Starfire
Copyright© 2025 by Mark Randall
Chapter 13
Henry was at his bridge work station, busy reviewing manpower reports, when April cleared her throat. Henry knew that this was a hint that she needed his attention. “Yes, dear, what can I do for you?”
“Captain, you have a visitor who would like to speak to you.”
“Captain? It must be serious. I’m a little tied up right now. Can it wait? Have whoever it is set an appointment. Maybe something this afternoon.”
Before April could respond, A new person burst onto the bridge. “CAPTAIN,” he almost shouted, “It is vital that I speak to you immediately. I feel that the safety of this ship is being threatened, and the situation needs to be addressed without hesitation or delay.” An older man followed the speaker.
April and Henry stared at the intruder, as did several other bridge crew members.
April broke the ice, saying, “Captain Sullivan, may I introduce Mr. Bob Chambers. He is a member of the ship’s congress and would like a moment of your time. And his aide, Mr. Martin.”
Henry paused for a long moment, staring at Chambers. Then he said, “Mr. Chambers, if you step into my ready room,” motioning to the doorway, “we could have this discussion in private.”
Chambers blustered and stood up straighter. At slightly over 1.6 meters, this did little to impress any of his audience “That’s Congressman Chambers, Sullivan. I am a member of the ships’ congress and superior to you. I would imagine that a military person should be able to recognize rank.”
Henry paused again. April and the rest of the bridge crew knew that right now was an extremely dangerous time. That Captain Sullivan was trying very hard to contain himself from stuffing somebody into an airlock.”
“Very well, CONGRESSMEMBER, if you would care to step into my ready room, we can continue this conversation.”
Before he could continue, Chambers interrupted, “No, Sullivan, what I have to say should be said in front of witnesses. I demand that you cease the unwarranted squandering of fuel for the unnecessary combat flights that you have established. They are wasteful of the ship’s resources and a needless expenditure. My committee and fellow congressmembers agree that you must cease this foolish and unauthorized action on your part, immediately.”
Losing his temper, Henry took a step towards Chambers. April stepped between them, putting her hand on Henry’s chest. “Husband, stop, he has a following in the congress and spacing him would have consequences,” she whispered.
Henry stopped and took a deep breath. Then he looked at his wife. “April, if we let this go further, it will cause more problems than the minor ruckus of taking out the trash. But I won’t space this pimple, yet.”
Henry looked over at Chambers. “Mr. Chambers, when I was hired to command this ship, I was hired by one person and one person only. I wasn’t hired by the ship’s congress or the mother council. Agnes Seward hired me, and she is the only person who has any authority over me.”
“Normally, someone, including Grandmother Seward, who wishes to speak to me of important matters, will ask, politely, for a meeting. If time and duties permit, I will be more than happy to accommodate any POLITE request. Otherwise, a POLITE person would request an appointment that would be suitable for both parties.”
“If the matter were an emergency, I can guarantee that MY crew would have already informed me of the nature of that emergency. In any case, they would not barge onto my bridge demanding I submit to any petty grievance or imagined slights.”
Henry paused a third time and wiped his hand over his face. Then, looking at Chambers, he continued.
“MR. Chambers, I am the Captain of this ship. I am responsible for the safety and defense of the ship. My chain of command starts with me and ends with Grandmother Seward. There is no one, NO ONE, between us. I could shove your sorry butt out the nearest air lock, and the only questions I would have to answer are from Grandmother Seward, IF she asked me any. She has been known to take my actions at face value without question.”
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