Convoy is here!

  A funny thing happened when I checked my email last night, Convoy was in it. Apparently Goodlifeguide pulled out all the stops to get it out before Thanksgiving. Thank you Shelley!

  I need some caffeine before I deal with Amazon and B&N however. So, expect it to go live this evening or tomorrow. ...That is, if I don't get shanghaied to go Christmas shopping! GRR!

  Commander Shelby Logan had a history and a future. She was in command of a great ship, Prometheus, and loved her job. She had known for some time that she would be working around the sector to help bring it up to the old Federation standards.

  Plans however tend to change with time. When her ship returned to Pyrax she was promoted to Captain and thrust into the planning of an expedition to the nearby Tau sector in order to get it turned around and ready to join the Federation. She found to her dismay that she had to navigate the increasingly byzantine politics of the growing navy and federation government, then deal with politicians as her convoy made its way through Rho's southern loop to jump to Tau.

  Once in Tau she and her people found that everything they'd experienced up until that point was minor compared to the nightmare they were thrust into. But there was one thing about Shelby, her stubbornness, grit, and her determination were as well known as her father's and Admiral Irons. One way or another she was going to drag the sector kicking and screaming to civilization. Or her name wasn't Shelby Logan!

Here is the Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N65FA1S

From Jörg Wunderlich-Pfeiffer
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01N65FA1S
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N65FA1S
https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B01N65FA1S

B&N from Duncan:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/convoy-chris-hechtl/1125161063?ean=2940157111939

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.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

"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.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

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.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

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.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

Convoy snippet 2

Still in the Prologue:

"We're not getting an IFF from the other ship and she's still backing off. CIC reports it is a North Hampton," the tactical officer reported.

"I don't believe..." the captain frowned. "CIC, run the class of ship past our known war book for the Tau Gather Fleet."

"No ships have come up that match the class sir," the CIC rating reported a moment later.

"Vampire! I say again Vampire!" the sensor rating said. "Multiple missiles incoming!"

"Is she insane?" the XO demanded.

"Apparently. And apparently not one of ours. Tactical, I want options," Captain Lafayette snarled.

"Target is Fancy," the CIC rating reported. "Ten missiles inbound. Tango has raised shields and is continuing to back off. We're getting sensor hits outside the shields."

"Cytheria and Fancy on defense. That leaves Seydlitz to carry the ball," the captain ordered as Doctor Wilhelm and Doctor Goethe came storming onto the bridge. He turned to look at them briefly out of the corner of his eye but the majority of his focus was on the unexpected engagement.

"What is going on?" Doctor Wilhelm demanded, eyes wide as he stared at the plot.

"Our unexpected visitor turned hostile. Now be quiet or get off my bridge," the captain ordered coldly as he turned to his tactical department. He noted Lieutenant Troykov had his head down so he turned to the plot. Weapons fire from the 3 ships spat out. He didn't like the stream from Cytheria, the destroyer didn't have the right angle and apparently hadn't had all her defenses online. Her captain was also conserving the counter missiles in his inventory.

"Missiles... they are good," Lieutenant Troykov the tactical officer muttered.

"Not something I like to hear guns," the captain muttered.

"Sorry skipper but its true," the tactical officer said, clearly sweating. The only sign of the occasional interception was a blink, otherwise the man was totally focused on the incoming missiles. "Damn it, they are deploying decoys!"

"Frack," the captain muttered.

"Two missiles are inside the outer engagement zone. Too close for counter missiles... they are changing course!" Lieutenant Troykov said, suddenly surprised and apparently caught off guard. "It's a fake out! Frack Cytheria you are the real target!"

Captain Lafayette and the personnel on the bridge watched as the 2 missiles spat decoys and weaved, then when they got to the outer edge of the PDL their warheads shed their shell and then an 8 pack of sub-munitions were kicked out. Suddenly the destroyer's Point Defense Lasers had 16 targets instead of the 8 plus the decoys they'd expected. The ship tried to turn to give her port broadside lasers a better angle to fire as well.

Four of the missiles were cut down in the outer engagement zone. Fancy caught two more but then the rest were obstructed by the destroyer's bulk. The remaining 10 got through everything the ships could fire to detonate. 4 were slightly ahead of the others so they went off and tore at the ship's shields.

Cytheria's bow shields were weak after the series of long jumps. Something failed in a pair of overstressed emitters and the shield buckled and fell, collapsing to allow the tumbling 6 warheads through. The ship tried to turn but she was too slow on the helm and that was the worst thing she could do at that moment. Two of the missiles hit her bow and detonated, a third was hit by a phaser and exploded, but the last 3 hammered into her spine and lightly armored boat bay. The nuclear charges easily breached the thin metal walls as if they were tissue paper and tore at the interior of the ship's boat bay, destroying her compliment of shuttles. Fuel and explosive materials in the boat bay were added to the mix.

Captain Lafayette and the other people on the bridge only saw the fireball in the guts of the destroyer before something let go and her spine broke. The ship broke in half, each part twisting away.

"Son of a fracking..." Lieutenant Troykov whispered.

Captain Lafayette licked his lips then turned to the plot. His momentary inattention when he had watched Cytheria's demise had taken his eyes off the enemy ship and Seydlitz's engagement. Seydlitz had fired only 6 missiles at the enemy ship initially, but had then fired 10 more. The enemy ship's point defense was lethally accurate, cutting down the incoming fire as it spat 10 more missiles to come at them.

