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Author Topic: A Starfarer's Journey  (Read 959 times)

Tetra

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A Starfarer's Journey
« on: May 20, 2021, 02:32:08 PM »

Ch 1: A New Deal
It had been a bad week, the last distress signal they had picked up turned out to have been a trap which his adviser had repeatedly warned him against. Even knowing that was a possibility Neptune had still answered the call, he could have never forgiven himself if he had left desperate souls behind for dead. But this time the cost was grave, predictably they had jumped into a trap. At first, they were able to turn the tide against the enemy but in the middle of picking through the wreckage, enemy reinforcements had appeared.
They swarmed over his fleet like locusts, because of his error in judgement he had lost several dozen crew-mates, his Flag ship the Prometheus MK II, as well as a friend and Officer Quinn Luyten. The fool had recklessly charged the Prometheus into the enemy line to punch an escape route for the rest of the fleet. 
“Bastard” Neptune swore under his breath, it was the Captains duty to go down with the ship. You still had a family, how was he going to face them when he returned to the core worlds.
39 lives so that the rest of the us could survive. No, Neptune thought again no, 39 lives lost all because you had wanted to play hero.
Was the price of soothing his conscience worth all this death and lost? For the first time in his life Neptune didn’t have an answer. He had rewarded his men’s loyalty with death and It hurt. Somewhere in his chest he felt a dozen imaginary needles pierce where he suspected his heart was located.  It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way he thought it wasn’t.
His door’s intercom suddenly rang and jolted him away from his thoughts. “come in” he whispered and then as if to banish his doubts he repeated the phrase with more confidence “Come In”.
“Captain” a woman in her mid-twenties addressed him. Ishtar Shelton was his adviser and close friend they had known each other since their academy days. Neither side could look each other in the eye, she had been the one who had vehemently insisted the entire thing was a trap to make matters worse she and Quinn were close friends. When Neptune finally gathered the courage to look at her, he found what he had feared.
Pity and disappointment were written all over her face, it wasn’t a smug I told you so that he knew from his teenage years but a somber why couldn’t you have just listened.
“How’s the morale Ishtar?” Neptune asked
“Could be better, they know you had to make the choice but it never feels good losing your crew. But we have major problems developing.”
“***” Neptune cursed. “Please tell me we’re not low on fuel and supplies” he pinched the bridge of nose in reflex depending on her answer he feared a migraine was incoming. 
“I’m afraid so Captain, as you know the Prometheus carried a good portion of our fuels and supplies, when we left her behind and jumped into hyperspace to escape our pursuers, we got caught in a hyperspace storm coupled with the damage we received beforehand Chief engineer Hawkins estimates that if we finished surveying the planet, we might not have enough supplies left to repair our fleet.”
“The planet takes precedence, mothball the ships that are too damaged and then prepare quarters for the crew. It’ll be cramped and the men will grumble; but we didn’t travel 16 lightyears just to not get paid, once we finish here, we’ll drag those ships back home”
“That’s the other problem our men are having trouble setting up the heavy machinery on the planet, the lava has basically halted any progress we won’t make the deadline for the Planet Survey. If we choose to continue the survey, we’ll just be wasting supplies”
Neptune felt the migraine coming. “Can’t one thing go right in this expedition” he grumbled. “Tell the men to go on standby, I’ll see if I can stall Tri-tach for time.
“Is that even going to work? Tri-Tach have never extended the deadline for anyone before. You’ll just be wasting your time.”
“With what’s happened this run because of them, they damn well better.”
As Ishtar left the room, he hesitantly made the call to the Tri-Tachyon representative. This was a call neither side was going to enjoy.
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“I don’t understand the problem? We’re in the damn star system, my men are on the planet surveying the planet as we speak.” Neptune lied out of his teeth; he wasn’t surveying anything if he wasn’t going to get paid. Still, he needed the credits and if Tri-Tachyon was willing to give him an extra day they’d get their data.
“Tri-Tachyon Inc. does not accept contracts that are over a day late Mr. Neptune you know this.” The blue suit wearing representative replied in a fashion so monotonous that Neptune was sure it was all but a practiced phrase.
