Alpha One - Chris Burton [24]
Jonathan Hoskins was relieved. It took nearly four weeks for his grief-stricken ship to be brought home, and finally this sorry episode would be put to rest.
Everything went well until General Yoshi’s Southern Fleet appeared on the horizon. His was not the only encounter with the Southern Fleet Alpha was involved in, in recent weeks. No matter, he was not concerned with how others dealt with the Sentinels: this was about his career and what would happen next. Admiral Martin was as unforgiving as the innocent party in a partner’s extra-marital affair. He was not going to take this well.
He turned towards Obeya and kissed her forehead. She was still fast asleep and he saw no reason to disturb her. He left the bedroom and entered his study. He opened a comm link and asked his First Officer for a status update.
“Ten minutes to Alpha One. Shall I break out the flags?”
“Hardly, Number One.” This was not the time for light heartedness. “I will be down in fifteen minutes.”
He closed the comm link and dispensed a strong black coffee from his food station, then returned to his bedroom and dressed.
Obeya Temsouri continued to sleep soundly. She was so beautiful and looked so young and innocent. He was suddenly glad that he no longer had to make the decision to send her out to what could easily lead to her death, but not for a while. He also knew the chances of her being part of his next commission was remote. They were less-than-discreet in recent weeks, and these things didn’t take long to reach the people you least wanted them to. It suddenly dawned on him that Admiral Martin may well be the least of his problems. His wife was in port and, as a staff officer, it was highly likely that news of his indiscretions reached her.
The Aurora 5 entered the space way and slowed to sub-stellar speed. She took the journey remarkably well. In the immediate aftermath of the battle she was patched up and prepared for tow. Hoskins argued that she could create her own head of steam and, once the interim repairs were completed, she should be able to assume full control herself. In the last ten days, she was released from the tractor beams of her salvage vessel and had continued the journey without further assistance, albeit more slowly than usual. Her maximum cruising velocity was reduced to SD2. However, the Aurora 5 was still destined for decommission, and the salvage vessel followed close by, anxious to ensure their latest investment didn’t stray into trouble until the salvage assessment was completed. If they could repair her bulkheads in ‘dry dock’ she would be a saleable item, and there were elements of the APF crying out for excess Alpha stock.
Hoskins already said his goodbyes to his ship. Not sentimentally, but in a respectful way. It was considered standard Alpha practice for the ship’s CO to treat his command like a ‘lady’. She served him well and that he brought her back for decommissioning would count in his favor. She would not be considered a vessel lost under his command. His crew performed well under pressure and, on reflection, the outcome was a good one. They discovered a great deal more about the mysterious Sentinel ‘Mother’ ship and her dark metal characteristics, and they had determined vulnerabilities. Yes there was loss of life, which was always regretful, but Hoskins death loss tally under his command was still under fifty: a favorable statistic.
“Your shuttle is here, Commander.”
His shuttle was to take him to Alpha One fleet command on Earth, while the Aurora 5 and the remaining crew were destined for Mars, where decommissioning would take place. His crew was then scheduled to be shuttled directly to Alpha One.
Hoskins left the command bridge, headed directly to the main shuttle bay, and boarded the shuttle departing the Aurora promptly. From here he saw the considerable damage inflicted on his current commission and he briefly felt a tinge of sadness. The shuttle headed directly to Alpha One and, within thirty minutes, touched down on a command pad. He exited the ship and steadied himself as his feet touched