Shannon, back in Sonja's office, with Sonja says, "I need to let my higher-ups know about my… adoption. Mind if I use your com?"
"Sure. President Pritchart is here on Manticore, with Admiral Theisman, and I'll contact them." Sonja walks over to the holocom, and screens Admiral Theisman and Shannon, with her new treecat, walks into the pickup.
"Hello, Shannon. It's good to see you." says the Republic's CNO. He and the President are sitting next to each other, in a conference room. Will they get together? I know Eloise is still healing, but they'd be great together…, I think for a second, before purging that thought from my mind.
"It's good to see both of you as well." Shannon replies.
"Shannon, why is there a treecat on your shoulder? I was… under the impression they only did that with people they had adopted." Admiral Theisman asks, curious about the treecat. He didn't really expect the response out of Shannon's mouth.
"Um, well, sir… I just got adopted by a treecat." Shannon says, smiling.
"Why are you calling me about this? If this is about 'Can the treecat stick with me for the long-term?', the answer's yes, of course. After all, because we don't really know a lot about treecats, we're following RMN protocol about treecat adoptees, which is that they stick with their human. Even if the treecats weren't helping protect us from nanotech, you'd still be able to keep them with you." Admiral Theisman says, while scratching Springs From Above's neck.
"Oh, good. I didn't really have a backup plan." Shannon replies, laughing.
"Also, the press will love this as a story, from my training as a Commissioner. Officer who saves Mantie's treecat in front of a Committee member gets adopted herself. It'd be a great story." says the President. Shannon groans, hoping she won't have to do press interviews. After all, they always turned into disasters for me, and that was one thing I couldn't afford, Shannon thinks.
"Okay, maybe you don't want to do interviews about that." President Pritchart corrects herself quickly. Shannon nods. Much smarter, Madame President, thinks Shannon.
"Congratulations on your adoption, Shannon.", says President Pritchart. Admiral Theisman nods in agreement.
"Thanks, ma'am." Shannon nervously replies.
"Call me Eloise in private." the President says.
"I… I couldn't… It wouldn't be proper. " Shannon replies.
"When have you ever cared about being proper? Let's see. Oh, wait, never. I know about what you did as Admiral Tourville's staff officer, you know." Eloise replies. The two women laugh, and Eloise is happy to see Shannon look relaxed.
"Who told you, ma– I mean Eloise?" Shannon asks.
"Admirals Tourville, Theisman and Javier all told me about your mischief– I mean adventures." Eloise looks sad when she mentions her late fiancee, but doesn't let the pain stab her as much as it had in private soon after she found out.
Admiral Theisman's tone changes to something more serious, and Shannon starts looking more nervous, "Shannon, I want you to know that your career and Admiral Tourville's career are on track. You're not in danger of being bumped back or demoted." Shannon finally relaxes, secure in the knowledge that her career, as well as her CO's career are both secure.
Two Days Later…
Shannon's fixing the numbers of the Havenite tech specs database in Sonja's office, as Sonja's out in a meeting, as her new wrist com buzzs. Sometimes, I still can't believe they bought my faked numbers that shaved 10-25% off the true numbers on the tech, thinks Shannon. She hasn't said anything about it, but has just been fixing the numbers all from her memory of the true specs at Bolthole.
She answers her com, "Hello, Vice Admiral Foraker here."
"Hello there, big cousin!" one of her younger cousins, Eimear says, sounding very excited, and not acting at all formal, like she's supposed to be.
"Hello there, Emmy! How are you doing? Based on the way you're sounding, I presume you're somewhere private." Shannon says, sounding happy. Eimear nods.
"I'm doing well. I really like my new job. Are you doing well?" Eimear explains.
Shannon nods and says, "I'm doing well. I'm in Admiral Hemphill's office right now, though it's empty because she's at a meeting for the next hour or so. Have you heard anything from home?"
Eimear says, "Last time I heard stuff, everyone's okay, and Orla got her first command. Do you have any more info on what made you activate Hope?"
"I'd found out that some of the captured personnel were being set to a black site, for enhanced interrogation, and was hinted that I should reveal Bolthole's location to avoid being sent there myself. I didn't take the hint, and it sounded like the person who sent it to me was just a messenger for ONI. My ideas for dealing with it are to put some representatives for the POWs that got sent to the black site or sites and some Manties involved with the program together in a room, and make them work it out, all the while staying uninvolved, if I have to handle cleanup of this mess." Shannon explains.
"Okay. Sounds like you've been busy lately." Eimear replies.
Shannon nods, "So, after the Manties picked us up, they dropped us at the Admiralty building. In the span of a few hours, I got to meet my liaison officer, and got adopted by a treecat, after initially just being planned to be paired with one for defense against this Mesan nanotech. I consider it likely that your CO will be paired with one as well, just a heads-up."
"Whoa."
