'According to my numbers he's got about fourteen hundred, including the gunnery team, volunteers who were former raiders and some of the hangar deck crew.'
'That's an army for a ship the size of the Triton, especially when a bunch of them probably have cloak suits. I almost wish I could join the fight.'
'That's if Oz doesn't cause so much trouble that they just draw back and nuke the hell out of the Triton from a distance. According to the final sensor data we have on her, the Triton is in seriously rough shape. She couldn't outrun anything or take much of a pounding.'
'Well, here's to finding out more. Depending on the fighter load outs, we might have the firepower or versatility to give Oz some cover.'
'Don’t. We need you to get information on the current situation and get back here.'
'I know, I know. I just thought I’d say it out loud to see how it sounds. It just feels like I should be there, doing something.'
Jake nodded and stood. 'I know. I thought about sending you in with the entire squadron, but those beam weapons. Your pilots aren’t ready for that kind of anti-starfighter weaponry. I can’t see more than a quarter of them coming back.'
Minh thought for a moment and finally nodded. “They’re too green. Whatever we do has to be well planned. I saw what happened to one of our Uriels when a beam hit it at full intensity. Those battlecruisers don’t carry fighters because they don’t need them. Trust me, I’ll watch myself. There’s a lot of cover in that nebula, don’t worry.”
“You’d better,” Jake replied with a threatening tone.
He stood, hugged Jake tightly and chuckled as he was patted on the back. 'You just get things set up here so I can tell you how we’re going to get the Triton out of this over a few drinks. Oh, and you're going to have to tell me what Steph and I walked into this morning. Hard to get that picture out of my head.'
'He's not telling you a thing,' Ayan called down from the hatch above them.
'Busted!'
'Otherwise I'll tell the crew the Wing Commander and Captain like to sneak away for cuddles.'
Minh burst out laughing as Jake flinched away and started up the ladder. 'What's wrong with a good cuddle between friends?' Minh asked.
'We're about to land, you should both come and see this.' Ayan stated as she walked out of sight.
'You know, I'm glad you two are working out,' Minh commented quietly.
'We're getting on well. She's different though, we're both different. Things still moving along with Paula?'
Minh hesitated, stopping half way up the access ladder altogether for a moment. 'I think she's chatting me into submission, so yeah, they're moving along. Whether I like it or not,' he replied quietly as he finished his short climb.
'You're not sure?'
'Don't get me wrong, she's got her good points. I always know what she's thinking, since she has every thought out loud, and I'm never caught wondering what I'll do with my off time since she always has it planned for me.'
'So it's like you're spending time with An-Linh.'
Minh froze in the narrow corridor, his eyes wide. 'My sister?' He stared blankly into space and thought for another moment. 'My micro-sized, hyper, opinionated sister.'
'I always liked her,' Jake commented as he finished climbing up the ladder and closed the hatch behind him.
'She was always my secret favourite too, but…'
'Secret favourite?'
'You never tell your sisters you have a favourite,' Minh replied dismissively. 'I'm really dating a bad copy of my sister,' he continued, awe struck.
'I didn't say bad copy. I'm sure Paula has her charms.'
'She's terrifying. The last time we went to the Pilot's Den she told me what I was having for dinner. It really is like I'm dating my-' he concluded his comment with a shudder. 'How do I end it?'
'Carefully. Quickly. Are you sure though? I mean, there's got to be something there if you've spent so much time together,' Jake offered with an impish grin.
'Are you kidding? Next she'll be spending the night and telling me what side of the bed I'll be sleeping on, when to go to the bathroom, and to have dinner parties where all the food comes from the materializer. She doesn't even like Asian food! Did you know that? I mentioned that I used to own an authentic restaurant and she cringed. She didn’t understand why anyone would cook anything, or why they’d want to do it for others, not even for money. She's the first woman I've ever met who doesn't like real cooked food.'
Jake chuckled and shrugged. 'Well, she’s not on the fleet list, so she must still be on the Triton. That should buy you some time to figure out how to put her down gently.'
'Think my reputation would take a hit if I requested a squad or two from security when I did it?'
Jake nodded. “Oh yeah.”
'Suddenly I’m not in as much of a hurry.'
'Mind on the mission,' Ayan scolded. She had been listening to the entire exchange from the hallway.
“Right, mind on the mission.”
'Pointing out similarities between Paula and Minh’s sister wasn’t fair play, Jake,' Ayan mock scolded.
'Better I point it out now than at the wedding.'
“Maybe I’ll just send her a message as soon as the Triton’s safe. I’m sure she won’t care if it’s in the middle of a celebration, and I’d be avoiding an awkward reunion.' Minh offered.
'You're doing it through a message?' Ayan gasped. 'If you go through with this I'll never look at you the same way, Minh.'
He stopped and stared at her for a moment.
Ayan was deadly serious. The quiet of the cockpit was thick as everyone waited for his reaction. They were in an automated holding pattern above Tamber, a green, brown and blue moon with a perfect atmosphere for humans.
Minh sighed finally and nodded. 'You're right. Besides, if my sisters ever did find out I broke up with someone using a social system they’d get creative with the punishment.'
'And it would be justified,' Ayan affirmed.
'How are we for landing?' Jake asked.
'The Carthans assigned us to a desert called the Dower Wastes. According to the navnet pattern we'll be landing in about a minute and a half,' Lieutenant Garrison replied from the pilot's seat.
'Any hidden fees?'
'Well, the good news is they're not worried about our fighters, they're just not allowed near population centres or certain parts of the solar system without permits. The bad news is they want twenty eight thousand UCW credits for protection. What they're going to protect us from, I don't know, but I didn't commit since I didn't think you wanted customs coming around to inspect everything before they started posting guards. There’s also a toxicity warning for the Dower Wastes. Apparently some kind of vegetation growth project went wrong, covering the wastes and a neighbouring island with rotting chemical clay. We should send a message to everyone warning them to stay aboard if they can, and to keep their vacsuits sealed if they have to leave their ships.”
'Wonderful. Well, at least we have somewhere to stay while we sort things out.'
'Customs may still pay us a visit,' Ayan continued. 'I know I’d be curious about a Captain with so many recent acquisitions. They advise new Captains visit the Office of the Governor as well and gave me a number to call a bounder.'
Jake nodded and took a seat in the copilot's chair. 'Bounder is just slang for a short range people mover. The most popular ones used to use jump drives to reach low orbit and then drop down on their destinations.'
'Sounds fun,' Minh smirked.
'Sounds dangerous,' Ayan commented.
'You spend most of the ride in an accelerated descent, so it's like falling in fast forward,' Jake grinned. 'Steph and Ash love those things.'
'Oh, that reminds me. The whole Samson crew are on the bounty board.'
