identification laser.”

“I am sorry Captain but the recon missile is not equipped for such a job."

“Well the ship is Ensign. Hit it with the laser.”

A minute later the Ensign gasped. "It reads solid carbon glass Jack ah, Pure Diamond Captain. How did you know? Sir."

"Basic Chemistry and Achom’s razor. It could not be anything else that made sense. Can you tell how thick it is?"

"Sure, now that I know what is there. Already sending the concentrated waves and it is 200 feet thick with the waves breaking up strangely after that. Damn where did that much material come from? Let me check around the bubble as to how consistent that measurement is."

"Well there was a lot of material in this cloud. But that is damn thick. Weapons, use a single 16(8), reduce the power until you can maintain a constant beam and keep shooting until it melts through. If you stop before you are through, the heat will dissipate into the rest of the crystal and we will have to start all over again. Only we will be dead from the heat buildup in the ship we can't get rid of. Since all our heat radiators have been destroyed."

The beam hit the wall and bounced or reflected back missing the ship by only a few hundred feet and then the still bright hot core still sitting at the center by a few miles. The beam continued the 100,000 miles across the bubble and bounced or reflected off the far wall of the bubble and within seconds the beam had bounced around the bubble hundreds of times and was going strong. Rapidly working its way around the bubble.

"Cease fire, Cut!" Jack slapped at the kill button at the corner of his console. This time he got it on the first slap but the beam continued to bounce around the bubble for thousands of times in a geometric pattern as if it had been programmed for a light show until it finally hit the Shield of one of the Spider Battle cruiser hulks still floating around the bubble.

"The beam only raised the temperature of the Diamond bubble a hundred degrees where it hit Jack." The Ensign studied her screens as she tapped her controls. "In other words it reflected 99.999% of the beam. And that is with the bubble wall still being at almost 3,000 degrees. By the time it gets down to normal, temp it will reflect even more. If we are going to do something Jack we need to do it soon while it is comparatively soft or we are going to be trapped here."

"Ah. Captain we have a problem with the hull as well. The temperature is going back up with some kind of atmosphere forming around us sir. How is that possible?"

Jack turned to Pan as she walked back onto the bridge. "Your people have any ideas Pan? Now would be a good time to hear any."

"My apologies Captain but we have never run into or heard of this situation before." Rubbing her chin for a few seconds. "We have some experience with the diamond crystal we lined your gun barrels with but the temperature and pressures we used was only a fraction of what this bubble was made from. We have etching chemicals for our crystal coatings but the bubble is at too high a temperature still to use them. At the shell density our instruments are reading, it should be at when it cools (If it cools), it will take years for the chemicals to etch even a few inches as hard as it is.” With what Jack would later learn was a shrug for her race, she continued. “If you had some kind of explosives you could possible blast the start of a hole for your beams to continue cutting?” Rubbing her chin again. “But you would need to do it soon before the bubble wall finishes hardening as it cools. Once hardened the explosive forces will be transmitted throughout the shell dissipating the energy before it can do any damage to the shell."

Jack rubbed his face trying to think as he watched the hull temperature rising.

"Captain, we still have C magazine full of torpedoes. We just need to get at them is all sir." The Weapons Officer spoke as his face lit up.

"Good going lieutenant." Turning to the Exec., the ship’s Damage Control Officer at the consul at the back with the ships damage control screen running along the back bulkhead. "Get your crews and the marines working on that top priority. We don't have much time and we are not after anyone alive so don't waste time getting pretty about it." Turning to Pan. "See what your people can do to help please Pan." Turning away. "Weapons, we have any missiles left?"

"No long range missiles sir. They were taken out with the fins. We still have hundreds of small point defense missiles Captain but I don't know what good they can do us."

"I don't know either Lieutenant but they are worth a try since we have little else. Number Two take us in to a hundred miles if you please."

The Red Pepper closed with the bubble's shell as crews went to work tearing apart the worst damaged section of the ship. Clearing a path to C magazine. "One hundred and 3 miles Captain."

"Very well. Weapons, target the point our beam hit and fire a S.R. missile at the shell and set the warhead on armor piercing. Hopefully the beam softened it up a bit."

"Captain, the hull temperature has stopped going down." The engineer was not happy. "We are at a thousand degrees and the heat is starting to penetrate into the ship itself. The outer compartments are at a hundred degrees and climbing. Without our cooling fins we can't get rid of our waste heat let alone the heat permeating in from the hull."

"Jack, with the shell temperature still close to 3,000 and the core fireball still at almost a million degrees and the outside pressure rising, the ship is going to cook everything inside it if we do not get out soon."

"Ready to fire Short Range Missile Captain."

"Very well Lieutenant, Shoot."

The small 10 foot long 5 inch wide missile streaked from one of the many launchers scattered around the ship and headed for the shell. The high temperature flames streaked back for miles behind it as the missile accelerated. Not having to follow a moving target it flew straight into the shell hitting just after its chemical motor burned out."

Jack studied the screen. "Ok I can't see anything. Get a sensor torpedo over there now."

"I think it penetrated Jack." The Ensign was bent over studying her screen. "But the shell is still pliable enough to absorb the forces as well as the projectile. Though the temperature of the impact point went up a thousand degrees according to my readings."

The ship shuddered under their feet as a bang echoed through the metal of the ship.

"What the hell was that?" Jack exclaimed.

"Point missile box launcher just went up Captain. The hull heat and temperature of space around the ship detonated the chemical motors and warheads in the rockets." Turning around to face Jack. "The rest will join them soon if we don't launch them sir."

"Damn it. We need to use the missiles in coordination with the torpedoes. The missiles can soften the target up while the explosive torpedoes blast the softened material out." Grimacing as he turned toward Damage Control. "How far are we from C magazine?"

"The crews are working as fast as they can sir."

"Tell them to work faster damn it. Exec. Start transferring everyone into the core hull of the ship and seal the outer compartments. It should stay cooler longer in the core." Looking around at the weapons officer as the ship shook again with a distant thump. "Try crossing a pair of the 16(8)s on the surface of the shell and see if that will heat it up."

"But Captain, 4,000 people? In the core hull and pipe chase?" Said the Exec.

"Just do it damn it. I want those tanks cleaned out before our new crewmen start roasting."

The beams from separate turrets crossed on the bubbles shell where the missile had hit. The explosion seemed to be several times more massive than previously measured when attacking the Spider ships. Seeming to wash out from the shell toward the ship. The video sensors dampening down the bright reflections on the shell of the bubble.

Jack waited for several minutes as he stared at the Ensign. Finally. "Well Ensign?"

"Oh... Well, most of the energy was reflected away from the shell and what was absorbed was spread over such a large area it only raised the temperature a few degrees even at the center."

"Ok well." Turning to the Weapons Officer. "Will the torpedoes with their shaped charged warheads be able to dig the shell out by themselves or not lieutenant?"

Pan suddenly stood up and rushed over to Jack grabbing his arm, turning him away from the Weapons Officer. "Captain Turner." She whispered her eyes darting around the bridge then settling on Jack. "I am talking to several other ships that survived the blast and the CAPTAINS want to surrender to their new GOD." Bighting her lip and taking a deep breath. "They do not want to spend eternity in this hell you have created for them. They will do anything if you will take them with you when you leave."

Jack just stared at her for a good minute then swallowed. "How the hell did any of them survive. No never mind. We don't have room for all we have now." Jack looked around as the ship shook again with another distant thump. Grimacing then tight lipped he said. "Weapons fire all the remaining point defense missiles at the target, target Alpha. Try to time their hitting in sequence as fast as you can. Shit what more can go wrong?" Turning back to Pan. "Just how many and who are we talking about Pan?"

Missiles started streaking from the launchers scattered around the ship forming a stream headed for the point on the bubble's shell now designated Alpha.

"Many of the first ships you knocked out, were far enough away from the fireball to survive when they turned their shields into the blast wave. They are on the other side of the bubble. I am talking to my counter parts on each ship who the God Captains in turn have contacted begging for their help with the famous new God who is taking the slaves of the other ships for himself."

"Ok…" Jack took a deep breath.

"Captain, D.C. here, they have reached the Torpedo magazine."

Jack smiled. "Great, get those damn things up to the launch bay now even if you have to carry them."

