Those words struck Meg like she had been caught off guard. At any other time she would have responded with an ‘of course Sir’ but not for the first time of late they occasioned in her a moment of self-reflection that she rarely did. They shone a light into a dark corner and they revealed her selfishness in all its stark ugliness. She physically recoiled, jerking her head and shoulders back.
She looked into Dave’s eyes. They were scrutinising her. She was aware that he had just peeled away her armour. Previously this would have alarmed her but in this moment she actually welcomed it. She felt a wave of guilt come over her and this for the first time in her life she acknowledged as beneficial. ‘Yes I have been a selfish bastard’ she thought.
She then drew on one her great strengths, her determination. In that moment she determined to change. She also realised too that the reason for her change was important. Unlike earlier with Hec when she changed to accomplish a task this time she realised that she needed to change to make herself a better person.
She brought her head back to its normal upright position and said “of course Sir” only this time the words conveyed a level of sincerity not normally conveyed by the speaker.
Dave wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened but he knew something had within Meg. He hoped it was a good thing. If it had been Rihan, he would have probed to gain a better insight but with this relatively new subordinate he judged it best left for now.
But there was one matter he did want to raise with her. Yesterday Julian had asked for an officer to assist him. His work load had increased with the need to conclude the heads of agreement and now the prospect of negotiating for a technology exchange. He had specifically asked for Hec Shoebridge.
Dave had responded initially to Julian saying he doubted Hec would be interested in a political officer position but when he took the matter up with Hec, he was surprised when Hec agreed. Hec had muttered something about the need to contribute where he could but Dave knew there must be something else going on. He knew that here was not the best place to pursue this matter with Meg.
“There is another matter I need to talk to you about. Come and see me in my office in half an hour” directed Dave.
“Of course Sir.”
Chapter 2. Slidwon 0800, 23 September
Emilius Quazor was already dressed and seated at his dining table when Benchin advised him that Raitah had been murdered. Benchin had taken the precaution of stepping back from the table immediately after handing him the e-paper. It was as well, because in doing so he ensured he wasn’t in range of the plate which flew away from the table after Emilius had reacted in one of his rages. Benchin would be the first to admit that these were becoming all the more frequent of late.
“I want Sinceeta here within the hour” bellowed Emilius.
Benchin nodded without saying anything. He turned and headed back to his office from where he hailed Bergan Sinceeta, who had only been recently appointed Deputy Director of the FIA and who Benchin assumed would be getting another promotion forthwith. “Interesting times” mused Benchin.
Chapter 3. Cornucopia 0815, 23 September
Charles had his hand on Merry’s as they sipped their coffee. The plates with the remains of their breakfast lay on the table between them. “We dock tomorrow” said Charles.
“I know” said Merry. That event had loomed over her for a few days now. She was anxious about what would happen. She knew he loved her and she loved him but he had said nothing more on what his intentions were and she really needed to know. She was anxious because she didn’t know how to handle what needed to be said. She feared that if she cocked this up it would just end up another fling in transit. She wanted it to be more.
“I’ve worked out what needs to happen” he announced.
Merry looked up into his eyes, part eager, part trepidatious. “Yes” she said in a quiet voice.
“The first thing is we need to get married. Then I have to chase up someone, make them an offer they can’t refuse and then speak with mother. I think it will work just fine.”
Merry had her mouth open but no words were coming out. She was so pleased to hear that he wanted to marry her but she was shocked, no stunned by the way he had said things. She could see Charles waiting for her reaction. He looked like it was all routine. Something kicked in and her mind went up a gear. She let go of his hand. “Hold on a minute” she said. “Is that how you think you should propose to me, an agenda item to be ticked off the list?”
“Well no. I…didn’t mean it that way. You do want to get married, don’t you?”
She looked at him exasperated. “A proposal is supposed to be a big thing, a special thing. You are supposed to make a fuss about it. We’re supposed to remember it for the rest of our lives.”
Charles nodded. He leaned closer and took hold of her hand again. A smile came onto his face in anticipation of the line he was about to deliver. “Well I think we both won’t forget this.”
With her other hand she slapped him lightly on the cheek. “Not good enough!”
Charles dropped the grin from face. “Forget I mentioned about the marriage. I’ll do it properly after we arrive in Nova Vista. I promise.”
“No, I’m not going to forget and you’re not going to get out of it that easily. Yes, I will marry you and yes I expect to be wined and dined and I want a ring…a nice one.”
Charles was beaming at her. He leaned even closer and kissed her on the lips, silencing any further utterances from her. They took their time to end the kiss. “That wasn’t bad” she said.
Charles couldn’t stop grinning. He could not recall a time when he was happier. A single tear rolled down from his eye. She wiped it away with a gentle touch of her thumb, followed by a gentle pat of his cheek with her fingers. ‘He’s come so far’ she thought and a tear rolled down her cheek. Charles reciprocated the favour, wiping it away with his thumb. Their eyes remained locked and both fell into a beautiful state of contentment.
