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"What's the plan Captain?" Cmdr. Barona asked. We were having dinner with Mother Ahmisa. No added crew member this time. The crew was having a crew's dinner in the galley. This was another new tradition. Well, new to me anyway. For the Morganite crew, it was not only old-hat, it was expected.
"I figure you guys will fly the Old Pack Mule back to Morganite space and poke around and see what you find out." I said. "Speaking of, Old Pack Mule seems like a goofy name, have you thought of changing it?"
"You know as well as I do that it is tradition among the Morganites to never change a ship's name." Cmdr. Barona replied. "And quit dodging the question. Don't you intend to join us on the OPM?"
"No, my place is here on the Haul-o-caster. Don't worry about me, I'm thinking of something. I've always wanted to head inwards and see the inner systems."
Both Cmdr. Barona and Mother Ahmisa were shocked.
"You don't intend to stay with your crew?" Mother Ahmisa asked.
"Look, we both know this crew was stuck with me as their Captain. They deserve a Captain who won't get them exiled from their homes and having to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives."
Cmdr. Barona opened her mouth to say something but Mother Ahmisa held her hand up stopping her.
"Captain, I can see how you might feel that way. Let's try a little experiment. Come along." Mother Ahmisa lead us down to the Galley. "Ok everyone! I'm sorry for intruding on your crew's dinner, but a question has come up. We now have two ships, but only one crew. The Captain will be staying with the Haul-o-caster, and Commander Barona will be taking the Old Pack Mule. I would like each of you to write on a piece of paper your name, and which ship you want to be on. We can't guarantee you'll be on the ship you ask for, needs of the fleet and all that, so adding a short bit about why you chose the ship you chose might help us decide.."
There was a bustle as the crew gathered up paper, which wasn't used all that often anymore, and set to writing. When they were done, the papers were handed to Mother Ahmisa.
"Very well," Mother Ahmisa announced, "We'll take a look and plan accordingly."
Mother Ahmisa lead us back to the Captain's table and we finished our meal with the stack of papers sitting face down beside Mother Ahmisa's plate. I knew what they all said, I don't know why Mother Ahmisa thought leaving it till after the meal meant anything.
I also don't know why it was so hard to eat that meal. It felt like the proverbial meat cleaver being held over my head.
After dinner, Mother Ahmisa insisted on cleaning up the table before getting down to business. I had given up trying to help Mother Ahmisa with the cleanup. She always refused, and made a fuss if I tried to help anyway. That time, she said, would be the perfect time for me to talk to the crew member, only... we didn't have one.
"I have to tell you Captain, I'm awful nervous about what those papers are going to say." said Cmdr. Barona.
"I'm not, I'm sure they'll all say they want to go on the Old Pack Mule with you."
Cmdr. Barona looked at me like I had two heads.
"I would have gotten them killed so many times since we left Morgan space!" Cmdr. Barona exclaimed. "It's you who have kept them alive and gotten them through! They know that!"
"What? I didn't do anything." I replied. "I sat around tossing out orders, half of which you had to fix to keep anyone from being killed."
"Sleeping bags? Bungee cords? Does that ring a bell?" Cmdr. Barona said. "Do you have any idea how many crew members on the Lightning were killed or injured?"
"There were a few bumps and bruises, that's all." I said.
"No, when we got back to the Bait and Tackle, I did some snooping. That first transit where both ships were damaged, and we ended up towing the Lightning to the stash, Captain Tarkin lost three crew members. He never told us about that." Cmdr. Barona continued. "And when we transited the unstable matrix, he lost five more. He lost eight crew members on that mission, we lost none."
"Well, the Haul-o-caster is pretty stout." I said. I guess it'll never be a secret how much I love my ship.
"Morganite Fleet regulations are that anytime life is lost on a Morganite fleet ship, an investigation is done. As we are another ship that transited the same matricies around the same time, we should have been required to provide a comment, yet we were not. I asked the crew to write up their observations and file them anyway. The Chief headed up the effort, and quite a few members of the crew added to them."
"Really? I didn't know, I would love to see them."
"Traditionally, Captains never gets to see them. That way, the crew can be as honest as they wish, without worrying about repercussions." Barona said.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense."
"I will tell you this, the entire crew signed onto both documents. The first credited the incredible shape, and the superior implementation of systems on the Haul-o-caster as the number one reason we didn't lose any crewmembers when both ships were hit by the anomaly during transit. On the second, every single crew member signed on crediting your experience and excellence as a Captain as the reason the Haul-o-caster's crew sailed through unharmed.. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that Captain Tarkin didn't lose his command over losing eight crew members. That goes to show just how strong his support is."
"Or his allies' hatred of me."
That stopped her.
"There might be something to that, but I don't think so." Barona replied after a moment of thought. "The use of cybernetic devices is controversial in some of the Morganite sects. Some go so far as to ban cybernetic use even as prosthetics, or openly protest the use of cyber devices on even the most violent criminals. I don't think even the most extreme would go through all this over dislike of an Outsider. No offence."
"None taken, I am after all from Outside Morgan space. What would these sects use instead?" I asked.
Cmdr. Barona laughed. "Peacenik sects say love and understanding. Others say compulsive military service. More hardline sects would go with execution. Then there is one odd sect that suggests physical abuse and torture. Morganizm is a very diverse religion."
Finally, Mother Ahmisa was finished with cleaning up. Without even looking at them, Mother Ahmisa set the stack of papers in front of me. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe that she or Cmdr. Barona would tally them up and tell me how badly I did, or maybe try to hide it from me and tell me I did fine. Anything but set the stack of papers down in front of me and walk out.
I sat alone, afraid to look but not knowing why. I thought about that for a moment and realized how much this was going to hurt. I love my ship. Haul-o-caster is more than just my home, it's almost a part of me. But, this is my crew. We laughed together. We cried together. When the chips were down, we all worked our asses off because we didn't want to let each other down. We're a family.
We're a family.
I had never really had a family before. Sure Pete and I were almost like a family, only that was different. I can't put my finger on how, but it was.
I almost tossed the papers in the recycler without reading them. I couldn't bear it.
"Kid, you gotta rip that bandaid off." The Pete in the back of my head said.
Lt. Cmdr. Dorn: I would like to stay on the Haul-o-caster. The Captain will need me on weapons if she is attacked.
PO Smart: Haul-o-caster. Chief Williamson has more experience so he should go with OPM.
Shelly: Hauley, Cmdr. Barona, please don't be mad.
Williamson: Haul-o-caster. The Old Pack Mule needs a younger engineer with more energy.
Barns: Anyone can fly that old hunk of iron. After flying the Haul-o-caster, I would cry every day if I had to fly the OPM. Please please please let me stay with the Captain and Haul-o-caster.
Lt. Tine: Captain Kid was the first person who ever looked past my former sect, past the prison tattoos on my face, and seen a human being. I will be staying on the Haul-o-caster, even if I have to resign from the fleet and beg the Captain to take me on as a deckhand.
They all wanted to stay.
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