Navy Whore Ch. 02

Thanks, Tigerssman for editing this story.

*****

It had been two years that Kathy had been studying at the Academy. She missed 'The Firebrand'. It was time for her graduation to her 'XO', executive officer, position. Lee and Captain Lesly were already on campus. As Kathy was polishing her silver star she broke down, Lee was called to comfort her.

"Lee, do you know what this piece of metal means?"

"It means gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States."

"No, it means death. Many were already dead; Captain Lesly lay dying. I, a young Ensign, the last officer left standing on the bridge, and I gave the order to have all ships to shoot down all those planes. Hundreds of people died that day, many of them my friends, and I get a hunk of metal. I know I have to wear it, but I HATE IT!!"

"Kathy, if you did not give that order, all six thousand on 'The Firebrand' would have been lost when it sunk, it almost sank anyway. You saved lives. I know I would have given the same order, but long after you did. You may have been a young Ensign, but you were still an officer of the U.S. Navy, and you gave blood to Captain Lesly that saved her life."

"I was proud of you, it showed your character; you must get confidence in your decisions when you are a supermodel. You didn't back down from something you never had experience with before, combat. When you gave that order, everyone responded, they even scrambled the fighters from the other carrier."

"They did not blow you off because you were just an Ensign. They followed your order because you said you were the ranking officer on board their flagship. I could not assess the situation like you could, and Captain Lesly was near death, not to mention the dead."

" With our engines damaged, we could not even launch a helicopter, it would have been blown out of the sky. You had to respond to a surprise attack, you had to protect yourself. The enemy knew their losses would be high, you minimized the death total."

Everyone in Kathy's class was so excited that Lee was handing out their commissions; In most cases, just your commander gave out commissions. She was so easy to get along with. It is not often in your career you meet someone of her rank. Lee was responsible for the whole fleet, so she wanted to give out commissions. Lee had a knack to assign the officers to the best fit for each ship.

After graduation, Captain Lesly gave Kathy a gift-wrapped box; inside the box was an orange vest with a large 'XO' on the backside. Kathy almost didn't see the white piece of paper on the bottom of the box. After she started reading the document she broke down in tears and hugged Lee; she had orders to report to 'The Firebrand'.

The 'XO' on 'The Firebrand' knew it was a temporary assignment, after eighteen months he would be transferred to another carrier. On two carriers two junior officers shared the duties of an 'XO'.

Because tensions around the world were still high, Lee had base commanders of all mothballed ships to see which ones were in the best shape and could be modernized if needed. Lee was going to bulk up her Navy, even if it meant using older ships. Lee had a lot of new ports to fill. If she could have two or three nearby ports she could have the older ships patrol their own waters or combine to make a huge flotilla with ease. Each ship may be weaker, but the larger number made it harder to fight against.

Lee thought it long past time to do a national broadcast. All had the utmost respect for Lee. "As you, all know tensions around the world are still very high; this next time will be far worse. I am asking for some of you to join one of the military bases. You will have training then go home so there will not be much disruption in your life."

"All the males in my family have decorated Naval Officers. My Mom and a grandmother were WAVES and Grandma Rae was with the ambulance service. She was called 'A Rae of Sunshine'. You can see why I picked the Navy to serve my country. I am glad God gave me my abilities so I could serve all of you at this time."

"Yes, we all serve our countries. As you know, I want to be known as Lee; I feel very uncomfortable with titles. As I was gaining my ranks, I was doing so just to serve my country to the best of my abilities; being a Fleet Admiral was an unattainable goal."

"Rank is not what it is all cracked up to be. Recently, 'The Firebrand' went under fire and the bridge was cut off from the rest of the ship. My best friend was bleeding out, there were many dead; my second-best friend was in hell, experiencing combat for the first time. She was the standing officer on the bridge. She had to give the order that is most abhorrent to us, the order to kill at will."

"She saved Captain Lesly with a direct transfusion of AB- blood, the rarest of blood types. Both could have easily died."

"Ordinary people, doing extraordinary things, during extraordinary times is what this country is all about."

"In closing, I pray that all of you hearing this broadcast will remain safe during the dark days ahead."

