When Addalyne, Kathy and Wanda teleported to the ready room of the shuttle, Wanda said, “Let me show you around and then get you settled into a seat. The flight to Open Market II only takes about six minutes, but we do a lot of maneuvering to avoid space junk floating in the outer arms of the Milky Way Galaxy. We need our passengers strapped in tight during the flight.”
Once Wanda had shown Addalyne the bathroom, the cargo bay and the control room where the pilot and copilot operated the shuttle, she insured that Addalyne had securely strapped herself and her backpack to the seats. When Wanda headed up towards the control room, Kathy came on over the intercom and said, “Good morning passenger, Addalyne. I would like to welcome you aboard the Regnieloc Special. This shuttle was hand built here in the engineering department of IFTT Headquarter, Regnieloc. My copilot and I would like to thank you for flying with us and hope you enjoy your flight. Due to the heavy turbulence we may encounter during this six-minute flight, please insure you have securely fastened your five-point harness and carefully stowed your laptop in the compartment in front of you. I would offer you a drink before we begin this flight to calm your nerves, but I fear you might puke it up along the way. If you should require them, airsick bags are located in the compartment directly in front of you. If you should miss the bag and make a mess, please pull the red emergency cord above your seat. Doing so will eject you and your stink out into the vacuum of space so this crew will not have to clean up the cabin. Thank you for flying the Regnieloc Special.”
As Addalyne sat giggling over Kathy’s welcome message, she felt her body press back hard into her seat. Within seconds, the shuttle was moving from side to side and producing 3 or 4g’s of force against her body. She could hear the sounds of the seats and airframe as the g-force stressed the structures. Her bladder felt full; she wished she had peed before the flight began. Just when her bladder was about to explode, the vessel settled and the turbulence subsided.
When Kathy and Wanda stepped out of the control room, Kathy quickly walked into the restroom and shut the door. Two minutes later, she walked out and said, “Now I feel better.” Addalyne unbuckled her seat belts and stood up. She giggled and quickly walked into the restroom to pee. When she walked back out, both girls laughed and Kathy said, “You will learn to always pee before sitting down when flying in a shuttle. Only Wanda has the ability to control her bladder during these high speed flights.”
As the three women stepped from the open cargo bay door and onto the metal decking of the loading dock at Open Market II, Addalyne felt as if she was visiting planet Earth. On that planet, trucks would back up to a door and a fork truck operator would unload the cargo. Addalyne was used to having cargo and crew teleported from vessel to vessel, but this was the first time she had seen a shuttle perform this maneuver. She remembered back in time to the Yutaka III when Shelley had moved up close to a stranded vessel and the two cargo bays joined allowing the crews to move between vessels. She guessed that the joining of the shuttle’s cargo bay and the loading dock here on the Open Market really was not that much different; still, walking off the shuttle that way seemed strange to her.
Addalyne followed Kathy and Wanda down a long hallway. At the end of the hallway, Kathy opened a door and stepped inside, with Wanda and Addalyne close behind. Kathy spoke to a woman behind a desk and said, “We have brought you another load of inventory and some fresh produce. I hope you are hungry, there are one hundred quarts of fresh strawberries from the growing gardens in my cargo bay.” The woman stepped around her desk and held out her hand to Addalyne. She said, “Addalyne, I was told to expect you. I requested an engineer to get the heat working in this cold ass building and the Payload Master told me that if you could not fix the problem, then it was not fixable. If you can warm this place up a few degrees, I would be very pleased. I might even treat you and your hired help to lunch. I put on a pot of chili this morning. I hope you can stay; if not, I will be farting chili fumes for weeks around here. Not that these mindless robots around this place would care.” Kathy put her hands on her hips and said, “Hired help is it? I will have you know....” No one heard the rest of Kathy’s words. Sally walked past Kathy, held out her hand and introduced herself To Addalyne. Addalyne liked this woman. She was loud spoken and funny.
