SHIP PROFILE

Our new Siren is faster and moderately better equipped. When considering a new ship, think specials. A lot can be done with those slots and the equipment they hold. Armour and hull buffs can be the difference in a shoot out.

Chassis : Falcon	Armour : 800	Hull : 700	Energy : 800	Cargo : 85
Speed : 7	Specials : 4	Pods : 2	Level Req : 23	Type : Entry Level

Siren's Song Upgrade

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Grimm and I traded in the Corsair yesterday at Jerris Outpost. The new ship is small, but she's new. It's a Saturn.

At my Captain level, this ship was the most logical step. Income had stalled, and we needed a better hunter in order to start pulling in some pirate loot. All in all, I'm happy with the results.

Fan Fiction

Maeven Hall hit the comm button to talk to the docking authorities, if one could call them that, on Hawk’s Hideout. She looked over the docking bay of the decrepit station skeptically. “This is Siren’s Song. Our manifest number is 8541, units of cargo for delivery 21.”1

She waited patiently. “You’re cleared for docking in Bay 40. Have a nice visit, Captain.” There was probably laughing throughout the control room each time they said that. The station barely held together. She bet the place had been overloaded with quantum tech to make room for all the outlaws it held these days. If you left alive, it would be a nice visit.2

The Siren’s automatic docking AI was up now, so Maeven left the AI to it. She’d emptied most of the hold back in Ethan. Her footsteps rang out on the titanium flooring as she moved through each of the self-contained vaults within the hold looking for Grimm. Her new mechanic seemed nothing if not diligent. He worked on the ship non-stop. He’d be doing something in the hold to prepare for dock.3

Maeven steadied herself as the clamps caught the ship. It always created a sensation like sailing on choppy seas. She knew the little things about her ship already, but it wouldn’t be long at this rate and the Siren would get a makeover. They needed hull and armor improvements, as well as a larger hold, if she intended to obtain security. 4

She intended to be safe. She’d never again have anyone uproot her life by force and plant her where she didn’t belong. Once she had enough credits and security, maybe some power, any galaxy was hers for the taking. She would head out to the Anvil for good and set up shop, but that wouldn’t happen tomorrow. She roughly pulled her mind back to the tasks at hand.5

“Grimm!” Metallic banging followed by Anvillian cursing let her know Grimm was in vault 4. “You ready to disembark?”6

“I’m not going anywhere”, he replied. She rolled her eyes. He hadn’t left the ship yet, not in the three weeks he’d been on the Siren.7

“Grimm, you’re going to go crazy on this ship. Get off. Now.”8

His sandy-blond, traditionally braided head poked out with a sour look aimed in her direction, or at least where he’d thought she was. He corrected himself quickly. She smiled. “I don’t think getting off on an outlaw station is taking time off.”9

“We won’t be here that long. I need some help collecting from these idiots anyway. You remember the last time I had to collect the Asher fees from a pirate?”10

Grimm looked amused as he wiped his hands on his greasy rag. “Now, that was a good time!”11

“I had to shoot him, Grimm. It took hours to outrun that idiot’s marauder.” She put her hands on her hips sternly. “Come on. I don’t want to order you off this ship but I will.”12

Grimm sighed forlornly and gathered his gear. He kept things neat no matter what. “All right, but I’m back on as soon as the payment’s collected.” She knew something about leaving the ship made Grimm uneasy, and that made Maeven uneasy. She was pretty sure he hadn’t told her something, but out here, in the Sphere, people didn’t share their life stories. In fact, most didn’t talk about how they got here or what they had been before they crossed the almighty Core government. It was an unspoken law, and therefore Grimm had the right to keep his secrets. She just hoped they weren’t dangerous.13

****14


Walking through Hawk’s felt like balancing on a high wire. You didn’t want to look anyone directly in the eye, but you couldn’t look like you avoided it either. Mainly, she looked at Grimm as they headed for the Asher office on the promenade. Every planet and station had a central promenade to receive offworlders. Some were just safer than others.15

The Asher office sat dead center of the small station and filled to overflowing with disreputable captains waiting on payment. She and Grimm found seats next to the wall with a possibility of cover. One never knew when one needed cover in a crowd like this.16

“Krushak, I want off this station. You transfer my payment now, or I’ll fire your brother and he can work for you!” The boisterous pirate at the desk looked chastened, even afraid. Must be some brother, she thought. 17

“Jack. Come on. You know how slow these transactions can go.” Krushak didn’t seem to believe his own lie.18

“You guarantee the payment. Pay me!” Maeven could only see the broad back of the man, but it was obvious he was an outlaw from his appearance. He tried to blend far too much. In the variety to be found out in the Sphere, culture defined everything. People clung desperately to their pasts, probably because most had them ripped away by one faction or another. So they dressed as they had. Spoke as they had. Everyone she’d met appeared to live in some before-time, as if now wasn’t happening to them.19

The pirate got his payment. As he turned, Maeven met his gaze by accident. Her breath caught because for a moment she thought Jax stood before her. Slowly, she realized there were differences, subtle ones. His nose was too long. His jaw too square, but so much like Jax!20

“You know me, Candy?” His voice lowered as he approached. Maeven shook her head because she couldn’t talk.21

“You”. She nearly choked on the word. “You look like someone.” He narrowed his gray blue eyes to look at her more closely. She felt Grimm tensing beside her. 22

“Who, Candy?” He reached a hand up to slide it sensuously around her neck. Maeven should have pulled away, but she felt like she’d been hit with a numbing beam. “Let me guess. A husband? A lover?” He growled the last word and pulled her lips to his own. Maeven finally reacted, only a split second after a passionate kiss from a stranger. She pushed hard at the big man, and Grimm pulled his pistol. The hissing sound of the charge caused the room to go silent.23

The pirate licked his lips. “A lover then.”24

“You’ll want to go on, Crah-ling. Your ship awaits.” Grimm’s voice caused shivers down her back. He sounded so. . . bored. Underneath was the obvious belief that no challenge could be found in any of the men in the Asher office. That was more frightening than all the posturing in the world. 25

“Certainly.” The man lifted a hand to his brow in mocking salute. “I hope to see you again soon, Candy.”26

“Not if I see you first, Candy”, she said to him. Gods, she hated that name. Candy, as in a piece of it. It was the equivalent to Sweet Thing out here in the Sphere. She might just shoot the next man to call her that. 27

He left, but the tension in the office didn’t lift one bit. In fact, the others sort of shuffled around until Maeven and Grimm were next. The locals would feel better when they concluded their business, she assumed. Her transaction went ridiculously smoothly, almost as if some beneficent soul had overseen and rushed the whole thing. She and Grimm made their way cautiously back to the Siren. 28

“Thanks, Grimm.” He sealed the hatches and turned back toward the now empty hold. 29

“Next time, I stay on the ship.” With that, he headed for his bunk. He’d been up most of the shift. 30

“You got it. Next time, I’ll stay on the ship too.”31

Informational Forum

Intelliquest Guild Forum

I strongly recommend the guild for it's willingness to grow its' members.

The Gaming Escape

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So today, I gave this a lot of thought. What is it about a game that helps to balance an abnormal life like mine? I'm an adult female of advancing years with three kids, one of them special needs and plenty of volunteer work to keep me occupied.

What is it about the game? I've decided it's the escape. When I'm playing the game, I can focus on facts and needs that have nothing to do with my normal life. Nothing whatever.

Oh, that feels good. Beyond that, the decisions I make, what I do in the game doesn't really do much. It takes off so much pressure to make choices that affect nothing. One of these days I may need a Life Escape from my gaming, but, at this moment, it's helping me cope. LOL