Chapter 3

June 3, 1925, 0900

"All right everyone, ears and eyes open," Commander Wofford said, standing aside Propulsion One's monitoring station. "I wanted all those who've never departed a station to be here for it."

Rachel, an ensign, and seven spacers stood before the commander when the viewer on Propulsion One monitoring station illuminated.

"Commander, are all systems green for departure?" Captain Wozniak asked from the viewer.

"Aye sir, we're green for departure," Commander Wofford replied.

They saw the Captain look to his arm rest to activate the comm link. "Hephaestus Control, this is the David Taylor requesting permission to depart."

"David Taylor, this is Hephaestus Control. You have permission to depart. Safe travels, David Taylor."

They saw Captain Wozniak look to the helm. "Thank you, control. Helm, reverse reaction thrusters, ten gravities."

"Aye aye sir, reverse reaction thrusters, gravities," they heard the helm repeat.

"Astrogation, let me know when we've reached the impeller perimeter," the captain stated.

"Aye, sir."

Commander Wofford swiped his finger across a control panel and kept his eyes on the propulsion monitoring display. The ship coasted from its docking bay at ten gravities for seven minutes until astrogation announced that the ship had reached the impeller perimeter.

"Astrogation, do you have the course set for Basilisk terminus?" the captain asked.

"Aye sir."

He looked at the course and gave a nod. "Transmit the course to the helm."

"Aye sir."

The chief petty officer pressed a sensor. "Sir, I have the course."

They saw the captain look to the Engineering viewer. "Engineering, engage impeller drive."

"Aye sir, engaging impeller drive."

Commander Wofford looked at Lieutenant Commander Upton across the bay, standing by at Propulsion Two. Upton gave a thumbs up and Commander Wofford laid his palm on a sensor and pressed a sensor with the other hand.

"Captain, impeller drive engaged," Commander Wofford reported.

The captain spoke again. "Comm, notify flight control of our alpha translation for the Basilisk terminus, time now."

"Aye aye sir."

"Helm, alpha translation, standard acceleration, on my mark."

"Aye sir. Alpha translation, standard acceleration, on your mark, sir."

"Aaaand mark."

"Astro, note alpha translation at 0910 hours."

"Aye sir."

Commander Wofford stepped away from the monitoring panel, and a lieutenant took his place, signing in on the computer. "And now Lieutenant See is signing in to monitor propulsion one for first shift."

"As you can see," the commander told the group, "There's a flow, a rhythm of procedures if you will, for departing a station. Everyone has their part to play, but it's the captain's part to see that flow is executed correctly. You'll get to see it again when we arrive at Silesia. I'll also gather you around again when we transit through the Basilisk terminus. You may now return to your normally assigned duties."

June 18, 1925, 1400 hours

Two weeks into the cruise, Rachel knew she would never work as hard as would on her middy cruise. In engineering, there was always something to monitor, diagnose, and troubleshoot. Hipper had to adjust too, because some of the places she was working he couldn't be perched on her shoulder, and it wasn't safe for him to be there where was a lot of foot and cart traffic. He passed the time on a chair or perched on her section's monitoring station console, keeping an eye on her and learning how the engineering bay worked. Nate or Robert did the same as Hipper, as it wasn't necessary to be at her back while she was at work.

Because she was one of the captain's shuttle pilots, she had duties in the boat bay as well. She took Lt. Patino's advice to avoid burn-out and did more than just work. There were poker games in middy berthing with her fellow middies, scripture studies with fellow Graysons (and some curious Manticorans), and coup de vitesse - where the participants learned that she gave as good as she got. Those who worked with her were coming to know her as a smart, helpful, hard-working middie. There was a solid mind underneath the soft-spoken, unassuming Grayson princess.

After lunch, she was assigned to survey the primary hydroponics bay. Memo pad in hand, she arrived at her destination to some galley crew leaving the bay with fresh vegetables. Nate stood outside the main hatch while Hipper meandered about the bay, enjoying the sight and smell of the produce, the celery especially. PO2 Graves, one of the NCOs from her section, came into the bay.

"I'm your second pair of eyes and hands, ma'am" he said.

While she could perform the survey on her own, the sheer size of the bay was daunting, and having someone help would cut down on the time the survey would take.

"Let's be about it then," she said.

Twenty minutes in, the PO excused himself to the latrine and she continued her work. She noted an entry, A-1 Supply Closet, and glanced around the bay. Sure enough, a set of double hatches labeled A-1 was at the other end of the bay. Curious, she went to the hatches and tried to open them. They didn't budge. Now even more curious, she stepped back and looked for anything that was preventing her from opening the hatches. There were none that she could see. She looked at her memo board again. A survey for the bay had been done a month prior, to include the A-1 Supply Closet. She read through the survey information to see if there was a reason for the hatches to be locked, and she could find no reason.

Back in Engineering, Lt. Commander Duffey, Lt. Patino, and Lt. Herrera watched the goings-on in Hydroponics on a security feed.

"Think she'll pry it open?" Lt. Herrera asked.

"Depends on how curious she is," Lt. Patino suggested.

"Or how aggravated she gets," Commander Duffey added.

