WoWS3 Chpt 40

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==Weapons of War Saga: The Final March- Chapter 40 - ==
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===Long Distance Phone Call===
Director-General's Office
New Lazarus, Star League in Exile
27th November, 3144
"Make your pitch." Helena Cameron scowled, "Make it a good one."
"Per relay from three nights ago, Commander Trinh Vu Dao, the girl who brought a crippled Jumpship to Lazarus, and joined your Navy…has been diagnosed with at least, according to the report, three simultaneous types of cancer, likely as a result of extended Radiation exposure in the retreat from Sudeten." Vendetta began, "Her best prognosis, is a maximum of five years of torture in the form of treatments…and then she dies in misery. I'll still insist on confirming their diagnosis, but if there's a terminal case who doesn't deserve it, it's a woman who risked everything to save lives. If we can't fix her, she's ideal for the final core, and has signed a document attesting her consent to that procedure in that eventuality."
Then Mister Samuel stepped up, "We can't run the experimental integration project using a presently serving AI core due to wartime requirements, along with additional factors. If the procedure to imprint Trinh Vu Dao onto AI core 244A721N450 is approved, I can ask the new AI to review the risks, and grant, or withhold consent."
Truk spoke next. "That core is sitting in inventory gathering dust."
"That's our pitch. You need a means to produce AI that doesn't kill donors, we need an unassigned AI that hasn't got a hull waiting for it, and we have a donor contingent on Doctor Vendetta's diagnosis and the probability of success, who is likely to be worth keeping on staff."
“And you’ve screened her already, Truk?”
"I screened her, Juanita screened her, a board of psychology experts from the human population have also screened her, we have her entire mental and medical history. She'd pass even the rigorous boards of the original Star League…aside from the fear of being planet-bound, which would not present a problem for a potential Warship AI."
“Then one last question. In your proposal, at least the written one I am reading, it seems you actually need two AIs for best results.”
"We do have another volunteer, one of the ones established, and currently shipless." Truk stated, "Oliva?"
"What else am I going to DO? This is IMPORTANT."
“So it is. If everything checks out on the medical you have my permission.”
"Let me be real clear here, Highness." Vendetta said, "I'm dubious as hell about the theory, even with our initial testing and modeling using Kolossus and Primary. I'm also a doctor, and I will move the heavens and the earth and all the galaxy if that's what I must to save a patient. With that said, I'm stubborn, if there's a means...they'll have to find someone else."
“I expect nothing less. But it is also important that AIs have a form of self reproduction, beyond just us humans donating ourselves to it. They’ve earned the last aspect to make themselves a truly new form of life.”
"We should invite, Esme." Amanda said from her seat, having just finally returned from her adventure, "Esme can dope out things about AI that I don't think you can, Truk."
“Agreed. Also Murakami if she can be reached.”
"It's almost like old times, we're getting the band back together…except Larry's still gone." Amanda Roberts mourned quietly.
“Sometimes Regina still spouts off some of his pearls of wisdom. I know it’s not the same but maybe go spend time with her while she’s in port.”
"When are they due back?" Amanda asked.
"Fifth of December, they're taking the express route."
"Then next order of business. I'm grounded, Highness, but my ship isn't being punished,. You'll want to put a minder on my crew, it's best if we get that out of the way now, while Amusing Anecdote is still in dock."
“I am prepared to allow you to pick your temporary replacement from my pool of available officers. I no longer have the shortage I used to.” Helena told her.
At this, Amanda frowned, "You're making me do Dave's job??"
“For three reasons. He's taking surface leave, you need the practice, and I want you to feel comfortable with who’s going out with your ship."
Amanda nodded. "That makes sense, I'll need your long list, a wardroom, and a coffee maker."
“Done.”
"The LONG list?" Truk asked.
"THe long list. Junior officers getting ready for command positions, not because I want junior officers, but because my QM Rocks and you need the experienced guys ready for proper military operations-they're critical, privateering isn't, but it is, as Dave would say, 'good prep for more senior positions'."
