So I just recognized that I didn't post an entire chapter. For those who have been confused, that is completely understandable. If you go back a couple posts you will find 'Lidya Marval's Turn of Good Fortune' edited in at the appropriate place. Sorry about that.
Infiltrations
"Dock at the ammunition fab Boso. They will take the rest of the load." The Bernard Lee's cargo bay could hold far more energy cells than a single small factory could. The tube fab had taken all they could, but the Bernard Lee still carried over three thousand.
"Ammunition fab, acknowledged," Boso Wa replied, and his image faded from the com link. The familiar image that had sported a gold bracelet on the short tentacle on the left side of his head. Too short to be of much use other than eating, the short tentacles were often used for such adornment and no one would have remarked about such a bauble. Jula requested departure clearance and hit the clamp release. He set course for the ammunition fab.
Jula No waited while Boso Wa completed the sale of the e-cells, then floated along with him to the Bernard Lee. He stopped at the hatch and made a fair impression of a bosun's whistle through his snout as Boso went through, then said "permission to come aboard, captain?"
Boso snorted. "Funny."
Jula floated in through the hatch and hit the closure mechanism so they would not be overheard.
"Surely you have told the girl by now that you are not just the pilot of this fine vessel?"
"I had to. As expected she thinks you are a pirate. Considering that every time she sees you you're blasting away at some trader that's not too surprising. In fact she was so convinced I think she was ready to quit.
"Ah, but it's not so easy to quit when you own the ship. You told her that part as well, no doubt."
"Of course. And that we are buying a station. She'll be hauling e-cells with a little more spring in her step."
"Perfect. This isn't what you needed to see me about..."
"No." Boso slid the bracelet off his feeding tentacle and stowed it, then looked pointedly at the clock. "Nila Bu has a courier that needs to be on the military base in Atreus' Clouds in seventeen minutes. You better get going."
"Rolk's fins! You might have told me straight away!" Jula spun and swam for the hatch.
"You're going to Boron space. I figured if you were pressed for time you wouldn't get sidetracked popping off at every Split trader you saw."
The hatch closed on the lilting sound of Boron laughter and Jula raced for the Rigg. The canopy was still cycling closed and he was requesting departure clearance.
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Toto Mu slipped aboard as soon as the canopy opened in the docking pod of the tube fab. "The Boron is strapped in and you are clear to depart. Go, go, go!" He said. Once the Rigg was settled on course he said, in a calmer tone, "Thanks for the ride."
"The Boron is pleased to be of service," Jula replied. They were rapidly approaching the gate. He brought up a remote command console and tipped a few keys. The Wikstrom appeared on the monitor in the upper left corner of the main viewer.
"What's that about?" Toto asked.
"The Boron cannot leave her behind," Jula said with a gesture towards the monitor. "A parked empty ship attracts questions, and her registry would attract even more under close scrutiny. Keeping her in the same sector prevents...problems."
"I see."
They chatted idly as the sectors sped past, then the Rigg emerged into Atreus' Clouds. Toto Mu pointed at a ship symbol on the monitor. "That Buzzard. That is a pirate vessel. He is traveling fast, and we have...three minutes to spare...follow him."
The pirate was heading out into the murky reaches of the cloud. They had not gone too far out of their way when a distant station appeared on the monitor. "Pirate base," Toto Mu advised. "You can park the Wikstrom there without concern. I'm sure your locks would exceed the skills of anyone aboard...anyone who could be bothered trying to hack an Octopus, anyway. And no one is going to be over concerned for her registration. The only thing you have to worry about is the fleet blowing up the station, and I don't see that happening in the immediate future." Jula tapped in the docking commands gratefully and watched the Wikstrom speed past into the murk.
They docked at the military base and Toto Mu leapt out of the cockpit without ceremony and hurried off. But he did call back over his shoulder. "They'll have another assignment for you momentarily. Boso Wa said it would be wise to keep you occupied." The coded message was already coming in through the docking umbilical.
He doubled back to the pirate base while he decoded the message. Arrangements for the Wikstrom took just a minute, and he bought a freight scanner for a reasonable price while he was at it. Then he headed to a plankton farm hanging in the glowing soup of the cloud, following his instructions. Meet Boso Du, transport five to Menalaus' Frontier, further details from contact there.
The five to be transported were a mixed lot; two Borons, two Teladi, and an Argon. They had the hard character of an assassination squad, and Jula didn't ask any questions. They landed at a mixery and debarked. Jula reveled in the sweet smell of the spice and wondered where his contact would be. A stunning beauty swam out of a shadowed corridor and threw her tentacles around him. "Jula No! It is like bright surf to see you again at last!" Her mouth came close to his ear and he barely heard "This Boron is called Suli Li. Best if you use my name." Jula returned the passion of her embrace and led her to the ship.
"Thanks be to Menalaus, it is good to be out of there," she said as the canopy slid closed. "I need to get to the teladianium foundry in Farnham's Legend. You know the place?"
"Yes," Jula said as he hit the docking clamp release. Through the canopy he saw a Split burst out into the docking pod.
"Ha t'Ktt," his passenger said and gestured with a delicate tentacle. Jula could still feel his skin burning where that tentacle had wrapped around him. "About now he is realizing that the transport I arranged for his team is departing...with only me on board. It would be wise to depart in haste. His own ship is disabled but it never pays to underestimate an angry Split. Once we are out of here there is no hurry."
Jula set the autopilot for Farnham's Legend.
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In Atreus' Clouds Suli pointed at the sector map. "I see you have the pirate base noted. Toto Mu did his work." She winked.
The hectic pace, the beautiful girl...Jula had been played. He recognized the fine tendrils of Boso Wa's planning. The girl was beautiful though. Hard to be too upset with his partner. Probably wouldn't have served well if he had gotten in a shooting war with the Split traders who seemed to travel through the region as if they owned it.
Suli laughed, a throaty sound that ensured he could not hold a grudge. "Swing within com range of the pirate base," she said. At twenty kilometers she activated the link. A glowering Paranid face filled the screen, then burst into a leering grin. "Kelmanckigtab," she said in a sultry tone. "I miss you so, but I have business that I cannot delay."
"And I miss you," said the gruff Paranid pirate. "Can you be back tonight?"
"I don't know. Let me consult my pilot." She blew him a kiss and closed the link. "Anything for the Kingdom, eh?" she said to Jula, arching an eyebrow. Then her laughter trilled out again. "Rolk's grippers, you should see your face! It's not like that. She pulled up a replay of the comm on the main screen and froze it. "Zoom in there." She pointed to a small frayed patch on the curtain behind the Paranid. Under magnification it resolved into a series of odd shapes. She decoded them quickly.
"Okay, there are two ships in Home of Light, bound for one of the solar plants in The Hole. After you drop me off, you destroy them...but not until they are in The Hole. That would make sense, less Argon security to contend with. And whatever you do, no parley. Just blast them both to atoms. Got it? Now, just nod for the com link." She snapped it on before he could agree, or disagree. They were getting close to the limit of the com link's range.
The Paranid's face loomed on the screen. "Well?"
"Sorry darling," Suli moaned with her tentacles drooping sadly. "He will be too busy to bring me back."
Jula nodded. The Paranid growled at him and cut the link.
"Congratulations. You just accepted the contract. That should do wonders for your reputation among the pirates. Far more than bringing them a dribble of space fuel. And don't worry, Argon security will have the pilots removed and detained long before the ships reach The Hole. Not that they don't probably deserve to get vaporized. They are from a rival pirate clan, delivering missiles that would no doubt be used most violently. But Argon security will get more out of them than we would learn from their screaming death wails."
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Despite the attractions of waiting in Farnham's Legend Jula dropped Suli at the foundry and headed directly back to Argon Prime. HIs associates had been cooling their heels long enough that the power plants in The Wall were both badly overstocked and he gave them quick orders to get the goods flowing. He docked to have a word with Boso.
"I see you made it back without pasting yourself to the hull of some Caiman," Boso greeted him in the docking pod of the power plant.
"Yes. I still have more to get done though." He waited until they were aboard the Bernard Lee before he explained the convoy ambush. "We have to keep this away from Lidya," he concluded. "I saw the ships crossing Argon Prime. Vultures. Dead slow. But they are flying Argon registry. Considering how she took it when I opened season on the Paranids she won't go for this at all."
Boso mused. "Once she has an owner-manager compartment on a factory she'll be in deep enough to get over some bumps, but for now I think another dose of reality is in order. When you make the break to The Hole send her to wait it out at the tube fab. We'll be needing Nila Bu anyway, and she can talk some sense to our reluctant recruit."
Jula appreciated the way his comrade got right to the strings that needed to be pulled with people, even though sometimes the strings were his own. "Good plan. I'm glad you're on my side. You are on my side, right?"
"Of course. The Boron is on the side of keeping you alive. You have done fine with shooting up Vultures and Demeters, but leave the Split freighters alone. At least until I have my owner-manager compartment. Then even if you get yourself killed I'll be too well placed an asset to recall."
They shared the bitter laugh common to those in the espionage trade, and Jula went back to his ship. When the targets were close to their final gate Jula sent Lydia and Boso to the tube fab and set about his business.
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Lydia guided the Llewelyn into the docking clamps. It had been a long day of hauling e-cells. The runs were easy, but gave her a lot of time to battle with her conscience, and her fears. When Jula told her to dock at the tube fab, empty, and sent his Mako screaming through the gate to The Wall she immediately thought that he was going to be a while. His odd disappearances were wearing on her. Seeing Nila Bu waiting in the pod when she had no cargo did nothing to set her mind at ease.
"The Boron was not very...forthcoming...when last we met. Deepest apologies. Jula trusts you, and this Boron trusts his judgement. He will be gone for some time. Would you care for refreshments?"
"I'd prefer some straight answers."
"The Boron was thinking of the recreation deck, but perhaps it is good that I brought this." She produced a flask, a well known quality label identifying the contents. "Permission to come aboard? Much better for private conversation."
The hatch closed, and Lidya produced two glasses. The Boron could, and did, take them both and pour the whiskey as well. Lydia considered that her guest could have played the piano at the same time and shook her head slightly. Paranoia aside she needed to remember these were not her species, and try as she might there was a good chance she would not figure them out.
"So," Nila said, "the surcharge is bothering you, yes?"
"Yes."
"A simple thing. Jula performs...services. Services he is uniquely qualified to perform because he moves without leaving a record. Our company needed information. We have people who can get that information, but if they were known to be in Power Circle their task would be much harder. Jula got them there unannounced. We paid him for it. He chose to have that payment directed to your account. That is all there is."
"So you knew it was my name on that account?"
"Yes. That is why I didn't understand when you were surprised. The Boron assumed Jula had told you of the arrangements."
"It must have slipped his mind."
"That is doubtful. But perhaps he just had not had the time."
"What if someone looks into it? That's a lot of credits."
"Your bank is a Boron bank, and though you have never met you may assume that your banker is your friend. Jula has many friends, and they are yours as well. They will not be looking into your account. Here on this station this Boron keeps the books. There will be no questions here."
"Was what we did against the law?"
"No, though an over-zealous investigator could make it appear so."
"How?"
"There is no record of any service performed, other than the delivery of ore. If the authorities believed that this Boron had embezzled the funds and passed them to you there is little that could be done to prove otherwise."
"Little? You mean nothing...without Jula coming forward."
"Which he would not do. Though he would certainly arrange some sort of daring rescue and take me safely home to the Kingdom."
"You've known him a long time."
"Not really, but I know that much. And I know he would do the same for you, though I don't know what you would do in the Kingdom and in that sort of circumstance he could not very well deposit you back on your cousin's couch. He would not leave you stranded in Split space, like your former employer."
"How do you know that?"
"We needed an Argon. Jula chose you based on his own senses. You would call it gut instincts. Boso and I are more...pragmatic...in our approach."
Lydia noted that the question that was answered was 'why' though she had asked 'how'. "So you are all in this together."
"No. Boso and this Boron, like you, are just his associates."
The ship's com announced that the Bernard Lee was approaching the docks.
"We should adjourn to the recreation decks. Your command deck would be cramped with all three of us, and Jula is going to be a while."
And I won't be able to ask about where he is or what he's doing, Lydia thought. It was nice to be part of something though, even if she didn't know quite what it was. These were Boron after all. Their only war was with the Split, and she wasn't too fond of the Split herself.
Boso cocked his head, listening to the com link in his rebreather. "Jula is in sector," he announced, and paddled towards the exit from the recreation deck. Nila followed suit, and so did Lydia. The Argon girl seemed to have mellowed quite a bit, and Boso was pleased with the progress made. He rolled his eyes when the station announcing circuit chimed before they were halfway to the docking pod; 'combat in the sector, all pilots please stand by, combat in the sector'. There was some possibility it was someone else he told himself hopefully. Then he accepted the probable reality. "I told you Jula has enemies," he said wanly.
"How many of them know it," Lidya asked, "and how many only find out when he starts shooting at them?" She sped down the corridor towards a viewing station.
Boso looked at Nila and shrugged. "I'd say about half and half."
"Maybe," she replied. "This would have been a good time for his peaceful nature to resurface, just for a while." They swam slowly along after their larger companion.
When they reached the monitors Lydia turned to them. "Too slow by half, show's over. Dolphin, unarmed. Didn't even put up a fight. You can see the pilot in the space suit headed away." She was near tears. She had had to travel a long way in a space suit and she knew what the pilot was facing.
"The pilot is a Split," Boso said gently. "If their positions were reversed the Split would be strafing Jula with IRE fire, or taking him aboard to haul back to Split space and sell as a slave."
"I understood when you said he was a mercenary. Even when you said that if an Argon attacked Paranids the way he does they would be a patriot. The Argon aren't at war with the Split. That was piracy." She stormed down the corridor.
Boso looked hopelessly after her, then turned to Nila. She shrugged. "Jula can't stand to see a Split in a Boron ship. Maybe if you make him clean up his own mess he will learn there is a time and a place."
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"Permission to come aboard," Jula said from the hatch.
"Come ahead, it's your ship."
"Not really. I would be hard pressed to get your name off the registry at this point."
"You could always just shoot her out from under me."
"Perhaps. But I don't shoot at Argon." He ran a tentacle over the command console. "Ships are easier to understand. Sometimes more noble." She looked confused. "Than people," he concluded. "How do you think that Split came to be pilot of a Dolphin? Do you think he wandered into Kingdom End and bought it at the shipyard?"
"So you just set things to rights," she mumbled. "With a gun."
"Yes with a gun. Though the enemy would prefer an 'economic war', I choose greater...clarity."
"What enemy?"
"The Profit Guild fights the Foundation Guild, and the Teladi win."
"There's a difference between racing for trade rights and shooting up independent traders."
"Maybe. But it is a war none-the-less, with the ruin of lives in the balance."
"Ruining them isn't ending them."
"True. Let me ask you a question. When that Elephant crushed your ship, do you really think it was an accident?"
She just stared at him.
"War has no rules unless all sides agree to them, and most people don't agree to the rules because they would rather pretend there is no war. I would never send a pilot to trade rastar in Split space without expecting something to happen. I know there is a war." He floated towards the hatch. "If you want to quit you can keep the ship." The hatch hissed closed behind him.
Cold hard facts
The missions were just as described. Simple taxi, a personnel shuttle, another simple taxi, all for the Boron, then the convoy kill that has me out of the depths with the pirates (hurrah!). They did fall together nicely as a skeleton for a little dramatic license to be stretched over. By the way, there actually was a mission to haul passengers for Ha t'Ktt at the mixery as well as the Taxi for Suli Li.
Despite all efforts I did shoot up a Caiman in Atreus' Clouds on my way back. It was a superfreighter XL with an almost completely expanded cargo bay, my nifty new freight scanner revealed only regular drones and it only had two IREs aboard. I wanted it pretty bad, but the Split chose death before dishonor.
The pilot of the Dolphin bailed with the hull at about five percent. I fixed it, but now I have a bigger problem than I had when the Wikstrom was following me around. Jula would never hire a non-Boron pilot, so I will have to get the great lumbering beast to Boron space before I can activate the CLS and leave it parked anywhere.
Profit was made hauling e-cells, though the MORTs had a lot of dead time while I was out and about. 70K each for the targets plus odds and ends for the other missions more than made it up.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 6 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, most of the goodies stripped off but still full speed, handling and cargo bay of course.
A pilotless Dolphin with no shields, a pretty well expanded cargo bay though I didn't take note of exactly how expanded, or whether its unbearably slow speed is basic or tuned up. I can fly freighters. I can even fly slow freighters. Holding speed down in a fighter to stay with slow freighters is mostly unbearable.
Associates
Boso Wa, pilot of the Dolphin Hauler Bernard Lee, which is fully equipped for speed and handling, carries 25 MJ of shielding, and has the standard 8000 unit cargo bay. Boso is a qualified salvage pilot (special commands) and a reliable trader (CLS 2).
Lidya Marval, pilot of the Mercury Llewelyn, which is fully equipped for speed and handling, carries 25 MJ of shielding, and has the standard 3000 unit cargo bay. Lidya is a qualified salvage pilot (special commands) and a reliable trader (CLS 2).
Endy Jerigan, manager of the nameless Vulture parked at SF distillery alpha in Herron's Nebula. It's a bare hulk with 88% hull.
Credits, 422,048
Flight time 15:48
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he's DEAD
Moderators: TheElf, Moderators for English X Forum
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Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
Seconded. I'm really enjoying this Tim 
Makes a nice change from the usual first person perspective
Makes a nice change from the usual first person perspective Madder than a bastard on Fathers Day
My DiD Stories: Peace(s) of Eight (Inactive) - Way of the Gun [KIA] - Status: Online (Active)
An Illustrated Idiots Guide to CLS
My DiD Stories: Peace(s) of Eight (Inactive) - Way of the Gun [KIA] - Status: Online (Active)
An Illustrated Idiots Guide to CLS
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Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
I'm considering making it a rule that Boron ships must be liberated from Split masters, but need some sort of survivable limitations...can't force Jula No into attacking a Split driven heavy Hydra with the Mako...stads wrote:thx for the update
poor split first the shame of flying a boron ship then getting defeated by a boron am guesing he no longer wil have anny friends around
Thanks Kirlack...now get that computer fixed and get back to The Way of the Gun.
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Facilities and Staff
Boso Wa, Nila Bu, and Jula No floated in the docking pod, watching the Dolphin glide down the approach pattern and talking quietly. Lidya got close enough to hear Nila say "...out of here. Too many ships in the docking bay. We have a business to run here."
"Plus the obvious complications," Boso added. "That quick hack may have gotten the local police off the case, but once that Split reaches a station his employers will be reporting the ship stolen and your hack won't stand up. A Split owned ship can't be salvaged in Argon space."
"I know, I know." Lidya was surprised to hear genuine contrition in Jula's voice. "This will be a delay, and that is my fault."
"More than a delay when Lidya takes the Llewelyn and leaves," Boso added.
"I wouldn't take your ship," Lidya interrupted, and the three Boron turned at her voice.
Boso shook his head. "It's your ship. In fact if our partnership dissolved you would have fair claim to more than that as compensation since the valuation of Bernard Lee is far greater. The Llewelyn can be replaced easily. Finding another suitable Argon partner at this late juncture is far more difficult."
"Well, I don't think you have to," Lidya said softly. "I'm not saying I'll just go along with anything you do. I am loyal to the Federation and won't stand for any harm to Argon. But Jula is right. I never did believe my accident was really an accident. Not all traders are playing by the same rules. And since some of them don't play by any rules the rest of us have to choose a side and make a stand. I choose to stand with you.
"Thank you," Jula said quietly.
Boso sighed. "You should have made him sweat a little longer. He might have learned a lesson."
The Dolphin slid into the docking clamps, and Nila cut them off. "This is all very sweet, but unless you want to be standing with Jula in front of a magistrate you need to get that ship out of here."
"Boso, I have a spare shield generator on the Rigg, get it installed."
"Right." Boso spun in the air and sped towards Jula's Mako.
"I'll help," Lidya said.
"No, we have transactions to complete. Nila."
"Processing," Nila said as she tapped a keyboard with numerous tentacles.
"What transactions?" Lidya asked.
Jula looked at her. "This is the world you are entering. It is not too late to change your mind. I have 140,000 credits in my ship account. Nila is creating a sales invoice for a load of quantum tubes to transfer those credits to the station. Another invoice will transfer the credits to your ship, a delivery of the materials for the quantum tubes. The station accounts must be kept in balance as they may be audited. This moves the credits from me to you without recording a connection between us."
"Where did the credits come from?"
Nila swept in between them with two electronic invoices, passing one to each of them. "As I told you, Jula is uniquely qualified for performing certain services. Not everyone can pay him for such services as easily as my company can. Once your station is built you will be able to do the same."
Jula was pleased when she activated the invoice without asking any more questions. He didn't want to lie to her directly, but he certainly didn't want to explain the destruction of the Argon convoy.
The Dolphin was clearing the clamps, her autopilot set for Kingdom End shipyard.
Lidya watched it go. "You have friends there. That's how you sold the Asp."
"Yes," Jula admitted. "The salvage claim will be logged as having taken place in Boron space. There will be disputes with the Split trader, and the Split government, but there are always disputes with the Split. Eventually the dispute will be settled by convenience. The Split will drop their protest in return for the Boron dropping some other protest. This is what happened with your previous employer's claim after your 'accident'."
"So the Argon government just wrote me off."
"They accepted a balance. Governments do the best they can. Would you prefer to be at war with the Split? More to the point, would you have preferred to have been at war with the Split when you finally reached the trading station in Rhonkar's Fire?"
"No, obviously. They were hostile enough as it was."
"There you go. So governments cannot fight the war at hand. That is why we have to."
"The government could help at least."
"Perhaps, but it is probably wise not to ask them. I must go. You and Boso wait for me at the shipyard. We need to give Nila some space." He swam slowly towards the Mako.
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Olmanckabssit woke from a light slumber as the ship's computer intoned "we are scanned". "Sector map," he growled, and the map of Three World's sector appeared on the screen. The only ship in scanning range was a Mako Vanguard. Argon police in a Mako? No, pilot signature was a Boron. Argon issuing police license to a Boron now?
He hit the coms. "Police license," he demanded as the Boron appeared on the screen.
"Surrender and drop your freight," the Boron replied. The com link died and IRE fire danced over the shields.
"By the Priest Duke!" Olmanckabssit roared. He took control from the autopilot and slewed the Demeter freighter into a tight turn, trying to bring the bomb launcher in the turret to bear on the Mako. The ship shuddered as the bomb launcher popped rounds.
His shielding, 75 megajoules, declined slowly as the Mako made repeated passes with the IREs. 'It will take him a long time to bring my shields down with IREs,' he thought, 'bold, for a Boron'. Then 'or desperate, that's why he wants the freight.'
Olmanckabssit opened the com link. "I am inbound to Kingdom End Military Base. The partical accelerator cannons are property of the Boron government. Cease your firing."
"They are your property until they leave your hold. Eject them and you may go in peace." The IREs danced down the port side of the Demeter, eating further into the shielding, which was down to forty percent.
"I will eject freight, with the Priest Duke's compliments!" Olmanckabssit bellowed into the com as he launched his half dozen fighter drones. As the drones closed on their target the Mako sped away, and Olmanckabssit turned to give it a few parting shots from the bomb launcher. As his antagonist passed out of range he swung back towards the gate. Perhaps the drones would take care of the Mako, perhaps not, but if he could make Kingdom End he could appeal to his customer for support.
He watched the battle anxiously. One by one the drones fell to the Mako's guns, but the Mako was taking hits. Her shields were declining, while Olmanckabssit's were recharging. Even as the last drone burst in a shower of debris he thought he just might make it. The Boron would be foolish to approach without waiting for his own shields to regenerate.
