Space Wrecker

I frowned, "Are you sure? Thought I left Earth with her fully loaded. I have not received a recall?"

"No, Captain Walker, you left earth without your Gamma Sub Space transceiver installed."

I laughed, "Ya, but the case was still in litigation, when I left."

"Well, the case is over Captain, I can get that transmitter installed for you tomorrow when we deliver your order."

That surprised me and asked, "You have technicians here?"

"Well no Captain, but your file says the Galveston is pre-wired and you have all the hardware pre-installed. They even noted that if you do the install yourself that we can upgrade you to the HSB 4900 transmitter. It is the same as the 4700, but has room for expanded channels when they can open them up."

I wasn't sure I wanted to tackle that, not sure if I had to add drivers to the main AI or change its subroutines. "I don't know," I said hesitantly, "Just how difficult of an install is it?"

Chree smiled at me, "I can do it in less than an hour for you, Captain."

"Are you also a technician?"

Chree smiled and looked down putting both her hands together, and to my surprise her ears laid back a little. I noticed she could turn them left or right to listen as well. They were quite mobile and somewhat expressive. She could even move them independently. The look was cute and made a certain body part of mine twitch.

She hid a small grin saying, "Technically, I am not a technician, but I have watched the install video several times so I know what I needed to sell. And in reality, all you have to do is just plug them in. Your ship was already pre-wired and tested with the 4700 installed back on earth."

Chree looked up and smiled, "Sorry if I made sound difficult. All I really was doing was looking for an excuse to walk around your ship and see Miller's newest and finest. Yours is the first Five thousand we have ever seen."

I smiled down at her, she still had that blush going, with her arms wrapped around her chest, they pushed her very human-looking breasts up. And from where I was standing, they looked delicious. 'Ah' I thought, a girl that is into commercial ships, and wreckers types. My kind of girl.

I wanted to reach out and lift her face, to look into those blue on blue eyes. I remember the Percherian guys back in school always saying be bold with the girls, since girls on their home world were submissive types.

Ah, the hell with it, I thought, I reached over and lifted her face with a big smile, "If all it took to get a beautiful woman on my ship was offer a full tour? I would have posted that on the Briggs' inner net when I arrived."

Chree smiled and what sounded like she took a sniff of my hand under her chin, "So are you still willing to give me the opportunity to poke around your ship?"

"Yes, but it is going to cost you."

She looked at me with what I took as a curious look. One eye opened wider, and one ear slightly bent forward. "Oh?"

I knew I would not have to hit a long haulers spacer bar to find some company, at least for dinner. "Yes, the reason I came in instead of just ordering the perishables on line, was, I needed some time out of my tin can and I was looking for a place that serves fresh food. So to get the personal, guided tour, you're going to have to tell me where I could find some of the freshest food on board this space station."

Chree's face lit up with a smile, both of her ears popped straight up. They were very expressive. "I would be happy to recommend a few or I can show you. There are a few down on the promenade deck I would recommend. Although I have to warn you, they are a sort of pricey."

I was not worried. I had more than enough credits in my account to cover incidental meals like this. I smiled at her, "But for the 'full' tour, I would have to insist that after you show me this restaurant, that you join me for dinner well."

She smiled looking down again, her ears laid down backwards, I couldn't tell if she was blushing under the white fur of her face, but her looks and mannerism said she was. "I don't know Captain, I never...,"

"Nonsense," I said, interrupting her excuse. "I have been in deep space, by myself for the last three weeks with no one to talk to. At least, let me buy you dinner and enjoy some pleasant conversation for a change. I would really like to talk to someone during dinner, especially someone interested in wreckers. I have not heard the sound of someone else's voice in nearly three months."

She looked up in surprise, "Your files says you have a fully operational SARA onboard. She should at least be at least verbally responding to you. Did you activate all of her features?"

I was slightly confused from her saying all of her features. What features? "I guess not, I haven't gotten that far in the owner's manual when I answered my first call, since then I never got back to reading it, just certain sections like how to repair a mag clamp housing and stuff."

