Revolution: The Ship Series // Book Two Read Online Free PDF Page A

civilians
that riot avoidance become a critical mission for the service’s operators.
    Zax tried to push aside his frustrations as he arrived
on station. He was grateful for the boring hours at work which provided time to
pursue other interests, but nonetheless felt the typical pangs of regret when
he thought back to the thrills of his prior job in Flight Ops. Compared to that
nerve center with one massive panorama that looked into space and another that
commanded a view of the bustling flight deck, the windowless confines of the
Waste Systems operations center provided all the excitement of a maintenance
closet. There were only two other Crew assigned to the department, and he spoke
to the first as he sat down at his terminal.
    “Good morning, ma’am. Anything special you need me to do
today?”
    Lieutenant Salmea was Zax’s direct supervisor. He had
concluded that she must have arrived at the bottom of the heap thanks to
chronic indifference. She once again lived up (down?) to this assessment by
keeping her dull gray eyes fixed on her slate as she remained slumped in her
seat and barely managed a shrug in response.
    Zax next turned to check whether the hatch to
Westerick’s office was open. Major Westerick held the title of department chief.
Zax hadn’t experienced enough direct interactions with the man to ascertain
whether it was too much incompetence or too little intelligence which had
saddled him with such a hideous assignment. The days when Westerick had
ventured out of his office in the year since Zax had arrived could be counted
on one hand.
    Before Zax could dive into more work on his flight
simulator, he paused to greet Imair as she entered the compartment. A civilian
who was somewhere in her late forties, Imair wore her mousy brown hair in a
short bob that was as indistinctly efficient as the manner in which she did her
job. Her small stature and quiet demeanor allowed her to fade into the
background. It was only Zax’s careful observations of the civilian workers’
behavior patterns that revealed her position atop their unofficial hierarchy.
If she was bothered by having to show deference to a Crew member a third her
age, she kept it hidden as she addressed him.
    “Good morning, sir. I’m sorry to interrupt your work,
but we’re stuck with something and hoped you might be able to provide some
guidance.”
    “Sure thing, Imair. Lead the way.”
    Zax stood and followed the civilian out of the clean and
well-lit operations compartment and then down the series of ladders which
provided access to the Waste Systems work areas. As they descended deeper, the
surroundings became progressively more dim and filthy. He had eventually become
acclimated to the nasal reminders of what Waste Systems dealt with, but the
omnipresent scent of human waste in the lower levels could still trigger Zax’s
gag reflex once in a while. His trips into the work areas always provided a
stark reminder of just how far his career had fallen.
    Imair was about to lead Zax through a hatch into the
maintenance hub when a young, high-pitched voice called out with a level of
cheery enthusiasm that belied the grim environment.
    “Hello, sir!”
    Nolly bolted down the passageway towards them. The
eight-year-old civilian was practically swimming in a mismatched uniform
riddled with rips and smeared with filth. The boy skidded to a halt and brushed
his shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes as he looked up at Zax with a big grin.
    “Hey, Nolly. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
    Zax reached into his pocket and pulled out the apple he
had taken from the mess hall. He held it out to the boy who appraised it with a
confused look.
    “What is it, sir?”
    Zax was momentarily taken aback. It had been surprising
enough when the boy had shared a few days earlier how he had never eaten a
piece of fruit, but to learn he didn’t even recognize an apple when held in
front of him was positively shocking.
    “Umm, it’s an apple—a piece of fruit. You