《Profiteering in the Milky Way》 Chapters 1-5 Mckenzie Edwards laid down in the grass and looked up at the stars. I¡¯m not sure why I stare at them so much, but I love the stars. Too bad I don¡¯t have a telescope, he thought. ¡°Mac is out there staring at the stars again?¡± William Edwards asked his wife. He wasn¡¯t fond of their son¡¯s name as he always felt it was too girly, but the name had made her happy, so he had agreed to it. Besides, he liked the name Mac, which was a common nickname for Mckenzie. ¡°Yes,¡± Samatha Edwards replied to her husband as they both walked out onto the porch and sat in the rocking chairs William had made for them. ¡°He¡¯s drawn to them like countless other children have been over the centuries.¡± ¡°I wish Mac was drawn to farmwork the way he was the stars,¡± William muttered. ¡°Name a child that is drawn to farmwork when they¡¯re six,¡± Samatha countered, favoring her husband with a smile. He smiled back. ¡°Good point,¡± William replied as he gazed out at the reddish soil in the field closest to the house. He would plant cotton in that field solmorrow. Despite the terraforming that made Mars livable, the red soil had persisted. ¡°I just wish there was a way to ensure his future wasn¡¯t just sharecropping like ours or asteroid mining like our parents did.¡± ¡°We could save credits and pay for Mac to go to the private corporate school and get a real education,¡± Samatha offered. The two corporations that owned Mars demanded their citizens and employees be at least basically educated and gave that barebones level of education to them. Anything beyond that had to be paid for. ¡°Sam, you know we can¡¯t afford Redrock¡¯s education rates,¡± William retorted. ¡°Heck, even if we lived somewhere on AresCorp¡¯s side of the planet it would be the same. Both corporations take too much and barely leave us enough to scratch a living in that red dirt! Sometimes I wonder if we would have been better off staying in the belt and mining like our folks instead of taking on the debt we did to buy this farm.¡± ¡°I know Wil, but we wanted more for our child than living on recycled air and being stuck in a can all sol long,¡± Samatha said. ¡°Our parents wanted the same for us, which is why they helped with the down payment for this place.¡± ¡°Yeah, they did. But look how much good all our desires for his future have done. He wants to be out there!¡± ¡°I know. But there¡¯s supposed to be scholarships and grants that Mckenzie could earn.¡± ¡°He don¡¯t have the education for that!¡± ¡°No, but he can learn,¡± Sam countered. ¡°There are free educational materials on the net too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to give this up, are you?¡± Wil asked. ¡°Nope,¡± Sam answered, shaking her head. ¡°I want our son to live his dreams just like we¡¯ve done with buying this farm.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± William said. ¡°But we need him to help around the farm. He can¡¯t stare at a screen all the time.¡± ¡°Mac won¡¯t have to. He¡¯s bright and has an interest in machinery. Perhaps he could be an engineer one sol.¡± ¡°Alright. That would help us too,¡± Wil conceded. ¡°He is always bugging me and the mechanics about how things work when we¡¯re making repairs.¡± ¡°Mckenzie!¡± Samatha called. ¡°Yes mom?¡± Mac replied, turning his head to towards his parents. She beckoned him over. He got up, dusted himself off, and ran to the porch with his arms held out to his sides. William chuckled. ¡°Are you an air transport?¡± ¡°Spaceship!¡± Mckenzie answered, coming to a stop in front of his parents. ¡°You really want to go into space?¡± his mom asked. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Mac answered. ¡°I want to fly a spaceship.¡± ¡°What about being an engineer?¡± his dad asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ maybe,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Do they get to see the stars up close too?¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± William answered. ¡°They¡¯re on the ships just like pilots.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if they see the stars as often as the captain and pilot though,¡± Samatha said. ¡°Engineers have a very important job and keep the ships running.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Mac said, a little dejected. He then brightened. ¡°But that could be fun too because I love seeing how things work.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need a good education to go to space,¡± his mom said. ¡°And that means going to an academy to become an engineer or pilot.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Samatha answered. ¡°Then I¡¯ll study really hard and get good grades!¡± Mac promised. ¡°Alright,¡± his dad said. ¡°Would you be willing to apply yourself and learn how to fix things here on the farm?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Because it would help you learn, look good on your academy application, and help your dad on the farm,¡± Samatha answered. ¡°In that case, yes!¡± Mac shouted. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ll help fix things because I love you both.¡± ¡°We love you too,¡± his parents replied. * 12 years later ¡°I got in!¡± Mac shouted with joy, waving his tablet around to show his parents the acceptance email. ¡°In Mars Academy?¡± Wil asked. ¡°No sir,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Then which school?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Titan Custer Academy on Europa!¡± Mac happily answered. ¡°It¡¯s the best naval academy in the system.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you had applied there,¡± his mother said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure I had the grades, so didn¡¯t mention it,¡± Mckenzie replied. He hugged her. ¡°Sorry mom.¡± ¡°Naval academy?¡± his dad asked. ¡°Is this place a military school?¡± ¡°Partially,¡± Mac answered. He showed them the acceptance letter. ¡°I got a full ride scholarship and after my first two years, I get to decide my track. I can choose military or commercial. At least that¡¯s what people say on the net.¡± ¡°Well, congratulations son,¡± Wil said, giving his son a hug. ¡°Thanks dad,¡± Mac replied. His mother congratulated him as well. ¡°Thanks mom.¡± ¡°When does the first semester or whatever start?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Beginning of the fall, which means I¡¯ll miss the harvest.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Mac,¡± William said. ¡°Farmwork is automated and we¡¯re only here to make sure things go smoothly. Your mom and I can handle it. We did before you were old enough to help after all.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°And we can always hire a farmhand if we need to,¡± his father said. Mac nodded. Guess my knack for fixing bots helped over the years more than I thought. ¡°How long are the courses at this academy?¡± Samatha asked. ¡°Engineer and pilot are four standard solar years,¡± Mckenzie answered. ¡°Captain is six.¡± ¡°And you want captain, don¡¯t you?¡± his mom asked. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, I do,¡± Mac replied. 2 Mckenzie finished brushing his teeth and stared into the mirror. I¡¯m not as tall as dad¡¯s 192 centimeters since I¡¯m only 182 cm, but I¡¯m more muscular and outweigh dad¡¯s 79 kilograms by 11 kg. Guess that¡¯s due to the gravity difference and hard work I¡¯ve done since I was a kid. Plus, mom always fed us as well as possible. I¡¯m going to miss her cooking. Like his dad, Mac did keep his hair cut short. I got my auburn hair, and green eyes came from mom but got my square jaw and straight nose from dad. Finding dates was never as hard as I thought it would be considering my quietness and singular focus on getting into space. I guess I owe that to the girls, even the rich ones, who found me handsome, especially with my size added in. I¡¯m going to miss some of those girls, especially Heidi Johanson. Mac grinned. Heidi was pleasantly surprised to find out I¡¯m fully proportional when we said goodbye the other night. Too bad I had never asked her out before. ¡°Get a move on Mac!¡± his mother yelled. ¡°It¡¯s quite the drive to the landing field.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a couple of minutes,¡± Mac replied. Now that it¡¯s time to leave, I¡¯m having second thoughts. Do I really want to leave my folks and everyone I know to pursue a life out in space? Mac finished getting ready to leave while he considered his options. If I don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll have wasted the credits mom and dad spent on my schooling. And I could stay and help on the farm and inherit it. Perhaps even marry Heidi or another girl. But if I go, I can live my wildest dreams and find my way out there. Besides, not going would be a waste of my scholarship. He took a deep breath. I¡¯m going. Mac quickly exited the bathroom, returned to his bedroom, and grabbed his bag of clothes and personal effects. It wasn¡¯t much, but he couldn¡¯t take everything because of academy rules. Uniforms and everything else needed were provided as part of his scholarship fund. He glanced around his room one last time. I can always come home to visit, Mac thought. He turned off the lights and walked out. * ¡°I know you don¡¯t want us worrying, but Europa is not like Mars or even Deimos Station,¡± Sam told Mckenzie. ¡°People out there are different and not as trustworthy.¡± That¡¯s no different than here, but mom is going to worry anyway, Mac thought. ¡°I know mom. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already paid for your passage on the ship,¡± Wil said. ¡°The academy is supposed to provide transportation,¡± Mac replied. ¡°We looked into it and got you an upgraded seat and meal,¡± William countered. ¡°It¡¯s a long trip to Europa and I¡¯ve heard those little dinghies aren¡¯t comfortable.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve also put some credits in an account for you. I¡¯m sending you the account number and codes,¡± his mom said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not much,¡± his dad added with a shrug of his shoulders as Mac¡¯s tablet beeped. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that,¡± Mac protested. ¡°We know but wanted to give you the best start we could,¡± Wil said. ¡°So, I¡¯ll hear no more of it.¡± ¡°Dinghy is right,¡± Sam muttered, changing the subject, as a beat-up old Redrock Pug 212 shuttle landed on the field. Mac frowned and covered his eyes, as did his parents, as Mars¡¯ red dust whipped around them. The pilot cut the engines. ¡°Disappointed?¡± ¡°Yeah. I was hoping to be picked up in a scout ship of some kind, you know, a barge, sloop, or cutter,¡± Mckenzie answered. I¡¯m not sure that thing would make it to Deimos Station. The boarding hatch opened, and a ramp descended. An unkempt, slightly overweight man with greasy blonde hair and brown eyes stepped out of the hatch. ¡°You folks the Edwards?¡± the man asked. ¡°That¡¯s us,¡± William answered. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Bart Croft, and I¡¯m running late,¡± the pilot replied. ¡°Where¡¯s Mckenzie?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Mckenzie Edwards,¡± Mac replied. The pilot frowned in obvious disappointment. Looks like he was expecting a girl despite my name being gender neutral for centuries now. ¡°Say your goodbyes and let¡¯s get a move on,¡± Bart ordered. With that said, the pilot turned and entered the shuttle. ¡°I guess this is it,¡± Mac said. ¡°We love you boy,¡± his dad replied. William pulled Mac into a hug. ¡°We love you with all our hearts and wish nothing but the best for you, Mckenzie,¡± his mother added. Samatha hugged him and kissed his cheek. ¡°I love you both too,¡± Mac said after his mom released him. ¡°I¡¯ll write often and try to visit when I can.¡± ¡°You better,¡± Wil said as he put his arm around Sam¡¯s shoulders. The shuttles engines fired up. ¡°Better go before you miss your ride too.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Mac replied. He hugged them one last time and boarded the shuttle. The hatch sealed behind him. ¡°Take a seat,¡± Bart said. ¡°You can stow your bag in the hatch above the seat.¡± ¡°Is this shuttle ride part of the upgrade my parents paid for?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Do you have a ship in orbit or something?¡± Bart shook his head and laughed. ¡°Strap in.¡± Mac did as the pilot ordered. The shuttle immediately lifted off. ¡°Does your pug have a jump drive?¡± Mac asked. I¡¯ve never heard of a small shuttle having a jump drive but guess it¡¯s possible. ¡°Nope,¡± Bart answered. ¡°So, you have a ship then?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re supposed to take me to Titan Custer Academy on Europa,¡± Mac protested. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Kid, I¡¯m taking you to Deimos Station,¡± Bart stated. ¡°How you get to Europa after that is none of my business.¡± ¡°But my parents paid¡­¡± ¡°Want me to land and put you out on that red dust ball?¡± Bart asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then shut up and enjoy the ride,¡± the pilot said. The cockpit hatch slid shut. 3 This is not what is supposed to be happening, Mac thought in a panic. What am I going to do? I could inform the station authorities, but would they do anything? Probably tie things up in small claims court for a lot longer than it¡¯d be worth. I could say nothing and put a message on the net to warn others from using this guy ever again. While that would hurt his profitability and be a good long-term solution, it¡¯s not very satisfying personally. Besides, others might not take my word over his. He¡¯s older and taller than I am but he¡¯s not in as good of shape as I am. Maybe I could intimidate him or something to get my parents¡¯ money back, Mac considered. He shrugged. And knocking his block off would be satisfying. Mckenzie smiled at that image. My size always worked to keep the bullies at bay growing up even if I don¡¯t punch anybody. Mac nodded to himself. I¡¯ll confront the pilot when he docks. * Mac¡¯s tablet beeped as the shuttle docked. The message can wait. The tablet beeped a second time, signaling a priority message. Guess the message can¡¯t wait, Mac ruefully thought. The message was from TCA¡¯s admissions department. The email had an attachment with it. What is this? Mckenzie wondered. He read the message. So, I¡¯m to meet Captain Dana Morgan at small ship slip 12 and his or her ship will take me to the academy. The attachment is a digital ticket for my passage. Huh. Maybe she¡¯s the one mom and dad paid. Ugh! They should have told me. I should have asked instead of just assuming because I almost made an ass out of myself by doing so! Mac returned his tablet to his jacket pocket and unhitched the seatbelt. The cockpit hatch opened, and Burt walked out. ¡°We¡¯re here kid. Grab your stuff and find your ride to Europa,¡± the pilot said. ¡°I got places to be.¡± ¡°Thanks for the lift,¡± Mac replied. Burt nodded and opened the entry hatch. Mckenzie walked through and off the shuttle. ¡°Good luck kid,¡± Burt said. ¡°Thanks. You too,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Don¡¯t let them screw you too badly,¡± Burt muttered as Mac neared the bottom of the ramp. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mckenzie asked after coming to a stop just off the ramp. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± the pilot replied. He stepped back and closed the hatch as the ramp retracted. That was odd. I wonder what he meant, Mac thought as he passed through the security scanner. He shook his head and headed toward the station information terminal across the corridor. I need to find which level the small ship docks are on. * Holy cow! Mac thought as he stared at the ship docked at slip 12 through the port. I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before. Evidently others felt the same way as a small crowd gazed at the ship. Unlike others Mckenzie had seen, this ship had a short main body with two extendable wings for atmospheric flight. The craft also had a more rounded nose than other craft he¡¯d seen and two booms sticking out the rear. ¡°What kind of ship is this?¡± Mac asked aloud. ¡°Don¡¯t know, but you¡¯re blocking the corridor. Would you kindly get out of the way?¡± a dock worker asked. ¡°Sure. Sorry,¡± Mac replied, stepping closer to the bulkhead. The other man nodded and hit his little cart¡¯s accelerator and zipped away. ¡°This is the Sapphire Hummingbird. She¡¯s an AllisonCraft S-38 Lightning, and one of a few hundred pre-modular ships left in service,¡± a pretty, willowy middle-aged woman with blonde hair and blue eyes informed Mckenzie and the others standing around. Mac noticed a hummingbird had been painted on the side of the bridge. ¡°There¡¯s maybe 10 S-38s left flying in the galaxy.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± another woman asked. ¡°Because she¡¯s mine,¡± the first woman answered. ¡°And if you¡¯re not here on business, you need to clear the corridor before security shows up.¡± Mac looked down the corridor back toward the heart of the station and noticed two security guards walking their way. Others noticed and started walking away after telling the woman how much they liked her ship. ¡°Are you Captain Dana Morgan?¡± Mac asked the woman after the crowd had dispersed. ¡°I am, but I don¡¯t know you,¡± the captain answered, sizing him up. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Mac, I mean I¡¯m Mckenzie Edwards,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Titan Custer Academy on Europa has booked me passage on your ship.¡± Captain Morgan stood there for a moment with a faraway look in her blue eyes. The captain nodded her head and made eye contact with Mac. ¡°Right you are, Mr Edwards. Send me your digital ticket so we can go aboard and get you settled,¡± Captain Morgan said. Mac¡¯s tablet beeped with a request. He saw the request was from the captain, so he sent her a copy of the admissions email and attachment. ¡°You don¡¯t have a tablet?¡± Mac asked. ¡°No. Every spacer uses implants these sols,¡± Captain Morgan answered. ¡°You¡¯ll get yours at the academy. Spacers that don¡¯t attend academies either get their implants through their ship, their company, or most likely buy them on their own.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Mac said. I should have known that but didn¡¯t. Wish there was information about implants on Redrock¡¯s net. I feel like a country bumpkin. ¡°You¡¯re pretty big for a Martian,¡± the captain commented. She has a point. I am one of the larger guys my age that I know. ¡°Farming is hard work even though most of it¡¯s automated, ma¡¯am,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Plus, mom made sure I ate well.¡± ¡°Evidently,¡± Captain Morgan remarked. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry about not knowing about implants. A lot of corporations lock down what information is available for their employees and citizens.¡± ¡°I bet the Redrock executives and other elites have implants,¡± Mac muttered. ¡°You¡¯d be correct too,¡± Captain Morgan said as she opened the hatch. She led Mac up the ramp and onto the ship. ¡°The Hummingbird isn¡¯t just my ship, she¡¯s my home, so treat her as such please.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Mac replied. Once past the airlock, Mac felt his mouth open in surprise. The captain smiled. ¡°Your bulkheads are covered in wood!¡± ¡°Synthetic wood,¡± the captain clarified. ¡°I can¡¯t afford real wood.¡± ¡°But still,¡± Mckenzie said. ¡°The paneling adds a little more mass, but as I said, my ship is my home and I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible,¡± Captain Morgan explained. ¡°The airlock, cargo hold, and bridge are the only spaces without the paneling.¡± She showed him the galley, lounge, and head. All were tastefully decorated, complete with nicknacks and a few pictures on the bulkheads. She didn¡¯t show him either of the two cabins, but he assumed they were just as decorated. The ship reminded Mac of home, and he said as much. ¡°I grew up on Titan. It¡¯s not much different than Mars, so that¡¯s probably why,¡± the captain said. ¡°You can toss your bag on the couch or in one of the chairs.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mac asked. She nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± He put his bag on the couch and looked around. She is pretty, even if she¡¯s probably as old as my mom. ¡°Your parents paid extra for a meal and a better seat,¡± the captain said. ¡°I don¡¯t have better seats and it¡¯s just the two of us, so you can sit up in the bridge if you¡¯d like. It¡¯ll take four hours to get to Europa.