Surbius had sent his fighters home again, the incident seemed localised to pirates vs. TGFT and VPR. Only two of them were sorry not to have participated, but he was pretty sure TGFT could use them.
->Surbius Bondevo: "CLM is ceasing contact, no response from SYN. Am dispatching two fighters in your aid. Still trying to reach SYN"
"Mecha, Mick, you are to go to VPR and TGFT and help them contain SYN. Use covernames"
"Roger" Mecha Touriasis responded, "apart from the fun, why are we doing this again?"
"Apparently SYN has some kind of grudge against a TGFT pilot named Hortan"
"Hortan? You are kidding". The sound of Mecha's laughter was audible over the crackle of the intersystem comms.
"You know him Mecha?"
"Yeah, he is the guy that wanted to date my sister. Set the dogs on him too, well not for hurting him or such, but he was very persistent. Some kind of pacifist or pansy or something"
"Interesting, and your sister is in SYN if my memory serves me right?"
"yeah, she is like that sometimes. When the Orbs take over and all"
"Ok, take care out there."
"Will do Miex, it is gonna be a breeze," Mick responded and turned his Corvus Vulture in a graceful arc towards the insertion point for Latos, with the elegant grace that made him so feared, among the Sedina fighting grounds.
Surbius leant back, well as much as is possible in a combat vessel. How could he use the new information without disclosing his observer? This was fun.
Three hours. That is how long it took for Ecka to be satisfied, that Hortan had no clue as to why Unknown player node hated his guts. Ecka refused to believe, that Unknown player node was going to call all his favours over the fact that Hortan had escaped some new pierat wannabe. And neither did he have much faith in the suggestion that the attacks were a part of a take-over attempt by the pierats. As much as UIT needed the Serco and Itani, the pierats needed the traders. And even if he hated to admit it, the pierats sometimes did manage to use their skills on something worthwhile, like clearing the hive infestations. In the end, he let Hortan go.
Hortan went directly towards the ship shop to get himself a new Moth XC. He was going to pay TGFT the revenue they had lost due to him. On the way there he could swing by Moda's shop and explain the loss of the rockets too. He was not looking forward to that.
Moda's shop was the usual cacophony of large sounds, sharp smells and the ever present flashes of actinic light from welding machines, laced with loud Heavy Metal from the very large speakers mounted in the ceiling. An Earth I band, that had been inspired to take their name from alternating power, was defying all claims of them being obsolete, by declaring boldly that they were Back in Black. A pair of legs covered in light green fabric was sticking out of the left sidehatch of the Warthhog Mk II that was benched in the back. Hortan went over to the legs and shouted a hi. The person inside responded with a very dirty hand.
"Hydrospanner, five-eights," the hand pointed to the tool table nearby. Hortan got the spanner and placed it into the hand which immediately disappeared into the hatch.
"Torque wrench, Xithhead two by seven", the left hand appeared. As Hortan had no idea what that was, he started looking for anything that could fit.
"The black one with a silver head and a yellow stripe on the handle. Says ORION on the head." Hortan found it and placed it in the hand which again disappeared. A clunk came from the hatch, and Moda stuck his head out.
"Thanks bud. I have been stuck in there for an hour. I was just about to give up on anyone coming to see me today." Moda went over to the very large amplifier and pressed a button which changed the music.
"That is the last time I am ever going to set a tune on repeat when I work" he said. "So, how can I help you?"
Hortan looked at Moda, started to tell him that his hair was slightly static, actually it reminded him of the close quarter combat fight promoter from Latos who had the unlikely name of King Don, but decided against it.
"I was down here three days ago and had some rocket fitted to my Moth XC, and I have kinda lost them. I am willing to pay for them, just tell me what I have to do or pay, to make it up to you."
"Ehm, rockets, rockets. That kinda rings a bell... Ah, the Ole Sloth thingy, right?" Hortan looked even more miserable. "Don't worry about that, just tell me what happened" Moda smiled and took Hortan over to the fridge and got out two "Lady Of Night" dark Serco ales.
After some hours and several ladies, Hortan had been pumped dry of information and sent on his way. Moda didn't much care that the rockets had been lost, he was merely interested in knowing how they had performed during the flight. He came up with at least seven improvements while they were speaking, and in the end Hortan walked out of the shop with Moda bent deep in a large pile of electric parts, oblivious to the outside world.
Hortan went to the ship shop. Outside the shop was that girl again, the one in the light blue flight suit. She was waiting for somebody, he could tell that by the way she swept the hallway repeatedly with those brown eyes. Hortan caught himself staring, and what was worse, she caught him too. Blushing immensely, he tried to look at something close to the girl, so as not to be to apparent, but he could see it was too late. She headed over to him.
"You've lost this 'ne" she said in a hushed voice. Hortan continued to look at her big brown eyes, finding it very difficult to let go. She looked down at her own hand, and the action prompted Hortan to do the same. In her hand was his wallet.
"Wow, thank you, ehm Ms ?" he looked at her.
"Nic" she said. He looked at her nametag. It said merely TC.
"Ms Nic, thank you for finding it. How can I thank you? Can I buy you a drink, dinner?" He immediately started blushing even more, and regretted the suggestion. What would his Queen think? And how could he in his wildest imagination think, that this Ms Nic would have his company?
"You're sweet, but ah gotta go." Her Itani accent made Hortan even more confused, and as she left he was standing there with his mouth slowly opening and closing. Eventually somebody bumped into him, and he went into the ship shop to purchase another Moth XC