“Excuse me” said the steward a minute later as he extended his hand to collect the plates on their table. It broke the spell. “Sorry” said the steward and quickly retreated with the plates.
“So what were the other things you mentioned?” asked Merry.
“You mean the other points on the agenda” said Charles being playful.
“Yes those” said Merry with a hint of disapproval.
“I’ve been mulling over what to do this whole trip. You opened my eyes…not just my heart. Mother was wrong. I won’t ever be the Chief Minister. It’s just not me and to be honest I am not…a people person…I don’t have the charisma…I’m not a leader like that. But she was right about other things. I am a good organiser and I have a whole family and support base with incredible political influence, not to mention deep pockets.”
He checked to see that Merry was all ears. She was. He continued. “So I’m never going to be the Chief Minister but I can influence who will be.”
“And you have someone in mind?”
“Yes I do. That’s the person I need to contact and sound out.”
“Are they going to be worthy of your backing?”
Charles smiled. “That’s what I like about you. You ask all the right questions?”
A big smile came over Merry’s face. She blushed at the compliment. “So who?”
“Dave Warner.”
“Wow. He’s a soldier though.”
“There’s no shortage of soldiers who went on to become political leaders.”
Merry thought about that for a while. “I suppose” she said. “What makes you think he’d consider it?”
“He may not want to at all. But that’s where I need to persuade him.”
“How?”
“Look, Karalis finishes her second term next year. She can’t run again. The party’s been in power for two full terms. The old ‘it’s time for a change’ sentiment will make it damm hard for the party to retain office. It will need a stellar candidate. I don’t see any in the curr
ent ministry. Morrow maybe but he wouldn’t be anywhere near as electable as the returning war hero, Dave Warner.”
“Yeah, well that’s why your party needs him. But why would Dave Warner want to do it?”
“Look, you are right. He could probably go on to head up the Combined Chiefs if he chose to stick it out in the military. But from the little I got to know of him I’m not sure he wants that. He’s a wartime warrior not a peacetime one. He’s been through a lot, lost a lot of people, will probably lose a lot more before this war finishes. That had already started to take its toll. When I left him he was already showing signs of war weariness. He may be ready for a change. He may just need some guidance as to where he could best serve.”
“He may think he’s served enough.”
“That’s true of most, but not Warner. He’s big on duty and service. No, he’ll want to continue to make a contribution. I just need to convince him that he can make the best contribution as the next Chief Minister.”
“You know for someone who reckons they are not a people person you seem to be pretty perceptive about people.”
“Being perceptive of people, understanding them, that’s one thing. Leading them is another.”
Merry nodded. “We all have our roles to play.”
“We do. Have you ever been to Washington?” Merry smiled and shook her head. “You like kids don’t you?” he asked.
“Now you ask me that?”
“Well?”
“Maybe. I certainly like the way you make them.” Charles beamed.
Chapter 4. Resolute over Cheklin 0830, 23 September
Meg entered Dave’s office with a little trepidation because she had no idea what he wanted to raise with her. She felt a little fragile after their earlier exchange. It was as though she had to find her way without recourse to the usual map. She took the offered seat and waited for Dave to speak.
“Commodore Pious has asked for Hec to support him as a political officer on Cheklin during the negotiations” advised Dave. Meg looked startled. “What he hasn’t told you?” asked Dave.
“No…he hasn’t…when did this happen?”
“He probably ran out of time last night. I asked him to discuss it with you before I gave my OK.”
“Well it’s not OK is it?”
“Right now you don’t have a ship and there is a real need.”
In that moment Meg realised that she was reacting this way because of her ego. Her ego saw this as another wound and it wanted to protect itself. ‘I need to let this go’ she thought.
“Are things strained between the two of you?”
Meg looked a little startled. “No…well not really” and then she clammed up. Dave leaned his head over to the left and looked at her with an expression that said ‘go on’. But Meg was reluctant to confess. She tightened her lips. Dave continued with his expression. She realised she would have to say something. The question was what to say. She was not used to being put in this position. She was not in control and she didn’t like it.
But then she realised that again this was her ego responding. She wasn’t sure she could trust this person in front of her but part of her knew that was fear talking. “I’ve been a complete arsehole Sir” she finally blurted out “a complete fucking arsehole.” Her eyes reddened and she felt this wave of emotion welling up inside. It was unstoppable. She went on to explain what had happened between her and Hec and how she had behaved towards him and the crew. The strange thing as she unburdened herself was that she felt good in doing so. But at the finish she looked at Dave with some anxiety waiting for his reaction.
Dave leant back into his chair and pondered for a few moments. It wasn’t as though her behaviour was a shock. He had seen worse and experienced worse. ‘At least she’s fessed up about it’ he thought. ‘But what to do about it?’ Dave knew that for there to be real benefit the people involved had to change. Otherwise it would just repeat even if in a slightly different form.
“So what have you learned about yourself?” he asked.
