Chapter 25

Lucinia departed the bridge, after having a small discussion with Kejeh about some onboard systems, then she proceeded down the hall towards her brothers’ quarters. She tapped the door chime and a moment later, Proculus’ voice could be heard through a small speaker on the door panel.

“Who is it?” He asked.

Lucinia looked over her shoulder to make sure the area was clear, then spoke comically into the comms panel. “ It is Orange Loo-Loo muffin, Proco-nut Muffin.”

Lucinia grinned even wider when she heard the unamused sigh come from the speaker before the door opened.

“You really need to let that go.” Proculus said as she stepped into the common area of his quarters.

“It bothers you that bad, does it?” She was smiling.

“Yes.” Proculus rolled his eyes. “Last thing I need is for someone like Jack to find out grandmothers nicknames for us.”

“Fuckin Jack! Fuckin Jack!” Came from a corner of Proculus’ common area.

Lucinia smirked as she looked over to a table with a large bird cage on it, seeing Proculus’ pet Scarena inside. They were something akin to a parrot, able to mimic phrases or speech if they heard it enough. The name Mylla sat on a small placard at the bottom of the cage.

“He won’t find out.” Lucinia spoke reassuringly. “I do miss those muffins though. Sometimes I wonder if she just made those our favorite muffins so she could use the nick names.”

“I was not really a fan of the pecan nut.” Proculus replied. “I preferred the orange lemon ones you got all the time.”

“They were good.” Lucinia smiled faintly, thinking of long-gone memories for a moment, then looked to the Scarena. “Mylla seems to be doing well.” Lucinia grinned as she looked over the healthy red and blue feathers of the flightless avian. “She doesn’t nervously pluck at her breast anymore?”

“No,” Proculus stood up and walked over to Mylla.

“Proco, Proco,” she chirped.

“Did you teach her to refer to you like that?” Lucinia asked with amusement.

“My full name was too much.” Proculus replied. “Kept calling me Procusal, for whatever reason.” He opened the cage and Mylla hopped down to the base level. “I would let her stay out more if she would leave my pillows and plants alone, but for now she needs to be supervised.”

“She knows enough to go to the bathroom in her cage?” Lucinia asked as she watched the foot tall bird hop out and walk quickly over to a rudimentary set of stairs against the wall.

“She goes on the pad in the bathroom.” Proculus replied. “She would be fine otherwise, but as I said, she tends to try to crawl between the pillow and it’s case and her feet tear the fabric. I can close the bedroom door and move her potty pad out here, buts she also goes after my landscape trays with intense enthusiasm. The fact that they are covered has saved them many times from being vandalized.”

Lucinia looked over the miniature trees and foliage of a couple of his prominent displays, always impressed with how he was able to grow and sustain the plants in the difficulty of a sunless room under less-than-ideal conditions. He had to use artificial sun bulbs in specific lights, along with a small, humming environment regulator that emitted trace amounts of CO2 into some of the covered terrariums that required more delicate control measures.

“You know, Pri has a terrarium or two and a healthy interest in this type of thing.” Lucinia remarked as she looked over a couple of the covered terrariums on a large shelving unit. “She might be able to help with this one, given it is not doing too well.”

She looked over to Proculus a moment later and saw he seemed to be stuck between a few thoughts.

“It is not good for officers and crew to become friends.” Proculus finally replied. “It can lead to nepotism, bias, and preferential treatment.”

“It can,” Lucinia nodded. “If you let it. By default, we are in a favorable position on this ship simply because it was father’s vessel. Neither of us have any real experience in our positions beyond what we were trained and what was passed down. Our tenure in our current positions was easy to obtain and we have had to learn a lot by trial and error. That does not mean we ignore those that work with us by choice.”

“Do many of them have much choice here?” Proculus picked up Mylla and brushed at the back of her head. “Maybe I am wrong in this statement, but sometimes I feel as though some of the crew are here because it’s an easy ticket. If they were on other vessels, they would not be able to get up to half the stuff they do. Not all of them are slack, but many of them get off pretty easy, pretty often.”

“This vessel might not be as strict as a military vessel, or a luxury cruiser, but we are a ship in neither capacity.” Lucinia turned around to face him. “There are some on the crew that do get away with things lighter than if they were on those vessels you have described, yes, but they are still disciplined accordingly. We are all adults here, with a wide variety of histories and experiences. If you always act like papa bear, you will find them treating you like such, Proco.”

“You think I act like a ‘papa’ bear’?” Proculus raised a brow.

“The way you get on everyone’s case so sharply does paint you in that light. It might do you well to step back a bit from trying to be so strict about every single detail.”

“If we let up on a single detail, what becomes the standard?” Proculus looked at her intently. “If we let up on this today, why or why not that tomorrow? Father was always driving routine and consistency in me. Always, always, ‘Proculus you do not slacken your stance, or they will take advantage of you!’ Over and over, I heard that. Over and over, it was belted in the mind so deeply it became routine, rather than thought. I see what he cautioned us against in their behavior and what you let them get away with.”

