saying.
“Right that's it then, we'll resume this on the shuttle. Now out, all of you.” the Vice Admiral said, “Except you El-Cap Pavel.”
The senior officers filed past Jonathan on their way out.
Jonathan saluted and began to say, “Lieutenant Captain Pavel reporting..”
“Yes..yes Lt. Captain no need for any of that nonsense, I know who you are and what you are doing here. It was me after all who sent the Provost out to find you. Besides we’ve met before haven’t we, after you nicely kept one of my ships from going up in flames.”
Jonathan nodded. Hopper, at the time a Rear Admiral before his appointment to command of the 5th Fleet, had been Jonathan's superior officer when the fire broke out on Valiant, and according to Admiral Keys it was Hopper who recommended Jonathan’s promotion to Lt. Captain and command of the Titan.
“Now,” The Admiral said practically glaring. “I have one question for you, are you stupid?”
Jonathan didn’t quite understand the question. “I am sorry sir..I..”
“Don’t understand? Let me put it another way are you dim, dumb, touched, foolish, or just a bit slow. It seems to me you are, because on the same night 500 Solarian spacers and Marines were laying down their lives on LP-115, you for some reason were putting in an appearance at Senator Halman’s First Planting party. It remains to be seen as to why you would want to provoke a man, who rumor has it was bitten by a hedge snapper at a garden party only to have the poor poisonous beast die in convolutions afterward. Perhaps you took complete leave of what remains of your greatly diminished senses? Or perhaps you are just a bit touched, and I was remiss in my recomendation for you to be promoted to command of a war ship.”
“Sir, I was invited by..”
“I don't care if the old bastard’s latest fluzzy welcomed you her own self you great git! What did you think was going to happen?”
“Sir I....”
“Oh shut it El-Cap, whatever you wanted it worked oh too well. Here we are on the cusp of war, and a certain good Senator has been on the coms all morning asking anyone, who would take his calls, why we aren't giving that bright young Pavel lad , one of our most accomplished Captains, a new posting worthy of his status.”
Hopper ground the fumigin cigar in his mouth as he spoke his frustration apparent.
“Twenty four hours is all you would have needed. After this shit kicked off, I would have had you in the 5th leading one of my wolf packs, but no. As it happens, Rear Admiral Ling, Deputy Director of Office of Personnel Assignments and Command, and a bureaucrat in uniform if there ever was one, has put you forward for command of the Sound of Fury.”
Jonathan blinked searching his mind, “I am sorry sir, I don't recognize the name of the ship. Is she a new build?”
Hopper glared, “Oh no El-Cap, quite the opposite. In fact, Fury is almost thirty years old. She’s a Horatio class light cruiser that just finished being pulled out of mothballs last month. She's been slated to be under my command's jurisdiction, and I was going to send her with a detachment of destroyers to escort a convoy of valuable supplies. It would also include reinforcements for the garrison to Kratos Naval Station at the far end of the Free Worlds League. Once the convoy is delivered, the destroyers will return to Task Force 1 in the Sagus system, and participate in the main assault on the Colonial’s Northen Systems when the war becomes official. Fury, meanwhile, will replace the Andromeda, which is well overdue for a refit as the flag of the Kratos squadron, and sit out the war patrolling the League’s Northern Systems and playing peek-a-boo with the ETO and Commonwealth fleets.”
Hopper’s face had been turning a deeper and deeper shade of purple as he’d been seething.
Jonathan braced. The Admiral's famous temper looked ready to erupt.
“YOU HAD TO DARE THE OLD BASTARD DIDN'T YOU!!!” Hopper bellowed.
Hopper
“Right that's it then, we'll resume this on the shuttle. Now out, all of you.” the Vice Admiral said, “Except you El-Cap Pavel.”
The senior officers filed past Jonathan on their way out.
Jonathan saluted and began to say, “Lieutenant Captain Pavel reporting..”
“Yes..yes Lt. Captain no need for any of that nonsense, I know who you are and what you are doing here. It was me after all who sent the Provost out to find you. Besides we’ve met before haven’t we, after you nicely kept one of my ships from going up in flames.”
Jonathan nodded. Hopper, at the time a Rear Admiral before his appointment to command of the 5th Fleet, had been Jonathan's superior officer when the fire broke out on Valiant, and according to Admiral Keys it was Hopper who recommended Jonathan’s promotion to Lt. Captain and command of the Titan.
“Now,” The Admiral said practically glaring. “I have one question for you, are you stupid?”
Jonathan didn’t quite understand the question. “I am sorry sir..I..”
“Don’t understand? Let me put it another way are you dim, dumb, touched, foolish, or just a bit slow. It seems to me you are, because on the same night 500 Solarian spacers and Marines were laying down their lives on LP-115, you for some reason were putting in an appearance at Senator Halman’s First Planting party. It remains to be seen as to why you would want to provoke a man, who rumor has it was bitten by a hedge snapper at a garden party only to have the poor poisonous beast die in convolutions afterward. Perhaps you took complete leave of what remains of your greatly diminished senses? Or perhaps you are just a bit touched, and I was remiss in my recomendation for you to be promoted to command of a war ship.”
“Sir, I was invited by..”
“I don't care if the old bastard’s latest fluzzy welcomed you her own self you great git! What did you think was going to happen?”
“Sir I....”
“Oh shut it El-Cap, whatever you wanted it worked oh too well. Here we are on the cusp of war, and a certain good Senator has been on the coms all morning asking anyone, who would take his calls, why we aren't giving that bright young Pavel lad , one of our most accomplished Captains, a new posting worthy of his status.”
Hopper ground the fumigin cigar in his mouth as he spoke his frustration apparent.
“Twenty four hours is all you would have needed. After this shit kicked off, I would have had you in the 5th leading one of my wolf packs, but no. As it happens, Rear Admiral Ling, Deputy Director of Office of Personnel Assignments and Command, and a bureaucrat in uniform if there ever was one, has put you forward for command of the Sound of Fury.”
Jonathan blinked searching his mind, “I am sorry sir, I don't recognize the name of the ship. Is she a new build?”
Hopper glared, “Oh no El-Cap, quite the opposite. In fact, Fury is almost thirty years old. She’s a Horatio class light cruiser that just finished being pulled out of mothballs last month. She's been slated to be under my command's jurisdiction, and I was going to send her with a detachment of destroyers to escort a convoy of valuable supplies. It would also include reinforcements for the garrison to Kratos Naval Station at the far end of the Free Worlds League. Once the convoy is delivered, the destroyers will return to Task Force 1 in the Sagus system, and participate in the main assault on the Colonial’s Northen Systems when the war becomes official. Fury, meanwhile, will replace the Andromeda, which is well overdue for a refit as the flag of the Kratos squadron, and sit out the war patrolling the League’s Northern Systems and playing peek-a-boo with the ETO and Commonwealth fleets.”
Hopper’s face had been turning a deeper and deeper shade of purple as he’d been seething.
Jonathan braced. The Admiral's famous temper looked ready to erupt.
“YOU HAD TO DARE THE OLD BASTARD DIDN'T YOU!!!” Hopper bellowed.
Hopper
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