“Oh, I thought you would know, Captain.”
“I'm qualified to connect these primer leads so they don't burn out when we turn the new equipment on, but I have no idea how you keep magnetic fields running so antimatter doesn't start annihilating matter. I could guess, but like I said...”
“Boom,” the younger crew member said with a smile.
“Yup, boom,” I replied with a nod.
I hadn't actually seen the engineering staff at work for an extended amount of time until then. It was amazing how well Ayan and Laura had everyone working together. The easy efficiency throughout the department was a sight to behold. The work in engineering and the rest of the ship had been non-stop since we came out of hyperspace in the Gai-Ian system and the crew had fallen into an easy rhythm.
After twenty hours of solid work we were ready to bring all the primary power systems back online. I stood on the bridge as the faint hum of all the power plants made the ship feel alive again. I had gotten so used to the sound and feel I had forgotten it was there. Over the next two hours minor adjustments were made and our efficiency was greater than ever.
I ordered the engineering crew to take eight hours rest, and got some sleep myself after saying good night to Ayan.
The next morning I was outside the ship looking at the damage from above in zero gravity. There was breathable atmosphere, but around the outside of the ship there was no gravity unless you were standing directly on one of the dry dock equipment and observation platform deck plates. The massive breach that The Incinerator, the destroyer we defeated after escaping from Vindyne's custody, opened had begun to repair itself. The ergranian steel was working its slow magic. Ayan, myself, and several members of the repair and maintenance staff were looking over the connectors that would supercharge the rough, damaged edges of the hull so it would regenerate much faster. We had filled the yawning gap left by the Vindyne destroyer with salvage, like packing an open wound with gauze, and now all those materials were being sorted out above us. There was a vast assortment of items. Some would be installed, like the beam weapons, shield emitters and repulsors. Other items would be sold.
We had even managed to salvage enough furniture and interior components so we wouldn't have to buy much to replace what had been destroyed. We were refurnishing our own officers quarters with the contents of The Incinerator's officer's quarters for the most part, and it made me grin a little as I looked up to see where the pieces of furniture were being stowed above the ship temporarily.
I looked from one end of the breach to the other. It ran up the top of the ship for over fifty meters, exposing most of the devastated officer's quarters inside. “How long do you think it will take to regenerate it?”
“About two days. That's with two of the power plants running at full on the entire time to supercharge the hull,” Ayan replied as she watched one of the replacement rail cannon turrets get slowly lowered into place where it would become embedded in the hull during regeneration. The new turret had much heavier armour than the last, including its own energy shield emitter and four much longer barrels for increased accuracy. “The turrets we're installing should be much safer. The other ones were at least sixty years old. One of the things they didn't take the time to replace during the first refit.”
“I only wish we could upgrade all of them.”
“Eventually. But at least each one will have an independent energy shield now.”
“How do the rest of the upgrades look?” I asked.
“Thanks to all the preparations we made while we were in hyperspace, we'll only have to cut where we have to, install the new equipment, and seal up the hull. All the connections and support systems are already in place.”
“Not to mention all the planning. The instructions your department laid out for everyone involved in the repairs and upgrades read so well even I can understand the process from beginning to end. I don't know how you found the time.”
“I skipped sleeping,” Ayan said with a smile.
“I'm sure medical had something to say about that when you reported yesterday morning.”
Her bright mood darkened a little as she looked back to her command console and the holographic images that hovered over her forearm. “They know everyone's stretched a little thin.”
I was about to ask if she was all right, if there was anything I needed to know but the repair crew we had hired from the station came through one of the main airlocks above the ship. They wore vacsuits that looked like they had been through thick and thin. Some of them were patched and stained. Behind them they pulled a ten meter long anti gravity repair sled loaded with a variety of tools and parts. One of them piloted it slowly behind the rest using pulses from the repulsors. The one at the lead had a black beard and was the first to drift towards us.
He looked at the ship from bow to stern and whistled. “She's a beauty. Yer security boys tole me ta go up top fer words wi' the capn'. I'm called Foreman Berl, who’s Capn' Valent?” He asked in a gruff voice. It sounded like his vocal cords had been ground part way through by some corrosive gas.
“I'm Captain Valent,” I replied, drifting over and offering my hand. “Good to meet you.”
“Yup!” He looked at a simple computer console on his arm, which showed the time in big numbers: 07:00 “Schedule says I git 'ere at seven, start'n jus' befo eight. Whatcha havin' us do, Capn'?”
“Ever work with ergranian interiors before?”
“Ayuh, done a station onceatime. Took us near five a year.”
“All right. We'll be charging the outer hull which will be about six meters above your head, so be careful if you have to pass any of your gear through. You'll be spot charging and repairing the officer's quarters down there.” I said, pointing to where the officer's quarters used to be. Around the edges the doorways and walls, parts of the decks were still visible.
“Ye joshin! Offica's quartas? Be mah pleasa. Haven' worked fine detail in musta been months, but we'll make it betta than befoa fo ye. I bet me wage.”
Ayan handed him a small data stick containing all the specifications and modifications and smiled sweetly, “I believe you. How long do you think it will take?”