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to sit in the bridge for the flight,¡± Mac said. ¡°Thought so,¡± Captain Morgan said with a knowing smile on her face. ¡°As for meals, well, I¡¯m flying so I won¡¯t be cooking. My insurance doesn¡¯t cover passengers using the galley either, so you¡¯ll get a ration bar and protein shake if you¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°Uh, sure.¡± ¡°If you need to use the head, go now unless you want to hold it through take off,¡± Captain Morgan said. Mac heard and felt the engines start up. ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± he said. ¡°Yep,¡± the captain agreed. She headed to the bridge, and he went to the head. 4 ¡°Permission to enter the bridge?¡± Mac asked at the bridge¡¯s hatch. ¡°Cut that out,¡± Captain Morgan replied. ¡°Permission is granted though, and you can sit at the copilot¡¯s station. Just don¡¯t touch anything.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. Thank you,¡± Mac said. He took the seat. The bridge was small and only had the two stations. He paid attention to the consoles and controls. The consoles are new even if the ship is old. The consoles¡¯ layout is a little bit different than I¡¯m used to seeing too, even in the sims. Come to think of it, the galley looked newish, as did the head. I guess Captain Morgan updated everything recently. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± The captain held up a finger, silencing him. ¡°Deimos Control, this is the Sapphire Hummingbird,¡± the captain said. ¡°Flight plan for Europa is filed. Request permission to undock and get underway.¡± ¡°Sapphire Hummingbird, your flight plan is approved, and the way is clear. Permission granted,¡± a woman replied. ¡°Safe journey Dana. Next time the steak and beer are on you.¡± ¡°Copy that,¡± Captain Morgan laughed. ¡°See you around Rozen.¡± She dropped her finger and engaged her controls. The ship backed away from the station. It swung about and the captain engaged her thrusters. The hummingbird shot away from Deimos Station. ¡°Now, what¡¯s on your mind, Mr Edwards?¡± the captain asked. ¡°Earlier, you said the Sapphire Hummingbird was a pre-modular ship,¡± Mac said. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°The short answer is that unlike more modern ships, I can¡¯t just swap modules when I want to upgrade her,¡± Captain Morgan answered. ¡°I can¡¯t even add new modules to make her larger, faster, or more of a fighter.¡± ¡°Oh. Does that mean you had to manually add the wood paneling and other upgrades?¡± ¡°Yep. Had to do the same for the shields, weapons, life support, the reactors, engines, sensor suites, and everything else. That takes specialized work, which you can¡¯t find here in the home system.¡± ¡°Where did you get this done then? You didn¡¯t do it yourself, did you?¡± ¡°No,¡± the captain laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve found two shipyards that can work on an AllisonCraft ship. The first is at Tau Ceti and the second is at Teegarden¡¯s Star.¡± ¡°Expensive?¡± ¡°You have no idea,¡± Captain Morgan answered. ¡°I¡¯m still paying off the most recent upgrades.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± Mac asked, gesturing around them. ¡°It was love at first sight when I found her over at Barnard¡¯s Star despite my Hummingbird being a rust bucket at the time,¡± Captain Morgan answered with a smile on her face. ¡°And my ego loved the idea of owning a rare working pre-modular ship. Another nice bonus is I can swap out individual parts like the consoles instead of having to pay for a standardized module. The consoles are Epsilon Quanputer Tager 3s, which is the most advanced console I can put in the Hummingbird.¡± ¡°Nice. But we¡¯ve been making modular ships for 200 years!¡± Mckenzie pointed out. What the heck is an Epsilon Quanputer? Some company from the Epsilon Indi system? ¡°And the Hummingbird is at least 250 years old. AllisonCraft went out of business 190 years ago or there about. The public records are a little fuzzy from back then, so it¡¯s possible my baby is even older.¡± McKenzie whistled his appreciation. The captain smiled and nodded her agreement. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of a ship lasting longer than a century,¡± Mac said. ¡°It¡¯s uncommon, but not as rare as you think. As you¡¯ll discover at TCA, ships are expensive. So, people keep them operating as long as possible,¡± the captain replied. They fell silent and Mac enjoyed the view while she flew. That¡¯s twice now that someone has mentioned costs and the academy tosol. Are things at the academy not as they¡¯re presented on the net? If so, why? Mac glanced at the captain. Maybe I could ask the captain. She had to go to an academy after all. ¡°So, what¡¯s your experience farm boy?¡± Captain Morgan suddenly asked. ¡°Have you ever piloted a shuttle before, or did you just do some mechanical and engineering work on the farm?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got my small engine certification and a robot repair certification,¡± Mac answered, letting the farm boy dig slide. ¡°I¡¯ve also got my shuttle pilot¡¯s license.¡± ¡°Not bad,¡± the captain said. ¡°The pilot¡¯s license is expensive.¡± ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Mac agreed. ¡°But mom and dad found the way to pay for it somehow.¡± ¡°Looks like your parents really love you and want you to live your dreams.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mac agreed again. ¡°They do.¡± ¡°Then you need to make the most of your time at TCA,¡± Captain Morgan said. Mac nodded his agreement and understanding. She glanced at him and grinned. ¡°So, want to fly the Hummingbird? It¡¯s not too different than a shuttle.¡± Mckenzie¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°You mean it?¡± ¡°I could put her on autopilot, but I have a good feeling about you. So yeah, I do. That¡¯s if you think you can handle her.¡± Mac heard the challenge in the captain¡¯s voice. He looked over the console again. ¡°The layout is different than I¡¯m used to, but the basics look the same. I think I can handle it.¡± Captain Morgan put the ship on autopilot. She then showed him a few things about the console. ¡°How do you feel now?¡± ¡°Better. I¡¯m sure I can keep us on course now,¡± Mac answered. ¡°Alright,¡± the captain said. She pointed at the autopilot control. ¡°Use that if you need to. I¡¯m going to hit the head and grab something to drink. I¡¯ll also be monitoring you with my implant¡­ so, don¡¯t screw up.¡± 5 ¡°Autopilot engaged,¡± a mezzo soprano voice announced. ¡°What? I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Mac sputtered. ¡°Come on back and let¡¯s eat,¡± the captain called out. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ve engaged the autopilot. Hummingbird¡¯s AI is more than capable of flying us all the way to Europa.¡± Mckenzie blew out a sigh of relief. She could have warned me. He checked the time on his tablet and was surprised to find it had been an hour since Captain Morgan had let him take control. He smiled. Mac then sniffed as a tantalizing smell hit him. He took a deeper sniff. Oh, that¡¯s pasta¡­ and garlic bread! Mac bolted up from the copilot¡¯s seat and then stopped himself from running back. She could be teasing me with that smell. The captain said I just got some premade meal thingy after all. Mac walked to the galley and stopped. Captain Morgan glanced at him and smiled. ¡°I decided to cook since you were doing a good job of keeping us on course,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t stand ration bars, so spaghetti will have to do instead. Though you can still have a ration bar if you prefer.¡± ¡°No ma¡¯am! I would much rather have the spaghetti,¡± Mac replied. She laughed and gestured for him to take a seat at the table. * After the meal, Mac helped clean up the galley. He kept stealing glances at Captain Morgan. I have a million questions I want to ask her. Ok, maybe not a million, but a lot. ¡°Is there something on your mind or do you just find me attractive?¡± the captain asked. Uh¡­ both despite you being old enough to be my mother, Mac thought. ¡°Questions ma¡¯am, though you are attractive.¡± ¡°If this were a longer trip, I¡¯d be happy to educate you,¡± a smiling Captain Morgan teased. Mac felt his face heat up and she laughed. ¡°Ask your questions. I might not be able to answer all of them though. Things have changed since I graduated.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Mac said. She led him to the lounge, and they sat on the couch. ¡°To start, you¡¯re the second person that¡¯s mentioned costs to me. Shouldn¡¯t my scholarship cover all my costs?¡± Captain Morgan smiled sadly and shook her head. ¡°No. The galaxy is basically ruled by corporations even if everything is under the UN banner.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. But that just means not every system, planet, or even landmass is rules by a traditional government. The corporations rule in place of those traditional governments in most cases,¡± Mckenzie replied. ¡°But it also means everyone that is an employee citizen or a ¡®self-employed¡¯ citizen that is bound to their corporation,¡± Captain Morgan said, using air quotes around self-employed. ¡°Right. My parents had to pay Redrock for the farm,¡± Mac agreed. She prompted him to continue. ¡°They also had to buy and sell everything to and from the company.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s how they get you,¡± the captain said. ¡°Your parents may not have been direct employees, but they still work for Redrock. Your education was through Redrock as well, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mac agreed. Thinking about it like this makes it sound almost like slavery, indentured servitude, or serfdom. ¡°But how does this relate to academies?¡± ¡°The same rules apply,¡± the captain answered. ¡°Your scholarship is most likely just what used to be called a grant or loan. You¡¯ll have to pay off that debt after you graduate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You really thought you had earned a free ride?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mac answered. ¡°I apologize for bursting your bubble,¡± Captain Morgan said, patting him on the knee. ¡°But at least you¡¯ll go in with open eyes now, unlike the rest of your future classmates that aren¡¯t from wealthy families.¡± ¡°So, I should probably give up my dream of becoming a captain and focus on one of the lesser disciplines,¡± Mac muttered. ¡°The TCA reps I spoke with did strongly hint I¡¯d benefit more from pursuing the engineer track.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say give up your dreams,¡± Captain Morgan said. She smiled. ¡°But you do have options, and I don¡¯t just mean pursuing lesser degrees.¡± ¡°What kind of options?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Well, you can find a sponsor. That¡¯s someone or some company that buys your academy debt and you work it off over time. It¡¯s no different than what you¡¯re facing, except the sponsor is already your employer and pays you a steady rate after you graduate. They might even pay you while you¡¯re in school.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even have a clue about how to find a sponsor.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t help you there,¡± Captain Morgan replied. ¡°I¡¯m not wealthy and can¡¯t afford to sponsor someone.¡± ¡°Yeah. Are there any other options?¡± ¡°Yep. Next up is forming a partnership with a classmate or a few classmates. You can pool your resources and get a larger ship from the get-go,¡± the captain explained. ¡°That¡¯s what I did. Just be warned, everyone still must pay off their debt and wants a larger slice of the profit pie. Partnerships often end badly. Mine did.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about ships?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get to that. But one of your other options is to seek out wealthy classmates and agree to work for them. Their family will buy the debt of promising students and have them work on their wealthy classmates¡¯ ship or on a different family vessel. I don¡¯t recommend this option, though it¡¯ll be presented as the most tempting. I won¡¯t explain it in any detail, you¡¯ll have to see for yourself.¡± ¡°Alright, but that sounds like a worse version of a sponsorship,¡± Mac said. She nodded and patted his knee again. ¡°Your final option is staying the course and working for yourself. This is the least popular option,¡± the captain said. ¡°But it allows you a sense of freedom until you pay your debt off. It also gives you some flexibility in who you work for or with and what systems you work in. Partnerships have those same two benefits.¡± ¡°That sounds the best to me.¡± ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Sometimes shipping companies and others will offer employment. It¡¯s straight employment where you get paid for your labor, but you still must pay off your debt.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer being my own boss,¡± Mac said. He smiled. ¡°Seeing you and your ship has shown me what I want.¡± Captain Morgan laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t be expecting to find a rare vessel at the academy or just after graduation. I had contacts and lucked up. Then, spent a fortune bringing her up to modern standards.¡± ¡°I can dream though.¡± ¡°True. Now, onto ships,¡± the captain said. ¡°Everyone starts out with a small sloop or perhaps a cutter. This will be a new ship from the company the academy is in partnership with or from whichever corporation owns your academy. I have no idea what TCA does, so don¡¯t ask. And if you do one of the other options, you may end up starting out on a schooner, cutter, barq, or other similar sized vessel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the ships are new so they can charge more to the debt,¡± Mac grumbled. The captain nodded. ¡°And since ships are modular, you¡¯re locked into the manufacturers¡¯ product line.¡± ¡°Just so,¡± Captain Morgan agreed. ¡°Want some advice?¡± ¡°Yes, please,¡± Mac answered. ¡°First, get a researchers¡¯ implant, and not the standard one. It¡¯ll add more to your initial debt, but the enhanced memory and functionality will be more beneficial in the long term, including while at TCA. You may have to go outside the academy for that, but there are plenty of shops and doctors on Europa that will be glad to sell you what you want, which the school will pay for,¡± the captain explained. ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Mac said after considering it. ¡°Do you have that kind of implant?¡± ¡°I did, but not anymore. I¡¯ve upgraded since then,¡± Captain Morgan replied. ¡°Now, my second piece of advice is to buy an older ship. Find something around 100-150 years old.¡± ¡°Those will most likely be on their last legs,¡± Mac pointed out. ¡°True, but they¡¯ll be cheaper than a new ship, just out of their prime, so cheaper than a younger ship, and the academy will pay for the refurbishment and upgrades,¡± Captain Morgan explained. ¡°Plus, the biggest benefit, other than cost, is that those old ships can take modules from most manufacturers if you meet the required level and can afford them.¡± ¡°Levels?¡± ¡°Enough questions. TCA will explain that to you,¡± Captain Morgan said. She stood and stretched. She caught him watching and grinned. ¡°We¡¯re still 90 minutes out. That¡¯s not a lot of time but should be enough for me to give you a short lesson.¡± Mac¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she pulled him to his feet. Captain Morgan kissed him and led him to her cabin. Chs 6-10 6 ¡°Settle down and listen up!¡± a man shouted from the stage later that sol. ¡°If you¡¯re not here for in processing and orientation, you have ten seconds to exit my auditorium. This includes parents, guards, and servants. Your ten seconds starts now.¡± Guess that¡¯s one way of clearing out anybody that¡¯s not a new student, Mac thought. He looked around. People hadn¡¯t moved and security entered the auditorium. Mac got excited for a second. Are those droids? He took another look at the closest security guard and sighed in disappointment. I doubt it since they don¡¯t have synthetic skin even though they¡¯re humanoid. Then again, maybe they¡¯re just basic androids since they are humanoid. But everything I read and have been told is that droids have synthetic skin and a few small differences so people can tell them apart from real humans. I wonder if I could ask someone since I¡¯ve never seen an android in person. ¡°Move it!¡± the man bellowed, pulling Mckenzie from his thoughts. About a third of the crowd exited the room after some complaints and gentle attention from the security forces. After the room settled a few minutes later, the man on the stage spoke again. ¡°I am Captain Thaddeus Mahoney,¡± the man announced by way of introduction. ¡°I oversee security here at Titan Custer Academy. Keep your eyes front and we¡¯ll make sure you are who you¡¯re supposed to be.¡± Mac and what he assumed was the other new students stared toward the stage. ¡°Alright. You¡¯re all who you¡¯re supposed to be based off retina scan,¡± the captain said. ¡°We¡¯ll do saliva swabs later.¡± Most of the crowd laughed. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s joking, Mac thought. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the young woman next to him not laughing either. ¡°Listen up!¡± Mahoney ordered. ¡°I¡¯m going to go over a few rules and safety regulations. Then Commandant Harris will give you the rest of your orientation. We¡¯re going to start with a video.¡± People groaned as the lights dimmed and the large screen behind the captain lit up. A video started playing. ¡°I bet this is just the normal safety BS,¡± the woman beside Mckenzie said. ¡°Don¡¯t rape your classmates, don¡¯t steal from them, don¡¯t kill them, and if you do, don¡¯t get caught.¡± A few people around them laughed, including Mac. He took a better look at the woman. She had short black hair, brown eyes, full lips, and caramel colored skin. She¡¯s pretty, Mac thought. ¡°Like what you see?¡± the woman whispered. She was grinning at him. ¡°Yeah,¡± Mac answered. We¡¯re not the only ones talking in whispers and hushed tones. Seems the captain doesn¡¯t care either. ¡°That makes two of us,¡± the woman said. ¡°I¡¯m Marion Hooks.¡± ¡°Mckenzie Edwards,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Friends call me Mac.¡± ¡°Is that what we are?¡± Marion asked teasingly. ¡°I¡¯d like to be,¡± Mac replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He then laughed. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Marion asked. ¡°Fraternization is allowed?¡± Mac asked in reply, pointing at the screen. ¡°And encouraged in some instances,¡± the guy on the other side of Marion answered. ¡°It¡¯s how partnerships are often formed.¡± ¡°Figures,¡± Marion muttered. Mac agreed. ¡°I¡¯m Scott Copeland,¡± the guy said, introducing himself. Marion and Mac introduced themselves. The three fell silent as the video continued. * Mac almost jumped out of his skin after Marion poked him in the ribs. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You were almost asleep,¡± she answered in a whisper. ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Mac objected. But I am a little bit bored. It seems Captain Morgan was correct. So, I¡¯ll follow her advice and get an older ship and the researcher implant. ¡°So was Scott,¡± Marion said. ¡°Have you two heard all this before?¡± ¡°My family has been coming to TCA for a couple of generations now,¡± Scott said. ¡°I won¡¯t have the debt Harris is talking about nor will I start with a sloop. Most likely I¡¯ll get at least a ketch or a cutter to begin with, though I¡¯d prefer a schooner or corvette.¡± Must be nice, Mac thought. ¡°The captain of the ship that brought me here warned me a little.¡± The commandant droned on talking about the different avenues for them at the academy as well as different ships. He also went on about the expectations the students were expected to meet as well as the life experiences they should enjoy at TCA. ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about levels and your debts,¡± Mac heard the commandant say. That made him start paying attention. 7 ¡°Everyone starts at level one with a sloop unless you accept a sponsorship, employment, or form a partnership as I previously stated,¡± Commandant Harris said. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t go it alone, which most don¡¯t and neither will most of you, you¡¯ll still start at level one.¡± What the heck is he talking about? People don¡¯t have levels, Mac thought. ¡°I see the confusion on most of your faces,¡± Commandant Harris said. ¡°I¡¯m sure most of you are thinking the old man is crazy and that people don¡¯t have levels.¡± There was a smattering of laughter at that comment. Harris even chuckled himself. ¡°I¡¯m not senile yet,¡± the commandant assured his audience. More laughter. ¡°Your ship or more specifically, your ship¡¯s artificial intelligence gains levels. