Convoy Snippet 3

Sitrep update: Rea sent me back Convoy. I mentioned it in the comments on the previous post. I have sent it on to Goodlifeguide.com. No ETA when she'll be done formatting it however.

Note: Some of you might recognize the scene below. It is indeed from Pirate Rage. I planned it that way. There are scenes or events mentioned from PR, EE, Retribution, J5, and even The Gathering Storm sown into this book. :)

Act I

Chapter 1

 

Prometheus's arrival in Pyrax triggered a promotion. Commander Shelby Logan was promoted to captain junior grade when her ship returned to Pyrax for rest and refit. She had downloaded the news that she was on the list when they'd passed through Gaston, but the deliberations and the final decision had been held while her ship had been in hyperspace to Pyrax.

One of the first things Shelby did once they docked was march herself over to Admiral Subert's office. Commander Garretaj slipped her into the admiral's schedule for a brief ceremony and link-up so Admiral Subert and Admiral Irons could download her new implant keys.

Admiral Irons had only a moment to congratulate her through the ansible before he had to depart. She managed to stammer thanks before he signed off.

With the implant keys came new downloaded orders. She and her crew were going to be given long overdue liberty, and there would be some promotions and shuffling around of her personnel. But once that was finished and they reported back to duty, they were scheduled for a brief working-up exercise to blow the rust off before a new adventure.

The newly-minted junior grade captain had been designated as the future Tau sector naval commander. Her orders were to take Prometheus with a rebuilt and reinforced task force around the southern loop to Airea 3 and then into Tau. Her mission was planned to be a beachhead and an olive branch to the sector, building off the intelligence that the light cruisers Puglia and Belfast would  hopefully provide them.

While making contact with the locals and securing space around the shipways to Rho sector, she was to establish a base and new sector capital. Unfortunately, she was going to have her work cut out for her; her reinforced task force was to be used as security to protect Prometheus as well as the freighters and other support ships that would be in the convoy.

Which meant she wouldn't be able to draw them down to chase pirates. She'd have to figure something else out. Fortunately, she had at least eight months before the scheduled kick-off date to do so. She'd have her ship and industrial plant but only local resources and a finite amount of personnel to start with she knew. Talk about making bricks without straw, Shelby thought, before she put the problems of the future aside to bask in the moment at hand.

Shelby grinned in bemusement as she looked at her shiny new rank insignia and the congratulations from friends that started to hit her inbox. When she departed the admiral's office, the staff room was filed with her officers and senior enlisted as well as personnel she knew. They applauded her.

"If you think I'm taking you all out for drinks, you've got another think coming," she growled playfully, which sparked a laugh from the group.

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"Before they go on leave, they still have to face the review board for the action in Nightingale as well as the entire mission. Did someone forget to put that on the itinerary?" Rear Admiral Subert demanded, turning on Saul.

"I'll check but I believe … yes, the itinerary came from the Admiralty in Antigua," he warned.

"Well, revise it. They'll need to go through the process like everyone else. That includes the IG inspection," the admiral stated.

Saul hesitated and then nodded once as he made a note. "Aye aye, sir," he said as he turned to hear the clapping and congratulations in the outer office.

"You can tell them enough is enough, take the party elsewhere, we've got work to do," the admiral growled.

"Yes, sir. Right away," the commander said as he left the office and closed the door.

"He's in a mood again," the yeoman said quietly. He shot her a quelling look, then made shooing motions to the personnel in the bullpen to get back to work or about their duties. Slowly the crowd dispersed.

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Captain Firefly also passed on his congratulations. He was still considering signing on to the Tau mission since he'd been denied command or participation in the eastern front mission. If he did, it would jog Shelby's elbow though since he would be the senior officer and thus in command of the mission. But she would understand he thought.

He considered going on the mission as a fresh start, but it would mean taking on a crew and getting the Admiralty to light a fire under his mothballed ship's repair. Something they were loath to do apparently, quite possibly to let the story of her disastrous battle die down for a while, though he wasn't certain.

Then there were the problems he knew lurked in the shadows and deep web of the star system's electronic net. Captain Sprite and the Xeno Wraith hunters couldn't guarantee the star system was clear of intrusion. He had recently picked up a sniff of the Wraith, most likely a clone or bot.

Whatever it was it had self-destructed before he'd managed to catch and analyze it fully. He had managed to get a contact report off to ONI. They were tight lipped about the incident. He speculated that civilian hardware in the star system had been compromised, but the ONI techs Captain Teague had dispatched had refused to speculate.

Should he go? He wasn't certain if he had a choice or not. He also didn't like the idea of leaving an enemy behind him. Either way, the decision was out of his hands.

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Shelby returned to the ship to find her itinerary had been updated. She grimaced as she read the fresh orders. She swore under her breath as she read the part about the full review as well as the IG inspection. People were not going to like that she thought as she took on the occasional congratulations from her crew in passing.

When she got to the bridge, she could tell immediately that the news was out. The applause quickly ended with questions about if they really had to go through the rigmarole as expected.

She held up her hands and then took her seat and pressed the intercom key. "All hands, this is the captain speaking. I know the scuttlebutt is at its usual finest so you all know the news good and bad. I'll tell it to you straight as I always do. Yes we've got to go through the review and IG inspection before leave is assigned. That's all there is to it, so snap too. The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can go have fun. Captain out," she said as her thumb released the button.

"Well! That certainly put a damper on the festivities," Ensign Prometheus, the ship's A.I. stated.

"It did indeed," Shelby murmured as the crew returned to their duties. She noted most of it was cross-training on the various ship's functions and stations. She nodded. That was good; she liked her crew to continue their training and not slack off.

"Captain, we're receiving an announcement from a civilian source," Ensign Prometheus reported.

"Let me guess, another request for an interview?" Shelby drawled from her bridge chair, also known as the hot seat.

"No, ma’am. It is from the Oasis of Space Liner Company. They are giving the crew each a free three-day pass on board their ship. Sort of a thank you for our services to the Federation they said," the A.I. replied.

"Well, I'm glad someone appreciates us," Lieutenant Silverfish said, grooming his whiskers.

Shelby turned to the A.I.'s avatar image. "Ensign, verify that is legit before you pass it on to the crew," Shelby ordered.

"Aye aye, ma’am," the A.I. replied as he nodded.

"Ma'am, we're also getting requests for interviews from Knox News and the other media affiliates. Some are on the order of polite requests; others are near demands," the comm rating reported, then paused, one hand to her ear. "And I'm now receiving fresh orders from HQ not to respond to interview requests and to run all requests for comment through the Navy Public Affairs Department, ma'am," she said.

"That was quick," Cynthia murmured, looking over to the captain.

Shelby shrugged. "If it is all the same, between me and you, I didn't want to talk to the media anyway," she said.

"I know," her acting XO said with a rueful shake of her head. "Still, it would have been fun seeing you try," she said. Shelby glowered at her and then crossed her arms. Cynthia just gave her a brief innocent smile. "Well, it would have," she said.

"Sure it would have," Shelby murmured.

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