Chapter 7
Captain Phoenix turned out to be a handsome, if portly, middle-aged gentleman. He wore the standard issue purple uniform with no frills or any insignia of rank.
Streemly and Kwait were greeted by Phoenix’s outstretched hand. “Doctors, welcome aboard. May I introduce my wife, Tracy ...” A Junoesque young woman bowed gracefully to Kwait revealing, a cleavage young men would die for and old men could die from.
“Hello,” she purred, managing to breathe out far too much air.
“Commander Apricot ...” continued Captain Phoenix, indicating an outrageously handsome young man beaming at Streemly. “... and West you’ve met.”
“Indeed,” saidWest . “May I say how charming you bothlook. ” An awkward pause was followed by coughs and invitations to be seated.
Tracy was the first to break the silence while the soup was being efficiently dispensed by silent stewards.
“So, Doctor Naize ...”
“Please. Call me Kwait.”
Tracy kept her lips puckered for what seemed an age before saying his name.“Kwait. So you’re the one who upset Birdie. Tearing him away from his beloved battle plans.”
“Birdie?” queried Kwait.
Captain Phoenix raised anembarrassed finger. “That’s me, I’m afraid.”
Kwait looked pointedly at Streemly knowing she was about to ask if the nickname referred to his surname or to being one under par in some department. Spotting her father’s disapproving glance Streemly swallowed the question.
“Upset you Captain?” Kwait turned to Phoenix.“In what way?”
Before Phoenix could reply, Apricot turned to Streemly and said, “This new scanner of yours looks most interesting. Tell me about it.”
“I’m sorry,” Streemly replied, “but I would be interested to hear what the Captain has to say.”
Captain Phoenix looked embarrassed again. “Perhaps this is not the best time to discuss this.”
“Could I hazard a guess?” ventured Kwait. “If I were in your position I would probably regard this whole expedition with some cynicism, to say the least.”
“It’s not that, exactly ...” Captain Phoenix said hesitantly. “But ...”
“This isn’t some wild goose chase, you know,” Streemly interrupted the Captain. “There could be something very significant out there which could affect the whole course of the war.”
“Yes, I’m sure ...” began the Captain.
He was cut short by Apricot who said, “By causing us to lose it, perhaps?” Apricot immediately regretted his sarcastic tone.
Streemly flushed. “Something that can cause that much destruction must be investigated. I would have thought that even a gung-ho dullard could have worked that one out!”
“Streemly!”Kwait admonished his daughter. “We are the Captain’s guests!”
“Yes,” said Streemly, “I’m sorry. But talk of winning or losing this war is a little ridiculous don’t you think?Especially when there’s something of such obvious destructive power out there.”
Apricot inhaled to take up the challenge but was thankfully interrupted. AAWOOGAARGH.Said Marshia coolly.I AM TRACKING AN ENEMY SCOUT SHIP. REQUEST CONDITION YELLOW.
“Granted!” said Captain Phoenix. “With me, Apricot, and please excuse us ladies, gentlemen.” Phoenix and Apricot left at a trot.
“Well, how exciting,” said West, not sounding particularly excited. “An enemy scout ship.So soon too. Whatever next?”
“Whatever next, indeed,” purred Tracy, leaning towards Kwait.“Tell me,” she said, gripping a roll firmly with both hands, “what sort of Doctor are you, Kwait?” Tracy dug her thumbs gently into the yielding bun and parted it into two appetising halves.
“I’m just a humble physicist,” said Kwait, his eyes following one half of the bun as it was placed between Tracy’s white teeth and ruby lips.
“So you know all about things physical?” said Tracy.
“Not all ,” said Kwait.“Just some .”
“My father is an expert on gravity,” said Streemly smiling sweetly at Tracy. “And how, eventually, everything succumbs to it.”
“I like to think of myself as a bit of an expert on attraction,” said Tracy, not missing a heartbeat.
“I’ve never thought of it like that before,” saidWest .
“What?” saidStreemly.
“Everything succumbing to gravity.In the end,” saidWest . “The bigcrunch, and all.” He looked thoughtful for half a second before saying brightly, “Still, not my thing really. I don’t like to get bogged down with the little detailie things like you scientists types. I like to keep my eye on the whole picture.The overall scene. The big ... picture. More of the manager ofmanagers role for me.”
“I can see that,” said Streemly over West’s head.
“Where would Mrs Doctor Naize be?” asked Tracy removing some butter from her nail by sticking the whole finger in her mouth and then withdrawing the moist digit very slowly.
“She died some time ago,” said Kwait.
“Handsome and available,” said Tracy with the sensitivity of a post-coital black widow.
“So what do you do as representative of the Board?” Streemly askedWest , hoping he would talk enough for her to get on with her meal without having to listen to the intellectually challenged set of breasts chatting up her dad.
“A very interesting question,” saidWest , steepling his fingers. “Before this appointment, I was Head of Workforce Consumables Appropriations at the Board’s head offices on Tao. I headed an initiative which looked at the economic implications of certain sheet connection module recycling processes. Some of which would hold department heads accountable for over stock usage as laid out in a study I conducted. All, I might add, done on my own initiative. The reaction was most encouraging and it seems that all heads of departments unanimously voted for my promotion to this position.”
“You mean,” said Streemly pausing to chew some food, “after you showed the department heads how to save paperclips, they elected to send you into space?”
“Well, I think there was a little more to it than that,” saidWest . “They did say that I had demonstrated an unusual ability to get right to the heart of a detail that had, in the main, been completely overlooked by everyone on the Board. It was thought that my, dare I say, talent, would be best utilised on a mission such as this.”
“I can relate to that,” said Streemly.
“Thank you,” saidWest .
: Enemy