Battleship Destroyer (5 page)

Looking around the bridge he studied the bridge officers trying to decide which ones were real and which ones were animated by the A.I.  It made a difference in who he called to do what when things started getting hectic. The A.I. controlled crewmen did OK for normal routines but the real flesh and blood controlled officers and crewmen where just a little faster and better at most jobs
and in battle. Able to follow the meaning of the orders through the changing situations not just the specific orders. A deliberate handicap that had taken him years to realize and use to his advantage. Though it forced him to get to know and interact with his real live crew in order to win battles instead of slinking away badly damaged because some A.I. crewman or officer could not hit a moon with his weapon or made a stupid mistake because of the role of the dice or took forever to decide to push a button to fire the ship's weapons or change the ship's course even when ordered or make the proper repairs when needed and in time to keep the ship fighting. Not that a real crewman could not screw up but as long as he treated them well and proper and saw to their training needs as he had been trained to do by the game for over a decade, he found it hard to loose unless he really screwed up tactically now that he had the right equipment and knew how to handle the crew.

 
Finally deciding who he could rely on, which was not that easy since all the crew looked like the real crewman, only a real crewman acted like a real person instead of just standing or sitting making random movements. Though sometimes it took a damn good look to tell the difference and even then to make sure he often had to actually talk to the officer or crewman to be positive. He would have to make a quick vide-comm tour of the ship as soon as he could and make the needed crew adjustments. He tapped a flashing icon on his command board and Tom's familiar face flashed on the bridge's main screen.

"Watched you land a couple hours ago. I was hoping you would show up. I thought we
would head for the port's mall later after dinner.  Stark Raving Mad is playing at the Blast Pit bar and since we are 18 now, we need to check it out old buddy. I hear they will be packed with gals tonight and that the strippers are the best and love to dance and squat on your table for personal dances, NnAaaKed!"

"
I don't know old buddy. Our parents would kill us if they found out." Jack frowned as several other screens popped up. A bunch of guys he did not know from different ships that were currently in formation with him. Glancing at the list of ships already out in the fleet, he recognized many old friends and smiled. They were probably much too busy at the moment to visit which was ok with Jack, he hated visiting most of the time. Hell, he hated having to talk to anyone but Tom period, even though the game required it all the time. So he was not disappointed that no one else showed up on the screens just to say high.

And then his worst nightmare, a girl named Killer Queen 222 that he called Queen Bitch
or Battle Bitch, whatever he felt like at the moment, showed up and he wished he had not bothered even turning on the comm screen, or at least making it private. But she was the acting Commander of the fleet so all he could do was frown. After all, he probably had all kinds of Captains that hated it when he was Acting Fleet Commander so he could not complain. At least he knew she was competent. But then you had to be competent before The Game put anyone in Command of the fleet for a battle. She was just more competent.  She was almost as familiar as his friend Tom except he had never met her face to face even though she was on the Turner Joy. But then most of his ship’s crew of 40 was from the Turner Joy as well as the command crews on his other ships. Else he would have to find and waste time breaking in new commanders to his tactics and his strange little ships capabilities every time they came to a new system or leave The Game to command each ship which was a waste of good ships.

No, this Captain Bitch
was a big pain in the butt much too damned often. More of an arch enemy than fleet mate. She took great pains and pleasure in killing him every chance she got but then he found it exhilarating taking his frustrations with his family (especially his brother), out on her, killing her in battle every chance he got. Sometimes after a particular frustrating or bruising day from his brother, killing her even if it meant losing the battle. Though it had been quite a while since he had gotten that carried away. His responsibilities to his squadron and the fleet he was assigned to growing to the point of trumping his pleasure at beating her ship to a pulp. Even allowing her to escape a few times when he didn’t need to.

