Shore Leave (pt. 1)

"In the end, they paid 60,000 credits for the wood, Captain Fletcher. Less my commission that comes to 48,000 credits to you."

"Excellent work. Thanks for your help."

"Not at all, Captain. You were most fortunate arriving when you did after the storm season. There's a strong demand for building products, especially such fine timber."

Nathan escorted the broker to the door of the ship, the bright, tropical light of Fist bulging into the dark interior. He was in high spirits. The wood had been incredibly lucrative. After all the expenses, he'd tripled his initial investment. The Option's first run had been in the black. And now the ship had the start of a financial cushion to fall back on if they needed it.

With the wood being offloaded at the Fist starport, there was no immediate work for the crew. Nathan returned to the bridge and made a brief announcement telling them that they were on shore leave for the next few days.

***

Sam and Jake were waiting by the cargo doors when Lloyd, the Navigator came out.

"C'mon, kid," said Sam, "let's hit the beaches!"

"Sounds like a plan," said Lloyd.

"I'm gonna have so many margaritas tonight, I won't be able to leave my chair until the next day," said Jake.

"Speak for yourself, bro. I'm in the mood to dance all night. Hey Lloyd," said Sam, "you a good dancer?"

"Think about your answer," growled Jake.

"Ah, well..." began Lloyd.

"Oh, don't worry about Jake," laughed Sam. "He's protective, but I can take care of myself. And I doubt a young guy like you can handle me."

"I'm thirty-five!" protested Lloyd.

The Hudson twins gave a short, loud laugh. "Just a baby," said Jake, "I bet I can drink you right under the table."

"It's a safer bet than trying to drink me under the table," said Sam. "Ah, remember when we were young and foolish?"

"Drinking, dancing, whatever you guys want to do, I'm game," said Sam, "but let's stop standing around on the tarmac and get to the beach."

"Ho! Looks like we'll see what the kid is made of," said Jake, "I got the car rented, let's go."

Twenty minutes later, they were skimming over the surface of the ocean, headed for the local beach resort recommended by the TAS representative at the starport. The resort was on one of the many small islands of the archipelago that made up the main landmass on Fist. The sea was a sparling blue-green and the resort itself was a series of small bungalows designed to blend in with the surrounding wilderness. They were connected via a system of underground tubes to the central hub and a number of underground entertainment facilities. It was possible to stoll in from the beach and down to a neon-lit nightclub/casino.

The trio checked into their rooms and met a short time later down on the beach. It was mid-afternoon and despite the bright sun, a fresh breeze kept things comfortable. Jake, true to his word, sat down in a lounge chair under an umbrella by the bar and a servitor was soon trundling over with his first drink.

"I'm going for a swim," said Sam, "care to join me, Lloyd?"

"Maybe in a bit," he answered, "I think your brother has the right idea here."

"Suit yourself. Just don't be too tipsy when it's time to dance, or I'll have to find someone else to play with."

She laughed and ran off into the waves. Lloyd stretched out on his chair and before he'd even gotten a few sips down, he was soon fast asleep.

He awoke to find a strange woman pressing herself against him and kissing him. He started in surprise, but then saw the fear in her eyes.

She pulled back a bit. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whispered, "please, just keep kissing me. I can't let them find me." She pressed her lips against Lloyd who was still too stunned to do anything. His eyes darted about and down the beach and saw a couple of large men wearing rather more clothing than called for on the beach. They appeared to be wearing uniforms and Lloyd wondered if they were resort security. Still, kissing a strange woman was sort of on his list of things to do during shore leave so he could hardly complain.

"Hey, Lloyd!" shouted Sam from the surf. "I'm still counting on you as a dancing partner tonight! Don't wear yourself out!"

Lloyd looked out towards the ocean at Sam and then up the beach. The two suits had gotten closer and they'd spotted the exchange. And Lloyd and the girl. They were quickly moving in. The girl atop Lloyd saw them coming and tensed, ready to spring away from the men, but another pair were closing in from the other side. Judging from the visible wearables, they were coordinating a wide search over the beach. There was nowhere to run and Llyod was pretty sure that these guys were also armed.

"What's your name?" asked Llyod.

"Leonia," the girl answered.

