Rude Awakening
08 Mar 2016Sinaarrgghh
Siren! My eyes snapped open, hands flying to the controls that I knew so well. Looking to see what the warning was. No lights to see, definately still powered. Canopy intact. Quick look at the modules, all fine.Noise again, not a siren though. What was that? No flight suit, what?
The realisation that Crook's Hub was still visible through my canopy was only a few seconds after waking but it had felt like an eternity.
The buzzer went again, the intercomm. Thats what had woken me, I'd clearly been asleep at the controls.
I thumbed the switch. "Hello?"
"Did I wake ya laddie?" The voice chuckled. "I heard ya was looking fer me."
"Cheif Needham?" I ventured, I could barely understand him but it wasn't the longest list anyway. "How did you know that?"
"Let me on and I'll tell ye."
Stumbling to the door my memory of the night before started to kick in. Nothing too bad but I'd make a bit of a tit of myself, I bet I was the talk of the station. The door swung upards to reveal the man himself, shorter than me but stocky with unkempt grey hair and a very red nose. Didn't seem that angry now though, more amused if anything.
"The lassie you were with last night is my neice. She mentioned you wanted to see me and she's told me all about your little escapade!" he told me as he stepped aboard. "I thought I'd drop in on my way to the yard."
"She's not angry at me then?" my voice sounded almost plaintive in the corridor.
"Canny wee ship, looks clean." the cheif was wandering past me towards the cockpit, looking round with a proprietary air. "Zara? No she thought you were a 'hoot' by the sounds of it. Who did you punch?"
"Some little barnacle lover, he was mouthing off about poncy fly-boys." the cheif had walked into the cockpit and looked for all the world like he was about to open some of the hatches.
"That bothered you?"
"No, I took exception to him calling your neice a fly-boy slut." He smiled and tapped the hatch. "You mind?"
I shook my head "Not really, what are you looking for?"
"You turned up with a gleaming ship, looking for me by name. I'm guessing someone told you to come see me. Figured I'd do the old mother-in-law bit and look for dust and crap."
This made me smile. I was clearly being dim today.
"You're right. Cheif Andrews over at Sol, he said you 'knew your way around a ship' and I'm after an Asp Explorer."
The cheif roared with laughter at that one. "Did he? Cheeky little sod. He started while I was at Mars High and I taught him all he knows, no wonder this ship is so clean!" he cocked his head and gave me a look, warmer this time.
"Bright lad, glad he's doing well. Cheif eh?" he started for the door.
"Come on, we'll head to the yard and get a good strong coffee and then we'll show you what I've got in."