“Really?” I asked, surprised.
“Absolutely. I’ll take other responsibilities as you need, but I’ve to face the truth. Even if Elyek or Hwista trained me, I’ll never be as good a pilot as them, and I accept that. Though I do love being in control of the Uprising, and I will miss it.”
“Well man, I’m sorry it’s a decision that has to be made, I know you love flying this baby,” I said, patting the wall I was standing next to.
“Well, my main skills are in engineering. Not to mention the fact that I’ve nearly exploded about five times when we’ve had to escape life-and-death situations. I still like to think I'm getting better. One of these days, who knows?” he paused, looking thoughtful. “No. I came on as a ship's mechanic who can fly a bit, and it’s what I’m best at. Elyek, I’ll happily hand the pilot position over to you.”
“Oh, Calegg. I'm honored, but I hope you know you're highly skilled and would have easily been as capable as me or Hwista with a little time. We are technophiles as a race, so it stands to reason we have a natural affinity. Plus, we all have a lot more practice than you. But if you ever want to join in as co-pilot just let me know, yes?” Elyek said, coming across as both sympathetic and informative. I would have just sounded like a patronizing asshole.
“Well, that was pretty intense,” Ember said loudly. “But for what it’s worth, Calegg, we all would have been happy with whatever you chose.”
“Thanks, Ember. I think I’ve made the right decision. I'll finish my shift, so it’s not awkward or embarrassing.”
“Whatever you want, pal. But if you are going to switch full-time to engineering, I want this ship running like a damned dream. No excuses.”
“You’d better believe it, Captain.”
“Good. Now, get us to the Perseus system so we can go and fight in this war, for an Empire that hates us and hunts us like criminals!”
As one they all looked at me and gave me a what-the-fuck expression.
“What?” I said petulantly. “It’s the truth!”
“Just don't say that in front of anyone else, Shaun. We need to build morale! Now, we should probably let Acclo know about Calegg.”
“Yeah. Give them a call to get up here.”
“What? You give them a call, you lazy bastard. I think this captaincy has gone to your head.”
I laughed, “Yeah, you're probably right. I mean you literally have never listened to anything I’ve ever said. I don't even know what got into me.”
“Acclo is on their way,” Elyek interrupted, pulling the comm away from their mouth.
“Elyek!” Ember grumbled, unhappily. “We should have made Shaun do it!”
“Not really. Although you say we four are the founding members of the Uprising, and we are, Shaun is the one who freed me. And we did all agree that he was the captain. Not to forget the fact that he is Onnekus, which we also previously discussed.”
“We should still wind him up, though. It’s fun!”
“It is difficult for me, nonetheless I will continue to try,” Elyek said, looking genuinely conflicted.
“Good! Keep trying. He already has a big enough head. We need to keep him grounded.”
“I’m not that bloody bad,” I protested.
Ember laughed. “Nah, you're not at all. But it's fun, remember?”
Acclo came in at that moment, and I was glad for the reprieve. “Hey Acclo,” I said, while everyone else greeted the diminutive Veiletian in their own way.
“Hello, everyone. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s all good. Just need to catch you up on a few things.”
They raised an eyebrow, then looked at Elyek, who smiled warmly in return and said, “Acclo, it appears you are going to be our new logistics officer.”
“Oh, thank you Elyek, that is fantastic news!” they said, seeming to almost shudder with happiness. “I love coordinating everything to where it should be. It consumes me.”
I looked around to see if anyone else thought Acclo’s' intensity for organizing was hilarious. It seemed I was alone in this. Never mind. I spoke to them instead: “Acclo, we’ve spoken to Calegg. He’s assuming the engineer's role, full time.”
“Excellent. That is perfect for him. I am most happy he chose that role. He was unsuited to flying the Uprising.”
“Yeah,” I grimaced, “but please never tell him that. Despite seeming like he’s chilled out, I think it’d affect him to hear it said out of someone else’s mouth.”
Everyone nodded in agreement; I don't think any of us wanted to hurt Calegg’s feelings. He’s a pretty cool dude.
“Okay. With that all sorted out I'm gonna have a lie down. Acclo, organize your heart out.”
“I will, Captain. I assure you we will have this whole operation organized to the second.”
“Brilliant stuff, Acclo. You are now our official Six Ps Officer.”
“Six Ps?” Acclo asked, inquisitively.
“Yup, it’s short for Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance Officer. It’s a new role, but an important one, and I know you’ll crush it. So long as I don't have to hear about every second. I want to know when big decisions need to be made, but otherwise just crack on.”
Elyek looked concerned by my statement and spoke to that effect. “Acclo, you can speak to me about all aspects of what you're doing. The captain has an incredibly special kind of intelligence. We must work around it, but I am always here for you.”
“Thank you, Elyek, I am very grateful for that, and will speak to you often.”
Ember looked a little unsure about where she wanted to fit in. The next words out of her mouth made me chuckle internally a little. “Acclo, think of me somewhere between Shaun and Elyek.” And that was it; all she had to add. Fucking hilarious.
“Right! I really am going this time. Catch you guys later.” I said
“Me too!” Ember said behind me. “I could do with a shower, seeing as I couldn't get in it earlier,” she grumbled, looking pointedly at me.
C17
Alpha Team
I stretched out on our room’s chaise
