FutureSight - a YEAR 10000 story

04 - FutureSight

The temperature lowered some, and Daren kept pumping the coolant through. "Okay now baby, we're almost through this," he sweet talked to the engine. He'd flown with the Anvil for too long to lose it; come to think of it there wasn't a way off the ship anyways.

He tugged again and fell back. The R-energy had reached this part of the ship, fixing up and replacing burnt cables. Its shifting glowing form covered the area he had severed with the Lasersword, and the gear began to pump of its own volition.

The two pumping stations were back on-line.

Through the armor of his ship he heard a noise, like a howl of wind. The deck shook and Daren stretched his arms out to gain balance.

"The agent must've done as I said," he thought with relief. With the ship rising back into space, they were in the clear for now. "I guess I oughta get back up there..." he groaned.

A little over two minutes later, the crises of boxing with a planet had been fully averted. The Anvil now drifted in orbit, as peaceful and serene as the space wreckage but with a little bit more life on board.

Daren dragged his tired legs back to the cockpit, slumping down in it. All he needed to do now was call up the Sel Sarrak Combine and tell them their intelligence was lacking-in more than one way. He looked to the side-

-and saw that his quaint little agent had regained her composure. In fact, the colorful little minx had already called up the Combine. He expected whining and complaints, but instead she seemed cool and in control...

"And I don't remember giving you permission to send out any signals," he interrupted. Now she ignored him.

So that's how it was going to be...well it was his ship.

With as little energy expenditure as possible, he leaned forward and cut the transmission.

She bit here lip and turned to him. Her eyes had that annoyed look again.

He blinked a few times. "You got pretty hair," he said, and brushed a dyed bang from her face. It was black and purple. Her eyes had maybe just a bit too much eye shadow, and she had some kind of piercing on her chin.

His agent had to be a scientist, and an important one too. No way the Combine would let a paper pusher wander around looking like this.

Daren coughed into his hand and looked away. "So, who was that you were talking to?" He already had a fair idea though.

She looked back out the cockpit windows. "They won't be happy you did that. But... seeing as how this little operation went... I doubt they'll care that much." She leaned back. "They'll be here in around ten minutes. You'll be well paid, Mr.-"

"Did you tell them their information sucks?" he prodded, leaning forwards and glaring at the cool bitch. If she thought she could just walk away from nearly slagging him and his Anvil, then he had some serious trash talking to do. "Did you tell them it blew whipped shit!?"

She looked in the other direction. "Well no. But you should've known; I mean, really? If we knew no one would hit this run, then why would we hire you as a courier? You were singled out for your spotty history and rather impressive combat record." She looked back to him, the annoyance now replaced with some amusement. "Of course, that's if you can call it a combat record. You used to fly for the Glory Star, didn't you? But they're all gone now-"

He swung his arm out and hit the brace, causing the meter long sword to jut out and come a breath away from her nose. What did this person know about glory? The governments today... they all said they were the good guys but none of them were. The Triad... the Combine... even the small planetary governments that had somehow been ignored were just a pack of lies.