Multiverse 1

by Chris Hechtl

  “What's that supposed to mean?”

  “It means, you've what? Got a college degree?” he asked with a smirk that infuriated her.

  “I'll have you know I'm an MBA!”

  “Oh la de da lady! So what? A framed MBA is about as good as toilet paper around here, sister! You need an education in how things go here.”

  “I can pilot! I took the course!”

  “Really, let's see,” he said, waving her to the cockpit. She looked at the cockpit and was suddenly nervous. She sat at the helmsman seat, looking at all the switches and instruments. She jiggled the yoke.

  “So, classroom right?”

  “Yeah. I mean yes,” she said. She didn't recognize half the controls. It was nothing like in the stories in books. The excitement was there but…She shook her head, noting the wiring. Baloo had it tucked up and bunched up with zip ties, but it was still exposed. It felt…wrong for some reason. Untidy. Unsafe. Nothing like what you saw on the media feeds.

  “And never bothered to take a sim right? Or a ride along?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I never had the time. There was my thesis, Molly…raising the capital...”

  “See?”

  <-----/^----->

  Baloo bonded with Molly who didn't like to eat peas, even sweet peas. Her mother had dressed her in a blue jumper, and she looked adorable pouting with her arms crossed, face sulking.

  Rebecca had insisted the crew sit down together for a meal. Baloo had told the others to humor the boss lady. She'd been annoyed with that but had dropped it when the others had gone along with it.

  She realized she needed to establish her authority. She'd given a speech about how productive they were going to be, how they had a plan and how they will make oodles of credits, but it had mostly fallen on deaf ears.

  Of course, Molly hadn't helped. She'd gotten stubborn, acting unruly when her mother needed her on her best behavior. She'd thrown a tantrum over the food.

  Baloo had cut up with Mowgli, and Rebecca was about ready to scold them when Baloo noted the little cub's intransigent behavior and intervened. He pretended his spoon was a plane and then talked into his fist. He flew it around then popped the spoon into his hangar. He munched the peas then challenged the cub to try.

  The yellow cub picked at the spoon then tried it much to her mother's surprise. She held the spoon tightly in her tiny fist, making puttering sound as she moved it around. Her mother was immediately enchanted.

  Molly had been going back into her shell after the divorce. She was always a shy cub, and all the moving around hadn't done her self-confidence any good. She was smart but precocious. Now she blossomed. Apparently having a male around was one of the things she needed. A father figure, Rebecca remembered. She winced. Her pediatrician had mentioned it. It was unusual. Most Neos were single parents; a father was a rare thing in a household. But Molly had had a father for the first five months of her life, so she had adjusted to it. She'd even enjoyed it, playing at being a human style family. Now though…

  Rebecca smiled in approval when her daughter popped the peas into her mouth and masticated them. The cub squirmed and then grinned. “See? It's fun, Mommy! You try!”

  “Well I…”

  “Come on,” Molly challenged, tugging her arm. Her childlike eyes looked up at her mom. Her ears went out and flat.

  “Well, okay,” Rebecca pretended to talk on the radio. She realized she wasn't very good, but she had Molly rocking as she giggled, which was the important thing.

  She left Molly with the others so she could go over the books. She had to update them and her business plan.

  Later she brushed her hair, changed into her nightgown, and then ready for bed. She looked for Molly and to her amazement found her with Baloo and Mowgli. Baloo had the cub in his lap with a book. An ancient, honest to injun paper book. He spoke softly, reading to her. Both the human boy and the cub were drowsy. They tried to stay awake but yawned. Baloo yawned as well.

  Finally both drifted off. Baloo did as well, letting the book slip a bit. Rebecca snorted and stepped in to take her daughter. He woke, and shushed her, then got up and carried the little cub out of Mowgli's compartment. He carried her to the captain's quarters and tucked the cub into her small bed.

  Rebecca thanked him softly, then firmly escorted him out. He stretched when she locked the door behind him, then scratched, eyes bleary. “Okay, now where do I sleep?” he asked. He grumbled about being homeless, looked back at the closed hatch then headed to his chair in the cockpit.