"Well Leonia, I'm Lloyd and it looks like you're in a bit of a fix. There's nowhere for you to run now that they'e spotted you. It's been a lot of fun, but now you may want to tell me why all these guys are looking for you."

"Help me. Help me get away from them and I promise you'll be richly rewarded."

"That's a rather bold claim from someone who--"

"All right. That's enough you lovebirds. Get up." The suits had closed in on the two of them.

"I'm sorry," said Lloyd, "and you gentlemen are?"

"We're security. We work for the casino here at the resort. You two are coming with us to answer a few questions."

"I don't understand," said Lloyd, "what are we accused of?"

"Don't get smart with me," snapped the guard. "You're coming with us. We have full jurisdiction on the island and are authorized to pull in anyone at anytime."

"So just question me here. It's a nice day and I'm happy to answer your questions."

"You'll be much more comfortable inside."

"I'm pretty comfortable right now."

The guard pulled aside his jacket to reveal a very compact SMG. "You're about to be a lot less comfortable if you keep giving us lip. So why don't the two of you just get up and come with us."

"I can hardly refuse such a charming offer," said Lloyd dryly. "Come on," he said to Leonia.

"They'll kill us!" she hissed.

"They don't seem too fussy about that," said Lloyd nodding towards the holster. "So we may as well enjoy a last stroll on the beach. Who knows, maybe it's a stunt by the casino and we're lucky winners or something."

"I'm afraid your luck has completely run out, pal," sneered the guard. "Let's go."

The pair went off with the guards. The entire time, Sam had been keeping an eye on the minor confrontation. She'd realized, too late, that the woman draped over Lloyd was the object of a great dael of interest. She was tempted to intervene in the conversation, but those suits meant business. She was rather alarmed when the group went off to one of the resort entrances and sprinted back up the beach to the bar where Jake was nursing the latest in a long line of drinks.

"Jake," said Sam, "the new guy just got himself into a world of hurt."

"Yeah, I saw," said Jake, "dumb rookie has no clue how to do shore leave properly. First you relax a little bit and then you get into a bar fight."

"Well, there was the girl."

"I saw that too! What, my sister isn't good enough for the guy?"

"Come one, we've got to go after them."

"We've got a little time yet. They want to question them."

"We don't know where they're going!"

"They said they were casino security. That's probably right. If they were going to take them off the island, they would've come back up this way to head to the landing pads."

"Wait. How do you know all this stuff? You're drunk off your ass."

Jake nodded to the small duffel bag he'd brought with him. "Got a camera in there hooked up to my wearables. Recorded the whole thing on zoom."

"You were spying on him!?"

"Wanted to make sure he didn't try to take advantage of my sister."

"You jerk!"

"Oh I don't know what you're complaining about. I had to take these stim pills and kill my lovely buzz," said Jake. Sam noticed that his stupor was rapidly disappearing.

"I'm so sorry to spoil your drunken voyeurism," said Sam. "Now, can we go bail out our navigator."

"Sure, I'll pad after them, you go back to the room and get our things together. I'll give you a call and let you know what's up when I find out a bit more. Be careful, they might have tied us to Lloyd and they could be coming after us next."

"You be careful too."

"I will," said Jake. He laughed, "First leg on a new ship and we're already saving the new guy's ass. Hell of a maiden voyage."

Welcome to Fist

Nathan and Ed resumed their seats at the helm. The hyperspace timer was nearing 0-hour.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said Nathan, "this is the Captain speaking. We are about to drop out of hyperspace. Please stand by. All crew members should be at their duty stations. I will make another announcement once we've left hyperspace and confirmed our position."

Nathan thumbed the communication link, "Sam, Jake, let's not be too itchy on the triggers. Fist is pretty heavily patrolled so we should be safe."

"Will do, Cap'n," chirped Sam.

The bridge fell silent as the timer worked it's way down to zero. When it finally hit, there was a sudden drop in Nate's stomach. The multi-colored static of hyperspace dissolved into an inky blackness and then suddenly came alive with the light of stars, all dimmed by the presence of one particularly large, bright sun. They were back in normal space again.

Nathan had seen this star hundreds of times but it wasn't his call. "Lloyd, what do you think?"

"Everything checks out," answered the Navigator. "It's Fist all right. Looks like our maiden jump was a success."

