After, freed from watch until the following noon but not yet ready for sleep, I lay in my bunk fully dressed, trying to read. When Vax came in he turned on his holovid, plugging in a shrill slap-nag chip. He ignored my glance of annoyance.
Sandy arrived, smiling happily. He had been seated at table with a girl his own age.
Vax, lying on his bunk, asked, “You going to prong her, Wilsky?”
Sandy’s grin vanished. “I don’t want to talk about her.”
He sounded almost defiant.
“She’d be good at it. If you don’t ask her, I will.”
I said, “Drop it, Vax.”
“I wasn’t hazing.” Holser was belligerent. “Just making conversation.”
“Layoff.”
Vax subsided, smirking.
Half an hour later I realized I’d been reading the same screen over and again, without remembering a word. I got to my feet. “Come along, Vax.” I went out to the corridor.
After a moment he followed. I headed for the ladder.
“Where to?”
I ignored him completely. I took the ladder down to Level 2, giving him a choice of watching me leave or following.
He followed. I strode down the corridor to the exercise room, slapped open the hatch. The room was empty.
Vax stood in the hatchway. “What are you doing?”
I took off my jacket and folded it neatly over the exercise horse. I yanked at my tie.
“Seafort- MR.Seafort, what the hell are you doing?” He lounged against the hatchway.
“Come in and shut the hatch. That’s an order.” I took off my shirt and folded it over the jacket. Vax nodded slowly.
He shut the hatch behind him. I emptied my pants pockets.
“What’s your problem, MR. Seafort?”
“Better get ready, Vax.”
“For what?”
“We’re about to have it out, once and for all.”
“We have a truce, remember?”
“Not anymore.” I tightened my shoelace.
“Why not?” He still wore his full uniform; he was making no move to get ready.
“I can’t stand you.” I walked right up to him, unafraid, and grabbed his coat. “It’s your uniform, Vax. Do you want it soiled or not?”
Reluctantly, he discarded his jacket. I went into karate position, guard up, on my toes.
Vax backed away, shook his head. “The wardroom shouldn’t be fighting now, Nick. Not with the problems the ship has.”
“I’ll fight. You just stand there.”
“Nick, don’t. Not with the Captain dead.”
I slapped him. He didn’t like that, and brought up his guard. We circled.
“Tell me what you want, Nick, before we fight.” He stepped back, lowered his fists.
“Want?” My voice shook with hatred. “You’re a bully, Holser. You’re brutal. You sneer at the boys. You hurt them.” I kept looking for an opening, my hands up. “I’ve never seen you do anything kind. You’re good at your job, but you’re the meanest person I’ve ever met!”
He surprised me, crying out, “I know!” He thrust his hands in his pockets. “I can’t help it, Nick. That’s how I’ve always been. It’s who I am.”
“Fight me.”
“Why?”
“We’ve got to have it out, Vax. If you win I’ll ask the Captain to beach me for four months. That’ll make you first middy. You’ll have it all your way.” The Captain had authority to suspend my commission for any length of time he chose. I would stop accumulating seniority, and Vax wouldn’t.
“What if you win?”
“I’m in charge. All the way to Detour and back. You know your problem? You think I’m the first middy, and you’re second. You’ve got it wrong.”
“Then tell me what’s right.” He had his guard down again.
He didn’t want to fight tonight.
“I’m first middy, and you’re not!” I walked up to him and poked him in the chest, not far below my eye level. “There’s no second midshipman! Just the first and a bunch of others.
I can’t help that you weren’t first. You fought it ever since we came on board, Holser, and now I’ve had it. I hate you so much I can’t stand looking at you!”
He spoke quietly. “I know I’m not nice, Nicky. What do you want me to do about it?”
I yelled, “I don’t care! I’m not interested in you. I just want you to obey orders, like the other juniors! You know what that’s worth to me? Getting killed tonight.” I took several breaths. “I’m done talking, you bastard.”
“And if I do what you tell me?”
“What do you think, Vax? After how you’ve treated everyone else?”
“You’ll get even.”
“You’re damn right I will! For everything!”
“Hold off a minute. Please.” I couldn’t understand his reluctance. He could pulverize me. Last time, I’d been lucky.
I went across the room and hoisted myself onto the parallel bar. “You’ve got thirty seconds. Then I’m coming at you.”
I began counting under my breath.
He took all thirty of them. I jumped off the bars and came at him, moving fast. He said, “I’ll obey your orders, Mr.
Seafort.”
I skidded to a stop. “For how long?”
“As long as you’re my superior officer.” The belligerence was gone from his tone.
“I don’t believe you! There’ll come a time. Let’s have it over with.”
“I give you my word.” Vax looked me in the eye, unflinching.
“Why, Holser?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe now the Captain’s dead, being first middy doesn’t seem so important.
Maybe it’s the way Alexi looks at you sometimes, when he thinks you don’t see.” He glared, as if expecting me to mock him. “Do you care about my reasons? I told you I’ll do it, so I will.”
I was helpless. “We’ll see if you mean it. A hundred pushups.”
“Aye aye, Mr. Seafort.” He loosened his tie, dropped to the deck, and began pumping.
Well. It seemed he actually intended to obey orders.
I didn’t let up. I worked him for two hours, until he was drenched with sweat. Then I walked out of the room without a word.
I ran Vax ragged for a whole month. He got to clean the wardroom, top to bottom. I saddled him with extra duty at all hours. He did as he was told. He was not friendly to me, and his manner was so ominous that the others made it a point to stay out of his way. But he never defied me.
With the loss of the lieutenants we were all on double watches. I was constantly tired; so was everyone else. My free afternoons were with Amanda. I never played chess anymore; it would have been unthinkable with the Captain, and there was no one else with whom I was that close. I was unhappy; we all were.
Captain Malstrom was unhappy too, though he tried not to let it show. It affected all of us. I had frightening dreams.
Alexi turned to his slap music for comfort. Sandy held hands with his new young friend.
In the wardroom, I took it out on Vax. I gave him all the hazing he had ever forced the others to endure, and more. I ordered him in and out of bed all night adjusting the heat. I stood him at attention in the wardroom when he wanted to relax in his bunk. At night I would put him under an ice-cold shower for half an hour at a time. Afterward in the dark I could hear his teeth chatter as he lay trying to warm himself.
He never protested. He obeyed my orders. Slowly, I came to realize that Vax was a person who did what he promised.
I began to respect him for that, but I didn’t let up. He had a lot coming.
Ship’s routine settled into the dreary monotony of Fusion.
Amanda helped the passengers put on plays and arrange contests. The Pilot and Chief Engineer drilled us in our studies.
The Captain ordered the barrel moved to the Chief’s engine room, but it wasn’t put to use. On our time off, I devoted my attention to Vax. I confined him to quarters except when he was on duty or taking exercise. But he remained docile and carried out my orders to the letter.