New Beginnings

[zephyrite]

Galar stared out of the volumetric displays that showed what was happening outside of the ship. A shadow obscured the ship as a cloud passed overhead, passing the opposite direction as the transport, which was flying several kilometers above the surface. looked back on the previous mission, reflecting on the successful retrieval of the three soul saver pods, as well as the unexpected rescue of a type NH-17 Nekovalkyrja. It certainly was an interesting time he thought. After about five minutes of flying over a sprawling metropolis, the landscape suddenly changed into a scene of blue, from the water all the way to the zenith of the sky. We should be nearing our destination.

Just as he thought this, the intercom buzzed, then a sweet, businesslike tone said, “We will be arriving in Funky City in two minutes; please collect all of your possessions and prepare for landing.”

The shuttle touched down in the smog-laden air of Funky City, hatches opening soon after. Galar noticed the smell first, a conglomeration of human waste, industrial pollution, plus the addition of a normal city. The effect was quite bad, although he would get used to it, or at least he hoped he would. First things first, he decided, he should find somewhere to stay for the time being, as he had made no plans at all after leaving the Star Army of Yamatai. All he knew was that he needed some time away from all the duties he was supposed to perform as well as the hierarchy that everyone had to abide by. Walking down the street, he attracted many stares, most were not friendly in the least. It took Galar a while to realize that the stares he attracted was due to the military dress he was still wearing.

Realizing that he didn’t even have a communicator, Galar looked for a somewhat respectable store, at the very least. It took about a full half hour, but he finally found one with a sign that wasn’t falling off its hanging, or in the back of a dingy alleyway. As he opened the door, a small bell chimed, signaling his entrance to the employees. The store was sort of dark, as some of the lights were flickering from time to time, creating an atmosphere of mystery. No employees seemed to be anywhere in the store, so Galar approached the counter and asked, “Is anyone here?”

From out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shape move out of the shadows to his left. He wheeled to face the figure, unconsciously falling into a defensive stance. The figure Galar had turned to face was that of an elderly woman who said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, its just that we get have gotten so few customers lately, I thought that I would have time to clean up the back room.” She looked him up and down, “You’re one of them Yamataian folk? What are you doing here?”

“I’m just looking for a simple communicator, and recommendations for somewhere to stay. I may be here a couple weeks, as I just left the Star Army of Yamatai for good.”

“Trying to live on your own now? Well good luck to you on that. You say you need a communicator, well I have a generic model in back. I’ll sell it to you for 200 DA.”

“Sure, I can afford 200 DA.” Galar responded as the lady walked back to where the communicator was.

She returned with a scuffed and battered communicator of an older make, one that was surely not worth 200 DA in its current condition. Galar frowned when he saw it, but still forked over the amount she demanded for the equipment. With the ‘new’ communicator in hand, Galar used it to access a page about nearby hotels, finally finding one that wasn’t too expensive or high class, but at the same time not dumpy or cheap. The address he was directed to was a tower of a building, reaching moderately high into the sky. It looked like it had at least 8 floors, and the reception hall that he walked into was surprisingly plush for a hotel of its size in Funky City of all places. Galar strode up to the reception desk and asked, “I’ll be needing a room for the next two weeks, do you have any open?”

The male clerk looked at him and said, “Let me check.” and with that, he looked down at the screen before him, and after scanning it quickly, he said, “Yes, we’ve got a few open at the moment. Sign here” The clerk shoved a paper and card towards him, “and here are your keys. Have a nice stay.”

Galar found his way to his room, which happened to be on the top floor, with what should have been a great view, however this was Funky City, and all there was to see from the windows was a dingy cityscape. He lay down on the bed and started to muse about what could happen in the future.

An idea struck him, one so laughably absurd that he would be crazy to follow through with it, but it just sounded like enough fun to actually work. Immediately he took out his communicator and started typing a message to a certain Luca Pavone.

