The Old Guard
by Edward H. Bart IV
based on a concept by Jesse Catalano
The sleek dark blue submersible vehicle cut through the murky depths of the Pacific Ocean. Any fish nearby would have dismissed the manmade vessel as a large whale, due to the blue mottled hull. Several shiny spheres flitted about the ship, relaying sensor information to the crew on the bridge of the seaQuest. "Commander Quentin, status report," the seaQuest's captain asked. Jonathan D. Ford was a handsome black man. Many years ago, Ford had once been the executive officer of this vessel. Several years and a promotion later, Ford became the commanding officer now of this United Earth Organization vessel. Ford scratched at his beard, as he sat in the CO's chair. Flecks of white and gray dotted his neatly trimmed beard and hair, showing his age. Ford looked at his capable executive officer, Commander Harry R. Quentin. The executive officer stood by Ford, holding a datapad. Quentin brushed back some of his dark black hair away from his eyes. Ford smiled slightly. "Time for a haircut, Harry?" Quentin smiled at Ford's slight poke. "Yes sir. I haven't had a haircut since my last shore leave. Let's see...that was such a long time ago." Quentin's eyes twinkled at his counter-jab. "Point taken, commander. I know we haven't had a shore leave for a while. I've been reminding the brass back at UEO headquarters about that." Ford interlaced his fingers and laid his hands on his lap. He paused for a beat. "Well, I still want a status report." "Aye, sir. All systems nominal, although engineering still is reporting slight fluctuations in reactor strength. Chief Engineer Palmer says it's nothing to worry about. It's standard to see that in older ships like the seaQuest," Quentin read off his datapad. Ford nodded as he listened to Quentin. "Alright. If Palmer says it's all right, that's good enough with me. I'm not going to argue with 35 years worth of engineering experience." Ford had learned not to go toe to toe with Hal Palmer. The Chief of Engineering may be nearly 55 years old, but still knew more about Engineering than Ford could ever hope to know. "Go on, Harry." Quentin nodded. "WSKRS operating normally. Ship's speed steady at 100 knots. We're on schedule for our supply drop to Kelani Mara. ETA is still in 2100 hours," Quentin referred to his report. "Good. How are the supplies holding up?" Ford asked. "Nothing's spoiled yet, if that's what you're asking," Quentin smiled. "The refrigeration units are operating normally, in Storage Bay One." Ford nodded, stroking his bearded chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. Harry, do you think the base at Kelani Mara would miss one mango?" Quentin looked into his superior's eyes, and smiled slightly. "Hypothetically? No I don't think so." "Good, because hypothetically, I've been hankering for a nice fresh mango. Commander, you have the Conn. I'm going to take an hypothetical walk." Ford stood up, and walked out of the rear of the bridge. Quentin smiled and sat down; looking at the VR screen which showed the ocean around the seaQuest. Ford's military boots clanged on the metal deck of the corridor. He headed towards the nearest entrance to the inter-ship magnetic transits system. Walking up to the closed doors, Ford waited for a car to arrive. He nodded at the crew who walked by him. The clank and hiss of a magnetic car setting behind the doors made Ford turn around. He stepped into the empty car, and sat down, buckling up for the high-speed trip. He listened to the automated voice warning, even though he had heard the message a thousand times over. The door slid shut, and the car took off. Ford held onto the belts for support. After a minute, the car stopped, and the door opened. In walked Lucas Wolenczak, the ship's resident boy genius. Ford chided himself. Lucas's not a boy anymore. That much was evident if one looked at Lucas. The man was in his late twenties now. Almost at the big 3-0, Ford remembered. Actually, Lucas should be much older, had it not been for a strange alien encounter. Ford himself would be sporting much more white hair than black hair, as well. Ford shook his head, smiling ruefully to himself. Lucas sat down next to Ford, and buckled up. "What's so funny, Captain?" he asked. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about age. Reminding myself that you aren't a smart-ass teenager anymore," Ford replied. Lucas gave Ford a lopsided grin. "Yeah. I was thinking just the same thing myself. Just the other day, I realized how old I would be on my next birthday. Biologically, not chronologically, you know." "Yeah, I know," Ford nodded. He patted the metal wall. "This ship's been through a lot." "Us too," Lucas said. "Do you realize that you and I are one of the few people aboard the seaQuest who also served during Captain Bridger's reign? 2023, you know? Been a long time." "That reminds me," said Ford. "Any thoughts as to what you'll do when your tour of duty is up? Re-up or go into the private sector?" Lucas shrugged and ran his fingers through his short dirty blond hair. "I don't know. I've got several offers from some major corporations. On the other hand, I really enjoy my work as a science officer for UEO. I don't know. It depends on if UEO is willing to make me a head science officer on a ship, or not." The magnetic car slowed and shuddered to a stop. "This is my stop," Lucas said to Ford. "I'll talk to you later, Captain." "No problem. You're a good asset to UEO. I'm sure they'll reward you accordingly," Ford said. Lucas smiled and left the car. The door slid shut again and Ford moved through the belly of seaQuest. Finally he arrived at the rear, where the storage bays were. Ford unbuckled the belts and left the