“Because there isn’t anything that can be done about it,” said Ozaki. “It’s the air conditioner. Something’s haywire inside.”
“What’s an air conditioner?” asked Kurt.
“That square box over your head.”
Kurt looked at it, closed his eyes, and thought for a moment. The thing did look familiar. Suddenly a picture of it popped into his mind. Page 318 in the “Manual of Auxiliary Mechanisms.”
“It’s fantastic!” he said.
“What is?” said the little man.
“This,” Kurt pointed to the conditioner. “I didn’t know they existed in real life. I thought they were just in books. You got a first echelon kit?”
“Sure,” said Ozaki. “It’s in the recess by the head of the bunk. Why?”
Kurt pulled the kit out of its retaining clips and opened its cover, fishing around until he found a small screwdriver and a pair of needle-nose pliers.
“I think I’ll fix it,” he said conversationally.