by Alan Black
The captain said, “Until now.”
Bill said, “Until Tasso.”
The captain nodded, “Commendation approved, although I’d rather have been the one to have my own special color first. Dee will never let me forget that.”
Tasso smiled. “We can still get the extruder to set up something special for you, like the ship’s crest we did for the cheerleaders.”
The captain smiled. “I think we can design something.”
The pizza delivery interrupted the conference. Everyone dug in, grabbing a plate of pizza slices and pouring themselves tea. Tasso was surprised to see everyone jumping in and grabbing whatever they wanted without regard to rank. The FO even grabbed a glass of tea the captain had poured for herself with a grin and a quick thanks. The handcuffs made eating and drinking difficult, so the captain assigned Rodriguez to hand feed Tasso. He had seen pizza around the ship, but he’d never tried it. He didn’t know what a pineapple was. He was also at a loss about where a pepperoni came from. His first bite was a bit tentative, but he quickly realized that whatever kind of animal a pepperoni was, it tasted much better than yapikino, especially when mixed with pineapple.
The room seemed to relax a bit. Friendly chatter had started when the captain held up her hand, stopping all conversation.
The captain looked at Tasso. “We do have some bad news, Trainee Menzies.” Her voice had changed from casual to her official captain’s tone. “We’ve received a tax bill on you from Saronno. We aren’t used to our trainees getting invoiced for land taxes.”
CHAPTER 17
TASSO FROWNED. “But Grandpa paid the land tax a few months ago.”
Captain Rojo turned to Graham, “FO?”
Graham said, “Well, the invoice states the land tax must be paid by a new owner. You inherited the land at your grandfather’s death. A new tax became due ninety days after inheritance. That’s in a little less than month from now.”
“Bruce Menzies is trying to steal my land!” Tasso blurted out.
The captain, the FO, and the purser nodded in agreement.
Graham said, “We’ve discussed that. There’s no doubt in our minds that’s why he sent you on a training cruise with us. He knew you wouldn’t make it back in time. But your uncle didn’t send this to you. In fact, I believe the government didn’t notify your uncle about this tax invoice.”
Captain Rojo said, “I think the government plans to steal your land before your uncle can lay claim to it. They’ll repossess it for unpaid back taxes if you don’t pay the invoice.”
Graham nodded, “Sounds right. There’s no honor among thieves. Oh sorry, Tasso. I didn’t mean to insult your uncle.”
Tasso shrugged. “Grandpa always quoted Ecclesiastes, ‘there be of them that have left a name behind them’. Let Bruce Menzies wear the name of thief if he’s earned it.” He looked at the captain. “You told me I can’t get back in time to save my crop or my land. Why worry about sending them money I don’t have against land I can’t keep?” He didn’t want to admit he would lose his home and the burial site for all of the family he had ever known. He’d get it back someday, but he recognized the loss for now.
Graham said, “Paying this tax bill yourself would indicate your intent to retain title to the land. That should hold weight in court, even on Saronno.”
“It doesn’t matter. The last time Grandpa paid the land tax it was fifty credits. I don’t have that much. Grandpa and I only had twenty-five credits from our last harvest. If the tax is more than that, I can’t pay it anyway.”
Graham said, “What? Wait. Didn’t anyone explain to you about your pay?”
Tasso shook his head. “I only started working at Cherry’s shop today. She said she would pay me, but we didn’t talk about how much. It can’t be enough to pay a land tax.”
Anisa said, “Not that pay, silly. The first officer means your trainee pay. We are training, but we aren’t working for free, you know.”
“Pay? What pay? You give me food, clothing, and shelter. Why would you pay me?” Tasso asked.
“Once, years long past in history, Texans and Texicans fought for slavery and oppression.” The captain said, “Our views have somewhat changed since then.”
“I’m not a slave,” Tasso said. “You told me I can leave anytime I want.”
Captain Rojo laughed, “Well, you can leave any time we’re on a planet. I wouldn’t suggest leaving the ship when we’re between stops. But, I guarantee you trainees get paid.”
