Kicking the Hornets' Nest
16 Dec 2020Elkyri
Fox Enterprise3306.12.07
"Seriously? They're paying two million credits just to scan a planet?" I couldn't believe it. Hicks was making it sound like easy money.
"Not just any planet," Hicks said. "It's ammonia worlds they want. They got some kind of new technology that makes it easier to turn them into something habitable."
"Okay, I'll buy that but there is easier and then there is easier. Why don't they just work on a water planet or a metal planet? You know -- someplace where you're not freezing to death and breathing in ammonia. You don't need any fancy new tech for that, and I'll wager this new tech doesn't come cheap. I'm guessing there is more to this than you're telling."
"Just telling you what I know, Sis." We aren't related but he always calls me Sis. He leaned back in his chair waiting for some kind of response. I took time to think while savoring a slow sip of coffee. The coffee at Fox is always very good. I wonder where they get it.
"Okay, sure -- telling me what you know but I'm thinking you don't know all there is to know about this. There is just too much not stacking up. Why ammonia worlds when there are easier places to terraform? Why in the Coalsack? There are plenty of other places to find ammonia worlds."
"Maybe there are just more of them there." He shrugged. He obviously hadn't given it that much thought.
"That could be," I said, setting the cup down. "But you know what else is in the Coalsack? Thargoids, that's what." I shook my head. "I think you just gotta ask yourself why Sirius, or anyone for that matter, would want to deliberately go poking around where they know there are a bunch of thargoids. And singling out ammonia worlds? It's almost like they are looking for the very places where they can expect to run into them."
"I think they have the Alliance backing them."
"Maybe so but the question still stands -- why there?"
He shrugged again. "I don't know that but I do know I'm cashing in on this deal and you should too."
"I'm not an explorer," I said, "and I don't have an exploration vessel. It's a T6, Hicks."
"You don't need a fancy ship!" he scoffed. "Just pull out some of those cargo racks so you have room for an SRV hanger and a scanner and you're set."
"What's the vehicle for? You don't need to get off the ship to map a planet." It's a thing, not just with me but with many spacers. The ship isn't simply a vehicle you hop on and off. It's your office, your gym, your school, and your home all wrapped up in one. It's your safe place. You're comfortable there. Getting out to wander around some completely deserted planet where who knows what dangers lurk? Not high on my list of fun things to do.
"No, but there might be something you want to check out. They pay good money for that stuff too. That and you can find some pretty useful materials if you find the right spot.
"But don't let that stop you. You don't need to get out of the ship if that bothers you." He paused just for a moment then turned his head a bit so he was looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "Or can't you figure out how to use a surface scanner?" He winked with that little smile of his that communicates a challenge offered.
"I'll think about it," I said, hoping to end that line of conversation.
But I did think about it while we sat there in silence finishing our coffee, watching ships coming and going from the pads. Free money, or as close as you can get to that. Maybe a half-millon credits to get the ship refitted then food and fuel the only real expenses. Make a few jumps, scan the system, fly over and launch the probes. Time consumming but not hard. Why not, then? Giving up the time to make cargo runs, that's why not. Opportunity cost as Mister Yim would call it. But two million credits for mapping a single planet? That covers a lot of opportunity cost.
I pushed my chair back and stood up. "Okay, Hicks, I think I'll give it a go. Everything's modular so it shouldn't be a big deal to pull out a cargo rack to get a vehicle hanger in there. I still feel like we're kicking the hornets' nest and I swear to Mother Gaia if I get turned into thargoid goo I'll come back from the dead and haunt you for the rest of your life."
He just smiled.