James hesitated, remembering his private theories.  It was certainly odd to realise just how much time and effort – to say nothing of money – had been poured into the various space navies over the last century.  But if the Admiralty – and the politicians - had known about the aliens for so long, the secret would almost certainly have leaked.  Keeping it a secret would have required paying off or co-opting so many people that it would have made a significant dent in the navy’s budget.

“I would say that it seems unlikely,” he said.  He made a mental note to record a message for Uncle Winchester.  None of the briefing notes had covered this eventuality.  If there was any truth to the suggestion at all, he wanted to know about it.  “The governments of this world are not good at keeping secrets.”

Yang smiled, rather ruthlessly.  “That happens to be true,” he agreed.  “Do you happen to think the Captain is suitable for command?”

James sat upright, sharply.  “What?”

“Captain Smith was hitting the bottle pretty hard,” Yang observed.  “It’s right there on his service record.  No one made any attempt to hide it.  Do you think the Captain is suitable for command?”

“Get out,” James ordered.  It was a poor reaction, as he admitted to himself a moment later, but he was damned if he was allowing this line of questioning to continue.  And to think he'd thought that Yang was one of the reasonable reporters!

Yang rose to his feet, but didn't leave the room.  “Off the record,” he said.  “What do you think?”

It had been bad enough, James knew, when the First Space Lord had been asking him to watch the Captain.  At least the First Space Lord was a superior officer, not a damned reporter.  How had Yang even gained access to the Captain’s service record?  Had it been allowed to slip into his hands deliberately?  If someone felt that Captain Smith was a poor Captain, they might have hoped the media would bring pressure to bear against him.

But Captain Smith was a hero ...

James shook his head.  If there was one lesson the aristocracy had learned and learned well, it was that the media could turn on their previous darling and savage him ruthlessly.

“I think that Captain Smith has won the first and only victory against the aliens,” he snapped, finally.  “And I think you should bear that in mind.”

He watched Yang leave his quarters, then reached for his terminal.  There was an hour to go before they crossed the tramline and started their cruise, more than long enough for him to contact Uncle Winchester and explain what had happened.  There would be no time for a reply, but it didn’t matter.  If Yang decided to express his doubts ... if he did have doubts.  It struck James that Yang hadn't really expressed any feelings of his own.