After a long day, Jimmy went to Barrier Gate Station, to meet with the strange man he met neer the Baffin Jump Hole. He made sure the hangar with his ship is safely locked and then made his way to the bar they chose. It was one of the less noisy ones, more Café than a bar, and he was really gratefull for that. The bars with loud music and hordes of people dancing and sniffing cardamine, they weren't places for him.
When he walked in, he looked around the room, but noone caught his eye. He walked to the bartender.
"Any chance some fella asked fer Jimmy?" he asked. "He goes by the name Rush I think."
Bartend just shrugged and kept doing his job. Jimmy sighed.
"A'ight, if he asked or asks fer me, send him to me. And give me some good Whisky."
Jimmy pulled a credit chip from his pocket and put it on the bar. Then he grabbed the glass he got from the bartender.
"Keep the change." he said and walked to an empty table, where he sat down. The chip held many times more credits then the price of his Whisky.
While waiting for Jimmy's return, Nick fell asleep in the small room he rented. The room has a small view on the outside, tiredness and many thoughts while observing the nebula outside did overcame him.
After a few hours, he wokes up... "Damn! the meet-up.. wait, what was the place..?". He put up his glasses.. strangely enough for a man of science, he despises eye-enhanching implants or even old contact lens... and begin to walk.
*Yes yes, it was this*, he thought entering the proper bar, More or less 20 people inside.. *A couple.. mm.. that one seems maltese..* He approaches the bartender... after asking for a beer, he goes "Do you know a man named Jimmy?".
The guy changed attitude... "Oh, he was looking for you... he's on th.. oh, well he WAS on that table".
Nick shrugged and poured down some drops of beer and then leaves the glass and the credits to the table "Maybe I'll catch him.. can you give me some detail on his appearance?", The bartender tells the doctor what he remembers and gives back the credits to him "and don't worry, he payed enough for both of you!".
Quickly exiting the room, on the next turn the doctor bumped the shoulder of a man standing there... "Damn.. er, sorry.. I, I was.. wait a minute..", he chuckles.. "Well, this really is an encounter... ".
He just bumped on Jimmy.
Jimmy was just returning to his table from the restroom, when some man with glasses bumped into him.
"Oh sorry, I dinnae saw ya..."
He tried to get around the man and back to his place, when he noticed him saying some weird things.
"Uh, excuse me, what?"
"You are Jimmy, aren't you?" Nick doesn't believe in luck or coincidences, but after this he may as well change his mind about that... for some minutes anyway.
"Oh... How do ya... wait, are ya Rush? The guy from the freighter hoverin' near the jump hole? Ye're him, otherwise ya wouldn't look fer me 'ere, right? Come, take a seat."
Jimmy walked to his table, sat down and took a sip of a whisky, while he waited for the man to join him.
"So, what do ya want from me?" he asked.
The doctor follows the man back in the bar and joins him at the table
"Here we are.. by the way, this round is on me, I promised you. Oh, sorry I'm late, I didn't know when you would arrive, so i took a nap. Anyway, how are your trips going?" he asked.
"Me trips?" Jimmy shrugs. "Well it's a long time since anyone tried to pirate me, so I guess they are good. But most of me travels are borin' supply runs anyways... Why do ya ask? I doubt ye're interested in tradin'."
"Oh, well, not really.. but I did a little trade here and there, albeit with smaller ships. Trading earns money, and money can fuel my research.. you know, better ship, better equipment.." he answers.
Then he returns to the topic of it's interest "..and, a better lab. So, I asked you about Nebula Complex in space... do you know their labs? What do they research there?"
Jimmy takes a sip of his whisky and thinks for a moment.
"Aye, I 'now bout Nebula, but I'll have to dissapoint ya. That base is still under construction. Labs ain't open yet."
He takes another sip.
"What research are ya talkin' about anyways? Ain't exaclty usual to see a scientist 'ere, except fer the shady bunch who waters down cardi. And I doubt ye're one of 'em."
"Oh, it's a shame." he answers, with a hint of delusion. As it is now, he doesn't have many more hopes of finding help. He decides to continue the talking anyway.
"I'm studying jump holes and jump gates. "
He takes an ankwardly long pause, then, almost without breathing, he goes..
"You see, I think we can improve interstellar travel. And I want to. I don't know precisely how, could be via hyperspace or other means like subspace travel, jump holes already works somewhat in this way.. that's why you met me there, I was analyzing that jump hole.. if we could replicate their behaviour.. " He slows down.. "alright, i'm rambling.. well you get the idea. I know it's a very difficult task, but I think someone should do it, for the good of us all."
He finally takes a sip of his drink.. well more than one..
"You know, history says that human ships that came here 800 years ago were equipped with some kind of hyperspace drive.. so maybe it's only a matter of discovering that technology again.. and improve it" *smiling*