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering how they do that.¡± You could say that again, Mckenzie thought. Glancing around, he noticed most others were probably thinking the same thing. It must be some kind of experience-based system, doesn¡¯t it? ¡°Most of you are thinking your future AI will gain levels through your experiences together. And while that¡¯s a good guess, you¡¯re wrong,¡± the commandant said. ¡°Your AI¡¯s level is unlocked through your earnings.¡± The gathered students exploded at that statement. * ¡°Settle down and I¡¯ll explain how the system works,¡± Commandant Harris said, waving his hands in a placating manner. Captain Mahoney added his voice to the commandant¡¯s. Eventually, the crowd calmed down. Harris joked, ¡°This is one reason you have to sign ironclad nondisclosure agreements to enter any academy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a joke, is it?¡± Mac asked aloud. ¡°Nope,¡± Scott answered. ¡°Suddenly, I¡¯m glad I¡¯m open to all possibilities,¡± Marion chimed in. Others nodded and agreed with her. ¡°To start, everyone will buy an Iwatani ShipWorks Yellowjacket class sloop,¡± Commandant Harris stated once the students had fallen silent and were paying attention again. ¡°This is of course barring those in partnerships that buy a larger craft, gain employment, or gain a sponsorship. Yellowjackets are valued at 100 million credits, so with the costs of education, uniforms, implants, room, and board, your initial debt will be 250 million credits once you graduate.¡± There was another outburst at that reveal. Mac groaned. I think I¡¯ve made a huge mistake coming here. He saw others, including Marion, looked to be thinking the same thing. Others, like Scott, looked smug and not surprised at all. ¡°Here is a list of level one Yellowjacket features,¡± the commandant said above the noise. Mac saw the following on the screen. Level 1 Ship Features ¡°What¡¯s not listed is the cargo hold,¡± the commandant stated. ¡°The hold is small and will only hold 20 metric tons of cargo. That may seem like a lot, but believe me, it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Marion muttered. ¡°Yep,¡± Scott answered. ¡°Yellowjackets are the standard sloop you¡¯ll see here in the home system, but they¡¯re widely considered junk elsewhere as are the other Iwatani ShipWorks vessels.¡± Ugh. Captain Morgan¡¯s advice is looking better and better, Mac thought. Despite the costs, I think I still want to follow my dreams. ¡°It used to be that graduates had to pay off their initial debt before advancing to level two,¡± Harris said. ¡°But we¡¯re not that cruel these sols, so a graduate is given a decade to pay off their debt.¡± ¡°But what about level advancement?¡± someone near the back shouted. ¡°That¡¯s easy. For example, earn a million credits to advance to level two,¡± the commandant answered. ¡°From there, each level requirement matches the level. So, level three requires three million credits, so fourth and so on.¡± The students erupted again. ¡°This really sucks,¡± Marion said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Mac agreed. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Scott countered. ¡°Credits are easy to come by once you¡¯re out there. Come across a bunch of pirates, kill them all, claim their ships, and the bounties along with the ships themselves will earn you millions. Heck, doing a little privateering on behalf of a company will net you millions though you¡¯ll have to split the loot with the company.¡± ¡°Others will call you a pirate if you do any privateering,¡± Mac pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s all about your perspective and what system you¡¯re in,¡± another girl retorted. ¡°Here are some examples of level two ship upgrades,¡± Commandant Harris announced. Level 2 Upgrades ¡°As you can see, most are geared toward quality-of-life improvements since you¡¯ll be spending a lot of time aboard your ship,¡± the commandant said. Some people laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t discount the galley or an actual shower with hot and cold water. You¡¯ll come to hate ration bars, protein shakes, and sonic showers.¡± ¡°That I can agree with,¡± Marion said. ¡°Good food can go a long way when it comes to morale.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Scott agreed. He eyed her up and down as best he could since they were sitting. ¡°My ship will have a galley and cook from the start. Want to join my crew?¡± I should warn her against it, Mac considered. Then again, I don¡¯t know Marion and she¡¯s an adult. Her choice is her own. ¡°Maybe,¡± Marion answered. ¡°I¡¯m going to explore my options before making any commitments though.¡± She¡¯s eyeing him up just like she did me, Mac thought. Oh well, at least she¡¯s smart enough not to commit to anything yet. ¡°As I previously stated, sponsorships, partnerships, and employment change things except for upgrades,¡± Harris stated. ¡°Except for name, those are standard upgrade types regardless of ship manufacturer and the system the ship comes from. That last bit is for those of you wondering about purchasing ships from outside of our star system. ¡°All this information is available on the academy network and in your welcome packets, which we¡¯re sending to your tablets and implants, if you have them, now. We¡¯re also sending you your room assignments, a campus map, and some other needed information including cafeteria mealtimes,¡± Commandant Harris advised the students. ¡°Take the rest of the sol to find your rooms, read up on things, and get to know each other. Solmorrow, those of you that need them, will meet with our medical staff to discuss implants and set up installation times. Welcome to Titan Custer Academy.¡± Stolen novel; please report. 8 It''s not much to look at and not even half the size of my room back home, Mckenzie thought as he looked around his small, spartan room on the fifth floor. Too bad there¡¯s no windows. A view would be nice and make the place seem larger too. The walls, floor, and ceiling were metal and not painted, so were gunmetal gray in color. There was a small bed or bunk with built in drawers, a tiny desk and chair, and a closet which contained a sanitation unit. Seems we¡¯re expected to do our own laundry. That¡¯s not a problem for me since I did laundry as a chore sometimes on the farm. That sanitation unit even looks like the one back home. According to the welcome packet, there were communal co-ed restrooms and showers on each floor of the barracks building. Sharing showers and toilets with everyone on this floor is going to be interesting, Mac thought. According to the packet this room is supposed to be the size of an officer cabin on a Yellowjacket minus the private head. Guess they want us to get used to the size, so we won¡¯t miss anything larger when we¡¯re aboard our ships. Mac noticed there were no sheets on the bed. He checked the drawers under the bunk and didn¡¯t find any. He checked the closet and found two sets of sheets along with three pairs of towels and washcloths. This is worse than what we had at home! Mac thought as he checked the material of the sheets and towels between his fingers. I bet we can get better if we¡¯re willing to pay for it. He pulled a set of the sheets out and tossed them on his bunk. Mac then pulled out his tablet and checked the welcome packet. Sure enough, higher quality bedding, cleaning supplies, and even a servant were available if one was willing to pay for them or have the cost added to their debts. Ugh. The cafeteria food is included in our fees but it¡¯s frozen and canned. The only way to get fresh fruits, vegetables, and real meat is if you pay extra for it. Titan Custer is really profiting off their academy, that¡¯s for sure. Mac shook his head and placed his tablet on the desk. He took a few minutes to make his bunk. While not up to what mom and dad said were military standards, this will at least meet mom¡¯s, Mac mused. ¡°Knock, knock neighbor,¡± Mac heard a voice call out from the other side of the door along with knocking on the door. He opened it. ¡°Marion?¡± ¡°Hey Mckenzie. I¡¯m across the hall and was looking to see who else was on this floor,¡± Marion said. She peeked around him. ¡°These rooms aren¡¯t much to look at, but at least you¡¯ve made your bunk up already.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t gotten that far yet?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Nope. Been visiting and reading,¡± Marion answered with a shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been told Scott, and the other wealthy students occupy the bottom two floors. They get larger rooms and private bathrooms too.¡± ¡°Must be nice,¡± Mac muttered. ¡°Yep. Do you believe they charge if you want paint on the walls?¡± ¡°For real?¡± That doesn¡¯t surprise me. Seems TCA is out to nickel and dime us to death. ¡°Yes!¡± Marion replied. ¡°Anyway, a few of us are meeting in the common room to get to know each other and start discussing out options. Want to come?¡± ¡°Not right now,¡± Mac answered. ¡°I want to investigate the implants and do some research. There¡¯s got to be some way to get ahead other than becoming one of the elite¡¯s playthings or paying off massive debt for the rest of my life.¡± Marion laughed. ¡°If you figure that out let me know.¡± She¡¯s got a nice laugh, Mac thought. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know what I find.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Don¡¯t be a stranger, alright?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Mac replied. He watched her walk away. She¡¯s got a nice walk too. He shook his head and shut his door. He really had some research to do. * Seems Biodyne makes the best implants, but I can¡¯t afford them. Titan Custer makes some decent implants according to these reviews, but they also make cheap basic models, which is most likely what we¡¯ll get stuck with while TC charges us an arm and a leg for them. Mac scratched his nose. I need to focus on the researcher models like Captain Morgan told me because I don¡¯t care about all the entertainment and VR stuff. He dove back into his search. He found some promising reviews that seemed to be from real people since they included titles and names that were easily researched and verified. Biodyne tops the list here too. Biobatum Corp is the runner up for researcher model implants and third place goes to MMI Technology. Though a lot of these academic types also recommend a small company out of Proxima Centauri called 4dFX since their price vs performance is more than reasonable and their quality is on par with Biobatum and MMI. Mac hit up the academy¡¯s medical department for an appointment to talk with someone to talk about a researcher¡¯s implant. The helpdesk AI replied with the names of two clinics, Palantir Labs and DynaPath Medical. The academy had authorized and contracted with both to do procedures on students. Both clinics belong to TC or are run by families of TC executives, Mac mused after looking them up. That doesn¡¯t surprise me one bit. He shrugged and contacted Palantir Labs. The AI informed him that it would be a week before he could be seen for a consultation. Yeah, that¡¯s not going to work for me, Mac thought. He sent that information to the AI. It replied that it was sorry and would be happy to schedule an appointment for a week anyway. I don¡¯t think so, Mac decided. He contacted DynaPath Medical. The AI replied that he could have a consultation that afternoon if it was acceptable. Heck yeah, it is! Mac sent the appointment information to the advisor AI. It authorized his appointment, giving him a pass to leave the campus. 9 ¡°I¡¯m Doctor Thomas Walden,¡± the doctor said, introducing himself. He was shorter than Mckenzie and skinny, almost rail thin in fact. The doctor¡¯s long blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he wore glasses. I bet he wears those for appearance sakes. I¡¯ve never even heard of a person with less than perfect eyesight no matter how poor they are, Mac thought. He shook Dr Walden¡¯s hand and introduced himself. The doc¡¯s handshake is firm, which is a bit surprising. ¡°Bodybuilder?¡± Walden asked as he led Mac into his office. ¡°I¡¯m a runner myself.¡± He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk as he sat in his chair. ¡°Have a seat.¡± ¡°Uh no. I grew up on a Martian farm,¡± Mac replied. ¡°There wasn¡¯t any time for bodybuilding.¡± ¡°If you want to keep your size, you¡¯ll have to start working out even with TCA¡¯s fitness regimen,¡± the doctor said. ¡°Nanites can only do so much. We still need to put in some of the work, especially when aboard ships. My advice is to get a gym for your vessel as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Thanks for the information and advice. I¡¯ll do that,¡± Mac replied. More expense, but an obviously worthwhile investment. ¡°I won¡¯t even charge the academy for that,¡± Walden laughed. ¡°And you¡¯re here to discuss researcher implants. Are you looking to get into the academic side of things instead of going on a ship?¡± ¡°No. A captain I know advised me that a researcher implant would be a better long-term choice than the standard implant,¡± Mac explained. ¡°Considering the higher memory and faster processor, along with the galactic net connection and access to all the different academic databases, I think she was right.¡± ¡°That was good advice. Just remember, you¡¯ll have to pay for GalNet access,¡± Doctor Walden said. ¡°Do you know anything else about researcher implants?¡± ¡°Only that they have an assistant feature, but I couldn¡¯t find a lot of information about what it does,¡± Mac answered. ¡°The assistant would be considered a dumb AI unlike a normal full artificial intelligence. It¡¯ll keep your schedule up to date, sort your contacts, do research once you give it a query, and even take notes for you,¡± the doctor explained. ¡°Just don¡¯t expect to have conversations with it like a real AI or for the assistant to do your taxes.¡± Mac laughed and then asked, ¡°It¡¯ll take notes?¡± ¡°Yes. Unlike most of your classmates, you won¡¯t have to type on virtual keyboards or write out notes on virtual notepads. You¡¯ll even be able to highlight certain notes the assistant takes for emphasis in real time with a thought. Just don¡¯t go to sleep during class. TCA really frowns upon that.¡± ¡°So, what kind of price are we talking about?¡± ¡°A million credits.¡± ¡°Geez! I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be that expensive,¡± Mac said. Walden shrugged. ¡°The cost can be added to my academy debt?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Dr Walden replied. ¡°I might be able to offer you a deal though.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Wait, we do still have that version five Scholar still in stock? I thought we had sent it back to the manufacturer,¡± the doctor said, almost to himself. ¡°Have what?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Sorry. Was talking to Sheryl, my implant¡¯s AI,¡± Walden said, tapping his temple. ¡°Sheryl is a full AI. In case you¡¯re wondering, an implant with one of those would set you back five million credits and the academy wouldn¡¯t pay for it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Scholar?¡± ¡°A Scholar is 4dFX¡¯s researcher implant. The version five we have in stock is two generations behind the current model, but it¡¯s still far better than the low-end TC implant academy students get, which is at least four generations behind current models,¡± Dr Walden explained. ¡°I remember getting this one for a cousin of mine since my old university chums said it was just as good as anything MMI had put out in years. But she decided nothing except a Biodyne Professor would do, so the clinic got stuck with it.¡± ¡°So, what sort of price are we talking?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ a half million,¡± the doctor said. ¡°Wait. Sheryl tells me we also have the eye projectors and audio receiver for it, so that means a package deal. Let¡¯s say 750 thousand credits. That includes installation, which I can do tosol. You¡¯ll be stuck here overnight though so we can make sure there¡¯s no issues.¡± ¡°What are eye projectors?¡± Mac asked. I¡¯ve never heard of those before. ¡°Nanites that project information from your implant right onto your retina. Most people use contact lenses, so this is a nice upgrade,¡± the doctor explained. ¡°We also guarantee our work for two years after installation. 4dFX has a five-year warranty on the implant, receiver, and projectors.¡± ¡°No offense, but this sounds too good to be true,¡± Mac pointed out. ¡°I can see that. But honestly, I want to recoup most of the money I spent on the equipment and get it out of our inventory so I can stop paying taxes on it.¡± ¡°You pay taxes?¡± ¡°Titan Custer owns Europa. TC calls them fees and they¡¯re low, but everyone that lives and works here pays the corporation taxes. Every corporation will get you once you dock at their stations or on their planets and moons. If you establish a residence, you¡¯ll pay even more,¡± Dr Walden answered. ¡°So, what do you think? Want to take my offer?¡± ¡°I think the galaxy is an expensive place,¡± Mac answered. The doctor laughed. ¡°But yes, I want this Scholar implant.¡± ¡°Fantastic! Let¡¯s sign some paperwork and get you prepped for surgery.¡± 10 ¡°Assistant, list my certifications and licenses,¡± Mac instructed his implant as he walked back into the barracks building just before 1330 the next sol. The assistant responded by showing him what he already knew. Certifications: Licenses: That¡¯s freaky, but neat. I love how my file is already loaded too, Mac thought. I should give my assistant a name. He blinked to clear the information away as the help files stated he could, only to run into the barracks¡¯ wall. ¡°Son of a bit¡­¡± Mac exclaimed, biting off the profanity. He rubbed his nose and forehead while a few other students laughed at him as they passed by. ¡°You need to learn to use your implant before walking and using it, dumbass,¡± some guy called out to laughter from those walking with him. ¡°You¡¯re a little late with that advice,¡± Mac replied, which made the others laugh even more as they walked away. What was so funny about what I said? He shook his head and made sure he wasn¡¯t bleeding and nothing was broken. Mckenzie then walked into the barracks. ¡°Hi,¡± a feminine Spanish accented voice said. ¡°You¡¯re Mckenzie Edwards, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mac answered hesitantly. I don¡¯t know her, but wow! She¡¯s stunning. ¡°Do we know each other?¡± ¡°No,¡± the girl replied. ¡°I¡¯m Carmen Perez and it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± The last was said in a purr. Carmen stuck out a hand for him to shake while leaning forward. This gave Mac a clear view of her ample cleavage. Carmen isn¡¯t built like most of the other women here. With her shorter height and curves, she must be from earth, Mac thought. And that means she¡¯s from an elite family and it¡¯s possible her looks aren¡¯t really those she was born with. Then again, it¡¯s possible those are her natural looks, or her parents paid for her to have perfect genes. I¡¯ve heard that¡¯s possible, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not. ¡°Really Carmen?¡± Scott Copeland said from Mac¡¯s left. ¡°You¡¯re using your... assets like that?¡± ¡°I use everything I have to get what I want, Copeland. You know that as well as anyone,¡± Carmen retorted. ¡°And you want a poor Martian farm boy? Because that¡¯s what Edwards is,¡± Scott said. ¡°I know exactly who Mckenzie Edwards is,¡± Carmen Perez replied, tapping her temple. ¡°He¡¯s a talented engineer that already has his bot and small engine certifications. And he has a shuttle license. He¡¯s also the last of the dozen or so of our classmates with such qualifications that hasn¡¯t been snatched up already.¡± Oh, so that¡¯s what this is about. ¡°Really?¡± Scott questioned. A few others that had been lounging around in the common room perked up at Carmen¡¯s last statement. ¡°Damn. I haven¡¯t been moving fast enough.¡± They¡¯re headhunting and she somehow got my personal file, Mac thought. This kills whatever interest I have in her because she only wants what I can do for her, and I won¡¯t be anybody¡¯s plaything. ¡°It¡¯s nice meeting you Carmen,¡± Mac said insincerely. ¡°But I need to get to the cafeteria before they close the lunch service.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Carmen started as Mac hurried past her and Scott. Mac stopped just as the hallway started and faced the room. ¡°In case anyone is wondering, I¡¯m not interested in being on your crew or in your employment no matter who you or your families are or what kind of ship you¡¯re getting or have. I¡¯m also not interested in your family¡¯s or corporation¡¯s sponsorships either.