No matter how good the pay was, the recruits would have to wait years before they could spend it.
Guaranteed enlistment helped fill the crew berths. So we had men like Mr. Tuak, barely more civilized than the transpops, who responded to the guarantee they would be accepted and the half year’s pay issued in advance as an enlistment bonus.
Yet Tuak hadn’t done anything more than get caught up in a riot. Well, a little more; he had smuggled in the still that caused the riot in the first place. And he’d been fighting to protect the still from the men who wanted to dismantle it. But should he be put to death for that? “Mr. Tuak.” I waited while his excuses ran down. “Mr.
Tuak, the master-at-arms will take you back to the brig. You will be informed.” I slapped open the hatch.
“I din’ mean no harm, Captain. Listen, Captain, I got two crippled sisters at home with my mother. Ask the paymaster, my pay all goes to them, every bit of it. They need me.
Listen, I can stay out of trouble, honest, Captain!”
Vishinsky slapped the cuffs on his wrists, manhandled him out to the corridor.
“No more fighting!” Tuak said desperately, over his shoulder. “I swear!”
I was no closer to a decision.
As I left the dining hall after dinner the Purser handed me a sealed paper envelope. Unusual, in these days of holovid chipnotes. I took it back to the bridge to open. A letter, handwritten in a laborious script, obviously rewritten more than once.
Hon. Captain Nicholas Seafort, U.N.S.Hibernia Dear Sir:
Please accept my apology for the way I behaved when you visited my cabin. You are the authority on board this vessel. I owed you respect which I failed to offer. I was inexcusably rude to use the tone of voice I did.I didn’t know what to make of that. I read on.
When I thought about my discourtesy, I saw why you don’t think me fit for the Naval Service. I ask you to forgive me. I assure you I am capable of decent manners and I will not be offensive to you again.
Respectfully, Derek Carr.
Now that was laying it on a bit thick. I could believe that Mr. Carr had decided he’d been rude. It was possible that he might even apologize. But that he’d grovel was hard to swallow. I wondered why he’d done it. I locked the letter in the drawer under my console.
Some hours later I waited in the empty, dimly lit launch berth. The hatch opened and a head peered in.
“Over here, Mr. Holser.”
Vax looked around the huge cavern. Seeing me, he came quickly to attention. “Midshipman Holser reporting, sir!”
“Very well.” I indicated the cold open space. “What is this, Vax?”
He said, puzzled, “It’s the berth for the ship’s launch, sir.”
“That’s right. Now that it’s empty it’s a good time to clean it.” From my jacket pocket I took a small rag and bar of alumalloy polish. “I have a job for you. Clean and polish the bulkheads, Mr. Holser. All of them.”
Vax stared at me with anxiety and disbelief. The berth was huge; polishing it might take most of a year. It was utterly unnecessary work; one didn’t hand-polish the partitions of a launch berth.
“You’re assigned to this duty only, until it’s finished.
You’re off the watch roster and you’re forbidden to enter the bridge. You may begin now.” I thrust the polish and rag into his hands.
I had deliberately made it as hard as I could. By removing him from the watch roster and forbidding him access to the bridge, Vax would not again have opportunity to protest or ask my mercy. On the other hand, I’d given him a direct order. I hoped he would pass the test.
“Aye aye, sir.” His voice was unsteady, but he turned to the partition, rubbed the bar against the alumalloy. He began to polish it with the rag. Alumalloy doesn’t polish easily; it was hard work. After a few minutes of labor he had finished a patch a few inches around. He rubbed the bar of polish onto the adjoining spot and folded the rag to a clean surface. His muscles flexing, he rubbed the rag against the tough alumalloy surface.
I watched for several minutes. “Report for other duties when all four bulkheads are done.” I turned and walked to the hatch twenty meters from where he had started. I glanced behind me; he was hard at work. I slapped the hatch open, started through it. He kept polishing.
I stepped back into the launch berth. “Belay that order, Mr. Holser.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” His eyes darted from the bulkheads to me, and back, slowly taking in his reprieve.
I walked back to where he stood. “Vax, what did I demonstrate to you?”
He thought awhile before answering. “The Captain has absolute control of the vessel and the people on it, sir. He can make a midshipman do anything.”
“But you already knew that.”
“Yes, sir.” He hesitated. “But not as well as I know it now.”
Thank you, Lord God. It was what I’d prayed to hear.
“I’m canceling your special orders to report every four hours.
You may resume your wardroom duties. You know what I expect from you?”
“Yes, sir. No hazing, under any circumstances.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” I was angry. If that’s all he had learned, all this had been a waste of time.
“I thought that’s what you wanted, sir. For me to control myself.” He was puzzled.
“Yes, that. And more. Come, let’s go raid the galley.”
He had to smile at that. At the beginning of the cruise, the four of us would occasionally sneak into the galley late at night and raid the coolers. We would catch hell if we were caught; that made it all the more attractive.
Now I entered the galley with impunity. The metal counters were shiny clean; the food was securely wrapped and stowed.
I opened the cooler and found some milk. Synthetic, of course. In the bread bin was leftover cake that would have gone to next day’s lunch. Well, they’d never miss it. I served my midshipman and myself. I indicated a stool for Vax; we ate off the counter. “It tasted better the other way,” I said.
“Yes, sir, but I’m glad for it now,” he said politely. Our Vax had come a long way.
“Now, Vax. About hazing. You’re first middy. You’ve been too busy to spend any time in the wardroom, so you haven’t taken charge. But I want you to. And with a change of command there will be some settling in. You’ll have to make sure they both know who’s senior.”
“Yes, sir.” He listened attentively.
“So, you may use your authority. Hazing, as we call it.
What I want you to stop isn’t hazing, but your bullying. You enjoy hazing so much you let it get out of control. You’re to control the pleasure you take in it. Stop yourself from going overboard and being cruel. You told me once you’re not nice, that there’s nothing you can do about it. If that’s still true, go back and start polishing the launch berth until you can do something about it. I’ll wait.”
He swallowed. I think no one had ever talked to him like that before.
I added, “You’re better off with the rag and polish, Vax, if you’re not sure you’ll control yourself. I meant it when I said I’ll wait. If you tell me I can trust you and I catch you being cruel like you used to be, I’ll break you. I’ll make your life a living hell for as long as I’m in command, until you can’t stand any more. I swear it by Lord God Himself!”
Vax said very humbly, “Please let me think for a moment, sir.”
I gave him all the time he wanted. He studied his fists, clasped on the metal work counter. Vax was slow. Not stupid, not retarded. Slow to make up his mind. I appreciated the corollary of that. Once he made up his mind he was utterly dependable.