Fearless (The Lost Fleet, #2)

by Jack Campbell

Captain Numos is stupid. In fact, Numos is so dense that I’m surprised he doesn’t have his own event horizon.

Pfffff--

He’s one of those people who can stick a knife in your back and leave you thinking he did you a favor.”

She gazed back at Geary for a while, her expression hard to read. “Thank you, Captain Geary.”

He's already decided to marry the fleet. Don't hold a torch, Rione!

But fortunately for all concerned, I come from a time when fleet officers simply didn’t do such things. It never occurred to me that someone would, let alone that they’d get away with it by appealing to the public.

Sounds like Ceaser.

Am I being paranoid?

Yes.

“I’ll recheck with my sources. Out of concern for the well-being of the sailors of this fleet. Someone has to put concern for them first.” The circuit clicked off, leaving Geary barely restraining himself from slamming a fist into the wall next to the speaker.

Idk who's more parnoid by this point and it's driving me nuts.

“All units that have left the formation. Ilion. I say again. Ilion.”

Too bad we don’t have a smart bullet that homes on evil.” “I think commanders have been wishing for that since the dawn of time, sir,” Carabali noted. “Except for evil commanders, of course.”

Geary tore his eyes from Victoria Rione’s back with considerable effort, then spent a while staring at the overhead. So she’s going to tell the galaxy that we’re sleeping together. But she’s right that we have to do that. If rumors spread that I’m sleeping with anyone else, it could create serious problems. I’m not sure how I feel about the fleet knowing, because I’m not sure how I feel about her. Am I just attracted to her because I need someone strong beside me now? Or is this just physical and I’m fooling myself about caring for the person? No, I can’t believe that. She’s one hell of a woman, and I know I like a lot of things about her. But she’s not exactly warm and cuddly when we’re not having sex. She’s holding something back. That’s an understatement. She’s holding a lot back. By the time we get home, Victoria Rione might decide I’ve gotten boring and walk away, or might decide Black Jack needs to be stopped, or might not really give a damn about me but still want to be standing beside me so she can use that status to her benefit.

Geary is such a boy. It's adorable.

“Lieutenant, if self-interest motivated humans, then you, I, and every other Alliance and Syndic soldier, sailor, and Marine would be sitting on a beach back on our home worlds drinking beer. For better or for worse, people believe in things they’ll fight for. In our case, better, in their case, worse.”