“Is there anything you have to say for yourself, Ensign?”
Aaron took a deep breath. “Uh, no, sir.”
The major raised an eyebrow. “Nothing?”
“Well, uh, just that I did my best, sir.”
“Your best?” said Major Achilles, his eyes growing wide in a terrifying grimace. “You broke orders, mangled your ship beyond repair, and missed your target objective by almost an entire kilometer! How is that your best?”
“But I got them in alive,” Aaron all but whimpered.
“What was that, Ensign?”
Aaron hesitated, but the weight of Achilles’s glare forced him to continue.
“I got them in alive, sir. My platoon, I mean. I got them in.”
“And what of your drop-ship?”
“Ships can be replaced, sir. People cannot.”
He regretted the words almost the moment they left his mouth. How stupid was he to talk back to a major? He was going to get skinned for sure.
To his surprise, though, Major Achilles only nodded. “Indeed, Ensign. Ships are very replaceable.”
He turned his back on Aaron to pace for a couple of steps. Aaron’s heart raced, and his feet twitched nervously. What the hell was going on?
“The Tajjis have sent us almost a hundred and fifty brand new warships from their dockyards,” Major Achilles said. “They have not sent us the personnel to command them, though. We are to provide that. And right now, this fleet is very short on personnel.”
This “fleet”? Aaron wondered. Since when had the Flotilla become a full-fledged fleet?
“We need more than warm bodies to fill command chairs, though,” Achilles continued. “We need men and women who have proved themselves under fire, who have demonstrated ingenuity and resourcefulness and have the will to make hard decisions under pressure. Does that describe you?”
Aaron’s heart leaped, and his mouth suddenly went dry. Commander Noah gave him a knowing look.
“I-I think so, sir,” he stammered.
Friends in Command
The future of the Outworlds now lies in uncertain hands.
The Imperials are back, and this time, a ragtag flotilla isn't going to stop them. But they aren't the only enemies of the new Outworld Confederacy. Together, Aaron and Mara must face a threat from within.
The future of the Outworlds now lies in uncertain hands.
The war for the Outworlds is on. The Imperials may have lost the first round, but they’re back—and this time, a ragtag flotilla isn’t going to stop them.
When Aaron recieves a captain’s commission in the new Outworld Confederacy, Mara is his natural choice for second in command. But Mara never expected to live past the first few battles. She only joined the resistance to avenge her father, and fears the monster she’s starting to become. The only thing she has left to live for now is her friends.
The Imperials aren’t the only enemy in this war, though. The friends must face a threat from within in
SONS OF THE STARFARERS
BOOK IV: FRIENDS IN COMMAND
