Chapter 2
Staying Alive
Sandra settled into the pilot's chair while Ryan went to engineering and Ariel went to weapons. Putting Ariel in charge of weaponry seemed like a terrible idea. Their old ship didn't even have weapons, and Ariel only knew how to handle them from the instructional material she had downloaded. If she could hit the broad side of a Rockman vessel they would be lucky. Not to mention the constant tingling sensation of the med unit was getting on Sandra's last nerve.
"Is there a way to shut that off?" Sandra asked.
"System shutdown: Not advised," Ariel replied, "Med unit: Useful in case of emergency."
"Fine," Sandra sighed, "But I feel like bugs are crawling all over me."
Ariel just shrugged on the view screen and then returned to minding her weapons systems. The crew could communicate through the comm system if necessary, but for the most part Sandra was going to try to focus on her piloting.
There were many FTL (Faster Than Lightspeed) gates to choose from on the map. Faster than light travel had been a real boon for businesses when it was first introduced a little over an earth century ago, but to Sandra it meant nothing more than figuring out which button to press in hopes of finding business opportunities. Her old map told her everything about each individual gate, but with the war going on current maps weren't updated beyond a general sector's political control, so for the most part she was flying blind.
As Sandra scanned over the map she noted that one of the nearby ports was broadcasting a distress signal. Normally Sandra would never answer a distress call. Her old ship wasn't equipped to handle so much as a stray chunk of asteroid. This ship however could actually do something. They were powerful now, and the crew could actually help someone in need. Sandra smiled to herself and set a course for the beacon.
Realizing this could be trouble, Sandra turned on the comm and announced "Hey guys, I'm following a distress beacon. There could be trouble. Ariel, warm up the weapons. Ryan, boost the power to the engines in case we need to run."
This announcement was met with dutiful acknowledgement from the crew, and the FTL activated to get them where they needed to go.
When they made it to the beacon they saw a small ship that had been badly damaged. Sandra looked for scanners on the ship, but apparently even a Torus class warship didn't come with decent scanners anymore. Sandra couldn't help but think about how impoverished the Engi government must be to not even be able to equip their ships with everything they needed. To the Engi ships were living beings created by a community to serve as protection and familial companionship. They never scrimped on building ships before the war.
"Report: Scans?" Ariel asked over the comm.
"We don't have powerful enough scanners to determine if anyone's alive down there," Sandra explained, "If we want to figure out if anyone's down there, then we need to board the ship."
"Attachment: Necessary," Ryan pointed out through his comm signal, "Crew teleporter: Unequipped. Backup: Required. Ryan volunteers."
"Ariel volunteers in addition to Ryan," Ariel added.
"Good. Let's go," Sandra ordered.
Once the crew entered the ship everything was dark and musty from the stale air being poorly recycled through the vents. Sandra kept a firm hold on her stun pistol. It wasn't a powerful gun and didn't kill the target, but it was all she could afford. Ryan and Ariel had weapons installed in their arms, so she was at least grateful they could protect themselves.
"Alright guys, we're going to have to split up," Sandra told them, "I'll take the cockpit, Ryan you take the storage area, and Ariel you take engineering. If anyone's still alive maybe we can save them."
Without a word the pair of Engi went off to perform their tasks. Sandra likewise walked further into the putrid ship and into the unknown.
At first there didn't seem to be anyone aboard, alive or dead. Sandra wondered if perhaps pirates and shown up and taken the crew hostage. It was amazing how lawless the depths of space could be. Even with all the millennia of advancement each race had made, there were still those out there who considered their fellow sentient creature as nothing more than objects to be used.
As Sandra approached the cockpit, she could hear the sound of two men arguing. They sounded half crazy, and every now and then it sounded like one hit the other. She knew she was probably walking into a dangerous situation, so she pinged Ryan and Ariel to let them know to meet her at her position.
She opened the door to see what all the ruckus was about, and the pair of skinny sallow-eyed humans whipped around to look at her as one; like owls that had been startled.
"Greetings, gentlemen," Sandra began, "I am Captain Perkins, and I have responded to your distress signal. We-"
Before Sandra could finish her sentence however, one of the men pulled her inside and slammed his hand on the button to close the doors. Sandra immediately drew her gun, and the men did the same. The look they gave her could only be described as hungry, and that only became more apparent when one man said...
"Don't shoot the legs or middle. That's where the fat is."
"Hey! It's just water weight!" Sandra snapped defensively, but then paused when she realized what he meant by that.
They were going to eat her!
