Chapter 1: Joining The Junker Congress:Introduction.
(Texas System- Night Cycle)
Leila Zen sat at the controls of the Pirate Transport, The Heirophant, at the last leg of it's ardously slow journey back to the Puerto Rico system. The cockpit was filled with the sounds of beeping instruments and interactive HUD lights. Leila had taken great joy in modifying the controls of The Heirophant, over the last year and a half. She had everything just how she wanted it, primed for maximium efficiency. The interactive computer program she had designed, designated C.R.I.S. (Computerized Remote Interface System), chirped suddenly, "Attention. Waypoint Delta, 2k and closing. Dropping Out of Cruising Speed to conventional drive system."
She smiled as she looked out the bridge window. It was the Night Cycle, and most of the crew was asleep. The Captain had been specific about his orders, however, and she chose to wake him up anyway. She twirled her fingers through her red hair as she considered waiting until the Day Cycle. Best not to drag it out, she thought.
She accessed the internal ship communication system. "Geo, better get up here. We've reached the Puerto Rico jump hole, finally."
At first, there was no response. She beeped him again. Suddenly, "I heard you the first friggin' time! I'm on my way." He sounded groggy, obviously he had been sleeping.
Geodin Daemonchara, Captain of The Heirophant, strolled onto the bridge a few minutes later, his black button up hanging open, with no socks or shoes. He scratched his head, oblivious to his visual appearance. He looked tired, he had been having trouble sleeping for the past two weeks. He had really struggled with the decision he had made just two days prior: Joining the Junker Congress.
Two weeks ago the ship had been attacked by Xenos, outnumbered and outgunned. Eight ships had showed up, deep in the Debris Fields, east of Pittsburg. They didn't even bother to send a hail, and had opened fire, ruthlessly. Winston Caldwell, his 1st officer, and Cameron Curtis, his tactical officer, had manned the turrets and defended the ship. Things had looked grim until Leila saved the day with her impromptu genius, creating some makeshift Mines in the cargo bay, destroying two of the ships with spare parts and some shoestring. In the wake of the series of the violent enemy ship explosions, The Heirophant dropped a host of countermeasures and quickly activated the Cruise Drives. The Heirophant limped away, by the skin of it's teeth.
Xenos had attacked before, sure. But never so organized. And rarely so close to Pittsburg. Geodin had read about dozens of these "isolated" attacks in the past three months and he had ignored them. To his folly. But now, he was paying attention.
Or at least, after he fully woke up, he'd be paying attention. He rubbed his eyes again, "So we're finally here." He paused, looking at Leila, "How long until the Day Cycle begins?"
"CRIS, display Sun up countdown." A simulated moon popped up on a translucent screen to the left of the main control panel, it was somewhat dim. Below the animation was a timer, it read: -01:12:33-. Leila spun around the Navigator's Chair and chimed, "alittle over an hour before sunrise. Do you want to wait?"
He shooked his head, "No. I'm anxious to get to Areicbo. I don't know if my father has arrived yet. I'd like to beat him there, if it at all possible. The man despises waiting for anyone not wearing a short skirt."
Leila Zen chuckled, and a light in the back of her eye twinkled, just for a moment. She was young, tall, beautiful and absolutely brilliant, and she had always thought of Geodin's father, Jodah as very charming. She smiled as she spoke, "CRIS, Activate Loudspeaker," she motioned with her hands to the Captain, "All your's boss."
"Attention, sleeping beauties! We're at the Puerto Rico jump hole now. Leila seemed to shave off an hour to our trip somehow. So blame her." He grinned a moment, ignoring Leila's glare, "We'll be jumping any minute, the stablizers are still broken, so it'll be bumpy. No whining, we'll get them fixed at Areicbo. You've got five minutes to get yourselves strapped in or you can all eat your floors for breakfast." He leaned over Leila's shoulder and manually closed the channel. He disliked directly speaking with the computer system Leila had designed if he didn't have to.
Leila knew this, and anticipated Geodin's order before he could order it. She had a habit of this, always seeming to read his mind when she was in the same room with him. "CRIS, run pre-jump system diagnotistic protocol 2."
The friendly, mild toned computer voice responded. "Everything's Peachy." Now it was Geodin's turn to glare, and arch his eyebrow, as it continued. "Engine Status: Online-- Standby Mode. Engine efficiency-- 93% conversion rate. Engine Containment-- Intact. Heatshielding-- Intact. Life support-- Stable."
His voice was an accusation, "Now you gave it a personality?"
Before she could respond, CRIS did, "I have been upgraded with Personality Matrix Protocol 7, and Self-Awareness Matrix Protcol 4."
Geodin's look was glacial ice. "I didn't ask you!"