"Ah sorry Captain but we are now in contact with a survivor inside the magazine."

"What he hell. No. It has been over two weeks since the battle. How the hell is anyone still alive in there?"

The missiles started hitting the shell and disappearing.

"It is going to take a while to attach a portable airlock to get her out Captain. We were not planning on needing one."

"Godstar what next. Pan what do you suggest?"

"With the God Captains cooperation. Each ship's surviving slaves can load and launch their transports from the ship's boat deck. Your gunners were very good at missing the slave decks and taking out the engines, guns, Ape storage and Officer decks. Most of the slaves survived. We will make sure no God Apes board with the help of the hundreds of slave Apes on each ship that are ready to swear allegiance to you Captain Turner."

Jack turned from Pan and hit his comm. "Not what I was asking about but fine. Commander Murphy."

"Yes Captain."

"Are you on the DC detail at the Torpedo Magazine?"

"Yes sir. With my marines."

"Good. I want you to personally blow the hatch into the magazine. Tell the crewman in the magazine to put on her helmet then blow it now. Even if she does not have a helmet and get those torps up to the launch tube bay now."

"Yes Captain."

Jack turned back to Pan. "Do it. Have them strip the damn ships as much as they can in the time they think they can survive in this heat. Hopefully we will have a hole punched through this shell by then…. Ah and they don't need to know our problems. Is that understood Pan." Taking a breath.

"Captain, hatch blasted." Came the marine Commanders voice over the comm.

"And the crewman Commander. Did she…"

"The crewman did not have a helmet Captain. The first torpedoes are on their way to the launch bay. We have cleared a fairly direct path back up to the bay."

Jack sat back in his chair. "Why the hell have I been seeing and hearing about so many frigging HELMET LESS bodies around this ship and the damn fleet." Turning to the Executive Officer. "From now on Exec. Any crewmen found without their helmet on during GQ gets flogged is that clear. I have had enough deaths from stupidity. I don't care if they have to start carrying the damn things around with them 24-7 when we are not at GQ is that understood." Jack turned to Pan, who was busy scribbling on her pad as she rapidly whispered into it with her head turned down. "Pan!" Jack practically shouted getting her startled attention. "Blow the damn Spider ships up as soon as they are clear of them, got that. I don't want any surprises later. And don’t worry about leaving anyone behind to try taking another ship out. Just put a timer on the switch and get out of there."

"Captain, Torpedo ready to launch sir." The Weapons officer turned to Jack with a smile.

"Well launch the damn thing already using maximum armor piercing detonation program on the warhead. Launch the rest as soon as you get them loaded."

“Captain, Damage Control, the boat bays are practically open to the 3,000 degree space around the ship. They are heating up faster than the rest of the ship.”

“Yes Exec. That is why I ordered everyone into the Core hull.”

“Ah. Sir with the Core hull cut open into the Boat Bay that heat is rapidly penetrating into the lower core and up to the first armored deck below Engineering Central Control.”

“Very well Exec. At least heat penetration is stopped there.”

“We are only a few decks above the boat deck sir. The bridge is below that armored deck sir. We need to abandon the bridge before we are cooked sir.”

Jack looked around at the damage control screen. It showed the boat bay in red and the heat creeping up through the core decks from the open boat bay. He had to admit it was getting damn hot on the bridge. “No Exec. We can button up in our suits but we are not abandoning the bridge. Start cutting down the oxygen in the ships atmosphere to keep down fires in the abandoned compartments.” Jack pulled his helmet on and took a deep breath of the suits cool relatively sweet air. He had not noticed how smoky the air on the bridge and in the screens showing the compartments throughout the ship was getting.

The last of the missiles were just impacting target Alpha as the Ensign turned around. "Jack the missiles have produced a molten 22,000 degree caldron bubble most of the way through the shell with a little spray splashing back out that has created a small pocket. The cauldron is slowly expanding as it melts the diamond shell around it. I suggest we hold off with the torpedoes for a few minutes to see how far it will spread as it slowly cools."

Jack watched the first of the torpedoes making its run for the targeted caldron. "Ah. Just how big of a caldron are we talking about if we let it percolate?"

"Ah. Probably 50 to 75 feet in diameter but it will be all the way through the shell." The Ensign said with a big smile. "Once it melts through to the other side of the shell, it won't take much for the torpedoes to punch the hole through."

Jack watched the torpedo pass the half-way point to the shell, tight lipped.

"Jack, you need to put the torpedo into mine mode diverting it to stand by until we need it."

Jack sat back taking a sip of his tea as he watched the torpedo without saying anything.

"Firing second Torpedo Captain. Third shot is being loaded now. The marines have set up a chain gang passing a torpedoes up it every couple of seconds now. Faster than we can load and fire them sir." The Weapons Officers voice was astonished as he watched the screen of the marine armored suited chain gang passing the torpedoes hand over hand over their heads up the chain.

"Jack! You have to divert the torpedo or we won't blow a hole through the shell."

Jack frowned as he tapped a location on the plot screen. "Number One, back this beast out to a thousand miles from target Alpha at plotted location and hold please."

The Ensign looked at Jack getting very worried. "Jack!"

"Weapons, prepare the God Guns and 16(8)s for maximum power and rate of fire." Slapping the Comm. "Engineering we are going to need all the power you can give me on the guns in a few minutes."

"But Captain we are over heating now. I don't have much I can give you as it is without burning everything out."

"Well, figure some way to keep them cool long enough to get us out of this hell. Even if you have to feed the heat into the ship’s compartments."

"But sir we are having enough problems trying to keep the ship from turning into an oven now. As it is any work in the hull compartments require wearing a suit."

“Yes I know. Now that is a good Idea. Everyone will just have to suit up and use the suits air conditioning. Got that. Start dumping the heat into the ship now and keep those generators going for the guns. Out." Turning around with a smile. "Exec sound the Vacuum alarm, get everyone closed up now and start taking the oxygen out of the entire ship."

The Ensign's mouth dropped open. "Jack!” She pleaded. “The shell reflects damn near a hundred percent of the gun radiation. You can’t pump enough energy into the shell to cook with let alone melt anything. Let the kinetic induced heat of the missiles melt a hole in the shell so we can use the boats to get out before everyone dies." Taking a breath she was getting desperate. "Jack! Divert the damn torpedo."

Jack turned and smiled at her. "I love you Ensign but go sit your butt down now and put your helmet back on. It is going to get hot in here." Jack turned around just in time to watch the first torpedo hit the molten caldron dead center. The torpedo disappeared into the pool and then the shinning pool exploded out into the void away from the shell in a cone leaving a steep sided crater.

"Godstar Jack, how stupid can you get. I told you that hole is less than 20 feet across and even though the molten carbon will wick up the sides of the hole it, does not have enough mass to keep melting the sides. It will simply cool instead, making the hole even smaller each time a torpedo hits the hole blowing out more mass." The Ensign turned and stomped over to her acceleration chair and plopped down. "You keep it up and you won't even get a hole through the damn shell big enough to release a message torpedo telling anyone we are dead in here."

Jack watched the Ensign pouting in her chair and smiled as he turned back around. "How long until the next torpedo hits Tactical?"

"One minute Captain. The third will be 30 seconds after that and then roughly 15 seconds between the rest until we run out of torpedoes sir."

"OK… Jack…" The Ensign studied her screen surprised. "That torpedo raised the temperature of the melt that is left to 26,000 degrees." She turned around with a smile. "At this rate of energy transference, if you hold the torpedo hits to one a minute we will punch through the shell easily."

Jack whipped around to face the Ensign. "You sure about that Ensign?"

"Yes Jack. It won't even take them all. A half hour and the temperature will be almost a hundred thousand degrees and we may even get wide enough to get a boat out."

"Let me see your figures Ensign." Jack turned around as the Ensign transferred her screen to Jacks. After studying her figures a few seconds he looked up smiling. "Weapons, 15 seconds is too long. Shorten the intervals, I don't care what you have to do, just do it. NOW."

"Second Torpedo impacting Captain." Tactical said as the Weapons Officer turned to see Jack's determined face then started speaking into his mike as he turned back around.

"Jack! What are you doing?" The Ensign said exasperated. "I said a minute or even longer not shorten to seconds. It has to be at least a minute between torpedo detonations if we are going to get even the life boats out. It takes time for the heat to spread through the diamond matrix."

