Ghost Station (The Wandering Engineer) (101 page)

Doctor
Trask took control when the patient was stable. She used Light Touch's robots
to find and repair the neurological damage to the woman's speech centers and
then handed the controls over to Doctor Kraft for the final fitting.

Both
Warners awoke two days later to a changed existence. They were now virtual,
feeling and seeing and hearing through the net. Since they had experience with
jacking in they brushed off helpful hands politely, orienting themselves
quickly.

Sid
Berkheart was amused that Kenny was so put out by their easy almost casual
acceptance of their changed reality.

“Well,
what do you expect?” Sid asked when Kenny had lamented their lack of tutoring.
“They are from our time. They know how to jack in; they've been doing it since
they were kids! Of course they know how to do it!”

“Oh.”
Kennet looked a little put out still.

“Forgot
that?” Sid asked amused. He watched Sprite hovering protectively behind the
Warners.

“Yeah,
sort of.”

“It's
like riding a bike Ken, it just takes a little practice to get back on and get
back into it.”

“If
you say so,” Kenny said dubiously. He had been looking forward to adding allies
to their faction. Now he wasn't sure if they were allies or not.

Sid
shook his virtual head. Kenny didn't know what the Warners were all about. Sid
did. They were friends of the admiral sure, but they were also doers like him.
People who did more than they said, they got things done while Kenny was still
arguing about who should do it. Life was about to get interesting.

Sometimes
he missed Diego, Manny, and the others. They had been doers, people who lived
life and worked hard.

“I
still think they should take it easy. Maybe let us show them around a bit,”
Kenny groused. He didn't like it that the admiral's AI was sticking near the
Warners.

“They'll
do fine,” Sid said, watching the Warners orient themselves and nod politely to
the other's congratulations and acceptance into their group.

Sprite
has another icy incident when Irons mentioned creating more AI after the
Warners had awoken. They were with a programmer and a psychologist recently
arrived from the planet at the time he inserted his foot into his mouth over
the subject. When Sprite left he talked with them. Hesitantly the psychologist
talked to him. She wasn't happy about the divided loyalties but the situation
is rather unique.

She
frowned. “I... hesitate to bring this up but your AI...”

“Yes
doctor?”

“She's
showing classic symptoms of trauma.”

The
admiral scowled briefly before deciding to talk to her about it. Perhaps she could
help a little, or at least shed some light on the situation. Sprite had become
touchy again, moody. The emotional swings were a dangerous sign of rampancy,
one he was concerned about. “I... know. We had an incident.” He related the
Draco incident to the psychologist. She didn't say anything, didn't ask any
questions, and just listened. When he was finished the psychologist was sitting
back looking thoughtful. “Any ideas?” He finally asked.

She
frowned. “I... I'd say she's showing some of the classic signs of rape trauma.”

“Rape
trauma?” he asked frozen.

The
psychologist nodded. “And being forced to well, for all intent and purposes
live with her rapist isn't helping.”

Irons
winced. He thought back at the incident, trying to see if from an outsider’s perspective.
There was a lot on rape trauma in the UCMJ. He could look it up... but
hesitated to do so. What Defender had done was correct... but direct. Perhaps
too direct.

“If
she were organic I would suggest counseling. Separation of well... her from her
partner at least. Counseling for both.”

He
blinked at her. “I...”

“Part
of a way a sentient deals with such trauma is talking about it with others. We
are after all social creatures. Sharing pain is a way to mitigate it's effects.
To bond over it. To know that someone else empathizes with you helps to reduce
the tension and helps to reduce the festering it has on the soul.”

“I...
see...” he said quietly. He wasn't sure what to say.

Her
eyes were intent as she looked into his. “The longer she goes without talking
about the incident it is going to fester. Which is obviously an issue. If she
were human I'd say get her counseling or... no I was going to say get her drunk
with someone she trusts so she can unload but it was someone she trusted that
violated her wasn't it? There are definitely trust issues there. Is there
anyone else she can talk to?”

“She
has to want to do so I think,” Irons replied slowly. “Forcing her...”

The
psychologist nodded and then sighed. “Would do more damage. I do suggest she
look into it though.”

“I'll...”

“Getting
her time off may help or hurt. It might give her the time to think it over and
deal with it on her own... make her face it on her own initiative. Or it could
make the festering worse. Making her focus on it when she has no choice could
cause...”

He
nodded. “Catch twenty two. I get it. Work is its own therapy in a way doctor.
It's helped me with the time shock. Perhaps it will help Sprite a little. At
least it's helping her to cope.”

“But
only on the surface. It's there, waiting and building.”

“I
know,” he sighed. “I... just don't know what to do about it.”

“It's
not up to you. It's up to
her
. I'm available if she needs me,” the
psychologist said.

“I'll
think about it,” Sprite said from the speaker in the admiral's arm. It was a
simple statement, quiet without any emotion in it.

“Sorry,
didn't mean to discuss you Sprite. I do hope you do take her advice seriously
though,” Irons replied.

“Can
we move on?” Sprite asked, starting to sound testy.

“Yes
okay,” the programmer said, deep in thought. The idea of an AI getting raped...
and feeling rape trauma was something new and mind blowing. He was used to
banking and databases about weather and inventory not... not well this. This
was beyond him. It was going to take time to assimilate. Getting a distraction
in was a good thing then. “The net protocols...”

