Plague Planet (The Wandering Engineer) (8 page)

The Chief of course sat with her back to the corner, eying the
room with a professional air. He saw her hand twitch, she of course was making
sure no one would come up behind her and she had a clear view... and clear
access to her weapon when or if needed. He nodded in approval when their eyes
briefly met. Her eyes cut away. His infrared caught a slight flush in her
cheeks.

He and the Chief hadn't been on good terms for most of his trip on
Io. In fact she'd done her level best to get rid of him for a while, usually
out an airlock without benefit of a suit. Eventually though she'd seen him as
an asset, and then to his amusement she and her Captain grandmother hadn't let
him leave for a while! He'd been amused and annoyed at the sudden paradigm
shift in her thinking.

When they had been forced to work together, first in various projects
related to ship's security but later in crises like the hostage rescue on
Centennial they had grown to a grudging respect of one another.

The barmaid came over and took their order, jotting it down with
chalk on a piece of slate before leaving. Irons snorted when Dorah caught
Hibiki looking and kicked his shin under the tile covered table.

“Some things never change. How are things?”

“Well...” she paused as the barmaid came with their order. The
admiral paid her and then nodded as she placed a bowl of stale pretzels in the
center of the table. He smiled politely and thanked the woman but she was
already gone.

They exchanged stories. They told him about the doctor being set
up on Seti Alpha 4 and reuniting with his family. The captain had given a
grudgingly heartfelt apology for abducting him. The doctor's response had been
dry but he'd appreciated the hospital they had set him up with, along with the
all the school books and equipment for his wife the teacher. “We really didn't
need two full doctors on-board, though it was nice. Now  he's passing on
everything he learned to his own people and others who come by. And using all
the supplies and stuff we gave them to help make sure a lot more people live
longer,” Dorah said earnestly.

The admiral nodded. “Good.”

They told him about their adventures in Halced 6, New Haven, and
Aiera 3, along with Nightingale and New Brunswick before they retraced their
steps and had arrived a week ago in Epsilon.

In turn he told them about his adventures in Pyrax and on Destiny
and Antigua. When he admitted to Sprite the chief interrupted. “Sprite?” she
asked coolly, one sculpted eyebrow raised in inquiry.

“Lieutenant Commander Sprite. My central AI.” He met her level
gaze with his own. “You don't show all your cards chief and neither do I.”

Her eyes glittered but slowly, grudgingly she nodded in response.
He smiled, hearing Jen breathe a sigh of relief.

“Speaking of which,” Irons said holding up his right palm.
“Sprite?”

His hand morphed into a holo emitter and a miniature version of
the AI came to attention. “I was about to page you Admiral, the captain of the
IO 11 is calling Phoenix.”

“First things first, Sprite,” he nodded to the others.
“Introductions are long overdue,” he said with a smile of apology. “Commander
Sprite, I believe you know each of the people here.”

Sprite nodded politely to each in turn. “Indeed I do. It is good
to finally come out of the closet a bit and meet you formally though,” Sprite
said, pursing her lips. Her image swelled until only her head and shoulders
were projected, this time life size.

Irons noticed something wrong and realized it was the intense
quiet in the bar. He looked around to see the other patrons staring.

The chief caught his gaze and turned. “As you were people,” she
growled looking around the room. The bartender grunted and went back to wiping
the bar down in front of him.

Irons snorted softly. “I can't believe you had her this entire
time and never told me!” Dorah accused him, clearly annoyed but excited. She
put her hand through the holo and then waved her palm over it as Sprite's image
wavered. “Oh sorry.”

Sprite rolled her eyes. She turned to see the intent glitter of
the chief's look and snorted softly. “No hard feelings chief?” she asked.

“I...” the chief blinked, then her eyes narrowed. “No.”

“Good. I'd hate to play with your shower again...” Sprite said
coyly.

“Sprite,” Irons growled, cutting her off. Sprite shrugged and
curtsied as the chief's eyes narrowed further. Her jaw clenched briefly.

“You, ah, said the captain is calling?” Irons said before the two
could go at it further.

“Yes, putting her through now admiral,” she said. Sprite's image
changed to that of the captain.

From the look of her the captain hadn't changed much. She still
had her trademark shawl and was aged but unbroken. She smiled crookedly at the
admiral. “Admiral that you?” she asked squinting. He nodded.

“It's good to see you again captain. I'm here with the chief and
her party now.”

The captain grunted and rested her hands on a gnarled cane.
“Harrumph. Figures they'd track you down. How are you doing?”

“Fine captain, I've got a ship and we're traveling,” he said. He
reiterated some of his story, sticking to the high points. He knew it was for
as much the captain's piece of mind as well as fodder for the gossip mill on
the ship. If he was a betting man he'd bet the entire conversation was being
broadcast all over the ship. The captain was intrigued by the developments but
dryly commented that Antigua would offer stiff competition.

“If the pirates leave them alone captain. I'm not sure about
that,” the admiral replied.

“Oh?” She sat back and rested her hands in her lap.

“The pirates have taken several worlds, including Destria.”

“Taken?” she asked, eyes narrowed.

The admiral nodded grimly. “Taking and holding, it turns out the
pirates are a bit more than anyone suspected. They are Horathians, sent out to
strip colonies of material to send back to their home system for their own
uses. We've discovered they have been fortifying their world and lately taking
neighboring worlds.”

“Horath is now off limits,” the captain said in stern disgust. She
turned to the left and nodded.

“Yeah. They are turning it into a black hole.”

“I'll say.”

“I see you've had quite a few adventures.”

The captain grunted. “I take it Hibiki and the others telling
tales out of school?”

