Singularity

Archive Log: 30

"Do you think he'll be a good Captain, Walter?" Hearing his name, Walter's face simply turned to the source; Onora was in the small bathroom which was joined to her room. Each room had one, plus the main shower block down a few decks. She hadn't that long woken up, seeing as how she was still in the gear she had slept in, she decided now was a good time to change.
Walter's eyes slowly blinked, he thought over the question for a few moments. In those few quiet moments he heard the water cut off, and quiet footsteps pad around the small room before exiting. Focussing on Onora as she fastened a towel around her body, Walter stood and met her half way when she walked towards him. Reaching up, he took to gently ruffling her hair with the towel which she had left around her shoulders. "He will do what is right for the crew, and the colonists." Onora looked at him flatly, Walter frowned. Why did he get the feeling he just answered wrongly? Walter just returned back to his task of drying her hair.
"That's the task of any Captain, Walter. That doesn't make for a good one." Onora huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, Walter placed the towel to one side, even putting a hand to her lower back and urging her to sit on the edge of the bed. "Even I could do that." She continued, looking confused as Walter moved around her room, picking items up before sitting behind her. How he knew where certain items were, she didn't know. She didn't want to think of it too much. But then, he had missed her...if she was alone and their roles had been reversed, she would definitely spend time in the room which belonged to him. Onora just hoped he hadn't gone too far into privacy invasion; she didn't have anything that she shouldn't have, but it was a bit creepy. Regardless of it being Walter.
"That would be curious to see." He commented, picking her hair up and taking to combing it slowly, he didn't want to tear at any tangles. "He is our Captain. Whether he becomes a good one or not, time will only tell. We cannot comment otherwise, Nora, or else trouble will start. And hasn't there been enough trouble already?"
Onora's head hung slowly, she nodded equally as slowly. There was just something about Oram. She had never fully put her finger on it, yes, she got along with his wife fine enough, but him? He always seemed reserved, guarded and quick to shoot down opinions or words. He was quite quick for a confrontation, that's what Onora got. But because he had been in the background until now, she couldn't help but muse that absolute power was about to corrupt absolutely. Usually happened when someone finally got their hands on power.
She was unconvinced that he would be a good Captain. It wasn't anything personal to his character, or his character traits; it was just, Jacob was so switched on, so in tune with what they needed to do, and he always got the crew laughing and doing jobs without question. Oram would have a sense of self-entitlement and order because he is the one in charge, and what he says goes - that is the feeling which was creeping over Onora.
It wasn't that she didn't do well with being given orders, of course she did or else she wouldn't be allowed to have been a crew member; however, she had the feeling that her feelings weren't hers alone.
Looking over her shoulder, she frowned at Walter. He paused combing her hair, it was straight and tangle free, the blonde locks just hanging in his hands. He looked at her with a minor confused expression, "Yes?"
"I have a bad feeling, Walter." She couldn't even deny it. Voicing it didn't make it any better.
"Is this about our new Captain?"
"No. Not necessarily that...just..."
"You have been awake little less than two hours. Your mind and body is still trying to get used to being conscious again. Whatever this bad feeling is, I'm sure it will slowly pass." Walter said rather, stereotypically, robotically; very blasé and casual, as if he knew this was the trouble which was niggling away at her. Just her body getting used to being awake and in motion again. Onora opened her mouth to contradict, she didn't want to argue with Walter, but she knew it wasn't that. "Would you like your hair tied up?" He beat her to it, his blue eyes just staring at her. The simple look shot down any chance of her answering back to his previous words.
"Do you know how to do a plait, Walter?"
"Yes. Would you like that?"
"Please." Onora just faced forwards again, she sighed gently and looked at her hands in her lap as she felt his fingers carefully separate her hair. She could do this herself, but it seemed like he had it in mind to do it himself. She didn't deter him, once done and feeling a tie tighten the end, she got gently patted on the shoulders.
"Best get dressed, we're probably going to be called for a meeting soon." Walter said while his hands slipped away from her shoulders due to her turning and looking at him. He tilted his head, she looked troubled still. Yet the effects from hypersleep seemed to have all but gone. She looked like she did before being put to sleep, which pleased Walter. But she still looked...he wasn't sure, uncertain, uneasy.
"Okay." She just replied and stood, making her way over to where her clothes were housed. Pulling out simple cargo trousers, she found clean underwear, and a black vest before plucking a dark hoodie out too. Making her way back to the bathroom, she was very aware to Walter just sitting watching her.
He looked confused, yet thoughtful as his eyes followed her until she disappeared back into the bathroom. A frown was still on his face when she came back out, standing, he intercepted her path. Onora tried to get past, yet he deterred her by putting his hands on her shoulders. She wasn't looking at him, and that caused Walter's eyes to widened slightly. She had never avoided him, or tried to avoid him like this.
Something was stirring in the synthetic, and Walter believed this is what hurt was meant to feel like. She was purposely being off, because of a reason he didn't understand. It wasn't his fault. Humans were complex, and as close to a human as he was; there were still many aspects he didn't understand.
