Dust Bunny (Rust Bucket Universe) Read online

  Diane inspected all six ships to see that the work was neat and clean. It was obvious that the crew, whom she notified at different times last night to reach every shift, was pleased with the cruiser's name. No one had complained. Many even showed delight at the designation by cheering. Now she was equally delighted with their overall response. She barely finished her inspection when sirens sounded across the base and an internal alarm sounded inside the cruiser. A voice came over the intercom. "Captain, all hands are on board."

  Gail stabbed at the intercom switch near her and shouted, "Close hatches and launch!" She ran through the passages to reach the bridge. It took her almost thirty seconds to reach the bridge. Just before she reached it, a voice sounded over the intercom, "All hatches secure!" Diane barely reached her seat and strapped in before the G-forces hit her while her ship climbed up into space to be the first to meet the enemy.

  "All right, battle stations! Launch fighters!" she commanded as they left the atmosphere behind.

  Within another thirty seconds, her cruiser was flanked by a fighter wing ready to do combat. At the same time, other ships gathered about her cruiser. The squadron leader's cruiser took his position at the lead.

  "Well done, Dust Bunny! All capital ships use individual initiative when the enemy gets here," the squadron commander radioed.

  Within moments, the fighters peeled away to form up a fighter command and formation of their own.

  ***

  The Malakin warships came streaking in at high speed. A number of them were taken out quickly as several squadrons of warships, both new and old, fired a barrage of weapons at them. The fighters attempted to get inside the Malakin formation. They scored some hits before the Malakin warships got past them to enter Beulah's atmosphere and begin a bombardment of the ground with their heavy weapons.

  Both the squadrons and fighter commands changed course to take out the Malakin warships. Even as that happened, the Malakin warships spread out around the planet to fire on anything manmade with one set of weapons while other weapons returned fire in their defense. It was immediately obvious that these were warships being operated by Malakins, themselves, and not computerized robots.

  Diane watched the sensor screens as her cruiser closed in on one Malakin warship while her ship's weapons tore the hell out of the enemy ship. She spotted another nearby enemy ship just moments before some of her ship's gunners began pounding away at it. Another cruiser pulled behind the same enemy ship. Moments later, the fire from her ship and the other cruiser made a floating pile of junk out of the Malakin warship.

  ***

  On the ground, Admiral Oden watched from a bunker entrance as buildings on the ground were hit by fire from high up in the atmosphere. Already, most of the ground personnel were safely in bunkers. He felt himself being pulled back from the doorway. Glancing around, he saw that his bodyguards were doing their best to keep him from harm's way.

  "All right. I'll watch on the sensor screens." Dave turned and walked deeper into the bunker so that the bodyguards wouldn't be exposed to enemy fire just because he wanted to observe. Once inside, Dave stood near the sensor screens, watching over the shoulders of the men and women manning them. Relayed images of the damage being done was provided by whichever squadron warship was in a position to see what was happening on the ground.

  The damage was severe, Dave saw, and without reason as to the targets. Everything was being targeted. Beulah City was being hit as much as the naval station or the commercial shipyards. He reasoned that the Malakins were ignorant of the value of the targets they were hitting and just shooting at everything in hopes of hitting something important.

  ***

  Two hours later, the Malakin attack was over with. Many of the Malakin warships had plummeted to the planet's surface after being hit and disabled enough that Beulah's gravity took over their destruction. Only a few disabled enemy ships floated in high orbit. Some probably contained live Malakins who would become prisoners. The squadrons above Beulah reorganized and retrieved their fighters to prepare for a probable second wave.

  Reports were still coming in from Adriena, Echo, Edun, and Gabrielle about the damage they suffered from similar attacks. Admiral Oden conferred with several other admirals as to the implications of the attack.

  "It looks like we've pissed off the Malakins with our rock throwing," said Dave.

  "You think so?" asked Nicky.

