“How are we going to keep all that brass shiny and working well together, sir?” Calvin asked lightly.
Feigning annoyance, Aibek shook his head. “By bashing heads together so that everyone gets along.”
The humans stared at the Saurian before he smiled. “I jest!”
Calvin commented, “That’s some dry humor, Colonel.”
“The best kind!” Aibek quipped back.
“Okay, everyone, I hate overly long meetings, so that’s all I have. Any saved rounds?” David asked.
Ruth leaned forward. “Master Chief, any idea when we could get invited to the chiefs’ mess?”
Tinetariro turned and glowered at Ruth. “With respect, ma’am, you have to wait for the invitation. You can’t ask for it.”
Kenneth took that moment to jump in. “Ah, sirs, if I may, I was asked by members of my team if I could request that the former chiefs and above of the contracting team be allowed to eat at the chiefs’ mess.”
“The master chief has final say on that, Kenneth,” David replied.
Tinetariro appraised the contractor. “I’ll allow anyone who retired as a chief petty officer or above to join us anytime, Mr. Lowe.”
“Thank you, ma’am. If I may… why is going to the chiefs’ mess so important to everyone?”
“Because the chiefs have the best food. They run the mess and cooking staff and ensure they get the best food for themselves,” David said. “It’s called the goat locker.”
Ruth smirked. “You would know, sir, mustang and all.”
Tinetariro rolled her eyes. “Tell you what, Mr. Lowe—join us tomorrow for dinner and see what it’s all about.”
“Wait a minute. You just invited a defense contractor to the chiefs’ mess but not us?” Calvin asked with mock annoyance.
“Why, yes, sir.”
The entire group laughed at the turn of events as David stood once more. “Okay, everyone. Let’s get to it. We shove off at oh eight hundred tomorrow morning. I’ll see most of you on the bridge. You’re dismissed. Godspeed.”
A chorus of “Yes, sir” followed as they stood and filed out of the room. Kenneth stayed behind, apparently waiting for a moment alone with David.
He took notice and paused for the contractor. “Something on your mind, Kenneth?”
“I’ve been meaning to thank you, sir.”
David raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”
“For whatever you said to my boss’s boss, sir. You saved my hide, but more importantly to me, you saved my team’s hides.”
“I might have had a short conversation. After all, you guys saved our hides out there.”
Kenneth tilted his head. “All part of the service, sir.”
David laughed. “Keep it up, Mr. Lowe.”
Pulling himself up just a little bit taller, Kenneth pursued his lips and smiled. “Yes, sir.”
“Carry on,” David said, walking past the contractor toward the exit.
Striding down the passageway of the ship to his office, he felt alive again. They were able to strike back at the League of Sol, and his ship would be in the vanguard. A month ago, he would have said that actually pushing back and taking the fight to the League was impossible. Not only had it become possible, but it seemed probable they would win. Smiling, he knew the fight was far from over, but perhaps it was the beginning of the end for the League and for the war.
46
The following day, David rose at his usual hour of oh dark thirty to complete his morning exercise and grooming routine. Since the ship was not yet underway, David chose to wear his service khaki uniform instead of the traditional space sweater. On his way toward the wardroom, he bumped into Tinetariro outside a gravlift station.
As soon as she saw him, she brought herself to attention. “Colonel Cohen.”
“At ease, Master Chief.”
“How are you this morning, sir?”
“Honestly, I can’t tell you the last time I felt this energized. Even with all the emotional trauma of the last few weeks, the concept that we might be on the verge of pasting the League all over space… That’s enough to get me up and going in the morning.”
Tinetariro grinned. “I couldn’t say it any better, sir. Have you had breakfast already?”
“I haven’t , Master Chief.”
“Perhaps you would care to join me in the chiefs’ mess, sir.”
“I would be honored.” Technically, David could go into any mess or any part of the ship he wanted, as he was its commanding officer. However, tradition was that only chiefs or those they invited could enter the chiefs’ mess.
“Then follow me, sir. We have something prepared for you.”
David fell in behind her, wondering what on earth they had come up with. After a brisk walk through the ship, they arrived. Even though the ship had only been a commissioned warship again for the better part of two weeks, the chiefs had already made the space their own. A stylized drawing of a goat in a spacesuit adorned the hatch.
David chuckled. “The Goat Locker, eh?”
Tinetariro laughed as she opened the door. “I thought that was a nice touch myself.”
As he strode into the large mess area, David’s eyes were immediately drawn to a buffet of food in the center.
“All the food is kosher today, sir,” Tinetariro said.
David walked over to the buffet and immediately realized it was an Israeli breakfast. He got a plate and put a generous helping of eggs and root vegetables on it along with some smoked fish.
“I tried some of that fish.”
“Oh?”
“It was… interesting.”
David grinned. “Well, it’s pareve. Even a kosher sausage can’t be consumed with the rest of this food.”
“I’m just a gentile, sir. It’s Greek to me.”
“Pareve means a food is neither meat nor dairy. We can’t mix the two types of food.”
“Who decides all that anyway?”
“Various rabbis throughout the ages, interpreting the Torah.”
“I don’t think I could give up my bacon, sir.”
