“God be with you, Lester,” came the placid voice of Janitor Mayne, who had sidled up beside him while Hendrix continued discussions. “Glad to find you in your usual spot.”
Mayne was old. He didn't look it because he kept himself sharp and his composition well cared for: his beard neatly trimmed; his hair dyed black. He was holding his usual folder of loose-leaf scrawlings, and it was clear to anyone that Mayne took his self-assigned pastor role more seriously than his janitorial position. Should someone need to speak to Mayne, whether it be regarding their doctrine or the latrine, often he could be found in some obscure corner of the station taking notes over his pocket bible while sitting astride his riding mop. But he remained a well-loved member of the crew congregation, even if station bins were allowed to overflow now and again.
He put a light hand on Lester's shoulder. “Lester, I'm glad you've come today. Truthfully, given the circumstances, I'm in no mind to give or attend this sermon. Care to walk with me to my office?”
“That would be alright, Mayne.”
“And one thing first, Lester.” Mayne said as two began their way through the crowd. Mack had noticed their leaving and tried to grab Mayne's attention as they moved past, but he brushed her off.
“I'm interested in what you have to say regarding the news,” Mayne said to Lester. “The lack of news.”
“Truth be told, Mayne, all I can say is what the official announcement already confirmed. We found no problem internally.” He was a good half-a-head shorter than his friend, and as they walked, Lester unconsciously leaned away to escape Mayne's wandering shadow.
Lester continued. “My first thought was ‘Okay, maybe we screwed something while upgrading the intranet.' That turned out to be a dead end, and so did the Comms Arrays themselves. Nothing. Command ran diagnostics. The fact is it's just not a problem on our end.”
Lester couldn't help but feel that Mayne was reading the lines of his face like lines of scripture.
“Well, you were on Belka more recently than I. What do you think, Lester?” Mayne asked. “Can you give me any insider knowledge on this one? Doesn't Command still tell you anything?”
Lester looked away.