A Clipper with all the riggings
28 Apr 2016BaseKillerWolf
"Come on ya tin can, don't give out on me now. You're barely in the damn mail slot!" The Hauler's engines grumbled and shuddered as it struggled to maintain its approach to Naglotech Station. "I swear, if this ship dies en route to the landing pad, I'll set it to self-destruct and cling on to a passing Type 7 to get in the damn station..." The Hauler that I had purchased as a taxi ship was on its last legs of its spacefaring life. All I needed out of it was a quick ride to Dakvar so I could pick up a new Imperial Clipper at a discount. After that, it could be melted down into a blender for all I cared. Thankfully, the Hauler touched down at pad 27 with little protest, and I swiftly made my way to the shipyard before it decided to explode in the hangar.I'm not very fond of the Empire. When I started out as a pilot, I joined up with the Federal Navy to score some easy credits around the Eravate system, with dreams of one day seeing Sol with my own eyes. I landed a position as a naval supplier between a few systems, which was slightly less boring than a desk jockey position. The thought of transporting human cargo against its will or being executed by a frustrated senator who couldn't get his exotic tea in time didn't really appeal to me, so I never gave the Empire a second thought in the early days of my career. I did soon find out that the Empire makes ships that may as well print money, so I decided to save up some credits and brown-nose my way to becoming a Baron in the Imperial Navy.
"Commander BaseKillerWolf I presume?" The attendant at the shipyard reception desk greeted me as I stepped in the door, "I trust you had a safe journey to our station?" "Safe, yes. Comfortable, no" I responded, "Never buy a used Hauler taxi unless you like taking chances in life. But enough about that, I'm here to buy a new Clipper and I got the credits to prove it." The receptionist smiled and tapped several items on her touchpad. "Excellent timing Commander. Your new Clipper just finished receiving its coat of paint in the outfitting bay. Please, right this way."
I stood outside the hangar doors reviewing several documents and signing several million credits away. The attendant explained that I was receiving a discount because of a recent agreement between the Sirius Corporation and the local shipyard and outfitting ports. Good, now I can afford the insurance costs if Sirius Security shoots me down in the future. With all the necessary documents signed and the credits transferred, it was time to meet my new ship. "We at Gutamaya Industries will find that you will enjoy your new ship that has been personalized for your unique needs, Commander," the receptionist explained. "'Personalized'? I don't recall purchasing that option for the Clipper..." I questioned. "The ship personalization service we have is highly exclusive Commander. Our ship designers handpick every part of the ship and tailor it to a Commander's needs. It requires a recommendation from several Empire-aligned factions, and you seemed to astound the ones you've been working for so far". I thought to myself for a moment as to why I received these honors, but I soon remembered: I crossed several big names off each faction's kill lists. The attendant continued before I could come up with a decent excuse: "Without further ado Commander, your new Imperial Clipper awaits."
The Imperial Clipper. Fast, strong, spacious cargo. All contained within its shiny... royal blue hull? Wait, aren't these supposed to be painted pure white? Am I getting a used Clipper pawned off on me here? "Allow me to introduce to you Commander, your new Clipper: The Imperial Naval Ship Lemorel" the attendant announced with a sense of grandeur and pride. "Oh, this is that personalization we discussed earlier. I wasn't expecting it to have a custom paint job and a name already." I replied. "Would it be possible to maybe get some of this changed around?" Wrong move. The attendant gave me a look as if I had just insulted the Emperor and her family in one statement. "A-actually, I think I got jostled around a bit in the ride over and I need an up-close look at the ship. Would you mind?" This seemed to calm her nerves, as the look of abject shock quickly faded, "Of course. It's your Clipper, Commander. Whenever you're ready, you can take off from the hanger pad and see how your new ship flies. We hope that you'll continue to do business with the Empire and with Gutamaya Industries." She promptly left the hangar after she said this, probably to put an assassination order out on me.
The moment I stepped in the cockpit of the I.N.S. Lemorel, any doubt I had vanished in an instant. The interior could have doubled as a nightclub with the ambient lighting. The pilot seats were fitted with cushions that probably cost more than the ship itself. A whopping 220-ton cargo hold was waiting to do business across the galaxy. The cup holders were heated AND refrigerated! There was only one thing I had to test: did it fly like a hawk, or did it fly like a brick? Only one way to find out. After ascending the launch pad lift, the station cleared me for takeoff. Once I cleared the mail shot, I couldn't resist; I set all power to the engine, maxed the throttle, and hit the boost. I was thrown back into the seat as the engines responded almost instantaneously, accelerating the ship all the way to 400 meters per second. Station security didn't bother to chase me down and scan me. As I sat there chuckling to myself and the station shrinking out of view, I knew that the I.N.S. Lemorel was going to be worth keeping in my fleet.
~CMDR BaseKillerWolf~