{"data":{"id":17408,"title":"The Second Run: A Sorri Lyrax Delivery (Part Four)","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/17408-The-Second-Run-A-Sorri-Lyrax-Delivery-Part-Four","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/17408","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/17408","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Second Run","images":[{"id":22600,"name":"SecondRun2.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/i2airxtll1002r\/source\/SecondRun2.jpg","alt":"","size":3681003,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-20T00:49:52+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/22600","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/22600\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Writer\u2019s Note: The Second Run: A Sorri Lyrax Delivery (Part Four) was published originally in Jump Point 4.4. You can read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.\nPart 4: Sometimes You Just Lose\n[ 18:06:18 ]\n\nVengeance Valkyrie headed towards the Helios-Tyrol jump point, while Captain Satchel and I stared in quiet desperation at the piles of orange pieces in his lap. He had the sorting virus, which he\u2019d probably gotten from the fruit vendor, which meant I had it too.\n\nNot making the delivery was the least of my worries. We were in mortal danger if we couldn\u2019t protect the ship from ourselves.\n\n\u201cHow long ago did you purchase that fruit?\u201d I asked.\n\nHe looked like he was visibly trying not to pick up his orange pieces. His jaw pulsed.\n\n\u201cAbout two hours ago,\u201d he said with considerable effort.\n\n\u201cThat means we\u2019ve got about two hours until I start showing signs, maybe less depending if body weight matters,\u201d I said, tapping my fingers against my chin.\n\nCaptain Satchel started to reach out towards the controls. I grabbed his arm.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cThat depends on what you\u2019re doing,\u201d I replied. \u201cI watched some guy tip over a vending machine and start ripping out its guts. If you do that, we\u2019re screwed.\u201d\n\n\u201cSetting the quantum to get us to the jump point,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cOkay, set the course, then I\u2019ll tie you up in the take-off chair,\u201d I said, eyeing his movements carefully.\n\nAs he input our destination, he said, \u201cThere\u2019s some straps in the back, in the side compartment under the emergency rations.\u201d\n\nI went into the secondary cabin and found some familiar looking black straps. \u201cIf we get through this, there\u2019s a Sojourner I met who I think you\u2019d like.\u201d\n\nSatchel finished setting coordinates and moved to the take-off chair. He put the straps around his broad chest and clicked in. I wrapped the rope around his arms, while he watched me with his brown-with-gold-flecked eyes.\n\n\u201cI know this is a serious situation, but I\u2019ve got to say I\u2019m sort of enjoying this part,\u201d he said with a wink.\n\n\u201cIs this the part where I take advantage of you?\u201d I asked, and before he could answer, I leaned down and gave him a deep kiss.\n\nWe stared at each other until I broke eye contact. \u201cNever get distracted,\u201d I said, shaking my head. \u201cI\u2019ve got to figure out what to do before the virus hits me.\u201d\n\nSatchel looked forlorn. He was twitching against his ropes. His fingers were picking at the seat leather. \u201cDo you know how long this will last? If I keep having to notice how much my ship is a disgusting, disorganized mess, not sure if I\u2019ll ever be comfortable aboard again.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have no idea,\u201d I said. \u201cIt could be hours or days. But maybe I can set the system to get us to Tyrol IV, so at least we can be moving while we do that.\u201d\n\nHe was straining at the ropes. His face was hard with distress. He spoke through gritted teeth.\n\n\u201cThat won\u2019t work. You have to set the destination after a jump. That wonky space between throws off the coordinates. And the shield power light is blinking wrong,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cWrong?\u201d I turned to look in a panic.\n\n\u201cWrong. It should be every half second. Its timing\u2019s off. Should be blinking now . . . now . . . now! See! I have to fix it!\u201d\n\nI watched him struggle, realizing that we\u2019d barely gotten him tied down before the virus really hit. Had we waited a few more minutes, he\u2019d be ripping into the ship and I would have had a hard time trying to stop him since he was twice my size.\n\n\u201cCrite,\u201d I said, back at the side panel, \u201cthere\u2019s no more rope. Not that it matters. If I\u2019m tied when we hit Tyrol, I won\u2019t be able to reset the ship. But if I don\u2019t tie myself up somehow, I\u2019ll tear apart the ship and we\u2019ll likely die.\u201d\n\nSatchel couldn\u2019t speak. His neck strained like steel cords as he tried to get out of the chair.\n\nI said, \u201cWe can\u2019t ask for help from Tangaroa either, since we broke quarantine, and no one will want to touch us.\u201d\n\nI kicked the side panel and put my head in my hands. \u201cWhy this time? Why does it always have to be so hard? I struggle and struggle and do everything I can, and now, even if I can find a way to tie myself up, we won\u2019t reach Tyrol IV in time. Which means after all the fees I\u2019ve paid, I\u2019ll be back at day zero at FTL. Everything I\u2019ve done for the last year will have been for nothing. Maybe Betrix was right. My rules are stupid. All they\u2019ve done is convinced me that I could make this happen. Never travel empty handed. Nothing illegal. Official routes are for suckers. Never get distracted! Never stop thinking. Act like you know. We\u2019ll now I\u2019m adding a seventh rule: Sometimes you just lose.\u201d\n\nIt ached like there was a solar flare in my chest. It ached because it was true. Sometimes you did just lose. It was a lesson I\u2019d learned playing cards with my father after hours in the bar. Sometimes it didn\u2019t matter how you played them or in what sequence. Sometimes the cards stacked up in a way that left you with no outs.\n\nThat\u2019s how I felt. A girl with no outs.\n\nPoor Captain Satchel was frothing at the mouth. That was going to be me soon enough. I grabbed a rag and wiped his cheek. He thanked me with his eyes, though they were ringed with pain.\n\nSince the captain couldn\u2019t speak anymore, I started searching the ship for something I could use as rope. In his cargo bay, I found netting, which I liberated with a slice of a knife. If I rolled it up, it would make do as a way to subdue me. But how does one tie up oneself?\n\nI found the answer in a little metal box with a hook sticking out the end. It had a magnet base and was used for pulling things into the cargo bay.\n\nI took my netting and auto-pulley back into the main cabin. I had planned on tying myself to the foldout bed, but I\u2019d have no leverage with the pulley. I wanted to avoid the captain\u2019s chair, but had no choice since there were no other seats in the ship.\n\nAfter an hour and a half of modification, I had everything set up and was sitting in the captain\u2019s chair with a long pole in my hand. The netting was loose around my body. I had to be careful that when it tightened that it didn\u2019t strangle me. Once I hit the auto-pulley, I\u2019d have no way to stop it.