Captain Cosette (9 page)

I
should
ask
the
doctor
where
I
came
from
. 

Then she laughed out loud, realizing the doctor would probably start talking about
how babies are born, and climbed the steps to the first cat walk.

She went down each cat walk, checking what was stored.  Some crates were new and some were old, spotted with oil and dust.  She lifted a small container and read the part number.  Her brain responded with
replacement
hinge
for
the
cargo
door
of
a
JUKE
class
Shuttle
.  She patted the box and went on.  The inventory had no organization that she could tell, not by number or name or vehicle.  How anyone could find anything in this mess was a puzzle.

She climbed the ladder to the highest catwalk, held on firmly, and looked down.

I’m
not
used
to
heights
!

She walked
more carefully, grateful for the secure metal railing. 

So far, she had not run into replacement seals for the EMCON 4 idler wheels, but she had found other parts for the tank, so she was determined to search to the end of the catwalk.  Unfortunately,
the boxes at the end of the catwalk were stacked solidly, and she had to climb up on top of the boxes to see the labels of the ones at the far end.

The boxes at the end looked the right size to hold replacement seals, but they were stacked so the labels weren’t visible.

Why
don’t
they
put
labels
on
all
sides
? 
It
would
make
life
so
much
easier
.

Grumbling, she crawled to the end of the catwalk, held on tight with one hand, and turned a box so she could see the printing on it.

Hooray
,
that’s
the
right
parts
number
! 
Now
if
I
can
only
drag
it
as
I
scoot
backwards
…

“
May I help you?”

She screamed, startled by the voice.  She twisted around to see who had spoken, and was startled
once more to find she was looking into a large pair of lenses suspended on a metallic neck.

She slipped and started to fall from the catwalk.  She reached out to grab the railing, but at that same instant her mind recognized what she had seen and made another connection.

Robots
.

Snap
.

An array of robots filled her mind, from miniscule grease cleaners to ponderous miners, from mindless automatons to near-sentient intelligences, the artificial helpers of mankind.

She missed the railing.

Before she could scream again, something caught her by the middle and stopped her fall. 
“Be careful, Cadet!  It is dangerous up here.”  Metallic arms pulled her back to safety.

She collapsed on the cat walk and wrapped her arms around the railing, trying to make her heart stop pounding. 
“Thank you!” she said, finally seeing her rescuer clearly.

It was a spidery-looking robot with a
disk-shaped body, and six evenly-spaced multi-jointed legs.  Its two lenses were supported by a flexible neck that came from a central swivel. 

I
know
how
to
assemble
one
of
those
. 

This utility robot was called a spinner, and was ideal for areas like this, able to move easily along the outside of cat walks and to slip under the sub-flooring. 

“You’re welcome,” said the spinner.  “I was afraid that I had caused you to slip, and that I would be responsible for your death.  Even now I am oscillating badly.”  He held up the tip of one leg, which vibrated.

“
You’ve got an EM chip in you.  You’re empathic!”  Her new memories told her that spinners had a slot for an EM chip but weren’t normally equipped with one.  The EM chip provided an emotional side to a robot’s operating system, not considered useful for units assigned to manual labor.

The spinner’s lenses lowered and examined
Cosette’s name tag.  “Cadet Nicholas.  You are an engineer?”

“
No.”

“
How do you know about the empathic chip?”

She swallowed.  Her head had stopped spinning
, her heart was beating slower, and she was pretty sure she had never had a conversation with a robot before.

“
From a teaching machine.”

“
You’re the first Union soldier I’ve met who knew about the EM chip.”  The spinner scanned her from head to foot.  “Are you injured?  Should I send for medical assistance?”

She pulled herself to her feet, being careful to stay close to the wall. 
“No, I’m not hurt.  I should have been more careful.  I was trying to get to those seals.”

The spinner slid to the outside of the railing, danced along the side to the end of the catwalk, and returned with the box of seals. 
“Is this what you needed?”

“
Yes, thank you.”

“
Are you repairing that tank where Cadet Jason was working?”

“
Yes.”

“
I will carry them down for you.”

“
I’d appreciate that, but….”

“
But?”

“
What is your name?”

“
My name?  My model number is too long to be convenient. Call me Spinner.”

“
Thank you, Spinner.”

“
You are welcome.  I will stay below you while you get safely down.”

“
I’d appreciate that.”  She climbed down the ladder, which required her to get to the edge of the catwalk again.  She descended carefully, grateful that the last couple of catwalks had their own stairs.

What
was
its
name again
?

“
Robot?” she asked as she walked to the tank.

The round flat robot skittered alongside her on four legs, its middle pair of arms arching up to hold the box of seals.
“Yes?” 

“
Why weren’t you helping…the other technician?”

