to the real thing? How fast will she fly?”
“Its pretty realistic, but the mass feels slightly heavier than the Vigilant. Of course, some of this could be based on differences from the refit. Top speed will be near power 6 light speed.”
“Okay, now take a little time to get the feel of the ship. Engage in free flight. See how she handles.”
Kelly took the control yoke and put the simulator through its paces. He dropped to sub-light speed and ran through a number of drills from his fighter flight training. The mass of the Vigilant wouldn’t match the maneuverability of an F-53, but it was remarkably responsive. He toggled on the stress indicators on his display. He stayed well within tolerances. He kept pushing the envelope to see if there were any maneuvers that caused more stress on the ship than others. It was important to know the structural limitations of a ship. He dove, climbed, rolled, yawed, and looped the ship. He knew he was in a simulator, but it was amazing how real it felt. He was just about to try some maneuver thruster drills when a proximity alarm went off. Kelly looked at his display and saw an asteroid in their path. He had three options: change course, increase shields, or blast it out of their way. Kelly, still a fighter pilot at heart, toggled on weapons and blasted the asteroid to small bits that were easily repelled by their navigation shields.
LCDR Timmons chuckled, “Chief Blankenship owes me a beer. She was sure you would try to jockey us around the asteroid. I said you’d blast it.”
“I guess I’ll have to work on being more unpredictable, sir.”
“Just don’t forget you almost always have more options. In this business we may not be able to blast our way out of situations. Sometimes we need to employ a little finesse.”
“Time to head for the barn. Chief B, that’s all we have time for now.”
The lights came up, the outside view and Kelly’s display went blank. He felt the simulator lower and lock itself into the steps. Chief Blankenship opened the door to let them out. Kelly followed LCDR Timmons out and down the stairs, thanking Chief Blankenship as he passed out the hatch.
Kelly and Timmons power walked back to their offices. They passed several bemused officers and enlisted. Kelly was determined not to break into a trot. When they got back to the building Kelly had significant shin splints, but he had kept up. He wasn’t about to limp or complain in front of the captain.
The two went into their respective offices and collapsed in their chairs, rubbing their sore legs. Each was convinced he had achieved a victory over the other. Chief Watson and the yeoman, who had watched them come in, smiled and chuckled quietly.
Chapter Four
On the K’Rang home world of G’Durin, Shadow Leader M’Trang conferred with his superiors. He stood at attention, resplendent in his maroon cape and glistening fur.
“Excellencies,” he began, “our agents in the human space have made contact with people so without honor that they will sell us any information we desire. They will condemn their own kind for some useless shiny rocks. They assure us they have access to anything we need.”
“We will be starting slowly with this source to test its veracity and ability to get us the information we need. We will carefully ask for information we already know and information we have no interest in to ensure we are not being lied to or that will give away our intentions.”
The High Nobles appeared to be concentrating on something before them just out of M’Trang’s eyesight as they sat behind the high bench. They seemed almost disinterested in his report. He was about to
“Its pretty realistic, but the mass feels slightly heavier than the Vigilant. Of course, some of this could be based on differences from the refit. Top speed will be near power 6 light speed.”
“Okay, now take a little time to get the feel of the ship. Engage in free flight. See how she handles.”
Kelly took the control yoke and put the simulator through its paces. He dropped to sub-light speed and ran through a number of drills from his fighter flight training. The mass of the Vigilant wouldn’t match the maneuverability of an F-53, but it was remarkably responsive. He toggled on the stress indicators on his display. He stayed well within tolerances. He kept pushing the envelope to see if there were any maneuvers that caused more stress on the ship than others. It was important to know the structural limitations of a ship. He dove, climbed, rolled, yawed, and looped the ship. He knew he was in a simulator, but it was amazing how real it felt. He was just about to try some maneuver thruster drills when a proximity alarm went off. Kelly looked at his display and saw an asteroid in their path. He had three options: change course, increase shields, or blast it out of their way. Kelly, still a fighter pilot at heart, toggled on weapons and blasted the asteroid to small bits that were easily repelled by their navigation shields.
LCDR Timmons chuckled, “Chief Blankenship owes me a beer. She was sure you would try to jockey us around the asteroid. I said you’d blast it.”
“I guess I’ll have to work on being more unpredictable, sir.”
“Just don’t forget you almost always have more options. In this business we may not be able to blast our way out of situations. Sometimes we need to employ a little finesse.”
“Time to head for the barn. Chief B, that’s all we have time for now.”
The lights came up, the outside view and Kelly’s display went blank. He felt the simulator lower and lock itself into the steps. Chief Blankenship opened the door to let them out. Kelly followed LCDR Timmons out and down the stairs, thanking Chief Blankenship as he passed out the hatch.
Kelly and Timmons power walked back to their offices. They passed several bemused officers and enlisted. Kelly was determined not to break into a trot. When they got back to the building Kelly had significant shin splints, but he had kept up. He wasn’t about to limp or complain in front of the captain.
The two went into their respective offices and collapsed in their chairs, rubbing their sore legs. Each was convinced he had achieved a victory over the other. Chief Watson and the yeoman, who had watched them come in, smiled and chuckled quietly.
Chapter Four
On the K’Rang home world of G’Durin, Shadow Leader M’Trang conferred with his superiors. He stood at attention, resplendent in his maroon cape and glistening fur.
“Excellencies,” he began, “our agents in the human space have made contact with people so without honor that they will sell us any information we desire. They will condemn their own kind for some useless shiny rocks. They assure us they have access to anything we need.”
“We will be starting slowly with this source to test its veracity and ability to get us the information we need. We will carefully ask for information we already know and information we have no interest in to ensure we are not being lied to or that will give away our intentions.”
The High Nobles appeared to be concentrating on something before them just out of M’Trang’s eyesight as they sat behind the high bench. They seemed almost disinterested in his report. He was about to
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