Alpha One - Chris Burton [67]
“Don’t question my commitment Jean-Luc. I am committed to this ship and my crew first and foremost. The fleet is secondary. If I believe fleet command orders are not in the best interests of this ship, then I will act accordingly. If the crew are safe and the ship is near loss, I will use the ship as a weapon. I will ram it straight into the Sentinel Fleet.”
“Look, Number One…” Hoskins took on a more formal tone, “I assume you still have faith in me as the ship’s commander and need reassurance. We have covered the main points of ambiguity. I note your concerns. We will advise the crew of our new role in the fleet tomorrow evening. In the mean time, I suggest you get some rest. I need you at the top of your game.”
Commander Jacques realized the conversation had drawn to a close. He agreed and assured his CO he had the utmost faith in him. With that he left the ready room.
Hoskins wasn’t surprised. His first officer had every right to challenge his decisions in their one-to-one discussions, as he too was an executive officer. It was also healthy to have a constructive discussion on such things. He was concerned. This would not be an easy battle and losses were inevitable. He hoped he would not have to make a decision to act against the fleet. The consequences could be catastrophic from a career perspective.
He was concerned, too, about his new CAG. Obeya would be in one of the most dangerous areas of the ship. Perhaps he could find an excuse to bring her up to the bridge, he thought. Then he dismissed the thought and Obeya from his mind. He reminded himself he was finished with her and that his wife was pregnant.
Suddenly, he no longer wanted to be here. He wanted to be with his wife, to make up for lost time, to curl up in front of a warm open fire. He was interrupted this time by Fleet Command. It was Shenke, who wanted to know if all were okay and if the proposed changes to the Halo 7’s status were acceptable to the crew.
“I have only just told my first officer, so far. I will be telling the crew tomorrow. Yes, Admiral the changes are fine. It will be good to be in the thick of the action.”
“I will look for you and the Defiant to keep the fleet moving forward. If we push into the Sentinels, we will win in close-proximity combat. It will be dangerous, but exciting and I feel good about it. Anyway, I just wanted to check all was okay. Call me if you need to discuss anything.”
The link went dead and Hoskins smiled. The Admiral’s call was remarkably timed. He must finish his log and then get some rest.
* * * *
Obeya Temsouri was in the CAG operations room. She sat with her back to the Main Hangar and studied her reflection in the clear plastic window looking out over the fleet.
She knew a Sentinel battle was imminent and her involvement would be considerable, but she yearned to be involved directly. She was a jump ship pilot and not a CAG. She didn’t know why she accepted Jonathan’s promotion and she disliked his major influence over something so important to her.
Jonathan Hoskins made it clear he didn’t want her to continue with combat operations and that the CAG post would help him out and give her the step up she needed to progress to Squadron Leader Command. At the time she accepted the promotion, anything Jonathan said would be taken as gospel. He cast a spell over her because she loved him. At the time she had not realized he made her decisions for her.
She still loved him. She resented that he could flick his fingers and she would run. Not any more, she told herself. She was her own woman. Only she would decide her destiny. She already decided she would set about the CAG operation for the forthcoming battle initially as an active leader. She would prove herself in the first few days of battle and then, in the thick of it, she would hand it over to her deputy CAG and pilot a Sabre as Group command. She wouldn’t tell Jonathan. He didn’t need to know. She needed to be out there and he was not going to stop her.
She, like everyone on board, felt anxious about what the next few hours