A Galaxy Unknown 10: Azula Carver Read Online Free Page B

before we ever left Higgins. I know experienced commanders who would have been envious if they had seen what you accomplished in such a short time. Then, when we learned we would be going into battle against a far superior Raider task force, you got the entire crew rated well above par in weapons training on new and unfamiliar equipment. Your efforts made a considerable difference in that conflict. Few would have expected us to come out as much on top as we did. You know, there really have been times over the years when I've wondered who was mentor and who was student. And you've gone from Ensign to Admiral of the Fleet while I still have the same rank I held when you graduated from the Academy."
    "Your rank is by choice. You could have had your stars decades ago. But you wanted to remain as captain of a battleship. And I would have done the same if I could. I would still love to be a warship captain, but it can't happen now. When they permanently promoted me beyond my brevetted rank, there was no going back except a demotion with official censure. That could have an adverse effect on the morale of everyone in Space Command, so it can't be allowed to happen."
    "Would you even consider it?"
    "I've thought about it. But I couldn't bring myself to do anything to disgrace the uniform. No, I've accepted that I can never be a warship's captain. And with each climb up the five-rung ladder of general officer, I've spent less time aboard a ship and more time behind a desk. But you know all this already. I've bored you with my problems more times than I've wanted. You're just unlucky enough to be my closest friend aboard ship and the one person I can be totally open with."
    "I've never believed that made me unlucky. Quite the contrary. So what options do you have? Are you going to become an active member of the Nordakian nobility and spend all your time in court, doting on the king and queen?"
    "Not in this lifetime. My initial plans are simple. I intend to get some rest at my estate while I establish, or reestablish, my relationship with my mother and my sisters-in-law and their children whom I have never met. I also intend to meet and greet my subjects, most of whom I have never met. The last time I was on Obotymot, agricultural efforts were just beginning to make some inroads. The former tenants were slowly returning to their farms from the cities where they waited out the atmospheric cleansing and recovery efforts. I've also been struggling to keep Thor, Cayla, and Tayna from becoming too intimate, despite nature's drive for them to procreate. Once we're off-ship and on the estate, I intend to let nature take its course."
    "Just as you envy my shipboard position, I envy your familial ties. I have no one back home to return to, so my command is my family."
    ~     ~     ~
    As the Ares neared the planets in what was considered the core of Region One, Jenetta ordered a change in course with Nordakia as an interim destination. It wasn't very far off the direct course to Obotymot, and Jenetta wished to speak to the king and queen. It had been many years since she'd had an opportunity to meet them in person, and she looked forward to the visit. She immediately ordered the com system in her office to communicate only in Dakis so she could brush up her Nordakian language skills a bit before she needed them.
    When the ship reached Nordakia, the time at the royal palace was the Earth equivalent of roughly 0200 hours. Jenetta had sent an earlier message to the palace that she would arrive at the palace shuttle pad at 1000 hours GST. Since the diurnal period on Nordakia was almost twenty-eight Earth hours, the Nordakian clocks could be out of sync with GST by a considerable amount, but on this occasion they were fairly close. She would be arriving at the palace an hour before noon, local time.
    As the time approached for her to depart, Jenetta removed her uniform and dressed in a gown suitable for the palace and the occasion. The women's