Katie Kincaid Space Cadet

by Andrew van Aardvark

  "So you figure it's silly to fight that."

  "It is," Colleen said. "Sooner we both face up to that the better off we'll be, I think."

  Katie sat down on the edge of her bed. Katie knew she'd have to straighten it up later before inspection because of that. Katie turned over what Colleen had said in her mind. Katie had never thought of it like that, but what Colleen had said sounded right. Still. "There are important technical aspects we have to master," she said.

  Colleen smiled without humor. The girls weren't as close as they could be, but they had got to know each other. "True," she agreed, "but they're secondary to people management, and don't matter if we don't get that right."

  "So BOTC is about people management?"

  "A specific kind," Colleen confirmed. "How you react under pressure and in confusing situations matters. How organized you are, too."

  "More pressure. Great," Katie said. "So how do I study for that?"

  "Well, it is a series of test scenarios," Colleen said. "I suppose you can try to ask about them and the solutions, but they do try to surprise us. I mean, it's not like I'm good at this. I suspect practicing interaction with the other cadets is more important. I think that's the reason for all the emphasis on sports."

  Katie made a sound of acknowledgment. Not one of agreement.

  "You could be less grumpy and pissed off all the time for one thing," Colleen commented acerbically.

  Katie felt a flash of annoyance, then sighed. "You're right," she said. "Anything else?"

  It was Colleen's turn to sigh. "How well you do depends a lot on your classmates from what I've heard," she said. "Might be best to try to get along and not to stand out so much. You know I'm not really better at this than you are, sadly."

  "Sadly?"

  "Yeah, you stink at getting along, Katie, and so do I," she said. "My brother did this, and he said not to sweat it, and do your best, and it'll work out. More important not to mess up badly than to stand out. Says they don't really expect that much of the larval form of officers and they're really only looking to weed out the complete duds."

  "Doesn't seem like a high bar." Katie didn't like being anything other than the best at anything. It'd been a hard year so far.

  "Not everything is a competition to be the best," Colleen said. "Maybe you shouldn't try so hard at everything."

  Katie wasn't sure she was trying hard enough, but she knew Colleen was trying to be helpful. "I'll think about it."

  "Do that," her roommate said.

  * * *

  Susan Fritzsen was in her happy spot.

  Alone in the dark woods on a sunny winter's day. Standing in the snow breathing the cold crisp air and listening to all the little sounds that would be drowned out in a more urban setting. Drowned out if they'd been there at all. The crack of the trees. The odd bird call.

  Susan loved the calm cleanness of it.

  It wouldn't last. Katie Kincaid would be catching up with her soon enough.

  Susan didn't mind that much. She was here, after all, with the purpose of teaching Kincaid cross country skiing. That alone would tremendously increase the chance of their team reaching the continental championships, maybe even the world ones. Odds weren't good they'd place well in the World's, but merely getting to them would be a feather in the cap of all the team's members. She'd be the last to claim her helping Kincaid was purely altruistic.

  That said, giving up the entire first week of her Christmas holidays was not a minor thing.

  But not a great sacrifice either. Susan wasn't a social animal, though she managed to get along. She simply didn't enjoy the competition for social status most of her compatriots spent so much of their energy on. She didn't share most of the rest of their other interests either. Dressing up, dance, gossip, and owning prestigious things weren't her cup of tea. Shopping as recreation baffled her. Times were she wondered if she was really a girl. Although the interest boys showed in her argued strongly that she was.

  Oddly enough, Katie Kincaid was more to her taste than most of the young people she'd grown up with. Kincaid was excessively hyper and seemed unable to stand still and rest in one place. That was tiring, even annoying, at times, but basically she was very straightforward. Honest. Smart and perceptive as well. Though the gods above knew she had her blind spots.

  Fact remained Susan had grown to like Kincaid.

  Which was rather too bad.

  Kincaid was an asset on the biathlon team. No doubt of that at all.

