by Jim Rudnick
And tonight, he'd sent a note to the cooking staff with a special request to please provide their best Asian menu for dinner as he was entertaining some visitors from Enki. He'd heard back that the cooks were planning a real feast this evening including, he'd heard, some items they had never added to the banquet menu before. He had smiled with delight and had checked a few times with the bridge stewards that yes, all was well down in the dining room and the dining event would be perfect.
He surely hoped so, as tonight he was hosting the RIM ambassador, the five leaders of the Words Muse, and a selected smaller group too—including, he had insisted, on his newfound friend, Stonecraw Qew and a couple more members of the Resources team too. He had asked Qew if Conda Qip, whom they had just met at the Resources training facility a day ago or so, could make it. That wouldn't be possible, Qew had confirmed, but he thanked the RIM group very much for the invite.
Nice to see, at least on the surface of things if he could believe what he'd been told, that the Enkians were also well mannered enough to know that one should always send thanks along with regrets. Good to know, Tanner thought, and hopefully one more sign that the RIM and Enki might find a way to work out their differences.
He smiled at Lieutenant Irving and waved her over to join him at his captain's station on the bridge.
"Lieutenant, just wanted to know if you've heard from Nathan—I mean, Research Team Leader Ward—as yet from Ghayth? Is he enjoying the setting up of the new labs? Where did they put him too?" he asked.
Lieutenant Irving was engaged to Ward, and while she was his best Ansible officer on the Atlas, her fellow was all the way across the RIM more than ninety lights away, where he was the new research Science officer there. His job had come from the Lady St. August after the attempt to steal the vaccine over on the Barony Hospital Ship and how he'd been manipulated by the Caliphate. It was part penance for his succumbing to the threats of the Caliph, but more than that, it was a fresh start, and both he and Lieutenant Irving had been overjoyed that Lady St. August had seen fit to give them that chance.
"Sir, he's loving it. We Ansible daily and while Ghayth is pretty much a dreary place, he is in love with the pioneering aspect of the planet. No sentients have been found yet, but they've discovered a host of new flora and fauna. He's already talking about expanding his team, trying to get a new and bigger budget—all the items any team leader deals with, Sir. My thanks once again to both you and Lady St. August for this," she said, and she ducked her gaze down to the floor as she quickly wiped away a tear.
He reached out, squeezed her arm, and nodded. He said nothing, but he squeezed her arm a couple more times.
"Sir, while I know that I can't mention anything about our mission to him, can I tell him where we are—say just the UrPoPo system? Him not knowing seems like a big thing, and he's always asking me ..." She looked up at him.
He nodded. "Yes, I think the UrPoPo system is broad enough, and that'd be fine," he said, and she grinned at him as she snapped a quick salute and went back to her Ansible station toward the front of the bridge.
Tanner went back to his console as there were now more than a dozen flashing icons. Click one. Read the issue. Make a decision. Communicate back to the sender. Send. Time and time again, he did just that, and as the number went down every few minutes, it seemed to jump back up as well.
A captain's job was more administrative than he'd ever wanted, but there were good times too.
More than three hours later, he looked at his reflection in the mirror in his quarters to double-check his appearance.
Gray hair at his temples blended into his coal black hair, which looked a bit mature and distinguished he thought. His dress blues, with the campaign ribbons on the left breast, looked as dressy as possible, and his boots were spotless and shiny. He checked his Colt too; since the Hospital Ship event a few months back, he'd visited the Atlas arsenal and had drawn his favorite model Colt. He wore it on his side now just about all the time. It wasn't the desert finish that he liked, but even true-blue, it was a serious projectile weapon, and he checked it was on safety and double-clasped in his holster at his side.
