Free Coffee Cup Dreams (A Redpoint One Romance) by J.A. Marlow

bot rose up and shone a light on a smooth
block with several complex geometric shapes on the surface. Shapes
that meant nothing to her other than perhaps as a bit of art or
decoration.
    Wait, one of the shapes reminded her of one of
the tools hanging from her belt.
    She reached down and found the thin tool about
as long as her longest finger. The end flared out into a hexagon,
at the end of which was one of the shapes. But it didn't look
right.
    She twirled the tool in her hand while
studying the block on the wall. She needed to do something with one
of the shapes, but which one?
    She looked back down at the tool. In her
twirling the shape at the end had changed. She played with the
handle, finding it twisted half-way down, and with each twist the
shape at the end changed.
    "Do you have it?" Rachel called out. "I'm
ready to disconnect a joint."
    "Almost!" Tish shouted back.
    Another twist and a sharply pointed shape
appeared. It felt right. She studied the block, finding the shape
on the lower front.
    "I hope this is right," she told the bot. In
response it whistled in a short upward flute to her as if
encouraging her.
    She pressed the tool flat against the shape on
the block. The surface glowed a soft blue before giving way,
allowing the tool to push down into the block. A quick twist to the
right and she heard the flow of fluid in one of the pipes
cease.
    She pulled out the tool and tapped the pipe
she thought she'd heard a change in. "I think I have it. Do you
hear anything in the pipe?"
    "It's gone. You have it," Rachel
answered.
    The bot next to her lowered to the ground and
she smiled. "We got it. Thanks for your help."
    The bot gave a long beep. It followed her as
she returned to help Rachel with a pipe joint. It took both of them
tugging and twisting before they were able to pull the joint
free.
    A bot with a bucket waited to catch the fluid
still in the pipe. The ventilation of the area increased to the
point she felt the movement against her skin and clothes.
Considering the odors coming out of the pipe, she was happy for the
additional air.
    Rachel described each step as she worked,
showing what each tool on her belt did as well as the tools and
equipment in the cart. Some of it Tish recognized from helping Neil
around the house back on Earth, but Rachel had more variety of size
and shapes of the same plumbing tools.
    By the time they had the joint on the other
side of the clog detached, Tish even knew which tools she was going
to need next.
    "Has Arthur mentioned what department he has
in mind for you on a permanent basis?" Rachel asked as she snaked a
long tool into the pipe.
    "No, not so far." She didn't even know what
all the departments were.
    "No worries. Sometimes he has something in
mind, and sometimes he has the person apprentice with several
departments before a good fit is found. Obviously Damien is looking
forward to you training with him." Rachel grunted as she shoved at
the tool. "Wow, this is really jammed."
    Tish leaned into the tool while Rachel worked
the end of it, twisting and jiggling the handle. With a sucking
noise more fluid poured out of the pipe. A dark foul-smelling clump
rolled out of the pipe and splattered in the bucket a bot
held.
    Tish scrambled backwards to avoid the splash.
And fell over the back of a bot. Three other bots converged on the
mess and started cleaning the floor and walls.
    Another bot glided up to her, a small arm
coming out with a rag to mop at her pants. She pushed it away only
to find another bot doing the same thing from the other side. A
third appeared, going after her shoes.
    She tried to stand up, only to fall again in a
tangle of arms, legs, and rags. Rachel started laughing when she
fell for a second time.
    "You could help," Tish said, glaring up at
her.
    Rachel shook her head, still laughing so hard
she could barely speak. "They like you."
    "They could like me a little less. Death by
helper bots." At least the bots were only using rags and nothing
else under