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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jasper" data-source="post: 1514061" data-attributes="member: 277">Chapter 13 Contracts All Around    Captain Frank McQuade rolled out of bed just missing his brother’s head. “Um double bunks. I’m thirty years old and still have bunk beds with my younger brother. I shouldn’t have play cards with Jesse with loser knocking back a shot. I think he was dealing from the bottom the last couple of hands. “He hit the mute button on the message machine and read the text.    “Dear Captain McQuade, Ebon Rapturous. Tukera wishes to offer you first choice at delivering a relief crew to the QBert 3 in Coin’s orbit. The standard fees will be paid. Could come talk at 0800 Day 89 at the Tukera offices Suite 6 12 Starry lane. “    “Dear Captain McQuade, Ebon Rapturous. Gateway Metals wishes to offer you first choice at delivering cargo to our holdings on Coin. Standard shipping rates apply. Please contact us before close of business Day 90-993.”    “To Frank McQuade from Merric Merryway MoJ Turku. Subject Coin Treaty Status. It is desired the presence of your person at the Imperium Ministry of Justice office before 0800 local time Day 89-993 to discuss the status of Coin Treaty. The Imperium may have a contract for you.”    Frank hopped into the shower and then dressed. His brother was still snoring as he headed for the door. He grinned. “Rise and shine! You apes!” he screamed. Jesse tried to jump up and nearly knock himself out as he hit the upper bunk. “Now that you up. Tell everyone staff meeting at three p.m. ship clock. I going to check out some job offers.” He ducked a pillow as he shooed out the door. The pillow continued through the air to land on the conference table.     “Ok. Gateway Metals is paying us to haul 80 dTons worth of freight and air rafts to Coin. Tukera is paying us middle passage for the relief crew to Coin; we lost high passage fees due the MoJ downgrading Coin to an amber zone. The Tukera contract does make us stay on site until the relief crew gives the ok the ship is space worthy. And the MoJ will pay fuel cost to and from Coin for the delivery of temporary treaty to Hive Mother and her Coiners. Since the treaty is going to stir up a hornet’s nest once the Coiners take over stay close to the ship” summarized Frank.    Ali spoke “What does the treaty say?”    Frank replied,” The Imperium has accepted some of conditions. Coin is now an Amber Zone until the archduke of Gateway domain accepts the treaty since he way over Spinward and Coreward of here it is going to take at least six months for the treaty to make it to him and that is if use fast ships. The MoJ has declared Gateway Metals contract null and void. It throws open the planet to any scholars or teaching institutions to aid the Coiners. I just hope someone starts working on a Coin translator program soon.  The MoJ will pay low passage fees for any scholar willing to teach on planet for one year. So the Gateway people are not going to be too happy with us after we give them a copy of treaty. Sharnatha we have about twenty tons free, feel free to speculate. Also Ashenusharger-Ngonarz Mercantile Enterprises is claiming salvage rights to any cargo. So they are going to collect the birthday present. It still gives me a bad feeling but it will be their problem. They are planning on picking it up in less than an hour. By six p.m. I want to raise ship so some of you will have to help oversee the loading of cargo and passengers. Squish I urge you to go buy a new mirror worth at least a kilo credit for Miss Macy, I would like to gamble while I on Coin. Lets be about it people. ”    About fifteen minutes to liftoff, Sharnatha sees Brenda waving as she approaches the ship. “We need to talk” Brenda speaks. Sharnatha finishes the lock down check and tries to tell Brenda lift out is nearby and she needs to depart. Brenda begins to beg to go with the crew. Sharnatha is not giving in.    “Please take my caretaker and me with you. The space trip is boring and you are one of the smartest Aslan I have met. Quit twisting your tail. Thanks to you removing the neural block cylinder I can speak “speaks Himme.     “Ship is leaving in five minutes. All crew to their stations. All passengers please seat themselves. The steward will be around after take off. Sharnatha please report to your station.” Frank voice rolls out of intercoms.    