"I want no further violence, here is freight," he said into the com and ejected two of the PACs. He kept the freight container under cover of his turret as he sped towards the gate. The Boron could just wait until he cleared the field and collect two PACs that he needed for his ship, leaving Olmanckabssit free to complete his journey.
"Not good enough," the Boron replied. His shields were well above half and the Mako was accelerating towards the gate, moving ahead of Olmanckabssit's Demeter. To bring the bomb launcher to bear he would have to turn away from the gate, still five kilometers away. Not good.
The IREs started punching against the shields, and Olmanckabssit was having a hard time bringing the turret to bear. The Boron pilot wasn't making the high speed raking passes that he had been making before, instead he was keeping the Mako in front of the Demeter with minimal throttle, giving himself a stable firing platform, then darting to a new position as Olmanckabssit tried to turn away. HIs shields gave way, and the Boron spoke through the com. "Drop your freight. Never fear, it will be delivered."
The hull was beginning to groan, and the structural failures were impeding his engines. As his speed dropped the chances of getting the turret to bear and landing a lucky shot were dropping rapidly to zero. Olmanckabssit growled in frustration. "Here is freight." He hit the eject and sent another seven PACs tumbling from the cargo bay. The IREs continued to drum on the hull.
"All of it." He hit the button and blew the hold. Then he sighed in relief as the pounding stopped. "Thank you for your cooperation. Your delivery will be completed." the Boron said as the com link closed. There were twenty one cannons littered about. The military base only stocked sixteen. Olmanckabssit believed the Boron would make the delivery, but he knew what would become of the rest of the cannons. He sent a message to Paranid command, letting them know the Mako Vanguard that had been plaguing their shipping had just become far more dangerous. The Demeter limped away.
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"Thank you for your service to the Kingdom," the clerk said, passing Mulu Da his discharge documents. He swam slowly down to the hanger decks. He had been proud to serve, and had performed his duties well. His commanding officer had made it plain that he was sorry to see him go, but Mulu Da had had enough. He wasn't ready for planet life, but there was more in space than military bases and shipyards. Of course you couldn't prove that by the itinerary of a military transport pilot.
He entered the main access hanger, where civilians were allowed to dock. His plan was to catch a ride to the trading station and drink some of his mustering out pay. As they say, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, or in this case with the new friend.
The civilian floated above a shipping container, arguing with a supply officer. "When the Boron claimed the salvage the Boron saw that they were to be delivered here. The Boron does not want to impede the fleet, so here they are."
The supply officer was clearly not satisfied. "The shipping documents say sixteen, not fifteen."
"The Boron gathered all of the cannons that could be found. That is a bill of lading for the original shipment. These were claimed salvage in Argon space."
"No doubt you gathered all you could find. I see two mounted on your ship. Add one of those and the delivery is complete."
Mulu Du had encountered more than enough dock officers in his career. Between his peaceful Boron nature and his military discipline he had never been really free to speak his mind, but today was a brand new day. "Listen, the civilian didn't have to bring any PACs. He could have sold them right where he found them, in Argon space. Get the stick out of your vent, pay him his credits, and be glad to get these on the shelves. The base has been out of stock for days."
"Stay out of this pilot"
"The Boron is no pilot, just a civilian, so do not try to give me orders. The Boron will be happy to help my fellow civilian load his cannons right back on his ship so he can sell them elsewhere."
Jula No raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by this turn of events, and intrigued with his new comrade. "That should not be necessary, should it sir?" he asked the dock officer.
"No, that will not be necessary." His short tentacles thrashed the thick methane atmosphere. He passed the invoice across, and the Rigg logged in almost 600,000 credits.
"You are a civilian, but the Boron thinks you have not been for long."
"No. Just mustered out. Looking for a ride to the trading station."
"This Boron must make a stop at the shipyard first. Is that acceptable?"
"Certainly. This Boron is in no hurry."
No hurry turned into not interested in reaching the trading station at all. At the shipyard Jula No put him aboard the Dolphin, newly rechristened as the Burton, and he launched for Argon space to meet his new employers.
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Boso Wa floated in the thin air of the Argon trading station in Herron's Nebula, his legs stirring to counter the limited artificial gravity. Lidya stood beside him. They watched the Burton glide into the docking clamps.
"Are you sure it isn't someone Jula knew? He just registered the ship to us, met someone out of the blue, and told them we were giving them a job?"
"The Boron does things like that." Boso turned towards her and raised an eyebrow.
She got the humor. "Okay. Yeah, I should know he does things like that."
Mulu Da floated out of the hatch. "The Boron must be Boso Wa, and the Argon is Lidya Marval. This Boron is pleased to serve."
"We are glad to have you," Lidya said. "Thanks for collecting those e-cells." The Burton, the Bernard Lee, and the Llewelyn were all loaded to varying degree with e-cells salvaged not far from the trading station. They had arrived in time to see a badly damaged Demeter limping away. Only Mulu had seen what had happened to the Paranid, but the others could guess. "I'm surprised Jula let the Paranid get away."
Mula showed surprise. "This Boron saw many Paranid freighters heading south badly damaged. The Boron Jula No let them all go it seems."
Boso nodded. "Jula is still a Boron. He is not as blood-thirsty as you think. If they refuse to jump but give up their freight he will likely let them go...unless they are in a Dolphin."
"The Boron knows him well?" Mulu asked. "Perhaps you could explain something. This Boron saw him attack Paranid traders, and collected freight that surely came from others that I did not witness. But the Boron Jula let one Paranid fly right by him. A Demeter super freighter that seemed a fine prize, in Argon space. This Boron had already started steering in that direction."
"Where was this?" Boso asked.
"Three Worlds. The Paranid came through the East gate. This Boron thought it was the e-cell cargo that Jula No was not interested in, but he took the Paranid here in Herron's Nebula."
"Ah," Boso said. "And this Paranid was in the trade lane to the North gate?"
"Yes."
"Bound for the Kingdom. Jula would not stop that shipment. He is a patriot."
With that explained they fell to discussing the pending construction. When he passed through Argon Prime and told them about the e-cells he had also had two wheat farm units loaded onto the Mammoth, then sent it to Kingdom End. "The docking hub will be Boron," said Boso. "My offices and quarters will be there, and there will be quarters for you as well so you will be able to rest comfortably when your duties allow." Mula nodded appreciation. With the mixed Argon/Boron ownership this reasonable explanation for why the company didn't just get a single large farm provided perfect cover. The fact that the Boron docking hub would offer far more facilities than they needed was coincidental.
"Jula went out the East gate," observed Mulu. "Are you to meet the Mammoth in Kingdom End?"
"No need. Jula has a fast ship and he will get there. He had other business to attend to in Atreus' Clouds. Helping us set up our little company is only one of his tentacles." Boso was pleased to see Lidya smile when he said that. She was starting to accept that Jula would come and go without them necessarily knowing what he was up to. Of course Boso knew Jula was transporting a special branch capture team and their prisoners, but he did not let on to knowing any more than his business partner.
Cold hard facts
Truth is the dratted Argon stiff-necks won't sell me a complex connector. In fact when I set out with the Dolphin I would have just bought a single wheat farm to get things started (since that was all I could afford), but at that point they were so upset about the convoy business they wouldn't even sell me that. I scorched enough Paranid drones to take care of that, but have been more choosy about targets because I was concerned that my fight rank was getting ahead of my available equipment. At least I have PACs on the Mako now.
The PACs also made a huge difference in the credit situation. Smaller but notable help on that score came from a huge load of nostrop that got liberated in Three Worlds, and a Pegasus escort that bailed before I even got the guns warmed up on him. I escorted the Peg to Boron intelligence at KE while my new helper was gathering loot.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 6 PACs available, 2 mounted with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell. I hadn't mentioned it as lacking because I don't think about it much, but I added fight com 2 and fifty mosquitoes this time around so now it has that. Some popped off at drones, but I still got far more with the IREs than with missiles.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, most of the goodies stripped off but still full speed, handling and cargo bay of course.
Two wheat farm M on a hired Mammoth somewhere in Ringo Moon, or possibly CBNW.
Associates
Boso Wa, pilot of the Dolphin Hauler Bernard Lee, which is fully equipped for speed and handling, carries 25 MJ of shielding, and has the standard 8000 unit cargo bay. Boso is a qualified salvage pilot (special commands) and a reliable trader (CLS 2).
Lidya Marval, pilot of the Mercury Llewelyn, which is fully equipped for speed and handling, carries 25 MJ of shielding, and has the standard 3000 unit cargo bay. Lidya is a qualified salvage pilot (special commands) and a reliable trader (CLS 2).
Endy Jerigan, manager of the nameless Vulture parked at SF distillery alpha in Herron's Nebula. It's a bare hulk with 88% hull.
Mulu Da, pilot of the Dolphin Burton, which is fully equipped for speed and handling and came with an expanded cargo bay at 4223 units. Currently it still has just my spare 1MJ shield on board, but I'm working on it. Mulu is a qualified salvage pilot (special commands) and a reliable trader (CLS 2).
Credits, 434,331
Flight time 18:55
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Thanks. I don't plan on stopping any time soon...of course the side of some Split freighter may change my mind with the typical sudden splat! I'm supremely confident that in an M4 I won't get shot down, but it's still small enough that crashing is a bad option. I'm being far more careful than I normally would though.ruger44 wrote:Really neat story please do not stop
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Crop Circle Wheat Exports
[ external image ]
Humko Fo was assigned as the mission specialist on the special branch capture team that had taken Bu g'Snt and his band of insurgents. As mission specialist he was second in command to the Lar, who in this case was what Humko considered to be an autocratic gripper stroker. He drifted up next to his captain in the storage bay they had used as headquarters for the op and said "The transport is inbound. It is assigned to docking bay three."
"Good. A Boron ship?"
"Yes. A Mako Vanguard."
"A little cramped, but it will have to do. Have the pilot brought here immediately."
Humko had already arranged for the pilot to be contacted. He considered pointing out that the pilot was either a mercenary courier hired by special branch operatives, or a deep cover operative himself, but in either case he would view the transport as his operation, not the Lar's. The pilot would be informed of their location and would probably make an appearance promptly, but in terms of the pilot's mission the team was cargo not commander, including the Lar. Humko started considering ways that the Lar trying to order the pilot about could compromise the team, and the countermeasures he could take.
When the pilot arrived he went immediately to the four cargo containers bearing the prisoners, who were in cryo-suspension and recoded them. The Lar, obviously annoyed that the pilot did not come to him first, went to meet him. Humko followed, anticipating trouble. He was not disappointed.
"The containers will scan as tractor beams. Mining operations use tractor beams to move the asteroids after a mine is in place to better orient the docking facilities. It is a believable cargo," the pilot said without greeting. "A loading crew will be picking them up in eight minutes. You will want your team to observe them until the containers pass the bay doors, then my ship's security systems will assume responsibility. One of you, preferably a Boron, should meet me in the recreation bay. We will publicly negotiate transportation for your crew of consultants. Departure is in one hour and seventeen minutes," he concluded with a glance at a chronometer clamped high on a primary tentacle.
The Lar puffed himself up in indignation. Humko was glad he did not try some sort of reprimanding of the pilot, who was not under his command, but the Lar did have to say something to vent his ire, and opted to question the pilot's planning. "Tractor beams? Would it not be better to choose some inexpensive freight? If we are scanned by pirates four tractor beams is an attractive prize."
The pilot turned to face the Lar. "The Boron apologizes. Spacesuits are seldom scanned, and you are welcome to swim to Atreus' Clouds. The Boron has business there anyway and will deliver your cargo and your team on time despite any pirates that may be encountered. It would be best if the member of your team who meats the Boron in the recreation bay were someone other than you."
With that the pilot became a blur of swirling tentacles and sped out of the storage bay. 'That went well,' Humko sighed sarcastically to himself.
He met the pilot thirty minutes later on the recreation decks. "The Boron is given to understand you are pilot of the Mako Vanguard Rigg?" he said.
"I am the Boron," Jula No responded with improper formality, and his speech was slurred.
"This Boron is in need of transportation."
"The Rigg is bound for Elena's Fortune."
"The destination will serve. Your ship can bear eight passengers?"
"The Boron would prefer seven, but space can be made. Departure in three minutes or one more round if you are buying, whichever comes first." Three minutes? Should be more like forty. Humko quickly signaled for a round of drinks.
"That's the spirit," the pilot slurred. Behind his rebreather Humko noticed that his eyes were clear and bright, then the pilot looked away, his eyelids drooping.
They left the recreation bay half an hour later and Humko brought the team to the docking pod at the appointed time. Jula swirled into the pod a little unsteadily and ushered them into the cargo bay. The Argon mercenaries were directed to acceleration couches, the Lar and other Boron to harnesses. Jula tapped Humco with a tentacle and said "Cockpit, second seat," then turned to the others. "Strap in. I'll give an all clear once we are beyond the departure lane and you can unstrap, but stay close. If I sound the alarm I promise you thirty seconds before I start maneuvering. No more, no less."
The cockpit canopy slid shut and the atmosphere thickened. Jula and Humko removed their rebreathers. "May I?" Humko asked with a gesture towards Jula's battered rebreather unit.
"Thanks, stow it in that compartment," Jula replied, as if Humko had asked out of courtesy rather than curiosity. As he stowed the unit Humko gave it a passing examination. Under the battered exterior hummed a top of the line unit, with some components added that Humko could not identify at a glance. He was torn between making a closer examination and completing the pretense of courtesy by just stowing the unit. "The modification you are wondering about captures the space fuel as it is infused, releasing an appropriately colored liquid into the environment. I have to be selective about what I drink, but it keeps me sober. If the dock workers realize that I forgot to add you to the manifest they won't reach far for an explanation, writing it off to the drink. Your team is on the manifest of a passenger transport that departed two hours ago, bound for Kingdom End."
"The Boron is very thorough."
"This Boron is."
"The Boron is more than just a mercenary courier. This Boron is honored that you have allowed the opportunity to make that observation."
"So, you recognize it wasn't a slip on my part or great cleverness on yours. Good."
Humko clearly recognized that he had been tested, and was probably being tested still, but could not imagine the purpose. The conversation continued throughout the long passage through the green murk of The Hole, and Humko held his guard.
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The Rigg emerged from the gate into Atreus Clouds, and Jula turned his attention to the scanners. Numerous Split traders were highlighted and he cycled quickly through them. Then he flipped back to one in particular, flying a Dolphin Tanker XL and bound for a spice mixery hanging somewhere out in the glowing soup of the cloud. He made a slight course adjustment and said "It is a shame to the legacy of Rolk that Split traders displace good Boron. This trader, for example, no doubt delivers Argon wheat to the mixery. It offers the Split opportunity for mischief, and provides credits to Rhonkar that could be serving the Kingdom."
Humko did not know how to respond. "It is an unfortunate consequence of the free trader agreement," he said, tentatively.
"A widespread consequence. But it can be dealt with in specific cases. His tentacles tapped keys and the ship's computer announced 'brace for maneuvers'. A counter started ticking in the corner of the main screen. It started at thirty, counting down.
Five minutes later Jula locked the controls and released his acceleration cuffs. The ship drifted to a stop alongside the abandoned Dolphin Tanker. He grabbed his rebreather unit and swam into the cargo bay. Humko followed along, trying to anticipate the scene that was surely about to play out.
"By Rolk's fins," the Lar bellowed, "what was that about?"
"We were briefly engaged in combat," Jula replied calmly. "I am a salvager by trade, and I am about to claim an abandoned vessel." He attached his rebreather to a space suit and slid his tentacles inside in a bunch.
"You are under contract for our mission. You will get us to our destination without delay!" the Lar responded. The leader of the Argon mercenaries tensed, ready to put his men into action on the Lar's order. Humko caught his eye and gave a subtle shake of his head. In the close quarters of the cargo bay the repair laser on Jula's suit would shred them in a split second, and he had no doubt that a long and skillful tentacle was caressing the trigger.
"The cargo will be delivered on time, as agreed. For the second time I point out that you could swim. The first time was an invitation. This time it is a suggestion. The remaining journey is short enough that there is little concern for what a third time would involve." The hood of the suit snapped shut and Jula floated it into the airlock.
The Lar spluttered with rage. "Override the controls!" The Argon mercenaries shared glances among themselves, then looked to Humko. He was the only one aboard who may have possessed the skills, and also the only certified pilot. The Lar was glaring at him expectantly.
"Should you so order the Boron will make the attempt," he said, "but I must advise you that such an attempt would be most unwise. The Boron would guess that there are many fail safes, and the probable outcome would be the blowing of the airlock." The mercenaries looked very uncomfortable at that, and the Lar as well. They reached a silent but unanimous decision to wait for the pilot to return.
Jula cut off any argument when he returned to the ship with a curt "rig for maneuvering" as he impulsed himself into the cockpit. The passengers had no choice but to hurriedly strap themselves in.
From the second seat Humko noted "The Boron may have made an enemy."
"Probably not," Jula said. "That kind is affronted so easily that the Lar is not able to keep track of them all. Tomorrow he will be insulted so many times that he will forget about today." Humko would not have wanted to test that, but it sounded like an interesting theory to live by.
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Humko floated in front of the table that served as a desk for the special branch Admiral in a vacant office. Special branch did not maintain a regular office location, at least not one so obvious as on the military base. The Lar, floating beside him, was concluding his report. The final three minutes consisted of outrage at the courier pilot. The Admiral turned to Humko. "As mission specialist would you say that the pilot's actions impacted the mission?"
Oh my. Humko gathered his thoughts, and his tentacles, trying to gauge just how angry the Lar was, and how much of that anger was about to be redirected at him. "The team and prisoners arrived at the drop point on time, with three minutes to spare. The mission was completed within all parameters, and was by all measures successful. With that result it cannot be said that the mission suffered any impact."
He could feel the rage boiling off of the Lar, and certainly the Admiral could as well, but he looked squarely at him and said "That will be all," then turned to Humko and said "A word about your next assignment." He waited expectantly, and the Lar left in a flurry of stiff outrage. "You expected some time off", he said.
"That would be customary," Humko replied. He actually hoped that he would not get any time off. If he could get to his next assignment before the Lar poisoned all waters against him he may not find himself checking passports for the rest of his career. "The Boron is certainly willing to forgo that time should there be such need."
"There is such need...to get you away from him, if nothing else," the Admiral observed. "But the service has a need as well. You are to relieve the chief liaison officer to the economic analysis unit. This posting has the highest clearance requirement in the Kingdom, beyond any secret you have ever been tasked with keeping. No one below flag rank outside the unit and the liaison officer are even aware such a unit exists."
"Having been told it exists may the Boron ask what this unit does?"
"The unit's charter is 'the manipulation of the universal economy for the benefit of the Kingdom, using any and all means.' As you can imagine, having such a charter allows for a great deal of leeway in action. For example, should the economic analysis unit shoot you right here in front of me with the explanation that some series of odd connections indicate that a beneficial change in the price of Bofu would result, who really has the knowledge to dispute the case?"
Humko's tentacles twitched. The existence of such a unit was shocking, but the idea that he would be assigned to such a post completely beyond fathoming. "How did this Boron...um...what duties...that is...am I really qualified?"
"Apparently you are. The economic analysis unit chose you and you passed the interview. Had you not passed perhaps you would have been sacrificed for the greater good of Bofu prices, who knows?"
"There was an interview?"
"On the flight. The economic analysis unit is Jula No."
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Humko was sent to get some rest, which didn't last long. The com unit in the compartment he had been assigned gave an annoying chirp, then reported 'your ship has arrived, docking pod six, bay three'. He looked at the com unit in confusion, thinking perhaps the com system had the wrong compartment. Then it chirped again. 'Please report to docking pod six, bay three for continued docking clearance.' He acknowledged the com and swam into the corridor.
When he arrived at the docking bay he was confronted by the Dolphin Tanker that he had last seen through the canopy of the Rigg. To his utter amazement the docking monitor was showing his name, not only as pilot but as owner as well. An attendant passed him some documents, and he signed for the docking clearance. "Nice prize," the attendant said as she swam away.
Prize? Of course. She had been salvaged after her pilot abandoned ship. The particle burns along the hull, the blown canopy; anyone who worked the docks would see at one glance she was a prize. But how did she come to be his prize?
A voice slightly behind him to his right made him jump. "Surprisingly the Split bailed with two shield generators still functioning... just fives though. We will get you set up properly, but for now I'll need to borrow one of them." Jula No hung in the thick methane atmosphere, his legs stirring gently.
"Is there some obvious explanation I'm not seeing here? How did I get a ship?"
"You claimed her by right of salvage. Actually I did, but I hacked your credentials. I had made up my mind about taking you, but there wasn't really time to explain."
Thoughts collided in Humko's brain. Jula No had decided, but Humko had not accepted the assignment, which technically had not even been offered at that point. Jula No had hacked his credentials. He outright owned a ship, worth somewhere north of half a million credits. His credentials were produced by special branch and were among the tightest secure tech in the universe.
"Do you think you could take one of the shield generators off and install it on that Mako Sentinel over there? I just bought her used and the owner took all theirs with them. I'd do it myself, but I have a meeting. I'm being knighted." With that Jula swam away.
He shook himself, literally shook himself, tentacles flapping in the thick atmosphere. He paddled to the docking port and looked at himself in the polished surface of the hatch as it slid aside, saying "the Boron is going to have to start thinking a whole lot faster."
He got the shield unit off, and installed it on the Mako Sentinel. The registry there showed the purchase, for 62,000 credits which seemed a very good deal. It showed no pilot, and ownership by a numbered account. He considered doing a little research into the account, just to prove he was no slouch at hacking himself, but thought better of it. He set to work getting his new ship in order instead.
When Jula returned Humko was still working, filling the gouges the particle beams had scored in the hull with his repair laser. "A bit of advice for the salvage trade, always fix the canopy first," Jula called out. "You never know when a previous owner may appear looking to reclaim their ship and you want to be ready to depart."
Humko settled closer to the deck. "I'll remember that. Any other advice? The Boron admits he is a little beyond his depth."
"That is expected. Get your canopy fixed so we have somewhere to talk. The Boron must find a pilot for that." He waved a tentacle towards the Mako. "I will be back."
As the Mako cleared the docking clamps Humko was still wondering where he was going to look.
Jula docked a while later, in the Wikstrom, which Humko had never seen. He held off on questions while they swam into the command deck of the Dolphin, and Jula started speaking before he had a chance to ask. "This is secure enough for now, but you need to get it fitted with better security. The Admiral has a team from special branch on the way. Depart as soon as they are done. When you meet Boso he will show you a few tweaks that can be made to their systems as well."
"Where do I meet him?"
"He is at the trading station in Herron's Nebula, but will probably be gone before you can get there. If so you will find him at a newly constructed wheat farm in Power Circle. Approach him as the owner of that wheat farm, presenting yourself as a potential contract hauler. I may contact you with changes."
With that minimal instruction Jula was gone.
The next time Humko saw Jula it was as an icon on his scanners, hidden in the green fog of The Hole. Flashes of weapons fire glowed through from his direction, and it was obvious from the twisting path of the tiny Octopus that Jula was attacking a Paranid Demeter freighter. Dim signatures on the scanner indicated freight containers, declaring as e-cells. The red threat icon of the freighter winked out, replaced by blue, and the icon for the Wikstrom slowed to a reasonable pace. Humko looked out at the fog of stellar gas and considered what it would be like to twist through it at over 400 m/s in a ship hardly bigger than a space suit.
Jula's voice cracked through the com link; "Sakata, Wikstrom, collect those crates."
"Acknowledged."
When he had collected the crates of e-cells Jula directed him to land at the trading station. He found Jula working on the Demeter with an Argon. He waited quietly as Jula broke away. "The Boron has other business. You are certain about the flight?"
"If she breaks down I can fix her. I'm a good mechanic. This is probably the only way I was ever gonna get a shot as a pilot, so I'm taking it."
