Nathan looked over the shipping notices with a sigh. There were plenty of passengers ready to go but even if he took on all the waiting cargo, he'd barely fill half of his hold. Since Wildeman was only a Jump-1 trip away, the collapsible tanks had been stored away and he had even more cargo space to fill.
Listings for things he could trade on spec were even more dismal. There were tons of grain, but the asking price was a bit too high for Nathan's tastes. There was also a lot of armored vehicles, but even if he thought there was a market for the stuff, he'd never be able to afford one of them.
Still, Canary Gold had offered him a lead and he now sat in the offices of the Ministry of Natural Resources hoping that there might be something for him here. The waiting room was stark and drab, even for a low-tech world like Iilgan. The civil service that ran the place operated with an eye for efficiency, not aesthetics.
Nathan had just tried to find a new, least uncomfortable position, when a woman came into the waiting area.
"Mr. Fletcher?" the woman said, "I'm Erika Fee."
"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," said Nate, rising to his feet and shaking her hand.
"Likewise," said Ms. Fee, "I hear you've got an interest in moving some cargo for us. Let's go into my office and see what we've got for you."
He followed her down a grey-green hallway and into a small office. He took a seat in front of a battered steel desk and nearly goggled at the crude terminal she had sitting on it. Iilgan was a pretty nice place to visit, but the lack of technology never made you feel like staying.
"Iilgan has a fairly small mining presence and so we generally consume everything we produce. Not a whole lot to spare for export. But sometimes we get some excesses that we can profitably trade away to our neighbors. How big is your ship, Captain Fletcher?"
"Depends on how far you want the cargo to go," replied Nathan. Our next stop is Wildeman and for a Jump-1 we've got 190 tons of cargo space. We could make a Jump-2 if the cargo was right, but that reduces our cargo room to 150 tons."
"Excellent. We don't have any on-going trades with anyone at Jump-2, but your cargo capacity is perfect for Wildeman. We recently uncovered a huge deposit of Zinc. It was more than adequate to bring our stocks up to full and we had enough to offer it out on the open market. Wildeman jumped at the chance to get it. They've got a number of industrial uses for it. The only problem is that they've got a primary facility where they want it shipped and they really want the whole thing in bulk. Locally, we just don't have the shipping capacity to move all that ore over there in one go. If we broke it up, it'd take several trips and we'd wind up losing money on it."
"But by having it sit here, you're also losing money on it."
"And it's taking up valuable warehouse space. Yes, you can see our problem. Your ship is well-suited to solving that problem for us. You can haul the zinc over in one shipment and we'll turn a nice profit on it."
"Then there should be a bit of bonus for helping you realize that profit."
"Absolutely, Captain. We're prepared to pay you a 50% premium on the standard shipping rates for you to take this to Wildeman."
Nathan did some fast calculations. Fifteen hundred credits a ton for...
"How many tons?" asked Nathan.
"One hundred fifty on the nose," said Ms. Fee.
Nathan's wearables finished the calculations and the profit margin was very good indeed.
"I think that's more than fair," said Nathan. "I believe we have a deal Ms. Fee. We'll be departing in a couple of days. If you can get your ore down to the spaceport in 24-48 hours, we'll see that it's loaded up."
Ms. Fee's fingers flew over the keyboard. "I'm authorizing the transfer now, Captain Fletcher. You should see the cargo arriving by noon tomorrow. It will come with an invoice you can take to the Iilgan embassy in Wildeman. They will be happy to make payment for your delivery there."
"Very good. Is there anything else?"
There was a grinding and groaning noise and Ms. Fee tore off a sheet of paper from the printer sitting on a small file cabinet. "Just sign at the bottom and take the bottom copy for yourself."
Nathan did so and Ms. Fee escorted him to the door. "Thanks so much, Captain Fletcher, it's a pleasure doing business with you."
"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Fee", said Nathan. As we wandered out of the ministry, he marveled at the efficiency of the process and the nice paycheck this run was going to earn him.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Welcome to Iilgan
The Option flashed into existence in the Iilgan system. After confirming jump success, the ship made a few thrust corrections and began it's long journey in-system towards the planet.
"Got a contact, Captain", said Ed.
"I'm on it," said Jake.
"It isn't heading in our direction though. Long way off, too."
The radio crackled to life. "Hail, My Other Option," came a voice, "this is Canary Gold. Doing a spot of prospecting out here. Good to see another face once in awhile."
