The Adventurous Ero Path of a Sailor

Later on that evening, Jack sat in his quarters on the Valiant sending out a stream of new orders to the commanding officers of his task force.

He hadn't yet moved his things over to the Destiny—there hadn't been enough time—and at the moment, he was still trying to determine just where he was going to put all the extra supplies that the commodore was giving him.

A sudden rap on the door caught his attention as Twitch stuck his head inside. "Commander Easterbrook, I have Lt. Cory Renner here for you."

"Send him in, Lieutenant. Thank you."

Twitch stepped aside and the young lieutenant made his way into the cabin. Lt. Renner was a younger man, only in his earlier thirties and he had the traditional Javan light brown hair and brown eyes. If Renner knew what he was here for, he wouldn't have needed to look so upset. The man had the look of someone who was about to be disciplined.

"Thank you for coming, Lt. Renner," said Jack as he stopped writing orders and pushed back in his chair.

"Of course, sir," answered Renner very simply and in a soft-spoken manner.

"Do you know why you're here, Lieutenant?"

Renner hung his head slightly before hazarding a glance back up at Jack. "I'm afraid so, sir."

Jack gave the man an odd look, wondering what was on his mind. "And why is that?"

"My service uniform, sir. I've had the same problem over and over again. I don't know why I keep losing my service cap, but it happens. I've received enough infractions as is but I don't know why I keep losing it—"

Jack interrupted the man with a laugh and held up his hands. "At ease, Lieutenant. That's not why you're here. I'm a little dismayed to find out you can't keep your service cap at close quarters, but I asked you here for another reason."

Lt. Renner looked greatly relieved and the sullen look dropped from his face. It was almost enough to make Jack smile. Almost.

"I believe you've heard what happened to Lt. Star this morning, correct?"

Renner hung his head. "Of course. The whole crew knows. Lt. Star was a good officer."

Jack nodded. "That he was. But unfortunately, we live in troubling times and troubling times produce causalities. Star was a good man, but he'll need a replacement."

"Sir? Do you know who will replace him?"

"Yes, Lieutenant. I'd like you to take his spot on the bridge as head of engineering division. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Renner blinked several times before responding. "Me, sir? You want me to take over?"

"There's not a better engineer on the whole ship. You come to me highly recommended by your peers. Hell, even Victor knew you'd have a bright future in front of you. That's why I'm giving you a service promotion. You'll no longer be a junior grade, and you'll be made a full lieutenant effective today. I'll allow you to pick your replacement for your old role but I need you on the bridge first thing tomorrow morning."

The man couldn't help but grin. "Yes, absolutely. I mean, thank you, sir! I won't let you down, I promise!"

Jack chuckled. "I know you won't. You're a good officer. Where we're going, we're going to need every good man we can get. I'll see you for briefing in the morning, Lieutenant. Dismissed."

Lt. Renner got up from the desk still wearing his grin and almost ran out of the door. Jack couldn't help but feel good at having the man on the ship, even if part of him still mourned the loss of Victor. With where they were going though, they'd have to accept that causalities would be part of life.

Jack went back to the small mountain of paperwork in front of him and worked until just after nine o'clock. Escaping his quarters for a little while, he snuck above deck for some fresh air.

As opposed to last night, there were a lot more sailors out, all manning the lookouts and keeping watch over the harbor. Jack was thankful for them being there, hoping that nothing like this morning could surprise them again.

Satisfied with the security on the ship, he turned to walk down the plank, crossing the dock over to the Destiny. He was challenged once at the top of the railing by a sailor who quickly relented once he saw the commanding officer of the entire task force in front of him.

Jack thanked the sailor for his vigilance and continued into the superstructure. Following the familiar path from this morning, he found himself outside of Abigail's quarters and gave a swift knock.

"Come in."