by Saxon Andrew
The large assembly stood and cheered as RJ’s face turned red. He had finally accomplished his goal and now he had to make the last part of it a reality. The Commandant shook each of their hands and RJ leaned forward and asked quietly, “Sir, do I get to choose my weapon’s officer?”
The Commandant’s eyes narrowed slightly, “We usually assign your crewman, Captain Dunhan.”
“May I request someone, Sir?”
“Who do you want?”
“Lt. Candice Grace Henricks, Sir.”
The Commandant stared at him for a moment and then gave a small nod, “I’ll send your request to Fleet, Captain. I can’t promise anything.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
• • •
Everyone went out to eat at a ten-star restaurant and celebrated RJ’s graduation. Abby and Rory were so proud of him and Grady and Taffy joined them in their praises. Candy asked RJ to dance and she smiled at him, “This is the only way to get a word in. I’m so proud of you RJ.”
“Thank you, Candy. That means a lot.”
“What are you going to name your ship?”
“Endeavor, Candy.”
“Why that name?”
“My time in the Academy has been one huge endeavor. Now it’s done, and the name will remind me of what I had to do,” RJ replied.
“Well, I know you’ll make it one of the best in fleet, RJ.”
RJ smiled, “It will be the best in Fleet, Candy.”
Candy shook her head, “There you go charging off to accomplish another goal.”
RJ smiled, “Wait and see. You might be surprised.”
“About what?”
“How I intend to make that happen.” Candy’s brow furrowed as RJ spun her around on the dance floor. Candy giggled and moved with him.
• • •
Grady was talking with Noel at the construction facility when Grady’s communicator vibrated. He lifted it and saw Admiral Alexander, “Hello Wade, what’s up?”
“Sir, I have an issue and I need you to assist me in resolving it.”
Grady’s expression turned pensive, “What’s the problem, Wade?”
“Captain Rory Dunhan has requested that your daughter be made his weapons officer.” Grady stared at his communicator and Wade continued, “We normally assign an experienced weapons officer to the top Academy graduates.”
“Then you’ll have to refuse his request, won’t you?”
Wade shrugged, “Sir, Candy is an experienced weapons officer. She served on two different vessels in that capacity and meets the experience requirement.”
“Do you normally allow the top graduates to choose their crewman?”
“Sir, it’s been allowed numerous times in the past. Most of the time they choose friends they made in the academy.”
“So why is this an issue?”
“Sir, I’m not talking normal circumstances here. Do you want both of them serving on the same warship, Sir?” Wade responded.
“What does her commander in Intelligence say about this?”
“Admiral McArdle says that Candy has been doing a good job in intelligence and he has no objections to the transfer.”
Grady lowered his head slightly and replied, “I’ll get back to you.” The communicator’s display went dark and Grady immediately contacted Taffy. He filled her in on what was going on and he saw her concern, “Grady, I see no way Candy can be junior to RJ. She’ll cause an issue the moment he orders her to do something she disagrees with.”
“You’re right, she is older, and I doubt she can see him as a superior officer. What should I do?”
“Tell them no.”
“And are you willing to tell Candy and RJ why this was done; you know they’ll find out?”
Taffy rolled her eyes, shook her head, and answered, “No, that’s your job.”
“You can forget about that! If I do this, you’ll tell them!”
Taffy gritted her teeth and said, “Before we do anything, have Candy’s C.O. tell her about the transfer and see if she’ll agree to it.”
“Do you think she’ll turn it down?”
“She might.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“Then we’re going to have to sit back and allow our daughter to take responsibility for her future,” Taffy said slowly.
“I’ll contact Admiral McArdle.”
“Let me know what happens!”
“You’ll be the second to know.”
“Who’s first?”
“Candy.” The contact ended, and Taffy sat back in her chair. She thought about what was going on and began realizing that this was the reason RJ fought to graduate two years early. Was he doing this, so he and Candy would serve on the same ship? She hesitated and then called Abby.
• • •
Candy stared at Admiral McArdle as he walked away and tried to get a hold of her feelings. She thought about serving under RJ and just couldn’t get her mind wrapped around it. For god’s sake, he was her younger brother! Well, not really a brother but she viewed him as one. She took a deep breath and lifted her communicator. A few moments later, RJ appeared on it, “What’s going on, RJ?”
“I’ve requested you to be my crewman, Candy.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I just don’t know that I can accept you being senior to me. I’ll turn on you if I don’t agree with your orders.”
“You don’t think I can handle that, do you?”
“I can be a handful, RJ.”
“Candy, when have you ever made me do anything I disagreed with?”
“What?”
“It’s a simple question. When have you ever made me do anything I disagreed with?”
Candy thought about it and struggled to come up with an answer. Finally, she replied, “And when have you ever made me do anything?”
RJ smiled, “What about James, Tyler, Bret, and William. You didn’t want to break up with them, but I convinced you to do it.”
“But they weren’t what I thought they were!”
