Righteous Reign

by MacDonald, Thomas J

  Seated at the head table were all the guests of honor and their escort or date. Bryant and Marie sat center table. On either side of them sat the two Group Commanders and their partners; and at opposite ends of the table were the Chief and the Brigadier and their dance partners.

  As dinner was winding down, the band began to raise their volume a little every few minutes; taking the whole room from a quiet dinner ambience to a more festive mood. Couples began to trickle onto the small dance floor. Olivia Hurst came by the head table; paid respects to everyone; and, invited Captain Nichols to the dance floor. This seemed to cue Marie, who had arrived to the dinner party on George's arm. Taking his upper arm, she directed him to the hardwood square; where they danced to a slow piece.

  After a few turns, George relaxed with her; pulling her in tighter against his body; which, she did not resist; and in fact seemed to welcome. They remained there for the next number, slow dancing, cheek to cheek; bodies in tight proximity. At the end of the piece, he leaned his head back to capture her eyes.

  "I have duties I must look after. I have to shuttle over to the Grenada and spend some time glad handing. I need to show all the troops, I really care; not just, the ones from my flag Group. Would you like to accompany me?" He asked.

  "I'm your date; aren't I?" She responded with that impish twinkle in her eye.

  "I think your becoming more than that; but, we'll leave it there for now. Let me beg leave from here, with those that might notice; then, we'll go." Bryant said.

  He made his way along the dance floor, over to the head table, and into a small group that had formed in front of it. At each point, he made contact with those who had been with him throughout the evening; explaining that, he and Marie were heading to the Grenada to check out the festivities there.

  The two vessels were parked about five kilometers apart, in space. Too close to launch his relatively large personal craft; so, they made their way to the shuttle bay; asking the bay's duty officer to grab a pilot to take them to the Gemini. The young ensign started flitting about nervously; obviously never having dealt with a Senior Flag Officer, before.

  "Ensign, take it easy. Take a moment to take a breath, and think. I am just another person, like you; and, I am off duty. Whenever, you meet someone of higher rank, you respect their rank; but, the person behind it is just like you. Always remember that. Are, you going to attend the party, when the shift is over? George asked, changing the subject.

  "Yes sir, I'm planning to go as soon as I can shower and clean up." The young lady answered.

  "That's good; because it's quite a do; and the plan is to repeat the entire meal, an hour after the shift change. The whole party resets and starts over for all who were working, before. Do, we have shuttles going between the Columbia and the Grenada, tonight: because the party is in both places? Some people may want to make the rounds."

  "Yes sir, the orders from your office said to keep two shuttles from each ship running back and forth through the entire party." The diminutive young Alphan woman from the 61 Virgo system responded. She seemed much more relaxed, now.

  "How long until the next regular shuttle?" The Admiral inquired.

  "Sir, we have one leaving in less than five minutes." The young officer was actually calm and smiling, as she responded.

  "Then, don't make any special arrangements, for us. We'll hop on that one." He responded.

  "Did you want to wait with the others who are taking it to the Grenada, sir?" She asked pointing through the glass wall to a group of about ten people in a waiting room.

  "I don't think so. You know how you reacted, when I came into your command area. I don't want to ruffle too many people, this evening. They're supposed to be having fun. We will just stand around here for the next five; if, that's okay with you? We wouldn't want to be in the way." George sort of chuckled through the statement.

  "No sir, it's no problem; but, I think you're making a mistake; if, I may be so bold. " The young Ensign obviously wasn't really shy, after all. She had just been intimidated by the rank.

  "Absolutely, feel free. I'm all ears." George responded with a smile.

  "Well sir, you were a junior officer, once. You know what it's like to have your Fleet or Group Commander, suddenly show up. But, in this past few minutes, I've come to realize that, you're the boss; but, you're basically a normal all-right person. If you get what I mean?" She sort-of stumbled through the last part of the explanation a little nervously.

  "Yes, yes, I get what you mean. Please go on." Bryant invited.

  "Well sir, it might be better, if you disturbed them a little, now. They're going to get to know you a little. Besides, you're going to disrupt their night, at first, when you get on the shuttle, sir."

  There was wisdom in this young greenhorn's observation.

  "Yes Ensign, you have a point. We will wait with the others." George responded, as they moved to the hatchway.

  Aboard the Grenada, they began their journey through the corridors; electing to take the keyed elevator and follow a different route than the others.

  "Wow, I can't believe it. It's just like being aboard the Columbia. Are all the carriers so similar?" Marie asked with amazed wonder displayed in her very expressive blue eyes.

  "They are all identical; except for, the little possessive things people do to personalize a workspace; or, the trial of the occasional new idea or concept. Every ship in each class is identical to the next; unless there has been a design change that is working its way through the Fleets." George responded to her, as they stopped in the empty hallway, while he explained.

  As she looked up into his eyes, George felt himself drowning in her gaze. When she leaned into him, it was only natural to put an arm around her, pull her in tight and kiss her firmly and warmly, on the lips. She responded without hesitation.

