Don't Say Macbeth Chapter 2
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I woke to a sharp boot in my ribs.
"Get up you scum! Go sleep it off somewhere else!"
Good morning to you too mister shopkeeper. "I'm going, I'm going."
I must have fallen asleep. I groaned loudly as my body protested the night on the ground. Like I said before it sure hadn't taken me long to get used to sleeping in a bed.
"Come back and I'll call the authorities. I'm sick of you low life's! By door stop is not a hotel!"
I waved my hand at him as I staggered away.
It was early morning and my stomach growled noisily. I wandered down to the shipyards again.maybe I could find some news about Beka.
After questioning about half a dozen cargo inspectors I finally found some one who remembered her.
"Yeah I remember her.she was Hot!!"
I glared at him but he didn't quite get the picture I was getting pissed off.
"What a body!!!
"Look can we get to the point here?" I interjected. "Have you seen her lately?"
"Nah, Not since yesterday. She and some guy were hanging all over each other. The got in to that hunk of junk and took off. She stiff you for credit or something?"
I sighed and rubbed my hand across my face. "Something like that.what did the guy look like?"
"Big guy .oh and hey he had one of those port things. those things are pricey she must have high standards huh!" He guffawed loudly at his own nonexistent joke. "I wonder if she would take on the likes of me!"
At that Harper turned and walked away.
He wandered a while lost in his own thoughts. A guy with a port. It had to be Bobby. She had ditched him for Bobby. But, why was bobby here? I never could figure out why she liked him. Must be the dataport.chicks dig dataport. I looked at my reflection in a grungy window on a small parts shop. I was a mess. My clothes were dirty even by my standards and I was muddy from last night irrigation. I turned my head slightly. Yeah, a dataport. That would make me more desirable in many ways.for girls and prospective employers. Maybe Beka would have kept me if I had a dataport. I could have worked faster. I could have.
I could have done what? Why would she choose a little mudfoot over the love of her life?
I wandered over to the shipyard employment centre. I was going to get a job and get off this stinking drift. I was going to put Beka Valentine behind me. Once and for all I was going to leave misery behind me.
Boy was I wrong.
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3 days later.
Man, am I hungry. I've walked and walked and walked. Most of the ships in the shipyards were way fancier then the Maru and the ones that weren't...we'll I was never one to volunteer for a slave ship. I was getting desperate. The captains I talked to took one look at me wrinkle their noses and walk away. I didn't blame them I tried to convince a couple of them that I cleaned up nicely but no one took the bait. The very few more polite ones would ask me for my references. Other the disappearing Valentine I didn't have any.
Once again I was on the streets. Damn! I hated this. I was the best freaking engineer on this hunk of metal but no one would give me a break!
I just didn't belong in a world of potted trees and dust free launch pads.
I wandered across the tarmac once more. Swearing under my breath. Then something caught my attention. Artificial light reflecting off its hull. I stopped instantly when I saw it.
It was beautiful! A work of art really.smooth and shiny. I had never seen a ship that sleek.that perfectly compact. Then I noticed something else, the loading bay door was wide open. My heart beat crazily. Nah, somebody wouldn't just leave it sitting there like that. Where was the pilot? And, HOLY CRAP the engines were running. I stood there for like five minutes but no one moved in or out.
Could I?
Should I?
Beka and I had met a guy on a planet a couple of months ago.right after Vex Pag died. He bought used ships. I could get enough money to last me a year. I COULD GET A DATAPORT! Everyone would want to hire me!
That pretty much clinched it. That ship was mine.
I walked up to it slowly. I was casual. I was just admiring it.
I slipped in side.
I ran towards where I thought the pilot's chair would be. Luckily I was right. I flung my self in to the chair. Wow it was pretty posh too.
No time to fool around though. It took me only a minute and I had found the switch to close the loading door.
Then I got the first inkling that this wouldn't go well. I heard some one yell just as the air lock closed. Alarms with in the ship went off. Damn, I played around with everything for a moment. No dice.the alarms were encrypted. I swore again. All right, ignore the noise lets get this puppy in the air!
I heard blaster fire on the side of the ship.
Ah crap! Beka had been teaching me how to fly the Maru. I was an engineer though not a pilot.
There it was! Landing gears up. Joystick back and I was up. Okay so I wasn't really going anywhere but hovering was better then nothing.
More weapons fire on the hull, this time it rocked the little ship.
I pulled back hard and the little ship broke through the artificial atmosphere and I was back in the stars!
I leaned back in the chair for a moment so I could catch my breath . I had to go they would have pursuit ships in the air in minutes. I need to figure out how to orchestrate my plan.
That's when I noticed there was a message flashing. Some one was trying to hail me. I turned on the audio only.
"Um, hello?"
"This is Press General Habit who am I talking to?"
Press General? "I don't think it's in my best interest to say."
"Are you working with the Kimbido's? We have a shoot first ask questions later policy with terrorists!"
Terrorist? Just who did this guy. it's then I glanced out front at the hull. There were small red insignia's painted on the ships nose. Crap! This ship belonged to someone important. That's why no one was going near it. Except a stupid off worlder like me that didn't know any better.
The Press General didn't wait for a response. "His Royal Majesty Prince Valadan as given me permission to destroy his personal vessel if necessary."
