BORN OF HEROES

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 6
 

Two days later, Elias stood underneath the gantry and work cradle where his ship rested.

  His ship.

   He would be meeting the crew the next day, but he wanted to see the vessel. He watched as an Okami technician put the final touches on the name of the ship in flowing silver script to the port and starboard of the bridge viewports.

  “She’s a beauty, all right,” a gruff voice said from behind Elias.

  The fox turned to find a short but powerful looking badger looking up at the vessel while absently wiping grease from his hands. He had a stick of dried meat poking from the corner of his mouth and worried at it with little nibbles. There was a proud gleam in the badger’s eyes as he regarded the freighter that was anything but. “The Colonel asked me to give you a tour of her, Captain, so if you’d like we can start now.”

  “Sure,” Elias said. Then he looked at the badger. He wasn’t wearing the uniform overalls of the Okami shipyard personnel. “Um, and you are?”

  “Stram Molson. I’ll be your engineer, Sir.” The badger stuck out a hand that had the claws worn to small hard nubs, and the pads of his fingers and palms were calloused from years of hard and dirty work.

  “Just call me Elias. Or Captain, if you feel you need to. We aren’t going to be typical SPF, so I’m chucking the regulation books.” Colonel Brees had told Elias of the badger and that he had been with the Okami Corporation naval architects and working with them on the ship from the start on detached service from the SPF, but not that he would be his engineer.

  “Fair enough, Cap’n. Now then, let me show you the hull first. Then we’ll go and check out the wonders of the inside.”

  The fox smiled. “Lead the way.”

  The pair walked beneath the cradle and Stram was pointing out various spots to the fox.

  “Up here in the bow you’ve got four Mark III pulse cannon. Granted they aren’t as powerful as, oh say the Mark IV’s or V’s and some of the more recent variants, but that’ll give you a higher firing cycle between each gun. They’ll chew through the shields of anything short of a heavy cruiser, and I’d be more than willing to lay good credits that they’d even give one of those beasties a good wallopin’ before all was said and done. And if you look there to the port and starboard just a hair below the lateral line. See that?” Elias saw two sections that weren’t quite congruous with the rest of the hull plating. “Those would be the forward torpedo tubes. Terran made Arch Angel class, pee wee nukes. There are four torpedoes per unit with a third tube located between the engines. There are only three torpedoes for that unit, but if we have to use them we’ll be in a serious scrap, guaranteed.”

  The badger then led the way to the center ventral area, just forward of the huge landing jacks with their dual caterpillar track pads. “This whole area here is actually a retractable turret,” Stram said, describing a circular area with his right hand. “There’s a matching turret on the dorsal surface as well. Kinda cuts down on the available space for the recreation deck, but only by six or seven feet, so not by much. Each turret holds two mercury vapor lasers with 200 gigawatt output, but the reflectors in each unit are solid Siilv units, so the actual output is more along the lines of 600 plus gigawatts. The engines can certainly handle that, and each laser is capable of a constant 1000 hour rated work load, so we don’t have to worry about getting the reflectors relined every couple of months.”

  The walk around led to the port side ventral area just to the outside of the port landing jack. “Now here beneath this panel, and one just like it on the starboard ventral area, is a five round rack of Talon missiles. I know you’ve had experience with those, so you know what they’re capable of. These have the latest intelligence upgrades and can actually work in tandem with each other if need be. Around the entire lateral line are shock tread emitters for very close point defense. Now then, if you’ll follow me?”

  Elias walked slightly behind the badger to the aft of the ship. “You can’t tell from here, but the engines are actually three times larger than even the advanced H Model Okami freighter. To be honest, they’re even larger than the engines that the ship had I was last posted on, and that was a Gnasher class frigate. Not a small ship by any stretch of the imagination. So not only will we have ample power for the weapons and shields, but we’ll bloody well be able to outrun just about anything that isn’t in warp space. Various countermeasures are scattered all over the hull and include the standard chaff, flares and aerosol dispersants and some seriously amped up shields. Electronic countermeasures are handled at the weapons and communications stations on the bridge, though any terminal onboard can be used for that in a pinch.”

  The fox whistled low in appreciation. “She’s an impressive piece of work, Stram.”

  The badger chuckled. “You haven’t seen half of it yet, Cap’n. Let’s go onboard and I’ll show you the rest.”

