The next night, I pulled two scrambles, one in the early evening and one late in the morning. I kept the units practicing hard at everything until I could see some semblance of order and discipline returning to the unit. I hadn’t given the squadron a name yet and really wasn’t too concerned about that since there were more important things to do. However, since they were beginning to shape up after a week of work, I decided that it was time to instill some spirit into them other than the kind they drank. I thought back to my speech with the officers and pilots when I told them that I wanted the enemy to think we were crazy for combat and fear us. I also wanted a name which would help to instill that fear whenever it was said. I finally chose to give them the title of the Grim Reaper Squadron. It was close enough to what I wanted for inspiration and fear. The squadron surprised me sometime later the next day when I discovered that they took to the name with enthusiasm. They even had a Grim Reaper painted on the nose of every ship of the squadron by then.
The Grim Reaper Squadron didn’t get into a patrol sector for two weeks. Then we were finally there and had the luck to discover several enemy ships. I announced the charge over the lightbeam radio and watched the ships go into combat against the three alien ships. The unit performed much better than I thought they would. I was beginning to rethink my opinion of the members of the squadron since they took to the idea of individual initiative better than other personnel. I decided to test my thoughts and called back to Headquarters. “Fleet Admiral Cain, I’d like to take the squadron on an unlimited excursion of all our sectors.”
“Why?” he asked.
I said, “Because I think we’ve hit paydirt in this squadron. I think they’re ready. Did you monitor the engagement we just had?”
He replied, “Yes, I did, Captain. But that was only three enemy ships.”
I said, “Maybe so, but the way they aggressively went after the enemy convinces me that they’re ready for bigger game, if we can find it.”
He said, “Very well. Permission granted. I will have all sectors notified right now that the 13th Squadron is going to be moving about unrestricted. Good luck. I think you’re going to need it.”
I replied, “Thanks, Admiral. We’ll do our best not to disappoint you.”
I turned to the Captain of my flagship and said, “Set course to take the squadron through all the sectors. We’re going hunting!”
“Yes sir,” she responded.
A few minutes later we were moving through space and leaving our sector to check out as many sectors as possible. When we entered the third sector, there were two enemy ships. Three of our squadron’s ships peeled off at them before I could even announce the charge. I went ahead and backed them up with the rest of the squadron as we destroyed two more enemy ships. All during each engagement, the Communications officer gave a description of the fighting.
Entering the fifth sector we came across an enemy scout who wasn’t fast enough in leaving. The rest of the sectors after that were empty. Our tactics were having an effect on the enemy. We spent the rest of the week moving from sector to sector, trying to catch the enemy napping and coming up empty-handed.
The Grim Reaper Squadron returned to base to be met by the Fleet Admiral who looked at the men and women who came off the ships in amazement. “How did you get them shaped up?” he asked.
I answered, “I kept them up late and gave them honest work, sir. If nothing else, you have the beginnings of one of the finest squadrons you’ll ever see right in front of you. Give them something to do and plenty of it. They’ll respond. They’ve been kept too far away from everyone else and the action. They got bored. From there they went downhill. They’re also very individualistic. This squadron technique is particularly suited to their personalities. I recommend they be given as much opportunity to fight the enemy as possible. I can stay with them another week or another month, but I don’t think anymore time from me is going to make them any better. What they need most is to be used and respected. I don’t think they’ll disappoint you.”
He said, “I’ll take your word on it. I really thought that it would take you much longer to prepare this squadron, even longer than the two to three months you estimated. Okay. Take a week off and come see me. I’ll have an assignment that you won’t want to miss. I guarantee that.”
I spent the next week at the same base with the Grim Reaper Squadron along with Majel and her personnel. We watched the squadron scramble twice to intercept enemy penetrations into their area of space. Both times, they succeeded without a loss and crushed the enemy totally. Before I left for Headquarters, they left on another deep space patrol. They were looking forward to it. They had been given one of the hottest sectors around.
When we got to Headquarters, we were just in time to hear, along with the Fleet Admiral, the description of the battle going on between an equal-sized enemy squadron and the Grim Reaper Squadron. We listened intently to the flagship communications officer as the ships charged at the enemy. Visuals were greatly limited to what was selected by communications on board each ship for transmission. Having been there with them not long ago, I could visualize what the rest of the battle appeared like to the men and women of the squadron.
“We’ve just taken out one of their ships, it’s a destroyer class ship. There goes another one of the enemy ships! Two of our ships are peeling off from the formation. They’ve got one of the enemy ships in a cross fire. There he goes! It looked to be the size of a light cruiser. We’ve taken a hit that I just felt. Didn’t feel serious. Oh, we just lost one of our destroyers. Okay, there goes what was probably the enemy flagship. She’s falling apart in pieces! We’re changing course to take on a light cruiser. We’re scoring hits! I just noticed another enemy destroyer class ship rupture into space! Some of the enemy ships look like they’re trying to escape now. They’re turning… Yes! They are trying to escape! There goes another enemy destroyer in pieces! We’re picking them off now! I just spotted two of the enemy ships collide into each other. They’re fouled up. One of our ships just peeled off from the formation to take advantage of them. He’s getting hits on them! One of them is destroyed! We’re helping out with some of our guns. There goes the other ship!”
The Fleet Admiral was smiling when he realized that the battle was turning out into a slaughter of the enemy. He looked up at me and said, “We’ve got to celebrate before I give you your next assignment. That was a great battle!”
I accepted one of the drinks he poured for Majel and myself and waited for him to raise his glass. He gave the toast to the Grim Reaper Squadron and I drank along with him. Then he picked up a packet and handed it to me. He said, “Captain, it’s every officer’s dream to command a heavy cruiser. You’re going to get your chance. You’ll be training a thirty-ship squadron with a heavy cruiser, the Excalibur, two cruisers, three light cruisers, twenty destroyers, and four scouts. I’m going to have the two squadrons you trained for me take over their sector on an alternating basis. They both seem up to the task. The 9th Squadron has been in a lot of action, but it hasn’t made any headway. I think only its size has kept the enemy at bay until now. See what you can do with it. I’d like to see this war end soon. My son is on one of the ships. I’m expecting you to treat him as you did every other man and woman. I am not going to tolerate any favoritism from you concerning him.”