SCMR Chpt 24

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==Chapter 24 - Self Configuring Modular Robot==
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"What are you doing?"
Victor asked. Arthur looked up, immediately looking guilty. "Uh, nothing?"
"Let's take a look at that 'nothing'." the fifteen year old heir to two realms said to his youngest brother. "UH huh..." Victor snagged the items from Arthur's hands, and examined them, "Slicing rig, lil' bro?"
"Don't tell mom!" Arthur plead.
"You tell me what you're doing with a dataslicer modified PADD and maybe I won't." Victor said reasonably, "No promises, hey? But if you can explain having it out while we're underway on a jumpship and maybe I'll give it back."
"Lizzie's locked her door." Arthur told him, "She's actin' all weird an' stuff."
Victor sighed. "Put it back in your luggage." he said, "Girls need their space."
"but-"
"But nothing. Besides, I know a better way to get her attention-a way that always works, and I won't have to explain to mom why the captain wants to put you ashore for sabotage."
"He wouldn't!", Arthur exclaimed 
"Sure he wouldn't..." Victor said sarcastically, "I know you were there for the briefing. They will do that very thing, and then Dad's gonna be pissed and so will Mom..." he handed the rig back, "SO, let's try doing it the smart way, hey?"
He paused, "You like this girl?" he asked.
"Uh..." Arthur try to answer
"Okay, not a crush then. Penny put you up to it?"
Arthur blushed, and Victor nodded, "Penny's idea then...or was it Sierra?"
Arthur turned purple.
"We're going to need to work on your schmoove, little brother-at least you're not trying to put a netcam in the girl's showers like Peter did when we were visiting the Sandovals, come on."
"Where we going?"
"Bridge." Victor told him.
"The bridge??"
"Yeah. Your girl Lizzie's someone the bridge crew remember-she's the reason Captain Jeffords doesn't want you kids up on the flight deck."
"Oh??"
"Yeah, so I know how to get her to come out of her room, you know how to make machines do stuff, Art, but if you want people to do things, you need to know what gets their attention. Kat's good at it, Pete's getting better at it, I'm still learning how to do it, and you need to start. The biggest security hole in any system, is the people running it, at least, that's what Ardan told me and dad confirmed."
It was the most words Victor had spoken to Arthur in three years. he felt a rush of warmth toward his big brother, a bit of that dormant adoration, as Victor led him up into forbidden terrain, to speak with the captain of the dropship...
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Elizabeth thought her eyes were going to fall out of her face staring at the lengthy reports from home, comparing them to the notes on politics that Hanse had provided her to learn. She'd locked the door to her quarters and only come out for meals and when summoned for the last two days-since driving Yvonne out.
Klaxons sounded a breach alert, and she was pulled from her daze of study.
>>"Pressurization alert! Decks seven and eight, Breach alert, Breach Alert!!"<<
Her eyes went wide and she dove for her travel case and then, she pulled on her EVA suit, checking fittings and slamming her helmet down on the ring like she'd been practicing since leaving Kowloon.
The noise faded and she checked the O2 monitor on the hatch leading out of her quarters.
The evacuate light was coming up. she overrode the lock, and sealed up, opening the hatch...
Nobody in the p-way was suited up, and her suit showed full pressure.
Bosun Gaines held a stopwatch, and she saw Victor, Arthur, Penny, and Sierra watching from just past the bend leading to airlock one.
"One minute thirty, let's look at your rig." Bosun Gaines said.
"A drill?" she asked.
"Yes."
She turned to her door, and her quarters were closed up. "WHAT??"
Victor was joined by the boat's captain, and Her Majesty.
"How does one minute and a half measure up, Bosun?" Her Majesty asked.
"Average."
"Hmm." Melissa said, "Victor, I believe we need to have the captain run more of these random drills. I would hate to imagine anyone in this party being merely average. especially a girl whose Barony is in hard vacuum, wouldn't you agree?"
"Uh, yeah, Mom..."
"And next time you go behind my back to ask the Captain to help with a prank, do a better job remembering to swear him to secrecy." Melissa added.
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