The press played up that announcement - big time. There were headlines like, "Admirals Marry", "Whose Flag Do They Sleep Under", "Royal Wedding" and "Prince Marries Countess". Regardless of the attempted humor, the images did justice to the moment. It certainly appeared to be a Royal Wedding.
The C&C, First Minister and Defense Secretary met with the Emperor, in a secret meeting between the private celebration and the reception. There was a great round of back slapping that went on in that room. They were ecstatic over the elevation this event gave the image of the OESA. They all felt that, George and Marie were the ultimate faces to represent it.
The reception is hard to describe. Most of the arrangements for it were handled by Moe. After his previous adventures, it goes without saying that, it was a stellar event. All but ten raptors were moved and lashed outside the hangars of each Carrier. The remaining ten fighters sat in the launch tunnels of each vessel - out of sight; but, ready to go, just in case. The Columbia, Grenada, Dominica and El Salvador's hangars were all decorated and outfitted identically for the meal. Each sported a five-piece orchestra to play soft mealtime and a variety of dance music through the evening. Each was to repeat its entire sequence at midnight; so, the majority of the Fleet could attend the meal.
When it all started, the main head table was on the Columbia. Bill Stephenson rose first.
"Good evening folks, I hope you're all enjoying yourselves. Most of us only attend an event like this once in a lifetime; so, let's make it count. I want to tell you that, I knew this would happen. I could see George had flipped for Marie the first time they met. It was for a meeting at my office; and this athletic coordinated guy tripped over everything on his way in. He was so red, I thought he was just another thermometer in the Rigilian heat. And Marie too. She worked for me; so, I was used to seeing her. But, not like this. She was breathing heavy and light headed. And, she kept calling me, George. So, when he asked to promote her and move her to his Fleet, I knew what was up. He said it was business; but, I knew better. She said it was business, too. Can you believe that? Then I heard he even spoke French to impress her dad. I can tell you, I never thought of that one when I was trying to impress my dates' fathers. That's a new one. At least now they've done the right thing. They don't need to hide, anymore. What am I saying? They never could hide with all that press they get.' By this time the crowd was in stitches. Some were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their cheeks; including George and Marie. 'Okay, it's time to get serious. These are the greatest two young people I ever knew. They are smart, loyal and honorable. It is a good match. And the OESA isn't losing an Admiral. It's gaining a team of Flag Officers.' Bill turned to face them. 'George and Marie, you are loved by your Fleet, by the OESA, by the Emperor and by all the Empire's citizens. We all wish you decades of happiness together with a love for each other that's undying." He lifted his glass and took a sip to a resounding "Rah" that went through the entire hall.
"Now, I'd like the groom to say a few words." Bill said and left the podium.
George rose and approached.
"After that roast, I think I'm speechless - for the first time in my life. But, I'd like to thank Admiral Stephenson for his best wishes. Most of all, I'd like to tell my beautiful new wife how proud I am of her. She is truly the most wonderful woman in the Empire at this moment - to me, of course - I mean -. Sorry Emperor Edward, I didn't mean to offend you.' He stammered and feigned a look of fear as everyone roared. 'But, I have to tell you, it's tough having one of your bosses as your best man. Yeah sure, he's a model of an elder statesmen to me. But, he's always running off to the washroom. I wasn't sure he'd be at my side during the wedding.' Bryant said secretively with a sidelong look to the audience as they all roared. 'And, it was a little dangerous up there. You could get serious lacerations on all those medals or hung up on the ribbons and lanyards up there. Being a groom was tough under those circumstances.' He made the pretense of wiping perspiration from his brow as the crowd laughed harder. 'And we almost killed ourselves getting out of there. We couldn't see. Between all the photo flashes and the blizzard of large rectangular confetti visibility was zero. I want to take a minute to express my love to my wife. Marie, you are truly the love of my life.' He said to her; then, turned to the audience and continued quietly. 