"Not at all, sir! Thank you, sir! Permission to carry out, sir?!" The newly minted lieutenant caught Shepard's nod of approval and rushed into the cockpit. Shepard grinned from the corners of his lips: he was well aware that the "Joker" would neither provoke nor win over the imperturbable and pedantic Erich. In addition, the pilot is always the pilot: Erich, and "in the second seat" will be able to show the Joker what it means to be a combat pilot-practitioner.

Chapter 9. a conversation with the gunners and the EW. Training alarms.

Standing behind an electronic warfare specialist, police Sergeant Ingvar Tempe, Shepard made sure that he was fully comfortable with his new duties and was frankly getting high doing his favorite thing. The captain knew that the electronic warfare specialist's console was understaffed from the very beginning of the flight — few people believed then that the frigate would have to engage in combat operations, conduct active real reconnaissance, and organize counteraction to the enemy's desire to identify the spy.

"Ingvar, give me all the information on the technical and electronic infrastructure of Eden Prime quietly on the screens. Everything that we can reach and use to our advantage. Without logging in-yet."

"Easy, Captain." Tempke clicked on several sensors without turning around. "First of all, these are cosmodromes. There are officially three of them on Eden Prime. It's full of all kinds of electronics and technical equipment, there is a transport infrastructure. Secondly, these are power substations scattered all over the planet. There are also a lot of electronics there, but the main thing is powerful energy storage devices. Thirdly, it is a monorail, which also requires a significant amount of energy and corresponding complex control systems. And finally, the most delicious thing, in my opinion, is the weather and climate control stations. Electronics — wagons, powerful radiators and receivers, energy storage devices. It's just a song. I'm sorry, sir. I've been discussing it with the guys.... We also had a topic — climate wars using planetary technical infrastructure. I've been calculating along the way.: According to open data, the planet is agricultural, and the weather is being monitored very, very seriously, because if there are the slightest fluctuations in the climate, the losses will be enormous. It's the off-season, and harvesting won't start anytime soon. Even for early ripening varieties. According to my calculations, sir, if necessary, it is quite possible to arrange a local or planetary weather apocalypse in a few minutes. Thunder, lightning, torrential rain on a tropical scale with electrification of the atmosphere to the level of almost continuous breakouts. "Ingvar had clearly "got on his favorite horse" and now wondered why this strange commander of the landing crew was in no hurry to interrupt him. Suddenly, he remembered that Captain Shepard had recently been the ship's senior officer and instantly interrupted himself. "I'm sorry, sir. Got carried away."

"You sound interesting, Ingvar. And most importantly — on business," Without a grin, Shepard said with absolute seriousness. "Calculate the situation with the local Apocalypse for me. The maximum height of the impact zone is six kilometers. The width of the zone is two kilometers. With maximum energy at six points of defeat. Consider that you must destroy an object that is eight to twelve times more secure than the Path of Destiny. The condition is to prevent this object from taking off or activating a beam weapon. Efforts should be made to disable or temporarily disable all of its electronics and gun systems. Up to and including heavy weapons. The level is a superdreadnought. Along the way, identify the points on the planet where the effectiveness of such an apocalypse will be maximum. Is the task clear?

"Yes, sir!" Tempke, forgetting even to nod, enthusiastically set to work.

Talking to Ingvar, Shepard had already known for several tens of seconds that the commander of the ship was standing next to him.

Therefore, taking a step back, he looked questioningly at the senior officer of the frigate. Anderson just nodded silently and, with a sign that was barely noticeable to the other officers present at the CIC at that moment, asked the XO to retreat even further, to other additional "necklace" consoles that had not yet been activated. The main consoles, every single one, were already occupied and operational.

"Are you getting ready?" Anderson asked quietly.

"Yes, sir," Shepard said softly. "The repeater will have too many ears. But in the meantime, we have time."

"What's the next point?" The frigate commander asked.

"Main guns, sir," Shepard replied. "I know there are two policemen working there now. One is at the main console, the other is at the side console. I think two gunners are enough for our capabilities. Fire control will be organized from the bridge or from the cockpit of the frigate."

