Published: 14 Mar 2019

Flashback

I didn’t like leaving the loading of my ship to the automated dock workers. They are, after all, just machines. I admit that they’re fast and can work without breaks. The problem is that they load the cargo with mathematical precision, placing as much into the available space as possible. This isn’t always the most efficient way to do it and at times leaves the load unbalanced. This can cause problems when calculating the jump into W.E.I.R.D. space.

However, here at the Delfin II space docks it’s law that all dock work be done by automation to prevent loss or theft, so I had no choice. Even with the machines’ speed it would take almost ten hours to complete the loading of my contracted cargo, so I had time to kill.

I wasn’t quite able to just walk away yet, so I paced back and forth behind the huge windows of the observation deck. This was a six foot wide walkway that ran around the circumference of the entire space station just inside the docking bays. It ran for over twenty miles, with high pressure plastiglass facing out to the bays.

I watched as each cargo pod from my ship, The Desolation, was detached from it’s maglock system and taken down to the loading area. Over half the pods were out of their bays now and my ship floated there in the nul-grav space of the dock, looking like a skeleton. I once again felt that odd queasiness in the pit of my stomach I had felt the first time I saw this ship.

Just before I bought the thing I went to the shipyard to look at it. All the pods had been stripped off and taken for refurbishing. The ship was also being refit at the time with new engines. With all the cargo pods removed, my ship was nothing more than a rickety shaft that, to the casual observer, didn’t look capable of standing up to space travel at all.

The Desolation, as I named her, consisted of a triangular tube of almost four hundred feet in length. On the interior, that tube was a grated walkway large enough for two people side by side with arms stretched out and still not touch the walls. All along the two visible walls there were hatchways spaced evenly from end to end. These same hatchways ran along the floor as well, and were accessed by lifting a section of the grated walkway over each hatchway. Along all three exterior sides, the tube is studded with the maglock systems around each hatchway that hold each cargo pod in place. Each pod has a matching hatchway that allows access from inside the ship. On the opposite or outside of each cargo pod is a large door that is used for loading and unloading.

At the front of the tube sat the habitat module. It housed the bridge, living quarters, communications center, main AI computer, etc. Besides being the control center for the entire ship, it has engines of it’s own and can be detached as an independent planetary shuttle. It is equipped to tow / carry one of the cargo pods as well.

At the rear of the tube sat the drive module. It housed the engines, the fuel piles, the repair shop, recycling plant etc. Every time I see the bare ship like this I can’t help but wonder who designed the thing. Whoever it was must have had a warped sense of humor or was having a really bad day. Ironically, with all the cargo pods stripped away, the two huge bulbous engines at the base combined with the habitat module at the top and the triangular tube in between, made the ship resemble a penis.

Shaking my head and stretching I realized how bored I was. Enough just standing here watching my ship. Turning, I walked along the observation deck till I reached one of the corridors leading back into the space station itself. Stepping onto the moving walkway I watched the holographic directional signs that appeared at intervals, trying to decide what I wanted to do.

The station is extensive and houses over a million permanent residents. At any given time there can be thousands of pilots, crews, passengers, and transients passing through. You can find almost every race from across the known galaxy here as well. There are innumerable types of recreational facilities, eating establishments, entertainment, and all kinds of businesses. Everything a human or alien could or would ever need and / or want is available here on both legal and illegal levels; all for the right price of course.

A sign advertising the holo theaters faded into my view and I decided to see what was playing, so I shifted over to the indicated walkway and rode along. It dropped me at one of the lifts going down to another level. An empty car stood there waiting for me. Apparently there was some sort of sensor that knew I was coming and sent the car to meet me. Stepping in I asked for the holo theaters and was whisked, almost soundlessly, several floors down.

As soon as I stepped out I was assaulted by a myriad of lights and sounds, flashing and whirring, trying to attract attention to over two dozen different theaters. And that was just the ones within my view.

As I walked through the section, I could see more, and still more, appearing around the bend of the circular station. I must be close to the stations center to actually see it’s curve this distinctly. Out near the edge it’s a much more gradual curve and you can see for almost a mile.

After about ten minutes of wandering down through the section, I spotted a show I had already seen but chose it anyway because it’s one of my favorites. Walking to the door I pressed my thumb to the scanner and saw the display deduct twenty credits from my account. Yeah, these places are expensive. They cater mostly to the non resident population.

