Fear God and Dread Naught by Christopher Nuttall Read Free Book Online Page A

repairing the damage and preparing the ship for war.  Mason was a friend, but he would have been more than human if he hadn’t felt some resentment.  Yesterday, he’d been commanding officer in all but name; now, he was nothing more than her XO.
     
    “Most of the major damage has been repaired,” Mason said.  He stared down into his glass as he spoke.  “We’ve altered the control links to the turrets, ensuring we cannot be cut off from them if - when - we go back into battle.  And we’ve hardened the armour and added additional plating in places, as well as a number of extra point defence weapons.  I dare say we should be able to give the aliens quite a surprise in our next encounter.”
     
    Susan nodded.  “And the bad news?”
     
    “Two-thirds of the crew were rotated out during the first week,” Mason said.  He sounded pissed.  She didn't blame him.  “The CO who got dumped in your chair while we were being interrogated ... he didn't kick up a fuss when the Admiralty went looking for trained and experienced personnel.  It took me a week of arguing, pleading and kissing several buttocks before they dispatched replacement crew - and, even now, we’re understrength.”
     
    “Fuck,” Susan said. 
     
    “Quite,” Mason agreed.  “Thankfully, we haven’t had any disciplinary problems so far - nothing the senior chiefs couldn't handle, in any case.  But we’ve lost nearly all of our middies - Georgina Fitzwilliam is the only one who stayed with us, although heaven alone knows why.”
     
    “She’s the First Space Lord’s niece,” Susan recalled.  “I imagine he wouldn't want to pull her out when it might make him look bad.”
     
    “Perhaps, Captain,” Mason said.  “In any case, she’s been given leave - along with half of the experienced crew - and should be returning to us in the next two days ...”
     
    Susan blinked.  “We’re short on crew and you gave them leave?”
     
    Mason met her eyes, evenly.  “They were pushed right to the limits, Captain,” he said.  “The number of mistakes caused by tiredness was rising sharply.  I made the call to give them some leave, which they desperately needed.”
     
    “And it was your call to make,” Susan conceded.  “Do we have any other problems?”
     
    “The Admiralty wants us at the RV point within the week,” Mason said.  “I suspect they might want us to be there, ready or not.  There was a ... finality about the message.”
     
    “As long as we don’t run off with the shipyard workers,” Susan said.  “That might get us in some trouble.”
     
    She smiled in genuine amusement.  Stellar Star had done that, but Stellar Star had an overflowing shipsuit and a friendly scriptwriter.  She didn't want to think about what the Admiralty would say if she kidnapped a few dozen shipyard workers.  They’d probably shoot her first and worry about the charges later.
     
    “Yeah,” Mason agreed.  “It would probably get us into very deep shit.”
     
    He tossed back his drink, then placed the glass on the table.  “I think we can make it, Captain, but we’re going to be pressed for crew.  I’ve got an application in for additional crewmen, yet ... from what I’m hearing through the grapevine, there aren't many crewmen left who can be diverted to Vanguard .  Right now, the Admiralty is hard-pressed to keep up with demand.  I suspect that reservists are being mobilised, but ... well it will be weeks before they’re ready to take up positions and we’ll be gone well before then.  The only good news is that we should have an almost complete roster of midshipmen, when they actually arrive, but most of them are either green or have very limited experience.”
     
    “They’ll have to be tossed in at the deep end,” Susan said.  She sighed.  There was no shortage of ways for greenie midshipmen to screw up and, without proper supervision, there was a good chance that one of those ways would be disastrous.