[ROLEPLAY] The Runabout
13 Jan 2024CrazyGolm
(A mostly stand-alone story inspired by in-game happenings.)Hogg Station, Yan Zangata system, Imperial Space
Four figures stood in the hangar bay, at the lifts to the station concourse. Four friends, waiting for someone.
Howard, Fabian, Eleanor and Lysander had been rescued from the Thargoid Alert in HIP 30158, saved from the brink of death. The four of them had thanked the Search and Rescue team earnestly, but they had deflected the credit to someone else. Apparently an independent pilot in a little Dolphin runabout had spotted their escape pods at just the right time, and brought them in. At the rescuees’ request, the SAR team had contacted the pilot and arranged a meeting.
It was funny. One month ago the group had never met one another, but now they were close friends.
Complete strangers, brought together by a struggle for survival.
And now they were waiting to meet the Commander who had saved their lives.
They didn’t know quite what to expect.
The hangar intercom piped up, patching them into Starcon. “Saud Kruger Charlie Romeo Alpha, you’re cleared to dock at pad one. You’ve got guests expecting you.” The Dolphin was on final approach for touchdown to Hogg Station. Outposts of its size didn’t normally run voiced traffic control, but the SAR team made an exception for this occasion.
There was a satisfying thump from above as the Dolphin touched down. Then the landing pad descended, bringing the ship into the hangar.
A figure stepped down from the Dolphin. He was wearing an orange flight-suit, his face concealed by its opaque helmet. His shoulder pads were emblazoned with elaborate Pilots’ Federation decals.
“Hello,” he said simply, giving a slightly shy wave.
Howard, an elderly mechanic and the oldest of the group, spoke up first.
“Commander CrazyGolm, it is good to meet you. Thank you for rescuing us. We are beyond grateful.”
“I had to help you. I was in HIP 30158, and I noticed a Combat Aftermath signal. I thought I’d check it out, and there I found you drifting in space.” The Commander responded honestly but gently, and he had a quiet sort of kindness about him. His voice sounded young, and he spoke with an accent that wasn’t quite recognizable, but it was definitely not Imperial.
Fabian, a resolute Imperial isolationist, kept awkwardly silent for now. He wasn’t sure what to think about this pilot. It was the Empire’s way to shun outsiders. Independents in particular were looked down upon as a disorderly, unruly lot. But here they were faced with a kind and honourable man, a man willing to cross political barriers to protect lives. It challenged his way of thinking. And the group had overcome their differences before – Lysander had been a staunch supporter of The Northern Culture after all – so they would do it for Golm.
Eleanor, an Imperial Navy cadet, was next to speak up. “I can’t believe you found us! So many others would have passed by, and we may not have made it…” The others nodded and bowed their heads in solemn agreement. Her escape pod had been damaged, so she had been made particularly aware of her own mortality.
Golm awkwardly fessed up. “To tell the truth… I wasn’t actually looking for you. I was looking for this.” At this, the Commander tapped his InSight pad, and a wrist-projected hologram flickered into life. A fuzzy, shimmering image of a bulbous, non-human device. A Thargoid Probe. One could only imagine why Golm would need such a thing.
“But when I found you, I couldn’t leave you.”
Lysander spoke up reassuringly. “You saved our lives, and that’s what matters.”
Golm continued to explain himself. “I wasn’t able to drop off your pods in-system, given the Alert. So I hopped over here. Yan Zangata’s still Imperial territory, but there’s also opportunities to go elsewhere. It’s up to you.”
Howard reiterated his gratitude. “We cannot thank you enough for rescuing us. If there’s ever anything we can do for you, let us know.” Others in the group echoed his sentiment, expressing similar intentions of reciprocity.
“Don’t worry about it. You don’t owe me. We’re good.” Golm responded warmly. “But if you will do anything, think about this: God put me in the right place at the right time to rescue you.”
“I must be going in a moment,” Golm said, “but I’m glad we met.”
And with that, CrazyGolm did something that he rarely did in public: he removed his helmet. Beneath the visor was the face of a young man, but in his blue eyes there was a deep mixture of emotions that spoke louder than words. They told a story of one who had faced hardship and emerged the other side, still persevering in living right.
Howard, Eleanor and Lysander all shook Golm’s hand, thanking him again.
Finally, Fabian spoke up, holding out his hand for Golm to shake. “Thank you,” he simply said.
Golm didn’t hesitate to shake his hand. Fabian got the sense that Golm understood.
And then he left. The meeting was short but emotive, and Golm would not be forgotten.
The stranger who had saved their lives.