Irons pointed at a spot on the hologram. “Tell Corporal Owens that he and Fields should advance to this area. They aren’t far away from it, and it’s the only area near the outer shell of the ship that’s accessible to us but which we haven’t properly mapped yet.”
“What about Herrmannsson and Short?” Jeff asked.
“They can come back to HQ.”
Jeff suppressed a smile. Only somebody who had spent half their life in the military would think of describing their accommodation as “headquarters.” But he carried out the major’s order.
“Shall I take over?” Joanne asked, who had just come back into the room after a break.
Jeff shook his head. “No, it’s OK. I’ll carry on until the men are back.”
Joanne nodded. She had dark rings under her eyes, probably because she’d taken the middle night shift and then hadn’t been able to get back to sleep, as she’d told them at breakfast. She disappeared to her room. The others who weren’t taking part in an expedition today were also in their rooms. Jeff was left alone with Irons.
The major sighed, pulled a chair over from the dining table and sat down next to Jeff. “I think you’re right.”
Jeff turned around and frowned. “About what?”
“That we need to go deeper into the ship to find anything. The computer said that’s where the control center is—or used to be.”
Jeff’s mission a few days ago had been the one that had taken them deepest into the ship so far—albeit only about three hundred feet.
“HQ?” Owls’ voice sounded through the room.
Jeff leaned forward and pressed the speak button. “Jeff here.”
“We’re now at junction G12. What direction should we go now?”
Jeff zoomed in on the hologram. “Go to +Y. That’s the only corridor leading from the junction that we haven’t explored yet. If the same pattern that we’ve seen in the other sections repeats itself, you should get to two more intersections with three branches each, all of which lead to dead ends. In one of them there should be door, and behind it an empty room.
“Understood.”
“Tell him he doesn’t have to report back at each intersection,” the major said. His voice sounded tired, but it still had more authority than Jeff would ever manage himself. “He should only report if there are deviations from the pattern.”
Jeff passed on the order, and Owl signed off. But now Finni’s voice sounded from the speaker. “We’re at junction B17 now, leaving for the area B-F. We’ll take the shortest route back to our quarters. ETA forty minutes.”
“Understood,” said Jeff. “Report back if you come across anything interesting.”
“You’re good at this,” said the major.
Jeff turned around. “What do you mean?”
Irons smiled weakly. “Coordinating the team. On the ship, and here, you’ve demonstrated good organizational skills.”
The major almost never gave praise without an ulterior motive. “What are you getting at?”
“But…”
“But what?”
“But you lack authority. The men and women do what you say, but they do it reluctantly. If you were in a real emergency situation and had to make tough decisions, it could get tricky—there’s a good chance the team wouldn’t follow your orders.”
As if Jeff hadn’t noticed this himself. “I think it has to do with where I come from.”
Irons chuckled and shook his head. “I’m sorry—but that’s total nonsense.”
“But that’s what Mac told me a few days ago.”
Irons raised his eyebrows. “Did he say it to your face?”
Jeff nodded.
“And what did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” The major swiveled around in his chair.
“Well, I asked him why he didn’t like me.”
“You asked him?” There was disbelief in the major’s voice. “You’re not serious.”
Jeff was silent and looked down at the floor.
Irons took a deep breath. “Listen to me, Captain Austin. Respect has nothing to do with background. Every officer has to deal with prejudices. One comes from the aristocracy, the other from a backwoods swamp, and another from a former prison planet. One is small, the other lanky, a third has a big nose. I come from Lamsid and didn’t have an easy time of it, either. Do you know Lamsid?”
Jeff had heard of the planet. It was apparently a hellhole. Covered in foul swamps, it was home to a tiny and very isolated colony. Some people called it the “planet of the inbreds.” Jeff hadn’t known the major came from there, but he could imagine his first commando hadn’t been easy.
“There are two things to keep in mind. First, when you encounter prejudice, you have to act against it. You’re on the right track—you’re doing good work and are empathetic toward your subordinates. But—and this is important—you have to punish any actions by your crew that undermine your authority.” Irons leaned in closer. “And never ask your subordinates what they think of you. Never! Because you couldn’t care less—at least outwardly—and it will affect your judgment.”
Jeff nodded. He knew all this in theory. “I’m afraid they’ll think I’m nit-picking if I dole out punishments for every trivial misdemeanor.”
The major wrinkled his nose. “Nit-picking? No, Captain Austin—you don’t care what they think of you. Your subordinates may like to make fun of you when they’re alone in their quarters or in the mess. But when you are in the room, you need to be treated with the respect your superior rank deserves. Because if that isn’t the case, you won’t be taken seriously, and your orders won’t be followed.”
“You mean I should punish the men harshly the next time one of them makes a stupid remark?”
Irons shook his head. “It’s not that easy; it depends on the situation. I’m sure you’ve noticed how many stupid comments I let Green get away with.”
Jeff nodded. He had often wondered why the major didn’t call the engineer to account more often.
“It’s the way Green is—and sometimes his comments even lighten up a tough situation. But he’s not doing it to undermine my authority. That’s where you have to draw the line. And it’s also important not to punish anybody unjustly. You won’t do yourself any favors if you behave like a dictator. It’s a matter of experience.”
“You mean it gets better over time?”
Irons swayed his head back and forth. “Only if you’re willing to learn. But sometimes I get the feeling you’ve already given up.”
Jeff pursed his lips. Really? Maybe the major was right. Lately he’d been letting the team get away with a lot. It was easier than confronting them.
Although Jeff found this conversation embarrassing, he was grateful to the major. Irons was one of the most charismatic officers he’d ever known. A born leader. He would never match up to the major, but maybe he could learn something from him.
“HQ?”
Jeff sighed as he leaned forward and pressed the talk button. “Yup, I’m here.”
“You were right. It’s a dead end.”
“As was to be expected,” Irons said.
“Understood,” Jeff answered.
“Where shall we go now?”
Jeff turned to Irons.
The latter glanced down at his wristwatch. “Back to HQ. You’re done for today.”
Jeff passed on the order.
“Good, my feet hurt. The way back from our current position should take about half an hour. Over and out.”
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll go deeper down into the ship,” Irons said.
“Do you think we’ll find anything there?”
Irons shrugged. “If we believe what the ship’s computer has told us, I guess not. Based on what we’ve seen so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole ship is crisscrossed with snowflake-like corridors. But I wonder what happened to all the rooms and facilities? There must have once been engine rooms, power units, and so on.”