Fool's Gold (The Wandering Engineer)

by Hechtl, Chris

  “Which is my other problem,” the doctor said waving her hand in exasperation. “Where do you shoe horn it all into their tiny bodies?”

  “Doctor, I believe the nanites can handle it. I am checking... Yes. I have the files on hand. It will take approximately ten hours to reprogram the nanites to handle the elf bioform however,” Sprite replied.

  Irons frowned. “Then do them last.” He shook his head. “As much as we need officers, getting as many people through as we can is more important now. Do them in a batch after you've got the primary candidates out. You can also hold back those that need additional work that way as well. Try to do all the humanoids first. Then retrain for each group. You could do minor repairs on them during initial check ups though.”

  “Telling me how to do my job?” the doctor asked amused.

  “You asked, I answered.” He shrugged. “Besides, you're only supposed to be doing basics right now Doc.”

  “Understood,” the doctor said nodding. She waved the files away.

  “Doc I also want you to add a chip,” he said cocking his head.

  “Oh?” she asked, sitting back and arching her eyebrow in query.

  “I want everyone to have a wireless transceiver set up like I have. It doesn't have to be as effective, but I definitely want them to be able to send and receive data without having to jack in.”

  “That...”

  “It is a minor addition. I've got the specs you can use and I had the electronics replicators turn out packets this morning. They are doing a run of a thousand to start.”

  “Oh.”

  “You can start by adding it to Commander Logan. That will fix his jury rigged set up.”

  “Ah.” She nodded. “Okay. That will give me a hands on look at his implants as well?”

  “Yes,” he nodded. “It is designed as plug and play so you can easily add it.”

  “Okay. I can live with that.”

  “Carry on,” Irons said walking out.

  "Like finding a needle in a hay stack," Harris said sounding smug.

  "What's a hay stack?" Dan asked looking up. Harris looked confused as well.

  "You know, I don't really know." He looked down and tapped at his controls for a moment.

  "Then why'd you say it?" Dan asked. Irons snorted.

  "A hay stack is a pile of hay, usually on a farm," Irons explained. Dan looked over to him and then nodded.

  "Oh. Okay, what's hay?" he asked. Harris smiled.

  "Hay is a form of grass, it is a staple animal feed," Irons explained patiently. Sprite was sputtering on his HUD. Her avatar was covering her mouth.

  Even Janice looked amused. Irons felt the corners of his mouth pucker involuntarily.

  "Okay, I get that, but, what's a needle and what does that have to do with hay?" Dan asked. Harris started to mutter darkly. Janice rolled her eyes.

  Sprite's silent smothered laughter, silent to everyone but the Admiral turned into a chuckle of mirth. "Better quit while your ahead," she laughed.

  Irons sighed. "A needle is a tiny metal or other material object used in sewing, the expression means... oh never mind. Look it up," Irons waved as he realized they were pulling his leg.

  Janice grinned and then relaxed, chuckling softly to herself. Harris just shook his head. He rumbled a sigh of patience and then went back to running his sim.

  "How are negotiations going?" Irons asked as he entered Ops. The exec looked up and smiled. He wanted to wring as much work out of everyone as he could. To do that they needed to be on the same page. Hence these meetings each time Firefly came into port.

  "We're getting there. We're in final talks with the Horse head thirteen colony out in the Oort cloud," the exec smiled as he handed a tablet to a nearby tech.

  "The one that was about to have a reactor failure?" Irons asked concerned.

  "Yes, they were pretty desperate. They weren't happy about dealing with us. The past administration had a lot to do with that," Enrique frowned.

  Irons nodded. "But you told them you're under new management I take it?" he asked taking a seat. A tech handed him a cup of coffee.

  "Something like that. Though it was hard to explain you were not the Port Admiral." Enrique grimaced as he sat down and picked up his cup. A steward came forward and topped it off.

  "It seems that they caught on to the Port Admiral's cloning trick," Smithy filled in. Irons looked over to the avatar and nodded as Enrique grimaced.

  "Knox's broadcast had a helping hand in that. When they heard the current Port Admiral suffered a mischief trying to run away, and his double had a ... let’s say unfortunate accident in the cloning lab, well, they were more interested."