“There needs to be a fine line in what is and is not acceptable, Proco. On top of that, you need to be able to recognize that line and when it has been crossed. This crew has its antics, yes, but they come together unlike anything I’ve seen or heard of. There could be a lot more to deal with. Bad characters, cliques, dishonesty, or racial animosities often happen in void ship crews as much as in cities or any other place the League controls. You need to be more grateful for the fact they can work together so well.”

“They act like children in meetings...”

“I hope they continue to do so...” Lucinia’s rebuke caught him off guard and Proculus stared at her in bewilderment. “Some of those antics do well to boost morale or take the edge out of a difficult day.”

“Riding fire foamers?” Proculus spoke with little amusement.

Lucinia tried to stay serious but the image of a drunken Pri, sitting on a chair, attached to a wheeled cart, with the high pressure foamer fastened to it, got the better of her.

“How is that funny?” Proculus scolded her for her laughter.

“Because that was pretty good ingenuity, however they were disciplined and reminded of the fire codes and regulations.”

“If there was a fire...”

“I agree, it would be a pretty serious issue. I get what you speak of and correct, it should not happen to begin with, but I suppose I’m saying it will happen again, no matter what we do. If it is serious, we reprimand accordingly and move on. We have let good people go for serious breaches in conduct in the past. That standard has not changed. But if dealing with the odd bit of shenanigans is all I have to worry about, I’m a pretty lucky captain.”

“I expected better of Pri...” Proculus frowned. “Sikarrans are supposed to be very well disciplined and respectable.”

Lucinia took a few steps over to his desk and sat down on it, looking at him for a moment in silence before speaking.

“I may have too, if I closed my sight off to the wider scope of her position. She was a soldier. On board, she hangs out with soldiers. They’re going to get up to things when boredom sets in to keep their minds busy. Pri is very reserved but eventually she will break down and join the others if they remain persistent. Her artistic side is known, but not openly visible. If she had others on board that shared a similar passion, perhaps she would be less inclined to fall to the peer pressure of the other three. She is making progress with better influences. We just need to work on the other three horsemen about their conduct.”

Proculus stood in silence, petting Mylla’s head as he looked at the floor, thinking over several things at once.

“Look, I’m not saying you need to be friends with Pri, but you do need to look beyond the scope of ‘the book’. You need to realize that, though regulations exist, the world does not fall apart just because they are not followed to the letter. If you intend to take over this vessel someday, you need to be able to work co-operatively with people or you’ll have no crew to lead.”

“Could get a bunch of drones and a couple of robotics to replace all the delinquent crew.” Proculus half joked.

“If that is your position...” Lucinia showed little amusement.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Proculus looked at her with a more serious expression.

“You should be ready, just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“In case something happens, or a new path is chosen.” Lucinia shrugged.

“I am far from ready to command this ship.”

“Agreed.” Lucinia nodded. “But you should be working towards that capability. What if I got sick or was injured? You technically would have to take over immediately.”

“I understand.” Proculus scratched his head and set Mylla down, watching her strut about the common area. “I just ... I don’t think I could do it effectively.”

“Why not?” Lucinia asked.

“You have the admiration and respect of the crew. I know how most of them feel about me because I try to keep a high level of professionalism on board. I can handle being the ‘bad guy’ if all it takes is my line of protocol. That does allow you flexibility to build an easier rapport with those you hire and lead.”

“So, you think you need to be the ‘bad guy’ for me to be successful in my position?” Lucinia was not overly impressed.

“It sounds worse I think than it was intended.” Proculus replied. “I do not mean to say I am doing you a huge favor, but, like good cop bad cop, there is a benefit to that behavior so that helps both of us out.”

“It does.” Lucinia nodded. “You know, some of the crew already refer to us as such. You might want to be careful about being too obvious about it though.”

“They do?” Proculus raised his lip a bit surprised.

“Yes.” Lucinia grinned.

“Laugh it up.” Proculus took a moment, then started lightly laughing. “Alright. I understand what you have told me. I will try to work on it, but it is not easy to let go of something that you have been used to for a long time. I will need your help, probably quite a bit over the next little while.”

“You will have it.” Lucinia replied.

“I assume that wasn’t all you came to talk to me about?” Proculus looked at her expectantly.

“No,” Lucinia pushed herself off his desk and straightened her uniform out. “First, Star Guard will notify us tomorrow about all required information.”

“Sounds like they already know everything they need to.” Proculus frowned.

“Why do you say that?”

“I doubt they would make a statement like that unless they had everything together.”

“Maybe they are fact checking?” Lucinia shrugged.

“Let’s hope so,” Proculus sighed. “We could speculate all night on it, whatever their reasons, must not be anything serious. We aren’t being detained.”

