The Meaning Of Command

Author: Chaoseternus

Chapter 13: The Meaning Of Command

Thundersdawn

The Thundersdawn security personnel looked on, their faces professional stony masks as the NID prisoners were led off in handcuffs, their faces showing none of their disgust, their contempt for the NID. They were professionals, and they would do their best to ensure these animals weren't allowed to get off on a technicality. They had caused the RSS too many problems for that, plus they were kind of hoping a rescue would be tried, or even an assignation of the prisoners. Then they would get to show the NID what an ambush really meant.

John Ryan watched the impassive faces of the Guards and grinned, he knew exactly what they were thinking, it probably wasn't that far from his own thoughts, but he had never got the hang of the impassive professional stony mask the RSS personnel were showing. He still tended to show his feelings to everyone around him despite his years at the CIA. And today, he couldn't help but grin. He was in space! He had dreamed, as most children did, of being an astronaut, of going into space as a child, but even in his wildest imaginings he never dared believe it would actually happen. And so he smiled, for today his dream had come true. Oh yeah, and he also had a lot of intelligence on public enemy number one just dumped into his lap, that too of course.

"Sir John" he turned as his voice was called, the mild British accent telling him it was station personnel before he saw who it was;
"Captain Peters…" John paused as he noticed the changed uniform, "Commodore Peters, congratulations on your well deserved promotion"
"Thank you, we are having additional cells and interrogation rooms set up for your use as we speak, your Quarters are on deck six section five, that's closed off for Taskforce Lucifer personnel and essential maintenance only. Headquarters has also assigned a Paladin and pilots for your group's exclusive use whilst you are at Thundersdawn, barring emergencies. Just don't stray, its not exactly safe out there even at the best of times"
"Thank you, now about…"

"Captain!" Peters turned at the shout, and saw the approaching Ensign flush as she saw the new rank markings, quickly Peters waved the apology off, it wasn't important.
"Yes, Ensign?"
"Commodore, Yorktown has been secured at Airlock 3, engineering is crawling all over the graving dock and estimates 12 hours until it will be ready for Persephone to use. Hold 3 has been cleared and the HyperDrive investigation team is setting up now, but environmental wishes me to remind you that they can't install the upgraded environmental systems stored in hold 1 whilst the station is full to capacity as it almost is now. Environmental is recommending either we shift people off station, and soon or risk an environmental systems failure"
"Knows how to sugar coat it doesn't he?" Peters said, a wry grin splitting her face, "Okay, dismissed Ensign"
"If you need anything Sir John, command will always know where to find me" Peters shouted over her shoulder as she walked swiftly from the room.

GC St Athan

Admiral Thompson smiled as he sat back down in his seat at his desk. A desk at which he had so recently collapsed, only being saved by the fact that the medical teams had already been sent before he had collapsed. He liked this desk, and he had to say, he was grateful to Thor for returning him to it so soon. He would have been fit to return to it eventually sure, but that would have left Peters in command of the RSS for far longer than he would have liked. She was a very capable Captain sure, and she would be a capable Commodore, but she was not quite ready for permanent command of the RSS, she was not ready to be an Admiral in this infant service.

But she was learning, had learned in fact. This taste of the larger picture had been unplanned but it had left its mark on the relatively young commodore. She had for the first time, taken responsibility for sending her people out, possibly to their deaths, okay no-one had actually died during the assault on the NID facility but she had taken responsibility for it anyway. That was a big step forward, up till now only he Admiral Thompson had been giving the orders that led to people's deaths. Now, Peters had shown she had the capability at last. She had had it all along sure, but now it was proven to the doubters.

She had also successfully commanded the helm of the great ship that was the RSS through several quite genuine emergencies, his collapse, the move on the NID, the Liberty finally proving the HyperDrives were faulty and she had responded responsibly to each and everyone. Peters would be ready to succeed him when he retired; she had shown she knew the meaning of command.