Riss Series 3: The Riss Survival Read Online Free PDF Page A

charge of navy officers? They don't contribute to running the ship. They're just excess baggage. And when I insisted Alden court martial that jackass soldier for assaulting an officer, he said the gunny was just following orders. He told me if I thought the gunny exceeded his orders, he would contact Captain Reese to convene an inquiry into the incident. You know how that would end."
    "The bitch would probably promote him and reprimand me for not following orders." Waldel's voice rose with each word. Lavett gulped down his drink and refilled it, then continued pacing.
    "Now she's allowing the Riss to visit Freeland but won't allow us. What difference would it make? I'll bet the planet is filled with prostitutes who would love to have the business. Probably a lot of free ass besides. I'll bet the army's getting some time down there under the pretext of conducting inspections." Lavett stopped pacing and turned to face Waldel. "She's not only unfit to command, she's in violation of the Treaty. I should relieve her of command before her policies permit those murdering bastards to start building warships."
    "I agree, Captain. I think you have sufficient cause to act. She's allowed those bastard merchants free access to the JPU and UFN when the Treaty limited access to the SAS. She has the army hindering our inspections teams. Only the space gods know what they are smuggling in and out of Freeland. And what doesn't she want us to see on Freeland, by prohibiting us access?" Waldel nodded as if agreeing with himself. "But what about Commander Bishop and Colonel Alden? Will they cooperate?"
    "We won't tell Bishop. We can't take on the Lynx with force, and using the Strikers would alert her to our intentions. We'll have to get on the Lynx and take her and the Bridge. With me in command of the Lynx , the rest will fall into place." Lavett sat back in his chair and switched on his SID.
    "Colonel Alden, would you come up to my office, it's important." He smiled at Waldel. "He'll be right up."
    * * *
    Alden sat in a chair facing Lavett, frowning, his bushy eyebrows almost hiding his brown eyes. Although, his brown hair was showing signs of grey, his lanky physique looked all muscle. "I understand your concern, Captain. Some of Captain Reese's decisions do appear questionable, but I don't know that they justify relieving her of command."
    "I think that is for me to decide. I'm the senior captain on station and I'll take full responsibility," Lavett said. "The senior officers on the Saker and Merlin agree with me. I only need the Wasps there to avoid anyone getting hurt."
    "What about the Scorpions? They appear loyal to Captain Reese. If they sense trouble …"
    "Commander Waldel has Colonel Seng's assurance that the Scorpions will stand down. He agrees she has exceeded her authority under the terms of the Treaty. He asked the XO not to contact him further, since she has friends among his men. If one of them suspects anything, he may leak the information to Reese." Lavett settled back with his kaffa, watching Alden. Finally, Alden nodded.
    "All right, if you're right, we won't need a large detail. It sounds like everyone is in agreement."
    "They are. But you should round up the Riss and that Riss-human, and put them under guard until this matter is settled."

CHAPTER FIVE
     

Mutiny
    I didn't know how I was going to survive Captain Lavett. His objections seemed to be getting more adamant, and he objected to most everything I did. That I could handle, but I feared his hatred of the clans could escalate into action. I had been lucky with the return of the Asp. From what I could determine, only Commander Byer and Colonel Seng's strong support of my orders kept the situation from escalating into a shooting war. They had passed on my orders, and they had made it clear there would be no deviation without their approval. Any resistance from the Asp could have unraveled the treaty when Lavett's version of the incident reached Eden. But my hands were