Book 4: Chapter 25 “Big Game-Mercury”

Now that the secret was about Eva Lawson she felt everyone was staring at her. In her mind she heard the crew speculating about when the baby bump would start to show.

A pilot who had failed as a squadron leader she had actually heard her tactics questioned. The malcontent, who had been busted back to Lieutenant Junior Grade twice, speculated at a meeting with the XO when they would go after so -called “Big game”. 

The meeting had been in the office portion of the commander’s quarters.  Lawson had been unable to leave the bathroom with morning sickness. Major Jacobs reminded the idiot that less than 3 days before this task force had ambushed a Cylon force, centered around a pair of base stars.

What they all had forgotten or never known, there was a listening device hidden in the display case of the office. Lawson’s mobile phone, an emergency communications channel for HG to hopefully reach out to this task force had an app on it that let her listen in on meetings in the office section of the residence.

After the meeting was over, Lawson swallowed her vitamin cocktail after washing out her mouth. Major Jacobs was in front of the mirror fretting about his thinning hair.

“Three possible targets,” he answered a grunt from the admiral.

“I don’t want to see it unless recon shows 3 base stars. We will give the LT his shot at some “big game”. I am not worried about the two freighters. Pick a good jump point we will use heavy missiles on one and a micro nuke on the other. Everyone except the chiefs running the betting pool are expecting me to go on maternity leave 6 months before my due date.  Let’s kill something flashy.”

XO

“That made absolutely no sense admiral. Nobody who matters is worried about you going soft.”

2 days later in CIC Mercury

Deck Officer:

“Raptor 2271 reports our outbound FTL jump zone is clear. Jump keys are inserted. Nav computers are updated with latest data, information Sierra from raptor recon. All four ships in the task force report ready to jump. FTL systems are clean and green. All launch tubes loaded. The task force is ready for a combat jump.”

“XO reports ready for combat jump!’

Admiral Lawson.

“Finally, I thought that the gunship fleet was moving in for winter at Tauron Heights.”

Attention tone.

“This is the Admiral. Jump the fleet.”