Wandering Engineer 6: Pirates Bane (53 page)

<----*----*----*---->

Irons set the tablet down and stretched. It felt good to stretch,
he'd spent a lot of time, too much time in his opinion, reading this report or
the other. Even with his implants it wasn't good to remain motionless for so
long. Nor attempt to absorb so much data in one sitting.

He frowned. “McGuyver's setting in on Echo. But we've got Romeo.
That's a problem,” he said.

“True,” Bounty replied. “And we have new personnel to deal with
as well Admiral. Forty of the former slaves from Hidoshi's World signed on with
us in various capacities. A third as naval personnel. Only one officer. We're a
bit light on commissions right now,” the AI said.

“Yeah,” Sprite commented, entering the conversation.

“Most of the aforementioned survivors want to return to their
homeworld to liberate it.”

“They can go in Deianira or the collier,” the Admiral replied.
“In fact, we have, what, thirteen navy recruits from that world? What if we did
a little swapping around with the collier and Deianira's crew?”

“Give them the slots? Opening the slots up for those thirteen?”
Sprite asked.

“I think it's the least we can do,” the Admiral said, nodding.
“If we can do a little pouching from Echo, we can staff Romeo too.”

“That still leaves the officer slots open Admiral,” Bounty reminded
him. “We're below establishment on Bounty as it is.”

There was a long silence as the three considered that.

“Promotions out of the zone?” Sprite suggested.

“Possible,” the Admiral mused. “I'm not thrilled about it.”

“Sindri can't take the helm, he's a great wrench turner, he can
handle a crisis, but he's hopeless when it comes to maneuvering the ship or
fighting it. He's got the brass, but those skills take time and practice to
develop.”

“True.”

“Lieutenant Herschel is settling in as T12783's Captain. He's an
old space hand who retired to Hidoshi's World with his wife to be with her
family. He was an executive officer twenty five years ago.”

“I know,” the Admiral replied. “We had the discussion on him when
we were looking for the command team of the collier,” he said.

“Yes I know. I was eliminating him from the Romeo staff.”

“Lieutenant Apple is a possibility,” Sprite said, putting her
image up. “As is Lieutenant Ulster.”

“I've watched Trey's progress in engineering. He's good sir, but
I'm loath to open another hole there,” Bounty said cautiously.

“All right, other candidates?”

“Lieutenant Brown and Gray. Gray is young, but he's enthusiastic.
I've been working with him closely on the computer repairs on all the ships. I
think he can handle engineering Admiral, at least the electronics side.”

“Okay,” the Admiral said.

“Yosef Behr,” Bounty said.

“Spacer Yosef?” Sprite asked. She put his MOS and thumbnail bio
up along with an image of him.

“He's good. But he keeps his head down. He is quiet, but has a
spine. He stood up to Caid when he enlisted. He has a lot of untapped
potential,” Bounty said, putting the sailor's file up.

The Admiral frowned as he scanned it. From the sound of it Yosef
was indeed good, a coaster though. He did good work, getting it done in minimal
time and done right the first time. He didn't need to have anyone watching over
his shoulder. He immediately did as he was told without griping, had some
initiative, he anticipated some issues, and didn't just sit on his ass. He was
a coaster though in that he rarely ever volunteered, never tried to be more
than just a space engineer.

“You think it will shake him up? See his own potential?” Sprite
asked.

“I think it's been done before. And at the very least he'll fill
the assistant's slot.”

“Okay, but that still leaves the hot seat and bridge staff. And
we need someone good in the helmsman's chair,” Bounty said.

“Apple?”

“She's got a backbone. She has also been studying the various
roles. She's passed some of the test exams. Granted in the B range, but she's
got the potential Admiral. I have seen her in leadership roles. She did well
once she settled down.”

“Do you think she can handle being in a small ship with a mostly
male crew?”

