« 'Don't bunch up' is not a Navy saying,» Mike answered.
«Musta heard it somewheres,» was the trader's answer.
«Uh-huh,» Mike answered. «And didn't you say they just sent you a recall notice?»
« 'Bout two weeks ago,» John agreed, warily. «Why?»
«Oh,» said Mike, smiling. «Just wondering. Most of the notices went out last year. I can only think of one group that got recalled in the last few months.»
«What are you two talking about?» asked Sharon, frowning.
«Nothing,» said Mike, closing the back of the Tahoe.
«Guys,» said Harry, giving Sharon a hug. «You take care, ya hear?»
«We will,» said Sharon.
«Keep in touch,» said Karen, smiling. «Herman will want to hear about all your big adventures.»
«Okay,» said Cally, giving the woman a hug. «I'll make sure to write him.»
«Well,» said John. «I'm not into soppy good-byes and I've got a tide to catch.» He hugged Sharon and Cally and waved at Mike. «Tell that big ugly bastard Kidd that Poison said 'Hey.' «
«I will,» said Mike with a smile.
«And tell Taylor he can kiss my fat, white ass.»
«Okay,» said Mike with a snort.
«Keep your feet and knees together, snake,» he finished and walked towards the dock. He started to yell for his two missing crewmen but after the first wince thought better of it and just hopped in the dinghy, untied and started rowing towards the harbor opening.
As he was clearing the opening the two half-clad worthies, trailed by two swearing females, charged out of one of the abandoned bungalows and down the shore towards the retreating rowboat.
«What were those women saying, mom?» asked Cally, ingenuously.
«I think it was 'See you later honey,' « Sharon answered, pushing her towards the back seat.
«Oh,» said Cally. « 'Cause, you know, it sounded a lot like, 'What about our money?' «
Mike laughed and shook Harry's hand. «Thanks for having us.»
«Anytime,» Harry answered. «On the house.»
Mike nodded and smiled, then got in the Tahoe. He turned to Sharon and shrugged. «Ready for a long damn drive?»
«Sure. And this time let's bypass my parents.»
«Works for me. Actually, if we go by way of Mayport, you can probably catch a shuttle from there. Then Cally and I will drive back to Dad's. I can catch a shuttle out of Atlanta or Greenville.»
«Okay,» she answered with a sad smile. «And one last night?»
«Yeah,» he answered. «One last night. Until the next time.»
Sharon nodded. Of course there would be a next time. It had taken the highest possible command authority to pry them both loose for this time. And they were both going to be in the thick of combat. But, of course there would be a next time. Mike put the Tahoe in gear and they drove out of the parking lot, down the shell-paved path, wrapped each in mirror thoughts.
CHAPTER 29
Geosynchronous Orbit, Sol III
1444 EDT October 9th, 2004 ad
«Join the Fleet and see the Universe, eh Takagi?» mused Lieutenant Mike Stinson for the umpteenth time as he looked out the clear plastron of his fighter canopy at the swirling stars.
«Yes, my friend. For once the recruiters didn't lie.»
Captain Takao Takagi was the number-one-rated fighter pilot in the Japanese Self-Defense Force when he leaped at the opportunity to transfer to Fleet Strike Fighter Force. He knew the objective realities of the situation, that without dreadnoughts to break up the Posleen battleglobes the fighters could only peck ineffectually at the surface, that the Posleen space-based weapons would probably sweep the limited number of fighters available out of the heavens. He recognized that his chances of ever seeing the snow-capped mountains of Honshu again were slim to none. But he also understood the ancient mantra of the Japanese warrior, the words that every Japanese soldier, airman or sailor carries in his inner heart: Duty is heavier than mountains, death is lighter than a feather.
Someone must stand between Earth and the Posleen landings. Until the heavy Fleet forces were ready, that meant a rag-tag band of converted Federation frigates and the space fighters as they came off the assembly line. If it was his day to die, when the Posleen came, then so be it, as long as he could take an offering with him to the ancestors.
And the view didn't hurt.
Working in two fighter Combat Space Patrol teams, the first three fighter squadrons maintained a close Earth patrol. Since the first few scouting Posleen could be expected any day, it was hoped that the CSPs could intercept the Posleen as they exited from hyperspace and began their movement to Earth.
There were two forms of hyperspatial transport known: «ley-line» transport and «quantum tunneling.»
The Federation, without exception until recently, used «line» transport. A quirk of quantum theory first proposed by humans in the 1950s turned out to be true. Along the path from star to star was a «valley» or «line» that permitted easy entry into the alternative dimensions of hyperspace. These valleys permitted ships to travel at high «relative» speeds, far exceeding the speed of light. Although it was possible to «quantum tunnel» outside the valleys, it was slower and more power intensive.
The problem from a military perspective with the «valleys» was that the openings were both a known location and they were relatively distant from the inner planets. Therefore, it took hours or sometimes even days for a ship to travel from the habitable world to the «valley entrance.» Nor were the entrances necessarily near each other or near planets. So most of a long hyperspatial trip involved movement in star systems from one valley to the next. Furthermore, the approach of a ship in the «valley» set up a harmonic that was detectable outside the «hyperspace dimension,» but ships in the valley were blind to the outside. Although the Posleen did not, currently, set up space ambushes, the possibility existed. And that made Fleet dislike «ley-line» hyperspace intensely.
The Posleen, however, used an alternative method. Disdaining the «valley» method they used «quantum tunneling.» Quantum tunneling had numerous items to its advantage. It permitted «small» jumps within star systems. It permitted the ships to come out relatively close to their target, be it a planet or some other location. And it was practically undetectable.
However, «tunneling» had two countervailing problems. First, it was slow and energy intensive, compared to the «valley» method. The trip from Diess to Earth took six months using the «valley» method; most of the time spent in systems going from valley to valley. Using the «tunneling» method it took almost a year and seven times as much energy. Second, the «exit» phase was highly random. Ships come out of hyperspace on a random course and at low velocities. But it was the preferred method of the Posleen. Indeed, the species seemed unaware of the «lines» between star systems.
Because of the vagaries of «tunneling,» and the low relative velocity of the ships exiting it, if the first few ships were individual Battle Dodecahedrons or Command Dodecahedrons, the combination of fighters for immediate reaction and frigates to pound with marginally heavier weapons might keep some of the pre-landings from happening. At least, that was the hope.
In the meantime, what it meant for the pilots of the First, Ninth, and Fifty-Fifth Interplanetary Fighter Squadrons was an up-close and personal view of the world spread out before them. The patrol positions were just beyond geosynchronous orbit—close enough to intercept the Posleen but far enough out to avoid the junk belt surrounding the planet—and the swirling blue globe constantly caught the eye. As Takao rotated his fighter to take in the view again, the terminator was just starting to cross the Atlantic. The pair's current patrol was just ahead of it—maintaining a near geosynchronous orbit—and he could clearly see the American coastline coming up. After the series of cold fronts that had lashed them for the past two weeks it looked like they were having some extraordinary early fall weather.