Bristol grinned as well. "Longer than you, but my Navy isn't the same as the one you nut-case line officers live in. I'm not saying everything in the supply system makes sense — "
"You'd better not try to claim that."
" — but it seems saner than some of the stuff you guys do. So is Randy going to catch major hell for this mistake?"
"Naw. It annoyed the captain, which isn't good, but it's not like Randy blew a hole in the hull."
"He won't be charged with some offense, then?"
Paul looked closely at Mike to see if he was serious. I guess he is serious. And as legal officer I'm the logical guy to ask. "No. Technically you could charge Randy with something like failure to obey a standing general order, of if you really wanted to nail him hit him with improperly hazarding a vessel. But nobody's going to do that because nothing serious happened, it wasn't that big an error, and Randy's not a habitual screw up. Randy got chewed out for making the captain unhappy, and that'll be all there is to it."
"I get it. No real punishment, then."
"What are they going to do to him? Cut his hair short and make him stand watches in the middle of the night?"
Bristol smiled wider, recognizing the irony of equating normal Navy requirements with punishment. "Or maybe assign him to a warship and send him out for a long patrol?"
"And then send his girlfriend out on another patrol as soon as he gets back."
"You're kidding. Jen's ship is taking off right after we return to Franklin?"
"Yeah. We've got about a week together, then the Maury 's heading off on a mission. I don't know how long, but it'll be a few months, at least."
"It sounds like a conspiracy," Bristol joked.
"I'd believe that, too, if I thought the Navy could manage a conspiracy like that without creating a book-length operations order that everybody and their brother would know about." The ensign locker's communicator buzzed rapidly in the tone pattern which meant the XO was calling. Paul made an "uh-oh" face to Mike as he answered. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Sinclair, sir."
"Paul, get up to the captain's cabin. She wants you to brief Captain Hayes on ongoing ship legal matters."
"Aye, aye, sir. I'm on my way." Paul unstrapped and swung out of his chair. "Sorry, Mike. Gotta go. Duty calls."
"Better you than me."
Chapter Three
Halfway to Captain Gonzalez's cabin, Paul got another call from the XO diverting him to the wardroom. When he poked his head in, he saw Captain Hayes and Commander Sykes conversing casually. "Captain Hayes, sir? I'm supposed to brief you on ship's legal matters."
Hayes nodded, then smiled at Sykes. "It's good seeing you again, Steve. Let's talk again tonight."
"Certainly, sir."
"Gwen Herdez sends her respects. Apparently the Supply officers she's dealing with ashore aren't nearly so, uh, creative as you are."
Paul felt uncomfortable hearing senior officers bantering together on a first name basis. He could never think of the ship's old XO as "Gwen." She'd always be Herdez to him.
Sykes feigned regret. "Alas, my talents are somewhat unique." He waved toward Paul. "Have you met Lieutenant Junior Grade Sinclair, sir?"
Hayes smiled politely at Paul. "Not one-on-one, though I could have sworn he was Ensign Sinclair this morning."
"He was indeed, sir. I credit my own example with his meteoric rise in rank."
Hayes laughed. "I'm sure. See you around." As Sykes exited, Hayes gestured Paul to another seat. "Quite a bit of action on the bridge today, wasn't there?"
Paul made a small smile. He knew so little about Hayes so far. I need to be very careful how I talk to him. Not too casual, but not too stiff. I wish I was sure how to do that. The last thing I want is to poison his opinion of me the first week he's onboard. This is the guy who's literally going to be controlling my life for the next couple of years. "Yes, sir."
"You seemed to handle things okay."
"Thank you, sir. Carl Meadows and I are a good team."
Hayes nodded again. "It sure looks like it. Too bad Lieutenant Meadows is leaving us. Who'll be your underway Officer of the Deck after that?"
"I don't know, sir."
"How close are you to qualifying to stand watch as OOD yourself?" asked Hayes, using the Navy's abbreviation for officer of the deck.
Paul took a brief moment to form his reply as he ran down a mental list of what needed to be done. "I almost have that section of my Open Space Warfare Officer qualifications completed, sir."
"You've been onboard a year?"
"About fifteen months, sir."
"Hmmm." It was hard to tell what Hayes thought about that. "Okay. Tell me about the legal stuff. Your chief master-at-arms is Petty Officer Sharpe?"
"Yes, sir."
"What do you think of him?"
"He's an excellent master-at-arms and petty officer, sir. I can always depend upon his advice."
"Hmmm." Captain Hayes grinned. "I guess Ivan Sharpe hasn't changed. Say hi to him for me."
"Yes, sir." He knows Sharpe? Then he just asked my opinion to see what my judgment was like. I wish the Sheriff had given me a heads-up on that little item. What else does he already know?
"Anything major I should know about in the legal area?"
"No, sir, nothing major. No ongoing investigations or anything like that."
"How often do you talk to the JAGs on Franklin?"
Paul paused to think. The military lawyers on Franklin Station, usually called "JAGs" after the initials for the Judge Advocate General's Corps, were only called upon for serious legal matters. "Not too often, sir. Every once in a while I have a question whose answer isn't too clear from the Manual for Courts-Martial or the Judge Advocate General's Manual, and then I check with them."
"Are the ship's copies of the MCM and the JAGMAN up to date?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you like being legal officer, Paul?"
Paul hesitated while he thought about that. I don't hate the job, but it's not my favorite past-time, either. "It's a big responsibility, sir."
"As big as your line officer responsibilities?"
Paul didn't have to look to know that Hayes was watching him intently. "Yes and no, sir. I mean, no one's going to die because I slack off legal officer duties, like they could if I messed up while on watch, but mistakes on my part as legal officer could hurt the careers of any sailor onboard."
Hayes smiled tightly. "Not to mention my career, Mr. Sinclair."
"Yes, sir."
"And yours."
"Yes, sir."
"Keep on top of things. I don't want to be bit by anything because we failed to cross a 't' or dot an 'i' on some legal requirement."
"Yes, sir."
"Thanks, Paul. You're the Combat Information Center Officer as your primary job, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll have a separate session with you and the rest of Operations Department. We'll go over that stuff then." As Paul unstrapped and rose from his chair, Hayes smiled again. "Commander Herdez sends her greetings to you as well."
She did? "Thank you, sir."
"Apparently you impressed Commander Herdez. That's not easy to do."
What do I say in response to that? "Yes, sir."
"Are you doing as well as she'd expect?"
That one was easy, if Paul was going to answer it honestly. "I'm trying, sir."
"But not always succeeding? Don't worry. You gave the right answer. If you'd told me you were doing that well, I'd figure you for a liar."
Paul hung in the passageway outside the wardroom for a minute, one hand on the nearest tie-down and the other rubbing his forehead. Did that go well? I wish I knew. It's nice Herdez told him something good about me, but that might mean Hayes now expects me to be the greatest junior officer since John Paul Jones. Well, so far this has been one hell of a day. I wonder what else — ?