Vortex - Part Four

Jobs were assigned in two minutes. The command crew just outranked Aaen. Their uniforms were handed out promptly. Aaen stayed calm. Ten seconds later, the Helm job was announced; he volunteered to take the Conn. as he was not being interested in adjusting power levels, launching shuttles, or shooting at anything. At least, not yet.

"—Anybody?" Daymont asked.

Aaen raised his hand. The job was his. His uniform had yellow shoulders over black and had Chief Warrant Officer insignia on each shoulder. He was puzzled by this discovery, but nothing on the print so far indicated his rank had been reduced, so he kept to himself.

The rest of the bridge jobs were assigned promptly. Time for the briefing, Aaen decided.

The image on the screen changed to an image of a Defiant-class starship, and a logo next to the image showing a Defiant-class starship with an angry shark-like face bearing its many teeth racing from right to left. Aaen had heard about the Defiant-class. The only common knowledge was that it was overpowered and had almost as many teeth as a galaxy-class—but the Defiant-class was comparable in size to Aaen's favorite ship.

"This is the USSC Ranger. As you can see, it's a. . .unique. . .class spaceship. Right now it's the only one in all of the fleet. Some of you may be wondering, 'why is this one part of the Magellan?' he paused, changing the image again, this one showed technical information. Five seconds later, the room was flooded with expressions of awe. "It's. Got. Teeth." Daymont continued. Aaen's interest in the Ranger's tactical abilities had been piqued; he concluded Daymont was hinting at the apparent fact that the Defiant-class starship was a sort of warship. Daymont went over all of the Ranger's technical specifications  . . .  Aaen was wide-eyed at what he heard over the next minute. The Ranger was under the captain's control.

The briefing proceeded to talk about the Magellan, herself. Aaen was blown away at the sight of an image taken of the 'ship'—that's not a ship! That's a freakin' fortress! Cardassian, by design, Aaen reasoned, given the station's curving docking arms above and below the central command and control core section; he also noticed the dark brown coloration of the hull. There's no way that thing can move! . . . Or can it? 

The mission briefing continued with the Magellan's technical specifications, starting with its crew compliment, tactical and scientific outfitting, and then its propulsion systems. WOAH! Aaen thought, blown away at the station's apparently equipped with standard thrusters, sublight engines, over two thousand of one type of torpedo, two hundred of another torpedo, fifty high-output cannon emitters and arrays, fifty shuttles, two hundred drone fighters, and special weapon systems called the CRM-115, and then there was the THX-1140. When activated, the CRM-115 gives everyone access to a torpedo launcher with five torpedoes and a cannon array; the THX-1138 . . . Aaen gasped in shock and awe at Admiral Daymont's description of the weapon system, "could punch a hole through an entire planet." And let's not forget about the Translight Drive! The last time Aaen heard about that faster-than-light space engine drive system was when it was installed on the Excelsior-class starship, and that was only as an experiment conducted by engineers to see how human-manufactured ships would handle such a space engine drive system compared to standard star-drive design. The first starship to be equipped with the drive was the USSC Excelon when a gutsy captain 'borrowed' prototype to recover an old friend from a distant planet after he realized that he was still somehow alive. He started wondering if Magellan had been selected for a translight drive, or if it was, "—recovered from a destroyed alien ship." said Admiral Daymont. Aaen was increasingly wide-eyed at the fact. "that was destroyed at Bear 340." That was the ship that captured and assimilated one of the Union's most mentioned captains, Aaen recalled. "You are going to use the hyper translight drive to travel to these coordinates." Admiral Daymont wrote a series of largely curved lines, and then four smaller circles on the wall-mounted surface behind him, and then a dot at the circles' intersecting point. Aaen looked at the dot and compared it to the rest of the drawn map and noticed the dot was in the middle of nowhere in deep space. Aaen thought the location was apt to reduce the likelihood of interference from any outside party. "A Union scientist will be carrying out an experiment that may result in our having a new way of traveling through space, possibly subspace, at speeds that would make even the fastest traditional-faster-than-light space engine seem very slow by comparison. Unfortunately, we are not the only government that knows about this experiment's taking place in a matter of hours. Somehow, the Orions, Rotelans, Thorelians, and Fereni also know about what is to come thanks to what Intelligence can only reason as being the result of an elaborate spy network. Whether or not those four governments are working together or not we don't know, but we can't rule the possibility that they might individually or collectively try something to try to steal the experiment for whatever purpose. You are all responsible for ensuring the security of the area upon arrival, and do what you need to do to ensure the experiment is carried out and that no one steals the experiment. Does everyone understand?"

The room silently responded in the affirmative.

"Good! If everyone will please stand up and push in your chairs. A transport will take you to your ship. Best of luck to you all!"

"Admiral and crew! May I have your attention, please!" a short female officer with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a bright blue short-sleeved uniform called the crews' attention toward the back of the room. Aaen read her name printed on the front-left of her uniform. Metta. Metta opened a large black door leading to what Aaen guessed was a jet bridge. 

