The next morning, true to his word, Donny put me to work. After he tested me on everything, of course. We donned a couple of the one size fits all generic space suits, then left the crew part of the ship and entered the cargo area. If you've ever wanted to be awed by the size of something, I recommend standing at the bottom of a long haul ship's cargo area.

“How did they even make something like this?” I asked over the suit's dedicated communication channel. The cargo area was the height of a skyscraper, the length of ten city blocks, and it was crammed full of cargo containers that were nearly identical in size to a big rig's trailer or a railway car.

“They have to build them in space for one thing.” Donny said and handed me a large toolbox. “For another, once you get the automated asteroid smelters going in a shipping yard, you can churn out miles of construction materials in a day.”

“That's crazy.” I said, and he laughed.

“What's crazy is that it's cheaper to ship things like this and have it take up to ten times as long, than it is to have smaller ships only take one or two of the shipping containers and get there ten times as fast.”

“Well, I guess it would depend on what you're shipping and how much.”

“Hey, you're getting it.” Donny said and pointed up several floors. “If you ordered a thousand wrist communicators and wanted it fast, then go for a quick delivery ship. It's fast and can handle such a small load.” He said and walked over to the stairs. “Now, if you ordered a hundred automated crop harvesting bots that are the size of half of one of these containers...” He said tapped one as we passed it.

“...you would need about twenty quick delivery ships, which would probably cost an arm and a leg.” I said, and he nodded.

“On a ship like this, fifty containers with two machines in each, barely takes up one section.” Donny said. “We're a lot slower than a smaller ship; but, when you order big, this is the way to go.”

“How long have you been on the ship?” I asked.

“This is my third year on this ship.” Donny said, then he grinned at me. “Before you ask, yes I did.”

“I wasn't going to ask.” I chuckled. “I figured you had to do you duty for your fellow crew members.”

Donny laughed. “Doing my duty! Ha ha! Good one, Ullir!” He said. “I gotta remember that one.”

We went up to the floor he indicated and he asked for the tools. I watched as he checked the container's integrity after popping open a panel with a wrench.

“Why is the panel covered like that?” I asked. “Shouldn't they be on the outside?”

“It's to protect the electronics and readouts during shipping.” Donny said and closed the panel and used the wrench to secure it. “It won't degrade in vacuum; but, these things are massive and when we're moving them around, they can cause damage and be damaged in return.”

“I assume they have to be loaded in a certain way?” I asked.

“Yes and no.” Donny said. “There's a panel on the other side of this thing if it gets turned around. If you stack them too close together, though...”

“You have to allocate space for movement.” I said in understanding.

“You got it.” Donny said. “Okay, this is one temperature controlled unit done. Only eight hundred more to go.”

“You're kidd... no you aren't.” I chuckled. “Please tell me that you have another wrench.”

Donny laughed and handed me one just like his. “You do the other row there while I do this one, then we'll move up to the next floor.”

We worked for the rest of the morning, stopped for a quick lunch, then worked until supper. Once we had a good rhythm going, we actually completed checking them all before we had to leave.

“Nice work.” Donny said and clapped me on the shoulder when we were back inside the crew section of the ship. “It's only a basic run-through tomorrow to check that everything is secure in the rest of the cargo area.”

“I guess that means you don't have a bot to do that.” I said, and he chuckled.

“A bot can't decide if something is 'secured enough'. It's either secured or it's not.”

“I take it that means you've got a few containers that are less than completely secured.” I said, and he nodded.

“We overloaded back on Ulathall and we have about two dozen containers sharing secure points on the deck.”

“Isn't that dangerous?” I asked.

“Only if there was something heavy in the containers.” Donny said and then smiled. “They're full of feathers, so it's okay.”

“Full of... oh, ha ha.” I shook my head. “A thousand pounds of feathers weighs the same as a thousand pounds of bricks.”

“Bwahahaha!” Donny slapped my back. “You're quick!”

“Uh huh.”

“If you want to keep working with me, meet me back at the cargo hatch in the morning.” Donny said.

“I'll do that.” I said and went back to my sleeping compartment.

I worked with Donny for a week and familiarized myself with everything that I could in the hold. We had just finished a lesson in the proper loading of hazardous materials when Rus the captain's voice came over the speakers.

“We're preparing to exit hyperspace.” Rus said. “Two hours to first drop point.”

“Oho!” Donny said. “Ullir, you are about to get your first practical experience in how cargo is transshipped.”

“We're not stopping at a planet?” I asked.

“It's a mining colony in the middle of an asteroid belt.” Donny said. “That's why it'll take two hours to navigate to get there.”

“Are we moving a lot of stuff?” I asked.

“About a hundred containers of food, replacement parts, and one robotic sorting machine.” Donny said. “We're only taking on thirty containers of processed ore, though.”

“Well, that should solve the doubled up containers on level three and free up some manoeuvring space.” I said.

“Now you're thinking like a real cargo man!” Donny said. “Let's get the containers prepped for shipping.”

