STS Intruder

[mesmer]

The woman released her harness and started climbing out of the cockpit. Pulling a small flight bag out with her, and an old-style gun belt and holster, which she slung over her shoulder.

'€œWrecked the hangar??'€ she demanded impatiently. '€œIt wasn'€™t that bad of a landing!'€ she insisted.

Once she reached the deck she unzipped her suit and started climbing out of it while simultaneously turning around to look back over the way she had come in. She started to giggle when she saw the damage, then she laughed hysterically. There were clear gouges in the deck about 30 yards down the landing run, but she didn'€™t think it looked that bad.

'€œYou gotta be kidding me.'€ She said, '€œA few sheets of plate steel and an arc-welder will fix that right up.'€

She finished climbing out of her flight suit. She wasn'€™t wearing much underneath, then she noticed that her cigar had dropped out of mouth as she was laughing and had fallen to the deck. She cursed and snatched it up, putting it back in her mouth, as she retrieved a pair of heeled shoes from her bag and slipped them on.

'€œAnd if you think my bird looks bad, you should see the other guy.'€ She added. '€œGot 5 mios from his IC account before splashing his rear-end all over the '€˜Lane. Too bad the LN Dread showed up.'€

She retrieved her gun belt and straightened. Then she noticed that the man standing before her was pointing his thumb over his shoulder. In that direction was a well-dented Waran, clearly knocked clean off its struts. She then looked at the damage evident on her starboard wing and its close proximity to the Waran. Looks like she clipped it coming in.

'€œOops'€ She said, perfectly straight-faced. '€œWell, this outta cover that.'€

She walked under the centerline of her bird and pulled a recessed handle after entering a six-digit code on a pad under a sliding panel. With a '€œwhoosh'€ the center cargo hatch lowered and two cargo canisters slide down the small ramp. Dozens more could be seen inside.

'€œGold ore.'€ The woman said proudly. '€œPicked up as much of the dead trader'€™s cargo as I could. Anyway, I promise next time I'€™ll look both ways before I cross the deck in a barely controllable power slide.'€

She smirked as she slipped the gun belt around her waist and buckled it in place. A Colt Peacemaker rested in the holster, which she drew in a motion so fast and smooth that a human being'€™s eye couldn'€™t possibly track it. She opened the swing gate and spun the cylinder with her other hand checking each round. Satisfied, she spun the weapon twice on her trigger finger while replacing it in its holster in one smooth motion of her hand and arm. She turned back to the man who had questioned her.

'€œThe name is '€˜Tanya'€™, but with a '€˜j'€™, not a '€˜y'€™. She said. '€œZack busted me out of super max when h'€¦.well, actually he busted me out of a ship that was carrying me and some other guys to super max when he held it up.'€

Her cigar was down to a nub. She dropped it on the deck and snuffed it with her high-heeled shoe, then lit another. After a long pull she continued.

'€œFriend '€˜o mine had that thing that he didn'€™t need.'€ She said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at her bird. '€œHe owed me a huge favor and let me have her. I hung out on Alcatraz awhile, but some of the guys there were giving me '€¦'€™problems'€™. I shot one and pistol-whipped another. That'€™s when they'€¦ asked me to leave. Zack had told me about this ship and you guys, so I thought I'€™d swing by,'€

She reached down and grabbed her flight bag and flight suit, then started off towards the door.

'€œSo what have you guys got to eat on this tub?'€ She asked over her shoulder. '€œI'€™m famished!'€

---