Trampship Wars 2 Read online

  Smiling, Mark went from a loop to a wing over and made a diving attack on the container, seriously thinking about activating the fighter’s weapons and blowing the damn thing up but decided against it at the last second afraid of hurting someone in the pit from flying shrapnel. Later after doing a hammerhead stall directly over the bombers Captain , Mark finally brought the fighter down in a dive to pull out and stop ped only inches from the plasticrete directly in front of the Captain Cook . The same maneuver he had pulled the last time he flew his speeder before the auction that he had to sell his speeder at and had accidentally bought the fighter at along with a few other aircars and had to sell his speeder at . What now seemed like a week before but was only the day before.

  Smiling at the Captain’s stern face, Mark decided to have some more fun and started dancing the fighter around the parked bombers and trucks. Darting up over personnel that were scatte red ring around the pit working , ignoring Mark and the fighter after seeing him flying for a few minutes. E (e ven while Captain Cook kept screaming at them to get back under cover . ) Mark dropped and back down only inches above the plasticrete without scrapping even once, spinning around, up and down. The English Captain still standing with is arms crossed had yet to do more than turn around to watch Mark fly.

  Stopping in front of Captain Cook again, he brought the wings in close and rolled it several time then re-extending the wings into combat mode as he climbed a few feet higher and rolling it again before tumbling it over on its back, stopping with the canopy only a couple of feet away from Captain Cook with the nose of the fighter over her head . Mark and looked her in the eyes as everyone else nearby (except the English Captain) ran for cover. Then backing away he flipped it back over upright and turning , he headed back around the ship at high speed just above the deck . M aking several loops around ship, getting faster and faster until the fighter was nothing but a blur to every one on the ground . Still only feet above the pits floor.

  .

  “Ok. Hot shot. Time to land. You have made your point. You know how to fly.” The English Captain said over the Comm.

  Slowly, disappointed that he had to stop, he spun it close around ship one more time, lowering the gear as he drifted back to the fighters original landing spot at the end of the line of bombers and sat it down where he had gotten it to the inch with Mickeys help , directly behind the English Captain who was again facing away toward Captain Cook and started shutting things down and realized that he had been flying on manual controls and not the auto pilot he had taken for granted it was on, as he shut down the power. Opening the canopy back up , Mark just sat there, not wanting to leave the womb. Knowing it would be his last.

  The English Captain walked up to Captain Cook. “Who’s your fighter squadron Commander Captain Cook? If it is not the most qualified person on your ship, I will take the Queen’s new torpedo bombers home. Don’t ‘worry, we will have the hulk in the lock repaired in a few days and enough equipment for basic maintenance for it if your answer is wrong. The Lieutenant JG will still have your original fighter for your ship but that is all. You were told last night that we will not tolerate incompetence or bigotry from our auxiliaries.”

  “What the hell do you mean auxiliaries? We aren’t one of your damn auxiliaries’. We’re an independent Trampship.”

  “Now how do you think Commander Collins got you this bomber squadron not to mention the piece of junk in your hanger off the damn station with full weapons bays? Your ship’s name was put on the planet’s auxiliary list hundreds of years ago. It is an obvious mistake though your ship is old enough but that will be rectified after you leave the system. But for now you may take advantage of that fact unless you continue showing this incompetent bigotry. What is it going to be Captain?”

  “I need that young man fixing my ships engines so we can even get off this fucking planet not doing half way competent airshows. Hell you have to admit he was not that precise and spent the first few minutes jerking the damn fighter around like it was the first time he had ever flown the damn thing.”

  Fact is Captain Cook. That was the first time he has flown one of these fighters and it took him only a few seconds to get the feel for it, these are nothing like the old junker you have in your lock.” Shaking his head as he stepped up putting his nose against the Star Queen’s Captain’s nose, ignoring her stogie sticking out the corner of her mouth. “I heard how he was kicked out of the engine rooms because he was not qualified.” The English Captain smiled. “You were even going to Courtmartial him to get him out. Yet know you are demanding that he has to go back to finish the work you fired him from. One thing I do know is that he evidentially has several thousand hours over the years in game simulators that used the old F-35 as their baseline fighter cockpit without the Weapon’s officer and it will only take a dozen hours of actual flying to train the rough edges off for using the new equipment we have added to it . I have to admit that is unusual but not that unusual. We look for recruits that have a lot of specific game time just for that reason. ”

  Taking Captain Cook’s Stogy out of her mouth and dropping it to the ground and stepping on it grinding it into the plasticrete . Captain Cook ’s mouth dropped open as the English Captain Continued . “ Now what is this about him being needed elsewhere?” Looking at the hesitating Trampship Captain. “And don’t even start with the bullshit or I am packing up and leaving and your fucking ship can start unloading for one of the Tramp Camps cause a couple of twin single pair of 5 inch 38 turrets is not enough to get you past this system.” Hooking his thumb over his shoulder up at the turrets sitting far up the side of the Star Queen.

