Moving Forward

Month 11, Day 8

2209 Hours

Abdulla

 Smythe’s personal timer went off, and without a word, everybody started putting their tools away, marking where they had been working in the translated Yukoskian technical manual. Smythe always set his timer when they started working on this project; he was the type to completely lose track of time while he was working.

What a strange night this has been. First, Mac was late, but she warned us she would be, and it was less than half an hour. The advantages of working on a project ‘in our spare time’. But she came in with red eyes and a blotchy face, like she’d been crying. When I asked, all she did was shrug and say she’d been unpacking baggage. She’s been aboard almost a year, and she’s still unpacking? She didn’t bring that much with her.

Smythe had greeted her with a simple question about the Yukoskian manual, without growling, and it was like he and Mac each discovered the other had a brain, they kept nattering at each other, practically without including Ivy and me. And Smythe was smiling! Almost all night, like he couldn’t stop. It’s not to say it’s unlike him, I’m just not used to seeing it for hours on end.

And now, as we’re breaking up for the evening, he looks ready to ask another question. We decided long ago to end our sessions at 2200 hours, no matter how little or how much we got done. After 4 hours of concentrating, we need a break. Although, we did make some good advances today. I think. If we can eventually make it work will be the test.

“Shall we go and have coffee and pie?” Smitty asked. “As a reward for the progress we made today?”

He seemed to be addressing all of them, so... “Sure, I’m up for it,” Abdulla agreed.

As they rode the lift towards the messhall, Smitty turned to Mac. But instead of a technical question about the machine they were trying to build, he asked, “Was Oakhurst able to recreate your computer files for you?”

Mac rolled her eyes and exclaimed, “Oak is a wonder! I just wrote my programs and put the computer to work. But he had the main computer break into the work twice a day—for about 3 minutes each time—to save copies of my files! Why didn’t I think of that? Well, of course, I never expected...” She swallowed and went on. “...for my computer to land on the floor and be smashed, but still, I should have thought of it.”

“So you didn’t lose much of the work.” Ivy wanted to make sure she understood.

“About 7 hours worth. But considering I could have had to start from square one again, I’m happy with that.”

“Well, that is good news.” Smythe beamed.

“Does that mean you’re about to start teaching us the Yukoskian language?” Abdulla teased.

The corner of Mac’s mouth twitched. “Yes, I’ve 2 or 3 lessons ready. I was going to wait until I had enough for a book, but I can send them out, make adjustments according to what questions you guys ask me.”

“What else are you still working on?” Ivy asked.

“The Yukosk dictionary. I think that will progress much faster now that Kolla has sent me one of their dictionaries. Naturally, I sent one of ours back.”

Conversation continued as they enjoyed their pie and beverages. Eventually, they began taking turns telling an amusing anecdote, which had them all laughing until Abdulla’s personal alarm gently chimed. “Oh. Time for me to call it a night and head for bed,” she stated.

“Yes,” Ivy agreed. “I have a date with a pool table.”

“Smit,” Mac said uncertainly.

How does she get away with having shortened his name like that? Well, why do I let her call me Abs?

As Smythe turned his head her way, she asked, “Could I borrow a technical manual? With Tall Bear on days now, I usually find a quiet place to read for lunch.”

“I suppose so. Communications?”

“I passed my test,” she reminded him, slightly defensively.

“Yes, so you did. Then what...”

“I was thinking... the warp engine.”

“That’s... pretty advanced. Are you sure you don’t want to start with the sub-light engines?”

She hesitated, and looked confused. “Is there a lot of difference between those and tug engines? Because I’ve read the manual on tug engines.”

“You have?” His brow furrowed, but not in anger, more like confusion or concentration. “What other manuals have you read?”

“Quite a few,” Mac stated quietly. “Um, weapons, support appliances, computer hardware, computer software... Do I really need to list them all?”

“Bugs didn’t tell me that when he asked to borrow that warp engine manual for you,” Ivy blurted out.

Mac shrugged. “He doesn’t know. It’s just... something I do. Trying to stay out of trouble.”

Smitty looked from one woman to the other. “Wait, are you saying she’s already started reading the manual on the warp engine?”

Ivy swallowed and nodded. “When she was in the brig, Bugalu came and asked to borrow it, said he wanted something good and hard so she’d have to work to understand it, and wouldn’t be dwelling on... why she was in the brig.”

Smitty let out a deep sigh. “Well, there’s no sense in withholding it from you now, then, is there? Come along, let’s go get it.”

The four left the messhall. Abdulla and Ivy watched the other 2 head for a lift. “Why do I get the feeling it won’t be long before I lose a communications officer?” Abdulla asked.

Ivy smiled. “We could do a lot worse than add Mac to engineering.”

“She’s good at her job, and I just got her broke in. I don’t want to lose her,” Abdulla objected.

“I know it’s hard to believe, after she had such trouble passing her probation. But now that she knows it’s okay to be good at something, she is moving forward as fast as she can!”