Fool's Gold (The Wandering Engineer) (2 page)

"You
might as well call your friends out and go look for easier pickings," the
Admiral advised. He gently set the bag in his right hand down and then sent a
code to morph his hand. Several of the onlookers gasped shrinking back.
"That little needler in your hand is not going to do much except piss me off."
The Admiral locked eyes with the leader. He could see sweat begin to bead on
the man's forehead. One thing a predator didn't like was the potential of
getting hurt. That could hurt their chances of long term survival. And tangling
with a predator even bigger and nastier then they are is something they really
really didn't like. "Security has been called," the Admiral advised.

"Come
on Ben, let’s go! No need to get sent out an airlock!" The girl with
tattoo's on her face and arms grabbed the guy's arm. "He didn't mean it
mister honest. We just need the money." She turned an imploring look on
the engineer.

"Well,
we are living in interesting times. Why don't you and your friends look me up
later? I may have work for you." He tilted his head to her.

She
looked at him startled. "You mean it? Even after this?" She waved her
hands. He chuckled. "Yes, it shows you’re not afraid to defend yourselves.
It's going to take strong willed people to put this place back in shape."
The Admiral cocked his head. "Think about it," he said.

The
leader, Ben nodded slowly as his followers backed off. Defender had a plot up;
the flanking team was already down the service passage and almost out of his
scanner range. "Ben come on!" the girl urged. Ben walked backwards,
not taking his eyes off the Admiral until he rounded the corner.

"That
was close," Sprite said softly.

"It
would have been if it had been an ambush as they had intended. He tried to
bluff it out with fear and intimidation instead of brute force." The
Admiral picked his bags up and turned back to his path.

"We've
got three more decks to navigate before we get to the Valdez home. I think it
is wise if we stick to the main passages from here out," Sprite reported.
Defender agreed with a green light.

The
Admiral nodded. "Right enough." He went on his way.

After
another ten minutes of careful navigation he finally approached a portal that
Sprite indicated. It was clean at least, a lot cleaner than most of the station
he had seen so far he noted. Most of the walls in the area had been covered in
graffiti. The walls around the lock had been painted to cover graffiti. Not
perfect, but better than some of the eye searing commentary people had been
leaving behind and calling art. A worn dark bronze plaque was above the door's
keypad. "Valdez family." Huh, here's the place." He set the bags
down and tapped the entry chime.

"The
door is twelve centimeters thick Admiral, honeycomb titanium; I can't get a
clear scanner feed beyond a few centimeters due to scatter," Sprite reported.

"Just
as well," the Admiral sighed. He looked around. The corridor was well lit
and almost clean. Someone had taken time to clean it. Gravity was a little
uneven, but manageable. Much better than some of the areas he had been forced
to navigate getting here from the docks.

"Yes?"
a scratchy voice called over the intercom. He turned back to the door panel.

"I'd
like to speak with Mister or Misses. Valdez? I have a note from their
daughter," he explained. There was a squeal then a static covered reply.

The
person tried again. "Leave it by the door," he managed to make out.

"I'm
an engineer, your daughter asked me to check in with you," he sighed.
"Look you've got some cross talk with another channel; I am picking up
some sub harmonics..." The door opened as he started to explain.

"Give
it here." A young man thrust his hand out of the crack. He was keeping the
door only partially open. His free hand had a needler.

"Is
everyone armed on this station?" The Admiral shook his head. He reached up
to his breast pocket.

"Slowly,"
the young man cautioned hefting the gun.

"What
is it, what's going on?" a female voice echoed.

The
young man took his eyes off the Admiral to yell into the room. "Messenger
Ma! I got it!" He turned back to the engineer.

Gently
he pulled up the Velcro flap and then reached in and pulled out a chip.
"Give it here." The young man let go of the door to reach out a hand.
"All right." The Admiral started to hand it over but a woman came
through the door pushing the young man back. "Mom!" the young man
hissed.

She
looked around the corridor. "What, no one else is here Junior knock off
the tough guy routine." She turned her attention to the Admiral.

"Your
daughter's ship is in port. I was asked to give you a message and look you
up." The Admiral handed her the message chip.

"Juanita?"
She looked tearful as they took the chip. "She's here?" she asked.
"She shouldn't be here if the Port Admiral finds out!" She looked
around hastily. Junior tried to shush her.

"She's
okay mama, I bet she won’t get off the ship." Junior tried to get her back
into the room. "Thanks mister." He tried to pull the door shut but
his mother reached out and blocked him.

"Mister,
you look like you could use a place to bed down. It's getting near graveyard,
and if you don't have a place to stay security will pitch you out the nearest
airlock." She motioned him to come in.

"But
MOM!"

She
turned on Junior. "Not another word. Go help your father." She held
the door open as the Admiral hefted the bags. "You sure got a lot of
gear," she said.

He
chuckled. "I made most of it on the Io a week or so ago." He squeezed
past her and into the room beyond. The lights were dim, his implants
automatically adjusted for low light vision.

"I
know it is kind of dark, but our electric bill has been really high," she
sighed.

"Oh
it's no problem, I can adjust." He smiled at her in the dark. She closed
the door and patted his arm.

"This
way." She led. He followed.

"So
you know Juanita?" she asked. "How is she?" She moved around a
pallet of gear and to another door. It's rim was lit from a light on the other
side. "This is our living quarters." She opened it and went inside.
He went in and then set his gear down where she indicated.

"Juanita
is an EVA crew chief now. As well as an H&A inspector." He looked
around. The room was lit with under cabinet lighting. The furniture was beaten
and old, but clean. The floors were patched but clean and neat like the walls.

"EVA
tech? She goes outside?" her mother asked.

"Yes
ma'am, she was one of my better students," the Admiral admitted.

