Unplanned Meeting

Month 15 Day 7

20:30 Hours

Smitty

Smitty's stomach growled as he entered the mess hall. Lunch had had no taste, so he hadn't eaten much. Later, he begged off dinner with the captain, 'to do research'. What he had actually done was sit in his office and write a letter to Stinky, trying to assure his friend that although these periodic changes to their ships were designed by 'desk engineers', they generally wouldn't make the ships less safe for those assigned to them. Stinky had no confidence in desk engineers, and was seriously obsessed with the integrity of the crystals used in the warp engines.

As soon as he sent the letter for transmission, he'd become aware of his empty stomach, and had come here for supper.

He looked around, saw a woman with vivid red hair. Coincidence. I had no reason to think she would be eating this late.

The place was nearly empty, he could have sat anywhere. Instead, he approached Colleen's table. "Would you mind if I join you?"

She didn't look up far enough to see his face, seemed intent on staring at her food, rather than eat it. But she did glance around at all the empty tables. She's going to tell me to go away.

She surprised him by kicking the chair opposite her so that it slid a foot away from her table. "Sit down."

He sat, saw her take a spoonful of soup and make a face. Soup and iced tea was all that was on her tray. Plus a packet of crackers. And a fluffy pile of empty packets that had formerly contained crackers. "You're eating late tonight," he observed.

"Yes," she returned and opened her last packet of crackers. " She glanced up briefly. "So are you."

He nodded. "I've been too upset most of the day to think about food."

She looked up again, a look of interest in her eyes. "You seemed preoccupied this afternoon. Problems with the port warp engine?"

He shook his head and sipped his coffee. "No, that was relatively simple. Should have taken you with me; it would have been good experience for you." And then he heard himself say, "Captain accused me of stalking you."

Her face showed surprise, then guarded wariness as she leaned back in her chair, the cracker resting loosely in her hand. "Have you been?"

Not what I wanted to talk about! Blast me for saying anything about it. Now we have to discuss it. He lifted some cole slaw to his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Finally, "I've thought about the accusation, and I can understand why someone might think it, as often as we've run into each other off shift. But there's only been 2 times I've deliberately looked for you after shift, and that was the 2 times I went to sick bay to make sure you got home okay."

She frowned and took a nip of her cracker. "2 times?"

"You wouldn't remember the 2nd time; you were falling asleep before Dr Davis sent Tall Bear in to collect you."

"You're right. I don't remember you being there."

"Well, I was. But Tall Bear seemed capable of getting you home."

She gave a slow nod. "That's why I asked him to do it." She took another nibble on her cracker while he buttered his roll. "So all the other times... Like the movie..."

"Pure accident. There are only so many types of entertainment on this ship."

"That's true," she agreed, and sighed, took another nibble from her cracker, stared at her bowl of soup.

"Is something wrong with your soup?" he asked.

Her face scrunched in distaste. "It's gone cold."

"You could ask them to reheat it," he suggested. "Or get something else."

She gave a shake of her head. "I don't have any appetite. I should stop wasting time and go re-read Kolla's letters. Again."

His chicken and rice was a little dry, no doubt because he was late having his supper. It still tasted good. "What are you looking for this time? In her letters?"

"Anything that might give me a clue as to how they measure things. Time, distance, anything."

"Oh." He ate one of his brussel sprouts, which had become a little soft. "How much do you know about their measurements?"

"Nothing. While we were there, we each had some memory of the other's terms for time and distance, but we just translated them into our own terms, without knowing if they were anywhere close to the same. I know their term for 'day', but not how long one of their days is."

"25 hours and 16 minutes," Smitty stated. "The astronomy guys always figure that stuff out when we approach a planet. Their year is about 384.27 days. Is that the kind of stuff you're looking for?"

Well, what I really want to know is how broad is a back hair of a wild tzuksha?"

He looked up from his food. "A wild what?"

