This Corner of the Universe (3 page)

Gary
nodded, “Yes, there was great consternation when the orders came through that
would separate those two.  I just knew Durmont would find a way to keep Whip in-system.”
She rolled her brown eyes and then continued, “Frankly, I wish I could go, but
one of Stylet’s converter couplings blew making her not only blind but walk
with a limp.”  Located in a ship’s drive assembly, a converter coupling was one
of the more important pieces of equipment that converted the power generated
from the ship’s power plant and fuel cells into the thrust created by the drive
system. 

“That
must have been fun,” Heskan stated dryly.  A converter failure could result in
a dangerous power feedback to the power plant, which could easily result in
visiting several parts of a star system all at once, as the ship exploded.

“We
caught it early,” Gary gestured dismissively.  “I tried to get poor Stylet in a
couple months earlier but Durmont denied the request.  It would have meant Whip
covering the outer system while he was on leave.”

The
server appeared at the booth, bringing a glass of water and linking the menu
for Gary, which she promptly closed as she ordered the Sand Soup.  Heskan shot
her a puzzled look, which was rewarded with a sly smile from Gary.  “Acquired
taste.”

Lunch
went quickly, too quickly for Heskan’s liking.  Relieved that he had found at
least one normal person in the system, he boarded the shuttle with a smile on
his lips.  The ride to orbit was uneventful and Heskan was happy to be out in
space once again. 
I guess I’m just not a homebody.  It’s so much better up
here,
he thought as he walked the narrow corridor on the orbital station. 
His destination was the berthing bay that held Renard Tug 17, the flatbed tug
owned by the mining enterprise.  As Heskan approached the civilian standing near
the airlock that separated the orbital station and the tug, he flashed his
datapad to the airlock’s wall screen and then pressed his thumb against the
screen.  The wall screen turned green and the civilian greeted him, “Hello,
Captain Heskan, welcome aboard.  I’ll have a liaison over right away.” 

Ever
since the ages of ships that crossed the oceans of Terra, the commander of each
ship was always called “Captain” regardless of that person’s true rank.   A
salute to the power entrusted to that person, the word Captain held a special
place in the very soul of every Terran navy, regardless if one was in the Brevic
Republic or the Solarian Federation.  Heskan tried his hardest to suppress a
smile as he heard the union of the rank and his name before he grimly
remembered the nightmare of the first instance he was addressed as such.

Crossing
through the airlock, Heskan moved through the orbital station’s retractable passageway
that connected to the airlock of RT-17.  The tug’s onboard computers, sensing
Heskan’s approach and calculating the pressure differential between the passageway
and its own ship pressure while also validating the access granted by the
orbital’s wall panel, opened the airlock door when Heskan was within one meter
of it.  Stepping through to the vestibule that sealed the tug’s interior from the
passageway, the door slid closed behind him and the next airlock door opened. 

“Welcome
aboard, sir, I’m Navigator Collingsworth.  Captain Darmer sends his compliments
and his apologies for his failure to greet you personally.  He’s tied up on the
bridge but would like to dine with you this evening.  I’ve also given you
passenger access to RT Seventeen’s net for the duration of the trip.”

“Thank
you, Mr. Collingsworth; I’d be delighted to accept Captain Darmer’s invitation. 
Can you take me to the airlock attached to Anelace, please?”  Since living
space was limited on the flatbed tug, the crew of
Anelace
would be
staying on the corvette for the duration of the trip to Skathi.

“This
way, please.”  The tall man gestured down the passage.  “Anelace is fully
secured to the tug, sir.  She’s an atypical load but we were able to sync the
airlocks because everything is standardized.” 

I
guess when you’re used to securing small space orbitals like a mining station,
a tiny corvette must be child’s play
,
Heskan thought.  “Well I certainly appreciate the lift you guys are giving us,”
he said as he followed his guide.  They walked along the spine of the tug, down
one narrow passage after another.  Finally, they arrived at a sealed door
labeled “MAIN STB AIRLOCK.” 

Collingsworth
gave a small wave toward the door.  “Here we are, sir.  Do you need someone to
escort you to the dining hall tonight?” 

“No,
I’ll just have my datapad direct me,” replied Heskan.  He flashed it near the
wall panel, opening the airlock as Collingsworth strode away.

