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Chapter Two

  Dunsany Roads System

  2352-April-23

  After breakfast I settled down with my tablet to study, but Brill’s words kept coming back to me.

  Do I really want to be slopping sludge at fifty?

  Environmental duty was interesting in a way, and certainly one of the critical functions of the ship, but I was suddenly aware that it was a job—something I did in between the things I wanted to do. Working there was not something I did because I loved doing it.

  The next question dropped my head into vapor lock as I considered what exactly it was that I loved to do. A long time passed while I sat there flipping ideas across my brain. At least two Automated System Integrity Checks—we call them ASICs—came up while I was thinking. They were nominal and I cleared them with as much automaticity as they exhibited. My problem was I had no clue as to what I wanted to do.

  I had been four years old when my mom took a job at the University of Neris and spent almost my entire life there. Neris was a company planet and I lived in the university enclave with her. She was an ancient literature professor in the English department until she was killed in a flitter crash. I had escaped deportation by signing on to the Lois McKendrick only a few weeks after my eighteenth birthday and a month before I was supposed to start at the university as a student.

  Even back then, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I had only agreed to go to college to humor my mother. I knew I had to find something to make a living—we were far from wealthy. It’s just that I hadn’t found anything remotely appealing until I came aboard the Lois.

  My first assignment had been on the mess deck working with Pip and Cookie. There was a sense of satisfaction in working there. He always said, “We run a restaurant, gentlemen, and even though the crew can’t go anywhere else, they still deserve our best efforts.”

  Back then, I studied all four of the divisional materials and qualified as half share in each one. I laughed at myself when I remembered my plans to collect a complete set of full share ratings because I had been so worried about being put ashore. A lot had changed in just a bit more than seven months.

  When the chance came to move to environmental, I took the offered position. The ship needed me there and I was happy to oblige. I still had a sense that the ship needed me, but that was where I stalled—stymied.

  On a whim, I pulled up the Able Spacer test. Sandy Belterson, who is now a spec two in astrogation—but had been a spec three at the time—had helped me study for my ordinary spacer exam. Back then, she’d tested me at the higher level and I was shocked to see I passed that practice test. It took me just a half stan to finish another practice test and I blinked numbly at the score: ninety-two, which was well above the passing score of eighty.

  Brill came in just then and found me staring into the void. “You in there, Ish?” she asked with concern.

  I grinned. “Yup,” I said, and began to think that perhaps I was.

  “Well, it’s good to see you smiling again. What’d you do last night? You disappeared after mess.”

  “I slept.”

  “Well, you musta needed it and it looks like it helped.” She changed into Boss Mode and asked, “Did you happen to run the maintenance schedule? What’ve we got on for today?”

  “Yeah, I did. I’ve got a water filter this morning and a scrubber field plate tonight. Diane’s slated for the number two scrubber matrix. If you want, I’ll come down after lunch and help with that.”

  “You don’t mind? You’ve got the evening watch too.”

  “It’s no problem. Besides, you know how I love seeing her get all mucky and wet,” I said with a grin.

  “Am I gonna need to chaperone you two?” she asked with a laugh.

  “I’ll be okay, but after Dunsany, you may wanna put a leash on Diane.”

  We both laughed at that and I began to think it was going to be okay after all. Although I must admit that I got a quick visual image of a wet and slimy Diane wearing a collar and leash. When I noticed Brill blush, I wondered if she’d gotten the same image, but I didn’t go there. I was learning that there were some things I really didn’t want to know.

  “I think I’ll go change that filter now, then I need to study.”

  “You ready?” she asked.

  “I think so. I got a ninety-six on the practice test yesterday.”

  She put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m so proud of you. That’s not the easiest stuff in the world.”

  “Thanks.” I paused before asking, “Say, um, would you be upset if I went back to working on full share in the other ratings as well?”

  “Not at all, but is everything okay?”

  I shrugged. “Well, your comment yesterday about slopping sludge at fifty kinda got to me.”

  “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded, Ish. Look at me. I’m going to be thirty next month and I’m probably going to be here till I’m a hundred and ten and they put me out to pasture.”

  I laughed at the image. “Yeah, maybe so, but this is what you love. You’re really into the closed ecology stuff and where else are you going to be able to do that?”

  “Well, there’s station work.”

  “What? And give up all the glamour of being a spacer?” I motioned toward our sterile, utilitarian surroundings.

  “You’ll be up to your armpits in the glamour when you start working on that scrubber. But you’re right. For me the work is still fascinating. So have you come to any conclusions overnight? About who you are, and what you wanna be unless you grow up?”

  I appreciated her phrasing. “Nothing definite, other than to conclude that it’s one thing to choose to slop sludge and another thing entirely to do so by default.”

  “Yup, that was my point exactly.”

  “So, when I first came on board I started out to collect all four full share ratings. Looks like I’ll have one of them in a week or so, but just because I get my spec two here doesn’t mean I can’t go for Able Spacer, Cargoman, or Messman. Theoretically, if I pass next week, I’ll be qualified already as a machinist—although the gods will need to help any division that puts me on power or propulsion watch.”

