Battlecruiser Alamo: The Price of Admiralty by Richard Tongue Page B
Authors: Richard Tongue
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Lieutenant," Dietz offered. "I suspect a deficiency in our training programs."
Marshall nodded, looking at the two of them. "I want maximum war-fighting ability. Not adherence to protocols. Concentrate simply on the best possible performance on vessel systems. Lieutenant Caine, work with the two of them."
Watching her face fall, he started punching out a crew roster on his panel. "I note that Sub-Lieutenant Kibaki has some combat experience as well. Bring him in, Lieutenant," he addressed his Exec again, "to get the Titanian perspective."
She looked as if she was about to make another objection, but Marshall caught Dietz almost imperceptibly shaking his head. "Yes, sir. We will meet once our business here is concluded, and provide a report in four hours."
"There are still two days to our destination. Let's use them. Now, about the system itself. Lieutenant Mulenga?"
The astrogator nodded, and called up a complicated three-dimensional hologra m of the system they were approaching, taking a battered laser pointer out of a pocket. "The system ahead has five planets and two asteroid belts; the latter is of little serious interest, being too far from the planetary system for easy access. As far as I can determine, there have never been any surveys."
He pressed a button, and a pair of course projections appeared. "The flight plan provided to us by Cornucopia Mining indicates that their survey team was planning to focus its attention on the outer moons of Gatewood, the superjovian gas giant closest to the star."
Quinn nodded, suddenly interested again, "Standard mining company practice."
"Indeed. They were also going to examine Ragnarok, one of Gatewood's moons." He pushed a button, and the map disappeared to reveal a white and blue moon, a sheet of ice broken only by the occasional gray and brown of a mountain range. "This moon has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere suitable for human habitation, as demonstrated by the original UN surveys."
Tyler looked around the moon, obviously nerving himself to speak, "Why wasn't it colonized?"
Mulenga replied, "Too cold. The moon is currently in a ' s nowball' environmental pattern. The average surface temperature is minus twenty at the equator. No life forms aside from single-celled organisms in small colonies, though the survey indicated that there was extensive life before the moon entered its current phase."
"When Arcadia and Thalassa were discovered, the whole UN focus was switched to worlds where the temperature and gravity were more suitable," Marshall added. "That moon looks a little on the small side."
"Gravity is about two-thirds that of Earth. Suitable for long-term habitation, but not economically viable," the astrogator said.
"A habitable planet around a red dwarf star...," Quinn shook his head. "Hard to believe."
"Barely habitable, Lieutenant. Lalande is a fairly quiet M-type star, and the planet is in a near-permanent cold state, despite its proximity to the sun. Even then, if it was not orbiting a gas giant as well, it would not be viable." He punched another pair of buttons, bringing up some text, then continued, "The records indicate that the company was considering a small settlement on the moon for food production."
Caine whistled. "How much money did they have?" she said. "That's a bit beyond dropping in a few prospectors."
Marshall turned to face her. "Tactical projections?"
"We only know where the Yukon was attacked." She punched a series of buttons. "It came out at this point, behind Gatewood. Surveys indicated that that point had the greatest concentration of asteroids. There was someone waiting for them."
"What options are there?" Zakharova asked the astrogator.
"Realistically, only the two point s of stability between Gatewood and Ragnarok . Any other point would require weeks of travel time to get to the scene of the battle. If you wish to transit to one of the more distant points, I will need to know immediately so that I can begin altering our
Marshall nodded, looking at the two of them. "I want maximum war-fighting ability. Not adherence to protocols. Concentrate simply on the best possible performance on vessel systems. Lieutenant Caine, work with the two of them."
Watching her face fall, he started punching out a crew roster on his panel. "I note that Sub-Lieutenant Kibaki has some combat experience as well. Bring him in, Lieutenant," he addressed his Exec again, "to get the Titanian perspective."
She looked as if she was about to make another objection, but Marshall caught Dietz almost imperceptibly shaking his head. "Yes, sir. We will meet once our business here is concluded, and provide a report in four hours."
"There are still two days to our destination. Let's use them. Now, about the system itself. Lieutenant Mulenga?"
The astrogator nodded, and called up a complicated three-dimensional hologra m of the system they were approaching, taking a battered laser pointer out of a pocket. "The system ahead has five planets and two asteroid belts; the latter is of little serious interest, being too far from the planetary system for easy access. As far as I can determine, there have never been any surveys."
He pressed a button, and a pair of course projections appeared. "The flight plan provided to us by Cornucopia Mining indicates that their survey team was planning to focus its attention on the outer moons of Gatewood, the superjovian gas giant closest to the star."
Quinn nodded, suddenly interested again, "Standard mining company practice."
"Indeed. They were also going to examine Ragnarok, one of Gatewood's moons." He pushed a button, and the map disappeared to reveal a white and blue moon, a sheet of ice broken only by the occasional gray and brown of a mountain range. "This moon has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere suitable for human habitation, as demonstrated by the original UN surveys."
Tyler looked around the moon, obviously nerving himself to speak, "Why wasn't it colonized?"
Mulenga replied, "Too cold. The moon is currently in a ' s nowball' environmental pattern. The average surface temperature is minus twenty at the equator. No life forms aside from single-celled organisms in small colonies, though the survey indicated that there was extensive life before the moon entered its current phase."
"When Arcadia and Thalassa were discovered, the whole UN focus was switched to worlds where the temperature and gravity were more suitable," Marshall added. "That moon looks a little on the small side."
"Gravity is about two-thirds that of Earth. Suitable for long-term habitation, but not economically viable," the astrogator said.
"A habitable planet around a red dwarf star...," Quinn shook his head. "Hard to believe."
"Barely habitable, Lieutenant. Lalande is a fairly quiet M-type star, and the planet is in a near-permanent cold state, despite its proximity to the sun. Even then, if it was not orbiting a gas giant as well, it would not be viable." He punched another pair of buttons, bringing up some text, then continued, "The records indicate that the company was considering a small settlement on the moon for food production."
Caine whistled. "How much money did they have?" she said. "That's a bit beyond dropping in a few prospectors."
Marshall turned to face her. "Tactical projections?"
"We only know where the Yukon was attacked." She punched a series of buttons. "It came out at this point, behind Gatewood. Surveys indicated that that point had the greatest concentration of asteroids. There was someone waiting for them."
"What options are there?" Zakharova asked the astrogator.
"Realistically, only the two point s of stability between Gatewood and Ragnarok . Any other point would require weeks of travel time to get to the scene of the battle. If you wish to transit to one of the more distant points, I will need to know immediately so that I can begin altering our
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