Jack turned around looking up from the sheet he was working on. "Damn it Ensign. I don't want to get a frigging boat out. We don’t have enough boats for everyone. I am trying to get the whole damn ship out! Now shut up and start cooperating will you."

"But I don't see how…"

"Then shut the frack up. I don't have time to explain basic physics and I don't need your damn fracking bitching distracting me."

"I was trying to…"

Jack raised his hand pointing at the Exec and hooked a thumb back at the Ensign. The Exec punched his comm and talked into it. “Marine to the bridge. Detain...”

"Ok I am helping just give me a few seconds to figure out what you are doing OK?" she said as she turned back to her screens. “It doesn’t make any fricking sense.”

A few seconds later a marine came in through the hatch fully armed and armored and headed for the Ensign. Jack held his hand up to the Exec palm out. The Exec turned to the marine. "You can stand down marine and wait by the hatch if you please." The marine stopped next to the Ensign and turned around going over to the hatch. Turned around again he backed into and plugged himself into the bulkhead to keep from being thrown around with a weapons hit as he waited.

The torpedoes started hitting the bubble every ten seconds and then every 9.

Jack watched his screens intently for a minute then ordered. "Torpedoes high explosive now." Then a few minutes later. "Weapons, Divert torpedoes now to stand by at 50 miles. You may cease launches." Studying the screens for another minute Jack smiled as the hug cavern in the shell calmed down. "Ok Ensign now we see if it is going to work or you are going to spend the rest of our short lives telling me You Told me So. Weapons, I am sending you a gun firing plan. You will need to follow it exactly." Tapping the Comm. "Engineering, we are about to commence firing the guns. You need to keep the power to the guns no matter the cost. I don't care how hot it gets in the ship, maintain the power. If you don't, we all die. Got that? Number 2 you are going to have to move the ship and keep it orbiting that hole at exactly the orbit I have put on the plot at the exact course and velocity I have programed or we die."

Jack tapped the Comm again activating the ship wide broadcast. "Your attention please. As you may already know. We are trapped in a bubble from that last massive ship explosion interacting with the cloud after the plasma blast wave passed us by. The temperature outside the ship is over a thousand degrees and getting hotter as the fusion core continues to transfer its heat into the bubble we are in. We are about to attempt the final step in cutting ourselves out of that diamond bubble but it is going to be close and very hot while we are doing it. We must keep the ship running and our systems working no matter how uncomfortable or down right painful it gets. We are only going to get one chance at this so good luck to you all and may Godstar bless us and help get our sorry asses the hell out of here if he or she sees fit to do so." Jack took a deep breath and sighed. "That is all." And tapped the comm off.

Looking around at the Ensign who tried to give him a weak smile Jack turned back to the main screen showing the small hole blown into a huge cavern half way through the shell. "Ok, weapons you may commence firing plan Delta 2 when ready. Just don't frigging stop after you do start until I order you to."

The lieutenant checked his screen several times but finally reached over to his master firing key, hovered over it for a few seconds and then tapped it firmly.

The God guns started the barrage. The 4 beams streaking through the small 20 foot hole into the cavern beneath where the 4 beams crossed in the center to create a huge explosion that did not seem to leave the cavern as the dozen 16(8) beams started rapidly flashing down through the hole. Then half a second later a wide beam shot straight out of the hole across the bubble and into the fusion core fireball still too hot to look at.

The God gun beams continued to streak into the hole in the shell every few seconds as the column of energy continued to shoot out into the core at the center of the bubble in a steady stream.

"Captain, Engineering. We are dumping the heat from the old generators into the ship as fast as we can but it is well over 300 degrees in the engine rooms already. We can't keep them on line much longer."

Jack glanced over at the engineering board and noticed the old inefficient cell lined generators that relied on massive amounts of heat to generate power. He suddenly realized why they were on at full power because of their reliability and track record even though the new plasma coiled generators where a hundred times more efficient. Taking a deep breath and mumbling a short prayer to himself. Hoping that the new little tested and unproven generators would continue to work long enough. "Shut down all the old heat cycle generators Chief. We have to have someone alive when we get done or it is a waste of time anyway. I am confident the new generators will do fine." Looking at the shield coils. "Chief, you may as well as up the power to the shields. We don't have to worry about the point defense weapons and the more of that damn plasma atmosphere we keep off the hull the less heat we have to fight."

All none essential equipment had long been shut down if for no other reason than most of it would simply burn out as the heat continued to build up in the ship. The bridge was not bad but a look at the damage control schematic across the back of the bridge showed the temperature in most of the outer compartments had risen to 300 degrees. Much hotter and the blankets and personnel clothing would start to burn spontaneously. Luckily all paper aboard ships had been replaced ages ago by high temp composites and without oxygen the burnable’s would merle char.

Turning to Pan. "Pan how are your people doing?"

"You warned us that suits were required but we did not know it would be for temperature control. We were caught by surprise and several races are suffering badly. We have gotten most into thermal cooled environment boxes but some were too late."

"This has been a big surprise to us as well Pan. My condolences for your dead." Jack studied his screen for a few second. "I don't think it will last much longer but that all depends on the shell."

"I am making a minor adjustment to the firing plan with your permission Jack. I think it will help keep the fireball contained better for a wider hole if it does work."

Jack studied his screen for a few seconds. "Ya sure Ensign. Looks good." Tapping the initiate icon. "It looks like we are up to 200 feet width already but that is less than half way to what we need and if it breaks or the facing outside or inside the bubble collapses before we have the width we need we are screwed when the heat is no longer contained. Pan, any help from you would be appreciated."

"Yes Captain Turner. Thank you for letting us follow along with your calculations but we do not completely understand your thinking. We are still trying to comprehend how you are managing to keep the fireball against the outside ring to slowly melt the carbon. We understand how you are creating the fireball with the God gun pulses crossing beams and we understand how you are keeping that fireball from hitting the face towered us using the rapid firing 16(8)s reflecting around the faces. But we do not understand how you are able to channel the plasma melt you are creating around the outside edges of the ring in the shell through the fireball and up into the core. The interference between Godguns and your 16(8)s and the shell should destabilize the whole thing and pump the plasma and heat out into both faces of the shell destroying the thin shell towered us without making the hole in the shell any wider. Yet we understand that it is that shell face inside and out that is keeping the heat in to melt the crystal outer edges of the hole in the shell. We just can’t figure out how."

Pan bowed her head. "We failed and cannot help you Captain Turner. I humbly apologize Sir and offer you my life in token for that failure."

"Godstar Pan. Not that shit again. Go sit down and shut up unless you have something constructive to say." The screens showing the bubble and targets outside the ship started fuzzing up as the heat affected the pickups.

"Captain, Engineering. Compartment temperatures have reached 350 degrees in some of the outer compartments. We have cleaned as much of the burnable material out as we could but we are no longer able to send crewmen into them. Some of the compartments have critical equipment that will not last much longer at these temperatures either."

"Well then it is time to start dumping the air out of them Chief. Vacuum will help keep convection from spreading the heat from the hull." Studying his screen Jack continued to frown. "Weapons, I want you to target the rest of the torpedoes, Heat mode warhead, in a 450 foot diameter circle from the central hole. Try to keep them spaced equally around the circumference and be quick about it. We are running out of time." The plasma stream rushing toward the core fireball at the center of the Bubble burped as torpedoes started launching from the bow of the ship again.

"Sorry Captain but we do not have Vacuum outside the ship. The bubble's atmosphere is up to a 50 pounds from the core outgassing. The hull will start collapsing at 150 pounds sir. We were never designed for operations this deep in an atmosphere sir. The inner compartments around the core are up to 200 degrees and the inside of the core is 150 degrees. Without the suits everyone would be dead already."

"Well then Chief we had better get the hell out of here before it is too late. Start upping the pressure in the outer hull compartments. Hopefully that will buy us time." Jack shook his head as he went back to concentrating on controlling the shots into the hole in the shell.

The torpedoes rushed at the shell impacting roughly at the same time in a rough circle around the hole leaving a large gap between impacts at 1100 where the warhead failed to explode.

