13 Degrees of Separation (28 page)

“Which means passing an inspection,” Clio said from the
overhead speaker. Mairi looked up and the Veraxin made his escape. She scowled
blackly. “Not my idea Miss Jersey, and we both missed it.”

“I missed it? I didn't know! How could I know! I've never
been here!”

“Which isn't an acceptable excuse apparently, I've already
tried it. We'll have to deal with it. But before we can get you back into space
we've got to get your ship sorted out.”

“Frack me!” Mairi cursed, wanting to throw something. She
stopped herself before she could throw her helmet. Finally, anger unsatisfied
but at least checked she sank against the wall. “What the hell did I just get
myself into?” she demanded, rolling her head back and forth.

“We'll deal with it one step at a time Miss Jersey,” Clio
responded. “The important thing is that you are here now. Now we have to move
on from here.”

“Right,” Mairi sighed. “Only problem is I don't have the
money. For the parts or the fee!”

“Or the registration charge,” Clio responded. The girl
cursed again. “Which I as a member of the board am covering. We can settle up
later. You own the tug and are acting as a free agent so we are paying for part
of the maintenance, and I suppose we should pay at least half of your fine
since I missed that too,” Clio said.

“Thanks but I'll pay my own freight. I don't want a free
ride,” Mairi replied. Free rides came with strings she knew. Uncle Edgar's
maxim something or other. Five or six, she thought with disgust.

“As I said, we'll work it out. If you insist on paying for
the parts we can work out a payment plan later. The important thing is to get
the ball rolling.”

“Right.”

“However you aren't a licensed mechanic, so you can't do
the work. Which means we need to hire one... right after we get your pilot's
license,” Clio said. After she said that she tuned out the girl who was giving
every effort into turning the air around her as blue as her hair.

“My my, such a temper. You'll fit right in with Savo and
Howie I believe,” Clio responded.

...*...*...*...*...

When Mairi settled down she dove into work, tearing at her
ship. She couldn't do the repair but she could do the tear down, after all, she
knew what worked and what didn't. Howie came by long enough to help her drag a
tool chest closer to the Bitch so she could work more efficiently. He retreated
when her sullen rage penetrated his annoyance at being called down there.

“You're welcome,” he muttered as he left. He didn't see her
hand come up and flip him the bird as he left. The hand held for a few seconds
and then went back to work.

...*...*...*...*...

“Are you kidding me?” Taylor asked, aghast. “Who thought
that up?” he demanded after Clio sent them a report of the flight and fine.

“Someone was quick on the trigger there,” Rahsa responded.
She wasn't at all happy about the fine. The girl wasn't either it seemed. “But
she wasn't fined for piloting?”

“No. I argued that she was and is a pilot in Senka space
and is not an employee of the station or one of the industrial corporations.
All of them require a license, we don't,” Clio replied, smiling.

“Cute,” Taylor replied with a snort. “I bet that didn't go
over well,” he said.

“Strangely no. Nor did my pointing out that a license was
not a requirement to fly your own personal craft. I believe that will be added
to the station agenda soon.”

“Yes, and who ever brings it up will put themselves
squarely in our cross hairs,” Rasha said darkly, eyes flashing. “Only someone
behind this would try that, and only if they were stupid or arrogant...”

Taylor looked at his enchantment wife in surprise. She
shrugged off the anger with difficulty. He nodded as she regained control. “We
know someone on the council is behind the harassment, but I'm not so sure it is
Yan Fu. It could be, but I doubt it. Kennet on the other hand.”

“Him yes,” Rahsa replied. “He's a vindictive prick. He'd do
it just out of spite for the admiral,” she said.

“True,” Clio responded.

“Are you walking her through the permits now?”

“Yes. Well, actually Savo greased the wheels in his own
way. She's got an emergency filing and has a permit on file. She's on her way
to pay the fine and get her license and registration sorted out now. Petunia is
with her.”

“Lovely.”

...*...*...*...*...

Mairi fumed in the line, not at all amused by the number of
people. Petunia stood patiently with her, occasionally cuffing in amusement
over someone or something she saw. “This is so bull,” Mairi muttered for the
umpteenth time.

“Yeah well, take the good with the bad.”

“I mean, papers? A test? I've been a pilot for nearly ten
years!”

“Maybe in Senka, but no one here knows that. Which is why
you've got to have proof,” Petunia sighed. They hadn't set the girl up with
access to a credit line so she was along to 'foot the bill' as her husband had
pithily said. “We can't get the registration until the tug passes inspection but
we can get the ball rolling now before some A hole tries to block us.”

“Right. Which means...” Mairi sighed in relief as another
window opened. The next in line shifted to that window, and the line she was in
split as people moved forward into two lines. Suddenly she went from fourth to
second. She grinned. “Now that's more like it,” she said.

“I'm actually surprised there are so many people here. I
didn't know so many people wanted to become a pilot.”

“It's not the want it's the permit actually,” the guy behind
them said. “Pilot licensing is over there. This is basic stuff.”

“Great,” Mairi said, looking at another line further away.
The gray room was appalling. Three people behind Plexiglas windows typing at
computers while people stood around as if they had nothing better to do. This
could all be done electronically but did they think of that? No! Of course not!
That'd make sense!

“What was that?” Petunia asked turning her gargantuan head
to the girl.

Mairi shrugged. “Nothin,” she sighed, sullen.

“Cheer up kid, we're there,” the gorilla said, nodding as
the guy in front of them took his ID and left.

“Finally,” Mairi sighed as they stepped forward.

The girl behind the counter smiled slightly as she asked
for their ID and documents. Mairi pulled her ID from her breast pocket as the
gorilla handed over a flash chip. The girl plugged it in and checked the
documents over.

