Voyage of Daedelus, Another fan-story Options

[Svea Rike]

Before anyone starts saying "Damn why are you making more fanfics?" Well that's an easy answer; I'm generally bored and have too much free time.

PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII - SEVERAL DAYS AFTER US DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Petty Officer Jeremiah Edwards looked outside the window of the Humvee. He saw the bow of the mighty USS Daedelus, which soon blocked out the sun. The heavy anchors loomed over the hull of the ship, and the restraining ropes looked like they could crush someone beneath their weight. It was the first time Edwards had seen the actual Daedelus up close, he had only seen pictures of it before. He had read stories about the ships rescue operation in Mogadishu, how it had hunted the GLA across the seven seas, and now Edwards was lucky enough to come aboard. Soon the Humvee came to a stop. Edwards exited it while he was still glooming on the mighty vessel. He almost bumped into his superior. "Eyes before you, sailor" The officer said. "Yes sir, of course sir!" Edwards replied with a salute. The officer walked past him, and Edwards' eyes once again couldn't hold themselves from gazing at the carrier. He headed for the entry drawbridge, where three naval officers stood, checking for crew to come aboard. "Sir, Petty Officer Third Class Jeremiah Edwards at your service!" Edwards said as he saluted them with a straight back. "At ease, sailor" one of the officers said. "I am Captain Rolland, head of all naval crew aboard the USS Daedelus" "It's an honor to be serving aboard this vessel, sir" Edwards said. Rolland replied with a salute and signaled Edwards to go aboard. Edwards saluted with a big smile and headed across the drawbridge. "Was that the last one?" Another officer asked Rolland. "Yes. Make her ready, sailor" Rolland replied. The two officers scrambled aboard, and Rolland steadily followed.

The flight deck was huge. Edwards looked around him, seeing crewmen scrambling past, workers fixing guide wires and airmen refueling F-22's. He was like a young boy first time at the carnival. He was quite young actually; only 22 years old. His outstanding performance serving with the Californian Coast Guard had made him promoted into a Petty Officer much quicker than he expected. "All crew on deck, we're departing" the speakers on the command tower suddenly said. Edwards fantasized now and then about being the admiral and captain of one of these ships. Edwards scrambled down to his working station. "Sector B, area 23" Edwards mumbled as he walked through the corridors. He could feel the nuclear powered engines spinning into action as he walked. Soon, he reached sector B; the logistics sector. He saw area 23: a long rectangular room with many stacked boxes in it. "Hello?" he said. "HELLO?" he yelled. He could hear mumbling and swearing coming from the furthest end of the room. Then he saw a pile of boxes topple. "God damn it!" said the person. Edwards made his way back there. "Um, excuse me?" Edwards asked as he saw a man trying to stand up. The man pointed at Edwards. "You're my new workman?" He asked. "Yes sir, Petty Officer Third-" "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen, I need you to stack these boxes up again, okay, that'll be your first task" Edwards saluted the man as he walked away, ignoring Edwards completely. "How rude" Edwards mumbled. He didn't even learn his name. Oh well, an order is an order, so Edwards began stacking the boxes again. They were empty, presumably going to be filled with supplies where they're headed.

