Federation Reborn 1: Battle Lines (53 page)

Henry Morgan:
Destroyer ship, famous 3rd Squadron Force, 4th Fleet

Drake:
Cruiser ship, famous 1st Squadron Force, 4th Fleet

Jean Bart: Arboth
class destroyer

Smiladon:
Cruiser, famous 3rd Squadron Force, 4th Fleet

Star Ravager:
Battle cruiser, home fleet

Star Warrior:
Battle cruiser, home fleet

Barnabe:
Frigate, assigned to Protodon, destroyed

Moldy Crow
: Freighter/tender
Clydesdale
, Captain Media (body builder)

Charaltan's Prayer:
Cygnus
class medium freighter, Captain Kail (former XO), Captain Eddings killed in Protodon

Prinz Zir
:
Mirilax
class small freighter

Commander Crenis

Serius: Flight engineer

Alice: engineer

Raff: engineer

Rear Admiral Troy Frost: Big fat man. In charge of the Nuevo Madrid naval station. Exiled there from court. Only has one elderly destroyer and four frigates under his command. Plus two dispatch boats.

Jz Dahl: ensign, mahogany black male. Young, bridge watch ops.

Shantell Mueller: Captain of
Derfflinger
class BC
Nevada.
Served on
Reprisal
. Had a string of commands:
Sexy Margerita; Blood, Sex, and Tears; Bloody Mary;
and
Lizzy Borden
.

Commander Esenly: TACO
Nevada
, aggressive, very competent.

Trisha: Pretty female, JTO
Nevada.

Jeffrey Hodges: Ensign
Massachusetts.

Commander John Kizinsterg: XO
Nevada.

Lieutenant Saul Roznine: Captain
Yamagato
class missile frigate
Agricourt.
Aggressive, knows Esenly. Gets along with her well, competition. Loves thorny tactical problems.

Sascha Manchez: Captain
Arboth
Starfish
. Soft approach to tactical problems, boot licker.

Emile: Senior fighter commander
Massachusetts.

Captain Arnold Post: Captain of the
Derfflinger
class
Massachusetts
. Tactical genius, wants higher rank. Won several rounds in the last fleet games. Commander of
Battlecruiser
division.

My blog:

http://cyberforge3d.blogspot.com/

Navy stuff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Samar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_of_command_(military
)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Sprague

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cythera_(yacht
)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flotilla

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_A._Spruance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tameichi_Hara

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_force

Medical:

http://io9.com/the-first-lab-grown-muscles-to-behave-just-like-natural-1679387361

http://io9.com/flexible-brain-implants-have-arrived-1681423385

http://io9.com/how-well-finally-put-an-end-to-organ-donation-shortages-1683258349

http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/28/3d-printed-windpipe-cartilage/

Other:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Kay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Solomon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huginn_and_Muninn

The following is an excerpt from Jethro 4 Recruiting Drive:

By the light of the fires and his own enhanced night vision Jethro finally found his quarry. The female arctic selkie Kirima was amused and gratified by the message when she received it. He tried to stand off, to give her some privacy but she urged him to stay with a look. He knew she was tired. She smiled fondly though when she watched the message a second time. Apparently there was something going on between Deja and the arctic seal so some of Jethro's resentment over the errand burned away.

To his surprise she took out a tablet from a bag near her things, played the chip, and then came up with a reply. He was amused and annoyed to be a messenger once more when she silently handed him the chip back.

“Thank you. I think. I don't know when I'll see him again though,” he warned.

“Whenever.”

“I'll transmit it through the ansible. You can too if you wish,” he said.

“Ansible?”

“It is a device. A communication's device that allows us to talk between star systems.”

She blinked at him and then yawned. “Sorry,” she said waving a hand. He could smell the fish on her breath. “So sorry.”

“Don't be. I know you are busy and obviously tired after that,” he said, indicating the dark waters of the bay. She followed his gaze and then nodded when he turned back to look at her. “I can't see why anyone would want to ...” he cut himself off. Survival of course he thought.

“We do what we must to survive.”

“Yeah, I was just reminding myself of that,” Jethro admitted.

“Are you still here?” a familiar bass rumble asked in the darkness.

“Just going,” Jethro said, straightening.

