Chapter 3
Our First Fight
The next day The Leaky Bucket was off, and everything seemed to be going well. The 17 scrap didn't make up for Ariel spending their last 30 scrap on a repair drone, but having two missiles to sell and a drone part made everything mostly even. Sandra always thought the name 'drone part' was a bit of a misnomer. It wasn't just a 'part'. It was the base metal used to turn a schematic's design into a fully fledged drone. yet another credit to Engi technology.
As The Leaky Bucket warped through the FTL gate, the sensors showed that they weren't the only ship to do so. Sandra turned on the view screen and saw that a rebel scout was approaching them. That was fine. She could probably sell them some ammo or some fuel. As she tried to hail them however, the ship opened fire!
"Prepare the die, Federation scum!" The voice on the other end of the comm cackled.
"Great," Sandra said to herself, "These morons wanna kill us. Alright then, if we're gonna die then we're gonna go down fighting."
Sandra then ordered Ariel to open fire and ordered Ryan to release the combat drone. The little fighter drone activated and Sandra prepared for the shots that would cripple their poor Leaky Bucket. One thing Sandra forgot about though was that she was no longer in her former merchant ship. This ship was actualy prepared for battle, and the shields held off every attack.
"What the...?" Sandra muttered when she noticed they weren't taking any damage.
Meanwhile the combat drone was making quick work of the rebel ship. It was an amazing sight to behold for the inexperienced crew. Ariel's ion blast didn't hit its mark every time, but it didn't have to. They were safe, and the rebel ship was playing defense now. It was like being inside a protective bubble.
Suddenly, there was a call from the defeated rebels. Sandra couldn't wait to take it.
"Please, don't kill us!" The rebel captain screamed, "Take everything in the cargo hold! Just call off the drone!"
"How much are we talking here?" Sandra asked, always ready to negotiate.
"Four gallons of fuel, a drone part, and 13 scrap," The rebel replied, "I know it's not much, but it's all we have. Honest!"
He was right about it not being much, but Sandra thought about what she had spent. It took one drone part to activate the drone, and she would get that part back. So, her profit was four gallons of fuel and 13 scrap. Not a lot, but a net gain. She especially didn't mind since her ship would require no repairs.
"You got a deal. Ryan, call off the drone," Sandra ordered.
The drone was ordered back to the ship's cargo hold, and the rebels breathed a sigh of relief. Sandra did as well, since she now knew her ship was a force to be reckoned with.
Later that day, once the excitement of the spoils of battle had worn off, the crew returned to their normal duties. The next warp was close to a sector gate that would lead them to a new territory. Sandra just hoped they didn't end up in Mantis or Rockman space. Those guys were jerks.
There was another station near the exit port. The crew thought maybe they could set up shop there and try to sell some missiles and whatnot. Instead what greeted them on the viewscreen was a dilapidated station that had been torn asunder. Whether it was the rebellion, the Federation, the Mantis, or someone else was irrelevant. Everything was in ruins.
"Observation: We have to refuel elsewhere," Ryan commented.
"Yeah," Sandra agreed, "I hate seeing things like this. Remember when it was safe to trade through this area of space? How can something as ridiculous as politics ruin a good thing for everybody?"
"Perkins: Observe!" Ariel suddenly shouted and pointed to the sensors, "Lifesign: Weak. Suggestion: Investigate."
"No way!" Sandra protested, "Last time we 'investigated' I almost got eaten!"
"Suggestion: Not based on logic. Suggestion: Based on morality," Ariel pleaded, "Lifesign: Faint. Unknown lifeform: In peril."
"Ugh!" Sandra roared in frustration, "Why does it have to be us? Why did we have to be the ones to find this stupid place?"
"Suggestion: Ryan goes alone," Ryan offered, "Ariel: Stays at weapons. Sandra: Stays at controls. Ryan: Saves lifeform."
Sandra gratefully agreed, and then prepared to dock with the station. Ryan tested all of the tools and weapons hidden in his arms before he went aboard the station. He wasn't going to take any chances.
Once Ryan was aboard the station the first thing he noticed was how badly everything smelled. Clearly most of the lifeforms on the station had been organic, because everything smelled of iron based and copper based blood. Iron was the main component in human blood. Copper was found in Mantis blood.
As Ryan walked down the dark hallways he stepped on something hard that crumbled beneath his metallic feet. He looked down, and saw the rubble-like remains of a Rockman. Ryan cringed, realizing he had just desecrated the pieces of a dead body. He moved quickly around the ship in hopes of finding anything alive.
After an hour of searching Ryan found nothing. No one was left alive on the station...if the lifesign had even been genuine in the first place. With no one to rescue, he contacted Sandra.
"News: Grim. Survivors: Zero. Instructions: Requested," Ryan said over the comm.
