Starhunt: A Star Wolf Novel by David Gerrold Page B

you that we’ll decommission her again as soon as we can.
    Now, who have you got to crew her?
    Stephen
    MEMO
    FROM: Vice Admiral Harshlie
    TO:        Base Admiral Farrel
    Stephen,
    Attached is a list of available captains and first officers. Pretty skimpy, isn’t it?
    Of the three captains, Weberly is holding out for a battle command. And I agree. I want him to take the new Roosevelt when it’s commissioned next month. Also available is Yu. He’s a good man, but he’s really not a space-going captain. He’s a—well, he’s a paperwork man. He’s at his best where he is right now, on Base K-7.
    I think our best bet is to promote one of these first officers to captaincy, let him get his legs on an easy run. How about Korie, Perren, Freeman, Yang, or Colen?
    Joe
    MEMO
    FROM: Base Admiral Farrel
    TO:        Vice Admiral Harshlie
    Joe,
    How about Brandt? You skipped him. He’s an available captain.
    Stephen
    MEMO
    FROM: Vice Admiral Harshlie
    TO:        Base Admiral Farrel
    Stephen,
    I wouldn’t put Georj Brandt in command of a floating outhouse.
    Joe
    MEMO
    FROM: Base Admiral Farrel
    TO:        Vice Admiral Harshlie
    Joe,
    Yes, but how about the Burlingame ?
    Stephen
    MEMO
    FROM: Vice Admiral Harshlie
    TO:        Base Admiral Farrel
    Stephen,
    That’s what I was talking about.
    Joe
    MEMO
    FROM: Base Admiral Farrel
    TO:        Vice Admiral Harshlie
    Joe,
    I repeat: yes, but how about the Burlingame ?
    What I’m getting at is that Brandt is starting to be an embarrassment to us. We’ve got to get him out of the way somewhere. He can’t stay at Threebase much longer. It’s starting to be a source of gossip.
    Put him on the Burlingame . He won’t be any trouble there. Trust me.
    Stephen
    MEMO
    FROM: Vice Admiral Harshlie
    TO:        Base Admiral Farrel
    Stephens
    Okay, but I’d prefer to put one of these first officers in there instead.
    Joe
    MEMO
    FROM: Base Admiral Farrel
    TO:        Vice Admiral Harshlie
    Joe,
    Sorry, but I’m saving those men for better things. They’re trained for battle and that’s where I want to use them.
    On second thought, though, you could assign one of them to the Burlingame as a first officer—kind of a backstop for Brandt. (That way, we’ll be sure there’s at least one man on the ship qualified to command her.)
    See what the psych boys have to say. They’ll know which one will work out best.
    Stephen
    MEMO
    FROM: Vice Admiral Harshlie
    TO:        Base Admiral Farrel
    Stephen,
    Attached is the report from the psych section on the command of the Burlingame . Best choice for first officer would be Colen—but he’s already tapped to go out with Weberly on the Roosevelt . Freeman’s death and Yang’s transfer leaves only Korie and Perren. Psych recommends Korie. Attached is his file.
    Joe
    MEMO
    FROM: Base Admiral Farrel
    TO:        Vice Admiral Harshlie
    Joe,
    I approve of Korie. He has an interesting file; he shows promise of becoming a good battle commander when he grows up. Let’s keep our eye on him.
    At the very worst, we won’t need the Burlingame for more than six or eight months. When and if we finally do get around to decommissioning her, please check Korie’s record again. I’ll want to see how he did.
    After serving under Brandt, he’ll have earned a ship of his own.
    Stephen

NINE
    An army travels on its stomach.
    —NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
    The galley smells of coffee and ketchup. It is a bright room, but a small one. Divided by narrow tables and benches, it can serve a maximum of only twelve men at a time. Garish-colored condiment containers dot the tables. Three crewmen are brooding over their plates in a corner. In the opposite corner, with only a cup of coffee, is Korie.
    As always, his appearance is impeccable. His light-colored hair has been parted with a ruler, his cheeks are plastic-clean, pink and shiny, no trace of razor stubble; his eyes are steely cold. He sips at his coffee thoughtfully. He