How I Got Here: "Catalyst"
29 Sep 2022Columbuss
Commander Justin Estok. Stardate 29-SEP-3308."Life's too short to drink cheap liquor."
Transport work is tedious. It can feel slow and dragging. Much like peace time, transport work can feel mundane. I guess when you spend the better part of the past year dodging rockets and patching up bullet holes in your ship, moving a load of gallium from one port to another doesn't exactly ring your bell anymore.
You touch down at one star port or another, waiting for the docking clamp to secure your landing gear on the flight deck before unbuckling your flight harness. The floor drops as the flight deck spins to bring your ship into the docking bay. Walking down the off ramp of your Type-7 transport ship, the warrant officer, he greets you by name. If you're wondering if you're doing this too much, that's how you know. You confirm with the warrant officer where you're coming from and who the cargo in your ship is for. You sign the release forms and head for the bar while the longshoremen get busy unloading your freight. After securing your payment from the contracting office, you head to the bar. As any hauling pilot can tell you, the most important business of the trip is between you and the bartender.
"What can I getcha commander?" The bartender asks.
"Federal Reserve, thank you."
"Hmm," he says. "An aristocrat."
"Not exactly."
"Just a pallet for the good stuff" he asks, pouring two fingers of brown liquid into a tumbler.
"Life's too short to drink cheap liquor."
"Fair point," he smirks. "We got some hyper-saline pills back here too if your interested. Straight from The Empire. Nix your hangover just like that."
"No thank you," I say, pouring the tumbler's contents over my lip. "If you can be a man at night, you can be a man in the morning."
Sitting at the bar, the windows at the edge of the room look out onto the flight deck. Spotlights dart up from each deck as lights blink and flicker, guiding incoming ships to their prearranged landing sites. The glasses hanging from the bar jingle as a Type-9 takes off, it's heavy engines temporarily drowning out the bass coming from the speakers above.
As the sound begins to come back, the view screens above the bar project an urgent report from GalNet Local. Sitting at a desk, a blonde woman in a smart looking suit begins commenting over footage of what looks like a city on fire. With the music in the bar, the news comes in through subtitles.
"In other news, terror strikes nearby Alliance space as an explosion rocked the Al Mina system. Troubling footage shows the aftermath of a large explosion which took place early this morning at the capital building of Al Mina B1, the only habitable planet surrounding the second star in the system, as resistance forces were scheduled to ratify the details of a peace treaty with the ruling Ross 151 Dynasty. Authorities have no official comment at this time but are estimating the death toll to be in the thousands. The alleged attack feels a bit too soon as the Nine Martyrs attack still sit's fresh in our minds. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Al Mina."