Jethro Goes to War (Wandering Engineer Jethro's tale) (41 page)

“
Yeah.”

“
Then it's too
small for you. We've got to keep the skin suit in mind when we fit
you. Try this.” He handed Jethro another then passed the one
Jethro had tried on to Hurranna. “Try it. It'll probably be...”

“
To big. Waaay
too big.” She showed him the forearm view. He could see her
fingers could barely reach the loop controls.

“
Yeah, afraid
of that,” he sighed. He looked over to Jethro. “Fit?”

“
Yeah,”
Jethro nodded. “Loose like you said.”

“
Okay. Use
that for a bit. Keep flexing it.”

“
It won’t
move,” Jethro said, brow knit.

“
Cause it
ain't plugged in. Sorry. Thought you knew.” The armorer took a
cord out and plugged the gauntlet into Jethro's jack. “There.”

Jethro flexed the
gauntlet and then wiggled each finger.

“
Make a fist.”
He did. “Good. Take a stylus and try to write with it. Then
we'll try a shot with it.”

“
I saw one
with claws,” Jethro said softly. He examined the gauntlet
closely, watching the fingers flex and curl.

“
You did?”
the armorer asked surprised as he went over to the chimp and humans.
“Where?”

“
Part of my
ancestors suit.”

“
Where... is
it still around?” the armorer asked curious.

“
Yeah. Come to
think of it. It's in pieces though, it's been cannibalized a few
dozen times,” Jethro said, looking thoughtful.

“
Wont matter.
If it's got the basic frame and armor we can rebuild it. Go get it.
You and you.” He pointed to Sergei.

“
It's on the
station.”

“
I'll get you
a pass,” the armorer announced. “Hell, if you've got that
suit and it's even marginal you just saved me a week’s worth of
work. Maybe two weeks. Worth it even if it just gets you out of my
hair for the time,” he smiled broadly.

Jethro snorted.
“Sure.” He got up. Sergei followed. “Be back in a
bit.”

“
Sure you
will.”

“
Uh the
glove?” Hurranna said with a laugh.

“
Oh yeah.”
The gauntlet came back into the room. She caught it and set it on
Sergei's empty stool.

“
Say hi to the
gang for me,” she called.

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

Jethro checked his
uniform and then looked over Sergei's with a practiced eye.
“Nervous?” the big Liger teased.

“
A little.”

“
Get over it,”
Sergei said knocking on the door.

“
Enter,”
a gruff voice replied.

“
Sir,”
Jethro and Sergei filed in as the door opened and then stood at
attention.

“
What?”
the Major asked sitting up in his chair.

“
Sir we'd like
to go to Anvil for a couple hours.”

“
You two are
green if you're coming to me for a pass instead of your gunny. He's
going to chew you up and spit you out over this one.”

“
We're ah. No
sir. Um, this isn't a pass request sir. The armorer wants us to
retrieve the parts of armor we've got. Or he's got,” Sergei
explained looking to Jethro.

“
Ah,”
the Major toyed with a stylus. “Family heirloom?” he
asked after a moment.

“
Yes sir. My
ancestor was recon. He had his suit when he came to Anvil. He kept it
up until he died. Then when someone fried the circuits trying to use
it they used it for parts.”

“
Hmmm,”
Forth thought for a moment and then smiled a little. “Recon?”

“
Yes sir.”

“
Good,”
the Major stood. He turned and pulled his cover cap off a stand. Then
seated it on his head. He came around the desk and moved to the door.
“Lets go get it. I've always wanted to see one up close and
personal.”

“
Sir?”
Jethro asked confused.

“
I'm going.
This is important son, we don't have the plans for recon or more
advanced armor. With your armor as a template we can fashion more.
Besides, I need to get away before I drown in paperwork.”

“
Oh,”
Jethro said in a small voice. If the Major wanted to play hooky who
was going to stop him? The panther thought fast then shrugged
internally. Certainly not him. Jethro followed the Major out the
door. “I thought they were in a blue print?”

“
No. Oh maybe
somewhere, but not here. The Admiral didn't have anything from Io 11.
Her secret files were fried when he got on board. All Sprite could
resurrect were noncritical and non secret parts and systems.”

“
Oh,”
Sergei said, beating Jethro to the punch. The Major led them to the
boat bay. He nodded to Firefly's avatar and walked to a shuttle.

“
Easy as this
sir?” Sergei asked Jethro under his breath. They boarded and
sat down.

“
No. Just
looks that way,” the Major seemed amused at the question. “I
squirted an e-mail through my link on the way here.”

“
Oh,”
Sergei said.

The Major closed his
eyes and laid his head back in the head rest. “Learn to
multitask son, it could save your arse. Get comfortable, it's a
couple of hours to Anvil. We were on the other side of the shipyard
so it'll take time to go around.”

“
Aye sir,”
Jethro nodded trying to relax. He had a hundred questions but no way
to get any answers until they got where they were going.

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

Jethro checked
Sergei, making sure he could handle the grav sled and then looked at
the Major.

“
Spit it out
son, we don't have all day.”

“
I'm just
wondering why the Matriarch didn't hand the suit over to you sir,”
Jethro admitted.

“
I was
wondering the same thing. I suppose she wanted you to do it.”
He shrugged as they made their way through the corridors to the
freight lifts. “Up or down?”