The Daedelus moved through the many boats and ships in the bay. Maneuvering such a big vessel was not an easy task, but the crew knows what they're doing. They've done this many times before. Soon, the ship was out on open seas. Their destination was the North Sea. The Daedelus had been tasked with supporting US and ECA forces in Scandinavia and the Benelux countries. Edwards continued to stack boxes on top of one another when his co-worker returned. "Where've you been?" Edwards asked. "Coffee break" He replied. "Coffee break? It's eleven in the morning" Edwards said. "Could you at least tell me your name?" "Oh, I must've forgotten. I am Petty Officer First Class Roberts, but call me Robbie, if you'd like" Roberts said. "I will be your superior during your time here. We mainly stack boxes, keep check on supplies and other things a supply worker would do down here" Outside the small window, they could see nothing but water. The occasional seagull passed by now and then. It would be amazing to work on deck, Edwards always thought. Running around the scrambling jets, carrying missiles and the like. Not to mention the fresh sea breeze, compared to the warm and sweaty stash room down here. Edwards and Roberts then checked on the supplies in another room. "These are boxes full of food. Don't get any ideas now, I tried once and they busted my ass out of my previous position" Roberts said. "Your previous position?" Edwards asked. "Yes. I used to be a Senior Chief Petty Officer, checking on ammunition and fuel. Now I am just a First Class one. Pretty embarrassing really" Roberts said as he sat down on a barrel full of corn. "Times have changed. Back when my great, great grandfather served in the navy, he would be guiding Corsair fighters onboard the USS Enterprise, fighting kamikaze bombers in a Bofors 40mm and piloting landing crafts onto beaches in the Pacific. Now, that was military service. Down here now-days, you just don't see any kind of action" Roberts sat quietly looking at the wall, Edwards staring at him like a dog observing something it'd never seen before. Roberts then hopped back up. "Well, let's get back to counting supply crates, shall we?"

Colonel Rolland looked down upon the flight deck from the command tower. "What was our mission again, sir?" Rolland asked. "To move to the North Sea and assist allied forces in Europe" Admiral Carnaby replied, the captain and commander of the Daedelus. Rolland went to the tactical map of the world. They were about eighteen miles north of Hawaii. He looked at the route, marked with a red line. "Sir... this route leads us dangerously close to Russian territory. Ain't that a little risk-taking?" "When on a support operation you've got to take some risks now and then. Besides, the Russian Pacific fleet is probably resting in Vladivostok, and even if they were out they'd know better than to pick a fight with the most powerful aircraft carrier in the US Pacific Fleet!" Carnaby raised a big smile when he said that, as if he had just addressed a patriotic speech to his crewmen. Rolland further observed the frontline in Europe. The 'no-man's-land' where the Europeans detonated their nuclear device was marked with a radiation sign, signaling American soldiers not to go near there without proper radiation suits. "It seems the war has turned into a stalemate, the frontline is a total deadlock" Rolland said as he zoomed in on Western Europe. "Yes. Just like World War I. But with our support, the frontline will move. Move back to Russia, that is!" Carnaby said. Carnaby and his Daedelus carrier were very unlucky when it comes to supporting the Europeans. They were the only major ship stationed in the Pacific at the time, and they had to take the shortest route to the North Sea. Through the Arctic Sea, that is, because the Panama Canal had been locked down by the SAP. Rolland shuddered, hoping he wouldn't have deck-duty when they crossed the icy ocean.

Several days later, and hours upon hours of more box-stacking, the Daedelus reached the Bering Sea. They are now dangerously close to the Russians. Admiral Carnaby had informed the crew that the Russians wouldn't dare to attack the carrier, because no Russian ship could stand against the power of the Daedelus. Not even the Kuznetsov. Even with the admiral's guarantee, Edwards was still worried. "What if Russian submarines come and get us? We would be powerless" Edwards said to Roberts in the mess. "Now, now, we have ASW helicopters aboard, you know that" Roberts replied with a cup of Joe in his hand. "Yes... But what if they have AIP technology; we won't detect them on the sonar" Edwards said as he stirred around his morning soup. "The freaking GLA was able to destroy the Reagan in the Mediterranean... the freaking GLA" Edwards and Roberts kept arguing about defenses, submarines and torpedoes when Captain Rolland entered the mess. "Stand to attention!" An officer said as Rolland prepared to speak. The entire mess stood up with straight backs. "Gentlemen, we are now entering the Bering Sea. Within a few days the worst cold to ever hit the Daedelus will be upon us" Rolland said. "It will test your strengths above deck, and those below will have to work harder in order to get all supplies checked... now, who'll buy an old man a donut?" Almost everyone ran towards the counter to buy Rolland a donut, presumably expecting promotions. The only ones who didn't care were Edwards and Roberts who sat down again. Rolland walked towards them and sat down next to them. "Gentlemen, I like your attitudes" Rolland said. "Our attitudes sir?" Edwards asked. "Yes. You were the only ones not to try and buy me a donut, even though everyone should know we don't sell those to the crew. You've got clever brains. That's why I want you two on a special assignment" Roberts suddenly filled with joy, finally he could get out of that cramped storage area and out on a mission. "I want you to meet me on the bridge, at 1700 hours tomorrow" Rolland said. He then walked towards the crowd and was greeted with crewmen offering him anything but donuts.

