Gateway 4 - Becoming an Officer

Gateway 4 -- Becoming an officer - 2

Stores were expecting her when she called the following morning, and she was soon equipped with her officer uniforms, all except one.

"Dress uniform is made to measure, ma'am," said the store clerk, a middle-aged woman. "If you have the time, I'll measure you now."

"I have time, sure."

"This way, then." The clerk led her to a cubicle and shut the door behind them. "I'll have to ask you to strip to your underwear, ma'am. Then step into the booth, feet about thirty centimetres apart, and hold your arms out horizontal until you see the double red light flash, then straight down by your sides until you get a green. Shoes off, too, please."

"What happens?"

"The scanner takes your measurements and records them for the tailor. He'll want to see you for any preferences you have, but he's off-duty today. If you could stop by tomorrow?"

"I'll do that," said Larsen, stripping down to bra and panties. She stepped into the booth, held her arms out and waited. Two red flashes, arms down, wait, green light.

"That's it, ma'am," said the clerk.

Back in her sergeant's room, Larsen changed into officer uniform for the first time. She stared at the stranger in the mirror for a moment, grinned, flipped herself the finger, and went to find Peter Mackay.

He was on the hangar deck, talking to corporal Tanaka, and grinned when he saw her. Tanaka came to attention and saluted. Larsen returned it.

"Stand easy, Corporal."

"The flitter's ready, Lieutenant. Bridge says to check with them before going out of line of sight, as the

Andy

is on the move sometime today, and the flitter doesn't have jump capability."

"Thanks, Corporal. Okay, Peter, suit up," she said as Tanaka moved away.

Ten minutes later the two of them took their seats, Larsen at the main controls, Mackay in the co-pilot seat. Unlike during the exercises, when local control was passed to the hangar deck, they had to clear their exit with the bridge.

Andromeda

was still in orbit around Esral, but the occupying forces now had a carrier of their own in orbit, the

Cassiopeia

, and Larsen knew the

Andy

wouldn't be there much longer.

She keyed the com-link. "Flitter Alpha-Omega-nine to bridge."

"Go ahead, AO-9."

"Requesting clearance for training flight, duration one hour."

"Stand by, AO-9." There was a short delay, and then the bridge came back on. "AO-9, you are cleared for training flight, maximum duration one hour. Stand by for hangar depressurisation."

"AO-9 to bridge. Standing by."

It wasn't long before the green light came on, and the hangar door opened onto the starry black of space.

"Bridge to AO-9. You are clear to launch. Stay in visual range, AO-9."

"AO-9 to bridge. Launch clearance acknowledged. Stay in visual range acknowledged. AO-9 launching now."

She took the flitter out gently, for she and Mackay were in no hurry, taking the little vessel out about two klicks from the

Andromeda

. She keyed the com for the internal circuits. "Okay, Peter. Now we play."

The hour passed too soon for both of them, but they'd enjoyed the time. Mackay was a quick study and it took him little time to copy Larsen's instructions on the moves she'd developed, including her reversed landing, although they couldn't do an actual moon landing for him to try, because of their orders to stay close. It was fifty-five minutes after they'd left that they returned to the

Andromeda

.

"Flitter AO-9 to bridge, requesting clearance for landing."

"Bridge to AO-9. You are clear to land."

A couple of minutes later, the magnetic grapples took hold of the flitter.

"AO-9 to bridge. Docked and locked."

"Bridge to AO-9. Docked and locked acknowledged. Stand by for repressurization."

"AO-9 standing by."

Another delay, then, "Bridge to AO-9. You are clear to disembark."

"Thank you, bridge. AO-9 out."

Corporal Tanaka was waiting for them when they left the hangar, saluting as they came close. Larsen and Mackay acknowledged, and Tanaka held out a message flimsy. "From Colonel Sadler," he said.

"You're senior," said Larsen, and Mackay took the flimsy, opening it, reading quickly and passing the message to Larsen.

"We are summoned to the presence, Lieutenant. Did he say when, Corporal?"

"As soon as you were free, sir, but not urgent."

Mackay laughed. "I'll take 'as soon as' as meaning exactly what it says, Larsen, don't you think?"