"Attention all hands," said Nate, "this is your Captain speaking. We have successfully transitioned back to normal space and have confirmed our arrival. Welcome to Fist and the border of Imperial space."

Linda called up from the engine room, "Just so you know, Captain, everything here in the engine room looks good. I guess those repair techs at Eshadi really knew what they were doing."

"Good to know, Lin."

"Captain," said Ed. " Looks like we've got some company."

Scanners showed that a vessel was moving at high speed in their direction.

Their comm channels lit up as the transmission reached their ship. "Attention arriving vessel. This is the Imperial Navy Escort Cheetah Meat. We request that you heave to and present yourself for boarding and inspection."

The incoming transmission was bundled with a data squirt confirming the ship's identity. Being on the very edge of Imperium space, most ships got stopped and checked by the navy forces stationed in the area. So Nathan wasn't too concerned.

"Roger, that Cheetah Meat," said Ed, "This is My Other Option heaving to and standing by for boarding."

Nathan opened a channel to the gunners, "These guys are official so please try not to spook them, OK?"

"No worries," answered Jake.

A short time later, the escort's gig was docked to the Option and a small team of customs agents were striding through the airlock.

"Captain Fletcher?" asked the officer in front.

"That's me," answered Nathan.

"I am Lieutenant Shepperd," said the officer, "I'll be heading up the inspection. This shouldn't take too long, we'll have you on your way, shortly."

"Good to hear, Lieutenant, we're at your disposal."

The inspection was mostly a formality. Nathan and Shepperd spent most of the time reviewing the manifest while the other agents made quick visual inspections of the cargo hold.

"Very clever," said Shepperd, "using the collapsable tanks to increase your jump range. Headed out into the Borderlands I take it."

"That's right," said Nate, "It's been a few months since I was this way last, what's the news out there?"

"The tensions with the Zhents have everyone on edge. It's got some people thinking we're a little too distracted to worry about a little piracy here and there. It's not terrible, but we have noticed a slight uptick in trouble recently. If you stay near the main trade routes though, you should be fine. And it looks like you'll give the casual pirate a bloody nose."

"Good to know, thanks Lieutenant."

"No problem. Looks like everything is in order here, so we'll be on our way. Thanks for your cooperation, Captain."

"Happy to help, sir."

The customs party assembled at the airlock. Helpful was escorting one of the agents back from the passenger area where he'd interviewed some of the passengers.

"Pardon me, officer," said Helpful to the Lieutenant, "but the name of your ship, Cheetah Meat. That is...a human joke?"

"The rear admiral who named the ship was a Solomani, so I guess it is. I suppose it's funnier to an Aslan though."

"We name our Gazelle-class ships the same way. Although to us, it's not so much a joke as a happy synergy of languages."

"Hmm...I can see it might be at that. At any rate, it's a fine ship and we're happy to serve aboard her." Shepperd nodded. "Ma'am, Captain." He strode through the airlock and back to his boat.

"It's a joke?" asked Nathan.

"I will explain it later," said Helpful, "it's a long story."

Girl Talk

Linda sat in the engine rooms keeping an idle eye on the systems. Now that the ship was in hyperspace, there really wasn’t a whole lot to worry about. The main power plant might fail, but frankly there was only so much she could do about it. Mostly, she was there to give everyone a few minutes’ warning before they all perished. Oh well, plenty of games on the system to pass the time.

The door to her small office hissed open and a slender, wiry feline alien entered the room. It was the ship’s steward. She’d been hired pretty much off the street by Nathan. Apparently she’d spent time working for some Aslan clan traders but had jumped at the chance to head back towards Aslan space. Nathan wasn’t sure if she was basically just working passage until they came close to Hierate space, but having a dedicated steward was important. You certainly wouldn’t trust the passengers' comfort to the Hudon twins. As a result, Linda hadn’t paid too much attention to the Aslan and was even now grasping for a name to put with the face.

“Engineer Stone?” asked the Aslan, “may I speak with you for a few moments?”

“Of course, “ said Linda. “And please, call me Linda. There’s no need for titles when it’s just us talking.”

“Very well, Linda. Please feel free to refer to me as Helpful.”

“Helpful?”

“It best describes my function. My formal name is far too long and complex for most humans to bother with. Helpful will be fine.”

“Very well, Helpful, what can I do for you.”

