\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He came awake groggy in the light of a glowstick shining in his face, maybe an hour after falling into bed.\u00a0 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.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “I don’t care what your sister paid you to do that, go back to bed.”<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Legacy<\/em>‘s XO pulled the blanket clear of his friend’s face.\u00a0 “No jokes, Aly didn’t put me up to this-she’s still in bed, where I’d love<\/em> to be.”\u00a0 He flipped on the lights.\u00a0 “Out of bed, Dav, we need to be on Wayfarer in ten minutes.” ~ Erin<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “Ten minutes?”\u00a0 His sleep-addled brain struggled to process what his friend was saying as he struggled free of the sheets of his borrowed bed.\u00a0 “Did I sleep through yesterday?”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “If you did, it’s news to me, you looked pretty awake to me with Aly hanging all over your arm.”\u00a0 He jerked open a drawer, rummaged around, then tossed a wad of fabric at him.\u00a0 “That one should fit.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Davil clawed the cloth from his face and frowned as he made sense of what it was.\u00a0 “It’s wrinkled.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “Of course it’s wrinkled, my father hasn’t worn a uniform in ten years.\u00a0 Should fit you, though, so put it on while I get your jacket.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Davil scrubbed his hands over his face.\u00a0 “Remind me why I can’t wear my own uniform?”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “Dora spilled her drink on your pants, remember?\u00a0 You’re wearing the top half.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The engineer grunted, shaking his head to clear it as he pulled the pants on.\u00a0 He got them fastened just soon enough to get blindsided by his jacket flying in from his left.\u00a0 “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “Huh?”\u00a0 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.\u00a0 “Oh.\u00a0 I had to get dressed.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Davil paused in dressing long enough to give his friend a dirty look.\u00a0 “I hate you.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “Whatever.\u00a0 Shut up and get dressed or you’ll be making the flight in socks.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “What exploded, anyway?”\u00a0 He sat down to pull the socks on, followed by his boots.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “General Kosura’s task force, apparently.\u00a0 Word came down last night but was kept on the down-low.”\u00a0 Dorrin scrubbed a hand over his face.\u00a0 “Looks like the fleet commanders haven’t gotten any sleep tonight, getting orders together and all that.\u00a0 Cay’s going to need you to go over the tech specs coming in from Jargunda and brief the engineering staffs by 0700.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The engineer was quiet for a long moment.\u00a0 “What if I don’t think some of the staffers \u2018get it’?”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “What do you mean?”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Davil scrubbed a hand over his face.\u00a0 “This isn’t exactly easy or standard stuff that I’ve worked up for these ships, Dorrin.\u00a0 It takes a certain level of know-how to make it work and keep it running.\u00a0 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.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dorrin frowned a moment, opening the door.\u00a0 “Guess we cross that bridge when we get to it.\u00a0 C’mon, let’s get going.”
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Davil grimaced and followed him, not looking forward at all to the assuredly long day that lay ahead of him.<\/p>\nShare this:<\/h3>