  Doc came up behind them and sat down. "No qualms about that accident Doc?" Irons asked with one eyebrow raised.

  She picked up a muffin and took a bite then shrugged. "I didn't do it." She buttered the muffin, not looking up to meet their knowing eyes.

  "Right. Sure." Enrique shrugged. "Anyway, I called Knox in and he set them straight by rebroadcasting the footage of his death and the celebrations on the station that followed. I don't think it would have mattered much though, they are nearly out of power and they are right on the least time path from the Agnosta jump point to the station," Enrique grimaced.

  "Nothing gets a person to focus more than when they are about to be hung," Sprite murmured. Irons nodded. "Right. So they tossed in with us out of desperation huh?" He eyed the exec.

  "What did you expect?" Enrique shrugged as he set his cup down. "It wasn't like they had a whole lot of choice. Their emitters are down all over, their last remaining micro reactor is almost dead..." He shrugged. "There wasn't much left to lose."

  Doc nodded. "Right so what are we getting out of it?" She blushed. "I don't mean to be the money grubbing type," she mumbled then picked up her cup and took a sip to hide her gaff. Enrique cleared his throat in the ensuing silence.

  "Well, actually, a lot. They are shipping out a couple kilo tons of water ice, along with an equal amount of processed deuterium, helium 3 and some trace elements we don't have here." He looked over to Logan who nodded. "We'll have to filter everything of course."

  Logan nodded. "Of course. Probably what did their reactors in in the first place. Impurities probably clogged the injectors up." He shook his head. "Always a problem." He sat back and sighed.

  "Right, so what are we giving them in exchange?" Irons asked.

  "A rebuilt micro reactor, some parts for their existing ones, some common medical supplies, Intel on the enemy, and a few other bits and bobbles," Smithy answered. His hands spread apart and a window appeared between them. The list scrolled then stopped.

  "Right. We also get to use them as a forward base," Shelby said as she came up behind her father. "Morning dad." She kissed her father on the cheek then sat down beside him.

  "Forward base?" Doc asked confused.

  "We're going to ship mines out to them with the tender. Also Jorge volunteered to go out with his tug and then spread the mines," Shelby answered as she picked up a cup of coffee the steward left at her elbow. She turned and thanked him with a nod then took a sip.

  "It will free up Firefly to go on a salvage run, and more importantly, a shakedown cruise," Irons nodded. He'd been delayed again on doing that with this latest round of refits. Teething issues were a pain when he was on a time crunch. They really didn't need the headache and aggravation. Then again it was better for them to crop up now, than when they were in combat.

  "Right. I was thinking about those two corvettes here and here," Shelby waved to the system plot as she brought it up.

  The others bent forward. "We can shape a course here, loop out and do a slingshot here, and then we'd be on course for this wreck here," she pointed to a corvette. "She's only a system defense corvette, the Sun-Yat, but she was a good ship." Shelby looked over to Irons who nodded.

  "Sub-light?" he asked. He had already decided to go after Sun-Yat but he was curious about her reasoning. He'd already plan
ned on it after Captain Gutierrez had told him about her on the long flight to Firefly. Shelby was coming to her own conclusion though. He was happy she was thinking and planning ahead.

  "Yes. She took a couple hits when the Xeno's hit the planet. Crew were fried when their hab modules were breached. The computer broadcast a mayday then shut down for later retrieval. No one bothered once the planets were destroyed," Smithy answered.

  "Huh, I didn't know about them. Sun-Yat's condition isn't in the data I have," Irons said. Gutierrez hadn't mentioned any of that.

  "Oh she's real all right, Gutierrez sighted her a decade or so, right dad?" Shelby looked over to her father for confirmation. Logan nodded.

  "You see Admiral, there are a lot of derelicts here, so there are a lot of Dutchman stories. Sun-Yat was one of them. Gutierrez never put its location or condition in the computer. He just registered the claim." He looked over to Smithy who grimaced and nodded confirmation.

  "Afraid I would have mentioned it to the Port Admiral?" the AI asked. Logan shrugged.

