Fraternity by Alasdair Shaw

Author:Alasdair Shaw
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: space marine, space fleet, galactic empire, space combat, female captain
Publisher: Alasdair Shaw
Published: 2020-07-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Shortly after jumping, Percy ejected The Perception of Prejudice from the freighter. He’d made the drives stutter and spike as they approached the jump point, trying to make it look like they’d been straining to stay ahead of the gunboats.

Once they’d reached a safe separation, he remotely overloaded the freighter’s drives. “OK, guys. I’m all buttoned up and running dark. Time to settle down and wait.”

Seivers stretched beneath her restraints, enjoying the lack of gravity. “Get your kit squared away then hit your bunks.”

After checking a few readings, she curled up in her chair.

“Not following your own orders?” Percy asked.

“I’m staying in the cockpit until I’m sure we lost our tail.” She knew she sounded confident, but she was conflicted. The pilot in her knew she needed to be ready to react, but the grunt in her knew she needed to prep her weapons and armour in case they were needed again soon.

“I can stand watch for a while.”

They’d been far enough ahead of their pursuers when they jumped that she could spare ten minutes. But that wasn’t the point. “What kind of leader am I if I hand off in the middle of something?”

“They’ve got you hooked, haven’t they?” Percy chuckled. “You’re tempted by this promotion.”

She whipped a glare at the camera, then softened as she realised he had a point. “Maybe.”

“I’m sure you’ve seen Levarsson hand the bridge to someone else. Even the Legate takes time out to walk the ship or drink a mug of coffee. Why do you think they do that?”

Seivers rattled her fingers on the chair arm. She hadn’t really thought about it before. Their command authority was never in question, so it hadn’t mattered if they took time out.

“To inspire confidence,” said Percy. “If they are so sure everything is OK that they can take a break, if helps everyone else with their nerves. It also shows that they trust their subordinates.”

She concentrated, untangling her own thoughts. Levarsson had tried to teach her to meditate, to get head space to think problems through.

“You do trust me, don’t you?” Percy’s voice was calm and serious for once.

“Of course I do.” The answer came without need to think.

“Then you can take a couple of minutes to sort your kit.”

Put like that, it was simple. “OK.”

She undid her restraints and pushed out of her seat. With an elegant flick, she flew through the short corridor into the crew room. Two of her team were finishing stowing their kit, feet hooked into straps on the floor, and they nodded a greeting. She tucked into a somersault and snagged a handle with her fingers, pulling herself down beside her locker. Shrugging off the civilian clothes, she looked around and saw the others had already returned the larger weapons to the armoury. She drew her sidearm, cleared it, and fitted a new magazine before returning it to its holster, which she stowed in the elastic mesh above a seat. Then she stripped off the skinsuit and plugged it in to recharge and replenish the armoured bands’ mass store.

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