The Captain's Heart CH 60 (Patreon)

Jeremy pause on stepping into the engineering office on seeing the sandy-blond furred Kelsirian angrily keying something. “Excuse me?” He

Jeremy pause on stepping into the engineering office on seeing the sandy-blond furred Kelsirian angrily keying something.

“Excuse me?” He did his best to keep his tone light, instead of offended at some stranger playing with his systems.

The man turned brown eyes on him. “What did you do?” he demanded, waving a hand at the screen.

“Okay. I don’t know who you are, but you have no business being in here. How about you leave?”

The eyes narrowed. “Not only do you come here uninvited and do gods know what to my reactor, but you don’t even have to decency to learn to speak our language?”

“I’ve learned Kelsirian,” Jeremy snapped. “I just can’t speak it.” He pulled his tablet as the Kelsirian slammed his hand on the board.

“Technician Thuruk sel Minial, come get this Earther before I throw him down the stairs.”

“Hey, don’t use that tune with him. I don’t care if you’re the mighty Engineer, how about you show some respect to those who work under you?” He looked at his tablet and realized he’d wiped the explanation of who he was as he’d looked away. He started over, ignoring the other man’s grumbling.

“My apologies,” Thuruk said, panting. “I wasn’t aware you had returned.”

“Oh?” the man said, offended, glaring at Jeremy. “When did it become required for the Engineer to let his technicians know of his movement?”

“It isn’t…. Your aren’t….”

“How about you tell him he could do with some personality adjustment?”

“Jeremy, it might be best if you come with me.” Thuruk motioned to the door.

“And make sure he knows that if he sets foot in my Engineering, I don’t care who his Heart is, I am having thrown into a cell.”

“Thuruk, tell that insufferable, angry little fur ball that I have as much right to be here than he does.”

“Jeremy, please,” his friend implored.

He couldn’t believe the misery on his face. His ears were folded back in a way that looked painful. Where was the Hunter who’d threatened to throw him over his shoulder? Or who’d defied Gralgiran to come along the rescue?

“You don’t have to take this from him, Thuruk. You aren’t a slave to be ordered about.”

That did nothing to alleviate the misery.

Jeremy glared at the sandy furred man. “Don’t think this is the end, buddy.” He stepped outside, and Thuruk followed him, professing apologies to the man inside until the door closed. Then interposed himself as Jeremy headed for one of the consoles.

“You have leave,” his friend whispered.

“I don’t—”

“Please, Jeremy. Go home. The Engineer is serious. If you defy him, he will have you arrested.”

“Is that why the lot of you are so scared of him? Threats of jail time?”

“No, he doesn’t—”

Jeremy glared.

“He’s the Engineer.”

“So am I.”

Thuruk shook his head. “There is only one Engineer on a ship. Please go home. Once he is calm, I’m certain he will be willing to listen to you.”

Jeremy snorted. “He isn’t going to like what I have to tell him any more, by then.”

Thuruk winced.

Jeremy forced his breathing to slow. “This way he lords over you. It’s not right.”

“He’s the Engineer,” Thuruk said, as if that excused the actions, which only infuriated Jeremy. The man was in the window, looking down at them. Sneering, as far as Jeremy could make out.

He gave the man the finger and stormed out.

Of all the entitled assholes he’d had to deal with in his career, this one took the cake. Let him calm down all he wanted. Jeremy was going to tear him a new one and explain how to run engineering. Keeping everyone terrified was not how things were done.

His mood hadn’t changed by the time he reached his quarters, and the first thing he did was aim to print himself a scotch. Only to be reminded they didn’t have that here. He’d tried the alcohols, and they weren’t bad, but nearly everything was in the range of wines. The only hard liquor he’d found tasted like motor oil to him.

Fuck, he needed a drink.

His tablet buzzed.

One of my contact responded to my request and sent me this. Let me know if it meets with your expectations.

Quartermaster Xenial Er Ta’Halan.

A file was attached, and he sent it to the printer.