\n\nI gave the captain a wipe down before I returned to my seat. He looked drained from his efforts. I think a few times he\u2019d gotten cramps from his muscles being so tight, but it was hard to hear the screaming through the clenched teeth.\n\nBefore I returned to the chair, I realized something about the captain. His arms were straining as if he were trying to lift a truck, but his legs were almost perfectly still.\n\nWhile I still had my faculties, I modified my netting to give my right leg some motion and took off my boot and sock. Sitting in the chair, with the netting loose around my body, I leaned back and hit the button on the auto-pulley.\n\nImmediately, the net started to collapse around me. I threw the pole away and carefully arranged my arms so they couldn\u2019t get loose. The strings pulled tight against my body, almost painfully so, and I worried that I\u2019d set it up wrong, that I\u2019d cut off the blood circulation like a tourniquet and would come out of this a quadriplegic. But then the motor stopped humming and the net was tight, but not overly painfully.\n\nI checked the motion of my right leg. I had enough room to reach the controls. Once we hit Tyrol system, I could type in the new destination, assuming the captain was capable of speaking at that time. Or that I was for that matter.\n\n[ 15:13:59 ]\n\nAs the minutes ticked by and the sorting virus symptoms I was expecting were nowhere in sight, I worried that I had tied myself up needlessly. Another minute rolled past. I sighed, releasing the tension I had been holding. We were going to be fine.\n\nMy hands began to work at the closest knot in the net. If I could maybe just free enough space, then I could reach the release. As I pulled at the nylon strands the distance between the knot I was working on and the next shrank, throwing the net\u2019s grid out alignment. I dropped my knot to try to even out the ones around it, but the imbalance just spread. I was making it worse.\n\nI would have to take the whole net apart and retie the entire thing. It was the only way to ensure it was perfect. Then I could finally focus on putting the rest of the cabin to order and place everything into their proper groups. Why hadn\u2019t we put them in their places before? The world was madness in this state! That anything existed so mixed up and confused threw my thoughts into disarray.\n\nBut when I couldn\u2019t get to them \u2014 tear into them with my hands, rip them apart and get them back to where they should be, I started to convulse. I\u2019m not sure when the first spasms happened, but when they did I thought I would pass out. Wished I would pass out, since that would give me relief from the pain.\n\nMy whole upper body strained and pulled. I pushed at the netting, desiring with every bit of my being to use my hands to destroy the ship. Why was I being denied!\n\nWhen I couldn\u2019t change the chaos around me, my mind began to focus in on itself. I saw the mess I had made out of my life. All the pieces that didn\u2019t fit. All the things I had done wrong. How my love of adventure had been replaced by a ruthless drive. I turned every decision I ever made over and over, the virus forcing me to dive deeper and deeper into myself.\n\nThe next minutes, hours, days? \u2014 I couldn\u2019t tell \u2014 went on as one rolling ball of misery. At some point, I realized Vengeance Valkyrie had passed into Tyrol space, but I could not find the focus to set the coordinates.\n\nSome time later, I heard someone speaking to me, which was either Captain Satchel, or a hallucination. At other times, I thought I was back at the Golden Horde, or on Dodecahedron with Senet Mehen, or on Night Stalker with Burnett. Hundreds of ship names filled my mind, and I wanted to sort them too.\n\nEventually, I became aware that Captain Satchel was speaking to me in a hoarse voice.\n\n\u201cSorri. Sorri. Are you awake?\u201d he asked.\n\nHe sounded like he\u2019d been gargling razors.\n\n\u201cYeah,\u201d I said, though it came out as a whisper. Every muscle in my body ached. I still had the urge to sort, but it wasn\u2019t as strong as before. More like the itch of infection, rather than the madness of insanity.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been sitting outside the Tyrol-Helios jump point for about eight hours,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cEight hours?\u201d I repeated, and after a quick calculation, I figured there was still time to make it to Tyrol IV. Maybe. \u201cTell me what the coordinates are and I\u2019ll type them in with my foot.\u201d\n\n[ 07:19:44 ]\n\nAfter a brief back and forth, Satchel explained what to do, and the ship lurched into motion. We were moving again.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019ll get us to Tyrol IV,\u201d he said.\n\nI tried to relax, but I had a painful pressure on my bladder. \u201cI have to pee.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo ahead,\u201d said Satchel.\n\n\u201cOh. Is that . . . okay?\u201d I asked.\n\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s a little cold now, but better than the alternative. Unless you can get us out of these bindings,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s wise yet, even if I did know how,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019ll just have to add peeing the captain\u2019s chair to the long list of horrible new experiences I\u2019ve had on this run.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s so important about this delivery?\u201d asked the captain.\n\n\u201cI have no idea. Just that it\u2019s not illegal,\u201d I said.\n\n\u201cOh yeah, your rules. You talked about them a bit while you were out of it. I liked them. But I don\u2019t mean the case. I mean for you and Betrix?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cBetrix,\u201d I said, in a half-laugh.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re not really partners are you?\u201d he asked.\n\nAt this point, I didn\u2019t think it was fair to lie to him, especially after we\u2019d gone through so much.\n\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cThough I did offer to partner with her. She declined, of course.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou still haven\u2019t explained why the delivery is so important,\u201d he said, asking me the same question I had asked Betrix what seemed like ages ago.\n\n\u201cFreedom. See the galaxy. Prove to my father that I can make it on my own,\u201d I said.\n\n\u201cAll that from this delivery?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cI want to buy a ship. This will get me a little closer,\u201d I said.\n\n\u201cWill it?\u201d he asked, which took me aback.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you feel free with your own ship?\u201d I asked.\n\nCaptain Satchel was quiet for a bit before he spoke. \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong. I wouldn\u2019t trade Vengeance Valkyrie for anything, but I still have problems with bills, fuel charges, customs fees, crazy deliveries that tie me up and make me pee myself,\u201d \u2014 we shared a laugh \u2014 \u201cfinding new work, dealing with maintenance. Sometimes, I miss the days when I was just a fresh-faced courier with only the delivery itself to worry about.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were a courier?