The Honour of the Knights (First Edition) (The Battle for the Solar System)

XI - Another Rude Awakening

"Dodds! Hey! Wake up! Wake up!" Dodds blinked awake and became aware of three things: the first was that Estelle was standing next to his bunk, shaking him vigorously; the second, that there was an alarm wailing; and the third, that he had a splitting headache, a result of the previous night's drinking session having caught up with him. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep and wake up much later on, when everything had calmed down, and when it no longer felt as though someone was tightening a vice around his head.

He struggled to pull himself into an upright position, wincing at the pain in his head. He saw that all around the quarters other people were hastily pulling on boots, trousers and jackets and running out the door.

"What's happening?" he asked, feeling as though his head was going to explode at any minute.

"Enrique, do not go back to sleep! Don't you dare go back to sleep!" Estelle shouted at the man in the bunk below him.

Dodds leaned over, taking care not to tip himself off the side of the bed.

"Hey, come on!" Estelle called again.

"All right, don't shout, I heard you first time," Enrique complained. He hauled himself back up, where he sat hunched over, head in his hands. "Aw, man. I feel like I'm going to puke."

Dodds pulled out a watch that he kept under his pillow and tried to focus on the little blue figures on the face. It was just after four in the morning; he hadn't managed more than three hours' sleep since settling down. He felt a momentary sense of deja vu.

"What's going on?" Dodds asked again. His eyes followed the figures running out of the room and then saw the answer to his question come striding in through the quarters' doorway, flanked by two other staff.

Commodore Hawke surveyed the scene in front of him with a look of disgust. "Come on! Come one! Get moving!" he barked, clapping his hands together. "You hear that alarm? That's the call to general quarters! That means now! What are you standing around for? Move! Now!"

Estelle turned back to Dodds and mouthed for him to get up now! Dodds looked to Hawke and saw his attention shift to the bunk he and Enrique occupied.

Hawke's eyes narrowed as they fell upon Estelle. "What the hell are you doing? Did I not just make myself clear? Have you gone deaf?" Hawke asked of her.

Even in his current state, Dodds knew that Estelle was in the one place she would rather not be at this point in time: stood next to two members of her flight group, who did not seem capable of mustering the strength to pull themselves out from under the covers.

"Sir, I was..." Estelle began.

"Do these little boys need their mummy to dress them?" Hawke growled. He then looked straight at Dodds and the pilot felt his heart jump the moment the flicker of recognition crossed Hawke's face. "Dodds! I should have known! How could it possibly have been anyone else? Didn't feel like getting out of bed this morning? Decided you were going to call in sick?"

Estelle gave Dodds a pleading look not to answer back.

"No, sir. I just had difficulties sleeping last night, sir," Dodds said, forcing himself to answer in as much as a normal tone as he could muster.

"Well then, we'll see if we can get you a cot and a teddy bear for tonight then, shall we? Now get your arse out of bed!" Hawke shot back with contempt. With one last look around the dormitory, he turned on his heel and started back down the corridor. But not before issuing an ultimatum: "Main briefing room, Dodds!" he said, pointing a stiff finger. "Three minutes!"

As he stormed out of the room, Estelle began throwing Dodds' and Enrique's clothing at them, urging them to get a move on. Kelly and Chaz, already clothed, hovered close by, waiting for the two men to dress themselves. They did so as fast as they could and together the five hurried from the now empty dormitory, towards the building holding the main briefing hall.