New Dawn (Wandering Engineer) (23 page)

He tapped the computer.
"That brings us neatly into our current lecture, the decentralized
computer systems on this ship... now, shall we begin?" Some of the girls
nodded, others groaned softly. He chuckled. "It's a bit hard to understand
to a layman, so we'll take it one step at a time. As we go through the
material, some of you will take on a knack for different aspects of it, and can
focus on them, becoming specialists."

The hologram came up with a list
of specialties. It scrolled. "All that?" Molly asked amazed.

"All that and more, these
are just the skill sets for a ship, there's actually much more," he said
as they groaned. He waved the projector away then leaned forward. "To be
an engineer you need to be a dilettante, or in the layman's terms a jack of all
trades, master of none." 

He picked up the computer.
"For some of you, that's what you'll take from these courses, a little of
each, enough to understand the basics." Text began to scroll on the
hologram. "Computers break down into two essential things, hardware and
software," he said, swinging into lecture mode. He tapped the computer.
"Hardware. All of you now have had some experience with repairing
it." He waved to the scrolling text. "Software. Now, let’s get down
to basics."

The hatch opened and the girls
entered. They crunched through the debris on the floor then paused. "What
is that?"

"Oh pretty!"

"
Sparkly
!" Trisha
eased a girl to one side then looked around.

The engineer, Jennie, and Molly
followed. "All right ladies, this is the central computer, the cerebral
cortex of the computer." He waved to the civilian gear haphazardly plugged
in.

"What is all this glitter?"
Trisha asked, brushing some off her coveralls.

"That's crystal lattice, the
hardware substrate for holographic memory cores," he answered. He picked
up a pinch then let it go, watching as it fell.

"Why is it dust?"
Trisha asked then sneezed. "Sorry."

"Bless you." one of the
girls said.

"When the ship was damaged
beyond self repair the Captain ordered a purge. That means the AI, and all
military data were wiped, then their containing hardware self destructed,"
Irons explained. He looked over the computer core. The crystal was gone; cables
snaked in to replace it.

"We don't have the ability
to build a new core from scratch, we have to be on a station to do that, but we
can work up a lower tech replacement. We have to wait until we're out of hyper
before we can do this. We can't plug it into the net till we're out of hyper,
but we can set it all up and have it ready. We're going to completely rebuild
the core."

Molly nodded. "All right,
Trish, release the robots, get them cleaning. You two over there, start
sweeping. You get the vacuum. The sooner we get this cleaned and cleared, the
sooner we can start plugging the hardware in!" Molly looked around. Some
of the girls were jumping into action; a few were looking at her bemused.
"Well? What are you waiting for! Let’s move it!" she demanded. She
clapped her hands together. Even the Admiral moved. She grinned.

The life pod bounced off a
bulkhead and the girl pushing it cursed. "Hey watch it!" The lead
girl turned angrily.

"Well excuuuse me! Why don't
you watch your end!" the black girl's hands curled into claws. "What
did you say?" the other snarled.

"Girls girls!" Molly
waved them down. She smacked the life pod between them. It bobbed up and down
on its antigrav. Both girls stopped and looked at her. "Now that I have
your attention..." She pointed. "I believe we have a job to do?"

She pushed at the pod. The lead
blond got hastily out of the way. She fended the end off, pushing it back.
"Okay a little more, to your left, no your other left!" Molly called.

The purser came around the corner
and they managed to stop before running her down. "And just what do you
think you’re doing?" she demanded, looking them over.

"Recycling, now if you'll
kindly move," Molly motioned her aside.

Vanessa pulled herself up
straight. "I'll do no such thing; I'm going to trade that in Pyrax!"
she growled. She motioned to the life pod. "Kindly put it back."

The girls looked at each other.
"No, we're going to recycle it. We need the materials. Don't worry, we'll
make more later," Molly said firmly. Molly motioned to the girls to move
it around the purser.

The purser blocked their way.
"Oh I don't think so. First you take seven hundred kilograms of
my
raw material, then some of the grain, the parts we had, and now this?" She
slapped at the life pod. "I'm telling the Captain!" her voice rang
with triumphant wrath.

