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*Rise of the Warspite*
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by HappyTarget: [QB] Well people, you're in luck. The books I need for my essay in history are delayed, so I had time to whip up the next chapter earlier than I thought. Hope you like it. CHAPTER 18 [Late Evening, Harrington Steading, Grayson] *Authors note: These events take place around the same time as the Committee was giving Adm. Grant her orders. Captain (SG) Thaddeus Armstrong hated to admit it, but even with the cursed necktie, his Grayson dress uniform looked good. He had even managed to do up the tie himself. Chief Gibbons had been surprised when she found just how little 'fixing' she had to do to make her charge presentable. Thad had always been fascinated by history, and the uniform's lines bore a much stronger resemblance, than a Manticoran one at any rate, to those used on Old Earth about two million t-years ago. Now the dress uniforms of the Andermani Empire were something else. Despite his interest in history, even Thad had to admit that those were a little over the top. They were based on ancient Prussian uniforms, and their tall stiff collars had to be even more uncomfortable than Thad's tie. By the time Thad and his senior officers, arrived at the ball at Harrington Steading, the party was well underway. As he approached the party's main entrance, Thad noticed a larger than normal amount of guards in Harrington green on green. That was only to be expected, even at a party as formal as this, someone could still drink too much and get a little rowdy. Under the guard's watchful eyes, the Warspite's officers walked up to the open doors and entered the gaily-lit room within. Taz stood up a little taller on Thad's shoulder, trying to see everything. This was the first time that he had ever been at any function like this, and Thad was more than a little concerned as to how it would affect him. Yet the cat seemed to be taking it all in stride. As much as he was new to formal balls, he seemed to be almost preening as he gazed about the room with his person. "Look at him!" Jen said from Thad's right, "In typical treecat fashion, he is acting like all this pomp is for him alone." Taz bleeked in response, as if to say not even you can ruin this moment for me. "Don't get to full of yourself mister!" Thad scolded his friend. Taz responded to him in almost the same way, but with his eyes sparkling, yet he did seem to settle down. "That's better. Now lets join the party, shall we?" Thad, Jennifer, Julius, and Fillipe Escobar made their way towards the music and laughter. Someone had to mind the store, even while the Warspite was in parking orbit, and Xaiver St. Laurence had drawn the short straw. Of course the extra command experience would do him good in the long run, but oh how he had howled when he found out he wouldn't be going to Honor's party. Entering the large room, the Warspite's party drew polite yet interested stares from quite a few of the guests. It took Thad a few minutes to realize that not many of them had seen a treecat other than Honor's Nimitz. Taz made him stand out from everyone else simply because he was there perched on his shoulder. Shrugging their interest off, Thad lead the way towards the buffet table. The aroma of the superbly prepared food was mind blowing. Thad couldn't wait to try some of the dishes. As he made his way through the crowd though, he noticed he was getting penetrating, almost lewd stares from many of the women present. It was then that he remembered that female births on Grayson far outnumbered male births. In fact polygamy was the societal norm, with men legally having up to three wives each. This discrepancy in the balance of the sexes had caused Grayson women to be much more aggressive in finding a man than was the norm on most planets. Thad, except for his scar, had a rugged handsomeness about him. Add to that the fact that he also had a gray and black treecat on his shoulder and Thad became a very hot commodity. Everything he had read but not fully understood the complications of came crashing back to his conscious mind. Thad very nearly turned and bolted right then and there. Seeing the sudden change in his expression, and having seen the looks his captain had been getting since he walked in, Julius put two and two together. Putting a steadying hand on Thad's shoulder, he whispered into his ear. "Don’t worry sir, they aren't the Amazons your imagination is making them into." He went on with a mischievous whisper. "Not quite that bad anyway…" Thad looked at him in terror, then relaxed and rolled his eyes when he realized he had been had. Taz bleeked laughter from Thad's shoulder, his face alight in pure glee. It was as if he had just given an atta boy to a fellow prankster on a job well done. Julius