Chapter 52

As the DDs manoeuvred into line abreast approaching the moon, the boats in order were "Vance" (Commodore), "Victoria" (Gort 2i/c), "Vector" (Indira), "Washton" (Denholt) and "Warburton" (Kowalski).

(The only difference between the Vs and the Ws was that the W.A.s had an additional energy mount a side; the later W.I.s and W.E.s had additional mounts and tubes.)

On the bridge of "Washton", TJ was on weapons and Morg was on Nav because Morg was the better on calculations. The energy tube outer doors were opened on both sides and the weapons were set to run on their 'wires' from the central firing control on the bridge — at TJ's bridge position. The energy mounts were all locked into 'director' which was effectively the Weapons Watch Officer also under TJ's control. After firing torpedoes, the tube outer doors had to be closed and the tube itself pressured to atmosphere — as a safety measure this was a manual operation taking just under a minute to perform and check.

The energy mounts were not included in the fire plan for the target BC because their beams would probably have destroyed torpedoes in the same path and the torpedoes were more devastating than a single energy beam. TJ was feeding the Director the reports from "Shriek" on the CLs movements and the planned 'trek' of "Washton".

TJ, after discussion with Denny, had established a firing order of the starboard tubes which would be the presenting side. There would be three series of ripple fire of seven torpedoes, each to commence at the same time. Weapons 1 — 7 were to pass to "Washton's" forward side of the BC between the shield and the hull and then curve into the BC hull, weapons 8 — 14 were to form a 'flower' salvo and impact the stern of the BC and weapons 15 — 21 were to pass to the after side of the BC and curve in. The range was point blank in astronomical terms being a bare kay click outside the safety envelop of the torpedoes.

As the squadron came over the apogee of the moon orbit, Morg quietly said

"Its either "Vector" or us that CL will hammer — if he is on the ball and from what I have seen of their Navy they usually are; it just depends when he starts to turn off that run up to the high orbitals. Denny, I want to close into our BC by half a kay click to make it more difficult to acquire us. Look you, projecting him as far as he will probably go — safety reasons with those BC shields — he will be right on us at our planned trek. If we get closer in then he will have to correct his turn and come back and that will improve our chances. If "Vector" picks it up then she should move out a bit but it wont improve her chances all that much."

"How do you plan to do it, Morg?"

"When we get clear of the moon's orbit — and we use starboard thrusters for that — I'll wait thirty two seconds and then fire a three point five second burst with both port thrusters and that will angle our trek in nicely."

"Do it! Morg, you have the manoeuvring; TJ, weapons are clear. I have the shields and the engines."

Morg and TJ acknowledged.

The bridge watched the plot holo in which Denny had tagged "Shriek's" hole in space and they saw "Shriek" begin to move in.

"Who's got "Shriek"?" TJ asked.

"Felix Arburthson."

"Is that the RMN chap who came with us; think I met him at the farewell? (Denny nodded.) He's on the q.v.; he'll take the CL with that 1.5 maser of his. If the Harbourite is very good he'll only get one shot in from his ready weapons so it depends how good he is and how much he has closed up..."

Morg had broken moon orbit and had edged the trek towards the targets ever so slightly,

"Firing run."

TJ turned to his screens and watched the pointers closing.

Denny watched over his shoulder and warned the bridge ratings,

"Stand by to rotate ship ... on my mark, three two one. Roll ship one eighty! Defensive shields stat! Full military power impellors; add in after thrusters please."

The vibration from the torpedoes exiting their tubes had been the signal for things to happen. The torpedoes were well established on their runs when the wires were broken by the roll of the ship but it didn't affect the end result. The target BC blew apart as did the other BCs.

The CL had just begun to fall off his trek at his apogee and that put him directly targeting "Vector"; his port side blossomed with energy blasts and fired missiles. "Vector" had only begun to roll, her defensive shields were just blooming and she simply disappeared. Within seconds, "Shriek's" maser on continuous fire ripped open the CL from stern to stem. Later assessment of the tapes showed the CL had half that side's weapons closed up with full shields deployed. They also showed that "Shriek" had commenced firing at just over extreme range and had been at four eighty gravs and accelerating; she didn't stop firing or turn over until the CL disintegrated. (Denny wondered if "Shriek" would have rammed the CL if he hadn't come apart — Felix's answer was frightening "I hadn't even thought about it."

It was a full minute before McCock came up on Tabes to order the surviving DDs up into the high orbit and to send "Shriek" after the transports which were raising shields and trying like mice to scamper away.

...

"Your choice, Captain. Whatever got your sister ship is still out there and he isn't going anywhere with only half his betas. The Commodore gave you your chance to surrender. If you don't immediately comply and use your shuttles to abandon ship down to the designated location, he'll send you down there in little bits."

TJ, in his armoured suit, was standing off the undamaged assault ship in a launch making factual observations to a hesitant enemy captain.

"Shriek" got impatient and a flat voice came over the guard frequency accompanied by a five second lashing with active pings,

"And don't even think about scuttling. You surrendered intact and you'll stay intact. Go to pieces and you truly will. Do as the man says or in one minute I'll blow you apart myself. Your choice!"

The hatches on the assault ships began to open and within minutes, their assault shuttles left for the map references on the planet below. TJ on 'his' ship and Morg on 'his', advised the Captains on what they were to load.

"The only weapons are the officers' side arms.