\u201d I asked.\n\n\u201cYeah,\u201d he said. \u201cI worked for a few different companies. FTL. United Couriers. Blue Streak Deliveries. Though they went belly-up about a decade ago, but I\u2019d gotten my ship by then. Picked up some of the contracts they dropped, which helped me out of the gate.\u201d\n\n\u201cI still want my own ship,\u201d I said softly.\n\nHe said, \u201cJust remember that you always trade up for problems, so don\u2019t forget to enjoy the ride while you\u2019re on it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks,\u201d I said, but I didn\u2019t really mean it.\n\n\u201cSo are we going to make it?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s going to be tight,\u201d I said.\n\nHe chuckled. \u201cWell, we can\u2019t let you miss it. I can squeeze some more speed out of this beast if you\u2019re willing to do some fancy footwork.\u201d\n\nMy chest filled with hope. \u201cInstruct away!\u201d\n\nIt didn\u2019t take long to make Vengeance Valkyrie increase her speed by twenty percent, which would get us to Tyrol IV with an hour to spare. The delivery was at the floating starport, which made getting it to its destination easier.\n\nWith another six hours of travel ahead of us, we spent the time talking about our experiences as couriers. Satchel did the majority of the talking, since he was older, but I impressed him with the tales of my first run.\n\nWe even figured out a way to get out of the bindings when we arrived at Tyrol IV. I typed in a message to the ship maintenance service on the station, requesting some in-cabin support once we arrived. We knew we\u2019d get funny looks once they came through the airlock and found us tied up and soaking wet, but it was better than being stuck.\n\nThe final few hours were excruciating, until we neared enough that I was too busy running the ship with the big toe on my right foot to worry about if I was going to make it or not. Docking was tricky, but Satchel was an excellent instructor and he talked me through the procedure like a pro.\n\nOnce the maintenance team arrived and cut us out of the bindings, I was going to grab the case and sprint to the delivery point. I couldn\u2019t believe that I was going to make it.\n\n[ 1:05:21 ]\n\nAs the airlock squealed open, I could barely hold myself together. I felt like a sprinter at the beginning of a race, waiting for the starting gun to fire.\n\nI heard Satchel greet the maintenance team. \u201cHi, fellas. This might look a little weird but . . .\u201d When his voice trailed off to nothing, I knew something was wrong. I couldn\u2019t turn my head enough, but when I saw the yellow reflection on the interior glass I knew what had happened.\n\nA modulated voice came through a bio-suit, \u201cWe were notified of Vengeance Valkyrie breaking quarantine at Tangaroa. We will be taking you into custody until the virus has run its course and the ship has been cleaned.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo! No! I can\u2019t. I have a delivery to make. It\u2019s right here in the station. It\u2019s that case beneath the take-off chair,\u201d I said.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, ma\u2019am. Nothing will leave this ship until it\u2019s been cleaned. We have strict orders,\u201d said the man in the bio-suit. \u201cPlease cooperate and you won\u2019t face any additional punishments.\u201d\n\nIt was finished. I\u2019d lost. I was at the station, probably a few hundred feet from my goal, and I wouldn\u2019t make it. I could conceive of no way to break this quarantine without risking the UEE\u2019s wrath.\n\n[ 00:00:00 ]\n\nI don\u2019t remember being taken off the ship in a bio-bubble, except that Satchel told me. The station didn\u2019t have a bio-confinement area, so they cleared out a hangar and draped it in plastic. After they confirmed we weren\u2019t carrying the virus any more, I imagine they put the plastic into an incinerator.\n\nAt least they\u2019d let us keep our mobiGlas, as long as we promised not to cause trouble. We\u2019d also been given light blue jumpsuits after they put us through an enviro-shower. My skin was still raw from the scrubbing.\n\nOnce we\u2019d gotten settled, I contacted the delivery location in hopes that I could still make it, but they said the Banu trader that had been waiting for it had already left. I was to leave the case with them. During the waiting, Satchel contacted some old friends of his in FTL that had risen in the ranks after he left. He cashed in a few favors to get my jobs transferred so I wouldn\u2019t get fired.\n\n\u201cWhy did you do that?\u201d I asked him after he told me what he\u2019d done.\n\n\u201cI was rooting for you,\u201d he said. \u201cI really thought we\u2019d get you to your delivery on time.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut this has been a huge inconvenience for you,\u201d I said.\n\nHe raised an eyebrow. \u201cI got paid a tidy sum for the job. And luckily I was able to persuade them that the virus was to blame for us breaking quarantine, so they won\u2019t be pressing charges.\u201d\n\n\u201cThings could be worse,\u201d I said, trying to convince myself.\n\n\u201cI have one question for you, Sorri. What should I do about Betrix?\u201d he asked as he studied me closely.\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d I asked.\n\n\u201cBetrix is the one that hired me. It\u2019s in the logs. If word got out to FTL that she was doing independent contracts, she\u2019d probably lose her job,\u201d he said.\n\nA chill formed at the back of my neck. With a few simple words, I could remove a thorn from my side, banishing Betrix LaGrange from FTL and probably the courier ranks forever. I\u2019d also be crushing her dreams.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d I said, thinking of what Betrix had told me about why she wanted a ship of her own. \u201cNo. We\u2019re rivals, not enemies. I don\u2019t hate her.\u201d\n\n\u201cEven after what she tried to do to you? I wouldn\u2019t have offered if I didn\u2019t think you deserved your revenge,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cNo. I\u2019m sure. She clearly has some issues, but I don\u2019t want to do that to her,\u201d I said. \u201cPlus, there\u2019s something not right about getting her fired for doing almost the same thing I am.\u201d\n\nHe shrugged his shoulder. \u201cFair enough.\u201d\n\nAfter another day of waiting in the make-shift room, we were cleaned again and allowed to leave with an official warning. I counted myself lucky that was all they\u2019d done.\n\nI collected my things from Vengeance Valkyrie, including the troublesome case. Before I left, Satchel handed me a sealed envelope.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d I asked.\n\n\u201cOpen it whenever you finally get your first ship,\u201d he said with a wink.\n\nI sighed. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be a long time from now.\u201d\n\n\u201cProbably,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll figure out a way to make it happen sooner than you think. You got really unlucky on this delivery.\u201d\n\nNot one for long goodbyes, I left Satchel at his ship. Plus there was a small chance I might see him again in the near future. He\u2019d promised to give me a deal on rides with him if I needed a ship for a freelance job. I knew it was unlikely, given the size of the galaxy, but it was a nice gesture.