“Never had it, so I don’t know what I’m missing,” David replied, laughing.
After they’d both finished heaping their plates, they walked to a nearby table and sat down.
David took out his napkin, leaving his silverware on the table. “Would you care to join me in blessing our food, Master Chief?”
“Gladly, sir.”
David bowed his head. “God, creator of the universe and all that is within it, bless this food today and give us wisdom to do Your will.”
Lifting his head, he dug into his eggs. They tasted amazing, especially after six months of frozen rations. “Where did you guys get all this fresh food, Master Chief?”
“Well, we do control the food budget, after all,” she replied with a twinkle in her eyes. “That, and the quartermaster corps was unusually willing to send some great stuff our way. We’ll eat well for at least the next month.”
“Count me in. I’ve spent so much time in space that I’ve forgotten what basic staples taste like.”
“We will be having this breakfast buffet every third day we’re underway until the supplies run out. You’re welcome to join us on any of those days.”
“Well, thank you, Master Chief. I’m pretty sure I’m going to take you up on that offer for as long as I can.”
“On a more serious note, Colonel, I don’t expect the next six months to be easy. But I want you to know that everyone on this ship will give whatever it takes to secure victory, including the ultimate sacrifice.”
David set his fork down, peering at her. “I’d much rather our friends in the League pay the ultimate price rather than us, Master Chief.”
“Agreed, Colonel.”
After they’d finished their meals, David stood. “Join me on the bridge, Master Chief? We’re to depart Canaan space dock in half an hour.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything in the galaxy, Colonel.”
<
br /> David smiled, realizing that for the first time in a long time, he was actually happy. Even in the midst of the terror, the sadness, and the unending war, he was for the first time in many, many years a happy warrior. Not happy that he had to fight or that they would have to kill a lot of Leaguers in the coming months but happy in the sense that his cause was just, and he was glad to fight for it. “I’ll see you up there, Master Chief. Thanks again for the great meal.”
“Anytime, Colonel.”
David walked out of the chiefs’ mess and made his way to the bridge. He exchanged salutes with the armed Marines who guarded the door to the combined bridge and combat information center. Ducking under the hatch, he pulled on his cover and saw Tinetariro. How’d she get up here faster than me? Perhaps it was some super-secret master chief ability.
“Colonel on the bridge!” she called.
“As you were,” David said as the enlisted personnel and officers who weren’t buckled in braced to attention and saluted. He returned their salutes with a crisp one of his own.
Aibek sat in the XO’s chair, and David slid in next to him. That was something he would have to get used to: no Sheila on the bridge.
Turning to Aibek, David asked, “Are we ready to depart, XO?”
“Yes, sir. All stations report ready, and we are cleared to depart from Canaan space control.”
“Communications, please tie the 1MC into my console.”
“Tied in, sir. You’re online,” Taylor replied.
“Attention, all hands. This is the commanding officer. Just a week ago, we were heading out to secure peace for the Terran Coalition. I know that, like me, all of you were bitterly disappointed when that peace agreement turned out to be yet another ruse by the League. However, thanks to the dedication, bravery, and tenacity of this crew and the grace of God, we defeated the League. Today, we stand as united as ever and with our new allies.” David glanced at Aibek. “We will prevail. This ship has already earned its stripes in battle, and you have acquitted yourselves as well as I could’ve hoped for. It’s an honor to lead you, and in the coming weeks and months, we will drive the League from our space. We will take the fight to them, and God willing, we’ll finish this war once and for all. Stand by for departure and man your stations. Colonel Cohen out.”
David glanced around the bridge, seeing energized and smiling crewmen and officers. Allowing a grin to crease his face, he turned toward Hammond. “Navigation, disengage all moorings and umbilicals.”
“All moorings and umbilicals disengaged, sir.”
“Navigation, take us out. All ahead, dead slow.”
“All ahead, dead slow. Aye, aye, sir.”
As the mighty vessel slowly began to move, the shipyard bay they occupied started to disappear behind them.
Aibek interrupted David’s thoughts. “Colonel, what does the star that was painted on our hull yesterday signify?”
“It’s a battle star.”
“What is that exactly, sir?”
“In the CDF, any ship in a major fleet engagement whose participation was meritorious is awarded a battle star for that engagement. Some, especially our older carriers, have dozens.” David smiled. “But the first one is always the one of which the crew is most proud.”
“I see,” Aibek said thoughtfully. “So many customs and oddities you humans have.”
“We like to remember things.”
“I am looking forward to learning from you, Colonel. And the rest of your crew.”
“I hope we can learn something from you as well.”
“Oh, I’m sure we can both teach each other a few things,” Aibek said with a chuckle.
David’s eyes went back forward, watching the stars move as the Lion adjusted course.
For the next four hours, the ship began its journey to the proving ground, and he thought through tactics they could use against the League. After that, it was time for him to grab a quick lunch then retire to his office to handle paperwork and prepare for the meeting he’d requested with Ruth.
* * *
Later that day, Ruth swung open the hatch to David’s office and walked in.
“Come in, Ruth,” he said informally.
She made her way to a chair in front of his desk. “How are you holding up?”
