“They know what you’re doing now, helping Juanita's family is a good thing. I'd do what I could but I'm knee deep in another project right now and I won't get it done till we leave,” she sighed. “That is if we don't get thrown off our stride by this project and anything else you have in mind.” She smiled at him. He laughed.
“I make no promises I can't keep.” He looked at her.
She shook her head dimpling. “I'd never trust a man's word anyway. Well, maybe yours.” She smiled. “I took the liberty of replicating a few of the parts you listed.” She nodded to Mary who was piling a small load on the Valdez cart. “Call it a promissory note or down payment in return if the purser gets involved.” She whispered to him conspiratorially. He laughed.
“All right, I'll drop these off and then get back with another load. Anita needs to be back in an hour and a half, she has a shift. Can you ask someone to keep her honest? She's a little too wrapped up to remember right now.” The glad cries had receded. Faith nodded.
“I'm coming to Admiral.” He looked over to see Junior. “Willing to risk the lift again?” he teased. Junior gulped then nodded manly.
Faith looked them over. “Well, good luck.” She waved to them.
They moved off and down the dock but were stopped by the guard. “You have to pay import fees.” He waved to the custom agent.
Junior groaned. “I forgot.” His hands covered his face.
The Admiral sighed. “Let's get this over with.” He pushed the cart over to the woman.
“Yes? Oh you? What are you doing with that?” She looked over her desk counter to the pallet. “What are those?” She looked up to them.
“Parts for the Valdez tug. The XO wants us to get it back in space to resupply the station. We're almost out of fuel.” The Admiral replied.
The young woman's eyes widened. “I'd heard, but I didn't know it was that bad!” She sat down abruptly. “Vinnie...” she shook her head.
“We don't have money for the import fees, can we be billed or...?” The Admiral left the thought dangling.
“Say no more! You don't need that hassle! Get that tub back in space! We need fuel! My cousin Vinnie works in engineering he said the reactor is almost out!” She gave Junior a look. “You’re the pilot?” She looked from the Admiral to the young man.
“He is. One of them anyway.” The Admiral motioned to the young man who was suddenly shy and awkward. The girl seemed to preen.
She put a call in to Ops. After a few moments a harried voice answered. “Yes?” the man asked. “This is Kathy in customs; we've got the Valdez family here trading for parts to repair their tub.” The Admiral winced as Junior mouthed tug.
“Tug,” he said softly.
“Sorry, Tug,” she said giving him a look.
“Valdez family? What does... oh excuse me boss.” Another voice replaced the first.
“Kathy is it?” She seemed too straightened and looked at the Admiral and Junior with a warning glance.
“Yes mister exec?” she asked.
“Expedite them. Let them go, don't charge them any fees. We need that tug in space yesterday.” The channel cut with a click. She looked at the speaker for a moment then cut her line with a shaky hand.
“Well, all right then, go to it then.” She waved to the guard. “It's all right Benny, the exec said to leave them be.” He looked back, looked at the cart then shrugged.
“Your funeral Kat.” He shook his head and turned away as they left.
“Do we have to take the lift?” Junior asked, almost whining. The Admiral grimaced.
“If you have a better idea, I'm all ears.” He waited patiently by the lift doors. “Actually, I do, I'll meet you at home.” The boy grabbed a few of the smaller parts, stuffed them into his coverall then left. The Admiral shook his head as he left.
“Coward,” Sprite seemed to laugh. The Admiral shook his head once more.
“Yes and no, impatient too.” He listened as a car groaned to a stop. He muscled the doors open, and then had to lift the cart up to get over the lip. The car inside had stopped late, thirty centimeters above the floor. He sighed as he climbed in. “Well, this is fun.” He tapped the panel entering their destination.
“Think we'll get there first?” the AI asked.
“If we don't run into any problems. Hopefully he doesn't run into any either.” The Admiral hoped the kid wouldn't get stopped and mugged. “Right.” Proteus went to work on the panel once more. “Can't help yourself?” he teased.
