Chapter 4
They stepped inside and those already inside (the senior bridge crew) paused their conversation to briefly inspect the newcomers. Robert took his place in the corner and clasped his hands in front of him and a steward approached the three.
"Please note your place cards," he said and gestured to the table. "Would any of you care for a drink while we wait for the Captain?"
To help herself and her fellows relax, Rachel opened the dance, so to speak. "Would you happen to have sweet tea?"
"We do," the steward replied and looked at the other two.
"Coffee, please," Theresa replied.
"Water, thank you," Kirschner said.
The steward nodded and left to fill their requests. The hatch opened again, and Captain Wozniak strolled inside.
"Captain on deck!" Kirschner called out.
"At ease, we're here for dinner after all," the captain said and gestured to the table. "Please, have a seat everyone. Chief has a fine meal planned."
The captain took his seat at the head of the table, then everyone else took their seats. Commander Wofford held Rachel's chair before he sat down. She was placed to the right of the XO, who was at the opposite end of the table from the Captain. Commander Wofford and Hipper sat to her right, Theresa was placed opposite her, next to the communications officer. The steward from before deposited the middie's drinks to the table and then filled everyone's wine glasses. Another steward wheeled a cart into the dining area with soup and salad and placed servings in front of everyone, along with a small plate of celery chunks for Hipper. When the stewards left, Kirschner stood and took his wine glass in hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you duty, loyalty, and Sir Edward Saganami. The tradition lives!"
All at the table repeated the toast. Rachel took her wine glass in hand and stood.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Grayson, the Keys, the Sword, and the Tester!"
Lt. Commander Kimbrell, the senior weapons officer, nodded in approval at her toast and she took her seat once more. She said a brief prayer over her meal, added Matt to the benediction, and picked up her spoon.
#
After the dessert plates were cleared, the captain looked to the end of the table and saw Rachel talking to Commander Wofford and the XO. She appeared to be at-ease among the goings-on, chatting with the two while sipping coffee. Her treecat was sitting quiet in his chair, tail lazily waving, taking in the pleasant atmosphere. The other two middies didn't appear to be having the same experience as Rachel, however. Well, it was like that. Some people naturally possessed more charisma than others. For others, like himself at that age, confidence came with age and experience. So with that thought in mind…
"Miss Meadows," he said, quieting the chatter, "how did you find the meal?"
"It was delicious, sir. Thank you for the invitation."
"I agree, and you're welcome. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"
He had of course been briefed by the XO, but he wanted to hear from her.
"Um…"
She looked across the table, Rachel, who gave her a barely perceptible go ahead with her eyes. "I'm 21, I studied Logistical Administration, and I was the captain of the cross-country team at the Academy."
"So was I, please, go on."
"I'm from North Landing, the middle child of three. My father is an Army sergeant major, and my mother manages a warehouse for Buxton Intergalactic. My older brother is a Major in the Army, and my younger sister is starting at the academy this August."
"Did you spend a lot of time with your mother?"
She nodded her head. "Yes sir."
"Which drove your interest in logistics."
"Precisely sir."
"So what does Sergeant Major Meadows think of his daughter being a naval officer?" he asked, amused.
"He said he's going to retire soon, having to salute one of his kids is bad enough."
The entire table laughed at the comment.
"But he is proud, though?"
"Yes sir. He said that if the Academy was easy, everyone could do it."
"Wise words indeed…Mr. Kirschner, of Kirschner Resorts?"
His cheeks took on a faint blush at the comment. "Yes sir."
"Founded by your great-grandfather?"
"Yes sir, a white-water rafting outfit, then he bought some land for a skiing and now…"
"Kirschner Resorts has nine resort locations for skiing, boating, and white-water rafting on three planets?"
"Yes sir."
"Are you expected to take over someday?"
Kirschner shook his head. "No sir, that's for my older brother."
"What got you interested in medicine?"
"Growing up, I worked in the first aid shack during the summer at the resort in East Landing."
"Where are you going to medical school? And what will be your specialization?"
"King's College, family practice, sir."
"Very good…now we come to you, Miss Mayhew."
She listened attentively and he pointed to Hipper. "When did he come into your life?"
"When I was nine, sir."
"You were the first Grayson child to be adopted by a treecat, am I correct?"
She nodded and Hipper patted her arm. "Yes sir."
"And you're the oldest of how many children?"
"Nine, sir."
"And here I thought that my two were a handful," he stated. "Are any of your siblings following in your footsteps?"
She shook her head. "Not that I know of, no sir. My sister Jeanette is Steadholder Mayhew until my little brother comes of age. Theresa is starting her senior year at Queen's College come August and has accepted a job offer from the Office of Shipbuilding. Then there's Honor, who's a senior in high school, and she had a summer internship at Planetary Security. I think she's leaning toward that."
"You sound proud of them."
"Very much, sir."
"I understand that you play the piano, are fluent in French, and reported aboard with Life Support Systems Specialist certification?"
"Yes sir."
He nodded in approval. "Keep up the hard work, never stop learning, and you'll go far. That's for all of you," he said, gesturing to the three middies.
"Aye, sir," they chorused.
#
After dinner, they returned the middy berth and Theresa flopped down on her bunk.
"Nerve wracking?" Castillo asked.
"Just a bit, I was worried about saying the wrong thing the whole time," Theresa said.
Rachel sat on her bunk and slid off her shoes. "But you didn't, none of us did. The captain drew us into conversation, and we passed the test…if that's what the dinner was…I think."
"How, or why, did the captain know so much about us lowly snotties?" Kirschner asked.
"I was wondering the same," Rachel mused.
"Like she said, I think it was to draw us into conversation," Theresa said.
"The food was outstanding, though," Kirschner noted.