MESSAGE FROM GALAR VANATOSK:
Hey Luca, I’ve been hearing a little on the news about someone tearing things up in funky city and beyond, says he goes by your name. I’m guessing that’s you. So the business going well I take it? Anyway, I just had a mind-blowing idea. Recently I quit the Star Army of Yamatai after completing a mission in command of my own ship. Now that I’m out of the Star Army, I started thinking about how much fun it would be to go independent. I’m at this moment sending out messages to contacts I have about buying a Geshrinari Light Freighter. I’ve heard they are quite easy to come by these days. When I actually purchase it, I’ll be sure to swing by and say hello to you and your crew, who I would like to meet by the way.

As soon as this message was sent, Galar got to his feet, showered, then dressed in street clothes, which he realized he was lacking in. Exiting the hotel, Galar made his way purposefully to the docks. On the way, however, he stopped into a clothing shop and bought a pair of work pants and a coat, both of which were previously used, but still in good condition.

The dock area was crowded, with people running to and fro, yelling this and that, not paying much attention to anything going on around them other than their work at hand. Cargo was being moved around the floor by the hundreds of tons; massive crates were hauled from place to place. The place really was enormous, with hundreds of ships being docked there at any given time. Truly, the din was astounding, as ships departed the docks, metal grinding on metal, crates being moved around and the general sounds of commerce assailed the ears upon entry.

Scanning the area for people who looked like they were in charge, Galar strode around the docks. His eyes alighting on everyone he could see, Galar finally found a man who looked important enough to know something about how this place was run. He looked like he was shouting orders at a group of men in workers clothing and hardhats, but Galar couldn’t tell what they were saying over the noise of the rest of the dock area. Closing in, Galar got the man’s attention by motioning him over to a more quiet area in a hollow of the wall.

The man looked displeased to say the least about being parted from his job, “What the hell do ya want?”

Galar responded coolly, “I would like to know who can tell me where ships such as a Geshrinari Light Freighter would be sold.

“Well they would certainly be beyond your budget, unless you have a bunch stored away.”

When he got no response from Galar, he continued, “Well if you have the money, then things will be a lot easier. Go to the dockmaster Captain Elliot. He should be in charge around here today. You can find him filling out paperwork in his office. He won’t be real happy to see you, though, as he’ll be working and you’ll be interrupting.”

With a point in Elliot’s direction, Galar strode off, searching for the man named Elliot.

 

[zephyrite]

After asking questions to workers in the area where Elliot worked, Galar finally figured out the location of Elliot’s office. Walking up to it, he asked the secretary for a quick meeting with him. The man nodded and typed something into his screen, and less than five minutes later, a large man came out of a door to Galar’s left. The man scowled and said in a gruff voice, “Come on in, but make it fast. I have a lot of work to do.”

Following after the large man, Galar walked into the office, which was cluttered with papers, but otherwise quite organized. It seemed as if he’d been in there for quite a while, as there was a couple empty mugs of what looked like coffee on the desk. The room smelled as if it had been the resting place for dirty socks and old coffee beans, which was probably the case, as anyone looking near the desk would see a pair of discarded socks.

“So, I hear yer looking to purchase a starship, are ya? Well we dun have much, jes a couple old Geshrinari Light Freighters, nuthin’ special.”

“Well that’s what I’m interested in buying. Think you could spare a couple minutes and show me the ones you have?”

The man sighed, “Yeah, I s’pose I could, jes know that yer takin’ me away from my work. C’mon, follow me.”

Galar followed Elliot through the docks until they came to an area that hadn’t seen maintenance in a long while. Four Geshrinari Light Freighters were parked on the ground in a row, each in varying states of disrepair. Galar walked around each one, inspecting each of them for flaws. The first one had a faded green coat of paint, chipping in places to reveal the metal underneath. The ship itself seemed in good condition otherwise. As he moved to the second ship, he shouted to Elliot, “Which one of these has any modifications done recently?”

The man shouted back, “Check the orange one, last guy who owned it stuck a better shield generator in it, but if ya want it, its going to cost you more than the others.”

“How does 30,000 DA sound, looking at how much use these guys have seen?”