The
judicial system faced a crucial test when it faced a major problem when an
accusation of rape came to light. The parents of the teenage child were furious
and demanded immediate action. The boy who was accused is a tribesman. He
claimed it was consensual and seemed rather pleased by the attention at first.
Unfortunately the incident happened outside of the view of the cameras. The
pair had been something of an item but it had been puppy love, or so they had
thought. People began to take sides.

Some
wanted the boy punished, some wanted him spaced, and others wanted him gelded
or exiled. Others wanted him to be put in stasis pending an investigation. He
is brigged despite his family’s voracious protests.

Irons
refused to put him in stasis, that fell under the cruel and unusual punishment
law. Also it is a conflict since he is accused, not convicted of the crime.

Hastily
a police force is brought up from the planet. A retired sheriff, his wife, and
a retired judge. Since they have no ties to the station or the former ship's
crew and they were impartial they were handed the case.

One
of the cybers volunteered to act as a defense attorney. Kenny volunteers to
prosecute.

The
girl complicated the issue by flip flopping on her story when put under
stressful questioning by sheriff Derrango. The parents were angry and they take
her back to Kiev.

The
girl however broke away from their hawkish view when they were both on duty.
She snuck back onto the station and visited the boy in the brig. The sheriff
allowed it to happen. What both the victim and the accused didn't know was that
all brig conversations were recorded. Counsel sessions were put under seal
because they were considered privileged but conversations with third parties
were not.

During
the conversation she is angry with him. He however admitted to taking things
too far in the heat of the moment. This is immediately brought up at the trial
the next day. She received help, he plead guilty to a molestation charge and is
exiled to the planet to serve his sentence in a prison there.

Sheriff
Derrango and the judge show no signs of leaving. Derrango liked the station, he
liked the tech and he really liked the free medical care he and his wife received.
His wife liked the potential and loved that her husband had received medical
care for his slipped disk and no longer needed glasses because of the eye
surgery. She had insisted on antigen treatments for both of them and they both
felt and looked much younger. Both loved to sit and play checkers in the
evenings at Ralphie’s. Both of them were approachable, laid back and nice. They
joined the card games on the station and the sheriff didn't come down on anyone
for minor bets. In less than a week they were accepted by the crew. Eventually
things returned to normal.

Captain
Chambers of the Kiev was shocked but not completely surprised when his daughter
transferred to the station four months into their stay in the system. He had
thought she had gotten the idea out of her system but apparently the imminent
departure of the ship had made her change her mind. Or, she had been planning
this all along. Toni is eager to start her new future, she kissed his craggy
cheek and told him to be happy for her, and she was a news anchor for the local
media station. She even got him onto the station to check out her apartment.
Cora made appreciative noises at the size and look of the place. He nodded
grudgingly under Cora's watchful gaze.

Kiev
is about ready to undock and try her new systems in deep space. He was eager to
get going, to head out into the great unknown. Admiral Irons had tucked away
some goods for him to deliver to Pyrax in their travels and he was eager to
spread the word about the station and how the universe had changed for the
better.

He
had to admit he also had itchy feet and wanted to get away before anything else
happened. Or before the station poached any more of his people. He knew his
first mate Mr. Warner was on the fence about leaving... Now this? “Now you have
a reason to visit more often daddy,” Toni told him with another kiss on his
craggy cheek as she hugged him.

Cora
nodded reluctantly but she was unsure. She knew however that their daughter had
made up her mind firmly and was adult enough to follow her own path now. “You
have to try your wings sometime dear, we know that. And I know you can't live
in our shadow forever. I just wish...” she sighed. Her daughter gripped her
hand tightly for a moment. Finally Cora hugged her. They cried.

The
captain wasn't happy but nodded grudgingly. She told him she would be fine on
the station as she dashed tears with her fingers. She smiled and told him she
had a job she had always wanted and planned on getting on the council as soon
as she gained more experience. Her father nodded.

“We've
got one more run on the contract and then we're leaving. You've got until then
to change your mind honey,” he said gruffly.

She
smiled at him. “Oh daddy, I'll be fine right here.”

“I
know but I had to try,” he said hugging her by the shoulders. She hugged him
back and then tickled him. He guffawed and then squeezed her until she stopped
and gasped. He rested his head on her hair and stroked it with one hand. “I'll
miss you pumpkin,” he murmured.

“You're
not gone yet,” she said with a watery laugh. “So let me take you out to lunch
and then I'll walk you back to the dock. How about that?” she asked.

“Sounds
good to me,” Cora replied with a nod. Captain Chambers nodded as well.

The
new medical staff had their first pair of pregnancies a few days after things
settled down again. They were among the tribes; none of the stationers had
their surgeries reversed yet since there was a backlog with all the implants.
Many of the Kiev people were happy to be able to have large families, like they
had always dreamed. They wanted large families as well and began to bombard the
medics with requests to remove the contraceptive implants.

When
Kiev returned from her last trip to the planet she carried with her something
that had been long in coming. Animals from the planet were brought onboard the
station as pets for the first time. This brought a rush on animals and orders
for more. Of course the people on the ground wanted to sell their animals so
that made for an economic quandary as well as a medical one. Lieandra was more
than happy to transport the second wave of pets along with an eager but young
veterinarian ready to try her wings out for the first time.

Also
businesses on the ground were awakening to the new market of the station. The factories
on the ground were worried about its competition. Some businesses relocated,
others opened branches on the station. A bank opened a small branch on the
station. A credit union did as well but it turned out to be a scam and folded a
day after it opened when it's founder was arrested by sheriff Derrango.