"I agree. Come on, let's see what we can do there." Anderson turned around and the two officers walked slowly up to the second deck.

* * *

Two policemen paused from their work at the consoles for a moment, nodded in greeting and looked questioningly at the senior officers who entered the compartment. Anderson, who was walking a little ahead, briefly waved his hand, which meant — work, there is no need for a report. Shepard leaned over the main console. Anderson went to the second one. What is the achieved accuracy of hitting with a two-shot salvo? — Shepard asked the senior gunner quietly.

"We managed to upgrade from the third grade to the second grade. I think" the sergeant realized that the senior assistant commander of the ship was quite ready to allow an informal format of conversation. In two hours, Tom and I will be able to provide first class as well. I suppose you'll need precision and speed?

"Yes, Bill," Shepard nodded, "we need to hit the target at the maximum range of the first class — a circle with a diameter of just over one and a half meters. Four charges in a minimum amount of time. Two volleys. Make it in time before the laser charging chamber is covered with armored curtains. The target is inactive by itself, but the armored doors will close very quickly at the slightest suspicion of aggression on our part. We will need to move the guns as soon as possible and strike as I just said. I'm afraid we won't get a second chance, Bill," Shepard stated calmly. — If the target activates the main radiator or closes it with curtains, the situation will become more complicated for us very quickly."

"Shooting from what distance?"

"If you take the maximum — ninety — one hundred and eighty kilometers. The frigate will move in an anti-aircraft maneuver, and I assume that small lasers, such as our search, will also work on us POISK."

"Hmm. Small ones." Bill braced himself. "I'm sorry, Captain, it slipped out," the senior gunner's fingers quickly performed the necessary manipulations on the keyboard. "I believe that not even the first accuracy class will be needed, but the zero accuracy class. We will be able to provide this only by five o'clock in the afternoon. It's an interesting task, Captain. Just the kind I like. But..."

"The frigate's pilot will do as you say. I have reinforced the pilot group with another specialist pilot. The two of them or one of them can handle it anyway. But I would not like to force the ship to perform unthinkable pirouettes in the immediate vicinity of the target."

"I understand. We are a reconnaissance frigate, not an assault frigate."

"Yes, Bill. Consider the two options. The first is to inflict maximum damage in the attacking version and the second is to inflict maximum damage in the finishing version. Please note that the target's charging chamber will not always be strictly vertical or strictly horizontal. The guidance node can also move chaotically."

"Understood, Captain. Do you expect the target to snap back?"

"I'm sure of it. And we need to do everything so that she can't snap anymore. Strike, and the target must be disarmed. Keep working. I am waiting for your results on my omny-tool. The deadline is seventeen ten."

"Yes, sir!" The gunner nodded, catching the nod of agreement from his junior colleague, who had already spoken with Captain Anderson. A minute later, both senior officers left the frigate's main guns.

* * *

"The commander, sir," a policeman with a chef's degree approached them. "Here's the lunch menu. For the entire crew. May I offer you some test dishes?"

Anderson scanned the menu, signed with the encoder on the screen of the reader provided by the sergeant.

— Come on, Captain. We will take a sample directly from the boilers" The frigate commander looked at Shepard. Let's come to you, Sergeant," he turned to the chef.

"Yes, sir," the policeman stepped aside and walked to the left and slightly behind the senior officers of the ship to the enclosure now designated for the kitchen. Here," he handed over a long ladle and plates.

Anderson scooped portions from the cauldrons one at a time, filled several plates, leaned over the kitchen table and slowly sampled the first, second and third courses.:

"All right," he looked at the first mate. "Take a sample, John."

"Yes, sir." Shepard took a ladle and, after tasting the first, second and third, smiled with satisfaction. "All right, Michael"

He noted that Anderson was already signing the kitchen journal on the counter.

"You can prepare the portions, Michael," Captain Anderson said. "I allow you to cook up to three portions of the reserve."

"Yes, sir," the policeman-cook nodded.

