Alpha One - Chris Burton [75]
Ros Carter was forty-nine, but looked more like thirty-nine. She had a good life and practiced healthy living with a positive mental attitude. As head of the Battle Injury unit at the Farnham Medical Center, she witnessed some of the most atrocious injuries man could ever inflict on themselves. She strived to make as many of them better, or to make the patients as comfortable as possible, and that was how she got through the day. Right now. she was on call, 24/7, with breaks at the weekend critical to her own self-preservation. They anticipated the worst. The recent losses at the Ionian front would soon result in a huge number of referrals to her facility; it was a flagship center and served a large community because of their overall capability.
She was glad to have the opportunity to spend some one-to-one time with Jake. She, too, wanted to talk about jump ships, but she would be more subtle than her husband.
“So Jake, why has Carla invited you to Titan? Is there something you need to tell me?”
“No Mum. We are close, but purely platonic. This is an emotional time for Carla and she needs someone she can rely on. Steve is unreliable, especially at the moment.”
“Steve has always been unreliable. Typical jump pilot really. I always thought they were a good match, i.e., opposites attract.”
“Yes they make a good team, but Carla needs some space. I am going along for the ride, plus I have never been to Titan. It will be interesting for my studies, if nothing else.”
“If she tries it on what will you say?”
Jake decided to ignore the question.
Ros Carter smiled. It was a vested interest. She liked Carla, and Carla represented the more pleasant side of Alpha’s activities. She was a good communicator and would make a fine diplomat some day. She liked the idea that Carla and Jake could get together and she might well persuade Jake not to go down the ‘fly boy’ route. She turned towards Jake again and sighed.
“Joanna’s service was nice. She was a wonderful girl. You miss her, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. She and I had some good times together. It is such a tragic waste of life. Mum, I know you are going to link this with my jump ship training. Jo was unlucky. She was too good a pilot for her loss to be anything other than bad luck.”
“Is it luck then, a lottery if you decide to become a jump ship pilot?”
“No, it’s about skill. The luck is when and where you get called into duty, just as it is with a star ship. The ten thousand personnel lost in the battle with the Sentinels were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and most of those were in ships of the line. You need to understand that I enjoy piloting jump ships, and that it is still the fastest route to command. I could be looking at squadron leader within eighteen months.”
“Jake. We know; you will make the right decision, but you must understand our concerns. Dying in combat is not romantic or cool and neither is injury. There is nothing cool about being paralyzed from the neck down or losing half your face in combat. Is there?”
Just then, Simon Carter appeared, having downed his two pints. He seemed pleased enough. ”Just seen Sarah Whittaker in the village, Jake, she was asking after you.”
“Sarah Whitaker is after a husband, and preferably a jump ship pilot. Stay clear, Jake,” teased his Mum.
“She’s cute but a bit too small-town provincial for me. Anyway, I have only just finished with Maria. I have not got time for relationships.”
“I have invited her and her family to our Christmas drinks party on the 17th. I presume you are still coming?”
“Yes. I should be, academic work pending. Please don’t try and set me up with Sarah again. She’s nice, but not my type and I am only twenty-two.”
Jake knew that this was yet another subtle