Chapter 05 - ICE TURBULENCE
29 January 2173 – Saturday
IWG-SS JOHN A.WHEELER
Cape Of Velvet [Beta Hyphi]
The ice was unexpected and couldn’t be detected until they were in it, and the ship began pitch and bank as Nunez, and then Debitts, tried to fly them free.
They were leaving Velvet – further contact on this trip had been limited to re-supply only, and those parties had carried concealed weapons just in case – and the ship hit a trailing Trojan point patch of ice as they crossed the orbit of the big outer gas giant. The advance shields minimized hull damage until they could slow enough to lower that risk further, and then fly out of the cloud.
“We’re trying!” Debitts yelled to Captain Matisou as he came tripping onto the bridge.
Matisou threw himself into his chair. “This reminds me of an ocean trip I took to Antarctica,” he said as he belted in. “We were halfway there when a storm and heavy seas hit us. Seventy to eighty foot rollers swept in on the ship. Helluva ride.”
The interactions of ice granules and shield fields caused unusual pressures and forces against the hull that were not found in “open vacuum.” WHEELER operated rather poorly under these conditions, with large rolls and pitches that no amount of graviton field buffering or the interial recycler or other adjustments could fully handle. It yawed like it was skidding, it wobbled, weaved, and rolled dreadfully; Matisou went to Action Stations just so people would be belted in, braced up, or at least awake.
Ensign Xiu-Li Chen, newly promoted into Tactical Division, was trying to secure an e-mag mounting baseplate with Commander Takaguchi when the call went out that someone was in need of medical attention in the quartermaster’s section.
Truhart replied that he was in the middle of a procedure, and then asked what the nature of the emergency was. The crewper on the other end said that Ensign Timbers had been injured by shifting cargo – his injuries were not life-threatening, but he needed assistance getting up to the medical section.
Takaguchi paused, and so did Xiu-Li. Would they call for a Med Q.R.T., in which case she would have to respond?
Xiu-Li looked at the first officer, braced comfortably despite the wild motions of the ship. Takaguchi was using the time to study the contact surfaces he would be heatbonding, perfectly at ease. He seemed not to care that he was down here and not on the bridge in the crisis; both he and Captain Matisou were always calm, even when furious.
How did they do it? Where did they put anxiety when they had it?
On Velvet, Xiu-Li was sure Matisou had been about to arrest her for violating his Rules Of Engagement order, but he wasn’t screaming or bellowing about it (ending up looking into the muzzle of a flechette gun as he had, that would have been difficult to apologize about later). Instead, he had been able to shift gears and his approach completely once new data was learned – despite his anger, he still had both a core of calm restraint, and a thinking, calculating mind.
Instead, she got an early promotion and was now being taught tactics by the first officer, and now integrating tactical ship systems directly with the chief engineer or her senior lieutenant, Wolfredo Lobo, rather than just running cables with five other crew and two ensigns. That had been more fun, but these projects were more challenging and a most satisfying test of her skills – especially all the new ones.
The bridge finally responded that personnel were on the way. Xiu-Li looked at Takaguchi, he nodded, and together they heaved away on the ratchet drivers to force the big plate into place at last.
Xiu-Li thought about Orlando as Takaguchi started on the heatbonding of the baseplate; it was probably Tania coming from the bridge, as comm could be spared the fifteen minutes it might take to get Orlando Timbers from the QM section to medical.
The crew was aware of (and respected) Tania’s desires for privacy, but all sisters could detect her chaos even if they were uninformed; they all knew Tania was going to Orlando.
Everyone liked Orlando, but the sisterhood of the Fleet had standards that “sisterhoods in general” did not: the prime rule of the Fleet sisterhood was “Service before Self.” It meant that no personal relationship should ever cause a change in one’s performance of their duties. Unless at risk of death, given the ship’s conditions, it was the “higher duty” to stay on the bridge rather than go off to help someone who could wait or make it there themself...
Or was Xiu-Li being overly harsh because of her own anxiety (Orlando was tough – why would he need help?)