Chree laughed, "Oh Captain Walker, you have been flying around the galaxy for the last six months with only half the features of your five thousand turned on. Let me send this order to the warehouse drones and have it deliver it to your ship while I keep you company during dinner. That way I can at least show you some features you haven't turned on as yet."

I smiled, "And please, just Mark, I am not a real Captain. I just consider myself a wrecker pilot."

"Thank you Mark, I would like that. Let me get this order in, including your new transmitter. Once we hook it up, I can help you go through all the features the five thousand has to offer."

Once she finished typing the order in and sending it to the warehouse, she closed down the shop and led me to the elevators. I knew most digitigrade legged species had a hard time with human type stairs. Although the stations were extra wide for that reason, still no need to make Chree feel uncomfortable going up or down them. The main promenade deck was wider and a lot fancier than the business decks, with lots of seats and small gardens mixed down its center. Here there were hundreds of people walking along, either shopping or going somewhere.

Most were dressed in military uniforms since Space Station Briggs was not only a commercial hub, it was also a military base, Fort Briggs. I felt slightly underdressed in a white button-down shirt and black cargo pants. The Black leather fleece lined vest made it somewhat presentable.

Most of the stores lining this deck had names better suited for Rodeo drive in California. I offered Chree my arm, and asked, "How long have you been with Miller?"

Chree smiled and looped her arm through mine, "I have been officially with the company for six years, but I grew up knowing about most of Miller's line. My Father is a sales rep for Miller on Space Station Harreekhoo just inside Percherian territory with your UN. My father was the first non-human franchise dealer with Miller."

Chree smiled proudly, "We got to visit Millers factory on Earth several times as my father won several awards for salesperson of the year. So when it came to choosing my career, I already knew the product. And when they opened spaces on the newly completed Briggs for leases."

"We jump at it." She smiled up at me, "Sales are slow, I only sell five or six units a year, but I make it up for that in parts and perishables. I had to have my warehouse size double three times since I opened here on the Briggs. I might not catch up to my father in unit sales, but in parts resale, I am near the top!"

"The execs at Miller have been hinting that I double my current warehouse again and open a redistribution hub to supply nearby factory stores. I am sort of hesitant about that idea, since that would involve moving my store further to the back to have access to the larger warehouses. Plus, I would have to buy a small fleet of delivery ships, then adding in docking costs."

I nodded in thought. Running a warehouse is a lot more complicated than I thought, "Why not just ship commercial and any specialized or rush orders charge a premium and ship yourself? That way you can keep a smaller fleet available for those type orders."

"I have thought of that, but it is still an enormous investment."

We had passed several nice looking restaurants until she nudged me towards one called Gadrolfus. Fine dining and steak house. The maitre d' gave me a look when I held up two fingers. I didn't know what his thoughts were, maybe he was a raging Xenophobic. I met enough of them in my line of work. Some humans were like that. Or maybe it was just because I was dressed like a bum. I didn't know or cared.

We sat down and waited for our server. I didn't know if Chree drank alcohol. I knew the two Percherian's back in school drank like a fish. Both were bold and outgoing guys that chased anything in skirts, shorts, and pants, just about anything if it was female. Chree saved me from asking her, by saying, "If you don't mind trying a different type of wine, this place serves an excellent wine from my home world?"

I smiled, "And the rest of the menu?"

Chree smiled, "None, I am afraid. My people rarely ship some of the local foods off world. My father has to pay dearly to have some of the traditional meats and vegetables even shipped to Harreekhoo station, for holiday season. Wines are one thing my people export, and Gus, the owner here, brought some in since I visit once in a while. The prime rib reminds me of a certain game meat called Lorkah."

A young human girl stepped up and nodded to Chree, "Chree your back so soon?"

Chree smiled at the young girl, "Hello Desiree, yes. Captain Mark Walker here of the Galveston offered to buy me dinner, for helping him get his new radio installed."

"The Galveston? Isn't that the big wrecker that you told me about the other day which brought in that battleship all by itself?"

"Yes! Did you look at the video?"

"I did, but daddy said it had to be fake."

Chree laughed, "Well you tell your daddy that it wasn't and you just met the Captain of the Galveston that really brought in the Sri Lanka. Single-handedly!"