CONTINUED IN PART 2... BECAUSE OTHERWISE THIS FAN-FIC WILL OCCUPY THE WHOLE PAGE

This post has been edited by swedishplayer-97: 1 Mar 2013, 14:50

[Jester]

Its interesting but P51 Mustangs rarely flew from carriers it was usually Fighter wise Corsair,Hellcats and a few others. Also getting selected to go on a special mission because you didnt buy some dude a donut doesnt really make sense but apart from that im looking forward to part 2. USA and ECA joint Operations are awesome and that why i enjoyed the Eagle Strikes update so much. I look forward to some epic Air confrontations between US and Russian aircraft if thats whats to come

[Svea Rike]

Its interesting but P51 Mustangs rarely flew from carriers it was usually Fighter wise Corsair,Hellcats and a few others. Also getting selected to go on a special mission because you didnt buy some dude a donut doesnt really make sense but apart from that im looking forward to part 2. USA and ECA joint Operations are awesome and that why i enjoyed the Eagle Strikes update so much. I look forward to some epic Air confrontations between US and Russian aircraft if thats whats to come

He wanted a pair of servicemen with sense, because everyone onboard should have known they didn't sell donuts in the cafeteria. I will correct the Mustang part, thanks!

[MARS]

I'd be interested to see where this is going. Nice work.
Minor complaint: I'm not an expert on USN ranks, but they don't call them Corporals, Sergeants or Colonels. The closest Navy equivalents would be Petty Officer Third/Second/First Class and Captain.

[Svea Rike]

I'd be interested to see where this is going. Nice work.
Minor complaint: I'm not an expert on USN ranks, but they don't call them Corporals, Sergeants or Colonels. The closest Navy equivalents would be Petty Officer Third/Second/First Class and Captain.

Yes, you're right... but wouldn't it be more recognizable if they're called Corporal, Sergeant and Colonel?

[__CrUsHeR]

It was nice to read your story, waiting for part II.

[Spejjarn]

Yes, you're right... but wouldn't it be more recognizable if they're called Corporal, Sergeant and Colonel?

Tänk på Försvarsmaktens reklam: "Bli soldat eller sjöman!" (Think of the Swedish Armed Forces' add: "Become a soldier or sailor!") The army and the navy, independent of country, have completely different cultures and histories: it's like "Men are from Mars and Women from Venus" (Soldiers are from the Land and Sailors are from the Sea). The second most hated group by sailors after the real enemy is army grunts (the vice-verse is true for the grunts) and sailors, independent of flag, show amazing compassion towards each other during wartime. So do consider to change the ranks:
Comparison of US armed forces military ranks
Two more points: 1) Remember that an aircraft carrier NEVER, EVER moves alone: it ALWAYS moves in a Carrier Battle Group!
2) Moving an US aircraft carrier along the whole Russian coast from the Bering Straits to Murmansk to fight Russians in Europe is militarily speaking suicide.

But, hell, it's just a fanfic and you need some suspense for the story so you do as you please!

