While Addalyne sat eating her meal, General Williams came in and filled a plate with food. He immediately walked to Addalyne’s table to talk to her. She asked if he would join her and he agreed. Once he sat down, he said, “I just had a long conversation with Trish and Jill on The Empress. Jill expressed concern over your welfare, but she is abiding by Trish’s decision to terminate your employment. I also had a conversation with your skipper, Tabatha. She wants you back on the Yutaka III, but cannot overrule the owner of the vessel. Therefore, you are now a free agent, as it were. I just discussed your predicament with my staff and they want to offer you a position here with us. You worked here for a couple years before you joined the Yutaka crew and I hope you enjoyed your stay with us. If you agree to join us, I have a new job assignment for you that would involve a large monetary increase in your paycheck. You discussed the job with one of my staff when you were here with your crew for a night out. I want to offer you a teaching position in our robotic systems department. You will mostly work here on the Regnieloc Asteroid, however, you may occasionally be asked to help out at the Open Market II, which is located in the Cygnus arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, whenever you are not teaching classes.”
The general opened his pocket monitor and located a file. Then he looked up at Addalyne and said, “This teaching job I am offering you will double the base salary you were earning aboard the Yutaka III. You are very gifted and I need your skills, yet I will understand if you find another position somewhere else. I am certain you could easily join another fleet or join a research team on planet Earth or planet Quantum. They are always looking for IFTT trained engineers.”
General Williams took a few bites of his meal and then laid his fork down beside his plate. He looked up to Addalyne and said, “I checked your records before I came down here. I knew you had an electrical engineering degree, however, I had forgotten that you have only about ninety days’ worth of work to do before you have completed the classroom work for your PhD. I know your Master’s thesis is in order. I have read it and had some of the math that I did not understand checked by two of the Demords scientists stationed here on this asteroid. The title of your thesis, Benefits of Demordian Implants in Robotic Engineering, intrigued me. I am willing to pay your wages while you finish that classroom work and then help you schedule the oral defense of your thesis. Once you have your PhD, I will put you to work in our Robotic Systems and Development Department with a full professorship. You can teach electrical engineering and robotics whenever we have graduate students who need training. Your full title at that point would be, Doctor Addalyne Yutaka MEng, PhD.”
Addalyne laid her fork down beside the half-eaten plate of food in front of her and looked up into the General’s eyes. Then she said, “I always loved working and living here, but the IFTT thought I needed some training off the planet. I am still wondering why the IFTT made that decision and if I somehow offended someone higher up, someone such as you, General. I felt at the time that someone wanted me transferred instead of confronting me with their true problem.”
Addalyne did not say another word, but maintained eye contact with the man in front of her. She hoped he would provide an honest answer to her concerns. When he finally decided to explain, he said, “Jill Yutaka was in need of an electrical engineer to get the Yutaka III up and running. She chose you because of your skill set and your design knowledge of starships. I think your last name also had some influence in her decision. I conjured up the story of you needing time aboard a starship to further your knowledge in hopes you would accept the position. Both Jill and Trish have been happy with your work until your family lineage riled up Trish. I suspect there is more to her anger today than meets the eye. There may be some concern on her part that you, being family, would step in between her and her partner, Jill.”
As they quietly sat and finished their meal, the general said, “I hear you put Trish on her back when she grabbed your wrist. I viewed the video and read the blow by blow description of the event just before I came to the cafeteria for supper.”
Addalyne said, “I would have followed her wishes if she would have simply asked. It is her vessel and all; I would have followed her orders without question. If she had not grabbed me by the wrist, I would not have done her harm. I will not accept anyone grabbing me in anger, NOT TRISH, NOT YOU, NOT ANYONE.” Addalyne slammed her fork down on the table beside her plate. Then she took a deep breath, looked up at the general and said, “Sorry, General. Trish’s people skills still makes me angry. I need to send Trish a message tomorrow. I will apologize for putting her sorry ass on the cargo bay floor. It is the right thing to do.” Addalyne looked around and realized that her outburst had turned every head in the cafeteria in her direction. The general began to laugh and then almost choked on his sip of coffee. When he quit coughing, he said, “Still got the fire in your belly. That has not changed since we last talked. Good for you, Addalyne.”
When Addalyne entered her new quarters, everything she owned was at the foot of her bed, neatly packed into six white tote bags. Her laptop and case was lying on the bed. When she opened her laptop and tried to access the headquarters network, she found the system had locked her out. She picked up the phone on her desk and called the communications department. Within a few minutes, they had granted her access and helped her login. She sat down on the bed and wrote a message to Joshua, explaining what had happened to her and that Trish had fired her. She explained that she would not be returning to the Yutaka III. She did not tip her hand and tell Joshua that she would probably accept the general’s job offer; she did not want Trish or Jill to find out before she had accepted the job and was a permanent staff member.
