The Rising by James Doohan; S. M. Stirling

Author:James Doohan; S. M. Stirling
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 0671877585
Publisher: Baen Publishing Enterprises
Published: 2000-12-07T05:00:00+00:00

But she was looking at him differently now, suddenly wary and almost a little shocked.

"C'mon," he said quietly. "I won't bite, and I promise, no more puppy eyes."

She smiled slightly at that. "Is that what it's called? If the Mollies knew about it they could roll right over us in a week."

"True, but it would require them to have a sense of humor, and that they'll never have." He held out his hand to her.

The lieutenant commander pursed her lips, unsuccessfully trying to hide a smile, and hopped off the stool to join him in following the visibly impatient maître d' into the restaurant.

When they'd been left alone, the lieutenant commander leaned across the table and said softly, "Uh, Commander, there's something you ought to know."

"That you're serving on the Invincible?" Raeder asked. Then he nodded. "I thought I recognized you. But I don't know your name, I'm afraid."

She raised her brows and cocked her head. "I'm Sarah James," she said. "I command the seven WACCIs we've got on board."

"I'm embarrassed," he said. "I should have known that." Raeder sighed and shook his head. "You weren't at the captain's party."

"No," Sarah said, shaking her head. "I wasn't aboard that evening. I was finishing up a crash course on a new imaging infrared." She leaned forward excitedly, "You'd have to see this thing to believe it. The range! And it's so sensitive." Sarah shook her head in wonder. "It's infinitely better than anything I've ever worked with before." Then she sighed. "But I've no idea when we'll be installing them in my little wing."

Raeder grinned at her enthusiasm. "You look hungry," he said. "And I don't mean for dinner."

She bared her teeth and growled, then laughed. "I'd sell my firstborn to get those systems."

"Y'never know," Raeder said. "Though I don't think they'll take firstborns until they're at least out of diapers, say around nineteen or so." She chuckled and the sound pleased Peter. "Anyway, we're out here on the frontier; the top brass might actually have designed this thing just for us."

"Aw, c'mon," Sarah countered. "When the brass get a toy this special, they like to play with it themselves for awhile." She shrugged good-naturedly. "I just hope I haven't forgotten everything I've learned by the time I get my hands on one again."

Peter's engineering education and Sarah's machine-dependant branch of the service gave them a common ground and they enjoyed talking shop throughout dinner. By tacit agreement they avoided discussing the unpleasant current events that had brought them back early to Ontario Base.

When dinner was over and the bill paid, Raeder asked, "May I see you back to the Invincible, ma'am?"

Sarah blinked. "Well, it's been a long time since anyone offered to take me home," she said with a grin.

"Well, as a little lost choirboy, I'm actually clinging to you for protection. So I hope you won't let me down," he said, and offered his arm.

"Um," she said, looking a little worried, "I don't know how the captain would feel about us walking arm in arm.

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