Vanguard (Ark Royal Book 7) Read Online Free PDF

you to your office and answer your questions.”
     
    Susan nodded.  “You’ve been filling in for Bothell?”
     
    “Yes, Commander,” Mason said.  He didn’t sound annoyed, although Susan would have been surprised if he hadn't been a little irked by the whole arrangement.  Mason would have been acting XO for three weeks, only to be pushed back when his new superior arrived.  “I have a briefing for you personally, once you’ve spoken to the captain.”
     
    “I see,” Susan said.  It was never easy to meet a classmate from the academy when one was of superior or inferior rank.  They’d started out as equals, after all.  Hell, she was mildly surprised that Paul hadn't been promoted ahead of her.  “Please will you take me to the captain?”
     
    “Of course, Commander,” Mason said.  He nodded to the plaque on the bulkhead - the image of a roaring lion, with the words We Lead written underneath - and then led her towards the intership car.  “I believe he’s actually been looking forward to meeting you.”
     
    Susan frowned.  It had barely been five hours, if that, since she’d accepted the posting.  Even if Sir Travis had contacted Captain Blake at once, he wouldn't have had long to anticipate her arrival.  Of course, he might have been sent a list of prospective XOs and ordered to pick one ... she shook her head.  There was no point in worrying about it.  Captain Blake had probably served with Commander Bothell long enough to be annoyed at someone else coming in and taking the posting.
     
    I’ll have to review their files , she told herself.  They wouldn't tell her everything, but at least they’d give her a starting point.  And then interrogate Paul when I have a moment .
     
    “This is the bridge,” Mason said.  “And the Captain’s Ready Room is right here.”
     
    “Thank you,” Susan said.  She pressed her fingertips against the scanner.  “I’ll meet you here, afterwards.”

Chapter Three
     
    Captain Sir Thomas Blake looked ... nervous.
     
    Susan studied him, as closely as she could, as she waited for the captain to stop flicking through pages on his datapad and look up at her.  He was handsome enough, she supposed, for a man in his late forties; his short brown hair had yet to turn grey, while his face was lined enough to give a hint of maturity without displaying his age.  The uniform he wore was expertly tailored, giving an impression of strength without revealing any paunch he might have had.  And yet, there was something about his bearing that belayed his appearance.  It wasn't something she could put her finger on, but it was there.
     
    She hastily reviewed what little she knew about the captain, silently cursing her decision to study the starship itself rather than her new commanding officer.  She’d read everything she could find about HMS Edinburgh , from her post-commissioning reports to her personnel files, but she just hadn't had time to do the same for Vanguard .  Offhand, she honestly couldn't recall any officer being given so little time to prepare for a new assignment, although she knew it must have happened in the past.  Commander Bothell would hardly be the first officer to fail to report back to duty.  An accident on shore leave ...
     
    The Blake Family was well-connected, if she recalled correctly; they enjoyed the honour of having two of the Royal Navy’s former heroes among their family.  Maybe they weren’t a first-line aristocratic family like the Fitzwilliam Family, but they definitely had connections at the highest levels.  Wasn't there a Blake on the Privy Council?  She rather suspected there was, although she had no idea just how closely related the councillor was to the captain.  It was quite possible that one was from a cadet branch of the family.  But whatever connections he had, they had proved enough to grant him command of Vanguard .  The giant battleship was hardly a garbage scow.
     
    “Commander,” Captain