Castaway Chapter 3

[Ed Man]

I Need a Job
Chapter 3

Peter got up, signed out of medical and moved into a room he had rented in the main section of the station.
Then he pulled up the job listings and after several let downs because he had no references at all he decided to go to the docking area and try and find a job.

After walking around asking a few company owned crews for a job they all were unwilling to give Peter a chance to even try.
Peter walked up to a Teladi that was having a problem reading a Argon parts manual.
“Let me read it for you I can at least do that.” Peter replied filling disappointed after being rejected from ever job he tried to get.
“Teladi doing fine.” Then he called Peter a smelly human in his Teladi language as he tried to twist his face into a smile.
[Peter] “Teladi must have hatched early and don’t know to accept free help.”
The Boss of the Teladi had been on the other side of the ship and was listening to Peter and how his worker grumble at Peter.
The worker spoke in his native Teladi language. “Smelly human understand Teladi language?”
Peter replied back in a Teladi tongue. “Yes I understand you rotten egg.”
[Teladi worker] “I still no want your help! Leave!”

As Peter was walking away the owner of the repair bays stopped Peter.
“Teladi heard you talk in Teladi tongue and see you looking for work. What can you do?”
[Peter] “Here’s my card I can also do repair work if you need a good man that needs a job?”
“Teladi always need a good repair man.” The Teladi took Peter into the shop and showed him a room full of all kinds of defective and used parts. “I give you job if you can repair parts.”

[Peter] “What will you pay me?”
“Ananeoo pay you 20% of every part you fix and sale and 20% of labor on ships you work on not one credit more.”
[Peter] “I’ll take it I need a job when do I start?”
[Ananeoo] “You start now we need parts fixed start with this one.”

Peter set into repairing a part the Teladi with the bad attitude was needing and after changing a burnt out circuit board the part checked out alright. Peter gave it to the owner. “Here it’s ready.”
Ananeoo tested the part and handed Peter another one to be repaired saying. “Ananeoo like make profit with.” The Teladi tried to say Peter but was having a hard time with his name.
[Peter] “Just call me Rock.”
[Ananeoo] “Fix this part next Rock I take part you fix to Klope. I tell Klope you work for me now. You no listen to Klope he’s one with big mouth you talk to. He make Ananeoo credits so Ananeoo keep him.”
Peter could hear as Klope snarled out about his friend not getting a job. While Ananeoo explained that he had gave his friend a chance and he had lost credits because of his work. Then the two bickered about credits for a while until Klope took the part and went into the ship he was working on and Ananeoo returned to his office.

As Peter was about finished with the part Klope walked into the room Peter was working in. “Klope need part hurry up!”
Ananeoo walked over when he seen Klope go into the repair shop where Peter was. “Klope I test all parts before you put them in! No more bad deals cost me to many credits. And new man don’t get paid if I don’t see part first. Rock show me part first so I check it out. Klope you know I done told you how to do business from now own!”
Peter handed Ananeoo the part while Klope stood waiting. Ananeoo connected it to the tester and gave it to Klope after it checked out ok. As Klope left the room Ananeoo told Peter to let him test all the parts he repaired first and he would only be paid for the repair work he tested and not to give Klope any parts he worked on and didn’t test.
Peter thought as he started work on the next part he was given to repair Klope was trying to pull a fast one and take the part and sell it under the table and he wouldn’t get paid for the repair. Peter started keeping count of all the repairs and his cut on his PDA. As the shift changed and a new worker showed up Peter noticed it was a Teladi female.
Peter noticed Ananeoo leading her into the room with Peter. “Kea this is Rock he new repair man.”
Peter stood up and gave a Teladi gesture of hello.
Kea looked at Ananeoo and said. “He knows how to gesture hello.”
Peter replied in a Teladi tongue. “I can speak Teladi.”
“Ananeoo say Rock good repair man Kea like Rock so far. Kea like Rock more if parts you repair don’t stop working like last repair man.”
[Peter] “I’ll do my best Kea but their used parts and sooner or later one will come back.”
“Kea do good work no like to do work over! Good credits Rock.”
Ananeoo showed Kea a generator Peter had fixed. As she left Peter noticed she had her own repair drone as they loaded the generator onto a cart and the drone pulled it out into the bays to a ship and hocked a gravity lift to it.
[Ananeoo] “Kea is family she have her own drone. She do good work and save credits for her own ship. You have ship Rock?”
“Yes I have a ship in storage. It’s damaged and I need to save up to fix it.”
[Ananeoo] “Rock just work for Ananeoo till he fix ship?”
[Peter] “My ships in bad shape I’ll have to work for about a year to save up enough credits just to get it going.”
[Ananeoo] “You work for Ananeoo and do good till you save credits and Ananeoo let you use one of our repair bays for ½ price.”
[Peter] “Thanks it’s a deal Ananeoo.” As Peter bumped knuckles with Ananeoo.

