To the future
23 Mar 2021Er1cksson
Ericksson sat in the Way Inn, a quiet bar in Garay Station which was well away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the station. It was quiet, rarely frequented by the sort of person out to cause trouble and it had plenty of nooks which made it perfect to do business, or just kick back and relax. "Thank God the beacon's no longer compromised," he said to Jackson, his new hire.
Jackson raised his Deciat Blood Wine in a salute. "Over a hundred bounties claimed in a few days I hear."
Ericksson returned the salute by lifting his glass of Macalan Whisky. It wasn't the real Macallan of course, just a very good knock-off.
"Can't deny that, but it was more like war-fighting than bounty-hunting. And," he gave a nod towards Jackson, "it gave me the creds to get Banhammer, and hire you."
Banhammer was his new Alliance Crusader. As CEO of Iron Fist Security and Velvet Glove Trading, he'd been leading the company's efforts in Deciat by claiming bounties and building up a good relationship with the Ryders of the Void, the controlling faction. In only a few days he'd gone from giving the odd nod as a greeting to being a trust ally, as had his other commanders.
He'd also formed a squadron, using the company name, and set Deciat as the operational headquarters, although he still had a hankering to get to Colonia. at over 22,000 light years away, it was more of a pilgrimage than a journey, but the opportunities offered for exploration and mining were too good to be true.
There was also the fact that he wanted to rebuild the company's fortunes. Once, during his Grandfather's day, Iron Fist and Velvet Glove had been two separate trading identities which mutually supported each other. Unfortunately his uncle, whose name was never spoken, had been a drunkard and a very bad gambler with a very bad gambling habit.
In less than two years, the two companies had lost both of their fleet carriers, Test your Mettle and Silk Road as well as the three systems they'd controlled.
It had broken his father as he was forced to liquidate their assets, sack all of their staff, and merge the two companies into a shell of their former glory. Ericksson's heart ached at the memory of his father have a heart attack on the very day they had been forced to sell the last of their heavies, downgrading the fleet they had to Sidewinders.
But now, the squadron had ten members, with a core cadre of four commanders - including himself - who were eager to make their mark and see the company regain some - if not all - of its former splendour.
Ericksson pushed the maudlin thoughts to the back of his mind as those very pilots entered the bar. Tapping on the automat, he ordered another round of drinks, happy to absorb the cost. Now wasn't a time to look to the past, it was the time to look to future.