CHAPTER VI

The morning officers meeting was unexpectedly brief and without unnecessary diversions. The only point of interest was to confirm the message left on the Captain’s terminal: Commander Luxidon would see her duties through without interference. Without question. Thus, without an outlet to sap him of his anger, Vaughn’s patience was wearing thin. An obligatory exchange of slicing glares, tired glances, accentuated sighs and awkward silences filled with a smattering of eye rolls were all that was left in the wake of the situation; and to make matters worse, time couldn’t be afforded to delve into a remedy, bridge officers were ordered to report, sharply, to their appointed terminals for the final systems check. Upon which, they would be greeting the I.S.O.’s most accomplished Admiral, as he would be visiting the ship with some words of encouragement before they disconnected ESURTA from the station.

This truly was an event.

To most, the arrival of the Admiral would be an incredibly humbling experience. He was well respected among his peers, regardless of rank, or importance and his company was highly sought after. No one who had hand in assuring ESURTA was in perfect working condition wanted to disappoint him, no matter the impact their influences may have been.

Each of them waited for Vaughn to dismiss them. The gathering in the conference room was silent. Each of them stared aimlessly at the spectacular view the room bolstered. The endless stars…gently…passing by. Such a peaceful design. Relaxation and reflection.

And soon enough, before they knew what they were doing, they were all screaming over each other, pitting asinine conversations against any form of sensible productivity. Though there were two who didn’t partake in childish games, Commander D’Easia and Lieutenant Bazdik sectioned themselves off from the loudly arguing group. Bazdik, having boarded earlier in the day, sat at a stark contrast to Xuvectrin, towering over not only the petite alien, but every other officer as well. He was a thickly cut, muscular slab of chiseled meat packed neatly into an officer’s uniform. However, as imposing a figure as he was, the Lieutenant was a gentle giant, rarely, if ever, letting his frustrations or anger get the best of him.

Bazdik appeared as a drone, to act only when ordered to do so.

Vaughn slumped further in his seat at the head of the table, noticeably discouraged with the ongoing argument. He still hadn’t bothered to clean up his appearance; his face still unshaved; his uniform crinkled; his boots scuffed. He seemed content with the way his peers viewed him: the shining example of squandered talent.

“Sara, now. Stop asking. Ser– This is a fucking waste of time.”

“Look. I’m not even asking anymore; I’m telling you—”

“Man, just let her. I’ve got a ride to catch…and fly.”

“Shut up, Brake.”

“Who cares, Cap? It’s just a bathroom.”

“Obviously I fucking do!”

“Why do you even bother arguing with her? You’ll crack. You always do.”

“Et tu, Brute? Really Kovac, you’re on their side? I’m fucking sick of this shit. This is why I did not want her aboard in the first place!”

Gavril huffed, narrowing her eyes. This senseless bickering was filling her breaking point. Her fingers slowly curled into tight balls. Her jaw stiffened.

Quickly, Vaughn darted his scowl toward Sara, articulating each word as if speaking to a child. “You. Are. Never. Using. It.”

“You know Vaughn, for once, you should try surprising us all maybe once with some compassion, or common sense.”

“Don’t give a shit.”

“Oh really? Hadn’t noticed.”

Enough! Gavril’s tension exploded. “Enough! Both of you!”

There was a festering petering of comments that each still wanted to convey, though Gavril quickly silenced them again. “We are hours away from embarking on the single most nerve racking – most amazing journey in mankind! And you want to argue about toilets!? Really!? Toilets!?”

Silence. Every pair of eyes were fixed upon Gavril as she smoothed her jacket, giving the bottom a quick tug as she and cued a tight smile. A soft menace still scratched her voice, “Get on the bridge. Now. Get to your stations and enable your kiosks. I want every single system you are responsible to be functioning properly. If you have to run a system diagnostic— then do so. Do you all understand?”

They did, and without a single question each officer stood as she continued, “Also, Captain, I strongly advise you to let Commander Luxidon share the bathroom. We are all going to be working together for a very long time and it would behoove you to find some sort of middle ground with each other. I won’t tolerate any more of this; this stops now.”

Vaughn glared at his sister for what felt like an eternity, before finally breaking contact with a roll of his eyes.

