“Lieutenant McCoy,” said Fleet Commander Maxwell, his jowled cheeks red with anger. “What possessed you to disregard my orders?”
“Sir,” said James, trying very hard to keep his temper. “The conditions in the field—”
“To hell with the conditions!” shouted the commander. “I can’t have trigger-happy gunboat captains ignoring direct orders. Thanks to your antics, we’ve already exceeded our requisitioned fuel allotment. And what if those ships were civilian transports instead of pirates?”
Then they wouldn’t have attacked us, you empty-headed fool.
“I did what I felt I had to, sir,” said James, struggling to keep his voice low. “If we hadn’t moved to intercept them when we did, they would have easily breached our formation and attacked the convoy.”
Commander Maxwell pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. His uniform fit him poorly, the buttons nearly bursting around his oversized stomach. Like most of the superior officers, he had been a prominent business-man before joining the corps. His training had come from books and seminars, not from real-life military experience.
Not like James.
“I expect my subordinate officers to be team players, Lieutenant,” Commander Maxwell continued. “You are not a team player. If you were an employee in my company, I’d fire you at once.”
“With all due respect, sir, the Civil Defense Corps is not a for-profit corporation.”
Maxwell snorted in anger and drew himself up to his full height, which still came just below James’s eye level. “You have a problem with authority, Lieutenant, and I can’t allow it. Because of your insubordination, I have no choice but to send you to the brig until we put into port.”
====================
Heart of the Nebula
They called him a lone wolf. Now, he must lead them across the stars.
To save his people from a brutal occupation, James McCoy must lead them on an exodus across the stars. But it will take a strong leader to get them to their new home, and the temptation to trade freedom for security has never been greater.
They called him a lone wolf. Now, he must lead them across the stars.
Five years have passed since the Hameji conquered James McCoy’s homeworld. The yoke of occupation has grown unbearable, and unless he can help his people throw it off, everything that he fought for will be destroyed.
Light-years away, in the heart of the Good Hope Nebula, there is a place where they can start over. But the dangers are many, and the way is unclear. Only a strong leader can take them there.
James once gave all that he had to save the ones he loved. To do so again, he must become the leader that his people need. But he’s never been more than a maverick, and even his friends fear he will trade their freedom for security and lose both.
In a galaxy full of pirates and wolves, how can James save his people without becoming a monster?
