Off Track

Month 7 Day 17

0724 Hours

Smitty

“May I join you?”

Smitty stifled a sigh and turned off his reader. “Of course.”

Capt Burke sat down. “You say that, but you were late for supper last night, and now early for breakfast. A girl might think you’re avoiding her.”

“Something came up at shift change yesterday.”

“Something you couldn’t pass to an underling?” Jane asked.

“I felt like getting my hands dirty.”

“I see.” She delivered a forkful of scrambled eggs to her mouth. MacGregor sat down without asking. “Getting your hands dirty again this morning?”

“I’m headed for the bridge. I have a favor to ask of Lt Abdulla.”

Jane took a sip of coffee. “She’s off duty today.”

“She is?” Blast!

“So I’m not the only one who forgets an underling’s schedule.” Drake scowled at his food.

Smitty defended himself. “You can’t blame me! This whole ship hasn’t been normal for the last 6 -“ Months. No, can’t say that. “Weeks,” he finally finished.

“Longer than that,” Jane disagreed. “Things got out of whack when the flu hit, even before we discovered Yukosk. We’re just now starting to remember ‘normal’.”

“Yes,” Smitty agreed, trying not to think of seductive eyes and enticing lips. That wasn’t her! It was Kolla!

“Don’t expect Temple to forgive you easily,” Jane told Drake. “Why have a head nurse if you don’t ask her opinion about new staff?”

So that’s why Beth is mad.

Having buttered his toast, Drake offered, “I had things on my mind.”

“The entire crew can say that.” She turned her gaze to Smitty. “Why Abdulla? You’ve got other communications lieutenants.“

“She’s the Senior.”

“Oh. For her opinion? Or to give her a chance to use her rank?”

“No. It’s, uh...” He touched e-reader lightly. “I need a technical manual translated.”

She stared at him. “Where did you get a non-English technual?”

“It’s a gift from S’thmye.”

Jane sipped her coffee and her lips curled into a smile. “I assume you gave him something similar. Did you get your gift translated before you gave it?”

His cheeks burned. “I never thought of it.”

She laughed. “Engineers! So happy to get a new toy, they don’t care if they can’t make sense of the instructions!” She started cutting her ham. “It will be 2 days before Abdulla is on duty. Personally, I think it makes more sense to ask MacDowell.”

Colleen? “She’s the junior in communications.”

“Rank doesn’t always indicate their skill. In this case, MacDowell was the first to make contact. A Yukoskian shared her body and mind, which is blasted intimate. She came out of that with full knowledge of their language, and enough of Kolla’s knowledge and skills that for a few days, she couldn’t tell their technology from ours. That knowledge might be useful in translating your technual.”

“I... don’t want to cause her more confusion.”

Jane considered him as she chewed. “Your decision. But since we’re on the subject of MacDowell, who has passed probation, when will you start her cross-training?”

He felt panic rising. Assigning her a teacher, tests to see what she’s learned - ! “I... I’m not sure. She studied so hard, worked around the clock during quarantine, shared her body with Kolla, as you just said, got sick, then negotiating, and...” He took a deep breath. “I thought I’d give her time to settle into a normal routine.”

Jane nodded, wraggled her finger at him as she swallowed. “Don’t wait too long, Smitty. She might find something else to grab her attention. Like those 2 papers she’s written so far.” Smitty tried to relax as they ate silently, but Jane didn’t stay quiet for long. “You know, I don’t know anybody else who can speak 12 languages. No, 12 isn’t right. It must be 15 languages.”

Why so interested in my underling? “I’ve read her file. Colleen took a different language class each year at the academy, and tested out of 8 more. Unusual, but not unheard of. That’s not 15, it’s 12.”

“She’s from a colony; English is not her first language. English would be 13, and her home language 14. Now, she knows Yukosk. She only needs a translator because she can’t hear or speak at their frequency. That’s 15.”

“She converses comfortably with Takor,” Drake added. “16.”

“When did learn Scissan? She’s done nothing but study communications since she got here!”

“She’s intelligent,” Jane stated. “When intelligent people want to learn something, they soak it up like a sponge.”

Smitty turned his head away, hoping to hide his unease and saw a familiar face join Bugalu and Capac at another table. Civilian clothes, but... oh, well. “Excuse me a moment.” He grabbed his e-reader and crossed the room. “Lt Abdulla,” he greeted with a smile.

Abdulla looked up from stirring her coffee, held up a finger. “Mr Smythe, I’m not on duty today. If this can’t wait 48 hours, Clines is on duty at 1600.”

“It’s a simple question,” he protested.