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)

apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)

barnesandnoble.com 

scribd.com 

kobo.com

blio.com

Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!

Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!

Vortex - Part Three

Fleet Admiral Williamson entered the room next. All focused their attention on him as he stood ten feet in front of the steps towards the middle of the room. He blew a sharp whistle. The chatter ceased almost instantly.

"Troops! My name is Fleet Admiral Williamson. I'm the boss. We want to get you all into your ships as quickly as possible, so please listen carefully. Behind me are the Admirals who will be overseeing each of your missions tonight."

He introduced each one in turn with an outstretched hand. First, Megan, a two-star Admiral overseeing the Falcon; next, two-star Admiral Call, overseeing the Odyssey; three-star Admiral Daymont was overseeing the Magellan; two-star Admiral Stacey oversaw the Galileo, and Commodore Houston was overseeing the Voyager. A Lieutenant Commander and five others lined up behind Admiral Megan, a Lieutenant Colonel and seven others lined up behind Admiral Call (Aaen looked at his rank paper to find Lieutenant Colonel as only a few ranks below Admiralty); a major and ten others lined up behind Commodore Houston; Aaen and twelve others lined up behind Admiral Daymont. Each crew left the room following their assigned Admiral.

After a brief restroom break, Admiral Daymont led the thirteen crew members into the same briefing room where Aaen recalled having been briefed for Intolerance. He was the third crewmember to enter the room. There was a cool, but comfortable chill as he passed through the room's threshold; Aaen liked the sensation on his face, and felt his enthusiasm building at the sight of the darkened room and the Magellan's logo projected onto a screen next to the black desk at the front of the room to his left, a desk that bore a black and gold variant of the Command logo. The room was very dimly lit; behind the desk, a wall-mounted writing platform with light beaming onto it from an array of small ceiling-mounted lights. He quickly took his seat at the head of the first of three tables and watched and waited as the rest of the crew took their seats. Admiral Daymont stood behind the desk and faced the crew.

Aaen leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and putting his weight on his elbows as he coupled his fingers. The crew gave Admiral Daymont their full attention.

"Alright, troops. The sooner we get through this briefing the sooner we get you all into your ship. It takes thirteen people to run the Magellan's bridge." he activated a small laptop computer on the desk and entered a command which changed the projection to show all of the senior officer bridge jobs, starting with the job of Admiral and ending with Deputy Security. He described each of the jobs in detail in what Aaen estimated was thirty seconds to a minute each. The Admiral runs the ship, but he or she focuses on the Ranger—Magellan's peripheral spacecraft, and basically The Union's first warship, though it is considered and regarded as an 'escort.' Aaen quietly and subtly laughed at the obvious inference. The captain focuses more on the ship's internal operations. The executive officer supports the captain and the Admiral and serves as the bridge for the rest of the crew to the captain and the Admiral. Everyone has a computer and unique functions that they can perform with that computer. The executive officer and two bridge security officers get sidearms.

—Great. Aaen thought skeptically, there are security officers on the lower decks, but only three people are expected to be able to protect the bridge of the largest traversable spacecraft (station) in The Union's fleet. Aaen was starting to wonder about Magellan's tactical capabilities. If, in the unlikely event the bridge should be taken over by a hostile outside force  . . .  what are the real odds of three people preventing that take over from being successful? He wondered skeptically, he felt his curiosity building, and he was becoming increasingly anxious to find out just how serious Magellan could get if the Admiral or the captain declared red alert, and the ship came under hostile fire. How many ships could Magellan take on in combat, if that were to happen, and hold its ground before. . . 

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)

apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)

barnesandnoble.com 

scribd.com 

kobo.com

blio.com

Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!

Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!

Vortex - Part Two

Aaen again nodded. In less than a minute, he found himself in a larger room where Commodore Houston looked at him with a smile. He stood at attention. She quickly waved him off. "Welcome! Put your sleeping bag against the wall, and then take a seat on the steps." Aaen did so with a simple, emphatic and abrupt outstretch of his arm. He took his rank paper and took a seat where four or five other officers had already arrived and were waiting. He found himself the focus of their attention. He sensed they were as curious about his rank as he was about theirs. Something told him he was at best the second highest ranking officer on the deck. No problem.

He sat down on the tallest of three steps. The fine Federation drapery hung from the focal point of the room in a way that caused Aaen to feel inspired. He looked at the clock and admired the fact that only ten minutes remained until all present would be divided into their respective ship assignments. Aaen was excited to try working on the Deep Space Station Magellan; though the Odyssey was still lingering in the back of his mind. He admired the space station's name. In his mind, the name couldn't be recited without some provoked thought of rolling thunder, and even then, there was still an energy and a sense of pride that came from even knowing that's where one was headed. The station's existence was no secret, unlike the Galileo, and no one forbade the very mention of the station's name. Still, it was one of those assignments that most hoped for than found on their service record at any point in their careers. Aaen was curious why. He grinned.

