Wayne Cole

Writer Podcaster Geek

Category: Starship Oddity Page 1 of 2

Odd Plates Part 3: Lunch Rush

By

On January 23, 2026

In Fiction, Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

Before writing this part I decided to go back and read all the parts before.  This was mostly to bring myself back into the headspace of the story and remind myself of the finer details.  There was no way I could have written this part without doing so. 

What I discovered reading the first part disturbed me.  There is no consistency to my craft of writing in it.  I switched between third and first person a few times and gave two different genders to the previous captain.  I found other grammar mistakes, but those were the most egregious.  I have received multiple positive feedback messages for this story, but when I read it all I can see are these huge mistakes. 

The discovery got me thinking about how I write longer form stories.  The key for me is to get the story out and then go back and edit.  Unfortunately, I’m not great at following through on that second part.  Thankfully the editing I do before posting these raw installments got much better after the first part.  That may be because I did not intend it to be a series until then. 

The tone certainly has shifted from very comedic to something more emotional. I do want to bring back in more comedic beats in future weeks.

               My morning started off well so I couldn’t help but wonder what disaster awaited me.  The first episode of Odd Plates had been uploaded to Stationnet and was queued for distribution to all stations in the sector.  Feedback and viewership was already growing despite it only being out in one system for now.  We seem to have gone viral and not in the way The Oddity normally did.  I knew that was bound to add pressure to the contestants for the next round. 

               I stepped into the galley with a smile on my face slipping into my host persona.  Pablo spun a camera towards me, so I decided to go right into my spiel. 

                 “Hello again universe and welcome back to Odd Plates.  The greatest and only cooking competition ever held aboard a starship.  After round one we have Mia Torres in the lead, but it is still anyone’s competition and there are plenty of twists left to go.  Let’s go find our contestants.” 

               Pablo gave me a thumbs up and lowered the camera.  “Excellent Captain.  Everyone is in the kitchen waiting for you.” 

               I gave him a nod and then headed straight to the kitchen.  “Chief Louise can I have a word with you before we get started?”

               “Sure thing, Captain.”  She looked concerned but joined me in the pantry. 

               I lowered my voice not wanting the contestants to overhear.  “Have you double checked all the settings and power regulators for the kitchen equipment?”

               “Yes sir.  I had Chief Burton go over the systems as well.  We found some things misaligned, but if there is a serious sabotage, we don’t see it.” 

               “Good.  I trust you both.  As of right now the kitchen is off limits to anyone outside of yourself, Chief Burton, Pablo, and the contestants.  If anyone tries to come in, I want to hear about it.”

               “You really think someone is going to try something?”

               “I certainly hope not, but after round one we can’t rule it out.”

               “You know Captain I don’t care for mistrusting crew, but with this ship’s history it unfortunately is pretty common.  At least it was.”

               I sighed and tried to push my concerns to the back of my head.  I had a role to play. 

               “All right contestants you have mastered breakfast, but now it’s time for the Lunch Rush.  For today’s challenge you are making lunch, but our Odd Twist is that you only have thirty minutes to do it.  So, without further ado let the cooking begin.” 

               There was a gong sound over the speakers as soon as I said my line that startled me to the point I almost knocked a pot off the counter.  I looked out into the galley and saw the monitors had a countdown displayed on them.  Pablo was taking his production role as seriously as he did any assignment I had given him. 

               To keep the competition fair, I left the kitchen so I would not have any clues about who was making which dish.  My fellow judges were already sitting at our table waiting for me.    

               “Busy morning captain?  Running around putting out fires?”  Miss Southerland gave me a wry smile as she teased me. 

               “No fires today Miss Southerland and I hope to keep it that way.”

               “Oh, I hope not.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to get the smell out of the ventilation systems?”  I was shocked to hear Nadia speak up and by the look on her face she was surprised by it as well.  I could see her look away and try to shrink in on herself.  I was getting the impression that she had the potential to be very outspoken if I could just break her of her anxiety around me.   

               “Well then we can’t have that now, can we Miss Rensu?”    

               “Uh, no sir.”

               “You seemed pretty passionate about it a minute ago.  Hold onto that passion.  I value your opinion.” 

               “Of course, sir.”  She was still looking down at the table and I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me to get through to her.

               I glanced up at Miss Southerland and she just gave me a shrug that told me she knew exactly what I was thinking and didn’t have any ideas on how to help.  Mr. Choice seemed enraptured in reading something on his tablet. 

               “Good book Mr. Choice?”

               “It certainly is interesting.  The file hit the ship intranet this morning.  Seems to be a work in progress and some of the characters seem to be based off the crew.” 

               Miss Southerland’s face turned a bright red and she grabbed the tablet from Mr. Choice.  After reading a few lines she asked franticly, “Where is the file?  How can I delete it?”

               “Check the blogs.  It was shared by an anonymous blogger on a post titled My Hidden Thoughts”    

               “What’s wrong Miss Southerland.”  I had never seen her look that concerned.

               “It’s my new novel sir but twisted.  Someone changed my descriptions of my characters and posted it.” 

               I hit a button on my own tablet to open communications.  “Pablo please come to the judging table immediately.” 

               “Yes Captain?”  Pablo answered from two feet behind me.  I had not seen him approach.  Being startled twice in one afternoon was a sign I was on edge.

               “Someone posted an edited version of Miss Southerland’s work on the intranet.  I want to know who did it and how they got access to her file.”

               “That file was yours Miss Southerland?  Strong work, but I really don’t think a coin could bounce off the captain’s butt cheeks.” 

               “Oh God, I didn’t write that.  I swear I didn’t write that.  I’m just gonna go walk out an airlock now.”  She buried her face in her hands. 

                “Pablo, I don’t just want to know who did this I want that file removed from the intranet and every tablet onboard.” 

               “Yes sir, and done sir.  I thought you might want that when I read the file this morning, so I prepared a script. Unfortunately, I have been unable to track down the source.  It was uploaded by a service account from a terminal in engineering and the camera footage is missing.”    

               Control the things you can, mitigate the things you can’t

               “Ok, for now I want any blog not posted by an established blogger to require approval.  Work with Chief Burton to narrow down suspects.  I’m sure you are still working on tracking this down, but what do you think your odds are?”

               “Not good sir, but I’m adding layers of protection so it can’t happen again.”

               “If you thought I would want it removed, why didn’t you tell me about it?”

                “Well sir I try to anticipate any requests you might have.  I write five to six scripts a day in preparation that never get used.” 

               “Great, now I wonder how many other things I should have asked for.” 

               I looked over at my fellow judges and was met with a variety of emotions.  None of them were excitement about the upcoming meal.  “Ok, guys.  We have fifteen minutes before judging.  Let’s take a quick break to compose ourselves.  Someone is actively working to break us.  We will not let them succeed.”

               “Yes sir,”  The three said in unison.  Nadia and Mr. Choice wandered away, but Miss Southerland stayed and was trembling. 

               “It’s going to be ok.”

               “How is it going to be, ok?   Everyone is going to know I wrote it and they’re not going to believe it was edited.  You know that’s not even the worst part.”  She looked up and met my eyes.  “I really liked this story and now it’s going to be tainted in my head.  I can’t finish it.” 

               “Do not let him win.  Do not let him take a single thing you enjoy from you.” 

               “Lumsdon?”

               “I can’t prove it, but it makes sense.”  I put my hand on her shoulder.  “I’m sorry Miss Southerland, but this might be my fault.  I got carried away and gloated when I shouldn’t have.  He knows you helped me get him off the ship.”

                She looked up at me with steel in her eyes.  “If he wants a fight, he picked the wrong ship and the wrong crew.”

                I smiled and let every bit of how proud I was show in my face.  “Miss Southerland, he has no idea how big of a mistake he just made.”    

Odd Plates Part 2: Breakfast On The Go

By

On November 8, 2025

In Fiction, Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

We are back aboard the Oddity this week with part two of the Odd Plates cooking competition. This is easily the largest entry into the saga so far and might be one of if not these largest Fiction Fragment Friday at nearly 2,400 words.

I thought about breaking it up into multiple parts, but I felt that would be a dissapointing read. No the fun kind of cliffhangers I enjoy.

                I walked into the galley an hour and a half early looking for my morning coffee.  Between being the captain and the host of our Odd Plates competition, I needed to be a larger than life version of myself all day.  I had assumed by showing up early I would have a chance to mentally prepare myself, but as usual I underestimated the crew of the Oddity.

