“Yes?” Jake said, not looking up from the chip, scrolling through the holographic list.
“If you could at least find a way to keep Andie aboard, I'd really appreciate it.”
Jake zoomed in her her profile and raised an eyebrow. “A hair stylist.”
“Aye sir. No grooming system has the same touch.”
He turned the projection off, transferred the list into his Command Unit and handed the chip back. “No promises. They're all looking to stay aboard?”
“Aye sir.”
Jake braced himself and stepped up to the double doors. They parted and to his surprise the sound level inside was reasonably low. They were all enjoying materialized food, up to seven or eight to a table, and taking in the broad view looking out into space.
Chief Liam Grady wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood, greeting him at the door. “That was faster than expected.”
“I was in my ready quarters. How's my ship, Chief?”
“Good, we're working on power plants four and five and making repairs to several sections that show some old combat damage.”
“That's not why I'm here,” Captain Valance whispered as he smiled uneasily at some of the people who stared at him. They were different ages, most of them didn't wear vacsuits, and many had their bags with them. The seats in the blue and crimson coloured officers lounge were full and a few security guards stood against the walls. Most of them were quietly talking to one or more of the civilians, the environment was relaxed.
Liam smiled at the Captain. “That's not why you're here,” he confirmed, straightening the collar of his new vacsuit. His robes were loosely closed around it. “Most of these people are from Enreega and now that Regent Galactic has taken possession of the system they don't want to go back.”
“We have a lot of people in the same position in the upper berth. They're signing in with their government so they can be resettled.”
“These people don't want to be resettled. They want to stay here, on the Triton. ”
“This is a ship of war, Liam. Not only that but we haven't even explored the whole thing. It's over seven hundred forty meters long and even wider. That comes out to about sixteen hundred square kilometres of surface area not including the hangars. God knows what's in that much space, especially since she hasn't had a full crew in nearly forty years.”
“That number's actually a little low, Captain. The ship is a little larger,” Liam corrected. He was still smiling calmly.
“My plan here is to crew up, train our people and start hitting Regent Galactic where it hurts. Eventually we're going to get into a fight that costs us, whether we choose it or not. I don't want anyone not ready to make that kind of sacrifice to be aboard when it happens.”
“Pardon me, Captain, but I think we've all thought of that,” said a woman with dark, cascading curls. She was a drastic contrast to her surroundings in a loose skirt that hung down to her ankles and a light blouse that was in no way made for space travel. She was well spoken and had an accent that indicated she most likely grew up near the core worlds. “There are Eden ships out there, Regent Galactic is taking whatever they can and nothing feels safe. I was on my way from Veldin Four because it was too hard to make a living there. I was almost forced to live like a beggar no matter how many hours I put in. I finally saved enough to take a voyage out and almost got killed. I'm sure you've heard the story a few times already, but I've lived it. As far as I'm concerned, this is where I want to be. If I can help here I'd like to. I'll take room and board at the quality it's available, it beats how I was living on Veldin. If there's no need for what I do, then I can learn to do something else.”
“Tell them what you do Mischa,” Liam encouraged quietly.
“I'm a massage therapist with twelve years of certified experience,” she said proudly.
Captain Valance smiled at her and looked back to Liam. “Outside,” He whispered before leaving the room.
Liam followed him out into the hallway a couple minutes later. “They're all anxious to sign up and help however they can.”
“Did they send their requests to the bridge?”
“Most of them did and had them denied.”
“For good reason. What am I going to do with a massage therapist, a tiler, or even a hairstylist?”
“They'll see to the crew's well being. Well, perhaps not the tiler, but I'm sure he'd be happy to move into a related trade.”
“What related trade would he move into?”
“I don't know, there are a lot of options. Ceramic fitter for example, the energy transfer systems use advanced ceramics for insulation and containment all over the ship.” Liam looked to the guard behind Jake. “Soldier, how long is your duty shift?”
“Twelve hours sir.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“Eight. We're doing two long shifts and four short shifts a week according to the schedule that was released this morning.”
“What will you be doing after getting off today?”
“I'm volunteering to help clean up the abandoned sections of the ship for two hours.”
“After that?” asked Liam.
The soldier hesitated a moment. “I have no idea sir. Maybe go to the pilot's lounge, but it'll probably be full. I'll probably end up in my temporary rack for most of my downtime, get some time in the ship wide simulations before I get some shuteye.”
“So on long shift days you have four extra hours you don't know what to do with, and regular days leave you with eight.”
“Yes sir.”
Liam looked back to Jake and crossed his arms. “We're busy now, getting the ship back in shape, running simulations and setting up the departments, but at this rate we'll be fit in a week, maybe two. Then we'll be in training somewhere in dead space if I'm guessing your plan correctly. The Triton will feel hollow without some people at her core bringing some colour and entertainment. People will start getting restless.”
“I can't pay these people what they deserve to earn.”
“They're not looking for payment, they're looking to live in the center of a carrier the size of most colonies,” Liam's eyes searched Jake's expression, which had lightened from its former serious disposition. There was an uncertainty he hadn't seen before. “What's really holding you back from this?” he whispered.
Captain Valance walked across the broad hall to the other wall, where the guards couldn't overhear. “I caught a saboteur last night, she had already killed an entire squad of soldiers. You lost someone in engineering earlier today, and Jonas Valent gave his life for the ship. Taking the Triton is costing people their lives. We haven't even seen combat yet.”
“We can keep civilians at the core of the ship. There are plenty of crew compartments around the botanical gallery The ship blueprints even designate them as family quarters. It's the safest part of the Triton, made to look and act like a town square with three levels of store fronts. This ship was built by people from our homeworld, designed using over a thousand years of spacial and nautical experience for voyages that last decades or longer away from port if need be. It makes sense that they'd ensure anyone aboard could make it a home they can enjoy. As far as combat is concerned, I'm sure some of them would volunteer for training in damage control or be content to hide in the center of the ship. Besides, they all believe in what you're going to do out here and they know you from the transmissions they've seen on the Stellarnet and on Hart News.”
“I don't want to have these people's lives on my conscience if we were to take damage exactly where they're all holed up, or if the worst were to happen and we were to lose her.”
“Then make it their decision. Scare them half to death if you have to, but I'm telling you that allowing them to remain, to make themselves useful will work out. Before long you might just be getting a massage and a haircut. Maybe your pilot, the one who was getting along with Alice the other night-”