Pegasus In Space

"Yes, Dida Tea," Amariyah said meekly. Just at the doorway, she flashed a glance back at Peter and stuck her tongue out.

While Peter's main task was 'porting supplies and personnel to the Station, he was also required to help 'port materials into the second colony ship, the Arrakis, being constructed at Padrugoi. He wanted very much to visit the hull and watch the various stages of its construction. But that would require a space suit. Peter wondered how he could broach the subject of getting trained. If Linear grunts could be taught to manage construction suits, he was sure he could.

He sensed tentative attitudes toward him from Madlyn's adored comm officer, Dash Sakai, and Lieutenant Commander Pota Chatham, the chief engineering officer on whose watches he generally worked. He'd hinted as often as he could that he didn't need to be in the Station CIC to use the marvelously powerful generators. He could gestalt with them from anywhere within several miles and certainly from the Arrakis, which was moored in the main construction and repair yard. When his allusions were ignored, he thought maybe he'd been premature. First the CIC officers would need to learn to trust him as much as Johnny Greene and, he was sure, Admiral Coetzer, did. They'd have to get accustomed to his work habits. He was always on time for his scheduled 'ports, he never took a break until Johnny called one, he maintained a strictly professional attitude at all times, and he never left his post until the watch officer officially told him to "stand down." Not that he would have presumed in any respect. He was not fragile. In fact, he was probably the safest, strongest person on the Station, especially since the first thing he'd been drilled in was emergency procedures in the event of a Station alert. He knew where all the escape pods were and had amused himself in between 'ports by figuring out who he should rescue in order of importance. Admiral Coetzer was first, of course; Johnny Greene if he was onstation at the time, then the executive officer, Linke Bevan. After them, his priorities altered but he rather thought Madlyn, because she was the strongest 'path in all the Centers, and then Dash Sakai-because Madlyn would be inconsolable if Dash got wasted. He spent other idle moments figuring out how many he could 'port to safety in the first sixty seconds. He even tried putting air envelopes around groups, to give them oxygen and protection against bursting in vacuum.

Another favorite topic for speculation was how Rhyssa had been persuaded to let him take the Padrugoi contract in the first place. He knew how badly she wanted him to find and train kinetics in the gestalt. Considering how much he owed her, and the Parapsychic Centers, he was willing to spend his whole life trying. But so far there'd been no kinetic for him to train… if he could. He suspected Johnny had had more of a hand in getting him on Padrugoi than the general was about to admit. Certainly Admiral Coetzer had given him a wholehearted welcome aboard the Station. He was a frequent guest at the admiral's table when he was on board. (Maybe that's why some people avoided him.) Coetzer kept a paternal eye on him-at least that's what Peter heard Commander Temuri Bergkamp say when the engineering officer didn't realize Peter was in earshot. Peter did not "listen" or "peek" but sometimes people had loud minds and he couldn't help but overhear, despite keeping up a light shield most of the time.

That was how he happened to learn that he could be a lot more use to the admiral if he could "hack the black," as the grunts phrased it.

"I got book on him," one of them said as he and his mate swung into a service corridor ahead of Peter. As he didn't make any noise walking, they were unaware of his presence.

"For or agin?"

"Agin, a'course. Kid that young'll panic first time he has to hack the black. Ya know whaddi mean. Shit himself all over!" The first one gave a malicious chuckle of anticipation.

"I doan think he will," the other said defensively. "General thinks he'd make it."

"Then why'nt he being trained? Been here how many weeks now?"

"I dunno. Hear tell they doan wanna rush him, 'cos he's sorta fragile'n stuff. Sure is skinny."

"Ha! We wasn't given no time. We hadda go out an'that was that!"

"That's what we wuz hired for, dink. He's not just a grunt, ya know. Notice how he walks? Just like he was in a suit. Sort of smooth like." The man made a gliding gesture.

"Putcher money where yer mouth is."

"Sure! An' we book the bet with Kibon. You ain't goin' slip me on this."

"You're on. Slip me into a good downside binge, you will." And the first man held out a hand to his buddy. Peter inserted himself in a doorway in case they caught a glimpse of him. They turned a corner at the next junction.

Peter digested that conversation and perked up considerably. Bets on him, were there? That he'd shit himself? Peter chuckled bitterly. They didn't know much about him, did they? He almost wished he could pee. Even if he couldn't hack the black, there wouldn't be that sort of evidence for anyone to see. But he knew he would hack it. He wanted to be out in space so badly. He wanted to prove to Johnny and the admiral that he was more than just a transport mechanic. He could match construction units so smoothly no one would ever have to worry about them tumbling out of control from reaction. He knew his physics: any action in no-gravity conditions caused a reaction. He had more control than any other kinetic, even Lance Baden. Why, he could speed up the construction of the Arrakis by months if they'd only let him help. He'd already 'ported many of its components into space. Placing them inside the hull would be child's play. He'd studied the Andre Notion's designs-it was the sister ship of the Arrakis-so throughly he could close his eyes and still put anything in place. He'd wanted to be personally involved ever since his first glimpse of the Andre Notion at the Inauguration ceremony. When the admiral had invited him up to view the completed colony ship, he hoped he'd have a chance of working on the next one. All right, he couldn't be a colonist. He'd accepted that. But that didn't mean he couldn't have an integral part in the construction of the other two "A-type" colony ships. He'd take a vital step toward that dream if he could just talk them into letting him in space…