Free Star Rover-Chosen to Die (Lens of Time) by Saxon Andrew Page A

can find.”
    Angel came around her desk, walked up to Bret, put her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. She stepped back and smiled, “Go see what you can do.”
    Bret’s smile was huge and he said, “Yes Sir.” Angel watched him go and felt her heart beating faster. Some diamonds are right under your nose; she should have seen this one. She went to her panel and contacted Admiral Gibbs, “Sir, would it be possible to modify the Wellington to be my Flagship?”
    “Hold on a moment.” Angel waited and after three minutes, Gibbs reappeared and said, “No, not really.” Angel’s face showed her disappointment and Gibbs said, “However, you can move your crew to the new ship when it arrives and it will assume the name Wellington. Will that work?”
    Angel smiled, “That would be perfect, Sir.” The panel went dark and she touched her lips. Come on, Bret; find somebody. I want another kiss.
    • • •
    “Admiral, I think I’ve found a great candidate to Command the third unit.”
    “Tell me about them.”
    “Her name is Elizabeth Banks and she is currently the commander of a Squadron of Rovers.”
    Angel’s eyes narrowed, “You couldn’t find someone in the Jukebox hierarchy?”
    Bret shook his head, “Sir, we need Commanders that are excellent pilots first, great command skills second, and everything else third. She has all the attributes that would make her a success in our organization.”
    “Who does she report to?”
    Bret blew out a breath, “Admiral Kune.”
    “How does he rate this Captain?”
    “She’s at the top of his short list to promote.”
    “He’ll never agree for us to interview her.”
    “Uhhh, I sort of went around him.”
    Angel shook her head, “What did you do, Stone?”
    “I asked Admiral Gibbs to send us the top rated Rover to assist us in training our pilots. She’s arriving in an hour.”
    Angel shook her head, “You’re just asking for trouble going around one of our senior Admirals. You know I can’t interview her; you’ll have to sell her on the idea.”
    “I know, I know. It’s worth a try.”
    Angel shook her head again, “You’re probably right; Admiral Kune would never allow her anywhere near us if he knew we were interested in her.” Angel paused, “Are you sure she’s that good?”
    “Her piloting scores at the Academy were only two points lower than yours.” Angel’s eyebrows went up. “The sailors under her command would die for her. She’s really something, Admiral.”
    Angel nodded and said, “Good luck.”
    • • •
    Bret sat in the ready room close to the Rover Launch Tubes and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain.”
    “Thank you, Commodore. I’ve been told you want to use me to improve the skills of your Rovers.”
    “That’s right, Captain; but first, tell me how you feel about flying a Rover instead of a Jukebox Battleship.”
    Dizzy smiled, “I would hate to have to fly a ship that big. The Rovers are incredible in their ability to accelerate and maneuver. I really love flying the Rovers.”
    Bret knew his work was cut out for him, “Have you seen the new Jukeboxes perform?”
    “I’m currently assigned to a fleet of them. They are an improvement over the last model.”
    “They’re really incredible in what they can do, Captain.”
    Dizzy stared at Bret and tilted her head, “I thought I was here to talk about Rovers?”
    “Captain, I want to make you a proposition.”
    “Oh, what is that?”
    “I want to promote you to command the third unit in our new fleet.” Dizzy stared at Bret and he saw her frown. “Captain, we are going to be on the front lines taking on the most challenging missions.”
    “That is the only thing I find even remotely interesting in your offer. You can transfer my Rovers here and we’ll fight with you in our ships. I have no desire to have anything to do with the Jukeboxes.”
    Bret knew this was his only shot and he spent the next hour attempting to change the Rover