Alexis can handle the training but after two weeks one person on the team starts making it more difficult, and it isn’t Zormie. Opio sneaks over to the team in the next cabin to them for some sex at odd times leaving them shorthanded. There was one drill that Opio never made it to, and the team barely got it done, with Alexis using her knowledge she shouldn’t have had of the ship systems to get it finished. There is no docking Opio from the trainers even though they must have noticed her not being around with all the cameras able to find out where she was.

Alexis has become the unofficial leader of her team when Opio comes crying to her.

Opio, “He dumped me. He said I was not as good as another woman.” The scrawny woman is shaking slightly

Alexis looks up from her reading on a workstation, “Groerge?”

The thin woman shakes her head going in to a top bunk, “No Narry 3481 in the next section. After we finished he told me he did not want me to come by anymore.” Opio is sobbing in to her pillow.

Alexis gets up to see and then asks, “After?” The sobbing woman gives an affirmative sound. The Alexis goes back to the terminal stabbing at the keys, “I will get him for that.”

Alexis looks over the listing of what sections they will be working at over the next week. When younger she had a bad habit of giving tit for tat, very unsocial of her. She fought dirty when she did and at this time she is planning to do so again. The machine tells what they are expected to be doing the next few days. The short woman moves to swirl her very short hair a bit as she reads over the information with an unpleasant smile.

Alexis pops a grill to a maintenance hatch. It is not a large one and pipes run down both sides. She squirms in to it and sets the grill so it looks closed. Her white clothes quickly get smudges as she goes though it to the other side.

Disabling the sensor takes her a minute. The pipe is not as easy but she has the right tools on her. The next task Alexis does is to pop the grill just enough for the pipe’s size. She aims it through the gap in a grill with some care. Giving a pull of the lever would cause a nasty shot of waste products at whoever is walking by. As revenges go its not to harsh but it will do.

The mirrored surfaces of the ship let her see when a cute boy turns to come down the passage twenty minutes later. The picture she pulled up lets her know what Narry looks like and it is him.

He pauses for a second looking back. There is a nervous minute before he continues. The guy is talking to a raven-haired woman animatedly who comes up beside him. His hand moves to her ass as he passes by the grill. Alexis frowns as she is in the way and watches them pass. When the two finish passing she slides the pipe back where it should be. It takes her a few minutes to reattach what she moved.

The short woman slinks back off to her section as if nothing happened, since nothing did, this time. She does not know who the raven-haired woman is but she only wants Narry not his newest paramour.

That night she asks Opio more about what she knows of Narry.

Opio, “He is a handsome man.”

“Yes but I need to know about his habits you know.”

“We did little talking.” Opio blushes, “Our lips were busy with other things.”

Alexis turns red with thoughts of what the woman might have done with the man.

Opio keeps talking, “He likes to have sex in different places and positions. He is inventive in that and…”

Alexis interrupts her, “Ok ok. I do not need the details. Namely without someone to help me.”

“If you want I can.” Says Opio.

Alexis shakes her head, “No no that is not needed. I can solve it myself.”

“Fingers are not the same as…”

Alexis gets up blushing heavily. “I have to go check something.” The short woman is not a prude but Opio is not thinking right. They are being watched and she just can’t… Not here.

Opio was no help with plotting what to do with Narry. The other parts she just can’t think about right now with the training. She checks the computer to find out on where he will be the next few days and sees a possibility and decides to give one more try.

The next few days Alexis’s team is working in the environmental section. The area is full of pipes going every which way from vats lining the walls out to tanks and back. It is very confusing to follow at times.

There is a small group of trainees that arrived to lead. The rest are manual labor to move and do the grunt work including Alexis’s group. That group wears different uniforms that are white with blue piping. They seem more professional and know what they are talking about. Alexis can’t keep up when she eavesdrops on what they are talking about.

During one of the shifts Alexis is helping with Zormie in moving replacement pipes in one of the larger areas by a vat. The aroma from the vat can make even Alexis’s atrophied stomach flip when she got to close to it. The job is simple and boring. Zormie is on the other side of it as they pass the pipes across.