“Right now I am also almost hitting a ceiling. I don’t have enough positions to promote some people who deserve it into.”
Amanda frowned, "You need hulls, or what?"
“I have a solid stream of merchant marine and dropshipsm but until we get Warships going, I don’t have many senior combat command postings.”
Amanda's expression darkened, then lightened. "Truk, can you route through the HPG to this room?"
“Now that it is fixed.”
"Commnet Sequence 7725rKoL11313, orient the link toward the coreward border of the Raven Alliance, about three degrees spinward of Churchstone…please, and use my name."
“Take but a moment.” Truk said. 
On planet, HPG Station takes aim to the heavens and begins connecting. 
“Ready.”
>>"Kolossus Hears you, Amanda-Roberts."<<
"Kolossus, how's progress on the Cruiser program?"
>>"There are four Cruisers awaiting final shakedown."<<
"Do you have ferry crew?"
<<"Are you speaking as Amanda, or as Primary?" Kolossus asked.<<
"Primary."
>>"Kolossus has sufficient navigation crews to ferry four cruisers and twelve Corvettes to New Lazarus, but they can not fight."<<
"That's fine. Per our contract, Kolossus, I request those vessels be transferred and transported to Lazarus Command as part of the Star League Tithe. Acknowledge please?"
>>"Kolossus will have them delivered. Estimated time six weeks."<<
"Thank you, Kolossus."
“Six weeks? How is that possible? Alpheratz is four months and Kolossus is six jumps from there.” Helena shook her head in disbelief.
"It only took me three months to come, remember?" Amanda prodded, "Kolossus and the kids have been doing a lot of research into Hyperspace theory, and my 'support group' left a trail of charging stations in shortcut routes."
“I figured there were charging stations.” Helena remarked.
“Don’t forget Highness, there were rumors of the Blakists developing 900 light year range jump capability. That Kolossus has cracked this problem should be little surprise.” Truk added.
"How good is the ship you're lending me?" Helena asked, "Did you fit it out too?"
"Not to 900 lights, that burns the core out." Amanda said, "But, with prep and additional cooling set up, and overcharging the battery, we can pull a Sixty Light double-jump and then go 30 for only a single seven day stop at the midpoint, provided we have ENOUGH cooling to handle the strain."
“Combat capability wise the ship does only have modest firepower of its own but it is quite able to protect itself from fighters, assault ships, and other light threats quite well and its armor scheme gives it durability on par with Battleships while being able to maintain thrust with our Destroyers supplemented with an ATACs network core. So most of the punch comes from its ample fighter wing and the linked data.” Truk added.
"COULD you go faster?" Helena asked.
"Not if I don't want to rebuild the power distribution net and the core, no." Amanda said, "We trashed eleven prototypes figuring it out over the last twenty years."
"But you could." Helena commented
"Yeah. The forging on the core is tuned to a different wavelength in Hyperspace, if we had something unobtainable, we could push it to Blakie superjump ranges without burning the ship down…but we don't because the material doesn't exist yet."
“That will still take some wrapping my head around to properly exploit. And this does not result in Manassas events?
"We haven't had one disappear, they just exploded on the other end, so ….maybe not? Clock timing does show gaining a few seconds, but the Manassas event was…unique. They went DEEP into the higher frequencies of Hyperspace, and damn near destroyed their jump engines doing it, ours come out intact if you keep up the maintenance, nothing melts."
“Good. This makes me feel a lot better about arranging deep strike missions.”
"Mind that the big time saver is the charging stations we laid down over the last few decades of runs from Kolossus to here." Amanda told her, "Those cut charging times significantly, especially where the Hyperspace is…thorny."
“We’ve not exactly been idle about establishing forward bases and we can add more now. I think this just might be the key to solving both the Combine and Confederation problems.”
"I thought…never mind, I have officers to interview, and it looks like I'll be interviewing for a cruiser group, in addition to my own ship, that means paperwork…"
“Welcome to the big leagues.” Helena chuckled.