                The galley was a scene of pure energy.  Chief Louise was in the kitchen doing last minute coaching with the contestants, Pablo was wiring up extra cameras, and Chief Burton was coordinating the setup of the judge’s table.  That was already more activity than I had expected, but the steady rumble of crew anxiously awaiting the show dominated the room.  I knew the moment someone spotted me because they shouted, “Captain in the galley” and the crowd overwhelmed me with the roar of applause.

                “Pablo please tell me you got that,” shouted Chief Louise from the kitchen. 

                “Sorry.  I’m still setting up the feeds and didn’t expect him for another thirty minutes.”  As usual Pablo’s head did not rise from his tablet when he spoke.

                “I’m an hour and a half early.” 

                “Of course, sir.  We knew you would be early just not how early.  You cost me 10 credits by the way.” 

                “Who won?”

                Pablo hit a few buttons on his tablet before answering, but I had a feeling he didn’t need to.  “Miss Southerland”. 

                “Of course she did.”  I looked over to the judges table and saw her sitting there raising a coffee in salute.  “Pablo if I may offer you a bit of advice.  Don’t ever bet against Miss Southerland.”               

                After making my cup of coffee I joined the contestants in the kitchen.  Chief Louise was just wrapping up a final explanation of the rules.  I looked over each of the contestants and tried to read their body language.  Paul Dillon, our resident baker, looked eager, but nervous.  Mia Torres radiated confidence and energy.  I tried to stay neutral but had to admit she was my favorite to win.  I had only met Jun Parks once before and didn’t really know anything about them.   Once Chief Louise finished I addressed the contestants. 

                “First off, I want to wish all three of you good luck in the competition to come.  I also want to thank you though.  This isn’t just a silly competition to fill a new position.  Odd Plates is a major morale initiative and another step in challenging the image this ship has on the docks.  Win or lose Chief Louise has assured me that you still have opportunities to work shifts here in the kitchen.  Any last questions for me?”

                “No sir,” they all said together.  It brought a smile to my face. 

                “Pablo are your cameras ready?”

                “Yes sir”

                I straightened my uniform and stood as straight as I could.  I motioned for the contestants to follow me out into the larger galley.  The crowd instantly went quiet giving me their undivided attention.  Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself. 

                “Hello everyone and welcome to Odd Plates.  The best and as far as I know only cooking competition hosted onboard an operating starship.  Our three contestants will be competing for the opportunity to become the full time head chef.  Of course nothing is ever straightforward onboard the Oddity.  Each challenge will include a special twist chosen by me.  Without further ado let’s meet our contestants.”

                I stepped away from the cameras and had a seat at one of the tables.  It would be the last rest I would get that day and I knew it.  While the contestants introduced themselves and gave their personal stories, I tried to rebuild my energy.  I had no problem leading a meeting or a ship, but this performative presentation was not something familiar to me.  As they finished though I found myself already moving into position and putting the outgoing expression on my face. 

                “Contestants as you know today’s challenge is breakfast.  Nothing can ever be simple here on The Oddity though so it’s time to give you your ‘Odd Twist’.  A challenge to keep the competition interesting.  The theme for this round is Breakfast on the Go.  It must be easy for each of your dishes to be eaten without silverware, napkins, or excuse for being late to their shift.  So, without further ado let the cooking begin.” 

                Sparing no time, the three contestants rushed into the kitchen and began preparing their dishes.  Chief Louise and Pedro joined them doing action interviews and getting more footage for the final episodes.  As one of the judges I was not allowed in the kitchen since the dishes would be blind taste tests.  Instead, I moved to get better acquainted with my fellow judges. 

                I obviously knew Miss Southerland very well from our shared bridge shifts.  Likely because of this familiarity she was the first person I greeted.  “Miss Southerland.  You’re welcome for the 10 credits.  How is it that you seem to know me better than I know myself at times?”

                She laughed.  “You’re not that complicated captain and no that is not a bad thing.” 

                I nodded and turned towards the next judge.  I was surprised to see a familiar face from engineering.  “Mr. Choice, it’s good to see you again.  I’m happy to report your recommendation seems to be working out very nicely.”

                “It was just nice having someone listen for a change.”  He looked around the galley for a moment.  “You certainly have shaken things up around here and I can’t wait to see what’s next.” 

                “Remember that when we taste the dishes Mr. Choice.”

                I turned to the final judge and did not recognize her.  “I’m sorry to say I don’t believe we’ve met yet.”

                “No sir, sir, uhm.”

                “Relax I’m not the captain right now.  I’m just the host and a fellow judge.” 

                Miss Southerland piped in.  “With all due respect you could be in a clown suit and still radiate captain energy.”

                “I’m tempted to organize a costume party just to prove you wrong on that one Miss Southerland.” 

                She smirked at me and then burst into a full laugh. 

                “Imaging me in that clown costume?”

                “Nope.  Imaging your embarrassed and uncomfortable reactions to the inevitable revealing costumes some of the crew would wear.” 

                “Remind me to run any future social events past you before doing something stupid.”  I turned back towards the unknown judge.  “As you already know I’m Captain Jacob Moss.  Who do I have the pleasure of being a judge with today?”

                “Nadia.  Nadia Rensu from environmental.” 

                  Miss Southerland interjected.  “She doesn’t really get out much.  She’ll get used to you though.”

                Nadia gave Miss Southerland a vicious look.  “I get out plenty I just don’t do it with other people.”  She looked back at me as if just realizing she had spoke in front of me. 

                “Fire,” someone yelled from the galley behind us.  I fought back my urge to run into the kitchen. 

                “Aren’t you going to do something?” Mr. Choice asked.

                “Control the things you can, mitigate the things you can’t.”  I repeated my mantra out loud without even thinking about it. 

                “What does that mean,” asked Nadia. 

                Miss Southerland interjected before I could answer.  “It means he has Chief Louise in the kitchen, and he trusts her to manage the situation in there.  He doesn’t want the crew to panic so he isn’t going to react to it himself.”  She looked at me.  “Did I miss anything?”

                “No, I think you covered it nicely.”  I sat at the table and took a drink of my coffee trying to project as much calm as I could.

                The next hour waiting for the dishes went by pretty quickly.  I tried to get to know not just the other judges, but the rest of the crew in the galley better.  Thankfully Lumsdon was not present.  I had expected him to be in a corner scowling or outright mocking the competition.  Soon though Chief Louise was setting the first plates in front of us.

                “This first dish is a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on toast.  While it might sound plain there is a unique blend of spices in the scrambled egg layer.  Enjoy.”

                I took a bite of the sandwich and was pleasantly surprised by the flavor.  The bacon was a bit crispy like I prefer and the eggs had a blend of pepper and something else I couldn’t identify.  I made my notes on my tablet and picked my scores in the category of taste, appearance, and ability to eat on the go.

                “The second dish is an egg quiche contained in a mini pie crust.” 

                The flavor was certainly memorable in the second dish.  The chef included smoked ham and two types of cheese.  I once again made my notes and awaited the final dish. 

                “Your final dish is a strawberry and lemon poppyseed muffin.” 

                Upon first taste I let out an audible groan of pleasure before regaining my composure.  I put my notes and score into the tablet and hit submit.  I was met with the results from the other three judges and saw that my tie breaker vote was not needed in this case.  The three contestants joined us at the judges table.

                I stood and moved to the side to once again take on my role as host.  “Contestants.  I would ask who made each dish, but I think I would like to guess first.  Jun you made the sandwich, Mia you made the quiche, and Paul that was your muffin.”  I could tell by their facial reactions that I had been correct. 

                “Judges what do you have to say about the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on toast?” 

                Miss Southerland started first.  “For flavor it was delicious, but when it comes to eating on the go my hands were greasy after and needed to be washed.” 

                Mr. Choice went next.  “It could have used more cheese for my tastes, but other than that it was good.  I have to second the greasy though.”

                “Miss Rensu your final thoughts on this dish?”

                “The bacon was a bit too crunchy for a sandwich and the paprika was a bit too heavy.  I only held the sandwich with two fingers though, so the greasiness wasn’t a huge factor for me. 

                “Thank you judges.  Now for dish two.  What did you all think of the mini quiche?”  They each answered in the same order going down the table. 

                “Delicious and the pie crust kept my hands fairly clean.”

                “A bit spicy for me, but also the best quiche I’ve ever had.”

                “The center was a bit collapsed and a few sprinkled herbs on top would have made it look a bit better.  Flavor though was spot on and it would be very good on the go.”

                “Now for our final dish.  What feedback do you have on the strawberry lemon poppyseed muffin?”

                “Too many flavors all at once.  It was good, but kind of overwhelming.”

