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Nellie and the Nanites - Bk3 - Ch.44
🕑 Added 2024-06-27 08:05:01 +0000 UTCChapter 44
Adjustments.
“Just so we are clear,” Crush said with a lazy smile. “You are allowed to visit to deliver good news. It doesn’t only have to be bad tidings.”
“I didn’t make the universe; I’m just trying to live in it,” Nellie replied, her voice laced with the dry resilience that Crush found both frustrating and endearing.
“Yeah,” Crush rubbed the scales on the back of his head as he tried to adjust to this new shit-show. While he thought, Crush looked over at Nellie and noticed the changes. Command permanently changed people; it was only how that differed. Some became more serious, rarely smiling, as the weight of it was a constant drain on them. That had been how it took Crush with his first taste of command. It had taken years to remember that smiling wouldn’t end his world.
He had to come all the way out here for a start.
Nellie had changed even more than that, however.
Ever since his first meeting with her, Crush had noted her cynical attitude and deep distrust of the world. Nellie was no bright-eyed innocent and probably never had been. Something bad had happened in her past, and it had marked her for life. Even when they met again, here on this moon in the middle of nowhere, there had been that other thing. Optimism, hope, call it what you like. There had been a softness there, buried deep inside.
Something had happened recently, something he didn’t know about, and that softness was gone.
Looking at her now, Crush saw someone who would scare any reasonable man.
Luckily, Crush was not a reasonable man.
“What happened?” Crush asked eventually. “To you, I mean.”
“Nothing,” Nellie frowned. “I had to defend the natives because they were being attacked by someone from space. Kind of a sore spot for me, if you remember?”
“Yeah,” Crush nodded. “I didn’t mean that.”
“Then what do you mean?” Nellie asked.
“You know what I mean,” Crush insisted.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nellie replied instantly.
“A pretty good sign that you need to,” Crush said seriously. “Want to talk, one friend to another?”
Crush sat back, listening as Nellie poured it all out, nodding along and offering the right words at the same time but not really paying too great attention to the details.
It was sad, but he didn’t need the play-by-play. He knew what had happened because it had happened to him a long time ago.
A part of Crush died the day he saw his mentor and friend give in to the darkness inside him. Something soft, hopeful, and bright had been snuffed out in that moment.
The same thing had happened to Nellie.
Everybody, from the most jaded soldier in history to the monk who never left their mountain peak where nothing bad ever happened, shared a single thing. Everyone was born with a dream inside them. People required that dream to function properly. It was the dream of everything being okay in the end. No matter how bad it got, how nasty, there was always the dream of tomorrow.
It took something nasty to pop that bubble, but once it was gone, you couldn’t get it back.
That single dream was the core of everything that let people ignore the worst in the world, the hard edges and sharp points. When it was lost, everything looked darker, meaner, and a lot more dangerous.
The veneer of society suddenly looked a lot thinner and much more fragile once you saw how easily it peeled away and saw all the blood and bone underneath.
That was what had happened to Nellie on that volcanic nightmare of a planet.
Someone peeled back the skin, and now she could never forget the nastiness beneath.
“...I don’t really know what else to say,” Nellie said, her eyes bright with a mix of sadness and anger. “There’s no way back to who I was before, is there?”
“No,” Crush admitted sadly. “But it gets easier to live with if that helps.”
“Thanks,” Nellie sighed, “But it really doesn’t.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Crush chuckled. “I just couldn’t think of anything else to say.”
They smiled at each other.
“So, what are your plans?” Crush asked after he gave Nellie a minute to relax.
“There will be more ships coming soon,” Nellie said grimly, “If we make it through that, there’s going to be more.”
“Picked a fight you can’t win?” Crush asked.
“I never pick any other kind, do I?” Nellie huffed.
“Yeah, but you are still here.” Crush said, “Can this soldier offer some advice?”
“Please,” Nellie said earnestly.
“Don’t play fair. Don’t hold anything back, and don’t give them a single chance. Everyone has stupid ideas of honor in battle, and perhaps that is a good thing for the stronger side. In the middle of a battle, where metal and laser meet flesh? There are no morals, no rules, and no mercy. Offer none, and expect none in return. Hit them hard, and don’t stop hitting until there is nothing but brains on the floor.”
Nellie nodded, her eyes as hard as steel as they stared at each other.
“If some run, that’s fine, but kill them if they come at you. No first chances, let alone second ones,” Crush went on. “They’ll have more ships, more people, and no qualms about killing you. Never forget that, and don’t hesitate.”
“Not exactly the diplomatic approach,” Nellie said.
“Diplomacy is what you do when you run out of things to throw at the enemy,” Crush said with conviction. “Trust me, Nellie.”
“I do,” Nellie said, running her hands through her hair, which immediately fell back into perfect shape in defiance of all natural laws.
After Nellie left, Crush went to work. As much as he wished the best for Nellie and her people, he had to plan for them to fail. That was the only way for his people to make it.