“Different car,” Proteus responded. The Admiral nodded.
“Good to know. Glad you’re fixing it too, we may need it later.” He felt the car jerk several times as it arrived.
“We're here,” Sprite reported unnecessarily.
“While you’re fixing things, can you fix a Wi-Fi node?” Sprite asked.
The Admiral snorted. “Add it to the to do list.” He pushed the cart out of the lift and down the corridor.
He wrestled the cart to the door and an impatiently waiting and rather smug looking Junior. The young man ushered him in. He ran down to the shuttle bay and began unloading his precious cargo.
“Finish unloading then meet me with the cart in the junk bay for the next load. I need to dig the satellites out,” the Admiral ordered leaving the boy and cart.
“Great okay, first up...” He looked around for a moment. Sprite highlighted several of the small satellites by placing a caret around their position. One was enshrouded by debris; another was against the wall on a shelf. He nodded. “Thanks.” He started pulling parts aside to get to the first satellite.
Once he had the first uncovered he went to the back wall and pulled a tractor collar off. He wrapped it around the satellite's body and then plugged into it. “Admiral, you’re going to have to use your own power reserves, this thing's batteries are fried,” Proteus reported. He grunted as the lights glowed to life. He felt static electricity dance around him.
In a moment the collar was charged and the satellite began to slowly rise above the deck. He turned to see the boy hit the door with a clatter. “Careful, we're going to need that.” He admonished. The young man stared as the Admiral carefully maneuvered the satellite over to the cart then lowered it. “One down, two to go,” he sighed wiping his brow.
“Why them? Aren't they junk?” Junior asked looking at the satellites.
“No, they can be fixed; they just need new batteries and new solar panels. Maybe some fuel for the OMS pods too,” the Admiral replied as he unplugged the collar and pulled it off.
“How did you get that thing to work anyway? It's fried,” Junior waved to the collar as the Admiral put it back.
“The battery is dead, but I have my own power supply,” he replied absently.
They maneuvered the heavy load down through the lock. He patiently waited as Junior locked up. He was amused to see Junior try to hide the code from him. “Glad you locked up. I've got a lot on my mind, I may have forgotten.” He nodded to the young man. “Meet you in the dock?” He asked. Junior dodged a curious couple then nodded as the Admiral turned to the lift.
“Yeah, uh, I'll meet you there...” He rushed off.
“Wanna bet he gets there on a run and spends the extra time talking with the girl?” Sprite asked with a laugh. The Admiral smiled as the lift doors groaned open.
It took ninety minutes to get all three satellites out of the Valdez compound and to the Io. When he brought the last one he met the purser and Anita as they were exiting. “I've got to run.” Mrs. Valdez shook the purser's hand then rushed off with a wave.
“What is that?” the purser asked. Faith looked up from the diagnostic panel. “Satellite. Weather sat.” She went back to checking the readings.
“Weather satellite? Why do we... wait, didn't you have us trade some too...” she looked over to the Admiral in inquiry. He smiled.
“Right, you can trade these to your next stop once Faith here gets them sorted out. The Braddock continent has some massive hurricanes a
nd tornadoes that flatten the continent based on the records I accessed. Most of the rest of the planet's surface was incinerated by antimatter rounds. If they get some warning of weather...” He looked over to her.
She nodded. “Right, then they can be prepared... or at least as well as you can for a damn hurricane.” She shuddered. “Fighter for last?” She asked. The security chief joined them. The Admiral nodded politely to her.
“Yes, I can't get that ship out without going through the locks though. We'll need to go EVA to get her to the ship.” The chief nodded looking the lock over. She smiled tightly.
“He's right; there is no way a fighter could fit through this lock,” Faith chuckled looking at the lock in question. “You got that right!” She straightened and waved the techs over to swap the satellite over to the Io's pallet. They carefully fitted it with a grav collar and began to move it. Junior stared at several of the more interesting women for a moment. The Customs girl Kathy looked pissed at his sudden interest.
