“How do your crews feel about that?” another senator demanded. “They’ve only been home a few weeks. Will we have morale problems? Mutiny?”
Rione’s laughter rang through the room. “I’m sorry, my fellow senator. It’s just … I suggest you talk to members of the ships’ crews.”
“You don’t think morale will be a problem?” Costa asked.
“As long as Black Jack is in command? They’d dive into a black hole if he told them to do it, and they’d be cheering him all the way to the event horizon.”
Navarro nodded. “Our own reports show the same. Captain Geary, there’s one more matter we must address now. Please wait outside this room while the council speaks with Senator Rione and Admiral Timbale.”
Now what? Geary waited in the passageway, alone this time and acutely aware that without Rione’s jammers nearby he was probably being monitored by the best full-spectrum surveillance gear the Alliance possessed. Even though he had nothing relating to his duty to the Alliance on his conscience, it was still surprisingly hard to look innocent when there were so many surveillance devices trained on him.
Senator Navarro, Co-President Rione, and Admiral Timbale came out of the conference room, and Geary stiffened to attention. “Please relax,” Navarro said. “The council had to decide on something else, and we’ve done so though it took some arguing.” He glanced at Rione. “You inspire some impressive loyalty, Captain Geary, but more importantly, your actions confirm what we needed to know.” Navarro looked down at something in his right hand. “As should be obvious, we can’t have a captain negotiating and acting on behalf of the Alliance government. Not for something this big. And the fleet requires a senior officer in command. We also know that you may need to reach critically important decisions without the time to consult with higher authority. You need the authority yourself to, if necessary, negotiate and bind the Alliance to agreements.”
Geary watched Navarro with a growing sense of unease. “Sir, I thought that Co-President Rione and other senators would accompany the fleet as representatives of the government.”
“Yes, they will,” Navarro agreed. “But your rank should reflect your position and responsibilities. That’s how Admiral Timbale expressed it. Therefore, please accept these on behalf of the grand council of the Alliance.” He held out his right hand.
Geary looked down at Navarro’s palm, at the golden, stylized supernovas there. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing. “Sir, there must be some mistake.”
The senator frowned down at his palm. “Aren’t these the insignia for the Admiral of the Alliance Fleet?”
Fleet admiral. Not just admiral. Fleet admiral. The highest rank possible. The uneasiness had grown into disbelief and denial. “Yes, sir, but—”
“Then there’s no mistake. The grand council knows you need this authority, and it is the judgment of the majority of the council that you can be trusted with this rank. You and I both know that you already have more power than is embodied in this rank.”
“Sir,” Geary protested, “no one has ever held the rank of Admiral of the Alliance Fleet.”
“Not until now,” Rione agreed with a half smile.
“But, sir, I …”
Navarro laughed with evident relief and looked at Rione. “You were right! You really don’t want this rank, do you?” he asked Geary. “Do you know how many admirals have pleaded for this rank for themselves since the war began? But you want to turn it down.”
Geary tried again. “Sir, I am not qualified for such a rank.”
“Not qualified? Read your own record, man. Independent command under the most difficult circumstances, and you succeeded where no one else could have.” Navarro glanced at Admiral Timbale this time, who nodded back at the senator. “You didn’t do what you could have done, Captain Geary, but we assume there will be attempts to force that issue. Giving you this rank should satisfy those who want to see you with more formal power and help defuse the threat to the government.”
Timbale nodded again, firmly. “I believe you are correct, sir. The fleet’s personnel will see this as a recognition of their concerns and needs.”
“Thank you, Admiral. So, Fleet Admiral Geary, are you going to take these from me?”
Given the significance of the issues Navarro had brought up, Geary felt guilty that the primary thing filling his mind was not that he felt deeply inadequate for the position. His main worry was, in fact, a purely personal thing.
Rione was watching him and spoke evenly. “What do we need to do to get you to accept this rank, Captain Geary?” He looked at her, knowing that she knew about his greatest concern and wondering if even Rione could cruelly taunt him because she knew that. But her next words showed a different reason for her question. “Perhaps if it wasn’t permanent?”
He latched onto that like a drifting sailor thrown a lifeline. “Yes. A temporary appointment to that rank.”
“ ‘Temporary’?” Navarro asked in astonishment. “How long do you envision that being?”
“Until … the end of the war. When the war ends, when I bring the fleet back with its missions accomplished, I will relinquish the temporary rank, relinquish command of the fleet, and revert to my permanent rank of captain.”
Admiral Timbale stared at him. “You do realize that to the rest of us anything based on the end of the war is permanent.”
“Not to me, Admiral.” Geary gave Navarro a pleading look. “Can I put that condition on accepting the rank? Formal conditions? A promise from the government?”
Navarro thought, then made a why-not gesture. “Certainly. I’ll have it entered in the official record. When the war ends, and when you return the fleet to Alliance space, you will immediately revert to the permanent rank of captain and will also relinquish command of the fleet at that time.”
Geary had a moment’s hesitation, wondering why Navarro had given in so easily. In his experience, people had not been willing to let Black Jack Geary walk away from the things for which they needed him. But he couldn’t refuse the government’s orders when it had already agreed to conditions he hadn’t had any right to demand. “Very well, sir.”
Navarro held out his hand again. “Then take the insignia, Captain. Excuse me, take the insignia, Fleet Admiral.”
Geary let the gold supernovas drop into his hand, then just stared at them.
Rione stepped closer and folded his hand around them. “Let your captain help you put them on,” she murmured.
“It’ll make her happy. This wasn’t my idea, but once it was raised, I argued strongly in its favor.”
Navarro smiled at Geary. “Good luck, Fleet Admiral. It’s a very odd thing. I’ve gotten used to being regarded as a low form of life who cannot be trusted to act in the best interests of the Alliance. Now I find myself hoping I won’t let you down because you really do believe that I’m more than that.”ANOTHER mental weight fell from Geary as his shuttle accelerated away from Ambaru station, the Marines relaxing in the back. If not for the insignia in his fist, he would have felt light-headed, but the gold supernovas anchored him as firmly as if they had the gravitational pull of real stars.
“Sir?” the pilot called back. “Dauntless is requesting routine passenger ID and status. Are you still … uh …”
Geary realized that he and Rione hadn’t told anything to anyone yet. “My apologies. Yes, I’m still the fleet commander.”