Ghosts from the Past (The Wandering engineer Book 7)

by Chris Hechtl

  Sprite chuckled in his ears. “No. Get going. Safe and smooth sailing midshipman Kereen; may we meet again,” she said.

  “Aye aye, ma'am,” he replied with a nod as his fingers curled around his space bag. The line started to move as they boarded.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Ensign Xe nodded to the new recruits as he walked down their lines, doing a casual inspection. They weren't squared away, but most were passable for now. Passable for militia grade training, but he'd take them further.

  He paused by a blond bear. He was a blondish white, and he knew it wasn't a polar bear. He was far too small for that. The muzzle was off too; it was a bit black. He noted the black bear nearby and measured them up mentally. The same height and frame ... he shook his head. A ghost bear, he thought. A black bear with blond or white fur. They were rare, even in Neos. They weren't albino; they had normal pigmentation in their skin and had normal irises.

  “Problem?” the bear rumbled.

  “Suck in that gut. You are a sorry sight,” the ensign said, shaking his head. He'd love to have a noncom right about now but most were busy. “How I got stuck with you lot I'll never know. Must be my bad luck,” he said, staring at them.

  He heard clucking and clacking and frowned. He couldn't put a finger on it for a moment. He started to open his mouth but then a snort from the bear made him pause.

  “Are you clucking at me recruit?” the ensign demanded, eyes wide in surprise. “What the frack; are you a chicken?” he demanded.

  “He's pissed,” a Neomutt said helpfully. The ensign glanced at the bear. His fur wasn't rising, but he had a cool look about him. “You better lock that temper up, son. It'll get you in hack so fast your head will spin,” the ensign said, moving into the bear's personal space until he was nose to nose. “You read me?” he asked, smelling the bear's breath as he watched the others brown eyes go cross eyed at him.

  “Well?”

  He saw the eyes narrow and made himself hold his ground. Going toe to toe with a pissed predator wasn't something he did lightly. But he had to establish his authority here and now. “You got a problem?”

  “I'm a neobear, sir! You're not!” The bear ground out. “You're a ... pink skin,” he snarled.

  “Ah, well, we can't all be perfect, can we? I'll let your racism slide, recruit. For now,” Xe said mildly. He turned to look at the group. “My name is Ensign Xe. I'm a marine officer so you better get used to it. For now I'm fourth in the line to god, which happens to be the Admiral. Got it?”

  He studied the squad. He had a young tiger, the two bears, and two Neo chimps in the front row. In the back there was the chatty black spotted Neomutt, the cloud leopard, a serval, and ocelot; he blinked at the Coonie on the end standing erect on its hind legs. He even had a belt and bandoleer on. He turned but the raccoon just yawned and flicked his ears at him. “What the frack?”

  “Problem, Ensign?” the raccoon asked mildly.

  “No, no problem apparently,” the ensign said, shaking his head. “Oookay,” he said moving back to pacing. He shook his head, wondering what he'd gotten himself into this time.

  “I bet some of you aren't thrilled by having me here. Tough shit,” he said. He stopped and faced them. “All of you were selected because you have combat experience, supposedly can take orders,” he paused to look at the ghost bear, “And came highly recommended by Captain White Wolf.”

  He frowned when he saw some of the sidelong looks and ear flicks. “For your personal information, I too have been in combat,” he said. That made them pause. “First on Bounty, then on Hidoshi's World when Lieutenant Lewis took myself and twenty-eight other marines up against a fracken Horathian battalion,” he said. He smiled a tight lipped smile as they seemed to react. A few settled, a few others were suddenly all ears. He nodded. “I'm still here. Most of them aren't,” he said. “Nough said about that,” he said, placing his hands behind his back once more.

  “You lot are potential officers or noncoms. Those of you who don't get your furry ass killed,” he said. That earned a soft chuff from one of the chimps. “You aren't there yet, I and the Major get the last laugh on that score. So you better damn well impress me without kissing my ass,” he growled. Singing silence answered that last bit of news.

