Jaunts of the Mantis

by Jim Henderson

  Shortly, Mantis sent Ximon a list of jobs.

  “Captain, I have sorted these by payment relative to the portion of ship capacity they will consume and the alignment with the stated destination systems and an assumed desired departure date. If you’d like I could also attempt to derive a list of possible combinations.”

  “Thank you, Mantis. Please do.”

  Ximon scrolled through the list. There was more than he had expected, but none looked especially exciting.

  Ximon put together a few options or combinations, but when Mantis provided her options, they were more complete. So, he went of her list and combinations.

  It looked like they could possibly do an in-system job in a few days, then take passengers bound for Cepheo, Thade X, and Tixaya, as well as cargo bound for Cepheo and Thade X.

  They took off and Ximon perused the list one last time and picked several jobs to apply for. The first one was in intra-system job in 4 days. That’d take them a couple days, then there were cargo and passengers headed the way they wanted to go.

  He heard back in about an hour that they’d got the intra-system job, so he updated the crew to report 0800 hours in 4 days to make ready.

  Elsbeth arranged to meet him the next day to install the refurbished coil.

  When Elsbeth arrived, she said, “If you can come give me a hand in about 20 minutes, we’ll put this in.”

  The install went pretty smoothly and Elsbeth said initial diagnostics checked out.

  I’m going out now, but I’ll do some calibration over the next couple days and (assuming you don’t do something to make it impossible) on that intra-system flight.”

  She then added, “Oh, and I fixed that launch. I wish we could keep her, but there’s no way she’ll fit in the Mantis. So, I guess we should sell her.”

  Ximon turned over the physical mail for payment and then he and Raiza went through the goods they’d take from salvage. He took a few of the personal electronics as gifts for the crew and had Raiza pick out a few of the luxury clothes for herself.

  He bought a bigger weapons locker and stocked it with some of the weapons and ammo they had. He added a few more shotguns, automatic and laser pistols, automatic and laser rifles, and a few suits of armor. He sold the rest of the goods and weapons they’d taken from salvage directly to a reseller. They got some decent money for it all.

  He was also able to sell the launch. They were selling fast, it was older, and it had some issues. However, they still got an even 1.9 Mcr! He immediately sent both Elsbeth and Iday a bonus of 100 Kcr each.

  Over the next few days, Ximon and Raiza went to restock the galley and some stuff in the rooms the passengers would be using. They especially needed quite a bit more food if they were hauling passengers.

  The gathered back in a few days at 0800 on the 4th day.

  Ximon announced, “Ok, here’s the plan. We’re running about 25 miners out to Zulea 7. Once we’re done there, we’ll swing by Zulea 5 and get a handful of passengers and some cargo to bring back here. Then I’ll check in with the lawyer and we’ll head out on an intersystem job. So, we’re going to need to configure the cargo bay for passengers (pax). I know there are stowed seats back there, but we’ve never used them. I think there are supposed to be 36 seats, so even if a few don’t work, there should be enough.”

  “Iday and Elsbeth, please get on that and ensure that little latrine by the cargo bay is ready to go. Also, try to hook up some kind of screen so we can show a Vid in there.”

  Elsbeth groaned, “What are we opening a theater now?”

  “You know a distracted pax is a less troublesome pax – we’re saving ourselves some grief. These pax are going to be limited to the cargo bay, that latrine, the galley, and the head next to it. All other doors should be locked. Raiza and I will get the galley ready with water and some snacks, with sandwiches ready to serve about 6 hours in. We’ll also bring down some water shortly. Get moving, the PAX should arrive by 0940.”

  “Mantis, you’ll need to monitor security camera feeds for non-crew traffic outside those areas.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  Before doing anything else, he had Raiza change into a baggy set of coveralls he’d gotten for her and put on a scout hat. He didn’t want her to look too inviting to the miners, male or female.

  Then he helped Raiza in the galley.

  Just before planned arrival time, Ximon stationed Iday in the galley and Elsbeth in the cargo hold. Ximon waited for the group to arrive, which they did promptly.

  There were 24 of them, each with a large duffel. They looked like rough men and women as one would expect. The leader sent Ximon a manifest.