Alexis notices Narry along with a different girl coming in to the section side by side. Behind him are two members of his training group talking between themselves. The group is walking so proudly in their white clothes.

The group starts to pass Alexis’s position. Zormie looks relaxed waiting for them to pass when the pipe starts to go forward unexpectedly. The small pipe just misses the woman’s heel but Narry’s right foot moves forward catching the pipe.

Narry is tripped by the pole and flails wildly for balance. He goes forward with one arm hooking in to the smelly sludge vat sending a plume of it up.

Alexis would really be enjoying the sight but the woman who was next to Narry was pushed right to her. The woman is larger and there is nothing the surprised Alexis can do to avoid the impact. Both woman go down when pushes in to the pipes that were not yet moved. The landing knocks the air out of Alexis stunning her.

While the event is comical there is still more that happens. The pipe rolls around hitting one of the guys trailing Narry and the woman. He hops to the other side in pain hitting the other knocking him in to a wall. They both fall in to a tangled pile.

Opio gives out a bray of laughter from her position with Groerge carrying more pipes.

Zormie moves to help the fallen first. Lucky for Alexis she does as Narry is stomping to get Alexis. His yell is cut short by the Amazon’s straight-arm taking him down again.

Zormie, “Do not try to start a fight. It was an accident.”

The trainers move in breaking up the chance of more happening.

There is no repercussion from the action. The trainers seem satisfied it was an accident. Alexis spends a night in the infirmary but only has a few bruises and is released in the morning.

The next few cycles of training are in an area Alexis didn’t think she would get to see. The bridge of the ship is one of the larger open areas on the vessel. The room itself is rectangular going 40 feet by 20. The middle area of it has the command chair that is on a sliding platform able to move up and down the length of the room.

A trainer is there to talk to them about it. “This is the center of the ship. Here a handful of our citizens can control all the systems. You might have noticed the chair. It is for the Captain of the vessel.”

The man pauses in his description to say something more on it. “Yes we have a leadership structure on the ship. There are a few Military personal that hopefully will not be needed. If one of them is active they have command of the vessel. After that comes those who are trained for it are next in command. But the People know if there is an accident you might be needed to lead. Space is dangerous and it is best for the mission to run smoothly without a fight over who is in command at a critical time could spell disaster for all aboard.”

Alexis gulps thinking how terrifying yet thrilling it would be. She looks over and can see the naked desire in Zormie over the chair. Opio and Groerge both seem as leery as she was over such a command.

The trainer then goes on about the chairs at stations along the length of the bridge. Each one can control a different section or system of the ship and it sounds really complicated to Alexis.

They are then put on the controls in some grueling test of skill. Groerge seems at home testing out some of the systems using the controls like a natural. Alexis herself gets a passing nod. Zormie’s score is high on one section yet poor on another. Opio after a few tries is just told to watch the others.

Going back to their cabin Alexis is wired from the excitement when she got to sit in the command chair. “Now that was so much fun to try. All that…”

Zormie is also jazzed by it and interrupts, “Yes! I so want to keep in that command chair. It was intoxicating to think of all it can do.”

Opio rolls her eyes, “I like something with a pulse.”

Alexis, “It was fascinating and I would like to try again some of it.”

Groerge who is normally so quiet nods, “So would I.” This causes the girls to look at him.

Zormie, “Finally growing some balls?”

Groerge ignores the barb, “I want to get a look at the full system controls and what it can do.”

Alexis giggles, “You want to ‘feel the power’.”

Opio, “If he wanted that I could have done it a while back.”

Groerge, “Make fun of me if you want but those systems are amazing. It looks like they have everything the real ship has. I just need some time to get to know them.”

Opio sighs, “He wants to know a computer and not me.”

Zormie give a remark, “He is use to typing one handed.”

The woman laughs at the man going back to their cabin.

The training has been pretty rough the last few days. It’s been two months in to the training and Opio has gotten erratic. Zormie watches the woman swapping Groerge to work with Alexis more.

Two nights later Alexis is woken.

Zormie is hovering looking at Opio’s top bunk, “Come on and say something.”

Alexis rubs her eyes and asks, “What is it? I am tired”

Zormie wipes off Opio’s forehead and looks down. “She is sweating and talking funny.”

Alexis has been losing weight with all the physical work gets up and takes a look herself thinking it is just the same trouble. Opio looks to be shaking feverishly. The scrawny woman is moaning as she thrashes around trying to fight off the stronger woman holding her down.

Zormie, “Get a trainer.”

Alexis goes to the intercom and calls for the trainers, “We got a medical issue. Opio is sick.”

The woman on the other end asks, “How is she sick?

Alexis looks over thinking over the recent days. “She has been acting funny and is shaking. Zormie can barely keep her down.”

The woman keeps Alexis on the line asking more questions.

Two men in peach uniforms arrive. One gives Opio a hypo injection that calms her down immediately. The two inspect the woman for 30 minutes. Zormie and Alexis watch as the medical personal work. More medical clad men come in with a stretcher. The two females want to follow when they take Opio out. One trainer holds them at the entrance of their room telling them they will be informed later on Opio’s condition.

Groerge had kept quiet watching speaks a bit to Zormie in a low voice but stops when Zormie finally snaps at him.

It takes Alexis some time to go back to sleep.

The next few days Alexis repeatedly asks about Opio’s condition to the various trainers. It takes five days of badgering before one finally tells her.

The trainer, “The woman is in detoxification for use of mood supplements. The chipper Opio was taking pills to make her bubbly all the time. She ran out and must have been suffering for a few days before you informed us. She is being taken care of do not expect her to return. It is too late in the training for a replacement so you will have an empty bunk. Be grateful in that.” Alexis almost hits the man.

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Later that evening she twists her short hair as she tells the other two about it. “She isn’t coming back. Not even going to let me call her.”

Zormie, “To bad for her. At least we still got this easy job.”

Groerge who often is silent after Opio left gives a glance over from one of the workstations. “I do not know about you but something is not right here. I was transferred here when I was training to be a system controller. Opio was a friendship consultant. Zormie was working for a fitness program.” He seems to gloss over Alexis as he continues. “People here did not request it but were transferred over without warning.”

Zormie snorts, “So you also are a conspiracy believer all the sudden.”

Alexis gets nervous shifting away from Groerge. Many things are dangerous but those who think people are out to get them are reported to be unstable from what she has read in government literature.

Groerge keeps talking having not noticed the unease the woman is having. “I look for information and came across some stuff I shouldn’t have. There are to many inconsistencies…” He tries to tell her more but the Amazon shakes her head.

Zormie, “Cut it out. There is no such thing and will not be as long as we follow what we are told.” She goes over to her bunk ending her part in the conversation. Alexis follows suit when he looks to her not wanting him to pull her in to such fairy tales.

Groerge points at the two, “I will prove it. Just you wait and see.”

Zormie, “Give it a break.”

Training continues and the three rotate with a few others that have lost members in makeshift teams with extra personal instead of short ones. The next week they are working in Thrust Control Room number 4 testing computer boards. The room has rows of plasfilm readout screens along the walls, mostly off. Pipes run along the ceiling and the color codes on them are for fuel. The parts are mostly down low and so Alexis has her head in the wall wondering why they are having them do this. Groerge is on the computer system telling her when she finds one that is bad. Zormie is with someone else doing the same as Groerge.

The sounds of the room are muted as Alexis concentrates on what Groerge is saying. A sharp pain comes from her bad ankle and a loud banging of metal rings in the room jars her. Next she has another unpleasant experience in pain by hitting her head as she jerked up. Alexis adds to the noise with her own yelping in pain.

Zormie is yelling at someone as she is deciding her ankle is hurting more as she gets her head out from the wall. The pain makes it hard to concentrate on what is going on at first. Narry is there against a wall with Zormie having almost gotten him off the ground. The toolbox that was dropped on her leg is in easy reach.

Alexis cannot say when she picked up the adjustable spanner. How she got on her feet or across the room either. What she does remember is the satisfying crunch Narry’s nose made when she broke it with the tool.

