Community Event / Creation Deep Black - Short story in parts

[Loriath]

Decided to write a bit today. I will post more as I get more written.

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“You can’t smoke here” the voice bellowed from below me.


I looked down from the walkway where I was admiring the station. It was one of the newest ones I had ever been on. I was amazed and the cleanliness of it all as I watched the coming and going of the ships. I was about 30 minutes early for my appointment to pick up my new ship so I was in no hurry. Below me was a T-6 unloading its cargo. I had just watched it land a few minutes before, the Commander deftly dropped onto the pad with all the grace that bulk could muster. Definitely had quite a bit of time on that hulls stick.


The pad foreman was yelling at the pilot as he stood in the hatch of his grimy scarred beast. He was leaning against the frame taking a long draw on a cigarette. The foreman was not impressed with his choice of vices. Obviously frowned upon by the good folk of the clean station. The pilot didn’t seem to care at all. He looked back at the foreman as he pointed to the sign above his head hand painted above the cargo hatch. “My Ship. My Rules” was what was there. From the looks it had been painted on there a long time ago, but was still readable.


The foreman shook his head as his crew unloaded whatever cargo the pilot had for the station. “You step off that ramp and its an automatic 300 credit fine per minute for that. Maybe more if security catches you doing it” he yelled to be heard over the din of ships coming and going as well as the cargo loaders. The pilot took another drag on his cigarette and shoved his fist in the direction of the foreman with his middle finger extended. The foreman looked confused as that gesture was from a time long past, but he understood the attitude.


That made me smile. As new as the station was, as green as the crews were, the pilots and ships that were always coming and going were far from inexperienced. The pilot caught me from the corner of his eye and looked up to me. I tapped two fingers to my brow and nodded. He nodded back, gave the same gesture and tossed me a thumbs up. He smiled and crushed the cigarette out on the outside frame of the ship.


I looked back up to the entrance of the station just in time to see a large ship coming in. Split second to recognize the light pattern. Python. And running heavy. I watched as the automated landing system glided it down to its landing pad as deftly as the pilot of the T-6 did. But there was no way that the pilot was wielding the stick on that one. As it’s engines wound down, I glanced at the time. I had enough time to make the walk to my assigned pad now, best I got moving. I glanced down and the pilot of the T-6 was no where to be seen.


I started walking again spinward. It took me a little while before I got the my pad. I headed to the Tower and bounded up the stairs. I opened the door to the control office and as it closed behind me, the sudden silence in the room was a bit of a shock to my senses. I saw the tablet with the Zorgon Peterson Logo in the hands of a man and assumed that was the representative I was supposed to meet.


As I approached, he turned and I was greeted with a smile from a middle age man that was dressed in a flight suit that was as clean as the rest of the station. “Ah, Cmdr Loraith, a pleasure. Your early too. Must be anxious to get things squared away” he said as he reached out his hand to grasp mine in a firm grip that seemed to be the custom in the core worlds. Took me a few years to get used to that. Outside of the core, if you reached for someone, you were just as likely to be shot or punched as you were to breathe. First time I met with the custom closer to the core worlds, I was fined 100 credits for punching the mineral broker at Ackerman station. But that was many many years ago.


“Yes” I replied as he pointed to the stairs that would lead to the loading area. He didn’t wait for me to follow, and started down the stairs looking both at the direction he was walking, while craning his head backwards and to the side so he could speak to me.


“My name is Cratter. I have been overseeing the fitment of your ship personally. All part of the Zorgon Peterson experience. I can assure you that the specific equipment you have requested has all been installed and tested personally by myself. It is my name on the line if anything is incorrect sir.” He turned at the bottom of the stairs and headed down the hallway to the personal access door to the pad. “I have completed 2 test flights including a small jump to the closest system and back to ensure everything is working.” He again gestured for me to head out of the door, and again did not wait as he opened it and walked out to the walkway.


I followed him out and his voice raised in volume to continue to be heard. “ I can assure you that the scanners and fuel scoop are working as I tested them both out. It handles like a dream” he smiled to me as he said it. Keying into his tab board, the deck opened and the elevator lifted the ship into view. Once everything stopped moving and the warning lights changed to green, he turned to me and gestured towards the ship in a grandiose way. “Commander Loraith, on behalf of Zorgon Peterson, your new Zorgon Peterson Adder awaits you your pre-delivery inspection. And welcome to the Zorgon Peterson Family.” He was seriously excited and pleased and there was no hint of rehearsed dry delivery as he said it. I tried not to laugh, but I did smile.