"So what's your rank?" a male voice asked from Aaen's right. Aaen looked to see who had asked the question and then tilted his paper.

"—You're a Commander?—" he looked up at Aaen. "How many missions have you done here?"

"A few."

"Wow, someone must really like you, sir."

Aaen nodded, he scanned the list of ranks, and then noted where his rank was on the list. He was one-third the way up the proverbial chain to Admiralty. He maintained his grin. "What's yours?" Aaen quickly learned that his curious fellow was only a Lieutenant.

"I'm Aaen."

"Dylan."

"Good to meet you," Aaen said.

"What ship are you on, Commander?"

"Magellan."

"—Seriously?" Aaen noticed a sense of jealousy in the Lieutenant's voice. He found himself surprised at the Lieutenant's response, considering most people usually vie for the Voyager. While an untold number have also quietly hoped to be on the one ship rarely spoken of.

"Yeah."

"I'm on the Voyager."

Aaen nodded, noticing a flood of other Spacefleet officers, some male, some female, entering the room with a similar paper to his. They all filled the three steps. The room gradually filled with building chatter. Several more officers entered the room; these officers wore black short-sleeved t-shirts tucked in and quickly acknowledged the Commodore as they entered and then lined up against the far adjacent wall near the entrance. A few additional officers entered. They wore shirts with longer collars; their shirts varied in color from dark navy blue to bright green. None looked familiar to Aaen. 

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)

apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)

barnesandnoble.com 

scribd.com 

kobo.com

blio.com

Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!

Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!

Vortex - Part One

The first day of Summer; 18:30 hours. Aaen donned his uniform in front of the top floor's hallway mirror of the family home, double-checking his rank insignia pinned to the white ribbon extending over his right shoulder, and brushing his hands down his front in hopes of ridding his uniform of any pet hair. He wanted to make sure he was looking sharp for his next assignment. One minute later, he went downstairs on his way to the shuttle port; he noticed through the back door window the Sun was almost completely down amid a crimson-orange horizon. He felt a surge of anxiety and excitement. Time to go, Aaen grinned. Enthusiastic and jittery, he picked up his sleeping bag and quickly thumbed through his two papers: one with his mission orders, the other was his rank certificate signed by Fleet Admiral Williamson, himself. Lieutenant-Commander, Aaen slowly went over the fact of his promotion in his head. Someone at Command undoubtedly read the First Officer's report from the Odyssey mission and put in a deserving good word in. He maintained his grin as he yanked his sleeping bag over his right shoulder and started for the shuttle. He recalled looking up the rest of the then-crews' ranks after returning home only a week ago. Most of that crew were still ensigns; one had been promoted to Lieutenant. Who was that again? Aaen didn't immediately recall. He was too focused on the fact that he had been recalled and assigned to a space station. The Odyssey would have been better, but he found the idea of being assigned to a space station for at least one space mission appealing. D-S-S Magellan. He raised his eyebrows at even the mental recitation of the station's name. The station was commonly regarded as a 'flying fortress'. He found himself curious to find out. Some deep space stations were for scientific research and development—for who-knows-what. Aaen didn't try to compute the possible answers to that question, though he silently speculated that the Union undoubtedly had to have someone figuring out new ways of keeping the fleet as technologically as far ahead of the Union's adversaries as possible. Not to mention the Rotelans . Yeah, especially the Rotelans . Contrarily, he started to wonder if the Union and the Rotelan Empire would ever find mutual peace; maybe even become allies? For the time being, Aaen decided that only time would tell . . . but he hoped that he would be physically present or even have a direct influence on that point, should such an opportunity present itself. Hopefully.

He tossed his sleeping bag in the cargo hold, and then enjoyed a brisk flight to Starbase One. After docking and then off-boarding, he waved goodbye to his parents as he started walking to the security check-in area. He turned in his papers to one of three wearing black uniforms bearing Command's logo on the outside of the right short sleeve, who was sitting behind a large shared desk. One paper got briskly scanned, and then the other—his rank certificate—was also scanned for two large bolded numbers in the top-center of the paper. The young lady who had his rank certificate looked up at him. "Have you been on any training flights or other programs since you were last here, Lieutenant Commander?"

Aaen looked at her gorgeous brown eyes and emphatically said, "Two missions on the Voyager; one on the Odyssey." She did a brief calculation, and then pulled a piece of paper from a short stack and wrote two new numbers down, one on each blank line, and then inched her pen from the bottom of the paper up the list of ranks . . . and then circled a new rank almost halfway up the list. Aaen read the upside down paper—WOAH!

She handed the paper to him with a smile. "Congratulations, Commander. Head down the hallway to your right for further instructions."

Aaen nodded acknowledgment. He relished the gently reverberating computer beeping and similar sounds flowing through the hallway. Another wearing a black short-sleeved uniform, male, extended his right arm to Aaen's left. "Head down this hallway to the door that's open." 

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)

apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)

barnesandnoble.com 

scribd.com 

kobo.com

blio.com

Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!

Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!