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was a troublesome chore that he'd rather avoid.
"Be that as it may, you are Fleet personnel. I have been requested to oversee
your training. The ship's computer will be linked at all times back to the
Academy. For the first day or two you should be able to interact directly with
your classes until the time lag for signal makes that impossible. All of you
will stand duty shifts in the cockpit, galley, engine room, and hydroponics
room, and perform general ship's maintenance. I will provide dailyAstro
-Navigation problems along with running a class on fleet law."
He paused for a moment as he organized his thoughts.
"You will indeed serve as the crew of this vessel and be treated as such.
Senior CadetPetronovich will act as your platoon commander. All queries to me
must first be directed through him."
He fell silent again and started to turn as if in dismissal, then stopped and
looked back.
"I want to make this clear. You are duly sworn personnel of this fleet. This
is not the Academy, where officers more fit for a classroom than for command
are in control. Given the fact that this ship was designed for patrol and is
fully combat-capable, I shall expect instant obedience without question. As
you know, this ship carries a full compliment of weapons, including
twentyValkyrie space-to-space and space-to-surface nuclear warheads. The power
to use them is in my hands if the situation warrants it."
Justin stared at the Captain. It was a curious statement. The USMC did indeed
have control over humanity's stockpile of nuclear weapons. Part of its reason
for existing was to serve as a deterrent to any nation on Earth that might
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secretly attempt to develop nuclear weapons and then threaten a neighbor with
them. He wondered whyMacKenzie felt it necessary to mention this power and the
fact that he controlled it.
"Those of you from Mars or the outer colonies, raise your hand."
Justin looked over at Matt, who put his hand up along with half a dozen other
cadets.
MacKenzie'sgaze slowly swept the room. Justin watched the Captain while he
stared intently at Matt for several seconds, as if memorizing every detail
about his friend.
"If we should be called upon to react to certain elements in this solar
system, I will expect instant obedience to my orders or you shall face the
consequences."
The room was silent, Justin wondering if a threat had just been issued.
"You will find this ship to be very different."
MacKenziesaid with a smile. He then turned away and disappeared through the
door.
"Prepare for departure in ten minutes," the senior pilot announced.
"Acceleration chairs will be found in your rooms fold them down from the wall
and strap in. Once clear of the Academy, burn time at four gees will be
twenty-two minutes,then one gee for three hours and eighteen minutes, so if
you need to hit the head better do so now. Ship's company dismissed."
Justin looked over at Matt.
"What do you think that was all about?"
"Shoot, I thought he'd burn a hole in me with his eyeballs," Matt replied,
shaking his head. "Darned if I know but I don't feel good about it, old buddy,
not one bit good."
Matt moved easily about the tiny galley, accompanying Ship's Cook Kelly
O'Brian in the last stanza of "Gertyof Ganymede" while slipping a container
full of chopped beef into therehydrator .
Justin looked at the two in surprise as they finished the words, glad that
Tanya and Madison had not pulled kitchen detail this first night out. On such
matters he was still decidedly old-fashioned and wondered if Matt would have
joined so lustily in the song about an overly friendly tavern owner if females
had been present. Somehow he suspected that O'Brian would have kept on with
his unending stream of invective and songs no matter who was present,
including ThorThorsson himself.
"You know a zero-gee galley like the back of your hand," O'Brian announced in
his strange lilting lisp. "Serve aboard ship before?"
"My Uncle Dan owns a solar sailing ship, grew up on it."
"Which one?"
"Corona Wind, six-master, twenty-nine hundred squareklicks of sail and out of
Ceres."
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"Not Dan Everett?"
"The same."
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