Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space Page 8

  * * *

  Work clobbered him. Gallant spent every minute he could with Howard and Haggman working detailed plans to get equipment up to par with minimal downtime. He helped read the repair manuals while the men worked to replace circuits, or modify software.

  Slowly, the CIC status board reflected an improvement, but Gallant was falling behind his AI scheduled assignments and simulation exams for his fighter re-quals.

  Despite Gallant’s best efforts, Barrington was relentlessly critical of his performance and she piled on the simulation assignments to supplement actual flight time.

  Over the next few days, Gallant found division work melding with his re-qual study and training simulations, until it all blended into a seamless blur of constant activity. His occasional brushes with other midshipmen were strictly professional and impersonal.

  One awkward moment came when he literally walked into Kelsey Mitchel while turning a corridor.

  “Oh, sorry, I wasn’t looking ..., I was thinking about ..., Auh ...,” he said. Then with one final, “Sorry,” he bounded away, leaving her there speechless.

  Nearly two weeks after his last visit, Gallant was once again in the XO’s office.

  “Gallant, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. You're behind in your re-qual assignments and you failed your last two simulation exams. I’m marking you deficient in your studies. Your final re-qual exam is tomorrow. Fail that and you'll be sent packing back to Mars.”

  Gallant said, “I understand, sir.”