5. Chapter 5
The captain”s office was a little bigger than Dare”s berth, the color a warm yellow. The desk was towards the back bulkhead, with enough room for a chair behind it and nothing else. Dare took all of this in before looking at the other man in the room.
Captain Arends stood up halfway, motioning Dare into the room and waving him into a chair before sitting down again. Dare nodded, then sat in one of the two chairs positioned in front of the captain, looking at him closely.
Richard Arends was in the prime of life, approximately forty-something years old. He was lightly tanned, his auburn hair threaded with silver, his eyes a warm brown. They regarded each other for a moment before the captain spoke.
”I”m sure Mr. Sorenson told you I meet with all new crew. I want to welcome you, Mr. Munro, as we need a Mindset more than usual currently. Having been without that outlet for a year and a half has been hard for the crew, and that reduced our efficiency, which is hard on me. I don”t expect you to do anything other than what you”re trained for right now. I”m sure the crew will keep you busy, as will the colonists. The colonists have some non-gifted therapists with them, as well as doctors, so they may or may not wish your services right away. I know the crew is waiting for you to settle in before filling your schedule. Has Riis set you up with everything you need? I know Mike Tate has been checking in as well.”
Dare took a calming breath and nodded. ”Yes, sir. Riis is taking me to my office today and has answered the rest of my questions. Once I check the files setup, I”ll be ready to see the crew. Perhaps the day after tomorrow?”
”That will work, Mr. Munro. I”ll inform Riis to tell the crew so they can make appointments with you. I do have two other pieces of information I want to impart before you leave today.” He leaned forward on his desk, folding his hands, his eyes watching Dare.
”First, I want you to know that I am telling you this information not as a threat to you, but to make sure you know what”s waiting for you back on Earth. As we left the Sol system, I received a communication from the Office of Gifted Services. They wanted to know if you had boarded the Gambit, and if so, ordered me to return you at the end of this voyage. Apparently, they tracked you to the shuttle port, but didn”t know whether or not you left Earth.”
Dare lost what little color he had, as his heart raced. He took an audible breath, then coughed as he choked on it. Eyes tearing, he looked at the captain with fearful resignation.
Arends met his eyes sympathetically. ”Calm yourself, Mr. Munro. I told them you weren”t on board, and that I had no idea where you might be. I do not approve of the way the gifted are treated on Earth, and in fact, my brother is a Mindset Five, and works on one of our sister ships. I don”t know why the Service wants you, but I suspect your Mindset rating is not what you say it is. I don”t expect you to tell me, so don”t worry. I won”t mention this again but felt you should know you can”t return to Earth for your own safety, even if you wanted to.”
Dare took another breath, wiping his eyes dry with his fingers. ”I thought I was being so careful, but I know the reach of the OGS is long. I never planned on returning because of my…circumstances. Thank you, captain, for letting me know, and for keeping my whereabouts secret. Since you”re holding my secret, I”ll tell you what it is. I”m a Mindset One. I have extraordinary shields, and my ethics preclude me from abusing what I can do. If you wish, I will take dampers every day to shut down my abilities. I already take them each night. I don”t want you to think I am a liability to this ship or…you.”
Captain Arends shook his head, giving the younger man a faint smile. ”Mr. Munro, I didn”t offer you passage without checking who you are. You did very well in your training, and your colleagues and clients all liked you and felt you did good work. There were no reports of abusing your abilities for personal gain or profit. You lived in a subsidized room, with minimal possessions. Your parents are alive but seem uninterested in you. No siblings, and few friends. In other words, a perfect person to join this ship with minimal upheaval. I appreciate your confidence in me, but unless you start winning all the poker games, I”m not worried you”ll be a problem. I will not put your ”new” rating in my log, so you will stay a Mindset Three while on board.”
Dare returned the smile as color returned to his face. ”Thank you again, Captain. I…I didn”t expect anyone to understand. Was there something else you wanted to tell me?”
