The admiral nodded. “Good.”
They told him about their adventures in Halced 6, New Haven, and Aiera 3, along with Nightingale and New Brunswick before they retraced their steps and had arrived a week ago in Epsilon.
In turn he told them about his adventures in Pyrax and on Destiny and Antigua. When he admitted to Sprite the chief interrupted. “Sprite?” she asked coolly, one sculpted eyebrow raised in inquiry.
“Lieutenant Commander Sprite. My central AI.” He met her level gaze with his own. “You don't show all your cards chief and neither do I.”
Her eyes glittered but slowly, grudgingly she nodded in response. He smiled, hearing Jen breathe a sigh of relief.
“Speaking of which,” Irons said holding up his right palm. “Sprite?”
His hand morphed into a holo emitter and a miniature version of the AI came to attention. “I was about to page you Admiral, the captain of the IO 11 is calling Phoenix.”
“First things first, Sprite,” he nodded to the others. “Introductions are long overdue,” he said with a smile of apology. “Commander Sprite, I believe you know each of the people here.”
Sprite nodded politely to each in turn. “Indeed I do. It is good to finally come out of the closet a bit and meet you formally though,” Sprite said, pursing her lips. Her image swelled until only her head and shoulders were projected, this time life size.
Irons noticed something wrong and realized it was the intense quiet in the bar. He looked around to see the other patrons staring.
The chief caught his gaze and turned. “As you were people,” she growled looking around the room. The bartender grunted and went back to wiping the bar down in front of him.
Irons snorted softly. “I can't believe you had her this entire time and never told me!” Dorah accused him, clearly annoyed but excited. She put her hand through the holo and then waved her palm over it as Sprite's image wavered. “Oh sorry.”
Sprite rolled her eyes. She turned to see the intent glitter of the chief's look and snorted softly. “No hard feelings chief?” she asked.
“I...” the chief blinked, then her eyes narrowed. “No.”
“Good. I'd hate to play with your shower again...” Sprite said coyly.
“Sprite,” Irons growled, cutting her off. Sprite shrugged and curtsied as the chief's eyes narrowed further. Her jaw clenched briefly.
“You, ah, said the captain is calling?” Irons said before the two could go at it further.
“Yes, putting her through now admiral,” she said. Sprite's image changed to that of the captain.
From the look of her the captain hadn't changed much. She still had her trademark shawl and was aged but unbroken. She smiled crookedly at the admiral. “Admiral that you?” she asked squinting. He nodded.
“It's good to see you again captain. I'm here with the chief and her party now.”
The captain grunted and rested her hands on a gnarled cane. “Harrumph. Figures they'd track you down. How are you doing?”
“Fine captain, I've got a ship and we're traveling,” he said. He reiterated some of his story, sticking to the high points. He knew it was for as much the captain's piece of mind as well as fodder for the gossip mill on the ship. If he was a betting man he'd bet the entire conversation was being broadcast all over the ship. The captain was intrigued by the developments but dryly commented that Antigua would offer stiff competition.
“If the pirates leave them alone captain. I'm not sure about that,” the admiral replied.
“Oh?” She sat back and rested her hands in her lap.
“The pirates have taken several worlds, including Destria.”
“Taken?” she asked, eyes narrowed.
The admiral nodded grimly. “Taking and holding, it turns out the pirates are a bit more than anyone suspected. They are Horathians, sent out to strip colonies of material to send back to their home system for their own uses. We've discovered they have been fortifying their world and lately taking neighboring worlds.”
“Horath is now off limits,” the captain said in stern disgust. She turned to the left and nodded.
“Yeah. They are turning it into a black hole.”
“I'll say.”
“I see you've had quite a few adventures.”
The captain grunted. “I take it Hibiki and the others telling tales out of school?”
“Just catching up with friend’s captain,” Hibiki said to the open communicator, hands up.
“No offense Captain, he's a good kid, they all are,” The admiral assured her. He nodded to the waitress as she policed the remnants of their first order and placed refills down.
“Who needs to keep a lid on it,” the captain growled when the waitress left.
Hibiki rolled his eyes but knew better than to say anything. He was also careful to sit back out of range of the mini camera... or so he thought.
“I saw that young man,” the captain growled. He froze. The other girls giggled, hands over their mouths. Even the chief looked amused. The admiral snorted.
“Sorry ma'am,” Hibiki replied sheepishly, hunching his shoulders.
“Well, we have a time table to keep. I want to be on Avalon for their harvest to get the best fruit before they go to war again. Those idiots always do for one reason or another. And I want some of that wood they sell so let's be about things smartly.”
The crew from the Io all nodded. “Aye, aye captain,” they said in unison.
“I've got some bartering to do. I understand you'll be competing with me Admiral?” the captain asked, sounding amused.
“Something like that. Though why they want us to compete,” he shook his head and then sighed.
“Good for you, a little healthy competition,” she cackled.
Irons smiled ruefully. He had the edge with his keys, but they had the high ground with their enormous replicators and crew... not to mention their holds stuffed with asteroids they'd just picked up. It was no contest right now. Give him a couple weeks though... “True. I just need fuel and some minor supplies though.”