"Crop Circle is a new company, and there may be opportunity in the future, but you will not be doing any flying once you reach your station."
"I understand."
Jula tapped into the dock terminal. Freight handling systems began shifting e-cells from the Demeter into the Sakata. "Humko, your ship is much faster, so you will deliver the e-cells to Crop Circle's facility in Power Circle. Though they are on your ship they are registered as salvage with this ship, which belongs to them, so there will be no invoice."
"The Boron understands." He and Jula swam towards the Sakata. When they arrived and the hatch had closed he said "You should know that my previous cover with the mineral consultants has ended badly. Special branch apparently thought the best way for my sudden departure to be explained was 'termination with prejudice'. They held my pay. My cover account, which is in fact my only account, has ten credits in it. I was thinking these e-cells would get me on my feet."
Jula nodded. "I knew all that. We are allowed great freedom in our operations. In return we are expected to fund them ourselves. Your account owns this ship. You will be fine. The e-cells are needed to get things running at Crop Circle. Consider them a payment for the knowledge you will get from Boso."
"That is fair."
"The Boron will meet you in Power Circle and we will shift the ghost link in my ships to Sakata. Then all the transactions I direct will accrue to your account instead of Boso's."
"What about your accounts?"
"I have no accounts. Sometimes my ship system holds unregistered credits, as I occasionally do work off the books, but my ships are ghosts. When I confirm a transaction the confirmation registers through your ship."
"But if I'm doing the transaction in the first place what does that accomplish?"
"The Boron needs to think big. Soon we will have a fleet of ships conducting our business, just like Boso."
"We have ten credits between us."
"There's that."
Cold hard facts
The shoestring start of Crop Circle Wheat Exports has been a little bumpy, and those e-cells are needed. So was the Demeter, or something like it. It is on it's way to the second distillery to set up as a trap. I thought I would have to go to Atreus' clouds to reclaim the Rigg from the pirate base before I got that handled, but shot up a couple freighters along the way for cargo and the Paranid bailed. I would like to have had a couple more in place before I spun Boso and Lidya off on their own, but it should still work.
Most chapters I'll just list Crop Circle Wheat Exports as an asset with their cash balance, but since this is their first appearance...they are a complex in Power Circle with two M size wheat farms, and own six ships. Boso Wa and the Bernard Lee are set up to buy energy at 12 from three of the four SPP in Power Circle and feed the complex. Lidya Marval and the Llewelyn deliver e-cells and wheat to the sales bays at the two distilleries in Herron's, though as of now she actually sells directly to distillery beta pending the arrival of the Demeter, which is crawling because I thrashed it pretty badly before the pilot gave up. Mulu Da buys wheat at 25 from a farm in Three Worlds and sells to three buyers in Boron space for 35. Obviously there are the two delivery bays, selling wheat and e-cells at 33 and 17. Then there's Busi La, who I hired at the pirate base to fly the Mako Sentinel Kitzmiller. She's currently parked at the trading station in Herron's waiting for the operation to smooth out a bit, and for some equipment, but I already assigned the ship to the home base. There's 190,410 credits in the station account.
Other than that.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 6 PACs available, 2 mounted with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell. Last seen parked in Atreus' Clouds at the pirate base.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Only one MJ of shielding because I stuck the other one on the Demeter, but I'll be getting that back. 4 IREs, most of the goodies installed, though actually borrowed from the Rigg. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course.
Associates
Humko Fo, captain of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL, currently just 5 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Credits, 10
Flight time 21:53
[ external image ]
Humko Fo was assigned as the mission specialist on the special branch capture team that had taken Bu g'Snt and his band of insurgents. As mission specialist he was second in command to the Lar, who in this case was what Humko considered to be an autocratic gripper stroker. He drifted up next to his captain in the storage bay they had used as headquarters for the op and said "The transport is inbound. It is assigned to docking bay three."
"Good. A Boron ship?"
"Yes. A Mako Vanguard."
"A little cramped, but it will have to do. Have the pilot brought here immediately."
Humko had already arranged for the pilot to be contacted. He considered pointing out that the pilot was either a mercenary courier hired by special branch operatives, or a deep cover operative himself, but in either case he would view the transport as his operation, not the Lar's. The pilot would be informed of their location and would probably make an appearance promptly, but in terms of the pilot's mission the team was cargo not commander, including the Lar. Humko started considering ways that the Lar trying to order the pilot about could compromise the team, and the countermeasures he could take.
When the pilot arrived he went immediately to the four cargo containers bearing the prisoners, who were in cryo-suspension and recoded them. The Lar, obviously annoyed that the pilot did not come to him first, went to meet him. Humko followed, anticipating trouble. He was not disappointed.
"The containers will scan as tractor beams. Mining operations use tractor beams to move the asteroids after a mine is in place to better orient the docking facilities. It is a believable cargo," the pilot said without greeting. "A loading crew will be picking them up in eight minutes. You will want your team to observe them until the containers pass the bay doors, then my ship's security systems will assume responsibility. One of you, preferably a Boron, should meet me in the recreation bay. We will publicly negotiate transportation for your crew of consultants. Departure is in one hour and seventeen minutes," he concluded with a glance at a chronometer clamped high on a primary tentacle.
The Lar puffed himself up in indignation. Humko was glad he did not try some sort of reprimanding of the pilot, who was not under his command, but the Lar did have to say something to vent his ire, and opted to question the pilot's planning. "Tractor beams? Would it not be better to choose some inexpensive freight? If we are scanned by pirates four tractor beams is an attractive prize."
The pilot turned to face the Lar. "The Boron apologizes. Spacesuits are seldom scanned, and you are welcome to swim to Atreus' Clouds. The Boron has business there anyway and will deliver your cargo and your team on time despite any pirates that may be encountered. It would be best if the member of your team who meats the Boron in the recreation bay were someone other than you."
With that the pilot became a blur of swirling tentacles and sped out of the storage bay. 'That went well,' Humko sighed sarcastically to himself.
He met the pilot thirty minutes later on the recreation decks. "The Boron is given to understand you are pilot of the Mako Vanguard Rigg?" he said.
"I am the Boron," Jula No responded with improper formality, and his speech was slurred.
"This Boron is in need of transportation."
"The Rigg is bound for Elena's Fortune."
"The destination will serve. Your ship can bear eight passengers?"
"The Boron would prefer seven, but space can be made. Departure in three minutes or one more round if you are buying, whichever comes first." Three minutes? Should be more like forty. Humko quickly signaled for a round of drinks.
"That's the spirit," the pilot slurred. Behind his rebreather Humko noticed that his eyes were clear and bright, then the pilot looked away, his eyelids drooping.
They left the recreation bay half an hour later and Humko brought the team to the docking pod at the appointed time. Jula swirled into the pod a little unsteadily and ushered them into the cargo bay. The Argon mercenaries were directed to acceleration couches, the Lar and other Boron to harnesses. Jula tapped Humco with a tentacle and said "Cockpit, second seat," then turned to the others. "Strap in. I'll give an all clear once we are beyond the departure lane and you can unstrap, but stay close. If I sound the alarm I promise you thirty seconds before I start maneuvering. No more, no less."
The cockpit canopy slid shut and the atmosphere thickened. Jula and Humko removed their rebreathers. "May I?" Humko asked with a gesture towards Jula's battered rebreather unit.
"Thanks, stow it in that compartment," Jula replied, as if Humko had asked out of courtesy rather than curiosity. As he stowed the unit Humko gave it a passing examination. Under the battered exterior hummed a top of the line unit, with some components added that Humko could not identify at a glance. He was torn between making a closer examination and completing the pretense of courtesy by just stowing the unit. "The modification you are wondering about captures the space fuel as it is infused, releasing an appropriately colored liquid into the environment. I have to be selective about what I drink, but it keeps me sober. If the dock workers realize that I forgot to add you to the manifest they won't reach far for an explanation, writing it off to the drink. Your team is on the manifest of a passenger transport that departed two hours ago, bound for Kingdom End."
"The Boron is very thorough."
"This Boron is."
"The Boron is more than just a mercenary courier. This Boron is honored that you have allowed the opportunity to make that observation."
"So, you recognize it wasn't a slip on my part or great cleverness on yours. Good."
Humko clearly recognized that he had been tested, and was probably being tested still, but could not imagine the purpose. The conversation continued throughout the long passage through the green murk of The Hole, and Humko held his guard.
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The Rigg emerged from the gate into Atreus Clouds, and Jula turned his attention to the scanners. Numerous Split traders were highlighted and he cycled quickly through them. Then he flipped back to one in particular, flying a Dolphin Tanker XL and bound for a spice mixery hanging somewhere out in the glowing soup of the cloud. He made a slight course adjustment and said "It is a shame to the legacy of Rolk that Split traders displace good Boron. This trader, for example, no doubt delivers Argon wheat to the mixery. It offers the Split opportunity for mischief, and provides credits to Rhonkar that could be serving the Kingdom."
Humko did not know how to respond. "It is an unfortunate consequence of the free trader agreement," he said, tentatively.
"A widespread consequence. But it can be dealt with in specific cases. His tentacles tapped keys and the ship's computer announced 'brace for maneuvers'. A counter started ticking in the corner of the main screen. It started at thirty, counting down.
Five minutes later Jula locked the controls and released his acceleration cuffs. The ship drifted to a stop alongside the abandoned Dolphin Tanker. He grabbed his rebreather unit and swam into the cargo bay. Humko followed along, trying to anticipate the scene that was surely about to play out.
"By Rolk's fins," the Lar bellowed, "what was that about?"
"We were briefly engaged in combat," Jula replied calmly. "I am a salvager by trade, and I am about to claim an abandoned vessel." He attached his rebreather to a space suit and slid his tentacles inside in a bunch.
"You are under contract for our mission. You will get us to our destination without delay!" the Lar responded. The leader of the Argon mercenaries tensed, ready to put his men into action on the Lar's order. Humko caught his eye and gave a subtle shake of his head. In the close quarters of the cargo bay the repair laser on Jula's suit would shred them in a split second, and he had no doubt that a long and skillful tentacle was caressing the trigger.
"The cargo will be delivered on time, as agreed. For the second time I point out that you could swim. The first time was an invitation. This time it is a suggestion. The remaining journey is short enough that there is little concern for what a third time would involve." The hood of the suit snapped shut and Jula floated it into the airlock.
The Lar spluttered with rage. "Override the controls!" The Argon mercenaries shared glances among themselves, then looked to Humko. He was the only one aboard who may have possessed the skills, and also the only certified pilot. The Lar was glaring at him expectantly.
"Should you so order the Boron will make the attempt," he said, "but I must advise you that such an attempt would be most unwise. The Boron would guess that there are many fail safes, and the probable outcome would be the blowing of the airlock." The mercenaries looked very uncomfortable at that, and the Lar as well. They reached a silent but unanimous decision to wait for the pilot to return.
Jula cut off any argument when he returned to the ship with a curt "rig for maneuvering" as he impulsed himself into the cockpit. The passengers had no choice but to hurriedly strap themselves in.
From the second seat Humko noted "The Boron may have made an enemy."
"Probably not," Jula said. "That kind is affronted so easily that the Lar is not able to keep track of them all. Tomorrow he will be insulted so many times that he will forget about today." Humko would not have wanted to test that, but it sounded like an interesting theory to live by.
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Humko floated in front of the table that served as a desk for the special branch Admiral in a vacant office. Special branch did not maintain a regular office location, at least not one so obvious as on the military base. The Lar, floating beside him, was concluding his report. The final three minutes consisted of outrage at the courier pilot. The Admiral turned to Humko. "As mission specialist would you say that the pilot's actions impacted the mission?"
Oh my. Humko gathered his thoughts, and his tentacles, trying to gauge just how angry the Lar was, and how much of that anger was about to be redirected at him. "The team and prisoners arrived at the drop point on time, with three minutes to spare. The mission was completed within all parameters, and was by all measures successful. With that result it cannot be said that the mission suffered any impact."
He could feel the rage boiling off of the Lar, and certainly the Admiral could as well, but he looked squarely at him and said "That will be all," then turned to Humko and said "A word about your next assignment." He waited expectantly, and the Lar left in a flurry of stiff outrage. "You expected some time off", he said.
"That would be customary," Humko replied. He actually hoped that he would not get any time off. If he could get to his next assignment before the Lar poisoned all waters against him he may not find himself checking passports for the rest of his career. "The Boron is certainly willing to forgo that time should there be such need."
"There is such need...to get you away from him, if nothing else," the Admiral observed. "But the service has a need as well. You are to relieve the chief liaison officer to the economic analysis unit. This posting has the highest clearance requirement in the Kingdom, beyond any secret you have ever been tasked with keeping. No one below flag rank outside the unit and the liaison officer are even aware such a unit exists."
"Having been told it exists may the Boron ask what this unit does?"
"The unit's charter is 'the manipulation of the universal economy for the benefit of the Kingdom, using any and all means.' As you can imagine, having such a charter allows for a great deal of leeway in action. For example, should the economic analysis unit shoot you right here in front of me with the explanation that some series of odd connections indicate that a beneficial change in the price of Bofu would result, who really has the knowledge to dispute the case?"
Humko's tentacles twitched. The existence of such a unit was shocking, but the idea that he would be assigned to such a post completely beyond fathoming. "How did this Boron...um...what duties...that is...am I really qualified?"
"Apparently you are. The economic analysis unit chose you and you passed the interview. Had you not passed perhaps you would have been sacrificed for the greater good of Bofu prices, who knows?"
"There was an interview?"
"On the flight. The economic analysis unit is Jula No."
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Humko was sent to get some rest, which didn't last long. The com unit in the compartment he had been assigned gave an annoying chirp, then reported 'your ship has arrived, docking pod six, bay three'. He looked at the com unit in confusion, thinking perhaps the com system had the wrong compartment. Then it chirped again. 'Please report to docking pod six, bay three for continued docking clearance.' He acknowledged the com and swam into the corridor.
When he arrived at the docking bay he was confronted by the Dolphin Tanker that he had last seen through the canopy of the Rigg. To his utter amazement the docking monitor was showing his name, not only as pilot but as owner as well. An attendant passed him some documents, and he signed for the docking clearance. "Nice prize," the attendant said as she swam away.
Prize? Of course. She had been salvaged after her pilot abandoned ship. The particle burns along the hull, the blown canopy; anyone who worked the docks would see at one glance she was a prize. But how did she come to be his prize?
A voice slightly behind him to his right made him jump. "Surprisingly the Split bailed with two shield generators still functioning... just fives though. We will get you set up properly, but for now I'll need to borrow one of them." Jula No hung in the thick methane atmosphere, his legs stirring gently.
"Is there some obvious explanation I'm not seeing here? How did I get a ship?"
"You claimed her by right of salvage. Actually I did, but I hacked your credentials. I had made up my mind about taking you, but there wasn't really time to explain."
Thoughts collided in Humko's brain. Jula No had decided, but Humko had not accepted the assignment, which technically had not even been offered at that point. Jula No had hacked his credentials. He outright owned a ship, worth somewhere north of half a million credits. His credentials were produced by special branch and were among the tightest secure tech in the universe.
"Do you think you could take one of the shield generators off and install it on that Mako Sentinel over there? I just bought her used and the owner took all theirs with them. I'd do it myself, but I have a meeting. I'm being knighted." With that Jula swam away.
He shook himself, literally shook himself, tentacles flapping in the thick atmosphere. He paddled to the docking port and looked at himself in the polished surface of the hatch as it slid aside, saying "the Boron is going to have to start thinking a whole lot faster."
He got the shield unit off, and installed it on the Mako Sentinel. The registry there showed the purchase, for 62,000 credits which seemed a very good deal. It showed no pilot, and ownership by a numbered account. He considered doing a little research into the account, just to prove he was no slouch at hacking himself, but thought better of it. He set to work getting his new ship in order instead.
When Jula returned Humko was still working, filling the gouges the particle beams had scored in the hull with his repair laser. "A bit of advice for the salvage trade, always fix the canopy first," Jula called out. "You never know when a previous owner may appear looking to reclaim their ship and you want to be ready to depart."
Humko settled closer to the deck. "I'll remember that. Any other advice? The Boron admits he is a little beyond his depth."
"That is expected. Get your canopy fixed so we have somewhere to talk. The Boron must find a pilot for that." He waved a tentacle towards the Mako. "I will be back."
As the Mako cleared the docking clamps Humko was still wondering where he was going to look.
Jula docked a while later, in the Wikstrom, which Humko had never seen. He held off on questions while they swam into the command deck of the Dolphin, and Jula started speaking before he had a chance to ask. "This is secure enough for now, but you need to get it fitted with better security. The Admiral has a team from special branch on the way. Depart as soon as they are done. When you meet Boso he will show you a few tweaks that can be made to their systems as well."
"Where do I meet him?"
"He is at the trading station in Herron's Nebula, but will probably be gone before you can get there. If so you will find him at a newly constructed wheat farm in Power Circle. Approach him as the owner of that wheat farm, presenting yourself as a potential contract hauler. I may contact you with changes."
With that minimal instruction Jula was gone.
The next time Humko saw Jula it was as an icon on his scanners, hidden in the green fog of The Hole. Flashes of weapons fire glowed through from his direction, and it was obvious from the twisting path of the tiny Octopus that Jula was attacking a Paranid Demeter freighter. Dim signatures on the scanner indicated freight containers, declaring as e-cells. The red threat icon of the freighter winked out, replaced by blue, and the icon for the Wikstrom slowed to a reasonable pace. Humko looked out at the fog of stellar gas and considered what it would be like to twist through it at over 400 m/s in a ship hardly bigger than a space suit.
Jula's voice cracked through the com link; "Sakata, Wikstrom, collect those crates."
"Acknowledged."
When he had collected the crates of e-cells Jula directed him to land at the trading station. He found Jula working on the Demeter with an Argon. He waited quietly as Jula broke away. "The Boron has other business. You are certain about the flight?"
"If she breaks down I can fix her. I'm a good mechanic. This is probably the only way I was ever gonna get a shot as a pilot, so I'm taking it."
"Crop Circle is a new company, and there may be opportunity in the future, but you will not be doing any flying once you reach your station."
"I understand."
Jula tapped into the dock terminal. Freight handling systems began shifting e-cells from the Demeter into the Sakata. "Humko, your ship is much faster, so you will deliver the e-cells to Crop Circle's facility in Power Circle. Though they are on your ship they are registered as salvage with this ship, which belongs to them, so there will be no invoice."
"The Boron understands." He and Jula swam towards the Sakata. When they arrived and the hatch had closed he said "You should know that my previous cover with the mineral consultants has ended badly. Special branch apparently thought the best way for my sudden departure to be explained was 'termination with prejudice'. They held my pay. My cover account, which is in fact my only account, has ten credits in it. I was thinking these e-cells would get me on my feet."
Jula nodded. "I knew all that. We are allowed great freedom in our operations. In return we are expected to fund them ourselves. Your account owns this ship. You will be fine. The e-cells are needed to get things running at Crop Circle. Consider them a payment for the knowledge you will get from Boso."
"That is fair."
"The Boron will meet you in Power Circle and we will shift the ghost link in my ships to Sakata. Then all the transactions I direct will accrue to your account instead of Boso's."
"What about your accounts?"
"I have no accounts. Sometimes my ship system holds unregistered credits, as I occasionally do work off the books, but my ships are ghosts. When I confirm a transaction the confirmation registers through your ship."
"But if I'm doing the transaction in the first place what does that accomplish?"
"The Boron needs to think big. Soon we will have a fleet of ships conducting our business, just like Boso."
"We have ten credits between us."
"There's that."
Cold hard facts
The shoestring start of Crop Circle Wheat Exports has been a little bumpy, and those e-cells are needed. So was the Demeter, or something like it. It is on it's way to the second distillery to set up as a trap. I thought I would have to go to Atreus' clouds to reclaim the Rigg from the pirate base before I got that handled, but shot up a couple freighters along the way for cargo and the Paranid bailed. I would like to have had a couple more in place before I spun Boso and Lidya off on their own, but it should still work.
Most chapters I'll just list Crop Circle Wheat Exports as an asset with their cash balance, but since this is their first appearance...they are a complex in Power Circle with two M size wheat farms, and own six ships. Boso Wa and the Bernard Lee are set up to buy energy at 12 from three of the four SPP in Power Circle and feed the complex. Lidya Marval and the Llewelyn deliver e-cells and wheat to the sales bays at the two distilleries in Herron's, though as of now she actually sells directly to distillery beta pending the arrival of the Demeter, which is crawling because I thrashed it pretty badly before the pilot gave up. Mulu Da buys wheat at 25 from a farm in Three Worlds and sells to three buyers in Boron space for 35. Obviously there are the two delivery bays, selling wheat and e-cells at 33 and 17. Then there's Busi La, who I hired at the pirate base to fly the Mako Sentinel Kitzmiller. She's currently parked at the trading station in Herron's waiting for the operation to smooth out a bit, and for some equipment, but I already assigned the ship to the home base. There's 190,410 credits in the station account.
Other than that.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 6 PACs available, 2 mounted with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell. Last seen parked in Atreus' Clouds at the pirate base.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Only one MJ of shielding because I stuck the other one on the Demeter, but I'll be getting that back. 4 IREs, most of the goodies installed, though actually borrowed from the Rigg. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course.
Associates
Humko Fo, captain of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL, currently just 5 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Credits, 10
Flight time 21:53
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Thanks!stads wrote:thats one way of making a promotion :d
love the chapter and the boron with his mounth open
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Capital
Jula saw the Sakata and the captured Demeter on their way, then took off in the Wikstrom. He was anxious about leaving the Rigg at the pirate base. There was no way to know when the pirates would do something to bring down the wrath of the Boron military. But before he even got out of the sector his com link buzzed. An old friend appeared on the screen.
Popo Du and his partner, Hola Pa were traders. They were in the wheat business, oddly enough. Many of the improved processes used in the mixing of stott spices that involved adding delexian wheat came from their ideas. They were pioneers in developing the export market that Crop Circle was founded to fill, but in this era of independent traders had been drawn to the more lucrative trade opportunities presented by more distant Argon markets.
"Popo Du! How can the Boron be of service?"
Popo Du looked very sad. "The Boron could join me for a nugget and a drink," he said heavily.
Jula saw that the com was originating from the Argon trading station. "The Boron would be most pleased," he said. On a hunch he added "I would like to show you my new ship."
Popo Du nodded. "I will meet you at the docks." As Jula suspected, his friend wanted to meet privately.
The small hanger bay was filled with pressurized methane, and Jula cycled his friend through the air lock. Popo removed his rebreather and sighed. "I believe I shall return to Boron space," he said, "though I'm afraid I've developed Argon speech patterns that will be hard to shake." Popo had provided the contact with the Argon wheat farmers for the business, and had been living in Argon space for years, often stuck in a rebreather for uncomfortably long periods.
"You would certainly be more comfortable. Is the Boron thinking of retirement?"
"More than thinking, Jula. The Boron is out of the business."
"Hola Pa as well?"
"Hola Pa is dead."
Popo recounted the whole story, beginning with the decision to shift their market to the Aladana Hill region. This had called for transiting the dangerous sectors commonly called 'pirate alley', which made it a decision of consequence. The greater profits were offset to a degree by the tolls extracted by the pirate clans, but even with the tolls it increased their profit margins. Hola, as the pilot, had had final say, and had pressed for the change. Then he had pushed for using a jump drive.
They signed a fuel contract with one of the power plants here in The Hole and began moving wheat in a big way, and profits had exploded, making them both very wealthy...but the pirate clans were extremely unhappy with this turn of events. Hola Pa had been kidnapped and killed as an example of what happens to traders who try to escape the pirate's tolls.
"Tell the Boron the name of the killer," Jula No said with frost in his voice.
"Warron Cornell," said Popo Du. "There is a bounty on his head, from Hola Pa's estate."