The smell was heavenly. The taste bitter and slightly sour, and hot.

He sighed, some of his anger melting away as the coffee warmed his stomach. He sat and nursed it. It wasn’t Scotch, but as a substitute, it would do. He’d have to ask the quartermaster to get him the file for it.

He was on his second one when Gralgiran entered. “Jer, are you okay?”

“Did the high and mighty Engineer complain about me?”

Gralgiran winced. “Thuruk sel Minial let me know you’d met Alix, and that it didn’t go well.”

He snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m better, now that I’ve had coffee. So, it’s Alix?”

“Yes, he’s a friend of mine.”

“So, me bitching about what an asshole he is, isn’t going to go over well?”

His Heart sat opposite him. “He can be intense when it comes to his reactor or his territory.”

“He treated Thuruk like shit!”

“You haven’t met him at his best, Jer. He’s been stuck in Medical for days, worrying about what had happened to his reactor.”

“What I’d done to it?” he asked bitterly, and Gralgiran looked away.

“He is….” His Heart took a breath. “We can be possessive when it comes to our territory. It goes back to well before we left the ground. Once he has calmed down. Once he sees you haven’t ruined his work, he’ll be in a better state to discuss the situation with you.”

“So you aren’t going to tell us how this is going to go? You’re the boss, after all.” He hadn’t meant to sound bitter.

“That isn’t how we do things, Jer. I’m the Captain. He’s the Engineer. I don’t have the authority to tell him how he runs his territory.”

“What if he treats all his techs like shit?”

“Then he won’t have technicians to work for him, and I’ll a ship that can’t work well, and I’ll have to see about finding a new Engineer.”

“You’re telling me they can just walk off the job? That no one’s going to be pissed at them, for the problems the ship has?”

“Jer, they won’t be the ones at fault. Rank means that the person who bears it is responsible for what happens. Alix needs to ensure his engineering runs well. If a technician can’t perform their duties, he will see to it that they be trained or, if he decides they deceived him, be replaced. If he can’t keep his technicians, he is at fault for the failures we then experience.”

“Then why the fuck are they still working there?”

“Alix isn’t a bad male. He is intense, he is bad tempered, but he looks after what is his. And that includes his technicians.”

“So the way he treated Thuruk is my fault?”

“No, Jeremy. It’s Alix’s. And the technician will have to decide what he does about it.”

Jeremy finished his coffee. “What does that mean for me? If I’m not going to be an engineer, what am I supposed to do? Take care of this place?” He motioned to their quarters.

“In regards to engineering, that will be for you and Alix to resolve. If you can’t agree, there are other things you can do.”

“I’m an engineer, Gral. It’s what I spent my life working towards. I’m not giving that up.”

“I can’t force Alix’s decision.”

“I’m not asking you to,” he snapped. “Fuck. Look, once he’s calmed down, I’ll speak with him. Well, type, I guess. But I’m warning you. I am not taking any of his bullshit. I’m entitled to respect.”

“As is he.”

Jeremy sighed. “I guess I haven’t sounded particularly respectful.”

Gralgiran squeezed his leg. “Respect is difficult when emotions run high. I will speak with him.”

“Thanks. You probably need to return to the bridge.”

“I can stay, if you need the comfort.”

Jeremy shook his head. “I’m going for a walk, clear my head. Maybe see the quartermaster, see if he can get my the file for Scotch. You guys have the worse selection of hard liquor I’ve ever seen. Is it a species thing?”

“Cultural, I believe.” He extended his claws. “Loss of control, for those the gods gave such weapons, is not a good thing. I can request the file from the Federation, if you want.”

“Isn’t that the quartermaster’s job?”

His Heart looked more thoughtful than Jeremy had ever seen him. “Be cautious when interacting with him. Xenial er Ta’halan likes to cause trouble.”

“Then I’m surprised you keep him around.”

Gralgiran stood. “He has a habit of balancing the trouble he causes with help, often unasked of.” He shook his head. “Just be cautious. He makes a habit of aggravating me, and I don’t want you to be caught in that.”

