STARFIGHTER! The Iconoclasts
Chapter 7: Two Egos, One Crash?
By: Tom Sczepkowski
With
editing and clean-up by: Frederick P. Kopetz
Copyrights: STAR TREK is © 2004 by
Paramount Pictures, Inc. STAR BLAZERS is © 2004 by Voyager International, and,
STAR WARS is © 2004 by Lucasfilm, Ltd. GARGOYLES is © 2004 by Disney
Entertainment. The Technomugar Empire is © 2004 by Frederick P. Kopetz and is
mentioned here by the author's permission. All original elements of this tale
are © 2004 by Tom Sczepkowski. All rights reserved, not to be copied without
the author's permission.
I now begin the journey that will lead
me into the sunset of my life.
I know that for
Ronald Regan
1911-2004
May
your inspiration boldly reach where no one has gone before…………
******************************************************************************************************
The Andromeda
floated in
“Captain
Kirk?…," he first blurted out than gritted his teeth. Damnit he thought. Vaught then corrected himself as the Captain
of the Andromeda spun around almost
with a shocked look and bee-lined over to his station.
“My apologies….Captain Gideon.” Vaught said
Gideon
looked at him for a second with a deep concern.
It was a look that Vaught couldn’t understand for the moment
“Who are
you?” The Captain asked.
“Lt Col. Vaught Corsair…Space Marine Combat Engineers.”
“What are you doing here?” Gideon asked again
Vaught was
taken aback at the question as his mind began to race. It was then that Sandor
interjected
“I asked
him for his services on the test flight, Captain.” Sandor said
“Did his
credentials clear?” Gideon snapped…while not breaking eye contact with Vaught.
Now, Sandor was taken aback by the Captain's awkwardness.
“Yes sir…of
course.” Sandor replied
“Right,”
Gideon snapped. “What did you need, Colonel?”
“Power
levels are at full, sir.” Vaught said. “The wave motion engine can be fired at
your discretion.”
“Finally.”
Gideon said. “Engineer, engage wave Motion Engine.”
Sandor let
out a sigh. Gideon caught it and pivoted to face him again. “What is it now?”
Gideon asked.
“Sir, I was
hoping for some extra time to run some more simulations first.”
“Sandor,
don’t worry about it we’ll be fine.” Gideon said “You I have confidence in.”
Gideon
returned to his command console and sat down. Vaught could tell that he didn’t
like the console, and that he would rather be closer to the crew as he saw
Sandor walking over to him.
“I’m sorry
Commander.” Vaught said “I should have conferred with you first.”
Sandor
smiled. “Nah, you did the right thing.” He said “By the way who is Captain
Kirk?”
“Someone that I read about in a history book.” Vaught said “He reminded me of
him.”
“Ok, well
whatever it was he didn’t appreciate it.” Sandor said “Try and stay under his
radar.”
“Right.”
Vaught said as he continued looking at the readings.
“Orbital plot
paid in?” Gideon said sitting in his command chair
“Aye, sir.”
The helmsman said nervously.
“Wave motion energy at 120 percent.” Vaught said again
“Start
flywheel.” Gideon said
Vaught
flipped some switches quickly as there was a loud whirring sound from inside
the ship.
“Flywheel at 200,000 RPM's. Cooling systems are normal, sir.”
Vaught said confidently and calmly while he stood by to engage the wave motion
engine.
Vaught
could tell that Gideon was fixated on the young helmsman who seemed very
nervous and apprehensive. He next looked at Vaught than back at the Helmsman.
“Colonel
Corsair, please relieve Mr. Clonegger at the helm.” Gideon said. “Sandor, take
over the engineering station.”
V aught
knew why Gideon wanted the change. He guessed that Vaught must have had some
basic training on starship helms…However, Vaught's
knowledge was extremely limited. He sat down at the console and found that the
controls were totally different than that of a Federation starship. Vaught
gathered his bearings quickly, as he figured which control did which.
“Keel
ascension thrusters standing by, sir.” Vaught said.
“Thank
you.” Gideon said. "Never mind the thrusters, Corsair. Engage wave motion
engine ahead one quarter.”
Vaught
cracked a smile. “Yes sir.”
