The Worlds of the Sheaf

Embarkation - Part 2

     Matthew looked dismally around the crowded room. There were eleven beds arranged around the circular room, each with a locker beside it, and in the centre stood two long tables with chairs. Their dining area. Beside him was the door leading out into the foyer; the narrow area containing the stairs leading up to deck three and down to the hanger deck and also containing the ship's fifth airlock. It was the ship's largest airlock, leading to the main hatch. The doorway through which the crew would enter and leave the ship in the unlikely event the Jules Verne ever landed on a planet.

     On the other side of the room were the sanitary facilities, including the single shower which was out of sight behind another door. Trying to keep soldiers clean and fragrant was a hopeless dream, though. Already the air was taking on the fragrance of sweat and mouldy socks, and not all the men were even aboard yet. What was it going to be like after a couple of weeks? A couple of months? He sighed. Well, it was better than sailors on long sea journeys had to endure, and four of the men who would be living here were indeed navy men. The brains behind the Rossem Project believed that they would be ideally suited to the confinement, since it was so similar to what they were already used to.

     In fact, life aboard the Jules Verne would be a considerable improvement over life aboard a typical navy ship. At least they wouldn't have to worry about scurvy, bad water and maggots in the biscuits. Compared to the average sailing ship, life aboard the Jules Verne would be paradise!

     "So, here we are," said Borlin, tossing his kit bag on the nearest unoccupied bed. Matthew was amused to see him looking around the room with pleasure and approval, sentiments that he just wasn't able to summon himself. Matthew himself was an aerial cavalry man, trained to fly pegasi and flying carpets and had therefore become accustomed to wide, empty spaces, both above and below. The aforementioned brains, however, thought that that made him ideal for duty aboard the flying scout ships, exploring and evaluating any planets they might come across during the course of their mission. Matthew didn't see it himself, but then, who was he? He just obeyed orders, like everyone else.

     "Yeah, here we are," he agreed with another sigh. "Give it a few days and it'll be home sweet home. Oh well, got to make the best of it I suppose."

     He walked across to the deck four pantry, opened it and removed a hot cup of Lydian tea. Another cup immediately appeared to take its place, kept hot and fresh for as long as might be required by the same magics that had created it. Matthew sipped at the strong, black liquid as Borlin strolled over to rejoin him.

     "Congratulations on your promotion, by the way," said Borlin. "If ever a man deserved it..."

     Matthew fingered the extra wing on his tunic. "Flight Leader," he said. "Dad would have been so proud..." He paused for a moment, looking sad, then shook himself out of his mood. "The anchor looks good on you," he said, indicating the shape sewn into the cloth of the other man's tunic. "I don't doubt there'll be another two or three to join that one in a few more years."

     "Oh no Sir," said Borlin, raising his hands as if to ward them away. "There's never been no officers in my family! Enlisted men's the only type the Bakklans ever produce. If I ever made officer, the spirits of all my ancestors would rise up in protest!"

     Matthew grinned, but he had the strong feeling the younger man was underestimating himself. He'd been keeping a close eye on him, both during the mission to the Southern Continent and their brief visit to the Agglemonian Empire, and he'd been impressed by what he'd seen. The man was quiet and unassuming for the most part, but he handled himself well in a crisis and adapted himself well to situations in which most people would have been left floundering. Lost and confused. When Matthew had been promoted and had had to appoint a deputy, there had really only been one choice.