"Warheads punched a hundred foot deep, 6 inch wide tapered hole in the shell and raised the temperature to 4,000 degrees at each location with a small crater around the hole." The Ensign was pleased with herself for getting the information for Jack without being asked.

"Very well. Weapons, Target all our other weapons equally on the torpedo impact holes of the circle. Try to be as accurate as you can. Only the shots down the holes will do us any good." The plasma stream shooting out toward the core burped.

"Jack, the shock wave across the faces from the 16(8)s is starting to break down. Too much area to cover." The Ensign Was worried. "I need to spread the grid out. Give me control of the 16(8)s babe. Now."

Jack frowned as he worked. The stream shooting toward the core burped again.

"Damn it Jack, you can't control both of them by yourself anymore. It is just too big."

Jack glanced around. "Fine, take the guns smaller than the 16(8)s for the outer holes. 3, 2, 1, it’s yours. Don't frack up."

The core stream smoothed back out after Jack was able to concentrate for a few seconds.

"Weapons, the hole at 0720 is cooler than the others. Re-task a Five into it. Ensign damn it, keep an eye on the temps of them all and keep them even." The holes around the perimeter continued to geyser plasma into the void as less and less of the beam energy was reflected out and more and more stayed in heating the shell.

"The ring holes are almost 200 feet deep now and fingers of heat are starting to intercept the central fireball cavern." The Ensign's smile turned sour as she thought of something. "I think we need to back off the power going down the holes before they burn through the outer shell Jack"

"No, I want them to burn through. Though you can start widening the holes. Trenching them toward each other."

"Ya sure. How am I supposed to do that?"

Jack gave her a dirty exasperated look as his fingers continued to fly over his air controls.

The Ensign looked away down to her own board. "Oh ya. Got it babe. Ah Captain. On it already. You have your own problems." The holes of the outer ring circle were a good 3 feet across by then and all she had to do was target the shots to the sides she wanted to dig the trench.

"Weapons, lieutenant, changing the targeting on the 30mms and 3(2)s." slowly the holes started widening into trenches toward the other holes with the massive amounts of heat coming from the central core softening up the basic matrix around them.

"Captain!" The Comm Officer exclaimed. "Got the hulk on the line Captain. Auto call. Do you wish to answer?"

"Answer an auto call? Na, we will wait for them to get serious and personally call." Jack said sarcastically. "Yes Ensign, they probably think we are dead or in such bad shape themselves they don't have the personnel to sit around trying to call the dead. Answer them and find out how much damage they have. Ensign, where have we broken through? My screens in the cavern seam to still be stable."

"Ah… half my holes are through with more punching through by the second." The Ensign interjected. "I want to reduce the power to the 5(3)s and program solid constant beams instead of pulses. Do a better and faster job of cutting the trenches. Right now most of their energy is going straight through the holes out the other side. As it is, we are looking at a good day to cut the ring at this rate Jack."

Jack turned and looked at the Ensign and smiled. "Very well Ensign get with weapons and do that."

"Captain, Marine Commander Murphy on the hulk is on the line sir."

"Put him on the main screen Ensign."

"Captain Turner, I cannot believe you are alive. We were sure the plasma wave had sent you and your ship to the Gods. It damn near did us. You are not going to believe what it did to the hulk and us. Is that you shooting through the crust a few miles away from us?"

"Well, I hope so, we are getting ready to cut a hole through a carbon bubble now if our luck holds. I was expecting to have to look for you. I am glad we don’t. Stick around a few minutes and see what happens."

"No Captain, we are not going anywhere. See you when you break out."

The central fireball suddenly broke through to one of the outer ring of holes along the heat line finger and started spewing massive amounts of plasma out the hole. Seconds later other holes started suddenly spewing large streams.

"It is about time." Jack said as his fingers started dancing across the keys again and the central column streaming toward the core suddenly stopped and the streams from the circle of holes increased substantially. The mass of plasma from the center quickly eating the small holes into a giant circle.

The Bridge watched the circle quickly grow as hole after hole merged with the ones around it. The inner shell finally parted flying down into the huge chamber Jack had been building and then stopped.

The laser beams from the guns started bouncing all over back into the bubble now that the inner shell plate had sandwiched down onto the outer shell.

Staring at the huge flaming pit as beams started bouncing back and hitting the ship. “Cease fire!” Jack hit the red button on the arm of his chair stopping the laser gunfire. A second later the hole became peaceful showing a solid plate in the center of a deep pit. A ring of fire stretched around the outside except where the one missing torpedo hole had left a finger whose end was stretching down like a long plastic ramp to the plate sitting at the bottom of the hole.

“All comms with our Spider ship has stopped Captain. The holes must have sealed back up as the inner plate fell against the outer shell.”

Jack looked on in despair as he heard someone start to cry and several others cursed in his suit’s headphones.

Then suddenly the bottom of the pit disappeared as the atmosphere pressure pushing both plates tumbled away into the cloud beyond the bubble leaving a roughly 450 foot hole in the bubble with a sharp jagged spike protruding out into the open hole where the torpedo had failed to explode. The end of the long sharp finger leaving a growing fiber attached to the rapidly shrinking plates that had glued themselves together before the outer shell had broken free.

Jack marveled at the gaping hole through the invisible bubble except where a bright ring circled the hole into the dark cloud beyond as the bubble's atmosphere started racing out it, creating a shrieking noise shaking the whole ship as it was dragged toward the much too small looking of a hole. Most of the external screens were only a blur.

"Weapons, God guns target the jagged spikes at the edge of the hole with crossed beams before they have a chance to cool. They will tear the ship apart when we go through."

“Captain we can’t see shit to target sir.” The weapons Officer turned around to look at Jack stern eyes staring at him. “Ah but we will do our best sir.”

“Captain.” The pilot turned around. “I can’t see shit either with all the external pickup burned out. All I have is the basic mass sensors telling me roughly where the hole is but that is not good enough to thread the ship through it. I can’t even get it lined up so we don’t hit broadside.”

Jack looked around the bridge. "Ok, we don't have time to send a shuttle through first even though we still have crews in them and their cooling fins are still working." Jack stood up. "Sensors, send most of the recon missiles through the hole and fan them out. Leave several inside behind us and see if you can use them to navigate by. Weapons, I said get those guns and point defenses, what is left of them, concentrated on the jagged edges of the whole damn it." His voice sounded a bit strained or disbelieving as he took the place of the 2nd Officer in the Pilots Chair patting him on the shoulder. "This is going to be frigging tight."

Jack started concentrating on the approaching hole below the ship as the screeching of the exiting atmosphere grew louder the closer they got. It would be like threading a needle when he took home economics class in school witch he was terrible at. He never could thread the damn sewing needles.

The problem with trying to line up the ship was that as soon as they got directly over the hole the reflection from the fireball at the center of the Bubble became so bright he could not see the hole anymore in the blurry useless screens. Even with the screens set on maximum dampening. If the screen was dark enough to cut out the massive amounts of reflected light, he could not see the dark hole. “Cut the bridge lighting.” The Ensign ordered in a tone not to be ignored. The engineer reached over and dimmed the lights.

Finally as the bridge darkened he looked down and away and saw it. Saw the hole through the deck below him as if he was sitting outside the ship. Within seconds he was the ship as the hole started racing toward them.

Using the ships thrusters he centered the ship over the much too small hole, making sure it was perfectly strait as the atmosphere sucked them faster and faster toward the approaching hole.

"Weapons, I need that damn finger at 1100 cut back or the whole side of the ship is going to get ripped open or even twist the ship sideways, getting it and us permanently stuck. Concentrate all weapons on that finger."

With then ship now stable the weapons took another few seconds to be concentrated on the finger and even then Jack could not be sure it was doing any good with most of the light being reflected from the mirrored surface. Jack could see the crew huddling in the Core hull while crewmen in armored suits worked around the ship trying to keep it operating.

"Ten miles Captain. The ship is up to a hundred miles an hour and increasing." The ensign said. "I don't think we have to worry about slowing down and getting stuck by the time we hit the hole sir. We should be doing a thousand miles an hour." Even through the closed suit, the incredible noise from the atmosphere blowing out the hole was deafening making it hard to hear the Ensign. A quick glance at atmospheric pressure outside the ship said it was 160 pounds per square inch and dropping. Jack started concentrating on keeping the ship aligned with the jagged hole in the shell.

