Clidepp Requital, page 25
* * *
"The computer indicates the anomaly is twenty-five thousand kilometers off our bow, Captain," the tac officer said.
"Give me maximum magnification on the vids and sensors. Show me what's out there."
"We're at maximum now, sir."
"But I see nothing except blackness."
"That's all I see also, sir, but the computer says there's something there."
"Let's see if that's accurate. Fire a torpedo at the anomaly."
"Torpedo fired, sir."
* * *
"The Clidepp ship has stopped twenty-five thousand kilometers away and fired a torpedo at us, Captain," the tac officer said. "Should I attempt to shoot it down with our lasers?"
"Negative. Com, where are our people?"
"Opening the airlock, Captain. They're moving as fast as they can. They understand the urgency."
"Time until the torpedo strikes us is one minute, fifty-seven seconds," the tac officer said.
Sydnee stared at the image of the destroyer on the front monitor. Having commanded one of that same class made her aware of its capabilities and the lethality of their torpedoes. She could visualize what was happening on the bridge. They were probably confused and had fired just one torpedo to see what they could learn.
"The airlock hatch is closed," the tac officer said. "Now it's locked."
"Rolling the ship," Caruthers said.
* * *
"There was a fifteen klised period when the anomaly solidified, but then it disappeared completely, Captain. It was like a door opened and then closed. The torpedo will reach the former position in— three seconds."
For a few seconds, the monitor at the front of the destroyer's bridge white'd out as the explosion temporarily blinded the sensors.
"Target struck, sir," the tac officer said.
"What target? I still see nothing."
"And the anomaly isn't showing anymore."
"Is there something there or not?"
"There has to be something there. The torpedo struck something."
"But is it a natural phenomena or manufactured?"
"Unknown, sir. The evidence of my eyes says there's nothing there."
"Let's see if we can put a dent in it— whatever it is. Prepare to fire a full spread of torpedoes."
"Aimed at what, sir?"
"The same place you put the last one."
* * *
"No damage reported from the first torpedo, Captain. What's our response going to be if they fire again? Can I roll out the mobile laser platforms?"
"No, not yet. Helm, build an envelope and engage at maximum speed."
"An envelope, Captain?"
"It can't hurt to try. Our Marines said they had completed the installation and were testing the unit. I can't think of a better test than this one."
"Aye, Captain. Building envelope." Caruthers suddenly said excitedly, "Captain, the generator is on line! It's building an envelope!"
"Get us out of here as soon as possible, Lieutenant Caruthers."
* * *
"We're ready to fire a full spread of torpedoes, Captain." The tac officer said.
"Fire," Wurrassow said.
Everyone on the bridge watched the front monitor as ten torpedoes raced away from the destroyer. When just a few seconds remained, the tac officer performed a countdown— "Five, four, three, two, one, zero."
"What happened?" Wurrassow asked incredulously.
"Nothing, Captain. The torpedoes are still running hot, straight, and normal. There's nothing there now."
"Was there ever anything there?"
"The first torpedo had to have hit something."
"It could have struck a rogue micro-asteroid too small for our sensors to get a proper lock, right?"
"Uh, yes, sir. It might have. And the asteroid could possibly have been obliterated by the explosion."
"Helm, return us to our former course," Wurrassow said.
"Yes, sir."
"Tac, detonate those torpedoes so they don't become a hazard to innocent shipping."
"Aye, sir, detonating. How should I log the use of eleven torpedoes, Captain?"
"Target practice. I'm not going to be the laughing stock of the fleet for firing at natural phenomena. And I'd better not hear any crazy stories about this incident. That goes for everyone on the bridge. Forget it ever happened."
* * *
"Wow, the one on this end of the spread must have missed our stern by millimeters, Captain," the tac officer said.
