Runningbear lay on his bunk, listening to the other men talk, or trying not to listen was more like it.
"See how she deals with that shit," one of them spat at the viewscreen at the back of their room. They were watching the news. The big news of the day was renewed activity by insurgents in Afghanistan. For month's critics had said that America's departure from the Middle East had left a power vacuum. The conflict in places like Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq ran several generations deep and wouldn't be solved quickly.
"Yeah, they thought it was so easy, just take us out and the region would be all love and peace. Not so easy, is it. We'll see if the princess can handle shit now."
"It wasn't her, anyway," Runningbear groused from his bunk, not looking at the guys. "It was that Ganaka. He's the one that made us leave." The men ignored him.
Runningbear didn't know what to think about Afghanistan anyway. When he first went into the service, a few years ago, he had thought like a lot of Americans. They were Muslim terrorists and they deserved what they got. Then some news report said they were a tribal people. That made him think of his own people. They had fought white man's attempts to impose order for generations. What if the Afghan people were like that? He shook his head.
The others had moved on to other topics already. "Think we'll get home? I mean the six, now Klempke and Green. Will any of us make it home?"
That really pissed Runningbear off.
"Fuck you!" he roared, jumping off his bunk and startling the men. "Klempke and Green fucked themselves."
"Yeah, you've got a girlfriend of theirs, that's why you like them now," one of the men sneered.
"Yeah, I got a girlfriend, who I treat with respect. Those two?" He spat on the floor. "Bastard deserve worse then they got. And if you think punishing a crime makes them the enemy again, I want nothing to do with you." He turned and stormed out.
He couldn't go far. It was less than a half hour until lights out and they were suppose to stay on this side of the ship anyway. He stomped to the lounge and found a can of Soma Achai. He sat and stared out the porthole window.
"It's nearly lights out, sailor," a familiar voice said. He looked up at Fox.
"Yeah, I know," he replied. "Just needed a minute."
To his surprise Fox sat across from, looking concerned. Was Fox really concerned about him?
"What's wrong?" Fox asked.
"It's just some of my bunkmates, running their mouths."
"About what?"
"Stuff, Afghanistan, us being up here. Same old shit."
Fox snorted. "To listen to earth news these days, she's got her hands full. Insurgency in Afghanistan, nobody thinks that fishing treaty is going to get passed. Then Kamchatka, that's got Russia pretty mad. Listen to their news and they are all sure she's got some clever trick up her sleeve. Be interesting to see who is right. So what do you think about Afghanistan?"
"I think," Runnningbear said slowly, "that two hundred year ago they might have described our ancestors as terrorist."
Fox looked surprised. "That's very astute. I think this situation is more complicated, but you're right. Two hundred years ago our tribes were called all sorts of stuff. What about your bunkmates?"
"We are going home," Runningbear said. "Even that stupid Bankim says so. 'Why would we want to keep troublemakers?'"
"He said that?"
"Aloka says she overhead that."
"But those assholes," Runningbear nodded towards his bunk. "I don't know. They used to say shit like that and I didn't care. Now, I don't know if it's worse or if I am just stuck listening to it."
Fox was staring at him, a dumbfound look on his face.
"What?" Runningbear asked.
Fox shook his head. "A lot of little pieces just fell into place for me. I'm going to have to talk to the captain." He rose. "Thanks, Runningbear."
Runningbear watched him go, wondering what had just happened. He chugged the rest of the can and started back towards his bunk, intent on arriving there just as lights out was called, to avoid having to talk to his bunkmates.
#####
Fox stepped into Lannister's office and saluted. He was nervous and his palms were wet with sweat. He wiped them surreptitiously after Lannister ordered him at ease. He laughed to himself as his right hand dragged, dry, across his pant leg. It had all the sensation that the other had, but no actual sweat pores.
He sat across from the captain and wondered how this information and his request was going to be taken, but he felt he had to try.
"Sir," he ventured, "I wanted to talk to you about the curfew."
"Yes," Lannister said in a tone that didn't invite Fox to continue. He knew that many were grumbling and Lannister took personal offense to those that wanted it removed.
"It's just, I've been doing some investigating, of Whitman, Bunce and a few others," Fox said. He hated to rat the men out, but he needed to drop names and be specific if he was going to get Lannister to listen.
"Yes," Lannister said again, but this time he did seem to be listening. He knew as well as Fox that these two were the ringleaders of what Fox referred to as the left side gang, the soldiers down the left side of corridor that kept themselves in virtual isolation, afraid of the consortium.
"They've been sending veiled messages to Klempke and Green, through Whitman, of course."
"Messages about what?"
"They are upset about rape itself, but I think they were all planning something. Some sort of insurrection."
"Mutiny?"
"Not that kind of insurrection. From snatches of conversations, and I don't have more evidence than that, or I would have gone to Sutton. But I, I think they planted the idea in the two men's heads. That someone needed to do something to evoke a response from the consortium. They wanted to force them to act like jailers, so the other sailors would stop trusting them."
"Drive a wedge between the crews?"
"Yes, something like that."
"And they told Klempke and Green to rape a girl?"
"No, I am sure they didn't expect it to be anything like that. In fact, I overheard Whitman saying something about picking a fight with Bankim, which he's attempted, but 'not that.' His words."
"Any idea why?"
"I can't say, I can only speculate."
"Speculate then," Lannister ordered.
"Off the record?" Lannister nodded and Fox went on. "I've seen Bunce's personnel record. He's got anger management issues. I think he's itching for a fight. Whitman? I think he believes he's being a patriot, no matter how misguided that might appear to us. In his mind, he's still fighting them over Syria."
Lannister shook his head. "I expect your right, on both counts. Do you think they are planning something more?"
This was Fox's opening and he knew it. "They don't have to. We are playing right into their hands." He barreled on quickly, before Lannister could object. "The more the sailors are trapped in their rooms, or on one short corridor, the more time they have to mutter. And the more people there are to listen to those who mutter.
"I think you had the right idea at the outset, with classes and stuff to keep people busy. We need to be doing even more of that."
"Now that almost everyone is recovered from radiation sickness, we can do full physical training, daily. We can push them, wear them out during the day," Lannister said.
"I think we should also reconsider evening activities," Fox said. Lannister shot him a look. "We will have to have an active security presence and have the activities more structured, I understand."
"I don't know, Fox," Lannister said. He gave a heavy sigh and looked away. "I thought I knew my men. But Klempke and Green..."
"You do, sir. Better than any CO I've served under. Klempke and Green, I've seen their files, too. There was no indication what they were. You can't blame yourself."
"Oleson saw. Oleson looked at them and some how he knew," Lannister said.
"Well he's one of a kind. Him and and Walker both. That's why you recruited them wasn't it? Off the Arleigh?"
Lannister gave him a sly smile. "You've seen all our records, haven't you?"
"Part of my job, sir," Fox replied. "A good master of arms has to know his crew, just as a good CO does."
"Fine, you win. Oleson is working for them now, as part of his public service. Walker is too for that matter. But if you can get one or both to volunteer to lead these activities, and you personally make sure security is watching out, I'll relent."