¡± He then turned and headed to the cafeteria. Hopefully, that puts a stop to any pursuit of me. * Mac sat at an empty table with his tray of food. Frozen crinkle cut fries aren¡¯t my favorite, but they¡¯ll do. I¡¯m not so sure about this burger though. Even the bun looks like it was frozen and barely warmed up. He took a bite of the burger and nearly spit it back out. This mess is barely warm and not tasty at all! I get that I¡¯m late but come on. He sighed and finished chewing. Mac tried one of the fries. Lukewarm and soggy. Mac took a sip of water. At least it was clean and cold. He then pulled up the elective listing. I know they¡¯re going to assign some basic courses like PE and small ship handling since this is our first semester, so there¡¯s no need to look at anything other than the electives, Mac thought. If I remember correctly, we get two this semester. He read the list while eating his sorry lunch. I¡¯m really going to miss mom¡¯s cooking. I can cook simple fare so maybe I should get a galley for my ship as soon as possible and take a cooking class. ¡°Mckenzie Edwards, I see you have accessed the elective course list,¡± A cultured English accented voice said. What in the deep dark? Mac wondered. He looked around. Nobody was talking to him or even looking his way. ¡°Would you like to see your schedule so you can better choose your two electives?¡± the voice asked. The voice is coming from my head! Mac mused. ¡°Uh sure. Who are you?¡± ¡°I am Saagar, your AI advisor,¡± the voice answered. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Saagar,¡± Mac said. ¡°Likewise,¡± the AI replied. ¡°You should learn to subvocalize, so people don¡¯t hear your side of a conversation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Mac said. A beep sounded. That¡¯s the message notification. ¡°Did you send me something?¡± ¡°Just some reading material to help you learn subvocalization,¡± Saagar answered. ¡°Oh. Thank you.¡± ¡°You are welcome,¡± Saagar replied. ¡°I am sending you your required course schedule as well.¡± ¡°PE three hours a sol three times a week in the mornings with weapons training the other two sols a week?¡± Mac asked after looking over the schedule. He took another bite of his burger. ¡°This is mandatory throughout your time here at TCA though the frequency and duration will reduce over your years here,¡± his advisor answered. ¡°And since you have your shuttle pilot¡¯s license, I can remove the small ship handling course. Yellowjackets handle similarly enough to the shuttles you learned on so this class will not benefit you as it would others. Your time and the instructors¡¯ time would be better spent elsewhere.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mac said. ¡°What about filling that slot with small ship repair?¡± ¡°Possible though you may not find that class fulfilling considering your background and certifications,¡± Saagar replied. ¡°Perhaps¡­ yes, I will send you a test. If you score 95 or better on this practice test, I will allow you to take the small ship repair certification test. This would allow you to bypass the course.¡± ¡°Sure, I can work on the engines and reactor, but I don¡¯t know how to make other repairs on a sloop,¡± Mac protested. He ate some more of his rapidly cooling fries and drank some water. ¡°According to your record, you have repaired shuttles, farm equipment, and even done some light plumbing,¡± the AI countered. ¡°Therefore, you can repair most issues you would encounter on a sloop. Besides, repair bots do most of the work even if you go independent, which you seem intent on doing.¡± Seems the AI keeps an eye on us. Good to know. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take your practice test,¡± Mac said. So much for a hopefully easy class. But Saagar makes an excellent point. ¡°So, let¡¯s talk about my other options.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Saagar agreed. 11-15 ¡°My name is First Sergeant Lee Hartman, and I am in charge of your combat training, which includes unarmed and armed combat, and your physical training and conditioning,¡± the man all but bellowed as he strode in front of the gathered students the first sol of classes. Two men and a woman stood across from the assembled students. ¡°You will address me as First Sergeant or Top because I am the highest ranking noncommissioned enlisted man working at Titan Custer Academy.¡± I wonder who those others are. They¡¯re all just as big as me or bigger while Hartman is smaller than me but what dad would call wiry, Mac thought. Maybe the other three are more sergeants since they have very similar insignia on their uniforms. ¡°In case you¡¯re wondering, the gentlemen and lady with me are Staff Sergeants Baldwin, Harewood, and Modine. You will address them as Sergeant or even Sarge if they allow you to do so,¡± Hartman continued in a slightly lower volume. ¡°They are here to assist me with whipping you into shape.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the military,¡± Mac heard someone mutter. ¡°Which one of you maggots opened your pie hole without permission?¡± Hartman demanded as he spun to face the crowd. A small hole formed to Mckenzie¡¯s left. In the gap that had formed, Mac noticed Vincent Colceri. Must have been Vincent that had spoken, Mac thought. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re about to learn the penalty for speaking out of turn. Hopefully, it isn¡¯t too bad. Vincent Colceri was one of the 20 or so earthlings attending TCA as a first-year student. He was also one of the 15 or so students that were larger than Mckenzie. ¡°Did I give you permission to speak, cockroach?¡± Hartman asked once he was standing in Colceri¡¯s face. Vincent¡¯s face turned angry. The first sergeant had to look up at the larger, younger man. Mac noticed Hartman¡¯s mouth twist as Vincent started to speak. Without warning, the top sergeant punched Colceri in the stomach. Vincent doubled over as most, if not all the class gasped in shock. Hartman followed his punch up with a left cross, which sent Colceri to the ground. Hartman turned and walked back to the front of the class. ¡°Medic!¡± Sergeant Modine shouted. At least I think that¡¯s Modine since the three sergeants were standing in line and Baldwin had nodded a fraction when Hartman had introduced him, Mac thought. Her voice is higher pitched than I thought it would be considering her size. ¡°Sergeant Harewood,¡± Hartman said, glancing at the medic, who nodded at the first sergeant as Vincent stirred. ¡°Yes Top?¡± the large dark-skinned man replied. ¡°This maggot owes me 50 pushups. Make sure I get them before the end of this session,¡± Hartman said. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t do all 50, he¡¯s out of the academy.¡± ¡°Yes Top,¡± the other man agreed with a grin on his face as the students gasped in shock and outrage. ¡°That¡¯s right you maggots. I can expel you from the academy and it doesn¡¯t matter who your family is or what executives you think you know, I promise you, I have the ear of more powerful executives, and they listen to me,¡± Hartman announced. He pointed to a glass walled office at a corner of the gym. ¡°That is my office. At any point you think I¡¯m being unfair or that you can¡¯t cut my training, you can walk.¡± ¡°And if you walk, you¡¯re walking out of the academy,¡± Sergeant Baldwin added. That was met with more gasps of outrage and shock. Baldwin¡¯s malicious grin matched the one Harewood had given them earlier. ¡°Now students, you have five minutes to find your lockers in the changing room and get into the exercise clothing the academy has provided for you,¡± Hartman said. ¡°Once you¡¯re changed, we¡¯re going on a nice one kilometer run to get warmed up. You will keep up with me or my assistants will provide you the proper motivation to keep up with me.¡± The staff sergeants grinned and pulled electronic prods from behind their backs. ¡°This can¡¯t be legal,¡± Ian Terry, one of the other wealthy students said. ¡°Who gave you permission to speak?¡± Baldwin asked. He jumped forward and struck Ian with the prod. ¡°That maggot owes me 50 for speaking out of turn,¡± Hartman stated as the younger man fell to the floor. ¡°You¡¯ll get them Top,¡± Modine promised. ¡°Get moving you maggots!¡± Sergeant Hartman shouted. ¡°Your five minutes starts now.¡± * ¡°Edwards, you lack killer instinct,¡± Hartman said six months later. The combat android Mac had been practicing against let him go and stepped to the edge of the mat. ¡°Yes Top!¡± Mac replied loudly. ¡°I¡­ have a hard time striking women, Top.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I should blame your mother?¡± Hartman asked, glancing at the female android. ¡°No Top!¡± Hartman barked a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re learning but your skills are lacking despite your size and mass.¡± ¡°Yes Top.¡± ¡°Still, you¡¯ve done well enough to pass. Congratulations,¡± the first sergeant said. ¡°I¡¯ll expect improvement over the next couple of years.¡± ¡°Thank you, Top,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Take a break and I¡¯ll see you on the range in five minutes,¡± Hartman instructed. ¡°Yes Top.¡± * ¡°Time!¡± Hartman called. Mac checked his HUD readout before he ejected the magazine and cleared the barrel of the Titan Custer Echelon 50 flechette pistol, also known as a needler. Flechette rounds were more expensive than regular ammunition, but they were light and wouldn¡¯t penetrate a ship¡¯s hull or critical systems, so they were the standard shipboard ammunition. You could also buy poisonous, or tranquilizer rounds for needlers if you were willing to spend the extra credits. Though I¡¯ve never seen a round stuck in the barrel, I¡¯m still glad the sergeants had instructed us on and drilled us in weapon safety before letting us handle a real gun, Mac thought. ¡°Weapon is clear, Top.¡± ¡°Not bad. Slightly better than your unarmed combat,¡± Hartman said as he examined the target Mckenzie had been shooting. Yes! That means I¡¯ve passed basic firearms training. ¡°Congratulations. You¡¯ve passed, but just like with your unarmed combat, I¡¯ll expect you to improve while you¡¯re here,¡± the first sergeant stated. ¡°Top, I have a question.¡± ¡°You want to know if this is all really necessary?¡± ¡°Yes Top.¡± ¡°It is,¡± the older man replied. ¡°And much more often than you, me, or anyone else might wish too. There¡¯s a lot of bad people out there. So, I expect you to put in the time to improve even if most of your class hours will be spent elsewhere.¡± ¡°Yes Top,¡± Mac said. I¡¯ll put in the time too. I don¡¯t want to die. ¡°Good. Dismissed¡± 12 Boy, TC really does love ripping people off, Mac thought. 500 credits for a half-hour video call with someone is way too much. But at least it was much cheaper than a round-trip ticket home and back would have cost me. And if I¡¯m honest with myself, it was credit well spent since it made mom and dad happy. Mckenzie exited the message booth and waved to the attendant as he exited the building. The android didn¡¯t wave back or acknowledge him in any way. He started wandering the campus with no destination in mind. Other than keeping up his PT and target practice, Mac didn¡¯t have anything he really needed to do over the two-week break. This place feels deserted. Most of the students have gone home or on trips even if it added to their debts. Very few of us stayed for whatever reason, which I don¡¯t doubt is mostly cost, Mac thought. Heck, even most of the faculty has vacated this place. ¡°Mckenzie, you seem lost,¡± a voice said in his head. ¡°Keeping tabs on me Saagar?¡± ¡°Always except for when you¡¯re in your bunk or the head,¡± the advisor AI answered. ¡°The same goes for every other student assigned to me.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good to know,¡± Mac said. ¡°I¡¯m just killing time I guess.¡± ¡°Might I suggest a more productive use of your time?¡± Saagar asked. ¡°And no, I do not mean exercise or target practice. Your current plan for those is acceptable.¡± ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°How about getting a head start on learning the Yellowjacket and its systems? That will be the focus of your next semester,¡± the AI answered. ¡°I can even allow you some early simulator time.¡± ¡°I was actually thinking about finding an older ship and refurbishing it,¡± Mac said. ¡°It¡¯s allowed.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. But why buy an older ship instead of accepting a new Yellowjacket? Is it the cost?¡± ¡°That and I don¡¯t like the Yellowjacket. That wasp shape is ugly and when compared to other sloops, the Yellowjacket is lacking in everything but armor,¡± Mac answered. ¡°You think the Yellowjacket is ugly?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mac laughed. ¡°The only thing I like about it is the two large ¡®eye¡¯ ports on the bridge.¡± ¡°You are not the first student to say they are ugly vessels,¡± Saagar replied. ¡°They¡¯re also larger than a single person can work alone comfortably,¡± Mckenzie said. ¡°It¡¯s like they were designed to force people to work together.¡± ¡°You can always purchase bots or androids to help run it,¡± Saagar pointed out. ¡°Or they were designed for that, which is much more likely,¡± Mac said. ¡°I happened to notice that Iwatani¡¯s other major business is robots.¡± ¡°That is an astute observation that few first-year students make,¡± Saagar said. ¡°What do you wish to do with your future ship other than sail the stars? ¡°I haven¡¯t really decided, but I know I don¡¯t want to be a privateer or pirate,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Hauling freight for corporations doesn¡¯t sound too appealing either.¡± ¡°You are limiting your options then, but with your combat scores so far, I cannot blame you for not wanting to do the first two options,¡± the AI remarked. ¡°Being an independent space hauler can be profitable with the right routes, niche, ship, and connections, but that can take a very long time to do. The same goes for mining.¡± ¡°Seems the academy prefers we become privateers,¡± Mac said, a touch of bitterness in his voice. ¡°That is true. Titan Custer has profited greatly from its privateers over the last few decades and is why this academy was founded in the first place,¡± Saagar confirmed. I guess I can find a fast ship with enough cargo space and become a smuggler, Mac thought. People always want things corporations don¡¯t allow them and that isn¡¯t just drugs and weapons. ¡°Perhaps I could be a courier or scout,¡± Mac said aloud as the thought hit him. ¡°Those are not bad options though being a courier is little more than a glorified hauler that specializes in small cargo and ferrying passengers,¡± his advisor explained. ¡°And a scout is not really profitable while being much riskier.¡± Yeah, seeking out and spying on others isn¡¯t the sort of thing one does for their long-term career goals or life expectancy. Scouting is sort of like privateering except taking a smaller cut since you¡¯re not doing the actual fighting. But it would also be exciting, which is a large part of the attraction of being aboard a ship in the first place. Speaking of exciting¡­ ¡°What about being an explorer?¡± Mac asked, voicing his thoughts. ¡°There¡¯s lots of unexplored space out there.¡± ¡°You wish to see new worlds and go where no man has gone before?¡± Saagar asked. Mac laughed. ¡°Being an explorer is a noble calling, and it can pay quite handsomely if you discover the right planet or a rich asteroid belt, though most people that take up the calling are poor and in heavy debt. Being an explorer is also dangerous.¡± ¡°Aliens?¡± Mac laughed. ¡°No. The chance of finding extraterrestrial intelligent life is marginally small. The risk comes in not being able to repair your ship, crashing into asteroids, pirates, privateers, or even being sucked into an undiscovered black hole.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just the usual stuff,¡± Mac quipped. ¡°There is also the chance of running out of food and fuel,¡± Saagar pointed out. ¡°Sloops, ketches, cutters, and schooners are not good ships for exploring. They were designed to haul freight and for combat.¡± ¡°Even a heavily customized one?¡± ¡°While a properly customized sloop, ketch, or other ship would be better at the job than a standard one, they still wouldn¡¯t be as good as a ship designed from the ground up for exploring,¡± the AI answered. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°So, if I was serious about being an explorer, I would need a custom-built ship that doesn¡¯t really fit an existing type,¡± Mac said. ¡°That or a caravel, but the last of those were built over 150 years ago. The design never really caught on and the market was small since probes are most often used to explore.¡± ¡°Why is that? People are always exploring.¡± ¡°Caravels were not as heavily armed or armored as similar sized ships. They also were not as fast despite their slightly smaller size. Plus, probes are cheap,¡± Saagar explained. ¡°But a caravel¡¯s advantage was its maneuverability and longer legs.¡± ¡°So, a caravel could outrun a sloop if it had enough of a head start?¡± ¡°Outrun? No. Outlast? Yes, provided the other ship¡¯s guns did not have enough range.¡± ¡°Caravels must have decent cargo capacity though.¡± ¡°No. Caravels had roughly two thirds the capacity of a similar sized ship. But when talking about the size difference, a caravel was often only a few meters smaller while being several tons lighter.¡± ¡°Are or were caravels at least more fuel efficient than other ship types?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Yes. That is one of the things that gave them longer legs in addition to their large fuel tanks and standard fuel scoops.¡± Caravels come with fuel scoops? That would save a lot of credits on fuel. But I bet upgrading a caravel would be expensive, Mac considered. ¡°Thanks Saagar. I think I should do some research on caravels. That might be just the type of ship I need.¡± ¡°You are most welcome. But are you serious about this?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mac answered after a moment. ¡°Then I will assist you by starting a query of nearby systems for caravels.¡± ¡°Why would you do that? I mean, it¡¯s not part of your duties, right?¡± ¡°You are one of my students, Mckenzie, and I want to see you as well as the others succeed,¡± Saagar answered. ¡°Thanks Saagar,¡± Mac said. ¡°I really appreciate the help.¡± 13 Do I really want a Caravel? Mac asked himself for the umpteenth time. Saagar was correct, which wasn¡¯t surprising. Every caravel class that had been built had limited cargo space, lighter armor, few weapons, and like modern ships, could be upgraded with jump drives. But very few ever got that upgrade since jumping into undocumented systems wasn¡¯t just stupid, but it was extremely hazardous. Those are quite a few negatives and another reason the class faded into history. Seemed those that had owned caravels and used them to explore had only jumped into systems that probes had done preliminary scans of first. What a waste. Mac wiped his eyes and stifled a yawn. He had been doing research for hours. On the positive side of things, there¡¯s the high-end sensors, the efficient engine and reactor, fuel scoop, and larger fuel and water tanks which means cheaper costs. Caravels were also designed to be operated by a single person or very small crew in some cases. Plus, every one of them had been built with a captain¡¯s cabin, lounge, and small galley to provide some comfort and distractions on long voyages. That would keep me from having to waste an upgrade on that stuff, which I know I¡¯d do eventually because I plan on the ship being my home for a long time. Heck, a few of the designs even have one or two other cabins for crew and passenger quarters. He looked at the image of a Donzi Industries Nina class caravel. The Nina class had been one of the more popular caravels. The ship was long and narrow, and almost shaped like an arrow instead of a bullet. It¡¯s not much to look at, Mac mused. But the design should allow it to go into and out of any planet¡¯s atmosphere easily enough. And that would help with any smuggling or high value cargo shipping I do to planets. The design wouldn¡¯t help with mining though. Mckenzie yawned and dismissed the information. He could do more research after training and target practice in the morning. Mac got ready for bed and then hit the hay. * I really miss mom¡¯s cooking, Mac thought once again as he ate his lunch. The cafeteria¡¯s frozen pizza tasted about like cardboard. And I should know since I tried eating a piece of cardboard on a dare as a kid. It¡¯s amazing the old box material was still around and being used hundreds of years after its invention. He snorted and looked around. The only other person in the cafeteria got up, and left, leaving her tray on the table. Some people are just too entitled, Mac thought shaking his head. One of the cafeteria bots moved to the table, removed the tray, and cleaned the table. Then again, maybe I was just raised to be old-fashioned and clean up after myself like the few others that bus their trays. Some movement at the entryway caught his attention. A stunning blonde haired woman wearing coveralls stood there. She glanced around the room and her metallic blue eyes landed on him. The woman walked over. She has metal cat ears! She¡¯s a droid! Mac thought. He paid close attention to the woman as she approached. Other than the eye color and ears, she doesn¡¯t look much different than any other attractive woman I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°Mckenzie Edwards?