18. Elsewhere
EIGHTEEN
ELSEWHERE
The report couldn't have arrived at a worse possible time.
To say Reyna had been looking forward to Earth Night felt like an understatement.
She'd rearranged her entire schedule for it.
She moved her evening rounds to be handled earlier than usual, she made sure to delegate two low-priority tasks to the department leads and get them off her desk, and knowing Torvax would be attending as well, she had him block her calendar and mark it 'unavailable' between seventh and ninth bell.
She hadn't been just looking forward to it, she did everything she could think to do in order to ensure she was there.
But a half hour before Earth Night was set to start, Vondra's transmission came through.
A top priority request for a full Aetherfin status report including an updated medical analysis, a full overview of the habitat and how it was functioning for the Aetherfins' wellbeing, and a breakdown on their behavioral and dietary changes, formatted to Coalition standard and cross-referenced with the original mission brief Reyna had submitted just after the Aetherfins had arrived on board.
Vondra requested it to be delivered within twelve hours in anticipation of an unscheduled visit by the Commissioner of the Coalition Animal Strategy Board.
Vondra noted that he was making the trip and asking for the report to further discuss the funding for the habitat expansion the Emberkind had been requesting for two years.
Reyna couldn't say no to that. If the CASB was finally taking time to listen to Vondra's reasons for this expansion, this report wasn't just a requirement, it was a lifeline.
But twelve hours meant it had to be completed tonight. No way to avoid it. And if she didn't do it? Then she'd hear from Vondra directly, and absolutely throw the Emberkind's chance out the window for additional funding.
Reyna stared at the transmission for a full thirty seconds before closing her eyes. She sighed deeply, feeling the weight of missing Earth Night against her chest in a way she hadn't been expecting.
"Is everything alright, Captain?" Torvax asked from his station. Reyna opened her eyes and looked up at him, walking to his station and placing the transmission in front of him.
"The Admiral requires a full and detailed status report on the Aetherfin with additional customization data reports. It's Coalition standard formatting but we have a twelve-hour deadline."
Torvax's pale blue eyes assessed her. "That is... a considerable amount of documentation."
"Yes, it is."
"The deadline seems aggressive."
"The Admiral's deadlines often seem aggressive. They are also, without exception, non-negotiable. In this case, the Commissioner of CASB is reviewing the update to move forward the request for funding the habitat expansion."
"That has been on the request docket for two years."
"It has."
Torvax was quiet. "I will pull as much of the comprehensive habitat and behavioral data from our records. Selowen will have the medical records, including behavior and dietary updates. The data should be quick to retrieve."
Reyna nodded. "Thank you, Torvax."
They worked together for a time before Torvax left for Earth Night. Reyna insisted he attend so one of them would honor their acceptance of the invitation. He argued. Then she ordered him, and he left without another word.
Reyna sat at her desk in her office, pulling records, formatting tables, cross-referencing metrics she knew would help their case.
It required her to think through what she could add to boost the data to the Commissioner.
It was tedious work that required the kind of focus that left no room for anything else.
But Reyna's focus was waning, despite her efforts.
To a gathering in the library three decks below her, while she sat formatting dietary intake charts of an animal floating around in the center of her ship for an official that would probably just skim these documents anyway, if he looked over them at all. But her mind couldn't stop wandering.
I told her I wouldn't miss it.
Reyna straightened in her chair and refocused her attention on the report. She placed the habitat's monitoring data into a new chart, showcasing how it was keeping the Aetherfin well taken care of and strong.
I wonder what Charlie was saying about Earth. What stories, or history. Maybe some of her own life...
"Focus, Solas," Reyna chided herself, rolling her shoulders and getting back to the reports.
I wonder if she notices I'm not there.
Reyna closed her eyes, attempting to shut off her mind by restricting its access to sight. It didn't work.
She set her stylus down, letting her hands drop to her lap while she laid her head on top of her desk, her forehead pushed against the surface to the point she knew she'd have a mark there from the corner once she looked up again.
"Captain."
Reyna jumped.
"Jesus, Torvax!" Torvax stood in the doorway of her office, back straight. Reyna took a few steadying breaths. "We need to get you a bell or something," she said, placing her hand against her chest in an attempt to lower her racing heartbeat.
"Apologies, Captain."
Reyna looked up at him. "It's okay," she said, standing up from her desk. "I apologize for my outburst."
"Understood," he answered.
Reyna looked at him and, as always, his expression was almost unreadable. But as he observed her, he tilted his head. Marginally.
"Was there something you needed, Commander?"
"I wanted to request your current position with the reports for the CASB Commissioner. I have finished with 'Earth Night' and am available to work towards completion."
"'Earth Night' is over?"
"Yes, Captain."
Reyna's mind flooded with questions. "How was it?"
"Enjoyable, Captain."
"Was there something specific you enjoyed about it?"
"Yellowstone. And the Disco Detonation Night at Comiskey Park."
