Phantom Star

"You ever heard of Angelus? Beautiful world, said to be over in the Republic of Terrius, said every man and woman on the planet is the kindest most beautiful human in the known space. I think you definitely have a Grandmother that comes from the world."

I cringed.

"Conner."

"No no, my apologies Angel, I'm just overtaken by your kindness and beauty. What can just a normal man like myself do under such circumstances?"

"Conner." I groaned no doubt, looking horrified.

"Alright alright, I'll shut my mouth, in thanks for this." He finally stopped talking and took a bite from the meal.

We'd left the Transport Guild and were now sitting at a Cafe, and I'd fallen prey to the man's pathetic eyes and bought him a meal.

"Just stop, please. So the pirates have been hitting your ships."

"Well not mine. I hire captains, you know the type. Perhaps not entirely on the up and up with the Transport Guild, but still good ones, the types trying to return to honest society. I met quite a few of them while enjoying an unfortunate stay with the Securitate. Ah, that was in my youth, I'm a reformed businessman now."

"Right." I whispered. The more this guy talked the worse this entire situation became! Why did I let him follow me!?

"So when I got out, I turned my life around, and opened up Connor By Night Transport! I use the Guild License, to hire on transports that perhaps don't always have the best history, but captains that are trying to become honest men again."

"Right, and all your ships have been hit by pirates."

"Not at first! We had over a year of reliable work, and even picked up honest contracts! That's where the problem started." He took another bite, chewed slowly, and then wiped his mouth almost like he was respectable, but he wiped his mouth, cause he had some of the sauce from his meal on his chin. "So I picked up this contract. In system goods delivery."

"You mentioned that. Then pirates were there?"

"Right you are. Everything was good at first. Reliable transport job, made me a pretty stack of Creds, but then things went weird… I'll be honest with ya, I was confronted by a guy, someone I don't know, and I'm the type that knows everyone, from my youth, you know."

"When you were a criminal."

"I was hardly a criminal! I just knew people, and got involved in things I shouldn't. Just boyish nonsense."

"Right." I said flatly, sipping at my drink and he looked a little bashful.

"Well, this guy contacts me. Says he wants me to add a little something extra into the cargo delivery. I tells him, I'm just an honest man now! I don't do any smuggling." He waved at himself. Definitely not looking like an honest man.

"I'm guessing they didn't like that?"

"Course not. But what could they do? Connor By Night, had the contract to the station. So he tried to threaten me, tells me if I didn't play the game, then he'd find someone who would. I laughed at the man, probably not my best moment, in hindsight. I had the contract, there wasn't anyone else to find."

"And now all your ships are being hit by pirates."

"Exactly! I didn't tell the Securitate at first, one thing to deny a bit of black market work, another to try and bring Security into it, but… Well. Three ships getting hit, and the costs piling up, I went to speak to them. They arrested me of course."

"Of course? How is that of course?"

"Ah, just old suspicions, but I'm cleaned up. A real businessman, so I knew they could only hold me for so long." He admitted, but considering how rumpled he looked. I think he'd been in that prison for a while.

"And so you told them about the smuggling offer?"

"I did. But it didn't matter. Luckily a passing merchant caught data from the pirates attacking one of the transports. That got me out of the cell, proof I wasn't just disappearing the goods, and now here I am. Trying to keep my company from falling down around my head. I got a lot of guys that work for me. Guys that can't do normal jobs, the sort that have a rap sheet. They are relying on me for good work, work that can feed them, and keep them clean."

"I get the idea."

"I knew you would Angel."

"Don't call me that."

"Right, sorry." He offered, but didn't sound or look sorry.

"And so we have pirates in the system, that no one wants to talk about. That I wasn't told about." I grumbled a bit. If I had known we had some pirates here… Okay I don't know what I would have done. Should I go hunt them?

I was tapping my fingers on the table as I thought when Conner spoke up.

"It's nothing you rightly need to worry about Angel, not unless I can convince you to haul freight up to the Mining station?"

"You offering me the job that keeps getting attacked by Pirates?" I asked, honestly curious and he winced.