The sharp finger sticking into the hole started glowing red under the attack of all the ship's weapons but it still remained as the ship rushed toward it. At a thousand miles an hour it would rip open most of the compartments in the ship right down into the core hull. "Damn nothing we can do about it now. Godstar Help us all."

The ship slammed through the hole hitting the white hot finger and suddenly the ship was through the hole and sailing out across an empty void between the bubble and the dark cloud. All of space opened up around Jack as the screeching noise suddenly stopped as the quite of the vacuum of space engulfed them.

Hitting the ships side thrusters hoping they still had them. Jack watched the rapidly approaching hatch as he tried to side step the huge four hundred foot wide plug that had a thin string still attached to the shell, slowing it down.

The hatch flew past leaving them in the middle of an expanding stream of hot gasses.

35-

TO HOT TO HANDLE

It took a few seconds to dawn on Jack that they made it as the ship’s comms erupted in shouting. Too many talking to understand anyone for several minutes. Glancing around at the damage control board told Jack the ship was still in one peace with no major hull damage anywhere. Not believing it he turned back around and realized they were again in shallowing vacuum surrounded by gasses but the ship's hull was already starting to cool down.

The ships screens showed a beam of light from the hole in the bubble shinning out past them across the void around them and down a tunnel. The stream of hot gasses was carving a tunnel deep into the cloud ahead as the ship rapidly followed. Small boats started zipping through the hole behind them.

"Engineering, Chief, how long before we have engines? We are going someplace fast without any control."

"All we have right now are maneuvering thrusters sir. It will be an hour at least before we can even get into the Engine rooms."

"Well do we have enough gasses to dump some of this hot air to help cool the ship?"

"Sorry sir we had to dump most of our reserves to keep from blowing the storage tanks as they heated up. We are stripping cooling fins and array's off the boats now to hook up around the hull to give us some cooling but it will take a while before it does much good. The Good news is we still have plenty of reaction mass for the thrusters at least sir. Should be enough to get us back to the hulk. Their repair facilities are pretty good for a ship and should be a great help sir."

"Captain, most of our recon missiles have made it out of the bubble and are spreading around on search patterns. The only contact so far is the hulk we captured sir. Most of the boats from the enemy ships inside the bubble are still sitting on the far side of the miniature star from the hole, waiting."

"Waiting? Well good, we can't deal with them right now anyway. Leave a few recon missiles in the bubble to keep an eye on the Spiders. I don’t want any surprises." Jack got up from the Pilots seat and took the command chair back. "Number 2 you can take us out of this gas stream and head back for the hulk."

A scream suddenly penetrated the comm hurting his ears. He could not tell where it was coming from as he looked around and finally spotted a crewman trying to get her helmet back on as her face turned red and started to boil up into blisters then her hair caught fire. Jack watched in horror as she tried to breath in after running out of breath screaming and fell to the deck dead as flames in a cloud started shooting out of her mouth as the blood and moister in her lungs started flashing to steam.

Slapping the ship wide comm. "Damn it people! The air temp in the ship is still 300 degrees and above that outside the core in most compartments. Leave your suit helmets on. We just lost a crewman on the bridge because she took off her helmet. Captain's Orders, everyone leaves their helmets and gloves on until you receive frigging orders to take them off. No damn exceptions. Medic to the bridge." Slapping the ship wide comm off. He knew a medic would not do the crewman any good but he did not want the body staying on the bridge. "Exec. Get someone up to replace her and put her helmet on." He still could not believe anyone could be that stupid as he looked away from the gasses and steam still pouring out of her suit.

Turning back around trying to get the sight of the dying woman out of his mind, he brought up the recon feeds. Jack could see why the Commanders voice was a bit odd. Jack could not believe what he was seeing either.

The ship slid out from the gas stream that was creating a tunnel leading away from bright headlight opening in the bubble toward the center of the cloud. The ships thrusters heading them back toward the bubble and the waiting hulk and the crew they had left behind. Jack shook his head as the hulk came into sight of the ship's own sensors. "Well, we were trapped in a giant fish bowl so I should not be surprised at the Spider Hulk being trapped as well like a fly on flypaper." Then looking back at the bubble he just shook his head. Expecting a nice shinning bubble his eyes were greeted with what looked like a cross between a rock pile and an asteroid on steroids covering the outside of the Bubble lit up by the reflected light off the cloud around the bubble. "Ensign, can you get a few readings on that surface?"

Pan stepped up next to Jack. "It would facilitate transferring equipment and repairs to the ship Captain if you docked with the God ship hulk."

"Ok, tell me you are in contact with the ship. I still cannot believe anyone is alive on that even though I just talked to Commander Murphy."

"Yes Captain, everyone is more than just alive. Noor can I detect anything wrong in spite of your misgivings. The shuttle boats that came out with us are following us back toward the hulk but are afraid that the spider ship is not yours."

Jack looked around at Pan for a second and shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “Ok but you know it is ours. Right?” Turning back around. "Number one, you can dock with the hulk. Put our empty Portside boat lock hatch against their boat lock. Those air curtains should keep everything sealed while our hull cools down. Comm, inform the hulk of our intentions please. Weapons, you will have to rotate the main God guns on the port side out of the way. You can cover the trailing boats while you are at it. I don't want any of the enemy boats escaping when they find out they are not in hell after all." Turning to Pan. “Why did only half the boats come out with us?”

“The boats still in the bubble are God boats full of God Officers and Black Apes. They would have taken over your ship once they exited the bubble.” Pan turned away from Jack and sat back down looking at the screens.

“OK. But that does not explain why they are still there instead of trying to assault us now we have punched through.” Looking at Pan as she continued to ignore Jack. “Pan, what is going on? What did you do?”

Pan turned to look at Jack and said stiffly. “The refugees sabotaged the God assault boats before they left the ships so they could never leave the bubble. They refuse to dock with the Godship. They are scarred and will not approach the Godship even though I have assured them that it is no longer a Godship.”

A few seconds later as Jack stared at Pan, the Comm Officer turned to Jack. "They would like us to wait a few minutes before docking so they can clear out the lock and give our hull more time to cool a little sir."

"Tell them to take their time Comm. Have them ready to set up ships services especially air-conditioning and system cooling fluids. Number One, hold off until the hulk gives you clearance. Besides it will give me time to believe what I am looking at anyway." Jack continued to look at the Hulk with its upper empty hull shell that had once been the Ape cold storage decks embedded into the end of a short glass finger that had grown out of the side of a roughly mile round bubble that was attached on the side of the huge bubble that had trapped the ship only a few minutes before. He could see figures walking around the inside of the smaller clear bubble's wall or hull with no suits on. A central light glowed brightly in the middle of the bubble. “Pan, if you are positive that no Gods or Apes are on those boats, tell the refugees to land on the damn station so they can get the help they need. We are too hot to handle them right now.

"Oh ah Commander call out the marines just in case. And Weapons, make sure nothing alive makes it out of that damn hole in one piece." Jack spotted the Comm icon from sickbay flashing.

Pan spoke up. “I am sorry Captain Jack but the refugees will wait until you are on what you call the Spider ship before they will dock. They would rather die trying to run getting lost in the cloud than turn themselves back over to slavery.

"Jack.” The Ensign turned around. “I am getting readings of massive amounts of metals from the bubbles outer surface. Evidentially the lighter cloud debris was blown or thrown clear while the heaver metals stayed behind embedded in the mass of materiel fused to the surface of the crystal bubble. There are huge veins of rich metals in the material covering the bubble as far as my sensors reach.” She sounded like they had found a pot of gold in her excitement.

“Captain!” The ship’s doctor almost shouted over the comm. “We have lost 3 more people from the heat in the last 5 minutes. We need to get everyone off the ship until it cools down.”

Jack not seeing the big deal in the metals though finding it interesting, turned from Pan as he glanced to the First Officer. “Well then let’s get docked and everyone taken care of before we lose anyone else.”

The body of the crewman was taken out by the paramedics as Jack shook his head trying not to throw up. “Comm, tell the Commander we are docking now even if all the locks have boats in them. We have people roasting alive in the ship.”

