The Date / The Plan

The Date

Month 11, Day 12

1904 Hours

Tall Bear

 Tall Bear was careful to keep his hands in his pockets as he and Mac walked to the theater. She had agreed to a date at New Year’s, but after Winthrop’s attack, he figured it would be quite a while before she was ready to consider it. So it surprised him when she had suggested a movie tonight. He didn’t even know what was playing. Nor did he care. He just didn’t want to do anything to frighten her, so he kept his hands in his pockets.

As they approached the theater’s concession area, he asked, “Did you want any popcorn or anything?” When she gave him a slightly confused look, he explained. “It’s fairly traditional to have popcorn and a beverage while you watch the movie.”

“Not for me. I just had breakfast. Tradition for Bugs and me is to have ham and pineapple pizza after the movie.”

“I didn’t know that. I didn’t order any pizza.”

“That’s okay. That’s my tradition with Bugs. If we continue to have more of these dates, maybe we should find our own tradition to go with it.”

“Oh, you mean, like following up with a cheeseburger and fries? Or an ice cream sundae?”

“Unless we watch the movie twice, it would be a little early for those. For me. Did you want to watch it twice?”

“I don’t even know what the movie is tonight,” he admitted.

“I don’t remember the name, but somebody said it’s a comedy. I could use a comedy. I’ve had to limit my sessions with Dr Fong to every 2nd day. Too much drama to do it every day anymore.”

“I don’t want to get too nosey, but is he helping you at all?”

She considered that question as they found seats in the middle of the auditorium. “I think so. But mostly I think I keep surprising him. I’m not sure he’s grasped that what surprises him is either boring and/or something I’ve tried to suppress a good deal of my life.”

“Like your father’s belief that women don’t know how to fix anything?”

“We haven’t even gotten to that one yet. And that’s only one of daddy’s many dictates.”

“Yeah, I can see where you would need time in between sessions,” he told her. “When I went to NAmerInd school, I was glad they left us so much time for ‘Inner Searching’. We not only were learning all the skills our ancestors had once mostly lost, but we needed to figure out how we were going to incorporate ourselves into the world we now lived in.”

“Why would you want to learn lost skills?”

Because it’s part of our heritage. No culture should have their heritage obliterated just because a new culture appears. Anyway, that’s what my ancestors thought. My recent ancestors. So several tribes banded together and formed schools where they could teach the old skills, ancient rites and myths to the youngsters. It’s pretty intense, but I thought it well worth the 2 years I spent there. Yellow Dog spent 3 years at hers.”

Somebody poked his nose between them and remarked, “So Tall Bear finally has a date with MacDowell. I knew there was something between you two, all those lunches together.”

“Adams, keep your nose out of my business,” Tall Bear told him without looking around.

“Or what, Mr Temporary Security Chief? Are you going to punch me and let me file charges against you?”

“No,” Tall Bear answered. “But I won’t see anything if my date does.”

“None of us will see a thing,” said a voice a little further away.

Wow. That’s what comes from her piping the midnight bridge conversation around the ship, I guess.

“Leave them alone, Adams,” said a female voice. “I only agreed to this date because you promised to be on your best behavior, and I’m already starting to regret it.”

That seemed to be enough to shut Adams up. Good thing, because the movie was starting. As the lights dimmed into darkness, Bear was astounded when one of Mac’s hands found his where it lay on his thigh. Slim, warm fingers slipped between his thumb and forefinger to rest against his palm.

Dr Fong isn’t the only one she’s surprising these days.

 

 

The Plan

Month 11, Day 16

1123 Hours

Smitty

 “Blossum, take a break,” the captain told her yeoman as Smitty followed Jane into her office. “Take a seat, Smitty.” Once they were both seated, she asked, “Have you had a chance to study the reports Oakhurst provided us?”

“I have, and I’m of a mind to break Lt Adams down to technician!”

“I know how you feel. My report on Evans is less clear than the one on Adams, but I’m demoting Evans to ensign and getting him off the bridge. And if he still doesn’t straighten up, I’ll either demote him again or transfer him off. Or both. So, who will you replace Adams with?”

