Bastion Science Fiction Magazine - Issue 1, April 2014 by R. Leigh Hennig

Author:R. Leigh Hennig [Hennig, R. Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bastion Publications
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

#

Involuntary gender change seemed to be a continuous learning experience. Eagleberry wondered what lesson he was on as Mr. Van Blois’ eyes slid from the data on his desk scanner to an approving study of his bare legs. Nervously he uncrossed them and pushed the skirt farther toward his knees.

“Look, Mr. Van Blois,” he said, “The Veterans Job Desk confirmed my qualifications for this position despite my, ah… accident.”

“Oh, I have no doubt of the many levels of expertise I see on your resume, Ms. Eagleberry.” He raised an eyebrow questioningly. “I’m assuming I may now address you as Ms. Eagleberry? And a most attractive one, I might add.”

“Only on the outside,” Eagleberry growled.

“What we have here is an anomaly.” Van Blois leaned back in his huge targ hide office chair and contemplated a miniature bronze figurine of a logger with a knife embedded in its back. “Under our current contract with Mr. Daggart’s Verdana Glowloggers Union we are only allowed to employ twenty percent non-human workers with an IQ of no more than fifty-five. Yourself, as a Series A cybernetic andrex, hardly fits into this category.”

Eagleberry felt the chill of looming unemployment. The image of himself beneath a lamp post by the spaceport came to mind.

“Mr. Van Blois—”

“Not that I have anything against cybernetic andrexes personally. Why, some of my best friends in Verdana City are andrexes.” His smile was pious. “The Series D andrexes here at Verdana Glowlog only do the hard and dirty jobs refused by lazy humans.”

“Yessir, I’m sure they do,” said Eagleberry dutifully. The thong panties from Nurse Holley’s donated wardrobe had crept up the crack of his butt. How did chicks put up with wearing those things?

“Of course, to any employer the mechman worker is the ideal employee,” Van Blois continued. “We don’t have to feed, clothe, pay or pamper them. A lube job now and then, a plasma battery every ten years and they’re good to go. You’ve had extensive experience servicing mechman I believe, Mr. Eagleberry?”

“Yessir, we had the standard four phase, nine-twenty volt models when I worked for Satellite Mining.”

“So delighted to hear this.” He chuckled comfortably, then recollecting himself, pressed a button on his desk. “I think you’ll fit in very nicely, Mr. Eagleberry as my, ah…executive officer.”

Relief and joy flooded Eagleberry. “Thanks very much, Mr. Van Blois. I’ll give it my best shot.”

“Excellent! One of my substandard and incompetent human clerks from the front office has been summoned to escort you to Records Department for paperwork and then to your quarters. The head glowlogger, Mr. Daggart has agreed to walk you through our little operation here. Perhaps we can get together tomorrow morning, say about eight?”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.