One of the big transfer boats slid out of the Spider hulk and the Red Pepper slid up to the lock. Mooring clamps grasped the ship around the lock while lines were passed to hold the ship securely in place. The bow of the Red Pepper pointed at the bubble placing the docking locks, gravity deck to gravity deck.

Jack dropped quickly down to the boat bay and walked from the ship into the hulk and was greeted by the Marine Commander dressed in a jump suit. Jack smiled motioning him to stay away trying not to look like he suddenly felt. The last time he was in one of the Spider Battle cruisers boat locks, they were being shot at and several of his new friends and crew had been killed in front of him. The big red head’s death still hurting. He could see the heat waves still radiating off his suit as he opened his helmet's visor. "Best stay back Commander until my suit cools down. I would appreciate it if you could allow my crew to evacuate the ship until it has had time to cool off. OH and the refugee boats approaching are from several ships that have surrendered. Make sure they stay isolated for now. God Captain's and Officers could be amongst them. We need to make sure they don't try to pull something." Jack’s steps seam to hiss as his hot boots pressed down onto the deck leaving black foot prints. He was followed by marines and Red Apes spreading out across the bay on missions Jack had ordered to make sure the ship was still in their hands as teams with fire hoses suddenly appeared spraying the suits down with water creating clouds of steam spreading into the air with streams of water flowing toward the drains.

Jack closed his faceplate just in time to keep the fog spray of water out of his suit as he was deluged by two hoses. Raising his arms he turned around to make sure they covered his entire suit. After a good minute he waved them away and opened his faceplate again, took a deep breath of cool air and smiled. Shaking his head he turned around to look back into the Red Pepper and got a wave of heat washing over his face from inside the ship’s boat bay. He watched one of the hose teams cross into the boat bay creating a cloud of steam only to rapidly retreat again when the 300 degree air hit them. "Pan, could your counterpart find some huge fans to start circulating some cool air into the ship please." He could already see heat waves in the air along the overhead rushing into the hulk and into the air circulation intakes but the cool air sliding back into the ship was hugging the deck creating a foot thick layer as it spread across the bay. The hose teams lined up along the edge of the connecting bays as more and more people started filing off the ship to get away from the heat.

"Well what do you think Captain?" The Marine Commander smiled

"Don't really know what to think yet. I am still trying to figure out what happened. Got any ideas?"

"Sure Captain, the plasma wave hit us but had been slowed down and compressed enough by the mass of the dense cloud to give us a push instead of swallowing us. It was this compression that we believe turned the plasma heated and compressed dust and material into carbon glass or to be more exact one big diamond forming the bubble. The hulks gravity coils kept the acceleration low enough for us to survive until the bubble stopped expanding. Then the air leaking from the forward half blew a bubble from the crystal formed by the plasma. The hulks air system simply kept producing air and pumping it into the bubble thinking it was part of the ship until the bubble cooled enough and hardened. We added the fusion torch light and massive gravity repulse beam coil to the center after we figured out what we had. We thought we were going to be here a very long time and were making ourselves at home sir."

"Well that explains that. It even makes sense Commander. I am still a little afraid that I am losing my mind and this and what we have been through is not real. Let's go take a look at this bubble if you don't mind Commander." Looking around at the aliens and crew streaming off the Transport.

"Yes sir. While we are doing that the crew will start loading the ship sir." The Commander turned and started walking toward the central core elevator with Pan, the Ensign, and Gutner Dank following fully armed and ready.

"Ah no Commander, we have weeks of repairs to do on the ship before we go anywhere." Turning back around to look at the hatch. "It is going to take days to cool the ship down just to be able to work on it again without suits." They walked out of the boat lock and Jack could not help noticing a big difference. The many compartments the other Spider ship that Jack had used the shuttle engines to blast open in an attempt to kill enough Apes to have time to load the marines and leave, was missing.

Instead he was presented with a huge open area over a thousand feet across with a bulkhead running from the end of the boat lock to the sides in both directions parallel to the outer hull, around to another boat lock hatch part of the way around the ship to each side of him. Another bulkhead ran on around from those boat locks to other boat lock hatches and then another before disappear past the core hull to what Jack presumed was another boat lock. The locks looked like they were spaced around the ship between each of the attachment points for the pylon/cooling fins for the Spider ship’s engines. "Ok, this is different. Nice and roomy with additional locks."

Pan's twin walked up toward Jack and smiled. "This ship was built at a different production facility hundreds of light-years from the ship you were on, so minor cosmetic changes were made by the builders for various reasons when the factory was built, though the basic equipment is all the same.

The main elevator platform in the core could hold a hundred Apes in combat gear or several standard cargo containers so the dozen crewmen with Jack including the Ensign, Pan, her twin and the Commander with half a dozen others left plenty of room. The platform took them up the central shaft into the middle of the Ape cold storage section of the ship before it stopped where the ripped and mangled core hull stopped. Looking down over the side of the thick hull of the core, Jack was surprised to see empty space between the inner core hull and the outer ships armored hull with its jagged edges reaching up to meld with the glass tube. The decks clear down to the main gun deck were gone. Only a few fragments of decks were attached to the outer hull down toward the gun deck, the rest of the hull that was left was smooth as if there had never been any decks attached. Jack tried to keep from getting sick at the thought that those missing decks had been filled with 10,000 living beings even if they had been Apes that would have easily killed them as look at them.

A newly built walkway lead across the empty void toward the outer hull, curving up until it merged with the walkway running up the carbon glass surface up the side of the ship wide tube into the distant bubble and a ball of light and heat. As they walked up the tube they passed over a ring with what looked like a web attached to the outside and stretched out toward a ring around the outside face of the bubble a thousand feet away from the shoulder of the tube attached to the bubble. "Ok what is all that webbing outside the tube across the shoulder to the bubble?"

The Commander smiled shrugging his shoulders. "The Alien Chief engineer decided that the tube needed bracing to make sure it would never break off with time so they started running carbon cables between the side of the tube to the bubble to brace and relieve any tension or strain on the shoulder where the tube and bubble meet. If you look closely they also reinforced the shoulder with that carbon foam with a good sized fillet across the armpit. I don't think the ship's attachment finger is going anyplace without the help of a good sized bomb.

They walked over the shoulder of the long tube and into the bubble making the Ensign gasp. Groups of aliens and humans were scattered around the bubble. A few were simply specks across the bubble on the other side miles away, the line of sight to them close to the bright light at the center.

The Commander noticed them looking at the scattered groups. "They are running tests on the bubble for composition and strength uniformity before anyone starts getting serious about converting it into a habitat. Though why these people insist on finishing the job now before we go is beyond me."

"Well Commander, I have never heard of bubbles formed like this one or the one we just came out of before. They are just trying to understand this one in the hope of understanding the big one I bet." The Ensign said as she continued looking around. A half dozen cargo container shacks had sprung up off to one side of the tubes shoulder with people going to and from them.

"Captain, Duty officer, bridge, Comm has made contact with a force of Destroyers coming up the passageway from the Check Point. They want battle instructions and the location of the enemy forces."

"Ok... Put the Commander through." Jack noticed something arc up from the group of containers, flying around the bubble in great arcs and dives, barking up a storm with a tongue hanging out the corner of its mouth. He smiled up at it as it dove at them before returning to the shacks.

A figure on a bridge popped up above Jack's wrist comm as he held his arm out in front of him, chest high. "Captain Turner, this is Vice Admiral Winston, with three reinforced squadrons of advanced heavy gun Destroyers sixteen hours from your location, I think. I need a sit rep and an up to date map. Our map of the passages and clear areas do not match what we are running into. Most of them are turning out to be dead ends in your direction. Over."

"Admiral Winston, I am glad to see you and quite impressed. Three reinforced squadrons must mean some 72 ships not including resupply transports. Admiral Halsey must have scraped the barrel clean to put that big a force together." Jack noticed a Bigfoot that looked vaguely familiar with a child Bigfoot running along beside as the birddog took to the air again. They left the shacks headed in their direction. Though Jack was a bit busy to more than notice them.

"Yes, she pulled a lot of strings to get us here on a training exercise to test the new heavy gun Destroyers and the new torpedos. Now I need a Situation Report Captain, while I have time to deploy my forces. All I got from the transports fleeing the area was that the enemy fleet was making its way through the maze and you stayed behind to delay them and something about making tunnels through the clouds."