Anisa nodded, “The more you know and the longer you stay in training, the higher your pay.”
Tasso turned to the purser, “How much is the land tax … thing?”
Bill said, “It’s a land tax invoice. They listed the land tax as fifty credits and there’s an inheritance tax of fifty percent above that. The invoice total is seventy-five credits.”
Tasso looked at FO Graham. “I have twenty-five credits in my cabin. That’s a whole year’s income for my grandfather and me. How could I have earned enough to make up the difference?”
Graham said, “Actually, we did start you at the bottom of the trainee pay scale. You earned a credit a day for every day you worked. Once your education level was tested, your pay went up accordingly, based on those metrics and your age. You are now at one and a third credits per day worked. Had we moved you to a different training schedule, your pay might have gone up even higher. However, according to the activity logs, you haven’t taken a day off since we brought you on board.”
“Wait,” the captain said, “Rosa, we have a trainee we’ve worked for two months straight without time off? That is unconscionable.”
“Captain Rojo,” Tasso said. “Tio Gabe has allowed me to not work every Saturday and every Sunday. What else am I going to do except go to the attic? I like Tio Gabe and I like to work there.” He had earned seventy credits in two months. He was stunned at the amount. That was more than twice what it took Grandpa and him to earn in a year and that was before he started collecting any pay from Cherry. He could still work in the attic, make a credit a day, and anything he made in the lingerie shop would be extra.
Graham shook her head, “We need to talk to you about hobbies or something. Maybe we should assign someone,” she looked pointedly at Anisa, “to teach you about having fun. That would have to be someone better at having fun than at learning her work station, doesn’t that sound about right, young lady?”
Rodriguez cleared his throat. “Captain, I’m not sure it’s my place to ask, but are we sure it’s a good thing to allow a sixteen-year-old boy to work in Cherry’s Lingerie Shop? I mean, he’s a hard worker, but I was a sixteen-year-old boy once.”
Bill laughed, “Feeling a bit prudish are we, Sergeant?”
Rodriguez said, “Nothing personal, Menzies. I thought the question was worth asking. You can’t really ask his work supervisor to check up on him.”
Graham said, “No, but I can assign Anisa to check in on him every now and again when he‘s working. That okay with everyone?”
Anisa grinned. “Thanks. I’d be glad to do it. I like Cherry and … um, Tasso is okay too.”
The captain asked, “Is that acceptable to you, Tasso?”
“Seventeen,” he said. “I’m seventeen. Not that it makes any difference, but yeah. I like Anisa a lot and I’d really like to see more of her. Yes, please.”
FO Graham checked her records. “Sixteen. I could swear I had you at sixteen. When did you turn seventeen?”
Tasso shrugged, “Today.”
Anisa exploded, “Today? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Tasso looked confused, “Why should I say anything! It’s just a number. I’m only a day older than I was yesterday. Grandpa always said it’s an arbitrary marker for another day the planet orbited the sun, and there was always work to do. I don’t see a birthday as anything to get excited about.”
Rodriguez said, “From my perspective, you’ve had an exciting day. Two fights … oops, sorry. That’s one fight and half
a dozen episodes of falling down in the shower.”
Graham said, “The activity log says you did work today. You worked in the attic from midnight to about eight, when you left to go to Cherry’s with the extruder. Her activity log shows you working for her for another five hours. Crap!”
The captain looked at the FO, “What, First Officer?”
Graham shook her head. “I apologize, Captain. I should’ve been checking on Trainee Menzies. He didn’t start working in the attic at midnight. He started yesterday at four in the morning. He worked straight through until eight a.m. the next day.”
Tasso shrugged. “It isn’t my roommate’s fault he gets up early. His shift starts early and I’m a light sleeper. Besides, working in the attic is fun.”
“You shouldn’t have to work around the clock on your birthday. You should get presents and a cake on your birthday,” Anisa said. “You should go to a movie or go see a rodeo or something, not get stuck getting arrested and hauled in front of the captain for who knows how long.”
