[From the galley log of the Ridgeway-Tani courier ship Marigold, run 88-W, Halcyon → Tethys, winter 2189. Standard sixteen-page courier galley book, plasticised cover, kept in the galley locker beneath the warming-plate. Entries by the ship's cook, A. Bar-Sela. Black ink degrading to graphite by the last page. Recovered from the Marigold's galley locker by the corvette Halcyon Reach's retrieval team on day 43 winter; intake form HR/RT/189/04/g notes the log as personal effects of unaccounted crew, returned to Halcyon Stores under standing order pending claim by next of kin. No claim recorded.]
Day 5, winter — departure plus four hours.
- Crew of four at table. Captain Idowu, navigator Tomé, engineer Salif, myself.
- Nine passengers in two seatings. Stew, biscuit. The seventh and eighth said they were not hungry; the seventh ate the biscuit; the eighth left without it.
- Standing pot for the bridge: tea, twenty ounces, the captain's allowance. Drawn full at the start of run.
A quiet first watch. Captain on the bridge for the whole of it. Asked for two cups sent up, one for himself, one for the second-watch nav. Tomé came down at four bells and ate his stew at the bench. He asked who the ninth passenger was, the woman in the side-cabin who had not signed at intake. I said I had given her supper at the galley and not at table because she had asked for it that way. He looked at me a long moment and said, A.B., you are not the manifest officer. I said, No. Captain Idowu is the manifest officer. He laughed and said, Then Captain Idowu has counted her. I gave him a second biscuit because his face was tired.
Day 6, winter — under way.
- Crew of four. Nine passengers minus one (the seventh has stayed in her berth all day; supper sent in, returned untouched).
- Galley adjustment: stew portioned at ten, not eight. The ninth has taken hers at the bench while I cleaned the burners. She is a small woman and she eats slowly.
She told me her name twice and I did not write it. She said she was from Halcyon dock 7-C. I said I had grown up two corridors over. She said the corridor smelled the same in winter. I said it still does. We did not speak again. I have not written her name here because Captain Idowu has not written it on his manifest, and the captain's book and the galley book ought to agree.
Day 7, winter — last hop.
- Crew of four. Nine passengers as before; the seventh ate a half-portion at table.
- Stew portioned at eleven. The ninth at the bench.
- Tea, the captain's allowance, drawn as before.
Captain Idowu came to the galley at second watch and sat down on the flour bin. He said, A.B., when we dock at Tethys you will stay in the galley until the crew has cleared the airlock. You will not go to intake. I said, Yes, captain. He said, I will send for you when the count is settled. I said, Yes, captain. He sat for another minute and did not look at me. He said, I am sorry to ask it. I said, Captain Idowu, you have fed the ninth passenger twice now without asking who paid for the seat. I would not be a cook who let a captain do that alone. He went up to the bridge.
Day 8, winter — arrival, Tethys Relay.
- Crew of four. Nine passengers to be signed off at the airlock by the deck steward.
- Galley stock at dock: stew remaining for one full portion; biscuit, twelve; tea in the standing pot, three cups.
- The captain has told me to wait in the galley until called.
The airlock has cycled three times. I have not been called. I have drawn the standing pot down to one cup and I will drink it when
[Entry stops mid-line. The remaining pages of the log are blank.]
[A single slip of galley-pad paper, folded once, tucked between the last written page and the back board of the log. Pencil, the same hand:]
If this book is read by anyone but me, please send word to my sister at Halcyon dock 7-C. Her name is Idit. She is the second daughter of our mother. Tell her the food was good and the cook was steady. Tell her the stew was thicker on the last run than on any of the runs before. Tell her I went into the galley and stayed there. Tell her I have a sister and I knew it on every watch. — A.B.