“So is Kathy going off shift soon?” the Admiral turned to Junior who blushed fiercely.
“Something like that,” he mumbled guiltily looking over to the girl. She was glaring at him. The Admiral chuckled softly. Ah the troubles of youth.
Techs were already loading the cart down with parts. A second cart was pushed out. “We'll need that back,” the purser admonished.
“I'm going with him to make sure we get it back,” the chief nodded.
“And to check out the fighter?” the Admiral asked. She nodded meeting his eyes. He smiled to the purser. “Your influence I bet. Checking out the goods.” The purser chuckled and waved.
“Go, see you in a bit. I'll see if we can get a team out.” She walked into the lock.
“What do you have left to move?” the chief asked as they waited by the lift doors.
“The fighter and the weapons pod. I assume you'd like to check both?” She nodded. “We can just squeeze them into the second shuttle bay. I'll evacuate the air and we can move them to Io. We can move the larger parts back the same way,” he explained. She nodded.
They ignored curious looks from people passing by as they exited the lift and entered the corridor to the Valdez compound. He was amused to see Junior had beaten them there once more. He looked winded and harried though.
“Lets get inside quick; I think there are some bully boys lurking about.” He waved them inside. The chief looked around for a moment, and then warily followed.
Junior took the tech to the shuttle bay and then returned to the junk pile. “Why don't you escort the young lady back to the dock? I'm not sure she should be out alone.” The Admiral asked giving the boy a look.
Slowly he nodded. “All right. I'll be back.” He waved and rushed off. The Admiral could hear the outer door shut with a clang.
“This it?” the chief asked as she looked the fighter over.
“Doesn't look like much but its hull and structure are sound. Electronics are good; it just needs a new drive and fusion reactor. Her's were cannibalized a long time ago.” The Admiral pointed to the rear of the deadly looking craft.
Gently the chief ran her hand over the hull. She seemed to quiver. “You know, my ancestress flew one of these during the war.” Her fingers seemed to caress the door panel, barely finding the seam. “She's as beautiful as gram said she would be,” she said softly.
“That she is. Throttle sticks, but we patched that problem with a software patch in her first upgrade,” the Admiral smiled as he moved a piece of junk out of the way. The chief looked at him.
“I keep forgetting you’re from that time. You flew one?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, I can pilot all sorts of things, but fighter craft are a bit outside my league. I don't have the reflexes of the young anymore anyway,” he smiled. “Or to put it another way, I'm not nuts enough to try.” He smiled at her. She chuckled.
“How are you going to get her up and to the lock?” the chief asked after admiring the ship for a time. The Admiral smiled as he accessed his implants.
“Allow me Admiral.” He felt Sprite access the fighter. She came online startling the chief into stepping back.
“Her main propulsion and reactor are off line but she has some juice in her batteries. Enough to power her antigrav.” He waved her aside as static began to make the air and dust dance and pop. The craft wobbled a centimeter up, taking her weight off her landing gear. “Right, I don't suppose I could ride in her?” the chief asked.
“Not unless you brought a suit. She's not air tight. I checked. Life support is drained. Heater coils are gone and the seal around the cockpit is iffy.” He moved aside as the craft drifted out the lock and down the hall. It just made the turn to bay two, making him wince as a wing came within a half centimeter of the wall.
“That was close,” the chief said dryly. “Don't worry, we won’t bang her up,” he replied.
“You mean any more then she already is,” the chief replied. He looked at her and she smiled.
“Let’s get the weapons pod out too,” she said after a moment. He chuckled and lent her a hand.
It took the two of them almost an hour to wrestle the collar around the pod and it onto the cart. They had been forced to move several other pieces of junk with the collar to get at the weapons pod. The chief ran her hands over the pod. “A mark 23 series G Graser pod.. Integrated lidar, self guiding AI, point defense mode...” She murmured an itinerary of the pods strengths. He tried not to laugh. Everyone had their kicks and hobbies. This was definitely hers. She ran her finger tips over the pod as they strapped it down onto the cart.
