It was an old naval custom that Michael re-introduced, although it only happened on board the Liberty. Before a mission, each crewman gets one measure of rum. It was something the admiralty didn’t know about, but Michael found that it helped calm the crew, and relieved pre-battle nerves, and was something that the crew came to greatly appreciate.
“ Yes, as always, one shot for each man; no more.”
In unison, the crew threw up a great loud cheer.
“ We get the ship prepped and ready first. Then the drink,” Michael said as he dismissed the crew.
Later that day, the Liberty became a hive of activity, as supplies were brought aboard and loaded, systems checks were made, and the ship generally made ready to depart.
The chief weapons officer onboard, Lieutenant Logan Jones, ran through the various systems checks on the main fusion cannon with two tall Solarian assistants. He checked the magazines on the high energy torpedo launchers were full and the reactive hull armour was functioning properly. When he and the assistants were happy, they gave the weapons systems the all clear.
Eldathar, the Solarian navigation officer checked over all the thruster and pilot systems on board. Once this was complete he gave the piloting systems the all clear also.
Johnson Logameier, the ship’s chief engineer checked over all the engineering systems with his accompanying Solarian assistants. Three quarters of the engineering staff were Solarian, and he found this frustrating at times. He checked over the plasma drive systems, sub-light engine, and the Solarian power core. After a slight re-calibration on one of the power feeds to the sub-light engine, he also gave the all clear.
Kathryn Jacobs, the only medical officer onboard, was busily stocking the small, rather rudimentary sickbay with appropriate medical supplies she had brought on board. There was no doubt in her mind she would need them, she always did on missions like this.
Michael and Quinn were busily checking over all the command functions, internal and external communications, the sensor suite and holographic viewscreen.
Once everybody was happy they all assembled in the command centre. All those checks and all that work had taken 57 minutes precisely to complete. Now the Liberty was ready for departure.
Michael went into his quarters, and contacted Admiral Mc’kenzie on the station, informing him that the Liberty was ready to get under way. Once the communication had ceased, he hefted a large bottle of rum out of an under-seat storage locker, and a tray full of shot glasses, before heading back out onto the command centre.
As he arrived back an expectant crew greeted him. Passing the rum to Quinn, he rested the tray of glasses on his own chair.
“ As in the old navy tradition, 1 shot of rum each for the crew. May it warm your hearts before the coming of battle. Mr Kinraid, if you would like to pour the measures.”
“ Aye cap’n,” he replied as he set about filling the glasses.
The crew formed a long queue around the periphery of the command centre, and Lieutenant Commander Kinraid poured each in turn 1 measure of rum. The crew refrained from drinking until all had a glass in their hand as per the ritual. Michael then lifted up his glass and exclaimed. “To the mission, and to victory!” he then promptly emptied his glass.
In unison the rest of the crew shouted, “to victory!” and together they all drank. Some drained their measure slowly, savouring the liquid, for they never knew if it would be their last taste. Others downed the rum in one gulp, hoping it would numb their senses to the horror that would most likely unfold.
Once the crew had finished, Kinraid collected the empty glasses and returned them to the tray. Michael then returned the bottle and the glasses back inside the storage locker in his quarters.
Kinraid then addressed the crew, “now ‘t’ ya’ stations.”
The crew complied, and everyone took to their positions across the various decks of the ship.
Michael, upon returning to the command centre, took up his position in the famous centre seat. Kinraid took up the second officer’s position at the sensory data console.
Michael pressed his wrist comm. “engineering, bring main power to maximum.”
“ Aye sir, bringing main power online.” Logameier responded from engineering, simultaneously speaking into his wrist comm. and with his free hand, working the controls.
“ Contact Delta base fleet command; request clearance to depart and join the fleet,” Michael announced.
“ Delta base responds, clearance is granted.” Kinraid said as he turned in his seat to catch a last glimpse of the enormous naval installation, which apart from the Liberty was like a second home to him. It was largely repaired, though still the wounds of battle could be seen in certain areas. Small single man maintenance pods scoured over the damaged sections, like small ants constantly tending to a wounded giant. Men in environment suits also worked on the damaged sections. The flashes of their welding torches lit up the surrounding areas of space in tiny white bursts of light.
“ Release the docking hatch.”
With a whoosh of escaping air, the small hatch detached from the station with a dull metallic clunk, and slowly began to retract inside the one hundred and forty meter long, streamlined wedge shaped matt black and silver outer hull of the Liberty, where a panel slid over the exposed hatch, covering it and maintaining the ships stealth abilities at the same time.
“ Main engines at ten percent reverse power, and thrusters at user’s discretion.” Michael said as he looked at the holographic viewscreen shimmering in front of the bridge crew. As the Liberty gradually reversed, thousands of viewports slowly became visible dotting the outer hull of the station, like tiny pin pricks of light across a vast metallic sea. A massive docking arm swung into view as Eldathar maneuvered the comparatively tiny ship underneath it. The lattice of girders, and pylons could clearly be seen. The Liberty continued reversing, and yet more of the station was revealed to the viewer. Its huge oval surface looked almost like a patchwork, some areas were newly repaired and the bright new metal shone with the light given off by passing ships and lights. Other areas still looked crumpled, blackened and scorched, where the repairs were still in progress.
Gradually, as the Liberty reversed yet more, the outer defence perimeter came into view, surrounding the station like a giant halo. This had taken the worst of the damage by the Krenarans, and large parts of it remained under repair. Nearly all of the giant rail-cannon turrets had been destroyed, as repairs continue they are to be replaced by the new high power, long range laser batteries.
Michael remembered when they first brought the Liberty to Delta base. A Solarian battlecruiser was on fire and adrift, out of control, the ship smashed through the perimeter. An entire section of the defence ring had given way under the impact, and even now a ragged, gaping hole was still there, a testament to the devastation.
The perimeter gradually receded as the Liberty continued to reverse, the flash of welding torches blinked across its entire structure.
At last Eldathar announced, “we are clear.”
“ Bring the ship about, and match formation with the fleet, bearing 160 elevation 2; One half sub-light.”
“ Yes captain,” the softly spoken Solarian replied, his blue tinged skin flushing a slight shade of purple as he smiled.
The Liberty rapidly spun around, its powerful Solarian ionic thruster systems lit up a bright electric blue along the indented sides of the ship as it did so.
The negative ion propulsion system that was its main sub-light engine also glowed a similar colour as power was shunted to it.
Ahead of the small but lethal vessel, the silhouettes of the seventy or so ships loomed, all of them dwarfed the tiny Liberty as it made its way towards them. Massive lumbering Danitza class battleships came into view, their port and starboard sides lined with gigantic rail-cannons, their twin dorsal primary weapons turrets each one several times larger than the Liberty glinted in the light thrown out by the bright Orion sun, mingled with smaller, faster and far more advanced Solarian battlecruisers, their unmistakeable silver crescent shaped forms with their raised angular beak-like centre structures shone resplendently in the sunlight. Smaller, lighter Ghandhi class destroyers flitted between the larger ships taking up escort positions within the fleet.
At the head of this vast flotilla of ships, backlit against the Orion sun was the enormous wedge shape of a Jupiter class assault carrier, the largest ship in the entire E.D. F fleet. The shadows of the doors of its four large fighter bays gently indented into its dorsal hull were clearly visible, and together with its vast raised command superstructure all manner of complicated communications and tracking antennae extended out from the top of its