She grimaced. "I think it's something like a wild boar. Or a predatory turkey? I'm not sure what it is, so when Kolla mentioned a measurement of 'half the breadth of a wild tzuksha's back hair', I took it to mean something really small. Like a human hair. But after reading the results of your last experiments, I'm wondering if I was wrong. Unfortunately, I won't get an answer from Kolla by tomorrow."

He looked at her in confusion. "What does a wild animal have to do with a transportation device?"

"Only that they use the breath of the back hairs as a form of measurement."

"Are you saying we may have built the machine with the wrong measurements?"

"Not really. The manual specified what each piece had to do, and that's what we built each piece to do. Our machines don't look much like theirs, but they should work."

"Now I'm completely flummoxed. Where does the wild animal come in at?"

"When Kolla heard we were about to start experiments, she said something about leaving some distance between the item being sent and the place it was to land. Otherwise, the 2 substances would merge where they touched, and their structural integrity could be compromised."

He stared at her in sudden comprehension. "I thought the contact had merely stained the Petri dishes."

"From the sounds of it, it's more than that."

"Then what we need to do is program the machines to re-materialize the test subject at a point above the Petri dish."

"Yes. How far above is what I'm trying to figure out." She ate the last of her cracker.

"Who cares?" he asked. "I mean, yes, we need to find the optimum distance, but we start with an inch and adjust from there." He beamed at her. "You've done it, Colleen. Now we've got something to try when we meet for more experiments tomorrow."

"Good. But it was Kolla who told me the answer. I got stuck with the details."

"Details are important," he told her. "But at the same time, you have to keep your eyes on the broader picture."

"I'll have to practice that," she stated, and looked around the table, made sure all her empty cracker packets were on her tray. "I'm going to go. Plenty of stuff for me to do."

"I wish you'd stay," he said as she rose to her feet.

She gave him a guarded look. "Mr Smythe, the gossips already have enough lies to say about me, without my giving them anything else to speculate about."

"But we were actually talking."

"Yes. About work," she pointed out. "Excuse me." She picked up her tray and left.

Smitty forced himself not to watch her leave. He could still smell her lavender perfume. A sad loneliness fell over the table. His food wasn't as tasty as before; it seemed slightly overcooked from being on the buffet line for so long.

With this revelation about the transportation machines, our experiments might go better tomorrow night. Possibly so well, we might decide to celebrate. Surely she won't begrudge me that, when we've all worked so hard on this project!

A Stalker?

Month 15 Day 7

08:19 Hours

Captain Burke

Jane stopped just inside Smitty's office and looked. Except for the redhead sitting behind the desk, the room was empty. "You're here alone?" she asked, when the answer was obvious. At least I didn't catch them together, behaving inappropriately.

"Yes, sir," MacDowell answered. "Mr Smythe has me use his computer to do the paperwork while I'm on light duty."

That must be why his paperwork has been showing up much earlier than when he does it himself. "Well, I came to speak with Mr Smythe. Where can I find him?"

MacDowell stopped typing to consult the screens on the walls. "I believe he mentioned double-checking the work he did yesterday on the port warp engine, but I don't see him there. I would guess he's either inside the machine, or perhaps he's on his way back."

"He worked on it yesterday?"

"Yes, sir."

Then double-checking it today is probably a formality, and he's on his way back. "I'll wait for him," she announced and sat down in the chair facing the desk. MacDowell continued her work. Jane observed the occasional wince when she moved her right arm. "How is your shoulder doing, lieutenant?"

"It's still stiff, but it's getting better."

"And how do you like light duty?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Go ahead." She doesn't like it.

"It's unimaginative and repetitious."

"The higher in rank you go, the more paperwork there is to do."

"So I've noticed, sir."

Of course she has. "I've noticed Smitty has you designated as a trainee for half days."

MacDowell glanced at her fleetingly. "That's so that somebody can take over if the task requires I do something my shoulder isn't able to do."

"That must rankle, having somebody constantly looking over your shoulder."

"I'm hoping it won't be necessary too long."

Meaning, she's resigned to putting up with it. "I understand you went to see the movie last night."

A startled glance. "Yes, sir."

"Mr Bugalu said Mr Smythe sat directly behind you."

