Destiny

[jammi]

I had visited an Art Dealer on my way to the spaceport and had pawned the inactive Artefacts. A contact in the Junkers had identified him as a local distributor before I had left for Rhienland what felt like years ago, so I was confident he would take me up on a sale. I had sold them for half their worth, but it would be enough to buy a small ship for myself or a ticket on a transport. As a gesture of good will he had also given me a first aid kit and access to a shower.

Now Harmans car was parked in a disused car park, left unlocked with the keys in the ignition. I was sure a student would have off with it before a Constable found it, removing one difficulty. I made my way to a ship dealer, located in a huge warehouse in order to house the huge craft that were kept there.

Two hours later a beaming salesman led me to a second, or possibly third hand Clydesdale. It looked as if it had been one of the pioneer shuttles that had pushed back Bretonias boundaries after the Exodus. Sadly the ruin would have to do. I had no access to my own funds, and even if I did I would be hesitant to use them. Remote withdrawals were so easy to track.

Now I sat in a grimy office watching my new ship being towed towards a private landing pad; huge drifts of dust kicked up by the Grav-Buffers that were keeping it suspended. Once it had been relocated, I inspected it, noticing a faded name scrawled onto the hull in a spidery font. It read the Horizon. Boarding the craft through the cargo bay I made my way to the cockpit. The ship smelt of damp and rot. A green light was flashing on the HUD, indicating I had launch priority for the docking ring. I pressed a button and the engines shuddered into life, the reactor thumping and clattering back into service after decades of slumber.

I settled into mouldering command seat and rested my now bandaged arm on my lap, running a diagnostic with the other. The scan revealed a set of low grade weapons, probably deemed to worth less as scrap than the labour charges to tear them off. I also noticed with dismay that there was a stain on the bandage as the wound wept.

I prepped for Horizon for launch, awaiting the embrace of the docking ring and finally the release of the void.

---

News article library, feedback and content requests.