Destiny's Choice (The Wandering Engineer)

by Hechtl, Chris

  “You did?” Irons asked in surprise.

  “Yes. A minor addition since the commissions are provisional and brevet promotions. But we can also add a few things to the data. For instance we can make it so it won't decrypt without the key commander Logan and Firefly have.”

  “Ah.”

  “And we can toss a bot in so that if it finds someone trying to hack it, it'll flush itself,” Sprite said smugly.

  “Excellent idea,” Defender replied.

  “Why thank you,” Sprite said with a lilt in her voice. “See? We do have ideas,” she teased.

  “Yes you do. Good ones, surprisingly. Sometimes life has a way of surprising me. Lets see if we can work on this list then get a work order generated. We may have to scale it to my replicator though.”

  “Why? Oh, for future project. Understood,” Sprite nodded. “I'm curious though. Could we build a new replicator?”

  “Why?” the Admiral asked sitting back.

  “For the shuttle. Take out some of the passenger space. Make an industrial replicator about four times larger than the one you currently have. That will allow for more parts. Or we could put a larger one under the seats or something.”

  “And draw more power. And the parts would be so big that we wouldn't be able to get them out of the shuttle,” Proteus replied.

  “Oh.”

  “Not all ideas are good ones,” Irons said with a shrug.

  “Oh... never mind,” Sprite said with a huff in her voice. Irons chuckled at that.

  “So, how much do we owe you? I thought you would come around to being a capitalist eventually,” the purser growled as Irons entered his office.

  Irons paused. He'd come to the cluttered office to talk but hadn't expected a confrontation before he'd even gotten in the door. Apparently the purser was willing to take the bull, or in this case the Admiral, by the horns. He was pretty sure a few people had guessed that he would not be with the ship when it made the turn around and returned on it's journey back to Pyrax in a week or so. “Um...”

  “Come on, spit it out. I don't have all day,” Notuma said, looking decidedly put out. His face had a puckered look he normally had when he had to pay out of pocket.

  Irons sighed. He looked down at a seat and gathered his thoughts. “Well, I think you owe me quite a bit for the use of my replicator and of course all my services here. I've been renting that storage but you've been benefiting from that as well.”

  “I thought as much,” the purser nodded. He'd heard about the Admiral's work making spares for the ship. He'd wished they had settled on a price before he'd agreed to it. Another case of Bailey jumping in feet first without looking at what he was getting the ship into. His eyes were cold. “So you came to collect?”

  “In a manner of speaking,” the Admiral said with a smile as he sat down in the worn chair. Sprite had obviously set this up so he might as well play along and see where it led. “But I have a feeling you are going to tell me why you can't pay me? A thanks for the help we can take it from here?”

  “I always pay my debts Admiral. Always. Even when we left Briev I authorized our last payment for port fees. Despite the unpleasantness that happened,” Notuma said stiffly.

  Irons nodded. Charlie did have his own sense of honor. That was good to know. “Okay.”

  “But we will not stop there again. And I will make sure no one else does either.” The Admiral nodded, smiling at that. The spacer's grapevine had it's uses. Blackballing a port did a lot of damage to it's economy over time.

  “Good idea. I should have put a satellite in orbit with a warning.”

  The purser nodded. “I think that would be wise. I'll see if we can make something simple and drop it off. A way to... pay my debts.”

  “I see,” Irons said, radiating approval.

  “That kid didn't deserve to be killed like that. Gunned down like a dog,” The purser snarled shaking his head. It took a moment for his hands to unclench and he obviously had to get control of himself. He exhaled and adjusted his jacket trim. “But we were talking about you.”

  “Got an idea on the account balance?”

  “Will you take a check?” the purser asked dryly, handing over a tablet. Irons looked at it and snorted.

  “I tell you what, I get some help, you drop that warning beacon off, I pack the hold with material for delivery to the fleet, and we do a little gag order and we'll call the books even. How about that?”

