Month 14 Day 25
1710 Hours
Bugalu
It was a male voice coming around the
corner ahead. Someone is taking Mac to
task, and it isn't me. And it wasn't Doc MacGregor, either. Unless— Is there anybody else on the ship who goes
by 'Mac'? I can't think of anyone. Bugalu hurried to the corner to see
Oakhurst reach out for Mac's shoulder, an attempt to stop her from walking off.
"Don't touch me!" Mac
declared, and whirled back to face the computer specialist. The movement had rolled
her shoulder out of his grip. Surprisingly, her hands were not balled into
fists. "That was private research! You shouldn't have looked at it!"
"And I wouldn't have, if you'd
deleted it when you were done. Or even if you'd sent the results to your own
computer and deleted the program. You not only left it on my computer, you left
it open! I had to do something with it when I got to my office this morning,
and with the kind of results you got, it's only natural I glance at what you
were doing. I'm only human."
"You could have just closed it down
and kept your mouth shut!" Mac insisted. Her flashing eyes veered past the
computer specialist to see Bugalu, and she abruptly turned away. Bugs could
hear her swearing in Gaelund under her breath.
Well,
that's a fine way for her to act, after I've been a dutiful brother all these
years. "Mac!" he called out, thinking maybe this would
be his last chance to talk some sense into her. He took a step forward. "Wait
a minute!"
"What's going on here?" came
an angry demand from behind Bugs, and he stopped short, recognizing the voice.
Just like he had happened upon Oakhurst and Mac, now Smythe had happened upon
the three of them. Not only would Mac not speak any more to either lieutenant,
but Smythe would quickly send them on their way. There would be no talking any
sense to Mac, even at this late date.
"Come on, Rags." Bugs reached
out and took hold of the other man by his elbow. "She won't listen. Her
mind is made up."
"But, Bugalu, she—"
"I know," the helmsman stated.
If I don't get him out of here before he
says too much, he'll wind up on Smythe's bad side, also. "You're just
going to make her mad. Madder. And that would only make her more stubborn. So
forget about it and let's go do something more enjoyable."
"But Bugalu, she—"
"None of our business, Rags,"
Bugsy broke in. "Like she said. Just forget you ever even saw it." Whatever it is. What kind of program did she run on Rags' computer and
'forget' to turn off before she left?
"I thought you were better than
that, Mac," Rags said over his shoulder.
Bugs shushed him, tugged his arm a
little harder. "She's feeling desperate, Rags," he whispered to the
other man.
"Are you alright, my dear?"
Smythe asked solicitously behind them. "I know I told Bugalu to leave you alone. To not upset you again."
"I'm... okay." But there was a
quiver to her voice that revealed just how upset she was. "I think...
Could we go to your place, Smit?"
"My place?" He sounded
surprised by the suggestion. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I... think that would be a
good idea."
"Of course, Colleen. Whatever you
want."
Presumably they turned and took a
different direction, headed for the lifts or something. Bugalu didn't look back
to see.
Before long, the two men arrived at
Bugalu's quarters, and Bugsy poured his guest a drink. Then poured himself one
and took a good swallow. "What was the program Mac left on your computer
for you to find?"
Rags looked up in surprise, then
hurriedly took a drink from his glass. "You think she deliberately left it
for me to find?"
"I don't know. I don't know what it
was."
Rags frowned. "If she didn't want
me to find it, I don't know if I should tell you about it."
"Rags, I've been trying to keep Mac
out of trouble since she arrived at the Academy my junior year. My roommate was
her brother, and sometimes it took both of us to look out for her. She's my
adopted sister. If you can't tell me about it, then obviously it is too much a
secret to tell anyone about it."
Rags nodded very slowly as he considered
that. "But she's marrying Smythe."
"Is that who you wanted her to talk
to? About the program she ran?" He watched the other man consider the
question and whether or not he should answer it. "I've been her brother
for almost 10 years, Rags. I know her better than any other person on this
ship, even Mr Smythe. I've known she wanted to be an engineer since the
Academy, and he's only recently figured it out."
"Well, maybe that's so, Bugalu, but
this is about something really, really personal."
"So personal, even her family
shouldn't know about it?"
The specialist let out a long sigh.
"From the looks of it, she doesn't even want her future husband to know. I
mean, the program results should have shown her how wrong-headed that idea was,
but... well, you saw how she reacted when I confronted her about it."
"Like I said, her mind's made
up," Bugalu said. "From what I've seen of her lately, nobody and
nothing is going to make her change
her mind."
"Sure looks that way," Rags agreed
sadly, and took another drink from his glass.
Oakhurst wouldn't tell Bugs anything
about the program she'd run, her 'special project'. But she's basically an honest person. She might not admit it, but I
think her deception is taking a toll on her. Maybe she was trying to figure out
the best time and way to tell Smythe the truth. Space, I hope that's true.
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