Ghost Station (The Wandering Engineer) (4 page)

BOOK: Ghost Station (The Wandering Engineer)
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“So
you say,” he said amused. Yes he was a cyborg, one of the few left in the
universe. He was also one of the best, one of the most advanced beings in the
universe. The Trinity project alone had... he shrugged the thought off.

“Come
on, let's get a few more things done in here then I'll go see if I can find someone
to bug about helping out here,” he growled.

“Tired
of routine maintenance already?” Sprite asked amused as he jacked in. She felt
a flicker of annoyance as her firewall was hammered by more viruses. “Damn it I
thought I took care of these buggers,” she grumbled.

“Sounds
like I'm not the only one who's tired of routine maintenance,” he said sitting
back and tucking his free hand under his head. “Let me see,” he said.

She
threw a data sheet up on his HUD and then dumped her log and a system map she
had compiled. He flicked through it, not really interested in it, just
interested in passing the time.

“Admiral
we're getting reports of a problem with the reactor.”

“Oh?”
he asked. She highlighted a pair of text messages between engineers. “I thought
you couldn't access the engineering systems from here?” he asked.

“I
can't. What I can do is get into the communications between the crew,” she
said. He pursed his lips as he scanned the dialog. Then he sat up fast.

“That's...
are they sure it's a D harmonic?” he asked. According to the dialog the
engineers were concerned about a D harmonic in the reaction chamber. The
reactor crew was still busy trying to install his three force emitters. One had
mentioned possibly suiting up and trying to enter the chamber. That was suicide
and futile, no one could withstand the inside of a fusion reactor. Not and live
for more than an instant.

“From
the sounds of this they are using the usual, straight hydrogen,” Irons said
slowly, scanning through the dialog. Sprite was picking through various
conversations to build a better understanding on the ship and how it was
functioning. It was a crude method for an AI to deduce information, highly
fraught with error, but the only one they currently had available.

“By
the way did you know that that door was supposed to be locked?” Sprite asked
amused.

“Locked?”

“Yes.
The... here,” she highlighted a line of text from a guard to the security
chief. “Door secure. Our guest will not be going anywhere soon,” it said.

“Are
you sure it's about me?” he asked.

“Yes,”
Sprite said.

“Okay...
I'm a little concerned and annoyed,” he admitted.

“I
would be too. In fact I am. Rather rude.”

“I
think they have other things on their minds,” he said pursing his lips as he
tried to think. “Any way to page the chief engineer? Volunteer my services?”

“She's
incommunicado,” Sprite informed him. “I gather she bounces any reports from
anyone who isn't in her friends list,” Sprite said sarcastically. He snorted.

“Stupid.
Okay, can you find the next in the chain of command? Or a bridge officer?” he
asked. “I'd rather stick to an engineer though,” he said. It took an engineer
to know an engineer. If he could get in the good graces of one it would make
integration easier.

“This
ship is a death trap admiral. I... from this conversation I estimate the ship's
reactor is either going to cascade fail within a few hours or it will scram.
They have little or no computer support handling it.”

“Seriously?”
he asked suddenly surprised.

“Apparently
it's offline. Or it's having a hard time dealing with the parts. Admiral I
just... here.” Sprite highlighted a section of text. In it someone was asking,
no begging for the field emitters from his launch.

“A
shuttle's field emitters? Why?” he asked, eyes scanning the text once more.
What the hell were they playing at now?

“Apparently
their damage is a bit more than we knew,” Sprite said. “And I gather they have
been using parts from shuttles to repair their reactor.”

His
lips puckered in a sour grimace. “Oh that's just stupid,” he said shaking his
head.

The
reactor was out of balance, there was a D harmonic growing in the reaction
chamber. The reactor was also using straight hydrogen for fuel, which greatly
lessened its power ratio and heightened its radiation emissions. Throw in jury
rigged sections of the bottle being made out of parts never designed for the
role or the load and a computer that wasn't up to the task of handling the
challenge and yes, they were in trouble.

Then
of course there was the distribution of power on the ship. He scanned through
what Proteus was picking out of Sprite's catch. Plasma conduits were out in
several sections of the ship, and half the sensors were jury rigged from many
sources. The ship really was myopic and on its last legs. He sighed and tried
to think. He rubbed his brow wishing he had coffee.

 “This
is just getting better and better by the moment admiral,” Sprite said. “We've
got another group in the shuttle bay. Want to guess what they are there to do?”

“It's
the same group as previous admiral,” Defender reported coldly. “They are again
approaching the shuttle. One of them has a plasma cutter.”

Irons
felt a bit of alarm. He was pretty sure what they were there to do, and he
wasn't going to allow it. No, not his ship, not on his watch.

He
tapped his implants and linked with the computer on the shuttle. The signal was
weak, there were a lot of decks and bulkheads to pump the signal through but he
managed it. He felt the typical out of body sensation as he brought up the
sensors on the shuttle and activated its reactor start up procedures.

There
were now twenty people in the bay, and all were carrying equipment. Two were
arguing, and he turned up the exterior audio to pick it up. Defender filtered
out the other voices and focused on the two arguing. “I told you to have this
thing stripped hours ago Barry,” the angry forty year old female said to the
leader of the chastened looking men.

One
responded that the ship was locked down and she grimaced. He motioned for her
to try and she stalked over to the shuttle hatch. Irons was fairly certain
she'd fail too but then Irons realized she was holding a ground line and a
security bypass in one hand. That changed things.

Alarmed,
the engineer started the preflight on the shuttle, beginning to warm up the
impellers and shields. If he turned them on in the chamber it would turn it
into a death trap, the shields would shatter bulkheads and send the parts in
the bay out to ricochet and spall everywhere.

