>>5263926>>5263930>>5263933>>5263935>>5264159>>5264409You thumb your radio, dialing a one-way channel into Holt’s line. “Would it help if I gave your crew a hand?”
“Do fish swim?” she asks dryly, but you can hear the grin in her voice. “You’re more than welcome to come back down. Dependin’ on how mauled your PUEXO is, it might speed things up a fair bit.”
“Right arm’s gonna need some maintenance, but the left one’s still got full strength and mobility.”
The chief takes only a handful of seconds to reach a verdict. “Perfect! That’ll cut our timetable by a fair bit. Hurry up and come down here, Unami!”
“Roger that.” You nod politely to Kwan, just before sprinting back towards the Magellan. “Excuse me.”
The PUEXO kneels, extending its left hand as you clamber up and over its side. The canopy opens with a pneumatic hiss of pressurized air, and the limb promptly drops you back into the cockpit with little fanfare. It takes all of twenty seconds to reconnect your suit and helmet, interfacing with HOPI, then into the machine proper.
“You hanging in there?” you ask, easing yourself into the controls. There’s a brief moment of disorientation as the internal gyro synchs up with your brain, and the contacts against your temple hum with energy.
The A.I. replies, “As best as I can, given the current circumstances. Now that we’re out of the water, I have a better assessment for the damage we took.”
"How bad is it?"
“Nothing that won’t be covered by our contract. Which I made triply sure to read.” She almost seems proud as the machine preps for dustoff back to the aft deck. “Captain Elishani was able to negotiate hazard pay well in excess of typical salvage contracts.”
“We didn’t pull that much up anyway. At least from the Olympia that wasn’t the black box and bridge computer.”
“There’s still Kingston,” HOPI demurs, “And all of those cargo ships. Besides, I don’t know why you’re complaining. It’s not like I’m getting paid.”
You chortle, signaling for Kwan to get below deck before you launch. “And I’m the one footing the bill for repair and maintenance. Besides, what would you even do with the money if you did?”
“I…I don't know,” she admits. “There isn’t much a HOPI unit can want for or buy.”
“Didn’t you say that you wanted those Mk. IV RAM sticks?”
“Right. But that’s a utilitarian expense. Not so much leisure.”
Best to nip this in the bud before it’s back to business. “Tell you what. Give it some thought. When you do figure out something you wanna buy, I’ll see if I can’t get it for you.”
The A.I. laughs. “I’ll be holding you to that, Sinleq. But I have to say. That feels less like you paying me, and more like a parent giving their kid allowance money to buy a toy.”
(cont.)