\n\nBefore I left Tyrol IV, I delivered the silvery case with the Banu symbols. I was awarded a pittance for my efforts, which barely paid for the ride back to Sol so I could deliver Maria Gorane\u2019s divorce papers.\n\nRelieved of my burden, I felt strangely at peace. The accelerated deadline had been a weight around my neck. Now that it was over, I felt a little weightless.\n\nI picked up a few FTL jobs on the way back. I\u2019d practically zeroed out my balance trying to get to Tyrol, so it was nice to be working in the positive direction again.\n\nSitting on a commercial transport heading through the Kilian system on my way to Davien jump point, I pressed my nose against the cool viewport. The brilliant swath of stars outside made me feel like I was looking at them for the first time again.\n\nAs I watched the tiny sun at the center of the system grow in the distance, I relived the journey of the past few days in my mind and the harsh truths I had seen while consumed by the sorting virus. The words of the Banu on Vita Perry came back to me: Journey within yourself and you will reach your destination.\n\nI didn\u2019t understand what the Banu had meant then, but after the crazy delivery I had a little more understanding. As Satchel had said, you always trade up for problems. I was so busy trying to earn enough credits for my Aurora LX, that I\u2019d forgotten why I\u2019d become a courier in the first place \u2014 to see the galaxy.\n\nIf I kept going down that path, I\u2019d end up like Senet Mehen, so focused on my goals that I missed the whole reason I was making the journey.\n\nBy the time I reached the Sol system, I\u2019d become at peace with the setback. In retrospect, it had been an amazing, if harrowing, experience that was in some ways worth the lost credits.\n\nSometimes you just lose. That was the way of the Universe. But I wouldn\u2019t let it hold me back. Despite the final verdict, I\u2019d proved a lot to myself.\n\nThe delivery of the Gorane divorce papers in Sol was a little bittersweet. It wrapped up the journey. Once it was over, I pulled up my mobiGlas and toggled my availability into the \u2018On\u2019 position. I had a lot of credits to make up.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t until a few months later after the botched Tyrol IV delivery that things finally and truly wrapped up. I had just landed on Ferron when I received a message from Alara Bonaire.\n\nAt first the name confused me until I realized it was the former wife of Abel Gorane, the cretin businessman I\u2019d rescued her from.\n\nGreetings Sorri,\n\nI dearly hope things are well for you. I can never truly repay you for what you did. Had Abel gotten Maria into the ship, I would have never seen her again.\n\nMy life before divorce was very complicated, so I\u2019m glad to be rid of my husband. I\u2019m trying to simplify, which in turn, made me think of you and your generosity. I\u2019ve decided to bequeath you Abel\u2019s old ship Black Queen. He said he named it after me, but I hope she treats you better than he ever treated me. She\u2019s pretty worn down, but can still tread the deep skies. You\u2019ll find the entry codes at the bottom of this message, along with the hangar number. Be well and good luck.\n\nWarmest regards,\nAlara Bonaire\nMaria Bonaire\n\nHangar Fifteen. The whole way I was certain that it was a dream and that I would wake up, covered in a cold sweat.\n\nBut then it was there, the hangar. It was a sealed bay, so I went through the airlock. Sitting at number fifteen was an early model Aurora ES. It had heavy burn marks on the nose, pitting along the sides, and the color was faded.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t a ship, but a flying ball of fixer\u2019s tape. But if the letter I\u2019d just received was true, then it was mine.\n\nI let out a whoop and went running for Black Queen. There were a few workers in red jumpsuits doing maintenance on a Caterpillar on the other side of the hangar. They glanced up at my sprint across the hard flooring. I heard a few chuckles when I hugged the nose section.\n\nMy fingers trembled as I punched in the access codes. When the door whooshed open, I could barely stand still.\n\nThe inside was a wreck. There was barely enough room to stand. The pilot\u2019s chair was bare metal. Some of the controls were chipped and the guts of something important were hanging from the ceiling.\n\nI touched each and every surface of Black Queen, inside and out, trying to prove to myself that it was real. I mean, getting it flight worthy was going to take some serious credits, but nothing like what a new ship would cost. I couldn\u2019t believe it. I wanted to send a message to my father and tell him that I finally had my own ship. He wouldn\u2019t believe it.\n\nBut then I remembered the note that Captain Satchel had left me. I went running back outside to grab my knapsack. The letter was jammed into the bottom, the corner practically ripped off.\n\nThe paper inside was thick. You could see the chunks from when it was made. It was a glimpse into the soul of Captain Satchel. He\u2019d written my name on the front using an antique pen. I could tell by the way the thickness of the letters changed with the stroke.\n\nI was about to read the letter when I decided the proper location was in the captain\u2019s chair. My first note, captain to captain.\n\nI flipped it open, admiring the way the paper scraped against itself. Then I read his message out loud, into the sanctity of my own ship: Black Queen.\n\nCaptain Sorri Lyrax.\n\nCongratulations! I hope this day is sooner rather than later but either way it\u2019s here. Just remember that before you can claim this ship as yours, you must christen it in the only way you know how.\n\nYour friend,\nSatchel\n\nI didn\u2019t catch his meaning until I remembered what had happened on Vengeance Valkyrie when we\u2019d had the sorting virus and were trapped in our chairs. I laughed for a full minute before I tucked the folded note into a crack between the instrument panels.\n\nIt struck me again what it would take to get Black Queen into flying shape. Thankfully I\u2019d been working hard the last few months and had almost enough to pay for the repairs. Soon enough I\u2019d be able to take the jobs I wanted, since I wouldn\u2019t be tied to ship schedules and predetermined courier routes.\n\nA stab of regret hit me in the gut as I thought about it. While I\u2019d be in my own ship, I\u2019d no longer be traveling through the populated star ports and floating stations. Instead, I\u2019d be locked in a steel can, just like Senet Mehen. I mean, wasn\u2019t that the reason that I\u2019d become a courier in the first place? To meet people?\n\nSuddenly, Black Queen seemed like a lonely place. What the heck was I thinking? This is what I had worked so hard for and now I was full of doubt?\n\nI sat for a half hour considering my options before I finally came up with a solution that solved a couple of problems at once. A quick tap on my mobi brought up the message link.\n\nDear Betrix, I started typing, I realize this offer might seem rather strange, but I have my own ship now. Certain aspects of the operation would run smoother with a second person. Are you interested in being my First Mate?