  There was indeed more to see. The first thing that Elias noticed as he entered through the personnel airlock was that the hull was almost a full four feet thick. The entire hull was plated in overlapping armor of several different materials.

  “The outer layer is standard hull alloy,” Stram was pointing out, “maybe three inches thick. Under that is a full three and a half feet of boron latticed ceramics. That was actually cast around the ribs and cross members of the base structure. Backing that is aligned crystal carborundum. The entire inner surface is titanium. And we can’t forget that in between each layer is jelly-seal. Any punctures up to a foot or so in diameter will self-seal. There’s the same substance between all of the glassteel panes as well, and each pane is almost four inches thick with three panes per viewport.”

  The cargo bay lights came on automatically and the first thing that Elias saw was a sleek stub winged Raptor class interceptor. It was anchored to the deck by magnetic and mechanical clamps. Support equipment and consumables storage for the trans-atmospheric fighter was stored along the aft bulkhead. The fox also noticed that the cargo bay was much shorter than normal.

  “It’s to accommodate the larger engines,” Stram said, still chewing vigorously on the stick of meat. “More than enough room for our needs, though. Now then, the cargo master’s cubicle there is not only armored and the primary security point for this area, it also doubles as the control station for fighter operations.”

  It was definitely a security point. Concealed, but by no means totally hidden was an infantry support light pulse gun. “That can be operated either manually or by remote from the cubicle,” Stram said resting a hand on the main body of the weapon and grinned. “With what we’re goin’ to be doin’ you can’t be lax about home security.”

  The badger led Elias through the engine room, and the fox was amazed that the ship was able to hold the bulk of the oversized propulsion units. With that done, Stram pointed out the access panels that would allow movement to any part of the ship if the lift was rendered inoperable. Each hatch was concealed with a security panel and would accommodate a single individual in only the most basic of pressure suits. Then they entered the lift and went to the second deck.

  The vessel had the standard number three-room cabin suites that all H model freighters incorporated. The last cabins at the aft of the corridor functioning as holding cells. The deck carpeting was forest green and sapphire blue with the bulkheads painted a soft pearl gray. The oblong ellipsoid design of the H model ship was mirrored in the layout of the corridor, and Elias followed it around to the hatch that was painted blue with a stylized gold ship’s wheel on it. The doors parted with a slight hiss from pneumatic actuators and he looked in on the bridge. It was almost identical to the layout in the simulator that he’d been logging hours on prior to going on leave with Cerise, and he noted each station. Helm was directly ahead. To the right of that was the navigation position. Behind the helm, to the left and right respectively were the weapons station and communications. The consoles for each position were fairly standard and could, as was the case with all SPF vessels, overlap their functions, but never really as well as the actual station that was meant to handle a specific task. The forward viewport was equipped with incredibly delicate circuitry that was virtually invisible, but could be used to display anything that might be needed better than any heads-up-display projection. It could even double as a vidscreen for recorded or transmitted data, like the viewports on the recreation deck.

  The seats were auto adjusting to fit the physiologies of the various member species of the Planetary Alignment and would help cushion and protect the user from shocks and sudden acceleration or deceleration. The safety straps were all standard five point units that had quick release latches in case of an emergency.

  Relative to the hatch, the aft port bulkhead had a lavatory, and the starboard held a small office for the ship’s captain that led not only to the corridor, but also to the cabin that was closest to the bridge. Elias’ cabin. Opposite in the other direction was the infirmary, then the crew’s quarters.

  With the realization of what was happening, the fox walked to the pilot’s chair, resting his hand on the backrest. Stram, sensing something from his new Captain, departed without a word, leaving the fox to himself. The sobering thought that he would be in command of this vessel, responsible for the lives of those that crewed it ran through his mind. Elias wasn’t treating the realization lightly, either. He would have the responsibility of not only maintaining their safety as well as he could, but the lives of any and all that they would encounter. It was daunting to say the least. Anyone that thought all a captain had to do was give orders and let others do the dirty work onboard a ship was a fool.

  He felt the weight of said responsibility seemingly settle on his shoulders as he slid into the seat. After leaving the Alexandrian military and joining the Spatial Police Force, he had taken an oath to protect the lives of the citizenry of the Planetary Alignment, regardless of homeworld, species, gender or station. That oath also meant that the lives of those he served with, over, and under.

