said his last goodbyes to the Pope and Father Joseph. She asked Tomika to wait for her at the bar in the village so they could return to the Back together, and she assumed the First Officer was already on her way back to the bridge. Kathy said little compared to the rest of the Triumvirate other than describing the impending orbital maneuvers, and it was hard to get a read on her personality. From what little the Engineer could see and hear, the First Officer was professional and laconic as her reputation implied.
The person who surprised her the most at the meeting was Charles. She was not seeing the person she knew before the mutiny.
He’s very thin and pale, but he doesn’t smell like booze anymore. He’s rough around the edges but better than before. No, “better” isn’t the right word. He’s more focused and fully aware of his responsibilities. Some people would have run away screaming, while he stopped and faced everything head-on.
But is he the right person to lead us to Landfall? Can he stay sober?
We’ll find out.
Joro took in her surroundings, as she rarely left the Back since her ascension to the Office of the Engineer, noting the villages overhead through the mist.
When was the last time I spent any real time away from my desk? Oh right. Our honeymoon. Even though they were already intimately familiar with each other, the memories of the time she spent away with Padmus and Enrique after they signed their three-year contract could still make her blush. The remote spa at the “north” end of the Ring seemed to give them permission to explore their entire sexuality. She learned something new about herself, in that she enjoyed being the observer as much as the participant.
That shouldn’t have been a surprise. Being a good leader sometimes means watching and listening as much as talking.
God, what a week.
So many good times, and I will miss them, but yes, Mother is right, dammit. I don’t love them, and they deserve love. They should be with someone who will make them the most important people in their universe. That will not happen while I’m the Engineer.
The Captain finally broke away and indicated the path to the Basilica door. “Thank you for waiting, Engineer.”
“My time is your time, sir.”
“I was hoping you would say that,” Charles said. “Are you in a hurry to get back to the Back?”
“I set aside the entire afternoon.”
“You assumed I would ask?”
“You said you were going to meet one-on-one with the Pope before the Triumvirate. I assumed you want to talk about it.”
Charles held up a finger then pointed to his ear. “I was privileged to see his bonsai collection. Quite beautiful.”
He thinks there’s microphones in the area. He’s probably not wrong. “I’ve heard they are.”
“He’ll be happy to show you if you asked.”
They re-entered the village, and Joro watched the faces in the crowd as it parted before them. When they saw Charles’s uniform, some were openly curious and others were respectful, but no one smiled. A few were openly angry. She wondered if she should have sent a Badge to protect him in the Ring like she did when he went to the Bilgewater Café.
He would have refused.
She wasn’t sure why she knew that, but she was certain she was right.
He stopped at an outdoor café. “Thirsty?”
“Parched.”
The owner stepped up and courteously asked if they would like an inside table. Charles pointed at an outside table with no one sitting near it and asked him to bring two glasses of whatever the owner drank with his lunch.
They sat.
“I don’t have money,” Charles admitted sheepishly.
“Why not?” Joro smiled at his discomfort.
“When I gave up drinking, I stopped carrying money. If I don’t have it, I can’t buy drinks. Guess I better start again. Carrying money, I mean.”
“You better hope the owner didn’t have grog at lunch.” She pulled a folded bill from her pocket. “You get the next one.”
“Thanks.”
To their relief, the owner brought tall glasses of iced tea. He waved off her money with a smile, saying it was an honor to serve the Captain and the Engineer.
“I forgot to take this off.” She removed her golden Venn diagram after he left and put it in her pocket. “Cheers.”
“Cheers. Why don’t you wear it?”
“When I do my job right, I don’t need to.” She watched the passersby as they sipped their drinks, and almost all ignored them, save for the occasional person who recognized Charles’s uniform. Again, no one smiled. “You’re not popular here.”
“Yeah. Going to be that way for a while. Maybe forever. That’s fine. Nobody loves the Captain.”
“Do you want to hear how sorry I am about your father and brother?”