“Originally, I am from Hraduse. Although there’s a mixed population of Humans and Aslans on my homeworld, I’ve mostly dealt with members of my species and not yours. I’ve spent most of my career in Aslan conglomerates. As a Steward, I’ve been given a great deal of training in how to assist other species, but for the most part, I’ve never had to put it into practice. In this new assignment, I find I have some questions and I’m hoping that you can give me some insights.”

“I’ll do my best. What’s on your mind?”

“Captain Fletcher is male, correct?”

Linda was taken back a moment. “Yes. He’s a male.”

“That’s what I thought. But Captain Fletcher is not the pilot?”

“No, Mr. Collins is our pilot. I suppose it might be a little unusual, but Mr. Collins has an excellent piloting record, better than anyone else in the crew so Nathan hired him to handle that task. But Nathan is still the Captain.”

“He is also the medical officer?”

“That’s what he does best so that’s the job he’s taken on -– at least during the flight. Hopefully, there won’t be many medical emergencies while we’re aboard ship. The medical officer is generally needed at the start and end of the trip when we’re processing low passengers. Because Nathan is also the owner of the ship, he’s more than just the ship’s doctor. He’s responsible for the administration of the ship and having a relatively relaxed job means that he can get the paperwork done during the trip.”

“I see. Captain Fletcher owns the ship. So that makes sense. I understand that Humans see gender differently than we do, but it’s very different when you actually see the differences first hand.”

“Ah, I can see where that might be confusing. Humans don’t necessarily link gender with function. In fact some humans who feel the need and have the money can change their gender. It’s all a little complicated.”

“In my training, we learned that it was easier to treat all our human passengers as male, even if they acted in female ways. This seemed simple enough, and it has worked so far, but I’m concerned that I will fail to render good service as we move forward. So I am hoping to gain a better grasp of how human gender works.”

“It’s very fluid. I think your basic training will serve you well. The primary difference between males and females is which one of us gets pregnant. Beyond that, all bets are off. But as long as you treat all our passengers well, I suspect you’ll do fine.”

“Thank you, Linda. I appreciate your encouragement,” said Helpful, getting up to leave.

“Oh, Helpful,” said Linda.

“Yes?”

“Just so you’re clear. Captain Nathan is our ship’s doctor and he’s male. The pilot is male. The navigator is male. One of the gunners is male and the other is female.”

“One is female? Which one?”

“Sam.”

“But I thought Sam was--”

“It’s short for Samantha. Samantha is female.”

“I just thought he was a little short. Or young.”

“Sam is female. But she likes to blur the lines a lot.”

“I hope I remember. I don’t want to offend her.”

“That kind of mistake might tickle her pink.”

“Is that bad?”

“I mean, she’d think it was funny that she fooled you.”

“I see.”

“And, just to round out the crew, I am female.”

“Of course you are, you’re the engineer. That’s why I came to see you.”

“And, I believe you will be perceived by me and the rest of the crew as female.”

“Correct.”

“Does that help?”

“Quite a bit. Are there any additional resources I might consult?”

“Check with the ship’s library. Although, it’s pretty human-centric so it might make assumptions you aren’t aware of.”

“I will bear that in mind. Again, thank you, Linda. This discussion has been most...helpful.”

“Was that a joke?”

“Did you find it amusing?”

“A little bit.”

“Then it was a little joke,” said Helpful as she left the office.

That First Step's a Doozy

“Eshadi Control, this is My Other Option we are approaching jump point.”

“Roger that, Option. This is Eshadi Control signing off. Have a good trip.”

“Thanks, Control”.

Ed closed the connection and kept his eye on the screen showing their progress towards the jump point.

“Well, here comes the fun part,” said Nate, sitting in the co-pilot chair. “Now we find out a whole bunch of interesting things.”

“Like if the jump drives work?”

“Or work too well. We also learn if any of the passengers were planning on hijacking our maiden voyage. Or if there are pirates who want to take another crack at this ship.”

The two men sat quietly and considered the ship’s security systems and long-range sensors. Everything was a study in boredom and regularity.

“You wanna push the button?” asked Ed.

“Hell yeah,” answered Nate. “Been waiting to do that for months now.”

Normally, jumps were automated, but Ed activated the manual confirm sub-routine and routed it to Nathan’s screen.

