Hawk Flight (Flight of the Hawk Book 3) Read online

  Lt. Lee took a tired breath, “We’re scheduled to jump in ninety minutes, so let’s make that forty. I’ll give you a hand.” Chief Kjelgaard shook his head, “Sir, what would the other officers say?” Lt. Lee smiled, “They’d probably wonder why we still don’t have hot water.” The chief asked, “We have water?”

  Within forty-five minutes they’d reconnected the two capacitors into the power grid and tested the circuits. The hard landing hadn’t damaged the capacitor, and after a trial charge-discharge cycle, Lt. Lee authorized the chief to begin powering up the system.

  While that was taking place, Lt. Lee examined the power lifter. When it was built, it had the ability to precisely lift and maneuver the massive capacitors. Either it hadn’t received any maintenance or simple age had caught up with it. Lt. Lee was betting on a lack of maintenance following hard on the heels of several decades of use. He opened the inspection hatch on the control panel and asked the chief, “Do you know if we have spares for the control modules?”

  The Chief shook his head, “I wouldn’t count on it. Outside of a museum, this may be the oldest power lifter in space.” Lt. Lee pulled the small control chip and looked at the faded ID tag, “It’s a Consortium PL-16D.” The chief turned in place and made a query on the engine room control monitor. “We’ve got some Consortium PL-57’s, but nothing earlier, and I already know they won’t fit.”

  Lt. Lee looked at the chip, “This looks just like the chip in a hard suit.” He input a few commands into the system, bringing up a schematic of a current generation hard suit maneuvering control module and said, “It’s physically identical, and the contacts seem to line up.” Chief Kjelgaard grabbed one of the PowPro techs and told him, “Go up to Maintenance and grab a KDC hard suit module. I’ll forward a requisition while you hustle your laggardly ass the roughly one hundred meters. If you don’t return within fifteen minutes, I’ll send out a search party. Armed.”

  The tech shook his head, “Chief, my ass is not only not laggardly, it’s actually quite perky. I know ‘cause a ComTech4 told me so. I might also point out that this ship is usually unarmed.” The chief pushed the tech toward the hatch, “If Lt. Sigh-a-lot ever hears you talk like that you’ll lose five kilos of ugly fat, and I don’t mean that mass of unused gray matter on top of your neck.”

  As he was disappearing through the hatch Lt. Lee called, “Bring back something from the mess deck.” The chief added, “Food, Lt. Lee means food.” The tech shouted from the passageway, “There hasn’t been any actual food served on this immobile coffin in seventy years.” The chief said, “Sir, I apologize for that remark – we have, from time to time, been somewhat mobile.” Lt. Lee smiled, “That addresses the adjective, but not the somewhat more important noun.”

  The chief turned back to the control monitor and announced, “Sir, we’ve once again dodged a firing squad; the system’s up to eighty percent.” Lt. Lee nodded, “The coordinates for this jump require eighty-five percent, and this system leaks like a sieve. Let me know when we hit ninety.”

  Five minutes prior to their scheduled jump Lt. Lee commed the bridge, “Sir, Lt. Lee: we’re powered up.” He listened for a second, “Sir, we’re up to ninety percent, the jump calls for eighty-five. We’ll lose a couple of percent in system losses.”

  He listened, and then said, “Sir, we replaced two main capacitors. They are refurbished, but they test out.”

  “Sir, we didn’t have new units – these drive systems are sixty years old, and we don’t have any additional spares. We’ve got repair kits, and as soon as we complete our jump, we’ll begin tearing down the two defective units.”

  “Sir, forty man-hours per unit.”

  “By the book, it requires fifty-two hours, but Chief Kjelgaard and his crew can shave twelve hours.”

  He took a breath, “Yes sir, I’ll personally oversee their work.”

  He closed the comm and turned, “Chief…?”

