It was 20 sthlins past 20 o’clock in the ready room of former lieutenant 2nd class of the Dunwaran second naval fleet and current Captain-Franchise Manager Isom Tork of the DRCS Get ‘em While They’re Hot, when the bane of his existence, knocked on his door.
“Enter.” Tork said curtly.
There was a hydraulic hiss as the heavy hatch slide on its tarnished but well oiled rail, revealing the harried but hastily neatened visage of Inati Sockworth Heath.
The entire rest of the ship might be falling into disrepair but by all the powers of star and void, the captain’s quarters would be maintained at peak functionality.
‘if I had half man power and discipline on this ship as I did at any of my former posting” Tork thought ‘I would have polished the rails to a shine as well’
Out loud said “Greetings Chief Engineer Heath” there was no need to turn around to check who it was, this was the scheduled time, anyone from the lower ranks would not have been allowed to get this close to his office, and all the command staff knew to call ahead if they needed to disturb him during a pre-scheduled meeting.
Heath, out of breath, but grinning slightly, greeted him, in the way they had for most their lives “Blessings of suns and moon Isom, it has been far too long since we chatted, so, how's life at the top of the rat heap”
Tork sighed “Mr Heath you have been warned about unprofessional language before”
“And I,” Replied Heath “Have told you before Isom, how silly it is that an Unfindle I have known for the majority of both of our lives won’t even call me by my first name, come now, surely we can meet in the middle on this can we not?”
Again, Tork sighed, this time a little more resignedly and turned away from the from the data report on the current price of real-estate he had been reading.
“Very well,” he said “Hello Inati, I am glad you are well, I have missed you greatly, have you done something new with your uniform?”
Though his voice remained level, and his face, entirely sincere, his unblinking stare and slight raising of his scales betrayed a certain level of annoyance at Heath’s familiarity.
Heath, as unflappable as ever, nodded his appreciation, walked over to Tork’s desk. “I have changed my uniform as it happens, I stitched Flambleseer flowers onto my lapels” He hesitated for a moment before adding “but I suspect that was a rhetorical question”
“Take a seat” replied Tork, in lieu of answering.
Heath did so, perching on the chair in front of Tork’s desk and wrapping his tail around the cork-screw tail rest built into it. He let out a sigh of relaxation.
“So, Inati” Said Tork, “did you have anything to say to me, or were you just looking for an excuse to speak to an old friend”
Heath looked mildly offended, “Aren’t you going to offer me a hot drink before we start”
Tork, who was not so rigid as to be totally humourless, gave something akin to a long smile on his this, and said “Pardon me, where are my manners” He walked to the side table and turned on the electric kettle, there were more advanced methods of preparing food and hot water but they were more complex and thus, easier to break, as such most captains kept a kettle in their offices or quarters whilst on a voyage, not that a ship of this calibre had anything like the technologically advanced food dispensers found on the newer, more advanced vessels.
“Ermec root and Kiplar berry or just black Lido leaves?” he asked whilst they waited for the water to boil.
“I will have the Ermec root please, and thank you.” Heath replied, mediating his overly familiar attitude to meet Tork’s preferred formality halfway.
“and would finishing a sentence with sir every now and again be too troublesome?” Grumbled Tork, “We may know each other but I do outrank you.”
Heath appeared to turn this over in his head for a moment before saying “I think, for this special occasion, I might be able to sir,” he said, though his clothes shifted somewhat as the scales underneath rose on their roots,
“If it makes you feel more secure” he finished with a rueful long snouted smile.
Once the two Unfindles each had a steaming cup of their preferred infusion beverage, Tork sat on the other side of his desk to Heath. They both assumed a more relaxed posture, and their conversation began in earnest.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“So how was Oloren the last time you heard from him”
Asked Heath.
"he is doing quite well actually, still sends me letters,"
“and your mutual sweetheart? What of her?”
“Not so mutual anymore, I’m afraid” Replied Tork “They were wedded last year, and their first litter is due come spring I hear” he released a faint smell of embarrassment before his sense of professional decorum reasserted itself, "Everyone who attended says it was a beautiful wedding, but I couldn't get back in time to go"
Heath nodded his understanding, space voyaging was a difficult job for relationships and many a love story had ended in sorrow on account of the long absences it demanded.
“Well, I am happy for them both,” he said matter-of-factly
“Oh, so am I Inati, so am I, we are still on good terms actually, indeed I sent them a wedding gift, and I am thinking of sending something for the children, when I get back, I’m thinking maybe some baby carriers to make their lives a little easier”
Heath flicked his snout upwards in an expression of approval. “How thoughtful of you.” He, paused for a moment and then added a “Sir” too the end in case the positive appraisal ground too much on Tork’s rank based sensibilities.