Reyna stared at him.
"I didn't understand a word of that."
"I shall be sure to provide you with an extensive review of the night's festivities and narratives shared by Ms. Wickett, Captain. It will be on your desk by 0900."
Reyna took a deep breath, attempting to keep her exasperation hidden. "That's not necessary. But thank you for the offer."
"You're welcome."
Reyna looked down at her screen, eyeing the report that kept her tied to her desk with a glare, as though it had personally wronged her. Because, well, it had.
"This report requires precision," she said.
"It does," Torvax answered. "However, your current location suggests either the prose is unusually challenging, which I find incomprehensible, or your attention is preoccupied with other tasks."
Reyna looked up at him. His pale blue eyes held steady, completely neutral and giving nothing away.
"My attention has been on the report," Reyna said.
"Of course."
A silence between them held for perhaps ninety seconds before Torvax spoke again.
"The event was well-attended, Captain. There was conversation and Earth music. Laughter."
Reyna didn't respond.
"Significant laughter," Torvax added.
Reyna sat down ungracefully at her station again. "Thank you for the field report, Commander."
"And food."
"Food?"
"Borran." Then Reyna saw the faintest twitch at the corner of Torvax's mouth. Expression 7. This made her smile.
"I'm really glad to hear it went well, Torvax. Thank you for attending. For the both of us."
"It was my pleasure. I am glad Ms. Wickett enjoyed educating us about Earth."
At this, Reyna's smile grew. Even though she hadn't been there, it sounded like the event was a hit.
Conversation and laughter, and Borran bringing food.
The whole ship seemed to have gotten involved.
That part made her feel a semblance of happiness, knowing Charlie received a welcoming and encouraging response from her crew.
At that, Torvax joined her to work on the docket to finish, and they worked through the night, completing it entirely at 0300.
The library would be long empty by now. Even clean-up would be finished.
And it was true she'd learned that it was a good time, for everyone involved.
But her mind kept circling around how she'd missed all of it.
She'd missed Charlie telling stories, sharing more of her music, even her crew laughing.
She imagined Charlie was completely in her element, sharing what she loved with people who were interested and intrigued, and gave her their full and undivided attention.
Reyna signed the report, encrypted it, and sent it to Vondra's office from her console. She stood up from her desk, rubbing her eyes before pulling her Captain's jacket back on.
"Get some rest, Torvax," she said, watching him as he rose from where he sat. "That is an order."
"As you say." He straightened his uniform, for a reason she couldn't see, and walked to the door. But he paused before walking through, turning back to face her.
"Captain."
"Yeah, Torvax?"
"I do not believe it would be inappropriate to express to a crew member that you regret missing an event they organized. Such communication typically strengthens crew cohesion."
Reyna heard his words, saw his stoic face, believed his instinct was genuine, so much so that she was rendered speechless.
"That is my professional assessment," he said, turning back to the door and stepping out. "Goodnight, Captain." And then he was gone.
Reyna walked to her quarters alone, the echo of her boots hitting the corridor floors. The ship was quiet at this hour. She had completed her assignment, there was nowhere she needed to be.
She reached her quarters and let herself in, peeling the Captain's jacket off her again and laying it atop the chair near the nook of her room.
She walked over to the cold case, opening it and retrieving a chilled bottle of Borran's mead he'd given her a few months back.
She popped the top and drained half a glass into a tumbler before stoppering it again and returning it to its spot.
Reyna walked over to her viewport window. She sipped her drink as she looked out against the side of the ship, the viewport exposing the deep recesses of space, its never-ending blackness stretched as far as she could see. No planets, no moons, no other mass in sight.
She stared out and thought about Charlie, standing in the library, telling stories about Earth to a room full of people who wanted to listen.
She thought about the smile Charlie had given her earlier that week when Reyna had told her she'd attend.
She thought about the way Charlie said "will you be there?
" and the way she heard it sound like something different than a question about an event.
It had sounded like it meant as much to Charlie for Reyna to be there as Reyna felt compelled, wanting to be there. For Charlie. With Charlie.
What is happening to me?
The thought had snuck in unannounced, catching Reyna off guard by how it was fully formed, clear and sharp. But what struck her most was how she didn’t have an answer for it.
She finished her drink and placed the tumbler next to the wash station. She went to her bedroom and changed before laying down in the dark to sleep.
But sleep did not come for a long time.
When her mind finally calmed enough and her body rebelled against exhaustion enough, sleep found her. But soon after finally finding it, it brought the bridge with it.
The bridge, empty. The consoles, dark. And her voice, calling out names and getting no answer. Calling again. And again. The silence starting to press in from every direction. And then the terrible certainty that she was the only one left.
She woke gasping, drenched in sweat, her covers tossed across her bed. She pressed her hand to her chest, pushing against the fear, the pain, the anxiety and panic.
Minutes later, she lay back against her bed, and stared at the ceiling until the ship's artificial dawn lightened her room in gold.