The Captain's Heart CH 108

The call came in while Gralgiran was dressing. The display told him who it was, and he smiled. “Hi.” “I hate him,” Jeremy said, sounding les

The call came in while Gralgiran was dressing. The display told him who it was, and he smiled.

“Hi.”

“I hate him,” Jeremy said, sounding less than his usual healthy self.

“Who?” He went over what he remembered of his Heart’s friends and didn’t come up with any possibilities there. Toom was one, but while he’d been noticed stalking Jeremy by a few hunters, he hadn’t approached him, so probably not him. There was always the possibility he’d run afoul of a civilian, but Jeremy could talk care of himself against someone who only exercised, instead of trained.

“Bob.”

The shortness of the name threw him off for a second. Jeremy wasn’t that friendly with anyone—then he realized who he meant.

“It’s my understanding he’s been to your apartments a few times. I don’t expect you’d allow that if you really meant it.”

“You only say that because you didn’t get so drunk last night that this morning you have the kind of hangover that has me thinking murder is justified.”

“Murder is never justified.” He doubted Jeremy was serious, but he had to keep in mind what had been done to him. As far as he was aware, it hadn’t caused any outburst in months, but he had no way to know how surreptitious it could be.

“Can you even get drunk? I think only someone who can’t get drunk would say that.”

“You know very well we have strong alcohols, so yes, Kelsirians can get drunk. It still doesn’t justify murder.” He decided to humor his Heart. “You need to arrange the situation so he attacks you first, then you claim self defense.”

“Too much trouble. I guess he gets to live. But fuck am I glad there’s no beer left. Tell me he can’t make more.”

“The hop was confiscated and stored. It will be returned to him only once we’ve reached our destination. Although the Health representative there may need to talk to him about it. At the very least, they’ll want to test it and other ingredients for toxic effects on the other species. I’m not sure how much Earther products have been tested at this point.”

“Can’t they just take it away to be sure? Seemed safer that way.”

“The Federation doesn’t like over extending his power. Something of his would have to be dangerous to most species for them to confiscate it. Otherwise they’ll warn him which species it puts at risk and it will be on him to ensure they aren’t exposed and he’ll be the one called to adjudication if someone ends up hurt because of it.”

“What if he sells it to someone else and they get someone sick?”

“Then it’s on him to document the exchange and that he passed along the warning. And even then, he’ll be the first called and he’ll have to bring in the other person.”

“For someone who doesn’t like dealing with adjudication, you seem to know a decent amount about this.”

Gralgiran sighed, remembering the courses he’d had to take when the ship was offered to him. “As the captain of a ship crossing territories, I have to be aware of the laws governing movement of products. It’s part of my responsibilities that nothing banned or restricted is allowed to leave the Bane. And with the Quartermaster, I’ve had to refresh my memories of it nearly every station we stopped at.”

“Is Xenial really that bad?”

“He makes his namesake proud, which means annoying mine. Xeniila Haran and Gralgiran are antagonists more often than allies in the ballads. Order and chance do not coexist well.”

“You think it happens just because he’s named after him, or does he get off on annoying you?”

“He gets off on it,” he replied without hesitation, and smiled at Jeremy’s chuckle. “But, if I am being honest. I think you have been an influence on him. He hasn’t done anything too annoying since becoming your friend.”

“And I’ll make sure not to tell him that. He’d feel obligated to work harder at it.”

“I expect he would.”

“I should get myself to medical and get detoxed,” his Heart said. “Alix will not be amused if I’m still affected by this hangover by the time my shift starts.”

“No, Alix will not. I hope your day goes well.”

“Yours too.”

He wanted to say more. Tell him how much he missed him, but he didn’t want to trigger an attack. They were talking, and that was progress. In time, they would be able to meet.

*

He found Bob the Soldier using Jeremy’s weight machine.

“Captain,” the Earther greeted him.

“How are you adjusting?” The short name simply wouldn’t pass his lips.

The Earther chuckled. “Got nothing to do, nowhere to be, no one screaming at me to get my work done. Don’t think I’ve been this bored since…ever.”

“I’m sure we can find you something to do.”

“You mean like making me some technician I’m too qualified to be?”

Gralgiran’s question gave way to realization. “You mean Jeremy.”

“Seems to me you have a great engineer and you’re wasting his potential tapping screen and getting him to put bandaids.”

He chose his tone and words carefully. “I understand Earthers have their ways of doing thing. But this is a Kelsirian ship.”

