Opportunities

I entered Vice Admiral Preston Cole’s office, giving my superior a customary salute. “Captain Maksim Nestorenko reporting as ordered, sir,” I said, my hand stiff near the side of my head and my peaked cap tucked in my other arm.
“Ah, Captain,” began Cole, putting a datapad down on his desk. He sat comfortably in his chair. “At ease. Shut the door, won’t you?” I did so. “Take a seat, Nestorenko.” I obliged him, and took a place on one of the two cushioned chairs placed before his table, made of steel and polyester. I laid my cap down on top of my lap. “Captain, I’ve seen your file. Commendable. Your actions at Mu saved the lives of millions of people. That’s not something to take lightly.”
“I don’t sir,” I replied. “Although I still can’t shake the feeling that a few hundred more could have gotten onto some transports had I just applied more pressure to the Covenant.”
“Captain, I understand your concerns,” responded Cole. “But I’m not here to regale you on your achievements or what-ifs, Captain. I’m here to talk about your command.”
“Sir?”
“Nestorenko, the Sikorski is a fine vessel. A Marathon, no less. One of the last ones left. And you’re one of the finest captains in the fleet. Admiral Hood’s been requesting your transfer to his fleet for about a month now. But that also means that the Sikorski is rather restricting your combat abilities, no?”
“Sir, in my opinion, I do believe that I am most effective while in command of a Marathon, specifically the Sikorski.”
“Captain, I know that much of the Sikorski’s bridge crew has served with you ever since you took command of her earlier in the twenties. And I know that you’ve come to think of the ship’s AI, Witold, as a friend or confidant. But you and I both know that Witold’s nearing the end of his service life. And I would be remiss if I let a Marathon’s AI go rampant.”
“Of course, sir. Witold should be retired. But to transfer me away from command of the Sikorski? I am not so certain of this.”
“I know you wouldn’t be, so I wanted to hear your opinion in person. I wanted to be sure of your take on the matter. But I also want you to know that emotions may be clouding your judgement. You are one of the last living members of the Academy at Mare Nubium’s graduating class of 2519. In fact, you’re one of the last living captains to be commissioned before the Covenant appeared.”
My eyes widened. “James Cutter?” I asked somewhat meekly.
“He’s MIA. Him and his ship, the UNSC Spirit of Fire.”
“A whole ship just gone?”
“The details are classified, but Cutter and the ship are both gone. That’s a certainty.”
“Barbara Harmon?”
“Went down with the Brussels in orbit above New Java.”
“Farhan Choudhry?”
“Stayed aboard the Qutuz when he gave the order to make the engines go on meltdown. Apparently the Covenant had boarded the ship, and he didn’t want them to get their hands on the ship’s information concerning its prior whereabouts. I’m investigating Captain Choudhry’s actions, and there is something that piques my interest. But that’s neither here nor there.”
V.Adm. Cole straightened himself up in the chair, and faced me directly and solemnly.
“I’m running down our casualty list because I want you to understand the gravity of the situation we’re finding ourselves in. All of us. All of Humanity. Most of the Outer Colonies are gone. Just gone. And the Covenant’s forcing their way into the Inner Colonies. How long do you thing we have before we see Covenant in the core of Human space? And I’ll be damned if I catch sight of one of those purple bastards orbiting Earth. And to keep that from happening, I’m thinking about lobbying for you to be promoted to rear admiral.”
My eyes widened. I let out a long breath as I leaned back in the chair. This is no small change for any officer in the Navy, let alone someone like me.
“And what of the Sikorski?”
“I’ve heard such names as Takeshi Nomura, Jacob Keyes, and Gloria Espinosa being put in command of the Sikorski – all speculative, but probable. Meanwhile, Captain, you’ll be transferred to command Earth’s newest supercarrier: the UNSC Mir – a fine vessel from what I hear. Hood might be a bit disappointed by this development, but he’ll have to talk to High Command about it.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You do, but I’d go for the promotion if I was you. Earth would do well with someone of your talents and knowledge as a fully-fledged flag officer. Just think. You may grow into someone the UNSC will use as a poster boy one of these days. Perhaps sooner, rather than later, if you take the promotion.”
“I appreciate the offer, sir, I really do. I’m humbled and honored.”
“That sounds like the beginning of a ‘no.’”
“I’m afraid it is, sir.”
V.Adm. Cole leaned forward in his chair, placing his elbows and arms squarely on the desk, clasping his hands together. “I think you should think a bit longer on this decision. After all, opportunities like this rarely grace any officer in the Navy more than once. And the Navy needs more capable people like you in positions like mine.”
I fell silent. For one second. Then two. Then three, and for, and so on. I took thirty seconds in silence, consciously shifting my eyes between my hat, Cole’s bookshelf, and the window of his office looking outside. I sighed and made a slight smile, returning my vision to Cole.
“I’m better as a captain than as an admiral, sir. I’ll have to decline.”
Cole looked at me deeply. A faint smile formed on his weathered lips as he leaned back in his chair, almost as if he was mildly proud of me for not taking the offer. “Very well, Captain Nestorenko. I’ll not recommend you for promotion to rear admiral. But you’ll still get noticed every now and then.”
I nodded my head, saying, “I understand, sir.”
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