Fortune Amongst the Stars
Commander Jack Tanen's viewport was clear, like it always was. Today was a quiet day, and, not expecting anything to happen, Tanen had sent most of the crew below decks to relax. They had all been working back-breaking shifts since dawn of last week, and needed more rest than they could get. Their work hadn't been in vain either; for once this year, the Kunn-Lann would actually make quota with the Soomtaw refineries. Despite Tanen's continued explanations to the CEOs of the refineries about pirate raids on collection posts and the Fal-Corum being away on a deep survey mission, the blood-sucking lawyers back at Hiigara ever tightened their grip on the throats of the Kunn-Lann's crew.
And he never complained once about his job out here. The Kunn-Lann, or "Purifying Flame" in Hiigaran tongue, was the first of Kiith Soomtaw's forays into space exploration since the Providence resource collectors and Redemption controllers in the Homeworld War. Back on the Hiigaran's former home of Kharak, Kiith Soomtaw had gained a reputation for mining due to their findings in Kharak's central mountain chains. The title still held, and Kiith Soomtaw sold their ore and harvested minerals to more than thirty-five clients, including the enigmatic Bentusi and the new Taiidani Republic.
Unfortunately, the way to their prosperity wasn't easy. When the industrial powerhouse Kiith Nabaal came to take in Soomtaw as a vassal clan, gruesome political battles began. Though supported by the powerful Kiith LiirHra, Kiith Soomtaw won the debates and struggles, thanks mainly to their supporters in Kiiths Paktu and Maanan. To prove themselves in the business of mining, Soomtaw was allowed to access the Mothership's construction bays for barely two months, in which time engineers produced three vessels. The first, designated Fal-Corum, or "Silent Wayfarer", was launched on day twenty, with the Kunn-Lann shortly behind on day thirty-five. A week or so later, a small science vessel cleared docks, the Clee-San, or "Truth-Seeker".
Now, assisted primarily by the noble and knowledgeable Bentusi, Soomtaw had developed an advanced fighter platform in the form of the "Acolyte" heavy fighter. A smaller recon vessel, aptly designated "Seeker", carried the most advanced sensors of its time and was primarily used by the Soomtaw to scan for radioactive belts and mineral deposits deep in space. Even more common in the Soomtaw fleet was the "Worker" class of resource collector. It was an old design originating from the construction of the Mothership, and the re-entry abilities of the vessel were no longer useful. The blunt-shaped body of the ship allowed it focus on a specific center of gravity, thus standing still in the center of an asteroid field where the standard Providence classof collector would be destroyed quickly. Fortunately, the compact interior allowed the vessel to carry just as much cargo as the other collectors.
Tanen also occasionally saw a Chieftain-class of vessel come along. The Chieftain was one of Soomtaw's original designs, and it served its purpose well. The ship was a remote drop-off site for the Workers with four high-speed transfer docking clamps to get the Worker docked and released quickly. More interesting was the amount of change the ship had gone over in the past two years. It's Mark Two version had hardened the armor of the already stable ship, while the Mark Three, its current stage, boasted four medium turrets to defend against pirate attacks. There was one characteristic of the vessel that made it stand apart from any other. The Chieftain was the only ship in the entire Soomtaw fleet never to be commanded or crewed by any military personnel. Every single Chieftain in service has been manned by the true soul of Kiith Soomtaw: the miners.
Tanen never complained about being on this ship out in the middle of nowhere. The vastness of the galaxy surrounding him never ceased to amaze him, and every excursion into uncharted territory gave him a sense of adventure. The rare occurrence of a pirate raid made his job even more pleasing as he heard and watched the massive turrets of the Kunn-Lann rip the raiders' ships to pieces. Nothing ever caused fear in him. After all, with squadrons of fighters and battle groups of Ramming Frigates at his command, how could he be afraid?
More than often, Tanen viewed mining as women's work. Combat is where the real test lay, and every time a raider battle group fell to the Kunn-Lann's defenses, Tanen felt himself becoming more and more of a warrior. Like many of the pilots on this ship, he was a Homeworld War combat veteran and more than often found himself strapped in the cockpit of an Acolyte fighter chasing down marauders. The mere sight of his guns spewing out hot death made him nearly seem invincible. Not that anyone minded it, of course.
Pressing a few buttons on the side of his quarters, Tanen watched the door slide open, revealing a small room with a smaller bed in the corner. It was getting late anyway, so he decided to call it a day (or a week, for that matter) and catch up on some much needed sleep.
As soon as his shirt came off and landed on the floor, he was in bed. Closing his eyes and switching his light off, Jack Tanen fell sound asleep.