General - War - Deep Space Communication Array 24 Alpha 229, located in sector 23056, was called home until the war broke out. Now they were on the run. Parents and husbands and friends left behind. Eighteen individuals in a runabout designed for eight on a long eighteen day dash to safety. They were leaving with only a two hour
lead on the Khynah. Takes place after the USS Ajax was attacked and after the story Long Voyage."CLOSE QUARTERS"
Lt. David Andrews sat in the right seat of the runabout King Arthur's control deck. The King Arthur was assigned to Deep Space Communication Array 24 Alpha 229. With his hands folded in his lap he looked over the controls as the pilot, Ensign George Kingston, maneuvered the ship out of the small hanger.
He watched as Kingston moved the King Arthur a few kilometers away from the array to change course. He rested a finger on the comm panel. Kingston then looked over at him. They locked eyes for a moment. It was custom to report your departure to the Duty Officer.
But today was not normal. Today a war had started. They were running. Andrews shook his head slightly and watched as Kingston lifted his finger off the panel. Andrews said, "We've said our good byes. No reason to announce it to the galaxy."
He sat up a little straighter in the chair. "Set course for Star Base 212."
"Course set, Sir," replied Kingston.
"Impulse engines. Engage," ordered Andrews.
"Aye, Captain," stated Kingston easily. He touched the controls and the engines of the King Arthur came up to power and propelled them away.
"When we reach 1,500 kilometers from the Array," stated Andrews. "Go to warp 7."
"Ten minutes at current speed, Sir."
Andrews leaned back in his seat. He called me Captain, he thought. My first command. And I am running away. Stop it Dave, he told himself. This is a rescue mission. You were selected to save these people. So think!
"How do you hide a racing starship?" he asked aloud.
Beside him Kinston said, "You cloak it."
Andrews glanced at him and snorted. "You hide it behind something."
"Or in something," added Kingston.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Andrews said, "You make it hard to see."
"Like turning off your running lights and beacon," stated Kingston. He got up and moved to a panel behind Andrews. He pressed a command sequence. Returning to his seat he said, "We are now running dark."
"What about our transponder?" Andrews asked. "Any passing ship or buoy could trip it to transmit."
"Good point," stated Kingston.
Just then the rear door opened and closed. Andrews turned and saw that it was Pat Harris. "I thought that Jas was coming."
Pat knelt down between them. "He was. He gave up his seat for me. He did not want his brothers or sister to be with out a father."
Andrews faced forward. "Jas is a good kid."
"Yes he is," added Harris.
There was an awkward silence for a few moments.
"The transponder," stated Kingston.
"Right," returned Andrews. "Where is it."
Kingston replied, "Aft at Engineering."
Harris rose. "I'll get it. He moved back to the compact Engineering station."
Kingston called out instructions. "Top right panel."
"Got it."
"Pop the panel."
"Open."
"Transponder Main Power to off."
"Off," stated Harris.
Kingston stated, "Big red handle. Half turn clockwise."
"Done."
Kingston turned to Andrews. "Transponder is off."
Harris closed the panel and sat down at the engineering station.
"Six minutes to warp drive," stated Kingston.
Again silence fell over them.
Andrews thought of his original question. "How do we hide a star ship?"
"A cloak," suggested Harris.
Kingston laughed. "Already picked that one."
"No," stated Harris, "I'm serious."
Turning to face him, Andrews said, "Explain."
"I don't know how to build a real cloak," said Harris. "But, I do know how to generate communication waves."
"Just what we need," muttered Kingston.
"Continue," stated Andrews to Harris.
"The two biggest things that light up a star ship are one the power signature it creates." Harris paused then added, "The second is the warp signature. Our warp field wake."
"Can't do much about either," said Kingston.
Harris got up and moved over to the Science station. He looked down at panels. "With the comm equipment here I might be able to disguise them."
"Do you think it will work?" asked Andrews.
Harris shook his head. "Don't know. But I might be able to generate an electronic envelope around the runabout that may confuse a casual scan."
"How so," asked Kingston.
"Well," began Harris, "most scans are in a certain tachyon frequency range. If we had a bubble around us that would absorb that frequency range and not cause a reflection, we would not be seen."
"So we can hide a starship," stated Andrews. "You have a job."