"No one's left?" Sandra repeated, "Fine. Take anything of value and return to the ship. Scan everything for potential viruses first. I hear Engi are sensitive to computer viruses, and you know what happens when hostile microbes combine with human bloodstreams."
"Acknowledged," Ryan replied, "Stand by."
Ryan then scouted around the ship and looted what he could. There wasn't much of value, as whoever had attacked the station previously had stripped it clean of most valuables. Ryan managed to find a data pad and stylus that could be kept or sold, a gold trophy that could be melted down and made into new scrap, as well as 11 scrap that had been hidden under someone's mattress. Not much, but better than nothing. Ryan took one last look at the impromptu cemetery before leaving, wondering when lives had become worth so little.
Fortunately for the crew, the next sector was Engi controlled space. Everyone felt like they were home when they saw that. Sandra had been raised in an Engi colony because her father had worked in one of their research institutes, so she always felt more comfortable around Engi than around her own kind. Then again considering how unpredictable humans were, could anyone really blame her?
The Engi were generally a cautious people, and in fact were considered cowardly by many races. It wasn't actually cowardice however, but rather the Engi valuing themselves as expensive and irreplaceable technology. That meant it was impossible to tell which side any given Engi colony would sympathize with. They would follow a winner, but the war was as unpredictable as the intergalactic stock market. Just to be safe, Sandra had both of her phony uniforms on standby under her console. She would change colors depending on who or what they encountered.
As it turned out the next colony they encountered was still Federation controlled, so Sandra wore her blue uniform when she and her crew docked at the station. Just like last time, they were welcomed with open arms and allowed to stay in a comfortable room.
"This trip so far has felt like hotel hopping," Sandra laughed as she sprawled out horizontally on the bed so her head and legs were hanging off the sides, "Except we don't have to pay!"
"Federation scientist: Requested captain's presence," Ariel informed her, "Advice: Ask for more scrap and drone parts."
"Well, we'll see where negotiations go," Sandra smirked, "Maybe we'll get a new ship if I tell them Ryan is a world class pilot or something."
"Response: Make it so, Number One," Ryan joked.
This caused the others to laugh as well, and Ryan and Ariel looped their arms together before drinking each other's drink. Sandra tried to ask what it was, but neither of them knew. They just knew it had the effect of alcohol on the Engi fuel processing system. Knowing they would probably want privacy (again) Sandra decided to meet with the Federation scientist.
As it turned out the scientist was an Engi, but he looked a bit...off. His visor had a purple tint whereas most Engi had a black, green, or red tint to their visors. His neck also occasionally twitched. That didn't seem right either.
"Hello there," Sandra greeted him with a friendly smile despite her unease, "I heard you had something to show me."
"Information: Accurate," The scientist replied; his voice seeming slightly garbled, "Designation: Virus. Mood: Enchanted upon meeting you. Business: Pleasant."
Virus? Oh, crud. Sandra knew the other Engi must've been wetting their metallic pants by having him so close to them. In order for an Engi computer virus to gain sentience it had to kill the Engi host's consciousness and take over the dead Engi's body. Slavers would sometimes intentionally infect an Engi slave because viruses gave the body greater skills, but it took away the soul of its host. Not to mention viruses were contagious. Ryan and Ariel could be in danger here!
Sandra's concern must've shown on her face, because the scientist said, "Interest: Professional. Status of Engi Crew: No concern to me. Threat level: Minimal. Purpose: Weaponry."
"Weaponry? You want to buy weapons from me?" Sandra asked, "I'm sorry, but all I've got is an ion weapon."
"Status: Misunderstood. Weapon: My gift to you," Virus explained, "Ion weapon: Insufficient. New weapon: Devastating and wonderful."
Virus then led Sandra to the armory, where he showed her the beam weapon he wished to install on her ship. It was orange, green, and grey. Sandra didn't immediately recognize it, and therefore didn't know it's purpose.
"Is it a halberd beam?" Sandra asked.
"No. Halberd beam: Too straightforward. This weapon: Bio beam," Virus replied; absolutely giddy talking about his weapon, "Bio beam: No damage to ship. All damage: Reserved for crew. See? Bio beam."
Sandra tried not to let it show, but the idea of actually using this weapon freaked her out. She wasn't a soldier. She was just a merchant. She didn't want to kill people. She just wanted to sell them things. Then again, if she refused this weapon her cover could be blown.
"I trust my crew to install the weapon," Sandra finally said, "Your people can bring it to the cargo bay."
"Excellent," Virus replied as he steepled his fingers, "Status: Pleased. Business: Pleasurable. Sadness: Organic union impossible. Hopeful journey: Safe. Goodbye."
With that the virus walked away, and Sandra walked back to her room to tell the crew that they had a new useless weapon to sell. Before she opened the door however, she realized something.
"Wait, was that infected Engi flirting with me?"