“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 author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “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.