                “Delicious, but crumbles.  Chief Burton would have me spend the first half of my shift sweeping the floor and cleaning the consoles if the whole department had these.”

                “Delicious blend of flavors, but I have to agree with Mr. Choice on the crumbles.”

                I turned back to the contestants.  “You should all be very proud of your first dishes.  I would be happy to eat any of these for my breakfast.  Only one dish can win though.”  I held up my tablet.  “The judges’ votes have been tallied.  In third place is the strawberry lemon poppyseed muffin.  In second place is the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on toast.  That means that your winner of the first round of Odd Plates is Mia Torres and her mini quiche.  Congratulations Miss Torres, but don’t get too comfortable.  We still have three rounds to go and tomorrow you will all be making lunch with a brand new Odd Twist.”  I turned to the crowd and another camera.  “Until then I’ve been your host Captain Jacob Moss and this has been Odd Plates.  Eat up.” 

                When the light turned off, I had to resist the reaction of letting my shoulders slump.  People were still watching so I had to stay on a bit longer.  I also didn’t want to let anyone know that I did not agree with the judges choice.  They had been unanimous on their winner, but I would have picked the muffin. 

                “Captain, can we have a word with you in the kitchen?”  I turned to see Chief Louise standing behind me with Pablo on her side.        

                “Of course.”  I motioned towards the kitchen and followed them.  Once we were through the door I asked, “What’s this about?”

                The Chief motioned towards Pablo who was looking at his tablet.  “Perhaps you heard about the fire.”

                “It was hard to miss.” 

                “Yes, well it was caused by a burst of heat igniting the bacon grease.  No real danger and Chief Louise put it out before anyone panicked.  It however should not have happened.  The heat from these systems should be consistent.  I did a diagnostic after the fire and found that someone had performed maintenance on the unit overnight.  They introduced an intentional flaw.” 

                “Sabotage?”

                “I cannot think of another explanation.” 

                “Ok, keep this between the three of us for now.  Actually, bring in Chief Burton, but just the four of us.  I want the kitchen examined before each future stage, but quietly.  Someone is trying to undermine this competition, and we are not going to let them succeed.”         

                  “Yes sir,” they replied in sync. 

                I headed back to my office with far too much on my mind.  The first day was a success, but it could have gone very differently.  It could still fall apart, and I had invested too many of my long term goals into the effort.  Control the things you can, mitigate the things you can’t.  I had the right people in place, and I just needed to trust them and keep all eyes on myself while they worked.    

Odd Plates Part 1

By

On October 17, 2025

In Fiction, Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

With this week I continue to explore the tone, themes, and levels of tension that I have been trying to work into this tale. When I started writing I thought I was doing one scene, but it quickly became a different one. I’m realizing the cooking competition arc is going to be longer than I had planned. That is not an issue from my perspective. If some of it doesn’t make the final novel edit the story will still be stronger for my having written and developed all of it. This scene might get more edits, but I can’t imagine not keeping it in.

                “My name is Captain Jacob Moss, and it’s my honor to welcome you to Odd Plates. The greatest cooking competition ever held aboard a starship.  Over the course of this competition each of our three chefs will be challenged to make breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.  It’s not that simple though.  Each phase I will be giving them an odd twist to challenge their creativity.  So, get comfortable because things are about to get odd.” 

I held my pose pointing towards the tablet Pablo was holding until he looked up and said, “Got it.”  As usual his tone was so flat I could not read his reaction.

“Well, it wasn’t terrible.”  Chief Louise was sitting at the table just behind Pablo giving me her disappointed expression. 

“What was wrong with that?  It was almost exactly what you wrote.”

“No, I know.  It wasn’t the lines.  You just came across as too over the top.  Like a cheap shill.  When you talk as captain you have this gravitas. That..”  She pointed to the tablet.  “that was more gravitASS than gravitas.”

“Well don’t sugar coat it.  Tell me what you really think.”

“Sorry, but you did ask.”

I sighed.  “I know, and you’re right.   It might be fine just for the ship, but if there is any chance of going viral, I need to do better.  This really isn’t my wheelhouse though.  I’m no performer.” 

“Maybe that’s the problem sir.”  I looked over at Pablo who had not raised his eyes from his tablet.  He was silent long enough that I started to think he wouldn’t elaborate before he spoke again.  “What I mean is that you’re trying to perform.  Maybe don’t do that.  Just talk like you’re broadcasting a message to the crew.  Be yourself.” 

I thought about what he was saying and composed myself for another take.  When I was ready, I motioned for him to record again. 

                “This is Captain Moss and it’s my privileged to present Odd Plates.  This is to the best of my knowledge the first and by extension the greatest cooking competition ever held onboard an operating starship. 

You can expect to see our three brave chefs stretched to the limit of their newly acquired cooking skills over four unique rounds.  They will cook breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert for myself and three judges pulled randomly from the crew. 

This is the Oddity though and nothing can ever be quite that simple.  Each meal I’ll be giving them a twist to test their skill, creativity, and willingness to put up with me.  At the end we will crown not just a winner, but the new head chef for the Starship Oddity.    

You will all get to join us for every step of the journey.  We’ll be going behind the scenes into the kitchen, following their cooking trainer Chief Louise, and watching every facial expression on the faces of our judges.  So, sit back and get comfortable because I may not know what will happen, but I promise you it will be odd.” 

                I was met with applause.  Not only was the chief clapping, but the kitchen crew had stepped out into the galley to join her.  “Now that was more like it.  Not exactly perfect, but much more you.” 

                “Thank you.  I think.” 

                “Unbelievable.”  All the mirth drained out of the room at the sound of Victor Lumsdon’s voice from the doorway.  He was leaning against the frame looking directly at me.  He gave a mock clap of his own with each a sharp echoing sound in the silence.  “Turns out the ship turned into a variety show while I was away.” 

                “Funny I don’t remember mocking morale improving efforts being part of your job description Mr. Lumsdon.” 

                “Other duties as assigned cap.  Other duties as assigned and trust me it is part of my assignment.” 

                “Of that I have no doubt.” 

                He turned to Chief Louise.  “You seriously encouraging this?”

                “It was my and Chief Burton’s idea.” 

                “Of course it was.”  He looked around the room at the kitchen crew and the chief.  “Don’t let him rope you all into his delusions.  This ship isn’t a family, and it never will be.  It’s just a failing freighter with a fresh coat of paint.”

                My instinct told me to lash out verbally at Lumsdon, but deep down I knew that was what he wanted.  Instead, I took a deep breath and centered myself before replying.  Control the things you can, mitigate the things you can’t.   “I think you will find that far more has changed while you were gone than just the paint Mr. Lumsdon.  If you continue to fail in grasping that I don’t anticipate you being particularly successful in that special project I gave you.  Seeing as that is rather time critical perhaps you should return to your quarters to work on it.” 

                He held my gaze for longer than I was comfortable with before turning and leaving without another word.  When he was out of sight, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.  I tried to project an air of control for my crew.  They didn’t need to know how much his comments had gotten to me.  I had been hopeful for a moment before he deflated my mental momentum.  The crew could not see those cracks though. 

                “Pablo, I look forward to seeing that recording after your processing and graphics are added in.  I want something I can send out as a teaser this evening and a version we can use as the intro to each episode.”  I made myself a mug of coffee and headed back towards the bridge.   I stopped in the door and turned back to my crew.  “We are making something special here people.  No one can take that away from us.”  I said it for their benefit, but realized I needed to hear it too.

An Odd Confrontation

By

On October 10, 2025

In Fiction, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

This may very well be my favorite installment of the Starship Oddity Saga. When I decided to bring Lumsdon back I really worried that I had wrote myself into a corner and wasn’t sure how to deal with him. I knew the story needed tension though and he was the perfect way to provide it. After writing this week’s story I can honestly say it will add a lot to the overall tale.

This installment is notably absent of comedy. I always knew that the book would start extremely light and get more serious as the drama ramped up. Yes that does mean I see this as a novel being created in short parts that will need to be smothed out in future drafts. Unlike my previously written novels I don’t know where I want this one to wrap up. I have so much story to tell and I and I want it to stand alone as a complete story while leaving itself open to sequels.

               “What the hell have you done to the ship?”  The large man at the bottom of the ramp did not look happy.  It was a mutual feeling.

               “Hello to you too Mr. Lumsdon, and welcome back aboard the Oddity.  If you could follow me to my office, I believe we have a few things to discuss.”  The smile on my face was far from authentic, but I was proud of myself for being able to present it, nonetheless.  I would need to deal with the instinctual anger I felt at seeing my new First Officer’s face.  In my head I just kept repeating the phrase control the things you can, mitigate the things you can’t.  As I turned to enter the ship, I listened for footsteps behind me and did not hear them.  “Just to be clear Mr. Lumsdon that was an order not a request.”    

