court martialing you.” His voice went gentler now. “Personally, Mike, I’d stick it out with you. I’m behind what you stand for. I think every man on the ship is also. But—”
Gurloff said, in sudden enthusiasm, “I’ll give them a talk over the intercom. I’ll explain the whole thing. Let them know why we’ve been discriminated against like this. Why we’ve been sent out repeatedly, without sufficient rest periods between.”
Thorndon rubbed the end of his nose again and scowled. “You’ll do nothing of the sort, Mike. At first, they’d all be with you. But, as the months went by and as the grief piled up, they’d begin, subconsciously, at first, to see that it was you alone who was bringing such strain upon them. There’d be too much of that strain, finally, Mike. They’d turn on you.”
Gurloff slumped back into his bunk and thought about it. “They’ll know sooner or later anyway,” he growled. “You said that we’ve got a full year’s supply of news wires on board. It won’t be long before somebody runs off that one telling about my last speech, just before we left. Then they’ll know why the New Taos was sent out again so soon. That is, if they don’t know already. Maybe somebody heard the talk, or read about it, while they were ashore.”
Doc Thorndon grinned. “I doubt if anybody heard it except me. They were all too busy wine, women, and songs to listen to speeches. And I took care of the wires. I’ve made arrangements so that the Video-news wires are run off one a day. The cruise will almost be over before they come to that speech of yours,” His face soured again. “But the point is, Mike, that we’re not going to last that long. Even if this girl…”
He broke off and stared at the other. Finally he said, slowly, “You know, Mike, maybe we’re wrong. Maybe she’s not the straw that broke the camel’s back. Maybe she’s a second backbone for the poor beast.”
Gurloff scowled over at him. “I don’t get you, Doc.”
“You will, Mike. You will. Maybe we’ll be able to take this next twelve months, after all.” The Doctr licked his upper lip, thoughtfully. “I think I’ll just go and see Miss…see Kathy, now. I’ve got some things I want to talk over with her.”
The conversation between Doc Thorndon and Kathy had been a lengthy one, and the officers and crew of the space cruiser New Taos would have been surprised at the ship’s doctr they thought they knew so well for his gentle kindliness. In fact, it could hardly be described as a conversation at all, since it started as an argument and wound up as a series of commands none too softly spoken.
Doc Thorndon shook his finger at her, not disguising his irritation.
“You just think you can’t sing. Let me tell you, you can sing. Can and will! Just remember, you’ve the only feminine voice on board. To a man, a woman’s voice sounds better than any masculine one—particularly after a few weeks in space, not to speak of months. Any woman’s voice.”
Kathy had her eyes on the floor and her lower lip was out in what was almost a pout. “I don’t see why—”
Thorndon grunted, “You don’t have to see why. I’ll do the seeing why, and the thinking, Kathy. I’ve let it go out over the ship that we are to have a…a show in about a month. The men are already spending almost full time in preparation. They’re making costumes, arranging scenery, composing songs. It’s keeping them busy. Busy, understand?” He paused momentarily, realizing that she didn’t know just how important that was.
He finished with, “We’ve made an agreement, Kathy. Now let’s stick to it.”
She said, stubbornly, “I still say I can’t sing, and, what’s more, I’ve never done any acting.”
“You’ve got a month to learn,” Doc said sharply.
Kathy twisted in her chair, shrugged her shoulders. “Seems to me,” she pouted, “the doctr on this ship is more important than the captain.”
His mouth remained expressionless and she didn’t know him well enough to see the amusement in his eyes. He said, “Believe me, Kathy, on a ship faced with space cafard, he is.”
Kathy sat at the small table in the officer’s wardroom and eyed the three of them severely. She said, “Johnny, Dick, Martie—I won’t have any more of this bickering. Either you’ll be nice, or I’m not going to…to put up with it. I’ll go in and talk with Commander Gurloff for the next two hours, and then the officer’s share of the day will be through.”
Mart Bakr flashed an irritated glance at the lanky Johnny Norsen. “It’s his fault,” he grumbled. “He wants you to himself all the time. I thought it’d be a good idea if we went into the galley and whipped up some taffy or—”
Johnny Norsen was on his feet. “Why you chunky little chow-hound, I’ll—”
Mart Bakr jumped up to face him, his face livid, “Don’t you call me names, you long legged makron!”
“Please!” Kathy breathed, putting her hands over her ears.
The usually easy going Dick Roland reddened angrily, “Watch your language, Bakr,” he snapped.
Jak Heming, Space Rifleman, 2nd Class, hurried down the corridor and into the crew’s mess, bearing his invaluable burden importantly. He looked about the compartment in surprise.
“Where the kert is everybody?” he said. Only three others were present.
Taylor was nearest the door. He stuck his head out, looked up and down the passageway outside. “Any braid around?” he asked.
Heming shook his head. “The officers are all up forward. Just gave me the video-news wire for today. Holy Wodo, I expected everybody off watch to be waiting here for it.”
Taylor said, “We got two shows today, Jak. And everybody but us four is watching the second one.”
Heming didn’t get it. Scowling questioningly at them, he went to the projector and began to insert the wire.
Woodford, 1st Signalman, explained. “Rosen and Johnson are having it out with stun guns down in the tract-torpedo room.”
The space rifleman stared. “A fight! You mean that they’re having a fight?”
Taylor said, “That’s right.” He seemed pleased about it. “A fight it is. The screwy makrons got into an argument about Kathy and they decided to have it out. The Doc is refereeing the thing. He made ’em turn the stun guns down so they can’t hurt each other too much.”
“Doc Thorndon?” That was as surprising as the fact that a fight was taking place at all. “That doesn’t sound like the Doc; he’s the one that usually cools everything off.”
“Let’s see the wire,” Woodford complained. “Now that I think about it, I’m sorry I didn’t go down and see the fight. It’s just that I can’t wait to see whether or not they got this Jackie Black yet.” He shook his head in reluctant admiration. “Now, there’s a guy for you. Slick as they come, and tough as they come, too.”
Taylor added, “They’ll get him. Just wait and see. The Solar System Bureau of Investigation gets them all, sooner or later. They’ll—”
Heming snapped, “Like kert they will! You just never hear about