"Well, it's not like I've hidden it from you?... No. I'm not. I need to figure out something to get these pirates off my back, maybe just drop the contract entirely, that's what they want. I can restart with another transport job." He whispered, reaching up and running a hand through his short hair.

He looked pathetic, in the pitiable sort of way.

But…

I sighed. This sounded interesting. Pirates in station, and a way to bring them right to me? But no, even I knew that if it was the Phantom Star transporting the goods there was no way the pirates would attack.

It was one thing to attack a freighter, it was another to attack what looked like a warship.

"Conner?"

"Yes Angel?"

"Please stop calling me that. It's Katherine… Do you know how the pirates are tracking your shipments?"

"How? Well, it's a government contract, the mining station is owned by the Governors office. They mine all sorts up there, so probably just someone in the office. There's thousands of ways to know, but no way to find out who is sharing it."

"Shame… But, if you said you were sending up another shipment… The Pirates would know."

"Yeah. That's the problem."

"Do you have to list the flight? Couldn't you-?"

"That won't work." He cut me off with a sigh. "I already tried that. Unfortunately, the contract has a lot of rules, government work, right? The moment I take the package, I'm on the clock, and delivery is expected immediately."

"So you can't try and trick them." I said sadly, and he shook his head.

"Nope! Even thought about having them switch ships in orbit, but… Nothing like that works. The negatives of trying to do clean work." He offered his arms stretching up high above his head, trying to look casual, but he just looked stressed.

I looked him over. Rough, sleasy, and yet…

Despite the man behind it all, everything I've heard so far, even from the Transport Guild Office Lady, showed this was a guy honestly getting hit by criminals and pirates.

The only reason I'd even offered to hear the guy out was because this involved pirates. I should walk away. I could just take a nice transport job, live a peaceful and nice life on my warship upgrading her as I go and everything would be fine.

But there was a part of me.

The one that remembers staring up into the sky as a child on earth. That remembers speeches from great men and women. Starship Captains, smugglers, heroes.

Those people that drew me to space, that formed my desire to do what I've done in this life. Would they just accept this situation and move on. Their own interests more important?

Or would they act?

"Conner… I've decided I'm going to help you." I said firmly.

"Wait, really? You are an Angel!" He gushed and I cringed once again.

"Please stop calling me that!"

—--

I gave Conner my comm number, and we split off not long after. While he was quick to want to send the cargo, I told him my crew was on leave for a few days.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

So he would just have to wait.

After that, there wasn't much else on Connorday to see. I checked a few more stores, but only ended up buying a few pieces of electronics I'd need for more Crabbits, since I did want to try and build a weaponized Crabbit soon.

Then since I had nothing else to do, and I was starting to feel a little antsy about all my decisions today, I headed back to the ship.

The BubbleCab dropped me off, and I walked back into the clean air of my ship with a sigh of relief.

"Kat! Kat! Welcome back!" The Crabbits all cried out as they spun around my feet once the Taxi was gone and we were once again alone.

"Hi, did you all be good girls while I was gone?"

"Yes! Yes! All is green!" They cheered, twirling around me as they called out for attention..

"That's good. We might be facing some more pirates soon. So I want everyone to do a check on our systems okay?"

"Okay! Okay!"

The girls still in the cargo bay continued to spin around me, but they sent the message out. It was good to be home.

I'd decided not to send a message to Hammond, or Sin about the job. Let them just enjoy their leave for now, I'd catch them up when they got back, but while they were gone. I guess I could get some work done.

I walked over and started rummaging in the containers of loot I'd gathered, until I found it.

A blaster rifle. One of the ones we'd found from the secret pirate stash. I took it and headed up.

First step was to break it down and see if I could use the parts.

Plopping it down on my workbench I got to work disassembling it. The crabbit on my shoulder peeking over to watch.

Blaster Rifles were made up of a few important parts. There was a boxy gas container that acted sort of like a magazine for a gun. It contained the battery as well as the fuel to cause the plasma reaction.

The gun had a plasma activation chamber. Igniting it, as well as the focusing array that launched the Plasma forward.

Everything else on the gun was just extra shit. That was the basics.

So… I just had to pull the Activation Chamber, and Focusing Array, and install it into a chassis for the Crabbits. As long as they didn't have the Gas that started the plasma reaction they'd be as safe as any unloaded weapon.