Popo Du let himself out through the airlock as Jula settled into the cockpit of the Wikstrom, tapping keys on his interface unit before he was even cuffed in. The computers at special branch headquarters processed through untold numbers of gate network records and produced the information Jula needed. Warron Cornell was piloting a Buzzard Vanguard, in Rolk's Fate.
The Wikstrom sped through Atreus' Clouds. Jula considered picking up the Rigg, but the pirate base was hidden far from the sector's traffic lanes. Even though the Rigg was fast, it could not compare to the Wikstrom's raw speed and it would take time to get from the base to the gate. Too much time. The Wikstrom shot through the gate into Rolk's Fate.
He identified the Buzzard Vanguard. Warron Cornell was attempting to slip through the sector while a band of pirate vessels provided a distraction. Weapons flashed as beleaguered customs agents pursued the obvious targets. The killer's plan seemed to be working, until the Wikstrom slotted in behind the larger ship and opened fire. With his escorts engaged by the locals Warron Cornell stuttered rapidly through threats and curses, then shouts to his escorts for aid, and finally into pleas for mercy. He got nothing but such justice as four IREs could dispense.
The bounty cycled into his ship's account through the anonymous mechanisms of the pirate station when he docked. Almost 200,000 credits. Jula prowled the decks of the pirate station until he found the huge Paranid, Kelmanckigtab. "I wish you had not killed Cornell, but I had no work for him so no great loss," the Paranid assassination broker said without greeting.
"The Boron is happy that it did not put you out. It had to be done. It was personal."
Kelmanckigtab laughed, a sound like great swells breaking on cliffs. "A couple hundred thousand credits in bounty is always personal! You do good work little squid. If I had any jobs for Cornell I would be happy to pass them on to you instead." Jula recognized this as a compliment in Kelmanckigtab's bloody view of the universe. "I'd buy you a drink, but the spacefly infested scum of a smuggler that is supposed to be keeping us supplied is of no use at all."
"Perhaps the Boron could sell you that drink," Jula replied. "Or better you could direct me to the station's barkeeper. I have three cases aboard the Wikstrom. One of Cornell's band had it in his ship when the Boron police finished him. The Boron saw no reason to leave it in the wreckage."
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He left some time later in the Rigg, with the Wikstrom following along on autopilot. He saw no Split trader traffic, which raised some optimism. Perhaps his fellow Boron would take a firmer grip on their trade lanes, despite the free trader agreements. He emerged from the gate into Menelaus' Frontier and his spirits rose further at the sight of the stars unobscured by green murky clouds. A lone Split trader, in a Mamba, was the only thing marring the scene.
Jula targeted his ship's computer on the Mamba, which returned a destination; an equipment dock in Argon space. Being free of the murk really had done wonders for his spirits, and Jula decided that if the Split wasn't stealing trade in Boron space he could be allowed to pass. But the arms dealer could be carrying shield generators that Jula desperately needed, so he closed to scanner range.
When he activated his freight scanner he had a brief glance at a cargo of assorted missiles, in which nothing really caught his eye, then the com link pinged open before he looked closer. "Split say, stand down Jula No. Split and Boron may be at war, but we need not. Split say we can be friends" Jula recognized the Split from having seen him at the pirate base.
He couldn't imagine calling a Split a friend, but he flagged the ship as not hostile. "The Boron are peaceful," he said. "I have no quarrel with you." The com link closed. Would I have attacked a Split that wanted to be friends if he had been loaded with twenty-five megajoule shield generators? Jula decided he would be best served not to dwell on that question. In close proximity to the Mamba flown by Lo t'Pst Jula popped through the gate into Queen's Space. The green murk closed around him and his spirits drooped.
He activated the scanners and looked at the map to distract him from the unchanging view. A freighter icon flashing the universal 'for sale' symbol caught his eye; a Dolphin in pretty good shape. He hit the com link. 86,000 credits the pilot replied, and yes a direct transfer from his ship accounts to her space suit would be fine. Jula completed the purchase. Nothing like a good deal to improve one's perspective.
Of course now he had another freighter in need of shielding. And the transaction from his ship account made the Dolphin a ghost ship that he could hardly use and certainly couldn't leave anywhere that it might be examined. He sighed. Plus the Dolphin would be slow as an ancient Lar in ice cold waters, but maybe if he tightened up her hull. He swam into the cargo bay and slid into his spacesuit, repair laser at the ready.
Even with all the repairs he could do the Dolphin was still too slow, especially facing the long trek through green cloud that was Queen's Space. Jula set her autopilot for the trading station and set off on a tour of the sector. What he found made him even more unhappy than the murk. One of the familiar power plants was gone. The other two showed inventory levels far beyond profitability for their owners. And trader traffic in the sector was barely trickling. He completed the circuit and headed for the trading station, arriving about the same time as his Dolphin. One of the dock workers, who seemed to have little enough to do, agreed to tune up the Dolphin's engines and maneuvering thrusters for the off the books payment from the ship account that was all Jula could manage at the moment. Hard times made such dealing easier, but Jula would rather the port had been bustling. He headed for the recreation levels.
Without the protection of his rebreather Jula sucked carefully on a strong drink pouch, while nibbling Bofu. Another Boron, floating nearby, was less cautious, and well into his cups. Jula put together a few references and recognized the sad Boron was a power plant worker of some sort, and paddled a bit closer, entering the conversation with an eye towards finding out what had happened to the missing plant.
"Packed up and gone, that's what happened," the Boron said. "Maybe to be reassembled down in Argon space, maybe just to be sold for scrap, hard to tell. Market's gone to the abyss. The big Argon plants in The Hole pump out cells, and they're flooding our sectors down south. And getting a free trader to haul west is a joke. Industry in Kingdom End is dying for lack of power, and here we're shutting down plants. Rolk's tears, it's shameful. Speaking of shameful, would you look at that!" The sorrowful Boron thrust a tentacle out, pointing vaguely towards a young Boron, then swam awkwardly towards the exit.
Jula paddled across the space, curious. The young Boron clung to the deck with the tips of four of his shorter legs, like a spawnling holding to the bottom. "Is the Boron alright?" Jula asked.
"What?" Jula glanced down at the floor. "Oh, that. I've found that it makes my Argon friends uncomfortable, me just floating around. This Boron is called Molo Pu."
"This Boron is called Jula No and is most pleased to meet you." Jula realized he was being more formal than he had become accustomed to, because he also spent a lot of time with other species. The actions of Molo Pu were causing a recoil. But the youngster was speaking with great animation so Jula put his musings aside and listened.
"Rolk's Drift. It could be the salvation of these power plants."
"Excuse this Boron. My mind wandered. What about Rolk's Drift?"
"Argon ex-pats. Argon factories in Rolk's Drift, that's the future. Argon haulers would supply them, and they would draw energy from the closest source, right here in Queen's Space. My company just needs to find a station hauler."
"What business is your company in?"
"Ammunition. For mass drivers."
Argon haulers supplying Argon factories making ammunition for weapons that mounted on Argon ships...and Boron clinging to floors like spawn. This was not a future Jula could get excited about. Not in any positive way at least. "One stray shot from an ion cannon would charge that floor and burn your tentacles off. Would your Argon friends be comfortable with that?" He swam for the exit hoping to catch up with Hali Go.
He found the Boron at the transport stand, still sad but sobering. "Can the Boron give you a ride? I have a Mako."
"No thank you. I better take the regular transport. A little queasy for a smaller ship right now."
"Ah. The drink, or the Boron pretending to be a spawnling to please his Argon friends?"
Hali Go snorted. "Both. Maybe more of the latter."
"Does the Boron work in shipping by any chance?"
Hali Go did not work in shipping, but he knew other Boron. With her engines tuned the Dolphin made a stop at the plant, loading 4000 cells on an unregistered invoice. Hard times.
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Jula blinked happily in the bright light of Rolk's Drift. He pulled the Rigg out of the traffic lane and let her coast to a stop. The Dolphin shot out of the gate not far behind him, and the Wikstrom was speeding towards the trading station. He accessed the local markets, and shook his head. Perhaps Argon traders could be counted on to traffic energy for Argon factories, but apparently no one was interested in supplying the existing Boron factories. If the Dolphin's cargo were documented he would have his pick of buyers. Since the cargo wasn't documented he set the Dolphin's autopilot for Hila Fa's computer plant.
An Argon would say that Hila Fa worked both sides of the fence, a Boron would not limit him to two sides and would say his tentacles swung with the currents. In any event Jula knew that Hila would be happy to have 4000 e-cells and be willing and able to make the transaction disappear. From Hila's perspective Jula was of a similar mold. They had met when both appeared to be doing contract work for special branch, and they had met other times when both appeared to be following more mercenary pursuits.
"Jula! The Boron is always happy to see you. You are always welcome, but this time your timing is superior. I could use a partner. I find myself with my tentacles in a tangle."
"As does this Boron. The Dolphin inbound is filled with e-cells..."
"E-cells are not a problem. Lack of e-cells is a problem! My factory stalls for lack of e-cells."
"The Boron is correct, e-cells are not a problem. Unregistered transactions are a problem."
"That is no problem either between us Jula. But this Boron has a real problem."
"What can the Boron do to help?"
"I have a product being delivered, and I have a buyer...our old friends at special branch. Unfortunately they are coming here for the product and they will be here in just over an hour, and my supplier can only deliver the product in Menelaus' Frontier." Jula nodded. No doubt the 'product' was of even more dubious origins than his own e-cells, and the supplier only had the contacts to get it through the gate from Teladi space, not move it across Boron space. The claim that the buyer was special branch was probably a reach.
"The Dolphin is slow, and as yet has no shields. The Boron is coming from that direction, not headed there."
"You won't need the Dolphin, I know you are talented with ships and gates."
"Ships?"
"The product is a Mamba Vanguard." Rolk's fins! Hila was telling the truth! The buyers almost certainly would be special branch tech division. "The Boron will cut you in for five thousand credits."
Jula scoffed. The Mamba would be worth seven figures. But Hila had paid other costs to get the ship in the first place, and get it as far as he had. They settled on something around twenty thousand. Now sorely pressed for time Jula set out with the Dolphin and the Wikstrom still on autopilot, thrashing his tentacles in frustration at their pace in the cockpit of the Rigg.
Coming out of the gate into Three Worlds Jula hit the com link, opening a channel to the equipment dock. Soon Mak Marval appeared on his screen. The Argon's face creased in a wide smile. "Thank you for all you have done for my cousin," he said.
"The Boron is pleased to be of service, and Lidya has earned all she has received and more. The Boron could use some assistance from you, though, if you would express gratitude?"
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Registered pilots I can leave two ships with. They have Boron life support, so they will not be taking them anywhere, but I do not want to just leave them in long term docking."
"No problem. I'll round up a couple guys."
Twelve minutes later Jula was in the Wikstrom, tearing towards the Kingdom End gate with the engine screaming. Special branch would be at the computer plant in 34 minutes, and they would be looking for a Mamba Vanguard. If it wasn't there they were not going to be happy.
The Mamba was there on time, and the Lar from tech division was thrilled. Hila paid Jula his share, which was just slightly less than Jula had spent getting the Mamba's engines tuned at the trading station in Queen's Space. 'For the Queen!' he thought to himself.
Cold hard facts
Crop Circle Wheat Exports is a mess, currently sitting on two credits. They have lots of product and lots of resources though, and if it were not for the 'must be in sector' rule I would have set up the second selling bay and fixed the Llewelyn's waypoints to smooth out the deliveries. I'm heading that way.
The other complication of the journey was running out of CLS and Nav command software, which would have allowed me to hire a permanent Boron pilot for the Dolphin that I could not pass up. I had a bad case of buyer's remorse as I dawdled through Boron space baby-sitting that Dolphin, but it was a pretty good deal. Ten points to anyone who recognized the problem when the story hit Three Worlds eq dock (or before). Fifty points to anyone who can suggest a really clever way to keep it from happening again.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 6 PACs available, 2 mounted with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell. Currently sitting at Three Worlds eq dock with a drunken Argon perched on her hood.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Only one MJ of shielding because I stuck the other one on the Demeter, but I'll be getting that back. 4 IREs, most of the goodies installed, though actually borrowed from the Rigg. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course.
An unnamed Dolphin with standard cargo bay of 4000 units, max speed and handling. Also parked in care of some Argon.
Associates
Humko Fo, captain of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL, currently just 5 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Credits, 96,512
Flight time 1-00:42
Jula saw the Sakata and the captured Demeter on their way, then took off in the Wikstrom. He was anxious about leaving the Rigg at the pirate base. There was no way to know when the pirates would do something to bring down the wrath of the Boron military. But before he even got out of the sector his com link buzzed. An old friend appeared on the screen.
Popo Du and his partner, Hola Pa were traders. They were in the wheat business, oddly enough. Many of the improved processes used in the mixing of stott spices that involved adding delexian wheat came from their ideas. They were pioneers in developing the export market that Crop Circle was founded to fill, but in this era of independent traders had been drawn to the more lucrative trade opportunities presented by more distant Argon markets.
"Popo Du! How can the Boron be of service?"
Popo Du looked very sad. "The Boron could join me for a nugget and a drink," he said heavily.
Jula saw that the com was originating from the Argon trading station. "The Boron would be most pleased," he said. On a hunch he added "I would like to show you my new ship."
Popo Du nodded. "I will meet you at the docks." As Jula suspected, his friend wanted to meet privately.
The small hanger bay was filled with pressurized methane, and Jula cycled his friend through the air lock. Popo removed his rebreather and sighed. "I believe I shall return to Boron space," he said, "though I'm afraid I've developed Argon speech patterns that will be hard to shake." Popo had provided the contact with the Argon wheat farmers for the business, and had been living in Argon space for years, often stuck in a rebreather for uncomfortably long periods.
"You would certainly be more comfortable. Is the Boron thinking of retirement?"
"More than thinking, Jula. The Boron is out of the business."
"Hola Pa as well?"
"Hola Pa is dead."
Popo recounted the whole story, beginning with the decision to shift their market to the Aladana Hill region. This had called for transiting the dangerous sectors commonly called 'pirate alley', which made it a decision of consequence. The greater profits were offset to a degree by the tolls extracted by the pirate clans, but even with the tolls it increased their profit margins. Hola, as the pilot, had had final say, and had pressed for the change. Then he had pushed for using a jump drive.
They signed a fuel contract with one of the power plants here in The Hole and began moving wheat in a big way, and profits had exploded, making them both very wealthy...but the pirate clans were extremely unhappy with this turn of events. Hola Pa had been kidnapped and killed as an example of what happens to traders who try to escape the pirate's tolls.
"Tell the Boron the name of the killer," Jula No said with frost in his voice.
"Warron Cornell," said Popo Du. "There is a bounty on his head, from Hola Pa's estate."
Popo Du let himself out through the airlock as Jula settled into the cockpit of the Wikstrom, tapping keys on his interface unit before he was even cuffed in. The computers at special branch headquarters processed through untold numbers of gate network records and produced the information Jula needed. Warron Cornell was piloting a Buzzard Vanguard, in Rolk's Fate.
The Wikstrom sped through Atreus' Clouds. Jula considered picking up the Rigg, but the pirate base was hidden far from the sector's traffic lanes. Even though the Rigg was fast, it could not compare to the Wikstrom's raw speed and it would take time to get from the base to the gate. Too much time. The Wikstrom shot through the gate into Rolk's Fate.
He identified the Buzzard Vanguard. Warron Cornell was attempting to slip through the sector while a band of pirate vessels provided a distraction. Weapons flashed as beleaguered customs agents pursued the obvious targets. The killer's plan seemed to be working, until the Wikstrom slotted in behind the larger ship and opened fire. With his escorts engaged by the locals Warron Cornell stuttered rapidly through threats and curses, then shouts to his escorts for aid, and finally into pleas for mercy. He got nothing but such justice as four IREs could dispense.
The bounty cycled into his ship's account through the anonymous mechanisms of the pirate station when he docked. Almost 200,000 credits. Jula prowled the decks of the pirate station until he found the huge Paranid, Kelmanckigtab. "I wish you had not killed Cornell, but I had no work for him so no great loss," the Paranid assassination broker said without greeting.
"The Boron is happy that it did not put you out. It had to be done. It was personal."
Kelmanckigtab laughed, a sound like great swells breaking on cliffs. "A couple hundred thousand credits in bounty is always personal! You do good work little squid. If I had any jobs for Cornell I would be happy to pass them on to you instead." Jula recognized this as a compliment in Kelmanckigtab's bloody view of the universe. "I'd buy you a drink, but the spacefly infested scum of a smuggler that is supposed to be keeping us supplied is of no use at all."
"Perhaps the Boron could sell you that drink," Jula replied. "Or better you could direct me to the station's barkeeper. I have three cases aboard the Wikstrom. One of Cornell's band had it in his ship when the Boron police finished him. The Boron saw no reason to leave it in the wreckage."
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He left some time later in the Rigg, with the Wikstrom following along on autopilot. He saw no Split trader traffic, which raised some optimism. Perhaps his fellow Boron would take a firmer grip on their trade lanes, despite the free trader agreements. He emerged from the gate into Menelaus' Frontier and his spirits rose further at the sight of the stars unobscured by green murky clouds. A lone Split trader, in a Mamba, was the only thing marring the scene.
Jula targeted his ship's computer on the Mamba, which returned a destination; an equipment dock in Argon space. Being free of the murk really had done wonders for his spirits, and Jula decided that if the Split wasn't stealing trade in Boron space he could be allowed to pass. But the arms dealer could be carrying shield generators that Jula desperately needed, so he closed to scanner range.
When he activated his freight scanner he had a brief glance at a cargo of assorted missiles, in which nothing really caught his eye, then the com link pinged open before he looked closer. "Split say, stand down Jula No. Split and Boron may be at war, but we need not. Split say we can be friends" Jula recognized the Split from having seen him at the pirate base.
He couldn't imagine calling a Split a friend, but he flagged the ship as not hostile. "The Boron are peaceful," he said. "I have no quarrel with you." The com link closed. Would I have attacked a Split that wanted to be friends if he had been loaded with twenty-five megajoule shield generators? Jula decided he would be best served not to dwell on that question. In close proximity to the Mamba flown by Lo t'Pst Jula popped through the gate into Queen's Space. The green murk closed around him and his spirits drooped.
He activated the scanners and looked at the map to distract him from the unchanging view. A freighter icon flashing the universal 'for sale' symbol caught his eye; a Dolphin in pretty good shape. He hit the com link. 86,000 credits the pilot replied, and yes a direct transfer from his ship accounts to her space suit would be fine. Jula completed the purchase. Nothing like a good deal to improve one's perspective.
Of course now he had another freighter in need of shielding. And the transaction from his ship account made the Dolphin a ghost ship that he could hardly use and certainly couldn't leave anywhere that it might be examined. He sighed. Plus the Dolphin would be slow as an ancient Lar in ice cold waters, but maybe if he tightened up her hull. He swam into the cargo bay and slid into his spacesuit, repair laser at the ready.
Even with all the repairs he could do the Dolphin was still too slow, especially facing the long trek through green cloud that was Queen's Space. Jula set her autopilot for the trading station and set off on a tour of the sector. What he found made him even more unhappy than the murk. One of the familiar power plants was gone. The other two showed inventory levels far beyond profitability for their owners. And trader traffic in the sector was barely trickling. He completed the circuit and headed for the trading station, arriving about the same time as his Dolphin. One of the dock workers, who seemed to have little enough to do, agreed to tune up the Dolphin's engines and maneuvering thrusters for the off the books payment from the ship account that was all Jula could manage at the moment. Hard times made such dealing easier, but Jula would rather the port had been bustling. He headed for the recreation levels.
Without the protection of his rebreather Jula sucked carefully on a strong drink pouch, while nibbling Bofu. Another Boron, floating nearby, was less cautious, and well into his cups. Jula put together a few references and recognized the sad Boron was a power plant worker of some sort, and paddled a bit closer, entering the conversation with an eye towards finding out what had happened to the missing plant.
"Packed up and gone, that's what happened," the Boron said. "Maybe to be reassembled down in Argon space, maybe just to be sold for scrap, hard to tell. Market's gone to the abyss. The big Argon plants in The Hole pump out cells, and they're flooding our sectors down south. And getting a free trader to haul west is a joke. Industry in Kingdom End is dying for lack of power, and here we're shutting down plants. Rolk's tears, it's shameful. Speaking of shameful, would you look at that!" The sorrowful Boron thrust a tentacle out, pointing vaguely towards a young Boron, then swam awkwardly towards the exit.
Jula paddled across the space, curious. The young Boron clung to the deck with the tips of four of his shorter legs, like a spawnling holding to the bottom. "Is the Boron alright?" Jula asked.
"What?" Jula glanced down at the floor. "Oh, that. I've found that it makes my Argon friends uncomfortable, me just floating around. This Boron is called Molo Pu."
"This Boron is called Jula No and is most pleased to meet you." Jula realized he was being more formal than he had become accustomed to, because he also spent a lot of time with other species. The actions of Molo Pu were causing a recoil. But the youngster was speaking with great animation so Jula put his musings aside and listened.
"Rolk's Drift. It could be the salvation of these power plants."
"Excuse this Boron. My mind wandered. What about Rolk's Drift?"
"Argon ex-pats. Argon factories in Rolk's Drift, that's the future. Argon haulers would supply them, and they would draw energy from the closest source, right here in Queen's Space. My company just needs to find a station hauler."
"What business is your company in?"
"Ammunition. For mass drivers."
Argon haulers supplying Argon factories making ammunition for weapons that mounted on Argon ships...and Boron clinging to floors like spawn. This was not a future Jula could get excited about. Not in any positive way at least. "One stray shot from an ion cannon would charge that floor and burn your tentacles off. Would your Argon friends be comfortable with that?" He swam for the exit hoping to catch up with Hali Go.
He found the Boron at the transport stand, still sad but sobering. "Can the Boron give you a ride? I have a Mako."
"No thank you. I better take the regular transport. A little queasy for a smaller ship right now."
"Ah. The drink, or the Boron pretending to be a spawnling to please his Argon friends?"
Hali Go snorted. "Both. Maybe more of the latter."
"Does the Boron work in shipping by any chance?"
Hali Go did not work in shipping, but he knew other Boron. With her engines tuned the Dolphin made a stop at the plant, loading 4000 cells on an unregistered invoice. Hard times.
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Jula blinked happily in the bright light of Rolk's Drift. He pulled the Rigg out of the traffic lane and let her coast to a stop. The Dolphin shot out of the gate not far behind him, and the Wikstrom was speeding towards the trading station. He accessed the local markets, and shook his head. Perhaps Argon traders could be counted on to traffic energy for Argon factories, but apparently no one was interested in supplying the existing Boron factories. If the Dolphin's cargo were documented he would have his pick of buyers. Since the cargo wasn't documented he set the Dolphin's autopilot for Hila Fa's computer plant.
An Argon would say that Hila Fa worked both sides of the fence, a Boron would not limit him to two sides and would say his tentacles swung with the currents. In any event Jula knew that Hila would be happy to have 4000 e-cells and be willing and able to make the transaction disappear. From Hila's perspective Jula was of a similar mold. They had met when both appeared to be doing contract work for special branch, and they had met other times when both appeared to be following more mercenary pursuits.
"Jula! The Boron is always happy to see you. You are always welcome, but this time your timing is superior. I could use a partner. I find myself with my tentacles in a tangle."
"As does this Boron. The Dolphin inbound is filled with e-cells..."
"E-cells are not a problem. Lack of e-cells is a problem! My factory stalls for lack of e-cells."
"The Boron is correct, e-cells are not a problem. Unregistered transactions are a problem."
"That is no problem either between us Jula. But this Boron has a real problem."
"What can the Boron do to help?"
