Chapter 3

To say that Arthur Wusserman was highly perturbed was an understatement. His weary eyes swiveled back and forth from Angie to Marty with increasing frequency and he wore a frown as if it were permanently etched into his face. He didn't like dealing with personnel problems. He was a technocrat, not a counselor. Dealing with cranky astronauts was not his forte, and military types were even more of a pain in the ass.

"I'm very disappointed with the two of you. This is some sort of lover's spat, isn't it? You two are behaving like teenagers, and at a time when we're at a critical juncture." He picked up some papers. "Both of you have applied for decommission. Those requests are denied. We need you both. Your experience is irreplaceable." He pointed at Marty. "Your complaint against Admiral Sarasota has been noted, but I must say that she did nothing wrong. She is within her rights to discipline you for insubordination, including making you do pushups. However, she probably committed a juvenile indiscretion by making you do them undressed. That could possibly violate a little known decency clause." He pointed at Angie. "You're not in trouble for that; however, because it's an insignificant issue. Your problem is that you disobeyed a direct order from your chief medical officer."

"I forgot," she sputtered.

"That is no excuse. Your actions could have jeopardized the mission. In any event I want you two to work out your petty squabbles. As a result of your irresponsible actions, I'm confining both of you to your quarters. I want you to come back ready to assume your duties. Oh, and by the way, Angelina. You're reduced by one grade in rank."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

Angie and Marty saluted and sulked out of Arthur's office in silence.

They were only a few meters down the corridor before Marty reacted. "I can't believe that they're confining us to our quarters. That doesn't make any sense."

Angie swallowed hard. "I guess we're stuck with each other whether we like it or not."

"Look, I have no problem with being stuck with you. Heaven knows that we've been 'stuck' together for a long time. It's just that I'm not sure what to do to get our collective asses out of this mess."

"Why don't we make an agreement and then go back to Arthur."

"I don't know," he said after a sigh. "We should wait a few days before we go back."

"Yes, that's a smart move."

He smiled weakly. "Good."

After they entered the common room between their quarters, Marty tried to go out, but the door wouldn't open.

"I guess they meant it."

Angie plopped down in a couch. "Now what?"

"We negotiate, that's what."

Angie gave him a confused look. "What do you want from me?"

"It's what you want from me. Let's face it: they're going to restore your rank. That's a given, and you'll have authority over me again."

"I told you that I'm not going to discipline you again."

"You can't make that promise, Angie. If I'm insubordinate—which I will be—or I don't report for duty on time, say something disrespectful, or violate the dress code—which I'm bound to do, you have no choice other than to punish me. You're my superior officer, and you have a duty to keep me in line."

"I thought that you didn't like being disciplined."

Marty smiled sheepishly. "I was suffering from PMS at the time." He waited for her laughter to stop. "If you want to discipline me, feel free to do so. I certainly deserve it and I'll gladly endure it. It's no big deal."

"You're not angry with me then?"

"No, I never was. I'm mad at myself because I hate being ordered around by a woman, but I'm over it. You may order me around all you wish."

She smiled. "Give me a kiss then."

He took her in his arms and kissed her forcibly, not with the timidity that he usually does.

"My goodness!" she said, beaming like a love struck teen. "You are serious. What changed your mind?"

"It was the realization that I almost destroyed your career. We've been friends too long for me to do something that cruel to you. You deserve to be the admiral of the fleet or whatever, and I am honored to serve under you, and if you want me to do pushups in any state of undress, I will do so gladly."

"I appreciate that, but I don't know if I can be as serious with the rest of the crew. They're not military types."

"To the contrary: you must establish discipline. Our crew has become sloppy and lazy. They need to be whipped into shape, and it's your responsibility to do so. They'll listen to you if you demand their compliance."

She wore a frown that expressed her misgivings concerning that sentiment.

###

When Marty and Angie marched into his office, Arthur knew that they had worked out their difficulties. Marty had a sly smile on his clean shaven face and Angie looked satisfied.

"We're ready to go back to duty, sir." Angie said.

Arthur smiled. "Excellent."

"We do have a few requests," Marty said.

"Oh, and what are they?"

"First, we want her rank restored."

Arthur cracked a slight smile. "No problem. We were going to do that anyway."