Peter set in to a regular daily schedule of 12 hours a day for the next several days trying to restock the most common used parts on the shelves, while fixing or reworking used parts for the ships being repaired. After two weeks the repair parts were running out and only high priority ships were repaired till the parts supply was restocked.
A small makeshift computer and chip plant had been started along with several other companies on the planet when it was colonized and when the Gate stopped working the lack of imported goods forced the Director to have them expand to meet the production needs of the sector and keeping the flow of trade up and running was at the top of the list.

Ananeoo explained to Peter that he wanted him to go to the planet with Kea on the transport to fix a ship he had in storage. Then Kea and him were to fly it to the plant to pick up everything they have ready on his order and return to the station with the ship and the parts.
A trip to the planet sounded like a nice distraction to Peter from the daily hustle of work trying to make due with what they had as they took pieces from one part to repair another. Peter was going to get paid for travel time and repairs so it was a good deal for him just a repair job, pickup supplies and back to the station.
Peter helped Kea and her drone load a toolbox onto the transport filled with everything needed to repair the ship. Kea explained that Ananeoo had bought the ship right before the gate shut down and how she had a freighter that was about paid for in the same shipyard she wanted to check on while they were there. They checked their equipment list one last time and everything was loaded as the drone secured itself in the cargo hole. As the crew closed the hatch to the cargo hole Peter and Kea took their seats and strapped in for the ride.

Ananeoo had already hired a small delivery service to meet them at the dock to transport them and the equipment to the storage area where the ship was. The transport had a normal daily schedule it keep so their ride should have been their but it wasn’t. Kea looked over the paper work while the two of them sat on the platform waiting until Kea took off to the Port Authority Office leaving Peter with the equipment and tools to keep them safe as the crowds and dock workers hustled back and forth across the platform. The port was a busy hub of business and movement as the freighters and small ships landed and took off one right after the other in a steady flow.
Peter seen Kea and a Dock worker making their way through the crowd with a cart headed up to him.
When they reached Peter the dock worker didn’t say a word but went right to loading the cart along with the drone Kea ordered to help.
Kea explained as they loaded the cart that the delivery ship had run into problems and sent a friend to pick them up.
When Peter seen the pilot and how he was acting he stopped Kea saying. “Kea something is not right let me talk to him before we load up.”
[Peter] “What happened to the pilot we hired and where are your company logos on your ship?”
[Pilot] “I’m a friend of the man you hired he’s having problems with his ship and asked me to cover for him.”
Peter asked Kea for the paper work and looked at it as the man started looking around. “What’s the name of the pilot we hired friend?”
[Piolt] “Look buddy if you and the Teladi want the ride I suggest you load it up so we can leave.”
Peter looked over at a Guard and signaled for him to come over when he turned back the pilot was gone.
[Kea] “He just ran off! What’s going on?”
[Peter] “I believe he was trying to rob us Kea you need to contact the company the ship was leased from.”

The Guard escorted them to the dock office where Kea called the company that knew nothing about the substitute piot and sent another ship to pick them up and apologized for the trouble.
[Peter] “Kea is your drone equipped for security service?”
[Kea] “Yes but Kea have no weapons for drone.”
[Peter] “Are you licensed to arm the drone?” [Kea] “Yes”
[Peter] “Then I believe you need to buy one all I can carry is a stunner and knife if we run into trouble we’ll need protection.”
Kea went into the security office and talked a long time to the Officer explaining how she needed to get Peter a license to carry a small pistol to defend her and how she would be extremely grateful as she layed a large token on his desk near him. He quickly put the token into his pocket saying. “Come in here human.”

Peter slowly went into the office thinking they both were going to jail as the Officer said. “Give me your ID card.”
Peter gave the Teladi Officer his card not knowing what he was going to do next as he looked over the endorsements.
[Officer] “I give Human license to carry pistol. You guard smart Teladi female Human and no get into trouble and we get along fine.”
[Peter] “Thank you Sir.” As he lowered his head as a sign of thanks to the Officer as he returned the ID card to Peter.
The Officer took them into a room and opened a locker full of weapons they had seized he was willing to sale. While the Officer was showing Kea a pistol and holster he thought was just right for her. Peter was looking at one for him with a holster and a weapon for the drone.
When Kea got through flirting with the Officer she got right down to business about the price of the weapons and after a quick debate on cost a price was reached as Kea and Peter walked out of the office with the weapons they needed.
A pilot was waiting as they exited the office. “I’m here to pick you up and take you to the shipyard. Our pilot hasn’t contacted you has he?”
[Kea] “No contact. Just a lot of lost time we go now?”
[Piolt] “Yes as soon as we are loaded and sorry for the mix up.”

