Single Kayak Philosophy
The Eridanus’ officers and crew honored their fallen and carried on, entering the galaxy called TempiP45XS, approaching the solar system neighboring the one containing Oreana. Joanni, however, found it difficult to carry on, so filled with fury was she at the destruction of the winged creatures who had bewitched her. And, had she been honest with herself, with the ruin of her own fairy dreams. He would not do what she wanted. “I never thought I’d be disappointed in you,” she raged at Chipman. “A big gun, a galaxyship commander. Yes, the big protector, but you’re the one who’s hurt me. You hurt me. You’re the one I need protection from. You mean nothing to me.”
The captain took her abuse with no more apparent emotion than a strange, half smile, but he was shaken. He held firm, however, to a duty he felt he needed to carry out on his own without compromise. “She told me women have a lot of rage they never express, but, let me tell you, she expressed it all to me just then,” he later confided to Matulis over whisky in the engineer’s quarters.
Upon encountering the first solar system of TempiP45XS and approaching its first planet, several energy beams shot across the bow of the Eridanus. Whether these were remnants from the destruction of the avian barrier or possible warning signals from the planet below was impossible to determine. After the second volley of such beams, the ship established a high orbit around the the planet and a landing party consisting of Second Deputy Ambassador Palladin, Dr. Pissario, Head Biologist Keller, plus two flight engineers and two security officers boarded a shuttlecraft to fly over the surface to investigate, and depending upon atmospheric readings, possibly touch down. After a short period during which everyone tensely waited, the shuttlecraft Europa V radioed that it would attempt a landing. Then communication with the Eridanus ceased.
Once again, officers and diplomats assembled in the executive briefing room to decide on their next steps in what some were beginning to view as a cursed mission. The Eridanus would remain in orbit for 36 hours while various means of contact with the shuttlecraft or, failing that, with sentient life below would be attempted. After that time, if no contact had been established, Chipman would lead a search party that would transport down to the planet to search for the missing crew. In the meantime, Science Officer Samuel would determine what portable life support apparatus, if any, would be necessary for the search team.
When the end of the 36 hours approached and Chipman was assembling his men, Gillis came onto the bridge and used his authority as diplomatic head of Operation Tarrash to override Chipman and assume command. There would be no search party. It was madness to potentially lose more crew, insane (megalomaniacal hero-playing were his exact words) of Chipman to endanger himself—as captain he was essential to the mission—and they had already lost valuable time. Their supplies would not last forever and the only thing that awaited them ahead was uncertainty. The ambassador and captain engaged in a fierce shouting match, but Chipman ultimately believed in the rule of law and command, and thus appeared to give way, voluntarily removing himself to his quarters. But he only believed in bureaucratic hierarchy to a certain degree and had relinquished control and retreated temporarily in order to reason things through and think his way out of the situation.
Gillis called everyone back to the briefing room to reassign responsibilities. Joanni understood what each crew member meant to Chipman; she knew what he would sacrifice for each individual equally, and realized more fully at that moment how he could not play favorites and the untenable position she had attempted to force him into. She tried several times to speak, but was ignored or interrupted and dismissed. Lt. Commander Samuel remained silent but watchful, assessing the situation in hopes of discerning a way to make his move in support of the captain. First Deputy Ambassador Lee strongly supported Gillis’ stance and the ship was too deep in space to appeal to ISEA Command on anything approaching a timely basis.
After trying to speak once more and being cut off, Joanni stood up and removed the old naval log book off the shelf behind her. It was a heavy antique tome that was kept there for historic display. She was finally going to impose her will on someone; it was the right thing to do. She lifted the log up and let it drop onto the table with a bang that stopped all conversation. Still standing, she said quietly but forcefully, “We will stay here and let the captain make his search.” Lee spoke up, but she cut him short. “We will stay here until the captain makes his search, or I will not go on to Oreana. If you force me to go on, I will tell the Oreanians not to sign the mutual cooperation treaty.”
The men were struck silent. Gillis, his prejudices fully coming to the fore, sneered, “You’re not serious. Who would listen to you?”
“The Oreanians will. If I ask them, they will not sign.” The ambassador made a motion to have Joanni thrown out of the meeting, but Joanni stopped him by continuing quite calmly, “Ganhokeet has sent me a message which I have not yet answered. If I don’t answer, the Council will send another one. If I don’t answer the second, they will become suspicious.”
“You’re bluffing!”
Joanni went over to Gillis and leaned down so that her face was very close to his. “Try me, Ambassador. I have already spoken with the Oreanians and they have assured me that should I not answer them or survive this mission, they will not let the Eridanus land, nor will they sign any treaty with ISEA.”
Gillis just stared at her.
“A little insurance, you see,” she continued. “Now, return command to the captain and let him make his search. I will explain the delay to Ganhokeet.”
Still Gillis did not make a move.
“If you scuttle this mission, Ambassador, it will not be good for your career.” Then the final turn of the knife, “Or your marriage.”
Gillis jerked his head at Lee. “Let them go.”
Lt. Commander Samuel immediately stood up and quickly walked out upon hearing the ambassador’s approval. Joanni returned to her seat. Protocol Officer Matheson buzzed Chipman and gave him the go-ahead. Gillis then stalked out with Lee following him. The room emptied as the remaining officers and officials left, but Joanni remained seated, staring straight ahead, only turning her eyes up at Brennan, who, after picking up the abandoned devices, data sticks, and sundry debris from the table, looked at Joanni and said, “That was very brave of you.” She paused, then continued, “But he isn’t going to like you any better.”
“He already doesn’t like me any better,” Joanni replied. Brennan smiled sadly at her in agreement, then walked out, leaving her all alone.
Would she still agree to go on this mission now if asked, she wondered. She was a different person back then—before she had agency, before she became a force. Yes, a force with a power to be reckoned with, but she had lost her joy and sense of wonder, had lost her faith in love. She remained seated in the now empty room and continued to torment herself. Although the captain commanded a ship with over 500 passengers and crew, he held firmly to the single kayak theory and would continue to do so. The boat he steered through his own life was a single person vessel, there was no room for passengers, no room for a second rower. She thought about how, when she was very small and they were still allowed to play outside at recess, the default activity involved the boys chasing the girls; ‘boys after girls’ it was cleverly called. It seemed the boys’ goal was the most straightforward: catch the prettiest girl, but the girls had to decide if it was better to be caught than not caught, and if so, whom to be caught by. She thought of her two earlier admirers, fans of that clesig-playing image: Ensign Richardson who was now happily paired up, and Matt Thornby, who she believed had accepted her refusal and was getting on with his career. In both cases they seemed to be managing their lives better than her.
Joanni finally left the empty conference room. She heard running footsteps and voices carrying down the corridor to her left. Chipman, Samuel, and four security officers ran by her on their way to the hangar deck to take the Europa VI down to the surface of the mystery planet in hopes of locating the missing landing party. Their eyes were focused straight ahead, their thoughts bent on their now greenlit mission. They did not see her.
Image: Catch me if you can. Source: Canoe Polo Kayak.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Edited by J. Weigley.