He Who Dares: Book Two (The Gray Chronicals 2) (7 page)

“ You are a life saver.”

“Thank you, sir, I appreciate that.”  He looked around at the salt marshes.  “Not exactly the place to spend Christmas and new years, is it.”

“No, it isn’t, but what about the rest of the equipment?”

“Oh, I pick that up directly from the R&D facility, that’s why it won’t arrive until tomorrow, a few of the items were still being packaged when I departed.”  He beamed, happily.  “I also have a few items in the vehicle to unload and give to you.”  Mike raised an eyebrow in question.  “Your O & M manuals.”  Mike called Conner and arranged for him to send two men to help unload while he read and signed the requisition documents, in triplicate of course.  In the mean time, Mr. Tottingham hurried out to his vehicle, dived inside, and began handing out armfuls of data pads.

“I have a lot more, sir, where would you like me to put them?”  He said, arriving back at Mike’s Command shack.

In all it took the men, two trips to carry all the manuals inside, much to the delight of Adam, Gable, and Spencer.  An hour later, Mr.Tottingham’s comm unit paged him, and he gave directions to someone.  The short while later, a giant transport lifter came slowly up the estuary, its sides, scraping the banks as it maneuvered itself into position to unload the cargo.  Mike had called Cynthia, and she had two heavy cranes on hand by the time it arrived to lift the units inside the hanger.  No sooner had they unloaded the first, when it pulled away to make room for another.  In all, three heavy cargo haulers arrived, and the last one wasn’t completely unloaded until late evening.  Mike signed for the last shipment as the transports rumbled off into the darkness, thanking the little man repeatedly.

“I’ll see you again tomorrow with the remainder of your equipment, Leftenant.”

“I’ll have the coffee and donuts waiting this time.”

“Oh, that would be nice.”  He beamed as he climbed into his Range Rover.  “See you tomorrow.”  He waved, and drove away.

Mike smiled and walked back into the hanger, stamping his feet to remove the snow and trying to get the blood circulating again.  The inside became a beehive of activity around the main engines, and a few shouts and lots of laughter.

“Okay, what’s the joke?”  He asked, walking up.

“Good God, have you seen the size of these bloody power plants?”  Adam asked.  Mike blew into his hand to warm them.

“No, not yet Adam, what’s wrong, too big?”

“Oh, sorry, sir, of course you haven’t, they are too small.”

“Too small?”  That brought more laughs.  “Yes, sir, these fusion plants are half the size of the old one, and I hadn’t realized until I saw them that it’s not one unit we are talking about installing, but three.”  He looked like a small boy who just found out he’d inherited a toy store.  “They have tripled the power output I expected in half the size.”  Silently, Mike thanked Lady Luck. “So, what did they send us?”

“Gravatronics Tokomak Mark 6 high energy fusion reactor.”  He breathed a look of awe on his face.

“Christ!  I didn’t even know they made one this powerful.  At peak, it puts out 150 thousand terawatts.”  Mike was impressed, but a little worried.  Had he considered the size of these units when he designed the ship?  They were about to find out.  Whoever was behind this had made sure he got the best.  These were experimental units, and not even in service yet.

“And the rest of the equipment?”

“Even better than I imagined.  It’s all brand new, and the latest design, wow!”  As he spoke, he flipped through a material list on the data card, then stopped, and waved it at Mike.  “The turbines are all magnetic bearing with ambient temperature super conducting stator, rotor, windings, and Ag field magnets.”  The expression on Adams face made it look as if he’d died and gone to heaven.  “This is going to be one powerful warship when she’s finished, Skipper.”

“If we get her finished that is.”

“Yes, Skipper, right, but it won’t be for a lack of trying.”

“Let me know if you need anything, or another pair of hands.”

“Will do, Skipper, thanks.”  Whoever orchestrated this effort from behind the scenes had kept their promise.  He had the best and the latest equipment possible.  Now it was up to him to get the ship finished and into space, before whoever they were, could stop him.

Now the yard crew had the equipment they were waiting for the pace kicked into high gear.  Now that all the frame members were reformed, they were set into position along the lower and side transoms, and fusion welded into place.  After that, Mike watched in amazement as it appeared they were building the ship from the inside out, but after he’d thought about it for a moment, it made sense.  The first things to go in were the laminated armor plate that surrounded the crystal matrix super computer, which was the heart and soul of his ship.  After five sides were fusion welded into place, the fitters slid a non-descript looking steel box containing the computer into place inside.  The six and final wall was placed just short of fitting in place and held there while the electricians ran the power and data cable through the pre-drilled holes and tied to the computer.  The last plate was carefully lowered into its place, and bolted rather than welded in place.  In theory, that some time in the future, it could be replaced with an updated unit.  Mike suspected that to do that, they have to rip half the ship apart to get the old one out.  Once that was completed, they started building the combined Bridge and combat information center, or CIC right above the computer chamber. Mike had incorporated both functions into one, with a smaller, more compact auxiliary CIC near the stern of the ship.  In combat, this would be the first officer, or XO battle station, ready to take over should the main CIC go down or off-line.  As the days rolled into months, the inside ship began to take shape much quicker than normal, thanks to Mike design and having many of the major compartments fabricated in modular form in various yard shops, some of them already fitting out with the equipment and instrument panels.  All that was necessary after they’d been fitted into place was wiring them up.

