James winced.  If he answered the question, it could utterly destroy his professional reputation.  No one would ever trust him again.  They’d think of him as a sneak, a coward who didn't even have the nerve to stand up and relieve his CO of command.  But if he didn't answer the question, it could impact his career too.  The First Space Lord had no shortage of places to assign officers who had annoyed him.  It was darkly amusing to realise that Ark Royal had once been one of those places.

“It won’t go any further,” Uncle Winchester assured him.  “Will it?”

“No,” the First Space Lord said.

James gathered himself.  “Since I have served on Ark Royal, the Captain has not – to my knowledge – touched a drop of alcohol,” he said, firmly.  “Furthermore, he has handled my education in the carrier’s mechanics, the integration of the new crewmembers and our first real deployment with exceptional skill.  He has, after all, had years to think of the best way to refit his ship for combat.  And he has successfully pulled off our first real victory.”

The First Space Lord looked unconvinced.  “But he could backslide at any moment ...”

“I have seen nothing to indicate that he will,” James said, sharply.  It crossed his mind, a second too late, that he had interrupted the senior uniformed officer in the entire navy, but he forced the thought to one side.  “My ambitions aside, there is no good reason to relieve him of command.”

He wondered, absently, just what the First Space Lord had in mind.  There were ways to put someone on the beach while seemingly rewarding them.  It was why, he suspected, there were so many Admirals in the Royal Navy.  Not all of them were assigned to fleet or squadron commands – or naval bases.  Smith’s promotion to Admiral would be greeted with raptures by the media, who wouldn't recognise that he was being promoted into obscurity.

Or maybe they would, he thought.  By now, they expect Captain Smith to take command of the next unified defence force.

“I expect you to keep a close eye on him,” the First Space Lord said.  “How does he work with the crew?”

“Fatherly, rather than dictatorial,” James said.  He'd served under a CO who’d been a tyrant, although he’d had the advantage of not caring about James’s family.  James had actually found that somewhat refreshing.  “He’s friendly and caring ... it helps, it think, that most of his senior crew served together on Ark Royal while she was in the reserves.  They’ve had plenty of time to build up a relationship.”

The First Space Lord leaned forward.  “No improper relationships?”