Free Plague Planet (The Wandering Engineer) by Chris Hechtl Page B

her
position as director of planetary medical services. The equivalent of a chief
medical officer. She's become a force of nature in her profession and others,
overhauling all of them.”
    The admiral nodded. “A woman after my own heart. By all means. And
if we can send her any extras, do so. She needs all she can get.”
    “Since the planet has no insurance services and has until recently
only primitive medical methods and technology I'd say yes she does,” Sprite
replied dryly.
    “Good. It never hurts to help the medics. Seeing to long term
health is a good will gesture.”
    “Not just health actually admiral, her interest in salvaged
medical equipment and techniques has sparked a great deal of the renaissance
and of course the usual spy games and patent law fights.”
    Irons winced as his face puckered in repugnance. “Ew.”
    “Ew indeed. Oddly the doctor has stayed largely out of it. She
turns her findings over to the office of industry who then hands it over to an industry
to make. Usually for a fee of course,” Sprite replied. Irons winced. Sprite had
picked up on the graft and corruption on the planet. On the surface it was a
nice world, but he was realizing some things were only skin deep. After his
experience in Pyrax he had no intention of getting screwed by politicians
again.
    “She accepts donations but she may wonder why you an offworlder
are donating data and technology admiral,” Sprite said as he keyed up the file
he had been reading once more.
    “Let her. Her problem. I've got other fish to fry,” he said,
scrolling through the report. “I've got to fix the buss in the starboard keel
nacelle of the ship. Phoenix is showing me it's hinky.”
    “It is,” Phoenix replied.
    “It is. But you also have an appointment admiral,” Sprite informed
him.
    He sighed getting up and setting the tablet down. “Then I'd better
get on it then. Phoenix get the replicator working on the replacement part.
I'll go pull the panel.”
    “Already on it admiral,” Phoenix replied. “We are low on materials
though.”
    “I know. I'll... figure something out,” he said with a helpless
shrug. He could wrangle rocks but it wasn't something he enjoyed. A close call
in Gaston had made him reconsider the entire project. It wasn't that he
couldn't do it, it was a safety issue. If he had more hands... He set the
thought aside as he walked out of the room.
    ...*...*...*...*...
    The admiral spotted the man nonchalantly leaning against a
building in the shade. He at first ignored the man, he was after all just
minding his own business, but then Defender's in depth scan pointed out a knife
the man was holding on his right side out of sight. As he passed the man he
felt/saw him look up and then moved quickly to grab for Irons. Irons however
spun, his right hand came up and he triggered a stun blast. The man crumbled,
falling like a lifeless puppet.
    Irons looked around. Sure enough there were a couple of witnesses,
all dressed in western garb that was more commonly worn here in the Styx on the
edge of town. He snorted, most were pretending not to look at what happened,
just looking away and minding their own business. “Nice town,” Irons replied.
He let out a long heartfelt sigh. “Real nice town.”
    “They aren't falling all over themselves to help or find out what
happened are they?” Sprite asked, clearly not amused by that.
    “Police?” Irons asked. Sprite put an arrow on his HUD. He turned
in the indicated direction. A deputy was coming out of a barber shop, rubbing
his neck as if he'd just gotten a shave. Most likely he had. “I've contacted
dispatch. He should be getting a call momentarily,” Sprite said. The young man
put his bobby hat on.
    “I take it crime is a problem here?” he asked as Sprite summoned a
nearby deputy. The deputy frowned, touching his brick sized radio on his hip.
He looked around for a moment. Irons waved to him. The man grunted and then
said something into his radio. The admiral's