"Oh god, I'm going to have to have an office too!!" Amanda said with excitement.
“If you are a good girl I’ll let you borrow Reimu.” Helena playfully told her.
"And when, in your recollection, have I ever been a 'Good girl’, Highness? I'll be struggling to be passable, I'm so far out of practice my practicing needs practice." Amanda told her.
“Don’t worry. Dave is great about leaving notes and pointers.”
"I remember...if we're done for the meeting? I've a lot of work to do, and Petra wants me to meet her teachers." Amanda said
“Oh yes. Definitely dismissed then.”
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===Message to SLDF Officers===
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======================================================================================================
-------------------------------Attention to Orders----------------------------
From: The SLDF Office of Naval Personnel
To: Officers O-3P to O-4P
Reason: Promotion Boards are to be conducted beginning 14 December for Command Staff Positions in the Combat Fleet. Dust off your resumes and records, iron your Dress Whites, and prepare to be interviewed for a range of positions.
This is an open call to all promotable officers in the Fleet, to include both officers from active combat commands and officers from the Logistics, Transport, and Station sub-departments.
Submit your application no later than 7 December, 3144.
That is all.
-Admiral David Foster
_________________End Message_______________
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===Officer Review===
Port Lazarus Station
New Lazarus, Star League in Exile
14th December, 3144
Two of the officers sitting at the main desk were AI, with a human Commodore sitting to their right, one senior NCO in Outworlds uniform, Admiral David Foster, and Amanda Roberts, dressed out in her anachronistic 'privateer dress uniform' sat in a row, facing a single chair.
"I haven't worn this in years…" Amanda Roberts noted.
"Yeah, well, regulations are regulations." Admiral David Foster said, "You could always cross the fence and get some dress whites…"
“Be glad you’re not having to run a school for Lyrans. I swear it is a daily challenge not to thrash some of my students about the head.” Commodore Thomas Erik Mahan grumbled.
"Huh…we used to just thrash the newbies about the head, way back when." Amanda commented, "Or they'd end up dead from their own foolishness as a warning to others."
"You almost ended up that way due to your OWN foolishness a time or two." Foster noted.
"I did end up dead for that, coming back took some effort." she bantered, "Who's on our list for this morning again?"
"Lieutenant Aishiko, Rie Ma, she's an immigrant officer, ex DCA pilot, decent record, no issues…off the Guppy."
"Let me guess, second shift for their [CAG]], right?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah."
"Mahan, you're more of a fighter guy than I am, you want to take lead on this?"
“Very well.” Thomas nodded to have the applicant sent in.
Lieutenant Aishiko was bulkier than Thomas expected. A bit taller than usual for a pilot too but still within allowances.
“Welcome, Lieutenant. I’ve read your file. I must admit it is a little sparse but that is not unexpected given your typical mission profiles. I think I have just one question for you. What is the intercept position for an enemy battle group burning from the Nadir point to the primary inhabited world?”
Aishiko hesitated, then, "is this enemy battlgroup escorting landing ships, or is it configured as a strike mission, because the two things are quite different."
Amanda tapped, "Explain the differences, Lieutenant. Why is the enemy's mission relevant?"
"Because a landing or invasion force must maintain a one-gravity acceleration profile to preserve the personnel and assets they are transporting, while a strike mission from orbit can accelerate as hard as the Crews can withstand, within their mechanical limits."
“Hmmm, I think I must correct myself and ask for both solutions.”
"In both cases the most ideal position to strike, is before they have gotten very far from the Jump Point." Aishiko said, "the less time you allow an enemy force to reach velocity, the longer the defensive units have to prepare and the less enemy force they will, in theory, have to contend with. The easiest would be at orbit of the primary, but that fails the objective of preventing a landing and may also fail the objective of preventing a bombardment, the mathematically best outcome assuming inability to intercept at the points, is at their turnover based on what velocity they can maintain on the approach."
