The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet Page 10
“Then we better beat them to it,” said Ashby. “Let’s go draft a letter of intent. We need to call Yoshi, too.”
“You think he’s big enough to lead a project like that?”
“Oh, no chance. But he’ll know who to contact. I’ll have Lovey send him a sib invite, I have no idea what time it is there. And you’ll need to help me figure out roughly how long it would take us to get to Central space from our current location. I’m assuming that’s where they’ll want us to punch from. Is Rosemary up yet?”
Sissix remembered the last time she’d seen Rosemary the night before: head propped against her palm, smiling from ear to ear, words slurring thickly. “I’m going to guess she’s still asleep.”
Ashby rolled his eyes. “Get her some SoberUps. This is exactly the sort of thing I hired a clerk for.”
“I’ll fix her a plate of breakfast,” Dr. Chef said. He wagged a finger at Sissix. “You tell the techs they picked a terrible night to break her in.”
“To be fair,” Sissix said, getting to her feet. “I don’t think they were planning on the GC losing its mind.”
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Received message
Encryption: 1
From: Vlae Mok Han’sib’in (path: 4589-556-17)
To: Ashby Santoso (path: 7182-312-95)
Subject: Tokath/Hedra Ka project
Kind greetings, Captain Santoso. My name is Vlae Mok Han’sib’in, and I am writing to you on behalf of the GC Transportation Board. We have received your letter of intent regarding tunnel construction into Toremi Ka space. Connecting our allies to existing GC territories is a high priority for the Commons Parliament, and we have great need for skilled contractors such as yourself to help us enter into this new chapter of interspecies cooperation.
After reviewing your work record and assessing our needs, we agree that the Wayfarer would be an excellent choice to assist in our endeavors with the Toremi Ka. This assessment is reflective not only of your professional expertise, but also of your recent decision to employ a certified clerk. We see the latter as a sign of your dedication to upholding the standards of the GC Transportation Board.
We are pleased to offer you the following project. The GC is in need of a new single-ship tunnel connecting Central space (Tokath Gateway) to Hedra Ka, the capital planet in Toremi Ka territory. This would eliminate our current reliance on pinhole tugs in that sector, and would be our first step toward establishing cargo convoy tunnels. Before you accept, we ask you to carefully consider the conditions of this project.
Normally, a blind punch would be the most expedient means of connecting to an unanchored territory. However, Hedra Ka is located in a soft zone. As I am sure you are aware, the environmental risk factors in such an area make a blind punch from Tokath nearly impossible. In the interest of protecting both spatial stability and sapient life, this project would require an anchored punch between Hedra Ka and the Tokath Gateway. As there are currently no tunnels that connect GC and Toremi space, this poses a challenge. We propose that the Wayfarer travels to the Del’lek Lookout Station, at the GC border. This is the closest anchored point between GC space and Hedra Ka. A pinhole tug would rendezvous with you there, in order to bring your ship through to Hedra Ka. Given your current position, we estimate that a journey to Del’lek would take between 0.8 and 0.9 standards, depending on your choice of route. The pinhole jump would take an additional four days. To help cut down your travel time, the GC would hire another contractor to place the exit cage at Tokath in advance.
We understand that this is an unusual proposal, but given the circumstances, we do not have (nor require) a more expedient plan for completing this project. We also understand that the required travel time represents a significant commitment from yourself and your crew. The GC is willing to cover your basic living and operational expenses during the duration of your travels, in addition to your payment for the project. We also understand that space travel can impose unexpected delays, and that the mental health of your crew will require occasional rest stops along the way. In light of these needs, we do not demand a specific arrival date, but instead require that you arrive at any time before 165/307. You will also have the freedom to chart your own flight path and make stops as you see fit, though an efficient route is obviously a priority. If you are not confident that your crew or your ship can withstand this journey, it is best that you do not accept this project.
The offered payment for the Hedra Ka project is 36M credits (expenses not included; non-negotiable). We will expect a reply from you by 155/306. This project will not be offered to any other contractors during that time, so please do not make a hasty decision. If you have any questions regarding this project, feel free to contact my office. If I am not available, my AI, Tugu, will be able to assist you.
With gracious regards,
Vlae Mok Han’sib’in
●
Ashby (00:10): sissix, are you there?
(00:11): pick up your scrib
(00:14): hello?
Sissix (00:15): text
(00:15): realy
(00:16): how fuckng quaint
Ashby (00:16): did i wake you up?
Sissix (00:17): yes
(00:17): im goin to complain my boss bout this n th mornin
Ashby (00:17): sorry. it’s important
(00:17): i just forwarded you a letter
Sissix (00:18): why cnt yo come to my room i hat typng
Ashby (00:18): because i don’t want anyone to hear what we’re saying
Sissix (00:18): ship ok?
