Fleet Marines
NEW COMMISSION
CHAPTER SIX
Aboard the Trafalgar, 22 December, 2450 08:00 hours.
The yeoman on duty turned to the signal officer and said;
Sir, I have two priority messages for Admiral Coleville."
"Origin of the messages, Yeoman?"
"Sir, the first message is from Fleet Command, coded Flash One, priority five. The second is from the Geldorian Elector's palace, not coded but marked urgent."
The signal officer turned back to his console.
"I am signaling the admiral now, prepare to relay the messages."
"Aye, Aye sir."
Admiral Philip Coleville was just finishing his first coffee of the day and was preparing to go to his private dining room for breakfast, when his communicator beeped. He touched the badge. "Coleville."
"This is the bridge, sir. We have two messages for you. One from Fleet Command coded Flash One priority Five and one from the Geldorian Elector's palace, marked urgent."
"I'll take them in my ready room." He left his quarters, striding to the turbo-lift, rising to the bridge. In less than a minute the lift reached the bridge. The admiral exited the lift and strode across the bridge to his ready room, eager to decode his messages. The door closed behind him.
The Trafalgar's bridge, 08:30 hours
Admiral Coleville's flag lieutenant called out.
"Attention on deck, the Admiral is on the bridge." The admiral strode to his command chair and sat down. "As you were. Capt6ain Bainbridge, I want the ship prepared for a commander's conference. Signal all ship's captains, Marine division and brigade commanders to report on board at not later than eleven hundred hours. I want you, your first officer and my battle staff to meet at oh nine hundred in the conference room, Set up the main meeting in assembly hall one. The conference room is too small."
"Aye, Aye, sir."
Aboard the Trafalgar, Assembly hall one. 22 December 2450, 11:00 hours.
The hall buzzed with conversation as the assembled officers waited. Flag Lieutenant Vincent stepped into hall. His amplified voice boomed out;
"Attention on Deck, Admiral Coleville." The admiral was a tall, solidly built man in his early sixties. Salt and pepper hair above a hook-nosed craggy face. Gray eyes looking out from under bushy brows. Not at all a handsome face, but a striking one. He wore simple service blues. Standing behind a temporary podium he said;
"At ease, gentlemen. Please take your seats. Time is of the essence so hold your questions to the end of the briefing, as of zero eight hundred we are operating under new orders. As you all know our current situation was planned only as a hostage rescue mission and punitive expedition. That is no longer the case. Messages received this morning ordered this force to assume a military assistance command function and limited occupation force. This has come about at the personal request of the Geldorian Elector. The Elector is reorganizing his government and his military. He has already sacked his defense council and begun arresting members of the conspiracy and charging them with treason. A Seabee battalion is being sent out to reinforce the one already here. They will construct a new embassy. The Marines are not best-suited for long-term occupation duties. They conflict with their main duties. They will be relieved by a corps of the Commonwealth Planetary Constabulary." (Despite its' name the Planetary Constabulary was not a police force. It was a corps size military unit, Armor heavy and Military Police heavy.) The Constabulary is still a relatively new unit. The estimate is that it will take at least six months, maybe as much as nine months to a year to get up to full strength. Our remaining tour of duty will be six months. A third Marine division and another squadron will arrive here in two weeks. At the end of six months the Marines will be relieved by the fourth and Fifth Marine divisions and the First Constabulary Infantry division. I know that this is short notice, but I expect your operational plans completed within forty-eight hours. Before I open to questions, I have a piece of news, directly from the Elector. He has agreed with the judgement of the court martial, but has asked that we turn the prisoners over to his government for public execution according to their laws. Fleet recommends that we comply. In a way, I feel sorry for the scumbags. A lethal injection is quick and relatively painless. For such heinous crimes as theirs, they will be taken to the city square in their home towns, stripped naked, flogged, castrated then hung. The entire town, forced to watch. God, that's brutal." The uproar in the hall, at the news was instantaneous but short. They were senior officers, after all.
"I will now entertain your questions, gentlemen."
Aboard the Belleau Woods, 04 January, 2451, 10:00 hours.
