They're a workaholic, it seems. They were not a deregger, though their great-grandparents were. They just had this bad habit of working nonstop and forgetting to take breaks to rest once in a while. Problem is, this lead to health issues from overwork. -- Anon Guest
Generational trauma is a hell of a thing. As a Human Companion, it's vital to understand the contributing factors that create hazards to your Human's health. Thus, a well-trained Human Companion is the first responder and expected to intercept and interfere in their Human's self-harming habits.
Companion Eef took those instructions seriously. Just because a Human was raised in the Galactic Alliance didn't mean their culture was completely Galactic. Home environment and ancestral ethics could contribute a vast amount of troubles to encounter. Eef was determined to be diligent in hir work.
Exhibit A: Human Shaw. Second-generation Galactic Citizen. His grandmother had escaped from one of the far-too-many Deregger worlds. Most likely issues: Self-neglect and over-work leading to downward spirals.
That was not permitted to occur.
The Human had to be in the best possible physical and mental condition. That was the state in which they were the most beneficial for everyone. Including the Human.
That was the textbook reason why a Companion worked to help the Ship's Human.
The real reason why Eef was doing this was that ze cared for Shaw.
Ze found him working past shift-end on something fiddly and troublesome. Something out of his area of expertise. Not that that stopped a Human. There was no puzzle too baffling, no problem too enormous. Humans would pick such things to pieces for generations if they had to.
Alas, Dereggers had a culture of Rough Individualists pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. They shared the delusion that One Exceptional Being could solve everything with just enough hard work, grit, and determination. Anyone who failed obviously needed to just work harder.
All to prove that they had "earned their keep."
Eef settled next to Shaw and watched as he cursed at a particularly stubborn part of his efforts. "What are you doing at this time?"
"I think it's a crack in the casing. Vibration and microfractures can cause a huge disaster, y'know."
Ah. So this was also preventative paranoia. This particular casing had no impact on the operation of the ship.
"I mean that it is past your shift-end. You are overdue for nutrient intake."
"I've almost got this," said Shaw, who clearly did not have it, since they were using the wrong tool to attempt to loosen the clamps. And turning things the wrong way to do so at all.
"This is not your job," said Eef. "You should report this to Maintenance Systems."
"They keep telling me it's well within tolerances. Gammie almost died because of things that were 'within tolerances'. So if you want something done right...."
The Human phrase was, If you want something done right, do it yourself. The corollary expression went, If you really want to screw it up, let an amateur fix it.
Eff sent a covert message to Maintenance that said, The Human is trying to fix something on his own. You will have to fix it properly now.
Rule One of working with a Ship's Human: Always listen to the Ship's Human, even if it seems ridiculous.
Rule Two was: If you think the Human is incorrect, refer to Rule One.
"I have summoned professionals," said Eef. "They will do it very right. It is my job to ensure you obtain proper nutrition and rest."
Shaw didn't leave until the right people were using the right tools for the right job. "Yeah go on. Make it look easy," he griped. At least he went peacefully.
[Photo by iMattSmart on Unsplash]
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