James hesitated, staring down at the wreck his commanding officer had become.  The part of him that was ambitious knew that he could go to the bridge and claim command – and no one would be able to dispute it.  Even if they did, what could they do?  Back home, if they made it home, even the most rule-bound Admiral wouldn't object to James relieving his commanding officer for drunkenness in the face of the enemy.  The Captain could be beached; hell, James knew that Uncle Winchester would be able to find a place for him.  It wouldn't be the end of his life ...

But he didn't want to throw the Captain to the wolves.  Captain Smith had done well, first in building up a crew and then in leading it into battle against the aliens.  He was, by any standard, the most effective naval officer the war had yet produced.  Six months ago, he had merely been a drunkard James had aimed to remove from his post.  Now ... now he was a friend.  They’d learned to work together as partners.

He owed the Captain.

Duty warred with loyalty in his head.  Duty demanded that he relieve the Captain of command at once, the sooner the better.  Loyalty demanded that he assist the Captain in overcoming his demons so he could resume command of his ship.  James hesitated, then stood up and walked into the washroom.  Inside, he turned the shower on, lowered the water’s temperature until it was just above freezing, then walked back to where the Captain was sprawling on the sofa.  Before the older man could muster an objection, James pulled him to his feet, half-dragged him into the shower and shoved his head under the water.

The Captain spluttered with anger, producing a string of swearwords so vile that James could only listen, impressed.  He'd only ever heard one other person swear like that, an old family friend who’d served in the Royal Navy for years before leaving under a cloud.  In hindsight, James realised that his family’s friend had had problems with drinking too.  Pushing the thought aside, he helped the Captain out of the shower and reached for a towel.  The Captain snatched it from his hands and started to dry himself.

James hesitated, then stepped back into the main cabin and found the collection of alcohol.  It was oddly impressive, given that the Captain wouldn't have drawn that large a salary while he remained in the Royal Navy.  Even his knighthood had come with his promotion to Commodore, rather than being awarded for heroism.  Absently, he wondered why the Captain hadn't been granted further honours after the first encounter with the aliens, then dismissed the thought.  While the Captain dried himself, he scooped up the bottles, dumped them into a bag and placed them outside the cabin.  They could be concealed in his cabin until Ark Royal returned to Earth.