An Unbelievable Offer
20 Sep 2021Aylin Ouyang
Fuck fuck fuck.So this happened only a few minutes ago, and I might be in trouble or am about to get rich, I'm not sure which. Let me see if I can recount, I'm shaking as I make this entry.
The prices at the Fire Fade system normalised as they resolved their infrastructure issues, so it was time to look for new work and new trade routes. I picked up a simple courier mission to Cubeo, which paid well for what it did. It also brought me close to a pair of Majestic-class Interdictors which... aren't important right now.
Fact is, the courier run wasn't that much compared to a profitable trade haul can bring, so I was musing to myself while in the hanger looking for potential spots when this short man suddenly startled me with a greeting. He then asked me for help to plug a cable to his ship, an elegant Imperial Cutter being modified to fit a larger internal hanger of sorts.
I did as I was asked, didn't want to be rude, but somewhat confused at that request. Couldn't he have asked one of the mechanics on the station, instead of some random pilot near his ship?
Turns out it was a precursor to something else: Another man came over to us after that and introduced himself as Thel Vadamee, and proceeds to thank me by TIPPING ME TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND CREDITS. For plugging a cable. That's more than I make for most trades!
If he wanted to get my attention, he certainly got it, and he wasted no time in following up by offering a job.
Problem now is, said job is to take a modified Sidewinder which is going to be fitted in the abovementioned Imperial Cutter with the modified internal to a PIRATE outpost to perform an "extraction" mission, whatever that means. A Pirate outpost. Me, someone who just about coming to grips with evading pirate interdictions, flying to a pirate outpost. I was struggling to keep my composure at this point, and I hope I succeeded. Mr Vadamee proceeded to explain that it should not be risky to dock with the station, since it was a front for legitimate operations, and that backup wouldn't be too far away...
He then proceeded to blow my mind a second time when I asked about payment. I may have not heard the exact figure, but it was in the millions. At least two? Four? Six, eight, twelve? My mind was spinning by then. It would be enough to get a new ship for sure. Surely enough to relocate the family too, or at least start the process.
At that point I just agreed to it, blinded and deafened by the amount of credits involved. There was something about a second meeting after to talk about the details, and also a couple of practice runs to get used to docking with the Imperial Cutter? I remember nodding my head a lot, getting his contact, then dashing back to my ship.
Pirates. Credits. Ship. Finally helping the family. It's all a whirl right now. I'm so giddy. So much for routine. What have I agreed to?
[Author's Note: This entry kicks off a storyline for Aylin as a secondary figure to an ongoing RP storyline with the good folk at Prismatic Imperium, so unlike previous entries, there will be some deviance from in-game happenings and mechanics. However everything recorded will still be events that happened to Aylin in-character.]