Chapter 9 It’s a Ship
Miss Macy collected the hands for the wall of fame and gave every one a shot of Johnny Walker 1000. The group met with the good doctors a half a kilometer passed the line. The line is the official boundary between star port Imperium land and the planets. They were outside of hanger needing painting. The signage of front had been often painted over. The oldest lettering was GenAssist Hang, ending with newest signage Gateway Metals Storage hanger seven. The doctor opened the lock on the entrance door and flicked on the lights. The hanger was nearly totally full of various storage containers. Some of the containers were stacked to the ceiling.
“Where is the ship?” asked Frank McQuade.
“Behind the boxes. If you climb up the red stripe containers you could see it”, replied Doctor Hugh and wagged his tail gleefully.
“Bro it is a ship!” yelled down Jesse McQuade after a hasty climb just being Sharnatha who put in, “A 400 dTon one. It could hold up to 150 in cargo maybe.”
“ But it so covered with dust and winter kudzu! It looks like we won a ship and a garden!” griped Sharnatha.
“You not breaking this one brother “called up Frank.
“I telling mom. Your ship is already broken," quipped Jesse.
The doctor handed over the papers and help arranged for a crew and equipment to unbury the ship. The crew and rental cost the group a kilo credit.
After inspection Sharnatha called a meeting to list the ship’s shape and inventory. It wasn’t ship shape. Sharnatha started read, “Listing to port. Port air flap flapping. Gyro spun down.
A crack is in front landing skid. Port maneuver engine is out of alignment. Port Lift hydraulics leaked out. Air raft is missing. All external Iris values rotten cracked. Ship locker lock busted.
Swing cabin shower cold only. Starboard cabin shower hot only. No bedding in all cabins.
Sick bay no meds. Low berth number four window painted pink. Swing cabin iris value gaskets old and cracked. Life support filters missing, cracked, old, and fouled. A large blood stain is on crew table. Starboard crew table chairs missing padding. 3 bullet holes in rear chair of crew table.
First starboard crew room wall has been spray painted Maddie loves Kirk on wall in lime green.
Cabin air is foul, full of pollen and other stuff. Sick bay is missing all bedding. Sick bay monitors cords cut. Fuel leak on starboard engine one liter a day. Laser lenses are dirty and fouled.
Rat nest in missile launch tube. Broken still is in air raft berth. Air raft hatch busted. A deck of cards missing 3 of clubs but with 2 aces of spades found in port laser gunner room. Tread/rubber marks length of hold. Communication antenna is missing. The engineer’s tool box has 1 large 2 meter adjustable wrench, 4 pd sledge hammer, 1 match, and 1 bible. Technical manual for jump 2 General Products engine hard copy missing chapters 2, 6,9,13 with Aslan Play girl center fold tuck inside. Technical manual for General Products Fusion engine only contains Chapter 1 and 16. Technical manual for Hercules Pressurized Air Raft Model 1700 Cover only. 7 packs of chewing gum USED under copilot station. 3 laser burns on starboard wing. Port crew cabin is missing window. “
Sharnatha drew another breath, “The following stuff is working or has passed a power check. Fusion Plant, Water and life support, Purification Plant, Computer flight avionics, sensors and communications, Fuel Scoops, and the computer has copies of all manuals. On the good side, the library has entertainment vids of old serials from the 500’s Andy Aslan, Harry Hiver (comedy series), and Killer K’kree including the infamous Killer marries a Hiver and Killer kisses Andy Aslan, and Laddie the Vargr. Biography of Cleon I 10 hours, Julian War opera version 20 hours, Imperial/Aslan peace treaty of 380 33 hours, 2nd frontier saga 600 hours with 100 hours on making of saga. 3 packs of Centaurius Cigars (30), Aslan Playgirl Series years 982-983. Pink shotgun with 3 shells names Gloria, Gale, and Gladys. 1 pt Aslan Catnip Cream de mint 70 proof. 1 pt Emperor Espresso 50 proof. “ She tossed her pad on the table “ I am going to bed. Tomorrow I will check out the names.”
She was talking about what was in place of port missile rack gunner room which had been converted to cargo. However it was sealed. The door had sealed, bolted, and welded shut. The names of Roy, Sixius, and Orin were painted in red over the door with a note. “Do not open turn contents over to Solomani authorities”. Rami and Sharnatha did some research and discover those were the names of nursery terrorists. This group murdered a shipload of children and family members on a vacation luxury liner on Day 113-970 by releasing a killer robot into the nursery. A three mega credit reward was listed for their heads. Other reports had families offering more credits for the terrorist in various states of living.
While they were doing this the McQuades were looking at the ship’s paper. They scratched their heads at the list.
