Chapter 20 (Susan Ivanova)
As a successful 'merchant' roaming through space and picking up all the opportunities that crossed the bows of her ship, Susan Ivanova could not have found a more profitable cargo.
She stood next to the cargo hold entrance, staring at the glistening wealth of jewels and diamonds the Centauri 'had' been transporting. Susan imagined that someone would be angry at the loss. She wished she could have been an observer, spying on the looks on their faces when they finally found out.
"The Centauri will be pissed. Whom do you think these belong to?" Susan said in a quiet voice.
"Needless to say, whoever this used to belong to will be gunning for your ass now Susan." Said her companion, who added a little sneer to his words.
Susan, made wary by her companion's good humour, winked at him. "And a cute ass I have too."
As the wealth of fortune twinkled in the dim light, Susan left the area to deal with the imprisoned Centauri. She'd yet to devise a plan to deal with them. I would sooner see them vented into space than use my air and food. She thought. But she was bound by the human code.
Like a puppy following its master, Susan's companion stopped when she turned to face him. He was a slim faced individual who went by the name of Roger. His skin was pale and he wore clothing that looked like they had been thrown on in five minutes. His hair could have been brushed too.
"I've got an idea, we'll locate the nearest suitable planet and throw them on it. That should solve our problem for a while." Susan said, grinning. Her definition of a habitable planet was one that vaguely looked blue and green. Even then, she was not about to waste the time to locate a planet of that colour tone, let alone scan for oxygen.
"Are you sure that's a wise idea? We have not detected any suitable planets in this sector." Roger was good at his work and he cared for the lives of everyone. But his interest in the well being of other life forms might -one day- get him killed; Susan needed to cure him of that.
She tuned and walked down the corridor. "The Centauri are such simple people intent on their own glory. They probably won't know the difference from a habitable planet to a moon. We'll leave them some transmitting equipment."
Seated comfortably in her command chair, Susan leaned her head on her headrest and gazed around her bridge. Crews worked at a leisurely pace as her ship was set on a course through the local solar system to the nearest 'habitable' planet.
"How long until we get there?" Susan asked dryly as she tried to prevent her underwear from creeping up her butt. The chair was supposed to have been replaced, but she didn't see any improvement.
"We should be there in approximately one hour," A voice called out. It sounded like Joe, but she wasn't paying much attention.
"Good, I'm going to get something to eat. Call me once we're in range." Susan left the bridge.
Scoffing down the last of her food, she spotted the green blob of a planet outside her port window. It was time. And where was that call?
She eased on her coat and headed out of the mostly-deserted mess hall.
Susan eventually received word that they had entered orbit of the planet and preparations were underway to transport the Centauri. She wanted to see them off. With an ironic smile tugging on the corners of her cheeks, she went to the holding cells.
"What do you intend to do to us?" a Centauri prisoner snapped. He looked desperate.
Susan walked up to the cells. "We have found a planet. It should be suitable for your species and we'll leave you on it with some communications equipment."
The Centauri looked at Susan, alarmed. "What do you mean, should be suitable for our species?'
"Just what it means. It might support your species for five years, or for five minutes. I really don't care." Susan signalled for her officers to remove the Centauri from their cells, stunners ready in their hands.
The Centauri shared panicked glances and were hastily dragged away to the bodged up life pods that would take them down to the planet.
When the ejection system finally jettisoned the Centauri away from her ship, she pulled out small container and took a small sniff. The aroma of the drug forced her to relax and she could finally enjoy the final moments before hurrying to the next problem.
Susan left the docking hatch and progressed down the corridor to the bridge. Roger was not too far behind, hurryingly trying to catch up. It appeared that he couldn't stop himself from spewing more rubbish about treating prisoners fairly. If he had any sense, the man would keep his opinions to himself.
Before he had a chance to speak, Susan cut him off. "Cut your whining or I'll shove you out the airlock. I told you about this line of business. If you don't like it leave."
Susan entered the bridge and entered commands into the navigation system. She'd noticed Roger had stopped whining. There, that shut him up. Good
Not wanting to make any eye contact with anyone, she sat back down on her chair and watched her hauler jump into hyperspace. The drug was finally beginning to kick in and Susan relaxed on the chair and allowed her mind to drift into bliss. She had the time. They would have to wait for a Vanguard to take them to the nearest Hyperspace city, something that would take a few days.