by SF Edwards
Working the control panel, Blazer activated a sign above the alcove that read, “Maintenance in Progress.” He ran off but skidded to a halt a few paces later and looked back. I haven’t gotten nearly enough done. Looking down at the macomm only reminded him of that fact. When he looked at it, a note popped up. Leaving the alcove must have triggered it. It was a reminder to him to return to the unit to the chief when he was done. He wasn’t even close to done but he had to get to class. Looking at the orb, he motioned towards the trainer.
“Just don’t let the chief catch you. I don’t know what the policy is on that,” Blazer commented to the ball of energy.
The orb peeped at him.
“Won’t someone notice you’re missing?” The orb shot through the magnetic screens in response and dove into the stripped open wing. For Blazer that was answer enough.
Blazer headed across the deck in search of the chief but he was not around. The massive acreage of the deck was larger than the floor space of some cruisers. He spotted a technician and headed over to him. “Do you know where Chief Flind is?”
The tech checked his macomm, noting the time. “Probably at breakfast.”
“Damn! OK, can you give him this?” he asked handing him the macomm.
The technician looked at the macomm and shaking his head handed it back to Blazer. “You’re not done so he won’t take it.”
Blazer made to protest.
“No, he won’t take it. Just stick it back with the trainer it belongs to.”
Gritting his teeth, Blazer ran back to the alcove and slipped the screen open. He tossed the macomm onto the wing. The unit skidded to stop next to one of the open access ports. Closing the screen, Blazer bounded back across the deck. He didn’t care who saw him. As he landed next to the down lift pad, he saw Arion leap across the deck towards him with a clean uniform in hand.
“Come on! Move it!” Arion called and hauled Blazer onto the pad before it began to descend a moment later. “You missed your first class.”
“I know,” Blazer replied and kicked off his shoes. He pulled the uniform out of Arion’s outstretched hands and slipped it on over his PT clothes.
Arion looked him over as Blazer slithered into the uniform, Blazer sure that he noted the sweat and grime covering him. “Get some grease on that thing. It might make it look better.”
Blazer shook his head and zipped the suit up before he looked out over the academy. “How did you know I was here?”
Arion said nothing for a moment. He just stared down at the academy below as they dropped towards it. The look on his face was one Blazer recognized. Arion didn’t want to tell him.
“Arion, come on. How did you know?”
Arion stared down at the cadets running into buildings across the main campus and shook his head when he spotted one heading towards their lift tube. “Marda told me,” he said with a sigh.
Before Blazer could ask, Arion continued watching the uniformed cadet approach.
“Marda came and told me. Apparently, she had the orbs keeping track of you and after they told her you’d missed your first class she sent them out to look for you. She should have known you’d be up there.”
Blazer nodded.
“Once she found out where you were and that you were still in your PTs she came and found me. She must have left her class early to do it.”
“Thanks, buddy,” Blazer said, smoothing out the uniform which left a dirty smeared handprint in response. “I don’t suppose you brought anything to eat?”
Arion shook his head. “No. Someone raided the fridge. So I got nothing.”
“Damn!” Blazer replied, upset that someone emptied the fridge like that. “Would you mind?”
“No problem. I’ll restock it after class for you. What have they got you doing anyway?”
“Thanks! I don’t think I’ll be making any regular meals besides lunch for a while. They have me cataloging all the parts in the wing I trashed by marking which ones are salvageable and what’s not.”
Arion whistled low. “You’re not talking major assemblies are you?”
Blazer shook his head. “No. Subassemblies, circuit boards, individual connectors, hardware, wire bundles, you name it.”
“That’s going to take you forever.”
“No kidding,” Blazer snapped before he lift pad came to a halt and the doors opened. Both of them were ready to run for it as they jumped off the pad. They were already late for their next class. They found Marda waiting for them and stopped dead. Blazer felt relieved to see her. “Marda, I…”
She held up a hand to silence him and waved him on toward the buildings.
“What are you doing?” Arion asked incredulous.
She shot Arion a hard look then reached down in her bag and handed something to Blazer. Blazer looked at the small wrapped package and sighed. It amazed him how much a sandwich made his spirit soar.
“It’s just an egg with a couple slips of boar back and some slices of pomate with some cheese. I hope you like it. I figured that you probably missed breakfast,” she replied.
“Thank you!” Blazer stated as his stomach came to life. He didn’t wait another moment. After unwrapping the sandwich; he took a quick bite.
“Now be careful. There are patrols out looking for tardy students. We can’t get caught,” Marda cautioned.
“Why are you taking the risk?” Arion asked.
“Blazer’s helped me so much already…”
“So you’re returning the favor then,” Arion replied. It wasn’t a question.
Blazer chewed quickly as they rushed along, careful not to choke, as he worked up his reply.
“No,” she said stopping. Both men halted with her. “I just, I just wanted to show Blazer that I still believe in him. The results of the board have been circulating the academy ever since last cycle. Blazer, it wasn’t your fault; not entirely at least.”