  He smiled again, this time in grim amusement. “Well then, let us begin shall we?”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Sprite downloaded intelligence material in each star system. She tried to focus on current events, but anything about the Xeno war was saved for future review. Past news archives and other things were stockpiled.

  The news archives in Antigua had led her to changes in the promotions system. There had been a story of heroes of the Xeno war, including Ron Xcel who went from a recruit to ensign in a year, then 1st lieutenant in six months, then a rear admiral three years later.

  His rapid rise through the ranks had been due to his bravery and replacement of losses, or so the stories said. She and the admiral had trouble believing it, so they had held off on acting on the information for a time. Sprite held odds that it had been some sort of propaganda ploy to boost morale, or some sort of scuttlebutt story that had grown out of proportion with each telling.

  They had found confirmation in Gaston and Epsilon Triangula, however, which had led to Sprite making changes to their protocols on promotions.

  Sprite had thought it was no use until Admiral Irons pulled it out the precedence to promote the captains in B101a1. The changes to his firmware update had allowed it.

  And now this, Sprite thought as she found additional confirmation in the files Captain White Wolf uploaded for her. According to her copies JAG lawyers had been on Mister Xcel's side, along with paper pushers and a few very powerful individuals. Nepotism, she noted. Apparently Fleet had needed his grit, but his lack of seasoning was an issue that troubled her. He'd made mistakes in her analysis of his combat record.

  "What are you looking at?"

  "Admiral Xcel's combat record," Sprite said with a tut tut sound.

  "Remember, Commander, hind sight is twenty-twenty,” Irons commented, not looking up from the report he had been reading.

  "True," Sprite said. "But you have to admit, Admiral, he and others like him were pushed up through the ranks too fast. Hopefully we don't have that problem."

  "Here is hoping, Commander. Stick to training."

  "Aye aye, sir."

  ...*...*...*...*...

  “This is so bullshit,” Cali muttered, crossing her arms as she watched the line move. The recruiters were doing their best but they were clearly overwhelmed. The fleet was an equal opportunity to not only get off the ice-ball but also get some payback. She waved an angry disgusted hand to a group of pups. “I'm what, ten times their age?” She shook her head. “How come they can sign up but I can't?” She demanded.

  “They are Neos. They age differently than we do, Cali,” her sister said softly.

  “Still ain't right,” Cali muttered as she went back to sulking.

  “Granny wants us to get the line sorted out. It's impeding traffic,” her sister said.

  “I don't suppose she said how?” Cali demanded. Her sister shook her head. “Thought not. Figures,” she grumbled. She looked around and saw people leaving in ones and twos, clearly disgusted.

  “Go find out why they are leaving,” she said, nudging her sister.

  “They probably found out what they wanted and didn't want any part of it,” her sister answered.

  “Then ...” Cali frowned. “We need to get that out somehow. Put it ...” she spun in place, slopping mud on her boots as she ground her heel in deeper. “Put up a sign or something,” she said.

  “Or pass out flyers?”

  “Them too,” Cali said. “Good thinking squirt. Now let's go make it happen,” the teen said, moving out. Her sister hastily followed in her wake.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  As the new recruits settled in, Doctor Che and the medical teams on the other ships got a
handle on their implants. They were taking it in stages, each would get the basic ident and information implants right off to help them learn, but from there it got tricky.

  Some didn't need the full implant package right away. Others like the naval officers and enlisted who were going to be manning sensitive positions needed them right away so they were prioritized. That way they would have time to adapt to their implants before the fleet got underway.

  But that meant the initial physicals had to be handed over to a nurse practitioner or a SBA. Both were good, they wouldn't be handed the duty if they couldn't handle it, but they were mostly inexperienced and so therefore went off a checklist.

  The Neos were settling in, but a few had discipline problems. Most of that was under control, though a few had gotten themselves written up on charges of insubordination or striking a noncom. A few were barely civilized, which would take time to work out. A couple of the Neos had trouble adapting to the ship. It was a new environment, cold and sterile, not at all what they were used to. The strange smells were enough to offend anyone. Then there were other problems, some more embarrassing then others.