Whole towns closed for the day so everyone could sign up. The juniors and seniors had a meeting and they divided up where to go. The big jocks tended to go to the Marines, some wanted to be air jockeys, many who enlisted wanted to join the Navy as the turnover was faster. Some even joined the Coast Guard. Officers and enlisted people were chosen according to their GPA.

Lee and Kathy watched Captain Lesly welcome 1,000 new crew members to duty. It was a high number, but people could leave at the end of their tours.

In that number, was a hidden 'Diamond in the Rough'.

Captain Lesly was surprised when she got the order for 'The Firebrand' was to return to port. Everyone was to have a month leave but could not go home. They had to be on their best behavior. Everything was under a veil of secrecy; Lee had no idea what was happening.

When all the crew left, an army of tech's set up 'The Firebrand' for real situation simulations.

Lee got orders to report to General headquarters for the duration of 'The Firebrands' tasks.

Captain Lesly opened a thin envelope she had about her tasks.

"Attention all hands, here are our orders; they are somewhat cryptic."

"You are not to alter anything that may look out of place. Over the next two months, you will face several scenarios, but you will not know what type or when they will happen."

The first scenario was easy, a monitor blew out, but it 'killed' a crewman.

The idea was to have most of the several scenarios happen during the third and sixth weeks, others had different ideas.

At the two-week mark, the sonarman said, "I have some readings I can't decipher Captain."

Captain Lesly walked over to look, "Sound General Alarm, get ten handhelds in the air, I need to see what is out there. Go into evasive maneuver Charlie, set depth charges to twenty meters. This is real people, these are not ours. How long until they are in torpedo range?"

"Forty-five seconds Captain."

"Remember how that ping bounces off the subs. Evasive maneuver Edward. Time?"

"Twenty seconds Captain."

Kathy was sweating. There were three subs chasing them and Captain Lesly was letting them get into torpedo range.

"Wait for it . . . FIRE CHARGES NOW!!"

With the first wave "The Firebrand' sunk two of the three subs. The remaining captain saluted Captain Lesly for her excellence, then he peeled back to his group for 'The Firebrand' to rescue his countrymen.

Kathy realized right then combat was not for the faint of the heart, that you must be decisive and confident about all decisions.

"May I ask a question Captain Lesly? Why the change in an evasive maneuver so late?"

"An excellent question Kathy. I had them tracking Charlie for a long time. They tasked all their torpedoes to it. As you know, Edward is much different than Charlie, it peeled us out of the way and all of their torpedoes would have missed us. All they found was our depth charges."

"How many did we rescue?"

"Three Captain."

"Kathy takes them some food, Steve makes a steel linked collar with a six-foot leash and have Seaman Chin-Lee go with your pistol drawn. Kathy tell them we will be lenient with good behavior."

Kathy started talking and she realized they had no idea what she was saying. "Seaman Chin-Lee, holster your sidearm and translate."

There were nods of agreement amongst the prisoners, the older prisoner then said something.

"Ma'am, they want to know if they can have rice and beans for their meals. It is a staple in their diet, and we eat that anyway."

"Tell them I will ask the cook."

"Tell them we will be lenient with good behavior. I do not want to see them wearing shackles as much as they want to wear them."

When Kathy asked the cook, he got a gleam in his eyes. "Ma'am their diet is healthier than the diet we are serving now. Do I have your permission to incorporate some of Mama's favorites? Please let me know if someone has a problem with the food."

As soon as Kathy heard their diet was healthier, it was a given what her answer would be. "Granted."

The cook gathered his two helpers, both of his background, and came up with many menus. Then he said, "Boys, we have all had this food all our lives; we all know what works and what doesn't."

"Here on 'The Firebrand' were want everyone to grow and to become better people. Each of us will be in charge of seven meals per week. That means we may have the day off to work on all three meals. I want to see your own flair on the meals, put your own signature on it; it will not go unnoticed."

That night Kathy, Steve, and Chin-Lee came down once again. Steve took the shackles off, Kathy gave them their food, which brought back memories of home. Kathy said, "We are taking a chance by offering some freedoms, even with your food. If we must transport you to a land-based prison, I can't guarantee how you will be treated; world tensions are awful now."

They agreed after Seaman Chin-Lee translated the information. The eldest of the prisoners gave Kathy a bow.

