Lenny Jenkins sat in his new living room, sighing. "At last, a place where I am king and nobody can tell me what to do. No fussing, no orders, no more degradation. Aw, I love it. Me and the stars and the station."
      An indicator lit on the panel, and he leaned forward to check. "Uh oh, air recycler needs a scrubbing. Seems the construction crew would have seen to cleaning up their usage of it. Oh well. This is the last time that I have to worry about what others have done. Blessed isolation. I never thought I'd get here. I am so tired of people telling me what to do. No more bosses, no more bill collectors, and most important, no more bossy, nagging, angry women."
      Lenny laughed and went to work to refamiliarize himself with specifics of the life support system, manual in hand.


      Carla was having fits. The indicators were coming on in rapid order. She flipped on the intercom. "Lois, we are in real trouble."
      "What is wrong now?"
      "Life support. Air recycler, pressure is dropping noticeably. Oh, where are Hank, Gene, and Larry when we need them?"
      "They are dead, Carla. Not that I've missed them. They were bums, like all men."
      "But without them now, we are going to die. None of us are able to repair this ship. We haven't had the training to fix it. We're going to die! I don't want to die!"
      "Can the whining, will you? The last thing we need to do is fall apart. Level heads are what we need."
      "We need men to fix the ship." shrieked Carla.
      "Hell, we never needed men. They are all lazy and greedy, living off a woman's work. All we need are some women technicians. Men have no monopoly on brains."
      "Then why didn't you train in repair?"
      "I was trained in more important things, like life sciences."
      "If it's so much more important, then why isn't it helping us stay alive? We're going to die!"
      "Carla, keep your head!" Lois snapped.
      "Look, don't shout at me! You were the one that left the valve open in the air lock that killed our men."
      "Well, I'm not sorry. We put up with their lewd ways for too long. Now use the brain you were born with and look for a beacon! We still have propulsion. If we can find a base close by, we'll survive. Now get off the intercom and let me try to fix this. Maybe I can figure out what is wrong. This manual is written in a foreign language, for all I can understand of it. Look for a beacon."
      "Okay." Carla turned off the intercom. She turned on the radio scan to search for a beacon. A single beacon showed.
      "What is the fuss I heard?" asked Karen, coming onto the bridge, wiping sleep from her eyes.
      "Life support is starting to fail, Captain. Lois is trying to figure out how to repair it."
      "Lois? I can't imagine her touching grease from the way she talks. What are you doing?"
      "I've located a beacon. We will probably have to head for it, as bad a shape as the ship is in."
      "Exactly what is wrong with the ship?"
      "Look at the board. It would take over an hour to explain, if I knew what was wrong. Unfortunately the accident killed the only ones on board that knew how to read the board and deduce the problem. What I'd give for a good repairman."
      "Wishful thinking doesn't do us any good. Set course for the beacon."
      "Yes, Captain."
      "I'll go wake Sarah to relieve you. You've been at the helm long enough. With a little luck, the four of us will survive this mess."

 

      Lenny was in the shower when he heard the buzzer. He recognized the call sign of the radio from past experience. He was in no hurry to answer, not being in anywhere close to the mood to talk to other people. He turned the water hotter and luxuriated in the relaxing spray, singing his favorite song to drown out the buzzer.

 