Looks fine. And it's Asian night. He smiled, spun on a heel, went out onto Deck Four, and turned to his left as he went down the long deck corridor to the dinner party that was to be held in a conference room. It was down a fair piece, and as he walked the deck corridor, Tanner could see ahead that the tall stainless steel food carts were being wheeled in and there were a lot of them. A line of cooks was entering the room as well, and then he could see a brace of EliteGuards too, stationed outside in the corridor. As he walked, he saw there were guests a few hundred feet away being ushered in this direction, so he sped up a little to get there ahead of them.
At the doorway, he glanced in—the room looked beautiful. A large square table would seat the many guests, and there was a huge buffet line off to one side. A small contingent of Enkian chefs stood behind the trays of warming Enkian food or what passed for their food—pellets maybe. While he knew that Enkians could easily digest human food, he also knew they needed at least some of their specialized Enkian food too every day. Each of the muses and also Militia and Resources had to eat the chemically treated specialized Enkian food every day to keep their colorations of feathers fed and intact. He'd learned that from Stonecraw Qew on the way home from their visit to the training center just a few days ago. Every young Enkian stayed at the training center until each Enkian was judged and sorted on their graduation day. And that happened here in this city in less than three weeks.
Coming over to say hello, Steward Jim Ashley bustled over and grinned at him.
"Sir, what a great dinner party this will be! Everything is as you've ordered, and the cooks have gone all out, Sir. There's some new dishes, and I understand that they even got the chance to use some local Enkian products too. Congratulations, Sir ... I'm sure it will be a wonderful evening! And oh yes, we have that new tea station too—know that you've found a winner, so I personally stocked it for you," he said and smiled at his captain.
The smells were about the best Tanner had ever experienced—he knew this would be a wonderful meal. A real bonding event, he hoped.
Back at the doorway, Tanner took up a station by the door and was joined by Bram, his Adept Officer, and moments later his XO, Kondo Lazaro, and the invited dinner guests walked up to the doorway. His XO had been given the duty to meet all the guests and to escort them to the dinner party room, and they were all here, and Tanner thought, all looked pretty snazzy.
The RIM ambassador was at the head of the lineup, and he was most graceful and pleasing in giving thanks to Tanner for the wonderful dinner—and that made him laugh loudly.
"There's a rule in the Diplomatic Corps, Captain Scott—that one should always thank the host before the meal. Sort of an insurance against bad food, I suspect—but I'm told by everyone that the Atlas has the finest cooks in the RIM! So thanks once again, Captain," he said as he nodded to Tanner and went into the room. Following him were others from the ambassador's group. Next, the five head Enkians of the Words Muse presented themselves one by one, and each thanked Tanner for his hospitality and offered that they too were looking forward to a wonderful dinner. Behind them came the extra Words Muse followers who always accompanied their leaders. And finally, Tanner smiled, Stonecraw Qew and two more Militia officers presented themselves.
"Stonecraw Qew, how nice that you could join us this evening," he said, and he held out his hand to shake the Enkians.
That seemed to catch Stonecraw Qew off-guard, but a moment later, he too held out his hand and allowed Tanner to shake it a few times.
"This is called 'shaking hands,' Qew," Tanner said, "and it's a sign of respect, indicating that the two people respect each other."
Qew nodded back and smiled, rippling his feathered crest.
Seems like he likes being called a person that I respect, Tanner thought.
Looking down the corridor, he saw no one else.
Odd, he thought, and he caught his XO's eye inside the room and waved him over.
"The Marwick crew?" he said.
"Sir, sorry—thought you knew. Recalled back to Faraway—the trade wars with Leudi have erupted, and I hear there are some casualties too. They jumped more than an hour ago, so sudden that I'd guess Captain Templeton didn't have time to say goodbye. Most likely, he'll Ansible you soon. Oh, and that means that—at least according to the Barony orders—we are now the 'ship of record' too. I hear that the ambassador has already been moved into one of those big owners quarters way forward, and his staff are bringing over his effects, files, and all the diplomatic stuff to the Atlas. We win—least that's how it looks, Sir," he said, and Tanner could catch only the tiniest bit of sarcasm in Kondo's voice.
