“Commander.”

Sabrina Mallory looked up and was relieved to see the friendly face of Master Chief Petty Officer Duncan Buckmaster. Like the others attending the ad hoc meeting, the Chief of the Battleship (COB) was dressed in unremarkable civilian clothing.

“Please,” she said, indicating an open chair. Seated around the table at the out-of-the-way diner were the remaining senior officers of the battleship Argent. It was one of a few places on Core Three they all agreed was unlikely to draw any official attention. The alternative was the officers mess aboard Allegheny Station in orbit, a location replete with hazards, most of which would be wearing rank insignia and would likewise be prepared to report everything they saw and heard far and wide.

“I feel like I’ve suddenly adopted a house full of daughters,” COB said. Annora chuckled and Zony smiled. “I need to ask a favor, ma’am.”

“Call me Sabrina. We’re not on duty.”

“Anything you say, commander.”

Mallory blushed.

“I’d like standing permission to speak freely.”

“Of course.”

Duncan sat squarely. “I received word from Jayce. She’ll be a little late.” He ordered a hefty draft beer and leaned over his mug like a father still contemplating a wound to his family.

“How are we supposed to get anything accomplished with all these admirals running around issuing conflicting orders?” Zony Tixia exclaimed. “We need to go back to Bayone. Every minute we’re sitting here waiting for paperwork to go from this office to that office, Atwell is getting away!”

“We’re grounded. All our command codes are suspended. Argent’s in the rack. Fury’s in the rack. The only way we’re going back to Bayone is in an escape pod,” Yili Curtiss replied.

“This isn’t how I imagined we’d end up,” COB said. “Anybody bring the want ads?”

“It wouldn’t be this way if it weren’t for me and my–”

“Sabrina,” Yili interrupted. “We’ve been over this. Let it go. You aren’t to blame. All of us know how Jason gets when he’s on one of his missions. Far more experienced officers than you have tried and failed to talk him out of his wild ideas. You didn’t even get a week.”

“But–”

“You did your best, and you’re still our XO, no matter what some admiral thinks,” Zony added, patting Mallory’s shoulder. “The brass always has the perfect solution to our problem five days after it happens.”

“How late am I?” Jayce Hunter put her handheld, sunglasses and keydisc down on the wood table and took a seat. Unlike the others and their more inconspicuous attire, the commander was dressed in a sharp black leather jacket, fashionable tight jeans and boots. The Hunters were living proof denim was likely the most durable fabric invention in human history, as between the two of them, Jason and Jayce had owned at least a hundred pair over two decades.

“Right on time, daughter number five,” Duncan said, sliding a basket of breadsticks across the table.

“What makes you think you can handle adopting us all, Master Chief?” Zony asked playfully.

“You mean other than the fact I have socks older than any of you?” Everyone chuckled as COB pulled out a chair for Jayce. “I was hoping you might have been out looking for our server, as I’m ready for some food.” Buckmaster looked around again before taking another swig of his beer.

A moment later Lieutenant Zack Roscoe, newly promoted Fury mobile security sergeant Andrew Benning and Gunnery Sergeant Alan Hall arrived. Benning towered over the table. At six feet five inches in height and dressing out at just under 290 pounds of almost solid muscle he was clearly the giant of the group. Nevertheless, none of the impromptu meeting attendees wore anything that would tend to identify them as Skywatch. Once all the somber introductions and name exchanges had taken place, Buckmaster spoke up again.

“Doctor, you mentioned on the commnet you had news.”

“Admiral Hughes isn’t dead.”

Mallory almost spit her drink across the room. Fortunately she recovered in time. Zony slapped both hands on the table and gawked. Even Yili looked up from her handheld.

“Say again?” COB asked tentatively, holding a half-eaten breadstick in one hand and a full butter knife in the other.

Annora stirred her tea. “I was about to perform the autopsy when I discovered the initial evaluation of his vital signs was mistaken. There was an equipment malfunction, at least as best as I can tell. When I set up the OR for the initial examination, I detected a pulse. The man is alive and has been alive in a stasis field in Argent’s sickbay for some time. Good thing we didn’t park him in a morgue freezer.”

“That means we have a witness,” Yili said, settling back into her comfortable chair with her glass of wine.

