Union of Independent Worlds Faction RP thread

[Cannonshop]

There Was a Time...

Giao Pham sat on the hull of UIS Independent, her helmet-comm tuned off hte main bands, listening to the electromagnetic howl of the gas-giant that filled her entire port view.
The Independent was in a holding orbit while the survey flotilla cruised and studied this un-named system.  On a working starship, there are few places where one can be wholly, truly, completely alone.  The outer hull being, in her opinion, the best such place-Dirtyfeet don't come outside unless they have to.  

Hanging in the distance, almost out of visual range, was The Site-the true reason for the task-force being here, a space-station that would anchor the Union's anti-piracy operations and serve as a possible fallback for the fleet in the event that the card-tower of truces, treaties and agreements that kept the Union of Independent Worlds from being swallowed up by its neighbours fell apart.

her helmet comm pinged.  "What is it?" she asked.

"Captain, you asked to be informed when the fuelling operations were completed-the tanker's ready to un-dock, ma'am."  Her XO's voice was tinny on the helmet's speaker.

"Thank you Commander.  Have the eggheads finished cataloging the system yet?" she asked.

"Still at it, Ma'am...we still have a few days..." the Commander was a nice kid, Giao thought-even for a flatlander scraped from the bottom of a gravity well-in this case, one of the Arcologies on Winter.

"Very well, We'll give them their few days." she said, "Inform the task-force that I want ships forming up at the jump points by Friday the Eighteenth, that should be sufficient time for all their...studies to be completed.  Was the commander of Relay One-Alpha happy with his delivery?"

"Yes Ma'am." was the answer, "He's asked about seeing you on-station before we boost for the next leg of the run."

"Tell him I'll be happy to drop by at 1930 station time tomorrow."  she said carefully, "We haven't had any incidents with the docking leaves, have we?"

"No Ma'am. No incidents so far."  He answered.

"Good, keep it that way."  Giao ordered.


The connection opened, and she went back to her meditations.  There was a time when what we're doing would have been sheer fantasy-a time when everything this far out was dark, and we struggled in the darkness not only with the environment, but with politicrats  from Tharkad who thought their welfare-islands and corporate bribes were worth more than the bounties to be found out in the deep black...

she smiled a secret smile, and listened to the crackling rumble of a gas giant's storms...