Two of Seydlitz's missiles detonated in the face of the enemy fire, momentarily blinding the light cruiser. 2 follow up missiles survived passing through the rapidly expanding cloud of plasma to hit the ship's shields. The shields wavered under the impact of nuclear fire, but held.

"Returning fire," Lieutenant Troykov said, ignoring the order to remain on the defense. Ten missiles fired back at the enemy ship before the ship's tactical department shifted back on defense. Counter missiles and point defense lasers interdicted the 10 incoming missiles. Decoys were deployed but the missiles ignored them.

"They've got our number. I'm shifting to defense plan Baker," the lieutenant ordered.

Captain Layafette watched the incoming spread of 20 missiles head to the retreating enemy ship. The 10 from Seydlitz were in the lead. They were cut down by the enemy's fiendishly effective defenses, but his ship's 10 got through the plasma and debris. Eight survived to come out the other side. Two were destroyed by point defense lasers, but then the remaining 6 detonated. The ship rolled back and forth. Her shields went down.

"Got her!" the sensor rating cheered as Seydlitz fired another 10 missiles.

"Watch the missiles, those things are expensive. We only have so many," Doctor Goethe protested.

"So are ships. We've lost one. Something tells me losing a ship is far more expensive," Commander Misaki growled darkly, pointing to the image of the tumbling debris off their port side.

Doctor Goethe scowled at her but then Doctor Wilhelm elbowed her and then pointed to the plot and the debris that had once been a destroyer. The female doctor grunted and then became quiet.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

Captain Loggins noted things weren't going well. When his shields went down he took the chance to spin his ship and put shield emitters that weren't as damaged in between his ship and the incoming fire, then had his ship's sublight drive kicked on at 110 percent. The ship suddenly sprinted away, throwing off the aim of the incoming missiles. 2 detonated near enough to damage Puglia further, but not enough to destroy her. He needed to get deeper into the nebula of the destroyed system. Their wake would give the enemy somewhere to look but the fine debris from the destroyed star system would obscure the Horathian sensors.

His ship just had to survive to get that far.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

Captain Layafette grimaced when he noted the enemy ship was getting away. He turned to the image of Cytheria. "Order 8116 to pick up the life pods. Fancy and Seydlitz away the shuttles and gigs to pick up survivors," he ordered. "We'll need DCC boarding parties to get on that ship to search for survivors. Once they've gotten everyone out we'll pick her clean and then scuttle her.

"You aren't going after them?" Doctor Goethe demanded just as the image of the enemy ship faded. The captain shook his head. "Why not?"

"She's just gone into stealth. We only have so much fuel, I don't want to waste it trying to track that ship down."

"If you split up..." Doctor Goethe suggested, clearly inexperienced.

Commander Misaki eyed her coldly. "You are that naive? If we split up we'd allow them to hit us individually. We'd invite defeat in detail. No." He could tell shock over the brief savage engagement was beginning to fade and be replaced with anger and a thirst for revenge. He understood it, he wanted it too, but he had a responsibility, an overriding one.

"I thought it was Tau pirates. Now..." Doctor Wilhelm said slowly before he shook himself.

"It wasn't the Tau Gather Fleet. We checked the war book," Commander Misaki said with a shake of her head.

"You think it was the Federation? Here? In this area?" Doctor Goethe demanded. The XO shrugged.

"We've been picking up ion trails, this ship might be one of them sir," the sensor rating reminded them, looking up from his station.

"But it came in before us, or after? Clearly it is faster... How is that possible?" Doctor Goethe demanded.

"More importantly, how did a ship like that become fully functional?" Doctor Wilhelm asked. "And why did they come out here? I thought they were bottled up in Pyrax?"

"Tell them that," the captain said with a shake of his head. The room quieted has he tugged on the hem of his jacket for a moment. "I don't have the answers. But we need to find out." Captain Layafette said grimly, turning away.

"I've got one more question," Doctor Goethe said, partially raising her right hand. The Captain turned to her. "Are there any more?" she asked.

The captain froze and then nodded slowly. "Good question," he said.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

Captain Loggins grimaced as he read the latest damage report. Puglia had managed to successfully limp off to hide and lick wounds, but that was the only good news. The ship didn't have an industrial replicator large enough to make the replacement parts they needed. Making them piecemeal with the food replicator and small class 1 replicator wouldn't give them all the emitter parts they needed.

The good news was that the enemy had chosen not to follow them. They could remain in stealth but the shield damage meant the hyperdrive was 'iffy'. His Neochimp chief engineer was not confident in a jump. "It looks like we're stuck here," lieutenant Groff finished quietly. A fresh pall of fear and apprehension seemed to settle on the officers in the compartment.

"Great, trapped. Just what I didn't want to hear," Captain Loggins growled as he watched the long range plot show the enemy ships scuttle the remains of the destroyer, then jump out of the star system.

Convoy Snippet 1

Hi,
Humming along with things despite lingering frustration and depression over the election. Here is the first snippet.

Prologue

"A couple more jumps and we'll be at the base. Unless of course they moved it," Captain Fernando Lafayette of the Admiral Hipper class heavy cruiser Fancy said moodily as he drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. As senior officer he was in command of the detachment from Fourth Fleet. He had 2 senior officers on-board but they were not in his chain of command. His eyes scanned the plot. Another twenty-two minutes of deceleration and they would be on top of the jump point. Preparations were already under way to get the ships rigged for hyperspace. As the time ticked down he noted the hyper-capacitors were slowly charging.

