Read Online The Firestorm Conspiracy by Cheryl Angst - Free Book Online
Authors: Cheryl Angst
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blond hair light enough to be white. The man smiled and held out a hand. “Professor Thompson? I’m Captain William Forbes. Welcome aboard the Firestorm .”
John’s eyes widened. How could someone so young be in command of one of the premier ships in the fleet? Were they pulling toddlers from their mothers’ arms and thrusting them into uniform? John took Forbes’ hand and forced a weak smile in return.
John clutched his bag tighter as he realized there was more to his welcome than he expected. Another man was standing next to the captain, arm outstretched, ready to grasp his.
“This is Commander Maxwell Cheng, the Firestorm’s executive officer,” said Forbes.
“How do you do?” asked Cheng.
Another baby.
He extracted his hand from the man’s vice-like grip. John was about to reply when a soft cough caught his attention.
Forbes smiled as a petite female officer approached the tiny group. “And this is Lt. Rebeccah Santiago, my diplomatic officer.”
* * * *
Rebeccah stared up at the man in front of her. His firm handshake caught her off guard, a stark contrast to his shuffling, nervous entry into the ship, his stunned silence, and the absolute terror in his eyes. She found it hard to believe the UESF would send them an expert on avian anthropology afraid of space travel.
She smiled warmly, trying to put him at ease.
Letting go of her hand, he clutched his travel bag tightly to his chest, his long fingers clenching and unclenching around the straps. She decided to break the awkward silence. “Welcome, Professor. We’re honored to have you aboard.”
He pulled his gaze away from his intense study of the decking and made eye contact with her again.
“Um, yes. Thank you.”
The muscles in his jaw bulged as he clenched his mouth closed.
Her heart ached in sympathy--he looked ill.
“Would you care for a tour of the ship?” asked Forbes.
“No,” Professor Thompson quickly replied. “No, thank you. I’d like to go straight to my cabin.”
“Uh, okay,” said Forbes. “If you change your mind, I’m sure Lt. Santiago here would be willing to organize something for you.”
Cheng sniggered, making her blush under the professor’s scrutiny. Rebeccah cast a quick glare at the XO, then said, “Of course. I’ll be happy to help you with anything you need during the mission.” Cheng was still snickering and she forced herself to retain her professional demeanor despite an overwhelming urge to drive her elbow into his ribs.
Thompson nodded and turned his attention to the captain, who, unlike Cheng, at least tried to make polite conversation with their guest. As soon as they reached a junction in the corridor, Cheng spoke up. “Sir, we should be heading back to the bridge.”
“Commander?”
“We have a lot to do prior to getting underway.” He gave the professor a patronizing pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Professor. We’ll take care of everything. You just relax and enjoy the voyage.”
“Commander...” Forbes seemed unsure about Cheng’s blatant lie.
“We’ll be fine,” Rebeccah said. “I can escort Professor Thompson to his cabin.”
Cheng gave Forbes a knowing look, then turned once again to Thompson. “I’m sure you can imagine the amount of work involved in preparing a vessel like this for the jump to trans-light space.”
Rebeccah stifled a gasp. She swore she caught a flicker of disdain cross the professor’s features when Cheng spoke. She shook her head. Professor Thompson couldn’t possibly understand how absurd Cheng’s excuse was.
“I guess the commander and I should be heading back to the bridge,” Forbes said. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to chat during the voyage.”
“Yes, uh, yes,” replied the professor.
“I would be honored if you would dine at my table tonight,” said Forbes as he gestured for Cheng to hold still a moment longer.
Thompson didn’t answer, apparently absorbed in his study of the pattern on the deck.
John’s eyes widened. How could someone so young be in command of one of the premier ships in the fleet? Were they pulling toddlers from their mothers’ arms and thrusting them into uniform? John took Forbes’ hand and forced a weak smile in return.
John clutched his bag tighter as he realized there was more to his welcome than he expected. Another man was standing next to the captain, arm outstretched, ready to grasp his.
“This is Commander Maxwell Cheng, the Firestorm’s executive officer,” said Forbes.
“How do you do?” asked Cheng.
Another baby.
He extracted his hand from the man’s vice-like grip. John was about to reply when a soft cough caught his attention.
Forbes smiled as a petite female officer approached the tiny group. “And this is Lt. Rebeccah Santiago, my diplomatic officer.”
* * * *
Rebeccah stared up at the man in front of her. His firm handshake caught her off guard, a stark contrast to his shuffling, nervous entry into the ship, his stunned silence, and the absolute terror in his eyes. She found it hard to believe the UESF would send them an expert on avian anthropology afraid of space travel.
She smiled warmly, trying to put him at ease.
Letting go of her hand, he clutched his travel bag tightly to his chest, his long fingers clenching and unclenching around the straps. She decided to break the awkward silence. “Welcome, Professor. We’re honored to have you aboard.”
He pulled his gaze away from his intense study of the decking and made eye contact with her again.
“Um, yes. Thank you.”
The muscles in his jaw bulged as he clenched his mouth closed.
Her heart ached in sympathy--he looked ill.
“Would you care for a tour of the ship?” asked Forbes.
“No,” Professor Thompson quickly replied. “No, thank you. I’d like to go straight to my cabin.”
“Uh, okay,” said Forbes. “If you change your mind, I’m sure Lt. Santiago here would be willing to organize something for you.”
Cheng sniggered, making her blush under the professor’s scrutiny. Rebeccah cast a quick glare at the XO, then said, “Of course. I’ll be happy to help you with anything you need during the mission.” Cheng was still snickering and she forced herself to retain her professional demeanor despite an overwhelming urge to drive her elbow into his ribs.
Thompson nodded and turned his attention to the captain, who, unlike Cheng, at least tried to make polite conversation with their guest. As soon as they reached a junction in the corridor, Cheng spoke up. “Sir, we should be heading back to the bridge.”
“Commander?”
“We have a lot to do prior to getting underway.” He gave the professor a patronizing pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Professor. We’ll take care of everything. You just relax and enjoy the voyage.”
“Commander...” Forbes seemed unsure about Cheng’s blatant lie.
“We’ll be fine,” Rebeccah said. “I can escort Professor Thompson to his cabin.”
Cheng gave Forbes a knowing look, then turned once again to Thompson. “I’m sure you can imagine the amount of work involved in preparing a vessel like this for the jump to trans-light space.”
Rebeccah stifled a gasp. She swore she caught a flicker of disdain cross the professor’s features when Cheng spoke. She shook her head. Professor Thompson couldn’t possibly understand how absurd Cheng’s excuse was.
“I guess the commander and I should be heading back to the bridge,” Forbes said. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to chat during the voyage.”
“Yes, uh, yes,” replied the professor.
“I would be honored if you would dine at my table tonight,” said Forbes as he gestured for Cheng to hold still a moment longer.
Thompson didn’t answer, apparently absorbed in his study of the pattern on the deck.
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