\n\nThe End","de_DE":"Anmerkung des Autors: Der zweite Lauf: Eine Sorri-Lyrax-Lieferung (Teil vier) wurde urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 4.4 ver\u00f6ffentlicht. Sie k\u00f6nnen den ersten Teil hier, den zweiten Teil hier und den dritten Teil hier lesen.\nTeil 4: Manchmal verlierst du einfach\n[ 18:06:18 ]\n\nDie Rache Walk\u00fcre steuerte auf den Helios-Tirol Absprungpunkt zu, w\u00e4hrend Captain Satchel und ich in stiller Verzweiflung auf die orangefarbenen Schrotthaufen in seinem Scho\u00df starrten. Er hatte den Sortiervirus, den er wahrscheinlich vom Obsth\u00e4ndler bekommen hatte, was bedeutete, dass ich ihn auch hatte.\n\nDie Lieferung nicht zu machen, war meine geringste Sorge. Wir waren in Lebensgefahr, wenn wir das Schiff nicht vor uns selbst sch\u00fctzen konnten.\n\n\"Wie lange ist es her, dass Sie diese Frucht gekauft haben?\" Ich habe gefragt.\n\nEr sah aus, als ob er sichtlich versuchte, seine orangefarbenen St\u00fccke nicht aufzuheben. Sein Kiefer hat gepulst.\n\n\"Vor etwa zwei Stunden\", sagte er mit betr\u00e4chtlicher Anstrengung.\n\n\"Das bedeutet, dass wir etwa zwei Stunden haben, bis ich anfange, Anzeichen zu zeigen, vielleicht weniger abh\u00e4ngig davon, ob das K\u00f6rpergewicht eine Rolle spielt\", sagte ich und klopfte mit den Fingern gegen mein Kinn.\n\nCaptain Satchel fing an, nach den Kontrollen zu greifen. Ich habe seinen Arm gepackt.\n\n\"Was machst du da?\", fragte er.\n\n\"Das h\u00e4ngt davon ab, was du tust\", antwortete ich. \"Ich sah, wie ein Typ einen Automaten umkippte und anfing, ihm die Eingeweide rauszurei\u00dfen. Wenn du das tust, sind wir am Arsch.\"\n\n\"Die Einstellung des Quantums, um uns zum Sprungpunkt zu bringen\", sagte er.\n\n\"Okay, stell den Kurs ein, dann fessle ich dich im Startstuhl\", sagte ich und beobachtete seine Bewegungen genau.\n\nBei der Eingabe unseres Zieles sagte er: \"Hinten im Seitenfach unter der Notration sind ein paar Gurte.\"\n\nIch ging in die zweite Kabine und fand einige vertraut aussehende schwarze Riemen. \"Wenn wir das durchstehen, gibt es einen Sojourner, den ich kennen gelernt habe, der dir gefallen w\u00fcrde.\"\n\nSatchel beendete die Einstellung der Koordinaten und bewegte sich zum Abflugstuhl. Er legte die Gurte um seine breite Brust und klickte ein. Ich wickelte das Seil um seine Arme, w\u00e4hrend er mich mit seinen braun-mit-Goldflecken versehenen Augen beobachtete.\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df, das ist eine ernste Situation, aber ich muss sagen, dass ich diesen Teil irgendwie genie\u00dfe\", sagte er mit einem Augenzwinkern.\n\n\"Ist das der Teil, wo ich dich ausnutze?\" fragte ich, und bevor er antworten konnte, beugte ich mich vor und gab ihm einen tiefen Kuss.\n\nWir starrten uns an, bis ich den Blickkontakt abbrach. \"Lass dich nie ablenken\", sagte ich und sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf. \"Ich muss herausfinden, was zu tun ist, bevor der Virus mich trifft.\"\n\nSatchel sah verloren aus. Er zuckte gegen seine Seile. Seine Finger zupften am Sitzleder. \"Wei\u00dft du, wie lange das noch dauern wird? Wenn ich immer wieder feststellen muss, wie sehr mein Schiff ein ekelhaftes, unorganisiertes Chaos ist, bin ich nicht sicher, ob ich mich jemals wieder an Bord wohlf\u00fchlen werde.\"\n\n\"Ich habe keine Ahnung\", sagte ich. \"Es k\u00f6nnten Stunden oder Tage sein. Aber vielleicht kann ich das System so einstellen, dass es uns nach Tirol IV bringt, damit wir zumindest w\u00e4hrend der Fahrt weiterfahren k\u00f6nnen.\"\n\nEr hat sich in den Seilen gezerrt. Sein Gesicht war hart vor Kummer. Er sprach mit bissigen Z\u00e4hnen.\n\n\"Das wird nicht funktionieren. Nach einem Sprung m\u00fcssen Sie das Ziel festlegen. Der wackelige Abstand zwischen den beiden wirft die Koordinaten durcheinander. Und das Schildpower-Licht blinkt falsch\", sagte er.\n\n\"Falsch?\" Ich drehte mich um, um in Panik zu schauen.\n\n\"Falsch\". Es sollte jede halbe Sekunde sein. Der Zeitpunkt ist schlecht gew\u00e4hlt. Sollte jetzt blinken . . . . jetzt . . . jetzt! Siehst du! Ich muss es reparieren!\"\n\nIch sah zu, wie er sich wehrte und merkte, dass wir ihn kaum gefesselt hatten, bevor der Virus wirklich zuschlug. H\u00e4tten wir noch ein paar Minuten gewartet, w\u00e4re er in das Schiff gerast und ich h\u00e4tte es schwer gehabt, ihn aufzuhalten, da er doppelt so gro\u00df war wie ich.\n\n\"Crite\", sagte ich, hinten an der Seitenwand, \"es gibt kein Seil mehr. Nicht, dass es wichtig w\u00e4re. Wenn ich gefesselt bin, wenn wir Tyrol treffen, kann ich das Schiff nicht zur\u00fccksetzen. Aber wenn ich mich nicht irgendwie fessle, zerrei\u00dfe ich das Schiff und wir werden wahrscheinlich sterben.\"\n\nSatchel konnte nicht sprechen. Sein Nacken verkrampfte sich wie Stahlseile, als er versuchte, aus dem Stuhl zu kommen.\n\nIch sagte: \"Wir k\u00f6nnen auch nicht um Hilfe von Tangaroa bitten, da wir die Quarant\u00e4ne gebrochen haben und niemand wird uns anfassen wollen.\"\n\nIch trat gegen die Seitenwand und legte meinen Kopf in die H\u00e4nde. \"Warum dieses Mal? Warum muss es immer so schwer sein? Ich k\u00e4mpfe und k\u00e4mpfe und tue alles, was ich kann, und jetzt, selbst wenn ich einen Weg finde, mich zu fesseln, werden wir Tirol IV nicht rechtzeitig erreichen. Was bedeutet, nach all den Geb\u00fchren, die ich bezahlt habe, werde ich am Tag Null bei FTL zur\u00fcck sein. Alles, was ich im letzten Jahr getan habe, wird umsonst gewesen sein. Vielleicht hatte Betrix Recht. Meine Regeln sind bl\u00f6d. Sie haben mich nur davon \u00fcberzeugt, dass ich das schaffen kann. Niemals mit leeren H\u00e4nden reisen. Nichts Illegales. Offizielle Routen sind f\u00fcr Trottel. Lassen Sie sich nicht ablenken! H\u00f6ren Sie nie auf zu denken. Tu so, als w\u00fcsstest du es. Wir f\u00fcgen jetzt eine siebte Regel hinzu: Manchmal verliert man einfach.\"\n\nEs schmerzte, als h\u00e4tte ich eine Sonneneruption in der Brust. Es schmerzte, weil es wahr war. Manchmal hast du einfach verloren. Es war eine Lektion, die ich beim Kartenspielen mit meinem Vater nach den Stunden in der Bar gelernt hatte. Manchmal war es egal, wie man sie spielte oder in welcher Reihenfolge. Manchmal haben sich die Karten so gestapelt, dass es keine Outs gibt.\n\nSo habe ich mich auch gef\u00fchlt. Ein M\u00e4dchen ohne Ausreden.\n\nDer arme Kapit\u00e4n Satchel hatte Schaum vor dem Mund. Das h\u00e4tte ich schon bald sein k\u00f6nnen. Ich schnappte mir einen Lappen und wischte ihm die Wange ab. Er bedankte sich mit seinen Augen, obwohl sie von Schmerz beringt waren.\n\nDa der Kapit\u00e4n nicht mehr sprechen konnte, fing ich an, das Schiff nach etwas zu durchsuchen, das ich als Seil benutzen konnte. In seinem Laderaum fand ich ein Netz, das ich mit einer Messerscheibe befreite. Wenn ich es zusammenrollen w\u00fcrde, w\u00fcrde es reichen, um mich zu \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigen. Aber wie fesselt man sich selbst?\n\nIch fand die Antwort in einer kleinen Metallbox mit einem Haken, der am Ende herausragt. Er hatte einen Magnetfu\u00df und wurde zum Einziehen von Gegenst\u00e4nden in den Laderaum verwendet.\n\nIch nahm mein Netz und die automatische Seilrolle mit in die Hauptkabine. Ich hatte geplant, mich an das ausklappbare Bett zu fesseln, aber mit dem Flaschenzug h\u00e4tte ich keinen Einfluss. Ich wollte dem Kapit\u00e4nsstuhl ausweichen, hatte aber keine Wahl, da es keine anderen Pl\u00e4tze im Schiff gab.