Captain's Log: Tour Guides of the Galaxy
07 Sep 2021Pon Pon
Well, apparently I'm a tour ship pilot now.Not that that sort of thing is anything new to me, it's just that I never really considered it my main job. I suppose it is closer to exploration than flying a freighter though.
Anyhow, I've found that eccentric explorers (or, as most people call them, rich tourists), are more than willing to barter in exchange for a discount to their fare. I flew a few routes, and should have enough modular terminals to make Mr. Quent happy.
Selling the Adder, because it was a second-hand pile of crap, I hopped into the Reichweite II and set out for BD+72 545, a system where I had a lead on a multi-purpose Asp Scout. At around 11M credits, it was a bit more expensive than the Adder for what amounts to a pack mule, but it would be much better at getting the job done. The job being, of course, shuttling tourists to the various hotspots of the galaxy. I arrived at Rangarajan Enterprise, and met with the seller. Being a bit more careful to inspect the frame-shift drive this time, I decided that this Asp was going to be the choice for me despite its greatly inferior jump range to my DBX. We haggled back and forth for a bit, but when the guy heard I was a double Elite he was more than willing to knock the price down to 10M credits. I got on the phone with my bank, and impressed the seller by wiring him the cash up-front in full. I nodded stoically at his remark: "That's the power of an Elite, I guess?"
To be completely honest, this ship is actually a bit bigger than I was hoping to get. Copilot's seat? Useless. Business-class cabins? Spurious. But, it'll get the job done and I can flip it when I've delivered the goods to Mr. Quent. I quickly found a contract to take some tourists around, who were willing to trade modular terminals in place of cash, and convinced them to fly on my ship by upgrading their tickets to business class. The problem: They only were willing to part with 24 modular terminals. "Oh well, I can just pick up another job and sell anything extra I end up with," I thought.
I took them out to Hajangai, reminiscing on the tale of the mysterious disappearance of the "Rose Truffle," then took them to see the binary ice worlds of 69 G. Carinae. I also bought them a few tons of blenders and other household electronics, and billed it to them at the end of the trip. Rich people are weird... Wait, I'm rich, aren't I? Anyways, that journey was probably more trouble than it was worth, because the tourist beacon in 69 G. Carinae is around 69 G. Carinae B 5. Yup, exactly what you're thinking: Star B, planet 5. 153,000 Ls from the jump in point. I put my feet up and read a magazine while I waited, but upon realizing I needed to do a tenth of the Hutton run the thought crossed my mind that waiting for someone who could get me all the modular terminals I needed in one fell swoop would have been a better plan. Don't worry, though, I'm a commander of my word, and I completed the contract properly.
Returning to BD+72 545 (really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?), I docked back in Rangarajan Enterprise and bid my customers farewell. Then, promptly turned around and emptied my hold, because a couple--Jaqueline Gruber and her husband--who needed a tour pilot were willing to give me more than enough modular terminals to take their job. I should've thrown my weight as an Elite around sooner! While I was emptying the contents of my ship, I also tore out the business class cabins to free up some more hold space for all the modular terminals I would be getting.
First stop was the desert planet in HIP 41184, with its growing popularity in SRV racing on the planet's surface. My final approach to the beacon was actually really dicey, 'cause the beacon is a lot closer to the planet than I expected. Usually they're in a safe orbit, but I ended up dropping into orbital cruise before the supercruise assist disengaged. To try and catch a glimpse of an SRV race, we ended up dropping down to around 7km, exciting stuff. Next, we went to have a look at the primitive lifeforms in Brulenjan, where I regaled the tourists with my recent tale of close encounters, then related that to the ammonia-based organisms under study in Brulenjan. Finally, we arrived in Upsilon Phoenicis, in order to view the lava spouts on Upsilon Phoenicis 1. Again, the supercruise assist didn't disengage until right before we were about to drop into a glide! I ended up taking us down to around 3km anyways, to give a close look at the spouts.
From there, it was time to head back to Rangarajan Enterprise and drop the pair off. Well, their route had taken us up and down the bubble, so we were unfortunately far away from our origin. Figuring I'd spice things up for them, and to save a bit of time, I set the nav computer to include jet-cone boosts and plotted a course that had one. It probably shaved a few jumps off the route, and those thrill-seeking tourists had a blast. Now, I didn't mention to them that this would be my third time attempting a jet-cone boost, and my second time actually pulling it off, 'cause they didn't need to know that.
I'm back in Rangarajan Enterprise now, writing this in one of the pilots' lounges. My Asp is full of modular terminals, I've got a bit of extra cash in my pocket, and there's just one final question: Should I keep the Asp? It's been a good little toy to haul stuff around in, but as far as I know, there isn't really a use for it. The Bewegung is better at moving cargo. The Reichweite II has a longer jump range. And the Sternenseher is better at moving tourists. And despite all that, I think I've fallen in love. Sure, this little Asp Scout might not have a niche in my fleet, but, as a middle ground between the Bewegung and the Sternenseher, I think it could work quite well. Ah, to hell with it. I'll keep it. Guess I need to come up with a proper name now, can't be calling it "Asp Scout" forever now, can we. That, and I should probably get the supercruise assist looked at...