A Faded Star (15 page)

 Despite the man's intolerance of anything other than
strict military discipline and bearing, she found herself unable to dislike the
man. He had the perfect balance of leadership, presence and charisma needed to
maintain a warship. Hanlon gave herself a shake and reminded herself the
assignment was unlikely to be a lengthy one. “Second watch,” She said. “Let's
get the system modifications done as soon as possible, people.”

 Engineering and weapons crews aboard all five ships
got very little sleep over the next twenty hours, but by the beginning of first
watch the next day, systems modifications were complete and ready for testing.

 Hanlon and Drogue walked onto the bridge. She'd
expected Drogue to be well rested, but his eyes were red-rimmed, and he walked
stooped over as though he had gotten very little sleep. The pair sat down side
by side on the bridge. Hanlon leaned over to Drogue and whispered, “Are you
okay, sir?”

 Drogue spoke back at a normal volume level. “I'm fine,
Captain. I have warned you about whispering in my ear. Do not do it again.”

 Hanlon sat bolt upright in her chair, biting off her
immediate response. Most of the officers and crew glanced nervously at the two
senior officers of the expeditionary force. “Ah, my apologies, sir. I'm just-”

 “You're used to a peacetime military. This is not a
peacetime military. Keep your bearing, captain.”

 Hanlon fixed her eyes forward and did her best to
assume an expressionless facade of unflinching military bearing. She wondered
why Drogue was dressing her down in front of the crew. His actions flew in the
face of accepted senior officer interaction. She stole a sidelong glance at the
admiral only to see him staring at her. She jumped and turned her attention
back to the forward display.

 Drogue turned and addressed the tactical officer.
“Kelper, is the weapon system modification ready for test firing?”

 “Yes, ah, yes, sir,” Kelper stammered from her station
chair. Her head was down over her console as if she was refusing to look
anywhere else on the bridge.

 “Excellent. Begin with a five percent power test on
target alpha one.”

 “Aye, sir.”

 Hanlon turned and said to Drogue, “Sir, could we speak
in private, please?”

 “After the weapons test, captain. Direct the
exercise.”

 “Aye, sir. Miss Kelper, prepare for your first test
shot.”

 “Aye, ma'am. Charging.” There was a pause of ten
seconds. “Weapons charged. Firing at five percent.”

 There was an audible click, and a puff of dust erupted
from the surface of the target asteroid.

 “Report,” Hanlon said.

 “Minor alignment issue between section two and three
of the canon banks. It will take a few minutes to reset the timing.”

 “Very well, Miss Kelper. Adjust and re-fire in your
own time.”

 “Looks like we have time for our chat, Captain. Come
with me.” Drogue stood and walked to the office just off of the bridge.

 As Hanlon closed the hinged door behind her, Drogue
stood ramrod straight regarding her. “Captain, don't bother to sit down. This
will be brief. I presume you are concerned over my speaking with you in front
of the crew.

 “Yes, sir. I-”

 “You will be given leave to speak when I need your
input in private, captain. I provide guidance on your lack of military bearing
and leadership abilities as I see fit. No member of this crew is without need
for improvement, and everyone assigned to my command must be aware that fact. I
didn't notice during our trip out as we only spent time in private discussing
our strategy. Once we made it to the alliance base, I have seen you exhibit
questionable behavior for someone in your position. I expect nothing short of
instant obedience and an utterly exemplary image of military bearing from you,
captain. I've become increasingly aware that you have a habit of situationally
inappropriate humor and poor boundaries of leadership with the department heads
and crew. This may seem like a good way of gaining their trust and respect, but
it makes them question you and your decisions. In peacetime, this hesitation
may be appropriate and acceptable, but when we're on a wartime footing,
officers and men cannot question the leaders they follow. Is that clear,
Captain?”

 “Yes, sir.”

 “If you are unable to perform within the guidelines I
have specified, I will be happy to appoint another officer to your post and
place you in command of the Rapier. The decision is yours, Captain.”

 “I'll remain at my current post, sir.”

 “Very well, captain. Now let's get back out there and
get these ships whipped into fighting form. We must be able to beat the crabs.”
Drogue walked around Hanlon and back onto the bridge, not bothering to look if
she was coming or not.