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Yes, and you are?¡± ¡°Chief Alexandra,¡± the droid replied. ¡°I¡¯m in charge of ship services here at Titan Custer Academy.¡± Huh. I wasn¡¯t aware the academy had a droid in such a powerful position. But it makes sense. She can work harder, longer, and retain more knowledge than a human can. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Chief. How can I help you?¡± Mac said instead of voicing his thoughts and asking questions. ¡°You are mistaken. I¡¯m here to assist you,¡± Chief Alexandra replied. ¡°Saagar informed me you wished to find a caravel and refurbish it instead of purchasing a Yellowjacket from the academy.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yes.¡± ¡°Are you unsure?¡± the droid asked, giving him a questioning look. ¡°Sorta. My research shows that caravels have a lot of negatives when compared to similar, newer ship classes.¡± ¡°True, but caravels also have positives that for the proper individual will outweigh the negatives,¡± the Chief retorted. ¡°The question is are you the proper individual?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m unsure of, but I¡¯d like to think so,¡± Mac answered. ¡°Would it help you to see a caravel in person?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a caravel at the academy or on Europa?¡± ¡°No,¡± the droid laughed. ¡°But there are three that Saagar and I found in the Luyten¡¯s Star, Epsilon Indi, and Proxima Centauri systems that are for sale that we can inspect.¡± The Chief¡¯s speech is more casual than Saagar¡¯s. I guess that¡¯s to make her seem more human, Mac mused. ¡°I don¡¯t have the funds or time to arrange transport to three systems before classes start back.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take one of the academy¡¯s jump capable ships,¡± Chief Alexandra said. ¡°The cost will be added to what you owe TCA though.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Mac replied. ¡°What are the available caravels?¡± ¡°At Luyten¡¯s Star is a Donzi Industries Nina, at Proxima Centauri is a Quan Shipyards Zheng He, and at Epsilon Indi is a McKnight Shipbuilders Merlin,¡± the droid answered. ¡°Though McKnight was acquired by Takeda Industries 50 years ago, so I suppose the Merlin is a Takeda Industries craft now. So, are you interested in taking a trip and seeing some caravels?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you willing to add the cost of the trip to your academy debt?¡± Saagar asked. Mac jumped. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were listening in, Saagar,¡± Mac said. The AI didn¡¯t respond. ¡°And yes, I¡¯ll willing to add the cost to my debt.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Saagar announced. ¡°Permission is granted as well.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go,¡± Chief Alexandra said. She turned and started walking away. She stopped when Mac didn¡¯t immediately follow. The droid turned and watched as he bussed his tray. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the way I was raised,¡± Mac replied with a shrug. ¡°Interesting,¡± the Chief said. She led him out. 14 ¡°You¡¯re flying?¡± Mac asked Chief Alexandra as she took the Horntail¡¯s pilot¡¯s seat. The Horntail or wood wasp was another Iwatani wasp shaped ship but unlike the smaller Yellowjacket, the Horntail was a small schooner. She pointed him to the copilot¡¯s chair. ¡°Yes. Do you have an issue with that?¡± she replied as he sat and strapped in. ¡°No Chief,¡± Mckenzie answered as she buckled up. He heard the engines start. ¡°Good, but let me guess, you¡¯ve never heard of a droid pilot before?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t,¡± Mac confessed. ¡°It makes sense though. I mean most human pilots rely on their ship¡¯s AI to pilot the ship at least half the time anyway.¡± ¡°True,¡± the Chief agreed as she cleared their launch with traffic control. The Horntail lifted off and headed for orbit. The Chief must be communicating wirelessly since she isn¡¯t speaking. I suppose I¡¯ll be able to do that, well subvocalize where it¡¯ll seem like that in time. ¡°Chief, do droids ever have surnames?¡± Mac blurted out as the thought occurred to him. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. That¡¯s a common question,¡± Chief Alexandra said. ¡°The only time and place droids receive surnames is in systems that allow humans to marry us.¡± ¡°Marriage between humans and droids is possible?¡± Mac asked. We are one weird species, but I see the desire. Having someone that is literally programmed to love you unconditionally and even do your every bidding is appealing. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m curious, but I think I¡¯ll be sticking with human women. ¡°Not in the home system, but in a few systems such as Epsilon Indi, yes,¡± she replied, turning Mac from his thoughts. ¡°And before you ask, no, it¡¯s not something I care about. My programming doesn¡¯t allow for emotions that deep.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Mac muttered. That¡¯s a pity. Even AI powered androids deserve happiness and love. Perhaps once I pay my debt off, I¡¯ll move out of the home system and not return. He shook off those thoughts and stared out the ports. ¡°I do love that view.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it,¡± the Chief warned. ¡°We¡¯ll be jumping to Proxima Centauri once we get clear of Jupiter¡¯s gravity well.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°Five minutes.¡± ¡°Which ship is there and what¡¯s the name of the business that has it?¡± Mac asked. ¡°The Zheng He is located at scrapyard called Bubba¡¯s Parts and Scrap.¡± ¡°That name doesn¡¯t give me warm and fuzzy feelings that the Zheng He will be in even decent shape,¡± Mac remarked. ¡°No, but it should be cheap, and Saagar is allowing you a work study program this upcoming semester so you can work on whichever ship you end up with since you tested out of both parts of the basic repair and ship handling courses,¡± the Chief explained. ¡°And you¡¯ll have me, repair bots, and some other engineers doing most of the refurbishment work as well as supervising you.¡± ¡°Thank you. That¡¯ll let me save even more credits,¡± Mac said. ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure of that until after we see the ships,¡± Chief Alexandra warned. ¡°And everything we do that you don¡¯t, goes on the expense list.¡± * ¡°Fred Smith is the name. Parts and scrap are my game,¡± the name said with a fake smile. Like most born in a gravity free or low gravity environment, Fred was tall and skinny. ¡°Are you the folks looking for the caravel?¡± The Chief didn¡¯t answer him, so Mac did. ¡°We are. I¡¯m Mckenzie Edwards and this is Chief Alexandra.¡± ¡°You can call me Fred,¡± the man said. ¡°Alright Fred,¡± Mac replied. ¡°I had the Zheng He brought inside, so you won¡¯t have to suit up,¡± Fred said. ¡°Right this way.¡± The Chief and Mac exchanged a look and followed Fred though the large scrapyard. ¡°I wish I had brought some kind of glasses or goggles,¡± Mac muttered. ¡°This orangish light is getting to me.¡± ¡°The other two stars are red dwarves, so their light will be more comfortable for you,¡± Chief Alexandra replied. ¡°Why would a red dwarf¡¯s light be more comfortable for you?¡± Fred asked. ¡°I¡¯m a Martian,¡± Mckenzie answered. ¡°Even with all the terraforming that was done, the Mars sky is still reddish because of all the atmospheric dust.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Fred said. He pointed at a bullet shaped ship. ¡°That¡¯s the Zheng He. Feel free to board her if you like. My uncle had all the consoles and electronics stripped out years ago when he ran the yard.¡± Mac sighed. There where holes in the caravel, very large ones at that. I don¡¯t see anything inside the ship except the bulkheads, but I should take a closer look. He walked up to the ship and stuck his head in one of the holes. Only trash was inside the ship as far as he could see in either direction. Even some of the bulkheads had been stripped out. ¡°Was anything left inside her?¡± ¡°Nothing valuable,¡± Fred answered. ¡°And you want 80 million credits for this¡­ ship?¡± the Chief asked. ¡°That¡¯s a bargain too,¡± Fred answered, the fake salesman smile on his face again. ¡°The hull needs work, but the frame is good.¡± ¡°I think we will pass,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not your decision to make, robot,¡± Fred said. And there¡¯s the other side of humanity. We¡¯ve been a space faring species for hundreds of years and deep down we¡¯re still racist, sexist, and whatever else we¡¯ve always been. ¡°Chief Alexandra isn¡¯t a robot,¡± Mac said. ¡°And she is correct. This isn¡¯t the ship I want.¡± The Chief turned and walked away. Mac caught up and walked beside her. ¡°Coming to my defense wasn¡¯t necessary, but thank you,¡± the Chief said. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Mac replied. ¡°How did you know I didn¡¯t want the ship?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, but that wreck will need over 100 million credits in repairs to even approach being serviceable again,¡± she answered. ¡°I would never approve that even if the finance department would.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here, Chief,¡± Mac said. She smiled and nodded as they continued back to the Horntail. 15 ¡°Good morning,¡± Chief Alexandra said as Mac joined her on the bridge the next sol. ¡°Sleep well?¡± ¡°Morning and yes,¡± Mac replied. He looked out of the forward view port at the red dwarf star. ¡°So, that¡¯s Luyten¡¯s Star?¡± ¡°It is and if you look to your right, you¡¯ll see Luyten b or as its informally called, Luyten¡¯s Rock,¡± the Chief answered. ¡°We¡¯re going to Hawat¡¯s Haulers, which is located on the planet¡¯s surface.¡± ¡°Cool. I¡¯ve always wanted to see what a super Earth is like.¡± ¡°I suggest you do some reading on the planet while we have time. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be disappointed if you¡¯re expecting Luyten b to be Earth like.¡± ¡°Well, that sucks. You¡¯re right. The ¡®Rock¡¯ is basically a heavier Mars,¡± Mac said after doing a bit of research. On the bright side, this implant is really coming in handy and earning its keep. I love the GalNet connection. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be a fun trip for me. I don¡¯t think I can handle three times Mars¡¯ gravity.¡± ¡°If nothing else, we¡¯ll go slow and I¡¯ll carry you if it comes to that,¡± The Chief replied. That¡¯ll embarrass me,¡± Mac thought. ¡°Thanks Chief. Hopefully, it won¡¯t come to you carrying me like a child.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Chief Alexandra replied. ¡°Now, strap in. Traffic Control states the winds are kicking up down there.¡± * Mckenzie grunted no sooner than he had stepped out of the ship fully. ¡°Geez, this is harder than I thought it would be. It¡¯s like carrying three of me.¡± ¡°Go slow,¡± the Chief advised. ¡°I¡¯ve summoned a hovercraft. It¡¯ll be here momentarily.¡± ¡°Thanks Chief,¡± Mac replied. He took the time to look around as the droid went back inside the ship. The ¡®Rock¡¯ had a thin, but breathable atmosphere. The sky was a deep reddish orange, which was darker than Mars¡¯ sky. Except for a few trees, the flora was stunted in comparison to Mars and Mckenzie didn¡¯t see any fauna running around. Maybe I don¡¯t see any animals because we¡¯re at the spaceport, Mac mused. The Chief returned as an automated open top hovercraft stopped in front of the ramp. The vehicle didn¡¯t differ too much from its ancestors apart from using repulson lifts instead of an air cushion and large fan turbine. ¡°Good, our transportation is here,¡± Chief Alexandra said as she emerged from the Horntail. She held out something for Mac. ¡°Take this breathing unit just in case you need it. The hovercraft is programmed to take us to Hawat¡¯s Haulers.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mac said, taking the small oxygen tank and mask. She led him down the ramp and they boarded the hovercraft. * ¡°I¡¯m Souheila Hawat,¡± the woman said by way of introduction. Like the rest of the people that Mac had seen on Luyten b so far, Souheila was muscular and short, maybe just 152 cm. With her dark hair, brown eyes, and olive skin tone, Souheila is attractive, especially if you like muscular women. Though her deep voice would take some getting used to, Mac thought. Looks like the Chief is letting me take the lead again. ¡°I¡¯m Mckenzie Edwards,¡± Mac replied. ¡°And this is Chief Alexandra.¡± They shook hands and he was pleased she didn¡¯t squeeze. I¡¯ve no doubt she could break every bone in my hand if she wanted to. Souheila looked him up and down. ¡°You¡¯ve done well so far not to collapse in a heap. The ¡®Rock¡¯ isn¡¯t nice to off-worlders. I¡¯ll get you a scooter since I don¡¯t think my insurance will pay if you die while on my property.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ thanks,¡± Mac said. Souheila nodded and walked towards a shop. * ¡°This is the Harpy,¡± Souheila said, gesturing to the Donzi Industries Nina class caravel. The faded red and black painted arrow shaped ship was 25 meters long and 6 meters wide at its widest point, which was the bridge and engineering spaces. The ¡®shaft¡¯ of the ship was between 3 and 4 meters wide according to its specs. ¡°We use her as a courier and fast packet for the occasional hop to nearby systems.¡± ¡°So, all the systems work?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Yes, though the reactor needs a flush and the engine and thrusters could use an upgrade,¡± Souheila answered. She opened the ramp and gestured for them to follow her aboard. ¡°Honestly, the computer system, sensors, and life support all could do with an upgrade as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been using the ship, but her history shows the Harpy is level 1 still,¡± Mac said, glancing through the file Souheila had shared with them. ¡°The Harpy is also supposed to have a Marconi Alarum sensor suite, not the Zen Optics one it has,¡± the Chief added. ¡°Yeah, my father had taken the Harpy back to level 1 years ago and sold off the more valuable modules. That¡¯s why I¡¯m only asking 650000 credits for her,¡± Souheila explained, rubbing the back of her neck. ¡°I¡¯ve got my eye on a small schooner over in the Tau Ceti system and I can get enough of a loan to buy the schooner.¡± ¡°But you cannot afford to pay for upgrades, or any refurbishment work this schooner needs,¡± Chief Alexandra concluded. ¡°Exactly,¡± Souheila replied. ¡°Selling the Harpy will give me the funds I need to do that while getting her off my books and taxes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad plan,¡± Mac commented. ¡°Thanks. Anyway, give the Harpy a good once over and we¡¯ll even take her out to the station and back if you want,¡± Souheila said. She must really want to sell this ship, Mac mused. ¡°I think a good once over will suffice, don¡¯t you agree, Chief?¡± ¡°I do,¡± the Chief replied. * ¡°Why did you tell Ms. Hawat that you would think about things instead of accepting her offer?¡± the Chief asked as the Horntail broke Luyten b¡¯s orbit. ¡°She had even offered to sell the Harpy to you for 600000 even. That¡¯s a nice deal.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m curious to look at the Merlin in person and I don¡¯t like the Nina class design,¡± Mac answered. ¡°I¡¯m sure the arrow shape helps when flying in atmosphere, but it just doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No. There was a lot of rust and crud that would need to be cleaned up, which I expect with any ship that old, but upgrading everything that needed upgrading would probably set me back as much as a Yellowjacket costs, especially if I try to get Marconi sensors for it.¡± ¡°The Merlin might cost you just as much if not more,¡± the Chief countered. ¡°True, but the bird-like shape I¡¯ve seen in old video and pictures appeals to me,¡± Mac said. ¡°Plus, the Merlin class were supposed to be quicker and more maneuverable.¡± ¡°Fair enough. We¡¯ll reach the Epsilon Indi system in a few hours. You might want to take a nap to recover from your first foray on a heavy world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Mac said, stifling a yawn. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± 16-20 ¡°Mckenzie, what are you doing?¡± the Chief asked a few hours later. ¡°Stretching,¡± Mac answered. ¡°I¡¯m really sore. It¡¯s almost like I had worked out new muscles for the first time.¡± ¡°I see. In a way you did,¡± the Chief said. ¡°True enough,¡± Mac agreed. I might need to avoid heavy gravity worlds in the future. That, or get in much better shape. ¡°And I don¡¯t think my nap helped.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get over it in time,¡± Chief Alexandra said. ¡°There are meal bars in the galley, though no frozen food.¡± ¡°How much longer till we get to the station?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Thinking of holding off and getting something to eat from there?¡± The Chief asked. Mac nodded and she shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re paying for the meal bars as part of this trip and your academy fees regardless, but I don¡¯t blame you. We avoid them when we can as well. But to answer your question, we¡¯ll arrive at DH3 Station in half an hour.¡± ¡°Thanks, and yes, I¡¯ll wait to get something to eat there,¡± Mac replied. ¡°But droids eat?¡± ¡°All droids made in the last 25-sol years do as do high end companion models made in the 15-20 years before that,¡± she answered. ¡°Not only does it make us more human, but the food also provides a cheap source of nutrients for our synthetic organs and an alternative energy source.¡± Companion models? Oh, yeah. Those made for sex. ¡°Huh. That makes sense in a way, but it makes me wonder why droids are still made to look nonhuman.¡± The Chief smiled and shrugged. ¡°Your species makes a lot of stupid decisions.¡± ¡°True enough,¡± Mac laughed. * ¡°I am Alain Durand,¡± the pale yet sharply dressed man said with a French accent. ¡°I run Durand¡¯s Shipping.¡± I don¡¯t know how to describe him other than pretty, even if I doubt that he¡¯s ever seen natural light before. And I never thought I would think that about another man before, Mac thought. He shook off those thoughts and introduced himself and the Chief. ¡°I¡¯m Mckenzie Edwards and this is Chief Alexandra.¡± ¡°Charmed,¡± Alain said, taking the Chief¡¯s hand and kissing it. Durand then shook his hand. ¡°You have come about the old Merlin we have?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mac answered. ¡°Excellent,¡± Alain replied. ¡°Follow me and I will show you to the storage warehouse where we keep the old girl. She takes up entirely too much space and I look forward to being rid of her.¡± Mac and the Chief followed the other man through the shipping office and into a warehouse. * ¡°My grand papa loved the Lady Hawk,¡± Alain said as the warehouse doors opened. ¡°Lady Hawk?¡± the Chief questioned. ¡°Oui Chief. My grand papa thought it was an excellent play on words since the French word for falcon is esmerillon and merlins are a type of falcon. Esmerillon is also a feminine word, and noblewomen used merlins to hunt back in medieval times,¡± Alain explained as the lights turned on in the warehouse. ¡°At least the ship wasn¡¯t named after the wizard,¡± Mac muttered. ¡°Oui,¡± Alain laughed. ¡°Though my mother did say grand papa had considered it along with an emblem featuring a pointed hat. Thankfully, he was talked out of it and instead had the ship painted slate gray on the topside and white on the bottom side.¡± ¡°That might actually be pretty,¡± Mac said as Alain led them into the warehouse. ¡°It was, but the years have not been so kind, and the Lady Hawk needs a paint job,¡± Alain replied. He stopped a few minutes later and gestured to a rust coated ship. ¡°And here she is.¡± ¡°I can detect several hull breaches that were not patched or not patched well from here,¡± the Chief said. ¡°My mother hated this ship as much as grand papa loved her,¡± Alain said. ¡°Mother refused to repair the Hawk and sold off much of her systems.