“Thank you” I said as I headed down the walkway and made my way across the pad.

 

[Loriath]

I reached the bottom of the walkway looking carefully at the ship before me. Mr. Cratter moved ahead of me and shuffled sideways as I moved. “I might point out a few of the features of the Adder before we do the final checklist” he started into a well rehearsed monologue as we reached the hatch. As he reached for the control panel, I started to walk towards the port side.


“... and of course it has all the amenities you are used to from the Hauler.” Cratter was going off and I could hear his voice mumbling as I worked my way along the side checking the paint job and the surface of the ship for Imperfections. “Commander? Commander?” Cratter’s voice rose as he rushed around to Starboard and not seeing me, spun and ran the other way. “Commander? The hatch is here!”


I had my tablet out and was taking notes. Mr. Cratter stopped as I squatted down to shine a torch on the underside of the ship, carefully checking the landing gear. When I stood back up, he was standing there with his arms crossed looking a little miffed that I was not listening and following him. “Commander, “ he huffed with frustration, “may I ask what you are doing?”


I moved closer to front of the ship and squatted down under the bow getting a closer look. “I am making notes Mr Cratter” I was looking close at the front gear Pad. I moved out from the underside and stood up and came face to face with a seemingly bothered Cratter. I started to move around him and he turned to follow.


“Commander, you can get to know her AFTER we complete delivery requirements” he grunted trying to hide his annoyance. “I know pilots love their ships sir, but there are legalities to deal with.” He really seemed to be quite put out by my actions.


I had taken a foothold and was inspecting the canopy edge. I stepped back down to the pad and made a few more notes. “Will only take a few more minutes Mr. Cratter.” I responded to him as I kept moving and looking closer at the ship. He sighed loudly as he realized I was going to continue till I was done, and had decided that his interruptions would only prolong the experience.


True to my word, a few minutes later I had moved back to the main hatch and looked at Mr. Cratter. “All done, now, you were saying something about the security system?” I said smiling as best I could.


“Yes,” he took a deep breath, “Yes of course. The security system will not respond to you until you have signed for delivery, so I will have to give you preliminary computer access once we are inside.” He keyed his code in and the hatch popped and slid open. The cargo area lights came on and he entered as I followed. “I will have to enable the flight computer before we can unlock the cargo bay door locks”.


He entered his code a second time and the airlock between the cargo area and the crew are opened with a pop and hiss. He moved passed the crew quarters for the flight deck. Again, one more coded door. He stepped into the cockpit and I followed. He started to enable the computers on the ship as I looked around.


It was definitely an upgrade of space on the Hauler. 2 flight chairs. Lots of room to move around. This will be perfect I thought. I heard the main power unit switch on and the computer came online.


“Zorgon Peterson Adder registration victor tango three seven seven nine five alpha online. Access code?” the ships computer said with a much clearer vice than the hauler had. Amazing what a few years can do for progress. Mr. Cratter punched a few things on the command console. “Confirmed access code for Cratter, Donald T. Zorgon Peterson delivery officer. Voice code please?” it asked.


“Confirm, Cratter, Donald P. Access Code Alpha three nine nine two. Unlock.” He turned to me and smiled as the computer confirmed his voice code and replied that it was unlocked for pre-delivery inspection. “Computer, Recognize Commander Loraith, Purchaser, pre-delivery inspection access. His identity has been confirmed, no need for his access code until he has signed.” The computer signalled acceptance of my temporary access.


Knowing I would have limited access and could not even get the ship to close the cargo door, I turned to wards the cockpit controls. “Mr. Cratter, how long have you been a pilot?” I asked as I sat down and checked the control movements.


His face turned into a genuine smile. “8 Years Commander.” He sounded quite proud. “6 of those as a delivery officer for Zorgon Peterson” I brought the module display up so I could verify my requested options had been installed as he continued. “Best part of the Job” he beamed.


