Chapter 5: Settling In Part 1

It had been an hour since the Jian Seng had achieved orbit. The ship was once again reunited with its engine module. Altogether, the ship looked like a flat winged box that was connected to a large rear-mounted thruster. Like the battleships, the Jian Seng had a rear thruster assembly, super direct fusion drive, and a spinning centripetal ring. The difference, however, was that the ring was smaller than the typical battleship. This was mainly on the count that there was less crew on the ship. Pointed down at the planet, the transport looked like an orbital space station. This was typical of most of the warships and the few civilian ships in orbit as well.

Javier remarked at the small room that he had. The ring allowed little space for personnel. He had finished unpacking and placed the container into the small locker meant for him. The one significant advantage to living in the rotating centripetal ring was that it helped induce a downward force to simulate gravity. It was required, especially when living in prolonged environments with no gravity at all. The officer’s stateroom he resided in had enough space for two racks on the top and bottom. His bed was on the top over Ensign Wu’s bunk. Each bed consisted of a hexagonal slot injected into the side bulkhead. There were even Velcro straps available to help keep people glued to the bed in case the ring stopped spinning or heavy course changes. There were clear signs of aging for the location as the interior had a brown shade to it. Things appeared more mechanical, with pipes going from place to place.

It wasn’t entirely that bad, however. Despite the conditions, the room was suitable to call home for now. There was a single-mounted table and chair for a person to sit in, and there was a display mounted on the side wall. There was even a tiny restroom available for him and the occupant. All in all, Javier could imagine that things could be far worse. The room was empty and only consisted of himself.

“Puta madre...” He told himself. “No sense of privacy. I can’t even be with Shira now. I can only imagine that the enlisted quarters are even worse.” He put his hand to his head as he sighed. “Shira ... why did you suggest for us to go on a ship together?”

A part of him paused as he began to really think about it. He knew Shira to be a relatively intelligent individual. Her actions were deliberate, like she was guiding herself to a point whether she agreed to it or not. Even with the past experience on the Garja of months ago, the idea that she was plotting something lingered. He decided that it was best to let things go as it was. He couldn’t have pictured her to be a schemer all the time. Perhaps she was genuinely bored of the life that she had on Aphadus. In all aspects, it made sense for her to ask to be removed. The threat of other individuals and the fact that she was used to being on ships was one that he couldn’t ignore. He had to sympathize with her sake. Besides, if she was the type of individual that was planning on something, there was a flaw. She had made a suggestion that would still separate them. It would...

There was a beeping sound from the door that interrupted Javier’s thoughts. It caused him to turn his gaze at the entrance. He was still in his uniform as he tapped the side panel to open up the door. It slid open to reveal Shira that was standing with her arms behind her back.

“Shira...” Javier commented as he looked upon her. “I assume that you finished unpacking?”

“I have. May I come in?” She calmly asked him.

He nodded as she walked into the room. The door closed behind her, but the narrow space almost caused her fin to be caught into the closing framework. She manipulated her tail enough to avoid it.

“Ugh ... they didn’t really anticipate Shal’rein working in these ships, didn’t they?” Javier stated the obvious.

“Their construction limited the number of people that can operate in one ship at a time,” she replied.

“Are you sure that you are alright?”

“I barely fit on the bed, but the room is adequate.”

“How many people do you share it with?”

“There are four beds per room, but in my case, there is only one other individual that I share it with, and that is Petty Officer Betty. I live in the overflow section of the enlisted quarters in case we get additional personnel.”

Javier gave a frown as he thought about it. The fact that the rooms were not that big, to begin with, combined with small enlisted quarters must have been nightmarish for those that were claustrophobic.

“Well ... at least you are shorter than most Shal’rein,” Javier commented. “If you were the typical height, then they would have to hammer out a new bed and bunk for you.”

“I anticipated that I might be in unsuitable areas,” she replied. “There were at least four other areas that I could utilize as makeshift quarters if the main one assigned proved inadequate.”

“Should have figured that was the case,” he commented with a frown.

“There is something that troubles you. What is it?”