  Before he let the first one on board he said, “Welcome to the Mantis. Our flight should be about 19 hours. I’ll check each of you against the manifest and then you’ll go in. Your seating is in the cargo bay and you’ll stow your bags in a crate there. You’ll have the use of the cargo bay and, once we’re away from the planet, the galley. They’ll be some snacks out in the galley and we’ll have a meal for you in about 6 hours. She’s a good ship and we’ll get you there safe and sound. Don’t cause trouble or attempt to access other portions of the ship. If you cause trouble, you might spend the rest of the flight in an airlock. If you cause a lot of trouble that airlock might vent.”

  Then Ximon checked each one off carefully (mostly to space them out on entering the ship) and they all got on board. Ximon scoped out the situation in the cargo bay. It looked pretty good. Almost all of the fold out seats looked good and they had Vid already running.

  Ximon announced, “Hit the head if you need to and then buckle up. We’ll be taking off in 15 minutes and there’ll be some Gs.”

  Then he headed for the bridge but had a security feed showing on one of the screens. He and Iday quickly preflighted and got clearance. Ximon said, “Take off in 3 minutes. Ensure you’re strapped.”

  They got going fast after that. As soon as they got away from the planet, Ximon and Iday took turns meandering through the galley and cargo bay. Most of the miners were snoozing or mindlessly watching the vid. A few hung out in the galley, one small group playing some obscure game. They seemed to be behaving themselves well. Raiza and Ximon took the sandwiches down after a few hours and they all ate.

  A while later some of the miners started a fight in the cargo bay and Ximon was alerted. Ximon announced to the cargo bay, “This is the captain. Get in your seats now.”

  When a few of them kept screwing around, Ximon quickly announced, “You’re losing artificial gravity.”

  Thirty seconds later, with no sign of them complying, Ximon had Mantis cut the gravity just in the cargo bay. The few who didn’t get strapped in tended to slam into things. They quickly got the point and got in their seats. Ximon turned it back on in about 30 minutes and they were all good after that.

  The rest of the flight was uneventful, and they were all strapped in about 30 minutes prior to landing. Ximon landed her on the designated landing pad on a desolate looking moon. A passenger tunnel snacked out and mated to their airlock and Iday had them line up and head out. The leader digitally signed the manifest as proof of delivery, and they were gone. Ximon took off within 10 minutes and Raiza and Iday cleaned stuff up on the way to Zulea 5.

  Along the way Elsbeth reported, “I got the calibration and some additional tests done. I think we’re good to jump.”

  They radioed the station at Zulea 5 when they were 30 minutes out and then landed and mated up with a cargo tunnel. The few pallets of stuff were loaded within 10 minutes and then the Pax got on. These guys were in for a shorter flight (about 7 hours), were tired, and were anxious to get to Zulea Prima. Within the main station there, there was “civilization,” which to many of them probably meant hotels, showers, restaurants, gambling, and brothels. Who was he to judge?

  Mantis got back to Zulea Prima station without incident and everyone and everything got unloaded fast. It was about 1100.

  Ximon then announced to the crew,
“OK, we’ve got cargo loading tomorrow at 1800. Iday can you manage that?”

  Iday nodded.

  “Then we’ve got pax coming at 0600 the next day for a 0630 take off. So, again, let’s huddle at 0500.”

  The cargo loading was uneventful – about 10 crates of manufactured goods, 2 crates of physical mail, and 3 crates of specialty shipping items. The cargo bay was quite full.

  Ximon checked in with the lawyer the next day. He had no updates but got a few more details from Ximon.

  When they huddled the next day Ximon briefed the crew.

  “Ok, we’re heading for the Cepheo system. This time we’ve got these pax for weeks, so they’ll be in cabins 4, 5, and 6 and they’ll be sharing the same communal showers. We’ll have alternating hours for men and women with an automated sign – read it and heed it!”