“30,000? Are you off yer head? That one’s worth at least 50,000!”

“50k? Not for this heap of scrap. I’ll pay you 40k, and that’s as high as I’ll go.”

“Fine, ya got yerself a deal. I’ll get the papers made up. You’ll need a couple people ta help you crew this bucket though, you can’t go flyin’ this thing alone.

 

[zephyrite]

Galar walked back with Elliot to his office, where papers where signed, and credit was exchanged. The two men shook hands, and parted ways. Walking back to his hotel room, Galar took out his communicator and put up a want ad saying:

Wanted: one pilot, two engineers for trade ship and space construction. Respond to this message if interested.

After entering his room at the hotel, Galar got his large duffel bag out and started to search through it. Eventually he pulled out two cubes about 2 feet in length and height. Usually these contraptions, however these had gravity projectors that made them seemingly weightless. These are what had made him a small fortune, as the Yamataian Star Army loved them. They could repair, augment communications, and run nearly indefinitely if on a ship or in sunlight. As it was, these ones would need recharging, so he let them go. Immediately they hovered over to the window and sat there, soaking up what sunlight there was to receive. These would indeed be handy for what was to come.

Galar’s communicator buzzed with a message from a certain ‘Lilly and Toby O’Neal’. He checked the message, which stated,

 RE: Wanted: My brother and I are pretty handy with tools, where can we sign up?

Galar responded by telling them to meet him at the East entrance to the docks, and with that he put on his jacket, weapons and belt over the clothes he was already wearing, and purposefully walked out of the hotel.

He approached the entrance, and to his surprise, it seemed that the two people he was supposed to meet had already arrived. He slowed his walk as he neared the two people, looking them up and down. The man had flaming red hair, while the man had a red tinge to his otherwise brown hair. They certainly looked related to each other, as their communication had told him previously. Lilly was dressed in tight denim jeans and a bright yellow shirt, while the man wore khaki pants and a jacket. Seemingly completely at ease together, they stood watching him approach, no doubt assessing him as well. The woman carried a box of tools with her, as did the man. Both boxes matched perfectly, it seemed difficult to tell either one apart from the other.

“I assume you are Lilly and Toby O’Neal?” Galar asked as he reached them, meaning to stick out a hand in greeting, but nearly bowing as was habit for him. Lilly shook his hand first, then Toby repeated the gesture.

“That’s us,” Toby said, “You said in the message that you needed two people good at fixing things?”

“We’ve been mechanics all our lives,” Lilly interjected, “We’ve worked on everything from airbikes to starships.”

“Ever worked on a Geshrinari Light Freighter?” Galar asked as he started walking into the dock area. “Come with me, I’ll show you the ship.”

The two followed him as he made his way through the expansive dock area, all the way to the orange freighter, sitting forlornly in its dock. Lilly’s eyes opened wide and she giggled, “Its so cute!”

As she ran forward, a voice shouted from behind them, “Hey, you! I’ve got yer papers done. Come over here an’ sign ‘em!”

Galar left the two to admire the little ship while he followed Elliot back to the office, where ship identification papers had to be signed and the agreed price had to be paid. Sitting in the chair opposite Elliot, Galar pulled up the papers and started signing the agreements, filling in all necessary information. Finally he came to one spot he had to pause before filling in the required box: the ship’s name. After a few seconds he decided on a name, the New Beginnings. Signing at the bottom, Galar stood up, shook Elliot's hand, and walked back to the ship, his ship, the New Beginnings

 

[zephyrite]

As he reached the ship once again, the pair were waiting for him to arrive, obviously simply itching to get inside of the craft. Galar smiled, punched the passcode in and as the door opened, motioned for them to go ahead. Grinning with delight, they rushed into the ship, studying every inch of it. While they were doing this, Galar made his way to the bridge, which wasn’t a long walk from the airlock. The bridge looked spacious enough to fit the pilot, captain and another person, but any more people and things would get cramped in a hurry. Galar quickly toured the ship, making sure to measure the cargo hold out in his head. Finally concluding his tour, he said to Lilly and Toby, “Are you two ready to leave tomorrow?”