“I told you to begone little man,” the walrus said.

“I am going now. I had to wait on the pleasures of the lady to finish. Good evening ma'am. Safe ... um, sailing I suppose,” he said. “Swimming.”

She smiled slightly and bobbed a bow back to him. She turned her gaze to the walrus. “Mind your manners, Yutu; he is a guest. You can stay the night,” she said, turning back to Jethro.

“It's okay. I need to get back anyway.”

“You are okay traveling in the dark?” she asked, now concerned for his welfare.

Jethro shrugged. “I am a panther. I love the darkness,” he said simply. “I prefer it to swimming,” he said when she shivered and looked at the shadows.

“Oh? You swim?” she asked, turning to him.

He snorted. “Deja taught me years ago when we trained together. I know my limits though. And I can't swim hyperspace like he can.”

“He did mention that. It would be interesting to try it,” she murmured.

“See if someone can trade you a VR headset with a hyperspace sim on it. Or I'll try to remember to ask Deja for one.”

“I'll ... let me see that chip,” she said, holding out a hand. He handed it over. She softly spoke into the microphone on her tablet, requesting a headset and simulation package and then handed it back. He nodded. “Good evening then,” Jethro said as the walrus came up behind him. He could smell the fish and foul smell of the mountain of flesh. He turned. “You're blocking my path,” he said mildly.

“Don't come back,” the walrus said, picking at one tusk with a flippered paw. “We don't care for your kind, landlubber.”

“Be kind, Yutu; he was passing on the message as a favor to Deja and to
me
. And you know what Koko said. We need to expand the gene pool. Expand the bloodlines. Deja is good for us. Good for me. Get over it.”

“This one I could squish then?” the walrus demanded, chest bumping Jethro.

“You can try if you wish,” Jethro said, teeth bared, claws out. “Just remember, I'm not a dumb fish. I've torn apart more people than you. People armed in ways you can only dream of,” he growled, dropping into a fighting crouch. He was aware that everyone on the beach was quiet and watching the tableau warily. Some seemed eager for a fight.

“Yutu, don't,” Kirima said from behind Jethro, now concerned.

“Oh,
excuse
me,” the walrus said sarcastically, stepping to one side. Jethro waited a beat then made a move to walk past. When the walrus went to take a swipe Bast hissed and flashed red on his senses but he was expecting it. He twisted and ducked under the swing, then rolled before the walrus could bring his bulk down to crush him. He flipped himself up and then kicked sand as he used his enhanced body to flip himself up and onto the back of the monster selkie. His toe claws came out and sank into the sides of the beast. Yutu bellowed as the claws cut into him. They didn't cut deep. He had a lot of blubber, but it probably hurt a bit. He bucked but Jethro sank the claws of his left hand into the walrus's nose and placed the claws of his right hand near the walrus's frightened eyes. “I think you need these, right?” he asked as the monster stopped moving abruptly.

The walrus quivered, eyes wide, head back, body arched. “Y's,” he said in a strangled high pitched voice.

“Maybe you shouldn't be such a bully.”

“Yezzz. I mean nooo?”

“I tell you what. You leave me alone, I'll leave you alone. We'll let bygones be bygones. But if you piss me off again ...,” he hissed, flexing his fingers and claws. He felt the walrus quiver again. “I'll tear your eyes out and then carve my name in your rump. Is that understood?”

“Yesss. 'et go,” the walrus said in a strangled voice. It sounded like his claws in the Selkie's nose was making it hard to talk. One female selkie stifled a giggle.

“What was that? I didn't hear the P word.”

“Frack.
Pees
.”

“What?”

“Please!” the walrus ground out, eyes squinting tightly together as tears formed in the corners. Blood dribbled on Jethro's claws. He could smell it. He wondered briefly if it would affect the walrus in the water. Would it make him a target for those giant fish? Possibly.

“Okay. Since you asked nicely,” Jethro replied. His claws retracted as he gathered himself and leapt off. He somersaulted in the air and then came down lightly on all fours. He stared at the walrus for a moment, watching him breathe and touch his nose. Finally Jethro stood once more. “Night folks,” he said, nodding to Kirima before he walked off into the night.

You can read the rest in the summer of 2015!