“And if I may be so rude as to inquire as to your own personal life…?”
He let the question hang in the air, clearly not thinking it appropriate to actually ask about Heaths romantic exploits, but wanting to show some interest in his friend’s life.
“Well, sir, what can I say. The romance has been abundant but never long lasting, I have, however struck up many firm friendships with those younger than you and I, so I would say I am not lacking for unfindle connection” Heath replied.
"excellent, excellent, it doesn't do to be socially isolated at our age,"
Thirst for small talk satisfied, Tork decided he should get to the point, though he feared he knew what it was.
“Anyway, what have you called this meeting about my friend, I know how busy you must be at the moment?”
Then the ship imploded and everyone died except it didn’t because at that time a minor glitch in the wormhole emitter subjected the entire vessel to the gravitation force of a charged super-massive blackhole, which quantum duplicated the vessel, annihilating one of the two and leaving the other one unscathed. Nobody on the surviving copy paid it any mind, only the engineers new it had happened and they’d learnt to shut out the existential dread a long time ago. The only other effect of this event was sending a small gravitational wave through the fabric of physical space at light speed.
“It’s about that very topic I wanted to speak with you Isom” said Heath, a little less cheer in his voice this time, although the fragrant infusions they drank covered up most of the glandular smells unfindles emit in certain emotional states, Tork could still catch a faint whiff of distress in the air around Heath.
He pulled out a small recording device and activated it.
“This conversation is being recorded for legal reasons” he said.
Tork nodded and said “Acknowledged”
“My entire engineering staff is being worked round the clock to compensate for crew shortages, and the fact we departed before proper maintenance repairs could be done to all systems, as a result everyone’s wound up tight, most people’s nerves are frayed and people are at serious risk of making mistakes”
Tork shifted his posture to a slightly more tense position, here we go, he thought.
“Yes, you mentioned that in several of your previous missives and what would you like me to do about it?”
Heath looked puzzled “Do about it? There’s not much to do about it except return us to the nearest port to take more staff onboard, something I strongly advise that we should do, but I want to know WHAT POSSe-“ he realised he was raising his voice and cut himself off, took a breath and continued in a more measured tone “What are we doing out here with far less crew than needed to safely run a ship inside friendly territory, much less on the frontiers of explored space, sir?”
Tork sipped his drink, and considered how to respond, was there a way to put off telling him the truth?
“Well, you know how the company drives us middle management employees just as hard as you lower level employees, We have a quota to meet and the command crew and I decided we could manage a short jaunt to confirm the long range findings of habitable worlds in this system, with just our current staff.”
“With all due respect Isom, you and I both know that you are far too experienced to genuinely think that, and, though it pains me to say it that you are trusted enough by upper management to impress upon them the serious risks involved in limiting the numbers of shifts in observations and engineering to just 4,” Heath replied “So if I may, sir, what are we doing out here?”
Then again, thought Tork, he’d had his communications officer keeping tabs on him since he came aboard this ship, All his most loyal colleagues had been left behind at the last port. What was the harm in telling him, if he couldn’t do anything about it?
Still, just a partial truth first. Tork meshed his claws together on the desk in front of him. He took a deep breath, “I am afraid that my esteem on the fleet coordination board has diminished of late, they no longer view me as unassailably competent, due to several incidents which happened under my command.” He didn’t need to say anything more. Heath knew the incidents he was referring to, he was responsible for half of them, and had helped him through most of the others. ‘A little guilt aught to put him off his guard,’ Tork thought.
Heath was momentarily taken aback “Isom…”
“no, it's quite alright, you needn't fret over me," Tork interrupted, playing up the modesty to really twist the emotional knife "I will be fine, still, if there’s anything specific I need to know for the safety of the ship and crew, you can be assured I will act on anything you tell me” he finished. ‘There,' he thought, 'throw him a bone and he’ll probably back off.’
Then Heath pulled out his note pad, and Tork realised that he was going to have to pay dearly for this momentary reprieve
“Well, now that you mention it, I have been taking down a list of personal observations and a general survey of the crew to get a good view of the most serious issues and common complaints” He took a deep breath of his own “Section one, ship safety and maintenance”
Internally Tork groaned and realise his command crew were going to have to take on extra workloads and several of the more expensive bits of cargo would have to be levied. Unfortunately, it was on tape. ‘Just two more weeks’ he told himself ‘two more weeks and it will all be over.’