“Just catching up with friend’s captain,” Hibiki said to the open
communicator, hands up.

“No offense Captain, he's a good kid, they all are,” The admiral
assured her. He nodded to the waitress as she policed the remnants of their
first order and placed refills down.

“Who needs to keep a lid on it,” the captain growled when the
waitress left.

Hibiki rolled his eyes but knew better than to say anything. He
was also careful to sit back out of range of the mini camera... or so he
thought.

“I saw that young man,” the captain growled. He froze. The other
girls giggled, hands over their mouths. Even the chief looked amused. The
admiral snorted.

“Sorry ma'am,” Hibiki replied sheepishly, hunching his shoulders.

“Well, we have a time table to keep. I want to be on Avalon for
their harvest to get the best fruit before they go to war again. Those idiots
always do for one reason or another. And I want some of that wood they sell so
let's be about things smartly.”

The crew from the Io all nodded. “Aye, aye captain,” they said in
unison.

“I've got some bartering to do. I understand you'll be competing
with me Admiral?” the captain asked, sounding amused.

“Something like that. Though why they want us to compete,” he
shook his head and then sighed.

“Good for you, a little healthy competition,” she cackled.

Irons smiled ruefully. He had the edge with his keys, but they had
the high ground with their enormous replicators and crew... not to mention
their holds stuffed with asteroids they'd just picked up. It was no contest
right now. Give him a couple weeks though... “True. I just need fuel and some
minor supplies though.”

“Then you won't mind paying through the nose for them,” the
captain teased with a glimmer of mischief in her old eyes.

“I have a feeling you'll make sure I do,” he replied dryly. He
heard her gravel voice chuckle as she closed the communication's channel. After
a moment Sprite's image returned.

“How goes the ship projects?” the admiral asked, leaning back and
looking at Jen and then Tara before finally settling on the chief.

“We didn't get far with that fighter project if that's what you're
asking about,” the chief responded in disgust. “For some reason Io won't make
the right parts. Talk about a lemon,” she said, clearly annoyed.

Sprite's image returned to the holo projection. “That's because
she's screening it for you. Had you tried to replicate mil-spec parts the
replicator would have shut down or melted down,” Sprite informed her. “My
daughter is protecting you.”

“Daughter?” Jen asked, looking from the admiral's hand to the
admiral's face. He shrugged.

The admiral shrugged and cocked his head to Sprite. “I'm not much
of a coder. She is. She's code itself remember.”

“Ah.”

“Io and I and Phoenix are talking on side bands. Sorry, um, If
you'll excuse me, you meat bags are just too slow,” Sprite said and left.

He snorted as the projection vanished. He clenched his hand and
then dropped it to his side. “I suggest you treat it like a shuttle,” the
admiral said, looking from Jen to Tara and then finally the chief. “Pop in
civilian grade components and then tune them to how you want them to run. The
level I mean. You won't get it to mil-spec...”

“But something is better than nothing. Thanks admiral,” Jen
replied with a smile.

“Exactly. Did you get anywhere making shuttles?”

“I...” Tara snorted when the chief growled and tried to kick her
under the table. “Chief...” she looked at her. “Knock it off.”

“We shouldn't be talking to the competition,” the chief growled,
eying Irons.

“He's not competition he's the admiral,” Dorah said stoutly.

“A bit of both in some eyes. Not that I intend to be competition.
If I can help I will,” the admiral replied with a nod.

“We know that Admiral,” Jen said, smiling softly.

“Did you date anyone?” Dorah asked. Irons sighed softly and closed
his eyes briefly. “Something I said?” Dorah asked, sounding concerned.

“I... yes Dorah, I dated someone. She... it was on Destiny.” He
related the events on Destiny, how he'd dated April O’Neill only to have her
snatched away from him by an assassin.

“So she's dead?” Dorah asked, eyes wide and mournful. She took
Hibiki's hand and held it.

“No, she is in stasis,” Irons replied, shaking his head.

“What a love story,” Jen murmured softly.

“So you and her... I mean you could eventually I mean...” Dorah
said, looking helplessly from him to Hibiki and finally to him again.

Irons sighed. “It's a big universe and some time has passed. I
don't know if she made it to Pyrax or not, I don't know if they saved her, and
if she started a new life or not.”

“Oh,” Dorah replied in a small voice.

“I doubt I'll ever go back to Pyrax,” the admiral mused. “It's a
snake pit. The naval contingent and some of the people on Anvil are all right
but the rest...” he shrugged, clearly annoyed. Finally he straightened his
shoulders as his jaw set. “The rest can all go to hell for all I care.”

“That's not like you mister admiral,” Dorah said, eyes wide in
concern.

“It is today Dorah. Don't worry about it. If it works out I'll try
to send word to you and the girls,” Irons said patting her hand. She smiled as
her fingers curled around his to hold his hand briefly.

“You do that,” she said softly.

They talked a bit more, mostly small talk before the conversation
wound down.

He finally said goodbye and hugged the girls and shook hands with
Hibiki before he left.

The bartering was stiff, Io's presence made it harder to get stuff
of course. They had more crew, more supplies, and of course they had a proven
track record while he was a complete unknown.

It wasn't that he needed a lot of material, at least not
critically, but if he was going to do the planned long jump the more fuel he
had the better off he would be pulling the jump off safely. He could have
course linger in the system, pick up rocks like Io11 did and make what he
needed but that would take time he didn't want to spend.

Besides, the captain and purser seemed to be enjoying the lively
exchange so much he didn't want to disappoint them. Though they did grumble
about having to ante in a lot more than they expected. Somehow something told
him it didn't bother them nearly as much as they were making out, he thought
wryly.