Adventures in Doing it Wrong: "Debtors' Prison Dilemma" (Part 4)
05 Oct 2020August Davenport
"You're going to run," my fare tells me as she looms over my shoulder in the bridge of my Dolphin. The amber lighting of the holographic displays cast harsh light on her features as I look back at her. I recall her name as Miss Vantermann."I'm what?" I ask, incredulous.
"You're going to run," she repeats in a tone so cold it carries void opals. "Miss Avignon stated very clearly she does not want any intrusions in her privacy during this voyage."
"I thought she meant not to enter the cabin," I tell the woman whose strong jaw and shoulders belie a life of physical activity and intimidation.
"Those also pose a threat to her privacy," she tells me, pointing to the scanner. Coming from port, a pair of Eagles escorting a Mark Two Krait approach us, sending System Authority Vessel signatures.
"Well, we are heading back to Robigo, anyway, right?" I shrug and begin pulling up the bookmarked destination in the galactic atlas. With a flip of a switch, the computer's voice chimes back, "Frameshift charging." The Dolphin's bridge goes slightly dark, a purely aesthetic cue that the system was preparing the ship to jump as the HUD displays a circle around the destination star, merely a speck of light among millions of others. I bring the nose of the ship around, and realize we're going to have to pass by the system's main star along the way.
"You're flying toward them," Vantermann tells me.
"That's where we're going."
"Turn around and run."
"I know what I'm doing. You'll want to take a seat."
"Turn around and run," her voice fries slightly in anger.
"Trust me," I tell her and shoot a look. "Take your seat."
"Unknown vessel," a voice comes over the comms. "This is Sothis System Authority Hotel-Papa Tree Four Niner. Power down your drive and prepare for interdiction. This is a routine inspection."
"Do no such thing. I said turn and run." Vantermann pulls out a laser pistol and presses it to the side of my head.
"What the hell?!"
"Turn and run." She repeats.
"We'll only get caught. Let me do my job." I tell her. "Zagar's Dream got a lot of tricks." I pull up the ship menu and lock down the reactor cooling. With the reactor on lockdown, the ship becomes almost invisible on sensors. The downside is that the ship turns into a time bomb, cooking itself and everything from the inside.
"What are you doing?" Vantermann asks.
"They're going to pass right by us and not even know," I tell her. "Why'd you think I painted this ship with iridescent paint? I did come recommended for my discretion, didn't I? Maybe I've done this sort of thing before, hmm?"
"But the ship will overheat."
"Not if we're lucky." I smile.
"I do not like this," Vantermann protests.
With the heat levels in the ship slowly rising, I point my ship directly at Sothis A and roll on the throttle until the boost kicks in. The heat climbs upward. Fifty- Fifty-five, sixty-two, seventy-four percent.
"Warning, heat exceeding recommended limits."
We blow by the authority vessels, a trio of bright comet-like wakes going toward where we came from.
"Unknown vessel, this is System Authority-" I cut the comms with a press of a button.
"I'm getting tired of their dry conversation," I remark. The HUD shows the star's corona, and I nose down to fly around the star before the patrol picks up on what's happening. The ship shakes of straining against the severe gravity of the star as the COVAS warns, "Hull Temperature exceeded" as lights begin to flash red, the heat indicator well above 110 percent.
"COVAS, deploy heat sink," I order the ship.
Heard, but not felt, a waft of high-pressure coolant expands through the ship's hull and major systems, drawing all the heat from the ship into it as it gets pumped into a sink charge. The ship's temperature drops so quickly that frost forms on the edges of the window glass throughout the ship. As we finish out maneuver and find the destination star of Rodigo in our sights, the temperature plummets to nothing, and I give Vantermann, still pointing her gun at my head, a smug expression.
"4... 3... 2... 1... Engaged."
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Hours later at, back a Rodigo Mines, I power down Zagar's Dream after landing. I step out of the bridge and pass through to a small hallway that leads to the First Class cabin. There, a woman in a black business suit, carrying a briefcase, follows her entourage that includes Vantermann out toward the exit. She pauses and I catch a glimmer from her silver hair.
"Miss Davenport," a gravely alto voice comes from her crimson lips. "Miss Vantermann tells me your actions were rather brash earlier, that you risked your ship to ensure my presence went unnoticed."
"You wished discretion, ma'am," I tell her in my Creole-filled imperial accent. "I'd like to think I live up to what promises I make."
She offers a small smile. "I like you, Miss Davenport. Your payment of twenty-five modular terminals will be made available within the hour. And a small bonus, to help cover the cost of any repairs you need to make. I'll be sure to forward my recommendation."
I nod in a bow-like motion.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Davenport." With that Miss Avignon departs my ship.