Righteous Reign The Series: E-version Boxed Set Edition

by Thomas J. MacDonald

  George T. Bryant was raised to the grade of Vice Admiral, his name enrolled in the Registry of the Admiralty, and this order was signed and sealed, in the presence of witnesses and the Emperor's delegate. The order was executed, signed, and sealed on Friday, January 21, 2248, at OESA Headquarters, in Rigil New York, on Rigil Prime in the Kentaurus Star System. Signed,

  Fleet Admiral David Williamson C&C, Fleet Admiral Brian Dickinson C&C, Admiral William O. Stephenson, Quadrant Three Commander.'

  Stephenson paused while the two C&C stood and approached. They returned Bryant's salute, then flanked him, removing the rank insignia pins from his uniform's raised collar and shoulder boards, pinning on the replacements and handing Bryant the expended ones. In the meantime, Stephenson removed the two element gold aiguillette from George's right shoulder, replacing it with a wider silver three-strand braided one. All three stepped back, snapped to attention, and saluted him in honor of his new rank. He smartly returned the salute before all three stepped away from the lectern to a small side table. A large book titled The Registry of the OESA Admiralty stood open to a page containing blank lines below some entries. Bryant noted the partially filled entry line with his name was number nine hundred and ninety-seven, which meant he was the nine hundred and ninety-seventh person elevated to the Senior Admiralty over its entire history. George followed his three superiors in signing the register, making it official and advancing him to life-long membership in the most exclusive club in the Empire. With George at the center of the group, they turned to the audience.

  'Ladies and gentlemen, officers and enlisted personnel, and citizens of the Orion Empire, I present to you Vice Admiral George T. Bryant."

  With that, the entire crowd rose, the military participants snapping to attention and saluting as if synchronized by a hidden timepiece as the entire hall flickered from a multitude of photography flashes. Then the group called out in unison, "Rah." The single-word cheer used by the OESA in recognition of achievement. Thunderous applause followed, for a good three or four minute as more flashes ignited in illumination of photographs being taken by the press and the OESA official photographers. Finally, Stephenson raised his hands to subdue the group.

  "We have a considerable agenda to complete, so I would ask that you keep all future applause to a reasonable length.' The C&C took their seats as Stephenson spoke. Stephenson and Bryant approached the podium again with data pad at eye level.

  'OESA Command Order number 215903-9412

  To all within the boundaries of the Orion Empire let it be known that in accordance with the directives of the Emperor, Council, and Secretary of Defense, Vice Admiral George T. Bryant is appointed as Commander of Boots Fleet. The decision of the Emperor, Council, and the Defense Minister of the Empire was enacted into law on Wednesday, January 19, 2248, in white paper OESA 215903-72114 paragraph four.

  Therefore, any and all serving, engaged by, or employed within Vice Admiral George T. Bryant's Commands, and any and all conducting business with the Orion Empire shall pay respect, obedience, and loyalty to the position he holds as prescribed by the law of the Empire.

  Vice Admiral George T. Bryant is hereafter responsible for all personnel, hardware, and assets belonging to, and/or assigned to Boots Fleet. He is charged with the peacekeeping and security of the space within a sixty-five thousand cubic light year volume sector of Orion Empire Space centered in the Bootis constellation, as defined and described in article twenty-four section three - b of the OESA Rules and Regulations.

  This order was signed and sealed in the presence of witnesses and the Emperor Edward III's representatives on Friday, January 21, 2248, at OESA Headquarters, in Rigil New York, on Rigil Prime in the Kentaurus Star System. Signed,

  Fleet Admiral David Williamson C&C, Fleet Admiral Brian Dickinson C&C, Admiral William O. Stephenson Quadrant Three Commander.'

  With that, Stephenson handed Bryant Boots Fleet Patches and the Commander's Pennant, then stepped back with his hand outstretched. 'Congratulations, Vice Admiral Bryant."

  Bryant took the Admirals hand and warmly returned the handshake. Then, he stepped back and saluted smartly.