had just gotten his person in a way he couldn't, yet the little imp was cheering him on. Taz had tasted the women's emotions, and was somewhat surprised at his person's reaction to them. Then he saw the raw hurt sealed deep within Thad for the first time. So that was it, he had been hurt deeply by someone from his past. Thad's shock had finally allowed Taz to break through into the tightly sealed, damaged part of his heart. Taz knew that his adopted person loved him very much, but there had always been a part of him that was distant and locked away. That in and of itself was strange, because every other human Taz had encountered had not had the ability to hide a part of themselves from him. He was positive that it was that power that had first drawn him to Thad. It gave his mind glow a bright and unique flavor. He had sensed a much more powerful version of the same thing in Nimitz's person. He had even been surprised when Nimitz had told him that he and his person could exchange thoughts in a two-way conversation. It was simplistic pictures granted, but something much closer to what his species experienced with eachother. Because of the similarity between Honor's and Thaddeus' mind glow, Taz hoped to one day have as unique and deep connection as Nimitz experienced. Of course when he learned just what had prompted it to come about, he wondered if it was truly worth the cost of getting it. Taz decided then and there that he would help Thad when he was ready, but he wouldn't pry. Matters such as this were difficult for him to grasp as treecats lived largely in the here and now. They had a hard time accepting that humans dragged around so much useless emotional baggage. Still, Thad was his human, and Taz could only do as much as he could to ease his pain. Taz threw support and love into their link. Pressing his head into Thad's cheek, Taz started up his buzzing purr. Thad could have sworn he had briefly felt another… something inside his head. The feelings he had gotten from it were warm and lively, but it was a very disconcerting experience. Despite that, he reached out to the presence. But just as he seemed to grasp it, it slipped away like grains of sand through a closed fist. Frowning in consternation, he turned to the furry bundle of love on his shoulder. "Did you just do that?" Taz only purred louder in response. "Do what sir?" Julius said "I could have sworn… but it's gone now. It was the strangest thing- except in a good way." "Sir?" Thad sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I guess it was nothing XO. Just my mind playing tricks on me. Don't worry, I won't let my overactive imagination make a fool of me in front of the ladies." Grinning, Julius said, "You sir, a fool, never! Now unless I am mistaken, that looks like Adm. Cole and his staff over there at that table in the corner. Perhaps now would be a good time to make introductions?" "An excellent suggestion. Just let me grab a cup of hot chocolate. The smell has been calling to me since I got here." "You can smell that from here?" Julius asked incredulously. "I just caught a glance of the hot drinks table, and it's on the other side of the room." "Err… that is I heard that Lady Harrington loves the stuff, so I assumed that it was here." Julius was concerned that his captain was hiding something major from him, but he decided that the ballroom was neither the time nor the place to discuss it so he let it go. Nodding to Thad, he said, "Fine Sir, I'll just go over and chat with the Admiral untill you get your drink." "I'll be over directly Exec." Thad said over his shoulder. That had been close, almost to close. Thad still wasn't ready to let his true origins out, even to his first officer. The man was very easy to get along with, and there were the beginnings of a very good friendship started between Thad and himself. Yet the line was still there, and Thad was still unable to bring himself to cross it. Grabbing a mug from the waiter, Thad drank deeply of the hot, silky smooth liquid. His heightened metabolism required quite a bit more calories than a normal human. Many of his fellow officers envied his ability to consume foods yet miraculously manage not look like a sumo wrestler because of it. On his way back to the Admirals table, Thad spied a tray of celery and couldn't resist. He grabbed one of the smaller pieces for Taz as he strode by. Although treecats cannot digest celery, they love the stuff. All the expert's Thad had met during his short time on Sphinx, plus the personal studying he had done on his own, still had no answer as to just why they had such an appetite for it. Taz accepted the celery with relish, yet forced himself to wait until his person was seated before he ate it. It wouldn't due for him to drop the produce by accident. Not only would it be embarrassing, it might damage the