First journey chapter 35

Chapter: 35 Admirals orders for First Mission Admiral Stokes finished his last report, and as usual, he was among the last remaining on the administrative floor of the building. Cheeka was already gone and probably home by now. Her desk was as usual very orderly and organized. He had different assistants before her, but she was by far the best. She would have made an excellent Chief. He wondered if she had any of her homemade cookies left. He was an Ult and had no sense of taste or smell, at least not like humans, and Ults did not eat anything baked, cooked or fried. Being an amphibious species, it had taken the Ult much longer than other civilizations to discover and utilize fire, and when they finally did, it was not used for either cooking or heating. Ulta being a warm planet, using fire for heating was unnecessary. After living almost three thousand years alongside humans and other species, some Ult began to eat steamed meals, but it was still considered unusual and out of the norm. Webb had spent most of his adult life in the Union Fleet. Having adopted many human mannerisms and habits, he often thought of himself more human than most he knew. The crunchy buttery cookies sanding up his throat but then dissolving was a pleasurable experience only Cheeka's cookies could provide. Ah there in the upper left drawer, a box with the light brown flaky baked things, his lower fin folded sideways, that was how an Ult smiled. He sat down with the box of cookies on the desk and ate another one. The FleetCom terminal started blinking, and the Fleet Headquarter Logo surrounded by five stars appeared on the activating field screen. There was only one Officer who had five stars. Admiral of the Fleet Obrock Mc Elligott, it was either him or his office calling. He accepted before the call would be routed to the Main Desk. A handsome second Lieutenant appeared, and he said. "Hello Sweetcheeks, my boss wants to talk to your boss is he still in?" Webb activated visuals and said. "I am flattered you call me Sweetcheeks, Lieutenant, but if your boss wants to talk to my boss, he would have to talk to himself, right?" The man sat upright and became all business. "I am sorry, Admiral Webb, Sir! I did not mean any disrespect. I thought I am calling Ms. Hopkins." Stokes remembered that Cheeka's last name was Hopkins since she dissolved her previous marriage contract." My assistant went home already, and I will ask her tomorrow if she feels offended you calling her not by her proper name. Now get me connected to the Admiral." "Yes, Sir, right away, Sir!" Mc Elligott was in his office holding a golf club and standing before a simulation that transferred the rear of his office into a luscious green golf course with old looking buildings in the distance. "Ah Webb, there you are. I was not sure if you were still in the office or not. I know you usually are and so I called. Turn on your Avatar and join me for a few chips, I just received this new Simulation of St. Andrews." "I was on my way out when you got me, Sir. I am not good at that human game!" "You are the best darn Ult golfer in the entire Union, and you know it. Some humans wish to be half as good as you." Elligott, however, turned the Simulation off and handed his club to the robotic golf bag and turned on his Avatar instead and appeared in the anteroom of the Academy Commandant's office. Webb was long enough around humans to be able to differentiate and recognize even subtle facial expressions and body language. The Old Admiral was an old man even before the Guardian had made him immortal and so his appearance of an old man had been frozen in time, and he always appeared like a wrinkled white-haired man with a slight bend stature. While he wore the Uniform jacket of a Fleet officer with all the decorations and rank insignia the highest-ranking officer in the Fleet had he wore a skirt. Not that anyone knowing Obrock ever uses the word skirt, but the phrase kilt. It was the traditional dress of the Highlanders, a unique tribe from Earth. The kilt, the single malt scotch whiskey, the socks, and black shoes were the famous trademarks of the Immortal Admiral. Many knew about the old Admirals trademark habits and things, but Webb was certain that only a few knew where original Scotland was or the meaning behind those trademarks. Elligott walked to the big windows and said while looking outside. "I do have a few things I wanted to discuss with you, and it is official business too, more or less, but we still need to go golfing again. And no simulation either but right at the real St. Andrews." "I have been there three times with you, Sir. You should come with me to Ulta, we do have our first Golf course there as well, and it is a stunning 6449 yard, Par 67 course." "Send me an invitation, and I follow up, always eager to check out a new course." Webb ate another