Once he finished his scan of the instruments and bridge his mind returned to the overall picture once more. Fourth Fleet's Tau mission had an extra element he found distasteful but necessary. The current plan would take decades before the fleet arrived in the sector to take physical control, and investing in so many planets was cost prohibitive in manpower and machinery. Therefore, they were relying on other means to secure the sector and reduce its unwanted population, or eliminate it entirely.

He shook his head. That part of the plan was thankfully not up to him to execute, he just needed to get the materials and the orders to the Admiral and not step on his toes. Getting the water dwellers with that going on would be tricky though.

He still missed Gorgon, with her gone he was 1 ship down which made his search that much harder. He could understand Captain Yanakov's problem, there had been similar concern with Cytheria since she too was a venerable Cutlass class destroyer. After the structural faults and cracking had been reported by Gorgon's chief engineer, a close inspection of Cytheria had been in order. Fortunately, for her she didn't turn up the same problems as Gorgon however, so she was able to continue on while her division mate had been forced to drop out of hyper for a brief period.

He wasn't certain which way Yanakov would jump. Would he return to Airea 3 and Rho sector? It was possible. He'd like to think the man had put his ship in order and had stayed on mission, but since he hadn't shown up in the Trajin cluster, it remained doubtful. And since they didn't know exactly where his ship had dropped out there was no telling where Gorgon was in real space if she were trapped.

That was something every spacer dreaded, being trapped in a ship that couldn't get back into hyper again. He bet that Gorgon's chief would patch the structure enough to get her back to Airea 3. He shook his head.

Whatever happened he had to deal with it. Stay on mission, he reminded himself.

"Sir, a hyper jump has been detected at the jump point," a rating reported.

"Which... you mean the one we're almost at?" the captain demanded.

"Yes sir."

"No IFF yet sir," the comm section PO said. "Sensors can't get an ID until the energy pulse fades. Based on the size though CIC is pegging it as about a hundred thousand tons, give or take twenty percent."

"Which makes it too small for a standard freighter. It could be tramp or yacht," the captain mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"It could be one of ours sir. A member of the Gather Fleet," Commander Siri Misaki reminded him, fulfilling her job as his executive officer.

The captain nodded once, but he didn't believe in easy coincidences. "True. Comm, raise them. Send them our IFF," the captain ordered. "CIC, I want better details on this ship," the captain said. He turned to the XO. "I think we better button up, just in case."

"Aye aye sir. Setting battle stations now," the XO replied with a curt nod.

The captain nodded as the energy readings on the hyper capacitors stopped climbing and then began to fall. If they were wrong he'd be chagrined but relieved. But better that than to get his ass and his ships shot up.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

The North Hampton class light cruiser Puglia had been assigned with her division mate Belfast to make contact with several star systems in Tau as advanced scouts before the official Tau mission was kicked off. With a bit of horse trading of parts and the hard work of Puglia's engineering compliment to partially restore a ship, they had sent back the tramp freighter from the Trajin cluster to Airea 3 with a request to join the Federation. Their files had also been sent in encrypted chips.

Captain Loggins shook his head as he contemplated the mission. The jump to Tau-X3301 had been a waste of time; the space colony's population had refused to trade with them. To be fair, they were hanging on the ragged edge and were low on fuel themselves. Their orders were to return to the Trajin cluster when their fuel reserves got below forty percent. They were at thirty-nine percent and they still had 5 jumps before they got back to the cluster. By the time they returned to the cluster they'd be on fumes, Captain Loggins mused as his crew secured the ship from jump. The navigator was going to have to plot an economic fuel burn to the next jump point he thought moodily just as something changed on his bridge.

The nebula they were in, the destroyed star system that had once been Tau-T1832 bothered everyone since it was so cold and dark. It was best to get across quickly, he thought just as CIC painted moving karats on the plot.

"Sir, we've got multiple ships approaching the jump point. They appear to be slowing to jump. CIC is still working off of passives, the energy pulse hasn't fully dissipated," a sensor rating reported.

"Multiple..." the captain murmured as he checked the plot. There were four ships there, all on a heading for the jump point, which meant on a direct course for his ship. "Comm, any IFF yet?"

"Too soon to tell sir, the energy pulse is still interfering with everything," the Veraxin rating reported.

"Active sensors and communications will be nearly useless for another four minutes sir," the sensor rating added.

"I don't like this. It could be the Tau mission, but... it feels too soon. Helm, back us off. Engineering, how soon can you spin up our hyperdrive again?" the captain demanded.

"We bled off a lot of the excess energy that couldn't be recovered easily. It will take at least thirty minutes sir," Ensign Apulia, his ship's dumb A.I. replied.

"They'll be in extreme weapons range in ten minutes sir," Ensign V'll'n the Veraxin JTO warned.

"Battle stations," the captain said flatly. Klaxons and red lights went off throughout the ship. "Button her up. Helm, keep us nose on to them as long as you can. Sensors, we need more information. IFF?"

"Working on it," the rating said. "Tentative ID, at least three of the ship silhouettes do not match any merchant ships."

"Frack, warships. What about the other ship, could it be Prometheus?"

"No definitely not skipper," the rating replied.

"Give me something. I don't want to be in a shooting incident with our own people if I can help it."

"Sir, Comm here, we're being pinged! It's Horathian!" the comm rating said urgently as the Naga TACO slithered in to relieve the JTO. The Veraxin stepped aside and then took a duty station from a rating in her department.