"I have a product being delivered, and I have a buyer...our old friends at special branch. Unfortunately they are coming here for the product and they will be here in just over an hour, and my supplier can only deliver the product in Menelaus' Frontier." Jula nodded. No doubt the 'product' was of even more dubious origins than his own e-cells, and the supplier only had the contacts to get it through the gate from Teladi space, not move it across Boron space. The claim that the buyer was special branch was probably a reach.
"The Dolphin is slow, and as yet has no shields. The Boron is coming from that direction, not headed there."
"You won't need the Dolphin, I know you are talented with ships and gates."
"Ships?"
"The product is a Mamba Vanguard." Rolk's fins! Hila was telling the truth! The buyers almost certainly would be special branch tech division. "The Boron will cut you in for five thousand credits."
Jula scoffed. The Mamba would be worth seven figures. But Hila had paid other costs to get the ship in the first place, and get it as far as he had. They settled on something around twenty thousand. Now sorely pressed for time Jula set out with the Dolphin and the Wikstrom still on autopilot, thrashing his tentacles in frustration at their pace in the cockpit of the Rigg.
Coming out of the gate into Three Worlds Jula hit the com link, opening a channel to the equipment dock. Soon Mak Marval appeared on his screen. The Argon's face creased in a wide smile. "Thank you for all you have done for my cousin," he said.
"The Boron is pleased to be of service, and Lidya has earned all she has received and more. The Boron could use some assistance from you, though, if you would express gratitude?"
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Registered pilots I can leave two ships with. They have Boron life support, so they will not be taking them anywhere, but I do not want to just leave them in long term docking."
"No problem. I'll round up a couple guys."
Twelve minutes later Jula was in the Wikstrom, tearing towards the Kingdom End gate with the engine screaming. Special branch would be at the computer plant in 34 minutes, and they would be looking for a Mamba Vanguard. If it wasn't there they were not going to be happy.
The Mamba was there on time, and the Lar from tech division was thrilled. Hila paid Jula his share, which was just slightly less than Jula had spent getting the Mamba's engines tuned at the trading station in Queen's Space. 'For the Queen!' he thought to himself.
Cold hard facts
Crop Circle Wheat Exports is a mess, currently sitting on two credits. They have lots of product and lots of resources though, and if it were not for the 'must be in sector' rule I would have set up the second selling bay and fixed the Llewelyn's waypoints to smooth out the deliveries. I'm heading that way.
The other complication of the journey was running out of CLS and Nav command software, which would have allowed me to hire a permanent Boron pilot for the Dolphin that I could not pass up. I had a bad case of buyer's remorse as I dawdled through Boron space baby-sitting that Dolphin, but it was a pretty good deal. Ten points to anyone who recognized the problem when the story hit Three Worlds eq dock (or before). Fifty points to anyone who can suggest a really clever way to keep it from happening again.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 6 PACs available, 2 mounted with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell. Currently sitting at Three Worlds eq dock with a drunken Argon perched on her hood.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Only one MJ of shielding because I stuck the other one on the Demeter, but I'll be getting that back. 4 IREs, most of the goodies installed, though actually borrowed from the Rigg. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course.
An unnamed Dolphin with standard cargo bay of 4000 units, max speed and handling. Also parked in care of some Argon.
Associates
Humko Fo, captain of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL, currently just 5 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Credits, 96,512
Flight time 1-00:42
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Rum Runner
Jula made the flight back to Three Worlds at half throttle, studying the reports his ship computer had logged from Boso Wa. They had underestimated the start-up costs for Crop Circles Wheat Exports pretty badly.
One problem was that the contract with the second distillery in Herron's Nebula wasn't secure, and Lidya was trying to supply them on an as needed basis. The Demeter Jula had sent from The Hole had arrived, but Jula needed to clarify the terms with the distillery owner.
Another problem was that the export side of the business was completely stalled. Jula now understood why, having seen that the economy of Kingdom End and Rolk's Drift had ground down to an almost complete stop.
The third problem was that Jula had made a decision to put the 'under the table' aspect of the business, which was actually the reason he had started it, off until the other areas were stable. Now he recognized that the space fuel operation would provide a needed trickle of cash flow to at least keep the payroll moving until everything else took off.
He sighed. Nothing that couldn't be handled, but he had to get there to handle it. And he needed a pilot for the Dolphin first. He landed at the equipment dock, told the pilot who had been keeping an eye on the Wikstrom he wasn't needed any longer, and promised the other pilot that the Dolphin would be taken care of shortly as well. He set the autopilot on the Wikstrom for Kingdom End shipyard, sure that some Boron pilot looking for a job could be found there, and headed back to the Rigg. Before he could launch his ships the station announcing system changed his plans; 'combat in the sector, all pilots please stand by, combat in the sector.'
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The Kha'ak didn't have a name. It did not need one. It knew its place in the insectile hive mind of the Kha'ak with no energy expended on frivolous designation. It knew its eight appendages, in their faster but lightly armed scout craft. It knew its equal, leading a similar swarm into the southern part of the sector. The throb of the uncounted elements in the main hive mind was present, but less clear with the distance from home. Its appendages sensed the larger, slower ships that the enemy used for transporting freight and began shredding them with their kyon emitters.
As ships fell before the swarm the Kha'ak felt a dim satisfaction. The hive accepted the loss of the swarms when they made the jump into this alien sector. Their task was simply to inflict greater damage than the cost before they were destroyed. They were getting close, and had not yet encountered any resistance. Then two of the biped's heavy fighters came into scanner range of an appendage. The Kha'ak reformed the swarm, its appendages swirling around its ship in ever changing patterns.
The two Novas took an arcing approach vector, and the swarm shifted to meet them from an angle that forced the faster one between the swarm and the slower one. The Kha'ak felt the twinge as one of its appendages was vaporized by the focused energy of the Nova Vanguard's main battery, but the effectiveness of the swarm was barely diminished. That was the point. Most of that firepower was wasted on the tiny scout craft of the appendage, and seven appendages remained. Their kyon emitters bit into the Nova's shields. The three far more powerful kyon emitters in the Kha'ak's fighter locked on as well.
The rear turret sprayed energy wildly, unable to lock onto any one of the fast moving scout ships. The wingman fired a burst from its main battery and destroyed another appendage, but could not fire again as the Vanguard flashed across in front of his ship. The kyons continued to find their marks, creating a tooth grinding buzz in the cockpit of the Nova Vanguard as they rapidly drained the ship's shields. A sudden twist of the rudder caused a collision, destroying one of the scouts at the cost of another significant loss in the shields.
Three appendages were lost, but the Kha'ak was fairly glowing with pleasure. The shields of the Nova Vanguard were near collapse. Destruction of the single heavy fighter by itself would nearly make its mission a success. With the cargo ships already destroyed the victory would be clear. Satisfaction enveloped it from the distant hive mind. The satisfaction was offset by a sharp pang from the equal across the sector. Unpredictably, there was a large task force of the aquatic creatures in the sector, and the other swarm met a quick and unfulfilled end.
The Kha'ak felt a pressure building inside its body, the success or failure of the mission as a whole settling like a weight. If the enemy fighter could be destroyed quickly, without loss of further appendages, the swarm could turn on the second enemy fighter and have a good chance against it. It took a risk and accepted a hit from the target's turret cannon in order to once again lock on the heavy beta kyons. The enemy's hull began shedding droplets of molten metal into space.
Jula No cycled his gun mounts, rolling all six particle accelerators into firing position. His laser battery would be drained in seconds, but he planned to make only a single pass. The two Nova's wildly spraying energy were as much a danger to him as the Kha'ak, but he could plot a line through and speed on out of their range...probably. He locked his targeting system on the Kha'ak heavy fighter and entered the fray at maximum speed.
The Kha'ak sensed a brief image of green hull from one of the appendages, then it was blinded in the storm of a blue-white particle stream. The appendages wavered in their flight, and one fell to the enemy turret.
The beta kyons slid off the mark, freeing the Argon pilot from much of the earsplitting buzz that he had expected to be the last sound he heard in life. Instead he was blessed with the voice of the computer system as it tolled the list of alarms and system failures his ship was suffering. He squeezed the trigger and his main battery spewed high energy plasma into the path of one of the Kha'ak scouts. "Threat list," he snapped. The screen showed only three scouts remaining, plus the fighter...but the fighter was shields down and disintegrating fast. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Jula rode the trigger, even as the low energy alarm rang through the cockpit. The steady stream from the cannons fell to a stutter. The hull of the Kha'ak fighter, glowing white hot and streaming fragments, grew in the view screen. The data screen showed the hull at five percent and still dropping. Jula wrapped his shorter tentacles around the acceleration cuffs. Even after the Rigg burst through the scattering debris Jula wasn't sure if a final shot from the cannons had destroyed the target or if it had been torn apart by his shields.
He cycled through the remaining ships flagged as threats. Three scouts. None of them in pursuit. He hit the sector map and saw that they were still in close proximity to the two border control Novas, which he expected would make short work of mopping them up. He set course back to the equipment dock.
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The com in Himi Di's office chimed the code for a special branch operative. He pulled up recent arrivals on his terminal, noted the Rigg in bay seventeen, and guessed it would be Jula No that was looking for him. He swam to the lift and rode down to the hanger decks. It looked like an ordinary encounter between a civilian or mercenary pilot and a middle level station bureaucrat, and in most respects it was. Himi and Jula swam into a booth to transact their business.
"I need you to handle a transaction for me. My account is black," Jula said as the panel slid shut, isolating them from any interested listeners. "I brought you a ship." Jula didn't know, or need to know, how high Himi ranked. He knew he was tech division, and that was enough.
"Do you have one of your ships at the shipyard?" Himi asked. He continued after Jula nodded, "So what's the problem? Your shipyard contact will pay into your ship account. What have you got?"
"I also need to make a purchase at the equipment dock. My extension shows they have PACs and one meg shields. You are out of stock on both."
"Supply has been a bastu lately. I can set you up at the dock I suppose. What did you bring us?"
Himi rolled his eyes as Jula said "A Discoverer Hauler."
"Be still my quivering fins! No wonder you were asking your favors first. I can hardly wait to see what technological leaps we will make!"
Jula had not been excited about the Discoverer either, but in the wake of the Kha'ak assault some Argon pilot had been desperate to end their career in space and had sold the little ship for under two thousand credits. "I also picked up a missile from some Kha'ak wreckage."
"That's a little more interesting but I think you still owe me one."
Just as Jula had no knowledge of Himi's rank, Himi knew nothing of his. Jula interacted with special branch through an endless series of bartered favors. He could have gone to the equipment dock and found some back channel for himself, but he also wanted to find a pilot. "What do you need?" he asked.
Jula sent the new pilot, Nini Fa, back to the dock in Three Worlds with the Wikstrom. He set out for Red Light to retrieve Himi Di's pet project.
As he passed through the gates along the way he watched the ships. It was certainly true that ships on autopilot were readily identified by their erratic maneuvering in the heavy traffic. Himi Di had developed an auto pilot system that could pass for a live pilot, in theory. Since special branch often had reason to make people believe that someone had left a particular sector, being able to register them as pilot on a vessel that was actually unmanned would be a valuable thing. Being able to blow up the ship and apparently kill someone who you merely wanted to disappear was another application that came immediately to mind.
The tech team had sent an Octopus Vanguard on autopilot, which due to its high speed would be among the most obvious to observers, into Argon territory with a live pilot registration. Then they had monitored Argon police bands to verify that it passed undetected. There had been no chatter of any kind, but suddenly their test vehicle had stopped responding.
When Jula arrived in Red Light he could clearly see why. The Octopus floated in space less than a kilometer from a large asteroid. On the surface of the asteroid a streak of scorched rock marked where the ship had glanced off. Her shield generators were fused, and had there been a live pilot on board there would not have been after the impact. Jula made what repairs he could including reactivating the standard autopilot, and sent the ship back to Himi Di.
When the Octopus Vanguard was secure in the hanger bay Himi Di accessed the ship's battered systems and retrieved a recorded message.
"Your system does not quite simulate a live pilot, however it passes perfectly for a dead one. I hope the cover was solid on the registration, I used it for a shield purchase at the complex in Red Light. All the best."
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Busi La and Jula No were both swimming hard. The thin atmosphere of the Argon trading station provided little purchase. They were each weighted down with a five megajoule shield generator in addition to their rebreathers. Cycling through the airlock into the hanger bay assigned to the Kitzmiller was a relief. It was the final trip. They had already pushed a grav truck laden with particle accelerator cannons over from the Rigg's assigned bay three times.
As they installed the equipment on the Kitzmiller Jula want over the terms of the job one last time. "You weren't hired to be a pirate. Boso is only providing the shielding and weapons in case you encounter pirates. Hopefully they will be friends, or at least respect that you are supplying liquor to their base. If all else fails hopefully the theory of peace through superior firepower will keep you out of most scrapes. Anything big enough to take on a fully armed Mako Sentinel you should be able to outrun."
The erstwhile pirate nodded. "And if the ship is scanned by the cops just drop the cargo. The Boron is scouting the wheat market and the freight must have been loaded improperly on the ship when the Boron stopped at a potential buyer. The Boron has got it."
"Excellent. You'll never have more on board than we can afford to lose."
They finished the installations, and the Kitzmiller left the hanger. Jula watched her go from a corridor viewport and headed for the low grav recreation decks. In the thin atmosphere of the Argon station the main recreation decks, located in the great rolling barrel of the station where centripetal force augmented the grav generators, were far too uncomfortable. He joined Humko and Nini at a viewport overlooking the freight docking pod. They were admiring their ships. The newly christened Kwouk gleamed in the docking clamps, looking like a smaller spawnling of the huge Sakata docked in the next bay.
"First order of business is to upgrade your shields. A proper salvage freighter should never have less than 25 MJ," Jula said as he arrived. They infused one more drink into their rebreathers to celebrate the founding of Humko's new company, then set to work.
Cold hard facts
Crop Circles Wheat Exports is now fully operational and meeting its objective, that being a steady trickle of trade with the pirates to offset the inevitable clashes with red pirates in race space. Each of the trap ships at the distilleries is set to buy up to thirty units at 700 credits. With both of them as sources the Mako should have no trouble keeping the trading station topped off as well as maintaining a steady stream into the pirate base in Atreus' clouds. It's not exactly swamping in profits, but the system is now completely full, so from here on out the only purchases will be refills replacing profitable sales. Boso Wa moved up to courier, so I added the fourth power plant to his potential sources and added a cattle ranch as a potential dump for excess e-cells, after the topping off stop at the company farm of course. Since the system filled faster than the credits could keep up it's pretty clear trapping the power plants won't be necessary.
Time to move on to the next objective.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer and freight scanner which I am getting tired of swapping back and forth. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. She's parked at CCWE HQ.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL, currently with just 5 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin, currently with just a single 1 MJ generator. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling.
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 56,208 credits
Credits, 6,751
Flight time, 1-02:53
Jula made the flight back to Three Worlds at half throttle, studying the reports his ship computer had logged from Boso Wa. They had underestimated the start-up costs for Crop Circles Wheat Exports pretty badly.
One problem was that the contract with the second distillery in Herron's Nebula wasn't secure, and Lidya was trying to supply them on an as needed basis. The Demeter Jula had sent from The Hole had arrived, but Jula needed to clarify the terms with the distillery owner.
Another problem was that the export side of the business was completely stalled. Jula now understood why, having seen that the economy of Kingdom End and Rolk's Drift had ground down to an almost complete stop.
The third problem was that Jula had made a decision to put the 'under the table' aspect of the business, which was actually the reason he had started it, off until the other areas were stable. Now he recognized that the space fuel operation would provide a needed trickle of cash flow to at least keep the payroll moving until everything else took off.
He sighed. Nothing that couldn't be handled, but he had to get there to handle it. And he needed a pilot for the Dolphin first. He landed at the equipment dock, told the pilot who had been keeping an eye on the Wikstrom he wasn't needed any longer, and promised the other pilot that the Dolphin would be taken care of shortly as well. He set the autopilot on the Wikstrom for Kingdom End shipyard, sure that some Boron pilot looking for a job could be found there, and headed back to the Rigg. Before he could launch his ships the station announcing system changed his plans; 'combat in the sector, all pilots please stand by, combat in the sector.'
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The Kha'ak didn't have a name. It did not need one. It knew its place in the insectile hive mind of the Kha'ak with no energy expended on frivolous designation. It knew its eight appendages, in their faster but lightly armed scout craft. It knew its equal, leading a similar swarm into the southern part of the sector. The throb of the uncounted elements in the main hive mind was present, but less clear with the distance from home. Its appendages sensed the larger, slower ships that the enemy used for transporting freight and began shredding them with their kyon emitters.
As ships fell before the swarm the Kha'ak felt a dim satisfaction. The hive accepted the loss of the swarms when they made the jump into this alien sector. Their task was simply to inflict greater damage than the cost before they were destroyed. They were getting close, and had not yet encountered any resistance. Then two of the biped's heavy fighters came into scanner range of an appendage. The Kha'ak reformed the swarm, its appendages swirling around its ship in ever changing patterns.
The two Novas took an arcing approach vector, and the swarm shifted to meet them from an angle that forced the faster one between the swarm and the slower one. The Kha'ak felt the twinge as one of its appendages was vaporized by the focused energy of the Nova Vanguard's main battery, but the effectiveness of the swarm was barely diminished. That was the point. Most of that firepower was wasted on the tiny scout craft of the appendage, and seven appendages remained. Their kyon emitters bit into the Nova's shields. The three far more powerful kyon emitters in the Kha'ak's fighter locked on as well.
The rear turret sprayed energy wildly, unable to lock onto any one of the fast moving scout ships. The wingman fired a burst from its main battery and destroyed another appendage, but could not fire again as the Vanguard flashed across in front of his ship. The kyons continued to find their marks, creating a tooth grinding buzz in the cockpit of the Nova Vanguard as they rapidly drained the ship's shields. A sudden twist of the rudder caused a collision, destroying one of the scouts at the cost of another significant loss in the shields.
Three appendages were lost, but the Kha'ak was fairly glowing with pleasure. The shields of the Nova Vanguard were near collapse. Destruction of the single heavy fighter by itself would nearly make its mission a success. With the cargo ships already destroyed the victory would be clear. Satisfaction enveloped it from the distant hive mind. The satisfaction was offset by a sharp pang from the equal across the sector. Unpredictably, there was a large task force of the aquatic creatures in the sector, and the other swarm met a quick and unfulfilled end.
The Kha'ak felt a pressure building inside its body, the success or failure of the mission as a whole settling like a weight. If the enemy fighter could be destroyed quickly, without loss of further appendages, the swarm could turn on the second enemy fighter and have a good chance against it. It took a risk and accepted a hit from the target's turret cannon in order to once again lock on the heavy beta kyons. The enemy's hull began shedding droplets of molten metal into space.
Jula No cycled his gun mounts, rolling all six particle accelerators into firing position. His laser battery would be drained in seconds, but he planned to make only a single pass. The two Nova's wildly spraying energy were as much a danger to him as the Kha'ak, but he could plot a line through and speed on out of their range...probably. He locked his targeting system on the Kha'ak heavy fighter and entered the fray at maximum speed.
The Kha'ak sensed a brief image of green hull from one of the appendages, then it was blinded in the storm of a blue-white particle stream. The appendages wavered in their flight, and one fell to the enemy turret.
The beta kyons slid off the mark, freeing the Argon pilot from much of the earsplitting buzz that he had expected to be the last sound he heard in life. Instead he was blessed with the voice of the computer system as it tolled the list of alarms and system failures his ship was suffering. He squeezed the trigger and his main battery spewed high energy plasma into the path of one of the Kha'ak scouts. "Threat list," he snapped. The screen showed only three scouts remaining, plus the fighter...but the fighter was shields down and disintegrating fast. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Jula rode the trigger, even as the low energy alarm rang through the cockpit. The steady stream from the cannons fell to a stutter. The hull of the Kha'ak fighter, glowing white hot and streaming fragments, grew in the view screen. The data screen showed the hull at five percent and still dropping. Jula wrapped his shorter tentacles around the acceleration cuffs. Even after the Rigg burst through the scattering debris Jula wasn't sure if a final shot from the cannons had destroyed the target or if it had been torn apart by his shields.
He cycled through the remaining ships flagged as threats. Three scouts. None of them in pursuit. He hit the sector map and saw that they were still in close proximity to the two border control Novas, which he expected would make short work of mopping them up. He set course back to the equipment dock.
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The com in Himi Di's office chimed the code for a special branch operative. He pulled up recent arrivals on his terminal, noted the Rigg in bay seventeen, and guessed it would be Jula No that was looking for him. He swam to the lift and rode down to the hanger decks. It looked like an ordinary encounter between a civilian or mercenary pilot and a middle level station bureaucrat, and in most respects it was. Himi and Jula swam into a booth to transact their business.
"I need you to handle a transaction for me. My account is black," Jula said as the panel slid shut, isolating them from any interested listeners. "I brought you a ship." Jula didn't know, or need to know, how high Himi ranked. He knew he was tech division, and that was enough.
"Do you have one of your ships at the shipyard?" Himi asked. He continued after Jula nodded, "So what's the problem? Your shipyard contact will pay into your ship account. What have you got?"
"I also need to make a purchase at the equipment dock. My extension shows they have PACs and one meg shields. You are out of stock on both."
"Supply has been a bastu lately. I can set you up at the dock I suppose. What did you bring us?"
Himi rolled his eyes as Jula said "A Discoverer Hauler."
"Be still my quivering fins! No wonder you were asking your favors first. I can hardly wait to see what technological leaps we will make!"
Jula had not been excited about the Discoverer either, but in the wake of the Kha'ak assault some Argon pilot had been desperate to end their career in space and had sold the little ship for under two thousand credits. "I also picked up a missile from some Kha'ak wreckage."
"That's a little more interesting but I think you still owe me one."
Just as Jula had no knowledge of Himi's rank, Himi knew nothing of his. Jula interacted with special branch through an endless series of bartered favors. He could have gone to the equipment dock and found some back channel for himself, but he also wanted to find a pilot. "What do you need?" he asked.
Jula sent the new pilot, Nini Fa, back to the dock in Three Worlds with the Wikstrom. He set out for Red Light to retrieve Himi Di's pet project.
As he passed through the gates along the way he watched the ships. It was certainly true that ships on autopilot were readily identified by their erratic maneuvering in the heavy traffic. Himi Di had developed an auto pilot system that could pass for a live pilot, in theory. Since special branch often had reason to make people believe that someone had left a particular sector, being able to register them as pilot on a vessel that was actually unmanned would be a valuable thing. Being able to blow up the ship and apparently kill someone who you merely wanted to disappear was another application that came immediately to mind.
The tech team had sent an Octopus Vanguard on autopilot, which due to its high speed would be among the most obvious to observers, into Argon territory with a live pilot registration. Then they had monitored Argon police bands to verify that it passed undetected. There had been no chatter of any kind, but suddenly their test vehicle had stopped responding.
When Jula arrived in Red Light he could clearly see why. The Octopus floated in space less than a kilometer from a large asteroid. On the surface of the asteroid a streak of scorched rock marked where the ship had glanced off. Her shield generators were fused, and had there been a live pilot on board there would not have been after the impact. Jula made what repairs he could including reactivating the standard autopilot, and sent the ship back to Himi Di.
When the Octopus Vanguard was secure in the hanger bay Himi Di accessed the ship's battered systems and retrieved a recorded message.
"Your system does not quite simulate a live pilot, however it passes perfectly for a dead one. I hope the cover was solid on the registration, I used it for a shield purchase at the complex in Red Light. All the best."
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Busi La and Jula No were both swimming hard. The thin atmosphere of the Argon trading station provided little purchase. They were each weighted down with a five megajoule shield generator in addition to their rebreathers. Cycling through the airlock into the hanger bay assigned to the Kitzmiller was a relief. It was the final trip. They had already pushed a grav truck laden with particle accelerator cannons over from the Rigg's assigned bay three times.
