Shara Azod - Anchors Away- Chain of Command & Red Skies At Night

AnchorsAway~

Anchors Away ~

Chain of Command

By

Shara Azod

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2009 Anchors Away~ Chain of Command-Shara Azod

Cover Artist: Shara Azod

Editor: Jennifer Puckett

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book and the entire Anchors Away series to my GM1. A very special thanks to Terri, who is the best editor in the world, to Wendi for believing me and a big hug and much love to Jen who was there from the beginning (and hopefully will be there to the end).

Chapter 1

Reveille, reveille, reveille. All hands heave up and trice out.

Adanna Ingles cringed as the announcement came across the 1MC. Damn that was loud! Louder than it had been every day of the last four years, she was sure of it. This morning would be the last time she ever had to hear it. Maybe it seemed louder today because she was already awake. What the hell did heave up and trice out mean anyway? Oh, well. No longer her problem. All she had to do was check out with her Department, then Personnel Support and Detachment or PSD, and she was out of here. Out of the Navy, and hopefully in the next three months, out of San Diego.

I came; I saw; I had a hell of a time, but Im so through with this crap, Adanna muttered to herself as she made her way up to her shop for the last time.

When she told her parents she joined the Navy they laughed. They really hadnt believed their very feminine daughter would join any part of the military, but the alternative was unacceptable. Her father had informed her if he was paying for college so she would go where her parent decreed, and they decreed she would go to a small, private womens college about an hour away from home. Not only did the school not provide studies in her chosen major, the rules were worse than living at home. Adanna, who had been chomping at the bit to spread her wings after a lifetime of her parents strict rules, said thanks but no thanks. When she tried to argue, they informed her as long as they were paying the bills, she would go where she was told. So, she decided to do it herself.

Rather than take out loans, she joined the military so she might actually be able to afford to pay for college on her own terms. Despite her mothers dire warnings of all that would happen, Adanna had thrived. It really wasnt all that hard, in fact, it had been the best four years of her life thus far. She had been able to party on six continents, date whoever she wanted, stay out as late as she pleased, dressed anyway she wanted (within reason and away from the base) and make her own decisions regarding her life.

She had grown too. She was no longer the nave, spoiled little girl who never ventured too far outside the world her parents, friends and teachers defined for her. She was a hell of a lot more confident and self-assured. Now she was really ready to strike out on her own and grab life by the horns. She would be going to college full time, but because of classes offered on base and on the ship while underway, she would be entering as a junior, all of her general education classes taken care of. She could concentrate on her major and minor and be done in two years. If she timed it right, she would be able to use her benefits to receive a masters in something.

Yep, life was definitely looking good right about now.

Ingles, were gonna miss you. You sure you dont want to re-up?

Adanna snapped out of her musings and smiled at her shop supervisor, Chief Murphy.

Nope, Chief, she answered cheerfully. Got plans. Things to do and all that.

May God have mercy on the poor bastard, whoever he is.

Adanna whirled to face Tim Bagley, perennial Second Class Petty Officer and pain in the ass. The man had been in the Navy for over twenty years and had never made first class. It wasnt her fault she had left A school where the Navy sent newly graduated recruits with ASVAB scores high enough to learn their trade. She had entered the fleet as an E-3. That meant she only had to wait nine months to take the test to be an E-4, third class petty officer. She made rate, of course, which meant she could take the test for second class in a year. So it took her three years total to get to where he was today. Like it was her fault the dude was an idiot.

Then there was the fact Chief had taken away his job as the Supply and HAZMAT P.O. and gave it to her. She could read after all, and to say Bagley was challenged in that area would be an understatement. He couldnt add either, which was another strike against him.

Jealous? she asked sweetly, watching the diminutive man turn bright red. She had caught the little bastard checking out her assets more than once and she wasnt above pointing it out to him. I know youll miss watching my, uh, back when Im working on something. But dont worry, you still have Esabio.

Leslie Esabio was the shop skank. Though she had never slept with anyone in the shop, as far as they knew, she had made her way across the division, then moved on to a couple of others. She was working on the Engineering Department right now. She even looked like a skank. Not so much provocative looking, but as if she had been done, many times. Adanna was willing to bet she was carrying around a special kind of bacteria or two. It was sad really. She was only twenty.

Be nice to our Ingles, Chief admonished Bagley. He didnt like the man either. We are going to miss her. Who else can whip you guys into shape?

Who else indeed? Adanna couldnt help but smile as she lined up for quarters for the last time. She had built up a reputation for getting the job done, and done right. She found if you worked your ass off when it counted, most L.P.O.s and chiefs would let you slide when there wasnt much to do. It was a simple concept; if you had your supervisors back, your supervisor would back you up in damn near anything. It was something people like Bagley or Esabio never seemed to get. No longer my problem, she thought to herself listening to the Plan of the Day and PMS assignments, which were also no longer her problem either.

She was out the door and down the ladder, heading toward the department office as soon as Chief had finished. She had three people she needed signatures from before she went to PSD, then on to her hotel, the temporary furnished apartment that rented weekly. She had enough money saved up to coast while she waited for her best friend. Raquel Dumont was getting out of the Navy in three months. As soon as Raquel was finished with her enlistment, the two had planned on moving to Tacoma, Washington. Until then, Adanna already had a part-time job lined up, for pocket money, and so she wouldnt go stark, raving mad as she waited.

Entering the office, she waved to a couple of people before plopping down in a chair in front of the secretary for the Division Officer or DIVO.