Battleship Destroyer (35 page)

Jack paused and looked up with a chuckle.
"Come to think of it, Pop said something one time about some engine he was working on before he bought the ship had a burping problem and the powers that be blamed him and then would not give him time to fix the problem. Something about some ass hole using that as an excuse to take over the Directorship. Whatever that means." Shaking his head from side to side and smiling as he turned to the Chief of Engineering. "You can start by filling me in on everything you know about that anomaly Chief, if you don't mind." Jack sat down in one of the vacant seats at the central group of control consoles. He crossed one leg up over his knee, put his elbow on the console's screen top with his chin in his hand and waited as his eyes started to droop.

The Chief looked around the compartment and
finally sat back down. "We have studied that damn anomaly for decades trying to iron it out but since it disappears as soon as you start producing any thrust at all, there was no reason to hold up production any longer since the engine was needed so badly for the new ships after the enemy showed up." The Chief brought up the test data on the anomaly on the screen in front of Jack. The Ensign nudged Jack on the shoulder and his eyes leapt back open and stared at the screen as the test data streamed across it. "I think you are jumping up the wrong tree here Mr. Turner. So what if the mass stream keeps burping at idle on the original engine?"

"Sorry Chief but the new engine runs at full power
with less fuel than the original engine does at dead idle." The Ensign said as she slapped Jack across the top of his head to wake him up again.

Jack
’s eyes popped open and continued to stare at the data as it streamed by without repeating itself. "That is a lot of data. Variations of the anomaly repeating itself in each test without any changes to the engine but not perfectly. Yet each test with changes made in programing or equipment was just as baffling with little difference for the better while usually making the engines efficiency worse." Taking a deep breath as he yawned. "Could you run the engine data from today's start up on the screen next to it please? Oh and put up what you've got on the Mark 7 engines on the Red Dwarf as well since you said they have the same problem."

The data
from the engines started running on the screen next to the anomaly screen. Repeating the data from the 16 second run over and over. "Could you slow it down by 10 please?" Jack rubbed his eyes as he watched it for a few loops and then started lazily pecking with one finger on one hand, keys and icon's on the console top in front of him still cradling his chin in his other hand. In no hurry.  A virtual screen over the table came to life and calculation figures started running across it. First one line, then two. In a few minutes a dozen lines streaked across the screen almost too fast to see let alone read. Finally satisfied he let his arm drop down to lay across the glass top. "I am checking for any pattern on the new engine's test with any commonality between that class engines no matter how rare or insignificant over the lives of every engine in the fleet. Chief; could you tell me what you have heard or think could be causing the anomaly? Everything no matter how ridiculous or absurd the ideas are. Smiling over at the Chief with his eyes wide open but blinking."

The Chief studied Jack for a few seconds. Then shaking his head he started running down the list.  Ticking them off on his fingers
as he looked up, until he ran out of fingers and then just kept going as he sat back and looked up. He finally ran out of theories and started talking about the test program and their efforts over many years to find the problem. Winding down and taking a deep breath the Chief looked around at Jack and stopped talking when he saw Jack sound asleep snoring. The ensign looked up from taking notes of what the Chief was saying and slapped jack across his head again waking him back up.

Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose and then his temples. "You got any Tylenol? I have a splitting head ache.
" Shaking his head he looked back up at the screens and squinted. Then rubbed his eyes again as he seemed to be trying to get the screen into focus. "My mind feels like mush. Nothing is making any sense anymore. Ah what was that Chief?"

The ensign
got up and grabbed Jack by the arm and dragged him up beside her. "Let's go! This is a fucking waste of time Chief. He is exhausted from last night and less than 3 hours sleep this morning. I am putting him to bed for 8 hours. Tell the Captain that I am sure he will have the engine running this evening if not shortly after he wakes." She said over her shoulder as she left the Compartment with Jack in tow hardly able to walk looking more like a drunk child than an adult.

"She said what?" The Admiral yelled on the screen. "I never heard of such a thing. We train our troops to get b
y on 3 hours of sleep for weeks and operate just fine. You get his lazy ass back into that control room now or... No that is it. He does not know how to fix it and is just hoping someone else will figure it out for him. I bet it was not his idea anyway. Or better yet trying to figure out an excuse why it does not work or something new to sell your gullible ass on Captain." The Admiral chuckled. "That’s it Captain. Bring the tanker back into dock and continue as planed and throw Mr. Turner's butt in the brig. If you decide not to send the Currier to ComRock that is fine with me. His so called Blackhole drive is just as much fake crap as well. I told you so Captain. At least we don't have to worry about up grading the engines in my battleships. Good. Out."

The Captain cut the connection and sat ther
e. Turning to look out the bridge ports and the Red Dwarf taking up a large portion of space on that side now that they were not testing the engine and had moved closer.  Punching the com to the Engineering department. "Chief. We are running out of time. Can you get those engines working or not?"

"I don't know Captain. I had the
guys back on the Red Dwarf run simulations and Turner was right according to the Computer.  The engine tore itself apart then collapsed into a 6 foot wide black hole taking half the ship with it before the black hole collapsed when the power finally failed and one hell of an explosion occurred. It should not be able to create that big of a black hole sir. They are supposed to only be the size of needle points. I have got every engineer in our squadron working on the problem now and unless we find out what that damn burp is, I am not even going to try lighting this engine off. But hell, the burp may not even be part of the problem but we don't know. I hate to give up on the upgrade. It is such a massive increase in thrust and efficiency and it looks like it should work. Hell everything including the XXX Comp. says it is supposed to work great but it doesn’t. Well that is except for the engine Sim Mr. Turner started last night. It is still chugging along at full power."

