“Commander
Peter Flynn, I’m assigned to the Vienna
to be the new XO,” Flynn explained to the duty officer.
The
lieutenant checked his data slate, then nodded. “Yes, sir, everything appears
to be in order.”
“She’s
likely to be in her quarters. I can have an Ensign Montoya show you the way,
sir.”
Flynn
nodded, and the ensign guided him through the cramped corridors of the Vienna. She was bigger than the Temujin, the ship Flynn had been
reassigned from, and he thought that would have meant he wouldn’t have to worry
about banging his head through every hatch.
Ensign
Montoya delivered Flynn to the Captain’s state room, after which Flynn
dismissed him with a quick salute. Flynn could hear voices on the other side of
the door, and wondered if he should wait.
There’s no telling how long I’d be out here waiting.
If it’s important, she’ll make me wait, but I need to at least knock.
He rapped
three times on the door.
“Come!”
came the command, a woman’s voice, which he believed to be the captain.
Flynn went
in and saw Captain Rachel Powell behind a desk, her black hair in a regulation
braid in case of gravnet failure. She had crow’s feet around her dark eyes, and
a set to her jaw that said she didn’t brook interruption lightly.
On the
other side of the desk was a familiar face, but Flynn needed to address the
captain, first.
“Captain,
Commander Peter Flynn reporting for duty.”
“Captain,”
Keith Lanning smiled, “Peter’s an old friend from the academy. You don’t have
anything to worry about with him as the new XO.”
“Is that
so?” Captain Powell returned Flynn’s salute. “At ease. Well, we’ll put that to
the test soon, shall we?”
“Yes, sir,”
Flynn said.
“XO, tell
me about Commander Flynn.”
“Pete’s,
well, he’s unique, Captain. He’s a natural with tactics, not that his grade
would reflect that. See, he decided to create variations on the established
tactics, and even came up with some original maneuvers. Not all of them worked,
though, and some of the captains and admirals didn’t appreciate his
originality.”
That’s an understatement. Of course, I wish
Captain Powell wasn’t hearing about those incidents in quite this way.
“Really?
Well, I like to do things by the book. Can he accommodate that?”
“He knows
the regs, and he’s never had a problem with the chain of command.”
“I see.
Well, Captain Shin speaks highly of him.”
I’ll miss the Temujin. I made some good friends there, and the
Captain was one of them.
“Well,
Commander Flynn, welcome aboard the Vienna.
XO, why don’t you show him the ropes.”
“Aye, sir.”
Flynn
followed Keith to his new state room, and did a quick tour of the ship. The
layout was pretty standard for Alliance ships, with only certain variations.
When finished, they had some time to put to shore and have an
honest-to-celestials drink, something Flynn hadn’t had in months as the Temujin
had been on deep patrol near the Imperium.
“It’s good
to see you again, Pete.”
“You, too,
Keith.”
It really is. I’ve only been able to keep in
touch with a few from the academy days, and Keith is one of them.
“Hey, do
you remember those fan dancers we snuck in at the Academy?”
“You mean
the ones we dressed up as SPs and had them bring us in?”
“Those are
the ones. Man, that was one of our bolder moves, wasn’t it?”
Flynn
grinned. “We got away with it, too.”
“Your
tactics, my charm,” Keith held up his glass.
Flynn
clinked his against it. “The good old days.”