Coffee Cup Dreams (A Redpoint One Romance) Read Online Free PDF

me."
He turned and headed back the way he'd come. He heard her quickly
saying goodbye to the freighter captain and then quick footsteps as
she ran to catch up with him.
    "Are we fixing the damage caused by the pirate
ship?" She asked as they avoided a transport on a fast run from one
end of the docking bay to the other.
    "I haven't even looked at the report about
that damage. We're working on the main power systems today. At
least, I will be. I'm pairing you off to help in another
area."
    "Um, sir, I should tell you my experience in
actual system repair is limited."
    He almost laughed at the remark. Arriving at a
main transit platform he moved off to one side away from the main
crowds. A smaller car slid up with the words "Redpoint One
Employees Only" emblazoned in several spots. Even with the markings
he had to forcefully decline several demands for a ride from some
of those waiting.
    Tish Douglas pushed through the crowds in her
effort to follow him. When the pile on her hoversled almost
collapsed he went back for her, using his bulk to open up a path
for her to follow. He waited until she'd pulled her hoversled in
after her before closing the doors and giving the computer a
destination.
    Seating himself on a cushioned bench towards
the front of the car he looked up at her. She held a bar along the
top of the bench area, bracing her legs against the movement of the
car as it moved forward.
    "I can guarantee you are unfamiliar with
Redpoint One systems, even if you have a full engineering degree.
Which you do not." He slipped a bracelet out of a pouch and handed
it to her. "Your clearance and identification band. Wear it at all
times."
    She put it on, twisting it slightly when it
contracted around her left wrist just under a personal wrist
computer. "Are there any manuals I should study?"
    Such a soft voice. That would go away soon, if
she stayed. They did too much shouting back and forth down
corridors. "Nope, none."
    He almost laughed again at the way her face
screwed up in confusion. "Then how do I learn how to repair the
station?"
    "You don't. More like you help the station
repair itself."
    The confusion increased, and he let his humor
come out in a small laugh. "Yes, I know. Confusing. But, not
really."
    He gestured at the seat next to him and waited
until she sat down. "Here's the deal. This station has an
intelligence of its own. The problem is we can't understand it.
Well, some of us can, a little bit. Just enough to
help."
    Her eyes darted around the car. "Intelligent?
Has it ever hurt anyone?"
    "Why can I guess what movie you saw recently?"
He asked with a sigh.
    She bit her lip, her eyes dancing. "It was the
biggest hit of the spring."
    "This is not an insane computer. It has never
attacked anyone. Well, other than in defense." He could see the
assurance didn't help very much. His annoyance returned. "This is
not a movie."
    She quickly shook her head. "No sir. Just an
alien spacecraft that no one knows how it operates."
    Not exactly true, but he didn't have time to
argue or explain anything. Not with the car nearing their
destination. "Here is what you need to know. Redpoint One has
self-repair systems, but they don't always have the raw materials
or guidance on how to do it without causing problems for the
inhabitants. You not only do what you can to help, but you also
help the populace. Sometimes by diverting the automated repair
systems to more important functions, sometimes with explanations,
sometimes with warnings, sometimes with evacuations."
    He could see the thoughts bubbling up. It
didn't take a genius to figure out what she was thinking with her
expressive face. "No, this isn't the movie! We have never required
a station-wide evacuation."
    She jumped at his explosion. "Yes
sir!"
    To which he immediately felt bad for. Heck, he
even liked the woman, would have been interested in her in a
personal way if he'd seen her in the general public.
    He stopped the line of thought. Life for the
maintenance