Read Online The Apprentice Starship Engineer: Book One The Link by Daniel Hanks - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Daniel Hanks
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seat.
Everyone knows the theory of a bending drive, I thought as I opened the first book Jack had given me. The basic theory of a bending drive. I prepared myself to be bored. As I finished the book, I heard people starting to get up. Crap, another long day.
Margret used to nag me to go to bed, but she doesn’t do that anymore, not after the fight. I’d been studying air flow and the fluid dynamics involved with it. It was late, and she’d nagged me to go to bed. We’d argued, and I’d told her that she wasn’t pretty enough to be my mother. So she stopped reminding me about any appointments or that I was staying up too late. An apology would have ended the fight, but I wasn’t apologizing to a machine.
I stopped by the cafeteria and grabbed breakfast. While I ate, I continued reading about drive theory.
Jenny coughed. I looked up at her. “God, you look like shit. What happened? Did Kathy keep you up all night?”
“Ah.”
She grabbed Margret. “What are you studying? Porn I bet.” She looked at Margret’s display. She came face-to-face with a schematic drawing of the layout of a bender drive. She shook her head. “You have to be the most boring person I’ve ever met. You expect me to believe you studied all night?”
“Drake, has been reading this book for the last thirteen hours and twenty three minutes. He has had five breaks at seven minutes each. He hasn’t slept in the last twenty-five hours,” Margret said.
I reached out and gently took Margret back. “Thank you, Margret,” I said as I slipped her into my shirt pocket.
“Sorry,” Jenny said. Her face turned red.
“Yeah, well whatever.” Suddenly I wasn’t hungry. I got up and left her sitting at the table.
I wasn’t my usual happy self the whole day. I felt bad about the way I’d treated Jenny. I was tired, and felt as if I stopped I might just fall over. Bob made a comment, and I said I hadn’t slept well.
“Ah, women will do that to you. I’ve lost a lot of sleep over women,” he said.
“Is that all life is to you? Women?” I asked.
“Of course not. I like food and drink also,” he said with a laugh.
I almost hit him, but took out my frustration on everything else by slamming stuff around and working hard. I was tired, and heard voices and saw people out of the corner of my eye that weren’t there. By the time I arrived at Kathy’s apartment, I was having trouble walking.
Kathy smiled, then frowned. “Are you drunk?”
“No, he isn’t drunk,” Margret answered from my pocket. “He stayed up reading. I’m at fault. We had a fight. I haven’t been reminding him of any appointments, waking him or telling him it’s time to go to bed. His present condition is my fault. I’ll see to my duties in the future. You should get him another assistant.”
“Ah, Kathy, you know me. I don’t listen to anyone. Margret isn’t responsible for me.”
Kathy pulled me into her apartment and then closed the door behind me. “You must enjoy sleeping on my couch,” she said.
* * * *
I woke up to a soft chime. Margret said, “Come on, sleepy head, it’s time to wake. Kathy said you owe her a night out. She likes to dance. She enjoyed viewing you while she undressed you. She made naughty comments about your anatomy. Would you like to hear them?”
“Ah, no, thank you,” I said.
“Johnny Rodman called. He said Jenny came by the dorm, looking for you. She said she wanted to make sure you were okay. He told her you were out to chow. She tried to contact you, but I blocked her. She left a message. Do you want to hear it or should I just tell you what she said?”
“Just tell me.”
“She apologized for what happened at breakfast, and hopes you take better care of yourself. Kathy just set an appointment with you for this afternoon. Oh, your clothes are on the chair. You should hurry. You don’t have much time left to start your shift.”
As I walked the main center hallway, I thought about the bender drive opening a
Everyone knows the theory of a bending drive, I thought as I opened the first book Jack had given me. The basic theory of a bending drive. I prepared myself to be bored. As I finished the book, I heard people starting to get up. Crap, another long day.
Margret used to nag me to go to bed, but she doesn’t do that anymore, not after the fight. I’d been studying air flow and the fluid dynamics involved with it. It was late, and she’d nagged me to go to bed. We’d argued, and I’d told her that she wasn’t pretty enough to be my mother. So she stopped reminding me about any appointments or that I was staying up too late. An apology would have ended the fight, but I wasn’t apologizing to a machine.
I stopped by the cafeteria and grabbed breakfast. While I ate, I continued reading about drive theory.
Jenny coughed. I looked up at her. “God, you look like shit. What happened? Did Kathy keep you up all night?”
“Ah.”
She grabbed Margret. “What are you studying? Porn I bet.” She looked at Margret’s display. She came face-to-face with a schematic drawing of the layout of a bender drive. She shook her head. “You have to be the most boring person I’ve ever met. You expect me to believe you studied all night?”
“Drake, has been reading this book for the last thirteen hours and twenty three minutes. He has had five breaks at seven minutes each. He hasn’t slept in the last twenty-five hours,” Margret said.
I reached out and gently took Margret back. “Thank you, Margret,” I said as I slipped her into my shirt pocket.
“Sorry,” Jenny said. Her face turned red.
“Yeah, well whatever.” Suddenly I wasn’t hungry. I got up and left her sitting at the table.
I wasn’t my usual happy self the whole day. I felt bad about the way I’d treated Jenny. I was tired, and felt as if I stopped I might just fall over. Bob made a comment, and I said I hadn’t slept well.
“Ah, women will do that to you. I’ve lost a lot of sleep over women,” he said.
“Is that all life is to you? Women?” I asked.
“Of course not. I like food and drink also,” he said with a laugh.
I almost hit him, but took out my frustration on everything else by slamming stuff around and working hard. I was tired, and heard voices and saw people out of the corner of my eye that weren’t there. By the time I arrived at Kathy’s apartment, I was having trouble walking.
Kathy smiled, then frowned. “Are you drunk?”
“No, he isn’t drunk,” Margret answered from my pocket. “He stayed up reading. I’m at fault. We had a fight. I haven’t been reminding him of any appointments, waking him or telling him it’s time to go to bed. His present condition is my fault. I’ll see to my duties in the future. You should get him another assistant.”
“Ah, Kathy, you know me. I don’t listen to anyone. Margret isn’t responsible for me.”
Kathy pulled me into her apartment and then closed the door behind me. “You must enjoy sleeping on my couch,” she said.
* * * *
I woke up to a soft chime. Margret said, “Come on, sleepy head, it’s time to wake. Kathy said you owe her a night out. She likes to dance. She enjoyed viewing you while she undressed you. She made naughty comments about your anatomy. Would you like to hear them?”
“Ah, no, thank you,” I said.
“Johnny Rodman called. He said Jenny came by the dorm, looking for you. She said she wanted to make sure you were okay. He told her you were out to chow. She tried to contact you, but I blocked her. She left a message. Do you want to hear it or should I just tell you what she said?”
“Just tell me.”
“She apologized for what happened at breakfast, and hopes you take better care of yourself. Kathy just set an appointment with you for this afternoon. Oh, your clothes are on the chair. You should hurry. You don’t have much time left to start your shift.”
As I walked the main center hallway, I thought about the bender drive opening a
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