 The bridge was utterly silent as Hanlon took her seat
again.

 Kelper was the first to speak. “Sir, weapons have been
realigned and timing has been reset. Ready for next test shot.”

 “Very well, Miss Kelper. Proceed,” Drogue said.

 “Aye, sir.” Kelper worked on her console for a moment
and then said, “Firing.”

 The shot, this time, was far louder than before. A
huge gout of debris blew out from the facing side of their asteroid.

 “Looks like a clean shot this time,” Hanlon said.

 “Yes, ma'am. Final amplification is right on three
hundred forty percent above sum power. Higher power shots should result in a
somewhat higher compression reaction.”

 “Begin a series of test shots slowly building to one
hundred percent rated power. Make sure the timing and alignment is correct for
each shot.”

 “Yes, ma'am.”

 It took the better part of an hour until the combined
shots began to take on the familiar shriek of energy Hanlon remembered from
Rampart. The destructive power was still somewhat less than Rampart was capable
of, but it was a massive improvement compared to what had been originally
provided.

 At last, Hanlon was able to report, “Primary armament
is now ready for combat, admiral.”

 “Excellent, Captain. Prepare to begin maneuvers for
our first exercise. We have four more hours on first watch.”

 “Aye, sir. Sending the signal now.”

 “Get me a report from the other ships on their
progress.”

 The report only took a moment to come back. “All ships
report ready, sir. Also, I have the independent suggestions on how to
reconfigure the demolecularizing beams for hull strength.”

 “Very well. We'll work on them during second watch.
Have Miss Kelper pull second shift in command.”

 “Aye, sir. Miss Kelper you are in command for second
shift.”

 “Aye, ma'am.”

 Drogue said, “Have the simulator technician input our
estimate of hull strength improvement into the simulation. Also, begin
maneuvering to the exercise area.”

 “Aye, sir,” Hanlon said

 The squadron moved into a position far out into the
star system. A formation of fifteen alliance ships waited there, with their
systems were set to simulate crab ships.

 As the offensive squadron moved into position, Admiral
Drogue said, “Put me through to all ships, captain.”

 “Aye, sir.” She tapped the console by her chair for a
moment and then said, “You're on with the entire squadron, Admiral.”

 “This is Admiral Drogue. We are about to engage the
alliance formation in an exercise to simulate attacking a crab convoy of ships
in deep space. They have no idea what kinds of changes or modifications we've
made to these ships. The computers have been programmed to simulate our
increased firepower and survivability. We are about to give the alliance
commanders a glimpse into what humans can do. I know the last two days have
been exhausting for most of you, and I just want to say well done. We have one
more thing to do before we can take a short rest. Let's make this the shortest
combat exercise in history.” Drogue nodded at Hanlon, and she closed the comm
channel.

 The trip to the outer system took less than an hour.
Once the ships were in position and all combat simulation computers were
interfaced on the same network, Admiral Drogue gave the order for the
simulation to begin.

 “Captain begin a single strafing pass through the
enemy convoy. Simulate weapons at sixty percent power to reduce re-fire time.”

 “Aye, sir. Shall we prioritize larger ships first?”

 “Yes, captain. Let's punch them out in a single pass
if we can. Coordinate with the destroyers to maximize coverage and point
defense systems.”

 “Aye, sir.”

 The offensive squadron formed up and began their
attack run, their point defense systems set in an interlocking pattern designed
to maximize the active defense, and simulated power pulsed to their newly
improved hull armor. The silent approach to the convoy was almost eerie. Quiet
orders spoken into a tense anticipation of sudden action. Drogue seemed
completely unaffected. He watched the status displays calmly until they entered
weapons range.

 “Weapons free, captain.”

 “Aye, sir. Miss Kelper, fire at will per priority.”

 “Aye, ma'am. Firing now.” There was no discharge as
the systems were actually unpowered for the exercise but the simulated sensor
results were breathtaking. The convoy ships took astonishing damage and were
completely destroyed by the time the offensive squadron had completed its first
pass. The convoy of ships, now drifting, unpowered and helpless as the
computers had denied access to systems deemed destroyed by the offensive
squadron A few minutes after being 'destroyed', the lead ship of the alliance
formation sent a transmission to the Broadsword.

