Hereafter

[Wayne23]

4/3: #1 Gonzaga wins the title.

4/4: Awards: Dar Dunk makes the Big East 1st team.

4/9: I'm not going anywhere.

TP goes from 66 to 73.

4/23: I ask for a budget increase.

We get $15,000.

23-11 for my first season here at UConn. Not bad. Overall, for seasons, I'm 538-142, .791.

The only guy we're losing who plays at all is Fin More, who I thought should have made conf. 2nd team. He's a big loss but we have a very good looking transfer ready to play next year. We'll still be thin inside, especially if Ash Hosi transfers out, which it looks like he will.

All repairs to the ship are complete. We're whole again!

[Wayne23]

5/1: Recruiting class #20. Unranked.

We buy the National Premium, International Basic.

6/5: We don't lose anyone to transfer. Room to pick one up. If we find a really good guard we'd go for him.

We go after a terrific C. If we get him we'll get our guards through recruiting.

6/15: We don't get the big guy. He was in our Top 5. Oh well.

Things are peaceful and back to normal on the ship.

“Hi stranger.”

“Hi Hali.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you like crazy! Things have settled down, finally so I'll have more time. Let's go to dinner tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.”

I asked her to marry me.

“Jed, you have so little time. I don't know if it's a good idea.”

“I want to be with you, Hali, even if it's only when I can be.”

“I want more than that.”

“Okay, I haven't meant to talk about this yet but I'm grooming someone to take the Captain's job. She's not ready yet, but I think six months to a year.”

“Ask me again in six months to a year.”

6/25: We're going to the Indy camp and all of the regionals.

6/26: 3 scholarships. We need 2 guards and a big.

8/7: Nobody on the Norton list. I thought Dunk would be on it and I feel like he should have been.

Things remain wonderfully stable and peaceful. It's the off season in hoops, too. I've been able to spend lots of time with the two people who mean the most to me, June and Hali.

8/21: We offer to a C and 2 PG, all highly rated.

I'm grooming Tong Wang to be Captain. She is 2nd in command in navigation. She has a brilliant mind, understands things very quickly, is creative, and she's not afraid to try new things. She's a little young but I really believe she could be an outstanding Captain. I haven't mentioned it to her yet but will soon.

[Wayne23]

9/18: Got the C, #11, a PG, #14. Did not get the other PG but we offer to a different one.

We're going to the Hoops tourney vs. Belmont. Ambitious schedule, maybe too ambitious; we're a year away. But it's good to challenge my kids.

9/25: Got the PG, #28.

10/2: First day of practice. We are definitely better than last season but a little thin at guard.

10/21: For the first time on my watch we had an oxygen emergency. The system shut down. Everyone got into hazmat suits, the shuttles were brought into the ship, and since repairs didn't happen quickly everyone got into shuttles.

That's when the problem happened. 11 shuttles were malfunctioning seriously enough that people could not stay in them. 6 other had minor problems. We reshuffled and put people into other shuttles, which were now very overcrowded. Fortunately the system came back on line, totally fixed and working properly.

10/22: “The Council will come to order. Captain, report.”

“Inspections of shuttles are supposed to occur on a monthly basis. This is a priority one item. The logs indicate all shuttle have been inspected on a monthly basis. I'm not buying it. 17 shuttles with problems, 11 of them with problems so serious that they were inoperable? No. That didn't happen in the three weeks since the last inspection was supposed to have happened. We were very fortunate that the oxygen system came back on line when it did or lives would have been lost.

“I have ordered the Director of Security to launch an immediate investigation, and to make it as thorough as possible.”

10/28: The Council is called to order. Captain, report.”

“ Security Director Stone, report.”

“Captain, members of the Council, we are in the midst of a thorough investigation, and we have two people undercover, working in Air Supply. In looking over past logs from this department we have discovered many irregularities. There were multiple instances when people reported to be on duty were provably not on duty. Three employees have been very cooperative and have given evidence to suggest that it is a regular occurrence for people not to show up for their shifts, but for other employees to log them in as being at work. We have not yet completed our investigation but it is clear that malfeasance on a wide scale has occurred in Air Supply.”