“Just ... I wish we had the same quarters together. I already miss my home planet, and I have only been off of it for an hour ... fuck.”

“Patience...” she told him. “You have proven in the past to keep your emotions well in check.”

“That isn’t fair,” he pointed at her. “This is your fault for suggesting to go to a ship. You should have come to me first before bringing up such an idea.”

“It was a logical decision.”

“To go to a ship!? I would have understood going to another planet. Mars ... Cebravis ... Eutera ... anything ... well ... except Batrice. My point is that we could have been ... well ... not on a vessel.”

“You are expressing the realization of being back on a ship again. You will adjust in time.”

“That doesn’t make things better. Shira ... come on.”

“As I stated before. Have patience. These are reasons we have to adapt to our environment. Things will improve in time.”

He put his hands to his hips. “I don’t know what else to say. I already stated some of my frustrations yesterday, but...”

“If things continue for the next couple of days as it is, I will talk with Lifen to see if we can have joint quarters together. On a Shal’rein warship, this can be easily achieved. However, on a UHN warship, this will be problematic. I cannot guarantee success. Logistics and rules limit our options.”

“I guess I am asking too much, aren’t I?” he asked her. “On civilian ships, married crews have rooms together. UHN warships ... sort of.”

“It depends on the ship, rules at the time, and the CO’s decision. The UHN feel that having married couples on the ship at the same time together can create problems.”

“Yeah ... and I imagine the moment that they find out about us as a couple would have us moved to two separate ships.”

“Not entirely,” she replied peacefully.

“What do you mean?”

“While it is true having two married couples together on a warship can pose problems. Those laws have become lax in the last thirty years. Most of the times, it comes down to the Captain’s decision. Even regardless, just because we are not in the same bed together does not mean our mateship is over.”

He nodded. “Well ... that makes me feel better at least. I don’t know enough on Shal’rein behavior if they would disengage those sort of things or not.”

“Itrean mates fight and die together on the battlefield. Even children are brought into the fight to learn how to protect themselves from those that wish to kill and destroy their world.”

“I can’t believe that they do that. It just seems so ... barbaric.”

“If an adult soldier raises a gun to the child to dispatch them, I would prefer that the child knew how to raise and fire a gun in return. The difference can be life or death. ‘Total War’ is a true concept that can rattle a population. All resources must be brought to bear if the species is to survive.”

“Yeah ... but when you say it so coldly like you always do, it makes me hope that won’t be the case with our kids someday.”

She paused momentarily as her eye looked away briefly before focusing back on him. “That is an obtainable goal, but the variables are too high to give an accurate response. No promises can be made on your statement.”

“I guess that is your way of saying that you will try. Am I correct?”

“Yes.”

Javier slapped his hands to his hips. “Well ... I can’t say no to that.”

“Also, on your first inquiry, there is the possibility of shore leave together. There are plenty of places we can go to have fun together and enjoy our lives in peace.”

He nodded his head. “I can’t exactly argue with that. Look ... I will get over it, but I just want to make sure that you are happy. I wouldn’t be a good husband otherwise.”

She gave a brief nod. “It is a preferable form of thought.”

Javier decided to change the topic. His frustrations seemed quelled at the moment as he tried to recompose himself.

“So ... what are they going to have you do on this ship?” he asked her.

“They are trying to figure it out,” she answered. “It is best for me to find the gaps that need to be fulfilled and resolve them. The engineers are trying to resolve the communications array degradation that should prove to be an adequate challenge.”

“You aren’t exactly an engineer, though.”

“True, but the goal is to be one regardless. If done correctly, it will prove not only favorable for the ship but also prove favorable as to identifying my status among the crew. I must adapt, just like my ancestors did when they left the waters.”

“Just make sure that you are safe, alright? I don’t want to hear about any further incidents like what happened yesterday.”

Her eye looked away momentarily. “There is no guarantee on that statement. However, the chances of that are highly unlikely that I will be personally physically harmed in the following days. Even if for some remote chance of that occurring, the attackers will fail as before.”

“Said with such calm confidence...”