"Talk to me." He said quietly, he didn't like being avoided, it stung. He was used to the other crew members doing this, other than the select few, not her; never her.
Onora sighed and fidgeted from foot to foot before eventually looking up at him. She hadn't ever seen Walter's expressions differ so much, he had looked calm before, yes deep in thought, but his expression was neutral. Now he frowned gently, his eyes looking concernedly over her, his hands holding firmly, yet not painfully onto her shoulders. He looked worried, imploring and confused. All these different emotions were appearing over his face and into his clear blue eyes; the same eyes which always looked rather impassive and indifferent to anyone else, but her. Onora had always been able to see that there was more to Walter than just the onboard synthetic.
Maybe that was half the problem, she had come to understand Walter quite well, she presumed it was the same for him. Yet, even he still just observed her as any other human that was on the ship.
Shaking her head, she opted to look around the simple room. The wall that had her bed against it became rather interested, until Walter leaned into her line of view, totally understanding she was still avoiding him. "Something isn't right, Walter. And you dismissing my thoughts and feelings for just being woken from hypersleep isn't it. You can't presume to know that, you can't just say it's that because it's the obvious answer to you. I have a bad feeling, Walter...you can't shoot that down so easily, or readily." Onora said, looking at him sadly and shaking her head again.
He tilted his head, thinking over her words before nodding. "You have a bad gut instinct, which is something I cannot understand. Apologies, if I upset you. When it comes to these sorts of things, I cannot relate, and I struggle to understand." Feelings were still, and forever would be a bit of a mystery to Walter. He understood them, to a point. Onora had made it clear to him, that he felt some, but even this was to a point.
Onora just nodded, she didn't quite know what else to say. Smiling lightly, yet awkwardly, she shrugged. His hands moved from her shoulders and hung back at his sides, not before she caught his hands in hers and ran her thumbs over his knuckles. "Just...don't shoot me down like that, Walter. Please, not everything can be explained by scientific circumstance." Hypersleep and the effects from it were definitely in that category, but even after another sleep, and a shower, Onora felt better, not so groggy.
"I will certainly try not to." He nodded, looking up he glanced around before looking at the door. The intercom clicked into use just as there was a knock on the door.
Onora smiled, she ignored Mother instructing all crew to meet on the bridge. Pushing the button on the panel by the door, she looked out. Daniels turned and smiled at the pair. "Are you ready for this meeting?" Onora asked, watching as Daniels just shook her head. "Oh...okay, what can we help you with?"
"Cover for me." Daniels said, smiling again as Walter sent her a confused look, while Onora just nodded. At least one of them understood that she had zero intentions to go immediately to the bridge. She was going elsewhere, to check on equipment.
"Okay, I will. But if not asked about you, I won't bring it up." Onora paused, "Whatever 'it' is." She said awkwardly while tucking her hands in her hoodie pockets as she left the room. She hadn't thought up what the lie could be, but Daniels didn't look like she cared what it was. She just nodded and went in the opposite direction to the pair of them.
Walter stood beside Onora, easily standing and seeing over the top of her head as the dark haired woman walked away. Blinking and looking down, he gestured a hand to the corridor. "We cannot be late."
"Perish the thought of missing out on some official waffling." She huffed and scuffed her boots along the corridor, she was dragging her feet. This meeting was going to be excruciating, she just knew it.
Walking into the bridge, it seemed they were some of the first to appear. Tennessee and Faris were already sitting, Faris nursing a cup of something as they walked past them. Walter gestured a hand to a seat nearby, and Onora sat down, he stood behind her, arms by his sides.
Everyone was quiet, it was odd considering before the tragic event earlier, everyone was so animated, so talkative and ready to joke around. Not now. There was a hollow emptiness hanging over them. The realisation that Jacob was gone, and that what happened to him could've happened to any one of them. It was a chilling thought. A chilling thought which quickly ebbed away, just like the storm which had buffeted and rocked against the ship so harshly.
All that remained from scans outside now was silence. The ship needed repairing though from the damage done, the sails first off needed seriously seeing to. They were still lifelessly outside in the blackness of space.
Soon the bodies of the lost colonists which died in the storms attack would join them, and their former Captain. The colonists wouldn't know what happened, they were never awake to know. Jacob however, was aware before the inevitable. The first casualty had struck, although Walter didn't point out that a few embryos had already perished; this was just another few deaths to add to the list.
Onora smiled at Faris as she stood and sought out a steaming cup of coffee for her, seems she hadn't gone to find one herself, Faris did it for her. After a shock the caffeine probably wasn't wholly wise, but the sugar, yes. Sipping tentatively, she glanced up at Walter, he merely shook his head. Food and drink were wasted on him, yet he gave a small smile for her gesture nonetheless.
Hearing boots on the metal flooring, all eyes turned to the corridor as Oram came walking through. He looked troubled, much like everyone else. Inhaling deeply he reached the table in the room and placed a small collection of papers down. Leaning his hands against the solid surface he looked around with nervous dark eyes.
Inwardly he had prepared for this moment, but mentally his mind was racing. He was uncertain whether he was truly ready to be Captain. Yes, there was always that lingering chance this could've happened, but he didn't expect it too. Everyone looked to him expectedly, and Oram found himself pausing.