\n\nNach anderthalb Stunden Umbau hatte ich alles aufgebaut und sa\u00df auf dem Kapit\u00e4nsstuhl mit einer langen Stange in der Hand. Das Netz war locker um meinen K\u00f6rper. Ich musste aufpassen, dass es mich beim Anziehen nicht erw\u00fcrgt. Sobald ich die automatische Seilscheibe getroffen habe, kann ich es nicht mehr aufhalten.\n\nIch wischte dem Captain die Nase ab, bevor ich zu meinem Platz zur\u00fcckkehrte. Er wirkte wie ausgelaugt von seinen Bem\u00fchungen. Ich glaube, er hatte ein paar Mal Kr\u00e4mpfe bekommen, weil seine Muskeln so angespannt waren, aber es war schwer, das Schreien durch die zusammengebissenen Z\u00e4hne zu h\u00f6ren.\n\nBevor ich auf den Stuhl zur\u00fcckkam, wurde mir etwas \u00fcber den Captain klar. Seine Arme verkrampften sich, als wollte er einen Lastwagen anheben, aber seine Beine waren fast vollkommen ruhig.\n\nW\u00e4hrend ich noch meine F\u00e4higkeiten hatte, modifizierte ich mein Netz, um meinem rechten Bein etwas Bewegung zu geben und zog meinen Stiefel und Socken aus. Im Stuhl sitzend, das Netz um meinen K\u00f6rper locker, lehnte ich mich zur\u00fcck und dr\u00fcckte den Knopf am Auto-Pulley.\n\nSofort begann das Netz um mich herum zusammenzubrechen. Ich warf die Stange weg und ordnete meine Arme sorgf\u00e4ltig so an, dass sie sich nicht l\u00f6sen konnten. Die F\u00e4den zogen sich an meinem K\u00f6rper fest, fast schmerzhaft, und ich hatte Angst, dass ich es falsch aufbaute, dass ich die Blutzirkulation wie einen Druckverband abschneide und als Tetraplegiker herauskommen w\u00fcrde. Aber dann h\u00f6rte der Motor auf zu brummen und das Netz war zwar eng, aber nicht \u00fcberm\u00e4\u00dfig schmerzhaft.\n\nIch habe die Bewegung meines rechten Beines \u00fcberpr\u00fcft. Ich hatte genug Platz, um die Steuerung zu erreichen. Sobald wir auf das Tyrol-System trafen, konnte ich das neue Ziel eingeben, vorausgesetzt, der Kapit\u00e4n war zu diesem Zeitpunkt in der Lage zu sprechen. Oder dass ich es war.\n\n[ 15:13:59 ]\n\nAls die Minuten verstrichen und die zu erwartenden Sortier-Virussymptome nirgends in Sicht waren, machte ich mir Sorgen, dass ich mich unn\u00f6tig gefesselt hatte. Eine weitere Minute rollte vorbei. Ich seufzte und l\u00f6ste die Spannung, die ich gehalten hatte. Wir h\u00e4tten es gut hingekriegt.\n\nMeine H\u00e4nde begannen am engsten Knoten im Netz zu arbeiten. Wenn ich vielleicht gerade genug Platz freimachen k\u00f6nnte, dann k\u00f6nnte ich den Ausl\u00f6ser erreichen. Als ich an den Nylonstr\u00e4ngen zog, schrumpfte der Abstand zwischen dem Knoten, an dem ich arbeitete, und dem n\u00e4chsten, wodurch die Ausrichtung des Netzes aus dem Netz geworfen wurde. Ich habe meinen Knoten fallen lassen, um zu versuchen, die um ihn herum auszugleichen, aber das Ungleichgewicht hat sich einfach ausgebreitet. Ich habe es verschlimmert.\n\nIch m\u00fcsste das ganze Netz zerlegen und neu binden. Nur so konnte man sicherstellen, dass es perfekt ist. Dann konnte ich mich endlich darauf konzentrieren, den Rest der H\u00fctte in Ordnung zu bringen und alles in die richtigen Gruppen einzuteilen. Warum hatten wir sie nicht schon vorher in ihre Pl\u00e4tze gesetzt? Die Welt war Wahnsinn in diesem Zustand! Dass irgendetwas so durcheinander und verwirrt existierte, brachte meine Gedanken in Unordnung.\n\nAber als ich sie nicht erreichen konnte - mit meinen H\u00e4nden in sie hineinrei\u00dfen, sie auseinanderrei\u00dfen und sie wieder dorthin bringen konnte, wo sie sein sollten, begann ich zu krampfen. Ich bin nicht sicher, wann die ersten Kr\u00e4mpfe auftraten, aber als sie auftraten, dachte ich, ich w\u00fcrde ohnm\u00e4chtig werden. Ich w\u00fcnschte, ich w\u00fcrde ohnm\u00e4chtig werden, denn das w\u00fcrde mich von den Schmerzen befreien.\n\nMein ganzer Oberk\u00f6rper wurde angespannt und gezogen. Ich dr\u00fcckte auf das Netz und w\u00fcnschte mit jedem St\u00fcck meines Seins, meine H\u00e4nde zu benutzen, um das Schiff zu zerst\u00f6ren. Warum wurde mir das verweigert?\n\nAls ich das Chaos um mich herum nicht mehr \u00e4ndern konnte, begann mein Verstand sich auf sich selbst zu konzentrieren. Ich sah das Chaos, das ich in meinem Leben angerichtet hatte. All die Teile, die nicht passten. All die Dinge, die ich falsch gemacht hatte. Wie meine Abenteuerlust durch einen r\u00fccksichtslosen Antrieb ersetzt wurde. Ich drehte jede Entscheidung, die ich jemals traf, immer und immer wieder um, der Virus zwang mich, immer tiefer in mich selbst einzutauchen.\n\nDie n\u00e4chsten Minuten, Stunden, Tage? - Ich konnte es nicht erkennen - ging als ein rollender Ball des Elends weiter. Irgendwann wurde mir klar, dass die Rache-Walkyrie in den Tiroler Raum \u00fcbergegangen war, aber ich konnte den Fokus nicht finden, um die Koordinaten festzulegen.\n\nEinige Zeit sp\u00e4ter h\u00f6rte ich jemanden zu mir sprechen, der entweder Captain Satchel oder eine Halluzination war. Zu anderen Zeiten dachte ich, ich w\u00e4re wieder bei der Goldenen Horde, oder auf dem Dodekaeder mit Senet Mehen, oder bei Night Stalker mit Burnett. Hunderte von Schiffsnamen erf\u00fcllten meinen Geist, und ich wollte sie auch sortieren.\n\nIrgendwann wurde mir bewusst, dass Captain Satchel mit heiserer Stimme zu mir sprach.\n\n\"Sorri\". Tut mir leid. Bist du wach?\" fragte er.\n\nEr klang, als h\u00e4tte er Rasierklingen gegurgelt.\n\n\"Ja\", sagte ich, obwohl es nur gefl\u00fcstert war. Jeder Muskel in meinem K\u00f6rper tat mir weh. Ich hatte immer noch den Drang zu sortieren, aber es war nicht mehr so stark wie fr\u00fcher. Eher der Juckreiz der Infektion, als der Wahnsinn des Wahnsinns.\n\n\"Wir sitzen seit etwa acht Stunden vor dem Sprungplatz der Tyrol-Helios\", sagte er.\n\n\"Acht Stunden?\" Ich wiederholte, und nach einer schnellen Berechnung dachte ich mir, dass noch Zeit bleibt, um nach Tirol IV zu kommen. Vielleicht. \"Sag mir die Koordinaten und ich tippe sie mit meinem Fu\u00df ein.\"\n\n[ 07:19:44 ]\n\nNach einem kurzen Hin und Her erkl\u00e4rte Satchel, was zu tun sei, und das Schiff taumelte in Bewegung. Wir waren wieder unterwegs.\n\n\"Damit kommen wir nach Tyrol IV\", sagte er.\n\nIch versuchte, mich zu entspannen, aber ich hatte einen schmerzhaften Druck auf meine Blase. \"Ich muss pinkeln.\"\n\n\"Nur zu\", sagte Satchel.\n\n\"Oh. Ist das... okay?\" Ich habe gefragt.\n\n\"Nun, es ist jetzt ein wenig kalt, aber besser als die Alternative. Es sei denn, Sie k\u00f6nnen uns aus diesen Fesseln befreien\", sagte er.\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df nicht, ob das klug ist, auch wenn ich w\u00fcsste, wie das geht\", sagte ich. \"Ich muss das Pinkeln des Kapit\u00e4nsstuhls zu der langen Liste von schrecklichen neuen Erfahrungen hinzuf\u00fcgen, die ich bei diesem Lauf gemacht habe.\"\n\n\"Was ist so wichtig an dieser Lieferung?\" fragte der Captain.\n\n\"Ich habe keine Ahnung. Nur, dass es nicht illegal ist\", sagte ich.\n\n\"Oh ja, deine Regeln. Du hast ein bisschen \u00fcber sie geredet, als du nicht mehr dabei warst. Ich mochte sie. Aber ich meine nicht den Fall. Ich meine f\u00fcr dich und Betrix?\" fragte er.\n\n\"Betrix\", sagte ich, in einem halbherzigen Lachen.\n\n\"Ihr seid doch nicht wirklich Partner, oder?\" fragte er.\n\nZu diesem Zeitpunkt fand ich es nicht fair, ihn anzul\u00fcgen, besonders nachdem wir so viel durchgemacht hatten.\n\"Nein\", sagte ich. \"Obwohl ich ihr anbot, sich mit ihr zusammen zu tun. Sie hat nat\u00fcrlich abgelehnt.