  Captain Cook stared at the English Captain for a good minute. Her face stone cold as her eyes flared. Finally she took a new cigar from her pocket and puffed it into smoldering life, her stogy out of the corner of her mouth and lit it up again, taking a puff. “Very well Captain. It seems that Mr. or aaa, Lieutenant Junior Grade Collins is the only person on this ship that knows how to install our new engine kits after all. At least I hope to Godstar that he does, now that the AI responsible for the design changes to the kits is in a comma and may be dead. I need him to see if he can figure out why our latest engine conversion cannot even light off its fusion chamber. Then you can have him back for the squadron as a junior pilot trainee .”

  “Let me get this clear. Mr. Collins is responsible for your number 3 engine putting an old aircar wreck that had been stuck in the bottom of the pits exhaust tube along with a hundred tons of other garbage, into orbit. But you kicked him out of the engine rooms because why?”

  Grimacing she gritted her teeth. “He was just a fucking civilian boot Cadet a week ago and is handicapped wearing glasses. I know you aren’t blind. The damn ship’s AI was the one that assigned him to the engine room and has to be the one that is responsible for the upgrade and not him. The AI used him as a drone following orders. N othing else makes any sence. We are just hoping he was involved enough in the first engine’s upgrade since technically he was in command of the Space and the crews when it was upgraded, that he can figure out the reason why the second fucking engine refuses to run.”

  “Ok Captain Cook. If the second engine is an exact copy of the first. Why isn’t it running as well?”

  “A bunch of changes to make it easier to maintain was approved by Mr. Collins before he was kicked out of the second upgrade because he was just standing around letting the Chief and the space’s commander run things. Though he did spend a lot of time at the beginning of each work job section explaining in great detail what had to be done and why until he was kicked out with two installation segments left to do. Collins kept spouting garbage about why the engine was different and how things needed to be done different on the new engines to keep them running. All kinds of crazy talk.” The Captain took another puff on her new cig ar stogie and blew a smoke ring over the into the face head of the English Captain. Ca ptain Cook waited a few second for the English Captain to start coughing but when he didn’t
and continued to star coldly at her she realized how what she had said sounde d . “Damn, it sounds stupid now but it made sense when the Chief explained it to me... And then other changes were made after he left.”

  Captain Cook shook her head. “The problem is we have no idea why any of those changes could be preventing the engine from running. In fact the changes look like they should make the engine run more reliable using the old tec h propulsion k theories. While I agree d with the Chief that some of the crap Collins was spouting is just too impossible to be anything but ravings. Besides the calculations we have recovered from the Engines computers have turned out to be above anyone on this ship’s abilities to even understand .” Taking a long puff off her stogie. “We are about ready to start tearing both engines apart but it would take tearing them completely down to their basic bare blocks to figure out what all the changes are . We tried taking off all the changes made during the installation but the problem with that is that we are not sure even what all the changes were before Mr. Collins left since he was the one keeping records and track of what was done different and how the changes were supposed to y interact with each other. What is worse is that it is possible that some of the changes are irreversible but we simple don’t know enough about the theory and math to know what or if changing anything is even needed.”

  Taking a deep puff from her 6 inch long cigar stogie and blowing a huge smoke ring across the plasticrete away from the Captain this time . “I looked at the video this morning of the upgrade on engine #3 and Mr. Collins was involved in every detail from the core up until lighting it off so I don’t know why he was insisting letting the Engineering Chief and the Commander for that space run the show while standing back on his lazy ass. Though come to think of it, he did veto several changes that were requested that made perfect sense to me and managed to change several others sideways from what the request had been which made no sense to me .” Shaking her head while taking another long puff on her cigar stogie . “So I guess that if anyone can figure what is fucked up about the engine, it is him. If I can get him off his lazy ass. Otherwise we tear both engines down to see what is different. That could take days if not weeks. Simply because we don’t know what the fuck we are looking for or at for that matter. ”

  “So after proving that he can Command an engine room and upgrade its engine with space breaking new technology even we don’t have. You kick him out of the position simply because he was is going out of his way to teach the officers and crewmen how to rebuild and maintain the new engines which means a lot of standing around watching and making sure students finished the work properly and giving the officers time to comprehend the new theories while they were working on the engine , . O o nly to kick him out while calling him lazy. Talking about a bigoted prick trying to justify preconceived crap. And then when he demonstrates that he is your best and only fighter pilot at the moment, you want to kick him in the balls again.”

  Turning to an English Officer standing a few paces behind the Captain. “Mack, send up a demolition teem to blow up the junk fighter in the ships lock and start packing up, we are leaving. Oh and get me some Commissioning papers. I think I will have us a new Commander for Her Majesty’s Fighter Corps in about 5 minutes.” The English Captain turned and headed for the fighter. “Since he is already in the fighter, he can take it back up to the station.”

  “Stop right there Captain. What the hell do you think you are doing? Lieutenant JG Collins is a ship’s officer. You can’t just take him.”