cookie and waited for the old man to come to the reason for his visit. Mc Elligott pointed out the window. "I am not interfering with Academy business, but I would like to know why there are ten cadets all by themselves painting one of the already red Applicant roads red again." "Because one of them hid a Gelatinous Stink Pulse Maggot in one of the lesser liked instructor's back pocket, and there was a considerable disturbance when said instructor, took his break and sat down in the Officers mess hall, quashing the maggot." Elligott chuckled. "That is a good one. They had to air out the Assembly at Pluribus for two days after the Elly had that cultural specialties lunch almost all new members hold and only about fifty delegates showed up for the feast and all species without noses or sense of smell. I see there is an Elly among them, was it him?" "I am pretty sure it was the Elly, but when we asked who did all ten stood up and insisted they did the deed." "The class is only five-days old, correct, is, so that is an unusually tight group this early on." "Very unusual indeed and it is that Neo Viking, the blonde one down there who was the initial cause to get them to stick together." "Neo Viking you say? Olhausen, Olbertson, Olafson. Is his name Olafson?" Webb stopped putting another cookie in his mouth. " Yes Eric Olafson, that's his name. Do you know him." "Not really, no, but his name turned up before, and there aren't many Neo Vikings this side of Nilfeheim, I think Richard had interest in him if he hasn't forgotten by now." "What official business is it that you wanted to discuss, Sir?" Webb was disappointed to find out he just ate the last cookie. "Well since there is an Elly in that group and he seems to get along with the others, even making Academy pranks, I think I take those ten down there." "You take them?" Webb said and leaned forward. "Where?" "Oh, silly me, I forgot to tell you. The Yokuta want to celebrate the Union Victory over the Nogoll. The Yokuta is a virtually unknown species that until recently were slaves for the Nogoll in a star system named Arlicherb. The Nogoll ruled with an iron fist over the Yokuta for nearly three hundred years, and now they are free. They are a Tech Level three society and technically or cultural quite unimportant, but I rather have the Yokuta join the Union that being turned by the Kermac or have another Freespace system were Pirates can hide and exploit the natives." Webb nodded." I can understand that. I know this corner of space quite well, as it is right in front of Arsenal's front door so to speak, and I am certain the Kermac know about the Yokuta and just wait for the Union to leave, turn them into a thrall species and regain control over a critical system they had lost due to the Nogoll, but what does all this have to do with Plebes Cadets, barely five days in the Academy?" "The Yokuta heard three hundred years of bad propaganda about the Union, and they don't trust us. But they do trust the Elly who is genetically related to them. The Yokuta government wanted to talk to a young Elly who made friends with other Union species. The Yokuta believe youth speaks the truth as they didn't have enough practice to lie like adults and elders. Now I see an Elly best buddies with a Neo-Viking, several Terran humans, two Attikan, a Garbini, and a Non-Corp. I would have preferred a fully trained Ensign, but these are the first joining, right?" "There are sixty that made the entry qualifications, and a few thousand joined Basic training, so I heard from the Space Naval School for Enlisted Personnel." "Put two more Elly in that group down there and remove two of the humans and have them report at the Landing field at 0800 tomorrow morning. Issue full dress Uniform. The whole affair will last only a few days, and they are back well in time to be ferried to base camps." Webb used his PDD and made it an official order and had the Admiral sign off on it then transmitted his orders to the instructors. --***-- First Mission Lieutenant Ovil, our furred white Nogoll instructor, said. "Today, we will exercise in our extensive pool facilities. We want to make sure that all those cadets who can learn how to swim." For once there was good news in the morning! I thought and looked forward to wetting my gills and the swimming and diving that would occur during this session. Potsema wiggled with all his upper tentacles. "I know Garbini can swim. My brother learned it, but I am still terrified!" I padded his fur-covered torso. "We are there and will help you." Fectiv cuffed me and said." Let's see if you can beat me swimming! I was reading up on Neo Vikings you know! You are supposed to be amphibious!" "You read up on Nilfeheim?" "Pure and I wanted to know more about you. It is Attikan tradition to honor a friend by learning about his home and family." "That is a good tradition, and I will