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Back Ark Royal Save as PDF
Chapters (42)
  1. Cover Blurb
  2. Contents
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Chapter Eleven
  14. Chapter Twelve
  15. Chapter Thirteen
  16. Chapter Fourteen
  17. Chapter Fifteen
  18. Chapter Sixteen
  19. Chapter Seventeen
  20. Chapter Eighteen
  21. Chapter Nineteen
  22. Chapter Twenty
  23. Chapter Twenty-One
  24. Chapter Twenty-Two
  25. Chapter Twenty-Three
  26. Chapter Twenty-Four
  27. Chapter Twenty-Five
  28. Chapter Twenty-Six
  29. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  30. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  31. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  32. Chapter Thirty
  33. Chapter Thirty-One
  34. Chapter Thirty-Two
  35. Chapter Thirty-Three
  36. Chapter Thirty-Four
  37. Chapter Thirty-Five
  38. Chapter Thirty-Six
  39. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  40. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  41. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  42. Chapter Forty

Kurt sighed, but nodded.  Their enforced break on Cochrane had allowed him a chance to download the files on Ark Royal – at least the ones available to a reservist without an active clearance – and one thing had been clear.  With only forty crewmen assigned to the crew, there was no way the ship could be kept in tip-top condition.  It was unfortunate that they would have to clear their own living quarters first, but there was no alternative.

“A word with you, Schneider,” the XO continued.  “If you’ll join me outside ...?”

It wasn't a request, Kurt knew.  He followed the XO back out of the compartment, then into a smaller compartment that was probably intended to be the CAG’s office.  All of the equipment that would once have been held there had been stripped out, leaving the compartment thoroughly bare.  It was a minor miracle, Kurt decided, that there was even a light.  The entire compartment resembled a dim cave, rather than a place to work.

“We are unlikely to receive many active duty starfighter pilots,” the XO said, without preamble.  “The ones we do have are the ones with ... disciplinary problems.  Accordingly, you are appointed Commander Air Group, at least for the moment.  Is that acceptable?”

Kurt swallowed.  “It's been eight years since I served in a regular unit,” he said, finally.  “And I was never more than squadron XO ...”

“You’re the best we have,” the XO said.  “We may get someone else, someone preferable, later on, but for the moment we have you.  Suck it up and deal with it.”

“Yes, sir,” Kurt said.  He scowled to himself.  How could he be a CAG when there were no starfighters for his pilots to fly?  “When are we likely to receive fighters?”

“Hopefully, within the week,” the XO assured him.  “But we have to prepare the launch tubes first, you see.”

Kurt nodded, then turned and walked back into his quarters.  He knew a couple of the other pilots from his previous service, but it seemed that the bureaucrats – in their infinite wisdom – hadn’t seen fit to keep reserve units together.  It wasn't too surprising, he knew; his reserve unit had been scattered over interplanetary space, with a handful of the pilots even based on Britannia rather than Earth.  But it still meant that they would have to build up a working relationship faster than anyone would have preferred.

He pursed his lips, then blew a single note.  The pilots looked up at him, expectantly.  He looked back, wondering which of them were going to be problems.  The active duty pilots might have expected to be promoted – maybe that was why some of them had transferred – despite whatever problems were concealed within their files.  Normally, they would have been right too.  Active duty pilots were considered one grade senior to their reserve counterparts.