               “Two months and they’ve already got you doing it.  The ship’s name is the Odyssey even if Oddity does fit the new paint job.”

               “I am well aware of the ship’s legal designation Mr. Lumsdon, but I assure you we are very close to finding the legal loophole we need to rectify that.  In fact, I believe Miss Southerland sent me a solution to that just before I met you at the dock.  I simply haven’t had time to read it yet.”

               “Southerland?  What’s that air brain have to do with anything?”

               I spun around in place and let just a fraction of my anger show on my face.  “Let me be perfectly clear Mr. Lumsdon.  This is my ship, and you will treat her crew with respect.  Do you understand?”     

               “Aye Captain.  It’s your ship.”  Then under his breath he added, “for now.”  I chose to ignore his response for the moment.  It would not do the ship’s morale any good to get into a screaming match with Victor Lumsdon there in the halls.  It was best to get him in my office behind a closed door.  Control the things you can, mitigate the things you can’t.

               I had hoped to reach my office without further conversation, but he didn’t seem to know how to keep his mouth shut for more than a few moments.  He continued to make snide remarks under his breath loud enough to ensure I would hear them.  I continued to refuse to acknowledge his presence.  When we reached the bridge Miss Southerland, per my instructions did not make eye contact or respond to any prodding from Lumsdon.  I held the door to my office open for him and closed it very loudly once he was past.  It was a momentary slip in my control, and I mentally chided myself for it. 

               “Please have a seat Mr. Lumsdon.”  I pointed to the chair across from my desk and settled into my own.  As I prepared to start, I looked up and saw feet propped up on the corner of my desk.  “Boots on the deck, Mr. Lumsdon.  You are creating extra cleaning work for crew services, and they have enough to do as it is.” 

                 “Crew Services?  What the hell is that?”

               “One of many updates to the ship I need to inform you of Mr. Lumsdon.  I think we have a foundational issue to deal with first though.  You don’t have to like me.  You don’t even have to respect me as a person.  You, however, will respect me as captain whether you feel it or not.  In this office behind closed doors, I will give you a lot of leeway to express yourself.  You will not address me as you have been in front of the crew ever again though.”

               He smirked at me, but he did lower his feet to the deck.  “Just what do you think you can do about it?  You want to put marks in my record?  Already plenty in there and I have it on good authority that anything you add is going to be wiped clean once you’re gone.” 

               I took a moment to compose myself before responding.  “Thank you for confirming a handful of my assumptions with that response.  It changes nothing.  Outside this office give me a reason and you’ll be confined to quarters and left on the dock faster than you can file your report to Elaine.  This is my ship now and I am not going anywhere.” 

               “We’ll see about that.  You’ll slip up and when you do I’m gonna be right here watching as you get booted out of the company.”

                 I pushed back my initial responses.  I needed to be very careful with my wording.  Control the things you can, mitigate the things you can’t.  “Instead of assuming what I’m going to do how about shutting up and listening as I tell you what I’m going to do.”  I held up my fingers and started counting off.  “One, I am going to improve life for the crew on this ship.  Two, I am going to make this ship exceedingly profitable.  Three, I am going to change the reputation of this ship on the docks.  That is what I’m going to do.  I would like my first officer to help with those goals.  What I will not do is allow anyone to prevent me from accomplishing them.”

               “Do you even know what ship you’re on?  This ship is the dump of the fleet.  Nothing’s going to change that.”

               I reached down and hit a couple buttons on my tablet.  I was getting pretty good at automating work to occur with just the press of a single button.  “Yes Mr. Lumsdon I know exactly what ship I’m on.  This is the Oddity.”  I held my hand up to stop him from interrupting me.  “Trust me I’m going to get the name on file to match the name I had painted on the hull.”  I pulled out a ship tablet from my desk and slid it over to him.  “Your new ship access has been setup.  Check your mail now and you’re going to find the new org chart.  I’ve made some changes since you left.”

               I waited a few moments while he read the updates I had sent him.  It wasn’t just the new org chart.  I’d also included the updated procedures and standing orders.  While it was information that he would need if he intended to actually perform his job, my real motivation was to stall for time.  He looked up at me.  “Burton? You gave Burton my job?”

               There was a knock on the door.  I stood and walked towards it.  “Yes Mr. Lumsdon I did and if you look through the past few status reports from Engineering you will see the progress she has made with ship maintenance.”  I opened the door and accepted the two trays of food from Miss Torres.  I inhaled deeply and enjoyed the aroma.  “Thank you, Miss Torres.”

               “Anytime Captain.”  She pulled the door shut behind her since my hands were full and I returned to my desk.  I sat down one tray in front of Lumsdon and the other in front of myself.

               “What’s this?”     

               “That Mr. Lumsdon is breakfast.  I wasn’t sure if you had eaten before reporting for duty, but I haven’t yet.  I enjoy doing business over meals.”

               He snorted.  “I’ve had the food on this ship, and it don’t look or smell nothing like this.”

               I pointedly took a bite and let out an exaggerated moan of delight.  “I think you will find that the food quality has improved considerably since Chief Louise started giving cooking lessons.”

               “What’s a cargo jockey know about cooking?”

               “I think you will find that many of our crew have previously untapped skills for us to discover.  Please give it a taste.  I hate eating alone.”  I actually had no problem eating alone, but he didn’t need to know that. 

               I watched as he took the first bite of quiche and saw the expression on his face change.  He looked up at me.  “This is really good.”  For the briefest moment he seemed to forget who he was talking to in his shock.  It couldn’t last though and his scowl soon returned.  It was a start though.

               “Mr. Lumsdon, the way I see it here is our problem.  You’ve been assigned to a role this ship has never had or needed.  You are going to be getting a paycheck though, so I need you to provide value to the ship.  We don’t trust each other though for good reason.  Does that sum up the issue well enough?” 

               He snorted again.  “You got more problems than that but sure let’s start with that one.” 

               “Well with that in mind I’m putting you in charge of ‘Special Projects’”

               “That sounds made up.”

               It was my turn to smile.  “That’s because it is.  I just made it up.  You’re going to report directly to me and make no changes without my direct approval.  Your first project is to make yourself useful.”

               “Useful to who?  You?”

               “The ship Mr. Lumsdon.  I want you to figure out what your position could do to help the ship make money or run smoother.  I want you to present a plan for that to me by the end of the week.  To do that you need to make yourself aware of all the changes and improvements that have already been implemented.  All those reports I just sent you would be a good start.  Read them in your quarters away from the crew until the lunch senior staff meeting. In that meeting I want you to observe and learn.  I’m guessing that’s one of the duties Elaine assigned you anyway.”

               “Let me get this straight.  I get to make my own job?”

               “Not at all.  I’ve given you your task.  Find a way to add value to this ship.  I will reject anything you present me that doesn’t do that.”  I made my tone as cold and harsh as I could.  “If you can’t do that, I will find another way to have you removed from this ship.  I suspect we would both be better off in the long run if that doesn’t happen.”

               He thought for a moment before replying.  It was the first time I had ever seen the man think.  “We can agree on that at least.  I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here Captain, but you can’t beat her.”

               “I think you are underestimating me Mr. Lumsdon, but you may very well be correct.  If that is the case and I’m off this ship a year from now I can promise you that I will be leaving it far better than I found it because that’s what this crew deserves.  Dismissed Mr. Lumsdon. I trust you can find your way to your new quarters without incident.”     

Oddity Captain’s Memo

By

On October 3, 2025

In Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

This week is not prose. I was told I had to share the memo Captain Moss sends to the crew. Since I have had an extremely busy and mentally draining week this worked very well. So dispite my intention of not doing so here is the memo he sends to the crew. I do like fiction in other formats and this certainly fits that. I also hope to use the format options to make the most of this entry.

From: Captain Jacob Moss
To: All Crew
Subject: Progress, Competition, and Next Steps

To the Crew of the Oddity,

I want to start by thanking you all for the hard work you have put in over the past few months since I took this billet.  In a very short time, we have made unprecedented progress in improving life onboard ship.  I know change has the potential to cause anxiety, but you have all embraced my vision.   We could not have achieved the successes we have without your support. 

I want to call out some of these successes by division, but to do that I first want to acknowledge the new organizational structure that has supported these successes.  I am grateful to my senior staff for stepping into their new responsibilities as well as their part in designing the new structure.  As a united crew we have embraced the Oddity identity outwardly with a new paint job and ship suits.  Internally you embraced it long before I arrived.    