"Aye, Sir," replied Harris as he sat down at the Science station. He began to call up readings.
Andrews turned forward and looked out the view port. So this is command, he thought. Everyone else gets to do things while I get to sit. ... How boring. He sighed. So put the time to good use. Piloting, he thought. No, Kingston is doing that. So I don't have to. Engineering, nope. Kingston again. Besides, thought Andrews, the runabout was designed to be operated by a crew of one if necessary.
Communication. He knew that Harris was a comm expert. So. Get back to thinking, he told himself. His thoughts drifted to the tachyon fields used by sensors. Faster than light. That is why our sensor readings are real time at multi light year ranges. Andrews continued to let his thoughts drift.
"1,500 kilometers, stated Kingston. "Going to warp 7."
"Very well," stated Andrews. He did not even turn to watch Kingston manipulate the controls. He continued to look out the viewport. Even the warp field used tachyons to generate the warp effect, he thought. So what happens when two different tachyon fields intersect? He wondered. Like the warp field and the cloak field. What? he asked himself.
"Mr., Kingston."
"Sir," replied Kingston.
"What would happen to the warp drive when we try out Mr. Harris' tachyon cloaking field?"
"Shit!"
"What?" asked Harris.
Kingston said, "Two intersecting tachyon fields."
"Tachyon flare," muttered Harris. "Should have thought of that."
"Me too," added Kingston. He looked at Andrews. "Very good, Captain!"
"Yes," added Harris. "We would have glowed like a giant star. A big sign saying 'Here we are. Come get us.'"
"Good thing you caught that," added Kingston.
"So what do we do?" asked Harris.
Andrews slowly turned his chair so he could look at both officers. He was still reviewing warp field theory in his head. "We use positive tachyons in the warp field."
"Right," said Kingston.
"Can't use negative tachyons," stated Harris. "The fields would cancel each other out."
"And there goes our warp drive," added Kingston leaning his head on his hand.
"However," said Andrews, "to keep the warp field smooth and harmonious the field is made up of what?"
"Right spin tachyons," stated Kingston.
Andrews looked at him.
"Left spin!" Kingston shook his head. "A major refit." He sighed heavily. "Ship yard, have to reverse all the plasma coils. That's just to start with. The field dampers. All the monitoring programs."
"The communication equipment can do it," stated Harris.
Andrews looked at him.
Harris tapped the panel. "It's made to put out anything we want. Left spin or right spin."
Andrews looked at Kingston.
"Sure."
"And when the fields intersect?" asked Andrews.
"Tachyons are slippery," stated Kingston. He slid his right hand past his left hand.
"They don't interact," stated Harris. "The left does not know what the right is doing."
"Well not really," put in Harris.
"You're right," added Kingston.
Harris said, "The left and right tachyons do react but they deflect at an angle not directly back."
"Scattering effect," said Kingston. "But we are cloaked."
"More like hiding behind a cloud of opposing tachyons," said Harris.
"How is the deflection of the tachyons going to affect the warp drive?" asked Andrews.
Kingston replied, "There will be some effect. Some loss of speed. Depends upon how strong the cloak field is."
"Not too strong," stated Harris. "10 to 15 thousand watts."
"Okay," said Andrews. "I want a test first."
"Aye, Sir," Kingston and Harris replied almost together. Both men turned back to their work.
Andrews turned back to look out the view port again. So this is command, he thought. I solved that problem. No. He said to him self, being honest. They solved it. But I did get them thinking in the right direction. To help unify them into a team. I guess that is some of what being in command is about.
Andrews got to his feet. He thought that he should look in on the passengers.
"Mr. Kingston, you have the con."
"Aye, Sir," replied Kingston.
As he went aft he paused at the Science Station. "Mr. Harris."
Harris looked up at him. "Several hours of work, Sir."
"If you need help. Let me know."
"Thank you, sir," replied Harris. "It will be awhile before I get that far."
"Good," replied Andrews. He watched Harris turn back to the displays in front of him.
He exited the control cabin and entered the forward equipment room. It was full of boxes all labeled and secured. He looked around noting what was where. Almost in order. I hope we brought everything we need. He looked at the external hatch way. There was clear access. This compartment could act as an airlock if necessary.
Andrews glanced at the hatch in the ceiling. It led to one of the cargo pods on the upper hull. There was an identical compartment on the port side of the shuttle.
