Jacob knew that was the captain’s way of telling him Dewis thought his old executive officer was far superior to his new commander. It certainly wasn’t going to make things easier for Jacob to cement any working relationships with the other senior officers.
The captain continued. “With Commander Ali’s departure, TERRA has provided us with a new executive officer. To my right is Commander Jacob Diego. If you haven’t already acquainted yourself with him, I recommend you do so as he’ll be with us for the duration of this mission.”
It didn’t escape Jacob how the captain phrased the statement “duration of the mission.” The captain was insinuating that there was hope Jacob would leave after completion of this mission. The commander elected to remain quiet and not react to it.
“Is it true you served aboard the PHOENIX when it was rogue?” Kelly Nalus asked. Normally, such an inflammatory and disrespectful question would have resulted in a quick rebuke from the captain, but Dewis said nothing. He allowed the question to stand for Jacob to answer.
Jacob wasn’t too surprised that Dewis wasn’t interjecting himself on the question, so the commander answered it. “I did.” It was nice to see the meeting was off to such a pleasant start for the commander. It could only go downhill.
Kelly was only getting started in challenging the commander. “So why leave such an illustrious ship?” Her tone was seething with disdain. It was all she could to restrain herself and tell the commander outright he wasn’t wanted here. “SOLARA is obviously inferior to the famed pleasure craft you served on.”
Jacob stood up and leaned forward on the table. He had accepted he wouldn’t be welcomed by most officers, but that didn’t mean he’d have to roll over and take any abuse from them. He was more than willing to stand up and defend himself. “The last time I checked, an officer didn’t have to explain their career motivations. All you need to know is that I’m here as your XO, and I expect to be accorded the level of respect this position calls for. Is that clear, lieutenant?”
Nalus looked around. She didn’t expect that this commander would come back at her so aggressively. She expected her fellow officers to come to her defense against this deviant officer, but no one said anything.
“I’m waiting for an answer, lieutenant,” Jacob reiterated.
Her old instincts kicked in and Nalus relented to the authority of a superior officer. “Yes, sir. I meant no disrespect.”
“You talk like that to me again, and you’ll find yourself in the brig.” Jacob leaned back in his seat and turned his attention to Dewis. “Unless Captain Dewis intends to make some changes to the executive officer position while I’m here.” Jacob was calling out the captain in front of the staff on purpose. Dewis had made it clear he didn’t want the commander here, and Jacob accepted that. But he wanted to know, in front of everyone, if Dewis was going to actively advocate for his officers to undermine Jacob.
“I see no reason to change the dynamics the executive officer brings to a ship,” Dewis replied.
That was as close to an endorsement as Jacob was going to get. “Understood, captain.”
“Getting back to ship business,” Dewis said, as if the unpleasant interaction between Diego and Nalus never happened. “We have two new additions to the senior staff. First is Fotell, of the Senfo Commonality. She’ll be serving as our senior operations officer.”
No one needed the captain to point out who he was talking about, given that Fotell was the only alien present. The Senfo stood up in her seat and tipped her hat. “It is a pleasure to be working with a human crew. I hope you will enlighten me with the knowledge unique to your species.”
The officers wanted to dislike her. After all, none of them were enthused about an alien serving aboard their ship, occupying a position that should go to a TERRA officer. But her bubbly demeanor and cute appearance made it difficult to hate her. Many of the staff couldn’t help but smile when she talked.
Fotell looked at Dewis. “Captain Dewis, I reviewed all operational processes. Everything is within TERRA protocols. The efforts of your crew are evident and appreciated.”
“Thank you,” a monotone Dewis stated. Her personality and good words did nothing to impress him. He had spent a career working with officers—human officers. He wasn’t inclined to adapt to having an alien crew member on board. He vehemently argued with his superiors about allowing aliens to serve in TERRA, but their decision was final. The captain had to accept an alien on board. “Finally, we have a new communications officer, David Block.”
The staff just looked at David. No one gave him so much of a nod or acknowledgment. The lieutenant said nothing to his fellow officers. His name was well known throughout TERRA. Unknown to David was that Captain Dewis knew his father. They were friends. When Admiral Block was expelled from TERRA, the captain put the blame squarely on David. It was bad enough having Commander Diego on board, but to have this other traitor here was difficult to accept. But Captain Dewis couldn’t do anything. David was protected by Admiral Vespia, and the captain knew better than to challenge her.
“With introductions aside, where are we on our launch preparations?” Dewis asked.
Jonas spoke up. “We’re ahead of schedule. All systems look good. There’s nothing that should prevent us from leaving in the morning. Our maintenance bots are picking up the slack with final launch preparations.”
Dewis checked his DAT. “I see you resolved the problem with the starburst.”
“Yes, sir. We still need to make some modifications, but it should be online during our patrol mission.” Jonas felt that he needed to point out that it was Commander Diego, not he, who figured out how to fix the weapon. But he remained silent. The commander had made it clear he was not interested in receiving credit for uncovering the problem.
Dewis nodded his head. “Keep Commander Diego up to date on your work.” He turned to the chief medical officer. “What’s our medical status?”
