All That Glitters Ch. 53

"Something that you should be aware of, Kummel," Summate snarled. "If an officer of the law takes a bribe to influence a case, he can not only lose his position, he can be sent to prison or even executed in the case of manipulating a murder investigation.

She rounded on the other three. "That means all of you can be included in that accusation," Summate informed them.

The officers denied any prior knowledge of what was happening until Summate shushed them.

"Let us look at this situation. Last night, four assassins attempted to kill me in my own sleeping chamber. However, I have been Raddon for many years and have been involved in many political intrigues against me, including previous attempted assassinations. I heard rumours of an assassination attempt and acted accordingly.

"Just for the record, while there were four assassins, only three were killed. We have been interrogating the last would be assassin since last night. That is why I know that Gurn Sanate Mutt Garmain is involved in this fiasco." That last was a bold lie as the assassin had not been aware of who had hired her group. The reason Summate knew of Gurn Sanate's involvement was because of a piece of intelligence sent by Marrat, which Sarl had just received and conveniently opened instead of waiting for Summate to finish with the police. Sarl had acted immediately, giving the information to his boss right under the snouts of the four officers.

"As soon as you walked in here, Kummel, I knew that you had been sent by Gurn Sanate. My only question was whether you had included the other three officers in your little conspiracy. Had you, you might not now be restrained and I might be dead, killed while attempting to attack four officers investigating the murders I supposedly committed.

"Now, which of you is competent enough to continue with the investigation?" Summate asked the other three.

"None of us, Raddon Summate. We are here as muscle for Investigator Kummel," one of the three admitted candidly.

"Then we need to call the station for another investigator, and a second investigator to look into what Kummel and you three were doing," Summate nodded to Sarl, who immediately went to her boss' desk and called the station, asking for two investigators by name, telling them to bring assistance for the second investigation.

It would be a long morning but Summate would get many more answers from Kummel and the last assassin.

Naval Academy, Naval Headquarters, Capital City, Terra, The Sol System

The students of the special class were excited. They had been studying very hard for many months now and had finally completed those studies. They had started with eighty-two. There were only forty-six remaining.

This special class was made up of Asocan Sostocs, both commercial and Navy, hoping to become a Sostoc in the Asocan Realm's new fleet of FTL Naval vessels. Today was the day they would graduate the academic portion of their program and move to the practical portion, on the very ships they might actually one day command.

They wondered who would be the VIP for today's ceremony? Admiral George Ramison of the Union Navy? The President of the Union? They were eagerly awaiting that information.

The staff moved the group to a larger theatre room were the ceremony would take place. They lined up in four rows and waited impatiently.

"Room!" shouted a human Sostoc they did not recognized. They all instantly came to parade attention as the dignitaries moved down the open rows to the stage. It was only as they passed that the surprised Asocans Trainees recognized who would be their VIP.

"At ease!" came the cry from the same captain as before.

The candidates all looked up at the stage in wonder. There before them was none other than the Asoc >Catal Mutt Herrtt and the President of the Union along with several other dignitaries both human and Asocan.

Admiral George Ramison moved to the podium to the left of the stage. "Good morning to all of you. Several months ago, you came into this academy with one thought in mind, to gain the knowledge you needed to be awarded the rank of Sostoc of your own FTL ship. And not just any ship, an FTL capable ship of the Asocan Navy.

"While you have been here, working hard to learn the academic phase of your training, those who you will one day command are working just as hard learning about the ships they will crew. Now, you must do the same.

"Later today, you will be taken to where the Asocan fleet is training and join the new ships of the line, not as a ship's captain, but as a trainee.

"You will learn your ships inside and out, from the bowels of the excrement processing units, to the great weapons of those ships themselves. You will learn the things that your crew are now learning.

"You will not be as good at what you will do as the specialists now learning those roles, nonetheless, you will learn those positions. The reason is simple; a ship's officer should never ask his or her crew to do something that they themselves would never do.