Jeremy smiled. “I can take care of myself. I am a grown boy, after all.”

Gralgiran rubbed his muzzle against his cheek. “Be patient with him when you speak with Alix. Remember, he is the one in charge.”

“I will. So long as he remembers I’m not some tech he can push around.”

With a shake of the head and a sigh, Gralgiran left.

Jeremy considered a third coffee, but decided he’d had enough of sitting, of being in his quarters. He felt better as soon as he was in the hall. He headed for the promenade. Maybe a massage would do him some good. Or maybe he’d find a gym there. He’d been so busy since joining the ship he hadn’t even thought about it, and he’d gotten some with Gralgiran recently, but he figured that would slow after a while, and it also wasn’t the same.

And right now, he could do with working off the lingering frustration.

The sounds from the side corridor caught his attention. The leisure alley, it and the others like it were called, Thuruk had told him. The banner with the flower on it identified them, and they could be found throughout the living decks, as well as on the others, although not as many.

He hadn’t gone in one before, because Thuruk had described them as places to find pleasure and joy. That, and the banner for their god of sex, and set expectations, and he hadn’t been ready to test them. It couldn’t be exclusively about sex; the voices were too loud, too much like people talking to be just that.

Although, the idea he might see sex was…. He did his best not to think about it.

The alley didn’t have anything directly in it. It was slightly narrower than the hallway, and he could see another hall at the other end. They could be used to cut through between quarters on the living decks. Many of the route his tablet had suggested, when he’d worked out how to go from his quarters to engineering, had been through a few of them as a way to reach the lifts quicker.

Openings in the walls led mostly to rooms with tables, some were terminals, and one had a game still running. Something with an animal that looked a lot like a Kelsirian in a forest. Others had groups playing games with stones, or cards or other items Jeremy couldn’t find human equivalent. In one room, he found treadmills, but no weights, or strength resistance machine. Another room had a theater, with some action movie playing, by the intense fight between two Kelsirian warriors in armor made of bones.

Between the openings, benches lined the walls, deep, as all Kelsirian seating was, and he got confirmation sex did take place by the screams of pleasure, which turned into grunting by the time he was close enough to see the lovers. And to see enough to know one was a woman.

He hurried to look away, but couldn’t help glancing, as he continued, at them, and at the others walking along. They didn’t exactly ignore the lovers, but they also weren’t staring. A glance, accompanied by a smile or a nod, seemed to be the most acknowledgment they got. Not that they cared or noticed.

They were really going at it.

He looked at an empty bench and found himself wondering what it might be like to have sex there, with others walking by, watching him and Gralgiran.

In spite of his erection, he decided he wasn’t ready for that. Probably would never be.

But, once he was in the other hallway, he was wondering about what the limits were for these alleys. He had Gralgiran’s name up, when he realized he was working, then Thuruk’s, and now was not the time to disturb him, not with the Engineer watching.

Which left him with no one to call.

Actually….

Finding Querik was simpler than he’d expected. The search system asked for the entirety of the name, which Jeremy didn’t remember, but he could also search by title or rank. And there was only one ambassador on the ship.

“Jeremy,” the mottled furred man greeted him with a smile. “It is so good to see you.”

“I hope I’m not disturbing you.” He leaned against the wall to put himself out of the flow of movement.

“Not at all. The nice thing about being an ambassador on the ship of his people is that few of them require his assistance. What can I do for you?”

“Can we meet up? I have….” He glanced at the alley’s mouth. “Questions, and everyone else I know’s working.”

“Of course. Where shall we meet?”

Jeremy chuckled. “How about you set that? And then tell me how to get there? I’m not exactly familiar with the ship at this point.”

    *

The restaurant Querik waited for him at was relaxed enough Jeremy didn’t feel out of place, even if he was the only human there. Children were causing a ruckus a few tables over, much to the annoyance of the adults at the table with them, with one looking close to being angry. The servers ignored the kids with a professional indifference that impressed him.