"He started out directly behind me, but moved over a seat so that a couple could sit together."

"Did that make you uncomfortable, to have him there?"

MacDowell hesitated in her typing. "He behaved like a gentleman."

Jane could almost hear 'this time' on the end of that sentence. But she didn't ask for details.

The redhead glanced up at the screens again. "Mr Smythe has just entered engineering, captain."

"Good." She stood up and turned for the doorway. "If he does anything to bother you, let me know, and I'll talk with him."

MacDowell looked up suddenly, pain in her eyes. "You don't believe we'll get back together?"

"Only you two know that," Jane answered, and moved out to the engineering lobby, where she caught Smitty putting his tool belt away. "Just the person I've been waiting for. Let's go get a cup of coffee."

Startled, he glanced at the clock. Their shift wasn't even an hour old. "Now? I mean, of course. I could use one."

They went to the lift, but Jane sent it to the nearest privacy room. "I need to talk to you," she told him as she shut the door and locked it behind them.

He seemed surprised by her choice of location. "Surely there's a better place to talk than here."

"Not necessarily," Jane answered, and sat down at the small table. "Take a seat," she suggested, gesturing to the other chair.

He did as he was told, his brow furrowed. "What's this about, captain?"

"Are you stalking Lt MacDowell?"

"Colleen?" he whispered, and then shock spread through him. "What? No! Did she say I have been?"

"She said you behaved like a gentleman last night at the movie," Jane admitted. "I didn't have time to ask about the times you met her as she left sick bay, or in the rec room."

Smitty's face reddened. "It's not a large ship, Captain, we're bound to run across each other from time to time. I didn't know she'd be at the movie last night, and I went to the rec room to play some pool."

"And waiting for her outside sick bay?"

He hesitated, and then confessed. "Yes, I did that. She is my subordinate, and after the total screw up that happened her first time with the healing ray, I wanted to make sure she could get home okay."

"She's only had the healing ray twice."

"Yes," he agreed. "The other time I met her there, I managed to get her to talk to me, a bit, as I walked her home. I'm trying to keep communication open between us, captain. Without that, I haven't got a chance."

"How many other times have you 'accidentally' run across her in the past week?"

"None," he asserted, then added, "Oh, I've seen her at a distance, various places, such as the mess hall or walking down a corridor. But those were all purely by chance, and I did nothing to get her attention!"

They were both silent for a long moment. "I had a feeling you weren't ready to give up on her," Jane told him. "And you're probably on the right track, trying to keep communications open. As long as you keep your jealousy under control. Which, as bad as I've seen you display it, I'm surprised she could say you behaved like a gentleman last night."

He blushed, and for a moment, he seemed at a loss for words. "Well..." He spread his hands over the tabletop. "I overheard their conversation. As they settled in their seats."

It seemed to be all he was going to say on the matter. It wasn't enough for Jane. "And?"

"It... wasn't very lover-like."

Jane gave him a slow smile. "Perhaps because they aren't lovers. But I don't suppose one overheard conversation is enough to convince you of that. At least it seems to have made you think about other possibilities. I hope." She gave a deep sigh. Personal matters are always so complicated. "Just be careful, Smitty. It can be a mighty thin line between pursuing someone and stalking them."

"Yes, captain," he returned. "We got carried away, in a hurry, the first time. I'm trying to take it slower this time."

The most sane thing he's said so far. "Good. Now, I understand you did some work on the port warp engine yesterday. I didn't see it mentioned in your daily report."

"Captain, if I reported everything we do, I'd never get a daily report done. It was nothing."

"The warp engines don't sound like 'nothing' to me," she told him. "It sounds serious."

"It was a tiny blip," he returned. "It was a slight imperfection in the alignment of the power stream through one of the crystals. We just had to figure out which one and get it re-aligned, is all."

It still sounds blasted serious. Or that it could have become serious. But Smitty seems to find potential problems before they become much of anything. "Good. Always on top of things, aren't you? I suppose if you did report every little 'blip', as you put it, I would be a nervous wreck."

"And there's no reason to notify you of every blip. I save notifying you for the more serious stuff."