The captain looked over to the Naga. "CIC sensors are calling the 2 largest warships as heavy cruisers. The port one is an Admiral Hipper class. The starboard one is tentatively ID'd as the same class. The slightly smaller tango has been positively ID'ed as a Cutlass sir," the Naga said as she checked the readings. "We are in serious trouble here."

"Engineering, we're going to need that hyperdrive sooner. Get our shields up people, we're playing defense. Helm, pick up speed."

"We can't get much more speed facing them sir," the rating said.

]][#]]]{OO}===}==>

Convoy

Okay, I sent this out to the Betas, I've gotten enough positive responses to feel comfortable moving forward with it as the cover:

  Prometheus is front and center. There are Resolution class heavy cruisers, some Apollo class corvettes, Manta class frigates, Arboth class destroyers, and support ships made from Rj001's archive of ships I bought. :)

The Betas should (fingers crossed) have Convoy back to me so I can send it off to Rea sometime next week. I'll start putting up snippets this weekend. (if I remember)

Also, I changed the cover to J5 slightly on Rick's suggestion:

I'm slowly getting caught up on my To-do list. I'm still debating if I want to do more character renders or animate the Convoy cover (which would be cool!) or do something else this weekend. :)

Gods of War, Jethro 5 goes live in 5...4...3...

That's right, I just got it back from Shelley over at Goodlifeguide.com and Gods of War has just been upload it. Expect it at Amazon and B&N within the next 24 hours!

  Master Sergeant Jethro McClintock and his A.I. Bast had fought the good fight on Protodon. His next mission was a brief stop on his wife's planet and then some time training the next generation of Marines on Agnosta, the Marine and Army world in the growing reborn Federation.

   However all was not well on the planet as treachery waited for the black Neo-panther. Navigating it the panther managed to survive and then ship out to Antigua, capital of the Federation where an even greater danger where his future, and quite possibly the future of the Federation was at stake!

I'll post the links when they go live. As a famous news ladies says, "Watch this space!"

Amazon link: (Thanks to Stewart Blacklock)
https://www.amazon.com/Gods-War-Jethro-goes-Book-ebook/dp/B01M10ZZDJ/ref=sr_1_1

Amazon DE link: (Thanks to Jörg Wunderlich-Pfeiffer)
https://www.amazon.de/Gods-Jethro-goes-Book-English-ebook/dp/B01M10ZZDJ

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gods-of-war-chris-hechtl/1124771650?ean=2940157072919

Enjoy!

J5 snippet 4

First a sitrep:
I received J5 from Rea this morning. I went over the edits, then added the missing pieces (TOC, etc) then just sent it off to Goodlifeguide.com.

I also started the second act of Shelby's book, Convoy on Monday. I've been so wrapped up in it plus my doctor's appointment I have totally forgotten to post snippets the past couple of days. My bad!

Speaking of which... still in chapter 2, picking up right up where we left off:

General Forth eyed the division commanders and Major White Wolf as he met with them in the big conference room the following morning.

The coffee fiends had hit the urn hard and had forced the staff to brew a second and then third pot. They'd also blown through a lot of the donuts someone had thoughtfully laid out. He'd have to ask where they'd gotten them; the éclair he'd managed to snag had been good and fresh.

“Now that we've all had our morning caffeine jolt, I suppose I should get around to the business of the day before the sugar rush wears off and we all fall into sugar comas,” the general said as he stirred his cup.

There was a soft chuckle from the assembly of officers.

“First up, we've got a winner on our unofficial competition,” he said almost absently. He noted out of the corner of his eye that the assembly seemed to stiffen and sit up straighter. “Colonel Harley, you'll be taking the fight to Destria,” he said after a long moment of anticipation. He reached into his breast pocket and fished out an order chip. He slid it over the desk to her.

There was a smattering of applause that grew before it faded.

“Congratulations, Colonel. Kick their asses hard,” Valenko rumbled once the clapping ended.

“Oh, I intend to,” the woman replied with a nod and small smile. She kept herself from smirking in triumph at the bear. It was hard. She'd earned the job and bragging rights, but she managed to keep a straight face as she nodded. “We'll prep for movement immediately, sir,” she said as she took the chip.

“Don't get into too much of a rush,” the general said dryly.

“Sir?” Dana asked, blinking.

“We're still waiting on transport from the Navy,” the general replied in a disgusted tone of voice. “They captured a couple of Horathian transports over the years, but we're using most of those to ferry troops to and from Protodon. They've got two others that had been captured in various places recently; supposedly, they were going to be refitted. That's a big question mark since they are pretty down the list on priorities,” he said with a grimace. “And I got word that one will not be used to carry troops. It's supposed to be a modified carrier design to carry our aircraft.”

“So …?” Dana frowned as she turned the problem over in her head. “What are we supposed to do, sir, walk?”

“No. We're getting our own transports within the next two to six months. I just got word this morning. Since we want to land your force in one go, you'll have to wait until they are all ready to go.”

“So they have to what, go through the working-up exercises and stuff? Are we supposed to crew them, sir?”

“That we don't have to do,” the general stated with a shake of his head. “We're getting the specs now. I'll forward them to you. I want a general TOE from you by the end of the week, Colonel,” he stated.

“Aye aye, sir.”

“I want a need and want list. Don't be shy, but don't get carried away,” the general continued. Dana nodded. “This time you are going to get air support from the beginning,” he said grimly, “with naval support from the get-go.”

She nodded again. “Good to know, sir.”

“Which is why we're actually glad we've got a small window before the transports show up. It will give the current crop of students at MAWTS-1 time to get the rough edges off,” the general said eying Major White Wolf. She nodded.

