Free New Dawn (Wandering Engineer) by Chris Hechtl

feed it
broken and damaged materials for now. We will need a lot more material for
large scale repairs like the broken struts on deck three or the hull panel’s
starboard aft,” he said with a diffident shrug. She nodded.
    “But where can we get the
materials?” she asked.
    He smiled. “Not our problem right
now, let’s just get what we can done. Start small, learn how things work and
then go from there,” he said, trying to keep his tone encouraging. She nodded.
    "So why such a big
crew?" He turned to Molly. "I mean, if only a handful of you know the
basics..." He waved around to the room full of techs.
    "Well, some do, but most
were fetching and carrying and trying to learn when they could," she
sighed.
    "Apprentice level," he
muttered.
    "Huh?"
    "An ancient method of
teaching. Someone would latch onto a master, someone who knew a craft, they
would have them do scut work, basic chores and such while they tried to pick up
the skills."
    She cocked her head thinking the
analogy over before nodding. "Yeah, that sounds similar. A few like
Rodriguez over there came from a space colony so they know more and started out
better."
    He glanced her way, then back to
the drive controls. "Most of the hands are for when we are loading and off
loading." Molly said, and then swore as she burned her finger.
"Darn!" She waved it around then popped it in her mouth.
    "All hands on deck," He
muttered.
    She nodded. "UM Hmm,"
she mumbled. He chuckled.
    "Okay, the drives are
balanced for now; we can't do much until we are out of hyper and can tear them
down," he said returning to the list. She nodded. "Want me to get
started on the clogged fuel injector for the port ERCS?" He hefted the
tool box.
    She nodded. "Yeah, if you
would. I don't understand why they get clogged!" She shook her head.
"Water," he said. She looked up. "The fusion reactor, plasma
drives, and ERCS all use the water from the tanks. A current is run through the
water to separate it into hydrogen. The hydrogen is used as fuel, while the excess
O2 is used for the air," he explained patiently. He flicked his free hand
to the air.
    She nodded. "Oh."
    "The water has trace
minerals and stuff in it that builds up over time."
    She looked confused for a moment
then gets excited. "And the build ups cause a clog! Oh! I get it now! So
we need water that is cleaner!"
    He nodded. "Or better fuel
like helium 3." She wrinkled her nose.
    "Okay, I ran into that in
the manual, but I don't know what it is," she admitted. He smiled.
    "Later. I will tell you over
lunch."
    Her smile brightened. "It’s
a date then!" she called as he left. Work stopped for a moment, and then
chattering began to ring around the compartment.
    "Did you hear that? Molly
dating the Admiral? Ew! That's like dating my grandpa!" He chuckled and
shook his head as he left.
     
    "Admiral, from my database
files, people who have experienced stasis are prone to insomnia and time shock,
but you're carrying it to the extreme." He sighed as Sprite started in.
"Even you need rest, and frankly, so do some of your helpers. You've gone
through twelve and a half shifts." He continued the weld, then when it
finished leaned back as it cooled.
    "Is it done?" A girl
leaned over the bar to see the weld.
    "Yes," he said curtly.
He looked up and didn't recognize her. She was studying the weld. "Okay, I
am going to the head, and then we can work on the next project."
    The girl nodded. "Wait,
head?" He pointed. Her expression cleared. "Oh! Bathroom.
Right!" She waved and reached down. When her finger tips came within a few
centimeter’s of the weld she yanked them back. "OH! HOT!" she yelped,
shaking her fingers and blowing on them. He stopped, shook his head, and then
continued.
    "Are they totally
clueless?" he asked under his breath as he entered the head. The two
guards set themselves on either side of the door.
    "Oh, some like Miss Molly
and Jennie aren't all bad." Sprite replied. "Give them time
Admiral." He nodded. He relieved himself