I stripped the gun down and looked it over. Honestly, that wouldn't be too hard. A few welds, and I could mostly keep it intact. Adjust the trigger to be an electronic release by the Crabbits, which would be easy, and I'd have a loaded Crabbit…

But before I made an entirely new chassis, and tested everything. I need to make sure the concept worked.

"Want to test it out for me?" I asked the Crabbit on my shoulder and she nodded quietly.

"Alright, let me set up the electronic trigger, and we'll see how it goes." I pulled my Tab and flicked the design for what I'd need at her. "Have that manufactured up please."

She responded with a quiet beep affirming what I'd said, and I reached up and patted her on the head.

Nonverbal Crabbit was very sweet. I'd offered to adjust her internals if she wanted, but she just didn't seem to like speaking much.

Which was fine. Her sisters talked enough for a thousand Crabbits.

I finished messing with the mostly disassembled rifle, until I had everything I needed, but then, I realized another issue.

This Blaster Rifle needed gas to fire, and… I didn't have any.

"Did we pick up any blaster gas?" I asked, aloud my mind running, and then Crabbit beeped. I looked at her, and my Tab beeped as it accepted a message.

"Trion Gas?" I whispered, before I remembered. The many many canisters of Trion Gas had been stored away. I intended on selling it, as it was used in industrial processes to make Laser systems, so it would sell well, but…

It was also capable of being used in Blaster Rifles?

Checking some data about the gas, it did have the markings for Gas, capable of making a plasma reaction, but that made no sense. If that was the case the entire Nebula would have gone up when I fired the Thermal Lance. Or whenever anyone used a plasma based engine system.

What?

I quickly started looking around on the web for information on Trion Gas. This just didn't make sense.

Thankfully, I wasn't the only person to ask that question after traveling through the gas nebula.

"Energy Dispersal. That's why it's so valuable." I whispered. The Gas would spread any energy that hit it through itself. Basically the more gas you had together the harder it was to ignite, as it would instead spread out the energy… Was it gathering energy? I remember lighting up the entire Nebula when I fired the Thermal Lance, but I thought that was just light dispersal, but… Had it been spreading out some of the energy of my attack?

Either way… I guess I had some acceptable gas on board. It was valuable though, should I go and buy some? I thought about the outside, and how I'd have to order a taxi.

"Forget it. C'mon." I picked up the stuff and headed back down to the hold. With a bit of struggle I got the disassembled rifle down the ladder and then, after doublechecking the hold door was closed, I opened the Nanopaste blast door and picked up my part. Slotting in a bit of electronics that the Crabbits could connect to, I attached it to the rifle's fire control system, and then carried all of it out into the main hold.

"Let's gas her up." I muttered, taking the gas magazine, and walked over to the Trion Gas canisters along the wall of the Hold, and… The canisters already had the correct pickup… "Were they using the gas to power their blasters? But why?" I whispered. That made no sense! This stuff was expensive, even if you lived in the nebula, you could sell the same amount and just buy normal gas!

I filled it up and then brought it over, with a bit of fiddling I got the rifle loaded up, and then took a Crabbit and plopped it onto the rifle.

"Okay girl, let's aim it at the wall, and then try and fire it for me. Tell me if you have any-"

"Red!"

"What?" I asked, looking over at another Crabbit spinning around me.

"Standard Lab Procedures! Red!"

"Girls, it's just a gun. We aren't testing the gun's capabilities, I just want to make sure the firing system works."

"Red! Red!"

"Okay, it's always important to test things safely, but this isn't a concern here. All I've done is alter the firing system. Go ahead and fire." I said and the silent Crabbit turned to me, but I nodded firmly.

Which is when the Blaster activated, with a noise similar to a roar, and I was flung completely off my feet.

"Red!"

"Red red red!"

"Ow." I whispered I was flat on my back, from the recoil of the Blaster, which made no sense. Blasters had almost no recoil! They were just discharging a Plasma Bolt! There was no explosion, or flung projectile, so there shouldn't be recoil!

I slowly sat up, groaning a bit, I'd thankfully not slammed my head into anything, but my ass and back felt bruised. Then I realized there was a worse problem.