We worked for the whole two hours to get everything ready, and we even had the new droid programmed to assist. The job went surprisingly smoothly, even with me helping, and we completed the cargo transshipment five hours and three stops later. Luxea had handled the credit transfers using the chip reader and made sure that the proper payments were made for the goods that were delivered.

There wasn't really anything for the crew to do on a mining colony that they couldn't do on the ship, so we navigated out of the asteroid belt two hours after that and jumped back into hyperspace. We had two weeks to go before we reached the next stop, so I had a lot of time to discover what else I could do on the ship. I was a bit lost for a couple of days, since I didn't know what else I could do with my limited technical knowledge, then Cassie finally cornered me after supper before I could duck into my sleeping compartment.

“Ullir, can I talk to you?” Cassie asked.

“That depends on what you want to talk about.” I said.

“I know you've been avoiding me.”

“Of course I am.” I said, and she looked at me with wide eyes. “You completely misunderstood a situation, jumped to conclusions, became unnecessarily angry at me, then ignored me.” I said. “Why in the world would I want to stay around you when you're so hostile?”

Cassie closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “I'm sorry I misunderstood.”

“Yeah, that would mean a lot more to me if you had let me explain at the time.” I said. “Instead, you stayed angry at me and avoided me whenever you saw me... at least until you found out what had actually happened between me and Luxea... which was nothing. Then you tried to gain my attention with all your little mannerisms.”

“Ullir...”

“What? I can't be angry at you for hating me and treating me like that?” I asked. “Did treating me unfairly make you like me more?”

“Please let me explain.” Cassie said.

“Explain what? That you were jealous of Luxea because you wanted to claim me for yourself first before she had a turn?”

Cassie opened her mouth for a second, then closed it.

“Yeah, I know all about how the women on this ship go through men.” I said. “How you fight to see who gets to claim him first.”

“We didn't do that for...” Cassie stopped talking and I smiled.

“That's probably because I just turned sixteen and you thought you would be the first to get me, before I was 'eligible' to be shared.” I said. “Like I told Evelyn, I'm taking Luxea's advice and I'm staying away from you. I mean you as in the women on the ship, not just you specifically.”

“Ullir... I...”

“It's been over a week. Are you next in line for Rhubin, or did Evelyn get him this week?”

Cassie closed her mouth and didn't say anything.

“So, it is you.” I said, and I could see it in her eyes. “I guess you getting me alone here was just so you could make things less awkward when I see you leaving Rhubin's cabin.”

“No! I... I really wanted to apologize.”

“...and you didn't do that at any time during all the times we've shared meals because...?”

“You kept avoiding my attempts to try and get your attention.”

“That's because all you needed to do was open your mouth and talk to me.” I said, and her eyes widened. “I'm not going to respond to a huff, or a giggle, or a sigh, or even a dropped spoon every time it happens.” I said. “I'd be talking to everyone on the ship and I'd never get to eat if I did that.”

Cassie didn't say anything in response.

“Look, if you really are sorry, you can start making it up to me by giving me navigation lessons.” I said. “I have no clue how to do anything and I want to learn as much as I can about ship operations. I've spent a week in the cargo hold and I'm pretty sure I know how to handle all the basic things there.”

“Ullir, it... it's very complicated to... you don't even have the math to...”

“Give me some reading materials and then test me.” I said, to her surprise. “We've got just under two weeks before the next stop, and I'll be working in the cargo hold again.”

“You can't learn starship navigation in two weeks!” Cassie exclaimed.

“Not all of it, no.” I said. “Just the basics.”

“It took me two years to learn just the basic formulas!”

“I don't need to learn them.” I said. “That's what computers are for.”

“You need to know them so you know what to ask the computer for and which ones to tell it to use, smart ass!”

“Computers aren't that stupid, are they?” I asked, and her eyes widened. “If I asked for a plot to a planet in another solar system, I'm sure that it wouldn't need me to enter the formulas for acceleration or for calculating orbital velocities of planets around a star.”

Cassie just stood there and stared at me.

“I suppose I need to tell you to not waste my time while teaching me.” I said. “I want to learn how to use the navigation systems on a ship, not learn how to navigate on my own as if I was floating in space by myself. We are in a ship that can do all the heavy lifting math-wise. I don't need to know it all, just how to use it to get where I want to go.”

Cassie didn't say anything for almost a full minute, then she sighed. “I... I think I can show you that much.”

“That's great. I'll see you in the morning.” I said and turned around and opened the hatch to my sleeping compartment. “By the way, I can block sounds while I'm sleeping, so you don't have to stay quiet while you're with Rhubin.”

I didn't look at her as I stepped into my compartment and closed the hatch. I could still see and hear her with Presence, though.

“You're an asshole.” Cassie said, not realizing that I could hear her, and she leaned her head against the hatch. “I really like you and you're treating me like this.” She said and wiped away the two small tears she had on her face. “I'm only spending time with Rhubin so I can be closer to you.”

Yeah, relationships don't work like that. I thought. Sleeping with a guy's friends usually ends a relationship. It doesn't start one.

“There you are!” Rhubin said as he entered the hallway through the large hatch. “I was looking for you at your place.”

Cassie turned to him with a huge smile. “I thought I'd surprise you.”

