Valor At Vauzlee (5 page)

"Yes ma'am. He's in his briefing room."

"Thank you," she said as she took one more furtive glance over her shoulder at the commissioning plaque.

As she had done hundreds of times before, Jenetta crossed to the captain's enormous briefing room on the larboard side of the bridge. But this time the doors didn't open automatically. Instead, after satisfactorily identifying her by polling her CT, the computer announced her presence to the captain. The doors opened to admit her only when he said, "Come," from inside the room. The command, spoken to the computer interface, was broadcast to Jenetta via her CT.

Jenetta entered, continued over to a wooden desk that seemed large enough to alternate as a landing pad for a space tug, and braced to attention. "Lt. Commander Jenetta Alicia Carver reporting for duty, sir," she said to the officer who occupied the floating ‘oh-gee' chair behind the enormous desk.

Captain Gavin, now in his early sixties, had dark brown hair with just a touch of grey at the temples. It was difficult to be sure while he was seated, but Jenetta guessed from the appearance of his torso that he was just a bit shy of the six-foot mark. He had a strong face with good features, and a fit body. Six pips adorned the area next to his left collar insignia, meaning that Prometheus was his sixth warship appointment during his career in Space Command. The normal progression of warship command, from destroyer to frigate, to cruiser, then battleship, would indicate that the Prometheus was his third battleship, although there were intermediate steps possible with either a light destroyer or light cruiser command. Though uncommon, it was even possible for an officer to have multiple commands in the same group of lesser warships, but Gavin's renown as a battleship commander was well established.

A SimWindow, presently displaying a live exterior view of a docking ring section at Higgins, filled a sizable portion of the wall behind him. Paneled with real oak, not the synthetic products that only simulated wood, the walls of this four-meter square room were finished in a light honey color. A long, comfortable-looking sofa, covered with the same deliciously-soft dark brown leather used for the room's three ‘oh-gee' chairs, sat patiently waiting for occupants against one wall, and the topaz carpeting gave the impression of being ten centimeters deep.

As Gavin looked up from the report that he was reading on a portable viewpad, he fixed his dark-grey eyes acutely upon her face. "Ah, Carver," he said lightly. "You're early."

As second officer, Jenetta was not required to report aboard until just before her watch began at midnight.

"Yes sir," she responded. "I guess I was anxious to be aboard. Here are my orders, sir."

Gavin took the data ring and placed it on his desk, already as familiar with the orders as she was. "Stand easy. Welcome aboard, Commander."

"Thank you, Captain," Jenetta said as she relaxed her stance slightly.

"Lieutenant Kerrey can show you to your quarters. As soon as you're settled in, you may assume your duties."

"Thank you, sir, but I needn't bother Lieutenant Kerrey. I know every square meter of the Prometheus."

The captain gazed at Jenetta's face intently. "Of course, Commander, of course. My new First Officer, Commander Genevieve LaSalle, will be joining us when we reach Earth. Until that time, you'll fill in for her as Acting First."

Jenetta's heart quickened considerably, but she didn't allow any indication of her excitement to show on her face, nor take the deep breath her lungs screamed for. "Aye, Captain," was all she said.

"Does that cause you any concern?" he asked, watching her reaction closely.

"None at all, Captain. I'll be delighted to fill in as Acting First Officer."

Gavin continued to stare at her face closely for several seconds. She was as calm as if he'd just told her that the officer's mess would be serving chicken for dinner, rather than relaying the fact that she would have without question the most difficult job aboard ship. The First Officer, often referred to as the Exec, Executive Officer, or simply the XO, is responsible for overseeing most day to day operations aboard ship. As second in command, he or she functions as the captain's right arm in most matters related to interaction with the crew, leaving the captain free to concentrate on the ship's mission. In addition to her administrative chores, Jenetta would be the senior officer on the second watch. Her combined duties would require her to work more hours than anyone else on board. To Gavin's trained eye, Jenetta had a look of confidence, with no outward signs of being arrogant; the mark of a good first officer.

As cognizant as every other officer in Space Command that she'd had a stupendous six months, Gavin freely acknowledged that as a result of her efforts, the Raiders had been rocked back on their heels in this deca-sector. But he was also painfully aware that she had, until several days ago, been just an ensign who'd spent most of the past decade in stasis. Since graduation from the Academy she'd been asleep for all but fifteen months; and during three months of
that
short time she was alone in a life pod.

Like most officers in Space Command, Gavin had monitored the court-martial broadcasts. When he'd learned that Jenetta would be his second officer, he'd reviewed a number of the court sessions again, paying particularly close attention to her comport while she testified. Although she appeared intelligent and self-confident, he worried about her general appearance, specifically her apparent age. She might be thirty-two-years-old chronologically, and wear the bars of a Lt. Commander, but outwardly she looked like a still-wet-behind-the-ears ensign. Some ratings and noncoms might be hesitant to trust her judgment, and might refuse to take her seriously. He wondered if she had developed an officer persona strong enough to overcome their resistance and earn their respect.

Gavin had argued strenuously with Admiral Holt over having her as his first officer on this most important voyage. He'd contended that the demands of establishing a new command structure on a newly commissioned battleship called for the talents of an executive officer with decades of command experience aboard ship. If the task was handled improperly, it could take a seasoned officer months to undo the damage and restore a proper command structure. Admiral Holt had dismissed his arguments out-of-hand and told him that the decision was final, while reminding him that a seasoned first officer would be waiting for him at Earth Station Two when the ship docked.

While opposed to what he was considering as the
Admiral's little experiment
, Gavin was a senior officer in Space Command with over forty years of service, and knew both the futility and career risks of further argument with a flag officer. He decided to make the best of it for the short cruise and keep a very close eye on Carver. Perhaps she might foul up so badly before they even left port that he could get a last minute replacement for the trip to Earth.