  It was an oath that he took seriously.

  Elias’ hand rested lightly on the control yokes of the pilot’s position, two inverted ‘L’ shaped grips, though they were not the standard controls that could be found on nearly all Okami built vessels. The number of switches, buttons and the four triggers were silent testament that there was more to this ship than was at first apparent. It was a ship of war, with the potential to end life. But it could also be used to protect life. As his hand and fingers traced the contours of the controls, Elias closed his eyes.

  “I have never been overly religious, but if You are out there, all I ask is that you let me bring my people back safe. Let me protect those out there that need protecting. Let me do what I need to do to make things a little safer out there,” he thought silently, casting those thoughts to the heavens. For some reason, he felt a little better about his new role.

  “Not interrupting, am I?” the deep voice of Colonel Sander Brees asked from the hatch.

  Elias turned around in the seat. “Not at all, Sir.”

  The lion walked forward and took the navigators seat. “I never was that good a pilot. I can steer a ship and normally avoid hitting anything, but I’ll be the first to admit I’m no pilot. Now Rovi, he could fly! Watching him at the stick was like watching an artist. He made the most complicated maneuvers look easy. You and he share a lot of the same qualities. I think it’s because you and he have a better grasp of three dimensional relations. Or so I’ve been told. I function better under tactical conditions.” The lion looked over at the young male appraisingly. “I guess that it’s started to sink in then, right? The responsibility, the burden of command?”

  Elias nodded silently.

  “To be honest, if you didn’t feel it, I would yank you out of that chair so fast it would take you a year to grow your fur back. That’s how I know you are the right one for the job. I can tell you this, and I’m going to be honest. You never get comfortable with it, and it never gets easier. It will always be there. And the older you get, the heavier it becomes. But you will get used to it.”

  Elias looked at the lion who suddenly seemed to bow with the weight he talked about and the fox realized that Brees looked older than he really was. He wondered if he was just now noticing it, or if it had been the change in him as he accepted his own portion of responsibility that enabled him to see it.

  “I think I’m getting too old for this,” the lion said as if he read Elias’ thoughts. “I think the worst of it is sending young folk like yourself out there where I can’t go anymore.” The lion sighed and looked out of the forward viewport, but saw nothing in particular.

   Elias looked at the lion, caught off balance by this admission. Brees seemed like such a solid individual, as timeless as a stone edifice. That he hated not being able to share in the risk of the subordinates he passed orders on to was sobering and astounding at the same time. The fox wondered if he would be like that one day.

  “Sir? All I ask is that you let me take a swing at it.”

  Sander Brees came back to himself, turned his head to look at the younger officer and gave him a friendly smile. “And that’ll be the last time that you call me ‘Sir’, pup. Call me Sandy. See, while you are part of the family, you and yours are going to be like the children that we never talk about. You will hold your rank, same pay grade, but as of now, you are no longer SPF.”

  Elias was taken back. Not a part of the SPF? The thought rankled him, struck a chord in him that was…frightening. He’d been a part of the Spatial Police Force for most of his adult life. Now to be cast aside? Again it was as if Brees could read his mind.

  “No one is safe from spying, son. There are only going to be a few of us that know who and what you are, but the rest of the Force? They mustn’t know. It’s too easy for the wrong thing to be said in passing, and for that information to get to the wrong people. Don’t worry, son. You’re still part of us, just not in an official capacity.”

  Elias thought about that, and saw the necessity for it. It would be too easy if a pirate got away to take personal retribution on the families of any one of them. That thought led to Cerise. Secrecy was key to this whole operation, but because of the press coverage from his exploits over Dennier, his name was known, if not his image. That could lead a vindictive reprisal against his new wife and her family. He unconsciously whispered, “Cerise.”

  Brees coughed. “About that, I think we have come up with an answer.” He swiveled the seat to face Elias and had a slightly embarrassed look. “The one thing that this crew was lacking was a dedicated sensors and communications officer. We were able to find one.”

  Before the fox could say anything, Sander motioned to the hatch with his left hand. Turning around, Elias saw Cerise standing in the open hatch wearing a nondescript gray jumpsuit. Her expression was serious and she looked at her mate with a level and cool gaze.

  Elias’s eyes went flinty and he spoke a single word with more conviction than he’d ever mustered before.

  “No.”

— NEXT CHAPTER —

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