Chapter 4: Changes in the Chain of Command
Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:03 pm
“Scuttlebutt heard on Argus…"
"Why Ford’s working out with us…"
"Following his misplaced lust…"
"Had himself a nut to bust…"
"Sound off 1, 2…Sound off 3, 4.."
"1, 2, 3, 4…. 1-2, 3-4!!"
"Caught some crewmen watched ‘em frak…"
"Took his viper from its rack…"
"Junkyard hit him in disgust…"
"And his viper lost it’s thrust…"
"Sound off…”
The marines were singing the derogatory chant in order to keep the workout rhythm. Colonel Bridgeford had taken command of Ford and was now making him jog laps with his marines on the flight deck. The little workout ditty caused great embarrassment to the major.
The laughter from the enlisted men present along with the colonel’s constant yells of, “Hey flyboy, I can’t hear you!” only made the egotistical pilot want to find a place to hide. “Flyboy in the marines we exercise! Get the lead out!” It was already 4 days of this torture and he wasn’t sure how long his punishment would be. Secretly he wished he had been put in the brig instead of Reeves .The admiral surreptitiously walked onto the flight deck and stood beside the colonel.
“I’ve got people singing this in CIC so I had to check it out myself.” Bridgeford said it was good for morale and took the major’s ego down a notch too. The admiral looked at his X.O. and thanked the Lords of Kobol that he was the ship’s commanding officer. “I would hate to piss you off; there is a mean streak in you.” Colonel Bridgeford thanked his superior for noticing and calmly said there was a reason he became a marine and not a pilot. Noting that when it absolutely and positively requires execution with extreme prejudice, it’s the Marines to the rescue.
With a smirk, Hallis told him to not to over do it. After all, they still didn’t have food and water was rationed. Bridgeford laughed and said not to worry because the doctor has already said that he now has facilities for harvesting and freezing organs and blood if the Major drops dead.
The admiral rolled his eyes and spoke again. “I want you to assign him to be the liaison officer with the lower ranks. We have a problem with Reeves operating one crew and me another and it should help Ford get over his superiority complex.” With a smile Bridgeford saluted the admiral who in turn told him to carry on.
Shortly after the training exercises the major grabbed a sack and walked down one of the corridors. Ford was convinced that the colonel and his marines were insane. No food, limited water and these guys were doing kamikaze workouts, he repeated muttered to himself. Slowly he walked up to the ship’s alchemist door and he knocked on it. A very whimsically dramatic voice responded, “Cooooome innnnn whoever you are.” The major pushed open the door and saw a man wearing a lab coat of his own creation, which hung open revealing a sliver g-string. Noting that it was warm in the room, Ford was surprised when the private walked over, threw his arms around him and kissed his cheek.
“Oh a man! What can I do for you soldier boy?” Major Ford turned red faced and was very uncomfortable. But nevertheless, he managed to state that he had heard he could get something for the hunger pains and boast his performance levels.
“Well what you go to trade?” Ford opened the bag and showed him 2 bottles of water.
“Hmmm you know there might be water on it’s way so I’m not accepting that as payment. Have you got anything else? Perhaps you have something more personal to offer?”, Freddy cooed these words at the attractive pilot looking him up and down before letting his eyes rest below his belt. The major stuttered the word no and the other man folded his arms with a sarcastic but disdainful look on his face. Major Ford opened his jacket and pulled out 2 nutrition bars and the chemist squealed like a schoolgirl. “Soldier boy, food is big bucks these days. This and a kiss will buy some herbal and none of that chemical crap I’m currently making.”
He walked over to the desk and pulled out a small baggie. “Ok, soldier boy, where is my kiss?” Feeling slightly nauseated from the earlier exercise Ford decided to close his eyes and give the man the required peck on the cheek. Handing over the drugs the alchemist commented, “Now that wasn’t so bad?…was it?”
Ford just turned and walked out the door as his host laughed. “See you soon.”
-----
Reeves lay on the mattress-less bunk of the brig, when he heard the whistling and footsteps of someone approaching. Admiral Hallis’ good mood was evident as he walked into the unlocked cell, carrying a portable receiver. “Was it cold enough for you captain?” Moving to sit up on the bed captain Reeves decided to ignore the question. Although he was wearing a spacesuit, without power it only made the chill bearable. Instead he inquired if it was his equipment that the Admiral had. “I hope you don’t mind. The communications on this ship are limited by today’s standards, and I wasn’t going to try to rip one out of a raptor. Besides yours appears to have even better range. Not standard issue is it?” With a shake of his head, the captain explained it was a gift from his adopted father and the squawk box they used to locate the Poseidon.
