Battlecruiser Alamo: The Price of Admiralty by Richard Tongue Page A
Authors: Richard Tongue
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report, sir. Training has proceeded along the lines you directed, and though I consider we still have some weak spots, all key personnel are operating at required levels of competence."
"What's this I heard about a revised shift rotation?"
The operations officer looked at the executive officer, "I was instructed by the acting commander," it might have been Marshall's imagination, but there seemed a slight stress on the word 'acting', "to prepare a plan along the lines I suggested at our last meeting, with the staff separated according to their former services."
She nodded, "It would be the best way of improving crew efficiency. I have ordered that it will be implemented as of the next watch."
"My gunnery crews won't be, Lieutenant, I'll tell you that now. I've only just got them meshed, and we'd be missing some key people," Caine said.
"You are flirting dangerously close to insubordination, Ms. Caine."
"Really?" Caine said sweetly, then turned to face Marshall, "Am I being insubordinate, Captain?"
Before Zakharova could escalate the argument, Marshall slammed his hand on the desk, instantly regretting it as a bolt of pain stabbed up his shoulder. "That's enough, both of you." He turned to face Dietz, "I hope you haven't wasted too much time on that outline, Lieutenant, because I'm not implementing it . Inform the shift heads accordingly."
"Wait a minute," Zakharova began.
"Aye, sir," Dietz replied. A look passed between him and the executive officer that Marshall had trouble reading; he raised his hand to warn Caine not to gloat.
"Sir," Esposito said, breaking into the silence. "Before you arrived, Senior Lieutenant Zakharova placed me on report for coming to the meeting without her approval."
"I ordered her to be here, Lieutenant," Marshall said, looking at his furious Exec again. "And in future she will be attending all staff meetings. Our Espatier force is critical to ship operations."
"Patrol doctrine was to keep such meetings small, to senior officers only," Dietz said, his voice still calm and flat.
"I prefer to receive input from the widest possible range of sources before making my decisions, Lieutenant."
He nodded, "I will alter the invitation software accordingly. Are the Doctor and Sub-Lieutenant Tyler to be invited as well?"
"As if I'd have time for this nonsense. Some of us have work to do, Dietz," Duquesne said, hunching forward on the table.
"Mr. Tyler will attend all such meetings in his role as department head. I will yield to the Doctor's desires in this regard."
"I will see that it is done, Captain."
Marshall looked around the table, trying to read the room. Most of the officers seemed relieved that he was back in command; his doubts focused on the Patrol contingent. Zakharova looked as if she was contemplating mutiny, and as usual, Dietz was almost impossible to read. Quinn had returned to his technical journals, and Mulenga seemed relieved for another reason; as if a weight had been taken from his shoulders.
"I can catch up on the last week in individual meetings later on. And we will get to those one-on-ones at the same time, I haven't forgotten. Mr. Quinn, vessel status?"
The young engineer looked up from his datapads. "All fine, sir."
Caught slightly by surprise at the brevity of the report, Marshall asked, "That's it?"
"FTL drive working fine, reactors at full capability, weapons ready to go, sensors operating normally. Everything's fine."
Rolling his eyes, Marshall turned to his Exec. "What about the battle stations drills?"
"Poor, sir. Principally because of the difficulty faced by the Martian and Titanian crewmen in adapting to Patrol protocols."
Not again. "Lieutenant, I will remind you for I hope the final time that we are not in the Patrol. I consider that answer unacceptable." A voice in his head was telling him to give up, to pass the job to someone else. "You have four hours to provide a better solution within the restrictions I have established."
"I will assist,
"What's this I heard about a revised shift rotation?"
The operations officer looked at the executive officer, "I was instructed by the acting commander," it might have been Marshall's imagination, but there seemed a slight stress on the word 'acting', "to prepare a plan along the lines I suggested at our last meeting, with the staff separated according to their former services."
She nodded, "It would be the best way of improving crew efficiency. I have ordered that it will be implemented as of the next watch."
"My gunnery crews won't be, Lieutenant, I'll tell you that now. I've only just got them meshed, and we'd be missing some key people," Caine said.
"You are flirting dangerously close to insubordination, Ms. Caine."
"Really?" Caine said sweetly, then turned to face Marshall, "Am I being insubordinate, Captain?"
Before Zakharova could escalate the argument, Marshall slammed his hand on the desk, instantly regretting it as a bolt of pain stabbed up his shoulder. "That's enough, both of you." He turned to face Dietz, "I hope you haven't wasted too much time on that outline, Lieutenant, because I'm not implementing it . Inform the shift heads accordingly."
"Wait a minute," Zakharova began.
"Aye, sir," Dietz replied. A look passed between him and the executive officer that Marshall had trouble reading; he raised his hand to warn Caine not to gloat.
"Sir," Esposito said, breaking into the silence. "Before you arrived, Senior Lieutenant Zakharova placed me on report for coming to the meeting without her approval."
"I ordered her to be here, Lieutenant," Marshall said, looking at his furious Exec again. "And in future she will be attending all staff meetings. Our Espatier force is critical to ship operations."
"Patrol doctrine was to keep such meetings small, to senior officers only," Dietz said, his voice still calm and flat.
"I prefer to receive input from the widest possible range of sources before making my decisions, Lieutenant."
He nodded, "I will alter the invitation software accordingly. Are the Doctor and Sub-Lieutenant Tyler to be invited as well?"
"As if I'd have time for this nonsense. Some of us have work to do, Dietz," Duquesne said, hunching forward on the table.
"Mr. Tyler will attend all such meetings in his role as department head. I will yield to the Doctor's desires in this regard."
"I will see that it is done, Captain."
Marshall looked around the table, trying to read the room. Most of the officers seemed relieved that he was back in command; his doubts focused on the Patrol contingent. Zakharova looked as if she was contemplating mutiny, and as usual, Dietz was almost impossible to read. Quinn had returned to his technical journals, and Mulenga seemed relieved for another reason; as if a weight had been taken from his shoulders.
"I can catch up on the last week in individual meetings later on. And we will get to those one-on-ones at the same time, I haven't forgotten. Mr. Quinn, vessel status?"
The young engineer looked up from his datapads. "All fine, sir."
Caught slightly by surprise at the brevity of the report, Marshall asked, "That's it?"
"FTL drive working fine, reactors at full capability, weapons ready to go, sensors operating normally. Everything's fine."
Rolling his eyes, Marshall turned to his Exec. "What about the battle stations drills?"
"Poor, sir. Principally because of the difficulty faced by the Martian and Titanian crewmen in adapting to Patrol protocols."
Not again. "Lieutenant, I will remind you for I hope the final time that we are not in the Patrol. I consider that answer unacceptable." A voice in his head was telling him to give up, to pass the job to someone else. "You have four hours to provide a better solution within the restrictions I have established."
"I will assist,
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