Chapter 19

"Call me TJ"

"That's my line, Sir."

"That suits, you can borrow it."

"Why, thank you Sir."

"If you pair have finished acting like barnyard roosters, you two put your gear in your rooms and join us in the sitting room" Berryl ordered.

Ivy was filling in the story as TJ and Morg sorted out their equipment,

"It was comical seeing the bridge watch tiptoe about the Captain carefully not mentioning the MBC vid. Then the scuttlebutt started working overtime. The Academy Flying School had gone orbital when they found the pilots had not been properly trained. The Captain was going to be dismissed "Monarch" for fathering a bastard..."

"Ten percent of Admirals would join him on the beach if that one got through" Morg snorted "and that would not include the females."

Ivy disregarded the interruption,

"Bonder was to be eased out of "Naseby" and sent to Madagarus as Naval Attache. The Admiralty had started 'an Inquiry' with a view to cutting off heads. The Queen was said to be furious that The Heir had been put at risk by the Navy by using untrained pilots — I heard a spacer repeat that one on the bridge and I received a new education when the Quartermaster reamed him out a new one and the Watch officers suddenly went into deaf mode. The QM was, to say the least, impressed by the piloting skills as were all the boat handlers on "Monarch" from the Navigator down to the work boat leading hands. Then the Captain got called over to the Flagship and a couple of hours later, the announcement the Captain was going on leave and the Exec would be in temporary command followed by a general call for those going on leave. I fronted my Divisional Officer and put in an urgent request for leave pointing out that I had two months accrued. I had to tell her why I suddenly had the urge for time off and I had to tell her I was your girl friend and I wanted to see your mother; D. O. starts acting as if I'm contagious or something and next thing I'm in the Captain's office telling him and there, right there on his desk was this holo of your mother. We ended up drinking coffee and me telling him all I knew. Your Da is a bit dry, you know, when I mentioned that I knew you well, he politely asked if that was in the biblical sense. I explained that Betty had disappeared because the Navy would destroy his career if he married as a lieutenant particularly with a short pregnancy. He wasn't impressed with that one. So I got my leave and suddenly I was contagious. TJ got me to bring him here — yeah, I know 'Call me TJ — in private'. He pointed out that it would save him having to call in some favours with the Second Space Lord and that would save him from having to go through the com register and contacting every "Hobson" on it.

TJ got a ground car and we came straight over — it was bright morning here when we arrived. I used my key and called out. Berryl came out of the kitchen still in dressing robe holding a cup of tea — you should have seen her face when she saw TJ. And the pheromones! Phew! He went past me, put her cup on the hall table and dragged her off to bed. Oh, alright, Berryl went willingly; she even beat him up the stairs. I didn't see them until next day. (chortle) All I got was 'See you tomorrow, dear' when I yelled up the stairs I was going home. Da was a bit surprised to see me and then cacked himself when I told him TJ Senior was probably in bed with Berryl; said I'd make a good copper.

Me? I'm up for my PO course and I'm going to specialise in missiles. We've always thought missiles were the coming thing."

"Haven't changed our minds" TJ said as he led his friends downstairs "and with the improvement in coms they are going to be the weapons of the future but even if we start now it will still take twenty years with full funding to develop the systems. We are only limited by the coms range."

"What's limited by com range?" Strathlawn queried from his lift chair.

Ivy, TJ and Morg arranged themselves about the coffee table and helped themselves to mugs filled with the black stuff.

"Missile control," Morg replied "we have been analysing future tactics of space fleets and we think that the missile is about ready for a rebirth."

Strathlawn looked encouragement.

"At the time man went into space the missile was dominant but as beam technology improved, energy weapons overtook them and shields replaced armour which however can't be totally discarded as it is required for protection from space radiation. The early space missiles we now call energy torpedos whose range isn't as great as the larger energy weapons; we are using 1.5m beams and the word is 1.8 is on the boards for the DNs.

But the new missiles already outrange beam even though they are not out to the outer limits of our detection envelopes. By putting out relay stations we can further the missile control and the detection envelope; all we need is the missile range to reach out. If an enemy can be held to a relatively fixed position — either he is attacking us and we hold him onto us or he has a fixed position he must defend- then we can send in missiles ballisticly and with relay stations bring up active control for the last part of the flight. The critical point is effective coms. Ivy has suggested as an immediate measure, using tractors to hold the relay stations; the problem there is as yet no relay stations."

"What is that group in Gorgipest doing?" Berryl enquired.

Strathlawn looked from one to another.

"There is a new quite small boatbuilding company just starting in Gorgipest," TJ began, "that's nothing new but what is significant is who is working there. Some years ago, a small team was established within Wep Dev to study manning levels with a view to decreasing them; it was made up of very bright individuals. We met one on "Naseby", a PO2 Denholt — a very cluey boy indeed. The work he was doing was probably essential to the Navy and he and his friends had developed a screen which made a ship virtually, not totally, undetectable for all practical purposes. Morg and I kept our ears open for everything we could get about them but six months after we met Denny, the team disappears to reappear six months after that in an orbital harbour-side garage slash repair shop in Gorgipest. We put Julie onto it and she had a chat about wanting to invest in them with their common banker, Galbraith, who said they were not hurting for funds and the owner manager, McCock, was the heir to the Bollard Shipping Line and associated companies. And that's the rub. Firstly, Bollard aren't into backyard machine shops and secondly, this one is just about the right size for doing development work. They are short on workers and don't appear to be in any hurry to recruit staff and that is suspicious in itself. There is a whiff of dead fish about the whole deal.