They looked at him blankly for a couple seconds, then grinned, “We sure are, sir!”

“Good,” he said, “Meet me back here at 8am tomorrow morning, I want to get an early start.”

With that he walked back to the hotel to get his things together and formulate the next part of his plan. He looked up at the smog-laden sky, it was only early afternoon, so there was much time that he still had in the day.

Back in his room, Galar started sketching plans out over many sheets of paper. A design had been formulating in his head over the last couple weeks, but this was the first time he had enough time to sit down and actually sketch them out. They looked crude on the paper he had on-hand, but they were unmistakable plans for a space station. First things first, he would need actual paper for these plans, not the stupid hotel paper he had at the moment. With that thought, he left the hotel and started toward the bazaar, where there certainly would be better tools for this sort of thing. If he was lucky, he would find cheap parts he could use in the construction of the station.

It was not quite hard to find the massive bazaar, especially as it was near the docks, but as Galar walked among the stalls, he wondered how hard it was going to be to find what he was looking for. Walking through the rows of stalls, ignoring some people, turning some offers down, Galar kept searching.

 

[Aendri]

((So you're running with my idea that you all left the SA for one reason or another? Cool.))

 

[zephyrite]

Galar wandered the bazaar, looking left and right, inspecting each stall and shop, each with large signs and loud shouting from the salesperson. Nearly every shop was like this, except one. This shop was plain, without a single advertisement or shouting salesperson, except for a single sign above the door, stating the establishment was called the Free State Trade Center. Galar was drawn to this oddity of a shop, so he cautiously entered it, as he had no idea what to expect on the other side. "Um, Hello?" He said as he crossed the threshold.


Inside the shop was row upon row of lists and catalogs. Upon closer inspection Galar saw they were describing not actual products, like ships or weapons, but their most basic of components: valves, pipes, panels, wiring, conductors, transceivers, in hundreds of thousands shapes and sizes. Across the wall there were no less than a douzen different blueprints detailing different types of assembly lines and factory modules. However, this discovery was interrupted by a "Welcome!"

Emerging from a doorway at the back of the shop was a young boy, who looked no older than ten years of age. A flash of bright red hair poked out from beneath a ragged old ballcap and goggles. The ends of his oversized trouser leggings dragged on the floor, hiding his feet the same way his jumper sleeves hid his hands. "Heya, mister. I'm currently acting executive officer for this trade center. Is there, umm...are you looking for something?"

Galar was quite taken aback by the sight of the "executive officer" for he seemed only a child! Uh," his composure lost for a moment, "Yes, I need parts, and quite a few of them. I could probably use everything in your entire store, come to think of it, depending on how cheap you're selling them for."

Galar hoped he could find a good price for the many parts he needed, as buying them all new would cost a lot more than he wanted to pay. "Do you have other things, such as armor plating and scrap metal? Heck, what kinds of weapons do you have in stock?"

"Everything is produced to order, comrade." The boy rubbed his nose with his sleeve. "We manufacture equipment based on a default fee, to configure the factory and set up the production line, plus a charge based on how many of a module you need. Or alternatively," the boy paused to rub his nose again, "if you're looking for discount goods, there is always the grey market."

Galar scratched his chin, "Well I have rough blueprints here, but I'll need better paper if I want to truly get a workable design; would you happen to have some blueprint paper or a workable volumetric design station?"Galar could tell that he had found something amazing in coming to this shop.

"Sure thing, there's a console over...uhh...underneath those big directories...just a sec." The boy moved over to a shelf and pushed a stack of catalogs to the side, knocking a few onto the floor in the process. Beneath where the stack had been was an old fashioned keyboard interface. "This thing uses an old projector display. There's a database on most known parts, even those that are -- uhh -- technically patented by other companies. Fortunately patent law doesn't exist in the Free State, so we can legally manufacture replicas of that stuff over there."

