Episode 81, Patience
24 Jul 2024Ryuko Ntsikana
Episode 81, Patience
_____________________________
I sat in the Diamondback Explorer’s small kitchenette, sipping on my coffee, and going over my data tablet. A frustrated Tara sat across from me. She had been unable to chase the ship’s little gremlin that had first plagued the zero-g toilet, then other minor secondary sub-systems. I had grown used to its routine. Shutting down those secondary systems that were not in use had kept them from reappearing; at least I could use the toilet again without worrying about it.
Movement across the table caught my eye as I looked up from my data tablet. “When we get back I’m going to have Chief Diego tear this ship down to its last weld,” Tara hissed as she disconnected herself from the ship’s computer.
“There is no point of origin; neither the ship nor I can identify as the culprit.”
My eyebrow raised on its own as I scrolled through my data tablet, going over the information of the local system.
I couldn't tell if her reaction was an evolutionary emotion or mimicry.
“We won’t be needing this ship again for a while. Might as well have him give it an annual inspection during the process.”
Tara cast a wary look across the table. “Are you still planning on raiding this system?”
“Out of all we have surveyed over 250 light-years distance, this one is showing itself to be the best candidate,” I commented, placing my data tablet on the table and activating its holographic function so that the data appeared above it, for both of us to look at simultaneously.
“All of their assets are more than 400,000 light-seconds removed on remote moons so distant that no one would bother taking the time except the desperate and inexperienced.”
“But we are neither.”
“Yes, we are that rare third option, the patient. Our kind is so far removed from their thinking that statistically we are not factored in. Their traffic patterns reflect as much.”
The image changed to show the recorded flow of the system’s traffic for the last 48 hours, with the system security patrol patterns highlighted.
“What do you see?” I asked with a smile. “Your neurological matrix is far more advanced than my simple biological mind. You only have to learn to recognize what you are looking at.”
The patterns resolved themselves inside of Tara’s matrix within milliseconds.
“The first thing I see is that you’re insatiable. The second thing is their security density is too low for the distance. If a distress signal is sent, the attacker would have ample time to escape.”
Tara looked up with a cheeky expression.
“Based on the way you operate, any security that does show up will be just another ship for you to launch a hatch-breaking limpet at."
A broad smile appeared on my face.
“Send a message to Jabir and Lianna. This is exactly the type of lesson they need to learn. I will send a message to the Coterie. After the last fiasco, the plunder will go a long way towards bolstering their morale.”
I eyed Tara for a moment as she reconnected herself to the ship's communication system. I was somewhat taken aback. For all of her neurological capabilities, she did not catch, or it did not compute, my quip about this being the lesson Jabir and Lianna needed to learn. It was possible she could have misidentified it as being similar to the countless raids she had been on with me in the past.
Finishing the last of my coffee I stood up and began making my way to the bridge. If my own experiences held true, from the shipping and security patterns I had seen, everyone was in for a history lesson.
Even with the gremlin wreaking havoc through the minor secondary systems, it didn’t take long to return to the carrier. Designed for exploration, my Diamondback Explorer boasted impressive jump ranges, even when burdened with reconnaissance modules and weapons. By the time everyone had received their messages, the carrier’s automated traffic control system had already designated a pad and granted us clearance to land.
As the hangar doors sealed above, I stood up from the pilot’s seat, stretching my stiff muscles. A faint smile tugged at my lips at the sound of clattering coming from the small kitchenette on the other side of the bridge door. The answer to my question of whether Tara’s irritation was mere mimicry or genuine emotion had been answered. The deck was littered with panel access covers as the bridge access door slid open.
Only her legs were visible as Tara lay on her back, wedged between the inner and outer bulkheads, furiously tinkering with the ship’s innards.
“I’m going to grab some real food and a hot shower. You coming, or do you want to keep helping the maintenance droids disassemble her?” I called out.
A micro controller skidded across the deck in response.
Yep, that was an actual evolved emotional response. If she was this peeved about a minor subsystem gremlin, her neurological construct was in for a real treat when we returned to the target system for a full-scale raid.