“Then you won't mind paying through the nose for them,” the captain teased with a glimmer of mischief in her old eyes.
“I have a feeling you'll make sure I do,” he replied dryly. He heard her gravel voice chuckle as she closed the communication's channel. After a moment Sprite's image returned.
“How goes the ship projects?” the admiral asked, leaning back and looking at Jen and then Tara before finally settling on the chief.
“We didn't get far with that fighter project if that's what you're asking about,” the chief responded in disgust. “For some reason Io won't make the right parts. Talk about a lemon,” she said, clearly annoyed.
Sprite's image returned to the holo projection. “That's because she's screening it for you. Had you tried to replicate mil-spec parts the replicator would have shut down or melted down,” Sprite informed her. “My daughter is protecting you.”
“Daughter?” Jen asked, looking from the admiral's hand to the admiral's face. He shrugged.
The admiral shrugged and cocked his head to Sprite. “I'm not much of a coder. She is. She's code itself remember.”
“Ah.”
“Io and I and Phoenix are talking on side bands. Sorry, um, If you'll excuse me, you meat bags are just too slow,” Sprite said and left.
He snorted as the projection vanished. He clenched his hand and then dropped it to his side. “I suggest you treat it like a shuttle,” the admiral said, looking from Jen to Tara and then finally the chief. “Pop in civilian grade components and then tune them to how you want them to run. The level I mean. You won't get it to mil-spec...”
“But something is better than nothing. Thanks admiral,” Jen replied with a smile.
“Exactly. Did you get anywhere making shuttles?”
“I...” Tara snorted when the chief growled and tried to kick her under the table. “Chief...” she looked at her. “Knock it off.”
“We shouldn't be tal
king to the competition,” the chief growled, eying Irons.
“He's not competition he's the admiral,” Dorah said stoutly.
“A bit of both in some eyes. Not that I intend to be competition. If I can help I will,” the admiral replied with a nod.
“We know that Admiral,” Jen said, smiling softly.
“Did you date anyone?” Dorah asked. Irons sighed softly and closed his eyes briefly. “Something I said?” Dorah asked, sounding concerned.
“I... yes Dorah, I dated someone. She... it was on Destiny.” He related the events on Destiny, how he'd dated April O’Neill only to have her snatched away from him by an assassin.
“So she's dead?” Dorah asked, eyes wide and mournful. She took Hibiki's hand and held it.
“No, she is in stasis,” Irons replied, shaking his head.
“What a love story,” Jen murmured softly.
“So you and her... I mean you could eventually I mean...” Dorah said, looking helplessly from him to Hibiki and finally to him again.
Irons sighed. “It's a big universe and some time has passed. I don't know if she made it to Pyrax or not, I don't know if they saved her, and if she started a new life or not.”
“Oh,” Dorah replied in a small voice.
“I doubt I'll ever go back to Pyrax,” the admiral mused. “It's a snake pit. The naval contingent and some of the people on Anvil are all right but the rest...” he shrugged, clearly annoyed. Finally he straightened his shoulders as his jaw set. “The rest can all go to hell for all I care.”
“That's not like you mister admiral,” Dorah said, eyes wide in concern.
“It is today Dorah. Don't worry about it. If it works out I'll try to send word to you and the girls,” Irons said patting her hand. She smiled as her fingers curled around his to hold his hand briefly.
“You do that,” she said softly.
They talked a bit more, mostly small talk before the conversation wound down.
He finally said goodbye and hugged the girls and shook hands with Hibiki before he left.
Chapter 4
The bartering was stiff, Io's presence made it harder to get stuff of course. They had more crew, more supplies, and of course they had a proven track record while he was a complete unknown.
It wasn't that he needed a lot of material, at least not critically, but if he was going to do the planned long jump the more fuel he had the better off he would be pulling the jump off safely. He could have course linger in the system, pick up rocks like Io11 did and make what he needed but that would take time he didn't want to spend.
Besides, the captain and purser seemed to be enjoying the lively exchange so much he didn't want to disappoint them. Though they did grumble about having to ante in a lot more than they expected. Somehow something told him it didn't bother them nearly as much as they were making out, he thought wryly.
It wasn't like they were going to go without either. Io was no doubt stuffed to the deck heads with raw and semi-processed material. It could be that they actually wanted to unload some of it and he was serving as a good excuse. Their mercenary hearts just couldn't exactly give something away. That was contrary to their nature.
Or it could be that they were having too much fun just yanking his chain. That he thought with a wry twist of his lips as he watched the purser whisper into her communications link and scroll through a list on her tablet... yes that was partially it too.
Either way he'd get what he'd set out to do done, after all, he didn't like the alternatives. He had already completed some of his goals, he'd set out to build that gas giant refinery and completed it after all. The fuel he was getting from the planet wasn't going to cut it according to Phoenix's latest calculations. It would be useful for life support, but he needed pure deuterium and Helium 3 to maximize the reactor's output.
