“Listen to you, all cynical and 'back in my day' like. I bet people here feel better seeing that I expect no better than they're getting. They see I sleep in the same bunks, take extra time to practice flying in the sims and keep walking the learning curve.”
“But they're supposed to take orders from you. That's why Officers get their own quarters, so they know you're in a higher position.”
“Where'd you hear that? I can give them advice, sure, and I'm their superior but the fighter wing isn't even in my chain of command. I'm really just another pilot.”
“Who flies the carrier for eight or so hours a day.”
“Yesterday was eleven. Get me a denta tab, 'kay?” Ashley directed as the water came on and sprayed her from all sides in hot jets. She pumped the shampoo dispenser and lathered.
Stephanie walked over to a dispenser and pressed the button that initiated a materialization sequence that produced a small, minty green chewing tablet. On her way back she had to dodge a pair who were headed to shower stalls in a state of undress similar to Ashley. They apologized through grins.
“Does this berth have to be unisex though? I mean, this isn't really a military ship,” Stephanie stuck the denta tab in Ashley's mouth over the divider, which was just low enough so she could see the top half of her face.
“Uh-huh, not military,” Ashley replied sarcastically as she chomped the oral cleaning tablet. “Have you met our new First Officer?” Ashley rinsed her hair. Some of the spray caught Stephanie, who stepped to the side and leaned against the next stall.
The sound of the floor sucking the water into the recycling system was almost so loud she had to yell. “I guess you're right. He has brought in a lot of good changes though. It's easy to know your place on the ship now. You should have seen the report I had to make the day after Jake was back. It took me three hours to narrate and he only checked the fifteen minute summary. I nearly strangled him. He's not as stiff as you'd expect most military officers though, he seems to have a swagger too, like he's stepped out of some swashbuckler or cowboy movie. The more I see him and Captain together the more I get the feeling we're turning pirate, not looking for alliances anywhere. Doesn't take long to figure out why they're old chums.”
“I know, I like him. We call him Oz on the bridge, reminds me of that old kids movie, only he's not some creepy guy behind a curtain and there's no yellow brick road.”
“Sometimes I have no idea what you're talking about,” Stephanie shook her head.
Ashley sputtered and leaned out of the stall, on tip toes, her hair gooped up with conditioner. “What? You never saw the Wizard of Oz?”
“That's what it's called? Now that I think of it,” Stephanie feigned pondering for a moment. “Nope, never saw it.”
“God, what did you guys do when you were kids?” Ashley asked as she went back to her morning shower.
“We played outside if we weren't in school.”
“Ah well. I didn't get away often. Used to spend a lot of time at the lake when I did though. I know it was slavery and being a kid in the household sucked but it was a beautiful place. I can't wait to call Fred, if it weren't for him I'd be a real mess.”
“You're not getting your hopes up too high I hope. Jason Everin and the rest of the analysts are saying the death toll is over fifty percent for worlds hit with the Holocaust Virus, there's no telling-”
“I'm not too worried. They had slaves on Gamrie's estate because they didn't like bots much, so there really aren't many around. It's a little off the beaten track anyway.”
“I just want you to be ready for anything,” Stephanie reinforced gently.
“I know. Think you'll get a hold of your folks?”
“Pretty sure. I mean, it's not like they could afford anything you'd load an AI into. I'm just worried about my cousins in the refinery.”
“If they're as quick and clever as you they'll be fine.”
“Here's hoping.”
Ashley cut the water and turned on the sonic emitters. Most of the excess water was shaken off her skin under the vibrating pressure of the invisible waves. “I love this ship, if for no other reason 'cause everyone can use actual water for their showers and vibe most of the way dry,” Ashley sighed, her voice affected by the vibrating air in the shower.
“Wing Commander on deck!” Bellowed someone just outside the lavatory.
“It's Minh-Chu,” Stephanie whispered as she stepped away from the cubicle and looked down the main passage between bunks. Ever since Captain Valance's return the mid to low ranking crew members were being pressed into a more military order of conduct and she was glad to see it had carried down into the pilot's berth. All the pilots stopped what they were doing and stood at attention.
“Oh crap!” Ashley whispered, crouched below the edge of the privacy barrier. “Towel!”
“I thought you didn't care if anyone saw you in the buff.”
“Now I care, kay? Towel!” Ashley shot back in a whisper.
Stephanie tossed the towel into the stall. “You fancy him.”
“And?”
“Should I tell him?” Stephanie teased in a whisper.
“Only if you want me to start using all your secrets in conversations anecdotally,” Ashley threatened.
“I need two pilots to join my patrol. I'd prefer volunteers who've had a rest period sometime in the last sixteen hours,” Minh-Chu announced.
Ashley hurriedly wrapped the towel around herself and checked her comm unit. “Crap, I've got duty in two hours otherwise I'd sign up.”
“Captain probably wouldn't like that. You're over extended as is,” Stephanie whispered back.
“I know, but, um. Do you think Panloo would be willing to do a double shift?”
“I think she just did. Ah, too late, he's leaving. He got two pilots.”
Ashley poked her head over the privacy barrier. “Jaime and Mia, they're good too.”
“Good thing. They're investigating the asteroid field.”
“God, sometimes I wish I were just another member of the squadron.”
“No you don't, a quarter of pilots don't come back from active engagements. Well, that's on most ships anyway, Triton’s crew is too new to have stats.”
“I have the math, three dimensional thinking and reflexes for it though, that's half the battle. I've also flown everything we have in sims and qualified.”
“All the more reason why I'd rather have you right where you are, safely guiding Triton around.”
Ashley made her way back to her bunk with Stephanie close behind. “Yeah, most of the time I feel like a glorified bus driver and the rest I'm responsible for trying to dodge torpedoes and God only knows what else with one of the biggest ships I've ever seen. It's like threading a needle with a chisel and a sledgehammer.”
“You know you enjoy it.”
Ashley smiled and sighed, pulling a black vacsuit with her rank insignia, seven silver wings on each cuff out of the storage compartment under her bunk mattress. “You know I do. How's security?”
“Better. Jake, I mean Captain Valance has had more time to help out and Jason's been able to make sense of our surveillance systems without using an AI. He's even getting a grip on the Triton’s operating system. The ship's starting to come to life again.”
“I hear he's pretty amazing.”
“Kind of scary actually,” Stephanie agreed quietly. “He used to be intelligence, like the top secret, dangerous mission kind of intelligence. I wouldn't have believed it but what he can do with encryption and what he's been able to figure out from the little we know about the killer aboard is amazing.”
“Oh? Do you know who it is yet?”
“No, only that he's not doing it randomly, he's only after Order of Eden freaks and he's really, really experienced.”
“All the more reason to stay here, surrounded by witnesses,” Ashley said as she pulled her vacsuit up under her towel.
“So you're actually going to stay in the bunks.”
“Well, yeah. Besides, maybe I can clear some time and set up to fly with Ronin.” She sealed the vacsuit up
