Selesti Has Gas

[Misha_Gottlich]

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Name: Selesti Mishiga

Origin: Planet Miura, Okinawa

Age: 28

Current Home: Niigata Star City

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Selesti Mishiga: Independent Gas Miner

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Garanchou Difficulties

And for some time, things were good. Selesti re-named the Garanchou as The MishiGas. Its hull was a decent size and it was quick to fill. The crew functioned smoothly and they were always on their toes whenever even the smallest issue came up. Selesti was bonding well with her new crew. They genuinely enjoyed her relaxed demeanor and she was proving to be a very competent mining ship Captain. But she was about to face a test that would challenge her leadership skills, and could tear her very ship apart!

The MishiGas was great for harvesting Helium 3 from the field in Sigma-59. It sat there floating in the cloud and gobbled up gas efficiently and effectively. Selesti had never given much thought to the fact that the ship was slow, or that it lacked heavy armor, or even that it boasted practically nothing in terms of active defense. To her, it was all she had dreamed of and more. Freedom to surf the stars and pushing a good profit to boot! Selesti was sitting high in her mind... Until the universe gave her the first look at its dark underbelly, and it was only just a small taste of what was lurking there!

As The MishiGas had just set up mining procedures in the Sigma-59 cloud, the onboard [IFF] scanner let out an alarming PING. It was a sound that Selesti was unfamiliar with, but before she could ask the scanner operator for clarification the crewman made it clear.

"I believe we have company, Captain," he said calmly but with an obvious tension in his voice, "Hostile company". Selesti opened her mouth to respond, but was short on words for a split second when the comms operator spoke up.

"We are being hailed." she enthusiastically interjected, "Should I put it through?"

Selesti nodded approval. Her mouth was dry and her hands were sweaty. Her mind raced as a hundred fears washed over her. She worried for her ship, for her cargo, for her life, and most of all for her crew. The few seconds of silent anticipation felt like an eternity to the young Mishiga, then the comm crackled to life and a calm female voice greeted the bridge.

"Well, well , well... Whats a little gas miner like you doing out here all by yourself?" Though the voice on the comm did not feel threatening, it was clearly meant to be a menacing innuendo. The [IFF] had identified the ship ID as a Corsair, and Selesti was certain that they weren't there to chat.

"Uhhh, we're mining...?" Selesti answered without a hesitation.

"HA!" The pirate let out a curt laugh. "Oh I can see that." she replied. After a slight pause, she added, "You know its awfully dangerous for an undefended mining vessel out here" she coolly implied, "You could be attacked by Dragons or Chrysanthemums"-

"Or Corsairs, it would seem." Ms. Mishiga cut in, "Yes it would appear we are quite vulnerable, as you so eloquently point out." The wheels in Selesti's head spun and her mind bubbled as she formulated a plan that would result in safety for her crew, and could even see her still turn a profit on this trip! "Perhaps we can turn this cosmic meeting towards a mutually beneficial outcome?"

"Oh?" Came the pirates inquisitive response, "What did you have in mind, Captain?"

Selesti knew that the pirates fighter ship couldn't hold a fraction of the cargo necessary to make a good profit, and also that the Corsair would have a hard time finding a good market for the H3 outside the main commerce channels. BUT she also knew that these 'sniffers' were dangerous and would not hesitate to cut down an obstinate target even if it meant not being very lucrative. She spoke quickly, trying to entice the pilot and get her turned on to the deal without hesitation.

"Well, since we are so vulnerable and unprotected, you could just destroy us and take our cargo, but that wont make you much cred. So, instead of being a threat and intimidating me and my young crew here, how about we turn the tables and I give you a chance to make some real scratch?" There was no immediate response from the Corsair, so Selesti continued, "I propose to pay you a handsome sum of 2.5 million credits to look the other way. Now I'm sure that is more than you can pack into that tiny hold, but I'll sweeten the deal still!" Mishiga raised the tone, tempo, and urgency in her voice, "I'll double it, 5 mil, if you watch our backs and keep any of those other pesky pirates off our hull till I'm safely out of the system!" She ended her proposal with her energy and her hopes high, "Well, what do you say, Corsair, does the money speak?"

The response came slowly. At first, Selesti was unsure if she had been successful in persuading the pirate pilot. Her fists were clenched so tightly that the nails bit into her palms when the comm chirped.

"Send the 2.5 mil, Captain, and you've bought yourself protection this time... At least until I see you out of Sigma." Selesti knew that the pilot was trying to sound menacing still, but it was clear that the possible profit had softened her trigger fingers. "Mine quickly," she added, "I don't mean to be sitting in this cloud all cycle!"

And with that, the comms were cut. Selesti let out a huge sigh of relief, and nearly suffered a heart attack when the bridge around her erupted in a grand cheer! She had been happy to get out of that without a scrap, but she had to sacrifice some credits to ensure their safety. The crew never gave a moments thought to the 5 million cred though. They knew that if push had come to shove it would most likely have ended in the destruction of The MishiGas and that most of them would not have survived. The fact that Selesti hadn't even hesitated to ensure that the safety of her crew was the topmost priority was paramount in the minds of the bridge crew. They looked upon her with new understanding of her place with them and even more respect and admiration than before.

The mining personnel kicked into high gear and The MishiGas's cargo hull was filled in record time. The H3 laden mining vessel took off headed for the jumpgate, with its Corsair escort. The pirate pilot must have been beaming in her cockpit, because there was absolutely no incident the whole way. To the Corsair, it must have seemed like an easy 5 million credits! They made a short turn to 'wave' after receiving payment at the jumpgate before activating their cruse engines and flying into the distance.

Though it was scary and could have been terribly dangerous, Selesti was grateful her first interaction with pirates ended in such a way. Million credits was a small price to pay for the safety of her ship and crew, a very small price indeed. The MishiGas was on its way to the Liberty system once again with a full hold and high spirits. Who could tell that the first interaction with pirates would soon be followed by even more threatening encounters!?

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Stay tuned for the next chapter:
The Garanchou Evolves!

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