Emerald Flight: “Human Factors” (continued)

Her pace slowed as she moved down the corridor. She tried to reason it out, to understand why her Chief Tactical Officer, one of the steadiest and most reliable men she had ever know (if perhaps not exactly the most expressive) would suddenly, as your father used to say, “gone off the rails”. If she had ever had to offer up a set of names of the members of the crew under her command who might have done so, Hawkes would not have been on that list. His name would not even have been considered.

As she made her way down the corridor, she tried to remember if she had witnessed any recent changes in his behavior, no matter how slight or subtle. She could not recall any. The previous day, he had displayed his usual of participation during the meeting with her senior staff. He had offered up no more words than he normally did, nor, did she recall, offer any less. Prior to his brief reassignment to the “night” shift, his performance had been as unerringly competent as ever.

Was it that? she wondered. The shift change?

“No,” she decided after moment, answering herself under her breath.

He had served many such shift changes during his time under her command. She understood that such alterations in routine could play havoc with one’s circadian rhythms. Even given that, she could not believe that would explain the lieutenant’s unusual behavior, not after operating under the new schedule for only two days.

Crew members passed her, some of them regarding her curiously, but none of them addressed her. Devereux barely noticed, her thoughts focused on rationalizing the odd behavior of the ship’s Tactical Officer. When she became consciously aware of her surroundings once more, she was rounding the curve of the corridor that widened to meet the main hatchway leading to Cargo Bay One.

Hope stood there, waiting silently and patiently. Devereux assumed that the Medical Officer had arrived shortly after she had been given the order to do so. The two guards seemed to have only just arrived. Devereux could understand that. Even given her slower pace, they had needed to travel much further.

Both of them straightened almost to attention posture when they saw her approach. Devereux eyed them both, but stopped short of telling them to be at ease. She stopped next to Hope and addressed the Aerian Medical Officer.