Sautéed Shoe Leather

[Laehval tTemarr 0]

Sautéed Shoe Leather

By El'Riov Laehval tTemarr

Daise'Engineer

 

 

“Quit fussing over me!”

 

“I can na help it, Laehval. Au make such a striking young woman in aur uniform.”

 

Laehval grumbled, tugging at the high collar that threatened to strangle her. Her mother stood behind her, peering at her in the mirror. She was constantly fidgeting with Laehval's new uniform. After she'd adjusted the same buckle seven times and had brushed the shoulders free of non-existent lint, Laehval shrugged her off and turned to scowl.

 

“Au are going to worry a hole in them if au do na stop.” Huffing, she turned back to the mirror and frowned at her reflection.

 

“And au are going to crack that mirror if au keeping making such ugly faces. I think it is a nice fit. Au honor aur family.”

 

“The way au fuss, au would think I was the only child au have. I am na the only io that has ever worn a uniform.”

 

“Na, but au are the only io in the Galae.”

 

“The only io stupid enough to join, au mean?”

 

“Hush, before someone hears and drags au out to be executed. Au should be proud that au were accepted, though aur di'ranov and I were na surprised. Au have always had a gift in Engineering. And I know that aur first posting is only in the shipyards, but have au given any thought into taking Command courses? If au were transferred to a ship, au would make a wonderful Daise'Engineer, but I believe au have potential to be even more. Do au na think that au could make a good Enarrain?”

 

Laehval turned to stare, blank-faced and open-mouthed. She blinked, looking as if her mother had just insulted her. After a moment, she found her voice.

 

“Me?! Enarrain? Ri'nanov, au have got to stop drinking so much ale. Daise'Engineer I could see... in a few years, perhaps. But Enarrain? That's utter nonsense.”

 

Her mother just shrugged, wearing a sly smile. Laehval’s frown deepened.

 

“The day the Galae puts me in charge of a starship is the day I eat my standard issue uniform boots.”

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sitting in the command chair of the RES Talon, Laehval peered down at her boots and wrinkled her nose.

 

“I hate my ri'nanov,” she grumbled to herself.

 

“What was that, Rekkhai?” An Erein behind her, bowed slightly as she turned to peer at him.

 

“I was na speaking to au. Continue working with Operations on transporting any large debris to our cargo bay. Just because the Enarrain is na present does na mean that au have been given permission to be lazy.”

 

Glaring until he turned back to his console to continue with his duties, Laehval returned her attention to the main viewer. The scene showed the resting place of the Firestorm; the point in space where it had exploded. Bits of hull plating, electrical systems, and biological material littered the area, obscuring the stars beyond. The pieces tumbled in various directions, not yet caught in the gravitational pull of any celestial body.

 

Her gaze sweeping over the scene again, she glanced down to her chair console to the sensor readings. Thus far, those on the bridge were doing what the Enarrain had ordered them to do and the best way to get them to finish was to leave them alone. She was a firm believer in not agitating her underlings. An upset crew would only make more mistakes as they were distracted by their distress. Naturally, there were those few individuals that needed a heavier hand, but Laehval believed them to be the exception rather than the majority. It was one reason why she’d always resented t’Rexan’s interference in her department. Yelling at the Daise’Engineer would not make the ship be repaired any faster. Now, after several years of t’Rexan’s command, the two of them had finally come to an unspoken arrangement.

 

Until now.

 

Laehval clenched her jaw, mulling over t’Rexan’s words of praise and her promise of a commendation. The Enarrain never praised anyone. This change in behavior made her extremely uneasy. Laehval had never been gracious when taking compliments. On the contrary, she’d rather that people take her for granted than pay her any sort of attention. Her command of Engineering had been taken grudgingly, mainly out of love for the ship rather than a desire for power; though with her power as Daise she’d been able to tend to the ship as she saw fit and had upgraded many of the overlooked systems.

 

Neither had Laehval ever thought of herself as a leader. She was surly, irritable, and rarely managed to find a rapport with anyone. The favored few in her department were the hard working individuals that had learned how best not to incur her wrath by doing their duties above and beyond her expectations. She was not charismatic or charming and she did not seem to have the aura of leadership that was expected of people in her position. She was respected, perhaps, but only because of her wide knowledge base and true expertise in her chosen field.

 

So how is it that I again find myself in charge of the Talon, however briefly?

 

Drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair, and still bewildered over the Enarrain’s change in attitude, Laehval stared out into space and pondered.