  "You know, Marie; it is probably way too soon for this; but, I think I've fallen in love with you. You can push me away; and, I will stay clear of personal encounters, after this; but, I had to tell you." He said as he stared down into the two liquid pools.

  "Ditto." She said in a low hoarse whisper, as she placed her lips against his again.

  He responded warmly; and, the embrace and kiss became all the more passionate.

  "Unfortunately, we have obligations. I would like to explore this much further." A very raspy whisper he almost didn't recognize as his own voice came from his lips.

  "Later.' she responded. 'The feeling will still be there later. We'd better get going before, we're missed." She whispered.

  Each straightened already pristine uniforms, out of a false sense of propriety and modesty. Then, they broke into raucous laughter, over the reaction, when they glanced at each other.

  The Grenada hangar staff stopped and came to attention, when they stepped inside.

  "Not tonight, people. This is a party." Bryant yelled in an attempt to be heard in the massive space.

  The party continued, until just after midnight; when, the change of shift became evident. There was a change-over of about a third of the guests. During the time before midnight, George and Marie enjoyed several more trips to the dance floor, before heading to the head table. By that time, most of the head table from the Columbia had arrived; and, those that composed the original head table on the Grenada were now on the Columbia.

  When the party resumed with the second round of food, George went through the same toasts and greetings, as in the previous setting; but, paid special attention to Grace Tonaka and Moahu; both of whom had been promoted or moved to senior positions within the Fleet. It was especially important for Bryant to pay special attention to Grace. This had been her Flag Ship; and, she had received little attention, to this point. This time it was Tonaka and Moahu who did a similar comedy routine to the one on the Columbia. And once again, the dinner was exquisite, if not a replica of the first. Despite the fact it was a second stint, the entire menu was as fresh and hot, as the first had been.

  Again, Marie and George enjoyed s
everal dances; but, returned a little more often to the head table to become better acquainted with their new friends and co-workers. George told humorous stories about things that he had witnessed over his career; until, he finally got to one about Marie he wanted to tell.

  He described the event aboard his personal craft with the cadets; comparing Marie to a drill sergeant major on several occasions; but adding embellishments like her cracking her swagger stick across a table; and, expressing his own fears of her. All the while his face held emphatic expressions as he rolled his eyes in apparent disbelief at what he was recounting. All roared in laughter. He ended the story by turning to Marie and making a toast.

  "When I first met you, at headquarters, I learned very quickly just how smart and humorous you were. But, I made the mistake of thinking you might be meek. Your constant little barbs, while on the base, convinced me this was not the case. But, when I saw you in action, I knew that, this Lieutenant would make a great Commanding Officer in any assignment. She has grace, elegance, bearing and compassion; but, can be the toughest officer in the pack, when it's required. Marie Ste. Laurent, may the wind be always at your back; and, may you have the best career that anyone could ever want. We all wish you the very best." He finished with a warm smile as he raised his glass to her.

  The other members of the group elevated their glasses as they called out a "Rah" in unison. Bryant noticed how she leaned to Grace and whispered into her ear. Grace responded in kind. On the dance floor a short while later, George asked Marie about it. She answered that, she had never heard the expression: "May the wind be always at your back." and had asked Tonaka what it meant. She had explained it was a well-wish for sailors of times past. If the wind was at their backs the sails were full, they were moving, and, not becalmed. She told George, she thought the expression was a beautiful one, for those in the service.

  At two hundred thirty hours, George and Marie made their excuses and left; heading for the shuttle bay; stopping from time to time in little naturally occurring alcoves in the corridors for brief intimate moments. The same was true aboard the Columbia; as, they made their way to his quarters. Up on the Flag level, she stopped.

  "What's the matter, Marie?" He asked.

  "Nothing.' She responded and paused; then, continued. 'I've never been up here; and I can tell by the doors that, the quarters are a heck of lot bigger than even the Captain's quarters must be."

  She looked along the corridor at the six doors that graced each side of the shortened hallway. The Flag quarters were in a hallway that sprang directly from the Flag bridge. That level was situated on the lowest deck of the Island; which contains flight control on level three, the Navigation Bridge on level two, the Flag Bridge, on level one; and, the communications antennae control beside the Flag Bridge. The entire island sits atop the top main deck. It is forty-five meters across and nearly one hundred meters long. Offices, bridges or control room take up considerable space at the front of each level; but, each deck's living quarters corridors are about fifty meters long; with, the living quarters residing on both sides of the full length of the hallway. On the navigation deck, the corridor contains relatively sumptuous quarters for sixty-six; which represents all the shifts for all the departmental commands on the bridge. The same length of corridor, holds just twelve homes for Flag personnel. On some carriers, only two suites are used. On others as many as six may be used for the Fleet, Group and Marine commanders and their chiefs of staff. The rest are maintained; but, vacant. They are held empty for use by visiting dignitaries and Theatre or Headquarters Flag personnel.