“I'm going over the syllabus with the staff now, sir. Lieutenant Rivers is the only other combat veteran instructor for the moment. He's good but even he has some rough edges,” she stated.

“Work on them. You've got some time but not a lot, Major,” the general stated.

“Aye aye, sir.”

“Air cover, bombardment … am I going to get much INTEL? What about the INTEL from the ships the Navy captured, sir?” Dana asked as her fingers curled around the chip. Her hand jack accessed the chip and put the orders up on her HUD in a series of files. There was a lot of paperwork but not a lot of INTEL. She'd already known and practically memorized the Encyclopedia Galactica entry.

“ONI is still processing it, but there is a backlog. Don't get your hopes up. I'm trying to get the raw take so we can process it ourselves if need be. So far, not much luck on that front, but I'll keep trying. You might have to pick up the data and any fast and dirty ONI conclusions in Pyrax,” the general stated as Dana scowled. He held up a restraining hand. “ONI is swamped, Colonel; it is what it is. Deal with it.”

She grimaced and then nodded curtly. “Yes, sir.”

“I'm still trying to get a spook or better yet, a team of spooks assigned to you. I think we might get something done there but no promises at this point,” the general stated. “ONI is one of the most overtaxed departments in the Navy it seems.”

“Yes, sir. What about RECON and SPECOPS?”

“Check your mission brief. If you have a specific request, let me know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Fine then, moving on to new business …,” the general smiled maliciously as he turned to the Neowolf in their midst.

Moira's ears went back warily as she returned his gaze. “Yes, sir?” she asked.

“I just got confirmation from BuPers this morning. We'll hold a brief ceremony tomorrow, but I wanted to let you know your promotion has gone through.”

“Sir?” Moira asked, blinking at him in confusion. “Oh, you mean to major?”

“No, to lieutenant colonel,” the general replied. He caught a brief look of concern flash across Dana's face. He turned to her, but she instantly schooled her expression into a mask. “Do you wish to say something, Colonel?”

“Congratulations, Colonel,” Dana said with a nod.

“I don't know what to say,” Moira said with a shake of her head. “It's a bit soon, sir,” she said. “I'm still just a reservist,” she warned.

“And a planetary head of state,” the general stated. “I know. Yes, politics are at play as well but not all of it. I read your report from Protodon, and I put in a good word with Admiral Irons. We need your grit to help us get our feet under us. I know we won't have you for much longer; the convoy to go to Kathy's World will be assembling in another two weeks or so. So, we'll make the most of it.”

“And get whatever press we can out of my promotion,” Moira said with a bit of amusement in her voice as she got her mental feet back under her. She nodded once. “Yes, sir.”

“You earned it on Protodon and Kathy's World. This isn't a publicity stunt,” the general said in a stern voice.

“Yes, sir. Thank you for clarifying that,” she replied.

“Good, now …”

J5 Snippet 3

Sitrep: I received most of the input from the betas and I've waded through their suggested corrections. I just sent the manuscript to Rea. Don't worry, Tim, Jory, Poon, I can incorporate your suggestions when you get them to me once she's sent it back.

I'm a bit distracted with the new Shelby book and stuff going on in real life. (and worried about the Edison fleet out front. Am I going to loose power AGAIN???)

That being said, on to the snippet!

Chapter 2 

Bast received an email request from Marine security as well as the local ONI office to update the base's firewalls and security files to protect the Marines from the Xeno virus. She considered the problem for a long moment before she decided to do a bit of horse trading. First she would need access, she had no intention of turning the files over so they could be easily accessed, copied, and potentially taken apart by a Xeno virus.

She also wanted, no, need additional processors if she was going to keep her eye on Jethro.

Her emotional modulators indicated amusement when she received an email saying they would get back to her on her request.

Apparently they weren't that eager to protect themselves from the virus she thought as she returned to watching over her host the best she could.

\<)>^<)>/

“So, are we ready to finally do this?” Admiral Irons asked.

“I believe so. I'm just amused about how the competition has turned out,” General Forth stated. He felt a little nervous over it all.

“Competition... between the divisions yes?”

“Yes sir.” With more planets joining the Federation and regular interstellar trade picking up recruits were turning up everywhere. Agnosta had its fair share, as did Pyrax and Seti Alpha 4, but new Marine and Army recruits were being shipped in from all over the western side of the sector and the numbers were steadily climbing. So much so that they now had roughly a thousand recruits a month for the 2 branches. He knew the navy had plenty of recruits that passed through Agnosta on their way to the training centers and academy in Pyrax, but they weren't his problem. The new troops were.

So far a majority of the recruits were for the Marines. That was changing as the Army started to get its feet under itself. He knew they had a long way to go before they were ready to stand up, so he was glad there was no active recruiting going on for that branch. Captain Yee was also busy as their local artillery expert so a lot of the Army was suffering for his distraction. Eventually that had to stop he knew.

But with so many recruits showing up with each convoy or tramp freighter meant he had to expand the corps at a faster pace. Many of the recruits had to go through a series of pre-training and medical clean up before they went into boot camp, but some were ready from the moment they landed, enough to still force them to expand the boot camp until it was almost bursting. Hence the expansion of the brigades into divisions.