Turning it on, Hallis said it was a hell of a radio. As the receiver came to life, Cupcake’s voice crackled on it. “Oh! Oh! Dancer you remember private Decker on Halcyon base?” Dancer and Clubber uniformly groaned and said how he was the worse cook in the fleet. Cupcake laughing hard broke into an impersonation, “Errr… Ummm… You mean I got to peel the potatoes before I mash them?” After a round of chuckles, Hell’s Honey suggested that if they were going to surprise the ship, they had better switch to radio silence for the next little while. After all long-range communications should be close. Cupcake responded, “I bet we won’t surprise the Admiral. That old bird probably hasn’t slept since we left and has most likely wielded a giant antenna on the Argus’ hull.” With that statement, Hallis grinned and mumbled about how his crew knows him too well and then turned off the radio. He then looked at Reeves and informed him he needed him in CIC now.
Thankful for his freedom, the captain was happy to accompany the admiral to command. CIC was a clutter of people singularly focused on their jobs. Concentrating on a task helped keep the mind off empty stomachs. To this effect, only Lieutenant Lapointe welcomed the return of the captain. But his joy in seeing his frequent working partner was replaced with anticipation when petty officer Richards announced that he was successful in creating a radio link with one of the raptors on the flight deck. “Sir, we now have acceptable long range communication ability.” The admiral nodded and told him to put it on the box for everyone to hear. The man complied with Hallis’ demand and the room filled with the sounds of stellar static for 15 minutes.
“Argus this is Dancer, do you read me? Over.” Raising an eyebrow in the direction of captain Reeves, Hallis spoke informing Dancer he was talking to Actual and inquired about the mission status. “Well sir, chief Cain ignored data and did her own thing. Scuds’ hauler flamed out and is being towed back….” Colonel Bridgeford interrupted demanding a mission report, not a play by play.
“Yes sir! And my apology for airman Dancer.” Cupcake took over the dialog with Argus. “Sir, this major will report that as long as we get our hot showers first. Mission Accomplished!” CIC broke out into loud applause and cheers. “Hell’s Honey harpooned a big one sir. And we have its little brother trailing us about 2 days behind.” The admiral looked at Reeves, smiled and slapped the man on the shoulder in congratulations.
A few days past, Doctor Lewellyn had said he believed that the Argus was a lucky ship. Annoyed by the comment, the admiral protested that the Poseidon was a great battlestar too. The doctor calmly responded that it was lucky until it blew up. “Dave, this bird kicked ass in the first war. And then came back to do it in the second. The Poseidon didn’t even last 10 fraking minutes. Yea, it was a great ship, but it wasn’t very lucky.”
Considering that certain death had again turned into a fighting chance, his sentiment was now being shared and echoed by the rest of the crew. As Hallis stepped on to the flight deck to be present for the landings, he over-heard the lucky comments from many of his people. Silently he acknowledged, he would have to get used to the bruising, his former vessel’s destruction had left on his ego.
The giant fragment of the comet was parked alongside the ship and then all the planes had landed. Admiral Hallis barely got the opportunity to shake chief Cain’s hand when jovial chaos erupted. As if to emphasize that an abundance of water was at hand, the admiral and the chief were doused in the precious liquid. Permitting the insubordination, the old man simply said, “By Zeus that’s a big rock. You’re one hell of a pilot. See me at 09h00.” Wet and walking away, he spotted Cupcake and gave her an approving salute as some of the deck hands lifted her on their shoulders. Everyone began to yell comments about how tomorrow they are going to find food. The party continued for almost an hour before the tired heroes complained they wanted to sleep.
-----
With a bounce in her step, it didn’t matter to Alana Cain that the shower was cold or the legs of her pants were damp. Considering the recent events, it just felt good to be clean again. Coming to the Admiral’s door she straightened her shirt before knocking on it. “Enter.” Hallis responded. As she entered in the room she noticed chief Forester was already present and standing at attention. Judging by both the looks on their faces Cain concluded this was going to be more than a congratulatory meeting. “09h00…You’re punctual, I can give you that. You can stand at attention beside chief Forester.” Chief Cain had hoped that the chewing out that she and Forester received on the flight deck would be the conclusion of their amorous incident.
