“I’m on my way,” he said, finally.  Urgent summons from the Admiralty were almost never good news.  “Have my shuttle prepared.”

He stumbled out of bed, then reached into his drawer and removed a stimulant tab, which he pressed against his forearm.  Once, it had seemed a wise precaution; now, he honestly didn't know why he bothered.  But it had paid off for him, he had to admit, as he felt the drug working its way through his body.  He wouldn't go into the meeting, whatever it was, suffering from the aftermath of too much drinking.

Biting down a series of curses, he stepped into the washroom and glared at his face in the mirror.  His hair had gone white years ago; his face was marred with stubble.  He rapidly ran a shaver over his cheekbones and jaw, then stepped into the shower and washed himself rapidly.  Outside, he pulled on the dark blue dress uniform favoured by Her Majesty’s Navy, then checked his appearance in the mirror.  He might not look as perfect as the men and women on the recruiting posters, he knew, but at least he looked presentable.

He left his cabin and strode through the ship towards the shuttlebay.  By now, he could have found his way around his ship blindfold.  Ted had spent fifty years in the British Navy and most of them had been spent on Ark Royal, a position that had been intended as a punishment for carelessness as a young Lieutenant.  Somehow, he’d been promoted upwards until he reached Captain and then Commodore, although the ranks were partly worthless.  Ark Royal wouldn't see action unless the Navy was desperate.

She was seventy years old, the first true interstellar carrier put into space by the British Navy – and a piece of living history.  Civilians found her box-like shape ugly as hell, but Ted loved her for what she was.  Over the years, keeping Ark Royal in something resembling fighting trim had become an obsession, one that had consumed his life.  He sometimes wondered if the Navy had known what it was doing by assigning him to the carrier, or if it had been sheer luck.  He pushed the thought aside as he scrambled into his shuttle and nodded to the pilot to take them to Nelson Base.  No doubt the Navy had its reasons for the urgent summons.

Space was filled with activity, he realised, as the shuttle headed towards Nelson Base.  There were military starships everywhere; American, Russian, Chinese, European, Japanese and several smaller nations, all frantically preparing for operations.  Ted eyed them in surprise, then activated the shuttle’s datanet and scanned for answers.  There was nothing, beyond a general alert from the Admiralty.  Ted felt his eyes narrow.  The First Space Lord might have decided to call an unscheduled exercise, but that wouldn't have affected the other interstellar powers.  Something was definitely up.