For Goodness Sake: What's in a Name?
12 Aug 2024Vasil Vasilescu
The message from Willow arrived while Vasil was in the SRV bay running routine maintenance checks on the scarab hanging from the top of the bay. Vasil tapped the yellow message alert blinking on his diagnostic console to acknowledge it, only to accidentally start the active suspension test that was under the alert.The hanging scarab’s legs began franticly peddling in the air, searching for something solid to set its wheels on.
“Shit!” Vasil scrambled from under the SRV, barely avoiding the flurry of punching wheels slamming down around him and against the SRV bay door.
“There appears to be a problem in the SRV bay,” announced Jefferson in that annoying capacity that most COVAS have for understatement. “Re-initilizing active suspension test.”
“No,” shouted Vasil. “Shut down all tests and secure the SRV.”
The scarab’s legs retracted, folding up and against the body, followed by the hum and thump of electromagnetic couplers engaging. “SRV secured. Playing new text message from Willow Thorn, commander.”
“So, I'm outside one of Creamy's ships and it’s unlocked. Looks like he was staying on board while he was on station. Maybe some clues here. And Maul, if you come over, clean your boots, and like, wear clean socks. Okay? Great.”
Vasil thought that maybe he should have read the message instead. Willow wrote like she spoke and Jefferson reading the text sounded strange without Willow’s cadence and intonations.
“Jefferson, record reply as text.” Vasil waited for the COVAS to signal it was recording. “Willow, understood. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be over. Dealing with a punchy scarab at the moment. End message. Send.”
Vasil did not ask how Willow managed to get into a ship that had been locked and secured in long term storage. The Honour Promise was another link to the missing little lord pompadour, Charles Goodness, so the manner in which Willow gained access did not matter as much as the fact that she had found a piece of Goodness’ property.
Even if there was nothing in the ship to help find him, maybe the name was a clue. Ship names tended to have meaning, at least to the person naming it. Sometimes the meaning of the name was obvious as a joke, a play on words, or a personal conceit of some type.
This one, though, was not so obvious. Was it as simple as personal statement to honour promises or something deeper? Could Honour or Promise be someone’s name and the ship be a reminder to honour someone named Promise, or to keep a promise to someone named Honour? It would not be the first time a ship had been named after someone for whom the owner felt affection.
Of course, there could be nothing to the name. The ship could have been a passing whim of its wealthy owner, just another seldom used toy as easily forgotten about as it was easily purchased.