  Chapter 4

  Lt. Junior Grade Alexi Tretiakov, Aboard the Federal Destroyer Tillotson

  The OoD turned to the Lt. JG, “What’s our position?” Lt Tretiakov promptly replied, “Sir, we’re ten thousand, three hundred kilometers short of our programmed entry point.” Lt. Ungar barked, “What happened?” Lt. Tretiakov said, “Sir, engine room power readings have been fluctuating. Lt. Ing reports the port Fusion bottle containment field is erratic and she requests that we shut it down until Engineering can isolate the problem.”

  Lieutenant Filipov turned to face the new JG and demanded, “How big are the fluctuations?” Lt. Tretiakov replied, “Sir, she didn’t specify.”

  Lt. Filipov demanded, “Get your ass to engineering and find out why the hell we’re out of position.”

  Lt. Tretiakov saluted, “Yes sir.” As he left the bridge and descended to the power room, he heard the OoD angrily say something to the helmsman. As he dropped down a ladder, he thought that the five years of running might not have been such a bad idea after all.

  He entered the power room, saluted the full lieutenant who was in charge of engineering and said, “Sir, Lt. Filipov requests to know how big the fluctuations are.” She stared, “He ordered you to personally come down to Engineering?” Lt. Tretiakov stiffened, “Yes sir.”

  She took a deep breath and commed the bridge, “Lt. Filipov, Lt. Ing; the port fusion bottle containment field is fluctuating and I’m shutting it down as a safety precaution. The starboard bottle will provide us with drive and environment power, but until we can isolate the problem we can’t power up the jump system, and our energy weapons systems only have enough power for one shot.”

  She listened for ten seconds, “Sir, I reported the fluctuations at 0832, nearly four hours ago. The bottle is out of spec and we run the risk of losing containment. I’ve already taken it offline. I cannot even estimate how long it will take to isolate the problem much less know if it can be repaired; however, by the book, we are required to report our loss of power and request an escort.”

  She stood, “Sir, I am required by Navy regulations to shut down the bottle. You have enough power for normal operations. In an emergency, we can shut down the drive while we power up the jump system. Alternately, we can power the energy weapons, but we are capable of performing only one function at a time. Sir, are you declaring an emergency?”

  She grew visibly angry, “Sir, that bottle is clearly out of spec.” She listened for another moment, “Yes sir.”

  She turned to Lt. Tretiakov, “The engine room is yours.”

  Lt. Tretiakov asked, “How big are the fluctuations?” She replied, “Point zero three four percent.” He looked at the bulkhead that separated them from the bottle, “That’s almost…ten times the permitted flutter.”

  She asked, “What are you going to do?” He said, “Sir, what enlisted do you have on duty?” She replied, “You have one PowPro 7, two snipes.”

  She turned and left the space without waiting for an answer. He looked in the starboard space and waved the chief over. He asked, “Who ran the tests on the port fusion bottle?” The chief said, “Lt. Ing sir.” Lt. Tretiakov spotted a set of work coveralls and said, “Let’s redo the test. You’ve done it before?” The chief nodded.

  He pulled the work suit on over his uniform and said, “Chief, I want to run the test, but I’ve only done it in a lab, and the lab was three generations newer. Look over my shoulder and tell me what I’m doing wrong. Assume I’ll make mistakes.”

  The chief blinked, “Yes sir.”

  Lt. Tretiakov picked up the heavy test instrument and performed a self-test. He looked at the readout and asked, “She took the readings with this instrument?” The chief nodded, carefully watching the very young Lt. Junior Grade.

  Lt. Tretiakov asked, “Is this our only one?” The chief smiled faintly, “No sir. We have two. The other one is past due for certification.” Alexi asked, “Pull the power unit from it and bring it to me.”

  A bright red light illumined the noisy, dirty and disordered space. Alexi stepped
over to the control panel and answered the comm. The captain asked, “Lieutenant, what’s our status?” Lt. Tretiakov said, “Sir, we’re preparing to run a new test. I should have the results within fifteen minutes.” Captain Muhr said, “Lieutenant, we can’t afford to declare an emergency. Get that bottle up. Report as soon as you know our status.” The screen went dark.

