Ghosts from the Past (The Wandering engineer Book 7)

by Chris Hechtl

  She nodded again. "Ah, sounds good sir," the ensign said with a nod. She knew her marching orders when she heard them. That was a broad hint that her department needed to step up their game.

  "It's not perfect but it's a start, Ensign," Captain Vargess said. He glanced down at his tablet. “Next on the agenda ...”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Nine weeks after the Bounty convoy's departure, seventeen weeks after they had started constructing the yard the crew of the ansible station excitedly put out a call. “They did it!”

  “Helpful,” Sprite said dryly, ignoring the hyper human to access the data she was viewing directly. “Ah!”

  “I take it Triang has reported in?”

  “Definitely, Admiral,” Sprite said in amusement, sharing with him the communication. “Triang to Antigua, we are broadcasting. Can you hear me now?”

  The admiral chuckled. “Short, sweet, and to the point. I like it.”

  “More coming in,” Sprite said. “They arrived on schedule. Bounty's convoy is on track to the Briev jump point. Collier's 5 and 6 will wrap up their end, take on some passengers and goods and then head back within the week.”

  “Good,” the admiral said, nodding. All was going as planned he thought with a glow of approval. It had taken the inexperienced workers only a few days to put the ansible station together when they had gotten into orbit of the planet. That was good, their training had paid off. He made a note to commend them and promote the foreman in charge of the project when they returned.

  “Shall we send them the prepared reply?”

  “Yes. And alert the media and the governor. The governor has a prepared statement I believe,” the admiral said.

  “Understood, Admiral,” Sprite said. “One down, many more to go.”

  “But it is a step in the right direction, Commander. To us it is a small one, but to them it is a giant leap,” the admiral murmured. “And we're just getting started.”

  “Definitely, Admiral,” Sprite replied with a nod. She sighed. “Well, I'm being swamped with confirmation requests and congratulations so I better get busy.”

  The admiral nodded once. “Have at it Commander. Enjoy.”

  “Enjoy he says,” she sighed.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Toni caught the news of the ansible and the initial press release by the navy and the Governor's offices. She immediately marched into her boss's office. “We need to capitalize on this. Push it up a notch,” she said.

  “How?” He asked.

  She smiled. “Run the interviews like everyone else, but block out the time after the nightly news for the piece we were going to run on Federation day.”

  “Ooooh,” his eyes went wide. He grinned. “I like it gal. Now get. I'm going to make some calls and set it up. Won't April be pissed!”

  “I know,” Toni said wickedly as she left the room with another grin. She had to see makeup; she wanted to look her best for the news tonight.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  April frowned as she watched the news feed. Knox news had prepared a rousing patriotic piece on the Federation for Federation day for the following week but when Toni Chamber's network ran their own version she was forced to pull the trigger early. Now as she watched the hussy's work she scowled. She was good, really good. Showing people the golden age of the Federation, and then telling them that they were going back to that was very inspirational. Doing interviews with the cybers and the ancients who had lived in that time period tied it together neatly. She shook her head. The young woman was competition, but she had to admire her skills. She or her editors and producers had obviously put a lot of thought in the last bit about patriotism and the navy. She loved and hated it.

  “Good?” Miza asked carefully, shooting Lowel a look. He shrugged. They knew their boss wasn't happy about being caught off guard.

  “It works. We'll have to do better for Federation day though,” she said.

  “I thought we were going to run with real time coverage?” Lowel asked. He caught her expression and then winced. “… or not,” he said weakly.

  “We're shooting for both. Pick this apart, find what we can use without being overt about copying it. Find other footage as well. Get that sound guy to do a musical piece like this,” April said, tapping a manicured finger on the video screen. “But better. Less martial, think a reinvention of the galactic theme song.”

  “Terran?”

  “Terran with overtones of the other major races in some of the choruses I suppose. See if he can do both.”

  “It's a rush job. He's not thrilled about that. He likes to take his time ma'am,” Bobby warned her. He was already looking frazzled, it had been a long day. His face was long and his eyes a little bloodshot. April turned a scowl on him and he put up a hand. “I'll get on it right now,” he said hastily.

  “He's under contract. Retainer, whatever. Get legal to go over that by the way. I want to know if there was a loophole allowing him to work for her or not,” April said, pointing a finger again to the video.

  “Ma'am, if we go legal publicly it could and would backfire,” Miza warned her carefully.

  “Just have them look into it. A nice warning in his ear might make him think twice about doing it again,” April said. Miza nodded. Bobby grimaced but hid it from his boss.

  “What are you waiting for? Go!” April said, waving them out of the room.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  The evening before Federation day the admiral put a call in to April. She immediately told him that she was busy. She smiled an apology and cut him off. He blinked in surprise. “Something I missed?”

  “It is a federal holiday normally, but not everyone gets to enjoy it, Admiral. For instance you and the governor will be doing speeches,” Sprite warned.

  He grimaced. “You would remind me of that,” he grumbled.

  “Tough. In Miss O'Neill's case she's a reporter as well as the head of the Knox affiliate. That means she has to cover the preparation for tomorrow as well as the events tomorrow. And judging from the one upmanship and competition she's been showing towards Miss Chambers, it means he's got something else in the works too.”

