“Price said it was probably for accelerating the healing process. He didn't say anything about stasis.”
“Well, I suggest you read the chart on your way out of medical. The emergency stations are all based on a Sol system standard.” She informed him, turning the medical display off. “Almost everything on this ship is. I'm Grace Templeton. Your Captain's managed to buy all of us Regent Galactic crew members, like your friend was saying. Anything to get out of my contract and stay flush.”
“Hernando Ramirez, of the Samson. You a doctor?”
“I was training to be one on a drifter station when I was assigned to crew this thing. I think I've gotten twenty hours sleep in the last two weeks. Even with over two thirds of the ship shut down sixty five people can't manage.”
“I noticed everything was closed off. Every time I tried a door it was sealed.”
“I think your Captain is looking to solve that. We're on our way to Enreega where he'll be looking to get pardons for the crew.”
“You didn't like working for Regent Galactic?”
“Are you kidding? I was born on Niba, it's a small moon owned by Regent. If you weren't a higher up in some division of the company you had to do whatever you could to scrape up a basic living. My parents lived in a three room dugout house. As soon as I was old enough to sign my life away for an education I took off. Just last year I managed to make enough money to get them a ticket and some extra cash so they could go to an outer colony. I have twenty eight years of service left with Regent Galactic though, so when your Captain offered to pay us double and apply for our pardons with the Aucharians, I was first in line.”
“Anyone not so willing?”
“Just a couple. Your guys killed one of them because he started firing shots off, the other one is cooling off in the brig. Your Captain's going to present him as a prisoner of war.”
Ramirez just looked at her for a moment. He thought himself a good judge of character, and though she had a very professional attitude through it he could see something else.
“What?” She asked, smiling a little.
“I'm just wondering how everyone really feels about the Triton being pirated and having her captain disgraced.”
“I already told you, two of us had a problem with it, the rest are just glad they're going away from Regent Galactic space. Some will even stay on and fight if they're given the chance. Everyone knows who Captain Valance is, and everyone's been in to see him since he got on board.”
“How did he find the time?”
“He saw us in groups of two or three. His First Officer just told us when we had to be there. He makes sure he learns something about everyone aboard. It's good for morale, Captain Wheeler didn't so much as try. Sure we were just the secondary shift from a drifter station, we need training and time to adjust, but he just assumed we'd catch on our own after giving us a few basic instructions and a map. If he had to train anyone it was like some kind of chore. He gave me about fifteen minutes to look around in medical then sent me to help with grunt work.”
“Well, Captain Valance has always kept his crew in good order. As long as you're on his side and doing your job he'll treat you well.”
“He left orders for you to report to the bridge when you woke up.”
“I'm clear to leave Doc?”
“I'm not a doctor yet, so technically I'm a medic. And yes, you're clear.”
“Thanks, see you soon.”
“I hope not,” she retorted with a crooked grin.
Ramirez stood and was on his way out of medical when he noticed a curtain with a stasis tube behind it. It was a portable unit from what he could tell, and was just about to open the curtain when Grace called out. “Don't!”
“You'll want to leave that be, lad,” Frost said in a mournful tone. “It's Finn. He's in a bad way.”
“We had to put him in stasis on site,” Grace told him hurriedly, making sure the curtain was closed completely. “I haven't had a chance to put his stasis pod in a secure containment socket or cover it up properly yet.”
“Will you be able to help him?”
“No, I haven't seen technology or met an expert that could. We caught him as his brain activity was tapering off, I was able to stabilize that much. I'm hoping that the Aucharians have something that can save him.”
“How long could he stay like this?”
“Years, that's a Sol Systems stasis pod. They're made to last decades for deep space travel. It's a lot like the ones used to make the trip to Andromeda.”
“That's something at least.”
“He was a friend of yours?”
“It's Finn, he was everyone's friend,” leaving that curtain closed was one of the hardest things Hernando had ever done, but he had a dreadful feeling that seeing what was behind it would have been much worse.
The trip to the bridge was a fairly straight path. It was right at the front of the ship on deck fourteen. The hallways were perfectly clean. The walls were a dark blue colour and though all the cables and piping was plainly visible they were arranged almost artfully by colour. The meaning of each colour was something else he'd have to learn, but for the time being he couldn't help but admire how neat and aesthetically pleasing the ship was despite its stark functionality.
As he came around the last corner before the bridge he saw a small cleaning drone. The circular half meter tall robot was spinning its way up one side of the hall, polishing the shiny dark grey floor. There were four arms folded neatly atop the little thing and as he approached it stopped what it was doing and moved to the side, even though there was plenty of room for him to pass by before. “Well, I guess we won't have to worry about cleaning stations,” he said to himself as he passed it.
The robot made a grunt like sound, as though acknowledging Ramirez's statement before resuming its duty.
He passed through the doorway and stopped dead in his tracks. The front wall of the bridge was a two dimensional display and there were three holographic projections along its slightly curved surface. The left was a general status readout of the exterior of the ship, the right was a map and interior status readout, and the middle one was showing a game show with three contestants batting at each other with padded poles. He walked a few steps down the ramp and took and looked over the stations. From what he could tell there was a tactical post for up to four people to his right, a similar engineering section to his left, and the captain's chair in the center with two smaller seats to either side. In front of the command seating was a circular space five meters or so across, the helm was just forward of that with another station for three beside it. There were other posts to the right and left that he didn't care to guess about. The walls were dead black, most likely to provide contrast for holographic imaging and other displays. The ceiling was a dark blue while the floor was a deep brown. Most of the seating and control stations were obviously reconfigurable, and he couldn't help but wonder what alterations would be made as Captain Valance made himself at home.
Captain Wheeler was tied tightly to one of the command chairs. There were straps across his shoulders, elbows, waist, around his ankles, wrists and he was gagged. There was a large bandage around his left arm where his dermal command and control unit had been removed. Leland March, one of his boarding team looked at him and smiled. “I'd call this a win, eh Ramirez?”
“Aye, I wonder what our new buddies with think about this.”
He glanced at the profile view of the vessel to his right and saw there were twenty one decks all told, one third of which were dedicated to launch, landing and maintenance bays and the crews that worked them.
“New buddies?”
“The Aucharians. This is a big ship, I think they'll notice Captain's upgraded his ride.”
“You think he'll keep her? He's going to need a big crew.”
“I always pictured Captain running a ship like this, never thought I'd see it myself. Where's everyone else?”
“In with Captain or sleepin'.”
“Hernando!” Ashley called out to him as she came out of a doorway at the front of the bridge. She ran over and practically collided with him. “I'm so glad you're okay.”
