The Silver Mamba
09 May 2022Willow Thorn
So I was looking for a peaceful moment to decide if this space thing is for me. Like, no matter what I do, I got a gun in my face, or I'm pointing a gun at someone else so I can get on with the legitimate contract I agreed to. Like, I tried talking with a pilot that's been around, but he was all into killing people too, so I have to wonder how much my parents protected me from when I worked on the sites they managed. I'd left the Galactic and landed on the carrier owned by one of the commanders that I sell salvage to. She, like the owner that is, was supposed to be here today and I wanted to like, get the fresh parts-list first you know? So I was sitting on the observation deck of the bridge thinking about making this my last payday. Like, I was here for the job, but all this killing just isn't me and like, there's a navigator and helmsman up above so you're like alone enough to muse, while not getting too deep because you know there are people close by right?
Anyway, I'm getting into my head when there's this vibration bringing me back to the room, and something leaves a blue trail right by the window. Like, the crew up top make some comment about a show-off and start blinking the external light. That's when I see it, the most beautiful ship I've ever seen.
Ok, so this image is like just the worst. This system has a dull red star and the carrier is way away from it around some outer gas giant. But like, it's silver, not just shiny, but polished to a mirror finish; the ship I mean. Like, I watched it boost by, make a wide turn and then throttle up as it flew over the bridge. Thats when the woman on the command consol answered a landing request from the new arrival, and welcomed the owner back.
Yeah, so the owner of the carrier had her self a wicked ship, obviously. I went to the monitor bank to watch the arrives and get another look at that ship. I don't know if it's the ship or the pilot, but man it seemed to dance and glide like an atmospheric craft. Like wow, everything about this ship sang to me, I had to know what the owner had done to it, so I waited for her.
Yeah like I'm here just waiting like some kind of stalker but what ever, I want to see the owner, so I have to wait somewhere right? and I'm done with hanging around bars where I don't know anyone. It's weird, but like I see her turn her face towards me and I wave. Yeah, I didn't need the look she gave me to feel like a weirdo, but like I deserved it I guess. So what ever, it's happened and I'm waist deep now, so its press on or stay in the shit right?
"Like hi my name is Willow. I'm the woman that's been filling your upgrade-parts request. I'd like to get ahead of the pack and see if I can help you with another requisitions order?" So that's what I tried to say, but I unloaded a bunch of, or's um's and so's and like's in between trying to talk about her ship and the parts I had gathered for her at the same time.
She is like silently saying what ever, and just holds her hand up stopping me dead, mid-ramble. Then she speaks and I'm all like whow! She's imperial, like, real imperial. I'm an imp too I guess, but like, the people in charge in my home system most the time, are just like a gang that happen to be imperial. We don't like do that "hail to the Emperor" and all that stuff, but I bet this woman does. She's got that like tea and crumpets accent, and she says like.
"You must be the young lady that has eased my personal burden, allowing me to like, continue working" or something like that.
Then she just looks at me and like, I feel like something on the bottom of her boot. So if she raised her foot and dragged it along the bottom run of the guard rail up there, I would have been detached and gladly floated off into space.
Then she's like "Meet me by the elevator or lift. I wish to talk with you" Yeah, So I think I bowed to her like some sort of servant, embarrassing my self even more before getting my red face out of there, digging for some composure.
Like she's waiting for me outside and smiles, offering me her hand. I'm like thinking should I kiss it, but she takes over and does the introduction thing. There's this smile on her face, but it looks painted on, so I guess she's just being nice right now. We talk for a bit about the stuff I've been bringing to her carrier, and she's pleased I got the last items on her list, so just transfers a wedge to my account, like way more than the price I had on my pad.
Yeah, turns out for now she's done with the upgrades, so there's nothing else on the list for me to find. Like that's almost the last push I need to decide its time to give up my short career in independent salvage freelancing. With this cash-cow milked, I got nothing outside the job board to get into. So if I'm done here and I'm going home to work for mom and dad again, now is my last chance to see that ship, so I ask her.
Unsurprisingly, I babbled again, and looking at her stern face doesn't help me relax at all, but she works out what I'm asking and is like. "Yeah, what ever. This way"
Yeah, that was a surprise but like I get to see it up close so I'm into that and we go to the hanger.
So its a Mamba, like I know that but she personalised it. I'm standing here in front of this like . . perfect ship, just thirsty to stroke it. My host is telling me all about it and I hear snippets like "There are better ships" and "It's for showing off really" but most of her words are just blah blah blah. I'm in love and there's no one here but me and the one I want. Under the lights of the hanger, I can see how perfect the body is, there's not even one light dust scratch on the mirror finish and like, I'm walking between the mandible heading for the boarding ramp.
So I'm stopped by a hand on the back of my neck. Like I forgot that woman was here, and she's like "I could let you in onboard, but it would ruin your satisfaction when you get your own Mamba"
Like ok so, she's got a point and like how rude am I being ignoring her and going up the boarding ramp of her ship without even asking? What ever, she's being nice and I think the smile I'm getting now is genuine, so I go for it and ask her if I can buy us a drink before I leave.
So she's down for that and we chat for a bit. Like she's been around I guess, so I ask her about how she copes with like what we have to do to work in trigger-happy society. She's all "You don't want my advice. I'm not a good person to ask about that stuff you know?" but I say how bad can it be? I'm already thinking of quitting.
So she looks at me for a second and basically says "You have to live with your actions, everyone else has to live with the consequences of your actions"
I'm like yeah, I know that. So?
And she lays this on me. "If you want to make your living flying between the stars, you're going to have to kill. Like when you kill someone, you're killing someone's son. Someone's father and taking that life away from the people that care for them too. If you can't deal with that, go home. It's like safe there I guess if all this is new to you"
So that guy at the bar was right I guess. He was like yeah, you're going to shoot them first or get shot. Like that's the way it is. I'm the weird one for valuing human life.
So having it put blunt cleaned it all up for me. Like, I deal with bodies all the time for mom and dad, because it's the thing I do, but I don't turn people into bodies. I'm making serious moola now, and raiders want it. Protecting myself is part of the job. If I can't do that, I should take a job that doesn't like need me to defend my self. I'm my problem, not the rest of humanity.
Yeah, so I thank her and go back to the Wisp. If I want my own Mamba, I'm going to need to work. If I work, I'm going to need to be armed. Looking at the star map ready to make some jumps, I need to make the choice. Do I go home and add my new ship to moms' fleet, or do I shoot, like literally, for my dream ship?