  “Toni did a hell of a job with that piece didn't she?”

  “And she timed it perfectly. Running with it capitalized on the euphoria of the first ansible link in centuries. Morale is climbing steadily.”

  “Good.”

  “We'll need it. When they find out you are leaving ...”

  “That is why I'm only telling a very small circle of people. Including the staff. I'm still not sure about when,” he sighed.

  “Understood,” Sprite said. He hadn't wanted to leave until after the first link in the ansible chain had been forged. Now he was delaying due to the holiday. She could understand that, it was a very public moment for him.

  “We'll figure it out. But it will be within a month. This month unless something comes up. Again,” he said.

  “Agreed sir.”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Federation day was a hit with the population on the planet, stations and the yard. For those working the yard it was taken with mixed feelings. Some liked the idea of a day off, others resented the interruption and worried about how it would affect the schedule. But the admiral insisted everyone get the time off, so shuttles moved workers from their habitats to the station or groundside for liberty.

  A parade had been arranged in the capital city as well as on Antigua Prime. The admiral couldn't be in both, at least not physically. His holo image was beamed to the parade vehicle following behind the governor's while he rode in the one going through the main strip in Antigua Prime. The shops were mostly closed and the area crowded. He waved to Alice and her husband as they passed their bar. Alice grinned and waved back. She had Mairi Jersey with her. The young woman didn't look thrilled about being out of the cockpit but the boy near her seemed to have a part of her attention. The admiral could see why. The normally tom boyish girl was in a yellow sundress and
looked good. He winked at her. She blinked in astonishment then looked to the boy. When she caught his gaze she blushed and smiled, ducking away. The admiral chuckled as the vehicle kept going. He wasn't thrilled about the long winded speeches at the end of the parade, but he'd endure it. He'd had to put up with worse he thought.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Eight weeks after their reported departure from Triang Collier 5 and 6 returned in triumph to Antigua. While the media celebrated their return the admiral congratulated their crews then stripped them for the new construction. The two elderly freighters were mothballed until they could be rebuilt and given new crews.

  Chapter 31

  After working for his usual three days straight, the admiral took a break for some much needed rest. He was too tired to hop a shuttle to Prime so he went to his quarters. He had intended to sleep only four hours but ended up going deeper than intended.

  He woke, or thought he woke, but he was muzzy. He was in a hospital bed. He looked down at his body and the sheet covering it. His right eye wasn't right, the vision swam in and out and the colors were off. His other senses were off, though not his nose. He could smell the slight tang of antiseptics in the air, indicating he was indeed in a hospital bed. “Hello?” he croaked, turning his head.

  His every movement was slow, hard to do. He could feel his skin rippling, moving. He could see it under the sheet too. He twitched his toes and felt intense gratitude to the spirits of space that they moved. That was good. His skin itched though, most likely due to the regen process he thought, trying to gather his focus to fully wake. He reminded himself not to scratch, but something was wrong though. It was all over. … Then why …

  He felt something like ants crawling over his body. His left arm moved and he pulled the sheet back. His body was there, but there was a clear silvery fluid coating him in a glaze. His vision focused and he gasped as he saw silver fluid all over his body. His vision grew intensely sharp and he saw ... Nanites. Millions of the things of all sorts crawling all over his body. He screamed, thrashing, nearly passed out in fear. He realized what was being put together in his body and screamed again just as the medical staff arrived in a rush. Hands tried to hold him down but he was brutally strong, throwing some around the room like they were dolls. Something hissed and he was knocked out. As his mind faded his body trembled in relief. He never wanted to wake ...

  When he woke for real he got dressed silently. Sprite could tell he had that resolution set in his body language and manner. When he finished dressing he stood. “It's time,” he said simply.

  “Are you sure?”

  “No. I'll never be comfortable with leaving. But we need to go.” The fact that the Horathians had gotten not one, but two, possibly as many as three shipyards online, the Admiral had to decide to break his secrecy oath and take a big risk. He had to take Xavier to a hidden location, to Lemnos. It was a hard decision fraught with risk he thought. A lot could go wrong. Going there might be a mistake, it might be an old trap or there might be nothing there but wreckage. But it's worth looking into, and he's the only one that could do it.

  “Aye aye, sir.”

  “I don't know what we'll find, but I hope there is something we can use.”

  “I hope so too, sir.”

  “We can't afford to take Maine; she's needed here. I'm not comfortable taking Viper, so we'll take Xavier. Get the ansible moved to her carefully.”

  “Xavier is a day out, Admiral,” Sprite warned. “She'll need a day to take on fuel and stores.”

  “That's fine. That's perfect actually. It will give me a little time to wrap up a couple loose ends before we go.”

  “Understood, sir.”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Later that morning Lieutenant Jory Gray met the admiral in the outer office area. The young man came to attention and then hand delivered an envelope. The admiral took it. “What's this?”