“Presents?” Tasso asked. “What would I get presents for? Having a birthday is a matter of not dying! I don’t get it. I saw a cake once, when I was about ten, but we left the picnic before I got any of it.” He looked at the shocked faces around him. “What?”
Anisa said, “There’s cake in the dessert line in every galley on the ship.”
Tasso looked embarrassed. “I’ve seen the dessert line, but no one said I could have any, so I haven’t gone to look at it.”
The adults looked at each other in silence. “Look, I’ve been to every orientation meeting I’ve been told about, okay? Nobody said anything. I’m sorry if it’s something I should’ve been doing, but nobody said. Besides, it’s just cake. What’s the big deal?”
Graham said, “The big deal is we take a lot of ship life for granted. We assume everyone coming on board knows certain things, and if they don’t then their straw boss, their foreman, or their supervisor gives them a little extra help.” She looked at the captain. “This is my fault, Lil.”
The captain said, “No. It’s a fault of the system. So, change the system.”
Tasso said, “Okay, what’s a rodeo?”
There was stunned silence.
Tasso said, “Never mind. I guess it’s a mystery, like football or something. I promise I’ll look them up on the shipnet and study them.”
The captain said, “No. Anisa, this is an order from your captain and your aunt. Take him to the football game next Friday. Sit him next to someone who can explain what’s going on. And Security Sergeant Rodriguez, you’re to make time to take him down to the lower decks and show him what Texicans do for fun.”
Bill smiled, “I assume that does not mean a trip to Dolly’s Place?”
Anisa and the captain yelled in unison. “No!”
Tasso said, “Thank you. Can I ask a question? I have enough credits to pay the land tax. I should even have five credits left over, right? I don’t know if I can keep the Saronno government or Bruce Menzies from stealing my land, but I want to try someday to get it back. If paying this tax will help, then I want to do it, but how am I supposed to pay the land tax on Saronno if I’m not there?”
Bill said, “Paying it is easy. We deduct it from your ship’s account here and have the Rojo Freight Company agent on Saronno make payment for you. You’ll have more than a few credits left. Check your bank account.”
“My what?”
The captain said, “Oh frak me! Sorry, y’all. Are we really this messed up here?”
Tasso said, “I’m sorry, Captain. I’ll double down on my studies and try to—”
“This isn’t you, Tasso,” the captain said. “We, all of us, every adult in this room has messed up. Even Anisa should’ve said something if she saw we had a trainee falling through the cracks.”
Tasso said, “I’ve tripped up and fallen down a few times, but I don’t remember falling in any cracks. Maybe there’s a video of me that I haven’t seen on the net.”
The captain said, “The episode of you and the taco should’ve been our first clue you’re out of your element. We missed a wakeup call, and we’ve been hitting the snooze button ever since.”
Bill said, “Give me your dataport.”
Tasso turned slightly, showing his handcuffs. He gestured with his chin at his chest where his dataport hung.
The purser said “Sorry. I’ll do it for you.” He accessed the shipnet and downloaded an icon onto Tasso’s dataport screen. “Click on this. It is bio-secured so only you can access your account. Now push this.” Tasso managed to twist far enough around to press the image where the purser indicated. Bill continued and began pushing buttons himself, showing Tasso where to press. “Good, now you’re past your firewall, that’s your bank account. That’s your credits balance. Push this to see the deposits. There. The first deposit is your monthly pay. That’s your second month’s pay. There is the ten-credit award from Security, matching the commendation for Tio Gabe’s search.”
Tasso looked at the ten-credit award amount. Maybe his grandfather was wrong. Maybe you could eat a commendation.
Bill continued. “There’s the forty-credit award from Maintenance Section E-17, matching their commendation for recycling used parts. This additional twenty-credit award is for manufacturing new packing straps.” He looked up at the captain. “Lil, that’s for new packing straps that cost the ship’s budget nothing. Assuming Sergeant Rodriguez doesn’t keep Tasso locked up in jail too long for today’s,” he looked pointedly at Graham, “‘alleged’ altercation, I suspect he’ll be making packing straps for every machine shop, repair depot, shipping, receiving and storage bay on board.”