“It seems a bit irregular but you did prove your
competence. Do you have the money for the fine?” the girl asked, running a hand
through her hair.

“Right here,” Petunia said, mashing her right thumb against
the credit screen on the counter.

The girl looked at her display and then nodded as Petunia
withdrew her hand.  “Credit approved. Preliminary registration approved pending
final inspection. You'll have to dot all your I's and cross all your T's
though,” she warned, typing.

“We'll get it covered,” Petunia replied.

“Good. Pilot license approved since the pilot has a decade
of previous experience. Did you really start when you were six?” she asked,
looking up.

Mairi shrugged. “Yeah. Six and a half actually.”

“Ah,” the girl nodded. She smiled a little, flirting. When
Mairi didn't respond the gorilla chuffed in annoyance. The girl glanced at her
and then nodded.

“Sorry, all clear. Here you go,” she said as a machine
chattered. She smiled and took the new ID card from the machine and slipped it
onto the counter. Mairi picked it up frowning.

The girl leaned forward and then looked left and right.
“And tell Savo were even. Got it?” she whispered and then winked.

“Okay,” Mairi said, voice pitched low in response. The girl
sat back and nodded. She pulled the flash stick and passed it back as well.

“Glad that's settled. Call us in less than ten days for the
inspection or you'll have to start the process all over again. Good luck, good
flying,” she said by way of dismissal. The ladies nodded and turned away,
walking.

Mairi stared at the card, confused. When she flipped it
over she swore at the picture. “My hair!” she said, reaching up to her sweaty
blue mass. She was aghast at it and her expression. Obviously a hidden camera
had taken the image. It glittered and moved with her.

Petunia chuffed, looking over her shoulder at it. “That's
normal. Everyone who goes to the DSV gets that treatment. It's tradition,” she
said.

“Argth!” Mairi grumbled, but not really feeling any angst.
At least she had the damn thing, and a lot easier than she'd expected. “Any
idea what that was about? And why I didn't have to take any test or pass a
flight exam?”

“Nope, I expect we won't know. I can guess though, but I'm
not saying. I do owe my hubby though.”

“Right,” Mairi said, feeling a warm spot for the chimp.

...*...*...*...*...

Kennet noted the pilot had a license and dropped his
proposal before he submitted it to the council. He was annoyed, someone in the
dogs had moved quickly to get that hole covered. This was fun in a way, like a
game of chess. He liked it, he liked the thrill it gave him, and stomping all
over the dogs made his day. Their getting at least one past him wasn't amusing
however. “Well, I guess I can't win them all,” he muttered, eyes narrowed. He
didn't intend to let them win another match though. He wanted this over, game
set match.

...*...*...*...*...

Clio noted another oversight and shook her head. She quickly
jotted out a memo to Savo and then another to the girl. She added hyperlinks to
help the girl and then tossed it into her in-box and programmed her screen to
alert her.

...*...*...*...*...

Mairi came into her quarters and swore at the blinking
message icon on the wall screen and on the tablet on the small coffee table.
She shook her head and stripped out of her coverall and padded to the shower.
Whatever it was it could damn well
wait
she thought, getting in for a
quick ultrasonic cleaning.

When she was through she wrapped a towel around her small
frame, got a drink and a can of artificial tuna, from the small fridge snagged
a plastic fork from the silverware drawer, and then went to the couch. “Yum,”
she said taking her first forkful of tuna into her mouth and savoring the
taste. She loved the stuff. Her mother preferred it on bread. Since they'd
gotten here her mother had started in about developing a proper pallet. Well,
she could do that, she had time. Mairi however had her own ideas about what tasted
good and would stick to them. She grinned as she ate another bite and then
looked at the red message icon blaring at her from the wall screen.

With a sigh she set the drink and food items down before
she plopped down and picked up the tablet. “What now?” she demanded softly. She
looked around. She hadn't noticed any sounds of her mother. She must be out and
about. That could be good or bad she thought.

After a long moment she shrugged and hit the icon. It was
from Clio, which was a relief. Then she swore. Apparently according to the
e-mail her account she had been using was set up through the Mariah's Mischief.
She needed to set up a bank account here on the station. Swearing again she
angrily tapped at the links handily provided and started filling in the blanks
on the application form. She hated paperwork damn it! She was too tired for
this! But it couldn't wait according to Clio's report.

When she was finished she clicked send. After a moment the
sent icon blinked and then was replaced by a smiling Clio. “See? Now that
wasn't so hard was it?” she asked.

“OH!” Mairi said, hand going to her loose towel.

“Oh I don't go for that sort of organic stuff. I'm an AI,”
Clio said dismissively.

“Is that why you wear a bed sheet?” Mairi asked, picking up
her drink. She'd heard about AI, but hadn't known any until now. She felt a
little giddy about talking with one. For ages people had whispered about the
constructs, and how they could know everything and do things organics couldn't
do. It was a mix of reverence and awe that had infested many. She too had it,
but constant exposure with Clio and the paperwork she usually dumped on Mairi
rubbed most of that hero worshiping off... fast.

Clio's eyes narrowed. “It's called a toga.”

“Okay. Funny sheet name.”

“Toga. You know what? Look it up sometime. Kids these
days,” Clio grumbled and then blinked out.

“Whatever,” Mairi sighed, glad to be alone again. She
picked up the TV remote and clicked the wall screen over to the news. “Let's
see what's on,” she said, sitting back with the tuna in her hand, fork in the
other and smiled. All was right with the universe again.

Chapter
4

Ralph was tapped to hire two new prospects when they came
in. They just didn't have the time to do a formal interview with the entire
staff, everyone was too busy with their own things going on. Ralph felt
distinctively uncomfortable but grimly determined to rise and meet the
challenge. He didn't want to disappoint Alice after all.