He
hesitated and then decided to hold off. “Warn her off Defender,” he murmured,
watching the woman as her hand reached out with the ground near the hatch.

“Warning,
intruder warning. This is a Federation naval vessel protected by Federal law.
Any attempt to access or tamper this vessel without authorized consent of
Admiral Irons will activate weapon systems. This vessel will defend itself,”
Defender said over the audio from the launch.

Undeterred
she stepped to the shuttle and tried the hatch, then hunted for the keypad. She
began punching in numbers, then pulled out a screwdriver and started to take
the panel off. The ground line she had taped to the shuttle skin prevented her
from getting zapped.

Admiral
Irons immediately got up and unjacked and then started stuffing his duffel.
Things were going south fast. It may be time to get the hell out of dodge.

“Sentry
at the door now Admiral,” Defender reported.

“Fine,”
Irons replied.

Angry,
the engineer turned to leave the room anyway but then paused. He has a better
idea. He turned back to the shuttle feed and activated a sonic alarm. The
shattering scream knocked the woman back and many people behind her fall to
their knees in pain. The AI cuts the alarm then ordered them to leave. Several
members of the crew manage to get to their feet and stagger out. The woman
hesitated, but he gave a curt countdown to reactivate the alarm. She
immediately threw her tools down in disgust and left the bay.

 

“What
the hell was that?” Barry asked, rubbing Leia's shoulders as the woman tried to
recover from throwing up uncontrollably. Vomit stained the front of her
coverall. Its aroma was getting to the others. More than one person was doubled
over, holding a hand to their abdomens and another to their mouths as they
tried to get away. The audio nightmare had been too much for many of them.

“Sonic
alarm. I've heard of it but never experienced it,” Quinna said, puckering her
lips and sticking a finger in her ear to clear it. She winced, feeling a major migraine
coming on. She thought of reporting to the captain with the delay and the
headache got a lot worse. Great. There was no recourse of course; she had to do
her duty. She turned and searched for a working comm. panel.

ñ
Chapter 2

 

The
housekeeping robot reported it has completed the corridor, and was returning
just as the last of the crew exited the bay. This was going to be interesting
he thought as the hovering robot came to his door. He watched through its feed
as it came to the door, and the startled guards hesitated as it activated the
door and entered the room. It hovered over to him and he grabbed it, and then
looked at the guards. “Can I help you gentlemen with something?” he asked
casually. One looked at him in disbelief, but the other snarled and slapped the
door key pad, shutting the door. Shrugging the engineer went back to packing
his gear, and then changed into his skin suit.

“Skin
suit?” Sprite asked as the shoulder seal wove itself into his arm.

“Security
precaution,” Defender responded. “Prudent. If they attempt to remove the
atmosphere he will be protected.”

“We
would have protected him anyway,” Sprite said.

“That
remains to be seen. It is still wise to be cautious,” Defender responded. “I
have used the house cleaner robot to access the security system in the corridor
outside,” Defender reported.

“Show
me,” he said packing gear.

Defender
tapped the security system, and it showed him his corridor, as well as bits and
pieces of shots from still functioning sections nearby.
He had it pull
in to the party outside the shuttle bay, and frowned as the woman informed the
captain that the shuttle was protected.

“That's
Quinna the chief engineer admiral,” Sprite informed him.

“Great,”
he said. “So this isn't a casual act of theft. Even better. At least they
didn't wait until we were in hyper before they tried this,” he said coming to a
decision. It was definitely time to leave. He wasn't happy about being stuck on
the mud ball in this system, but right now any port in a storm....

He
picked up that they were planning to strip the shuttle and either enslave or
space him, and he growled darkly over the idea. “So, that tears it,” he
snarled. He could feel Defender pulling up his systems and booting his shields.
“Sprite, Comm. the bridge,” he ordered.

“Yes?
Who is this?” a voice asked testily. He winced at the harmonics in the voice.
The volume was also all over the place.

“This
is admiral Irons. I am assuming I am speaking with the executive officer of
this ship. Am I not?”

The
voice sputtered. He snorted as he finished closing his duffel. “There have been
four security breach attempts on my shuttle. Would you care to explain?” he
demanded.

“Who
the hell is that?” another voice asked. He could hear the exec shushing someone
in the background.

“I'm
going to check out my shuttle. Make sure there hasn't been any damage,” he
said.

“You
can't do that. Remain in your quarters,” the exec snarled.

“If
you do not wish for my company then I will leave. I'll even be nice and not
demand my money back for trading with you,” Irons growled. “I suggest you keep
out of my way. You won’t like the consequences if you don't,” he growled
coldly.  The sputtering exec was cut off as Sprite cut the circuit. The
engineer shouldered his bag & toolkit, and then pulled out a stunner. He
didn't really need the weapon, his own arm can act as a stunner, but the threat
of the actual weapon can be a better deterrent than his arm.

He
tried to open the door, and found it locked. A quick hand on it unlocked it.
Before he opened it a stop sign appeared on his HUD. He hesitated.

“Admiral;
the female chief engineer, identified as Quinna O’Mallory is on her way, as are
the exec and several more guards.” Defender reported.

The
AI opened the door and he stepped out in the corridor. Surprised, the guards
protested, and he brandished his stunner and then ordered them into the room.
Startled one stepped forward and he stunned him. The man crumpled like a puppet
with its strings cut. The other stepped back, eyes wide.

“Take
him in there,” he said, motioning with his stunner. “Son don't try to be a
hero,” he growled. The kid shook his head, sweating heavily. He had him drag
his partner into the room. Closing and locking the door, the engineer made his
way to the shuttle bay.

BOOK: Ghost Station (The Wandering Engineer)
9.22Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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