[Roleplay] Fresh from the Void
20 Aug 2020CrazyGolm
Darius Bauer had seen many pilots come and go at the Anchorage. Some were exhilarated by the thrill of discovery. Others were just eager to reach port, a safe haven after untold time in the black, often to enjoy a mug of a suitably hot beverage. But in all his time at Deep Space Surveys, nothing had prepared him for this.
"Why won't this darned thing work?" grumbled the man who awaited him on the flight deck.
From first glance, this was an interesting specimen of spacer. He had a worn-down atmosphere about him, but it wasn't same the kind of weariness that so many explorers had carried. He was glaring morosely through his glasses at the UC terminal, muttering to himself in frustration, and seemingly hadn't even registered Darius' presence yet. Darius noticed some symbol on the shoulder pads of the man's fatigues, a insignia he didn't recognise. Probably something from the Pilots' Federation.
The pilot had arrived this afternoon, in a battered old Asp that wasn't much to write home about. Starcon security had noticed anomalous behaviour from him and requested Darius' intervention.
Suffice to say, he was in a bit of a bad mood.
Darius, taking the initiative, decided to introduce himself.
"Commander, I am Aide Darius Bauer. I am in charge of-"
"Oh great, you can help then!" The spacer interrupted somewhat irritably, turning to face Darius. He was evidently more concerned with his current inconveniences than with etiquette. "This darned thing won't load!" Darius couldn't place his accent, but at least his speech was understandable. Space madness could work wonders on individuals alone for prolonged periods of time.
The man's face told a story. He was not old but Darius could tell he was some sort of veteran.
And he looked like the sort of fellow who normally had a helmet on his head.
The Aide, maintaining his composure, offered a professional response. "Sir, that Universal Cartographics Terminal uses deep space relays to access the Universal Cartographics network. I apologise if its pace is an issue, however there is nothing we can do out here."
The pilot was practically thumping the input panel. "Why does it take so darn long?"
Was this man lucid? Had the space madness reached his head?
"Rest assured it will load."
"Not at this rate it won't."
The spacer sighed in resignation. A good part of his aggression, but also focus, seemed to disappear with his hopes of selling his exploration data.
Darius tried a new tactic to keep the pilot docile. "Well, while we wait, could you tell me about yourself?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then began to speak, albeit just about comprehensibly.
"The name's Golm... call me crazy if you want..."
"What's your business, Mr Golm? Exploration?"
"I was in... the dark.... far .. out..." the man managed to mutter.
"You can say that again." Darius replied. "There's not a civilized system in ten thousand light years."
Golm continued his ramble. "I came here... from the... colonies".
"Colonia?" questioned Darius.
Golm nodded.
"Stunning place, isn't it?" Darius continued.
Golm actually seemed to light up for a moment, smiling warmly. "Yes, it was beautiful. Love the civilisation as well. I could retire there, if not for..." he trailed off, an almost melancholy look on his face, as though something had driven him away. Darius wondered for a moment whether or not to press the spacer further, then with his better judgement decided not to.
Suddenly the terminal lit up.
"The darned thing loaded!" Golm's expression became shocked satisfaction. He got to work selling his cartographic charts.
From the numbers on the screen, Darius noticed that he had only made six, maybe seven million credits, however it appeared that he had charted several bodies.
"You didn't stick around." Darius remarked.
"It's enough," Golm replied, almost dismissively.
On the screen, another icon lit up.
The spacer turned briefly to Darius, a glimmer behind his glasses and a grin on his face. "Looks like we're allies now."
As the pilot strode back aboard his now-serviced spaceship, Darius noticed one piece of information from the Asp's data broadcast. Golm was registered as DANGEROUS.
In Darius Bauer's mind, the puzzle pieces fell into place. Everything about Golm made sense, his weathered look, his troubled attitude, his hurried flight from Colonia, now his rank.
Combat pilot.