Battlegroup Z Boxset: Books 1-3 by Gibbs Daniel

Author:Gibbs, Daniel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

14

Tehrani felt pressed to the limit, between catching up on the Greengold’s after-action reports, battle planning for the next day, and writing condolence letters to families of lost crewmembers and pilots. She hadn’t bothered with going to the mess or wardroom for dinner. Instead, her steward had dropped off a plate of food. It sat cold on her desk as she nibbled on a piece of bread between tasks.

The vessel's battle rhythm—or really the entire CDF’s—was functioning at a level that brought sheer mental and physical exhaustion to the forefront. Tehrani recalled days in her youth, longing for combat against a pirate group or one of the more hostile aliens, such as the Jalm’tar Confederation. Probably because we all knew we’d wipe the floor with those enemies. A fight against a peer opponent or possibly a superior opponent was a terrifying prospect that she along with every other member of the military was living.

She set her tablet down and took another bite of the cold food—a piece of rubbery chicken. When she was halfway through chewing it, the hatch buzzer sounded.

Tehrani quickly swallowed. “Come in.”

The alloy door swung open, revealing Whatley and Justin. The major came to attention before the desk. “Do you have a moment, ma’am? The lieutenant and I have a proposal for you.”

Tehrani gestured to the chairs. “By all means, gentlemen. What’d you have in mind?”

Spencer glanced at Whatley and, receiving a small nod, turned toward her. “Colonel, I’d like to be the one flying the captured League fighter tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Tehrani stared at him. I wasn’t expecting that. In truth, she saw the flight as a suicide mission and figured Whatley had volunteered to spare his pilots. “Are you aware of the risks, Lieutenant Spencer?”

“I am, ma’am. As I’ve told the CAG, I have the most hands-on flight time with the craft. I should be the one going.”

She sat back and studied the young officer. “Do you have a hero complex, Lieutenant?”

“I don’t think so, ma’am,” Justin replied with a grimace. “I just want to do my part to help.”

“You ejected from your Sabre, somehow got into the hangar bay of a League cruiser, stole another fighter, and helped blow up the enemy ship on your way out.” Tehrani smiled dryly. “You’ve done your part.”

“I can do more.”

The confident yet somewhat humble way Justin pronounced the words almost led Tehrani to do a double-take. He matured fast. They all did. “Major, do you concur?”

“Against my better judgment, I do, ma’am. I think Spencer’s the right man for the job.”

“Then it’s an aviation-division decision. You’re free to proceed.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Whatley replied. “Permission to depart?”

“Of course.”

Whatley sprang from the chair, as did Justin.

Before they could leave, Tehrani felt a thought tugging at her mind. “Lieutenant, I wish you Godspeed. May Allah walk with you in the dark place you must go tomorrow.” She offered a rueful smile. “I only wish we could go with you.”

Justin nodded and pursed his lips. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll do my best.” He grinned.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.