by Ward Wagher
“She's been visiting the families of the dead. Whatever else you can say about her, she is pitching in.”
“Given the circumstances,” Wilson said, “you can probably make decisions as well as anybody. Whether or not the Prime Minister is still alive, the ducal government is effectively decapitated. I suggest Franklin and I stay around to greet the captain of that destroyer with you.”
“I would appreciate that. I know it’s nobody’s fault, but I get this sense of being hung out to dry.”
Franklin laughed. “Fenton, we all have that feeling. Welcome to the club.”
“Talk about burning up on re-entry,” he replied.
# # #
Franklin Nyman, Fenton Aldersgate, and Joe Wilson stood on the ramp along with Martin Boodles at the Cambridge starport as an elderly combat shuttle rumbled in for a landing.
"There is my new combat shuttle," Boodles said.
"If I thought you would accept it in lieu of payment for your old shuttle I would give it to you," Franklin said. "This one here looks to have been around the block a few times."
After the turbines spooled down, the passenger hatch opened with a raspy whine of electric motors and a creak of ancient hinges. A large black man in a Navy lieutenant-commander's uniform eased his way down the stairs, followed by a couple of hard-bitten petty officers.
"I'm underwhelmed," Franklin said.
"I think he looks rather professional, myself," Boodles said.
"No, I meant the shuttle. That officer does look sharp."
The officer marched across the tarmac to where the three men waited. Franklin stuck out his hand.
"Commander, I am Franklin Nyman, the Margrave of Montora.” After shaking his hand Franklin turned to the other two. "And this is Major Martin Boodles of the Baltic Regiment, and Fenton Aldersgate, the mayor of Cambridge."
"How do you do," he said. "I am Lieutenant-Commander Lucius Hyde of the League Navy. This is Chief Pilar and Master Chief Vance. I was led to believe I would be met by Prime Minister Foxworth."
"A bit of a problem" Franklin said. "The prime minister and his wife were kidnapped yesterday during a pirate raid."
Hyde raised an eyebrow. "That does present a problem. The legal representative of Hepplewhite is required to sign for delivery of the destroyer."
"Do your orders explicitly require Prime Minister Foxworth's signature, or just the legal representative of the government on Hepplewhite?" Franklin said.
Hyde thought for a moment. "I guess you could say my orders are actually ambiguous on that point. Nobody thought about Prime Minister Foxworth not being available."
"I wondered if that might be the case," Boodles said. "The raid was a little unexpected."
"I have a conference room reserved at the Cambridge Arms Hotel," Franklin said. "I would like to invite you and your men to accompany us there. Hopefully we can discuss the situation and come to some kind of a mutually acceptable solution."
"I would like my pilot and chief engineer to remain on board to guard the shuttle."
"That is fully acceptable," Franklin said. "I have arranged for the starport FBO to service the bird if that's okay with you."
"Oh, that would be very good," Hyde said. "We are running a bit low on bunkerage."
"The shuttle, or the Canopus?" Boodles said.
"Both, actually." Hyde gave a wry grin. "The Navy was asked to turn a destroyer over to Hepplewhite. That is just about all you have received, gentlemen."
Lunch consisted of sandwiches which Louie's Chef had thrown together on short notice. Louie also joined the group after lunch was finished. He was sensitive to human appetites which were often blunted by his characteristic odor.
Commander Hyde began to brief them on the condition of the destroyer. As he spoke, Signe slipped into the room and quietly dropped into a chair near the doorway.
"What you are receiving, gentlemen, is a Navigator class DD. It is approximately 25 years old and was scheduled for disposal in the next five years or so."
"In other words, it's getting close to end-of-life," Wilson said.
Hyde shrugged. "With proper maintenance, the hardware is probably good for another twenty years. The control systems and weapons systems are obsolescent, particularly when compared to what the Centaurans are fielding these days. They are fully adequate against anything you might run into out here, though."
“The pirate that was here yesterday was cruiser-sized,” Boodles said.
Hyde's eyebrows raised. “I would be very surprised if it had cruiser capabilities. I wonder if he was merely running a merchant conversion.”
“We can hope,” Boodles replied.
"So the ship is armed, then?" Franklin said.
"In a sense. The Navy was directed not to pull out the weapon systems, which is unusual. However there are no warshots aboard.”
"What kind of shape is the ship in overall?" Franklin said.
"Not bad. Canopus went through a major refit two years ago. It’s current with anything else in the Navy. I looked over the maintenance logs on our way out here, and I think it's in pretty good shape."
"Let's talk about the crew, Commander" Franklin said.
"A full complement for a boat of the Canopus’ class is one hundred twenty-five. The current crew numbers seventy. About 50 of those are planning to stay. Most of them brought dependents."
"You are staying aren't you, Commander?" Franklin said.
"No, Margrave. I was asked to command the ship for the ferry voyage here. I plan to return on the first ship heading back towards Earth."
Franklin and Joe Wilson looked at each other. Wilson shook his head.
"Just how are we going to man this ship?" Wilson said.