  Charlie's eyes narrowed in thought. He played with a stylus in his hands. “What kind of service do you need?” the purser asked warily, sitting back.

  Irons smiled a little. “Services plural. One of them is... lets just say vermin control,” Irons shrugged. “The other is a gag order as I mentioned. I want whoever is poisoning people against me to shut up. No calling other ships, no nasty gossip passed along in the bars on Triang. I'm tired of an uphill battle and I want it to stop.”

  “Ah... I am not sure we can do that.”

  “Try. Try real hard,” Sprite said.

  “We'll see.”

  “About the others...”

  “We've got break out!” the voice was still excited. Irons snorted. Some never got over the experience, the thrill of the adventure. Those were some of the better people in his opinion. One should always take what enjoyment one can out of exploring.

  He however had other things on his mind. He was already plotting the locations of the nearest rocks as the sensor feeds stabilized. With a little luck they'd find what he needed before they crossed the heliopause.

  “Does anyone else have a question? Better make it quick folks, we've got only a few more sessions before this is done. I'm getting off here,” the Admiral said with a smile. They had about four days before they made Triang orbit. He'd taken the past week to go out and fetch rocks, pulling them in with the help of one of the other shuttles and a tug bot he'd built. He was giving the tug bot and most of the fuel to the ship so the captain had authorized a few minor detours on their route. It had added a few days to their journey but it had also stuffed a lot of the holds full with metals and materials he was now busily turning into useful products.

  Of course his actions had the ship's crew abuzz. He wasn't talking and he generally ignored people when they stopped by to poke their heads into things. They'd find out soon enough. Harry had lent a hand, shooing a few off and telling most of them that he was making spare parts for the ship. That had abated some of the interest.

  Of course that wasn't the only thing people were talking about right now. The assassin was top of the list of course but they were also excited about the new planet. The gossips were abuzz over who was going where and what they would see when they got into orbit.

  “Not going back to Briev?” a student in the back asked with a laugh.

  “Oh hell no,” the Admiral said with a smile. They were in a jovial mood.

  “I was wondering... I... oh never mind,” a kid in the back said. Eugene he saw on the HUD. A good kid, smart, he'd go places if he could keep his train of thought and built up a bit of confidence in himself. He needed support and seasoning. Hopefully Bailey would supply both.

  “Spit it out. I don't have all day,” another heckler said.

  “Hush. Go ahead son,” the Admiral said waving.

  “Um, how does the banking system work?”

  “Very carefully. You pony up or they take a pound of flesh. Literally,” someone in the back said with a laugh.

  “Pretty close to what is really going on in this day and age. But not quite. You see we have a system set up. It took me a while to figure it out on Io 11 when I was first shown it. It is pretty close to the barter system but not quite.”

  “Oh?”

  “It is all about economics. Supply and demand. If a good or service is rare, it deserves a high price. The banking system is based on that standard.”

  “Oh.”

  “Okay, lets take an example. Um... New Texas. They have a lot of beef, that's a surplus, which they suppl
y on demand. But they don't have a lot of processed materials and goods. Most of their industry is non existent. So that is at a premium.”

  “Oh.”

  “And the services to keep them working are also at a premium. But lets say, Pyrax. Pyrax has goods a plenty, and raw material. What it doesn't have is a lot of food, and textiles. Which other planets trade for.”

  “So it is different everywhere we go?”

  “Haven't you been paying attention? We got all that fleece and furs in Agnosta kid,” a girl in the back said. Her name was Shiela. She seemed like a good kid, a twenty something brown haired girl who happened to be a friend of Everette. He wasn't sure if it was a friendship with benefits situation or not. From the way they had been kissing in the hall... “I picked out a silver mink I plan on wearing just as soon as we get back.”

  “Right,” the Admiral said as some of the guys whistled and leered. “Pyrax has re-established the fed credit banking system. So instead of barter, you have a payroll, which you will receive the rest of when you arrive. Right now it's in escrow.”

  “I hope,” Sprite said quietly.