do the same tonight about Attika." Two Three was also excited." Water, have I told you how much I find liquids fascinating?" The Elly, both Attikans and I said simultaneously." Yes!" All had seen our Non-Corp friend stare at a running faucet. Then we laughed, and Potsema asked. "What is so fascinating about it? Isn't a sun's surface sort of liquid too?" Two-Three wrung his hands, try to gesture something and then said. "It is not easy to explain. A star is all chaos, nothing is orderly and an only held together by magnetics and gravitons. Do you know how long it takes a photon created in the center a star to reach the surface and then escape? That photon travels at the speed light, no less." Pure dropped one of his ears and scratched behind it." It should be almost instantaneous, even the biggest star isn't significant when it comes to light speed, right?" Two-Three sighed. It can take many hundred years before it reaches the surface. Being bounced around, bent and deflected. You see, not even light is orderly and straight inside a sun. Water is liquid, but it follows elementary rules, and inside it, all the molecules are systematic and in long chains. You have no idea how much I enjoy being with all of you and in an orderly world." He stomped his suited foot on the floor." I just love solid objects!" Potsema snaked a few tentacles around Two-Three. "The whole academy thing started out pretty scary, but now I think it is great." The Elly crossed his stumpy looking arms." You squiggled Eric and now Two-Three. I think it is my turn next! I am not hugged by a female in ages!" I raised an eyebrow." Potsema is female?" "Yes I am, you did not know?" "No, I did not really look at you in terms of gender, but I guess I always thought of you as he. How do you tell a female from a male Garbini?" "There are many ways. I have light brown and red fur and ten tentacles. Males have eleven tentacles and usually black or gray fur and never any red." "I now know I should have paid much more attention in school and most of all not secretly skip the Neural uploads with Captain Iron Hand or Navy Magazines." Fectiv's tail swished. "You managed to switch chips during upload hour? Our teacher was always checking!" "I could have never done it with Mr. Walters, but we had a different teacher before, and Mr. Flensburger was not as hard to fool." I frowned. "Now I know I should not have done that. You all know stuff about each other, and I can't even tell a female Garbini and know nothing about the Elly." "Don't feel bad. I know little about humans yet!" The Elly said. Our white-furred instructor looked at his PDD. "Cadets assemble in Corridor B before the escalators and wait there. Following Cadets are to report in full dress uniform, with cover and sidearm at Applicant road two Dome Exit hall at 0700: Olafson, Eric, Ak Pure, Ak Fectiv, Potsema Pe, Onli Nevar, and Two-Three." I cursed my luck. Whatever we had to do wasn't swimming. I was certain that Swimming and dress uniforms did not go together, the names called were the others of my new group of friends. Except we had now three Ellis in the group and Hanlin and Bergdorf, two of our humans walked grinning to the escalators. Pure rippled the upper part of his snout and around the nostrils. "I sure wonder what they cooked up for us. Dress Uniform and sidearms. I never heard they issue sidearms to Cadets until year three." Fectiv pointed at Purse's snout and said to me. "That's how an Attikan shows surprise by the way!" The Elli looked all alike to me, and one of them said. "We Elly do this when we are surprised." His trunk retracted almost entirely into his skull, and his voice sounded meek and high." If an Elly gets too excited or surprised, we can choke on our own noses!" The other two Ellies shook their trunks back and forth, and one of them said. "This group seems fun!" A new human instructor we had not seen before, sent us through an auto dresser, and we all emerged in perfect fitted, pressed real black navy uniforms with golden closure snaps, all that was different was a big green ring around the sleeves and no rank insignia at all. Dress uniform consisted of a stiff collar black shirt with buttons, a waistcoat with a diagonal cut collar that was halfway flapped down and the inside of this was white contrasting with the otherwise black uniform, The diagonal flap could be raised and fastened with a series of golden-colored snaps. The black pants billowed and tucked into black all-terrain boots, and the belt was white with the Union Fleet symbol on the buckle. There was an empty holster for a gun and two loops for some missing equipment. Black gloves and a white hat (referred to as cover) with a black duckbill. The human instructor carried a PDD checked us all at least five times, then he was joined by two more who went over our uniforms made me wear the gloves that came with it and