Hitching a ride.
Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 2:22 pmThe captain's office on board the Union class dropship Calico was a mess.
It resembled the ship, in that regard.
Sitting primly on the edge of the dusty cushion of the red velvet armchair which had been bolted across from the captain's chair, Lucretzia Winters did not outwardly show her dislike of her surroundings, but her usual frigidity was even greater than normal, and perhaps that was what led Yuri Creed to sink deeply into the surprisingly deep and squeaky depths of his own chair. Across from the pair the captain lounged, lanky legs over the right armrest, head perched against his left arm which rested on the edge of his desk. His right hand idly swirled a hip flask with an irritating sloshing, and whatever was inside released hints of steam whenever it was opened.
The discussion on rates had been going on for several minutes, and Yuri let his gaze travel the office, taking in the oiled, pitted bulkheads, the piles of paper neatly bound and then left haphazardly about, contained only by Zero-G netting to keep them from floating off when the dropship sat at station waiting for a jumpship to charge. By one faux porthole sat an empty birdcage, inside which there sat a skeleton of... something. If it was a bird, Yuri didn't want to ever see what the living specimen was. By the other faux porthole, a small screen with a video feed fed in from the nose of the ship, showing a slightly grainy image of the cloudy sky of Galatea, sat some ancient contraption of brass and glass - with gauges and dials... it seemed likely something that was older even than space-flight itself, given how useless the device appeared.
"I'm afraid I cannot give you a concrete sum until you say where I'm taking this little company of yours, Miss Winters. I suspect there is no other captain, no matter how ramshackle his ship, who would offer a different answer." The captain's voice was surprisingly smooth and youthful sounding, coming from a face which could be anything from forty to sixty, gaunt, strong-boned with a cleanly groomed gray mustache and slicked back gray hair. Two green-gray eyes watched, with evident amusement, from behind thin spectacles.
Lucretzia fidgeted slightly, the most outward discomfort Yuri had witnessed from her so far - and it seemed some of her veneer was thinner than he had thought, if this was all it took to penetrate it. Good to remember.
"Very well. I will share this information under the understanding that you will not share it with my competitors. I seek transport to Illium, and I reached out to you both because of your reasonable rates and your ability to procure the services of a Jumpship, as our destination is not a common one." Her frosty tone did not thaw, and she gazed suspiciously down her nose at the captain as he raised an eyebrow, unscrewed the cap of his flask, and took a slow swig.
Sealing the metal container with a casual motion of his left hand, he finally straightened in his seat, leaning back with an audible squeak of ancient springs. Tapping a few buttons on the far side of the desk, concealed from view, he glanced at a small screen inset in the old hardwood, and then frowned. "Illium is... it's not exactly a common destination. You'd be the only passenger for the jumpship, and that's going to be expensive."
"The price should fit within our budget."
"How on earth do you expect a battered world like Illium to yield you any profit? Last updates to my charts have it down as being roughly halfway dead from nuclear fallout."
Lucretzia twitched, and then calmed herself. "That's not important, sir. You simply have to deliver my company there and back, and collect your paycheck."
The captain sighed, running one finger through his mustache idly, seemingly lost in thought. The silence stretched out, elastic and uncomfortable, until finally, coming to a decision, he nodded. "All right, Miss Winters, you have a deal. I'll reach out with an official invoice for the fuel, supplies, and time spent going so far out. If your credit is good, we'll be ready to lift within the week."
"Three days, please. We have a schedule to keep."
A thin gray eyebrow was arched at that, but he shrugged. "All right, three days. Best have your mercenary friends ready to help load and secure their equipment, but if you can pay for that pace, we'll make it."
"Very good." Rising Lucretzia offered one pale hand, and the captain took it.
"The Calico and her captain are at your service. Pleasure doing business."
Yuri also rose, and likewise offered a handshake.
Once both of them had departed, the captain sank back into his chair, expression thoughtful. Running one hand over the name, faded with time, which still adorned the small block on the desk. Alexei Herald, captain of the Calico.
"Illium... huh. Most unusual indeed."