Suddenly she noticed how the wetness of her pants made the ship’s chill less bearable. Standing at Forester’s side she did her best to hide her discomfort are braced for what was to come. Twice walking around and eye balling the two soldiers, the admiral considered his words carefully and finally stood behind them. “Lost in space. No food. Damn cold and substandard living conditions.” He paused for a moment and licked his lips before continuing with his speech. “I can appreciate that the captain allowed and perhaps even indulged your relationship in the junk yard. But you’re now soldiers serving aboard a battlestar under my command.” The old man paused again and walked around to the front of the two chiefs in order to look at their faces. Alana Cain began to interject, in an attempt to accept full responsibility for the incident but the admiral’s prior calm authoritative voice became a bellow. “Did I give you permission to speak?!!” Chief Cain quickly shut up and stared at the wall ahead of her. Dropping his voice, Hallis continued.
“You two get this in your heads. The only thing that’s keeping us together is discipline. The last thing we need is a breakdown in structure. And I’ll be damned before I permit two horny adults to cause me problems.” Admiral Hallis cracked his knuckles then spoke through clenched teeth. “No matter how much blood is flowing in your crotches, you keep your fraking pants pulled up.”
Feeling that he sufficiently made his point, Hallis sat down behind his table. “Chief Forester as punishment for your actions, you have waste recovery duty for two weeks in addition to any electronics repairs on my planes.” Looking up at Cain he noted that he had a special problem with her. He couldn’t outright punish one of the heroes of operation icicle; it would be bad for moral. On the other hand, he thought to himself, “no deed should go unrewarded.” “The haulers have proven their value and are now an official squadron on this ship. It might be acceptable to have enlisted personal pilot the haulers but an officer has to command a squad. Therefore, chief Alana Cain, I am promoting you to lieutenant. And regulations prohibit the fraternization of officers and enlisted men. So your relationship is now terminated.” The old man stood up again and took the rank insignia out from his jacket pocket and pinned it on Alana. “I personally know Admiral Cain, and your older sister would be proud of what you’ve accomplished.”
He then stood back, saluted lieutenant Cain told her to report to the CAG for assignments. And without further drama, he dismissed them. Some distance down the corridor, Chief Forester stopped, smiled widely and gave the new lieutenant a congratulatory hug. However, Alana wasn’t very receptive. “Yea great, now I can’t even touch my own husband.” The chief began to laugh and suggested a nice crawl space above one of the ships engines. Rubbing her forehead she didn’t share her spouse’s humor or his optimism. Together they considered if perhaps they should have informed Hallis about their marriage but decided against it noting that captain Reeves had already spent time in the brig. “By Athena, can you imagine what would happen if he found out Scotty married us without going through the proper procedures? I’m sure he would have a crap and execute him.” Forester’s comments made clear he was worried for their friend. With a sigh his wife told him to just do his job and everything should be ok. The chief stepped back, saluted and walked away in the opposite direction.
-----
Cupcake was present only to observe new lieutenant’s performance and offer advice or help if required. However she noted that Ford, who was part of this mission, sat in the pilot briefing room with a look of disdain on his face as he watched Hell’s Honey lead the mission briefing. In his mind he was furious that she could get away with causing problems. But mostly he was annoyed that he had to run humiliating laps with the marines and as liaison officer was forced to interface with enlisted personal; people, obviously far beneath him, while she was patted on the back and promoted.
Honey’s voice thudded in his ears with each syllable. “Ok, as you know we are going after the smaller fragment today. Once again Clubber and Dancer are going to pilot the raptor in case we need data to help us find anchor points. Dagget, Major Ford, will be in the launch tube on alert in case we need him to break up the snowball into smaller pieces. Because fuel is still a problem at this point in time, he won’t be accompanying us unless we need him. Any questions?”
Scuds began to snicker and wanted to know if that meant Major A-hole was going to be watching Alana’s behind again. Cupcake stood up and was about to yell at the man for his comments but lieutenant Cain quickly stepped in front of the insubordinate pilot and took control. “On your feet!” Scuds rolled his eyes and stood up but Cain wasn’t going to flinch from his lack of respect and was prepared to make him an example. “In case you didn’t notice both major Ford and myself are officers. That means we are not you beer drinking buddies! You will refer to us as sir or by our ranks.
For the record when you talk to an officer you do it with respect! And if you don’t, I’ll personally bust your ass into next week.” Standing in his personal space and with her face inches from his, she inquired if he understood. His half hearted response prompted her to bark out, “Understood Sir.” This time chief Scuds responded with a level of acceptable enthusiasm.
Satisfied the matter was sufficiently handled, she wished good hunting to all. As everyone departed Cupcake came to her and congratulated her on the way she handled the problem. But cautioned her that these men would require some time to adjust to her new position.