“It’s funny, I thought I’d be in that chair,” said Nate.

“Second thoughts about taking me on?”

“Only in the abstract. You’re a great pilot and I’ve been so busy the past week getting everything ready, I’d be in terrible shape to fly this thing. Acting as the medical officer means I can relax for most of the trip.”

The men stared as the distance counter rolled down to zero indicating the ship had reached the jump point. Nathan took a deep breath and punched the indicator on his screen confirming jump.

There was a strange power-down sound in the ship followed by a shudder and a sharp crack and loud boom like a peal of thunder. The windows flashed white for a second, the windshields automatically darkening to shut out the intense light and then everything seemed to fall away in all directions for a moment. As Nathan felt himself sitting firmly in his seat again, the windows cleared to reveal a swirling, multi-colored static.

The Jump Timer flickered to 168 hours and began counting down.

“Attention all passengers and crew,” said Nathan over the ship’s intercom. “This is the ship’s captain speaking. We have just make the jump to hyperspace. We estimate arrival within the Fist system within 7 standard Imperial days. Passengers should feel free to move about the passenger areas. Crew members should take up their in-jump stations. That is all.”

Nathan opened another channel, “How are we looking, Lin?”

“Looking real good, Nate,” answered Linda. “The jump drives worked like a charm and their power-down readings are all in the green. The ship’s power plant took the spike without any trouble. Should be a nice, quiet ride to Fist.”

“Well,” said Nathan, “I think this calls for a small celebration. Get the crew together and we’ll have a small toast.”

“Sounds good, Nate,” said Linda.

Nathan flicked the comm off. “Nothing to do here, Ed. Let’s go back and join the others.”

“Sounds good, Captain,” said Ed.

The two men put their stations on standby, locked them down and left the bridge illuminated by hyperspace.

Drumming up business

Nathan sighed as he reviewed the cargo contracts.

The passenger manifest was nearly full. Only a few middle- and low-passage berths were free. He didn't expect to get many more passengers. The number of people who needed a fast trip to Fist was fairly low. Most of the passengers were looking to get work on one of the trading lines that ran through there and didn't want to go the long way around. That market was pretty tapped out.

The more worrying problem was his cargo hold. He had several good sized loads, but he was still had about 30 tons worth of space sitting empty. Not an auspicious start. To make this work he had to keep his holds topped off on every trip or he'd be in the red before he left the Imperium. But the same factors that kept him from finding new passengers also kept him from finding any new cargoes. There just wasn't that much cargo that needed to get to Fist right away.

Nate pushed back from the desk and got to his feet. In times like this, a Captain had to drum up his own business. He grabbed his coat and headed down to the warehouse district.

Twenty minutes later, he was stomping through the cavernous warehouses, a local factor named Harl at his side.

"Could I interest you in some high-tech devices," Harl asked, "We've got this lot of handheld compcoms that might do very well. Fully compatible with Imperial datanets from Version 2 to 6."

"You've only got a few small lots here, I doubt it'd be worth my time."

"Well, Eshadi mostly handles bulk raw materials. If you're interested, we've got quite a bit of Eshadi marble. Looks good, sells well. Certainly have enough of it."

Nathan stopped to stare at the neatly cut slabs of stone that stretched down one bay of the warehouse. Fist was almost completely covered in water. The locals might like some stone here and there, but it wasn't needed in any quantity. He kept wandering through the warehouse.

Several bays down, he came across several large pallets holding thick, square-cut planks of dark wood. "I didn't know there was any timber industry here on Eshadi," mused Nathan.

"There isn't," said Harl, "this is Seynut Wood from Tobia. One of the local lords got it in his head to build a giant hunting lodge with the stuff and had it shipped in. Unfortunately, his ambition was greater than his financial acumen. He went bankrupt and fled before the cargo arrived. So it's been sitting here ever since."

"No buyers?"

"Seynut wood is good stuff. It's got a nice color and grain and it's pretty sturdy. But no one really wants a log cabin and there's plenty of other good building material around here. A few artisans picked up a few planks for carving or something, but it only took a few of these to supply them for years. Seriously, this stuff has been taking up space for way too long. I'd be happy to give you a discount if you'd get it off my hands."

The locals on Fist might not need a lot of stone, but they might really go for the wood.

"Does it float?"

