"A Trip worth Taking" the Biography of Tripper

[Nectar]

Hey there, Trip. Long time no see; I hope your run to Kusari was good. What will it be?

Hey Dave, Ill have the usual.

Tripper sat down at the bar stool. His overalls were dirty and smelled like they hadnt been taken off in a week. His short dark hair was sticking in every direction possible. He let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed between his eyes, trying to work out the furrow hes been wearing ever since he got back to Erie.

The bar tender set three warm beers and a glass down and popped the lids off. He took a long look at Tripper. You look like crap Trip. Is your old rhino giving you more problems?

Nah, Tripper said finally sold her.

Really? Dave pulled out a rag and started to wipe the polished wood of the bar. Youve been running in that ship for ten years now. What made you get rid of her?

Tripper poured beer from the first bottle, not wanting to talk about it. He has been running cargo across Liberty for most of his adult life in the same ship; the old rhino that his father gave to him when he went out on his own. It was far from fancy, but worked well enough for what he ran. He spent most his time running helium and ship parts and the old ship did just fine. It had just enough cargo space to make a buck, and armed enough to keep bored Rouges and Xenos off his back. Every once in a while, he would use it to take a trip over to Holman Outpost in Tau-31 to visit his retired parents.

A short while ago, he caught a big break. Tripper came across the right cargo, and the right tip, for a run up to Okinawa. He figured it out, and with just two stops, he would make his first million credits on a single run. The trip to the Fujisawa Mining Facility was uneventful, but the excitement level was almost unbearable, He was able to squeeze in more profit with some additional runs on the way. Once he got to Fujisawa, he bought a Garanchou and had close to a million credits left over. He finally was able to move up. A nicer ship with leather seats, better armaments, and more cargo room meant more profit.
The excitement was short lived though.

On the trip back to familiar space, he met up with some big time pirates. They took almost half his fortune for a tribute, and he got in some squabbles at the border. After repairs and losses, his take home was a brand new, shot up ship, and about $300,000. That was five Erie days ago, he has been in the hanger, fixing his ship ever since.

Tripper shrugged at Dave. I dont know, seemed like a good move.

He sat at the bar for a couple of minutes while Dave went to help another customer. When he came back, the bar tender looked at Tripper again and said: So you got a better ship. Things are looking up for you. But you still come in here just as depressed and alone as you ever have. Whats on your mind?

Tripper looked up at Dave, This place is falling apart. Im not talking about your bar, or even Erie. Im talking Sirius. Every direction you fly is War, and where war isnt, pirates are. Everywhere you go, whether it be home or on a run, people are shooting at each other, thinking their guns prove whos right, or trying to step on honest men just trying to make a living and support a family.

Daves eyebrows jump up. You got married?!

No! No, Dave. You're not listening. Pirates are out there taking my hard earned money, and the governments in Sirius are too busy shooting at each other to do something about it. All the while, its the little people, me, you, who are getting robbed, shot, and put aside. Someone needs to do something.

Dave started to look worried. Uhh. . How many beers have you had?

Not enough. I dont know, Dave. Its hard making a living. I dont know what to do.

You could join the military, or the Police. Work for them and youll be able to do something about pirates.

Tippers eyes rolled. Yeah, or get sent to the front lines and let Rheinlanders poke holes in my government issued ship and get sucked out into space. Plus they might not want some run down cargo hauler like me anyway.

The prospect of joining the military scared tripper. He grew up on his dads cargo ship, constantly going system to system. He was born in Cambridge, on the Cardiff Mining Facility, but didnt stay there long. His family was always moving, never settled down for more than a couple weeks. When he was sixteen, he overheard his father talking on the communications. It sounded shady, and he never questioned his father about what he heard. After that, he noticed his fathers actions, and the people he worked with were off. They were hiding something, but Tripper never found out what, he didnt want to. If his father didnt want the family involved, then the family shouldnt get involved, to this day, Tripper still doesnt know what his father was up to, or even if it was legit.

Whatever it was, it seems his father is not doing it anymore. He has been on Holman for about fifteen years and no longer does any mining or cargo runs. The chance that his dad was doing something illegal has made Tripper stay away from any authorities. Its not that he doesnt like them; on the contrary, some Liberty police have gotten him out of some tight situations while mining, but he doesnt want some background check uncovering something that might be better left hidden.

No Dave, I dont think the military is the answer. I dont know about the Police, I just dont see myself as a cop. What I do know, is something needs to change.

Well Trip, when you find it, I wish the best to you. Just promise me youll run back here every once in a while. Ill miss your whining if you left.

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To comprehend a nectar requires sorest need. -Emily Dickinson-