She took a calming breath. “What is it?”

“I have a technual I need translated.”

Two small furrows appeared at the top of her nose. “Well, ‘who’ will depend on what language.“

“Yukoskian.”

Her face fell. “That’s either me or-“

“What alphabet?” Bugalu asked.

Smitty glanced at the younger man. “I assume it’s theirs, because it isn’t ours.”

“Mac is your best bet,” Abdulla stated and hunched one shoulder. “Your only bet, really. I’m still learning their alphabet. So...” She gave him a long look. “Do you want me to give it to her? When I officially see her in 2 days?”

Every time I want to avoid her, things push us together. “No, I... I can ask her.” He started to turn away.

“Mr Smythe, when you do, please consider putting limits on her,” Bugalu suggested.

Smitty turned back, trying to understand. “Limits?”

“Something like, she can’t translate more than 5 pages a day.”

“5 pages!” He stared, aghast at such slow progress.

“I’ve seen that look before,” Capac stated.

Bugalu agreed. “Every time I’ve told Mac to put her studies away.”

“2 of a kind,” Abdulla whispered, and straightened her back. “I agree. I’m afraid if you don’t limit her, she’ll work an 8 hour shift and spend the next 16 hours translating. Several days running, if she needs to. She tends to get carried away.”

She can’t have enough liquor left to keep up that pace. By my count, she’s gone through 3 times the amount allowed. He stepped away from the trio, muttered a quick ‘thank you,’ and headed for the bridge, the rest of his breakfast forgotten.

When the lift door opened at the bridge, Lt Evans quickly returned to his own station. Colleen pressed a blinking light. “Bridge. MacDowell.” Her face brightened as the other person spoke. “Good morning, Temple! Are you ready to sign in?” She listened, leaning back in her chair. “Of course I’m done. Been done for hours.” Her fingers flew over her controls. “Okay, your console is active.” Her nose wrinkled. “I don’t know your password. I made one up, which you can change to whatever you want. Each word is capitalized, but no spaces and no punctuation: Smart And Savvy Liz.” A sly smile curled her mouth. “I know you hate it; I included it so you’d change it immediately.” The smile broadened. “Happy to help, Temple. I’ll see you later.” The lift door opened again, and Colleen turned to greet - Her face froze. “Smit,” she whispered.

He swallowed a lump that suddenly existed in this throat and took a few steps forward, although he couldn’t remember what he had planned to say. “I... wanted to see how you’re doing. You gave Dr Davis a scare at the party that last night. Any... lingering... uh...”

“I’m well.”

“Good. That’s good. And, um, now that, uh, you’ve passed probation, and the quarantine is lifted, and Yukosk is behind us - kind of - what do you think? Will you be able to settle into a somewhat normal schedule before long?” I’m making a mess of this!

It was her turn to swallow as she stared at him. “I’m trying. It’s hard to sleep for 8 hours, but I never got to sleep much on the tugs, so that’s a... luxury. I’m exercising. I spend time with friends, and...” She canted her head. “Why do you ask?”

He took a breath. “Abdulla said you were the one for this assignment. Uh, more of a favor, really. S’thyme gave me a gift before we left, and... uh, it’s in Yukosk.”

She didn’t look as enthusiastic as he’d been led to believe. “I’m surprised she suggested me. The others need the practice.”

“In their alphabet,” he specified.

“Oh!” Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she got to her feet. “I’d be glad to do that.”

Smitty pulled the chip from his e-reader. “Now, before I give this to you, I don’t want translating this to take all your free time. I don’t expect team members to kill themselves trying to make brownie points. So work your shift, get your sleep, exercise and have fun. Don’t work any more than 3 or 4 hours-“

“2 hours,” Jane suggested from behind him.

“That’s what I meant,” he corrected, hiding his disappointment. “Work on this no more than 2 hours a day. Is that understood?”

Her brow furrowed at the cut in time, she paused for some internal calculating. “I could set a timer to tell me to stop,” she muttered.

“Fine,” he approved. “You’ve done that before.”

“Yes, I-“ She looked him in the eyes and held out her hand, palm up. “I can do that, Smit.”

“Good.” He lowered the chip to her palm. Did she feel that too? Is she thinking- No. There was no electricity between my fingers and her palm. Get away from her, Smitty, and stay away from her from now on! He turned and headed for the lift door with midnighters who had been relieved from duty.

“Was that about your cross-training?” Smitty heard Chun ask.

“What cross-training?”

The door closed and the lift moved away. I’d better start planning that. Maybe I shouldn’t... be actively involved in the testing procedure.