3308-11-12 Eurybia
12 Nov 2023TechnoNomadic
This tears it! I've been loading up with Liz's precious landmines at Shute for the past couple of days without a problem. Now suddenly the supply's dried up. Or rather, the stevedore keeps telling me they don't have any more while she keeps loading crates into other ships. When I first dropped out of orbit and soiled my landing gear on this worthless rock there were nearly 300 tons of the damn things! I pulled two loads and the next day when I docked again, there were 17. I already didn't have enough sleep and now I have to go rub elbows at the bar for a lead on more. But I'm not lifting off until they "find" more.When I got to the bar it looked like I was going to be out of luck. According to the individual behind the counter, traders had started coming less. Partly because of the war, but mostly because of poor management at the dock. Turns out the fellow has a history with this Regina Delgado, the stevedore who just "lost" 200 tons of land mines. So I added a little extra to my tab and learned her favorite drink. With a bottle in hand, I left to grease the wheels. If it didn't work I'd start doing some aggressive weapon maintenance.
Back on the dock, my ship was the only one left, the other ships had already raised gear and gone to greener skies. Ms. Delgado had her datapad propped up on a crate and was looking through messages, oblivious to my approach. She was startled when I cleared my throat. Before she could recover I expressed my thought that we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, and as professionals we should vent the blaster as it were. I brandished my peace offering and her normally harsh gaze softened. To tease her a little, I withdrew the bottle and said I was missing some cargo from my order. If that could be expedited I wouldn't have time to drink it and I could leave the bottle in her care. She smirked and tapped out the commands on her datapad. The nearby robolift came to life and trundled off to the warehouse. I set the bottle on the crate, gave a little bow, and headed back to my ship.
It took a little time, but the robolift did its job, and once my screens registered the last ton loaded, I requested launch clearance. While the lift was taking me back to the surface, I sent a message to the bartender expressing my thanks and plotted my route back to Demolition Unlimited. The flight back was uneventful except for an overly aggressive commander in an anaconda which had to be turned into another high-grade emission. I was surprised at the bounty I got from it, but it made up for the credits used buying land mines and bribes.
Back at the dock, I saw another commander dropping off land mines and their crates were marked Shokondii. I knew where I was heading for the next two loads. I'll hand it to the workers at de Sousa Bastion, they had me loaded and dusted in no time. On the second trip, the crates were already at the landing pad. Quality place there if you don't mind the "Illegal Cargo" flag.
Sure enough, when the last ton of mines rolled out of my cargo rack, Liz popped out of nowhere and I had her undivided attention. She's a little intense and rather excitedly demanded to know how I pried landmines out of Shute. She blushed when I mentioned my application of lubricant, then pouted when asked about hull reinforcements and upgrading the armor. I promised to come back to have her work up some seekers. It seemed to motivate her, and I'll admit a certain attraction when she's buns deep in the guts of a ship. I think the galaxy is a little brighter place with such an enthusiastic bomber girl around. If your missiles need attention, you'll be in good hands with her.