I nodded in agreement. Flying was the best job. Period. “You made 2 test flights, is that correct?” He nodded. “Do I have access to those flight logs?” He nodded again, but the smile was slowly shrinking. “Good,” I said as I opened the flight log display. “Computer, access flight history. Confirm number of flights.” The computer replied 2 as Mr. Cratter had already said. “Read back flight one itinerary please.”


The computer responded immediately. “Flight one, November 16th, 3298, 09:52. Duration 1 hour, 26 minutes.. Departed pad 14, Armstrong Station. Returned, pad 36. 11:18. Do you want flight details?” the computer asked. I confirmed and it continued. As it did, I continued to check items on the flight displays as Mr. Cratter stood next to the pilot chair, not moving.


“Ship cycled power systems, hardmounts, and lights. Navigation locked to Xiaoguan Dock. FSD powered up. FSD duration 4 minutes 32 seconds. Exited FSD at Xiaoguan Dock. All systems cycled off/on. Navigation locked to Cupis 1. FSD powered up. FSD Duration 6 minutes, 8 seconds. Exited FSD in Cupis 1 orbit. All Systems cycled off/on. Navigation locked to Armstrong Dock. FSD power up. FSD Duration 5 minutes 39 seconds. Exited FSD at Armstrong Station. Flight manoeuvres test of all thrusters/FAO operation test. Docking requested, at 11:14. Touchdown at 11:18 at pad 36. System off at 11:34 after logs downloaded by Pilot Cratter.”


“So no problems with any of the tests Mr. Cratter?” I asked as I got out of the pilots chair and moved to the axillary nav/power panel and checked current readouts. He seemed way more relaxed.


“None at all,” he replied, the smile back on his face. “Its quite nice to fly, and everything was well above normal parameters.” He added “ This one is built sturdy” as he patted the headrest of the pilots chair.


I then moved back to the pilots chair and checked power levels to confirm against the axillary panel. “And you tested the fuel scoop on the second flight?” I asked him as all the power levels checked out. He nodded. “Perfect. And I see all my requested options were installed.”


“Yes sir. The secondary berth and deluxe galley as well as the large water recycling system. As you requested. And as a special, we included the deluxe pads in the berths at no extra charge.” he proudly stated and I nodded and smiled in approval as I thanked him. He lead me to see the crew area.


I listened intently as he spoke of all the features and differences from my Hauler. I tried to show interest as he droned on, but it was difficult. An hour later we were all done, and back on the flight deck for the final paperwork.


He flipped his tablet towards me ‘And with that Commander, all you have to do is authorize the transfer to your name, and the credits will be removed from your account.”


“Before I do that Mr. Cratter. I have a couple of questions about the exterior, if that is okay?” I made the request as politely as I could.


“Of Course” he said, no hint of the earlier frustration in his voice.


“I noticed a couple of things about the exterior that has caused me some worry.” I said trying to keep my voice even. He raised a brow at that. “First off, the Skid on the front landing strut is bent. Its not bent a lot, but it is bent.” His eyes opened wider as he started to flip through documents on his tablet.


I continued. “I know from the Hauler that that sort of damage is not a defect in workmanship, but is damaged cause when landing outside of operational speed, or an overloaded ship landing.” He was flipping documents right up until the last part of my statement. He stopped and looked directly at me. Before he could say anything I spoke up again. “I also noticed a slight bubbling of the paint on the canopy frame and on the panel seams of the nose. That could be a paint application issue, but I did not see it on any other seam or area that I inspected on my walk around.”


Cratter had lowered the tablet now and was just standing there glaring at me. “The only other thing that could cause that sort of paint bubbling is an overheating situation. I am quite familiar with that from scooping.” I paused for a moment, but he didn’t take the bait. So I offered some bait. “Is there any way that I could be wrong about the way these 2 things happened?”


The air in the ship was quite fresh, but it had turned stale in the cockpit between myself and Mr. Cratter.


He straightened up and stated flatly “I have no idea what you are talking about Commander.” he lifted his tablet again, more so to avoid my gaze than having to refer to his notes. “I have no record of either of these issues from my inspections.”


“I see.” I said. “Computer, Second flight record, was the fuel scoop deployed?” I said aloud as I continued to look at Mr. Cratter.


“Confirmed” the voice came back. I watched his face for any changes. He was breathing a little harder.


“What was the maximum heat level reached during the fuel scoop operation?” I asked and watched him swallow hard. We both knew what the reply was going to be.