"Dakinium is supposed to be impervious to laser fire and torpedoes, but I wonder if anyone ever tested it against a full spread like the one they fired. We can thank Chief Luscome, Staff Sergeant Padu, and Lance Corporal Addams for getting our generator working so we weren't a test case for damage by enemy torpedoes. Lieutenant Caruthers, what's our speed? Have we exceeded Light-75?"
"Unknown, Captain. There something wrong with the readouts. The console is reporting Light-2241.63."
"Wonderful. That's a great deal better than Light-75."
"But I thought Light-9793.48 was the only speed constant for double-envelope travel."
"I believe that was the constant established by Space Command engineers to avoid having a variable speed above Light-800 cause problems. The Colorado experienced a massive power overload that left them stranded almost a hundred parsecs from the Prometheus when they tried to accelerate to maximum speed and the double envelope tried to form from a single envelope. The helm consoles are always rigged to prevent anyone from using anything except Light-9790 with a double envelope."
"Then how can we be traveling at Light-2241.63?"
"All I can surmise is that the problems with our generator are responsible. But I'm not complaining if we really are traveling at Light-2241.63. I'm anxious to get home and this speed is a tremendous improvement over anything we've had since arriving at Yolongus. And nobody better cancel our envelope because we might not be able to reestablish it again. If it's going to break down on us, let's get as much mileage as possible out of it first. But I would like to know if the speed readout is accurate. Lieutenant Olivetti, take some position readings over the next hour and compute an approximate speed so we know where we stand. Lieutenant Weems, you have the bridge."
After Sydnee stepped down from the command chair, she headed directly to the sickbay. Chief Luscome had already heard that the Justice had been able to generate an envelope and he was grinning from ear to ear. Padu and Addams were with him.
"Gentlemen, everyone on this ship is indebted to you. We are once again traveling FTL and it appears to be almost thirty times faster than when we left Yolongus."
Luscome stopped smiling. "Thirty times faster than Light-75? That's impossible."
"We just had that discussion on the bridge. The helm console shows Light-2241.63."
"But the systems are set for only Light-9793.48 when using the double-envelope speed. We have to cancel the envelope right away, or we could experience a massive power loss. Everything could get fried, including us, and we don't have the staff necessary to work through the problems like the Colorado did."
"Yes, but everything seems stable."
"It might be the calm before the storm, Captain. We have to stop and check the generator."
Sydnee took a deep breath, turned around, then walked to the end of the room and returned as she thought. "I realize there's a danger. I also know that sometimes fortuitous conditions occur that, if cancelled, cannot be replicated at a later time. I'm going to maintain this speed either until the generator breaks down again, we cross the GA border, or we suffer a calamitous event. At this time, we're not even sure the console readings are accurate. For all we know, we might be traveling at Light-5 or Light-50. All we know for sure is that we left the Clidepp destroyer in the dust, so to speak, and the hull sensors have shifted from optical to digital. We're assuming those two things mean we're traveling FTL.
"I've asked our navigator to take position readings over the next hour. When I have that information, I can make more informed decisions. I just came down here because I wanted to thank all three of you for your hard work and a job well done. Getting the generator online when we did allowed us to escape that Clidepp destroyer. Even if they couldn't harm us with their torpedoes, just having them learn who we were would have sent political ripples back to the GA that could have resulted in our going to war with the Empire. I don't believe the people aboard the destroyer ever got a good look at us. Carry on, men."
No one said anything until the door closed behind Sydnee.
"I don't know guys," Luscome said. "I guess I just get nervous when people do things that go against what I've been taught by people far smarter than I am."
"Her reasons seem sound to me," Padu said. "In the Corps, we're trained to improvise and adapt."
"I have to go along with the Lieutenant," Addams said. "She's one smart cookie. I was on Diabolisto with her. She may be SC, but she thinks and fights like a Marine. I'd follow her anywhere."
