Dawn of Procyon by Mark R. Healy Page B

muttered.
    She arrived back at the workshop just as Pasternak showed up, trying unsuccessfully to slink through the door unnoticed.
    “You’re late,” she snapped.
    “Hey, it’s the new supe!” Pasternak said conversationally. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
    She thrust an omni-device into his hands. “You’re working back late, Nak. And I’ve got a truckload of crits heading your way that need to be done pronto.”
    His smile vanished. “Oh, for the love of—”
    “I don’t want to hear it. Just get to work.”
    “You used to be one of the good guys, man,” he grumbled as he walked away.
    She opened her mouth to offer a retort, then thought better of it.
    Don’t get into a slanging match. Not here. There’s no point.
    She returned to her desk and grabbed the remaining omni-devices, handed them out, and then made her way over to Outpost Control.

 
    Chapter 15
    PSD 29-213: 0704 hours
    “Okay, so give me a sanity check on this,” Landry said. “This is basically going to run like a full OXEE replacement procedure. Simple.”
    “This is not a simple procedure,” HAIRI countered pleasantly.
    “Don’t tell me that.”
    “From the information you have provided, I see a number of problems. Since you are off-site, you do not have the approved tools to perform this operation.”
    “I have my toolkit. That’s all I need.”
    “Additionally, you are attempting to remove the Oxygen Environment Enhancer whilst it is still in operation, which is not something it has been designed for under any—”
    “Don’t tell me the things I can’t do,” Landry snapped. “I didn’t bring you online to pee on the tiny ember of hope I’ve still got burning here. Tell me what I can do.”
    “I should advise you that I am not physically capable of urinating, and even if I was—”
    “It’s just an expression. Let’s get on with the procedure.”
    “In order to free the OXEE intact, you will be required to remove the entire assembly from the hull of the scout, one panel at a time.”
    “Good. That’s more like it. How do I do that?” Landry said.
    “With great difficulty.”
    “Okay, thanks for the wisecracks, buddy. I need to know which one to remove first. I have a pretty good idea already, but if you can verify it, that will make me feel a whole lot better.”
    “I suggest the panel labeled three-six-one-eight-dash-two. Below the avionics.”
    Landry hunched over, trying to find it. “I don’t see it.”
    “It is there.”
    “Well, HAIRI, I don’t see it,” he said testily.
    “Perhaps you cannot see the forest for the trees.”
    Landry straightened, then blinked as if he’d been slapped. “What did you say?”
    “I said that perhaps you cannot see the forest for the trees.”
    “What are you, an AI system or a philosophy major?”
    “I am neither. Did I use this phrase incorrectly? See the forest for the trees . My metadata indicates that this phrase pertains to lack of vision—”
    “No, the phrase doesn’t fit. At all. Your metadata sucks.” Is this some kind of malfunction? “Wait a minute. What service release are you running?”
    “I am equipped with service release fifteen point two, revision one-one.”
    “I knew it,” Landry breathed, exasperated. “That explains it.”
    “What are you referring to?”
    “That’s an illegal code release. Did you know that?”
    “I did not,” HAIRI said.
    “Who installed it?”
    “One of my former pilots performed this upgrade. He felt it made me easier to talk to.”
    “Yeah.” Landry shook his head disparagingly. “Well, he’s a jerk. There’s a good reason why that release train was squashed.”
    “Why?”
    “Because the tweaks that were supposed to make the AI interface more ‘relatable’ only ended up making it more unstable. That’s why you’re spouting this ‘forest for the trees’ stuff.”
    “I should not have said this phrase.”
    “No, you shouldn’t have.”
    “In that case, I’m as sorry as a