  "Yes, I do, Nicky, because the Malakins were pretty indiscriminate about what they fired on. I want our forces to step up the rock throwing since it seems to be making them mad. I want the Malakins to squander their resources away while we finish building up our own," Dave said.

  Nicky replied, "Okay, Dave. Give me some more salvage teams to toss them with. I'll see to it that the Malakins are totally pissed."

  "You've got them, Nicky," Dave acknowledged. "Now let's see how bad they hurt us."

  The admirals pored over the incoming reports, determining what vital resources, first of all, were destroyed.

  ***

  Captain Diane Blith's crew stood at attention on the tarmac beside their ship. Admiral Oden stepped up and presented decorations for their actions in the last series of attacks. She saluted the admiral as he stepped in front of her. A moment later after returning her salute, he draped over her a medal on a ribboned sash. Admiral Oden whispered, "You and your crew did extremely well out there. All I've heard lately is how the Dust Bunny was up there first and managed to destroy more enemy ships than any other Union warship. Congratulations, Captain Blith."

  Admiral Oden stepped away and saluted Captain Blith. He then went from person to person among her crew, giving each of them awards for their outstanding actions and often giving out compliments or remarks meant to personally inspire them.

  Finished with their ship, Dave walked the short distance between them and the next ship and crew waiting for recognition. Dave looked at the old destroyer and then at the awards he had for them. Despite being an old ship, the Mars City had distinguished itself in the same battle.

  Captain Gail Gott stood in front of her ship's company and saluted as the admiral came up. He returned the salute and then placed a ribboned sash holding a medal over her head. He whispered, "You and your crew did extremely well."

  She replied, "Thank you, sir."

  Moments later, Dave moved from person to person among the crew giving out their awards. He stopped in front of Lieutenant jg Chalver. Dave said, "Lieutenant, long time no see. You did exceptionally well out there."

  "Thank you, sir," Mike replied.

  "How are the new program officers working out?"

  "Very well, sir. A little polish is all they need," Mike answered.

  "Really? I'm glad to hear that. I understand that you're one of the mentors helping to polish them. Good for you."

  "Thank you, sir," Mike replied.

  "Drop by my office later on, if you get the opportunity, and we'll talk. Again, it's good to see you, especially under these circumstances. You've done real well."

  Mike replied, "I'll do that, sir."

  Dave placed the medal bearing sash over Mike's head and then went on to some other crew members.

  ***

  Ensign Cargille walked next to Lieutenant Chalver as they returned to their ship now that the ceremonies were over.

  "Wow! The admiral invited you to his office. I didn't know that you knew him personally. What's he like?" Cargille asked.

  "He's about the fairest and toughest man you can ever meet," Mike replied. "However, right now, you have physical conditioning to do, Ensign. I want you built up enough so that you can keep up with everyone else."

  "Right! Tell me some more about Admiral Oden while we're working out."

  ***

  Lieutenant Chalver and Ensign Cargille began jogging a lap around the field after taking off their medals and putting those away and leaving their overslick tops behind. They were halfway around the field when the sirens sounded. Both men quit jogging and
ran full out for their destroyer. They barely reached it in time to get in as the last two personnel to climb on board. Mike slammed the hatch shut and pressed the intercom to notify the bridge that the ship was sealed and ready. He and Ensign Cargille sat down on the deck as the ship launched. A minute later, the Mars City was in space. Each man then went immediately to his duty station.

  Ensign Cargille was near the engine area when the ship took a hit. He felt the strange vibration and quickly grabbed a spacesuit to wear, suspecting that the engine room was breached. He went through a hatch, secured it, and then opened the next hatch, quickly seeing that he was correct in his early guess. Beulah was plainly visible through a jagged gash in the hull plating. One of the engines was thumping up and down where a bolt was sheared. He pressed the intercom and plugged his suit into it. "Captain, one of the engines is loose. If we don't shut them down soon, we'll lose everything."

  "Can you fix it, Ensign?"

  "I think so, if they're shut down for a minute," Cargille replied.