"Good to know." She stood up and unlocked the door. "So, be careful with MacDowell. And keep up the good work." She opened the door and headed back to the bridge.

Mac's Limitations & Quiet Night at the Movie

Mac's Limitations

Month 15 Day 6

0757 Hours

Ivy Wilson

"Look at you!" Ivy greeted the redhead who entered engineering. "No more sling!"

"Not a minute too soon, to my thinking," Mac replied joyously, raising her right arm up to about shoulder height. She grimaced and grabbed that shoulder with her left hand as she dropped the arm. "Although it's still sore and stiff."

"So, are you on light duty or not?" Ivy asked.

Mac shook her head, which threatened to toss a couple curls out of her chignon. "I honestly don't know. Dr Davis said she'd have to consult with Smi—uh, Mr Smythe."

So naturally, Smythe chose that moment to emerge from his office and approach them. "You're on light duty for the next several mornings."

Mac's lips moved, but no sound emerged, so she was probably cussing.

"I know how you feel," Smythe told her. "But we don't want to risk putting you back in a sling. Happily, your automation of the assignment sheets appear to be working. I've already sent our shift's roster to the captain's office. So you can continue with the other paperwork you've learned to do so effectively until lunchtime." He turned to walk off.

"And then what?" Mac asked hurriedly.

"Oh, well..." He seemed reluctant to tell her.

Does he not want her afternoon assignment to be overheard by the rest of engineering? Is it that embarrassing?

"After lunch, you'll be on trainee status," he revealed quietly.

It is that embarrassing!

"Trainee!" Mac declared in dismay.

Smythe held up a hand to calm her down. "Not because we doubt your knowledge. Or your skills. But because we don't want you trying to do something that your shoulder can't quite do yet. Like I said, let's not have you back in a sling."

Mac sighed in resignation, her shoulders slightly slumped. "Well, I guess that's some progress."

"It is," Smythe agreed. "And glad I am to let you do something besides paperwork. It's not the most exciting work to be done."

"You've got that right," Mac muttered. "It's not even challenging. It's simply... repetitious."

"Don't think being on trainee status will be much better, but at least you'll be able to move around."

"Thank you, sir," Mac told him.

"Who will be supervising her?" Ivy asked, because it looked like he was going to turn away without specifying, and she had her own thoughts on who would be a good fit for the job.

"I will," he stated right away. "She's my protégé."

"Oh." Who could object to that? Although I think Mac would, if she felt she could.

Then Smythe hesitated. "Assuming I'm free this afternoon." Mac cocked her head a degree or two to one side, as if she wanted to ask for more information, but wasn't sure she should. Smythe went on. "There's been an irregular blip in the port warp drive engine yesterday, and Wilson noticed it once during A shift, but couldn't track it down. So that's where Lt Ingram and I will be this morning, tracking it down and eliminating it. If we don't get done by lunch, you'll report to Ensign Stewart, who will supervise your work this afternoon."

"I'll report to an ensign?" Mac asked, and then snapped to attention. "Yes, sir."

Smythe considered her for a moment, then told her, "Ensign Stewart is an up and coming young man. Don't be too hard on him."

"Understood, sir."

Well, at least he didn't say Jones. Stewart is a smart kid, and keeps his hands to himself, so I don't suppose I can object.

Smythe glanced at the wall clock. "Wilson, you're relieved. Colleen, you know what to do. And I've got to get started on that warp engine." With a curt nod, he walked off.

Mac glanced at Ivy. "Anything I should know about Ensign Stewart?"

"Keep him thinking about engineering, and he'll be fine."

"Thank you, Ivy. Now I'd better get started on that paperwork." And so the 2 women went their separate ways.

 

Quiet Night at the Movie

Month 15 Day 6

1954 Hours

Bugalu

The lights hadn't gone down yet in the theater when they joined the growing crowd looking for seats. Bugalu found 2 seats together and paused to ask, "Which side do you want me on?"

"Left," Mac decided, and sat down in the right hand seat. "My right shoulder is still pretty sore, so don't put your arm around me, okay?"

