Jump 1 (part 4): An Unexpected Surprise
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 4:29 pm
Elwood stood on the bridge of the ship in his Captains uniform. His cast was removed, the nanotechnology guided by electromyographic sensors worked remarkably fast, as usual. In the past he had often wondered how humanity ever survived the barbaric and clumsy medical practices of 'human' surgeons, but today he was thoroughly focussed on the task at hand. Tightly clasping his hands behind his back he gazed sternly through the front window of the ship.
A soft chime rang throughout the Kestrel and Elwood took a deep breath. He flicked on the intercom.
"Exiting FTL jump in T-minus 5 minutes; everyone to your stations and prepare to dock." He commanded.
"Do you have to say 'everyone'?" Garland's voice came through the bridge speakers. "There's only me n' Jon, damnit."
"Er, Captain?" The Communications Officer's voice asked sheepishly, "What IS my station… exactly? I-I mean before the incident I used to go up to the bridge for any translating or- well, do you want me to monitor someone else's station since...-?"
Elwood sighed deeply and pressed the intercom again.
"No, Easton, you still…" He paused to rub his hand over his face, "You still report to the bridge… And Garland?"
"Wut."
"Just… just shut up, Garland."
"Whatever."
It had been almost a full earth day cycle since they first jumped into faster than light, and a little over 12 hours since the funeral. Although the ship still had a sombre air to it, moral had slightly improved after the chance to clean, bathe, and rest. Even Garland managed to catch a few hours having barely finished with repairs.
Elwood straightened his uniform after Jon entered the deck and quietly took a seat. This is just the break we need… He thought to himself. We can see what these civilians have for sale and re-outfit the ship. At best we'll upgrade our engines and weapon systems… maybe see about enhancing the shields… hire a bit of extra man power… The Kestrel rocked gently as it exited faster than light, and the ship that had set the broadcast came into view; Elwood's eyes widened in horror.
A large civilian vessel hung suspended in space. Black scorch marks from laser bursts marred the hull. There was a noticeable breach. Elwood slammed his hand down on the console.
"Jon! Scan the ship for life forms!" He shouted as he fired in the command to open a hailing frequency. "Civilian vessel! This is the U.S.S Kestrel of the Federation, do you read? Civilian vessel, respond!"
"C-Captain!" Jon called.
"Greetings, U.S.S Kestrel." A voice answered. A viewing screen of the civilian vessel's aging captain suddenly filled the window.
"Four life forms detected," Jon continued. "Two human, one Engi, and one… it looks like, Mantis?"
The Captain on the viewing screen chuckled, he had wrinkles around his eyes and his hair was noticeably greying.
"That is correct," He said. Elwood blinked, his panic not fading entirely.
"Civilian, what happened to your ship? Do you have functioning medical facilities and life support? Are you all right?" he asked. The older man smiled and nodded.
"We're fine, we're fine… Well, all alive and accounted for, anyways. We were crippled by a band of pirates, unfortunately, so you'll have to excuse if we don't look up to snuff."
Elwood frowned, worried.
"Pirates?" He asked. "This deep in civilian space?" The Captain aboard the other vessel scowled and shook his head..
"Worthless… Rednecked sons of…" He muttered. "Rebels must be pushing them out of their territory, been worming their way into any sector without heavy Federation patrol, which is most of 'em these days."
"I suppose times are hard everywhere…" Elwood sympathized, "Is that why you used a mercantile frequency instead of a distress call?"
"Distress call...? Why would we- ah heck we ain't THAT badly beat up! Looks worse than it is, I assure you. We were running supplies to a store in the next sector, but no way in hell we're making the trip in this condition. So we're selling the supplies, cutting our losses, and turning tail while the turning's good." The civilian Captain said with a matter-of-fact nod.
"So… you don't need any assistance, then?" Elwood asked, finally.
"Nah, we've limped back in worse condition, just never this early on. Now, enough chit chat, I assume you're looking to buy?" the older man said with a smile. Elwood raised his eyebrows, looking momentarily to Jon who simply shrugged.
"All right," Elwood said, smirking lightly as he placed his hands on the sides of the control station and leaned forward. "What've you got?"
"Heh, great to hear son, great to hear. Lesse now, we wont be needing our drone control system, or the crew teleportation bay… We've got a cargo ooof… at lest six missiles, a couple of extra automated drones… Few drops of fuel, in a pinch… And Hutz and Felicity, that's our resident Engi and Mantis, respectively, are both willing to take on any vessel that'll pay 'em better than we can." The older man listed off.
Elwood pursed his lips and nodded slowly.
"You know what…? It's not everything I was looking for but… We could definitely use all of it." He said. The old man beamed brightly.
"Fantastic!" he cheered. "I knew you looked like a smart buyer."
"No friggin way," Garland came through on the intercom. "An Engi? I wouldnt've busted my ass on repairs if I thought we were hiring one of those bloody cyborgs!"
"A-are you s-sure about bringing a Mantis onboard… Captain?" Jon swallowed nervously. I'm tolerant as the next guy of other species but uh… I happen to like keeping all of my limbs attached."
The older man laughed.