  “In #4 we’ve got some kind of business man, in #5 a small family (mama, daddy, and baby) that’s bring a small portable crib, in #6 is a young couple. Obviously, we need to be more gracious with this lot. Raiza, you’ll be serving 3 meals a day (6, 12, and 6) and should be on duty in the galley an hour before each and all call except for 2200 – 0400. All the rest of us will help and we’ll be happy helpers. Everyone keep clean coveralls on when you’re in those galley area. No walking around half naked, drunkenness, or killing anyone. Got me?”

  Elsbeth and Iday just nodded.

  Raiza said, “Of course captain. I am happy to help. If necessary, I can be on call 24 hours. I don’t need to sleep.”

  “Raiza, you need charge and maintenance time and you’ll occasionally be needed for other duties. They can choose to sleep then or just not be needy.”

  Ximon heard Elsbeth say under her breath, “Other duties.”

  He gave her a glare and she just smiled.

  They got everything ready for the pax. They were somewhat less orderly. The young couple, the Dahves, arrived at 0545. They both appeared to be naïve 20-somethings, anxious to start a new life on Thade X and barely able to keep their hands off each other. The family, the Kollars, arrived at 0600. They were an average-looking couple pushing 40 with a baby about a year old. They mainly just looked tired. The business man, Alfur Ulfson, rushing up at 0625. He was the stereotypical middle-aged businessman, well dressed for space travel, but too self-important to be on time. Elsbeth and Raiza rushed him to his room while Ximon and Iday got ready to take off. Each room had a couple flip-down seats that they could buckle into or they could strap into their bed.

  They took off without incident and headed for their jump point and then the pax’s personalities emerged.

  The family’s baby seemed to cry a lot if they were either under acceleration and when they went briefly into zero G. The walls were fairly thick, so it wasn’t too bad, but the business man did seem to get annoyed. During the jump they arranged things so the mom or dad could take the baby down to the cargo bay. The noises there seemed to calm it. At one point the parents had some kind of accident in the galley and had their hands full. Without thinking, the mom handed the baby to Raiza who was standing nearby. Ximon happened to be cutting through the galley and was most amused to see Raiza awkwardly holding a baby. It was very clear she had no training in child rearing or even child holding. He smiled at her as he went by.

  The young couple only seemed to emerge from their room to eat or use the shower. Despite the gender-oriented hours and signs, they tried to use the shower together at least once. However, since it’s a communal shower room, at least one of them was in there at the wrong time. One time they were getting VERY frisky when Iday came in. Everyone was quite embarrassed. To avoid a recurrence Ximon changed the shower times so that each group of passengers (Ulfson, Kollars, and Dahves) could have a private 30-minute block at 2200, 2230, and 2300 or use the gender-designated times. However, Ximon only noted that the Dahves used their “private time” and they used it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

  The jump to Cepheo was uneventful other than some interesting conversations and occasional annoyances. The baby did seem to cry a lot and the parents got frustrated. The others mostly stayed to themselves.

  When they got to Cepheo, Ximon was happy to see a message from the lawyer back on Zulea Prima. He said that the owners of the Peregrine Galley had contested the salvage and had offered a relatively small reward instead. Per Ximon’s directions, he had declined the offer. He was confident that, given the precedence of salvage laws and the owners’ insurance claim against the ship, that Ximon’s claim would stand.

  They dropped cargo without incident and the Kollars departed. They also took on a few passengers. Lady Constance Iauxia, a middle-aged minor noble of something or other, and her maid Thuvia Ivanova, a petite, attractive, 20-something woman. Those two would be sharing a room and a bed. Ximon had made that abundantly clear to the booking agent, but Lady Iauxia was fine with the arrangement. Ximon thought to himself, “Who am I to judge? I’m sleeping with a hot bot.”

  They also had 2 passengers come on for Cryo passage, being frozen all the way to Tixaya. The first was a grandfatherly old guy in his 60s or 70s named Elihu Cord. The second was a 30-ish, wanna-be rock star named Slade Fazio who seemed quite arrogant and surprised that they hadn’t heard of him. Iday, who had the most medical experience, took them back to the storage room of the cargo bay where they had installed the cryo chambers. Then he ‘tucked them in’ with a brief “Good night” and a prayer. The process was pretty simple, but he was a bit nervous. He had practiced it several times over the last few days under Mantis’ careful tutelage.

