Read Online Plague Planet (The Wandering Engineer) by Chris Hechtl - Free Book Online Page B

that Antigua would offer stiff competition.
    “If the pirates leave them alone captain. I'm not sure about
that,” the admiral replied.
    “Oh?” She sat back and rested her hands in her lap.
    “The pirates have taken several worlds, including Destria.”
    “Taken?” she asked, eyes narrowed.
    The admiral nodded grimly. “Taking and holding, it turns out the
pirates are a bit more than anyone suspected. They are Horathians, sent out to
strip colonies of material to send back to their home system for their own
uses. We've discovered they have been fortifying their world and lately taking
neighboring worlds.”
    “Horath is now off limits,” the captain said in stern disgust. She
turned to the left and nodded.
    “Yeah. They are turning it into a black hole.”
    “I'll say.”
    “I see you've had quite a few adventures.”
    The captain grunted. “I take it Hibiki and the others telling
tales out of school?”
    “Just catching up with friend’s captain,” Hibiki said to the open
communicator, hands up.
    “No offense Captain, he's a good kid, they all are,” The admiral
assured her. He nodded to the waitress as she policed the remnants of their
first order and placed refills down.
    “Who needs to keep a lid on it,” the captain growled when the
waitress left.
    Hibiki rolled his eyes but knew better than to say anything. He
was also careful to sit back out of range of the mini camera... or so he
thought.
    “I saw that young man,” the captain growled. He froze. The other
girls giggled, hands over their mouths. Even the chief looked amused. The
admiral snorted.
    “Sorry ma'am,” Hibiki replied sheepishly, hunching his shoulders.
    “Well, we have a time table to keep. I want to be on Avalon for
their harvest to get the best fruit before they go to war again. Those idiots
always do for one reason or another. And I want some of that wood they sell so
let's be about things smartly.”
    The crew from the Io all nodded. “Aye, aye captain,” they said in
unison.
    “I've got some bartering to do. I understand you'll be competing
with me Admiral?” the captain asked, sounding amused.
    “Something like that. Though why they want us to compete,” he
shook his head and then sighed.
    “Good for you, a little healthy competition,” she cackled.
    Irons smiled ruefully. He had the edge with his keys, but they had
the high ground with their enormous replicators and crew... not to mention
their holds stuffed with asteroids they'd just picked up. It was no contest
right now. Give him a couple weeks though... “True. I just need fuel and some
minor supplies though.”
    “Then you won't mind paying through the nose for them,” the
captain teased with a glimmer of mischief in her old eyes.
    “I have a feeling you'll make sure I do,” he replied dryly. He
heard her gravel voice chuckle as she closed the communication's channel. After
a moment Sprite's image returned.
    “How goes the ship projects?” the admiral asked, leaning back and
looking at Jen and then Tara before finally settling on the chief.
    “We didn't get far with that fighter project if that's what you're
asking about,” the chief responded in disgust. “For some reason Io won't make
the right parts. Talk about a lemon,” she said, clearly annoyed.
    Sprite's image returned to the holo projection. “That's because
she's screening it for you. Had you tried to replicate mil-spec parts the
replicator would have shut down or melted down,” Sprite informed her. “My
daughter is protecting you.”
    “Daughter?” Jen asked, looking from the admiral's hand to the
admiral's face. He shrugged.
    The admiral shrugged and cocked his head to Sprite. “I'm not much
of a coder. She is. She's code itself remember.”
    “Ah.”
    “Io and I and Phoenix are talking on side bands. Sorry, um, If
you'll excuse me, you meat bags are just too slow,” Sprite said and left.
    He snorted as the projection vanished. He clenched his hand and
then dropped it to his side.