As they installed the equipment on the Kitzmiller Jula want over the terms of the job one last time. "You weren't hired to be a pirate. Boso is only providing the shielding and weapons in case you encounter pirates. Hopefully they will be friends, or at least respect that you are supplying liquor to their base. If all else fails hopefully the theory of peace through superior firepower will keep you out of most scrapes. Anything big enough to take on a fully armed Mako Sentinel you should be able to outrun."
The erstwhile pirate nodded. "And if the ship is scanned by the cops just drop the cargo. The Boron is scouting the wheat market and the freight must have been loaded improperly on the ship when the Boron stopped at a potential buyer. The Boron has got it."
"Excellent. You'll never have more on board than we can afford to lose."
They finished the installations, and the Kitzmiller left the hanger. Jula watched her go from a corridor viewport and headed for the low grav recreation decks. In the thin atmosphere of the Argon station the main recreation decks, located in the great rolling barrel of the station where centripetal force augmented the grav generators, were far too uncomfortable. He joined Humko and Nini at a viewport overlooking the freight docking pod. They were admiring their ships. The newly christened Kwouk gleamed in the docking clamps, looking like a smaller spawnling of the huge Sakata docked in the next bay.
"First order of business is to upgrade your shields. A proper salvage freighter should never have less than 25 MJ," Jula said as he arrived. They infused one more drink into their rebreathers to celebrate the founding of Humko's new company, then set to work.
Cold hard facts
Crop Circles Wheat Exports is now fully operational and meeting its objective, that being a steady trickle of trade with the pirates to offset the inevitable clashes with red pirates in race space. Each of the trap ships at the distilleries is set to buy up to thirty units at 700 credits. With both of them as sources the Mako should have no trouble keeping the trading station topped off as well as maintaining a steady stream into the pirate base in Atreus' clouds. It's not exactly swamping in profits, but the system is now completely full, so from here on out the only purchases will be refills replacing profitable sales. Boso Wa moved up to courier, so I added the fourth power plant to his potential sources and added a cattle ranch as a potential dump for excess e-cells, after the topping off stop at the company farm of course. Since the system filled faster than the credits could keep up it's pretty clear trapping the power plants won't be necessary.
Time to move on to the next objective.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer and freight scanner which I am getting tired of swapping back and forth. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. She's parked at CCWE HQ.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL, currently with just 5 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin, currently with just a single 1 MJ generator. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling.
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 56,208 credits
Credits, 6,751
Flight time, 1-02:53
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Failure
His boots clanged lightly on the docking pod deck. The magnetics helped to make the light artificial gravity feel more normal. Jo Silarne strode towards docking pod three.
He had worked at the shield complex for over a year, starting as a simple dock hand and recently moved up to a receiving agent. Since his promotion it was not really his job to enforce the company policy about customers doing installations in the docking bays, but he could still hear the station's owner, commonly referred to as 'the old man', snarling "we're in the business of making products, if I wanted to rent out hanger space I'd have built a trading station". The policy was clearly posted.
The cockpit canopy of the Boron ship was open, a containment field surrounding it and connecting it to the docking hood to extend the station's life support. "Excuse me," Jo called out, "but the company has a clearly posted policy against doing repairs in the docking bays."
Jo had plenty of dealings with Borons. Sometimes he found their excessive courtesy grating. He had never seen it completely missing. The Boron rose out of the cockpit with multiple tools clenched at a variety of angles. The only way Jo could describe the pilot to himself was 'one angry ball of tentacles'.
"Since you have almost no stock the Boron could not see any way his ship would be in the way, and the job did not take long. I am finished and will depart."
"Ah, yes, okay then. Uh...thank you for your business."
The Boron just stared at him. Tools passed from one tentacle to the next and into storage compartments, appearing to slide down the Boron's body. Jo suddenly became acutely aware of the number of scars along the hull of the light fighter craft, the number of battles this pilot had apparently survived, the number of other pilots who probably had not survived those battles.
"Well...ah...you travel safe." He backed carefully away, making sure at least one mag boot was clamped to the deck at all times.
Jula sighed. It wasn't very Boron like to take out his frustrations on some innocent dock worker. But it had been a trying day.
Cold hard facts
This was a most frustrating game session...and a constant karmic test of my willingness to follow the rules.
I started from Herron's with my two MORTs and no money...having to pass up minimum prices on ore and cahoonas despite having barely more than 1000 e-cells of cargo and almost 11,000 units of space. Sent Humko to Argon Prime and the faster and empty Kwouk towards The Wall, figuring to sell what I had and buy more e-cells, alternating the ships until I could pick up a full load either by buying or catching a Paranid poaching from the plants in The Wall.
Killing time in Argon Prime I scout the missions, most of which sound great except the rules won't let me do them. But I find one I can do. Not only a mission from a Boron, but a covert mission, so it is allowed in two ways. And has a 250,000 credit prize. Of course it sux. Go follow the Teladi, he's in The Wall.
I give the Sakata a destination and duck into The Wall thinking I can duck back when it lands...but the Teladi is close enough to the gate that the mission triggers and I have to follow him. And of course he's headed North. Slowly enough that I have time to direct the Kwouk to an SPP selling for minimum, but having not made the sale I can't make the buy either, even though the Kwouk lands before I get out of the sector. I look at the rules and gnash my teeth.
I look at the Teladi, in a Vulture Hauler, and see that he is apparently headed to SIEZEWELL. I have signed on to follow someone in a ship that moves slower than a turd stuck crossways in a drain, and it is going to the far side of BFE. Now I'm really gnashing my teeth. Then of course we plunge into the green goop of The Hole, which makes the endless pursuit seem, well, endless.
I look at CCWE...at least that's going well. I look at my two potential MORTS, which could be doing well were I there to give directions. I look at the green goop of Atreus Clouds, which eventually gives way to the strikingly similar green goop of Rolk's Fate. I look at any number of red icons representing Split ships, and some Paranid ships. Caimans pass me and my Vulture prey like we were asteroids.
As the Vulture finally disappears into the North gate I'm looking forward to a non-goop view at least...and don't notice that among at least a dozen red icons one is a pirate Harrier. When the mission spawned pirate opens up he catches me completely by surprise...so completely that I hit the 'select target' key and opened fire on a Split Jaguar escort just because it was close. The Split bails, the Harrier is still blasting away, and I figure out who he really is. Unfortunately the Iguana high tech trader and his other Jaguar escort are now mighty upset so they're blasting away too.
I manage to outdistance the Iguana's guns and dispatch the Harrier and the second Jaguar, though I ran out of shielding and took a whopping 4% damage to my hull in the process. FOUR percent. Had to be just one hit beyond my shielding. Which was enough to cue the computer to say 'five megajoule shield, damaged'. About then the 'mission failed' message comes in. Through three sectors of green goop I've kept myself mildly busy figuring out a good story to be spun around this eternity of a mission to Siezewell, and now the mission failed.
But the Iguana is a high tech trader and now has no escorts, maybe I can get some good swag. I make one pass, blow his shields off far faster than expected, realize I should have scanned him for swag, or at least to see how much shielding I was up against, and he bails. Apparently he stuffed all the swag in his spacesuit, because there's nothing left but an Iguana skin.
So. At least I have an Iguana and a Jaguar. Of course the rules say I have to take the Jaguar to Kingdom End, and the only way I can do anything with the Iguana is if I land it somewhere and transfer some software so i can hire a pilot. I have no long term interest in the Iguana, and it isn't that much slower than the Jaguar, which I can't really afford engine tunings for anyway. I might just as well haul it along as have to come back for it, so I set off with my caravan headed for KE. At least we're a little faster than the Vulture caravan, and we're out of the goop...well, for one sector anyway. My teeth are actually tired from gnashing at this point.
The trek to Kingdom End feels endless, but I get through it by comparing it to what the trek to Siezewell at Vulture speed would have been like. Sliding through the gate into KE is like coming home after a double shift in the ditch factory. I'm waiting for the two cap ships to dock so I can wash my hands of them, so I'm looking around.
Someone is selling a Barracuda Raider for just under a half million. I'd like to have that, but of course can't come close to affording it. I'd even like to just buy it and sell it to the shipyard, since I suspect that would cleanly double half a million into a million...if I had the half million. I sell the Iguana and the Jaguar for something over a quarter million. I look at CCWE and recognize that I could transfer the station account into my ship account, buy the Barracuda and sell it, and transfer the funds right back...if they weren't two sectors away and such transfers weren't against at least two of the rules.
At this point I write the rules on a small notepad sheet so I can actually chew them up and spit them out.
But wait! A Paranid in a Pericles with two Peg escorts, headed into Three Worlds. If I can cap the Pericles and one Peg I might have enough to buy the Barracuda. Of course I'm down to half shielding and the Pericles has a dragonfly. I should save before I try this hare brained scheme. The spitball with the rules in it gleams on the desk. Somewhere in there I know it says 'dead is dead'. I probably should just skip this all together.
But I don't. And I eat the dragonfly point blank. One of the escorts hits me with a couple rounds from his single IRE, doing a whole eight percent damage to my hull and destroying my spare 1 MJ shield in the process. And none of the Paranid bails. They don't even drop any swag.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Again with full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer and freight scanner which I am getting tired of swapping back and forth. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. Parked at CCWE HQ.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL, currently with just 5 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin, currently with just a single 1 MJ generator. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling.
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 206,825 credits
Credits, 240,570
Flight time 1-05:11
His boots clanged lightly on the docking pod deck. The magnetics helped to make the light artificial gravity feel more normal. Jo Silarne strode towards docking pod three.
He had worked at the shield complex for over a year, starting as a simple dock hand and recently moved up to a receiving agent. Since his promotion it was not really his job to enforce the company policy about customers doing installations in the docking bays, but he could still hear the station's owner, commonly referred to as 'the old man', snarling "we're in the business of making products, if I wanted to rent out hanger space I'd have built a trading station". The policy was clearly posted.
The cockpit canopy of the Boron ship was open, a containment field surrounding it and connecting it to the docking hood to extend the station's life support. "Excuse me," Jo called out, "but the company has a clearly posted policy against doing repairs in the docking bays."
Jo had plenty of dealings with Borons. Sometimes he found their excessive courtesy grating. He had never seen it completely missing. The Boron rose out of the cockpit with multiple tools clenched at a variety of angles. The only way Jo could describe the pilot to himself was 'one angry ball of tentacles'.
"Since you have almost no stock the Boron could not see any way his ship would be in the way, and the job did not take long. I am finished and will depart."
"Ah, yes, okay then. Uh...thank you for your business."
The Boron just stared at him. Tools passed from one tentacle to the next and into storage compartments, appearing to slide down the Boron's body. Jo suddenly became acutely aware of the number of scars along the hull of the light fighter craft, the number of battles this pilot had apparently survived, the number of other pilots who probably had not survived those battles.
"Well...ah...you travel safe." He backed carefully away, making sure at least one mag boot was clamped to the deck at all times.
Jula sighed. It wasn't very Boron like to take out his frustrations on some innocent dock worker. But it had been a trying day.
Cold hard facts
This was a most frustrating game session...and a constant karmic test of my willingness to follow the rules.
I started from Herron's with my two MORTs and no money...having to pass up minimum prices on ore and cahoonas despite having barely more than 1000 e-cells of cargo and almost 11,000 units of space. Sent Humko to Argon Prime and the faster and empty Kwouk towards The Wall, figuring to sell what I had and buy more e-cells, alternating the ships until I could pick up a full load either by buying or catching a Paranid poaching from the plants in The Wall.
Killing time in Argon Prime I scout the missions, most of which sound great except the rules won't let me do them. But I find one I can do. Not only a mission from a Boron, but a covert mission, so it is allowed in two ways. And has a 250,000 credit prize. Of course it sux. Go follow the Teladi, he's in The Wall.
I give the Sakata a destination and duck into The Wall thinking I can duck back when it lands...but the Teladi is close enough to the gate that the mission triggers and I have to follow him. And of course he's headed North. Slowly enough that I have time to direct the Kwouk to an SPP selling for minimum, but having not made the sale I can't make the buy either, even though the Kwouk lands before I get out of the sector. I look at the rules and gnash my teeth.
I look at the Teladi, in a Vulture Hauler, and see that he is apparently headed to SIEZEWELL. I have signed on to follow someone in a ship that moves slower than a turd stuck crossways in a drain, and it is going to the far side of BFE. Now I'm really gnashing my teeth. Then of course we plunge into the green goop of The Hole, which makes the endless pursuit seem, well, endless.
I look at CCWE...at least that's going well. I look at my two potential MORTS, which could be doing well were I there to give directions. I look at the green goop of Atreus Clouds, which eventually gives way to the strikingly similar green goop of Rolk's Fate. I look at any number of red icons representing Split ships, and some Paranid ships. Caimans pass me and my Vulture prey like we were asteroids.
As the Vulture finally disappears into the North gate I'm looking forward to a non-goop view at least...and don't notice that among at least a dozen red icons one is a pirate Harrier. When the mission spawned pirate opens up he catches me completely by surprise...so completely that I hit the 'select target' key and opened fire on a Split Jaguar escort just because it was close. The Split bails, the Harrier is still blasting away, and I figure out who he really is. Unfortunately the Iguana high tech trader and his other Jaguar escort are now mighty upset so they're blasting away too.
I manage to outdistance the Iguana's guns and dispatch the Harrier and the second Jaguar, though I ran out of shielding and took a whopping 4% damage to my hull in the process. FOUR percent. Had to be just one hit beyond my shielding. Which was enough to cue the computer to say 'five megajoule shield, damaged'. About then the 'mission failed' message comes in. Through three sectors of green goop I've kept myself mildly busy figuring out a good story to be spun around this eternity of a mission to Siezewell, and now the mission failed.
But the Iguana is a high tech trader and now has no escorts, maybe I can get some good swag. I make one pass, blow his shields off far faster than expected, realize I should have scanned him for swag, or at least to see how much shielding I was up against, and he bails. Apparently he stuffed all the swag in his spacesuit, because there's nothing left but an Iguana skin.
So. At least I have an Iguana and a Jaguar. Of course the rules say I have to take the Jaguar to Kingdom End, and the only way I can do anything with the Iguana is if I land it somewhere and transfer some software so i can hire a pilot. I have no long term interest in the Iguana, and it isn't that much slower than the Jaguar, which I can't really afford engine tunings for anyway. I might just as well haul it along as have to come back for it, so I set off with my caravan headed for KE. At least we're a little faster than the Vulture caravan, and we're out of the goop...well, for one sector anyway. My teeth are actually tired from gnashing at this point.
The trek to Kingdom End feels endless, but I get through it by comparing it to what the trek to Siezewell at Vulture speed would have been like. Sliding through the gate into KE is like coming home after a double shift in the ditch factory. I'm waiting for the two cap ships to dock so I can wash my hands of them, so I'm looking around.
Someone is selling a Barracuda Raider for just under a half million. I'd like to have that, but of course can't come close to affording it. I'd even like to just buy it and sell it to the shipyard, since I suspect that would cleanly double half a million into a million...if I had the half million. I sell the Iguana and the Jaguar for something over a quarter million. I look at CCWE and recognize that I could transfer the station account into my ship account, buy the Barracuda and sell it, and transfer the funds right back...if they weren't two sectors away and such transfers weren't against at least two of the rules.
At this point I write the rules on a small notepad sheet so I can actually chew them up and spit them out.
But wait! A Paranid in a Pericles with two Peg escorts, headed into Three Worlds. If I can cap the Pericles and one Peg I might have enough to buy the Barracuda. Of course I'm down to half shielding and the Pericles has a dragonfly. I should save before I try this hare brained scheme. The spitball with the rules in it gleams on the desk. Somewhere in there I know it says 'dead is dead'. I probably should just skip this all together.
But I don't. And I eat the dragonfly point blank. One of the escorts hits me with a couple rounds from his single IRE, doing a whole eight percent damage to my hull and destroying my spare 1 MJ shield in the process. And none of the Paranid bails. They don't even drop any swag.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Again with full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer and freight scanner which I am getting tired of swapping back and forth. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. Parked at CCWE HQ.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL, currently with just 5 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin, currently with just a single 1 MJ generator. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling.
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 206,825 credits
Credits, 240,570
Flight time 1-05:11
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Thanks back for the comment. I see the view count going up, so I know people read...or at least look...but it's nice to see a response.stads wrote:thx for the chapter
out there good day and bad but thats a total disaster
think the boron might want to tweak his re-breather so he can feel the space fuel tonight
As for Jula, I suspect you're right about adjusting the rebreather. That was a rough ride.
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
![[ external image ]](http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/2439/cropcirclewheatexports.jpg){kind=link}
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Sabrina Bergin
- Posts: 2239
- Joined: Sat, 12. Apr 08, 10:53
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Caravan
Humko floated comfortably on the command deck of the Sakata. His tentacles were still, but his mind was whirling. For at least the thousandth time he wondered what in Atreus' blessed fins made anyone think he was qualified for this job.
Fila Po clearly doubted that he was qualified for any job. Of course the attache to the Argon shipyard thought that Humko was a special branch operative assigned as, among other things, handler to the contract mercenary Jula No. The attache was feeling the heat from Argon intelligence because the mission the attache was managing for them had gone badly. The attache was passing on that heat to the agent's handler with no way of knowing that Humko was by no means overseeing Jula No, and was in fact of such lower rank that Jula may as well have been the Queen. In his supposed roll of handler Humko could not very well say he had not the first clue what had gone wrong and in fact had no idea where Jula even was. How could he explain special branch not being able to track one of their own contractors?
Then the com link buzzed, and Jula's voice burst into the thick methane atmosphere. "Sakata, complete transaction. Humko, are you on board?"
"Acknowledged."
"Once the transaction completes head for power plant alpha in The Wall."
"Acknowledged. Jula, we need to do something about Fila Po and Argon intelligence."
"This Boron will make apologies, and eventually we will make amends. Fila Po knows that such missions can go awry, and so does Argon intelligence. The next time they have such a task they may think they have a better asset than us. And they may have a better asset than us. But we have a good track record. They will ask us again."
Humko took heart from the way Jula said 'us' repeatedly. Maybe Jula had a good track record with Fila Po. Maybe Fila Po was wondering why special branch had let Boso Wa get away and Humko take his place...poorly.
The transaction completed and he took the Sakata out of the docks. As soon as he cleared the clamps and activated scanners he saw a Paranid mineral hauler passing near the station. Since his scanners were tied into Jula's scanners Jula saw it as well; a Paranid trader, piloting a Dolphin Hauler. He touched the icon for Jula's ship just as it changed course and came up to full speed.
He hit the com link, opening the personal encrypted channel Boso had helped him install. "Jula, I know you don't like the independent trader agreement. In fact having heard your arguments I don't like it either. But that apology to the attache will fall better if you make it before you start shooting up traders in the Argon home sector...even Paranid traders."
"I agree completely. This Boron will have to apologize even more profusely, and offer even greater amends. But Fila Po would be beyond surprised if I did not try to liberate that Dolphin. Please report to Fila Po that you have made contact with me and that we will present a full report to her in seven minutes, in her office aboard the shipyard. Or any time after at her discretion."
"Oh, she will be wanting it right away. But seven minutes? Sakata can't get there in seven minutes."
"Rigg can, with time to spare. EVA suit. I will pick you up."
Humko made the appointment and slid into his spacesuit. He was outside in time to see Jula strip the shields from the Dolphin Hauler. Apparently Jula got across to the Paranid pilot that he had no time for parley, because the Paranid ejected almost immediately.
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As the Rigg headed back to the Sakata from the Argon shipyard Jula said "That went well."
Humko stared at him.
"Well, it could have gone worse." Jula smiled. "Actually, it couldn't have gone any worse, or any better. That's the beauty of our secret service. No one really knows quite who they are dealing with, so everything happens with a certain degree of smoothness and a certain degree of chaos."
"This Boron doesn't completely follow."
"Take Fila Po. We know she is the attache to the shipyard. You probably know, and I certainly know, that she is also special branch tech division. But is she an operative? A director? First undersecretary to the head of tech division? Or is she the head of tech division, answering directly to the head of special branch? We don't know, so we treat her, probably, with more deference than we have to."
"And she doesn't know that if you shot her the only person you might have to answer to would be the Queen, or if you are really just a mercenary operative."
"She doesn't know that. But she doesn't know that is not the case either. She doesn't know about me...or you."
Something clicked in Humko's head. "So as long as I act like I can get away with anything..."
"You generally can. And if you end up facing the Queen you can just tell her I told you to do it."
Humko couldn't tell if Jula was serious or not. Then he figured that was the whole point, and moved on.
"What are you going to do about your new ship?"
"Your ship. You are accumulating that fleet we talked about. Have you given any thought to our problem?" Humko looked puzzled. "Resources in Kingdom End? Power plants in Queen's Space?"
"You talked about that. I...you are saying we are going to do something about that? That's our problem?"
"Who else? If you end up in front of the Queen you have to have accomplished something."
"If I end up in front of the Queen it is not going to be because you kept Nini Fa hanging around in The Wall for so long that she figured us out and blew our cover," Humko said. "That much I can tell you for myself."
Hung in a noose of my own tentacles, Jula thought to himself as he passed through President's End. The Sakata and the Kwouk were trailing behind him, both laden with e-cells. The newly acquired Dolphin Hauler, under command of an Argon pilot, was headed to Three Worlds. The Argon pilot, Gil Nedley, had been chosen by Humko.
The argument that the life support system had already been distorted and could be repaired when a Boron pilot was hired made sense. The argument that in the meantime an Argon pilot could take the ship where they wanted it to go made sense. And the fact that Jula didn't know for sure that Humko wasn't assigned to eliminate the economic analysis unit as an out of control embarrassment if he saw fit couldn't be argued with either.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The trip to Cloud Base Southeast was a success in some ways, and an irritant in others for Jula No. It was good to see the Argon had the same problems with supply that the Boron had. But given that the Argon were the Boron's only real allies and CBSE was supposed to be a major supplier of military equipment, seeing the factories languishing for lack of supplies was discouraging.
When the Sakata entered the sector Humko came over their private channel. "This is exactly what you saw in Kingdom End, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"The independent traders don't get into corners like this."
"That's why we can't rely on the independent traders."
"But the independent trader agreement says the government and military can't be involved in trade of basic products."
"Good thing we aren't the government."
They sold all the e-cells they had, bringing three of the dormant factories back to life. Jula picked up three 25MJ shields, paying a premium price as they were the only ones the factory had in stock. The plant manager would have preferred an Argon customer, but Jula pointed out that the Boron were the ones who brought e-cells to the sector, and there were more buyers than supplies.
They worked together getting two of the shield generators installed on the Sakata and the Kwouk. Humko and Jula included Nini Fa in the conversation about their immediate plans. Running more e-cells to the Cloud Base sector was considered, but discarded. They were Boron, and even though they had come all this way for shields they didn't have to stay. They set out for the Kingdom. The decision sat well enough with Nini. Jula didn't even have to point out that after buying the shields they didn't have the credits to load up with e-cells anyway.
They did have credits for a couple purchases that Jula hoped would ease some tensions with tech division. A Discoverer Vanguard for seven thousand credits, perhaps giving some insight into their allies more advanced scout ships, and a Teladi Buzzard Sentinel for under thirty thousand. With the Teladi theoretically neutral in all wars but profiting on every side Jula considered them the ultimate enemy. The Paranid had apparently gotten the message, as they saw no Paranid traders on their journey, in Dolphins or otherwise.