Blazer looked away. The sandwich in his hand felt heavy. “It was my fault. No matter what percentage they want to assign to me. I was at fault. I should have been paying better attention and I’m paying the price for that now.”
Marda stepped up to him, squeezing his arm. He kept his face away too ashamed to look at her. She stepped in closer staring at his chin until he turned to look at her and she stared up into his eyes. He met her exquisite emerald gaze. God I love those eyes.
“Blazer, it wasn’t your fault. I’ve seen the inquiry’s findings. They put you in the clear and you get to keep flying. You’re still in the program and that’s the most important thing, right?”
Blazer didn’t want to, but he nodded. Flying wasn’t the most important thing. No it’s not, you are, he thought reaching up to touch her hand on his arm.
“Working under Chief Flind will be hard but you’ll make it. I know you will and I believe in you,” she continued.
Arion rested a hand on his shoulder. “I believe in you too, B.”
Blazer looked up at his friend.
“If you take a voluntary wash then I’ll be the first one there to shove you out of an airlock. And a suit will be optional. There’s no way you’re making me go through all this on my own.”
Blazer smiled at the two of them and for the first time since the accident, he felt good.
Marda laid her other hand on his chest drawing his eyes back to hers. “The chief’s going to try and wear you down. Don’t let him.”
Arion checked his macomm. “We’ve got to move. If we’re much later they’ll mark us as absent.”
Nodding, the two of them started off but before Blazer could break from Marda’s grip, he stopped. “Marda, thank you. Not just for the sandwich but for everything. Seeing you right now makes me feel that I can do this again.”
She smiled at him and he leaned down to kiss her on the lips. The moment their lips touched caused both to feel connected to each other. Neither wanted it to end. Far too soon however, Blazer pulled away and ran off after Arion, stuffing the rest of the sandwich in his mouth.
<
br /> ***
Marda stood there for a moment just staring after them. That kiss was unexpected and wonderful. She stood touching her lips for a long moment, watching them disappear behind a building. There’s no way I’ll make it to class in time before they mark me absent now. I don’t care though. With joy in her heart, she began the three kilometra walk upspin towards her next class
UCSBA-13, Main Hangar
After classes, Blazer skipped dinner and the squadron’s evening drill and ceremony. Instead, he headed back to the hanger deck. It appeared that the orb had gone unnoticed by the chief in his absence. It was gone by the time he arrived. There was a lot of work left after he’d grabbed the macomm off the wing. Blazer noted the large number of components checked off, mostly as scrap. He continued his work and wondered why the orb had left so many gaps.
After a hect, Chief Flind poked his head in to check on his progress. “What’s your status, cadet?”
Blazer looked back. “It’s coming along slower than I’d like, sir, but I think I’ll be done before the end of the cycle.”
The chief eyed him skeptically before he opened one of the magnetic screens and stepped in. “You really think so?”
The chief looked at the mess strewn about the alcove. Blazer had set up a number of carts with bins and placed the salvageable parts in or on them. Those that he deemed too damaged for use, he arranged on another set of carts in the rear. The wing looked more skeletal than the last time the chief had seen it. Even the Electron Particle Cannon now rested on a cradle on the opposite side of the alcove with its sub-assemblies arrayed on the shelves beneath. The chief looked at the engine with all of its access ports opened and removed.
“Are you going to do the same for the engine?”
Blazer looked at the macomm. “It looks like you want me to, sir.”
The chief shook his head. “You’ll be at it for a decle.”
Blazer held up the macomm for the chief to see. “Well, sir, you did order that I check every subassembly and piece of connecting and mounting hardware.”
With a wicked grin the chief scratched his chin and replied. “I did at that. We’ll see though.”
Even to Blazer’s surprise, he finished the job that cycle. It was right before lights out as he finished cataloging the wing. Beaming with pride, he walked up to the chief and handed him the macomm. “There you go, sir. Completed as ordered.”
The chief snatched the macomm out of his outstretched hand. The look on his face told Blazer enough, he couldn’t believe it either. Blazer had checked every component and the major engine sub-assemblies off as salvageable or unsalvageable. “Who helped you?” the Chief grumbled.
“No one, sir. It was just me.”
The chief looked back at him hard. “I saw the orb.”
Blazer took a step back sure that some punishment was coming. I had no idea that Rimdook could see orbs. He hoped that surprise didn’t meet his face.
“I’ll let you off easy this time. I never told you that you couldn’t use them. Just don’t let me catch them helping you again.”
“Understood. Is there anything else you need from me this cycle, sir?”
The chief wobbled his artificial eye at him. “No, but report to me first thing next cycle before your classes for your next assignment.”
UCSBA-13, Dorm Room 305
Exhaustion gripping him, Blazer made his way back to his room and slumped down at his desk. The time read ten pulses until lights out. He just sat there for a long moment, massaging his aching hands. Even his arms hurt from reaching into all of those tight spaces to release the tiny connectors, screws and pins. It had been a mess and he looked it. Blazer’s uniform was dingy and dirty from the work, but he had completed the task that the chief said would take him a decle.
