Randolph Lalonde - Frontline

Ayan peered within and saw something entirely unexpected. The Triton's six main reactors were like thick pillars in a white cathedral and in its center sat a man in robes. His back was to her but she immediately had the sense that he was in meditation.

Between the large sealed reactor chambers and broad spaces between he looked small but compared to her he was a very large fellow, and as she stepped out of the lift the guard smiled at her and whispered; “That's Chief Engineer Grady. Do you need anything else before I leave Ma'am?”

“No, thank you for walking me here Officer Radics,” Ayan replied.

He remained there, staring at her.

“You're dismissed,” she added quietly.

He saluted before closing the hatch.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the Chief. The first steps she took towards him sounded thunderously loud as they reverberated throughout the large chamber. Her soles were soft, practical, but still fresh from Laura's materializer, so they had just enough stiffness to make too much noise for her comfort.

Liam let out a long breath and stood slowly, almost too gracefully for his height and size. “I told them you'd be all right to find your way here on your own,” he said as he turned and smiled at her. “You've probably browsed the blueprints for the entire ship by now.”

Ayan smiled back at him as she slowly closed the distance and offered her hand. “Just a few decks and the way here.”

He took her hand and shook it firmly but gently. “I'm honoured to meet you Ayan, I'm Liam Grady.”

She let her hand slip out of his, feeling small and delicate at the center of the reactors, standing in front of a man who was the better part of a meter taller than she. “I'm honoured to meet you, Axiologist Grady. I was taught by someone from your order when I was a child and have believed ever since. You couldn't imagine my reaction when I discovered there was a monk aboard.”

“Oh, I'm only a Pilgrim. I was supposed to be a Guide on Seneschal while maintaining a lead engineer's post, but there was a change in plans. Who was your teacher?”

“Tajen Emrissa, she stayed to teach ethics and history for two years. I still wish she could have stayed longer, a lot of us did.”

“I heard of her while I was with my Mentor but never had the chance to meet her. I'm fairly sure she was in retreat somewhere in the north east, though she was known for being a Pilgrim for a very long time.”

“I'm glad she made it back. She didn't speak about her time on Earth often, but by the time she taught us she had two belts.”

“I couldn't imagine, even though I've met Mentors with four,”

Ayan couldn't resist looking down at Liam's loosely tied red belt to see how many places he'd taught or mentored and was a little surprised to find only one marking; the emblem of the Triton had been pressed into the thick cloth. The gentleman's easy confidence and slightly weathered look suggested that he'd already taught hundreds, thousands of people.

“I'm only at the beginning of my journey, much like you, as I understand it. Word has spread across the ship that you've returned by near miraculous means.”

“I wouldn't call it a miracle, more good science and more dedication that I could begin to return. I still don't understand how that could lead to the quiet stares and smiles I've been fetching.”

“I'm on leisure time, so let's explore while I catch you up. Have you seen the heart of this ship yet?”

Ayan looked around at the large reactors and nodded; “I think so.”

“Well, in one respect you're right, but this ship has another heart that's just as important. You might have seen it marked as the Family Quarters?”

“I noticed, it takes up over twenty percent of the ship's interior space.”

Liam led her towards the main hatchway. “At its center is the Botanical Gallery, which I've come to call the Garden.”

“Ah, I haven't been cleared to see most of the ship. Laura was saying Chief Vega has been tightening security.”

“You probably haven't been told, but we have an assassin aboard. His or her motives are unclear at best, but our Chief of Security has made changes to keep everyone, especially key personnel, as safe as possible.”

“That explains a lot, actually. I've spent all my time here going between Laura's quarters, my little temporary quarters and the infirmary, or should I say hospital.”

Liam nodded; “I heard they opened the attached rooms since there were so many wounded from our encounter at Pandem. One of my people said he thought he was transferred to a different ship when he woke up in what looked like a normal two bed hospital room.”

“That's Iloona's doing. She's really been pushing the staff and they're giving her their all. I think they're just happy to have a real doctor aboard. Hard to believe that you've gone so long without one.”

“So she's staying?” Liam asked as the main hatchway closed behind them and they waited for the pressure to equalize.

“Well, her litter of three are starting to venture out of her pouch, so I think she took that as a sign that she should stay on.”

“That must make treating people complicated,” Liam chuckled.

“You'd think, but one of her eldest helps and she keeps them well in hand even when they're crawling around. One of her little ones crawled right into my hair yesterday when I was visiting Jacob,” she said as she ran her hand up and under a mess of blonde curls.

“That must have been something to see.” The door opened and they strode, side by side down the Engineering Control Corridor.

“You don't have to stop in and make sure everything's in order?” Ayan whispered as she kept pace with her escort's long strides. It took some effort on her part.

“All the repairs are scheduled, the critical systems are in order and my second has it all well in hand for the time being. It took three straight days, and everyone's in for ten hour shifts for the next two weeks but it's time for some of us to get some rest.”

“If you would rather go to your quarters and get some rest, I could visit another time,” Ayan whispered back at him.

“There's nothing I'd rather be doing.” He reassured her as they passed through the lift doors. “Besides, I have to wait for the stims to wear off.”

Ayan smiled and nodded; “I slept fourteen hours when they finally showed me to a bunk here. I think I was on stims for four days at that point. Still just starting to feel rested now.”

“Mister McPatrick was telling me yesterday how bad it was down there. Now that's an old soldier before his time.”

“He was tunnel fighting for a over a week before Minh and I arrived. I'm glad I didn't see much of that myself. We call him Oz, by the way.”

Liam looked at her lingeringly, his expression still pleasant but it almost looked like he was sizing her up for a moment. “One wouldn't assume you have so much service behind you just to look.”

“Do you think that's part of the problem?” The express car arrived at it's destination and the doors opened to reveal a broad central corridor. Ayan had seen it on the blueprints for the ship. There were several main corridors just like the one they stepped into leading to the Botanical Gallery and around the Command Decks. She couldn't help but notice that the inner elevator door was so thick it required special support and sliders. They were entering another interior armoured section of the Triton, the Family Quarters.

“You mean the extra respect you're being paid? I suppose you could call it a problem. Before I explain what's behind that I suppose I should get the business out of the way.”

She shot him a look with a raised eyebrow. “Business?”

“Right. With both Captain Valance and Acting Captain Valent out of commission no one has had the courtesy to place you somewhere.”