With a thoughtful expression, he keyed up another program on his desk, and began to write.
It resembled the ship, in that regard.
Sitting primly on the edge of the dusty cushion of the red velvet armchair which had been bolted across from the captain's chair, Lucretzia Winters did not outwardly show her dislike of her surroundings, but her usual frigidity was even greater than normal, and perhaps that was what led Yuri Creed to sink deeply into the surprisingly deep and squeaky depths of his own chair. Across from the pair the captain lounged, lanky legs over the right armrest, head perched against his left arm which rested on the edge of his desk. His right hand idly swirled a hip flask with an irritating sloshing, and whatever was inside released hints of steam whenever it was opened.
The discussion on rates had been going on for several minutes, and Yuri let his gaze travel the office, taking in the oiled, pitted bulkheads, the piles of paper neatly bound and then left haphazardly about, contained only by Zero-G netting to keep them from floating off when the dropship sat at station waiting for a jumpship to charge. By one faux porthole sat an empty birdcage, inside which there sat a skeleton of... something. If it was a bird, Yuri didn't want to ever see what the living specimen was. By the other faux porthole, a small screen with a video feed fed in from the nose of the ship, showing a slightly grainy image of the cloudy sky of Galatea, sat some ancient contraption of brass and glass - with gauges and dials... it seemed likely something that was older even than space-flight itself, given how useless the device appeared.
"I'm afraid I cannot give you a concrete sum until you say where I'm taking this little company of yours, Miss Winters. I suspect there is no other captain, no matter how ramshackle his ship, who would offer a different answer." The captain's voice was surprisingly smooth and youthful sounding, coming from a face which could be anything from forty to sixty, gaunt, strong-boned with a cleanly groomed gray mustache and slicked back gray hair. Two green-gray eyes watched, with evident amusement, from behind thin spectacles.
Lucretzia fidgeted slightly, the most outward discomfort Yuri had witnessed from her so far - and it seemed some of her veneer was thinner than he had thought, if this was all it took to penetrate it. Good to remember.
"Very well. I will share this information under the understanding that you will not share it with my competitors. I seek transport to Illium, and I reached out to you both because of your reasonable rates and your ability to procure the services of a Jumpship, as our destination is not a common one." Her frosty tone did not thaw, and she gazed suspiciously down her nose at the captain as he raised an eyebrow, unscrewed the cap of his flask, and took a slow swig.
Sealing the metal container with a casual motion of his left hand, he finally straightened in his seat, leaning back with an audible squeak of ancient springs. Tapping a few buttons on the far side of the desk, concealed from view, he glanced at a small screen inset in the old hardwood, and then frowned. "Illium is... it's not exactly a common destination. You'd be the only passenger for the jumpship, and that's going to be expensive."
"The price should fit within our budget."
"How on earth do you expect a battered world like Illium to yield you any profit? Last updates to my charts have it down as being roughly halfway dead from nuclear fallout."
Lucretzia twitched, and then calmed herself. "That's not important, sir. You simply have to deliver my company there and back, and collect your paycheck."
The captain sighed, running one finger through his mustache idly, seemingly lost in thought. The silence stretched out, elastic and uncomfortable, until finally, coming to a decision, he nodded. "All right, Miss Winters, you have a deal. I'll reach out with an official invoice for the fuel, supplies, and time spent going so far out. If your credit is good, we'll be ready to lift within the week."
"Three days, please. We have a schedule to keep."
A thin gray eyebrow was arched at that, but he shrugged. "All right, three days. Best have your mercenary friends ready to help load and secure their equipment, but if you can pay for that pace, we'll make it."
"Very good." Rising Lucretzia offered one pale hand, and the captain took it.
"The Calico and her captain are at your service. Pleasure doing business."
Yuri also rose, and likewise offered a handshake.
Once both of them had departed, the captain sank back into his chair, expression thoughtful. Running one hand over the name, faded with time, which still adorned the small block on the desk. Alexei Herald, captain of the Calico.
"Illium... huh. Most unusual indeed."
With a thoughtful expression, he keyed up another program on his desk, and began to write.