Alpha One - Chris Burton [74]
“So, what happened to Maria then?
“She just got too close. I am not looking for commitment right now.. I need to concentrate on graduation.”
“Yes, I agree. How are things going now?“
“Okay, I have completed my Quadroponics dissertation and my Weaponry and Quantum Mechanics theory is coming on nicely.”
“No mention of your jump ship training and the Top Gun competition?”
“I didn’t think you would want to talk about them.”
“Why not? They are an integral part of your final year studies. We have no problem with you developing your jump ship skills and even your participation in the Top Gun event. They can only add value to your resume.”
They entered a clearing and Simon took a ball from his pocket and began to throw the ball for Barrat.
“You’ve got to remember that I feel that the best career path for you following graduation is not the jump ship path. The knowledge is good, but so are your weaponry and your stellar navigation and your quantum mechanics. They will all lead to a good posting, perhaps even Earth Defense. We are not trying to force the issue. We know you are conditioned to feel that the quick fire route to star ship command is via the jump ship route, but times have changed.”
“Dad, I know how you feel. You tell me every time I see you. I can assure you that I am not being conditioned. I am able to make up my own mind and at the moment, however, with two whole terms left before I graduate, the jump ship route is my preference…that may change but it is unlikely.”
“I know. I am not trying to rock the boat. We just see the sheer number of jump ship pilots losing their lives. There is no future in it. Admiral Black agrees with me.”
“Ah, I knew you talked to him about me at the Wake. You never miss a trick do you?”
“Now, he approached me and it was a few days after the wake. He said they thought of you as the son-in-law they never had. You were, and I guess always will be, the nearest thing they had to a son-in-law.”
“I am still close to them. They were so devastated. I guess it is inevitable that they would want to urge me to move away from the jump ship path.”
“Yes, Black said he was more than happy to use his influence to facilitate a good posting for you. These are the kind of contacts that make things happen. You could be in a command post within two years.”
“Maybe, but I want to make it on my own. Can we just agree to disagree for the time being? I don’t doubt that Mum will want to talk about this too before I leave tomorrow. Let’s leave it for a bit.”
“Okay. Do you want to take over the ball-throwing for a while?”
Jake continued to throw Barrat’ s ball, and within a few minutes they had reached the turning point in their walk and a had a view looking out over the Surrey Hills. The leaves had turned and begun to fall. The scenery was every bit as beautiful as Jake remembered it.
Jake’s father started to talk about the battle. “It will be over quickly,” he said.
“What makes you say that? Maybe in their favor.”
“No, Alpha definitely has a few tricks up their sleeves. There is no way they would have gone into this battle underprepared and without a killer tactic. I think they will use tactical nukes or maybe even a sub-space derivative.”
“Something you know?”
“Yes and no, mostly rumors. Guess we will have to wait and see what Alpha’s response is.”
They continued in silence for a few minutes before his father piped up again.
“So tell me about Carla and Steve. You said that they had split up and that you and she are going to Titan?”
“Yes, although it’s only a temporary split. Carla and I remain close. You know we still play tennis every weekend?”
Jake went on to explain why Carla wanted to visit Titan and why she had asked him and not Steve. As he finished his explanation, they neared the gates of his parent’s house. They walked the remainder of the walk in silence.
Jake awoke