combatant.”
“He wears the uniform of the Ta’Akar…”
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, Major,” Jessica interrupted, “but the patch has changed. It’s not the uniform of the Ta’Akar he wears; it’s the Takaran Defense Force.”
“Same military, different name.”
“No, it’s not. Not even close. Different agenda, different philosophy, different leaders…”
“Same colors, same arrogance, same…”
“Perhaps I’m not making myself clear, Major,” Jessica stated, the tone of her voice becoming more formal. “You are to treat the Takarans no differently than you would treat any Corinairan, or Terran for that matter. Is that clear?”
“Forgive me, Lieutenant Commander. I haven’t had the time to study up on the ranking system of the Terran military, or how it compares with that of the Corinari…”
“Then let me make it crystal clear for you, Major. I’m the head of security on this ship. Your unit is attached to my command. You are under my command. That makes me your commanding officer. It doesn’t matter if I’m an ensign or an admiral; I’m still your boss. Is that clear enough for you?”
“Yes, sir,” the major responded smartly.
“Now knock the stupid, childish shit off and act your rank, Major, or you’ll be relieved of your command, and you’ll spend the rest of the voyage confined to your quarters. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.” There was no emotion in the major’s response.
Jessica stared at the major for several seconds. She could see in his eyes that her threats made little difference.
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
“No, Major. You’re dismissed.”
Major Waddell rose from his chair, came to attention, and raised his hand in salute, a gesture meant to demonstrate his understanding of his commanding officer’s authority over him.
Jessica returned the major’s salute and watched him depart in proper Corinari fashion, pivoting perfectly on his heel and toe. She knew that, although his behavior would probably change, his hatred of the Takarans would remain. She only hoped it wouldn’t be a problem.
* * *
“Analysis of jump twenty is complete,” Commander Taylor said as she entered the captain’s ready room.
“And?” the captain asked from behind his desk.
“Everything looks good. According to Doctor Sorenson, running the ZPEDs at up to five percent during jumps did not result in any abnormalities.”
“No changes in accuracy noted?”
“No, sir,” Cameron assured him. “Abby is confident that it is safe to begin installing the upgraded emitters. She would like to continue jumping fifteen light years at a time with the ZPEDs running at five percent while we upgrade the secondary emitter array.”
“Did she say why?”
“The more data the better, as I understood it. I think she would just feel more comfortable if she saw consistently positive results before attempting a ZPED-powered jump.”
“Can’t argue with that, can we?”
“No, sir.”
“I talked to Vlad at breakfast this morning. He finished validating the new emitters last night.”
“Then I guess we’re all set,” Cameron stated.
Nathan could hear the lack of commitment in her voice. “Something tells me you’re less than enthusiastic about the idea.”
“I’m just not sure it’s really worth the risk, Nathan.”
“I don’t think there’s as much risk as you think,” he argued. “Abby’s not the type to take chances, especially now that we’re finally on our way home.”
“Perhaps, but we’re already jumping fifteen light years at a time. That’s a fifty percent increase in range. As we are now, we could be home in just over two weeks without the additional risk.”
“It’s not just about the time it takes to get home, Cam. It’s much more than that.”
“Like making sure the benefits of the alliance are enough to keep you out of prison?”
“Funny, Cam. Very funny. Think of it… jumping twenty or more light years at a time
“He wears the uniform of the Ta’Akar…”
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, Major,” Jessica interrupted, “but the patch has changed. It’s not the uniform of the Ta’Akar he wears; it’s the Takaran Defense Force.”
“Same military, different name.”
“No, it’s not. Not even close. Different agenda, different philosophy, different leaders…”
“Same colors, same arrogance, same…”
“Perhaps I’m not making myself clear, Major,” Jessica stated, the tone of her voice becoming more formal. “You are to treat the Takarans no differently than you would treat any Corinairan, or Terran for that matter. Is that clear?”
“Forgive me, Lieutenant Commander. I haven’t had the time to study up on the ranking system of the Terran military, or how it compares with that of the Corinari…”
“Then let me make it crystal clear for you, Major. I’m the head of security on this ship. Your unit is attached to my command. You are under my command. That makes me your commanding officer. It doesn’t matter if I’m an ensign or an admiral; I’m still your boss. Is that clear enough for you?”
“Yes, sir,” the major responded smartly.
“Now knock the stupid, childish shit off and act your rank, Major, or you’ll be relieved of your command, and you’ll spend the rest of the voyage confined to your quarters. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.” There was no emotion in the major’s response.
Jessica stared at the major for several seconds. She could see in his eyes that her threats made little difference.
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
“No, Major. You’re dismissed.”
Major Waddell rose from his chair, came to attention, and raised his hand in salute, a gesture meant to demonstrate his understanding of his commanding officer’s authority over him.
Jessica returned the major’s salute and watched him depart in proper Corinari fashion, pivoting perfectly on his heel and toe. She knew that, although his behavior would probably change, his hatred of the Takarans would remain. She only hoped it wouldn’t be a problem.
* * *
“Analysis of jump twenty is complete,” Commander Taylor said as she entered the captain’s ready room.
“And?” the captain asked from behind his desk.
“Everything looks good. According to Doctor Sorenson, running the ZPEDs at up to five percent during jumps did not result in any abnormalities.”
“No changes in accuracy noted?”
“No, sir,” Cameron assured him. “Abby is confident that it is safe to begin installing the upgraded emitters. She would like to continue jumping fifteen light years at a time with the ZPEDs running at five percent while we upgrade the secondary emitter array.”
“Did she say why?”
“The more data the better, as I understood it. I think she would just feel more comfortable if she saw consistently positive results before attempting a ZPED-powered jump.”
“Can’t argue with that, can we?”
“No, sir.”
“I talked to Vlad at breakfast this morning. He finished validating the new emitters last night.”
“Then I guess we’re all set,” Cameron stated.
Nathan could hear the lack of commitment in her voice. “Something tells me you’re less than enthusiastic about the idea.”
“I’m just not sure it’s really worth the risk, Nathan.”
“I don’t think there’s as much risk as you think,” he argued. “Abby’s not the type to take chances, especially now that we’re finally on our way home.”
“Perhaps, but we’re already jumping fifteen light years at a time. That’s a fifty percent increase in range. As we are now, we could be home in just over two weeks without the additional risk.”
“It’s not just about the time it takes to get home, Cam. It’s much more than that.”
“Like making sure the benefits of the alliance are enough to keep you out of prison?”
“Funny, Cam. Very funny. Think of it… jumping twenty or more light years at a time
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