Former owners of Ebon Rapturous Doctor Hugh N. Being Day 300 991- Day 18 993 lost to Frank at poker table. Bob Markland Day 200-990 to Day 300-991, Sue Macy Day 200-989 to Day 200 -990, Fred H. Murphy Day 100-988 to Day 200-989, Long fellows Mining company Day 100 -997 to Day 100-988, Bill Longfellow Day 13-986 to Day 100-987. 2 year blank. Old Worlds Mining 983-985, Ashenusharger-Ngonarz Mercantile Enterprises 977-982 Mantarillion Shipping 955 -977 Jeffers Killady-Stornhaven 931 to 955.
In the afternoon they met with Honest Jasper the star ports only ship repair company. Jasper was eager for the work. The contract with Gateway was ok but it was rare that any other ship landed and here was one that needed a lot of work. His secretary gave him the signal. “Good. I glad you left your weapons home. Now I don’t have to use the bullet proof partition. “ He pointed to the drop down partition. “Ok. My crew has inspected the ship and we have come up with a bill. “ He pulled out a presentation book.
“To make the ship totally space worthy. “He flipped the sheet on the display.
“1,922,109.13 credits. “ Jesse eyes bugged out. Frank gasped. Squish’s jaw dropped. Sharnatha grabbed her tailed and pulled. Jasper waited until they came to.
As he flipped the second sheet he continued, “However we are not able to provide all the need materials and crew to do so, plus we not licensed to certify ships. But the regulations do allow me to issue you a temporary worthiness rating to get you to a class C base. So you don’t have pay that now. The cost to get the ship into space it will cost 274,587.09 credits. Plus 54,000 credits for life support, plus 20,000 credit for various supplies for a total of 348,587.09 credits. “ Jasper waited. A brief discuss occurred and pooling their resources the group would be able to afford it. They started laying down the credits.
Jasper thumbed the intercom, “O’Brian! You have clean and launch job at the hanger eighteen. It will be a few days. “ He shook their hands and led them out.
Three nights later while drinking at Miss Macy’s, Jesse made a smart remark about Himme who was drinking a saucer of milk across the way. Suddenly he felt a bottle bust against his head. “Cat hater!” screamed the attacker. Both tables arose in mayhem. Squish giggled as he tail slapped one of the attackers across the bar, over the bar top and into the mirror behind. The bartender heard bones break as the tail made impact. Just as the fight was getting good, a cloud of pepper gas exploded in the middle of fight.
“Next round is buck shot boys and girls, “ she bellowed as she racked the shotgun. The bartender was busy with first aid when the marines arrived to put down the fight and arrest the brawlers. Jesse and Billy Matson, the one who flew into the mirror, were taken to the hospital. The rest were toss into jail. The judge arrived at jail an hour later and fined all but Squish a hundred credits for brawling. Squish would stay in jail until his trial. Additional charges would be filed depending on the results of surgery. The man was in critical condition and his survival was iffy.
The next day the trial was held. The victim would be tried for deadly assault, brawling, and destruction of private property. Miss Macy dropped the private property charge when Squished agree to pay for the damage. The brawling charge was a hundred credit fine. However the deadly assault charged carrying a prison sentence and or fine. Rami tried with all his might to get the charge dropped. The judge was not listening to who started it, or any other argument. Lucky Rami was able to get Squish off without prison sentence. Squish was fined fifty thousand which he was unable to pay. Jack stepped in with the money but made Squish sign an I.O.U. for forty three thousand five hundred credits. Squish record would hold a felony conviction. Rami pointed out even with it happening on Imperium soil it would take months and years to trickle through all star ports.
On the morning of day twenty two, the group returned. The ship sparkled. Sharnatha discovered the work crew had refilled the tool box to include a full box of matches, a pack of chewing gum and roll of silver duct tape. In the afternoon they received word the QBert cubed was entering parking orbit. Tommy Andrews and Captain Cass Mason were the only survivors. The pirate ship had been destroyed. The Travellers decided to help. So they started cracking fuel.
Tommy had checked the regulations. If he abandoned the ship it could be claim for salvage and the rescue crew would ten percent. If he stayed on board the ship would still be legally under way but in general distress. The passengers could not be taken aboard. With talks with group, ground control, and star port administrator no qualified flight crew could be found. So Andrews decided to reach into the ship’s funds. He would pay the Travellers six hundred credits per dTon of fuel they delivered to orbit. He would allow the remaining eleven passengers back on board to obtain their belongings except for those in the cargo holds. He would pay the Travellers for two middle passages or two low berth passages for the eleven. He would also pay a kilo credit for them to deliver a message to the Tukera company representative in Ranua which would ask for a relief crew.
The remaining passengers, the two surviving marines, the prince and the new crew boarded the ship. On the day 30-993 the Ebon Rapturous rose. It flew out of atmosphere of Coin and sailed into a misjump!