"Um, okay ... that's news, but sure. No RIM Navy vessel sent out to replace the Marwick, I take it?"
"Sir—not at this point far as I know. We will be advised though, we were told," Kondo said.
Tanner raised an eyebrow, and it was met with the same look back from Kondo.
Having just been along for the ride was one thing—but now, the Atlas was the ship the ambassador called home, and that meant the rules might change for them all, but that remained to be seen.
#####
On the Atlas, one of the best things that Tanner had learned was that the cooks on-board were the best he'd ever had the pleasure of serving with in any man's navy. Sure, he'd enjoyed the food on the Kerry and the Marwick when he was in the RIM Confederacy Navy, but the Barony Navy was a full level up when it came to both menu and the wide variety of ethnic cooking styles from different planets.
Tanner's favorite was the nights when the cooks took on what they called Asian cooking, and that included his favorite Thai items like Pad Thai and Tom Yam Goong or Som Tam with its spicy papaya spicing, which made him grin from ear to ear. Like most almost forty-year-old people, Tanner realized worrying about his uniform pants getting a bit tight was a new thing to worry about. Yet on Asian nights, he said the hell with it and chowed down on all the various items that came out of the kitchen—and he usually told the stewards to bring more too. He was not too proud of it, but he tried to always ride herd on his waistline on all other nights, but never on Asian night.
And tonight, he'd sent a note to the cooking staff with a special request to please provide their best Asian menu for dinner as he was entertaining some visitors from Enki. He'd heard back that the cooks were planning a real feast this evening including, he'd heard, some items they had never added to the banquet menu before. He had smiled with delight and had checked a few times with the bridge stewards that yes, all was well down in the dining room and the dining event would be perfect.
He surely hoped so, as tonight he was hosting the RIM ambassador, the five leaders of the Words Muse, and a selected smaller group too—including, he had insisted, on his newfound friend, Stonecraw Qew and a couple more members of the Resources team too. He had asked Qew if Conda Qip, whom they had just met at the Resources training facility a day ago or so, could make it. That wouldn't be possible, Qew had confirmed, but he thanked the RIM group very much for the invite.
Nice to see, at least on the surface of things if he could believe what he'd been told, that the Enkians were also well mannered enough to know that one should always send thanks along with regrets. Good to know, Tanner thought, and hopefully one more sign that the RIM and Enki might find a way to work out their differences.
He smiled at Lieutenant Irving and waved her over to join him at his captain's station on the bridge.
"Lieutenant, just wanted to know if you've heard from Nathan—I mean, Research Team Leader Ward—as yet from Ghayth? Is he enjoying the setting up of the new labs? Where did they put him too?" he asked.
Lieutenant Irving was engaged to Ward, and while she was his best Ansible officer on the Atlas, her fellow was all the way across the RIM more than ninety lights away, where he was the new research Science officer there. His job had come from the Lady St. August after the attempt to steal the vaccine over on the Barony Hospital Ship and how he'd been manipulated by the Caliphate. It was part penance for his succumbing to the threats of the Caliph, but more than that, it was a fresh start, and both he and Lieutenant Irving had been overjoyed that Lady St. August had seen fit to give them that chance.
"Sir, he's loving it. We Ansible daily and while Ghayth is pretty much a dreary place, he is in love with the pioneering aspect of the planet. No sentients have been found yet, but they've discovered a host of new flora and fauna. He's already talking about expanding his team, trying to get a new and bigger budget—all the items any team leader deals with, Sir. My thanks once again to both you and Lady St. August for this," she said, and she ducked her gaze down to the floor as she quickly wiped away a tear.
He reached out, squeezed her arm, and nodded. He said nothing, but he squeezed her arm a couple more times.
"Sir, while I know that I can't mention anything about our mission to him, can I tell him where we are—say just the UrPoPo system? Him not knowing seems like a big thing, and he's always asking me ..." She looked up at him.
