Page 67 of Experimental Voyage
The systems for the animals worried me and had been the primary driving force behind asking Halgrissi, the strictest of the instructors, to confirm my work.
Squeakers settled into the serious business of snuggling while Waldren claimed his precious Palta and held her, settling her front paws on his shoulder.
The death horses, having been set free and asked to stay near the ship, worked at mowing the spaceport grass.
“All right. Take me on a tour, Camellia. I’m expecting perfection out of you.”
Halgrissi expected perfection out of everybody, which was part of what made him an excellent instructor and mechanic. I began with the cargo bay, nodding in the direction of the control panel for the ramp. “The upgrade was reinforcementsto the cargo bay doors and hull, and fortunately, that had been professionally installed before he went the kit route. All I did for those was confirm the software adjustments he made trying to fix everything else hadn’t broken anything.”
Like me, Halgrissi possessed a link. Unlike me, he had decades of experience using it, and he spent three minutes with the control panel before giving a nod. “This is in order. You even remembered to update the log files, and you didn’t screw up the syntax this time. Good work. I despaired when you first came into class and had no idea what syntax was, why you might need to use it, or anything useful for a mechanic.”
“At least I understood how vital mechanics are.” Some in my class hadn’t. Then again, the rest of my class was still working on basic engine components while I’d skipped around from practical lab to practical lab, assembling parts, dealing with Halgrissi’s wretched sense of humor, and building experience. “Some of your tricks were quite nasty, sir.”
He chuckled at my comment. “They were, but they gave you the foundations you needed to work on this beauty. Show me something that actually challenged you, else you’ll surely save the best for last and bore the snot out of both of us before this inspection is over.”
In their effort to earn a spot in the competition, the Ivory Tails had sent a stasis machine and a box of mismatched crystals. The stasis machine, which could be operated by one person and handle up to a Veloc, was among the best on the market. Matching it with one of the shiftgems had almost cost me my sanity. It hadn’t been until the stone embedded in my head had begun singing, a faint chime that resonated through the entirety of my head, that I’d gotten a rather rude awakening regarding the hitchhiker that had both saved my life and had stolen my hearing.
My hearing would become a problem in the future.
While gradual, I suspected it somehow returned despite the shiftgem crystal embedded in my brain.
I would need to undergo tests, and I wished to avoid them, at least for a while.
Finding a spot for the stasis machine had created even more problems for me, but I’d convinced Waldren to sacrifice a utility closet for the device, converting every spare inch of extra space to cubbies for storage.
My cubbies might cost Halgrissi his sanity.
I opened the closet door, secured it with the magnet I’d acquired for the purpose, and had him check over that first.
“That is not the customary use for that type of magnet, but I’m giving you full points for ingenuity; it works, takes up no additional space, and prevents accidents in a room that cannot afford any. If my eyes do not deceive me, that is a stasis unit.”
I pointed at one of the cubbies I’d created. “The reversal unit is in there. They sent the units with a mismatched set of shiftgems, and I had to find two that worked. The reversal unit was easy.” The first shiftgem I’d laid hands on had been absolute perfection. “The stasis chamber might be the reason I go mad.”
“Let’s have a look at it and put you at ease.”
Halgrissi entered the room and went to work, going over everything with comforting thoroughness. He removed the shiftgem crystal, examined and measured it, and nodded his approval before reinstalling it. “Excellent stone choice. This is a highly resonant crystal. I know you’re not all that advanced with your link usage yet, but we call these types of stones singers. Singers of this color and clarity are highly prized for stasis and revival units. I would have assumed this would have gone into the revival unit.”
“The revival stone is better,” I replied, pointing at the cubby with the unit. Part of me wanted to mention I’d justknownthe purpose of the stone upon laying a hand on it, but I’d alreadyvexed everyone on the planet as it was with the shard embedded in my skull.
Adding more complexity to my situation wouldn’t do me any good. Maybe one day, I’d delve deeper into my shiftgem’s secrets.
For the moment, I would enjoy life. I’d also drop hints or bludgeon Waldren until he answered me one way or another, and chase after my every whim.
Halgrissi investigated the revival unit, and he whistled upon examining the stone. “You’re not joking. This shiftgem is priceless. Where did you get it?”
“I challenged a bunch of Veloc, well aware things would become ridiculous. Wait until you see the other ship. That one is mine, and Iwillbe learning to fly her. There are five stasis stalls installed, and the stasis systems are fully operational and set on contingency during emergencies. The stalls can handle two beings at one time and have full sedation systems.”
“That is excessive,” he informed me.
I nodded. “Honestly, after I investigated the stasis systems in those stalls, I decided I wasn’t quite ready to handle the rest of the toys on that ship. I’m still trying to figure out how they got her that quickly. Even if they started scheming the day I arrived on Cremora Delta, it would be another two years before a ship this customized would be ready.”
“The ship has been for sale with everything but the animal upgrades,” Waldren replied. “I’d actually been looking at buying her, but those damned Veloc beat me to the chase. She’s been up for sale for three months now, but her price tag was horrific. She’s a dream ship, and the upgrades for our animals are top of the line. It doesn’t get any better than her for racers, and she’s also suitable for long hauls, and that’s after counting the space those stalls take up.”
“They’re worth it.”
“Your death horses are worth it, but you’re going to be hired to haul animals off that blasted world several times a year after word spreads about Plague and Pestilence. Universal authorities are already heading over to get a full head count on the species and identify all animals that will die in the next few months. Those animals will be treated, taken off world, and put into protectorates to populate the species. And the Veloc clan that adopts you will get rights to them all.”
“I’m not sure why that would be the case,” I admitted.