  George and Marie clawed the clothing from each other less than a minute after entering; and leaving bits of their wardrobes strewn throughout his suite; spending the entire night making love; first in desperation; then, softly; over and over again in every corner of his living quarters; including twice in the shower. By the time he finally fell asleep, George knew every inch of Marie's gorgeous frame, intimately.

  He awoke at eight-thirty hours, after only a couple of hours’ snooze. Marie was fast asleep and fully uncovered. Propped on an elbow, facing her, he spent the next fifteen minutes admiring the view; until, she finally opened her eyes.

  "What time is it?" She asked.

  "Eight forty-five." He responded as she jerked herself out of the bed and jumped to her feet.

  "My God, I've got a meeting at nine hundred thirty hours. I've got to move my ass." She yelped.

  "And what a lovely ass.' He said; then, went on. 'Use my shower; while I order breakfast. Have a quick bite, then head to your quarters for a quick change. That way, you'll be fresh and awake, when you get to the meeting."

  "Great idea!" She responded over her bare shoulder with a smile; as, she headed into the bathroom.

  She dressed, after a quick breakfast.

  "I wish we had more time." George said as he watched her.

  "See you later, George. I've got to run!" She said as she pecked him on the lips, turned and bolted out the door.

  George went back to sleep for another three hours. By that time, they were in the vortex on the way to 44 Bootis. It was nice to be the boss, sometimes.

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

  There were a variety of maneuvers that Admiral Bryant wished conducted at 44 Bootis. Preparation and practice were always keys to success. "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." was a quote from Abraham Lincoln that always played in his head. First, he wanted the standard movements; where, Tactical Groups jump in and out of an area to attain synchronicity in those operations. If you want true surprise in a force situation, you need to be able to appear out of nowhere, all at once and all together. The second set of maneuvers were new to this Fleet. The Group Commanders were to order jumps in and out by both of their squads, together; and, by each squad to different destinations. The idea was to get the force used to working under the direction of its Commander; and to working both alone and together. The third stage of the war-games were to repeat the first two steps; with orders coming from the Fleet Command. This would perfect the communications and command chain between all the units involved. The final three days were spent with Task Groups handling defensive or offensive roles in simulations that including point-scoring mimicked weapons hits.

  After a couple of false starts, the entire operation went smoothly with the Fleet Command, the Group Commands and all the ships performing excellently. But, the two heavy squads stood out. Of course they were more formidable; but, they were a little more coordinated in all of the first two sequences; and head and shoulders above the rest in the last two sets of operations. They were by far, the best at handling both defensive and offensive tactical situations. This was a testament to Stevens and Tonaka. Not only that; but, it served to validate Bryant's promotion decisions.

  After ten days of operations, Bryant ordered five days of rotating leaves to 44 Bootis A Prime; known as Tetrad, to its inhabitants. During the break, he would write a strategy for the Fleet; based, in part, on Stephenson's old one. That would become a Command Document that would be passed to the Group Commands; for, implementation, when separated from Fleet Command. It would also be the basis for future Fleet Action Orders; including the ones he would prepare for the first deployment, after leaving 44 Bootis. Before departure, he would take the time to complete a detailed report to send to Theatre Command and up the chain. It would include all the changes in rank and assignment and the results of the maneuvers; conducted over the past ten days.

  Sending reports in space was an interesting operation. There were no direct communications, at theses distances. Electromagnetic waves would take years to reach the destination. Instead, verbal and data reports were stored in communications drones; which made the jump to the intended recipient; who would retrieve the device. That way, a message that would take years to travel to a specific destination wo
uld reach it in days. In this case, the Theatre Commander would receive the report, in nine days. The only way to speed up the process at all was to have the probe transmit its data as soon as it exited the jump; which would save about half a day.

  George was in the process of writing orders sending the Groups off on regular patrols when, he was sure he saw a bright flash of light through the port side windows of his office on the Flag Bridge. He stood at the window taking in the inky scene. Twenty seconds later, there was another flash. He was sure it was weapons detonating somewhere near them.

  "Bridge, did anyone else catch those weapons' flashes." George said as he activated his communicator.

  "Aye, Admiral. We're tracking them, now.' A voice he recognized as Nichols responded over the communication system. 'You're welcome down here, if you'd like to watch over it, sir."

  "No Captain, you don't need a hovering Fleet Commander, now. Let me know when you have its source and are sure of what it is." Bryant replied.

  "Aye, sir." The line closed off.

  Over the next ten minutes, George saw another fifty of the flashes; which grew larger as they came from positions progressively closer.

  "Sir, they are weapons explosions' Nichols was back on the horn. 'They originate from bearing three forty-five, elevation seven and a half. The last ones were fired from a quarter light year out and detonated nearly six hundred billion miles from us. However, I believe that, whoever is firing is coming towards us in a series of successive short jumps. Based on detonation points to now, they will be able to hit us in another ten minutes."