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.I started to insist on regular reports, which he accepted calmly, until I realised that the Captain had trusted me to do it properly and left it alone.I couldn’t understand how he had tolerated it.I felt the urge to check up on them every day.The Captain’s private computer files made interesting reading.I hadn’t realised that the Captain kept copies of everything in his own files, but he had, including reports on us.I’d never read my own file before and was surprised to discover that both of my Captains had rated me highly.I had half-suspected that Shalenko’s willingness to agree to my transfer had been because I had been reluctant to fire on ground targets and accept the deaths of innocent civilians.Captain Harriman had praised me to the skies, along with several other officers, including Sally.If she hadn’t shot her mouth off…she would probably have risen high with his reports.I worked with the Senior Chief and the Master Sergeant every day, using the time and privacy of the Captain’s position, working out the plan.It would be simple enough, I hoped, to bring most of the Marines onside.The Marines knew as well as everyone else that the war was beyond being won and, sooner or later, someone would unleash weapons of mass destruction.The UN was terrified of WMD and after the loss of two cities to terrorists it was hard to blame them.On the other hand, would they fear losing the war more? I allowed myself to start feeling optimistic.If we played our cards right, we might even be able to move within the year.“The Marine Platoons won’t have been penetrated by intelligence,” the Master Sergeant assured me.“Everyone who goes into a platoon has been passed through the training camp and the Crucible.No spy could last the course.”I hoped – prayed – that he was right.My own people were being trained by the Marines as well and, even though they couldn’t become Marines, they would be well-prepared for their future tasks.Sally, in particular, learned everything she could.She was turning into quite the bloodthirsty bitch.I knew who she saw when she smashed through the dummies and almost felt pity for her.Almost.The ship seemed different, now that I was the commanding officer.I haunted the decks, moving from section to section and inspecting it all, keeping the ship as tidy as I could.Captain Harriman had always seemed to know what to do at all times, but I wasn't like him.I was sure that they could see that I was faking it.They might even be pretending to do as I said and plotting against me.The ship felt lonely.The Captain’s cabin was so large that I felt completely isolated.I made myself unpopular by running drill after drill.I wanted to practice counter-boarding operations in case the UN managed to drive us away from Earth and board our ships.A boarding action occurs once in a blue moon, but if I knew the UN, they would be vindictive in victory.They would want to arrest me and my people so that they could hang us in front of the entire world.Anyone in the lower levels would probably be sent to Botany.The tension just kept rising and rising…It was almost a relief to return to Earth.Chapter Thirty-ThreeThe downside of using conscript labour is obvious, although the UN considered the risk of sabotage to be minimal, for reasons that remain unexplained.The conscripts believed that there was no hope of eventual return to their home planets and started a program of sabotaging as much as they could.The UN found it a serious problem, not least because there was little they could realistically use as a punishment.Death deprived the UN of the services of people they needed.-Thomas Anderson.An Unbiased Look at the UNPF.Baen Historical Press, 2500.“The Admiral will see you now, Captain,” the secretary said.“If you will please follow me?”I followed.She was worth following.Her uniform was tailored to show off her assets to their greatest advantage and it didn’t take much imagination to see how she could use those assets, or how she’d gotten the position.Her long blonde hair reached all the way down to her ass and I wanted to stroke it.I controlled the urge as she showed me into Grand Admiral Rutherford’s office.It was neither the time or the place.“Walker,” Rutherford said, gravely.He was a tall man, inhumanly handsome, the sure mark of heavy plastic surgery matched with regeneration therapies.His file suggested that he had only commanded one starship in his career, but apparently it hadn’t prevented him from rising to the highest rank in the UNPF.“Have a seat.”“I prefer to stand, sir,” I said, carefully.No one, not even the Senior Chief, had been able to brief me on what Rutherford would say or do to me.I was flying completely blind.“Sit,” Rutherford repeated.“That’s an order.”I sat down and placed my hands in my lap.I’d used to fidget a lot, but the Academy had broken me of that nasty habit.The Admiral had taken his time calling for me.We’d returned to Earth two weeks ago, but after we’d made our report we’d been told to remain in orbit – under quarantine – while the investigators made their report.It hadn’t been an easy fortnight.I knew that some of the crew had been looking forward to shore leave at Luna City and I…well, I’d had my own plans.The summons to EarthStar One couldn’t have come any later.“So,” Rutherford said, once I’d sat down.“What do you have to say for yourself?”I looked back at him and frowned inwardly.“Nothing, sir,” I said, finally.“I acted according to regulations at all times.”“Indeed,” Rutherford agreed.He seemed to relax slightly.“You’ll be interested to know that your own…experience wasn't the only one.Intelligence has been reporting that there were several batches of…sabotaged components being sent out from Ceres, although you were particularly unlucky that you actually lost your Captain.Most of the other incidents were minor and cost us nothing, but time and effort repairing the damage.A handful of other people were killed, but yours was the worst.”I didn’t relax.“The Board of Inquiry has already sat on the issue and decided that the staff at Ceres were to blame,” Rutherford continued.“Neither you nor any of your crew have been held accountable for the death of your commanding officer.The shuttle’s telemetry was inspected carefully – along with the reports of your own personnel – and they confirm your story.Captain Harriman’s death was an accident and there is nothing to fault in your own behaviour after his death.”He leaned forward.“You should have declared yourself Captain at once,” he added, “but under the circumstances I think we can overlook that, don’t you?”“Yes, sir,” I agreed.It was a relief [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]