'But, I want to tell all of you that I was a little scared. When I met Marie, I thought she was this sweet little innocent thing with a great brain. But, when I took her on the Admiral's craft to the Boots Fleet, for the first time, I discovered another side - much tougher - much more sinister. I saw her handle twenty graduate cadets just assigned to the Fleet. She was like a trainer breaking stallions. She was my worst nightmare of a drill sergeant. Those twenty people have never said a sideways word, since. They are scared to death, to this day. So, I can tell you that, I was a bit leery of making this permanent. Please keep an eye on me. Watch for bruises - please.' George paused for effect as the crowd roared; and Marie was laughing so hard she was tearing in her champagne. 'Anyway, it could be worse. I could be marrying Bill Stephenson. But, I want to be serious for a moment. I want to thank the Emperor, the C&C, the Quadrant Commanders and all our friends and family for coming. And I wish to thank you all for your best wishes for us. I especially want to say a few words to Marie's mom and dad. Merci de nous soutenir partager votre amour. Vous avez soulevé un intelligents, talentueux et les belles femmes qui je chérirai toujours. Et pour cela, je vais te chérir, aussi. Bill, don ‘t say a single word ! ' George admonished loudly to everyone's laughter. 'For those who didn't understand I will translate. Thank you for supporting us and sharing your love. You raised a smart, talented and beautiful woman who I will cherish always. And for that, I will cherish you, too. Finally, I want to thank Boots Fleet. They are our family, too. We love them all. The well wishes and feeling we have received from so many are greatly appreciated. We will not forget it." George finished and tapped Bill on the shoulder as he returned to his chair. Bill rose to the microphone.
"Well dad, it's that time that all the brides' fathers dread. It's time to get up and say a few meaningful words." Bill said as he directed an opened hand toward Marie's dad.
"Hello everyone. Though George speaks French to me out of respect, I can speak English; so you will all understand me - I hope.' He said with his eyes raised to heaven. 'My name is Phillip; and, I am Marie's father. Marie was always a beautiful and intelligent girl. But, there was also something different. She was always independent and a little sassy. She always had a mind of her own. The fact she is a doctor of her profession and now a Commodore has made us very proud. But, we were most impressed when she brought George home. A girl could do much worse. George is a very honorable man; and, that is all a father can hope to see his little girl end up with. But, to top it off, he is a successful leader. I know I speak for my wife Alisa, when I say, welcome to our family, George. And, don't be a stranger. Come visit; eat a little ratatouille; drink a little wine and talk in French about the galaxy. We love you both and wish you the best." Phillip finished by raising his glass and taking a sip.
Bill rose to the dais. "Would anyone else have a toast to offer. Some of you may need to curry a favor or two with your bosses.' He said to light laughter. 'It's time for dinner. It's a massive buffet with delicacies from Earth and many other exotic places in the Empire. If your smart, you'll peruse the entire offering before you decide on your meal. There's plenty for all and a lot of dishes are prepared fresh to order. Wine will be kept supplied on the tables; but, the bar is open for anyone who wishes some other beverage. And your steward will get you something if you wait for service at your table. The bride and groom want you to enjoy." He finished as he stretched an arm towards the fare at the food servers.
The meal was sensational; but, everyone at the head table ate very lightly. They had to repeat this all three more times; so, it was important not to overdo it at any one session. "We are off to the El Salvador; but, we'll all be back to cut the cake. Make sure everyone keeps on having a gr
eat time. " George directed to Grace who would stay behind, this time. They would leave one wedding party member at each location as they left; and, pick them up on the return visit.
Aboard the El Salvador, they repeated the same speeches, toasts and jokes. They joined in on the meal and again kept it light. They left after one dance, an hour later.
On the Grenada, the dinner was winding down and the dance music was starting. They interrupted it to do their routines; ate a little more; danced a little; and left for the Dominica.