Anisa said, “I doubt that. By tomorrow, there’ll be such a run on shoelaces, belts, and ribbons at Cherry’s, she’ll have to hire more sales clerks. Tasso won’t have time to make anything else.”
Rodriguez looked at Tasso, “Say, can you get that machine of yours to make a saddle cinch? I can’t seem to get one made the way I want it.”
Tasso said, “It’s not really my machine. It belongs to the ship, Cherry is in charge of it, but if I knew what a cinch was, I might be able to program one in.”
Rodriguez nodded. “Captain, you’re right. This boy is well over due for some time on the range.”
The captain smiled sarcastically. “Thank you for the validation, Señor Rodriguez. Of course, I’m right. I am the captain.”
“What’s this new number that just popped up on my account?” Tasso asked. He’d been marveling that he’d started the day with twenty-five credits hidden in his sock drawer. Now he had an account with a hundred and forty credits. He could pay the land tax on his valley and still have ninety credits left. That was almost as much as a whole chiamra crop would bring.
Purser Rojo looked over and whistled. “Cherry dropped a deposit into his account. It isn’t a payroll stub, but she listed it as a sales bonus. She deposited 206 credits into Tasso’s account. Son, you must have had a heck of a sales day. That’s more than I make in a week. If you want to pay the land tax invoice, it’s listed here.” The man showed Tasso. “You authorize payment by your thumb print on this spot. The bank will do the rest.”
Tasso tried to press his thumb against the screen, but he couldn’t reach it and see it at the same time. The purser grabbed the hovering image and moved it closer to Tasso’s hand, and Rodriquez directed his thumb for him. He didn’t know what to do with such riches, but it’d be worth paying the tax bill if it helped him get his land back someday.
Tasso shook his head. “I don’t get it. I can’t see Bruce wanting the land. Grandpa always said he hated the place. I could see him wanting to give the land back to the stobor and the jack-o-lanterns. Why would the government want it? Unless Grandpa was right and they know there are hope’s crystals on the land.”
Captain Rojo said, “Your grandfather was prospecting for hope’s crystals? That would make any government stand up and take notice. Are you sure they knew about it?�
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Tasso shrugged. “I don’t think so. Grandpa said we should never talk about it because of claim jumpers, but I don’t know. Why else would they want a hundred sixty kilometers of backcountry that can only grow eighty acres of chiamra? The spice crop barely got us through from year to year.”
The captain said, “About that, you can only sell your crop to the Saronno Product Association, right?”
Tasso nodded, “Sure, no one else would bother with it. Why?”
She continued, “They pay you a little more than a credit per acre, correct?”
Tasso said, “Yes. We got 1.25 credits per acre of chiamra plants delivered to the processing plant. We got a hundred credits total, but we had to buy our next season’s seeds for twenty-five credits.”
“Assuming our calculations are right, the Saronno Produce Association charges us the equivalent of almost a thousand credits per acre of finished spice product.”
Tasso sat in stunned silence. Someone was making almost 80,000 credits every thirteen months on his little valley. He and Grandpa had been eating yapikino stew and wearing clothes with more holes than patches, living on the raw edge of starvation, and someone was earning more money off his sweat than he could imagine. Maybe if they had gotten more of their share of the profits Grandpa and Grandma might have been able to afford the nanites Doctor Valenzuela said would’ve saved their lives.
The captain continued, “That’s what the Saronno Product Association charges us for the spice. We get twice that when we sell it to brokers on a dozen different worlds. I’m sorry, but those are the facts. We’ve talked, Bill, Rosa and I, about how to break the Saronno Produce Association’s hold on the spice production, but they control the agricultural-processing plants. The manufacturers won’t even talk about us buying them. They say they have a hundred-year-old contract forbidding them to selling to anyone other than a planetary government or a planetary co-op.”