The Apprentice Starship Engineer: Book One The Link Read Free Page B

fished my assistant out of my pocket. He frowned “No, where is the one they gave you?” he asked.
    “I just arrived.”
    “Ah, you’re that apprentice janitor who held us up.”
    I flinched. After the lecture Jack had just given me, I was shocked to hear his insult. “Yeah, I’m the apprentice who made you wait.”
    “Figures. You can get a new assistant at ship stores, if you can find it,” he said as he turned and walked away.
    I wandered around until I found a door that opened for me. Inside I used a console to find my way to ships stores.
    My first thought was I must have misread the placard. A young man sat behind the counter. He looked like death warmed over, holding his head with both hands and peered up at me through bloodshot eyes. He let out a soft moan. I introduced myself as Drake Wilson, the guy who’d held up the shuttle.
    “So you missed orientation, the pre-launch meetings and parties? Them college girls sure like to party. I have your kit. That other kid backed out at the last minute.  Well, that’s the official story. Truth is Jack tossed him off the ship and said he needed to grow up and became a man. When Jack asks you to do something, you’ll want to do it. He doesn’t put up with much shit from apprentices. If you piss him off, you might just spend the rest of the trip as a janitor.”
    He walked across the room to a screen where he made several entries. Servos whined, then a door opened. He reached in and pulled out a package. “Here you go. Press your thumb on that pad and we’re set. I’m Brice. Good to meet you, Drake,” he said, holding out a hand. I shook it.
    “Brice, could you show me how to use this assistant?” I pulled it out of the package. “I heard it could help me find my way.”
    I turned it on, and a deep, sexy woman’s voice said, “I’m ready, are you?” I looked up at Brice, who laughed.
    “Oh, yeah, I forgot Mitch, that’s the kid who you took the place of, pissed off Jenny. She got hold of his assistant and set it up so no one can change it back. Well, she might.”
    “This dam thing is embarrassing. Brice, don’t you have another one? Everyone is going to think I’m a weird pervert.”
    Brice shook his head. “No, we have few spares, and engineering assistants are impossible to break and are very expensive. They’re actual AIs, not like the dumb assistant I have. We only carry a few, and I can’t release them without the captain’s approval.”
    “Could I trade?”
    “I can’t even get to them without the captain entering her code.”
    I looked at the assistant. It was a lot better than the one I owned. A Maxim four series with extended processors and a real AI. “This will do. Just show me how it works.”
    “Well, I can’t tell you everything as I don’t know everything, but here.” He took my assistant and tapped the screen. “What’s your name?”
    “Margret,” the assistant replied.
    “Margret, meet Drake Wilson. He’s your owner now.”
    “What happened to Mitch?”
    “He backed out.”
    “You mean Jack threw him out, don’t you?”
    “No one is saying, but you’re right,” Brice said. “Rumor has it Jack grabbed Mitch by the ear and marched him off the ship.”
    “Good. Mitch tried to destroy me. Drake Wilson. Oh, I see. Your records show you’re very smart. Just twelve percent of the union entrants pass the exams on their first try. No one has ever gotten as high of a score as you. Drake, did you cheat? If you did, you were stupid to hit the scores so high. Don’t answer me, honey. If you cheated, it’ll become clear soon enough. And, darling, I don’t want to start out with you lying to me. If you treat me well—that means never turning me off and keeping me with you—I’ll serve you well.”
    “I don’t cheat. I earn what I get!” I said.
    “Well, it’s possible. Your father has a doctorate in engineering, and your mother holds a doctorate in English and a minor in art. You were home schooled and played