The Happy Man

Chief Petty Officer Lawton Francis Edgecombe has been asked a momentous question: Would he care to become an officer? He serves aboard His Imperial Majesty's starship Reticent. He is the captain's personal steward, as well as the ship's chief steward. Needs must. The ship is of a certain age, and her captain has his little ways, and the war with the vile, underhanded snail-eating Phrawghs isn't going as well as everyone had once hoped it would. Only the dead are getting home by Christmas—any Christmas. Take your pick. But Edgecombe is a man of simple tastes and simpler ambitions. He is happy as he is, where he is. He was not always thus, and he has a cybernetic leg to prove it. Yes, these days Edgecombe's ambitions center around making the best coffee in the fleet, keeping a well-run pantry, and ensuring that the food that ought to be hot is hot and that the food that ought to be cold is cold. Why? Because just about anyone can lose a leg, but not just anyone can turn out a welcoming cup of coffee at 0400 hours! And now, very soon, he must give his answer: Would he care to become an officer? This short story is something of a prequel to The Jolly Tars in Outer Space, a novel to be released in later 2026 or early 2027.