Ashby (00:18): yes, just read the damn letter
Sissix (00:19): give me minut
(00:19): need to heat bed i can barly mov
Ashby (00:19): get a heat blanket and let’s go
Sissix (00:24): ok better
(00:24): can actually use my hands now, hooray
Ashby (00:24): READ IT
Sissix (00:24): ok ok
(00:27): HOLY SHIT
Ashby (00:27): shh, i could hear you yell through the wall
Sissix (00:27): ashby
(00:27): this
(00:28): holy shit
(00:28): we just won the jackpot
Ashby (00:28): sis, if you don’t stop making noise in there, i’m going to space you
Sissix (00:28): how are you NOT making noise
(00:28): are you seeing how much money this is
(00:29): PLUS EXPENSES
(00:29): ashby this is more than we brought in all of last standard
(00:29): and this would be just profit
(00:30): pure profit, no expenses
Ashby (00:30): i know
(00:30): i still can’t wrap my head around it
Sissix (00:30): we could get a new bore for this, easy
(00:31): and all sorts of new tech
(00:31): just like we talked about
(00:31): stars, ashby
(00:32): and not to be pushy, but your crew could get a bonus
(00:32): for example
Ashby (00:32): yes
(00:33): it’s incredible, i know
(00:33): but we need to be smart about this
(00:33): this is one hell of a haul
Sissix (00:34): we’re used to long hauls between jobs
(00:34): we’ll be okay
Ashby (00:34): this is the better part of a standard we’re talking about
(00:35): that means no vacations, no visiting family unless they’re in our flight path, and a lot of stasie food
Sissix (00:35): it’s not like we won’t dock when we can. i can plot us a nice smart course that gives us plenty of market stops and places to put our feet on the ground
Ashby (00:36): i know
Sissix (00:36): but?
Ashby (00:36): it’s toremi space
(00:36): those people have been at war forever
(00:37): and i don’t know anything about them
Sissix (00:37): ashby, the GC wouldn’t send us in if it wasn’t safe<
br />
(00:38): we’re an unarmed tunneling ship, no one will be concerned with us
(00:38): if anything, that long haul gives them plenty of time to get their diplomatic shit sorted out before we arrive
(00:39): and i am sure that place will be swarming with bureaucrats and GC troops
(00:39): all we have to do is get there, punch a hole and jump back home
Ashby (00:40): so long as they don’t start murdering each other again once we’re there
(00:40): i don’t even know what language they speak
(00:41): oh
(00:41): wait
Sissix (00:41): what
Ashby (00:42): rosemary
(00:42): i hadn’t even thought of her
(00:43): do you think she’s up for this?
Sissix (00:43): in terms of job or psyche?
Ashby (00:43): both
(00:44): a standard’s a lot to ask even for spacers like us
(00:44): this is all new to her
Sissix (00:45): well, as far as the job goes, she’s got plenty of time to get her claws sharp
(00:45): so to speak
(00:46): as for her personal life, she’s dodged every question i’ve asked about family, and she’s single, too
(00:46): i don’t get the impression that she’s in any rush to visit home
(00:47): besides, you read the letter
(00:47): hiring her essentially got you this job
(00:47): so even if she’s useless the rest of the way, at least she did that much
Ashby (00:48): ouch
Sissix (00:48): i’m kidding
(00:48): kind of
Ashby (00:49): it’s so much money
(00:49): we could do so much with this
(00:50): and what a project
Sissix (00:50): like i said
(00:50): jackpot
(00:51): you’ve earned this
(00:51): i’ve known you a long time, ashby
(00:51): trust me
(00:51): you’ve earned this
Ashby (00:52): thank you, sis
(00:52): sorry for waking you, i just needed to pick your brain
(00:52): i’ll need to discuss it with the crew before i decide anything
Sissix (00:53): so let’s discuss it with them
Ashby (00:53): no sis wait
Throughout the ship, the voxes snapped to life. “EVERYBODY, WAKE UP! BIG NEWS! CREW MEETING! REC ROOM IN FIVE!”
Ashby (00:54): i’m going to space you, sissix
Sissix (00:55): you love me
●
Feed source: Galactic Commons Reference Files (Public/Klip)
Item name: Astronomy > Home Galaxy > Regions > Galactic Center (Core) > Natural Resources
Encryption: 0
Translation path: 0
Transcription: 0
Node identifier: 9874-457-28, Rosemary Harper
The Galactic Center, colloquially called the Core, is home to several unusual astronomical phenomena, including a supermassive black hole and a high concentration of stellar clusters. These unique conditions indicate that the Galactic Center is the Home Galaxy’s largest source of raw fuel materials, such as ambi, as well as metals and minerals used in spacecraft construction and terraforming. Estimates of the available resource yield are speculative at best, but the scientific community widely accepts that the amount of harvestable ambi sources in the Galactic Center contain a supply more than four times the amount present in all combined GC territories. Though the presence of such materials has been confirmed by Harmagian long-range survey probes, the Galactic Center remains largely unexplored by GC member species, due to Toremi territorial claims.