“But you didn’t see that until after you broke up with them. And what about when I convinced you to not go to parties but stay home and study.”
“But…”
“Candy, you can’t push me around. If you haven’t seen that by now, you’re deceiving yourself.”
“RJ, the first time you screw up piloting the ship, I’ll be all over you like white on rice!”
“Are you aware that I’m the second-ranked pilot in my class’s piloting simulations?” Candy stared at RJ on her communicator and he smiled, “But I know that as good as I am, I am nowhere as good as you are piloting a ship. You will be the pilot on my ship and I will operate the weapons console; I was ranked number one in that at the academy.”
“The Commander of a warship always pilots it, RJ!”
“So, sue me! I have the right to determine how my ship is run.”
“It could harm your promotion chances, RJ.”
“Let me worry about that. Are you in?”
“Are you sure about this?!” Candy asked.
“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t be asking for you. Are you in?”
Candy sighed, “I guess I am. I’m ready to get out of here.”
RJ smiled, “Good.”
“You knew about this that night we were dancing, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did, in a roundabout way.”
“Is that so?”
“I told you I was going to command the best ship in the fleet. Do you not think we can make that happen?”
Candy chuckled, “I’ll inform Admiral McArdle of my decision.”
“I’m going to my new ship in two days. See if you can manage to meet me on board.” Candy nodded and ended the call. She had huge reservations but decided that at least this ship commander would know her. The others didn’t.
• • •
<
br /> Taffy had listened to Abby and Rory for twenty minutes and she finally interrupted them, “Are you suggesting that RJ is in love with Candy?!”
Abby raised her hands, “Taffy, nothing else makes sense. We thought we might be making a mistake about this but his requesting her to be on his ship confirms we’re right. Do you see it differently?”
Taffy was silent for a moment and sighed, “All the evidence supports what you’re saying. I can also see you’re against them being together, why is that?”
“Because Candy goes through boyfriends faster than changing clothes!” Abby replied.
Taffy waved a hand, “She doesn’t change them that fast.”
“YOU KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING, TAFFY!” Abby shouted.
Taffy was silent, and Rory entered the conversation, “Taffy, we’re worried about RJ having his heart broken. Are we wrong to feel this way?”
Taffy’s head tilted slightly, and she blew out a breath, “No, I guess you aren’t. But stopping this won’t save RJ. If he doesn’t go after her on board his ship, he’ll go after her wherever she is. Love won’t be denied and it’s only a matter of time until he tells her his feelings.”
“But at least it will be delayed,” Abby replied.
Taffy was silent, and Rory asked, “What are you thinking?”
“If the roles were reversed, I think I would rather them work this out on board a ship with no other witnesses present. They’re both great people and if Candy rejects RJ, they’ll find a way of getting through it. If he goes to her in another setting, it could cause both of them problems.”
Abby looked at Rory and he shrugged, “I think she’s right about that, love.”
“So, I have to sit back and watch my son’s heart be broken!”
“Abby, once our children leave the nest, they have to find their own way. If it’s not Candy, then another woman could break RJ’s heart. That’s how love is.” Abby sighed, and Taffy added, “Besides, Candy may reject him initially but fall in love with him during the time they’re together. This at least gives them the best opportunity to see if they belong together.”
Abby looked at Rory and he nodded, “We’ll just have to wait and see.” Abby lowered her head and nodded.
• • •
RJ looked at the tactical monitor in his helmet, “Candy, we’ve lost every ship in our wing and the opposing force’s survivors are rushing in to surround us on the course we’re currently taking.”
Candy shook her head, “Damn being restricted to these slow speeds!”
“If we could fly faster, so could the ships be pursuing us? Fleet didn’t want a space larger than they could monitor.”
Candy stared at the tactical monitor and gritted her teeth, “RJ, prepare to launch a barrage of training mini-missiles behind us. Once those are launched, launch everything we have remaining ahead of us.”
RJ’s eyes narrowed, and he announced, “Rear barrage launched.” Suddenly, Candy went to full reverse and RJ was slammed forward in his chair. He punched the missile launch button and shouted, “You could have warned me!!”
“Didn’t have time!” The Endeavor reversed course in an instant and the gravity handlers screamed at the sudden change of direction. The forty warships in front of them began turning to pursue just as the huge barrage of missiles slammed in to them. The ships behind the endeavor were hit by the training missiles as the Endeavor blew past them. Candy shouted, “REVERSING COURSE. TAKE THEM OUT, RJ!!” Of the forty surviving opposing force ships, only two survived the missile barrage. RJ hit both of them with a cutter laser ending the maneuver. Candy screamed and jumped out of her chair. She rushed over and hugged RJ, “Are we good or what?!”
RJ laughed, “We were fortunate, and your reversing course is what won the day.”
Candy smiled and went back to her chair, “You know this will make us a target in the other maneuvers?”