"Normally, this is something that you would have learned as you progressed up the ranks, however, you did not progress to your current ranks within the Union Navy, but within the Asocan Navy, which teaches you things a little differently. No officer of the Asocan Navy would ever crawl through the belly of his or her vessel.

"I will tell you that I have crawled through the pipes and the mechanical rooms of every ship that I have ever served on or has served me. When I give an order, I know what is expected from my subordinates, as I have done what I am tasking them to do.

"This does three things for all of those who serve aboard a ship: It teaches us that we can rely on those with whom we serve as we have all the same experiences, though some of us will experience things a little more intensely than others.

"It teaches us that when an officer gives an order, he/she has an appreciation for the people who will accomplish that task, whatever it might be. And, it teaches those same officers what can actually be accomplished by their subordinates and the limitations of their orders.

"This last one is most important because there is always too much expectation from the officers, especially when they do not understand the tasks their subordinates do.

"For the next month, you will crawl through the belly of five different classes of ships, learning them from the inside out. You will come to understand the similarities a differences between those classes of ships.

"Then, you spend a month achieving your Watch Officer's Qualification. It is only after you have achieved that qualification that you will be allowed to commence learning how to command a ship, something that you will continue to learn for the remainder of your career as being a Navy ship's Captain is a constantly evolving trade.

"At least, that was the plan. However, the situation on AsocAR has changed dramatically of late, as most of you are aware. I will let our guests explain things to you," Ramison finished.

"Room!" Snapped an aide and all the members snapped to attention once again.

"Relax," said the voice of the President of the Union as he took the podium.

"The Mutual Support Agreement of the Greater Community means that we, the Union, must come to the aid of another race which is in jeopardy from an outside source. However, the agreement also excludes direct interference in an internal conflict.

"The Greater Community has concluded that the ongoing situation in the Asocan Realm is an internal conflict. But this is not true. This was deliberately falsified by the Greater Community so that the principal antagonist, Unaayel and her mercenary force, would remain inside Asocan space.

"The Mutual Support Agreement allows for the pursuit of criminals by one race into the territory of another race, so long as they are pursuing with the intent to capture said criminals and not to use the incident to attack or occupy the territory of another race.

"In fact, the agreement specifically states that criminal factions of one race are that race's responsibility, which means the race in question MUST pursue the criminals in question, though they do so with the full knowledge of the government of the realm they are pursuing the criminals into.

"The agreement also defines what is a criminal act that allows such pursuit. The destruction of property in another race's territory is covered under the agreement, which means that the attack on Semt Shall by human criminal elements requires the intervention of the Union. This is even more significant by the fact that the criminal elements involved have FTL jump capability.

"There are those who will claim that Unaayel has hired mercenaries whose actions are not criminal under the agreement but that is just smoke and mirrors. The fact is that this group that attacked Semt Shall are a criminal pirate element known to the Union. We did not know where they had gone until they attacked Semt Shall under Unaayel's orders.

"Additionally, under human law, it is illegal for any military forces, pirate or otherwise, to use nuclear weapons on civilians on pain of the death sentence, full stop, period. The fact that this group used a megaton thermonuclear device on a civilian target means that they have stepped over the line of legitimacy, even as mercenaries. Had they not used atomics, they might have had some claim to legitimacy as a mercenary force under Unaayel. They no longer do.

"We, the Union, intend to pursue, capture, and put these pirates on trial for the illegal use of nuclear weapons under non-combat conditions, and for their past crimes as pirates. The big issue here is that they are in Asocan space and are subject to Asocan Law and that law is being interpreted under a dispute of succession for the title of Asoc.

"Because of this, Asocans will have to be the lead on the pursuit and capture of these targets. You, the Sostoc of your people, are going to take control of specific ships and be the vanguard for the attack on this pirate force."

The President stepped aside and the Asoc came to the podium.

"My Sostoc. You are about to take command of our ships. Some of you will command those ships on your own, but most of you will be working hand in claw with human crews.

"This is simply a matter of expedience. We are not ready to do this on our own. I know this for a fact.