"Absolutely. Corporal, can you let the colonel's secretary know we'll be there in ten minutes, please?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The same middle-aged private was on duty in Sadler's outer office. She looked up as Larsen and Mackay came in and smiled.

"Lieutenants! The colonel is expecting you. Just a moment."

Sadler stood as they came in, drawing themselves to attention. "Stand easy. We're just waiting for the others. They should be on their way." His intercom buzzed. "Excuse me. Yes?... Thank you. Send them straight in."

The door opened and Nicola Janizi came in, with another lieutenant that Larsen didn't know.

"Captain Janizi, Lieutenant Krauss, please take a seat at the conference table. Lieutenants? Let's join them." As the others sat, Sadler took his place at the head of the table. He looked round at the four officers, then nodded.

"I won't waste time. The experimental strike team has Fleet go-ahead. As you know, the practice in the past has been to allocate flitters to combat groups on an as-and-when basis, so that the flitter has been merely transport. What some of us would like to see is self-contained strike teams working with permanently allocated flitters, and that's what you are all here for. Lieutenants Larsen and Mackay as pilots, with Captain Janizi and lieutenant Krauss as combat team leaders.

"Captain Janizi will be in overall command, but in any decision which involves the deployment of the flitter, the pilot has override authority in such a situation. Are you all okay with that?" He gave a wry smile. "This project goes no further if you aren't." He paused, looking around the table. "Very well. The team allocation is this. Captain Janizi will work with Lieutenant Larsen, Lieutenant Mackay with Lieutenant Krauss. There will be two sixteen-man squads. They will each consist of four four-man groups, one with a sergeant, the other three with corporals. One group of four in each team will have defence, maintenance and liaison duties. If you like, they will be the shuttle defence team, so that the strike capability of each team will be twelve. As you all know, although Lieutenant Mackay so far only in theory and by hearsay, given our present strike and combat capability, twelve men can do a lot of damage. We only have two fully-trained pilots, so Captain Janizi and Lieutenant Krauss will each be given enough flitter pilot training to enable them to take off or land a flitter in an emergency situation. Any questions so far?"

"Do we know who the squads will be, sir?" said Larsen.

"I'll post that information when it's finalized, Lieutenant." Sadler regarded her solemnly for a moment. "Although you might like to know that more than half of 'B' company volunteered to fly with you." Larsen flushed, and Sadler smiled. "Don't worry, Lieutenant. Tempted as I was, the teams have been made up from all four companies, plus some from the

Cassiopeia

and the

Betelgeuse

, but you will have some familiar faces around."

"Yes, sir."

"There's one other thing you should know, and that is that the flitters you will use will be a modified Mark 4, which has the designation 4D-dash-A, the A standing for armed. The engine system has been upgraded, too, so that you will have approximately one and a half times the speed of a standard Mark 4, but still sub-light, I'm afraid. The flitters will each carry an extra crew member, a non-com experienced in the weapons systems that have been installed. This means that the strike team flitters have defensive capabilities, and also limited offensive capability, which might be useful in a pickup under fire. Any questions so far?" Sadler looked around the table, then nodded. "Very well. I'd like you to get used to the flitters before the squads join you for training. Captain Janizi, Lieutenant Krauss - Captain Moore is expecting you on the hangar deck at oh-nine-hundred tomorrow, for flitter familiarization. He believes he can teach you enough in a week to allow you to handle a flitter in an emergency.

"The auxiliary carrier

Cetus

is due to rendezvous with the

Andromeda

in the early hours of tomorrow morning. She is carrying the two new flitters. Captain Moore's maintenance people will require a couple of days familiarization, but you should have them available by the end of the week. In the meantime, Larsen and Mackay can keep their hand in on the standard Mark 4s."

"Sir, do we know who the weaponry non-coms will be? It might be useful to have them along."

"Good thinking, Lieutenant Mackay. I'll arrange their detachment from their existing duties. Not tomorrow, the day after. Lieutenant Mackay, you know Corporal Tamorov?"

"From the

Betelgeuse

? Yes, of course, sir."

