Chapter Nine
Divergence
Crystal awakens as she has trained herself to do, with the Sign of the Cross and Prayer, a practice she has tried to make automatic but not let it become rote, then she opens her eyes and lets in confusion, because this bedroom, this bed, aren't….
'Oh. Orville. I'm … I did make it; I'm on the Orville, and I suppose I'd better get used to this room.
'Orville. Intake interview. Captain Mercer. Commander … Grayson. Alara – Alara Kitan. Security. Bortus. Oh, freep, Bortus; he scared the life out of me and this is what little I have left.'
Slowly, piece by piece, she reconstructs yesterday, everyone she'd met, the party, the blackout and floating in a lot of no fun.
'Don't ever let anyone tell you that being weightless is a good thing, unless of course you're on a diet. That would have been so humiliating.'
x
Pushing those memories aside, at least until she's ready to process them, she again touches her forehead, reaches down her body as far as she may to touch through the blanket, then lightly to left and right shoulder. She ends with her hand pressed flat over her heart. It's not the common way to conclude, it's hers.
'Father, I thank you for this day and all that will come. I thank you for yesterday and all that happened, for new friends and new experiences. Thank you for these people, and please grant me what I need to do what I can for them in your Great and Sacred Name.
'Please give me the confidence to believe that I am where You want me to be, that I am here to do what job You have ordained. I'm sorry for my doubts, for my fears. Please help me not to be so Afraid!'
Her thoughts fracture and she has to stop, to determine that having asked for courage she will receive it, and in her faith she'll be able to do her duties.
And maybe doing them will eventually give her the confidence to do them.
xx
The Personal is in a tiny room at the left corner of the room and she thinks probably shares the rest of the space with another set of quarters. Showering and dressing in her black and green uniform with embroidered circular patch of a green and white book outline are mundane enough acts to convince her of the reality of her morning. Under the bedroom lights she finds the silver ring on her right hand glitters, the image of the crucifix with the Savior's arms outstretched on the gibbit adds new depth and focuses her mind on the rest of her morning prayers. She resolves that before breakfast she'll give the Log entry at least a one-time attempt today, hoping she will not chicken out - again.
Leaving her bedroom, the desk is right there by the door with the third very large 'don't even think it' window beyond it, stars shooting by right to left. 'Should I try to learn to guess our speed by the look of the stars? Maybe George can give me some clues or pointers?'
x
Sitting down at the desk, she takes a long, lung busting breath, holds it for nearly a second too long and exhales the first sentence.
"Chaplain's Log, December 23, 2420, my first day on the Orville ended kind of not as horribly as I'd been afraid it would. It ended, at least for me, with the Reception. Did I record the Reception? I forget, I was so tired I barely remember going to bed.
"Oh, yes, I did record it. And then I deleted it.
"Okay, this is going to have to stop or this will be a frapping small file of my non-history, but...
x
"I have a plan. Today I'm not going to stress.
"Yeah, right. But yesterday everyone was so nice, no one was scary dark… well, I didn't scream. Too much. Forget Yaphit, no more of that.
"Today I'm just going to wander the ship. Who knows when I'll become so busy that I won't have time? But anyway, I'll just chat with anyone I see, get to know them, no pressure - at least not on them.
"Anyway, I'm suspecting Commander Grayson is the go-to woman about scheduling Services, or am I supposed to take charge of that? Yeah right, I'm the Chaplain, the Commander's got to have her hands full. I'm sure she has her hands full with that power failure. Captain Mercer, I read where a First Officer's job is to provide the Captain with a working ship - what is that exactly? I don't know - but I'm sure he's going to want it.
"It's a little before Christmas, two days - rather a smidgen less - can I do a Midnight Service? No, too ambitious. Anyway, I'll try her this afternoon.
"No. I won't. She's not going to want me coming to her asking permission to do my job. She's going to want me to make my plans and then come to her for her approval or rejection, and I'd better learn to do that if I want to keep her as a friend, or at least keep in her good graces.
"This first one for Eve will be non-denominational, it'll have to be. Yeah, a non-denominational Christmas, that'll work. Then I'll go down to Engineering and give Commander LaMarr some suggestions on how to run his department."
She sits back, tries to breathe the tension from her body. It still doesn't work. Where to go from here?
x
"I have a haaaall of a lot of studying to do. I studied the other Religions represented on this ship, and all other known ones short of the Krill, until I was orange in the face but I've only presided over a ceremony once, but that was a fill-in, but to be called on to preside? To do it regularly as the one in Charge?"
She tries the breathing exercises again, feels a bit better. "No. I asked for confidence to not be afraid, so I cannot slip back into doubt. I feel better today, things are starting to make sense. It's rude to ask for a gift and then not use it.
"Where was I?" Somewhere.
"Computer?"
**Ready**
"Play back that Log entry please."
**Please specify date of entry."
"You kidding? December 23, 2420."
**There is no Log entry for that date on file.**
"What?" She looks to the small blue chip that resides in the holder at the left corner of her desk beside the intercom / computer link. The light beside it is dark.