Addalyne spent most of the night awake, pacing her room and thinking. The offer General Williams had proposed was a good one. It would allow her time to finish her doctorate work, and then teach in the robotics department, a position highly sought after. With the education and skill set she would have after a few years, she could pretty much set her own wage scale and select where in the cosmos she wanted to work. She could even return to planet Rowkin, her home planet, and join the crew of a research vessel; possibly even the Galileo. She smiled at the thought of spending a few years traveling the cosmos, maybe even raising a child in the process.
Addalyne decided to lie down for a while and finally fell asleep around three in the morning. When her alarm woke her, she quickly got up and showered, dressed and headed down to the cafeteria. Once she had eaten her food and stood at a counter pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee, General Williams stepped up beside her to get a cup of the wonderful smelling brew. As he stirred in some sugar, Addalyne spoke to him and said, “I spent most of last night thinking about what we discussed. I have decided I would be very pleased to accept your offer to finish my doctorate and join your staff here on this incredible asteroid.”
General Williams smiled and said, “I am most pleased over your decision. I must admit, you are the catch of the day for my robotic research team. Have you eaten breakfast yet, you could join me if you wish.” Addalyne said, “I just finished eating. I will return to my quarters and unpack some of my things. When my friends cleaned out my quarters at Yutaka III, they simply stuffed everything into bags. I will need an hour or two to get my flight suits pressed and presentable to wear.” The general said, “Give me one moment and I will help you with that problem. It is time you returned to wearing IFTT labeled flight suits. I will make one call and you can walk down to the clothing emporium. They will sew your name over the pockets while you wait. Each department now has color-coded flight suits, a change since you were last here. I will message you in your quarters around ten hundred hours and we can get the paperwork processed for your wages and get you signed up for classes. We now pay wages every twenty-four hours. You will find your wages for today in your account at one minute after midnight. I would really like to have you begin your classroom work immediately.”
Addalyne said, “Thank you, General. I will see
you in your office right after you message me. I will be wearing my new flight suit. Again, I thank you for everything you have done for me.”
When Addalyne returned to her quarters, she turned on her laptop. There was a message from Joshua listed at the top of her messages. She clicked on the entry and opened the message. Her hands trembled as she began reading. She hoped Joshua was not too angry with her. After reading a few lines, she smiled and calmed her emotions. Joshua was not upset, just worried about her. She sat and typed a short message, explaining where she was at and that she would be remaining at IFTT Headquarters indefinitely. She explained that she still was his friend and hoped they could meet again in the future. She also explained that Trish had forbidden her to from boarding any Yutaka owned vessel ever again. After she wrote the last line in the message, she pressed the send button.
Addalyne sat on the edge of her bed thinking about Joshua. She was certain she was in love with the man, but she was also certain they would not be happy together over a lifetime. Joshua was committed to Jill Yutaka and her empire, yet Addalyne would never serve on a Yutaka owned vessel again. They could not produce a child together, which they both wanted; she knew that point alone would eventually become a point of contention between them. Addalyne decided at that moment that she would allow the love affair to fade away. She would do her best to remain friends with Joshua and the crew of the Yutaka III, but remain emotionally detached. As she sat thinking about Joshua, she could contain her emotions no longer and began to cry.
Addalyne sat down at her desk and began composing a message to Trish Wilson. She did her best to apologize for the discord between them and explained that she held no grudge over her dismissal. She kept the message very formal and signed by simply typing her name at the bottom. After reading the message a few times, she pressed the send button. When her computer acknowledged that Trish had received the message, she said aloud, “Frack you, Trish Wilson!”
While Addalyne was washing her face and trying to remove the red from her eyes after her cry, she heard her laptop signal that she had a message. She stepped up to the computer and read the message. It was the general, requesting her to join him in his office. She typed an acknowledge message and sent it. Then she checked her appearance again and headed out the door to meet with the general.
When Addalyne stepped out of the general’s office, she took a deep breath before heading to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee. She was now a staff member of the Robotic Systems and Development Department and the general had enrolled her to start full time classes to finish her doctorate. She would begin classes in two or three days. She had achieved many of her goals today. As she sat at a small table in the cafeteria with her laptop, a ding notified her that she had a message. When she clicked on the message to see who had sent it, she discovered a message from Trish Wilson. Addalyne took a deep breath and opened the message. As she read, she began to smile. Trish had just apologized for her actions in the Yutaka III cargo bay and was now offering to sit down with her and Jill Yutaka to work out the differences. By the time Addalyne read the final line, she laughed aloud. She quickly put her fingers over her mouth to stifle any further outbursts. Some of the people around her had looked up to see what was so funny and she did not want people staring at her again.
As she sat thinking about how to respond to Trish’s message, she decided to remain silent. Not responding to Trish’s message would drive the point home and probably drive Trish insane. Addalyne had apologized to Trish and Trish had apologized to her. Trish would receive a receipt to let her know that Addalyne had opened and read the message. Addalyne considered the matter closed. She clicked on the delete message icon and sent Trish’s words floating off into the darkness of space.
