LELauri

Chapter 12 - Winning Friends and Influenced People

He wasn’t getting used to the jumps. This was the forth after leaving Madrigal Station and it was the same splitting headache and aching muscles each time. Instead he got used to his post-jump routine. Choke down a few sips of water, stretching and a short jog, listening to an audio story while chatting with Loon, and as much sleep as he could manage.

Heath staggered upright while they went through their usual post-jump checks. 

“We have arrived in the Haku system. This g...

Chapter 11 - First Contract

The days before leaving were a whirlwind. Heath had another drink with Raquel. This time the older Spacer was resigned to his choices, rather than critical. Progress. They made promises to meet up if they were ever in the same system. She even said she would sign up for a stretch if the Loon ever reached what Walt had created. Heath acknowledged the subtle challenge for what it was, a vote of confidence that he wouldn’t fail outright. He promised himself and the Loon that he would meet that...

Chapter 10 - Shipyard Blues

“Make your choices kid, don’t have all day here.”

“I’m working on it,” Heath bit out. It was just the most important decision he’d ever made. Not enough of a reason to take his time according to the Shipwright. Who Heath was sure did have all day, and was just being difficult for the fun of it.  “Can you give me a minute, and I'll shout when I’m ready?”

 “Whatever. Don’t take too long.” Loud stomps accompanied the sleazy man’s departu...

Chapter 9 - Haulin' on a Budget

Stumbling out of a rented bed the next morning was not fun. Realizing what his mouth tasted like was worse.The remaining crew of the Loon that were still on the station had all stopped by and bought him a round. Then another. Now he was in a haze of pain, flinching at the harsh artificial station-lighting as he made his way to the public cafeteria, where he could get an overpriced coffee and questionable sandwich to combat the hangover. 

He stopped himself from following through on...

Chapter 8 - Rash Decisions

He was already halfway off the ship, the Loon’s promise echoing in his mind. Risky. And probably stupid. But a weight had lifted from his shoulders when he had committed to keeping the ship. This was the right decision. Maybe not for Raquel or Masterson or Carter, but right for him.  No matter what came next. This would be a hard day, but he would rebuild, his uncle’s legacy would be preserved.

The path back to the shipyards was a blur. If he saw anyone he knew they didn’t tr...

Chapter 7 - Meet the Wandering Loon

“What the hells? Who’s there?” Heath whipped around in a circle, but he was just as alone as he was before. 

“It’s me Heath.”

“Is this some kind of fucking prank? One of the crew left a mic somewhere?” He tore through the bridge. Racing from station to station, looking for the offending piece of hardware. He was on his hands and knees, inspecting the underside of a chair when he got a response.

“There’s no prank and no hidden mic, Heath. I’m the Wa...

Chapter 6 - Goodbye, Hello

Heath skidded into the cargo bay, panting but with a smile on his face. Maybe the first in weeks. This would work, he knew it would. The bay was empty, but that was normal. The crew would be taking advantage of the station amenities. Most rented a room to avoid coming back to the bunks for the night, for a change of pace and to get away from each other. Not that any station overflowed with extra space. But there were usually a few stragglers around.

His steps echoed through the ship, st...

Chapter 5 - Aye Aye, Captain!

“Hold it a second, kid,” Masterson called out.

Heath obediently stopped where he was in the cargo bay, despite grating at the delay, stepping to the side to let the crew continue unloading. The cargo felt like a joke after everything else, but a contract was a contract, and the Wandering Loon always delivered.

“Where ya headed?”

“The shipyard,” Heath grumbled. “They’re going to gouge me for shoddy work but it needs doing.”

The expression on Masterson�...

Chapter 4 - Spacer Requiem

He groaned and went to wipe his hands down his face, only then realizing he was still fiddling with the good luck charm.

“Hey, man.”

“Ahh!” The orb went flying while Heath whipped around, to be confronted with a chagrined Carter. 

“Sorry, thought you heard me knock. The hatch was open…” Carter let his voice trail off.

Heath waved his hand, as if he could push the explanation aside. “My fault. Wasn’t paying attention. Didn’t set an alarm. What�...

Chapter 3 - Fallout

The lights in the room were still dimmed when Heath next woke up. He rolled over and saw Carter passed out a few feet away. Medpacks were essential, but the healing took a lot from the body. His friend’s breathing was smooth, and with the blankets pulled up, it wasn’t obvious he had been injured at all.

The timepiece on the wall said he had slept a full eight hours, but he wasn’t rested. His body screamed with aches and pains, reminding him that even if he wanted to pretend yester...

Chapter 2 - Oh Captain, My Captain

Heath blinked his eyes open some undetermined time later. His limbs were sprawled out, and took a few seconds to respond to his command to straighten himself in the chair. The Loon was flying – great news. A repeated thump came from the engines. Not a good sign, but they were moving. Heath could work with that.

Turning his head to the right caused a blinding spike of pain behind his eyes. He clenched them closed, breathing carefully to avoid vomiting all over himself while he was stil...

Chapter 1 - Any Port in a Storm

Midnight emergency drills reminded Heath why the Universal War Conventions considered sleep deprivation a form of torture. But he was out of bed and jogging towards the bridge within seconds of the blaring alarm going off. Narrow halls forced him to bang shoulders with more than one crewmember emerging from their own bunks. It was a familiar dance in which his body knew the steps, even if his mind was still waking up. Get to the bridge on time, or suffer for it later.

“All hands to st...

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