  <-----/^----->

  Rebecca talked with Bagheera, feeling him out. Bagheera was the JOAT on the boat; he did just about anything needed. He was a “mate” but not that kind of mate. Not much of a spacer. She sat at the counter to the galley, watching him cook. He moved with lithe efficiency, every move practiced and perfect. It was like watching a performance.

  “I'm the chief bottle washer, cook, occasional medic, cargo master, and security,” the panther said. “Whenever something's needed to be done, I get the call,” the panther said. He had a bit of a British accent. Also a slight suffering oh woe is me attitude that could get on Rebecca's nerves.

  “I see.”

  “Mowgli is on the books as my assistant.”

  “I had wondered about the boy.”

  “He's a long story. When his parent's died, they left him in my care. I adopted him. Baloo signed on as a secondary guardian.”

  “I see.” She frowned. “Now about Baloo…”

  “You're not going on about him again, are you? Sure he can be a bit of a slob, but he's only second gen. Give him a break,” the panther said, shaking his head as he worked on dinner.

  “Second gen?”

  “Second generation Neo-bear. He's old our papa bear. Real old. He did some stints in stasis, so he doesn't look it. But yeah, old.”

  She stared at him, slack jawed. The first and second generation Neos were practically mythical to those of later generations. The first gens were barely sapient. Both first and second gens fought in the first AI war. Max, Wendigo, Carter, the list was short; they were all legends. Neos, not humans, had ended the war. Oh, humans had created the Neos, but it had been up to the Neos to show their intelligence and use their animal instincts and bodies to get the job done.

  She realized she was staring too long when he looked away. She flicked her ears, getting control of herself. Staring into another Neos eyes was a faux passé. You didn't do it; it was a challenge. She'd spent too much time around humans and had forgotten such a basic rule. “I'm…I don't know what to say. I'm surprised he's a spacer!”

  “He's tough. Proud. Stubborn,” Bagheera said. “I know he has trouble reading, I've tried to help. He also has trouble walking upright, issues with his back. That's why he's a bit of a pear shape, they tried to shift his weight into his lower body and that didn't work out proportionally.”

  “I see...”

  “Of course, sleeping is a big thing for the bear. He still hibernates; the urge is just too strong, which is a problem. He has to take stims to stay awake. You can't do that forever; it will bite you in the ass. It always does with him, which was one reason we fell behind in the mortgage.” He wiped his hand paws on his stained apron. She noticed he had more of a body of a second or third generation Neo. She wondered briefly about it but then put it aside as the hibernation tidbit registered.

  “I…see.” As a bear, she couldn't hold that against Baloo. She didn't need to hibernate, but she knew others of the older generations still did. And the older they got the longer they slept.

  “That and Baloo can't handle money worth a damn,” Bagheera said, shaking his head. “He has a good heart but needs a guiding hand, which is why I'm hoping you'll stick around.”

  “Um, thanks,” she said.

  “A bit of stick now and then to remind him who's boss, but sometimes the carrot works too.”

  “I'm, um, figuring that out,” she said wryly.

  “The capta
in is linked to the Duck. He has military implants, and he's been with her since just after her builder trials. The computer has bonded to him. I can fly her briefly, same with Wildcat, and well, you, but only sublight. None of us can handle her in hyper.”

  “I see.”

  “Slipstream isn't for the faint of heart. The Duck's drive has been upgraded by Wildcat to a one point five. She'll get into the Beta bands.”

  “She…how…I've read the specs, how is that possible?” Rebecca demanded. She was sitting at the counter, giving appreciative sniffs in the direction of the kitchen. She leaned on her elbows, arms crossed in front of her. A cup of tea was slowly getting cold in front of her. She'd taken a couple of sips but really wasn't interested in it as much as the conversation.

  “Wildcat created some sort of overdrive for the engines. I'm not sure. His deal, he's the mechanic and chief engineer. He's sort of a genius.”

  “I've tried to talk to him,” Rebecca said.

  “He's also shy, autistic. You noticed the lisp?” Bagheera asked, stirring a pot of something that smelled like tomatoes.

  Rebecca nodded.

  “I'm not sure what that's about. He's cougar. He just sort of showed up one day, tinkering with the Duck. Baloo was ready to throw down with him, but then Wildcat just wiped his paws and showed him what he had done. They hit it off,” the panther said, shrugging.

  “I see.”

  “He's childlike, but he's good. Damn good. We have to keep an eye out for him, he can be taken advantage of, but he's a damn good wrench turner.”

  “I had wondered about his qualifications,” Rebecca admitted.

  “Baloo and Wildcat aren't big on paper, which throws it on me. I don't know if Wildcat has schooling. I've hinted a few times, but you can't get it out of him. If you try he goes into his shell and clams up.”

  Rebecca sighed. “I get that with Molly a lot lately.”

  “I noticed it when you dropped her off.”

  “I'm sorry about that.”

  “Don't be, all part of my charm I suppose,” the cat replied. “We have a tendency of taking in strays; I'm used to it.”

  “I'm not..”

  “Everyone has somewhere to go, somewhere to come from,” Bagheera said. “We get the job done if we pull together. Remember that,” he said, shaking a spoon at her. She nodded. She remembered the axiom of keeping on the good side of the cook. “Spaghetti is about done. I've got the marinara sauce going. I was going to do an Alfredo, but you've got Baloo on that much needed diet. I can't complain. I'm torn though, Baloo could use the garlic for his heart health, but you did grumble about his breath…”

  “Toss some in, but don't go overboard. Same with the onions. Can you um, set some aside plain for Molly?” Rebecca asked. She made a mental note to get elephant garlic on their next grocery shopping spree and a more balanced diet. Wildcat and Bagheera were cats; they primarily ate meat, but they could use some vitamin supplements. The same for the boy, Mowgli. He was a gangly thing, of Indian decent most likely, but he needed more nutrition. She nodded firmly.

  “Sure,” the panther said, getting another pot out. “I know what you're going through, Mowgli was the same for a while,” he said.

  “Tell me about it,” Rebecca sighed, rolling her eyes as she got up. “Hopefully they grow out of it before they reach Baloo's age.” That earned a chuckle and a shake of the head from the panther. “I'll see you at dinner. Thanks,” she said at the hatch. He waved her out.

  <-----/^----->

  One of the annoying things their new boss insisted on was a thorough cleaning of the Duck and the crew, from stem to stern, inside and out. Baloo had grumbled, but Bagheera and Mowgli had agreed to the work, so who was he to argue? He went along to humor her.

  Bagheera and Wildcat took the inside, picking up, then cleaning with their tiny cleaner rover. Mowgli dressed in a beach clout and got to work with Baloo scrubbing the outside. When they were finished Mowgli did flips and dives off the ship. Baloo shook his head, envying the lad's energy.

  “See? It looks a lot better!” Rebecca teased.

  “True,” Baloo said, rubbing the small of his back. He'd found a couple cracked tiles during all that scrubbing, plus a couple of loose panels. So maybe she'd been right about all this work. “She is a beauty,” he said, buffing out a water spot.

  “A little elbow grease and even you might clean up halfway decent,” the little female bear said teasingly. She got a mischievous look on her face and then gave him a push. Baloo was off balance, he went head first into the water. Rebecca chortled as he came up for air gasping. “Probably the first bath you've had in years, Baloo!” she laughed, slapping her thighs. He growled, but then Mowgli was on him, splashing and horse playing. Revenge was momentarily forgotten.

  <-----/^----->

  “Bread, plenty of water, formula,” Rebecca murmured. Baloo stuck his head in the open hatch to see his new boss sitting at a desk she had installed in the captain's quarters. She was chewing on the tip of a stylus, working on something on the laptop. He looked over to see Molly copying her mother.

  “Sheesh,” he said, seeing the little imp with a calculator. “Like mother like daughter,” he said.

  “Huh?” Rebecca asked. “Don't you knock?” she demanded, absently, turning away.

  “The hatch was open,” Baloo said, looking in. “She's a spitting image of you,” he said.

  “Huh?” Rebecca's thought train momentarily derailed as she looked down at her daughter. Molly had the tip of an old chewed-up pen in her mouth, a rictus of concentration on her face as she punched in random numbers. “I, uh, guess I shouldn't be doing that,” Rebecca said, looking at the pen in her hand. She chuckled and set it down gently. “Showing off bad habits. Soon she'll be picking up some of yours.”

  “And I'm betting you are hoping not,” Baloo said, rumbling a chuckle. “What'cha got there pumpkin?” he asked, kneeling next to the cub.

  Molly looked up and then waved him away. “Go away, we're working on the budget and the grocery list,” she said in her tiny voice.

  He chuckled. “Oh you are,” he said as he scooped her up. She shrieked as he whirled her about, tickling her. “You are, are you?” he laughed.

  She laughed. “Put me down!” she demanded, laughing.

  Rebecca snorted. “She's right; we're working on the shopping list. Getting it sorted out is a pain.”

  “When in doubt get MREs. I know they suck, but it's better than PB and J. A steady diet of that will blow your mind. I don't know how the kids can handle it.”

  Rebecca made a face. “We go through peanut butter and bread like water.”

  “True. And Mowgli loves fruit., which is fun.”

  “I like some fruit. And you can do with eating more salads,” she said, picking up the stylus to poke him in the gut as he settled down. Molly gave him a peck on the cheek and then bounced on his belly. He oofed, but didn't complain.

  “Yeah, but salads are expensive aren't they?”

  “Yes,” she sighed making a face. She liked them too, but they were horrendous.

  “And now you know why I'm fat or was fat.”

  “That and you were saving it up for winter,” she said. “Can't you stop eating?” she asked.

  He sighed. “All part of my charm lady. I eat to live. Live to eat. Part of being a full-on bear.”

  “I…see.”

  “The good news is, by keeping me half-starved you have kept me from going into hibernation…but cubs are starting to look juicy,” he growled, pretending to nibble on Molly. He picked her up and opened his mouth pretending to eat her. She shrieked in mock terror, covering her face with her chubby hand paws.

  Rebecca's eyes went wide in momentary fright; that was a real threat. Then she heard the cub's shriek of laughter as he tickled her and then licked. She made a disgusted sound which had Baloo laughing. Then he coughed and pawed at his tongue. “Ew! Fur! Too much fur!” he said, which set the cub off laughing again as he dropped her onto
his belly.

  Rebecca shook her head at their antics. But she did turn and doubled the peanut butter and bread allotment. “At this rate I'm going to go broke before the first mission,” she grumbled. She added extra energy bars and then turned her attention to the life support. At least they could use their on-board compressor to suck in the local atmosphere and process it for their tanks. Baloo and Wildcat had been smart to outfit the ship with that little add-on. It took up space and weight, but it saved big with the budget. She made a note to see if they could do the same with water, and maybe even store some in space on the hyper ring? She picked at her stylus, tapping her nose in thought.

  <-----/^----->

  Rebecca wanted to make a single run, a run of the gauntlet to Cape Suzzette, the sector capital. She knew the profits would be enough to pay the crew plus get her closer to her goal of a better ship or at least more repairs to this one.

  They made orbit with little issues, then went to the hyper ring. The Space Duck used a massive hyperdrive and force emitter ring assembly to enter and exit hyperspace. She was nervous about the docking but the crew wasn't; they were all old hands after all. The ring was designed to allow the Duck to enter from one end, then dock. Rebecca felt the softest of bumps as the ship docked.

  “We're docked,” Baloo said over the intercom. “Please tell me the connections are working this time. I don't want to have to go EVA and kick it again,” he said.

  “We're good. No impedance issues,” Wildcat reported over the intercom a moment later. Baloo made a whew motion, rubbing at his brow. “Running diagnostics now. We should be ready to move out in a half hour,” the cougar informed them.

  “Roger.”

  “So it will take…”

  “About a week to cross the system to the jump point.”

  “Oh.”

  “Which reminds me, where do I sleep?” the bear rumbled. Rebecca snorted. He followed her out to the wardroom. She waved airily to a pair of hammocks hanging against the wall. “I figured since you like sleeping in a hammock,” she said, smiling with just the right hint of teeth in her smile and voice. “You won't mind this arrangement,” she said.