Starship Vengeance

Chapter 11

I sat back and watched as my battleship commanders walked into the room. It had been two weeks since their leave started, and they were excited to be back together. "Hey Edgar, would it be alright if I went out with your sister?" Andrew asked loudly.

Edgar took the bait and he cheeks flushed. "My sister is too good for the likes of you. I wouldn't let you lick the muck off her boots."

"That's what I thought. Would you be so kind as to remind her that I'll pick her up on Friday around five?" Edgar started yelling at Andrew in French and attempted to charge at him. We all started laughing and he realized he had just been the brunt of a joke. He fumed as he dropped into his seat. The bantering continued for several more minutes before they realized we were not alone.

Once things had settled down, I pointed to the occupied chair next to me and said, "Everyone, I would like to introduce to you the newest member of our crew, Commander Adri Malik." Adri stood up as everyone appraised his appearance. He was of Indian descent. His dark brown hair sported the usual military crew cut. His eyes matched his hair and seemed to radiate a persona of someone much older and wiser than his years. He was of medium height and quite stocky. He had an exuded an aura of self-confidence.

Adri allowed everyone to judge his appearance before speaking. "It is an honor to be working with you. Your courage and expertise are known by all. I grew up in the same village as Tamal, and have felt pain at his loss. My only hope is that I can meet your expectations and honor Tamal's memory." He went to sit down and hesitated. "Before the meeting starts, I must say I am confused at Andrew's desire to date Edgar's sister. I have studied many pictures and found Daniel's sister to be much more appealing." He sat down and I saw a mischievous glint in his eye. I desperately tried to contain my laughter at the shock of those around the table. The dam self-mastery broke and laughter came flooding out. My laughter seemed to break the ice and everyone else joined in as well. All my fears about Adri fitting in vanished in an instant. I allowed fifteen minutes for the commanders to get to know Adri and vice versa.

"Alright, now that everyone is acquainted, let's get started. Adri's crew has been selected and I'm counting on all of you to bring them up to speed. Construction of the Leo will be completed sometime this evening."

"What is the ETA on the Unity?" Miyako asked.

"Last report I received estimated maintenance and upgrades would be completed in about twenty four hours from now. Allowing for another day or two of system checks, it should be ready by the end of the week. At that time we will begin ferrying crew members up to it."

"Any updates on the new fleet?" Lan asked.

"Sarah has been hard at work with the new ship designs and fleet configurations. The last figure she gave me was a few more days to complete the designs and three to four days after that to get the necessary approvals. Recruiting will begin once the designs are approved. The new Academy will be under construction shortly, and then we will be able to train our new force."

"How many recruits are we looking at?" Andrew asked.

"Last estimate was in the ballpark of eight thousand, not counting marines" I answered.

"What in the world is she up to?" Daniel asked, his voice filled with awe.

"Something that will make the Zrynt quake in fear when they see it" I answered with a smile.

The meeting went on for another half hour as we discussed various topics regarding the plan for the next few months. Anxious to bring the meeting to a close I looked at everyone and asked, "Is there anything else before we adjourn?"

"I have something that has been on my mind" Adri spoke up. He hesitated before continuing. "I have been researching the Teludan ever since I was selected and received the necessary clearance. Something came across that struck a chord in the back of my mind, and I just realized why." He took a calming breath before continuing. "Part of the translation from the history of the Teludan says that more than one ship of its kind was launched. What if those ships are still out there?"