Chapter 8: When It Rains, It Pours

Chapter 8: When It Rains, It Pours

Tasha looked at the Plot computer, and stared at a group of dots moving across the screen.

"What are they?" she asked the pilot-navigator.

"Detterex and Tirosian vermin, My Lady," the pilot answered. "We have been tracking them ever since we crossed the edge of the Federation boundary, but it is only now that we have become sure of them. We thought that they were just interference, but as we went into deceleration, the picture has become clear. They are Empire spacecraft, beyond a doubt."

Tasha nodded slowly.

The bridge's access tube dilated and Ren stepped out. Tasha turned and gave him a brief smile. Ren came over and stood by her.

"There are further problems, My Lady," Reena was saying.

"Continue, Pilot."

"My Lady, Astrogation says that, according to their calculations, the enemy will be emerging into sub-light at approximately the same area and time that we will. Obviously, they plan to intercept us."

Tasha thought awhile. "Their spies are very good," she was saying to herself. "We must keep tighter security at the palace." She looked up from the Plot screen. "When do we become ship-maneuverable, Pilot?"

"In a short while, My Lady. I cannot be exact as to the time. The Chief Engineer says that the drive fields are fluctuating because of the long trip."

-----

"Ship-maneuverability" was the term they used when a spacecrafts speed was low enough that relativity effects were negligible, when the ship becomes maneuverable again and course changes can be made. It was also when short-to-medium range navigation systems start working, and EVAs became possible again.

The problem had to do with the effect of time dilation. Even as early as the twenty-first century, Earth had been aware of such problems, which was why their old-style global positioning system satellites had to have timing adjustments. Of course, these were very minor things - minute fractions of seconds and such minor problems were easily managed. But at higher velocities, the discrepancies become larger, enough that they would cause interaction problems within the timing components of computer or electronic systems, and problems with the time perception of pilots, just enough to case errors in judgment.

It was therefore important for ships to transition to and from light speed quickly, and to avoid maneuverings during these transition speeds. But once they hit the speed of light and are able to engage their FTL drives, these problems disappear because their drives would isolate the ship and everything inside from time dilation.

For the Federation and Empire, they pinned this at 0.4C. As for Earth ships, Earthpeople estimate this to be at about 0.6C, largely because of better compensating systems and better atomic clocks (at this point, this was still an estimate since their ships had yet to attain velocities approaching light speed).

In any case, ship-maneuverable speed was the speed where onboard systems and time perception are not too affected by time dilation that maneuvering and short-range comms were still safe or possible.

-----

Tasha nodded at the pilots comment and thumbed a switch. "Wing Marshal," she said, and an aged warrior came on the screen.

"Yes, My Princess," she said as she brushed silver-streaked hair from her eyes.

"We will be ship-maneuverable soon, Marshal. Make sure your pilots are prepared for launching."

"Yes, My Princess. All will be in readiness."

Tasha turned to her bridge crew. "Prepare all batteries and issue sidearms to all hands. And prepare my personal ship. I shall be leading the attack wing myself."

Ren gasped and reached for her. She batted his hand away irritatedly. Tasha turned to the pilot.

"Send a signal to our other ships as we become ship-maneuverable, and have them make similar preparations."

"Yes, My Lady."

Ren was pulling on her sleeve. "Tasha, no. Let them do the fighting. It is improper for ,"

"Ren!" she cried, and turned to look at everyone. The bridge personnel were looking away, embarrassed. Even the pilot was pretending to study the Plot screen.

She turned back to Reena. "I shall be in my quarters, Pilot. Inform me of any new developments."

"Yes, My Lady."

She turned to Ren. "Husband! Attend." They left the bridge in silence.

-----

As she turned to lock the door to their quarters, she said, "do not do that again." She unhooked her belt and dress-sword and threw them into a corner.

"Tasha -," Ren said.

"You will not embarrass me again," Tasha said. "Ever."

"Tasha," Ren said again, pleading.

"I took you along with the understanding that you would not make a nuisance of yourself. I told you that there may be fighting. And you agreed."

Ren bowed his head, almost sobbing. "Yes, My Princess. I will remember."

Tasha looked at his stricken form, and her anger softened. "No, my dearest," she said as she took him into her arms. "Do not cry. I understand. But you know I must do this. I must. A princess of the blood cannot do otherwise."

"I know, I know," Ren said, crying, "But I am afraid."

