No Way to Start a War (TCOTU, Book 2) (This Corner of the Universe) Read Online Free Page A

structure.  The
situation would be less dire once he picked up additional crew in Titan, but Kite’s performance in exercises during their transit to the system would be grossly
inadequate.
    Sighing
heavily, Heskan turned his thoughts toward the first scheduled exercise.  We
have only two-thirds of our squadron assembled but Durmont is pushing forward
with an exercise .  In a rare act of generosity, Lieutenant Commander
Durmont had warned Heskan of his intention to hold the escort squadron’s first
exercise as they were sailing for the Titan tunnel point.  “We’re going to be
the best CortRon in the Navy, Lieutenant Heskan, and I don’t want you thinking
just because you’re slightly undermanned that poor performance from Kite is
excusable,” Durmont had lectured.
    How
am I going to man Kite’s defenses when I only have a third of my weapons
section on board? Heskan thought unhappily.  The ugly answer was he would not.  He had seventy-three
crewmembers filling the weapons section and Kite possessed sixteen
second-generation radiant stream lasers and sixty-eight quad anti-missile pulse
lasers.   He had discussed the upcoming exercise at length with his weapons
section commander, Lieutenant Vernay, and had concluded that standard defense
operations were impossible.  However, Vernay had conspired with her subsection ensigns,
and more importantly with her chief petty officers, to devise a computer-assisted
solution that would permit the revolutionary Cerberus point defense system on Kite to operate many of her defenses automatically.  Although Cerberus appeared to
suffer from several major bugs, the battle computers running the exercise would
only take the system’s simulated abilities into account rather than its true
capabilities.  While definitely not a textbook solution and certainly not
something Heskan would permit in actual combat, the loophole might get Kite through her first computer-simulated exercise without Heskan being dressed down
by his commander.  The implications of being forced to try a solution that
might get him past an exercise but would fail in real combat made his head
spin.
    Heskan’s
datapad chronometer chimed and he left his cabin.  Walking down the main corridor
of Kite’s third deck, he was just meters from the bridge.  Like most
Brevic warships, Kite’s bridge and key officers’ quarters were on her middle
deck.  Nestled in the forward center portion of the ship, the bridge was one of
the most protected compartments.  Co-located on the third deck, but much farther
aft, was Kite’s second “brain,” Auxiliary Control.  The destroyer’s
third command and control compartment, the Combat Information Center (CIC), was
in the center of the ship one deck below the bridge.
    Heskan
entered the bridge and saw a mish-mash of officers, enlisted crewmen and
civilians attending to various stations.  The mixed command crew may have been
a deviance from strict military regulations but Heskan felt the personnel
shortage combined with Kite being docked at a major star system’s
command orbital made it acceptable.
     “Capt’n
on the bridge,” Senior Chief Petty Officer Andrew Brown called out.
    Heskan
nodded at the acknowledgment.  “Chief, is the shuttle ready?”
    “Yes,
sir.  I got Damage Controlman Second Class Percy waitin’ in the shuttle.”  The grey-haired
senior chief was smiling, though his expression quickly hardened as he punched
a comm button on his operations station.  “Wake up, Percy!  The capt’n’s comin’
down now.”  He closed the channel and threw a mischievous wink at his captain.
    Heskan
turned to Lieutenant, junior grade, Diane Selvaggio.  “Kite is your ship while
I’m away, Lieutenant.”
    The young
lieutenant visibly gulped as she rotated in her chair.  “Yes, sir.  I’ll certainly
be thankful when Lieutenant Scott reports in.”  Lieutenant Joseph Scott was
scheduled to assume command of the navigation section when he joined Kite