"Carry on, XO," he said.

"Aye, Captain."

Jenetta braced to attention, turned on her heel, and left the captain's briefing room. She was delighted to see that they hadn't removed the furnishings. It still appeared to be the most sumptuous briefing room in the fleet; appropriate for the best ship in the fleet.

Lieutenant Kerrey intercepted Jenetta again as she crossed the bridge. The five-foot eight-inch officer with dark curly hair seemed determined to ingratiate himself. Or perhaps it was only a form of hero worship.

"Is there anything that I can help you with, Commander Carver?"

"No thank you, Lieutenant, not right now. I'm going to my quarters for a few minutes and then I'll return to begin my duties. Which quarters have I been assigned?"

"Your permanent assignment is A-03, ma'am, but since you'll be the acting first officer, you may move into A-02 until Commander LaSalle arrives aboard ship."

"A-03 will be fine. You may notify the housing officer of such."

"Yes, ma'am. Shall I show you the way?"

"That's not necessary, Lieutenant. I know my way around the Prometheus."

Lieutenant Kerrey blinked his smiling, chestnut-colored eyes twice and then said, "Of course, ma'am. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Lieutenant. I'll be in my quarters."

"Yes ma'am," Lieutenant Kerrey said as he watched her walk away. It was funny, but she seemed much taller than her five-foot six-inch height.

The sentry outside the captain's quarters again stood a little straighter as she approached and passed him on the way to her assigned quarters across from and just beyond the captain's quarters. On Space Command vessels, the four senior line officers are always billeted off the corridor that leads to the bridge. Located along corridor 0, the center-line passageway on all ships, the location of the four suites makes it possible for senior officers to be on the bridge in seconds in the event of an emergency. And being close to the center axis of the ship, their accommodations are, like the bridge itself, as protected as possible. Although each of the quarters has an offical designation consistent with compartment naming conventions aboard all ships (Deck Number, Frame Number, Position relative to the centerline, and Compartment Use) the quarters of the four senior command officers are always simply referred to A-01, A-02, A-03, and A-04. She didn't need to pass the Space Marine PFC at the far end of the corridor, but he smartened his stance as she reached the entrance to her quarters.

All officers aboard ship have an office attached to their quarters, the size of which varies with rank and duties. Except for the captain, a separate entrance off the corridor is provided so that visitors need not pass through the officer's sitting room to reach his or her office. The captain normally conducts most ship business from the briefing room on the bridge, and although the office in his or her quarters is large enough for a small conference, it's mainly intended as a more private work space. Lack of a separate door to the office augments security for the ship's commanding officer.

Jenetta's new quarters had the requisite two entrances off the corridor; one into her office and one into her generous sitting room. A bedroom that had to be at least four-meters by six, sat beyond both rooms, with a large, centrally-situated bathroom that could be entered from either the sitting room or the bedroom. The office was also accessible from the sitting room. The Captain and the first officer had larger quarters, but this space was more than adequate for her needs.

After using the bathroom to wash her hands, she went into her office to call up her duty list, a prioritized compilation of notes from the captain, or requests and messages from officers and crew now under her command. As it began to scroll up in response to the spoken command, her eyes widened and she drew in her breath sharply. The length of the list far exceeded anything she'd expected. She studied it for about ten minutes before leaving to begin what promised to be exceedingly long workday.

Normally, crews for newly constructed ships assemble at the Mars ship building facility. There they receive fundamental training about the new vessel before assuming their duties. The ship remains at Mars until the new command is basically coordinated and functioning efficiently, and then conducts its space trials. Once all major and most minor problems are resolved, the ship is dispatched on a final shakedown cruise to its home port, where it will begin regular patrol operations. But having been recently recovered in space, months from Mars, made that impossible aboard the Prometheus and Chiron. Most members of their new crews were being assembled on Earth and would join the ships when they arrived there.

Space Command battleships represent just five percent of the warship fleet. They perform all the functions that an aircraft carrier, battleship, and small troop transport traditionally performed in one of Earth's navies. Crews large enough to handle most situations until the two ships could reach Earth were being assembled either by promotion or transfer from the other ships docked at Higgins, or from those GSC warships expected into port before the Prometheus and Chiron were scheduled to leave. Being the two largest and newest warships in the fleet, it was a special honor to be named as a member of their crews. The paucity of available experienced personnel at Higgins meant that individuals, who might otherwise not have been selected for the crew, were being handed their dream. The less than five hundred crewmembers aboard each ship for the trip would be a far cry from the ship's normal complement of three-thousand five-hundred.

Returning to the bridge of the almost two-kilometer-long ship, Jenetta took a few minutes to talk with each of the crewmembers there. When she was done, she at least knew their name, rank, current job assignment, and previous posting. She would learn the rest later as she studied the personnel files in the computer.

Jenetta spent the remainder of the day preparing the ship for its journey to Earth. She worked with the officers in each section to ensure that all necessary supplies were on board and stowed properly, that all equipment was functioning properly, and that crewmember duty schedules were coordinated so that all primary ship functions would be covered every minute of every day. From the moment that she began work, Jenetta became the person that every officer turned to with a problem, and she didn't call it a day until the second watch ended at midnight. As she went off duty, Jenetta left orders that she wasn't to be disturbed until 0800 unless it was an emergency, and that problems were not to be taken to the Captain.

A quick stop at the officer's mess before proceeding to her quarters netted her a fresh chef's salad and an orange. She ate the salad in her quarters, but was so exhausted that sleep won out over hunger and she never got to the orange. She climbed onto the bed still dressed and was asleep almost immediately.