2. Procedures must be followed

Hortan looked anxiously at Naoko as she scanned the document. She was frowning a lot, but eventually she looked up at Hortan and smiled. 


"Looks good, I'll send it in, and we'll get an answer shortl..wait, there it is. You can go in."


Hortan got up and entered the small cubicle that contained the XO of TGFT, Surbius Bondevo. The humidifier was softly humming in one corner, but apart from that there were no sounds at all from the cubicle. Hortan wondered if he could hear breathing inside if he were to hold his own breath. Surbius was looking at his completely empty desk. He moved his hand across in a sweeping gesture, and the desk turned all black. He looked up at Hortan with mechanical precision and held his gaze firmly with his eyes. "The man doesn't blink" Hortan thought at first, and when his own eyes started watering in sympathy, he was certain.


"Are you going to take root, or tell me why you are here?" Surbius asked.


Hortan, aware now that he had been starring, stuttered his problem. "Ah, ehm, I have been put on new, ehm, new medication, and the psychiatrist wanted me to ah, check with you Sir."


Surbius let a small frown run across his face at the mentioning of Sir.


"Ah, sorry for the Sir bit, but I am, eh, a bit ehm, nervous Sir. Damn, gah, sorry again."


Surbius cut the almost incoherent blubbering short with an extended index finger across his own lips.


"As I can see from the side effects described on the medication, your flying will not be affected by the drugs, so I will grant you launch rights for today. I will review your flight path and productivity later, and if they are not up to specs, you will be grounded. Don't disappoint me pilot Hortan."


With that, he pointed to the door with the same index finger, and Hortan left bewildered. It was not until he was standing outside that he realised what had happened.


"YES!", Hortan pumped a clenched fist towards himself, and smiled broadly at Naoko. "I can fly, I can mine."


"Good, good, then I suggest you run off and start and let me do my work, ok?" She smiled back, and refocused on the screens.


That was the best suggestion Hortan had received all day. He felt like hugging someone for sheer sharing of his joy, and looked to Naoko. Then again, it would probably result in him lying on his back in pain, with her standing over him in a ninja suit pulled from out of nowhere. He admitted defeat, waved and ran towards the medical facility. He checked his watch; he was going to be so late. He had already used four hours on this, and he still had to see the doc. Outside in the reception centre he spotted Waldoze dozing in a chair. He got a number and sat down heavily next to Waldoze. The giant man opened one eye slowly and peeked out beneath his bushy eyebrows. 


"Hi bubba, what are you here for?" he grumbled.


It took Hortan about five seconds to realise that he was being addressed.


"Oh, just minor bruises, cuts and scrapes," Hortan pointed in turn, "and you Dozer?"


"My stomach hurts like hell. Must have been something I ate."


"Like a set of keys?"


Waldoze opened the other eye as well. "I ate keys? Crap, I must have been plastered. Why did I do that?"


"To make sure that Mor couldn't break out of the handcuffs in the Priggly Pear," Hortan said cheerily.


A smile slowly grew under the black walrus like moustache that defined Dozer. "Ah, yeah, now I remember. It seemed like such a good idea at the time." He closed his eyes again and chuckled slowly. Suddenly he opened both eyes and looked directly at Hortan. "Oh, and now I remember where you got those bruises you STUD you."


Hortan looked confused, "what do you mean? I fell and hit my eye when Ms. Azumi caught me with her knee, and I accidentally grazed my chin on her boot. It was just an accident."


Waldoze sat still for a whole second before exploding in loud booming laughter. "And was that before or after you got your head under her dress? Ha, ha, no stop it hurts," he held his stomach tightly and attempted to hold his belly still while laughing his head off. The nurse that called him in saved Hortan, who at this time was as red in the face as the colour of the SCAR fleet.


Three minutes, two pills and one large bandage later, and Hortan was out again. Fortunately, Waldoze had once more closed his eyes and were snoring slightly, and so he got away without more teasing.


He ran to the launch bay and entered Ye Olde Sloth Moth XXIV, got into the pilot seat, engaged the EAPRS, and asked for permission to launch. The ship was ejected from the station by the large magnetic sled that held the ship tightly, and he was in open space. Engaging the thrusters, he oriented his ship for the nearest jump vector and whistled tunelessly while chewing on a Primmers. He was going to do this by the numbers and prove to Surbius that he could do his part.