One Eye Open
Across several planets, spread across the galaxy, the old circadian rhythm pulls us under, and the Dreamer grants us a new dream. We see a location often heard of, but never visited by the Dream Team -- the Diaspora, the belt of asteroids that breaks the Pact Worlds in half. Home to mining expeditions, criminal enterprises, and all manner of people who do not want to be found.
Free Captain Horchata was all three.
She sat in the captain's chair on the Icewind, her crew's ship, looking sternly at the holographic in front of her. The rest of the crew was looking too, besides Lucky, who was busy with the sensors. The ship was massive, easily a hundred times the size of the Icewind, with a mercurial sheen reminiscent of a nanite swarm. It had a big turret on the bottom, which wasn't nearly as threatening as the hangar bays, which meant additional starships inside.
Of course, all of that only mattered if the ship was manned.
Horchata: "You're sure?"
Lucky: "Positive. Four or five people on board."
Horchata: "And they don't see us?"
Lucky: "I imagine their sensors could pick us up, if anyone were at that station. But if it follows the standard model, no one's even in the command deck. Probably a VI driving on autopilot." Horchata nodded, thoughts spinning in her mind. It was just too easy. A big ship like that, with all that slag, and other starships besides. Completely defenseless. She turned to Yen instead. Horchata: "What's the status on that SID run?" After their last big heist -- the one that put them on Varos -- Horchata made a point of downloading the latest SID records every time she got to an Infosphere. Better to know what you were getting into, before you got on board. Yen made a low humming sound, and then threw a table of information up over the central holographic. Yen: "New registration -- not even a year old. You're not going to like the contact." The ship was called the Aga Jain, probably after the Seer's mortal identity. A weird name for a ship... She scanned some of the other information, most of which she already knew from physically looking at it, and then arrived at the crew complement. Horchata: "My, my... Captain Mist. And the rest of Team 6, too. What a nice ship you have." Lucky perked up, looking back at the holographic as she scanned the same information. Horchata rolled her eyes. Lucky was the newest member of the crew, and the softest. Horchata normally wouldn't put up with it, but Lucky was a damned good engineer, and loyal to a fault. That was hard to find on a pirate crew... But they needed the money, and the rest of her crew never understood Lucky's fondness for the other mining teams. Horchata made her decision. Horchata: "Lucky, open up comms. Everyone else... Prepare to board."
Lucky: "Positive. Four or five people on board."
Horchata: "And they don't see us?"
Lucky: "I imagine their sensors could pick us up, if anyone were at that station. But if it follows the standard model, no one's even in the command deck. Probably a VI driving on autopilot." Horchata nodded, thoughts spinning in her mind. It was just too easy. A big ship like that, with all that slag, and other starships besides. Completely defenseless. She turned to Yen instead. Horchata: "What's the status on that SID run?" After their last big heist -- the one that put them on Varos -- Horchata made a point of downloading the latest SID records every time she got to an Infosphere. Better to know what you were getting into, before you got on board. Yen made a low humming sound, and then threw a table of information up over the central holographic. Yen: "New registration -- not even a year old. You're not going to like the contact." The ship was called the Aga Jain, probably after the Seer's mortal identity. A weird name for a ship... She scanned some of the other information, most of which she already knew from physically looking at it, and then arrived at the crew complement. Horchata: "My, my... Captain Mist. And the rest of Team 6, too. What a nice ship you have." Lucky perked up, looking back at the holographic as she scanned the same information. Horchata rolled her eyes. Lucky was the newest member of the crew, and the softest. Horchata normally wouldn't put up with it, but Lucky was a damned good engineer, and loyal to a fault. That was hard to find on a pirate crew... But they needed the money, and the rest of her crew never understood Lucky's fondness for the other mining teams. Horchata made her decision. Horchata: "Lucky, open up comms. Everyone else... Prepare to board."
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