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Tril-Liana walked into the Admirals outer office. She was wearing a class-C uniform. Every day work, not the class-A dress uniform she should have been wearing to see an Admiral.
She placed her travel bag beside the couch, then removed the rank pin from her pocket. She pinned the small star to her lapel then turned to face the secretary. “Captain Tril-Liana here to see Admiral Rowlan-Deeks” she said.
The secretary said “You are expected. Have a seat and I'll inform the Admiral of your presence.”
Liana took a seat on the couch. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. The thought of a nap was tantalizing. Then the secretary said “Captain?” Liana opened her eyes and straightened up. “You may go in now” finished the secretary.
Liana got up off the couch and walked to the door behind the secretary's desk. She opened it, stepped through, and closed it behind her. She walked up to the desk, came to attention, made the salute and said “Captain Tril-Liana reporting as ordered, Sir.”
Admiral Rowlan was seated in his chair. He loooked irritatedly at Liana, then he returned the salute and curtly said “Stand easy.” There was a single file folder placed strategically on the desk. He slid a single sheet out of it, spun it around, slid it towards Liana and ordered “Sign it.”
Liana picked up the single sheet and started to read it. The Admiral snarled “Just sign it.”
She placed the sheet back on the desk and said “The Admiral knows better than the Captain that ordering someone to sign something without fully understanding what it says and means is a violation. Sir.”
Rowlan glared at her. Then he slid three sheets stapled together out of the folder. He spun them around and placed them beside the single sheet. “This is your grievance” he said, tapping on the three sheets. “This” tapping the single sheet, “is a waiver allowing me to retract the grievance. Read it and sign it,” he snarled.
Liana had been relieved of her command and fired from the fleet. She could find no reason for being canned, so she filed a grievance. She picked up the three sheets and skimmed through them. It was her grievance. She picked up the single sheet, carefully read it, then placed it back on the desk. “No sir” was her reply.
The Admiral was now looking severely irritated with her. “Tell me why I was fired,” said Liana.
Rowlan smiled like a hungry barracuda. “You were fired because Admiral Ruiz-Kov lost confidence in your ability to command” he said.
“True enough, Sir.” Said Liana. “But usually there is a reason when a Captain is fired. Sometimes because of a collision, perhaps an ethical violation. Crew violations or, possibly even incompetence. But my ship had no collision. If there was an ethical violation I wish I knew about it. My crew has been reasonably well behaved and my record speaks for itself.”
Rowlan just continued to glare at her.
“Give me a valid reason for why I was canned and I'll sign this and go quietly.” She said.
The Admiral tapped the grievance “If this goes before the Admiralty it will become a matter of public record and a large number of female houses will be raising a stink. They may even demand an incompetent female be put in a captains chair.” He said.
“As opposed to some of the incompetent males currently sitting in captains chairs?” Retorted Liana.
Admiral Rowlan glared at Liana for another moment. Then he took a deep breath, sighed it back out, and said “I can reinstate you and give you Pompeya.”
Liana felt her heart soar at the thought of getting Pompeya. She ruthlessly jammed it back down, laughed, and said “Pompeya? The museum ship Pompeya?”
Rowlan said “It's a one year tour. You can then retire with honors and the full pension.”
“I'd rather know why I was fired.” Stated Liana.
The Admiral was back to looking irritated and glaring at her again. Liana waited a long agonizing minute. Then she said “All right. I get Pompeya. For as long as I want it. I get a free hand in recruiting crew and a generous operating budget. Also, I want a hand written note explaining your best guess as to why I was actually fired.”
Rowlan's expression changed from irritated to perplexed. Then to calculating. Then back to irritated. Liana said “How about I sweeten the deal. One year after I take command I put Pompeya through the Gunne House ship qualifying range. If the ship fails to qualify I retire quietly.” She paused, then she said, “The ship qualifies, but not the crew.”
The Admirals expression changed again. “How does the ship qualify but not the crew?” he asked.
“Well, obviously,” started Liana, “I will have one section which could fly and fight the ship. But they will have trained for the exclusive task of putting the ship through its qualifications. I will then need time to recruit more men and train the crew.”
“And after?” asked Rowlan.
“I would suggest health and welfare inspections of mining ships. No one likes that duty, you should have no problem assigning Pompeya to doing that. With a slow pace so I have plenty of time to be thorough in the inspections, and still have adequate time to train and drill between inspections.”
“Just what is that ship?” asked the Admiral.
Liana replied “I'm not certain. It is either a Caldor class destroyer hull fitted out to be a museum ship. Or it is a Caldor class destroyer masquerading as a museum ship. If Fleet Captain Bear-Gunne's final orders were followed, it should be the deadliest and most capable destroyer in the fleet.”
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Zim.
Mad Poet Strikes Again.
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