Queen Bitch turned to the screen.
"We are in trouble and outnumbered at the edge of the system.  Get your butts out here and help already." The woman said without saying hello or introducing herself to the new guys. "You guys get your butts in gear and form up onto the tail of the battle line and hit your accelerator as soon as you can. I don't want to spend all afternoon in this battle. I will slow it back down when the battle requires it." She turned to Jack's screen. "You going to bring the rest of that stupid squadron of yours out or not? Not that you will be much help against such a large fleet, but your little ships will give the enemy something else to shoot at. I don't want to lose this battle or the bounty credits simply because you got lazy or stingy with your Destroyers."

Jack smiled
at the gal named Killer Queen 222. "Well Battle Bitch, we can't have that can we now. I didn't think the enemy fleet was all that big and needed more than a few of my Destroyers to take care of. Besides, you look like you have plenty of destroyers already. The destroyer being the first major combat ship a player worked themselves up to Commanding, meant there were always plenty of destroyers. Even if they were mostly commanded by morons. “But if you insist, I will bring the rest out to play. I wouldn't want you to start crying." Jack continued taping on his command screen and issuing verbal orders to his crew as he started his comm tour around the ship talking to his crew in-between calls to the various Captains of his other Destroyers. Promoting warm bodies to important billets when he thought they could handle the job. Getting his Destroyer and his little squadron ready for battle. 

Finally
satisfied with his ship and squadron, Jack looking at the 3D tactical screen and frowned for a good minute before a smiled started to spread across his face as he hit his comma screen. "As you ordered Queeny, the rest of my squadron will be joining me shortly. But I am changing plans, I am going to go around their back side and attack up their ass while you guys with your battleships, keep them busy."

The girl turned to Jack and smiled with the corner of her lip tw
itching. "Good. You and your pigeons will keep them from spreading out or trying to flank me as they approach since they can't be sure what you have or what you are doing or your plans until you close with them." Narrowing her eyes at him as she sneered. "You want to make a bet how many of your rowboats you lose attacking the fleet. This isn't a raiding party or pirates this time. Your little Viking ships are going to get slaughtered."

"Slaughtered? Hmm. Not likely. If I was in to betting
, I would take you up on a bet and give you odds just to be fair. No, if I am that wrong and I lose more than a couple of ships if any. I am getting out of The Game and taking up basket weaving."

"Oh, so you aren’t even going to attack. How chicken shit of you. But I should have expected that of you."

Frowning, surprised as he looked at Killer Queen. "Now really, what fun would there be in that. I finely get a chance to test my ships against a decent enemy fleet, only to fly around, doing an airshow to entertain them. Come on now. I thought you knew me better than that by now, as long as you have been trying to kill me Battle Bitch. You just worry about keeping your fleet from running before I get into position to attack. If you don’t keep their attention, I WILL get slaughtered."

Jack turned away
from a torrent of verbal abuse as he slapped the mute. She shook her hand at him giving him the finger as her mouth kept moving like she was yelling at him, but Jack continued issuing orders to his ship ignoring her. "Ok Crew, look alive, we have a mission. Man your battle stations." Jack could see the new guys on the screens issuing orders as well, reading check lists and getting their Battleships and Heavy Cruisers ready for battle. While Killer Queen 222 (battle bitch, Tom just thought she was trying to make up for having such small boobs), realizing he was ignoring her, turned away  and sat staring out across her bridge giving Jack the Evil eye every few seconds looking like she could not care any less. Her ship already primed for action as she waited. 

One of t
he new guys finally looked at his outside screens and then back at Jack. Hitting his call button and waiting for Jack to activate his end. "Hey! Is all you have is a bunch of frigging Destroyers? We are up against cruisers and battle ships. Why buy a damn squadron of destroyers of all the stupid things to waste credits on? Don't you have anything heavier you damn rooky?" The guy studied his plot screen for a few seconds. "Hey! Where the hell are you going chicken? The fleet is this way."  A scrawl came across the guys face. "Never mind rooky. Go. You would probably just wind up crashing into my ship anyway. The last thing we need is a rooky moron getting in the way."

"Hey Bad Ass H
ole." Killer Queen snapped parodying his name. "How many kills do you have jerkoff?"

