brighter and brighter…
She sat up fast, drawing a blaster from a holster hung on the side of her bunk, and blinked. The buzzing noise was the comms mic ringing her room. She stood up and punched the button, rubbing her eyes.
“Yeah.”
“Captain, we’re coming up on Arias. Should be there in about ten.”
“Thanks, Duv. I’ll be up in a minute.”
Reilly walked two steps over to a metal mirror and studied her reflection, then leaned down to rinse her face and neck from a small basin. The sink had a recycling system that allowed them to continuously reuse water on board the ship after passing it through a reverse osmosis unit and UV unit to remove any impurities. The toilets on board were waterless and compacted the waste into small squares that could be discharged into space or when entering the atmosphere for burn up. On some planets, they could also be sold for fuel. A small wardrobe held a few items of clothing, and a wall rack held the more prominent collection of weapons and tactical gear in her inventory. Reilly had a couple pieces of cheap art on the wall, an Asian-themed print with dragons and an impressionistic painting of a field with orange flowers. An old dart board, a wine label, and some beer cards were tacked to the wall, along with some military patches and a worn photo of a rugged man in fatigues. A workbench which doubled as a desk was on the third wall under the porthole and held a small complement of books, a holo computer screen, some tools, and an old CD player she had salvaged from a trader’s stand for half a credit. The top bunk was full of gear and some boxed rations, while the bottom was set up military-style with a gray wool blanket and white sheets and a reading light complemented by a holster for her blaster. A patchwork pillow and quilt stood out as the only unmilitary items on the bunk. Two more worn photos adorned the wall of the bottom bunk, showing a much younger Reilly and a young man proudly standing next to her in military gear and then a hazy group shot of a family. Reilly finished up at the sink and hung the towel off the end of the bunk as she grabbed her holster and headed up to the main deck.
She stepped through the hatch just in time to see Arias fill the bridge window with its swirling blue-gray-and-brown pattern. The ship bounced a bit as they descended through the atmosphere to the launch pads nearest Welch’s home and then settled onto the platform with a sigh as the engines spun down.
“All right. She’s moored. Welcome to Arias!” Duv locked the yoke in place, hit a few switches on the power down, and then activated the proximity detectors. “Area around the ship is clear,” he reported. “Have fun kicking Welch’s ass!”
Reilly punched the comms mic again. “Ty, Chang. Meet me in the cargo bay in five and ready to roll.”
“Already there. You want Maude or we walking this time?” Ty asked.
“We walk. I don’t want to spook Welch in case he figured we wouldn’t be coming back.”
She hung up and turned to Duv. “I need you to take a look at that tracker and see if you can get it off without blowing up my ship. Or maybe Skeeter can work one of his hacks on it. I don’t care how you do it, but I want it off sooner than later. And be careful.”
Duv gave his most charming grin. “That’s my middle name. Besides, you know me. When do I ever do anything dangerous?”
Reilly looked at him as she went back to the hatch. “And keep the motor running.”
At that, Duv looked back. “Expecting trouble, Captain?”
“After Vervian, I’m not sure what to expect. Stay sharp, take a weapon with you, and don’t let Seth too far off the ship. We’ll be back soon, hopefully with a good payout and some plans for some R-and-R.”
With that, she ducked out through the hatch and followed the corridor along to the catwalks and down to the cargo bay. Ty and Chang were waiting, Chang standing silent and still while Ty continued to adjust gear, check his
She sat up fast, drawing a blaster from a holster hung on the side of her bunk, and blinked. The buzzing noise was the comms mic ringing her room. She stood up and punched the button, rubbing her eyes.
“Yeah.”
“Captain, we’re coming up on Arias. Should be there in about ten.”
“Thanks, Duv. I’ll be up in a minute.”
Reilly walked two steps over to a metal mirror and studied her reflection, then leaned down to rinse her face and neck from a small basin. The sink had a recycling system that allowed them to continuously reuse water on board the ship after passing it through a reverse osmosis unit and UV unit to remove any impurities. The toilets on board were waterless and compacted the waste into small squares that could be discharged into space or when entering the atmosphere for burn up. On some planets, they could also be sold for fuel. A small wardrobe held a few items of clothing, and a wall rack held the more prominent collection of weapons and tactical gear in her inventory. Reilly had a couple pieces of cheap art on the wall, an Asian-themed print with dragons and an impressionistic painting of a field with orange flowers. An old dart board, a wine label, and some beer cards were tacked to the wall, along with some military patches and a worn photo of a rugged man in fatigues. A workbench which doubled as a desk was on the third wall under the porthole and held a small complement of books, a holo computer screen, some tools, and an old CD player she had salvaged from a trader’s stand for half a credit. The top bunk was full of gear and some boxed rations, while the bottom was set up military-style with a gray wool blanket and white sheets and a reading light complemented by a holster for her blaster. A patchwork pillow and quilt stood out as the only unmilitary items on the bunk. Two more worn photos adorned the wall of the bottom bunk, showing a much younger Reilly and a young man proudly standing next to her in military gear and then a hazy group shot of a family. Reilly finished up at the sink and hung the towel off the end of the bunk as she grabbed her holster and headed up to the main deck.
She stepped through the hatch just in time to see Arias fill the bridge window with its swirling blue-gray-and-brown pattern. The ship bounced a bit as they descended through the atmosphere to the launch pads nearest Welch’s home and then settled onto the platform with a sigh as the engines spun down.
“All right. She’s moored. Welcome to Arias!” Duv locked the yoke in place, hit a few switches on the power down, and then activated the proximity detectors. “Area around the ship is clear,” he reported. “Have fun kicking Welch’s ass!”
Reilly punched the comms mic again. “Ty, Chang. Meet me in the cargo bay in five and ready to roll.”
“Already there. You want Maude or we walking this time?” Ty asked.
“We walk. I don’t want to spook Welch in case he figured we wouldn’t be coming back.”
She hung up and turned to Duv. “I need you to take a look at that tracker and see if you can get it off without blowing up my ship. Or maybe Skeeter can work one of his hacks on it. I don’t care how you do it, but I want it off sooner than later. And be careful.”
Duv gave his most charming grin. “That’s my middle name. Besides, you know me. When do I ever do anything dangerous?”
Reilly looked at him as she went back to the hatch. “And keep the motor running.”
At that, Duv looked back. “Expecting trouble, Captain?”
“After Vervian, I’m not sure what to expect. Stay sharp, take a weapon with you, and don’t let Seth too far off the ship. We’ll be back soon, hopefully with a good payout and some plans for some R-and-R.”
With that, she ducked out through the hatch and followed the corridor along to the catwalks and down to the cargo bay. Ty and Chang were waiting, Chang standing silent and still while Ty continued to adjust gear, check his
Similar Books