At that moment, Shepard's omny-tool sounded. The commander of the landing group turned on the small screen and got acquainted with the solution proposed by Jeff Moro. Anderson was also interested, and the officers moved away from the cook and began discussing the pilot's proposed solution in a low voice.

"I think we can agree with Jeff's decision." Captain Anderson said. "I suggest you come to my cabin and have lunch." We'll discuss it at the same time."

"Captain. I agree that we need to discuss the information we have received, but let's not ignore the need for our presence among the crew members," Shepard objected. "Sooner or later, officers, sergeants, foremen, and enlisted men will have questions. It would be better to explain the incomprehensible to everyone at once. Moreover, in three or four hours we will approach the repeater area. During this time, we have too much to do to prepare for all imaginable accidents that may await us on the other side of the repeater.

"I agree." Anderson glanced at his watch. "It's two o'clock in the afternoon right now,— he looked at the cook. "Michael, announce the gathering of the officers of the crew for lunch."

"Yes, sir," the cook nodded, turned on the ship's broadcast on his console and announced the standard invitation formula for officers.

Over lunch, Captain Anderson and Captain Shepard briefly introduced their fellow officers to the planned actions before entering the repeater leading to the Utopia system. It was noticeable how much the ship's officers perked up when they heard that they were not going to have another tedious training, but real combat, reconnaissance, and sabotage work. Neither Shepard nor Anderson disclosed the details, but the ship's officers already understood that a lot would depend on what they could understand during an active remote search while parked in a hidden position at the repeater.

"And one last thing, colleagues," Captain Anderson said. "After lunch, without the slightest exception, all members of the frigate's crew put on light spacesuits, armor and fasten helmets to their spacesuit belts in full readiness for use. First-aid kits and pistols must be carried with you. Lieutenant Alenko has drawn up a duty schedule for the rapid response team. I assume that later in the evening we will hold two or three training sessions for all crew members. The estimated time is seventeen thirty. The details will be communicated to the personnel directly during the training. Once again, I want to warn you: practice all your workouts to the maximum. There is a very high probability that we will actually have to engage in battle. Therefore, there will be no clarification on whether it is a training exercise or a combat one. Any of the future trainings will be able to become combat in the shortest possible time. My first assistant and I will punish you severely for any mistakes you make. Officers should check their subordinates' equipment. Helmets — prepare for the transition to a closed loop. As soon as possible. Any questions? No? Everyone is free," he motioned for the officers to leave their seats at the dining table. You were right, Shepard. The officers needed our presence.

* * *

Exactly one hour later, the lights went out in all the compartments of the Normandy. The loud sound of the ship's siren broke the afternoon silence. Beams of powerful lanterns swept across the walls as the crew ran to take up their places according to the emergency schedule. Most of the consoles were de-energized.

"The crew should switch to manual control! Close your helmets! Turn on autonomous life support systems. Keep quiet in the compartments! The ship is under threat of detection by the enemy" such texts appeared on the helmet displays of most frigates. "Reanimate navigation systems without turning on external sensors. Check the operation of electronic warfare systems according to the "Ray" and "Sphere" schemes. Identify and fix malfunctions in weapons systems."

The introductions came one after the other. The commander of the frigate and the senior assistant moved around the ship like shadows, carefully observing the actions of the crew members.

From the outside, it was not noticeable that such a large-scale training was being carried out inside the ship — Jeff Moro and his partner received a categorical commander's order on their omny-tools to observe the ship's previous course and speed.

But inside the Normandy, it became hot in the truest sense of the word: depressurization mode was activated in many compartments. The crew members had to constantly prepare for rapid transitions from one part of the ship's rooms and compartments to another.

No allowances were made for the fact that weightlessness reigned in the depressurized compartments, separated by bluish "lenses" of emergency insulating fields from the compartments that retained the atmosphere. Speed, quality, completeness, correctness.

Fires of various sizes appeared chaotically in three compartments of the frigate — from a simple wiring fire to quite powerful and destructive explosions. Despite the fact that Captain Anderson did not allow the use of open fire in other compartments, it was quite difficult to guess exactly when the next fire would be and where it would occur, and what size it would acquire.