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Chapter 13

DUNSANY ROADS SYSTEM
2352-APRIL-03

We were about ten days short of Dunsany Roads Orbital when we had a suit drill while I was alone on watch. It was the only
Oh, damn!
moment I had had as watch stander up to then. It was evening at around 21:30 and I was walking down the spine on my VSI. As soon as the whoop-whoop sounded, I knew I was in trouble. I already had the ship schematic on my tablet, but wasted a few seconds fumbling for the
suit locker
overlay. Luckily, I found one just four steps ahead of me in the spine, so I did not have far to go. The whooping stopped and the announcement started by the time I got a suit out and opened up. I locked down the helmet just as the announcement ended. My first thought was,
whew
but then it occurred to me I did not know who to tell or how to tell them.

I scrambled my tablet out and ran off a quick bip to Brill: On VSI, Spine. Suited but tell who? How?

Covered…bipped back almost instantly. It was followed a couple heartbeats later with: Good thinking.

The all-clear announcement followed after a few ticks and I zipped the suit back into the locker with the red
used
tab out. The captain had not reported any fatalities, so somebody must have clued Sarah in.

When I got back from VSI, Brill was waiting for me in environmental. “That was fast thinking, and I’m sorry you had to do it.”

She popped the suit locker open and pulled out a used suit. The communications patch on the sleeve had several options, which I had no clue about. Brill ran through them one at a time including the
press this button to report
one. As one might expect, it was pathetically easy once you knew about it. Cookie and Pip had taught me how to use the communications patch to talk to them, but at the time, we never thought I would need to report for myself.

“Thanks, Brill. I appreciate your coming down here to tell me now before I forget.”

She laughed. “It’s my fault. I should have taught you that when you were on watch with me. It’s just one of those things that didn’t occur to me because you’d already been through six months of suit drills. Thanks for being so quick on your feet.” She waved then and headed out while I cleared an automated integrity check on the screen.

After she left, I pulled out my spec three materials and started up where I had left off. It seemed apparent that I was not going to be ready to take the spec three exam at the end of the month. After about a month’s worth of work, I still had not gotten through all the instructional materials, let alone mastered the practice tests. Still, I dug in and kept going. Francis found me there at 23:45 when he came to relieve the watch.

“Hey, Ish! How goes it?” he called from the hatch.

“Quiet. Ops normal. Cleared the last integrity check just a little while ago. I’m trying to get through this environmental specialist material and it’s just kicking my butt.”

“You’re kidding! What seems to be the problem?”

“I’ve been wading through the materials ever since we left St. Cloud. It never seems to end.”

He looked at my tablet over my shoulder. “You’re going for spec one? I thought you only wanted spec three. You’re almost through it, though. Good work! You gonna try to leapfrog like Brill did?”

Examining the indicator, I saw that I was, indeed, in the section for spec one environmental test. “Oh crap! I’ve been studying the wrong material all this time?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember that first day when we pulled out of St. Cloud?”

“Yeah, you and Diane were sitting over there on the pad and waiting for navigation detail to be secured,” he said.

“That’s when I thought I might as well try for the spec three slot. It’s open and you guys are understaffed with me in it. The
Lois
is authorized for three spec threes.”

“Good thinking but how’d you end up studying spec one?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “Diane and I were going through the materials and when the nav detail was secured you and I had the watch, so I bookmarked the beginning and just went back to where I had left off.”

“And?”

“And it looks like I bookmarked spec one and not spec three. I just never looked at it again. I was so sure I was studying three, it just never dawned on me.”

“Hmm. You think you could have been a bit distracted?” he asked innocently.

“You mean by changing divisions and all?”

“Oh, that might be, but I was thinking about Diane.”

“She wouldn’t have messed with my tablet—” I started to say and then noticed him grinning.

“Lemme just point out that you and the very attractive Ms. Ardele were playing kneesies on the floor over there for the better part of three stans. I’m just suggesting that perhaps you were not actually thinking as clearly as you seem to think you were.”