“Dear God, no.” He smiled to take the bite off his words. “Everyone is sorry, and I’ve been polite every single time. Can I be rude for once and say no?”
“Absolutely,” Joro said. “Can I be honest too? Speak freely?”
Charles contemplated her for a few seconds before he appeared to come to a decision. “Engineer, you are one of four people I implicitly trust on this ship. That number may grow, but for now, it’s a small group. If I’m to do this Captain shit right, I need the four of you to be straight with me and tell me when I’m wrong.”
“Who are the other three?”
“The First Officer. My orderly, Carlos. My chief troubleshooter, Bertie. You know him.” He took a sip. “Use your best judgment as to when you need to be blunt, but you have permission up front.”
Joro had a flashback to her talks with her mother and daughter, and she realized that she’d only given Tomika permission to tell her when she was wrong. I’ve been the Engineer for two years, and I just let someone inside today. He’s been Captain for less than a month, and he’s already set up a support system. I’m a little bit impressed. “Two conditions, Captain.”
“Name them.”
“You do the same for me, and you call me Joro when we’re alone.”
“Deal. Call me Charles.” They tapped glasses.
“My first blunt question,” Joro said. “Giving up the Bilgewater Café?”
“You mean, am I still a drunk?”
She chose to remain silent.
“Right for the carotid artery there, Joro.”
“Neither of us have time for bullshit, Charles.”
“You’re right. Good for you.” He took a sip. “Yes. I’m giving up the Bilgewater Café. Permanently. Let me ask about that. Why is it even open in the first place?”
Joro contemplated her answer, wondering how far she should trust him. “I want it out where I can keep track of it.”
“You’re holding back something.”
“You’re right.” She decided to trust him. “Madam Chang knows where the bodies are buried when it comes to three of my Assistant Engineers. They’re good people, and the ship needs them where they are.” I also need their votes to stay in place as the Engineer. “You know Chang and Bertie are bed buddies?”
The way Charles blinked confirmed he didn’t. “Really? I knew he was seeing someone in the Back but no idea who. Damn. I don’t want to be, but I am impressed. She has direct links to both the Engineer and the Captain. What about the Pope? Is she connected to him?”
“I’m working on finding out.”
“Let me know when you know.”
“What about your meeting with him?” Joro asked.
When Charles told her that he placed a deadline on the Pope for information on the village priest, she ruefully shook her head and held up her glass.
“I’ll bet you two of these drinks that the priest is unavailable,” she said. “He’ll be exiled or something for incompetence.”
“No bet,” Charles said. “My point was to let the Pope know he was on my radar. Men not used to peer pressure make mistakes.”
“Well said.” Joro sat back in her seat and tried to decide how she felt. Relaxed. I feel relaxed. She wondered if her drink was spiked but decided it wasn’t. She was relaxed because Charles said all the things she needed to hear since meeting with the Triumvirate began. He hadn’t raised any of her alarms. “Tell me about your plans for Landfall.”
He laughed. “You have a week?”
“You’re thinking that far ahead?”
He gestured between them. “That’s our job. We hire people to solve the small pieces of the puzzle, but you and I will put it all together in a timeline with a process that both makes sense and causes the least headaches. The little problems tend to be solved before they reach us. We only get the big ones.”
“Hear, hear.” She raised her glass. “I wish some of my Assistant Engineers understood that.”
“I have a favor to ask. Need help with a big personnel problem.” He paused. “I don’t have a Second Officer.”
“What happened to your Third Officer?”
Charles laughed. “Can’t find his ass with both hands. My father appointed him before he died.”
“Fire him.”
“He’s the best one of my cousins.”
Joro frowned. “Do senior officers have to be from the Devereaux family?”
“Supposed to be,” Charles said, “but these ridiculous traditions are handcuffing me and endangering the ship. My father’s and grandfather’s obsession with keeping to tradition has us in a mess. I can count our qualified bridge officers on one hand.”
“I know.”