  "Very well. Be quick and let me know as soon as you've got the repair completed."

  "Yes ma'am." Ensign Cargille looked around for tools and parts to repair the engine mounting. The engines shut down and the loose engine hung partly away from the mounting. He went over to it and shoved it down against the mount. It was worse than he first thought. There was barely a stub of bolt left to put the engine back on the mounting with. Worst of all, he couldn't find a nut for that size bolt. He could see that even if he could find a nut to put on the bolt, it would vibrate back off in no time at all. He reported in, "Captain, it's serious. I'm not . . . Hold it! I just had an idea, but it's going to take an extra minute!"

  Ensign Cargille ripped his communications line out of the intercom and hurried to the hatch. Quickly, he went through the hatch and dogged it back shut. He went through the second hatch, leaving it open so he could get through faster on his return. He ran through the passageway to his quarters and found what he wanted. Quickly, he turned and ran with the prized possession back to the open hatch. He stepped inside and shut it. Before he opened the second hatch to the engine room, he quickly opened his suit and pulled out his stinger, a small handheld charged-particle weapon. Ensign Cargille sealed his suit back, then opened and entered the engine room. He shoved on the engine again and placed the left-handed spiro-nut on the bolt stub.

  It fit!

  Cargille breathed a sigh of relief as the bolt turned out to be just the right size. He grabbed a spanner and turned the nut until it was as tight as it could go. Then he stepped back, aimed his stinger at the bolt with the spiro-nut, and fired at it. Using the electric bolt that came from his stinger, he fused the two together. Hurriedly, he went to the intercom and plugged into it again. "Captain, we're as ready as we're going to be," he breathlessly reported.

  "Thank you, Ensign. You only took a minute and a half. Helm, power up the engines."

  Ensign Cargille watched nervously as the engines fired up and his repair held. Satisfied after a few moments of engine operation, he went back out of the engine room, dogged the hatches shut, and returned to his battle station.

  ***

  Admiral Oden stopped in front of Ensign Cargille and saluted. "Ensign, I've heard some very good comments about you. Because of that, I take special pride in presenting these awards to you. It's not often someone distinguishes himself as you did the other day. I'm proud of you, mister."

  "Thank you, sir," Ensign Cargille said as Admiral Oden placed three awards on him for his performance in battle.

  "I understand that the man you pulled out of a damaged gun station is going to pull through. You reacted fast in sealing his suit when he couldn't and we're all proud of you for that. When the ceremonies are over, I'd like to see the repair job you performed on the Mars City's engines. I'd be delighted if you would escort me and explain how you thought of that solution," Admiral Oden said.

  "Yes sir!" Ensign Cargille said enthusiastically.

  "Thank you, Ensign Cargille. I like officers with enthusiasm."

  ***

  "You wouldn't believe how the admiral was when he looked at the repair and nodded approval before he said so, Mike," Ensign Cargille said.

  "Well, I told you he was fair," Mike replied.

  "Yeah, but to have an admiral like him letting an ensign do almost all the talking, yet he paid attention to every word I said. I was nervous at first, but somehow talking with him made my nervousness go away."

  "He has that way or charm about him. I don't know how he does it," said Mike, "but he can make anyone feel relaxed even in the worst of situations, unless he's chewing you out. Having him chew you out, I've heard, is worse than the punishment that you might receive later."

  "Yeah, I expected him to not like the repair since it's going to take major work to undo the seal I made on that bolt."

  "Naw, he's not like that. He could see what you were faced with and why you had to do that. Remember, he's done just about everything on board a ship that there is to do."

  "Yeah, I know that now. He even asked how I was doing and if I was thinking of making the Navy a career," Ensign Cargille said.

  Chapter 11

  "Dave, we think we've found an asteroid big enough to take out one of their worlds," Nicky said. "Do you want us to launch it?"

