Tech Tack

by Viola Grace

  It made her feel good to see the success that her people had gained. With everything that was going on on Resicor, leaving home and being triumphant was something to be proud of. The rejects of their society were saving lives.

  “Why am I being given access to these files?”

  “Your departure from Resicor put you in the custody of the Citadel. You will be signing a contract when you arrive, but for now, you are a ward of the Citadel.”

  “And as a ward, I have access to information blocks offered by the Citadel. Right.” Ainora smiled. It was a freedom she hadn’t counted on.

  Being trusted was something she was going to have to get used to. It had been so long since she felt the weight of trust on her shoulders that it was going to be a shock. Life was too short to spend it paranoid and looking over her shoulder. She had just been given an option that had been beyond her just one day earlier. If they trusted her, she was going to show them that it was worth the risk.

  She pulled up her own file and looked at the words In Transit. Those two words said so much about the situation that she was in, she almost laughed at the complexity that was caught up in those words.

  Ainora kept herself occupied until they were on their way down to the new world. Once he announced their descent, she put the data pad down and watched Morganti approach.

  Sure, they were flying toward the planet, but to Ainora’s eyes, it looked like the world was coming up to greet them. Part of it did.

  A speck turned into a figure that shaped into a woman, glowing like a small star. The figure caught up with them and a voice came through the coms.

  “I am taking you directly to the Citadel, there has been a spill on the tarmac at the base, and it is all hands to the mops.”

  Lyon leaned forward. “Thank you, Starbreaker.”

  “You are welcome, Agent Tacks. Cut the automatic controls, I am bringing you in manually.” Lashings of energy surrounded their ship.

  Lyon disengaged the computer. “Clear for you to land us where you like, Starbreaker.”

  “Thank you, Agent Tacks. Landing will be in ten minutes or so. Sit still; this will be a little less smooth than a regular landing.”

  Lyon buckled in and Ainora followed his lead. With Starbreaker as their only propulsion, they did indeed sway quite a bit on the way down.

  The Citadel was a large structure on the fairly barren landscape. They were settled next to it and a column of people came forward to greet them.

  “This is your new world, Ms. Lenz. I hope you enjoy it.”

  “You aren’t staying?” she was suddenly very nervous.

  “I will check into my quarters, get a change of clothing and some dinner. If there is time, I will sleep, and if not, I will turn around and head out on my next assignment.”

  “Oh. I see.” Her hands fumbled as she unbuckled her harness.

  She got to her feet and headed for the rear hatch.

  Unsure of how to open it, she had to wait for him. He arrived a minute later and had a bag over one shoulder. He tapped in a code that released the door, and she was invited to take her first steps on a new world.

  Citadel Coordinator Turnari was waiting for her, his horns gleaming in the light. He had a podium and a contract ready.

  She looked into the page and began to read. She understood the necessity of being charged for her room and board as well as uniforms but was shocked to find that there were funds already set aside for her from two sources. The first source was the Alliance and the second was Navigator Lenz.

  “Navigator Lenz?”

  The administrator nodded. “She said she was a relative of yours. Her involvement in the issue is classified but your connection is not. It is a few lifetimes’ worth of spending money according to her.”

  The rates for her services were impressive as was the free year of any courses she chose to engage in. When she signed and pressed her thumb to the plate, a sigh rippled through the assembled crowd. Apparently, there was more at stake than she knew.

  She flicked a look at Turnari. “You are going to tell me what that was about?”

  He smiled and exhaled in relief. “Your relative mentioned that if you were coerced into signing or hesitated in anyway, she was ending her career as jump mapper. You have provided your signature in front of as many witnesses as we could gather to assure her that you signed up on your own.”

  Ainora looked around at all the faces who were staring at her with interest. There was no hostility, just curiosity. She looked down and saw the number on her suit. She looked at Turnari, turned and saw Lyon then returned to the administrator.

  “I would like some new clothing please. I am not this number anymore.”

  He smiled and gestured for her to walk the path to the doors. “Welcome to Citadel Morganti, Ainora Lenz. Please make it your home.”

  She turned and walked toward the crowd that parted as she approached. “We will see.”

  Chapter Five

  She twisted from side to side. “White?”

  Yinfa, the guide that she had been assigned, grinned. “It is a novice colour. Once you have been assessed, you will be given your occupation-identification colours.”

  The robes were a nice touch. They made everything feel dramatic. She shifted and twisted and watched them flare out.

  “What do we do first?”

  “I have been ordered to check and see if you need rest, and if you don’t, an assessment is scheduled.”

  Ainora put her hands on her hips. “Well, Yinfa, I have plenty of energy, so let’s get the assessment out of the way. White isn’t my colour.”

  Yinfa smiled and led the way out of Ainora’s quarters and down the hall. She was already placed as a specialist, but there were still the technicalities to adhere to.

  Ainora kept looking over at the scarlet skin and white hair of her guide.

  Yinfa grinned. “I am pretty sure that they assigned me to you just to help you get used to other species.”

  “Do your ears have two points?”