He gave her a joking look. "Who's going to protect from the monsters in the movie?"

She gave a choking chortle. "Is that what you think you're doing? Protecting me from monsters? I haven't needed that since first year at the academy. Besides, I checked. Tonight is a comedy, not a horror movie."

"Well, I'm sorry we didn't get a pizza ordered in time."

"I was late getting my supper, having to go to physical therapy first, so I think something lighter. Maybe a piece of white cake with pineapple sauce."

"What, no ham?"

"I only asked for ham on my pizza because you and Matt wanted meat on it. For me, it was always the pineapple I wanted. It doesn't grow on Gaelunde, you know."

"I think you've told me at least a dozen times." He started to put his arm around her shoulders, remembered she didn't want him to, and put it back in his lap. "If I forget, I apologize in advance."

She took his right hand with her left one and held it firmly. "There, that should solve your forgetfulness."

She's a different person today than she was yesterday. Whatever she talked to Beth about last night, it must have eased her mind a great deal. The lights were starting to dim, but people were still looking for seats, including right behind them.

"Um, Mr Smythe?" Bugalu felt a chill go down his spine, and Mac's hand tightened around his. "Excuse me, could you scoot over a seat, so my date and I can sit together?"

"Of course," said an unmistakable voice from behind Mac.

Mac turned to look behind her, stared at her former fiancé, who was waiting for the movie, a sack of popcorn in his hand.

"Good evening, Colleen," he greeted evenly. "I believe it's a comedy tonight? That's good. I could use some cheering up. Lieutenant Bugalu."

The lights finished dimming, and Mac turned around to face the screen without responding to Smythe.

It's a good thing I didn't put my arm around her. He might have hauled her out of here. Again. How much of our conversation did he overhear? Well, as long as he doesn't try to drag her out of here—and I don't think she'd go meekly, this time—then I'll just try to enjoy the movie.

A Strange Worry

Month 15 Day 5

1933 Hours

Beth Temple

Beth stared at her visitor, who was out of her sling, now, but tended to carry her right arm as if she still wore it. Mac had sat down in Beth's easy chair and then fell silent. Her blusher looked out of place on a face that was usually devoid of makeup. Her eyes looked haunted.

Okay, so this isn't the usual girls' night where we bond over anecdotes and doing each other's hair. Mac is seriously upset about something. "Do you want a drink, Mac?"

She seemed startled by the question, and licked her lips nervously. "Thanks, but no. I, uh, I had one before I came."

What happened to the Mac who was always up for a drink? Of course, I didn't specify whiskey. I didn't necessarily mean whiskey. "You wanted to talk?"

Mac nodded woodenly, and her left hand rubbed down her pants leg, leaving a damp trail behind it. "I know you can keep a secret, Beth, because you can't gossip about anybody's medical records."

Beth sat back on her sofa warily. "Are you going to ask me about somebody's medical record?"

"No," Mac declared, shaking her head emphatically. "It's just that, well, I'm sure you've heard the rumor about me."

Beth let a gentle smile touch her lips. "I've heard a lot of rumors about you, Mac. I know better than to listen to them."

"I'm talking about a specific rumor. The one about me... being pregnant."

Beth frowned. "Yes, I've heard it. More than once. I've been sorely tempted to give the gossiper a piece of my mind, but to do that, I'd have to discuss your medical record. So I can't."

Mac nodded again. "Yes, exactly. Because you've taken an oath, or something. Anyway, from what I can gather, that particular rumor has been started—possibly several times—by someone in medical, who claimed they got it from my records, or they recognized the symptoms, or something. That part gets a little fuzzy." She sighed in frustration. "Well, the whole thing is fuzzy. Like most rumors, most everybody has heard it, but nobody seems to know who started it."

"Yes, that's the way rumors work," Beth agreed. "But that rumor's been around for a while, and you seem terribly upset about it today. Surely you haven't just heard about it?"

"Oh, no," Mac denied. "It's just the news that I got in this morning's mail that has me upset about it. You see, Kolla's pregnant."