\"\n\n\"Du hast noch immer nicht erkl\u00e4rt, warum die Lieferung so wichtig ist\", sagte er und stellte mir dieselbe Frage, die ich Betrix schon vor Ewigkeiten gestellt hatte.\n\n\"Freiheit. Die Galaxie sehen. Beweisen Sie meinem Vater, dass ich es alleine schaffen kann\", sagte ich.\n\n\"Das alles von dieser Lieferung?\" fragte er.\n\n\"Ich m\u00f6chte ein Schiff kaufen. Das wird mich ein wenig n\u00e4her bringen\", sagte ich.\n\n\"Wird es?\" fragte er, was mich verbl\u00fcfft hat.\n\n\"F\u00fchlst du dich nicht frei mit deinem eigenen Schiff?\" Ich habe gefragt.\n\nCaptain Satchel war f\u00fcr eine Weile still, bevor er sprach. \"Verstehen Sie mich nicht falsch. Ich w\u00fcrde Rache Walk\u00fcre gegen nichts tauschen, aber ich habe immer noch Probleme mit Rechnungen, Treibstoffkosten, Zollgeb\u00fchren, verr\u00fcckten Lieferungen, die mich fesseln und mich dazu bringen, selbst zu pinkeln\", - wir haben gelacht - \"neue Arbeit zu finden, mit der Wartung fertig zu werden. Manchmal vermisse ich die Tage, an denen ich nur ein frischer Kurier war, der sich nur um die Lieferung selbst k\u00fcmmern musste\".\n\n\"Sie waren ein Kurier?\" Ich habe gefragt.\n\n\"Ja\", sagte er. \"Ich habe f\u00fcr verschiedene Firmen gearbeitet. FTL. United Couriers. Blue Streak Lieferungen. Sie gingen zwar vor etwa zehn Jahren bankrott, aber da hatte ich schon mein Schiff bekommen. Habe einige der Vertr\u00e4ge, die sie fallen lie\u00dfen, aufgefangen, was mir aus der Pforte geholfen hat.\"\n\n\"Ich will immer noch mein eigenes Schiff\", sagte ich leise.\n\nEr sagte: \"Denk daran, dass du immer gegen Probleme eintauschst, also vergiss nicht, die Fahrt zu genie\u00dfen.\"\n\n\"Danke\", sagte ich, aber ich meinte es nicht wirklich so.\n\n\"Werden wir es also schaffen?\" fragte er.\n\n\"Es wird eng\", sagte ich.\n\nEr hat gekichert. \"Nun, wir k\u00f6nnen nicht zulassen, dass du es verpasst. Ich kann noch etwas mehr Geschwindigkeit aus diesem Biest herausquetschen, wenn du bereit bist, ein paar ausgefallene Fu\u00df\u00fcbungen zu machen.\"\n\nMeine Brust ist voller Hoffnung. \"Weisen Sie sie ein!\"\n\nEs dauerte nicht lange, bis Vengeance Valkyrie ihre Geschwindigkeit um zwanzig Prozent erh\u00f6hte, was uns mit einer Stunde Vorsprung nach Tirol IV bringen w\u00fcrde. Die Lieferung erfolgte am schwimmenden Sternenhafen, was den Transport zum Zielort erleichterte.\n\nMit weiteren sechs Stunden Reise vor uns, verbrachten wir die Zeit damit, \u00fcber unsere Erfahrungen als Kuriere zu sprechen. Satchel hat den Gro\u00dfteil der Gespr\u00e4che gef\u00fchrt, da er \u00e4lter war, aber ich habe ihn mit den Geschichten meines ersten Laufs beeindruckt.\n\nWir haben sogar einen Weg gefunden, wie wir aus den Fesseln herauskommen k\u00f6nnen, als wir in Tirol IV ankamen. Ich gab eine Nachricht an den Schiffsdienst auf der Station ein und bat um Unterst\u00fctzung in der Kabine, sobald wir angekommen waren. Wir wussten, dass wir komische Blicke bekommen w\u00fcrden, wenn sie durch die Luftschleuse kommen und uns gefesselt und klitschnass vorfinden w\u00fcrden, aber es war besser als festzusitzen.\n\nDie letzten Stunden waren qualvoll, bis wir uns so weit angen\u00e4hert haben, dass ich zu sehr damit besch\u00e4ftigt war, das Schiff mit dem gro\u00dfen Zeh am rechten Fu\u00df zu f\u00fchren, als dass ich mir Sorgen machen konnte, ob ich es schaffen w\u00fcrde oder nicht. Das Andocken war knifflig, aber Satchel war ein ausgezeichneter Ausbilder und er hat mich wie ein Profi durch die Prozedur gef\u00fchrt.\n\nAls das Wartungsteam ankam und uns aus den Fesseln schnitt, wollte ich mir den Koffer schnappen und zum \u00dcbergabepunkt sprinten. Ich konnte nicht glauben, dass ich es schaffen w\u00fcrde.\n\n[ 1:05:21 ]\n\nAls die Luftschleuse aufschrie, konnte ich mich kaum noch zusammenrei\u00dfen. Ich f\u00fchlte mich wie ein Sprinter zu Beginn eines Rennens, der darauf wartet, dass der Startschuss f\u00e4llt.\n\nIch h\u00f6rte, wie Satchel das Wartungsteam begr\u00fc\u00dfte. \"Hallo, Leute. Das sieht vielleicht etwas komisch aus, aber...\" Als seine Stimme ins Leere lief, wusste ich, dass etwas nicht stimmt. Ich konnte meinen Kopf nicht genug drehen, aber als ich die gelbe Reflexion auf dem inneren Glas sah, wusste ich, was passiert war.\n\nEine modulierte Stimme kam durch einen Bio-Anzug: \"Wir wurden benachrichtigt, dass Vengeance Valkyrie die Quarant\u00e4ne auf Tangaroa gebrochen hat. Wir nehmen Sie in Gewahrsam, bis das Virus seinen Lauf genommen hat und das Schiff ges\u00e4ubert wurde.\"\n\n\"Nein! Nein! Ich kann nicht. Ich muss eine Lieferung machen. Es ist gleich hier im Bahnhof. Es ist die Kiste unter dem Abflugstuhl\", sagte ich.\n\n\"Es tut mir leid, Ma'am. Nichts verl\u00e4sst das Schiff, bevor es nicht ges\u00e4ubert wurde. Wir haben strikte Anweisungen\", sagte der Mann im Bio-Anzug. \"Bitte kooperieren Sie und es wird keine weiteren Strafen geben.\"\n\nEs war zu Ende. Ich hatte verloren. Ich war am Bahnhof, wahrscheinlich ein paar hundert Meter von meinem Ziel entfernt, und ich w\u00fcrde es nicht schaffen. Ich k\u00f6nnte mir nicht vorstellen, diese Quarant\u00e4ne zu durchbrechen, ohne den Zorn der UEE zu riskieren.\n\n[ 00:00:00 ]\n\nIch erinnere mich nicht, dass ich in einer Bioblase vom Schiff geholt wurde, au\u00dfer, dass Satchel es mir gesagt hat. Die Station hatte keinen Bioeinschlussbereich, also r\u00e4umten sie einen Hangar aus und drapierten ihn mit Plastik. Nachdem sie best\u00e4tigt hatten, dass wir das Virus nicht mehr in uns tragen, haben sie das Plastik wohl in eine Verbrennungsanlage gesteckt.\n\nWenigstens durften wir unser mobiGlas behalten, solange wir versprachen, keinen \u00c4rger zu machen. Wir hatten auch hellblaue Overalls bekommen, nachdem sie uns durch eine Enviro-Dusche geschickt hatten. Meine Haut war noch roh vom Schrubben.\n\nNachdem wir uns eingelebt hatten, kontaktierte ich den Lieferort in der Hoffnung, dass ich es noch schaffen w\u00fcrde, aber sie sagten, dass der Banu-H\u00e4ndler, der darauf gewartet hatte, bereits gegangen war. Ich sollte den Koffer bei ihnen lassen. W\u00e4hrend des Wartens nahm Satchel Kontakt zu einigen alten Freunden von ihm in der FTL auf, die nach seiner Abreise in die R\u00e4nge aufgestiegen waren. Er hat ein paar Gefallen eingel\u00f6st, damit ich nicht gefeuert werde.\n\n\"Warum hast du das getan?\" Ich fragte ihn, nachdem er mir gesagt hatte, was er getan hatte.\n\n\"Ich habe dir die Daumen gedr\u00fcckt\", sagte er. \"Ich dachte wirklich, dass wir Sie p\u00fcnktlich zu Ihrer Lieferung bringen w\u00fcrden.\"\n\n\"Aber das war eine gro\u00dfe Unannehmlichkeit f\u00fcr Sie\", sagte ich.\n\nEr hob eine Augenbraue. \"Ich bekam eine ordentliche Summe f\u00fcr den Job bezahlt. Und zum Gl\u00fcck konnte ich sie davon \u00fcberzeugen, dass das Virus die Schuld f\u00fcr die Verletzung der Quarant\u00e4ne ist, so dass sie keine Anklage erheben werden.\n\n\"Es k\u00f6nnte schlimmer sein\", sagte ich und versuchte, mich selbst zu \u00fcberzeugen.\n\n\"Ich habe eine Frage an Sie, Sorri. Was soll ich mit Betrix machen?\" fragte er, w\u00e4hrend er mich genau studierte.\n\n\"Was meinst du?\" Ich habe gefragt.\n\n\"Betrix ist diejenige, die mich angeheuert hat. Es steht in den Protokollen. Wenn es sich bei FTL herumspricht, dass sie unabh\u00e4ngige Vertr\u00e4ge macht, w\u00fcrde sie wahrscheinlich ihren Job verlieren\", sagte er.