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the main wardroom. She called in both Arly and Hollister.
They arrived blinking and yawning: as mainshift crew, they were normally
asleep at this hour. After a cup of stimulant and some food, they came fully
awake.
"The question is, are we sure of our data, even that last? Is that thing built
on a patrol-class hull, and if so does it really carry those weapons, and if
so what's their crew size and how are they staying alive?"
Sassinak took the last spiced bun off the platter the night cook had brought
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in.
Hollister shrugged. "That new detection system isn't really my specialty, but
if that's the size we think - dimensional and mass - then it'll depend on
weaponry. With up-to-date environmental, guidance, and drive systems, they'd
need a crew of fifty to work normal shifts - plus weapons specialists. Say,
sixty to seventy altogether. If they work long shifts, maybe fifty altogether,
but they'd chance fatigue errors - "
"But they don't expect to need top efficiency for long," Sassinak said.
"They come in, rout a colony, escort the transport to their base, wherever
that is ... and most times they never see trouble."
"Fifty, then. That means . . . mmm ..." He ran some figures into the nearest
terminal. "'Bout what I thought. Look - " A ship schematic came up on the
main screen at the end of the table. "Fifty crew, here's the calories and
water needs . . . best guess at system efficiency . . . and that means they'll
need eight standard filtration units, eight sets of re-op converters, plus the
UV trays - " As he talked, the schematic filled with green lines and blocks,
the standard representation of environmental system units. "This is assuming
their FTL route doesn't take more than twenty-five standard days, and they've
got the same kind of oxygen recharge system we do. Most surveyed routes come
in under twenty days, as you know. Now if we add the probable drives: we know
they have insystem chem boosters as well as insystem mains, and FTL - "
The drive components came up in blue. "And minimum crew space:
access and living - " That was yellow. "Weapons?"
Arly took over, and the schematic suddenly bled with red weapons symbols.
"This is what we got off the scans, captain. Their IFF was a real nutcase: no
sense at all. But the passives showed two distinct patterns of radiation
leakage: here, and there. And we saw how they knocked out those ground-space
missiles . . . they do have optical weapons."
"And it doesn't fit," said Huron, sounding entirely too smug. "Look." Sure
enough, the display had a blinking symbol in one corner: excess volume
specified.
Arly looked stubborn. "I could not ignore the scan data - "
"Of course not." Sassinak held up her hand for silence when both mouths
opened. "Look, Huron, both the scans and this schematic come in part from
assumptions we made about those criminals. they crew their ship
If to a level we think safe, they aren't stressing their environmental if
system, a few extra particles means that they've got a neutron bomb ...
if all if."
"We have to make some assumptions!"
"Yes. I do. I'm assuming they sacrifice everything else to speed and
firepower. They want no witnesses: they want to be sure they can blow anything
- up to a battle platform, let's say - into nothing, before it can call in
help. They want to be able to escape any pursuit. They're not out on patrol as
long as we normally are: they sacrifice comfort, and some levels of
efficiency. I will bet you that they're under-crewed and carry every scrap of
armament our scans found."
"Less crew means they could have a smaller environmental system,"
said Hollister.
"And with any luck less crew means they're a little less alert to a tail."
"I wish I knew how good their fire-control systems were," said Arly, running a
finger along the edge of the console. "If they've got anything like the Gamma
system, we could be in trouble with them."
"Are you advising me not to engage?" asked Sass. Arly's face darkened a
little. A senior weapons officer could give such advice, but under all the
circumstances, it meant taking sides in the earlier argument: something
Arly had refused to do.
"Not precisely . . . no. But they've got almost as much as we have, on a
smaller hull with different movement capability. Normally I don't have to
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worry about something that size - with all its mobility, it still can't take
us.
But this - " She tapped the display. "This could breach us, if they got lucky
. . . and their speed and mobility increase the danger. Call it even
odds, or a shade to their favor. I'd be glad to engage them, captain, but you
need to be aware of all the factors."
"I am." Sassinak stretched, then shook the tension out of her hands.
"And you'll no doubt have a chance to test our ideas before long. If they're
short-crewed and short on environmental supplies, surely they'll have a short
FTL route picked out . . . it's been eighteen days, now."
"Speaking of environmental systems," said Hollister gruffly. "That number nine
scrubber's leaking again. I could take it down and repack it, but that'd mean
tying up a whole shift crew - "
Sassinak glanced at Huron. "Nav got any guesses on their destination?"
"Not a clue. Dhrossh is downright testy about queries, and about half the
equation solutions don't fit anything in the books." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
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