"I never told you," Luscome said, "but I asked the Lieutenant to stop the forward motion of the ship while you worked on the generator outside. That's what we were taught when I was in engineering school. She refused. She has the rank, so I couldn't argue with her. Afterward I thought about her response. It made a lot of sense. Since then, I've revised my thinking about stopping the ship to work outside. So maybe the Lieutenant's right about this also."
Instead of returning to the bridge, Sydnee went to her office to think. So many things had happened since leaving GA space that it seemed like she was in a simulation back at the GSC Warship Command Institute in Australia and the testers were throwing every catastrophic problem and disaster at her they could dream up. She was tired of all the life-and-death decisions she'd been making lately and simply wanted to get home to the GA and enjoy some down time.
When the annunciator system said Kelly MacDonald was at the door, she said "Come." The door disappeared into the pocket until MacDonald was inside the room.
"Hey, Kel, what's up?"
"When the Clidepp Destroyer was attacking, did you order the ship turned so that the Marine habitat was directly exposed to their fire?"
"Not you too?"
"Not me too what?"
"It seems like whatever action I take, or whatever I say, it's being questioned."
"That's what happens with decision-makers. Other people may have differing opinions."
"I know, but it's beginning to seem like no one has confidence in me anymore."
"Maybe sometimes they just want to understand why you do what you do for their own peace of mind. You still have their confidence."
"You want to know why I turned the ship so the Marine habitat was fully exposed? Okay, here's why. I knew the ship and the habitat could both withstand a laser or torpedo strike from the Clidepp destroyer because both are sheathed with Dakinium. However, the repository for the envelope generator on the topside was open and the generator was extended and fully exposed. Although both the generator cover and the extension shaft are sheathed with Dakinium, it's only to allow the creation of an envelope, and I don't know how thick their Dakinium sheathing is or how thick it must be to protect them from torpedo damage. When a warship goes into a fight, the generator is retracted and the repository is covered. I didn't want to risk the slightest bit of damage to either generator or shaft because it might mean an end to our chances of attaining FTL. So, when the well-protected habitat was facing the destroyer, the less protected generator was facing directly away."
MacDonald smiled and nodded. "Makes perfect sense. I knew you had to have a good reason."
"Did someone put you up to this?"
"Don't get paranoid on me, Syd. I just overheard some scuttlebutt. Now I'm going back down to permanently destroy any rumors about you endangering the habitat for no reason."
Sydnee smiled. "Okay, Kel."
"And Syd, I'm sorry if I came off a little harsh. You saved our asses on Yolongus by risking your own. We haven't forgotten. That's why it seemed so foolish for anyone to question your actions, but I needed to know the reason so I could squash any doubts about your leadership before they start. When they hear the reason for rotating the ship, they'll feel so foolish for questioning your actions that they'll be even less likely to question them next time."
"Thanks, Kel."
After MacDonald left, Syd thought about the times she had questioned the actions of superiors. She'd never done it openly, but she'd wondered from time to time why they'd chosen one action over another. Then she thought about Captain Lidden and the burden he bore. On the Justice, Syd had just fifty lives in her hands. On the Denver, Lidden had almost a thousand. She wondered if she'd ever be up to the task of being a warship captain. She had once wondered how Admiral Carver dealt with being responsible for the hundreds of billions of lives in Region Two. She wondered if it got easier after a certain point or if it continued to get significantly harder.
Syd was brought up out of her reverie when her CT chimed. She touched her ring and said, "Marcola."
"Captain, this is Olivetti. Do you have a few minutes?"
"Of course, I'll be right there."
"I'd rather we meet in your office, Captain."
"Very well. Come whenever you can."
"I'm on my way."
Seconds later the annunciator said that Lt. Olivetti was at the door.
"Come," Sydnee said.
Olivetti barely waited until the door was closed before she began talking. "Captain, I knew you'd want to see this right away." She held out a viewpad to Sydnee. On the face were plot points and calculations. The number that jumped out at Sydnee was 12,241.63.
"What is this?"