She'd forgotten to turn it on.
xxx
At 0800 Mercer, Grayson and Kitan enter the half intensity lit bridge, take their stations and Mercer formally relieves Lt. Jan Margolin from the center starboard seat. All other Alpha shift officers have already assumed their posts.
"Any problems, Lieutenant?" he asks the woman in tones that suggest he doesn't want any.
"No, sir," she says, standing neither at Attention nor Ease in accord with her C.O.'s style. "There have been no lingering effects from last night's power interruption. All systems normal. Lt. Commander LaMarr reports the engines operating at 106.8 percent efficiency."
Mercer doesn't shift his head, only his eyes to meet the woman's. "One hundred six percent."
"Point eight."
Okay, over 100 of standard acceptable efficiency but he still doesn't like it. "Very well, Lieutenant, I have the Bridge. Get some rest. I'm planning an efficiency drill tonight, and I want all Stations at a hundred nine."
"Yes, sir."
As she strides to the bridge's stern, Mercer commands "Begin day watch," and the lights come up to full intensity. "Ensign Sporelli."
The Navigator glances back over her shoulder, her words low as though not wanting him to think she's correcting him. "Sportelli, sir."
"Yes, of course, sorry. Plot a Course for Earth. Malloy, as soon as you have it, engage at full."
x
Gordon has never minded getting information from his Captain. "What about the seeds?"
"What about them?"
"Well, the hurricane, emergency supplies, Dr. Aranov's time machine?"
Mercer and Grayson exchange a second's glance and Mercer leans forward and says in a 'something wrong with your hearing?' tone. "Course. Earth. Full."
"Aye, aye Captain." He barely manages to filter the 'what the hell is going on?' from his tone. "Coming about."
The stars on the forward deck-to-overhead screen slow, shift left, continue for a moment into a half circle and then leap at them.
The silence lasts some fifteen seconds, then is ended by the speaker on the right armrest of his chair.
"LaMarr to bridge. Can't help but notice we've been here before."
Mercer touches the control beside the speaker. "Report to the Bridge."
If the Chief Engineer takes any note of the curtness of the order, he gives no sign of it. "On my way."
x
Mercer touches the button, looks to the blue uniformed woman beside him. "Might as well."
"Command says 'no'," she cautions.
"They're a good crew." He looks right and left to include all. "We'll need them."
The looks he gets back are of the 'here for you, sir' variety.
When John LaMarr steps onto the deck, Mercer looks to the red uniformed woman at the port side station. "Alara, seal the bridge. Deactivate all recording systems. And rig the ship for silent running. Until further notice," he says broadly, "there will be no communications outside the ship without my express order."
As the heavy doors slide shut behind them, he turns to the … he's never had a name for what the Kaylonian is. "Isaac, stop listening. Rather, keep listening but you will never reveal to anyone what I'm going to say."
"Yes, sir."
"That goes for everyone here. This is 'Top Secret, Need-to-Know-and-you-don't' stuff."
"You can count on us, sir," is a broken chorus of varied words.
x
"Back on Earth, well, on Luna Base Four, is a Summit so high it can only be held in space. Every Chief-of-State of every planet in the Union is there and only a selected number of people – plus those in this room – know exactly where and when. Secrecy is so strict that - no, never mind comparisons. Alara, what's the first rule of secrecy?"
"'A secret anyone knows is not a secret'."
"Suffice it to say, this secret is blown. Not 'broadcast on the planetary net' blown, but Command thinks someone is going to target the Conference. If word gets out that a plot is suspected, and there is credible evidence that something's up, it'll freak a couple thousand big wigs and Security will be ringing a loud bell right where silence was the preferred plan."
Bortus' gravelly voice asks "Then what is the plan?"
"The Admiralty realizes that if they try to reposition to get everyone off or even move ships to defend LB4, whoever is going to threaten it will know the jig is up and will probably switch to Plan B. I've never known a Plan B that didn't have casualties, maybe on both sides.
"Our Plan A is somewhat different. Command doesn't think that the Orville, this far out and heading toward uncharted territory on a three-month assignment to the nadir of the Galaxy, will be seen as having anything to do with the Conference.
"I want to come in at Emergency speed, get as close to LB4 as possible – Gordon, can you stop us on a dime a hundred meters from the base?"
"I can put us so close the guys down in level 9 will duck."
"Good." He looks to his right to the Chief Engineer. "John, how long until we get there at full speed?"
LaMarr's lips open, he has that answer but he's not the one in the Nav seat. He looks to the redheaded woman he'd recommended as his eventual replacement, meets her eyes.
"Twenty-four hours, nineteen minutes," she glances back at her board, "twenty-one seconds. Ship's time 0853 Hours. Sir."
"Good."
Mercer passes on to the next point, thus misses the wink John gives to his successor.
x
"I want to appear there before anyone knows we're coming, weapons hot and loaded for bear. If all goes well, we'll evacuate the delegates and stick them on a battleship where they belonged. If it's not so great we'll pop in and blow something to shit."
"Sir," the Chief Engineer says, "don't we already have an Emergency mission? After all, Aronov's machine won't do much without the seeds."
"We'll be a few days late. They can get by on rations."
"But with all those ships –."
"That will be all, Commander."
"But –." If Mercer's glare could be loud... "Aye, sir."