“How much longer do you need and are we in danger until you have finished?”

“It's hard to know how much longer we'll need. Our two undercover agents may discover things of importance very soon, or it may take some time. As to danger? Given that the equipment and machinery are being neglected, yes, the ship is in danger.”

“Captain, your recommendations.”

“I hesitate to take any steps before the investigation is complete. We may miss some bad actors who will cause difficulties later. I recommend we make certain all shuttles are in 100% ready condition and do nothing else pending Chief Stone informing us that his people are finished.”

There was a LONG, heated debate. The issue was safety. Potentially lives were in danger if things weren't being properly cared for. In the end, by a vote of

7-5, the Captain's recommendations were approved, but Chief Stone was told to be as quick as possible.

11/9: Another air supply system failure. All shuttles were fully operational and there were no casualties. Chief Stone says another few days and he'll be ready to report.

11/13: Here's the lineup, at least for now:

Kev Buck, a junior transfer from Iowa, is at the Point. He's a good one!

Junior Aldo Doli is at SG.

#3 guard is senior Chao Demi, #4 is soph Dan Reid, who has fallen a LONG way, and #5 is frosh Ari Fox.

Senior Ryan Rude is back at SF.

Soph Dar Dunk is back at PF.

Doy Craw, a junior transfer from Seton Hall is in the middle. He has looked very good in practice.

1st big off the bench is soph Ash Hosi. 2nd is junior Toma Jaco, and finally there's soph Ry Eron. I expect us to finish in the Top 25, maybe the top 10.

[Wayne23]

11/14: The season starts tomorrow with #18 Louisville here. We think we have a big edge inside.

7:00 p.m., ship's time: “Captain, I understand Chief Stoen is ready to report.”

“Chief Stone, report.”

“Our investigation has clearly shown gross negligence throughout the Air Supply department. Approximately half of the employees, including the Director were not doing their jobs properly and were falsifying the logs. We recommend immediate termination of the Director, and of 27 employees, listed on the report you all now have.”

“Wow! Is the #2 capable of running the department, Captain?”

“She probably should have been in charge all along; she'll do very well.”

“How do we replace 26 other workers?”

“We have robots trained to do the work until replacement personnel are ready to do the work. We will likely continue to use some robots and replace about half of the 26, but that decision will be made by the new Director, consulting with me.”

11/15: They take an early lead. We come back. Up 7 after 10. Up 3 at the half. 17 for Dunk. 6 fewer TOs. +10 in the paint. Shooting % is about the same. Up 13 with 10 left.

81-62. great opener! 19, 10, 5, 5 for C Doy Craw, 22, 5 for Dunk, 17, 6, 3 for Rude. We absolutely owned the inside.

10 TOs to 23. +8% shooting. +20 in the paint. +16 on the fast break.

“Your boys really looked good, Jed.”

“Thanks Hali, yes they did. 10 TOs, I'll bet you liked that!”

“Loved it!”

[Wayne23]

11/17: 1-0 Miami (FL) is here. They have an excellent PG but they don't rebound well. I don't think they can stop our bigs.

I spoke with Tong Wang, which I do regularly, almost daily.

“Tong, have you wondered why I spend so much time with you?”

“... Yes, I have.”

“I see great leadership qualities in you. As everyone on the ship knows I don't like being Captain. I was much happier in the Stats department.”

“But you are so good at this.”

“Thank you. I think you could be even better.”

“... What? I do not understand.”

“I see you as Captain of the ship in the future.”

“Oh my goodness! I cannot do that job. It is too big.”

“You're not ready yet, I agree. But you have all of the skills needed, you are extremely intelligent, and you don't shy away from making difficult decisions.
I've been grooming you for quite some time now without your knowledge or consent. I've done all that I can do under those circumstances. To teach you the rest of what you need to know I need your approval and willingness.”