"Hello, Canary, this is Captain Fletcher of the Option. Happy to chat with you a bit. Hope you can fill me in on some local news."
"Not much to tell. Locals pretty much lost interest in space exploration. The starport is maintained by a coalition of off-world companies to support their ships, but that's about it. It's not much, but you shouldn't have trouble getting a berth. You guys really in from Fist?"
"That's right. There was a backlog of stuff coming out of the Imperium for Iilgan so it was a pretty profitable trip."
"Better than I've been doing. Well, you might find it a bit tricky to fill up around here. We mostly get small free traders to do break bulk work every so often. Actually, now that I think about it, if you've got the cargo room, you may want to go direct to the Ministry of Natural Resources. Every so often, they come up with a big load of raw materials, minerals and the like, which they can't use, but can't bear to throw out. Most of the packet traders won't touch it because there's just too much and the Ministry wants it to go out in 100 ton lots. If you were to take it off their hands, they might pay well for it."
"Good to know, Canary, we'll be sure to check it out. Hope you find something worthwhile out here."
"Me too, Canary out."
Nathan turned to Ed. "Well," he said, "that sounds promising. And from the library info we have, it looks like we don't have to worry about the twins packing an arsenal into town."
"Yeah," said Ed, "they're pretty strict about that kind of thing. I'm probably going to be gone for a couple of days during leave, but I'll be in touch with you regularly."
"As long as you're back before we leave."
"Yeah, it's nothing big. I understand that Iilgan is really a pretty nice place. Probably a bit too quiet for the twins' tastes, but pleasant enough for everyone else."
"I hope so. I also hope this Ministry lead pans out. If we're going to Pandora next, we're going to have to have a full ship or something really valuable to ship over there. Whatever it is, it's almost certainly going to be bulk raw materials. It's not like these guys are be making some high-tech gizmo Pandora needs."
"There might be enough break-bulk stuff to fill us up. But at least we're turning a profit on this run."
"So far, so good." answered Nate.
"Got a contact, Captain", said Ed.
"I'm on it," said Jake.
"It isn't heading in our direction though. Long way off, too."
The radio crackled to life. "Hail, My Other Option," came a voice, "this is Canary Gold. Doing a spot of prospecting out here. Good to see another face once in awhile."
"Hello, Canary, this is Captain Fletcher of the Option. Happy to chat with you a bit. Hope you can fill me in on some local news."
"Not much to tell. Locals pretty much lost interest in space exploration. The starport is maintained by a coalition of off-world companies to support their ships, but that's about it. It's not much, but you shouldn't have trouble getting a berth. You guys really in from Fist?"
"That's right. There was a backlog of stuff coming out of the Imperium for Iilgan so it was a pretty profitable trip."
"Better than I've been doing. Well, you might find it a bit tricky to fill up around here. We mostly get small free traders to do break bulk work every so often. Actually, now that I think about it, if you've got the cargo room, you may want to go direct to the Ministry of Natural Resources. Every so often, they come up with a big load of raw materials, minerals and the like, which they can't use, but can't bear to throw out. Most of the packet traders won't touch it because there's just too much and the Ministry wants it to go out in 100 ton lots. If you were to take it off their hands, they might pay well for it."
"Good to know, Canary, we'll be sure to check it out. Hope you find something worthwhile out here."
"Me too, Canary out."
Nathan turned to Ed. "Well," he said, "that sounds promising. And from the library info we have, it looks like we don't have to worry about the twins packing an arsenal into town."
"Yeah," said Ed, "they're pretty strict about that kind of thing. I'm probably going to be gone for a couple of days during leave, but I'll be in touch with you regularly."
"As long as you're back before we leave."
"Yeah, it's nothing big. I understand that Iilgan is really a pretty nice place. Probably a bit too quiet for the twins' tastes, but pleasant enough for everyone else."
"I hope so. I also hope this Ministry lead pans out. If we're going to Pandora next, we're going to have to have a full ship or something really valuable to ship over there. Whatever it is, it's almost certainly going to be bulk raw materials. It's not like these guys are be making some high-tech gizmo Pandora needs."
"There might be enough break-bulk stuff to fill us up. But at least we're turning a profit on this run."