Sharnatha smuggles the couple aboard into her stateroom and reports to her station. When the rest of crew discovers Brenda serving drinks to the passengers a quick crew meeting is called. It is loud, long and heated. Gene and Frank agree to let Brenda be a steward as working passage. The Himme debate is short. The order is that Sharnatha is responsible for Himme and keep her out of Squish’s and Jesse’s way.     Three hours after entering Jump space a cold Aslan, human and cat depart from Sharnatha’s stateroom. The temperature has dropped to 0 C. She spends the rest of trip to Mikkeli trying to fix it. The land and refuel at Mikkeli. The crew gets a good deal on industrial acids which they hope to sell for a good profit at Coin to Gateway Metals. On the way to Bergsjo they curse themselves for not picking up some new vids for the star port there. However Sharnatha does discover the reason temperature decreases in her stateroom. The bunk head containing the temperature sensor had a jump space incursion.  She immediately sealed off the bunk head and sealed the room. While they were cracking fuel on Bergsjo, she got some the crew and two the QBert’s relief crew to cut out and replace most of the bunk head.  The next jump her room only dipped by five degrees from the setting. She was willing to live with it.    They arrived on Coin late in day. Squish took the mirror to Miss Macy and the rest of crew helped unload the equipment to the Gateway warehouses. Sharnatha made an excellence profit on selling the acids. The crew spent a quiet night at Miss Macy’s. Frank won again at the tables but since everyone one knew him he could not get in a high stakes game.     The next morning they take off and dock with the QBert 3. The relief crew takes charge and Tommy bummed a trip planet side for R & R. On the morning of 102, the Travellers refuel and take Tommy back to his ship since the QBert is in the final stages of the flight check. After getting the okay from the QBert they tell ground control they going to do some test flying to include nape of earth navigation. Ground control reminds them not to buzz Coiners. With ground control con, they land near the Coiners hive.    Ali explains the temporary treaty to Able who passes the information on to the Hive mother. The adventurers are force to sit through a celebration feast with repeats of the Imperium anthem. In the morning Abe has a marching armed band of twenty crickets waiting to board ship. On the trip to Starport Frank starts giving orders.     “Ok. Jesse and Ali will go with me.  Jesse arm yourself the SMG but cloth armour only. I don’t want anyone catching on to the new power before we present the treaty to manager of the company. The law is with us this time. But since we about to announce the company has just lost exclusive rights, they may shoot first and regret later. Ali you stay outside the building with the air raft. Squish, Sharnatha I want the engines ready to take off. Everyone else man their stations.”    Frank knew things were going wrong the moment the cargo hold open. Able and his band started up with the Imperium anthem again. He finally got Able to listen and not play the march. He was drawing cursory looks as they marched down the lane to headquarters meeting. The got to the company headquarters with out trouble. But then hit a stone wall. None of secretaries or flunkies who admit if Mr. Baker was in the building. Frank got tired of run around the secretaries and punched the intercom. “Mr. Baker, I have important paperwork from the Imperium. And an ambassador from the Hive mother. “    The meeting did not go well with Able quoting the phrase “Facts are Facts, Fiction is Diction, and the Universe is laughing,” which was one of the Coiners favorite sayings. Baker turned red in the face as he read the treaty. As Baker was trying to catch his breath. Frank saluted Able and slipped out. Baker’s angry roar could be heard from the closing door.     The air raft trip back to ship took seconds it appeared. He hit the cycle button on the air raft berth and signaled to take off. Just as they were getting airborne the tower came on.    “Ebon Rapturous! Stand down and return to port by order Administrator Baker.”    Frank, “Sensor lock! We are being painted.”    Squish, “I going evasive!”    “Ebon Rapturous! Stand down and return to port by order Administrator Baker.”    Frank, “Missile launch!”</blockquote>

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