  A Neo had come in with a serious problem. She looked at the arctic fox. He was pretty, snow white with a full pelt. He squirmed in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. “I know this isn't where you wanted to be, not many people like being sent to the doctors,” the doctor said calmly. The Neo's flattened ears raised ever so slightly. “And yes,” she held up a forestalling hand. “I know it stinks. It can't be helped. Even with the sterilization fields we still need to sanitize everything and the chemicals stink. Sorry about that,” she said with a shrug.

  “How can you stand it?” Private White asked. She frowned, checking his chart. Apparently he had selected the name, his clan hadn't been big on names going mainly by scent. She shrugged. She looked at him again, he just couldn't sit still.

  “You get used to it,” she said. “Or you get out quick, which is what I'm going to try to do with you,” she said.

  “Not soon enough,” he said, muzzle high for a moment, then he tried to bury it into his shoulder. His eyes were weeping, not because of stress she realized, but because of the smell.

  “Okay, your sergeant said you can't sit still,” she said, watching him squirm.

  “I'm ... sore,” the fox admitted.

  “Sore? Back there?” She asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You are a male correct? Do you have problems um, there? Sorry, but I'm a doctor. I mean no offense."

  “I ... I don't know what you mean. I hurt. Burn.”

  “Um ... hemorrhoids?” Grace asked, wrinkling her nose. She checked the chart again. “It says you are having a problem going number two? When was the last time you had a stool movement?”

  “Um ...” he was clearly confused.

  “When did you last take a dump?” She asked, half exasperated. She seriously didn't have time for this shit. That thought made her smile mentally. The nurse who had admitted him should have gotten the details.

  “I ... it's been a couple of days,” the fox admitted. “The nurse checked. It's not hemorrhoids,” he said. “I could tell that,” he said, bending to lick his own rear.

  “I wish I was that flexible,” the doctor said, shaking her head.

  “Okay, this won't hurt much ... I hope,” she said, having the fox turn and lift his tail. She did some discrete probing and verified it wasn't hemorrhoids. Her sensors could see he was blocked up, his intestines were full. “Feel bloated?”

  “Yes,” he said, tail drooping. When she grabbed it to keep it out of her face he farted. She coughed and then noted anal discharge. She accessed her implant computer and did a quick check. The problem jumped to the top of the list.

  “I think I know what the problem is,” she said, probing with a finger. “You've got a scent gland problem,” she said. She used a long Q tip to probe, then popped it.

  The relief was immediate; the stink appalling. She put her arm over her mouth and turned away as it was her turn to cough and have watering eyes.

  “What did you do?” the fox demanded as he dropped to the deck. His tail went up and he dragged his ass on the deck. He groaned. “Damn!”

  “You stink to high heaven,” she said coughing. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand again as her eyes continued to water. “Embarrassing, but necessary. You've got an implant in you, one of many. This one stops your reproductive cycle. So, some things stop working. Your glands filled up until they blocked off the anal passage.”

  “Shit,” the fox said.

  “Yes, now you can. But not here, please. We've got enough of a mess here,” she said, shaking her head. She sent a signal ordering a janitor bot to come in when they finished to clean and disinfect the exam room.

  “No I meant ...” the fox yipped a laugh, and then flicked his ears. “Thank you.”

  Che smiled. “Feel better?” The neofox nodded. “Good. You may have some discharge for a while, wear a pad. I suggest additional deodorizer for a while until it passes. You'll be fine.” She opened the door, she couldn't stand the smell anymore. She pointed as he wrapped a hand paw around his tummy. “Bathroom down the hall on your right. Use it now before you leave. The nurse will give you a plastic container, two,” she said holding up two fingers. “I want a sample of his urine and stool to make certain there wasn't any damage,” she told the nurse on duty. The nurse nodded, then coughed. She tried to hold her breath. “You'll do fine soldier, it's just something you need to adjust to,” she said. She patted the arctic fox on the shoulder and then moved on.