  The chief appeared with the small power unit. Alexi swapped it with the one from the test unit, performed another self-test and nodded in satisfaction. He opened a hatch on the streaked gray bottle and powered up the tiny control panel inside. He checked the model number of the bottle, set the test unit to the proper setting, and started the test. It’s small screen began to trace a ruler straight line across its’ face. He let it run for five minutes before pausing the test. He told the chief, “Bring up the bottle, and put a light load on it…ten percent or less, no variations in power loading.”

  The chief had been standing by at the control panel and within seconds the noise level in the space changed as pumps began to move coolant through the bottle. Alexi gave it a couple of minutes to stabilize and resumed the test. Within five minutes he shut down the test unit, closed the access panel and commed the bridge.

  The OoD appeared on screen. Without preamble Lt. Tretiakov said, “Sir, I’m bringing port fusion back on line.” The Ood barked, “What took so long?” Lt. Tretiakov calmly replied, “A full test requires thirty minutes sir. We performed a preliminary test only. We’ll have to monitor it under full load for thirty minutes. As soon as it’s up, I’ll switch bottles. For the test we need a minimum of four G’s steady acceleration. Thirty minutes sir.”

  The OoD audibly stiffened, “Lt. Tretiakov, I don’t know what Navy you thought you were in, but in this one, a JG takes orders from a full lieutenant, he doesn’t give them.”

  The chief was out of view of the pickup, but he was openly listening in. Lt. Tretiakov said, “Sir, Lt. Ing logged a class 2 discrepancy and shut down port fusion. That report is automatically transmitted to Group. We cannot bring it back online without a full test, which we must then log to clear the discrepancy, and we are then required to inform Group that we are able to resume full operations.”’

  The OoD was furious, “Lt. Tretiakov, when I want something from you, I’ll ask. Is port fusion up?” Lt. Tretiakov took a deep breath, “Sir, no sir.” The OoD yelled, “You informed me that you brought up the bottle, now you say it’s not up. Which is it?”

  Lt. Tretiakov said, “Sir, until we perform a full power test, we cannot clear the discrepancy from our system unless there exists a declared emergency.”

  Captain Muhr cut in, “Lieutenant, what is our status?” The OoD said, “Sir, Lt. Tretiakov has told me that port fusion is operational, but now he’s telling me it isn’t.”

  The captain ordered, “Lt. Tretiakov, report to the bridge.”

  Lt. Tretiakov said, “Sir, Lt. Ing logged a class 2 discrepancy, which has been transmitted to Group. Until we clear the discrepancy we cannot operate that bottle. I have requested a thirty minute powered test, the only way to clear the log. In addition, until that discrepancy is cleared, an officer must be present in engineering, and at present I am the only officer in Engineering.”

  The captain was clearly frustrated, “Lt. Tretiakov, are you refusing a lawful order of your commanding officer?” Lt. Tretiakov said, “No sir. Until we perform that test we cannot clear our system, nor can we resume full operations. Sir, the ship’s computers won’t clear that discrepancy until we run the test.”

  The captain restrained his anger while he thought about the situation. He demanded, “What does this test involve?” Lt. Tretiakov replied, “Sir, thirty minutes at a minimum steady 2 G acceleration. Assuming the bottle passes the test, we can then clear the gripe and inform Group.”

  The captain asked, his tone of voice showing curiosity, “Lt., is there another way to clear the system?” Lt. Tretiakov said, “Yes sir. We can reboot the system. However, that will trigger a Class 1 discrepancy.”

  The captain said, “Hold one.” He came on a moment later, “Tell the OoD what you need. Oh, Lieutenant, what was wrong with the bottle?” Lt. Tretiakov hesitated,” Sir, it appears that the bottle is functioning within parameters – there was a problem with the test gear. I reran the test.”

  The captain asked, speaking slowly and concisely, “You mean to say this entire episode was due to a malfunctioning piece of damned test gear?” Lt. Tretiakov answered, “Until we run the full test, we won’t know for certain, but at this time that is what I believe.”