“My turn. Hyperspace navigation, how long is a non-standard point good for once you’ve calculated it?” Haida asked.
"With all due respect, I would have to consult my navigation officer, the duration varies based on the size and interval of the point in question."
Amanda made a note on her legal pad.
“Okay, next question. Have you ever resolved a dispute between subordinates without reporting it to your senior officer?” Tabiranth asked.
"I have not." Aishiko confessed. "The chain of command exists for a reason, and senior officers MUST BE made aware of disharmony within the ranks. All disputes, even resolved ones, can compromise the harmony of the crew and endanger the mission."
"Next question." Amanda spoke, "this is a hypothetical scenario. You are conducting a department inspection, a spacer under your command is holding Contraband, you find it, the spacer in question claims he is holding it for an officer senior to yourself, what do you actually do?"
Dave's expression perks up, but he remains silent.
"The Regulations-"
"Not asking what the regulations say, I'm asking what do you do?" Amanda clarified, "this is from my own experiences, Lieutenant. It is a situation that happens under way, so in this hypothetical, what do you, Aishiko Rie, do?"
"What kind of Contraband?" the Lieutenant asked.
"Sezzanine." Amanda stated.
"I would secure the offender and the contraband under arrest, and report to the next officer higher than the accused officer, because in that situation, it poses a potential threat to the lives of my crewmates, and a perilous breach of both discipline, and honor, regardless of who is telling the truth, or lying."
“Your stance on romantic relationships, or even just intimate ones, among the crew?” Tabiranth asked.
"There can be no fraternization allowed between persons of differing rank within the same chain of command, Ma'am. It undermines discipline and places the entire system of that chain of command in jeopardy. If it is between personnel I am supervising, I would attempt transfers first, resorting only to sterner measures if Transfer is impossible."
"And among peers?"
"That is a more difficult question."
"Why is that more difficult?"
"Because we're in a ship for months on end, and human beings have…needs." she confessed, "It would be a physical impossibility to force celibacy on an entire crew!"
“Any further questions before I bring this interview to an end?”
Amanda checked her notes, "Perkins, Arthur William." she said, "Is it serious?"
Aishiko colored up, and then stammered…"Yes."
"Good on you. It's good to have someone, I have nothing further."
Haida shook her head, quickly followed by Tabiranth.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. You are dismissed.” Dave Foster said.
The woman stood, saluted then left the room.
"That was kind of harsh, bringing up her affair." Mahan said.
"I wanted to see two things." Amanda said, "One, if she'd lie about it, two, if she's a hypocrite about it."
“Aye, I’m not sure I buy she hasn’t had to solve a dispute between her pilots over something, but failed to report it to her Captain.” Mahan nodded.
"Honor system." Amanda noted, "I'd still take her for a CAG on a Bonnie. If she lied, it's not a major issue, if she's a Hypocrite, it is."
“Oh I’m not saying it’s a bad thing that she has. Indeed one of the marks of a good officer is knowing when someone needs to be put on report and when it can be handled quietly without a negative mark on a record.” Mahan said quietly.
"I never reported it." Amanda noted, "Not unless it had to be escalated, anyway, but I was an amatuer at the time. She's a Sun Zhang graduate."
“An art form that varies from situation to situation to be sure.”
"Next up is Nghien, Louis Brennan, another import…off the engineering deck of SLS Undine, he's got Navigation cert too, not bad for a Lieutenant Commander…" Foster passed the file around.
"Belter boy?" Amanda noted, "Lyran Belter…huh…from Nghien…that's one I can check off my list."
"Pardon?" Mahan asked.
"We've got a bunch of them at Kolossus, mostly from Li Danh or Hatter." Amanda said, "Nghien's one of the lines that damn near went extinct on that run to Sudeten…so not a belter, he's Rockjack stock."
“Still why cross him off for that?”