"Second, we want to go back to our original successful mode of operation where she runs the ship and I handle everything else."

"I see nothing wrong in that."

"Third, we want the decency clause modified to allow discipline in any state of undress."

"Why would you want that? I thought that's why you filed a complaint in the first place."

"That's right, but, if the clause is removed, my complaint can be expunged from her record."

"I see, but if the clause is removed, she is within her rights to discipline you in that manner again."

Marty smiled for effect. "That's okay. Angie and I made an agreement of our own. For my getting her rank restored and her record expunged, I agreed to allow her to discipline me in any manner she wishes."

Arthur frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It's what we agreed to."

Arthur rubbed his face in frustration. "Okay, I'll do it. Just don't complain again."

"I promise."

Arthur smiled. "I did some research and found out that there is no decency clause. In fact, there are no restrictions on how punishments are executed at all."

Marty had trouble believing that. "Really?"

"Yes, so you had better behave because Admiral Sarasota can do anything she wants to punish you."

"I understand," Marty said.

"Okay then. You two should meet with your crew as soon as possible and prepare for the mission."

"We will, sir," Angie said.

"Oh, and by the way, Admiral. I want you to clean up your sloppy crew. They've become the butt of jokes around here. You have my permission to use whatever discipline methods or forms of punishment that you deem necessary to get them in shape for this very important mission, and that especially goes for your commander here. You have my promise that you will not be reprimanded no matter how much they or he complains."

"Yes, sir."

"Okay then: dismissed."

After they left Arthur's office, Angie turned to Marty. "I appreciate what you've done, but I'm not sure that I can restrain myself from getting on your case, especially now that I've been given a mandate to do so. You're incorrigible, irascible, mischievous, devious and disrespectful. You're also stubborn, surly, distasteful and argumentative. You're just a big troublemaker and a gold plated asshole. I have no idea how you survived military service."

"I wonder about that myself. I know I'm a big problem and that I'm a bad boy. It's the reason that I couldn't maintain a stable marriage, but that's precisely why I need your constant attention, assuming that you still want me to marry you."

She laughed. "I do! I do!"

"You're the masochist, not me," Marty said.
She laughed.

###

George looked up from his favorite spot at the Black Hole, the Space Port's bar, and grinned. "Look at who just blew in, guys: our commander. Where have you been? We've heard all sorts of rumors that had you resigned, court-martialed, or dead."

Marty sat down next to him and gestured to the bartender, a blond female cadet with laughing eyes. "I'll have what they're having."

"Yes, sir."

"Where did you two go to test the new ship?" George asked.

"To the Perseus arm to visit M-36 and M-1."

"You went to the Crab Nebula?" Karl asked, wide-eyed.

"We went into the Crab Nebula and looked at the pulsar in the middle of it."

"I hope you got plenty of good scans," Karl said.

"Yes we did, but I must admit that neither Angie nor I know much about astronomical stuff. We did find an Earth-like planet in M-36. It had some interesting life forms."

"That's interesting," Karl said. "The M-36 star cluster has only been around 25 million years. I'm surprised that you found a star old enough to have a stable Earth-like planet."

"It probably got captured by the cluster," George said.

Karl nodded.

Marty took a good swallow of beer.

"What's with the spiffy uniform?" Karl asked.

"We're all going to be wearing these from now on. The admiral has been ordered to whip us into shape, no matter what it takes."

"That sounds rather ominous," Tyler said.

"You got that right. I filed a complaint against the admiral and opened up a nasty can of worms."

"What was your complaint?" George asked his brow wrinkled with concern.

"She disciplined me for disobeying her orders, and I was confined to my quarters. I tried to resign, but they wouldn't let me. I had to do hundreds of pushups, some of them in the buff."

"That's just great! Now she's mad at all of us," George said.

"That sounds rather extreme," Tyler said. "Is that legal?"

"Yes it is, and it's going to get really rough around here, guys." He leaned over closer, and they leaned closer. "I want you guys to promise that no matter what she makes you do you won't complain—no matter how humiliating, obscene or demeaning. Okay?"

They nodded, but it was only a tacit response at best. Concern fashioned their expressions. Or, maybe it was fear.