  "Ladies and Gentlemen may I present to you, the new Commander of Boots Fleet, Vice Admiral George T. Bryant," Stephenson called out as they turned to the crowd who repeated the same ritual as before. This time, the press corps made mad dashes to the aisles to get the best angles and perspectives for images of the event. The next day's digital news headlined "Hero of the Empire now the new head of Boots Fleet" and "Empire's Golden Boy New Head of Boots Fleet."

  Again raising his hands to silence the crowd, Admiral Stephenson began to speak. 'Until this moment, I was still the official Boots Fleet Commander, so there is another minor ceremony we will conduct.' George handed Stephenson his data pad, keeping it low and out of sight. Bill continued. 'Sir, I am the Commander of Boots Fleet. Please, state your business with me.' He said officiously.

  "Sir, by order number 215903-9412, I am the new Commander of Boots Fleet and have been designated as your relief by order of the C&C and the Quadrant Commander.' Bryant sounded equally official. After a pause, he continued. "Sir, as directed by the order presented, I relieve you." He finished.

  "Sir, I confirm the order. I stand relieved, with thanks.' Stephenson said as he examined the datapad screen. Then, they stood apart and saluted. He went on. 'You will find all security codes transferred to your command." He finished, as he handed the data pad to Bryant. George feigned a serious inspection of the screen.

  "Sir, I see all is in order. I accept the command from you, in good standing, with my thanks." Bryant responded. Then he saluted, turned smartly, and returned to his seat.

  The next half hour was spent reading orders that granted elevations and assignments to Boots officers as requested by Bryant. Then another fifteen minutes was spent ceremoniously elevating Marie to First Lieutenant, but this time, George was on the presenting end, pinning insignia to her right collar point and shoulder board. She looked all the spiffier with her new silver number three, double bars, and gold lanyard adding to the accessories on her uniform. They all sat through another hour and a half as other Quadrant Commanders conducted other advancements.

  "I guess you're dying to get out of that monkey suit?" Marie queried as George, and she came together when the event ended.

  "You are so right' George responded. 'But, I'm booked with the C&C and Stephenson now. I think it'll be another hour before I can change, and then it's the dinner uniform. Thank goodness it's a bit more comfortable." He exaggerated his distress by hooking his right-hand pointer finger inside the raised collar and pulling it away from his throat, all with his tongue hanging out to feign strangulation.

  "Would you like me to accompany you?" She asked through the snickers.

  "Certainly. I'd enjoy the company." He responded as they turned into the corridor and started for his next appointment. They arrived at Admiral Dickinson's office after a slow walk, enjoying a casual, friendly banter along the way.

  "Vice Admiral Bryant reporting as ordered, sir." Bryant snapped to attention and saluted, as he announced himself to his three superiors inside the office doorway.

  "Relax, George.' Dickinson responded as he casually returned the salute. This is a very informal meeting. We just wanted to get to know our rising star a little." He added.

  The next hour was spent sunk into an over-stuffed leather chair in the ambiance of power as they shared conversation and Cuddy Sark. All were impressed by George's apparent humility. He did not enjoy talking about his conquests or heroism in anything but tactical terms. They also relished his candor. George never held back with superiors, and hang the consequences.

  Marie was waiting when he withdrew, but she had already changed for the dinner party. A short black Cavalry-style jacket sported two nonfunctioning bronze buttons on each side, just above the waistline. Its notched, wide lapels flowed into a collar, the points of which displayed her silver Lieutenants bars. A single row of silv
er oak leaves encircled the top of the cuff and its bottom, at her wrist. The jacket's ultimate adornment was the Fleet medallion worn in the middle of the right side panel above the waistline. The delicately ruffled white blouse was accentuated by a four-inch red cummerbund surrounding her delicate waist, and her skirt and shoes were the same as those of the dress uniform. Marie had also changed her hair. Her shoulder length tresses now sported one role on either side of her face, and a conservative portion of makeup accentuated her features.

  "You look absolutely stunning.' Bryant said, with a wink and a smile. 'But, you'd probably look great in a gunny sack." It popped out before it could be stopped. For a moment, he wished he could pull it back through the air.

