My tone was acid. “I told you not to talk to her.”
“Oh, we spoke several days ago, before your order. I merely listened.”
“More grist for your mill, Mr. Crossburn?”
“Sir, I fail to understand your objections to my diary.
Frankly, I intend to bring the matter up with my uncle when we get home.”
I stared. No lieutenant could speak so to his Captain.
Mr. Chantir intervened. “Ardwell, I order you to be silent.
Leave the Captain alone!”
“Aye aye, sir.” Crossburn pursed his lips. After a moment’s thought he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and made a note. I considered hurling my coffee at his face, decided against it.
“Pardon, sir, may I join you?” Philip Tyre. My nod was curt, but he sat anyway. ‘.’Good morning.”
I responded with a grunt.
“Sir, do you think I might go groundside tonight? It’s been a year since I’ve seen Detour.” A shy grin. “I met a girl there last winter, but I suppose she’s forgotten me.” Your typical lighthearted youngster. I thought of Derek, humiliated, made to stand regs when Mrs. Treadwell barged into the wardroom the night before. About to refuse, I thought better of it. I would play out my hand. “Permission granted, Mr. Tyre. But a word with you first.”
For privacy I took him to the nearby passengers’ lounge.
“Mr. Tyre, I think you’re too hard on the midshipmen.”
He reflected. “I’ll obey every order you give, sir. Please tell me exactly what you want me to do.”
“Ease up on them.”
He wrinkled his brow. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.
Should I ignore their violations?”
I lost patience. “No, just ease up. Consider this a warning.
Keep riding them and you’ll get a surprise you won’t like.”
His face clouded with dismay. “I’m terribly sorry I’ve offended you, sir.” Agitated, he ran his hand through his hair. “I try so hard,” he muttered, half to himself. “I really do, but people misunderstand... I wish I could figure... “
Abruptly his gaze returned to the present. He stiffened, almost coming to attention. “I didn’t think I was riding them hard, but I’ll try my best to do what you ask. I’m truly sorry, sir.” He seemed near tears.
I left him for the bridge.
All that day we disembarked passengers and unloaded cargo. I checked the manifest: a poly synthesizer was indeed on our cargo manifest and would be off-loaded with the next shipment. I stayed on the bridge, not sure why. I was free to leave the ship. Should I remain aboard, considering the wardroom tension and my problems with Ardwell Crossburn? No, we were docked at a distant port. I’d be blessed if I’d let those two joeys ruin my leave. I put on a fresh uniform to go shoreside. Too bad Derek couldn’t accompany me. Or Alexi.
Waiting for the aft lock to cycle I abruptly turned away, leaving the startled rating to gape at my retreating back.
I stalked down to Level 3, to the crew privacy room, where Alexi opened at my knock. He seemed fresh and rested.
Cadet Rafe Treadwell stood proudly at attention in his new gray uniform.
“As you were, cadet. Mr. Tamarov, come with me. Mr.
Treadwell, do you think you can you obey orders exactly?”
“Aye aye, sir.”
“That’s ‘yes, sir’.” Alexi, with disgust.
Rafe looked abashed. “Yes, sir, I mean.”
“These are your instructions. Lock the hatch when we leave and open it only when you hear my voice or Mr. Tamarov’s. Understand?”
“Yes, I--which do I say?” he asked Alexi.
“Aye aye, sir!”
“Aye aye, sir.” Rafe’s anxious glance darted between us.
I couldn’t help smiling. “Very well.” I went back to the ladder. Alexi followed, worried. At the airlock I keyed the caller. “Bridge, this is the Captain. I’m going groundside, alone.”
“Very well, sir.”Lieutenant Chantir would log me out.
“Come along,” I snapped at Alexi. The sentry gaped. I glared. “You have a problem, sailor?”
“No, sir!”
“I’m going groundside, alone. Note it hi your report.”
He was a slow thinker. “But the midshipman--?”
I fixed him with a cold glare. “What midshipman?” Eventually the man smiled weakly. We cycled through the lock.
We boarded the waiting shuttle. As we sat I said to Alexi, “Detour is quite interesting. If you weren’t confined to ship, I’d show you the town.” Comprehending at last, his face lit with pleasure.
For the rest of the day we wandered Nova City. Detour, with a population of only sixty thousand, was far less developed than Hope Nation, though it was growing fast.
The countryside bore the fresh scats of construction I’d expected to find in Centraltown. Trees and bushes grew in profusion, planted in their thousands by the terraformers, who’d brought insects and worms to aerate the soil, nitrates to fertilize it, and seeds to sow our crops. After seventy-six years of their labor, the terrain surrounding Nova City had at last begun to resemble home.
I wondered how much of the food chain they’d managed to introduce. Did Nova have rats, or mice? Cockroaches? I never did find out, but I did notice a few flocks of birds overhead. We also saw grain scattered in oversize bird feeders, among the fields.
Alexi relaxed further as the day wore on, grateful both for my company and the respite from his nightmare aboard ship.
“It’s beautiful, sir. If only the air were easier to breathe.”
“They’re working on it.” Huge skimmers sucked air into the desulphurization works, which removed sulphur oxides from the air. The plants had been operating for decades, and Detour’s sulphur level was measurably reduced.
After several false starts, not knowing how to begin, I blurted, “I’m sorry for what you’re going through.”
He stiffened. “I’m under orders not to discuss it, sir. I’m told it’s bad for morale.”
“They’re countermanded.”
“Aye aye, sir. I hate his guts! I want to kill him!”
I glanced at him, shocked. He meant it. “Don’t, Alexi.”
“He’s a monster! You don’t know the half of it, and I won’t tell you.”
“Can you hang on?”
His smile was bleak. “I’m like Derek, sir. I can take anything.”
“I’m hoping he’ll reform. If not, then we’ll see.” It wouldn’t be fair to Philip to tell his subordinate about my deadline.
“I’ll call him to challenge, when we get home.”
I sucked in my breath. Alexi truly intended to kill Philip Tyre. “Why not challenge him in the wardroom, then?”
He shot me a look of reproach. “I believe in law and
order like you do, sir. It’s the first middy’s place to run the wardroom. I owe the ship loyalty, I owe the same to you.
Even to him.”
My fists bunched. Philip had three times sent this youngster to the barrel. “Still, tradition allows wardroom challenges.”
“I’ve always thought that’s for younger joeys. A way for them to let off steam if they can’t take it. I believe in the Navy and its rules. The regs can’t permit this to go on. If I thought that, I’d have to quit the Service. Either he’ll step over the line and be brought up on charges, or there’ll be some other solution. I’m not going to fight the system.”
I said quietly, “Alexi, you’re the finest officer I’ve ever known.” He was startled. “You’ve been my friend since I first came aboard. You have such decency. I’ve never known you to be mean-spirited or spiteful.”
He shook his head. “Just watch if I ever get a chance with him!”
“Still. I respect you enormously. I love you as a friend and comrade.” He turned away, but not before I saw his eyes glisten. I rested my hand on his shoulder. “Let’s have something to eat before we go back.” After a moment he nodded. We found a restaurant. After the meal Alexi insisted on paying for us both.
Two hours later we were back aboard. Alexi resumed his babysitting duties, while I went to the bridge.
I shared a watch with Vax when the ship’s caller buzzed.
“Captain, you’d better--Midshipman Tyre reporting. We have a, um, situation here, and--”