"As you ordered, I began taking position readings as we traveled. After an hour, I compiled them and then calculated our speed. The answer was so crazy that I started all over again. The information you see on the viewpad is the second set of calculations. The speed reading was identical to the first. If you press the back arrow, you can see the previous calculations. There's no doubt about it. We're traveling at Light-12241.63."
"But the helm console only read 2241.63."
"I think perhaps the console is only capable of showing four significant digits and two decimal positions because the fastest speed possible was believed to be Light-9793.48."
* * *
Chapter Twenty-One
~ July 7th, 2286 ~
"Come in, Bry," Captain Lidden said. "I just received a message from Marcola. You're going to love this one." Lidden started the message playing on the large wall monitor as soon as Commander Bryant was seated.
When the message ended, Bryant looked at Lidden with his mouth slightly ajar. "Is she serious? Light-12241.63? No, that's impossible."
"Impossible? When Admiral Carver set the speed record, all the scientists in GA space had been in agreement for years that the highest FTL speed we could ever attain was Light-842. She knocked them all on their ear. From what I hear, scientists still don't fully understand double-envelope theory, but we couldn't ignore the benefits of using it while they study it. So who knows what's possible? Perhaps we're only at the threshold of the speed scale. Perhaps we might one day achieve Light-1000000. We could go galaxy hopping the way we currently go planet hopping."
"I don't even want to think about numbers that high. So what now?"
"Well, now I compose a message to SHQ." With a chuckle he added, "I wish I could be there to see their reaction. I bet they're going to be as shocked as we were when we heard Light-12241.63. You know, at that speed, if they don't burn out their generator, the Justice will be back to GA space in just under two weeks."
* * *
"I know most of you had other plans for today, but this news couldn't wait. The Justice has resolved its problems with its envelope generator and is on its way back to GA space."
"That's wonderful news, Richard, but it hardly justifies calling an emergency session on a weekend," Admiral Platt said. "I have tickets to an opera in Milan tonight."
"Then how about this, Evelyn," Admiral Moore said with an amused smile. "The Justice is on its way back at Light-12241.63."
"What?" Admiral Woo, the Director of Scientific & Expeditionary Forces said as he jumped to his feet.
"Has this been verified?" Admiral Bradlee asked.
"Roger, it's just happened. Of course it hasn't been verified yet. Here, let's play the message sent by Lieutenant(jg) Marcola to Captain Lidden."
"As you can see," Admiral Moore said when the message had ended, "the Justice has managed to resolve its problem without any assistance from us and possibly set a new speed record while doing so."
"I can't see how modifying an induction coil could possibly be responsible for a twenty-five percent increase in envelope-generation speed," Admiral Woo said.
"I agree," Admiral Plimley, the Director of Weapons R&D, said. She was also the individual responsible for ship production at the Mars shipyard. "Altering an induction coil can't possibly make such a difference."
"And yet, they claim that's all they altered and were astounded when their speed registered as Light-12241," Admiral Hillaire said. "Of course, their Light-75 speed was only because the induction coil was fractured. And as I recall, Loretta, you were highly skeptical when Admiral Carver reported her speed record."
"Our scientists have been studying double-envelope theory for years now, and they all agree that Light-9793.48 is the absolute fastest speed possible," Admiral Plimley said.
"Are these the same scientists who all agreed that Light-842 was the highest speed we could ever attain?" Admiral Platt asked.
"How do you then account for Lieutenant Marcola's reported speed, Loretta?" Admiral Hillaire asked.
"Obviously, her measurement equipment is faulty."
"Perhaps," Admiral Moore said, "but I'm not so willing to dismiss this young officer's claims. We've seen many amazing scientific advances during our lifetimes, some by people who were unaware that what they were attempting to do had been declared impossible by scientists and experts. I've learned to keep an open mind. The Justice still has the package on board. After he's been dropped off to the Intelligence people waiting at Simmons SCB, let's have Marcola bring her ship directly to Mars."
