“Would you consider doing that anyway?”
She chuckled. “Don’t tempt me. Now, let’s see how far away from spec one you really are.”
“What?”
She held up my tablet. “If you have even half this material after a month, we can have you at spec one by the time testing rolls around. Can you think of a more fitting comeuppance for our devious Mr. Gartner?”
“But—” I started to say.
“Sit down, Wang. That’s an order!” she said, but her expression betrayed her amusement.
Chapter 14
DUNSANY ROADS SYSTEM
2352-APRIL-03
We had about two stans before Francis came back for the afternoon watch, so we had to work fast to come up with a strategy. Brill and I thrashed through the materials for about twenty ticks while Diane stewed at her station.
“You’ve done remarkably well, Ish,” Brill told me. “But you really don’t have the math skills for this yet, do you?”
“No, I don’t. I recognize it when I see it, but I’d be lying if I said I understood it.”
“Okay, let’s go for Plan B. Would you be happy with spec two?”
“I’d be happy with spec three. The Lois rates three spec threes and she deserves to be fully staffed.”
“Ish, do you know you talk about the ship like she’s a person?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, just as long as you’re aware of it.” She glanced at the chrono. “We need to either get a plan or wait until he has the watch and go form a plan.” She headed out into the section and nodded for me to follow.
“Diane?” Brill said.
Diane stuck her head out from behind the number two scrubber. “I’m here. Just checking the matrix we put in last week.”
“We need a plan or at least a plan for a plan.”
Diane slammed the scrubber’s case closed and came over to us. “I’m in.”
“Simple is better,” Brill said. “First question, can we all pretend that we don’t know he did it?”
“I probably can,” I said.
“I don’t know if I’m up to that,” Diane said. “Under the circumstances, I can’t really fault him for resetting the bookmark. But I don’t like that he was riding Ish. That ain’t right.”
“Well,” Brill said, “if we take the short approach, Diane will only need to keep it together long enough for a quick gotcha. We’ll be done with him by noon. Is that doable?”
Diane started to smile. “Depends on whatcha have in mind, but yeah, I think I can.”
“Okay, here’s what we are going to do.”
***
Francis was prompt. When he walked through the hatch to environmental he was met with a well scripted tableau.
“Very well, Mr. Wang, since you cannot be trusted, I accept your resignation effective immediately,” Brill said authoritatively. “We’ll find a replacement at Dunsany Roads, and since there are no other openings on the Lois, you’ll be placed ashore there. Do you understand?
“Yes, Chief. Thank you, Chief,” I said. “I can’t allow my feelings for Ms. Ardele to endanger the ship any longer.”
Diane’s face crumpled up and she had to turn away so we could not see her tears. Frankly, I suspected it was laughter she was hiding.
“Hi?” Francis said uncertainly. “What’s going on?”
“Ah, Francis, good you’re here.” Brill turned to him. “I understand we owe you some thanks for uncovering Mr. Wang’s weakness for Diane.”
“Wha—?” he said.
“Last night, Francis,” I said to him. “You were right. I was so distracted by Diane I didn’t even know what chapter I’d bookmarked in my tablet. It’s true. Whenever I’m around her, I just can’t think of anything else.” I hung my head in shame, and also so he wouldn’t see the corner of my lips twitching as a fought a grin.
“But—” he began.
“Ishmael has explained the situation, Francis. Thank you for being so diligent and spotting the problem. The safety of the ship is, of course, our first concern. We’ll be putting him ashore at Dunsany, and in the meantime, he’s going back to help out in the galley where he can’t do any serious damage.”
“But—” he tried again.
“That leaves us short-handed. I’ve spoken to Mr. Kelley and he’s doesn’t have anyone to spare, so you’re going to have to cover his watches until then.” Brill was a bulldozer. She just kept pushing and pushing.
“But—” he tried a third time.
“I’m sorry, Diane,” I broke in. “I never meant to hurt you.” I had no idea what I was saying. I was just trying to keep the play going.
“Mr. Wang, I think we’ve had just about enough from you,” Brill said coldly. “You’re dismissed.”
I headed for the hatch and I could see Francis’s face out of the corner of my eye. He was just about primed.
“Wait!” he shouted.
Thar she blows! I thought.
“Yes, Francis? You have something to add to this conversation?” Brill asked.
“Is this about the bookmark on his tablet?” he asked.
“Why, yes,” she said. “It is.”
“And you think he’s incompetent because he was so distracted by Diane that he doesn’t know what he’s doing?”
“I believe that’s a fair assessment,” Brill agreed. “You yourself brought it to his attention last night, I believe. At least he had sufficient integrity to bring it to attention this morning.”
“But I was just teasing him!” Francis objected. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Oh, Francis, I think you don’t give yourself enough credit. Obviously you are more observant than you know and must have picked up on Mr. Wang’s state of mind,” Brill answered. “The fact remains, that if he can’t keep his head on straight enough to know what bookmark he’s setting on something as simple as his tablet, how can I trust him with the lives aboard this ship? These people trust us to care for them. I can’t overlook the fact that he did not know he’d set his tablet for spec one and during six full weeks he had been so distracted by Diane that he didn’t realize it until you pointed it out to him.”
She was good—very good.
“But,” Francis said, “he didn’t set it to the wrong chapter.”
“Oh?” Brill asked archly. “Then how do you explain this?” She held up my tablet to the page that Francis had last seen me reading. “This is clearly spec one material.”
“True, but he didn’t make the mistake in setting it,” he said.
“I don’t follow, Francis. What are you saying?” Brill asked.
“He didn’t make the mistake in setting it. I set it to spec one the day we pulled out of St. Cloud. I never dreamed he wouldn’t spot it,” he said miserably.
“So this whole fiasco is your doing?” Brill said incredulously.
Francis nodded and I recognized the can I just melt into the deck now expression on his face. I had been wearing it not so long ago.
“Mr. Wang?” she called to me. “Do you have anything to say to Mr. Gartner on this matter?”
“Yes, Ms. Smith, I do,” I replied.
Francis turned to me with a pained and stricken across his face.
“Gotcha!” I said.
There were about four solid heartbeats of frozen disbelief on Francis’s face before he turned to find Brill and Diane grinning at him. “Gotcha!” they both said together.