     "Still no answer, Sarah?"
      "Still no response, Captain. It's a brand new listing. It may not be occupied as of yet. But it is a life support station. Hold it, I'm getting a carrier wave."
      "Bring it up on the screen."
      "On now. Your cue, on broadcast."
      "Hello, Scanner Base 4159. This is Captain Karen Norris of the Confed Transport Ship Libra. We are in need of assistance. The ship is suffering life support failure. We are in a life threatening state without the means to repair our ship. We request docking and repairs. I repeat, we are in a life threatening state. Please respond."
      "I read you, Libra. Please detail trouble."
      "Massive failure of life support and other systems. Listing is quite lengthy. We request immediate docking."
      "Why aren't repairs being accomplished?"
      "The section of our crew trained to maintenance and repair died in an accident while performing their duties."
      "So you have no trained repair personnel?"
      "That is correct."
      "And you expect repairs to be performed by this station?" Lenny asked, groaning under his breath.
      "That is correct, according to Article 482 of the Transportation Concord. You will naturally be compensated for any expenses incurred."
      "Captain, what is your current compliment?"
      "Four personnel."
      "Captain, this base is privately owned, exempting it from Article 482. Docking denied. You have too many personnel for the life support system of this station to manage.
      "How many personnel are there?"
      "Just me, Captain. The station can not hold more than three people indefinitely. Five would seriously strain the capacity of the station."
      "You are just going to leave us out here to die?"
      "You knew your chances when you shipped off."
      "Look, as you should know, you are the only station is this region. If you refuse us docking, you are murdering the four of us. If you continue to deny us refuge in our state of trouble, I shall broadcast your refusal to assist us in need. That will put you into holding on all shipments until the hearing is resolved in court. Do you want that?"
      "You'd do that to me?"
      "Look, if you leave us out here to die, I'll stick you as hard as I can!"
      "Very well, names of your current compliment."
      "Captain Karen Norris, Pilot Sarah Covington, Co-pilot Carla Jones, and Science Officer Lois Freeburn."
      "All women?"
      "That is correct."
      Lenny turned off the mike and cursed loudly. Getting a blank screen, Karen had Sarah repeat the hail. Lenny calmed down and returned to the air.
      "Very well, docking approved, but to this understanding. This is a private station. You are here as my guests and you will be subjected to my rules of conduct. If any of your personnel or yourself step out of line in regard to my orders, the offender or entire crew will leave the station and return to the ship."
      "Agreed, as long as you are within reason in your orders."
      "No stipulations exist on my orders. You do exactly as I say or leave my station. I want that firmly understood. I will not tolerate even the slightest disobedience. You do exactly as I command or take your chances elsewhere. That is my offer. Take it or leave it."
      "I will need to confer with the personnel on board. Hold, please."
      "It's your time, not mine."
      Sarah blanked the screen. "Do you think he's serious, Captain?"
      "I'd say he's quite serious. Living in such isolation gives people distorted values. Call the other two here."
      Sarah called Lois and Carla to the bridge. The terms were explained when they arrived.
      Lois erupted, "If he thinks I'm spreading my legs for him, forget it. He can go to hell."
      "Lois, we'll go to hell if we don't agree. It's our only chance to survive. He is obviously trained in repair, manning a one man station. I'm going to accept his terms. Those of you that do not can remain on board the ship, while those agreeing can go into the station. I just want you to know my plans."
      "Why don't we take the station and kill him?" grumbled Lois.
      "Because he can fix our ship, and it would be murder and piracy. I will not play part to such crimes, nor will I allow our only source of repairs to be endangered. Just get it in your mind that if you want to go aboard the station, you will be expected to obey this man at all times, no matter what the command, short of killing yourself or another. If you do not obey him, I will write you off the crew, as well as let him do with you as he wishes in the way of punishment."
      "You'd favor him over us?" Lois gasped in disbelief.
      "Lois, my primary responsibility is to the ship. After that comes my responsibility to the crew. I will follow my assigned priorities. If you endanger the ship, then I will write you off, and you will become solely his property. You will do as he says when you are in his station, regardless of what he asks. Do I make myself clear? I am trying to keep the four of us alive and get us out of here as quickly as possible." There was no return comment. "Sarah, screen, please."
      Lenny reappeared on the main screen. "We accept your conditions. Those of us that come aboard your station will obey you implicitly. But be warned that everything that takes place on board your station will go down in my report.
      "Suit yourself. I'll prepare your living quarters. I hope you will be comfortable in the sparse offerings I have to give. Kindly bring rations of food and water with you. These I have only in amounts to serve myself. Also bottled oxygen."
      "Agreed. Thank you for your assistance."
      The screen went blank and Lois spit on the floor. "He will not have me unless he kills me first."
      "He will have you in any way he wants if you go aboard his station."
      "I still say we should kill him."
      "Listen to me. You promise to me to do exactly as he says, or I will not allow you to leave ship. Your word, Lois."
      "But he's a stinking man."
      "I don't care if he were a Rigelian clord. You do as he says or stay here on board ship and take your chances of survival here. Your word, Lois. I will not have you jeopardizing the rest of us with your animosity."
      "Oh, all right! I'll do what he wants, the sleeze ball. But when the ship is fixed, I'll kill him if he touches me."
      "No. I will not accept that. Your word that you will behave properly the entire time we are there, even departing."
      "Why don't you just cut my throat now and be done with it?"
      "Don't tempt me. Your word, Lois."
      "Oh, all right!" She turned and stormed out.
      "That goes for you two as well. Treat him with every grace in your ability. If we are to get out of this with our ship intact, we'll have to make him feel in complete control. I wish things were different, but they aren't, so we do the best we can."
      "Whatever it takes, however distasteful, Captain."
      "Thank you, Sarah."
      "Actually, I'm looking forward to having a man around again. It's been two months since the 'accident'. I still think Lois did it on purpose."
      "No, it was an accident, I'm certain. She wouldn't have murdered them, despite her mouthing off. Look, you two, just don't push the guy. Let it happen his way."
      "Can I at least smile at him?" Sarah asked.
      "All you want, unless he tells you otherwise."

 