"The computer indicates the anomaly is twenty-five thousand kilometers off our bow, Captain," the tac officer said.
"Give me maximum magnification on the vids and sensors. Show me what's out there."
"We're at maximum now, sir."
"But I see nothing except blackness."
"That's all I see also, sir, but the computer says there's something there."
"Let's see if that's accurate. Fire a torpedo at the anomaly."
"Torpedo fired, sir."
* * *
"The Clidepp ship has stopped twenty-five thousand kilometers away and fired a torpedo at us, Captain," the tac officer said. "Should I attempt to shoot it down with our lasers?"
"Negative. Com, where are our people?"
"Opening the airlock, Captain. They're moving as fast as they can. They understand the urgency."
"Time until the torpedo strikes us is one minute, fifty-seven seconds," the tac officer said.
Sydnee stared at the image of the destroyer on the front monitor. Having commanded one of that same class made her aware of its capabilities and the lethality of their torpedoes. She could visualize what was happening on the bridge. They were probably confused and had fired just one torpedo to see what they could learn.
"The airlock hatch is closed," the tac officer said. "Now it's locked."
"Rolling the ship," Caruthers said.
* * *
"There was a fifteen klised period when the anomaly solidified, but then it disappeared completely, Captain. It was like a door opened and then closed. The torpedo will reach the former position in— three seconds."
For a few seconds, the monitor at the front of the destroyer's bridge white'd out as the explosion temporarily blinded the sensors.
"Target struck, sir," the tac officer said.
"What target? I still see nothing."
"And the anomaly isn't showing anymore."
"Is there something there or not?"
"There has to be something there. The torpedo struck something."
"But is it a natural phenomena or manufactured?"
"Unknown, sir. The evidence of my eyes says there's nothing there."
"Let's see if we can put a dent in it— whatever it is. Prepare to fire a full spread of torpedoes."
"Aimed at what, sir?"
"The same place you put the last one."
* * *
"No damage reported from the first torpedo, Captain. What's our response going to be if they fire again? Can I roll out the mobile laser platforms?"
"No, not yet. Helm, build an envelope and engage at maximum speed."
"An envelope, Captain?"
"It can't hurt to try. Our Marines said they had completed the installation and were testing the unit. I can't think of a better test than this one."
"Aye, Captain. Building envelope." Caruthers suddenly said excitedly, "Captain, the generator is on line! It's building an envelope!"
"Get us out of here as soon as possible, Lieutenant Caruthers."
* * *
"We're ready to fire a full spread of torpedoes, Captain." The tac officer said.
"Fire," Wurrassow said.
Everyone on the bridge watched the front monitor as ten torpedoes raced away from the destroyer. When just a few seconds remained, the tac officer performed a countdown— "Five, four, three, two, one, zero."
"What happened?" Wurrassow asked incredulously.
"Nothing, Captain. The torpedoes are still running hot, straight, and normal. There's nothing there now."
"Was there ever anything there?"
"The first torpedo had to have hit something."
"It could have struck a rogue micro-asteroid too small for our sensors to get a proper lock, right?"
"Uh, yes, sir. It might have. And the asteroid could possibly have been obliterated by the explosion."
"Helm, return us to our former course," Wurrassow said.
"Yes, sir."
"Tac, detonate those torpedoes so they don't become a hazard to innocent shipping."
"Aye, sir, detonating. How should I log the use of eleven torpedoes, Captain?"
"Target practice. I'm not going to be the laughing stock of the fleet for firing at natural phenomena. And I'd better not hear any crazy stories about this incident. That goes for everyone on the bridge. Forget it ever happened."
* * *
"Wow, the one on this end of the spread must have missed our stern by millimeters, Captain," the tac officer said.
