Lee put a hand on his. “No, Flaps. Stick to flying.”
“Why does everyone always—”
As if on cue the marines, Lee and the XO cut him off.
“Because it’s the only thing you’re good at.” They said in unison and began to laugh.
Yuri stared at them. “Seriously, Lee? What stories have you been telling these fine folks?”
He had to admit it was a good joke. They got him good.
Ayres flipped a switch and was serious again. “Will you gents be in the crew lounge later?”
No one gave a committed answer.
“I know the Commander didn’t make it an order,” she said. “And it seems some of us have taken to hiding and playing with our toys.” She eyed each of them in turn. “The engineers are down in engineering this whole time, and other parts of the ship I probably couldn’t find. And you all have mostly been down here the past two days. Just another day until we reach the wormhole and it’s all business from there.” She paused and her brow furrowed. “I think I’m going to have to make it an order . . . on the Commander’s behalf. Just in case you were all planning on hiding still.”
Yuri answered for the group. “Who’s hiding? We were just checking out all this fancy stuff the marines brought aboard.”
Lee gave him a “really?” look.
“Right, she’s chiding us. I’m dense. I get it.”
“Nineteen hundred. See you then,” the XO said.
As the senior officer present, Lee responded on their behalf.
“Yes ma’am, nineteen hundred.”
Yuri wasn’t sure, and he didn’t dare bring it up. But as the XO walked away, he was certain Lee watched her as she did, and tilted his head ever so slightly.
It must be his imagination.
Chapter 16 – Not Just Jarheads
“Shepherd isn’t the authority on everything” – Lieutenant Herman Zane
Personnel Lounge
Crew Deck
After a while, space travel could take its toll. Starship designers realized this early and built as much creature comforts aboard line ships as they could manage. From adequate, spacious gym facilities to crew lounges and VR rooms. All designed to entertain the crew while off duty.
The gyms were expansive and modular and could be reorganized into virtually any kind of facility they needed. Some starship crews played various sports. It was even large enough to section off, so multiple people could enjoy varying activities.
The crew lounge had a relaxing atmosphere. Open booth seats curved around the circumference of the room against a backdrop of holo-viewers showing various displays of space.
The holo-viewers were virtual observation ports. There hadn’t been actual observation ports on a ship since the war with the Baridian Empire. You just couldn’t make something as tough with large windows spanning several decks.
Throughout the lounge there were tables affixed to the deck with semicircular booths on either side. A self-serve bar was located at the far end. The soft blue-green colors reflected the kind of colors you might find in a lovely orchard. The lighting was low and everything blended to create a relaxing ambience.
It was tradition aboard Trident that the crew met together once a week in the lounge. Aaron wanted to revive that tradition if this was going to be his home for a while.
He was the first to arrive. Ayres came next.
He was sipping his favorite carbonated beverage when she walked—glided in. She had the grace of a dancer. Not that he was any judge of dancers, but he imagined if she danced, she was a good dancer.
She wore skintight dark colored pants with comfy footwear and a blue sleeveless top with slim straps either side of her neck, exposing her well toned muscles. His XO reminded him of a female version of Lee. He stifled a laugh.
She had a blank look. “Commander?”
Aaron stiffened. “Apologies, XO. Just thinking of someone.”
She eyed him. “Commander . . .”
He sighed. “Remember you asked . . . you reminded me of Lee for a moment.”
Her face twisted into confusion. “I don’t see how a woman could remind you of a man. Especially a man like Lieutenant Lee.”
“It’s the muscles, Alana.”
Her demeanor visibly softened at his informality.
The whole group entered then. Sergeant Dawes followed by his corporals. Then Lee, Flaps, Max, Rachael, Garrett, Reyes and even Zane. They all came.
When he told them to come relax in the lounge later, he didn’t think they’d taken it as an order. Yet here they were as though they were reporting for parade.
They all approached the XO and him. This was fast turning into a parade indeed.
“Commander . . . XO.” Dawes said. When he moved aside, the corporals did the same thing.
Aaron held up his hand.
“Everyone . . . I’m sorry I forgot to mention this earlier. Slipped my mind somehow. But thanks for the reminder. This is a covert operations ship. We are a covert operations crew. We’re the best of the best. Disciplined, loyal, honorable. We didn’t get here being slackers. All except for Max.” There were a few chuckles around the room. “Let your guard down a bit. You’re not on watch, relax.”
***
Two hours later the lounge remained full. Full as can be expected for a skeleton crew.
Yuri hovered from group to group, soaking up all the adventures people were willing to tell. He didn’t have as much to tell as the rest. But he’d have plenty—someday.
The Commander was telling one now.
“—so I left him behind,” Aaron was saying, “and finished the last leg of the triathlon. The instructor assigned to monitor our group ripped me a new one. Not in a nasty kind of way, but a condescending speech, basically accusing me of being an arrogant know-it-all.”
Lieutenant Delaine put in a piece. “So turned out he was right after all then.”
The Commander gave her an amused look and continued. “I thought he was an aristocratic nut with a smug superiority complex at the time. But what he told me that day, there, at the end of the exercise, really resonated with me later. I owe him a lot for forcing me to change my attitude towards many things. If you people thought I was bad now, you should have seen me prior to completion of command school.”
Dawes asked the instructor’s name.
The Commander rested a hand on Dawes’ shoulder. “Who was he indeed—he was none other than Li—sorry, Commander Avery ‘Vee’ Alvarez.”
The table was silent. Wow. That ended story time while that sank into everyone. The Commander probably hadn’t meant to cast a dark cloud over the lounge, but it had that effect.
Yuri moved over to the bar near Herman Zane, Corporal Ubu and Corporal Chen. Garrett and Reyes followed the discussion between the scientist and the marines.
The marines had just finished telling a tale from their previous mission and asked Zane about something to do with wormholes.
“I’m not sure you guys would understand. The science of wormholes is complicated,” he said.
Yuri followed the exchange and raised an eyebrow.
“Oh,” Ubu said. “So Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen’s theory regarding the transit of wormholes for faster than light travel by bombarding them with exotic matter, to create a stable event horizon and corridor is what you’re saying is beyond us?”
Yuri almost laughed. He’d read about Einstein when Dimitri bought the computer and he perused endless datachips on the renowned and revolutionary physicist.
Zane’s lower jaw still hung open.