“What happens when the inquiry board finds out?!” Zony whispered urgently.

“They won’t,” Buckmaster said.

“Agreed,” Jayce added.

Zony looked back and forth between the others at the table. “We can’t just lie to them!”

“We’re not lying, we’re just not telling them Hughes is alive,” Yili said, picking up her handheld again.

“Well, they’re going to find out, aren’t they!?”

Duncan broke another bread stick in half. “Not if the doctor has her way, methinks.”

Zony looked at Annora with an astonished expression. The Argent Chief Medical Officer continued non-chalantly stirring her tea. “I’m still conducting my investigation.”

“No longer a homicide,” Jayce offered.

“No, but definitely an attempted homicide. Jason was adamant in his belief Hughes was not killed by alien forces or Atwell’s operatives. So far I haven’t uncovered any evidence the captain was wrong. I still don’t have enough to prove his theory, however.”

“So it’s still an open investigation,” Buckmaster finished.

“It became one when acting Commander Mallory signed off on Jason’s order to investigate.”

“So now it’s Mallory’s order?” Zack asked. Sergeant Benning and the pilot both looked at the XO expectantly.

“An official investigation into a potential Article 24 incident requires the assent of at least two senior officers including the C.O.,” Jayce replied. “Sabrina makes number two. The doctor is three.”

“What’s the captain’s theory?” Mallory asked.

“When Argent was dispatched to Gitairn, Jason had been placed under orders not to discuss the internecine conflict at Skywatch Command. Hughes was part of the faction insisting we prepare for the threat in the region. His own vigilance was used against him. Dunkerque was sent to Gitairn as a target, not a show of strength.”

“They wanted Hughes out of the way,” Sergeant Hall added.

“Literally?” Benning asked with a shocked expression.

“And they wanted to pin the blame on Jason Hunter,” Annora said. “That would have ended the so-called ‘alarmist’ debate once and for all, leaving the door open for Atwell to run wild. They didn’t count on us recovering Dunkerque and the admiral, or destroying the Sentinel, or discovering the missing crews. They sent wave after wave against us and lost every engagement.”

“Then Atwell abducted Argent’s crew when we started sniffing around Lethe Deeps,” Zony said.

“When Rebecca and Minstrel arrived, the plan unraveled. She kept Argent from being captured by the Sarn and going down over Bayone Three,” Sabrina continued. “The commander failing to follow orders wasn’t part of the anti-preparation faction’s plan and neither was Minstrel being sent back to shadow Argent.”

Jayce raised her glass and nodded as if in gratitude.

“So Atwell blows up the Dunkerque and tries to blow up commander Hunter,” Buckmaster said. “And when it goes bad on the Bayone Three surface the whole planet winks out.”

“That was his ultimate defense against anything we did,” Jayce said. “He always had the option of shifting from one dimension to the next. The thing is, he didn’t count on us capturing his technology, or his ship.”

“His ship?” Annora asked.

“I have the Sai Kee. Damaged, but intact.”

“Where?” Buckmaster asked.

“Safe and strategically left out of my log, which means missing in action as far as Skywatch is concerned,” Jayce replied. “I have her set down at one of my old tinkering buddy’s outposts on the far side of Alera.”

“Stolen spacecraft parked on the moon? She’s a Hunter alright!” Annora quipped.

“She’s a Palermo class frigate, crew of 40. Tough as hell. Almost a match for Minstrel. And she’s jammed to the bulkheads with Atwell’s secrets, which I will be very happy to learn when I get a chance to tear her apart. But first we’ve got to get her past the perimeter and back to Bayone.”

“I think I know what the commander’s plan is,” Yili sang as the server re-filled her glass of wine.

“Can you help me upgrade her?” Jayce asked.

“Sure,” Yili took another sip and went back to her device. “Bring the parts and some good music and I’ll bring my goggles and welders.”

“Yili can fix anything,” Zony said. “You should have seen the race car we built together!”

“Now hold on a minute,” Buckmaster said as the food finally arrived. “The last time we ran off half-baked–”

“Oh, we’re doing this one no-bake,” Annora said. “And I’ll have that pirate’s pelt hanging in my office if I have to melt down my leaves right alongside my mortar and pestle to do it.”

