Aaen again nodded. In less than a minute, he found himself in a larger room where Commodore Houston looked at him with a smile. He stood at attention. She quickly waved him off. "Welcome! Put your sleeping bag against the wall, and then take a seat on the steps." Aaen did so with a simple, emphatic and abrupt outstretch of his arm. He took his rank paper and took a seat where four or five other officers had already arrived and were waiting. He found himself the focus of their attention. He sensed they were as curious about his rank as he was about theirs. Something told him he was at best the second highest ranking officer on the deck. No problem.
He sat down on the tallest of three steps. The fine Federation drapery hung from the focal point of the room in a way that caused Aaen to feel inspired. He looked at the clock and admired the fact that only ten minutes remained until all present would be divided into their respective ship assignments. Aaen was excited to try working on the Deep Space Station Magellan; though the Odyssey was still lingering in the back of his mind. He admired the space station's name. In his mind, the name couldn't be recited without some provoked thought of rolling thunder, and even then, there was still an energy and a sense of pride that came from even knowing that's where one was headed. The station's existence was no secret, unlike the Galileo, and no one forbade the very mention of the station's name. Still, it was one of those assignments that most hoped for than found on their service record at any point in their careers. Aaen was curious why. He grinned.
"So what's your rank?" a male voice asked from Aaen's right. Aaen looked to see who had asked the question and then tilted his paper.
"—You're a Commander?—" he looked up at Aaen. "How many missions have you done here?"
"A few."
"Wow, someone must really like you, sir."
Aaen nodded, he scanned the list of ranks, and then noted where his rank was on the list. He was one-third the way up the proverbial chain to Admiralty. He maintained his grin. "What's yours?" Aaen quickly learned that his curious fellow was only a Lieutenant.
"I'm Aaen."
"Dylan."
"Good to meet you," Aaen said.
"What ship are you on, Commander?"
"Magellan."
"—Seriously?" Aaen noticed a sense of jealousy in the Lieutenant's voice. He found himself surprised at the Lieutenant's response, considering most people usually vie for the Voyager. While an untold number have also quietly hoped to be on the one ship rarely spoken of.
"Yeah."
"I'm on the Voyager."
Aaen nodded, noticing a flood of other Spacefleet officers, some male, some female, entering the room with a similar paper to his. They all filled the three steps. The room gradually filled with building chatter. Several more officers entered the room; these officers wore black short-sleeved t-shirts tucked in and quickly acknowledged the Commodore as they entered and then lined up against the far adjacent wall near the entrance. A few additional officers entered. They wore shirts with longer collars; their shirts varied in color from dark navy blue to bright green. None looked familiar to Aaen.
*****
Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."
DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers:
smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)
apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)
Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!
Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment