Chapter 9: eyes like a green nebula
24 Jun 2023Nick Euphrasia
Making my way back to the ship with my gun holstered and exposed to the public, it's nothing really, there are plenty of commanders around with 2 or sometimes even 3 weapons in a Dominator Suit around the concourse. it’s day-to-day sight to behold as I walk around with a single hand weapon. As I exited the elevator, I walked towards my Type-6, waiting for me on the landing pad.“Hmm, hows about a point job someday eh?” talking to the ship as if it understood me.
I opened the system map, and checked for a nearby settlement to rest in for the night.
Stott Entertainment Site, well it looks like they got a few guest rooms, 25,000 credits for one night. It's a booming system, so price hikes are not unusual at this time around.
Just as I was about to take off, the safety warning came on.
“Biological Matter on Landing Pad?” What in the galaxy is-
“Hey!” I know that voice, wait a minute, she was supposed to return to her settlement, what could she still be doing here?
I got down from the ship, there she was on the landing pad.
“I thought you were supposed to get back? Don't tell me you work double shifts?! That’s a corporate crime!”
She laughed and said “No, I booked a taxi, but I was 5 minutes too late, the driver took off without me and I um, happened to notice you haven't left, so … oh!” she saw what was on the side of my waist, I was hoping she didn't have to see it.. But-
“It's a Manticore Tormentor, good choice, it beats having to carry multiple weapons on you all the time, one that fits all” She said like she knew what she was talking about.
“You surprise me… in a lot of ways” I said to her suspiciously…
Before I could even say anything else, she walked up and grabbed the gun
“H-Hey, Sheira, that’s not a toy-” I said but she cut me off.
“Relax, I enrolled in Frontline Solutions back in my home system, a couple of years back, I know my way around a gun” she said as she casually took apart the barrel and the plasma chamber and fiddled with something that looks like the microchip.
She casually threw it away.
“Hey I don’t think you’re supposed to do tha-” again she cut me off..
“That chip is a tracker and a limiter, dumb pirates must’ve left it in there, so whoever buys the gun, as you leave the system with it, they will track you, that’s not the worst part, the limiter reduces your plasma bolts to fire dumb rounds. That means you’ll be cornered like a rat” She said, trying to assure me that she knows way too much about weapons…
“Frontline huh, so the taxi and sidey weren't the only two ships you've been on” I said, recalling our conversation earlier.
“The Vulture doesn't count if all you ever see is just a cubicle with other soldiers around you dropping like flies to the ground, marching to their deaths..” She said as if she saw some real shit on the battlefield.
“Come on, it’s getting late, and i’ve got to check in to Stott’s” I said to her, as her smile grew wide, that glow again. Her eyes lit up like a deep green nebula on the opposite side of the galaxy. Wasting no time, with my gun in her hands worth 950,000 credits in pieces, she hopped on board, and what looked like she was clueless of where to start.
“Here” I opened a section of the ship where the cargo module is fitted.
“Sorry, like I said, it's a mere type-6” I said to her as the type–6 does not have a crew seat next to the pilot. She laughed, “No way i'm sitting here,” she said, walking towards the canopy, “but there isn’t anywhere to sit here” I said to her, She started giggling, god why does she have such a cute smile?
“Go ahead commander, take off” she said while just leaning on the pilot seat.
“You’re going to be in pieces by the time I clear the starport perimeter…” I said to her, worrying for her safety.
“Remember what I said about Frontline Solutions?” Miraculously, she put my gun back together in less than a minute with the Plasma Cartridge glowing, this time I can feel the heat coming off it.
“Alright, you asked for it” I got in my seat, started up the engines and raised the landing pad.
Sheira, barely shaken, leans onto the seat.
“Landing gear decoupled” I said, giving her signals that I am taking off, not shaken at all. Not even in the slightest…
I raised slowly and I headed towards the mail slot. That look on her face was the same look I had the first time I exited the mail slot in this ship. We were greeted by a cloud of stars and ships all around us. I felt her grip tightened on the seat and the words that came out of her mouth was “.....is beautiful”.
“Same thing I felt that day I took this ship off your hands” I said to her.
“Don't ruin the mood” she said to me.
“I'm sorry, take your time” I replied.
As I cleared the station perimeters, I was about to hit the engine boost, luckily I didn't otherwise it would send her flying.
Out of nowhere, my ship boosted away from the station and out to the No Fire Zone.
That’s when I saw her palms on the throttle.
She looked me in the eyes and said, “Stop worrying too much, trust me, I’m fine, fly the ship as you normally do.
“Okay Sheira, but if anything happens-” she cut me off and said;
“Nothing’s going to happen, I promise you” she said, assuring me.
As I charged my FSD and went into supercruise, the launch barely made her flinch, she was silent and was taking in the view of the system. I gave her a moment of silence. It’s as if she’s only seeing the system for the very first time. Poor las, Apex taxi and the sidey didn't quite cut it for her. And being stuck in the belly of a Vulture was not a great experience for her. Throughout the 1700ls trip to the settlement, all she ever did was gaze upon the stars.
The mood changed as soon as we dropped in from orbit. We cruised to the settlement and when we finally docked. She was a little reluctant to go offboard.
I can understand, spent the last year or so at a dead end job, having to travel in an Adder with questionable conditions, and a sidewinder with barely enough hull to hold it together. Must have been rough, not being able to experience the galaxy in peace
“Your destination… your highness” I said, sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’ll see you the day after tomorrow?” She asked while holding out what looks like an invitation to a fist bump, I obliged.
“I’ll contact you” I Replied and the contact notification lit up.
“Reid” She said while turning away, heading to the exit doors.
So that’s how you pronounce that last name. Sounded different in my head.
By the time she stepped off to the landing pad and made her way to the front of the ship, she waved goodbye and gave me the o7.
I returned the o7 and took off while she’s a few meters away still on the landing pad without a worry. She’s as tough as they come, a little close to the engines but she looked absolutely unphased.
Those are some of the most intriguing set of eyes I’ve ever seen, I’ll try not too have too high of any kind of hope. Frontline Solutions is for war, there’s no mercy of any kind when you enroll, definitely not the kind of person you want to mess with, with the way she handled the gun, it looked like she could incapacitate you if you get on her bad side.
But I do wonder, what led her to Rana? Is she from a different home system? Being enrolled in Frontline Solutions for only a short while, but disassembling a gun so instantaneously?
So many questions, but out of all the questions I had in my head, one very important question sat above all- Who is she really?