Oh, blast! I haven’t given it a thought, I’ve been so riled over how little attention he’s given to engineering the past 6 months. Maybe Harris. No, she’s not ready for that kind of responsibility. 2 or 3 other names came to mind, and then another name, one he didn’t dare suggest for that position. “Um, captain, as you know, I’ve been working on that Yukosk machine with, um, Wilson, Abdulla and Colleen.”

“I remember,” Jane returned, looking mildly confused at this non-answer to her question. “Has Abdulla finally agreed to transfer to engineering? I thought she was happy on the bridge.”

“She is. Happy. No, it’s not her I’m thinking of.”

“Well, who, then? Wilson is already one of your shift supervisors, and MacDowell is communications. I’m not sure where that gets us.”

“As far as naming a new shift supervisor for engineering, not very far. But I must admit to being impressed with Co—MacDowell’s apparent grasp of engineering concepts. Then, too, I’ve recently found out she has a habit of reading technual manuals as ‘something to do’. She’s currently working her way through the one for the warp engine.”

“I can’t say I’m terribly surprised. Now that she knows she doesn’t have to hide it, it’s obvious she has a brain.”

“I’d like to... test how much engineering she does know,” he stated.

“To what end?”

“Well, you know I like to cross-train my people. But this one... there might be the possibility of transferring her into engineering. I mean, if she wants to. If not, then... there’s no need to cross-train her on things she already knows.”

“By all means, test her, cross-train her. However you want to do it. But don’t get your hopes up. After all, Abdulla hasn’t transferred yet.”

“Yes, sir. Then I’d like to move Wilson to A shift and have her work with MacDowell 2 days a week. And I’ll work out the next shift supervisor in the next day or two.”

“Make it snappy. These guys have been getting away with this for far too long. I want Evans off the bridge!”

Dealing with a problem

Month 10 Day 26

0803 Hours

Captain Jane Burke

Jane took her seat behind her desk, indicated the facing chair for Smitty. “Well, what is this about?” This had better be good, to explain why he ‘forgot’ his day off. Again.

“As soon as I learned that I had been wrong in my assumption about who built those mistletoe units, I came to the bridge to apologize and inform Co-MacDowell that her punishment was cancelled. Before I could get a word in, before I could even step off the lift, I heard some of the worst sexual harassment I’ve ever heard.”

Jane’s mood fell. Sounds like Evans is at it again. Some people never take a hint. “Evans?”

“Not just him. Adams was there instead of in engineering, and he was just as involved as Evans. I’ve come to file a complaint against both of them.”

“On her behalf,” Jane ended for him. “Good. I’ve wondered when she’d get fed up enough to do that.”

Smitty frowned. “She hasn’t. Or rather, she’s afraid that if she files charges, either she won’t be believed, or they’ll twist it around to seem that she’s having an affair with whomever she consults to file those charges.”

“I don’t understand. You just said she filed charges.”

“No, sir. I tried my best to convince her to, especially after I debriefed Firoz on the situation, but she utterly refused. I’m here to file charges myself, on her behalf, but without her approval.”

That’s unusual. But if anybody did it, I would expect it was Smitty. Still, it’s entirely possible he’d be named by the perpetrators as not a disinterested party. I don’t want her to think she isn’t believed, but we have to be careful with ‘this situation’. “I‘m not surprised, but you’re putting me in a bit of a spot.”

Smitty looked surprised. “What do you mean?” And then he got a little angry. “Captain, if you had any idea what she has to put up, night after night—”

“But I don’t,” she pointed out. “Not really, although I have a clue or two. That’s why Evans is now on D shift. It only gives him 2 nights a week to pester her. If he hasn’t taken the hint and is still up to his old behavior, I’m willing to take further action. But if she isn’t willing to file charges--or at the very least to back up your filing of charges--then he can easily twist that into you having some... interest in her yourself.”

“Captain!”

He’s appalled by the insinuation, and yet those red spots on his cheeks say something else. She motioned him into silence. “So we have to go about this carefully. Make sure we have plenty of evidence to back up the charges. Did you record Firoz’s debriefing?”

