The Hope Island Chronicles Boxed Set

by PJ Strebor

  He returned from his watch to find a stack of disposable coveralls sitting on his trunk. CPO Argento had undoubtedly smuggled them out of the supply department at great personal risk. Without delay he changed into a pair of the clean coveralls and soaked his filthy flight suits overnight in the small laundry. Only senior officers had their clothing cleaned for them.

  Returning the crews quarters to a livable standard made him an overnight success with the ratings. Instead of being largely ignored, greetings flew at him from all quarters. “Good morning, Mister Telford.” “How's it going, Mister Telford.” One particularly cheeky young petty officer, “Smelling good, Mister Telford.” Even Petty Officer Dearkov nodded respectfully, stepped aside for him in the lateral corridor and produced something distantly akin to a smile.

  His rotation through the ECC had almost ended. His next posting would be a return to maneuvering. Over the past six weeks Nathan had served in every department on the boat, except for bridge orientation. The MTO had kept that prized posting from him.

  With only days left in ECC he could not deny he would miss Auntie Babs. With Tivendale riding his coattails at every opportunity her backing meant a lot to him. Always there with a supportive word for him and a nasty set of expletives for his nemesis.

  “Oh shit,” Grimmett said.

  “What's up?”

  “Damn air flow tube in weapons bay one is blocked again.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Yeah. Mind the store, will you?” She headed for the hatch.

  “Me?” Nathan said, to her retreating back.

  “It's not hyper science, Nathan. Remember, while we’re at alert stand down the SMC will take care of most of the operations automatically. See all those green lights?” Nathan nodded at the enormous bank of telltales. “If any of them turn orange or red contact me. All right?”

  “Aye-aye, ma’am.”

  “Now cut that out,” she snapped facetiously.

  Nathan busied himself keeping his eyes fixed onto the array of green lights. He made certain to keep his hands folded in his lap to avoid the chance of touching any of the controls. His concentration on the task caused time to pass rapidly. When the hatch slid open behind him Nathan spun his chair to face it. His contented mood fled.

  “What are you doing, Telford?” Tivendale asked.

  “My job … lieutenant.” Nathan had stopped disguising his jaded tone when responding to the MTO.

  Tivendale's eyes widened and his complexion darkened with alarming haste. Four strides brought him towering over Nathan.

  “Stand up when I talk to you,” he screamed.

  Nathan sighed wearily as he dragged himself to his feet.

  “Stand to attention. How many times must I tell you?”

  To avoid insubordination charges Nathan adopted his most uninspired stance.

  “Now, what are you doing? Where is Grimmett?” Tivendale stood so close Nathan could tell what the lieutenant ate for breakfast.

  “Commander Grimmett left me in charge of the ECC while she attends to an urgent matter elsewhere on the boat … lieutenant.”

  “You? She left you in charge?” He sniggered in a particularly irksome fashion, even for him.

  “That’s correct, lieutenant.” Nathan barely stifled a yawn.

  “In that case, Mister Acting ECO,” he said, “I will direct my complaint to you. There is a disturbing odor emanating from the cargo holds. I want the problem fixed immediately.”

  “You've been into the cargo holds?” Nathan asked innocently.

  Tivendale's skin prickled. “Do not dare speak to me in such a disrespectful manner or I will have you brought up on charges. Now do your job, Mister ECO.” His chin thrust into the air as if enticing Nathan to refuse.

  “Certainly, lieutenant.” Nathan kept his expression neutral as the idiot's face drooped. “As soon as I am relieved I will pick up new scrubbers from supply and take care of the problem for you.”

  Tivendale bounced on the balls of his feet. “There are no scrubbers available so you will have to take care of it some other way. Now, follow me.”

  The lieutenant got halfway through the hatch before realizing Nathan had not moved.

  “I said follow me,” he roared.

  “I am unable to comply with your order, lieutenant.”

  Tivendale got back in his face. “Are you refusing to obey my orders, Midshipman Telford?”

