The dust may settle on one matter, but a Captain's work is never done. Noah had the expertise of working alongside new colonies, and he found himself helping on several committee boards despite his intention to take a step back from responsibility.
Life, at least, was familiar. Though there was a routine, there was no concern of days looping or, worse, time freezing to a halt as the universe collapsed on itself. His injuries on his face and neck were finally healing, though the path to regain what little movement in the fingers in his left hand he could was a long, slow path.
He could make do. He was right-handed, and so he didn't need to sacrifice his hobbies or reduce his workload. A hand incapable of flexibility still made for a great weight to hold things in place, after all! On the other side of things, one of the Crew Leads had noticed him hesitate as he caught sight of his scarred reflection and reassured Noah that he still looked handsome.
Saturday had been his birthday. It had been his plan to take time off and go somewhere, but there had been an issue with the installation of heat pumps in the newest housing development. Noah wasn't entirely sure why he had to help solve the issue, but it took three days to figure something out.
Once things appeared to be settled, he felt comfortable enough to make an announcement during the Tuesday morning meeting of the Crew Leads and Department Heads:
"I shall be taking the rest of the week off."
There were mixed reactions to this.
Those who had worked alongside him on the first Invincible were thrilled. Taking time off was always a good thing for them. The Head Engineer in particular was glad to see Noah wasn't stuck in the mentality of being on the go non-stop.
Those who had been in cryosleep and who only got to know Noah once the colony was being established were exasperated. This was terrible timing - granted, there was never a 'good time' to take off when anyone would call for Noah's input at any given moment. Dinners had been interrupted in the vital and urgent quest to get his opinion on matters such as which colour door handles should be installed first.
Tensions were high, and the last thing Noah wanted was to be the cause of another argument between the two sides of his expanded team. Today was not the day to try and help them find middle ground. Instead, he told them that he simply couldn't postpone it and further because he was being kidnapped today and that kind of plan cannot be easily rearranged.
Before questions could be raised, the meeting was dismissed, and Noah stepped outside. There, a large hulking figure stood, attention fixed on the puppy snuggled against the crook of his arm.
Noah approached and tapped Wug's other arm, giving the signal that it was time to go. Bandit had promised that Noah deserved birthday drinks, and he couldn't wait any longer for that!