Addalyne followed Kathy and Wanda out to where a man on a fork truck was unloading the merchandise from the cargo bay of the Regnieloc Special. As the girls watched the man’s progress, Addalyne retrieved her backpack from the passenger area. When she returned to Sally’s office, she sat her laptop down on the counter and turned it on. Once it booted up, it only took Addalyne a minute to log into the Time Travel Computer that supported the Open Market II. When Addalyne completed identifying herself to the computer and the computer granted programming access, she stepped back from her laptop and communicated with the Time Travel Computer through her implant. She paced around the office area as she worked with the computer to troubleshoot the heating issue. It did not take long to determine that the problem was mechanical and that a remote damper on an air scrubber was the problem. When Addalyne located the scrubber on the floor plans of the membrane, she walked to a large equipment room and stepped inside. The computer showed her a floor plan of the equipment in the room and directed her to the damper assembly. When Addalyne looked at the damper, the problem was obvious. A locking bolt had come loose and the damper louvers were stuck wide open. Addalyne looked around for some tools to fix the problem, but saw nothing that would help her.
When Addalyne located Sally and asked for tools, she said, “I have none here that will help you. Maybe Kathy and Wanda have a tool box in the shuttle.” When Addalyne asked Kathy if she had any tools, she giggled and said, “Yes. I have a toolbox, but I am not certain I should allow an electrical engineer to use wrenches. I believe I should give you a hand with the repairs. I would not want you to break a fingernail or work up a blister.” Addalyne stood looking at Kathy for a moment and then realized that she was just teasing her. Addalyne said, “I will just point to the problem and then step back.”
Addalyne followed Kathy into the cargo bay to retrieve the toolbox. When Kathy pulled the box from a cabinet, she sat it down on the floor and walked back towards the door they had entered; apparently hoping Addalyne would carry the heavy tools. Addalyne stooped down and took hold of the box. She strained, but did not move the box, so she began sliding it along beside her, grunting and rubbing her back as she did so. Kathy had stopped walking and stood watching Addalyne struggling. She finally walked back to Addalyne, gently pushed her to the side, picked up the toolbox and then slung it up onto her shoulder. Addalyne giggled as she walked along behind the heavily muscled shuttle pilot.
When the repair was complete and the louvers closed, the cold air stopped circulating through the air supply and the exhaust temperature quickly rose. When Kathy finished putting the tools back into the toolbox, Addalyne picked up the heavy box, slung it up onto her shoulder and began walking back towards the loading dock. She heard Kathy mumbling obscenities at her as she followed along behind her. Addalyne had thoroughly enjoyed allowing Kathy to think she was some weakling engineer.
When Addalyne returned to the office to pack up her laptop, Sally walked up beside her and said, “You can talk to my Time Travel Computer with your mind! When I discussed what I saw you do, the computer said you are a Demords and have an implant in your brain. That information surprised me, I have never heard of such a thing. Do you mind telling me more about your implant? I would like to hear how it works. I have worked with Demords in the past; however, I never realized that they had implants.”
While Addalyne packed up her laptop case, she gave Sally a detailed explanation of her implant and explained that not all Demords had implants. She explained that the Demords implanted only True Bloods’, those that had unaltered DNA. Addalyne explained that the planet Rowkin was the home of many different entities, some human, some Demords and some mixed blood from many other planets. She explained
the process of implanting a child shortly after birth and joining that child with an Elder who would guide the child until it turned eighteen years of age. She also explained that True Blood Demords could not produce children unless they mated with another True Blood.
Sally thought about what Addalyne had just told her and then asked another question. She asked, “If a female Demords cannot produce a child if she is bred by a male with altered DNA, then how does a True Blood end up with altered DNA.” Addalyne smiled and said, “That is a very good legitimate question. The Demords biologists believe that the alterations occur from viral mutations that invade the DNA structure and cause damage. The Demords DNA considers the damage as an alteration and prevents the female’s eggs from being impregnated by the males due to the altered DNA in their sperm.”
Sally looked Addalyne in the eyes and said, “You are a True Blood Demords then, otherwise you would not have an implant.” Addalyne smiled and said, “True.” Sally said, “One more question and then I will not pester you again about your lineage. I know that the Yutaka family line is not Demords, so that must mean that your father was a True Blood. If he was a True Blood, how did your mother get pregnant and how did you turn out to be a True Blood. I seem to be confused.”
