It hadn't been a hard assignment. Just a simple, short escort flight. The destination planet wasn't even a military installation. Just a civilian world know for its sheep farmers.
And yet it had gone disastrously wrong.
"These results are unacceptable. Who trained this bunch, because I'm fairly certain that a demented monkey would have bloody well mucked this up less!" Vi tossed the report she had been reading at the head of the nearest officer. "Just because Hex went off on his own doesn't mean we slack. I'm bloody well not explaining to him why the company is in the toilet."
The officers seated around the briefing room table fidgeted in their seats. No one wanted to take the blame for the catastrophe that had befallen Bravo flight. While escorting a fleet of six merchant freighters, there had been fourteen collisions, three accidental weapons discharges and somehow Flight Commander Stevenson's as$ had been broadcast on all open com frequencies. There were reports that that broadcast had been received as far as seventeen sectors away.
That was probably the only thing that impressed Viola about the whole incident. Bravo flight hadn't been equipped with any com gear that could reach that kind of distance. She made a mental note to have whoever had rigged the short range com transferred to Fritz's engineering detail right away.
"No takers? No finger pointing and excuse making? Fine." Vi looked down the table to Laitnum. " Starting tomorrow put Bravo flight back in basic training, along with every officer who even so much as signed a ration request for them during their first run through. Have anyone who complains confined to the brig until I have time to come have a chat with them. That should be sometime next month as Vigilance Company will be picking up Bravo's duties."
Days like this Vi really hated Hex for leaving her in charge.
And yet it had gone disastrously wrong.
"These results are unacceptable. Who trained this bunch, because I'm fairly certain that a demented monkey would have bloody well mucked this up less!" Vi tossed the report she had been reading at the head of the nearest officer. "Just because Hex went off on his own doesn't mean we slack. I'm bloody well not explaining to him why the company is in the toilet."
The officers seated around the briefing room table fidgeted in their seats. No one wanted to take the blame for the catastrophe that had befallen Bravo flight. While escorting a fleet of six merchant freighters, there had been fourteen collisions, three accidental weapons discharges and somehow Flight Commander Stevenson's as$ had been broadcast on all open com frequencies. There were reports that that broadcast had been received as far as seventeen sectors away.
That was probably the only thing that impressed Viola about the whole incident. Bravo flight hadn't been equipped with any com gear that could reach that kind of distance. She made a mental note to have whoever had rigged the short range com transferred to Fritz's engineering detail right away.
"No takers? No finger pointing and excuse making? Fine." Vi looked down the table to Laitnum. " Starting tomorrow put Bravo flight back in basic training, along with every officer who even so much as signed a ration request for them during their first run through. Have anyone who complains confined to the brig until I have time to come have a chat with them. That should be sometime next month as Vigilance Company will be picking up Bravo's duties."
Days like this Vi really hated Hex for leaving her in charge.