He was absolutely taken aback by her friendly demeanor and cleared his throat as he focused his concentration on the contents of the stick. “ell, chargin' an shapin' makes it real fast, maybe a forty hour, r' less.” He continued to page through the schematics. I had made some changes to my quarters to accommodate something I had found in The Incinerator's captain's quarters. I’d added extra support, mid deck armour, as well as removed some of the wasted space from other quarters, so even the regular crew quarters would be a bit more spacious. Berl continued looking through the schematics and details, saying. “Ayuh, ayuh, huh, ayuh,” under his breath all the while. “D'ya have all the mechanicals ye'll need 'ere? Door closin's n' computers n' tha like?”
“We still need a few computer terminals, holographic projectors, and door panels, but other than that you should find everything you need in the salvage.”
Berl looked up at the stowed furniture, held in place by a large net tethered to a post above the ship. “Ayuh, that'll fix. Now ah can git yuh fixed wi' tha projecta's n' computa's, n' it'll cost a pretty. Ya wanna save yerself cred, then git ta Larson's place, he fix ya cheap.”
“So you can sell me the computers and projectors but it'll be cheaper through Larson? Is he a friend of yours?”
“Ayuh. Good deala. Larson's Supply, git yuh fix right up, ayuh. Save me wage more n' onceatime, ayuh.”
“Thank you, I'll pay him a visit.”
“Ayuh, we git ta work.” He looked to his men and woman and shouted in a language I didn't even recognize. I looked at the command console on my arm and read the translation. “Get your asses down there and start cleaning up! I want to see shine everywhere I look in two hours so we can start regenerating the decks and shaping walls! We're not getting paid by the hour!”
I got his attention for a moment as h
is crew started unloading tools from the repair sled. “We want this done as fast as possible, but don't sacrifice quality. Do your best work here, and every captain I meet will know who is responsible,” I smiled.
"Yessah!”
Chapter 5
An Excursion
The entire crew had been set to work in shifts. All the tasks had been carefully planned to the last detail and set in priority for the next two days. With no more planning to do, Minh-Chu, Oz, Jason, Laura, Ayan and myself entrusted our subordinates with overseeing the work.
That left the senior staff with some extra time, and the need to give our officers some space so they didn't feel like we were breathing down their necks. We only had one option: Venture into the station proper to investigate and do some shopping. Everyone except for Oz seemed to have difficulty containing their excitement even though most of the objects we were after were utilitarian. I had to admit that I was a little excited to go ashore myself. I had never seen a space station other than Freeground, so I knew I was in for a bit of an experience.
As I was getting ready for the excursion, looking over the list of things to purchase in my quarters, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something I was missing.
The door opened then and in came Ayan with a new black engineer's long coat just like the one I had lost. I just stood there as a grin spread across my face. She was blushing as she placed it in my hands with care. “It just came out of the materializer. Three hours. I mean, the materializer took three hours to make it,” she said nervously.
I held it up and looked at the outside. It was the same texture, only the grey panels of material had been remade black and had a reflective quality to them. I recognized the addition a moment later as energy collectors and assumed that they would charge whatever items were in the pockets, gathering static, light, and other readily available energy around them including motion and certain airborne particles.
“I tried to include all the tools you had in there. I'm sure I missed a few, but I added a modern multitool, an extra computer insert for your command unit in case your main one is damaged, and sixteen extra clips for our new sidearms. There are two secret pockets -- I can show you how to get to them -- and I had the computer tailor the shape and size for you. I also added a few protective layers to the material, so it's even more resilient and protective than a standard heavy shielding suit.”
I tried it on and found something in the sleeve. I pushed it out and looked at it. It was a white silk scarf.
“Somehow part of my shawl from the Pilot's Ball survived the damage to the Officer's quarters, and I made it into a scarf instead of throwing it into the recycler. I wouldn't know if you'd like it, but I thought it would look--”
I didn't say anything. I just put it on and let it hang loosely under the jacket, then pulled her into my arms. “Thank you. I forgot that I had lost my coat and spent twenty minutes looking before I remembered it's probably still in some storage locker on that Vindyne super carrier.”
“You're welcome. I should make things for you more often if this is the thanks I'll get,” she said as she smiled up at me and snuggled up against my chest.
Minh came through the door just then. “I was thinking that maybe while we're shopping around I could get--” He stopped as he looked up from an image on his arm command unit and saw Ayan and I mid-kiss. She had nearly disappeared into my arms and coat as it wrapped around her. “The reed knows no backwards or forwards, only to and fro. My motion is not a retreat, only a flex in a new direction,” he quipped as he turned, stepped out the doorway and closed it behind him.
Ayan and I both burst out laughing.
Walking down the gangway leading from the ship later on, where the deck plating provided gravity in a limited area around that side of the mooring, I couldn't help look over my shoulder. From where I was standing the First Light seemed to go on forever. Under the bright work lights the silvered hull shone. Old world cloaking I had heard it called; a ship could reflect its surroundings so clearly that when it was in the darkness it was nearly invisible. Under the worklights it was truly a sight to behold. I turned and traced her from bow to stern with my eye, and realized that everyone had stopped to stare at the ship with me.
“We're really out here,” Minh-Chu said quietly. “I never thought I would enjoy getting drafted.” He stood and stared silently at the ship for a moment before sighing. “As we are all stardust, it is our destiny to seek out our brighter cousins and fathers.”
“Old Chinese proverb?” Oz asked quietly.
“Sentimental restaurant owner who misses home less than he thought he would.”
“I couldn't imagine being out here with you when we were still running simulations for fun on Freeground.” Laura said from where she stood beside Jason. Her and Ayan had both exchanged their engineering crew jackets for white ponchos. The same protective traits and tool kits were hidden inside, but somewhere the pair of them had decided to take a different turn stylistically.
Everyone else was in uniform, including crew excursion jackets and sidearms. “We look the part. I hope we don't stand out here like we did on Gai-Ian Four. I hear our crew were the only ones there wearing vacsuits.
We started walking towards the station proper. “We were, it was kind of awkward. Some of the people we passed as we walked through the market had only seen vacsuits in movies. I don't think we would have gotten more stares if we were all naked,” Jason shrugged.
“Would have been more fun I bet,” Ayan commented with a wink.
We passed through the doors leading to the station proper and into the hallways that would lead us to the main arrival area. It was a different world beyond those doors. A rush of air pressed through the opening until the way closed behind us, indicating that the air pressure wasn't quite as well balanced as it should have been. The smell of mildew, grease and sweat filled our nostrils. The station obviously didn't clean or service the halls very often.
There had been durable tiling on all the walls and in some places it had come away to show the solid rock beneath. The floor, walls and ceilings were pitted, scuffed and marked by the passage of crew, cargo and who knows what else. As the hallway lead us inward towards the hub others intersected. Oz was nearly bowled over from behind by a well dressed, overlarge man sliding on a personal anti gravity unit that looked much too small for him. “Oi! Keep the way clear, ape!” The fat man called back over his shoulder as he glided further down the hall.
Oz pretended to go for his sidearm and the fat man accelerated around the corner.
“Easy. You should endeavour to avoid getting shot today I think,” Minh advised, nudging Oz.
“You're right. For all I know he had some kind of backwards firing cannon hidden somewhere on that tiny hoverboard.”
“That, or his crew could have been right behind him,” Ayan added. “I've been to an asteroid port before. They're either built to be policed or built then barely patrolled. From the quality of the station so far and ships I saw from our passive scans when we were coming in, I'd expect there are a lot of privateer or freelance crews around. It's a rough life, and it makes some rough people.”
Oz's only reply was a silent nod. Being as close as I was to Ayan, it was sometimes easy to forget how much respect she commanded amongst the crew. I respected her a great deal -- her advice was invaluable -- but watching the rest of the crew follow her lead without question was a quick reminder that she had earned her way to the rank of commander before any of us were aboard. Her knowledge and conduct in official capacities showed it. Her confidence made it even plainer. If that weren't enough, her mother was one of the most respected officers, an admiral, in the Freeground Fleet. Ayan had grown up with one of the best possible mentors close at hand and, according to her file, she spent the majority of her childhood on whatever starship her mother was serving on. That was before she started attending Junior Fleet Academy at age fourteen. No one had more training.
“How many off ship missions h
ave you been on Ayan?” Laura asked.
“I don't know. Whenever there was call for an engineer planet or station side I was almost always included. To be honest I was afraid that I'd be stuck on the ship when Jonas took command.”
“Would I ever do that to you?” I asked with mock injury.
“Not on purpose, but you were in an engineering team before. The Chief stays close to the power plants.”
“Sure, unless they're so well implemented and maintained that they almost take care of themselves.”
“Take care of themselves? You should spend more time in engineering. Those things are so advanced they're almost alien. I've never seen power plants find more unique and surprising ways to break in my life. They say they're self maintaining, even look like it on paper, but they still need people to keep them fit and make sure everything is working as intended.”
Laura shook her head. “Now you've gone and done it, Captain. I hope you wanted an extended report on the ship's systems. That's all she's going to talk about for the rest of the trip.”
“Well, maybe our Captain needs a little education,” Ayan replied, looking me up and down appraisingly.
She had me at a loss for words as we came to the end of the long hallway. I looked up and into the next space ahead of us and forgot all about our exchange.
There were no empty spaces. That's what struck me about the embarkation and disembarkation centre on the station. It was a primary hub that everyone had to pass through, and there were thousands of people standing in line or milling around. The walls were covered by advertising, plastic postings bonded right on top of other postings, all of them displaying two dimensional video so the walls were like a chaotic sea of endless images vying for the attention of any traveller who happened by. The floors were unforgiving hard stone, the bare material of the asteroid. It was worn smooth under the passing of millions of travellers who had come and gone. The most worn sections were concave paths leading through the inspection point arches, where guards and technicians behind transparesteel plated booths monitored scanning equipment as travellers passed through the turnstiles.
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins Page 32