"Why Ford’s working out with us…"
"Following his misplaced lust…"
"Had himself a nut to bust…"
"Sound off 1, 2…Sound off 3, 4.."
"1, 2, 3, 4…. 1-2, 3-4!!"
"Caught some crewmen watched ‘em frak…"
"Took his viper from its rack…"
"Junkyard hit him in disgust…"
"And his viper lost it’s thrust…"
"Sound off…”
The marines were singing the derogatory chant in order to keep the workout rhythm. Colonel Bridgeford had taken command of Ford and was now making him jog laps with his marines on the flight deck. The little workout ditty caused great embarrassment to the major.
The laughter from the enlisted men present along with the colonel’s constant yells of, “Hey flyboy, I can’t hear you!” only made the egotistical pilot want to find a place to hide. “Flyboy in the marines we exercise! Get the lead out!” It was already 4 days of this torture and he wasn’t sure how long his punishment would be. Secretly he wished he had been put in the brig instead of Reeves .The admiral surreptitiously walked onto the flight deck and stood beside the colonel.
“I’ve got people singing this in CIC so I had to check it out myself.” Bridgeford said it was good for morale and took the major’s ego down a notch too. The admiral looked at his X.O. and thanked the Lords of Kobol that he was the ship’s commanding officer. “I would hate to piss you off; there is a mean streak in you.” Colonel Bridgeford thanked his superior for noticing and calmly said there was a reason he became a marine and not a pilot. Noting that when it absolutely and positively requires execution with extreme prejudice, it’s the Marines to the rescue.
With a smirk, Hallis told him to not to over do it. After all, they still didn’t have food and water was rationed. Bridgeford laughed and said not to worry because the doctor has already said that he now has facilities for harvesting and freezing organs and blood if the Major drops dead.
The admiral rolled his eyes and spoke again. “I want you to assign him to be the liaison officer with the lower ranks. We have a problem with Reeves operating one crew and me another and it should help Ford get over his superiority complex.” With a smile Bridgeford saluted the admiral who in turn told him to carry on.
Shortly after the training exercises the major grabbed a sack and walked down one of the corridors. Ford was convinced that the colonel and his marines were insane. No food, limited water and these guys were doing kamikaze workouts, he repeated muttered to himself. Slowly he walked up to the ship’s alchemist door and he knocked on it. A very whimsically dramatic voice responded, “Cooooome innnnn whoever you are.” The major pushed open the door and saw a man wearing a lab coat of his own creation, which hung open revealing a sliver g-string. Noting that it was warm in the room, Ford was surprised when the private walked over, threw his arms around him and kissed his cheek.
“Oh a man! What can I do for you soldier boy?” Major Ford turned red faced and was very uncomfortable. But nevertheless, he managed to state that he had heard he could get something for the hunger pains and boast his performance levels.
“Well what you go to trade?” Ford opened the bag and showed him 2 bottles of water.
“Hmmm you know there might be water on it’s way so I’m not accepting that as payment. Have you got anything else? Perhaps you have something more personal to offer?”, Freddy cooed these words at the attractive pilot looking him up and down before letting his eyes rest below his belt. The major stuttered the word no and the other man folded his arms with a sarcastic but disdainful look on his face. Major Ford opened his jacket and pulled out 2 nutrition bars and the chemist squealed like a schoolgirl. “Soldier boy, food is big bucks these days. This and a kiss will buy some herbal and none of that chemical crap I’m currently making.”
He walked over to the desk and pulled out a small baggie. “Ok, soldier boy, where is my kiss?” Feeling slightly nauseated from the earlier exercise Ford decided to close his eyes and give the man the required peck on the cheek. Handing over the drugs the alchemist commented, “Now that wasn’t so bad?…was it?”
Ford just turned and walked out the door as his host laughed. “See you soon.”
-----
Reeves lay on the mattress-less bunk of the brig, when he heard the whistling and footsteps of someone approaching. Admiral Hallis’ good mood was evident as he walked into the unlocked cell, carrying a portable receiver. “Was it cold enough for you captain?” Moving to sit up on the bed captain Reeves decided to ignore the question. Although he was wearing a spacesuit, without power it only made the chill bearable. Instead he inquired if it was his equipment that the Admiral had. “I hope you don’t mind. The communications on this ship are limited by today’s standards, and I wasn’t going to try to rip one out of a raptor. Besides yours appears to have even better range. Not standard issue is it?” With a shake of his head, the captain explained it was a gift from his adopted father and the squawk box they used to locate the Poseidon.