“
Down sir.”
They loaded up and then waited as the lift dropped. “Do you
think the armorer will get it running again?” Jethro asked.

“
Maybe.
Hopefully.” The Major said. “Riley's good. The suit tech
union here was some pissed when he jumped ship to our camp.”

“
They were?”

“
Yeah. He was
a suit fitter on Avalon four. He heard about Briev and wanted to go
there. Got to here but couldn't afford the next leg so he stayed on
as an EVA suit fitter here.”

“
Oh.”

“
He's seen the
sharp end so he's stable. Besides, the man's got a gift. Crotchety
old bastard, but he's thorough. Doesn't cut corners and isn't above
telling you off if you’re wrong no matter who you are,”
he smiled. “He can work magic with a suit. He really loves
them. Even though he couldn't hack the black.”

“
Ah,”
Jethro nodded. “It's not pleasant,” he admitted.

“
No, after
living in a station for so long, I'd imagine it wasn't,” the
Major snorted. “I need to find someone as an understudy for him
soon.”

“
Ox is doing
that now sir.”

“
Ox? Oh the
Tauren?”

“
Yes sir,”
Sergei nodded. “He's always been into fiddly bits sir.”

“
He would be.
Tauren's have a natural gift for electronics. Too bad he's the last
here.”

“
He is?”
Sergei and Jethro asked in startled unison.

“
Thought you
knew?” the Major asked in amusement. He glanced at them. “He's
from Port-a-Prince. Last Tauren in the system now.”

“
Oh. That...
sucks.”

“
Yeah. He
signed up with us before the flare. His sister was in a suit. Buried
herself and her kids in sandbags next to an airlock. Commander
Harris's crew found them but they'd run out of air.”

“
Oh,”
Jethro shook his head. Damn that sucked. Literally.

“
He was here
when it happened. We tried to give him bereavement leave but he
turned it down. The marines are all the family he has left now.”

“
Oh,”
Jethro said softly.

“
Crap,”
the Major said with feeling, suddenly reaching up to touch his ear.
“I gotta take this,” he grimaced. His mouth worked as he
sub vocalized. His features darkened further and further until
neither cat would look.

After a moment he
had a positively annoyed expression. Jethro was just glad it wasn't
something he did. “Shit. I gotta go,” The Major said
looking up as the lift paused. “You two get the suit without
me. I'll meet you at the shuttle.”

“
Yes sir.
Anything we can do to help?” Jethro asked in concern.

“
No son, not
unless you could do something about that snake pit we've got serving
as a government. Not a damn thing,” the Major sighed as he
walked off shaking his head.

Sergei gave Jethro a
look as the door closed and the drop resumed. “What was that
about?” he asked.

“
Politics
unless I miss my guess. We just caught a whiff of it. Be glad we
don't have to deal with it directly.”

“
Nuke em till
they glow then shoot them in the dark. Lawyers are evil,”
Sergei grumbled.

“
Yeah,”
Jethro breathed. “Yeah.”

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

The Matriarch nodded
to them as they approached. The kits and kids around her looked up
and shushed. She smiled a tight lipped smile and wiggled her ears.
“All right, go help in the kitchens and I'll be with you in a
bit.” The younglings filed out with only a few backward
glances.

“
Godsons it is
good to see you,” she purred, touching Jethro's cheek then
Sergei's. Sergei's giant arm touched her cheek in return.

“
It is good to
see you again godmother,” Sergei said with an ear flick.

“
Here on
business?” she asked amused. “It is far too early for a
break from your training. You do look great in uniform though.”

“
Yes ma'am,”
Jethro nodded.

Her golden eyes
glanced to him as she sat at her table and poured herself a cup of
tea. “And what brings you then? Ah? The suit?”

“
Sometimes it
scares me the way you can do that. Read our minds,” Sergei said
shivering a little.

“
It comes with
knowing you for so long young one,” The Matriarch smiled over
the lip of her cup. “I've known when you got into mischief even
before you did.”

“
Oh boy. That
explains a few things,” Sergei grumbled.

“
And knowing
made it easier to head trouble off at the pass,” Jethro smiled.
“But somehow godmother I think you knew from our smell than
from our minds.”

Her ears flicked.
“Ruining a good trick Jethro?” The Matriarch laughed.
“Indeed. I can smell the hydraulics and metal on you. On your
hands.” She turned to Jethro. “Your right hand.”

He held it up. “I
was trying a gauntlet on. It didn't fit.”

“
Of course it
didn't. You need the armor.” She nodded setting the cup down.
“Come this way.” She nodded to the Liger.

“
Why didn't
you give this to the Major? You gave him the family archive after
all,” Jethro asked.

“
The armor is
personal,” she replied hand paws together in front of her.
“Something you may need. I didn't want it to go to the marines
only for someone else to end up with it.”

“
Ah,”
Jethro nodded.

“
Like who?
You’re the only one it'd fit,” Sergei grumped following
behind with the cart.

They made their way
to the back corridors and then into a seldom used room. The Matriarch
pulled a key pass from her pocket and slipped it through a reader on
the wall. After a moment they could hear a clack of a releasing bolt
then the door swung open slowly.

“
Ah yes. It
needs grease.” She shook her head. “I keep forgetting.
Perhaps one of you can do that little chore sometime on your next
visit.” She reached inside and pulled out a flash light. “Not
that you will need much light with your implants,” she said.