Read Online Against All Enemies by John G. Hemry - Free Book Online
Authors: John G. Hemry
Tags: Science-Fiction
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buck. "Sir, I believe Colonel Trey is available now."
Hayes glanced around the bridge. "I think I'd better handle the rest of this in my cabin." He unstrapped and pulled himself off the bridge.
"Captain's off the bridge!"
Paul gave Val Isakov a questioning glance. She shrugged.
Twenty minutes later, Hayes called the bridge from his cabin. "The people on the Prometheus are legitimate, but the cops on the surface won't let them take any transport from the merchant down to the asteroid. I agreed to use our gig. Notify the XO that we're going to send it to the Prometheus to pick up a couple of representatives and their wreaths. They'll be taken to the surface, brought back to the Prometheus , and the gig will return straight here. Any questions?"
Val Isakov frowned. "Captain, when is our gig to depart?"
"I want it at the Prometheus in one hour."
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Oh, one more thing. Paul, you're going along."
Paul stared at his display. "Captain?"
"You're the legal officer, and you've got experience dealing with protestors. You'll be in charge on the gig."
"Aye, aye, sir." Paul felt a headache starting to come to life. Oh, Garcia's going to love this. He hates it any time my legal officer job gets in the way of my primary job as Combat Information Center officer, and he hates it when the captain tasks me directly because I'm the legal officer . He wondered what the protestors would be like. They couldn't be anything like Greenspacers or the captain wouldn't have agreed to help them even if he was ticked off at the cops for keeping the Navy in the dark. I hope I don't fall asleep in front of them .
Garcia turned out to be just as angry as Paul had expected. Commander Moraine just gave Paul a suspicious look. But neither could override the captain, so Paul found himself twenty minutes later strapping into a seat on the gig after hastily turning over the watch to a perturbed Randy Diego. "I'm the First Lieutenant," Randy had complained. "I should be commanding the gig."
"Randy," Paul had stated wearily, "if you can convince the captain to let you go instead of me, be my guest."
Randy hadn't seemed interested in trying that, however. Even Randy had learned that there were times when you just did what the captain said.
Paul checked his straps, then glanced over at Ivan Sharpe, the Michaelson 's master at arms. "It's funny seeing you in khakis, Sheriff."
Sharpe shrugged. "I was bound to make chief petty officer someday, sir, with an officer of your caliber mentoring me."
The two bosun mates sharing the gig's cabin grinned.
Paul nodded, keeping his expression serious. "I'm glad you appreciate that, Sheriff. That's why I make sure you get to participate in outstanding training opportunities such as this."
"I thought I had you to thank for drafting me on this mission, sir. Thank you so much. There ain't nothing I'd rather do than chauffeur a bunch of hippies around the solar system."
Paul leaned back against his seat, closing his eyes. "They're not hippies, Sheriff. They're strictly mainstream people who happen to believe in peace, love and understanding."
"I believe in those things, too, sir. And I have some very effective methods for keeping everything peace ful because I understand what it takes."
"You left out love."
"Love? All my love is for the Navy, sir."
Paul opened his eyes and snorted in derision. Sharpe was smiling with exaggerated insincerity. "Sheriff, sometimes I wonder about you. Just help keep an eye on the peaceniks and help keep those cops on the asteroid happy until we leave."
"I'll try, sir, but those cops are probably not going to be happy with us."
"I have every confidence in you, Chief Master at Arms Ivan Sharpe. After all, you're a cop, too. You speak the same language they do."
"Sort of. These are paramilitary, SWAT guys. They're a bit different."
The chief bosun signaled to Paul from the conning station. She wasn't going to let anyone else drive the gig on this run. "All ready, Mr.
Hayes glanced around the bridge. "I think I'd better handle the rest of this in my cabin." He unstrapped and pulled himself off the bridge.
"Captain's off the bridge!"
Paul gave Val Isakov a questioning glance. She shrugged.
Twenty minutes later, Hayes called the bridge from his cabin. "The people on the Prometheus are legitimate, but the cops on the surface won't let them take any transport from the merchant down to the asteroid. I agreed to use our gig. Notify the XO that we're going to send it to the Prometheus to pick up a couple of representatives and their wreaths. They'll be taken to the surface, brought back to the Prometheus , and the gig will return straight here. Any questions?"
Val Isakov frowned. "Captain, when is our gig to depart?"
"I want it at the Prometheus in one hour."
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Oh, one more thing. Paul, you're going along."
Paul stared at his display. "Captain?"
"You're the legal officer, and you've got experience dealing with protestors. You'll be in charge on the gig."
"Aye, aye, sir." Paul felt a headache starting to come to life. Oh, Garcia's going to love this. He hates it any time my legal officer job gets in the way of my primary job as Combat Information Center officer, and he hates it when the captain tasks me directly because I'm the legal officer . He wondered what the protestors would be like. They couldn't be anything like Greenspacers or the captain wouldn't have agreed to help them even if he was ticked off at the cops for keeping the Navy in the dark. I hope I don't fall asleep in front of them .
Garcia turned out to be just as angry as Paul had expected. Commander Moraine just gave Paul a suspicious look. But neither could override the captain, so Paul found himself twenty minutes later strapping into a seat on the gig after hastily turning over the watch to a perturbed Randy Diego. "I'm the First Lieutenant," Randy had complained. "I should be commanding the gig."
"Randy," Paul had stated wearily, "if you can convince the captain to let you go instead of me, be my guest."
Randy hadn't seemed interested in trying that, however. Even Randy had learned that there were times when you just did what the captain said.
Paul checked his straps, then glanced over at Ivan Sharpe, the Michaelson 's master at arms. "It's funny seeing you in khakis, Sheriff."
Sharpe shrugged. "I was bound to make chief petty officer someday, sir, with an officer of your caliber mentoring me."
The two bosun mates sharing the gig's cabin grinned.
Paul nodded, keeping his expression serious. "I'm glad you appreciate that, Sheriff. That's why I make sure you get to participate in outstanding training opportunities such as this."
"I thought I had you to thank for drafting me on this mission, sir. Thank you so much. There ain't nothing I'd rather do than chauffeur a bunch of hippies around the solar system."
Paul leaned back against his seat, closing his eyes. "They're not hippies, Sheriff. They're strictly mainstream people who happen to believe in peace, love and understanding."
"I believe in those things, too, sir. And I have some very effective methods for keeping everything peace ful because I understand what it takes."
"You left out love."
"Love? All my love is for the Navy, sir."
Paul opened his eyes and snorted in derision. Sharpe was smiling with exaggerated insincerity. "Sheriff, sometimes I wonder about you. Just help keep an eye on the peaceniks and help keep those cops on the asteroid happy until we leave."
"I'll try, sir, but those cops are probably not going to be happy with us."
"I have every confidence in you, Chief Master at Arms Ivan Sharpe. After all, you're a cop, too. You speak the same language they do."
"Sort of. These are paramilitary, SWAT guys. They're a bit different."
The chief bosun signaled to Paul from the conning station. She wasn't going to let anyone else drive the gig on this run. "All ready, Mr.
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