Geared Up Read Free Page A

in a loud and clear voice so that all of the neighbours who were still sweeping their shop fronts could hear it.
    “It was an honour and a privilege.” She gently tugged her hands free and headed into the shop.
    Her parents greeted her with hugs, and her mother stroked her hair back from her face and smiled. “Well?”
    Niad winked. “I have made it to the interview phase. Now, we need to wait a week and see what happens next.”
    Her father hugged her again. “We are ready.”
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Her mom’s voice called out, “Niad, we have a high-priority overhaul coming in. Can you do it?”
    Niad closed the panels on the transport she was working on and called out. “Sure. Let Mr. Nikotha know that his vehicle is back in working order and to stop letting the kids pour juice in the engine.”
    “Will do. What flavour?” Mlina chuckled.
    “Yinga berry. It smells great but is hell on his fuel-exchange system.”
    “Right. Do you have the worksheet?”
    “Just let me clean up. That stuff is sticky.”
    She washed her hands in the shop sink and dried them before she returned to the worksheet and filled in the details of time and damage.
    Her mother greeted the priority client, and Niad blinked as she recognized the body of the man standing in front of her. Guardian Tauron was having a day off, or that was the impression that his elegantly simple day attire gave her.
    “Here you go, Mom.” She placed the info sheet on the counter. “I suppose you have something in need of my attentions?”
    He turned away from her mother and stared at her with surprising blue-green eyes. High-family eyes. The same eyes that Mlina had. “I have a riot runner in need of a tune-up.”
    “You are in a hurry?” She smiled politely.
    “I am on call.” He inclined his head. “How long will it take?”
    “A simple tune-up will be an hour. Full recalibration would be another hour.”
    “Aim for full calibration and keep it as operational as you can. If I have to go, I will only have a few minutes’ notice.”
    “Show me the runner and I will get this going.” She looked to Mlina. “Mom, you have the info you need?”
    “Yes.”
    Niad clapped her hands and looked at the client.
    He took her outside and showed her the vehicle. It was not the same as the one she had been on on the way back from the courthouse, but it was in need of her services.
    “May I watch?”
    She blinked. “Um, sure. Do you mind if I use my talent to speed things along?”
    “No, do what you need to.”
    She grinned, fired the vehicle up and flew it around to the work bays. She settled it in a cradle and dismounted. He jogged in behind her.
    Niad glanced at him. “Please settle against the wall. You can ask questions, but I don’t want you in any danger of getting dirty. That outfit costs more than the runner.”
    As she spoke, she started to remove the panels she needed to see the situation, and after that, she used her talent to move hoses, flush lines and reconnect them. The electronics were trickier but less dangerous. She removed one system at a time, removed corrosion and set it back in place.
    A smooth movement of her hand over the side panels removed dents and scratches.
    The cross wiring of the controls made her frown until she realised it was deliberate. The right indicator was rigged to the windscreen defroster and the left was set to activate both signals.
    She smoothed that little bit of confusion out, knowing that it was there to confuse her.
    Niad started the system up, checked the emission levels and settled it back in place. “You need a new filter.”
    The client was staring at her with wide eyes. “Sure.”
    She went to the supply area, got the filter and removed the old one. It had granite dust and black soot in it. This guy got around.
    She set the filter into place, started up the runner and backed it off the cradle and out to the front staging area. The client followed.
    “Okay, go and pay my mom and the runner is