章節 3: Chapter 2
Carter knew she was in for a long stay at Pearl when she puled into the Hawaiian drydock and saw the leading repair ships face when she saw the damage to her left flank had an ugly gash in it. The outer steel skin was warped and bent. Dried, congealed blood hid the worst of it. Carter's high speed run had done other damage to her body like the lovely 5 degree angle her sail now sat or her personal favorite, the clearly out of round shaft and dinged up reduction gears. All Carter could do was groan at the verdict; 7 months in the drydock. "Is there any other way?" She asked. "Unless you can get some quiet assignment stateside where you won't have to move much, no." was Mercy's reply. Carter sighed and set about a new task with due diligence, hitting up contacts appropriately. Like hell she'd be stuck sitting in this hot drydock for a year if she had anything to say about it.
Her wish came true and she received orders to report to Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego. Carter knew of the place and it had long been on her bucket list of bases to be stationed at. A far cry from Washington but a great deal better than where she was currently. Mercy was not keen on her making the 2800 mile journey stateside. "That's at least 2 weeks where that wound will be completely open to the sea. You haven't been resting well here and very easily that injury could become infected." "I'm aware." Carter sighed. "But anywhere's better than here." The Navy's decision to send her to San Diego was based solely on her rank. A recent promotion had given her the title of Senior Chief and a common shore posting for that rank was Recruit Division Commander or RDC. As hard as her time in Basic was, Carter made it through knowing an RDC had it twice as hard. It was a job stressful enough for a healthy ship, let alone one suffering an injury worthy of a drydock stay. Still, if it meant avoiding drydock time, she'd take it.
Carter's desire to avoid the drydock was not out of any misplaced desire to be a heroic figure nor a sense of restlessness. But of a fear and an old trauma that lingered. She hated drydocks and doctors with equal passion. The defect that gave rise to her expanded midsection being the prime cause of her hatred. Doctors were an over-curious bunch who never learned to leave well enough alone when she asked nicely. And eventually she just gave up asking all together and used harsher methods instead. Methods that ensured a harsh punishment. Which only made her despise anyone with the rate of corpsman all the more.
With that in mind, Carter was extremely keen as she backed out of her drydock prison, pleased to feel water under her keel again. Mercy had installed a temporary patch to keel that ballast tank sealed and her shaft was repaired enough to take the load of 10 knots but no faster. And diving was definitely out of the question! Carter would have to make the 2800 mile journey surfaced. At least she wouldn't have to suffer the indignity of being towed but this was a close second. Being on the surface left her feeling very exposed, like a human being naked. "I've modified your orders." Mercy said. "You won't have to work the same crazy schedule a regular RDC does but for Ancient's sake, be careful! I'm not too worried about the shaft but that patch could come undone at any time. If it does it will break that seal I put around your bearings and make it very difficult for you to get around. Not to mention painful. I'd get an LLD chit from Medical as soon as you report in. The less you have to move, the better." "I understand." Carter said obediently, allowing the tug to hook a line to her for a tow out of the harbor. Her reactor critical, her main engine cranked over as it was fed a sufficient quantity of steam. She stood by on the turbine generator, waiting until she was actually on her way out of the harbor to bring it online and rotate her shaft. As her propeller blades bit into the water the motion generated flow over her rudder and aft planes, allowing her to assist the tug in the tight turns out around Ford Island. Then, once free of the harbor, with Diamond Head astern of them, the tow was released and Carter opened the throttle, cautiously. The patch in her side held up well to the 10 knot restriction and she winced a bit as the skin beneath it protested the motion but that's all it did.
Her voyage to the states was uneventful and she half-limped into Point Loma. She had little time to lose. It was Sunday and she had just 12 hours to rest and recuperate from her long journey before she took on her division for the next eight weeks. It was unusual for RDCs to work alone. They usually operated in groups of three but submarines had shown highly adapt in managing their charges by themselves. So the Navy let them work solo. Which was a good thing as Carter doubted she could stand the prodding of other trained ships. The stares she was being given currently as she carried herself into her berth for the night were bad enough. Carter had planned to go over a few things before she went to bed and try to piece together a plan on how to train her recruits into basic warships. But she was so exhausted she went right to sleep.
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