  Dave looked at Admiral Nick and thought for a moment. It was more likely something that Congress ought to know about, he quickly realized. Probably, they wouldn't want it launched if it was likely to actually take out an entire world. Dave turned around and looked at the reports still coming in concerning damage caused by the latest attack. "No, but keep track of it. We might still have to use it. Much as I want to make the war end sooner, I'm not ready to commit mass murder which is what civilians might term this to be. I'll let Congress know we have this option though."

  "Okay. I thought you should know about it in case we were that desperate," Admiral Nick stated. "We'll keep an eye on it. Also, I think that the Malakins are starting to blow apart the asteroids we're sending at them. Any ideas, Dave?"

  "Yes, one. Launch a spread of torpedoes in front of and wide around the asteroids. That should keep them extra busy and allow the rocks to get through," Dave replied.

  ***

  The next Malakin retaliation attack didn't make it to all the planets targeted. Several squadrons laid in wait in hidden positions in space along the routes known to be used by the enemy. In the path of the enemy were space mines to further disrupt their formation. The stealth design of the squadron warships combined with having their engines off made the ambush very nearly a complete success.

  The enemy ships caught and disabled by the mines were picked off after the battle. The Malakin warships that made it through the mine field were suddenly attacked by hundreds of heavy guns from the warships of the hidden squadrons as they powered up their engines and maneuvered to keep the enemy in range. The few enemy ships that escaped both the mines and squadrons ran into the defensive forces stationed at each planet where they were crushed much like a grape under a brick.

  ***

  "It worked, Dave! Our asteroids are hitting again!" Nicky exclaimed as he entered Admiral Oden's office where Dave was reviewing plans with Admiral Wund.

  "Good for us. Now the people on the ground can breathe a little easier since that will slow down the Malakin war production," Dave replied.

  "That, too. Our people needed a break in order to finish repairing the ships we keep getting damaged. I thought we weren't going to be able to get any stronger than we were if that kept up," Nicky said.

  "They're good people. They were making progress despite the recent bombardments. Now they'll be able to make considerably more," Dave said.

  Admiral Benz Wund stated, "I just wish we had more mines to blanket our planets with and better protect them."

  "I know that someone's working night and day making those. We'll have them when they're ready," said Dave.

  "It's just that we need them now is
the problem. We're running low as it is," Benz said.

  ***

  Admiral Oden sat at the breakfast table when Admiral Nick strolled in with a smile on his face. Nick stated, "We're receiving new space mines now."

  "I know, Nicky. Sit down and have something to eat. You look like you've lost a few pounds, friend," Dave replied.

  "You already know? I just got the dispatch that they're on the way here. How could you know?" asked Admiral Nick.

  "Easy, Nicky. I knew how many they were making each day. I knew how many were needed for the other planets before production would get to ours. Then I considered how many we needed. It was easy predicting when they would begin shipping. Now sit down and eat before you collapse. I'll bet that you haven't been getting enough sleep, either. There isn't anything more you can do about anything, Nicky. Just let the fine people we have do their jobs without you constantly hovering about like a mother hen."

  "Do I do that?" Admiral Nick asked.

  "Sometimes you do. Now get some breakfast and give yourself a break."

  "All right, Dave. If you insist," Nicky said as he sat down at the table. "Still, you've got to admit that there's a awful lot riding on our shoulders. If we screw up, the Union could wind up broken and enslaved."

  "I know that, Nicky. We'll use those big rocks yet that your people are finding and tracking before we'll surrender. We won't lose. I'll guarantee that in writing or say it to you on Gabrielle if you wish."

  ***

  Commodore Shirley Sorenson stepped into her new flagship to take command of her first squadron. The first thing she noticed was that recruitment for the Navy had apparently been heavy on Edun and Echo just judging from the number of personnel who wore non-skids, weapon belts, and little else. The captain stepped forward and saluted. Shirley returned the salute.

  "Ma'am, the ship is ready for your inspection," he said.

  "Fine, Captain. Let's get to it. Have the crew stand down and relax for now. No sense in putting them through extra stress."