Read Online Vanguard (Ark Royal Book 7) by Christopher Nuttall - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christopher Nuttall
Tags: Science-Fiction, Space Opera, Military, Science Fiction & Fantasy, first contact, Space Marine
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sideways to an asteroid mining station until her enlistment expired.
And yet, she mused, doesn't that make me a coward?
She brought up Commander Bothell’s logs and skimmed the last few entries. It didn't take her long to decide that Commander Bothell had been detailing everything - his logs included references to bringing supplies onboard and a brief mention of a fight in the middy cabin - and yet, there were surprisingly few personalised details. Commander Bothell had no thoughts or feelings of his own, judging by his logs; there was nothing to say how he’d reacted to the problems facing the Royal Navy’s first battleship. He’d been nothing more than his captain’s right hand.
“Odd,” she said, out loud.
She’d read some XO logs back at the academy and most of them had included observations and cheerfully irreverent comments. The tutor had explained that the XOs sometimes needed to vent, secure in the knowledge that no one would read their logs and take note of the comments they made, sometimes, about their commanding officers. Their personalities had shone through their words. But Commander Bothell had no personality, as far as she could tell. He spent a dozen paragraphs covering the dispute over which starship should have first dibs on a shipment of spare parts, yet no time at all covering his personal feelings. She was honestly starting to wonder what he’d been trying to hide.
Unless he suspected someone would be reading his logs , she thought. There had been one XO log that had included grumbles about a captain who refused to move on, keeping the XO and everyone below him firmly in place. She doubted his commanding officer would have been particularly amused if he’d read it. Could the captain have been reading over his shoulder?
It wasn't a pleasant thought. Traditionally, personal logs were inviolate, unless there was an internal security investigation underway, but the captain could unlock any file on the ship, if he chose. Someone who wanted true privacy would need to bring their own laptop onto the ship, which was against at least four different regulations. If Commander Bothell had believed that Captain Blake was reading his logs ...
Definitely not a pleasant thought , Susan told herself. And I’d better be careful what I write myself .
She saved the message, knowing it would be transmitted to the archives on Nelson Base, then tapped out another message for Commodore Younghusband. He’d tell her what he wanted done with Commander Bothell’s possessions, if he didn't want to send an investigative team to Vanguard . She had a feeling he’d probably just want them all boxed up and shipped back to Earth, unless something had popped up to suggest it was more than an open-and-shut case of desertion.
Shaking her head, she rose and strode over to the king’s portrait, pulling it back to reveal the hidden safe. It hadn't been programmed to accept her fingerprints, she discovered; it rejected them the moment she pressed her fingertips against the scanner. She made another mental note to have the safe reprogrammed, then looked at the bookshelves. Commander Bothell, it seemed, had been fond of the science-fantasy books that had been common, before the Troubles. It suggested a whimsical nature that was at odds with his logbook entries. She opened one at random and smiled at the description of life on Mars. Two hundred years of exploration had turned up nothing to suggest that Mars had ever been inhabited, even by single-celled creatures. The only beings living on Mars were human settlers.
There was no answer from Younghusband, but she hadn't expected one. She checked her message file, just to make sure no one else was trying to contact her, then walked back into the sleeping compartment and set the alarm. Five hours of sleep was less than she needed, but she was used to getting by on very little sleep.
And yet, she mused, doesn't that make me a coward?
She brought up Commander Bothell’s logs and skimmed the last few entries. It didn't take her long to decide that Commander Bothell had been detailing everything - his logs included references to bringing supplies onboard and a brief mention of a fight in the middy cabin - and yet, there were surprisingly few personalised details. Commander Bothell had no thoughts or feelings of his own, judging by his logs; there was nothing to say how he’d reacted to the problems facing the Royal Navy’s first battleship. He’d been nothing more than his captain’s right hand.
“Odd,” she said, out loud.
She’d read some XO logs back at the academy and most of them had included observations and cheerfully irreverent comments. The tutor had explained that the XOs sometimes needed to vent, secure in the knowledge that no one would read their logs and take note of the comments they made, sometimes, about their commanding officers. Their personalities had shone through their words. But Commander Bothell had no personality, as far as she could tell. He spent a dozen paragraphs covering the dispute over which starship should have first dibs on a shipment of spare parts, yet no time at all covering his personal feelings. She was honestly starting to wonder what he’d been trying to hide.
Unless he suspected someone would be reading his logs , she thought. There had been one XO log that had included grumbles about a captain who refused to move on, keeping the XO and everyone below him firmly in place. She doubted his commanding officer would have been particularly amused if he’d read it. Could the captain have been reading over his shoulder?
It wasn't a pleasant thought. Traditionally, personal logs were inviolate, unless there was an internal security investigation underway, but the captain could unlock any file on the ship, if he chose. Someone who wanted true privacy would need to bring their own laptop onto the ship, which was against at least four different regulations. If Commander Bothell had believed that Captain Blake was reading his logs ...
Definitely not a pleasant thought , Susan told herself. And I’d better be careful what I write myself .
She saved the message, knowing it would be transmitted to the archives on Nelson Base, then tapped out another message for Commodore Younghusband. He’d tell her what he wanted done with Commander Bothell’s possessions, if he didn't want to send an investigative team to Vanguard . She had a feeling he’d probably just want them all boxed up and shipped back to Earth, unless something had popped up to suggest it was more than an open-and-shut case of desertion.
Shaking her head, she rose and strode over to the king’s portrait, pulling it back to reveal the hidden safe. It hadn't been programmed to accept her fingerprints, she discovered; it rejected them the moment she pressed her fingertips against the scanner. She made another mental note to have the safe reprogrammed, then looked at the bookshelves. Commander Bothell, it seemed, had been fond of the science-fantasy books that had been common, before the Troubles. It suggested a whimsical nature that was at odds with his logbook entries. She opened one at random and smiled at the description of life on Mars. Two hundred years of exploration had turned up nothing to suggest that Mars had ever been inhabited, even by single-celled creatures. The only beings living on Mars were human settlers.
There was no answer from Younghusband, but she hadn't expected one. She checked her message file, just to make sure no one else was trying to contact her, then walked back into the sleeping compartment and set the alarm. Five hours of sleep was less than she needed, but she was used to getting by on very little sleep.
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