“If there are, we should have Steve taking them, ASAP. Gene, connect me to Steve Mason, please.”
Steve answered, “Yes, Boss?”
“I’m here with John, and we were wondering if there were any courses on the Squirrel approach to booby traps in all that training material we got from those ships we captured.”
“There were six different courses. I’ve done five, and I’ll do the last one as soon as my four hours are up.”
“You’re telling me that you are already on top of the situation, and I should quit trying to look over your shoulder?”
“Not at all. I’m putting off my training for captain to finish it up. It’s good to know I made the right choice.”
“You sure won’t need the captain’s training, if we let the dang Squirrels blow all the ships before we can get them woken up.”
“That’s what Zoom said you would say.”
“Study hard, because there’s a good chance the charges we’ll be looking at will be a few thousand years old.”
“And here I wanted to be able to sleep a while before I tackled these things. If they’re that old, no telling what may happen when we try to turn them off.”
“Nothing we can do about it till we see for sure what we’re facing. Just be as ready as you can.”
“On it, Boss.”
“Later, Steve.”
John said, “At least we’re not the only ones worrying about it.”
“No, we’re not. I need to get with Sally before it’s time for me to train again. I better get going.”
“Later, Commodore.”
“Later, Captain.” I got a transit and headed for the bridge. I said, “As you were.”, before anyone could announce me. I asked Sally, “Captain, do you have time to go over a few things with me in the ready room?”
“Of course, Boss. Mr. Topper, you have the conn.”
Topper replied, “My ship, yes Ma’am.”
Once we were in the ready room, I asked, “Surely you have a better idea than I do about what to expect when we arrive at the yard. Can you give me some idea what we’ll be up against?”
“Scotti was active more than I was, Boss, but she’s given me a report of the situation as of the time the Gene was absconded with. Many of the smaller vessels had their weapons removed, and were sold off to civilian operators. The Gene was the best of the carriers, when she was last there. There were four other carriers, and some smaller fighting ships that couldn’t be easily converted to civilian use.”
“The Gene has a load of small ships that appear to be civilian in origin. I’m assuming they were brought aboard by the folks who converted her to civilian use?”
“That’s correct. None of the other carriers should be loaded down that way.”
“Will there be room to carry the smaller ships of the fleet aboard those carriers?”
“The patrol craft shouldn’t be a problem. There are a few warships that may be challenging to get aboard, but there aren’t many of those.”
“Assuming no unforeseen issues, how long do you think we’ll need to clear the yard?”
“It depends on how long you can stay with boarding ships and giving the salvage speech, but I think we could finish in a day.”
“All the other ships had maintenance bots keeping them ready to fly?”
“Yes, Boss, but don’t expect them to be as good as Scotti.”
“I didn’t. Scotti is one of a kind. Do you think they had enough supplies on board to keep things functional this long?”
“Flyable, yes. Able to pass a thorough inspection? I doubt it.”
“You’re saying they have priorities about which things to fix, and which to let go?”
“Yes, Boss.”
“That’s sensible. Do you have some way to tell the other ships that we are friendly when we show up? I’d rather not have to get their attention before we start talking.”
“I have some old codes. It remains to be seen whether or not the other ships will regard them as still valid.”
“Do what you can, and we’ll go from there. Anything else we need to talk about before we get there?”
“I just ask that you be patient with them. This ship at least had some exposure to doing things the civilian way when we were refitted as a colony ship. The others still consider themselves Navy, and may be less receptive to being salvaged.”
“I’ll try to keep their perspective in mind, but you may need to remind me, Sally.”
“Understood, Boss. Things do tend to happen in a hurry when you are around.”
“Just trying to keep up with things around me. I hope to find a way to slow it down, but so far that hasn’t worked out so well.”
“I better get back to work, Boss. You need anything?”
“An hour or two playing Frisbee with Snitz, but he’s back on the planet.”
“Go get acquainted with that new pistol of yours. The Grannies decided they couldn’t break it, and Nunya finished their 25’s, so they won’t be in your way.”
“Good idea. Be sure and page me when it’s time to study again. We need every edge we can get.”
“I’ll be sure, Boss.” She went back to the bridge, and I took off for the armory. I managed to keep it together when I went in, but I’m not sure how. Grandma Chachi, dressed classy, doing Kasarda drills and drawing from concealment, was funny as all get out, but I knew they wouldn’t take it well if I laughed. I went over to Nunya. “Is there another range I can use, so I don’t disturb her? She looks pretty serious.”
“You could join in, I have kettlebells in lots of weights, surely we can find one that’s right for you.”
“As