  Otherwise, Susan suspected her association with the Belter girl wasn't going to do Susan any good at all. Given time, Katie might learn to be a superior cadet and Space Force officer. Given time, Katie might become someone with useful coattails all on her own without even counting her grandmother into the equation. Susan had doubts Katie was going to get that time.

  All in all, Katie was not a good bet career wise. Susan had been hoping to improve the odds some by subtly handing her some useful advice along with the instruction in cross-country skiing. She would have hoped to have done that while traveling to and from their biathlon events. Only Katie always had her head stuck in some book studying.

  Even now, having Katie's full attention, Susan was finding her resistant to Susan's advice. Which was unfortunate.

  Susan could hear the object of her concern now. The swish of Katie's skis and even her labored breathing weren't that loud, but the woods were very quiet. Katie did need to learn. Learn that learning how to do things the easy way and not just working harder at them was sometimes the way to go.

  Soon Katie appeared in the little clearing Susan was standing in. Katie was red faced and not just from the cold.

  Susan figured Katie could use a little rest. And some more advice. "If you weren't wearing good modern gear, you'd be sweating now."

  "I think I am sweating," Katie answered. "How do you manage it with so little effort?"

  Susan studied Katie. "If you were truly sweating, your clothing would be damp and not insulating you anymore. In the old days you'd likely have frozen to death. In the old days, people knew to pace themselves. They knew how to work steadily, but not break out into a sweat."

  Katie squinted at Susan. "Sounds like you miss the old days."

  Susan gave Katie some seconds to think about what she'd said. Also so she'd pay attention to what Susan had to say. "The old days were harder. I think sometimes it must have made for better people. I wonder if things might not become harder again. One thing I like about you, Katie, I think you'd manage hard times better than most."

  Katie wolf grinned. Katie didn't bother to dial back how intense she was around Susan. Despite herself, Susan couldn't help but feel flattered. "That's kind of you," Katie said.

  "Not really," Susan replied. "Just an observation. You still have a lot to learn. You waste energy. You've learned quickly, but you were getting cocky. Have you learned your lesson?"

  "Yep," Katie said. "You're the master skier. How do you do it? It's not like you were working harder."

  "Trying harder is not the solution to everything," Susan replied. "Learning how to do things easier, to be more efficient, is better. You're used to having the sheer strength to overwhelm problems. Sometimes that works. Not always, not even most of the time. Try to find the easy way to do things."

  "Less effort to get better results?" Katie failed to keep the skepticism out of her voice.

  Susan gave a dramatic sigh. "Get over yourself, Katie. You're smart, sure, but you don't know everything and never will. There are always going to be other things other people are going to know more about than you do. There are always going to be other things other people will be better at than you."

  "Like you and skiing?"

  "Yes, and by leaving you behind I was trying to make exactly that point."

  Katie looked embarrassed. "Okay, I understand."

  "I hope so," Susan retorted. "It's more than that. Do you see the owl?"

  Katie looked confused now. "Owl?"

  "Yes, th
ere's an owl here looking at us. Rather annoyed at us too, I suspect," Susan replied.

  "That's interesting, but I don't get the point."

  "Try seeing the owl, Katie."

  Katie looked annoyed as well as confused and embarrassed at that. She glanced around everywhere quickly and evidently came up empty. She looked at Susan.

  Susan looked back. She wasn't giving any ground or letting Katie off the hook.

  "In the trees?" Katie asked in a hopefully wheedling tone. An unaccustomed one for her, it seemed, and not one that flattered her in the least.

  Susan didn't bother to answer.

  Katie snorted and turned to stare intently at the tops of the trees that surrounded them. She stared hard first in one direction, and then after a few seconds in another. She leaned into it with great seriousness.

  It was all she could do for Susan not to laugh. Katie herself was deadly serious, but her approach was pure comedy.

  After some minutes of this, Katie turned red. "Is there really an owl?" she asked, skepticism tingeing her voice.

  "Yes," Susan answered. "To your left at ten o'clock. Between one and two o'clock high."