She
looked up sharply. "One of your better students?" she asked as she
stopped stirring a pot.

"Yes
ma'am, I am an engineer, a sleeper I think you call it. The Io11 picked me up
about fifteen months ago and I've spent that time helping them rebuild the ship
from stem to stern." He smiled.

"The
ship's been rebuilt?" the mother asked clearly shocked.

A
girl, ten or twelve with black pigtails came in. "Momma, dad asked if you
could hold off dinner for an hour."

Her
mother frowned ferociously. "He knows better than to ask that! Honestly!
That man! Dinner is at five like every night." She wiped her hands on her
apron, turned the temperature down then stormed off. The girl gave the Admiral
a questioning look then followed her mother. The Admiral shrugged.

"Should
we follow?" Sprite asked.

He
shrugged. "Why not." The AI put a map up on his plot. He followed it.
Half way there he realized he didn't need it; the raised voices were all he
needed to home in on.

"Chica
go stir the pot and finish your reading like a good child." The girl came
out as he came into the bay. It was a shuttle bay with a battered tug nestled
in the center. Parts were strewn about. A man was lying on his back under the
tug working while the woman berated him. The boy, Junior glared balefully at
the intruders.

His
mother caught his eye and he nodded his chin to the Admiral. "What is it?
Oh!" She turned on him.

"This
is a series four short range tug? Samsonite engine or a Smythe series
three?" The Admiral looked the craft over.

"Smythe."
A voice under the tug answered then swore in Spanish. He began to wiggle out
from under the tug. Sprite blipped an attention marker then overlaid a sensor
scan of the man. He was extensively injured.

When
he came out the Admiral watched quietly as he pulled himself to his feet. He
winced as the woman tried to help but the man curtly shook it off. "Jorge
please!" she whispered fiercely. He shook it off with a small snarl and
grimace then patted her hand. His face was battered and bruised. His right arm
was in a sling. His right leg was braced and wrapped; it looked like his knee
had been injured. "These injuries are consistent with a beating
Admiral," Defender reported. The Admiral nodded.

"Jorge
Valdez." Jorge wiped his left hand on his grimy coverall then held it out.
"Fleet Admiral John Irons," the Admiral replied and shook the
extended hand as his host's eyes widened.

"Fleet
Admiral?" he asked dumbstruck.

 Irons
smiled. "Yes, though it is sort of redundant at the moment." He
shrugged as they broke the handshake.

"Does
that outrank a Port Admiral?" Junior asked giving him another look.

Irons
chuckled. "Yes. A Port Admiral is a civilian; usually the position is
created in a local system to handle traffic or an elaborate command
structure," he shrugged.

"He
knows Juanita, Jorge; he said he taught her on her ship the Io." Mrs.
Valdez whispered.

Jorge
smiled. "You've crossed paths with little Juanita?" His smile grew.

"She's
grown well and strong. She's an EVA crew boss and H&A inspector on the
Io11. They are in port for a week." The Admiral waved to the door.

"She's
here?" Jorge asked alarmed. Junior jumped down from his perch and looked
at the Admiral.

"No,
she's on her ship. She won't leave it she said," the Admiral replied.

"You
can send her a message or ask the captain for permission to visit her on
board," the Admiral advised. Mrs. Valdez nodded.

"Momma!
It's boiling over!" The girl called urgently.

"Excuse
me!" She rushed past them. Jorge chuckled.

"How
did you get to be a fleet Admiral?" Junior asked curious.

"I
was a full Admiral before I went into cryostasis. When I woke up I checked the
computer and it reported I had been promoted while I was asleep." Irons
smiled then shrugged off his explanation. "As I said, the rank doesn't
matter much now, I know." He glanced at Junior then returned his gaze to
the patriarch.

"You’re
an engineer?" Jorge asked.

"Yes,
I taught your daughter and the crew of Io 11 a lot of what they missed,"
Irons explained. "We rebuilt the ship from stem to stern; she's almost as
good as when she was first launched," the Admiral finished with quiet
pride.

"I
bet they had their hands full," Junior shook his head. "No way could
anyone fix a ship..." Jorge waved him off then turned with a scowl.

"Sergio,
why don't you go get cleaned up and ready for supper." He waved to the
door. Angrily the young man stomped off. Jorge sighed. "Ah the joys of
youth." He smiled then gave the Admiral a long measuring look. "I
take it Juanita sent you here to give us a hand?" he asked.

Irons
smiled. "Something like that. I determined Pyrax is the next best place to
work so your daughter suggested I check in with you and your family." He
smiled as Jorge chuckled then gasped. His free hand clutched at his side.

"Damn
ribs." He shook his head as he gathered up his crutches. "Damn leg
too. Let’s go get cleaned up before we get yelled at."

He
smiled as the girl came out and waved at them urgently. "Come on!"
The Admiral chuckled and followed.

They
came into the living room to see the girl setting the table. Junior came out of
another room held up damp hands for his mother's approval then sat down at her
nod. "Get cleaned up gentlemen," the matriarch ordered imperiously.

Jorge
chuckled. "In here." The Admiral waited as the injured man hobbled
into the fresher and cleaned himself up. He watched casually as they set the
table.

"That
your gear?" Junior asked pointing to the bags.

"Yes."
The Admiral nodded.

"What
did you bring? Besides uniforms," Junior smirked. The girl looked up then
went back to setting the table.

"Oh
this and that, some tools, data base, skin suit, you know the usual gear."
The Admiral smiled.

Mrs.
Valdez rapped Junior’s hand. "Ow! What was that for?" He rubbed his
hand looking offended.

"Mind
your manners, he's a guest," she told him tartly. Jorge opened the door
and the Admiral managed to get into the chamber before Junior could get himself
into more trouble.