Addalyne laughed and said, “Join the club. When I was born, the geneticists retested my father, thinking he had altered DNA in some way, otherwise my mother would not have conceived. The tests proved he was in fact a True Blood. When I was born, I was also tested; in fact, they tested me every year to see if I had altered DNA. I proved once again to be a True Blood, so at the age of ten years of age, I was implanted. I recently fell in love with a human and had the DNA tests repeated to see if I could ever produce a child for us to love. The tests once again proved my DNA unaltered. The geneticists still do not understand how my mother delivered a True Blood, unless she was a True Blood herself. All of the documentation I have found says she was not a True Blood. In fact, it appears that my mother’s lineage traces all the way back to a Native American Indian tribe called the Sauk. If the Demords geneticists cannot unravel the mystery, I may never have an answer to the question of why I was born a True Blood.”
When the women had finished eating their chili lunch, they began to prepare for the return trip to the Regnieloc Asteroid. As they signed paperwork, Sally asked if Kathy and Wanda planned to return tomorrow with the new shelving for the newly added warehouse. Kathy said they would return, but it would be lunchtime before they would arrive. Sally spoke to Addalyne and said, “If you are not pressed for time, you could spend the night here with me. I have an extra bedroom and I would like to discuss some modifications to the robots and the tracking systems with you. It appears that your boss intends to assign you to assist me when you are not in class or involved in work on the asteroid. I truly need your knowledge of robots and your help in keeping them working efficiently.”
Addalyne thought a moment and said, “I do not start my first class for another two days, I can spend the night with you, although, I will need to return with Kathy and Wanda tomorrow. I must read the first few chapters of an assignment my professor will certainly quiz me on.”
Sally jumped up and said, “It is done then. Let us begin. If we tackle one task at a time, we can have most everything thought through before bedtime. Then in the morning, we can begin work. There is more of the chili left over that we can eat for supper.”
Kathy giggled and said, “If you feed Addalyne chili a second time, she will have to ride in the cargo bay on the way home tomorrow. She will certainly cause a stench in the passenger compartment.”
Addalyne quickly grabbed Kathy around the neck and rubbed her scalp with her knuckles. Kathy quickly recanted her words and said she was sorry over the remark. When Addalyne released the neck hold, Kathy laughed and said, “Okay then, I will be careful to stand clear when I tease you in the future. You give one powerful knuckle rub.”
Sally explained the work she wanted done and the repairs she needed to have implemented. While she talked, Addalyne opened a link to the Time Travel Computer. She wanted to document everything that she and Sally said and store any pictures she took for later reference. When the two women completed the tour, Addalyne asked the computer to print a paper copy of the notes and then to send an electronic copy to her laptop. When the paper copies came out of the printer, Addalyne sat down with Sally and discussed each change. Some of the items on the list were simple repairs or alterations that would not interfere with the structural integrity of the facility or the life support systems, so Addalyne agreed to make the changes and repairs in the morning. Some of the items on the list would alter the structure of the Open Market II and those changes would require authorization from General Williams. Two of the modifications Sally wanted implemented involved the speed at which the robots moved around the warehouse floor as they retrieved customer purchased items or restocked inventory. Addalyne realized that the original designer set the speed of movement to insure that living breathing workers had a chance to move out of the way of working robots. Addalyne could easily increase the speed; however, she felt that a discussion with the original designer was appropriate. She certainly did not want a worker killed or injured because of her actions.
When Addalyne and Sally finished supper, they washed up the dishes and sat down at the kitchen table. Sally discussed her career and her education. She had worked for IFTT for many years and had requested the assignment to the Open Market II. She said, “I have days when I have no customers and can shuttle with Kathy and Wanda back to the asteroid for a couple days, but I spend most of my time here trying to keep this facility running efficiently. When I have guests, like you, I probably talk them to death before they leave this facility.”