“Better now than I was. I still can’t believe she’s gone. I keep expecting her to walk through the door to the bridge and tell us it was all a big joke.”
A smile crossed her face. “I know what you mean. She was a big inspiration to me, you know.”
“I know she had been mentoring you.”
Ruth closed her eyes for a moment. “She wanted me to volunteer for the command track. She also wanted...”
“What?”
“Just my... anger. My hatred of the League.”
“I actually thought I’d talk to you about that. Everyone here hates the League—but not the people. We all relish the fight but not the killing. Sometimes I get the feeling you...”
Ruth opened her eyes. “It’s under control, sir.”
“I’m not so sure of that. Something I’ve learned and am still trying to learn is that hating the enemy does nothing except harm me. It doesn’t hurt them. It only makes me more like them.”
“That sounds like Sheila speaking.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“I don’t know. I’m still not sure how she managed not to end up hating every member of the League.”
“Ruth, when we give in to hate, it hollows us out. Trust me. I know this from experience.”
Ruth gulped. “I’m trying. It’s harder without her.” Obviously wanting to change the subject, she said, “You should come to the nondenominational church service this week. Sheila is the subject of the sermon.”
David raised an eyebrow. “I would have expected to see you at shul instead.”
She gave a nervous smile. “I went a few times with Sheila over the last few months. I wanted to go again.”
David laughed. “What’s next? Converting and making your parents roll over in their graves?”
Ruth scowled.
David realized his comment, while made in jest, had hurt. “I’m sorry. Bad joke and too soon.”
“No… I’ve just felt at home there.”
“Don’t you feel more at home at the shul?” David asked, softening his expression.
Ruth seemed to struggle to explain. “There’s something about the idea of a personal connection with God. I can’t quite explain it, but Sheila made that seem like a special experience. With all that goes on around us—this war, the deaths of our friends—I want something more than reading prayers.”
“Our faith is about a lot more than reading prayers, Ruth.”
“I know that, but what if God really did sacrifice His own son for us? Wouldn’t that be an amazing thing? What if we all lived by the ideals Jesus espoused? Wouldn’t this galaxy be a better place?”
“Ruth, I… I think we all agree that Jesus was a good man. But we Jews don’t hold him to be Messiah. To us, he was just a man who tried to reform the Jews of his time and got himself martyred by the Romans.”
“But what if he wasn’t? Christians have survived repeated attempts to annihilate them. They endured in the face of that oppression, even when it would have been to their benefit to renounce their beliefs. In and of itself, that points to the idea that there was something to the basis of Christianity.”
“Sorry, we Jews cornered the market on being persecuted—and by Christians too. For that matter, other faiths have suffered horrible attacks, massacres, pogroms... That’s not the litmus test for a religion being the one true gospel. We’re Jews, and we have a rich history and culture. I’m proud to be a Jew.”
“As am I,” Ruth said emphatically. “But I think there’s something out there beyond the law. I go around wanting to judge everyone by the law, especially the League. What if it’s not my place to judge? What if there’s something more?”
“Then that’s somethin
g you’ll have to figure out. I’m not here to tell you you’re right or wrong. All I will say is you need to remember you’re hurting right now. Don’t make any hasty choices.”
“You know me.”
David laughed. “Yes, exactly. I know you pretty well after six months. Don’t make any hasty choices.” He recalled the old line about how the only thing two Jews could agree on was what a third should give to charity.
“I won’t.” She paused. “I had my first one-on-one meeting with Colonel Aibek.”
“He’s an interesting individual.”
“I don’t think I’ve encountered a Saurian as jovial as he is. Or tries to be. I’m not always sure when he’s joking—and his sense of humor is grim.”
“I would have to agree. That said, he seems to know his business, and I think he’s a good man… well, Saurian.”
“Do they really eat live rodents? I heard one of the mess cooks talking about that.”
David rolled his eyes. “No, that’s just a rumor. They are mostly carnivorous, though.”
“I also find it interesting that almost all of them are religious. It’s fascinating to me that many of the cultures we’ve encountered have religions that remind me of the Abrahamic faiths. You’d think that would lend some credence to the idea of God in someone like Dr. Hayworth.”
Many years ago, Christian missionaries had discovered that historically, Saurian religion was monotheistic and included a belief in a great prophet and messianic figure who’d come to save them from their incessant wars. Eventually, that religion became dominant, and many human scholars and theologians made comparisons with Christianity, looking for parallels—or a common divine inspiration, perhaps. There were enough direct similarities that David found the argument compelling. He thought it likely that, at the root of it all, that God had inspired them.Not all Saurians cared for the comparisons, especially as many Saurians viewed humans as inferior.
“Dr. Hayworth is entitled to his beliefs and opinions.”
Ruth made a sour face. “There are times I wish we could get rid of people like him.”
That comment drew a sharp look from David. “Ruth, don’t go down that path. You can’t force people to believe something. They have to come upon it on their own. The end of that path is the League, except we’d be a theocracy that executed its citizens if they didn’t toe the line. We left those guys behind on Earth, and I pray they never come back.”
Coalition Defense Force Boxed Set: First to Fight Page 56