The entire First Marine Regiment was assembled in the main hall, as were those of the ship's crew not on watch. They were standing at parade rest. Colonel Frasier and his staff entered the hall and marched to the center of the front of the hall. The adjutant commanded;
"Regiment Atten-hut! Persons to be decorated, Center march! Rick Castle and the men of the two assault teams marched forward, stopped in front of the colonel stopped and saluted. The colonel returned the salutes. The adjutant read;
"For extreme gallantry in action, on the morning of twenty-one October, Twenty-four-fifty the following individuals are awarded the Fleet Cross of Gallantry. Second Lieutenant Richard A. Castle, Fleet Marine Corps. Chief Warrant Officer Andre P. Delacroix., Fleet Marine Corps. For gallantry in action on the morning of twenty-one October, twenty-four- fifty the following individuals are awarded the Silver Star. Gunnery Sergeant Timothy F. O'Rourke, Fleet Marine Corps. Sergeant Olav V. Jorgensen, Fleet Marine Corps. Colonel Frasier fastened the medals to each man's tunic and shook their hands. The rest of the two strike teams were awarded the Bronze Star. The colonel repeated his action for each man. The first group saluted about faced and returned to their places. The persons to be decorated order was repeated and the rest of the platoon marched forward, to receive the Meritorious Service Medal. Once the company was reformed, the colonel said;
"Due to time constraints, the individual citations will not be read. Holographic copies will be on display in the company orderly rooms. I am proud to announce that the regiment has been awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation. Each and every one of you had a part in that. Take the rest of the day off. The Regiment will begin occupation and military assistance duties tomorrow at oh eight hundred hours. The rest of the day is yours. Regiment Atten-hut. Dismissed."
Debra DeSantis' temporary quarters, aboard the Belleau Woods, 04 January, 2451 11:00 Hours
The communication screen on the wall beeped. Debra DeSantis looked up from her holo novel.
"Yes, what is it?" Message from Marine officer's quarters.
"Acknowledge." She was looking at the image of Rick Castle.
"Good morning Debra, do you have any plans for the day?'
"Nothing I can't change."
"Would you like to meet me for lunch in the Officer's lounge at twelve hundred, then take in a holo? They're playing Pilgrimage to Polevar I hear that it's supposed to be pretty good. They're using actual human actors for the leading roles and very few androids."
"That sounds lovely, Rick I'll meet you at the lounge at eleven-fifty"
"Great, I'll see you then."
Even after what was done to them, Debra and several of the others of the embassy staff had elected to stay as a "caretaker staff" while the new embassy was constructed and to help the new staff fit into their jobs when appointed. They were given quarters on the Belleau Woods, theOkinawaand the Antares.
She walked over to the closet to inspect her sparse wardrobe a few sets of civilian clothes had been shipped in. But for everyday wear, he had been issued four sets of officer's service uniforms without insignia except for the Commonwealth seal. She didn't want to wear any of those. What shall I wear? I haven't much and it's just lunch and a holo, but I want to look nice, for him. This should do it. I think he sees enough blue, every day. She chose a cream -colored blouse with a Mandarin collar, fitted gray pants and black ankle boots
Rick leaned against the wall of the corridor; ankles crossed. He wore class B uniform, blue trousers with a red stripe on the leg, high necked khaki-colored tunic and black boots. He checked his chrono as he saw her walking towards him. Right on time. He greeted her with a warm smile. She wasn't a classic beauty, but her slender, high-cheek boned face was striking and her eyes a lovely shade of blue. Her hair seemed to be a lighter shade of blonde than when he first saw her.
"Ready for lunch?" he asked. She nodded and took her proffered arm as they entered the lounge. A steward met them and showed them to a table.
"A server will be with you, in a moment sir." The server approached and said;
"Would you like to see the wine list?"
"Not yet, Rick said. Bring me a Laiphroag on the Rocks, please." The waiter looked blankly at him.
"A what sir?" Rick hid a tiny grin of amusement. He loved doing that to unsuspecting servers.
"A Laiphroag, or if you haven't got that, any good single-malt Scots whisky."
"May I have a dry Martini?" Debra asked.
"Yes Ma'am." The waiter took down Debra's order and left, casting a suspicious glance over his shoulder at Rick. Rick looked over at Debra, who placed both hands on the table and raised one elegant eyebrow.
"Really, Rick, that was being just a little condescending wasn't it? After all, the poor server was just trying to do his job. He didn't expect to serve a man who likes foreign drinks."
Beneath the gentle disapproval, Rick could hear the amusement in Debra's voice. He grinned openly.
"We're on an international, interworld crewed warship in space. He should know how to say single-malt whisky in any language."
