: Prompting Needed_

Glass Ceiling II: Welcome Aboard

From Daily Quordle #372 (1/31/23): TRIPE, SHORT, STOIC, VERGE

It was the ache in her knees that started to inflame her desire to say something. Aryth had been standing at stark attention at the head of the Regent-Promyther's dinner table for well over forty cycles. The soles of her feet were starting to lose feeling and – in contrast – the pain in the top of her feet was now creeping into her calves. She shifted her stance again enough to prevent blockages of blood flow in her knees. The old injuries in her left knee scraped at her attention. Ahead of her, Ferrin set her spoon into her now-empty bowl with a clink and then sat back with a sigh. Aryth's mouth twisted.

"Have you ever had tripe soup?" Ferrin folded her hands in her lap and looked across the table at Aryth with a smile.

"No, ma'am," Aryth admitted. "Haven't had the pleasure."

Ferrin waved a hand over the bowl. An aide stepped into the cabin out from an alcove somewhere behind her and whisked the setting away, leaving the black polished table bare. Aryth glanced down to the inverted reflection of her commander's face before refocusing on the array of lights on the far bulkhead. "You should, once," Ferrin said. Her voice held the ghost of a smile within it. "The proteins – when prepared right – are some of the most tender strips of meat I've ever had." She paused for a long moment then said, "At ease, Adjunct."

Aryth relaxed from the neck down. She shook her limbs to loosen the stiffness from her various joints, then pointed to the empty chair in front of her. "May I?" She was seated before Ferrin could finish her nod. "Regent, I-"

"Save it, Aryth, I know why you're here." Aryth glared into her commander's eyes and felt a twinge of annoyance at the stoic way she stared back. "And we will get that, I promise." Ferrin stood and placed a hand on the wall behind her. Her eyes closed.

Now what?

"Can you hear that?" Ferrin cocked her head with her ear high up. Her short hair fell back in a blond wave against her red jerkin.

Aryth leaned forward and strained to hear something other than the ever-present hum of the ship's systems as they vibrated the hull. There was a subtle pitch variance, but as the crew was still collecting samples from the planet below, the whine was more than within standard operation. She listened for a few moments more before shaking her head. "I notice the feedback of the sensors and retraction beams."

Ferrin's voice lightened along with her face as she dropped her hand. "That is correct." She turned to face Aryth. "When you were assigned to the Promythers, you didn't know a glasser from a phase detector. And now here you are, running with the planetside crew and sampling the wildlife." Ferrin's tongue snaked out and tasted her lips. "I commend you."

Aryth nodded her appreciation. "Does that mean you will have me in your crew?"

"Who is going to fill your absence in the assessment crews on the Formation Galacian? The Lasciter does not have the staff to offer in your stead."

"They were on the verge of committing a rapid depressurizing of the crew."

Ferrin's eyebrow arched. "Mutiny?"

"Defunding."

"The Galacian is being deconsidered?"

Aryth shook her head. "The credits aren't being refused. They're being misallocated."

Ferrin nodded. "Ah." She sat again and leaned on the table. "I see. What about their mech operations?"

Aryth shrugged. "I don't know anything about the crews, ma'am. I just ran the assessors in a mech or two."

"Would know any names of mechanics you'd recommend?"

Aryth paused as her mind tallied the points of the conversation as they floated to the surface. "You need mechs."

"And soon." Ferrin's eyes glittered as she searched Aryth's. "We have our eyes set on Bulgworth class planets. The Formations are being gathered for the extremely ambitious effort. And where there's Bulgworth, there's a need for sealed mechs. Assessor Formations normally have better mech crews due to the atmosphere they need to... well... assess."

"That's correct," Aryth said. "I... I do know one mechanic. An Himathi girl who came aboard the Galacian and she's good."

"Good enough that you'd want her over anyone else?"

"Everyone else has been there too long. They're... compromised."

Ferrin tapped a finger on the table. The impacts were small, hollow sounds. "And you're not?"

"I don't want credits." Aryth smiled. She pointed towards the door of the cabin. "I want to mine. There's real art out there, ma'am. I want to be a part of it."

The tapping against the table filled the silence for a full two cycles before Ferrin chuckled. She sat back in her seat.

"Welcome aboard, Promyther Aryth. Go tell the quartermaster you need a room." Aryth stood with a nod but paused at Ferrin's voice. "Promyther, wait. I need the name of the Himathi mechanic."

"Gilet. Her name's Gilet. She's young but talented," Ardyth said over her shoulder. "Oh, yeah." She turned and flashed a small smile at her new permanent commander. "Make room for two. She only works for Mining Constort to pay for her grandmother's care. And she won't travel without her."