has come aboard to see you. He states that he has orders to accompany us to Earth."
Gavin turned in his chair to look over his shoulder at Kanes, who had been standing behind and out of the way as the ship departed. "Commander Kanes, come into my briefing room," he said as he climbed down from his chair. To Jenetta, he said, "You have the bridge, Commander."
"Aye, sir," Jenetta said. "I have the bridge." She watched as the two men disappeared into the briefing room. With the ship now under way, there was little to do, so Jenetta called the housing officer.
"Lieutenant Shelton," the lieutenant responded when the call went through.
"This is Commander Carver. Have our guests been accommodated, Lieutenant?"
"Aye, Commander. All have been shown to available crew quarters, and we have suitable VIP quarters prepared for Commander Kanes when he's ready."
"Very good, Lieutenant. Carry on."
"Aye, Commander."
Jenetta leaned fully back in the first officer's chair, took a deep breath, and relaxed. Relative to the workload that she'd had during the past week, there should be little to do during the next few months as they made their way to Earth. On a personal note she was looking forward to finally having enough time during meals to sate her runaway appetite so she wouldn't have to spend the day snacking on fruit. Within a couple of days they should settle into a placid routine that would continue until the end of the voyage. Of course, the arrival of the senior Intelligence officer assigned to Higgins SCB, with twenty-five personnel in tow, just minutes before departure, was more than a little unusual. Although she appeared to be innocently staring at the front viewscreen, she was actually thinking about the rank insignia and shoulder flashes of the ratings and noncoms that had come aboard with the intelligence officer. Virtually all were weapon specialists.
----
Chapter Four
~ February 29 th , 2268 ~
Following recovery of the two battleships from the Raiders, all ship's systems were restored to shipyard specifications. Then Space Command databases with asynchronous update capability were installed. The cranial transducer or ID chip of every Space Command officer, noncom, and crewman on active duty would now be recognized when they're aboard. While the CT is used principally for communications, the computer can instantly locate any officer aboard ship by emitting a high-pitched signal, far above the range of human hearing, on the officer's carrier frequency, and triangulating the echo with shipboard sensors.
Subcutaneously implanted against the exterior of the skull, just behind the left ear, the CT creates the impression when receiving a message that someone is whispering directly into your ear. Every officer is assigned a unique carrier frequency, so in a room full of Space Command officers, only the intended recipient will hear the computer-forwarded message. A minute electrical charge produced by the host's body powers the unit, but being insufficient to generate a signal of sufficient strength for transmission, the CT relies on the ship's main computer to establish the carrier wave for the receipt or delivery of messages. To transmit a message, the officer lightly presses thumb or forefinger to the face of their Space Command ring. This action generates a signal to the central transceiver to establish the required frequency wave assigned to the officer.
Noncommissioned officers and enlisted personnel carry a similar device, also implanted against the skull in the same subcutaneous location. Referred to as their ID chip, it lacks the two-way communication capability of a CT. Although limited to receive only mode, the ID chip can also be used by the ship's computer for locating personnel, allowing entrance to secure areas, or unlocking equipment without further identification. High security areas and certain specialized equipment still require retinal image, voice identification, and/or handprint verification.
Jenetta
Gavin turned in his chair to look over his shoulder at Kanes, who had been standing behind and out of the way as the ship departed. "Commander Kanes, come into my briefing room," he said as he climbed down from his chair. To Jenetta, he said, "You have the bridge, Commander."
"Aye, sir," Jenetta said. "I have the bridge." She watched as the two men disappeared into the briefing room. With the ship now under way, there was little to do, so Jenetta called the housing officer.
"Lieutenant Shelton," the lieutenant responded when the call went through.
"This is Commander Carver. Have our guests been accommodated, Lieutenant?"
"Aye, Commander. All have been shown to available crew quarters, and we have suitable VIP quarters prepared for Commander Kanes when he's ready."
"Very good, Lieutenant. Carry on."
"Aye, Commander."
Jenetta leaned fully back in the first officer's chair, took a deep breath, and relaxed. Relative to the workload that she'd had during the past week, there should be little to do during the next few months as they made their way to Earth. On a personal note she was looking forward to finally having enough time during meals to sate her runaway appetite so she wouldn't have to spend the day snacking on fruit. Within a couple of days they should settle into a placid routine that would continue until the end of the voyage. Of course, the arrival of the senior Intelligence officer assigned to Higgins SCB, with twenty-five personnel in tow, just minutes before departure, was more than a little unusual. Although she appeared to be innocently staring at the front viewscreen, she was actually thinking about the rank insignia and shoulder flashes of the ratings and noncoms that had come aboard with the intelligence officer. Virtually all were weapon specialists.
----
Chapter Four
~ February 29 th , 2268 ~
Following recovery of the two battleships from the Raiders, all ship's systems were restored to shipyard specifications. Then Space Command databases with asynchronous update capability were installed. The cranial transducer or ID chip of every Space Command officer, noncom, and crewman on active duty would now be recognized when they're aboard. While the CT is used principally for communications, the computer can instantly locate any officer aboard ship by emitting a high-pitched signal, far above the range of human hearing, on the officer's carrier frequency, and triangulating the echo with shipboard sensors.
Subcutaneously implanted against the exterior of the skull, just behind the left ear, the CT creates the impression when receiving a message that someone is whispering directly into your ear. Every officer is assigned a unique carrier frequency, so in a room full of Space Command officers, only the intended recipient will hear the computer-forwarded message. A minute electrical charge produced by the host's body powers the unit, but being insufficient to generate a signal of sufficient strength for transmission, the CT relies on the ship's main computer to establish the carrier wave for the receipt or delivery of messages. To transmit a message, the officer lightly presses thumb or forefinger to the face of their Space Command ring. This action generates a signal to the central transceiver to establish the required frequency wave assigned to the officer.
Noncommissioned officers and enlisted personnel carry a similar device, also implanted against the skull in the same subcutaneous location. Referred to as their ID chip, it lacks the two-way communication capability of a CT. Although limited to receive only mode, the ID chip can also be used by the ship's computer for locating personnel, allowing entrance to secure areas, or unlocking equipment without further identification. High security areas and certain specialized equipment still require retinal image, voice identification, and/or handprint verification.
Jenetta
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