“And what answers do you seek?” the man asked after a server brought them the drinks they’d ordered. Jeremy’s drink reminded him of a meat broth, but with a hint of sweetness.

His face heated as he tried to formulate the question. He lowered his voice. “Just how public can sex be before someone gets in trouble?”

Querik eyed him, glass to his lips, a smile forming.

Jeremy hung his head. He’d forgotten his friend could pick up his thoughts.

“Well, you can’t simply do it wherever you please,” he said with a seriousness that didn’t match the smile. “That would be disruptive.”

“I saw a couple going at it in one of the alley.”

“It’s allowed in the leisure alleys. Anything that is identified as Danirag’s will, of course, allow it. He is quite keen on us enjoying ourselves in all the ways available.”

“So it isn’t just the alleys?”

“Some of the clubs are designated as such. Other locations can mark themselves as leisure areas temporarily, but they will advertise it ahead of time. The point is to avoid disruptions while seeking pleasure.”

The server delivering their meals distracted Jeremy from the images of him and Gralgiran that had caused.

“Do you know where the gyms are? I couldn’t find any on the way. And searching for exercise places only brought up the alleys, and training halls. I’m looking to get stay in shape, not train anything.”

“This might be a situation of language confusion. The training halls are where we stay in shape. I can show you one after we’re done here.”

    *

The training hall was not what Jeremy expected after Querik reassured him he’d be able to exercise. The large room with the men and women fighting was more in line with his initial vision for it.

A few of them greeted Querik by name.

“I too stay in shape,” his friend said, “even if not to the degree of others.”

“This isn’t what I had in mind. I’m not looking to learn how to fight, just lift weights.”

Querik considered something. “You might be able to get the quartermaster to let you assist with moving about cargo, although most of that is handled by lifters, I expect.”

“You don’t have weight machines? Exercises designed to use weights as resistance to build muscle mass?”

Querik shook his head. “I’m not an authority, but I’ve never heard of something like that.”

“Then how did Gral get so ripped?”

“By fighting. Hunters have to do a lot of that, especially those who make it to be Alphas.”

“Just fighting?” Jeremy couldn’t envision the kind of fights, how often one had to engage in that, to build muscle mass. He had to keep in mind Kelsirians weren’t humans, they might be built in such a way it was easier for them, but they couldn’t be that different, could they?

“Of course not,” Querik said, a smile spreading on his muzzle. “But I know you’ve already experienced one of the other exercise we engage in to stay healthy.”

Outline section 

No outline

Addition 

Alix is back at his post.

Jeremy gets to print coffee, might need something stronger. (kelsirians don’t really have ‘hard’ alcohols. Fruit based Wines are teh bulk of the selection.

Without work, Jeremy contemplates what he’ll do. The gym is high on the list of priority.

Addressing Jeremy learning Federalize.

If I can manage it, another scene of Jeremy reassuring Gral he’ll be faithful.

Lets also remember that Jeremy is friend with Querik

Next chapter, Gral will talk with Alix about giving Jeremy a fair chance, which starts with him learning Earther.

Jeremy was always going to lose his job, that’s been pretty much implied with the way Kelsirian’s think. It might end up being harder for him to switch over to technician than it was in draft 0. If only because I realize Alix doesn’t understand Earther and Jeremy can’t speak Kelsirian. That is going to make negotiations difficult. And after that, those two’s personalities will not make things easier.

Coffee is finally dealt with. The inclusion of print technology changed that aspect of it, but doesn’t have to change all the ‘plot points’ surrounding coffee that are planned.

The exploration of the leisure alley was always planned, although in draft 0, it’s more of an accident that takes place later in the book. Jeremy cutting through one to gain time and accidentally walking by the lovers. That no longer felt ‘plausible’ once the story started breathing. Jeremy would have come across them before, and even his discomfort wouldn’t keep them out for long. So I moved it here.

The meal with Querik was mainly about not forgetting Jeremy is friend with him, and I was able to slip in the gym aspect.