barked at Pure to do the same. No one really told us what was going on. Two Three leaned over and said."I think we are going to a state funeral or something like that." The nervous human instructor said. "We are now handing out fully functional and fully loaded Union Fleet Standard TKU Sidearms. Since you are not instructed in using them properly, you are prohibited from touching them. The same goes for the swords and the daggers that are attached to the loops on your belts. While these weapons are ceremonial, they are also real and dangerous. If I see anyone of you so much as touch your weapons you will wish you were never born, I promise you." After a while, there were more, very nervous instructors around us, than cadets. While they didn't stand us at attention, we weren't really able to talk to each other or move around much. Then even more officers appeared, each carried a PDD in the clipboard mode and tried to look prominent. We were near one of the extensive sets of automatic sliding double doors set into the Duro-Crete wall, Academy Dome entrances, underneath that rim we had used for our first PT exercise. Behind the doors were a waiting room with benches, vending machines, bathrooms, and an airlock that allowed access to the space field on the planet surface. Someone yelled, "Admiral on deck." We weren't precisely old hands, and except for Two-Three none of the Cadets including me, did anything. Two Three looked around. "Where is he? Is it a real one?" A Lieutenant hissed. "Damn it, Cadets come to attention immediately. Attention, Cadets!" Now that was something they had drilled into us, and we put ourselves in the required military posture. From the doors emerged an old man. He walked briskly and without difficulties, despite his apparent high age. He wore a black Uniform jacket just like ours, but instead of pants, he wore a red skirt that ended just above a set of knobby knees. Among the first instructions we had was a lecture about rank insignia and if I remembered right, this was a Five Star Admiral. I was certain the fleet did not have all that many, and that most likely explained the nervous Instructors. What it did not reveal was what we were doing here. The old man said. "At ease Cadets." One of the instructors cringed as a human cadet actually sat down, and one of the Elly took his jacket off. Fectiv waved at the Admiral." Nice to meet you, Sir. The other human cadet went straight for the Admiral. "Do you think I can get an autograph, Sir? You are the McElligott, one of the Immortal ones are you not? Oh gosh to meet you for real!" Pure snorted." No, I don't think he is, the Immortal Admiral has a scar and is taller." "Attention!" One of the Instructors, red in his face, yelled at all of us, and we responded quickly. The old Admiral glared at the Lieutenant. "If I allow men to be at Ease, you don't put them back into attention. I can see they are greener than their uniforms and then he said to us. "I am Admiral McElligott.  Yes, I am the Admiral of the Fleet, and I am the other Immortal Admiral. The old, wrinkly one, not the tall and famous Admiral Stahl." He waved his hand. "Be at ease, but don't walk away. Listen carefully to what I have to say." He gave us a moment. "I am fully aware that you are brand new Cadets and that it was just yesterday you received your first drill instructions on how to stand at attention and it appears they had not entirely covered the subject of how to stand at ease." Pure spread his paws. "They did mention it but at the very end and they wanted to continue today." "I am glad they mentioned it then Cadet. Now we all will take a little trip to a nearby planet system, and it will actually be your very first real mission as Union Fleet personnel. It is not a training exercise or a test but a real diplomatic mission." Now, that did get my attention, and I listened closer. "We are invited by the Yokuta, and they requested more or less you to be present, by that I mean a cross-section of Union Youth that just begun to serve and they want to hear from you what it means to be a Union citizen and a Union Soldier." He reached in a pocket and produced a black and brown object, he fiddled with the thin object, and I thought it was probably a pipe. I had seen a few of those in use by fishermen and Snapper herders. He put one end between his teeth. "While you can't tell them much about being Officers or soldiers yet, you can tell them why you chose this career. I want you to be honest with them, but try to be positive. The goal of the whole thing is to tip them towards applying for Union membership." One of the Elly padded the palms of his hand like appendixes together. "I know of the Yokuta. I think they once were a colony of ours or something like that, but they are in Galactic Council space, and the Nogoll won't allow us to visit them." The Admiral put a flame to the larger end