Same day, Evening on Manticore
Shannon sits down on the large porch sofa at Low Dehli, Sonja's family's stately home, where she had spent summers growing up at, next to Sonja, as the sun sets, making the duo's blonde hair glow, as they both sip some after-dinner wine. The two treecats are curled up on top of the sofa, being neck warmers in the cool evening.
"So, remember how you said that your… your family is prominent on your homeworld? Can you explain more?" Sonja asks, though not pushing hard.
"Sonja, please don't judge, but… well, my homeworld uses inherited noble and royal titles. I'm a senior military and political figure back home, despite being only a Republic Vice Admiral, (unless I pull system defense force rank) who struggles at politics and being a media figure. I'll try to explain, but just don't out me on this to the media or other people." Shannon warns.
"I won't, Shannon." Sonja explains.
"Thank you. This story is hard enough to tell as it is, and explaining it… always is hard." she says, sipping some of the wine, as her soprano voice gets a hint of a received pronunciation accent, "I'm really HRH, Grand Duchess Shannon Foraker of the Kingdom of Elvana. It's a small, multi-system polity in the Republic, near Haven." Sonja gasps, and nods, before Shannon continues, trying to emotionally compartmentalize the trauma, becoming more monotone, "I was only 5 when the PRH, under President Harris rolled in and really set up shop, purging people and the whole nine yards. I hacked my PRH personnel file to say I was a Dolist from Elvana, to protect myself, with my low political reliability under both governments."
"I don't think ONI ever caught that." Sonja says, trying to inject some humor into this conversation.
Shannon looks a little happier as she continues,"My cousin and I were both 'stolen officers' from our home system's System Defense Force. After my cousin, Duchess Selenice, though you'd know her as Captain Eimear Foraker was stolen, my aunt, Queen Cadhla somehow managed to force a deal out of the Committee of Public Safety that they wouldn't steal anymore Forakers to be their officers." Sonja offers a hand to Shannon, who takes it "I, to this day, don't know how the hell she did it, and don't want to know until I become Queen. That likely saved my life after some incidents."
"How senior are you in the succession, Your Grand Grace?"
"Call me Shannon, of course, but I'm 2nd in line (as well as Fleet Admiral of Elvana's Home Fleet, reporting only to my aunt, though I made it clear I was going to be busy at Bolthole, so someone else is filling in, though I could have pulled Fleet Admiral rank under the Republic Navy, with the way the laws work), so, I have some time."
Sonja finally asks the question she's been waiting to ask, "Whoa. Why didn't you say anything?"'
"I didn't say anything before the GA, because I didn't want to be used as a hostage for the Republic to have to bargain for, that is more than I already was as a Vice Admiral who ran R&D. I haven't said anything now because I don't want to put more awkwardness into things, both in the GA, and with us being friends, with how minor my home system is, even though Elvana is one of Haven's first daughter colonies. I also am not particularly fond of press conferences, and always feel out of place at them."
Shannon continues, "I'll also be getting bodyguards soon, with an ONI unit from our SDF, though they'll officially be aides to my staff to avoid making me be the only Havenite officer (or one of two, with the other being my cousin Eimear, who made Commodore in our SDF recently, is in line behind me and some other people for the throne, and needs some points for doing well in flag rank.) with bodyguards."
Then, Shannon's comlink buzzs, and she quickly answers, "HellothisisyourcousinEimear–"
Shannon interrupts her cousin with, "Slow down, Emmy. You're speaking too fast."
"Sorry. There's an important message that just came in on the dispatch boat 20 minutes ago. It's extremely reliable and says that Elvana will be invaded by 150-200 SLN SDs, and that our Aunt would like to call us back with some RMN and or RHN hardware, depending on what we can get our hands on."
"For clarification, I don't think the SDF defenses have a good chance of taking 200 SLN SDs without help. I know we got some stuff during your Cutworm raids, and based on the one report I skimmed over from Countess Gold Peak, I'd say we could take around 120 SDs, over the whole kingdom, if they split themselves up into little lumps of 40 per system, and we knew they were coming…" Shannon explains to Sonja.
"I'll contact Honor, to try to get hardware." Sonja says.
"I'll contact Admiral Theisman, after you contact Honor, because I'll probably have to explain the situation." Shannon explains.
Sonja calls Honor, who answers quickly, though sounding a little tired, "Hello, Admiral Hemphill. What is it?"
Shannon says, "I'm in my homeworld's SDF, as I was stolen from the SDF by the People's Navy, ma'am. I just got a report from Admiral Trenis herself, on the latest dispatch boat, that Elvana will be invaded by 150-200 SLN SDs within a few weeks, and the attached report from my home polity's Queen was requesting we come back with hardware, as the defenses in place pre-Cutworm couldn't take 200 SLN SD, as we had very few wallers. What can we get from you? I'm calling Admiral Theisman next, as the senior most officer in my homeworld's SDF that's offworld." Whoa. I can't give any Apollo ships or Apollo, due to the threats to Manticore, but I can give quite a bit short of it, thinks Honor.
