“Doors closing. Umbilical pressurized,” Sprite reported as the admiral shut the shuttle down and went through post flight chores. “Off to the next adventure,” Sprite said.
“We're getting there commander, that's the main thing. One planet at a time if necessary,” Phoenix responded. “Though we're going to have a bit of a wait before we reach another planet. Jumping to what? B100omega and then four other empty systems before we get to Bek?”
“I know, it's a long shot,” Irons replied, unstrapping and climbing out of his seat. He grabbed the duffel he'd stored in the overhead and headed for the hatch. The rest of his cargo could wait, he literally had no room in the ship right now. Just enough to get from the shuttle bay to the bridge, his cabin, and the attached head. If he sucked it in, in a few places. It really was that tight.
“Break orbit,” Irons said. “Final checks?” he asked, squeezing through the passageway. When he got to his cabin door he opened it long enough to toss his duffel in and then kept on going to the bridge.
“Navigation app has completed calculations. We are on course for the jump off point.” Phoenix replied. “I'd appreciate it if Sprite double checked the calculations though,” he said sounding a trifle nervous.
“Agreed,” Irons replied with a nod as the hatch opened.
“Admiral on the bridge,” Phoenix intoned.
“Can it. Let's get this show on the road,” Irons replied sitting in the captain's chair. He set his right arm down into its custom designed interface. Ports opened up and cables plugged into his arm as the back adjusted to his body and then tipped back to a more comfortable position.
“We are receiving a hail,” Phoenix said.
“Oh? What now?” he asked with a slight twinge of exasperation. He didn't need any more delays.
“Good luck and good speed admiral, Phoenix. May the Spirits of Space protect you and guide you. Epsilon Triangula out,” Gordon's rough voice cut through his exasperation. He smiled slightly and hit the transmit.
“And to you too Epsilon. May the spirits shine their light on you and yours. Keep moving towards the light,” he said and then closed the channel. He squirmed slightly, adjusting himself and then nodded. “Engage.”
“Time to jump point twenty five hours. Running simulation of jump now. Entering the latest mass readings. We're flying blind though,” Sprite cautioned.
“We'll get it done anyways Sprite, we always do,” Irons replied.
“Aye aye sir, sublight engaged.”
The end.
Author's note:
This was a hard book to write, and I'm glad Jacob, Thomas, and Gord kept encouraging me. It would have taken twice as long without the discussions with Jacob, thank you for that. Jacob, you helped with some good ideas, and helped me think of others. ;)
This is a filler book, or was. It will play a part in future books, of that you can rest assured. One of the major things in Pirate's Rage will come because of events in this book.... ah, but that's for tomorrow. For now I'm taking a much deserved break, Heart of the Swarm is calling. >:D
Dramatic Personnel:
Here are some of the people in the Wandering engineer universe.
Fleet Admiral John Henry Irons: Engineering fleet admiral, possibly the last in the galaxy. At the time of stasis he was 102 years old with nearly eighty years in the service, 70 as an officer. He has 3 doctorates and multiple other degrees, most of them engineering related. He slept in stasis for 713 years missing the end of the Xeno war. He was a bit of a celebrity before and during the Xeno war, having a hand in the design of the first Stargate and one of the Dyson spheres.
He spent 15 months on Io 11 after being rescued by her crew. He then spent a year in the Pyrax system and then 8 months on Destiny before transferring to Kiev 221.
Lieutenant Commander Sprite: Smart, sometimes spunky smart AI and central core of Trinity. Serves as his adjunct. She is currently growing and evolving.
Proteus: Experimental distributed AI based in the admiral's nanites. Serves as his engineering helper and bridge to controlling his nanites.
Lieutenant JG Defender: Extremely intolerant dumb AI programmed as the admiral's security.
Phoenix: Semi-smart female AI core of the starship Phoenix, created by Sprite and Proteus.
