The Girl in the Tank: Galactic Consortium, Season 1

Episode Six: Are there Closets in Space? ch. 4

Fox was walking down the hall towards the mess. He heard the yelling and started to run, moments before the security alarm sounded. As he entered the mess, he saw one of the tables flip.

Two people, both American soldiers from the look of it, were on the ground wrestling. Their buddies were prying them apart, but others in the crowd were still yelling. Fox only caught bits and pieces, but it was enough.

"American sailors! Shouldn't be tried here."

"No! Rapists!"

"I've a sister you know."

Fox waded in, yelling, "break it up!" he could barely hear himself over the din.

And then another voice was yelling, "Captain in the room!"

Military discipline, installed at a subconscious level, took over. The two assailants broke apart and leaped to their feet. Everyone was on their feet, at attention.

"What is going on here?" Captain Lannister roared. He stared around the room.

"Umm, just had a disagreement, sir," Clower squawked. "Got a little heated."

"A little heated?" Lannister was beside himself.

Clower blushed and couldn't meet his eye. Whitman on the other hand, wasn't done being angry. "It's just, sir, shouldn't they have been tried by a military court? Not theirs."

Lannister rounded on him, his one good eye bulging. "Why? Do you think I would have gone easier on them? Do you?"

Whitman quailed under the captain's stare. "Sir, no, sir."

"I will tell you what Whitman. Since you seem to care about how those two pieces of filth are being treated, you can take them their meals, every day, for the rest of our stay here. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"And when you are not doing that, you can confine yourself to quarters. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Clower, you too. Confined to quarters."

"Yes, sir," Clower said.

"The rest of you, listen up. We are in a precarious position, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," they all sang out in unison.

"Good, because each breach in protocol will only make it worse, and I've two more cells in the brig, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," they sang out again.

"From now on, we have lights out at eight pm and I expect every crew member to be in their bunks at that time. You do your treatment, your classes and you stay on this part of the ship. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," they sang out.

"Then, as you were," he said and stomped out of the room.

######

Lannister was still fuming when he got back to his room. It wasn't even the fight in the mess. Heck, if he were to be honest he could almost understand it. The anger that boiled inside him when he thought of those two men, Klempke and Green. He wanted to hit something, too.

There was a noise at his door. "Come," he said, trying to compose his face.

It was Walsh, his second in command. He was carrying two trays. "You left without getting your lunch, sir," he said.

Lannister nodded and Walsh sat the tray down. "You want to talk about it?" Walsh asked.

Lannister paused, not sure. He needed to talk about it. He didn't want to. "They fucking betrayed me," he said as he sat opposite Walsh and looked at his tray. "That's the bottom line."

"The men in mess?"

"No. Klempke and Green. Everything I've done for this crew. They fucking betrayed it."

Walsh nodded. "Yeah, I know how you feel. Every time I think about, I feel like I'm being kicked in the gut, again."

"I didn't feel this betrayed when Janet left me," Lannister admitted.

Walsh raised an eyebrow. They had known each other for ten years, yet they had barely spoken of Lannister's divorce five years ago.

"She said I took my naval career more seriously than her. I couldn't even deny it. It's true."

"And these two men, shit on that," Walsh said.

Lannister ran his hands over his head. "I've tried to be a good leader. God knows, I've tried."

"More than tried, sir." Walsh said. "Best captain I've had the honor of serving under, sir. Best, hands down."

"Thanks, it's just..."

"This mission. It's unique. The stresses, the dangers, they aren't obvious. But you can't blame yourself for these men's actions. What they did, it was beyond your control."

"I can barely look them in the face," Lannister admitted, shaking. "Dowlings, Kavinda, the others. That two of my men betrayed their trust so horribly."

"They betrayed your trust, too. Be mad at them. But I think these others understand that, they betrayed our trust, too."

Lannister sighed, feeling better in spite of himself. He picked at his food. After awhile he said. "You know the secret to being a good captain?"

Walsh raised an eyebrow.

"Picking a good second," Lannister said with a smile.

Walsh blushed. "Thanks, sir."