  “They do, and my nose does split down the middle, oh and my tongue is forked. You haven’t even commented on my tail.” Yinfa laughed, her golden eyes gleaming.

  “I didn’t think it polite.”

  Giggling together, they walked down the halls until they reached the assessment office. Iyanna and Vesa were waiting to scan Ainora with the ubiquitous tea.

  Iyanna did the assessment and Vesa helped to apply the information she discovered. All being together in one room made the arrangement go faster.

  Iyanna sat across from her and extended her hands. “Place your hands in mine, Ainora. It will help the focus.”

  She slipped her hands into the other woman’s and jerked at the cool touch of a mind around hers. It didn’t touch her thoughts; it touched everything surrounding her thoughts—her decisions and their consequences. For that moment, she felt that she could see a sliver of her future, and while it was wild, it was a good one.

  Iyanna let go and rubbed her hands together. “Well, that is strange. Do you realize that you have tucked your talent up into a narrow segment of the spectrum you are capable of?”

  Ainora reached for her cup of tea. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Your talent for analysis could be expanded into medical, environmental and situational, not just technical. Your mind is designed to take all the little pieces of a situation and find out what is wrong. That analysis is not confined to your chosen occupation.”

  Yinfa sat quietly in the corner, watching with her strange colouring and attentive eyes.

  Vesa was nearly bristling with curiosity, and Iyanna was rubbing her hands as if she had gotten an electric shock.

  “You are very strong.” Iyanna flexed her hands.

  “So, you assess me and Vesa…”

  Vesa snorted. “I observe. I would like to see you in action. Once I can see your talent at work, I can help you choose courses that would build your skills.”

  Iyanna refilled the cups and handed
one to Yinfa. The young woman thanked her and sipped slowly.

  Vesa drank and cleared her throat. “I will need to follow you to a few of the areas around the building to determine if your analysis talents can be expanded on quickly or if they would need coaxing.”

  “You can tell that by watching me?”

  Vesa smiled and set her cup down. “I can tell that by your instincts fighting at your control. I can see waves of energy, the patterns of talent. Iyanna can see what you could become if everything is done to progress with your skills now, and I can see what your baseline for reaction to stimuli is. Some psychic-related talents can be seen in their interaction with Iyanna, but I think you need something more in the physical range. Would you care to go to a trip to medical?”

  Iyanna picked her cup up. “You need a baseline for medical anyway. May as well get it over with.”

  Ainora blinked. “Baseline?”

  “It is the setting to which our healers will try and set you if you are ever injured on duty. When your vitals then match your vitals now, they will know they can rest.” Yinfa smiled.

  “Will it hurt?”

  Yinfa shook her head. “No. The scanners are painless. The blood chemistry might sting a bit but nothing invasive.”

  Ainora looked to Iyanna. “Can I go then?”

  “Please. If you can unlock what you are to the full extent, there will be little that you cannot achieve. All I have done is assess your potential; you are the one who has to find it. I wish you all the luck and determination I can.” Iyanna inclined her head.

  Yinfa led her and Vesa out of the office and through the halls of the vast construct that was Citadel Morganti.

  The medical facility was large, but it was quiet. If there were ill folk in the building, they weren’t gathering in medical.

  A few attendants came toward them and smiled when Vesa told them what was required.

  Nervous, Ainora asked, “So, Vesa, you and Iyanna seemed to have worked together for a while. Have you been here long?”

  The medics steered her into position on the footpads and removed her robes, leaving her the bodysuit.

  “We transferred here from Wetura. There is so much more happening in the Citadels close to the Sector Guard bases that we jumped at the opportunity.” Vesa smiled. “It has been a good move so far.”

  Ainora watched the body language that Vesa took on. “Can you two have children?”

  Yinfa jerked in surprise, and Vesa gave a slow smile. “Your perception is impressive. Do the Resicor have same-sex marriage?”

  Ainora held still for the medic while the scans ran light and sound across her. The unit was slightly out of synch, but it performed admirably.

  Vesa was watching her intently as the machine completed its cycle.

  Ainora smiled. “No, Resicor governments do not support same-sex marriage, but it also does not arrest or destroy those who would engage in it. They simply ignore it. Now, if you were known to be talents and living any kind of life, they would lock you up. They can only hate one thing at a time.”

  She sat on the medical bed and let the medic take blood samples. “When was the last time you had your machine calibrated?”

  The medic blinked. “I don’t know. The administrator takes care of that.”

  Vesa walked to the wall com and made a connection. She spoke quietly and then disconnected. “Five minutes to a tool kit and you have full authorization to do what you can.”

  It took less than five minutes for the novice in white to skid in with a large tool kit that he brought straight to her. Ainora took the kit, and she skittered over to control panel, opening the unit with the ease of practice.

  She looked at the readout, and she could see that one of the light filters was clogged and the sound unit was being muffled. Knocks on the housing brought her to the problem, a solid thunk instead of a hollow clang.

  Opening the housing up, she yelped in surprise as a small object came out as if it had been under pressure. She lifted the item up and laughter rang through the room.

  The medic that had set the exam up said, “I will let Fixer know we have found it.”