Smitty’s demeanor deflated. “No, I never thought to. I certainly never expected a woman who endures that kind of treatment to refuse to file charges!”

“So, we need to gather proof before we file charges. If she won’t, can’t or doesn’t want to cooperate, we have to gather that proof despite her. I can ‘debrief’ other members of the midnight bridge and make sure I record what they say. But there’s a chance one of them might tell someone, and before you know it, the pair of miscreants would hear about it and be warned. So before I do that, we should try to record what happens on the midnight shift on the bridge.”

Smitty nodded. “Right. Record the nights he’s on duty. But I don’t think she’d agree to doing that.”

“No, I meant every night she’s on duty, not just the nights Evans is on duty. We don’t want him claiming that his duty shifts are no different from the rest of them.”

Smitty’s brow furrowed. “True, he would be the type to make that claim. Still, I don’t think she’d do it. She seems pretty determined not to take any action against them. She’s afraid of the rumors they would spread if she did do something.”

“We’ll consult with Abdulla, make sure the recordings are without MacDowell’s knowledge. We certainly don’t want the victim to spill the beans about what we’re doing. If she had knowledge like that, it might slip out in a moment of unthinking anger.”

He looked thoughtful. “That... seems like a good idea,” he agreed.

“We should also take a look at how well they’ve been doing their jobs while they’ve been harassing her, compare it to nights when they haven’t been harassing her. That will open stricter forms of discipline, if their job performance has suffered from their intrapersonal pursuits.”

“That sounds good. There’s no way Adams can be doing his job properly when he isn’t even in engineering.”

Jane reached forward and pushed a button. “Lt Abdulla, would you come to my office, please?”

It only took a moment for Abdulla to make her appearance. “Yes, captain?”

“We want to audio record what happens on A shift every night that MacDowell is on duty, but not have her realize it’s happening. I assume you can arrange that.”

There was a hint of a smile on Abdulla’s face. “I’ve tried to get her to file charges, but she’s a stubborn girl, with some strange ideas in her head. As for recording, yes, I can set it up, but if I do it, I can’t guarantee she won’t notice. I suggest asking Rags—um, Lt Oakhurst to set it up. He can do it and cut out the telltale ‘recording’ light from the system so that she doesn’t realize it’s being done. Would you like me to talk to him?”

“Mr Smythe will,” Jane decided. “Thank you, Abdulla. Needless to say, if we don’t want MacDowell to know things are being recorded, we don’t want anyone else to know, either.” When the young woman nodded, Jane told her, “Dismissed.” After she had left, Jane turned to her Chief Engineer. “Do you understand all the recordings and reports we need Oakhurst to gather for us? Is there anything we’ve forgotten?”

“I remember,” he stated. “I’ve got another report I’ll have one of my people put together. Will you be informing Nichols?”

“Not until we’re ready to file charges. I don’t want any hint of what we’re doing to get back to Evans and Adams. Make sure your people understand that. And don’t tell anybody anything about this that you don’t have to. If they don’t know anything, they can’t let it slip.” She turned her head. “Is that understood, Blossum?”

“Yes, sir. I haven’t heard a word.”

“Good. Okay, Smitty, go consult with your people. I don’t know what shift Oakhurst is on today, but track him down at your earliest opportunity. I’ll send him a message that you are acting on my behalf, and if he has any questions about that, he can contact me directly. Consult with whoever you assign your report to. And then... get out of uniform and enjoy the rest of your day off!”

Smitty sighed at her final instruction. “Yes, sir.”

Second Try

Month 10 Day 26

0302 Hours

Smythe

Smythe swallowed and took a deep breath as the lift neared the bridge again. This time, I’ll keep this short, to the point and public; I won’t be distracted. The lift door opened.

“She’s been acting strange ever since she got back,” he heard Adams say. “That’s 4 diagnostics she’s started in an hour.” Is he still here?

“Maybe there’s a glitch she’s trying to track down,” Evans suggested.