"Not crossing him off." Amanda said, "I check off meeting an endangered species." she met his eyes, "There's like five of them in existence. It'd be like meeting a natural-line Kerensky."
“I see. Don’t mind me. My Grandson keeps telling me I need to retire. I probably should after this class graduates.” Thomas shook his head.
“Take it from me, Retirement SUCKS." Amanda said, "I spent half my time stir-crazy."
“Ah, but I’m an old man in a young man’s game. I’ve been doing this for nearly a century.” Thomas smiled.
"That just means you know your business." she said impishly
“True, but I am at an age where my body will not allow me to continue in this business much longer.”
"Ah, well…that's different. Bring in Lt. Commander Nghien…"
The young man was obviously strong. There was a misconception that microgravity meant you didn’t need strength to move around large objects but inertia still exists and sometimes manual controls can be a bitch to manipulate.
"Heysho, Rokkahjakkah." Amanda greeted him first. "Says you navigate, wyo bein' a Snipe?"
His eyes went wide for a moment, and he looked shocked. "Ma'am?"
"I did pronounce it right, didn't I?" Amanda asked, "or should I have used Yisroel talk?"
“Me am kin Albion burrow. Greenbrier satayshon.” Thomas said evenly. “Weya have no quarrel.”
"For the rest of you, that was his first test, he passes." Amanda stated, "You speak German, Spanish, Belta, and…it says here…H'moing?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"So why engineering and not navigation? Nghien has a rep for navigators."
"I…needed a change, Mum." he said, 'And the only berth available was engineering."
"What's the shortest point you navigated, Nghien?"
"Took a Merchant through a forty second interval at Sudeten." he told her. "We were kind of on fire at the time…"
"Yah…alright, I'm going to stop nerding out, you guys have the rest of the inquiry?"
“So what’s your record for holding the calculation before executing before you had to re-calculate it for a non-standard point?” Haida asked.
"Seventeen minutes, Ma'am, during the action over Alkalurops."
"The reason?"
"Docking problem with the dropship, Ma'am."
Amanda scribbled notes.
“Damage control prioritization, your nav computer is down, the sail winches are stuck, and your core is showing a power brownout.” Tabiranth asked.
"Sail, then core." he said, "Because the damaged sail is the likely cause of the brownout. I can fix the Nav Comp once we're somewhere safe…ma'am. It isn't vital."
“Next theoretical. Your chief snipe is unavailable to fix the main reactor, it is overheating. The problem point is the number seven junction, so you can’t fix it without sending someone in to get fried in the process.”
"I grab whoever's healthy to help me fix it, power goes down we're dead, ma'am. If necessary, and nobody else can do it, I do it and count on my second to get the crew home, if there IS someone to do it and I don't have a good second, I'll hold the gun on the next best option to get the crew home…then I will write the letter I didn't want to write to his or her family, and get blind drunk on my next shore leave."
“And if your chief is available?”
"Then we do what must be done to get the ship moving and keep the crew alive." he stated, "and if it happens that someone has to die, I guess I get blind with the Chief on the next shore leave."
“Okay tactical situation. You familiarize yourself with the spec sheet of the ship you’re applying for command of?” Mahan asked.
"I reviewed the materials supplied, sir."
“Good. You come across a rogue Warship, say a Black Lion. It is clearly hostile. What do you do?”
"Set condition one, depressurize the ship, call for help and backup, and maintain range where he can't apply those massive batteries of naval autocannon, launch fighters and pray help arrives before he can close, Sir."
“Why not run? Your ship has the thrust advantage.”
"Running works too, but we have thrust. If he's a Black Lion, he's likely got attack dropships that can match or exceed and the hull isn't nuke-proof. We'll likely have to at LEAST scrape his escort droppers if we don't have a full charge on the core and I can't see a nonstandard point on the telescope."
"Why not use your air-wing?"
"I will be, but the air wing isn't chaff, you don't send pilots and aircrew out to die just to run, Sir. The ship in the example has more fighters in her wing, but we don't have dropships to provide them with support, the cruiser has to be that support or a prepared enemy will spend a little time eliminating the fighters before chasing us down. For my fighters to be any good, I have to support them."
