Starfire
Copyright© 2025 by Mark Randall
Chapter 28
The next morning, Thad called for a squadron command meeting. He was unsurprised that Reggie wasn’t there, but he was surprised that Maisie also wasn’t.
“Anybody know where Maisie is?” He asked.
“I saw her at breakfast, she said that she had an appointment.”
“Any idea what kind of appointment?” Thad was not happy about her absence.
“She didn’t say.”
“Well, moving on, we don’t have time to wait for her. Barney, have you and Susan got an update for us?” Thad decided.
Barney reluctantly stood up. “Yes, Sir, I’ve got good news and bad news.”
“Bad news first, please.”
“Well, we have found more problem fuses.”
Thad flinched. “Not good, how long to replace them?”
Barney was getting more nervous. “Not long, maybe 2 or 3 days. But there’s more. What’s worse is that some of them are in different subsystems, including the environmental control circuits. Lieutenant Daniels is lucky that it was the main power buss fuse that went out. If it had been a fuse in the environmental system, he might not have noticed until it was too late.”
“How much time?” Thad asked.
Barney didn’t pause; this question had been considered earlier. “To refit the squadron, and depending on if there are enough fuses in supply, maybe 3 weeks to a month. For the whole Starfire inventory, it takes three to four months. If we don’t have the reserve supply, it could take a lot longer.”
“There goes the rodeo.” A voice could be heard.
Thad didn’t know who the speaker was, but said, “I couldn’t care less about the rodeo. Pilot safety has always been the priority.”
“What are you going to do, Sir?” John Morse asked.
“I don’t have any choice, I have to go to the Captain and Commander Olivet and ask that all the Starfires be grounded until we can check and refit them.”
Thad turned to Lieutenant Commander Morse. “John, can you keep a lid on things until I get this taken care of?”
“No problems, Sir. It’s something that needs to be done quickly.”
As Thad was leaving, Susan followed him out. “I need to tell you something, Thad.”
“Sure thing, but tell me while you walk with me.”
Susan was nervous. “Thad, I think I’m the one responsible for the fuses blowing.”
Thad stopped and looked at Susan. She continued. “When we upgraded the software in Red Nine. Part of my upgrade involved increasing the power requirements for the radars and targeting system. I think that increase in power was what did this.”
“Are you sure of this?”
Susan, eyes downcast, replied, “Not 100 percent, but it’s more than a coincidence.”
“But that upgrade in the detection and targeting systems worked, right?” Thad asked.
“Yes, sir.”
Thad continued, “And the problem is fixable, but time-consuming?”
“Yes, sir.”
Thad leaned over and kissed Susan lightly on the forehead. “I don’t see a problem and a whole lot of benefits, so don’t worry about it.”
As the pair approached flight operations, Max Eastman came storming out of the room. He stopped briefly and glared at Thad. Then, without a word, he spun and stomped away.
Thad looked at Susan, who shrugged her shoulders. The pair then stepped into Flight Operations.
The mood in flight Ops was upbeat and jovial. When Thad was spotted, several folks called out, offering congratulations. The people close to Thad offered to shake his hand.
Confused, Thad and Susan stepped over to Commander Olivet’s throne. He, too, was upbeat.
“Congratulations, Lieutenant Sawyer. Your team flew a textbook attack.”
“My Team, Sir?” Thad asked.
“Yeah, that Drake woman really put a hurt on the Blue team. I can tell you Eastman was pretty mad when he left here.”
Thad’s confusion grew, “Commander, I’m at a bit of a loss here. I came here to request that all the Starfires be grounded. We’ve found a serious safety issue.”
Now it was Olivet’s turn to be confused. “Ground the Starfire’s?” he asked, “When did you discover this issue?”
“Well, the whole thing started when Lieutenant Daniel’s Starfire had that Mayday. Our investigation revealed a faulty fuse on his ship, followed by the discovery of additional faulty fuses. Some in the life safety systems. I didn’t find that out until this morning and came here immediately.”
“I see,” Olivet paused for a moment, “And Drake knew about this?”
“The first part, Sir. She wasn’t at the meeting this morning when we discussed the other problems.”
Olivet paused again, for almost a full minute. Then he called for First Sergeant Jones, who was two paces behind him.
“Sir.”
“You heard all that, COB?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Go ahead and issue the grounding order on the Starfires. Also, advise all other pilots and maintenance crews that they need to inspect their electrical systems as well. They can contact,” Olivet looked questioningly at Thad.
“Barney Lambert, Sir. He’s my maintenance chief. They can also contact Susan Collier,” Thad indicated, Susan standing next to him.
“Got that COB? Lambert and Collier are the point of contact for any questions.”
Turning back to Susan, “A pleasure meeting you, young lady. You did a good job spotting this. I’d hate to have to tell friends or family about a lost pilot.”
Turning back to Thad, “It seems you have a bit of a discipline problem, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, Sir, any recommendations?”
“No, it doesn’t work that way. Drake is your problem. Far be it from me to tell you how to run your squadron. Now, if you’ll forgive me, I need to get a hold of the Captain and explain why I’ve grounded all our defensive craft. But, before you leave, the Captain has approved your requests. I’m sure you’re anxious to break the good news.”
When Susan and Thad got back to the Ready Room, they found the celebration well in hand. As Thad walked through the room, various pilots, support staff, and their relatives offered their congratulations to Thad.
About halfway to the podium, Maisie stood in his way, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. Before she could say anything, Thad said, “Lieutenant, be in my office first thing in the morning.” Before she could say anything, he stepped around her and continued to the podium.
When Thad got to the podium, he paused for a moment and looked over the revelers. Then he raised his hands, signaling for quiet. Slowly, the noise died down.
Looking around the room, he smiled. “Well, people, you did it. With planning, preparation, and hard work, you achieved your goal. Congratulations and well done.” He paused for the applause.
Continuing, “In the coming days, there will be temptations to lord it over the Blue squadron. Resist that temptation. Be the gracious victor. Avoid disagreements and arguments. That’s what got us here in the first place.”
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