Beauty Is...-In Transit Pt 1
Levit was as slimy as expected Tepha. But other than a lot of looks at your chest and ass, none of them done with any subtlety, you freeze him and head up the stairs.
The high passengers are thankfully docile. They head to their cabins and remain there until Ledo has given the all clear.
Ulie than asks about any restrictions on communications access.
"I want to make sure I have downloaded all my messages before we hit jump," she explains, pushing those large glasses up onto the bridge of her nose. "Also, I have some messages I want to make sure go out before we jump. About how long do we have until then?"
She seems satisfied when you tell her she has six hours until you reach the jump point Ledo has selected.
Sister Maribell just has one request. "Show me to this garden of yours please."
Once inside, she puts her hands on her hips and glances around, a large grin on her face.
"You guys have done a good job! I brought some berry and flower seeds. Can I plant them here? You guys can keep the plants. Consider them a tip. Just wanna have somethin' to do on my trip."
You encounter Calliope wandering the halls. She's holding a hand comm and seems to be looking around. She smiles when she sees you. It's not a genuine smile, but it doesn't seem to be too hostile either. Calliope smiles like someone who is really tired and trying to be nice because she knows she's grumpy.
"Hi. Tepha, right? Sorry. I'm bad with names. I don't mean to be a problem. But I was wondering...is there any where on board I can go to get some privacy?"
She nods down the hall. "Ulie is working in our cabin and that...nun I guess...is in the garden." She holds up the hand comm. "I need to rehearse for our shoot. Just practicing some lines and such. I'd prefer not to do it in the passenger lounge as people come in and out.
"Also, do you have like an AI or an off duty crew member who might be willing to help me with the line reads? Just...someone to listen along and correct me when I misread a line? If that's all a bother, I understand. Just thought it wouldn't hurt to ask."
Of course things couldn't go too smoothly. Why would they?
You study the sensor logs one more time Ledo. It's definite. For the last two hours since you left the Wyltz high port, another ship has been following your trail.
They're hanging back just on the edge of your sensor range. About a half hour or so behind you. The pursuer just blips on at the edge for a moment, and then disappears off.
With the number of ships leaving Wyltz high port, it's not necessarily unusual for someone to have gone along the same course as you for at least a while. But the farther away you get from the port, the more likely the other ship would move in another direction. No one follows another ship unless they're in the same convoy or they are stalking.
It has only been two hours though. And with the other ship playing ghost at the edge of your sensor range, you have no detail about them. You just know they're there.
You have six more hours until you clear the port's jump border, or area Wyltz has not authorized for jump traffic.
That's not saying you can't jump now. But you have that hang time right before you jump where you'd sit more or less defenseless. It should only be ten minutes or so. But...
Jeston,
We can't really pretend things haven't run off the tracks any longer. He's crazy and we both have targets on our back.
I'm going to jump at the next port. You should too. I don't know why you've hung in as long as you have. If you're a cop like they say you're a fool to put your life at risk like this.
I don't care if it's ten million credits. No haul is worth my life. You're on your own.
Viv
The hard copy was under the bunk Silver. Come to think of it, you find a lot of stuff under bunks since you moved onto Tia.
You're setting up your new bunk in the cabin you'll now be sharing with Mr.-Better-Not-Snore-Rigan. When you pushed the bunk frame back to give a little more room, the note fell out. It must have been stuck under the frame.
The paper is yellowed with age. This might be real paper and not plaztik sheets too. The surface of it feels dry and crackly.
There's nothing else on it. Just Viv telling Jeston adios.