Doctor Nathan Morrell was pleased to be acknowledged, even though he had nothing urgent to report. “I have one patient being treated for minor burns. He should be discharged by the end of the day. All medical supplies have been stocked to requested levels. I’ve received Ms. Fotell’s medical evaluation and she’s been cleared to work on this ship.”
Fotell tapped Kelly’s arm and whispered to her. “What is a Ms.?”
Kelly was quick in her response. “A formal title for a woman.”
Fotell thought about it for a moment. She didn’t like the sound of that title.
“Have you received the entire allotment of microns?” Jacob asked the doctor.
“I have, commander. However, we still have a lot of crew members refusing to be injected. So far, only 15% have the micron.”
Jacob piped in on the subject. “Most of the PHOENIX crew was hesitant to have the microns injected when we first received them. Extensive studies were done showing no ill effects from them.”
“I read those reports before getting myself and my senior staff injected,” Dewis revealed. “I’m convinced they pose no health threat. As we only have one non-human on board, I will only mandate those crew members whose duties require interaction with Fotell to get a micron.”
“I’ll post the reports on the micron to the ship’s bulletin board for the crew to read,” Morrell offered.
“Thank you, doctor.” Dewis turned to the rest of the staff. “Security chief officer Michelle Gimron had to tend to some last-minute business on Luna. As soon as she returns, I’ll have her brief me on the security department’s status. In the meantime, it’s no secret we’ll be conducting a patrol. I would say it’s routine; however, we’ll be the first capital ship to conduct a patrol outside the solar system. We’ll be doing it alongside a Quix starship. I expect all of you to become familiar with their protocols.”
The staff knew it was a rare privilege for their ship to be selected for such an assignment. Captain Dewis campaigned hard to get SOLARA picked first to be fitted with a hyperdrive and new tech
nologies copied from the PHOENIX.
“I anticipate no issues during the mission.” Dewis turned to his executive officer. “Commander.”
“The latest tactical analysis from TERRA shows no impending threats. The Cresorian situation appears isolated to their homeworld. There are some of their ships still roaming in space; however, we’re under orders to report their location to TERRA so they may communicate that information to the Cresorian leadership.” The Cresorian leaders were trying to get all their fellow space-faring brethren back to homeworld to rebuild it, but some refused. Rumors were that conditions on their homeworld were harsh, and the weaker individuals were being tortured.
“A group of alliance ships is being assembled to inspect and study a jumpgate encountered by PHOENIX on its way out into deep space. We’ve been asked to remain on standby in case they need our assistance. Since TERRA can’t provide any ships at this time for that mission, the government is contracting several private science vessels to participate and represent humanity.”
Dewis picked up his DAT and reviewed that last bit of information the commander went over. “If there’s nothing else, you’re all dismissed. Commander Diego, please remain behind.”
Jacob expected to be asked to stay behind. He had no doubt he’d be chastised by the captain for what occurred during the meeting.
Once everyone had left, Jacob waited for the captain to lay into him. But Dewis was still reviewing his DAT. After about a minute had passed, the captain put it down and looked at the commander.
“You were pretty harsh with Lieutenant Nalus. Was that necessary?”
Jacob was a bit surprised by his question. “It’s not the place for a subordinate officer to question their superior’s motives. Her tone towards me was adversarial and insulting.”
Dewis couldn’t argue with him on that point. “She was out of line, but so were you when you questioned me in front of the senior staff. I don’t appreciate that.”
“Captain, you’ve made it clear since I’ve come on board that you don’t want me here. I needed to know whether you were going to allow the crew to undermine me because of your personal feelings.”
“If you had such concerns, you should have addressed them with me in private and not air them in front of the senior staff,” Dewis stated. “Despite my opinion about you, I’ve accepted you’re my executive officer. I will accord you the courtesy that comes with that title. Now the senior officers know there’s friction between us. I don’t like such disruptions on my ship. The chain of command needs to be smooth. I know that concept may be difficult to grasp given your experience on the PHOENIX working under that Cadet Roberts.”
Jacob knew that was a veiled insult not only about Jacob’s ability but also the command staff of the PHOENIX. There was no point in correcting Dewis’s viewpoint about that ship. “My apologies, captain. I’ve been questioned and undermined so long I just assumed…”
Dewis interrupted him. “You’re an executive officer. Your duty should be to put your personal issues aside and conduct yourself in a manner that best serves the interest of this ship, just as I’ve done with you. I’ve been accommodating and am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I’ll notate this in your personal file. I expect this will be the last time I need to discuss your behavior, commander.”
“Yes, captain.” Jacob couldn’t argue with Dewis’s stance. He was your typical TERRA officer. Adherence to protocol and the appearance of cohesiveness was important to individuals like him. Jacob wanted to believe the captain when he said he was willing to allow Jacob to succeed on the SOLARA, but the commander believed the captain would rather have him fail.
CHAPTER SIX
Jonas watched as Chief Gimron walked onto the SOLARA from the docking tube. “I thought you were going to be late.”