Desiree looked at me. I smiled and put my hand over my heart. "It's true, I really brought in the Sri Lanka to dry dock. But I couldn't have done it without my ship. They made her to bring in the largest of tows."

Desiree grinned, "Told daddy it was real. Do you want your special wine and you're usual?"

"Yes, please."

"And you, sir?"

"An eight ounce prime, medium rare, salad oil and vinegar on the side, mashed potatoes, no gravy please and your freshest veggies."

Desiree typed that in, "Would like some bread to start off? Chree doesn't but you might."

"No, that is fine I don't need the carbs." I looked down at the menu it said, fresh fruit. "How fresh is your fruit bowl?"

"We just got some in the other day, Cantaloupe, Honeydew and Pineapple."

I grinned, I haven't had any fresh fruit in three months, canned or freeze-dried was the exception. "I will take a small bowl as an appetizer."

Desiree smiled, "Very good Captain, Chree."

I turned to Chree, "So tell me, do all commercial ships get you excited or is it just the wreckers."

Chree looked down again and laid her ears down, which I took as a blush, "no, just wreckers," Then looked up at me, "but in my defense, I have to say that wreckers are my job too."

I laughed, "Why haven't you taken up deep space towing then as a career?"

"Inner ear and grav plates. Percherian's don't get along with gravitational plating. We get dizzy after a few days from them. That is why all Percherian ships use rotation to simulate gravity."

"I didn't know that."

She nodded yes, "Some Percherian crews use human made ships with gravitational plates. They lower the field generator's output and use exercise to combat the effects of a lower gravity force. Unfortunately for me, it still affects my inner ear. So enough about me, tell me all about Captain Mark Walker of the now famous Galveston."

I grinned, "Prepare to be bored," Chree laughed.

"I guess you could say it all started on a farm on Epsilon four, about seventy miles out from a town called Back Water. And trust me here, the town lives up to its name."

Chree laughed.

"I guess you could say my love for wreckers started when some of the farm's equipment broke down miles from the nearest road. We had a local farmer who subsidized his farm's orchards income with a local and inner stellar wrecking company. The first few times Old man Harris would shoo me off and connect the harvester up himself, after the third or fourth time he would just lower the cradle and I would hook it up. It sort of, progressed from there. I started working for him on the weekends, making extra creds to help with paying the bills."

"When I turned sixteen, Mr. Harrison helped me get my pilot's license, and I was flying all over our planet doing local work with him. A few years later, he helped me get my first commercial endorsement. Then, I started doing all the towing jobs for him locally, low planet orbit types."

"At twenty-one I got my full endorsement's and could go full solar system. It took me three years after that to save up enough to go to IITR. After doing three years at IIRT, I did my two thousand hours with National recovery. Once I earned my full commercial and hazardous endorsements, I bought my own rig and now I freelance out of Epsilon four."

Chree did a head tilt smile at me, "That wasn't so boring. Would you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

I shook my head no, "No."

"What sort of terms did you get on your lease?"

I grinner at her, "None really, I bought the Galveston outright."

Chree looked at me, "You bought her outright? Is your family from old money?"

I rubbed the back of my head, and grinned, "No, not even close, you see...," Just then Desiree came with our wine and fruit. I snuck a piece of pineapple as Chree was pouring the wine. I wasn't a big wine drinker, I didn't like the dry tannic after taste. I had some dessert wines that were sweet and had no dry after taste.

I was a whiskey and coke guy, weak on the whiskey and heavy on the coke. The Percherian wine was a sweet fruity wine, like a sangria. After my first sip, I knew I needed to go light on with it. This stuff had a high alcohol content.

I held up the glass, "This is very good."

"Thank you. Now tell me how did you afford a four billion credit wrecker, with no backing?"

I watched her steal a piece of fruit, her facial expressions and ear movement was interesting to watch. Her eyes opened very wide and her ears stood up straight and tilting outwards into a wide 'V' shape. I stole a piece of pineapple as she reached for another piece.

