Admin64

Chapter 64 - The Administrator

LCS Hermann Steiner
Frederick Steiner-Class Battleship LCN Naval Shipyard Greer
Duran System
Lyran Commonwealth
3148

"Umbilicals disconnected, Captain, we are floating free." Commander Liam Peterson's Donegaller accent was subdued, almost a rolling musical pronunciation, his German tinged with the deep celtic.

"Helm, thrusters one tenth power, reverse thrust burn six seconds on my mark." Kapitan (Captain) Linda Sithers-Minh watched the hull cameras from her command station as the gantries opened their jaws.

"Docking Clamps clear."

"Transmit and flash the undocking signal, and wait fifteen seconds for any yard-workers to be clear." Linda said calmly.

"Yard reports all personnel clear and accounted for."

"Helm, Mark."

"Aye, Mum!"

The reverse thrust was on cold-thrusters.

"You know, traditionally these ships-battleships, were commanded by Admirals." she said.

"Good God. Could you imagine someone like Kampfler-Marsden commanding anything like this?" Peterson asked.

"I don't know him." Linda's tone was calm "Was he one of the guys we swept up on the Brothel raids in '43?"

"We, Ma'am?"

"It's 'Mum', you call the Admiral, Ma'am." she countered, "Besides, I'm only five years short of qualifying, ya punk."

"I think he was. Were you on the Kaiserslaughtern raid?" he asked.

"I think no. I hit Madame Belroy's. Two Generals and four admirals, twelve or thirteen nobles a third their age, big pile of Plexers. We ended up calling in the special victims unit of the LIC's domestic branch because, of a couple of ten year olds chained to the bed. Those were some fun prosecutions."

"I think I heard about that one."

"Oh, yeah. We sent eighteen people who deserved it to Blackgate...and that was how I spent the first month I was in the Tharkad system." she checked her overjacket's cuff.

"Kowloonese rep, I'm surprised you didn't shoot them."

Linda sighed. "At the time, we were still Coast Guard, the idea that we were official LCN hadn't quite filtered past the pay-stubs. In the Guard, you don't execute without trial. It's not done in criminal cases, which is what we were treating that affair as. After I finish my second Command Tour in a row, I guess it's either Provost, or Judge Advocate again."

"What makes you think they'll stick you in a Staffer?"

"How in hell are you gonna be able to take over for me if I don't?" she asked rhetorically, "Helm, check with the station and make sure we're clear on all sides."

"Aye Mum."

"The joke is you'll go Chaplain." her XO said.

"Heck, I'm not ordained!" she laughed, "Besides, we've got a good chappie on board. I like his sermons. reminds me of my Grandfather on the Martin side."

"Martin?"

"Momma Nicole changed her last name legally when she immigrated to Kowloon, her side of the family are Martinside Burrow in the Metis. Granddad's sermons were something we listened to when she wasn't on the Q-line. He even made the trip into the Zone to speak at my graduation from Giap Island. You imagine a hundred year old man making that trip from the Metis?"

"How come he didn't get sick?"

"God was looking out for him?" she shrugged, "I didn't ask Momma Nicole about that-I'm still afraid to hear that answer...we're clear?"

"Clear of the structure and outside the hazard zone, Mum."

"Bring us ninety degrees z axis, and give it a nice one-gee burn to start with. I want at least two thousand kilometers between us and the station before we nose-over and head for the patrol zone."

"Aye Mum."

"Let's see, this is a shakedown tour. Let's shake this bucket and see what falls out." she said, watching the nav panel from the Captain's station, "Helm, on my mark, full stop, when relative velocity equals zero, I want a nose over ninety degrees to Port on X axis heading plus five degrees, and six seconds at maximum burn, let's count the gee-forces and see who passes out." she smiled as she watched the counter climb. "Now. MARK!!"

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