One of the men shot at her shoulders, both to incapacitate her and force her to drop her gun. The other man couldn't wait and began biting at her right arm! Sandra screamed and kicked at her assailants, but in such close quarters without the use of her arms she was virtually defenseless. These men were maniacs, and in between the fear and the panic there was just enough room left in her brain to be ashamed to be from the same species as these animals.
She was bleeding, the laser shots burned, and she was sure she was going to die. Before that happened however Ryan forced his way through the doors and rammed the guy with the gun into the wall! An Engi wasn't edible to humans, so the biter continued assaulting Sandra. One of one felt like better odds however, so Sandra head-butted her attacked and then used a free leg to kick at him.
The gunman was starting to get the upper hand over Ryan. While Ryan might have had a stronger body and sharper mind, the assailant was hungrier and more desperate to live. Sandra likewise was down for the count and was sure she would be eaten alive by these crazed starving lunatics. Just as all hope seemed lost however, both men were shot down by Ariel, who was standing in the doorway.
"Assistance: You're welcome," Ariel said smoothly as she blew on her smoking cannon/hand.
"Wow, I didn't...know you could...aim so clearly..." Sandra said weakly, still losing blood.
"Unconscious cannibals: Predicament. Suggestion?" Ryan asked Sandra.
"We can't...leave them here, even if they did...try to eat me," Sandra replied, "Ariel, tie them up. We'll take them to a settlement."
Ariel did as instructed, and even carried the two men to the ship. Sandra and Ryan supported each other as they walked back; both injured and weak from the fight. As they entered their own ship Sandra could feel the med unit working, and even before they got to the medbay she could feel the wounds closing up and her arms regaining some mobility. Ryan likewise was being repaired.
"Wow...Ariel was right," Sandra admitted, "This thing is great for emergencies."
Most ships probably would have dropped the cannibals off at a hospital. Sandra and her crew dropped them off on a bench at a store. Not very practical, but the crew needed to get some shopping done anyway.
As they perused the bazaar-style market nestled comfortably under a clear stargazing dome, everyone had a different idea of what they should be doing. Ryan wanted to set up a booth to sell their ammo, Ariel wanted to buy a repair drone for the ship, and Sandra wanted to find contacts for purchasing more stock. As it turned out, they did all three.
Ryan and Sandra set up a booth filled to the brim with missiles and pistol ammo while Ariel bought the self repair drone. She used every last piece of scrap they had collected on that drone, but in Ariel's own words, "Caution pays dividends". Sandra didn't want to argue, but she was secretly a little miffed Ariel wasted all their money on that thing.
All throughout the day Ryan and Sandra sat at their booth waiting for someone to buy their wares. They couldn't beat the prices of their neighbors and earn a profit however, so they sold nothing. With 30 scrap blown on a drone and no one buying anything, they returned to their ship feeling a sense of defeat. Well, except Ariel. She was cuddling the system repair drone like it was her new baby. Engi could be very weird sometimes, Sandra couldn't help but think.
Just as they were about to board The Leaky Bucket a man in a blue and purple uniform suddenly shouted at them to wait. Sandra sighed, thinking it was some stupid Federation patrol going to inspect their ship for contraband. They'd probably find it too, since the crew wasn't particularly picky about what they sold as long as it wasn't alive and could make them money.
"Excuse me, which one of you is the captain?" The man in the uniform asked.
The Engi pair pointed at Sandra, and she scowled at being thrown under the bus. Now if he found something illegal she was the one who was going to be arrested. Some friends they were...
"Captain, I couldn't help but notice your Torus class ship," The man began.
Oh great... Sandra thought frustratedly. He's going to think I stole this ship.
"I know where a Federation outpost is. You can get more supplies for your journey there," The man informed her.
"Supplies?" Sandra asked dumbly, surprised she wasn't being arrested, "Journey?"
"The coordinates are close by. Don't tell anyone else. The rebels have ears everywhere."
With those whispered words still lingering in the air, the man handed Sandra an ID chip and disappeared back into the crowd. Sandra looked down at it, realizing this was the coordinates for a secret FTL warp gate.
"Do you guys know what this means?" Sandra asked quietly.
"Significance: Unknown," Ryan replied.
"It means we're gonna get free stuff," Sandra told them, a mischievous grin on her face.
It was a simple operation. All they had to do was dock at the Federation outpost and pretend to be a Torus class crew. Sandra had some academy training, so she would be able to fake being a Federation captain. Ariel would have to be quiet so they didn't realize how little she knew about weapons. Ryan, well...he could sell slime to a Slug, so Sandra wasn't worried.
