Cath

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Hmmmm, alright then.” Rodion scratched his grey goatee and looked down at the holopad.

“Manned or unmanned, my friends?”

“Unmanned would be easier, given my ship’s rocky exterior. But whatever is cheapest, really.” Light said sheepishly.

“Yeees, Tindrel space rock, huh! Ok, if cheap is what you want, I give you good price for a quad barrel 88-T.” He flipped the pad around to show them a schematic.



“Reliable, Human laser cannons. Took it off an old drone swarm killer, even comes with intact blister. All it needs is a tunnel to it from inside. Simple!”

Light hmmmed and looked at Senjen. “Seems like a lot of work, right? But if that’s the cheapest then maybe…”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Light made a daunted sagging motion and noise. “Yes…maybe. I hope so. Lets take things one step at a time and not get ripped off buying shipgrades. Speaking of which, my suit tells me Rodion is open for business again in six hours. I’m going to let the tides take me for a while before then. See you later.”

With that he made his way back to his cubby just off the cockpit and curled up in the rest of his gelsuit. It rocked him gently back and forth, simulating how it felt to be asleep in the great reefs at the bottom of the seas on Vosh. There he dreamed of diseased Humans with asphyxiated mouths that tapped longingly at the doors.

---

The next day, they lifted off again in the ship and made their way to Rodion’s Retrofits. The business consisted of ten huge hangars and six open air pads in the middle of a sprawling breaker’s yard. The garish neon sign on top of the hangars was at odds with the sea of rusted parts all around, and the decrepit scrap loaders that navigated it.

Light took them carefully in to land on one of the open air pads. He seemed to remember this constituted ‘customer parking’. He grabbed his BangStick and shoved it in his suit behind him. “Be careful out there; these guys like machines a little too much sometimes.” He cautioned Senjen.

Workers eyed them curiously when the pair disembarked and made their way through the chaotic series of landing pads to the hangar office. Some of the ships parked up appeared to be mid upgrade – they were splashed with a fountain of sparks and had to dodge part picker droids more than once.

The hangars were even busier. An army of workers were dismantling pieces of at least three different starships. They found Rodion holding court in the middle of it all, shouting orders over the top of a holopad. Light approached him respectfully and when he turned, it seemed the Human didn’t recognise him. Then he burst out in a booming laugh and reached out a hand for him to shake.

“ITAISOL! This is a surprise; I thought you were dead!”



“Not yet, Rodion. Thank you for your concern.”

“Of course I’m glad you’re alive. You haven’t traded in that piece of shit you fly around in yet. Is that why you’re here?”
“Not quite. Rodion, this is my colleague Senjen. He can explain.”

The man eyed Senjen ravenously. “You’re mighty brave walking in here with the latest Myrmidon gear. Some of the boys might make off with you.” He laughed after a serious second and made to shake Senjen’s hand. “Only joking, we’re good as gold! Usually. What can Uncle Rodion do for you?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Yes, you are, aren’t you? I still forget that sometimes. Yours is an interesting history. It is a shame I could not meet the Organic Senjen. I wonder if he’d have been so smitten.” Light chortled. An overloaded cargo lifter rumbled past. The driver was asleep at the wheel; autopilot was taking care of things. “My people have an expression. Love doesn’t live inside people, but as a string held between them. We are all buffeted by the waves of creation, and staying close to those you love is a way to avoid your string going taut and being severed on the reef. I…don’t know if that translated. What I think I’m trying to say is that distance between people can make dating…hard You have to consider our line of work.”

Light laughed along with Senjen at the thought of Jess dating. “That business with her twin was strange right? Anyway, I’m all for defending the little guy, but we need to be careful. Large corporates run this sector, more or less. They’re happy to take our money…But if they catch us taking theirs, they’ll kill us without a qualm.” Light placed the empty bottle down and got up from the chair, ready to go and sleep.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Ok, that settles it. We go to see the Humans. Rodion’s Retrofits, I think it was called? It's not too far from here actually; we can check it out in the morning.”

