Last Voyage of Delilah, Episode 203: Captures from the Past, Part 2
Episode Log in Progress. Part 2 incomplete. More soon.—Maer
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Friday, 06 Jul 2525
Pena Spaceport, Kerry
Georgia (Huang Long) system
It's a five hour flight to Kerry from Boros, just a walk next door really, and Rachel readies Delilah for take off. She mutters to herself as she's going through preflight, not really liking the idea of running into Muriel Bloom after all these years. Vikki calls out from underneath one of the consoles, where she's double checking some of her work:
Vikki: Look at it this way. When you run into her, you can put Delilah in reverse and run into her again.
Rachel is preoccupied and grouchy, however, and starts to lift off much to the ground crew's consternation. They hail her.
Crew: Uhhh, Delilah, we'd like to decouple the ship before you take off.
Rachel: (blinks) Oh!
Crew: We got fuel and sewage lines still hooked up. Please turn off your engines. Allow us to decouple. (on internal comms) Papa, could you just repunch the engines in—
Crew: If you refer to your handbook, you'll see the lift-off procedures clearly spelled out.
Vikki: Oh, now they're just being impudent.
Rachel: Oooooh! (to crew) I'll have you know that I was flying ships when you were not even a Āng zāng de mìmì zài nǐ nǎinai de yǎnjīng!
Valentine: Wow.
Valentine looks at Rachel with some respect from his usual position in the copilot's chair. That's some spit and vinegar from her today. The crewman on the other end of the line pauses and then comes back with:
Crew: 'S that Rachel?
Rachel: Yes, it's damned well me an' I don' wanna hear nuthin' about—
Crew: All right, all right! Just let us unplug ya! You don't wanna set the whole place on fire!
Rachel: Fire, people below me? What would I notice?
It's not like she's got a rear view camera mounted aft and Rachel's not the sort that looks back anyhow. She punches the engines and burns atmo for the next port. It's what she does. But she waits until all the hoses are uncoupled from Delilah and takes off without a by-your-leave once she gets the all clear.
Once free of atmo, Rachel picks up Mortimer and nuzzles him.
Rachel: We hate Muriel. We're gonna bite Muriel, aren't we? We're gonna bite her good. Yes, we are. Bite, bite, bite, bite, bite.
Valentine: No, you're not …
Rachel: Don't tell me my rat won't bite people that I want him to bite. (pets rat) That's my Mortimer, that's my good boy…
Tian sticks her head in.
Tian: (dry) You realize of course that rats are only supposed to live three years? And Mortimer's not that old? Otherwise he might be scabbers and I might have to kill it.
Rachel: I know. (covers rat's ears) What, you thought this was the one and only? "Mortimer's dead. That's okay, long live Mortimer." (nuzzles rat)
Vikki: C'est mort! No, c'est Mortimer!.
Rachel: Huh?
Despite the flames on take off, the rest of the flight is uneventful.
Kerry is typical planet with oceans and land masses but the land masses are mostly vast high plateaus that thrust up abruptly from relatively shallow flat runs of shore. Breathtaking cliffs more often than not tumble straight down into the sea. Therefore, most of the population of Kerry lives on those coasts that have enough arable land to sustain them. Inland on the plateaus, the soil is often very poor, being mostly basalt and volcanic rock, with little vegetation. This mixture runs for several hundred kilometers inland until the character changes to something richer, allowing forests to grow and flourish. Most of the rivers are non-navigable as well. The plateaus are sparsely developed as a consequence, though there are some settlements here and there. Overall, Kerry is a contrast between intensely built-up coasts and boondocks interiors.
Pena is the main starport. It has a mixture of high tech industries and Core-side skyscrapers side by side with Rim-side poverty and make-do ingenuity. Rachel gives it all a critical eye as she comes in for a landing.
Rachel: Hmm… been a long time since I been to this place.
Earlier in the flight, as soon as Tian came in wave range, she commed Han Zhang to arrange a meet.
Han: We can meet at my office or you could come to my working office down at the port.
Tian: Either one would be fine, Zhang. I don't wish to gnarl up your day.
Han: It's at Lot 7-B. I'll arrange that they'll know you're coming. Are you bringing anyone?
Tian: Not at the moment. Not to see you.
Han: Okay. Otherwise I'll need to tell security. Looking forward to it. It's been a long time.
Tian: (smiles) I'll see you shortly.
She cut the channel and started securing for landfall.
Currently, Rachel starts the shake and bake through atmo. She lands Delilah just fine, thank you. Poco doesn't even need to help from the engine room. Actually, come to think of it, no one's seen or heard much of him during the flight over. In fact, he's come down ill. Something in his package isn't agreeing with him.
Once we're settled on the dirt, Tian tells Valentine of her meeting with Han Zhang.
Valentine: Do you need anyone to go with you?
Tian: I wasn't planning on it, no.
Valentine: You're not meeting some non-existent couple in a non-existent café in a back alley, so I'm not so much worried about something happening. Just, these days, I'd feel remiss if I don't tell everyone leaving the ship to just stay alert. Okay? Let me know how it goes.
Awww … ! Tian gives him a fond smile and walks off the ship, her medical bag slung against her hip.
During the flight, Vikki hasn't been able to find anything odd with the taser's innards and she reassembles it. She finds Valentine as he's seeing Tian off the ramp.
Vikki: You want this taser? I didn't find anything but it was kinda dusty inside. Do you want it?
Valentine: No.
Vikki: All right.
And down it goes into her bag. She'll figure out what to do with it later.
Poco, meanwhile, has gone ill. Something in that package he'd brought aboard doesn't agree with him. He's laid out. Nuri picks up the job of overseeing the passenger departure. This frees up Valentine, Rachel, and Vikki to look up Muriel. Valentine makes sure everything's in order and within Nuri's capabilities, then leaves with the two women.
Tian goes to Han's office address and finds out it's a ship. It's a Kerry System Defense Boat. She goes up to the security point on the landing pad and announces her appointment.
Episode Log in Progress. Part 2 incomplete. More soon.—Maer
Jump to : Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Special Features
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