celery. Coming up to Bruce Cole's table Thad noticed its position with a practiced eye. It was placed so that it gave those seated around it got as much privacy as possible from the milling throngs of partygoers. It was placed in a corner and many of the tables around it were empty because of people dancing on the ballroom floor. Thad didn't get a chance to get a good look at the others seated at the table. That was because he had to devote his full attention to Admiral Cole. The Admiral stood up and extended a hand to him. Bruce was about Thad's height, yet had a slightly thicker build. His reddish blond hair was neatly styled, except for lock that hung down almost to his brown eyes. Thad took the hand out of sheer reflex, and Adm. Cole's returning grip was strong. "Captain, you did a good job today. Such a good job in fact that I have want to use the Warspite as my flagship, and I want you for my flag captain." Thad was thunder struck. "I don't mean to question your judgement sir, but surely one of the other captains is better qualified, and most certainly another has more seniority. I would hate to step on anyone's toes." He replied cautiously. "Nonsense, it was the other captains that verified my initial decision. They all came to me after your first trial by fire and recommended that unless I had already picked someone else, that you would be a perfect choice. I concurred with their assessment of your abilities, so I am now formally offering the slot to you." "Sir I am very junior for my rank." More than you know Thad thought. "I am not sure I am ready for the responsibility that being a fleet captain entails." "Oh just say yes already Thud!" A deep voice emanated from one of the officers who had been seated with the admiral, deliberately mangling Thad's nickname. Thad knew that voice, and he felt his jaw drop as the face finally came up from the depths of his memory. A tall man built like a rake stood and wrapped his arms around Thad. Taz had to drop to the floor to avoid being crushed. His annoyed bleek caused Captain (SG) Luke Killkreek to drop Thad back to the ground suddenly. "Oh gosh, I didn't hurt him did I?" Genuine concern creeped into the deep baritone. "Just his pride." Thad stared at the giant in front of him as he picked up Taz. "Is that really you Reek?" He said as the cat flowed back up to the perch on his shoulder. "In the flesh! It's been to long man." Thad and Luke had been roommates and inseparable friends at Saganami Island, and had done their first midi cruse on the same ship. Luke taken a socially inept and timid Thaddeus Armstrong under his wing and been a good friend to him. Luke had originally though that Thad's outsider attitude had been an act. Yet when he had broken down the barriers and found out that Thad really was as clumsy socially as he appeared, he was shocked. How could someone who appeared as old as Thad be so out of place in a social setting. Thad seemed like a little kid in a group of adults whenever he and his classmates got together after school let out. Thad had graduated top of his class, with very high marks in both tactics and strategy. Get him in a military setting and his leadership ability shone through, as well as his skill. But in a group of his peers in a bar or club and he became as innocent as a newborn babe. Admiral Cole broke in. "I'm sure there will be time for catching up later Captains, but I still need an answer." "Of course sir. On second thought, I believe I will take you up on your request." "Excellent. Now allow me to make introductions to the rest of the team. Starting from right to left, the good-looking woman is Lt. Cmdr. Eve Oberon, my chief of staff. Next is my ECM officer, Lt. Cmdr. Gill Cromwell. Then comes Lt. Tommy Schultz, my com officer. The remaining two are Captains Peter Trent and Natalia Hect, CO's of the Viper and Copernicus respectively. Captain Killkreek is CO of the Graf Spee." Thad shook all their hands in turn. Once the Admiral had finished, Thad did his side. "As you all seem to know already, I am Captain Thaddeus Armstrong. My furry companion here is Taz." After a chorus of hellos Luke extended his hand to Taz in apology." "Sorry about knocking you off little guy. Guess I got carried away. It's been years since I have seen Thad here, and I always have been a little clumsy." Taz waited for a few seconds before he extended his right truehand, the left still clutching the celery stalk, in reply. He did it as if a bigger apology was his due, despite the fact that all that was bruised was his ego. Admiral Cole turned back to Thad. "Now that that’s out of the way, there are some things I would like to discuss with you Captain Armstrong. Pull up a chair, and I promise I won't keep you away from those determined young ladies long!" [/QB][/QUOTE]
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