“Are you all right?” Giacomoasked quietly.
“Yes. It’s… I’m fine.” Shechanged her mind, about to say something she didn’t want to. Giacomo was reallyeasy to talk to and quite often she would say something to him that she laterwished she hadn’t. He also had enough sense to keep whatever she did say tohimself.
“Can I talk to you?” he ventured.
“Sure, anytime.”
“It’s personal.”
She looked at him curiously for amoment, not quite sure what to make of the request. “In my quarters. Give mean hour after we get off duty.”
His face lit up. “Thanks.”
* * *
It was an anxious Giacomo whobeeped McReidy’s door.
“Come in,” she greeted him.
His gaze drifted from her face,then immediately hit the floor as he stepped past her.
She was wearing a cream t-shirtwith a floral pattern and a low neckline, and a pair of jeans that hugged hercurves perfectly. Her feet were bare. Wispy strands of damp hair refused tosit still and the subtle scent of roses filled the room.
“Sometimes you just need to getout of your uniform,” she told him.
He nodded, his hands fidgetingbehind his back. His head lifting, he looked around the room.
“I like what you’ve done with theplace.”
All crew quarters were basicallythe same but everywhere he looked were the subtle signs of femininity. Eventhe lighting seemed softer.
“Thank you. Gillespie got a lotof the stuff for me.” She showed him to a chair.
He sat down nervously on the edgeof the seat. His hands were clasped between his knees to stop fidgeting andhis eyes wandered distractedly around the room. “He likes you, you know.”
McReidy relaxed in a chairopposite. Her elbows rested on the arms, her hands clasped across her stomachand her legs crossed. “Yeah, in a brotherly sort of a way, I suppose.” Shehadn’t really thought about it before. “But you didn’t come here to discuss myprivate life, did you?”
“No.” He hesitated, glancedtowards the door, turned back to McReidy then stared at his boots and sighed. His head lifted slowly and his attention settled on McReidy. “There’s someoneon this ship that I like. I mean, I really…” his eyes lowered and he tensed,“like her.”
McReidy nodded. “Are you sureyou should be talking to me about this.”
Her voice was soft. She wasn’tabout to embarrass him.
“Normally I’d go to thecommander. But I need a woman’s point of view.”
She remained silent, waiting forhim to continue.
“How do I know if she likes me?”
“Have you tried asking her?”
“No!” Giacomo’s eyes widened inhorror as he locked onto her gaze.
She smiled softly. Why couldn’tmen be sensible? If he liked someone, why not tell her?
She already knew the answer. Beneath all that pride and confidence, the male ego was a very fragile thing. It couldn’t stand rejection. At the slightest hint of weakness, every othermale in sight would swoop in for the kill. And Giacomo had a gentle heart; thekind any woman would love.
“Who is she?”
Giacomo blushed as he answered. “LieutenantBricks, from engineering.”
McReidy racked her brain. From her own socialising with the girls, she hadheard favourable things said about Giacomo. For the life of her, she couldn’tremember who had said what.
“I have heard some of the girls sayyou’re cute,” she told him.
“Cute?” He flinched visibly. “Is that good?”
“When you put it with strong,intelligent, loyal.” McReidy smiled as he blushed bright red. “I think that’spretty good.”
She uncrossed her legs placingboth feet flat on the floor. Leaning forward, she took his hands in hers. Hewas tense and for a moment she thought he was going to pull away.
“Look, Giacomo, why don’t youjust ask her out. Coffee, or something.”
“What if she says no?” Theconfident pilot had become filled with self doubt.
“Then she’s crazy. And there’s afew others who’d jump at the chance.”
He looked questioningly into hereyes.
“You’re a terrific guy. To quotethe commander –”
“Go for it,” he answered beforeshe could.
“Yeah…”
Oh, agreeing with John, McReidywinced trying not to let Giacomo see the paradox. It went against the verygrain.
“I’m not getting involved, but ifyou need someone to talk to, you know where I am.”
“Thanks.” Giacomo stood up toleave. The doubt on his face had transformed into a confident grin.
“You don’t have to go. I wasjust about to –”
“No, I think I need to see acertain young lady.”
* * *
It was impossible to wipe thegrin off Giacomo’s face on the bridge next morning. He was desperate to tellsomeone. His work allowed little time for talk and there were too manyeavesdroppers around for his liking. He resorted to sending messages toMcReidy’s console. He was discreet enough not to give details – an admirabletrait. No woman wished to become gossip.
Coffee had turned into dinner andfinished with an endlessly long walk back to the lady’s quarters that had takenat least an hour longer than necessary. They had a few things in common. Enough to start to build on.
Gillespie’s security sensors putthem all back on full alert. “Sir, I’m picking up something.”
“Put it on main screen.”
“We’re out of visual range.”
“Giacomo, move us into range.” John spoke thoughtfully, almost to himself. In the confines of the bridge,everyone heard him clearly. “Large enough for sensors, but out of visualrange. It’s got to be something big. Speculation, Mister Gillespie.”
“By the amount of radiationoutput, I’d say a ship… or ships… Definitely more than one.”
“Giacomo.”
“Visual range in less than aminute,” Giacomo answered.
They were all riveted to thescreen as a dozen ships slowly began to materialize, surrounded by severalsmaller ones.
“Hold your position, Giacomo,”John instructed. “Identify.”
“Unknown.” Gillespie’s answertook a while to come.
“Have they detected us?”
“Highly unlikely. We locatedthem as a large object. I doubt they’d even be looking for something as smallas us.”
“Move in slowly, Giacomo. Let’stake a look.”
Bismarck moved closer. In all,about thirty ships were detected. Some were slightly damaged, although nothingthat would have caused retreat for immediate repairs. It was a large convoymoving safely through their own territory. For what aim, was anybody’s guess.
John focused in on one of thelarger ships, intending to discover as much as possible. “I’ve never seenanything like it.”
“I have.” McReidy’s voice wasfull of fear. “Back off, Giacomo.”
Giacomo obeyed, but the authorityin John’s voice overrode McReidy’s.
“Stay put.”
McReidy spun around to faceJohn. The look on her face told him everything he needed to know. The imagehad been
