Reavers and Retrievers

Her retriever was in trouble. Explosions throughout the hull had left gaping holes the length of the vessel. It was lit up like a christmas tree.

Jonny gasped. His own barge had come out of warp just short of the carnage and the scanners showed seven blips; Reavers. There were never this many at the belt. He fumbled about at the controls to his pod.

"Tai" he shouted into the coms "...what the hell is happening?"

Static was the only response and he quickly auto-launched his entire bay of hammers.

"God, please don't be too late" he uttered with a deathly tone.

The drones streaked toward the cloud of reaver ships, unleashing fire and vengence just as the coms burst into life.

"...Jonny, that you?" came a crackled voice. "Shields gone... Lost plating too... trying to warp....".

"Hang in there darlin" he barked, trying to sound calm. He knew her barge was beginning to break up, she hadn't got long. He watched with panic as his own drones fell under attack, the first vaporizing in seconds. A wash of fear swept over him as he realised it wasn't just Tai in trouble here.

"Damn you reaver bastards!" he shouted "Not today!"

With a sudden flare, the retriever's engines fired up. The ship entered warp. She was safe away.

The reaver vessels, robbed of their pickings, altered course; directly for him. Several violent impacts on the hull made his decision easier; he abandoned the hammers and slammed his hand down on the warp controls. He needed a few seconds, time that would be bought with his expensive drone contingent.

"Warp, dammit!"

The emergency alarm sounded as the shields failed. He felt the ancient hull creak as several missiles exploded against the armor plating. Jonny was not a god-fearing man, but he found himself praying silently. It was like an eternity before the ship lurched, the drives firing up and the warp tunnel formed.

He sat back in the capsule chair and took a deep breath, his heart still pounding.

"not today.." he whispered

A pack whilst prospecting

The first one was slow.

Jonny's feet were crossed, resting on the pod's control panel. The smoke rose slowly, creating a haze within the close confines of the capsule. The second one was an afterthought, stubbed out on the dashboard before halfway finished. He had to much to do, and even for him free time was an unaffordable luxury.

The third was an hour later, in the deserted crew lounge. He often came here to sit at the rusted mess table. He would bring his New Eden digi-rag and catch up on two week old news. Every now and then a story would peak his interest and he would look about as if to tell someone, but there was no one to tell. There hadn't been anyone in this mess hall for over twenty years.

Three more, in close succession. The result of several frustrating attempts to fix a breach in the starboard hull. A rat had eluded one of the hammers a few hours earlier and the result had been a hairline fracture in the hull. When it was finally done, he rewarded himself with the seventh. He took his time with this one; savouring every taste.

One more on the way back to the pod. It left a trail as he walked, diffusing with the stale interior air. A long time ago the ship's circulatory system would have quickly replaced the air, but now the great fans were silent, and the the scents of several years lurked at every turn.

The tenth was to settle back into the pod seat. It felt unnecessary, but had become like a ritual to Jonny. It would have been bad luck not to. As he stubbed it out on the makeshift plate-ashtray, he looked at the pack. He shook his head; always a glass half empty sort of guy.

The eleventh was attached to a daydream. A recollection of his time in the Federal Navy. He had been posted aboard a deep space scout and the endless boredom had been the catalyst of his habit. It was the long days like this that always reminded him of his youth.

He burned through four whilst attempting to pry open an airlock that had rusted shut. The unknown chamber that lay beyond the door had fascinated him for weeks and been the subject of several fantasies. He had imagined crates of long-forgotten liquor, or perhaps trade goods of an illegal nature. The actual contents had been dissapointing; several stained uniforms and a collection of belts with buckles depicting the Epsilon Mining emblem. He lit the sixteenth as a consulation, already planning on how he would force access into the sealed locker he had seen on the engineering deck.

One more on the upper observation deck during a break. From here he could see the retriever's lasers lighting up the asteroid field. The sound of the ship's powerplant did not match the light show, but he could not stand the silence and always imagined that the beams were the source of the noise.

Two more during a subspace transmission. Tai Saan had always hated him smoking, so he was careful to exhale quietly. When he lit the second, he did so with his arm extended away from the mic. Her change in tone suggested he had failed in his subterfuge.

He almost had the last whilst bringing the hammers back into the drone bay. He resisted and thought instead of how he would spend his down time. Probably the same way he did every night; drinking far more than he should, and having Tai lead him back to his quarters to sleep it off.

Finally, back in the pod, he placed the last one between his lips. Smiling with contentment, he activated the warp drive and lit the cigarette. Inhaling slowly, he sat back in his control seat, the now-empty pack discarded on the control panel.

