"How did she know there was a file to add it to?" she prompted.

"Yes, Captain. I think."

"We were roommates at the academy. You learn a lot there, and some of it has to do with ships."

I did not know what else to say.

"She also knows I have a habit of recommending likely people to the academy. Maybe she saw something in your manner on the gangway watch that she liked," she added with a grin that might have been just a touch over the line toward mischievous.

I tried not to blush, but I don't think I was successful. Hoping to distract her, I asked, "How many have you recommended, Captain?"

"You're number thirty-four, Mr. w.a.n.g."

I was expecting something like ten. "Wow, that's a lot! How many have been accepted, sar?"

"Thirty-three of them. And all have graduated near the top of their cla.s.ses," she said proudly. "Not all at the top, of course. One year there were five of my people graduating at the same time. They were all in the top ten-a memorable year. Alicia Alvarez was in that group, actually," she added with another of those impish grins. She was enjoying herself immensely. Oddly enough, so was I.

"What happened with the last one?" I asked before I did the math.

"Well, if he ever endorses his application, we'll find out!" she said with a laugh.

"Where do I sign?" I asked. What else could I do?

Chapter Twenty-Nine.

Umber Orbital

2352-October-08

When I left the captain's cabin, I felt dazed. I had just applied to the academy. I wondered if they would accept me. The captain seemed pretty confident and with her track record, she had reason to be, but it was breakfast time so I headed for the mess deck.

When I got there I found it crowded so I a.s.sumed that Mr. Maxwell had not yet declared liberty. I got some eggs, sausages, and two biscuits from the mess line-Sarah and Pip were serving. I looked around for a seat and found one beside Diane, who sat across from Francis and Brill.

Francis said, "You okay, Ish? You look a little-distracted."

Brill and Diane looked at me strangely too. "Yeah, even for you, Ish. You seem a little out of it. Has something happened?" Diane asked.

I took a deep breath and let it out. "I just applied to the academy."

Brill asked, "Port Newmar?"

"Yup. The captain pointed out that if I was really thinking about going next year, I needed to apply now."

"Oh," Diane said. "I thought from the way you said it that you'd filed your application."

"Yeah, I did."

Even Francis leaned in to hear me because I was talking so quietly.

Brill said, "But the application is huge and you need recommendations from at least three officers."

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Well, how could you apply?" Francis finally chimed in.

"She had it all."

"Who she? What all?" Diane asked.

"The captain. She sent it to me on my tablet-all filled out-transcripts from Neris, recommendations from ten different officers, all of it."

"Ten?" Brill exclaimed. "There are only six on the ship!"

"Yeah, she had a few extras."

"Like who?" Diane pressed. Then she guessed, "Alvarez!"

"Yeah," I admitted. "And Pip's Aunt Penny. How she got involved in this, I have no idea."

"Well, that's a h.e.l.luva thing, isn't it?" Francis said, sitting back and shaking his head.

"I still have to get accepted and figure out a way to pay for it. But I had to apply now, or very soon." I sighed. My fork sc.r.a.ped plate and I realized I had no breakfast left. I didn't even have the taste of breakfast left. I must have been hungrier, and more distracted, than I thought. "I'm not even sure when the cut off is. It might be before we hit Ablemarle."

Brill looked startled at that. "I hadn't thought about that."

The overhead speakers finally announced, "Attention all hands! Now, liberty, liberty, liberty. Hands not on duty may leave the ship according to standing orders and established procedures. Now liberty."

The chrono read 07:00 and we bussed our dishes to make it easier on Sarah, Pip, and Cookie. It was such a family thing to do. It rankled that, if this application were accepted, I would not be part of that family any more. I needed to hit the rack and sleep a little before I got all s...o...b..ry, but I had one more thing I needed to do first.

I found Bev on gangway watch.

"I applied to the academy," I told her.

"Just like that? No, *Hi, Bev, how's watch?' just, *I applied to the academy'?"

I was really tired, and she looked really angry. I didn't know what to say so I just added, "Sorry, I didn't know how else to tell you."

"Well, that was one way, but a girl likes a little warm up first."

I looked up at her and she was grinning at me. It caught me off guard and I laughed a little.

"If you're really thinking about deciding next fall, then you have to apply now, don't you, doofus?" she asked with a lopsided grin.

"That's what the captain said too," I told her.

"Ah ha! The truth comes out. It's okay, Ish. I was kidding about the *Hi, Bev' stuff. You look like you could use a little rack time."

"I could, but I promised to let you know."

"You coulda waited until you woke up. Now, scoot!" she said, stamping her foot on the deck in my direction like I was a little dog. "I'll see you after watch."

I met Mr. Maxwell coming the other way in the pa.s.sage and stood aside for him to go by. "Nice work on those cargo tools, Mr. w.a.n.g," he said.

"Thank you, sar!"

He went on past me and I kept going. I heard him talking to Beverly as I headed for my bunk. I must have made it-or they found me and put me in it-because I awoke there at 12:30. I splashed water on my face, promised myself a nice shower after lunch, and headed for the mess deck. Pip had helped Sarah clean up the galley and it looked like they had things well in hand. I filled a plate with lamb, rice, and banapods and found a seat. That was not hard-I was the only one there.

Pip came out of the galley, his tasks completed for the moment. "So, what's with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you came through the mess line this morning looking like-I don't know what-and when I asked what was going on you said, *Yes, thank you,' and wandered off."

"Oh, the captain took me down to her cabin after we secured from nav detail."

"She didn't! The nerve of that woman. Was it good for you, too?"

The image touched my giggle nerve and I started laughing.

"That's better. Now, you wanna tell me about it?"

"I applied to the academy this morning."

"And you're just telling me now? Why didn't you mention it when you started the application?"

"I did...I am...I mean...the time between starting and finishing was about a tick."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying when the captain sent it to me, it was complete."

"Complete?"

"Yup," I said.

"Your personal information was on it?"

"Yup," I said again.

"Your transcripts?"

"Those too."

"Personnel jacket?"

"Attached."

"Three recommendations?"

"No."

"Well, you need three," he said.

"There were ten. And your Aunt P was one of them."

"How did Aunt P get involved?" he asked.

"You obviously have mistaken me for somebody with a clue. Unfortunately, I don't even know where to buy a clue, and if I had one, I'm sure it would be to a different puzzle."

"Our captain is something, isn't she? Now you're getting a little taste of what I was up against at home."

"Wasn't so bad. I still have to get accepted, and then I have to find a way to pay for it."

"Well, that's true enough," he said, and then changed the subject. "Fancy a run ash.o.r.e this afternoon? Sarah has the duty here today because she wants to go up to the co-op first thing tomorrow and take her shawls."

"Sure, you thinking of scoping out the flea market for cargo?"

"It's the perfect time, head up this afternoon, do a little looking about, maybe make some contacts. See where we are after that. We have plenty of cash left after the masks and the carp, and a lot of ma.s.s as well. I think it's gonna work out."

"Sounds like a plan, how soon can you go?"

"13:30? Meet you in deck berthing."

He was as good as his word and we were on our way at 13:35.

As we stepped out of the lock, he asked, "So? Are you going to go?"

"I don't know. How much do you think we can make between now and next August?"

"Depends on where we go and what we find. The new cargo software will help the ship, but that's not going to be much use with private cargo."

As we approached the lift, a burly man who looked vaguely familiar straightened up from where he lounged by the door. Pip was contemplating cargo and had not noticed him, but it was obvious to me that he had seen us. He said, "h.e.l.lo, Phillip. How's the semester in s.p.a.ce."

I knew who he looked like then-Uncle Q, but this was not Uncle Q.