Chapter 9
August 22, 1925 P.D. 0745 hours
Middy Berthing
Rachel finished Hipper's morning brush-out and gave herself a once-over before she left the berth.
"Three days until Grayson orbit, are you excited?" Theresa asked and gave herself a once over in the wall locker mirror.
Rachel pressed her hands together, against her lips. "I can barely stand it."
They exited their berthing and saw Robert standing by the hatch.
"Morning, Robert," they chorused.
"Good morning, m'lady, Miss Meadows."
She continued her conversation with Theresa. "Don't get me wrong. I've thoroughly enjoyed this cruise, the work I've done, what I've learned, the people I've met. However, it's going to be wonderful to be home, to be with Matt and my family."
Theresa nodded. "You know, I thought that that first month at the academy was the hardest I'd ever worked. Then, I amended that thought to the last month there. Now, scratch both of those. This cruise is the hardest I've worked, but I agree with you. I've really enjoyed it. PO Lyles even said he wished I could stay!"
They entered the officer's mess and Rachel thought about the latest mail from Matt. The Imperator had made Grayson orbit a week prior. Forty-six Graysons disembarked and reported for duty among various GSN commands. Before the midshipmen disembarked, all the middies were promoted. She watched a video of Captain Wilson pin Matt's round silver Ensign pips to his collar and his OCTO placed his shoulder boards. She and Theresa clapped when they saw Angela, standing next to him, receive her pips.
She was brought back to the present when Theresa nudged her with an elbow. "Still with me?"
"Yes, I've just got a lot on my mind."
They made their breakfast selections and sat down.
"I imagine you do. Reporting in, Matt starting med school, planning your wedding…from what I've read, thanks to the Austin City Herald, your nuptials are slated to be the event of the year!" Theresa teased.
Alvarez Field Army and Navy Hospital, Grayson
As Rachel and Theresa chatted over breakfast, Matt performed the morning equipment and supply check of the Number Two Ambulance Station and Emergency Room. Until he reported for the first day of medical school, he was still on active duty. He was also a qualified EMT, so he had a place of duty until then. At the dispatch station, he annotated the survey and heard a knock on the door. He looked up, saw Lew, and smiled. His friend looked good in a Grayson uniform.
"We still on for lunch?" Lew asked.
"If I'm not on a call, sure," Matt replied.
Lew flashed a thumbs up and left as quickly as he came. Matt saw some incoming mail from his minicomp, so he opened the viewer and saw that the first entry was from Rachel. He started the video and smiled when her pretty face appeared. In her lap, Hipper bleeked and flicked his ears at the screen.
"Good afternoon, love. Well, it's afternoon here and now, anyway. I saw the video of your commissioning, congratulations! Are you happy to be home? I can hardly wait! We middies are wrapping up administrative stuff, and I saw my final performance review that was submitted to the Navy. I was embarrassed by some of the needs improvement remarks, but it was something I needed to hear. Tonight is my last chapel service and backgammon tournament here, and honestly, it's something I'm going to miss. My ship is scheduled to make Grayson orbit sometime Monday morning. By lunchtime, we'll be having lunch together! Did you get any leave time? I won't know if I have any leave time until I get my orders, which I thought I would have received by now. If you see Lew, tell him I said hi! See you soon, love you!"
#
That evening, after the chapel service and backgammon games, Lt. Commander Kimbrell asked her to stay in the room for a moment.
"We have something to give you, a congratulations for completing your snotty cruise and wedding gift, if that's all right," he said.
"Of course it's all right," she said, touched by the sentiment.
He gave her a new Book of the New Way, and Lt. Fowler stepped forward and gave her a beautiful new silken head scarf, a blue one to match her uniform.
"Thank you so much, this means a lot to me," she said softly. "Tester bless you all."
"Miss Mayhew, what's the first thing you're going to do when you return home?" Ensign Appleby asked.
They all waited for an answer. It had become something of a game among them, asking her random questions, because she tended to give hilarious answers. It also gave them new insights into the Mayhew family. She first thought to say kiss my fiancée like he's never been kissed before, but not with this crowd.
"I'm going to have a plate of pancakes."
August 25, 1925 P.D.
HMS David Taylor, Officer's Mess
At breakfast, Rachel felt as jumpy as a sand frog. Her fellow snotties weren't saying much either. Hipper patted her thigh and she realized she was furiously tapping her foot under the table. He sat up and signed.
