“You haven’t said how long you’ll be gone.”
“No, Tammy, I haven’t. I’ll get back when I get back. That’s all I can tell you. I don’t even know how long this patrol will be.”
“You take care of yourself out there. There are no strings between us, but I would like to see you when you come back.”
“I’ll be back. Don’t get too lonely while I’m gone.”
“Oh, I won’t, but I’ll always make time for you.”
Kelly kissed her goodbye, picked up his bag, and went out to find a shuttle. He got to the ship before LCDR Timmons and stowed his gear. He walked through the ship, checking that everything was ready for patrol. Cookie handed him a cup of coffee as he passed the galley. Chief Pennypacker verified that the turrets were bore sighted so they would fire forward, aligned with the forward-firing cannons. Kelly had suggested to the captain that as nimble as the Vigilant was, having all nine barrels firing forward could make for a lot of firepower. It could come in handy in the right situation. Kelly had Chief Pennypacker put a computer program in to slew all turrets forward on command from the bridge.
As he proceeded to the stern, he checked sensor diagnostics with Chief Blankenship. They were all operating at full efficiency. He looked into the crews’ quarters. Petty Officer third class Stinson was recovering from a bout of food poisoning, acquired on leave in the southern hemisphere. Corpsman Kumar was tending to him. All the rest of the crew was on watch or at breakfast. As he completed his inspection, he found that engineering was immaculate, as usual. Chief Miller fretted over Kelly’s coffee mug, in fear that he might spill coffee on something. The captain, Kelly, and Chief Watson were the only people allowed to bring coffee into Engineering. Kelly complimented Chief Miller on the state of Engineering and thanked him for keeping watch on the refit crew.
“Thank you, sir, now please get your coffee out of here.”
Kelly left, laughing, and went back to the galley. Cookie had his favorite, biscuits and gravy with two eggs, ready and waiting for him. He sat down with Corpsman Kumar and asked about Stinson.
“He’ll be all right, sir. I warn these guys about the local establishments down south, but they don’t all listen. Stinson might listen to me in the future.”
LCDR Timmons came in, loaded his tray, and sat down with Kelly. “How’s it look, Exec?
“I just did a walk around from bridge to engineering. Looks pretty ship shape to me, Captain. I think we’re ready. The extra equipment you had me order came in last night. It’s stowed in engineering.”
“I haven’t seen Chief Watson yet, have you?”
Kelly looked up. “Here he comes now, Captain.”
Chief Watson went through the chow line and came over and sat down. Corpsman Kumar finished eating and left to give them the table to themselves.
“Chief, are all the crew aboard and ready for patrol?”
“Yes, Captain, all present and either at their duty stations or here in the galley, except Stinson. He’s in his bunk, recovering from a case of stupid. As soon as he gets well, his butt is mine. Kumar told him the places to stay away from down south.”
“Okay, then. We’ll secure the quarterdeck watch at 0900. Request permission from Port to launch and be on our way. Nobody leaves the ship without my permission.”
Kelly excused himself and went to his cabin to check for last minute messages or changes to their orders. He had transferred Wanda’s personality file into his personal terminal. He wasn’t the captain, so couldn’t load his old fighter’s AI on the main computer, but she didn’t seem to mind being in just a terminal. She told him there were no official messages, but he had a few personal messages. One was from his parents, telling him when they would arrive and that they would be staying in VIP quarters on base, rather than having to do the daily shuttle from the civilian sector east of the base. Kelly sent them a message that he would see them when he got back. The second message was from Candy Craddock, wishing him a bon voyage and to be careful. She also said that she hoped he would come see her when he got back from patrol. The next message was a video file from Tammy, obviously created shortly after he left, she started the video wearing a towel, and got dressed for work while telling him to be careful and that she would be here when he got back. The last message was from LT Bell, wishing him good luck and thanking him for the suggestions helping to make their refit go smoother. Kelly looked at the time display, locked the computer and went to his launch position on the bridge.
The captain was already in his seat. Kelly sat down beside him.
LDCR Timmons keyed his mike and said, “Chief Watson, bring up the gangplank and secure the quarterdeck watch.”
Kelly heard the gangplank come up and lock in place. He felt a slight pressure change in his ears, signifying a good seal on the gangplank. Chief Watson joined them and reported the gangplank up, locked, and the quarterdeck watch secured. The ship was ready for space.
The captain keyed his mike again. “Antares Base, this is Vigilant requesting permission to take off.
“Vigilant, this is Antares Base, you are cleared for take off. Good luck and good hunting.”
“Helmsman, take us up. Yeoman, start the log.”
Kelly consciously kept his hand away from the controls. He was the exec, not the pilot. The ship rose smoothly, made a slow turn to port, and moved out to the west. After the ship was over the lake, the helmsman added power and pulled back on the yoke. The ship smoothly rose up, as the blue of the sky turned to the inky black of space.
“Chief, would you enter our course?”
“Aye aye, Captain. Navigator, your course is coming up.”
“Helm, as soon as we clear the minimum safety distance, engage power 3 light speed and let’s get out of here.”
The helmsman replied, “Course is locked in, minimum safety range in five seconds, four, three, two, one, engaging power 3 light speed.”
The change over to FTL was smooth and the only indication of the change in speed was a slight blurring of stars in the view screen. The captain got up from his seat and said, “Exec, you have the conn. Chief Watson, join me in my ready room.”
Kelly answered, “I have the conn.”
The captain and the chief went into the ready room. Chief Billings came up and took Chief Watson’s seat. One of the galley crew brought fresh coffee. Kelly kept up a sharp watch on the sensors until they left the orbital plane of the farthest planet of the Antares system. They were now in clear space. It was never safe for FTL ships inside a system. There was always the chance that an in-system ship without a flight plan would move into their path. Kelly relaxed slightly and increased the sensor range as the helmsman increased speed in accordance with the course specified by Chief Watson. Chief Billings was just about to make a correction when the navigator increased the navigation shield’s strength in sync with the greater speed.
Chief Watson came out of the captain’s cabin and motioned Kelly to the captain’s cabin. The chief took over the conn.
“Captain, you wanted to see me?”
“Yes, Kelly, sit down. We’ve got some time here. Tell me how a 2LT earns the Joint Meritorious Service Medal.”
Kelly paused to gather his thoughts and began. “Well, sir, I was involved in an action to capture a K’Rang Scout ship well on our side of the frontier. My lead pilot and I chased the scout down until they employed their self-destruct mechanism. We at least kept them from transmitting their data on the fleet back to the K’Rang Intel.”
“I bet there was more to it than that, but that’s fine for now. It doesn’t always serve you well to display too much humility. If you don’t toot your own horn, don’t expect anyone else to. That is all. Thank you.”