think he was soft on the little bit of station-fluff minding the store.”
“Luckily Captain, while I wasn't able to make delivery, I was able to collect your portage fee, and pick up another job from the same contact. Apparently, the delivery was meant to go on to Vega 4, but my delay in getting off Luna Farside caused their other contracted courier to toss it in.”
“Vega 4?” said the captain, “There's nothing on Vega 4, I've seen it. An airless rock hardly bigger than Phobos, and about as irregular. Are you sure they didn't say Vega 6? Wonderful place, totally habitable – the most incredible mauve sky I've ever seen from high altitude silica dust...”
“No, he was very specific, and it's on my contract as well. Vega 4, presumably we will learn more as we get into the system, though they didn't provide me with coordinates of any kind. That's pretty standard though, for really high security gigs, they almost never tell me where I am going except in general terms.” He paused, a pained look on his face. “I know we just met Captain, but is there any chance I could contract with you and the Archaea to make this hop? The bonus payment for rapid delivery is significant, and I could make it well worthwhile.”
We looked at the captain. He looked thoughtful for a few moments, which caught us all off guard as that's not really a look he ever shares with us. He took a deep breath, and looked at each of us, and finally back to Yak. “Yak, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that first, we don't want your money--” he fixed Shorty with a glare as she hissed air through her teeth, and I knew better than to breathe, but I knew my turn was next if I moved a muscle. “--but rather, we'd be honored to take you where you need to go, on one condition.”
Yak looked puzzled (as did we all) as the captain continued. “I, well... We want you to join our crew. We will need someone of your particular skills and talents on board, if for nothing else it will give Shorty someone new to practice her hand-to-hand with – but ultimately, someone who knows what it means to be a leatherneck, what the business-end of a loaded weapon can do, the importance of honor and teamwork and duty.”
“There may come a time where we'll have to board some manky scow, fighting from bulkhead to bulkhead against a band of murderous cut-throat scoundrels. While I am sure you all have no problems imagining me hip deep in blood and guts looking for my next target- “
“Hey, what about me?” Shorty blurted out, clearly working herself into a lather.
“I said, hip deep, Shorty – not neck deep.”
We all laughed, and sealed our fate: never-ending pain and suffering to the end of our days.
“In any case, while some of us might do for that sort of scenario, Yak here is the only one of us that could actually do it, like in the real world - where we are now.” Yak nodded with a faraway look in his eye, clearly remembering similar scenes.
“Yak, I wouldn't feel good taking payment from you for this run. It's your job, and you are earning it by having to put up with the crazy people and experiences on this ship. After it is completed, you're welcome to stay with us, as a full-share crew member.” At this, Dak whipped out his hand, and prepared to deliver the most confidence-inspiring handshake in Sol system. I thought Shorty was about to split her head in half smiling.
Chapter 9
To say that I was proud of my creation would be an understatement, and of course, she wasn't really my creation any longer, she was her own creation now.
Janis had plotted a course for us through the Danaan Fields, a remnant system from an ancient supernova that was all but burned out. As it was mostly uncharted, random mass hurtling around an ultra-dense remnant, a slipspace jump through this area was technically impossible.
To get to Vega system, most ships do a 3, or 4 leg jump around Danaan, depending on whether or not a recent gravimetric survey
“Luckily Captain, while I wasn't able to make delivery, I was able to collect your portage fee, and pick up another job from the same contact. Apparently, the delivery was meant to go on to Vega 4, but my delay in getting off Luna Farside caused their other contracted courier to toss it in.”
“Vega 4?” said the captain, “There's nothing on Vega 4, I've seen it. An airless rock hardly bigger than Phobos, and about as irregular. Are you sure they didn't say Vega 6? Wonderful place, totally habitable – the most incredible mauve sky I've ever seen from high altitude silica dust...”
“No, he was very specific, and it's on my contract as well. Vega 4, presumably we will learn more as we get into the system, though they didn't provide me with coordinates of any kind. That's pretty standard though, for really high security gigs, they almost never tell me where I am going except in general terms.” He paused, a pained look on his face. “I know we just met Captain, but is there any chance I could contract with you and the Archaea to make this hop? The bonus payment for rapid delivery is significant, and I could make it well worthwhile.”
We looked at the captain. He looked thoughtful for a few moments, which caught us all off guard as that's not really a look he ever shares with us. He took a deep breath, and looked at each of us, and finally back to Yak. “Yak, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that first, we don't want your money--” he fixed Shorty with a glare as she hissed air through her teeth, and I knew better than to breathe, but I knew my turn was next if I moved a muscle. “--but rather, we'd be honored to take you where you need to go, on one condition.”
Yak looked puzzled (as did we all) as the captain continued. “I, well... We want you to join our crew. We will need someone of your particular skills and talents on board, if for nothing else it will give Shorty someone new to practice her hand-to-hand with – but ultimately, someone who knows what it means to be a leatherneck, what the business-end of a loaded weapon can do, the importance of honor and teamwork and duty.”
“There may come a time where we'll have to board some manky scow, fighting from bulkhead to bulkhead against a band of murderous cut-throat scoundrels. While I am sure you all have no problems imagining me hip deep in blood and guts looking for my next target- “
“Hey, what about me?” Shorty blurted out, clearly working herself into a lather.
“I said, hip deep, Shorty – not neck deep.”
We all laughed, and sealed our fate: never-ending pain and suffering to the end of our days.
“In any case, while some of us might do for that sort of scenario, Yak here is the only one of us that could actually do it, like in the real world - where we are now.” Yak nodded with a faraway look in his eye, clearly remembering similar scenes.
“Yak, I wouldn't feel good taking payment from you for this run. It's your job, and you are earning it by having to put up with the crazy people and experiences on this ship. After it is completed, you're welcome to stay with us, as a full-share crew member.” At this, Dak whipped out his hand, and prepared to deliver the most confidence-inspiring handshake in Sol system. I thought Shorty was about to split her head in half smiling.
Chapter 9
To say that I was proud of my creation would be an understatement, and of course, she wasn't really my creation any longer, she was her own creation now.
Janis had plotted a course for us through the Danaan Fields, a remnant system from an ancient supernova that was all but burned out. As it was mostly uncharted, random mass hurtling around an ultra-dense remnant, a slipspace jump through this area was technically impossible.
To get to Vega system, most ships do a 3, or 4 leg jump around Danaan, depending on whether or not a recent gravimetric survey
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