Destiny's Choice (The Wandering Engineer) (12 page)

Jerry
looked up, tear streaked face earnest and as innocent as he could muster. “I
was just... Just...” he whined. Bailey's hand flashed out and slapped the kid
across the face. He rocked with the blow.

“You
want my advice kid? Keep your trap shut,” Bailey snarled. “Keep your nose short
and to the grindstone. Don't fuck around like that again. Got it?”

“Yeah
I got it,” he rubbed his cheek.

“Don't
ever, ever do this again,” Bailey snarled. “Now get out of my sight and stay
out till I  tell you different.”

Jerry
rushed to his feet and left.

“Well,
that was fun,” he said with a sour smile. He sniffed then grimaced. “Oh
hell...” He went over to where the kid was standing. There was a suspicious
stain on the carpet. “Oh no you didn't,” he growled. He knelt and sniffed. He
could smell the ammonia, it was pretty strong. “Oh yes he did. Great.” He
called a cleaning robot over then sat back in the chair and turned the AC up.
He'd definitely need air fresheners. And lots of them. At least it was piss and
not shit.

“He
had it coming and more chief,” Sprite replied from his console.

He
rocked his chair then turned an eye her way. “Don't like hackers?”

“Never
did. At least the ones who make viruses,” she said and then shook her virtual
head. “Damn fool. I hope putting the fear of god in him will work.”

“It's
not the fear of god, it's the fear of ME I'm more interested in putting into
him. And a definite soul aching sensation to stay out of trouble. Maybe a
healthy dose of paranoia as well. Keep the little fuck honest.”

“You
do have a way with words,” the AI replied with a laugh.

“All
right. Now, about these software fixes, I understand you rewrote the antivirus
software. Can we do something about an AI? I mean, not like you of course, I
know we can't handle something of your caliber, or at least two of you in the
same net... but something better than a basic net?”

“I'll
see what I can do,” Sprite replied with a smile. She was heartened by the chief's
attitude. There was hope for this civilization. “I've got crawlers and spiders
all over the net reforming the index. It should speed your system up, but you
really need more neural networks if you want an AI. At least a class 2 or
better.”

“A
class one will work if that's the best we can get,” Bailey sighed. “I'd like
more but I know where our limits are. Besides, I don't think a class 2 or
higher really deserves to be stuck here running around in our tiny ship. Making
runs like we're going to be stuck doing,” he said. He shook his head. “Smart AI
like you deserve bigger and better things.”

“Why
thank you,” Sprite said with a smile. That changed into a wary look. “Okay,
what are you buttering me up for this time?” she asked.

“Oh
you know me so well,” the chimp laughed turning to her and rubbing his hands
together at her expression.

“Can
I help you?” a feline voice said behind him. Irons paused. He was in the
entrance to sickbay. He didn't remember an attendance desk at the entrance on
the plans though. It must have been a new addition.

Irons
turned to see a Neo cheetah standing in the office. “Sorry, I was looking for
the Doc. Bryan Kelly I believe.”

He
was still getting a handle on the medic. Kelly had some skills, he had plenty
of people skills and from what Sprite told him about his reading, he had an
avid interest in bettering himself through education. But he had volunteered to
take a ship's posting over going to school and getting a full medical degree
like he apparently wanted.

It
was just as well. There were very few doctors in Pyrax. A freighter usually ran
light, with the minimum crew it could get away with. That usually meant they
ran with a paramedic anyway instead of a doctor. A full time doctor would be
bored to tears in next to no time on a ship this size.

“He's
off shift. I'm the resident on duty. How can I help you? Admiral right?” she
asked picking a white medical smock off a hook on the wall and shrugging it on.
She was a Neo cat. A cheetah. She had incredibly long thin limbs and was his
height, something most Neo cats didn't achieve. Her lean frame screamed racer.
She seemed vaguely familiar as well.

“You're
a medic?” Irons asked surprised.

“Last
time I checked.” She flicked her white spotted ears and smiled a tight lipped
smile in amused patience. “I've got the night shift so Bryan can get some
rest.” She picked up a stethoscope and stuck it in her breast pocket. “I was a
medic for my gang for a long time. My name is Cheetahra. The ninetieth or
something. I lost count. I know it's cliché, but that's what my parents stuck
me with,” she said and then shrugged. She flexed her claws for a moment.

“Oh,”
Irons blinked again.

“Thanks
for giving me my ticket for free, but I'm working part of my passage to keep
busy and for more start up money. That way I'll have more money for start up
where ever I end up,” The Neo cheetah said nodding. “You and I met before.
Anvil Sickbay. Briefly.”

Suddenly
it clicked. “Cat clan? Ah, Leo's pride?” he asked amused. He did remember her
now. She looked a lot better than before. He could tell she had put on weight,
and not fat either. Muscle mass definitely. Before her ribs had been showing
and her fur had been a bit mangy and unkempt. Now she was clean and neat. Good.
Very good.

“Yes.
I was,” she meowed in distaste and then shrugged. “I've been saving my money
for quite a long time for this. To get away from the clan.” She patted Nara the
coonie as she passed by on patrol. Bryan had several of the critters running
around. Supposedly they were here for pest management and for emotional
comfort. Since his experience on Io 11 he knew both roles were true. Of course
it was true in his time as well.

There
he went again he thought with a pang. Separating the previous time, the Xeno
war with this time. Either way it was his time. He'd have to think of something
to describe to himself the separation. He didn't need to separate himself from
this time period. He couldn't remain aloof and uninterested in what was going
on around him.

“But
they followed you anyway,” Irons said. He had wondered how the others had
afforded tickets on the passage. Perhaps they had been discounted to get
troublesome individuals out of the system?

