Shortly after being seated, Lazlo started questioning the crew about their familiarly with the new technology he’d given them.”…Is that correct?” Lazlo prompted. Gunther, Ellie, and Quincy responded in the affirmative. Seita didn’t seem to hear the question while Ryen simply sighed out. ”Well enough.” Next the captain began briefing them over deep space and their final destination.
Quincy wasn’t the only one who was concerned about the travel time. From the look of shock on everyone’s face, no one expected the time frame to last that long. Well, no one except for maybe Seita who was taking the news in stride. That or she was very hungry. Or both. Probably both. Still almost everyone else looked as excited as she felt to be stuck with just the six of them for possibly the next two years to say nothing of going to the Federation’s High Council.
***
”Heh,” Quincy grumbled after Lazlo disappeared of out the galley again, ”I’m second to last to being captain.” Ryen snickered a bit as the doctor got up and walked over to the replicator to order up some food. Ryen was pleased, if not a bit confused, about why she’d been ordered ahead of him but behind Ellie. However, if it ever came down to it, the prospects of being captain and stuck in deep space with only Quincy and Seita remaining was daunting. Almost as much as the idea of being on a strike team with Lazlo. On one hand the captain was obviously versed with weaponry, as he’d previously demonstrated. On the other hand, it was Lazlo. Ryen felt a tinge of jealousy for Seita being paired with Gunther.
”There…were a lot of codes.” This came from Seita.
Prompted by Seita’s words Ellie pulled up the information on the holographic screen again. There were roughly thirty in all. ”Aah,” Gunther commented after another forkful of steak, ”That’s not so many. Mind you, knowing the codes, and actually being able to do the actions they require is a different story.” Neither Ellie nor Quincy seemed phased by the amount of information but Ryen wasn’t so sure.
”It’s too bad they’re all numbers.” Ryen replied. ”For example, ‘Code Pink Whale’, is a pretty catchy name and would make it easier to memorize.” The look the rest of the crew gave her said they pointedly disagreed. ”Anyways,” Ryen continued, ”It’s not as bad as it seems, Seita. Most of them you don’t have to memorize right away since you don’t have to do anything. Like Code 0 when I have to go direct power to the oxygen area and shielding. Or Code 17 where Quincy needs to report immediately to the medical bay. It’d be good to know those ones eventually just so you know what’s going on but you probably won’t need them right away.” Ryen continued reading over the list. ”We could study together later this evening if you like.”
Seita was hesitant but eventually nodded. Ryen smiled back at her. Studying was something Ryen was well accomplished at. It was a good thing too since almost 80% of the codes pertained to either her or Gunther.
”So what is deep space like?” Quincy asked, placing a bowl of some kind of bright orange soup on the table before taking his seat. Looking around, Ellie finally answered first. ”The ship I was on had a Slipstream License so we didn’t need to spend much time in deep space but … it was very empty.” Ryen nodded her agreement. Everyone’s eyes turned to Gunther.
”It is very empty.” the solider remarked, his eyes growing distant, ”Very black. It’s a big ol’ ball of nothingness most of the time. Planets, strongholds, even other ships are few and far between. And the planets and people you do meet… well… they aren’t usually the friendly type. There’s usually a reason why the Federation’s not involved with them. Sure, there’s a few good places to stop since not everyone can afford a Slipstream License, but still. Not seeing anything at all is almost always the best kind of deep space travel. Then again, you get caught out there and you might as well be planet dust. Ain’t no one going to come to you rescue you anytime soon.” Looking up from his meal, Gunther saw the looks on the women’s faces and quickly added, ”But we'll keep our heads about us and I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
An awkward painful silence fell in the galley. ”Why don’t we talk about our first stop!” Ryen offered, trying to brighten up the mood. ”Ellie, can you pull up any information on Leruta? I’ve never heard of it before.”
Shortly after, Ellie projected an image of a swirling tiny blue and tan planet. The others listed attentively as the technician timidly began to read off facts about their next destination.
***
”So, who would like to learn how to play Three Rascals?” Gunther prompted.
”I… would.” Seita said, beaming shyly. Meanwhile, Quincy stood up and stretched. ”Not me. I was up late last night. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” He paused and let out a big yawn. ”Plus there’s a few things I need to check on.”
Ellie said that she would like to just watch, all the while typing away at her pad. Ryen shook her head. ”I’d like to get started studying those codes.” the mechanic said, putting the clean dinner dishes away. Seita’s face fell at the reminder. ”I… have to do something first,” Ryen suggested to the girl, ”So if you want to play a few rounds first, I can stop by and get you after I’m done.” Seita nodded enthusiastically at the suggestion.
The clock above galley door showed that the ship still had almost 45 mins before Lazlo said they would be entering deep space. Walking over to the control panel, Ryen began analyzing and tweaking the various power signatures of the subsystems.
***
Ryen fidgeted nervously outside the captain’s cabin. Since he wasn’t in the ship’s cockpit chances were good he was inside. She buzzed in using the panel located outside of his door. ”It’s me…” she said through the voice communication system, ”Ryen… I wanted to talk to you.”
Nothing. She waited. Still nothing. Perhaps he was taking a nap? Just as she was about to turn and leave, the door slid open. From where she stood, she could see that his room was larger than hers and, rather surprisingly, had enough gadgets in it to rival her father’s smaller lab spaces. Before she could look any further, Lazlo was standing outside in the hallway and the cabin door behind him was firmly shut.
Ryen smiled uncomfortably at the man who seemed to be looming above her. Gunther who was both taller and burley never made Ryen feel this uncomfortable. Then again, Gunther hadn’t yelled at her… or shot at her either.
”As stated before,” Ryen began with a formal air, ”I wanted to speak with you. It isn’t about my father, although I’m assuming at some point you’ll want to discuss the situation in length…?” Ryen paused to give him a questioning look before quickly continuing. ”Anyways, I wanted to speak with about Seita. I don’t… I can’t agree with having Seita on the ship. It isn’t fair to her.”
Ryen let out a sigh. ”The others of us are adults. We have an idea of what we’re getting ourselves into. I just… Two year? I mean, that’s a lot and that’s just getting there. She’s so young and by doing this… think of how much she’ll miss. She should be in a school. She should be learning and interacting with people her own age. She shouldn’t have to be our scout. I know she volunteered… or at least I’m hoping she did,” Ryen paused here to give Lazlo another questioning look, ”but did you give her a choice? I mean, the rest of us had other options. And then what happens after everything is done? What’s she supposed to do then with a good chunk of her life stuck popping around deep space? I don’t… I don’t like it.”