Rolling his sleeves up, he tried to push the awkward atmosphere to the back of his mind as he looked at the awkward looks being sent his way. This wasn't exactly how he imagined he'd be welcomed as the new lead, but he wasn't surprised. Everyone did think fondly of Jacob, after all. Him, everyone was reserved, worried about saying the wrong thing in case a discussion ensued.
Hearing more boots, everyone glanced to the side as Hallett came through, the redhead just nodded before walking down the stairs, "Sorry I'm late, sir."
"It's okay," Oram replied quietly, his finger tapped against the file and papers which he had put down on the table. He opened his mouth and paused, "I can't think of any other way to say this, then to say that we have suffered a monumental tragedy." Even these words fell somewhat short over the general feeling that surrounded everyone. He cleared his throat and tried to not take to heart the questioning looks being sent his way, everyone wanted to know how this came to be. "And I'm going to do the best that I can, to live up to Jacob's example as Captain." He was struggling a little here, but he had to give reassurance that he was going to try and be as good as Jacob. "He...he will be sorely missed." Which was the understatement of the century really right now. Drumming his fingers against the table, he looked around the crew. "And I am grateful, in advance, for your support." A quick gesture to himself led to him opening the file. "So, we lost forty-seven colonists, and sixteen second generation embryos, along with one crew member. The current structural integrity of the ship is holding at eighty-three percent. But we have many secondary systems that are offline." Oram said, almost stoically as he listed off the problems which were immediately to hand. They couldn't just dwell over the loss of lives, they needed to put thought and actions into fixing this ship up.
"So, what was it?" Tennessee had sat listening patiently, a few times he looked somewhat bitterly to the side. Faris had given him a look or two in warning, not to speak up, and to sit and listen. But now that Oram had finished talking, he voiced his question. He readjusted the white stetson on his head and leaned further back in his chair.
"A highly charged shockwave from a nearby solar ignition." Walter answered, he, after all, was the one who had been first witness to this happening, to the destruction it did and subsequently everything after. The crew turned and looked towards him, he had been silent and watching until now. Even Onora looked up and over her shoulder curiously. "As the sails were deployed for recharge, we absorbed the full brunt of the storm." Walter's voice continued explaining in a simple calm tone, taking to clasping his hands in front of himself as he just stared ahead.
"Okay, Walter. I will want you and Mother to undergo a complete core-code refuse to understand how this happened in the first place." Oram said, looking at him with dark eyes, he waved his hands to the room around him as if that aided to explaining anything.
Walter however frowned, he understood the hint which Oram was getting at: that somehow, somewhere along the line either himself or Mother had messed up, had gone wrong. Despite of the frown, Walter's expression stayed neutral. "It was a random localised event, sir. There's no way to detect spontaneous solar flares, until it's too late." Walter continued explaining, his tone emphasising on certain words in his sentences. Oram stood shaking his head, Walter's frown grew a little more deeper.
"You can't disbelieve him," Onora said, she caught the looks Faris had on her face. Even she looked downright appalled and shocked in a way that Oram stood there seemingly not believing anything Walter said. Oram's eyes flicked away from the table to her. "That's like asking people back home to predict something catastrophic to happen, when there's no signs of the event at all." Faris nodded and even smiled in agreement, Tennessee beside her just smiled. Someone needed to state the obvious here. "You can't predict stuff like that, sir. We were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time." Onora said, readjusting the hold she had on her cup before sipping it.
"Yeah, it was clearly just bad luck. That was all. There was nothing Walter, or Mother could've done to prevent this from happening." Faris said, furthering on from Onora's words as she shook her head gently over Oram seemingly still not believing them. The sheer delusional disbelief was outstanding here.
"Okay, firstly, I don't think Walter needs you fighting his battles for him, Onora. And, Faris, I don't believe in luck. I'm not interested in luck. I prefer we be more capable, and prepared than lucky." Oram said, waving another hand in the air. Somehow using his hands to talk caused him to come across a lot more confident than what he actually felt. The crew around him still shook their heads. There wasn't no way to put logic to a random event like this. It wasn't possible. "Observation, reflection, faith and determination; in this way we may navigate the path as it unfolds before us. Alright, and we have what...eight more recharge cycles to go before getting to Origae-6?" Oram almost chanted and listed off officially before sighing and looking to Walter.
He looked at him blankly, "Is that a question, sir?" Oram's question seemed almost rhetorical in nature, seems he would be aware to the schedule within the ship. He didn't need Walter to voice anything.
"Yes, Walter. That was a question."
"That is correct." Confirming what Oram said, Walter just stood still a bit perplexed, was this perhaps a way of trying to determine whether something had gone wrong with him? Walter didn't know, but he didn't really appreciate it. Seeing as how Oram turned and continued on, Walter looked down when a hand brushed against his. He loosened his hold on his hands and stroked his fingers against Onora's smaller and slimmer ones, she looked sympathetically up at him, yet also annoyed at Oram for doing that to him. It wasn't fair in her eyes to put Walter on the spot like that, like he had done something wrong when he hadn't.