Chapter 5: Tuesday - Major James MacAllistor

The Major and his friend Commodore Richard Cuthbert, RN, approached the trim little cottage in this small northern English town. A short, spare man in his 50's, trim of moustache and military of bearing, was crouched over doing something important with a spade and flowerbed. When he saw he had visitors, he arose to greet his guests.

"Commodore, fancy meeting you here, and whose this with you? James? Is that you? You look so ... different. Say, I'd heard you'd been picked up."

"Do you mind us just dropping by like this, George?" asked James, kindly. "I'd hate to put you out."

"Oh, not in the least. It's just myself these days, since Mildred passed on, and I'm grateful for visitors. Come in, have some tea."

As George put the kettle on, James and the Commodore settled into chairs around the kitchen table. "Looks like you've settled into retired life, George," James commented as he looked around the scrupulously neat, surgically-clean kitchen.

"Yes, well, it's not the excitement of commanding a ship at sea, but I'm putting my days in," George responded as he poured three mugs of tea. He placed two mugs in front of his visitors and then brought over a plate of biscuits and his own mug.

The Commodore grew thoughtful. "Would you like to go to sea, if you could? Commanding a warship again?"

George had started to sit, but upon hearing those words stopped. He stared hard at the Commodore for several moments. "You aren't just asking, are you?"

"Maybe you should look at this, first," James advised him, handing over a small electronic device.

George didn't react when the device pricked his finger, nor for several moments later. Finally he handed the device back to James and asked, "What did you just do to me?" His tone was not accusatory, but rather held a gentle curiosity.

"Just planted instructions to not be able to discuss what we're discussing here, not on this planet anyway. The block will wear off in 72 hours. The Commodore wasn't just making conversation. We are here to make you an offer. Do you mind hearing us out?"

"It's your time to waste. I'm retired, I don't mind."

"I represent a special department within the Confederacy: Targeted Extractions. We look for those individuals who have certain desirable skills at certain colonies, and see to it that they get extracted and sent to those colonies. If they're willing, of course."

"Yes?"

"Well, we have a very special colony with a very special need. A need for captains of submarines — the best captains we can get. And as anyone with access to your service jacket knows, you were one of the best."

George took a thoughtful sip of his tea. "Why me? And what would I be doing?"

"Captaining a sub. And training raw recruits on the finer points of sub handling and tactics. And we're going after you not just because you were, as I said, one of the best, but because you are retired. We're not allowed to take current service personnel without special permission from your government."

"What class of sub would I get?"

"We're looking at giving you an attack sub, an A-1 class, although with your experience it might be smarter to use you on the L-1 class. As an instructor, you'll also have plenty of time alternating between an A-1 and a T-1"

"I have been away for awhile. I've never heard of them," George advised his old friend, scratching his head in puzzlement.

"They haven't even been built yet. We'll be working the bugs out of the designs and forwarding the specifications and plans to replicators on worlds across the galaxy, including Earth. The L-1 is intended for littoral waters, and the A-1 for blue water — or whatever colour it might be on those other worlds. The L-1 can launch amphibious assaults like the old Landing Ship Tank designs from World War II, except completely submerged. The A-1 is to be armed with missiles and torpedoes. There's another two classes of sub, the trainers called the T-1 and the carriers called the C-1 or Comedian class."

"Carriers?" George asked dubiously.

The Commodore nodded enthusiastically. "Think of this: an aircraft carrier that submerges and hides underwater. It can surface to launch conventional air-breathing craft, or stay submerged and launch specialized interceptors."

George blinked. "A submersible aircraft carrier? You're insane, of course."

"Blame it on the Swarm," suggested James with a wry grin.

"All right, let's say I let you talk me in to this mad plan of yours. How soon would I leave?"

"We'd walk over to the local CAP testing centre, right now if you're ready. They happen to be open today, by an odd coincidence."

"Yes, an odd coincidence that. They're only open one day a week. Not too much demand at the moment, we're a small town and most already have their CAP card. Oh, and here's mine, before you ask."

James took the card, which identified the owner as George Rideout, Cap Score eight point seven.

"Do you have any potential concubines yet?" James enquired.

"I assumed I'd never be extracted, so I never dreamt I needed any."

"Never assume," the Commodore chided, "it makes an ass of 'u' and 'me'."

"Never volunteer, either," a chuckling George reminded them. "Alright, I've broken the rule of 'assume', I might as well break the rule of 'volunteer'. Let's finish our tea, and go. By the way, would I have to get resized to your height?"

"No, in fact your height is an advantage from what I'm given to understand. I've been given the standard Marine package. The standard submariner package is about your height and weight to begin with. Those subs are quite, ah, 'efficient' in their use of space, even more so than their Earth predecessors."

"You mean 'claustrophobic', I think," corrected George, amusedly.

"You have no idea. Tall and bulky tends to mean thwacking your noggin on overhead piping. Now about to the issue of concubines, this IS a breeding colony, as well as a research facility and training base. Your CAP score entitles you to six, and if two of those six is already a couple with kids and one of your concubines rates high enough on the nurturing scale, you'll be permitted two more. You'll be expected to take any kids they already have, as well."