Bedlam ensues with Narry on the ground holding his face. The bloody man is crying out in agony. Zormie has grabbed the tool preventing the next blow Alexis was about to do. Alexis is hissing a few threats loudly at the man while the stronger woman keeps her away from him.

Trainers quickly arrive faster then they have ever before from various entrances. They seem to know exactly what happened and do not ask any questions helping the injured. Narry and Alexis are both given a hypo to sedate them.

Zormie asks in the confusion, “Can I go with her?”

A trainer with a nametag Vinan 1935.5278.6321.5286 shakes his head. “Continue with your progress and we will do what we can for them. In a few days she should be back as it was obvious who was to blame for this accident.”

Zormie, “It was no accident it…”

Vinan cuts her off, “It was an accident just like what she did to him a while back. Go back to your training.”

“What she did to him?”

“Just let it go and return to your training citizen.”

Alexis comes to, her rage is gone and replaced with a giggling fit. Her head and ankle are not hurting at all.

The room she was taken to has some bright lights and four beds. There are a number of monitors at the other bed that are blank but the ones around her show activity. The smell in this area is different then in other areas of the ship she has been in. There are just a few pipes on the ceiling and most of those end with some gizmos connected to them overhead like a medical mobile.

Some voices off to the side are talking. The male one she finally understands some of. “…Severe concussion and should be ok. The other Elitist had his nose cartilage broken, if he wants his looks like they were he will need some surgery.”A female voice cuts him off, “There is no need. In a few weeks they will be…” The tone shifts as the female comes in view, “You are awake. How is your head?”

Alexis tries to sit up only to find herself going back down with her head hurting again. The female is dressed in medical clothes tells her, “Do not try that again. You hurt your head bad when the accident occurred. Do not worry too much but you are going to have to rest for a few days before you return to training. The schedule is set for such occurrences and will not cause delays to your training.”

Alexis’s befuddled head hurts and she rubs her head feeling the two lumps and goes back to sleep. She spends three days in the infirmary before being released.

Thankfully for both Narry is not in the same infirmary as she is. She gets to see Narry once after getting out in a passage and his nose has horrible bruises and is bent now unflatteringly.

The next week Alexis is busy training and trying to avoid getting in to any more trouble. Zormie finally corners her while in the lavatory.

Zormie looks over Alexis’s leg in the showers, “You caused the trouble.”

Alexis shakes her head, “Me?”

“Do not try that. The trainers know it. Are you trying to sabotage us?”

Alexis hugs herself, “He started it. He used Opio and I got him back for it.”

“Do you think that helped Opio?”

“It got him back. I didn’t plan to hurt him only embarrass him like he did her.”

Zormie raps Alexis’s head. “It got you both in the infirmary for a few days stupid.”

“I got him and didn’t think anything about him afterward.”

“And he got you back. Are you going to get him for what he did to you?”

Alexis blinks having not thought about it, “No.”

Zormie stares at her, “You’re serious. You would get him back for Opio but not yourself.”

Alexis smiles, “I seen his nose. It is already done. Unless he tries anything else I am done with him. And I bet so will most women.”

“If it happens again you do not do anything. The trainers are on to you. I don’t need to be kicked out because of you.”

Alexis looks back at Zormie’s eyes and nods, “I will be good.”

“Good now I need to know what we are doing. I am having trouble with the workload. Its too complex.”

“Lets get Groerge in and I can tell you.” She looks down, “Maybe after we dress.”

“Well I am not Opio but my body isn’t bad. The Party liked it.”

“You went to a party like Opio would have?”

Zormie gives a rare blush, “Oh no, Party official. I taught people how to work their muscles and one of them took interest in me.” The blush turns to rage. “He did not take no for an answer and now he has my son.”

Alexis is stunned and does not know what to say about that. Zormie adds a number of comments about the man, none of which are flattering. Alexis waits for Zormie’s anger to subside before talking about the training she missed, a lot safer subject.

The group is getting closer to the end of training. They often are working with other short teams and Groerge uses the open time to get on the computer systems of the training vessel. In one of the late shifts Groerge seems fidgety.

Alexis looks at the man, “What is up?”

“I got this. Come with me.” He gets up from the terminal he was at.

