I walked into the dorm at 0655, and stood in the main room off to the right of the entryway. It was a pretty big room, about the size of the house Missy and I rented. We didn't need much, what with me gone all day. Missy liked it, too. I helped her with the cleaning, and our place was homey.

The dorm main room was couches and tables. I had to laugh, someone had put up a banner with two and a half ships. The half was blowing up, not sure if the Navy pukes got the joke.

At 0659 sharp, my Shift Leads were in place. They stood at attention, Conrad blew a whistle, and Raul stepped forward. "Chief, the dorm is ready for inspection. Please, follow me."

We went down the hallway, and each pair of gray suiters stood at parade rest outside their door. When I approached, they came to attention, and I walked in.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The manual had talked about knowing your team as people, and I had re-read that section last night. That was my goal, to let them know that I was aware of them as people. There were a couple of spots where things weren't done right. I pointed whatever it was out to Raul, and kept on going. I never heard Captain raise his voice, and I wasn't about to. Now, the First Officer was a different matter, she'd raise her voice when she had to, but she was one of them Clan. You never know what they'll do.

The inspection went well, and I was proud of my people. I needed to give them something about me, and that was where Missy came in. Not only did the girl cadets need to know that I was off-limits, but I was proud of my wife. I liked showing her off in good company, and these cadets were shaping up to be real engineers. If we could keep this up, then this class would be the pride of the fleet.