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   “That’s three and a half years from now.”

   Shrugging, he said, “Vice-Admiral Remek informed me that if I wanted to assemble a task force to fight the not-men, or whatever we’re calling them, I have to do that here, at Yeager Station, rather than out on Alamo. She’s right.” He looked at his shoulders, and said, “I’m going to be Acting Commodore in a few weeks.”

   “Commodores have commanded ships before.”

   “You won’t give up, will you.” Leaning forward, he said, “All of this is in the report, but I’ll give you the short version now. We’re at war with the not-men, in every way that counts. Even the Senate’s going along with that. Right now we’re starving for intelligence. We don’t know the disposition of their forces, their strategic strength, we don’t even know the location of their homeworld. Sound familiar?”

   “The Cabal, before Alamo went out on its first long cruise.”

   “The Combined Chiefs have decided that what worked once might work again. Officially, Alamo’s orders are to secure Thule, but once that is over with, you’ll be heading out into unexplored space on your own recognizance to find the not-men. We’ve got a lot of ideas, and there are about ten thousand pages of reports for you to skim through, but it all adds up to less-than-educated guesswork. Alamo has to bring back the real story.”

   “It worked last time because of you, sir.”

   Shaking his head, he said, “I’m otherwise engaged. There’s only one person who can pull off this mission, and we both know it. The officer who took command of a wrecked battlecruiser with a skeleton crew, secured a vital strategic asset for the Confederation, and then led that ship into a hopeless battle that somehow, against all the odds, she managed to win. Recognize anyone?”

   “I had a lot of help.”

   “And you will this time. I’ll sign off on Frank Nelyubov’s promotion, and assignment as your second-in-command. You get Quinn, Powell, Harper. Deadeye’s staying here to command the station, and keep an eye on me.”

   “I can promote from within for Operations. Frank can cover as Tactical Officer, at least temporarily.”

   He smiled, and said, “See, you’re getting used to the idea.”

   “It’ll take me a long time for this to sink in. Sir, are you sure about this?”

   “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.” Passing across a datapad, he said, “Just give me your thumb-print, and it’s all official.”

   She took the datapad, and said, “I just don’t feel ready for this. I can be someone’s Exec, but this is too big a jump.”

   “I felt the same way when I first assumed command. I think everyone does.” With a sigh, he said, “In an ideal world, yes, you’d have another three or four years at your current rank. We don’t have the time. Odds are we’re going to be at war within a year, and the Fleet’s going to need the best ship commanders it can get. You’ll just have to do the best you can. I know it will be enough.”

   Taking a deep breath, she pressed her thumb on the screen, and passed it back to him, replying, “When this goes wrong, they’ll blame you.”

   “That’s the spirit. I held up a shuttle for you. I understand Jack wants a shakedown cruise.”

   “Yes, sir.”

   “Hengist won’t be arriving with the garrison force for three days, so you’ve got time if you hurry.” Passing over another datapad, he said, “Your orders, new crew assignments, the usual admin. Have fun with that, by the way.””

   “I will.” She made her way to the door, then said, “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”

   “I know that. Or you wouldn't have the job.” He smiled, then asked, “Are you going to get dressed?” He tapped his shoulders, and she shook her head.

   “I thought I’d wait until I got over to Alamo.”

   “Suit yourself. Good luck, Maggie.”

   She stepped out of the door in a daze, the aide snapping to attention as she walked out, obviously already informed about her promotion. She glanced down at her datapad, reading the message addressed to Lieutenant-Captain Orlova, and shook her head in disbelief.

   “Are you alright, ma’am?” the aide asked.

   Nodding, she said, “I’m fine. Thank you.” Pulling her jacket straight, she said, “Captain Marshall said there was a shuttle waiting.”

   “Airlock Nine, ma’am. Just down the corridor.” She paused, and said, “The pilot won’t be available for half an hour.”

   “I think I can manage it,” she said.

   “I presumed as much, ma’am. Good luck on your voyage, and congratulations on the promotion.”

   “Thank you.” Orlova stepped down the corridor, following the curve of the station around to the airlock. The hatch was already open, and she climbed in, sliding forward into the cockpit, quickly running through the preflight checks.

   “This shuttle going to Alamo?” a strident voice asked from behind her.

   “In one minute,” Orlova replied.

   “Great.” She heard the sound of the hatch closing, someone sliding into a couch. “I’m looking forward to seeing her. First time I’ve served on anything this big. Sub-Lieutenant Isabella Guidoni, by the way. Gamma Shift Watch Officer.”

   “Pleased to meet you,” she said. “Launching sequence start.”

   “Don’t you call senior officers ‘ma'am’ on Alamo, Spaceman?”

   She smiled, realizing that she couldn’t see her jacket while she was sitting in the couch, and said, “Sorry about that, ma'am.”

   “I'll let it pass this time. Are you new to the ship as well?”

   “In a manner of speaking, ma'am.”

   “I hear she has a brand new commander. Life's always more interesting when you have a rookie skipper at the helm.” She paused, then asked, “Are you on the deck gang, a shuttle pilot, or are you up on the bridge?”

   “I used to be,” Orlova replied. “Then they busted me.”

   “Oh?”

   “All the way down to Lieutenant-Captain.” She turned, flashed the shocked Guidoni a smile, and added, “Better strap in, Sub-Lieutenant. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.”

  Thank you for reading 'Malware Blues'. For information on future releases, please join the Battlecruiser Alamo Mailing List at http://eepurl.com/A9MdX for updates. If you enjoyed this book, please review it on the site where you purchased it.

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  Look out for Battlecruiser Alamo: Triple-Edged Sword, coming on February 29th, 2016...

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue