The Slot

[Oldsage]

This is a really old short piece, back from when I was twelve or so, I'm almost embarrassed to put it up but after some thought decided to go ahead anyways. Jordan Tobey is an old pen name of mine btw if anyone was curious about it. As always comments, questions, and other assorted feedback are always appriciated.

[Oldsage]

The Slot
By: Jordan Tobey


Looking out into the darkness, keen eyesight struggling to pierce that all concealing veil in search of the enemy that he knew was out there somewhere, I ruminated on the possibility of a trap.

“Anything yet Arthur?”

“Negative, both radar and sonar show all clear, and the low-light scopes aren’t showing anything. Worried about a trap?”

Having worked together for so long, it was a rare occasion when one didn’t know what the other was thinking.

“Yeah, the Japanese have got to be wondering by now what’s capable of destroying six destroyer convoys without even one them being able to get off a radio message. I just wish that there had been some sign of that battleship group that left Rabaul yesterday. It’s not like them to initiate radio silence unless they’re up to something.”

“That’s true, but do you really think that they suspect we can read all their coded radio traffic?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, it’s they only way anyone else could know exactly when they’re sending the convoys down to Guadalcanal. I hope they don’t change their codes because of this, while it wouldn’t inconvenience us for more than a few hours at most, it would give the American codebreakers fits having to crack the Japanese naval cipher again.”

“You know, the Americans are probably wondering just what’s destroying these Japanese convoys too. They have to know that if they were all getting through they’d be in a lot of trouble. We have to have sent at least a couple of divisions to the bottom in the last couple weeks, and that’s not counting the damage the American’s have done themselves, between the Cactus airforce and the occasional surface force, they’ve sent quite a bit to the bottom.”

“Call it a hunch, but I think that battleship group is coming down the slot tonight, we hit the convoy and then they broadside us.”

At this point the conversation was interrupted by alarms going off. Arthur began to relay the information provided by the ship’s sensors.

“Radar contact! Range 25,000 yards; they’re just coming around Savo Island. Looks like a light cruiser and five destroyers in line astern formation, speed twenty knots. Confirmed by sonar, it’s them. No sign of anything else, but something could be using the island as cover.”

Beside me a table lit up with a holographic map showing the enemy and all the available information. More specific information could be obtained by touching the particular target if necessary.

“Bring us up to twenty-five knots.” I said as he spun the ship’ s wheel over to bring her around on an intercept course. The hull began to vibrate as twin screws bit into the water, quickly bringing the ship up to the requested speed. She was the Phoenix, a Franklin class light cruiser; with 216,000 hp she was capable of well over sixty knots, the missile launcher normally found on the stern had been replaced by a twin five inch turret bringing her main armament up to eighteen duel purpose five inch guns in nine turrets that were capable of putting out over seven-hundred twenty shells a minute. She was capable of outrunning anything that she couldn’t outgun. However running wasn’t on the agenda tonight.

“Radio jamming initiated, if they weren’t running under radio silence, they are now.”

Staying at twenty-five knots to avoid revealing their presence by a bow wave, the range was quickly reduced to 5,000 yards with the enemy looking straight into the Phoenix’s broadside. Closer and closer they came, 4,500 yards, 3,750 yards, 2,500 yards.

Suddenly a searchlight illuminated the bridge and I quickly gave the order. “Open fire! Bring us up to sixty knots.”

The Japanese light cruiser was quickly engulfed in flames, hit by over a hundred five-inch shells in less than thirty seconds. I threw the helm hard over, causing the ship to race down the starboard side of the enemy column. As they drew abreast the first Japanese destroyer, the guns again opened fire. The Japanese ship quickly blew up in a massive ball of fire as a shell found the ship’s forward magazine. By the time the Phoenix opened fire on the next destroyer in line, there was nothing left of the first.

As the second destroyer, riddled both above and below the water line began to sink, I said to Arthur. “Did you notice? They aren’t carrying any cargo on deck, and they were already at battle stations. This isn’t a convoy, it’s a trap.”

