65. Tap
1649 Words
The next day, everyone is back in my command room. We got Nadine, her mates, and my people except my parents. "Welcome back. Today's training will be a little different. If you choose to partake, you will be placed against an AI warship with the rockets removed. You will go head-to-head with it. It will not be firing on you, but it will be trying to out maneuver you. You will have 10 minutes to blow it up. The shields on my ship will be functioning at full power. Do not get near it."
Johen jumps up then falls over his chair backwards. "ME."
"I do not know how many will participate in this. The choice is yours. After everyone gets done, if there's still time and command is not screaming for a drink, you will be placed against each other with lasers only again. All that being said, there is a full team ready to go in the shuttle bay, and it's already in airlock. Shuttle bay is now officially closed. If I need to get to you, they will go immediately with no countdown. Also Dr. Cruor has joined us for medical issues. Now I need the list of those wanting to fly against the AI warships."
"We're actually going to blow it up?" Tye stares at me.
"Yes. You will have full weapons. However, the training will be over when that ship becomes unresponsive. That is your goal. If you blow it up, then it is very unresponsive. You will have rockets."
Elek nods. "What if they use all of their rockets and miss? We can't leave it out there floating."
"Command will blow it up."
"Alright, I want to."
"Thank you. Show of hands. I have Elek, Johen, Collin, Nik, Alden, Dipak, Tre, Tye, Jenny, Victor, Tobias, Tim, Kane, Marcus, Mason. Did I get everyone who wants to try? I miss anyone? As I stated before, you'll have 10 minutes. If you're close to winning, we may give you a couple of extra minutes. I want the data. Anyone volunteer to go first? And where are you going, love?"
"Getting us away from any planets, baby. We'll have plenty of room this way."
"Good thinking. Jenny is going first. If you are interested in what we do here and how it works, you can watch us at the screens. But stay the hell out of commands way, or I'll kick you out."
"Good talk baby. You can head down Jenny, we're ready to start." Alden sits in the captain's seat.
Alkawn looks at Alden, "Additional warship landing bays would be useful for extra airlock areas."
Alden nods.
The AI out flies Jenny at every level.
Slowly we get into the list. Then I've got 5 people left. Johen, Alden, Tobias, Tim, and Dipak. So far, Tye is in the lead. He got the AI warship shield down to 3%. That was with a couple of extra minutes. "Dipak you're up." It's been a boring day for me and Elroy.
Elroy is checking papers from Tye's flight. I get myself a cup of coffee. Everyone is around the conference table and Alden's still sitting in the captain's seat. I take a nice big drink of coffee while Elroy shows me his paper. All of a sudden, that damn AI ship flies right in front of my window and Dipak hits it with a rocket. I spit coffee on his paper. "YOU ASSHOLE."
Dipak cracks up laughing in my head. "Making sure command was awake."
Elroy shakes off his paper. "Well we are now."
Everyone cracks up laughing at the conference table. Alden made it, so everyone can hear, since there's only 1 out at a time.
"Made me spit out coffee. That hit got his shields down to 30% though. 8:30 left in training."
"Alright. How many shots is that with a laser?"
Elroy answers, "The data suggests near 15."
We watch the screen and Dipak switches to lasers and shoots. I watch them on the radar screen then glance at the window as they go by.
Elroy leans in, "Dipak learned to fly."
"Yes, he sure as hell did."
He's right on its ass hitting it with lasers.
"Shields down. 7:20 left on training."
We watch some more then he hits it with a rocket. The whole thing blows up. "Training complete. AI warship disabled in 4 minutes and 52 seconds. You're clear for return, Dipak."
"Returning."
Tim and Tobias each take their turns. They blow it up, but it takes longer than Dipak. They're happy though. They seemed to learn to fly too.
Then Johen goes for his turn. I think everyone is waiting around to see these 2 fly.
Elroy hits the green button. "You are clear for departure."
The ships come right in front of my window and Johen hits it with 2 rockets. It explodes that second. But the ships were really close together. Probably 10 feet apart.
I hit the green button, "You did that in 52 seconds sir. You are clear for return."
Nothing.
