Lost in Time Chapter 15

[Ed Man]

Station Encounter
Chapter 15

Josh turned to Mizar when they got out of the office saying. “What’s wrong with you? Are you afraid of that Man?”
[Mizar] “Let’s just say I have a great respect for a man that can shoot you on the spot without question. Besides the last time I was in his office the man that attacked my ship had me on a deal gone bad and I thought I was going to lose my ship but he keep asking questions like you did making the Big Boss mad so he told me to pay him when I could and made us leave. Here’s the Clerks office I wonder who’s the new Clerk is?”
The door slid open as a woman replied. “Come in Pilot I don’t know if I should thank you or be mad at you for getting my boss killed. I’ll just thank you I didn’t like him that well. The Big Boss said you’re the new owner of station 387 and you wanted to sell your freight and give some slaves money. Honey if you’re giving money away give me a little will you? Here sign these papers for the station and we have a buyer wanting to buy your freight here‘s the offer.”
[Josh] “Is the buyer on the station?”
[Clerk] “Yes he is, do you want to sell?” [Josh] “Yes I do.”
[Clerk] “We’ll start transferring the freight now. Are you going to start the station back up?”
[Josh] “It went under once I don’t know.”
[Clerk] “Honey it went under because the first owner was a lazy drunk bum. There’s a need for the station all the locals are having to order from the planet side and that’s very costly. We need metal plating, wires, silicone you name the material and we need it some where and your station is the closest processing plant to the station. You start the station up and I’ll send you miners looking to process their ore and in return you let me sell your materials and we’ll all be happy.”
[Josh] “My materials?” [Clerk] “You mine some for yourself and most miners want to mine on the half’s. Unprocessed ore is worthless so the miners will give you up to 50% of the finished material as payment on the processing cost. The waste can be placed on a small moon or asteroid that has been approved for dropping a list is in the paper work. You can barter with the miners to drop the waste off for you or ship it out yourself. The first owner ordered a gas conversion unit and gas tanks if you want to buy it at a bargain I can sell it to you to open up the cargo space on the station.”
Josh turned and asked Mizar. “What do you know about gas conversion units?”
[Mizar] “Which unit is it?”
[Clerk] “It’s the same unit we have here on the station and the tanks very in size.”

Mizar pulled Josh off to the side. “Buy it if you can add that gas unit and tanks to the ore processing plant and you will have a steady stream of Pilots telling you everything they seen and everywhere they’ve been just to have someone new to talk to.”
[Josh] “How much of a bargain my cash flow is a little light.”
[Clerk] “I’ll let you have it all for 150,000 units.”

Sarah quickly replied in his earpiece. “You only have 120, 000 total. I can make a container of rare high priced materials in the freighter to cover the cost of the unit. The goal of the mission was to get information this way the information comes to you.”
[Josh] “I need to contact my ship and sell my good stuff to get the cash first. Sarah have a crewman load the container I been saving onto a cart I’m sending Mizar back to the freighter to pick it up. Clerk if you would give me 5 tokens worth one thousand units each. Mizar you take the rest of the cash to the freighter and get cart and bring it back here to the Clerk.”
Josh looked at the Clerk. “You need to weight and test the contents then you tell what their worth I should have more than enough for the unit then. Can you send the Slaves into the break room so I can sent them on their way. I’ll be waiting in the break room for you to call me when your have a price ready.”
[Clerk] “I’ll send them right in.” She mashed a button on her headset and gave the orders.

Josh hadn’t been in the break room long when the Slaves came in. “You wanted us Boss?”
[Josh] “I’m not your Boss as of today you’re all free. Here is a one thousand unit token for each of you to help you get a fresh start.”
They all took the tokens and stood not knowing what to say or do.
[Josh] “I’m the owner of the station now and want to offer each of you a honest job as workers on the station if you want to work.”
Two of the women thanked Josh for the cash and left the man and two other women were talking about the offer. “What will you pay us and what will our Jobs be?”
[Sarah] “The two women are untrained so kitchen or house keeping 5 unit’s a day with three meals each and a room to share . The man knows a lot about the station he’s worth 10 unit’s a day for maintenance with three meals and a room to share with another worker.”
Josh took the two women of to the side and told them the offer. They were willing to accept the job if the man went with them. Josh took him off to the side and told him his offer. He went to the women and talked for a few minutes turned and looked at Josh and said. “We need jobs but if we want to quit we need to know we can leave.”
[Josh] “If you don’t want to stay I’ll give you a free ride back to the Trading Station on the next run or you barter a ride on any ship you want.”
The Man asked? “How often will a ship be going to the Trading Station?”
[Josh] “Once a week at the start maybe more when the station gets going well and the sales are up.
The Man replied. “Let us thank about it a while we been locked up a long time and were not in a hurry to go back to that station.”
Josh looked at the three and said. “I understand and don’t blame you a bit but in case you change your minds I’ll have the pilot look for you three next trip if your not here then good luck to you where ever you are.” The three thanked Josh and took off mixing into hustle and bustle of the Trading Station.