The five ships arrived in Three Worlds, and Jula landed at a wheat farm to settle his final debt to Crop Circle Wheat Exports. He found that Mulu Da and the Argon Gil Nedley had done a fine job of restoring the life support systems of the Dolphin Hauler. He exchanged registries, rechristening the larger ship as the Burton II, then installed the last 25MJ shield and turned her over to Mulu Da for the export route. The Burton he would leave with Gil Nedley until a more suitable ship could be found for him. The Argon had justified Humko's faith in him and Jula saw no reason to let him go.
As he was concluding these arrangements his personal com chirped and he quickly headed back to the Rigg. "Rigg, go ahead," he said as he slid into the cockpit.
"We may have a chance at some salvage before we get to the Kingdom," Humko advised him. "Two Paranid traders in the southern part of the sector. Demeters."
Cold hard facts
This was just a clean up session really. The lack of 25MJ shields is a monster pain. I keep hoping the complex in Rolk's fate will reappear, though I don't really understand how. I certainly can't buy the stations that make up a 'Boron medium shield complex' since the fabs don't exist, but hopefully the GoD algorithm has some clever way around this that mere mortals don't.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer and freight scanner which I am getting tired of swapping back and forth. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. Parked at CCWE HQ.
Disco Vanguard and Buzzard Sentinel parked at the closest station to the north gate of Three Worlds waiting for the final dash to the scrap pile.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL with 25 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded. Currently gathering wheat that some Paranid spilled all over Three Worlds before limping off towards the nearest Paranid shipyard.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin with 25 MJ of shields. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling. Currently full of e-cells, also spilled by a clumsy Paranid.
Gil Nedley, currently guarding the former Burton, a Dolphin with about 4200 of cargo bay.
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 198,859 credits.
Credits, 18,696
Flight time 1-08:15
Humko floated comfortably on the command deck of the Sakata. His tentacles were still, but his mind was whirling. For at least the thousandth time he wondered what in Atreus' blessed fins made anyone think he was qualified for this job.
Fila Po clearly doubted that he was qualified for any job. Of course the attache to the Argon shipyard thought that Humko was a special branch operative assigned as, among other things, handler to the contract mercenary Jula No. The attache was feeling the heat from Argon intelligence because the mission the attache was managing for them had gone badly. The attache was passing on that heat to the agent's handler with no way of knowing that Humko was by no means overseeing Jula No, and was in fact of such lower rank that Jula may as well have been the Queen. In his supposed roll of handler Humko could not very well say he had not the first clue what had gone wrong and in fact had no idea where Jula even was. How could he explain special branch not being able to track one of their own contractors?
Then the com link buzzed, and Jula's voice burst into the thick methane atmosphere. "Sakata, complete transaction. Humko, are you on board?"
"Acknowledged."
"Once the transaction completes head for power plant alpha in The Wall."
"Acknowledged. Jula, we need to do something about Fila Po and Argon intelligence."
"This Boron will make apologies, and eventually we will make amends. Fila Po knows that such missions can go awry, and so does Argon intelligence. The next time they have such a task they may think they have a better asset than us. And they may have a better asset than us. But we have a good track record. They will ask us again."
Humko took heart from the way Jula said 'us' repeatedly. Maybe Jula had a good track record with Fila Po. Maybe Fila Po was wondering why special branch had let Boso Wa get away and Humko take his place...poorly.
The transaction completed and he took the Sakata out of the docks. As soon as he cleared the clamps and activated scanners he saw a Paranid mineral hauler passing near the station. Since his scanners were tied into Jula's scanners Jula saw it as well; a Paranid trader, piloting a Dolphin Hauler. He touched the icon for Jula's ship just as it changed course and came up to full speed.
He hit the com link, opening the personal encrypted channel Boso had helped him install. "Jula, I know you don't like the independent trader agreement. In fact having heard your arguments I don't like it either. But that apology to the attache will fall better if you make it before you start shooting up traders in the Argon home sector...even Paranid traders."
"I agree completely. This Boron will have to apologize even more profusely, and offer even greater amends. But Fila Po would be beyond surprised if I did not try to liberate that Dolphin. Please report to Fila Po that you have made contact with me and that we will present a full report to her in seven minutes, in her office aboard the shipyard. Or any time after at her discretion."
"Oh, she will be wanting it right away. But seven minutes? Sakata can't get there in seven minutes."
"Rigg can, with time to spare. EVA suit. I will pick you up."
Humko made the appointment and slid into his spacesuit. He was outside in time to see Jula strip the shields from the Dolphin Hauler. Apparently Jula got across to the Paranid pilot that he had no time for parley, because the Paranid ejected almost immediately.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the Rigg headed back to the Sakata from the Argon shipyard Jula said "That went well."
Humko stared at him.
"Well, it could have gone worse." Jula smiled. "Actually, it couldn't have gone any worse, or any better. That's the beauty of our secret service. No one really knows quite who they are dealing with, so everything happens with a certain degree of smoothness and a certain degree of chaos."
"This Boron doesn't completely follow."
"Take Fila Po. We know she is the attache to the shipyard. You probably know, and I certainly know, that she is also special branch tech division. But is she an operative? A director? First undersecretary to the head of tech division? Or is she the head of tech division, answering directly to the head of special branch? We don't know, so we treat her, probably, with more deference than we have to."
"And she doesn't know that if you shot her the only person you might have to answer to would be the Queen, or if you are really just a mercenary operative."
"She doesn't know that. But she doesn't know that is not the case either. She doesn't know about me...or you."
Something clicked in Humko's head. "So as long as I act like I can get away with anything..."
"You generally can. And if you end up facing the Queen you can just tell her I told you to do it."
Humko couldn't tell if Jula was serious or not. Then he figured that was the whole point, and moved on.
"What are you going to do about your new ship?"
"Your ship. You are accumulating that fleet we talked about. Have you given any thought to our problem?" Humko looked puzzled. "Resources in Kingdom End? Power plants in Queen's Space?"
"You talked about that. I...you are saying we are going to do something about that? That's our problem?"
"Who else? If you end up in front of the Queen you have to have accomplished something."
"If I end up in front of the Queen it is not going to be because you kept Nini Fa hanging around in The Wall for so long that she figured us out and blew our cover," Humko said. "That much I can tell you for myself."
Hung in a noose of my own tentacles, Jula thought to himself as he passed through President's End. The Sakata and the Kwouk were trailing behind him, both laden with e-cells. The newly acquired Dolphin Hauler, under command of an Argon pilot, was headed to Three Worlds. The Argon pilot, Gil Nedley, had been chosen by Humko.
The argument that the life support system had already been distorted and could be repaired when a Boron pilot was hired made sense. The argument that in the meantime an Argon pilot could take the ship where they wanted it to go made sense. And the fact that Jula didn't know for sure that Humko wasn't assigned to eliminate the economic analysis unit as an out of control embarrassment if he saw fit couldn't be argued with either.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The trip to Cloud Base Southeast was a success in some ways, and an irritant in others for Jula No. It was good to see the Argon had the same problems with supply that the Boron had. But given that the Argon were the Boron's only real allies and CBSE was supposed to be a major supplier of military equipment, seeing the factories languishing for lack of supplies was discouraging.
When the Sakata entered the sector Humko came over their private channel. "This is exactly what you saw in Kingdom End, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"The independent traders don't get into corners like this."
"That's why we can't rely on the independent traders."
"But the independent trader agreement says the government and military can't be involved in trade of basic products."
"Good thing we aren't the government."
They sold all the e-cells they had, bringing three of the dormant factories back to life. Jula picked up three 25MJ shields, paying a premium price as they were the only ones the factory had in stock. The plant manager would have preferred an Argon customer, but Jula pointed out that the Boron were the ones who brought e-cells to the sector, and there were more buyers than supplies.
They worked together getting two of the shield generators installed on the Sakata and the Kwouk. Humko and Jula included Nini Fa in the conversation about their immediate plans. Running more e-cells to the Cloud Base sector was considered, but discarded. They were Boron, and even though they had come all this way for shields they didn't have to stay. They set out for the Kingdom. The decision sat well enough with Nini. Jula didn't even have to point out that after buying the shields they didn't have the credits to load up with e-cells anyway.
They did have credits for a couple purchases that Jula hoped would ease some tensions with tech division. A Discoverer Vanguard for seven thousand credits, perhaps giving some insight into their allies more advanced scout ships, and a Teladi Buzzard Sentinel for under thirty thousand. With the Teladi theoretically neutral in all wars but profiting on every side Jula considered them the ultimate enemy. The Paranid had apparently gotten the message, as they saw no Paranid traders on their journey, in Dolphins or otherwise.
The five ships arrived in Three Worlds, and Jula landed at a wheat farm to settle his final debt to Crop Circle Wheat Exports. He found that Mulu Da and the Argon Gil Nedley had done a fine job of restoring the life support systems of the Dolphin Hauler. He exchanged registries, rechristening the larger ship as the Burton II, then installed the last 25MJ shield and turned her over to Mulu Da for the export route. The Burton he would leave with Gil Nedley until a more suitable ship could be found for him. The Argon had justified Humko's faith in him and Jula saw no reason to let him go.
As he was concluding these arrangements his personal com chirped and he quickly headed back to the Rigg. "Rigg, go ahead," he said as he slid into the cockpit.
"We may have a chance at some salvage before we get to the Kingdom," Humko advised him. "Two Paranid traders in the southern part of the sector. Demeters."
Cold hard facts
This was just a clean up session really. The lack of 25MJ shields is a monster pain. I keep hoping the complex in Rolk's fate will reappear, though I don't really understand how. I certainly can't buy the stations that make up a 'Boron medium shield complex' since the fabs don't exist, but hopefully the GoD algorithm has some clever way around this that mere mortals don't.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer and freight scanner which I am getting tired of swapping back and forth. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. Parked at CCWE HQ.
Disco Vanguard and Buzzard Sentinel parked at the closest station to the north gate of Three Worlds waiting for the final dash to the scrap pile.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL with 25 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded. Currently gathering wheat that some Paranid spilled all over Three Worlds before limping off towards the nearest Paranid shipyard.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin with 25 MJ of shields. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling. Currently full of e-cells, also spilled by a clumsy Paranid.
Gil Nedley, currently guarding the former Burton, a Dolphin with about 4200 of cargo bay.
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 198,859 credits.
Credits, 18,696
Flight time 1-08:15
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Collecting Pilots and PACs
Gil Nedley caught the bigger man with an uppercut that had started somewhere around his knees. The farm worker's mag boots let go, and in the minimal gravity of the docking pod he rose rapidly towards the overhead, pinwheeling slowly. Gil did a deep squat, flexed his toes to release his own mag boots, and launched himself in pursuit. His shoulder struck in the lower part of the farmers back and Gil adjusted to absorb the spin. The farmer used arms and legs to protect himself when they hit the overhead, but still came away badly stunned by the impact. Gil swung his mag boots quickly into position to get a grip and flung the man towards the floor, which he would hit even harder.
Before Gil could launch himself again Mulu Da placed a tentacle on his shoulder. The Boron swam easily, upside down, making it seem perfectly normal for Gil to be in effect standing on the overhead. "I think he has had enough," the Boron said. If there was any doubt the sickening crunch of breaking bone when the farmer hit the deck dispelled it. Blood welled from a compound fracture of his upper right arm.
Toes flexed and the mag boots released. A slight kick of one leg established a slow rotation as the light artificial gravity took hold, the rotation timed to bring Gil feet first to the deck. There wasn't much he could do during the slow free fall, and Gil called to the struggling worker below. "If you still want to fight now's your best shot and you better make the most of it. If you're in the compartment when I reach the deck I'm going to tear that arm off and beat you to death with it." Disabled and demoralized, the man cradled his broken arm and fled.
As Gil reached the deck, with Mulu Da still slowly paddling alongside, the other Boron in the compartment swam in front of him. "The Boron appreciates your assistance, but such violence was not really necessary," Bosa Pa said
Gil knew that was true. He considered himself to be pretty highly skilled in low grav brawling and knew that he couldn't lay a hand on a Boron. The clumsy farm hand certainly couldn't have. But, when the taunts had turned to threats Gil couldn't just stand idly by either. He didn't have it in him. "It may not have been necessary, but he asked for it. I just gave it to him. It won't bother my conscience, don't let it weigh on yours."
The incident didn't bother the station management either. The recently arranged deal with the new wheat exporters had given them a consistent and profitable customer and they weren't interested in losing out just because of one or more bigots in their work force. The station security officer thanked Gil for interceding and apologized profusely to Mulu Da, who had not actually been the target of the abuse, and somewhat less profusely to Bosa Pa, who had.
When the guard left the docking pod Gil laughed out loud. "Mulu, you should have made him eat a bofu nugget. They are so happy to have a buyer he'd have swallowed it whole, with a smile."
Bosa Pa looked puzzled. "Why wouldn't he smile? And why would he swallow it whole? Chewing releases the flavor."
"Most Argon do not have appreciation for bofu," Mulu answered. "Our friend Gil is an exception."
"An exceptional friend, and I have a small supply of exceptional nuggets. A celebration is in order."
"Thanks," Gil said. "I'm going to suit up. I think this celebration would be better if we had it on the ship." It was strange having to wear a space suit on the command deck, when he was technically listed as the pilot, but Gil took that in stride. Jula No had promised him a long term job as pilot of an Argon built ship, and he would have flown to Ore Belt in the spacesuit for that.
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That promise had been made as Jula went north into Kingdom End to deliver his ships at the Kingdom End shipyard, and he had repeated it as he sped through the sector heading south. He found the opportunity to keep that promise just beyond the gate in Cloud Base Northwest. A Mercury Tanker in fair condition for a fair price, her pilot looking to move into a larger ship. Jula promised to return and sped on. His passengers could not afford the delay.
Jula marveled at how fast fortunes could turn in space. When he had appeared at the military base it had only taken one look at Himi Di to know that word of his failed mission had spread to the tech division operative, then Himi Di greeted him with a sarcastic "Well, if it isn't our benefactor! The Kingdom can never repay you for all the secret technology we found in that Disco Hauler you brought in."
"Okay, okay, the Boron apologizes," Jula said. "Perhaps the Vanguard model will offer some new insights in scanner interface technology. It is docking now at the shipyard, along with a Buzzard Sentinel."
Himi Di nodded. "Those at least have some hint of promise. I assume you need some favor."
"No. I figure I owed you one." Besides, Jula was very pleased with the nearly half million credit payment he had received for the ships.
Usually at a time like that the two sides would have parted, giving some time for the 'balanced accounts' of exchanged favors to settle. But that moment was when Jula sensed his fortunes swinging towards the positive. A Boron swam into Himi's office abruptly and said "The transport you arranged has been delayed. If you don't have something for us we are going to miss the conference."
Himi looked at the odd sight of the angry Boron, then looked at Jula. Jula smoothly said "this must be that back up transport thing you mentioned earlier."
"Right," Himi said without missing a beat. "Looks like I will be needing you." He looked at the Boron, who had gone rapidly from angry to embarrassed.
"The Boron was not aware that back up plans had been made. Please forgive my outburst."
She swam out of the office. "Please have your team on the docks in five minutes," Jula called after her. As the door closed he turned back to Himi. "So where am I taking them?" By the time the twelve scientists were aboard the Rigg Jula had only twenty-two minutes to get them to their conference, at the trading station in Ringo Moon. He also had Himi's stamp on a voucher for another almost half million credits as long as they got there on time. And now in the ever changing balance of favors Himi owed him one.
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The pilot took the transfer direct from ship to space suit and flew off. Just shy of a hundred thousand credits. An hour before it would have been beyond Jula's means, and now it just barely dropped the account out of seven figures. For a Mercury Tanker that was about a fifty percent price. For a Mercury Tanker with about twenty percent damage to her hull it was a good deal. Jula set the autopilot for the wheat farm where Gil Nedley waited and flew the Rigg through the gate.
In Three Worlds he idled around. The Kwouk was filled with e-cells, so he sent Nini Fa on to the Kingdom. The Sakata had picked up all the wheat, so he found Humko a buyer at one of the local cahoona bakeries. Not a great price, but he didn't want to get into competition with Crop Circle in the export trade. He watched as the Mercury cleared the gate and set course for the wheat farm, then com linked the station. After a pause Gil Nedley appeared on the screen.
"Watch the docks," Jula told him. "Your new ship is headed your way."
"That's great! Do you have a pilot for the Dolphin?"
"Not yet. Set her autopilot for the military base in Kingdom End please. I'm sure I can find one there."
"Will do. I thought I found one for you here, but the Boron isn't a pilot. He's stuck here, and if you don't mind I'd like to give him a ride out to Menelaus' Frontier."
"It will be a while before I have shields for your ship, and it doesn't have any life support in the cargo bay. I will give the Boron a ride myself."
Since Bosa Pa had planned on catching a ride by freighter it was clear he had plenty of time. That was a good thing, as suddenly Jula No had a lot to do. Three Paranid ships emerged from the Kingdom End gate.
Word had passed among the Paranid traders that the sectors around Argon Prime were certainly risky, and Jula had seen no Paranids at all on the trip to Ringo Moon and back. Unfortunately for these new arrivals word had not spread so far North, and they had set out through Argon space headed for the Paranid sectors far to the South. They had unloaded in the Kingdom and were running mostly empty, Jula noted as he scanned their freight; a few odds and ends all they carried between them.
Knowing they had no cargo to buy their passage two of the Paranids abandoned their ships. The third refused, and Jula let him go. He salvaged the Hermes passenger transport and the Vulture freighter and sent them to the equipment dock. He opened the com link and spoke with Lidya Marval's cousin. Mak set out to find two Argon pilots for Lidya's company to hire. The terms would have to be worked out later, and the pilots would have to be willing to risk flying the unshielded ships to Crop Circle headquarters in the next sector, but Mak assured him there were good candidates to be found.
As quickly as the battered ships landed they were off again, headed for the East gate. Jula picked up his passenger and followed the Dolphin that Gil had sent towards the North gate. He opened the com to the Sakata and told Humko to follow as well, pointing him towards a power plant in Queen's Space.
The trip to Menelaus' Frontier was uneventful. Jula did interviews over the com link and hired Tata Mu to pilot the Dolphin. He told the new pilot that he would return with heavier shielding before giving him any tasks and suggested that he just get comfortable with the ship. He completed a transaction, selling the e-cells aboard the Kwouk as he passed through. He sent Nini Fa on to the other Queen's Space power plant.
Bosa Pa turned out to be good company, and Jula was pleased to hear how his Argon pilot had stood up for the Boron. He dropped him off at the trading station and launched the Rigg, expecting to return to Queen's Space and direct some e-cell trading.
But, while the Paranid had taken to avoiding Argon space the arrogant Split were still inclined to use Boron space as a highway.
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Himi Di swam hard for hanger deck four. He had not been summoned, but rumors had reached his office. He had to see for himself. The receiving clerk was just swimming away from the Rigg, a grav pallet floating along beside him. "Jula!" Himi called out.
Jula turned slowly. Two tentacles hung stiffly, and Himi could see the pseudoskin where it had been sprayed on to seal the wounds.
"I would have brought you a Mamba, but the thrice cursed Split rode it to the end," Jula said with a wan smile.
"The Split must have been a good pilot," Himi said with a glance at the injuries. "Are you alright?"
"The Boron will be fine. And the Split in the Mamba had nothing to do with this. As you know the Mamba has no defenses to the rear, and this Mamba was not as fast as Rigg."
"So what happened?"
"A Split weapons trader in a Caiman. An irresistible target. High reward, but high risk."
"Caiman is probably the toughest freighter in space, but it is still just a freighter. You got shot up by a freighter?"
"No, but he had an even dozen fighter drones and they shot me up pretty good. Then one of the sensing arrays took a direct hit and my mineral scanner module exploded."
Himi looked after the grav pallet with its load of crates. "So you being you...you finished off the rest of the drones and went after the Caiman."
"Yes. This base always seems to be out of stock, so I brought you some PACs."
Cold hard facts
Taking on the twelve drones was remarkably stupid. Wide open space with nothing to throw them off. I had been on such a hot streak. Of the three Paranids two had drones and neither of them even launched them, and I had just pulverized the Mamba without taking a hit. Of course the Split popped out the whole load as soon as his shields touched zero. I was at 46% hull and back up to 30% shields when the IREs finally ate the last drone. By then the Rigg was so sluggish that getting turned on the last couple took some time, but with only the last couple the shields were coming back. I did have a serious moment where one part of my brain was plotting the 'goodby Jula' chapter.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs, again with four PACs I can roll in if I need a one shot max firepower pass. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell...now also short one mineral scanner.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer and freight scanner which I am getting tired of swapping back and forth. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. Parked at CCWE HQ.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL with 25 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin with 25 MJ of shields. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling.
Gil Nedley, pilot of a Mercury Tanker, waiting for shields at a wheat farm in Three Worlds
Tata Mu, pilot of a Dolphin, waiting for shields at the military base in Kingdom End
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 477,013 credits, plus Marelle Sillarn in a Hermes and Mak Brano in a Vulture awaiting their assignments.
Credits, 1,529,575
Flight time 1-10:34
Gil Nedley caught the bigger man with an uppercut that had started somewhere around his knees. The farm worker's mag boots let go, and in the minimal gravity of the docking pod he rose rapidly towards the overhead, pinwheeling slowly. Gil did a deep squat, flexed his toes to release his own mag boots, and launched himself in pursuit. His shoulder struck in the lower part of the farmers back and Gil adjusted to absorb the spin. The farmer used arms and legs to protect himself when they hit the overhead, but still came away badly stunned by the impact. Gil swung his mag boots quickly into position to get a grip and flung the man towards the floor, which he would hit even harder.
Before Gil could launch himself again Mulu Da placed a tentacle on his shoulder. The Boron swam easily, upside down, making it seem perfectly normal for Gil to be in effect standing on the overhead. "I think he has had enough," the Boron said. If there was any doubt the sickening crunch of breaking bone when the farmer hit the deck dispelled it. Blood welled from a compound fracture of his upper right arm.
Toes flexed and the mag boots released. A slight kick of one leg established a slow rotation as the light artificial gravity took hold, the rotation timed to bring Gil feet first to the deck. There wasn't much he could do during the slow free fall, and Gil called to the struggling worker below. "If you still want to fight now's your best shot and you better make the most of it. If you're in the compartment when I reach the deck I'm going to tear that arm off and beat you to death with it." Disabled and demoralized, the man cradled his broken arm and fled.
As Gil reached the deck, with Mulu Da still slowly paddling alongside, the other Boron in the compartment swam in front of him. "The Boron appreciates your assistance, but such violence was not really necessary," Bosa Pa said
Gil knew that was true. He considered himself to be pretty highly skilled in low grav brawling and knew that he couldn't lay a hand on a Boron. The clumsy farm hand certainly couldn't have. But, when the taunts had turned to threats Gil couldn't just stand idly by either. He didn't have it in him. "It may not have been necessary, but he asked for it. I just gave it to him. It won't bother my conscience, don't let it weigh on yours."
The incident didn't bother the station management either. The recently arranged deal with the new wheat exporters had given them a consistent and profitable customer and they weren't interested in losing out just because of one or more bigots in their work force. The station security officer thanked Gil for interceding and apologized profusely to Mulu Da, who had not actually been the target of the abuse, and somewhat less profusely to Bosa Pa, who had.
When the guard left the docking pod Gil laughed out loud. "Mulu, you should have made him eat a bofu nugget. They are so happy to have a buyer he'd have swallowed it whole, with a smile."
Bosa Pa looked puzzled. "Why wouldn't he smile? And why would he swallow it whole? Chewing releases the flavor."
"Most Argon do not have appreciation for bofu," Mulu answered. "Our friend Gil is an exception."
"An exceptional friend, and I have a small supply of exceptional nuggets. A celebration is in order."
"Thanks," Gil said. "I'm going to suit up. I think this celebration would be better if we had it on the ship." It was strange having to wear a space suit on the command deck, when he was technically listed as the pilot, but Gil took that in stride. Jula No had promised him a long term job as pilot of an Argon built ship, and he would have flown to Ore Belt in the spacesuit for that.
