Hal Spacejock 4: No Free Lunch by Haynes Simon

Author:Haynes, Simon [Haynes, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: novel, spacejock, sci-fi, humour, science fiction comedy, series, science fiction, comedy novel, scifi, humor, comedy
ISBN: 9781877034053
Publisher: Bowman Press
Published: 2011-08-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

While the workers were putting the finishing touches to the Volante, Clunk sorted through the pile of components left over from the upgrades. There was quite a collection, and even though a large quantity had already been ground into fragments for recycling, he managed to put together a fair stash of useful parts.

Bernie watched him in silence, but as the pile grew she couldn’t help commenting. ‘You’re a bit of a pack rat, aren’t you?’

‘We don’t want to be paying for the same parts if one of the upgrades fails.’

‘What will they do with the rest?’

‘They’ll go into the grinder for recycling.’

‘Do you mind if I take a look?’ asked Bernie casually. ‘Head office haven’t sent me any spares for a while, and there might be something I can use.’

‘Go ahead. I don’t suppose Bob will mind.’

Bernie picked through the pile, inspecting circuit boards for suitable parts.

‘Speaking of Bob,’ said Clunk. ‘I’m very grateful for the pressure you brought to bear. Without that …’

‘I wasn’t going to let red tape and petty bureaucracy sideline the Volante. A magnificent vessel like that should be put to work, not left to rot because of the lack of proper authorisation.’ Bernie sighed as she finished her inspection of the junk. ‘There’s nothing here I can use. It’s all too new for my requirements.’

‘I’m sorry. Technology advances quickly.’

‘Not when Mr Spacejock is paying for it,’ said a muffled voice.

‘That’s the Navcom,’ said Clunk, by way of explanation. ‘Ignore her.’

‘You’re lucky I don’t have arms,’ muttered the Navcom.

‘I’d better leave you to it.’ Bernie put her hand out. ‘It was good to meet you, Clunk. I hope you enjoy your stay on Dismolle.’

‘It’s been most instructive.’ They shook, and Clunk watched the huge robot lumber away, leaving deep footprints in the dirt.

‘Hey, robot!’

Clunk turned to see Bob approaching. ‘Yes, human?’

‘That data checked out just fine. Your ship’s ready to go.’

‘Good. Excellent.’

‘If you’d like to come aboard, I’ll go over the major changes with you.’

‘Lead the way.’

* * *

Upstairs, Walsh found a main bedroom, a guest room and a toilet. She went into the main bedroom first, where a chest of drawers contained clothing and linen, old and worn. There was nothing under the bed, and nothing else of interest, so she looked into the guest room. Success! There was a computer terminal on a narrow desk, and she hurried over to switch it on. But instead of a login screen she got a generic boot logo, and when she bypassed that she saw to her annoyance that the system had been wiped. No applications, no files … nothing. Even the material Newman had copied for her was gone. Had he wiped it? Or had someone come along afterwards? Or maybe Cooper’s protection software had trashed the originals when Newman tried to copy the sensitive information.

Walsh searched the drawers and peered under the desk, hoping to find some long-forgotten backup, but all she found was a dead bug with its legs in the air. Disheartened, she switched the terminal off and made for the stairs.

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