As I finished saying this the third destroyer blew up as a shell detonated a torpedo’s warhead, it sank even faster than the first. By now the remaining two destroyers had finally begun to react and started to turn to avoid the burning wrecks of their comrades. Turning the wheel to starboard so as to pass astern, I curved in behind the enemy. Belatedly, a couple sporadic shots crashed into the water astern, the still surprised Japanese gun crews significantly underestimating the Phoenix’s speed. The fourth destroyer’s entire aft section right up to the funnel was blown off when a shell hit it’s depth charge racks. Sinking slowly by the stern the fourth destroyer was quickly left behind. As I brought the ship around to port in order to reveal the last destroyer that was hidden behind its sinking cohort, a column of water higher than the Phoenix’s mast rose up in front of her bow and then buried her under a wall of water.

“New radar contacts! Range 15,000 yards. Confirmed by sonar. One battleship, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and several destroyers. They were hidden behind the island. You were right, it was a trap.”

As fourteen and eight-inch shells continued crashing into the water all around, I reacted quickly. “Blast that sonofabitch, no one leads us into an ambush and gets away.“ As the last destroyer was literally crushed under the sheer weight of the shells fired by the Phoenix, I continued. “Arthur, give us everything you’ve got down there! Activate the smoke generator! Prepare to return fire!”

Quickly complying Arthur spoke up. “Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked. “We could easily outrun them.”

“If we don’t stop them here, they’ll blast Henderson field as a consolation, that battleship will turn every plane on the field into scrap metal.” I answered.

“All right, but I just wish we had brought more firepower tonight.”

“You’re not the only one.”

As the Phoenix began to shake under the full power of 216,000 hp I threw the helm hard over, sending a wave of water washing over the deck. Tearing through the previously dead calm waters, her bow began to rise up, with the log reading ninety-six and a half knots and smoke streaming out behind her, she headed straight towards her assailants, spitting flame from every barrel that could be brought to bear. Had anyone been observing, they couldn’t have helped but believe that she was every bit as pissed off as her captain and was out for blood.

The enemy destroyers leaped out in front of the small fleet like hounds before the horses during a hunt. The entire sea around the Phoenix was steaming mass of shells. By now she was twisting and turning under my deft touch at the helm, rushing in and out of her own smoke, throwing up huge waves with every turn, but always working ever closer to the enemy. Her guns turning first red, and then white from the heat of their constant firing.

“Sonar indicates torpedoes in the water!” Arthur told me. Glancing at the holographic display I saw that they would miss astern and gave them no further thought.

First one, then a second and third destroyer burst into flame or sank, all of them holed from bow to stern by a hurricane of shellfire. At last she was close enough to the heart of the enemy fleet to do some damage. As she turned across the bow of one of the heavy cruisers, her guns spoke out yet again in anger and defiance. Unable to pierce the cruiser’s heavy armor, they nevertheless turned her topsides into a raging holocaust. As the flames spread, they quickly reached the ammunition for the secondary guns. Explosions rippled up and down her length as a devastating chain reaction took place, until at last they reached the torpedoes. With a tremendous roar the warheads blew up wreaking havoc and destruction.

The Phoenix raced on, leaving behind a burning, shattered hulk that would smolder throughout the night, until finally the steadily rising waters forever extinguished the flames.

Now in the heart of the enemy fleet, the enemy fire intensified even further as the enemy’s secondary and anti-aircraft guns opened up on the Phoenix. In reply her 20mm anti-aircraft gatling guns came to life and returned the fire at over 6,250 rounds per minute per gun, sweeping the enemy decks clear of all life. The last enemy light cruiser sank; her hull riddled with thousands of 20mm shell holes, some of which had passed clean through the hull. The remaining heavy cruiser veered off as the entire bridge crew was wiped out, running wildly without anyone at her helm.

Free of distractions, I steered the Phoenix directly at the enemy battleship. Passing so close to it’s side that it’s main guns couldn’t be depressed far enough to bear, the Phoenix threw a solid stream of shells into it’s side and superstructure. Veering off after the pass I could look back and see that although there were fires throughout it’s superstructure it was still capable of fighting.

“Arthur, set the torpedoes for thirty-five feet and activate the magnetic exploders. We’re going back for another run.”