“Surveying an entire planet takes time. The planet you sent us to is a molten lava pit for Ludd’s sake. We needed to spend a good week trying to find a safe place to setup. The equipment is all in place and we’re drilling into the planet as we speak. Are you really refusing to pay us over something so trivial?”
“That’s not how this works and you know that. This was all discussed in the terms and conditions you signed, I’m sorry but the moment you exceed the time allotted, your contract will be null and void.”
“Yeah? And does your terms and conditions state anything about being sabotaged by the other party?” The irritation of being brushed off caused him to lash out in angry.
“Mr. Neptune, I understand you are feeling a bit distraught over this matter. But I can assure you that Tri-Tachyon Inc did not in any way shape or form sabotage you in this endeavor. Furthermore Tri-Tachyon are not liable for actions pursued by third parties that use our copyrighted ships to engage in illegal activities such as piracy.
“I’m not talking about some third-rate pirates. I’m talking about a Tri-Tachyon ship that was broadcasting Tri Tachyon Transponder codes via a distress signal which then proceeded to ambush us when we came to provide aid.”
An eerie silence filled the air after those words left his lips. For the first time since the call began, it was the other side who was on the defensive. The Tri-Tachyon representative seemed to carefully mull his next words choosing with care which words to use to end this conversation as soon as possible.
“These are serious accusations Mr. Neptune I hope you understand that If you continue to besmirch our reputation in this way, we will be forced to take legal action. One should never make such statements without sufficient evidence.”
“Well, it’s a good thing my Ship’s storage has a vivisected hull of a Redacted Tri-Tachyon ship along with several Redacted cores. And let’s not forget an entire recorded comm conversation where I was greeted by Tri-Tachyon integrated space defense system unit serial #489981. Who told me Tri-Tachyon was pleased to wish me a very safe day, right before it started blasting me and mine to smithereens.”
“The cores are they in pristine condition?” The Tri-Tachyon representative asked excitedly.
“What? About as pristine as one can expect if you fired a Heavy Autocannon at them a couple a hundred times.” The conversation had taken a puzzling turn a turn
“I mean are the cores able to be booted up and utilized?”
“I don’t know I haven’t bother to check, what the hell does this if have to do with my payment? My men are down there right now fine combing rocks!”
“Listen to me, forgot about getting paid for this assignment. I don’t have the authority to release payment for this contract and those who can will not break the rules for you. But what I can do for you is pay you for the return of these Redacted cores.”
“The selling of Artificial Intelligence Cores is illegal under Hegemony Law; everyone knows that, what are you trying to pull.”
“That is correct the selling of such items violates Hegemony Navy Diktat Law C.107, yet the Treaty put in place by the Hegemony allows for the turning in of Artificial Intelligence Cores by any party for proper disposal. Thereafter the party who turned in said item (that is you) will receive monetary compensation for doing their civic duty. You can ask any polity in the Sector or if you prefer you can look it up with your Tri-pad; try searching: The Treaty of Crom Cruach Article. 14, Section 5, Clause 3 it’s all very legal.”
“Alright let’s say what you’re saying is true, whats stopping me from heading on to Eventide and dropping these cores in for payment why do I need you?”
“The fact that Tri-Tachyon pays on average 200% more than The Hegemony or any other polity in this sector you would care to do business with. Now tell me how many cores were you able to recover?”
“Of the 10 ships we picked apart four of them were salvageable.”
“I see, the least valuable gamma core would net you around $30,000 credits each, if every core you collected was a gamma, then with four of them, I can safely say that’s $120,000 credits, 50k credits more than this contract pays and $80k what The Hegemony is willing to pay you. That is of course assuming we have a deal.”
“We have a deal”
“Good, I have some business in Ancyra that should take some time to resolve meet me there if you’re able, if the goods are in adequate quality, you’ll get your money.” With those words the Tri-Tachyon representative disappeared from the computer monitor.
50 k credits were better than nothing but it still couldn’t make up for Prometheus Mk II he had lost. With renewed energy he called Ishtar with his comm. “Ishtar, tell the survey crew to come back abroad the ship, we’re setting a course to the Galatia system, it’s time we got paid.
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