“Close enough. I’ll be on the bridge.” Gavril’s attention then jerked to Bazdik, “Take Commander D’Easia and double check our supplies, and don’t just go by what the bay manifest states, actually take manual inventory scans, okay?”

“Yes, Captain,” Bazdik’s bold voice responded.

“Actually, Bronco, I’m the captain.” Vaughn nonchalantly motioned with his hand.

Confusion settled into Bazdik’s eyes, shifting between the two people. “Um…Of course. Yes. Sorry, Sir – I just – you didn’t seem—”

“Lieutenant,” Gavril said gently, “please send the report to my I.C.” He nodded and exited the room with Commander D’Easia. The rest of the officers awkwardly stood, unsure of whether or not they should stay or exit as well. It was decided as the Commander locked stares with each officer and flicked her head in the direction of the door. Each of them left; though Gavril snatched Vaughn by the arm, halting him, and pulling him aside. “You need to start acting more like the man in charge and less like yourself. You may have Councilwoman Maedrill in your corner right now, but it won’t last, not if you continue to treat everything like a joke. You are blowing an amazing opportunity; she will pull the plug on you. Whether it’s her choice or not, you will be removed from command if you don’t start caring.”

A creeping smirk corned his mouth. “‘Pull the plug?’ I think killing me seems a bit rash, don’t you?”

“Do you not have even a single shred of integrity? Of shame? What happened to you, Vaughn? I’ve known you my whole life; it feels like your accomplishments are apart of my past. You were so revered as a cadet. The I.S.O. gushed – no – projectile vomited their praise for your potential.” She stared at him, not with anger, but genuine concern as sisters do. She had hoped to see a flicker of remorse, something – anything – that showed he regretted his recent behavior. Though she was discouraged, Gavril continued, “During the war you showed them you were worthy of such praise. You were the best damn space captain Earth had to offer.” As the words settled in her ears she couldn’t help but snicker at how silly they must have sounded. Vaughn, too, grinned. And as her snickering became more audible, he couldn’t help but join her as they slid together into laughter.

“Vaughn, I’m trying to be serious, alright? Can you stop?” Their laughter only broadened.

“But, I understand what you’re trying to say… I think.”

Gavril said nothing as her laughter fettered away, replaced instead with the impending reality Vaughn’s childish behavior wasn’t fading. And though she was always one of Vaughn’s biggest supporters, as sisters are, even she struggled to find faith in him. “I hope so,” She finally said in a quiet voice as she lowered her head, brushing by him, making her way for the exit.

“It’s just…”

Gavril stopped and turned back to him.

Vaughn didn’t turn to her as he spoke; instead, his attention was fixed to the floor. “The Council needs to remove the safeties. But, they won’t. Not with the Trilobians ramming their tiresome suggestions down everyone’s throats. Gav.” He turned to her. “I was out there. I know we can do this without them.”

“They helped us build ESURTA. It was a token of their appreciation for aiding them – for helping them to succeed. Regardless of what you believe, it’s only right to go forward as they deem fit. We would be stupid to do otherwise. You should embrace their help… not punish it. There isn’t a need to rush anything.”

“I’m not saying we should rush anything. Not even a little bit. I have nothing against waiting until we’d be prepared without assistance. But that doesn’t seem to be a popular choice. And yes, I fought with them for years – they’re all incredibly admirable, useful, yata-yata, what have you. It’s just…” Vaughn paused, gathering his thoughts. “I was out there for what, ten years? I have the résumé – And shit – not only me, but the people we have now is the very same crew that was right there with me. We’d be able to handle it. We know what we’re doing; we don’t need them.” He sighed. “It isn’t about rushing anything; simply …I feel… We’re ready. Humans need to venture out on their own. If its success we face, then fantastic, I couldn’t be happier. But that goes for defeat, too. We need to struggle through the rough patches – we need to find solutions on our own,” Vaughn slowly sighed and walked toward his sister, “or there’ll be a massive asterisk next to these accomplishments.” He passed by her, leaving her stilled by his comments.

The two were incredibly close as children; the bond only solidified as the decades came and past. They never had a problem in knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Ultimately, they could communicate with simple looks, or less. And as Gavril stood alone, she began to feel a shiver of fear as it sprouted from within in her belly. Softly, she stepped toward the lift port, fearing not the brash immaturity of Vaughn’s behavior, but the fact that there was a growing possibility that he may be correct.

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