  “Um, an invitation to my wedding, sir. Without you it wouldn't be possible,” the lieutenant said. The admiral smiled politely. “Sir, she's wonderful. Rebecca. She's tall, a nurse, and she just made lieutenant. We met in Triang after I got a minor burn from a plasma leak on her ship,” he said. The admiral nodded.

  “She's a nice woman, feisty though when she's off duty and lets her hair down sir,” Jory said with a tight lipped smile. His eyes shined. The admiral remembered that feeling he thought. Sprite put an image of a red headed nurse on his HUD with her dossier. He vaguely remembered her, but couldn't place where he'd seen her before. “She has a great bedside manner, loving but strict,” he said with a blush. “She is into martial arts like you, sir. She taught me to always treat her like a lady,” Jory said ruefully.

  The admiral chuckled over that. “Wise. Very wise,” he said with a nod and grin. He nodded mentally. Now he remembered, he'd had her in a virtual class once while they had been in transit to Antigua.

  “We know you are busy, sir, but we'd both be honored if you could attend, even if it is virtually, sir,” the lieutenant said. He took a step back and saluted. The admiral returned the salute.

  “Dismissed, Lieutenant, with my compliments. Good luck. You'll need it.”

  “Don't I just know it sir,” Jory said, rolling his eyes.

  “It's good that she'll keep you on your toes,” Sprite said mischievously.

  “Aye, ma'am,” the lieutenant said with a grin as he walked away. “All of the best women do,” he said.

  “Smart man,” Sprite said after the lieutenant departed. “Should I send the couple your regrets, Admiral? Sprite asked.

  The admiral nodded. He'd like to be there, but no. “Yes. Unfortunately we won't be here,” the admiral said, shaking his head. Get them something nice.”

  “He'll need a med kit and an account at a flower shop on the station, she'll need something sexy from the lingerie store,” Sprite said. “A school girl outfit? Nah ... Maybe something in leather? A riding crop to keep that boy in line?” she asked wickedly. The admiral chuckled again, shaking his head as he went on his way.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  That evening the admiral bought a bouquet of flowers and surprised April. She grinned, taking the time to smell the roses deeply. Her eyes were shining as he took her out to a restaurant then a long walk in a park. He didn't tell her about his leaving; he was briefly tempted to do so but didn't want it to get out. The occasional fan or groupie was amusing to her at first, but when it got wearing on her he gently directed them back to her place.

  They managed to dodge a few of the groupies. April was amused by it; it was a change from her being the reporter on the hunt and someone like him the prey. “All this sneaking around is fun!” She said with a grin and giggle. He looked back to her and snorted, then tugged on her arm.

  “I think we both have a different idea of fun,” he said. He took her by a roundabout path back to her apartment complex, then through the service ways to her room. When they got to the door she threw her arms around him and started to kiss and play with him, practically tearing his clothes off. He chuckled, but she did her best to smother those chuckles as she dragged him into the room. She whooped in a shriek of surprise then giggled as she tripped on the step and fell into his arms. He bent her backwards to kiss her throat lovingly and she moaned in deep appreciation. Their lovemaking eventually arrived in the bedroom for a passionate climax both had been eagerly looking forward too.

  Sprite did everything she could to distract herself while her human host had sex with the woman. She'd considered sleeping but didn't see the need. She threw herself into the net for a time to find any distraction she could. Helping Clio or one of the other AI in the station helped for a few hours.

  She had planned to check the woman to access the bot she had left behind in her implants when the admiral fell asleep after the sex but was surprised when nanites invaded the woman and accessed her implants on their own. When she popped back in to check she was shocked to see the admiral himself directing them into the woman's cerebral
center.

  “Admiral?!?” Sprite said from his HUD.

  “Just shut up,” the admiral growled. “I'm trying to concentrate here,” he said.

  He quickly pulled up what her bot had found. She wanted to defend her actions but he didn't say anything, just checked the feed on fast forward. When he was done he sighed. “Deeper,” he murmured.

  Sprite watched as he fed nanites into the woman's implants as well as her hippocampus. Trails of nanites were fed into the woman's cerebellum and cerebral cortex. She thought at first he was going to do the unthinkable, tamper with the woman's pleasure centers or her response reward behavior but he had another purpose in mind. Once he was certain he had control he kept her in a deep sleep as he applied input to her hippocampus to check her memories. To April it would be like she was dream remembering a sequence Sprite knew.

  He delved deeper into her memory until he found what he wanted. When she started to grow restless, fretting with her face he slowed and stroked her, gently lulling her back to sleep with the right stimulus to her body and her hypothalamus. Then he watched the memory of Naga handler.

  …. memories of the Naga ordering April to protect him. “He must be protected at all cost. That is your new mission ...” the memory faded as the admiral lost his focus in shock.

  “I had to know,” the admiral said after a long moment as he paused, deep in thought. He blinked, eyes stinging slightly. He was tempted to go deeper, to see if she really had been involved in the events on Destiny, but decided that what he had found was enough for the moment.

  “I thought you were going to give her a compulsion or a suicide switch,” Sprite admitted as she watched through his eyes as he stroked the slumbering woman's arm. April murmured something and cuddled closer.