“Hmmm… Well then, I think last question. Personalized roundels on ships? For or against? Keep in mind space is big so seeing them requires getting quite close.”
"Depends on if we earn it, just like tats-if it has significance to the crew, it's meaningful, if it doesn't, then it's vandalism."
“Amanda? Foster?” Mahan asked.
Amanda mused for a second, then, "Your XO is pregnant, her husband is six months away, your ship's doctor says she's three months along, which means she's knocking boots with a member of the crew. What do you do?"
“Relieve the woman for cause and wait for the paternity test to find out who I need to put in the cell next to her.”
"I have no further questions." Amanda said approvingly.
Foster shook his head to indicate he had no further questions.
“Thank you for your time. You are dismissed.”
Nghien got up, saluted, and left.
"Well?"
"I like him." Amanda said. "For Anecdote, he'll mesh with my QM pretty well…'
“Yeah the record anyone’s managed is twenty minutes on holding a calculation so 17 isn’t bad.” Haida nodded.
“Aye. He talks a good talk about being able to send people to their death fo fix a reactor but seems kind of squimish about it in a battle situation.” Mahan nodded.
Amanda paged through her notes. "Yeah, I noticed. But notice this-his first urge was to go in himself and trust his second to carry the ball home. Means he's inclined to build trust in his crew, that last question I asked was to watch his emotions."
“It is also troubling, he is the Captain. It is his job to stay alive and keep the ship together if there is an alternative, not sacrifice himself. He could have sent in a lower rate with a radio.”
Amanda re-read her notes. "His qualifiers were interesting." she said, "Lots of 'ifs' and situational calls there."
“I do like that, means he’s aware that things can change and often do.” Mahan nodded.
"You just like him." Tabiranth commented. "He's like a younger, fitter Larry Nichols, isn't he?"
Amanda winced, "Was I that obvious? Should we DQ him for that?"
“No. I think we’re all satisfied he’s a reasonable candidate. But I’d almost want to run him through an Ex Oh tour before giving him the big chair.” Haida shook her head.
"Yeah." Amanda confessed. "He's too righteous to be slapped on a privateer for his first command…but I think we need to put him on the short-list, once the cruisers start arriving."
“Agreed.” Mahan nodded. “Who’s next?”
"Haversen, Joachim Gaines, local boy, from Indanville on the planet."
"Second gen?"
"Third. His family arrived with the first settlement to Old Lazarus, his old man migrated with the fleet."
"Gaines…same as that guy from the Stacey? The guitarist?" Amanda recalled. "During the war, I mean?"
"Yeah, I think his dad played guitar…"
"Huh…"
"SLS Seahorse, Lt. Commander, actually held XO for your grandson, Tom." Amanda noted, "This should be interesting."
“Well then, I’ll just have to do my best to be tough but fair.” Thomas chuckled.
Lt, Commander Gaines walked with a spacer's gait, and he wore a variation of the dress uniform that still let him wear an emergency suit underneath with the helmet ring unimpeded. There was something immediately…professional about his manner, focused blue eyes under a sharp, helmet-cut head of nearly shaven hair, every move both crisp, and subconsciously tightened as if he were expecting gravity to fail at any moment.
“At ease Lieutenant Gaines. Station’s been certified.” Thomas said casually.
"Apologies sir, we just got in this morning off a six month circuit patrol, I'm afraid I haven't acclimated fully to being home yet."
“Understandable. I’m an old spacer and even after all these years I still feel like nothing is quite right here on this station. But I know it’s in good hands.” Thomas nodded.
Amanda led off, "Six month circuit? Must have some good stories there."
"No, ma'am." Gaines stated.
"No good stories?" she prodded. "Boring old patrol?"
"Not boring, just not good, ma'am." he said, "When they told me I was to report to this board, I was expecting to be informed I would need a Judge Advocate, Ma'am."
