The deal with the ICMG ain't bad. Mainly because I managed to fudge the deal.
See, in my travels I've seen a helluva lotta ships flyin' by, and knowing me I'm a bit of a critic. Some of 'em are nice and all, but I love the Border Worlds style; it just plain suits me. So when I see this big ol' three engined thing that looks like an overblown Sabre roll by, well, my heart just went thumpin' through my chest.
Luck would have it that the makers of that fine specimen were Outcasts. They call it a "Tridente".
I call it my next ship.
I reckon I always intended to get some heavy-hitter someday. Not a bomber though; SNACs are hard to keep workin' without a good supply of parts. But gunship? Sure thing. A single-seat gunship? Hell you bet! A Border Worlds styled gunship? I'm first in line.
So, here's the score: I help 'em protect their miners and escort 'em when they make their runs down to Rheinland and all that stuff, but whenever some fella in a Tridente feels like ruining the party, his carcass gets towed straight to Java. They tie it down in one of the hangars and from there I get to rip it to pieces. I'm gonna rebuild one of those suckers.
Kinda crazy idea, huh? Well, I reckon if they look like Border Worlds ships they must be Border Worlds ships, give or take some fancy gadgets here and there. With a steady stream of parts rollin' in from Tau-23, I should be able to piece one back together some way or another.
The downside is that any pay they'd normally give me is cut in half.
To be honest? Ain't much of a downside if the upside involves that monster I intend to build.
Anywho, I made a run with 'em all the way to New Berlin and Nuremberg, and back again. Nothin' terribly special, they like to buddy up with other ships on the way there and form convoys. Smart move, if you ask me, but you ain't gonna catch me dead in one; one or two pirates will run, but a gunboat and three bombers would prolly lick their chops if you know what I mean. I suppose it's better if you have more than one ship, but damn, I'd rather speed in there and speed out without even being seen to begin with.
Anywho, they paid me two million for the run. Eh, kinda low wage when you think about it, but then I got a message from Mister Lobster Guy, one of the head honchos of those fellas.