  Ximon and Raiza got the other passengers settled, stowed their (considerable) luggage, and informed them of the shower schedule and meal times. Ximon hoped that ‘Lady Constance’ wasn’t going to be too much of a pain to Raiza or the rest of them. Time would tell.

  Ximon, Iday, and Elsbeth did their respective system checks and pre-flights. Everything looked good to go and they took off 20 minutes later, headed for a jump point to Thade X.

  Lady Constance was, indeed, a bit of a pain. She complained at the meals and asked for special stuff which they obviously didn’t have. Ximon felt bad for Raiza, though he knew she didn’t mind.

  Ximon finally told Lady Constance, “Ma’am, please be patient and understanding. Our cook here is doing the best she can with the standard fair we stock. You have booked passage on a small scout ship, not a luxury liner.”

  Lady Constance also had a habit of repeatedly asking the same questions of anyone around. She asked Ximon at least 3 times when they’d be jumping, though the answer didn’t change, and he found out later that she had also asked Iday, Raiza, and Elsbeth. Once in jump she asked when they’d be out of jump repeatedly. Eventually Ximon had Raiza put their planned jump and arrival times on a screen in the galley. Once that was place, every time she asked those same questions the crew would pointedly look at the screen and tell her exactly what it said.

  They entered jump without incident and the crew went about mundane tasks and occasional passenger handling.

  The Dahves spent most of their time in their room and were hugging or holding hands when they weren’t there. Ulfson was seen even less, only leaving his room for meals (which he rushed through) and brief showers. Lady Constance and Thuvia, on the other hand, seemed to haunt the galley. They read, ate, talked, and watched vids there.

  At meals The Dahves talked mostly to each other, Ulfson talked little or none and seemed in a rush, Lady Constance talked to everyone, almost as if she was holding court. Thuvia said nothing unless directly questioned. She spoke with a strange, heavy accent and Standard clearly wasn’t her first language. So Ximon wasn’t sure if her silence was because she was self-conscious about her speech or if it was because she didn’t think it was ‘her place’ to speak in mixed company.

  Things progressed like this for a couple days.

  On day 3 Mantis signaled Ximon privately and said, “Captain, I’m concerned about Mr. Ulfson. He has missed the last 3 meals and security cameras do not show him leaving hi
s room for 27.45 hours.”

  Ximon, “That is odd. I noticed he wasn’t at dinner, but now that you mention it he wasn’t at breakfast or lunch either. I assumed he just came by the galley and got food some other time. Have you confirmed with Raiza? Perhaps the cameras ‘glitched’ somehow.”

  “Yes, captain. In thoroughness, I compared my data from the security feeds with her observations from her time on duty in the galley. She confirmed that he hasn’t been in the galley in almost 29 hours, at least while she was on duty. I am concerned that Mr. Ulfson could be ill. Should I do something to address this?”

  “No, let me try old-fashioned knocking.”

  So Ximon went to Ulfson’s room, rang the bell, and said into the intercom. “Mr. Ulfson, excuse the interruption. This is the captain and we were concerned you might be ill. Is there anything we can get you?”

  There was no answer or responding signal.

  Ximon checked again in an hour, with the same lack of results.

  So, he went to the bridge and direct Mantis, “Mantis, please note in the log that we are overriding Mr. Ulfson’s privacy based on a pressing medical concern. Activate the camera in his room.”

  The room had no lights on except a small safety light. Ximon couldn’t tell much, but Ulfson was clearly lying in bed on his back. He wasn’t moving and it looked like he was lying in a puddle of something.

  Ximon yelled, “Override his door, I’m heading there now. Iday, join me in cabin #4 right now!”

  Ximon ran down the hallway and opened the now-unlocked door. As he had seen, the room was fairly dark, but light from the hallway lit it fairly well. Ulfson lay sprawled on his back in the bed and it looked like he was covered in a considerable amount of blood.

  Ximon stepped in, closed the door, and turned on the lights. Ximon checked and Ulfson was quite cold and very much dead. There was a lot of blood on his stomach and wrists and the bed was soaked with bed below his arms and torso.