"Well, there were a few things l left out of that story. One I had always wanted off Epsilon four to explore the galaxy. I used to dream about every night, of leaving and flying around the galaxy, seeing all the different planets and people. I was thinking of joining the United Nations navy when Max Harrison secured an opening at IITR for me."

"After spending three years studying deep space heavy wrecker piloting and recovery. When I graduated, I got accepted at National recovery for my two thousand hour internship. That is where I was paired with a human pilot, named Brian Jenkins, a thirty-year veteran in the industry. I impressed him with my previous knowledge and skills so much, that I was a paid intern just after my first two weeks."

"Brian had a habit of buying a lottery ticket every time he left planet side. He always said it was a long shot. One of his famous quotes says, you had better odds of dying on a recovery than hitting the lottery. He said he liked playing the long odds. Plus, he looked forward to seeing that he lost the lottery on his return, but was happy that he was alive to check."

"He got me into the habit of buying one every time I went out. I finished my internship and was working full time with National, but was getting restless doing recoveries around Earth's solar system. Doing rock and garbage runs as they called it. Was piloting an older Kenworth D8500, bringing in broken down mineral haulers from the asteroid belt when I hit the big one, lottery that is. Twenty numbers and a Powerball."

"After taxes, I had over four point seven billion credits in my account. I could have retired and bought a small pleasure craft, and explored the known galaxy. But I knew I would soon get restless and bored doing nothing, just flying from planet to planet, when I saw Millers Demo video on the M-five thousand in my wrecker news feed."

"A few days later I walked in and emptied my locker at National, dropped two million credits into Brain's account, and hired a transport to Miller's main office in Tennessee. Where I walked in and showed them the video. Then said I want one. I think they thought I was a young kid who lost his mind at first. They tried telling me it was a prototype only. I opened my account and said I don't care, build me a prototype then."

I grinned at Chree, "I still think those execs thought I was crazy, I dropped four point one down and said build me one or sell me serial number one. Eighteen months later I left earth's space port and never looked back."

Chree looked at me, "But you could have retired, with four point seven you could have bought a really nice luxury yacht and had enough left in your account to spend a lifetime exploring the galaxy."

I grinned at her, "I still can now, but with the Galveston. But the best part now is I can work when I want to and go anywhere when I don't. I realized something waiting for the Galveston to be built, I enjoyed piloting a wrecker and got a strange, but satisfying feeling bringing in broken down ships."

"I even took a part-time job at a local spacer company filling in for pilots who wanted some time off. Even made a run or two to the Sirus system recovering ships while the Galveston was being built. When I wasn't out in deep space, I got to train with the factory guys on S/N one, pulling in some heavy equipment, demonstrating its size and strengths. I realized I enjoyed working, but on my schedule."

Chree laughed, "You are truly are a wrecker pilot. So what are your plans now that you have retrieved the Sri Lanka?"

"I guess spend a day or two here, then head back to the Kazar system and pull the rest of the battle fleet back, after that? I guess I will see where the fates take me. This contract should pay the rent for the berth for a night or two."

Chree laughed "You bring in the rest of the battle fleet, it should net you a healthy down payment on a second Five thousand."

I laughed, "Why would I want a second five thousand? I can only fly one at a time."

Chree laid one ear down and the other slightly forward in thought.

"If I continue pulling in wrecks from Kazar battlefield, and doing a job here and there afterwards, I will have enough credits to replace what I had paid for the Galveston, even with buying incidentals, and the occasional berthing fees. What could a person want after that?"

"You don't want to start a wrecking company like National, with a fleet of heavy wreckers?"

I looked down at the empty bowl of fruit. I smiled thinking about Chree's reaction eating them. The way her ears moved and even quivered, eating the pineapple was worth seeing. At least I got a few pieces.

"Not really Chree. I have everything I need or want. A magnificent ship to travel the galaxy with, which I could make just enough credits with, that I could survive on, and a little more. What more could a man want than that, to sail the stars?"

"I envy you," Chree said with a smile. "A person who has found his peace in life, doing something he likes, for fun, not work. I guess, I would do the same if it were not for the headaches and dizziness from the gravitational plates. And then, some part of me tells me that I would soon miss my family and friends and would soon seek home again."