“I don’t see—”

“I expect you don’t. I already have an Engineer. And one Engineer is all a ship like mine needs.”

“They’d get things—”

“No, they wouldn’t. They don’t think the same way about that, and both are too stubborn to let the other dictate how their reactors should be designed. All good Engineers are. It’s part of how they become so.”

“Don’t you love him?”

“More than I expect you understand. But I don’t run my ship based on who I love. And I think you need to remember this isn’t an Earther ship. I’d prefer if you kept your belief on how my ship should be run to yourself.”

“Or else you’ll throw me out?” The Earther said it with enough seriousness, Gralgiran kept himself from responding.

“No, Bob.” That tasted so bad. “But I’ve only interacted with two Earthers outside of confrontational situations. You are both stubborn in your belief you know better than others. I’m pointing out that even if that were true. My ship is not the place for you to pressure my people into seeing things your way. We are different from your species, but our ways work for us.”

The Earther looked away. “Sorry. I’d blame being alone for so long, but you’re right. We do have an ingrain belief we are so much better than everyone else.” He chuckled. “And we’ve had that from the start, I think. You should see some of the movies they used to make.”

“I’ve seen a good number of them.”

“Oh no, I mean stuff from before we knew there were others out here. Fuck, from well before we had space flight. Nearly every time we put some kind of alien in a movie, no matter how much stronger, smarter, and all around better than us they are, we always manage to win. Sometimes in utterly unbelievable ways. Although I’m guessing you did the same with your movies.”

“Probably,” he said, remembering some of the ballads Dresdiren enjoyed. “But my tastes in ballads center around stories of our gods, rather than us against other species. Are there many romances among the movies you’ve collected?”

The Earther stared at him. “Why?”

He shrugged and aimed to coax his answer toward the academic. “I find how Earthers approach relationships intriguing. Since I only have access to a database of recent movies, I’m curious to compare them with older ones. To see how they evolved.”

The Earther’s smile told him he’d seen through the subterfuge.

*

“Quartermaster,” Gralgiran greeted the male behind the counter. “We need to have a talk.”

The male smiled and leaned forward. “I’d wondered when you’d finally decide it was time for us to shorten how we address each other.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’ll meet your namesake in the Forest, before that happens.”

“What can I do for you, then?” The male didn’t even try to make his smile anything other than a smirk.

“You can hand them over before I’m forced to have hunters go over the inventory and find everything else you are smuggling on my ship, Ta’halan.”

“Gral—”

He growled.

“—giran sel Helrarvnir. My captain. I would never.”

“You do know transactions are documented, right, Quartermaster? And because I know you, and know that you have someone with the skills to get in there and muddle things to hide what you don’t want me to see, I’ve had my experts arrange for multiple copies to be made automatically and filed so no one but me can access them. So I’m here, asking, nicely, for you to hand over the files you paid the Earther to give you. Now is not a time I can afford to have your greed make the Earthers angrier at me than they already are.”

The Quartermaster sighed. “Alright, you got me. Let me get them.”

He wasn’t gone long, which meant he’d kept the box close, almost as if he’d known he’d be discovered. He placed it on the counter. “I bought them on chips, hoping that if they weren’t on the system you wouldn’t find out, but you’re too smart for me.”

Admission of guild? Appearance of remorse? As much as he’d told Jeremy the Quartermaster was better behaved because of their friendship, this was too farfetched.

Unfortunately, his suspicions weren’t enough to act on. He had the amount of the transaction, but by not putting the recipes in the system, Gralgiran didn’t know what had been bought.

He’d done his part, and the Quartermaster hadn’t made his life needlessly complicated playing his. This could be considered a win. But there was still a potential danger.

“Don’t let anyone trace what you’ll sell back to my ship, Quartermaster. The Earthers will use whatever then can to hurt me.” He realized he could apply pressure. “They’ll use anything they catch you doing to hurt Jeremy.”

And he saw something he’d never seen before.

The Quartermaster swallowed in worry.

Outline section 

No Outline

Addition 

Gral gets a call form jeremy the morning after getting drunk.

Quite literally all off the cuff. As the line I gave me established I knew why Jeremy would contact Gral, but after that? Nothing. So I just kept writing.

Which means it’s extremely rough, but I’m still pleased with it. Especially finally establishing Xenial had a pressure point. The guy’s just been too happy go lucky, no matter who his name sake is