Engineering:

  • 115 backlogged maintenance and repair items have been completed
  • We now have a comprehensive plan for system updates
  • That lingering smell is no longer present in the gym
  • Finally, we can now perform a system jump and bake cookies at the same time without losing power. 

Logistics and Ship Operations:

  • The new crew services department has been created allowing for consistency among laundry, break, and galley duties. 
  • Considerable improvement in the quality of meals being served.
  • Implementation of a knowledge and skill sharing program for the crew starting with cooking classes, but soon to expand into additional disciplines and interests.

Systems Division:

  • An internal ship intranet has been established with weekly updates and blogs from all divisions.
  • A form is now in place to request automations or data analytics.

These are only the beginning though.  Coming soon is the Odd Plates Cooking Competition to determine who the new Head Chef will be.  Additional details will be published on the Crew Services site over the next few days.  Everyone is encouraged to participate whether they are competitor, judge, or enthusiastic audience member. 

Supporting this competition will be screenings of the cooking process on a brand new screen being installed in the galley tomorrow.  This screen will allow for future movie nights, improve karaoke, and enable future morale improving efforts still being organized.

A new software suite that I anticipate assisting with profit improvement will have a production version rolling out in the next week.  This software I have begrudgingly allowed to be named Mosstermind is proving valuable in finding potentially valuable cargo and allowing us to claim it before our competitors. 

My final announcement is an additional staffing change that I anticipate may cause some concern.  Home office has determined that our ship should have a first officer and assigned a newly promoted employee into that role.  Effective as of tomorrow at 0900 hours, Victor Lumsdon will rejoin the crew as First Officer.  Our current organizational structure will remain in place, and I want to reassure you all that the progress we have made will remain.  There may be a few complications along the way, but we will find a way to integrate this new role into our ship culture. 

Instead of thanking you all once again for your efforts I instead want to stress that Oddity belongs to all of us.  Work towards improving it is work towards improving our own lives.  We are building something we can all be proud of and it is more than just a ship.  Oddity is our home, our livelihood, and our statement to the universe that we are not to be ignored. 

Continue to support each other.  Continue to move forward.  We are in this together and heaven help anyone who gets in our way. 

Jacob Moss
Captain, Starship Oddity
(Proudly Odd)     

An Odd Reaction

By

On September 26, 2025

In Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

I’m not going to lie this week was harder to write. I thought earlier in the week about how I was looking forward to the next chapter and then remembered the bomb I dropped in the last. I struggled for a bit on how to have the characters react. This isn’t one of the strongest parts to this story as it is another transitional piece. That said I do think it sets some things up nicely before actually bringing Lumsdon back into the story.

                When presented with bad news you need to allow yourself time to process and internalize before you can think rationally, and plan your reactions.  Life in space rarely gives you that opportunity since bad news is frequently delivered in the form of emergency.  This time however I had tasks to complete on station before I could address the issue. That meant nothing but time to think about what it meant that Victor Lumsdon was returning to the Oddity. 

                I knew how Elaine Van Eisenburg thought.  Lumsdon returning to the ship would hurt morale, but he was still in my chain of command so the most he could hope for was undermining my efforts.  That wasn’t a strong enough reason for her to pull strings like this.  She didn’t like doing anything for only one reason when she could accomplish multiple goals.  That left one obvious move for her to be making.  Lumsdon wasn’t just on ship to be a thorn in my side he was going to be a spy.  That also meant this was just her first move.

                By the time I returned to the ship I had processed my shock and had gotten my anger under control.  That was important because I was not ready for the general crew to see how upset I was.  Despite thinking I had my expressions under control the moment I stepped on the bridge Miss Southerland saw right through me.

                “What’s wrong sir?” 

                I was a bit taken aback.  “What makes you think anything’s wrong?”

                “You’ve got a lot of facial expressions.  Some of them funny, some of them strange, but that one?  That one I haven’t seen since your third week aboard.”

                I smiled.  “You are more observant than I gave you credit for.  Here I thought you spent most of your time lost in that novel of yours.” 

                “Well….  I actually finished that one and started on a new one.” 

                “Have you submitted it to any publishers?”

                “Submitted?  No, no, it’s not anywhere near good enough for that.”

                “You’ll never know if you don’t try.  What’s the worst thing that could happen?  They don’t publish it.  It’s not being published now.”

                “I guess I never thought about it like that.  Hey, wait a minute you changed the subject on me.  You’re good.”  She smiled, but gave me a stern look. 

                I sighed and looked around the bridge.  Pablo wasn’t on duty so there was no one to overhear.  “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but everyone will know in the morning.  HQ assigned us a first officer.”    

                “That doesn’t sound so bad.  We don’t need one, but that shouldn’t…  Wait that’s not it is it?  It’s not what.  It’s who.”  She tilted her head looking at me.  “The last time you had that expression was when…  No they wouldn’t…  Lumsdon?”  Her look of shock had to pale in comparison to my own. 

                “How in the world did you figure that out?”  I wasn’t surprised that she could figure out that the appointee was the problem, but the leap to it being Lumsdon astounded me.    

                “Forget that.  Chief Burton must be pissed.” 

                “She doesn’t know yet.  No one does.”  In that moment I felt guilty for telling my pilot before my own senior staff.  “I was just getting ready to call a meeting.” 

                I moved to head to my office and barely heard her call after me.  “Sir.”  It was quieter than I had ever heard her be. 

                “Yes Miss Southerland?”

                “This is just a setback.  The crew trusts you and this is not an easy crew to give that.”

                I just nodded before heading into my office.  I shot a message to my senior staff asking them to join me as soon as possible before sitting down at the head of the table.  I took those next few moments alone to get my thoughts in order.  This was the first emergency meeting I had ever called and I was hoping it would be the last. 

                “What’s up boss?”  Chief Burton was the first to arrive. 

                “Have a seat.  I want to wait until everyone is here.”  We sat in awkward silence until Pedro and Chief Louise arrived.  Once everyone was seated, I stood and hit send on the message I had prepared.  It was a copy of the note from headquarters.     

                “Thank you all for joining me on short notice.  As you will see in the notification I just forwarded to you, we have a new first officer starting at 0900 tomorrow morning.  It’s Lumsdon and I have reason to believe he isn’t just being sent here to be a thorn in my side.  We need to assume he will be reporting and twisting everything that happens onboard back to home office.  Before I go on, I want to open the table up to your thoughts and concerns.” 

                “How is this going to impact our new organizational structure?”  I was not surprised that would be Pablo’s first concern since he was the one who proposed the changes. 

                “It doesn’t.  Unfortunately, he will outrank all of you, but I’m not giving him a single direct report.  It’s not much, but that’s my first mitigation step.”

                “Sir you know this is going to be a huge hit on morale.”  Chief Burton was the next to speak up.  “Some are going to be scared, but he had his people that are going to feel empowered again.  Even just walking around the ship spreading his negativity is going to have an effect.” 

                “I realize that and I’m going to rely on all of you to help counter it.  You are closer to your people than I am and in the best position to keep things running smoothly.  Part of that is going to be how you message this to you people.  We have made a lot of progress in my first few months aboard and I don’t plan on letting anyone undo it.” 

                “With all due respect sir, you need to be the one to tell the crew.”  Chief Louise leaned forward.  “They aren’t stupid.  They know all the change around here is because of you and that you were the one that got him kicked off the ship to start with.  They need to hear this from you to know that you are on top of it.” 

                “What exactly am I supposed to say?  I can’t talk poorly about an incoming officer or share with them the political positioning that led to this. 

                “It doesn’t matter what you say as much as it is you saying it.  Keep your face out there and make sure they know they are not being cut off from you.” 

                I sighed.  “Ok I’ll draft up a ship wide communication, but I want all of your feedback before I send it.  I think you should all know though that while I’m limiting the damage he can do Lumsdon is going to be my responsibility again.  That means something to me.  It means I need to try and get through to him.”  I looked around at all the shocked faces.  They thought I was either insane or naive, but not even Chief Louise was willing to say it out loud.  “We have enough damage control to do for now, but you each have more history with this man than I do.  I want to know everything there is to know about him.  What does he love, what does he hate, and why does he feel that way?” 

                Pablo looked up at me.  “Sir I hope you don’t mind if we prepare some contingencies for worst case scenarios.  I do hope you are successful, but I would like to have a script that disables his system access with the press of a single button.”