“It is a fact. Nothing more.”

“Well...” Javier sighed. “In that case ... let’s get something to eat. Nothing like having to make a good impression on the crew than the chow lines.”

She gave a brief nod. “I agree.”

As they walked to a door on the left, a dark-haired pale individual came out huffing and puffing. The door closed behind the man as he seemed angry.

“Fucking chief engineer!” the man yelled as he kicked the bulkhead. “The damn sensor system is not going to fix itself! I am tired of this shit day in and day out! We head out there with this shit, and we will be blind as...”

He stopped his sentence as he looked over and saw the walking Shal’rein and officer together. He quickly hushed up and straightened his jumpsuit before he walked past them to head around them and away.

Walking almost in a straight line, the centripetal ring was easy to navigate. Only the never-ending curved incline gave an indication that the personnel was simply walking on a spinning ring. Shira’s eye looked over the uniform of the upset petty officer before they almost reached the door of their destination.

“Who was that?” Javier asked, keeping his voice down.

“I saw a nametag that indicated that of Anderson with the rank of Seaman,” Shira responded, also keeping her voice down.

“What was his problem?”

“He seemed upset with the condition of the equipment. Most curious...”

“So the sensors are not fully operational.”

“In addition to the communications relay,” Shira calmly added.

“Wait? You mean that the sensors are not fully operational either?”

“According to him, yes. This would mean that more systems are degraded than they should be. Perhaps I have underestimated the operational status of this ship.”

“The UHN must be pretty desperate to get this ship operational.”

“I will need to learn more about this,” Shira commented.

“It is interesting that officers and enlisted both go to the same place to eat. I guess the amount of room prevents an officer stateroom to dine.”

“As it is. A crew of forty can easily have the few officers reside together.”

“You don’t have an issue with this?” he asked her.

“For the Shal’rein, Adjunct and Centurion can be in the same room and work together.”

“Aren’t there issues with fraternization?”

“Fraternization...” She paused as she tried to define the word in her head. “If you mean that some give preference to others, then it is a complex answer. The answer is yes, but only to a point. It is important for the lower rank to appease the higher ranking officers and vice versa. Mateship is treated as important, but even being the mate of an officer will only get you so far on a warship. An Adjunct, for example, is expected to be showered with attention by her lower rank. The higher rank must also learn to respect the lower rank or face the consequences of that disrespect. The reason for this is a sign of political intelligence by both sides. It is a way to work your way up through the rank. I myself learned to treat the Adjunct’s over me with profound respect and dignity.”

The galley, mess hall, and sick bay all lined one section in the centripetal rotating ring. Javier could feel a sense of hunger ride through his stomach as they arrived together at the door of their intended destination. On the door was a properly labeled sign of “Mess Hall” written in both English and Chinese.

Javier went and tapped the panel as the door slid open. They both stepped inside to see a place filled with at least twelve individuals. They were both greeted with the sounds of conversation and background music. Javier recognized it as a chillwave former Hong Kong dance music combined with modern Martian music elements. All of the heads and faces in the room turned to look at the two. Obviously, most of the eyes went straight at Shira as she seemed the more menacing of the two. However, seeing both Javier and her walking together did seem to bring a slight sense of ease to the crowd. A few were genuinely curious as to the lone Itrean that resided in the area to eat. It was quiet at first, with only the sound of the ambient music in the background. Most of the conversations died down momentarily. It began to pick up again as many of them turned back to start eating.

The room consisted of four tables and a galley large enough for one person to operate. It was almost a makeshift bar in itself with two raised stools. The food wells only consisted of four items at most. Whatever was served was what you were going to get with no room to argue. Mashed potatoes, green beans, and Cevan were being served. With Javier, he could see that almond vanilla ice cream was available. He walked over with his tray and began to fill it up with food.

He turned his head to look at Shira. Her situation was different that he was well aware of. Dietary requirements for the Shal’rein were different than humans. Obviously, because they were bigger, they ate more, but most of it was focused on things that a semi-aquatic race from former Earth would eat ... seafood.