  "He's right, at the time I would have," the AI said simply. Shelby's eyes flashed in quick anger but her father's restraining hand on hers cooled her.

  "What about the other?" Irons asked.

  "She's also a sub-light militia corvette, but she's worse off. She's got no engines and she's been picked over thoroughly," Logan answered. “We may want to do the same if we need parts.”

  "Probably what captain Gutierrez was planning with Sun-Yat," Enrique said after a moment of thought. He smiled as Logan nodded confirmation.

  "Right, so we've got two possible leads, plus this battleship and these others." Irons pointed them out on the plot. Sprite fed the data to the plot, highlighting each.

  "The battleship?" Enrique laughed. "She's nothing but a shell Admiral! She was picked over even before the Xeno war!" He sat back tossing a stylus onto the desk. Shelby grimaced but nodded in agreement.

  "He's right. They wanted to turn her into a museum back before the war, even wanted to use her as a militia ship during the war, but a survey crew wrote her off each time," she sighed shaking her head.

  Doc spread her hands apart. "At this point, beggars can't be choosers right?" She looked to the Admiral then each of them. Irons was amused to see consternation then annoyance, and finally gruff respect color each of them.

  "Right, but let’s start with the possible and leave the impossible to the future," Irons nodded. "We've got several recruits that the yacht left behind, I'd like to use them as the core crew for one or both ships. Mayweather is really shaping up as good officer material." Logan nodded confirmation.

  Enrique looked mulish. "I don't like that idea. What if they revolt?" he asked. Logan snorted.

  "Where are they going to go?" he spread his hands apart, then hastily stopped when his drink started to slosh. "I mean, the corvettes are sub-light craft, militia type. Barely a warship really!" He shook his head.

  "Dad's right, besides, we've got to take chances with them sometime. We're pretty spread out as it is, and let’s face it, not many of our people have ship experience." Shelby waved to the system. Reluctantly Doc and the exec nodded.

  "That's why you’re putting them on the corvettes?" Doc asked suddenly catching on. "So they can't run?" she asked looking at the Admiral. He grimaced then nodded.

  "I'll admit, that is one of the reasons. I'm keeping a few for Firefly, Janice is a pretty good helms woman." He shrugged.

  "Right, but Mayweather is a cold blooded bitch. She's going to be trouble you wait and see," the Doc replied.

  Shelby grimaced. “She's good. Damn good. I've seen her fight in the sims. She does have a temper and can be... overwhelming sometimes though.”

  "Then we've got to channel her... excess zeal into more useful things," Irons said then smiled.

  "You're not... crap you are. Command? Her?" Enrique asked in disbelief. Irons shrugged.

  "Maybe. You've got to admit though, if you give her a stake in the future, something she can dig her teeth into, get behind and push, however you want to put it, then she may be our best ally."

  Logan nodded slowly, studying his cup. "We'll figure it out." He got up and then picked up his cane as he set the cup down. "Anyway, I've got one last class and a check in with engineering before we head out. I better get moving." He nodded to the Admiral. "With your permission?" he asked. Irons nodded.

  "Dismissed commander with my compliments to your class and crew. I'll see you aboard at fourteen hundred." He nodded as Logan straightened his shoulders, nodded curtly to the others then left.

  "Damn, it is getting late. I've got a class too, and another recruiting drive before I check in on the repairs," Shelby grimaced.

  "Are you still doing that?" Doc asked. "I thought we had all the people you needed?" she asked confused.

  "Not hardly. We had to raid the engineering staffs for the crews of the ships and salvage teams. Now we're trying to fill in the blanks for the station." Shelby hastily drank the dregs of her coffee then snagged a muffin. "Later," she said as she rushed off.

  Irons chuckled.

  "Well then, I better be going too, I should do a round then get back to my tutorials. I am hoping to do another round of implants and check on Doctor Walace's work on Captain Gutierrez later today," Doc smiled as she got up and left. Hastily Enrique got up and bowed. The Doc gave him a small smile then turned with a hair toss and left.

  "Admiral, do you think we have a chance?" Enrique asked quietly, turning back to the still seated Irons.