"You’re going to tell me
what Vanessa?" the Captain's gravelly voice made them all stiffen.

"Um, ah that is, did you
know about this nonsense?" The purser motioned to the engineers and life
pod.

The captain's lips smiled thinly.
"Why yes I did, in fact I authorized it."  Vanessa gawked at her. The
Captain studied the pod then the girls. "Carry on." She turned her
attention to the purser.

"But Captain!" Vanessa
whined.

The Captain sat back, eyebrow
cocked. "Yes?" The purser recognized the signs, she wasn't going to
get anywhere with this argument. "Very well," she sulked.

"Vanessa, with the materials
from that pod, we can rebuild an entire shield node!" Molly replied over
her shoulder. "Buck up will you?" she called as the rounded a bend.

"Hey watch it!"

"Sorry!" the girls
called.

The Captain shook her head.
"Kids these days, finding all sorts of things to play with." She
turned her gaze to the purser.

"Vanessa, I don't believe
you've become fully acquainted with our changed situation, perhaps you should
tour the replicators and get a better idea," she said suggestively. The
purser shuddered. The captain's eyes narrowed. "In fact I insist on it.
Today." She nodded in the direction of the girls. "Now," she
pointed a gnarled hand towards where the pod was going. The purser mumbled
something then followed the girls.

"Admiral, this you have to
see." He heard the burble of laughter lingering in Sprite's voice. Sometimes
he wondered about her programmers, her human emulation was pretty good.

"All right, give," he
said. A web page popped up on his HUD. "What am I looking at?" he
asked as he stowed his kit.

"Oh, just this..." She
highlighted a section of text.

"Win a date with the
Admiral...." he read out loud. "WHAT?" he said, then looked
around as some of the crew looked up. "As you were," he growled then
turned. "Sprite, what the hell?" he asked, dropping his voice to a
fierce whisper.

Sprite dialed down her mirth.
"It seems you've been nominated to date a crew member if they win a
contest," she replied. He growled darkly at the thought.

"And who put me up to this?”
he demanded." He wasn't sure, but he thought he knew.

"The purser, with the moral
officer," Sprite replied.

He sighed and closed his eyes,
counting to ten. "Has anyone else seen this?" he asked when he got to
ten.

"Why yes, now that you
mention it, the traffic to it was what caught my attention," Sprite
responded.

He grunted in irritation.
"Great, just great," he muttered darkly.

A girl walked by and grinned. She
twirled around, keeping him in her view, and then moved on. "See you later
Admiral," her tone and grin were mischievous.

 "I feel like a piece of
meat," he grumbled. He looked over to a group of girls giggling and
glancing up to him. "Great. This crap again. Get me the purser," he
ordered.

"Oh but Admiral, it's great
for moral, and besides, it's one heck of a motivational tool, work throughput
is through the roof!" she said with a grin. He ground his teeth. The
purser had done her dance, and then passed him over to the moral officer.
"Besides, the Captain has already approved it!" she said. It didn't
help that he liked the lady a lot better then he did the credit minded purser.
He fought a grimace. "Did any of you stop to consider what I would say or
want to do?" he growled.

She stopped blubbering
enthusiastically and blinked at him. "Well, you don't have to growl about
it. Sheesh," she said. He glared. She wilted. "Okay, so we forgot one
little detail."

He continued the glare.
"Okay okay, we didn't think you would approve so we went around you,"
she said contritely.

He growled. "If I go through
with this... crap... Damn, I am a 
Federation Fleet Admiral
, one hundred
two years
old
and you want me to date
teenagers
?" he snarled
it, slamming his hand onto her desk. She eeped, jumping back. "Oh, I
forgot about that. But you’re a celebrity! Besides, you’re so handsome,
everyone wants to date you... You could have your pick of the crew..." she
said suggestively.

He grimaced at the thought.
"Precisely why an officer doesn't." He shook his head.

"It's one date. Pick her up
at her quarters, dinner and a show, dance with her, and then take her for a
walk to her quarters," she said. She looked him over. "You can do it,
if we can get you away from engineering. I'm sure it'll be good for you,"
she said soothingly. He sighed. She knew she had him. "Besides, the
Captain said to do it."