  Ainora reset the scanning light and checked the flow on the sound. “Much better.”

  The medic cleared her throat. “Would you submit to a second scan to check the readouts?”

  Ainora nodded. “Sure. Just let me close it up.”

  She fastened the panel with ease and put the tools back in the kit. She brushed her hands off on her white suit and stepped back into the scanner. The light was better and the sound that measured her bone density was clear.

  The medic looked at the results and cursed. “Well, that explains the fuzzy baselines we have been getting. Thank you, Novice Lenz. I will file the repair under your account.”

  Ainora picked the toy off the floor. “See that this gets back to its owner. How long has it been?”

  The medic took the small, fluffy object. “Two months since Fixer was last here. I am guessing that her little guy shoved this through the wall.”

  Vesa grinned. “We call him Pusher. He tends to shove inanimate objects into each other.”

  “What does his mother think of that? How does she cope?”

  The medic laughed. “She usually just opens the wall and retrieves the item. It is always in good condition, just passes through one layer and into another.”

  “She opens the wall?”

  “His mother is Fixer. She is a master manipulator of matter, a legendary figure.”

  Vesa opened her mouth to speak when Lyon Tacks staggered in with his arm around the shoulders of another man, equally intimidating.

  The medics surged toward him and that was when Ainora clued into the fact that they were healers. She walked toward them as they pried the bodysuit away from the deep mahogany skin to show a silvery bruise taking up his abdomen.

  Yinfa and Vesa stayed back as Ainora was drawn to the man who was panting and groaning on the medical bed. She had never been this close to someone who was injured. His breathing was laboured, but there was something in there, something else. She didn’t want to touch an active healer, but grabbing her robe, she looped it around the wrist of one of the medics and pressed it over the lower lobe of Lyon’s lungs.

  “Here. The bleed is starting here.”

  The medic flinched but closed their eyes and cursed, urging the other medic to abandoned the pooled blood and stop the fountain.

  Lyon flailed around, and she gripped his hand with hers while the medics continued to work.

  Ainora looked to the man who had brought him in. “What happened?”

  “A new talent was working on his strength training, and he lost control of his talent in the gym. Tacks stepped into the line of fire and took the concussive blast to the abdomen instead of letting one of the new females take the hit.”

  The urgent grip on her hand eased, and the medics relaxed their stances as less and less energy was needed to repair the damage. Clearing pooled blood out of his belly was the easiest part of the healing and didn’t cause him any pain.

  She patted his hand. “Have a good day, Lyon. Get some rest, you look like hell.”

  He chuckled. “Thank you, Ainora.”

  She tried to release him, but he wouldn’t let her go. His fingers held tight to hers and his yellow gaze bored into hers. He tugged her hand to his lips, and she went scarlet as he kissed her.

  Blushing, she waited until he released her and jerked her hand back. “I have to continue my assessment. Get some sleep, Lyon.”

  He smiled. “I will. Good day to you, Ainora. See you soon.”

  She backed away.

  Vesa smiled again. “Come along, Novice. I think I have some ideas on how you can expand your skills.”

  Yinfa took Ainora by the arm, and they left the medical centre for the core of the Citadel. By their determination and the activation of the top floor, they were heading to deal with the Dhemon.

  Chapter Six

  Turnari smiled in
delight at Vesa’s report.

  “Congratulations, Master Analyst Lenz. You are now part of the technicians’ division.” The Dhemon was pleased.

  Ainora had to ask. “Great, what colour do they wear?”

  Yinfa’s shoulders shook. “White.”

  “Oh, come on…”

  Turnari blinked, “You don’t like white?”

  “I wore it for Resicor; I do not wish to wear it for the Citadel.”

  He bit his lip. “There may be some flex in that. I will send your request to Fixer. She is willing to kit you out tomorrow and would like you to take a look at a few creations that are not quite performing up to her standards. She would like a diagnosis.”

  “Is that to be my lot?”

  “She can fix her own toys. Trust me. Yinfa will take you for a meal and then back to your room until tomorrow. The database is at your disposal. As a master, you can research anything at any restriction rating.”

  She looked at the others in the room and then back to Turnari. “How is it that I am considered a master? I have only been at this for a day.”

  He tilted his head until his horns gleamed. “The term master is saved for either a person who has mastered all aspects of their talent or for someone who has a talent no one else has in scope and potential. That means you. Based on Vesa’s report, you are the strongest analytical talent on record. That gains you the title of master. You will grow into it.”

  Ainora narrowed her eyes. “If you insist.” She got to her feet.

  Yinfa was stifling amusement, and she kept it in until they left they were in the lift and heading for the main floor. “Ainora, I swear that steam was coming out of your ears.”

  Vesa smirked. “It seems you don’t like taking orders.”

  Ainora crossed her arms. “I don’t like wearing white.”

  Yinfa looked at the smears on Ainora’s suit. “That is obvious.”

  Laughing, they all went to dinner, and she was walked through the food that was suitable for her digestion. She saw several items that she would like to try but that would have to wait for a day when she wasn’t leaving the next.