In-Depth Reconnaissance 3

Mercedes was far more complicit in moving around the ship this time around. She still tried to explore of course, but she was on her feet and moving. More important was the fact that she would respond to her name.

Too far astray and a quick "Mercedes!" would grab her attention.

Many of the crew that they passed both on and off duty found pleasure in the clumsy nature she displayed while on her escapades. Several times she ended up tripping over the boots of the more interesting smelling people.

Don took note of the fact that all officers responded to the pup with a treat and a salute. Chances are they were assisting him with the pup's etiquette training.

A few minutes later than he would have liked, they arrived in front of the only other set of doors on the ship he could claim familiarity with, even if all the other doors on this ship EXCEPT this one were standardized. Numbers did not meet the same level recognizability as a gold plaque and 'wooden' frame.

"DS Donovan Strauss and er, uhh, Dog? Canine? Canid Officer Mercedes reporting." He was greeted by the absence of a response. For a moment he thought that she might still be asleep or otherwise off duty, but the open door that Mercedes had just darted through instantly removed that as a possibility.

If the commander was absent, then those doors would automatically shut. Without the presence of the most senior active officer, nothing short of a complete system reboot would get those doors to open.

What took that thought's place was a slight panic.

"Mercedes! Stop!" He rushed in chasing the rogue, only to be met with a strange sight. "Am I interrupting something?"

Both the admiral and Captain Thompson were sitting at the table, sure, but they were far too close. If there were physical prints on it, he could have written it off as inspecting something, but the real incriminating evidence was the Admiral's cherry red cheek's and the way that their faces were plastered together.

Even more intriguing was the fact that the Admiral's arms were limp while the Captain had placed his firmly around her torso. Don wasn't exactly experienced with romance, even less so the physical elements of it, but he could tell that it wasn't Adirondack that made the first move.

As Thompson finally took notice of dumbfounded Donovan, he slowly untangled himself from his lover's lips and composed himself. "Sup Beacon. *cough* So uhhh, what brings you here?"

"I was just coming to give my final report before heading off into the black. When's the wedding?" As much as he was rooting for them, he was not above taking shots at them.

"I was thinking a few months after the war ends." Thompson could roll with the punches.

The same could not be said of the Admiral, who was mimicking the mannerisms of a fish the way she opened and closed her mouth.

"Be sure to send me an invite. Did you see where Mercedes went?"

"Mercedes?"

"The puppy! Her name is Mercedes."

"Why did you go with that?"

"No reason in particular, it just sounded nice."

Thompson's eyebrows scrunched at this. Evidently something was off. "It's tradition for service dogs to be named after the ship they serve on or one of the grandparents of the trainer or captain. Was one of your grandmothers named Mercedes?"

"I had no idea. Should I change it?"

"No. If she already responds to it then it would only be a hindrance."

"If that's all well and good, where is she?"

The admiral finally piped up. "I believe she is with Ranger, her mother." She gestured to a door which Donovan previously assumed was her personal quarters. "Ranger should be sleeping with the other two puppies."

The slight quiver in her voice alluded to the fact she was trying to play her previous 'interaction' as if it wasn't anything notable. Donovan was definitely going to have to tease the two of them further before he left.

Already he had come up with a topical parting shot.

Inside of this room were lavish furnishings by military standards. The only problem with them is that they were meant for a dog.

On the mattress there was a much larger version of Mercedes, groggy after having just been woken up by one of her kin.

There lay two other 'Mercedes' next to her stomach, sleeping soundly.

"Those two are to complement their mother as the ships mascots. One for the engineers and one for the hangar crew. Mercedes was supposed to be the pilot's mascot, but as I said before, we don't have a place to put her."

"Why is that? Couldn't she just be in here?" He understood the earlier plea of not having space, but if this space existed then they surely must have been able to hold her here.

"Each dog needs to stay in or near the place they work." Adirondack was finally composed, perhaps feeling that Don had been dismissive of their relationship. "The Engineers have space for 'Henry' in one of the engine control rooms and the hangar crew have already cleared a storage depot for their 'Princess'. The Colors don't have a space for Mercedes. Their dorms are far too small and their lounge is inhospitable to her."

You couldn't really expect a dog to be happy while floating, only tolerate it.

For a moment, he was worried that he wouldn't be able to tell Mercedes apart from the other pups. He had forgotten to put a collar on her. The presence of collars on the others dashed this worry, evidently they had overseers more familiar with dogs than himself.

"I'll let her cuddle with her mother while we talk." Don made for the table and took a seat. "Shall we get started on my last report? Or at least my last report for a long time?"

"Where are you going?" Thompson, left out of the loop, was curious as to why he wasn't going to be back.

"In-Depth Reconnaissance, all the way to the Kuiper belt."