“You don’t seriously think Cerylia L’Orleans shot Jason Hunter down, do you?” Zony asked. “The Condor Pirates have always been a thorn in our side, but Cerylia’s never done anything treacherous against us. She helped Yili and Moo take Barker’s Asteroid!”

“Minimal help,” Yili replied.

“Well, she still helped. She could have just as easily stolen the Dunkerque.”

“As I recall, she got a nice windfall out of that deal,” Jayce said as she prepared her salad. “Those triluminum mines should be the first place we look.”

“Argent detected the Shrike at Bayone Three,” Annora said coldly. “We got a positive ID moments before the captain’s fighter was destroyed, and Cerylia will answer for it.”

“What about the admiral? How are we going to keep that on the down low?” Buckmaster asked. “Now that we’re all guilty of hiding evidence.”

“We’re not hiding a thing,” Annora said. “I have full authority over the Hughes investigation, and that authority was granted by Captain Hunter and confirmed by Commander Mallory.”

“Skywatch Command might disagree,” Mallory offered.

“They can disagree all they want. But if they interfere with my investigation of the circumstances surrounding the attempted murder of a flag officer, they’ll be liable for obstruction.”

“That’s going to be a tough sell in a room full of admirals,” Buckmaster said.

“The regulations are clear. The vessel Hughes was discovered on was captured under Jason’s authority. Under Skywatch regulations regarding captured vessels in open space, as senior officer present he had jurisdiction over the entire crime scene the moment he boarded that ship, and that includes Hughes’ body”

“But he was alive,” Zony added.

“Our best readings at the time indicated he was deceased. Instead, he turned out to be a rescued survivor from a wrecked ship. Doesn’t change the legal situation. It was still Jason’s call.”

“Until he assigned you,” Zony said.

“Exactly,” the doctor replied. “The moment he ordered me to conduct an autopsy it became a criminal investigation and until I issue a report, as Argent’s Chief Medical Officer now it’s my call,” Annora said. “Jason may have handed us the key to this whole thing when he took Admiral Powers’ advice and re-assigned Sabrina. I can cause the brass way more trouble under my medical authority than I can as XO.”

“So now we’re cops,” Mallory said.

“Well, one of us is a cop,” Yili replied. “I’m drunk.”

Everyone laughed.

“By the way, I have to ask,” Duncan said. “What would it take to promote Zony here? Because if I’m going to be step-dad of the battleship, I want all my adopted daughters to be commanders!”

“Jayce?” Mallory asked, gesturing.

“Me? I can’t promote her. She’s not even part of my crew!”

“You’re the ranking officer.”

“You’re a commander,” Jayce said with an inviting gesture. “So is Annora. Be my guest.”

Zony looked around with an astonished expression and shook her head. “I just want to be a lieutenant!” Yili shoved her shoulder a few times.

“There you have it, ma’am, you’re in command,” COB said with a nod towards Mallory. “Promotion! Promotion!” Buckmaster chanted, raising his beer and thumping the table.

“Very well,” Mallory said, raising her own glass. “Zony Tixia, as former acting executive officer of the battleship Argent, I hereby officially promote you to the rank of acting lieutenant commander with all the rights and privileges thereto!”

Everyone cheered. Zony blushed and put her head down on her arms.

“Good, all my girls are commanders now!” COB led another toast. “I have the highest ranking adopted family in Skywatch. More brass than a halftime show. I think I’ll have another beer to celebrate.” Buckmaster went back to his steak. “By the way, Zack? Are you going to pilot for us? I hear the Sai Kee is quite a ride.”

“If he can drive, he’s hired,” Jayce said as her drink arrived. She immediately button-holed the server and directed him to take dinner orders from the others.

Zack raised his own glass and nodded. “Been a while since I’ve manned a helm, but I think I can shake the rust out.”

“What is your plan, commander?” Annora asked.

Jayce finished ordering. “I dispatched coded orders to everyone in the group. First we’re going to engage in several acts of interstellar legerdemain, and then we’re going to Hallows Moon.”

“What’s on Hallows Moon?” Zony asked.

Jayce finished her drink in one shot. “Answers.”