Arriving back on the
Invictus Zarkov stripped off his scorched and scarred flak armour and reported to sick bay. Interns quickly bandaged his larger wounds and disinfected his entire body at his request. The medicae personnel urged him to stay, but once his wounds were bound and treated, he made his way to his cabin.
His naval dress uniform hung where he had left it, medals glinting in the light of the lumen globes. The splendid uniform was a stark contrast to the haggard, ripped battle uniform he had worn under his flak armour. He became aware of his stench, a fetid mix of sewer water and sweat. He had not slept in some time, but he had to review the men and take watch on the bridge.
Removing his stinking clothes, Zarkov began to wash himself, careful to avoid the fresh bindings. The wounds from the duel still ached; he could see the rusty brown stain of dried blood through the old dressings. His more recent injuries throbbed fiercely, making it difficult to concentrate on what he was doing. He wiped away the dark, dusty filth on his face to reveal the pallid skull beneath, washing away the grime of Footfall with contempt and a bitter relief. Donning his dress uniform, he was at last confident that he presented a suitable picture of leadership. Garrius’ words rang in his head as he walked slowly to the bridge.
Garrius Amphael wrote:"Morale is an issue at the moment. I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter sometime later this week cycle. Perhaps after the masque. Put some thought into it if you get the moment please. Dismissed."
Morale was indeed an issue, Zarkov thought. He could see it in the faces of the men as he passed. They looked
tired…the effects of the storm still fresh. While he received plenty of tired salutes, many ratings did not even register the presence of a senior officer. The atmosphere on the bridge however, was very different.
“Attention on deck!” Tyor roared as the First Officer entered the bridge. The bridge staff snapped to attention, saluting the Lieutenant Commander as he walked to the helm. He looked at the men and women arrayed before him. “Stand easy.” He said, nodding to Tyor. The bridge staff resumed their duties. Tyor remained at attention.
“Tyor, report.”
“Not much to report sir.” Tyor replied gruffly. “Ship's been in dock taking on supplies. Master-at-arms saw fit to send a mission into the lower decks to retrieve the missing messengers, something went wrong. The children are dead sir, killed by ‘ghasts, it looks like.” “Mutants.” Zarkov spat. Most large ships had their skeletons in the lower decks, the
Invictus was no exception.
“What of the Lord-Captain?” Zarkov asked.
“I’m not sure Sir, he may not have returned yet. I haven’t seen him or the Seneschal on the bridge.”
Zarkov nodded. “There’s one other thing, Sir.” Tyor beckoned him to a flashing screen by the helm. “I’ve been picking up some interesting readings from the
Maiestas. Her shielding and jammers are pretty strong, and theres a lot of background clutter from the port, but I've been working on cracking her. Our sensors have detected power outages on several of the upper levels. She was lit up like a lantern before the festivities, now she’s down to running lights. Could be just the guests leaving, of course." He paused. "We haven’t picked up any shuttles however.”
Zarkov frowned. “Good work Tyor. Keep an eye on it.” The helmsman nodded, eminently grateful to have something to occupy his time while the ship was docked.
Zarkov began his check of the bridge, beginning as always in the gunnery section. Sub-lieutenant Bohn gave him a crisp salute as he passed, which Zarkov returned. Morale on the bridge seemed good, the Officers on deck keeping the bridge staff busy with drills and diagnostic checks. He was sure however, that the situation below decks would be much graver. The crew were still counting the cost from the storm, and with mutants below deck the atmosphere would be tense. He resolved to assess the situation as soon as he was able.
[
Zarkov will finish a watch-cycle on the bridge, assessing morale as he does so. Then he will retire and get some much needed sleep for 6 hours, leaving Tyor or the most senior officer in command. He will then return to the bridge, relegate command to a senior officer and proceed below decks, first to the dorsal batteries, then to the lance crew. He will try and gauge the morale of the gunnery crew by asking officers and NCO's for honest reports, and through observation and talking with ratings. After completing the gunnery sections, Zarkov will move to the officers mess, asking the same questions. All this will likely take several hours, after which he will return to the bridge.
Over the next week, as per Garrius' instructions, Zarkov will visit and assess morale in as many areas of the ship as he has time for, paying particular attention to important ship systems, interviewing key clan heads and visiting crew quarters. The idea behind this in game terms is to gain an accurate knowledge (or as close as possible) of the crews overall morale level (this can be P.Med to me if it is not to be known otherwise) which Zarkov can relay, as best he can, to Garrius when he makes his report.]