Worry?
She shook her head and signed back. No, just want to get on with it. To see my family and Matt.
Understand, he signed in return. Soon.
You know, I couldn't have done this without you, she signed.
He shrugged his shoulders, gave off a soft bleek. You could have by yourself, but I am happy to be with you. We have had many adventures.
She gave him a scratch under his chin. He rubbed his cheek against her hand and continued his breakfast. She checked her chrono again. Had time come to a complete stop? All the middies would be commissioned at 0900, and then the Graysons who would be reporting to the Navy would disembark. Her uni-link beeped and she answered it.
"Midshipwoman Mayhew."
Lt. Patino's voice came on the other end. "Everything packed? Have you cleared your berthing with the personnel yeoman?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. Communications just received word that Protector Mayhew is enroute to the ship. He should be arriving in twenty minutes."
"Thank you for letting me know, sir."
He chuckled. "Well, the Captain couldn't very well say no, could he? He wanted to be here for your commissioning."
The call ended and she continued her breakfast.
#
In shuttle bay one, Captain Wozniak and Commander Newberry watched two red and maroon uniformed armsmen drift through the entry tube and gracefully plant their feet on the arrival concourse. The older one, with Colonel's rank and nameplate of Rice, looked around the concourse and walked toward the captain.
Captain Wozniak saluted when the colonel stood before him. "Welcome aboard the David Taylor, Colonel."
Colonel Rice saluted in return. "Thank you, captain. Permission to come aboard?"
"Granted."
Colonel Rice spoke into his wrist mike and nodded. Half a minute later, Protector Mayhew with emerged from the tube with a plain clothed Palace Security officer an arm's length behind him. He touched down beyond the red line on the concourse and approached.
"Permission to come aboard, Captain Wozniak?" Benjamin asked.
The captain saluted. "Granted, Protector. Welcome aboard the Her Majesty's Ship David Taylor. May I present my executive officer, Commander Newberry."
Commander Newberry saluted as well. Benjamin stepped forward and extended his hand to both.
"This is a fine ship indeed."
"Thank you, m'lord."
Benjamin looked back and High Admiral McDonnell and his yeoman with a video camera made their entry to the ship as well.
"Captain, would it be an imposition to have a tour of your ship?" Benjamin asked.
"It would be an honor, sir. I'll take you on a tour myself," the captain replied.
"But for now, can I go and see my girl?" Benjamin asked.
#
In the Captain's office, the furniture was cleared away and the seven middies shuffled anxiously and waited for their commissioning ceremony to begin. Robert stood in the corner, Hipper on his shoulder. Lt. Patino poked his head in the door.
"Look sharp, here they come!"
They came to attention as Commander Newberry strolled in. "Captain on deck!"
Two armsmen swept into the room, scanned it, and nodded to the corridor. Rachel's heart leapt when she her dad strolled inside. Benjamin didn't hesitate to step forward and wrap his arms around her.
"Congratulations and welcome home, sweetheart."
"Thank you, dad…sir."
He stepped back and gestured for the High Admiral to step forward. He looked to his yeoman who gave him a thumbs up and started recording. He stood before she and Chatwood and removed a notecard from his pocket.
"Raise your right hands and repeat after me."
They raised their hands and began.
"I, Rachel Diane Mayhew, having been appointed an officer in the Grayson Space Navy, as indicated in the rank of Ensign, do take a holy vow that I will support and defend Grayson, The Keys, The Sword, and the Tester against all enemies. I take this vow freely, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion. I will, to the best of my ability, faithfully discharge my duties of the office which I am to enter. So help me Tester."
"Tester bless you," the High Admiral said and stepped back.
The captain stepped forward to give the Manticorans their oath. When they were done, a yeoman came forward with pairs of round silver pips and shoulder boards. As the senior middy, Rachel was first. The captain removed her blue midshipman pips and replaced them with silver ones. Per her wishes, Commander Wofford placed her right shoulder board, and Lt. Patino the left.
"Congratulations, Ensign Mayhew," the captain said and shook her hand.
"Thank you, sir."
She shook Commander Wofford's hand, and she controlled her voice as best she could when she spoke. "Thank you, sir, for everything."
"You're welcome, Ensign. It's been a pleasure serving with you."