"Dakinium is supposed to be impervious to laser fire and torpedoes, but I wonder if anyone ever tested it against a full spread like the one they fired. We can thank Chief Luscome, Staff Sergeant Padu, and Lance Corporal Addams for getting our generator working so we weren't a test case for damage by enemy torpedoes. Lieutenant Caruthers, what's our speed? Have we exceeded Light-75?"
"Unknown, Captain. There something wrong with the readouts. The console is reporting Light-2241.63."
"Wonderful. That's a great deal better than Light-75."
"But I thought Light-9793.48 was the only speed constant for double-envelope travel."
"I believe that was the constant established by Space Command engineers to avoid having a variable speed above Light-800 cause problems. The Colorado experienced a massive power overload that left them stranded almost a hundred parsecs from the Prometheus when they tried to accelerate to maximum speed and the double envelope tried to form from a single envelope. The helm consoles are always rigged to prevent anyone from using anything except Light-9790 with a double envelope."
"Then how can we be traveling at Light-2241.63?"
"All I can surmise is that the problems with our generator are responsible. But I'm not complaining if we really are traveling at Light-2241.63. I'm anxious to get home and this speed is a tremendous improvement over anything we've had since arriving at Yolongus. And nobody better cancel our envelope because we might not be able to reestablish it again. If it's going to break down on us, let's get as much mileage as possible out of it first. But I would like to know if the speed readout is accurate. Lieutenant Olivetti, take some position readings over the next hour and compute an approximate speed so we know where we stand. Lieutenant Weems, you have the bridge."
After Sydnee stepped down from the command chair, she headed directly to the sickbay. Chief Luscome had already heard that the Justice had been able to generate an envelope and he was grinning from ear to ear. Padu and Addams were with him.
"Gentlemen, everyone on this ship is indebted to you. We are once again traveling FTL and it appears to be almost thirty times faster than when we left Yolongus."
Luscome stopped smiling. "Thirty times faster than Light-75? That's impossible."
"We just had that discussion on the bridge. The helm console shows Light-2241.63."
"But the systems are set for only Light-9793.48 when using the double-envelope speed. We have to cancel the envelope right away, or we could experience a massive power loss. Everything could get fried, including us, and we don't have the staff necessary to work through the problems like the Colorado did."
"Yes, but everything seems stable."
"It might be the calm before the storm, Captain. We have to stop and check the generator."
Sydnee took a deep breath, turned around, then walked to the end of the room and returned as she thought. "I realize there's a danger. I also know that sometimes fortuitous conditions occur that, if cancelled, cannot be replicated at a later time. I'm going to maintain this speed either until the generator breaks down again, we cross the GA border, or we suffer a calamitous event. At this time, we're not even sure the console readings are accurate. For all we know, we might be traveling at Light-5 or Light-50. All we know for sure is that we left the Clidepp destroyer in the dust, so to speak, and the hull sensors have shifted from optical to digital. We're assuming those two things mean we're traveling FTL.
"I've asked our navigator to take position readings over the next hour. When I have that information, I can make more informed decisions. I just came down here because I wanted to thank all three of you for your hard work and a job well done. Getting the generator online when we did allowed us to escape that Clidepp destroyer. Even if they couldn't harm us with their torpedoes, just having them learn who we were would have sent political ripples back to the GA that could have resulted in our going to war with the Empire. I don't believe the people aboard the destroyer ever got a good look at us. Carry on, men."
No one said anything until the door closed behind Sydnee.
"I don't know guys," Luscome said. "I guess I just get nervous when people do things that go against what I've been taught by people far smarter than I am."
"Her reasons seem sound to me," Padu said. "In the Corps, we're trained to improvise and adapt."
"I have to go along with the Lieutenant," Addams said. "She's one smart cookie. I was on Diabolisto with her. She may be SC, but she thinks and fights like a Marine. I'd follow her anywhere."