Sandor and
the crew looked at each other nervously as Vaught pulled down a throttle. Then,
there was a jet blast from near the stern as a huge plume of water sprayed
around the space battleship. The huge ship then started to move. A moment later, she was bouncing along the
ocean waves as Vaught pulled back on the helm yoke with gentle ease. Then, the Andromeda lifted off the ocean's
surface. He used the auxiliary engines which were quad-mounted along the ship's
stern to stabilize the ship as she passed through the atmosphere. They made it
quickly to Earth orbit where they aligned themselves with the tracking
satellites that would monitor their test flight. Sandor walked over to him and
put his hand on his shoulder.
“Nice bit
of flying.” Sandor said while Vaught engaged the autopilot.
“I take it
we did it the old fashioned way.” Vaught said “Now what?”
“Well,”
Sandor said “The tracking satellites are performing their observations…so you
just have to stay locked on this course.”
Vaught
checked the computer. “Well…that puts us around the moon in about 20 minutes.”
“Right.”
Vaught sat
back into the chair trying to make himself comfortable
when the ship's radar system started beeping.
Vaught
checked his own display and saw that it was another ship on the screen. The
radar operator informed the Captain, who ordered that the visual be brought up
on the panel. The video panel was over the bridge windows angled along the
overhead. It was split into four screens which could get multiple views and
give multiple information feeds to the bridge crew. The image of the ship came
on the screen as Vaught's eyes went wide.
Hmmm!
Interesting how their ships all are based on the design of the ancient 20th
Century battleships. Vaught
thought as he punched some buttons on his watch data pad activating Inferno’s
sensors by remote control to scan the approaching space battleship. From
what he could tell glancing at the watch, she was an older vessel (by about two
years). From the Andromeda Vaught concluded that the design of the Andromeda must have been based on that
ship. But there was something odd about
the lines of the vessel. Something that he had seen before…As
if he had seen the approaching ship in a book. Then he finally realized
where he had seen her. It was during a naval history class that he was teaching
a year ago…About the Japanese military forces during World War II and a ship
called the….
“Yamato.” Vaught whispered.
She,
indeed, had the same lines of the World War II battleship as he continued to
look at the ship on the monitor. Vaught noticed some changes, especially around
the amidships gun batteries along the port and starboard sides under the bridge
tower, but, this ship was, essentially, patterned after the ancient Imperial
Japanese battleship Yamato… a ship
which, as Vaught well knew, had been sunk by U.S. carrier-based planes in a
battle not far from Okinawa in April 1945, near the end of World War II.
The
communication officer tried unsuccessfully to contact the approaching ship as he
shook his head
“Captain
Gideon.” The communications officer said “They can't hear me…the Argo’s
radio must be out.”
“That
tub…!" He growled. “It should’ve been grounded.”
Vaught
realized that they were getting closer than what was considered safe as Vaught
began plotting a new course.
“Mister
Corsair, I don’t recall ordering a course correction.” Gideon said
Vaught
turned around to look at him
“Mind your
helm, Mister Corsair.” Gideon said
“Aye ,sir.” Vaught simply said and continued to hold the ship's
course.
“Captain?”
Sandor asked as the Argo got closer.
“Were on
our first test run….we’re not going to alter our course; it will make some of
the test results useless.” Gideon
said
On the Argo, Derek Wildstar, the acting
skipper, was not happy at the impending collision between the Andromeda and the Argo.
"Captain!"
said Wildstar's helmsman. "If we stay on this course, we're going to
crash!"
"They must know we have the right of way! We
have priority!" snapped Wildstar. "And by now, they have to know that
our radio is out; that gives us additional landing rights!"
"I'm
still trying to raise them," said Homer in a cold sweat at his panel.
"Don't
worry," said Wildstar. "That damned Captain has to know regulations. He'll
turn aside sooner or later."
Damned idiot, thought Wildstar as a growl formed
on his lips.
Gideon
looked up at the video panel as the Argo
approached
“Who's in
command of that ship?” Gideon said
“Derek
Wildstar.” Sandor said.
“Wildstar,”
Gideon said with jaded sarcasm. "That stubborn
idiot!"
On the Argo, the collision alarms were beginning to sound as the Andromeda loomed closer on the Argo's older single-screen video panel.
"Captain
Wildstar, we'd better change our course," said his helmsman.
"That
jackass," said Wildstar through gritted teeth. "He knows the rules!