"So far, so good." answered Nate.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The Rest of the Crew
Classic Traveller Stats for the other crew members of My Other Option:
Edward Collins -- Ship's Pilot and Imperial Spy
Scout 6A9AA8 Age 46 7 Terms Cr 110000
Computer-1, Gun Combat-1, Jack-o-T-1, Mechanical-2,
Medical-2, Navigation-1, Pilot-3, Scout-0, Vacc Suit-1, Vehicle-1
Blade, Gun
Lloyd Edgerson -- Navigator
Merchant 4th Officer 4A8366 Age 34 4 Terms Cr 65000
Bribery-1, Electronic-1, Gun Combat-1, Merchant-0, Navigation-1,
Streetwise-1
Blade
"Helpful" (Aslan nickname) -- Steward
Merchant 3rd Officer 7777D7 Age 46 7 Terms Cr 61000
Administration-1, Bribery-1, Computer-2, Medical-1, Merchant-0, Tolerance-1
Steward-2, Streetwise-2
Jake Hudson -- Gunner
Merchant 2nd Officer A6486A Age 46 7 Terms Cr 35000
Gun Combat-1, Gunnery-2, Merchant-0, Navigation-2, Streetwise-3,
Vacc Suit-1, Vehicle-1
Gun x3, Low Passage x2
Samantha (Sam) Hudson -- Gunner
Merchant 3rd Officer C8646A Age 46 7 Terms Cr 51000
Blade Combat-1, Electronic-1, Gun Combat-1, Gunnery-1,
Jack-o-T-1, Merchant-0, Streetwise-1, Vacc Suit-1
Blade, Low Passage x2
Edward Collins -- Ship's Pilot and Imperial Spy
Scout 6A9AA8 Age 46 7 Terms Cr 110000
Computer-1, Gun Combat-1, Jack-o-T-1, Mechanical-2,
Medical-2, Navigation-1, Pilot-3, Scout-0, Vacc Suit-1, Vehicle-1
Blade, Gun
Lloyd Edgerson -- Navigator
Merchant 4th Officer 4A8366 Age 34 4 Terms Cr 65000
Bribery-1, Electronic-1, Gun Combat-1, Merchant-0, Navigation-1,
Streetwise-1
Blade
"Helpful" (Aslan nickname) -- Steward
Merchant 3rd Officer 7777D7 Age 46 7 Terms Cr 61000
Administration-1, Bribery-1, Computer-2, Medical-1, Merchant-0, Tolerance-1
Steward-2, Streetwise-2
Jake Hudson -- Gunner
Merchant 2nd Officer A6486A Age 46 7 Terms Cr 35000
Gun Combat-1, Gunnery-2, Merchant-0, Navigation-2, Streetwise-3,
Vacc Suit-1, Vehicle-1
Gun x3, Low Passage x2
Samantha (Sam) Hudson -- Gunner
Merchant 3rd Officer C8646A Age 46 7 Terms Cr 51000
Blade Combat-1, Electronic-1, Gun Combat-1, Gunnery-1,
Jack-o-T-1, Merchant-0, Streetwise-1, Vacc Suit-1
Blade, Low Passage x2
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Now leaving Fist
"Mr. Edgerson," said Nathan, "perhaps I was remiss in not warning you about the Hudson twin's penchant for touring local correctional facilities."
"I'm sorry about all this, Captain," said Lloyd.
"As far as I can tell, this wasn't really your fault. Just please try and avoid mysterious young women throwing themselves at you in the future?"
"Yes sir."
"And as for you two," said Nathan to the twins, "I should just hire two new gunners right here and now! I don't need this kind of trouble. Pull any stunts like this out there and they might decide to hold me responsible. I won't stand for it!"
"There was a fellow crew member in trouble and we rescued him," said Jake.
"He didn't need rescuing!" yelled Nathan, "They asked him a few questions and were letting him go when you two clowns decided to play commando!"
"We also rescued the victim of an undeclared trade war kidnapping," said Sam.
"And now I have to worry that Korashi LTD will decide to undeclare a war against me."
"They won't do that, Captain," said Jake. "Korashi has SuSAG breathing down their neck and, quite frankly, one freelance trader is the least of their worries now."
"You should've contacted me."
"Shore leave is shore leave," said Sam. "We're off-duty and responsible to no one but ourselves. You don't want us manning the guns, it's your right to hire someone else. We'll manage."
