Nu Trilogy 1: The Esss Advance by Charles E. Waugh Page A

we even think about it. I don’t know how I’d run this office without him.”
     
    Sted ate steadily through the first three dishes on his side of the table before he began to slow down. The burning hunger from the extended workout was finally under control, thanks to a stacked Reuben sandwich with crispy fries, a plate of pot roast and mashed potatoes with gravy, and a generous slice of peach pie for dessert. He washed it all down with several glasses of pineapple-orange juice.
     
    Sted sat back and wiped his mouth. “Thank you, sir. You were absolutely right about the lieutenant. That is the best meal I’ve had in years. I can’t remember the last time I ate a meal for anything other than sustenance. I haven’t had peach pie like that since joining the Navy!”
     
    “You are quite welcome, Captain,” Bunting replied. “Would you like a cup of coffee as we begin our discussion about your career?”
     
    “That would be wonderful, sir.”
     
    The vice admiral poured the coffee as he started into his briefing. “The last three months have been filled with activities designed to advance both your physical and emotional recovery. I reviewed your file this morning, and I am of the opinion that you are ready for your next assignment.”
     
    Bunting paused as he set down the coffee pot. “Cream? Sugar?”
     
    “No thank you, sir.”
     
    Bunting nodded as he added generous portions of each to his own cup.
     
    “From my perspective, Captain Richardson, the most suitable job available would be at the naval training facility on C8. You graduated top of your class from Officer Candidate School, and several of your instructors have shown strong interest. Your academic record, along with your nine years of field experience, makes you ideally suited to train our new officer candidates. In fact, Commander Jenssen in tactics has specifically requested that you be posted to his department.”
     
    Sted took a sip of coffee before replying. “That is very flattering, sir, but I’m not sure my temperament is suited to a desk job. I would probably be fine for a few months, but after that I would probably go crazy with inactivity.”
     
    Bunting nodded as he stirred his cup. “I was afraid of that. The Space Navy has not really caught up with the advances of medical science. Based upon your workout record in rehab, you are just as strong as or stronger than you were before the accident. But my hands are tied by regulations. Active duty personnel with prosthetic limbs are limited to non-combat positions.”
     
    “I think we need to protest and get those regulations changed, sir!” Sted replied in voice that filled the room with tension. “I want to get back on the bridge as a captain of my own ship!”
     
    “And just how long do you think it would take to get the Navy to make that kind of change?” Bunting asked sharply.
     
    Sted looked down at his coffee. “I really don’t know. But if we don’t start now, I’ll never be eligible to command the interstellar ship they’re about to build at HG Rickover Shipyard out in the belt!”
     
    “Fortunately, I anticipated this, and I have a few alternatives while we wait for the Navy to come around,” Bunting said. “Commercial ship captains are mostly ex-Navy. The majority of them work for one of the five mining companies in the belt. The remaining two jobs I have are as captain of two of the three new passenger shuttles that ferry construction crews and support staff to and from HG Rickover Shipyard.”
     
    Bunting pulled out his tablet and tapped a few buttons. “Let’s go over the openings. I’ve just sent you a brief description of each position as well as contact information.
    The two shuttle captain positions are with Lockheed Aerospace. The company runs a single shuttle between the moon and the naval shipyard, which is still under construction. However, they are getting close to opening the shipyard to begin building the first of three interstellar ships