As the two ships yet again passed I gave the order. “Fire torpedoes!” Two torpedoes leapt from their tubes and raced towards the battleship. Spinning the wheel over to unmask the remaining tubes, the last two torpedoes raced out. Seconds later the first two exploded under the battleship’s unarmored keel as the magnetic exploders triggered, followed quickly by the other two. The combination of explosions ripped open the unprotected hull. Inside the battleship men and machinery were tossed about like toys. Slowly sinking, her guns destroyed or their crews dead and dying, her engines shattered, she would be finished off the next day by Avenger TBM torpedo bombers and SBD Dauntless dive bombers flying from Henderson field to be added to the ever growing number of wrecks littering Ironbottom Sound.

“Drop speed to forty knots, kill the smoke screen, and stop all jamming. Arthur, can you give me a damage report?”

“Minor shell splinter damage only, nothing critical. And I doubt that they’ll be sending any more convoys to Guadalcanal for a while.”

A grin spread across my face. “Hell, after tonight I don’t think they could if they wanted to. That’ll show them what happens when they try to set a trap for us. Let’s head home, I don’t want to be anywhere around here when the American’s send out their morning air patrol.”

“Just another night’s work.” Arthur commented, half to himself.

The sea around the Phoenix, which had only moments ago been filled with ships, was now empty except for a dying battleship and a lifeless heavy cruiser. The other heavy cruiser had limped off sometime during the battle. Setting course west northwest, the Phoenix headed out of the slot at a steady forty knots.

Dawn having come a couple hours ago, the Phoenix was well away from Guadalcanal and steaming in a completely calm and empty sea with the nearest land well over the horizon. It was ten o’clock when the alarm bells rang, causing me to race to the bridge from his cabin where he had been sleeping.

“What’s up Arthur?”

“Air radar contacts, 25,000 feet, forty Betty bombers and twenty Zeros. Looks like the morning raid from Rabaul, they’ll be hitting Henderson field in about an hour.”

“Radio the information into Henderson field, but don’t tell them who it came from. Any chance of doing some damage?”

“They’re too high and far away. It would be no problem if the missile launcher was still installed, but that’s a moot point.”

“Too bad, it would have been the icing on last night’s cake.”

My sharp eyesight suddenly noticed movement from ahead and low on the water.

“Wait a minute, we’ve got something coming in under the radar.” There was a moment’s pause as I tried to make out what it was. “Clever bastards, it’s a flight of ten Zeros. I’ll bet that they’re supposed to come in after the raid is over, when the American Wildcats will be coming in to land and won’t have any altitude or airspeed. They would have had a shooting gallery.”

“Would have, is the key phrase I take it.”

“You’ve got the idea. They’ll be passing right over us. They probably think we’re one of their own strays from last night’s fight. Let’s show them what making that kind of mistake can cost.”

As the range closed down to under a mile, I brought the Phoenix broadside to the enemy planes. Silently nine turrets containing eighteen guns turned, seeking targets. At half a mile the Phoenix opened fire. Firing proximity fused shells, the guns laid down a solid wall of fire that quickly sent eight of the ten fighters crashing into the water in flames. The last two were taken out by the close defense gatling guns, under their staggering fire the two lightly armored fighters simply disintegrated.

“Looks like we got that icing after all.”

“Indeed we did.”

And so, with battlestations secured for the second time in twenty-four hours The Phoenix steamed off to rest until the next time she and her crew of two answered the call of battle.

[IK the Troll]

This is a really old short piece, back from when I was twelve or so, I'm almost embarrassed to put it up but after some thought decided to go ahead anyways. Jordan Tobey is an old pen name of mine btw if anyone was curious about it. As always comments, questions, and other assorted feedback are always appriciated.

Er, yeah. That is just about the shortest piece I've ever seen...... :confused:

[IK the Troll]

The Slot
By: Jordan Tobey


Looking out into the darkness, keen eyesight struggling to pierce that all concealing veil in search of the enemy that he knew was out there somewhere, I ruminated on the possibility of a trap.

“Anything yet Arthur?”

“Negative, both radar and sonar show all clear, and the low-light scopes aren’t showing anything. Worried about a trap?”

Having worked together for so long, it was a rare occasion when one didn’t know what the other was thinking.

“Yeah, the Japanese have got to be wondering by now what’s capable of destroying six destroyer convoys without even one them being able to get off a radio message. I just wish that there had been some sign of that battleship group that left Rabaul yesterday. It’s not like them to initiate radio silence unless they’re up to something.”