She shook Lt. Patino's hand. "Thank you, sir, for your time, skill, and attention."
"You're welcome. I extend my best wishes for your career," he said.
#
Back on the planet, the Mayhew, Goodson, and Harrington families watched the ceremony in the palace family room. They clapped and cheered after Rachel took her oath and cheered again when her rank was placed. Katherine and Elaine hugged each other and wiped their eyes. Matt couldn't take his eyes off her. She was so beautiful!
"Look at him," Katherine murmured to Ruth and Christine.
"He's missed her so much," Ruth said.
#
After a tearful goodbye to Theresa, Rachel and her party boarded the Protector's Pinnace and received permission to depart the ship. It left the shuttle bay and Rachel sat back and let out a sigh. Benjamin looked aside at her.
"Tired?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Some, I didn't get much sleep last night."
"When are you to report in?"
She pulled her tablet from her backpack and looked through the files until she found her orders.
"I'm to report on August 31st, no later than 0900, Building 125 at Alvarez Field," she replied.
"Your young man only got three days of leave," Benjamin replied.
"I can only assume that Medical Command has different manning requirements," she said, recalling a lecture from a Naval Operations class.
"You assume correctly," the high admiral added. "Over three thousand new ensigns fresh from Saganami are reporting in, and just over a thousand from the academy here. A very small percentage of them are for Medical Command."
Her uni-link beeped and she took it from her pocket. The caller ID indicated that it was Matt.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," she said and moved to the rear seats of the pinnace.
Benjamin murmured something to the High Admiral and they chuckled. She put the earbud in and tapped the sensor.
"Where are you?" he asked.
She looked out of the reinforced crystoplast window and saw as they passed a space farm with roaming cows. Steak, here I come!
"Well, good afternoon to you too! We're about ten minutes out. We would have been back over an hour ago, but dad wanted to tour the ship."
"All right, see you soon!"
There was a little bit of turbulence felt when the pinnace entered the atmosphere, but the pinnace was the best built on the planet and the pilots the most skilled on the planet. Rachel sighed when she looked out of the window and saw the ocean's coloring, dark sands, and domed cities. It was very different sight than Manticore, but it was home. She heard the pilot speak with flight control and made sure she and her dad were securely strapped in for descent. Mentally admiring the smoothest landing she had ever felt, the pinnace touched down on the palace landing pad.
"Touch down, time now, thank you control."
The pilot left his seat and gave a thumbs up to the flight engineer.
"Hatch open, ramp out," the flight engineer reported to Colonel Rice.
"Thank you, chief."
He and the other armsman stepped out and scanned the area all around the pad.
"Clear, m'lord."
Benjamin exited the pinnace, then the High Admiral.
"I'll get your bags, m'lady," Robert said.
"Thank you," Rachel said.
The yeoman waited for her to exit the craft, which admittedly gave her a small thrill. She was no longer the lowest ranking person anymore! She walked down the ramp and saw her family, the Goodson family, and Harrington family all stream from the palace. She hurried ahead of her dad and high admiral with a "By your leave, gentlemen," and rushed into Matt's waiting arms. He felt so good to her and then they lost themselves to each other. She indeed kissed him like he had never been kissed before, and she didn't care how it looked. She was getting married to this man, she had missed him, and she loved him. Benjamin mumbled something about coming up for air as he passed, and both he and the admiral shook their heads, amused.
Breathless, she rested her hands on his chest and took a good, long look at him. He had lost weight, but in a good way, and he looked…beefier?
"You've been working out more, right?" she said and ran her hands down his arms.
She grinned when his face flushed.
"Aside from work, I've had nothing better to do," he said and took her hand. "And you've added more flair to that uniform."
"Not on purpose," she returned.
She reached her family and was drowned in hugs and congratulations.
"Let's see your ear," Jeanette requested.
"Is that all you have to say after all this time?" Rachel teased and lifted her cap and the hair covering her ear.
They all looked closer and saw that top of her ear was no longer rounded but cut straight across.
"Some of your ear is chopped off!" Arabella exclaimed.
"Does it hurt?" Lawrence asked.
Rachel smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Not anymore, short stuff."
"Was it scary?" Bernard asked.
She nodded. "Yes, it was scary."
She greeted the Goodson family, and then her Aunt Honor. "Congratulations, you've worked hard for this. Welcome home."
#