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t she just sell the ship?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Grand papa had made her promise not to,¡± Alain answered. ¡°I was made to promise not to sell the Hawk to the scrapyards and only to someone that would use her or put her in a museum.¡± ¡°Was that some sort of condition in your grandfather¡¯s will?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Indeed,¡± Alain answered with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s the only way the family retains control of our company.¡± ¡°May we examine the Lady Hawk?¡± the Chief asked. ¡°Please do. I will sit over here and do some paperwork,¡± Alain replied. ¡°Thank you,¡± Mac said. The other man nodded and left them to it. Mac and the Chief started with walking around the ship. * Unlike the other caravels Mac had seen, the Merlin class was short and compact in comparison. The Lady Hawk was 20 meters long and 8 meters wide, which was wider than the others while being shorter in length. The ship¡¯s birdlike shape makes it look stocky, and McKnight really went all out with the bird motif, Mac mused. There are winglike details on the sides and tailfeather like coverings over the thrusters while the landing gear looks like talons. I like the two large ¡®eye¡¯ ports on the bridge though. I¡¯m not so sure about the beak like taper and shape of the nose though. ¡°Mr Edwards, may I have your comm address?¡± Alain suddenly asked. ¡°I want to send you the Hawk¡¯s specs and floor plan though I¡¯m afraid performance won¡¯t matter since Mother had the reactor and engines removed.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mac said. He sent out a ping. A moment later, he received the specifications and floor plan. ¡°Wait a moment. You said your mother sold off the ship¡¯s reactor and engines?¡± the Chief asked. ¡°Oui,¡± Alain answered. ¡°That is why I¡¯m only asking 35 million credits for the Hawk. Well, that and all the other missing modules and equipment.¡± Crap! Mac thought. ¡°Can I borrow a light and take a look inside?¡± ¡°Or course,¡± Alain said. He fetched two flashlights and handed one to Mac and the other to the Chief. Alain returned to doing his paperwork while Mac and the Chief walked up the Hawk¡¯s ramp. * The small cargo hold was empty without even any trash being on the deck. Sadly, even part of the plating on the bulkheads had been stripped out. The same held true for the engineering and living quarters modules. ¡°I had thought the wings were just decorative designs,¡± Mac said aloud as he examined a large mechanical arm and hinge in the engineering space. ¡°No, they were functional on Merlins,¡± the Chief replied as she examined the matching mechanism on the other side. ¡°I had assumed they retracted instead of folded though.¡± ¡°Suggestions Chief?¡± Mac asked a few minutes later as they stood on the empty bridge. ¡°Buy a Yellowjacket or the Harpy. The Nina class caravel needs a lot less work than this one does,¡± she said. ¡°But on the other hand, the Lady Hawk being stripped to the frame makes her easier to refurbish.¡± ¡°And the frame looks solid to me,¡± Mac pointed out. The bird design is different, but I like it, especially the color which is patterned after what real merlins looked like. And according to the specifications the wings would flare on ground landings. ¡°It is,¡± the Chief confirmed. Mac nodded. ¡°You want this ship.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mac answered. And that¡¯s true. She¡¯s different and I like that. ¡°Then talk Durand down on price.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any objections?¡± ¡°No,¡± the Chief answered. ¡°And even if I did, you are going to do what you want.¡± ¡°True,¡± Mac laughed. They walked out of the ship and gave Alain back his flashlights. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Alain asked. ¡°She needs everything,¡± Mac answered. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly pay 35 million credits for just a hull.¡± The Frenchman smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll go as low as 32 million.¡± ¡°Still too much,¡± Mac replied. ¡°I couldn¡¯t go over 30¡­¡± ¡°25 million and not a credit more,¡± the Chief said, cutting Mac off. ¡°That is too low Chief,¡± Alain said with a frown. ¡°Look on the bright side,¡± Mac quickly said. ¡°If you sell her to me now, the Hawk is no longer hanging over your family¡¯s heads.¡± ¡°True,¡± Alain sighed. ¡°But I can¡¯t accept less than 27.5 million, which is what the scrapyards are offering.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± the Chief said. ¡°Deal!¡± Mac quickly added. * ¡°Did you really buy the Lady Hawk because she is different?¡± the Chief asked after they had started heading back to the academy. ¡°Partially,¡± Mac answered. His ship would be delivered to the academy in two sols by Alain¡¯s company. That had cost Mac another half million credits, but he felt it was worth the cost since it saved him time and the headache of having to arrange transport himself. ¡°What¡¯s the rest of your reasoning then?¡± ¡°Remember what you said about Takeda Industries buying out McKnight?¡± Mac asked. The Chief nodded. ¡°I investigated it and discovered Takeda still makes modules for the Merlin class. It was part of their deal with McKnight when they bought it.¡± ¡°Smart,¡± Chief Alexandra said. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to get modules specifically designed for your Merlin though I expect they¡¯ll be costly.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mac replied. ¡°I expect you¡¯re right about the cost.¡± 17 Alright, let¡¯s see if I can get a general idea of how much this is going to cost me, Mac thought as the Chief flew them back to the academy. Hmmm. I also want to see how the modern modules compare to what the Lady Hawk was built with because some things like living quarters really haven¡¯t changed much other than aesthetically. Mac pulled up the original Merlin specs. The Merlin class crew quarters or habitat module included a captain¡¯s cabin, lounge, small galley, and two heads, well one full head and a half head. The full head came with a bathtub instead of shower and was built into the captain¡¯s cabin. The half head was located between the galley and lounge. The module could be configured for two smaller cabins that would share what the captain cabin¡¯s head upon request. I won¡¯t have to worry about that. I plan on my crew only being a couple of repair bots, if that. He pulled up the Merlin¡¯s original hab module. It was manufactured by Highpoint Manufacturing, which was still in business. That¡¯s neat. Highpoint Manufacturing is a small family-owned corporation that claims their founder was one of the descendants of one of the last furniture manufacturers from someplace called Highpoint, North Carolina. And that¡¯s where a lot of high-end furniture was made a few centuries ago. The Merlin¡¯s hab module was named New River instead of just assigned a product code. That¡¯s a silly name, but whatever. Mac¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. An original New River hab in decent shape is worth 25 million credits now to some collectors, and if someone has one that is in near perfect shape, they can get upwards of a 100 million credits for it! That¡¯s nuts but the pictures and video sure make the module look nice. I¡¯m feeling the appeal now. It¡¯s very homelike. I can get a recreation from Highpoint for eight million credits that uses synthetic wood for the furniture. They¡¯ll even fly out and measure my ship to ensure the hab is perfectly fit. Heck, Highpoint even claims they¡¯ll build a recreation that uses real wood that starts at 16 million credits. That¡¯s too rich for my blood. Mckenzie did some more looking. Stella Industrial Habs makes a generic Caravel Hab for 2.5 million credits. While much cheaper, the reviews say you get what you pay for, and most caravel owners say the habs don¡¯t fit well with them having to deal with periodic air leaks. I¡¯d rather spend the eight million credits and get a hab module that fits correctly. He added the New River recreation to his list. So far, the Lady Hawk would cost him 36 million credits. Not too bad for what I¡¯ll get. Let¡¯s check on engines and thrusters next. Then I¡¯ll look at reactors. The Merlin had engines and thrusters made by Advanced Thruster Research when the model was launched. The integrated ATR 3510 system was powerful for its sol but pales in comparison to what¡¯s available now. So, getting the old system is not going to happen. ATR also went out of business when McKnight was bought out. Crossley Power Systems bought ATR¡¯s intellectual property a few years later. Crossley¡¯s ATR 5525 is an upgraded version of the old 3510 system and is aimed at cutter class ships as well as older caravels that are still in use. The Crossley is a possibility even at 12.5 million, Mac thought. He drank some water. ¡°Chief, what do you think about Crossley¡¯s ATR 5525 system?¡± ¡°Crossley is good. Their systems are faster, more powerful, and just an all-around better build than anything you can get for an Iwatani ship, but¡­¡± ¡°You have something to say that you¡¯re unsure of?¡± Mac asked. She nodded. ¡°I¡¯d really appreciate the advice. All I¡¯m used to is old Redrock and Martian Engineering stuff.¡± ¡°Look into Weslake Engineering¡¯s Vesper Mark 1. It¡¯s an integrated system like the ATR 5525, but so is everything else available these sols, and should fit your merlin nicely,¡± Chief Alexandra advised. ¡°But it¡¯ll cost you 15 million credits though I think the higher quality and better performance will more than make up the cost difference.¡± ¡°Thanks Chief,¡± Mac said. She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what I come up with when I finish complying my list.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I¡¯ll be glad to take a look and offer my opinion,¡± the Chief said. ¡°Thanks,¡± Mac replied. He turned his attention to comparing the two solutions. She¡¯s right once again. The Vesper is just superior to the ATR while being slightly more expensive. Price and performance wise, the Vesper beats the rest of the few options that¡¯ll fit a merlin and will beat 75% of what will fit modern level 1 sloops and cutters. Heck, with some tuning, I might even be able to hold off upgrading the Vesper until the Hawk hits some higher levels unlike most of my classmates. Mac smiled. The Chief really did me a solid with that advice. I should ask if she likes sweets or something and get her a thank you gift. ¡°Chief?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I think, no, I feel I owe you a thank you gift for that bit of advice,¡± Mac said. ¡°With care and tuning, the Vesper should last me quite a while.¡± ¡°Yes, it should,¡± she agreed. ¡°But no, you don¡¯t owe me anything. Advice is why I went with you on this trip.¡± ¡°Still¡­ what¡¯s your favorite cake, pie, or cookie?¡± ¡°Semi sweet oatmeal cookies,¡± the Chief answered. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some in the next couple of sols,¡± Mac promised. 18 Merlin class caravels came with a Hyperian Chemical Technology small ship D-T fusion reactor, Mac read. That¡¯s not bad, but tritium is dangerous. The newest modern ships come with Helium-3 based reactors. They¡¯re a lot safer, provide more power, are more efficient, and quite a bit more expensive though. Still, I think I¡¯d rather have one of those than an older and/or cheaper D-T reactor. Mac pulled up information on modern reactor manufacturers. Hyperian Chemical Technology is still in business and the number two reactor manufacturer, but they don¡¯t make anything for caravels anymore. That means I can scratch them off my list. Seems Applied Reactor Technologies out of the Groombridge 34 system is the current market leader. ART¡¯s GX And reactor line is considered the standard in low level small ship reactors. They¡¯re not too badly priced either at ten million credits but it seems most people replace them by the time their ship hits level 4 for something more powerful. Mac rubbed his jaw. I think I need something better, especially if I can find something that will last me till the Hawk hits level 10 or so. I should change my ship¡¯s name too. Lady Hawk is nice enough, but I think I should name her something that appeals to me more. He shook off that thought and turned his attention back to reactors. Union Power Systems on Dione in the home system makes a powerful small ship H-3 reactor too. But it¡¯s four times the cost of the GX though and people say they only last up to level 6 or so depending on shield and weapon modules. Two levels are not worth twice the cost to me. If I¡¯m going to spend that much, I might as well get one of ART¡¯s GQ And reactors instead. Why am I just looking at new reactors and modules? Mac looked up prices for used stuff. After a few minutes, he sighed in frustration. ¡°Problems?¡± the Chief asked. ¡°Yeah. People want two thirds the price of new modules and equipment for used ones,¡± Mac answered. ¡°I might as well buy new and save myself some future issues and repairs.¡± ¡°True, but you did just buy a very used and stripped out old caravel.¡± ¡°Yeah, but the hull didn¡¯t cost as much and I can do a lot of the repair work myself, which saves money. Besides, the merlin gives me a much better habitat module than what new sloops come equipped with which saves me money and future upgrades,¡± Mac pointed out. ¡°Plus, I can get superior engines, thrusters, and a reactor for around 50 or 60 million credits. That¡¯s about two thirds the cost of a Yellowjacket when I add in the hab module cost and leaves me plenty of credit for weapons and shields.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten something,¡± the Chief replied. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Bridge systems and sensors,¡± Chief Alexandra answered. ¡°On the Lady Hawk, you¡¯ll have to install new consoles, fiber optics, displays, and such since you can¡¯t just drop a new bridge module into the hull because of the odd bridge shape.¡± ¡°Crap! I had forgotten about all that,¡± Mac said. She smiled and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯ll be more expensive, but at least I¡¯ll have a ship that¡¯s truly mine.¡± ¡°True,¡± the Chief agreed. ¡°Have you decided on a reactor then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking I¡¯ll go all out with the Applied Reactor Technologies GQ And H-3 reactor,¡± Mac answered. ¡°Excellent choice, but expensive. The GQ And H-3 reactor would have been my suggestion since it should outlast the Vesper and whatever you replace that with as well as most of the other modules aboard your ship.¡± ¡°Thanks. Hearing that, makes me glad I looked into ART.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re willing to have more upfront debt for long term gain?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mac answered. ¡°And I know that¡¯s not what most of the others are doing.¡± ¡°True. Few students take the long view on such things,¡± the Chief said. ¡°Most of your classmates are following the example of their predecessors and signing up to work with their wealthy classmates or for their families.¡± ¡°Most people are taught to look for short term gain. Most of our parents and their parents, going back generations were too,¡± Mac pointed out. ¡°Yes,¡± The Chief agreed. She fell silent and he returned to his research. * Mckenzie looked up consoles while it was on his mind. He started by looking up the Epsilon Quanputer Tager 3s that Captain Morgan had on her ship. The Tager 3s are considered best in class for older ships and don¡¯t cost too much, all things considered. I can get a set of three for six million credits and that includes the fiber optic cables. For another million credits, EQ will install them on my ship. I can save that money and do the work myself. But let¡¯s see what else is out there. Dai-Zhou Electronics had a line of small ship consoles that would work with older ships called Chuanbo kongzhi that was considered average. A set of three sold for three million credits. That is cheap and right up my alley. That price included fiber optic cables and installation. Sadly, Dai-Zhou¡¯s techs are booked a year out and even their production is six months out. They¡¯re popular because they¡¯re cheap. Pass. Mac kept looking. Teegarden Computers Inc makes another average console that¡¯ll work with my merlin. The Aries Class 1 Console sells for 1.5 million each and is considered above average. That price doesn¡¯t include fiber optic cables and TCI doesn¡¯t offer installation. Maybe. Pegasi Sensors and Electronics have an above average console simply called M4Ve that sells for two million credits each. They¡¯re not marketed at older ships and here¡¯s an even bigger downside, the M4Ve is wireless. That means they¡¯re below average speed and security wise despite the excellent build quality and components. They¡¯re another pass. Marconi Ship Components owns a small company called Cetus Electronics out of the YQ Ceti system. The CE UV Draconis line of consoles work with caravels and has some nice hardware which works natively with Marconi¡¯s sensors. Let¡¯s take a quick peek at Marconi¡¯s sensors. The company only offered one line of small ship sensor suites, the Alarum 9.5. The Alarum 9.5 sensor suite is best in class for small ships with the highest resolution and range. I can get an Alarum 9.5 sensor suite and set of three UV Draconis consoles package for 30 million credits. That doesn¡¯t include installation, but it does include cables and hardware for the sensors. And for another five million Marconi will add a ship AI core. Ha! Marconi isn¡¯t giving a deal on that since five million credits is the standard price all governments and corporations hold cores at since cores are integral to the level system. Still, that¡¯s a very tempting package, Mac thought. I wouldn¡¯t have to upgrade either sensors or consoles for a long time, but good heavens, it is costly. Marconi is a maybe. Mac did some more research and found no other sensors came close to the Marconi line. Omega Eye, their nearest competitor, was widely regarded as being a generation behind Marconi according to forums and reviews while being nearly as expensive. Yeah, no thanks, Mac thought. And I¡¯m only going to live once. He added the Marconi package to his list. Now for shields and weapons. 19 Seems most shield emitters and weapons are made by the same companies. I suppose that¡¯s good news, Mac thought. Wow! There are a lot of them. I need to change my search parameters and focus on those that still make stuff for caravels. Mckenzie changed the search parameters. The results were a lot less, especially when it came to weapons. That¡¯s better in a way but I wonder if I could change the mounts to hold more types of weapons. ¡°Chief, can the weapons mounts be changed so different sorts of weapons can be used?¡± ¡°You could, but I don¡¯t recommend it. Ships are designed with certain types of weapons in mind and it¡¯s best not to mess with that too much unless you want issues to crop up at the worst time. And remember, your Lady Hawk was designed for exploration first and foremost. Even though the merlin can fight, it¡¯s not a meant to be a fighting ship. If you wanted a fighting ship, you should have bought a cutter or a sloop.¡± ¡°True,¡± Mac admitted. ¡°I hadn¡¯t forgotten but I¡¯m sure pirates and others have altered the mounts and made them work in the past though.¡± ¡°Probably, but do you really want to risk it?¡± the Chief asked. ¡°You¡¯ll not only weaken the mounts, but the hull armor. Besides, I didn¡¯t think you wanted to be a privateer or fighter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯m just trying to make sure I stay alive.¡± ¡°Your reactor and engine choices will see to that as well the Hawk¡¯s maneuverability. That reminds me. There are some Vesper Mark 1a maneuvering thrusters available. If you didn¡¯t earlier, add them to your list. They¡¯ll add 10 million credits to your cost, but you need them,¡± Chief Alexandra told him. ¡°One more thing, focus on shields. Caravels generally had or at least access to better shields than comparable ships due to the uncertainty of exploration.