dust heralded a ship's sudden arrival. Its' arrival
startled the frigate Wendigo on picket duty at the B101 Alpha jump point less
than a million kilometers from the arriving ship. Fortunately for the newcomer
Wendigo's sensor officer was on the ball, he classed the ship as a civilian
ship and the frigate stood down the defenses before the mines clustered around
the warp point tore the ship apart. A standard hail went out to get the ship's attention.
When they didn't respond Wendigo went back to alert.
The
civilian crew didn't know how lucky they were, another ten-seconds and they
would have been torn apart before their systems could have fully recovered.
First Lieutenant Aisyah binti Tam, Neo orangutan Captain of the Wendigo took
the horn. “Do you people realize another half second delay and you would have
been torn apart? When you get an identity query from a Navy picket ship you damn well better answer smartly or it'll be on your head!” she snarled.
“Sorry,
sorry,” the voice said over the communication channel. “We didn't expect anyone
on the other side of the jump point. Please don't shoot!”
He had
a point, up until three years ago no one guarded the four Pyraxian jump points.
The attack by Horathian pirates had changed all that. But still, when a ship
hailed you, you better respond, especially if that ship is a warship. Even if
she's a frigate, Tam thought darkly before responding. She felt her ruffled fur
slowly relax.
“Right,
so you're new to the system. State your purpose for being here and where you
came from,” the simian Captain demanded, voice cooling from the practical
shriek she'd been fighting. She felt her fur slowly dropping to normal. That
had been entirely too close. Perhaps having an orbital fort on hand to be in
charge instead of her would be better. Having life and death decisions thrust
on her with little time to think them over was one thing, but she'd much prefer
someone else have to deal with the consequences if some idiot civilian didn't
respond and was blown out of space.
“Sorry,
as I said, we didn't expect you here. Um...”
“State
your purpose for being here, where you are coming from, and where you are
going,” the Captain said patiently.
“Oh, oh
right, yes, sorry. We're the Old Nelly out of um, Finagle I guess you could
say. We've been traveling a long way and we'd like to drop off our cargo of
people and move on if it's okay with you.”
“Old
Nelly?” the Captain asked and then chuffed in amusement.
“Yes,
we're um...”
“A freighter.
Or in your case a liner?”
“We're
certainly feeling that way at the moment,” the still unnamed voice replied with
a sparkle of exasperation in his tone of voice. “We're overloaded with
passengers and our life support and fuel are... iffy I guess you could say.”
“Do you
need resupply?” the Captain asked. “And who am I talking to?” she asked.
“Sorry,”
the other voice said. She winced at the slight squeal in the radio channel. She
waved a long hand to the communications and sensor rating manning his post to
filter it. He nodded silently. “No, we're good till Anvil the Captain said.
Um... Sorry, this is Dwayne Webe of The Nelly. I'm, well, I guess you could say
I'm second in command?” he asked, voice rising in inquiry as he turned away
from the microphone.
“Try
third,” a new voice said dryly. “Soon to be fourth if you don't get on with it
Dweeb,” the voice concluded.
“Aye
Captain,” Dwayne replied, sounding hunched over. “Nelly is out of Finagle as I
said, we're passing through to um, Gaston? Is that right?” After a moment he
grunted. “Yes, we're headed to Gaston, and then from there I don't know. But
we're coming here to well...”
“Drop
your passengers off,” Captain Tam replied dryly.
“Oh you
know about them already?” the man said, sounding dismayed.
“You just
told me. This is Captain Tam of the Wendigo. Welcome to Pyrax.”
“If you
don't mind my asking, what are you
startled the frigate Wendigo on picket duty at the B101 Alpha jump point less
than a million kilometers from the arriving ship. Fortunately for the newcomer
Wendigo's sensor officer was on the ball, he classed the ship as a civilian
ship and the frigate stood down the defenses before the mines clustered around
the warp point tore the ship apart. A standard hail went out to get the ship's attention.
When they didn't respond Wendigo went back to alert.
The
civilian crew didn't know how lucky they were, another ten-seconds and they
would have been torn apart before their systems could have fully recovered.
First Lieutenant Aisyah binti Tam, Neo orangutan Captain of the Wendigo took
the horn. “Do you people realize another half second delay and you would have
been torn apart? When you get an identity query from a Navy picket ship you damn well better answer smartly or it'll be on your head!” she snarled.
“Sorry,
sorry,” the voice said over the communication channel. “We didn't expect anyone
on the other side of the jump point. Please don't shoot!”
He had
a point, up until three years ago no one guarded the four Pyraxian jump points.
The attack by Horathian pirates had changed all that. But still, when a ship
hailed you, you better respond, especially if that ship is a warship. Even if
she's a frigate, Tam thought darkly before responding. She felt her ruffled fur
slowly relax.
“Right,
so you're new to the system. State your purpose for being here and where you
came from,” the simian Captain demanded, voice cooling from the practical
shriek she'd been fighting. She felt her fur slowly dropping to normal. That
had been entirely too close. Perhaps having an orbital fort on hand to be in
charge instead of her would be better. Having life and death decisions thrust
on her with little time to think them over was one thing, but she'd much prefer
someone else have to deal with the consequences if some idiot civilian didn't
respond and was blown out of space.
“Sorry,
as I said, we didn't expect you here. Um...”
“State
your purpose for being here, where you are coming from, and where you are
going,” the Captain said patiently.
“Oh, oh
right, yes, sorry. We're the Old Nelly out of um, Finagle I guess you could
say. We've been traveling a long way and we'd like to drop off our cargo of
people and move on if it's okay with you.”
“Old
Nelly?” the Captain asked and then chuffed in amusement.
“Yes,
we're um...”
“A freighter.
Or in your case a liner?”
“We're
certainly feeling that way at the moment,” the still unnamed voice replied with
a sparkle of exasperation in his tone of voice. “We're overloaded with
passengers and our life support and fuel are... iffy I guess you could say.”
“Do you
need resupply?” the Captain asked. “And who am I talking to?” she asked.
“Sorry,”
the other voice said. She winced at the slight squeal in the radio channel. She
waved a long hand to the communications and sensor rating manning his post to
filter it. He nodded silently. “No, we're good till Anvil the Captain said.
Um... Sorry, this is Dwayne Webe of The Nelly. I'm, well, I guess you could say
I'm second in command?” he asked, voice rising in inquiry as he turned away
from the microphone.
“Try
third,” a new voice said dryly. “Soon to be fourth if you don't get on with it
Dweeb,” the voice concluded.
“Aye
Captain,” Dwayne replied, sounding hunched over. “Nelly is out of Finagle as I
said, we're passing through to um, Gaston? Is that right?” After a moment he
grunted. “Yes, we're headed to Gaston, and then from there I don't know. But
we're coming here to well...”
“Drop
your passengers off,” Captain Tam replied dryly.
“Oh you
know about them already?” the man said, sounding dismayed.
“You just
told me. This is Captain Tam of the Wendigo. Welcome to Pyrax.”
“If you
don't mind my asking, what are you
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