The retractable
passageway connecting RT-17 and
Anelace
actually declined nearly twenty degrees. 
Using the handrail, Heskan walked somewhat awkwardly down toward his ship and he
realized the navigator had not been joking about an atypical load.  One hundred
six meters long, just over eighteen meters at her beam and seventeen meters at
her tallest point,
Anelace
was a far smaller load than the typical cargo
designed for a commercial flatbed tug.  The compact design of the Dagger class
corvette made her sized purely for system commerce regulation and
interdiction.  Essentially, she was a traffic cop.  Her meager armament
consisted of one Kruger Mk 237 mass driver and four Lyle Dual GP pulse lasers. 
Not exactly toothless but nothing compared to the larger naval ships.  I
guess you could say she has baby teeth,
Heskan thought
. 
In truth,
Anelace
was never designed for real combat against a military foe.  Her place was to
regulate commerce, a world where her tiny armament made her look like a
veritable dreadnaught compared to the unarmed civilian transports and
freighters she policed.  Her diminutive battery matched her armament’s range. 
Missiles, the weapons of choice in long-range naval combat, were a waste on her
considering her mission.  Besides, there was simply no room inside her small
hull for a large missile magazine. 
Her armament isn’t here to blow
freighters to atoms; it’s here to make sure they heave to when ordered.
 

Anelace’s
defenses were on par with her offensive
capability.  Her Turner-made Advanced Integrated Projection Screen (AIPS) was
essentially one amalgamated defensive shield that wrapped around the hull.  This
type of protection, completely inadequate for the larger Brevic naval ships,
was simple in concept and design.  Although not meant to withstand sustained
combat, the singular screen would absorb anything a stray pirate pulse laser might
dish out.  Using the space-saving system also provided great efficiency as it
required a minimal crew to operate and maintain it.  Demanding even less
maintenance than the AIPS,
Anelace’s
light duralloy armor offered minor,
additional protection in the rare event she was caught with her shield
regenerating.

What
Anelace
lacked in weapons and defenses, she more than made up for in propulsion. 
Boasting six Allison-Turner Type-22 drives, the corvette was blisteringly
fast.  Typical speeds of civilian system traffic varied between .1
c
and
.2
c
.  Specialized fast courier ships might push .25
c
but most could
not maintain such speeds for more than a few hours. 
Anelace
cruised
easily at .25
c
and could sustain a sprint of .3
c
.  When
necessary, most Dagger class corvettes could even dash up to a third the speed
of light for short periods.  Further, the redundancy of six drives ensured a
cruising speed of .25
c
even with one drive down.  Powering these drives,
the Kanata Split power plant offered the redundancy of two systems for the
space of one. 

Anelace
also had excellent “eyesight.” 
Equipped with a Standard Naka-Fujita sensor suite and upgraded with the APG-85B
BigEye Array, the fast ship rivaled the sensor capabilities of most destroyers
in the navy.  The SnapShot optical sensor that came standard on the Naka-Fujita
suite provided
Anelace
with a nearly perfect optical image of a single
target out to incredible distances.  The BigEye Array enhanced that capability
to include multiple targets with an even finer quality optical. 
She’s no bruiser
but she can hunt and run better than anything she’ll be matched against
,
Heskan smiled as he reached the corvette’s airlock.

He
flashed his datapad and thumbed the airlock wall panel.  It hesitated just
slightly and then answered with a bright green light.  As the airlock door
opened, Heskan took his first step aboard his first assigned command.

“Anelace
arriving,” the ship’s computer announced over the main speakers of the ship. 
As was a custom for millennia, the ship captain’s arrival and departure were announced
using the ship’s name
.  I bet that announcement put some people on the ship into
motion
, Heskan thought wryly. 
It’s not fair of me to come in without
warning but Durmont or Anelace’s former commander should have given them a
heads up.
 
Of course, Anelace’s former commander departed a month ago and
judging by my first impression of Durmont, I’d bet my arrival is a complete
surprise to these people.

He
had never stepped foot on
Anelace
before but he knew her design by
heart.  Heskan had memorized his ship’s simple blueprint during his transit
from Anthe to Narvi along with the names and faces of his crew.  Even though there
were fifty crewmembers on the ship, Heskan had challenged himself to know each crewmember
from his first officer down to the lowest ranking spaceman.