He said a silent prayer of thanks to the little orb for its help. It marked each of those small pieces of hardware salvageable or not for him so that all he had to do was remove it instead of wasting time checking them individually. He was also sure that the orb did something to loosen more than a few pieces up for him. He wasn’t sure how but several seemed to release far too easily. For now, however, his trainer sat and waited for him. I’ll probably remove the wing next. I’m just glad the alcove had an engine hoist, otherwise I have no clue how I would have gotten free, low gravity or not.’
Blazer’s roommates looked at him as he sat the desk. They lounged in their bunks while they studied class notes and finished their homework.
“You get anything to eat?” Arion asked.
“Not really.”
Arion motioned towards the fridge. “Fully stocked. We took care of it for you.”
“Thanks guys but I better rack out. The chief wants me there first thing next cycle. I think I’ll be out of the PT run for a while.”
“True, but before you get in your bunk there’s one sure thing you should do,” Deniv interjected.
Blazer looked up at Deniv, sure of what he was going to say but too tired to stop him.
“Go get in the shower. You stink to the highest choir of heaven.”
Blazer hung his head and shook it.
Once he saw that, Deniv smiled back at him. “Hey, brother, I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Thanks, Deniv. I’m beat and my sense of humor died a couple hects ago.”
“Sorry man. I do know of something that will cheer you up.”
Blazer returned a questioning look not willing to be the butt of another joke.
“Look in the fridge. I suggest you eat it before lights out,” Deniv said with a grin.
Blazer got up and headed over to the fridge. He doubted anything could be so important in there. He found a sealed dinner platter inside. Curious, he removed it and took it over to his desk. “Thanks guys. I can’t believe you snuck a meal out of the cafeteria,” he said examining the official seal on the cover.
They all looked at him like he was crazy.
“Sneak food out of the cafeteria? Are you on drugs?” Gavit asked and watched Blazer reach for the pull-tab to open the platter. Everyone then looked at Arion.
Staring at the ceiling the whole time, Arion told Blazer what he wanted to hear but what Arion did not want to say. “Marda made it for you. She said you deserved at least one real meal this cycle.”
Blazer looked back at the platter and pulled the tab eagerly. Warm steam escaped out of the vent ports and Blazer pulled away the lid to reveal a steaming plate of cooked fish and vegetables. All of it lay covered in a light buttery glaze sprinkled with herbs and spices. Everyone in the room hung out of their beds to look, their eyes widening in shock. There was nothing like that plate at the cafeteria that cycle. It looked so good that Blazer couldn’t believe it.
“How in all the worlds did she manage to cook this?” Blazer asked. He was unsure how she could: all the cooked ingredients he was looking at were forbidden as the regulations allowed only autocooks in the dorm rooms.
Gavit had to slam his mouth shut to keep from drooling when he looked on at the meal. “I would surely love to find out but I will tell you this.”
Blazer took his first bite and looked up at him, chewing the food with a contented sigh. He wanted to savor it but hunger drove him to eat faster.
“If you don’t bed that girl soon I will and then I’ll marry her just to find out the secret so that I can get some of that food.”
Blazer shook his head and smiled back before he took another bite and replied. “After the way you were staring at Chris this dawn…”
“Hey, we were all staring at Chris like that,” Gavit replied, throwing up his hands. “But even I have to admit that there was something more alluring about Chris this cycle in that outfit. It was primal. Finally, we saw who she really is. I liked that.”
Bichard popped out of the bathroom, leaping and chirping as he hopped over to Blazer. “I wasn’t. It was nothing new to me. But Blazer, please, after you finish go take a shower. You stink.”
Blazer smiled b
ack as Bichard bounded into his bed while he finished his meal. He wished he could have made it last longer. After he finished, he tossed the platter into the waste bin to central sanitation before heading to the shower. Blazer looked forward to that shower. The sonic jets would clean off all the grime and massage his muscles. While he would love an actual water shower with hot steam and water enveloping him, he would have to settle for what was provided before bed.
UCSB DATE: 1000.240
Star System: Classified, UCSBA-13, Main Hangar
It took a full decle of working under Chief Flind, but Blazer found a routine that he could stick with. His cycle began before his official shift. He would report straight to the hangar deck and seek out the chief to receive his tasking. The chief would typically assign him a menial odd job about the hangar that consisted of cleaning, recalibrating and repairing support equipment. As the decle wore on, he would task Blazer with preparing other cadet’s trainers for their flights or even prepping his own squadron’s craft before their latest sortie.
In the cycles since Blazer had completed cataloging his trainer, he had not returned to the alcove, however. The chief kept assigning him far more work than he could accomplish and still find time to work on it. Finally, Blazer asked the chief about it. “Chief, when am I supposed to work on my trainer? You said I had a tridec in addition to the time it takes me to repair it.”
The chief looked him up and down. “Well, cadet, then I suggest that you find the time to work on your craft.”
Blazer looked back at him incredulous.
The chief kept assigning him duties that used up all of his limited free time. He was already skipping PT, drill practice, as well as his study groups to work on his maintenance duties while on the hangar decks. “But, sir, you don’t give me any time.”
