Eman's Dream Cruise

[Knucklehead]

Chapter 2

Encouraged by the Captain's words, Eman followed his suggestion and headed for the Officers' Lounge. While the lounge wasn't the greatest place he'd been in, the view of Gaia out the viewports was amazing.

"Can I get you anything?" the bartender asked.

"Just a glass of water, thank you. I prefer to keep my wits about me."

"Suit yourself, sir." The bartender reached over to the water supply and filled a glass. "Haven't seen you around here before. First time on the Shetland?"

"Yeah. The Captain said I should come up here and see what odd jobs needed done. Any idea where I should start?"

"Well, the Mission Computer's right over there, but you might want to try talking to some of the other patrons. Some of them are high-ups in ship security. They probably have a few things that need doing."

"Thanks," Eman said, taking the glass the bartender had just handed him.

After browsing the computer, Eman found something that caught his interest. Turns out the Gains were building a station of some kind off in the distance. It didn't look too difficult, and the pay was decent enough.

Eman left the glass and a tip on the bar and headed back toward his ship. After running through the preflight checks, he eased the ship away from the Shetland and headed for the station.

It didn't take long to reach the target at cruise speed. As the station grew larger in his viewscreen, Eman wondered how the Gaians had managed to build it so quickly. He didn't have too long to think about it though, as the threat board was lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"You'll never take down our base," one of the inbound pilots called out. Big talk for someone in such a small ship, Eman thought to himself as he let loose with his turrets.

Thanks to the upgraded shield his father insisted he get when he bought the ship, the Gaians' shots bounced harmlessly off the energy field. While he had the Gaian ships outgunned, the battle was not easy, as their Startrackers were surprisingly agile and took quite some doing to take out. They all fell in time, leaving the station wide open for a direct attack.

All told, it was over in a matter of minutes, leaving behind a scattering of leftover 'bats' and 'bots where the station was. Eman scooped up the escape pods and headed back to the Shetland.

"Fine job out there, m'boy," the Captain said as Eman stepped out of his ship. "Really showed them they can't scare us out of here."

"Thank you, Captain. I did manage to pick up a fair number of escape pods from the ships they had defending the station. What should I do with them?"

"Just hand 'em over to the dockmaster over there and he'll see to them. We clean them up, treat any injuries they have, and get them ready to take back to the authorities. Although, between you and me, the facilities on Baden Baden are much better for treating them. With all the attacks from the Gaians, Outcasts, and Corsairs around here, we have too many of them to deal with.

"But enough about that. I've gotten word that the Hawaii is in need of some more of those delicacies that Cambridge is famous for. Would you mind going over to Cambridge and picking up a load of the stuff?"

"Certainly," Eman replied. "What's the best way to get there?"

"Well, the trip to Cambridge is fairly straightforward. Just head back toward Planet Leeds and take the tradelane to the New London gate. From there, it's just a couple tradelanes to the Cambridge gate, and another couple to Planet Cambridge itself. Now, once you pick up the stuff, you'll have to double time it to the Hawaii, as the stuff spoils in a hurry. Spoiled food is no good to anyone, so you'll have to try to shave as much time as you can."

"Anything else I should know about?"

"Yes, keep your eye out for pirates trying to take your stuff. Most of them aren't worth the time it takes to finish them off, especially between Cambridge and the Hawaii. There are a number of nasty ones out there though, and if you run into them, just keep running."

"Got it. See you around, Captain. And thanks."

"Don't mention it. Good luck, Mr. Modnar."

With that, Eman launched himself into a hopefully long and prosperous career as a supply ship captain. Eman still has a dream of flying a Luxury Liner of his own, and perhaps some day he'll get that chance. Only time will tell.

The End...


Or is it?

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It's official, I have too few ships now...