Episode 97, Need a Bigger Boat
07 Sep 2024Ryuko Ntsikana
Episode 97, Need a Bigger Boat
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The orbital station dwindled in the distance behind the Type-8 as it accelerated, its bow aligning with the distant star system where Ryuko’s fleet carrier was stationed. Playing tender for the carrier had proven lucrative, though not as rewarding as ferrying wealthy clientele, earning a percentage of their hefty fares. Still, credits were credits, and Meredith wasn’t in a position to complain.
His new role was to act as one of several tenders for the massive capital ship. A necessary cog in the operation, though he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something larger loomed on the horizon. Since the incident with Ceri, a quiet urgency had settled over the crew, a constant motion that unsettled him. He’d seen enough in his time to recognize the signs—preparations were being made, but for what? No one was offering answers, and Meredith had learned long ago that asking questions in this line of work rarely yielded satisfying results.
Ryuko and his mercenary Coterie had been in and out of the carrier with increasing frequency. Each time, they returned briefly, unloading their cargo, refurbishing their ships, and then disappearing to destinations unknown. He knew they were mixing it up with someone—ships often bore the evidence: fresh carbonization scars from beam weapons, the pockmarks of kinetic projectiles. But the why, and who remained frustratingly opaque.
His gaze drifted to Ashlyn. She saw the same things he did, but unlike most children, she didn’t question any of it. Between the intensive lessons the ship’s AI kept her engaged in, Aby’s precise tutoring and her duties as navigator, her mind was already filled to capacity. Still, he wondered if she, too, sensed the tension.
The hangar’s automatic cargo handling system moved with swift efficiency, unloading the two hundred and seventy-two tons of cargo in under a relative minute's worth of time. It was impossible not to notice the Python suspended above its hangar floor, as the partition between the two medium hangars had been retracted. Three enormous modular class-6 fuel tanks were on the floor underneath it. A team of maintenance androids attached each to a repulsive lift system for movement to another hangar.
“Big, aren’t they?”
The voice was deep and feminine. Meredith turned to see a towering woman approaching, her imposing figure matched by a confident grin.
“Name’s Lysandra Vega,” she said, thrusting out her hand. Meredith’s own hand disappeared into hers, and the ensuing handshake left his arm tingling as though it had been nearly yanked from its socket. He barely managed to suppress a grimace as he looked down at his hand, willing the blood to return to his fingers.
Ashlyn, however, wasn’t as composed. Her wide eyes locked on Lysandra, a mixture of awe and disbelief clear on her face. Lysandra chuckled, clearly used to this kind of reaction.
Meredith cleared his throat, trying to move past the awkwardness. He nodded toward the androids working on the fuel pods. “Those for fuel or liquid cargo?”
“Oh, haven’t you heard?” Lysandra’s grin widened. “Ryuko snagged himself a real prize on the last run. The whole ship’s abuzz about it.”
Meredith raised an eyebrow. “Must’ve missed the news,” he replied, glancing at the automated cargo system still offloading from his own ship.
“We raided a pirate tourist facility,” Lysandra began, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “Stripped it clean. You wouldn’t believe the kind of credits those tourists were tossing around. Anyway, while we’re handling the loot, this massive Beluga liner touches down right in the middle of it all. The damn thing lands near the cargo handlers like it’s just another day at the beach.”
Ashlyn stood on her toes, her face lighting up with fascination. Meredith couldn’t help but smile at her excitement.
“We figure it’s over for Ryuko and Tara when they charge aboard to take it,” Lysandra continued, her tone growing animated. “Thought for sure the passengers would have them cornered. But nope. The ship lifts off, and they’re gone. We finished looting, and before we knew it, another Beluga lands right where the first one was! And who steps off with a line of prisoners? Ryuko and Tara, cool as can be, with the ship’s crew all bound up behind them.”
Ashlyn’s mouth dropped open. “He kept the ship?”
Lysandra let out a deep belly laugh. “Oh yes, darling. He sure did. It’s here on the carrier, getting reconfigured as we speak.”
Meredith shook his head, not in disbelief, but in quiet appreciation of the audacity. The same person who had disabled his Type-7 with a mere Dolphin class ship was now his employer. The memory of that day remained vivid—the precision with which they’d boarded, moving through his ship with startling efficiency, cornering him on the bridge while they stunned Ashlyn in a separate room. They had taken his ship, and Meredith had known then that time was never on his side.
They had used tactics he could appreciate, even in the midst of his frustration. A stun grenade was all it took to capture his daughter, to place her safety squarely in their hands. He’d been backed into a position he couldn’t hold for long, forced to surrender not just his ship but any control he thought he had. And now, here he was, working for the same pirate who had taken everything from him, but who, in the end, had also given something back.
They were providing for both him and Ashlyn—shelter, education, and a new beginning. The irony didn’t escape him, but neither did the cold efficiency. No, this new feat of capturing a Beluga liner? It didn’t surprise him at all.
Meredith’s mind raced through the specs of the Beluga liner, trying to make sense of Ryuko’s plan. "What good is a ship that size?" he muttered, more to himself than to Lysandra. "By fitting three class-6 fuel tanks, he’s sacrificing its cargo capacity. It’s far too cumbersome to be maneuverable in a fight. Even if it could engage other ships, it only has five medium hard points. It wouldn’t make a decent cargo hauler, much less a pirating vessel.”
Lysandra’s toothy grin widened as her eyes flicked to the Python suspended above the hangar floor. The ship was being lowered, and new modules were ready to be fitted in place.
“Says the man flying a Type-8 cargo hauler that’s now a luxury passenger liner,” she teased. “And let’s not forget, it’s already been field-tested as a pirating and bounty-hunting ship.”
Meredith smirked, acknowledging the irony. In Ryuko’s hands, what had once seemed impossible had a way of becoming reality.
Lysandra’s gaze shifted upward, her grin turning thoughtful as she studied the ceiling of the hangar. “No,” she said, her voice carrying a new edge of amusement. “He’s not thinking short-term. He’s turning this one into a long-range exploration vessel.”
Meredith glanced at his daughter just as the ship’s AI interrupted over the carrier’s announcement system.
“Attention. A hyperspace jump has been scheduled for this ship in thirty minutes. Please secure all work and projects and proceed to your designated stations. This warning will repeat every five minutes.”
Lysandra’s eyes snapped back to Meredith, her booming laugh filling the hangar once more, echoing off the walls.
But something else echoed inside Meredith, too—a strange sensation stirring beneath the surface. It wasn’t dread or fear, but a feeling of something unknown. Something unexpected.