Silver Victory by Rock Whitehouse

Author:Rock Whitehouse [Whitehouse, Rock]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-09T00:00:00+00:00

It took most of a day to get the Antares crew transferred and settled on the resurrected Sigma. Alex Williams managed the berthing assignments and worked to merge the skeleton crew that had come with Peg White from Tranquility II with the Antares people. Changes were the order of the day, and Alex kept the assignments consistent whenever possible, but he also wanted to make sure the two groups were completely integrated.

The lone holdover from Sigma's original crew was FPI Lieutenant Tsubasa Kondo. He had waited patiently on Tranquility II, assisting with the Drive upgrade. He still considered Sigma his personal ship, and he had no intention of going anywhere else. Lt. Roger Cox was two techs short in his Intel shop, but assured Carol they would make do. They had no doctor, only two med techs and a lead nurse practitioner. They'd just have to avoid getting hit as much as possible.

The one gap that worried Carol was Weapons. With her now in command and Jon Swenson lost, she had no ready replacement for Weapons or Weapons Maintenance. The transit crew had included two good Weapons techs, and since the new TRS needed fewer hands, the section was otherwise decently staffed. Captain Hakim had allocated Peg enough techs for the transit, but no officers, so Carol would have to make do with what she had. She got up from her desk in her duty cabin and walked aft to the Magazine. Chief Guzman was sitting in the Weapons Maintenance Officer's small office, updating the crew roster and inspection records. He stood as she approached.

"Stay there, Chief," she said. "We need to talk."

Guzman slowly sat back down as Carol closed the door and dropped into the chair across from him.

"This is backward," he said.

"Lots of things feel backward right now, Chief. Did you notice the galley is on the wrong side of the main passageway?"

He laughed. "Yes, ma'am, I did."

"I hit my head on a door that wasn't there a little while ago."

"Some adjustments, Commander, will be required."

She leaned forward. "Actually, Chief, that's why I'm here."

"Well, I was pretty sure this wasn't about the galley."

Carol smiled briefly. "No. We've fought this enemy together many times, Chief."

"Yes, we have."

"And it was mostly with me pointing and yelling, and you doing all the work."

"Well, I think that's unfair, but, OK, go ahead."

"You taught me most of what I know about this business."

"Now, Commander, that's really unfair. Especially to your instructors back at the U."

She hesitated just a moment. "I need someone to run Weaps, Chief."

He nodded slightly. "Yes, ma'am, you do."

She looked up and met his eye. "I don't have anyone else, Emilio. Will you do it?"

He held her eye for a second, then nodded. "Anything you need, Commander, anything at all. Sure, I'll do it."

Her shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you."

"One condition."

"What's that?"

"Don't try to hang some battlefield commission or whatever on me, Commander. I'll do it as I am if you don't mind."

"I don't mind, Chief. But, I will need you at most meetings in the wardroom.

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