"He will be your weaponry non-com. For you, Larsen, it will be Corporal Perrault. She'll be coming back on board with the new flitters. She hitched a ride on the

Cetus

. Any questions? No? Very well. Dismissed, and thank you."

So Janet Perrault would be flying with her? She'd look forward to that. Larsen glanced across at Mackay as the four officers left the colonel's office.

"What's Tamorov like?"

"Blunt, hard and damned good. If I'd had to pick my own, Alex would be on my short list. What about Perrault?"

"I don't really know her, not on a personal basis, but she has a good combat rep., very good. And I like her as a person. I think she'll be fine."

"We seem to be getting some good personnel, don't you think?" said Janizi, who had been listening.

"As you know," said Mackay, with a wry grin, "my combat experience is virtually nil, and I've never been under fire. I'm not too proud to ask for advice, so you, lieutenant Krauss, will have the say in anything combat-related, except for the actual flying."

Krauss nodded. "Sounds fair, and the name is Michael, by the way." He held out his hand, and Mackay took it.

"Peter."

"I'm Nicola, or Nikki, off-duty, when I'm not pulling rank," said Janizi, "and this is Karen." She glanced at her watch. "I have some paperwork I absolutely have to attend to now, but shall we meet in the mess at twenty-hundred? We can have a drink and a chat about this strike team?"

"Sounds good to me," said Larsen. "Twenty-hundred, in the mess."

Mackay and Krauss both nodded. "Twenty-hundred it is," said Krauss. "Excuse me for the moment, but I have to see the billeting officer about some quarters. I only transferred in from the

Cassiopeia

this morning, and I don't know where I'll be sleeping, yet."

"And I need to move out of my sergeant's room," said Larsen. "I'm due there at fifteen-hundred to find out where

I'll

be sleeping tonight." She avoided Mackay's eye, knowing she'd flush if she caught it.

"Fifteen-hundred for me, too," said Krauss. "You can show me the way."

Larsen glanced at her watch. "Fourteen forty-five now. We might as well head over. See you in the mess at twenty-hundred," she said to Mackay and Janizi.

"I heard about your little escapade on Esral, Larsen," said Krauss as they made their way along the corridors.

"Just Karen will do nicely, off duty."

"Karen, right. And I'm Michael, as you know. Anyway, well done on giving that Tolian what he deserved. You have a good reputation among the combat troops, and I think it's great that a flitter pilot has actual combat experience. I don't know what Mackay's like, no idea, but I hope I'm not stupid enough to think no experience equals no talent."

"A good pilot, a very good pilot, so you don't need to worry on that score, and I think Peter will ask your advice - he's not stupid enough to think he knows everything, either. What about you? What's your background?"

"Sirius IV, Owens Rift, and Laerte, so far as combat zones are concerned. I know Perrault from Laerte; you're getting a good weapons tech."

"Peter seems to think pretty highly of Tamorov, too. I think Sadler might have called in some favors on this project."

"Looks like it, sure. I know Colonel Asolo didn't look too happy when I got my orders." He glanced across at Larsen. "What about the combat teams? Obviously I don't know the

Andromeda

people, at least not personally."

"I'd be happy to have virtually anyone in 'B' company, and probably the other companies, too. I've never heard anything bad on the non-com grapevine." She grinned. "I'll miss that."

Krauss laughed. "I'll bet!"

"We're here."

There was a corporal on duty, and she looked up enquiringly as the two officers entered. "Sir? Ma'am? Can I help you?"

"I'm Lieutenant Krauss, just transferred in from the

Cassiopeia

this morning, I'm told you know where I'll be sleeping tonight."

"And I'm Lieutenant Larsen, just promoted from sergeant, so I need officer quarters."

The corporal nodded. "Congratulations, ma'am. The news reaches here, too. I've been expecting you, because we have been busting our asses, excuse me, to get Colonel Sadler's new team accommodation together. We think we've managed, but we've had to make some compromises. Colonel Sadler wants you near the hangar deck, but there's no officer-grade accommodation there. Not yet, that is. We've requisitioned some unused non-com quarters, and we're upgrading them. In the meantime, we need to ask you to share. That okay?"