The door slid open and I walked in and found a good seat in the semicircular theater. I plucked the headset out of it’s cradle on the arm of the chair and attached it to my temples, lowering the viewer lenses into position. Then I settled back to await the show.

Suddenly a waitress appeared in front of me and asked if I wanted any refreshments. Her appearance must be keyed to the headset I activated but she still startled me. Even though I knew she was just a projection from the headset it was still a bit disconcerting to have her just pop up like that.

For several seconds I just stared. The skin tight one piece outfit she was wearing followed every curve she had, and boy did she have them. This was my first space dock in almost a year and her outfit left just enough to my imagination to really get things going. The feelings started in my chest as I inhaled sharply through my teeth and whistled without meaning to. Those feelings quickly wormed their way down through my stomach and into my groin.

Finally when she asked again if I wanted something, I quickly pulled myself out of the daydream.

‘Damn Jared, she’s just a holoprojection for crap sake, get yourself together.‘ I said to myself. I ordered a Zefel Quickfizz and touched my thumb to the scanner built into the arm of the seat, another ten credits. The waitress vanished with a wink and a smile. I settled back into the plush cushioning with pleasant thoughts floating through my mind.

About one minute later an automated service tray buzzed up to me with my drink, then whizzed away just as quickly as soon as I removed the glass. I sipped at my drink, slowly moving each swallow around my mouth for a few seconds. This would allow the bubbles to raise into my sinuses more effectively. The drink contains a mild drug that opens all the senses and allows a person to enjoy the show more fully. It’s carried mostly in the bubbles because the membranes in the sinuses are more receptive. It’s not heavy nor addictive so by the time the show ended it was gone. The one side effect it does have is that it makes you hungry. By the time I walked out of the theater I was starving.

As I stepped onto the moving walkway I checked the directional signs. There were indicators for food, bars, shopping, sex etc. I followed the signs for food and was once again deposited at a waiting lift car. I was whisked up two floors when I requested food. I rode the walkway into the food market area. I could smell fish and other meats cooking along with many different spices wafting through the air. I could hear the cries of vendors hawking their goods. I could see tables full of vegetables, breads and other baked goods, meats and fish that were cooked, dried, salted, and raw.

As I continued through, I watched the crowds milling around the various stalls in amazement. This looked just like an open air market back on earth. I couldn’t believe something like this would exist way out here in deep space on a space station. As I looked closer I noticed items whose shape and color were definitely not of earth origin.

The walkway came to an end where the restaurants started. As I stepped off the walkway I almost ran into a little five foot tall man who was walking backwards, talking loudly to thin air.

“Excuse me there sir.” I said as I set my hand on his shoulder to keep him from running right into me.

“That’s what you think!” he said, turning to walk in a different direction.

“I’m sorry? I just didn’t want you to run into me.” I said, a little confused. He stopped and turned towards me.

“I wasn’t running! To your interrogative, not into either. Some run, some walk. The floor and I are one and it guides me.” he said, blinking at me with his head tilted slightly to one side.

“What? I don’t quite follow you sir.” Now I really was confused.

“Yeah what! You know what!” he almost shouted.

“Take it easy friend, you’re not making any sense.” I said holding both hands up in front of myself, palms out and backing away slowly.

“I’m not your friend and we’re not involved so stop following me!”

“Now just wait one minute here. I don’t even know you and I’m not following you. You almost ran into me! You’re not making sense sir.” I said.

“I don’t need to make sense! The walls understand and I move with the station!” he yelled. People were starting to stare now and this was getting embarrassing.

“Hey, calm down and I’ll see what I can do to help you sir. I’m not trying to cause you trouble.”

“You want trouble, I’ll give you trouble! You ready to deal with what you caused?” he shouted as he kicked off his shoes and yanked his shirt off over his head, tossing it to the floor. Balling up his fists, he took a fighting stance. I knew I could take him easily, being half again his size but I didn’t wish to hurt him as he was clearly not right in the head.

I took another step back and before anything else could happen I found my hands being pulled behind my back by two of the large station patrol. They put me in restraints as I watched two women in medical outfits gently lead my assailant off through the crowd. They hauled me to an office where I spent the next hour talking to convince them I had done nothing wrong. When they finally let me go I told them I would be filing an official complaint. I didn’t care at all for being punished for nothing while my assailant walked away scott free.

