Nitches
17 Jun 2023Ryuko Ntsikana
Thoughts
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Unlike a normal clan member, my downtime was spent going over the financial reports. I could have let this pass, as everything was set on an automated system that Avery oversaw. Coming from a mechanics background, where I made a decent income but nothing extravagant, I could be anal when it came to larger credit amounts. A hold-over if you like, from leaner times; not that I flaunted credits like a high society figure.
Sipping on a cold beer, I set down to the first task of ensuring a healthy transfer of credits to a separate account to be used for bonuses. A tidy sum of 77,975,167 credits seemed sufficient. This was not counted against the current income of 157,668,827 credits. These two were separate.
Of that last figure 107,668,827 would be deposited in the normal carrier’s account, while keeping the 50 million I liked to have on hand for those “just in case” moments. You know, those times when the universe throws a curveball at you, like an unexpected repair bill or a tempting deal at a space bazaar. It was my safety net, my insurance policy against the cosmic chaos
I couldn't contain my laughter as I read through the remaining financial reports. Crunching numbers felt like a cosmic comedy show, with each credit being a punchline that made my head spin. It was like trying to shave your legs with a plasma torch—utterly absurd and potentially disastrous. I mean, who in their right mind would attempt such a thing?
The thought of me, clumsily wielding a plasma torch near my legs, was enough to send me into fits of laughter. Thankfully, my cybernetic legs were hair-free, sparing me from any embarrassing mishaps or a visit to the ship's doctor for a hair removal procedure. Trust me, that would have been a sight to behold!
I wiped away tears of laughter, imagining the chaos that would ensue if I tried to shave my legs with a plasma torch. It would probably end up with singed hair, scorched skin, and a frantic call for emergency medical assistance. Not exactly the smooth and silky legs I was aiming for!
Avery looked at me with an unusual expression—for an android. She was not accustomed to seeing me in such a state, and to be honest, it had been far too long since I had last experienced a case of the giggles. At this moment, it felt as though a weight had been lifted, allowing me to temporarily escape the nonsense of human-inhabited space. Out here, it was just the clan and me, free from conflicts, politics, subterfuge, and all the other nonsensical aspects I would soon have to immerse myself in once again.
While there were a few additional items I desired to acquire for three ships, the materials needed could only be found back in the direction we came from. It was important to note that these items fell into the category of "would like to have" rather than "need to have." Although their presence would serve niche purposes at best, there was no doubt that they would prove useful in their own way.
Considerations
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Yatziri and Rex joined me for breakfast, in my quarters, after the Chief’s morning meeting. On one of the monitors was a list of prospective areas of exploration, with another monitor showing a “wish list” of ships, parts, and engineering requirements, that captivated my thoughts the previous day. Both Rex and Yatziri studied the list, casting me a sideways glance.
Rex finished chewing on a morsel of food, and motioned toward the monitor with his fork. ‘You have a proper grouping of ships and modules to cover any activity you wish to engage in. Why a Beluga, Dolphin, and Asp Explorer (AspX)?’
Yatziri cocked her head to one side with a quizzical look on her face. ‘The Dolphin and AspX are redundant. You have both versions of the Diamondback class ships, and a Vulture, if you are wanting to squeeze into tight canyons. You’ve had a Beluga before, and it was just for showing off. You ended up selling it because it was worth more for the price than the use.’
Both were valid points. Ones that I had been asking myself since I began thinking of these ships and what it would require to make them into something I could find useful. I stared at the screen, chewing my food. The hesitation on making a decision as to whether I really wanted to do this or not, playing through my neural processor.
Of the three, the Dolphin was the least expensive, where as the AspX was more versatile for its designed role. The Diamondback outperformed it in every regard. Kitted out in a somewhat similar fashion, the Diamondback outperformed it once again. The only thing the Asp brought to the table were a few more hardpoints, a tougher design if combat was required, with a slightly better view from the cockpit. None of those warranted the 31 million price tag, and the expenditure of resources.
I also had to concede that Yatziri was correct about the Beluga. It was a beast of a ship and massively expensive. It was bragging points wherever it went. On certain planets it would be more of a liability than an asset. If I wanted to turn it into a business passenger liner, it would could only hold 24 more than the Python, and be limited to large pads. The additional hangar space and fuel required to haul it around on the carrier, made it even less appealing. Everything but her appearance was a negative, but damn she was a beautiful ship.
While it was fun to gawk at new ships and play with various design specifications, I needed to focus on what I already had. Not too far back I slimmed down my hangar for good reasons. I wanted multipurpose builds, that could do more with less. Take the Orca I was currently flying around. It was my original long range ship. While the Diamondback could out jump it, nothing could out range it. As fitted she could go more than 871 light-years without refueling, while carrying everything required for deep space rescues and repairs.
The Python was a “do it all” ship. Near every module I had on board she had a multifunctional design for. The only thing it could not do was land on a small pad—but small pads rarely required what she could haul anyways.
The “twins,” as I called them, were the Krait Mk II and the Phantom. Both designed to do the mirror of the other. They were purchased and designed to compliment one another, and where almost as versatile as the Python. All had earned their place several times over.
The Cobra Mk Iv was a smaller version of the Python. Like its bigger brother, it too was a Jack of all trades. The Diamondback Scout was a nice ship that had already proved its worth. It was designed from the frame up to be a stealth ship. With everything powered on, weapons and shields included, it ran around at 15-17% heat. Human and Thargoid scanners required a minimum of 20%. She could get in a harsh first round hit, against larger opponents. In a pinch she could even do exploration work, and in areas where heat might be an issue, she was the “go to” ship.
The queen of the hangar was the Imperial Cutter. If I needed to haul a lot, behind a heavy shielded and hardened hull bristling with firepower, she was the ship. I had used her for pick up missions of broken down ships, and in the field repairs of larger ships. Thinking back to the Beluga, her last mission was as a flying crane, to lift the powerplant out of a stranded Beluga, so I could repair it well enough to get the massive ship to a proper docking facility.
If required she could lift the heavier engineering sections of the carrier itself, to facilitate any repairs required. In the event of an emergency, all one thousand plus members of the clan could clamber onboard and use it as an escape ship. If all other ships went down, she could carry their combined financial burden. Her worth was beyond immeasurable.
The only odd ships out were the Viper Mk IV and the Vulture. The only reason either existed in my hanger was for sentimental reasons; those were becoming harder to justify. I had almost forgotten they existed until just now. Together they didn’t weight enough to require much space or fuel to haul around, so there wasn’t any pressing need to toss them overboard.
Cleaning my plate, I stared at the monitor with the “pipe dream” ships listed on it. The Beluga was a beauty, and while everything I had mumbled about discounted its worth, her appearance kept making me want to buy it.
‘You can’t really be thinking of doing that again,’ Yatziri snorted, narrowing her eyes at me.
I couldn't help but chuckle at Yatziri's snort of disapproval. She was right, of course. The temptation of the Beluga's beauty was hard to resist, but deep down, I knew it wasn't a practical choice.