A Long Haul

Posted on Wed Sep 27th, 2023 @ 9:23am by Teevs Dosivi

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Lacerta Station
Timeline: 9 days before "Aporven Soa!"
1421 words - 2.8 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

“I heard you were looking for some work.”

Teevs glanced up from his meal, a plate of Vesarian noodles, to his company. After he successfully traded some supplies, he used some of his credits to purchase a hot meal. It was better than the premade rations. His mouth was currently full of the bite he just took, a couple strands of noodles poking out of his mouth, and he gestured to the open seat across from him as he made himself more presentable. “Pleaphe, phit,” he said, the words trying to form around the thick, udon-like noodles. “I’m Teevph. How can I aphphipht you?”

The Cavaaran watched the Lonian man for a moment before accepting the chair offered. The station’s yellowish lighting gave the alien’s teal, leathery skin a greenish appearance. She brushed back her long antennae before folding her three-fingered hands on top of the table. “You may call me P’kei. My true name is unpronounceable to your species.” The Cavaarans were known to have names with many X’s and V’s, and she knew that the Lonian language, Lonai, didn’t have an ‘x’ sound, let alone a combined ‘xv’ consonant. P’kei watched him chew rather obnoxiously for a moment before asking, with an undertone of disgust, “is this a bad time?”

Teevs quickly swallowed his bite once he chewed it up enough to not choke. He knew that Cavaarans viewed it as disrespectful when their company continued to eat in front of them, as food consumption was seen as a private matter. “No, no! Please forgive me, I mean no disrespect.” Setting his food to the side, he turned his attention to the alien. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, P’kei. What type of work are you looking for?”

P’kei judged the man for a long moment, nearly changing her mind about employing him after the disrespectful display. “I would like you to investigate something inside an abandoned shipyard in the Kimor sector.”

A quiet ‘hmm’ came from Teevs as he recalled where the Kimor sector was. “Even at my vessel’s highest speed, it would take about two days to get into the sector.” It was within his line of work, however, so he leaned forward slightly to express his interest. “Continue, please. Where in the Kimor sector?”

Glancing around, P’kei also leaned in. They were in a public part of the station often reserved for business propositions, so their conversation wasn’t private, but many used it to relax. Relaxing meant drinking, and drinking meant paying less attention. “I believe you are familiar with Gadus.” This particular planet, while technically habitable, was hardly sustainable. The key feature of Gadus was that it was so isolated, it took days just to reach the closest neighboring star system with any meaningful kind of resources. She saw Teevs’ expression change as he recognized the name and the burden the travel would bring.

“Gadus? That’s quite the journey. With my ship's highest speed, that's an 8-day trip just to get to the planet.” He would have to stop at Phides Major, the nearest star system both to Gadus and to Lacerta Station, to double check supplies for the journey. It meant two days of travel from Lacerta, followed by a six-day trip from Phides Major to Gadus. “Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

“Do you accept the request?” P’kei wasn’t about to share what she was looking for without the assurance that he wouldn’t run off with the information she was about to provide.

Teevs paused as he considered the commitment. It would be about 16 days of taking on no other work, and that estimate excluded the time spent actually exploring the shipyard. This work could easily pass 20 days, depending on what it entailed. “It depends on how much you’re willing to compensate for this task,” he replied. “I wouldn't be able to take on additional work since Gadus is so far away, so I will request a higher reward.”

P’kei’s eyes narrowed. “Your compensation will generously reflect the time you spend doing this work.”

Realizing that the conversation wasn’t going to continue without him agreeing, Teevs gave a nod. “Very well. I’ll accept it then.”

Satisfied enough with his answer, P'kei reached into her bag and pulled out a datapad. Setting it on the table between them, she let Teevs start to skim it before explaining. "There is a ship of ours, the Vxvixnv, that went to Gadus over two months ago. This report tells you how the ship would appear on scans. I would like you to verify if the Vxvixnv is at Gadus and what its condition is."

While Teevs was familiar with the Cavaaran language, his mouth was not designed to form the letter 'x,' so his Cavaaran was never quite perfect, instead sounding like he had a lisp. "What’s stopping you from checking yourself, if you don't mind my asking?" He glanced up from the datapad. "If the…" He briefly paused to squint at the ship name, "Vuh-sevi-seenf, is your ship, wouldn’t you normally send a scout of your own to investigate?"

P'kei cringed a little at the man's brutal pronunciation, even though she knew it was the best he could do. "We are not allowed to travel into the Kimor sector," she replied, brushing back an antenna that had draped partially over her shoulder. "And even if we could, Gadus is notorious for scavengers. You should be familiar with our ships. Our maneuverability is no match for those scavenging the wrecks, but I know your vessel is smaller and will not have an issue with navigating."

Right, the Phides Agreement. Teevs nearly forgot about the treaty between the Cavaarans and the Phideans that prohibited Cavaaran ships from entering the Kimor sector. "How did one of your ships pass into the Kimor sector unnoticed?"

"That is not relevant to the work I am offering you." In her experience, Lonians were a curious people who tended to ask questions. It's what made them so goddamn annoying to work with.

"On the contrary," Teevs countered, setting the datapad down. "If the Phideans are also looking for your ship, perhaps due to a treaty violation, then me getting involved in this would be unwise."

A long sigh came from the Cavaaran, the slits in place of a nose flaring slightly to emphasize the breath. Even though she knew a little about the Vxvixnv's mission, she didn't know why they were in the Kimor sector to begin with. "I assure you that, to my knowledge, there is no intent to violate the treaty. I do not know how the Vxvixnv got as far as Gadus, but their last transmission said they were attempting to salvage to make repairs. I just need to know if the ship is still intact and if the other readings on the datapad are present."

This Cavaaran was holding something back. Teevs debated prodding for more, but he suspected that this was all he was going to get. The less he knew in this case, the better. "Alright, sure. Where should I rendezvous with you when I am ready to report my findings?"

"Here is fine," P'kei answered. "Send a transmission once you return from the Kimor sector, but do not report your findings at that time. I have also provided the transmission information."

"I understand. Now that the scope of the work is... more or less defined, what will I get in return?"

P'kei thought for a moment. "I will compensate and double any resources you use on this journey, to start. What upgrades does your vessel need?"

Teevs went over the list in his head. "The most important one is a sensor upgrade. My scanners, while still functional, are showing signs of degradation. We also need to replace the air filtration system soon."

"Consider those part of your compensation then," P'kei said. "I have supplies that you can use, provided they are compatible with your vessel. Is this adequate?"

With a smile, Teevs nodded. "Yes, that will do. A pleasure doing business, P'kei. I will contact you once I return." They both stood, and after P'kei left, Teevs sat back down and pulled his noodles back in front of him. Taking another glance around to make sure he wouldn't disrespect her again, he scooped up another mound of noodles and shoved them into his mouth.

OFF