Chapter 15

"Chief, you couldn't have looked very hard" TJ justified their alleged uncontactability; "my PDA com, my next of kin's PDA com and Morg's PDA com are all listed in our files; on end week we signed into the Guard House and nothing was said"

"Batson, come here ... I told you to find this pair fourth day. What did you do?"

"Chief, I left a message at the Barracks and you 'member I was late on fiveday 'caust the shuttle bus broke down so I didn't get in early to open up" Batson whined at his boss.

"Deity, do I have to do everything myself. Flit off before I crown you Queen of the May. No, not you two, I want you. Stores has laid a request on us for assault shuttle pilots to transfer stores to "Naseby" and you are "Naseby's" and shuttle trained; so you are it."

"Chief, we are qualified on shuttles but we aren't checked out on assault shuttles" TJ protested "and besides we don't know the harbour".

"And our kit is at TJ's place and our hard suits are with it" Morg put in.

"It says on your docs you are qualified on shuttles and a shuttle is a shuttle is a shuttle. You'll need all your kit as you will be staying on the shuttle and quartering on "Naseby". You'll just have to find your own way around, transport is down to bare bones and can't spare anyone — the rush is to get 3rd BC back into service yesterday. Sally" the Chief Yeoman called and a slim red head appeared "get the ground car and get these spacer's gear and then take them to Base Courier, they'll make the midday run out to the orbital transport depot."

"Chief" TJ irately protested "we can probably pilot a shuttle in and out of the harbour and probably even down to Gorgipest but to run around the orbitals, you have to know the place and we are strangers to these orbitals — we'll probably get lost first trip. 'teeth Senior, we don't even know where transport is or even where "Naseby" is lying."

"Chief, I'm small boats trained in this harbour" piped up the redhead whose name tag said "McGraw", "and from the sound of it everybody's scratching for shuttle crew. I can double as crew chief for them until they get familiar with the harbour and the traffic — it does get hectic out there and I know my way around."

"Sally, you just want to get out of the office and you'd take advantage of an old man's dilemma to do it. We are desperate though. Suits, two days and then back here."

"Charley, be fair, taxi shuttles do a three week course. Three weeks."

"Not going to happen, Sally. Nice try. Five days."

"It takes five days to work out the lanes let alone the inner orbitals. Two weeks."

"Sally, I might be able to spare you for a week before Batson wrecks the place..."

"Done. Wait here you two while I collect my skinny." And dashed out.

"Your promotions are now effective by the way," Chief said holding out a chip which Morg accepted, "on joining "Naseby" and you are joining her. Sally will take you to the store to pick up your badges and you take care of that girl, hear?"

"Loud and clear, Chief."

Sally came back calling "Batson! Come with me."

"What do you want Batson for, Sally?"

"Who's going to bring the ground car back?"

"Batson? Driving? Oh Deity" the Chief Yeoman Writer groaned holding his head in his hands.

Spacer Batson just grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm Sally McGraw and you are Hobson and you are Windsor but what do I call you?"

They were in the local base shuttle on the midday run about the base. There had been a quick call at the Base Q to collect the badges of Gunlayer 2nd, then to Berryl's where the men bade her a quick goodbye and then to the Base Squadron Transport pool to grab a seat on the shuttle which had room to spare. The men had donned their hard suits and Sally her skinny while waiting for the shuttle to depart.

"I'm Morg and he's TJ".

"Suits, so tell me how a pair of Gunlayer 3rds get on the Rescue & Salvage Course in the first place and then how come you to have DCMs each?" Sally quizzed, "There has got to be a story and I just love stories. Look you, Gunlayers don't get sent on RnS - its deck apes and greasers and you have to be on your second hitch at least; you pair are barely out of nappies plus you both have DCMs. With that history you are going to stick out like painted beacons especially in those hard suits."

"We got the hard suits because we were uncomfortable in the issue suits — you know one size fits all. We were told that if we didn't get them we were off the course because we are too large bodied and if we got them we got an allowance for them. So, we got them" TJ explained.

"What about the course itself?" Sally persisted

"Well, Morg did that" TJ reluctantly went on (and Morg let him with increasing admiration at how he was getting out of this one) "at least his mam did. She runs a classy restaurant in Gorgipest and she had a bitch to the Admiral's wife about how he barely got down there and was joining "Naseby" to be paid off in Settlement in the time it took for "Naseby" to space back to Settlement and why couldn't the Navy get him something in Gorgipest to do for a year and then he join "Naseby" when she returns to service etc etc. Our orders got changed and we got sent on the course but to be fair, we already had EVA certification from Advanced."

"Must be a very high class restaurant" Sally quipped "But the DCMs?"

"Oh, it is, it is, a very good dining hole, very good indeed" Morg interjected stoutly.

"We, being junior in the pecking order as you have noticed, got detailed off to run some supplies up to "Naseby" just like now — you are joining "Naseby" and "Naseby" needs etc — and we got jumped by a some cowboys trying to be pirates when we were parked at the asteroid waiting for "Naseby"; TJ ran the story sort of glossing over certain parts, skirting others and plain not mentioning other parts at all (Ivy didn't get a mention, you notice) "we recovered their 'tinny', later delivered our stores and then went back to school. A family friend of Morg's is a copper down there and he took umbrage at what those cowboys did on his patch and had 'em hanged as pirates. Be'cos they were pirates the Navy had to give us a gong."

"Why am I not convinced?" Sally enquired "there is a strong smell of bovine excreta hanging around tha ... Our stop; grab your gear!"