  The captain asked, “Lieutenant, what is the condition of the engine room?” Alexi said, “Sir, it’s been…it’s not up to standards.” Captain Muhr told him, “You are to remain in Engineering. I want a status report of the test, and I want a detailed report on the condition of that department by the end of the shift. I want that report delivered in person.” Lt. Tretiakov said, “Yes sir.”

  The port bottle passed the test.

  Chapter 5

  Lt. Tretiakov formally introduced himself to the chief and his two assistants and they walked through the spaces, making notes as they went. After their names, the second thing he asked the three men was how long they had been assigned to the ship, which was a jury-rigged mess.

  The chief took a deep breath and said, “Sir, six months.” Lt. Tretiakov mildly asked, “What was the condition of these spaces when you first reported aboard?” The chief admitted, “About the same sir.”

  Alexi thought about the answer and what it revealed about both the chief and the officers who had been tasked with running the spaces. He decided he liked the chief. He said, “I believe that we’re going to spend a lot of time together, and I personally prefer that we don’t spend that time fruitlessly waiting to be rescued. I bet you feel the same.”

  He calmly looked at the chief, the female PowPro 5 and then the PowTech 4. He didn’t get much of a feel from the 3rd class, but the female 2nd class seemed good. He said, “I’ve been ordered to put together a report, to be hand delivered to the captain by the end of this shift. What I want is a power room that can keep us out of trouble while providing trouble to our enemies, of which this system has a few. Dilán, what do you want?”

  The entry-level petty officer was so surprised he almost fell off his stool. The chief snorted, but remained silent. The newly promoted petty officer said, “Sir, I agree.” Alexi turned his gaze to the woman. She said, “Sir, will you be in charge of Engineering?” Her question cemented in his mind that the three officers who’d been in charge – and still were – were less than stellar.

  He said, “I’m a JG, so I very much doubt that will happen. On the other hand, it does look like we’ll be working together, so…?” She looked carefully at him and admitted, “Sir, there is a lot we could do to improve our reliability as well as make this a less horrid experience.”

  Lt. Tretiakov looked at the chief, who took a breath and slowly let it out, “Sir, I want to survive. Understand?” Alexi understood the answer to have multiple meanings, only one of them literal.

  Lt. Tretiakov nodded, “In that case, let’s just try to keep our heads safe from all enemies, domestic and foreign.” The chief was surprised into showing emotion. He stood, “Sir, may I suggest that we start in starboard fusion?”

  It took three hours just to list the deficiencies, problems and impending failures. With the chief’s help, Alexi prioritized them by order of importance, and listed which few could be accomplished out of the ship’s resources, and in another few cases, listed possible sources within the Group for parts or repair kits. All of the information came from the chief, but Alexi knew what questions to ask.

  Lt. Tretiakov just had time to change into a clean uniform before reporting to the bridge. Captain Muhr had the watch and silently took the chip. He input the chip into the bridge console and spent a mere thirty seconds to scan the lengthy list.

  He turned to his very, very junior Junior Grade Lieutenant and asked, “How
did you compile this list?” Alexi said, “Sir, we - that is, the chief and I - went through both port and starboard fusion spaces, the capacitor banks and the control room. We also crawled the cable runs, explaining items forty-six through fifty-one, and made a remote inspection of the power runs to the energy system and drives.”

  Without taking his eye off the young man, the Captain asked, “Recommendations and conclusions?” Lt. Tretiakov said, “Sir, unless we make the noted repairs, we will not be able to maintain extended operations and should expect multiple minor to crucial breakdowns.”

  The captain thoughtfully looked at his most junior officer and asked, “Lt., what is your experience? I’m not referring to the last five years. What practical experience do you have that would allow me, as your captain, to ascertain that your assessment is correct?”

  Lt. Tretiakov calmly replied, “Sir, this destroyer, as old as it is, is typical of the craft found on Lubya, my home world. Prior to entering the academy, I worked summers on a variety of craft, mostly shuttles. Lubya has three system destroyers that are basically identical to this ship.”