  “Lieutenant, I have been ordered to stay at my post until the ECO returns. To do otherwise will be a dereliction of duty.” Nathan stared squarely into his eyes. “You wouldn't want one of your middies getting into trouble … would you, Lieutenant Tivendale?”

  “You will do as I say, you will follow my orders you insolent colonial brat.”

  Nathan passed his sleeve across his face to remove a few drops of spittle. “No, lieutenant. I will not abandon my post.”

  Nathan’s body stiffened but he did not react as Tivendale punctuated his words by poking him in the chest. “You will follow my orders or I will have you brought up on charges of insubordination and have you removed from this ship.” Poke, poke, poke.

  “Boat.”

  “I am the midshipman training officer and you will show me the respect due to me.” Poke, poke, poke.

  “Lieutenant, your current actions could be legally construed as assault on a fellow officer,” Nathan said quietly.

  “You are not an officer, boy. And you do not give me orders, I give the orders. Do you hear me?” Poke, poke, poke.

  “Last chance.”

  “Sir,” poke, “you will address me as sir,” poke, “do you hear me?” Po…

  Nathan brushed Tivendale's hands away from his body with a fast upward sweep of his forearms. A heartbeat later the heel of his right hand struck the center of the MTO's sternum. The lieutenant staggered back grabbed his chest and winced. For a moment Nathan regretted pulling his punch. As Tivendale backed away, the pain fled from his face. In its place, a triumphant grin.

  “I have you now, Telford,” he squeaked. “Striking a superior officer. You are finished.” He panted heavily, the pure delight causing his face to glow.

  Aunty Babs stood in the hatch jam, her expression obscure. Tivendale finally noticed her.

  “Ah, Grimmett, good,” Tivendale panted. “Did you witness what happened? Did you see what this midshipman did to me?”

  “Yes, I saw everything,” Grimmett said quietly. “Do you wish to lay charges?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “I wasn't talking to you, lieutenant.” Tivendale's face sagged. “Well, Mister Telford, do you wish to lay charges against this officer?”

  “Are you insane?” Tivendale shouted. “He struck a superior officer. You said you saw him do it.”

  “Yes, I did, didn't I?” Babs winked at Nathan, too quickly for the dim-witted MTO to catch. “As a matter of fact I saw everything. If you hadn't been shouting so much you would have heard the hatch opening before you attacked the middy.” Tivendale's jaw dropped open. “To be perfectly honest, Mister Telford’s level of restraint to your unwarranted attack was quite frankly remarkable. I would have decked you the first time you put your paw on me.”

  “But, but, he, he struck me.” Tivendale hovered on the brink of a meltdown. “I am an officer, and he, he, does not respect me. He calls me Mister Tivendale, he calls me lieutenant, but never calls me sir. He should be court-martialed. He …”

  “Shut up you twit.” Bab’s disgust disappeared as she turned to address Nathan. “Mister Telford, do you wish to file charges against Lieutenant Tivendale?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “What?” she cried.

  “Lieutenant Tivendale was good enough to show me a few Aikido moves. Right, lieutenant?”

  Through his expression of stricken misery Tivendale managed a jerky nod. Babs stepped closer to Nathan, her mouth a tight line.

  “What are you saying, middy?
”

  “What I’m saying, ma’am, is clear enough.” Nathan leaned in closer to her and whispered, “Please Auntie, let me handle this my way.”

  She shook her head ruefully before rounding on Tivendale. “What are you doing here, Tivendale?” she growled.

  Totally flustered Tivendale took several moments to partially recover his composure. “The smell,” he finally stammered. “The smell in the cargo holds. It is quite unpleasant. I want it remedied.”

  “Oh you do, do you? Very well, supply this department with thirty air filters and I shall consider it.”

  Tivendale's face flushed. He spun on his heel and stormed from the ECC without another word.

  CHAPTER 35

  Date: 19th July, 320 (ASC).

  Position: Monitor Truculent. Briefing room.

  Status: Captain's mast.

