Piloting was any pilot’s supreme pleasure. To merge with the ship completely, to become a metal bird soaring among the stars—what could ever be better than that?
Only one thing was better—to be the ship’s captain. And Morrison had no idea of this little secret. He was only a pilot, just like Alex had been so recently.
“Thank you, Captain.” Xang’s voice quivered. “Damn… it’s so unexpected.”
“It’s all right, Xang.” Alex left the bridge and stopped outside in the hall, looking down its length. The engineer stuck his head out from the door of his engine room at the end of the hall, saluting the captain with a wave of his hand, and then dived right back in to be with his beloved gluon streams. It was as if he didn’t even need any comments about his recent performance. Then Janet and Kim simultaneously rushed out of the narrow passageways leading to the battle stations. Roaring with laughter, they gave each other high-fives, then a hug, and only after that, both turned to Alex. He smiled back. Somehow outer space always increased women’s longing for same-sex love, and Alex would have gotten jealous… had he felt more than just a friendly attraction to Kim. Jealousy was a mere derivative of the main function unavailable to him.
Then a door closest to the bridge opened, and Generalov came out into the hall. He was still in his spacesuit, though with the helmet folded down.
“Good,” said Alex. “Really good.”
Puck grinned a crooked grin. The slight tension vanished from his eyes.
“The route to Dorian was remarkable,” Alex said with sincere praise. “I never had any plans to go there, but the route you plotted was great. I never should have doubted your abilities.”
The navigator reveled in this, like a young girl upon hearing her first compliment. It occurred to Alex that the analogy was to some extent true, and he hastened to add, now in a more formal tone of voice:
“But the track toward Zodiac, which you plotted earlier today, is far from optimal.”
“Now, wait a minute, Captain!” Puck cried out in dismay. “The optimal route would require going through the tunnel in the Monica-3 system!”
“Yes. And what’s wrong with that?”
“That region is not recommended for small ships, Captain.”
“But neither is it forbidden, right?”
“No. But any pilot would prefer to avoid the Bronins’ ritual zone.”
“Puck, please keep in mind that I’m not just any pilot.”
“And neither am I,” added Morrison, appearing suddenly behind his back. “I’ve had occasion to use the Monica-3 tunnels.”
“And what were your impressions?” said Puck with curiosity.
“Painful. But only pilots have to worry about it.”
“How come speshes are always so suicidal…” murmured Puck.
“Did you say something, Navigator?” said Alex.
“No, Captain. I’ve taken your wishes into account. Next time, I will be guided only by the maximal optimization of the route, not by its safety. Excuse me.”
He turned around and disappeared into his module. The door slammed behind him.
“Looks like we’ve offended him….” said Morrison softly.
Alex thought in passing that what had offended Generalov was the co-pilot’s intrusion. When he talked to him one-on-one, the navigator was still open to suggestion. But when faced alone with two speshes, he immediately retreated into his shell.
“I shouldn’t have interfered,” sighed Morrison, as if reading his mind. “I’m sorry, Captain.”
“Let’s go have a drink,” said Alex. “After all, we’ve just had our first training session, and a rather successful one, I should say.”
“Alright. The girls are already there, I see.” Morrison shifted his gaze away from the empty hall. “Captain… just in case… are you involved with Kim or Janet?”
“Not yet.”
“Would you mind if I courted the girl?”
“Absolutely not.” Alex smirked. “Hell, you’re also a pilot… so why these questions?”
“Well, you never know,” Xang explained as they walked down the hall. “Of course, we can’t love, so we’re spared the emotional prejudices… But I once worked on a ship, a medium-tonnage freighter, nothing out of the ordinary… well, the third pilot was involved with a navigator girl, and his reaction was quite hostile. His religious beliefs didn’t allow being unfaithful, you see.”
“Thank God, I’m an atheist.”
“That settles it, then.” Morrison nodded.
“There’s just one thing, Xang. The girl’s in love with me. But I won’t be upset if she chooses you as a more appropriate object of affection.”
Xang smiled contentedly, but said nothing. He had needed so little to put him in a good mood! Only seven minutes of contact with the ship.
They passed by several closed cabin doors and reached a small circular lounge. Passengers and crewmembers always shared the recreation hall on small spaceships, and the furnishings were a compromise between asceticism and luxury. The compromise was never a happy one, and this lounge was no exception. The plastic walls were decorated by still lifes in heavy wooden frames that were way too fancy. The oval-shaped table was made of ordinary foamed metal, but two small sofas and armchairs were constructed from wood, though they did have safety straps. A tiny field bar was incongruously filled with exquisite beverages—from Earthly wines to Edemian cognacs and ambrosia. And small emergency lights surrounded the delicately wrought crystal lamp on the ceiling.
It all looked as though the unknown designer had simply tossed together bits of standard interiors to create a random mix of passenger lounge and crew lounge.
The door leading to a tiny kitchenette stood open, and Janet was already bustling around in there. Alex happily noted her willingness to get snacks ready. Had Janet been a feminist, no one could have gotten her into a kitchen, even at gunpoint.
Kim was sitting in an armchair near the wall with a goblet in her hand. She gave them an unusually gloomy look as they walked in.
“When the captain enters, one should stand up,” said Janet quietly without turning. Kim jumped up, all but spilling the contents of her goblet.
Hiring Janet was beginning to look like the best decision Alex had made in the last few days. If anyone could make a true astronaut out of Kim, it would be a lady from Eben.
“However,” Janet continued in the same tone of voice, “traditionally, female crewmembers do not abide by this rule and salute the captain’s arrival with a nod… or a charming smile.”
And she turned around, demonstrating that smile to Alex.
“Thank you, Janet,” he said. “Kim, please sit down.”
“Sandwiches, anyone?” asked Janet without even a hint of formality in her tone, as she came out of the kitchenette with a tray in her hands.
“Wow! Thanks.” Xang sat down sideways next to Kim. He smiled at the girl. “Friend-spesh, you look great on watch!”
Kim snorted. Looked at Alex with piercing intensity, as if she had heard them talking in the hallway… Damn it!
Alex felt his face turning red. But of course! Less than eleven yards of hallway was nothing to Kim’s enhanced hearing!
“And you must be that dangling bit of green snot I saw?” she asked Morrison in all innocence. There was a silence. Then Morrison faked a laugh.
“Usually my virtual image inspires more pleasant associations, you little white vortex.”
“My first impression was more pleasant,” said Kim bluntly.
Now Morrison also caught on. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, threw a guilty look at Alex.
What could be done now? To Kim, it looked all too obvious. Two boors decide to share her, and the one she loves agrees to give her up without so much as a second thought.