"The entire Republic development industrial complex
including the National Research Directorate could not find a cure for that burp Chief, I don't think our fleet engineers are going to do much better.” Shaking her head she frowned as she took a drink from a tumbler. “I am going to send every maggot in the fleet with engineering or physics degrees (even from community Colleges), your way. Hopefully the Navy personnel department has continued to screw up and we have a few more geniuses hiding as space men scrubbing decks or washing pots in the Galley. Evidentially we can't count on Mr. Turner anymore. Whatever happens we have to have that damn engine running. Even if it only produces half as much thrust as the computer says it can, it is still practically reaction massless. I agree with you, it is still a hell of a lot better than what we have now. Keep me updated. Out."

The
Red Dwarf's Captain thought about it for a few minutes staring out the port again and then hit the com to the Red Dwarf. "Number One; start converting the engines on the other tanker and transports in our docking bays immediately, all their engines. I need it done by tomorrow, put the ship on skeleton crew watch and watch if you need the personnel, but get it done. Out."

"Captain
Sir." The First Officer blurted out before the Captain could cut the connection.  "The Battleship New America is approaching. Do you want me to put it in the empty lock for conversion as well?"

The Captain frowned thinking for a few seconds. "Y
es. Go ahead but our transports/tankers have priority. They have to leave as soon as they are finished and we finish testing, but do not even think of lighting any of them off before we finish working out the bugs here. Anything else?"

"No sir. Ah, yes sir. What
do I do if the Admiral objects sir?"

"
You already know I am an Admiral Number One and only Captain of the Red Dwarf because we are short Captains. I have orders that supersede the Admiral's orders under specific circumstances Number One. You can access Fleet order 13029 yourself but keep it quiet, everyone does not need to know I have orders to abandon the battle fleet with all the squadrons Transport Tankers if I see fit, Though I don't think Command Fleet Rock would approve of what I plan on doing with it.. I gave you the only orders you need worry about right now. Seeing the worried look on the First Officers face the Captain continued. "Admiral Binghamton is in command of only the Attack Fleet." Taking a deep breath she shook her head. "Which brings up another point Number One. We are going to have a lot of traffic between the Dwarf transports over the next few days. Drag the rest of the enter ship shuttle boats out of storage and triple the shuttle runs. I am going to have the other battle transports and currier tankers in my squadron converted as well and the other squadron of the fleet if I can talk Admiral Fitzsimmons into it as well. Out." The Captain/Admiral started punching the comm for his FMC Captain's.

----------------

Leaving the bridge a few hours later the Captain stormed over to Officer's Country. Knocking on a hatch, she walked in to find a darkened cabin with the Ensign sitting to one side with the bunk folded up and the computer desk pulled down with the screen set on low illumination and 1st Class Turner asleep in the bunk behind her on the other side of the compartment, lightly snoring. "It has been eight hours Ensign. It is time for him to wake his ass up."  The Captain boomed.

The Ensign spun around in her
chair, her mountain breasts hanging (what looked at first glance) a mile out in front of her blouse, naked with big red nipples in full view in the light from the open hatch. Leaping up, fastening her bra with a practiced flick of both hands tucking both peaks into a flattened range, she pulled up the straps over her shoulders. Then she pushed the Captain out of the little cabin shutting the hatch behind her with a lite click then zipped up her jacket.  "Listen Captain. What if you spent 20 hours running a marathon? If you could run a marathon. How well would you be able to walk the next day with only a couple hours of sleep let alone run another marathon? I bet it would take you a couple of days before you could even walk without half your body complaining and refusing to cooperate. Leave him be. His mind was exhausted. Let him sleep. That is if you want his best."

"Ensign! I have the whole fleet trying to figure out the problem with the upgrade on these engines with no one having a clue what even the problem is. I need him now Ensign!"

"Captain. A few more hours won't make any difference to the fleet but it may make a difference to weather Turner can solve the problem or not. Just a couple more hours Captain. Please sir. Let him wake naturally when his mind has recuperated and get something to eat and shower and you will have the engine upgrade problem fixed sir. I guaranty it sir." The Ensign looked at the hatch to the cabin. "I have been going over what Jack was looking at when I stopped him and I think he found it but his mind was just too exhausted to see and understand it. I think I can see it, see something, but I can't quite put my finger on it either. Like a word I want and know but can't remember." Looking back at the Captain. "You will have your upgrade Captain. Just let him sleep until his mind has recuperated."

"Very well Ensign. Call me the instant he wakes up.
And send what you've got to the Chief. Carry on." The Captain watched the ensign enter the cabin with Turner still sleeping as her blouse and jacket sprang wide open to her sides again and she gently close the hatch behind her. Staring at the hatch for a good minute, "Damn those were big monsters. No wonder she keeps hiding them. Talking about Creep Magnets."  She turned and headed down to Engineering Central Control as she started thinking of the growing problem of male officers pulling rank to secure female favors. A rapidly growing problem with the fleet growing as fast as it was. Made worse by females that thought nothing of giving favors to get better treatment or jobs from superiors. Not to mention natures biological drive for females to go after the so called Alpha dogs (officers) to mate with even if it was done unconsciously. Making it almost impossible for those females that wanted nothing to do with, let alone refused to provide like favors for the Alpha dogs. As Admiral and Captain she had to come up with something since the rapes, whether wanted or not, had to be stopped soon before the fleet started falling apart as women and the crews seeing such blatant cronyism started taking matters into their own hands or simply stopped caring and doing their jobs.

All
too soon she was outside the Engineering Central Control Compartment still with no solution.

The
large, normally mostly empty compartment was packed with people and equipment transferred over from the Red Dwarf and other ships around the fleet. The Captain almost tripped over what looked like an enlisted crewman with a cooks patch on her arm in heated conversation with several officers about astrophysics. Nothing to do with the engineering problem facing the ship. Walking up to the Chief Engineer. "Any progress Chief?"