"What?"

"The wood, does it float?"

"A little low in the water, unless you make a boat out of it, but yeah, it floats."

Nathan hadn't considered selling it as boat-building wood, but there might be a few takers in that line as well. The wood certainly seemed like something he could sell -- if he could get a good price on it.

"What are you asking for it?"

"Fire sale prices. I want it out of here. Lists for 1,000 credits a ton, I'm saying 500. Half off."

Nathan checked the invoice sheet on one of the pallets. This stuff had been sitting here for over six months. Harl would certainly be anxious to get his warehouse space back.

"How many tons do you have?"

"Just over 40."

"I'll take 30 off your hands at 200 per ton."

"You'll take it all for 200 a ton."

"I'd be moving three-quarters of it."

"You can have 30 tons for 400 but I can't go any lower than that."

"You'll be losing money every day it sits here."

"Letting you have it for 400 a ton is costing me dearly. 30 tons at 400 a ton and that's the offer."

Nathan's wearables worked it out for him. If he could sell it for 750 a ton, he'd break even. If he could get more for it, he'd actually turn a profit. It wasn't a bad bet even if he didn't have a hunch that it'd be an appealing commodity on Fist.

"Done," said Nathan, shaking hands with Harl and completing the deal. "Have it sent down Dock 15C for loading."

"Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Fletcher."

"Likewise."

The Old Ball and Chain

Nathan's desk bleeped.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Fletcher? It's Ed Collins. I've been sent to talk to you about a job as a pilot on your ship."

And you're also here to keep tabs on me, thought Nathan sourly. He took a deep breath and said, "Please come on in Mr. Collins."

Nathan wasn't quite sure what to expect an Imperial spy to look like. He certainly didn't expect someone as plain as the man who walked through the door. But that's the whole point, isn't it, thought Nathan, they need to look like everyone else to blend in. Mr. Collins was a bit on the short side, a bit on the stout side and he apparently didn't care much about his balding head to do anything about it. He wore the slightly rumpled jumpsuit that was about as formal as you could expect from an ex-Scout or tramp Merchant.

"Mr. Collins, a pleasure to meet you," said Nathan, getting to his feet and extending his hand.

"Same here, Mr. Fletcher, said Collins, returning a solid grip. "Or is that Captain Fletcher?"

"Not yet," said Nathan, "my ship is largely in pieces all over the docking bay. It'll be a few more weeks before they patch everything up and I can officially claim the hat. Until then, I'm just a guy who holds the lease to a lot of spare parts."

"I'm sure everything will be put back together in one piece. The techs around here are really good and your analysis of the work to be done was pretty detailed."

"That was actually my Engineer, Linda Stone."

"Well, in any event, I'm sure your ship will be ready to go in no time at all. So. Let's have a frank discussion about my presence on your ship and how I can be of service to you."

"My understanding is that you're here to make sure I don't run off with the ship."

"But you're not going to run off with the ship, Mr. Fletcher. I've studied your records, I've seen your business plan. You're not here to con us out of a ship, you're here to make a boatload of cash. You want to make extended trading tours into the Borderlands, but you're going to come back. Besides, if you did want to steal the ship, where would you go? To the Hierate? To the League? To the Zhodani? Hardly. And you're certainly not going to turn pirate in this thing, it's a terrible design for a corsair. No, I have full confidence that you are an honest merchant who simply wants to run a small trading route."

"I'm glad the Imperium has such faith in me."

"We do, Mr. Fletcher. My principle job is to make sure that your ship returns to Imperium space after a profitable year away in space. This just happens to be exactly what you want. Your goal is my goal and I would hope that you could view me in that light: an enthusiastic crew member who wants to help make this a good run."

"Except that you can order me to drop everything and do what you say."

"Strictly speaking, yes. Yes I can. However, this isn't going to work if you feel that I'm an obstacle to be avoided or worked around or endured. The ship is your ship, Mr. Fletcher. You run it as you see fit."

"As long as I'm home before bedtime."

"Your original business plan suggested a route very much like the one we requested. You have always been planning to operate out of Imperium space and into the Borderlands. I'm hardly imposing some strange new route on you. When we're out there, you will be the man in charge and I will do my utmost to make sure that you get your ship home again."

"What about these side missions we might have to take on?"