“I doubt she’d be humming if that was the case,” Adams answered sourly.

“You know, she was flushed when she got back,” Evans pointed out.

“Yeah,” Adams agreed. “And her quarters are on Deck 4, too.”

“Think they had time?”

Is he trying to imply...

“Hard to tell, with a man his age. What about it, Mac, did you sink your claws into another senior officer?”

“Or, to put it another way, did he get sunk into you?” Evans snickered.

Smitty felt his temper rise at Evans’ daring. He did his best to tamp it down and smother it, because obviously she had been right about the slander these two would spread at any hint of outrage.

She noticed an incoming message, and made arrangements for it to be recorded. “That’s not a valid question to ask while on duty - or at any other time - so I won’t answer. Quit wasting my time and let me work.”

Adams placed his face right up to hers. “Why don’t you quit wasting time? Sooner or later—”

“Still here, Adams?” The entire bridge crew turned in surprise. Maybe I should make the lift open with a bit more noise. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe I should visit the bridge in the middle of the night more often. On the other hand, it isn’t a smart idea to deliberately seek her out when I have such strong reactions to her.

“Mr Smythe.” I can almost see his mind working on an excuse. “I, uh... Lt MacDowell is having difficulty with an irritating glitch, so I thought I would help.”

“Oh?” he asked, taking a step closer.

The redhead gave a delicate snort and muttered, “Like I need help from a half-wit engineer.” Does she mean all engineers are half-wits? Or only this particular one?

“If I remember correctly,” Smitty said calmly, “Communications is not one of your strong points, Adams. It would have made more sense to send Hicks.”

Adams swallowed. “Mr Smythe--“

“Adams,” he broke in ruthlessly. “I put you in charge of night shift because I thought you could handle the assignment. Having made the decision, I don’t like to change things around.” He waited half a beat. “Unless I need to.” He smiled, but felt no friendliness towards the man. “Have I made myself clear?”

“Absolutely,” Adams answered. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get back to deck 16.”

“Yes, do that,” Smythe agreed, and watched as the young man left. He turned to Evans, who was halfway back to his own post, and raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Were you assisting also, Evans?”

“Ahh, no,” the lieutenant replied, but offered no further explanation. He silently took his position at the helm.

“Then I’ll have a few words with MacDowell.”

Evans whirled. “Again?” He seemed aghast at his unthinking response and quickly added, “Of course, Mr Smythe. I’ll have someone cover for her, but, um... just in case we need her, will you... be on deck 4 again?”

Smitty’s heart stopped at the thought, but he fought not to let his reaction show. “Oh, no need for any of that. This won’t take long; I’ll simply speak with her here.”

“Oh. Okay. Of course.” He almost seems disappointed.

The incoming message was complete, and she methodically sent it through internal channels to its destination. This cool, efficient woman is so different from the bungling girl I remember from those first few days. His anger melted. “Colleen,” he began quietly, and took a step closer. “I’ve learned that I was mistaken, that you weren’t involved in those mistletoe units. Therefore, your confinement to quarters is canceled. I... hope you can forgive me. Also that you’ll consider what we discussed earlier. Good night.” He turned for the lift.

“Wait!” When he turned back, she nearly ran into him. “You’re canceling my punishment?” she declared, and it looked like panic in her eyes, instead of the relief he’d expected. “You can’t do that!”

“I just did,” he blurted, shocked once again by her contrary nature.

“No, but,” she protested, ‘what if I say that you weren’t mistaken after all?”

What is this? Does she want to be confined? Why? If she doesn’t feel like leaving her room, that’s her choice. “Are you saying Wilson lied to me?”

“Wilson?” she squeaked, completely distraught. “No, not Ivy.” She wrung her hands, looked everywhere but at him. “But the party! That never should have happened while I was confined.”

It’s true; for some reason, she wants to be confined, and she’s searching for a way to make me do it. How far will she go? It’s 1 thing to take one’s lumps, as Wilson said, but she hasn’t done anything to take lumps for. “Since the punishment was a mistake, I can hardly hold the party against you. Anyway, the party wasn’t your idea.”