Galar smiled to himself as he walked over to the design machine and thought to himself, This is going to be great, finally a decent interface.With that, he sat down and started to draw up the plans for the space station on the machine. It was slow process, but a lot quicker than when he did it on the paper. As he was working, he called to the 'Executive officer', "Do you know anything about designing things?"

"Probably, depends, whatcha making?" The boy glanced over Galas' shoulder, looking at what he was doing. "Even if I dun know much 'bout whatever you're making, I can at least cross-reference stuff with Polysentience databases for ya."

"Well what I'm planning on building is an entire space station from scratch. Its difficult to build as it is from the ground up and is going to cost a lot. I have the funds to cover the cost of the station itself, but the sheer cost of the materials is going to run me pretty dry. Even using salvaged materials and parts made by you guys is still going hurt my cash card." Galar scowled as he said this, obviously not happy with the situation."But," He sighed, "I have little choice in the matter if I want it built at all."

"The problem is you're looking just at the materials, not the construction itself." The boy pressed a key sequence on the keyboard and the view switched to some sort of financial spreadsheet. "The sheer amount of labour and maintenance needed to make random assorted parts intercompatible will cost a small fortune in itself, even if you actually do save money on materials. Thus actually ends up costing you more. It would probably be cheaper just to get a standardized, pre-fabricated Mothership chassis than to try and build one yourself."

"A mothership!?" Galar exclaimed, turning away from the design to look at the boy, "Now where would I get ahold of one of those, and not only that, but what would I do for a power source and life support? I don't suppose you guys would just give me a mothership that still works, now would you?"
Galar thought to himself, It is a very interesting idea, however unlikely.

"It's a trade-off scenario." The boy tapped a few more keys and the projector view began cycling through various capital-class chassis. "A relatively new, uniform design will save magnitudes in maintenance costs in the long run but have a sharply greater start-up cost due to production fees. A patchwork vessel will likely suffer from constant breakdowns, requiring magnitudes more engineers and spare parts to keep operational."

"You probably won't be able to afford one straight up, you might be able to apply for an investment charter." The boy explained quite knowledgably. It appears he was more intelligent than one would expect of a child this age, which would probably be the reason he was in charge of this shop in the first place. "This means the State or the OSC will pay for a large hunk of the start up costs in exchange for a cut of the profits for a certain duration, or for the loan plus interest. I can put you in touch with the sort of people who manage that stuff, if you'd like."

"That would be excellent, I would love to do that," Galar said, pondering the options, "Yes, if you could put someone through who could negotiate such a deal, I would appreciate it."

The practical applications of using an already existing frame and then adding to it would be many, many times more cost and time efficient than building from scratch. Not only that, but if they would allow him to give them a major reduction on trade going through the station rather than a portion of its profits, it would be incredibly profitable for both sides! Yes, this was certainly the wisest option for him to pursue.

"Just a second." The boy hurriedly typed out a long sequence of keys. The projector's schematics view was replaced by an almost incomprehensible jumble of programming code. After a moment the view changed once again, this time to a Automaton of some sort. "Centralized Economics." The Automaton stated. Apparently that was some sort of ministry of sorts. "What can we do for you today?"

"Please redirect this guy to State Banking, regarding the financing of... umm..." The boy paused in uncertainty. "What do stations go under?"

Without missing a beat the Automaton said, "Commercial and industrial stations fall under infrastructure and public works."

"Then yeah, regarding the financing of a station project." The boy nodded.

"Very well, comrade." The Automaton pressed a few keys on its console. "Do you want me to send you econometric data on the projected costs of materials and labour this financial quarter for heavy zero-G industries?"

"No, no, we're not planning on building the station ourselves." The boy shook his head. "Thanks anyways."

The Automaton nodded. "You will be contacted at this console shortly within the next few minutes. Thank you for helping us help you help us all." The screen went blank.

Galar raised an eyebrow at the exchange. Freespacers were certainly an interesting bunch. He turned to the boy, "You guys seem quite organized, far more so than an ordinary government. However, from what I gather about the Free State, there is little traditional government. Correct me if I'm wrong."