“That’s true, but do you really think that they suspect we can read all their coded radio traffic?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, it’s they only way anyone else could know exactly when they’re sending the convoys down to Guadalcanal. I hope they don’t change their codes because of this, while it wouldn’t inconvenience us for more than a few hours at most, it would give the American codebreakers fits having to crack the Japanese naval cipher again.”

“You know, the Americans are probably wondering just what’s destroying these Japanese convoys too. They have to know that if they were all getting through they’d be in a lot of trouble. We have to have sent at least a couple of divisions to the bottom in the last couple weeks, and that’s not counting the damage the American’s have done themselves, between the Cactus airforce and the occasional surface force, they’ve sent quite a bit to the bottom.”

“Call it a hunch, but I think that battleship group is coming down the slot tonight, we hit the convoy and then they broadside us.”

At this point the conversation was interrupted by alarms going off. Arthur began to relay the information provided by the ship’s sensors.

“Radar contact! Range 25,000 yards; they’re just coming around Savo Island. Looks like a light cruiser and five destroyers in line astern formation, speed twenty knots. Confirmed by sonar, it’s them. No sign of anything else, but something could be using the island as cover.”

Beside me a table lit up with a holographic map showing the enemy and all the available information. More specific information could be obtained by touching the particular target if necessary.

“Bring us up to twenty-five knots.” I said as he spun the ship’ s wheel over to bring her around on an intercept course. The hull began to vibrate as twin screws bit into the water, quickly bringing the ship up to the requested speed. She was the Phoenix, a Franklin class light cruiser; with 216,000 hp she was capable of well over sixty knots, the missile launcher normally found on the stern had been replaced by a twin five inch turret bringing her main armament up to eighteen duel purpose five inch guns in nine turrets that were capable of putting out over seven-hundred twenty shells a minute. She was capable of outrunning anything that she couldn’t outgun. However running wasn’t on the agenda tonight.

“Radio jamming initiated, if they weren’t running under radio silence, they are now.”

Staying at twenty-five knots to avoid revealing their presence by a bow wave, the range was quickly reduced to 5,000 yards with the enemy looking straight into the Phoenix’s broadside. Closer and closer they came, 4,500 yards, 3,750 yards, 2,500 yards.

Suddenly a searchlight illuminated the bridge and I quickly gave the order. “Open fire! Bring us up to sixty knots.”

The Japanese light cruiser was quickly engulfed in flames, hit by over a hundred five-inch shells in less than thirty seconds. I threw the helm hard over, causing the ship to race down the starboard side of the enemy column. As they drew abreast the first Japanese destroyer, the guns again opened fire. The Japanese ship quickly blew up in a massive ball of fire as a shell found the ship’s forward magazine. By the time the Phoenix opened fire on the next destroyer in line, there was nothing left of the first.

As the second destroyer, riddled both above and below the water line began to sink, I said to Arthur. “Did you notice? They aren’t carrying any cargo on deck, and they were already at battle stations. This isn’t a convoy, it’s a trap.”

As I finished saying this the third destroyer blew up as a shell detonated a torpedo’s warhead, it sank even faster than the first. By now the remaining two destroyers had finally begun to react and started to turn to avoid the burning wrecks of their comrades. Turning the wheel to starboard so as to pass astern, I curved in behind the enemy. Belatedly, a couple sporadic shots crashed into the water astern, the still surprised Japanese gun crews significantly underestimating the Phoenix’s speed. The fourth destroyer’s entire aft section right up to the funnel was blown off when a shell hit it’s depth charge racks. Sinking slowly by the stern the fourth destroyer was quickly left behind. As I brought the ship around to port in order to reveal the last destroyer that was hidden behind its sinking cohort, a column of water higher than the Phoenix’s mast rose up in front of her bow and then buried her under a wall of water.

“New radar contacts! Range 15,000 yards. Confirmed by sonar. One battleship, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and several destroyers. They were hidden behind the island. You were right, it was a trap.”

As fourteen and eight-inch shells continued crashing into the water all around, I reacted quickly. “Blast that sonofabitch, no one leads us into an ambush and gets away.“ As the last destroyer was literally crushed under the sheer weight of the shells fired by the Phoenix, I continued. “Arthur, give us everything you’ve got down there! Activate the smoke generator! Prepare to return fire!”