“We have... no, she's not ready,” Sprite frowned. “I was going to
suggest Charlene, the bonobo. She's a friend and former crewmate of Apple. But
doc hasn't passed her psych exam.”

“Okay, so who else?”

“Well, Spacer Yuri Malkovich to back up Yosef. Ensign Ahearn
would be a good choice for Romeo.”

“It will put a hole in my navigational department. Graveyard is
light enough as it is,” Bounty said.

“We can fill it. Either we find someone else or I'll double up,”
the Admiral said. “I only need four hours of sleep a night anyway,” he said.
“Ahearn,” he said, remembering Marcus from his time on the Admiral's team. He
had been a big guy, broad shoulders, grim no nonsense attitude. He'd worked
well with Mary securing their rear.

“Fine, that works. They'll have to figure it out. Draw up the
necessary paperwork and prep them for movement ASAP. I want this handled
quickly so they can have time to settle in,” he said. “Status on the ship?”

“Repairs and upgrades are on schedule Admiral,” Proteus reported.
“With an on board crew the internals will be tricky however,” he said.

“They'll have to do the best they can. See if we can get at least
one person from Echo over, someone who already knows an Apollo's systems and
layout. A veteran to show the others the ropes. A rating of course. More than
one if you can swing it with Commander McGuyver,” the Admiral ordered.

“Can do Admiral. Spacer Paul Edding put in for a transfer to that
ship when we were first staffing her. He renewed the transfer request after
spacer Allen's unfortunate death.”

“Ghosts,” Bounty said sadly. “Some crew can't handle it. It
bothers them being in a place where their friends were, or having to go into a
compartment where they died.”

“Very well,” Irons replied. “He'll have to learn fast though,” he
warned. “Clear it with Ian.”

“Will do. Sleep teaching, their implants, and data downloads are
doing wonders with the crew Admiral. They'll adapt,” Sprite said.

Irons nodded. “Fine then, next item, did you get anywhere with
the orders and details on B101a1?”

“That's my next project,” Sprite sighed. 

<----*----*----*---->

The AI’s cracked the orders from the convoy as well as orders to
rendezvous at Beta 101a1 in order to join the fleet that was set to attack a
nearby system. It was pretty obvious to them what system they meant.

“Why not just spell it out?” Irina asked when the AI paused during
her briefing to the senior staff.

“It is curious. They are sometimes good about information
security, and then slack. Most of the slack I attribute to laziness. Someone
doesn't anticipate a ship or database being captured and hacked. But every once
and a while we run into this. It is pretty obvious though what system. There is
only one other system connected to Beta 101a1 that they could mean. And why
build up a fleet to take an unarmed system?” Sprite asked.

“Show of force?”

“Doubtful.”

“Warning Pyrax is increasingly too dangerous the direct route,”
Sprite said unnecessarily.

“I know,” the Admiral rumbled. All eyes turned to him. “I had
considered sending Phoenix the long route. Send her North to Kathy's World and
then down to Pyrax that way. But it's a long run, months in each jump even with
her systems.”

“Too long,” Ian said.

“Too little too late. I've also considered sending Phoenix to
Antigua to warn them but I am not sure about the route or what they might run
into along the way. They would have to refuel at least twice, increasing their
vulnerability.”

“Admiral, the chances of interception are extremely high. May I
remind you about the pirate fleet hitting Protodon and Kathy's World?” she
asked.

The Admiral frowned. “Is that confirmed? I classified that as
unsubstantiated.”

“And yet you mentioned it to the staff earlier. One wonders why,”
Sprite, said in an aside to him.

The Admiral waved an impatient hand for her to move on. “Is it or
isn't it? Like I said, I thought...”

“No, you mean you had
hoped
.” Sprite said out loud. Ian
winced at the Admiral's fixed angry expression. “You of all people know better
than that. I hate to break it to you Admiral, but it
is
confirmed. It is
indeed under the command of a Rear Admiral Cartwright,” Sprite replied. “I have
over one hundred and twenty seven other confirmation sources, including
recorded correspondence from some of the personnel in Cartwright's fleet task
force two with the members of this former crew.”