By the time I got back to the restaurants I really was hungry. Just down the corridor was an establishment that caught my eye called “Grandma’s Diner”. They advertised “Steak and Shrimp with Baked Potato and all the fixins”. It sounded too good to be true but I went in anyway. I could tell as soon as I walked through the door that the proprietor was a fan of old earth. The place was straight out of twentieth century Texas.

The main room featured small square wood tables draped with red and white checkered cloths. The chairs were wood as well with turned legs and high backs, Each had a quilted pad on the seat, held in place by little strip ties at each corner. There was what appeared to be a large open hearth fireplace in the center of the room. I knew it would be a holoprojection though since open fires like that would be strictly forbidden on a station like this.

The floor appeared to be done entirely in wood, stained a deep rich reddish brown. It was overlaid by many woven rugs of different sizes, shapes and colors. The lighting was done in what looked like large wheels off of old western wagons out of the nineteenth century. Most people wouldn’t even recognize them but with my family’s history, I knew exactly what they were.

As I stood there looking around one of the waitresses walked up and asked if I wanted to sit at the bar or at a table. She was dressed in a full, pastel pink skirt that fell to just below her knees. A white blouse with puffy sleeves and a ruffled neckline that showed just enough of her generous cleavage to be enticing. She wore boots that rose to mid-calf with a pointed toe and raised heel. Topping off her outfit was a wide brimmed, western style hat featuring a silver band and a feather stuck in the band.

“Bar?” I asked.

“The bar.” she stated with a smile and a wave of her hand to one side. I hadn’t even noticed it.

Down one side of the restaurant was an old western bar, complete with stools, spittoons and a large mirror.

“Oh, no thank-y’ ma’am. If’n it’s all the same t’ y’all, I’d just a’ soon be havin’ a quiet place o’ my own. That’s if’n y’all be havin’ such a place.” I said, doing my best cowboy western voice, which wasn’t saying much, as it came out sounding more southern gent. “Why certainly sir, just follow me.” she said, getting the accent right.

She took me towards the bar but then turned and continued down along it, back to the rear of the restaurant. As we passed the bar I noticed something very peculiar about it. The import dealer in me wouldn’t let me go on without at least a look. I stepped over and looked at the things shining up at me.

The surface of the bar was covered in some type of hard resin. It was old and yellowed with extreme age and I could tell I was looking at a true antique. But it wasn’t just that which made me stand there just staring with my mouth hanging open.

Embedded in the resin were several thousand old, and I mean very old, silver coins. Each one said “One Dollar” on it!

“Quite a nice piece isn’t she?” the barman said, walking over to stand opposite me.

“Absolutely! Do you know anything about it?” I asked in a somewhat shaky voice.

“Not much. It was found inside the hold of an old ship that someone dragged in as salvage. We got it for just five thousand credits at auction.”

“Do you have any idea what this is really worth?” I asked as I had to sit down before I fell down.

“Not a clue. Are you in the antiques business or something?”

“I used to be, a very long time ago. Just to show you what you’ve got here, just one of these coins is worth what you paid!”

“Wait a second!” he said as he leaned forward to look at me closely. “You are saying these things are actually real?”

“Well, I would have to look at each one but just going by these right here, I would say yes, they are.” I said as I passed my hand over the area in front of me. Now it was his turn to sit down.

“I can’t believe we’ve had this for ten years and never knew!” he said mopping his face with a big red cloth he pulled from a pocket.

“I would get a real appraisal done as soon as possible, oh, and you really should get ahold of station security as well. When this gets out you may need them.”

“Yes, yes, of course, you’re right. But couldn’t you do the assessment?”

“No, unfortunately I no longer have my license for that. I’m just a simple freighter pilot now. Sorry.”

I turned and continued to follow the waitress, who had patiently waited, leaving the poor fellow to contemplate the fortune I had just made him.

At the back of the restaurant I now saw that there were several private booths. Each booth was separated by a five foot high wall with a two foot high cloth curtain above that. She seated me at a booth and left me there with a menu and a promise to return. I looked over the available selections listed. There was much that sounded good but I decided on the special that was advertised out front.

While I waited I noticed the music player at the back of the booth. Perusing the music I saw it was all old earth country and western. Of course, I shouldn’t have expected anything else given the decor.