"Who else is going to be dumb enough to hire two loose cannons like you? You've been bouncing around from one UFTA ship to another, always causing trouble. You'd been cooling your heels for months when I looked you up. No one would deal with you. The only reason I hired you on was because I still owe you one and because when you two are doing your jobs, you're both damn good at it. But this isn't the UFTA, where you can get easily transferred because your old captain was anxious to foist you off on someone else. This time, there's only the Option and if you screw it up, you're out. Is that clear?"
The twins nodded.
"Good. While you lot were being hosted by the local government, we got the ship fully loaded. Lot of cargo headed to Iilgan that was just sitting around waiting to be picked up. Got a full slate of passengers too. So get back on the ship and get ready for liftoff, we're leaving as soon as Lloyd gets our route planned."
***
Later, Nathan threw himself down in the co-pilot's chair muttering to himself.
"I see we got our little jailbirds back," said Ed.
"I don't really want to talk about it," growled Nathan, "Did our jump drives get their timers reset?"
"Yes. We're good for another three months or until we hit Pandora, whichever comes first."
"All right, let's get out of here."
"I'm sorry about all this, Captain," said Lloyd.
"As far as I can tell, this wasn't really your fault. Just please try and avoid mysterious young women throwing themselves at you in the future?"
"Yes sir."
"And as for you two," said Nathan to the twins, "I should just hire two new gunners right here and now! I don't need this kind of trouble. Pull any stunts like this out there and they might decide to hold me responsible. I won't stand for it!"
"There was a fellow crew member in trouble and we rescued him," said Jake.
"He didn't need rescuing!" yelled Nathan, "They asked him a few questions and were letting him go when you two clowns decided to play commando!"
"We also rescued the victim of an undeclared trade war kidnapping," said Sam.
"And now I have to worry that Korashi LTD will decide to undeclare a war against me."
"They won't do that, Captain," said Jake. "Korashi has SuSAG breathing down their neck and, quite frankly, one freelance trader is the least of their worries now."
"You should've contacted me."
"Shore leave is shore leave," said Sam. "We're off-duty and responsible to no one but ourselves. You don't want us manning the guns, it's your right to hire someone else. We'll manage."
"Who else is going to be dumb enough to hire two loose cannons like you? You've been bouncing around from one UFTA ship to another, always causing trouble. You'd been cooling your heels for months when I looked you up. No one would deal with you. The only reason I hired you on was because I still owe you one and because when you two are doing your jobs, you're both damn good at it. But this isn't the UFTA, where you can get easily transferred because your old captain was anxious to foist you off on someone else. This time, there's only the Option and if you screw it up, you're out. Is that clear?"
The twins nodded.
"Good. While you lot were being hosted by the local government, we got the ship fully loaded. Lot of cargo headed to Iilgan that was just sitting around waiting to be picked up. Got a full slate of passengers too. So get back on the ship and get ready for liftoff, we're leaving as soon as Lloyd gets our route planned."
***
Later, Nathan threw himself down in the co-pilot's chair muttering to himself.
"I see we got our little jailbirds back," said Ed.
"I don't really want to talk about it," growled Nathan, "Did our jump drives get their timers reset?"
"Yes. We're good for another three months or until we hit Pandora, whichever comes first."
"All right, let's get out of here."
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Shore Leave (pt. 2)
Lloyd was shoved down into a chair. The suits had split the two of them up, although he did see that she got taken to the room next to him. One of the guards stood over him.
"OK, wise guy," said the guard, "who are you?"
"I'm Lloyd Edgerson," answered Lloyd, "I'm the navigator off the trader My Other Option. I just got here earlier today."
"What were you doing with the girl?"
"Kissing her."
"You know her then?"
"Never seen her before in my life. I went down to the beach, took a nap and when I woke up, she was on top of me. Thought it might have been part of theresort's hospitality."
"Did she tell you anything?"
"She said her name was Leonia and that she was in trouble and begged me to save her."
"That's all?"
"That's it. If you've got any questions, you can send a reqeust to the ship. It'll confirm my identity."
"We'll see about that."
The guards left the room and closed the door. Llyod got up and tried the handle. As he expected, it was locked, but he was never one to dismiss a simple solution. The room itself looked pretty standard. Hard cement walls, a couple of small ceiling vents, but even standing on the room's table, he couldn't get up at it. No obvious sensors, but he just assumed he was being watched. So he gave a friendly wave to all four walls. Again, no point in not being polite. At the moment, his limited suite of options was exhausted and there's nothing left to do but just wait. Lloyd slumped back into his chair and hoped Sam or Jake could help sort things out. He also wondered just what it was they wantedLeonia for.
