Herdez and Sykes are soul-mates, Mike Bristol said. Did she ask Sykes to give me that talk? Or did Sykes just understand she wanted him to do that, because they're on the same wavelength for things they think that matter? Sykes didn't shoot down Wakeman on the witness stand, either, come to think of it. 'Commander Sykes did a good job of that,' Paul finally offered, curious to see how Herdez would react.
'Did he?' If Herdez had known of Sykes' talk before this, she didn't betray the fact in any way. 'It's a shame Commander Sykes is a limited duty officer. Despite his somewhat relaxed attitude toward some matters, he would have made an excellent line officer. You'd do well to continue listening to him.'
I wonder if that's why Sykes eats meals with the junior officers? Any of the department heads could have been assigned that duty, but it's Sykes. I never realized how subtle the XO can be. 'I will, ma'am.'
'Good. Now, as to another matter.' Herdez bent a hard look toward Paul. 'I see that you and Ensign Shen are getting along very well together. Extremely well.'
'Uh…' Oh, God. She knows. The XO knows. Paul wondered if the blood was actually draining from his face or if it just felt that way. How'd she find out? What's she going to do to us?
Herdez was looking at her drink now, as if unaware of Paul's pallor. 'I believe I can trust both you and Ensign Shen to act with all due discretion and restraint as long as you are both assigned to the Michaelson.'
'Yes, ma'am. Absolutely, ma'am.'
'Make no mistake, if I had any doubts about either your or Ensign Shen's ability to act appropriately you'd be getting a different type of guidance, Mr. Sinclair, despite the very short time remaining in which both of you will be assigned to the same command. After Ensign Shen transfers to the Maury, you may make the relationship public, of COURSE. But even then it is best not to flaunt it.'
'We will act appropriately, ma'am. And I don't believe Ensign Shen has any intention of ever flaunting it, ma'am.'
'I wouldn't have expected anything less from Ensign Shen. Or from you.' Herdez looked at Paul again, a ghost of a smile on her lips. 'Good luck to you two.'
'Th-thank you, ma'am.'
'I only have another six months left on the Michaelson, Mr. Sinclair. After that, I don't know what my follow-on assignment may be. But I will be keeping an eye on you. You've shown an uncommon measure of character.'
'Thank you, ma'am.'
'I'm sure you need to get back to the ship. Thank you for your time.'
Paul had no trouble recognizing the polite but unmistakable dismissal. 'Certainly, ma'am. Thank you.' He left, blinking a little in the brighter light outside the bar.
Jen was still on watch, manning the quarterdeck, the bright brass of the ceremonial long glass gleaming from where it was tucked beneath one arm, her uniform a vivid splash of color against the grays of the surfaces around her. Both her enlisted watch standers appeared to be off running errands, leaving her temporarily alone on the quarterdeck. Paul rendered his salute to the national flag aft, then to Jen. 'Request permission to come aboard.'
She flipped a quick salute of her own in response. 'Permission granted. Everybody else got back a while ago, so I already know what happened to Wakeman. Congratulations, I guess. Where have you been?'
'Having a drink with the XO.' Paul barely stifled a laugh at Jen's reaction. 'I'm serious. She invited me to a bar and we had a drink and a talk.'
She leaned in to smell his breath. 'You've had a drink, alright. What did Herdez want to talk about?'
'Leadership stuff. Why she backed Wakeman the way she did, what you have to do sometimes to carry out your duties, how to guide juniors to carry out their duty. Stuff like that.'
'Wow. She gave you a one-on-one leadership talk? You got yourself a mentor, Paul. Herdez could be one hell of a sugar-daddy. Assuming you survive having her as a mentor.'
'Maybe. I think she was happy with the way I testified.'
'How can you tell with Herdez? The woman's as emotive as a rock. Did you talk about anything else?'
'Uh… one other thing. Herdez also knows about, uh…'
'About what?'
'You. And me.'
' You told her?!'
'No! She knew! I have no idea how.'
Jen sighed and shook her head. 'Okay. So we're dead meat. Are we ordered to stay a minimum of two meters away from each other until hell freezes over? Or are we just confined to quarters until I transfer off the ship?'
Paul grinned. 'Neither. She told us to be discreet, with no inappropriate behavior while you're still assigned to the Michaelson, and wished us luck.'
'Wait a minute. This was Commander Herdez? Was she drunk?'
'Uh-uh. I don't know, Jen, but for a moment there she seemed almost maternal.'
' Maternal? Herdez? Are you listening to yourself?'
'Yes. I can't explain it. I think she likes you, Jen.'
'Heaven help me. He thinks one of the primary banes of my existence likes me, and he thinks our XO is acting maternal, of all things. Are you going to tell anyone else about this little chat you had with Herdez?'
'I'm sure not planning on it.'
'Good. I'd like my last days on the Merry Mike to be free of accusations of hitching my cart to a lunatic. After all we've been through, I don't need a personal crisis now to top it off.' Jen favored Paul with a half-stern, half- pleading look. 'Do me a favor, Paul. Try not to get into another mess like this Wakeman thing again.'
'I'll try. It's not like I asked to be in the last one.'
'No, but people who are willing to tilt at windmills tend to find themselves doing it again and again.' She smiled. 'But what am I complaining about? I knew what I was getting into.'
'So did I.' Paul smiled back at her. 'After a few months of pure hell, I'm looking forward to whatever the future brings again.'
'Hell ain't over yet. In a few weeks you could be ordered out for another long patrol and I'll be left on the pier doing the teary-eyed girlfriend waving goodbye bit.'
'Really? You'd do that?'
'No. Not the tears, anyway. But you're still part of the crew of a warship. I'm going to be on the Maury, so when you're underway I can't help bail you out of whatever your latest screw-up happens to be. At least you'll still have people like Carl and Kris to depend on, but they'll also be depending on you. Because, Mr. Paul Sinclair, your actions have branded you a leader of men and women, a leader who will be looked to for inspiration and guidance by the poor, benighted junior officers of the world.'
'Yeah, I'm sure.'
'You don't believe me? Just wait. They'll look to Paul, because Paul has shown he has the guts to make tough decisions and stick to them. Things'll get tough and they'll turn to you and say, 'Paul, what should we do?' Don't blame me when that happens. You brought that little extra responsibility on yourself.'
Paul shook his head. 'I have a lot of trouble believing that. I'm still the most junior ensign on the ship. They're going to look to me for leadership? I don't think so. All they'll be asking me is how I convinced Jen Shen to be my girlfriend.'
'Since the world hasn't exactly been beating down my door for that privilege, people may not be nearly as impressed by that status as you think. But if you want to believe anyone'll be envious, more power to you. Just remember what I said, Paul. They're going to expect you to keep showing leadership. That's going to make things harder. What else do you have to worry about? Herdez. She's still the XO, and assuming she likes you, that means she'll be riding you harder than ever. Then there's the new captain. Nobody knows what she's like. She's meeting with all the officers at fourteen hundred, by the way, so you probably get some clues then. Maybe she's another Wakeman or just a Captain Bligh. Maybe you'll get lucky and have a real leader for a captain, but you can't count on it.'
'So it won't be any worse than it's already been. Okay, maybe it'll be a little worse. I'll survive, and I'll learn. I know that now. And I'll come back to that not-teary-eyed girlfriend.'
'You'd better, Mister. Because I'll be waiting. Unless my ship's underway, too. Are you still sure you want to