[Cobretti]

Its interesting but P51 Mustangs rarely flew from carriers it was usually Fighter wise Corsair,Hellcats and a few others. Also getting selected to go on a special mission because you didnt buy some dude a donut doesnt really make sense but apart from that im looking forward to part 2. USA and ECA joint Operations are awesome and that why i enjoyed the Eagle Strikes update so much. I look forward to some epic Air confrontations between US and Russian aircraft if thats whats to come

On that note F-22s aren't carrier operable aircraft either, F-35s, F/A-18E/F Block IIIs, X-47 UCAV, or some sort of fictional 6th generation jet would make more sense

[__CrUsHeR]

2) Moving an US aircraft carrier along the whole Russian coast from the Bering Straits to Murmansk to fight Russians in Europe is militarily speaking suicide.

But, hell, it's just a fanfic and you need some suspense for the story so you do as you please!

In fact, if the conventional forces are not sufficient to neutralize the U.S. fleet with certainty the Russians would use unconventional weapons to destroy enemy vessels at all costs.

[(USA)Bruce]

On that note F-22s aren't carrier operable aircraft either, F-35s, F/A-18E/F Block IIIs, X-47 UCAV, or some sort of fictional 6th generation jet would make more sense

Actually based apon the Rotr universe wich continues the ZH universe......Carriers can operate and did operate with F-22s and King Raptors during the war on the GLA

[Casojin]

USN has their own rank designation. Using Army/Marine rank designation doesn't seem right.

[TheCeLL]

I think they have ranks like Ordinary Seaman, Leading Seaman, Master Seaman, then goes on to Petty Officers, Leutenants, Captains etc.

[Casojin]

I can remember only officer rank up to Captain.
- Ensign
- Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
- Lieutenant
- Lieutenant Commander
- Commander
- Captain

AFAIK, Captain in Navy has an equivalent of Colonel in the Army.

[MARS]

tha handwave may be a bit flimsy, but ROTR does treat the F-22 as being carrier capable. It was used as a carrier plane in the original game - most likely because only little was known about the F-25 back then - and for the sake of simplicity, we kept it that way. It's also worth noting that the F-35 doesn't even make an appearance in the mod and the Harrier description suggests that it was axed in favour of a more economical multi-role Raptor. Still not a very good excuse but there's weirder stuff in this universe.

[Svea Rike]

First and foremost to all the praise: http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2012...op-it-you-l.png

And then:

@Joakim
Yes, that's enough of an explanation for me. All right, I'll change the ranks and callsigns. Why there isn't any carrier battle group escorting and why they're moving so close to Russian territory will be answered in the upcoming part(s).

@to everyone else noting the ranks
I will change them and have them at that for the following part(s).

@DerKrieger
As MARS said, F-22's might be carrier operable in the near future. In the ROTR universe they are. The Daedelus-class might be a specialized aircraft carrier that has been designed to be able to carry both navy and air force planes.

[Cobretti]

As MARS said, F-22's might be carrier operable in the near future. In the ROTR universe they are. The Daedelus-class might be a specialized aircraft carrier that has been designed to be able to carry both navy and air force planes.

Making the F-22 or any other aircraft not designed for carrier operations is actually pretty much impossible, necessitating a complete redesign of the aircraft. Landing via a tripwire places a lot of stress on the airframe and the aircraft must be specifically designed to take such stress into account (one of the reasons the F-35 program has been so expensive is that Lockheed Martin is effectively designing and testing three different aircraft at the same time).

[(USA)Bruce]

Im not sure how big the spirit of freedom is but I think its bigger then most airfields......So theres no need for tripwires and stuff I guess?

Still DerKrieger I think Its morely; "Raptor was a symbolic american unit from ZH we had to carry into rotr" rather then : It fits the job perfectly and its realistic

I mean Raptors being massly proudced? "a more economical multi-role Raptor" Multi Role, economical and raptor...Thoose three words cant really be realisticly used in the same sentence in a good way....

[Cobretti]

Well, the F-22 was designed to be mass produced on a scale of hundreds, it's just that the Air Force was slashed during the 90s and 2000s enough to raise the price to $150 million per plane due to a smaller economy of scale. If they had produced 700 or so of them as the original plan they'd have been much less expensive.

[Svea Rike]

For those who didn't know: I posted the new part a day ago.