Half Share

DUNSANY ROADS SYSTEM

2352-APRIL-03

We were about ten days short of Dunsany Roads Orbital when we had a suit drill while I was alone on watch. It was the only Oh, damn! moment I had had as watch stander up to then. It was evening at around 21:30 and I was walking down the spine on my VSI. As soon as the whoop-whoop sounded, I knew I was in trouble. I already had the ship schematic on my tablet, but wasted a few seconds fumbling for the suit locker overlay. Luckily, I found one just four steps ahead of me in the spine, so I did not have far to go. The whooping stopped and the announcement started by the time I got a suit out and opened up. I locked down the helmet just as the announcement ended. My first thought was, whew but then it occurred to me I did not know who to tell or how to tell them.

I scrambled my tablet out and ran off a quick bip to Brill: On VSI, Spine. Suited but tell who? How?

Covered…bipped back almost instantly. It was followed a couple heartbeats later with: Good thinking.

The all-clear announcement followed after a few ticks and I zipped the suit back into the locker with the red used tab out. The captain had not reported any fatalities, so somebody must have clued Sarah in.

When I got back from VSI, Brill was waiting for me in environmental. “That was fast thinking, and I’m sorry you had to do it.”

She popped the suit locker open and pulled out a used suit. The communications patch on the sleeve had several options, which I had no clue about. Brill ran through them one at a time including the press this button to report one. As one might expect, it was pathetically easy once you knew about it. Cookie and Pip had taught me how to use the communications patch to talk to them, but at the time, we never thought I would need to report for myself.

“Thanks, Brill. I appreciate your coming down here to tell me now before I forget.”

She laughed. “It’s my fault. I should have taught you that when you were on watch with me. It’s just one of those things that didn’t occur to me because you’d already been through six months of suit drills. Thanks for being so quick on your feet.” She waved then and headed out while I cleared an automated integrity check on the screen.

After she left, I pulled out my spec three materials and started up where I had left off. It seemed apparent that I was not going to be ready to take the spec three exam at the end of the month. After about a month’s worth of work, I still had not gotten through all the instructional materials, let alone mastered the practice tests. Still, I dug in and kept going. Francis found me there at 23:45 when he came to relieve the watch.

“Hey, Ish! How goes it?” he called from the hatch.

“Quiet. Ops normal. Cleared the last integrity check just a little while ago. I’m trying to get through this environmental specialist material and it’s just kicking my butt.”

“You’re kidding! What seems to be the problem?”

“I’ve been wading through the materials ever since we left St. Cloud. It never seems to end.”

He looked at my tablet over my shoulder. “You’re going for spec one? I thought you only wanted spec three. You’re almost through it, though. Good work! You gonna try to leapfrog like Brill did?”

Examining the indicator, I saw that I was, indeed, in the section for spec one environmental test. “Oh crap! I’ve been studying the wrong material all this time?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember that first day when we pulled out of St. Cloud?”

“Yeah, you and Diane were sitting over there on the pad and waiting for navigation detail to be secured,” he said.

“That’s when I thought I might as well try for the spec three slot. It’s open and you guys are understaffed with me in it. The Lois is authorized for three spec threes.”

“Good thinking but how’d you end up studying spec one?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “Diane and I were going through the materials and when the nav detail was secured you and I had the watch, so I bookmarked the beginning and just went back to where I had left off.”

“And?”

“And it looks like I bookmarked spec one and not spec three. I just never looked at it again. I was so sure I was studying three, it just never dawned on me.”

“Hmm. You think you could have been a bit distracted?” he asked innocently.

“You mean by changing divisions and all?”

“Oh, that might be, but I was thinking about Diane.”

“She wouldn’t have messed with my tablet—” I started to say and then noticed him grinning.

“Lemme just point out to you that you and the very attractive Ms. Ardele were playing kneesies on the floor over there for the better part of three stans. I’m just suggesting that perhaps you were not actually thinking as clearly as you seem to think you were.”

I did not know how to respond and just blushed—really red. Then I got mad because I had spent a month studying the wrong material.

“Well, I’ll start on spec three tomorrow. I’m too tired tonight.” I sighed.

“Mr. Wang, I relieve you,” Francis said formally. “I’m assuming you’ve nothing to report?”

“All ops normal, Mr. Gartner. No maintenance scheduled or performed. You have the watch.”

I started to leave when Francis stopped me. “Ish, I was teasing you.”

“Yeah, I know, Francis, but…” I shrugged helplessly.

He nodded then. “I hear ya, brother. I hear ya.”

When I got off work, I intended to just go to bed, but that last half stan had set me off. So instead, I hit the track. A couple other watch standers were going in as well, and I saw Tabitha just settling into the rowing machine. We were beginning the day off portion of the cycle. Second and third sections would be covering the whole day that had just begun and I would not have to go back until midnight again. It was not the usual time for first section to be in the gym, but I noticed a lot of us were there. I just climbed the ladder to the track and started running. I did not count laps. I just ran.

Eventually, my legs said, “Okay, we’re done now. We’re going to the showers and then to bed. You coming?”

So I did.

I woke up too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. I showered and went to the mess deck anyway, and Cookie gave me a pastry. I took it and my coffee and went to find Brill. Diane had the watch and waved at me when I came in. “Hey, Ish. This is your day off,” she teased me.

“Yeah. I know. Is Big B here?”

She nodded her head toward the office. “Anything wrong?” she asked, looking concerned.

“No, just needed to talk to her about last night.”

Diane knew I was not telling the whole truth, but she did not press. “Hang in there, Ish. I heard you did good.” The automated system integrity check came up, and while she was distracted, I headed for the office.

My feelings must have been written across my face because as soon as I stepped through the open door she asked, “Ish? What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been studying the wrong stuff for a month,” I blurted.

“Okay, breathe…in…out…good. Now, start slowly and perhaps throw in a clue about what in the world you’re talking about.” She was being lighthearted, but she was obviously concerned. I was not sure what expression I wore, but I had her attention.

“Sorry. I’m upset. I’ve been studying to get ready to take the spec three test on the next cycle.”

“Okay, so far,” she prompted gently with a smile.

“I’ve been working since the day we pulled out of St. Cloud. I started going over the materials with Diane