That evening Chief Me Andrews sat down heavily in the armchair alongside my table. The pipe lay between us. I said, “Chief, I order you to ignite that device. We need to investigate it further.”
“Aye aye, sir.” It was his third visit to my cabin; we were establishing the form of a ritual. He opened the canister and got out his candlelighter.
I kicked off my shoes. After all, it was my own cabin. “I was hoping I’d have another middy by now.” I yawned.
“We’re all standing too many watches.”
“On the bridge or in the launch berth, sir?” He was beginning to unbend with me, just a bit.
“Oh, you heard about that?”
“Someone saw you take Mr. Holser in there and emerge later with a very subdued midshipman.”
“Who saw?”
“I don’t remember, sir.”
If we could power the ship by gossip it would be faster than fusion. Maybe it really was Darla who spread the word.
“I think Vax will be all right, Chief. I’ve straightened things out with him.”
“With a club?”
I smiled. “Vax just needs the facts demonstrated from time to time. Then he believes them. He’ll make a good first middy.”
He puffed on his artifact. “What you need, Captain, is a fourth middy. Maybe even a fifth.” I knew that. I could then make Vax a lieutenant. Probably also Alexi, if I hadn’t embittered him for life.
“The only feeler I’ve had is from that Carr joey, and I turned him down.”
“There’s Ricky.” The Chief knew everything.
“He won’t be old enough to be much help until we’re past Detour. We’ll have new officers and won’t need him by then.”
“So why’d you invite him, Captain?”
“I didn’t say he’d be no help at all. And I like him.”
“He’ll agree. He needs more time to think about it, but count on him.”
“I’m not so sure,” I said. “I don’t have the knack of persuading people without terrorizing them. First Vax, then the Pilot, and then Alexi. Now it’s Ricky. I had to scream at the top of my voice to stop him from standing at attention.
I’m lucky he didn’t wet his pants.”
The Chief smiled. “You didn’t terrorize him. You startled him some, but he’s told everyone belowdecks how the Captain wants him to be a midshipman. He sticks his chest out when he says it. I don’t think you have to worry.”
“Then I was fortunate. Part of my problem having no natural authority is that I come on like a wild man to uphold the stature of the office. As I did with Alexi.”
The Chief shrugged. “The barrel? He’ll get over it. I gave him half a dozen, not all that hard. He’s had worse before.”
“But not from me. I was his friend.”
Chief McAndrews took several puffs on the pipe before deciding to reply. “You still are,” he said. “You’ve done him a favor, whether he knows it or not. A big one. When we get to Hope Nation he’ll probably be transferred. What would happen to him if he had a silly fit on the bridge of someone else’s ship?”
I shuddered. Either he wouldn’t sit down for a month or he would find himself in the brig. If the Captain didn’t die of apoplexy first.
“Still, I should have found some other way to stop him.”
The Chief waved his pipe in the air. “Say you’re right, Captain. Maybe you should have found a better way. He’ll still get over it. Neither he nor anyone else has the right to expect you to be perfect. You’re doing your best.”
“And it isn’t good enough, Chief.” I stared moodily at his smoke. “In a couple of days I have to decide about those poor joeys in the brig. I have two choices, both wrong. If I let them go, mutiny goes unpunished. Admiralty would never pardon them if the affair had happened back at Earthport; they’d hang the three with no regrets. But I feel that if I execute them, I’m a heartless killer.”
I brooded. “Expect myself to be perfect? If I were barely competent I’d find a third solution. I’ve tried; I can’t think of any. So I’ll pick one alternative or the other. My best isn’t good enough.”
Wisely, the Chief said nothing.
The next day, I was restless and irritable. To distract myself I ran surprise drills throughout the ship, telling myself it was to improve the crew’s alertness. “Fire in the launch berth!”‘ ‘Fusion engine overheat!” ‘ ‘Man Battle Stations!”The crew scurried.
I announced that Darla had a nervous breakdown, and made the middies plot all ship’s functions by hand. They complied, although nobody, especially Darla, thought it was funny. I entered drill response times in the Log to compare with future drills. I made a mental note to have future drills.
All in all, I continued making myself unpopular.
I woke in the morning with a sense of dread at what I’d have to face before the day ended. After showering and dressing I sat to await the usual knock; in a few moments Ricky arrived with my breakfast. He put down the tray, saluted, and waited to be dismissed. Though he stood at attention, his stomach no longer tried to meet his backbone.
“Stand easy, Mr. Fuentes.”
“Thank you, Captain. They were having waffles and cream so I brought you extras. Cream is real zarky.” He looked wistfully at the tray. Crew rations didn’t compare with officers’ and passengers’ fare.
I liked the new Ricky much better. Or was it the old Ricky? “Thank you. About that cadet idea, what do you think?”
“Mr. Browning says I should. So does Mr. Terrill. It’s just I’m a little scared. Captain, sir.”
“I can understand that.” I took a bite of waffle. It was delicious. I thought of offering him some, but there were limits. A crewman didn’t breakfast with the Captain. “So you can read, hmm?”
“Oh, yes. I can write too. Even by hand.” He was very proud of it.
“Ricky, I’m going to arrange some lessons for you. Math, physics, history. I want you to work as hard as you can. Will you do that for me, as a special favor?” That would get his cooperation far better than an order.
He actually swelled with pride. His shoulders went up, his chest came out. “Oh, yes, sir. I’ll do my best.”
“Very well. Dismissed, Mr. Fuentes.” He saluted, spun on his heel, and went to the hatch. Someone must have been teaching him physical drills. I suspected the Ship’s Boy already knew more about Naval life, and how Hiberniawas run, than most people would imagine. “Oh, Mr. Fuentes?”
“Yes, sir?” He stopped in the entryway.
“Go to the galley. My compliments to the Cook, and would he please serve you a portion of waffles and cream.”
His face lit up. “Oh, thanks, Captain, sir! They’re real good. He already gave me some, but I’d love more!” He raced out into the corridor. So much for my generosity.
Sandy was on watch with the Pilot when I popped onto the bridge for a quick inspection. Mr. Haynes nodded with careful civility. He hadn’t had much to say to me since the incident with our coordinates.
I glanced at Sandy and my eyebrow rose; the boy was dozing in his seat. That wouldn’t do. I relieved him and sent him to Vax, with a request to encourage the youngster to stay awake on duty.
Vax, a middy himself, couldn’t send Sandy to the barrel, but he had ways to get the point across. I didn’t feel guilty this time; sleeping on watch was a heinous offense. I had to prepare Sandy to hold his own watch. It crossed my mind that I myself had dozed on the bridge only a couple of weeks before. I argued that I wasn’t actually watch officer; I’d just stayed to keep an eye on things. When part of me started to argue back, I left the bridge.
I wandered the Level 1 circumference corridor, past cabins in which Lieutenants Dagalow and Cousins once lived. Past Lieutenant Malstrom’s cabin where a lifetime ago I’d played chess. Through the passengers’ section, nodding curtly to anyone who noticed me. I looked into the infirmary. The med tech came to attention in the anteroom; Dr. Uburu was with a passenger in the cubicle that served as an examining room.