That's when I knew I was a dead man.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TBC
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I woke to a sharp boot in my ribs.
"Get up you scum! Go sleep it off somewhere else!"
Good morning to you too mister shopkeeper. "I'm going, I'm going."
I must have fallen asleep. I groaned loudly as my body protested the night on the ground. Like I said before it sure hadn't taken me long to get used to sleeping in a bed.
"Come back and I'll call the authorities. I'm sick of you low life's! By door stop is not a hotel!"
I waved my hand at him as I staggered away.
It was early morning and my stomach growled noisily. I wandered down to the shipyards again.maybe I could find some news about Beka.
After questioning about half a dozen cargo inspectors I finally found some one who remembered her.
"Yeah I remember her.she was Hot!!"
I glared at him but he didn't quite get the picture I was getting pissed off.
"What a body!!!
"Look can we get to the point here?" I interjected. "Have you seen her lately?"
"Nah, Not since yesterday. She and some guy were hanging all over each other. The got in to that hunk of junk and took off. She stiff you for credit or something?"
I sighed and rubbed my hand across my face. "Something like that.what did the guy look like?"
"Big guy .oh and hey he had one of those port things. those things are pricey she must have high standards huh!" He guffawed loudly at his own nonexistent joke. "I wonder if she would take on the likes of me!"
At that Harper turned and walked away.
He wandered a while lost in his own thoughts. A guy with a port. It had to be Bobby. She had ditched him for Bobby. But, why was bobby here? I never could figure out why she liked him. Must be the dataport.chicks dig dataport. I looked at my reflection in a grungy window on a small parts shop. I was a mess. My clothes were dirty even by my standards and I was muddy from last night irrigation. I turned my head slightly. Yeah, a dataport. That would make me more desirable in many ways.for girls and prospective employers. Maybe Beka would have kept me if I had a dataport. I could have worked faster. I could have.
I could have done what? Why would she choose a little mudfoot over the love of her life?
I wandered over to the shipyard employment centre. I was going to get a job and get off this stinking drift. I was going to put Beka Valentine behind me. Once and for all I was going to leave misery behind me.
Boy was I wrong.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3 days later.
Man, am I hungry. I've walked and walked and walked. Most of the ships in the shipyards were way fancier then the Maru and the ones that weren't...we'll I was never one to volunteer for a slave ship. I was getting desperate. The captains I talked to took one look at me wrinkle their noses and walk away. I didn't blame them I tried to convince a couple of them that I cleaned up nicely but no one took the bait. The very few more polite ones would ask me for my references. Other the disappearing Valentine I didn't have any.
Once again I was on the streets. Damn! I hated this. I was the best freaking engineer on this hunk of metal but no one would give me a break!
I just didn't belong in a world of potted trees and dust free launch pads.
I wandered across the tarmac once more. Swearing under my breath. Then something caught my attention. Artificial light reflecting off its hull. I stopped instantly when I saw it.
It was beautiful! A work of art really.smooth and shiny. I had never seen a ship that sleek.that perfectly compact. Then I noticed something else, the loading bay door was wide open. My heart beat crazily. Nah, somebody wouldn't just leave it sitting there like that. Where was the pilot? And, HOLY CRAP the engines were running. I stood there for like five minutes but no one moved in or out.
Could I?
Should I?
Beka and I had met a guy on a planet a couple of months ago.right after Vex Pag died. He bought used ships. I could get enough money to last me a year. I COULD GET A DATAPORT! Everyone would want to hire me!
That pretty much clinched it. That ship was mine.
I walked up to it slowly. I was casual. I was just admiring it.
I slipped in side.
I ran towards where I thought the pilot's chair would be. Luckily I was right. I flung my self in to the chair. Wow it was pretty posh too.
No time to fool around though. It took me only a minute and I had found the switch to close the loading door.
Then I got the first inkling that this wouldn't go well. I heard some one yell just as the air lock closed. Alarms with in the ship went off. Damn, I played around with everything for a moment. No dice.the alarms were encrypted. I swore again. All right, ignore the noise lets get this puppy in the air!
I heard blaster fire on the side of the ship.
Ah crap! Beka had been teaching me how to fly the Maru. I was an engineer though not a pilot.
There it was! Landing gears up. Joystick back and I was up. Okay so I wasn't really going anywhere but hovering was better then nothing.
More weapons fire on the hull, this time it rocked the little ship.
I pulled back hard and the little ship broke through the artificial atmosphere and I was back in the stars!
I leaned back in the chair for a moment so I could catch my breath . I had to go they would have pursuit ships in the air in minutes. I need to figure out how to orchestrate my plan.
That's when I noticed there was a message flashing. Some one was trying to hail me. I turned on the audio only.
"Um, hello?"
"This is Press General Habit who am I talking to?"
Press General? "I don't think it's in my best interest to say."
"Are you working with the Kimbido's? We have a shoot first ask questions later policy with terrorists!"
Terrorist? Just who did this guy. it's then I glanced out front at the hull. There were small red insignia's painted on the ships nose. Crap! This ship belonged to someone important. That's why no one was going near it. Except a stupid off worlder like me that didn't know any better.
The Press General didn't wait for a response. "His Royal Majesty Prince Valadan as given me permission to destroy his personal vessel if necessary."
That's when I knew I was a dead man.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TBC