Thankfully, Shira was lucky as she grabbed two slabs of Cevan. The Cebravin fish was something she said little about. Since most of the aquatic life on Earth had been wiped out, not much comparison could be drawn on the fish of Cebravis and Earth despite the similar environments.

“Phew...” Javier remarked. “Good thing they got fish for the day.”

“It is obvious as to why,” Shira calmly commented as she grabbed a cup of water. The cup was small for her hand as she looked at it briefly. “We just stopped and picked up more supplies on the ground. The best of the meals always comes first after receiving a shipment.”

Both of the two looked around and spotted Marcelle that waved to the both of them. She had a cheery smile on her face and seemed happy to see both of them. She even waved for them both to sit down with her.

“Seems that we have already made a friend,” Javier quietly commented to Shira, but she seemed indifferent as she always was.

The couple walked over to the table. The open-ended mounted chairs made things easier for Shira to sit down on as she placed her tray down first. Javier went and followed suit.

“Happy to see you two here,” Marcelle commented in a contented manner. “I know it must be an adjustment for the both of you.”

“I admit, I am not used to seeing a single galley and mess hall for all rank,” Javier commented to her.

“Ensign Wu made a similar comment to that as well when he came aboard, sir. The smaller, older UHN ships just don’t have the room for it. Even the Captain shows up to here to eat sometimes.”

“She does?”

“Well, for the most part. Sometimes she does go and eat in her quarters to have some privacy. It is the same for everyone, for that matter, as long as they don’t make a mess, of course,” she made an odd snorting snicker sound from her nose as she chuckled. It almost broke Javier’s composure as he stifled his laugh.

“What was so funny about that?” Javier asked her.

“Oh ... oh,” she regained her composure. “I was just thinking of a mess that Ramirez made ... don’t worry about it.”

Shira began to eat as she took a large bite from her cevan. The piece was fairly large. Instead of taking a small chunk, she had claimed two whole pieces to herself. Her large shark teeth easily cleaved into the soft meat as she chewed it. She gave no indication that she was enjoying it.

“You like cevan?” Marcelle asked Shira as she took a bite of her mashed potatoes. Javier went to work on his food. The Shal’rein continued chewing her meal before she swallowed it.

“The cevan is ... adequate,” Shira replied in her emotionless tone.

“Adequate? I ... oh...” Marcelle remarked as her eyes lowered almost in regret.

“What is it?” Javier asked.

“I helped make it...” she said in a dejected look.

Shira’s eye focused on her. “Do not consider adequate as a sign of distaste by me,” Shira answered her. “Adequate means that I have no disgust towards your cooking, nor am I saying it is the best meal that I ever had.”

“I know...” Marcelle replied. “Before I became a pilot, I was on my way to becoming a cook. To me, it is my second favorite pastime.”

“Then there is room for improvement,” Shira remarked as she took a bite. She chewed it before she swallowed it. “I have flayed fish before. I can train you in how to cook this to a better finish.”

Marcelle gave a surprised look at her. Even Javier didn’t even know about this, but it made sense to him. The Shal’rein came from many aquatic worlds. Their skills in cooking seafood must have been a common trait for many of them. Even if Shira wasn’t a master cook that he was aware of, it was the fact that she was trying to cheer her up that mattered.

“You ... you would?” Marcelle asked.

“Yes. I can even make an effort to cook up Tow Panla and Osh Haliaeetus, the common fish stocks of Oshun, that is assuming we obtain the stocks for them on this ship.”

“Umph ... I don’t know about Tow Panla, though,” Marcelle said as she shook her head. “It isn’t as good as cevan.”

“No seafood can ever lose a quantifiable taste. I believe it is possible to make an adequate serving that the crew can enjoy.”

“Hmmm ... I will notify our cook to see if we can obtain more fish then.”

“It would be preferable, now that I am on board,” Shira told her.

Great, Javier noted to himself. It was somewhat degrading as he thought about it. Going from ship captain to chef. At least he could see that Shira was trying to reach out to everyone. She needed jobs, and she wanted to find ways to keep her busy.