"What? What
's it to you Queeny? But I have parts of a couple of battleships, a half dozen cruisers and without help I have shit on so many destroyers I stopped counting. Someone should take pity on the damn rooky Captains and give them at least a Cruiser when they start out." The guy chuckled. "At least it would make squishing them a little fun."

Killer Queen smiled a suddenly
vaguely familiar smile he had not seen in years from an old friend he had not said more than two words to at any one time for those same years. An old ex-friend that he knew hated the game with a passion as much as she hated him so it could not be her. Then Killer Queen continued. "That Rooky you jerk off, has over 50% of a hundred cruiser and bigger hulks to his five year record. He has the majority off killing at least a dozen battle ships in the past couple months with the loss of only two of those damn little destroyers. He uses Cruisers to wipe his butt and if you are target practicing on Rooky destroyers when you know they don't stand a chance against you, then someone needs to stuff your ship up your butt. Now shut the frack up and get into formation ROOKIE, before I decide to have the fleet start target practicing on your frigging butt before we get into range of the enemy."

Jack smiled and chuckled
in disbelief. He had never heard her say a kind word to or about him since he met her. He suddenly felt bad, mouthing off to her. "Don't worry your little heads about her guys. She only target practices on enemy ships and ass holes that know how to fight and neither of you look worthy. Besides my destroyers are not the average orbital or escort destroyer. These are Battle Destroyers with plenty of punch to take on any battleship at close range. Just join formation on the fleet while I flank them and then watch the show."  Jack was already pulling up and away from the rest of his allied fleet and ordered full thrust ahead on his main engines that were big enough to power cruisers. His Destroyers left a trail of white hot reaction mass a thousand miles long behind them as they accelerated away. Out accelerating anything in space including the battleships though his maneuvering range was lousy.

Lookin
g around he was glad to see his other two destroyers still in formation flanking him on each side and a little behind. Proving to his relief that they had hot Captains. Jack flew a long fast course back around the enemy fleet's flank without worrying about reaction mass or of enemy Battleships shooting at them. The enemy fleet Commander, would think they were just wasting mass trying to split his fleet up and put it down to an inexperienced fleet commander and ignore the ships for the time being. Knowing at that acceleration, Jack’s squadron had to run out of reaction mass long before they could threaten his fleet. That is as long as the Enemy commander kept his own fleet tightly bunched up so the enemy squadron, thinking that he could be cruisers by the size of their engine tails, could not pick off any stragglers.

He watched
the rest of his Destroyer squadron approaching from the system's fleet base on an intercept course to join him as he headed around to the back flank of the enemy fleet. Accelerated time finally kicking in with all the Fleet's Captain's approvals. In accelerated time things happened fast in The Game.

Tom's
Battle cruiser started firing his big guns at long range, still closing with the enemy battle fleet and still far outside of the range of the enemy guns. The thick yellow tinged beams streaking toward the enemy fleet that was still powering in a straight line not worried about getting hit, still out of normal Battleship gun range. Jack was a little disappointed at Tom missing such easy targets even if it was at long range but without targeting scouts close to the enemy, hitting them from that range was hard for anyone. Jack smiled to himself and keyed his comm to Tom trying to cheer him up after missing. "Damn you missed. But anyway. Thanks Tom, for getting their attention off of me early enough to hide my intentions."

"No problem old buddy. Glad to oblige
but it looks like I need more target practice at long range. Maybe you are right and I do need a few scouts to deploy close to the enemy. I just did not want to spend the money on the docking bay they need." Tom was proud of his big Battle cruiser even though he had missed. But then Tom took everything light heartedly with patience. It had taken Tom years to save the credits in the game to afford the 3,000 foot long monster with its 16 huge 300 foot long guns you would normally only find on planetary defense platforms (that had plenty of prepositioned Sats for accurate long range targeting). Most battleship Captain's going for masses of 30 or 40 of the much cheaper normal sized 100 foot long guns to make sure they could score plenty of hits at normal Battleship ranges. It was just going to take Tom more time to add the auxiliary scout and forward targeting boats that would flesh out his ship and make it into the weapon he was hoping for.