“I have to stand up to read?!”
“Like I said. If you want the comforts of home, . . .”
“Get a job,” tourist A muttered.
After finishing his biscuit, he went to the panel and looked up what books were available from the library. Most of them were teaching manuals about how to do various jobs. Then there was a selection of books that he’d been told he should read but never had. The Grapes of Wrath, by Steinbeck. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell; the list went on.
“Bah, what a waste of time,” tourist A said.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Hey, do I get a shower?!”
“What, you’ve worked up a sweat?” the jailer asked.
“No, but don’t I at least get a shower?”
“You get one every other day. If you want one every day, you should . . .”
“Get a job,” tourist A muttered as he started to jog in place to warm himself up. He tried lying on the floor, but it was too cold. Without a blanket, his bones started to ache.
“What do you people do if someone can’t work?!”
“Everybody can work.”
“What if they’re crippled?”
“We fix them up. The doctors here can fix anything.”
“What if they’re retarded?”
“There’s always something they can do! Most people like being useful, even the mentally handicapped.”
“Bah!”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Time for your shower!” the jailer announced.
“Finally,” tourist A said. He was looking forward to seeing how his friends were doing.
The jailer led him down the hall to the shower. “There you go. You have thirty minutes.”
“Where are my buddies?”
“They decided they wanted a job. Left right after lunch yesterday,” the jailer said.
“Wimps!”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Marc, how’s it going,” Kal said as he met Marc for lunch.
“I’m okay, worried about Catie, but ADI says she’s doing fine.”
“That’s good. Where have you been?”
“On the Mea Huli with Sam.”
“I hope you had a nice time.”
“Of course we did.”
“Hey, can you believe this; they used the Seneca protocol at the jail this week.”
“No way!”
“Yep, four idiots refused to work after they tore up a bar.”
Marc laughed. “Really, how long did they last?”
“Three of them lasted a day and a half,” Kal said. “The other one lasted four days.”
“That’s insane. We came up with that as a joke—a mental exercise. I can’t believe anyone would ever go that far. Which judge assigned it?”
“Judge Muñoz.”
“Well, she’s certainly fair. If she assigned them to it, they must have deserved it.”
“Constable Maryanski made a hundred bucks on the pool.”
“What pool?”
“The one betting how long they would hold out.”
“What did she bet?”
“She bet that one would hold out for three days.”
“And the rest of the bets?”
“Nobody had over thirty-six hours.”
“I’m not surprised. So how are our miscreants doing now?”
“The hold-out is barely meeting the standards, but he is meeting them. The other three are doing just fine.”
“I guess there’s always at least one to defy all logic.”
“I’m sure he’s going to get tired of living in the barracks and having no money.”
“Are we kicking him off the city once they’ve paid their debt?”
“Nobody will take them,” Kal said.
“You mean, we’re stuck with them?”
“Looks that way.”
“Maybe we should assign them to your team as combat dummies.”
“I like that idea, too bad it’s against that constitution you wrote.”
“Damn, what was I thinking?”
Chapter 18Board Meeting – October 4th
“Are we all here?” Marc asked. After receiving positive confirmation from Admiral Michaels, Liz, and Catie, he continued. “I’m canceling next month’s meeting. I’ll just be arriving at Artemis around that time, and I suspect I’ll be too busy with other issues to attend.”
“Yay!” Catie exclaimed.
“I’m with you, Girl,” Liz added.
“You two are just asking to be uninvited,” Marc threatened.
“Oh, sorry,” Catie said. Before, she would have been happy to not have to attend the meetings, but she’d come to like the quick updates and sharing that occurred at them. And besides, they were one of her few opportunities to connect with all of her friends, given the Comm blackout rules at the Academy.
“Liz, where are you?” Marc asked.
“We just finished our last jump, and we’re heading toward Earth. Our deceleration profile has us arriving by Saturday.”
“Any issues?”
“No, things went well; you’ll see the report. Lieutenant Payne is now in command of the colony defenses,” Liz reported.
“Do you think he’s up to the task?” Blake asked.
“Of course,” Liz said. “He’s a squared-away sailor.”
“Good for him,” Catie said.
“Okay, Admiral Michaels, how are you settling in?”
“We’re just getting moved in,” Admiral Michaels replied. “I report for my first day tomorrow.”
“How is Sophia liking Nice?” Catie asked.
“She seems to be enjoying herself. Her French is still a little weak, but she’s working on it. You should give her a call.”
“I’ll try to fit one in,” Catie said.
“Has the prime minister named my replacement?” Admiral Michaels asked.
“She’s selected her, but hasn’t named her,” Kal said.
“Her! I thought we were suggesting Captain Clark for the position,” Marc said.
“We were, but the prime minister likes Cecily Lawrence.”
“That woman hasn’t seen a day of combat!” Liz said.
“Well, we’re talking about the minister of defense, not the head of the defense forces,” Blake said. “And Cer Lawrence did a pretty good job of managing the buildup for the war with the Paraxeans.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s right. The defense minister really should be able to figure stuff like that out.”
“I’m glad you agree,” Blake said. “And it means we don’t need to find another base commander for Delphi station.”
“Okay, I’ll message her that I approve her choice,” Marc said. “Next agenda item, the status of our mission to Artemis. We’ve selected all the colonists for the mission and they are in isolation on Delphi Station. Our cargo is also on Delphi Station, ready to load as soon as Liz arrives with the Sakira. The passenger cabins are sitting next to the station, ready to be installed. And I’m sure we’re forgetting something and will remember it right after we launch.”
“You’re such an optimist,” Samantha said. “We’ll do just fine.”
“Who