* * *
Sam was packing the gear, when the knock on the door came. There were only two other people on the island that she wanted to see and neither of them were likely to be knocking at the door. She tossed the last few things into her bag and quickly headed out onto the balcony of her cabin. She hoped that the person doing the knocking came straight from the underground facilities and didn't have people posted around the outside of her bungalow. She dashed down a paved walkway towards the beach and headed off towards the casino entrance.
On the way down, her wearable bleeped. Jake was calling in.
"What's up, big brother?" she asked.
"I didn't see exactly where they went, but I've got a pretty good idea of where he's at. Meet me at the casino bar."
"I thought you sobered up."
"I'm buying a few drinks to get some more information on the Security stations, the bartender has been surprisingly forthcoming. Cute too."
"I know your rugged good looks are irresistible, but remember we've got a job to do here."
"Don't worry sis. I'll see you in five."
"On my way."
* * *
The door opened and the guard returned. "Your story checks out, Mr. Edgerson. We were hoping to confirm with your fellow crew members, but the data off of your ship makes it a mere formality."
"Happy to be of help, sir."
"On behalf of the Diamond Sands Resort, I'd like to extend our deepest apologies. We'd like to give you these vouchers and a few casino chips for the trouble we've put you to."
"That's awfully nice of you. So, I'm free to go?"
"Right this way, Mr. Edgerson." The guard steped out the door into the hallway. Lloyd was about to follow when the guard started. "Freeze! Who are--"
His query was cut off. There was a series of sharp clicks and bullets ripped through the guard. Lloyd threw himself against the wall next to the door. From the hallway there was silence for a few moments, then a door was kicked open. Some shouts, a woman's scream, and more loud clicks. Bodies hit the floor.
Then he heard Sam's voice, "Where's Lloyd you bitch?"
"Sam! In here!" Lloyd called out. "Don't shoot me!"
A figure in black synth-skin poked her head around the corner. Lloyd assumed it was Sam from her general size and build. In her hands was a silenced SMG.
"What the hell are you doing?" asked Lloyd.
"Busting you out of here," snapped Sam, "can't get very far without our Navigator."
"You don't have to bust me out! They talked to Option and realized I was just a tourist. They were letting me go, Sam!"
"Shit!" hissed Sam.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" shouted Jake from down the hall.
"You better take this," said Sam shoving a pistol into Lloyd's hand.
"This is insane," muttered Lloyd as he followed Sam down the hall. They stopped when they reached Jake who was standing in the room next door with Leonia and a couple of dead guards. Leonia was scared out of her wits. She'd also been hit a couple of times.
"Please, take me with you! Get me out of here!", said Leonia.
"You've been nothing but trouble, lady," said Lloyd. "Why do they want you so badly?"
"I'm a sub-sector VP for SuSAG," said Leonia. "This place is owned by Korashi LTD. I was here on Fist to make a buyout offer. Korashi appeared to be eager to have us buy them out, but shortly after I got here, my bodygaurds were attacked. I fled down to the beach and that's where I ran into you. If you can get me out of here, I'll see to it that you all get a big reward."
"I've heard that before," grumbled Jake, "how do we know she's not lying?"
"We don't," said Lloyd, "but seeing as how you two have shot up the security staff, I guess we've got to get the hell out of here and taking the lady along is hardly going to make our position any better or worse. In fact, unless she's telling the truth, we're probably going to be looking at some serious jail time. So come with us Leonia."
Sam and Jake peeled back their synth-skin coating and now merely looked eccentric rather than sinister. The four of them made their way out of the security area and mingled back into the general flow of tourists. They emerged back onto the beach and hurried back to the landing pads.
Their aircar had a couple of guards standing next to it. "Down a level," whispered Jake. The four backtracked down to the lower landing pads. Sam hopped into an open air car and hooked her wearable to the control console. A few seconds later, the engines switched on and the car floated up. "Scootch over, I'll drive", said Jake. They all piled in and Jake went gliding away from the pad. After putting a little distance between themselves and the resort, he opened the throttle.
"OK, Leonia," said Lloyd, "where to?"