  Waugh sat passively at the head of the table. Luis took his place to her immediate right with Tivendale two seats away from him. The middies entered the briefing room dressed in immaculate gray class A uniforms, as befitted the occasion. They took their seats beside Ensign Saunders.

  Luis raised his computer pad slightly. “SMC, record. This captain's mast is now in session.” For the record he read the full names, ranks and postings of all participants, careful to correctly note the midshipmen who stood accused. “The charges brought against the accused are, A: Gross insubordination. B: Dereliction of duty. C: Gross disrespect of a serving officer.” He sighed faintly. “How do the accused plead?”

  Saunders straightened his back. “Sir, for the record I have been asked to plead on behalf of all accused, not guilty.”

  “Lieutenant Tivendale, describe the incidents leading to your request for a captain’s mast,” Luis said.

  “Certainly, commander.” Tivendale's confident tone flowed as smoothly as treacle over a knife's blade. “Since being appointed as Midshipman Training Officer I have witnessed these midshipmen flagrantly disregarding authority. I have repeatedly ordered the accused not to contact me during my rest time but they have ignored my orders. Because they are only children I have tolerated the matter in the hope they will see reason. But it has become blatantly clear that they have no respect for the lawful chain of command. The situation has become intolerable and moreover confirms my belief that academy children should not be permitted aboard a serving warship.

  “They refuse to call me sir, as is my right. This untenable situation is exacerbated by their generally poor attitude, their disrespect for authority and their poor work habits. Such misbehavior is one thing, but when they deliberately disobey the orders of a superior officer they go too far. Insubordination, plain and simple.

  “I respectfully submit that the accused are guilty as charged. When found guilty they should be relieved of all duties, confined to quarters and returned to the academy at the earliest opportunity. Furthermore, the Superintendent of Midshipmen should be notified of these proceedings together with a recommendation that these four people be dismissed from the academy.” His self-righteous smirk loitered until he recalled the protocol. “That is my statement of charges for the record, sir.”

  “So noted,” Luis said. “Ensign Saunders, do you care to respond to these charges on behalf of the accused?”

  “Yes sir, I sure would.”

  Waugh kept her smile in check.

  “Might as well get the big one out of the way first,” Leo continued. “Lieutenant Tivendale, tell this hearing of an instance of this alleged insubordination.”

  “Certainly, ensign.”

  “Midshipman Telford, did I not order you and the rest of the middies not to contact me during my downtime?”

  "Yes, lieutenant, you did give such an order."

  “There see, he admits it. I told you so.”

  Tivendale addressed his remarks directly to Luis. Recalling the chewing out she had given him, his eyes avoided her.

  Spineless slug.

  Saunders remained unfazed. “Can you cite any other occasions where the accused refused to follow a direct order from you, no matter how ludicrous your order might have been?”

  “That is an impertinent remark, ensign. You are addressing a superior officer.” He tugged at his waistcoat. “I do not need to cite other instances of insubordination. One is quite sufficient.”

  Leo leaned back, his easy smile hanging like an accusation. “So, Lieutenant Tivendale, the charges of insubordination are based solely on the proposition that the middies contacted you during your downtime. Is that correct?”

  Leo's remorseless droning dulled Tivendale's former confidence.

  “Lieutenant Tivendale?”

  “Yes. I ordered them not to contact me and they ignored my order.”

  “Very well lieutenant. Let's move on shall we? The matter of their quarters not being up to scratch. In what way was this so?”

  “Bunks not made properly; clothes strewn about the quarters. Kit not kept in the storage area provided and general messiness.”

  “Really?” Leo sighed wearily. “Midshipmen are taught from day one to keep their quarter's neat and tidy at all times. Mister Hayden, during your first month at the academy you were cited on a number of occasions for the messy condition of your quarters.”

  “Yes sir. It saddens me to admit that was the case.”

  “What was the punishment for this messiness?”

  “I marched punishment parade during midsummer until I learned the error of my ways.”