The meal I was served was almost more than I could eat. The food was excellent and prepared exactly right. As long as you either didn’t know or didn’t care what it was you were really eating, I guess it didn’t matter. Of course, I knew from years of experience that the “Beef Steak” was actually “Yenden Steak” from an animal raised on Mykogen. It looks sort of like a four foot high, ten foot long gerbil. The “Shrimp” come from the water planet Oceanea and are nearly twice the size of an earth prawn.

I finished my meal and walked up front to pay. But just as I got to the till the barman hurried over.

“His money’s no good here!, he told the waitress as he smiled at me. “In fact he is welcome to eat here for free any time and as often as he wants. And that’s good for life!” he added shaking my hand.

“Well, thank you very much, but it’s really not necessary.” I said.

“Yes, yes it is. It’s the least I can do.”

And that was that. I left with a mixture of feelings chasing each other through my mind. On the one hand I was pleased to be able to help him. More than likely I just gave him his life’s dreams fulfilled. On the other hand I was angry and frustrated. My own life always seemed to go unfulfilled. I’ve worked for many years, hopping back and forth across the galaxy and only made enough to keep ahead of the bill collector. Now I go and make someone else a fortune and what’s my reward? To eat for free! Like that means much! I’m here on this station maybe once every five years or so.

Of course, I already know what my real problem is and it can’t be fixed or bought. I lost my hope the day I lost Chip and nothing would ever bring him back. I missed my son deeply. Yes, I suppose I could marry again and start a new family. But even the thought of doing so brought up the memories and the pain. I just wasn’t ready for that right now and maybe I never will be.

I grumped around the markets for almost two hours trying to push out these thoughts and feelings. I did manage to arrange for all the supplies I needed on my ship though. I was assured they would be delivered to my ship before I departed.

Now all I had left to do was wait the three to four hours I still had left for them to finish loading my ship and I didn’t want to think anymore. I made my way to one of the many lounges, hoping to drown out the noise in my head, at least for a while. The place was packed and noisy. Most of the action was centered on the dance floor, so I took a small table at the back, as far away from them as possible. I ordered a scotch whiskey from earth rather than the swill produced locally. I knew it was more expensive than I should be spending but right now I didn’t care.

Little by little the drink, lights, pounding music and gyrating dancers blurred into a mesmerizing trance and I let it carry me along for the ride. I didn’t even notice when the Auldorian joined me.

“Pilot Jared McFarlane?” it asked, with a strange sort of warble in its voice.

“Maybe. Who wants to know?” I said, shaking my head to clear some of the fog and turning to see who my guest was. Sitting there was one of those beings that has always unnerved me. It looks a bit like a scarab but elongated with an upper and lower half, jointed at the middle. It had two sets of “legs” on the lower half and didn’t sit on the chair. Its upper half was raised to an upright posture with two additional sets of “arms”. One set rested lightly on the table while the other set gently swayed in a hypnotic sort of motion.

It’s impossible to tell if these beings are male or female without a name. It stood about three feet off the floor with its upper half extending another one to one and a half feet above that. This one had an iridescent red, orange and yellow carapace and stared at me with huge bulbous eyes that never blinked.

“I be Seid Baysorg, living Auldor.” he said, with that same odd sort of warble. I knew that to be a male name as this race were peculiar that way. He quickly set down a small black box on the table. Immediately all the sound from the lounge went dead and I realized he was using a masking device. As long as it was active no sound would pass it’s barrier and sight would be distorted as well.

“I hope mind not you,” He said motioning to the device “but what say I be your ears alone for.” again with the warble.

I thought; “This alien hasn’t spent much time speaking English, his is terrible!” Then it hit me what the strange warble I’d been hearing was.

“I’m afraid you have a bad translator my friend.” I told him. “May I see it for a moment?” I asked, holding out my hand.

The alien reached up to his shoulder and plucked off a small device and set it in my hand. After only a moment I found the trouble, made a couple of adjustments and handed it back. “That should be much better.” I said, as he replaced the device.

“Thank you. It is far better on my end as well.”

“Now, what is it you think I can do for you?” I asked.

“I represent the Auldor governing council. We have a small cargo we would like you to transport for us. Off the record, of course.”

“Why so secretive my friend? Why would the Auldor governing council need to transport cargo with a low level freighter like me? Why not just send it with one of your own?” I asked. This was already sounding fishy to me.

“It is a rather sensitive matter and we would rather not attract the attention of ….ah…. certain parties, from our own home world. We are willing to pay you well.”