car. He walked down the corridor, towards Storage Bay One. His mouth watered as he imagined taking a bite into a fine ripe mango, as he pushed the large metal door open to enter the storage bay. He looked through the cargo crates, looking for the ones that contained the perishable fruits. The chill of the storage bay caused Ford to shiver slightly. "Ah, here we are," Ford said to himself. He tapped on the control pad on the side, to unlatch the locks on the crate. A slight rock caused Ford to pause. The ship rocked again, more sharply. The crates shifted around menacingly. Ford started to make his way through the crates, going for the exit. Then the world turned upside down for Ford, as the deck rocked violently underneath his feet. Stacks of crates toppled around Ford as he rushed towards the exit. A crate slid across the metal deck and pinned Ford against a wall. The captain gave out an agonized yelled as he felt several ribs crack. The rocking continued, and a shipwide klaxon began sounding out. Ford heard Commander Quentin call out "All hands, batten down the hatches! Emergency Alert! Secure all loose equipment!" The crate that pinned Ford against the wall slid away from him as the seaQuest rocked again. Another crate slammed into his leg. Ford yelled out in pain as he felt several bones break in his leg. Ford crawled towards the exit, finally making it out of the storage bay. Slamming the door shut behind him, Ford sat against the wall, and thumbed his wrist communicator. "Ford to the bridge, what the hell's going on?" "Captain!" Quentin answered. "We're not sure what happened exactly, things are happening so fast. As near as we can tell, we got caught in the middle of a seaquake. A huge fissure's opened beneath us, and water's rushing in like a giant drainhole. We've lost all of our WSKRS and ship's sensors aren't functioning at full strength. I'm just trying to keep us from getting sucked in." "Understood. Max out the engines, ignore safety limits! And send someone down to Storage Bay One, I've broken my leg." "Will do, sir. Quentin out." Ford dropped his hand, and groaned at the pain shooting through his ribs and left leg. Quentin held onto the CO's chair tightly, as if to will the seaQuest out of danger. "Helm! Channel full engines for maximum speed!" The helmsmen seated in the forward pilot seats nodded and struggled with their controls. The VR screen fizzled with static and partial data. As far as Quentin could tell, there was a massive rift below the seaQuest, and water, dirt, and animal life were being drawn into it. The door to the bridge opened, and Quentin looked back. He saw Lucas struggling to walk into the bridge. "Lucas! Good! Get on sensors and try to fix as much as you can! I need to know how big this rift is!" "Aye, sir," Lucas nodded as he went up the steps to reach the science station. He put on his ear-microphone communicator, and started working away at his station. Quentin held up his wrist communicator to his mouth. "Sickbay, have you found the captain yet?" the commander asked. "Yes, sir, we're bringing him in for medical aid," the response came through. "Good," Quentin nodded. He allowed himself a sigh of relief. Ford was a good captain, and Quentin didn't want to lose him. "Any luck helm?" the commander called out. "No, sir. Controls are resisting us!" "Lucas, how about you?" Quentin looked up at Lucas's station. "I've got sensors at 71% capability now. Can't get you more. Too much damage." As if to punctuate Lucas's words, the ship rocked hard as something hit it hard. Everyone on the bridge held on, struggling not to fall away from their stations. "What the hell was that?" Quentin asked. "Probably an underwater boulder from the nearby mountain ridge. Sensors are now to 67%," Lucas replied. Quentin shook his head. "Those are several klicks away. If this water drainage is sucking rocks from that far away, we've got to get out of here before worse comes." He thumbed his wrist communicator. "Engineering, I need more power! As much as you can give!" Palmer's harried voice came through. "I'm pushing the engines to the max! The reactor fluctuations are affecting engine power now, I can't sustain a steady speed!" "Give as good as you can get!" Quentin yelled. A muffled explosion sounded out through the communicator. Palmer's voice came back on. "I've got to go and keep a lid on things! I'm working on it! Palmer out!" Quentin gritted his teeth, and held on to his seat, as the bridge shuddered. A door opened, and he saw Captain Ford limp in with a cane. His eyes went to Ford's left leg, which had a temporary splint on it. A nurse was behind him. She looked at Quentin helplessly. "Captain! What're you doing here? You ought to be in Sickbay!" Ford shook off the nurse. He looked at Quentin, "The way things are going, the seaQuest just might be going down. And I'll be damned if she goes down while her captain isn't on the bridge! Now give me a sitrep!" Ford hobbled towards the CO's chair, an amazing feat due to the horrible rocking of the deck and the obvious broken leg that Ford had. Quentin moved out of the seat, and helped Ford in. The captain groaned as his leg bent slightly. "Here's what we've got so far,” Quentin said as he held onto the captain’s chair for support, “A big rift in the ocean floor is allowing water to drain into it. Its drawing rocks as far away as the mountain ridge. We've lost all WSKRS, probably down there. Sensors at 67%, engines maxed out- reactor fluctuations are keeping us from maintaining a constant speed. Controls are sluggish and non-responsive." "Sir, I think I've got something!" Lucas called out. "Well?" Ford said. "I've been analyzing the water flow rates and I've determined the best place to break free