“... I do not know what to say...”

“Suppose I give you a few days to think it over?”

“... Yes, that would be good...”

11/18: “Stop their outside game, especially their PG.”

Early lead. Up 8 after 10. Up 11 at halftime. Our guards are smoking theirs. 4 TOs to 9, 21 points to 10. Dunk has 3 fouls.

“You're only halfway there. Keep it up!”

Up 11 with 10 left.

90-66. We got better as the game progressed. We were amazing for the last 8 minutes or so.

22, 3, 4 for PG Kev Buck. 17, 6, 3 for SG Art Doli. 14, 5 for Dunk. Good bench play.

+5 RBs, only 8 TOs. +7% shooting.

11/20: All 3 recruits sign.

“Well, Tong?”

“I need more time.”

“I doubt that. You have all of the necessary qualifications to do this job extremely well.”

“I am not as confident as you are.”

“I will take all the time you need to train you.”

“... I do not know what to say.”

“You won't know tomorrow or the next day. Say yes and let's get started.”

“... All right.”

[Wayne23]

11/21: 2-0 Purdue is here. Their guards can score, and they hit the boards. But all 5 of our starters average in double figures.

We're ranked #11!

“Tong Wang is training to take over as Captain, Hali.”

“That's great news.”

“Keep it quiet for now. No one else knows, not even June.”

“Okay.”

“I want to ask you to marry me again.”

“Not until your out of the hot seat.”

“I know, but can we be engaged? That way we can get married quickly when Tong takes over.”

“Wonderful idea!”

Hey, I'm engaged!

11/22: Close early. Down 3 after 10. They're hitting shots and we're not. Down 12 at the half. We're shooting 35.3% to 58.1%. Their guards are lighting it up, 29 for the starting guards.

“You're playing like crap. Wake the hell up!”

Down 17 with 10 left; they're killing us.

64-80. Awful. We shot 32.9%, they shot 50%. A season high 18 TOs.

21, 9, 3, 3 for Dunk.

This is not a game we should have lost, certainly not this badly.

June is thrilled that we're engaged.

“Why doesn't she move in, Dad?”

“I don't know about that.”

“You barely have time to see her. That would make it a lot easier to spend time with her. Ask her. Tell her it was my idea.”

(He laughs) “Ah the 14 year old mind!”

“14 and a half!”

[Wayne23]

11/24: #13 Kona, 3-1, is here. They are very strong at SG and C. Statistically this is a toss up. I don't plan to lose two in a row...

11/25: We take a quick lead. Up 9 after 10. 54-37 at the break; we're scoring at will. +15% shooting and they have 2 guys with 3 fouls. 20 and 7 for Dunk, 11 for Doli. +7 RBs and NO TOs! Up 18 with 10 to go.

95-74. Easy win against a ranked team!

28, 8, 3 for Dunk, 13, 13, 6 for Rude, 15, 10, 3 for Craw, 17, 3 for Doli, 11, 4, 5 for Buck.

+10% shooting. +10 RBs, 7 TOs.

“So... June thinks you should move in.”

“JUNE thinks!”

“NO! I mean yes! I mean-”

(She laughs) “You might have been able to handle that worse. I mean it's theoretically possible. Care to try again?”

“... I would really like you to move in. I'd see a lot more of you that way and that would make me very happy.”

“Much better! How does June feel?”

“... She really likes you and she said she'd love to have you living with us.”

“What happened to her mother anyway?”

“... I don't know how a person manages to disappear on a space ship but she pretty much has. She hasn't seen June in years. She works on the bottom deck, and lives there as well. I haven't seen her except for in my work, in a very long time, and she tries to hide when my work takes me to her work location. It's easier now. When I was doing stats she practically ran away when I came around.”

“What's wrong with her. June is a delight.”

“When she and I split she was madly in love with some guy. He was all she cared about. I don't know if they're still together or what the story is.”

“What a shame. How does June handle it?”