 

[zephyrite]

The boy shrugged. "It's not that we lack a government...it's just that it tends to be more loose and malleable. None of this strictly defined regulation and law crap." He drummed his fingers on the console. "I think it just seems like we don't have one because everything is AI run -- we took the politicians out of politics, which I guess doesn't make it politics at all."

Galar smiled, "Everything is so efficient, I certainly like how it works. Hopefully it won't be long until the call from them."

The console beeped, and the boy quickly pressed one of the keyboard keys. A projection of an Automaton appeared, a different one this time. "OSC Financing. I've heard the fundamentals from CentEcon, but I would like you to elaborate on your proposal before I can give my recommendation."

Galar spoke to the automaton on the other end, "The plan originally was to build a station free from allegiance to any nation, dedicated to trade and prosperity. This station was supposed to have been constructed from scratch, and I had been looking for salvaged materials when I came across this trade center. I explained to the executive officer here my problem and he recommended the use of a mothership chassis and building around. I plan to pay for the frame by giving all people sanctioned by you a large discount on all trade fees at the station for a long period of time, far beyond what it would take for the debt to be repaid exactly. Does this sound acceptable?"

The Automaton paused for a moment as it processed this. It's monoeye shifted slightly. "Counter-proposal as follows: A 40% cut on all net income after the first month of operation. In exchange the OSC will provide nonvolitional Automata capable of performing the majority of station maintenance and security operations."

"Suffice to say," the Automata leaned forward, "The money saved by not having to pay a normal staff force should cover most if not all of the 40% we take."

Galar responded, "This sounds acceptable. However, I shall need to know where the ship is, weather or not it can be moved under its own power or has to be towed, and how much work it has to undergo before it is fully operational. Do you have a file with this information in it as well as the blueprints or a system readout for the ship so I can add systems to make it easier to access."

"We can offer you a basic modular Mothership module with a 150000 humanoid capacity without any additional charge, but it would lack most amenities besides life support and relevant systems -- hydroponics, fission reactors, atmospheric processors, etcetera. In essence, little more than a civilian station." The Automaton began to transmit schematics data.

"Alternatively you can opt for a prefabricated Mothership with full amenities, which offers the standard fare for ships. Sensors, proper propulsion, FTL drive, communications, docking systems, automanufactory modules, and so on. But we'd have to charge you a 25% loan on the total production cost which can be paid back over several years at a fixed rate."

Galar thought for a moment, then replied, "I'm more interested in the prefabricated mothership. How much would the 25% loan come out to in total?"

"Likely the equivalent to..." The Automaton paused for a moment, "Five million KS. Though bearing in mind this will be paid off over several years, during which time your station should have begun producing a healthy profit. We understand this is a steep price, but bear in mind this would include all the parts and labour needed for construction."

"This is a steep price indeed, but acceptable if it able to be paid over the course of a few years. I believe we have a deal. Is this mothership already produced, or is it in the process of being built?"

"The chassis itself is a refurbished model." The projection changed to the ship schematics. "The chassis and superstructure itself is therefore pre-assembled. However, as per our agreement we can perform any modifications or additions you should require. Would you like some time to decide on configurations, or do you already know what you will require?"

"No, I already know what additions will be required. I will draw them up on this machine immediately and add them to the system readout you have sent me."

With that, Galar started to draw up the necessary plans he would need in order to make the modifications. Within two minutes, the designs were done. Some of the large living space was now large storage areas devoid of obstructions, and there was a large ring that encircled the entire structure. The ring was attached to the main structure with pillars, which were obviously passageways, and the outside of the ring had docking areas all around it. These plans were transmitted back to the automaton. "I hope these additions do not take overly long to fabricate"

"It should not be a problem. So long as there are no unseen complications, you can expect the vessel to be operational within a month." The Automaton glanced down at its console for a moment, then looked back up. "I shall also take the liberty to add some 1800mm artillery turrets, point defense quadcannons, and shield emitters to act as a deterrence against any pirate raids or any other interference. Automated Phantasm gunships will also be provided for local patrol and escort duty."

