Commander's Log: Julian Date 2928476.899
18 Oct 2019Urania Minora
WARNING UNAUTHORIZED HOLO PRESENCE DETECTEDNot exactly the sounds one wants to hear when taking a nap on the bridge of a ship 45,000 light years away from home.....
Just as I opened my eyes, a gravelly voice I've come to despise, whispered sarcastically:
"Good morning..........Minnie."
"What the fuck, Frye?"
"Only ONE person has called me that without losing a few teeth, and you aren't them."
"What do you want? I told you I'm DONE with Section 42, or whatever Federal Intelligence bullshit you are selling."
"Easy tiger", he snarled. "I might not actually BE on your ship, but don't think for a minute I can't Jameson this ship into the nearest rock. Shut up and listen."
"Okay, what do you WANT?" I asked....
"Oh, it's not what I want sweetie, it's what I can DO. Seems your friend got herself into a bit of a jam, starting up a science corp back in the bubble while you are here in the ass end of space."
A cold shudder ran down my back, and it was all I could do to mumble, "What.... happened?"
"Nothing.... yet. Well, I guess that's not exactly true. Turns out what she thought was a small little backwater on the edge of the civilized "bubble" was a pretty important system. She's sparked a civil war in 101 Tauri, and REALLY pissed a lot of people off. Turns out, I'm not a fan of any of them. Arroway sent you a message. My ship happened to be nearby and we intercepted it. Remember, we like to keep a close eye on our assets. "
The new message indicator started glowing a dull orange, and my COVAS announced in her British/Israeli accent: "New Messages"
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To: Urania Minora, Ph. D
Subject: Hurry Home!
"Minnie,
Since the last time we spoke, I was able to get our Squadron up and running, along with an associated corporation.
The Intergalactic Astronomical Union has several smart, enthusiastic, and capable research assistants,
and I've even brought in a couple of Senior Scientists - one of which has a few minor edit suggestions for your research paper!
There's a lot of great things happening here in the bubble, and some not so great things.
We've managed to ROYALLY piss everyone off here in 101 Tauri, and it's now undergoing civil war.
Really wishing you were here right now... one of those times your knack for "punch first, apologize later" would come in handy...
Speaking of hitting hard, weren't you tinkering with a fast attack craft design a while back?
On second thought. didn't you have to call it an "escort" ship to keep from getting thrown in jail for unsanctioned military tech?
Last I heard it was in mothballs due to some design flaws you hadn't yet worked out?
Hopefully you get this soon. We'd really appreciate the replication blueprints for that prototype.
If we can't have YOU here helping us, the next best thing would be a ship with some teeth.
Much as I dislike violence, it's getting to be about time I take a page from your playbook and bloody a few noses.
I'll have a case of Centauri Mega Gin on the loading dock with your name on it.
Safe Travels,
Ellie
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I shot out of my chair, and flung my helmet at Frye's smarmy hologram. If he had really been nearby, he'd likely have a helmet where his arrogant little head would be.
"Careful now, Minnie.... Anaconda canopies are notoriously fragile. Wouldn't want to crack it this far from a starbase.... well... this far from any starbases you KNOW OF."
"WHAT DID YOU DO FRYE?" I screamed. "TELL ME NOW, DAMMIT".
"Well there was no way you were going to get her message... let's just say we have a vested interest in keeping radio transmissions "quiet" around these parts."
"Don't worry though! We saw to it her needs were taken care of. There's a freshly replicated combat ship based on your designs on its way to 101 Tauri as we speak."
"Command codes already configured for Arroway's bio-signature. It's not as heavily engineered as your little pet project hidden away in that Hangar on Luna, but it should help her out."
"Now, what do we say?"
"I say, you'd best not show your actual face within punching distance ever again, Frye."
"You're going to hold this over me, like that Dolphin you "gifted" me a while back, and all those little "favors" you say you do to help me out."
"I'm waiting..." he let out with an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. Thank you for helping out. I hope you aren't sending Ellie to her death. She's even less of a pilot than I am."
"That's why I started the Draco program - it was to fit massively overpowered engines, shields, and weapons on a small, easy to control ship."
"If Ellie isn't careful with the power settings, that ship will tear itself to pieces before she even takes down a single pirate."
A cheerful "You're welcome. I'll be in touch. Good luck with your research corp." emanated from the far side of the bridge.
"Fuck you, Frye." I snarled, although it was a useless insult - his holo presence was gone....
Time to head to the engine bay. Gonna pull a few safety fuses from the FSD and see if I can get a couple more light years per jump out of the Annie Jump Cannon - gotta be careful though. 45,000 light years is a long way to travel with a hacked FSD. AFMS can only repair so much, and it's not like Annie has a full crew - it's just me, some AFMS robots, and Carina - my ever faithful COVAS.