IO 11:
Captain: Crotchety old woman. Hard captain, but beloved by her crew. In her eighth decade.
Vanessa: Purser of the ship, hard penny pinching witch of a woman.
Emily: Chief of security and XO of the ship. Blue hair, hard cold temperament. Granddaughter of the captain.
Lessa: chief navigator.
Shandra: Chief helmsman. Partner of Jennie.
Jennie: Assistant chief.
Faith: Scottish chief engineer. Had been injured just prior to the admiral's arrival. Restored to full health after long time in stasis.
Io: AI of the ship. First AI created by Sprite.
Doctor: Female doctor. Mother of Mindy, spent years in stasis after injury.
Mindy: Teenage goth daughter of the doctor.
Doctor: Male doctor, shanghaied from Seti Alpha 5. resettled there with wife and child.
Deidra: Chief pilot.
Hibiki: Junior pilot.
Taki: chief load master.
Leri: chief of fuel.
In Pyrax:
Commander Horatio Logan: Former yeoman and enlisted petty officer prior to and during Xeno war. Sleeper, he was awoken over a century prior to the admiral and served as the chief engineer of Anvil space station before the admiral's arrival. Currently the commanding officer of Pyrax.
1st Lieutenant Junior Valdez: Son of Senior Valdez, former tug pilot turned small craft pilot and later first fighter pilot in Pyrax. Currently acting LT commander in charge of all pilots in the system.
System governor Walker: Elected governor of the system. Tall, rather good looking and charming. A corrupt politician. One of the conspirators to remove the admiral from the system.
Marines:
Major Jersey Forth: Former captain of a planetary militia and then security captain on Anvil before retiring to enter private service. Tough and very good at his job. Recruited into the Marines as a captain but then elevated to Major.
Captain Pendeckle: Former 1st lieutenant. Commander of the 1st Agnostan recon detachment.
1st lieutenant Dana Harley: Former 2nd lieutenant. Later promoted to captain. Second in command of the 1st Agnostan recon detachment.
Sergeant Jefferson: Former assistant DI of F platoon. Later recon and sniper trainer and full DI.
Sergeant Brenet: Former assistant DI of F platoon. Later advanced trainer.
Lance Corporal Jethro Panther: Black Neo panther assassin.
Gunny Schultz: Neo Doberman, former Drill instructor of F platoon.
Ensign Valenko Kodiak: Neo grizzly bear corporal, graduate of F platoon bootstrapped to ensign.
Sergio: Neo white Liger, heavy weapons. PFC.
Hurranna: Neo lynx/bobcat PFC small, wishes to be a pilot.
Ox: Last Tauren in the Pyrax system. Engineer, communications tech, and apprentice armorer. Lance Corporal.
PFC Asazi: former female prize fighting champion. Heavy worlder genes, hard charger. Shooter. She has a broken nose and facial scar.
Lance Corporal Letanga: Leopard cousin of Jethro. Went through sniper and recon training with Jethro. Quiet, reserved but very loyal. He has a limited cloaking ability.
Lance Corporal Betty: Neo chimp. Went through F platoon with the others. Also outfitted and trained in powered combat armor.
PFC Shiku: Arctic white Neofox sniper.
Senjix: Neocheetah, cousin of Cheetahra. PFC. Excellent scout. Graduate of F platoon like all the other Neos.
PFC Zebo: Gashg driver. Former member of F platoon.
PFC Ris'ha: Naga driver. Former member of F platoon.
Private Shep: Neo Sheppard. Later Sergeant Shep. Head of the Military Police.
Tungulria: Black Neowolf. The only other Neo to have
almost the same cloaking ability as Jethro.
Petty officers Gusterson: Neo greyhound naval corpsman assigned to Valenko's squad as the medic.
Harley Quinn: PFC Neo Hyena, jokester. Infamous in F platoon for her pranks.
