Annihilation - Tommy's Tale (Annihilation Series (Book Four)) by Saxon Andrew Read Free Book Online Page A

and the probability of any of the crew’s chances of future advancement will be totally jeopardized. All fleet command will see is that one of the Gardners doesn’t like that ship.”
     
    “Atlas, I don’t really care. She deserves to rot in…”
     
    Atlas interrupted by saying, “Wes is the sensor officer on that ship and Colonel Ortiz’s son is the communications officer.”
     
    Tommy stopped. “How did they draw that ship Atlas; the Captain is a tyrant.”
     
    Atlas gave a mental sigh and thought back, “Even though you don’t like Captain Dodd, she had the highest graduating score in the history of Fleet Academy. She has earned her way to the rank she now holds and her ship is considered the best in the fleet. That’s why it was assigned to you.”
     
    “Atlas, I don’t want to hurt the crew because of my feelings about her but I don’t honestly know if I can work with her.”
     
    Atlas gave a mental smile that Tommy felt in his mind and said something that changed Tommy’s mind, “Tommy, she no longer outranks you; she reports to you.”
     
    The two Algeans had been listening to the back and forth between Tommy and Atlas and they both saw a huge smile split Tommy’s face. Twig looked at Sprig and thought, “This may be more fun than we thought.”
     
    Sprig was moving slightly in the room’s ventilation and thought back, “Uh huh, we’re gonna have a good time.”
     
    Captain Cassandra Dodd was on the com with Fleet Admiral Mikado. She had been arguing with him for fifteen minutes and she was not making progress. “Admiral, you just can’t assign me to report to Tommy Gardner.”
     
    Mikado looked at his best ship commander and said, “Cassie, you will address him as Your Majesty, Duke Gardner, or Your Highness. You give him the respect his title demands just as your crew members do you.”
     
    Cassie bit her tongue and said, “Yes Sir, I’ll try.”
     
    Mikado looked at her and said, “There will be no try, Captain. You will do as you’re ordered.”
     
    Cassie knew Mikado’s patience was wearing thin but then she decided to tell him why she wanted another assignment. “Yes Sir, I will address him properly. Admiral, you must assign another captain to this assignment.”
     
    Mikado aid, “You have not given me a valid reason to do so.”
     
    Cassie took a deep breath and said, “Admiral, Tommy Gardner was one of the freshman cadets in my company at the academy.”
     
    Mikado looked at her and he could see where she was going. Upper classmen always made life hard on freshman. “So you were tough on him. He should understand the reason for that.”
     
    Cassie sighed and said, “Admiral, I was more than a little tough. I actually received my only reprimand for using very harsh behaviors on Freshman Gardner. I made him do two hundred pushups because I didn’t like the way he made his bed and that was one of the easy punishments I made him endure.”
     
    Mikado narrowed his eyes and said, “I’m sure you had a good reason, Captain.”
     
    Cassie said, “Everyone knew who he was. I was determined that he would not get preferential treatment.”
     
    “So you over did it.”
     
    “Sir, it seemed no matter what I made him do, it didn’t seem to faze him. Everything was funny to him. I guess I decided I was going to break him.”
     
    Mikado said, “I know Duke Gardner personally, Captain and I have never met a finer individual. He is so much like his father that it’s uncanny. Did you ever stop to think that by treating him as unfairly as you did that you singled him out to punish him for who he was?”
     
    Cassie lowered her head and said, “I didn’t at that time. It was after I graduated that I learned I was called 3B by my peers.”
     
    Mikado looked at her and Cassie said, “Biggest Bitch in the Brigade. My mentor at the Academy told me that every one of the graduates in my class was ashamed of me. Admiral, you’ve got to transfer me to another