  "Why thank you, Admiral. You clean up pretty good yourself. I bet you'll be the bell of the ball in your dinner uniform." She returned the smile, with an exaggerated wink, as they started down the corridor.

  She waited in the salon of his quarters as he changed. His tailless black single breasted short Cavalry jacket sported a row of bronze buttons from top to bottom on each side only buttoning at the top one. Its straight collar rose about an inch and a half up the neck. Golden piping trimmed the black shoulder boards displaying his three silver stars surrounding a silver number nine. Jacket cuffs were encircled with a row of delicate golden oak leaves trimming top and bottom with one broad and two narrow gold bars ringing the cuff between the trim. A Gold Boots Fleet Commander's Medallion was displayed on the jacket's right breast panel. Mini Medals graced his left chest just above the pocket. The opened front jacket revealed a black waistcoat fastened with four bronze buttons and trimmed with gold piping. The slacks sported the barely perceptible gold stripe of a Flag Officer.

  George always suspected these occasions were just a matter of socializing with all the upper elite, in the guise of celebrating some supposedly significant personal achievement. Otherwise, he found them a complete bore and only accepted the minimum obligatory dance requests to avoid being classed as anti-social. Marie rescued him from potentially long, monotonous, embarrassing conversations with invited Press Corps members who only wanted to discuss harrowing events surrounding his past awards. They usually pressed the questions of how it felt to be a heroic swashbuckler or what risking your life in the void of space was like. Marie had already come to understand that George did not like talking about himself. If he was forced into small talk, sports were the most comfortable topic matter for him. She already knew from lunch in Rigil New York that he liked ice hockey, though he’d never played it, and loved baseball. Otherwise, he preferred a discourse on business with those who worked in any capacity with the OESA. At any rate, he enjoyed the evening immensely, if only because of Marie's company and the three dances they shared over the course of the evening.

  Citing the following day's early departure time, Bryant made apologies for them. They left shortly after midnight.

  ..........................................................................................

  Seated in the general passenger compartment aboard the Admiral's Craft, on route to the Fleet, Marie was in a quandary regarding her new charges. After breaking orbit, the Admirals' Craft would not see land again until the next similar change in Command. It would travel through space attached to the Flagship, unless in route to somewhere. Crew or passengers that had to attend something planetary would now use its shuttlecraft. This is because the fuel expended in launching it from a large body is considered an inefficient waste. The eighteen-hour trip to Earth had been uneventful but had shaken Marie a little. The reduced gravity on the "Yacht" was much harder to deal with than that on the big warships. She had been in zero gravity on a shuttle before, but this half-gravity was more difficult to handle. She had not developed "space legs," yet and had a queasy feeling as they entered the jump. Otherwise, the time home was most enjoyable. She managed nearly two full days with her family while the Admiral conducted business. In the end, Admiral Bryant had chosen to leave Earth via a small pad in Marie's hometown, Waterloo Ontario Canada. It worked to her advantage providing an extra half day at home and had allowed the opportunity to introduce her parents to the Boots Fleet Commander.

  Dressed in his daily gray utility uniform, flashes, ribbons and rank insignia bearing witness to his importance, Bryant cut a figure who greatly impressed her folks. But to their surprise and her chagrin, he was comfortable, at ease, and at home with them, taking the time to enjoy a light lunch. Ratatouille, white rice, crusty chunks of fresh bread, and pieces of Swiss lace cheese made for an impressive snack.

  For his part, George made quite a show of relishing the appetizing meal, washing it down with two glasses of her father's homemade ice tea and complimenting them again and again on the mouthwatering cuisine. But, the highlight of the afternoon was the ten full minutes George, and her father spent locked in a conversation, about the galaxy - in French. She was stunned and exceptionally pleased. Though English is the language of the region, French is her father's native tongue, and the galaxy is George's bailiwick. But it turned out both spoke the other’s language fluently. It was an authentic bonding moment for the two men. Always the matchmaker, Marie's mother made it understood just how good this man would be for her with animated hand signals and exaggerated whispers. Marie involuntarily nodded her assent while chastising her mother for drawing such conclusions.