“I ... I like that idea,” Marcelle said. “Let me know when it is in the earliest of convenience when you can train me. My watch begins at night.”

“Hmmm ... you sound like you have my watch,” Javier commented. “My training will begin...”

Suddenly, it happened so fast as Shira turned her head and held up her right hand. A fast-flying object was expelled at her as she caught it in her hand. A metal cup, just like what everyone was using, was in her possession. This was no accident. The force exerted on the object was intended to connect to her head and face. Shira’s responses were fast as she caught it before it hit her.

The conversations came to a halt as Shira looked at the cup to analyze for any marks. She remained perfectly composed as she turned her head towards one of the tables. There were four men all sitting with their heads focused on her. Javier gave a look of anger to them as he realized what had happened.

“Hey!” Javier yelled at them. “Who threw that!?”

Shira lifted up her hand to him to indicate for him to calm down as she calmly stood up. Her eye seemed focused on the object for a short bit as she turned her one eye towards the men. The only thing that could be heard was the ambient music in the background. Everyone was looking at the scene that had just unfurled.

Javier must have realized how stupid of a move that one of these men had just done that he actually grew concerned for the one that just committed the act. He looked at Marcelle, and she had the same look of shock. The sight of a Shal’rein calm and composed bearing down on the four was intimidating.

“Oh, look...” one of the men mocked. “Even with her hair the way it is, she doesn’t have problems with depth perception.”

“Is there a problem?” Shira asked them in her emotionless state.

“Ah ... no,” one of the men replied. “This was a ... just an accident.”

Shira looked at the cup and then back to them. “This was not an accident,” she told them. “The clear act would have had this landing on the left temple of my head.”

“How would you know?” a man with a dark complexion asked her. Javier identified him as Obasi.

“For simple reason. While I had entered into the room, you held the cup with your right pointer finger near the lip of this cup. You momentarily jostled it, spilling some water on the lip as well. I can see a wet fingerprint on that lip. I believe that this is your cup.”

Javier was amazed once again at her deduction skills. Even he didn’t even know this. When they had entered, her head momentarily observed the people in the room. She had taken note of everything that had transpired.

“You are accusing me of throwing that at you?” Obasi angrily replied to her.

“The evidence points to you as the culprit,” Shira said as her one eye remained focused on him. “You are Oshunian.”

“What is that supposed to mean? What does that have to do anything?”

“Your accent shows that you are a person born on that planet. As I am fully aware, the Shal’rein made an attempt to conquer that colony several months ago.”

“You piece of shit!” Obasi yelled at her. He stood up as the other men were weighing their decision to join up with him or remain collected and aloof to what had happened.

“So I can safely assume that it was you that tossed this at me with the intention to mock me or bring physical harm to me,” Shira concluded.

“Yeah ... I did throw it at you!” the man remarked as he slapped his hand to the table. “You Shal’rein expect to be treated with respect. I know your kind. You didn’t hesitate to kill my cousin on the UHN Gargarin when it was destroyed by the Shal’rein clan.”

“What makes you think that I serve the T’rintar clan or the Shal’rein clan?”

“Does it fucking matter? All Shal’rein are dangerous. I don’t care if you’re a midget or twelve feet tall. You’re a fucking monster. If you’re being assigned to this, I won’t be a part of it.”

“Hmmm...” Shira remarked as she placed the cup on the table. “Most curious as to your words. You just claimed that you don’t care about my size and willing to challenge me. You just tried to attack me. This is an act of foolishness on your part.”

The other men started to eye her closely. One got out of his chair and left the area as soon as possible. He wanted nothing of this. The other two, however, seemed to have Obasi’s support.

“We outnumber you, Shal’rein,” one of the men told her.

“My name is Shira. I am a Petty Officer assigned to this ship, and no, you don’t outnumber me. I can easily defeat all three of you in a combined fight of hand-to-hand combat. I would encourage all of you to disperse immediately.”

“No,” Obasi argued back. “Your people are responsible for the deaths of hundreds back on my world. I don’t care if I am being thrown into the brig for this. All Shal’rein are the same. They are monsters that wish to kill us all. I hate being on this...”