The tumbleweed bounced over and Light picked it up, toyed with it before setting it back down. “I should be careful not to let you become famous. Before I know it you won’t want to be seen dead with an old trucker like me.”

He looked surprised at Senjen when he talked about dating Ruknar. “Where has this come from? I didn’t realise you…thought like that. Light thought of Symphony, the scintillating Myrmidon sales rep. “Maybe I should date Jess too? Then we can double date.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“I suppose you’re right. I guess part of me just wants to make up for lost time…” He looked at Senjen’s new body appreciatively. It still had hardly a scratch on it.

“Did you check that job board that came with the suit yet? Be a shame not to capitalise on the Myrmidon brand when you’re paying so much for it.”

Light soaked more beer, scratched his undercarriage with a tentacle. “Hmm, well that’d add a whole lotta complexity to the spaghetti wiring situation we have currently. But maybe a simple gun of some kind might be alright? Way I see it, we got two options. Either we go back to the Tindrel who sold me the ship in the first place. It’ll be cheaper, but they always want you to do something for them. Orrrr, we go to the Humans who fitted the cargo bay. They always charge more, but I like their gear. Very reliable. What do you think?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“That was very…not bad.” Light concluded, pouring beer from the vending machine onto a porous exterior patch of his suit. The ubiquitous tumbling weed ball returned, rattling against the unused folding chair opposite them. Other ships were returning for the evening now too.

“We do seem to be having a long overdue spell of good fortune. How long it lasts though, who can say? For most of my life, I have scrimped and saved, barely able to get by. And now I have more credits from one job than i’ve made in some whole years…And I want to spend it. Well, or invest it in something. How perspectives change!”

“The question is, on what? Shipgrades? A new suit? Advertising our services? Korit is not short on ways of taking your money…”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“It all sounds risky, yes. But it seems surviving the hospital has changed my perspective on risk vs reward.” Light mused. “I want to really live the time I have left. I can’t do it without you now though, Senjen. If you want to try our hand at something completely different too, I’d be open to it.”

Light still did not know what to spend his ill-gotten gains on. Speaking of the hospital reminded him of the thriving augmentation and medical mod market on Korit. A QV could dramatically extend their lifespan with the judicious investment of funds and steady replacement of squidgy body parts.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Light considered this for a moment. “Family is important, so I’m told…Does this mean there are no more similar jobs after this? I thought we had gotten into a rhythm.” It seemed to him that Jess had alluded to a relationship she was trying to establish with the organisation that wanted the devices.

With no objection to returning home, he locked in the jump sequence and pulled the ship into FTL space, leaving the barren rock behind. Satisfied autopilot was engaged, he left the cockpit and went to lay down in the crew area.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Light reluctantly dragged himself out of the engine room. His suit rippled with pleasure on seeing his new bank balance. The colours said he was deeply intrigued by Jess’ ask but willing to temporarily forego the unpleasantness on account of her generosity.

“Alright. Back home now?” He began plotting a course to take them back.

“Any new thoughts on what you might spend your share on?” He asked Senjen.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Light dropped his head when Jess reprimanded him. An abstract approximation of a frowning human face flashed across the front of his suit for a moment – noticeable if one were paying close attention. It was a free suit mod he’d added on a whim a couple of months ago and promptly forgotten about.

“Come on, Senjen. We’re not wanted here.” He slapped a manipular against his metal frame and led him back up the ramp. Light then went to sulk in the engine room. He rested a tentacle on the ancient Tindrel engine block as it hummed stolidly, glowing yellow in the dark through rents along its bulbous mass.

He loved his ship, but it was mostly a sentimental feeling. It was wildly impractical and not easy to maintain. The thing he admired the most was this beating heart; such raw power. Light wondered if he could transplant the engine into another ship if he managed to save up enough money.