“I have no doubt it hurts a great deal. I do all I can but I'm not her mother. She never wants to talk about it.”

“We're pretty close. Maybe I'll give it a try sometime.”

“Tread carefully.”

“I will.”

“About you moving in...”

I think it's a good idea and I think it's time. Let's file for bigger living quarters.”

“Great!”

[Wayne23]

11/28: 2-2 Brigham Young is here. They just dropped out of the Top 25. We have a big edge on the boards and they turn it over.

We dropped to #18 in the latest poll. Doesn't mean anything this early on.

11/29: “It would be a mistake to take this game lightly.”

We jump out to a lead immediately. They come back. Up 3 after 10. Up 5 in a high scoring first half. Dunk picked up his 3rd foul late. 9, 3, 3, 3 for Craw. Good bench play. Their C has 3 fouls. NO TOs in the half again! +8 in the paint. Up 13 with 10 to play.

96-68. Strong finish again!

18, 7, 6, 5 steals for Craw; his most complete game of the season. 17, 4, 5, 3 steals for Doli, his best game of the season. Very good bench play.

+4 RBs, and only 3 TOS to 17. +11% shooting. +12 in the paint; +10 on fast breaks.

“Tong, you're really doing well.”

“I am not ready yet.”

“No, but you're getting close. Let's aim for February or March.”

“That is very soon!”

“You'll be ready, and it won't happen as soon as I take it to the Council. They will need convincing.”

Because I refuse to live in the Captain's quarters it's taking a little time to find us a new living quarters. They need to be on the same deck as the bridge, which is on deck 5 for safety reasons, plenty of ship both above and below. Frankly, deck 4 or 6 would work fine, but nobody wants to hear that.

[Wayne23]

12/5: At 3-2 Oklahoma. Their starting PG has a sprained toe. He may not play much, if at all. That could make a difference; he's quite good. They don't score many and don't give up many but they haven't played anybody. They turn it over.

We're up to #12.

12/6: “Let's do this!”

We score the first 9. Up 12 after 10; great D so far. Up 12 at the half; held them to 25! Their injured SG played 18 minutes but Doli lit him up for 14 to lead us. 6 fewer TOs but both sides are sloppy. +8 in the paint, +8 on fast breaks. I don't usually have fast break teams but this year we're doing that a lot. I've been releasing a guard. Up only 4; they went on a run and briefly took the lead. This one isn't over.

63-59. Doli hit a three with 15.7 left and that sealed it. This was a real defensive struggle.

15, 12 for Dunk, 17, 3 for Doli, 11, 3, 6 for Buck, 12, 8, 3, 5 steals for Craw.

+5 RBs, 6 fewer TOs but 17-23, which is not what I like to see from us; 17 is way too many. They outshot us by 10.5% but we took 17 more shots.

Council meeting about 3D printers is about to start and people are definitely on edge.

Long discussion. Those ion favor talk about the convenience, eating at home when in a hurry or busy working, and having more variety in the diet, the ability to print small items without needing to go to a 3D print center...

The antis talked about the benefits of socializing in the dining halls. They feared people printing things they didn't real need, which would definitely tax our resources.

After nearly two hours I had a thought and raised my hand.

“Captain?”

“Okay. Basically people who favor this have two issues- food and printing small items. Let me start with the 2nd. We've really been slack and even sloppy with our system of people ordering things they need printed. The Print Centers have dropped the ball and are making people wait in line. We need to get the “Send in” system working again. Then people can simply pick up what they need without the need to wait in line. This is fixable.

“As to food. How about this? Cha Baie, the Director of food Services, is pretty innovative. We have one dining hall on every level, in order to keep numbers fairly manageable and that works. How about this? Cha would need to coordinate this or get someone in her department to coordinate it. Each cafeteria features one more special of the day. Several could be non-typical foods based on the cuisine of people's native country. Yes, I know we do this now, but not very often. I'm saying every day, there are choices of, I don't know, meals from 3 cultures, 4, 6? Then there's a comfort food choice on a couple of levels, junk on a couple of levels. It shouldn't be that much more work, and if you like Indian or sushi, or Italian, or whatever, you could get it more often, which would-”

“Wait!”