Ariel had made Sandra a 'Federation' uniform using a bolt of blue zzztg fabric and some purple silk from their inventory. Sandra was once again amazed at the speed Engi worked, and Ariel specifically. She rocked her new phony captain's uniform like she had been wearing it for years, and the crew took a deep breath and let it out before docking with the secret Federation platform.
When they got there Sandra expected more scrutiny, but the Federation officers welcomed them with open arms. Honestly, Sandra felt like they were very naive for government officials. What if she was a pirate or a rebel? Amateurs.
Ryan enjoyed talking business with a couple Slugs that had joined the Federation, and Ariel ate some bland mush that the Engi simply called 'nutrition'. Sandra even managed to sell her old clothes to a nearby refugee. She figured she might as well keep the fake captain's uniform. She also had a fake orange and white Rebel Alliance uniform just in case she needed it back on her ship. Better safe than sorry.
The crew was invited to stay the night in one of the rooms on the station. At first they had refused, but then they saw how big the beds were. The human bed was made of a plush fiber that felt soft and conforming, while the Engi bed was a massive slab pulsating with pure electricity to rejuvenate their power cores while they slept. In short, it was way better than the tiny cots on The Leaky Bucket.
"Oh my goodness!" Sandra sighed as she plopped onto her bed, "I'm starting to see why the higher ups in the Federation want to keep things as they are. This feels like paradise! I wonder if the rebels have luxuries like this."
"Mattress: Powerful," Ryan agreed, "Electricity: Overflowing. Relaxation: Absolute."
"Absolute?" Ariel asked suggestively, "Inquiry. Subject: Union?"
Ryan giggled at her suggestion, and a moment later it registered with Sandra what Ariel had just said.
"Wait. Union? Now?" Sandra asked in shock, "Ew, guys! We're sharing a room! I don't wanna see that!"
The pair of Engi just stared at Sandra with their unwavering visors, and Sandra sighed in resignation.
"Do you want me to leave?" Sandra finally asked them.
"Suggestion of departure: Appreciated," Ryan admitted, "Privacy preferred."
"Fine," Sandra groaned, "Just stay off my bed."
With those words Sandra got up and walked around the station, hoping to find something to do for the time it would take for her cohorts to achieve a 'union'. What the Engi called a union wasn't exactly the same as sex, but the Engi treated it as such. At the very least it held the same taboos and excitement in their culture. Part of Sandra was annoyed by her friends' behavior, but the other part of her felt lonely. She was the captain, whether it was a merchant ship or the flagship, that was her role. She was commanding, decisive, and always busy. Because of this, romance was something she simply never made time for.
As she walked around the compound she found an observation deck. The stars glistened so innocently from the murky vastness of space. Sandra knew each star represented chaos. She wasn't fooled by their glimmering beauty.
"Excuse me, Captain Perkins?" A human man suddenly approached her, "I was told to give you this for your journey."
Sandra took the briefcase from the man and opened it. Inside were two missiles, one drone part, and 17 scrap.
"Did you find something on my ship you wanted to buy?" Sandra asked.
"No. Just thought you could use these things for your journey," The man replied, "You're going to the Federation base to stop the rebel flagship, right?"
"Um...sure," Sandra lied, "It's just that in my experience free stuff usually isn't free. I guess I'm just cynical."
"No, you're careful. There's nothing wrong with that," The man replied, "By the way, my name is Sherman. Tony Sherman."
"Nice to meet you," Sandra replied, "You know that I don't need the missiles, right? My only weapon is an ion cannon. The combat drone is supposed to do all the fighting, right?"
"Supposed to? You don't know your own equipment?" Tiny asked playfully.
"It's my first command," Sandra was quick to explain, "My crew and I had a different ship before The Leaky Bucket."
"Why did you call your ship The Leaky Bucket? Isn't that being a little pessimistic?"
"Quite the contrary. It's the most powerful ship I've ever had. I just like irony."
Tony chuckled, and Sandra smiled. She knew she would never see this poor slob again, so she felt safe lying to him. For that night she was a newly decorated Federation captain and Ryan and Ariel didn't suck at their jobs. It used to be someone could be thrown in prison for life for impersonating a Federation officer, but now with the rebellion tearing the Federation apart they simply didn't have the resources to check everyone's credentials. One thing Sandra knew however was that this lack of oversight was going to bite the Feds in the butt. Not that it mattered to her. She would buy and sell with anyone.