A Closed Casket

Posted on Tue Jan 23rd, 2018 @ 9:11am by

1,218 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: S1:2: Rubicon
Location: Deck 10, Cryo Bay 3
Timeline: MD 10, 08.30AM

“Hey, can I get your opinion on this?”

Jenkins let out a chilly breath and looked back at Puck as the cryo bay tech held out a folded assortment of paper. It was uneven, with creases along the flat edges from where new folds had been made over old, and one of the (wings?) had been tacked back on with molecular tape.

“It…” Jenkin’s said slowly, eyeing the tech and then the wreck of paper in his outstretched hand. “...looks nice?”

“But it looks like a crane right?” he asked, before seeing the look of befuddlement pass through Jenkin’s eyes. With a glower, the shorter man closed his fingers around the ‘crane’ and crushed it, and he threw it against one of the walls. “Meant to be a crane, fuckin’ data PADD claims to teach origami in ten easy lessons. Should ask for my money back...”

Puck grumbled and turned back to his little alcove where all the records for maintenance and health checks were stored for the sleepers in this bay. There the little heater than could chug away, keeping the temperature in the booth up just above freezing. He was thankful the cryo bay had a rack of warm thermal coats on hand, most of them marked ‘Emergency Medical Personnel’.

Instead of seeking out the warmth Jenkin’s stepped back and looked down the long row of cryo cabinets, to the one at the far end surrounded by people. He could just make them out around the portable lamp they’d brought: Patience Simmons with her shoulders set like the world rested on them, and William and Katia with their arms around each other. Jenkins had never been in a relationship with more than one person, but Lieutenant Daton had been and it seemed to have worked out for him.

“Hey, look Jenkin’s, I gotta ask: How much longer? Room’s temp sensors are going to start getting antsy with four warm bodies in here, and Doc Kal trying to beat her fastest time here,” Puck said from the alcove, his gloved fingers tapping on the padd he’d been reading. “I mean, hey! Surprise engineering inspection is a great cover’n all, but someone's gonna put the grieving family checking out their dead husband’s casket together and come up with a whole new story. And that story is not gonna star yours truly in the leading role.”

“They’ll be done soon,” Jenkin’s sighed, reading under the coat to his uniform jacket, he found the flask there and pulled it out. He then held it out to Puck.

“What’s this?” he asked, taking the flask and opening the metal lid. He sniffed it and pulled his head back. “That ain’t whisky.”

“Engineer’s Reserve,” Jenkins said with a nod. “Every ship in the fleet has at least one Engineer who knows more chemistry than’s healthy for a man with access to an industrial replicator and fabrication facilities.”

“You saying we shipped out with a still on board?” Puck said, sniffing the flask again. “Is this stuff safe to drink?”

“Scientifically speaking its safe, a little rough but you get used to it. And it’s a small batch size. Special occasions, not enough to get sauced on.” Jenkin’s added as he watched the other man take a swig. Puck grimaced as the taste, not unlike tar in some respects, went down with a burn to it. He gladly handed the flask back to the engineer. “It’s not to everyone's taste, but Daton made it himself. Didn’t leave behind a recipe so we sort of had to guess. Hydroponics had a shocking amount of botanicals for the project.”

“...Wait you’ve tried this hooch right? I mean it’s not going to make me blind?!” Puck sputtered before his brow furrowed. “Wait Daton brought the still on board? Chief Engineer Daton?”

Jenkins nodded.

“He wasn’t one of the great engineers, like Scotty or La Forge, but he was competent. Knew a hell of a lot about getting the most out of his team, knew to ask for help and who was best at what they did. He encouraged people to get better, to be better. He knew everyone by name who worked directly for him,” he said, before opening the flask himself and taking a long pull. “He was humble.”

“Wasn’t no chemist that’s for sure,” Puck said, playing his tongue around his teeth. “You know if you forward me that recipe I can have some of the geeks in the lab’s look it over on the down low. You know, keep Daton’s memory alive in the still?”

“It’ll need to be the down low. If Chief Zhuri finds out about it, or worse finds it-” Jenkins began to say.

“Chief Asshole you mean?”

The two men turned to find the party of grievers had returned. William and Katia still held each other but looked better for the experience. Patience still looked furious, but in the way that a blue flame spouting from a cutting torch looked furious: there was a purpose to it.

“Yeah,” Jenkins said slowly, handing the flask over to Patience. “Chief Asshole.”

“Appointed Asshole,” he confirmed before taking a drink, and holding it out to Will and Kat. “Job should have been your Jenkins. Daton’s right hand man, Captian didn’t even bother polling your opinion before shoving the ‘Point’ into Daton’s shoes.”

Jenkin’s shrugged a everyman ‘what can you do’ gesture.

“Way I see it, push comes to shove the Point’s going to get himself thrown off a ledge somewhere along the line,” Patience muttered, turning her eyes to Will and Kat. “Don’t give me that look. Zhuri think’s he’s the top shit around here, and I’m happy enough to play ball. We all signed up for the journey, we knew the risk. But the ‘Point’ is getting the basics from us, and from a lot the other engineers down there I promise you that much. When he needs us to rally to him, he’s going to be lonely.”

“Someone could see that as-” Puck began to say from his booth.

“No one asked you Freezer Section!” Patience snapped before a smile creased her face. “But let’em say that. Let them use whatever words they like, it’s not like they can ship me back to Earth or lock me in the birg for five years. What happens out here has repercussions. The Cap’n made a bad call, call it the shock of the moment and when the ruin comes he can apologise. Until then, I can wait. We can all wait.”

“Let's just go home Pat, please?” Ket said in a small, distant voice.

“Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea,” Will agreed, looking at Jenkins. “Thanks for arranging this.”

Jenkins smiled and nodded, watching the trio step past and out into the ship proper.

“That angry one's gonna be trouble,” Puck said from his booth, taking out another sheet of paper and glancing at the instructions on his PADD.

“Yeah,” Jenkin’s sighed. “But she’s an engineering problem. So that means she’s my problem.”

He left the flask with Puck.

 

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