"They're telling us they can't read our link."
"So they can transmit but not receive?"
"Yes, sir. That's what they're saying."
"Oh, for—" Hayes bit off the rest of his comment, his fingers drumming on the arm of his chair as he glowered at his display. "They're pulling that stupid 'blind eye' trick. Just because they're named after Nelson doesn't mean they have to pretend that they are Nelson!"
Paul took a moment to recall the captain's reference. Oh, yeah. Copenhagen. The British commander sent up a signal ordering Nelson to withdraw and Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye, looked toward the signal and said he couldn't see anything. Then he went on to win the battle . Paul studied the display again, watching the red symbol marking the probable collision point blinking with increasing urgency. They won't move, will they? Sindh's right. The Brits won't back down .
"Captain?" Lieutenant Sindh asked. "Should I alert our rescue teams to be prepared for action?"
Hayes snorted, pointing at the screen. "Look at the closing rate between those ships, Lieutenant. If they hit at those speeds there won't be anything to rescue but dust particles."
Paul stared at the display, transfixed by the sight of two massive warships deliberately racing directly toward each other at tremendous velocities. Above the symbol indicating each ship, two time markers scrolled rapidly downward. The first marker, indicating time to collision, was less important at the moment than the second, which displayed the time remaining for one of the ships to maneuver to avoid the other. If either tried to take evasive action after that point, it'd be too late for the ships' drives to alter their paths through space quickly enough, and momentum would carry the ships into collision regardless. Even a glancing blow at those speeds and with that mass would be devastating to both ships.
The Michaelson 's maneuvering system spoke clearly across the now otherwise silent bridge, its composed voice at odds with the urgency of the message. "HMS Lord Nelson and SASAL warship Tamerlane will collide unless at least one maneuvers within five minutes of my mark.. . . . Mark. Recommend advise both ships to undertake coordinated maneuvers to avoid collision."
Captain Hayes answered the Michaelson 's system without looking away from his display. "We already thought of that."
Kwan leaned toward the Captain. "Maybe if we fired ahead of the SASAL ship, it'd be scared and—"
"No can do, XO. That'd definitely be a confrontation. I'm not free to do that."
"Can we fire just in front of the Nelson , then?"
Sindh answered this time. "No, sir. The firing angle is too oblique given our relative positions."
"Four minutes remaining before collision between HMS Lord Nelson and SASAL warship Tamerlane becomes inevitable," the Michaelson 's maneuvering systems reminded them.
Captain Hayes triggered his communications again. "HMS Lord Nelson , this is the Exercise Movement Coordinator on the USS Michaelson . For God's sake maneuver to avoid collision."
The Nelson 's captain sounded as unruffled as ever. "I'm afraid that's quite impossible."
"I notice you can receive my transmissions again."
"What's that? Say again, please."
Hayes closed his eyes briefly.
"Three minutes remaining before collision between HMS Lord Nelson and SASAL warship Tamerlane becomes inevitable."
Captain Hayes looked around the bridge. "I'd appreciate any suggestions anyone might have."
The red collision point symbol on Paul's display had grown larger, now pulsing continuously, and the time markers had also become much bigger and impossible to miss or ignore as they spun down toward zero.
"Two minutes remaining before collision between HMS Lord Nelson and SASAL warship Tamerlane becomes inevitable."
Paul caught Lieutenant Sindh's eye. Sindh shook her head. Paul looked back at his display.
"One minute re –"
Paul had to double check, then spoke with exaggerated care, his voice sounding louder
"So they can transmit but not receive?"
"Yes, sir. That's what they're saying."
"Oh, for—" Hayes bit off the rest of his comment, his fingers drumming on the arm of his chair as he glowered at his display. "They're pulling that stupid 'blind eye' trick. Just because they're named after Nelson doesn't mean they have to pretend that they are Nelson!"
Paul took a moment to recall the captain's reference. Oh, yeah. Copenhagen. The British commander sent up a signal ordering Nelson to withdraw and Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye, looked toward the signal and said he couldn't see anything. Then he went on to win the battle . Paul studied the display again, watching the red symbol marking the probable collision point blinking with increasing urgency. They won't move, will they? Sindh's right. The Brits won't back down .
"Captain?" Lieutenant Sindh asked. "Should I alert our rescue teams to be prepared for action?"
Hayes snorted, pointing at the screen. "Look at the closing rate between those ships, Lieutenant. If they hit at those speeds there won't be anything to rescue but dust particles."
Paul stared at the display, transfixed by the sight of two massive warships deliberately racing directly toward each other at tremendous velocities. Above the symbol indicating each ship, two time markers scrolled rapidly downward. The first marker, indicating time to collision, was less important at the moment than the second, which displayed the time remaining for one of the ships to maneuver to avoid the other. If either tried to take evasive action after that point, it'd be too late for the ships' drives to alter their paths through space quickly enough, and momentum would carry the ships into collision regardless. Even a glancing blow at those speeds and with that mass would be devastating to both ships.
The Michaelson 's maneuvering system spoke clearly across the now otherwise silent bridge, its composed voice at odds with the urgency of the message. "HMS Lord Nelson and SASAL warship Tamerlane will collide unless at least one maneuvers within five minutes of my mark.. . . . Mark. Recommend advise both ships to undertake coordinated maneuvers to avoid collision."
Captain Hayes answered the Michaelson 's system without looking away from his display. "We already thought of that."
Kwan leaned toward the Captain. "Maybe if we fired ahead of the SASAL ship, it'd be scared and—"
"No can do, XO. That'd definitely be a confrontation. I'm not free to do that."
"Can we fire just in front of the Nelson , then?"
Sindh answered this time. "No, sir. The firing angle is too oblique given our relative positions."
"Four minutes remaining before collision between HMS Lord Nelson and SASAL warship Tamerlane becomes inevitable," the Michaelson 's maneuvering systems reminded them.
Captain Hayes triggered his communications again. "HMS Lord Nelson , this is the Exercise Movement Coordinator on the USS Michaelson . For God's sake maneuver to avoid collision."
The Nelson 's captain sounded as unruffled as ever. "I'm afraid that's quite impossible."
"I notice you can receive my transmissions again."
"What's that? Say again, please."
Hayes closed his eyes briefly.
"Three minutes remaining before collision between HMS Lord Nelson and SASAL warship Tamerlane becomes inevitable."
Captain Hayes looked around the bridge. "I'd appreciate any suggestions anyone might have."
The red collision point symbol on Paul's display had grown larger, now pulsing continuously, and the time markers had also become much bigger and impossible to miss or ignore as they spun down toward zero.
"Two minutes remaining before collision between HMS Lord Nelson and SASAL warship Tamerlane becomes inevitable."
Paul caught Lieutenant Sindh's eye. Sindh shook her head. Paul looked back at his display.
"One minute re –"
Paul had to double check, then spoke with exaggerated care, his voice sounding louder
Similar Books
