We Shadows

Chapter 30: like family dinner

"What about partners now?" Cameron asked. "We're going to cause riots. How are we going to announce to everyone that something that we have all grown to expect from childhood is just gone? Sure, it's great for your daughter Mia," she gestured to Dashiell. "But if I hated Harper, what then? Where would I live? What would I do?"

"I think we should construct these bunks first," Vertov decided. "And we'll have to come up with something about berths when partners want to split."

"I think the partner with a child should get preference," Madison suggested. "But once again, we will be here until the evening if we think through every eventuality. So long as it is all right, I would like to bring this up with medical, maybe personnel, and brainstorm all that needs to be prepared before we announce."

"Just medical," Vertov told her. "You have a small team and this cannot get out. It will hurt families and cause a lot of upheaval on the base."

Lully could believe that. He was still behind on what exactly they were planning to replace partners, but he could ask Vertov later. Madison nodded and made a note on her holo-rib.

"If this is all going to happen," Dashiell inquired slowly. "May I please wake my daughter? I haven't seen her for almost a year and she's only eight. This will go into effect far before she would partner with anyone."

Vertov considered. "I don't see anything wrong with that. Is there anyone who disagrees?"

Everyone shook their heads. Dashiell's face brightened into a smile. Lully had no idea that the man's daughter was still in cryo; that seemed cruel to wake a family without some of its members. Was that why Dashiell had been so ruthless as captain? He was trying to get the base to let him have his child? Lully could understand that.

"Is there anything that needs to be brought before the group?" Vertov inquired. "Has everyone recorded your videos or set up your meeting with Tyson? Lully, you'll need to do that; he's making a video to play for those waking out of cryo to acquaint them with the base and it's workings."

"Shouldn't the real lieutenant do that later?" Lully questioned.

He heard quiet laughter around the table and his heart sank when Vertov said: "Lully, you can probably get comfortable being lieutenant. You made quite an impressive showing today."

"Okay," he said, trying not to sound disappointed.

"If there's nothing else, then please read over the constitution and get back to Dashiell. We need this completed, pas mal?"

There were murmurs of assent and Lully rose from his seat with the rest of him. Vertov chuckled.

"You know how to make an entrance," he remarked. "I'm glad you're here."

"If you say so, sir," Lully shrugged. "I can't help what people send me. That people think I care more."

"You do care more," Vertov pointed out. "You can keep your office for now; they haven't built a new captain's office since we are out of materials, but if you could make sure that is completed before the vote, that would helpful."

"Will do," Lully promised. "When is the next hover out to the expedition? I would like to meet back up with Esperanza."

"In a couple hours," Vertov replied. "I'll message you when I find out."

"Merci, sir," Lully bobbed his head and headed out of the room. Cameron and Harper were waiting for him with a grin.

"Congratulations," Harper clapped him on the back. "Do you have plans? We have some surprisingly tasty leftovers at the house."

"I knew you'd like it," Cameron beamed. "I thought we were going to go to the garden to talk?"

"Ah, you're right," Harper sighed. "Sorry, we can do that first? Or we could meet Lully later."

"No, no, we'll go to the berth and have lunch. I could hear your stomach in the meeting. Does that work for you, Lully?"

"I just need to get back to printing before the hover leaves, so sure," Lully agreed. "And congratulations to you, Harper. We've brought the average age of congress down substantially."

They began to walk toward Cameron and Harper's berth. Harper still used a cane, but he looked much better than he had in a while.

"I think it will be a good thing," Cameron said. "We represent different perspectives. Harper was from another time, you've never lived in space and I'm from the Canary."

"Dylan's from the base," Lully pointed out.

Cameron shrugged. "Dylan is Dylan," she said a bit cryptically. "You'll see."

Lully frowned but since Cameron didn't offer any explanation, he didn't press further. One day into politics and he was exhausted mentally.

"I need a drink," He shook his head. "I never thought I would say that but...are all meetings like that? We didn't do anything?"

"Yeah, most of the work gets done in messages and passive aggressive print queues," Cameron agreed. "I work in messages; personnel doesn't print much. Archives doesn't have a budget or an agenda yet, so we'll see there."

"I'm going to have one," Harper protested. "I haven't been department head a week."

"And that constitution?" Lully said, not quite done with the previous conversation. "How long as Dashiell been working on it; it's fifteen pages of tiny, tiny text!"

"It's been the better part of two cycles. Dylan voted him out of being captain because he hadn't completed it. I think most of the work was done in the last week or two. He's had some motivation," Cameron explained. "And we didn't fight this meeting. People are just competitive and possessive of our resources. The competition is good."

"Sure," Lully said doubtfully.

He would definitely have his work cut out for him. Esperanza and he would have to talk; he could tell he was getting sucked into the congress already. He should message her now, but he delayed. Lully would rather have a conversation with Esperanza in person; she had been the only person that he had told, and the dozens of messages led him to believe that she had told not a few people. 

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I wouldn't want to be in Lully's shoes, for sure.