“True,” the butler said. “However, I’m not sure how many others have duplicated the exact nature and magnitude of your indiscretion. I’m certain that if anyone else had strafed the ceremonial signing of a peace treaty, I would have noted it in the media releases … sir.”
The lieutenant grimaced at the memory.
“I didn’t know what was going on at the time. Our communications gear was on the fritz, so we never got the cease-fire order. Besides, we’d been ordered to maintain com silence. “
Beeker nodded patiently. He had heard all this before, but understood the lieutenant’s need to go over it again.
“As I understand it, you were ordered to stand silent picket duty … to note and report any ship movement off-planet. Period. There was no authorization for an individual ship to make a strafing run.”
“I wasn’t ordered not to! Battle usually goes to the side that seizes initiative when opportunity presents itself.”
Beeker raised his eyebrows expressively.
“Battle? I thought there was no resistance.”
“That’s why I made my move. Our instruments showed that they had dropped their defense net, so I thought if I moved quick we could scare them with a little demonstration of firepower and bring this whole revolt to an early close.”
“It was already over,” Beeker pointed out dryly. “That’s why they dropped their defense net.”
“But I didn’t know that! I just saw the net go down and-“
“And talked the hot-shot pilot on duty into going in on a strafing run. All in the time it took the ship’s captain to go to the john.”