“I’ll hold a meeting with the crew once we get the official statement.” Lucinia said.

“What’s the progress on Nyka’s trap for the hitchhiker in the aft hold?”

“She’s working on it.” Lucinia answered. “She plans to have something ready and set by tomorrow.”

“Alright, we’ll see how it goes. Were there any other matters?” Proculus asked.

“We need to do a fire drill, per Kejeh’s recommendation. We have not done so in a while and Kejeh has been pushing for one to be carried out soon.”

“Nothing wrong with tonight.” Proculus stated.

“Alright then,” Lucinia nodded. “There isn’t an easy time to do it where someone does not miss out on some sleep. We will aim for 22:00. No-one is asleep at that time, and it will give those who bed down at 00:00 time to wind down before they have to fall asleep.”

“You are too easy on them.” Proculus noted. “But that line of thinking is virtuous, and they no doubt appreciate that.”

“I imagine so.” Lucinia said. “A fire drill is a fire drill whether it happens at 07:00 or 17:00. Training to get on point and do your job when your sleep is cut short has merit too, but we already did that to several of them on the last drill.”

“Are you going to tell anyone else?” Proculus asked.

“No, keep this to us and Kejeh. This will be a good refresher for Jack and a surprise for Kazlaena, who will need to be a little more proactive now.”

“Understood.” Proculus investigated his bedroom and let out an expletive. “Mylla!” He went stomping in as the avian tried to crawl between the pillow and the case.

“I will, uh, leave you to it.” Lucinia said as she looked in from the doorway.

“I will catch up with you before the drill.” Proculus said while he pulled the chittering Mylla from the pillow.

Jack was on his way back to his quarters with a load of laundry when the ship’s fire alarm rang throughout the hall.

“The hell?” He paused for a moment before moving quickly towards his quarters.

As he moved, he heard the expected broadcast over the ship PA system.

“Vessel on fire! Vessel on fire! Vessel on fire! Crew attention! Crew attention! Fire drill! Fire drill! Fire in the smokehouse! Fire in the smokehouse!”

Jack spotted Kazlaena looking down the hall from her own room for a moment, hands covering her ears with a distraught look as she saw him moving urgently into his room. That prompted her to spin around and grab her firefighting equipment, meeting him at his door in only a few moments. They both wore a mask and small O2 tank over a hazard suit designed to protect them from intense heat for a limited time, as well as other potential dangers associated with a fire or chemical spill. As they headed for the central stairwell, they were joined by Saito, Cardox and Sita.

“You burnin down the fuckin ship, Jack-boy?” Sita asked.

“Yeah.” Jack replied. “Had a cigar made from First O’s misdirected mental rage. They take forever to burn out.”

“Is sat for serious? What are you saying?” Kazlaena asked as she followed Jack up to C deck.

“Heh, no lil Sprokie.” Jack replied. “Just reacting to the ribbing.”

“Ribbing?”

“Being made fun of.”

Kazlaena patted him on the back a couple of times but shot Sita a grin as the former marine gave her a wink in return.

In the hall of C deck, they met up with Kejeh, who joined them while Proculus was with a second team at the far end of the hall. Jack could see Pri and Charm on standby with medical equipment, while Zakia, Delilah, Nyka, Rusu and Andor made up Team Two. D-17’s tasking was to observe for fire sign on B deck while Spurius was on D deck, below the smokehouse, looking for similar sign.

“Team A will be containing the fire first.” Kejeh said as they moved to the emergency station and opened it up. “Coralane, as team Captain, please guide your crew through proper procedures. I will offer advice where needed.”

“Understood S.O. [Safety Officer].” Jack responded to Kejeh’s callsign in emergency situations. “Kaz, Saito, you both take the manpots...” He saw them each take the man portable extinguishers and start to sling them on their backs. “ ... Cards, Seets, pressure line.” He gave them a nod and they began removing the foam hose line that contained a spray nozzle.

Jack helped Kazlaena secure her foamer, then slung a pack with several items over his shoulder and carried a multi tool in the opposite hand. The multi tool was something akin to an axe, with a removable head so the lengthy handle could be used as a leverage bar where needed. The team moved down the hall with a careful swiftness that spoke of urgency, but with caution to avoid any mis-steps as they approached the smokehouse. Jack moved to the door and felt it, asking Lucinia in a bit of a roleplay stance based on what he felt, trying to add some authenticity to the event.

“Door is cool.” Lucinia replied, more out of concern for what he would do with the multi tool if it was ‘hot’.

Jack touched the handle with caution regardless, adding to the roleplay element of the drill, then summoned Kazlaena and Saito to him. He dropped the bag off his shoulder and pulled out two wrapped lengths of wire cable. They had clips on one end that he attached to Kazlaena and Satio’s hazard suits. If they fell unconscious, this would give them a chance to be pulled from the room and to potential safety.