First Strike - An Earth@War Novel

Chapter 15

ESS London (SCV-7)
In Orbit, Travos I
June 9, 2487, 0912 UT

Rear Admiral Frank Kilgallon sat on the flag bridge of London, looking out at Task Force One now orbiting the only planet in the Travos system. The planet was an uninhabitable mass of super-heated gas surrounding a mainly iron core. It was moonless and of now value, making it an idea place to hide the task force.

ESS Mexico had been assigned officially now to Task Force One, replacing the destroyed ESS Ukraine. Still damaged, Mexico waited for the arrival of a supply ship and a repair ship that was enroute from Kylar II. All the ships in the task force needed resupplied and some of the destroyers needed some minor repairs for damage incurred during the battle. While waiting for the ships to arrive, the ships of Task Force One began repairing what they could and training their crews. Frank watched as fighters flew by providing cover for the task force.

As Frank watched, he was considering what to do next. Where do I begin? Frank wondered. It was a good question, an important one. It was much easier at Masic Point where others made those decisions and he simply went to where he was told and did what he was ordered to do. Now it felt as if he had to decide how to fight a war which, of course, was exactly what he had to do.

ESS Argentina (D-868)
In Orbit, Travos I
June 9, 2487, 0931 UT

Yeoman First Class Andrew Wilson made his way through Officer's Country on the third deck of the destroyer. Officer's country was the nickname for the section of the ship where the officer's quarters were located. The quarters lined the passageway that was spotlessly clean, walls bright white and a deck that was highly polished. The wardroom, where the officers ate and held meetings was located at the end of the passageway. Andrew arrived at a door labeled "Gunnery (3rd Division) Officer" and knocked.

"Enter," a voice said loudly. Andrew opened the door and stepped in. A Lieutenant opened the door and stepped in. A Lieutenant sat at a desk along the wall to the right with the desk light on and a stack of papers in front of him. A bunk and a locker were to Andrew's left. The room was small and utilitarian, but lavish compared to the cramped berthing areas that enlisted crewmembers lived in.

"Sir, could I have a moment of your time?" Andrew asked.

"You're the new guy on Mount 54, right?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Yes, sir. YN1 Wilson, sir," Andrew replied.

"What's on your mind?"

Andrew stood thinking for a second. "Sir, I think we have a problem," he said finally. The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow. "When I qualified on the 75-mm gun, I scored a 97, almost perfect. But the targets were moving slowly and tracked in a straight line. They were easy to hit. During the battle, the Batronian fighters were fast and very evasive. I struggled, sir. I only hit two targets. A person who scored a 97 in qualification, could only hit two spacecraft during a battle of that size. Something must be wrong, sir.

"I thought maybe I was just rusty. But every gunner that I've talked to has said the same thing and had similar results. If that had been a larger force, sir, we would have been in serious trouble. We wouldn't have been able to protect ourselves let alone London and Newton.

"Has anyone looked for a way to update our training? Maybe using faster drones? Ones that try to evade our fire? I we don't, gunners like me, who score high in training and feel confident are going to get a reality check that we don't want to have. Sir, we have to prepare ourselves for real battles, not just for a high score in qualifications."

"Have a seat, Wilson," the Lieutenant said. He took a drink of his coffee as he studied Wilson. "You used to work for Admiral Morris, right?" he finally asked.