Originally there had been four brigades, his First, Archie Pendeckle's Second, Dana's Third, Myer's Fourth, and one planned for Valenko. They'd lost some good personnel and officers when the Admiral had insisted the Army be started up, but they still had enough to expand faster than he'd expected. With so many warm bodies he had given in and paired Myer's brigade with his own to form the First Division. Archie had not only his brigade but also troops that had been shipped in from Antigua as well as thousands of militia recruits from Protodon to justify his having the Second Division. Dana had moved herself and part of her senior staff up to form the Third Division, handing control of her Third Brigade over to Major R'nz while a new brigade had been stood up.

Valenko had shown up just after Dana's Second Brigade's command team had settled in. He'd been handed a full Division to stand up from the beginning. He'd poached some good people from First and Third division to do it. His was the greenest of the four divisions but they were also the best in sims. They should be, he drilled them intensely he mused.

At the moment each division had 2 brigades. Each brigade had 3 battalions. There were 5 companies in each battalion, and 4 platoons made up a company.

They were still integrating infantry, powered armor, mechanized, and air units into the mess. If he had his druthers he'd keep Major White Wolf and have her take over his division or set up a fifth division with a heavy air and mech component. But he'd been warned she had too many irons in the fire to be talked into it. After meeting her and noting her ansible traffic to Kathy's World he'd come to the reluctant conclusion that the Admiral and ONI had been right.

Which was a pity, she was good. She'd even given Valenko a pounding in some recent air sims they'd arranged.

He shook his head. His house was getting crowded again but it was all good, he knew they could handle it. All this while the Army made up a single company of trained troops with a bunch of enlisted who'd barely scraped through Marine boot and had opted to switch branches, he thought.

Valenko's division was almost up to full strength. It was one factor he'd had to consider in the 'competition'.

He didn't even want to think about having to stand up another division so soon. But he knew he was going to need to do so most likely before the end of the year if recruiting continued at the pace it currently was. And if more planets were added, as he knew there would be, then things were really going to get hectic.

The other thing that bugged him was that all the orphans he had out all over the sector on ships, planets, and stations. They were not assigned to a proper chain of command like they should be. Just another thing he would have to sort out soon, he thought.

“Getting a bit rough?” Admiral Irons asked, breaking in to his thought process.

“Not at all. They've actually kept it pretty clean and let their records speak for themselves. Which is what we're going off of. The final record is that Harley has more stand up time than Valenko does, despite his combat record and his division's better sim record. He's also still a bit short in the personnel department, not that he's let it stop him when it comes to sims,” he said with a sour face. “But I think he's been a bit cute about how hard he's pursued this command.”

“Oh?”

“He's gotten a bit aggressive about it pursuing it. I think he's employing a bit of little reverse psychology; I'm attributing it to 'don't throw me in that briar patch'.” he said. “I don't think Harley has figured it out. At least, I don't think she has.”

“You lost me on the reasoning there. Valenko... Valenko...”

“The bear. Major Valenko Kodiak I should say,” General Forth stated. He knew the Admiral or more likely his A.I. would pull up the bear's record for him to look over. “He's playing his chess and thinking long term strategic with his career goals. She's thinking short term tactical,” he explained.

“Ah,” the admiral said as Protector put the bio up for him.

“I guess it comes from his Russian heritage. He's a wily old bear,” the General replied with a snort. “He may think he's pulled the fur over everyone's eyes playing the stereotype, but I know better. He's really after Horath. What he doesn't know is that I believe that Horath is going to be a tough nut, and therefore most likely an all hands on deck sort of thing.”

“True,” the admiral replied with a snort of amusement. “So, you think he maneuvered Harley into aggressively pursuing this command in order to open up a future one for him to slot into?”

“Almost certainly.”

“And you're going to let him get away with it?” Admiral Irons asked. The ansible leached out most of the emotion with the text messages converted into robotic verbal readings, but Jersey still read a bit of humor into the question anyway.

“Oh definitely. Valenko might not have much seat time but he's definitely damn good at the job. He's got the division eating out of his hand and setting records. Granted he's following in others footsteps, learning from our mistakes, but I know he's damn good. His record speaks for itself.”

“So why not send him to Destria?”

“Because I think his division could use the extra time to train... and because I think we're going to need his grit when it comes time to take Nuevo Madrid or whatever planet you choose next,” the General replied. “So, he needs to get the division fully integrated. They are still at ninety percent,” he said.

“Point. Okay, so Harley will be going to Destria. I'll have Sprite cut the orders to get the ships moving.”

“A lot of them sir?”

“Actually, not as many as you'd think. She's getting a small task force, but as far as the division is concerned, she's going to get the second group of Marine transports. She's also going to get her hands on the first Marine Command ship. That should make your bear regret not pushing the competition harder.”

“It just might,” the General replied with a chuckle. “I think I'm going to burst the bear's bubble and have his division relieve Pendeckle's in the next six months. That way Archie can get his house in order properly and the bear can really blood his troops.”

“Sounds good,” Admiral Irons said. “Hey, I've got to go. Major White Wolf's promotion was approved by the way. Um... crap, my schedule...”

“Yes sir. Thanks,” the General said hastily. He knew a losing battle when he heard one. He glanced at his door to see his own appointment manager checking on him in the small glass window.

“Antigua out.”

“Agnosta out,” the General replied as he cut the channel to the Ansible.

\<)>^<)>/

Jethro 5 snippet 2

   Progress report: I 'officially' started Shelby Logan Chronicles 1: Convoy yesterday. I'm dipping my toe into it, the acts are broken down into chapters and I've got a handle on the plot though I need to make a few revisions. So far so good, I'm up to 70 pages though I haven't settled down to write from the beginning as of yet. Still skipping around and doing prep and research. :)

   I'm hoping to get my battery backup today, as well as Captain America 3 and other stuff. Last Friday's 14 hour power outage was the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm tired of stuff like that happening, and scared it will eventually do damage to my PC again. (and loosing work sucks! Been there, done that!) I know with my monster of a PC it will only last 10 minutes, but that is a 10 minute window I'll be able to save my work and shut down properly with!