They arrived on the Dominica at midnight; just in time for the second sitting. They repeated all the routines and began the meal with everyone. They begged off and returned to the Columbia around a quarter after one in the morning. On the Columbia, they cut the wedding cake and served a few people. Then, they slow danced a few numbers before leaving to return to the El Salvador. There they cut a second cake, slow danced and left to return to the Grenada where they repeated everything before returning to the Dominica to repeat it all again. They returned once more to El Salvador, before going back to the Columbia to collapse in bed out of exhaustion around three hundred thirty hours.
At eight hundred hours, they met the crew of the Admirals craft; boarded it and took it for a day into the system's nebular cloud. They spent nearly all of that day making love and finding stars through the view ports without ever donning any clothing except robes when a steward required entry.
On the same day, the El Salvador, took all the non-service wedding guests on a tour through the region highlighting the same cloud; though they never entered it. The guests were surprised at the beauty of the system with its three remarkable stars and the sheer magnificence of space. Its elegant sparkling jewels on a black velvet background highlighted by the colored blotches and dark shadows of nebulae made it a remarkable vision. Many commented on having gained an understanding of why people wanted to serve in this environment.
George and Marie spent most of the next day with Phillip and Alisa. Phillip was always animated and often comical, when he spoke. But, he did say one thing that touched them both, deeply as they sat near the living room viewing window in George and Marie’s quarters. "Every man wants to be king of his castle, eh? But George, you are king of this gorgeous realm; and, you have made our Marie your queen. Il est étonnant ! Truly amazing." He seemed to be in awe.
All the higher-ups left that day, after taking care of one piece of business. They conducted Marie's promotion ceremony. The Emperor presented her award; and the C&C participated in the promotion with Bill. Then, the C&C officially reassigned her; attaching her headquarters to Boots. There would be a small group of people working for her at headquarters on Rigil; but, operational decisions would be made on the Columbia. Then, all the muckety-mucks departed for their various Command centers.
Marie looked spiffy in her new flag uniforms sent along with Bill Stephenson by Banerjee. Until the Emperor's announcement, it had all been a surprise to most people.
On the July 29th, nearly five hundred guests boarded the El Salvador and left for Earth; including Marie's parents. It was sad to see them go; but, they all seemed personally content; and, happy for Marie; and, seemed to truly adopt George as a son. They were as proud of him as they were of Marie.
The two were back to work on the 30th. Expansion was almost complete. They were about to attach the final frigate to the Fleet. There had been a little personnel shuffling in the last few days. The Fleet was still about seven hundred short of full staff. It would take a couple of months to complete this part of the operation. In the meantime, one frigate in each Group would run on four shifts. In each case the vessel with the most experienced Captain was chosen. Four shifts were not a problem, if it did not go on indefinitely. Most vessels had operated under those conditions during war games. But with eight hour shifts instead of six, most personnel would get strung out more quickly when you include all their off-shift duties and responsibilities. It essentially meant that each person would work a minimum of eleven hours a day instead of nine. That's a long day for anyone; if, you're doing it day after day. Over the next two months they would bring each ship up to full complement a department at a time. Little by little, each would get to five shifts. For the moment, Boots was the only Fleet that could operate in four mission regions at the same time.
After long discussions, it was determined that, Boots would begin practice operations immediately. The four Captains with the reduced crews were called in and advised of this independent of the rest of the Fleet. They were asked to keep an eye on their people; and advised that they could be excused from these exercises every once in a while to take off the pressure. They all seemed to feel that, if it didn't go beyond the two months, they could handle the load with the reduced crew. Bryant expressed to the other members of the senior team that, it would be a good test of leadership. He discussed this with his Task Force Commanders. Which of these Captains knew how to get more out of his people without killing them. And, which ones knew when enough was enough; and, were not too proud to say so. He did not want to pass this down to the Group Commanders. It would be a test for them, too. Let's see which ones can spot the people who can go all the way; and who will know when to call it quits. Both are signs of good leadership. What you don't want in a ship or Group Commander is a person who will drive on, regardless of the condition of his people.