"You are not, not, not taking an assault shuttle without a check flight. I don't care what Base Personnel says, it aint gonna happen and that's that. You two, pre flight that shuttle."

Sally, as the senior, had presented the orders to the Master Chief Warrant Officer at the orbital yards base transport and he went orbital. He calmed down a trifle to listen to Sally's explanation and minutely scrutinised the chips and then grudgingly admitted he was between a rock and a hard place by requiring a check flight.

He hovered over TJ and Morg as they conducted a scrupulous walk round with Morg hoisting TJ up so he could inspect the top of the hull. They inspected the mechanism of the open ramp hatch, the emergency oxygen tanks secured above the ramp and, each taking a side, walked the compartment securing harness and tie downs where not already secured. The head and the galley compartments were inspected and checked for function.

"We going to fly this?" Morg asked the Master Chief.

"That's usually what happens after a pre-flight" was the reply.

"Sally, secure the ramp" Morg nodded "TJ you take right, I've got left" and clambered into the left seat, TJ followed into the right sear and they both fitted helmets and ran through the suit checks before strapping in. In unison they plugged their short leashes into the inter com and oxygen jacks.

The Master Chief scrambled into his skinny which he had had over his arm to that stage. He then got into the third seat and plugged in just as Morg was checking the intercom and confirmed he was 'on'. Morg and TJ completed the prestart up checks activated the beacon and the mandatory thirty second start up siren before starting. The start went smoothly and everything was in the green,

"Sally, you checked?"

"Roger"

"Master?"

"Roger"

"TJ?"

"Roger"

"I'm clear left."

"Right"

"Both sides rear and harness secure" called Sally

Morg's hand dropped to the ramp toggle, checking, and then advanced the throttles calling "Rolling."

As they moved towards the force field opening, TJ asked

"Master, where are we going? Clearances."

"Out to Area Xray Papa — local flight"

TJ called up the control,

"Yard control, this is Marine 737, codenamed Tangerine, local flight area xray papa from base transport, request taxi and lane clearances."

"Tangerine, wait ... Tangerine you are cleared to the bouy alpha three, for lane two seven level. Hold at the bouy for onward clearance."

"Hold at alpha three for lane two seven level and onward clearance. Tangerine."

He had heard Morg's snort on the intercom as he accessed the harbour map on his screen,

"Alpha three is straight ahead, Morg; clear right."

"See it and I'm clear left."

The flight out to the area was uneventful and on arrival, Master Chief tossed TJ out of the right seat to sit with Sally and then pulled the cockpit hatch closed. Sally and TJ chatted inconsequentially as Morg, obviously under direction, threw the shuttle about as if attempting to turn it inside out. During a period of straight and level flight, Sally commented

"Heading back, those were the two seven marker outer markers."

Morg brought the shuttle to a stop outside the Base Transport and TJ and he changed places. TJ had to act as single pilot out to the area where he was put through his paces eventually being directed back to the orbital yard's Base Transport to shut down the shuttle inside the yard.

The Master Chief nodded a 'with me' at TJ and after a similar gesture at Morg, the party ended up in the Master Chief's office where he directed them to his coffee urn. He shuffled things around his desk while the others relaxed in the sit-frames in the office. After a time, he made a com and had a muttered conversation before turning to the others. He leaned back in his lift chair and broke into a broad smile,

"So, Dusty Miller is still teaching ham handed novices how not to break things" and smiled even more broadly at Morg's and TJ's response, "Dusty is paranoid about that ramp. I was in formation with him when that ammo pallet with the crew chief on top was left behind as he boosted off. Mind, that crew chief was a lazy sod."

He returned his seat to upright and handed across the file chips,

"You are approved as assault shuttle pilots — sign for it here and don't bend it ... Right, get a fuel top up, and over to 'G', pick up a load of bedding and take it to "Naseby" over in outer 4A. On your way, I've wasted half the day as it is."

With Sally in the third seat, Tangerine made her way to G which was the Orbital Base Stores for bedding. TJ piloted the shuttle down the 'in' lane and stopped where the marks indicated. Sally dropped the ramp from the control cabin and scurried back aft to direct the loading.

"Take it slow out of the store TJ," Sally commed, "I'm boxed in here and didn't get a chance to tie the forward pallets down; aft are lashed and ramp up and checked locked. You head out and I'll climb over the top and come up."

TJ had to hover the shuttle outside the store until Sally clambered over the cargo into the third seat from whence she guided them to outer 4A.

TJ cheated; he entered the track out to A4 onto the Nav system. The Supply Chief PO was brassed; he had been waiting all morning for them and had sent the work party off to do things rather than sit in the Boat Bay ready room for days.

"What's your excuse before I charge you for being absent from your duty post" almost snarled the Bosun "you were to have been here no later than firstday last week."

"Dirtside didn't look hard enough, Bosun" TJ explained, and continued when the Bosun looked sceptical, "we got off the courier from Gorgipest a week ago and report to Base Squadron dirtside. We get told there is only a 'yard' crew on "Naseby" and we aren't needed so flit off but report in daily. I live in Settlement — it's my home of record. Morg and I go to my home. We report in each morning at eight morning as instructed; if Personnel isn't open, we sign in at the Guard House. Fiveday and endweek we sign in at Guard House. We turn up at Personnel this morning. We collect our gear from home and get the base shuttle to Orbital Base Transport to pick up the shuttle, got that load and bring it here."