Designated Survivor 4

The Skwiven, the Courier, suddenly and inexplicably went ballistic. Racing around the bridge erratically at a rapid pace, squeals emanating from its mouth.

This behavior evoked a look of surprise and concern from all aboard. Various 'What is he doing?' and 'What is it this time?'-s could be heard from those present, clearly not normal behavior.

"Did I do something wrong?" Don didn't know if he had done something he shouldn't have, this wasn't covered in Diana's briefing.

"I don't know. I've never seen a Skwiven act this way before. He doesn't seem particularly mad about it." The Scholar, the man who knew the most about Skwiven behavior aboard the Oberlux, had never seen a mature Skwiven act in this way. "As a general rule they maintain an air of calm when they grow older, even when they are panicked. Perhaps it has something to do with how he described you as 'bright'?"

"When did it say that?" Donovan was gasping for air on the floor, so he obviously didn't hear it.

"Don't worry about that. For now I'd like to know what it was you did to him. That might have been what set him off."

"Not much. I just, you know, patted his head? Scratched him behind the ears a bit?"

Diana just about grabbed him by the ear, resorting to yanking him harshly by the arm before aggressively whispering to him. 'WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU ABOUT ETIQUETTE?'

Donovan, very aware of Diana's words courtesy of the biting pain in the location she was grabbing him, marveled at how she could speak loudly in a quiet voice.

'What did I do wrong?'

'Treating one of our BENEFACTORS like some animal or pet? Did you even pass your sentient species training?'

'It wasn't?'

'OF COURSE NOT! Were you even paying attention to our conversation!?'

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please just let go of my arm. It feels like its gonna pop.' She let go of his arm, only to put her hands on the sides of his head and force him to look directly into her eyes.

'From now on, if you don't know for sure whether or not something is proper, do nothing. Am I understood?' Donovan didn't take her to be the most aggressive person, but looks could be deceiving.

'Yes ma'am.'

'Thank you. Pay attention from now on, okay?' Momentarily pulling him closer, Diana placed a light kiss on his nose before letting go of him and turning away. A small impulsive moment leading to a wave of regret and embarrassment.

EVERYBODY on the bridge was watching, and a small wave of whistles and jeers assaulted her ears. She didn't even know why she did it, Don just seemed so pathetic.

"Get back to work everyone. Their personal dealings are none of our business."

""Yes Captain.""

They returned their attention to their stations, still sneaking glances at their passengers from time to time. None of this helped to extinguished the fires of embarrassment raging in Diana's cheeks.

Donovan, clueless, was more curious as to why there was such a lack of discipline than he was ashamed of the smooching. It really didn't register for him what that was.

"We still have some work to do, so please sit down and watch the show. How long will this take Scholar?"

"It shouldn't take more than an hour. As you can see, it is in the Verdant stage."

Both Donovan and Diana turned their attention to the orb shining brightly at the bow of the Oberlux. Where before it was purple, turning to blue, it was now a mix of greens. Certain areas had a bluish tint, others fading towards yellow. Don noticed that the spikes that were present when he was flying were much less defined now.

It was like a ball of luminescent moss.

The deck could be viewed below it, a black hole suspended above the deck was no doubt the Noah, but it seemed kind of far away for how long they walked.

"Why is the sun a different color than before?" While Don was a little worried about a potential breach of etiquette and the scolding that would likely follow, he felt his curiosity was justified given the situation. "Actually, why is it a color other than white to begin with? Also, isn't it kind of large for how far away we are?"

"You mean the star right?" The Scholar was back by one of the recessed pits, so the Captain was entertaining them. "While I don't know why your star was white, it probably has something to do with Split. More accurately the lack of Split. According to our knowledge of the universe, stars do not appear white. Most of them are red, maybe 99 out of every hundred, and are unsuitable for sustaining life as they do not produce enough Split. Orange stars ar-"

"Wait. Hold on. If Split is needed to maintain life then what why was it killing me?"

"Donovan, that was rude."

"Maybe, but that was a HUUUGE divergence from what I know to be true. I would like an answer to it before we go further. I feel I have a right to know why I was in a coma for, what, a week?"

"Trust I took no offense to it, madam. I understand that, unlike you, he has not had the time or opportunity to learn about the situation beyond the veil. The Doctor made it very clear that he would come to us completely blind, not even aware that he would be one of the two designated survivors."

"That may be true, but politeness is still a necessity for diplomacy."

"At the moment it is our duty to be diplomatic, lady Diana, not yours. You are confused, lost, and unaware of just how complex the world beyond your system is. In the limited time I have with you I am expected to bring you up to a level of understanding that will make help YOU to be diplomatic in the future. I ask you do not take that as an insult." The Captain's expression had hardened.

"I expect you to ask whatever questions you have, even if they may be offensive. Having that knowledge about what is and is not a contentious issue will help you in the future. Having an understanding of what has changed will help you learn to grow in this new world. Having an experience, surface level though it may be, with one of our more complex fields will give you the opportunity to hold conversations with people, perhaps drawing them to your side.

Please understand that while we may be the arbiters of neutrality, we understand that we have a duty to new members of the community to bring them to a competitive level, perhaps even giving them an advantage in the process, so that they are not immediately snuffed out in the fires of constant conflict. We understand, I more than most, that we will have to be especially partial towards you owing to my mistake.

Make use of us and our knowledge. If there is something that I do not know or understand fully myself there are a great many experts on this ship that I can call upon to explain in my stead."