Dangerous Toys (Part Ten)

The common consensus among the Crew was to leave the Engineer in peace while she slept. They didn’t really have a choice, since Patrica had sealed her door and was letting Oscar answer the Comms. The Captain and the Chief of Security were dealing with the aftermath of their victory. It was also left unspoken that the human’s words had terrified the enemy enough to lie down on the floor and wait to be collected. It was an undoubted victory, just a little less heroic than they would prefer to remember. As all these idle thoughts were passing within the crew another unknown and unsuspected enemy was on the way.

Incice had watched until his AI had been wiped. The ship was now, he suspected far beyond his control. He sat back and congratulated himself on assuming the worst and looked at his screen. In less than three hours the Dangerous Toys would be engaged and destroyed in a terrible accident. In the meantime, he now had an enormous amount of restaffing and supply issues to deal with. He still remembered the moment when his time in supply had become a question. “If I can move all of this for them, why can’t I do it for myself?”

When he had been caught by...he couldn’t even remember the name of the Officer, he had thought he would die of shame. Instead, he had remembered that the man was in trouble with...someone, fines, tithes or taxes. He was the first man he had bought and the first man he had killed. He shook his head, now that he was older and wiser he would have made sure the man was promoted and well paid as a useful asset. Alas for the innocence of youth. His Comms dinged respectfully. Hmmm, the Secretary for Peace. This might be interesting, “Yes Secretary, how may I be of assistance?” The Secretary grimaced. Why must they always play these stupid games on Comms? “Ah Captain, I just wanted to thank you for your foresight. Our ships have apparently garbled their orders and are well beyond our space. However, if you wish there is a Human Orbital nearby that might be willing to help if we can alert them in time.”

The Engineer awoke to a very long nose poking her in the face. It was cold. Loki was awake. “Yes, yes. I’m awake and if you will stop standing on me I’ll get up.” In response, Loki licked her ear, ‘/Morning/Food?/Walk/WalkRightNow?/’ Patrica sighed and rubbed his head, scratching briefly beneath his ears. “Yes boy. Up. Let me get dressed and we’ll go back to the cabin. You can do what you need to do and I’ll feed you but, and I want to be clear about this, you have to stop standing on my head first.” Loki leapt from the rough bed she had thrown together when she passed the night in Engineering and began wrestling with one of her socks.

The Captain was in the Cargo hold, pulling crates and opening them. He had sent the Chief of Security back to the medbay and was colourfully cursing under his breath as he pulled out the freight. None of this was on his manifest and none of it was allowed on the planets he called on. Psychedelics, religious augments, bio-weapons...the list was a shopping list of the trash of the Galaxy and he had been feeding it into the innocents that had trusted his charter. Even one of these items would have condemned his ship and only the dark hells knew how much he had carried over the years. He might have retaken his ship from the smugglers but he was certain this was the last time he would be allowed to dock her at a station. He swore in every manner that his people could and the cargo hold filled with the scent so much that even the dimmest of his crew was becoming uncomfortable. Then his Engineer arrived.

Loki got it first,‘/CaptainUnhappy/Angry/Sad/LosingDen?/’ Patrica stepped through the door as it opened. “Thank you, Oscar.” As she walked to the Captain she saw him hurl more lids to the floor and stick his famous nose deep into the crates. It didn’t take an Engineer to figure out what was happening. “How bad is it, Captain? What are we carrying?” He turned to her with such a flick of his nose that it hit the crate. “Everything. Every evil that treks through the dark for power or money, that is what I have been shipping. I have found stolen goods, illegal implants, slaver AI’s and worse. This is what my life has been, a gutter for this evil to people that trusted me. My ship was well named.” He seemed to fall into himself. “Engineer, we all owe you a debt of gratitude for your work. I must inform my investors and I’m afraid that is the end for my tenure. I release you from your contract before this…” He threw a crate across the cargo hold and continued, “...ruins you as well.” The box shattered against the bulkhead, its contents spilling across the floor.

It was Oscar that took offence, “Engineer, we will need that Intel. Please preserve the evidence. The Captain was obviously deceived but Earth will require the cargo to be properly documented.” Patrica realised with a start precisely who would want this ship. “Thank you, Oscar, I believe you have saved us all again.” The AI said nothing, unwilling to admit that he had no idea of what his Engineer was talking about.

“Captain, if I may I believe this had made your ship the most valuable one in space right now. I really need to call some of my people, if you will permit me? Also, I believe that /Scentofhappy/ needs some company right now. She’s worried about you. I suggest we go to your quarters.” The Captain tried to pull himself away from the scent of /SuddenUnexpected Failure/ and nodded to the Engineer.

She called the XCC while the Captain watched and waited. “This is Engineer First Class, reserve, Patrica O’Neill on the Dangerous Toys first contact mission. I need to speak to whichever one of you deal directly with Intel-Engineering. I believe I have an immediate and important situation regarding the security of the Earth.” Then she cut the call and looked at the Captain, “Now we wait. It won’t be long.”

It was four o’clock in the morning in the headquarters at Aix-en-Provence when the alert arrived. The first staffer took the call and did a routine search. Three mentions in the Diplo-log in the last week. He pushed it up the food chain, getting one person out of bed and ruining the raid of another. “We have a situation. She was level four last time and she is coding for a hot-zone, no Intel.” Other desks were called and lights began illuminating the area as all manner of queries from a thousand-strong force of AI began taking an interest. The Director got the call less than three minutes later.

He read the codeform quickly. “Replay it for me.” He listened to the message again. No Engineer would use those terms without cause

Intel-Engineering. Immediate. Important. Security. Earth.

He hit his console, “Clear Comms?” His AI scanned the spectrum, “Unclear. Recent Interference. Transponder corrupted. It is the Engineer but the ship has issues. Provisional contact advised.” He sat down heavily and hit connect, “Patrica, have you forgotten what time it is around here? I expected you to have sorted out the puppy by know.”

Patrica and the Captain listened in. She looked at the Captain, “He’s just confirming the last call we had and if it is safe to speak.” She frowned. “It’s not going to get safer. Captain?” The Captain nodded. This is why they disliked dealing with verbal species.

“XCC, This is Engineer Patrica O’Neill. The Dangerous Toys was a Trojan ship. It has been used by someone to provide some of the worst shit this galaxy has to offer. It had been designed and built as a Q ship. We have recovered control, captives and cargo. I believe that it is part of a network of Q ships. I recommend immediate seizure and track and trace. My AI is fresh out of the box and I have no military assets on-board. I’m sending you the schematics of the ship and all the Intel we have recovered. I suggest you move quickly.” She waited for the answer.

“Acknowledged and agreed. Pest control is on the way.”

She cut the call again and looked across the room. “Captain I must formally ask you to hand this ship over to the HDF. If you have no hand or part in this effort to deceive the Human polity you and your investors will be recompensed. Substantial reparations will be provided in the event that your vessel cannot be returned.” She smiled at the Captain, knowing that Oscar was recording it all. “Say yes, Captain. We will give you a new ship for the value of this cargo alone if we get it home.”

The Captain was lost but he trusted his human. “Yes. Fine, Would you care to explain?”

“Oscar this ship is now a part of the Human Defense Forces Fleet. Please send the relevant signals and change the transponder. Then move at speed to the nearest Human Orbital.”

“Yes, Captain O’Neill.”