Music blared out of the speakers, filling the room that had been empty for several hours.
A lot of people didn't come in on the weekends except for me. So, Heath, my boss, let me play whatever kind of music I wanted, however loud I wanted. As long as I got my work done.
I laid on my board, adjusting the light, so I could see the gears I was fixing, when the music was cut off.
I paused, glancing back to see two pairs of feet.
"Loralai?"
"Under here." I replied.
"Is that a Model 4 machine?"
My brows raised in curiosity before I pulled myself forward, my head peeking out from under the machine.
"Yeah. It is." I replied and saw the dazzled look in his eyes.
"I haven't seen one like this up close." He walked over, examining it even more.
I pulled myself out from under and stood up. "It's one of early models."
"Yeah." He nodded. "It's a Model 4, first created and produced in the Second Era."
"You know your machines." I nodded, wiping my hands off with my rag.
He grinned looking down at me. "Know them, I collect them."
"What kind of collector are you?" I raised a curious brow.
"Museum." He replied, looking back at it. "This would be my main attraction for at least two months."
"She is a beauty." Heath nodded. "But she's not for sale."
The man glanced at Heath, his smile fading. "She's not?"
"Nope." Heath shook his head and gestured towards me. "She's fixing her up for me."
"Not for free." I stifled a grin.
"No." He chuckled. "Not for free."
I looked between the two of them. "Was there something you needed from me?"
"Ah, right." Heath nodded and gestured towards the door. "Let's bring her in."
I looked to the door to see a truck backed up to it.
I followed the both of them to the door and opened it for them. I also opened the door to the back of the truck to come face to face with an even older model.
"Woah." It was my turn to be starry eyed.
"This is-"
"A Model 1 Krimm Tiller." I answered for him and stepped into the back of the truck.
"You know your machines."
I turned back around, half-glaring at him. "Of course I do."
"Mr. Tomas here wants it to be in working order again." Heath told me and my brows furrowed a little.
I pulled my flashlight out of my pocket and flashed it at the beaten up machine.
I examined it closely. "Dents, rust, wear, tear, and no doubt some parts that just don't work anymore."
"You can tell just by looking at it?"
I looked back at him and turned my flashlight back off. "This was, no doubt made in the first era, it's mechanisms are different from today's, and with just how old it is, it'll be difficult finding the right parts for it."
"How long will it take?" He questioned and I stepped off the back of the truck.
"It depends." I shrugged.
"On?"
"Well, how many parts I'd need to get it to simply function again, then there's the fact that it looks like it could fall apart just from the rust." I explained. "You'd have to specify exactly what you want this beauty to do in order for me to give you an accurate time estimate."
He glanced at Heath who stifled a chuckle. "I told you, she's the best."
He looked back to me and sighed. "Well, I would like for it to be restored as much as you can get it."
"I could fully restore it if I pleased." I told him and he rubbed his chin, glancing at the machine. "But if you need this in a specific amount of time, that would be a factor I'd need to hear."
"It's going to be exhibited next month."
My brows furrowed a little. "That's a very short period of time to fix this machine."
"I can push the date back, but not very far. I, as well, have a time limit for it." He told me and I sighed.
I glanced at the machine before looking to them again. "Give me an hour to to look at it and I'll tell what I can do with that kind of time."
He stuck his hand out to me and I shook it.
"Deal."
"We'll be waiting in the show room." Heath told me and I nodded.
They left and I turned on the conveyor belt. The machine rolled off the truck and into the workshop.
The more light that touched it, the rougher it looked.
I swallowed a little. I was staring at history, but time hadn't been kind to it.
I played my music again, grabbing my holo. "Model 1 Krimm Tiller blueprints."
The blueprints for the machine popped up on my holo and I turned it into a checklist. I had blueprints for almost every model known to man, there were very few that I couldn't get.
I immediately went to work, going down the checklist, marking off vital parts that I needed.
It took almost the entire hour trying to find each and every part that it needed. If I wasn't a professional, it would have taken me several days to find the source of the problem.
I made my way back to the show room, pausing my music on the way out.