"You're asking us, corporal, or telling us?" said Krauss, with a grin, a grin matched by the corporal as he continued. "This is the Navy, we go where we're sent."

"Yes, sir. Well, the Navy is sending you to corridor 7E-3, above the hangar deck, with direct access from that corridor to Hangar B, which is where the new flitters will be held."

"You're well-informed, corporal," said Larsen.

"In this job, ma'am, we have to be. Right, your quarters. Lieutenant Krauss, you're in 7E-3-12, and you, Lieutenant Larsen, are in 7E-3-6."

"7E-3-6? Check. Thank you, corporal."

"I think it's me who should thank you, ma'am. This new team gives me a chance to get back into a combat team, so double thank-you."

Larsen laughed. "You're welcome. Um, are our other officers allocated to 7E-3, too? Lieutenant Mackay, and Captain Janizi?"

"Yes, ma'am. Captain Janizi is in 7E-3-6, with you, ma'am, and Lieutenant Mackay in 7E-3-12, with you, sir."

"Thank you, corporal."

"Ma'am? Sir? I almost forgot. Your keytags. Would you please sign for them? Right here."

"Do Captain Janizi and Lieutenant Mackay know their allocations yet?" said Larsen as she signed for her keytag.

"Notice has been sent to their present quarters, and their keytags will be dual-coded until they've moved."

"Thank you, again, corporal. I think I'll go and see my new home now."

"My pleasure ma'am. Oh, by the way. Sometime soon, probably tomorrow but maybe the following day, individual quarters should be available, so we'll be moving you a little further along, and the double rooms will be taken over by four of the non-coms; I suggest you unpack only what you need. We'd hoped to have the conversion done by today, but it seemed a better idea to make sure you had a bed for the night, rather than an unfinished set of single quarters."

"Thanks for the heads-up, corporal. We'll leave you in peace, I think, because I have a feeling you're busy," said Krauss.

The corporal gave them a wry grin. "Dead on, sir."

Back in the main corridor, Larsen turned to Krauss. "I need to do some packing, Michael, what about you?"

"My gear is being held in store at the main entry port, so I just need to fetch it. Only snag is, I don't know how to get there from here, not yet."

Larsen laughed. "Come on, I'll show you. Minor detour for me. And then, if I don't see you before, I'll see you in the mess at twenty hundred."

The other three were already in the mess when Karen got there, just after twenty hundred. Mackay stood as she went up to their table. "What'll you have, Karen? Juice, or something stronger?"

"Something with a bite. Scotch on the rocks, please."

"Coming up," said Mackay, making towards the bar.

"Settled in, Karen?" said Janizi.

"Just essentials. I didn't see any of your gear, Nikki?"

Janizi laughed. "I persuaded Billeting to let me stay where I am until the singles are ready. The place is yours tonight, Karen, so my snoring won't keep you awake."

Larsen laughed. "I doubt you could keep me awake tonight. I think I've been on an adrenaline rush since I got promoted, and it just burned out. I need an early night, I think. Ah, thanks, Peter. Cheers, everyone."

"Karen, Colonel Sadler told me earlier that the new flitters will be ours officially from noon, ship time, on Friday. I've arranged a brief absence for Michael and me from flitter training from thirteen hundred on Friday, because I think it would be good to try out the flitters together. I think we should have the weapons non-coms along too. There are three positions on the new flitter control stations - I checked - so there can be three of us up front for the maiden voyages, so to speak. Obviously, in a combat scenario I'll be riding in the back with the other troops, but I'm pulling rank for a ride up front this first time out. Any thoughts?"

Larsen shook her head. "No, none, at least none contrary. I think it's an excellent idea. Once we have them, I suspect Peter and I will only need a day or so, say three for safety, for familiarization and then we can practice with some of the squads. In the meantime, we carry on playing with our existing flitters."

"Playing, Karen?" said Mackay. "Shame on you."

"Balls," said Larsen. "Tell it like it is, why don't you?"

"Alas, my secret is out," said Mackay in a droll tone. "Playing, it is."

* * * * *

And that's part 4 done. There's more to come, if my muse co-operates. Constructive criticism welcomed, and a vote would be appreciated.