"I never told you," Luscome said, "but I asked the Lieutenant to stop the forward motion of the ship while you worked on the generator outside. That's what we were taught when I was in engineering school. She refused. She has the rank, so I couldn't argue with her. Afterward I thought about her response. It made a lot of sense. Since then, I've revised my thinking about stopping the ship to work outside. So maybe the Lieutenant's right about this also."
Instead of returning to the bridge, Sydnee went to her office to think. So many things had happened since leaving GA space that it seemed like she was in a simulation back at the GSC Warship Command Institute in Australia and the testers were throwing every catastrophic problem and disaster at her they could dream up. She was tired of all the life-and-death decisions she'd been making lately and simply wanted to get home to the GA and enjoy some down time.
When the annunciator system said Kelly MacDonald was at the door, she said "Come." The door disappeared into the pocket until MacDonald was inside the room.
"Hey, Kel, what's up?"
"When the Clidepp Destroyer was attacking, did you order the ship turned so that the Marine habitat was directly exposed to their fire?"
"Not you too?"
"Not me too what?"
"It seems like whatever action I take, or whatever I say, it's being questioned."
"That's what happens with decision-makers. Other people may have differing opinions."
"I know, but it's beginning to seem like no one has confidence in me anymore."
"Maybe sometimes they just want to understand why you do what you do for their own peace of mind. You still have their confidence."
"You want to know why I turned the ship so the Marine habitat was fully exposed? Okay, here's why. I knew the ship and the habitat could both withstand a laser or torpedo strike from the Clidepp destroyer because both are sheathed with Dakinium. However, the repository for the envelope generator on the topside was open and the generator was extended and fully exposed. Although both the generator cover and the extension shaft are sheathed with Dakinium, it's only to allow the creation of an envelope, and I don't know how thick their Dakinium sheathing is or how thick it must be to protect them from torpedo damage. When a warship goes into a fight, the generator is retracted and the repository is covered. I didn't want to risk the slightest bit of damage to either generator or shaft because it might mean an end to our chances of attaining FTL. So, when the well-protected habitat was facing the destroyer, the less protected generator was facing directly away."
MacDonald smiled and nodded. "Makes perfect sense. I knew you had to have a good reason."
"Did someone put you up to this?"
"Don't get paranoid on me, Syd. I just overheard some scuttlebutt. Now I'm going back down to permanently destroy any rumors about you endangering the habitat for no reason."
Sydnee smiled. "Okay, Kel."
"And Syd, I'm sorry if I came off a little harsh. You saved our asses on Yolongus by risking your own. We haven't forgotten. That's why it seemed so foolish for anyone to question your actions, but I needed to know the reason so I could squash any doubts about your leadership before they start. When they hear the reason for rotating the ship, they'll feel so foolish for questioning your actions that they'll be even less likely to question them next time."
"Thanks, Kel."
After MacDonald left, Syd thought about the times she had questioned the actions of superiors. She'd never done it openly, but she'd wondered from time to time why they'd chosen one action over another. Then she thought about Captain Lidden and the burden he bore. On the Justice, Syd had just fifty lives in her hands. On the Denver, Lidden had almost a thousand. She wondered if she'd ever be up to the task of being a warship captain. She had once wondered how Admiral Carver dealt with being responsible for the hundreds of billions of lives in Region Two. She wondered if it got easier after a certain point or if it continued to get significantly harder.
Syd was brought up out of her reverie when her CT chimed. She touched her ring and said, "Marcola."
"Captain, this is Olivetti. Do you have a few minutes?"
"Of course, I'll be right there."
"I'd rather we meet in your office, Captain."
"Very well. Come whenever you can."
"I'm on my way."
Seconds later the annunciator said that Lt. Olivetti was at the door.
"Come," Sydnee said.
Olivetti barely waited until the door was closed before she began talking. "Captain, I knew you'd want to see this right away." She held out a viewpad to Sydnee. On the face were plot points and calculations. The number that jumped out at Sydnee was 12,241.63.
"What is this?"
