Free Crystal Venom by Steve Wheeler

Spitz family from Waipunga?’
     
    Marko nodded and the monkey continued: ‘I was created by the Dines, but the family that I was indentured to did not send me back for the full augments when the children grew up.’
     
    ‘I know the Dines well. Are you capable of seeing my biometrics and can you vocalise?’
     
    The ACE signed back to him. ‘No and no. I am sadly lacking in most skills apart from caring for small children. Do you know of any here who I can help? I feel so good this day, so much better than I have in a long, long time.’
     
    The Basalt crew members gave silent thanks to Fritz and his genius. Glint took one of the little monkey’s hands in his.
     
    ‘Have you a name?’ Jan asked the creature.
     
    ‘LSM ... it is for Little Silver Monkey.’
     
    They all frowned at that. Marko wondered why many humans had an ACE created, but as soon as the creature had worked out its indenture, abandoned it and did not fulfil the final part of the contract to equip the ACE with all that it needed to survive and prosper in the Sphere of Humankind.
     
    Flint, who had joined them, looked up at the monkey. ‘What do you call yourself, ACE? LSM is insulting.’
     
    The creature slowly looked at each of them and shuffled about, looking embarrased. ‘I like Josey.’
     
    Glint clapped a hand on the monkey’s shoulder, startling it. ‘Right! Come on, Flint, let’s take Josey to see Topaz for a few checks and some augments. In a couple of days, once you are sorted out, Josey, we will take you over to the Base school. I know you’ll enjoy it there.’
     
    As they watched the unlikely trio walking out of the hangar, Jan gave Marko an exuberant kiss. ‘Well done us! Another one rescued!’
     
    ~ * ~
     
    Two days later a short, fat cylinder slowly surfaced south of the battle zone and sent out a tiny focused squeak to Basalt, which was listening for it from orbit.
     
    The Harpoon core, once recovered by an Aurora’s drone, gave up a lot of new tech information about the Gjomvik sub. The best part was that the Games Board did not know that Basalt’s crew had the information, otherwise they would have insisted that they be given a cut when it was sold on to the Administration Intelligence group.
     
    Later the same day Marko received a message from the local Administration Intelligence group’s accounting division to let him know that one of his accounts had been credited with what he considered was a tidy sum for the information he had passed on about the baron.
     
    ~ * ~
     
    The following morning Marko, Harry and the major were back in Mudshark’s hangar, looking up at it.
     
    ‘So Harry, is there anything else we can learn from Mudshark ?’ the major asked.
     
    ‘Not really, boss. Very interesting design which certainly has potential for future use. I have noted in the report how we could improve upon it further. I hope like hell you are not going to ask me to patch it up so we can take it on board Basalt. Fritz says that the Gjomvik coding is hardwired into a large part of it, and without spending a lot of time ripping it completely to pieces we would never guarantee a hundred per cent control of it.’
     
    Major Longbow, who was known to ‘collect’ interesting artefacts, said, ‘Nope. Intel AI wants this one. Wants to see if that code can be broken. I’m a little concerned that we’ll see this beast, or something very like it, again though. Games Board is very pleased with what we did and wants to see another Mudshark in another AV. Sirius, yes that Sirius, who is our Games Board handler and agent, has been in touch again and wants us to do that battle, but I declined as we have real work. Harry, give the troops a twelve-hour movement notice, please. Marko, could you go have a talk with Stephine and work out a price for the Harpoon Intellectual Property? Admin wants it in production and deployed soonest. Right, see you both in a couple of hours.’
     
    The two men watched him depart as Harry