                “I both expect it and do not want to know what they are.”  I thought for a moment.   “Do you have a script ready to disable my access?”

                “Not that you know of sir.” 

An Odd Meeting

By

On September 19, 2025

In Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

I debated for a while what part of the story to tell next in this week’s Fiction Fragment Friday.  There are a couple scenes I’m holding on to and just trying to determine when they would fit best into the story.  I could just write them at any point and then consolidate and edit them in a more reasonable order.  Instead, I sat down and wrote this part of the story.  As I’m sure you have noticed I’m titling each part of the Oddity story with the word Odd in it going forward and have been doing so for a while.  I wish I had thought of that when I started. 

               Staff meetings are an unfortunate side effect of being in command.  Filled with procedures, droning reports, and self-aggrandization, no one could possibly enjoy them.  That, however, was not the case aboard the Oddity.  My senior staff didn’t feel a need to try and make their accomplishments sound bigger than they actually were.  With all the changes I was implementing the reports were actually interesting instead of statements we had all heard hundreds of times before.  For the first time in my career, I found myself looking forward to my staff meeting. 

               “Ok, folks who would like to go first.  Pablo how about you?”  On any ship I had previously served, that would have been putting my Head of Systems in the spotlight.  If he felt that to be the case, you couldn’t tell from his demeanor.    

               “Well sir 93% of the surveys you requested have been returned.  I can say with certainty that the remainder would not be enough to sway the result. Navy blue with gold accents won ship suit design.  The crew liked the synergy with the new ship hull colors.”

               “Did the results actually include the word synergy?”

               “Only one used that particular term.”

               “Was that yours by chance?”

               “Results were anonymous Captain at your request.  However, that would be a reasonable conjecture.”  While his words were cold and flat his face held a smile on it.  “Also, Mosstermind beta version 2 is loaded into the ship’s systems and ready for your review.” 

               “Ok, I know I requested it, but does it really have to be named a pun for my last name?”

               “You had your software requirements, and I have mind.” 

               “Chief Louise what is going on in your world?”  I turned to my Cargo Chief and tried not to further acknowledge the pun.  If I cracked and laughed, it would just encourage him. 

               “Crew Services seems to be coming along nicely.  There are still duties none of them want, but I find they work together to finish them faster.  As I’m sure you have noticed, the meals have gotten substantially better, but my cooking classes are still very basic.   I really think it would be best to create a new position dedicated to galley.  Crew services could continue to assist in prep, but if we want progress we need someone to be dedicated to the work.  Finally, you will find some cargo recommendations in your inbox.  Mosstermind is a huge help in finding some potentially valuable cargo.”

               I shook my head at the name but did not verbally acknowledge it.  “I will take your recommendations into account and see what I can do numbers wise.”

               “Sir I think I can’t help with headcount.”  Chief Engineer Burton leaned forward.  “Lumsdon seemed to have a knack for getting Captain Rogers to give him people.  I have too many in environmental and with the repairs we have already done my maintenance team doesn’t have enough work for all of them.  I would like to keep the maintenance headcount for now to work on some proactive projects, but I can give up one of my Environmental Engineers.”

               “Are you suggesting we fire someone and reassign the position?”  I watched her closely knowing her response would tell me much about her as a person.  Her look of shock at my suggestion pleased me. 

               “No sir.  Jacobs hates the environment section and with all the changes he mentioned being jealous of Crew Services.  Seems he likes variety in his work.” 

               “Well then if Chief Louise approves of him then she just has to decide who is getting the head Chef position.” 

               The two of them looked at each other like they had stolen something and gotten away with it.  I turned my head between the two.  “Ok ladies what am I missing?”

               “Odd Plates,” they said in unison. 

               “The greatest cooking competition ever held aboard a starship,” Chief Louise said while spreading her arms wide in an arc to make a point.

               “A crew uniting social event to improve morale and let the crew get to know her captain.”  Chief Burton had jumped in without missing a beat.  I knew they had planned this and just needed to determine what my role in this plan was. 

               “Ok, I get the basic idea and agree it will be great for morale.  How is going to let the crew get to know me though?”

               Chief Louise jumped back in.  “Well sir every good cooking competition needs to have a host.  Someone to present the challenges and announce the winners.  A face of the show if you will.” 

               “That’s right,” added Chief Burton.  “We want three judges to be pulled from the general crew, but we want you to get first bite and give feedback as well.  In case of a three-way tie you could cast the deciding vote.” 

               “This is insane.”  I sighed.  “Ok I’m in.”

               Chief Louise hit a button on her tablet.  “Great the full proposal is in your inbox.  Since you’re hosting though we want you to punch it up and make it more you.  We gave some sample challenges but wanted to let you suggest some as well.”

               “Anyone have any other business we need to address today?”  I looked around the table at the shaking heads.  “Well in that case I have a few matters to check into on station, so I won’t keep you here any longer.” 

               As the meeting broke up, I decided to hold off on reviewing the information they had sent me.  If could wait until I was back onboard.   I had pulled in a few favors and gotten a screen procured for the galley that we could use for movie nights.  I needed to talk to the installers personally though to keep it a surprise.  After a few moments I found myself walking out of the air lock and down the ramp to the station. 

               “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”  The voice was one I could never mistake and sent chills down my spine.  There leaning against a bulkhead was Elaine Van Eisenburg daughter of our company’s owner Austin Van Eisenburg.  The woman responsible for my assignment to the Oddity.    

               “Don’t think I was ever mighty.  That’s a description reserved for you and your father.”   I was extremely proud of myself for not letting my voice show just how unsettled I was to see her. 

               “Oh, you were well on your way to Captain of the best ship in the fleet and an eventual place on the board.  If that doesn’t count as mighty, I don’t know what does.”   

               “Why are you here Elaine?”

               “I just had to see your new ship.  Why is it blue with gold writing by the way?  It was grey when daddy assigned you to it.” 

               I stared her down and tried to put every ounce of my hatred in my eyes.  “What do you want?”

               “You know what I want, and no one gets to tell me no without penalties.  You rejected me, you embarrassed me, and you made a fool out of my father.  Even after all that though it’s not too late.  Apologize and play your role.  This can all be over or it can get so much worse.” 

               “This is pathetic even for you.” 

               “Just remember you asked for this.”  She pulled up her tablet and hit a button.  I heard my tablet beep in response.  Looking down I saw a message. 

  ‘To Captain Jacob Moss of the Starship Odyssey:

Records indicate that your ship is rated to allow for a first officer.  We happen to have an offer on the payroll that no longer meets the requirements for his former position.  As of this notification home office is assigning newly promoted first officer Victor Lumsdon to your vessel.  It was brought to our attention that he no longer met the requirements for his previous role.  We feel this assignment to be a more efficient use of company funds than paying for his training courses.  He will report tomorrow morning at 0900 hours.’

               Anger and hopelessness warred for position on my face, and I could not keep them from showing.  For her part Elaine was not grinning.  She likewise had an expression of anger.  “If I can’t have you Jacob Moss I will destroy you.”  She turned and walked back into the station leaving me speechless on the ramp of my own ship.       

A special word from the author

I find myself sitting here shocked and reeling from the end of this week’s story. I know I wrote it, but I did not see that coming. I had started to feel that things were going too easy for Moss and his crew. They needed some adversity to come their way to bring in tension. Now that I have written it though my mind is racing about how all the future scenes I had planned now need to be completely rethought. I am over 10,000 words into this story and still feel like it is just in the first chapter or two.

An Odd Color

By

On September 12, 2025

In Fiction, Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

It was pointed out to me that I needed a bit more character development for Royce (Ro) Southerland in this series. I have a lot of backstory for here that may eventually come out, but that needs to be organic. The goal of this week was to further craft the voice of my bridge crew and how they interact with Captain Moss. It is also moving forward one of the themes I’ve been trying to build on from the first few stories.

World and character building continue to be my first focus while laying seeds for upcoming plots.

               “Have you ever wondered why they paint ships grey?”  The bridge had been silent for a while as we all went about our routine.  Pablo had been hard at work coding some data automations I had requested and was lost to the system.  Miss Southerland was working on her novel’s final editing pass.  She had offered to let me read it when she finished and I was intrigued until I found out she had based some of the characters on her fellow crewmates.  I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate to read it knowing that.  I had been trying to figure out how to make the ship stand out among the listing for cargo vessels when the question had wormed its way into my mind and would not let me focus on anything else.

               “Sir?”  Miss Southerland’s head tilted a bit to the right as she turned to look at me.  It was a completely understandable look of confusion. 

