A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Naval Tracking Station Neptune, near Addisjah Vrassa
6:16 local

"Commander, is this whole night going to be like this?" asked SFC Jones, the NCO assigned to radio watch. Jones was recently involved in an onbase incident where he was intoxicated and assaulted two MPs who were attempting to escort him back to his barracks at the radar base. Rather than facing a court martial, he accepted NJP and was assigned to two weeks overnight duty. He was on his second week.

"Shut up Jones and listen for that radio. And if anyone calls it, I better not catch you sleeping again or I am handing you over the JAG and you can rot in the brig."

"Aye Ma'am!" shot Jones sarcastically. The Commander glared as this delinquent Sailor and knew that he was probably gonna wash out sooner rather than later. He wouldn't be her, or the Regular Navy's problem after that.

"You've got an attitude Jones," she said.

"Aye Ma'am," he responded.

"Your mother must be so proud," she responded.

"Your mom is proud," he muttered under his breath. Just loud enough so his Commander could hear him say something, but not quite make out what he said.

"As you were, Sailor! Lock it up and listen to that radio." She went to her duty office and slammed the door. She'd had enough of his insubordination for one evening.

As the door closed, a crackle came over the comm: "CQ CQ Station Alpha Juliet. CQ CQ Station Alpha Juliet. Do you Copy?" SFC Jones picked up the handset, keyed the mic, and said "Kelly, you just did a radio check five minutes ago. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Alpha Juliet... ummm... this is Station Kilo Delta. Location BZ Oh Five Eight Niner. Ummm... They disappeared Over..."

Jones didn't recognize that call sign, he had no idea who Alpha Juliet was, and the location sounded like a naval grid. Something was off here. "Say again? Who is this?" Jones demanded.

"This is Kilo Delta. The little blip, its' gone, over."

"What Blip?" Jones asked.

"The little blip. the... the f--king plane, you dumbs--t. It's gone. It was here... like... we were tracking uh... it's yeah.... Captain..." the radio went silent.

Jones had no idea what this other person was talking about. He waited for a moment and then keyed the handset again. "Kilo Delta..." he waited. "Kilo Delta..." nothing, just the static. "Kilo Delta, get your god damned ears on Over."

Suddenly a different voice came back over the radio. "Quit cussing on my radio" said the voice, clearly in authority. "Alpha Juliet, this is Captain Oscar Caldwell. Get your Watch Officer on the radio right now."

Jones suddenly had a feeling of dread creep over him. He put the headset and the handset down on the desk, and slowly got up and walked over to the Duty hut's hatch, pounded on the door and stood there. He pounded on the door again. "Ma'am!"

A voice from inside the duty office yelled "Go the f--k away, Jones, and quit f--king around with your stupid friends..."

"Ma'am There's a Captain someone on the radio asking for you from someone named Kilo Delta."

The door swung rapidly open, and the Commander, with her uniform blouse untucked into her belt stuck her head out. "What... is... it..." She was pissed.

"Ma'am I was ordered to get you on the radio. By a captain something or other."

The Commander chuckled incredulously. "Oh, a Captain someone, huh. Jones I swear to god if this is a joke, you will be scrubbing heads with your f--king toothbrush for the next week." She pushed past him and walked over to the radio desk. "Captain someone, this is Commander Anderson, of Station Neptune. Identify yourself."

Jones stood at attention and looked at her as he heard the radio squawking in the headset, but couldn't make it out. After about five seconds, he saw the commander's face go white as a sheet. She dropped the handset and shot a stare back at him which looked to him like she had just been electrocuted and could be dead. And yet she still remained standing. "Seaman, bring me the telephone please..." was all she said.