"Over the last four weeks, I have crawled through the belly of many different ships, learning about them and about what the crews, human and Asocans, do in different positions on those ships. Yes, your Asoc has wriggled through the bowels of our ships. If your Asoc can do this, I expect no less from my Sostoc..." the Asoc let that comment linger for a moment.

"You will not have time to do the kind of formal training that has just been listed, for now. I challenge you to find a guide on your ship, Asocan or human, who will take you in tow and crawl with you through the innards of your commands. Learn your ships inside and out. Learn what your crew do. I did. I even washed dishes in the galley on the ship I am on. It gives me some legitimacy as a celebrity chef," she said, getting laughter from the Asocans who had all seen her shows.

"You will do the same. If you do not, you will not be Sostoc for long. I need experienced leaders on those ships, not those who use the fact they are Sostoc to command those who are not.

"We are about to embark on combat in space with FTL capable ships. This is a daunting task, one that we are barely prepared for. Because of this, the humans have agreed to help us.

"We will be the face of our ships, but experienced human crew will back up our own Asocan crews for the next few weeks. After which, you will receive the proper training you need to be true Sostoc on an FTL ship.

"Your training is going to be seriously interrupted for awhile. This cannot be helped. Lean on the more experienced crew, both human and Asocan. While you have been learning the academic part of your training to be Sostoc, your crew has been doing what you should be doing but will now not have the opportunity to. Every single one of them has trained on all aspects of the ships they are serving on, some on several different types of ships, before serious training in their own field of expertise.

"You will have to make time out of your busy schedules to learn your ships and what your crew are doing. You MUST understand what you ask of your crew when you demand an action of them. That means you WILL do the things your crew will do. For now, your training is likely to come while under fire. Do not neglect even the most trivial of items that you should know on your ships. Such knowledge might well be the difference in successful combat in space.

"As was explained to me by our human hosts, those who command should not ask their crew to do things that they themselves would not do. This is a good policy. One I myself have experienced firsthand, as will you." The Asoc nodded to Admiral Ramison, who signalled his aide.

"Room!" the aide snapped, and once again the Asocans came to attention.

"When your name is called, move onto the stage from your right and cross it to stand in front of your Asoc," the aide stated and called out the name of the first trainee.

"Mutt Mattas, Murld," the aide called out (Note: while the Mutt name Mattas places him lower in the Standard alphabet, in the Asoc alphabet he is nearer the top).

Murld stepped forward and came up onto the stage. He swiftly moved in front of the Asoc, gave her a salute with clawed hand across his heart and bowed low to the Asoc.

The Asoc clacked her claws and two aides removed the cloak of office from Murld's shoulders. A new cloak was presented to the Asoc and she and the Asost placed it over the shoulders of Murld.

"Rise, Murld Mutt Mattas, Sostoc Brevet in the new Fleet!" the Asoc commanded. The Asocan all reared back and roared out their glee, the President of the Union joining in with the ceremony, temporarily surprising the watching humans, at least those who had never seen an Asocan ceremony before.

Murld was also the number one student on the academic portion of the course, so received a plaque with his name on it, presented by the Asoc while posing for images.

After, a smiling Murld gave another salute to the Asoc and moved to the left of the stage where he moved down to the floor to watch and roar for his fellow trainees. Murld was one of only three males in the group of forty-six who had passed the academic portion of their training.

He looked down at his new cloak of office and realized that a ship's crest was included on it, which meant he was now commanding a ship! His heart skipped a beat as he realized that he had, for now, achieved his goal. He still had to impress the powers that be that he deserved the recognition that he had been given. He would do his best to ensure that he kept his new command.

The group went through quickly and came back to parade rest at the end as the Asoc again stepped up to the podium.

"You may have noted that some of you have ship's crests on your new cloaks of office. Those that do, will be commanding ships in the immediate future. Those that do not, will be commanding ships a little later as they are built.

"But now...there are four shuttles waiting for us at the shuttle port. Those shuttles will leave for orbit in thirty minutes. If you are not on them, you will lose your rank. Dismissed!" the Asoc snapped and forty-six senior officers ran like fresh officer cadets to get to their rooms, grab their kit and haul ass to the shuttle port, while the Asoc and her group of dignitaries moved a little more sedately toward their shuttles...