Lance Corporal Déjà: Selkie. Former slave of the pirates serving as the chief helmsman on Destiny. Now wants to be a marine pilot.
Others in the system:
Lieutenant Commander Vargess: Love interest of captain Mayweather. Captain of the Arboth class destroyer Fuentes.
Fuentes (AI): ancient AI recovered and rebuilt prior to the admiral's departure. The AI had only 1 of 3 cores and was partially insane. Fortunately the AI had been repaired and returned to service.
Lieutenant Commander Harris: commander, former tactical officer of Firefly. Currently captain of Maya.
On Firefly:
Captain (Lieutenant commander) Mayweather: Former XO of the Carib queen, a star Yacht. Rose through the ranks quickly to become captain of the Maya and then Firefly.
Lieutenant Commander Shelby Logan XO: Daughter of Horatio Logan, formerly his XO on Anvil, recruited as chief engineer of Firefly before taking over the XO slot.
Commander Firefly (AI): Old AI core of the light cruiser Firefly.
Janice: 1st Lieutenant, helm and navigational officer. Former helmsman of the Carib Queen.
Purple Thorn: 1st Lieutenant Elf tactical officer. Former officer on Sun-Yat w/ Commander Logan before transferring to Maya. Served with Captain Mayweather on the Maya.
Doctor Standish: 1st Lieutenant, chief doctor on Firefly. He is an understudy of Doctor Thornby. He worked at the college before volunteering his services to the navy.
Riley: sergeant, Marine armorer. Former fitter and blacksmith on Avalon. While traveling to Briev he stopped in Pyrax to become an EVA suit fitter. Brilliant in his job but grumpy.
Anvil:
Anvil governor: Enrique Former XO of the station. Tough but pragmatic, politician able to compromise his ideals and honor to get things done.
Smithy (AI): dumb AI turned “Semi” smart
Liam O'Reilly: Former assistant chief engineer now chief engineer of the station. Married into the Valdez family. Wife is a life support supervisor.
Judge Hershey: Junior Judge on the station. Renown for being above corruption and impartial like Judge Farley.
Judge Farley: Senior judge in the system, he helped to refine the Pyrax Constitution. He's tough, hard on crime and impartial to a fault.
Sheriff Trac: Veraxin sheriff. Bluff lawman with a love of American Western clothing.
Lieutenant commander (doctor) Thornby: Reservist. She is the chief medical officer on Anvil and the chief of medicine for the navy. She is a hard worker not above soaking the rich to provide medical care for the poor.
Valdez family:
Jorge Valdez: chief tug pilot and owner of the growing tug business.
Juanita Valdez: No nonsense matriarch of the Valdez clan. Has multiple children of various ages.
Matilda: Dean of the Anvil college. Has a granddaughter.
Doctor Jenni Martel: Geneticist and genealogist. She is in charge of attempting to resurrect the fallen sentients.
Matriarch: Elderly neolion in charge of the Anvil cat clan and the nominally in charge of the Neos in the system. She may be old but she's wise and tough.
Hrris Leo: Young neolion. Friend of Jethro and the other cats. Has a job as an engineering supervisor on the station.
Chung Li: Siberian Neo tiger.
On Destiny:
Captain Ferguson: Tough civilian captain, one of the original crew of the Destiny. He rose from being a slave and third mate to captain after being liberated.
Chief engineer Bailey: Balding Neo chimp. Tough, loves martial arts. Smart and independent, friend of the admiral. Wives Galiet, Clennie, Sylvia, sons Fiben, John, and Devin
Everett: Electronics tech 2nd class
Bryan Kelley: Medic and owner of several coonies.
Galiet: Senior wife of Bailey. College student.
Sylvia: Second wife of Bailey, Bonobo, pregnant with Fiben when Irons leaves Destiny. Bridge officer.
Clennie: Bridge officer, third wife of chief Bailey.
Miss Mayfair: Head of the Pyraxian diplomatic delegation. Shrewish woman.
