“Fuck you, Sarge.We’re not in the corps anymore.You may be captain, but you’re not the boss here.”He stormed off the bridge, leaving Burn and me staring after him in shock.
Finn was no longer visible, but I still stared at the corridor outside the bridge.I could only hope that he’d gone back to his quarters rather than stomping off the ship.We were on a timeline now and I still had to request a departure slot.
We’d come here for cargo and crew and I didn’t want to have to chase after my crew.We stuck together and didn’t leave a teammate behind.
I closed my eyes.If we left Finn behind, it would be his own damn fault.But he wouldn’t see it that way.
Activating the intercom, I winged it.“This is the captain.We will be departing the station shortly.All crew on board?”It wouldn’t be the worst thing to have a protocol for when we had a larger crew.
Lacy responded immediately.“Here.”
There was a long pause, then the crackle of static.Finally, Finn’s voice came over the system.“Here.”
“Great.Burn and I are on the bridge.Everyone stay on board.We’re taking off as soon as we’re cleared for departure.”
“Copy,” Lacy said.
“Sir, yes, sir.”Finn being a total asshole.
“You got any idea what’s going on with Finn?”I asked Burn once I’d switched off the intercom.
“I haven’t seen him this on edge since...you know.”She paused.“The accident.”
The accident that had killed Wilson and injured Finn.He’d been laid up for a few weeks, getting crankier and crankier.
Hell, we’d all been cranky, drowning in our grief.
“That’s what I was thinking.”I looked over at her.“One of us should corral him and find out what’s bugging him.”
“Not it,” Burn said immediately.
“If I can’t talk some sense into him, you’re going to have to try.”
Her lips curled up in a moue of displeasure.“Fine.But make sure you try really, really hard first, okay?”
“Always.Ready to get out of here?”
“Ready when you are.”
Switching to an external channel, I picked up the comms.“Rigel Naught stationmaster, this isFortunarequesting clearance to take off.”
33
Lacy
It tookhoursto get clearance forFortunato leave Rigel Naught.Hours where I had nothing to do.I’d tried to pop into engineering, make sure everything was stowed properly, but Finn had met me at the door and refused to let me enter.I could have argued, maybe even dragged Dax into it, but tensions were high and Finn already disliked me, so I didn’t push it.
When I walked away, his angry muttering followed me down the corridor.I was obviously some Blazer plant and they were all going to regret letting me on board, blah, blah, blah.
I’d left him down in the engine room, though it nearly killed me to do so.Over the last week, I’d come to think of it as my domain.Plus, I was pretty sure he had no idea what he was doing.
Whatever.Not my decision.
Being on the outside looking in with Dax and his crew was lonely.Some moments, like when I’d been loading the cargo, it was easy to fool myself that I was one of the team.But the in-between hours, like waiting for launch with nothing to do, made it clear that I was not part ofFortuna’screw.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.”I chuckled as Dax’s voice came over the intercom.“We’ve exited the atmosphere and have set a course for the mining station Harrier.You are now free to move around the cabin.”
Finally!
