Adventures of the SPEW Cat's Eye (Ch.1 Sc. 2)

Rydia sat in the lounge aboard the SPEW Cat's Eye. The lounge was very cozy, with wooden floors, soft lighting, and neutral colors. Such things were luxuries aboard ordinary ships where space was at a premium, the colors were steel bulkheads, and and lighting was utilitarian at best. But SPEW ships were not ordinary; and aboard the Cat's Eye there was room for creature comforts.

Rydia looked around the lounge, but saw no sign of Grif. A few YWS members were across the room and were being served by a waiter. Various other members were scattered around the lounge drinking coffee and tea, as suited their tastes, but none were close by. It had been arranged that way.

Rydia checked her watch and found that there were still a few minutes left before their appointment. She decided to spend a moment to check on her preparations. The tea kettle was ready, and an assortment of scones, quiche, tarts, and cookies were ready nearby.

She surveyed the room again and finding him absent, she checked on her appearance. Rydia wore a red sweater, with a white blouse, and a formal skirt. Her position as an Administrator required her attire to be formal and include red. This suited Rydia just fine, her brown hair and eyes went well with the red sweater, and it popped when it was combined with the blouse.

She looked around again, but there was no sign of Grif. She checked her watch, he was officially late. She frowned and stared angrily at a particularly cheerful looking cupcake. She resolved that, whatever happened, that cupcake was hers. She reached for it, only to have her hands gently tapped by the waiter.

"Madam, allow me to pour your tea first," the waiter said. His voice was deep and rich, as one would expect of a butler. He had a thick handle-bar mustache and wore a monocle. He reached for the tea kettle, and gently poured the tea into the cup. A small amount of tea dribbled onto the saucer. Rydia once again reached for the cupcake, but was interrupted once again.

"Would you like milk with your tea, madam?" the waiter asked.

"Yes," she said. The waiter poured the milk as Rydia once again stretched her hand out for the desirable cupcake.

"Sugar?" the waiter asked.

"What? Oh. No, thank you," Rydia replied.

"Will that be all madam?" the waiter said crisply.

"Well..." Rydia said, and then suddenly something clicked in the back of her mind. "there is one thing."

"What is that madam?" the waiter asked.

"Can you tell me," Rydia said, focusing her eyes on the waiter, "when this lounge gained a waiter? Particularly since my ship is covered with robots?"

"I was employed this morning, Madam. I was told that robots did not provide a suitable ambiance for this establishment," the waiter said stiffly.

"Stuff it Grif, I know it's you and you're late," Rydia said. There was an immediate change in the countenance of the waiter. He quietly sat down and spoke, but this time it was Grif's voice.

"What gave it away?" Grif asked. Rydia smiled across the table.

"The dribble on the saucer. You pour tea like an amateur and there isn't a waiter that wouldn't hastily produce a handkerchief to wipe away the excess. Not to mention the fact that," Rydia said, leaning in, "no waiter would be added to my ship without my knowledge."

"I'll try harder next time," Grif said, taking off his monocle and mustache. "Still, I did manage to serve twelve people without arousing suspicion." He took off the black coat and threw it behind him, before grinning at Rydia.

"The couple at table twelve tipped me ten points," he said, before ripping his white shirt off. Buttons flew everywhere as the shirt fell away to reveal the construction orange jumpsuit underneath. It held flecks of blue, and a green gryphon emblem. In mere moments, his appearance had completely transformed.

"My, this looks tasty," Grif said, grabbing the cheerful cupcake and placing it on his plate.

"But..." Rydia started to say, before Grif cut her off.

"Quite right. Might as well save the best for last. Are you hungry?" Grif said, grabbing a slice of quiche and other assorted goodies. Rydia glared at Grif.

"Famished."

"Then dig in. We'll talk after you've had a bite," Grif said quickly. Rydia selected a scone and dug in. Across the table, the cheerful cupcake seemed to be laughing at her.

"Your monocle is absolutely ridiculous, by the way," Rydia said crossly.

"That it is, but as it happens, it is essential. Embedded in the monocle is a white noise generator that will jam any listening devices that Macavity or Adelaide might be using."

"Might they read our lips via the cameras?" Rydia asked.

"Perhaps, if they were connected. That is one advantage of being a waiter, nobody gives you a second glance or questions you when you take a camera down so that it can be maintained," Grif said. Rydia looked around, and sure enough, the cables were disconnected from the cameras.

"You've been busy after all."

"When you told me that you wanted to speak with me privately, I decided to take you literally," Grif said, then his eyes focused on Rydia. "What exactly did you want to discuss?"

"SPEW," Rydia said. There was a brief period of silence.

"SPEW is dead. You said so yourself. We're the only two Captains left, the rest are either missing, gone, or have gone into a gaming coma," Grif said bitterly.

"I said that because we only have two ships. It doesn't make sense for us to have our own shipyards, our own chain of command, and our own missions. The YWS Fleet is in chaos, half of our ships are missing, damaged, or destroyed. Integrating with the YWS Fleet is the best way to save YWS," Rydia said.

"I know that," Grif said. "It doesn't mean I have to like it. I was hoping that there would be a way for us to save YWS, without dissolving SPEW."

"If all that was holding it together was a couple ships, then perhaps it deserves to be dissolved," Rydia said quietly.

"I don't like the idea that we are the last guardians of the Old YWS. But perhaps new guardians will rise to take our place," Grif said. Rydia smiled.

BOOM.

Grif and Rydia were thrown from their seats. Tea, sweets, and china was everywhere.

"Captain Rydia to the bridge! General quarters all hands. Fire/Rescue teams make your way to aft engine #4. Medical teams proceed to receive casualties," Juniper's voice said.

"Grif, disable that monocle!" Rydia shouted.

"No need," Grif replied, holding half of the shattered monocle. "I'm going back to the Gryphon. Adelaide!"

"Beaming you over now," the AI answered. Grif was enveloped in light and disappeared. Rydia got to her feet. She picked up the slightly smushed but otherwise cheerful cupcake and set off for the bridge.