Turning
to his right, intending to head to the bridge, Heskan heard the heavy footsteps
of someone jogging down the corridor from the opposite direction
.  I guess I
can meet him halfway
, Heskan thought as he started walking that direction. 
Soon, Heskan spotted the rapidly approaching figure of his first officer.  Similar
in height to Heskan at just less than two meters, he came skidding to a halt short
of Heskan.  He came to attention and saluted.  “Lieutenant Mike Riedel.  Welcome
aboard, Captain.”

Heskan
quickly returned the salute and extended his hand to the lieutenant.  As they
shook hands, Heskan answered, “Thank you, Mike.  It’s good to be aboard.  Sorry
to spring my arrival on you like this.”

“No
problem, sir.  I was up in a sensor compartment when the announcement came
through and hauled ass down here.  Are we heading to the bridge or would you
like to stop by your quarters first?”

Heskan
started moving toward the bridge.  “Let’s get the official stuff over with and
then I can settle in.”

The
walk to the bridge was a short one.  In fact, on a ship so small, getting to
any place was a matter of only a few minutes.  They walked along the lower deck
of
Anelace,
moving through the tiny medical bay and Damage Control
Station Four as they passed by two youthful spacemen and a petty officer second
class.  Anticipating Heskan’s thoughts Riedel offered, “We’re young, sir, but
it’s a good crew.  Most of us have been on board over a year.  I was in charge
of the SENS section for six months before becoming first officer for the last
year.” 

Heskan
nodded, “I like a young crew.  It means we can work harder.”

Taking
the elevator from Auxiliary Control, they ascended to
Anelace’s
upper
deck, coming to rest near the highest point of
Anelace’s
hull, the
bridge.  After walking just a few meters, they passed through the bridge doors
to a small and unimpressive room with seven shockseats.  As the “brain” of the
ship, the room was compact and crowded.  A huge screen dominated the front wall
and currently displayed the ship’s status.  Near the center of the room and a
mere two meters from the wall screen were the navigation and sensor stations. 
Just behind the two stations, in the center of the room, the captain’s chair
rested.  The chair had elaborate computer consoles on both arms including a
docking station for his datapad but the front was unobstructed, providing an
easy view of the entire bridge.  Running along the right side of the bridge
were the weapons station and first officer’s station.  Along the left side sat
the engineering and operations stations.  Each station had its section’s
abbreviation stenciled on the back of its chair; NAV (navigation), ENG
(Engineering), SENS (Sensors), OPS (Operations), WEPS (Weapons) and 1ST (First
Officer).  While there were many other responsibilities to be attended to on board,
the people who sat in these seats were the nucleus of activity when it came to
discharging
Anelace’s
duties.

“Captain
on the bridge,” a grey-haired enlisted man announced.

Senior
Chief Petty Officer Andrew Brown, boatswain and the senior ranking enlisted man
on Anelace.  I hope we work well together
, Heskan prayed.

The
senior chief held onto a pole exactly two meters long; attached to the end was
a dark blue flag with a long, curved dagger, the point of the dagger touching a
star.  Although
Anelace
could not fly a flag like the wet navy ships,
each naval ship still possessed a ship’s flag along with the Republic’s ensign. 
Both flags would stand proudly inside Heskan’s quarters.  The senior chief handed
the ship’s flag to
Anelace’s
temporary commander, Lieutenant Riedel.  Riedel
gripped the standard and whispered through his smile, “How’d you beat us to the
bridge, Chief?”

The
old chief winked and then his face became expressionless.  “Bridge, Tench-HUT,”
the chief practically yelled.  Everyone, Heskan included, snapped instantly to
attention.  The three men stood close to each other.  Heskan faced Riedel while
Brown stood next to both slightly off to the side.

Heskan
quietly cleared his throat, “Ensign Truesworth, One-MC, please.”  Heskan felt a
brief flush of amusement because of the surprised look on the young officer’s
face. 
Even though it took me days to do it, that look alone made it completely
worth memorizing my crew’s names and faces
. 
Okay, Heskan, let’s try to
sound official here.
  “In accordance with Brevic regulations, by order of
Brevic Naval Command, dated 0212.995, I hereby assume command of BRS Anelace
until rightfully relieved.”

Riedel
unbraced from his position of attention, held the ship’s flag out in front of
him and then thrust it to his side toward Chief Brown.  “I am relieved of
command,” he stated simply.  The chief took the flag, paused a moment than then
thrust the flag toward Heskan.