An Unwanted Lecture
She had, praise the creator, managed to get rid of the cramps enough to get off to the fresher, having drunk three whole glasses of the rehydration fluid, and was back at their quarters, sitting on the couch, and trying to look relaxed and ready for dinner when Tom came in.
But he wasn’t fooled. He glanced at her as he came in, then turned and gave her a fuller look. “What is wrong?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing,” she tried, but he just looked at her more intently and changed his hum.
“Oh, I got some cramps,” she said.
He nodded. “Lay down,” he commanded and, reluctantly, she lay down.
“Roll over,” he said.
“I don’t really need…”
“Roll over,” he repeated, his hum changing again.
She did and he came over and put both hands on her right calf… and she screamed. Which he seemed to completely ignore, except for another change in the hum, and kept squeezing. Up her right calf, up her thigh, then over to the other side, then back to the right calf; he kept on squeezing and, after her intial scream, she just moaned and jerked and hurt abominably.
He completed about four complete rounds and she finally stopped fighting and tried to relax. And it helped. The fiery pain turned to an ache, and the ache began to eventually fade. Or would have if her husband hadn’t rubbed even harder as it began to fade.
“There,” he said, getting up. “You need to remember your rehydration fluid. What were you doing that caused the cramps?”
“I… I think it was my work in hydroponics.”
“What did they have you doing?”
“Just sitting and cleaning out these little pipes.”
“Sitting shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Well, it was hot. They have all of those heat lamps.”
“And it is very humid. But with adequate hydration…” he turned from where he was changing his uniform to look at her, “Did you have adequate hydration?”
“I, umm, I got so busy I forgot.”
He shook his head, “Well, you paid the price. I suppose you won’t forget next time.”
“But why didn’t my suit protect me? I thought it was supposed to be so helpful and all!”
“It is in training mode. I know your teacher discussed that with you on your third sim. When you are on ship and the situation is safe it will not use its full facilities. That is precisely to teach you not to be foolish, as you did today. Even when it is in full mode there will still be many things that can kill you, and so training mode is meant to teach you situational awareness.”
“So, I’m supposed to treat working in hydroponics as dangerous?”
“You are supposed to be situationally aware in all settings. Being a military dependent is extremely dangerous. We lose thirty percent of all of our front line units every year, and almost ten percent of all dependents.”
Illoia stared at him. Thirty percent? She knew a lot of their boys died but… one in three? Every year?
“Come now, we need to eat. I have another meeting after dinner which I wish you to come to. You will be unable to come to too many meetings soon as your role in hydroponics will increase. I will massage your legs again after dinner.”
He turned to the door and she hopped up to follow him. She supposed that his promise of another leg massage had been meant to be a blessing, but she saw it more as a threat. But she didn’t dare refuse, either.
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Von