When the girls headed off to bed, Addalyne said, “What time do you rise in the morning?” Sally said, “I sleep about six hours and then I find I can no longer stay in bed. You can sleep as long as you like, but I will be up around 0400 hours.” Addalyne giggled and said, “Computer, would you wake me when Sally rises in the morning. I would like to make as many repairs and updates as possible before the shuttle crew arrives to take me home.”
Addalyne’s eyes popped open. Something had woken her and it was not the Time Travel Computer or Sally. She slowly started to sit up in bed, hands up in a defensive posture. She created a mental link to the computer and asked if someone was in her room. The computer said, “Yes, you have company, but you are safe, your visitor is feline and will not harm you. If you listen carefully, you will hear the animal purring at the end of your bed.” Addalyne said, “Computer, please slowly raise the light level in my room so I can see the animal.” When the lights came up a little, Addalyne saw the most beautiful tabby cat she had ever seen. It had curled up at the foot of her bed and was purring loudly as it washed its paws. She spoke to the feline and it looked up at her and yawned. Addalyne said, “You could sleep up here beside me, I will rub your ears if you wish.” The cat slowly stood up, wandered up to the head of the bed and lay back down. As Addalyne scratched under its chin and rubbed around its ears, the cat purred so hard the entire bed moved. Addalyne spoke again to the computer and said, “Sir, you may turn out the lights now. My friend and I need some more sleep.”
When Addalyne woke again, the lights rose slowly in intensity and she realized it was time to get up. The cat that had shared her bed last night was gone. Addalyne could smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and bacon cooking and quickly got up and dressed. Once she had brushed her teeth and peed, she headed out to the kitchen. When she turned the corner, there was no one around, yet the coffee had brewed and there was bacon cooking in a pan on the stove. There was a small pot on another burner that had freshly cooked oatmeal in it. Addalyne stepped up to the stove to make certain the bacon was not burning, but found it cooking quite nicely. The computer spoke into her mind and said, “I promise not to burn the bacon. Sally would rip out my audio processor if I burned it again.” Addalyne giggled over the words,
then picked up the coffee pot and poured some of the aromatic brew into her cup. She whispered, “Perfect. You make a wonderful cup of coffee.” Just then, Sally entered the kitchen. She stepped up to the stove and said, “Computer, you had better not burn this bacon. It is getting quite brown.” Addalyne heard over the speakers, “I have it under control; keep calm, My Lady.” Addalyne began to giggle over the computers words. She almost spilled her coffee as she walked to the table to sit down.
As the girls ate their breakfast, Addalyne said, “I had a visitor in my bed last night. You probably heard the ruckus all the way to your bedroom.” Sally snickered and said, “Which ruckus, your snoring or the visitors purring?” Addalyne giggled and said, “That is the most beautiful tabby cat I have ever seen.” Sally said, “His name is Baxter and he is very affectionate. He likes to sleep with Wanda when she stays over sometimes. She brings him smoked fish to chew on and he likes that. You may see him chewing on an old dried up piece of the fish he hid somewhere so I would not discard it. I often find chewed up pieces of it under the furniture as I clean the place. The stuff is nasty, but Baxter likes it. He is good at keeping the rodents under control that sometimes hitch a ride here in shipping containers.”
When Addalyne finished with the work she could perform during this visit, she packed up her laptop and poured another cup of coffee. She had no more than sat down at the kitchen table when she heard the voices of Kathy and Wanda coming down the hallway. When they walked into the kitchen, Wanda laid something rolled up in white freezer paper on the counter. When Wanda spoke to Addalyne, Baxter heard her voice and came running. He jumped up on the counter and sniffed the package, then looked up a Wanda, hoping she would share the delightful treat she had brought with her. Wanda removed the wrapping paper and laid a small piece of fish on the counter, then wrapped up the rest and put it in the refrigerator. She knew that the refrigerator was the only safe place to store the fish. If Baxter could find it, he would tear the wrapping off and eat the entire package. Then he would puke on Sally’s kitchen floor, which Wanda would have to clean up.
The Chronicles of Addalyne Yutaka Page 8