      Docking took time, since Lenny's station did not have the same lock as did the Libra. Lenny had to go out in a suit to make the fittings match. Then he returned to the station and had the women come aboard. He led them directly to a single cabin and asked them to remain inside it unless called upon to leave it. There was a bed and three cots and a small bath attached. There was little spare room for movement.
      The four settled in, Karen requesting a talk with Lenny. He said that he would call for her when he was ready. An argument between Lois and Carla broke out as soon as he was gone and the door shut. Karen put an immediate stop to it by pulling rank and threatening a dock in salary. They sat in tense silence and waited.
      Lenny listened in on them, trying to find out what kind of guests he had. He was upset at having to put them up, wanting nothing but to be alone. He listened to the long silence, then was rewarded when conversation finally began. "What is he doing now?" asked Carla.
      "Look, he isn't molesting us. That's a start."
      "Lois, I am sick and tired of your crap about men. Any man is every man to you. You hate them all."
      "Look at how they unloaded on me all my life."
      "Maybe because you ask for it."
      Lois raised her fist. "Girls!" warned Karen.
      "No, Captain. The way she acts, no wonder men don't treat her well."
      "You never had a man dump on you?"
      "Sure I have, but not all of them do it. Some are idiots, some are genuinely nice people. But to you, you are just too plain stupid to see the distinction. You're just too dumb to find a good one. You're just looking for someone to hate. It just happens to be men. It could be the rich, the ethnic, or anybody different from you. No man would want to look twice at you, unless he was desperate. You gripe too much. You never have a single positive thing to say. No wonder men treat you like dirt. That's the way you treat everybody else. What goes around comes around."
      "Pardon me, Miss Sissy Pants, Miss Bend-Whichever-Way-You-Put-Her."
      "Can it." ordered Karen. "I, for one am relieved to breathing decent air. That's something you people keep forgetting. The person who holds air is a person of authority out here. You learn to put your faith in people when you put yourself at their mercy. From what I can gather, this man is out here to be alone, and we are intruding on his privacy."
      "Big deal."
      "You make a big deal out of it when your privacy is stepped on. That man owns this station. He's under his own jurisdiction. We belong to him as long as we are his guests. If you have trouble, you ask to speak to me. I'll do what I can to have him go through me when your concerns are at stake. I don't guarantee that he'll grant that, or that I can keep you out of trouble. Let's just keep trouble to an absolute minimum until we have our ship again and we are gone from here. Until then, I expect perfect behavior from each of you."
      Silence followed. Lenny rose and went to the women's room. He knocked and asked the captain to follow him. Karen stood and moved to the door. Lenny turned and went down the curved hall.
      "I want to thank you for taking us in when it wasn't necessary."
      "You gave me little choice."
      "I was desperate. I want to apologize for my behavior."
      "I heard your little speech. I'm impressed with your eye for details, Captain. But then, that is what captains are for. The hub of the network, looking for improper details. A ponderous responsibility. You are correct about my desire for privacy. Let's just say that I've had my fill of mistreatment, and to me, these uninhabited reaches of vacuum is heaven. It's what I need. Let's keep this as smooth as possible, and we'll get you out of my hair as quickly as possible. What I want of you and your crew is to be seen as little as possible.
      "To do this, we'll work a shift. I'll keep a schedule while I work on your ship. While I am away from the station, the four of you will have a part of the station at your disposal. But at the end of this period, you will be expected to police the area, putting everything in its place. I don't want to have to hunt for things. I am a creature of habit, and hunting for an item disturbs me. I needn't drill you on the need. The rest of the time, you will be four to the room you occupy now with the others.
      "I apologize for the cramped quarters, but this is a one-man station supporting five. I shall be making sacrifices as well, shutting off areas when they are not in use to conserve the life support. You haven't upgraded yourself that much in coming here."
      "I am breathing. I am grateful."
      "I do have one question that I would like to ask. Care for a cup of coffee?"
      "The real stuff?"
      "Yes. I grow it here. I am self-sufficient here, with the farm processors."
      "I'd love some. What question?"
      "About the death of your crew members.
      "An accident."
      "Are you sure?"
      "Are you questioning Lois?"
      "I was just asking if you were sure it was an accident. I point no fingers. I am not looking for argument. I am looking to see if I need to take precautions."
      "I determined that there was no conscious effort made to cause their deaths. Of that, I am certain. Beyond that, I do not know. By nature, it was an accident aided by a familiar lack of set protocol. Checks were bypassed, and it led to their deaths."
      "Go tell your crew that you are going to make an inspection tour of your ship. At no times are they to leave their room. The corridor outside their room will be at reduced pressure to seal the door shut. To breech the seal would not be in their best interest. I am doing this until I get full security measures in place and we can begin the shifts."
      "Very well."
      "Get back here and get suited."
      Karen turned and went to the room without escort.

 

      Lenny began to work shifts on the ship's life support systems, and the tensions among the crew subsided as they gained more leg room. Lois continued to grumble about Lenny and the treatment he was giving them, though she had only seen him briefly twice on the first day.
      Lenny worked long hours, in a hurry to see the ship repaired. Most men would have been happy to have such guests, but Lenny just wanted them gone. He trusted himself in space. He didn't trust a crew that had fouled their own life support to take better care of his life support. He had most every replacement part for his compound, and he knew how to keep from needing spare parts. But he doubted the four on evidence.
      At least Lenny trusted the captain, and he hoped in her ability to command. He had come in from his fourth shift when Karen called to him. He activated the intercom. "Yes?"
      "Pilot Sarah Covington has asked me to request your audience for her."
      "Regarding?"
      "One moment.
      "Conversation." said Sarah.
      "Hell, just tell him you want to jump in the sack with him." retorted Lois. "Tell him you want rub your sweet juices all over his body."
      "Shut up!" screamed Sarah.
      "Denied." responded Lenny.
      "Wait. Don't you ever get lonely for someone to talk to out here?" Sarah said to the intercom.
      "I'm sorry about this." offered Karen.
      "Allow me to answer. Right now, I am very tired from repairing your ship. I am headed directly for bed after I bathe. If I do not hurry, your presence will serious jeopardize my life support. It has been overloaded for nearly five days. Until I return integrity to your ship's life support and thus take the stress off of mine, socialization is a luxury which I can not afford. I do not mean to be cruel. I mean to see that five of us survive. I would appreciate all the effort you can give to see to the same goal, until you have your own airspace back in working condition. Then you may do as you wish. Until then, the less we see of each other, the faster I can complete repairs. Good night."

 

     On the seventh day, Lenny returned home to find Lois sitting at his desk. "What are you doing there?"
      "Checking out your station."
      "Go back to your area."
      "Stuff it. I'm tired of sitting in that sardine can of a room."
      "Move away from the desk."
      "Oh, stuff it."
      A welding laser came up in Lenny's hand, pointing at Lois's forehead, his finger ready to change from spotting intensity to welding intensity. "Move away from the desk."
      "Okay, okay. Don't get touchy." She rose from the chair, nerves suddenly very alert..
      "Over there." he pointed with his other hand, keeping the aim on her. He moved to the intercom. "Captain, you've grown lax. Come to the control room and collect one of your crew."
      Karen was there in seconds. "What has she done?"
      "I found her at the control desk. She is to be confined to the room, period, until I finish the repairs. One more slip up on her part, or if I find evidence of sabotage at my controls, she is gone from this station. Get her to her room!"
      They departed, then Lenny gave the controls a very thorough review. He found a number of alterations at random, more sign of unknowing operation than intentional tampering. He refused several of Karen's calls with a curt "Later." Then he called her to the control room.
      Karen arrived, obviously anxious, hoping to defuse a dangerous episode before it boiled over.
      "You failed in your job, Captain. There were changes made to my controls. At this point, I am unsure if it was playful ignorance or clever intent. I would feel better if she were placed aboard your ship, unless you can give me reason not request it."
      "The changes on the controls. Were they life threatening?"
      "Under the right circumstances, yes. I could have been killed with the controls the way they were, had I not seen what changes had been made. My suggestion is for her to go over to the ship in a suit, then have her remove the suit in C hold, which is functional and separate, like all the bays on your ship. The suit comes out, she stays inside."
      "You feel that she is that great a threat?"
      "Yes, and not just because of her male bashing. You have a problem in her. I have seen people do things unconsciously that have taken people's lives. They weren't even aware of having done it. I have saved a few lives intervening in similar events. Murder does not have to be a conscious act for it to be murder, except in law. Just about every case involves strong emotion being buried by externally imposed restraints. The inner hatred gains control just long enough to make the deadly action, and the conscious mind is unaware.
      "I am not saying that the men on your crew were deliberately murdered, but it seems to me to be the type of situation where subconscious murder is highly possible. But what nags me is your lack of positive control. If Lois could have come up here unnoticed, then any of the others could have as well. These changes were not necessarily made by Lois. It could have been any of you. Lois was caught. I think that all of you should retire back to C hold with no suits, if safety is to be assured. Had you been more diligent, I might not feel so compelled to request it."
      "I understand your concern."
      "Besides, the strain to the system here is beginning to show on the units. I think that you'd best get everyone up here and suited up."
      "Yes. I apologize for this."
      "It's not easy on any of us. I am not angry with you. I'm just trying to see that the five of us survive."
      "I understand." Karen nodded and left for the quarters.
      Lenny oversaw the suiting and the transfer of the four women to the ship and into C hold. Lenny took their suits after checking the intercom to his suit and to the station by remote response. He then went back to the station and breathed a sigh of relief.

 

      Three days later, Lenny finished the repairs and had the life support in proper working condition. He opened the air lock to C hold and allowed the four to have full reign of their ship again. Lenny invited Karen over to the station for dinner. He left them to get their things in order aboard the Libra.
      Karen called over to request permission to board. Lenny gave her permission and greeted her at the airlock when she arrived. He helped her out of her suit.
      "I trust that the crew is relieved to get their old space aboard ship back as their own."
      "Yes, Lenny. Thank you. Do you care to give me an itemized list of the work you did on the ship? That will assure that you are properly paid. I can figure what we used of yours during our stay here on the station. Our lives can never be repaid. I appreciate your generosity and sacrifice."
      "Well, I didn't want you dying. A fouled life support is not a way of choice to go."
      "What can I do to repay you personally for all that you've done beyond price? Name it, and it's yours."
      "All I want is my privacy."
      "Why are you so afraid of people?"
      "I'm not afraid of people, I'm tired of them. Let me see if I can explain. I am what you call you a soft touch. If there is trouble, I will find myself dragged into it, trying to get people out of trouble. I have a lot of skills. I worked hard for those skills to make my life easier. But since I learned the skills, I end up busier than before I had the skills, because everybody else is need of the skills.
      "Out here, I work four hours a day staying alive. Bring people here or put me where there are people, I work twelve, fifteen hours a day. I was working myself to death. I like those extra eight to eleven hours a day to explore things in my mind, let my ideas develop, my mind grow, rather than suffocate. I am fully capable of entertaining myself, unlike many people. But most people don't have the same sort of mind that I have.
      "I'm doing a lot out here in this compound. I have many experiments going in many areas. I have no distractions, no second person's system or lack thereof to interfere in what I do. It's easier, I accomplish more with less effort. That is why I am out here alone."
      "You must be very strong to do it."
      "I guess. I don't think about strength unless others are about and it's obvious that it is at play. As for strength of character, I just know what I want. I don't need pampering hands about all the time. I more so don't need the energy drain of conflicting emotions. I've had my share of sharing, trying to make two minds fit one lifestyle. It's a dream that just doesn't fit my nature. Relationships take commitment of effort. I'd rather spend that same effort elsewhere, where it helps others more without getting dragged down in the conflict. I like people, I don't like their habit of demanding what is not theirs to command. I live my life, and I live better for it."
      "That is open for opinion."
      "I guess, as is everything. I just know what works best for me. I've been in love. I know what I'm missing out here. I just have no desire for it any more. I got tired of paying the price, is what it boils down to."
      "Well, you've paid the price for us, yet you've taken none of the rewards. You now have time to relax. I can't speak for Lois, but I'm sure the rest of us would be willing to do you any special favors you ask of us. It's the least we can do to offer. You really have put us in your debt."
      "First off, I am not ready to relax. I have put in better than ten days on your ship at the expense of my projects. I have at least forty extra hours of work to do before I catch even in my schedule."
      "We could help you."
      "Training would take longer than the chores." he shrugged.
      "Can't we do something for you?"
      Lenny shrugged. "Am I that much in demand?"
      "Well, we've been without men for some stressful weeks. But if you find the idea distasteful, we'll understand."
      Lenny laughed. "I like your soft sell, Captain. Very smooth. From one survivor to another."
      "I don't feel like much of a survivor."
      "You're still alive out here in the middle of space, aren't you?"
      "I guess if you put it that way."
      "Are you ready to have dinner?"
      "Depends on what is for desert.
      "Do you always have to know what comes in the future, or is that just the captain in you?"
      Karen laughed. "Touche. You are definitely not the man I envisioned when I first talked to you."
      "Never second guess a first impression."
      "I always felt that they were never very accurate for me." she admitted.
      "I'm talking about the very first impression, before the mind has a chance to get rolling and filling in the void with details."
      "Oh. Initial response."
      "Yes."
      "I guess I saw a man that was greater than I am."
      "Do you resent it?"
      "How could I resent you, after all you've done?"
      "You mean with a clear conscience?"
      "Touche, again. I guess I resented being cooped up, even though I knew it was necessary. It felt like a trap and accepting a submissive role. Being a ship captain, it got to me a bit. But that is grossly outweighed by what you have done for us."
      "But it's still there, as with the other three as well."
      "But it means so little in comparison. The rest of me is kicking the regret in the rear, telling it to get lost."
      "Eat, before your gradant gets cold and loses its flavor."
      They had dinner in silence with the lights dimmed. When they had finished, he cleared the table.
      "So now what?"
      "Always business. The consummate captain."
      Karen chuckled and made eyes at him.
      "You don't seem very dissuaded by my aloofness."
      "You don't give me much choice but to be bold."
      "I always wondered in how many cases where payment was more for the benefit of the payer as opposed to the benefit of the payee.
      "So I'm being selfish again by offering unselfishly?"
      "A proper captain would assign the duty. Delegation of power."
      "I've already proven myself improper. Why should it surprise you?"
      "I'm not surprised. I'm just making sure that you are not doing this out of a sense of debt. I don't want this unless your heart is in it." He smiled timidly.
      "It is. You saved our lives in a most impressive, methodical manner. You knew exactly what you were doing. I'm impressed. I expected a brutal time, and you were so very efficient and very generous. You didn't take advantage of us when you had us under your thumb, our lives in your hands. I appreciate that. I appreciate also the way you handled the problem with the control room. I guess we were all expecting the worst of you, and we ended up getting your best. All we've been is trouble. I don't want to leave here thinking that we were nothing but trouble to a man that got us out of big trouble."
      "So it's strictly a matter of conscience clearing?"
      "No. I like what I found here. You've been so busy, I haven't had time to know you as well as I'd like. You took control of the situation when I should have. You're strong. You're to be admired."
      "Why do I feel as if you are sticking an air pump to my ear?"
      "Huh?"
      "Trying to give me a swelled head. You want me soft-minded."
      "You, soft-minded?"
      "My mind on softness."
      "Oh, I guess I am. Don't you feel the need?"
      "I guess I do, but there are things you don't see in me. To me, love is almost an enemy. So much pain, but that goes with flying blind. I don't live to be happy, I live to be content. I sewed my oats early."
      "Burned too many times? Is that why you're here?"
      "Part of it. I could complain, but it would sound too much like a gripe done in generalizations. I guess I'm not one to follow or to lead. I'm one to look and learn and put it to good use, if I can. Relationships slow me down in doing this. I am not without fond memories. I'm not bitter by the experience. I just quit banging my head against the wall. Felt good. No desperation, no sacrifice of important things. Life is level, smooth, productive. Passion is a storm of pain. When the pain goes, so does the passion. To be honest, bed is not necessary for me. It's a nice offer, but it's not the essence of the bond, assuming birth control. That is different, and not for me. I have no desire for kids."
      "You don't like children?" she admonished.
      "Other people's children I love."
      "Chicken?"
      "Honest appraisal. Some men are natural fathers, rare but true, but I am not one of them. I love kids on a part-time basis. I am driven by another fire, one of progressing my knowledge, not reviewing from basics."
      "Are you doing any good out here?"
      "I haven't been here all that long, but I have a number of ideas started. I should do quite well developing my ideas. That's what I did on Earth, which bought me this compound and a ticket here."
      "What are you working on?"
      "A decent colony ship, modular, a small armada connected by solar sails, engines, and transport tubes. A generation ship that would support a generation in proper style."
      "Really?"
      "This is a small model of it. Basic one person unit. It can be expanded to a family unit by adding more rings. These are ganged into neighborhoods. To move, you take your house with you. There are larger units for work, administration, recreation, and the farm units. Fish hatcheries, grazing units, processing, medical. There is a lot that needs to be covered yet. Human needs are many, my bank roll finite, but it shows that a person can afford an individual unit, making the concept economically feasible. The financing for the big units will make for the eminence of the community. Same as on the ground, on a financial basis, is what I'm shooting for in my design. Small towns and big cities, suburbs. A metropolis between stars. Alleviate overcrowded conditions for the same price of keeping overcrowded conditions. Then there is no excuse."
      "You surprise me again. Do you plan on being here long?"
      "Until I get tired of being alone. May take a couple of decades."
      "Hmmm." Karen responded with a raised chin and a squint.
      "Some reason for the hum?"
      "We'll, I've been making this run for several years. If I get back and get to keep the run, then I may be stopping by when I pass through."
      "Is that fuel efficient?"
      "Yeah, in fact. I have two stops I'd give up. It's time for me to pull out of both situations. I'll probably have a new crew next time. I may keep Sarah."
      "I'd get her to undergo examination first, with the rest."
      "Something wrong with Sarah?"
      "To be honest, you are the only one on your ship that I do trust. Each of the others have a grudge. You have surrendered all of yours to command. Be careful on your way home."
      "But Sarah?"
      "Yes. She holds an anger inside her, and its deeply suppressed. I see signs in her behavior. She works for you, and you concentrate on performance. I look for different signs than you do, part of my study on living in space. Keep an eye on all three, is my advice. I still see doubt about Sarah. Sarah is the repressed being, living for an ideal of being, positive, friendly, warm. It's a front for her, hiding a dark interior. She is probably a bigger threat than Lois.
      "Lois is a gripe, anxious to rid herself of discomfort, impatient for fair treatment. She's up front with her anger. Her danger is her lack of focus, as opposed to an excess of focus for Sarah. If Sarah loses her focus, it s disaster. For Lois, it's no big thing except for your ears and maybe your stomach or jaw. And Carla is unglued from the death of your crew members. Her threat is losing her grip on reality and doing something irrational, like wrecking the ship.
      "Discipline Lois, but fairly, be business as usual with Sarah, and pamper Carla. Have Sarah keep a close eye on Carla and Lois keep an eye on Sarah. I see that as your best chance of getting back alive."
      "You think it's that bad?"
      "Yes. Watch your step carefully."
      "You do care about me."
      "I like you, yes."
      "Care to prove it?"
      "How?"
      "First, shut up and look at me. I wasn't always a captain."
      "Taking off your rank?"
      "You just watch me." she said, covering his mouth with her fingers.

 

      They were relaxing after a hot bath together. "You have the best water in space I've ever felt. How do you do it, without the metallic flavor that most processors have?"
      "One of my little tricks from the farm."
      "Organic process?"
      "Partially."
      Karen's pager sounded. Lenny flipped a few buttons on the intercom.
      "Hello, Captain?"
      "Yes, Carla."
      "We are having trouble with the main compartment air scrubber. We are getting a rise in CO2 levels as well. Evidently something wasn't repaired properly. Could you ask him to come take a look?"
      "I'll ask. If there is a sharp change, have your suits ready."
      Lenny flicked off the intercom. "I fixed the air scrubber properly."
      "You are saying sabotage?"
      "I don't draw conclusions on so little evidence."
      "You just draw possibilities."
      "I am not a captain pressed for an answer. Let's go see what's cooking aboard the Libra."
      "Do you fear foul play?"
      Lenny shrugged. "I intend to play it by ear until I see the problem. I will know better after I see the problem."
      "You don't trust them."
      "No. Let get suited."
      "Any reason not to go through the tube?"
      "Playing to the side of caution, as you ordered them. Easier to wear them than carry them."
      "Okay. Karen agreed.
      They suited up and crossed over through the tube. Lenny went right to life support and made an inspection. Before he finished, Lois was there watching.
      "Messed up, huh?"
      "What makes you say that? Because I'm a man?"
      "I don't believe in the good fairy like the captain. Too good to be true is never true in my book."
      "You know, I hate to bash anybody, unlike you. But there is one thing about the female mind that runs me up a wall, and that is the sheer love of generalization. What is it about women that causes such an animosity toward specifics? Is it a survival trait? I'm not saying that it's exclusively female. Men do generalize, but women seem to thrive on it. Is your life so polarized that you can not admit individualism? You know virtually nothing about me. How can you judge me with a sense of accuracy? You leave yourself closed to pleasant surprises. Such a tragedy."
      "You haven't proven yourself different."
      "Guilty until proven innocent. Shoot first and make friends later? Hard way to make friends, sometimes when you need them."
      "I didn't mess up your computer."
      "I never said you did. You were just in a place that strained the life support of my station. Discipline was getting too lax to insure our survival. The decision to move you was based on that laxness and the coming of available survivable space on board. I never accused you. My abrupt behavior with the torch was to cut through the crap as swiftly as possible. You think more clearly in a crisis. I gave you a crisis to clear your mind. Nothing personal, mind you."
      "Do you think I killed Hank, Gene, and Larry?"
      "I have no opinion. I never knew them, I wasn't there. I am ignorant of what happened. I have no opinion. You don't look like a cold blooded killer to me. Fighting for your life, possibly, but not in cold blood."
      "Most men see otherwise."
      "Well, I don't believe it, the word 'men' with a limiting adjective. I didn't know you had it in you."
      "Wise mouth. What's the trouble?"
      "Gas emissions somewhere on the ship, feeding into the scrubber. Probably ozone, from the readings I'm seeing in the data log. Definitely an ion effect. I would say the next step is to look at the electrical feeders for a heavy constant draw."
      "Sabotage?"
      "Possibly. Could be a faulty device."
      "Is that why you're still wearing your suit."
      "It was easier to wear it than to carry it over. Easier to stay inside than to climb out. The suit has ready tools. I can't fix the scrubber until we correct the problem. To the bridge."
      Lois followed him to the bridge. Sarah was sitting at the console.
      "Big screen, comparison, non-union accent, electrical system, specs and actuality, current flow, first run."
      "Is there a problem?"
      "Looking for a fouling source."
      "Electrical?"
      "First speculation. I have other choices, but this is the quickest to verify."
      "Oh. Always a good reason. Are you always like this?"
      "Irritating? Upper right hand corner. Accent, identify."
      "Not shown on specs.
      "Location?"
      "K-12. Work enclosure."
      "Next to a main air shaft?"
      "Yes, exhausts directly into it."
      "K level?"
      "Yes."
      "Thank you, Sarah."
      Lenny turned to leave the bridge. Karen and Lois followed. He took the lift down to K level. From his work on the ship, he took little time in finding the enclosure. He opened it and looked inside. He reached in, cut two wires, then extracted a device. Karen and Lois arrived in time to see him extract it.
      "Sabotage." murmured Lois.
      "Sarah?" asked Karen.
      "Don't jump to conclusions. Let me run some tests first."
      Lenny took the device to the electrical lab and checked the control circuitry without main power. "Nobody aboard this ship made this. Had to be made by someone no longer on board. That could go back to the original fitting, set here as a devise to sabotage after a theft of the ship. But activation is a different story. Flip this little switch and you have manual override for constant ozone production. I'll go clean the scrubbers. Boy, am I getting tired of doing this. Where is Carla?"
      "I don't know."
      "I'll call Sarah."
      Lenny headed back to life support while the women headed toward the bridge. He walked into the main service area, and there was Carla with a cutting laser. A red dot appeared on his chest. "You aren't going to take over this ship."
      "I have no desire to take control of the ship. In fact, I'll be delighted to see it gone."
      "Don't lie to me. I know what you're doing. I was wise to you when we picked up your beacon. Before that, even. I knew you were here, waiting for us to arrive. Well, it won't work."
      "I had nothing to do with it. I've never been part to murder."
      "You lie! You can't fool me." she screamed.
      "Carla, I have worked very hard to see that you survive. I am not out to harm anyone. The only plans I have is to build a spaceship to carry many people to new stars. I want to help people, not hurt them. I have seen too much pain in my life already, as have you. I don't want people to hurt."
      "That's not true. What about Hank, Larry, and Gene? You made them hurt. Huh, what about them?"
      "Carla, when they died, I didn't know that they existed. The first time I ever knew of your ship was when your captain called out to me over the radio that you were having troubles with your ship."
      "Then why did you lock us up?"
      "Because I had to keep you alive, along with the rest of us. The life support system would not have lasted if everyone had been all over the station. I had to concentrate the areas to make sure that the system kept working to keep us alive. That and the fact that you didn't know how to work the controls on the station, and someone could have accidentally turned a control to where it would have put us all in danger."
      "Then why. . . . Then why. . ."
      "Carla, I've only wanted to help you. You've been through so much awful pain on this trip. I want to help you ease the pain. I want to be your friend."
      "Then why weren't you our friend while we stayed on your station?"
      "I was working all the time, and I had to use all my strength for fixing your ship before the tiny life support on the station failed from supporting more people that it was designed to care for. I know the room was tiny and crowded, but it was better than dying, wasn't it? I was just trying my best to see all five of us survive. Can you fault me for that?"
      "Is that the truth?"
      "Lying does not come easily to me. I live out here alone. I have no one to lie to. I get no practice. I'm a bad liar."
      She dropped the torch from the aim on his chest. "Why does it have to hurt so much? Why is there so much pain?"
      "Pain tells us that something is wrong and needs soothing attention. Pain tells us to stop doing what causes the pain. Sometimes, it's possible to do so, sometimes, it's not. But if you can, you stop and treat the pain. Can I help you with your pain?"
      "How could you help?"
      "I'm a good listener. I know some about relieving pain. If there is something that I can do to help you, then tell me what it is you need."
      "You can't bring Gene back to life."
      "No. But you could tell me about your feelings for him. Talking about it sometimes helps release the pain. Did you love Gene?"
      "He was very good to me. He didn't deserve to die."
      "Life often ends cruelly and unfairly. Good people sometimes die before their time. It's never easy to take."
      "How would you know?"
      "I have lost ones I love. I know the pain it brings. It seems to go on without end. But it does come to an end when you finally accept it."
      "It does?"
      "Yes, and it doesn't hurt to cry. Crying eases the pain."
      Carla faltered, struggling to hold back her tears, but she failed and broke into sobs. Karen and Lois entered the room and took Carla away to her room. Lenny started working on the scrubber. He spent time to make sure that everything was working properly.


      He went to the bridge and had Sarah run through things on maintenance checks. When he finished, he told Sarah that the ship was sound for travel.
      "Think we'll make it?" she inquired.
      "If someone doesn't do something stupid, you'll make it just fine. That has been the problem all along, though."
      "Doing something stupid?"
      "Exactly. That has been the whole problem, stupid things have been done time after time. The incident where you lost half of your crew was a stupid mistake."
      "Lois has not been very sharp on this trip."
      "You are just as much to blame as Lois. Your commands to the computer made her mistake possible. You set her up to make the mistake. If you blame her, also blame yourself."
      "What are you talking about?"
      "I went over the ship's log concerning the death of the three men on board. Before they went into the airlock, you cycled a partial vacuum into the chamber that was connected to the valve that Lois accidentally left open. There was no good reason for you to do that. There were no orders for you do that. There were other details, like putting warning systems on standby. So you have at least as much of the blame on your shoulders as does Lois. I know that she irritates you, and that you want to use the incident to aggravate her. But think about the things you did back then."
      "I didn't kill them!"
      "You set up the incident that killed them. I'm not saying that you did it intentionally. You also were tampering with the controls in the station, setting up the same type of circumstance that could have ended in death. I know it's so. I have a log as well."
      "I didn't mean to harm anyone."
      "Not on the surface. But down deep, you are very angry at life. It's bubbling up into the things that you do, and you're not even aware of it. You're being very dangerous without awareness.
      "Show me proof."
      "Bring up the log where the men died, fifteen minutes prior."
      "I'm not a murderer."
      "No, you're not doing this consciously. I'm not placing blame on your shoulders. That is your chore, not mine. I merely present you with facts."
      "You haven't changed this log?"
      "No, and I'll prove it to you. It's there on visuals, plain as day. I'm not experienced in faking visuals in data banks."
      They went over the log, and he showed her errant commands along with the camera track of the control panel. It clearly showed her hitting the buttons on the console.
      "I don't remember doing any of that."
      "I never felt that you did. It was a pure reflex action, one well practiced, not noticed on the read—out because you were looking to the far side of the screen. The thing you need to do is to go on doing your job, just stay more aware of your hands. Keep them off the board when you're not actively using them and be very deliberate with your commands. Think about your actions. Do that, and go see the psych closet for therapy. You've all been under tremendous pressure. The four of you are not exactly friends, and you get aggravated with each others presence.
      "The four of you are different personalities, each with a different focus on life. Nobody can flow freely, it gets you choked up inside. Each of you have a different way of showing it. It runs deeper than that. It started with the men. Something happened on your ship that really upset everything. That is obvious. Then the men died to end the drama. Both you and Lois saw to it that it ended. I also get a feeling that not all the men were guilty, but all three died. Final, no continuation. Problem removed.
      "That's what I see facing you. You ye got to realize that you are taking a chance in going on without a technician on board. Awareness is what will get the four of you home. I'd also tell you that if one dies, it ‘s likely to be all of you at once. Be business as usual, be aware of the danger you can create if you are not careful."
      "We're a mess, aren't we?"
      "I've met far worse. You try. Just try a little harder, stay a little calmer, be a bit more deliberate, and be sympathetic. Your lives depend on it. You have to fly home. Carla will not be seeing duty. Karen can take controls while you sleep, but she will have other worries. She won't be effective if you don't work together. A little effort, and you'll make it. You're due a nice long vacation after all you've been through. Just communicate rationally."
      "Easier said than done." Sarah sighed.
      "Not if your life depends on it."
      "Won't you go with us?"
      "I need to stay here. My work is important. I can not leave it. I must continue. But you can make it with a little extra effort. You're capable of making it. Hang in there." Lenny patted her on the back.