He must have read General Order Twelve sometime
in his life! He’ll turn off! Mark my words! All he's doing is trying to prove who's boss! Well, I've had enough of this garbage. He'd
better do the right thing and follow orders!"
"Yessir,"
said the helmsman.
Just then
the collision alarms sounded on the Andromeda;
Vaught looked back at Gideon yet a third time.
“Hold your
course.” Gideon said. “Turret Number One to stand-by.
If he thinks he's gonna collide with us, he's in for the biggest mistake of his
young life!”
That seemed
to upset the bridge crew, especially Sandor.
“Wait a
minute, Captain,” Sandor said. “It could just be that her radio is out!”
Gideon looked at Sandor with annoyance. “General Order Twelve!” snapped Vaught. “What?” Sandor said as he looked at the communications officer “Adequate precautions must be taken when approached by a space craft with which no communication has been established.” Vaught said “Very good Colonel,” Gideon said with a sardonic laugh as the Argo loomed larger in the bridge windows. Gideon then looked at Sandor. I guess Starfleet Regulations are the same, Vaught thought. Good. Vaught realized that this was beyond the mere stubbornness of a Captain.
He sensed that Gideon was reliving something. Perhaps something that had happened years before. He sensed fear coming from him although he did not show it outright. “Captain Gideon!” someone shouted on the bridge, “We're gonna crash!” The anti collision alarms wailed all over the bridge as Vaught hit the override instinctively. Vaught again looked up at the bridge windows…. However, he didn’t see the Argo…in his mind another form had taken its place…indeed…a Federation Starship had now taken the Argo’s place 
Vaught closed his eyes and shook his head as the image that he saw returned to that of the Argo. He didn’t have time to think about why he saw the vessel change or whether or not it was an image from the Force. He had to concentrate. The course had to be arrow straight. If it was off by one tenth of one degree both ships would slam into each other. Even computers in his own universe couldn’t be that perfect and the Andromeda’s guidance computer was fluctuating slightly. Vaught didn’t trust it. He switched to manual control as Sandor's eyes widened. “Oh my God!” muttered the Engineer. “Trust me." Vaught said as he calmly made slight adjustments. He held the controls with his fingertips deliberately not grasping the whole yoke with his hand making ever so slight adjustments. Gideon and Sandor didn’t have time to show how impressed they were as the Argo was now passing them with just inches to spare. The entire crew was terrified with their jaws hanging open with the exception of Vaught who just calmly maneuvered the controls as if nothing was happening. Even Gideon’s heart raced as the two ships passed but then all that there was in front of them was the moon and the Argo was now safely astern. Vaught chuckled to himself as he reactivated the autopilot “That, gentlemen, is how we do that.” Gideon laughed quietly. “Well done Mr. Corsair…I think you could teach our pilots a few things.” “Thank you Captain; it was all very routine.” Vaught said. “Maintain current speed and heading.” Gideon said. “Aye sir.” Vaught said. However, he was wondering about the Miranda Class ship that he had seen in the Force and why he had seen it.
Who was this Captain who looked and acted exactly like one of the greatest heroes of his universe. Was Gideon James T. Kirk? Vaught looked to the stars and felt a cold chill go down his spine…what was happening out there was the biggest mystery. Now, for the first time Vaught felt that what was happening out there was his destiny…………
On the Argo, Wildstar, Homer, and Wildstar's helmsman wiped their brows with relief. "Whew," said Homer with a nervous laugh. "That was close!" "Damn straight," said Wildstar with a grin. He looked at Homer and began to chuckle. Then, he began to laugh. The rest of the bridge crew followed suit. "Yeah," said Derek. "That was good! That helmsman on the Andromeda must've been showing off." "Probably trying to show you who's…" "Boss, Homer," said Wildstar. "And he was 100% wrong, whoever that Captain was." "Wildstar, you're gonna hear about this," said Homer. "So what?" snapped Derek. "He was in the wrong. I was in the right. Let that Captain try to ruin my career. He's got another thing coming!" "Wildstar," said Homer. "Don't 'Wildstar' me, Homer," said Derek with a half-chuckle, half-snarl on his lips. "Everyone's pushing me around. Believe me, I'm gonna teach them something else!"
End Chapter Seven
Next Chapter: "Homecoming"
To Return to the
Introduction to Starfighter: The
Iconoclasts, click here