Galar smiled, "Much appreciated. I shall also be looking for other weapons and parts that can be useful for the construction and defense of the station. Where can I contact the work team in order to add these parts into the construction, as well as the location of the work so I can drop off such things."

Simply have them sent to the nearest OSC office with this mission order number, which I am sending you now along with a list of our Nepleslian offices," The Automaton sent the data. "The branch staff will make sure it gets where it needs to be."

"Thank you very much, I'm sure this deal will benefit us both quite a bit. Not only us, but all civilians who wish to engage in trade. Businesses can be kept onboard as well." Galar bowed, "Yes, I can tell this is going to be profitable. Thank you again for this boon."

"Well, there we have it." The boy crossed his arms. "Say, mister, you might want to leave your contact information with me in case the OSC calls again."

"Sure, that sounds fine," Galar said, as he typed in his info on the machine he had been conversing on. "Feel free to contact me if there are any problems at all. And now I have to be off. I have an early start tomorrow!"

 

[zephyrite]


On the way back to the hotel to gather the rest of his possessions, Galar thought about the new developments. A mothership, this is very interesting. With this, I can start to worry about other things such as gaining rights to the territory. I’ll need to go to the UOC and discuss things with them as soon as I can.

Carefully gathering everything he had left in the hotel, he checked out of his room and headed towards his ship. It would be nice to get used to the feel of it if I slept there for a night before setting out. With that, he made his way to the docks and his ship, which should be waiting, ready to depart at any time. As he reached the ship, he was struck by a sight that caught him quite off guard. Both Lilly and Toby were sleeping next to the ship, seemingly unaware of the fact that they had been sleeping in a spaceport directly in view of any person that stopped by. They were lucky that nothing had happened to them, seeing as this was Funky City. “Hey you two!” Galar shouted with a smile, watching as they blinked into wakefulness.

“You guys had my communicator, why didn’t you just ask me to open the ship for you?”

Lilly spoke up, “We just didn’t want to disturb you, boss.”

“It wouldn’t have disturbed me in the least, and stop calling me boss. Just call me Sir or Captain or Shoi if you are so inclined.” Galar returned.

“Yes Bos-Sir I mean.” Toby stammered.

“Good! Now lets get on the ship and get to our sleeping quarters.” And with that, Galar led the two mechanics into the ship.

The next morning, Galar got up earlier than the siblings and started doing preflight checkups. Everything seemed to be in working order, if a little old. As he was finishing the checks, Toby popped his head into the room, “Galar sir, everything seems to be in order with the engines and the rest of the ship is so solid you could run an asteroid into it and it would be just great. We should be ready to launch anytime you give the order.”

Galar grinned a little, “Well then, the order is given, lets get this thing off the ground!” With that he sat down in the pilot’s seat, motioning for the two to take the seats to his left and right.

“Flight control, we need clearance to launch from our current location. Do we have it?” Galar asked into the communicator.

“You are clear to launch anytime, please be careful, as there seems to be large quantities of smog above the city. Take care on your journey.” Control responded.

“Thank you control, we will take care.” As he said this, he pulled the ship into the air. Carefully, Galar moved the ship into a course that stayed clear of any ships coming in or leaving the planet. Quickly, Galar noticed that the smog quite obscured the view from his eyes, but the primitive sensors could easily see through it. Relying on them more than his eyes, he maneuvered the little freighter through the atmosphere and into space.

Looking to either side of him, he took stock of his mechanics, who were wide eyed with fright. “First time off planet?” Galar asked.

“Y-yes, sir!” Lilly said, clearly quite scared.

“It’s going to be just fine you two, I promise.” Galar said with more than a small smile.

------
Galar looked around the control panel for a while, looking for the correct mechanisms to get them started on their jouney to the UOC. Finally his eyes alit on the correct buttons, and after some quick calculations, pushed them. Immediately there was a small whining noise and they were traveling quite a bit faster than the speed of light. A voice popped up behind him, “Uh, Captain? How long is it going to take to get where we’re go-” It paused, “Where are we going anyway?”

