Atk. Butterfly - Rust Bucket

“Don’t worry. Just pick the people you know can handle anything and be ready to ship out in the morning. You’ll understand better when you get to your destination. Just be glad that George got his message to us in time to get all of you back here now. Now he’s going to need your help and soon. So, pick your people and rest here overnight. You’ve got to be rested. You won’t have much time afterwards,” she finished saying.

Something told me then that I was being let in on another part of the secret, but that I would have to be patient for almost another day. I slowly got up and then went back out to the ship area where I started calling out names while Jim wrote them down and then sent them somewhere. When I finished, he sent me to the same place which was the company billeting area for the night.

Sleep was almost impossible for me that night as specters from the past kept haunting me while I worried about Annie, William, and Angelica. Communications were being limited by the authorities because of the alien land invasion. I only knew that four hundred brave cadets had been activated from the Academy to face them as ground troops. Whether they were winning or not, I hadn’t the slightest clue.

Outside in the ship area, work was going on to repair the Pennyweight squadron of gun ships as fast as was humanly possible.

We were up just before sunrise with our gear and wondering if the repairs had actually been finished. Except for myself, the others knew even less of what was going on. They only knew I had picked them for a special assignment.

For myself, I only knew I had sealed orders much like I gave to my squadron on occasions before in the war when I served with the Navy. Only, I was on the other end of the envelope. I wondered what was inside that was so important that I couldn’t know about it until I reached my destination?

We left the billeting area just as Jim was coming to fetch us. He smiled and pointed at the shipyard. I led the men and women I chose out to where the ships were. We filed on board the Thurman where another crew was already in position. We had to ride in the cabins, dining area, and crew quarters in order to find enough space to fit in. The ships had been hurriedly patched I noticed while everyone went on board. There were lots of shiny new plates all over the four ships. They no longer looked like rust buckets. They were more like patchwork designs on a metal quilt. We hustled on board with a sense of urgency that somehow manifested itself without any help from anyone. I was the last in before the hatch was sealed and took a position on the bridge as Jim beckoned me to stick close to him.

Quickly, we lifted off. For once, none of the ships went through a battle stations drill as we cleared the planet’s surface. I thought at first that it would be a trip to another planet. Instead, we rode in orbit until we were only on the other side of Beulah where we set down in some very rugged terrain. The other three ships of our small squadron remained in space above us.

Jim said, “This is where you and your folks get off. I’ve got to rejoin the squadron. You’ll find your ship over there. There’s some ship construction people still there who’ll give you some advice before you lift off. Good luck!”

Jim extended his hand. I accepted and shook hands before I left the bridge to make my way for where he had pointed. Behind me, some of his crew were hustling the officers and crew I selected to leave the ship and follow me.

I almost didn’t see anything at first. Then I spotted some of the construction personnel whom Jim talked about. They spotted me at the same time. I started toward them as they waved me onward.

“You must be Captain Oden,” one man said.

I replied, “Yes sir, I am.”

He said, “Pleased to meet you. You should be able to send those Ape-oids packing with this baby. Where’s your pilot?”

“Hey Frank!” I hollered. I saw him suddenly pop out of the crowd and catch sight of me. “Over here, Frank! These men want to talk at you.”

Frank seemed to be caught up in the urgency of the situation and hurried over. One man started talking to him and the other man came over to me.

“Captain, tell the rest of your personnel to follow us and I’ll lead you to your ship.”

I turned to the other personnel and waved my arm for them to follow while shouting, “This way!” They followed as I walked alongside the man who seemed to be enjoying every moment of the short walk. Then I realized that there was a ship in front of me covered in camouflage netting. From the size, I could tell that it was larger than a heavy cruiser.

“My god! It’s huge! What is it?” I asked.

“That, sir, is the Rust Bucket, your new ship. It’s been five years in the making. It’s actually bigger than the ill-fated Liberty. We had to go back into historical archives to figure out what to call it. It’s either a dreadnought or battleship class compared to everything else in the Navy. You’ll have speed and firepower to match anything the enemy has plus some. We were afraid for the last year that our engines had been duplicated, but everything else is inferior to these powerhouses. Wish we could have given it a shakedown cruise first, but it’s needed now. You’ll have to work through any problems while in action, but we did our best. I’d send some people with you, but they’re needed to complete the George and start work on the David. This arrived a short while ago. I was asked to give this to you.” He handed me another envelope that I accepted with shaking hands.

Then Frank was running over to me with excitement all over his face. Then he saw the Rust Bucket. His mouth dropped open as he suddenly stopped. He only stared for a moment before he said, “They said we better get going in a hurry.”

We all entered the new ship and found our way using charts along the passageways to guide us. I reached the bridge and the communications officer took her seat. She said, “Frank, hit the hatch switch. They’re all clear outside and we can go.”

Frank looked at me. I nodded as I took possession of my new Captain’s seat. In front of me was a panel of scopes that duplicated some of the other panels in various locations about the bridge. Then I remembered my sealed orders and took out the envelope. My hands shook as I broke the seal and pulled out a sheet of paper that outlined my mission objectives and scope of action. Lights blinked to green on a diagram in front of me. I realized that as the crew got into position, a light for each position was changing from red to green. Soon all my personnel were in place. I read the orders aloud as I pressed the clearly marked intercom switch in front of me.

“This is Captain Oden. Our mission is to take the Rust Bucket to the Ape-oid home world and provide escort for Captain George Clark who has headed a rescue mission to secure the safety of the passengers of the ship taken by the Ape-oids. Once they are clear, we are free to attack any and all Ape-oid ships and installations wherever we may find them. Frank, launch the ship! The rest of the Pennyweight squadron will provide us with cover until we reach space. Then they will leave us to provide protection for our families and friends on Beulah. We will be on our own.”

I was hardly aware that the Rust Bucket was rising sideways until I spotted more instruments in front of me that gave the direction of flight. No wonder, I thought, that Frank was excited. If the enemy thought that we had a secret weapon during the first part of the war, then this would definitely come as a surprise. As we left the atmosphere, the sensors became unencumbered by the planet’s mass, coming alive with more range than any sensors I had seen in use before.