She put it out of her mind – there were magCharge contact points to be checked once the plate job was finished, then a clearcheck run through.
Hearing he had been released from Medical section later that day, Xiu-Li called; Orlando would “be unable to resume full duties for a week, but the leg would mend fully,” said Orlando’s friendly, albeit sleepy message, played when his number was called.
Xiu-Li left a message wishing him well, and went to work out.
The air popped slightly as she entered the gym compartment, but maybe that was her: Xiu-Li was tired. She went into the lockers. “Oh, hi,” she said.
Tania Manda jumped. She looked sad. Had she been crying?
Xiu-Li peered at her. “Hey – you okay?”
“Y-yeah. Just hungry after a work-out.”
“You sure, Tania?”
Tania looked down. “Yeah, all this – this excitement the last couple of weeks, I’m –” She looked at the wall, then back at Xiu-Li, biting her lip. “Orlando and I are taking a break, we decided. Today.”
Ouch! Xiu-Li nodded neutrally but with sympathy.
Tania nodded, but with her own thoughts: “A lot going on, just some time to let things settle. Go out to movies with old friends or new, like we used to.”
“Um-hm.” Xiu-Li went to her locker. “The comfort of old routines.”
“Yeah-h-h...”
Xiu-Li nodded and turned to her locker. “You better go eat something. Main Café closes at twenty three hundred.”
She looked relieved. “Thanks, Jool...” It was 22:43. She hurriedly slipped into her uniform. “I hope you have a good work-out.”
Xiu-Li gave a bloodthirsty grin. “Always.” The butterfly swords clanked as she set them down.
The air popped slightly as Tania exited the gym compartment. Xiu-Li turned to her locker, thinking... Tania and Orlando. Hmm. Interesting match... didn’t last long... so... what about Orlando?
Since the rescue on Velvet, Orlando had been unusually friendly (that hero thing again) and Xiu-Li had dreamt some outrageous things as she dreamt about whether she should’ve snuck a peek at Orlando under that blanket or not (Tania be damned!) – but “sisters in arms” weren’t supposed to steal partners, because jealousy caused discord.
Given that humans spending long times under isolation and stress will want to bond and socialize, they could not be ordered to stay apart, which then required punishments and potentially worse problems than relationships did – but anyone getting into a relationship had to be extremely discrete. There were enough people on board that nobody had to be jealous.
Anyway, Xiu-Li believed that sisters didn’t steal from each other, and so she would just wait a little bit and see what sort of “breaktaking” Orlando and Tania were really doing. There were other crew, after all.
To be entirely honest, she was also starting to think about Aria Threnody.
A lot.
The beautiful, moody loner was smart and fearless. Whenever Xiu-Li thought she was getting too silly about Orlando, she would just think about Threnody for a few moments – to get really silly, she told herself.
First of all, she wasn’t sure whether Aria was a “sister” in any way. Second of all, Xiu-Li wasn’t sure whether she herself was a “sister” or not (Julissa and she had sort of – well, a couple of times, they’d kind of – anyway, then they’d sort of drifted... and that was okay. With both of them).
Now Julissa Martines had been seen at
the bedside of Wentlin Forbben, and Xiu-Li was dreaming about Orlando Timbers, so Xiu-Li wasn’t certain what was going on inside her these days.
Xiu-Li couldn’t be jealous of Forbben (Julissa was “moderately high maintenance” as relationships went) and was secretly relieved she found herself free to maybe pursue, ummm, something? With... I mean, just if he likes me, like I think he does, then maybe we might... ?
She laughed, out loud, and picked up her gym bag. Her work on sensor integration was about to move into a different phase, and she would be working more closely with both Aria Threnody and her next in command, Lieutenant Wolfredo Lobo, who was a steadier version of Timbers, but one of the most private and serious members of the crew.
Her next consideration was Orlando Timbers (AGAIN!)
So if they are taking a break, then…?
Hmm... something to think about on her beach – later!
Ensign Xiu-Li Chen stepped to the center of the gym and raised her swords toward the unseen stars.
Okay – Now – keep the beats steady!