  It is gorgeously cool today so I've been productive... despite the antics of the furballs. (one is in my lap again as I try to type this) I am seriously in love with the 60 degree weather. I'll take gloom and cool weather over 100 and sunny any day!

On to the snippet! Still in chapter 1:

The following morning he formally reported in, but the duty officer told him he wasn't needed for the day. “It's Sunday Master Sergeant. Get some rest, check in tomorrow with me then. General Forth didn't tell me you were coming so I don't have specific orders for you,” the Naga lieutenant said. “He's off on a fishing trip, so I'll email him when he returns tonight.”

“Understood,” Jethro replied with a nod.

“Dismissed then,” the Lieutenant said. Jethro came to attention, but the Naga had already turned and slithered away to attend to another problem. He about faced and walked out of the room and then out of the admin building.

It seemed he was given time to familiarize himself with the changes to the base. So, he decided a quick tour, some time at the PX and BX, and then a more in-depth tour of the spec ops community was in order.

He himself didn't know what General Forth had in mind for him, though he had a general idea whatever it would be, it would be temporary.

He checked out the facilities but they were only lightly used at the moment, given it was the weekend. Apparently someone had set up a regular schedule with time off. It was almost quaint, he thought, though the enemy didn't follow any sort of schedule like that he thought. Combat came when you least expected it sometimes, usually when your guard was at its lowest, he reminded himself.

Then he shook himself. He didn't need or want to get himself too edgy, he thought. He had time to decompress on Kathy's World and on the flight to Agnosta he thought. No need to borrow trouble.

Orders from General Forth came in just before he was going to go to bed at 2200. They were brief he noted as he stood by the window. He noted people straggling back to the barracks along the winding paths below. Solar powered lights lit up the path nicely, and the light was directed down at the path itself, so there was little light pollution.

More than a few of the people who were straggling in weren't very steady on their feet, and one or two had to be propped up by a buddy. He scanned the orders but they were minimal. A welcome to Agnosta, and a note that he would be on detached duty to observe and counsel the spec ops community. He had a small office in admin overflow, and that was it.

So, until the powers that be knew what to do with him he decided to make the most of it and check in with a few familiar faces.

\<)>^<)>/

On the second day in the base Jethro ran into an old friend, Gunny Schultz just as he exited the restaurant he'd stopped in to have lunch at. His former DI and sergeant was still an E-11, a Master Gunnery Sergeant, though there had been talk about moving him up higher. “Good to see you Gunny,” he said with a nod to Schultz as he walked up to the Neodoberman. “Damn good to see a familiar face.”

The Neodog's pointed ears flicked. “I heard you did well in Kathy's World and Protodon. Though I think your mama dropped you one too many times on the head to try that fool jump in Kathy's World,” the Neodoberman said with a shake of his head. Jethro flicked his ears in humor. “You know that's becoming something of a legend in the corps already?” Jethro suddenly grimaced in embarrassment. “Yeah, you are a character, the whole boarding a ship all on your own,” the Neodog said, shaking his head in mock amusement.

“I didn't have much time to think about it. And an order is an order Gunny. At least I had my armor. For a minute there I thought they were going to send me over with a butter knife in my teeth and without a suit,” Jethro joked. Bast flicked her ears on his HUD.

The Neodoberman chuckled. “Sounds about right,” he drawled as he shook his head. “Keeping with tradition and all that they probably should have.”

Jethro flicked his ears, good humor restored.

“So, what are you up to?” the Neodoberman finally asked.

“You mean you, with all your connections don't know?” Jethro asked, staring at Schultz in mock surprise.

The Neodoberman rolled his eyes. “Give me a break. I knew you were coming, but there is a lid on your file remember?” Jethro nodded. “Yeah, so, you're here. Now what?”

“I'm only here for a short time. My orders are to go elsewhere, but they don't specify doing what or where I'll end up,” Jethro said carefully. What they said was he was going to Antigua. But since the Gunny didn't know, and his orders specified to tell no one, he left that part out.

The Neodoberman stared at him for a long moment then snorted. “Typical, they won't tell even you,” he said.

Jethro flicked his ears and then spread his hands. “You can't tell what you don't know I suppose. Besides, we're soldiers, we go and do what we're told,” he said.

“That's true,” the Neodoberman said in a slightly aggrieved tone of voice. Jethro's ears perked up. The Neodoberman eyed him and then looked away. “Don't give me that look,” he growled.

“What look?” Jethro asked innocently. He saw the severe look his former boss had and knew something was eating at him. “What's up Gunny?” he asked in a cooler tone of voice.

“It's...”

“Come on, you can tell me,” the Neocat wheedled. The Doberman eyed him for another long moment, as if sizing him up before he snorted again, softer that time and then decided to unload a bit.

“This really should be over beers, but...” The Doberman inhaled then exhaled slowly. Jethro cocked his head as the Gunny unloaded.

He had everything under control, it was smooth sailing... and that seemed to be the problem. It boiled down to the simple fact that the gunny was bored and needed a new challenge. “I hate whining but...”

“You aren't whining Gunny. You've sucked it up, but you taught us that everyone needs to vent sometime,” Jethro corrected.