Shira slowly stepped closer to him as the other two men took a step back. Javier was about to stand up, but Shira waved a finger at him to remain seated. The Shal’rein then showed and bared her teeth at them. Even calm and composed, the gesture was intimidating. The rows of razor-sharp shark teeth were there for them to see it.

“I understand your frustration on being an engineer of this ship,” Shira explained to him while keeping her composure. “Do you see these teeth? I have more than enough strength to embed them into your throat. With one firm shake, I can rip it apart. You claim that all Shal’rein are the same. You are fortunate that you are incorrect on that statement. If you had thrown that cup to another Shal’rein, she would be on you in a second ... quicker than your cohorts can respond. Within seconds, you would be dead, a fool of your own ambitions and prejudice.”

“Do you see her?” Obasi announced to the galley. “She is making a threat on me.”

The mess hall door slid open as a short shaved pale individual came walking into the room. He had long gray hair and his rank indicated that of a chief.

“What the fuck is going on?” the chief replied in a Martian accent. He could see the men around Shira were caught in the moment. Obasi was the one that kept his anger directed at Shira at all times.

“This Shal’rein made a threat on me!” Obasi announced.

“That isn’t true!” Marcelle said as she stood up.

“I agree,” Javier added as he stood up. “One of them threw a cup...”

“It’s alright, officer,” the chief responded. “I already heard the story and came here as quickly as possible. Obasi! I just had to wake up after working for twenty hours straight! You come here and start threatening the newcomers?”

“Yeah, but...”

“Shut the fuck up! Bertram, Tunkay, finish up your meal and get out. Obasi, I want you in my office right now. I have had enough of your shit.”

The chief had put down the law in the mess hall. Everyone else went back to resuming their meals. Bertram and Tunkay both looked at Shira and sat back in their chairs. Shira had no qualm with the other two as Obasi went and left the mess hall. Marcelle and Javier felt a moment of ease. Shira turned around as she thought nothing more about it. She went and sat down on her chair as she resumed eating her fish.

“I have never seen Obasi do that,” Marcelle told Shira. “I ... I don’t know what to say.”

“It is alright,” Shira told her as she swallowed another bite. “You never saw him that way because you have not seen another Shal’rein step onto this ship. The frustration levels for the over-exhaustion of trying to keep this ship functional are taking their toll on the morale.”

“Are you ok?” Javier asked her.

“I am not hurt.”

“That was an incredible catch.”

“Yeah, it took me completely off guard,” Marcelle said.

“Perhaps I would recommend being more observant of your surroundings,” Shira explained. “Similar environments and day-to-day duties can generate composure and lax among the crew, making it easier to be attacked and ambushed.”

“Were you actually going to rip his throat out?”

“That would not be necessary. If I did that, then he would most likely be dead and not learn the error of his ways. There are proper ways to attack a Shal’rein, and using a cup is not one of them.”

“Damn...” Javier said as he almost chuckled a little bit. He shook his head. “I thought we were past this point.”

“Again, I would not place sole blame on Obasi. I am sure he is a capable engineer regardless of his personal feelings.”

“Wait ... this happened before?” Marcelle asked.

“Yes. Yesterday.”

“Wow. Make sure to notify Captain Lifen on this.”

“It is alright. I am quite sure that she will know about this incident.”

“Just know that I am not your enemy,” Marcelle jokingly commented to Shira.

“I am quite aware of that.”

Shira went and calmly resumed her eating. She continued to eat her cevan in peace as Javier felt inclined to resume his meal.

It had been an hour later as Javier went to get acquainted with the other crew members. Walking down the passageway of the centripetal ring, Shira was alone as she had been summoned to talk with the Captain. She then looked at the door on her right. It had a single little woven carpet with the UHN emblem sown into it. It was the only indication that she was standing near the captain’s quarters. She approached next it as she tapped the door panel next to it.

Her tail momentarily twitched as her eye looked around the scene. The door slid open as Lifen called out to her.