convenient way of navigating around the ship in
case of an enemy boarding or depressurization.
In Control, the captain stood. There was no
specific station for him as he was technically master of all
stations. Ted Beckett had risen through the ranks as a foot
soldier, eventually making Lieutenant, and then the command crew at
various stages. Someone in the Admiralty , the old Admiralty , had recognized his skill and his intuition
because it was very rare for an infantry man to reach captain.
For no reason, the pilot’s station was
toward the front of the ship. There were port holes circling the
Control Room in easy view and, though the pilot could see outside
the ship through these and several cameras, piloting was done based
on data and a graphical readout. Of all the stations, the pilot’s
was the most advanced technologically. It was equipped with two
touch screens, one on either side of the seat. The controls were
customizable for a left or right handed pilot. In addition, there
were two control sticks designed for maneuvering in a three
dimensional environment. Finally, the pilot had a keyboard screen,
just like everyone else. Pilots often had exceptional programming
skills and United Earth Space Force Navigational Systems were
designed to accept macros (mini computer programs) for complex
maneuvers. The better pilots wrote the better macros. The pilot’s
chair could recline into any position and the entire station
rotated and swiveled.
The walls on either side of the pilot were
slightly recessed in order to make room for two small consoles.
Each had a touch screen, keyboard screen, and chair only, although
the chair was a simple plastic job. It was nothing compared to the
pilot’s chair. One station was the radar and weapons station. This
station was commonly manned by another pilot or a foot soldier.
Foot soldiers would often seek other skills while in service of the
infantry. It was how they advanced. A large number of UESF foot
soldiers had opted for ships weapons or engineering. And so the
other station, used to monitor and control engine power, was either
occupied by an engineer or, infrequently, also by a foot
soldier.
At all times, there was at least one officer
in Control. Sometimes he or she would occupy one of the three
stations. Other times, the officer would take up the position in
which the captain stood at the moment. The Crew Chief also took
irregular shifts in Control and could serve as the Chief of the
Watch if no other officers were present. Right now, in fact, the
Crew Chief was present.
The pilot on duty was a rookie by the name
of Roger Winkler. Beckett knew little about the young man except
that his grades were excellent and his performance reviews on his
training assignments had also been top shelf. Peer reviews were
ridiculously good. This kid was headed for command, which was
probably why he had chosen navigation. Navigators seemed to have an
easy road to the top. Take Lara Tedesco for example… As Winkler
moved the ship into a landing trajectory and found the outer
atmosphere, Beckett thought he was a pretty uninspired pilot.
They dropped a tracking satellite, which
could record their movements in space as well as on the ground,
into orbit and then headed into a landing trajectory.
“Whoa!”
Beckett cocked his head toward the radar
console. From his vantage point, he could only see the back of
William Boone’s head.
“Mr. Boone?” Beckett asked.
“Sorry, sir,” Boone said. “Something just
popped up on my scope.”
Beckett went right to the station and looked
at the screen. A small window on the bottom gave him a video view
aft, but there was nothing there except outer space and the flutter
of air molecules in the stratosphere. In another window, the radar
screen showed an approaching blip.
“It just appeared there, sir.”
Beckett could feel Hardy’s eyes on him. More
than that, though, he noticed a difference in the movement of the
ship.
“Mr. Winkler, have you
case of an enemy boarding or depressurization.
In Control, the captain stood. There was no
specific station for him as he was technically master of all
stations. Ted Beckett had risen through the ranks as a foot
soldier, eventually making Lieutenant, and then the command crew at
various stages. Someone in the Admiralty , the old Admiralty , had recognized his skill and his intuition
because it was very rare for an infantry man to reach captain.
For no reason, the pilot’s station was
toward the front of the ship. There were port holes circling the
Control Room in easy view and, though the pilot could see outside
the ship through these and several cameras, piloting was done based
on data and a graphical readout. Of all the stations, the pilot’s
was the most advanced technologically. It was equipped with two
touch screens, one on either side of the seat. The controls were
customizable for a left or right handed pilot. In addition, there
were two control sticks designed for maneuvering in a three
dimensional environment. Finally, the pilot had a keyboard screen,
just like everyone else. Pilots often had exceptional programming
skills and United Earth Space Force Navigational Systems were
designed to accept macros (mini computer programs) for complex
maneuvers. The better pilots wrote the better macros. The pilot’s
chair could recline into any position and the entire station
rotated and swiveled.
The walls on either side of the pilot were
slightly recessed in order to make room for two small consoles.
Each had a touch screen, keyboard screen, and chair only, although
the chair was a simple plastic job. It was nothing compared to the
pilot’s chair. One station was the radar and weapons station. This
station was commonly manned by another pilot or a foot soldier.
Foot soldiers would often seek other skills while in service of the
infantry. It was how they advanced. A large number of UESF foot
soldiers had opted for ships weapons or engineering. And so the
other station, used to monitor and control engine power, was either
occupied by an engineer or, infrequently, also by a foot
soldier.
At all times, there was at least one officer
in Control. Sometimes he or she would occupy one of the three
stations. Other times, the officer would take up the position in
which the captain stood at the moment. The Crew Chief also took
irregular shifts in Control and could serve as the Chief of the
Watch if no other officers were present. Right now, in fact, the
Crew Chief was present.
The pilot on duty was a rookie by the name
of Roger Winkler. Beckett knew little about the young man except
that his grades were excellent and his performance reviews on his
training assignments had also been top shelf. Peer reviews were
ridiculously good. This kid was headed for command, which was
probably why he had chosen navigation. Navigators seemed to have an
easy road to the top. Take Lara Tedesco for example… As Winkler
moved the ship into a landing trajectory and found the outer
atmosphere, Beckett thought he was a pretty uninspired pilot.
They dropped a tracking satellite, which
could record their movements in space as well as on the ground,
into orbit and then headed into a landing trajectory.
“Whoa!”
Beckett cocked his head toward the radar
console. From his vantage point, he could only see the back of
William Boone’s head.
“Mr. Boone?” Beckett asked.
“Sorry, sir,” Boone said. “Something just
popped up on my scope.”
Beckett went right to the station and looked
at the screen. A small window on the bottom gave him a video view
aft, but there was nothing there except outer space and the flutter
of air molecules in the stratosphere. In another window, the radar
screen showed an approaching blip.
“It just appeared there, sir.”
Beckett could feel Hardy’s eyes on him. More
than that, though, he noticed a difference in the movement of the
ship.
“Mr. Winkler, have you
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