Voyage

Chapter 4

The following morning at the beginning of Al's shift cycle his first stop was the Engineering deck at the ship's aft, the far end of the ship from the crew quarters and the storage holds, and halfway along the ship from the command deck housing the bridge. This was the home of the biggest single room on the ship - the reactor room, where power was generated and directed to the Warp Engines, the Gellar Field, and the other power hungry systems. In the middle the two huge humming plasma reactors rose up side-by-side from a deep well inset behind modest railings. The Reactor Room's vaulted roof arched overhead a hundred metres above, only illuminated by the room's red wall lamps and occasional flash from the fusion reactors. The undulations of the ribbed steel roof were lost in shadow. Around the room a dozen tall towers topped with glowing balls caught stray charges as they leapt off the reactors like lightning bolts. On the pedestrian side of the railings there was a mismatched maze of equipment, controls and dust-covered spares Al didn't understand the necessity for. The whole room stank with a mixture of ozone and the incense used by Wolf to complete the many Adeptus Mechanicus rituals necessary to maintain the reactors and ease the ship's struggling machine spirit.
"Where is Chief Engineer Seward?" Al asked a helmeted and red overalled Technician tending to some crackling power couplings just inside the entrance of the reactor room. Al had scheduled checks to run with the former Adeptus Mechancius Techpriest but there had also been rumours circulating that morning that there had been some negative feedback between the Warp Drive and the fusion reactors overnight, and Al had other reasons to speak to the often secretive Techpriest besides operational affairs.
The Technician nodded to Al in deference, unable to salute with preoccupied hands, then nodded toward an unseen cause of clanging noises in the distance. "Thanks."

"First Mate!" said Wulf enthusiastically, popping up behind a workbench. Wulf's portly figure wobbled under his long red robes as he set down a type sharp pointed autohammer Al couldn't remember the name of. Wulf wore the robes of his rank as Techpriest when on the ship, but civilian clothes when on shore leave to keep a low profile. "Twenty seven minutes early for our meeting, First Mate."
"I would have been here even earlier except the power went out on deck five near the crew quarters and one of the internal hard point doors was jammed shut, I had to climb down to four and walk around."
"Aah," said Wulf, "We have a team on that already." Wulf smiled at Al convincingly.
"That's not why I'm here early, I think you know why that is."
"Oh First Mate, you know I don't like games, or surprises." Wulf couldn't seem to help himself from winking at Al. "But I have to renew many incantations urgently, I would love to talk another time, however."
Wulf picked up the Autohammer and stepped back as if to leave but Al cut him off. "Wulf, stop." Wulf put the Autohammer down again. "Thank you."
"Have you spoken to the Captain today," said Wulf, changing the topic.
"Not yet, but I assume the rumours I've heard have some truth to them?"
Wulf wriggled his lips as if wrestling with a distressing burden. "I cannot explain the complexities of a Warp engine. Not in the time I have."
"There's a problem? Straight answer."
"Of course, we are delayed, the ship is not traversing the Warp as well as I would expect. The Navigator has confirmed as much."
Al had many burdens of his own and the news was more than unwelcome. "The Captain knows then? How bad is it?"
Wulf shrugged, which wasn't a good sign. "The problem only emerged during the night, and we are still heading to our destination, it's not a cataclysmic drive failure, it's just-." Wulf stammered, failing to find words.
"What Wulf?"
"It's just inexplicable, Al. It's an old drive, I am using every blessing and recalibration I can think of."
"I have faith in you Wulf, and The Emperor, to deliver us to our destination." Al's faith in both had been falling to all time low levels in recent months, but Al didn't think Wulf would be interested in his personal lack of conviction. What Al did know was that if they weren't diligent at such a critical moment he might as well throw himself into jail, or the Warp, or wherever they all seemed to be heading. "Your extra cargo Wulf, what is it?"
Wulf looked at Al, a blend of shock and annoyance on his face. "You think that has any relation to the engine trouble? Al, I would never! This ship is like a child to me, I would never interfere with it."
"Yet you won't say what you've hidden on board!" shouted Al, surprising himself and Wulf with his outburst.
Wulf was taken back and raised his hands, gesturing Al to keep his volume down. "Al, it's mundane and poses no threat to this ship, and of less value than I promised you and Ghez. It was all I could source on the station, so I lied to Ghez to get his help, and to you to keep your assistance with Deveral."
"Deveral and Ghez are both looking for it, Wulf. It's more trouble we don't need right now"
"I know, I know. A few days ago Ghez told me he thought Deveral was following him. I asked Ghez where he had been, but he clammed up, he was hiding something. So yes, it could cause some friction."
"I'm not lubing up your problems again Wulf, we need a way to make this all go away, if we run into the kind of trouble where we need guns deployed I want Deveral free to do his actual job."
"Don't we all, instead of worrying about getting Ghez killed in an air vent, or by Deveral."
"It almost sounds like you've a soft spot for Ghez, Wulf. It's your fault for getting him involved in your scheming, but he's going to get himself killed one day whether we are here or not. I'd have him risking his neck to clean air vents nicely out of the way even if we were short qualified Techs."
"Well, I guess I have become a little attached to him for some-."
"Hold on Wulf," said Al, talking over Wulf and pursing his lips. Al's earpiece connected to the ship's Vox communications had started crackling harshly. Al stuck his finger in his ear, hoping the grounding of his finger would reduce the static down to an audible level.
The communications Officer spoke in short bursts, relaying instructions to Al. Al rolled his eyes and cocked his head with irritation.
"What is it, Al?" said Wulf, observing Al's delayed response.
"The Captain requires my presence earlier than planned," said Al, doing his best to not assume what might be so urgent.
"Annoying isn't it, when your superior decides to bring forward a meeting?" Wulf used his full wide grin.
"Right." Al didn't find the accusation of hypocrisy all that helpful. "Just promise me the engines will at least get me somewhere I can find a new contract after all this."
"I'll do my best Al, I know the crew are just getting anxious, but there's nothing to worry about."
"Thank you Wulf, I should head over the Bridge."
"Good. Dolphins Voyage can sense the technologically ignorant First Mate is creeping around her innards." Wulf offered Al his wide grin again.
"I'll be back, Wulf. We'll finish off this business with Deveral, and the power on deck five, later."
"If you say so First Mate." Wulf picked up the Autohammer and said to himself, as if scheming, "Yes this will do."
"Do for what?"
"Some of the old incantations are so ancient I have forgotten them. You know, old databanks and all that."
"Meaning?"
"I lost the key to my safe." Wulf whirled around brandishing the pointed Autohammer, his red robe lifting flamboyantly as he walked away deeper into the reactor room.