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The meeting in Admiral English’s office was nearly over when Tandew’s communicator started beeping. Glancing at it absently, he let out a low, startled growl at what he saw there.
“What is it Tandew?” Hooker asked. He’d never seen a Restan startled before, especially this Restan.
“Our commander is reporting the discharge of a particle beam weapon inside of the ship which has taken Captain Talbot and First Officer Tropo.”
Hooker’s eyebrows shot up. Sara actually stood up. “That’s my girl!” she said, waving her fist.
The four males now looked at her, just as startled by her reaction as the news which had just arrived.
“What?” English asked her.
“Tallie! She’s a fighter, and she’s letting those captors have it, obviously!”
“But it may have been them firing at us,” English said.
“Perhaps,” Sara said. “But why would they unless Tallie and Tropo are resisting.”
“Actually,” Tandew himself now stood. “It is one of our weapons, unless they have the exact same signature, which seems unlikely.”
“Very unlikely,” Taland agreed.
“So now we have to board that ship and save them.” Sara walked over to English’s desk, looking at him with borderline disgust at why he hadn’t already ordered it done.
“Those are not my ships. I can’t order them...”
Tandew stopped touching his communicator. “It is done.”
Now they all looked at him. “What?” English said. “What is done?”
“I have just now ordered the disabling and boarding of that alien ship. Whether we save our own or not, it will be a valuable prize.”
Hooker saw English’s face turning red, and put his hand up to stop his next words.
“A wise move, Tandew. The fact Tallie or Tropo felt it necessary to fire inside that ship shows they are in danger. Our hope that this is a neutral race seems unlikely now.”
“Now just a moment,” English stood as well. “Tandew you may have triggered a war, a war which will now involve both of our races.”
“Of course it will. Isn’t that our agreement? Attacking either will provoke us both?” He looked at Hooker for agreement. “Your ships were attacked, yet those ships are staffed by both human and Restan. Humans and Restans were killed. And I personally know both Captain Talbot and First Officer Tropo. They would not fire their weapons on board an alien ship if they were not in imminent danger. Are we not in this together?”
Hooker stood up now, and addressed Tandew and Taland. “Of course we are. Now, please go and refresh yourselves, I have a few logistical things to go over with Admiral English before we depart for the Ambassador.”
No one moved.
“Sara, please go with them?”
She looked him in the eye. “Of course,” she said, “call us when we are ready to leave.”
Hooker smiled. They hadn’t been married that long, or even been together a lot the time they had been married. But she got him. And she knew when to let him have his secret ways, knowing full well she’d be filled in later, of course.
After they departed and the compartment door slid closed, Hooker turned to English, whose face had lost none of its reddish tinge.
“Can you believe that!” he said.
“Yes I can. And you better believe it too. You need to learn a lot more about Restans than you evidently know.”
English now directed his anger at Hooker. “How dare you talk to me that way?”
“Do you really think I care? My orders are from the President. She trusts me. Does she trust you after this debacle?”
English glared a moment longer, then turned and found his chair, sitting again. “I’m spread too thin. The President knows that. I’ve told her many times.”
Hooker nodded and sat down again also. “I know you have. Maybe too many times. But that’s beside the point. Do you think the Restans know about Point Luck?”
English shook his head. “I think they would be blind not to know something is going on out there.”
“When do you plan to let them in on it?”
“I don’t. Perhaps your friend the President has a plan for that.”
Hooker nodded slowly. “I will ask her.”
He got up to leave, then turned with one more question. “Where is Admiral Halsey? Isn’t she part of the Tau Ceti Command?”
English nodded. “Her task force was on a separate mission to Point Luck, too far away to intervene in time. They are due back in a few days, I had to directly order her not to search for those alien ships.”
Hooker’s eyes narrowed. “That’s too bad. On both counts.”
“Sure. Between her and that Tandew we’ll be in a real shooting war and we are not ready for it! She claims to be related to Bull Halsey, and whether she is or not, she plans on acting like him!”
Hooker came back and stood in front of English’s desk. “We have decided at the highest levels that if war comes we are going to be aggressive. Do you not plan to conform to those orders?”
English’s face turned red again. His capillaries were getting quite a work out today, Hooker thought. “I do sir! But we just aren’t ready.”
“Well ready or not the shooting has started.”
He turned and went through the sliding door. There are admirals, he thought, and there are fighting admirals. He now knew which kind the Supreme Commander of Earth’s defenses was.