Duke had a new friend, it seemed, which meant that his deal with Crush was unlikely to continue for much longer. Not that Crush had planned on it going on for much longer. Plants crunched under his feet. One of the drawbacks of the crystals was that everything grew bloody fast. That included any natural ground cover in the area. At the moment, they were cutting it back twice a day and still fighting a losing battle. Twice now, they had to cut back some roots, trying to push through the small cracks between the compartment sections. It was crazy and something Crush had never even considered. Until recently, plants were just something that kind of sat there, handy for cover if you needed to hide.
It had never occurred to him how much of a danger they could pose to structures. Admittedly, they were getting weeks of growth a day, but still.
Moving past the work crews reinforcing the walls in their massive exo suits, courtesy of Nellie’s people, Crush moved toward the back of the colony and the newest building, one completely off-limits to Nellie’s Cents.
It was his secret plan to defend the place, and total secrecy had been required right from the start.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Nellie or her people. It was just what you did. Something your neighbors and allies just didn’t need to know.
Cara whistled as he approached the hedge that hid their newest building, her own perch concealed nearby.
Crush whistled the countersign, and a section of the hedge clicked once before swinging inward.
“Bil, how are we doing here?” Crush asked.
“No one has even made it to the hedge, boss,” Bil-Tor smiled. “I just stand here and relax all day. The best duty I ever had.”
“I'm Glad to hear it,” Crush smiled. “I’ll be working here for the next few hours. Let me know if anything comes up.”
“Roger that,” Bil-Tor took Crush’s datapad, sliding it into a slot next to the guard post. No electronic devices were allowed inside, just in case a curious nanite had hitched a ride. Lucy would be bound to think of that sooner or later.
Crush ignored the door, which was utterly false, and headed to the side of the metal structure, punching in a short sequence on what appeared to be a defunct keypad.
A section of the wall hissed and slid smoothly aside.
He felt his eyes narrow as he heard voices from inside…
“No, look, it’s fine,” There was a loud clattering, “Oops.”
“I told you not to touch it!”
“I’ll put it back on!”
“No!”
Another clattering, then a thud.
Crush hurried inside, recognizing the voices.
“Banjo said no hitting!”
“He also said no touching!”
“He did not!”
“He would have if he knew you were going to break things!”
“It’s not my fault it falls apart if you touch it.”
“Stop!” Crush yelled as he stalked into the bay. The scene in front of him was the stuff of his nightmares. His perfectly organized tools were spread across the floor while his ‘secret’ project hung from the supports, with one arm missing entirely.
Said arm was currently being held in the hands of Prim, who was looking innocent, while Quad had his arms crossed and Tri was sat in the corner of the room, apparently engrossed in whatever was on his datapad.
Sec was beyond hope of pretending innocence. He was currently clinging to the back of the exo suit, with one of the new mounts clearly broken off in his hand.
“He did it!” Prim exclaimed, shamelessly pointing at Sec.
“I can explain everything?” Sec tried.
“This area is off limits!” Crush growled.
“Why?” Tri called from over by the wall.
“This is a secret project,” Crush tried his best not to lose his temper, reminding himself that these idiots were technically his guests.
“Then why is there a hole in the wall?” Quad asked.
“A what!” Crush snapped.
“Yeah, look!” Prim dropped the arm with a clang and darted across to the rear wall. “See, it comes right off!” She wrenched the panel free, revealing the exterior panel lying on the floor outside.
“That was not like that when I left earlier.” Crush whistled, and Bil-Tor and Cara came rushing in, swearing when they saw the Cents.
“Well, it is now,” Tri shrugged. “We found it that way and got curious.”
“Who found it?” Cara asked suspiciously.
Three fingers pointed at Sec.
“I didn’t do anything!” Sec protested as several small bolts fell from the belt pouch he wasn’t supposed to have on when he wasn’t working in the lab. “Uh, Oops?”
“Call Nellie back and get her to come see me,” Crush growled to Cara. “Now.”
“Wait!” All four of the Cents shouted at once.
“What?” Crush asked.
“Is there any way we could not mention this to the Queen?” Prim asked quickly. “Surely, she has better things to worry about?”
“Queen?” Cara asked.
“A thing happened,” Crush waved the unspoken question away. “Why wouldn’t we tell her?”
“We can fix it?” Sec asked.
“We could make it better,” Quad said confidently.
“Less likely to fall apart, for a start,” Sec offered as another piece snapped free in his hand. “Unless that is part of the design?”
“I haven’t secured any of this yet! I was still working on a design!” Crush glowered at the freshly broken handle in Sec’s hand.
“No shit,” Tri laughed. “Have you ever even seen a real mechanical arm?”
“We have!” Prim said smartly, gesturing at her own. “Plus, we know the Tiny-Exo- Suit, Mark 2 like the back of our hand.”
“We helped design it!” Sec offered.
“No, we didn’t,” Prim snapped.
“I was in the room!” Sec protested.
“You brought Paren a drink!” Prim rounded on the other Cent.
“That was helpful!” Sec snapped back.