"...sure wish these things were legal" he muttered with a sigh...

Drinks at downtime

Tai Saan shook her head and sighed.

It was the second time she had lost his attention to the scantily dressed dancer. She had hoped he could have been a little more subtle, given that they were the only patrons in the dive that evening. Even the bartender had noticed, but had shrugged with an uncaring expression when Tai had caught his gaze.

"Wonder if she's ever been with a capsuleer..."

Tai rolled her eyes as Jonny turned back to her, his broad grin disgusting her even further.

"You could probably find out for less than the price of your next round" she said with a scowl.


Jonny's face dropped. He knew she was a serious sort, but she had never begrudged him the odd sexist remark in the past. Tai Saan was like a crewmate to him, though they both were technically starship captains. Like him, Tai was an immortal; scion of science... a capsuleer. The two had become inseperable, having discovered they both worked the same belt, as well as the same nightspots during downtime.

"I'm stepping on your claim, Tai?" he half joked. He had never seen the attractive Amarrian with another man, or a woman for that matter. He had considered trying it on himself. One night, when he had consumed a few to many Amarrian ales, he whispered his suggestive thoughts in her ear. Her swift refusal had convinced him it had been a bad move. That, and the slap she had planted across his face.

"Try to get your mind out of your pants, Gallantean. If I were interested in someone, you can bet it will be someone vastly different from the gutter trash you seem to find appealing" she snapped at him.

The bartender shook his head as he cleared the glasses from a nearby table. Jonny sighed and placed a few isk notes beside his own empty glass.

"well my sweet Amarrian princess... " he said with a halfway smile " it's been great, but I should be catching some zeds. I'm gonna need to do some work on the barge before hitting the belt tomorrow. I took a few knocks today"

Tai-san ignored his flirting and finished her own drink, placing the empty glass down next to Jonny's.

"Have you considered my offer yet?" she stated simply.

"HSGS have me on contract. Anyhow what the hell do you want with a washed out pilot like me? Seems all I do these days is make enough on the ore to patch up that fly bucket of mine."

She nodded slowly. "You do alright out there. Safety in numbers is all I am suggesting. Hey, we make a good team, you and I...."

"Hey princess.." he interjected quickly "...just cause I buy you a few drinks and unload all my worldly worries on you... it don't mean we're married".

He laughed and she smiled for what seemed like an eternity. The dancer on the stage finished her set and the bartender looked at them expectantly.

"...another round?" he offered with an expression that clearly implied otherwise.

"Thanks, but that's it for me" Jonny replied. He wondered if he had upset Tai, but decided to not push the issue. She was made of sterner stuff than he.

Tai stood from her seat and looked to Jonny. "I suppose I shall see you again tomorrow evening. You really should give more thought to my offer..."

"Not a chance love" he replied in a jovial tone as he stood, putting his jacket on. "I do contracts for HSGS and the rest of the time I'm solo"

Tai smiled as she watched Jonny leave the bar. She had come to care a great deal for that walking disaster of a capsuleer.

"we'll see...." she whispered

Corridors and Close Calls

The proximity klaxon sounded.

Jonny was walking the deserted corridors of the decrepid retriever when the deafening noise reached his ears. He was near the rear ore bays, and was hit by the sudden realisation that he couldn't remember if he had activated the drone perimeter defences.


It wasn't the first time his wanderlust had placed him in potential danger. Some days earlier the ship had been surrounded by three Reavers that had slipped in undetected whilst he had been studying the antiquated warpdrive engines in the drive deck. Only luck, in the form of a fellow miner who had just warped in to the belt, had saved his ship. He swore he had learned his lesson, yet here he was. Again.

Breaking into a swift sprint, he retraced his way through the darkened and disused corridors, his footfalls betraying his clear panic. A sudden impact shook the floors and he almost lost his footing.

"Shit"

He raced to a nearby viewport. Through the tainted glass pane he saw a white streak of light and breathed a sigh of relief. The drones were making short work of the rats. The hit had been a lucky shot, and hopefully cause nothing but superficial damage.

"Glad I didn't end up painting the hull like Tai suggested" he chuckled.

It wasn't that Jonny was a bad pilot. He was just distracted very easily, and the cramped interior of his Pod had given way to the excitement of exploring the 60 year old mining ship. As he walked through the maze of quarters and common areas he liked to imagine what it would have been like to live and work aboard such a vessel in it's prime. Before the days of automated systems. Before the coming of the capsuliers.

His imaginings were never unrealistic, nor did he romantise the sort of life these men and women led.

Deep down, he knew he was not made of such stern stuff...