Destiny's Choice (The Wandering Engineer)

by Hechtl, Chris

  “Oh I'll take that,” the chief said with a growl making a gimme motion with one hand. “Oh hell yeah.” He put the communicator down after he triggered the speaker phone.

  “Aye captain?” he asked sitting back and putting his feet up.

  “So what's you're excuse this time?” the captain asked tiredly. Ferguson had gone from annoyed to exasperated over the constant delays. He'd twisted Bailey's tail about it a few times. Bailey had been nettled and chewing the paint off the bulkhead now for hours on end.

  “My excuse is we got to the root of the problem. It's your fault,” he finished sweetly, voice hoarse from screaming so much. He lifted his feet up onto the console and crossed his legs before netting his fingers together in front of him and stretching, cracking the knuckles. Then he tucked the hands behind his head to support it better.

  In that time he heard plenty of sputtering and then silence on the other end. After a moment the captain's throat cleared. “What?” the captain asked surprised.

  “Yup. Your end. Mister high and mighty screwed the pooch. It seems Mister Clarke is a bit too eager this go around. He's been trying to jump us directly into Beta all this time.”

  “Into Beta? Did I hear that right?” the captain asked suddenly surprised and angry for a different reason. “Are you serious?”

  “Yup. The ship's computer has a lock out. Since it's obviously suicide to go from subspace to Beta band. Apparently that's what we've been tripping over this entire time. And the helm and navigator's been getting the report but ignoring it.”

  “I'll say,” the captain glared at the navigator. Clarke was hunching his shoulders, feeling his ears burn. “Thank you chief. We'll get this sorted out. I commend you and your people for discovering this.”

  “All in a day's work captain.” Bailey reached out and stabbed downward on the disconnect button. “and that's that people.” He grinned.

  “One of the things that bothers me is that nanites, electronics, and AI are stagnant. I haven't seen much change now that we've looked into the historical database. I mean. No offense,” the kid said to Sprite.

  Now that they were in hyper and climbing steadily through the octaves to Beta band the captain had released the restrictions on the passengers and people were mingling once more. Irons had found out April had managed all those interviews virtually. It had been amusing to find out he'd been slightly jealous over it. It hadn't taken the eager students long to find him with April in the galley. She'd given him a hand squeeze, rolled her expressive eyes at the bouncing students and then smiled a promise of the future as she walked out an hour ago.

  “I'm sure,” she replied dryly. “And you're right. The reason is simple and two fold. The first is that mankind held a moratorium on nanite and future tech. They limited growth to keep things under control,” she deadpanned and then shot a dirty look to the Admiral. “The AI and electronics... well that grew out of spite.”

  “Not really,” Irons said shaking his head.

  “Well, you have to admit, when you make something sentient you don't have control over it anymore.”

  “Which explains why investors moved away from research into electronics and AI. When you invest billions into something and it turns around and bites you in the ass, you kind of walk away fast. They did the same thing with genomes. Once sentience is reached it has rights... so why throw away money?”

  “There is that,” Sprite admitted.

  “Electronics started to stagnate a bit before AI crossed over into full sentience though,” Irons said, returning his attention to the students. “Once you get down to molecular electronics you can't go much further. Quantum? To use quantum you've got to have interfacing electronics... which slows it down to the speed of the interface. Force fields? Again, same problem,” he said as he shrugged.

  “Parallel processing had been fully explored in the early 21st century. It and the internet led to cloud computers... and distributed networks,” Sprite added.

  “There was exploration with organic computers, and of course people had explored cybernetics for a long time. But when flash cloning was invented the idea of replacing a lost limb with a clumsy artificial replacement fell by the wayside for centuries.”

  “Yeah. I can see that. Why did you...”

  “I volunteered,” Irons shrugged. “We needed something. An edge. Something new. And I was impatient.”

  “Not curious?” Sprite asked amused.

  “Well, there was that too,” he admitted with a small smile.

  “And spoiled. He doesn't have to worry about where he left his toolkit anymore,” she said turning to the people around them. A few laughed at that.

  “True, all too true,” he smiled again, eyes twinkling.

  Chapter 18

  The hop between Agnosta and the empty system known as B452c was quick, a remarkable two and a half standard weeks against the near six weeks in hyper getting to Agnosta. Now that the crew had a handle on the ship's systems they were more comfortable with the upper bands. Of course they had spent most of the time in transit in Beta band, which made this journey go quicker in the first place.

  He'd based his initial estimated time of arrival on their hesitant use of the drive. The navigator's rather eager attempts at getting into hyper had caught him off guard. Apparently they had been hooked by the god sea. Good. With responsible driving this ship wouldn't be setting records but she would be moving her crew and cargo at a fast clip. Faster than any other freighter currently in service at any rate. Well, any other ship other than the Io 11, but she was a special case.

  Rebuilding the drive had something to do with the faster transit time too of course. The drive was running at about ten point four percent more efficient than spec, something Bailey hadn't anticipated. Irons had, he'd had enough time playing with drives to know how to get the most out of them.

  The fact of that wasn't lost on Clarke or the others in the crew. More were smiling now, or at least not scowling when he walked into a room.

