The Outer Rim Braves Chapter 15: Itinerary
Sacrifices must be honored
Estimated Time of Arrival to Waypoint 1 of 4: One Week, Three Days
Estimated Total Trip Time Remaining: Three Weeks, Six Days
Current Trip Destination: Argo — Unknown Contact
Primary Reactor Core State: Stable
Isaac sat and stared at the console in the management office of the reactor bay, exhausted and battered. The unnatural rage that once consumed him subsided, but its presence was not entirely gone, like a scar upon his soul. Though he still smoldered over the outcome of the scuffle in the reactor, realizing he was not suited for any sort of combat. The thrashing Slephna gave him caused every muscle fiber to radiate throbbing pain. How he mustered a draw from that encounter was a miracle.
The rhythmic clatter of metal rapping against the grating of the upper levels in the reactor bay filled the office. Isaac sat and stared at the monitoring console, watching the power outputs slowly and steadily rise then fall with load on the system, unperturbed by the noise growing louder. Then, as the cacophony ceased, the smack of a bar against the doorframe jostled the walls of the otherwise empty room.
"Damn, you look like hell. What happened to you?" Erik uttered as he breached the doorway, his unsteady gait sent his shoulder sliding along the pane glass window next to the door frame. He caught himself on the empty desk perpendicular to the window, the only thing saving him from falling flat on the ground.
Weary and tempted to be a smart ass about the marine's state in turn, Isaac decided otherwise, considering what sacrifices were made to put him in that state. "I got in a fight with a wheelbarrow. I lost." Isaac didn't look away from the monitor.
Surprised by Isaac's response, Erik recovered and couldn't hold back a chuckle. He hobbled over to an open row of chairs against the far wall and settled in, leaving one of his legs extended straight.
A long silence fell between them. Isaac didn't expect Erik to recover so quickly or even have business here in the reactor bay. Sometimes when there was a high security alert there would be marines stationed directly in the reactor bay, on patrol in case of a boarding incident. Isaac noticed no security bulletins and even if he missed one, they wouldn't send a lone debilitated marine on a security detail.
"What brought you down here?" Isaac continued to look at the live readings of the reactor bank.
"Well," Erik cleared his throat, "I needed to take a walk and wanted to see how you were holding up."
The sudden personability coming from the marine roused suspicion in Isaac. Erik was no stranger to the reactor bay, he often would be the one leading patrols, especially during the confusion, just after the Endurant broke up. Despite everything, he was cordial but otherwise very detached, as the rest of the marines assigned to the reactor bay were, for reasons Isaac could never figure out. This was certainly a break in character.
"A walk." Isaac looked over his shoulder. "From the med bay to here, almost the entire length of the ship."
"Yep." Erik fidgeted with his crutch, nervous. "Been in bed a while and just wanted to stretch the ol' hamstrings, didn't want the muscles to atrophy."
Isaac flicked his tongue behind his lips in frustration, feeling owed the dignity of not being toyed with after everything they'd both gone through together. He turned back and stared at the monitor, lacking the energy to get into another confrontation. "Seen better days."
With a firm nod, Erik restlessly tapped the side of his crutch with a fingertip. Quiet again fell between them. The marine's chair whispered out squeaks as he continued to shuffle in his chair, perturbed. Finally, Erik broke the silence with a resolute sigh. "I ah…"
Isaac turned in his chair, lips pursed with impatience.
"I just wanted to say thank you." Erik's demeanor turned serious. "For what you did. Back in the med bay."
Spinning his chair around, Isaac sized up the marine. Erik's posture was closed, and he was uncomfortable in this situation. It was clear that whatever code or guideline the marines had, Erik was breaking in having this conversation. Isaac didn't know why it was like this in the first place.
"Don't mention it." Isaac spoke with weariness, pivoting back to watching the reactor's status.
"I've been assigned as your security detail until further notice." Erik followed up, with his usual stern marine sergeant tone.
Isaac groaned in frustration. "You didn't have to butter me up to tell me that. Just stay out of my way."
"That wasn't my intent—"
"Do what you have to do." Isaac gritted his teeth and turned hardware dials on the console, to flip through other statistics about the reactor bank.
"Your brother is concerned with the current state of affairs on the bridge and assigned me to look after you." Erik spoke with a resolute tone.
"My brother…" Isaac shook his head in disappointment. "I haven't had a brother in a long time. I know a Lieutenant who might be related."
"It's not like that." Erik declared.
Isaac pivoted his chair, squaring off with the sergeant. "Then what is it like? Because I have no fathomable idea what it could possibly be."
With a groan, Erik sat forward. "A marine is a shepherd of the flotilla. It's our duty to protect the people from threats beyond or within the confines of the fleet. Because of that, we took an oath to keep our distance. It's easier for both parties if our duties were disconnected from each other."
Isaac rolled his eyes and shook his head in frustration. "Like you kept distance with your daughter?"
"That—" Erik grunted in defeat. "She's too young to un—"
Gritting his teeth and nodding his head, disappointed by the hypocrisy, Isaac turned back to his workstation. "Yeah, I get it. Feel free to keep your oath any time now."
Erik resigned himself by sitting back in his chair, upright, and folding his hands in front of him.
Hours passed as Isaac continued to tweak values, carefully managing the amount of load being placed upon the reactor, worried that too much or too little would cause it to go haywire again. The blip of a bulletin coming across on his secondary screen broke Isaac's concentration. A funeral notice for the twenty-five lost on the excursion. It came with short notice, starting in a few hours. Given the mayhem on the bridge, it made sense there weren't more preparations. Isaac was surprised that they weren't going to postpone, or even scrap it entirely, given the circumstances.
"There's a thing for what happened soon." Isaac looked over his shoulder at the sergeant. "You going?"
"Can't." Erik grunted out.
Isaac turned to him. "Why not?"
Erik motioned toward Isaac, to say that he was the reason the sergeant couldn't leave. Isaac looked back at the bulletin, nodded, then checked the reactor status one more time. He looked at the history of manual changes and realized the adjustments he made were nothing more than over-obsessiveness that didn't make a difference either way.
Along with Erik, Arne, one of the marines lost on the excursion, was almost always the one accompanying him on patrol in the reactor. There were a number of other marines on station with them, lost to other scavenging excursions but it was always those two in specific making sure things were in order around here. As upset as Isaac was at the whole ordeal with the marines taking some strange oath of distance between them and civilians, it was clear that Arne was like a brother to Erik.
"I'm going for a walk." Isaac flipped a switch to release all adjustments to the automatic system load balancer and then stood up.
The sergeant looked at the empty reactor management console, then to Isaac who already crossed the threshold onto the catwalk. "Don't you have to keep an eye on that thing?"
Isaac shrugged. "It'll be fine." He hoped that was the truth.
Blinking with a tinge of doubt breaking through his otherwise stern demeanor, Erik groaned in pain as he struggled to his feet. With a labored hobble, the marine pushed himself to keep up, trailing Isaac as he descended the catwalk staircase and strolled toward the control station near the reactor bank.
Isaac sat down on the four-wheeler and started it up. "Get on." He pointed to the load-bearing cargo scaffolding attached to the rear of the seat. "Hang on tight."
With hesitation, Erik spun around and sat with his back to Isaac, staring out behind the four-wheeler. "This doesn't seem like much of a walk." The sergeant tied down his crutch with a strap on the scaffold. "Where are we going?"