"Felicity may have a vicious streak, as all her kind do, I s'pose, but she isn't exactly inclined to sever the hand that signs her pay check, so to speak."
Elwood smirked,
"It's fine, Jon. And besides, A Mantis would make a fine back bone to any boarding or repelling party on the ship. The former we'd be able to achieve with that teleporter."
"Smart man," The civilian captain said with a smile, "that she would, that she would. Now… Shall we talk about payment?"
"Right, of course," Elwood exhaled. He thanked God they'd been paid in advance before making the run. "We've got one hundred and fifty thousand Federation credits to spare, which, given the circumstances, I believe is more than fai-"
"Woah woah woah," the civilian suddenly cut him off. "Federation credits? Nope, that ain't good out here no more."
Elwood stared blankly.
"I beg your pardon?" He said after a short pause.
"We're out on the edge of Federation space, boy! Not that it matters much, 'tho. I doubt the Federation has more than a quarter of an Earth year cycle left. Maybe half a cycle, at best. Rebels been hittin' em hard, and rumour has it the entire armada's movin' in for the final squeeze if ya catch my drift. Anyhow, fancy lot those credits are gunna do once the Feds are overrun, can't imagine the rebels would accept 'em. Just data in a computer now, I'm afraid."
Elwood gripped the sides of the console, his expression still shocked. He closed his mouth. He knew he had to hold rank and presence in front of his remaining crew, but a foul curse word still escaped his mouth before he thought better of it. Jon's eyebrows shot up and the older civilian captain looked shocked.
"Hey! Sorry you gotta hear the news from me, thought everybody knew that… But no reason we still can't deal! Scrap metal's the name of the game now, or most places will accept weapons and parts if you can spare 'em."
Pulling himself together Elwood opened the intercom.
"Garland, how much scrap can we salvage from what's left of our original cargo?" He asked. The engineer exhaled deeply.
"Uhhh… Off the top of my head? Well after the repairs we made in the last FTL jump I'd say… nine, maybe ten units?" Elwood bit his lip and thought for a moment.
"What can you sell for ten units of scrap?" He asked finally. The civilian scoffed.
"For TEN? Hunh... Uhh, maybe a missile and a single jump's worth of fuel? Can't offer you much more than that, I'm afraid."
Elwood tapped the control panel for a moment.
"Mind if I discuss things with my crew?" he asked.
"Course! Take all the time you need, we're gunna be stickin' round these parts for a while anyways." The civilian smiled. The screen suddenly faded as the hailing frequency closed, replacing the man's face with a vision of stars and a battered ship.
"Engineer Garland…" Elwood said slowly after opening the intercom. "report to the bridge, immediately."
((Sorry for the delay everyone! Halo 4 turned out to be surprisingly better than I thought it would be x_x I'm back to posting regularly now tho' :'3 Also yay! Made it to the first jump XD ))
A soft chime rang throughout the Kestrel and Elwood took a deep breath. He flicked on the intercom.
"Exiting FTL jump in T-minus 5 minutes; everyone to your stations and prepare to dock." He commanded.
"Do you have to say 'everyone'?" Garland's voice came through the bridge speakers. "There's only me n' Jon, damnit."
"Er, Captain?" The Communications Officer's voice asked sheepishly, "What IS my station… exactly? I-I mean before the incident I used to go up to the bridge for any translating or- well, do you want me to monitor someone else's station since...-?"
Elwood sighed deeply and pressed the intercom again.
"No, Easton, you still…" He paused to rub his hand over his face, "You still report to the bridge… And Garland?"
"Wut."
"Just… just shut up, Garland."
"Whatever."
It had been almost a full earth day cycle since they first jumped into faster than light, and a little over 12 hours since the funeral. Although the ship still had a sombre air to it, moral had slightly improved after the chance to clean, bathe, and rest. Even Garland managed to catch a few hours having barely finished with repairs.
Elwood straightened his uniform after Jon entered the deck and quietly took a seat. This is just the break we need… He thought to himself. We can see what these civilians have for sale and re-outfit the ship. At best we'll upgrade our engines and weapon systems… maybe see about enhancing the shields… hire a bit of extra man power… The Kestrel rocked gently as it exited faster than light, and the ship that had set the broadcast came into view; Elwood's eyes widened in horror.
A large civilian vessel hung suspended in space. Black scorch marks from laser bursts marred the hull. There was a noticeable breach. Elwood slammed his hand down on the console.
"Jon! Scan the ship for life forms!" He shouted as he fired in the command to open a hailing frequency. "Civilian vessel! This is the U.S.S Kestrel of the Federation, do you read? Civilian vessel, respond!"
"C-Captain!" Jon called.
"Greetings, U.S.S Kestrel." A voice answered. A viewing screen of the civilian vessel's aging captain suddenly filled the window.
"Four life forms detected," Jon continued. "Two human, one Engi, and one… it looks like, Mantis?"
The Captain on the viewing screen chuckled, he had wrinkles around his eyes and his hair was noticeably greying.
"That is correct," He said. Elwood blinked, his panic not fading entirely.
"Civilian, what happened to your ship? Do you have functioning medical facilities and life support? Are you all right?" he asked. The older man smiled and nodded.