               “Grey Miss Southerland.  Every ship I have ever served aboard or booked travel on was painted grey.  I was just wondering why that would be.  Is the grey pigment cheaper to buy in bulk?  Did someone pass a regulation I’ve never heard about?  Maybe there is some heat dispersal purpose.  There must be some reason.” 

                “I don’t think it’s a regulation,” added Pablo without ever raising his eyes from the workstation.  “My Papi won tickets for us on a cruise ship as a kid.  The thing was as white as could be with a giant cartoon mouse on the side.  To be honest I thought it was kind of dumb.  If the docking ring hadn’t had portholes we never would have seen the artwork.” 

               “Miss Southerland why do you think ships are grey?”

               “I’ve never really thought about it.  I guess because they are.  I mean early on the first ships being built were grey for some reason, so they just kept being grey.  No one asked why they just did it that way because that’s how it was always done.” 

               “A bit cynical but makes a lot of sense.  How about you Pablo?  Why do you think they’re grey?”

               He actually stopped typing for a moment and glanced back at me.  “It has to be for efficiency or cost.  The shipyards set a default, so they don’t have to switch out colors and take downtime recalibrating.  It’s all automated so the fewer variables the more efficient. “

                 “Not a bad suggestion.”   I hit a button on my tablet to open a communication channel to Cargo Chief Louise.  “Chief I want to get your opinion on something we have been wondering about up here on the bridge.  Are you busy?”

               I heard pots and pans clanking in the background and remembered that she was scheduled for a cooking class today.  We had four crew members who had signed up and were showing interest in the galley.  I had not worked out how we would free them from their regular duties to take shifts, but Chief Louise assured me that she and the rest of my senior staff had an idea they would share once it was fully fleshed out.  “Just doing clean up after class sir.  What’s on your mind?”

               “Why do you think most ships are painted grey?  Why not black, blue, or any other color?”

               “Grey seems like a good canvas.  You can paint names, logos, and registry IDs and they probably won’t clash or blend in.”

               The voice of my Chief engineer Marsha Burton came over the line telling me she was in the galley with Louise as well.  “I always thought it was because grey hides the micro meteor impact scars better.  Either that or thermal balance.  If you painted a ship black it would absorb too much solar radiation.  Grey is a good middle ground.  It radiates evenly so the hull isn’t stressed as much moving from direct sunlight to indirect. 

               “I hadn’t really thought about either of those ideas.  Thanks for humoring me.  Moss out.” 

               I sat there contemplating for a moment before Miss Southerland turned and asked, “Well sir what do you think the answer is?”

               “Well Miss Southerland I find that most things are done for multiple reasons without people fully understanding why.  I suspect there is something to your inertia hypothesis, Pablo’s efficiency idea, and the aesthetic reasons our chiefs gave.  I also think most people don’t really want to put a spotlight on themselves.  Grey is safe.  If everyone else is grey they blend in.  It’s the one ship that is blue that all eyes will be on.”

               “That’s certainly true.  My sister had blue hair for a while and with Mom trying to make sure we all looked prim and proper she certainly stood out.  She loved it though.  Some people thrive in the spotlight.” 

               “Do you think we are in the spotlight Miss Southerland?”

               “Well, our reputation certainly stands out and the company keeps a close eye on us.”

               “True.  We are also one of the few Scuttlebee class star ships still operating as far as I know and those olive-green uniforms are uniquely hideous.  Of course, the uniforms might make people look away instead of towards the crew.”               

               “Well, they’re not good for finding a date on the station that’s for sure.  You already ordered new suits though.” 

               I made a few notes on my tablet as I let the ideas form in my head.  “The Oddity already stands out for being different.  It gives us an identity.  Now how can we mold that image into one that still makes us stand out, but also makes people want to spend money with us.  I have a lot of plans, but we need to improve profits before I can invest much more. “

               To my surprise Pablo jumped in before Miss Southerland could.  “So, you want to lean into being unique, but spin that as a positive to potential customers while minimizing our many well-known negatives.  That is not going to be an easy task sir.” 

               “No, it is not.  I think we need to ask ourselves what makes this ship special and who do we want to be?  I for one don’t want to be another grey ship in the dark that they can keep ignoring when they aren’t looking down at us.  I want to be a Navy Blue ship that is proud of its differences and demands to be seen.”

               “Do you really think a paint job is going to be enough to change our image?  Maybe we should just paint ‘We’re Not That Bad’ across the hull.”  Miss Southerland looked at me incredulously. 

               “Of course not.  The only thing that can change our image is us, but color is a statement.  Your sister knew that.  It isn’t just what we are telling everyone else either.  It is a message to us that we are done hiding.” 

               “That’s all well and good sir, but how will it make the ship money?”  Of course, Pablo would cut right to the core issue I was really struggling with.  The entire paint color conversation was my own way to distract myself from the frustration of not being able to figure out the solution to the profit issues.  I was starting to realize that I didn’t understand the problem I needed to solve.

               It was Miss Southerland who saved me from my spiral into hopelessness.  “Marketing.  It’s like a book cover.  Make yourself stand out so they look closer.  We have to build a solid track record and offer some different services, but no one will ever know if we don’t stand out on a list.” 

               “Exactly Miss Southerland, and that is why are going to find a way to game the system and change our ship registry from Odyssey to Oddity.”  The full plan started to develop in my head as I spoke.  “Let’s get our Chief’s up here and get to scheming.  Odd isn’t enough.  We’re going to be unforgettable.”             

An Odd Lunch

By

On September 5, 2025

In Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

Welcome back aboard the Spaceship Oddity for our next installment. This week I knew the conversation I wanted, but it didn’t flow quite as well as I had hoped when I went to write. I need to shake the story up a bit next week and get away from a converastion around a table or desk. If I want to keep going for as long as I plan to with this setting I need to keep things fresh. There is a future storyarc I want to get to, but need the characters more developed by that point.

I think I might include a bonus post sometime before or maybe with next week’s story giving the crew roster and some stats on the ship itself. World bulding things in my head and notebook but not necessarily things that need to come out in the story.

               I poked the overcooked thing on my plate masquerading as meat and found myself pining for the Paul Dillon flavorless sandwich and stale chip special.  The utility crew rotation had moved Mr. Dillon to break stander giving Miss Nia Torres control over the kitchen.  I looked up at my senior staff eagerly waiting for me to take the first bite.  “You’re all enjoying yourself, aren’t you?”

               “Only until we take our first bite,” responded Cargo Chief Marissa Louise.  For the past few days, I had been having lunch in my office with my senior staff as a kind of informal brainstorming session.  A chance to bond, share ideas, and make me aware of concerns.  I had made it clear that these meals were an open forum for speaking freely and nothing said was to ever leave the room.  By my own rules I could not comment on her heckling so instead I stabbed the thing claiming to be food and put it in my mouth.

               I was pleasantly surprised that the meal was edible though it was a close thing.  The meat was very dried out beef in a sauce that had been condensed too far.  I pulled a fake smile on my face and looked around the table.  “By all means eat up.”  The looks that met me were less than pleasant.  After a sigh I addressed the room.  “Ok food is now moving up my list of things to deal with.  Can someone please explain how it is this bad?”

               My new Chief Engineer leaned forward and took the lead.  “To be fair she is in particularly rare form today.  Nia really does try.  She has hundreds of recipes she wants to perfect and a couple of them are actually pretty good.”

               “A couple?  Out of hundreds?”

               Chief Burton just shrugged at me, so Pablo jumped in.  “If I may sir?”  I motioned for him to continue but made note that he seemed to think he needed that permission.  “Well as you know we don’t have anyone permanently assigned to the galley.  We have three utility crew that rotate duties.  None of them chose or were ever trained to work in the galley.  We got lucky that Mr. Dillon has a talent for baking.  Miss Torres however has more enthusiasm than skill.”

               “She actually likes working in the galley.  How does the crew not rip her apart when they get served something like this?”  I pushed the plate away from me, done trying to force it down.

               “Another crew member you haven’t met in person eh captain?”  The comment from my cargo chief hit me hard.  It was a lesson I should have learned and a mistake I kept making.  Seeing the point had been made she softened a bit.  “When you do you will find a young woman with an enthusiasm so infectious that no one would dare say anything negative to crush it.” 

               “Every time I think I’m making progress I find I don’t even understand the actual issue.  Bottom line I don’t know my own crew.  I’ve only been on the ship a couple weeks now, but that can’t be an excuse forever.  Part of my problem is just how flat this reporting structure is.  Most of the crew don’t report to a department head or even have an assigned department.  Even if I could trust the performance reviews, and let me be clear that I can’t, most of the crew haven’t had one in years.”  For a moment I second guessed letting them see my frustration but discarded the concern.  My senior staff was my team, and they needed to know what I was thinking.  This was the whole reason I had set these lunches up.       