“I know you know. Frankly, I’d be surprised if you haven’t been running classes on bridge operations in the Back.”
Joro set her glass down. “How did you know?”
“It was a reasonable guess since your team practically runs things from the Back out of necessity. Please tell me you’re training bridge officers.”
“Slow down, Charles,” Joro said. “Have you thought this through? No Burner has served on the ship’s senior staff. Whoever steps in will be treated like shit.”
“Then pick me a good one.” Charles slapped the table, making Joro jump. “I don’t have time. Three years. That’s it. Three years to change thousands of years of habits and stupid thinking to get these people to their next home. Between then and now, I have to do a million things right and zero things wrong, but I need people now. Smart people. Driven. Dedicated.”
He sighed. “Everyone is used to the Devereaux family solving everything, but the current generation can’t pour piss out of a boot even if the instructions are printed on the heel. We need fresh blood and new brains.”
“You make the Devereauxes sound like brainless zombies.” Joro smiled.
Charles laughed. “Include me in that. I haven’t slept in a month and probably won’t for another three years. Seriously, Joro, tell me you’ve got someone.”
“Yeah, I might. He could be an Assistant Engineer before we land, but that team is set.”
“Good. Send him to Kathy. Let him know he’ll be the most hated man on the bridge other than me.”
“It won’t bother him.”
“Perfect. What about helm and navigators?”
“Give me two months.”
“Really?” Charles looked amazed and grateful. “You’re training people.”
“Yes.”
“You must have started months ago.”
Joro stayed silent.
“Good for you,” Charles said. “My father would not have understood. He never trusted Burners. Never explained why. What would you have done if he were still Captain?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“No,” Charles said then emptied his drink. “But I might get some sleep tonight. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”
“Of course. Do you have orders for me, sir?” she asked formally.
“Establish a standing meeting between us until further notice. We don’t want to be surprised by big problems if we can. Bring whoever you want. The First Officer will be there. We may not make every meeting, but let’s get in the habit.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Otherwise, carry on, ma’am.” Charles grinned. “I would be an idiot to interfere with the Back after seeing how well you have things running. Better than the Front, that’s for sure.”
“Not for long.”
“We’ll see.” He shook her hand and stood. “I have a ship to attend to. Thank you for everything, Engineer.” He turned and left before she could reply.
Interesting man. His hand was warm even though he looked like the walking dead. I wonder if he always runs hot like that. But what about that tremor? I hadn’t noticed it before. Have his hands always shaken like that?
Joro tapped the side of her head, dismissing the thought, as she saw Tomika wave at her from the bar across the street, her bag on her shoulder. She waved her daughter over.
“Good meeting, Mother?” Tomika asked.
“Yes, both were good meetings.”
“The Captain is younger than I thought. And cuter.”
Yes, he is. Joro shook her head. “Let’s go.” She took her daughter’s bag.
“You’re really something, you know,” Tomika said as they approached the spoke’s elevator.
“Hmm?” The stress of being on her best behavior was generating an ache at the base of Joro’s neck. Enrique knew how to rub it out, but she was at least three hours from seeing him, considering everything waiting for her at the office.
“You were faking almost every answer back there, weren’t you?” Tomika pointed over her shoulder to the road behind them.
“Pretty much.”
“Why?”
“Had to.”
Obviously irritated with her mother’s short answers, Tomika opened her mouth, but Joro raised her hand.
“One minute,” Joro said. “I’m coming down from a major stress attack.”
“Now I’m worried. My real mother would never have admitted that.”
Joro chuckled. “Your real mother wasn’t the Engineer.”
“She still had important jobs back in the day.”
Joro stopped and set down the bag before she bent at the waist, grabbed the backs of her knees, and pulled her face into her legs. Giving in to temptation, she stretched her arms out, flattened her hands on the ground, and lifted her feet up. She balanced with no wavering, and pleased she was adjusting to the Ring, she walked on her hands for a few steps before flipping back onto her feet.