He glared. "I can do without
you twisting the knife," his lips writhed. "I hate dressing up,"
he admitted.

She glared affronted.
"But... but, you don't expect them to see you all dressed up in a grimy
coverall do you? This is a date!"

He grunted, tempted to show up
just like that. "Yes, one you and your cohorts are blackmailing me
into," he glared.

"I don't like extortion, and
I like extortionists even less," he growled.

She seemed to wilt a little.
"I'll make it up to you, I promise." She twisted her hands together.

He grunted. He fully intended to
take it out of her hide later. In such a way that both she and Vanessa squealed
like stuck pigs and never did something like this again. "Okay. Let me
know who wins. I will do this once, but you’re going to pay for it," he
growled. He locked his eyes to her she squirmed.

"Well of course, the meal is
going to be on the ship's tab..."

He shook his head. "No, for
my participation, I am exacting a price. A high one you will pay."

 Her chin quivered.
"Okay."

He nodded. "I'll hold you to
it."

He smiled as he took a bite.
"What's in this?" he sub vocalized later that week.

"Do you really want to know
Admiral?" Sprite responded. He looked over to his dinner partner. She was
a svelte blond, dressed in a black mini dress open from her neck to her navel,
with a matching open back. It sparkled in the dim lights of the wardroom.

A girl played a song on a newly
made violin. He winced as she hit a sour cord. "Oh, just a little
Yohimbine and a few other assorted ingredients..." He took another bite
and then toyed with his fork. Organic chem wasn't exactly his strong area.

"And that means?" he
asked.

"Oh, an aphrodisiac."

He grunted in irritation.
"Not this crap again!" He set the fork down. His date looked up.

"Is there something
wrong?" she asked, eyes worried.

He shook his head. "No um..
There is an intermittent fault in the net, it just went down again," he
said, dodging the question. It wasn't right to take his ire out on her, she was
innocent in this. Well, somewhat, he thought.

Her eyes widened at that. She
looked around. "How do you..."

He smiled at her curiousity and
tapped his temple. "Implants," he explained. He wiped his mouth with
the napkin. "I'll have to see to it in an hour or two. Now, where were we,
you said you grew up on Halced 6?" She nodded. "One of the moon colonies
around the gas giant right?"

 She looked excited at his
interest and knowledge. "You've been there? It has this majestic
view..."

He tried to hide the limp as he
escorted her to her quarters. His pair of guards followed discretely behind.
"Oh I had such a marvelous time!" the girl said, swinging on his arm
a bit. The girl was slightly tipsy, and clutched at his arm as if in need of
support. She rested her head on his arm. He noticed she had taken the long
circular route to her cabin, making sure everyone up could see them together.

His left foot hurt, despite being
a prosthetic. Her foot work on the dance floor left a lot to be desired.
Proteus cut the pain sensors and then reset them again. "And here is your
cabin...” He stopped them at her cabin and touched the entry button.

The door opened and she giggled,
swaying. "Now, aren't you going to come in for a nightcap?" she asked
giggling. He tried to hide a sigh.

A throat cleared behind him.
"Admiral, you need to repair the network on deck two... It went down
again," Tara, bless her cut in diplomatically.

He sighed theatrically.
"Duty calls my dear," he said and then kissed her hand. She blushed
and giggled.

"Why thank you Admiral,
thank you for a most memorable evening!" She giggled again, swaying.
"And thank you lass for a delightful evening as well," he murmured.
He bowed and stepped back. The door tried to close but stopped when it bumped
into her nose. She reeled back a little then giggled again.

"Good night," she
slurred and waved as she weaved into the room.

 He sighed as he turned and made
his way down the corridor. "Thanks Tara, I owe you one," he murmured
to her as he passed. "Think nothing of it Admiral, you didn't need another
hussy chasing you, you did your duty enough as it is," she said softly. He
nodded.

"Okay ladies, let’s go fix a
computer, then I'm off for bed." He rolled up his sleeves and went to
work.