David Drake - When the Tide Rises

7 Three 18

My dear Bucko I hope this finds you well. It leaves me a bloody sight better than I expected would be the case a week ago.

In my formal report, I recommend a number of my officers for awards and promotion. I'd appreciate it if you'd see all this business through what seems to an outsider like me to be an impenetrable bureaucracy. I'd regret being forced to make a public protest simply because some faceless, bone-idle twit in Navy House was sitting on his hands instead of processing my request.

There's a matter which I've not put in my report because it's not my place to do so. You succeeded beyond anyone's dreams with your plan to destabilize the Bagarian Cluster so that the Alliance couldn't reinforce the Jewel System. In fact, you managed to draw off half Admiral Guphill's squadron, enabling me to deal with the remainder in a thorough fashion.

If (as I expect) I'm asked to address the Senate on my return to Xenos, rest assured that I will give full credit to you, coz, for your plan; and to your agent, Captain-as I expect his rank will be by then-Leary, who so brilliantly executed it.

Hug Maisie for me, and tell Aunt Madge that I'll be bringing her a jar of Ceralian honey on my return.

Yours in haste Gams

Daniel handed back the thick sheet. "Thank you, sir," he said very quietly.

James folded the four corners in, then folded both outer quarters of the new rectangle inward. He held his signet to the seam; after thirty seconds, the gold catalyzed the plastic with a hiss, sealing the letter around a stylized K.

The Admiral flipped the letter over and on the face wroteVocaine, Navy House/Eyes Only. That done, he added the letter to the pouch which he sealed. Then he rose from the couch.

"I'll have McDonough bring it to theSissie in the morning, Leary," James said. He walked to the console and began to put his tunic back on. "No sense you having to worry about it tonight. Now, go out and have some fun. You've earned it."

"Thank you, sir!" Daniel said. "I-well, thank you, sir!"

Lieutenant McDonough opened the office door; there must've been a signal Daniel hadn't seen. He floated by her.

I've got to find Adele, he thought.

As Daniel stepped out the door onto the terrace, a volley of fireworks burst over the harbor, red and gold and splendid.