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.-Thomas Anderson.An Unbiased Look at the UNPF.Baen Historical Press, 2500.“You did well,” Captain Shalenko said, gravely.“I only needed to intervene once.”I nodded, too tired to speak.I’d finally managed to convince the Supply Department that we actually needed the items on the Captain’s list – all, but one.I’d kept playing the game until one day before our departure date, but then I’d had to admit defeat and ask the Captain to handle it.I don’t know what he said to the Supply Department, but suddenly all the obstacles melted away and we got everything we wanted, quickly.It almost made working with the reporters worthwhile.“As a special reward,” the Captain continued, “you are to escort Miss Johnston with us when we go onboard Admiral Hoover’s flagship for the briefing.”I blinked.“Captain…is that wise?”“The Admiral wants a reporter there for the briefing,” Captain Shalenko said.He didn’t chew me out for my remark, which I took to mean that he privately questioned the Admiral’s wisdom as well.“You will find her and bring her to the Captain’s Boat for 1400.”“Aye, sir,” I said, and went to the reporters stateroom.They had already exhausted most of the pleasures on the starship – which were few and far between – and had been driving me crazy with their incessant demands.Two of the reporters seemed to have fallen out with the other five and weren’t speaking to them, while the other five seemed to be drafting the victory proclamation already.Given that no one on the starship, but them, seemed to know the fleet’s target, I couldn’t help, but wonder if they were being premature.But I had to admit that Lillian Johnston was the best of a bad bunch.She wore tight clothes that revealed everything while showing nothing, but she actually seemed to have a brain in her head.It just wasn't one that was focused on surviving in space.She’d already asked me a whole series of silly questions – she even asked me if she could go outside the starship without a spacesuit – and I didn’t want to read any of her work.It actually turned out, when I questioned her, that she was actually paid to present the news, rather than dig it up.The Admiral might have been smarter than I’d thought.She certainly wouldn’t notice anything amiss.“The Captain wants me to come?” She asked, for all the world as if she got requests like that every day.“I’d love to, darling.”I managed to duck the other reporters, who were shouting demands that they be allowed to come as well, and led her out of the stateroom.I saw her nose tighten slightly as she took in the lower decks, obviously comparing it to a pleasure liner she’d travelled on years ago.I’d already heard enough about the White Swan to feel that I knew it perfectly, apparently, the crew were respectful and the food was divine.It never seemed to cross their minds that the passenger liner was designed for the idle rich and that real starships were much more cramped.If half of what they said was true, the liner had to be making a loss with each passage.“This is the Captain’s Boat,” I explained, when we reached the shuttlebay.Unlike a more workable shuttle, or tug, the Captain’s Boat looked surprisingly pretty.I’d heard that they were actually constructed somewhere on one of the colonies, which wasn't something to put my mind at rest.The engineers had been all over it, but a competent engineer could have probably rigged the boat to blow at will.“She can hold nine passengers in reasonable comfort.”“This isn’t comfort, darling,” Lillian trilled, as soon as she saw the interior of the tiny ship.“This is barely large enough to swing a cat.”“It was large enough for four First Lieutenants,” the Captain said, gravely.Anna followed him into the boat and took the helm.“We were on shore leave at Tropicana and decided to see how many First Lieutenants we could fit into the ship.”I swallowed the bait.“But, sir…surely you could have fitted in five more…”“Oh, at that point we ran out of First Lieutenants,” Captain Shalenko said, with a flickering grin.“We had to make up the difference with some of the locals.” He winked at me.“Not quite regulation, but close enough for government work.”I blushed.“Yes, sir,” I agreed.“Close enough.”Anna was a skilled pilot, I realised, as we flew out of the shuttlebay and orientated ourselves on Orbit Nine, before racing past it to the battleship looming up in the distance.It was large enough to be visible with the naked eye almost before we passed Orbit Nine, a single white craft that seemed to dominate the surrounding area.It was surprisingly elegant, in a way, shaped like a long oval.The drive blisters at the rear seemed only to mar its perfection.“She’s beautiful,” I breathed.Suddenly, I envied Roger and his service on a battleship.“Sir, why don’t we have more like her?”Captain Shalenko snorted.“She cost the same price as ten light cruisers and took five years to build,” he said.“If old Admiral Picard hadn’t wanted a proper flagship, she and her twins wouldn’t have been built at all.She handles like a wallowing elephant and is the easiest target this side of a planet.We should have built the cruisers instead and then we would have had more flexibility.Instead…”Lillian spoke into the silence.“Do you think that she’s not beautiful?”“Beauty only takes a person so far,” Captain Shalenko said, crossly.I caught his gaze and winced inwardly.“If she wasn't such a big target, I might admire the designers, but as it is…she’s nothing more than a glorified pleasure yacht for the Admiral and his staff.If she gets hit and taken out of action, the entire fleet will be decapitated.”“Coming in to dock now,” Anna said, breaking into the conversation.“The Command Deck has cleared Docking Twelve for us.”“Closer to the conference room,” the Captain commented, as we swept closer.“They must be in a hurry.”As we came in to dock, I realised that a dozen other shuttles and smaller craft were also docked to the battleship, studding her white hull like so many limpets.The Captain had mentioned that it was a briefing, but I hadn’t realised that it was for so many officers and men.It looked as if every starship in Earth’s solar system had sent representatives.We docked, with nary a bump, and I smiled inwardly.If nothing else, I was looking forward to seeing the interior of the battleship.“Welcome onboard the Kofi Annan,” a very familiar voice said.It was Roger, wearing his dress uniform.I was surprised by how much I missed him and the others.I was also surprised that I hadn’t been ordered to get into my own dress uniform, but perhaps the Captain hadn’t cared.“I am to escort you to the conference room [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]