Beth let herself smile fully. "Your Yukoskian look-alike. But being pregnant is usually good news. Why does that upset you?"

Mac took a deep breath. "Some people see that we look so much alike, are alike in a lot of ways, and they almost think of us as the same person. If something important happens to one of us, it'll happen to the other, too. So I'm afraid that if the news gets around that Kolla is pregnant, that will feed the rumor that I am, too."

Beth took a moment to think, chose her words carefully. "Those of us who know you can see plenty of ways you and Kolla are different. But perhaps you're right, and that might be beyond those who don't know you well. Still, you've done a good job of ignoring the ridiculous rumors about you so far. Even if this news did feed the fire, so to speak, can't you just ignore it?"

"Eventually, they do tend to die out," Mac agreed. "But I've been waiting for that one to fade away, and now, with Kolla's news to renew the whole thing all over again... I just keep thinking this one is never going away."

"It will," Beth predicted confidently. "Pregnant women are not allowed to serve on a Fleet ship past their first trimester. They're assigned planetside somewhere and given a desk job until they deliver. Options diverge after that, a little. So you see, if you're still here after 3 months, and there's no talk of you being transferred, the rumor will be proven false."

The redhead chewed her lower lip as she frowned at the floor. "I know. Trouble is, I don't know exactly how long that rumor has been around. It was 'common knowledge' a month ago, but who knows exactly how long ago it got started? And like I said, it may have been started more than once."

Beth smiled at the younger woman. "It's not something we instantly know about a woman, Mac. First you'd have to come to sick bay and wind up on one of the exam tables, and have it confirm that you were pregnant."

Green eyes rounded in surprise. "What do you mean, it's not instantaneous?"

I thought Drake had 'the talk' with her? How many details did he leave out? "Haven't you noticed that most women don't announce they're pregnant until they're at least a month along? Probably more than that. Everything takes time, even this. Once a woman's egg is fertilized, it has to travel to her uterus, where it implants itself. That takes... oh, a week, maybe 10 days. Until that happens, then technically, she isn't pregnant. And the exam table won't pick it up until after that has happened."

Mac looked stunned, and her blusher became more pronounced. "But Kolla indicated she was 2 weeks pregnant."

"Well, I can't be sure how different the Yukosk biology is from our own. It may be just a matter of different ways of counting their length of pregnancy. Or maybe they keep better tabs on when they have sex, and figure their pregnancy from that. You'd have to ask her to clarify that for you."

Mac sighed in relief. "So you believe that if I just hang on tight, eventually the rumor will die away."

"I do wish you knew who had started it. Even though it's a lie, I'd like to bust whoever started it. Especially if they claimed they got it from your medical file."

"Oh, I have somebody I suspect," Mac said. "But I only suspect her because I don't like her. And the feeling is mutual."

"I know how easy it is to blame somebody when you don't like them," Beth returned. "I'm glad I was able to set your mind at rest. And I see you are not wearing your sling. Congratulations."

Mac's brilliant smile shone. "And not a moment too soon. I was beginning to forget I had a right arm."

Beth chuckled. "You'll have full use of it again before you know it. Are you still assigned to physical therapy?"

A nod confirmed it. "Once a day, at my shift's end. I'm going to ask if we can do it while I'm sitting in a chair. Laying on an exam table makes me feel like there's something wrong with me, and I want to get over that feeling."

"That's a great idea. In fact, they may have you do the movements by yourself, to get some strength back in your muscles."

"Sounds good to me." Mac hesitated. "I'm out of subject matter. I was so worried about that rumor, and you scattered it into space in a few minutes. So... is there something you want to talk about?"

"Well, since you asked, tell me what's happening in Engineering. I've heard that Ivy broke up with LaPour."

"Oh, that's old news," Mac replied. "What surprises me is that she hasn't started dating Bugsy again. In fact, she doesn't seem to be dating anyone."

"Perhaps she's gathering her thoughts about the kind of person she wants to date," Beth suggested.

"Women actually do that?"

"Of course they do. But since you don't have any sisters,..."