A clearly agitated security chief shook her finger at him. “I don’t want to hear it. I was given a list of security procedural changes, all because of that damn alien we have on board.”
“It’s my understanding Fotell has complete access to the ship,” Jonas said as they walked down the corridor together.
“Only because TERRA thinks that alliance technology is far superior to the tech we have on our capital ships,” Michelle explained. “They don’t see the risk of an alliance member having free access to our ship because we don’t have anything they consider valuable. We have the stone-aged variety of military starships in the alliance.”
Jonas almost took that comment as an insult. “So what security changes do they want you to put in?”
“They want it to appear we’re keeping tabs on system access. TERRA wants to impress the alliance and show they can play with the big interstellar boys. It’s total bullshit. I don’t like implementing procedures that do nothing for us. Just a bunch of smoke and mirrors.”
Jonas always respected the chief because she was effective and efficient in her job. She never did anything without considering the welfare of the crew. She could be abrasive and a little too blunt sometimes with people; whereas, Jonas tried always being diplomatic. Despite their personality differences, they collaborated well and were good friends.
“I hope you didn’t go on a rant to the higher ups,” Jonas joked.
“You bet I did, but none of them wanted to listen to what I had to say. I’ve only been a security chief for years and have lots of experience, but no, I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. I was ordered to just get it done.”
Jonas smiled, imagining his friend telling a group of admirals how ridiculous their security proposals were, pointing out every flaw. The chief excelled at her job and had no problem bragging about her expertise to others in order to get her way.
“How’s our new executive officer?” Michelle asked as they boarded a lift. As they did, an announcement came on alerting the crew the ship would be departing Luna in five minutes. “No one’s tossed him in an airlock yet?”
Jonas pressed the button for the command deck. “He’s not popular with the crew. He’s got a wealth of engineering knowledge and has been great helping to get some of our new systems online.”
“And?”
Jonas was hesitant to answer. “Well, there were some minor fireworks at this morning’s staff meeting. Lieutenant Nalus tried to challenge the commander, and let’s just say it didn’t go over well for her.”
Gimron chuckled. She liked Nalus but felt that woman let her emotions rule her over reason.
The security chief was pleased to hear the new commander was making himself useful, along with keeping the crew in line. “I know he started his career in security. Maybe he can give me some good tips for my department.”
Jonas agreed. “I think so. Give him a chance.”
“Alright, if you say so.” Michelle valued Jonas’s opinion. If he said the new commander was worth listening to, she was all for giving him a chance. She hoped the commander could teach her some security techniques she assumed he learned while on the PHOENIX. She wasn’t overly thrilled that he was here, but since he was, she might as well tap into his knowledge and experience.
The lift beeped, and the door opened. The pair stepped off the lift to find the senior staff at their stations. Captain Dewis was seated in his command chair, with Commander Diego at the operations table with Fotell and Lieutenant Block. Lieutenant Nalus was at the navigation station near the rear corner of the deck.
Michelle approached Dewis. “Permission to come on board, captain.”
Dewis acknowledged her presence. “Granted. Glad you made it back on time. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, sir. Just some last-minute things command wanted to go over with me. But everything’s fine.”
“Take your station then, chief,” Dewis ordered. Michelle took her seat next to the captain. She couldn’t help but stare at Fotell, who was busy reviewing operational data on her console. She’d never seen a Senfo up close before. She’d seen lots of pictures and videos of that alien race, but it wasn’t the same as seeing one in p
erson. It was weird seeing an actual alien in front of her. It was also humorous watching the diminutive Senfo having to stand on her seat to access her station.
“Engineering’s set to go,” Jonas reported, anticipating the captain’s query. “The hyperdrive is online. All systems show green.”
Dewis nodded to the engineer. “Thank you.” He looked at Jacob. “Commander Diego.”
Jacob activated the ship’s internal communications system. “All hands, prepare for departure. Repeat, all hands prepare for departure.”
“The docking tube is clear of all personnel,” Fotell reported.
Jacob turned to David. “Contact shipyard control and request retraction of mooring tubes.”
“Shipyard control contacted.”
“Mooring tubes have released and are retracting,” Jonas added.
Jacob looked over at Kelly. “Lieutenant Nalus, activate maneuvering thrusters and move us away from Luna shipyard.”
Nalus nodded. “Thrusters online. SOLARA departing shipyard.”
Jacob looked out the window to see the ship slowly moving away from the shipyard. He felt no elation in getting underway. He thought he might be pleased with them starting their mission but found the whole thing anticlimactic.
Although the commander felt no joy about the SOLARA’s departure, there were many at Luna shipyard who scrambled toward any available window to see the capital ship moving away. The crew worked countless hours getting the SOLARA refitted for its maiden voyage out of the solar system. They felt immense pride knowing their efforts helped to usher a new age for TERRA, one of exploration. As the ship moved away, a chorus of clapping erupted from the shipyard.
“Message from Luna shipyard,” an equally uninspired David announced from his station. “They wish us well on our mission.”
“Send our gratitude to the shipyard personnel,” Dewis replied. “Navigation, what’s our current heading?”
The Jumpgate Page 5