I stepped into the Maiden’s common room. It was a multipurpose space divided into a sitting area, theater, kitchen and dining room. The usual group was present, the day crew preparing for their shifts. Adam was having a coffee and going over his mail on a small tablet, Scott was eating breakfast, and Boulder was talking to the princess.
“Why’s your skin like that?” asked Alyssa.
“My planet has high solar radiation,” said Boulder. “Our skin grows dark and thick, like armour. Why are you seven feet tall?”
Alyssa grinned. “My planet has high gravity and giant monsters.”
It was good to see the princess getting along with another crew member. But, I needed to speak to my pilot. I walked up to their table, set down my coffee cup and snapped my fingers.
“Hey, leather face, where are we?” I asked.
Boulder turned to me. “We’re about six hours out, Captain. The Maiden’s already started decelerating.”
“As you were.” I stepped away from the table and examined my mug. With a sneer I looked at the puddle of coffee spit sitting in my mostly empty cup.
I walked over to the drink counter for a refill. I set my cup under the chrome spout of the beverage dispenser and watched it spit out a steaming stream of dark brown liquid. Just now I’m realizing it looked more appealing than it sounds.
Mid way through the machine’s cycle, Alyssa came up beside me and leaned against the counter. “Hey, boss, where are we going again?”
“Singini station,” I said. “It’s in the Tovar Nebula.”
“Ah huh…” Alyssa cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “May I ask why?”
“Shore leave.”
“Don’t you need to have a shore for that? Or at least an atmosphere?”
I shook my head. “All you need are friends. But don’t worry Olympian, there is plenty to do there. Singini was our first stop after capturing this ship, its where we had it retrofitted. Great place to share old war stories and bond with new teammates.”
Alyssa rolled her eyes. “I don’t think I’ll be doing a lot of bonding.”
“Try. You need to show these people you aren’t a mindless brute if you want them to have your back.”
“Thing is, boss, mindless brute is kinda my job description.”
I shrugged. “Maybe show them that your skills can work in their favour.”
“Whatever you say, Captain.” Alyssa left and I brought my coffee up to the bridge. It was my usual routine, settling into my chair, drinking my coffee, and asking for reports on the ship’s function.
The blue and orange haze of the Tovar nebula streaked across the wall displays. Clouds of colourful gas twisted and spun around us. Between the clouds, I could see the empty black void of deep space and the amber light of young stars.
We weren’t the only vessel occupying the picturesque section of space. Harvester ships were plentiful, siphoning exotic gases through long tendrils and flowing white filters. The materials they collected would be brought to resource refineries across human space.
Pirates weren’t common in the area. Despite the many ships stocked with mineral wealth, the nebula was largely free of crime. This was due to the Dominion’s pronounced military presence. The dark, jagged bodies of destroyers and cruisers skulked amongst the clouds, casting long shadows.
In the middle of it all, an oasis in the void, lay Singini station. It was a bulwark of steel and glass floating aimlessly through the clouds. Heavy Anti-Ship guns were mounted to the station, beside similarly sized booster engines.
Returning to Singini was a source of mixed emotions for me. I’d last stepped foot there after loosing my best friend and several soldiers. But it was also the day I started my new career, one I enjoyed enormously.
The front displays were consumed by the grey metal walls of Singini as the Maiden pulled into a docking cradle. I felt a minor tremor move through the ship when the clamps snapped shut over her hull.
“Ship’s docked, Captain,” said Vic, my night shift pilot. She was another Veteran, a short woman with extensive cybernetic modifications fitted after the war.
“Good. Request a ship wide sweep from the engineering department and have the station authorities perform any necessary repairs. Make sure those filthy Olympian’s didn’t bug the ship. Have everyone else start their leave.”
“Yes sir.”
Diary of a Malcontent 