“So
I'm getting off where they aren't,” the cheetah replied. “I'm tired of being
the omega. The clown everyone slaps around. The bottom of the pack,” she
growled softly. “It's time I went off on my own. Started seeing the galaxy for
myself,” she said with a sniff and then licked an exposed shoulder.

“It'll
get mighty lonely after a while,” he murmured.

She
looked away then back to him. “I've got a way to prevent that. If I don't find
other cheetahs I can grow my own family,” she said looking up. She smiled.
“I've got genetic samples from every surviving cheetah on Anvil going back four
generations.”

“Interesting,”
Irons replied digesting that. She was obviously smarter and more determined
than he initially thought. Good for her, it increased her chances for not only
survival, but to thrive. “You've planned this carefully.”

“Actually,
my ancestors did,” she said and then shrugged. “Unfortunately none of the other
cheetahs were interested in coming. There are only six of us left and we're
pretty closely related. Now there are five, now that I've gone.” She flicked
her ears again.

“Huh.
I wonder how they are making out,” Irons replied.

“Shitty
as usual for most. I heard Senjix was going for the marines to get away from
the gangs. Good luck there. Tomax and Xamot will probably follow when they are
old enough. The rest...” She shrugged.

“Not
your problem?” he asked.

She
shrugged. “No, not really. Oh I'll send word where I end up. That way if they
want to follow and set up near me they can.”

“Good
point,” Irons nodded.

“You
never did say why you're here,” she said picking up a tablet.

“Sorry,”
Irons grimaced. He looked around, soaking it up for a second. The infirmary was
clean and neat, white washed walls with the occasional marking on a door or
cabinet indicating what was inside. Since this was a civilian freighter the
infirmary was small and had limited storage and equipment. He'd hate to see a
lot of traffic here.

There
were a half a dozen gurneys around the perimeter and one near the center.
Cabinets were everywhere. Brightly marked Paramedic back packs and oxygen masks
were racked near the door. Good. “I was bored so I figured I'd come by and do a
little work on some of the systems and see how the ident program was going. But
if you're busy...”

“I
am. Cataloging inventory and dealing with Ident chip crap,” she waved a tablet.
“People claiming to be sick after getting one, of all things.” She brandished
her wrist. “I got one, no sweat.”

They
had been fortunate to find the indentichip fabricator. Irons had helped Bryan
set it up in a nearby compartment then cleared the decks to allow the line of
people in to get their chip. Their implant. It was amusing to see the different
opinions. Those that were eager, and those that were terrified.

“It
only takes a second,” Irons nodded.

“And
we're the first full crew to do it,” she said. He shook his head. She caught
his expression and frowned. “We're not?”

He
shook his head. She made a moue. “No, Io 11 implemented the same procedure
before heading to Pyrax actually,” he explained. “Sorry to burst your bubble.”

“No,
that's... that's okay, I get it,” she nodded and then mewed in distaste as a
crewman came in hunched over.  She went to him. Irons could smell vomit and
sweat. Either it was another psychosomatic response or someone had gotten some
of that rotgut that was going around. When would people learn not to drink
something you knew wasn't exactly safe? “I think it should wait for Bryan's
approval. It's his sickbay after all,” she shrugged. “I'm just the stand in.”

“Okay.
I'll do that,” Irons nodded watching her go to work.

“Though
you could fix the replicator since you're here,” she said going over to the
machine built into the wall. “It's one of three fully functional ones on the
ship. Industrial one I mean, though that one's supposed to be a medical one.
The rest are still in boxes I think. This one is supposed to make general meds
but it keeps malfunctioning or something.”

“Okay,”
Irons nodded. “I'll get to work.” He went over and morphed his arm, jacking
into the universal port.

Her
eyes went wide as saucers at the sight then she nodded. “Damn that's wild,” she
breathed, eyes reverent. She shook her head. “I'll be ah, over ah, here going
over the notes from today. Let me know if you need anything.” She kept sneaking
glances his way.

“Sure
thing,” Irons said with a nod.

The
chimp engineering chief looked up then sighed as Ed, the chief of security came
into main engineering. Apparently something of what had happened with Jerry had
worked it's way back to him. Or Ed was just making the rounds finally. He was
betting on Jerry though. He nodded politely to the assistant who got the hint
and left without a backwards glance.

“Chief
can I see you in your office?”

“Sure.”

“Since
I couldn't get you to come to mine?” the security chief growled as they walked
to the office.

The
chief shot the taller man a hard look as they moved towards the door. “That's
cause I'm a tad busy,” Bailey said, trading dig for dig.

“Didn't
look it.”

“Everyone
needs their marching orders. And to get onto the same page,” Bailey said,
sitting at his desk. He moved the chair closer so he could prop his short legs
up onto the desk. He crossed them then smiled. “What can I do you out of
today?”

“I
just found out we had a computer security breach yesterday.”

“Handled,”
Bailey said eyes flashing.

“Not
by me.”

“No,
by me. One of my people. I put the fear of me into the little puss bag. Maybe
it'll scare him straight. But now I know who to keep an eye on if something
like that ever happens again.”

“Oh.
Would you care to identify the culprit?” Ed asked.

“Why?
So you can arrest him?” Bailey said. “I told you,
I
disciplined him.
My
department, my rules.”

“But
I am the security chief,” Ed said teeth gritted. He turned as the door opened.
The captain came in. “Ah captain....” he said as both men got to their feet.

“I
heard you wanted to speak to me?” The captain asked as they both rose. Bailey
shook his head and grimaced, indicating the chief of security. “What's so
urgent and why did you call me down here?” he asked, looking from one to the
other.

Bailey
raised his hands up. “I didn't. Your place is on the bridge. Or okay, where ever
you want to be. captain's prerogative and all that,” Bailey said shrugging and
raising his hands helplessly.