Alexis has to follow as the man is not waiting for the question she was going to ask, but as she does on the way. “I will bite. Where are we going?”

“The bridge. It is the only place that has unrestricted access.”

“The bridge? What of the trainers?”

“I got us listed to be cleaning it. You can sit in the big chair while there.”

Alexis goes over to Zormie, “Groerge and I are going to work on another job.”

Zormie looks up, “Better not be between the sheets.”

“Oh please. I would need a keyboard for him to be interested in me.”

“Get going.”

Alexis follows Groerge with some interest. The travel there is same as they always have in the training area with no one stopping them. The Bridge looks same as the last time they were there. Groerge goes right to one of the controls while Alexis feels the lure of the chair.

Groerge has been busy working on the computer systems like he was possessed.

The short woman strokes the chair before she sits in it. The displays come to life exciting her more as the readouts give information on the systems on the trainer ship. A number of them are listed as not operational and under repairs but that is to be expected. Alexis is giddy as she hits buttons bring up cameras on what is being done in the section she was in. Zormie and the others are still at work there. Like a kid in a candy store she brings up other displays giving what would be command of a ship if it were a real vessel.

Alexis notices one system is reporting an alert. She brings it up and finds it shows Groerge on the camera sitting on the Bridge and possible intrusion in files. The short woman, “Groerge there is an alert on you.”

The man turns around, “I know. I know it all. Damn them for what they are doing.”

Alexis is about to ask what it is when the display of the controls he is at goes blank. The man jumps from the chair.

“Ally run.” He bolts out of the Bridge.

Alexis is getting out of the chair when a number of displays start to go blank around her. She freezes watching the displays as they blink then go back to normal along the bridge. Every one of them but the ones at the chair she is at does so. She closes down the command chair’s displays slowly and then leaves the Bridge taking her time to get back to her cabin.

She finds Zormie there busy eating at one of the consoles.

Alexis looks around, “Groerge isn’t here?”

Zormie keeps eating as she answers. “No he was with you.”

The short woman looks at what Zormie is reading, “No he ran off without me.” The screen shows details of the ship.

“Well he will show up when he is hungry.”

Alexis just nods and goes to her bunk. The next day Groerge has yet to return and she asks a trainer. “We are missing a member of our team, Groerge. Do you know where he is?”

The woman checks her dataslate. She hums as she looks, “Oh him. He has completed his training ahead of you.”

Alexis is confused. “But we started at the same time.” His disappearance and what happened yesterday still in her mind.

The trainer sighs, “I know. I realize this might sound wrong to say it but some learn at a faster rate. We don’t take Elitist here but many are diligent in the learning. A few like him learn the basics faster then most. We have noticed your skills.”

This takes her back, “My skills?” A hand goes up to twirl a strand of hair worried.

The trainer has a disarming smile. “Yes. You seem to know most of the stuff without looking it up. Why we think he learned it so fast.”

Alexis feels caught but goes the way that gives her an out in the conversation. “Yes, I did try to help my team learn as much as possible.”

“We have kept you active here since you are helping many others.” The woman looks at her dataslate. “Yes you have gotten much more out of the teams you worked with then they do so normally. Thank the government you are not an Elitist. We could use more like you.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes.” She looks at her crono piece. “I have to check another group.”

Alexis feels relaxed that they think of her as good for the mission and lets the arguments and questions go away. “Thank you for telling me about Groerge.”

The last few days of training gets easier surprising Alexis. She is wondering how they can say they are trained for space. Her reading before she is sure they have not the skills to truly work on the vessel. She looks to Zormie to talk to her over it. “Zormie do you think we are going to be able to keep a ship operational with what they trained us?”

The Amazon nods, “Of course. We might not know everything but I am sure they have specialists on board. We are just grunt muscle and with this flight I’m sure we will get more training for the next one.”

The shorter woman looks over surprised, “I didn’t think of that.”

Zormie rolls her eyes looking over at Alexis. “You thought I was just a meat head didn’t you? Muscles and beauty without anything upstairs.” The Amazon flexes an arm in a muscle builder’s pose.

