Changer of Worlds

“Commander Layson and I asked you to come see us because of what’s on those tapes, Ms. Harrington,” the captain said quietly. “Obviously, War Maiden has no choice but to cut her deployment short and return to the Star Kingdom for repairs. Normally, that would require you to transfer to another ship for the completion of your middy cruise, which would unfortunately put you at least six T-months or even a T-year behind your classmates for seniority purposes. In this instance, however, Commander Layson and I have decided to endorse your Form S-One-Sixty to indicate successful completion of your cruise. The same endorsement will appear in the records of Midshipwoman Bradlaugh and Midshipman Lakhia. We will also so endorse Midshipman Makira’s file and recommend his posthumous promotion to lieutenant (junior-grade).”

He paused once more, and Honor cleared her throat.

“Thank you, Sir. Especially for Nassios. I think I can speak for all of us in that.”

“I’m sure you can,” Bachfisch said. He rubbed his nose for just a moment, then surprised her with a crooked grin.

“I have no idea what’s going to happen to my own career when we return to Manticore,” he told her. “A lot will no doubt depend on the findings of the Board of Inquiry, but I think we can safely assume that at least a few critics are bound to emerge. And not without some justification.”

It was all Honor could do not to blink in surprise at the unexpected frankness of that admission, but he went on calmly.

“I got too confident, Ms. Harrington,” he said. “Too sure that what I was looking at was a typical Silesian pirate. Oh,” he waved his good hand in a small, brushing-away gesture, “it’s fair enough to say that we very seldom run into anyone out here, pirate or privateer, with that much firepower and that well-trained a crew. But it’s a captain’s job to expect the unexpected, and I didn’t. I trust that you will remember that lesson when you someday command a King’s ship yourself.”

He paused once more, his expression clearly inviting a response, and Honor managed not to clear her throat again.

“I’ll certainly try to remember, Sir,” she said.

“I’m sure you will. And from your performance here in Melchor, I have every confidence that you’ll succeed,” Bachfisch said quietly. Then he gave himself a small shake.

“In the meantime, however, we have some practical housekeeping details to take care of. As you know, our casualties were heavy. Lieutenant Livanos will take over in Engineering, and Ensign Masters will take over Communications. We’re fortunate that everyone in Auxiliary Control survived, but we’re going to be very short of watch-standing qualified officers for the return to Manticore. In light of our situation, I have decided to confirm you as Assistant Tac Officer, with the acting rank of lieutenant (junior-grade) and the promotion on my own authority to the permanent rank of ensign.” Honor’s eyes widened, and he smiled more naturally. “Under the circumstances, I believe I can safely predict that regardless of the outcome of my own Board, this is one promotion which BuPers will definitely confirm.”

“Sir, I—I don’t know what to say, except, thank you,” she said after a moment, and he chuckled.

“It’s the very least I can do to thank you for saving my ship—and my people—Ms. Harrington. I wish I had the authority to promote you all the way to J. G., but I doubt that BuPers would sign off on that even under these circumstances. So all you’ll really get is a five or six-month seniority advantage over your classmates.”

“And,” Commander Layson put in quietly, “I feel sure that the Service will take note of how and why you were promoted. No one who doesn’t know you could have expected you to perform as you did, Ms. Harrington. Those of us who have come to know you, however, would have expected no less.”

Honor’s face blazed like a forest fire, and she sensed Nimitz’s approval of the emotions of her superiors in the treecat’s body language and the proprietary way his true hand rested on her beret.

“I expect that we’ve embarrassed you enough for one afternoon, Ms. Harrington.” Bachfisch’s voice mingled amusement, approval, and sympathy, and Honor felt her eyes snap back to him. “I will expect you and Commander Hirake to join me for dinner tonight, however, so that we can discuss the reorganization of your department. I trust that will be convenient?”

“Of course, Sir!” Honor blurted.

“Good. And I’ll have Chief Stennis be sure we have a fresh supply of celery on hand.”

Nimitz bleeked in amused enthusiasm from her shoulder, and she felt her own mouth curve in her first genuine smile since Annika’s explosion. Bachfisch saw it, and nodded in approval.

“Much better, Ensign Harrington! But now, shorthanded as we are, I’m sure that there’s something you ought to be doing, isn’t there?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m sure there is.”

“In that case, I think you should go attend to it. Let’s be about it, Ensign.”

“Aye, aye, Sir!” Ensign Honor Harrington replied, then snapped back to attention, turned sharply, and marched out of the captain’s day cabin to face the future.

Changer of Worlds by David Weber

Branch Leaper paused midway down the long picketwood limb, and his ears went up in surprise as he tasted the first hint of the approaching mind glow.

Mind glows, he corrected himself as he realized two People made their unannounced way along the broad highway of branches towards him. There was something very familiar about one of the mind glows, yet Branch Leaper could not quite decide what it was. He ought to be able to, and he knew it, and yet…

He sat bolt upright on his rearmost pair of limbs, fluffy tail curled about his toes, and peered in the direction of the oncoming mind glows. They were very powerful, he noted respectfully, and he tasted the overlaid harmonies of a mated pair. The female glow was the stronger of the two, of course. It almost always was, and yet it had to be very powerful to be stronger in this case. That was what baffled him about the elusively familiar taste of the male mind glow. He ought to recognize so strong a mind glow if he had ever encountered it even briefly, yet it was as if its very strength was what made it unfamiliar. Besides, he knew all mated pairs of Bright Water Clan, and the unseen travelers were not from among them.

His whiskers twitched in perplexity. It was not unheard of for a mated pair to travel through a strange clan’s territory, but good manners usually required that they warn that clan of their presence. Not that the People took such journeys amiss—except, perhaps, he admitted, during times of great famine at the very end of the cold days of a turning, when even a single pair of additional hunters might make the difference between life or death for the clan’s kittens. But that was rare, and usually it was simply a matter of courtesy.

He sat a moment longer, then moved to the nearest picketwood bole and flowed smoothly up it. He found a comfortable spot in the fork of a branch and settled down to wait. The strangers were approaching quickly, and his wait should not be long.

Nor was it. The People were less concerned about measuring things like the passage of time than were the two-legged humans with whom they shared their world, but Branch Leaper judged that no more than two or three hands of the human’s “minutes” could have elapsed before the pair upon whom he waited came into sight. They were moving rapidly, the male leading with the air of one completely familiar with the territory about him, and Branch Leaper’s tail kinked straight up behind him as his eyes combined with the taste of the newcomer’s mind glow to bring true recognition at last.

<Laughs Brightly !> he mind-called. <We did not know you had returned! Nor— > his mind voice chuckled wryly, despite a genuine sense of shock <—that you had found a mate!>

The male paused, as did his mate, and looked about alertly. His eyes found Branch Leaper almost instantly, and the Bright Water scout tasted the matching recognition in his mind glow.