understanding, Commander.” Hood smiled smugly. “Now, it’s going to get crowded around here soon. More than it already is. We still have some more of our Command staff arriving in the next few days, more of our pilots, and add to that, two full brigades of marines.”
“Two brigades?” Sanchez asked incredulously. “Are we marching off to war or what, sir?”
“It’s all in the file, Commander. Get settled in, and immerse yourself in it. We can talk more in the morning. I want your unbiased perspective when we talk again.”
“Very well, sir,” Sanchez answered as he picked up the file and stood. “I hear that we are getting some Epherium corporate types to tag along for awhile. Are they here yet?”
“Mr. McCraken and his group are due to arrive tomorrow night I’m told. But don’t worry, I think you have your hands full enough, Commander. They are my cross to bear.” Hood stood from his chair and moved over to the door. Sanchez followed him, and the two shook hands. “Oh, one more thing,” Hood reached into his jacket pocket, removed a small pouch, and held out for Sanchez to take. “Congratulations. Your promotion to commander came through.”
Somewhat surprised, Sanchez accepted the pouch with his new rank insignia gratefully. “I wasn’t up for promotion for another six months.”
“Admiral Tramp pulled some strings to hammer it through. Regardless of the timing, Raf, you deserve it. Welcome aboard,” Hood said with a congratulatory smile.
Sanchez grasped the pouch firmly in his hand and shook it in front of his face with a growing sense of pride. “Thank you, Captain.” With that, he spun on his heel and walked down the hall to his own quarters, all the while fumbling with the pouch trying to get it open.
Hood moved back into his quarters, removed his coat and hung it in its place in his closet. The day was more than halfway over, but to him it felt like time had been stretched to make the minutes feel like hours. Rubbing his eyes, he walked slowly back over to the desk, sat down, and opened the lower drawer.
Hood removed two more data storage cards from the drawer and sat them on the desk along with his data pad. The first one was marked “EEF Confidential: Epherium Colonization Effort.” Hood plugged into his desk’s computer terminal and began to open the files. The first file contained detailed schematics of the Epherium colony ships and their proposed flight plans to their intended destinations. The colony ships were to drop beacons along their journey, each equipped with high powered transmitters. They were the ships’ life line back to Earth. Hood checked the proposed drop locations. The distances between them were just inside the Armstrong’s jump range. He was confident he could use them. Epherium’s accelerator gates had increased their velocity close to the speed of light, but it still didn’t keep them from a long journey in a sleeper ship. Now his ship could reach them in days, not years.
At the end of the file were personnel records of each of the command crews. Hood keyed through the record listing until he got to his uncle’s. He opened it and stared at the profile picture. He slowly glanced over at the mirror near his bed then back at the picture. They both shared that famous Hood jaw line. He remembered that his dad had told him that it was sign of fortitude, not a brand of sophistication. His older brother always said it was what made him a chick magnet. His uncle once told him that he felt like one of the pioneers from the early 1800s in America setting out across the plains to settle an untamed land. Looking back on it, Hood believed he was right.
He moved on from his uncle’s file to the Magellan’s XO, Jillian Howard. The picture on the first page of her record didn’t do her justice, Hood thought. Her strawberry blond hair was tied back, and her green eyes were masked by the slight shadows created by the flash when the picture was taken. Hood
“Two brigades?” Sanchez asked incredulously. “Are we marching off to war or what, sir?”
“It’s all in the file, Commander. Get settled in, and immerse yourself in it. We can talk more in the morning. I want your unbiased perspective when we talk again.”
“Very well, sir,” Sanchez answered as he picked up the file and stood. “I hear that we are getting some Epherium corporate types to tag along for awhile. Are they here yet?”
“Mr. McCraken and his group are due to arrive tomorrow night I’m told. But don’t worry, I think you have your hands full enough, Commander. They are my cross to bear.” Hood stood from his chair and moved over to the door. Sanchez followed him, and the two shook hands. “Oh, one more thing,” Hood reached into his jacket pocket, removed a small pouch, and held out for Sanchez to take. “Congratulations. Your promotion to commander came through.”
Somewhat surprised, Sanchez accepted the pouch with his new rank insignia gratefully. “I wasn’t up for promotion for another six months.”
“Admiral Tramp pulled some strings to hammer it through. Regardless of the timing, Raf, you deserve it. Welcome aboard,” Hood said with a congratulatory smile.
Sanchez grasped the pouch firmly in his hand and shook it in front of his face with a growing sense of pride. “Thank you, Captain.” With that, he spun on his heel and walked down the hall to his own quarters, all the while fumbling with the pouch trying to get it open.
Hood moved back into his quarters, removed his coat and hung it in its place in his closet. The day was more than halfway over, but to him it felt like time had been stretched to make the minutes feel like hours. Rubbing his eyes, he walked slowly back over to the desk, sat down, and opened the lower drawer.
Hood removed two more data storage cards from the drawer and sat them on the desk along with his data pad. The first one was marked “EEF Confidential: Epherium Colonization Effort.” Hood plugged into his desk’s computer terminal and began to open the files. The first file contained detailed schematics of the Epherium colony ships and their proposed flight plans to their intended destinations. The colony ships were to drop beacons along their journey, each equipped with high powered transmitters. They were the ships’ life line back to Earth. Hood checked the proposed drop locations. The distances between them were just inside the Armstrong’s jump range. He was confident he could use them. Epherium’s accelerator gates had increased their velocity close to the speed of light, but it still didn’t keep them from a long journey in a sleeper ship. Now his ship could reach them in days, not years.
At the end of the file were personnel records of each of the command crews. Hood keyed through the record listing until he got to his uncle’s. He opened it and stared at the profile picture. He slowly glanced over at the mirror near his bed then back at the picture. They both shared that famous Hood jaw line. He remembered that his dad had told him that it was sign of fortitude, not a brand of sophistication. His older brother always said it was what made him a chick magnet. His uncle once told him that he felt like one of the pioneers from the early 1800s in America setting out across the plains to settle an untamed land. Looking back on it, Hood believed he was right.
He moved on from his uncle’s file to the Magellan’s XO, Jillian Howard. The picture on the first page of her record didn’t do her justice, Hood thought. Her strawberry blond hair was tied back, and her green eyes were masked by the slight shadows created by the flash when the picture was taken. Hood
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