"Oh, ah, yes, about that. I will open up Tactical to you but you are not going to believe it. None of the maps are accurate anymore since a massive fusion self-destruct explosion from one of the Spider Ships has probably scrambled things up quite a bit and may even have closed up most of the passageways." Thinking for a second. "But then there is a new passageway being blown back through the cloud in your direction and in time should be a nice freeway directly here at least. I will have my Exec send you the procedure we developed for making our own tunnels through the clouds so you can connect up to it. Though I am not sure how well they will adapt to the old reaction mass engines probably still on your Destroyers. If you have one of the new engine transport tankers they can do the tunnel digging easily for you."

Jack smiled until he glimpsed the damage control screen at the back of the Admiral's bridge as he walked across it showing a vaguely familiar Battleship Destroyer with Drop Tanks that could not possible be as the Admiral sat down in his Command chair with the camera following him cutting off the brief view of the screen on the back bulkhead. Shaking his head to clear the impossible from his mind. "My ship is in need of quite a few major repairs so I am stuck here attached to a captured spider hulk while we make repairs. As for the enemy ships, I don’t think you will find much left to target practice and train on. So Admiral, once you have had time to assess the contents and the situation, feel free to drop by for a visit and we can talk and I will show you some of our new toys. Captain Turner out."

"What? Where are you? I see what looks like a wide open space behind you that is much too big to be on a ship. And how are you going to make major repairs light years from a repair dock?"

"As I said Admiral, read the reports and look at the Tactical and then get back to me. Sorry I did not leave you any of the fun but I do have some enemy boats complete with live Spider God Officers that need rounding up and a rough damaged pilotless Spider Command ship hell bent for the center of the cloud that could possible make repairs and return if it is not completely lost. Turner Out." Jack touched his wrist comm killing the image. "Bridge, Exec, authorize Tactical transmissions and send our tunnel making procedures and logged reports to The Rock, Admiral Hulsey, the Vice Admiral and the Fleet. Out."

Jack frowned resignedly as he looked around the bubble again not looking forward to meeting the Republic fleet that was headed for the ship. Then he saw the half-pint Bigfoot woman with reddish tinged hair walking up to him. She was wearing the same suit he had last seen her in with it still zipped down to her belly button and barely hiding her hug breasts. Nor did it hide the large round scar between her breasts where he had seen the blaster hit and kill her. At least that is what he had thought. "My Godstar! You are alive?" Smiling from ear to ear.

She smiled back as she knelt down in front of him and scooped him up into a bear hug between breasts. "Your doctors and mine performed a miracle. Thank you Captain for rescuing my sister and trying to save me. I will always be your slave unless you still wish to marry me even with my new deformity."

Jack continued to hug her back with a smile. "What deformity? A little scaring is good for everyone. But what is this? You are married and you are no one's slave not even mine, ever."

The Ensign crossed her arms narrowing her eyes at Jack. Frowning.

"The scaring is only superficial and will heal in time baby. I am talking about the new rib cage your doctors had to replace mine with along with half my skeleton. The blaster round shattered my ribs cracking my back bones and then they had to reinforce the rest of my skeleton to attach and accept the strain of the much harder ribs and back and. Well on down the line. Basically they used our crystal damage control growers and your human’s medical knowledge to grow me a new skeleton from the inside out without having to do major surgery. Though it has taken a bit of time." She let him go but held him at arm's length looking at him.

The Ensign started tapping her foot impatiently.

"I am just so glad you are alive Red. I was so certain you had gone and died on me. Now I feel rotten not checking up on you to find out for sure. How are you…? Well you must be doing well since you and your husband volunteered to help here on the hulk while we were gone."

"Ah, Captain. I refused to leave you and the ship but they made me with all the other wounded. A hundred and thirty two of us in all whether we wanted to or not. The medical facilities are better here I have to admit. Though they said I could have died if I would have stayed on the ship without the God equipment. My recovery was a combination of the three groups of expertise.” Getting a sudden sad look on her face. “As far as my husband… He died on our ship when you rescued us Captain. You ordered him to take some wounded Red Apes down to the Aid station and then check for and do what he could for other wounded Apes and humans alike. He saved many Apes and Humans when they were trapped during the many enemy assaults but during the last evacuation to the God Assault boat, he was killed trying to save one last Human."

"Oh Godstar. I am sorry Red. Now that you have told me, I remember him I think, somewhat smaller than the other Bigfoots and I was wondering if he could handle a fully combat loaded wounded Ape after I told him to. But he scooped him up and headed out without slowing down." Looking down and bighting his lip. "You must hate me for ordering him to his death."

Red grabbed ahold of Jacks arms as she held Jack back out at arm’s length leaning back away from him as she look into his eyes as she started speaking in a rough nasty sounding voice that hurt everyone's ears for several second before she stopped to take a breath.

Uncovering his ears Jack was shocked after hearing only the sweat melodic speech from her before.

She said a few words in that beautiful melodic language before switching to English. "Never!" She said calming down. "Every time he rescued and took a wounded solder down to the aid station he had to tell me how proud he was that you had wanted him to do something so important. How wonderful he felt each time he saved someone. He wanted me to talk to you about making him part of your marines and being trained to do a better job of it. To become a paramedic he said your troops called them. He loved it and you for giving him such a wonderful chance as help so many others." Red wrapped her arms around Jack again, locking lips with him again sucking the breath out of him. Parting she smile. "I love you for giving him the chance to realize a dream he never ever even imagined and gave his life gladly for." Jack's face grimaced finding it hard to breath as tears started running down his cheeks and hers as she hugged him and started rocking. "Don't grieve, his memories and pride will live on in our child's memories love. As will all those that gave their lives for you."

Jack could not believe how many times people seemed so damn glad to be fallowing his orders even though it could and did mean their deaths. He simply could no longer deal with all the deaths as they suddenly piled up into him including his most recent victim on the bridge. He forced himself not to cry in front of everyone. He knew his brother would have never let him live it down. Trying to force himself to stop he simply stopped breathing as his muscles knotted up in his face throat and chest without realizing it. Though his suit quickly noticed and started screaming with his body so far out of balance.

Red noticed to and turned her head back and started breathing for him as she quickly understood, wiping his tears from his cheeks with her large fingers feeling the rock hard muscles under his jaws down his neck. The Ensign tried to pry him out of her embrace trying to help and finally hit his suits emergency release.

The suit fell apart around Jack leaving Red with only pieces of his suit in her arms just after she had taken his breath away ready to give him another, the Ensign laid Jack on the glass deck placing her mouth over his, giving him a deep breath. She felt at his neck getting a pulse and bent back over giving him another breath only to have him cup his hand over the back of her head to keep her from backing away and held her there as he breathed back filling up her lungs. She tried to jerk back but was held until she relaxed and started running her hand slowly over his face and body. Breathing back into and then taking his breath back in again.

A half dozen breaths later they parted as she sat back on her knees flushed, biting her lower lip staring at Jack.

"Well now. That was better than a paper bag." Looking around Jack tried an embarrassed smile as he sat up. "Red, I don't know what that was all about but I certainly did not need to breathe for a bit afterward." Standing up in what was little more than underwear but not much as he looked at the suit that was broken open down its back as well as the front laying in pieces across the glass deck. "Looks like it will take more time than I have right now to fix that." He stood there for several minutes looking around the bubble as the Ensign and Red stood on either side of him trying to figure out what to do. Neither of them willing to leave Jack’s side.

Finally Jack shook his head as he looked back down the shaft toward the hulk and the Red Pepper sitting docked to it through the glass. “Ok, now how the hell did it wind up painted bright red?”

Pan stepped forward. “Captain. Do not be alarmed. The color is a natural result of the crystal we covered your ship in to repair and increase its armored rating against God weapons and the ships natural foam steel hull. The high temperatures the ship was exposed to inside the bubble fused them together. We did not have the time to pre-coat the ship’s hull to keep the steel hull from degrading over time from electrolysis but what you humans would say we lucked out. Without the coating, the steel hull rusted from the immense heat into the crystal strengthening them both and creating a perfectly smooth surface resulting in a mirror that will reflect 99.99999 % of any weapons radiation hitting the hull. The same process we coat the inside of the gun tubes with. An outer surface we have only been able to produce in the laboratory since heating an entire ship’s hull to the needed temperatures has been impossible before this. As you have noticed inside the bubble, your ship is now immune to the God Energy weapons.”

