BooksBarbecue
Back Ark Royal
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

“I need to ask you a question,” the First Space Lord continued, once he'd taken a seat facing James.  Uncle Winchester sat to the side, his eyes never leaving James’s face.  “Is Captain Smith suitable for command?”

James stared at him, unable to keep his shock off his face.  Asking an XO to comment on his Captain’s fitness for command was a severe breach of naval etiquette.  If the CO found out, it would shatter the trust between him and his XO, trust that had already been weakened by James’s attempt to snatch command for himself.  There were situations when an XO could legally relieve the Captain of command, but they tended to result in the XO’s career coming to a screeching halt.  If the Admiralty had their doubts, they should have sent in an investigative officer.

He realised, suddenly, just how poor the Admiralty’s position actually was.  They’d found it impossible to push a knighted officer into early requirement, so they’d given him Ark Royal and left him to his own devices.  Instead of drinking himself to death, Smith had kept Ark Royal functional; the starship had barely needed a month of intensive work to return to full combat-worthy status.  And then Smith had pulled off a victory that had made him the world’s man of the hour.  The media was already comparing him to Drake, Nelson, Cunningham and Singh.  If the Admiralty had wanted to relieve him of command, they would have to explain it to the media ... and to politicians, eager to make political hay at the Admiralty’s expense.

Smith had been lucky, James knew, feeling an odd flicker of amusement.  The reporters had dug up some of his file, including his drinking problem, but they’d spun it into a morality tale about a hero overcoming his issues and defending Britain against outside attack.  And it wasn't just Britain either.  Smith was a hero right across the world.  Maybe, just maybe, the media would sour, but until then Smith was politically untouchable.  The consequences of relieving him could be dire.

Uncle Winchester coughed.  “I feel, Farnham, that the boy is confused.”

James flushed, brightly.  “I’m not twelve any longer, uncle!”

“Learn to keep your face under control,” Uncle Winchester lectured, sternly.  He looked over at the First Space Lord.  “This is an invidious line of questioning, Farnham.”

“You know better, I think,” the First Space Lord said.  “Commander Fitzwilliam, I do need an answer.”