Golden Light, Silver Light

Scene 019

Scene 019

"Cat... Beauf... Amy ..." Amy heard Jac mutter from the other area of the cabin. He was starting to come out of his stupor. Sighing, Amy called for the fourth shower cycle to end and quickly dressed. Let's hope that these small offerings will put Jac back to rights, she thought. She ordered two glasses of Orange Juice and four pieces of plain toast. 

Going into the living area and sitting the plate and glasses down upon the table, Amy went to kneel at Jac's side. Shaking Jac's shoulder, Amy called, "Come on Jac, you should've slept most of it off by now. It's time to get up. We need to get you sober and back on your feet." 

Jac rolled over onto his back and groaned. "What did you do to me? How long have I been out?" He opened his eyes and quickly, closed them when the light hit them. Groaning, Jac opened his eyes, just a crack. 

"I didn't do anything to you. You did it to yourself by not keeping your hands off of stuff that doesn't belong to you," said Amy with a laugh. Standing, she took a seat at the table. "The cup of coffee you drank was laced with whiskey. Which, with enough of it, will do to any Earthling what it did to you. You see the alcohol and the caffeine put you out like a light." 

Groaning again, Jac came to a total sitting position upon the floor. "By the way I feel and how my mouth tastes, it would've been nicer for you to kill me." 

Laughter broke out from Amy. "Come on, get up here. I've something to help you with your hanger over. It will clear out the taste in your mouth and help clean up the rest of the alcohol in your system." 

Jac ran his fingers through his hair. Getting to his feet, he took a seat at the table. "Just call the Medic and have her put me to rights." Jac placed his elbows on the table, put his head in his hands, and gave another groan. 

"Jac, there is nothing your medic can do for you. Drink your Orange Juice and eat some toast. It'll help." Amy smiled at Jac. She gave Jac's drink a small push toward him. 

"How long was I out? I need to set up Roulf's funeral and report the attack," said Jac, tentatively taking the first sip of juice. He gave a small shutter as the tart taste hit his tongue. 

"You've been out for almost thirty minutes. I had Karr report Roulf's death to the Powers that Be. He also told them that you would call soon," said Amy. With a drink of her juice, she took a bite of her toast and encouraged Jac to do the same. "Cat, has Karr reported back?" asked Amy.  

"Yes, Roulf's death has been logged. The funeral is in thirty minutes. The Powers that Be," she said with a small chuckle, "are waiting for Jac's report as soon as it is convenient." 

"Everything has been taken care of. Now drink," said Amy. She watched as Jac started to nibble on his toast. The more he ate and drank the more he perked up. 

"Wait. You said Karr. Why? Is there something wrong with Turk?" asked Jac. As he finished off the last piece of toast, he was looking more like his old self.  

"Amy did not feel at ease about having Turk call for some reason. She will not explain them," commented Cat. 

Jac looked at Amy. She just shrugged. "What did you do to me? I've never felt like this before?" Jac asked, trying to piece together what happened. 

Amy told Jac her thought on what had happened to him. Then she added, "Usually, on my planet that little bit of liquor would've been just enough to steady the nerves. It wouldn't have put anyone under the table."  

"That, small drink I had earlier caused me to pass out?" Jac asked with disbelief. 

Amy nodded her head and hid a smile behind her glass. She took a drink, placed the glass on the table, and looked squarely at Jac. She wanted to make sure there hadn't been any lasting effects from the drink. 

"I want the Medical Computer to analyze a cup of it just to make certain. We'll do it after the funeral," stated Jac with as much authority as he could manage at the moment. 

"Fine by me. It's almost time for the funeral. We need to be leaving soon," said Amy, looking over at the clock Cat had permanently place on one of the panels. "How do you normally hold a funeral, here in space?" 

"We will wrap his body in a decorative sacred shawl and place the body in a special cargo box. The box will then be placed in a cargo bay, probably three since the door is blown off. After that, we'll meet in the hall to have a small ceremony to remember him. More then likely, his family, back on Valdiar, has been notified and will also be holding a Farewell Ceremony," said Jac, finishing off his drink. 

"After the ceremony, we'll all go to the Command Center. I will turn off the force field that now maintains the atmosphere in Cargo Bay Three. When the cargo box goes out into space, we will have a moment of silence. Turk will fire our laser, destroying the box," explained Jac. He stood up and stretched all of the kinks out of his body. "May I use your Hygiene Room?" 

"Go right ahead. You're probably ready for a shower. We've a few minutes until the funeral," said Amy. She began clearing up the plate and glasses. 

As she watched the plate and glasses disappear, a stray thought hit Amy. She called, "Cat, why doesn't the simulator make silverware? It can make plates, bowls, cups, and glasses." 

"Silverware is made of metal. The simulator cannot duplicate their properties. But, the dishes are made of a man made material, so it can be duplicated. For some reason, unknown to us, the simulator cannot break down metallic compounds," explained Cat. 

"Why don't you use another type of material to make your eating utensils with? We use a type of material called plastic upon Earth?" asked Amy. She heard the shower turn off. 

There was a moment silence, Cat said, "There has never been a search for another type of material to make silverware. I have referenced the information banks we collected from your world on how you make plastic. I will try to program the simulator to produce something like it. Upon a ship this size, the weight would not really be important. But, on a much larger ship, the weight coming off would be great." 

Coming out of the shower, Jac straightened his clothes and asked. "Are you ready to go to Roulf's funeral?" He started walking toward the cabin's door. 

With a nod of her head, Amy left the cabin before Jac.