Adventures of Eira

chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Your Ladyship," I hear a voice cry out as the bridge door slides open. "I'm Lieutenant Huffman," a young man says as he takes a quick bow. "I was given the task to oversee the exploration team and would like to personally go over their findings if you would indulge my selfishness."

"I don't mind, but can you tell me what stage the recovery process is in? I want to move out of here as fast as we can."

"It shouldn't take longer than another hour at the most," He says as his head turns to look out at the Frigga off in the distance. "We have already recovered all the cryo pods and contents of the hanger that was reported. We're still looking for the navigation drives as well as getting out the black box."

"Wait, the black box? I'm not against its recovery, but who gave the order to find it?" This must have been part of an update that allowed the NPCs to make such on the fly decisions.

"We just so happened to come across it while looking for the drives and thought that you would like to recover it."

"Thanks for taking the initiative then," I say, pressing a button on the console to call for the first or second mate to report to the bridge. "Once my alternate gets here, I'll be taking you to the War Room. If that's alright with you."

"I have no objections to that," Huffman says with a slight blush. I don't know what kind of thought entered his mind but I'll brush it to the side. "But may I ask why we can't do it here?"

"It's a bit more private, and I can get a coffee from the canteen," I say, sinking back into my chair and tapping on a thermos sitting in the cup holder. "Plain water is getting a bit bland."

"I mean no offense by this but I always thought the nobility were always stuck up and put themselves above everyone else," he sucks in a bit of air before continuing, "You on the other hand seem like everyone else."

"That's quite accurate for most of the nobility. They tend to stay away from the general populace and have wildly different ideals," I say, taking a moment to collect my thoughts as I become aware of all the eyes in the room slowly piling up on us. "Unlike them, I was given the status of nobility later in life. Started out as a the leader if the Schweibhund group before we were absorbed into the newly formed Imperium navy, Some time later I was given the title of lady."

Huffman's eyes widen with surprise, and I can see a ripple of astonishment pass through the bridge.

"A mercenary?" he echoes, his tone a mix of disbelief and curiosity. "Forgive me for saying so, Your Ladyship, but I always assumed.."

"That I was born into nobility, raised with a silver spoon in my mouth, and never had to work a day in my life?" I finish his sentence with a wry smile as I start to reminisce. "I get that a lot."

"Please forgive me," a girl in the pilot seat askes trying to keep her composure. "But when I looked up your records there is no such mention of you ever being a mercenary."

"That's because it was scrubbed. The early nobility saw it as a sign of weakness to have a mercenary to be leading the navy but at the same time they couldn't make do without me," I say leaning back into my seat and placing my thermos on my lap. "Things like public image are one of the many things that annoy me about having to deal with the nobility."

"Is their image really that important?" another person asks.

"Why do you think the noble can kill a commoner law exist?" I say with a deadpan expression. "While seldom used it's intended to give an air of power and authority. Granted the way it's written the victim need to insult the noble's image first."

Everyone around me shivers a bit as I explain the law. To me it was a fool's law, as anyone who was to invoke it would be destroyed in the court of public opinion. I even told them not to do it as it could result in less than accurate reporting. Who wants to tell someone what they don't want to hear when death is a punishment? "You don't have the worry about me invoking it, the worst I'll do is make you clean the toilets with nothing but a sponge and a bucket of hot water."

As the tension in the room eases with a few nervous chuckles, followed by the second mate entering the bridge, her face beat red and frantically adjusting her hair and uniform. "Sorry it took so long your Ladyship, I was caught up with some work that couldn't wait."

my eyes narrow upon her before saying, "I'm going to go to the war room with Lieutenant Huffman. While I'm busy with that I want you to have the fleet to leave the moment the exploration teams announce they have concluded their search and have been head counted."

"Yes your Lady ship I will make sure to leave the area the moment the exploration team has concluded their operation," she says with a bow.

I turn to leave with Huffman but stop as I cross the threshold, "By the way, if you were doing what you disheveled appearance suggests there will be consequences if you do it again."