  “But a part of it will be removed for taxes and for those of you buying a share of a ship,” he kept going, ignoring Sprite.

  “So the standard is different... wait, doesn't that get complicated? How do we handle that?” the girl asked. “How do we handle things when we go from one planet to the next?”

  “Negotiate,” the Admiral explained sitting back. “The purser looks up the economic index of a planet then calls ahead to negotiate with them. They settle on a system to use. Then he lets you know.”

  “Usually he gives us gold or some other metal... or a piece of plastic to show them.”

  “Well, if it is gold, most likely you're being ripped off. Gold is rare and precious for it's bauble uses on planets, but in space it is only used in thin layers for insulation. And we can get many metals just by picking up an asteroid,” the Admiral smiled. “If it is the plastic card, what that is is a debit system. They take down your info then charge the ship. The purser then pays them. If you want to know more I suggest you ask him.”

  “But we're changing things,” Sprite interjected. He turned to her holo avatar. “We are trying to restore the Federation. As systems claw their way back to electronics, they will start to accept electronic banking. Which will make it easier to do business. Everything will be on a set standard, and you can just use a card for transactions, or an identi-chip.”

  “Oh,” Everette said. “Is that how it was done before?”

  “Yes. We kept track with ansibles,” Irons said, heading off the obvious question. “The banks would send notices out through the ansible network. For those places that didn't have one, they would send a note on a passing ship or send a courier.”

  “But didn't some get ripped off?”

  “Yes, that was a problem,” Sprite said dryly. “Some shady characters would create an account, then go from system to system making withdrawals ahead of the update. If the bank was late it was taken for quite a lot of money.”

  “Which is why there is insurance, and why banks required DNA samples and other things. When they say that a bank makes you sign in blood, they meant it,” Irons replied with a chuckle.

  “The identi-chips, do they hurt?” the girl asked, rubbing her arm.

  “You still haven't gotten one?” Everette asked. She shook her head 'no' mutely. “Sheila...” he said exasperated. She scowled at him until he suddenly shut down, obviously intimidated.

  Irons frowned. He'd been sure that everyone had one now. He'd have to have a talk with Ed Chambers about that.

  “It doesn't hurt. Not at all. It is like getting a shot. It is a little granule, about the size of a grain of rice for the basic set up. That one sends a signal with your information to a receiver.”

  “I heard there are others though.”

  “Of course,” Sprite said indicating the Admiral. “He's living proof.” The Admiral held up his left hand. “In here there is a chip,” she said. A holo appeared over his hand. It made it look like the hand was being peeled back to reveal a grain sized chip and set of wires.

  “This is a civilian chip. It's more modern than the basic set up. This one sends and receives information and sends it up this network of fiber optic lines to a processor in his chest, then up to his eyes.”

  Lights traced along the path of the wire into his body. “I can see a transaction or other information when I use this implant. It is a civilian implant, one I used for my personal banking. I haven't used it in, well, centuries,” he shrugged and dropped his hand.

  “Oh,” the class looked around.

  “The simple granule identi-chip tech is now used by Io 11 and Pyrax. You may get other implants like this soon. Clarke and the other hyper navigators already have gen 2 implants to make it easier for them to navigate.”

  “Will that one hurt?” the girl asked nervously, indicating his hand.

  “This? No. You swallow a pill. A pretty big pill, but it's just that. Well, that and a booster pill. It is a bunch of nanites.” He paused as the group began to mutter. He raised his voice to be heard. “They are harmless. They build the implant then dissolve in your large intestine. Your body flushes them out with other waste. No muss no fuss.”

  “nanites are robots. They do just what they are programmed to do,” Sprite said as the class looked around nervously. “If you ever want to have antigen therapy, use a replicator to replicated things, like oh, the clothes you're wearing... or have a body part replaced, or go in a regen tank, you'd better get over this fear. nanites are tools. It is how you use them that matters. They aren't inherently evil. Just the people who use them for evil are.”

  “Ah,” some of them murmured. Some of the class looked thoughtful. Most weren't convinced.