Honor quickly replies, "Um, I can't give you Apollo, or Apollo ships, but I can give you some SD(P)s, and CLACs. What's the rough order of battle for the SDF?"
"We have 5 SD(P)s from the RHN, but with a mixed crew, so two can be down for refit at a time. We have 7 battlecruiser squadrons active at a time, one CLAC, with its LACs split around the 3 systems we have to cover, a few orbital LAC bases, and a bunch of lighter units. We have the Moriarty 2 and Dragonfly systems, as well as some system deployed pods, but I never was happy with the number we got."
"Is it just the Elvana system getting invaded?" Honor asks.
"Yes, ma'am." Shannon replies quickly.
"Um, how about I work with Admiral Theisman myself and give you Vice Admiral Gold Peak, with some CLACs and SD(P)s as well as Rear Admiral Bellefeuille, so the two can learn to work together, as Admiral Theisman has had his eye on pairing them as liaison officers. That sound good?"
"Thank you, ma'am. My little cousin Eimear is one of Jennifer's captains, and due to the promotion path for stolen officers like us two, just made flag rank back home." Shannon says.
"I'll be splitting you and Sonja up, and have you and Bellefeuille leave tomorrow, with her ships, 3 squadrons of RMN Keyhole 1 capable SD(P)s, and 6 CLACs. Sonja, Michelle and I will leave in roughly a week, after Mike gets back from the Cluster, with 3 more squadrons, in case your force estimate is off by too much, or you need some help, and if you don't need them, we'll give them to the RHN, to be deployed as needed." Honor replies.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Oh, and I noticed you didn't have a staff yet. Would you at least like a Grayson officer on long-term loan to serve as a flag lieutenant? I'll have someone check with her to see if she'd be interested, but I think I know just the officer to give you as an aide. She's very good at tactics, and has some experience, but because she's in line for a Steadholdership, comes with her own armsman."
"Let her know I was involved in Stalking Horse and Dagger, so she's not surprised at that. If she doesn't feel comfortable serving under me, I'll understand, and I can find her another job, because I know you wouldn't recommend someone who you didn't think could do the job. I hope to get my Bolthole staff back, at some point, but if she gets promoted to Lt Commander, I could consider taking her as an ops officer, given your recommendation. For now, if she's okay with it, I'll take her as a flag lieutenant, though, ma'am." Shannon replies.
"Sounds good, Shannon. I'll check with her tonight, and have everyone ready to go by tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Meanwhile, Eimear, how is the SDF doing?" Shannon asks, after Honor hangs up.
"It's doing well, and the yards are pumping out new construction. I took a couple of weeks of leave to go see my family after I made Captain in the RHN, as well as check on the SDF, and get my SDF promotion in person, from the Queen."
"Oh, good. I'm calling Admiral Theisman next, but you're likely to be redeployed back home, as you heard."
Notes:Yep, Abigail's appearing in the next chapter.
Let's see how long it will take for the RMN's senior officers to figure out that Shannon's royal? Also, my next arc for the story will have a visit to Elvana. Mesa will be dealt with offscreen in this story (I had a plan for Countess Gold Peak, before realizing she'd need to come back to Manticore to make it work, so she should be coming back.), as we'll be focusing on the destroyal of the SLN. I also haven't read all the books, as I still need to read Uncompromising Honor and the last 3 Crown of Slaves books (almost finished at one point, book 1) and the last two Shadow of Saganami books.
Also, ships and promotions will travel at the speed of plot. Some people haven't quite gotten their promotions yet, and others aren't in their canon postings.
The liaison officer pairings I figured out
Rear Admiral Jennifer Bellefeuille and Vice Admiral Michelle Henke
They're both near the same rank, which was one thing I was looking at for pairings. They fought at Chantilly, and gained a respect for each other, which might make it easier for them to learn to work together. Plus, remember Smoke and Mirrors? Am I the only one that wants to see her back in action?
CNO Thomas Theisman and Fleet Admiral Honor Harrington
They're both the most senior flag officers of their star nations. They worked together in canon for 2nd Manticore (my crude plan, so far, is to delay 2nd Manticore, to get my Elvana arc in). Plus, they both respect each other.
Vice Admiral Shannon Foraker and Admiral Sonja Hemphill
They're both tech nerds. They will get together. They'll be the reason the GA is curb stomping the SLN. Why would they not be paired up? Plus, they're even canon (as Shannon & Sonja at Bolthole, sadly not Shannon/Sonja).
The two networks from last chapter date back to when Sonja and Hamish really didn't get along, and neither of them have bothered to get rid of their extra router in their office.