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

department was difficult enough as it was. He ran a
hand through his hair. "Neil owes me big for this."
    "I'll do a good job, sir."
    "You better. If I weren't so desperate for
more repair crews…" He let the words hang. He best not go there,
not with her face mimicking all the emotions the woman was feeling.
Emotions she didn't deserve to feel.
    He didn't want her upset. If she worked out,
great. He wished he knew what kind of person the station wanted. It
would make it much easier to hire the proper personnel and have a
hope they would stick around for a while.
    "All I ask is that you pay attention and do
your best," Arthur said. "The rest will follow."
    She nodded, the dancing light in her eyes
gone, replaced by somber seriousness.
    The car stopped at one of the maintenance
platforms. He rose and gestured for her to follow him. Vasiliy
Lukin and Rachel Henderkito waited at the entrance into the main
maintenance logistical center. Tish followed him quietly, her large
eyes darting from one area to the next. Good, at least she appeared
to be observant.
    But the serious expressions on his team's
faces gave him pause. He stopped in front of them, asking, almost
resigned, "What's wrong?"
    "Sector 1157," Vasiliy said. A robot came up
behind him, dragging a small hovering cart with tools behind it.
"Everything says we have a life-support breach, but Damien can't
find it."
    In one of the most populated ring sectors. Not
good.
    "I finished my repair. I thought I would go
down and help track it down. More eyes," Rachel said. She handed
him a flex-paper. "Or would you prefer me elsewhere?"
    Arthur shook his head as he studied the
flex-paper. "Go ahead, get down there. I'll follow."
    Rachel nodded, casting the newcomer a curious
look. He heard the two leave in a maintenance pod, aware Ms.
Douglas still stood silently next to him, her luggage behind
her.
    He should be explaining what was happening.
Should continue at least a short tour of the area she would be
working from. See about pairing her off with one of his experienced
technicians for her first day. At the very least take her to her
new apartment long enough so she could drop off her luggage. But,
the more he read, the more concerned he became.
    With a long stride, he headed into the
maintenance platform. The large circular room with doors and rooms
branching off it was empty, as he expected it to be in the middle
of the day. Ms. Douglas followed him, stopping at the edge of the
door.
    "I need a bot!" He shouted.
    ***
    The yell didn't phase her. She could tell from the way his
face changed as he read the flex-paper that something worried
him.
    Tish knew her eyes were wide, but she couldn't
help it. There was so much to see. The station, the round room with
a raised platform in the middle with a variety of consoles and
chairs, and a circular tall table in the center. The doorways all
around leading in different directions.
    And then Arthur Getty himself. He was a bit,
well, overwhelming. What little he'd passed on so far only brought
to mind more questions, and she wasn't sure he would be open to
questions at the moment.
    "The main maintenance platform. Your new
home-base," Mr. Getty said with a wave of his hand without taking
his eyes off the flex-paper.
    A domed robot scooted out of one of the doors,
hovering only a shadow above the floor. It beeped as it came up to
Mr. Getty. Two eyestalks from a bulbed head at the front of the
robot swiveled up to look at him.
    "This is Tish Douglas. She will be working
here with me," Mr. Getty said, gesturing towards her. The eyestalks
swiveled to look her over before returning to him. He took the
handle of the small hovercart holding her luggage and angled it
down to the robot. "This is her luggage. Take it to her apartment,
Tech number 26."
    The robot whistled a cheerful series of notes.
A small hatch opened from the top of the robot out of which a
multi-jointed arm and hand extended, taking the hovercart handle.
With another series of