“I know. But asking for a combat posting...” Schultz shook his head. “It's like they need me here, that usual crap. I know I can do more than be an administrator...” he said.

Jethro grimaced and flicked his ears. The needs of the Marines had pushed them both up through the ranks like a meteor. And the higher you went usually the more administrative duties you had and the less actual hands on with the troops.

“They finally cycled Brenet and Jefferson out of training to infantry, though I heard Jefferson was thinking about going mustang. That might be a part of my problem, they might think since I'm here, they are safe. Everything's covered, smooth sailing, leave him where he is. I'm... wuff,” the Neodog said heaving a sigh.

“Something to think about,” Jethro said slowly, eying him. It was the most he'd ever heard from his mentor. This was really bothering him he knew.

The Neodog snorted. “I'm a noncom thank you very much. I'd rather execute the orders than have to come up with them. Besides, I've got a bit less paperwork where I'm at. I still have some, and I have to put up with enough meetings to make me want to shoot myself, but I know I'm lucking out in not having to go through all the hoops an officer does. And I don't like playing dress up for the cameras and the party crowd. Thanks but NO thanks,” he said with finality in his voice. “The idea is to get away from the hoopla and do what I've been trained to do.”

Jethro snorted. He cocked his head again then nodded slowly. “I think you should put in for a transfer. Do your homework, and put in for something new. New horizons, a place where you can still be a positive influence.”

He knew they'd most likely transfer the Neodog to Antigua to help set up the Marine training centers there, but he was wise enough not to point it out.

The Neodog shook his head. “They won't allow it. I'm too much of an asset here,” he said with a grimace.

“By hook or by crook Gunny. Put in for a transfer. You of all people know how to game the system to make it clear it's time for you to move on. Let them know you are feeling stale and want a change in scenery. If they don't bite, well, find a way to lean on them if you have to.”

The Neodoberman nodded slowly. “I'll think about it.”

“Good. You don't want to get stale here,” Jethro said firmly.

That simple statement of agreement seemed to help ease something in his former boss's spine a bit. “They'll need someone to replace me,” the Neodoberman said as he eyed the Neocat. “Want the job?”

“Me? I wouldn't mind it, at least for a while,” Jethro said slowly. In all honesty his wife would love that he was in a training post rather than in combat. Especially after what happened to her younger brother on Protodon, he thought.

But it wasn't up to him he knew. Others had plans for him. “I'm slated for something else. The brass wants me in Antigua for my sins. I'm probably going to be paraded before the cameras so they can reenact that ceremony, and who knows what afterward,” he said with a shake of his head. “Either off to recruiting or Protodon or...” he shrugged.

The Neodoberman nodded slowly. As much as he'd like to hand the job over to Jethro... the Neocat was definitely qualified given his DI background, he knew he couldn't. Jethro had a target on his back. The assassin's guild hadn't let the matter drop he knew. Anyone near the cat unknowingly were on the same bulls-eye. Therefore, Jethro had to be a moving target. One that was kept away from those he loved in case what came after him spilled over on innocent bystanders as well.

It sucked, but such was life he thought as they returned to their separate duties.

\<)>^<)>/

When he got back to his temporary office Jethro checked in with the sniper classes to see how things were going. Sergeant Major Jefferson was no longer in charge of the advanced training and he didn't recognize the new guy. Obviously there had been some teething issues as the new administration got settled in it seemed. A bit of slack here and there, or just Murphy's intervention had caught up with them. He'd heard the scuttlebutt; he just didn't want any of it happening on his watch.

Even though he was only going to be on planet another month or so.

Each incident had been investigated by NCIS and JAG, but Jethro knew it was a bit more than ass covering involved. The current leadership might have tried to shift the blame, but that had failed utterly. Fortunately for them, most of the problems were indeed found to be the fault of other factors... or as he had noted a moment ago, Murphy putting in an appearance.

Not even Admiral Irons could count on Lady Luck's blessing forever he knew.

As he looked in deeper he didn't like what he found. There had been a rash of recent accidents some weather related, but a few others stood out as well. Two of the accidents had been in the field, but the more serious ones had been on shore while the troops had been off duty. A ferry bringing them back from the mainland had capsized in a storm and had unfortunately killed several Marines and civilian contractors before rescue arrived. Another group of Marines had been critically injured or killed after a night of partying and racing.

When the survivors got out of the hospital they were going to wish they'd been numbered among the dead once Schultz got through with them.

The 2 accidents.... he pulled up the files before Bast could do so and then his eyes scanned left and right as he read the reports. 1 had been due to a nasty fall, the other was indeed shitty luck; a widow maker in the forest had been freaky enough to catch someone off guard.

He shook his head. Murphy indeed, he thought, though he still wanted to look into the training standards to make certain people weren't getting slack or careless. Usually people tightened up after a gory example to remind them to take things seriously... but not always.

He scanned the recommendations and then nodded. Good, someone was a step ahead of him.

The accidents in sniper school had forced the trainers to undergo a review and tighten up not only the training, but also their entry standards. They had learned a lot after learning hard lessons in combat, applying that knowledge and passing it on to the next generation of Marines was therefore critical.

That was why he was back, even if only briefly. He wasn't certain what he could pass on, especially if he was in admin shuffling paperwork and getting acquainted with the changes to the programs and schedule. He couldn't do anything about it though, those were his orders.

The accidents did open up some slots in the program. He noted half of them had yet to be filled. Well, he could do something about that, he thought.

\<)>^<)>/