“Idiot! Leave this to me!” Prim turned back to Crush a second before the broken handle bounced off the back of her head. “Excuse me a moment,” Prim said brightly and then launched herself at Sec.
“Pretty sure this is not going to stop anytime soon,” Quad offered as he wandered over to stand next to Crush. “It never does.”
“They are destroying my work,” Crush said, now so far beyond angry that he seemed to be floating on a sea of calm.
“Here,” Tri handed the datapad to Crush. “This will work better.”
Crush looked down at the detailed blueprints for converting a Tiny into something closer to what he had originally wanted than he had ever gotten.
“Where did you get this?” Crush asked, scrolling through two other designs, one half-finished.
“He’s weird,” Quad offered. “His mind is all gears and levers and shit.”
“So’s yours,” Tri noted. “All of ours, actually.”
“Boss?” Cara asked.
“Forget it,” Crush handed back the datapad. “Let them do it.”
“Really?” Bil-Tor asked.
“Really,” Crush through his hands in the air. “Fuck it, I’m going to bed.”
He turned back at the door. “You lot, no one leaves until I say so!”
“Uh huh,” Quad waved.
“If you do, I’ll chuck everybody out, and you can explain it to Nellie,” Crush called over his shoulder.
The sudden silence inside made him feel a little better, but not much.
===<<<>>>===
Nellie walked into the conference room to find everyone already seated. One advantage of being the boss was not having to worry about arriving last.
There was no one to judge her.
Lucy was tapping her foot impatiently, which sent that thought skipping away into the corner of her mind. Pissing off Lucy never ended well.
“Sorry for the delay,” Nellie smiled at Lucy, who frowned. Damnit!
“No problem, Captain,” Salem replied. “Is there something you need?”
“Something we all need,” Remy said, sitting forward.
“What?” Lucy asked. “And do I need to be physically present? I have a lot to do.”
“Not really,” Nellie said sadly, “I just missed you.”
Lucy smiled and sat back in her seat.
Yes! Groveling for the win!
“The recent recordings from the surface indicate the Imperial Line threat might arrive sooner than expected,” Remy said, standing as he addressed the staff. “Under Manager Carter discussed matters with the Colonial Council and indicated at least two more ships in their group. I can only assume that they will come to check on their missing ship.”
“How long was their jump to get here?” Nellie asked.
“Their computer indicated a one-day transit time,” Lucy replied. “I’ve torn the systems apart, and I have to admit that we might be faced with issues should the reinforcements be their most recent contacts. Comm unit recorded transmissions with a cruiser and a frigate.”
“A cruiser?” Remy asked. “Anyway to know if they have other ships on board?”
“We have to assume up to ten combat shuttles,” Lucy stood. “I recommend converting the ship as is rather than breaking it down. We will need that ship functional.”
“Agreed,” Remy nodded. “Most common emergency response times are forty-eight hours. That doesn’t give us long.”
“Lucy, the station’s resources are yours to command,” Salem replied.
“Who will command?” Remy asked.
“Do you want it?” Nellie asked Lucy.
“I’d be more use on the Bly,” Lucy shook her head. “I won’t be able to integrate the nanites deeply into the repaired ship fast enough.”
“Fine,” Nellie said, she would be happier to have Lucy with her, even if she always—technically—was.
Salem: Suggestion, Ma’am?
Nellie: Go ahead.
Salem: With Lucy on board the Bly, why not transfer command of the new ship to
one of your current bridge crew?
Lucy: Not a bad idea, Salem. We could give it to Remy.
Salem: He already has duties on the Station and the Bly.
Nellie: How about Vey? He has tactical training; does that include ships?
Lucy: It does.
Salem: A fine choice.
The entire conversation happened in less than a second, the words scrolling so fast that an unenhanced person would never even see them.
“We have an agreement,” Lucy said. “I’ll get to work.”
“We do?” Remy asked.
“Call Vey to the room, please?” Nellie asked Salem.
“Already done,” Salem replied. “He is in the airlock now.”
Nellie and Salem traded smiles while they waited a few minutes for Vey to navigate the station.
A knock sounded politely on the door, and Salem called him in.
“Vey, thanks for coming,” Nellie grinned at him. There were a lot of things she hated about being in charge. It was about time she found one she really liked. Up until now she had not had the chance to promote anyone. Technically, making Salem the station Administrator had been a promotion, but this felt different somehow.
“How may I help?” Vey looked around at their serious faces, clearly feeling a little anxious. Like most trained soldiers, Vey defaulted to training and stood at parade rest, legs apart and hands clasped behind his back. Staring straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the bulkhead on the far side of the room. His anxiety showed in his eyes, which darted around occasionally while he waited for the other shoe to drop.
“We will have a new ship in the next day or so,” Nellie said, standing up.
“Yes, Captain.”
“It will need a captain to oversee it,” Nellie said.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Congratulations, Vey,” Nellie grinned.
“Me?” Vey’s eyes bugged out of his head.
“Yes, Captain,” Nellie said as the cheering started.