[Sarah] “Commander you can place our own people on the station and hire a few from the Trading Station.”
[Josh] “Sarah how many people will we need on the station to have a full crew?”
Josh pulled out his PDA as Sarah placed a list on it showing a total of 80 to 100 crewmen depending on the workload divided up into four shifts.
Josh watched as Mizar delivered the crate to the Clerk and came into the break room. “Commander I know a good place to get a bite to eat that’s close if you want to go with me and wait on the Clerk she can page us their when she‘s finished.”
[Josh] “That sounds good to me.” [Mizar] “Let me tell the Clerk and we can go.”
Mizar led the way as he took Josh into the local hotspot for pilots and dealers to meet and haggle. The two sat down as Mizar ordered them some food and drinks and asked Josh. “Well this is the meeting place do you want me to tell some of them about you opening up the station and get the business started?”
[Josh] “Sure why not just as long as they know were just starting up.”
Mizar started bringing over people one and two at a time telling them about the station reopening and the gas processing unit that was going to be added to the station. After a couple of hours saying a station worker came to the table. “Pilots the Clerk is finished and is ready to see you.”
Josh and Mizar went back to the Clerks office and set down.
[Clerk] “Come on in I was able to get you a good price on you goods if you want to sell take a look.”
Josh looked at the list adding up to over 170,000 units. “That’s a fare pirce sell the goods and have the gas unit and tanks loaded onto the freighter. I’ll take the difference in small currency so I can make change for the cash customers.”
[Clerk] “I can load the gas unit and the smaller tanks but three of the tanks will have to be fastened to the outside of your freighter for transporting. So after the ship is loaded I need you to move it to the back of the station at the mooring dock so our men can secure the tanks to your ship. I’ll have two guards deliver you cash to the ship good luck.” Josh slipped her a tip and headed for the ship.
[Josh] “Sarah contact Mizar and tell him I’m headed for the freighter as soon as the tanks are secured we’ll be heading out.” As soon as Josh reached the ship he went to his room and looked over the plans of the station. “Sarah start working on the station to make it safe for our people and build a shield and power generator for it. Start building three more fighters and start refitting the freighter in back of the station and the captured fighter. Contact the Venture and have them working on getting us a crew ready for the station.
Have Kate jump here with my ship and two pilots so I can transport over after we clear the Trading Station and we are in open space. If you and the consultant team thank Kate would be a good operative to take with me onto the Slayer Pirate Station brief her and have her ready. If not have one of our female operatives ready to go in with me. Have the fighter on the station ready to jump and meet me when we inter the Pirate sector.”

The freighte had been loaded and the money was delivered as the ship eased out of the station and moved to the back of the station. A crew of workers secured the tanks onto the freighter and gave them the all clear to leave.
[Josh] “Sarah where’s my ship we’re ready to go here.”
[Sarah] “It’s jumping into the sector now. Kate and one of our agents and two special forces pilots are on the ship. The team suggested that you take our agent with you and have Kate onboard the surveillance teams ship as an advisor but the final decision is yours to make.”
[Josh] “That sounds good to me I’ll go with their plan. Transport me over when where clear.”
Josh contacted Mizar on his Ship. “Mizar I want you to go back to the station and help them set up and get the station running. Then pick out a team to train and assist you. I want you to be the man anyone coming onboard to trade talks to first. You’re a local Pilot with a few connections on a station full of workers unfamiliar to this sector. So bring them up to date about the sectors and people.”
[Mizar] “I’ll do my best. Good luck with your mission.”

Josh decided to become Rock again for a while as he went into his cabin and but on his costume.
Josh thought as he was getting ready of how they had Just went to a station with a few Thugs on it and now he was about to go to a Prate Base full of Clan Members and want to be Clan followers. Closely followed by the standard variety Thug type trying to make a name for them selves or their small group. It was like jumping out of the pan and right into the fire! But someone on that station was involved with the Ancients that had the time traveling technology Josh needed to get back to his time.

Josh stepped out of the room as Kate replied. “If I hadn’t seen you go into that room I wouldn’t have known it was you!”
[Josh] “That’s the whole idel with my disguise I want to look nothing like Josh Galen. I’m Peter Stone my friends call me Rock. And what’s your cover name?” As Josh looked at the Agent.
“My cover name is Donna I’m your partner in business and part time casual lover.”
[Josh] “Everyone will be looking at every move we make for a mistake when we dock so let’s go over our storys and likes and dislikes for a while to get it right then we’ll jump to the sector.”
Josh and Donna talked for a few hours until they covered everything form food to birth marks and jobs they had done.
[Josh] “One last thing we need to do. I want you to kiss me. I don’t want any uneasy moments if we have to kiss.” The woman didn’t even pause as she reached up and gave Josh a hot kiss.
[Donna] “Was that alright? I felt comfortable with it and didn’t mind it a bit. What about you Rock?”
[Josh] “I felt at ease and comfortable with you Donna. I believe we’re ready Sarah set course for the gate and transport us over to the simulated local ship one at a time.”
After getting situated in the ship Donna asked. “What’s our cover for visiting the base?”
[Josh] “Like every other pilot better equipment and weapons and a easy job that pays well.”