I throw my coffee in 1 direction and Elroy throws paper the other. He yells, "CUT ALL EXTERIOR COMMUNICATION."
Nadine drops to the ground screaming.
I click his ship. "Can you hear me Johen? AI bring Johen's ship in."
"Unable to comply. Ship is disabled."
"Launch shuttle for him now."
Nadine is still screaming and Tre has her.
The shuttle comes up to his ship and brains float around. I scratch my head. They are tied to the shuttle somehow. Never quite seen this done.
Victor looks at Alden. "You know an ambulance that could pick up a warship would be beneficial."
Alden nods.
"Get me communication with that shuttle."
"What's going on? How is he?"
"I'm fine Kehlani. The blast was too close. It knocked out my ship. I'm perfect."
"Turn exterior communication on." It comes back into the room. "Please repeat that, shuttle. Your mate is having a melt-down."
We hear Johen chuckle. "I'm fine, sugar. I was too close to the blast, and it knocked out communications. My whole ship. They're escorting me to medical, and I'll be there in a minute. Tell that asshole not to go yet. I want to watch. No way he can beat my time. What was it?"
I crack up laughing. "52 seconds. It will be near impossible to beat."
"Yep. I'm going to win. I'm in medical now. Should be up in a minute."
"Take your time. I'll make him wait." I shut it off. "You're on hold sir."
Elroy glances around. "We made a mess."
"Yea, I need more coffee." I get myself a cup while the brains clean our area and pick up the papers. Then we stare at the ship floating 15 feet from my windows with 2 rockets still attached to it.
He crosses his arms. "I don't think we should blow that up there."
"Probably not." I scratch my head. "Any suggestions on moving it?"
"Well, we have shields on. Maybe we could tap it with the shield and push it away."
"Get it to a safer distance to blow it up."
"Exactly."
Dipak and Alden crack up laughing. We turn around, and they're watching us from the captains' chair area. I shake my head, "It should work."
Alden smirks and winks at me.
I motion for a brain. "We're going to tap that ship, so it goes further away."
"Tap it lightly, so it pushes away."
"Tap lightly with the shield."
"Yes, ma'am."
The ship gets closer to it and taps it. It goes like 1 foot.
"Well, that didn't work."
I shake my head. "Now it's actually closer."
Dipak and Alden are trying to hold it together. I give them a dirty look.
"OH. Maybe we can turn this ship sideways and open the warship bay. Sort of swallow the disabled warship into it."
The boys lose it.
Elroy throws a pen at them.
"When the gravity turns on, that ship will slam into the ground though and it still has 2 rockets. If they detonate, they could make a lot of rockets down there detonate."
"That is true. Bad idea. Maybe we can tap it harder?"
Dipak sits on the floor and wipes his eyes. Alden stares at the ceiling and tries hard to stop laughing.
Elroy shakes his head. "Tap it harder."
The ship moves again and it goes another foot.
"Can you tap it harder than that?"
"Any harder and it may cause damage to this ships shields. There is also a potential for rocket detonation."
I look at Dipak and Alden. "What's the answer?"
They say, "Backup." at the same time.
Elroy nods, "Ship backup to a safe distance to blow that up."
"Yes, sir."
We back up about 30 feet. Alden sits in a laser seat. He shoots it once and it blows up.
I smile. "Problem solved."
He comes over and kisses my head. "Yes it was. Good job."
Then Johen runs in. "You can go now."
They laugh and Alden goes to the warship bay. He blows it up in just over a minute. I declare him winner because he didn't cause any heart attacks or melt-downs. Johen's not happy but Nadine agrees with me.
Then they go out for the shield war again. Johen wins that training. Alden and Dipak were close.
I get them back to the command room and calmed down.
"Thank you for participating in today's training. Good job. Everyone lived."
"Yes, everyone go. We're going to depart from earth tonight. Make sure you're back on the ship by then."
"Luke wants to say goodbye to the animals. I told you I wouldn't let you forget."
"We can bring him up after dinner, and he can ride them again." Alden looks at Marcus. "That good for you?"
"Yea, that's fine."
"Alright, everyone go wind down somewhere else."
- Writer