When Addalyne badged in and stepped into the Robotic Systems department, an old friend greeted her. Once they discussed the classes that Addalyne would take and what her professors expected of her during her study time, he escorted her into the engineering library. He said, “On the podium is a sign out sheet. Simply write down the title of the books you are taking and sign your name and the date. You can take as many books to your quarters as you choose, simply document the fact that you took them out of the department. I have a suggested reading list for you. I have received a copy of your thesis and I will begin reading it as time permits. I will represent you and help prepare you for your oral defense of your thesis when the time comes. I require perfect spelling, punctuation and grammar in all of your work. There is a thesaurus online when you log into the engineering department’s database. All of your professors use that reference and they will accept the spelling and word use shown in that volume.”
Then Professor Smith took her on a tour of the department and its resources. He showed her were the classrooms were located and showed her around the laboratories. Then he took her back to the entrance where there was a large cafeteria and showed how to work the coffee pot. Once the tour was complete, he gave her a password and helped her log into the department’s database. There she found her schedule and realized that the general had scheduled her to travel to the Open Market II, tomorrow morning. She giggled as she read the schedule. She then realized that she would be a very busy girl for the next three months. Her classroom work would begin as soon as she returned from the Open Market II.
Before Addalyne left the department, she checked the required reading list and located the books in the library. After she signed out a copy of all six books, she logged out and headed towards her quarters. Once there, she pulled up her schedule again, making certain she knew the correct time and location for her flight to the Open Market II. The schedule showed that the vessel would deliver goods to the market and then return twelve hours later. She was to meet up with a woman by the name of Sally Withers when she arrived for a tour of the Open Market II.
Just before suppertime, a knock on the door of Addalyne’s room woke her from a sound sleep. She had laid down for a few minutes to catch up on the sleep she had lost over the last few days. When she pressed the camera button beside her door, she saw two women in flight suits standing in the hallway. Addalyne opened the door and greeted her visitors. The taller of the two women said, “Hello Addalyne. Our duty roster has us flying to the Open Market II in the morning and we discovered your name on the flight list. We discovered that you have a meeting scheduled with Sally when we arrive. We are on our way to the cafeteria and wondered if you would like to join us for supper and maybe a drink later. By the way, I am Kathy and this is Wanda.”
Addalyne invited the women into her quarters and said, “I would love to accompany you. I just arrived on the asteroid yesterday and have been somewhat busy getting scheduled for classes and meeting my professors and the boss of the Robotic Systems Department. Give me one moment to brush my teeth and comb my hair and I will join you. Please have a seat while you wait.”
When the three women walked into the cafeteria, Addalyne discovered that it was a very busy place. Most of the tables were full. After they filled their plates and poured some coffee, they carried their trays to a table that had four empty seats. They were quickly welcomed to join the group already sitting at the table. When they had sat down, all of the women introduced themselves to Addalyne. Once they completed the introductions and everyone began eating, one of the women, the one using her small laptop, spoke up and said, “Addalyne, I just pulled up your profile on the company database. It says here that you just transferred here from the newly built Yutaka III Starship and that General Williams assigned you to work in the Robotic Systems Department. It also says you are Demords and have a demordian implant.” The woman stood up, reached across the table and shook Addalyne’s hand.
After the evening meal, Wanda and Kathy took Addalyne on an extended tour of the facilities. They also showed her where they would meet her in the morning for their flight to the Open Market II. Addalyne soon remembered where all of the corridors and passageways led. When the tour was over, they entered the pub and sat down at a small
table. Once their drinks arrived, the girls began to discuss the male population on the asteroid and who was dating whom. As the night progressed, the girls decided to call it a night and return to their own quarters; they would all have a long day tomorrow. Addalyne thanked the girls for inviting her along with them for a night out; she had enjoyed the evening. She had met some new friends and discovered a few old friends that she had not seen in quite some time.
When Addalyne settled into her quarters for the night, she looked at the clock and decided she would try to get some sleep. She had had very little sleep in the last few days and her nap this afternoon came to a sudden end with the knock on the door. She did not mind her friends’ intrusion; she needed the outing to get her feet back on the ground. When she booted up her laptop, she soon discovered another message from Trish Wilson. Addalyne opened the message, read it and then deleted it. She had no need to make nice with Trish or anyone else from The Empress. Trish had fired her for no reason and even though Addalyne tried her best to forgive Trish, she was still pissed over the entire matter.
Chapter 6 – The Open Market II
When Addalyne met Kathy and Wanda at the teleportation room, she realized that both women had on black flight suits with gold wings embroidered on each shoulder. They also had what looked like real gold wings pinned on the front of their flight suits over their nametags. Addalyne spoke to both women, addressed them by name and then stepped up a little closer to Kathy. Addalyne looked carefully at the wings pinned on Kathy’s flight suit and then looked up into the woman’s eyes. Addalyne smiled and asked, “Did you two ladies forget to tell me something important last night? I personally think those wings over your nametags imparts a social status that might not include engineers or simple folks like me.” Kathy began to giggle and said, “We did not want to brag about being shuttle pilots to our new found friend. I think that would have been tacky.” Addalyne giggled and said, “I think you both have every right to brag, and brag, and brag some more. Making shuttle pilot status is some important shit in the world I come from. Congratulations to both of you.”
The Chronicles of Addalyne Yutaka Page 7