During the attack, Lee looked on with horror. No one could intervene during these tests, enemy attacks were not considered. Lee could see the attack from inside and outside of the ship. She didn't know what was going through Captain Lesly's mind. Within seconds 'The Firebrand' would have been sunk.

An Admiral said, "God damn she is good, that took guts to pull that off. She sunk two subs with one volley."

Lee said, "She is the best in the fleet, no other would even try. She combined defenses most wouldn't. She also made it a teachable moment for the sonar man, that is how confident she is."

"Well Lee, she is a damn side better than I would be. I am glad she is on our side."

"Admiral, I am sure she is launching drones every six hours, not even a fish could swim by with her knowing it. She has the power of asking for the 'Predator' to give her long-range information, I doubt she will ask."

"Put all tests on hold, they have enough on their plate."

The enemy had no idea how much information Captain Lesly knew; there were no communications being transmitted or received. Captain Lesly was watching everything in real time.

"OK people, here they come; let's teach them 'The Firebrand' has a stinger in its tail. Sound general alarm, ready fighter squadrons A and B, Gunship squadron G and H for low-level cover; ready Bomber squadron BB in the elevators.

In General Headquarters everything was in chaos. "Lee, how much of her assets is she using?"

"Half her fighters and gunships, they will be fighting on two levels. She has one squadron of her bombers ready to launch. She is ready for a counter strike. All her gunners are snipers. With radio silence, they feel she is blind. They have no clue she can read the names right off their hulls, even at dark."

When Captain Lesly saw they were arming the fighters she gave the command, "Launch fighters A and B, get up there, so they have to find you looking into the sun."

"Admiral, when the fight begins she will launch her gunships that will force the fighters to get shot down or hope reinforcements can fly high enough, the lower canopy is sealed. Nice to know when you think you can escape, you have gunfire or a missile coming at you. Just wait for the surprise she has up her sleeve."

At H.Q. they were all viewing the carnage, all were attention and saluting the screens. There were plenty of downed planes on both sides; people were paying the 'Ultimate Sacrifice' for their country. The enemy was losing more because of Captain Lesly's double trap.

Captain Lesly was counting on the carrier captain to be impatient.

"Evasive maneuver Tango."

At that, the other captain launched everything he had. This brought a smile to Captain Lesly's face. "Launch the rest of the fighters."

Lee said, "Gentlemen, watch and learn."

"Evasive maneuver Omega, launch squadron BB now, and AA in fifteen minutes. They have no air cover over the carrier."

Lee said, "With no protection, the carrier is defenseless. She is going to blow the hell out of it; she will not enjoy it, but it is war."

Chin-Lee translated a radio message on the enemy's general channel. "Just saw two squadrons of bombers headed to the carrier. There will be no carrier to land on. Farewell, my friends."

The next day, everyone was in a somber mood; 25% of 'The Firebrand's' crew was lost and 100% of the enemy's crew. There was nothing to cheer about. "Attention all hands, at 12:00 everyone will be in full dress for the services for our lost comrades. We will give ample time for our prisoners to mourn."

Captain Lesly and Seaman Chin-Lee went downstairs to talk to the prisoners. Captain Lesly saluted all the prisoners. Here is what was translated.

"Gentleman, I am Captain Lesly, Captain of 'The Firebrand'. As you know, we had battle and people on both sides lost friends and loved ones. Your carrier captain became reckless and used all his assets for a quick kill, however, he left the carrier unprotected. Once all the fighters were engaged, I sent out my bombers and they sunk the carrier. They had no chance. The bombs targeted almost every inch of the carrier which was struck at once."

"We are going to have services in formal dress to respect our dead. We invite you to attend the services to remember your fallen comrades in the way you feel is appropriate."

The three bowed to Captain Lesly and they all went up the deck to see a sea of white. Chin-Lee gave the three a wreath to lay down for their comrades. Then a twenty-one gun cannonade sounded. Then Captain Lesly and Chin-Lee pointed to the sky, all could hear the approaching jets. As they approached the lead pilot peeled away, forming the missing man formation. Captain Lesly remained at attention, saluting the elder prisoner.

The process was repeated for the Americans that were lost, then a moment of silence.

"All hands, but landing crew go below deck so we can land our planes.