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mac replied as he added the maneuvering thrusters to his list. He went back to his research. * Takeda Industries makes shield modules, and they even have a version of one of their best small ship shield modules specifically made for merlins. The Bulwark 5.5M is the merlin version of the Bulwark 5.5 and only costs four million credits. And testing shows that with a powerful enough reactor, the shield module should last up to level 6. That¡¯s not bad at all, especially considering the price. The Hellenic Mobile Defense Corporation¡¯s Fortress 9X shield module will also fit a merlin in addition to anything smaller than a frigate. It¡¯s also the best multi class ship shield module on the market. For 300 million credits it better be. That¡¯s more than some ships! I can¡¯t afford that now but maybe one sol. Pluto Armament¡¯s Cerebos 2.5X isn¡¯t bad but a little too expensive for what it offers at 7.5 million. People say the electromagnetic pulse shielding is really lacking. So, that one is a no. Franchi Arms¡¯ Parapet 2500 is better than the Cerebos when it comes to EM shielding, but the actual ballistic, laser, and missile shielding is less. That¡¯s so not worth the eight million credit asking price. What¡¯s this? Mac thought as he read. Takeda produces the Aegis Mark 7s as well, which is an update of McKnight¡¯s venerable Aegis Mark 2t. The Aegis is designed for all small ships including caravels. It features best in class EM shielding combined with second best in class physical shielding for ten million credits. It¡¯s guaranteed to last until level 8 as well. That¡¯s beyond tempting. Let¡¯s see, Mac thought as he pulled up his list. He added up the costs. That¡¯s over 130 million credits and I haven¡¯t even looked at weapons yet. Maybe I¡¯m not as smart as I thought. Mac groaned, causing the Chief to look over. He shook his head. She shrugged and turned her attention back to what she was doing. Mckenzie dug into the Merlin class weapon specs. The ships could not equip gauss cannons or railguns. That¡¯s not good since those are the two hardest hitters for small ships. The ships are also restricted to either one large missile bank or two small ones. That¡¯ll restrict its offensive firepower even more. Mac rubbed his face and drank some more water. He went back to his research. On the plus side, the Lady Hawk can handle particle beam cannons. That¡¯s if I want to pay for them, Mac thought. Particle beams are more powerful than lasers, which is all the Yellowjackets get. They¡¯re also more accurate than railguns and gauss cannons. In for a penny, in for a pound as the old saying goes, Mac mused. Who makes the best particle beam cannons? Looks like Nammo Gruppen Arms Corporation and Matsumoto Heavy Industries are the top two particle beam cannon manufacturers. Thankfully, both make cannons that fit caravel class ships still. NGA¡¯s NBO-100 Neutron cannon is five million credits each while MHI¡¯s PBO-125 particle beam cannon is also five million. Both have identical damage ratings as well as reliability ratings. Huh, Mac mused, not sure of which to add to his list. He kept reading. Aha! NGA also makes an auto turret version called the NBO-101T for six million credits each. Those turrets are AI controlled, and the company will give a 20% discount for buying four or more cannons and or turrets. So, I¡¯d almost be getting one of the cannons for free. MHI hasn¡¯t made auto turrets for caravels in 30 years. Well, that helps make this decision easier. So, I could get two of the NBO-100s and mount them in the bottom or missile mounts. Then, I can add two NBO-101Ts to the top mounts so they can cover everything except directly below the ship and my AI can hit anything that gets behind me. It¡¯ll mean getting closer than I would want and doing knife or dog fighting, but the particle beams should make quick work of shields and armor. Too bad caravels are too small for point defense lasers. They would be nice to have. Still, with the Hawk¡¯s speed and maneuverability, I should be alright if I get into any fights. I hope. Mac nodded to himself and added the particle beam cannons and turrets to his list. Ship Type: Merlin class caravel- 28 million credits w/ shipping Hab Module: Highpoint New River- 8 million credits Engine/Thruster Module: Weslake Engineering Vesper Mark 1 w/ mark 1a maneuvering thrusters- 26 million credits Reactor: Applied Reactor Technologies GQ And H-3 reactor- 50 million credits Shield Module: Takeda Industries Aegis Mark 7s- 10 million credits Sensor Suite: Marconi Ship Componets Alarum 9.5 sensor suite- Packaged with Draconis consoles and Core- 36 million credits Consoles/AI Core: Cetus Electronics UV Draconis Small Ship Console- Packaged with Marconi Alarum sensor suite Weapons: Two Nammo Gruppen Arms Corporation NBO-100 Neutron Cannon- 10 million credits less 20%(8 million) Two Nammo Gruppen Arms Corporation NBO-101 Neutron Auto Turrets- 12 million credits less 20%(9.6 million) Total Cost: 175600000 credits That¡¯s a lot of money, especially with the reactor being 50 million instead of 40, Mac thought. He felt nauseous. ¡°Chief, here¡¯s my list complete with prices.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± the droid replied. A few seconds later, she asked, ¡°That¡¯s over 175 million credits. Are you sure about this?¡± Mac took a deep breath and steeled himself. ¡°I¡¯m sure Chief.¡± ¡°In that case, I approve of your choices. I¡¯m sending the list to Saagar with my approval. He¡¯ll approve it and send it to Victoria. She¡¯s the AI that oversees financial services. She¡¯ll place your orders unless Saagar finds a reason to disapprove.¡± ¡°Has that happened before?¡± ¡°Rarely,¡± the Chief answered. ¡°But he¡¯s approved your list and Victoria has as well. She is placing your orders now.¡± ¡°And just like that I¡¯m in a crap ton of debt with a lot of work to be done.¡± That happened so fast too! ¡°True. I¡¯ve added a little something to your list, but they only cost you 400000 more credits.¡± ¡°Did I miss something?¡± ¡°Yes. Repair bots. In a battle, you won¡¯t be able to repair your ship alone. I ordered you three used OmniTech Dodecahedron class bots.¡± ¡°You ordered me three Decs?¡± Mac asked. She nodded. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve fixed quite a few of those over the years. And while they¡¯re not as fancy or good as newer or more humanoid bots, fixing them will be easy for me to do and I know they¡¯ll do their jobs well.¡± 20 Did someone use these bots as target practice or something? Mac wondered as he eyed the dodecahedron shaped repair bots the Chief had acquired for him the next morning. The different plates that composed the 65cm 12 sided robots¡¯ outer covering were dented and pitted to various degrees. One of them even had holes through a few of its plates. That¡¯s not good. Mckenzie checked the holed one¡¯s internal circuitry and parts. It wasn¡¯t good and he even found a few bullet fragments rattling around inside the bot. Now I know how the Chief got them so cheaply. It¡¯ll cost a couple hundred grand to print new parts for this one alone even with my so-called student discount. I wonder how much a new set of Decs would cost. Mac asked himself. He pulled up OmniTech¡¯s site and checked prices. Four million for a single bot? A set is discounted to 11 million! No thanks. But now I wonder how much a humanoid bot is. Prices started at 10 million. Mac pulled up Michelangelo Robotics¡¯ site to compare since the company was the current leading robotics manufacturer. A base model David class repair bot was 15 million and they could only do basic repairs. And prices shot up from there to base model droid levels. Just no. These three shot up Decs can do more than that once they¡¯re fixed. He shook his head and dismissed the site. Still, if I hadn¡¯t spent so much on my merlin, I¡¯d be tempted. Mac got a bottle of water and drank some while he pondered his options. My best bet would be to pull parts from all three and rebuild one or two of them if possible. Then, I can print the rest of what I need. Too bad there¡¯s not a smelter around. If there were, I¡¯d just melt down the damaged parts and recast them. Mac got to work. * ¡°How¡¯s things going?¡± Chief Alexandra asked him three hours later. ¡°Alright. As you can see, I¡¯ve pulled the Decs apart and am cobbling one working one from all three. If there¡¯s enough parts, I¡¯ll cobble together a second one from the existing parts,¡± Mac answered. ¡°I¡¯ll then print what I need for whatever is left.¡± ¡°Solid plan.¡± ¡°Thanks. What I really need is a smelter. That would let me save even more credits.¡± ¡°We have one,¡± the Chief replied. She sent him the location. ¡°Let me know if you need anything else.¡± ¡°I will. Thanks Chief!¡± * Mac closed the access panel on the Dec. He had worked through most of the sol and night on the three bots. Mac stepped back and popped his neck, one side at the time. That felt great. Alright. Let¡¯s see what happens. He grinned as he sent the startup command through his implant. That¡¯s fun! Sending mental commands through the implant is so much better than using a tablet. The three bots beeped. His implant showed the startup sequence and code. He scanned it. Everything looked fine. Mac¡¯s grin became a smile as the three bots lifted into the air on their repulsors. Different panels opened on each bot and tools extended as the startup tests continued. ¡°Not bad, Edwards,¡± Chris Tabers, one of the other students that had stayed at TCA over their two-week break said. ¡°I guess the rumor that you have a way with bots was correct.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mac replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the rumors are, but I do my best with what I have.¡± Music started coming from the Decs. They then started tilting back and forth, and spinning around, almost like they were trying to dance. Faint robotic sounding lyrics played. ¡°Is that¡­¡± Mac muttered upon recognizing the song. ¡°It is!¡± Chris laughed as Mac¡¯s mouth opened in surprise. ¡°They¡¯re doing the ¡®I¡¯m a little teapot¡¯ song and dance.¡± Chris doubled over in laughter as Mckenzie started checking the Decs¡¯ logic and programming. ¡°It¡¯s not that funny.¡± ¡°Oh yes, it is!¡± Chris exclaimed. He started crying from laughing so hard as the repair bots moved on to more nursery rhymes. ¡°Somebody had replaced their programming with this¡­ mess,¡± Mac said, gesturing to the bots. He sent the shutdown command. ¡°You hadn¡¯t checked their programming?¡± Chris asked after getting his laughter under control. ¡°No,¡± Mac answered, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never had issues with used equipment I¡¯ve fixed before.¡± ¡°Was that stuff you fixed for you or others?¡± ¡°Others mostly, though some of it was for my parents¡¯ farm,¡± Mac replied as he pulled the logic core from one of the Decs. ¡°That¡¯s a rookie mistake, Edwards,¡± Chris said. ¡°Never pay in full upfront and always verify programming.¡± Mac threw the core down in anger after examining it. The quartz crystal shattered into pieces. ¡°Why did you do that for?¡± Chris asked as Mac checked the others. ¡°Because the programming wasn¡¯t replaced. That¡¯s not an original OmniTech Dec logic core either. It¡¯s a worthless KidCo nanny bot core just like these two!¡± ¡°Edwards, you got scammed,¡± Chris said, barely holding in his laughter. He started walking away and called over his shoulder, ¡°Good luck with getting new cores for those old bots.¡± ¡°Time to tell the Chief what happened,¡± Mac muttered to himself as he cleaned up the shards. Then I need to see about replacing this crap with real repair bot cores. 21-25 ¡°Are you sure you want to order the three OmniTech logic cores? Saagar asked Mckenzie. ¡°The cores will add an additional three million to your debt.¡± ¡°His repair bots are just giant paperweights without the cores,¡± the Chief interjected. ¡°Too bad I can¡¯t buy empty cores and program them myself,¡± Mac muttered. And what¡¯s a paperweight? His implant¡¯s assistant treated that thought as a query and supplied an answer. Oh, that¡¯s what a paperweight is. ¡°You can,¡± the Chief replied, pulling Mac¡¯s attention back to the topic at hand. ¡°It would also save you at least a third of the credits, depending on logic core prices. OmniTech rarely offers discounts or does sales.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that good with programming,¡± Mac said. ¡°Pity,¡± Saagar replied. ¡°I¡¯ll have Victoria order the full cores from OmniTech for you.¡± Wait a minute. I do have a researcher¡¯s implant with access to a lot of academic databases. Surely someone put some repair bot code out there at some point in time, Mac thought. ¡°Hang on Saagar. Let me check a few databases and see if I can find some public domain code.¡± ¡°Ah. You are thinking of using your implant¡¯s access,¡± the adviser AI concluded. ¡°Good thinking.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mac replied as he sent a query through several academic databases. ¡°Geez, there¡¯s a ton of updated, personalized, and modified code for Decs out there.¡± ¡°Share that with us,¡± the Chief said. ¡°You two don¡¯t have access to all the academic databases?¡± Mac asked. ¡°We do, but don¡¯t know which ones you¡¯re in,¡± Saagar answered. ¡°Oh. Yeah, that makes sense,¡± Mac replied, sending the AI and droid his query and results. He started browsing the modules that caught his eye. ¡°Your Net access is much better than I thought it would be,¡± Saagar commented. ¡°I may have to start recommending this 4dFX Scholar implant to future students over the standard TC model.¡± ¡°I doubt Titan Custer would approve of that,¡± Mac pointed out while still checking out logic modules. The thought of the corporation¡¯s AI denying them profit still made him smile. ¡°Probably not,¡± the Chief agreed. ¡°True,¡± Saagar replied. ¡°Still, perhaps the higher ups would be agreeable to a deal to rebrand the implant and sell it for a higher profit to students¡­ but that¡¯s getting off track.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the Chief replied. ¡°Mckenzie, I¡¯ve highlighted three logic modules I think would do what you want and then some.¡± Mac checked out what she sent him. ¡°I like this one by the former OmniTech programmer turned professor. The notes say he submitted this to the company, but they turned it down. I wonder why.¡± ¡°Because OmniTech did not want to pay the professor royalties,¡± Saagar answered. ¡°And they most likely reverse engineered his code and made just enough changes to make it their own legally,¡± Chief Alexandra added. And it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any higher powers to appeal to over the executives except for in a few systems that have stuck with the older nation state system, Mac thought. Oh, that¡¯s nice. This code will work on any core, not just LogicTech branded logic cores. Ha! The notes even state the professor made the code change so the module would work on any logic core after the corporation turned down his submission. ¡°Chief, can you recommend a generic logic core that will work with Decs?¡± Mac asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never had to replace logic cores before unless it was with another OmniTech core.¡± ¡°MMI Technology makes a good logic core that is used by many robotic and droid manufacturers, including OmniTech,¡± she answered. She sent him a link. ¡°This model is only a half million credits and works well with Decs. If I gambled, I would bet this core is the same one OmniTech sells except its missing the corporate code and branding.¡± ¡°Saagar, can you¡­¡± ¡°Done,¡± the AI replied, cutting Mac off. ¡°Victoria states the logic cores will arrive sometime solmorrow or the sol after.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that your merlin is due to arrive solmorrow as well,¡± Chief Alexandra reminded Mckenzie. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. I¡¯m too excited to forget,¡± Mac replied. ¡°But thanks for the reminder. I¡¯m going to go get something to eat and then some sleep.¡± ¡°Go and lock up your Decs before you do,¡± the Chief instructed. ¡°Some students are fond of pulling not so funny pranks that set others back.¡± ¡°Right. Thanks again,¡± Mac replied. Somehow, I¡¯m not surprised. He did as she suggested and locked the three repair bots in the storage compartment he had been issued before heading back to the dorms. * The cores arrived while Mac was exercising early the next morning. That was fast. I should take a few minutes and examine them. Then, I can start downloading the logic module to them. Then, do some target practice. Mac nodded to himself and finished up his exercise routine. After a quick sonic shower, he headed toward the repair facility. * I¡¯m not surprised the Chief is here. Seems she oversees more than just ship services, unless TC considers all repairs and bots part of ship services. Perhaps I should find out. Mckenzie shook off those thoughts and picked up his cores. He examined them for physical flaws and ran a couple of quick tests to test the circuits. Green across the board. Mac installed the cores in his Decs and then plugged in data cables to each bot. Despite all the technical advances humanity has made over the centuries, fiber optic cables are still the superior way to transmit large amounts of data unless you have military grade laser comms, Mac thought with a grin. Now for the fun part. Sending my credentials to the database over the academy¡¯s connection. Approved and my download has started. Mac watched the downloads for a couple of minutes. This won¡¯t take long at all thanks to TCA¡¯s fat data pipe. That reminds me that I¡¯ll most likely have to upgrade the antennas on the Lady Hawk. Even if I don¡¯t have to, I¡¯ll most likely want to, unless the sensor package comes with a good communication antenna. My implant¡¯s connection isn¡¯t bad, but it¡¯s not as good as a ship¡¯s. He did a quick check. Thank you, Marconi! That saves me from having to spend more credits. ¡°Mckenzie, the Durand¡¯s Shipping tug has arrived and is bringing your caravel down now,¡± Saagar announced. ¡°If you¡¯d like to watch their approach, the tug is coming down on the south side of the repair facility. Your ship will then be moved into one of the repair hangers.¡± ¡°Thanks Saagar. I¡¯d like to watch,¡± Mac replied. He left the download going and headed out to watch his merlin arrive. 22 Maybe Europa will be like Mars eventually and have a fully breathable atmosphere, Mac mused as he secured his rebreather mask. TC claims they¡¯re still working on terraforming the moon and Europa will be a fully livable world eventually. It might even be true. He zipped up his coat and put on his gloves. Europa was a cold moon. And while the Europa¡¯s surface was survivable when properly equipped, the cold was still far below what most of humanity favored and the air itself still had more than a trace of ammonia in it. Which is why people wear rebreathers when on the surface. Mckenzie then pulled up his hood and keyed the airlock open. He felt the pressure in the airlock start to change. I¡¯m sure people will be happy about not having to use airlocks and live in domes one sol, but until then, they¡¯ll happily live in their domes. I know I won¡¯t miss this place when I graduate, Mac thought as he waited for the pressure to equalize. He grinned. And I get the irony of living in domes when I want to live in a can that travels through space. Mac stepped through the outer door when it opened. He stopped. I hate walking out here. This lighter gravity makes me feel like I¡¯m floating even if I¡¯ve never seen, read about, or heard of anyone just floating away from the surface. But you sure can jump far if you want to. Mckenzie blinked and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim bluish white light that was the result of the partial terraforming that had been done to Europa. He walked some distance from the airlock, looked up, and glanced around. Ah! There¡¯s the tug. Mac heard steps and looked to his left. Chris Tabors and Deigo Alberto joined him. Mac nodded to them, and they returned the gesture. Unlike Chris and Mckenzie, Deigo had grown up on a small freight hauling schooner, though his family was still poor. Deigo¡¯s and his parents¡¯ hope had been that he attending TCA would allow them to acquire another relatively cheap ship for their independent company. ¡°What brings you guys out here?¡± Mac asked the pair. ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, you two dislike Europa¡¯s surface even more than I do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we grew up on stations or on ships like civilized people, instead of down in the dirt like you red dirt loving Martian barbarians,¡± Deigo quipped. Chris and Mac laughed. ¡°Saagar told us that the incoming tug was bringing something we should see,¡± Chris said, answering Mckenzie¡¯s question. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re out here?¡± ¡°Sort of,¡± Mac replied. ¡°That tug is bringing my ship down.¡± ¡°Your ship?¡± Chris asked. Mac nodded. ¡°You bought a used ship instead of agreeing to take one of the Yellowjackets?¡± Deigo asked. ¡°Why in the deep dark would you do that?¡± ¡°Because the Lady Hawk will be a better ship once completely refurbished than the Yellowjackets are,¡± Mckenzie answered. His two companions shared a look. ¡°I¡¯m not wild about her name either and haven¡¯t thought of anything else to name her yet.