It's definitely a surprise. I thought and held in my laugh.

“It's definitely a surprise!” Rhubin said, and I had to cover my mouth to stop my laugh from escaping. “My place is right this way.”

“I know where you sleep, Rhubin.” Cassie said.

“If I have anything to say about it, there's not going to be a lot of sleeping going on tonight.” Rhubin said, and Cassie giggled.

I stopped watching them when they entered his sleeping compartment and I did exactly what I told Cassie I would do. I formed a Presence barrier around myself and blocked sound from entering. I still had my datapad on me, so if anything happened, I would still get a notification from it.

I entered a meditative state to increase my mental retention and looked up the navigation systems on the long haul transport we were on. With about fourteen hours to waste before morning, I studied hard for about eight of those hours and slept for the remaining six. I hadn't seen or heard when Cassie left and I was pretty sure she wanted it that way.

I got up the next morning before Rhubin did and ate breakfast before anyone else. I went up to what the crew called the cockpit, and what I thought of as the bridge of the ship. I stood beside the third chair, where I knew the navigation system was, and waited there patiently and didn't touch anything.

Rus, the captain of the ship, came in and saw me standing there. “Anything I can help you with, Ullir?”

“No, captain.” I said. “I'm just waiting for Cassie so I can have my first navigation lesson.”

“Ha.” Rus said and sat down in the middle chair. “You're going to try and learn how to navigate a ship while on the ship? Really?”

“It seems like the only way I'm going to learn anything, captain.”

“You're gonna give me a swelled head if you keep calling me that.” Rus said and laughed. “Everyone else just calls me by name.”

“Do you want me to only call you Rus from now on?” I asked, and he actually took a few moments to think about it.

“Well...”

“There you are.” Cassie said as she came into the cockpit. “When you didn't show up for breakfast, I went to your cabin and you weren't there.”

“I had breakfast early so I could get here early.” I said.

“That's admirable; but, now I have to work for a little while before I can start your lesson.” Cassie said and sat down. “I usually perform all the checks and things right after breakfast and now I'm behind.”

“I'm surprised Rhubin didn't tell you at breakfast that I wasn't in my bunk.”

“He's... still in his own.” Cassie said, her face slightly red as she tried not to look at her father.

“Oh.” I said into the awkward silence. “From now on, don't bother looking for me.”

“Ullir, I told you that...”

“I meant that I'll be here learning as much as I can or I'll be eating.” I said. “There's no need to look anywhere else.”

“But...”

“After supper is apparently personal time for everyone, so I'll be in my bunk then and keeping to myself.”

Cassie looked like she wanted to say something else, then she sighed and started to work. I watched her as she used various controls and the display changed to several different things, then she typed in a few commands on the small keyboard and turned to me.

“Okay, I've set primary navigation controls to Luxea's station.” Cassie said. “For now, this terminal is a dummy and nothing we do here will affect the ship in any way.”

“I'm tempted to make a joke about me accidentally navigating the ship into the center of a star; but, I'm pretty sure there are safety measures to stop me from doing that.”

Cassie and Rus exchanged glances and looked back at me.

“Wait, there isn't?” I asked and Cassie shook her head. “Okay, who's bright idea was it to not program that into a navigation system?”

“Sometimes it's necessary to get close to a star while manoeuvring.” Rus said. “We've had to do it twice when in some of the more remote systems.”

It was my turn to look at each of their faces and ended looking at Cassie. “I'm not going to ask why.” I said. “So, what's my first lesson?”

“I want you to call up the system we're headed to and to check the route.” Cassie said and stood up, then motioned to the chair. “Have a seat.”

I sat down and hit the 'recall last action' switch on the console, then watched as a quick run through appeared of how she transferred control to Luxea's control. I quickly typed on the little keyboard and asked for the log of actions. I found the one that referred to a course correction and pulled that up and hit the recall switch again. It replayed the actions taken for the course correction and showed me the system we were going to.

Now that I had that information, I switched the display to show me the star system, then stopped for a moment. I was sure Cassie was a little worried, then I remembered the right buttons to push to show the current course. A little dotted line popped up and showed where the ship would be entering the system and the projected course to the small moon.

“This much I remember from studying the manual last night.” I said and looked at her. “I don't know how to query it to check if the course is valid.”

“I didn't ask you to go that far with the information.” Cassie said with a slight smile. “If you want to know that, you need to do this.” She said and put a hand on the chair back and leaned by me, then with one hand typed in the query. I did not miss the fact that she was clearly trying to press her breast into my shoulder. It felt nice; but, that wasn't why I was here.

“Is the command always the same?” I asked as the course verification popped up on the display.

“Yes.” Cassie said. “Whether it's through a nebula, a tight star cluster, or open space.”

I took out my datapad and entered the command so that I would remember it. “Okay, what's next?” I asked eagerly, and she smiled.

“I have so much that I want to show you.” Cassie said in a slightly deeper voice.

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at her not so subtle sexual innuendo and I was pretty sure that I also heard her father groan. Don't worry, Rus. I won't fall for it. I thought and glanced at him. Almost as if he heard me, he gave me a slight nod in return.