Gravity Wielder - Book 2 of Re-Forge

Conflict

The first week of Storm's journey to Saturn was filled with a plague of cascade failures in the engine room's control circuits, and like the sailors of old, superstition onboard Storm was running wild. The crew's morale was suffering, and Matt was at his wit's end with frustration. He dragged his tired body from the shower while running the problems through his thoughts again and still, no answer came.

Matt pushed his legs into his Impervium spacesuit and said: "Storm, what the hell is going on, the water in the shower went cold. Why are we having all these problems?"

There was no answer from Storm. Matt fastened the suit, breathed out a long-winded sigh and passed through his duty office to the Bridge. He looked around at the mayhem. He could tell his team was trying hard and outwardly, at least, Matt remained calm, and in control.

Carl said a little too loudly: "Admiral, Storm has stopped responding. and we're adrift in space."

Matt sank into his command chair with deliberate purpose and said: "You're all doing a great job, keep working the problem."

SP1 buzzed into the bridge, then it saw Matt and zapped in front of him at startling speed, its concerned face turned to Matt and said: "Admiral, we need to talk privately. I know what the problem is." SP1 said this while showing a grave face with mixed emotions.

Matt, seeing that said: "Follow me SP1... XO! you have the Bridge."

Carl turned immediately to Marc and said "Commander DuPont, The Bridge is yours. Then whispered quietly to Marc: "Remember, let the people do their jobs. Just guide and assist where needed. They're the elite in the Navy and will let you know if there is a problem too big for them to handle. You're there to make the big decisions. Only push or advise when your crew are floundering, you'll know when that is because they are trained to turn to you when they hit a wall. That is when you command. At other times, you are the figurehead that brings confidence and stability to your team."

Marc nodded, Then Carl walked over to stand behind Marc, who had control of the command chair. He thought: "Nothing like a crisis to provide the perfect platform for fast learning."

When they reached his office, Matt said: "We're still over seven AU from Saturn orbit. We have no drive, and as a result, I have my warships out of the game as they are protecting their Flagship. Let's not forget the supply ships that are not supplying."

SP1 said: "I realise that every second we delay, is critical, but your team is at a loss to find a reason for their problems... I'm talking about the cascade failures. Admiral, I know what the cause is, but I'm not happy about disappointing a friend,"

Matt said: "SP1, look at this face." He held his arm with his finger, pointing at his reflected face in the full-length mirror on the wall, then said: "Look at the frustration on that face. SP1, if you know what's wrong, you must do what is needed to get us moving. Our situation demands action. Immediate action. We can deal with the fallout later. So, spill the beans."

SP1 unnecessarily moved so it could see the reflection of Matt in the mirror that Matt was pointing to. Matt felt deflated by SP1's action, and he thought: "If not for the seriousness of this situation, I would laugh. Instead, SP1's response, considering the global situation, is astounding. It was the first time that SP1 had shown naivety. That means that SP1 was suffering a debilitating dilemma."

Matt dropped his arm and sighed as he walked over to sit at his desk. He sat with hands steepled and contemplated SP1 hovering there, SP1 was obviously fighting an internal issue that Matt could not hope to understand, especially if SP1 would not share.

Matt changed tack: "I'm so sorry, SP1. You are so smart and confident, with instant access to the entire knowledge of humanity in your database; I sometimes forget that you are still incredibly young in some ways, and I was taking you for granted. Let's work it through so we can come to the right solution."