At suppertime Captain Lesly and Chin-Lee approached the three, "Gentlemen, 'The Firebrand' was out here for secret training, even Fleet Admiral Lee didn't know about it. I can't allow you to see the exercises or how we respond to it. I will need to lock you into Fleet Admiral Lee's cabin for the duration."

The next operation dealt with communications. Norma Rae just happened to be walking by and saw a partial received and not decoded the message.

"What the hell is that? Are you planning to give that to Captain Lesly? Let me have those earphones."

The radioman was insulted, but he gave Norma Rae the headset and he watched in awe.

In H.Q., Admiral, I don't understand her. The Admiral grabbed the headset and asked for quiet. He was profusely sweating. He sent out the next message. He turned his chair.

Norma Rae decoded the message and gave it to the radioman, "Go."

"Radioman, you have five minutes to get me the personnel files on Chen-Lee and Norma Rae. Decorations for Captain Lesly will be figured out later. There will be many cross-promotions going on. If Sec Nav has a problem with that, he can send letters to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave."

Lee could not believe her ears; the Admiral was putting his job on the line for her people.

When the radioman handed the message to Kathy, he humbly said, "Ma'am, that is not my work, it is Norma Rae's. At first, I was pissed that she was so arrogant to know better than me. Her fingers were a blur."

"I knew that Radioman, I am glad you were honest with me. She is the fastest in the fleet. Here on 'The Firebrand', we want to make people, better people. I want you to sleep on a couple questions. What goals do you want in the Navy? We need to make a communications core, so you will need to know both radio and sonar."

"The core would include Norma Rae, Chin-Lee, yourself and the sonar man. It will be the only such core in the fleet. Are you ready to bust your ass off to join the group? It will take most of your free time. Let me know tomorrow at supper time."

After the Admiral read the files and talked to their parents he was fuming. "Can anyone tell me why we have someone who knows at least five languages and works as an engineer? Why do we have someone who can do Morse code at least 135 words per minute and can do logistics better than anyone in this room sans Lee, working as an electrician?"

"Norma Rae will be an Intelligence Specialist, first class. Chin-Lee will be Intelligence Specialist, second class. More will be added to form a super team. Lee, you have permission to scour the fleet to build your team."

"Not necessary Admiral, we on 'The Firebrand' promote internally. Do you think I did not know about Chin-Lee and Norma Rae? There are a few others. They need to discover where they want to be in the Navy."

"If they find a path that would take them in another direction, they have the right to reject it. I hope they would follow the path for their greatest potential. If they want to be on KP duty, when they have the makings of a good officer, then we need to respect that."

Lee was devastated. She lost 1,500 crew in battle, 1,000 officers and enlisted men asked for transfers and 1,500 crew ended their tours; that was 4,000 men of the 6,000 'The Firebrand' carried. Captain Lesly went to the major Naval bases, Kathy went to the Marine bases and Lee went to the academies. Lee told Kathy to try to get 500-750 enlisted Marines; they will help as a fighting force.

Lee went through four classes of folders; she could not believe the US Navy was accepting such mediocrity. She did find two that would fill much-needed spots. Lee needed a minimum of ten officers, twenty-five would be helpful.

She tried a long shot, all those that signed up after her speech. Many were too old but could fill land side jobs. Lee was excited, many just graduated within the last three years; the woman and the nerds attracted her attention. Some of the nerds were experts with robotics. The jocks had a big diva complex; she did find a few she could mold.

Lee went to an amateur robot demolition derby, many of her potential recruits were there and she could see how they fared.

As Lee watched, almost every robot was made to give the biggest blow; all the cars were not equipped for how to avoid the biggest blow. Lee asked if she could enter a robot, and permission was granted. Every robot was being blown apart.

Lee asked a team that was already out of the competition if she could use some of their parts. It was almost all defensive, except for two blades that were hidden.

Her first match was against a flamethrower. Lee dropped a shield to deflect the flames, doing damage to her opponent as they got closer.

In the finals she faced 'The Big Bopper', it crushed everything in sight. This will be fun.

Lee tripled the width of the beam she thought she might need. As the 'Bopper's' hammer came down, so did Lee's beam, except Lee's beam was defensive. The hammer had no effect whatsoever, it could complete one-third of its arc. Moreover, it raised the front of the unprotected bottom of the robot.