"Why?" Amanda inquired
"We had to put men out the airlock, Ma'am. Men with previously good records. The CO had to do a summary and execution, I volunteered to handle the execution, Ma'am. I am expecting to face at minimum a part thirty two over the matter, as well as an inquest into my investigation, which led to the summary court martials."
“You know who I am, Lieutenant Commander?” Thomas asked.
"I do, Sir." Gaines said stiffly.
“I’ll understand if you ask that I recuse myself from this board, given who your CO is.”
"Sir, I have served with your grandson for five years. If anyone is going to ask you to recuse, it's going to be the prosecutor at my Court Martial, Sir."
"Admiral, may I inquire on this matter?" Amanda asked, "it won't foul the other proceeding will it?"
“From my understanding all the statements have been collected but this is an official board so anything said can be used by the courts.” Foster said. “You may decline as your rights, Lieutenant Commander.”
“It is fine, sir.”
Amanda leaned forward in her seat, "Lieutenant Commander Gaines, can you describe for the board the conditions involved in the incident that you have alluded to?"
"During our route patrol, at an air-break on Summer, Two members of my crew, Chief Petty Officer Leo Wood and Marine Sergeant Charles Dingway forcibly raped a young woman, this was witnessed by Able Spacer Alan Stevens, an E-2 on his first cruise. The two noncommissioned officers then proceeded to intimidate Stevens into silence, his conscience caught up with him one month after the incident, and he attempted self-termination. My subsequent investigation, including a divert from the route at Commander Mahan's direction, uncovered the crime, and we were able to, using…non-standard means…obtain the evidence necessary to identify the perpetrators fully. As the local authorities lacked desire to try the suspects due to local politics, Commander Mahan conducted a field Court Martial, finding the defendants guilty. He was injured in their attempt to hijack a small craft to flee, and It was up to me to carry out sentence, which I did, by throwing the bastards out the airlock, Ma'am."
"You expect an inquiry into THAT?" Amanda asked incredibly. 
"Yes ma'am, because that's what you have to do, when something like that happens while under way."
“He’s right. By regs until the matter is resolved one way or another we have to suspend his candidacy for promotion.” Mahan shook his head. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant Commander.”
"I would like to keep him on the list for consideration." Amanda suggested, "I expect he'll be cleared."
“Aye, I have faith too. I know my grandson. He would not have asked something like that of you without merit. For now though as I said we must suspend the application, not reject it.” Mahan nodded.
“Dismissed, Lieutenant Commander.”
The man saluted then left the wardroom.
“If I may?” Thomas asked. “It seems I need to see my grandson. Even if he is innocent I need to be his grandfather right now, not a Commodore in the Star League Navy.”
“Go.” Foster said simply.
“Poor Thomas. He’s given us all so much and asked so little in return. We should do something nice for him.” Haida said.
Amanda was silent, then, "I think a recess is in order, sir."
“It is late enough in the day we can reconvene tomorrow. And tomorrow we should prioritize talking to one of the existing COs on the list.” Foster nodded.
"Aye, sir."
Foster regarded Amanda, "You're thinking about something."
"E-2 named Stevens. Suicidal witness." she said, "The whole incident we just heard described. Something on the tip of my mind."
“Aff. Shall we pay a visit to the JAG office?” Foster nodded.
"I'm thinking how much easier life was, when I could send Seron out to do that, but yeah." she nodded, "Gaines seemed to be expecting a negative situation, and something about the whole thing smells…off."
“Helena has put in a lot of effort to make a professional fleet, and so have I. So yeah I want to get to the bottom of this too.” Foster nodded.
“I hope Thomas is right about his grandson. Family can be a blindspot.” Haida said.
"Yeah." Amanda noted, "but know what's a worse blind spot?"
"No?"
"People you love, not just family." she said.
“Friends are family that you choose.” Haida countered. “But I take your point. If you need our help we’ll be glad to.”
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