Modulus Echo by Toby Neighbors

Author:Toby Neighbors [Neighbors, Toby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Space Opera, Science Fiction
Publisher: Mythic Adventure Publishing, LLC
Published: 2019-11-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 31

Ben sat hunched over his workbench. He could feel beads of sweat springing upon his forehead, but there was no time to swipe them away. He held microtweezers in one hand, and a soldering iron in the other. He kept a picture of the broken wave generator on his workstation display, and he had plenty of green chip boards to work with, but microchips were tedious to build by hand. A computer could stamp out the tiny chips by the thousands, but it was taking all Ben’s concentration just to recreate one.

“What is this?”

Ben wanted to curse, but instead he sat up and swiped at his forehead with his shirt sleeve. The queen was followed by Duke Simeon and Staff Sergeant Visher.

“I believe this is Engineering,” Visher replied.

“That’s right,” Ben said.

“I think my father had a Kestrel class ship,” Duke Simeon said. “He liked collecting and restoring the old luxury yachts.”

“I hope he did a better job than this,” Queen Ultane said, staring directly at Ben.

It occurred to him that the queen enjoyed upsetting people. Her barbs were aimed at specific targets, as if she gained some sort of perverse pleasure from the distress of others.

“The engineering bay isn’t designed for luxury,” Ben said, forcing a smile. “But we’ve put a lot of effort into making the upper deck as nice as we could. Why don’t you—”

“Please don’t try to tell me where I belong,” the queen said as she approached Ben. “Where are you from?”

“I was born on Torrent Four,” Ben said.

“And this was your family’s ship?”

“No,” Ben said. “She was abandoned in the salvage fields. I restored her myself.”

“What school did you attend?” Duke Simeon asked.

“I didn’t,” Ben confessed.

“What are you saying?” Queen Ultane demanded. “We’re in a ship that has no trained engineer?”

“I know this ship from top to bottom,” Ben said. “I’ve scoured every inch of her hull, checked every one of the heat tiles, and gone over every inch of wiring. I rebuilt the main drive and the fusion reactor. I’ve made repairs on every major system on this ship. I may not have a fancy degree, but I know the Echo and I’d trust her more than a brand-new ship.”

“Your arrogance is off-putting,” the queen said.

“It isn’t arrogance,” Ben replied calmly. “It’s just that sometimes things are learned in a hands-on manner that can’t be taught in a classroom. Besides, I was never given the chance to go to school. On Torrent Four, only the wealthy have a chance to be educated.”

“And your family wasn’t wealthy?” Queen Ultane surmised.

“No,” Ben said. “My parents were poor. They disappeared when I was eleven years old. I was forced out of the tiny apartment they rented. Without family, I was on my own. I had to learn how to survive in the salvage fields.”

“It’s tragic,” the queen said, without an ounce of sympathy in her voice. “But look at you now. Captain of a... a... what kind of ship is this?”

Staff Sergeant Visher looked down at his feet, suddenly uncomfortable.

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