“Ah….I see. Well you see, I already have a full cargo load. I’m afraid I don’t have room for anything more.” I hedged. I really didn’t need to get involved with a political issue, especially from a planet that isn’t even human.

“It’s only one small box we ask you to deliver for us. Surely you can make room for a ten cubic foot cargo box?” He responded with a negating shrug and a slight wave of his hand. “Besides, you’re already going in the direction of our needed destination.”

“Now just how do you know that?” I realized as soon as I asked that this was a stupid question. My contract was registered at the Traders Guild and open for inspection. “Never mind! You’re serious about the size?”

“Absolutely and we will pay you quite well for your service.”

“Where’s this box going and what’s in it that’s so top secret?”

“The cargo will be delivered to our agent on planet Skeegal in the S2 quadrant of the M236 sector. Her name is Jelabor. As to the contents, that…I’m afraid is classified.” again with that odd negating shrug.

“Hmph… how much is well paid in your opinion and just how much trouble is this going to cause for me?”

“If you follow our directions there should be no trouble at all. We will pay you 50,000 credits for your services.” He stated flatly. “Upon safe delivery, of course!”

“Of course!” I answered with even more suspicion. Fifty thousand for one small box! That’s as much as I’ll make for my entire cargo on this run. It was very tempting and I could really use the money. Besides, since I was going to Orion IV in the S10 quadrant of the M235 sector, Skeegal was only a half days travel from there. I could double my take with little extra effort.

“Okay Seid, you’ve got yourself a deal. Where do I get this cargo?”

“Excellent. Listen closely. After you depart this station, fly for Delfin One. Drop into the planet’s magnetic northern pole and wait. You will be met there by our ship and transfer of the cargo will be made at that time. You will then meet Jelabor’s ship on the night side of Skeegal’s moon and relinquish the cargo there.”

“You really don’t want anyone knowing about this do you?”

“It would be best for us all…” he said leaning forward and looking directly into my eyes “…if you say nothing to anyone of this matter.”

A shiver ran up my spine and I wondered what I’d just gotten myself into. I was going to ask another question but he had already gathered up the masking device and was turning to leave. The sound from the lounge flooded back in and I could only stare as he scuttled away without another word. I knew our meeting would not raise questions as such meetings took place here regularly.

I sat there for another hour with one thought after another chasing each other through my mind until I could no longer sit there. For the last hour before I received departure notice I just wandered from place to place, finally ending up where I started, back in the observation deck.

I stood in the small cargo hold of the habitat module on my ship, staring out the open bay door through the energy shield. I watched as ten heavily armed bots escorted two Auldorians in space suits across the empty vacuum from their ship. Between them they carried the box I was to deliver.

As they passed through my energy shield and entered the hold I saw what they carried between them and my heart almost stopped. After a few seconds I realized I had actually stopped breathing as well.

It was an Auldorian Crystal Weave container! This is a substance that only the Auldorians can create because no one in ten thousand years has been able to figure out how they make it. The substance has the luminous quality of fine gemstone and ten times the solidity of the strongest tritanium.

The problem was that no one, to my knowledge, had ever owned, or even seen, a piece bigger than twelve cubic inches. Most of the Crystal Weave products available on any market were small message capsules used for diplomatic and top secret documents. These tubes could stand up to a full nuclear blast without a single scratch. Each tube was worth enough to buy my ship twice over. Most people didn’t own a tube, they only leased it for a period of time. Now here was an eight sided box ten feet high. The thing had to be worth enough just sitting there to buy my own moon.

Never mind the value of whatever was inside it! No wonder the Auldorians were being so secretive.

I watched as they set the box on the floor in the center of my hold and locked it there. How exactly they did so I was not sure but I was informed that it would not move until Jelabor unlocked it.

The Auldorians left the same way they had arrived and I watched until their ship powered up and departed. Then I did the same.

I dropped out of the wave front back to normal space just inside the M236 sector, right on target and right on time. “Computer, check the grid and give me my inbound flight.”

“Acknowledged, coming up on navigational monitor now.”

I could see I had about an hour before arrival at Orion IV and everything seemed fine and quiet. Before I could even get in another thought, my ship shuddered violently.

“Computer, what was that?” I shouted, dashing to the command chair and strapping down.

“We are being attacked by another ship.”

“Full shields NOW, and drop decoys.”

