Pirate's Betrayal

Xamino
OJOQWCWC Winner

Pop was a small SFC colony a light-year off of the Nerway transit route. While the route itself was heavily used by freighters supplying the ore mines of Gan IV, few were the ships that stopped at Pop. The colony was situated on Pop III, on a lush green island in the humid tropics. Originally founded centuries ago as a service stop for explorers, the colony had expanded quickly for a while. But then civilization had caught up with it, and its significance sank drastically. Many of the inhabitants moved on to other frontiers, leaving only those behind that had come to call Pop III their home.

There wasn't any modern industry on Pop III, and there never had been. The only wealth Pop III possessed was its perfect climate for growing Nuk-A, a plant used in the production of various soft-drinks. Once a year, when it was harvest time, a single Shenzhou was all it needed to carry the locally refined plants away. The hauler was also the only regular ship in the system.

The crew of the Shenzhou packed their hauler full with goods on the way to Pop III, knowing that it would get a good price there. The day the hauler arrived in-system was the only holiday the colonists knew; the landing was followed by a week of celebrations while the ship unloaded its goods and the farmers loaded the Nuk-A. The market where the crew sold the Outside goods was the main attraction for the younger generations, and happy was the young man or woman that managed to acquire something there.
For the younger people, life outside of the colony was a dream, a fantasy. The only contact the colony had to the Outside was an old satellite on the fringe of the system. It didn't work most of the time, due to micrometeorites or solar winds, but when it did, all it was able to send and receive was text. This bottleneck in communications rendered any news from Outside a matter of great importance, even when it was meaningless to the population.

Once the ship left, the excitement subsided, and the boring daily routine would continue, dominated by the growing of Nuk-A. This was the world that Genet A. Rugy grew up in.

 

“Hey, stop dreaming, Genet! We're here.” Aroused out of her thoughts in such a way, she looked down at her friend Jane, who was standing next to the hover-tractor, waiting for Genet to get out so that she could lock the doors. Trained by years of experience with such machines, Genet nimbly climbed out and waited patiently next to it while Jane locked it up, then followed her to the entrance to the “Cove”, the only club in town. The club was run by Maria Johnsons, whom everyone called Mar. By day, Mar cooked for the only restaurant of the town, where most of the farmers ate their midday meal. Her husband helped her out sometimes, but usually he was to be found in the garage behind their small house, from which he operated his maintenance shop.

Upon entering and climbing the stairs to the “Cove”, the two payed their entrance fees and left their bags with the doorman. It took longer than necessary because Jane started flirting with him, so Genet quickly checked herself in the mirror that was placed to the side for just that purpose.

Smoothing her attire, she made sure her black hair was neatly tucked away and that her scarce makeup was okay. It wouldn't do to look unsuitable, she thought. Done, she waited for Jane, and then the two entered the room.

The first thing anyone noticed upon entering the room was the noise. Mar had no problem with loud music, and only out of respect to the older colonists had she installed a sound muffler, confining the loud music to the single room. The “Cove” was always well-packed on the last day of a week, rendering the air warm and stuffy. To that came the light smoke that drifted through the air, illuminated by strobe lights and some weak lasers.

Genet looked around for her other friends, and spotted them on the dance floor, moving to the Ground music. Jane detached herself from side and went to talk with someone, so Genet started to make her way to her friends, intent on joining the dance.

 

The space outside of the system Pop was like space anywhere else in the vast reaches of the known galaxy; dark and cold, void of almost everything. Situated in a nebula, the darkness showed patches of color around the system, but of course, the elements that made up the nebula were too thin to be seen close by. The combination of stars and the fuzzy band that made up the disc of the galaxy, combined with the colorful traces of the nebula made the view spectacular. Of course, there were many equal views in the galaxy, but still people were impressed with the view the first time they saw it. Well, at least most people.

The Braxis named Joke 3 hurtled through space with good speed, its warp engines running on maximum. They left no outside traces, and the thrusters were off as the course had been set upon arriving in the system. The crew of three was in the cargo room, checking the goods.

“Now, listen up,” said the first. “We don't want to create a scene here, okay?” He waited for the other two's nods before continuing. “Our last raid was very successful, and I don't want to lose the goods. All we need is some fuel and some spare parts.”

“Yeah, and a bucket of paint,” said the second around his big cigar.

“Indeed. So, no messy comments, and keep your hands to yourself!” He looked threateningly at the third, but the third man wasn't looking at him, instead starring at the floor in front of him. “Jake! Man, did you listen to what I just said?”

