He came awake groggy in the light of a glowstick shining in his face, maybe an hour after falling into bed.  Cracking an eye open long enough to get a glimpse of Dorrin in the stick’s backwash, Davil groaned, pulling the blankets up over his head.
            “I don’t care what your sister paid you to do that, go back to bed.”

            The Legacy‘s XO pulled the blanket clear of his friend’s face.  “No jokes, Aly didn’t put me up to this-she’s still in bed, where I’d love to be.”  He flipped on the lights.  “Out of bed, Dav, we need to be on Wayfarer in ten minutes.”
            “Ten minutes?”  His sleep-addled brain struggled to process what his friend was saying as he struggled free of the sheets of his borrowed bed.  “Did I sleep through yesterday?”
            “If you did, it’s news to me, you looked pretty awake to me with Aly hanging all over your arm.”  He jerked open a drawer, rummaged around, then tossed a wad of fabric at him.  “That one should fit.”
            Davil clawed the cloth from his face and frowned as he made sense of what it was.  “It’s wrinkled.”
            “Of course it’s wrinkled, my father hasn’t worn a uniform in ten years.  Should fit you, though, so put it on while I get your jacket.”
            Davil scrubbed his hands over his face.  “Remind me why I can’t wear my own uniform?”
            “Dora spilled her drink on your pants, remember?  You’re wearing the top half.”
            The engineer grunted, shaking his head to clear it as he pulled the pants on.  He got them fastened just soon enough to get blindsided by his jacket flying in from his left.  “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”
            “Huh?”  Dorrin turned to toss a pair of clean socks to him, which Davil caught and tossed onto the bed so he could finish fastening up his uniform jacket.  “Oh.  I had to get dressed.”
            Davil paused in dressing long enough to give his friend a dirty look.  “I hate you.”
            “Whatever.  Shut up and get dressed or you’ll be making the flight in socks.”
            “What exploded, anyway?”  He sat down to pull the socks on, followed by his boots.
            “General Kosura’s task force, apparently.  Word came down last night but was kept on the down-low.”  Dorrin scrubbed a hand over his face.  “Looks like the fleet commanders haven’t gotten any sleep tonight, getting orders together and all that.  Cay’s going to need you to go over the tech specs coming in from Jargunda and brief the engineering staffs by 0700.”
            The engineer was quiet for a long moment.  “What if I don’t think some of the staffers ‘get it’?”
            “What do you mean?”
            Davil scrubbed a hand over his face.  “This isn’t exactly easy or standard stuff that I’ve worked up for these ships, Dorrin.  It takes a certain level of know-how to make it work and keep it running.  Any number of things could go wrong, and whoever’s keeping an eye on those systems has to be prepared to deal with those contingencies.”
            Dorrin frowned a moment, opening the door.  “Guess we cross that bridge when we get to it.  C’mon, let’s get going.”
            Davil grimaced and followed him, not looking forward at all to the assuredly long day that lay ahead of him.

~ Erin