“
Cadet Jason?  I do not like Cadet Jason.”

“
You’re not serious.”

“
I am serious.  He treats me like one of his hammers.  He never says thank you.  You talk to me like I am sentient, so I will help you.”

This
is
so
strange
. 

“
Do you know if we have the tool to pull these seals from the wheel?”

“
Yes.  I will get it.”  It set the box down beside the leaking wheel, and raced back up the wall.

She shivered; she didn’t like spiders.  She didn’t know why, but she swiped her hair with her hand as though knocking something away.
  And her hair didn’t feel right; it was too short.

The robot returned with the tool, and
Cosette pulled the leaking seal and replaced it.  A few gentle taps with a cushioned hammer seated it properly, and the robot returned the tools and the box to where they belonged. 

She was hungry, but pleased at having done some useful work. 

I’m
used
to
work
. 
It
feels
normal
. 

There was much more that she could do in the bay – the fighter craft needed servicing, other tanks showed signs of wear – but it was probably time to eat.  She had no watch; she had never needed one when she….when she…whatever it was she used to do.

“What was your name again?”

“
Spinner.”

“
Spinner, what time is it?”

“
17:55, Station Time.”

“
Oh, no!  Dinner’s almost over!”  She ran towards the bay’s double doors.  “I won’t be able to eat until breakfast!”

The doors opened and she almost ran into a man in dress uniform.  He looked familiar. 

“Cadet Nicholas!” he said.  “The computer said you were in the bay.  Working already?”

“
Um.  Yes, sir?”

“
Initiative.  I like that in a recruit.  Making sure the fighter craft are top shape.  I’m a pilot when I’m off-station, you know.”

“
Thank you, I will work on them, but right now I’m late for dinner.”

“
Well, you can’t go to the mess hall in that dirty uniform, and certainly not with oil all over your hands and face.”

“
But it’s about to close and…”

“
Now, now.”  He raised a finger in warning.  “First of all, you need to keep better track of time.  Secondly, you are welcome to dine with me as my guest.  The officers eat later.”

“
Oh!  That’s very kind of you.”

“
Not at all.  Afterwards I’ll give you a tour of the station.  But you do need to scrub yourself up and put on your dress uniform.”

“
Of course.  Thank you….”  She peered at his name tag.  “Lieutenant Garale.”

“
Still forgetful?  Don’t worry about it.  I’ll be outside your quarters in thirty minutes.”

“
I’ll be ready!”  She ran down the corridor, excited.  Lieutenant Somebody looked handsome in his uniform. 

If she had ever been invited to dinner before, she couldn’t remember, but she was sure she would enjoy it.  The Lieutenant was looking out for her and she was grateful.

She showered with hot water, scrubbed until her hands were red, stood under the drier until her hair was mostly dry, and got into her dress uniform.  There was a note on her bed from a man named Rasora. 

Sorry
I
missed
you
, it said. 
I’ve
been
assigned
to
kitchen
duty
. 
I’ll
catch
you
soon
.

She wondered who Rasora was, and why he wanted to catch her.  Was he the kid with acne from the maintenance bay?  No, he couldn’t be him. 
He didn’t like her.

She shrugged, slipped into her shoes, and stepped out to find the handsome Lieutenant waiting for her.  He led her to the dining hall, where they were seated at a table for four. 

A sliding wall had divided the room, making it more intimate.  There was no sign that the wall was moveable, but Cosette had the station designs in her head, so she knew how adjustable the space was.

The smaller area seated sixteen with four round tables, each covered with a linen tablecloth.  Cadets moved swiftly among the seated officers, serving drinks and taking orders.  Lieutenant Garale ordered for the both of them.

He introduced the other two at the table.  Second Lieutenant Reiff was an officious man with piercing eyes, and the woman next to him with the short lustrous hair and regal bearing was Lieutenant McColpin. 

“
Cadet Nicholas is new,” explained Garale, “and I’m treating her to dinner.”

“
Yes,” said the woman, her voice pitched low.  “I’m sure you are.”

Reiff nodded at
Cosette once and ignored her after that.  “Does anyone know yet why they haven’t sent troops to take back Sorine?”

“
Not over dinner,” said Garale.  “Let’s talk about something pleasant.”

“
For Reiff, war is pleasant,” said the woman.  “Cadet Nicholas, you’re from Sorine?”

“
I was born there, I believe.”

“
That’s right, I heard your memory was injured.  I’m so sorry.  I suppose you wouldn’t be able to tell me where they make this marvelous wine?  When I retire I want to invest in it.”

Cosette
lifted her glass and looked at it closely.  She had almost finished it without thinking.  She sniffed it.  “It’s familiar.  Very familiar.  Almost…”

“
I know they use that ambrosia fruit for it, but where do they grow it?” the woman asked.