"I signed up for a peace keeping mission, not a war mission," Nathan Bridger said aloud to a hologram of his old Academy professor.
"You signed up for a military submarine with a peacekeeping mission," the hologram replied. "You've been in the Navy long enough to know that peace keeping often is a code word for war."
"Bill told me it was different now," Nathan objected, though he knew that he was defeated. They had been calling military movements "peacekeeping" missions since Vietnam. It was a way to sell war to a populace which was tired of war after 200 years of perpetual warfare. True, it was finally peace time; the first peace time in America's history. Yet, there were pirates and apparently pissed off former captains to contend with. The remnants of ISIS sometimes attacked various subs and undersea colonies. The next war would probably be with ISIS, he thought, annoyed. Peace could never last for long when you were the superpower.
"Is it not different now?" the hologram asked, "you have your science contingent, and they outnumber the military personnel aboard this vessel."
"It is different, I guess. I only hope we can stick to their mission more often than the military one from now on," Nathan mused.
"I think that is why the admiral was so happy to see you aboard," the professor replied.
"Yes, I suppose it is. Thank you. You've been very helpful," Nathan said, switching the program off and sitting back on his bed.