"Just give me a comm unit, I can contact my ship and let them know what happened," she said.
"Here," said Sam, "use mine. But I'm listening in. Any funny business and you're cut off."
Leonia glared at Sam, but took the comm unit. A few minutes of frantic conversation later, she handed back the comm unit. "They're coming out to meet us."
"I hope they get here quick," said Jake, "it looks like we've got company."
A flight of grav cars came buzzing up behind them. Three open-topped vehicles, each mounting a large gun in the back. Jake pushed the throttle forward and the engines began to whine as ran flat out. Their pursuers fell back only slightly before realizing what was up and raising their speed to match. The lead vehicle let off a long burst of machine gun fire. Jake threw the aircar into a slew and slid out of the way of the tracers. Now the flight took on a spiraling weave as Jake attempted to make the shot harder. A line of smoke shot off from one of the other pursuit vehicles and a missile came roaring after them. Jake pulled it level for a moment and then veered away at the last second. The missile's tracking was thrown off and it went spiraling away. But the maneuver had caused them to lose ground. The enemy was closing in on them. Soon they'd get a solid lock and there'd be nothing left but a fireball.
There was a bright flash and one of the grav cars turned to flaming pieces. There was a loud roar as fighters went streaking overhead. The other two pursuers suddenly turned tail, but it was too late. They were no match for the fighters who sliced among them and picked them off one after the other.
"It looks like they got here just in time," yelled Leonia over the roar of the air car's engines. "Those are SuSAG fighters. We should be safe now."
Safe was a relative term. As soon as they landed at the spaceport, they were swarmed by security and taken off to jail while their escapades were sorted out. There was a lot of legal wrangling and it took the better part of a week before they could be let out. In the end, the court had found that Korashi had started an undeclared trade war and that Leonia and her companions were cleared of any wrongdoing.
"I could use some new bodyguards," Leonia said as they left the courthouse. "You three seem pretty capable."
"Considering what happened to your last bodyguards, I think I'll pass," said Jake.
"I'll admit that I got into this job because I wanted some excitement and adventure," said Lloyd, "But this has been just a bit too exciting for me. I'm looking forward to a nice boring trading run."
"We'll see how boring it is out in the Borderlands," said Sam, "You might wish you were back here."
"If you're going into the Borderlands are you stopping at Pandora?" asked Leonia.
"In about a month," said Lloyd.
"Then take these passes," said Leonia, handing them each a smartcard. "They're VIP passes. It should make your shore leave there much more pleasant than it's been here on Fist. It's the least I could do for the people who saved my life. These should also help your captain when it comes time to load his ship up for the next run. He might be very interested in some pharmaceuticals we make out there."
"Thanks," said Lloyd.
"And when you get back," said Leonia, "look me up. Maybe you'll change your mind." She gave Lloyd a quick kiss. "Have a good trip, Lloyd."
"Yeah. You too, Leonia," said Lloyd.
Leonia stepped into her waiting aircar and was gone. Lloyd and the twins flagged down a taxi to take them back to the star port.
"Look at that," said Jake. "We do all the rescuing work and he gets the girl."
"I didn't get the girl," said Lloyd, "for some reason I thought it'd be more fun to hang out with you guys."
"Some fun," snorted Jake, "I spent all of shore leave in jail."
"Not the first time," said Sam.
"We've still got one more night," said Lloyd. What say we have a BBQ on the ship tonight. We'll set up a grill by the ship, have some burgers and beer. Enjoy a little tropical sun before we have to load up the ship and get out of here. Besides, we'll have to do something to appease the Captain. He couldn't read us the riot act on this one, but he wanted to. Plus, we can let him know that we've got a bit of leverage in Pandora. That's sure to soften him up."
"The kid's got a point," said Sam.
"Guess we'd better stop off for some steaks then," said Jake. He tapped the glass and let the driver know about the change of plans.
"OK, wise guy," said the guard, "who are you?"
"I'm Lloyd Edgerson," answered Lloyd, "I'm the navigator off the trader My Other Option. I just got here earlier today."
"What were you doing with the girl?"
"Kissing her."
"You know her then?"
"Never seen her before in my life. I went down to the beach, took a nap and when I woke up, she was on top of me. Thought it might have been part of theresort's hospitality."
"Did she tell you anything?"
"She said her name was Leonia and that she was in trouble and begged me to save her."