“She's a beauty. I wonder what's wrong?” she asked looking up at him. “I don't know. I didn't jack in to find out,” he shrugged. She nodded. The wrestled it out of the bay and into the shuttle bay.
“It's about time; we've been waiting three minutes!” Faith called over the radio. The Admiral chuckled as the chief looked at it then turned her earwig on.
“Hold your horses, we're getting there.” She waved to the others outside the window. The suited figures waved back.
“Let's get the show on the road.” The Admiral pushed the cart out of the lock and turned. “Coming?” He asked the chief. Reluctantly she obeyed. He closed the lock and then depressurized the bay.
“Door opening. They're all yours ladies.” He said, watching the work party enter the bay. A figure gave them thumbs up. The chief snorted. She watched through the lock window as they locked each payload down onto a travel pod and then guided them out the lock. After five minutes the operation was over.
“Your gear is on the side there.” She motioned to the side of the lock. He looked. They had maneuvered the firing chamber and fusion reactor in. He had been more amused by the chief’s reaction and distracted by it to have caught it until she pointed it out. He chuckled.
“Thanks ladies. Closing the outer door and re-pressurizing the lock now.” He nodded to the chief as he finished with the panel. She was already on her way out the door.
He caught up to her at the front door. “Eager to get your hands on the control yoke?” he teased. She dimpled and he could see an edge of a flush on her face.
“Some of us have duties to perform,” she tried to reply as a put down. He smiled. “Good to know. Let me know if you need any help.” He escorted her to the door. “Do you need to me to escort you...?” he asked but she shook her head. “Somehow, I think I'll manage,” she replied dryly as she left without a backward glance. He chuckled as he shut the door.
“Admiral, I don't suppose you could fix a Wi-Fi link so I could jack in while you’re working?” Sprite asked quietly. He chuckled.
“Only if it will keep you from nagging me about it later,” he smiled as she chuckled.
He looked the pile of parts over with pleasure. The gear from the Io was fresh and factory new, literally newly fabricated. The broken parts were already set aside. He looked up as Sprite blinked onto his HUD. “What is it?” he asked.
; “Admiral we have a situation at the lock.” She said tightly as a window came up. He frowned as he noted the visitors at the door. He groaned as he got up.
He had been deep into the rebuild for several hours. Defender was already spinning his shields up. “Admiral power reserves are at twenty percent. I don't recommend combat,” Defender reported.
“I'll try to remember to tell them that,” he answered dryly.
“It's not like you need shields Admiral, facial recognition has identified them as Buana and Hera.” Sprite reported. He nodded. They were warriors from the Io, guarding a pair of nervous cargo handlers who had pushed a pair of cargo pallets to the quarters.
He opened the door and smiled. “It's nice to see some friendly faces around here.” He nodded to them as Defender put a caret around a pair of figures skulking in the dark near the corner. He looked over to them and felt Sprite reach out. Weapons were identified.
“Let’s get you ladies in before we have a problem,” he said quietly. The cargo handlers looked around nervously. Hera nodded.
“You spotted them as well?” she asked softly.
“Yeah, two possibly more. Down the corridor. One has what looks like a needler, the other some sort of cut down plasma carbine and molecular knife.” He pushed the door open and stepped hastily aside as the women piled in with the cargo.
Sprite had freeze frames of each male in a window on his HUD; she was running a facial recognition program. He shook his head. They hadn't been here long enough to get to know anyone.
He escorted the women into the shuttle bay. They whistled at the tug. “Someone's has been busy,” Buana smiled in appreciation.
He nodded. “Only way to get something done once you know it needs doing is to dig in.” He helped the women unload the pallet.
“This is the last load Admiral. Faith said the satellites, weapons pod, and fighter pan out so you have quite a hefty tab,” one of the cargo handlers said, handing him a chip.
He chuckled. “I bet the purser isn't pleased about that.” He smiled as they tried to hide grins.
Fool's Gold (The Wandering Engineer) Page 5