"Most of the work is completely above-board and all of it will be handled by me. There's no need for a lot of cloak-and-dagger work. Just jump into the system. Count the ships that are there and then start trading. Most of our best intelligence is all open-source stuff anyway."

Nathan chewed his lip and pretended to review Ed's resume.

"Mr Fletcher, you offered your services to Imperial Intelligence in exchange for financial backing. We're happy to give that to you, the service you and your ship can provide is a worthwhile investment as far as we're concerned. I know that the Captain's Hat is important to you and that my presence and the drive timers must be a terrible imposition to you. But I also think you're smart enough to realize that this is a pretty sweet deal and that you can make a fair amount of money and help protect the place you where you like to spend it. Again, I urge you to consider me part of your crew because that's very much what I'd like to be. If you don't feel you can work with me, that's fine, you're free to reject me. They'll send someone else, of course, but I want to work with you and if we're not a good fit, then I don't want to sign on."

Nathan sighed, "You've made your point, Mr. Collins. Please tell me a little bit more about your qualifications as a pilot."

"Nearly 30 years experience in the Scout Service," said Ed. "The last 12 have been in this region of space and the stints before that were along the Spinward Marches. Like you, I'm very familiar with the Borderlands. I've even been across the old Sindal Empire and into League space. I also have some connections with minor Aslan clans. I can pilot anything from an X-boat to a small Patrol Cruiser. You can see my ratings on file along with Sim ratings and total flight time, which is more easily expressed in years than hours. I'm also handy with a toolbox."

"Well, I can't argue with these numbers," said Nathan, "I couldn't hope to find anyone more qualified." Nathan turned it over in his mind. The condition was he had to take someone and if he was truculent, they might send a bigger hard-ass to watch over him. Collins could at least give the illusion that Nathan was in full control and maybe that's what he'd have to live with for now.

"Well, Mr. Collins," said Nathan, "you've made your case. When I finally have a ship, I'll welcome you aboard. Until then, let's have a drink to seal the deal." Nathan made a quick pass and a servtor drone brought in some drinks.

"To our new partnership," said Nathan.

"To a profitable venture," answered Ed.

"One more thing," said Nathan after the celebratory swallow. "I assume that you want to be treated as just a pilot and that no one should know about your special status?"

"That would be for the best, yes", said Ed.

"I'd like to bend that rule a bit and inform Linda. She already knows that there will be a representative on-board, I feel like she should know it's you. She's an old friend and trusted partner so I'd like to let her know. Also, in the event that I'm not around and you need to reveal your status to the crew, she can back you up. She's the only other person who needs to know."

"Sounds good to me."

"Great. With you on-board as Pilot that's one less thing I have to worry about. I hope we can provide you with a very boring year away, Ed."

"Me too, Mr. Fletcher. Me too."

Conditional Itinerary

Nate reviewed the itinerary that My Other Option was being instructed to follow and compared it to his star map of the area.

Shakedown Cruise:

• Eshadi to Fist*

Borderland Cluster 1:

• Fist to Iilgan


• Iilgan to Wildeman


• Wildeman to Pandora*


• Pandora to Umemii


• Umemii to Cordan


• Cordan to Tanith


• Tanith to Arunisiir


• Arunisiir to Acrid*

Borderland Cluster 2:

• Acrid to Argona


• Argona to Exe


• Exe to Sperle


• Sperle to Falcon


• Falcon to Inurin


• Inurin to Tech-World*

Aslan Border and Fringe Return:

• Tech-World to Hilfer


• Hilfer to Pourne


• Pourne to Drinax


• Drinax to Asim


• Asim to Torpol


• Torpol to Clarke


• Clarke to Blue


• Blue to Exocet


• Exocet to Iilgan


• Iilgan to Fist*

* Drive timers will be reset here

It wasn't a bad list. Figure each leg of the trip takes about 2 weeks and you were looking at just over a year all told to make a trading run through the area. Near the end it went a little further Spinward than he would've bothered with, but obviously it was part of Imperial Intelligence's effort to patrol the fringes. Although they were backing this effort, the Imperials weren't subsidizing this ship in the traditional sense. Pulling a profit was always going to be a bit tricky, but especially so on those final runs. The backers wanted their ship back so they'd probably cover losses, but he'd certainly be out on his ass if that happened.