Retain only enough crew to load the shuttles and get the Marines and your surplus people off. Marines to carry their kit and spacers their pusser bags (he had to explain that one). Then hard tack, tentage and hand engineering tools — nothing powered. When that's down, your loaders will load the water purification plant and I known a marine brigade has them on TO&E; the last of you will board the shuttle and I'll pilot you down to your camp site. The other shuttles will berth here and the pilots will join us for the last sortie. The camp site is fifty klicks from the marine drop off point and they'll have to hump that gear to the water. Be advised the prison camp you are going to establish is two thirty klicks to the nearest civilian population. I'm told it's reasonable farm land around the river and you'd better get farming to replace your hard tack. I have heard, but I can't confirm, that the locals(?) will provide cattle and seed but you'll have to pay back with produce eventually.

And always remember, you are stuck out in the middle of nowhere and if anything is seen moving more than fifty klicks from the river site, it's crispy.

The Commodore lost a very close friend when "Vector" went. He'll give you precisely what the Conventions say but not a skerrick more and if you give him an excuse..."

Things did go smoothly but you'd expect that with a Marine force no matter the nation — well, most nations.

Their shuttle pilots co-operated fully but the shuttle designated to pick up ground elements from a large group of farms some five hundred klicks from the river site had to be reassured by McCock himself that the shuttle had clearance — for just this once. The 'ground elements' proved to be retired(?) Avers come to man the transports.

While the shuttles were at work, TJ and Morg both commed 'home' to be informed that all was well with their relatives and to reassure the family that the men were fit and well. Assurances were passed that the men would visit as soon as possible and would com before hand.

The transports handed over to the Avers crews, TJ and Morg returned to "Washton" intending to collect belongings and leave but they hadn't counted on McCock.

Denny had reported to McCock that he had two RMN trained shuttle pilots aboard without going into further detail. McCock had ordered them off to empty the transports. Some time later McCock and his Captains had been discussing the transports, shuttles etcetera, and Denny informed his Commodore that the two pilots had only agreed to work their way to Gorgipest, were not ex RMN (well not recently but Denny didn't want to cover that rigmarole) and hadn't signed articles.

McCock had come back within seconds, positively snarling

"They can consider themselves press ganged!"

Denny was rather more diplomatic in his approach but did point out McCock's attitude; not really wanting to get McCock annoyed with them and knowing that the family and property were unharmed, TJ and Morg reluctantly accepted the position. Denny was aware of their RMN reserve ranks and logged them as such on "Washton's" complement seconded to R1, as the undamaged transport was designated, under Timothy (Tim) Avers who was appointed to command her.

Morg commed the family to tell them the news while TJ organised a cutter to transfer them to R1.

Surprisingly, no Avers was shuttle pilot trained though most of them were small boat certified. Looking at his own problems in isolation, Tim Avers decreed that the shuttles were to be single pilot and that way R1 would have two shuttle transports available at a time with two under maintenance — and Tim had crew for that. (R2's shuttles were 'grounded' for lack of shuttle crew and they were used to train up maintenance crews.) TJ and Morg reluctantly had to accept Tim's decree and could even see the sense in it but not before two experienced small boat crew were posted to assist each pilot. That was exactly Tim's idea — he had decades of experience in dealing with shuttle pilots and knew that two pilots were usually only required on operations; Tim also knew that regardless of pilots a crew chief was necessary even if most of the time he just broadened his rear end but, at certain critical times, viz separation and joining, there had to be a crew man on the hatches (and being the only one that made him the crew chief — see, simple).

Tim already had the crew allocated and even there the scheming Aver's mind took over. The crews were Avers' boy spacers certified in small boats — two per flying shuttle. One to right seat the pilot and soak up piloting and the other to crew the cargo compartment. These boy spacers would, in the fullness of time, form the nucleus of R1's and R2's shuttle division.

To no one's surprise, the scheme worked well. While the shuttles were worked hard, the sorties themselves were not that time critical that additional time was not available to teach and train. (TJ had early in the piece found that the RMN Rescue and Salvage School and the Navigation School were among those evacuated from Gorgipest — so no help there.)

The major part of the shuttles' work involved the three part-finished DDs which had to be towed from their parking spot to finishing docks on the other side of the planet and then transporting people and supplies. The additional two ships (the blessed things certainly weren't like any destroyers either TJ or Morg had seen despite the official story and they were damned if they would refer to them as 'boats') required the assistance of Galbraith's salvage tugs to clear from the wreckage of their original berths and then tow them bound to the finishing docks.

By careful husbandry of their flying hours TJ and Morg had worked constantly for just over four weeks before fronting Tim and demanding to be stood down for three days. Tim, who had been monitoring their hours and more importantly them, instantly agreed and notified the Commodore of the stand down; but he would only allow one pilot leave and the other to remained at call for "emergencies only" for the three days.

...

"TJ, we need to get a flivver as a runabout" Morg announced as the shuttle headed for the dirtside pad near "The Green Man". TJ and Morg were using the suit cord to have a private chat and not have the crew eavesdrop "I mean its wasteful using these brutes as shuttle taxis; those cutters and pinnaces on the "Rs" aint atmospheric rated; and besides we need a personal runabout. We got credit here so let's use it!"

"Suits; something like "Bulb"?"

"Yah. Reminds me, how are the "Sundowners", do you know?"

"Fit and healthy. Orville is pushing the refit as hard as he can, and Clare told Julie they'll slip in another week for 'Pest."