               “I might be able to help with that sir.  If you will look at the proposal, I just sent you.  It might not be perfect, but I believe it will give you a starting point.”  Pablo was looking down at his tablet and not making eye contact.  This seemed to be his default position, but his work thus far had been impeccable. 

               I opened what I expected to be a document on my tablet and instead found a complete proposal with multiple documents.  There was a modified organizational chart breaking the ship into three high level divisions.  The first division under Miss Burton was Engineering which was further broken down into maintenance, environmental, and engineering itself.  The second division under Chief Louise was Logistics and Operations.  This of course covered cargo, but also a crew services department.  Finally, Pablo was in charge of a System Division that covered bridge operations and computers. 

               “Pablo what is this new crew services department?”

               “Well sir that covers the galley, laundry, and providing breaks.  Instead of rotating duties it would turn them into a team of three that can work together more often.  I have a few workday examples in the document titled Crew Services.”

               “You did not just put something with this much detail together.  How long have you been sitting on this?”

               “My first draft was a year ago.  I’ve been updating it for changes.  A lot of updates since you came onboard sir.” 

“I imagine.  Have you ever shared it with anyone before?” 

               “Oh no sir.”  He seemed shocked that I would even suggest that.

I hit a few buttons on my tablet and sent it to the rest of my senior staff.  “I’d like the three of you to review this together and give me a final recommendation that you are all comfortable will help us support our crew.  There is one glaring thing that this proposal doesn’t consider.” 

               “What’s that sir?”  There was a hint of defensiveness to his voice. 

               “The right seat for the right person.  This crew is full of people put here and put into positions.  That doesn’t mean those are the right positions.  I want to know what job people want, what job people would be good at, and how we can take advantage of their skills to grow each other. For example.”  I pointed to my plate. “Find me someone who can cook and is willing to give classes to anyone who wants to take them.”

               To my surprise Chief Louise spoke up.  “That’d be me captain.  My family owns a restaurant on Toran Station.  I practically grew up in the kitchen.”

               “See folks this is what I’m talking about.  Find these happy little surprises on the ship and let’s use them to make it better for all of us.”  I took another bite from my plate and almost spit it out.  “But in the meantime, let’s continue this conversation by going out to the station for lunch.  My treat.  We’ll call it an investment in ship morale.  Just don’t expect it to become a habit until we improve profits.”    

A Fine Oddity

By

On August 29, 2025

In Fiction Fragment Friday, Flash Fiction, Starship Oddity

Fiction Fragment Friday

Well, well, well here we are again back aboard the Starship Oddity.  I debated when I ended last week’s story where I wanted to start with this week.  I knew I didn’t want to write or make you read an entire job interview, but I also felt like jumping too far ahead was not the right answer either.  I named the character of Marha Burton in last week’s story, but I didn’t introduce her.  I told you about her, but I didn’t let her show who she was because she wasn’t present in it. 

As it turned out I needed this scene not just to let her have a voice but also to help further develop the themes I am working towards.  This story that continues to develop has a few key ideas I am exploring through these characters.  I’m not going to share what those are just yet, but I hope they are coming through clearly enough in the writing that some of you could guess them.        

               “Well that certainly is quite the list.  Tell me Miss Burton, how is this list prioritized?”  I assessed the woman sitting across from me looking for any signs of nervousness.  Most of the candidates I interviewed for the chief engineer role have exhibited at least one.  She was not sweating, there were no noticeable nervous ticks, and eye contact was not broken unless she needed to check something on her tablet.  There was a combination of confidence and competence I had not yet seen in my short time as captain of the Odyssey.  Plenty of my crew had one or the other, but no one had thus far exhibited this degree of both. 

               “Well sir I actually have multiple criteria and filters available for prioritization.  The view you’re currently looking at is the one I’ve had the section working from.  Anything that requires expenditures for parts we don’t have in stock is filtered out.  Then it is sorted in order of risk.  We didn’t have any criticals and the only high requires a purchase.  After that it is sorted by time required and date of first report.  The view is named ‘Low Hanging Fruit’.  I wanted to have the biggest impact we could as quickly as possible before a new chief came in.” 

               “In case they didn’t allow you to keep fixing it?”

               For the first time in the interview, she hesitated before answering to think about her words.  “Yes sir.  It’s not that I don’t trust you to find a good candidate, but I know how difficult it is to find one before the company assigns you one.”                   

               “Nice save there Miss Burton.” 

               “I try sir.”

               “You mentioned a high-risk issue that does require a purchase.  Have you reported that previously?”  I suspected I knew the answer but wanted to see how she would address it.

               “Chief Lumsdon was well aware of it, but the moment his leaving the ship was announced I filed a new report with a quote for the needed parts.  Unfortunately, it got routed to the Chief of Engineering’s queue for approval and is waiting for someone to review it.”

                “Give me one moment Miss Burton.”  She nodded and I brought up my tablet.  Pablo had given me access to the chief’s mailbox and work queues that morning, but I had not yet had time to look at them.  When I saw the number of unviewed items, I found myself regretting that oversight.  It only took me a few moments to find the work request submitted by First Engineer Marsha Burton.  I was extremely impressed by the thoroughness of the report but taken aback by the price.  It was within my budget, but we would need to start making some serious profit before long after taking this hit. 

               “Well Miss Burton I believe you will find that your request has been approved, the purchase forwarded to Cargo Chief Louise for logistics, and that you have been granted access to the work queue.”

               “Captain?  That fast just on my word?”

               “That fast.  I have it on good authority that you are…”  I looked down at my tablet and read, “sharp, reliable, and the best damn engineer in this sector.  That is if the seven recommendations that have come into my inbox since you joined me in here are to be believed. “

               With that comment she actually looked flustered.  I could tell that praise was not something she had experienced in far too long.  I suspected the same could be said of most everyone in the section.  “I don’t know what to say.”

               “Your former chief chose to point out that everyone onboard this ship was here because they are a burnout, incompetent, or you are being punished.  You, Miss Burton are not a burn out based on your work ethic and I have seen enough to confidently say that you are not incompetent.  Why you got sent here is none of my business, but it is my intention to turn this ship’s reputation around and I’m going to need some strong partners in my senior staff to do it.  Will you help me stick a thumb in the company’s eye by making this a ship people want to be assigned to?”

               “I’m not a member of senior staff sir?”

               I smiled.  “Let me rephrase my question and make this a bit more official.”  I hit the button on my tablet to record the conversation and set it down so she could that was the case.  “First Engineer Marsha Burton as Captain of the Starship Odyssey I Jacob Moss officially offer you the position of Chief Engineer.  Do you accept this offer provided that we can reach a mutual agreement on compensation and benefits?”  I pointed to the tablet before she started speaking to ensure that she spoke into the microphone.

               “I do.”   I held up a finger to signal for her to pause while I hit the button to stop the recording.

               “There now that the official part is done is there anything off the record you would like to say?”

               “You are not at all what I expected sir.  Despite what Chief Lumsdon had told us about you I think it’s safe to say you’re not here because of burnout or incompetence either.  Can I share a piece of advice though?”

               “Please do Chief Burton.  I expect my senior staff to help keep me in check.” 

               She smiled so widely I was taken aback.  “Chief Burton.  It has been a lifelong dream to hear someone call me that.  Captain, I have heard from multiple sources that you are less than pleased with the ship’s nickname of Oddity.”

                 “That is correct.  I am finding that the crew is far more capable than their reputation would indicate and the nickname is just one more way to dismiss them.”

               “Well, that is true for how it started.  We like the name Oddity.  It has become an identity we can rally around.  While outsiders and the former chief used it to insult us, we embrace it.  Sir, I am proud to be an Oddity, and I think you will find that sentiment shared by most of the crew.  I will do everything I can to make this ship physically something to be proud of, but please do not take that identity away from my team.” 

               I sat there stunned for a moment unsure how I felt about her impassioned speech.  “Here I thought I had a lot to think about before.  Ok Chief Burton, you have given me an idea, but I need to speak to my legal counsel to see if it is possible before sharing.”

               “You have legal counsel sir?”

               “Of course.  She may not be legally certified, but I think you will find that out pilot Miss Southerland has forgotten more about regulations and loopholes than they teach in those expensive legal schools.”

               Once again, she smiled at me.  “If you don’t mind my saying so sir you are going to make a fine Oddity.”

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