If this long jump was going to work he'd need to stuff Phoenix with everything he could get his hands on. After all, it would be a long trip, months in hyper without any chance to stop and refuel or resupply. He shuddered at the very idea. He had been dreading it, and still in fact did dread it even now.
Phoenix had actually never done anything like it, but he knew the ship could handle it. It was himself he was more worried about. A five or six month jump without anyone else but AI for companionship? Working twenty hour days for that period of time? He'd done something like that before but... well, it would test his limits now wouldn't it? He thought with a mental snort.
The alternative was to either tuck his legs and jump through Pyrax, or find an alternative route. That could mean going back to Centennial and jumping for the B452c system then through pirate infested space around Kathy's World before turning down galactic south to parallel the Agnosta chain in a run of empty systems before ending up where he intended to go in the empty B100mega system. A years traveling minimum according to Phoenix, without sure places to stop and refuel. No, the long jump was the way to go.
Of course he could jump to Pyrax, pass through it and let the AI masquerade for him. They didn't even need to know he was on-board if he wanted. He would be able to see how things were going in the system and keep his visit low key. Hell he could jump in and then get stealthy, stick to the outer edges of the system and work his way around and see if they spotted him. If they did he could pass it off as a training exercise...
No, the long jump. Besides, he loved a challenge.
He ended up bartering a modern computer core, an industrial class one replicator, fusion injectors, EPS conduit valves, and parts for a class one fusion reactor to get the additional materials, food, and fuel. The captain was amused to compete with him. Io traded equipment for a new hospital complex, a series of weather and communications satellites, a kilometer of EPS conduits, some computers, three ground radar arrays for the major airports, the downloads and information he'd turned over to them, as well as a dozen construction vehicles and over a hundred tons of parts for them.
She had even tossed in a tug and a shuttle the girls had put together. He was amused when he had found out they were planning on tapping his gas giant refinery for fuel for the reactor he was building, all without consulting him. Typical.
...*...*...*...*...
“Admiral are you going to toss them your usual help package?” Sprite asked, sounding slightly amused and condescending after the bartering concluded. Irons snorted as he looked up from the report he was reading.
“You have a better idea?”
“I'd like to expand on it actually, the bulk of their recent technological renaissance has been primarily due to two manufacturers and largely due to the efforts of Director Richards.” Sprite wasn't sure if it would get to its intended recipients, but if Richards was involved it might stand a better chance. From the dossier she'd built up about the woman she seemed an honorable woman.
“Richards...” Irons mused.
A picture from a press clipping appeared on the tablet he'd been looking at. It was of a sandy haired woman wearing glasses and a white medical smock. A red badge was under the lapel breast pocket and a stethoscope was around the back of her neck. She was smiling nice white even teeth.
“Doctor Richards, forty four local years old, young for her position as director of planetary medical services. The equivalent of a chief medical officer. She's become a force of nature in her profession and others, overhauling all of them.”
The admiral nodded. “A woman after my own heart. By all means. And if we can send her any extras, do so. She needs all she can get.”
“Since the planet has no insurance services and has until recently only primitive medical methods and technology I'd say yes she does,” Sprite replied dryly.
“Good. It never hurts to help the medics. Seeing to long term health is a good will gesture.”
“Not just health actually admiral, her interest in salvaged medical equipment and techniques has sparked a great deal of the renaissance and of course the usual spy games and patent law fights.”
Irons winced as hi
s face puckered in repugnance. “Ew.”
“Ew indeed. Oddly the doctor has stayed largely out of it. She turns her findings over to the office of industry who then hands it over to an industry to make. Usually for a fee of course,” Sprite replied. Irons winced. Sprite had picked up on the graft and corruption on the planet. On the surface it was a nice world, but he was realizing some things were only skin deep. After his experience in Pyrax he had no intention of getting screwed by politicians again.
“She accepts donations but she may wonder why you an offworlder are donating data and technology admiral,” Sprite said as he keyed up the file he had been reading once more.
“Let her. Her problem. I've got other fish to fry,” he said, scrolling through the report. “I've got to fix the buss in the starboard keel nacelle of the ship. Phoenix is showing me it's hinky.”
“It is,” Phoenix replied.
“It is. But you also have an appointment admiral,” Sprite informed him.
He sighed getting up and setting the tablet down. “Then I'd better get on it then. Phoenix get the replicator working on the replacement part. I'll go pull the panel.”
“Already on it admiral,” Phoenix replied. “We are low on materials though.”
“I know. I'll... figure something out,” he said with a helpless shrug. He could wrangle rocks but it wasn't something he enjoyed. A close call in Gaston had made him reconsider the entire project. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, it was a safety issue. If he had more hands... He set the thought aside as he walked out of the room.
...*...*...*...*...
The admiral spotted the man nonchalantly leaning against a building in the shade. He at first ignored the man, he was after all just minding his own business, but then Defender's in depth scan pointed out a knife the man was holding on his right side out of sight. As he passed the man he felt/saw him look up and then moved quickly to grab for Irons. Irons however spun, his right hand came up and he triggered a stun blast. The man crumbled, falling like a lifeless puppet.
Plague Planet (The Wandering Engineer) Page 6