The captain”s expression became shuttered. ”It”s more like a warning. One owner of this ship is on board. His name is Jason Stravetta. He does not like anyone who is gifted, for reasons I don”t know. Although it”s unlikely you”ll come across him, please attempt to avoid him if you can. He comes from a powerful family and is no stranger to violence. I do not want you to come to his attention for your own protection and the continued peace on this ship. Have Riis show you his pix, so you”ll know him on sight.”
Dare gazed at Arends, his smile vanishing. ”I will do that, sir. I”m no novice at recognizing bigotry, but I”ll steer clear of Mr. Stravetta. I”m pretty good at fading from notice, too.”
”My brother does that. Always made me crazy when we were younger, but it”s a great skill to have.” He shrugged. ”That”s all I have for you today, Mr. Munro. Get your office set up and take the rest of today and tomorrow to get settled. Any questions?”
Dare shook his head, pulling up another smile. ”No, sir. You”ve been very clear. Thank you.”
”You”re dismissed then, Mr. Munro. Enjoy your leisure while you have it.”
Dare stood, smiled, then bowed his head politely before quietly leaving.
Riis was hard at work when Dare came to his desk. Holding up a hand, the assistant nodded. ”Give me a sec to finish this.”
Dare looked around the office for several moments before hearing Riis sigh.
”Thank Gaia, that”s done. Everything alright with the captain?”
Dare met Riis”s eyes. ”Yes, everything”s fine. He wanted you to show me a pix of Jason Stravetta so I can avoid him.”
Riis frowned. ”Everybody should avoid him. He”s trouble.” He inputted a few keystrokes, then motioned for Dare to come to his side of the desk.
”This is him–one of our not so illustrious owners. He”s a living example that being pretty doesn”t make you a good person.”
Dare studied the pix. ”He is good looking, isn”t he? At least, I won”t forget what he looks like. Where”s his berth?”
Riis grinned. ”He”s where neither of us will ever go–officer country. They have their own mess and services up there. Oh, I put you on the shower roster. Show up at eighteen hundred hours today. That slot”s for you and no one else. Toiletries and towels are provided but be sure to drag your clothes in with you. Otherwise, it”s a walk of shame with only a small towel.”
Dare frowned a little before dryly commenting. ”I don”t think I”ll forget that. I”ve shared communal showers before. Don”t tell me–you did that.”
”Nope, it was Mike. It was quite a show.”
Dare”s eyes widened. ”Poor guy.” Riis snorted.
”Don”t feel sorry for him. He only had a towel when someone threw one at him. Modesty isn”t one of his problems.”
Recalling the day before, Dare nodded thoughtfully. ”I think I knew that from yesterday.”
”Decon?”
”Decon.”
They shared a knowing smile before Riis stood. ”Time to show you your office and the shower you”ll be using. Do you want to see where the colonists are berthed?”
Dare shrugged. ”Let”s see how much time we have. I”ve got the next couple of days to get settled so we could do that tomorrow. I don”t want to cut into your workday.”
”The cap gave me permission to do whatever was needed to get you situated, so we”re good. We”ll boot up the comp in your office, and I”ll show you a map of the ship. We can send it to your pad once we get you into the ship”s system.”
”Can we stop to have a bite to eat? I”m hungry, and it sounds like we”ll be walking all over the ship.”
Riis grinned, glancing over at the empath. ”Did you just read my mind? I”m hungry, too.”
Dare stared at him. ”I wouldn”t do that without permission, and I can”t ”read” your mind like you”re thinking I can.”
Riis gave him a serious look. ”I was teasing again. Don”t empaths have a sense of humor?”
Dare was silent for a moment. ”I”m realizing that maybe I don”t.”
Riis nudged him. ”We”ll work on that because you”re going to need one around here, believe me.”
Dare sighed. ”Feed me and we”ll talk.”
Riis linked his arm through Dare”s. ”That”s the plan, Mindset. Let”s go.”