“Acknowledged.”

I heard and felt several heavy thumps as the explosive decoys were launched out and back into my path. As soon as they were away I veered off as sharply as this old tub would without coming apart. I cringed and tightened my grip on the controls as I listened to every piece of old metal framework creak and groan with the stress.

I leaned out into the viewport bubble as far as I could, hoping to catch a glimpse of my attacker. As the decoys detonated,the other ship was forced to veer off and bank just as I had hoped for. My heart sank with the sight of a big cruiser ship that outclassed my old tub by light years. That left no doubt in my mind who they were and what they wanted. What I couldn’t figure was how they knew exactly where and when I would arrive.

Damn, I was afraid of this. I had misgivings about getting tangled up in a political squabble like this, but here I was, smack in the middle. I looked again at the navigational charts. I suddenly saw I had one chance but it would be risky. My ship was smaller and still at almost 90% of the power and speed needed for the W.E.I.R.D. It would all depend on my shield holding.

“Computer, put us on course for the S7 quadrant and engage the W.E.I.R.D. now!”

“We are not at full power. This could cause severe damage…”

“I know, just do it now or they’ll blast us out of space and that will do even more damage!”

“Activating W.E.I.R.D. now.”

Regular space vanished and I felt a really bad pulling sensation run through me like every molecule was being ripped apart. I began to count, one, two, three, four, five!

“Shut down NOW!” I ordered the computer.

Regular space returned and a barrage of collisions bombarded my shields. “Emergency stop now!”

Every inch of the Desolation shuddered, jolted, clanged, rocked and groaned as the huge engines suddenly reversed and began building power. The noise was horrendous.

“Come on baby, hold together!” I thought, patting the console in front of me and holding my breath. After almost two full minutes the ship lurched to a stop and the engines shut down. I now hear all the alarms that had been going off.

“Computer, shut off the alarms, then give me damage assessment.”

The alarms fell silent and I watched as a list of everything I had destroyed or burned out scrolled across my screen. The shields had held for the most part, but just barely. The main drive was out. One of the cargo pods was gone completely and another was torn open. Several more had depressurized. If that ship could track me through W.E.I.R.D. space, I was a sitting duck.The only hope I had was to hide, but where? I had come out right in the middle of the debris field that is the remains of planet Gyro. The field has grown huge in 700 years, having gathered a lot of other debris as well. Sure, it might hide me for a while but that pirate ship back there would track me down eventually.

“Computer, are the scanners still working?”

“Affirmative.”

“Scan this debris field and show me every asteroid and planetoid big enough to hide behind.”

I watched the information from the scanners and started my ship moving. I was flying on maneuvering thrusters alone and cursing how slow I seemed to be moving. I picked out one of the biggest asteroids I could find and aimed for it. I figured if I could put it between myself and that other ship and roll with it I just might have a chance.

Just then an oddity in one of the planetoids out near the far edge of my sensors caught my attention. The size of it didn’t jibe with its mass reading at all. It’s gravity reading was way off as well.

“Computer, lock sensors on this planetoid and give me a full assessment.” I said tapping the point on the screen where the planetoid was displayed.

“Mass, size and gravitation confirmed. Composition mostly dense rock. Little metallic content. Readings do not correlate with expected parameters.”

I knew I didn’t have much time but I had to see what the problem with this planetoid was. Maybe it would be something I could use. I changed direction and came in close to it. As I came down and under the bottom of the planetoid I couldn’t believe my eyes.

It looked as if a large percent of the interior had been stripped away. Even the core was gone. This explained the odd readings. The core of a dead planetoid would be one solid mass of almost pure dense metal. If someone had the right ship they could scoop out and discard the rock mass and fly off with a chunk of very valuable metal. A ship yard would pay premium credits for every pound.

Right now though this man made cave, or was it alien, would save my skin. I carefully maneuvered my ship around and backed the entire thing right inside the gaping hole.

“Computer, extend our shields out around the planetoid and modulate them to imitate the natural energies of the planetoid. Make us look like part of this thing if you can. Then take an image of the back of the cave and project it out in front of us. After that shut down anything else we don’t absolutely need. I want to go dark now.”

As the computer worked I watched the readings and hoped it would be enough to fool that pirate ship. If they looked too close though the disguise wouldn’t hold. The ship went dark around me and I went to my quarters to put on my thermal suit. It was going to be a long wait and it would get cold on minimum life support.