Quickly complying Arthur spoke up. “Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked. “We could easily outrun them.”

“If we don’t stop them here, they’ll blast Henderson field as a consolation, that battleship will turn every plane on the field into scrap metal.” I answered.

“All right, but I just wish we had brought more firepower tonight.”

“You’re not the only one.”

As the Phoenix began to shake under the full power of 216,000 hp I threw the helm hard over, sending a wave of water washing over the deck. Tearing through the previously dead calm waters, her bow began to rise up, with the log reading ninety-six and a half knots and smoke streaming out behind her, she headed straight towards her assailants, spitting flame from every barrel that could be brought to bear. Had anyone been observing, they couldn’t have helped but believe that she was every bit as pissed off as her captain and was out for blood.

The enemy destroyers leaped out in front of the small fleet like hounds before the horses during a hunt. The entire sea around the Phoenix was steaming mass of shells. By now she was twisting and turning under my deft touch at the helm, rushing in and out of her own smoke, throwing up huge waves with every turn, but always working ever closer to the enemy. Her guns turning first red, and then white from the heat of their constant firing.

“Sonar indicates torpedoes in the water!” Arthur told me. Glancing at the holographic display I saw that they would miss astern and gave them no further thought.

First one, then a second and third destroyer burst into flame or sank, all of them holed from bow to stern by a hurricane of shellfire. At last she was close enough to the heart of the enemy fleet to do some damage. As she turned across the bow of one of the heavy cruisers, her guns spoke out yet again in anger and defiance. Unable to pierce the cruiser’s heavy armor, they nevertheless turned her topsides into a raging holocaust. As the flames spread, they quickly reached the ammunition for the secondary guns. Explosions rippled up and down her length as a devastating chain reaction took place, until at last they reached the torpedoes. With a tremendous roar the warheads blew up wreaking havoc and destruction.

The Phoenix raced on, leaving behind a burning, shattered hulk that would smolder throughout the night, until finally the steadily rising waters forever extinguished the flames.

Now in the heart of the enemy fleet, the enemy fire intensified even further as the enemy’s secondary and anti-aircraft guns opened up on the Phoenix. In reply her 20mm anti-aircraft gatling guns came to life and returned the fire at over 6,250 rounds per minute per gun, sweeping the enemy decks clear of all life. The last enemy light cruiser sank; her hull riddled with thousands of 20mm shell holes, some of which had passed clean through the hull. The remaining heavy cruiser veered off as the entire bridge crew was wiped out, running wildly without anyone at her helm.

Free of distractions, I steered the Phoenix directly at the enemy battleship. Passing so close to it’s side that it’s main guns couldn’t be depressed far enough to bear, the Phoenix threw a solid stream of shells into it’s side and superstructure. Veering off after the pass I could look back and see that although there were fires throughout it’s superstructure it was still capable of fighting.

“Arthur, set the torpedoes for thirty-five feet and activate the magnetic exploders. We’re going back for another run.”

As the two ships yet again passed I gave the order. “Fire torpedoes!” Two torpedoes leapt from their tubes and raced towards the battleship. Spinning the wheel over to unmask the remaining tubes, the last two torpedoes raced out. Seconds later the first two exploded under the battleship’s unarmored keel as the magnetic exploders triggered, followed quickly by the other two. The combination of explosions ripped open the unprotected hull. Inside the battleship men and machinery were tossed about like toys. Slowly sinking, her guns destroyed or their crews dead and dying, her engines shattered, she would be finished off the next day by Avenger TBM torpedo bombers and SBD Dauntless dive bombers flying from Henderson field to be added to the ever growing number of wrecks littering Ironbottom Sound.

“Drop speed to forty knots, kill the smoke screen, and stop all jamming. Arthur, can you give me a damage report?”

“Minor shell splinter damage only, nothing critical. And I doubt that they’ll be sending any more convoys to Guadalcanal for a while.”

A grin spread across my face. “Hell, after tonight I don’t think they could if they wanted to. That’ll show them what happens when they try to set a trap for us. Let’s head home, I don’t want to be anywhere around here when the American’s send out their morning air patrol.”