“Oh, dear, this isn’t going right,” she muttered, and looked up in sudden inspiration. “Yes, dear. Whatever you think, dear. You’re the boss, dear.”

How dare she--! He stopped being mad by the time she reached the 3rd ‘dear’, and actually grinned at her when she got it all out. “Apparently, you’re trying to make me angry so I’ll confine you again. I don’t know why you want that, but I won’t be manipulated that easily. If you want to stay in your room, then stay there; don’t drag me into it.”

She muttered something he didn’t hear, bit her lower lip and turned back to her station. “Maybe Mac will throw me in sick bay. He always wants to.”

Smitty unaccountably found his teeth were grinding. “Perhaps so,” he agreed sourly, though she hadn’t been speaking to him, and retreated from the bridge.

First Try (Part 2)

Month 10 Day 26

0035 Hours

Smythe

Previously:

“Something needs to be done,” he agreed. But what? Lost in his thoughts, it took him a while to remember to dismiss Firoz. “And send her in,” he added.

Without looking, he knew when she entered the room. The temperature rose several degrees, and his clothes became... confining.

“Have a seat.” He pointed to the chair across from him; it would be best to have the table between them. She sat down without a word and he finally looked at her. She was studying him, a look of confusion on her face. For a time he could only stare at her, as he imagined himself arriving in the nick of time to rescue her-- Black Space, don’t think such things!

He pulled himself together. “I understand your position on the night shift has placed you under considerable strain.”

The confusion changed to surprise. “You do?” she asked.

She’s a mesmerizing vixen; it’s all I can do to keep my mind on the problem at hand. Finally, he gave an unnecessary little cough to pull his gaze away from her. “I want you--“ he started, and she scooted forward on her chair. “I think you should file charges against Lts Evans and Adams.”

She sat back, looking shocked. Then she giggled. A chuckle followed, and she was soon laughing uncontrollably. Hysterical? “I knew you were different the moment I saw you,” she finally stated, regaining some control.

“Different?”

“Past supervisors have tried to convince me not to file charges,” she stated, wiping her eyes. She calmed down and regarded him sadly. “But they were the ones I was filing against, not co-workers.”

“The situation is different here,” he said.

“It is.” She agreed. “Totally different.”

“Based on what I heard this evening, the charges you could file—”

“I can’t file charges.”

He regarded her for some time. “Why not?” he asked. She’ll probably say the same thing Firoz said.

She sighed. “It’s my record. On my previous assignments, long before now, I started filing charges. The more I filed, the worse it got. As if my filing proved they were making progress. Here, people say if I ignore it, it’ll stop eventually. My way doesn’t work, so I’m left trying that.” She exhaled deeply. “I wish I knew how long it’ll take.”

“It won’t work,” he told her bluntly. “Not with those two. I’ll have to lean on them long and hard before they’ll stop.”

She was shaking her head in apprehension and dismay. “No, not you!” she insisted desperately.

“I’m the logical person for you to go to, your supervisor. As well as Adams’ supervisor. I’ll have to involve Nichols, as Evans’ supervisor.”

“No,” she insisted. “Not you. Not Nichols, not the captain. I can’t file charges!”

“You can and you will!” he declared.

“I won’t!” she shot back, rising to her feet.

“Why in space not?” he demanded, also jumping up.

“Because I couldn’t stand listening to the intimate details of our affair!” she blurted. She turned white, and fell back into her chair, hiding her face with her hands.

Breathless from shock, he muttered, “We aren’t having an affair.”

“Of course not,” she stated. Her voice was muffled, but she sounded sad and... disappointed? “That won’t stop them.”

He slowly sat, his muddled mind churning sluggishly. “Stop them from what?”

“From... from telling everybody all the details!”

“There aren’t any details!” But there could be if--

“That won’t stop them!” she cried, uncovering her face. 2 tears left tracks down her face. “They won’t care that they’re lies! They’ll put their sick imaginations to work, and it will be you and I who have to live with the results!”

Finally, he understood what she meant. They wouldn’t be lies if-- “As long as we know the truth, does it matter? Most people will realize what they’re doing.”

