“He has a Mess.”
Agameg's big green eyes just stared and blinked at her for an extended moment of silence. “He wants us to clean it up?”
Stephanie burst into laughter, nearly doubling over. The doors opened to admit Ashley and Alice.
Agameg looked at them both with a little guilt and a lot of confusion, patting Stephanie on the back as she suffered through her comedic hysterics. “I think she's broken,” he said. It was something he had taken to saying on the Samson when someone couldn't stop laughing.
“What's so funny Steph?” asked Ashley.
“I said; 'Captain has a Mess,'” she managed through a renewed onslaught of laughter.
“And he said; 'why doesn't he clean it up?'” Alice filled in.
Stephanie laughed and fought to breathe, shaking her head.
“I said; 'he wants us to clean it up?'” Agameg informed with a shrug, his eyes wide.
Ashley laughed along, but not nearly as hard as Stephanie. “It's not that funny.”
Alice giggled and looked to Price. “A Captain's Mess is the old sea name for a Captain's private dining room.”
“Stephanie, you should try to breathe. Really. We might have to stop at medical,” Ashley teased.
It only encouraged her, and she just sat down as it started to subside, catching her breath.
“I hear laughter can be a coping mechanism for humans,” Agameg stated plainly.
Stephanie burst anew, shrieking a peal of new guffaws.
“Yup, she's got giggles,” Alice said with a wide grin. “Does she do this often?”
“Only after a really hard day,” Ashley confirmed.
The doors to the lift opened. There were several maintenance workers standing there. The one at the front took the scene in and stepped back. “We'll take the next one.”
The doors closed and after a moment everyone was sucked into Stephanie's spiral of mirth. After a moment the lift stopped again, and they stepped outside.
“Here we go,” Ashley said as she helped Stephanie up. “No drinkie drinkie for you tonight.”
Stephanie nodded as she finally started catching her breath, wiping tears away. They rounded the corner and she sobered instantly as they caught sight of Frost and Grace entering the double doors leading into the Captain's quarters.
The Captain's proper living space, not his ready quarters, were quite different from Ashley's. She tried not to look like she was amazed, but when she caught sight of Price she realized she didn't have to worry. His eyes were as round as plates as he took the space in.
The large room was protected by a forty centimetre thick hatch and all signs of technology were neatly hidden. Soft light came from everywhere and nowhere, there was no visible source. The carpet wasn't a constant colour but set in a line drawn mosaic of gold that depicted a sun over two hooded figures facing away from each other.
There were four chairs across from the door and two to either side. To the left and right there were sliding doors, and a staircase right in the middle wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Frost and Grace walked into the left door. “Some place, huh?” said Grace with a wink and a smile towards Ashley.
“I guess they didn't assign me to the wrong quarters,” Ashley supposed quietly.
“Funny, I thought the same thing when I saw the night Captain's quarters.” Alice replied.
“There are night Captain's quarters?” Stephanie asked.
“Aye, but it's just three big rooms and a bathroom.”
“I thought the shower was trying to drown me. It was set to use water.” Agameg put in.
Stephanie suppressed a giggle.
Ashley pinched her arm. “Don't start or I'll start.”
The Captain's Mess was actually down a short hallway that had doors leading to a bathroom on one side and another room that was closed off to the other. The dining room itself featured a solid oak table for fourteen, six on either side and one at each end. Captain Valance already sat at one end and the chair had been removed from the other.
Ashley smiled at the Captain who smiled back. “I'm starting to see why millions apply for immigration to Earth every year.”
Liam Grady came out of an attached room with two bottles of red wine. “More like every week my dear. Earth is a dream few people can afford.”
“I thought they didn't take bribes.”
“I'm speaking more spiritually. The level of purity, intelligence and advanced thinking you have to demonstrate is so high I'm still amazed they let me near the home world. They're snobs and unashamed of it.”
“That they are, an' they can have their mossy rock fer all I care. This ship is more'n enough.” Frost looked to the Captain, who was in his regular black vacsuit and corrected himself. “Serving on this ship, I mean.”
“Here here,” Agreed Deck Chief Angelo Vercelli, raising his already full wine glass. “I spent enough time diggin' through dirt after being born on Allidus.” He looked around the table to see if anyone recognized the name and went on. “It's an agricultural colony. Nothing but farmers and people who govern them and their crops.”
Everyone took a seat then. Liam and Agameg were furthest from the Captain sitting across from each other, Ashley sat across from Grace, Stephanie was across from Frost — a fact she didn't realize until she was already in her chair — Alice faced Angelo and was at the Captain's right side.
“Speaking of digging, I figured the materializers out for this room.” Captain Valance said as he pressed a button under the table.
A menu appeared in front of each seat. It felt like real paper when they picked it up, a rarity, most paper was actually textured plastic or some other imitation material, but when they touched the menu they could scroll between thousands of dishes. When they pressed on one dish in particular a video of it on a rotating plate appeared and a focused puff of air sent a matching fragrance to the users nose. The smell completely dissipated after a few seconds, as to not interfere with whoever was sitting next to them.
“Um, I've seen this kind of thing in restaurants I couldn't afford to breathe in,” Alice said as she looked at her menu.
“This ship was made to be away from home for a century or more. I took a tour of an observation vessel that was a little like this, but less cramped. They design everything to make life easier, more enjoyable since most of the jobs aboard can be repetitive, dangerous, or very high stress, like the position of Captain, for example.” Liam explained.
“I've been wondering something,” Ashley started as she accepted a full wine glass from Liam. “What would the Earthers do if they found us?” she asked the question lightly, but the room fell utterly silent as all attention shifted to Liam.
The Chief Engineer was the only one standing, filling everyone's wine glasses in turn. He smiled a little at Ashley, who was a little surprised at the weight of her query. “You're not the first to ask,” he said, handing a full glass to Stephanie. “With the Captain's permission, I'd like to air my thoughts on this.”
“I've been meaning to ask myself, so you may as well answer while we're all here,” Captain Valance invited with seemingly mild interest.
Liam nodded; “Well, to be honest I think the Triton has been written off for twenty years. The attitude in the Sol System has changed since this ship was built about fifty years ago, and from what I understand they don't have many close combat carriers left. Those ships were built for a war they predicted a long time ago, but it never came.”
“Aye, I heard about that. Some coreward outfit lookin' ta take the Sol system back,” Frost nodded. When he realized he was the center of attention he shrugged. “What? I went ta school like everyone else.”
“Primary school,” Stephanie teased.
“Rest o' my school came from military, boots, bullets an' ball bustin'. A lot like your degree, only without the bullets,” he muttered back.
To his surprise Stephanie only quietly chuckled and shook her head. “You have no idea,” she said under her breath.