Related topics:
Black holes
Accretion disks
Stellar clusters
Ambient energy theory
Commercial fuel sources
Ambi harvesting
Toremi
Interstellar exploration (Harmagian)
Spacecraft construction
Terraforming
Galactic regions and territories (Home Galaxy)
Traditional names for the Home Galaxy (by species)
Day 163, GC Standard 306
PORT CORIOL
Ashby wasn’t a judgmental man, but anyone who didn’t like Port Coriol lost a few points in his book. GC space had plenty of neutral markets that welcomed spacers of all species, but the Port was something special. Even if you didn’t need to stock up, the spectacle of it was well worth the trip. Sprawling streets stuffed with open-air shop fronts, overflowing with clothes and kitsch and sundries. Grounded ships, gutted and transformed into warehouses and eateries. Towering junk heaps lorded over by odd tinkerers who could always find exactly the part you were looking for, so long as you had the patience to listen to them talk about their latest engine mod. Cold underground bunkers full of bots and chips, swarming at all hours with giddy techs and modders sporting every implant imaginable. Food stalls offering everything from greasy street snacks to curious delicacies, some with rambling menus of daily specials, others with offerings so specific that the only acceptable thing to say at the counter was “one, please.” A menagerie of sapients speaking in a dizzying array of languages, shaking hands and clasping paws and brushing tendrils.
How could you not love a place like that?
On some level, Ashby could understand how Port Coriol might be a little jarring to someone accustomed to the glossy prefab trade centers you could find throughout the GC, each as sterile and uniform as the other. The markets of the Port were anything but corporate, and the colony’s independent, anything-goes attitude was exactly what made it so beloved — or, to some, rather unsavory. Ashby conceded that the Port was a little dirty, a little scuffed around the edges. But dangerous? Hardly. Crime, for the most part, was limited to low-stakes scams aimed at tunnel-hopping students or gullible tourists. So long as you had two brain cells to rub together, Port Coriol was as safe as anywhere else. Trade was well regulated, too — that is, as regulated as you wanted it to be. Merchants who risked the ire of the port authority didn’t last long, and even those dealing in shadier merchandise had plenty of honest permits and legitimate goods on hand to keep watchful eyes happy. Port Coriol’s black market was no secret, but it was carefully managed. Not that Ashby ever tried his luck with such things. Losing his license would ruin him, and possibly his crew as well. Despite Kizzy’s regular pleas to let her buy something that would give the engines “a li’l more kick,” it was smarter to keep things above board.
The Port’s soft orange sun warmed Ashby’s skin as he led his crew through the crowded shuttle dock. Accustomed as he was to living behind sealed walls and thick plex, being outside was refreshing. As usual, though, he had forgotten about the smell — a heady mix of fuel, dust, spices, fire, perfume, kitchen grease, solder, and the natural odors of a dozen or more sapient species. Behind it all was the constant mossy funk emanating from the surrounding shores. The moon of Coriol was tidally locked, which allowed an uninterrupted source of sunlight to fall upon the skins of matted scum that capped its quiet seas. The merchants and traders who kept permanent residence on the moon often made their homes on the dark side, away from the sun and the stink.
For many sapients — Sissix and Dr. Chef included — the smell was too much to handle unfiltered. Respirators and breathing masks were a common sight, even among the people who lived there. The shuttle docks were lined with booths selling masks to newcomers who had not been forewarned of the Port’s signature scent. But Humans, with their relatively poor sense of smell, could wander the streets with nostrils fully exposed. Most Humans, anyway. Corbin had opted to wear a full breathing helmet — the Exolung Deluxe, a weighty contraption that boasted the best airborne allergen and pathogen filtration system available. Ashby thought it looked like a jellyfish tank fitted with limp balloons.
“Destination, please,” droned the AI at the quick-travel desk. It wasn’t a free-thinking program like Lo
vey, but a limited model, unable to do anything beyond scripted tasks. Its casing was meant to resemble a Harmagian head, complete with chin tendrils for making facial gestures. The long, doughy face was coated in a skin-like polymer, and it was not entirely unlike the species it mimicked. But its digital voice cracked around the edges, and the tendrils twitched with palsied age. Nothing about it could be confused for something alive.
“Two to the bug farms,” said Ashby, indicating himself and Dr. Chef. The AI chirped in acknowledgment. Ashby pointed to Corbin. “One to the algae depot.” Chirp. Ashby pointed to Jenks. “One to the tech district.” Chirp. Ashby turned to Sissix. “And you guys can walk, right?”
“Yeah,” said Sissix. “Our sundry run starts right through the gate here.”
“That’s all,” Ashby said. He waved his wristwrap over the scanner on the counter. A short beep indicated that payment had gone through.
“Very good,” said the AI. “Your quick-travel pods will be dispatched momentarily. Should you need additional transport or directions, look for the quick-travel symbol, as displayed atop this kiosk. If you lack a sense of sight, you may request a complimentary location indicator from this or any — ”
“Thank you,” Ashby said, though the AI was still speaking. He led the crew away from the booth. Jenks remained behind.
The AI continued on, unphased by the departure of its audience. “Location indicators come in models fit for all species, and can provide alerts in a variety of sensory inputs, such as smell, taste, sound, dermal stimulation, neural stimulation — ”
“Is Jenks coming?” Rosemary asked.