Ghost Station (The Wandering Engineer)

by Hechtl, Chris

  “Why do so many Taurens want to go?” she finally asked when she couldn't think of an answer.

  “I'm not sure. I...” George shrugged helplessly. “Ask them.”

  “I'll do that. Find out why people are so interested in going. Get...” She frowned and looked around. “Get with Gwen or… are these people sleepers?” she asked pointing to a couple of unfamiliar names.

  “Yup,” George answered. “Some of them aren't natural spacers. The older set were on a cruise liner. A few have put in to be put off on Antigua when we get there.”

  “Interesting. That will make life support happy, or happier I should say,” she murmured.

  “Yeah think?”

  “You'd think the Taurens would want to go ground side,” she murmured.

  “That's prejudice speaking chief,” George said with a smile. “Now, me? I'm happy as a spacer. Spacer brat born and bred,” he said, making a show of stretching his arms over and behind his head and then knitting his fingers together behind his head. She pursed her lips and watched as he propped his feet up on the console and tipped his chair back.

  “Feet off the console,” she said, lifting his boots up and pushing. He went over backwards with a whoop. She smiled as he groaned, rubbing his head.

  “You did that on purpose,” he accused.

  “Of course,” she said with a grin, looking down at him. “I've told you...”

  “Not to mark up the console with my dirty feet. Yeah yeah,” he said, getting up and then righting his chair. “Meany,” he grumbled.

  “You have only yourself to blame Georgie porgie,” she said with a teasing smile. He rolled his eyes. She tapped the instant message link and then Gwen's name. A moment later her video image popped up in a window.

  “You called chief?” the Tauren asked.

  “Why are so many Taurens interested in going on an away mission?” she asked, coming right to the point.

  “Blunt as always chief,” Gwen huffed, playing with her ear. “It's hard to explain really. I think well... I can say it's new challenges and bigger quarters. The current ones are well... tight.” Which was true. The Taurens liked a lot of room around them so they stayed out of their quarters unless they needed to sleep. Most of the time the off duty Taurens had congregated in the greenhouse with the cornucopia tree.

  O'Mallory raised an eyebrow. “You've had them for decades and never said anything,” the chief replied.

  “That's because there wasn't any choice. This station sounds interesting. A challenge and it's big. Big enough to have plenty of room to expand. I mean. The herd...”

  “The breeding rule...” George murmured nodding in sudden understanding. Quinna shot him a look and then went back to looking at Gwen. Gwen had stopped what she was saying to stare. After a moment she nodded.

  “So... You're willing to risk your necks in a derelict station in order to have kids?” O'Mallory demanded.

  “Aren't we doing that in this ship?” Gwen replied. O'Mallory nodded grudgingly. “I'd like to see what's new too. Upwards mobility chief. Someday I'd like to be chief.”

  “Huh,” Quinna grunted, suddenly amused and nonplussed. “Never thought you wanted responsibility Gwen.” She smiled at that thought. Gwen had a wicked temper when the bulls tested her but was usually too nice to think of being in charge.

  “You mean more responsibility?” Gwen asked. Her ears twitched. “Of course. I'm a team leader right?”

  “Huh. That you are,” O'Mallory admitted.

  “I'd like to keep growing.”

  “I'll... look can you get me a mixed team? Give me two mixed teams. Volunteers from the list. Mixed from all specialties, ages, and races. That way no one can scream we're playing favorites and that way all bases are covered,” O'Mallory said. She was going to have a hell of a time running this past the captain.

  “Really?” Gwen asked. “I've got a project on but I can take a look. We're backed up again waiting on the replicator. Any word from the admiral?”

  O'Mallory sighed. “Not much apparently.”

  “Has the captain approved this?”

  O’Mallory smirked. Gwen knew the answer to that already but she just had to ask. “I want a plan in place before I go to him with it.”

  The Tauren nodded. “Ah.”

  “Minimum resources,” Quinna said with a grimace. “You know the drill. The less you take the easier it will be to get it past Blur and the captain.”