  “You’d be surprised how well you’d do, I think. But by all means, if you want to go for the other ratings as well, it’s no problem with me. What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far, but it just seems like one of those things I ought to do. I can probably get Able Spacer on this cycle along with the spec two. I just took a practice exam and got a score in the nineties. If I spend a couple of watches reviewing it, I could probably ace it.”

  “That wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve seen your focus when you study.”

  “So, whatever happens after that, happens—one step at a time. Having the ratings doesn’t hurt, and I might find something that I like as much as you like environmental. It sounds nebulous, but it’s something.”

  “Not bad for just one night sleeping on it,” she said with a grin. “Lemme know if you have any other brain storms. In the meantime, I’m going to go immerse myself in the glamour of the quarterly section reports.”

  We laughed. “I’m gonna go swap out that water filter and get that out of the way, then maybe I’ll do the VSI a bit early so I can settle down for a study break before lunch.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” she said, heading into her office.

  I watched her go. Some things are just worth taking the time to appreciate. Watching Specialist One Brilliantine Smith walk away from you is one of those. As she turned the corner into her office she caught me watching and chuckled.

  After a satisfied little sigh I got on the comm-link to the bridge for permission to swap out the number one water intake system for the half a stan it would take to change the filter. I collected the tool kit from the storage locker, snagged a clean filter from parts storage, and got on with the morning already in progress.

  Watch standing is like riding a merry-go-round. The repetition of the activities da
y after day and the way the other crew members fall into their own patterns provides a structure that becomes one long blur. You regularly see the people who are in your watch section, but the full complement of the crew is only really apparent to the mess deck worker. It’s here that we all gather for meals on a cycle that isn’t always set by the rotation of watches but on a convention that goes much deeper.

  Breaks in this routine are both welcome and disturbing. Welcome because they provide a much needed variety to the pattern, and disturbing because they force you out of the zone and strip away the mental buffers that the process of watch standing has erected over time. Quarterly ratings tests are just such a break. Ten days out of the Dunsany Roads Orbital I reported to the office to take my spec two rating test for the environmental division.

  I had watch in the morning, but Mr. von Ickles set the test so I could take it between morning and evening watches. He was very accommodating and just one of the reasons why I liked him a lot. He really seemed to care about the crew just as much as Mr. Maxwell and the captain did. I didn’t get to see him much except when I took exams, but he was always nice to me and pretty easy to talk to. He wasn’t quite as intimidating as Mr. Maxwell nor as awe inspiring as the captain, but still there was something comforting about him. Some air that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

  I reported at the appointed time and we got right down to it. Unlike the half share exams I’d taken before, this test was a lot longer and used more simulations. After two solid stans, I put my stylus down and looked up at Mr. von Ickles. When he didn’t speak, I prompted him with, “I’m done, sar.”

  “Yes, Mr. Wang,” he said, “you are. I still can’t get over the way you disappear into these tests. How do you think you did?”

  “I don’t know. I think I passed. I was pretty confident in my answers and I didn’t have to skip any. I also didn’t run out of time.”

  He turned the display so I could see the ninety-eight. “A hundred is max. And just between you and me, that one item you missed, I thought you had the right answer. I’m going to bump that back up to Confederation headquarters because I think the scoring key is wrong,” he said in a kind of disbelieving tone.

  “Which one was it?” I asked.

  “The calculation for the amount of time to bring that tank of water up to a viable temperature for algae growth. I thought your calculations were right, but the answer key disagreed.”

  “Is it really an issue since it won’t make a difference on me passing?”

  “No, but for someone else those two points might make the difference between passing and failing. You are now officially ranked Specialist Two in Environmental and I will note that in your jacket. And to think I knew ya when,” he said with a big smile.

  “Thank you, sar.”

  “So, Mr. Wang, does this mean you’re giving up your quest for full share ratings? Are you going to specialize in environmental?”

  “No, sar, I’ll be back tomorrow for the Able Spacer test.”

  “Tabitha Rondita is taking it too. Can you be here at 09:00?”

  “Sure. We’re on the same watch rotation.”

  “Excellent, then I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

  As I started to leave, he stopped me. “You know this only goes into your jacket. It’s up to the captain, Mr. Kelley, and Ms. Smith as to whether you get the open spec three berth.”

  “Yes, sar, I’m aware of that.”

  “Okay,” he told me, then lowering his voice he added, “don’t be too disappointed if they wait until Betrus to make it official.”

  I considered that for a heartbeat or two. I really had expected that once I passed the test, I’d be able to get the promotion right away. “In the grand scheme of things, sar, all it means is a higher mass allotment—which doesn’t do me any good out here in the Deep Dark—and about a hundred creds in my pay packet that I should more than make up for with my co-op merchandise. Thanks for the heads up, though, either way will be fine.”

  “Very well, Mr. Wang, are you really doing that well trading?”

  “Yes, sar. Pip and I have been very fortunate. Since Darbat we’ve made something over eight kilocreds from private trading, sar.”