"That's all?"
"That's it. If you've got any questions, you can send a reqeust to the ship. It'll confirm my identity."
"We'll see about that."
The guards left the room and closed the door. Llyod got up and tried the handle. As he expected, it was locked, but he was never one to dismiss a simple solution. The room itself looked pretty standard. Hard cement walls, a couple of small ceiling vents, but even standing on the room's table, he couldn't get up at it. No obvious sensors, but he just assumed he was being watched. So he gave a friendly wave to all four walls. Again, no point in not being polite. At the moment, his limited suite of options was exhausted and there's nothing left to do but just wait. Lloyd slumped back into his chair and hoped Sam or Jake could help sort things out. He also wondered just what it was they wantedLeonia for.
* * *
Sam was packing the gear, when the knock on the door came. There were only two other people on the island that she wanted to see and neither of them were likely to be knocking at the door. She tossed the last few things into her bag and quickly headed out onto the balcony of her cabin. She hoped that the person doing the knocking came straight from the underground facilities and didn't have people posted around the outside of her bungalow. She dashed down a paved walkway towards the beach and headed off towards the casino entrance.
On the way down, her wearable bleeped. Jake was calling in.
"What's up, big brother?" she asked.
"I didn't see exactly where they went, but I've got a pretty good idea of where he's at. Meet me at the casino bar."
"I thought you sobered up."
"I'm buying a few drinks to get some more information on the Security stations, the bartender has been surprisingly forthcoming. Cute too."
"I know your rugged good looks are irresistible, but remember we've got a job to do here."
"Don't worry sis. I'll see you in five."
"On my way."
* * *
The door opened and the guard returned. "Your story checks out, Mr. Edgerson. We were hoping to confirm with your fellow crew members, but the data off of your ship makes it a mere formality."
"Happy to be of help, sir."
"On behalf of the Diamond Sands Resort, I'd like to extend our deepest apologies. We'd like to give you these vouchers and a few casino chips for the trouble we've put you to."
"That's awfully nice of you. So, I'm free to go?"
"Right this way, Mr. Edgerson." The guard steped out the door into the hallway. Lloyd was about to follow when the guard started. "Freeze! Who are--"
His query was cut off. There was a series of sharp clicks and bullets ripped through the guard. Lloyd threw himself against the wall next to the door. From the hallway there was silence for a few moments, then a door was kicked open. Some shouts, a woman's scream, and more loud clicks. Bodies hit the floor.
Then he heard Sam's voice, "Where's Lloyd you bitch?"
"Sam! In here!" Lloyd called out. "Don't shoot me!"
A figure in black synth-skin poked her head around the corner. Lloyd assumed it was Sam from her general size and build. In her hands was a silenced SMG.
"What the hell are you doing?" asked Lloyd.
"Busting you out of here," snapped Sam, "can't get very far without our Navigator."
"You don't have to bust me out! They talked to Option and realized I was just a tourist. They were letting me go, Sam!"
"Shit!" hissed Sam.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" shouted Jake from down the hall.
"You better take this," said Sam shoving a pistol into Lloyd's hand.
"This is insane," muttered Lloyd as he followed Sam down the hall. They stopped when they reached Jake who was standing in the room next door with Leonia and a couple of dead guards. Leonia was scared out of her wits. She'd also been hit a couple of times.
"Please, take me with you! Get me out of here!", said Leonia.
"You've been nothing but trouble, lady," said Lloyd. "Why do they want you so badly?"
"I'm a sub-sector VP for SuSAG," said Leonia. "This place is owned by Korashi LTD. I was here on Fist to make a buyout offer. Korashi appeared to be eager to have us buy them out, but shortly after I got here, my bodygaurds were attacked. I fled down to the beach and that's where I ran into you. If you can get me out of here, I'll see to it that you all get a big reward."
"I've heard that before," grumbled Jake, "how do we know she's not lying?"
"We don't," said Lloyd, "but seeing as how you two have shot up the security staff, I guess we've got to get the hell out of here and taking the lady along is hardly going to make our position any better or worse. In fact, unless she's telling the truth, we're probably going to be looking at some serious jail time. So come with us Leonia."
Sam and Jake peeled back their synth-skin coating and now merely looked eccentric rather than sinister. The four of them made their way out of the security area and mingled back into the general flow of tourists. They emerged back onto the beach and hurried back to the landing pads.