"We've been working with her for a couple weeks now, she doesn't seem like the type to get aggravated easily," Lt. Patino stated.

Do the hatches swing out or in?

She looked for the schematics of the bay and saw that the hatches weren't there.

That can't be right. I'm looking right at them! Why wouldn't hatches be on the schematic?

She left the bay and walked down the corridor for thirty meters where the closet was on the other side of the bulkhead. The bulkhead had no hatch, window, panel, or access point. She went back into the bay and studied the hatches again. She looked up and saw that there was no overhead access either. Determined to solve the mystery and complete the survey, she removed a hand-held plasma cutter and hammer from her tool belt, stepped to the hatch hand holds, and paused.

Wait, what if it's locked for a reason? I'm only a middie, should I dare wonder why Commander Wofford would want a hydroponics closet hatch closed in such a way? Then again, it's on a pending survey, due by 1700. I don't want to go back and tell them I didn't do it because it was locked. What kind of an engineer can't get a hatch open?

Decision made, she raised the plasma cutters and hammer and minutes later, she cut enough space to get the claw side of the hammer pried between the hand holds. With some back-and-forth tugging, the hatches opened centimeter by centimeter enough for her get a grip and physically push them apart. The sliding hatches instead sprung open, and she had to catch the doors to prevent falling into the space. Her feeling of triumph was short-lived when she saw what was inside.

The three officers laughed themselves silly when they saw her almost faceplant into the closet space and drop her arms in disbelief.

"Just how bad did you and Graves wreck it?" Commander Duffey asked.

Lt. Herrera shrugged. "If she decides to straighten it up, it'll take a couple of hours."

"She better get busy then, the survey is due by 1700," Commander Duffey said, masterfully keeping a straight face.

She scrolled through the previous survey and saw who had performed it, Ensign Roquefort. Surely he didn't leave it like this, did he? She thought to comm him, but he was on third shift, so she didn't want to bother him as he was probably asleep. She sighed, looked at her chrono, and got to work. The biggest mess she had ever seen of supplies, shelving, clay, bins, canisters, and who knows what else was awaiting her. It looked as if something inside the closet had exploded.

PO Graves, quiet as a mouse, returned to the bay and stopped a few meters from the closet. He heard disgruntled mumblings such as, "What the…" "This is seven years old!" "This model isn't even used anymore!" "This piece of crap doesn't even belong in hydroponics!"

He looked to the security viewer and gave it a thumbs up.

#

An 16:47 hours, Rachel reported to Lt. Herrera that the hydroponics survey was complete.

"Is it now…" he said, nodding in approval as he scrolled down her memo pad entries. "Hmm, what's this about a damaged closet hatch?"

"Oh…the hatches were sealed shut, sir. I had to use a cutter to get the hatches open, and there was a mess inside. I couldn't just leave it that way, so I picked it up. That's why I the survey took longer than expected," she said.

It suddenly hit her that PO Graves had never returned from the latrine to be her second pair of hands, but she wasn't going to snitch on him. Officers didn't place blame without good cause, but she would have a word with him to find out where he had been.

"PO Graves got called away to work on something in the Captain's quarters," the lieutenant said. "First watch is just about over, dismissed. Solid work today."

She nodded. "Thank you, sir. About the hatches, I-"

"I'll go and look, go get some dinner," he said.

"Yes sir."

#

Theresa saw Rachel enter their quarters and couldn't help but chuckle. She had something in her hair, a smudge of something on her chin, and she forgot to leave her tool belt in her section's tool room.

"What in the world were you doing today?" she asked, plucked something from Rachel's hair, and showed it to her.

"That's clay," Rachel said and stepped away to get her shower bag.

"Why is there clay on a starship? Is there an arts and crafts area I don't know about?" Theresa asked.

"Hydroponics. Clay pellets line the flow channels," Rachel explained.

"What's a flow channel?" Kirschner asked from his bunk.

"Veggies and fruits grow from flow channels," Rachel replied.

"Can we see?" Chatwood asked.

Rachel shrugged. "I don't see why not. After supper?"

June 19, 1925, 1900 hours

Supper was going to be somewhat different for Rachel, Theresa, and Kirschner that night. Their appointed place of duty that evening was dinner with captain, in dress uniform. Rachel, Theresa, and Kirschner looked each other over before leaving their berth. Rachel made sure that Hipper's fur was thoroughly brushed and cleaned as well. The signal at the hatch indicated visitors, so Chatwood let them in. Lt. Patino and the two other OCTOs inspected their charges and nodded in approval.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to be nervous. This isn't like mess nights at the academy. You won't get demerits for things like chewing with your mouth open, but please, don't chew with your mouth open," Lt. Patino suggested.

How many times have I heard mom say that? Rachel mused.

From Theresa's OCTO, "Or talk too loudly."

From Kirschner's OCTO, "You all know the toasts, right? Which one of you is the youngest?"

Theresa pointed to Kirschner. "I'm good, sir," he said.

They left their berth and found Robert waiting in the corridor in his dress uniform. Rachel gave him a once over and the four took the lift to the deck where the captain's mess was to be held. When they arrived at their destination, all of them took a deep breath and looked each other over one last time.

"Showtime," Rachel murmured and pressed the button for the hatch.

#