He nodded. "Yes, I think the UrPoPo system is broad enough, and that'd be fine," he said, and she grinned at him as she snapped a quick salute and went back to her Ansible station toward the front of the bridge.
Tanner went back to his console as there were now more than a dozen flashing icons. Click one. Read the issue. Make a decision. Communicate back to the sender. Send. Time and time again, he did just that, and as the number went down every few minutes, it seemed to jump back up as well.
A captain's job was more administrative than he'd ever wanted, but there were good times too.
More than three hours later, he looked at his reflection in the mirror in his quarters to double-check his appearance.
Gray hair at his temples blended into his coal black hair, which looked a bit mature and distinguished he thought. His dress blues, with the campaign ribbons on the left breast, looked as dressy as possible, and his boots were spotless and shiny. He checked his Colt too; since the Hospital Ship event a few months back, he'd visited the Atlas arsenal and had drawn his favorite model Colt. He wore it on his side now just about all the time. It wasn't the desert finish that he liked, but even true-blue, it was a serious projectile weapon, and he checked it was on safety and double-clasped in his holster at his side.
Looks fine. And it's Asian night. He smiled, spun on a heel, went out onto Deck Four, and turned to his left as he went down the long deck corridor to the dinner party that was to be held in a conference room. It was down a fair piece, and as he walked the deck corridor, Tanner could see ahead that the tall stainless steel food carts were being wheeled in and there were a lot of them. A line of cooks was entering the room as well, and then he could see a brace of EliteGuards too, stationed outside in the corridor. As he walked, he saw there were guests a few hundred feet away being ushered in this direction, so he sped up a little to get there ahead of them.
At the doorway, he glanced in—the room looked beautiful. A large square table would seat the many guests, and there was a huge buffet line off to one side. A small contingent of Enkian chefs stood behind the trays of warming Enkian food or what passed for their food—pellets maybe. While he knew that Enkians could easily digest human food, he also knew they needed at least some of their specialized Enkian food too every day. Each of the muses and also Militia and Resources had to eat the chemically treated specialized Enkian food every day to keep their colorations of feathers fed and intact. He'd learned that from Stonecraw Qew on the way home from their visit to the training center just a few days ago. Every young Enkian stayed at the training center until each Enkian was judged and sorted on their graduation day. And that happened here in this city in less than three weeks.
Coming over to say hello, Steward Jim Ashley bustled over and grinned at him.
"Sir, what a great dinner party this will be! Everything is as you've ordered, and
the cooks have gone all out, Sir. There's some new dishes, and I understand that they even got the chance to use some local Enkian products too. Congratulations, Sir ... I'm sure it will be a wonderful evening! And oh yes, we have that new tea station too—know that you've found a winner, so I personally stocked it for you," he said and smiled at his captain.
The smells were about the best Tanner had ever experienced—he knew this would be a wonderful meal. A real bonding event, he hoped.
Back at the doorway, Tanner took up a station by the door and was joined by Bram, his Adept Officer, and moments later his XO, Kondo Lazaro, and the invited dinner guests walked up to the doorway. His XO had been given the duty to meet all the guests and to escort them to the dinner party room, and they were all here, and Tanner thought, all looked pretty snazzy.
The RIM ambassador was at the head of the lineup, and he was most graceful and pleasing in giving thanks to Tanner for the wonderful dinner—and that made him laugh loudly.
"There's a rule in the Diplomatic Corps, Captain Scott—that one should always thank the host before the meal. Sort of an insurance against bad food, I suspect—but I'm told by everyone that the Atlas has the finest cooks in the RIM! So thanks once again, Captain," he said as he nodded to Tanner and went into the room. Following him were others from the ambassador's group. Next, the five head Enkians of the Words Muse presented themselves one by one, and each thanked Tanner for his hospitality and offered that they too were looking forward to a wonderful dinner. Behind them came the extra Words Muse followers who always accompanied their leaders. And finally, Tanner smiled, Stonecraw Qew and two more Militia officers presented themselves.