Over the next two months, Boots ran continuous exercises; while completing patrol assignments; as they brought the Fleet up to full compliment. Two of the short staffed Frigates made it all the way without damaging their crews. Both Captains worked at giving individual people extra relief as they saw them in need. One of the other Captains did ask to opt out of one exercise and one patrol mission; using the three days to rest the entire crew. The final one really blew it. He drove his crew to near mutiny. Several asked for transfers just before the final newcomers arrived and a few made similar requests, after they were at full staff. To his credit, it was the Group Commander Evan Aldridge who saw this coming and advised Task Force Command. Stevens replaced the Captain with the Executive Officer and took the ship down for several days’ rest; advising Bryant he was a frigate short for that period. To his credit it was Nichols who advised his frigate Captain to rest a crew; before, any problems developed. Upper echelons would not know of the Captain's own abilities, for a while; but, Nichols value rose dramatically. In exercises, Nichols had also proved his tactical superiority to all other Group Commanders in the Fleet. Whether on offense or defense, his Group always overcame its opponent. In Group or Task Force operations they were always the best. Bryant called in Grace.
They decided to keep a close eye on Stephen. He would be ripe for early promotion. He had superior tactical skills; good management capabilities and was a great leader. They would not want to hold him back, they decided. When review time came, they would recommend promotion; even if, there were no openings in the Fleet. He seemed so good, it would be a shame to hold him back by waiting for a Boots opening.
Chapter 10 Justice
Tuesday August 14, 2255
"The mind is everything. What you think you become." Buddha
We are on our way back to Theatre Command which is still at Rho. Admiral Nichols, on advice from his JAG officer decided to send a small vessel with a team of investigators. They felt we could document the privateers’ crimes well enough to make our point in court; so, they did not send a ship large enough to assist in towing any large objects.
I expressed my concern to the Marine Captain in charge of the team. My feeling was that; the destroyed cargo vessel was very good evidence to return to the courts. It showed the scarring of the attack and was full of blood evidence. He agreed; so, I spent the next day with my engineering people discussing how we could tow the left-overs of the cargo carrier without damaging the Shenzhen.
Lt. Cmdr. Chatz, my Chief Engineer, came up with a towing rig for the job. Rigs already existed; but the carrier was in rough condition; and, its irregular shape would crea
te a lot of sheering force in a vortex. His rig was an adaptation of the standard one that would make the connection between the two vessels a little more secure and flexible. He advised that, the engines would not be able to handle this load on a continuous trip to Rho. I decided to break the trip into two jumps. We would head to Sigma Corona Borealis and park for a day to allow him to do some engine checks and maintenance, if necessary. Then, we'd jump to Rho. In all, the trip would be a little longer at just over thirty-three light years; but, the break would ensure the dependable performance of the vessel and the safety of its crew. Sigma1 Corona is an amazing five-star system with a beautiful planet orbiting Star 1 slightly into the warm section of its Goldilocks' zone. The planet is a water one with very large uninhabited island continents. The second and third stars in the system are somewhat brighter and form a very close binary system that is the center of this trinary. The pair emits intense radio waves generated by their violent interaction that may be the reason for the lack of insect and animal life on the planet. It is lush with self-pollinating and rhizome producing plants. A fairly wide variety of early fish and water mammals exists in its waters; which are incredibly clean and clear. Testing during previous visits have found no parasitic, viral or bacterial components in the water that are harmful to humanoid life. Some of my crew will be able to spend a day enjoying the pristine beaches that are widespread along the vast coastlines. There are limited mountain ranges and no truly cold zones; except those above twelve thousand feet elevations. The planet is shielded from stellar radiation by a strong magnetic field; indicating an active core; and, a relatively thick ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. It is safe for visits of up to a month. Permanent residence is not recommended without proper shielding against the intense radio waves.
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