“Huh?” The man named Jake looked up and blinked. “Uh, yeah. No fun with women and no friendly arguments. Sure, no problem.” He held the captains gaze until the first man looked away.
“Alright, then lets bring her down.”

 

Reentry is always a dangerous time for a ship and its crew. Should any of the complex and delicate instruments that control a ship fail during the long fall down a gravity well, then there is little a crew can do to save the ship from plunging to its death.

Joke 3 approached the planet with incredible speed. The first thing that happened was the the warp engine started to loose effectiveness as the ship neared the planet, slowing the ship down. The moment that happened, the ship's computer deactivated it and rerouted the power to the shields to protect the ship against the plasma that would form once it was within the atmosphere. At the same time, the captain took the controls and lifted the nose of the ship relative to the planet. Then he hit a switch that prepared the various machines within for landing. The second man of the crew brought up the HUD overlay that showed the captain the best approach to the colony, and the ship smoothly accelerated into the virtual corridor, still maintaining its vast speed towards the planet but now drifting sideways so that the ship would enter the atmosphere in a somewhat less steep angel.

At those speeds, the contact to a planet's air seems instant. The ship's shields encountered resistance, and the air was ionized before being pressed out of the ship's path. Friction accounted for a big loss of speed, and the captain made the ship loss more speed by firing the downwards thrusters. With just over 900 km/h, the max speed the ship could hold in the atmosphere, Joke 3 skimmed over the ocean surrounding the colony's island, the sonic wave behind the ship pulling twin fountains of water into the air behind it. At a distance of a hundred kilometers, the captain started slowing the ship further, and when it roared over the colony, it was down to a meek thirty meters a second.

 

The party within the club was at high at this point. The loud Ground and the sound of a hundred young people combined to form a symphony of noise. The sound muffler contained the noise, but it did not prevent noise from entering the room.

The first sign was a deep thunder that rattled the painted windows and the many glasses on the tables. At first, no one noticed, and the thunder stopped. Next came a low throbbing sound of the Joke 3's engines as they worked against the atmosphere as it swept over the club on its way to the landing pad on the other side of town. This sound quieted the crowd instantly, and someone quickly killed the music.

Genet stepped back from the man she had been dancing with. Brows furrowed, she said to no one in particular: “It is too early in the year for the hauler.” In the silence, her words were heard by everyone. When their significance sunk in, everyone started for the door to meet the strangers.

 

“Capt'n, we're down.”

“Okay, shutting the flight-systems down.” Joke 3's fusion plant ran out, and into the sudden silence as the captain switched the ship to stand-by, Jake let out an astonished grunt and pointed out of the window.

“Hey, look!” The second man whistled. “Man, they mustn't get a lot of visitors here.” The club's visitors were streaming towards the ship, and awakened from its passing, the rest of the colony was also coming to see the ship.

 

A while later, after the sleepy customs officer had done away with the customary duties of his office and returned to bed, the ship's three men joined the younger people of Pop in the club. Mar kept the music quiet so that people could easily talk with one another, and before long, everyone was standing around the crew, asking questions of the outside world.

“And where is the nearest frontier from here on?”

“Well, girl, the next frontier is... hm, about a hundred light-years from here. Why, you planning to leave this planet?” Jake looked interestedly at Jane, but at this direct question, she stepped back and shock her head.

Genet knew that she had always wanted to see more than the colony, but the wish to leave the colony was often frowned upon in public. Genet also knew that Jane had tried to barter for passage with the yearly hauler, but the captain had refused, saying that the ship wasn't capable of transporting passengers. Jane had pleaded and begged, and even though the captain had been sympathetic, he had remained firm.

“In any case,” the captain of the Joke 3 said, “we couldn't take passengers with us anyway.” He shot a pointed look at Jake, who had just been about to offer passage. The captain didn't want to risk exposure of their illegal and stolen goods, and inviting people aboard for a journey to somewhere was too risky.

“Well, I'm tired and will retire now. Men, don't stay up too long, we'll be flying tomorrow as soon as the ship is fueled.” The second man left with the captain, also politely excusing himself from the club.

As Jake was the only Outsider left, and there was only so much room around him, some people started to disperse, while some few stayed with him. But from those he excused himself and went to the bar to buy himself a drink.

