Original Fan Fiction. E.Vent. Shadows of Ghosts Part I CH.1

[Dunne]

Part I
?It is the arrogant, hot shot, fly boys whom are the ones that save us, you know?
- Cale Macrynthl



Chapter 1. The Smoking Wire


2315, May 8. U.E.A.
Space Sector Alpha, Planet Rallodawn
Continent Rence, Province Percival
Sphere of Influence: U.E.A. Enforcers, U.E.A Military Owned Planet
Subdivisions; U.E.A Enforcers training facilities
Local Late Morning

The room was spacious, of course any room that was under ground was spacious, wide enough to have a platoon of troops inside lined abreast, yet the room had combat simulators strewn about at even intervals, with each simulator having a cable run to the ground and under the carpet and connected to the main systems computer outlet that fed information to the cables leading up to it. Their where only a few people scattered about, and most where on the combat simulator training and running flight programs. The simulator room was one of the many rooms part of the training base of the planet Rallodawn, a military owned planet that trained young men joining the police forces and military ranks of The U.E.A..
The lone figure that was by one of the simulators was welding a computer cable back together, next to him, a younger teenager was standing a little worried over the possible permanent damage he had the computer suffer through, and beside, a small robot observing over the shoulder of the older teenager welding the cable.
Cale Macrynthl liked his job. The pay was enough for him and he also did not have to pay rent because he lived at the training base. He is an all purpose mechanic quite valuable in the times where unnoticed droids do all the standard maintenance. He was tall, a little under six feet, and young, with unruly sandy blond hair, able to hold his own ground, his eyes where a cold steel gray, and had slight feigns of black in them. He wore a gray jump suit with many pockets and some well used all purpose boots. He is sixteen. He is also very skilled at making things go faster and run better, like making an old hunk of junk of a ship and makes it go faster that with the engine it was given, and he was also very good at creating small computers and robots, like his mechanical assistant that he built from scratch.
The small droid had four wheels for movement and had a hover thruster configuration for flying. It could also turn in to a humanoid form to assist him with his work. It had the appearance of a remote toy racing vehicle for concealment in the luggage when he traveled but also could change into a robot to assist him, thus his function. He was going to give it a numbered name but he hated standards and just decided to name him Tee. Tee had chrome highlight trim on his access panels and a gun metal gray on his main body shell. Tee helped Cale in repairs along with keeping track of the repair bills for him.
Cale was concentrating on the burnt wire leading to the memory drive of the combat training simulator. A thin plume of smoke rose from the work area as he was welding the two pieces of metal cable back together. He did not know how they came apart but he guessed that the wire melted due to the amount of heat before it turned to slag, possibly, they way he figured, someone or the operator probably pushed the machine too hard, not uncommon since the machine itself was able to make a continuous change of battle field conditions. His goggles showed him that the wire was near the necessary temperature to fuse. He was holding the equipment in his hands, protected by some old leather and nylon gloves. They weren?t tattered, just old, there where his fathers work gloves, his former father who was dead, and the greatest freighter pilot in the galaxy, the talent for flying anything that he could get his hands on. His mother was dead too, died in the same place with his father, on his ship. His mother an intelligent trader from Duranos; she married him, a space station coloner and pilot (in which that case his father had two pairs of gloves, one for work and one for flight, one pair with fingers and one pair fingerless, respectively) and a self taught mechanic. When his parents died his older brother could not take care of him and since his father primarily shipped for the military, they UEA Enforcers took him in as a ward of the state making sure that he would be raised properly and receive any and all sort of necessary and beneficial training and teaching as he grew and matured while in their care. A minute later the goggle display indicated that the wire had fused and advised that he cool it rapidly to have it set properly. He turned to Tee behind him and said ?Cool this wire and install a new sleeve on it will you Tee? I need to talk to the person who ruined a fresh simulator system?s memory connection.?
?Sure thing boss, I?ll have her looking in mint condition? Tee responded in an Old New Yorker brook land accent, and walked over to the open panel that lead to the wire, and began the work of redressing it with new insulation.
The culprit of the burnt wire looked pained, waiting to hear the impossibly expensive repair bill that awaited him. Cale laid it on him ?Since you melted a wire connection to the system?s memory, I had to replace a wire to it and reconstruct the memory using the back-up system from the main computer files of the compound?s computer memory core. That will cost you a little because I have to re-dress the wire?s melted sleeve and reconnect the wire to the memory route. Hey, Tee! What?s the expense for this one??
?I ran the expense to your goggle screen, the amount should come up any second!? Tee responded. The total amount appeared on the screen of the goggles lens. ?According to parts and labor, the pay deduction from your earnings is, 110 Credits and nothing more.?
?What!? That?s too much money!? cried the trainee.
?Well, how much do you think a system backup cost huh? I?ll tell you. A total of 10 Credits for the memory recovery because I had to dig up the hard copy of the simulator records data disk and use it to copy all of the simulator records to that simulator?s memory, back on the hard drive and 20 Credits by the hour for labor which was 5 hours, that comes up to 100 Credits plus the ten Credits for the data disk hard copy and which totals up to 110 Credits.?
?Oh, sorry I didn?t know how much simulator memories recover cost? replied the trainee.
?Well it would cost you 5 extra Credits for the welding, but since there was no extra wire involved there is no charge for it. The charge will be deducted from your next pay check. ?Hey Tee!? He called to the busy robot behind him, ? finish up, we need to go and check something in the garage I think some one busted a combat training unit, I think an engine burst.? ?Sure thing Cale, I?m already done with the insulator to the wire.? The robot replied eagerly.
They left the simulator room leaving the recruit with exasperated look on his face wondering how he could be more careful with not overheating the simulator systems.