Tipping Point in the Alliance War Read Free Page B

exit warp-space, I want to have everyone
at their Battle Station positions, with their fingers on the triggers.”
    ***

Courageous Bridge
    Captain
Niles notices the special icon flashing on his PID.  He answers the call,
in privacy-mode, and says; “Hello Doctor.  How are you today?”
    “Just
fine, Roger.” Doctor Kei responds.  “I was wondering if you might have
time for dinner, with me tonight.”
    “I
would love to have dinner with you.  Your place or
mine?”
    ***
    There
is an age old rule, which prohibits sexual relationships between Navy or Marine
personnel, of different rank.  The purpose of the rule is to prevent
higher ranking individuals from coercing lower ranking personnel, into having
sexual liaisons. (It often happens anyway.)
    That
rule would leave the ship’s Captain alone at the top.  But, since the
rules are made by high ranking people, you can expect that the Alliance Navy
will leave a few loopholes.  The ship’s Captains are permitted to have
sexual relationships with the ship’s doctors and the ship’s counselors. 
It is reasoned that, since their promotions are not under the Captain’s
control, there is no conflict of interest.  The gender of the ship’s
doctor and counselor is often a good indicator of the Captain’s sexual
preferences.  In the case of the Courageous, both of those officers are female
humans.
    Dr.
Mei Kei has followed Captain Niles for his last two changes of assignment, and
is the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Courageous.  Dr. Kei is in love
and is considering having children.  Roger Niles has left that decision to
her.  They both know that his ‘first love’ is the Navy, and that he is
married to that relationship, first. 
    If Mei
decides to have a child, she can continue her Navy career, but the child will
not be permitted to live on a ship-of-war.  Mei has already decided that
if she has a child, she will leave the Courageous and take a position
planet-side.
    ***

Chapter 3
     
    “We
are 30 seconds away from real-space,” announces Lieutenant Mullah, the ship’s
Navigation Officer.
    “The
Courageous is in Battle Stations alert status, with the ship’s Computer
Controlled Defenses set for automatic response,” announces Lieutenant Mutreno , the Tactical Officer.
    Captain
Niles is cool on the outside, but at a heightened sense of alertness on the
inside.  The Capernic System might be crawling
with enemy ships.  He had picked the warp exit point to be outside of the
system’s gravity-well, so it will be possible to make a quick warp ‘hop’ out of
the area, if necessary. 
    “We
are in real-space at the programmed coordinates,” announces Lieutenant Mullah.
    “Ship’s
stealth system engaged.  No threats identified by ship’s sensors.  Beginning active scans for cloaked ship’s gravity-wells, and
unnatural objects.   The probe-array has been deployed,” announces
Lieutenant Mutreno .  ………………….. Active scans show
no threats, within a 700,000 klick spherical vicinity.”
    (Science
Officer Basisht has made some modifications to the
Gravity Detection System on the Courageous, and has taken Tactical Officer Mutreno’s suggestion, about designing a sensor array using
multiple probes.  This new system can detect the gravity-well of a single
warship.)
    “Lieutenant Mutreno , cancel the Battle Stations alert; announce
an alert status of Level 4; and launch sub-light-speed sensor probes, to the
coordinates of the Capernic System battle-space. 
Lieutenant Mullah, plot a real-space course for the ship to the coordinates of
the battle.  Also, keep a plot to a piece of empty-space ready, in case we
have to jump out quickly.”
    “Probes
launched, sir.”
    …………. 
“Courses plotted, sir.”
    “Lieutenant
Mullah, launch the reconnaissance probe, to the planet Egdffe ”
says Captain Niles.
    “Wait!”
interjects Lieutenant Mutreno .  “I looked at Egdffe through the telescope, sir.  There is nothing
there but a