Add to that, the persistent rumours that all is not well in Naval Flying — and we are buried under that one, unfortunately, by our very existence. There also has been a surge in papers in the Journal discussing pros and cons about light attack craft and if we read it a'right the idea seems to be as multipliers and not independents.

Royal Mountserrat Navy, methinks, is in for interesting times."

"Hmmm. That seems to fit in." Strathlawn mused, "suit, Berryl has told me about you three but there is a lot she is not telling me. Fine, I can live with that. But reading between her lines, stop giggling Berryl, I form the picture of your forming a web of information gatherers. Well, being a bit pompous about it, I am TJ's father, we are all intimately connected, Deity, Ivy stop it, so we trust one another.

I saw the MBC effort and of course was struck by our likeness. Now I had met Morg in Gorgipest and his mother had told me Betty Higgins was not on Gorgipest, shush Morg, let me finish. I made some additions in my head and commed Tom Cassimatis for some rec leave. It appears to be a somewhat open secret in Andrew that I have been looking for my lost love. Berryl, please? Also a number of very senior ratings who talk only to the Deity and Admirals had become aware of you, TJ. The!@#$%^& of course didn't tell me but Tom knew and that's why he called me over. Firstly, he pointed out that I was not married and this fact had affected my advancement; secondly the whole confounded Navy was aware I was looking for Betty, and thirdly they all had added two plus two and decided TJ was our love child and his mother had disappeared without telling me acting in my best interests. Attitudes had changed since we joined and marrying Berryl and legitimising Gunlayer 2nd TJ Hobson would have me smelling of gardenias if not roses. So I was being blatantly ordered to marry Berryl Hobson for the good of the service and to a lesser extent the good of my soul. TJ, your mother has agreed to marry me..."

Ivy hurled herself, squealing with delight, into Berryl's arms.

"Oh Deity save me, perhaps I have been too long a bachelor, as I was saying, I return to "Monarch" with a few additional fleas in my ear to be confronted with Ivy Sorenson. Ivy corrects my misconceptions about the Windsors then knowing of TJ junior and here we are.

Tom also informed me that he is in rotation for First Space Lord and the "Old Man" is heading as Ambassador to Old Earth. Webster plans on breaking the hold of the flyboys on 'parasitic multipliers' and getting such things under line officer control. That being said, both Webster and Cassimatis want officers who know the potential of such assets in command; he doesn't want an excreta battle between battleship drivers and the flyboys. You have come along at just the right time but that means, despite your lowly position, you have adversely come to the notice of some powerf..."

The interruption was the chimes of the front door. Berryl departed to answer it and her voice suggested she was being quite firm about something and the front door closed with a definite not quite bang.

"Some media, aarrr, people? Wanted to interview TJ and Morg. Appears you are starring again tonight on the vids. I told them this was a private residence and her foot would be removed if it wasn't pulled out of my door."

"To quickly finish, Tom wants me to go to flight school and then take 3rd BC after Milligan who is going to Plans.

Now what happened to you? Ivy has me up to date until you left her to join "Naseby". Oh! And well done on that pirate capture. I heard you did quite well out of it" Strathlawn concluded.

"About a million each, I reckoned" said TJ which comment was followed by a most unladylike noise from Berryl,

"Try three point five — each." Continuing in response to the trio's exclamations, "they had been indulging in some grand larceny across this area of the galaxy on both sides of the gap. Insurance companies from all over have been putting claims but about two thirds is unclaimed. Julie has LUST looking after your interests. Thomas Jefferson, get your mind at least at foothpath level — LUST is a legitimate firm in Gorgipest, Level, Upright and Straight, Trustees."

"Not a bad hourly rate of pay, that" Morg said musingly; "three point five mega credits for an hour's work. I could be enticed to take that up full time ouch! Ivy you are falling back into bad habits again."

"Children, behave. TJ, the story please?" requested Strathlawn and TJ and Morg obliged.

An hour into the story, Berryl directed them to the kitchen so Ivy and she could prepare a meal without missing any of the events. They got to the kitchen and TJ and Morg sat the women down and began preparing the lunch time meal without breaking the story which passed back and forth from TJ to Morg. A quick simple repast and the story finished over coffee again in the sitting room with Berryl's PDA beeping.

More media wanting comments about TJ and Morg only this time asking for her comments for tonight's MBC news vids. Ivy walked over and brought up the 'net for headlines.

"Good afternoon, these are the breaking headlines from the MBC with me, Julie Dunlap. Leading the news is the unexpected return of the now famous Assault Shuttle "Tangerine" shown exiting the Junction this morning en route to the Navy orbital depot. A work boat was seen leaving shortly afterwards with the pilots heading for the Admiralty. Meanwhile "Tangerine" was towed out to the flight line and tied down. MBC has heard that day trips are being planned so people can see this famous vessel. Our cameraman was on hand to catch the Pilots departing from the Admiralty and shows a skinny clad spacer presumably their coxswain and guide saluting them before departure. The Admiralty has declined to comment.

High Street banke..."

Ivy had switched off and turned to stare at them,