Gray Panthers Captain Short Blade Read Free Page B

found that pay was based on species. As a Libra officer he would make less than a Jacka sailor on the same ship. Harve swallowed his pride. He would fix this once he had become part of the solution from the inside.
    When he arrived at supply, he got even more of a shock when he saw that the uniforms and equipment were a mishmash of whatever the Fire fleet had managed to capture or buy on the open market. He realized it could be in his best interest to wear Libra-designed gear.
    The Jacka on base were all respectful of his rank and saluted without any hesitation. As Harve had suspected, they had grown accustomed to Libra authority when the Jacka had served as mercenaries for the Libra. That was why saluting him was so easy for them. The port officer was polite when he requested transportation to his ship.
    “Sir, it will be a little while, but I can get you on the next shuttle to the Vengeance with no trouble. I’m sure they’ll be glad to have you,” the sailor said with a smile.
    “Why do you think they’ll be so glad to have me, sailor?” Harve asked, feeling as if there was a secret he didn’t know.
    “Sir, the original ships of the Fire fleet were captured from the Libra by the humans, who  modified them so they’re almost entirely automated. They can even repair themselves. But the ships the Fire fleet captured from the Libras are almost useless. They don’t know how to use or repair them. Most of the crews are Libra or any species that volunteered to sail on them. The only Jacka are the officers and a heavy security force to maintain discipline."
    “Sir, there’s a shuttle heading for the Vengeance. You can catch it on pad thirty-one if you hurry. It’s an unscheduled flight, but they’ll wait for you.”
    Harve took off in the direction in which the sailor had pointed before realizing he didn’t know the Jacka numbering system. The field of simple concrete pads was numbered in Jacka, Libra, and a few League of Planet numbers.
    “Over here!”
    Harve saw there was only one shuttle with its engines running, so he headed for it as he tried to make out what the crewman was shouting.
    “Sorry, I couldn’t hear what you were saying over the engine noise,” Harve yelled as the hatch was being shut.
    “Doesn’t matter now,” the crewman told him. “Strap in tight. The lieutenant thinks he’s flying a fighter!”
    “I heard that, chief! But it’s good advice,” the pilot called out.
    Harve felt the blood rush to his toes as the shuttle launched at forty-five degrees, at maximum allowed power. The lieutenant was quickly out of the atmosphere and flying around doing acrobatics as the shuttle slowly made its way to the cruiser between rolls and maneuvers.
    “That was too short. Should we do it again?” The chief replied by popping the hatch open so they couldn’t leave the cruiser. Harve took that as a sign to get out fast before something else happened.
    The cruiser was already filling up with new crewmembers as Harve found the admin officer and got his berthing assignment. The cabin hadn’t been touched since the ship had been captured. Family pictures and personal possessions were still in the room. The last occupant had been the same size as Harve. The back of a desk drawer contained the officer’s valuables and side arm. These might come in handy one day, Harve thought.
    “Maintenance officer to the flight deck,” blared over the ship’s speaker system. Harve hopped up to run to the flight deck. As he rushed along the passageways, repaired damage still showed like ugly scars..
    “Sir, MO Harve reports.” The captain standing in front of him was the biggest Jacka Harve had ever seen.
    “What did you do during the war, Harve?” Senior Captain Thrust seemed to roar, he was so loud.
    “Sir, I was a civilian navy engineer responsible for designing ships and making modifications. Before that I worked in logistics, fielding supplies to the different types of depots.
    “Good. We can use those