CHAPTER THREE:                            Royal Command

The engine room crew stood in open-mouthed amazement, while the crew chief scratched his head, wondering how he was going to get all three fusion bottles and ancillary equipment inside the ship.  Thankfully, they hadn’t done much in the way of work on the engine room, other than lay in the deck plates.  If they had to, they’d redo those as well as these engines didn’t need anywhere as much space as the older units.  A mini convoy and three heavy lifters arrived the next day and unloaded tons of equipment and much of it had to remain outside, as by this time, there was little space to spare inside the environ shelter.  After that, work sped up to a fever pitch, and as one crew of fitters finished a compartment, another crew began stuffing equipment into it.  Thankfully, each day, more of his ‘office staff’ turned up and Mike and Peter assigned them to work under one of the Officers, CPO Blake, or alongside the yard crews.  December the 23 came around, and Mike told Conner to call a halt to work at Noon and gathered the yard crew together.  Standing on a crate, Mike looked over the group, feeling slightly self-conscious with all eyes on him.

“Thank you for coming, but I am calling a halt to the work as of 12:00 today.”  Mike held his hand up for silence, as that set of a murmuring through the group.  “Hold on, it's not what you think.”  He smiled to reassure them.

“As much as I would like to get my ship finished, its December the 23, so I’m sending you all home, have a merry Christmas.  I’ll see you all back here after the holiday.”  For a moment, there was silence.  Then they clapped, and cheered.  Conner nodded to the crew supervisor, as if to say ‘I told you’ a smile wreathing his weathered face.

“Thanks, Captain,” a small man stepping forward, “Able March here. I’m the chief union steward, and speaking for us all, if it's all the same to you, we’d like to carry on and finished her.”

“But?”  Mike stammered, taken completely by surprise.  He thought they only be too glad to get a few days off.

“The thought is appreciated.  But we feel that getting this ship finished and out into space, is a little more important somehow than us missing one Christmas with our families.”  With that, they clapped again and went back to work.

“Chief?”  He appealed to Conner, but found him already shaking his head.

“It's already been settled, sir.”

“But… but...” Mike was at a loss for words, suddenly feeling insecure again.

“Besides that, you have an official party at the Palace to go to.”  Conner’s eyes twinkled as he said it.

“I do?”  Mike tried to remember if he’d receive an invitation or not.  The last few days were a fog and he groped about in it, trying to remember.

“Yes, sir, the invitation arrived two days ago, but being so busy, you didn’t see it.”

“Oh Christ!”  He groaned.

“That’s all right, sir.  I answered the RSVP, and your dress uniform is packed.”

“I’ll have to cancel then.  There’s no way I can get to the Palace in time now?”  As much as he wanted to see Ann again, his ship was far more important.

“No problem, sir, I have the pilot standing by in the Marine scout car to take you to London.”

“I can’t go Chief!”  He protested, looking around for support, seeing all four of his command staff standing there grinning at him.

“No choice, sir, Royal Command, and all that.”  Pete grinned.

“Yes, sir, give the King our regards when you see him.”  Adam said, taking him by the elbow and leading him firmly towards the hanger door.

“Don’t forget to say Merry Christmas from all of us here.”  Was Gable’s contribution.  Before he even realized it, he was aboard the scout car with the sound of the hatch closing behind him.

“Lifting, sir.”  The pilot intoned, and Mike quickly buckled in as he felt the vehicle quiver under his feet, a bemused look on his face.

“I’ve been press-ganged!”  He yelled at last.

“Yes, sir.”  The shuttle pilot chuckled.  “You could say that.”

“Sheesh!  That’s tantamount to mutiny.”  He grumbled, feeling something tug at his heart. That the pilot was in on the plot was obvious.

His only answer was another chuckle from the pilot as he lifted off and headed down the estuary before climbed into the traffic pattern.  Mike resigned himself to his fate, yet he felt it unfair for him to take off for a party when the other remained behind to work on the ship.  The XO and Conner Blake stood watched the scout car climb away, and shook hands.

“Nicely done, Chief.”

“Thank you, sir.  I knew he wouldn’t voluntarily go to the party with us all working so I hide the invitation.”

“He’s been working himself to death, and needs the break.”

“He still has a lot to learn, sir.”

“Not much from what I can see.”

“At least you had the advantage of getting used to your rank at each step before going to the next, sir.”

“That’s true, Chief, I did, but I have the feeling that my new Captain is a fast learner.”

“That he is, sir, that he is.”

“Hope he enjoys himself at the party.”

“Oh, I think he will.”  Conner’s battered face remained blank, except for the shadow of a smile around his lips.

“Someone there he might like to get together with?”  Pete asked, shooting the CPO a quizzing look.

“You could say that, sir, but that would be telling tales out of school, now wouldn’t it sir.”  The XO chuckled.

“Wouldn’t want you to do that, Chief.”  Together they walked inside and went back to work, and as the XO turned away, he never saw the broad smile on Conner’s face.

Mike’s only recourse was to settle back in his seat, and take a nap.  Trying to get the Marine pilot to turn back proved fruitless, as the man kept tapping his headset and saying he had a communications problem.  With a sigh, Mike closed his eyes and tried to relax as a thousand and one uncompleted problems marched through his head in a seemingly endless parade.  He wasn’t the only one with a multitude of unresolved issues crowding in on him, and the Prime Minister looked up at his private secretary with a sour expression on his face.