"We're fine, we're fine… Well, all alive and accounted for, anyways. We were crippled by a band of pirates, unfortunately, so you'll have to excuse if we don't look up to snuff."
Elwood frowned, worried.
"Pirates?" He asked. "This deep in civilian space?" The Captain aboard the other vessel scowled and shook his head..
"Worthless… Rednecked sons of…" He muttered. "Rebels must be pushing them out of their territory, been worming their way into any sector without heavy Federation patrol, which is most of 'em these days."
"I suppose times are hard everywhere…" Elwood sympathized, "Is that why you used a mercantile frequency instead of a distress call?"
"Distress call...? Why would we- ah heck we ain't THAT badly beat up! Looks worse than it is, I assure you. We were running supplies to a store in the next sector, but no way in hell we're making the trip in this condition. So we're selling the supplies, cutting our losses, and turning tail while the turning's good." The civilian Captain said with a matter-of-fact nod.
"So… you don't need any assistance, then?" Elwood asked, finally.
"Nah, we've limped back in worse condition, just never this early on. Now, enough chit chat, I assume you're looking to buy?" the older man said with a smile. Elwood raised his eyebrows, looking momentarily to Jon who simply shrugged.
"All right," Elwood said, smirking lightly as he placed his hands on the sides of the control station and leaned forward. "What've you got?"
"Heh, great to hear son, great to hear. Lesse now, we wont be needing our drone control system, or the crew teleportation bay… We've got a cargo ooof… at lest six missiles, a couple of extra automated drones… Few drops of fuel, in a pinch… And Hutz and Felicity, that's our resident Engi and Mantis, respectively, are both willing to take on any vessel that'll pay 'em better than we can." The older man listed off.
Elwood pursed his lips and nodded slowly.
"You know what…? It's not everything I was looking for but… We could definitely use all of it." He said. The old man beamed brightly.
"Fantastic!" he cheered. "I knew you looked like a smart buyer."
"No friggin way," Garland came through on the intercom. "An Engi? I wouldnt've busted my ass on repairs if I thought we were hiring one of those bloody cyborgs!"
"A-are you s-sure about bringing a Mantis onboard… Captain?" Jon swallowed nervously. I'm tolerant as the next guy of other species but uh… I happen to like keeping all of my limbs attached."
The older man laughed.
"Felicity may have a vicious streak, as all her kind do, I s'pose, but she isn't exactly inclined to sever the hand that signs her pay check, so to speak."
Elwood smirked,
"It's fine, Jon. And besides, A Mantis would make a fine back bone to any boarding or repelling party on the ship. The former we'd be able to achieve with that teleporter."
"Smart man," The civilian captain said with a smile, "that she would, that she would. Now… Shall we talk about payment?"
"Right, of course," Elwood exhaled. He thanked God they'd been paid in advance before making the run. "We've got one hundred and fifty thousand Federation credits to spare, which, given the circumstances, I believe is more than fai-"
"Woah woah woah," the civilian suddenly cut him off. "Federation credits? Nope, that ain't good out here no more."
Elwood stared blankly.
"I beg your pardon?" He said after a short pause.
"We're out on the edge of Federation space, boy! Not that it matters much, 'tho. I doubt the Federation has more than a quarter of an Earth year cycle left. Maybe half a cycle, at best. Rebels been hittin' em hard, and rumour has it the entire armada's movin' in for the final squeeze if ya catch my drift. Anyhow, fancy lot those credits are gunna do once the Feds are overrun, can't imagine the rebels would accept 'em. Just data in a computer now, I'm afraid."
Elwood gripped the sides of the console, his expression still shocked. He closed his mouth. He knew he had to hold rank and presence in front of his remaining crew, but a foul curse word still escaped his mouth before he thought better of it. Jon's eyebrows shot up and the older civilian captain looked shocked.
"Hey! Sorry you gotta hear the news from me, thought everybody knew that… But no reason we still can't deal! Scrap metal's the name of the game now, or most places will accept weapons and parts if you can spare 'em."
Pulling himself together Elwood opened the intercom.
"Garland, how much scrap can we salvage from what's left of our original cargo?" He asked. The engineer exhaled deeply.
"Uhhh… Off the top of my head? Well after the repairs we made in the last FTL jump I'd say… nine, maybe ten units?" Elwood bit his lip and thought for a moment.
"What can you sell for ten units of scrap?" He asked finally. The civilian scoffed.
"For TEN? Hunh... Uhh, maybe a missile and a single jump's worth of fuel? Can't offer you much more than that, I'm afraid."
Elwood tapped the control panel for a moment.
"Mind if I discuss things with my crew?" he asked.
"Course! Take all the time you need, we're gunna be stickin' round these parts for a while anyways." The civilian smiled. The screen suddenly faded as the hailing frequency closed, replacing the man's face with a vision of stars and a battered ship.
"Engineer Garland…" Elwood said slowly after opening the intercom. "report to the bridge, immediately."
((Sorry for the delay everyone! Halo 4 turned out to be surprisingly better than I thought it would be x_x I'm back to posting regularly now tho' :'3 Also yay! Made it to the first jump XD ))