"As you ordered, I began taking position readings as we traveled. After an hour, I compiled them and then calculated our speed. The answer was so crazy that I started all over again. The information you see on the viewpad is the second set of calculations. The speed reading was identical to the first. If you press the back arrow, you can see the previous calculations. There's no doubt about it. We're traveling at Light-12241.63."
"But the helm console only read 2241.63."
"I think perhaps the console is only capable of showing four significant digits and two decimal positions because the fastest speed possible was believed to be Light-9793.48."
* * *
Chapter Twenty-One
~ July 7th, 2286 ~
"Come in, Bry," Captain Lidden said. "I just received a message from Marcola. You're going to love this one." Lidden started the message playing on the large wall monitor as soon as Commander Bryant was seated.
When the message ended, Bryant looked at Lidden with his mouth slightly ajar. "Is she serious? Light-12241.63? No, that's impossible."
"Impossible? When Admiral Carver set the speed record, all the scientists in GA space had been in agreement for years that the highest FTL speed we could ever attain was Light-842. She knocked them all on their ear. From what I hear, scientists still don't fully understand double-envelope theory, but we couldn't ignore the benefits of using it while they study it. So who knows what's possible? Perhaps we're only at the threshold of the speed scale. Perhaps we might one day achieve Light-1000000. We could go galaxy hopping the way we currently go planet hopping."
"I don't even want to think about numbers that high. So what now?"
"Well, now I compose a message to SHQ." With a chuckle he added, "I wish I could be there to see their reaction. I bet they're going to be as shocked as we were when we heard Light-12241.63. You know, at that speed, if they don't burn out their generator, the Justice will be back to GA space in just under two weeks."
* * *
"I know most of you had other plans for today, but this news couldn't wait. The Justice has resolved its problems with its envelope generator and is on its way back to GA space."
"That's wonderful news, Richard, but it hardly justifies calling an emergency session on a weekend," Admiral Platt said. "I have tickets to an opera in Milan tonight."
"Then how about this, Evelyn," Admiral Moore said with an amused smile. "The Justice is on its way back at Light-12241.63."
"What?" Admiral Woo, the Director of Scientific & Expeditionary Forces said as he jumped to his feet.
"Has this been verified?" Admiral Bradlee asked.
"Roger, it's just happened. Of course it hasn't been verified yet. Here, let's play the message sent by Lieutenant(jg) Marcola to Captain Lidden."
"As you can see," Admiral Moore said when the message had ended, "the Justice has managed to resolve its problem without any assistance from us and possibly set a new speed record while doing so."
"I can't see how modifying an induction coil could possibly be responsible for a twenty-five percent increase in envelope-generation speed," Admiral Woo said.
"I agree," Admiral Plimley, the Director of Weapons R&D, said. She was also the individual responsible for ship production at the Mars shipyard. "Altering an induction coil can't possibly make such a difference."
"And yet, they claim that's all they altered and were astounded when their speed registered as Light-12241," Admiral Hillaire said. "Of course, their Light-75 speed was only because the induction coil was fractured. And as I recall, Loretta, you were highly skeptical when Admiral Carver reported her speed record."
"Our scientists have been studying double-envelope theory for years now, and they all agree that Light-9793.48 is the absolute fastest speed possible," Admiral Plimley said.
"Are these the same scientists who all agreed that Light-842 was the highest speed we could ever attain?" Admiral Platt asked.
"How do you then account for Lieutenant Marcola's reported speed, Loretta?" Admiral Hillaire asked.
"Obviously, her measurement equipment is faulty."
"Perhaps," Admiral Moore said, "but I'm not so willing to dismiss this young officer's claims. We've seen many amazing scientific advances during our lifetimes, some by people who were unaware that what they were attempting to do had been declared impossible by scientists and experts. I've learned to keep an open mind. The Justice still has the package on board. After he's been dropped off to the Intelligence people waiting at Simmons SCB, let's have Marcola bring her ship directly to Mars."