  “I know,” Gwen said with an equal grimace of understanding and impatience. “I'll get on that as well.”

  “Get the list then contact the people. Tell them they will be on short notice. I don't know if and when he'll approve the plan. When he does I want to move before he changes his mind.”

  “Roger,” Gwen said with a nod. “We'll need security and safe passage. Can I have that list?” she asked.

  Quinna nodded, copying the list and then opening an e-mail. She tagged Gwen's name to it then attached the copy and shot it off with a flick of a fingertip to the send button. “On its way,” Quinna said.

  Gwen looked down and then nodded. “Got it. You've got to love what the admiral and his AI did. e-mail rocks,” she said.

  “So do a lot of things. Get the ball rolling will you? I'll see what I can do on my end,” Quinna said. “O'Mallory out.”

  “Thanks chief,” Gwen said as her finger touched the disconnect key.

  “Think it's safe?” George asked. He sounded a little worried.

  O'Mallory shrugged. “Everything we do is dangerous. We're spacers, it's what we do. Calculated risk the admiral said. We just need to minimize the risk. With the admiral in charge over there we won't be sending our people in blind this time. And yeah, I'm worried too. I don't want this to go badly. Not ever again.”

  “Yeah,” George said with a sigh. “Yeah.”

  Quinna grimaced as she came onto the bridge. She'd spent the first half hour of her shift getting call after call from people wanting news or wanting to go over to the station. The constant distraction wasn't doing her blood pressure any good. Something had to be done. Time to do something about it. Time to take the bull by the horns as Gwen liked to say for some reason. Warner looked up at her entrance. “Permission to enter?” she asked. He waved her in.

  “Coffee?” he asked. She shook her head. “What's up?” he asked.

  “I'd like to see the captain,” she admitted looking around. He wasn't on the bridge.

  “Problem?” Warner asked, searching her face.

  She frowned and then brushed her hair out of her eyes. “No, well yes. I've been swarmed with people wanting to go over to the station.” the Veraxin rating at the communications console glanced her way. She looked at him and then back to the XO.

  “Despite what happened?” Warner asked.

  “Tell that to your parents. They are top of the list,” she said. His eyes widened in shock and surprise.

  “You're not serious!” he said. She nodded. “I...”

  “I'm not sure if it's loyalty to the admiral, something new to fix, or wanting to clear space for us here,” she replied with a shrug.

  “With my parents? Who knows? Probably all three. Fixing that station though... all the old I mean um...”

  “I think just about everyone is talking about it,” Quinna said with a grin. “I've had no less than twenty people approach me on my way up here.”

  “Then it's getting interesting,” Warner said with a nod. He was surprised Cora hadn't been up to beard the captain in his layer about the subject.

  “Any word from the admiral?” Quinna asked looking at the main view screen and holographic projector. The 2D view screen had an image of the station drifting in space. It was still dark and more than a little foreboding. The holo projector had a 3D image of Kiev and it's work parties out on the hull. One was highlighted.

  John shook his head. “No. Sprite kept us informed but she said she was going to be busy doing some software repairs to some of the system and might be out of touc
h.”

  “I wonder if they want any help?” she asked, clearly amused.

  “I'm sure they can use it. The question is can we get them in safely?”

  O'Mallory grimaced. “I thought Irons had that covered?”

  “That's an interesting question isn't it?” Al asked. They turned to the security assistant chief. He shrugged. He was back on duty but he looked a little tired still from his ordeal on the station. “He didn't do so hot the last time.”

  “I don't blame him for what happened. When you go in blind sometimes... it sucks but sometimes that happens,” Quinna said with a grimace.

  “Easy for you to say,” Al said. Al was clearly unhappy about going up against Dilgarth. Not that Quinna could really blame him.

  “Look as an engineer I have to deal with hard choices all the time Al. Do you think I like the idea of sending someone I know, a friend possibly a family member into harm’s way? Into a plasma leak? A shorted system? A high pressure leak? Toxic gas? We live with it every day,” O'Mallory said. Al straightened and scowled at her.

  “True,” Warner said looking from one to the other. “It's...”

  O'Mallory turned her attention on the XO. “Part of a spacer's world. Yes I know. I was just talking about that with Gwen and George. Gwen wanted to go by the way. She doesn't have a suit and she still wanted to go. Most of the Taurens want to go. Think about that.”

  “Wow,” Warner said eyes wide in surprise.

  O'Mallory sighed and shook her head. “Apparently she's not the only one. Some of the sleepers do. Numiria passed on a tidbit to George. Apparently all the sleepers are talking about it. Her latest batch are asking all sorts of questions and some are just now getting back on their feet. One even volunteered and he's not even out of bed yet,” she said.

  “Wow,” Warner said blinking at her.

  “The captain?” Quinna asked, turning to him.

  Warner indicated the day cabin door. “He's in a mixed mood.”

  “Lovely,” she said, tugging on the hem of her coverall top. “I'll just get it over with quickly then,” she said.

  “If you don't mind, I'll go with you,” Warner said.

  “Me too,” Al said coming around his console with a nod. “If you're planning a follow up away mission I want my people on board.”

  “Okay,” Quinna said with a nod.

  “Miss Esmay, you have the bridge,” Warner said over his shoulder as Quinna raised her hand to rap on the door. She knocked as Esmay acknowledged the order behind her.

  “Enter,” the captain said curtly. The door clicked and then opened. She grimaced and stepped through with the others on her heels.

  “So?” The captain demanded from behind his desk. The trio came to attention before him as the door closed behind them. “What's on your mind?” he asked, laying his hands together on the bloater in front of him.

  O'Mallory shrugged mentally and decided to just come out with it. “Captain, we're being swamped with requests to join the admiral.”

  “Really,” the captain said sarcastically. “Anyone I know?”

  “Other than your daughter sir?” O'Mallory asked. Al and Warner turned to stare at her. The captain's jaw dropped and then closed firmly. He scowled blackly.

  “That's not funny chief.”

  “I wasn't kidding sir. she asked me on my way up here. I told her we have enough volunteers. She seemed disappointed,” she said.

  “She...”

  “She's a strong woman sir. She's eager to prove herself,” O'Mallory replied. “There is a lot of that going around.”

  “She can do it in other ways,” the captain said. Safer ways was hovering at the end of that statement.

  O'Mallory shrugged that off. That was between her and the captain. “We're still getting a lot of requests.”

  “Despite everything that happened?” the captain demanded dubiously.

  O'Mallory shrugged, lips twisting in a sour smile. “I think because of it for some. They want to kick ass.”

  “Revenge?” Warner asked.

  “I'm not sure,” O'Mallory replied as the captain sat there, pondering what to do.

  “It would be for me if I was going. Which I'm not. Not unless you order me to,” Al said nodding to the captain. The captain's mouth pursed thoughtfully.

  O'Mallory shook her head. “Volunteers. We've got hundreds, some are crew, and some are passengers. A lot of retirees and young people.”

  “We can't afford to lose trained personnel,” Al said.

  O'Mallory shook her head. “Not all of them are crew. I'd say about half. Most of my engineers are busy.”

  “True,” Warner said. He was still wrestling with the concept of his parents volunteering. What would his life be like without them around? He knew he'd have to deal with it eventually... Then again, dad had deteriorated rapidly after being sidelined by arthritis and that damn implant thing. Now that he was better he seemed eager to take on new roles, new challenges. According to doctor Numiria that was the best tonic for him, to keep busy and active.

  “I'll allow it,” the captain said finally. The trio stared at him. He looked amused, rubbing his right temple with his right index finger before propping his head up with it. “Surprised you?” he asked with a sardonic smile.

  “In a word yes sir. It did,” O'Mallory replied cautiously. She looked at the others. Al was stiff; Warner was smiling slightly for some reason.

  “If the admiral has made it safe or at least safer then I don't see the reason why we shouldn't send people over to take what they can,” the captain said.

  “Um, sir,” the chief looked uncomfortable. “I believe for some like the Taurens they are hoping to make it a new home. Some of the sleepers have put in for it too. Those that aren't interested in getting off on Antigua that is.”

  The captain steepled his fingers, wrestling with that new tidbit of information. “Really,” he finally said.

  “If we're lucky we'll shed about a thousand people,” Al mused thoughtfully, eyes far away.

  “If we could be so lucky,” the captain muttered. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and focusing on the chief once more. “Aren't there a couple of hundred people on the station?”

  “Yes sir,” O'Mallory said with a nod. “All sorts of species sir. I can give you the list...?” He shook his head no at that suggestion.

  He looked up at them and locked eyes with each for a moment. “I don't want any of them coming over here. If they do we're just dumping them onto Antigua. Let them be the Antiguan's problem not ours,” he growled.

  “Yes sir,” Al said with a nod. They had enough on their plate as it was. He fully agreed with his captain. The savages didn't belong here.

  O'Mallory frowned. “I'm not being a total hard ass chief,” the captain said with a look her way. He could see she wasn't comfortable with that order. “I don't want any problems. The people on that station... who knows what they've got. Diseases and viruses I mean. They are uneducated and unsocialized. Savages in other words. More mouths to feed we don't need or want. I also don't want any revenge issues either.”

  “Yes sir,” O'Mallory said reluctantly.

  “You disagree,” he asked.

  She shook her head firmly. “No sir, just coming to accept it sir. You're the captain.”

  “Good. Go on. Let me know when the first shuttles are launching of course,” he said.

  “Yes sir,” the chief said with a nod.

  “And chief,” he said looking up again. She paused. “No one without a suit and no one of critical importance to the function and well being of this ship and its crew. That rules you and most of the senior staff out.”

  “Most sir?” Warner asked amused.

  “Blur can go,” the captain said, pursing his lips. Al and Warner snorted. O'Mallory surprised herself and the others by giggling girlishly. “If they'll take him,” the captain said, smiling a little at the relief in tension.

  “I think they'll send him back without a su
it sir,” Al said with a grin. “I know I would.”

  “Go on, git. Keep me posted,” the captain said, picking up a tablet in front of him.

  “Aye aye sir,” O'Mallory said with a smile as they exited.

  As the door closed behind her she turned to the others with a grin. “Well! That was easier than I thought,” she said.

  “I think he's as eager to see what's going on over there as you are chief. And if the admiral has more hands...”

  “He'll get more done faster. All right. Whatever works,” she said. The confrontation with the captain had really gone easier than she thought or planned on. Warner definitely didn't look happy but went apparently he's ready to go along with it.

  “You're parents don't have suits do they?” Al asked turning to the XO. Warner nodded.

  “Skin suits. Military issue. Mum's is a bit banged up but still useable, or so she said. I'm not sure if they still fit though,” he replied quietly, eyes lost.

  “I doubt they will go. Away missions are for the young and reckless,” Al said and then winced at the dagger look Esmay shot him. “What?”

  “Franko and Art weren't reckless,” she snarled.

  He held up a hand. “Sorry, not what I meant.”

  “No, it's what you implied.” She was ready for a fight; she'd grown up with Art and Franko. Franko might have been an ass but he deserved better.

  “Let's not fight,” Warner said getting in between the two before the argument escalated. “The captain said volunteers with suits. Pass the order chief. Mixed crews...” he turned to the chief.

  O'Mallory nodded. “I've got George and Gwen working up lists now.”

  “Minimum kit...”

  “Great,” she sighed and shook her head. She'd anticipated the order but didn't have to like it.

  “We don't want to lose anything...”

  “Which we can't replicate?” she asked looking at him again. He frowned and then shrugged.

  “Point,” he said. “Al,” he said turning to the security man. “We'll need...”

  “Strong security presence. Gotcha,” Al said nodding. “I'll check in with Q’Bert and then get back to you on it.”