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elastic when it came to achieving what Raeder saw as the greater good.
Maybe he should have left out independent.
The captain studied his new flight engineer, resting his chin on his fist,
thumb and forefinger pulling at his upper lip.
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No, it was the right thing.
This isn t a battlewagon.
The
Invincible wouldn t be operating as part of a fleet, or even an attack
flotilla. They d be out on their own.
Would you care for some refreshment, Commander? he asked at last.
Yes, sir, Peter said, somewhat surprised. Obviously the captain had come to
a decision about him.
In spite of what he knows about my little adventure with the raiders.
Interesting. Why would Knott ignore
Raeder s sabotage?
The captain pressed a button on his desk and his aide entered from an inner
door.
What will you have, Commander? Knott asked. Coffee? Tea?
Coffee would be great, sir. Thank you.
The captain nodded dismissal and then began going over Raeder s record with
him. Asking questions, commenting, inquiring about officers he and Peter knew
in common.
The coffee came and when the aide had left, Knott leaned back in his chair,
quietly sipping the rich brew, studying Raeder over his cup.
Finally he asked, Have you been wondering why you were selected for this
particular assignment, Commander?
Roger that!
Peter thought.
Stop it!
he warned himself. If he kept thinking funny stuff like Roger that and
Knotty problem it was only a matter of time before it slipped out.
Which I don t think the good captain would appreciate.
Yes, sir, he said, after he d swallowed. I m sure there must have been
other candidates.
Oh, there were, Knott agreed. People with more seniority and much more
experience. And major problems in their folders that would keep them off of
any deck the captain happened to be on. He was convinced in his soul that it
wasn t just short notice that had caused him to be offered such a list of
losers. But then there was little old, inexperienced Raeder.
With his sterling character references and excellent performance record.
A calculated risk that was, quite frankly, looking good at this point. But
you see, he said as he leaned forward, this is a very special situation.
And required a very special candidate.
Why do I suddenly wish I d flunked?
Raeder asked himself.
Your predecessor,
God, what a miserably appropriate term, the captain thought, had ten years of
experience as a flight engineer. He came to us from the
Merlin
.
A tight ship, sir, Raeder said wisely, since something seemed to be expected
of him.
A very tight ship. Commander Okakura was a first rate officer.
Knowledgeable, cautious where appropriate, and truly gifted at his profession.
Which is why I find his death so inexplicable. He wasn t the sort of man who
makes elementary mistakes.
Raeder felt the back of his neck clench, and for a moment his throat refused
to swallow the last mouthful of coffee.
He died? The guy died?
How did you manage to die on a ship just out of the dockyard, with the
contractor s technicians barely a day or two off the deck?
How exactly did he die, sir?
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From the appearance of things, he d apparently crawled into the exhaust cone
of a Speed. The captain paused to take a deep breath.
And, I m told, a glitch in the AI caused it to start the engines.
Peter felt himself blanch. With the commander . . . ? he began.
With the commander in the exhaust cone. Yes. Knott tightened his lips at the
memory. So did Peter. They would have had to scrape him off the metal with
sonic cleansers, the carbon atoms of his body bonded to the material.
Okakura was a good man, Knott said grimly.
Raeder didn t say anything for a moment. His mind raced.
Okay, so the captain s about to tell me that he wants me to get to the bottom
of this thing.
It was the only place this buildup could be leading.
He thinks
the commander was murdered.
Peter s insides curdled at the thought.
If so, whoever did it should get to share the experience.
Captain, he said cautiously, I m getting the impression that you think
there s something more to this than just an accident. At Knott s sharp
glance, he leaned back and said, Or perhaps the commander s death was so
horrible, it seems to me that there should be something more behind it than
just . . . happenstance.
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