“Just another night’s work.” Arthur commented, half to himself.

The sea around the Phoenix, which had only moments ago been filled with ships, was now empty except for a dying battleship and a lifeless heavy cruiser. The other heavy cruiser had limped off sometime during the battle. Setting course west northwest, the Phoenix headed out of the slot at a steady forty knots.

Dawn having come a couple hours ago, the Phoenix was well away from Guadalcanal and steaming in a completely calm and empty sea with the nearest land well over the horizon. It was ten o’clock when the alarm bells rang, causing me to race to the bridge from his cabin where he had been sleeping.

“What’s up Arthur?”

“Air radar contacts, 25,000 feet, forty Betty bombers and twenty Zeros. Looks like the morning raid from Rabaul, they’ll be hitting Henderson field in about an hour.”

“Radio the information into Henderson field, but don’t tell them who it came from. Any chance of doing some damage?”

“They’re too high and far away. It would be no problem if the missile launcher was still installed, but that’s a moot point.”

“Too bad, it would have been the icing on last night’s cake.”

My sharp eyesight suddenly noticed movement from ahead and low on the water.

“Wait a minute, we’ve got something coming in under the radar.” There was a moment’s pause as I tried to make out what it was. “Clever bastards, it’s a flight of ten Zeros. I’ll bet that they’re supposed to come in after the raid is over, when the American Wildcats will be coming in to land and won’t have any altitude or airspeed. They would have had a shooting gallery.”

“Would have, is the key phrase I take it.”

“You’ve got the idea. They’ll be passing right over us. They probably think we’re one of their own strays from last night’s fight. Let’s show them what making that kind of mistake can cost.”

As the range closed down to under a mile, I brought the Phoenix broadside to the enemy planes. Silently nine turrets containing eighteen guns turned, seeking targets. At half a mile the Phoenix opened fire. Firing proximity fused shells, the guns laid down a solid wall of fire that quickly sent eight of the ten fighters crashing into the water in flames. The last two were taken out by the close defense gatling guns, under their staggering fire the two lightly armored fighters simply disintegrated.

“Looks like we got that icing after all.”

“Indeed we did.”

And so, with battlestations secured for the second time in twenty-four hours The Phoenix steamed off to rest until the next time she and her crew of two answered the call of battle.

I responded too quickly! LOL

Nice story, GOOD read!

Kudos!

[Oldsage]

I responded too quickly! LOL

Nice story, GOOD read!

Kudos!

Anything in particular to create those comments?

[IK the Troll]

Anything in particular to create those comments?

The flow of action was nice. It made it fun to be along for the ride. Plus it was hard to tell what the time period was. It seemed like it was an attack boat from the future in the Pacific Theater of WWII, which is a cool concept.

Hence my remarks.

[Crazeyal]

Uh yeah...

Holographic displays coupled with Japanese armadas? The action flowed very smoothly and the ambiance is interesting. Didn't get enough about the "why" of the story, "who" the characters were and some background on how America got ahold of the waterborne version of the Defiant would've been nice too :al:

I like your style of writing, but this seems a little.. rushed. With the details and depth of the action, that description of MINE is a bit rushed.. But I'm at work..

[Oldsage]

I forget all the details myself to be honest, it was a long time ago, but I think the premise was some outside, really outside, as in dimensional spanning, group was working towards it's own goals by implanting agents and equipment throughout key points in various dimension's history. I may have intended it as one in a series of flashes of similar actions. Either that I simply wanted to write about just what a modern warship designed around guns rather than missiles could do faced with an older generation of ships. I seem to recall sitting down and writing the whole thing in an hour or so without stopping. I do know a fair amount of actual research went into producing the numbers given.

[sableagle]

I have to ask: are you familiar with The Final Countdown? No, not the song ...

[Oldsage]

I don't believe so, why?

[sableagle]

..... lame movie anyway. Spoiler time! Civilian adviser gets posted onto USS Nimitz as an observer, seen off by the mysterious Mr Titan. Nimitz gets caught up in a warp and arrives in the same piece of ocean on what appears to be the sixth of December 1941.

[Oldsage]

Sounds like an interesting concept ruined by bad execution. Just the number of ways they could portray the interfere, don't interfere situation, and the ways it could play out if they did interfere.