Swirling her hair with a finger she bashfully answers, “Maybe.”

The larger woman laughs, “Sure I do not care much about a lot of stuff that does not matter but I think at times. I just tend to use the simple solutions most of the time. And I had a thought to get him for what he did that would not have led to direct knowledge of who did it to him unlike you.”

Alexis has to take in that having thought of Zormie as… Well not that deep. The other woman goes to bed leaving her to brood over this. Hearing the woman still shifting in bed Alexis decides to ask another question. “Zormie how did you lose your finger?”

A grumbling answer comes from the woman, “An accident with a dumbbell.”

Alexis lets it go not wanting that tone spoken to her again.

The city is as it has been since the man was a child, which was long ago. He murmurs something under his breathe about decaying. He goes from the window that looked out over the night traffic to his work.

The old man has not shaved in a while. His clothes are rumpled from working in them for days. The bags under his eyes tell of little sleep.

The room itself has rows of electronic gizmos and displays the man goes past. A month ago the room was in good shape and spotlessly clean but anger and frustration has put a few holes in the wall and trash along the floor. Dataslates and meals lie forgotten on various flat surfaces. Cool air comes in through multiple vents keeping this room chilly even with all the electronic devises working. The only fully clean spots are at two computer consoles.

The old man has been feverishly working but not on a project for the great society. He had spoken to a colleague and learned a secret of the space program so profound that it tore at his heart forcing him to abandon his life work. The programs for the great vessels are in his computers along with a virus that will alter them. The programming was a dirty job but it will do what he wants. He stabs the send button sending it to a nearly complete vessel he will never see. The computer blinks when it has finished sending.

He smiles emptying the glass of depressant he has been carrying. He will be dead by the time the program activates but if it works his child will live. Not as they planned for her but to be able to come home after he and everyone alive is dead. He looks over at a picture of his wife, “She will be safe dear.”

The training tower has a party going on. The speakers are playing music instead of orders. Completion of the training has the group in such good cheer that the trainers are allowing to happen. Someone had some alcohol brought in and everyone seems to have gotten a share. Alexis and Zormie are in the Hydroponics section sitting on the floor.

The section has narrow pipes going from the floor to planters in simple if compressed rows. The lighting in the section normally is the brightest but at this time its been dimmed down.

Alexis looks at the drink she has, “I have not gotten so drunk on one drink.”

Zormie smiles pointing to a readout, “It is not just that. They upped the Oxygen levels so you’re getting high from it. What you are drinking is hitting you a lot harder because of it.”

The shorter woman goes over to look at it, “You are right.” She looks back to the woman a bit surprised. “How did you notice?”

“I have seen it before. Some guys I knew would huff from a tube then take shots to get blasted on their alcohol ration. They would have some girls with them and would do some unrestricted breeding.” Zormie leans back, “It was great too.”

Alexis blinks, “You did?”

“Yes. How I got my son. Not that I wanted one.” She rubs her hands together.

The shorter woman sets down the drink, “That is pretty cold of you.”

“I didn’t have much choice. State Security took him away from me.”

Alexis normally would get worried but the intoxication has dulled her sense of self-preservation. “But the only reason they would do that is…”

“The father is of the Party. Yes I already guessed that.” She sighs, “And accepted it a long time ago. What the Party wants the Party gets. Speaking of party did you realize this and the four buildings next to it are all training the same crew?”

Alexis is stunned not expecting something like that. Zormie befuddled Alexis takes another minute to notice the change and says, “Well I know we are to have a larger crew but not that many.” She thinks about it then part of her reading of the ship data comes to mind, “We got over 2,000 people on board. That is not just this but most likely all of them here are training for one ship.”

Zormie looks surprised now, “Hold it 2,000?”

“Yes that is the standard compliment on the RX-34, a few hundred specialists and then a mass of semiskilled crew. That is us, semiskilled crew.”

“And you called me cold.”

Alexis giggles, “I would never.”

The larger woman gets up, “Well this semiskilled booty is going to bed. I will see you in the morning Ally.”

Alexis raises her drink and spends a bit longer enjoying it before she goes to bed.