The Captain At His Desk

[NS]

Commander Richard Smith woke up well rested and refreshed for his first full day back at the helm of the 5-EX. Technically the ship would not be “handed over” to him by the Port Captain for another two weeks, but the Crew for the upcoming cruise would be filtering in during the next day or two and refresher training on simulators would begin in earnest by the end of the week.

Smith was sitting at his desk in the small office in the small building that housed the special simulators used by the FTL Crews prior to their leaving Earth and the Solar System.

A knock on the door caused Commander Smith to look up from his computer monitor while simultaneously calling out, “Enter.”

As soon as Commander Smith saw who it was, he jumped to his feet and stuck out his hand, “Michael! Good to see you. How was your Leave?”

“Fine, Richard, just fine,” Lieutenant Michael Faraday took the hand of his Captain and friend and shook it. “How was yours?”

“Can’t complain,” Commander Smith answered and sat back down while gesturing to a chair at the side of his desk for Lieutenant Faraday to have a seat.

“No one would listen anyway,” Lieutenant Faraday added, completing the old joke. From his seat he could see the monitor and the fact that Commander Smith was studying the personnel files of the twelve Enlisted Men who would comprise most of the crew during the upcoming voyage.

The power to weight ratio of the EX Cruisers was such that the availability space for living quarters was extremely limited. Not since the early Twenty-First Century had Spacers been shoved in so crammed together. Therefore, any scientist, researcher, diplomatic, or whatever that wished to make a cruise on the Faster Than Light vessels had to enlist in the Solar Guard for a period of one year. The first three months were spent at the main training center in Brasilia, Brazil, followed by four weeks on the EX simulators in the North American States.

After they had the chance to become proficient in the watch-standing duties of the EX and proficient in working together as a team under the full-time Officers and one Chief Petty Officer of the ship, the EX would deploy for a period of seven to eight months.

Due to the unique opportunity to travel to such distant Star-Systems (and return) in such a short period of time, the competition for berths onboard the EX’s was quite fierce among Universities, Corporations, and Government Agencies. The head of Celestial Command, the administration unit in charge of the six EX’s, Admiral Thorndike, spent as much of his time settling arguments and smoothing feathers as he did running the squadron of ships.

Of course, diplomacy is a prime requirement of all Admirals. Anyone who things a Flag Officer is not a skilled politician does not know anything about the military, politics, or life in general.

“Anyone interesting?” Lieutenant Faraday asked, nodding towards the screen.

Commander Smith shrugged. “Besides your usual astronomer, physicist, and biologist, we have two M.D.s, one from the Atlantic Center for Communicable Diseases, an M.B.A. from a Zurich Investment Banking Firm and an archaeologist.”

“Archaeologist?” Lieutenant Faraday repeated. “That sounds like a waste of a billet.”

Commander Smith shrugged. “I don’t pick them; I just train them and then command them.”

“Speaking of Crew,” Lieutenant Faraday said, “Petty Officer Callahan is here. I ran into him at the airport. Our flights got in around the same time and we shared a cab-ride to base.”

Commander Smith nodded. Petty Officer James Earl Callahan was a good Spacer; a good, no, a great Cook, and a first rate Shipmate. He had a positive attitude and would go out of his way to help any of his fellow crew-members.

“I don’t suppose Moonwatcher is back yet?” Lieutenant Faraday asked. He knew that Lieutenant Lawrence Moonwatcher was a native of Mars and still lived there. Second Officer Moonwatcher would probably be the last of the “Regular” Crew to report in.

“No, but Chief Wallace is,” Commander Smith smiled. “The Boatswain was waiting outside my officer door when I arrived this morning.”

“Well he always rents a furnished apartment near base during our Stand-Down Periods anyway,” Lieutenant Faraday said, “Doesn’t he?”

“Yep,” Commander Smith nodded. “Spends most of the day sleeping, has dinner at the Chief’s Club, and then drinks for the rest of the night.”

Lieutenant Faraday shook his head in grudging admiration. “That man’s liver must be harder than a Asteroid Sweeper’s Hull.”