She shrugged. “Oh, I don’t really care what people say, as long as I don’t have to listen to it. But I do have to listen to it. I mean, I can’t abandon my post, and there’s no way to make them shut up.” She sighed, staring at her hands in her lap. “It’s been kind of humorous, sometimes, to listen to their stories of me with Mac and Bugsy. They’re so far off base. Kind of educational, too, in a weird sort of way. But--“ She swallowed. “I don’t think I could stand it if they started saying those things about you.”

She hates me. Can’t stand the thought being paired with me, even in gossip. Good thing I haven’t made a fool of myself over her in public. MacGreg and Bugalu. I already knew that. He forced himself to suggest, “Then go to Dr MacGregor to make your complaint. It will complicate matters a bit, but--“

“Certainly not!” she declared. “It wouldn’t be fair to do anything that might look like confirmation of their accusations!” She shrugged again. “It wouldn’t be fair to any of the ship’s officers. So, if you’re done with me?” She rose, expecting to be dismissed.

“Not yet!” Smitty stood up, thrust out one arm so that his gold braid glittered against the red fabric. “We don’t get this kind of rank by being thin-skinned! Nor by being reluctant to do whatever needs done! So don’t think you need to protect any of us from the likes of Evans and Adams!”

A warm shiver went up his spine as he realized she was fondling his sleeve. Suddenly, she pulled her hand back and blushed. “I know it’s hard to believe anything good about me, Smit, but I accept punishment for my transgressions.” She stepped away from the table, muttered, “I should get back to work,” and started for the door.

He caught her by the arm before she got far, and pulled her back to face him. “But you haven’t done anything to be punished for!”

“No?” she asked breathlessly as her eyes studied his face guardedly. “Is that what you really think?”

“I think--: he began, but lost his train of thought. Her eyes are so green! “I think--“ he tried again. Someone pressed against him to kiss him. He smelled whiskey and lilacs. “MacDowell,” he groaned, but it was too late; already his hands were holding her close. He should send her away, but he couldn’t. He could feel his growing shaft confined between them, and his hands slid down to her buttocks. He could hardly feel her through the stiff stuff she wore. The paper tore; he could feel soft warmth through the rips.

But the paper wasn’t tearing. In fact, it didn’t feel like paper. He realized only parts of the scene were real; she was pressed against him, held tightly in pace by his hands on her derriere, and he was definitely responding. But the room was a briefing room, not his bedroom, the lights were on, and she wore a uniform. She was motionless, apparently speechless as she stared at him with a mixture of emotion on her face. Anticipation? Horror? Panic? Her fists rested on his arms, trembling.

Have I already kissed her, like in the dream? Or only getting ready to? Either way, my behavior has been unforgivable. He abruptly let go of her and stepped away, trying to put distance between them.

“Oh, dear.” Her whisper sounded confused and sexy, both at the same time.

I have to send her away. But the very reasons that made that imperative meant he didn’t know if he could. The soft firmness of her under me in my bed... No, that was a dream. But she’s here now, and would indubitable feel just fine on the table-- He jumped as her trembling fingers plucked at his sleeve.

“You’re on duty; get back to it.” It came out much sharper than he’d intended, he was so utterly tense.

He expected her to say, ‘If that’s all you want,’ and hoped he had the strength to keep his mouth shut and his hands off her, to let her go. But she made no attempt to take advantage of his obvious condition. “Yes, sir,” she responded quietly, and he heard the door sigh as she left.

With a gasp, he threw himself into a chair to regain control of himself.

First Try (Part 1)

Month 10 Day 26

0035 Hours

Smythe

The lift arrived too soon to suit Smitty, who was not sure how to phrase his apology. Not surprisingly, he heard some conversation between the door opening and his stepping off. “Mr Adams, that is a personal question that I choose not to answer,” Colleen stated stiffly. Adams is here? Smitty stepped unnoticed onto the bridge. Firoz, at the engineering console, caught sight of him; Smitty motioned for silence. What’s going on? 2 men stood flanking Colleen’s chair, leaning on it.