Norga's eyes narrowed to slits. "You have, eh?" His hand jumped to his sword. "Are you trying to make a fool of me, Pilot?"

"No, My Lord. I merely said -,"

Norga's swinging sword-blade cut her throat in mid-sentence. Pink blood splattered on the navigation console. The pilot's expression seemed to say that she couldn't believe it. Her body toppled to the deck, slowly dying as blood spurted from her.

"Norga!" Arvan exclaimed, bending, trying to catch the falling body, but she was too late. She clenched her fists in anger.

"You should not have done that," she said in deadly monotone. We needed her.

The other people on the bridge stared. Norga felt a vestige of fear. She had not spoken that way to me before, he thought. Unconsciously, he stepped back. He tried to sound unaffected. "I should not?" he asked sarcastically, only a fraction of uncertainty creeping into his voice.

Arvan stood slowly. She glared at her mate. Norga stood uncertainly.

What is happening? he thought.

Arvan still stood there glaring at him. He saw with his peripheral vision her hand clenching on her sword-hilt. By the Gods, he thought, she's going to kill me.

But Arvan slowly unclenched her hand and hid her face.

"No, of course not," she said. She was ashamed of her weakness and yearned to die.

Norga breathed a sigh of relief. "Prepare our ships," he said.

"Of course," the princess said, and turned away to leave.

-----

O'Connell paced the bridge of the Seeker, waiting for something to happen. Anything at all. She was looking at the main screen, which was trained on Mia as she worked down inside the ship. She envied her. At least she had something to do.

She looked at Mia as she labored along with the officers and enlisted personnel. Two months was not a long enough time for a captain to get to know a crew, nor for two hundred and eighty-six men and women to get to know their new captain. Yet there she was. Mia presently had her jacket off and was talking to one of the midshipmen as they both wrestled a square tank into its slot. He smiled shyly at a joke that Mia made.

Perhaps it was the large amount of time that she spent among the crew, and the lectures that she regularly gave that made the crew feel at home with her. In fact, most of the first attendees came out of curiosity. But, as they got to know their new captain, and as more and more attended her lectures, it, as well as she, became just another part of shipboard life.

The Seeker and her crew had seen more work in the past months than they had seen in a while. Everyone had done their share of work. Even O'Connell had helped carry and clean up. She had come to think of her time on the bridge more as a rest period than as a duty station.

But the ship was showing signs of their hard work. Everything was shipshape now, and back in their places again. Her Shrike fighters and Mud Turtle personnel and assault carriers were reassembled, and, if O'Connell could believe the chief engineer, they were better than ever.

Collins and his people were as good as their word, and everything was working again, though the engines were still running in sub-light. She remembered her visit to the Engine Room and her surprise when she saw from the various newly-calibrated indicators that engine power output was only at five percent.

Captain Steele had said that only a few cables and circuits needed to be connected, and they could have FTL anytime they needed it. That was the very first thing that she looked into. Only thing to do now was try out the new engines.

"Commander," her communications officer called. "I'm getting something from the Empire fleet. A radio signal."

"You are? Translate immediately, and call the Captain to the bridge."

He nodded and turned back to his console. "Captain Steele to the bridge. Captain Steele to the bridge, please."

On the screen, she saw Mia turn and walk out of the picture.

"Navigator," she said, "let's see exactly where they are."

The navigator threw up a picture of their sector of space. Two blinking dots were moving slower and slower, and slowly converging.

Mia came in, just putting on her jacket.

"Yes, Commander? Anything new?"

"Aye, sir. We've just picked up something by Phase-Wave. It's coming from the Empire ships."

"Have you translated it?"

The communications officer turned. "Doing that now, sir."

"What's it say?"

The communications officer held a phone to his ear. "It says, 'Coming out of light-speed, and ship-maneuverable in eight and three-eights minutes. Prepare to launch attack according to plan as soon as able. By order of Princess Arvan.' A similar message in Tirosian is being broadcast from the leading Tirosian ship."

"Princess Arvan. Hmm. That tells us a lot. When do we reach the two fleets?"

"Twenty-three minutes, present course and speed."

"Not good enough. Helmsman, increase engine power to ten percent. Commander, prepare Shrike squadron for launch and arm all weaponry. Lieutenant, inform the Hermes and Constellation that they are to do likewise."

"Aye, sir."

"Now," she said as she reclined in her command seat, "we wait."