Challenger's Hope
Chapter One
"Carry on!" Geoffrey Tremaine strutted to his place at the
head of the Admiralty conference table. Scowling, he set down
his sheaf of notes and flicked invisible dust from his gold
braid. As the assembled officers stood easy, I tugged at my
jacket, made sure my tie was straight.
While the Admiral settled himself, we took our seats. Each
of the eleven men and three women at this briefing in the
Naval warren of down-under Lunapolis captained a ship in
the UNNS squadron ready to sail to Hope Nation, sixty-nine
light years distant. The Admiral's sloop. Portia, fitted with the
newest L-Model fusion drive, was docked aloft at Earthport
Station. So was my own sloop, Challenger, though I hadn't
yet boarded her.
Tremaine's cold eye roved the table. "So," he said finally,
as if disappointed. "My command is gathered together at
last." Short, florid, he seemed on the edge of rage.
I glanced to either side. Length-of-service medals on Captain
Hall's dress jacket indicated twenty-four years' service;
Captain Derghinski, on my right, had twenty-two. Each of
them had been a Naval officer longer than I'd lived. Challenger
was my first assigned command. I was, I knew, the
youngest Captain in t ... read full excerpt from: Challenger's Hope ebook