For the next two days I sat there watching my scanners and systems. Every now and then I saw a blip on the screen as one of their scout ships passed by. I could see the large blip of the pirate ship sitting out there, clear of the debris field, waiting for me to make a mistake. I knew it was a long shot but maybe I could fool them long enough for them to decide I was someplace else. Finally, after almost two more days, I watched as they gathered their scouts and powered up their interstellar drive, vanishing in a blink.

I stayed put for another three days to see if they would come back. After a week, I decided it was safe to leave. I hadn’t seen a single blip in the three days I’d been sitting here. As I sat there on that third day staring out at the back of my projected image and contemplating another full week on space drive thrusters to reach Orion IV my mind must have wandered. Suddenly I was jerked awake by the proximity alarm. I stared out my front viewport and watched as a small ship passed right through my projected image.

“Well, it was risky at best but I’ll take a few of them with me before I go. Computer, power up the laser.”

I knew I was done for. After all the years of running from my fate I would now face the end of the McFarlane clan. What difference does it make anyway? I’ve lost everything I had and I’m nothing more than a space freighter, the bottom of the garbage heap.

The Auldorians will just have to understand that I did all I could to get their cargo to them. I’ve used every skill I had and done all the right things but still I failed them. I sure wish I knew what’s in that box before I go.

As I sighted in the laser and took a closer look at my visitor my mind finally pushed away the fog of depression and I saw this was no pirate but an Auldorian ship. I also realized they were trying to call me and I hadn’t heard.

“Desolation, Desolation, can you hear me? This is Jelabor of Skeegal. Is our cargo safe? I repeat, is our cargo safe?”

“Yes, yes, I hear you. Your cargo is fine, but my ship isn’t! Pirates caught me just as I entered the sector. They already knew I was coming and I almost destroyed my own ship getting away. I’d like to know how this happened. I was assured of my safety!” I responded with both relief and anger.

“We are already aware of the situation Desolation. It appears we had a small leak. Rest assured that the leak has been plugged and the pirates dealt with. We would like our cargo now and this is as good a place as any to complete our transaction. Please stand by in your hold, we will arrive shortly.

“Computer, bring us back to life please.” I said and went to the hold.

As I once again stood in my cargo bay watching the Auldorians remove their box I wondered what could be in it that was so important. Not that I would ever know though. Auldorian containers can only be opened by the sender and recipient. And the Auldorians weren’t talking. Later after the Auldorians towed me to the Orion IV space dock I had to explain my being so late and why part of my cargo had been destroyed. I told of space pirates and the asteroid field but not the planetoid. I already had plans for that and I wanted it to stay my secret. Of course I left out everything about the Auldorians.

I lost 20,000 credits for being a week late and for the lost cargo. At least it wasn’t two weeks thanks to my Auldoran friends. Losing that many credits really hurt and it was pirates after all who caused it. Why should I be punished for what they did? I was truly considering filing a complaint with the guild but I stopped to plug in the credit chip Jelabor had given me first. I lost all interest in the complaint and the pirates when I saw the amount of 100,000 credits come up. With this money I would be able to get my ship fixed up and have enough left over for my own little project. It took almost two weeks of work to put my ship back into working order.

In the meantime, I purchased a top grade holographic generator. I took my own shuttle back to the planetoid and spent two weeks in an enviro suit installing the new equipment and getting it up and running. By the time I was done, you couldn’t tell there was a cave there at all. Even if someone set a ship down on the shield it would seem to be a solid planetoid. Of course I had the pass codes and would be able to come and go as I pleased. When my ship was ready I scrounged up a cargo contract. It wasn’t as hard as I thought. It seems that word had spread how I almost destroyed my own ship trying to protect my client’s cargo and it gave me a sort of esteem in the eyes of some of the local businesses.

Now I’ve got a six month haul, so I’ll have to sleep through it. As I readied myself for sleep I started to get depressed. What if the dreams come back? I hate the dreams! They’re actually more like nightmares. I still see Chip there in that hospital bed. I see his body on the funeral pyre. He sits up in the flames and asks me why I ever let him go on that field trip. It was my fault he was dead, all my fault.

As I closed myself into the hypersleep chamber with tears in my eyes and anxiety in my heart I hoped the dreams would stay away this time. I prayed to the goddess, just let them stay away this one time.

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