  “Thank you, Mister Hayden. I will waste no more of the captain's mast by having the rest of the accused cite similar stories of their time at the academy. For my part I have observed no such tardy behavior from my running mate. I submit for the record affidavits from all running mates.” He slid a data chip across the table to the D-O. “Suffice it to say senior middies would not be aboard this boat if they were not housebroken. You should know that Lieutenant Tivendale.” Leo smiled shrewdly. “Oh, my apologies lieutenant, you didn't attend the academy did you? No matter. Let's move on.”

  Tivendale's face flushed. Waugh chose that moment to rub her hand across her mouth. Luis' left eyelid twitched. Saunders continued in the same remorselessly languid tone.

  “Now let us address your allegations of poor attitude, disrespect for authority and bad work practices. Again, lieutenant, could you cite an instance of each of these supposed misdemeanors?”

  Lines of irritation creased Tivendale's face. “My response to the previous charge covered disrespect for authority. And as for bad work practices,” he shrugged, "you cannot have one without the other.”

  Leo waited for a moment as if expecting more. “So, lieutenant, you cannot cite one instance to back up these charges. Is that correct?”

  “All of this is of little consequence, ensign. I have submitted my word under oath. The word of a serving officer.”

  Leo nodded slowly before addressing the D-O. “Sir, I respectfully submit that charges B: Dereliction of duty, and C: Gross disrespect of a serving officer, be dismissed due to lack of corroborating evidence.”

  "Lieutenant Tivendale?" Luis asked.

  Tivendale squirmed in his seat and nodded with a sharp jerky movement. “Very well, commander, I agree to drop those two charges. However, I insist charge A remains.”

  “So noted for the record. Ensign Saunders do you have anything else you wish to add?”

  “Yes, thank you, sir.” Leo slid another computer chip across the table. “This chip contains endorsements from every department head on the boat.” He cleared his throat. “With the obvious exception of the supply department. They unanimously attest to the high work ethics of each middy. They also state that they encountered no instances of disrespect for authority, tardy work practices, poor attitudes or insubordination.”

  “Their statements mean nothing,” Tivendale grumbled.

  “Submitted as rebuttal evidence to show the character of the accused, sir.”

  “So accepted and ent
ered into the record.”

  “It does not matter what little tricks you try, Saunders. They disobeyed my orders and that stands.”

  Leo tugged on his bottom lip.

  “Commander Demianski, do you recall a meeting we had about three weeks ago?”

  Tivendale sat bolt upright in his chair as if he'd been goosed.

  “Refresh my memory, Ensign Saunders,” Luis said.

  “With pleasure, sir. You were good enough to grant Mister Telford and myself a few minutes of your valuable time. We met in this very room in fact. I mentioned that the MTO had ordered all middies not to contact him. I wondered if this was strictly in order. I asked how are the middies to be supervised if they cannot contact him.”

  “Ah, yes, it comes back to me now.” Luis said. “And I believe I said balls to that. Does that sound about right, Mister Telford?”

  “Balls to that? Yes sir, that’s my recollection.” Telford maintained a neutral tone. Tivendale's jaw dropped.

  “I believe I said you should disregard such a stupid and obviously inappropriate order, on my authority as operations officer, and pass on the instruction to the other middies. I said I would have a word with the officer who demonstrated such gall.”

  “You did not contact me,” Tivendale shrieked. “You have never contacted me.”

  “It slipped my mind,” Luis said, with arid dryness. “Will you forgive me?”

  “Sir,” Leo said, “under the circumstances I submit that the final charge of Gross insubordination be dismissed.”

  “This is an outrage,” Tivendale howled as he rose from his chair. “A travesty of all proper decency. On a properly run Service ship this sort of behavior would never be tolerated. I demand the immediate removal of these children from this ship. They have disrespected me. They have plotted against me at every turn. They …”

  “Sit down, lieutenant.” Waugh’s acerbic tone left no room for misinterpretation. Tivendale's mouth froze half open. After protracted seconds he clamped his mouth shut and slumped into his chair.