 “Sir, we have an incoming comm request.”

 “Put it up, captain.”

 Commander Ktenu's face appeared on the screen. Without
any sort of pleasantries, he said, “Admiral, I demand to see your simulation
data.”

 “May I ask why, Commander?” Drogue looked utterly
unmoved by Ktenu's abruptness.

 “We suspect you may have inadvertently entered
incorrect data into your side of the simulation.”

 “You mean you think we intentionally gave ourselves an
advantage.”

 “In effect, yes, Admiral. The data, please?”

 Drogue nodded. “Send him the data, Captain.”

 “Aye, sir.”

 As the data scrolled through the stream, Ktenu's eyes
flickered back and forth. He began waving his arms up and down, a truly comical
sight. Had Drogue not been on the bridge, Hanlon would have laughed quite a
bit.

 “Admiral! Your stated offensive and defensive
capacities are completely outside the capabilities of the ships provided to
you. You must restart the simulation with corrected values.”

 “Let me see, commander.” Drogue made a show of looking
at the data on his chair mounted screen. “I don't see anything wrong with the
values entered. Perhaps a small demonstration?”

 “Demonstration, admiral?” Ktenu looked confused. “I'm
not sure what you could demonstrate but, very well. Proceed.”

 “Captain, maneuver to point our main gun in a safe
direction.”

 “Aye, sir. Turning ship now. Helm, come to one-seven-seven
by zero-zero-zero.”

 The helm repeated the order and the ship turned onto a
new course within a moment. Ktenu's face continued to look out at the bridge
with a growing sense of impatience.

 “We're steady on course, admiral.” Drogue nodded, and
Hanlon continued, “Miss Kelper, charge main gun to one hundred percent and fire
a warshot along ship's heading.”

 “Aye, ma'am. Charging.” Kelper paused for a few
seconds while the energy levels built and then said, “Firing.”

 The familiar shriek of super-compressed plasma filled
the bridge. Hanlon looked to see a commotion on the bridge of Ktenu's ship.
Everyone was standing and shouting. A Gol was waving a tablet in front of Ktenu
that looked to be displaying the energy output of the main gun from the brief
flash Hanlon saw.

 Ktenu took the tablet and looked at the energy display
for a moment. “I don't know how you have done it, Admiral, but your species
lives up to its reputation. We will be ready for the exercise tomorrow.” The
screen flicked to a standby image.

 “What does that mean?” Hanlon asked to no one in
particular.

 “Captain, there is a piece of this puzzle we need.
Somehow, the alliance is aware of humans in a way we haven't been told about. I
want you to detail Mister Watkins to search for any information the alliance
may have on humans.”

 “Aye, sir.”

 “Prepare casualty drills for second watch and free
time for third. Night shift is to be minimum watch standers. Let's get our hull
armor modifications done on second watch if possible, captain. I want a chance
to test it out before we return to space dock.”

 “Will we be firing on one of our own ships, sir?”

 “I believe it may be a necessary step, captain.”
Drogue sighed deeply. He continued, “We have few options. Normally, firing on a
friendly ship full of our own people would be unconscionable. Unfortunately, we
are using alliance technology in a way they would never dream of. We'll take as
many precautions as possible. We won't be firing any full power shots at any
ship, captain. Rest assured of that.”

 “Aye, sir.”

 The next morning found the Broadsword floating over a
tiny gas giant, being used to simulate the target of a planetary bombardment.
The squadron had been broken into two subunits. Three destroyers were moved
into a picket line to defend the assaulting force. Broadsword and Rapier were
attacking the planet, using their main guns and simulated torpedoes to decimate
a simulated crab surface installation. A response force of roughly expected
strength was stationed and would be played once again by a portion of Ktenu's
force. During the intelligence briefings, three destroyers were expected to be
far more than would be needed to destroy a small squadron of scouts and a
single corvette sized ship the crabs appeared to have stationed in the system
they were practicing for.