  Katie looked in the direction indicated and frowned.

  "Don't peer at it hard. Relax and let it come to you. Absorb what your eyes see."

  Katie glanced at Susan rebelliously, but turned and tried to do as she was told. It took a while, several minutes, but finally she exclaimed, "I see it. It's behind that branch. It's beautiful." The last remark sounded surprised and awed.

  "Good," Susan answered. "It is, isn't it?"

  Katie nodded slowly. "Yes, but," she said, her words drawn out, "you were trying to make a point, weren't you? I'm not sure what it was."

  You can lead the horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Susan repented of that thought almost as quickly as it came to her. Katie was trying. She had spotted the owl, eventually. "Sometimes it pays to take it easier," she tried to explain. "Try not to always be so focused on whatever you're currently trying to do that you don't notice what's going on around you."

  "Okay," Katie said. She didn't give the impression of being entirely convinced, but rather like the jury was still out.

  "Also, you won't only miss things, you'll wear yourself out," Susan continued. She had her doubts she was making the impression she wanted to on Katie, but she felt she had to try. "You have to pace yourself. You need to have a reserve for when things don't go according to plan."

  "There's so much to do," Katie complained.

  "Yes, and one of the most important is making a good impression on your classmates," Susan said. "For that it's more important to be seen to be coping and to avoid stupid mistakes than it is to be outstanding. You can do that later if you must once you're caught up on what everyone else is already good at. Not that everybody always likes overachievers, but if you insist on it you have to be better at, or at least adequate at, everything. Create resentment and be seen to have weak points and somebody will exploit them. Understand?"

  "I think so," Katie said. "I didn't realize the Academy was so Darwinian."

  "It isn't necessarily for most of the cadets," Susan answered. "But you're not most cadets, are you?"

  "No," Katie agreed, "I'm not, but it doesn't seem fair."

  "Life's not fair. Look, you've got to be seen to justify the extraordinary nature of your admission to the Academy and the fact of who your grandmother is both. You don't have the choice of being mediocre."

  "Didn't you just tell me not to try so hard?"

  "I told you to try to be smart," Susan returned. "Look, it's like running down a forest path that has a lot of roots and rocks. Sure, you want to go as fast as you can, but you don't want to trip on one of those roots, twist an ankle, and smash face first into one of those rocks. You need to go as fast as you can without going so fast you miss your footing."

  "Ouch," Katie commented. "I think I understand, but I also think maybe roots and rocks are a lot simpler than trying to figure how people here think."

  "Anyhow, we have a ways to go before we're done on this course and the days are short this time of year," Susan said.

  "I'll think about what you've said, Susan," Katie said as they set off again, together this time. "Honest."

  "Good," Susan replied, hoping against hope it'd be enough.

  * * *

  Katie had resented the lessons in etiquette she'd received at the Academy. They'd seemed like a frivolous waste of valuable time not to put a fine point on it. Worse, their purpose had seemed to be learning how to placate the sort of snobs who'd never approve of Katie anyways.

  So color her shocked to find herself glad to have had them.

  Katie might not want to placate snobs in the abstract, but she found herself eager to make a good impression on her grandmother. Or failing that to at least not make a poor one.

  Her and her grandmother were alone together in a dining room around a table that could have accommodated dozens. The food piled on the table was only enough for a half-dozen people.

  Her grandmother spoke to the point. As if she could read Katie's mind. "I used to entertain large groups of colleagues here," she said. "Part of the job, but sometimes a pleasure too."

  Katie tried to think of some useful response that wouldn't seem insipidly dumb. "Used to?" she asked.

  Her grandmother gave her a thin smile. "Used to," she confirmed. "You will hear stories about the great influence I still retain. Take them with a grain of salt. There are still those in the mix who will listen to me if I care to share my opinions with them, but I'm mostly out of the loop these days."

  "You miss it?"