"Holy shit." I whispered to myself. Staring at the hole in the wall. What the fuck!?

"Red! Red!"

"Reeeed!"

None of this made any sense! These blasters weren't bottom of the barrel, but they still had an obvious input output! You put in gas and energy, it hones the Plasma bolt and fires! None of this made sense! You couldn't just bring more energy into a system than what it…

I looked at the Trion Gas canister.

Was that it?

"Reeeeeed!"

—--

"Oh, hey Hammond, Welcome back." I greeted the man as I was still working in the hold a few hours later.

"Captain." He grunted out a greeting, I noticed he was carrying a bag with him in the Taxi and as he unloaded a few bags of things I very pointedly didn't look at where the hole had been in the wall.

Some Nanopaste had fixed that right up.

Then again, I suppose that wasn't the weirdest thing in the hold right now.

"You uh?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." I said confidently, confidence I of course lacked. Please don't ask.

"Right. I'll pack this up then. Any word from Sin?"

"Nothing. But I might have found us some pirates to hunt. The situation is a bit complicated though."

"Hmm." He grunted out sounding pleased and then walked past me, only looking at me a few times.

"Red!"

I sighed. "The paint was a little much, girls."

"Red red red!"

I sighed and just decided to ignore the fact I looked like I got in a fight with a red paint can and lost.

Sitting on a chair in the hold with a horde of Crabbits surrounding me all glaring and ready if I moved.

I was 'Red' right now, and so was on time out.

Such was the curse of teaching Toddler AI how to handle mistakes. I was in time out right now.

—--

Eventually I was allowed out of time out, and I cleaned up. But Sin was still out in the wild somewhere, and neither Hammond or I seemed to want to actually disturb her leave.

So instead we settled in, he seemed to have little interest in running around Connorsday, and I honestly had less.

So instead I worked on other projects, but I did eventually bring up what happened.

"So the Trion Gas caused a pretty incredible reaction with a Blaster." I explained showing him a Blaster and waving at the Gas Canister.

"How much?"

"Enough to make that dinky Blaster punch a hole in my hold. It didn't get past just the Holds walls of course. The armor wasn't even scratched, but that's still more than a Blaster should do."

"Hmm. I'd like to try it." He muttered after a bit and I winced and the Crabbits were all glaring.

"We can test it… Safely." I said to the gathered Crabbits who relaxed after my words and went back to playing.

"Hmm." He grunted, having noticed the byplay.

A few minutes later, and after a few safety measures Hammond braced himself and fired the rifle, stumbling back as he fired and then looking from the rifle, to the hole in the wall.

"Damn."

"Yeah, it's weird right?"

"Very weird." He agreed, but then shook his head. "No good in a fight though."

"Yeah, the recoil is too much, the Blaster is too light, and I don't think anyone would be safe shooting it on full auto."

"No, you'd get thrown around. Likely to shoot yourself, or your allies."

"So why was this Pirate Captain so interested in these? Enough to hide them away? I'm going to assume the weapons and gas was stored together for a reason, but I don't know why."

"Hmm. Sin might know more."

"Yeah, maybe." I whispered, and we were both on the same page. It felt awkward to bring up the whole pirate in the room thing.

I shook it off.

"Forget it for now. I guess it doesn't really matter, he's dead, and these are mine… I'm gonna have to buy some normal plasma gas. I don't want to blow holes in my ship every time the Crabbi-Err-I mean."

"You're arming the drones?"

I met Hammond's eyes and then stood straight. "Yes. I figure I'll make a few of them that have Blasters. Can keep the magazines separate, and load them up in case of trouble."

The man's eyes watched me for a long time. Just staring, his grizzled face as hard as rock, not a change or shift under his skin.

Then he nodded.

"Probably for the best. You're not much of a fighter, and neither is Sin. Could use the extra guns."

"Yeah… That's what I was thinking. Did I show you the shield?" I asked, suddenly thinking about it, and he shook his head. "It's an update from the one I used before."

"The one that exploded?"

"Well this one won't do that." I assured him, and he didn't seem very confident.

Oh well, no time like the present to introduce him to some things we might end up using, especially if we were going to hunt some more pirates.