Tomika clapped before picking up her bag. “Bravo. You still find time for yoga?”
“It’s the only thing that keeps me sane some days, to be honest. Okay, hit me with your questions.” Joro entered the station and called for a pod.
“Mother, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“Good. Didn’t expect you to. I sprang your new job on you with no warning. Admitting you don’t know what you don’t know is the best first step. It’s also good news for me.” Joro nodded. “You’re a clean slate. If you see something out of whack, you’ll let me know. Check?”
“Check. That’s the ‘senior advisor’ part?”
“Yes. I’m appointing a Special Assistant Engineer as project manager for Landfall, and that person will report directly to me. It can’t be you for a hundred reasons, but I can make you an advisor. Long tradition of Engineers appointing family members to that role. There will be grumbling, but when they see you like I see you, that’ll quiet down fast.”
Tomika stood beside her mother. “It will have to, won’t it? Three years isn’t a lot of time.”
“You have less time than you think. Everything must be set in place before we get close to the new solar system and orbit insertion. Want to hear a secret?”
“I’m in this deep.”
“So true.” Joro sighed. “We don’t have anyone to steer the ship. No pilots or navigators.”
“Wait, what?” Tomika stopped in her tracks for a moment, then she followed her mother into the pod. “How the hell did that happen?”
“It’s a sad and long story that we can’t change. We only have the here and now.” Joro smiled to herself as she heard herself repeating the Captain’s words to the Pope.
“Uh, yikes.”
“Yep. The good news is I saw this from a mile away. We’re training people, but we still need to think about Landfall. We need Burners who can step outside their comfort zones and take on new duties. That’s on your list.”
“Okay.”
Joro laughed at Tomika’s small voice. “You’ll be fine. You already know the key players and how they think. And I saw your marks in the leadership class. Think of this as another lesson, another simulation from your class. And you’re not alone. Everyone in the Back will be supporting you.”
“I want to ask about that, but first?”
“Hmm?” Joro was watching the outside of the pod.
“Who are you appointing as the Special Assistant Engineer?”
“Who do you think?”
“No.” Tomika crossed her arms.
“Yes.”
“I quit.”
Smiling, Joro hugged her daughter around the waist, realizing how much she missed this level of stubbornness. Though Tomika was like many Burner children who were generally compliant, her daughter held zero fear of authority, and they used to have some serious verbal wars.
Joro took a second to breathe in her daughter, imagining her baby smell from what seemed like yesterday. “Sweetheart, you were drafted, not hired. You’re stuck for the duration.”
“Ugh. Fine. But Keven Weber? Really?”
“He’s got the best handle on everything in the Back. The old-timers love him, and the kids think he’s cute.”
“He’s cranky.”
“Think of him as your first personnel problem. Solve it.”
“You’re sending me to ask him? Me?”
“Might as well. You two have to be a team, and he’ll refuse to come out of retirement if I ask him. You’ve got this. Things to do. History to make.”
“Are you staying on the ship or going down to the planet?” Tomika asked.
“That will be the question for the next three years, won’t it? Everyone will ask everyone else.”
“And?”
“Sweetheart, I can’t say. We don’t know enough about Home. The planet may be inhabited or poisonous or both. We can’t land hundreds of shuttles and set up a civilization somewhere without a lot more information.”
“I have thoughts about that, too, Mother.”
“Something like, ‘The human race screwed up one planet. Why do we have the right to screw up another’?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re not wrong, but I want a drink in front of me before we go there, daughter.”
The pod slowed and stopped, and Joro hefted Tomika’s bag out the door only to stop abruptly when she realized someone was waiting for them at the end of the platform. “Moira. How good to see you.”
“Likewise, Engineer.”
“You know my daughter Tomika?”
“Of course. Welcome home, Technician.”
The Chief Badge’s odd formality raised an alarm with Joro. “Is something wrong, Chief?”
“Yes, ma’am. I have terrible news.”
“What?”
“One of my Badges is dead. He was murdered.”