PV The Wanderer, Pallanders-4 Shipyard, HD-115153 (Punarjanm) Star System, One hundred and Thirty-Two Light Years from Terra

The Wanderer came into the system exactly where she was supposed to, announcing her arrival in a burst of electromagnetic noise.

"Pallanders-4 Control, this is PV The Wanderer, Capt. Hellen Degault commanding, with special guests onboard for today's ceremony, requesting parking orbit near you, over," Capt. Degault called to the station.

"Control, roger, we have been expecting your arrival. Sending a track with your parking orbit. Please remain in your assigned location as traffic is moving constantly around the station, over."

"Wanderer, roger, we see the track and will remain in location. We have special guests with us and request berths for three VIP shuttles, over,"

"Control, roger. You shuttles are to proceed to the Ensch for today's ceremony. The Gara-Hinn shield is currently in operation and Shuttle Bay Three of the Ensch will be open, over,"

"Wanderer, roger. We see the track, Bay Three of the Ensch, slow on entry. We will be there in twenty-five minutes, out."

Twenty-two minutes later, the VIP shuttles slid through the Gara-Hinn shield one after the other and began disgorging their contents into Drall Asocan (Drall being the Asocan name for a Navy ship) Ensch. Leading the groups, which included forty-six Sostoc who had just completed their academic training, was the Asoc and her entourage.

They were directed to the large central gym where a podium had been set up in front of a very large monitor. François Pallanders was waiting near the podium. He stepped forward to personally greet the Asoc.

"Good day, Asoc. It is a pleasure to see you today," he stated with a formal bow to the Asoc.

"And you, Mr. Pallanders. I trust all is in readiness?" she asked.

"As best as can be arranged given the circumstances, Asoc. Today, you will take possession of four of your Asoc Class Frigates," François said.

Because the ships had to be significantly modified for use by the Asocan Navy, the frigates were given their own class name. The Asoc named the first of the ships DA Ensch, after her late mother, Asoc Ensch Mutt Herrtt, though the class would be referred to as The Asoc Class as the ships would be named after former Asocs. For sentimental reasons, Asoc >Catal had wanted her mother's name to be on the first ship.

The gymnasium filled up fast with Ambassadors from the Interspecies Embassy, President Wilford J. Holloway, of the Union, Several Senators who were part of the Military Oversight Committee, Admiral George Ramison, Admiral of the Union Navy, James Hannison, JAG of the Navy, Admiral Rolland Heist, Chief of Navy Intelligence, Fleet-Admiral Wilhelmina Hollister, Commanding Navy Sector Twenty-Three, Vice-Admiral Fiona Marsh, Commanding Navy Sector Fifty-Nine, Commodore Liana Dostier, Commanding the Punarjanm System Defence Force, and many of the senior officers of the ships that brought the VIPs to the show.

When all the attendees were present, François took his place in front of the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, gentle beings. Today marks the first time that Naval vessels, built here at Pallanders-4, will be taken into possession of the Navy of another race.

"Today, we will christen four vessels, DA Ensch, first ship of the new Asoc Class Frigates, DA Hrodell, second ship of the Asoc Class, DA Strammaten, third ship of the Asoc Class, and DA Ashan, fourth ship of the class.

"Afterwards, the Asocans will take possession of eight Whippet Class Escort Vessels, which the Asocans are calling The Trell Class, and twelve additional Yarl Class, which are based on the Valour II Class. In all, the Asocans will take possession of twenty-four ships today.

"If I may call forward the Asoc, the Asost and the Sostoc Commanding this ship?" François requested. This is when Sostoc Murld Mutt Mattas discovered that he was the commander of this very ship!

Murld nervously came forward and bowed to the Asoc and Asost, who reassured him of his place in the ceremony. The three stepped up on a small deck and put their claws on a wrapped bottle. The Asoc spoke: