Back at work
10 Jun 2022Claude Lecardunoie
... Tweep... Tweep...7am. Nobody likes to be woken up by the com terminal buzzer. Especially after 12 days off.
It was the 7th of june 3308. I have stayed off grid for the last couple of weeks for a break well deserved, I though. But this message would put an end to it.
I turned on my bed screen terminal. There was one as I was staying then in a luxury hotel in Clairaut City in 10 Tauri system, the Versailles Clairaut. Excellent service, by the way.
The message on top of list, the one that had just taken me out of my dreams was from Imran Boyangi, a guy from Sirius Corp. I met him about a month before. His role at Sirius was rather unclear to me, somekind of spymaster, homme de l'ombre, éminence grise... He had been tipping me off on how to make money and how politics worked behin the curtain, with the clear goal to recruit me in his network.
"Hello Claude. I haven't heard from you in the last days. Vacation I guess. But as you may have guessed, Sirius Corp. has many friends, here and there, especially in systems controlled by Mr Yong-Rui like 10 Tauri. So from what has been reported to me, I understand that you have been helping a pro-Federation group in a civil war. I have no objection to this. Actually, we like to know people ranking up the Federation Navy. Therefore, I would like you to carry on working for this faction. Just don't forget : whenever you'll be ready, you are more than welcome to work for Mr Yong-Rui.
I expect to hear from you soon".
Vacation, yes, he was right. I took some good times in Clairaut City. Just before that, I worked as a mercenary for ArmBorr Ind., a pro-Fed party, with much better results than my previous campaign in Veroandi. Actually, ArmBorr Ind. won that civil war. So this time, instead of being despised by the other ArmBorr combat pilots like in Veroandi, I hanged with them, pilots and engineers. All nice people, and very verbose after some drinks and drugs, legal or illegal... Most of their stories were probably untrue, or at least not the whole of them, but by paying attention I learnt a few things. Like spending more times on the docks or in the workshops, because in some station you could find some technology experts able to improve some of your ship modules if you bring the right components. Even better, I was walking back from a night out in a club with one of local engineers. At some point, I mentionned the names of Felicity Farseer and Todd McQuin. Those names were like a legend to me and to the rest of the pilots anywhere in the galaxy. I knew the name from hearsays, but this guy told me that he actullay did work with Todd a long time ago. They were not really in touch anymore but he said that if I prove myself as a worthy pilot with interest in mechanics, Todd would probably fit my ships, weapons and other modules.
So, after I read that message from Imran Boyangi, I had my plan made for the coming weeks: keep working for ArmBorr Ind, as suggested by Imran, then spend my credits on new ships and finally improve my fleet with modified and engineered modules.
Then, and only then I would contact Imran to work for Li Yong-Rui.
White Dwarf near Tascheter
Approaching Spielberg Installation