  On arrival, they'd launched the shuttle from its bay while in orbit, then landed both craft side by side, at the Academy. She and others took the shuttle to their destinations. An Academy shuttle had brought George to Waterloo when his Academy business was finished. When they returned to the main vessel, at fourteen hundred hours, the entire squad of cadets was absent, investigating the sights and shopping in town. All had been ordered to return to the landing pad by thirteen hundred hours but, though the press corps personnel were aboard, none of the cadets had appeared. The large vessel stood waiting, its Commander on station, at the entry port. Olivia decided to have the shuttle reloaded while awaiting the cadets. They straggled in one at a time failing to pay their proper respects to Marie, Commander Hurst, or even the Admiral. Later, as the yacht did its de-orbit burn to depart earth orbit, they had boisterously taken over the lounge, all the while, failing to observe the mandatory protocols at each and every required encounter. It would take ninety minutes for the ship to reach the point where it could jump towards Boots, so Marie rose from her seat and headed for the lounge. No one made notice of her entry to the space.

  "Cadets, attention!' She snapped in a deep guttural voice at a volume that filled every corner of the ship. Everyone in the lounge froze. Silence broke out in the general seating area as its inhabitants looked questioningly at each other. Bryant rose to investigate the disturbance.

  'Form two lines!" She roared.

  There was the rustle of all twenty cadets rushing to form the lines. They stood erect at attention with eyes front.

  "Right dress!' She snapped at the top of her lungs, to which each cadet but the furthest right, extended their right arm to the next person’s shoulder, shuffling left until the line was aligned and equally spaced. The second row did the same except for the person at the extreme right who raised his right arm forward to the right shoulder of the first person in the first line, thus aligning the two rows.

  "Eyes front! The first cadet that moves a muscle will be on report!" She snapped when the alignment was completed.

  There was complete silence within the room. The steward tending bar tried to make himself invisible, as did the Head Chef who could be seen through the galley pass-through. Bryant stood silently outside the door jamb, out of sight to Marie and the cadets. Marie paced back and forth along the line, looking them up and down, scowling at each and every one.

  "Look at yourselves. You are a mess. You are disgusting.' She said in a low guttural growl as she walked along the line flicking at blousing shirts, crooked collars, and unfastened buttons. 'You are disheveled, wrinkled, and unpolished. Most of you look like you’ve
been in a wrestling match, in your uniforms. After four, and, in some cases five years, none of you know anything about OESA regulations and protocol. I should recommend that you are all thrown out of the service. There is almost no point in wasting any effort on you if you don't get it by now. Do you understand me, cadets?!" She hollered the question at the top of her lungs.

  "Yes, ma'am." Chorused a weak response.

  "Ma'am ... ma'am!!' She repeated, glaring eyes wide with indignation. 'There is no such reference in the service. Are you all sexist pigs, or do you all just think I'm some weak little female? In this service, you answer a superior with yes sir, or Mr. X, or by rank, or by rank and name. There is no male or female protocol in any military service. And, you answer smartly, and in a fashion that shows those nearby, you are listening and committed. Do you understand?" She paused.

  "Yes, sir." Came a weak chorus.

  "Do you understand?" She bellowed again, even louder.

  "Yes, sir!" The unified chorus was loud and clear.

  "Yes, sir, what sir?" She yelled again.

  "Yes, sir. We understand, sir!" Came the thundering chorus.

  "Do you cadets know what was your most disgusting offense?’ She held a lengthy pause for effect, then continued. ‘You returned to this vessel and showed no deference to any Officer as you reported in and boarded. Each of you should have reported to me, acknowledged the Admiral, and asked the ship's Captain for permission to come aboard. And at each of those occasions, you are required to pay a Senior Officer the respect of acknowledging their presence and rank. None of you reported to me, none of you saluted the Admiral or the Captain. In the future, you will follow regulations. You will salute Officers and call them by rank and name or sir, and you'll follow protocols like asking permission to board a craft. Do you understand?" She barely took a breath through the entire soliloquy, while sustaining an eardrum-shattering volume.