Jack looked at Pan finally closing his mouth. "Well right now it is an immune hulk. At least we know we can destroy your God Spider Battleships.”

Red turned to Pan. Her face turning bright green into what Jack would in time find out was furry as her voice boomed. “You have not told him yet?”

“What? Told me what?” Jack had not had time to cover his ears as he tried to gather his thoughts.

Pan looked at Jack. Sorrow flooding across her face. “Please forgive me Captain Turner. But all the ships you have encountered and destroyed since we have been with you have all been what we would call Cruisers. The Battleships are all much, much bigger.”

Jack’s mouth dropped open for a few seconds as he stared stone faced at Pan. “Ahhh. Just how much bigger Pan.” He said slowly, picking his words.

“At least 10 times the length than one of our fully functioning and equipped Cruisers Captain, Sir. The engines alone are two of your miles long.” Pan bowed deeply barring her neck to Jack. “I did not want to burden you with trivial facts while our lives were still in doubt. Please I beg you to look after my children if you take my life for such a….”

“Enough with this taking your life crap. Did you at least send that little fact with all the information we sent to my fleet command?”

“Yes Captain. All the ship dimensions and schematics of the God Battleships were included with the data about all the God Ships.”

“Ok, so how many battleships are in your fleet attacking the Republic?”

Pan stood up strait, taking a deep breath as her boobs expanded out the short distance the flexible chest area of her suit would allow. “Only 12 Captain. The only survivors of the 25,000 Battleships originally in the fleet. Each Battleship remaining is now the Command ship of one of the 1,000 ship fleets of heavy cruisers protecting the last remaining Battleship Engine Factory Planet of the Clan and the fleet’s supply transports. The Clan had at one time a hundred cruiser fleets tasked with protecting the thousands of transport ships in each of them and the factories.

Shaking his head Jack closed his eyes, to shocked to say anything. He turned away from Pan for a few seconds before speaking again as he looked around the huge bubble. “Enough sightseeing." Frowning. "Let's get back to the ship and to work. I was going to wait until the ship cooled but the Admiral blew that all to hell. I have a feeling shit is going to hit the fan as soon as the Admiral gets here and I want the ship in better shape than it is in now before I have to turn it over to someone else." Looking down at the suit pieces he bent down and picked up one of the half side pieces only to have Red take it from him and then picked up the rest of the suit. Watching her for a few seconds Jack glanced at Pan then turned around and headed back down the walkway and started calling department heads to get the needed work going. He first needed to get the hoses he had seen before back into the ship to start cooling it down with the only thing he had an excess of, water.

But no one would answer their comms’.

Getting frustrated he finally dropped his arm to his side as the platform stopped at the bottom of the Core shaft. "Pan, you think your people can rebuild our ship's cooling fins?"

"Yes Captain but we need to reinstall the factory to manufacture the parts for the cooling fins as well as everything else your ship needs."

"Ok so install it in the tanks we have cleaned out for it. I will have the fire hose crews start cooling them first."

"I am sorry Captain but we were only able to take the basic modules. Many of the support structures had to be left behind. These support structures are needed to run the factory. They can be rebuilt in time elsewhere but for now returning the modules and running the factory here will enable us to repair our ship's bow section to house personnel again as well as the cooling and landing fins and replace the many weapons and sensors that were destroyed and damaged in combat and the blast that almost destroyed the ship."

"Fine. Just get it done Ok." Jack frowned at more delays but at least he could get the ship repaired. Jack looked around at the crewmen, human and alien alike surrounding him as they stood there waiting for the hatch to open, he wondered how the hell they were supposed to fight ships 10 times the size of these monsters. Though it looked like they had plenty of Cruisers to worry about even after losing this little fleet. He just needed to figure out a way to keep the Destroyer Fleet Admiral from dropping by for a few days, even a week and, they just may have enough of the ship repaired to make it actually look like a ship again before the Admiral simply junked it.

He was tired, embarrassed from breaking down over Red surviving a few minutes before and starving and mad at himself for showing weakness and a little shocked at the bad news about the Battleships. What he really was pissed off about though was the fact he seemed to be starting to accept that he had to order men and women to their deaths to save the Republic and his family. The woman in the torpedo magazine was damn bad example. Yet he knew this was not the game anymore but still could not understand how the hell he was put in Command of this motley ship and crew and was responsible for so many that had died.

Jack was ready to bite off the first head he saw to make sure none of them ever had to die again and repairing the ship was the first step. The Red Pepper had too much work that needed done to it and too little time to do the repairs in to put up with being ignored. He was totally in The Game now. The scared little kid was long gone and he was going to see just how much weight he could throw around just as soon as he found the lazy Officers that dared to ignore his calls. That was until the hatch opened as he suddenly remembered what Pan had said about the factory planet.

All he could do was stare out the open hatch as a deafening noise hit his ears. The boat lock bay deck was packed with thousands of humans and aliens down every open lock in sight. The department heads stood beside the hatch smiling. A big band made up of the strangest instruments he had ever seen mixed with the normal human fare was playing strange music much too loud but it was a catchy tune and Jack suddenly found himself being picked up and passed around over the heads of the huge crowd in only his jump suit with no protection from anything as everyone seemed to want to touch or shake his hands, pat his back or head or some other part of his body depending on the alien's customs. For seemingly hours, no matter how hard he tried to get down and back to duty, he sailed around the deck, in and out of the locks, drinks and food being shoved in his hands or face that he finally just took for granted were safe by aliens who wanted to eat or drink with him. Never getting more than a bight or single drink before being passed on to the next. Tasting some of the best food and drink he had ever tasted while some he had to fight to keep from spitting out again making him gag.

Finally Jack was deposited back in front of the elevator beside Pan, her twin, her family, Red with her sister and the flying dog on her shoulder and the Ensign. To stuffed and too drunk to do anything but stand unsteadily on his feet with the Ensign and Red under each arm supporting him. After shaking the hands of the department heads still there (telling him that they had the ship well in hand, that he was off duty) and half the crew (human and the original aliens that had ship assignments), Pan, Red and the Ensign started dragging him around to spend more time talking with the leaders of the different races of aliens instead of just passing by. Though most of the talking was by the aliens thanking him for saving their lives and giving them their freedom than by Jack who was happy by this time to just veg out and drink without having to talk and spent most of his time starring at faces that continued to get stranger and stranger and the drinks more interesting as the night wore on.

The Ensign finally put Jack to bed late the next morning after Red had carried him to their quarters in spite of the Ensigns objections, giving him a shot to counter act the inevitable hangover later and laid down beside him. She knew his crew, still in battle suits complete with helmets strapped to their sides when not needed, had the ship, the new refugees well in hand. Already making repairs to the ship with Recon missiles spreading out around the bubble, the guns primed and manned with skeleton crews just in case something unexpected were to develop. Though the Vice Admiral of the Destroyer Fleet had sent a message the First Officer had not bothered to forward to his Captain during the party. It could wait.

The message had simply said that the Admiral did not believe the reports and was going to spend the next week scouring and remapping the maze for enemy ships including the one Jack had admitted his incompetence in letting get away.

No; Jack could get as much rest as he needed. Safe under his crew's (alien and human alike) watchful eyes and the Vice Admiral's protection as he scoured the area around the cloud entrance looking for a fleet that was no longer there.

Besides the new tactical signal coming from The Rock showed there was not one Spider ship within range of the many patrols searching space for light years around the cloud. While hundreds of transports dashed to and from The Rock and the surrounding star systems including Earth, stocking up The Rock's holds and warehouses. Preparing for when the Spiders came back as more and more damaged Republic Battleships straggled in from the lost First battle with the Enemy fleet in its impregnable Wall. At least now they knew who they were fighting and what they called themselves even if they were starting to think the enemy was too big to defeat. But to Humans and the growing colony of aliens still fighting a thousand years later, it would always be the Spider Battleship WAR and Jack, the Ensign, Pan and Red were going to be in the thick of designing and testing new weapons and fighting huge fleets until the inevitable happens when any race is simply out numbered.

THE END