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in one of the main ships’ specialties and rotate through them in our first two tours.”

“Do you know?” She couldn’t, Lunzie was sure, but did she know she didn’t know, or did she think she did?

“Not all of them, not quite. But more than I did. This one,” and she patted it again, “this one carries carbon dioxide to the buffer tanks; the oxygen pipes, like all the flammables, are red. And no, you won’t see them in this compartment, because some idiot coming off the lift could have a flame, or the lift could spark. Since you’re a doctor, I thought you’d like to see some of this ...”

“Oh, yes.”

Luckily she knew enough not to feel like a complete idiot. Sassinak led her along low-ceilinged tunnels with pipes hissing and gurgling on either hand, pointing out access ports to still other plumbing, the squatty cylindrical scrubbers, the gauges and meters and status lights that indicated exactly what was where, and whether it should be.

“All new,” Sassinak said, as they headed into the ‘ponies section. “We had major trouble last time out, not just the damage, but apparently some sabotage of Environmental. Ended up with stinking sludge growing all along the pipes where it shouldn’t, and there’s no way to clean that out, once the sulfur bacteria start pitting the pipe linings.”

Hydroponics on a Fleet cruiser looked much like hydroponics anywhere else to Lunzie, who recognized the basic configuration of tanks and feeder lines and bleedoff valves, but nothing special. Sassinak finally took her back to the lift and they ascended to Main again.