"It was, wasn't it? Why can't we have that fine dining in the mess hall more often?" Rachel asked. I'd kill for a steak!
"We seem to be having a lot of pasta," Holland added.
"I know what you mean, I'm doing extra kilometers on the treadmill to work off all the starches and carbs," Castillo noted.
"Where's Rainey?" Rachel asked.
"Got moved to second watch," Holland replied.
June 23, 1925 1000 hours, Sidemore Station
Lt. Patino sat next to Rachel on at the Engineering monitoring station on the bridge, going through a period of instruction.
"Don't forget to log in when you sit down, it's important for—"
"Lieutenant?" the XO asked. "Apologies for the interruption, but the Captain requested to speak with Miss Mayhew."
"Aye sir," the lieutenant said and gave her a barely perceptible shrug.
"Come with me, Miss Mayhew," the XO instructed, and she followed. They went to the Captain's office and the XO pressed the door chime.
"Come on in, Bob," was heard from the small speaker box next to the hatch.
The two entered and Rachel came to attention. "Midshipwoman Mayhew reporting as ordered, sir."
"Good morning, please, have a seat," the Captain said, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk.
She did so and Hipper hopped on her lap, trying to comfort her unease. She couldn't imagine what she had done to warrant being called to the Captain's desk.
"No need to look so anxious, Miss Mayhew. You've done nothing wrong. On the contrary, your OCTO gave a glowing report to the XO yesterday."
"Aye, sir."
He sat back, leaned one arm on the armrest, and tapped the armrest with his other hand before he spoke. "What I'm about to ask of you is normally not included in the duties of a middie on his or her cruise. However, Admiral Terekhov thinks it's a good idea, and it's not my place to gainsay such an accomplished flag officer."
He cleared his throat, straightened in his chair, and spoke. "Since the Protector of Grayson is your father, were you given rudimentary instruction in the fine art of diplomacy?"
Well, that question was out of left field!
"What I mean is that courtesy and manners are one thing. Diplomacy is another matter," he stated.
"I understand. Yes sir, we were instructed in such matters," she answered. "But I'm not near as knowledgeable as an ambassador or someone that works in a foreign service office."
"Neither am I, nor is he," the captain said, gesturing to the XO. "That's why we have ambassadors and foreign service offices. However, sometimes we have to make do with what we have."
She started feeling the familiar itch above her left eyebrow again, and Hipper patted her hand.
"As you may or may not know, the two brand new Grayson-built superdreadnoughts, battlecruiser, and CLAC in our convoy have been on order by the Republic of Sidemore."
She nodded in acknowledgment. Her father had told her last year that Sidemore was planning to buy some ships and LACs.
"This afternoon, a representative from your Office of Shipbuilding will conclude the transaction with the President of Sidemore, who happens to admire the Protector. The rep from the office of shipbuilding mentioned you, Miss Mayhew."
Flummoxed, she opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.
The captain and XO chuckled. "You may speak. I want to hear what you have to say," the captain said.
"Sir, how does someone from the office of shipbuilding even know I'm here?" she asked. "And what could he possibly want from me?"
The captain spoke and gestured for his XO to bring the coffee service from the sideboard. "Coffee?"
"If you're having some, yes sir," she said.
She accepted the cup he offered and took a calming sip.
"You may think of yourself as just another middie, and your humility does you credit, but the fact remains that you are a representative of your father. However informally, you are. I don't agree with throwing a 21-year-old engineering middie out there doing what an ambassador should be doing, but Admiral Terekhov thinks that you have the smarts and charisma to pull it off."
"Sir, I've never met Admiral Terekhov," she replied.
"Don't worry, you will," he replied.
He started up his mini-comp, turned it around for her to see, and she saw her father on the screen. He swiped the play icon and the video started.
"Hello, sweetheart. I know you're working hard, but something has come up. When your convoy arrives at Sidemore, four ships that have been on order for them will arrive as well. It's lucky that you're there, because I want you to be there in my place for the transfer. I met the President of Sidemore a couple of years ago at a conference on Manticore, and I think you'll mesh with him just fine. Just say nice things, smile, and that should be it. High Admiral McDonnell will be there, as well as Admiral Terekhov, so you won't be floundering about wondering what to do. You can of course decline to do this, with no hard feelings, but I'd appreciate it very much if you'd agree to it."
She saw an arm come into view, lay a data chip on the desk, then leave.
"We're so proud of you. We look forward to your return. Stay safe, do good things, and remember how much love you. Tester bless you."
The screen faded to black and the captain turned the mini-comp back around. "So, what do you think?" he asked.
"I once told my fiancée that Mayhews have responsibility as side dishes, and duty for dessert. When and where, sir?"
#
Back in her berth after lunch, she ran a steam cleaner over her dress uniform and reviewed her flight plan for the day. She would fly over to the convoy flagship, pick up Admiral Terekhov, and then fly to Sidemore Station to meet with the High Admiral and President of Sidemore. No pressure there! Theresa and Castillo trotted into the berth to grab something during lunch and saw what Rachel was doing.
"Is there a surprise inspection?" Castillo asked.
"You're not going to believe it," Rachel said and told them what she was to do that day.
"Only you," Theresa chortled.
"Better you than me," Castillo quipped.
"That's something Angie would say," Theresa noted.
"If my name was Rachel Smith, do you think this stuff would be happening?" Rachel wondered, then felt ashamed of thinking such a thing.
She loved and respected her father, and if he needed this this done, she would do it. He already had so much on his plate and was stretched thin since the death of his brother. Thinking about it, she realized that she, Jeanette, and Theresa had been doing more than the usual.
"Bring me back a souvenir?" Theresa asked and gave her a quick hug. "Fly safe, all right?"
Rachel gave her a jaunty salute. "Aye aye, ma'am."