Tides of Change

[qwertypp7]

There was silence on the bridge of the OCV Hepshetsut, punctuated only by the occasional tapping of keys and the soft whirring of equipment as the bridge staff got on quietly with their tasks. The lights were dimmed and a soft yellow glow emenated from the concealed ceiling lamps, indicating the vessel's alert level.

Colonel Leigh sat in the command chair staring out at the dense grey mass of the East Leeds smog cloud, a frown creasing his aged brow.
"Mac'Callegh," he said, breaking the silence and adressing a red haired woman sitting behind the command and control console in front of him, "he's two hours late now, if we have to wait much longer we're asking to get caught."
"Aye I know it colonel," replied Mac'Callegh, her voice giving away signs of agitation, "he's probably just got problems wit' the squaddies. Ye' know how it is."
"If that's the case then..." the colonel was cut off by a bleeping noise from the tactical console.
"Incoming contact," the tactical officer intoned, "it's a B-27-E Clydesdale."
"Open a channel," said the Colonel to the comms officer.
There was a brief silence as the comms officer established the connection before nodding to the Colonel who nodded back before speaking.
"This is Colonel Leigh aboard the OCV Hepshetsut," he began, "incoming vessel, identify yourself immediately."
There was a tense moment as the comms remained silent until a rolling, thunderous voice came through the static.
"Richard Winston Tobias esquire, at your service Colonel," the voice said, "I do believe you are expecting me."
"You're late Tobias," colonel Leigh replied, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Very sorry about that," came Tobias' voice, "had a little altercation with the customs officer leaving Leeds. But I have the parts young miss Mac'Callegh ordered."
"Good to hear Tobias," said Leigh, "bring them in at the lower docking bay, we'll meet you there."
He closed the channel and turned to the comms officer.
"Send word down to Wallace in engineering, tell him to meet us in the lower docking bay," he said before rising from his chair and walking swiftly off of the bridge with Mac'Callegh in tow...

***

There was a loud griding noise as the small hangar door slid open to reveal the Clydesdale suspended in the airlock. Because of the limited size of the hangar, a handful of spacecraft service crew were huddled under the landing gear of a bastet fighter pushed against the back wall. As the freighter squeezed into the hangar, the blast door to the rest of the ship opened and Colonel Leigh and Commander Mac'Callegh entered. They joined the flight crew under the bastet until the larger ship had touched down. There was a puff of pressurised gasses as the boarding ramp opened and a large bearded man decended and walked over to the small group.
"Ah, Miss Mac'Callegh," he boomed, his voice echoing off the gunmetal walls, "a pleasure to see you again."
"Aye, teh' be sure," she replied sarcasticly, scowling slightly at the man's letcherous smile.
"And you too Colonel Leigh," he said, extending his hand, "although last we met you weren't going by that name were you?"
"Quite right I wasn't Tobias," the Colonel said, taking the man's hand and shaking it fimly, "traveling under your own name when you're a wanted terrorist in all four houses doesn't come highly recommended."
"Quite true," Tobias Laughed, "you Order lot have it pretty hard out here."
"You could have it just as hard if the BIS got wind of this little delivery," said the Colonel, "we appreciate it that's for sure. You're one of the few friends we've got left in Bretonia."
"Well I can't be doing this often you undertand," replied Tobias as he flipped a button on a controller to lower the cargo ramp, "as it is the fools at customs were asking too many questions, what with this whole war business and all."
The deck crew began to unpack crates from the Clydesdale as the blast door opened again and a young man in an engineers overalls walked in and went straight to inspecting the contents of the crates.
"Wallace, will these parts do the job?" Leigh shouted over to the engineer.
"Yeah, the Bastet in the upper hanger will fit most of these parts and the stuff it doesn't can be retrofitted easily enough," the young man replied, "should hold us over for a couple of months until we resupply in Minor."
"Good to hear," said Leigh, taking a wad of credit chips out of his pocket, "how much do we owe you Tobias?"
"That'll be three million credits my good man. Those military grade parts are hard to come by."
The colonel handed over the credits and shook Tobias' hand once again.
"I won't hold you any longer then," said Leigh.
"Very well Colonel, I'll be going before the Armed Forces figure out where those parts were going."
Tobias mounted the boarding ramp once again and waved.
"And it was nice seeing you again Mary, it really was," he shouted to Mac'Callegh as he winked suggestively.
"Feck off back teh' Leeds ye' letcherous old eegit!" she shouted back, giving a one fingered salute as Tobias entered his craft, bellowing with laughter...

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Dublin Miner: I am Gallic admiral earning money in Bretonia.

True story...