Chapter 5
Doc gasps as he catches sight of an old-earth pear out of the corner of his eye and rushes over. Then, without thinking, he picks out several dozen. Using canning techniques, they could have pears for the entire trip.
He continues walking down the aisles, knowing that the Accord would provide the food staples, the main sustenance the crew needed. Doc seeks items that will take what they offered and make it better. He collects fruits and vegetables that wouldn't last long and will serve those early in the trip. Doc buys what he likes to refer to as 'flavor enhancers': spices, dried fruits, vegetables, and bread-making supplies.
He makes a note to talk to Rory later and see if they might rig something up so he could grow fresh herbs. Besides being cheaper, it would clean a bit of air.
Doc pauses a moment to take it all in before continuing in thought. They had assigned him to his first ship. It is the entire crew's first ship. At least the captain, Brigit, and the first mate, Adair, knew each other before the Academy. The rest of them had only trained together recently since being assigned to the Tyche.
Almost done and intensely lost in thought, he tugs on a loc, turned the corner and almost bumps into a diminutive older lady.
"Pardon me; I seem to have lost my wits," he apologizes and steps aside, his cart floating out of the way.
The woman who, on closer inspection, looks to be in her late fifties - he had initially judged her as being older - looks at him with a curious eye. Not quite threatening, but not friendly either. The look stands out to him, as most people he met since coming to the Blessed Accord were pretty nice. Not all, but most.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
"No, ma'am, I'm from quite a ways away, actually." He is curious about where this is going. He doesn't like the look in her eye. It is almost appraising, clinical. She nods once as if agreeing with someone, and that's when he gets nervous, looking from her to his cart and tugging a loc, plotting his escape.
"Yes, yes, you are from somewhere, um, let's see, no, not down, under, no, hmm... Far, not quite, ah-ha!" she exclaims and looks up, making intense eye contact. Her brown eyes, at that moment, seem much younger than the rest of her. "You, my friend, are from Deep," she proclaims with the air of a magician who has revealed their masterpiece.
He takes a half step back, wondering how this woman knows where he is from. He knows there are many mystical people in the Accord, but he didn't meet them personally, and it throws him off.
"You're probably wondering how I know that." After he nods, she continues. "Well, you see, I'm a bit of a - what do you call - psychic. Yes, hmm, that works as good as any title. And I talk to people who are..." she stops, making him wonder if she will keep talking, before continuing with a dramatic hand gesture, "elsewhere! And I've been listening to, hmm, what is her name, Mother Bobo. Does that sound familiar?"
Doc's dark face turns ashen, and he takes a step back, knocking his cart into the wall behind him. "How..." he starts to ask, but knew how. This was the world in which he has emigrated. He knows she is the real deal because most people on Deep call their grandmother Sufu. As far as he knew, only he called his grandmother 'Mother Bobo'.
Composing himself, he straightens up and got his cart straightened out. He struggles to remember his teachings. "How, um, how is Mother Bobo? How are the Summerlands?"
"Silly boy, you know that it's different for everyone. But she says that she is very proud of you. You have brought prestige to your family by going to the stars. And," she leans in and whispers, "she's working on your family. She wants them to come to the Blessed Accord as much as you do."
If he had still been doubtful, that would have clinched it. There is no way anyone knows about that goal. He wants his family to have better lives, and the worlds of the Accord have plenty of space and would be such a vast improvement. Doc thinks again for a moment, dredging up teachings. He has only been religious for a few years. "Energy exchange. Is there something I could give you or do for you? I would like to return the energy you spent on me."
She pauses and thinks, and after a tiny nod, she bends her head, lifts a small medallion off, and hands it to him. "Please take this with you. I know it seems like I'm giving you more energy, but it has been a dream of mine to have Electra bless this medallion of Hers while in the sky. This will make us even."
She nods as if accepting that this is the fact and turns to leave.
"Wait, how will I return this to you?"
"Don't you worry your silly little head. I'll find you." Her voice answers from the next aisle.
He shakes his head and thinks that she moved so fast, and silently. He inspects the medallion. It is composed of nicely worked silver, clearly depicting the bust of Electra in distinct relief. He shrugs and puts it over his locs and settles it on his chest. When he does, he shivers. Something - he isn't sure what - happened when he put it on. It felt like maybe there was a brief tangle of energies. It's almost as if he were overfull for a moment, then with a slightly queasy twisting it resolved itself.
He turns back to his cart and makes a mental note to talk to Adair about Electra and continues his shopping. He is both relieved and a little disappointed that nothing further happens during his errands.
He finishes the shopping and pays with the ship's credits. Doc looks at all he had bought and does a quick assessment, and has them deliver it to the ship. He could do it, but doesn't want to. As he makes his way back to the ship, the medallion feels both cold and electrically hot. He finds it reassuring, knowing that there is some energy from a god attached to his chest.