"It's hopeless." Paul held up a hand to keep Jen from exploding again. "She didn't put it quite that bluntly, but that's what it comes down to. The orders are set in stone and nobody with the power to change them is going to change them." He paused, knowing Jen wouldn't like the rest. "But there is one possible option."
Jen gave him a suspicious look. "What?"
"You know Herdez is going to command of a newly commissioned ship after her current tour is up. They always let captains of newly commissioned ships get their pick of any officers they want-"
"No!" Jen slammed her palm onto the table, drawing looks from others in Fogarty's. "Back to ship duty?"
"Jen. She can get me off Mars after only two years. She's sure of it. She can slip the orders in without anybody noticing. Yeah, it'll mean coming back here to another ship, but I'll be coming back here."
Jen hid her face in her hands. "Two years gone and then back here on ship duty where I may see you four months out of the year if I'm lucky."
"That's worst case, Jen. New ships need a lot of break-in. It should be spending a lot of time around Franklin."
"I hate this option, Paul Sinclair." She reached over and finished his drink. "But I hate the alternatives even worse. God! You're selling your soul to Herdez! And I'm agreeing to it! I'm letting that woman who hates me Shanghai my husband for her ship!"
"She doesn't hate you."
"I notice you're not disagreeing with the rest of what I said."
Paul ordered more drinks. Did I ever think I'd get to a point where two years of hell on Mars followed by two more years of hell on a ship commanded by Herdez was the best option available to me?
The next morning, Commander Moraine gave another little speech. She kept fumbling with her data pad and several other items as she spoke, and Paul found himself paying more attention to that than to her words. Then Moraine singled out Paul. "I need to see all of your training records."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I want them on file to me, with a dynamic link to any updates."
"Ma'am?" Paul tried not let his disbelief show. Was Moraine actually planning on constantly checking the progress of his division's training?
"You heard me. The same applies to you two," she ordered Taylor and Denaldo. "Maintenance records, too. For all equipment. I want continuous updates."
Taylor held out her data pad. "Maybe you just oughta take this, ma'am."
Moraine glared at Taylor. "You do your jobs right and there won't be any problems."
After she left, Paul slapped his forehead. "Where does she think she's going to get the time to continuously monitor every detail in our divisions? That's our job."
Taylor popped a wad of a synthetic substance the sailors called "chew" into her mouth. "Haven't you figured out Commander Migraine, yet, college boy?"
"No. You tell me."
"She's nervous. Real nervous. Nervous she'll miss something. Because if she misses something she'll get in trouble."
"If she tries to track everything," Kris noted, "she's not going to be able to do it. She'll be overwhelmed."
"Bingo to the college girl! Tell me who's fault it'll be if Migraine tries to do our jobs in addition to her own and gets overwhelmed."
Paul rubbed his forehead. "Ours."
"Bingo again! Kids these days sure know a lot."
"Fine," Paul agreed. "What can we do?"
Taylor shrugged. "Our jobs. That's all."
"Why does Moraine look at me different from the way she looks at you guys?"
"You noticed that, too, Paul?" Taylor grinned. "I could say it's because she likes your hot bod."
"But you won't."
"Hell, no. That'd be crude and unsophisticated and I'm an officer now." Taylor sobered. "She's scared of you, Paul."
"Scared of me?"
"Yup. Think about it. You're the guy who nailed that little jerk Silver. You're the guy who speaks up when he sees something's wrong. Now, imagine you're Ms. Migraine, scared to death of getting caught with your pants down. How'd you like to have you working for you?"
Paul made a fist and rapped his forehead this time. "I don't go looking for reasons to turn people in! How could she-"
"I ain't saying she's right." Taylor shrugged again. "Just do your best and try to avoid taking lots of notes when she's talking or doing something. Hey, on second thought, maybe if you did that when she gives her morning speeches she'd clam up real quick. Do that for me and I'll teach you some tricks next time we're on liberty together."
"Would you?" Paul asked with mock sincerity. "I bet Jen would be really grateful."
"That she would! Heck, it's no fun yanking your chain anymore. Any other wisdom you need from me?"
"Yeah. Why do you chew that awful stuff?"
Taylor spat the chew into her palm and frowned down at it for a moment. "Hell if I know." Then she popped it back into her mouth and waved. "Later, kids."
Kris clapped Paul on the shoulder. "Just a few more months, Paul. Keep telling yourself that."
"Speaking of time left onboard, where's your relief?"
"Pullman?" At the last instant, Pullman had been shifted from taking over as weapons officer to relieving Kris Denaldo. "He's got the quarterdeck watch."
Paul met with his division, giving them assignments for the day, then headed back for his stateroom. He hadn't made it there when he was paged to see the captain.
For once, there wasn't a line outside the captain's cabin. Paul knocked, announcing himself.
"Come on in, Paul."
Captain Hayes looked slightly uncomfortable, Paul realized. Bad news? For me? Why else would he look like that?
But Hayes just passed Paul a note slip with a compartment address on it. "I need you to go there and see the people who'll be waiting for you. Just tell the front desk who you are."
Paul frowned down at the compartment designation. The numbers and letters were only vaguely familiar, telling him the compartment was located somewhere well inside Franklin's administrative decks. "Can I ask what this is about, sir?"
"No." Hayes grinned briefly to take any sting from the reply. "Just go there and do what you can."
"Aye, aye, sir." Do what I can about what? I guess I'll find out. Paul turned to go but was halted by a sharp command from Captain Hayes.
"I'll let your department head know you left the ship. Don't check out with her, or anybody else."
"Aye, aye, sir." It all made Paul very uneasy inside. A personal direction from the captain to do something off-ship and not to tell anyone else. He found himself checking his conscience for any actions which might conceivably have merited the sort of treatment he thought Jen might have experienced when she was arrested for the incident on the Maury. But that was ridiculous. Hayes wouldn't do that.
Still, Paul's unease grew as he drew nearer to the compartment, and settled into a hard, cold lump in his stomach as he stared at the sign on the compartment. Navy Criminal Investigative Service. Why did the Captain send me to the NCIS offices on Franklin? Why am I seeing the fleet cops?
A harassed-looking petty officer looked up as Paul entered. "Yes, sir?"
Paul swallowed to ensure his voice wouldn't betray any nervousness. "Lieutenant Paul Sinclair."
The petty officer waited a moment as if expecting something more. "Yes, sir?"
"From the USS Michaelson. My CO sent me here. He said there'd be someone waiting."
" Michaelson…" The petty officer's eyes fastened on something on her desk. "Oh. Okay, sir. Wait one, please." She stood and hustled back into the NCIS offices, leaving Paul alone with her desk and a few battered standard issue office waiting chairs. Paul measured the discomfort of standing against the discomfort of sitting in the chairs and decided to keep standing.
A moment later the petty officer returned with two individuals in civilian jumpsuits in tow, one a middle-aged man and the other a younger woman. The petty officer indicated Paul, then sat back down as if he and the two civilians had ceased to exist.