of the pipe. Placing the small tip between his lips and appeared to draw in a breath then let it out producing a small cloud of blue smoke, much to the utter fascination of most of the Cadets and some of the Instructors also. McElligott appeared to be pleased about the puff of smoke. "This has changed, the Black Nogoll at least as you knew them no longer exist, they have been defeated, and the Yokuta are their own masters once again." He looked at something like a wrist PDD and turned to one of the Instructors. "Be a good lad and check on the USS Shetland, she is bound to be here by now. It is not like Captain Mackenzie to be late." "Sir, Yes, Sir!" Then the Admiral turned back to us. "Now we are not the Nogoll or Galactic Council, and there is no real reason for us to remain in that system with the Yokuta after the victory celebrations are over. We can't establish a military base or install orbital platforms or take over a planet, as the Yokutas have reached Tech level three and it is their system." He puffed another cloud of smoke, and this time, I got a whiff, and it smelled not like any smoke I knew. "Now you may wonder why the Union really needs another star system or is so eager to win the Yokuta over instead of them seeking membership on their own or not." One of the Elly who was slightly taller than the rest said. "I can think of a few reasons." Elligott's bushy white eyebrows shot up."Well, cadet graces us with your knowledge." "The Yokuta being on their own could either be taken over by the Kermac or opt to be protected by the Free Space Treaty and deny the area for both Union and Kermac but open it wide for pirates and all the independent nations not bound by the Freespace armistice as it would create a direct connection to the Honister expanse and create basically something like a corridor of free space." "Oh! Cadet, you managed to surprise me, and that isn't easy. That is exactly the reason. How come you know that?" "My father is the representative of my world and belongs to the Elly delegation, and I was always interested in these things. That is why I am here, Sir." "We need to talk cadet. You know there is always room in my administration for a bright officer with interest in politics and diplomacy." I no longer paid attention to the conversation. A part of the mustard yellow sky darkened, and then through the swirling clouds, a vast man-made mountain descended. It was just like when I saw the USS Ragnarsson for the first time. Here on a planet surface, it gave a real idea of the size of the behemoth. It was wedge-shaped like most of Union battleships that had been designed and built after the Uniform design doctrine, making it easier for logistics, service, and repair. Bold letters identified the USS Shetland and next to it the Union Flag. The hull classification code was BBG-32, and if I remembered my nights reading and watching fleet and ship specs, it was a Super dreadnought and two of these could, according to the magazines I was reading, take on the Devi. I would be aboard that monster on an official mission and wearing Union Uniform. I could swim any day. We were lined up before the airlock doors, and then a transparent covered gangway rose from the surface and connected the airlock with the battleship. The airlock opened, and we were transported via a slide belt onto the ship. To me, it was like stepping in the sacred halls of Valhalla. A high whistling sound was heard, and we were called to attention and stood in a row against the hull. The Admiral approached a woman of small stature with short-cropped gray hair and four golden rings on her Sleeves and said to her, "Captain Mackenzie, Request permission to come aboard with ten Cadets and two Academy Instructors." "Permission Granted, Admiral!" The two high ranking officers walked to the side and talked to each other quietly. Then they left, and one of the Instructors told us to relax but not to leave the area. We were in a large room, an illuminated sign on the light gray walls identified it as Crew boarding chamber eighteen. The first thing I noticed was the smell of metal and that undefined but unmistakable scent of new machinery, the deck plates vibrated barely noticeable, making this mountain of metal feel as if it was alive. Below all the voices, orders, footsteps, and generated sounds, you could feel that faint almost undetectable hum of unimaginable energies. "What has gotten into you? You stand there like an oaf with a dumb grin on your face," One of the human cadets said. I remembered his name was Bennett Waite. He was one of those people you meet and immediately dislike, always snapping at others and seemed displeased with anyone around him. Maybe he had some personal issues to deal with and so said, raising my hands. "All this! We are aboard one of the biggest and most powerful battleships. Over eight thousand beings are serving