He continued aft and entered a cross ship passageway. He crossed over and entered the main room. Roomy for eight but packed now. It was quieter than he would have thought.
Two of the children, Philip Harris and Frank Timms, were seated at the main table. They had Padds and Mrs. Roberta Timms was seated next to Philip indicating something on the Padd he held. She was holding class. She had taught the children on the station.
Two of the older children, Stren and Peter Jones, were sitting on the floor against the port wall near the view port. There was a computer terminal sitting on the floor between them. They were reading something he could not see. The other two older ones, the girls Michelle Harris and Linda Jones, Peter's sister, were similarly occupied with their own computer terminal on the starboard side.
Nurse McBree and Mrs. Jessica Kimball had the rear under deck hatch opened and the cargo pad had been elevated. McBree was going through the large med kid.
He walked up to them.
McBree looked over at him. "We are getting settled in." She indicated the med kit. "About half finished with the inventory. Everything appears to be here."
Mrs. Kimball said, "We thought it would be best if we reserved one of the cabins for a nursery. We have four small children and they will require a lot of sleep and naps."
"And," added McBree, "It will be the med bay if necessary."
"The younger children are small enough to sleep two in a bunk," stated Kimball.
"Sir," said McBree, "I am concerned with the replicator."
"How so?" asked Andrews.
"The amount of food we'll need and the power it will take," said McBree. "Is there going to be enough power?"
Andrews thought for a moment on what he knew of replicators and power consumption and runabout power supplies. He found he was not ready to answer that question. "Draft up some menus and then cross reference that to replicator power requirements." He smiled at her. "No one will go hungry. We may have to slow down and route more power for you, but no one will go hungry."
"Thank you, sir," she said then turned back to the med kit.
He walked away. Andrews walked towards the replicator to get him self some breakfast. The emergency call from that freighter had been at 0456 station time. He had been called from his bed and he had been too busy to think of food. But now he had a slight headache from not eating.
Yet as he approached the replicator he thought better of ordering food here. He would get something on the bridge from the unit there.
He exited the calm order in the main room to the quiet of the hall. The door slid behind him and he was left alone in the quiet with the stormy turmoil of his thoughts. He stepped across the hall and into the small storage area. When the door closed he paused and leaned against a pile of boxes. He was not ready for this. His training was as a communication specialist. Computer programs for processing large data streams.
What was he going to do if the Khynah caught them? He took a deep breath. He did not feel as if he was afraid. No it was not fear that bothered him. It was worry he felt over his responsibility to keep these people safe. He closed his eyes. He knew he was not ready for this. On the station the most he had to worry about was keeping some of the computer lab doors locked to keep the wondering kids out of sensitive areas.
"Mr. Andrews," came a voice. "Are you okay?"
Startled, he turned to see that it was Pat Harris. Andrews sighed.
Harris stepped over to him. "Worried about this little trip of ours?"
Andrews nodded. "I sure am."
"This your first command?"
Andrews snorted. "Does it tell?"
"Not on the bridge," said Harris. "And not back there from what my wife says."
He looked at the deck. "I've had away missions before." He looked at Harris who was at least ten or twelve years older. "But never one where if I made a mistake I could get us all killed."
Harris placed a hand on his arm. "Mr. Andrews, .. Dave. You are doing a good job. You kept us from lighting up this here runabout like a Christmas tree." He dropped his hand. "You'll do fine."
Dave smiled. "Thanks."
"Well, I had too much coffee before we left," said Harris. He smiled. "I have to hit the head or I am going to either split my gut or pee my pants."
Harris turned and headed aft.
Andrews watched him go. He then turned towards the control cabin and walked to the door. It opened and he went to the replicator and ordered himself some breakfast. Then with his tray of milk, toast and scrambled eggs, he moved to the right hand command chair and sat down.
Kingston only glanced at him and then went back to the Padd he held.
Andrews watched the stars flow past as he ate. Half way through breakfast his headache began to ease. Then he began to think about the trip. He called up a star chart to review their course to Star Base 212. Their course would take them around the Khynah territory, into Cardassian space, then very close to the Gorn border as they swung back into Federation space and on towards Star Base 212.
He leaned back and sipped at his milk, he knew it was going to be an interesting voyage.
The End - Close Quarters
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