“I’m sorry I missed your party,” Adams told her. “I wouldn’t have let you substitute Bugalu for me, if I’d caught you under the mistletoe.”

“Don’t you need to modify the range to allow for proximity?” Evans asked.

“Not if we’re on course!” she growled through clenched teeth.

“That’s enough,” Smitty said softly.

She whirled, leaving Evans unbalanced as the chair pulled out from under his hand and struck Adams in the- The man’s face blanched as he leaned against the console and fought for breath.

Evans regained his feet. “You’re on report, MacDowell! For striking a superior!” His attitude suddenly changed. “Unless you care to... dissuade us from reporting this?”

She jumped up to face him. “Why stop with striking one officer? Why not assault 2?”

“Belay that!” Smitty roared, walked over to consider her... and realized she was wearing makeup. Not like that night on B-27, but... She doesn’t usually have dark circles under her eyes. What am I going to do with you?

She turned her head. “Are you asking for suggestions?” she whispered.

Oh, space! I said it aloud. How many others heard it? What kind of suggestions? Sitting at the same table, side by side, their knees touching, his hand on hers, her lips so sweet-- No, I don’t dare follow that question down that path. “I told you to keep a lid on that temper,” he reminded her loudly.

“Oh.” Her face turned a delicate pink. “Well, it has been 10 months,” she pointed out. “That’s a really long time. For me.”

“Has it?” he asked, and calculated the time. “10. And a half. Almost 11. Well, I can’t expect miracles overnight, can I?”

“Mr Smythe, I’m glad you witnessed it,” Evans stated. “I’m putting MacDowell on report for striking a superior officer!”

Doesn’t he realize- “Are you?” he asked. “What if her temper isn’t all I witnessed? What if the blow was accidental, and wouldn’t have happened if Adams hadn’t stood so close to her?” At least he has the sense to blanch, now that this isn’t going his way. “What I witnessed was one of the worst cases of harassment in history! I rather wish you-“

“Temper, temper,” he heard her whisper, and forced himself to calm down. Can’t expect her to stay calm if I can’t manage it.

“I wish you’d see that we are on course,” he groused. “Make do without a communications officer for a time; I need to speak to her.”

Evan’s eyes narrowed as he considered the woman suspiciously. “Yes, sir,” he stated, and turned for the helm.

Smitty turned to the lift, paused to consider Firoz. He told Adams, “I’m glad you’re here, Adams. Take Firoz’s place for a time; I need a few words with him, also.”

Adams swallowed, not yet over his pain. “Yes, sir,” he agreed hoarsely.

The 3 of them entered the lift, which he directed to deck 4. It had the closest briefing room. And... Colleen’s quarters. Maybe I should give her the rest of the night off. No, that won’t solve anything. He glanced at her, leaning in a corner, staring at the floor, arms crossed.

“Hey, Mac.” Firoz reached for her shoulder, but her forearm batted his hand away.

“Don’t touch me!” she hissed.

“I don’t know how you put up with it,” Firoz told her quietly. “Or why.”

“What can I do?” she returned shortly, but just as softly. “I’d just give them more material for their dirty imaginations.”

The door opened. Smitty paused at the briefing room door. “You first, Firoz. MacDowell, you can go to your quarters, if you need a drink or...”

She shook her head grimly. “I need a belt, but... not on duty.”

Startled, he was ready to tartly tell her he hadn’t meant alcohol, but pulled his temper under control. How does she irritate me so easily? I’d have found the remark amusing, if Abdulla had made it. Well, at least she expressed the right idea; not on duty. “Yes, he mumbled. “Glad to hear it. I’ll be ready for you in a moment.”

“Promises, promises,” she uttered. He refused to dwell on the meaning of that, and entered the briefing room.

“Mac, don’t you ever think before you speak?” Firoz asked her.

“Now what did I say?” she asked, sounding exasperated.

He chuckled. “Ask Tall Bear at lunch. He’ll explain.”

“Umm, I may not be having lunch with TB.”

He seemed surprised. “No? Well, then I’ll explain after shift.”