  He blinked at me several times as he processed that. “You mean eight hundred creds, right?”

  “No, sar, that’s eight thousand credits between the two of us. We’re splitting that of course. It’s not eight each.”

  He barked a laugh. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

  His response puzzled me. “No, sar. Why would I?”

  “But that’s at least five times more than your salary and share for the same leg.”

  “More like eight, sar, yes. Why?”

  He shook his head in astonishment. “You’re making more money than I am!”

  “Well, sar, have you considered joining the co-op?” I asked with a grin. “The co-op took in four hundred creds in fees from Dunsany alone. Of course we’ll split that with the booth managers, but we’ve started out well.”

  “And you organized this thing, didn’t you?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Well kinda. I came up with the idea. Pip thought it sounded good and we found others in the crew to help out. Pip really runs most of the meetings with the steering committee. I’ve helped where I could.”

  He looked at me hard for about five heartbeats. “Mr. Wang, have you ever considered the academy?”

  The question took me sideways for a moment because all my life the academy meant something different. “You mean the officer’s academy, sar?”

  “Yes, Mr. Wang, the Confederation Merchant Officer Academy at Port Newmar.”

  “You mean have I ever considered going there?”

  He chuckled. “I should know better than to ask you stuff like that right after a test, but yes, Mr. Wang, that’s the gist of my question.”

  “No, sar. I don’t know anything about it. Other than it’s where you go to learn to become an officer.”

  “Consider it, Mr. Wang,” he said with a nod. “That’s an order.”

  Chapter Three

  Dunsany Roads System

  2352-April-30

  By the time I finished the test it was just after 16:00 and I had two hours before I had to be back on watch. I hit the gym and pounded out a couple dozen laps on the track. The usual collection of first section watch standers were there and I even spotted Tabitha on her customary rowing machine. It seemed odd that she was only an Ordinary Spacer. I don’t know why, but when Mr. von Ickles had said she was taking Able Spacer, it was kind of a jolt. She’d been aboard much longer than me, and I found it disconcerting that she hadn’t gotten the rating before now. Not holding the position I could understand. After all, you only got the rank if the ship had an opening, and I could certainly see staying with a ship you liked even at a lower rank. The Lois was that kind of ship. But to not take the test, didn’t make sense.

  As I was running, I thought about what Mr. von Ickles had said, and considered what was involved in going to the academy.

  Would I consider leaving the Lois? Could I?

  The whole notion was coming at me too fast, so I put the idea aside and let the running trance take me.

  When I stepped through the hatch into environmental to relieve Diane at 17:45 she almost screamed at me, “Well?”

  “Well, what?” I asked, completely confused.

  Brill stepped out of the office. “I think she’d like to know if you passed the test, Ish,” she said, considering me with her hands on her hips. “I’m kinda curious myself.”

  “Oh, yeah, I passed.”

  Brill smiled and Diane did a little happy dance behind the console. “You didn’t think to let us know a bit earlier?” Brill asked.

  “Oh, crufty nuggets! I’m so sorry,” I said coming back to reality perhaps for the first time since the test. “I’m such a ninny.”

  Diane teased, “We were beginning to wonder if you’d flunked and put yourself out an airlock in shame.”
r />   “I really am sorry. I get so groggy after those tests that I went straight for a run afterwards. I should have come down before I went to the gym.”

  “So, give us the whole scoop—we need details, man, details.” Brill said.

  “I missed one question but Mr. von Ickles thought my answer was right and that the grading key was wrong. He’s going to file some kind of correction request with the Confederation.”

  Brill and Diane looked at each other and back at me. “That’s amazing.” Brill finally said.

  “Yeah, I’d be pretty surprised if no one else noticed a problem before now.”

  “No, doofus. It’s amazing that you got a ninety-eight.” Diane just leaned on the console and shook her head with a what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you look on her face. “It defies belief. You went from engineman to spec two in one leap with no background, no special training, and only two months of study. Don’t you realize how crazy that is?”

  “Well, I did spend a month studying spec one by mistake,” I reminded her.

  “Yeah, and I’m beginning to think we should’ve kept you working on those materials so you could have taken that test instead! My gods and garters, Ish, this is amazing!”

  “Thanks,” I said, but I didn’t really see what the big deal was. All the material had been right on my tablet, and it wasn’t like watch standing didn’t give me plenty of time for studying.

  “I’ll ask Mr. Kelley to put you up for the position right away, Ish, but he and the captain will be the ones making the decision.”

  I shrugged. “No worries. I already told Mr. von Ickles I’m not concerned about the timing.”

  Diane waved me over. “Mr. Wang, all operations normal. No maintenance scheduled or performed. You may have the watch.”

  “I relieve you, Ms. Ardele. I have the watch.”

  They headed for the lock and I settled behind the console and started the beginning of watch rituals. “Oh, by the way, B, I’d like to talk to you about the academy sometime when you have a chance.”

  Diane kept chuckling and headed on out to get some dinner, but Brill turned back to look at me. “Which academy?” she asked after a moment or two.