Turning it on, Hallis said it was a hell of a radio. As the receiver came to life, Cupcake’s voice crackled on it. “Oh! Oh! Dancer you remember private Decker on Halcyon base?” Dancer and Clubber uniformly groaned and said how he was the worse cook in the fleet. Cupcake laughing hard broke into an impersonation, “Errr… Ummm… You mean I got to peel the potatoes before I mash them?” After a round of chuckles, Hell’s Honey suggested that if they were going to surprise the ship, they had better switch to radio silence for the next little while. After all long-range communications should be close. Cupcake responded, “I bet we won’t surprise the Admiral. That old bird probably hasn’t slept since we left and has most likely wielded a giant antenna on the Argus’ hull.” With that statement, Hallis grinned and mumbled about how his crew knows him too well and then turned off the radio. He then looked at Reeves and informed him he needed him in CIC now.
Thankful for his freedom, the captain was happy to accompany the admiral to command. CIC was a clutter of people singularly focused on their jobs. Concentrating on a task helped keep the mind off empty stomachs. To this effect, only Lieutenant Lapointe welcomed the return of the captain. But his joy in seeing his frequent working partner was replaced with anticipation when petty officer Richards announced that he was successful in creating a radio link with one of the raptors on the flight deck. “Sir, we now have acceptable long range communication ability.” The admiral nodded and told him to put it on the box for everyone to hear. The man complied with Hallis’ demand and the room filled with the sounds of stellar static for 15 minutes.
“Argus this is Dancer, do you read me? Over.” Raising an eyebrow in the direction of captain Reeves, Hallis spoke informing Dancer he was talking to Actual and inquired about the mission status. “Well sir, chief Cain ignored data and did her own thing. Scuds’ hauler flamed out and is being towed back….” Colonel Bridgeford interrupted demanding a mission report, not a play by play.
“Yes sir! And my apology for airman Dancer.” Cupcake took over the dialog with Argus. “Sir, this major will report that as long as we get our hot showers first. Mission Accomplished!” CIC broke out into loud applause and cheers. “Hell’s Honey harpooned a big one sir. And we have its little brother trailing us about 2 days behind.” The admiral looked at Reeves, smiled and slapped the man on the shoulder in congratulations.
A few days past, Doctor Lewellyn had said he believed that the Argus was a lucky ship. Annoyed by the comment, the admiral protested that the Poseidon was a great battlestar too. The doctor calmly responded that it was lucky until it blew up. “Dave, this bird kicked ass in the first war. And then came back to do it in the second. The Poseidon didn’t even last 10 fraking minutes. Yea, it was a great ship, but it wasn’t very lucky.”
Considering that certain death had again turned into a fighting chance, his sentiment was now being shared and echoed by the rest of the crew. As Hallis stepped on to the flight deck to be present for the landings, he over-heard the lucky comments from many of his people. Silently he acknowledged, he would have to get used to the bruising, his former vessel’s destruction had left on his ego.
The giant fragment of the comet was parked alongside the ship and then all the planes had landed. Admiral Hallis barely got the opportunity to shake chief Cain’s hand when jovial chaos erupted. As if to emphasize that an abundance of water was at hand, the admiral and the chief were doused in the precious liquid. Permitting the insubordination, the old man simply said, “By Zeus that’s a big rock. You’re one hell of a pilot. See me at 09h00.” Wet and walking away, he spotted Cupcake and gave her an approving salute as some of the deck hands lifted her on their shoulders. Everyone began to yell comments about how tomorrow they are going to find food. The party continued for almost an hour before the tired heroes complained they wanted to sleep.
-----
With a bounce in her step, it didn’t matter to Alana Cain that the shower was cold or the legs of her pants were damp. Considering the recent events, it just felt good to be clean again. Coming to the Admiral’s door she straightened her shirt before knocking on it. “Enter.” Hallis responded. As she entered in the room she noticed chief Forester was already present and standing at attention. Judging by both the looks on their faces Cain concluded this was going to be more than a congratulatory meeting. “09h00…You’re punctual, I can give you that. You can stand at attention beside chief Forester.” Chief Cain had hoped that the chewing out that she and Forester received on the flight deck would be the conclusion of their amorous incident.
