“Y-Yes, B-Boss.” I turned to Jackie. “I know he’s your friend, and you don’t want to rat him out, but if he doesn’t make it to Engineering, it’ll be you I come looking for, understand?”
“Yes, Boss.” I said, “Gene, get me whoever is in charge in Engineering, please.”
Zoom answered, “Yes, Boss?”
“I’m sending you a bot who needs quite a bit of work. If he isn’t there within an hour, please let me know. His name is Bone.”
“Bone, you bet, Boss. If he doesn’t show, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Later, Boss.” I looked at Bone. “Is that enough to convince you that I am serious?”
“Yes, Boss. I’ll go right to Engineering.”
“Saucy, can I trust this pile of rust?”
“I wouldn’t recommend you play poker with him, but he’ll go to Engineering.”
“That’s good enough. Gene, get this turkey a transit.”
“Bots aren’t allowed on the transit.”
I turned and looked at Bone. “You are no longer in the Navy. Get that through your thick cranial plating. I am the Boss, and we do things my way. If I tell you to get on the transit, you get on the transit, or I call some Marines, and they put you on the transit. Which way is it going to be? Before, or after the fight?”
Bone said, “You’re right. This isn’t the Navy. Before the fight, Boss. I choose before the fight.”
“Wise choice.” The transit came, Jackie got Bone aboard, and they took off for Engineering. Saucy said, “He always was a hardhead. I’m not sure he hasn’t gotten worse since I saw him last.”
“You knew him well, back in the day?”
“He was B-1, I was A-1, we figured we were the kings of the bots.”
“Once a king, always a king. But once a knight is enough.”
Saucy froze for a second and laughed. “Good one, Boss. I better get back to work. Somebody has to keep Topper in line.”
“Later, Saucy.” I made it to the galley without further ado. Jasmine asked, “What would you like, Boss?”
“Just bring me the special. I’ve had enough thinking for today.”
“Sure thing, Boss.” I sat there, trying to unwind. It sure was harder without Nikki around. Steve and Bucky came in and asked if they could sit with me. I said, “Feel free, but I don’t know if I’ll be much company.”
Steve asked, “What’s wrong, Boss?”
“Nothing that getting out of this system and on our way wouldn’t cure. That’s supposed to happen in the morning, so it’s a temporary problem at worst.”
“You’re worried the Squirrels might show up again?”
“I can’t convince myself they won’t, which amounts to the same thing.”
Bucky said, “So far, you’ve managed to defeat them every time, and you even managed to keep them alive. You’ve done well, Bob.”
“I suppose. It’s just more believable when Nikki says it, I guess.”
“You miss her, don’t you?”
“Like crazy.”
“Why don’t you call her?”
“Can’t do it on my comm, for fear of telling the Squirrels that we are still here. I could borrow someone’s, like I did last time, but we’ll be there soon enough. I just need to get a grip on my emotions.”
“Bob, she misses you as much as you miss her. You’re not being a burden, calling just to check in.”
“Really? I don’t want to be a pain.”
“She won’t think you are a pain. Besides, she probably would like to know when to expect us back.”
“Thanks, Bucky. I’ll round up a comm after supper. I’ve got something else I need to talk to you two about.”
Steve asked, “Why am I scared?”
Bucky said, “Good sense. This is Commodore Bob we’re talking to.”
I said, “Oh, c’mon. It’s just your first solo mission as Captain of the Grissom.”
Steve said, “Solo mission?”
“Maybe I said that wrong. You’ll be the only human Captain in the fleet, so you’ll be in charge.”
Steve said, “I’m going to quit talking. Every time I speak, it gets worse.”
“You just have to stand guard, Steve. Andre’s boys and the Puller have all the hard work.”
Bucky said, “A Marine assault? You’re going back after that colony on the planet that makes you mean, aren’t you?”
“No, that’s what I’ve been saying. I’m not going, you two are. I’m sending the Grissom and two other destroyers as escorts for the Puller and the freighters that are going to carry the colonists.”
Steve asked, “Won’t they object?”
“Nighty-nights, all around.”
“What would you do if I refused?”
“Draft Beatriz to Captain one of the other destroyers that are fit enough to go on this mission, and reconsider my choice of Captain for the Grissom.”
“You would send the mission with less escort?”
“I don’t think you will see anything more dangerous than some old rust-bucket that the Space Force managed to get ahold of. The destroyers are just a precaution.”
Bucky asked, “Precaution against what?”
“The last time any of the Marines saw the planet you’re taking these folks to, was fifty thousand years ago, more or less. They did a search of the records, and there is no official colony there, but there were people who knew about it, back in the day. Who knows what may be there, nowadays?”
Steve asked, “So, we’re taking people we can’t trust, to a planet we’re not sure about, in ships we’re still learning about?”
“That’s about it. Another day that ends in ‘y’.”
Bucky said, “At least it’s not boring around here.”
Steve said, “I heard that word once, I forget what it means.”
Bucky asked, “Which word is that, Hon?”
“Boring.” We all laughed. I finished my meal and excused myself. I wandered down to Engineering and found Janet. “Hey,
