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*Rise of the Warspite*
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by HappyTarget: [QB] Que trumpets! Finally, another chapter in the soap that is Thad Armstrong's life! :D CHAPTER 24 [PNS Orion (BC), Brig, (ETA to Target: 9 days)] Charles Braganovich sat in his cell, staring blankly at the bulkhead, face an expressionless mask. His original blinding terror had subsided and transformed itself into a steadily growing knot of rage. Charles was even forced to admit that part of that rage was directed at himself. If he had not been so bone headed, so blinded by his volatile temper, he would have remembered that the puffed-up navy bitch wasn't the run of the mill navy officer. She was currently the Committees darling, which made her dangerous to anyone who crossed her. Including even an SS Commodore whom she had goaded into attempting an assault on her. And thus he sat, stewing in the brig of his own ship. His cell door opened, admitting first a member of the normal SS security detail, then a Peoples Marine. Charles had quickly established that the Marine was here to make sure that he remained in his cell. He snorted to himself. As if his crew would willingly let him out. Too many of his subordinates turned jailers had been all to willing to keep him locked up. The relished seeing the mighty brought low, even if it was one of their own cut off at the knees by a mere naval officer. Charles was forced to admit that many of those in State Security were in it merely for the power, not for any true love for the state. That merely added to his growing anger. Had they now idea that it was the SS's solemn duty to eliminate enemies of the people, wherever they might lie? He himself had seen the excesses of the Legislaturalists, seen how they had kept the people downtrodden and used the navy to do it. When Pierre and the Committee came to power after the failed military coup, they had been the ray of hope that Charles had been searching for. Did his fellow officers not long, as he did, to obliterate all of the old system that had shackled the people? But no, they were only in it for the power their position and role gave them over their fellow citizens. "Prisoner 1769/4200, your food is here." The burly, no nonsense marine said. There was a hint of a smile on his face. Prisoner rations were some of the most inedible things Charles had ever tasted, and the marine knew it. The SS guard smirked openly, then walked past the marine and handed Charles a food pouch. As he did so, he palmed Charles a chip reader as well. Charles impassive mask nearly broke from surprise, but he quickly master the turmoil of emotions that had boiled up inside him. The SS guard, Lt. Louis Penio was still between Charles and the marine, blocking his line of sight. Charles quickly shoved the reader into the rear waistband of his florescent orange prisoner jumpsuit. He ate in silence, then handed the empty food pouch back to Lt. Louis. Both the SS and Marine guard exited the cell, leaving Charles alone with his thoughts and a standard SS issue chip reader. [GSN Warspite, Flagship - TF 55, Leaving Yeltsin System, Enroute to Looking Glass Base (Coordinates of destination unavailable, requires Omega Black level security clearance)] Thad stood tall beside his command chair, Taz hanging on his shoulder with a satisfied smile on his face. While the time spent at Yeltsin star was far from uneventful, Taz could taste the crew's anticipation and eagerness to get back into space. Their duties also allowed the Grayson members of his crew to put concerns over Lady Dame Honor Harrington on the back burner for a while. Thad knew full well how much that had been weighing on Taz's normally incorrigible persona. Since word of her disappearance had become public knowledge, Taz had picked up on the tension of the crew, and had become increasingly irritable. His good spirits were a pleasant change. On the tactical plot beside Thad, the green icons of friendly ships glowed warmly. Task Force 55's four Warspite Class battle cruisers, five Courvosier Class Grayson built battle cruisers, three Star Knight (GR refit) Class heavy cruisers, eight Jason Alvarez Class Grayson built heavy cruisers hung in precise formation. The ten destroyers and a single fleet tender loaded up with over 2000 spare Ghost Rider missile pods englobed and formed the centerpiece of the formation respectively. The flotilla was two hours away from the hyper limit under their present acceleration of 350 gravities. Considering that TF 55 was a scratch built unit with none of the main units ever having worked together, the tight formation was a testament to the skill of those crewing the most powerful battle cruiser squadron in known space. Despite their unfamiliarity with eachother, there was virtually none of the normal confusion that went with shaking down a new squadron. These people were seasoned veterans, well up to the challenge the new squadron put in front of them. Thad just hoped that he was worthy to command such people. He hoped that his fears could be put to rest in a few minutes. If they weren't� Taz chittered on his shoulder reprovingly. His feelings were clear at least. If they had trouble with Thad as their flag captain, that was ts for them. If only their approval was as easy to gain as Taz's, everything would bee fine. But Thad knew full well how much more complicated human emotions were than treecats. "Captain." The watch com officer said quietly from her station. When he turned and cast a questioning look at her, she continued. "They are ready for you in the flag briefing room, sir." "Thank you Lt., you may inform them that I shall be there directly. Miss Yuki, you have the watch." [Three minutes later, Flag Briefing Room, GSN Warspite] The relatively large room was fairly packed to the gills. It was understandable because Admiral Cole had requested that nearly every captain in TF 55 gather here. The only ones given leave to remain on their ships were the destroyer screen skippers. But their squadron commander was here, and he would be sure to pass word on to them. The emotions in the room were slightly tense. Some of the captains were strongly opposed to having Thaddeus Armstrong remain the task forces flag captain. With the revelations of his past still fresh in their minds, that was understandable. But Cole's support for Thad should have ended their dissention. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Many of the skippers were Grayson officers. They held Honor Harrington in near idolatry. Her going missing in action had many of them concerned to say the least. It was highly ironic that a woman, and a foreign infidel at that, had become the patron saint of the Grayson Navy. Despite the irony, that was what she had become, and her loss bit the Graysons especially hard. They couldn't take their fear and anger out on the Peeps, so they had to find someone to vent it at. And that someone just happened to be the convenient target of Captain Thaddeus Armstrong. Despite Admiral Cole's repeated request's for quiet, the cacophony of angry voices continued to build. The majority of them were being difficult because they were against Thad remaining flag captain, the rest were being difficult because they were trying to convince their peers to change their minds. It was into this storm that Thad walked. He made his way to the stage at the front of the room with a deliberate pace. As he strode down the center aisle, the din sweeping around him caused Taz to flatten his ears and hiss. Thad strode up to the podium and stood there calmly, waiting for a chance to speak. It wasn't quick in coming. Thad waited for a full minute and still there was no sign of the officers stopping their argument. If anything, the crowd grew even more vocal. Some on opposite sides of the argument even began to push eachother. This has gone far enough, thought Thad. His fist flashed down with impossible speed, hitting the podium's top squarely in the middle. Even ironwood, tough as it was, has a breaking point. Thad reached and exceeded that breaking point with his blow, and as a result the podium split neatly in half down the middle. The reverberating thud of his fist combined with the splintering of the lectern caused all activity in the room to stop instantly. Many of the gathered officers gaped openly, their expressions surprised and voices silent. Thad never raised his voice, yet it flailed on the assembled officers like a cat o nine tails. His voice carried the full weight of command, like the kind that bosun's used on misbehaving midshipmen. "Look at yourselves!" Thad snorted. "You call your selves naval officers? You're acting like a bunch of snot nosed kids throwing a tantrum. Some of you are even on the edge of starting a brawl! Is that how you were trained to act? Is this the example you want to show your junior officers?" "Easy for you to say, murderer!" An anonymous voice called out. The beast inside Thad rallied against the strong chains binding it, longing to be set loose. But as he had done for over 18 years, Thad held it in check. He also felt Taz lending his support as well, further securing the anger that always threatened to burst forth. Thad sent a silent word of thanks to his furry companion, then redirected his attention back to the crowd. "I have killed in the past, I admit to that much. But as for murder, never! Every incidence was in self defense." "Ya right, like we can believe you!" another voice shouted. The voice sounded "Weather you choose to believe me or not is up to you, but just stop and think for a minute. You are NAVAL OFFICERS, yet here you are, bickering amongst yourselves." The tide of angry voices started to increase yet again. Time to bring out the big guns, Thad thought. "What would Lady Harrington think of all this?" That stopped them cold. "Have you stopped to think about that? Would this dissention be something she would endorse? Hell no, she would have jerked you so hard you would have gotten whiplash and you damn well know it!" He had them now. He could see it in their eyes. "We are going to whip this task force into shape right the F**K now, starting with you. From now on, no more useless dissention, no more infighting. We stand united, and together we shall not fall. And when we go calling on the Peeps, they are gonna wish they had never dared to lay a finger on Lady Honor Harrington." Thad looked across the assembled sea of the black on gold and blue on blue uniforms. "Agreed?" For a moment nothing happened, and the universe seemed to hold its collective breath. Then a single voice started chanting a single word. It was a hungry word fairly dripping with anticipation. "Honor! Honor! Honor!" Soon other voices joined it. "Honor! Honor! Honor!" The entire room shook with the force of their words. "HONOR! HONOR! HONOR!" Thad took great pride in joining in the inundation of sound. Some of them might still harbor resentment towards him, but he had reminded them of their duty. They would follow his orders. He was the flag captain in fact as well as form now. Thad felt a hand on his right shoulder. He looked up and saw Bruce Cole looking at him. He had a big smile on his face. The sparkle in his eyes and the thunder of voices said that he had indeed made the correct choice where Thaddeus Armstrong was concerned. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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