  He'd spent every night with April, at first their every night was a passion filled affair, but lately they had come together in companionship and mutual trust over any adolescent lust. Sometimes they didn't make love, they just held each other and enjoyed the companionship like they had been together for years.

  When they had exited the jump point area Irons dropped a satellite out an airlock within hours of leaving the jump point. Curious the captain had immediately called him in for a meeting.

  “We've got a two week transit across the system to the next node. It's an empty system, so why are you dropping satellites? It seems rather silly,” he asked, sitting back and rocking his chair slightly.

  “I'm not dropping communications satellites. Or not just communications satellites.”

  “Oh?”

  Irons smiled a little. He spread his hands. “Captain, this system is a cross roads like Pyrax and several other nodule systems. It has four jump points, two which we are using, one that goes to Kathy's world and beyond that to Protodon and Horathian space. The other goes to Centennial, a system I've visited.”

  “Ah,” the captain nodded in understanding, rubbing his hands together. He'd known this but he hadn't realized the Admiral had planned this far ahead. Interesting. He'd obviously overlooked something in his estimation of the Admiral. “And this is all in relation to the satellite?”

  “Satellites actually. I'll be launching several more here. One for each jump point and a fifth that will act as a watch for them.”

  “Why?”

  Irons smiled a little. “Each satellite will log traffic and communicate it to the others.”

  The captain's eyes widened and then he nodded. “So you can know if the pirates come and go?”

  “Not without a someone coming by to strip the data. But we can get a handle on the traffic coming through the system and it's general direction.”

  “Okay...” Ferguson rubbed his jaw and then frowned. It looked like he'd reached the next logical conclusion.
“What if they blow them up?”

  “They are small targets and don't have any active systems. Totally passive. They are solar powered, so there is no energy trace to pick up easily. They won't communicate if you don't know they are there.”

  “True... but what if?”

  The Admiral shrugged. The answer was obvious to him. “Then we'll definitely know someone came through that isn't a nice guy right?”

  Ferguson blinked and then nodded. “Okay, I'll admit that.”

  “Right. The system is set up so we, we being the military, can strip the data and service the system, so you don't have to worry about it captain.”

  “But this is a reserve vessel.”

  “True, but I'm... well, you're right.” Irons felt a little sheepish over that thought. “I'd prefer it be handled by military personnel though.”

  “Fair enough,” the captain said stiffly. “We've got a week and six standard days to cross the system, will your other satellites be available by then? Do I need to maneuver to make their flight times easier?”

  “Each of the other three have kick engines that will position them. I've got them ready to go. The last one we'll drop at our exit point.”

  “Ah, okay.”

  “Thank you anyway captain.”

  “Think nothing of it.”

  “He really said that? Think nothing of it?” April asked, propping one hand up under her head to get a better view. He shrugged.

  “What else was he going to say?” he asked. He was aware his pillow talk with April was compromising some confidences, but in this case it was such a minor deal he wasn't worried about it. They'd grown accustomed to talking about their days when they relaxed.

  They still had separate rooms, more for safety than for comfort. That way they could randomly choose which room to go to. Or a supply closet or handy cubby. What ever worked. Hell, they'd even used a few reasonably flat vertical surfaces over the past couple of weeks before things had started to cool. Sometimes with somewhat embarrassing results. Word about their relationship had gotten around after that and April had insisted that they retire to less scenic places to play.

  “Oh I dunno...”

  “He's a good person April. He's caught in a vice here and walking a fine line. On one side is me, on the other are the politicians who sign his pay stubs.”

  “True...”

  “Not everything is as black and white as we'd like. Some people live in the gray. Most people do. I'd like to say we're all idealists, but I know better.”

  “You're turning cynical now?” she asked amused. He smiled at her.

  “Ninety four years of experience tends to do that to you from time to time.”

  “And your visit to Pyrax must have made you even more cynical.”

  He snorted, laying back and looking at the ceiling in the dark. “Let's just say, even with a lifetime of experience you still get surprised and caught in the works sometimes.”

  “True.”

  He waited a moment then cleared his throat. “What?” she asked.

  “I just ah, remembered. I need you to keep that satellite system to yourself.”

  “Ah, no broadcasts about it?” she teased, smirking.

  “Please no,” he said. Her eyes turned serious. He looked at her, sober. “I, we need to keep our hole cards a secret. I want...” she put a finger tip to his lips and smiled.

  “I get it. I'm no dummy.”

  “I never said you were,” he said as she withdrew her fingers. He caught the wrist and kissed the finger tips, and then the inside of her wrist. She smiled at that.

  “I... god, ninety four years.” she said, laying on her own back and rubbing her brow in thought. “The mind boggles at that.”

  “Want an example of what that kind of experience can achieve?” he asked mischievously.

  She dimpled and blushed on cue, laughing as he rolled on top of her and kissed her. Thought receded after that.

  Sometime later he was holding her. She wasn't quite asleep, but getting there when she smiled and traced her fingers in his chest fur. “You're pretty spry for an old guy,” she said softly. Her old tag line. She seemed to love it.