On the way there Peter could hear the radio before the pilot cut the speaker off stating how they had found the ship sent to pick them up had been forced down and the Pilot was? Then the speaker was turned off.
[Kea] “Did they just say the ship was forced down?” As she took hold of her pistol.
Peter placed his hand on her arm. “Yes but calm down.” As he looked at the pistol she had a hold of.
Kea released the pistol. “Yes, yes Teladi calm down I be ok! Things not going well what we do?”
[Peter] “When we reach the shipyard we need to check the ship out first and contact Ananeoo and tell him what has happened. Then do our jobs and fix the ship. A interplanetary fighter is not a easy target like the transport so we’ll be safer in it.”
Peter asked the Pilot. “Tell me has their been a lot of Pirate activity on the planet?”
[Pilot] “You’re kidding right? We’re on a border world Teladi planet the Gate has stranded us in so the answer is yes! About every week a ship is forced down and robbed. The Security Force has taken a strong stand against the Pirates attacks seeing it’s costing the Teladi Company credits and making the Director look bad. A fighter is shadowing us after the ship sent to pick you two up was forced down. These Pirates forced the right ship down but they didn’t wait till it picked its cargo up. Not to smart if you ask me. I see the shipyard now well be there in a few more minutes.”

Peter and Kea looked out at the shipyard as the ship eased to a landing near the area the ship was in.
A guard banged on the door saying. “Show me your papers before you leave the ship.”
The door was opened to a pair of guards with weapons ready. Kea handed the papers to the guards as they soon put their guns down and pointed out the ship.
As soon as the ship was unloaded the Pilot wished them luck and took off. Making Kea and Peter fill like they were just dropped in the middle of a war zone.
[Guard] “Your friend been working on ship you two come to get rest of parts?”
[Kea] “What friend we’re here to fix the ship and leave.”
[Teladi Guard] “Man who work with your company. He have papers and codes he and helper been moving parts to other ship in next yard. Helper come earler to check on something he say boss man come later at regular time.”
[Peter] “When is his regular time?”
[Teladi Guard] “Two more hours and he be here. Then you see who he is.”

[Peter] “Kea you move the equipment over out of sight behind that freighter.”
[Kea] “That my freighter I go see if my ship ok and put tools in it.”

Peter eased into the ship slowly looking around scanning. The scanner showed a explosive in a dark spot behind a hatch leading to the engine room. Peter shined his light in the direction of the bomb and seen the faint glimmer of a trip wire. As he looked inside at the wire leading to a pull pin on a anti-personnel bomb. Peter unhooked the wire from the bomb and took it to the Guard.
“This was inside rigged with a wire trip line. Whoever went into the engine room would have blown themselves up.”
[Kea] “They were trying to kill us! But why?”
[Peter] “I don’t think we were the targets. I think it was for the ship mechanic they were using. I believe they were tying up a loose end.” Peter looked at the Guard. “You said he was coming back the helper must have set the bomb I want to set the wire back up to a light. If he trips the wire we’ll know he was the target. We can watch the whole thing from a remote camera.”

The Guard made a call and two more Guards showed up. One took the bomb and left while the other stated. “I’m his supervisor set it up we need to know if this man is part of the Pirating ring that’s been stealing us blind or if he’s just being used. We seized the ship they were repairing when our Guard reported the problem and placed armed Guards around it until this whole mess is cleared up. The ship is registered to you Company so as far as we are concerned it belongs to Ananeoo.”

Peter set the wire back up to turn on a light and placed the video camera. The Officer had set up in office in the building behind the ship. The supplies were safe and sound stored in the freighter Kea was buying right next to the ship.
Right on time the Man showed up and headed for the ship punched in the code and opened the hatch. They all watched as he walked right in and headed to the engine room and triped the line turning the light on. [Officer] “Take him into custody.”
The ship was surrounded as they watched the man on the monitor looking at the light till two Guards took hold of him and pulled him out of the ship as he kept asking what was going on?

[collins50]

Good one,
but you left us hanging.
guess we see whats going on in the next chapter.