  The English Captain stopped and turned back around. “Not according to you Captain. He is just some Dirtbag you decided to commission for some stupid reason.” Walking back up to Captain Cook, taking the lit cigar from her l ips and putting it out in the palm of his hand, he put his nose up to her nose again and growled. “I don’t give a rats ass why you made him the Commanding Officer of a fucking engine room or of what you thought was a single section fighter squadron. But he proved himself both times capable of holding the rank and I will be damned if I will sit back and let you turn someone that could be a damn good officer if simply treated with the respect he has earned, into a hateful basket case that you have to execute when he gets tired of your shit and lashes out in desperation because he no longer gives a shit .”

  Captain Cook stared into the English Captain’s eyes seeing a short fuse she could not understand. “I said you could have him after he tries repairing the damn ship’s Main Propulsion engine.”

  “Could have means only what you fucking feel like in the future. L at t he moment l eaving you plenty of room to change your mind to fuck him again when you feel like it later Captain Cook as you Godstar Damn well know. Since the reserve fleet has recently had its ass kicked over in the French system by pirates, every experienced pilot has been called up to reform the fleet’s fighter and bomber groups and I have decided that your, “could have”, means that you have given me your fighter Commander and his bombers fighters . Thank you. I will take Commander Collins off your stupid hands and put him to work fighting pirates where he belongs.” The English Captain continued to stare as he gave Captain Cook a chance to come to her senses.

  Then seeing stubbornness overwhelming the Captain Cook . “It looks like I have a whole squadron of new pilots ready to sign up as well.” Turning away from Captain Cook and surveying the growing group of pilots. “Oh by the way I will have a crew here in an hour to take possession of your ships engineering. We are going to jerk your whole engineering section out so we can figure out why your Commander has created the most powerful and efficient engine advance in hundreds of years and what you did to fuck it up on your second attempt. Even though we already have the full plans of the upgrades including the calculations your computer sent us before he was murdered and I can guaranty that we will hang on every word Commander Collins says and not treat him like bilge scum or a hold rat to be stomped on simply because he is there and happens to be wearing glasses .”

  Captain Cook watched the English Captain shake his head running out of patience and finally turn around taking several steps as the English crews around the pit continued started packing up to leave. “Very well Captain. Lieutenant JG Collins is our new fighter squadron’s Temporary Commander, under the Star Queen’s Boat Wing Commander. Is that satisfactory?”

  Turning back around and giving Captain Cook a stern look beyond putting up with jokes. “No Captain Cook. Temp will just leave you jerking his chain again at your first opportunity. Nor is a lieutenant JG a high enough rank. You can go and tell your new Lt. Commander and not Temp, the good news and see if he can fix your little MP Engine problem.” Waiting for Captain Cook to speak the magic words of agreement. “Our offer to commission him will still stand if he decides he is finished with any more crap you pitch at him in the future. Remember , if he goes, our support goes and you get dumped in the nearest Tramp Refugee Camp. Period.” The mouths of the Star Queens officers in earshot dropped open. Some of them hitting the deck.

  Finally Captain Cook shook her head with the stogie still clenched in the corner of her mouth. Still resisting approving any kind of a promotion for Collins. “Just were the hell do you plan on us putting full squadrons of fighters and bombers Captain?”

  The English Captain smiled briefly. “The approved complement of each of your Shuttle boat locks is 5 bombers with all their maintenance equipment and you are not getting the fighters. Your ship has plenty of room for a full squadron of bombers if you get rid of that junk boat in the other lock leaving two empty locks. Which is why you have been assigned a squadron.” Talking a breath. “Your life boat compartments straddling the locks have plenty of room for ordnance in the upper half if you construct a mid-deck in them with plenty of room for life raft pods for your crew below. They are the most protected and armored compartments in your ship to give the ship’s passengers and crew time to evacuate and will make excellent magazines and repair shops.”

  Shaking her head as she stared at the English Captain. “I will make Co
llins a permanent full lieutenant Captain. He can still be a pilot in the squadrons.” Captain Cook tried again.

  Shaking his head as he looked up at the sky. “Your bomber squadron Commander rates a full Lt. Commander with a full Commander as your air flight Chief. That is according to your own command structure Captain Cook. Anything less and you will wind up fucking both the fighter bombers along with Collins over everything including pilots and tactics which your officers don’t have a clue about. While you fuck him again just like you have already done down on the Engineering decks. After all you have one completely dead engine and two that still need upgraded and you still can’t bring yourself to acknowledge Collins contributions or abilities. Why would you change concerning the bomber squadron when it come s time to defend the ship ? He is the only one that even comes close to being able to use the bombers competently to defend your ship . While you would force him to keep them close to the ship , he knows enough to go out and take down an enemy ship far from your transport otherwise you are not only wasting your assets but endangering your ship, your crew and making it impossible for your bombers to operate safely without a fucking transport getting in their way. The problem is , you don’t know how stupid you are when it comes to combat tactics and to stubborn to let the one person that does know, lead . ”