“What is it, Chad?”

“I think this is even better. Each cafeteria, once a week, has a “Special Day.” Italian on deck 4 on Tuesdays. Indian on deck 6 on Thursdays. Comfort food on deck 9 on Friday- you get it. For both lunch and dinner they go with that specialty. Some people want what they consider regular food, and that's available every day. If you want something else, you have one or two choices every day.”

“Great idea!”

Which it was.

“As Council Chair I will speak with Cha about the feasibility and we'll meet again as soon as we have a plan.”

[Wayne23]

12/8: Back home with 5-3 Utah. They score .3 more points than their opponents and they haven't played anyone. This is a game we should win.

Crowds have been good but rarely sellouts. If we keep winning we'll start to sell out.

12/9: Early lead. Up 11 after 10. 55-31 at the break; we're looking really good! 16, 2, 4 for Buck, 13, 5, 4 for Craw, 10 for Dunk. No TOs. +17% shooting. +22 in the paint. Up 28 with 10 to go.

85-58. 23, 12, 6 for Craw, 22, 6 for Dunk, 19, 3, 7 for Buck.

5 TOs to 19. +10.7% shooting and 20 more shots. +32 in the paint. Easy win against a decent team.

The Council met and Cha Baie spoke:

“You are asking me to do a lot of extra work. However, I see a great deal of merit in this proposal. We have 20 decks on the ship and every other one has a small cafeteria, which I prefer to call a dining area. These are all intimate. They have the capability of feeding 150 people but in reality they usually feed between 60 and 100 each. I have given your proposal a great deal of thought. Here's what I propose to you:

“Three dining areas, on decks 4, 11, and 17 will do exactly what they do now. The other 7 will each spend not one day each week, but two days each week as specialty dining areas. I have spoken with the head chefs and their assistants on all levels and they agree with the proposal I am making. I will transfer some head chefs and assistant chefs to other decks but we can accommodate a variety of special cuisines-”

“But some people will want to eat Indian every night, or something else.”

“Yes, this has been a concern ever since the ship launched. We have people form nearly every background, ethnicity, country, and culture on our home planet. It is not possible to give them exactly the food they wish to eat at every meal. However, with 7 dining areas specializing twice each week, they will be able to eat their favorite foods far more often than in the past.”

“I believe that those hoping to have 3D printers in their living quarters will not be satisfied with this plan. The main reason people want these printers is so that they can prepare the foods they wish to eat every day.”

“I understand this. The decision as to private 3D printers is not mine to make. Let me say that with 7 specialty dining areas we can have one serving Indian twice each week, one serving Italian twice each week, one serving East Asian, mainly Japanese, Chinese, and Korean twice each week, one Latin American, one North American- U. S. and Canada, the other serving African. The three who do not serve regional foods can offer comfort food, so called junk food, and specialties from areas of the globe not covered in the other 7 dining areas. I believe most people will see this as a huge improvement.”

“I propose going to 20 cafeterias instead of the 10 we have now, one on every deck. 14 will specialize in one area every single day, and the other 6- 2 comfort food every day, 2 junk food every day, 2 focus on rare foods, varying them over the course of each week.”

“I suspect that Cha will say that this is impossible. Cha?”

“Not impossible certainly, but a great strain on our resources. Of course if we could implement this over time, having the ability to add to- well double our number of head chefs and assistant chefs, and add a small amount of other personnel... this could be done. The 20 dining areas would be cozy, expecting to serve between 25 and 60 people at a given meal. Yes, we could do this.”

“How long before it would be fully operational?”

“If we begin immediately, approximately six months.”

The plan passed 9-3, and Cha was told to begin recruiting chefs at once, as well as working with designers, builders, renovators, as well as planning for the ordering of the needed kitchen supplies...”