Josh set course for the Gate and opened the small ship up to a speed that matched the local ships. While Kate and the pilots followed in the cloaked fighter.
[Josh] “Sarah give me a location of the rogue ship. And have locals pick the woman up that killed the guard and held for murder. By the time she has her day in court we’ll all be long gone. She’s a small fish the next one up the food chain may try and shut her up so have her watched.”
[Sarah] “The rogue ship will enter the sector 20 minutes after your jump. The Directors were just waiting on your word to move on the woman for the muder of the guard. A team is in route to pick her up now. Commander Sherpa has asked to be on the first ship jumping out to the Venture please respond to the request.”

[Josh] “Let her come over with the stations crew. But she need to know I’m busy and may not be able to see her for a long time.”
[Sarah] “I’ll relay the message Commander.”

The team watching the Slayer Clan and Station had gathered some interesting information about a rival group four sectors away and to the south. A sector with only one operating gate has long been a place where strange ships have come throught the gate into the sector only to turn around and leave never to be seen again. While some have been damaged and had landed or crashed on the planet seeking refuge from the cold vacuum of space. A large ship has entered the sector and has joined the rival group in the sector. Three fighters have been intercepted any Slayer Clan ships and turned them away from the sector. The Slayer Clan is up in arms about the whole the new ship and fighters. The sector had been a long time source of goods for the Clan until a rival group forced the Clan of the planet and out of the sector.
The Clan at the time decided that the planet and the good they got from it were not worth the losses it would take to reclaim the sector. They had lost two ships already that fired on unknown ships as they entered the sector looking for an easy mark to rob and were quickly destroyed by the unknows before they left never to be seen again. But now with the new larger ship in the sector the Slayer Clan was building up ships, weapons and members to take the capital ship and reclaim the sector once and for all.

[Josh] “Sarah contact the Venture and have them send a team to the sector and start gathering as much info as you can. It sounds like the Gate is malfunctioning somehow scan it and compare it to the scans of the other Gates. It may give us some insight into understanding the Gates better.”
[Sarah] “I thank it would be wise to deploy a spy satellite and have the team retreat to a safe sector until we know a little more.”
[Josh] “That sounds better have a scout drop two satellites in the sector one near the gate and one near the planet. Then have a team setup in the bordering sector and monitor the data.”
[Sarah] “The ships are loading up now, you should have a data feed in the next two hours Commander.”

Josh slowed the ship as he got closer to the station.
[Station] “Unknown ship state your business this is a privet base and home of the Slayer Clan.”
[Josh] “I heard a pilot could find some special equipment for a old wreck like I have at your base and mabe a job for a skilled fighter pilot with a ship.”
[Station] “You can dock I’ll send you the rules for you to follow. Break any of our rules and you will be executed on the spot by our guards and you ship and its contents seized.”

Josh and Donna looked over the rules they were basic. “Anyone assaulting or stealing from a Clan member will be shot on sight. You break it you puy it and all sails are final. Slaves are only permitted to load or unload your ship and must remain onboard your ship while docked. All sales and transfers of any kind must go through the trading Clerk.”

Josh docked the ship and took a small crate of goods to the Clerk to sale and paid the docking fee for a day.
[Clerk] “Check back with me in about three hours I should have you a price for your goods. Remember Pilot this is the Slayer Clans base don’t cross us we all wear our colors everyone else is only welcome as long as we want them here if a one of our Clan Officers as you to leave you leave then no questions.”
[Josh] “We want to look for some equipment and weapons and a good place to get a drink and we’re new here can you tell us where not to go?”
The Clerk smiled as he pointed out the places to go and not to go on a chart of the station and who to ask for. Josh and Donna headed out into the station and after looking in the shops they decided to go to the slave pits and look around. This was a Pirate Base slave pit with all of the brutality. Cages with people beaten, bruised, nasty and starved crammed around the sides trying to rest. As they went to the last cage Josh noticed a Man setting in a corner with a emblem on his ragged uniform.
[Josh] “Where did you get that uniform slave?”
[Slave] “I’m a Argon Navy Pilot.” The man replied in a broken Argon language.
[Josh] “Are they any more slaves here from Argon Space or the neighboring races?”
[Slave] “Yes their was a freighter Pilot in that cage I’ll call him over.”
[Slave] “Hay Dugan come over here we got a friend here.”
[Dugan] “Don’t mess with me Harvey these people may be human but their not Argons.”
[Josh] “I am! You two set down and wait I’ll see if I can buy you two from the slavers. Keep quite and don’t talk to me when I come back.”
Josh went to talk to the Slave Dealer. “What do you want for the two in the back that talk in a strange language?”
[Slaver] “What do you want them for?”
[Josh] “I need them to work on my freighter and do a little ore mining. But I’m also an explorer and once they learn our language I’ll find out what I can from them and I like a good story.”
[Slaver] “You won’t find their home they came from the! Well it doesn’t realy matter their here in our sectors now. All good working males are the same price.”
The Slave keeper gave Josh a price. “I hate puying slaves but I need them on the freighter to finish a load. We had a little accident and lost most of our slaves I’ll take them.”