on her right now, and almost eight million tons are going to lift off, accelerate at 450 kilometers per second to the square and go trans light!" He nodded. "You are an idiot! What else would it do? It is a space ship, after all. I wonder how you managed to even get past the pre-entry exams!" "Ben, If you don't like me, simply stay away. If you keep insulting me, I am going to do something about that." "There isn't much you can do. We are not allowed to fight, go take a swing at me, and you get kicked out." "Is it something I said or done to you that makes you so aggressive?" He shrugged." Not really, I just don't like your face! That and the fact you are a stupid moron." I took a deep breath and said. "Whatever your problem is, it isn't mine." I left him standing and went over to Two-three. "I guess I am the only one excited being on a ship of this size for the first time." He turned his mirrored faceplate, and as usual, I saw my own face reflected in it." I am excited too, I felt a little of the energies flowing all around us, and it is absolutely incredible. On a sun, the energies are everywhere and in a state of chaos. Here the same power is harnessed in orderly streams, channeled and controlled to the last iota. I could stand here for days and simply feel that!" Pure came over and offered me a Candy bar. "It's granola and raisins, your favorite. I got it from the Ninio, that's our Elly by the way. He can't eat it as he has no teeth and I don't like them as I don't have enough molars." "Thank you!" I took the bar and said." What do you mean by our Elly?" "Well, the one that was with us since the start. Stinkbug hiding Elly! The others are new." The only other human cadet approached and pointed with a shy grin at the granola bar. "Do you have another one?" "No, I don't. I already ate the one from this morning for breakfast, but you can have this one if you like." He took it with a thankful nod. "I am four days in this Navy of ours, and I am hungry ever since." "Don't you think we get enough food?" I wondered. "We get enough food alright but no time to eat it. I am always half done when told to pack it up and get a move on. Guess I have to learn to wolf down my food, oops, that was not meant as an insult." Before anyone could reply, the vibrations of the deck plates changed ever so slightly, and I said." We're talking off!" He chewed and blinked." How do you know?" "The rhythm of the vibrations has changed." "I feel nothing." Pure knelt down and put his paw on the deck plates." Now I would lie if I really feel much, but there is some sort of vibration." Two-Three said. "The power flow has increased drastically, ever since Eric said it." One of the Elly not far from us joined our conversation, "I never thought a human could feel these vibrations, but you seem to feel them, right?" "Don't be ridiculous!" Waite was suddenly there." This isn't some primitive Elly rust bucket but a Union Battleship. There are no vibrations you could feel!" I turned to him and said." I am not sure what your problem, but I suggest you take your attitude and your insults somewhere else." "What is it with you, Olafson? You are human! You fraternize with all those non-humans! Without us, they are Kermac Slaves or turned to ashes by the Y'All!" He snorted and walked away. There was an uneasy silence in the small group. Potsema, the Garbini who was at the other end of the room came over, put two of his tentacles on my shoulder and said. " I heard, we all going to get a tour of the ship." Pure growled with his teeth exposed and his neck fur above the collar of his suit standing up." Attikan needed no human help to ascent and conquer our star cloud!" He was talking directly to me! Even though the Elly was quite alien, I was certain he was angry as well. "Elly ships are neither rusty nor primitive." Two-Three held up his hands. "Calm down friends. Eric certainly isn't like that, and he was no the one to say such derogatory things about Elly. I have heard of the Purists, but they are a fringe group and quite illegal to be in the fleet." Fectiv growled back at Pure. "The Non-Corp is right. We even had a class on that, and he is the first one ever to act that way." I sighed. "I am not sure what to do about it! I don't like to rat someone out, but the day before yesterday we all swore the Academy oath, and I take oaths and such things very serious!" Potsema asked. "I have no idea what is going on, but I am on Eric's side." Ninio said." No one questions Eric, Potsi, he's fnarkty." A man in black uniform we had not seen before called our attention and said."I am Chief Petty Officer Luke Ashby, and since you are in a military limbo regarding your ranks, you can call me Luke or Chief. I am here to take you on a quick tour of the Shetland.  