I did not know how to respond and just blushed—really red. Then I got mad because I had spent a month studying the wrong material.

“Well, I’ll start on spec three tomorrow. I’m too tired tonight.” I sighed.

“Mr. Wang, I relieve you,” Francis said formally. “I’m assuming you’ve nothing to report?”

“All ops normal, Mr. Gartner. No maintenance scheduled or performed. You have the watch.”

I started to leave when Francis stopped me. “Ish, I was teasing you.”

“Yeah, I know, Francis, but…” I shrugged helplessly.

He nodded then. “I hear ya, brother. I hear ya.”

When I got off work, I intended to just go to bed, but that last half stan had set me off. So instead, I hit the track. A couple other watch standers were going in as well, and I saw Tabitha just settling into the rowing machine. We were beginning the
day off
portion of the cycle. Second and third sections would be covering the whole day that had just begun and I would not have to go back until midnight again. It was not the usual time for first section to be in the gym, but I noticed a lot of us were there. I just climbed the ladder to the track and started running. I did not count laps. I just ran.

Eventually, my legs said, “Okay, we’re done now. We’re going to the showers and then to bed. You coming?”

So I did.

I woke up too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. I showered and went to the mess deck anyway, and Cookie gave me a pastry. I took it and my coffee and went to find Brill. Diane had the watch and waved at me when I came in. “Hey, Ish. This is your day off,” she teased me.

“Yeah. I know. Is Big B here?”

She nodded her head toward the office. “Anything wrong?” she asked, looking concerned.

“No, just needed to talk to her about last night.”

Diane knew I was not telling the whole truth, but she did not press. “Hang in there, Ish. I heard you did good.” The automated system integrity check came up, and while she was distracted, I headed for the office.

My feelings must have been written across my face because as soon as I stepped through the open door she asked, “Ish? What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been studying the wrong stuff for a month,” I blurted.

“Okay, breathe…in…out…good. Now, start slowly and perhaps throw in a clue about what in the world you’re talking about.” She was being lighthearted, but she was obviously concerned. I was not sure what expression I wore, but I had her attention.

“Sorry. I’m upset. I’ve been studying to get ready to take the spec three test on the next cycle.”

“Okay, so far,” she prompted gently with a smile.

“I’ve been working since the day we pulled out of St. Cloud. I started going over the materials with Diane during the nav detail. Once it was over, I bookmarked my place so I could go back to it.”

“Keep going,” Brill encouraged me. “Don’t forget to breathe.”

“I was getting discouraged because I could see that I would not be ready for the next test cycle. I’ve been reading for a month and I can’t get to the end of it. There was too much math and science that was taking me forever to wade through.”

“What?” Her brow furrowed in confusion.

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. Last night, when Francis relieved me I found out I’d bookmarked spec one, not spec three.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and let it out.

“Holy crap, Ish! You didn’t notice?”

I opened my eyes. “Seems silly in hindsight but there’s only the one small notation in the top of the screen. I was so sure I’d bookmarked three that it just never occurred to me to check it again. I expected the material to be hard, so when it was, I just figured that was normal.”

“So you’ve been studying spec one ever since we left St. Cloud?” she asked to confirm what I was telling her.

“Yes.”

“How far did you get?”

I pulled out my tablet and showed her the bookmarked page.

“You’re almost through with it!”

“Yeah, but I don’t understand half of what I’ve gone through so far.”

“That’s not what has you upset, is it?” she said suddenly.

I shook my head. “That’s just stupidity. I’m used to being stupid.”

“Ishmael Horatio Wang, you are a long way from stupid, although if you keep talking like that you might convince me. Now what the hell is going on?”

I lowered my voice and was overly conscious of Diane just outside the office. “Last night, when Francis pointed out my mistake, he started teasing me about Diane. He said I probably was not thinking clearly because I’d been playing kneesies with her.”

“That shit!”

