Battle Force by Shane Lochlann Black

Author:Shane Lochlann Black [Black, Shane Lochlann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Palace in the Sky Productions LLC
Published: 2019-11-08T22:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Annora Doverly arrived in the Executive Conference to find Captain Hunter bouncing a tennis ball against the reactive crystal display at the head of the room. He was reclined in a manner that would have infuriated Academy supervisors, but since he now outranked them all, he could look as disinterested as he liked.

“Are you going to get like this every time we spin up a patrol?”

“I rather thought you would encourage me to sulk in my tent.” The tennis ball hit the floor, ricocheted off the display and landed in Hunter’s hand again.

“Oh, so now you’re rationalizing it,” Doverly shot back. “I’m going to log you as the captain who didn’t want to be captain.” She took her traditional seat at the spacious table. The high-backed chairs were as impressive as ever, now sporting black fabric with the Argent raptor emblem and the BBV 740 designator.

“You’re enjoying your new job, aren’t you?” The tennis ball hit the floor, ricocheted off the display and landed in Hunter’s hand again.

“I’m the battleship’s mad scientist,” Doverly quipped. “It won’t be long before we won’t need plasma rifles and gunships any more. We’ll be able to send my abominations into battle with sharp teeth, clouds of green vapor and disagreeable manners.”

The tennis ball hit the floor, ricocheted off the display and landed in Hunter’s hand again.

“This isn’t about fighter ops. You’re having a crisis of confidence.”

“This whole deployment was my idea,” Hunter said. “I convinced Powers at Skywatch. I convinced him and Vice Admiral Jackson to hold off on the Victoria thing until we could be sure what was happening out here.”

“And now you think you guessed wrong?” Doverly asked.

“That’s the whole point. I didn’t guess. I had all the historical data. I had it figured down to days and times. I spent weeks studying First Praetorian at the Academy, and then more weeks and months looking up facts and dates to prepare my report. I dragged Walsh and Islington out of their conventional assignments and I even managed to bluff Admiral Hafnetz into listening to my crazy theories about how Strike Fleet Athena could achieve victory in the counter-offensive. Now it’s going to get out of control and they’re going to hang it around my neck.”

The tennis ball hit the floor, ricocheted off the display and landed in Hunter’s hand again.

“You’re still blaming yourself for Bayone, and now you think it’s becoming a trend.”

Hunter didn’t answer.

“Well, I can say this much,” Doverly sighed. “We’re going to be down one captain if we don’t find a way through this.”

“And why is that?”

“Because if you don’t stop this second-guessing yourself, I’m going to chew your ass.”

The tennis ball hit the floor, ricocheted off the display and landed in Hunter’s hand again.

“I’m evaluating a less-than-optimal outcome.”

“Oh nonsense. You’re turning yourself into a backwards-looking what-if bureaucrat. We don’t do that out here. It makes the crew nervous and it deprives us of our assuredness we’re on the right side.”

“It’s not my responsibility to convince the crew–”

“The hell it isn’t!” Doverly snapped.

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