Admiral Stenn turned away from the communicator screen.
"I think we'd be justified in announcing victory now, Commodore." As
usual, he sounded like a professor of diction, but he was wearing a big
grin.
"Whatever you say, chief," I said, with an even sappier smile.
I made the official announcement that a provisional Congress had
accepted the resignations of all claims by former office holders, and
that new elections would be underway in a week.
I switched over to Power Section. The NCO in charge threw me a snappy
highball. Damned if he wasn't grinning too.
"I guess we showed 'em who's got the muscle, Commodore," he said.
"Your firepower demonstration was potent, Max," I said. "You must have
stayed up nights studying the tapes."
"We've hardly scratched the surface yet," he said.
"I'll be crossing back to _Alaska_ now, Mac," Stenn said.
I watched him move across the half-mile void to the flagship. Five
minutes later the patrol detail broke away to take up surveillance
orbits. They would be getting all the shore leave for the next few
years, but I was glad my squadron had been detailed to go with the
flagship on the Deep Space patrol. I wanted to be there when we
followed those star surveys back to where their makers came from. Stenn
wasn't the man to waste time, either. He'd be getting under way any
minute. It was time to give my orders. I flipped the communicator key
to the squadron link-up.
"Escort Commander to Escort," I said. "Now hear this...."