Judah Dashiell
True to Judah's suppositions, Sadie had been caught up with her own rounding up of the university's crew and planning out their plan of action. A large part of it had been spent going head to head with Feren, although it was more like talking to a brick wall than having any sort of conversation. The Chiss was a pompas ass and if Sadie could have it her way, if they could drop him off at the nearest trade or fuel station she wouldn'tve minded at all.
As it was, after a long day of pouring over notes and reports, the professor arrived at her cabin with a hearty desire for something strong to drink and perhaps sink into a guilty pleasure of binge-watching the latest few episodes of some teen holo-show called Rivendale. She'd never admit it to anyone that watching the mystery teen drama was a destresser.
Plopping down onto her bed, she scooped a package of Giji gummies and brought her portable datacomputer to her lap. Turning it on, her face was showered in blue illumination as it went through its start-up. A series of notifications would pop up indicating received messages. One, in particular, caught her attention mid gummy chew.
It was from Judah Dashiell.
All of a sudden, Sadie jerked up, adjusting herself on the bed so fast that she almost hit her head on the low overhanging ceiling of the built-in. These cabins were small as it is, and space had to be used as efficiently as possible.
"Damnit!" Sadie cursed, glowering overhead before adjusting herself to a more suitable - and perhaps a bit more ladylike - sitting position. Of course, this did nothing for calming the slight rush of her heartbeat as she clicked the message and read over his response.
Like an academic, she couldn't help but analyze every word.
He began the letter by saying, 'Dearest Doctor Nova'. It was intimate, forward, indicative of affection. So soon? How bold. The rest of the contents of the letter only reinforced Sadie's first impression of the man. That he was of the sort to take matters into his own hands and aptly ensure responsibility and follow through. Her keen eyes were quick to catch on that he'd said, 'if it was my son'. Did he have son? Was he married? She scoured to recollect if he had any cultural indication of some sort of marriage. For the life of her, she could not. He wouldn't have been so bold to ask if he was, right? Well, then again, there were some cultures where multiple mates were common...
Sadie's curiosity was a strength as it was a weakness. A quick mental note to search for the CEO's information on the holonet was tucked away in her mind. It was something she should have done earlier; as an academic, research was her bread and butter. However, it had felt rather refreshing to instead try and discover from him directly. Perhaps just ask outright?
Or was that too forward?
Ultimately, Mr. Dashiell appeared to have the sort of dedication anyone would want in a CEO. One that exhibited corporate social responsibility and acted upon it.
Musing on this, she came to the end, where he ended the letter with a short and simple, 'with anticipation'.
Oh hell.
A nibble in thoughtful contemplation and Sadie's brow inched forward. Her forefinger began to tap an incessant beat along the side of her datacomputer.
Now for her response.
After a few minutes, she began to type back...
To: Judah Dashiell
From: Dr. Sadie T. Nova
Greetings, Mr. Dashiell,
I am pleased to learn that you are the sort of businessman that is concerned with the well being of his staff as well as the corporate social responsibility one should expect from a company such as Salacia Consolidated. There are few that I can name that show as much dedication as you have shown in this instance, and fewer still that would tackle such a project personally.
Thank you for your assistance and dedication. In terms of my own presence to this particular mission. I admit, that I have taken an interest in it due to personal reasons. The missing student was one that I had taken under my wing and would have been assigned under my care had the university initially assigned the project to me. His disappearance alarms me, and it was through some persuasion of university leadership that ensured my participation in the current investigation.
I am a Doctor of Xeno-archegeology, a tenured professor at the University of Selba. While not a department chair, I take a great interest in field projects such as this, which much of the initial research being conducted by me.
In reading your message, am I correct in determining that you have a son? Pardon my forthrightness, but my curiosity has the tendency to lead me to new ventures and opportunities. If so, I hope it is not rude to inquire about him? As a trade, I can confirm that I have no progeny, nor significant other. My work has kept me quite busy either through academia or field study to ever broach the subject.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sadie T. Nova.
Sadie Nova
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