“Shit,” Irons heartfelt raspberry sigh echoed in the room. “Damn,”
he said, rubbing his brow.

“My sentiments exactly sir,” Sprite said.

“That's... not good,” Irons said softly, thinking hard. He could
well imagine the havoc that fleet would bring to the sector.

“Why?” Ian asked, brow wrinkling in confusion.

The Admiral frowned. “Antigua. We had a ship, a freighter, the
Lieandra headed that way. If they are caught it will be bad.”

“The cargo?” Sprite asked the Admiral, turning her avatar to him.
Lieandra, like Kiev 221, and other ships had been tasked with cargo destined
for the naval yard in Pyrax. Thousands of tons of precious material, along with
a petabyte of data and orders. It had been a risk to send such material out
like that, but at the time the only thing they could do, like sending out mail
in the depth of night, uncertain if it would get to its intended destination.

“I'm more worried about the crew and what they will say,” the Admiral
mused. He was right; Lieandra's Captain was a wily old Veraxin. Half his crew
were non-human, and they all knew the Horathian's track record when it came to
non-humans. “Not to mention the pirates noticing the ship has been rebuilt
recently. They will want to know where and why and by whom.”

Sprite winced.

The Admiral sighed. “There is nothing we can do about it now.”

“True, and they might get lucky. They might escape and evade, or
they might miss them entirely. You know fleets can pass each other in hyper and
never know one another was there.”

“True. Under the right circumstances. But I'm not going to bet on
it. We'll have to plan for the worst while hoping for the best.”

“Aye sir,” the AI replied. “That we will.”

<----*----*----*---->

Ian made his way through the mess to the kitchen. He found a few
people standing around. The normal clatter of sound from the ongoing
productivity was noticeably absent. “I just want one,” a voice said. “You can
spare that. You've got boxes of the damn things!”

“One what?” Ian asked, coming up behind Diego. Daren the cook was
standing in front of the pantry hatch, shaking his head vehemently no.

“One what?” Ian asked again as the compartment stiffened.

“An apple. He's got a ton, I know, I was on the work detail this
morning, transferring them from the collier. I asked for one but he is throwing
a snit.”

“Cookie?” Ian asked, trying hard not to blow a raspberry in
exasperation. They were about to come to blows over a damn fruit?

“It's not that. Not what you think. I'm not being a complete hard
ass about it. It's just, if we give out the apples, they are gone.”

“Yes, that is what people generally do with them, eat them.”

“Yeah, but see, here's the thing. We can cook em in stuff, and
one apple can feed three people. Make an apple strudel or pie, and it stretches
it. That way everyone gets a taste.”

“Okay...”

“I don't like pie,” Diego grumbled, now sullen.

“What?” Daren rounded on him. He scowled. “You don't like pie?
Whoever heard of such a thing! No one doesn't like pie!” He threw his hands up
in the air in frustration. “It's unheard of!” he said, flapping his apron.

“Settle down Cookie,” Ian said waving a hand. “I don't see the
harm in giving him an apple. Just quarter it,” he said, holding up a finger.
The other three pieces go to those who also want a slice. Deal?” He asked, with
a hint of warning in his tone.

Diego nodded, head down.

“Great, fine, whatever, as if what I say matters,” Daren snarled.
He reached into the pantry, flipped the wooden barrel up and plucked out a
small apple. He tossed it to Diego. “Here. Now get lost,” he snarled.

“Thanks,” Diego said and left.

Ian watched him go. He looked around to the others in the
compartment. Slowly those who belonged there returned to their duties. Those
that didn't belong melted away.

“It's not going to end with just one you know,” Daren grumbled.
“Others see him with one and they'll come. And one turns into ten, ten into a
hundred...”