Ted couldn't disagree, even though he knew it was cold.  The former alien POWs would require time to decompress, time to recover from their ordeal ... and most of them had yet to purge the alien drugs from their systems.  On Earth, they would receive proper medical care and, when they were ready to talk, sympathetic ears.  Being held captive was bad enough, Ted knew, even when the captors weren't alien monsters.

Or maybe humans would have been worse, Ted thought.  Apart from the drugs, the human captives were unhurt.

He sighed.  The alien POWs had been moved to a secure facility on the moon, where a mixture of military and civilian researchers would attempt to unlock the secrets of their language – and their biology.  If they could talk to the aliens, they might figure out the truth behind this senseless war ... and determine if there was a way it could be ended without one side being completely crushed.  But Ted wasn't hopeful.  None of the doctor’s work on the aliens had managed to crack even part of their language.

“I will confess,” the First Space Lord said, “that I had my doubts about you.”

Ted kept his face expressionless, somehow.  Had Fitzwilliam told the Admiralty about Ted’s near collapse back into drunkenness?  Or had the First Space Lord merely had his doubts from the start, despite recognising that Ted was uniquely qualified to command Ark Royal?  It seemed quite likely.

“You were a drunk, put bluntly,” the First Space Lord continued.  “I fretted, even when it seemed that Ark Royal would be nothing more than an escort carrier or a backstop, before we learned the truth about the alien weapons.  And when you had to take the ship into battle ...”

He shook his head.  “You have proved yourself,” he admitted.  “When the chips were down, you made the Royal Navy proud.”

“Thank you, sir,” Ted said.  He knew it wasn't entirely true.  If Fitzwilliam hadn't caught him before he could drink himself into a stupor, the entire cruise would have ended very differently.  “I did my best.”

“You did,” the First Space Lord agreed.  He nodded over towards the display.  “But the war isn't over.”

Ted followed his gaze.  Two more star systems had joined New Russia in red, occupied by the aliens, while another three had been probed by alien forces.  The aliens might not have dared go straight for Earth, but they’d weakened humanity still further.  It was impossible to escape the feeling that the war was very far from over.

“It will take us at least a year to produce the new battleships and armoured carriers,” the First Space Lord said.  “We’re trying to rearm a number of older ships that were converted into colonist-carriers or heavy bulk freighters, but that’s an uphill chore too.  The aliens may still hold the whip hand.”

“So we go back on the offensive,” Ted said.