April O’Neill: Red haired reporter for Knox news with a love of yellow jumpers. Love interest of the admiral.
On Agnosta:
Cheetahra: Neo Cheetah medic. Former member of the Anvil cat clan.
Nana Jersey: Elderly woman, grandmother of Billy and Pidge.
George Custard: Leader of the Agnosta delegation. Avid reader, mayor, w/ largest book collection on the planet.
Jim: Delegate, former mayor.
Chumly: Farmer, aide to other Agnosta delegates. Works as a manager in a store George owns.
Doc Wallace Waley: Balding Dentist, former pirate slave. Returned to Agnosta on Destiny.
Maggie Lu Kasey: Friend of Nana Jersey. Former Pirate slave returned to Agnosta on Destiny. Became the outspoken leader of former slaves. In her 20's.
Vesuvian: A giant adult Vesuvian near the growing space port. Several juvenile Vesuvians from Destiny joined it to form a small colonial forest.
Briev:
The Red Queen: Psychotic older power hungry woman.
Triang:
Neo cats: A group of Neo cats from Pyrax who traveled there on Destiny with the admiral. They are led by Hera and Asia.
Kiev 221:
Captain Robert Chambers. Wife Cora: Captain of the Kiev 221.
Toni Chambers: 17 year old adopted daughter of the captain. Transferred to the station to become a news reporter and anchor.
1st mate John Henry Warner: Son of the Warners. Named after the admiral. Xo of the ship. He'd been married before his wife left him and the ship over a forced abortion.
Chief engineer and second mate Quinna O'Mallory: Hard charging Irish woman bent on repairing her ship.
Yvonne: Assistant chief engineer, mother of deceased Art.
Esmay Suarez: chief navigator 3rd mate
Jeremy Blackhawk: chief helm officer, Native American descendant.
Hir'ruk: Veraxin Chief logistics officer
M'Runi: Veraxin communications tech.
Blur: Telerite purser
Q’Bert: Naga security officer
Numiria: Neo jackal doctor. Husband is chief of sanitation Neo Hyena Lobo.
Lieandra:
Captain Yen ‘Kelly: Veraxin captain. Old, past his prime but eager to help in order to improve his ship and unload some of his excess passengers.
Antigua Prime:
Cybers:
Yan Fu + wife Hishina Fu: Leaders of the pacifist and old guard parties.
Kenny Kennet: Lawyer, follower of the Fu's.
Averies: Dilettante and self taught programmer of cybers.
Sid and Emily Berkheart: Directors of Human resources.
Doctor Megan Trask: Head of the medical department.
Ron and Rachael Steward: Neo bears, 1 grizzly, 1 half human half black bear. Life Support managers. They like Averies trained themselves to run and repair what they could after the station went dark. They usually give their council proxy to the Fu's to vote since they are so busy.
Doctor Templeton Myers: Head of science and R&D.
Ribber: Gashg gardener. Signed over his proxy to Yan Fu before resigning from the council. He is a pacifist, preferring to attend to his garden over dealing with people.
The Warners, 1st Lt Taylor Warner and ensign Rasha Warner: Sleepers awakened over 100 years ago. Their son is the exec of Kiev 221. Both have been placed in the reserves and are currently the system naval commanders.
AI:
The muses: all class one dumb AI
Clio: historian/researcher. repurposed to manage the first fusion reactor.
Euterpe and Terpsichore: Music and Dance: air heads, entertainment coordinators and directors
Thalia: Muse of comedy: recovered. Rebuil
t.
Urania: Astronomy: science. Found and recovered. Brought online. Assistant to doctor Myers in science and teaching.
Mnemosyne: Memory computer management Smart AI. Took a lot of her higher functions down to keep system running. Did permanent damage to herself. She has to be reintegrated as each fragment is recovered. She is an experimental civilian AI.
Plague Planet (The Wandering Engineer) Page 58