by Rick Shelley
That did not matter. There was not enough traffic to make it hazardous.
"Thanks for coming, Captain," Lon told Orlis when they finally had a chance to talk alone for a minute, an hour or more into the reception. "It means a lot to me."
Matt Orlis shrugged. "I wouldn't have missed it for anything. Colonel Black asked me to offer his regrets. He wanted to come but couldn't. He asked me to deliver a wedding present."
"A present?" Lon asked.
Orlis nodded. "It's not really a wedding present. That just makes a good excuse. The real reasons can wait until
CAPTAIN 281
later." He reached out to the side, and Phip Steesen handed him a small box.
"The next time you appear in uniform, you'd best have these on," Orlis said, opening the box to display a pair of dress insignia—a captain's pips. "You've earned them at full rate."