  “We're going to need additional checkups with the other Neos,” she said to the duty nurse as she stripped off her gloves and finished her report. “Not just canines, but felines and others as well I suppose,” she said wrinkling her nose.

  “Yes, ma'am,” the nurse said, making a note. “That will play merry hell with the schedule though, ma'am,” she warned.

  “Then we'll have to adjust,” Grace sighed. “The good news is, we've got more help,” she said shaking her head. “Up until now we haven't had many Neos, and those we did have knew how to deal with it themselves. Some of these folks do; some of the backwoods people don't however. I imagine it will be something like when we women went through a period with people not wanting to talk about it,” she said making a face. The nurse snorted and then nodded.

  “Fortunately we only need to discuss this with some of them. It may not be a bad problem for those who aren't um, fixed,” she said. She shook her head. “Yes it's disgusting, and we'd rather not have to deal with it. Get over it. That's a part of medicine,” she said.

  “Ah the perks of being a nurse,” the nurse murmured. She nodded. “We'll get it done, ma'am,” she said. The doctor patted her on the arm and then went on to the next patient.

  She managed to add the check to the agenda for Neos that hadn't finished their implants yet. Some later that day were easy, but others were more difficult. Getting them sorted out while under antithetic proved to be easy. Some of the cats they checked out were aggressive and not at all happy about being probed. One of her SBAs was nearly clawed even after an explanation. The SBA retreated, clearly startled and rattled by the hissing and spitting Canadian lynx.

  “Just another fun thing to deal with. Boy I love modern medicine,” Doctor Che said, observing from the duty station. “I've got this son,” she said, passing the tablet to him as she walked into the exam room.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Two weeks to the day, almost to the hour the fleet fired up their engines and broke orbit. They left the militia captured Clydesdale and one corvette Tweedle Dee in orbit with the large gas refinery in the gas giant's atmosphere. They also off loaded an automated tanker tug, dozens of missile pods, several weapons pods, and a small modular station. The admiral sent down loads of equipment and a small spare shuttle to keep the corvette resupplied.

  “It's not much I know, but we'll send someone else to help as soon as we get to Antig
ua,” the admiral promised.

  “Yes sir. I understand,” Captain White Wolf responded. “We'll lay out the welcome mat,” she said with an ear flick. She was still unsure of her new rank. In one way it was a sign of approval and a backhanded way of dealing with any allegations of desertion. On the other ... well, he had to know she was just too damn old to go rolling in the trenches again despite her recent medical work up. By rights she should retire but she refused. Someone had to manage the asylum on the planet.

  “We'll make sure it's something bigger than Tweedle Dee as well,” the admiral replied. “Possibly more than one warship if I can swing it. A pair of frigates if possible. Until then hang in there,” he said. “Kathy's World out.” He closed the channel.

  The fleet had picked up over 350 volunteers to join their ranks in the navy and marines. They are a mixed group of Neos and aliens with only a dozen humans. Two hundred eighty-seven had signed on as marines. Irons considered them a bit top heavy in the jarhead department. Every warship now had a full marine compliment.

  Of the sixty-three navy recruits only six had passed the officer qualifications tests. Two of those were on a medical track. The admiral flipped through the various vid feeds until he found the flight deck. This should be good he thought, watching.

  The good news For Meia was that twelve of the Marine recruits were flight mad. They signed on to be marine aviators. Meia, Dita, Coglin, and Blake took them under their wing to train. All of them would start out as shuttle pilots and mechanics until they had a fighter available. Three were content to stay as shuttle pilots and expressed an interest in assault shuttles. When Meia told Coglin that he shook his head in amusement.

  “Jarheads are nuts. Who wants to drop into a fire zone? With flack and energy weapons firing up at you trying to swat you out of the sky?” Coglin shook his head.

  “Apparently they do,” Meia said mildly.