  "No, not really," Admiral (ret'd) Katrina Schlossberg, her grandmother, replied. "Personally, I enjoy being just Kat Schlossberg again. If posterity remembers me only as Katie Kincaid's grandmother, nothing would make me happier."

  Katie frowned despite herself. "I thought the big brass and politicians were all supposed to have big egos," she said.

  Her grandmother gave her another wider smile. Amusement danced in her eyes. "It doesn't hurt," she said. "You've got to fake it if you don't. You are presuming to make important decisions for a lot of other people."

  Katie could feel the looming qualifications. "But?"

  "Big egos tend to be too tender for the rough and tumble at the top," her grandmother replied. "Big brass and politicians is a redundant formulation. Senior officers are supposed to be leaders. They're forced to be bureaucrats and politicians. Politics means compromise, mostly. Means understanding the opposition at least. Being blinded or otherwise bounded by a big ego doesn't help with that."

  Katie understood all the words her grandmother had used. She even thought she understood how they all went together and the logic of what they said. Somehow she was failing to properly integrate them into her understanding of the world. She picked at her meal while she digested them. "It's not how I imagined it," she said at last.

  Her grandmother's expression despite not changing in any obvious way now seemed tinged with sympathy. Katie was going to have to study how the woman managed to do that. She could only hope to have the opportunity. Her grandmother's actual words when they came were not so sympathetic. "So you know a lot of big brass and politicians?" she asked. The sarcasm was obvious if not biting in tone.

  "No," Katie admitted. "You're about it."

  Her grandmother gave a slight sigh. "And you don't really know me," she said. "A fact that, believe me, I greatly regret."

  "I think it was Mom's decision."

  "And it was my decision to let Allie's decision stand," her grandmother said in tones as implacable as granite. She didn't have to say she thought she'd been mistaken. "Water under the bridge. Now we have to deal with the consequences."

  "A lot of my classmates are really impressed that you're my grandma," Katie said. She didn't bother saying how annoyingly frustrating and unfair she found that. She mightn't know her grandmother well, but it was as plain as the nose on her face that t
he old woman was smart and terrifyingly perceptive. Katie didn't like assumptions, but she felt safe assuming her grandmother likely understood perfectly well Katie's problems with being related to her.

  Her grandmother's lips twisted. "Yes, you're getting all the downside of it with none of the benefits. You had nothing to do with the fact. Didn't even know about it, and nobody will believe that. It's not fair, is it?"

  Katie had never been one to back down. She said what she thought. "You know it isn't. We both know it doesn't matter."

  Her grandmother smiled again. It looked odd on her face somehow. Somehow Katie suspected it wasn't a habitual expression. "Good," she said.

  "Good?"

  "Yes, good," her grandmother repeated. "Means we don't have to waste time establishing the situation. Means I don't have to waste time cajoling you into a receptive mood. I'm pleased."

  "I'm pleased you're pleased," Katie responded. Truth was, she was. Not sure how she felt about that.

  "My reputation harms you more than it helps," her grandmother said. "I can't help you much. I certainly can't use any influence to favor you. I can give advice. Much less than your classmates and superiors will assume I have. Still, that advice comes for free and will be worth every penny I charge you for it."

  Katie granted her grandmother a smile for her attempt at being self-deprecating. She didn't doubt her grandmother thought her advice valuable, if perhaps not entirely adequate. "I can use all the advice I can get."

  "You can," her grandmother agreed. She sighed. "You're in a horrible situation thanks to Allie and me."

  "I can handle it," Katie insisted. She wasn't sure how, but wasn't in her to back down.

  "Bravo for a can-do attitude," her grandmother commented dryly. "Might be you can succeed without help, but odds aren't good. You're a fish out of water, young woman. Even if you hadn't been my granddaughter, they'd have been watching you closely."

  "I'm not sure they pay any more attention to me than any other cadet," Katie said.

  "They'd have to be complete incompetents to be obvious about it," her grandmother replied. "They're not quite that bad. Still, this one's not like the others, and they're watching you, waiting for you to fail or mess up."