Black Fleet Trilogy 1: Warship Read Free Page A

prefer us to start our working relationship with no misunderstandings. I’ve read your fitness reports and, to be honest, I’m fairly impressed. You’ll be a great asset to this ship if you can fully dedicate yourself to her. This is a good crew. They’re a little rough around the edges but a solid group of spacers nonetheless. Get to know them, earn their respect, and I promise you you’ll get your shot at a command of your own … but you have to earn it. Do you have any questions for me?”
    “Just one, sir,” she said. “I tried to research this myself but the public net on Daven had conflicting information on the reference. Why is this ship called the Blue Jacket ?”
    Jackson leaned back, considering her question.
    “The fact I command this particular ship is a bit of serendipity,” he said with a genuine smile. “All the destroyers in Ninth Squadron were named after Native American war chiefs. Blue Jacket was the war chief of the Shawnee, an ancient tribe that used to inhabit the area where I grew up.”
    “So you weren’t just born on Earth,” she said. “You grew up there as well?”
    “Yes,” Jackson said. “I was born in the North American Union in a smog-choked city on the Ohio River and lived there until earning a slot to the Academy. Anyway, there are four ships in total in this squadron: Blue Jacket , Crazy Horse , Pontiac , and Black Hawk . There were two others but they were decommissioned years ago and never replaced.”
    “Fascinating,” Celesta said, seeming to genuinely mean it. “Is there any information I could read on the subject?”
    “I have some books that I will send to your comlink,” Jackson said. “In the meantime, we’ll come up with a duty schedule to maximize our coverage and effectiveness. I don’t expect you to simply fill the space Commander Stevenson previously occupied, I want you to figure out how you’ll be most effective. The crew won’t begin showing up for another few hours and we’re not scheduled to depart for another week or so after that. I’d like you to accompany me and the chief engineer on our walk-through.”
    “Of course, sir,” she said. “It would be an excellent opportunity to meet much of the crew.”
    “That’s the idea,” Jackson said. “Go ahead and get settled in your quarters and I’ll contact you when we’re ready to begin. Welcome aboard.” At his last statement he reached across his desk and offered her his hand. She rose out of her seat to shake it before standing up and offering another salute.
    “I’m happy to be here, sir,” she said.
    “Dismissed, Commander,” Jackson said, picking up his tile as she opened the hatch and walked out of his office. He stared at the hatch for a moment after it closed, still unsure how he felt about his new exec. Despite her qualifications he couldn’t help but feel there was a bull's-eye on his back. The fact that Admiral Winters, not one of his biggest fans, had enthusiastically pushed her candidacy didn’t do much to dispel the feeling.
     

 
    Chapter 3
     
    “Captain on the bridge!”
    “As you were,” Jackson said with a dismissive wave. He climbed up into the raised command chair and began navigating through menus on the display attached to the left armrest. “Ensign Davis, what is the crew status?”
    “All crew accounted for, seven still not aboard,” the short, shapely operations officer reported, consulting her display. “Those seven are being brought to the ship by local law enforcement. A ship’s officer will need to meet them at the gangway to secure their release.”
    “XO to the bridge,” Jackson said loudly. The computer would automatically ping Commander Wright’s comlink and inform her she needed to report to the captain on the bridge. “OPS, tell the Marines at the main gangway that the new exec will be down shortly to deal with the locals.”
    “Aye, sir,” Ensign Davis said, speaking into her headset.
    It was a few minutes later when an only