“Heat levels reached 138% of Maximum” was the reply. I think I was more surprised than he was. I expected around 130%, so the paint was much better than I had originally thought. He stood there saying nothing.


I wasted no time with my next inquiry. “Computer, check telemetry for all landings. Where any by automated docking systems?” We both knew the answer to this. He swallowed hard again. The reply was Negative. So I inquired again. “Both landings were hands on stick by Mr. Cratter?” which the computer confirmed.


Now for the final question: “Computer what was the maximum inertia speed at the moment the front landing gear touched down on the two flights?” Cratter was visibly sweating now. You could see it on his brow. I was trying hard not to smile.


“Maximum inertia speed of front landing gear was 8m per second.” I knew it. He knew it. The front landing gear was rated for a max of 6m per second empty loaded. His one hand started to make a fist. I did not expect him to attack me, it was more frustration showing. But I don’t think he was expecting what was coming next.


I turned my head towards the front of the cockpit. “Computer, contact station services. Request quote for replacement cost of complete front landing gear with Official Zorgon Peterson new parts, and complete repaint of this hull with factory original markings using Zorgon Peterson factory paint” I spoke clearly, so that there was NO way that he could not have heard me properly. We both knew that Zorgon Peterson original factory parts were 5-6 times more expensive than aftermarket parts.


He looked down at his tablet and flipped a few documents as we waited in silence. I stood looking at the main control display. It took a couple of minutes for the computer to come back. “Commander, station services replied, Do you want the itemized costs, or total?”


“Just the total please, and the quoted time frame.” Now Cratter knew exactly what I was doing, and he knew that any money they made on this ship was gone, and if he got out of it with his job in tact, he was going to be lucky.


“Total is 32,149 Credits Commander. Station services quotes 4 days 9 hours to complete.”


I looked at Mr. Cratter. He was busy typing away but stopped and looked down at the bottom line of the costs he was just quoted. Before he could say anything, I jumped in. “Of course there are docking fees during the waiting time, as well as my food and lodging, as well as an extension of my landing permit that would have to be included.” I paused as he ran the numbers in his head. “Of course, I could also just walk away from the deal, but it was a custom order, and I am sure that it would be hard for you to find another buyer that wants the exact options I had requested... “ I let my words fade off as I gave him time to reflect on the situation he was in.Then I threw the kicker in. “On the bright side. I have no hauling contracts that I would lose time and money on.”


Maybe it was too much. It was hard to tell. He seemed to regain some composure. He tapped furiously on his tablet, then took a deep breath. He turned the tablet around to me and handed it over. On the screen was the sales contract, there was a deduction line of 35K credits. “Deal?” he asked.


“Deal.” I replied. I keyed my authorization into the tablet, and heard the confirmation tone. The ship was mine. I reached out to shake his hand. He looked at my hand, then at me. He took the tablet back, nodded once, and turned to leave. He paused by the Flight Deck door.


“Computer. transfer ownership to Commander Loraith. Authorization Cratter Alpha three nine nine two. Unlock and Transfer.” He didn’t wait for the computers confirmation and walked directly out of the crew area and past the cargo bay to the hatch.


I watched him continue to the walkway as the computer asked for my authorization code. I gave it and the ship was now completely under my control.


“Commander, shall I confirm the order to Station Services?” the ships computer asked.


“No Need. Prepare for departure.” I answered as I went back to the crew area to take stock of the supplies. I heard footsteps and then a voice.


“Permission to come aboard?”


“Dad!” I called out and headed to the hatch. “Of Course!” Dad entered the cargo area and met me with a big hug. “Are our cases coming?” I asked looking out the cargo hatch.


“Yep. A few minutes behind me on a loader.” He removed his jacket and placed it on a bunk, then looked around. “Quite a nice ship Son. Was there any issues with the sale?”


“Nothing important” I chuckled. “But I did get a decent deal.”


“Good.” he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Glad to see my salesmanship rubbed off on you.”


“It did Dad.” I smiled even more as the hum of the loader with our belongings arrived and we moved to start loading them into the hold.


“35 years of selling used ships comes in handy all the time Son, I told you!” We both hoisted a case up and heading inside the hatch.


“You’re right” I said as stopped and looked up towards the tower. Mr. Cratter was looking down at me. Glaring at me. “You are so right.”