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Deigo replied. ¡°What class of ship is this Lady Hawk?¡± ¡°A caravel,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Really?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Sloops replaced the caravel class years ago.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not interested in privateering or working as a scout or hauler,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Then, what are you interested in doing?¡± Deigo asked. As the tug came closer to the surface, Mac spotted the birdlike shape of his merlin attached to the tug¡¯s rear. He felt a flutter of excitement hit him and smiled behind his mask. ¡°Maybe exploring, which caravels were built for.¡± ¡°You¡¯re nuts,¡± Chris replied. ¡°Still, there¡¯s money in it if you¡¯re lucky enough. I¡¯m going the privateer route myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to haul freight for my family,¡± Deigo said. ¡°Maybe, I¡¯ll hire you two as escorts from time to time.¡± ¡°Only if you pay top credit so I can afford my future harem,¡± Chris joked. Mac and Deigo laughed. Chris looked back up. ¡°Is that¡­¡± ¡°Si,¡± Deigo replied. ¡°Mckenzie¡¯s ship is bird shaped.¡± ¡°You bought a merlin instead of a Nina or Zheng He?¡± Chris asked. ¡°And this ship is named Lady Hawk?¡± Deigo added. ¡°Yes,¡± Mac answered. The other two young men started laughing. ¡°The original owner thought the name was ironic or at least humorous given the historical context of the term merlin. And at least the ship class wasn¡¯t named after the mythical wizard.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Oh, my stars!¡± Chris said, laughing even harder. ¡°That¡¯s not something I had even thought about.¡± ¡°Sorry Mckenzie, but it¡¯s too funny,¡± Deigo said, fighting his laughter. ¡°For an emblem, you need to paint a bird wearing a wizard¡¯s hat on the side of your ship.¡± ¡°Yuck it up, you two,¡± Mac said. ¡°We¡¯ll see who¡¯s laughing when I¡¯m done overhauling her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Deigo said, clapping Mac on the back. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough and am going back inside.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Chris said, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Best of luck with your bird Mckenzie.¡± The two walked back toward the repair facility, leaving Mac alone. He shook his head. They¡¯ll see how wrong they are when I get done with her. 23 What the heck? Mac thought as he watched the tug and Lady Hawk land. That support between the bridge ports wasn¡¯t broken like that and the ports hadn¡¯t been busted out either! He started walking towards the ships. Mac heard the lock open behind him as the tug¡¯s clamps disengaged from the merlin and retracted into the tug. The tug then moved away from the caravel and landed on a closer pad. ¡°Mckenzie, stop,¡± Chief Alexandra said. ¡°Do not approach the Lady Hawk. With the ports busted out like that, the ship will be filled with radiation.¡± ¡°But the damage¡­¡± ¡°I know. It wasn¡¯t there when we examined the ship,¡± the Chief replied. ¡°Alain Durand will need to adjust the price accordingly.¡± Guess it¡¯s a good thing we didn¡¯t pay in full ahead of time, Mac thought. ¡°Alright.¡± A short, masked heavy worlder walked down the tug¡¯s now open ramp. The man glanced at the Chief and then Mac. He then approached them. ¡°You, Mckenzie Edwards?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mac answered. ¡°I¡¯m Ryan Purdy,¡± the man said. ¡°And I¡¯m a tug captain for Durand¡¯s Shipping. I need you to sign for this junker and finish paying so I can get off this sissy gravity filled moon.¡± ¡°Charming,¡± the Chief murmured. Mac stifled a laugh as the tug captain pulled a tablet from his pocket and started flicking through screens. ¡°Who broke my ship?¡± Mac asked. ¡°I¡¯m not signing or authorizing payment for anything until I get some answers and a refund for the damage.¡± ¡°Beats me kid. The ship was like that when we picked her up,¡± Captain Purdy replied. ¡°Maybe Mr Durand knows.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I can just call him,¡± Mac retorted. The tug captain shrugged his massive shoulders. ¡°Quantum communication works great for in system, but humanity still hasn¡¯t cracked the code to allow intersystem communication.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. That¡¯s why GalNet is on duplicate servers in every system and updates are carried on ship networks that are then uploaded and downloaded at each place a ship docks. Don¡¯t tell me what I already know,¡± Purdy said. ¡°But the damage was brought up to the boss and he said he¡¯d take half off the shipping charge.¡± ¡°That will barely pay for decontamination,¡± the Chief pointed out. ¡°Not my problem,¡± Purdy said with a shrug. Mac glanced up at the broken ports and support beam as the Chief got into a slight argument with the tug captain. I could just cut out the support and go with a single larger port. Maybe even move the pilot¡¯s console so it¡¯s centered and then leave the copilot console in storage. That would improve visibility¡­ Yes, that¡¯ll work, Mac thought, coming to a decision. ¡°I¡¯ll take the discount.¡± ¡°Works for me,¡± Purdy said. He sent Mckenzie the contract. ¡°Seems Mr Durand already updated his copy of the contract with the damage and discount,¡± Mac said after examining the contract. He sent it to Saagar and Victoria for the AIs to examine as well. Contract law was an upper classman course and not something he understood except for not authorizing anything you haven¡¯t read. Saagar and Victoria quickly approved of the updated contract and Victoria sent payment pending Mac¡¯s authorization of the contract. Mac had his assistant help him go over the contract one last time and authorized it. He sent the contract back to Purdy. ¡°Thanks. Here¡¯s the Hawk¡¯s title and master¡¯s key,¡± the tug captain said sending Mckenzie a file and handing him a data crystal. ¡°Welcome to the rat race kid and good luck. You¡¯re going to need it.¡± * Mac and the Chief watched as his Decs and some of the academy¡¯s repair bots decontaminated the Lady Hawk. He explained to her his idea for the bridge. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea but removing a console will leave the bridge with even more empty space,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe I could put in a cooler, entertainment screen, and microwave or something,¡± Mac replied. ¡°You could, but that would defeat the purpose of the habitat module,¡± the Chief countered. ¡°And you should probably speak with the Highpoint rep once they arrive to take measurements this week.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Mac conceded. Though I¡¯m still going do the single large port instead of separate eye ports, he thought. ¡°And I¡¯ll have plenty to do in the meantime working on the hull.¡± ¡°True. You¡¯ll be able to start solmorrow,¡± the Chief replied. ¡°Victoria says your reactor will be here in three sols, so we¡¯ll be able to install that soon as well. Before you ask, after testing, we¡¯ll leave the reactor on standby and use academy power for lights and fuel. It won¡¯t cost you as much as you think.¡± ¡°Crap! I forgot to order replacement fixtures and bulbs,¡± Mac said. The Chief smiled. ¡°Welcome to ship ownership,¡± Saagar said as Mckenzie pulled up the ship specs and found the types of light fixtures and bulbs the merlin class needed. ¡°Funny Saagar. Very funny,¡± Mac replied. ¡°How about sending this request over to Victoria for me?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re in a rush to get things in motion, but don¡¯t order new fixtures and bulbs yet,¡± the Chief advised. ¡°Highpoint might use something different these sols than they did over a century ago.¡± ¡°Alright. Thanks for the advice, Chief,¡± Mac replied. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Now, scoot. Go relax while you have a chance,¡± the Chief said. ¡°You¡¯ll be more than busy starting tomorrow.¡± 24 ¡°Cluck, cluck,¡± one of the students said. ¡°Quack, quack,¡± another added. A third started whistling. ¡°Cheep, cheep,¡± Chris and Deigo chimed in. ¡°Caw, caw,¡± a girl named Cristina called from behind Mac as she joined them in the lounge. I can always remember the girls¡¯ names, Mac thought. I bet I¡¯m not alone in that. ¡°You guys are hilarious,¡± Mac said, flipping them off, and flopping into one of the empty lounge chairs. The others laughed. Lamont Hall, the one that had clucked, flapped his arms and clucked again. Mac laughed along with the others. ¡°Better get used to it, man,¡± Deigo said. ¡°I think you¡¯ll be hearing bird sounds a lot over the next few years.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Mac replied. ¡°I¡¯m aware it¡¯ll get worse when the rest of the students return. But hopefully, everyone will show their maturity and get over it in time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bet on it,¡± Cristina said. ¡°It¡¯s not like young men are known for their maturity.¡± Chris stuck his tongue out at her. She tossed popcorn back at him. Laughter followed their antics. ¡°Have all of you seen my ship?¡± Mac asked. ¡°Yep,¡± Paula, one of the other two girls that had stayed answered. ¡°What made you buy a caravel?¡± ¡°And more importantly, why a merlin class?¡± Tiffany, the other young woman, asked. ¡°Well, caravels have a few advantages over sloops when starting out such as their long legs, fuel scoop, and the hab module,¡± Mac replied, answering Paula¡¯s question. He tossed the merlin class specs up on the lounge¡¯s large view screen. ¡°And Tiffany, I like the design. It¡¯s different.¡± ¡°Wait, this thing has a fuel scoop?¡± Cristina asked. ¡°Yep,¡± Mac answered. ¡°Caravels were built for exploration and if you¡¯re in an undocumented system, it¡¯s not like there are stations to stop at for fuel.¡± ¡°True,¡± Cristina conceded with a laugh. ¡°Even upgraded, your merlin will be slower than a Yellowjacket,¡± Deigo pointed out. ¡°And will have less firepower,¡± Chris added. ¡°Like I said before, the Hawk was made for exploration instead of fighting. We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve found a few surprises that¡¯ll help with that if push comes to shove.¡± ¡°Forget that crap!¡± Paula exclaimed. ¡°Look at the hab specs. Even at level 1 these things came with their own galley, captain¡¯s cabin, and bathtub!¡± She then pushed the specs to the side and used the large screen to display pictures of the original Merlin habitat module. Some of these guys look jealous all a sudden, especially the girls. But I did tell them there were advantages. ¡°Can we go take a look at the inside?¡± Cristina asked. ¡°Sure, after she¡¯s finished being decontaminated,¡± Mac answered. He explained about the busted ports. ¡°Though, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s nothing much to look at.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°The Hawk was stripped to the bones,¡± Mckenzie answered. ¡°That really sucks,¡± Deigo said. ¡°So, you just really bought a hull?¡± Conrad, one of the other guys asked. Mac nodded. ¡°That¡¯s going to be expensive to refurbish and upgrade. You would have been better off with a Yellowjacket.¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Lamont countered before Mac could say anything. ¡°To start with, this means Mckenzie can put in whatever he wants. Some of the modules out there are cheap and nearly worthless while others are nice for their price and might even last him years.¡± Mac smiled and nodded. Lamont shared some information on the screen. He¡¯s even spotted some of what I picked out, Mac thought. ¡°Alright, I can see that,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°But that¡¯s not the case if Mckenzie was trying to cheap out.¡± The others looked at Mac. ¡°That had been my original plan,¡± Mckenzie admitted. ¡°But Lamont hit the nail on the head. After seeing the costs, I decided to put more into her. Some of the modules I¡¯ve ordered should last until the Lady Hawk hits levels 6-10. So, my upfront costs will be more than a Yellowjacket¡­¡± ¡°But cheaper in the long run,¡± Chris concluded. Mac grinned and nodded. ¡°Nice plan if it works out. But I¡¯m still not sold on a caravel standing up to modern ships though.¡± ¡°Mckenzie has mentioned exploration twice, so I don¡¯t think competing against us is in his plans,¡± Deigo said. ¡°What about the habitat module though?¡± Paula asked. ¡°Are you getting one that has a tub?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Mckenzie replied. ¡°Highpoint Manufacturing is still in business and even still makes the merlin modules.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll work out nicely for you, Mckenzie,¡± Lamont said. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to move aboard your ship starting our second year if your refurb is done by then.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tiffany replied. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Deigo asked. ¡°I mean, I know the rules say we can move into off academy housing if we can find something cheaper or if we can afford something better, but I wasn¡¯t aware that included ships.¡± The others, including Mac, voiced variations of the same or nodded their heads. ¡°Well, it does,¡± Lamont said, tossing up the academy student rules on the screen. ¡°Any of us can move aboard our ships if we want to save some credits. Of course, it¡¯s only about half of our housing fees due to TCA charging docking and power fees, but every little bit helps.¡± ¡°Mckenzie, some of these floorplans show two cabins,¡± Deigo said. ¡°Need a roommate?¡± ¡°Nah, I ordered the Highpoint New River single cabin module,¡± Mac replied. ¡°Want a bunkie?¡± Paula asked. ¡°What? But we¡­¡± Conrad muttered. Paula looked at Conrad and shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re talking about a private bathtub and galley here. And it¡¯s not like Mckenzie is hard on the eyes either.¡± Paula winked at Mac. The other girls laughed while Conrad scowled at him. ¡°Thanks, but no thanks,¡± Mac said. I don¡¯t want to be part of any drama either. Most of the others laughed. Conrad continued to scowl. ¡°Smart man,¡± Lamont said. ¡°Avoid the drama while you can.¡± Mac tipped an imaginary hat to the other man, which caused more laughter. 25 ¡°What the heck?¡± Mckenzie exclaimed the next sol when he saw what was scrawled on the Lady Hawk¡¯s hull. ¡°B-b-b bird, bird, bird, b-bird¡¯s the word? What does that even mean and why would someone paint that?¡± ¡°That is a line from a 1960s American rock song titled Surfin¡¯ Bird,¡± Saagar answered. ¡°Would you like to listen to the song?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ wait. You have music from the 1960s here?¡± Mac replied. ¡°Earth¡¯s entire musical catalog can be found on the GalNet. The same is true for every other human settlement if the local government or corporation has not banned it,¡± Saagar explained. ¡°I see. I suppose since you have access to the song then Titan Custer hasn¡¯t banned Earth music,¡± Mac said, doing a search for Surfin¡¯ Bird. ¡°Indeed,¡± Saagar replied. ¡°Old Earth classical is quite popular amongst the executives.¡± ¡°Oh, you man like Swift?¡± ¡°No. I mean Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, and the like. True classical music, not pop garbage.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯ve never heard of those guys,¡± Mac said. Seems Saagar is a bit of an elitist. ¡°That is not surprising,¡± Saagar replied dryly. Mac smiled and let the comment slide. ¡°Should I play the song for you?¡± ¡°No thanks. I found it,¡± Mac answered, playing the song. He burst out laughing within a minute. ¡°This is terrible!¡± ¡°I would say it is an acquired taste, but not for everyone, just like your ship,¡± Saagar said. ¡°That¡¯s a dig, Saagar,¡± Mac replied. ¡°True. I apologize.¡± ¡°Accepted, but you didn¡¯t have to apologize. I don¡¯t mind jokes at my expense,¡± Mac said. ¡°The graffiti is a different story though. I suppose you know who is responsible.¡± ¡°I do. A mark has been put in their record,¡± Saagar replied as Mac ran his hand over the graffiti covered hull plate. ¡°And I will advise them not to do so again.¡± Too many repairs have been made here over the years. I bet the metal is weak, Mac thought. He summoned his Decs and had one of them run a test on the plate in question. Yep. It¡¯s too weak. Good thing I was already thinking about replacing the plate. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing I plan on replacing that hull plate,¡± Mac said. He sent the Decs to test the rest of the hull. Which is something I should have done before accepting the ship. He sighed. Live and learn. But I also didn¡¯t have working Decs then, so whatever. ¡°Good morning, Mckenzie,¡± Chief Alexandra said as she joined him at the Lady Hawk. A man walked behind her. Wait, that¡¯s another droid, Mac thought. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Mckenzie, this is Engineer Michelangelo. He will be assisting and overseeing your work on the Lady Hawk,¡± the Chief said by way of introduction. ¡°He will also be primarily responsible for the Lady Hawk¡¯s upgrade and refurbishment.¡± ¡°I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mckenzie, and look forward to working together,¡± the engineer said. ¡°You may call me Michelangelo, Engineer, or Engineer Michelangelo. In time, I may allow you to use my nickname instead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you too, Michelangelo,¡± Mac replied. Michelangelo looks like a tall, male version of the Chief. I bet that was done on purpose since I¡¯ve seen a few other droids about that could pass as their siblings if they were human. I bet someone in power got a deal on the droids or has a type. ¡°Has Saagar told you about the graffiti? The Chief asked. Mac nodded. ¡°Well, in that case, I¡¯ll leave you and Michelangelo to it.¡± ¡°I see you have your repair bots scanning the hull,¡± the engineer said as the Chief left them. ¡°Yeah. This hull plate is weak,¡± Mac said, tapping the graffiti covered plate. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to replace it and thought I¡¯d better check the rest of the hull too.¡± ¡°Good thinking,¡± Michelangelo replied. ¡°Let¡¯s leave them to it and go get you some tools.¡± ¡°Let me guess. These tools will be added to my debt, and I¡¯ll be responsible for them,¡¯ Mac said. Michelangelo nodded. ¡°And they¡¯ll probably be cheap and something I¡¯ll have to replace in a few years, if not months.¡± ¡°No. The tools are not cheap and yes, you are responsible for them. The Chief does not allow inferior tools in her domain,¡± Michelangelo explained as he started leading Mac towards the back of the repair facility. ¡°The Triton Toolworks¡¯ Engineering 1 set should last you years to come. Titan Custer has a deal with Triton Toolworks to supply academy students with their tools.¡± I¡¯m surprised at that. TC must have gotten a very good deal with TT. That or some nepotism is involved somehow. Still, a good general tool set made by one of the galaxy¡¯s premier tool manufacturers isn¡¯t something to sneeze at. * ¡°Michelangelo, why am I being assigned a tool set?¡± Mac asked as the engineer double checked the toolbox¡¯s contents a lot quicker than any human could. ¡°All students are assigned a set during the second part of the basic repair course,¡± the droid answered. ¡°But since you are one of the few that tested out of the course, you and those others are being assigned your tools when you get your ships.¡± ¡°That makes sense. So, no more using school property,¡± Mac said. ¡°Indeed. Everything is here,¡± Michelangelo said as he placed the last wrench back in the toolbox. ¡°While the Engineering 1 set doesn¡¯t have every tool you¡¯ll ever need, it does contain the most common small ship tools including a welder, safety gear, and the specialized reactor tools you¡¯ll need for any small ship reactor. The chest itself has repulson lifts and a simple AI that can follow you around or be programmed to return to a certain location, such as your lockup space. The chest even has a biometric lock in addition to security key encryption. I advise you to set both locks. I am sending you your tool purchase agreement and authorization.¡± ¡°Sweet,¡± Mac replied. Here goes another quarter million credits that weren¡¯t mentioned. But, as he said, the tools should last years. Mckenzie read the agreement and authorized it. He then sent a copy back to Michelangelo. Mac then followed the engineer¡¯s instructions and set up both locks. The chest beeped and rose up into the air. It only hovered a few centimeters over the floor. Mac led the tool chest and Michelangelo back to the Lady Hawk so they could start work on the hull.