"You complained that CRIS was tinny, and non-responsive. Now you're complaining that he's more chipper?" She had prepared for this, but the past and potential-future benefits of her creativity always outweighed Geodin's irritation with her constant tinkering with her creations, and she knew it. "Let's not start this again, you said, and I quote, 'Do whatever the hell you want with your imaginary friend. I don't care as long as you don't fly my ship into a Gas Giant!'" She raised her eyebrow, tilting her head and smiling, slowly.
He snapped his mouth shut with a clicking sound as Basil Caldwell, his 1st Officer, came up the stairs to the bridge. Basil looked at Leila's smirk and looked at Geodin's tightened frown. "Now now, no blood before breakfast, s'what I always say!"
Geodin chose to save this battle for another day, "Aw, did ya bring me pancakes?"
Basil laughed, "You're not my type, Cap'n." He quickly changed topics, "Passed Mr. Davies in the hallway. Dunno when he's going to speak to me again. After that mishap last month with that woman on Los Angeles."
Leila pipped up, "You really are cruel to him y'know.."
Basil's voice was indigination, "I didn't see that adam's apple, I promise. I had had alot to drink that night and I wasn't paying very close attention. Honest mah dear, honest. I would've never let him leave that Bar with that, that... imposter! Had I know a thing, I would've prevented it with all the grace and tact of a panther!"
"Yeah, I believe that like I believe in the tooth fairy." Geodin said sternly, "You just give him his space." Basil quickly shut up and looked at the wall. Geodin ignored him, and continued, "Get me the Engine Room."
Leila blankly looked at him for a split second. "Y'know, he, can hear you. A please or a thank you wouldn't kill ya, ya ingracious bas--."
Suddenly overjoyed to be the peacemaker instead of the focus of scrutiny, Basil interjected, "Oi! Is it really worth raising ya pulses ova (over)? Fociss(Focus)!" He stepped between them with his hands up.
Everyone's a mite touchy today. Wake 'em up early and it's like the bloody sun went supernova when their eyes opened! I could use a nice cup o' tea, Basil thought.
In the moment of silence following his outburst, you could hear space crickets chirping. And in the moment he took to think, the timid voice of the engineer, John Davies, came over the internal communications, "Uh, I can hear you guys. What do you need? I, uh, got stuff to do, here, uhm, yeah.."
Confusion struck Geodin for an instant. No one had moved an inch except Basil. How had the comms been turned on? Leila turned to look at the special left control panel for her upgrades on the ship with a suppressed look of surprise. "I told you he, could hear you, didn't I? Thank you CRIS!" She said in a hurry. She didn't mention the fact that the CRIS interface was only supposed to respond to verbal commands with the prefix of his acronym name in front of them. Geodin hadn't said the computer's name first, however. That puzzled Leila a bit, but she didn't let it show.
CRIS replied, "You're welcome User Leila."
The Captain didn't notice her look of curiousity as he spoke to John Davies, "John, just finish your stuff and get my ship moving.Two minutes ago!" He leaned over Leila's shoulder again to close the comm on the central, original, control pannel. He turned to Basil, "Tea would be nice after we've jumped. It'll be at least another hour or two before we hit Areicbo."
"Ah yes! Proper sah(sir)." Basil said pridefully.
Geodin turned to Leila, but before he could speak, she raised her index finger and blurted, "Lemme Guess! Find the doctor and Basil's brother and tell 'em to strap in! Jumping in a wild hole, as a opposed to the safer, public gates, with a secondary stabalizers all warped and corroded can't be ginger peachy! But it's only just the secondaries. But there is a very small risk that..," her voice trailed off, looking at the floor.
Geodin said, "Nevermind that. Just find them. I'll take the cushy seat now. Go on now." He brushed her off with a gesture. "Oh and disable it."
She frowned. "Fine." She tapped a few button on her special panel and said, "CRIS, primary mode, disable. Activate internal maintenance and diagnostic mode. Hibernation Cycle. Confirm!"
The voice sounded happy, "CRIS Disengage Protocol 1: Closing Integration system linkages. Releasing over-ride command keys. Assuming Passive Mode. Collect selected data and graph. Hibernate.," the last word sounded considerably less enthuastic, even forced, "DISABLED!."
"There." Was all she said, leaving the room to find Winston Caldwell, who was Basil's Brother, and Doctor Kelsey O'Reilly. She felt like she was forgetting someone, a moment later, she asked at the bridge stairwell, "What about Cameron?"
"Don't we pay him for something?" Basil asked sarcastically. He hadn't forgiven him for not paying attention to the scanners while they were picking up scrap in Pittsburg, prior to the Xeno attack.
"That's a good question. If he isn't prepared enough for the jump, that's his own problem." The Captain's voice was firm. His face looked noticably angry, "Teach him a lesson in awareness."
She glanced at the special control panel again, and nodded to the Captain, saying, "Ok, Geodin." She walked out of the bridge and down the stairs, but stopped again at the bottom of the stairs. Wondering.