When the drinks came, Debra gestured a at the ribbons on Rick's tunic. She raised her glass and said;
"To valor and those who practice it." Slightly embarrassed, raised his own glass and said;
" It's nothing much, I'd rather toast to beauty and those who practice it." He took a sip of his whisky, savoring the smoky flavor of it. Debra, annoyed at the way he'd played down the honor of the award said, sharply;
"The Fleet cross of Gallantry is very definitely not, not nothing much. It's the Commonwealth's second highest award for valor! And to those of us who you and your men saved, they don't make a medal high enough to properly reward you. I don't like a braggart, Rick but I don' like false modesty any better. You did something brave and wonderful and very special and I want you to know how much it meant to all of us," Rick reddened slightly.
"Okay, point taken. Let's keep it light, shall we?" Debra smiled, slightly.
"Okay, light it is." For now. Rick signaled the server.'
"I heard that they just got a fresh shipment of beef in from earth, Shall I order for both of us?"
"Please do." Rick turned to the server.
"We'll have prime rib for two, with new potatoes and a cobb salad. I think a Bordeaux, a clarendon 37 will do nicely."
"Very good sir," The server said, surprised at the young officer's knowledge of good wines.
Debra leaned her head on Rick's shoulder. "What a wonderful afternoon. The lunch was superb and the holo, well, words fail me.", Rick couldn't resist a slight dig.
"Words weren't all that failed you. I don't think I've ever seen a three hanky holo in my life!
Debra reached out and cuffed him lightly on the shoulder.
'Where were you educated? It's a fundamental right for women to cry at holos."
"I heard that somewhere but it ever said who had to supply the bath towels"
Debra let out a burst of laughter. She'd never met a man as quick on his feet, verbally as Rick. She enjoyed it. Reluctant to let her time with Rick end, Debra said;
"After that superb lunch and holo, I think I owe you a late super. My quarters, twenty-one hundred? You could bring some of that superb Clarendon."
Rick was surprised, but quickly accepted.
They parted ways, Debra to quarters to prepare, Rick to his to change clothes. He had a couple of sets of civilian clothes, in case of hitting a liberty port. Here it would have to be liberty on board. He chose a pair pale tan, almost white trousers a dark gold shirt and cordovan boots. He stopped in the ship's store and had them replicate a perfect pink rose. Only an expert "nose" could tell its' scent from a natural one. The lounge supplied a fresh bottle of Clarendon. He arrived at her door, the wine bottle in his right hand, the rose in his left. He knew that she'd had to order the food from the ward room or the lounge, but he was looking forward to it anyway. Her company would make all the difference.
He was not naïve, by a means and he was aware that she might expect more than food and company and he wasn't sure if he would comply. He did have duty, the next day and was aware that she might be using him to prove that she wasn't perceived as "damaged goods." Some attitudes took centuries to change, depending on the person and culture. He stopped musing and tapped the door communicator. He would just see how the evening went.
Debra called for him to come in and the door slid open. He stopped, dead, just inside it. She wore a soft blue-green dress that hugged her slim curves, brought out the gold in her hair and made her eyes more luminous than before. In short, she looked stunning. She smiled at him.
"Come in Rick. Oh, you brought the Clarendon. Good!" Her eyes twinkled as she said;
"You can close your mouth now." Rick snapped his jaw shut, feeling He had a little off-balance.
He smiled and handed her the rose.
"You look lovely tonight."
"Thank you and thank you for the rose, it's exquisite." She gestured for him to sit down. They proceeded with dinner, lingered over dessert talking, laughing about stories from their respective academy days. "Thank you for dinner, it was delicious and the company, superb. She blushed slightly. "It needn't be over yet, she said. Can you stay a while?"
"Yes, I would like that very much." She put on some music, a favorite of hers, that had a soft, swaying beat."
"Care to dance?" he said, holding out his hand.
"I would love to." She said, taking his hand and moving to the center of the small room. He took her in his arms. He was an excellent dancer, his execution flawless, even in what little space they had. They moved in a small circle, their steps slowing as the music came to an end.
Rick looked down into Debra's upturned face and finding acceptance there, lowered his face and gently kissed her barely brushing her lips. He raised his face and found her gazing at him, face flushed and lips slightly parted. They looked at each other, for a long moment, then her hands came up on either side of his face and pulled him to her. They kissed, deeply this time, her hands going from his face to around his neck. He pulled her hard against him. They explored each other's mouths, tongues darting, twining, tasting. She broke the kiss, taking his hand and leading him to her bed. She pulled him down with her. Whether she needed affirmation that she was still desirable or just needed him, was not something he was going to dwell on. He knew that he wasn't getting back to his quarters tonight.