“Bring ‘em on!” RJ replied. RJ listened to the orders coming in from Fleet Operations and said, “We’ve been ordered to remain here until Fleet finishes scoring the exercise. This could take a while.” RJ stood up and headed back toward his quarters, “I’m going to shower and clean up.”
“I’ll do that after you’re done,” Candy replied. RJ left the bridge and Candy pulled up the data on the Britannia Aliens. She began studying it and shook her head.
• • •
“What are you doing?”
Candy screamed and turned around, “DON’T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!!”
“I didn’t, what are you doing?” RJ asked.
Candy shutoff the program and said, “Nothing.”
“Candy, I’ve seen you staring at your console’s display whenever we’re not doing anything. What’s going on?” Candy was silent, and RJ’s brow furrowed, “You’re hiding something.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Candy, I know you and I know that expression; you’re hiding something.” Candy was silent, and RJ raised his voice, “Computer, show me what Lt. Henricks was just looking at on her console.”
The Computer announced, “I do not have access to what Lt. Henricks had on her monitor.”
RJ turned to Candy and she saw his expression, “RJ, this is something that has nothing to do with our ship.”
“Anything being viewed on this ship has something to do with it, Candy! If we’re a team, then you need to tell me what you’re doing.”
Candy stared at RJ and replied, “RJ, having this information could get you arrested.”
“And not you?” he countered.
“My parents would save me from that.”
“And mine couldn’t save me as well?”
Candy realized that they were at a critical cusp and what she did would have a huge affect on their relationship. She stared at RJ glaring at her and then asked, “Are you aware that my parents went to the Britannia Alien’s territory and scouted it?”
RJ’s eyes narrowed slightly, “No. When did that happen?”
“You were a baby at the time. Desmond and Louisa went with them and they mapped all of the alien’s inhabited planets.”
“Go on,” RJ replied.
“My father made the data a state secret and refused to allow anyone to see it.”
“What are you doing with it?”
Candy shrugged, “I managed to get into his personal system and copy the information. I was bored out of my mind in intelligence and I used the data to help me pass time.”
“You know stealing state secrets is a capital crime?”
Candy shrugged, “I felt I could talk my way out of it if I were caught.”
“That’s a huge risk, Candy.”
“I know, RJ. That’s why you should just let this go.”
RJ stared at her and sat down in his chair. “How long have you been looking at this data?”
“Six months.”
RJ nodded slightly. “And you’re still looking at it now that you’ve left Intelligence?” Candy sighed and nodded. “Something is bothering you.”
“RJ, you should just let this go and pretend you know nothing about it!”
“What’s the issue, Candy?”
Candy stared at him and shook her head, “You’re not going to just let it go, are you?”
“No, I’m not. This involves a member of my crew.”
“RJ, I’M THE ONLY MEMBER OF YOUR CREW!”
“Even so. What’s bothering you?” Candy pulled a handle on her chair, blew out a breath, and fell back in it. “Two minds are better than one, Candy.”
Candy stared at RJ, straightened her chair, and pressed a button on her console. She transferred the image to the main wall monitor and RJ turned to it. “Those blue lines you’re seeing connect all the inhabited planets in the Britannia Alien’s space. My parents mapped the planets those lines connect and discovered they have more than three-thousand-inhabited planets.”
“It’s no wonder they’ve been able to build up the defenses around their space,” RJ replied.
“There’s more RJ. On the other side of the black hole, the aliens are fighting a war against three highly advanced civilizations. When this data was collected, my father determined that the aliens had more than a million planet killers in their fleets.” RJ’s eyes widened, and Candy shrugged, “The only thing keeping them from attacking the Fagan and Earth is the civilizations they’re fighting on the other side of the galaxy.”
“Is that what has you bothered?”
“Not really. I mean it’s terrifying what we’re up against but something else is bothering me.”
“What is it?”
Candy said as she scrolled through the data, “Keep in mind that no one has been allowed to examine this recording.”
“Ok.”
“I think my parents examined the data recorded from the main scanners, but I discovered something they may have missed.”
“Go on.”
“I’ve had time to look at all the primary data recorded, but I decided to look at all the data.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by that, Candy.”
“I started looking at what the rear passive scanners recorded.” RJ tilted his head and Candy continued, “Most of the time the rear scanner recordings are pretty much ignored, right?”
“I guess,” RJ replied.
“Let me show you what I found.”
RJ stared at the huge wall monitor and saw nothing of interest. But he did see small specks of light in the far distance behind the ship. “What are those?” Candy stopped the video and zoomed in on the small specks of light. After a moment, alien planet killers appeared on the monitor. RJ stared at them and turned to Candy, “Were those ships there when your parents went through that space?”
“No, they weren’t.”
“And have you seen any others appear?”
“Yes. I’ve found them numerous times in the rear scanner’s recordings. They didn’t start appearing until my parents started scouting the other side of the black hole.” Candy paused and said softly, “I keep wondering why they kept showing up behind my parent’s ship.”