Edogon

Edogon Ch.19

T-T Why, I Must Ask, WHY Once Again, WHY DO YOU LOOK SO MUCH LONGER ON PAPER?!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 19: Anew

Avery Nickels Reporting for Duty

            All the people in the room looked at me shocked, all but one. Dune. He just held my hand gently as Flo went over to our captain and laid her head on his chest. You could hear her heartbreaking sobs ripping through the silence as she clutched onto him. I think I remember now, that one time I was in his room there had been a picture of him and Flo on his desk. I didn’t think much of it then, but I did now as I walked over to her and laid a hand on her shaking back.

            “Russell, oh Russell my poor Russell, just before our wedding date you had to go...” Flo cried helplessly.  I felt bad for Flo honestly, and her words broke my heart. Captain Russell was going to marry this woman, and he died before he could even get the chance to. It had explained why she had been the first to panic when I told them Captain Russell wasn’t responding to me. Why she had been so frantic to save him as Jonas and Bo fought over a silly matter. Looking at Captain Russell now, I realized his real motives for making me his first officer. He saw potential in me that I hadn’t yet seen in myself, he saw someone that could bring the crew back together after losing two Captains in such a little time. He had seen hope in me and a fresh start for the Edogon. Looking back up at the crowd I mustered up all the courage I could.

            “Captain Russell made me his first officer, trusting me. Knowing that where or when he died I’d be ready to take on his position as Captain. So from this moment on, I hope you all can feel safe under my lead as Captain. I hope to bring the fire back to Edogon that it once had when I first arrived.” I said, slowly bringing my eyes to a halt on Dune who just gave me a soft encouraging smile. “So as of now I’m you’re Captain and my first order is, to leave Flo and Russell alone for a moment.” The crowd nodded and Jonas clapped me on the shoulder before he walked out of the poisons lab and into the hallway, followed by all the others.

            Letting out my breathe I turned around and patted Flo on the back once again before grabbing Dune’s hand and taking him with me out of the room. Flo really needed a moment of silence with her deceased fiancée. Once the doors closed behind us I looked at all who was left from the medical and poisons departments in front of me. Only Jonas, Bo and Herelsia remained. The three of them were huddled together talking quietly about something, but their attention quickly came back to me.

            “That was a mighty fine first order Captain Avery.” Jonas commented as he gave me a weak smile, I knew he was mad at himself on the inside for not being able to save Captain Russell. But sometimes, you couldn’t save everyone, right? That was the first rule in a captain’s book, well one of them anyways. I guess the first one would have to be, sacrifice yourself for the crew. That rule had been around since pirates and heck, maybe even further.

            “Thanks. As for his um funeral what do we do exactly for funerals?” I asked. Jonas looked at Bo who looked back at me.

            “Usually we burn the bodies and put them into containers and then hold a ceremony. Getting rid of everything they owned by burning them, except pictures. Of course, anything that can’t be burnt like finger prints in machines are deleted. And then we drop off their remains at the mother ship’s grave yard whenever we get the chance.” Bo explained to me. I gulped what a sad funeral. Everything you owned except for pictures burnt, gone forever. And anything that couldn’t be burnt was deleted. It was like you just disappeared, forever.