[Strategia_In_Ultima]

-----CHAPTER TWO: THE FIRST REVELATION-----

As the Vulture set a course for the next warp point, the second in the line of seven warpjumps that had to be made to reach Tangey, the TO said he’d picked up an incoming transmission. A directed transmission.

“Commander we’re receiving a call from “C-Alpha 5 Devonshire” directed specifically at us. Fleet Governor Cho on the line, he wants to speak with you.”
“Business or personal?”
She spotted the helmsman and the nav officer exchanging a look, but decided to ignore it. These were fresh rookies, who probably were all under 20 years of age.
“Business, ma’am. He says he needs to alert you.”
“Very well put him on screen then, it’s impolite to keep a ranking officer on the line for so long!”

The image of the twin suns of Devonshire, small specks of bright light at this distance, the planets invisible, flickered for a moment, then the face of Fleet Governor Yuang Cho appeared onscreen. The senior commanding officer in the Devonshire system, over sixty years of age, with a lifetime of combat action behind him, looked stern and impersonal. Tamarillho flashed on the thought that she heard a rumor that even on his wedding day, Cho looked like a statue or a robot, distant and emotionless. Oh well. He’s earned the right to have that look on his face 36/10. He’s the guy who singlehandedly saved the lives of sixteen million colonists when his ship was crippled. He’s lucky he survived the ramming maneuver.

“Commander Tamarillho, your new…. command,” the slight sarcasm with which Cho said the last word didn’t escape anyone on the bridge, “is going well, I assume? I must say, I had expected to be forced to deploy a recovery unit to get you back to a repair station after you completed your warpjump.”
“Well sir, looks like you were wrong. We’re still in one piece. You don’t even have to refill our supply of lifeboats yet.”
The corners of the FG’s mouth seemed to curl up very slightly, but it could also be a random muscle twitch.
“Now that the….. formalities are behind us, I have news for you.”
“Let me guess….. no new Exeter-class freighter waiting for me?”
“No, sorry to disappoint you. But, I do have something else waiting for you.”
Tamarillho clasped the arms of her seat. It couldn’t be? They were actually giving her command of a warship?
“No, no, Commander. I can see what you’re thinking. No. I’m sorry. But we ARE giving you other….. toys.”
“Like what, Sir?”
“A single squadron of five Wasp-class interceptors, and a heavy combat scout to escort you.”
“Why?”
“We’ve picked up evidence of unknown ship movements around Tangey, possibly enemy. We don’t want to lose you.”

This was the first moment Elsee Tamarillho realized she wasn’t just on a salvage mission, and she had been placed on the Vulture because of her previous commands, not despite them.

“I’m touched by your concern.”
“Not my concern, Central Command’s concern. Not that I don’t care about a promising young Commander, of course.”

Central Command? The central body of Grand Admirals which controlled any and all combat action and war fleet deployment? Now she knew for certain this wasn’t a simple fly-in, salvage, fly-out mission. Now she knew she was in trouble. Potentially BIG trouble.

“You are to proceed to New Carina at one point five max first grade speed.”
“Sir, besides the fact that civilian authorities are going to give me – and you – hell about this, I doubt this thing is even capable of reaching full first-grade max speed, let alone one point five.”
“I believe your helmsman might know the answer.”

Puzzled, Tamarillho looked at Ensign Durryn. He looked as baffled as herself. An 18-year-old Academy reject? What could he possibly do? OK, some of her previous engineers and helmsmen were able to work wonders – she still vividly remembered the day she outmaneuvered a Pirate Faar-Chi-class Hunter with a fully loaded London-class heavy freighter – but this young, inexperienced man – no, boy? He even had some pimples left.

A look of slow realization crept across the young man’s face.

“Ohhh….. Of course….. Setting course for New Carina, one point five max first grade.”

Fleet Governor Cho closed the comms channel. Tamarillho went over to the helm console. She was utterly at a loss for words.

The console in front of her wasn’t a standard-issue Star Hauler-class helm console like she had expected. It looked a little like the helm consoles she had seen on pictures of the bridge of the latest model of Soyuz-class destroyer.

In fact, it looked exactly like a Sojuz-class helm console.

-----END OF CHAPTER TWO-----

Well?