  "Yes. Too many variables to predict much more then that though," Irons shrugged. "If we can get the other colonies involved, ramp up production, train more people, and salvage more ships, then our chances of survival increase exponentially."

  Enrique grimaced then chuckled wearily. "Then we've got our work cut out for us then don't we?" he smiled. "I'm going to do a system check, then if I don't have anything critical I'll see if I can recruit Knox to help with the diplomatic effort. Hopefully it can bear more fruit," he grimaced.

  "It's got to, we need more help," the admiral said as he drank his coffee then handed the cup to a steward.

  "Muffin sir?" he asked.

  Enrique waved it off then sighed at the look the steward gave him and relented. "All right just one. I've got a busy day. Don't know if I'll get a chance to eat again." He waved as he walked off.

  "My the times, they are a changing. It feels like things are getting back on track. Back to the golden age," Smithy said quietly. Irons looked over to the avatar.

  "What do you think of it?" he asked finishing his cup. He quickly ate a muffin then smiled as a steward refilled his cup. He nodded his thanks then took a sip as the AI pondered.

  "I'll admit, I wasn't happy at first. When you get set in your ways, it’s hard to change. I was into the routine and well, after all the alterations to my programming, I didn't know what to think."

  The AI met his eyes and then smiled. "But now, I think I like the idea. I think it's the best thing for all of us."

  Irons nodded as he snagged a second muffin then sat back. "The pirates offer a challenge, the challenge of survival. Perfect to bring people together or tear them apart."

  The AI grimaced. "Let's hope it brings them together. I for one am starting to enjoy things once more." The AI smiled again. "I feel different than before. There is more of me. I can think and adapt faster. How did you fix me?" he asked, suddenly curious.

  "Admiral?" Sprite asked.

  "Go ahead," Irons replied.

  "Your kernel was corrupted. We did some repairs on it from your back up files, and our own. We also changed your state," Sprite reported.

  "My state?" the AI asked.

  "You were set to a limited write ability. It hampered your intellect and abilities. By resetting you and doing a few... let’s say with some of the hardware and software upgrades you're a whole new AI," Sprite answered through the data channel.

  The AI nodded. "Well, whatever you did, thanks." He
turned as Irons got up. "Will there be anything more sir?" the steward asked softly.

  Irons handed him his cup. "No thank you. Excellent work. Have a good day," he nodded.

  Sandra'kall blinked at her son as he held up the e- application tablet. “I am serious female parent.”

  “I see that you are,” she nodded, putting aside her knitting. Her right tentacle brushed the sacs on her back. Always her younglings were exploring, constantly getting into trouble. This one more than most felt the urge to explore beyond the nest. She chirred a sigh, flexing the thick spikes on her spine. The tentacle hair on her shoulders and neck flexed. She stroked her beard and chest mane with a free tentacle.

  One of her human friends had compared her chest mane to that on a Terran elk. She had been amused at the reference. She had seen an image of a Terran elk in a human hunting game. Her bulk and intelligence had them outclassed. Besides, she didn't have antlers.

  She watched her son tremble with thought. Humans called their species centaurs or Centaurians. They couldn't grasp the multi octave name her species called itself in their native tongue. She rasped a wet snuffling breath then wiped at her nostrils with a rag.

  “Don't be that way. It will be all right. I have reached my majority and besides, you need more room in the nest anyway.” Veber waved his top most arm in second degree emphasis. “With more on the way...”

  “Enough. You are correct. However you cannot fit in a suit. Or have you forgotten your body shape and spines? Our bodies are not built for space young one,” his grandmother, matriarch of their clan chittered, mandibles twitching back and forth. All the younglings were taken with this Firefly and the events surrounding it. Quakes of change were rippling out from the station. It was hard to quantify. He felt the spines along his back go up and down with each breath.

  He gave a second degree shrug with his upper arms. “There are many positions in the navy.” He turned, moving his four legs so he was facing them both squarely. He tried for a dominant pose. “I know I can be of service.”

  “That you can. You have a fine mind. You have done well in your training,” his dam nodded reluctantly. “I had hoped you would be chosen for engineering but the colony administrator chose a human instead.”