  “And yeah, I am so getting tired of beating that subject into you,” Sprite sighed, shaking her virtual head. Irons glanced her way.

  “Just a thought people. I've got my hobby horses, she's got hers. Just do your own research now that you can and then think about it. Don't let old prejudices contain you. Think for yourselves, that is all we ask. Right?” He turned to the AI who nodded.

  “Right?” she said nodding and turning to the class in challenge. They nodded back.

  “Right. Moving on...”

  Chapter 28

  Irons paused in the corridor as Everette came running up behind him. “Admiral a moment if you please.”

  He turned to the freckled young man. “Yes?” he asked. He'd gotten used to being approached in the corridors. Waylaid really, by any of the crew, his students or anyone with a question or an ax to grind. He'd thought he'd get the willies, with an assassin running around paranoia was normal, but he'd seen the kid coming this time.

  “Can I, I mean, when we get back to Pyrax, can I get antigen therapy? Seriously?”

  “That depends on you,” the Admiral said with a shrug. “You are a bit young for it. My suggestion is to save your money. Invest some of it, and keep some for retirement. Maybe put some away in a trust fund for antigen and metafactor therapy later.”

  “I just don't want to get too old,” he said, he looked around. “I've also got a couple of health issues.”

  Irons chuckled at that. “Son I am over ninety years old. I could live centuries.”

  “Try eons,” Sprite said in his ear.

  “Or longer,” the Admiral said with a shrug. “The civilian antigen therapy isn't as good as military grade, but it's the best you're going to get for now.” He waved to indicate he was moving on. The tech followed.

  “I didn't know there were different types,” the young man said grimacing. “I need it though. The doctor said I have a rare medical condition. It will hit me like a time bomb when I am in my forties. It, well, it killed my father and grandfather.”

  “Ah,” the Admiral slowed nodding. “So that is why you took this job? The money not the adventure? That's not normal for a...”

 
“Kid my age?” the tech said with a snort. “You could say that. You could also say I want to see fifty. Now that things have changed we have a lot to live for.”

  “True,” the Admiral said with a nod. “The clinic on Anvil is a fountain of youth clinic. Or at least it was before the war. One of the better civilian antigen and regen therapy clinics, but not the best. Those were on the core worlds,” he grimaced. The familiar pain of loss wasn't there for once.

  “But you said the military is better?”

  “Yes. You get it in the military. Free. They will cure your disease right off, and give you metafactors and even an implant and a college education. You sign up for a twenty year hitch and you get it all and keep your money. Invest it in something else like a retirement fund or business.”

  Everette's eyes went wide and thoughtful. “Wow. Sounds like a cool deal. Just one thing. I don't like the idea of getting shot at. And the whole dead thing... that sucks.” He shrugged helplessly.

  “Yeah,” the Admiral laughed. “I'll tell you a secret, the one ones who like getting shot at are Marines. I think they get off on the endorphin rush. They aren't exactly all there you know? Grunts and jar heads. Go figure,” he shrugged with a smile.

  “I'll tell the major you said that.” Sprite said with a laugh. “See what he says about it.”

  “Hmm. Well, I'll think about it. Thank you Admiral.”

  “No problem. Think about it. Talk to your family. Talk to a recruiter. You could request a reservist post. Or a post in a low danger situation like in the yard or here on Destiny since she's a reserve ship. It's up to you. Electronic techs aren't usually on the front lines,” he smiled.

  “True. Thanks Admiral,” Everette said. He waved and walked off.

  “Poaching my crew?” Bailey growled from the doorway. Irons paused then snorted.

  “Nope. Just putting a bug in the kid's ear. He wants regen therapy but wants his cake as well. That's one way of doing it.”

  “True,” Bailey snorted. “I've been wondering about that kid. He's good, I'll give him that, but he's restless. The day in, day out drudgery isn't something he's used to doing I guess. And we've got the system set up so well now, it's dead easy to maintain. Let alone fix.”