When the door closed, Smitty took a seat and motioned the other engineer to another. “You seem to be friendly with Lt MacDowell,” he observed.

“She’s all right,” Firoz replied guardedly.

Now he remembered; Firoz prefers men. Well, move on. It doesn’t change why I’ve got him here. It might even be better. “I’m appalled by what I heard on the bridge. Tell me how that got started.”

Firoz scowled. “Evans needs to be put in his place, but I can’t squeal. That’s how he’d see it.” His dark eyes held anger. “He can be blasted mean. To anybody he feels is in his way.”

“Then you condone his behavior,” Smitty suggested

Firoz shivered in disgust. “I should be spaced if I do!”

“If you don’t act, you might as well encourage him,” he pointed out. The younger man hesitated, and Smitty went on. “Try to look at this as a debriefing.”

Now the swarthy features grinned. “A debriefing! Exactly! What would you like to know, Mr Smythe?”

“How many times has Lt Adams come to the bridge while on duty?”

“Just on duty?”

“Does he come when he’s off duty?”

Firoz shrugged. “Doesn’t seem to matter to him. He’s been showing up pretty much the last... almost 11 months.”

11 months? “Every night?”

“Whenever Mac and Evans are working. He tried to come when Evans wasn’t on duty, but Amana put an end to that.”

Amana? Oh, the relief helmsman. Correction. Evans is relief these days; Amana is midnights. From what I remember, she’s a no-nonsense woman. “What’s his reason for being on the bridge?”

“To pester Mac.”

“I mean, his official reason.”

“Don’t know that he bothers with one,” Firoz answered.

“What I heard tonight, was that typical? Or was this a special case?”

“Well, they referred to the party and mistletoe, and they don’t usually have that material to work with. But actually, what you heard was pretty tame.”

“Tame?”

“Of course, the shift has hardly started. Last week, they went into graphic detail about...” Smitty listened in growing horror at the tale of persecution the redhead had to endure, night after night. Firoz suddenly stopped. “Are you okay?”

“What?”

“You’re looking kind of... green.”

“What you’ve described is pretty--“

“Raunchy,” Firoz agreed.

I was going to say ‘graphic’, but ‘raunchy’ is a better choice.

The younger man went on. “Pretty sickening to listen to. I keep expecting Tall Bear to punch one of them. Either one would suite me. Or both.”

“Tall Bear,” Smitty repeated. Across the messhall, Tall Bear kissed the redhead under the mistletoe, her hands firmly held by his own...

“--lunch with her,” Firoz was saying. “Otherwise, they’d go to lunch, too, and she’d have to endure it even then. By having lunch with Tall Bear, she has a chance to calm down. But he’s never even threatened them. Which I don’t understand, if he’s trying to get on her good side.”

Is he rambling? Or have I lost track of things? “What I saw was pretty horrible. If it gets even worse—” He sighed. “Why does she put up with it?”

“Because of their insinuations,” Firoz replied. “Since she keeps refusing them, they’ve decided she’s a braid-chaser.”

“Braid chaser!”

“That’s someone who--“

“I know what it is,” he told the man tartly. Do they know about— Do I dare to ask? “Who... who do they say she’s—”

Firoz gave him a strange look. All my talk about ‘no gossip’, and here I’m asking him to repeat it! But then the junior engineer answered. “Well, MacGregor, Winthrop and Moor are the only names they’ve used so far. So if she went to one of those with a complaint about them—she’d be a fool to go to Winthrop—they’d claim it was proof of their allegations. And if she went to another officer, they’d claim she was having an affair with him. So... checkmate.”

They’re bluffing. Surely she’s smart enough to realize that?

“She shouldn’t be on the night bridge, Mr Smythe,” Firoz stated. “Haven’t you wondered why no woman accepts duty there? There’s no women in night engineering, either. So both Evans and Adams have set their sights on Mac. Can’t you do anything about it?”

“Something needs to be done,” he agreed. But what? Lost in his thoughts, it took him a while to remember to dismiss Firoz. “And send her in,” he added.