Half Share by Nathan Lowell

some clue about how to do stuff. You’re just the icing on the cake,” I said reassuringly.
    Cookie bustled in and we started the evening prep. The menu included marinated lamb and some fresh greens from planet-side. I showed Sarah the basic setup for the dinner routine while docked and she took to it right away.
    “It won’t be this easy when we get underway,” I told her. “But Pip and Cookie are good to work with.”
    To no great surprise, Cookie’s prediction about the dinner turnout proved to be correct. I think half the crew showed up that night.



Chapter 7

ST. CLOUD ORBITAL
2253-FEBRUARY-20

    Sarah and I had just finished dinner cleanup when Pip burst into the galley. He skidded to a stop when he saw Sarah. I do not recall ever seeing Pip so surprised before.
    “Sarah Krugg, this is Philip Carstairs, but everyone calls him Pip. Pip, this is Sarah Krugg, the new mess deck attendant.”
    Pip held out his hand and I took it as a good sign that Sarah did not flinch. We were making progress it seemed. “Hi, Sarah, welcome aboard!”
    She gave his hand the press-and-release motion and said, “Yes, I snore, but not too loudly.”
    Pip shot a dirty look in my direction but I just continued putting away the broom and pretended not to notice.
    “Sarah’s in the bunk over Bev now,” I told him. “Sarah, you should know that this guy is across from you in the other upper.”
    A wary expression crossed her face and I mentally kicked myself. “He doesn’t snore—much,” I added.
    Pip caught the exchange and I could see he realized things were a bit odd. I gave him a little shrug while Sarah’s attention was on him.
    Pip put on his friendliest smile and said, “That’ll work out great. The schmuck that used to have that bunk would snore like a chainsaw. I don’t think I’ve gotten a decent night’s sleep since Neris.” Pip tried to appear innocent.
    Sarah’s eyes moved back and forth between us a couple of times and then she seemed to relax a little. She frowned in curiosity. “Whose bunk was it?”
    Pip nodded in my direction and winked.
    “Oh, is this the bunk with Tabitha on the other side?”
    I shrugged. “Yeah, that’s how I know it’s a good bunk. The mattress has hardly any lumps.”
    For a heartbeat or two, I was not sure how the conversation was going to go. Sarah just stood there, kind of closed off again. Pip kept looking from me to her and back again, but thankfully, he did not say anything.
    Finally, whatever she was thinking sorted itself out and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Good,” she pronounced with a little nod of her head.
    “How’d it go in the booth, Pip?” I asked to get his attention. “Do you want some supper?”
    “Yeah, I could use a sandwich or something. It’s been a long time since lunch. And we have some stuff to take care of yet.”
    I pulled out the meat and cheese tray and said to Sarah, “There’s some darberry pie in here, if you’re interested. If you leave it, Pip will just eat it.”
    Pip came and glanced over my shoulder. “There’s enough for both of us. Don’t be chintzy with Cookie’s pies, Ish.”
    “Well, if you’re sure it’s not a problem…” Sarah began.
    I pulled food out of the cooler, and Pip started making a sandwich while I rummaged up a couple of plates for pie. “So, you were going to tell me about the booth, Pip?”
    “Oh, yeah,” he said with a mouth full of sandwich. “I sold another fifty of the stones this morning before I packed them away. Biddy was doing well with the consignments. We should have a settlement for the co-op by tomorrow. We dragged the grav-pallet back and started stowing stuff, but you won’t believe how much twenty kilos of yarn really is.”
    I slid a plate with a big wedge of pie on it over to Sarah while he was talking. “Eat up, Sarah,” I told her. “Pip will go on like this for some time.”
    She smiled shyly and started eating while Pip picked up the story.
    “I