Hyde looked uncomfortable. "I don't know what to tell you, sir. My orders were to deliver the ship along with anyone who wanted to stay out here. I understand the predicament you are in, but there's nothing I can do about it personally."
Wilson looked at Franklin. "So what do we do now?"
Franklin threw his arms up in the air and got out of his chair. He began pacing around the room. "I am not a miracle worker here; none of us are. As I see it we have two choices: we can put a skeleton crew aboard, and have it sit in orbit. The odds would be good that any other pirates would not want to mess with us."
Wilson rocked his head back and forth and thought. "That's actually not a bad idea. What's the second choice?"
"We put a scratch crew aboard and go to Harcourt to buy arms. Then we go pirate hunting."
"Sounds insane to me," Aldersgate said. "I'll vote for it."
“I'm coming along,” Signe said suddenly.
Wilson snorted. "Does anyone here have even the slightest idea of what they are talking about?"
"I do," Hyde said. "The idea is not as insane as it sounds at first. With just a little bit of training for the crew, Canopus should be able to handle almost any pirate she runs across, or run from anything she can't handle."
"Means you will command her, Commander?" Louie asked.
Hyde looked curiously at the vocoder attached to the belt around the Woogie, as he deciphered what Louie said. He shook his head in slight confusion. "Oh, no. I thought I had made my position clear."
"I would love to hire you," Franklin said.
"I am afraid that is out of the question. My allegiance is to the League Navy. As I said, I understand your predicament, but I have commitments of my own."
“Franklin can command the ship,” Signe said.
Franklin looked over at Signe, then turned back to Hyde. "Okay, I understand, Commander. If your situation changes, please come see us," Franklin said. "I trust, as long as you're here, you will give us whatever information and advice on the running of the Canopus as you're able."
"Of course, gentlemen. As I said, other than ammunition, the ship is ready to go."
chapter ten
"Oh, no!" Daphne cried. "Are you crazy? You are absolutely unqualified to be the skipper of the destroyer!"
"That's a bit strong isn't it, Daphne?" Franklin responded. "I was an assistant Tac Officer on a DD before my most recent assignment. I know I haven't been to C&GSC yet.” He was talking about Command & General Staff College. “But, look around you. Do you see anybody else more qualified?"
The look on her face indicated she had a very good idea who might be more qualified.
"No, Daphne. I have other plans for you. Besides, you're not a line officer."
"Franklin, it is just the height of arrogance for you to automatically assume you can take command of the destroyer. In addition to your qualifications, which are slim, you have your hands full with the margraviate. And what do you mean by other plans?"
"I am entirely in agreement with you about having my hands full here."
Daphne folded her arms and nodded in agreement as she leaned back in the chair.
"But let's be honest here, can you identify anybody else on this dirt ball who is even remotely qualified to command the destroyer? And that does not include you, and you know it. Besides, it's only temporary."
She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.
"We made a decision today to go after the pirates and try to rescue the Foxworths. I don't have time to train a skipper as well as the crew. The margraviate will have to just limp along in my absence. With any luck at all we'll be out and back within a couple of months."
"Leaving me to clean up the mess you left at the castle," she said.
“Daphne!” Franklin barked. “You want to tell me how you would have handled it so much better? You seem to be the know-it-all!”
She stared defiantly at him for a few moments before the fire went out of her eyes. She shook her head. "I know it's not your fault. I'm just frustrated somebody can waltz in here, kill a bunch of people, grab half our cash and split. All I want to do is to get close enough to their captain to get my hands around his neck."
"You might have that opportunity," he murmured.
"What are you talking about?"
"You weren't paying attention to me, Daphne. I told you I had other plans for you."
"You'd better speak up, Mister, because I am close enough to get my hands around your neck!"
Franklin chuckled. "A good executive officer on a destroyer needs to keep a better handle on her temper, Ms. Locke. I would suggest you keep that in mind in the future."
Daphne's mouth sagged open. Then she pulled it closed. She opened and closed it a couple of times as she tried to speak.
"I don't see you speechless very often, Daff, and it is gratifying."
"So you honestly want me to be your Exec? Are you insane? We don't get along here in Montora. What makes you think it will be all sweetness and light aboard Canopus?"
Franklin leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desktop. "You are Navy. You know what the expectations are. You are functioning as my exec in Montora Village. You can do the same job aboard ship. You're just going to have to learn how to bite your tongue. I know it will be tough, but there's a job to be done. You and I just got elected to do it."
"One vote, huh?"
"Hardly?" He snorted. "Foxworth is gone. Wilson and Aldersgate keep looking at me and saying what are we going to do? So, I've been making some decisions."
"Carlo Roma will extrude a brick when he hears about this, and I don't even want to think about your father's reaction."
"Neither are here right now, so back to the topic at hand," he said. "You told me I can't run the margraviate and command the destroyer both, and you are right. That is why I need a good exec. My job is to figure out how to track down the pirates and recover the Foxworths. Your job is to find a crew and build a functioning ship’s company.”
“You are crazy!”
“Can you do the job, or should I find someone else?”
Daphne stood up and unleashed a profanity laced diatribe at Franklin; then left the room.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Franklin said. He turned his attention to the reports scattered across the desktop screen of his computer.