 

      Karen arrived aboard the station. "It's amazing the difference in the crew after a few simple words from you. A strong man."
      "Anything to get you out of my hair, Captain."
      "Well, you get your wish. I came over to say good-bye."
      "Good luck on your trip."
      "I don't know what will happen when we get back. But I intend to return here. Could you use an assistant buying into your project? Buy a couple of rings to add on?"
      "Just in case you get canned?"
      "Yeah. I have experience that could help you from a ship commander's point of view."
      "That is true. We could always give it a try, if it comes to that."
      "I promise not to hold the fact that you are a man against you."
      "I should hope not."
      "Good luck with your work."
      "Good luck with your trip.
      "We'll make it."
      "I think you will."
      "Thanks to you. We owe you." Karen kissed Lenny, then turned back to her ship. Half an hour later, the engines ignited on the Libra and the ship moved away from the station.

 

      Over four hundred days had passed for Lenny without word from Karen or the crew of the Libra. He was sitting at his design desk working on a problem in the recreation areas when a incoming call caused his control console to buzz. It shook him, Lenny not expecting it. He got up and went to the console.
      "This is Scanner Base 4159, receiving your hail. Please acknowledge."
      "Well, hi there, stranger. You're still kicking, I see."
      "Karen?"
      "You remembered my name. I'm impressed."
      "So how is my captain?"
      "Captain, retired, station master."
      "Retired, huh? So what are you doing out here retired?"
      "Thought that this was a good spot to retire. Great view. Not too crowded. Taxes aren't very high. Nice neighborhood."
      "And you brought your own housing?"
      "Oh, yes. Modeled after a house I stayed in about a year ago when my transportation broke down.
      "Well. What can I say?"
      "I didn't come alone."
      "Oh?"
      "Ten astro-transportation engineers, twenty technicians, and a crack fabrication crew of about a two hundred, along with support staff. About six hundred total. I figured that you have been a hermit too long and that it was time for you to get back to work."
      "Well, there goes the neighborhood."
      "Actually, you are coming with us."
      "I am?"
      "Yes. We found a high grade metallic asteroid group and we are going there to start refining for production of your prototype generation ship."
      "You must have been wheeling and dealing."
      "Until I found and convinced the right wheeler dealer who took over for me. After that, it was waiting for everyone to get their gears turning. Wasn't all that hard to do, seeing how you left the design for your unit with the manufacturer. He was eager to sell the idea. You'll get a chance to see his work in less than two days. I just thought I'd call early so you can get your unit ready to connect to mine."
      "You don't leave me much room to change my mind."
      "None at all. If you don't teach us your innovations for the last year, we'll just have to rely on a prototype to transverse the stars."
      "And here I was actually starting to forget why I ran away in the first place."
      Karen laughed in return. "I hope you are ready to put your ideas into reality. These people are eager to get to work, boss."
      "Me, boss?"
      "Sure."
      "Okay, the crew has the next year off for vacation."
      "Very funny." she smirked.
      "So I'm not the boss."
      "Sure you are. You have say over design and construction."
      "What is the saying? Behind every great man is a woman that made his life living hell. Is that it?"
      "And I thought that you were the type that didn't condone bashing."
      "I never said that. I just said that I was not one to partake in the act often. I make up for lost time in intensity."
      "The honeymoon is over, and I haven't even gotten started yet."
      "So we get to work right away?"
      "Well, it will take a few days to get all your compound in matched flight with ours. I'm out ahead of the pack for slowdown with you, then they'll pass us after we hitch, and we'll catch up from the rear. That will take about two weeks. Won't be much for you to do in that time except pay attention to me. I like to make up for lost time as well."
      "Hog tied in space with no opportunity to escape to freedom."
      "Don't turn griper on me. That's not the reason I came back for you. I had enough of that aboard the Libra. No quarter for kvetchers."
      "Doomed. You women, I swear!"
      "That will cost you. Keep it up, I'm running a debt tally."
      "Yes, dear." he mocked contritely.
      Karen laughed. "I missed you. It's good to hear your voice. Can't wait until I get my mitts on you again."
      "Farewell to the simple life."
      "You won't regret it."
      "My eulogy?"
      "Another demerit. Keep 'em coming. I'll need all the leverage I can get with you."
      "Well, let me go so I can get packed for acceleration."
      "Take your vitamins. That should cover it."
      "I meant the compound." he retorted.
      "Oh. Get 'em both ready. Karen is coming to town."
      "There goes the neighborhood."
      "Oooo, more, more. All the leverage I can get."
      "Let me go so I can prepare a welcome for you."
      "I'm not sure I like the way you said that."
      "Pfft! Women!"
      "Pfft! Men!"
      They both started laughing.