  He rubbed his cheek against her ruby hair. “Thanks. I think.”

  The empty system was a red dwarf system. The captain had them shape a course away from the direct line, using one of the gas giants as a sling shot. There weren't many planets in the system, a couple of super gas giants, one with rings, and a lot of rocky moons and little else. Since the system didn't have a belt and seemed to be low on rare metals it had been overlooked in the sector's colonization. Or at least that was one reason why anyway.

  Most species avoided dwarf star systems. Oh they'd pass through them, but unless something of keen interest was in or nearby no one really wanted to stop and set up shop in one for very long. They just didn't offer a lot to gain from the relationship when there were so many other G type stars out there.

  “It's weird no one came here to terraform.”

  Irons thought about the twist of fate, he'd been thinking of the reason while she'd been thinking about the question. He snorted mentally and then answered. “Planets are mostly gas giants. Big ones that have a lot of radiation. There are one or two rocky planets but they are too close to the star. The moons are all rock, silicon and iron. No rare materials to mine. No one wanted them.”

  “Oh.”

  “Just a cross roads.”

  “We're getting an object, derelict...” the sensory officer said looking up in concern.

  Immediately tension filled the bridge. They were about half way on their journey, the perfect place to be ambushed. To far away from the relative safety of a jump point. Great, captain Ferguson thought blackly. They had gotten complacent where they least needed to be.

  “Let me have a look.” the captain said. He frowned at the image. After a long moment of study he grunted and then looked up to the communication's tech. “Send that to the Admiral, I don't recognize it. Maybe he will.”

  After a moment a signal beeped. The captain touched a control on his hand rest. “Yes Admiral?” he asked as the vid link opened. “Got something for us?”

  “Courier drone captain. Unmanned.”

  “Ah.”

  “By the looks it's civilian grade, most likely from a megacorp. I can't get a read on her though, it's a generic design so it could be from anyone. I would advise caution on approach however, the Xenos were known to send copies rigged with all sorts of nasty things inside.”

  “Ah, yes, that is a concern.” the captain frowned at the suddenly nervous crew.

  “Captain, we're getting some sort of weak signal. It's a digital signal but it's...” the Gashg put his clawed hand to his sensory piece. “I believe it is an automated distress signal.”

  “Let's have a look,” Ferguson said, nodding to the tech manning the sensors. She touched a control and a holo of the ship appeared.

  The drone was an automated ship, about twice the size of a runabout. The bow was peppered with sensors, the middle hump covered the power plant, the rear had sublight drives and the hyper drive. Such drones were good for one or two jumps and had a high failure rate.

  The ship was little more than that, a small crew, no more than a half dozen. Most likely a dumb AI, no smart AI in it's right mind would be caught dead in something like that. Irons had of course traveled in them from one assignment to the next but had hated the cramped quarters. The only thing going for them was the speed.

  The captain called a senior staff meeting and asked the Admiral to attend. Irons did so reluctantly. They settled in quickly, all excited by the derelict floating an AU away.

  Charlie the purser was intrigued and wants to bring the drone aboard but Irons and Bailey cautioned against it.

  “What about sending out a repair party to service it and program it to go to Pyrax?” Charlie asked. He seemed keenly interested in salvage. Irons wondered if there was something in their contract or just the engineering challenge. Or
hell, just the adventure. That might be it.

  Then again... starships were a rarity these days. It could be that, he mused. They knew that. Selling such a ship... it wouldn't haul much, it was mostly memory banks. Huh. Did they realize that he wondered?

  “Captain, we can't. Ah, it's spewing some major radiation. We've got spikes all over the board,” the sensory tech said, looking nervous about giving bad news.

  “Even now? Seven centuries later?” Charlie demanded. “I find that hard to believe!” he said, hands on his hips.

  “The half life of some radioactive material is measured in eons Charles,” Bailey said with a snort. He sighed mentally, already writing the project off as a bad endeavor.

  “Oh, it's too bad. We could use something like this,” Ferguson said indicating the flattened arrow head.

  Irons was surprised by that change in attitude. Did he mean a royal we or a more localized we? The royal we was much more interesting in his book.

  “We'll make more. Some day,” Bailey said looking at the Admiral.

  The captain glanced at them through the link, caught the look and then nodded. “Ah, I take it you can?” he asked, nodding to the Admiral.

  “Yes,” Irons admitted. “Ansibles as well but they are harder. I didn't bother in Pyrax since they are expensive and hard to make in a start up economy. I was focusing on infrastructure and defenses first.”

  “Well, we did have pirates on our minds.”

  “That too.”

  “And no one else to talk to.”

  “Something like that. That's changing though.” Bailey said. “Onward skipper?”

  “Onward. Make it so Mister Clarke.”

  “So this reserve posting...”

  “Yes?” Irons asked as they maneuvered the last satellite to the boat bay. He'd just finished building it and Bailey and stopped in to lend him a hand moving it since he was now off shift. He preferred moving it during graveyard, to keep accidents with bystanders to a minimum and to minimize the exposure to the crew... he didn't want a lot of people talking about this. Bailey, Chambers, and the captain had reluctantly agreed.