Unexpected Encounter 4
06 Apr 2016Rebecca Hail
Ria was still eating her pasta when the big monitor started to blink. “Commander Kavinsky calling Commander Rebecca Hail. Commander Kavinsky calling Commander Rebecca Hail.”Rebecca were standing on the other side of the room with her back to the monitor, cleaning and sorting medical equipment. She turned around to the monitor but before she accepted the call she took the tablet from Ria and covered her chest up with the blanket again.
“You may have a bandage around most of your chest, but there’s still no need for him to see more than necessary.”
She turned back to the monitor, then pressed the little button to accept the incoming call.
The man on the monitor was dark haired, dark eyed and had certainly japanese roots. His eyes looked strangely red and Ria noticed a diagonal scar on his right forehead and another thin scar going through his eyebrow.
“Yo, I heard ya need a package to be shipped back to the bubble?”
Rebecca answered: “Yes, kind of. I found a stowaway in one of my limpets and she’s pretty uncomfortable with being several thousand lightyears out of the bubble. Additional to that I don’t really know anything about her and her family except for living on a waterworld near the imperial-federal border. I would be really relieved if I could get her from board as soon as possible.”
“A stowaway and you haven’t shot her? Wow, are you getting weak? Are you really the same Rebecca who shot people in front of their kids?”
“Paul, stop it.”
Paul just laughed.
.“I can’t believe you’ve fought in all those warzones, walked over all those dead people, killed all those civilians and now you’re getting doubts over a stowaway? That’s not like you at all. Flush the flotsam out of an airlock and be done with her, it’s what happens to stowaways. Or you could make some healthy profit you see I know some people who ...”
“SHUT UP!”
Ria confused looked at Rebecca who looked seriously angered as she pressed the “End Call” button at the screen. Pauls laughter seemed to echo through the room and an awkward silence fell over the room.
“What did he mean with: “... shot people in front of their kids?”” Ria asked carefully.
“He meant what he said. You don’t need to know more.”
She turned around from the screen and walked towards the door.
“And what are we doing now? Are you sending me home with him?”
“Do you want to?”
“Well … no, he doesn’t seem like a friendly person.”
“That’s because he isn’t a friendly person. But he would fly out here and save our lives if we run out of fuel. I guess you’ll have to stay here with me until I head back to the bubble. Before you fell unconscious you asked if we are already in Sol. Why do you want to go to Sol?”
"Because the life in Sol is far better then on some imperial borderworld, where no one cares what the nobles do with their subjecs. I heard the Sol system is by far the safest system out there and you can easily live in the heart of the federation where no slavery or 2-class society exists."
"Wow, that's one big load of fed propaganda."
"What?"
"I don't know who told you that, but the Sol system is as dangerous as every other system if you walk in the wrong street. Besides the cost of living there is ridiculous high, especially on Earth, the "Cradle of mankind". And I wouldn't take the No-Slavery part for granted."
Her PSA made a sound and she stopped at the door of the medical station to look at it.
"Here is the information I requested. I'll read through it, then I’ll decide what to do with you."
She left the room and the door closed behind her.
Ria laid back on the medical table and decided to take a nap.
Back in the cockpit Rebecca sat in her pilot seat and Derry summarized the info about Maria's family in some sentences.
"She is clean, Becci, I've checked her distant relatives too. Nothing. Her mother is in the administration staff of a swimming city, her father has a small surface-to-orbit shuttle service in the same town. Their vests are so white, it's already suspicious again, but they reported her missing two days ago. About her: She attends a school in the city of her parents with the focus on economics. A real model pupil, good grades, never had any trouble with the teachers, although she can argue a lot with her classmates. I guess they know how to teach you respect for the authorities in the empire."
"Yeah, alright I'll untie her and then give her something to do. Maybe you should head to Yimanbim and calm her parents down. I don't want to be charged with kidnapping when I get back."
"Can't I send Noah to calm them down ..."
"You can, but I would be very grateful if you could do it yourself." Rebecca smiled.
Derry sighed. "Damn, you owe me really A LOT!"
"Thaaaaaaaaaaaanks, Derry." Rebecca pulled herself out of the seat, turned around and walked out of the cockpit. As she walked down the corridor to the medbay she noticed she still had the auto injectors around her legs. She made a stop at her cabin, removed the injectors and laid them onto the bed where her armor and shotgun laid. Then she locked her cabin and pushed along to the medical station.