:445 Rick woke and checked his chrono. His time sense, was, as usual, perfect. For a moment he was disoriented, then memory came flooding back. He turned his head and looked at the lovely form nestled against him. Debra had one leg thrown over both of his, an arm across his chest, her head on the pillow, next to his. He hated to disturb her, but he had to get back. First formation was at 06:30. No one cared what bed you slept in, as long as you made first formation, on time.
Moving slowly and carefully, he slipped out of bed, went into the bathroom and set the shower to hot and stepped in. A moment later, Debra stepped in behind him. She picked up the soap and said;
"Hand me the soap and I'll wash your back." After a few moments, he said;
"That's not my back and if you keep that up, your sheets are going to get soaked."
She chuckled deep in her throat. "So what? They'll dry you know."
Rick chuckled as well. So, its' not about affirmation. Not after three times, its' not.
The Belleau Woods' Marine officer's mess, 05, January 2451 07:30 hours.
Rick set his tray on the table and sat down. Some of the other officers were giving him sly glances. First Lieutenant Tony LoGreco raised an eyebrow and said; cutting it pretty close this morning weren't you Castle? I mean, sliding into formation at 06:28 is skirting the rocks and shoals at low tide."
"High tide or low, I made it didn't I?" Rick replied.
"Yeah, you made it, but not by much. Care to tell us about it?" Was Second Lieutenant Gary Chelsea's remark.
"Not on your life, Gee Cee. You gossip worse than an old fishwife. Anything told to you would be all over the squadron in thirty minutes flat. And the squadron is scattered all over the system!
Sometimes I think you're a hack for the Galactic Tattler." Rick's stinging comeback left the somewhat heavy assistant quartermaster turn beet red,.
"He's sure got you pegged Gee Cee." Said First Lieutenant Louis Strang.
"Now children, play nice or I'll send you to your rooms." Captain Romanov's snarky remark ended the banter. The officers smothered their laughter and composed themselves. Romanov then sat down and said;
"Eat up quickly and let's get the hell out of here. We have a lot to do before we embark for the surface, and not much time to do it. Move it Gentlemen." All of them gobbled their food, washing it down with scalding hot coffee."
Debra DeSantis stood in an observation bubble, overlooking the shuttle bay. Despite the assurances Rick had given her, last night, she did not believe that the mission was routine the Marines were in full battle armor and weapons. She noticed a tall officer in a flight suit walk over to one of the four escort fighters. that were parked on the perimeter. That has to be Rick, No one else is that tall. Be careful down there, I need you.
Addendum.
The Geldorian Hegemony consists of three habitable planets orbiting a g-type star somewhat larger than Sol. Geldor is slightly farther out from its' star having a four hundred twenty-day year and a twenty-eight-hour day. It is a little cooler than Earth or Alpha-Centauri averaging ten to fifteen degrees Fahrenheit less overall.
The Geldorian Political system was basically a somewhat odd parliamentary monarchy. The "Elector" was a monarch but elected from among three closely related "royal families" on a rotating basis. He was elected for fifty years, unless he chose to abdicate or, of course if he died. He had a great deal more power than a Commonwealth king, queen or emperor/empress. He had to be no less than thirty years old and no more than thirty-five, a graduate of the military or naval academy and must have served one enlistment. (Eight years) The "Parliament" was a Tricameral system with a House of Nobles, A House of Commons and the House of Merchants. Eligibility in the House of Merchants meant the owner or CEO of a firm having fifty full-time employees or more. (Debt-workers weren't counted) The hostage scheme was the brainchild of the House of Merchants and a conspiracy mostly financed by Crovania Prime. The Elector, in this case, was young (thirty-two) inexperienced and truly innocent of any part in the conspiracy. His uncle, was the man had who instituted the National Police twenty years ago and had been its commissioner ever since. He had been a major player in the conspiracy. He would be tried for treason and executed as would over a hundred members of the House of Merchants and thirty members of the House of Nobles. The remnants of the National Police would be disbanded, its' surviving operatives and non-commissioned officers sentenced to ten years at hard labor. Its' commissioned officers to life in prison.
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