of the water drainage. Set course up 6 degrees, and head port at 35 degrees. The water flow is weakest there." Ford looked at the helmsmen. "You heard him. Do it!" The ship rumbled as the mighty ocean roared down by it. The entire bridge shook jarringly, as the ship struggled to break free of the powerful pull. Ford kept his eyes fixed on the flickering VR screen, watching as the swirl of water flowed by the seaQuest. Finally the VR screen showed placid water, and the rumbling ceased. The ship shot up and forward at high speed, breaking away from the danger. Ford heaved a sigh, and relaxed his grip on the armrests. "Communications, issue a general alert for the area." Ford looked up at the comm. station when he didn't get a response. Quentin answered Ford instead. "Bauman's out cold," said the commander. "He took a nasty spill when all hell broke loose. He'll be alright. I'll man the station, myself." Quentin stepped over to the communications seat. Ford peered around the computer station and saw Mickey Bauman lying nearby the station, with a cut and nasty bruise on his temple. "General alert sent out," Quentin said to the captain. "Alright. Compile a damage report, and set course for the nearest base to put in for repairs. Contact Kelani Mara and inform them that we will not be able to complete our supply run." "Aye, sir," Quentin nodded. "I guess that means I get to have as many hypothetical mangoes as I want," Ford tried to smile. "Looks like," Quentin said. The nurse standing behind Ford tapped his shoulder. "Ahem," she said pointedly. "Ah yes. Tabitha, is it?” Ford looked at the nurse. She looked back at him, her face set in determination. Ford sighed with a smile. “Alright. I'll come back to Sickbay with you. Commander, you have the conn. Contact me when we're near a base." "Will do, sir," Quentin said. He watched as the nurse helped Ford stand up from the seat. He saw the pain shoot through Ford's face with each movement the captain took. Quentin breathed in, filled with admiration for the captain's determination and willpower. He hoped one day he would be half as good a captain as Ford was. With his leg properly encased in a cast, and his ribs bandaged, Ford drank a mug of mango juice. Since the drop at Kelani Mara was out of the question, the seaQuest and Laguna Base had to use up the perishable fruits. So Ford had a bushel of mangoes set-aside for his use. He sat on the couch of his quarters, which also doubled as his office. The VR screen on the wall showed the UEO symbol as the computer waited to establish a connection to UEO Command. The symbol faded away and a man's face came into view. The man was completely bald, with a severe face. A long scar ran from the left side of his forehead straight down to his jawbone, cutting through his eye. The eye itself was disturbing as well. It was completely black, with no colored iris. The man's other eye was natural. Wrinkles lined the man's craggy face. His dark eyebrows furrowed. "Admiral Hudson," Ford said, smiling at his former CO. Hudson had been the third captain of the seaQuest, and Ford served as his executive officer. Nowadays, Hudson was one of the 'brass' in UEO Command. Hudson smiled at Ford, although it was tinged with concern, not nostalgia. "Captain Ford. How are you?" "Oh, multiple fractures in my left leg and a couple of cracked ribs. I'll be good as new in no time at all," Ford said. Hudson smiled. "And the ship?" Ford sighed. "The ship's another matter. We burned out one of the jets in our escape attempt. Some moderate structural damage to the body, and some electronics systems are nonfunctional. Nothing an extended repair job can't take care of." "Good," Hudson nodded. Ford smiled. The admiral wasn't much for emotion but Hudson's face revealed that he had some attachments to the seaQuest, still. "I'll make arrangements for you to dock at UEO Headquarters in San Francisco for repairs. Are you seaworthy enough to make the trip?" Ford nodded. "We will be by tomorrow. Laguna Base has been working round the clock, and the last report says basic repairs will be completed by 1400 hours tomorrow." Ford smiled. "Does this mean we finally get some shore leave?" Hudson closed his eyes and nodded in amusement. "Alright. Yes, your men get shore leave while repairs are made. Hell of a way to get it, though." "Yeah, hell of a way..." Ford echoed. The smile faded from his face. Hudson looked at Ford through the VR screen. "Something else's on your mind. Out with it." "Well, admiral...the thing is...ten years ago, the seaQuest could have easily broken free from the water rush. Cruising speed used to be 160 knots, max. But over time, that kept dropping down. This morning, we only were able to get 136 knots, and that kept fluctuating up and down." Ford heaved a deep sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it, the seaQuest is getting old. Worn out. Perhaps we should consider mothballing her soon. Before she runs into another situation like this morning, a situation she can't get out of." Hudson nodded solemnly. "Understood. The seaQuest has been through a lot. A hell lot more than the other ships in the DSV fleet." He chuckled. "I'll never forget the sight of her in a cornfield in Mid-America." Ford chuckled too, at the memory. Hudson continued. "It's probably likely that after repairs are completely, the seaQuest will be relegated to minor duty. Short term runs and the like. Cake walks, you know." Ford nodded to the admiral. Hudson shifted in his seat. "As a matter of fact, we have a few things on the drawing board for a new class of ship. Perhaps it's time to make those plans reality." Ford nodded, but his thoughts were turned inwards, pondering on his career without the seaQuest. |
End.