Their aircar had a couple of guards standing next to it. "Down a level," whispered Jake. The four backtracked down to the lower landing pads. Sam hopped into an open air car and hooked her wearable to the control console. A few seconds later, the engines switched on and the car floated up. "Scootch over, I'll drive", said Jake. They all piled in and Jake went gliding away from the pad. After putting a little distance between themselves and the resort, he opened the throttle.
"OK, Leonia," said Lloyd, "where to?"
"Just give me a comm unit, I can contact my ship and let them know what happened," she said.
"Here," said Sam, "use mine. But I'm listening in. Any funny business and you're cut off."
Leonia glared at Sam, but took the comm unit. A few minutes of frantic conversation later, she handed back the comm unit. "They're coming out to meet us."
"I hope they get here quick," said Jake, "it looks like we've got company."
A flight of grav cars came buzzing up behind them. Three open-topped vehicles, each mounting a large gun in the back. Jake pushed the throttle forward and the engines began to whine as ran flat out. Their pursuers fell back only slightly before realizing what was up and raising their speed to match. The lead vehicle let off a long burst of machine gun fire. Jake threw the aircar into a slew and slid out of the way of the tracers. Now the flight took on a spiraling weave as Jake attempted to make the shot harder. A line of smoke shot off from one of the other pursuit vehicles and a missile came roaring after them. Jake pulled it level for a moment and then veered away at the last second. The missile's tracking was thrown off and it went spiraling away. But the maneuver had caused them to lose ground. The enemy was closing in on them. Soon they'd get a solid lock and there'd be nothing left but a fireball.
There was a bright flash and one of the grav cars turned to flaming pieces. There was a loud roar as fighters went streaking overhead. The other two pursuers suddenly turned tail, but it was too late. They were no match for the fighters who sliced among them and picked them off one after the other.
"It looks like they got here just in time," yelled Leonia over the roar of the air car's engines. "Those are SuSAG fighters. We should be safe now."
Safe was a relative term. As soon as they landed at the spaceport, they were swarmed by security and taken off to jail while their escapades were sorted out. There was a lot of legal wrangling and it took the better part of a week before they could be let out. In the end, the court had found that Korashi had started an undeclared trade war and that Leonia and her companions were cleared of any wrongdoing.
"I could use some new bodyguards," Leonia said as they left the courthouse. "You three seem pretty capable."
"Considering what happened to your last bodyguards, I think I'll pass," said Jake.
"I'll admit that I got into this job because I wanted some excitement and adventure," said Lloyd, "But this has been just a bit too exciting for me. I'm looking forward to a nice boring trading run."
"We'll see how boring it is out in the Borderlands," said Sam, "You might wish you were back here."
"If you're going into the Borderlands are you stopping at Pandora?" asked Leonia.
"In about a month," said Lloyd.
"Then take these passes," said Leonia, handing them each a smartcard. "They're VIP passes. It should make your shore leave there much more pleasant than it's been here on Fist. It's the least I could do for the people who saved my life. These should also help your captain when it comes time to load his ship up for the next run. He might be very interested in some pharmaceuticals we make out there."
"Thanks," said Lloyd.
"And when you get back," said Leonia, "look me up. Maybe you'll change your mind." She gave Lloyd a quick kiss. "Have a good trip, Lloyd."
"Yeah. You too, Leonia," said Lloyd.
Leonia stepped into her waiting aircar and was gone. Lloyd and the twins flagged down a taxi to take them back to the star port.
"Look at that," said Jake. "We do all the rescuing work and he gets the girl."
"I didn't get the girl," said Lloyd, "for some reason I thought it'd be more fun to hang out with you guys."
"Some fun," snorted Jake, "I spent all of shore leave in jail."
"Not the first time," said Sam.
"We've still got one more night," said Lloyd. What say we have a BBQ on the ship tonight. We'll set up a grill by the ship, have some burgers and beer. Enjoy a little tropical sun before we have to load up the ship and get out of here. Besides, we'll have to do something to appease the Captain. He couldn't read us the riot act on this one, but he wanted to. Plus, we can let him know that we've got a bit of leverage in Pandora. That's sure to soften him up."
"The kid's got a point," said Sam.
"Guess we'd better stop off for some steaks then," said Jake. He tapped the glass and let the driver know about the change of plans.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
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."
"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."
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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."
"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."
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