“That I’m selfish.”
“And?”
“That I need to stop being so.”
“And?”
“Well I’ll just stop.”
Dave leant a little closer. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“It can. I am determined…”
“That’s all well and good” interjected Dave “but going cold turkey like that may work for a bit but it’s unlikely to last. What you need is a means for self-reflection. When you are the commander of a ship there is no-one above you that is present with you, who can pull you up when you make mistakes and who can advise you. No,” said Dave shaking his head “you are on your own and so you need to reflect on what you do, what you say and why you do it. You need to be your own supervisor and you need to do this every day.”
“Make a time each day when you can reflect” continued Dave. “Then you can catch yourself and make the necessary adjustments in increments. A sculptor chips away at the statue in a series of many small taps. It’s the same with us…shaping our character.” Dave finished with a smile.
Meg nodded her agreement. She sat back quiet, indrawn. Dave was content to sit there too. A good minute passed. Then Meg said “wise words. I’ll give it a go.”
“There’ll be setbacks on the way” advised Dave “but if you stick at it everything will work out.” Meg nodded. “So are we good with Hec’s transfer?”
“Yes, I’m good.”
Dave became aware of the flashing icon on his terminal advising of a high priority message for him. Dave pointed to his terminal and said “I need to deal with this. Thanks for sharing this with me.”
“Thank you Sir” said Meg as she left.
Dave read the message in from Felis advising that the 1st Republican Fleet would be due in later this afternoon and could he attend a planning meeting in Neeblo at 1700. He was glad to hear the confirmation and for the first time in the last few days was actually looking forward to something – ie their warp to Q2. He knew he would feel so much better when his missiles were replenishment and more importantly when he was in Rihan’s arms.
Chapter 5. Eltikin to Cheklin 0900, 23 September
Angina read the message from Milus titled ‘Maybe she means it’. He was of course referring to Torine. She clicked on the links to several news feeds from the indie channels, which seem to have resurfaced despite the best efforts of the First Consul to contain them. They were all carrying news of the murder of the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Agency. In one, a panel of talking heads were all in agreement that it had all the hallmarks of a professional assassination.
“Well that is interesting” said Angina out loud.
“What is?” asked Evie who was sharing the small office Veego had assigned them. Angina beckoned her to view her terminal with a wave of her hand.
“Wow!” said a stunned Evie. “She actually did it?”
“Most probably” said Angina. But her minds focus was elsewhere as she pondered the next move.
“Can she get to the First Consul?” asked Evie.
Angina smiled. “My thoughts exactly.”
Chapter 6. Washington DC 1000, 23 September
Belinda walked into Malissa’s office beaming. She had an ePaper of a signal just in from Pious dated 16 September, reporting the success achieved over Cheklin against the 1st RIF. She laid it down in front of Malissa. Malissa read it. A smile crept onto her face and turned into a grin by the end of her reading.
She immediately hailed Julian Morrow, her Defence Minister. “Did you see it?” she asked.
“Just reading it now” said Julian. She waited while he read it. He finally responded “Looks like the Resistance can fight.”
“Wonderful!” exclaimed Malissa. She hung up and then said to Belinda. “I want a press release and prime coverage tonight.”
Belinda nodded and added as she was leaving “Looks like that earlier decision was a good one.”
Malissa thought abou
t her earlier angst at agreeing to a supportive role. This would help reduce the short term political fallout. She was aware that fortunes can rise and fall during a war but she was not going to let that detract from the sheer joy she felt now at this news. “Yes it does!”
Chapter 7. Resolute over Cheklin 1400, 23 September
Dave read through Trooper Antonio Garcia’s file. According to it, he was a model marine, apart from one minor incident when he was cautioned for drunken and disorderly conduct a year ago. Dave glanced past his screen where Chuck Meadows sat in the chair on the other side of his office desk. “No real history” said Dave. It was more a statement than a question.
“No Sir” admitted Chuck.
“So what, he comes back here after the service gets pissed and then for no apparent reason glasses the guy next to him?”
“Apparently. Garcia was too pissed to interrogate last night. He’s sobered up now, well mostly. But he’s still not talking…to me anyway. I’ve charged him with affray and grievous bodily harm for now. Do you want me to bring him in?”
“Who’s his platoon commander?”
“It was Morales.”
“Right” said Dave in a deflated manner. “Better get Commander Bucknell up here then.”
“Right O Sir.”
Ten minutes later Jim walked in, his face grim. He sat down and said “Sad business.”
Dave nodded. “Has he said anything to you?”
“Not that was discernible. I haven’t seen him this afternoon.”
“OK, let’s have him in.”
A minute later the Master at Arms marched Antonio into Dave’s office. Dave went through the formalities of informing him of the charges. He then asked “Do you understand?” to whit Antonio nodded. “These are very serious charges. You could do time because of these. Do you understand that?” Antonio nodded. “So what have got to say for yourself?” Antonio just shook his head.
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