“Hey there Toby, we’re on our way to the UOC in order to do some business I have there.” Galar responded.

“What kind of business?” Toby asked, clearly quite interested.

Galar thought about it. He really hadn’t told either of the two people he took on as mechanics anything about what he was doing. Perhaps it was time to fill them in on everything. They’d probably pester me about it until I told them anyway. “Well Toby, I am building a city in space, so to speak.”

Toby’s eyes widened, “An entire city? Are you under a government contract or something?”

“Actually, I’m funding the entire thing, with a little help from the Free State. It’s going to be a place where anyone can feel free to trade without being oppressed by one of the major superpowers.”

“But where would you put something like that?! The only space that’s really unoccupied is really far away from everything!”

“Exactly why we are en route to the UOC to try to negotiate some territory right on the border with Yamatai.” Galar grinned.

As they neared the border into the UOC’s designated territory, the communications screen lit up with a warning,

All unauthorized entry into the United Outer Colonies’ space is unlawful and punishable by...

Galar didn’t bother reading the rest. Instead, he quickly sent a message to the UOC Harbormaster, “To the UOC Harbormaster,
I am Galar Vanatosk, Captain of the light freighter New Beginnings, and would like to request entry into UOC territory in order to complete a business transaction with the captain of the ship SRSS Yggdrasil, as well as request an audience with the governing body of the UOC about a certain matter.”

There was a pause, then a response was heard, “United Outer Colonies Peacekeeper Forces
Office of the Harbor Master

Your request for entrance into our territory is hereby granted. The Captain of the SRSS Yggdrasill has bee notified of your request, and will be awaiting your arrival.

Signed,

Fleet Admiral Tomori, Rina
Harbor Master.”

Galar grinned, he was just that much closer to finally completing his plan for an independent city in space.

 

[Toshiro]

Some data was sent to the New Beginnings, indicating the Yggdrasill's location. It seemed to be in mid-refit, docked at Kakutama Heavy Industries...

 

[zephyrite]

Galar typed in a few commads on the ship's computer, guiding the ship towards the Kakutama Heavy Industries  port inside the UOC.  Everything seemed quite a bit quieter in this area than the area surrounding Yamatai and Neplesia. Galar mused that more trade in the area would certainly improve the situation and at the very least liven things up a bit. As he approached, he brought up the communications screen and hailed the SRSS Yggdrasil, "This is Galar Vanatosk, Captain of the New Beginnings here to pick up an order I made with the Captain of the SRSS Yggdrasil."

There was a reply in moments....a young man in a civilian outfit was standing there, and looked like he'd been working.  Consoles were offline and removed all over.

"This is Commodore Yuki Toshiro of the Yggdrasill Salvage Fleet.  Sorry about the mess, we're upgrading the ship.  We have your materials.  What's the best way for us to transfer them?"

"I would assume you have gravity projectors onboard." Galar responded, "Would you be able to transfer the parts using those?" With that, Galar pressed a button that opened the cargo hatch, which was indeed still empty.

"Yes, though we can do one better."  Just then, from the ship's pylons, a pair of large grappler arms, with 5 digits each and a projector in each palm, emerged from the Yggdrasill.

Are you prepared for transfer?

"Anytime you are, Commodore." Galar said with a smile.

The arms reached to the back of the ship, where the loading airlock was located, and took an airtight and sealed parcel.  The arm carried it around and placed it in the Cargo Bay with a very skilled and controlled movement.

The transfer only took a couple minutes, and by the time it finished, Galar was already checking into the possibility of meeting with the heads of the UOC. "Thank you very much, Commodore. Maybe I'll see you around sometime. But I hope by the next time you come around, you'll see a new feature of the UOC."

"Thanks for your business, and nice meeting you!"  Toshiro responded, still taking up a wrench in his hand and resuming his work.  The channel then broke, the transaction complete.