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That promise had been made as Jula went north into Kingdom End to deliver his ships at the Kingdom End shipyard, and he had repeated it as he sped through the sector heading south. He found the opportunity to keep that promise just beyond the gate in Cloud Base Northwest. A Mercury Tanker in fair condition for a fair price, her pilot looking to move into a larger ship. Jula promised to return and sped on. His passengers could not afford the delay.
Jula marveled at how fast fortunes could turn in space. When he had appeared at the military base it had only taken one look at Himi Di to know that word of his failed mission had spread to the tech division operative, then Himi Di greeted him with a sarcastic "Well, if it isn't our benefactor! The Kingdom can never repay you for all the secret technology we found in that Disco Hauler you brought in."
"Okay, okay, the Boron apologizes," Jula said. "Perhaps the Vanguard model will offer some new insights in scanner interface technology. It is docking now at the shipyard, along with a Buzzard Sentinel."
Himi Di nodded. "Those at least have some hint of promise. I assume you need some favor."
"No. I figure I owed you one." Besides, Jula was very pleased with the nearly half million credit payment he had received for the ships.
Usually at a time like that the two sides would have parted, giving some time for the 'balanced accounts' of exchanged favors to settle. But that moment was when Jula sensed his fortunes swinging towards the positive. A Boron swam into Himi's office abruptly and said "The transport you arranged has been delayed. If you don't have something for us we are going to miss the conference."
Himi looked at the odd sight of the angry Boron, then looked at Jula. Jula smoothly said "this must be that back up transport thing you mentioned earlier."
"Right," Himi said without missing a beat. "Looks like I will be needing you." He looked at the Boron, who had gone rapidly from angry to embarrassed.
"The Boron was not aware that back up plans had been made. Please forgive my outburst."
She swam out of the office. "Please have your team on the docks in five minutes," Jula called after her. As the door closed he turned back to Himi. "So where am I taking them?" By the time the twelve scientists were aboard the Rigg Jula had only twenty-two minutes to get them to their conference, at the trading station in Ringo Moon. He also had Himi's stamp on a voucher for another almost half million credits as long as they got there on time. And now in the ever changing balance of favors Himi owed him one.
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The pilot took the transfer direct from ship to space suit and flew off. Just shy of a hundred thousand credits. An hour before it would have been beyond Jula's means, and now it just barely dropped the account out of seven figures. For a Mercury Tanker that was about a fifty percent price. For a Mercury Tanker with about twenty percent damage to her hull it was a good deal. Jula set the autopilot for the wheat farm where Gil Nedley waited and flew the Rigg through the gate.
In Three Worlds he idled around. The Kwouk was filled with e-cells, so he sent Nini Fa on to the Kingdom. The Sakata had picked up all the wheat, so he found Humko a buyer at one of the local cahoona bakeries. Not a great price, but he didn't want to get into competition with Crop Circle in the export trade. He watched as the Mercury cleared the gate and set course for the wheat farm, then com linked the station. After a pause Gil Nedley appeared on the screen.
"Watch the docks," Jula told him. "Your new ship is headed your way."
"That's great! Do you have a pilot for the Dolphin?"
"Not yet. Set her autopilot for the military base in Kingdom End please. I'm sure I can find one there."
"Will do. I thought I found one for you here, but the Boron isn't a pilot. He's stuck here, and if you don't mind I'd like to give him a ride out to Menelaus' Frontier."
"It will be a while before I have shields for your ship, and it doesn't have any life support in the cargo bay. I will give the Boron a ride myself."
Since Bosa Pa had planned on catching a ride by freighter it was clear he had plenty of time. That was a good thing, as suddenly Jula No had a lot to do. Three Paranid ships emerged from the Kingdom End gate.
Word had passed among the Paranid traders that the sectors around Argon Prime were certainly risky, and Jula had seen no Paranids at all on the trip to Ringo Moon and back. Unfortunately for these new arrivals word had not spread so far North, and they had set out through Argon space headed for the Paranid sectors far to the South. They had unloaded in the Kingdom and were running mostly empty, Jula noted as he scanned their freight; a few odds and ends all they carried between them.
Knowing they had no cargo to buy their passage two of the Paranids abandoned their ships. The third refused, and Jula let him go. He salvaged the Hermes passenger transport and the Vulture freighter and sent them to the equipment dock. He opened the com link and spoke with Lidya Marval's cousin. Mak set out to find two Argon pilots for Lidya's company to hire. The terms would have to be worked out later, and the pilots would have to be willing to risk flying the unshielded ships to Crop Circle headquarters in the next sector, but Mak assured him there were good candidates to be found.
As quickly as the battered ships landed they were off again, headed for the East gate. Jula picked up his passenger and followed the Dolphin that Gil had sent towards the North gate. He opened the com to the Sakata and told Humko to follow as well, pointing him towards a power plant in Queen's Space.
The trip to Menelaus' Frontier was uneventful. Jula did interviews over the com link and hired Tata Mu to pilot the Dolphin. He told the new pilot that he would return with heavier shielding before giving him any tasks and suggested that he just get comfortable with the ship. He completed a transaction, selling the e-cells aboard the Kwouk as he passed through. He sent Nini Fa on to the other Queen's Space power plant.
Bosa Pa turned out to be good company, and Jula was pleased to hear how his Argon pilot had stood up for the Boron. He dropped him off at the trading station and launched the Rigg, expecting to return to Queen's Space and direct some e-cell trading.
But, while the Paranid had taken to avoiding Argon space the arrogant Split were still inclined to use Boron space as a highway.
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Himi Di swam hard for hanger deck four. He had not been summoned, but rumors had reached his office. He had to see for himself. The receiving clerk was just swimming away from the Rigg, a grav pallet floating along beside him. "Jula!" Himi called out.
Jula turned slowly. Two tentacles hung stiffly, and Himi could see the pseudoskin where it had been sprayed on to seal the wounds.
"I would have brought you a Mamba, but the thrice cursed Split rode it to the end," Jula said with a wan smile.
"The Split must have been a good pilot," Himi said with a glance at the injuries. "Are you alright?"
"The Boron will be fine. And the Split in the Mamba had nothing to do with this. As you know the Mamba has no defenses to the rear, and this Mamba was not as fast as Rigg."
"So what happened?"
"A Split weapons trader in a Caiman. An irresistible target. High reward, but high risk."
"Caiman is probably the toughest freighter in space, but it is still just a freighter. You got shot up by a freighter?"
"No, but he had an even dozen fighter drones and they shot me up pretty good. Then one of the sensing arrays took a direct hit and my mineral scanner module exploded."
Himi looked after the grav pallet with its load of crates. "So you being you...you finished off the rest of the drones and went after the Caiman."
"Yes. This base always seems to be out of stock, so I brought you some PACs."
Cold hard facts
Taking on the twelve drones was remarkably stupid. Wide open space with nothing to throw them off. I had been on such a hot streak. Of the three Paranids two had drones and neither of them even launched them, and I had just pulverized the Mamba without taking a hit. Of course the Split popped out the whole load as soon as his shields touched zero. I was at 46% hull and back up to 30% shields when the IREs finally ate the last drone. By then the Rigg was so sluggish that getting turned on the last couple took some time, but with only the last couple the shields were coming back. I did have a serious moment where one part of my brain was plotting the 'goodby Jula' chapter.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs, again with four PACs I can roll in if I need a one shot max firepower pass. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell...now also short one mineral scanner.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer and freight scanner which I am getting tired of swapping back and forth. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. Parked at CCWE HQ.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL with 25 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin with 25 MJ of shields. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling.
Gil Nedley, pilot of a Mercury Tanker, waiting for shields at a wheat farm in Three Worlds
Tata Mu, pilot of a Dolphin, waiting for shields at the military base in Kingdom End
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 477,013 credits, plus Marelle Sillarn in a Hermes and Mak Brano in a Vulture awaiting their assignments.
Credits, 1,529,575
Flight time 1-10:34
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
-
Timsup2nothin
- Posts: 4690
- Joined: Thu, 22. Jan 09, 17:49
Rescue
The viewport was huge. What the Argon would call floor to ceiling and almost the full width of the compartment as well. The red planet loomed off center, in counterpoint to the velvet blackness studded with stars. The two Boron floated with barely a stroke of a tentacle in the luxuriously thick atmosphere.
"Nice," Jula No said. A drink bulb was carefully caressed in one tentacle, and another picked a sweetened bofu nugget off of a silver grav tray that followed his movements.
"Too nice," Boso Wa replied. "I never expected this. I don't need it."
"Boso, what did you expect? This is the station owners suite on a major factory station. You thought they would recreate a slum grotto from the home world?"
"Well, no...:
"This is your role now, and this is the stage that role plays on. Get used to it. That shouldn't be too hard, really."
Jula saw the smile spread over the end of Boso's long snout. "For the Kingdom!" he cried.
"That's the spirit. We all have our hardships to bear."
Boso looked at Jula's two injured tentacles. "Some more than others. And really since this was all your idea and you made all the effort it should be you living here like a Lar and me out there getting shot at."
"I would go crazy living here...and Boso you aren't exactly top gun as a fighter pilot."
"Keep getting the Rigg shot to pieces and no one will think you are either."
"Good point." They floated silently for a few minutes. "I need you to contact Humko in the Kingdom."
"And tell him...?"
"That I will be unavailable for a while. He and Nili can leave their ships docked and catch transport to the trading station. Take some R and R. There is plenty of credits in the account. He needs to show her a good time, keep her occupied."
"While you...?"
"Do something he can't tell her about."
"Where are you going?"
"I met a Boron with a request...and the most amazing ship." Boso looked at him with the patient sleepy eyes. The eyes that knew Jula was evading the question of where he was going. But he kept trying. "Technology a dozen years ahead, at least; more; maybe a lot more."
Boso continued to look.
"You know how this business works. To get close to him, get access to that technology...the first thing to do is help him with a problem. A problem I am better suited to solve than he is."
"A problem that involves going...where?"
"He has friends...they may even be the source of the technology...I don't know...and they could be in trouble."
"They are lost, and you are going looking for them. Where?"
"The Xenon sectors."
"You have got to be kidding. How do you plan to survive in the Xenon sectors? The Rigg is a light fighter, not a destroyer. How do you even plan to get to the Xenon sectors? Do you have jump coordinates?"
"No, I'll have to fly there, and yes I know I'll have to cross either Split space or Paranid space."
"That should save the Xenon the trouble of blowing you to bits."
"I'm not going to get blown to bits, and I'm not taking the Rigg. I'm taking the Wikstrom. I have no intention of fighting my way through Paranid space, Split space, Xenon space, or any space. This calls for running, and the Wikstrom can run."
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Time weighed heavily on Boso Wa. His luxurious compartment felt like a prison cell, and he would find himself floating idly in front of the panoramic window. His ship, the Bernard Lee, could make the rounds in the sector without him, but he flew her manually anyway. In his term as liaison officer he had gone through similar stretches with Jula No out of contact, but then he had the resources of special branch and could reassure himself that if death caught up with Jula somewhere he would at least hear about it. Finally, as he was guiding the Bernard Lee down the approach lane of the docks at the largest power plant in the sector, the ship's computer gave the report he was waiting for; 'the Wikstrom is in the sector'.
Boso activated the encrypted link to Humko's ship and accessed the sector map of Queen's Space. The Wikstrom was indeed in the sector, just entering through the East gate. A Paranid Perseus flew on one side of the tiny ship, a Teladi Harrier on the other. Boso accessed the scanners on the Sakata and saw that neither ship had any active shields, or pilots. Jula had apparently not followed through on his plan to run away from combat. Apparently Humko was watching the scanners also. "At least he's back," he said, "and he's completing transactions as if he's just gone for a swim around a recreation reef."
Boso acknowledged and closed the link.
Jula arrived some time later, docking the Wikstrom on the same pod as the Rigg. He was guiding a small grav sled towards the larger ship when Boso swam out of the lift. He surveyed the contents of the sled as he approached. "Mineral scanner, freight scanner, docking computer; you shouldn't have to move those every time you change ships. It's not as if the Boron were poor."
"The Boron is guessing the Paranid would not sell a docking computer."
"You could get the others though. So the Boron assumes the Perseus did not have a docking computer installed."
"Checking up on me?"
"Just watching for you to return, along with Humko."
"The liaison early warning network," Jula said with a smile.
Boso nodded. "Liaison to the unit is a dirty job, but someone has to be stuck with it. So we stick together." He set the grav sled to hover. "Of course now I'm also a station owner. I'll have these installed." He started swimming towards the lift. "Did you find what you went seeking?"
"Not exactly. I did find three interesting things though." Jula followed him towards the lift. Some conversations were best not had in the docking pod.
They settled into Boso's office. The panoramic viewport was just as expansive, but looked out on the approach lanes to the docking ports, which could be seen through the four corners of the thick plasteel. "So, three things?"
"First, the identity of Mahi Ma's 'friends'; Julian Brennan and Bala Gi."
"The Boron keeps fast company," Boso observed, raising an eyebrow. "An Argon hero and the Boron's candidate for the universe's leading industrialist."
"Not much question where Mahi Ma's advanced technology ship came from. They aren't just friends either. Mahi Ma works for Bala Gi, and when Bala Gi has a puzzle he can't immediately figure out, he calls for Mahi Ma."
"So you did find them?"
"No, but the second thing I found was their ship; the remains of it anyway. Bala Gi had sent Brennan back to retreive Mahi Ma. He didn't make it. No body in the wreckage though, so he may have survived."
"What was the third thing?"
"The artifact they were looking for."
"Ah. And that is the puzzle Bala Gi could not immediately figure out. You found it? Was it in their ship?"
"No. Actually their ship was in it."
Cold hard facts
I wrote it this way because the trip itself was long...and totally uneventful. The Wikstrom did indeed outrun any problems I may have had. I was told to get out by the Paranids on the way, and by the Split on the way back when I took a different route, but no one ever got even close to shooting distance, including the Xenon. I behaved myself until I was in Family Whi, where I shot up a couple couriers, one of whom bailed the Harrier. Toting that along I was going a lot slower through Teladi space and scanned some prospects. A Paranid freight transporter in a Perseus, with only one IRE in his main battery, was too much to pass up and he bailed. The Teladi locals were appeased easily enough, but the Teladi won't let me land any more.
Fortunately I have a much bigger cushion with the Boron, since the next irresistible Paranid was in Menelaus' Frontier; a Pericles Tech Trader who gave up sixty-five computer components after some persuasion. I sent the Sakata to collect them as I passed through Queen's Space, then went back to collect Humko after selling the ships. On that return trip I picked up a used Dolphin Superfreighter, got it landed and hired Bolo Ni as a pilot. Pretty much all my resources are gathering at Crop Circle HQ, though of course the Wikstrom arrived way ahead of them.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer, mineral scanner and freight scanner. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. Parked at CCWE HQ.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL with 25 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin with 25 MJ of shields. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling.
Gil Nedley, pilot of a Mercury Tanker, lacking shields but headed for Crop Circle HQ
Tata Mu, pilot of a Dolphin, lacking shields but headed for Crop Circle HQ
Bolo Ni, pilot of a Dolphin Superfreighter, lacking shields but headed for Crop Circle HQ
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 631,321 credits, plus Marelle Sillarn in a Hermes and Mak Brano in a Vulture awaiting their assignments.
Credits, 2,483,683
Flight time 1-15:12
The viewport was huge. What the Argon would call floor to ceiling and almost the full width of the compartment as well. The red planet loomed off center, in counterpoint to the velvet blackness studded with stars. The two Boron floated with barely a stroke of a tentacle in the luxuriously thick atmosphere.
"Nice," Jula No said. A drink bulb was carefully caressed in one tentacle, and another picked a sweetened bofu nugget off of a silver grav tray that followed his movements.
"Too nice," Boso Wa replied. "I never expected this. I don't need it."
"Boso, what did you expect? This is the station owners suite on a major factory station. You thought they would recreate a slum grotto from the home world?"
"Well, no...:
"This is your role now, and this is the stage that role plays on. Get used to it. That shouldn't be too hard, really."
Jula saw the smile spread over the end of Boso's long snout. "For the Kingdom!" he cried.
"That's the spirit. We all have our hardships to bear."
Boso looked at Jula's two injured tentacles. "Some more than others. And really since this was all your idea and you made all the effort it should be you living here like a Lar and me out there getting shot at."
"I would go crazy living here...and Boso you aren't exactly top gun as a fighter pilot."
"Keep getting the Rigg shot to pieces and no one will think you are either."
"Good point." They floated silently for a few minutes. "I need you to contact Humko in the Kingdom."
"And tell him...?"
"That I will be unavailable for a while. He and Nili can leave their ships docked and catch transport to the trading station. Take some R and R. There is plenty of credits in the account. He needs to show her a good time, keep her occupied."
"While you...?"
"Do something he can't tell her about."
"Where are you going?"
"I met a Boron with a request...and the most amazing ship." Boso looked at him with the patient sleepy eyes. The eyes that knew Jula was evading the question of where he was going. But he kept trying. "Technology a dozen years ahead, at least; more; maybe a lot more."
Boso continued to look.
"You know how this business works. To get close to him, get access to that technology...the first thing to do is help him with a problem. A problem I am better suited to solve than he is."
"A problem that involves going...where?"
"He has friends...they may even be the source of the technology...I don't know...and they could be in trouble."
"They are lost, and you are going looking for them. Where?"
"The Xenon sectors."
"You have got to be kidding. How do you plan to survive in the Xenon sectors? The Rigg is a light fighter, not a destroyer. How do you even plan to get to the Xenon sectors? Do you have jump coordinates?"
"No, I'll have to fly there, and yes I know I'll have to cross either Split space or Paranid space."
"That should save the Xenon the trouble of blowing you to bits."
"I'm not going to get blown to bits, and I'm not taking the Rigg. I'm taking the Wikstrom. I have no intention of fighting my way through Paranid space, Split space, Xenon space, or any space. This calls for running, and the Wikstrom can run."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time weighed heavily on Boso Wa. His luxurious compartment felt like a prison cell, and he would find himself floating idly in front of the panoramic window. His ship, the Bernard Lee, could make the rounds in the sector without him, but he flew her manually anyway. In his term as liaison officer he had gone through similar stretches with Jula No out of contact, but then he had the resources of special branch and could reassure himself that if death caught up with Jula somewhere he would at least hear about it. Finally, as he was guiding the Bernard Lee down the approach lane of the docks at the largest power plant in the sector, the ship's computer gave the report he was waiting for; 'the Wikstrom is in the sector'.
Boso activated the encrypted link to Humko's ship and accessed the sector map of Queen's Space. The Wikstrom was indeed in the sector, just entering through the East gate. A Paranid Perseus flew on one side of the tiny ship, a Teladi Harrier on the other. Boso accessed the scanners on the Sakata and saw that neither ship had any active shields, or pilots. Jula had apparently not followed through on his plan to run away from combat. Apparently Humko was watching the scanners also. "At least he's back," he said, "and he's completing transactions as if he's just gone for a swim around a recreation reef."
Boso acknowledged and closed the link.
Jula arrived some time later, docking the Wikstrom on the same pod as the Rigg. He was guiding a small grav sled towards the larger ship when Boso swam out of the lift. He surveyed the contents of the sled as he approached. "Mineral scanner, freight scanner, docking computer; you shouldn't have to move those every time you change ships. It's not as if the Boron were poor."
"The Boron is guessing the Paranid would not sell a docking computer."
"You could get the others though. So the Boron assumes the Perseus did not have a docking computer installed."
"Checking up on me?"
"Just watching for you to return, along with Humko."
"The liaison early warning network," Jula said with a smile.
Boso nodded. "Liaison to the unit is a dirty job, but someone has to be stuck with it. So we stick together." He set the grav sled to hover. "Of course now I'm also a station owner. I'll have these installed." He started swimming towards the lift. "Did you find what you went seeking?"
"Not exactly. I did find three interesting things though." Jula followed him towards the lift. Some conversations were best not had in the docking pod.
They settled into Boso's office. The panoramic viewport was just as expansive, but looked out on the approach lanes to the docking ports, which could be seen through the four corners of the thick plasteel. "So, three things?"
"First, the identity of Mahi Ma's 'friends'; Julian Brennan and Bala Gi."
"The Boron keeps fast company," Boso observed, raising an eyebrow. "An Argon hero and the Boron's candidate for the universe's leading industrialist."
"Not much question where Mahi Ma's advanced technology ship came from. They aren't just friends either. Mahi Ma works for Bala Gi, and when Bala Gi has a puzzle he can't immediately figure out, he calls for Mahi Ma."
"So you did find them?"
"No, but the second thing I found was their ship; the remains of it anyway. Bala Gi had sent Brennan back to retreive Mahi Ma. He didn't make it. No body in the wreckage though, so he may have survived."
"What was the third thing?"
"The artifact they were looking for."
"Ah. And that is the puzzle Bala Gi could not immediately figure out. You found it? Was it in their ship?"
"No. Actually their ship was in it."
Cold hard facts
I wrote it this way because the trip itself was long...and totally uneventful. The Wikstrom did indeed outrun any problems I may have had. I was told to get out by the Paranids on the way, and by the Split on the way back when I took a different route, but no one ever got even close to shooting distance, including the Xenon. I behaved myself until I was in Family Whi, where I shot up a couple couriers, one of whom bailed the Harrier. Toting that along I was going a lot slower through Teladi space and scanned some prospects. A Paranid freight transporter in a Perseus, with only one IRE in his main battery, was too much to pass up and he bailed. The Teladi locals were appeased easily enough, but the Teladi won't let me land any more.
Fortunately I have a much bigger cushion with the Boron, since the next irresistible Paranid was in Menelaus' Frontier; a Pericles Tech Trader who gave up sixty-five computer components after some persuasion. I sent the Sakata to collect them as I passed through Queen's Space, then went back to collect Humko after selling the ships. On that return trip I picked up a used Dolphin Superfreighter, got it landed and hired Bolo Ni as a pilot. Pretty much all my resources are gathering at Crop Circle HQ, though of course the Wikstrom arrived way ahead of them.
Assets
Rigg, my Mako Vanguard. Full 10 MJ of shielding, 2 PACs with 4 IREs. Fully expanded speed, handling, and cargo bay, and all the conveniences I can think of except for jump drive, transporter device and best buy/best sell.
Wikstrom, my Octopus. Full 2 MJ of shielding, 4 IREs, lacks the same things the Rigg lacks, plus docking computer, mineral scanner and freight scanner. Full speed, handling and cargo bay of course. Parked at CCWE HQ.
Associates
Humko Fo, pilot of the Sakata, a Dolphin Tanker XL with 25 MJ of shields. Cargo bay has some expansion, eight thousand and some odd units, speed and handling fully upgraded.
Nini Fa, pilot of the Kwouk, a Dolphin with 25 MJ of shields. Standard cargo bay at 4000, full speed and handling.
Gil Nedley, pilot of a Mercury Tanker, lacking shields but headed for Crop Circle HQ
Tata Mu, pilot of a Dolphin, lacking shields but headed for Crop Circle HQ
Bolo Ni, pilot of a Dolphin Superfreighter, lacking shields but headed for Crop Circle HQ
Companies
Crop Circle Wheat Exports, 631,321 credits, plus Marelle Sillarn in a Hermes and Mak Brano in a Vulture awaiting their assignments.
Credits, 2,483,683
Flight time 1-15:12
Last edited by Timsup2nothin on Thu, 28. Mar 13, 21:20, edited 1 time in total.
Trapper Tim's Guide to CLS 2
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!
On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Dead is Dead, and he is DEAD
Not a DiD, so I guess it's a DiDn't, the story of my first try at AP
Part One, in progress
HEY! AP!! That's new!!!