Suddenly she noticed how the wetness of her pants made the ship’s chill less bearable. Standing at Forester’s side she did her best to hide her discomfort are braced for what was to come. Twice walking around and eye balling the two soldiers, the admiral considered his words carefully and finally stood behind them. “Lost in space. No food. Damn cold and substandard living conditions.” He paused for a moment and licked his lips before continuing with his speech. “I can appreciate that the captain allowed and perhaps even indulged your relationship in the junk yard. But you’re now soldiers serving aboard a battlestar under my command.” The old man paused again and walked around to the front of the two chiefs in order to look at their faces. Alana Cain began to interject, in an attempt to accept full responsibility for the incident but the admiral’s prior calm authoritative voice became a bellow. “Did I give you permission to speak?!!” Chief Cain quickly shut up and stared at the wall ahead of her. Dropping his voice, Hallis continued.
“You two get this in your heads. The only thing that’s keeping us together is discipline. The last thing we need is a breakdown in structure. And I’ll be damned before I permit two horny adults to cause me problems.” Admiral Hallis cracked his knuckles then spoke through clenched teeth. “No matter how much blood is flowing in your crotches, you keep your fraking pants pulled up.”
Feeling that he sufficiently made his point, Hallis sat down behind his table. “Chief Forester as punishment for your actions, you have waste recovery duty for two weeks in addition to any electronics repairs on my planes.” Looking up at Cain he noted that he had a special problem with her. He couldn’t outright punish one of the heroes of operation icicle; it would be bad for moral. On the other hand, he thought to himself, “no deed should go unrewarded.” “The haulers have proven their value and are now an official squadron on this ship. It might be acceptable to have enlisted personal pilot the haulers but an officer has to command a squad. Therefore, chief Alana Cain, I am promoting you to lieutenant. And regulations prohibit the fraternization of officers and enlisted men. So your relationship is now terminated.” The old man stood up again and took the rank insignia out from his jacket pocket and pinned it on Alana. “I personally know Admiral Cain, and your older sister would be proud of what you’ve accomplished.”
He then stood back, saluted lieutenant Cain told her to report to the CAG for assignments. And without further drama, he dismissed them. Some distance down the corridor, Chief Forester stopped, smiled widely and gave the new lieutenant a congratulatory hug. However, Alana wasn’t very receptive. “Yea great, now I can’t even touch my own husband.” The chief began to laugh and suggested a nice crawl space above one of the ships engines. Rubbing her forehead she didn’t share her spouse’s humor or his optimism. Together they considered if perhaps they should have informed Hallis about their marriage but decided against it noting that captain Reeves had already spent time in the brig. “By Athena, can you imagine what would happen if he found out Scotty married us without going through the proper procedures? I’m sure he would have a crap and execute him.” Forester’s comments made clear he was worried for their friend. With a sigh his wife told him to just do his job and everything should be ok. The chief stepped back, saluted and walked away in the opposite direction.
-----
Cupcake was present only to observe new lieutenant’s performance and offer advice or help if required. However she noted that Ford, who was part of this mission, sat in the pilot briefing room with a look of disdain on his face as he watched Hell’s Honey lead the mission briefing. In his mind he was furious that she could get away with causing problems. But mostly he was annoyed that he had to run humiliating laps with the marines and as liaison officer was forced to interface with enlisted personal; people, obviously far beneath him, while she was patted on the back and promoted.
Honey’s voice thudded in his ears with each syllable. “Ok, as you know we are going after the smaller fragment today. Once again Clubber and Dancer are going to pilot the raptor in case we need data to help us find anchor points. Dagget, Major Ford, will be in the launch tube on alert in case we need him to break up the snowball into smaller pieces. Because fuel is still a problem at this point in time, he won’t be accompanying us unless we need him. Any questions?”
Scuds began to snicker and wanted to know if that meant Major A-hole was going to be watching Alana’s behind again. Cupcake stood up and was about to yell at the man for his comments but lieutenant Cain quickly stepped in front of the insubordinate pilot and took control. “On your feet!” Scuds rolled his eyes and stood up but Cain wasn’t going to flinch from his lack of respect and was prepared to make him an example. “In case you didn’t notice both major Ford and myself are officers. That means we are not you beer drinking buddies! You will refer to us as sir or by our ranks.
For the record when you talk to an officer you do it with respect! And if you don’t, I’ll personally bust your ass into next week.” Standing in his personal space and with her face inches from his, she inquired if he understood. His half hearted response prompted her to bark out, “Understood Sir.” This time chief Scuds responded with a level of acceptable enthusiasm.
Satisfied the matter was sufficiently handled, she wished good hunting to all. As everyone departed Cupcake came to her and congratulated her on the way she handled the problem. But cautioned her that these men would require some time to adjust to her new position.