Genet watched the man from a safe distance on the dance floor. She didn't really like Jake; from the little she had learned of him, he and his fellow shipmates were hiding something. Every time someone had asked them what had brought them out to Pop, they had only given evasive answers.

Then Jane walked into her view; the young woman hesitated for a moment behind the man's back, then straightened herself and sat down beside him. From her vantage point, Genet watched them carefully, wishing that Jane would have enough sense to leave the man alone. But Jane was soon flirting with him, and Genet shock her head. The ship would be leaving tomorrow again, and she doubted that they would ever return. Jane was wasting her time.

 

Genet left the club well after midnight. Jane had vanished with Jake just a while before, and so she was left with walking home. Her parent's farm wasn't out that far, but in the cold dark, outside the colony, walking four kilometers isn't such a great thing to do when you are drunk.

But the fresh air cooled her head, and after leaving the sleeping colony behind, Genet began to enjoy the walk, although she had to walk barefoot, as her high heels were suboptimal for the rugged terrain. She went over the evening in her head, and decided that it had been a great time.

Of course, her thoughts thus also came upon the ship and its crew, successfully erasing the good feeling she had just had. When the captain had left the ship upon its landing, she had already noted how he had looked around carefully, just like a man trying to hide something from the authorities. And then there was Jake. To her mind's eye, he looked just like a pirate; big, powerfully built, slurred speech and greedy hands. She had tried to talk with Jane for a moment alone to warn her of him, but Jane had been glowing drunkenly, happy and with rosy cheeks. She hadn't listened, and when Jake returned with drinks, Genet had been pushed aside.

She tried to convince herself that it wasn't her responsibility with whom Jane started relationships, and she succeeded, but she couldn't stop herself worrying for her friend. She just knew that Jane was being used by Jake, and the only thing she could do now was hope that she was wrong.

 

When her father woke her, it was an hour before midday.

“Hey, Gen. Time to rise!” She tried to pull the covers back over her head, but her father decided that she had slept long enough and playfully pulled the covers away and deposited them on a chair on the other side of her room before leaving. Groaning, Genet sat up, rubbing her aching head before dressing in her work clothes. Snatching something to eat from the kitchen, Genet sought out her father in the barn, where he was busy repairing some machinery.

“Okay, dad, I'm awake. What do we do today?” Wiping his greasy hands clean on a rag, he thought for a moment.

“Well, I need some parts for the machinery, and you could fuel the tractor. Ask your mom if she needs anything else before you go, alright?”

“Sure.”

 

With a list of things she should buy, Genet hooked up the fuel tank to the tractor and drove off. The Deltan machine was almost as old as the colony, but it still ran good, as it had originally been constructed for a more hostile environment. She deftly handled the controls and set it on its course towards the colony, the machine clearing the ground by good ten meters. The low thrum of the fusion plant behind her seat easily handled the strain of the empty tank hooked behind the tractor, and she made good time.

She came in low to the colony, as flying higher than two meters was forbidden out of safety reasons. Last year, when everyone still drove as high as they wanted, someone had lost a trailer and sent it tumbling towards the school. Luckily, no one had been hurt, but precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the colonists. Parking the machine in front of the only store in town, she locked the doors and was about to enter when she saw Jane striding down the road towards the spot where the Joke 3 had landed yesterday.
Genet called out, but Jane didn't hear her, so she quickly followed her friend. Jane walked out onto the landing field towards Jake, Genet stopping where the crowd was gathering.

Jane and Jake kissed passionately, making it clear what they had been doing after leaving the club. The captain was finishing paying the mayor for the fuel they had bought, and then walked up the gangway. Reaching the door, he turned around and called for Jake, who waved his acknowledgment. The couple talked quietly for a few more moments, then they separated.

“Don't you leave me!”

“I'll come back, darling honey.” Genet heard Jake answer. Hearing him, she suddenly had doubts; maybe he had been sincere, maybe he really would be coming back for her.

But her wish for a happy ending was quickly ruined. As Jake strode towards the waiting ship, Jane waving her pocket handkerchief and wiping her eyes, the second crew member appeared at the hatch of the ship, and seeing Jake, he shouted to him:

“Hey, Jake, we just received a text message from you wive. And get up here so we can launch, will ya'?”
Jake never stopped. He walked up to the hatch, entered, and was never seen again. The other man closed the hatch, and Joke 3 lifted off, the loud whine of her engines louder than anything else.

But as the ship vanished, so did the sound of its engines, and in the quiet, the only sound was the anguished yell of the betrayed Jane.