“No, no.” I held up my hand. “He was teasing. He’s a good guy, and I’ve been teased before. He didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Then what has you so upset, Ish?” she asked gently.

“What if he’s right?”

“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”

I lowered my voice as far as I could while still having it audible over the environmentals, “What if being around Diane distracts me so much that I don’t know what I’m doing? I could put the ship in danger.”

Brill just gaped at me, and I wanted the deck to open and swallow me. Finally, she said, “You’re kidding, right?”

“What? No. Why would I kid about that.”

“Well, Ish, that’s just about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Do you really believe that?”

“I didn’t think so. But then again, how would I know? I thought I was studying spec three. What if I had crossed the CO2 with the O2 lines instead? Or something equally stupid and dangerous?”

“None of us are infallible, Ish. Aren’t you being a little hard on yourself?”

“We’re talking about the safety of the ship. What if I can’t be trusted?”

“Ish, let’s be clear about one thing. I trust you with my life. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have you in my section. Not only that, but I trust you with the lives of every person on this ship. I don’t for one instant think your gonads got in the way of your brains. Ever. I’ve seen you work. I don’t buy it. I’m not even gonna rent it for the weekend.”

“But I studied the wrong damn material for the last six weeks! Is that reasonable?”

“I’m sorry, Ish,” Diane said from behind me.

“No, I’m sorry, Diane.” I turned to her. “I—”

“No, I’m sorry, Ish. It was a prank.”

“What?” I asked.

“It was a prank. I didn’t think you’d go this long without catching it.”

Brill started laughing.

“What?” I asked again.

“When we secured from nav detail, you set your tablet down on the station for a second. I changed the bookmark from spec three to spec two. It was just suppose to be a joke. I didn’t realize you were studying it all this time.”

“What?” I asked a third time.

“It was a joke, and I’m so sorry.” She looked miserable.

“Really?”

She nodded.

“Oh thank heavens, so I’m not going daft?” I asked.

“See? Now don’t you feel silly?” Brill asked.

Diane looked confused. “What?” she asked.

Just then what she had said sunk in. “Wait, what did you say you did?” I asked suddenly.

She sighed. “I’m so sorry, Ish—”

“No, no, it’s fine, but repeat what you just said.”

“You set your tablet down on the station as we were setting the normal watch. I changed your bookmark from spec three to spec two. And I had no idea you wouldn’t catch it.”

Brill’s eyes flicked to mine. “You set it to two?” she asked.

Diane nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t think he’d—”

Brill held up her hand, cutting Diane off.

“Just to be clear, you set it to spec two. Answer yes or no.”

“Yes.”

Brill looked at me. “Francis!”

“Had to be,” I agreed.

“What?” asked Diane.

“I’ve been studying spec one all this time, Diane,” I told her.

“No, spec two. I set it to spec two,” she said.

Brill held up my tablet with the spec one lessons on it.

“But spec one would be practically impossible without any background,” she protested.

“And in spite of that our man Ishmael Wang here has almost finished it in a month,” Brill informed her.

Diane was shaking her head, “But—”

Brill and I both said, “Francis!”

“He did spot it as soon as he looked over my shoulder,” I said. “Not that it would be too difficult for somebody who knew what the real spec three looks like.”

“And he was riding you about Diane,” Brill pointed out. “Hard.”

“What?” Diane asked.

I could have died, but Brill said, “Francis was teasing Ish about being so captivated by your feminine charms that he couldn’t see straight, hence his inability to see the difference between spec one and spec three.”

“What?” Diane said.

Brill nodded. “To the point where Ish here was ready to resign because he was afraid Francis was right and he didn’t want to endanger the ship.”

“That’s crazy.” She rounded on me. “I’m a much bigger threat to the ship than you are, you great ninny!”

Brill and I looked at each other at her outburst. “I don’t think you meant that the way it sounded, Diane,” Brill said dryly.

“Wait a tick,” Diane turned back to me. “You came down here to resign because you were afraid he was right?”