"Anybody hurt?"
"Not what you'd call hurt. Cut up a little. I picked this up ..." He touched his eye tenderly. "... from being too anxious to see what was going on. Slats Kovak busted an ankle."
"Kovak! Why would _he_ be in it?" It did not make sense that a member of the Worry gang should take part in anything so unreasonable.
"He was coming down, coming off watch, I guess. Maybe he was backing up the constable. Or maybe he just got caught in the swinging doors. Your friend Sam Anderson was sure in the thick of it."
Sam! Max felt sick at heart--Sam in trouble _again!_ "You're sure?"
"I was there."
"Uh, he wasn't leading it, was he?"
"Oh, you got me wrong, M-- Mr. Jones. He settled it. I never see a man who could use his hands like that. He'd grab two of 'em ... _clop!_ their heads would come together. Then he would grab two more."
Max decided to come out of hiding and do two things; look up Kovak, find out how he was and what he might need or want, and second, look up Sam. But before he could leave Smythe arrived with a watch list to initial. He found that he was assigned watch-and-watch with Simes--and that he himself was due on watch immediately. He went up, wondering what had caused Simes to relent.
Kelly was in the control room; Max looked around, did not see Simes. "You got it, Chief?"
"Until you relieve me. This is my last watch."
"How's that? Are you his pet peeve now?"
"You could say so. But not the way you think, Max. He drew up a watch list with him and me heel-and-toe. I politely pointed out the guild rules, that I wasn't being paid to take the responsibility of top watch."
"Oh, brother! What did he say?"
"What could he say? He could order me in writing and I could accept in writing, with my objection to the orders entered in the log--and his neck is out a yard. Which left him his choice of putting you back on the list, asking the Captain to split it with him, or turning his cap around and relieving himself for the next few weeks. With Kovak laid up it didn't leave him much choice. You heard about Kovak?"
"Yes. Say, what was that?" Max glanced over where Noguchi was loafing at the computer and lowered his voice. "Mutiny?"
Kelly's eyes grew round. "Why, as I understand it, sir, Kovak slipped and fell down a companionway."
"Oh. Like that, huh?"
"That's what it says in the log."
"Hmm ... well, I guess I had better relieve you. What's the dope?"
They were in orbit under power for the nearby G-type star; the orders were entered in the Captain's order book ... in Simes' handwriting but with Captain Blaine's signature underneath. To Max it looked shaky, as if the Old Man had signed it under emotional stress. Kelly had already placed them in the groove. "Have we given up trying to find out where we are?" Max asked.
"Oh, no. Orders are to spend as much time as routine permits on it. But I'll lay you seven to two you don't find anything. Max, this is somewhere else entirely."
"Don't give up. How do you know?"
"I feel it."
Nevertheless Max spent the watch "fishing." But with no luck. Spectrograms, properly taken and measured, are to stars what fingerprints are to men; they can be classified and comparisons made with those on file which are most nearly similar. While he found many which matched fairly closely with catalogued spectra, there was always the difference that makes one identical twin not quite like his brother.
Fifteen minutes before the end of the watch he stopped, and made sure that he was ready to be relieved. While waiting he thought about the shenanigan Kelly had pulled to get him back on duty. Good old Kelly! He knew Kelly well enough to know that he must not thank him; to do so would be to attribute to the Chief Computerman a motive which was "improper"--just wink the other eye and remember it.
Simes stomped in five minutes past the hour. He said nothing but looked over the log and records of observations Max had made. Max waited several minutes while growing more and more annoyed. At last he said, "Are you ready to relieve me, sir?"
"All in good time. I want to see first what you've loused up this time." Max kept his mouth shut. Simes pointed at the log where Max had signed it followed by "C.O. o/W." "That's wrong, to start with. Add 'under instruction.'"
Max breathed deeply. "Whose instruction, sir?"
"Mine."
Max hesitated only momentarily before answering, "No, sir. Not unless you are present during my watch to supervise me."
"Are you defying me?"
"No, sir. But I'll take written orders on that point ... entered in the log."
Simes closed the log book and looked him slowly up and down. "Mister, if we weren't short-handed you wouldn't be on watch. You aren't ready for a top watch--and it's my opinion that you won't ever be."
"If that's the way you feel, sir, I'd just as lief go back to chartsman. Or steward's mate."
"That's where you belong!" Simes' voice was almost a scream. Noguchi had hung around after Lundy had relieved him; they both looked up, then turned their heads away.
Max made no effort to keep his answer private. "Very good, sir. Will you relieve me? I'll go tell the First Officer that I am surrendering my temporary appointment and reverting to my permanent billet."
Max expected a blast. But Simes made a visible effort to control himself and said almost quietly, "See here, Jones, you don't have the right attitude."
Max thought to himself, "What have I got to lose?" Aloud he said, "You're the one who doesn't have the right attitude, sir."
"Eh? What's that?"
"You've been riding me ever since I came to work in the Hole. You've never bothered to give me any instruction and you've found fault with everything I did. Since my probationary appointment it's been four times worse. You came to my room and told me that you were opposed to my appointment, that you didn't want me ..."
"You can't prove that!"
"I don't have to. Now you tell me that I'm not fit to stand the watch you've just required me to stand. You've made it plain that you will never recommend me for permanent appointment, so obviously I'm wasting my time. I'll go back to the Purser's gang and do what I can there. Now, will you relieve me, sir?"
"You're insubordinate."
"No, sir, I am not. I have spoken respectfully, stating facts. I have requested that I be relieved--my watch was over a good half hour ago--in order that I may see the First Officer and revert to my permanent billet. As allowed by the rules of both guilds," Max added.
"I won't let you."
"It's my option, sir. You have no choice."
Simes' face showed that he indeed had no choice. He remained silent for some time, then said more quietly, "Forget it. You're relieved. Be back up here at eight o'clock."
"Not so fast, sir. You have stated publicly that I am not competent to take the watch. Therefore I can't accept the responsibility."
"Confound it! What are you trying to do? Blackmail me?
Max agreed in his mind that such was about it, but he answered, "I wouldn't say so, sir. You can't have it both ways."
"Well--I suppose you are competent to stand this sort of watch. There isn't anything to do, actually."
"Very good, sir. Will you kindly log the fact?"