She is the flagship for this fleet, although everyone thinks it is the Devastator. He herded us through an armored sliding door while he kept talking. The USS Shetland is the first of the Vision Class Dreadnought but officially designated as Arsenal Ship, Meaning this lady is packed with the almost every weapon system  our combined cultures came up with and the first class using Attikan Engines." He pointed with his flat hand towards Pure and Fectiv. "I see there are Attikan Cadets. Any chance one of you is an Engineer or plans to be one?" Pure stepped forward. "I am of the Jilkari Planes Pack, and we are all engineers. I am expected by my pack to become an engineer in the Fleet." "Excellent! I am sure you will be able to exchange a few words with our Chief Engineer then who is an Attikan too." He requested we follow him and he started the tour. For the next five hours, we went through the enormous ship, first engineering, then sickbay, Fighter decks, and Auxiliary Craft Hangars and Science labs. After the lunch break, we continued the tour with the Chief, seeing more of the ship. While each department was of great interest to me and I regarded the tour as perhaps the best day of my life so far, I still hoped we would see the bridge, but sadly we did not. The Chief told us that the captain did not want, as she called us, half civilians on her bridge. The Chief arranged, in place of a bridge tour, and extended tour of the Translocator turrets. That was an instant hit with everyone. The activity were impressive as we came just as a deployment drill was in progress. Robotic arms and conveyor systems fed the pre-fire chambers of the TL cannons with bomb casings. Gunnery crews both robots and living beings wiped the bombs with white rags, which were pulled out of dispensers at breakneck speed. While the smaller TL Cannons were fully automated the big ones were loaded manually and the chief gunner, a Pertharian, for this triple cannon turret, wrote a name on each of the shells loaded. He only wore a white undershirt and black pants, like all the men in his crew. He explained to us after the drill. "The Translocator cannons are both the oldest and the most advanced weapon system in our arsenals. It is the product of an ancient but highly advanced tech level eleven society. Yet we use them now for over five-hundred years, and Union engineers have taken this alien concept and made many improvements to ammunition, loading technique and energy distribution." He padded a light blue metallic cylinder of about two by one meter. "Whenever there is a high ranking admiral aboard, our captain likes to run a fire drill. This is a Giga Load Anti Matter Fusion Bomb. The casing is blue to indicate a test or dummy bomb. You never handle Anti Matter even in as safe as possible conditions as this turret, you do so only when there is no other choice." Two of his men, a human and a tall Andorian came and wiped the casing with rags while it rotated on its axis. "It looks antiquated but is absolutely necessary. These special rags are antistatic and remove any possible loose metal particles from the casing. This task is usually done by robots and machines, especially for the small load Translocator Gatlings, but with these big babies, it is done as a second control by hand. Now tell me why!" But before anyone responded, the scenery changed! Alert sirens blared, and a speaker thundered, "Battle stations all hands battle stations!" Men started running through auto dressers emerging in full combat armor. Others went to the bomb elevators and cannon controls. Through all this, the gunnery chief and our guide remained relaxed and calm and said to us. "Just remain where you are, movement is not approved!" A speaker thundered. "Giga Loads authorized! Prepare Salvo!" A red case came up the conveyor, and the two gunners did not wipe it. The casing shoved into the cannon breech, the thing closed and an explosion in slow motion proved that it all was just a Holo recording. "One in a million chances that a static charge or a metallic interaction interrupts the magnetic containment of the antimatter, a slight unbalance and the stuff touches positive matter and" He pantomimed an explosion which was quite impressive given that he had four arms to do that. " Force fields can contain a small blast to some degree, while a special force field generators are on standby at each cannon big or small but having one of these ignite before beamed off, is not a good idea. Since the introduction of the translocator technology one-hundred and forty-one ships were lost to this type of accident. We haven't lost a single ship in the last fifty years, and we aim to keep it that way. The ultimate control is done by living beings. Takes an extra moment, yes, but when they start fighting with these big boys, with our advanced weapons control, usually one per enemy ship is all that is required. Now that is note-worthly, remember it for the duration of your tour of duty with the Fleet."