# # #
“One of the advantages of a small colony is that everyone pretty much knows everybody,” Franklin said, looking at Signe. “Daphne may not know everyone, but for sure, everyone knows her. It makes recruitment much easier.”
Franklin had his elbows on the table and his fork dangling over the plate. After several days of non-stop planning, he had decided an evening away wouldn't hurt. Grosvenor's Kitchen in Cambridge set a good table, and he was not apt to have residents of Montora walking up to him during his evening off.
“I'm surprised she had enough volunteers to be able to pick and choose like that,” Signe said. “Is that Daphne's reputation or yours?”
“Mostly hers, I think. I wonder if a lot of the crew signed up just to see if she is as much of a fire eater as the rumors say.”
“She somehow manages to be everywhere at once. I've had her looking over my shoulder on several occasions.”
“I can imagine that was annoying.”
“No, not really. I mean, she knows more about logistics and managing a ship's stores than I'll probably ever learn,” Signe said. “I think I'm in the groove now and I don't see her much. I like to think I'm doing a good job.”
“If you're not seeing much of Daphne, then I'd say you are doing a good job. She can be merciless if she thinks you don't know what you're doing.”
Signe smiled. “Based on some comments I've heard from her, that's what she thinks about you.”
“She's right.”
Signe now had her hands folded together over her plate. “I don't know, Franklin. You seem to hang around people who don't suffer fools gladly. Daddy thinks very highly of you. So does Louie.”
Franklin blushed slightly. “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I feel like I'm careening from one disaster to the next. If we break orbit within our lifetimes, it will be solely due to Daphne's hard work. When she gets into this mode, I've learned to just stay out of her way.”
“And if you haven't been that busy, where have you been over the past several days?”
“I didn't say I wasn't extremely busy, I just said I didn't know what I was doing. I'm looking forward to getting into space, just so I can get a night's sleep. And I haven't heard much from you either, my lady.”
Now Signe blushed. “You try scrabbling around a backwater planet like this one to provision a starship. I thought I'd pick your brain for ideas.”
Franklin started to speak and then paused. After a moment he frowned. “Sorry. That's ship's business. You probably ought to ask the Exec. If she came to the conclusion you were going around her to me, she'd have my head – and yours too, by the way. Have your read the O-1 manual?”
“What's that one – Basic Qualifications of Officers?”
“Right. Reading that one is more important than sleep, Signe.”
“Okay, Sir, I'll see if I can get to it.”
Franklin was quiet for a few moments. “Signe, in the book you will learn that the proper response is Aye, aye, Sir.”
Signe cocked her head an gazed at him. “I thought this was just a private dinner for the two of us.”
Franklin grinned. “It was, my lady, until you brought up ship's business.”
She continued to gaze at him. Then she straightened up in her chair. “Aye, aye, Sir. Now, may we get off the clock and go back to being Franklin and Signe?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
# # #
Franklin Nyman leaned back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair. He heaved a great sigh and rubbed his face with his hands, then leaned forward to look at his desktop again. "The work's not going to get done if I fall asleep at my desk," he said.
Gerard Blakely stuck his head in the door. "You say something, sir?"
"Just talking to myself, Gerry.
It's been a long day."
"Why don't you take yourself off to bed then, sir? The work will still be here tomorrow."
Nyman grimaced. "Unfortunately the ship will still be here too. I had hoped to be gone in a week and it's been three. Now is not the time to slack off."
"Margrave, you have been working 18 and 20 hour days for the past three weeks. I've noticed, pardon me for saying this, but I have noticed the quality of your decisions is falling off, sir."
"Yeah, you've seen that too?" Franklin was shaking his head. "I really did not want to admit that to myself, let alone anyone else, but you are right."
He stood up behind the desk. "If anybody needs to talk to me, tell them to see me tomorrow. I am going to commune in the arms of Morpheus."
Guard Captain Alex Nesmith stepped through the door as Franklin walked around the desk. "A moment of your time, sir?"
"Not if it can wait until tomorrow. I just made my last decision for today, and that was to go to bed."
"It's Lieutenant Locke, sir," he said.
"What about the lieutenant?"
"Sir, she has gone past the edge of exhaustion, but refuses to rest. She promised to let me take her to dinner tonight, and then decided at the last minute she had too much to do."
Franklin looked over at Blakely, who was grinning at him. "Shut up, Gerry."
He pulled his comm unit out of his pocket and punched a button. "Lieutenant Locke. I have a task for you to take care of for me tonight."
Franklin winced and pulled the comm away from his ear as a torrent of abuse screeched from the speaker. "You were right, Alex."
He spoke into the comm unit again. "Let me place this into the form of a direct order, Lieutenant. Guard Captain Nesmith is coming to take you to dinner. You will go with him, and you will have a good time. Furthermore, following your dinner tonight you will go home, go to bed, and sleep for 10 hours."
He held the comm away as another squawk issued from the speaker. "Daphne! Listen to yourself. You are doing neither me nor anyone else any good in this state. Go to dinner. Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."