\n\nEin Sch\u00fcttelfrost bildete sich in meinem Nacken. Mit ein paar einfachen Worten konnte ich einen Dorn von meiner Seite entfernen und Betrix LaGrange aus der FTL verbannen, und wahrscheinlich wird der Kurier f\u00fcr immer in den Reihen stehen. Ich w\u00fcrde auch ihre Tr\u00e4ume zerst\u00f6ren.\n\n\"Nein\", sagte ich und dachte daran, was Betrix mir gesagt hatte, warum sie ein eigenes Schiff wollte. \"Nein. Wir sind Rivalen, keine Feinde. Ich hasse sie nicht.\"\n\n\"Selbst nach dem, was sie dir antun wollte? Ich h\u00e4tte es nicht angeboten, wenn ich nicht der Meinung w\u00e4re, dass du deine Rache verdienst\", sagte er.\n\n\"Nein. Ich bin mir sicher. Sie hat eindeutig einige Probleme, aber das will ich ihr nicht antun\", sagte ich. \"Au\u00dferdem ist es nicht richtig, dass sie gefeuert wird, weil sie fast dasselbe macht wie ich.\"\n\nEr zuckte die Achseln. \"Na gut.\"\n\nNach einem weiteren Tag des Wartens im Behelfsraum wurden wir wieder gereinigt und mit einer offiziellen Verwarnung entlassen. Ich sch\u00e4tzte mich gl\u00fccklich, dass das alles war, was sie getan hatten.\n\nIch habe meine Sachen aus der Rache-Walkyrie gesammelt, einschlie\u00dflich des l\u00e4stigen Koffers. Bevor ich ging, \u00fcbergab mir Satchel einen versiegelten Umschlag.\n\n\"Was ist das?\" Ich habe gefragt.\n\n\"Mach es auf, wenn du endlich dein erstes Schiff bekommst\", sagte er augenzwinkernd.\n\nIch seufzte. \"Das wird noch lange dauern.\"\n\n\"Wahrscheinlich\", sagte er. \"Aber ich bin mir sicher, dass du einen Weg findest, es fr\u00fcher als du denkst, zu verwirklichen. Du hattest wirklich Pech mit dieser Lieferung.\"\n\nKein langer Abschied, ich habe Satchel auf seinem Schiff zur\u00fcckgelassen. Au\u00dferdem gab es eine kleine Chance, dass ich ihn in naher Zukunft wieder sehen k\u00f6nnte. Er versprach mir einen Deal f\u00fcr Fahrten mit ihm, wenn ich ein Schiff f\u00fcr eine freiberufliche Arbeit brauche. Ich wusste, dass es angesichts der Gr\u00f6\u00dfe der Galaxie unwahrscheinlich ist, aber es war eine nette Geste.\n\nBevor ich Tirol IV verlie\u00df, lieferte ich den silbernen Koffer mit den Banu-Symbolen aus. Ich erhielt einen Hungerlohn f\u00fcr meine Bem\u00fchungen, der kaum die Fahrt zur\u00fcck nach Sol bezahlte, damit ich Maria Goranes Scheidungspapiere ausliefern konnte.\n\nVon meiner Last befreit, f\u00fchlte ich mich seltsam ruhig. Die beschleunigte Frist war mir ein Klotz am Bein gewesen. Jetzt, wo es vorbei war, f\u00fchlte ich mich ein wenig schwerelos.\n\nIch habe auf dem R\u00fcckweg ein paar FTL-Jobs \u00fcbernommen. Ich hatte meine Bilanz praktisch auf Null gestellt, als ich versuchte, nach Tirol zu kommen, also war es sch\u00f6n, wieder in die positive Richtung zu arbeiten.\n\nAuf dem Weg zum Davien-Sprungpunkt sa\u00df ich auf einem Nutzfahrzeug, das durch das Kilian-System fuhr, und dr\u00fcckte meine Nase gegen das coole Aussichtsfenster. Die leuchtenden Sternenschwaden drau\u00dfen gaben mir das Gef\u00fchl, sie zum ersten Mal wieder anzuschauen.\n\nAls ich die winzige Sonne im Zentrum des Systems in der Ferne wachsen sah, erlebte ich die Reise der letzten Tage in meinem Kopf und die harten Wahrheiten, die ich gesehen hatte, w\u00e4hrend ich vom Sortiervirus verzehrt wurde. Die Worte des Banu \u00fcber Vita Perry kamen zu mir zur\u00fcck: Reisen Sie in sich selbst und Sie werden Ihr Ziel erreichen.\n\nDamals verstand ich nicht, was die Banu gemeint hatten, aber nach der verr\u00fcckten Lieferung hatte ich ein wenig mehr Verst\u00e4ndnis. Wie Satchel gesagt hatte, man tauscht immer gegen Probleme. Ich war so damit besch\u00e4ftigt, genug Credits f\u00fcr mein Aurora LX zu sammeln, dass ich vergessen hatte, warum ich \u00fcberhaupt Kurier geworden war - um die Galaxie zu sehen.\n\nWenn ich diesen Weg weitergehen w\u00fcrde, w\u00fcrde ich wie Senet Mehen enden, so konzentriert auf meine Ziele, dass ich den ganzen Grund meiner Reise verpasst habe.\n\nAls ich das Sol-System erreichte, hatte ich mit dem R\u00fcckschlag Frieden gefunden. Im R\u00fcckblick war es eine erstaunliche, wenn auch ersch\u00fctternde Erfahrung gewesen, die in gewisser Weise die verlorenen Credits wert war.\n\nManchmal verliert man einfach. Das war der Weg des Universums. Aber ich w\u00fcrde mich nicht davon abhalten lassen. Trotz des endg\u00fcltigen Urteils hatte ich mir viel bewiesen.\n\nDie Zustellung der Scheidungspapiere der Gorane in Sol war ein wenig bitters\u00fc\u00df. Damit war die Reise zu Ende. Als es vorbei war, zog ich mein mobiGlas hoch und schaltete meine Verf\u00fcgbarkeit in die 'On'-Position. Ich hatte eine Menge Kreditpunkte nachzuholen.\n\nErst einige Monate sp\u00e4ter, nach der verpfuschten Tirol IV-Lieferung, wurde die Sache endg\u00fcltig abgeschlossen. Ich war gerade auf Ferron gelandet, als ich eine Nachricht von Alara Bonaire erhielt.\n\nZuerst verwirrte mich der Name, bis ich erkannte, dass es die ehemalige Frau von Abel Gorane war, dem schwachsinnigen Gesch\u00e4ftsmann, vor dem ich sie gerettet hatte.\n\nGr\u00fc\u00dfe Sorri,\n\nIch hoffe sehr, dass es Ihnen gut geht. Ich kann dir nie wirklich vergelten, was du getan hast. H\u00e4tte Abel Maria in das Schiff gebracht, h\u00e4tte ich sie nie wieder gesehen.\n\nMein Leben vor der Scheidung war sehr kompliziert, deshalb bin ich froh, meinen Mann los zu sein. Ich versuche, es zu vereinfachen, was mich wiederum an Sie und Ihre Gro\u00dfz\u00fcgigkeit denken lie\u00df. Ich habe beschlossen, dir Abels altes Schiff \"Black Queen\" zu vermachen. Er sagte, er hat sie nach mir benannt, aber ich hoffe, sie behandelt dich besser, als er mich je behandelt hat. Sie ist ziemlich ersch\u00f6pft, kann aber immer noch in die Tiefe gehen. Die Zugangscodes finden Sie am Ende dieser Nachricht, zusammen mit der Hangarnummer. Alles Gute und viel Gl\u00fcck.\n\nMit freundlichen Gr\u00fc\u00dfen,\nAlara Bonaire\nMaria Bonaire\n\nHangar Fifteen. Die ganze Zeit war ich sicher, dass es ein Traum war und dass ich mit kaltem Schwei\u00df bedeckt aufwachen w\u00fcrde.\n\nAber dann war er da, der Hangar. Es war eine versiegelte Bucht, also ging ich durch die Luftschleuse. Auf Nummer f\u00fcnfzehn sa\u00df ein fr\u00fches Modell Aurora ES. Es hatte starke Brandflecken auf der Nase, Lochfra\u00df an den Seiten und die Farbe war verblasst.\n\nEs war kein Schiff, sondern ein fliegender Ball aus Fixierband. Aber wenn der Brief, den ich gerade erhalten habe, wahr ist, dann war es meiner.\n\nIch lie\u00df einen Schrei los und rannte zur schwarzen K\u00f6nigin. Ein paar Arbeiter in roten Overalls machten Wartungsarbeiten an einer Caterpillar auf der anderen Seite des Hangars. Sie schauten auf meinen Sprint \u00fcber den harten Bodenbelag. Ich h\u00f6rte ein paar Lacher, als ich die Nasenpartie umarmte.\n\nMeine Finger zitterten, als ich die Zugangscodes eintippte. Als die T\u00fcr aufzischte, konnte ich kaum noch stehen.\n\nDas Innere war ein Wrack. Es gab kaum genug Platz zum Stehen. Der Stuhl des Piloten war aus blankem Metall. Einige der Bedienelemente waren abgeknickt und die Eingeweide von etwas Wichtigem hingen von der Decke.\n\nIch ber\u00fchrte jede einzelne Oberfl\u00e4che der schwarzen K\u00f6nigin, innen und au\u00dfen, und versuchte mir zu beweisen, dass sie echt war. Ich meine, es flugf\u00e4hig zu machen, w\u00fcrde einige ernsthafte Kredite erfordern, aber nichts im Vergleich zu dem, was ein neues Schiff kosten w\u00fcrde. Ich konnte es nicht glauben. Ich wollte meinem Vater eine Nachricht schicken und ihm sagen, dass ich endlich mein eigenes Schiff habe. Er w\u00fcrde es nicht glauben.\n\nAber dann erinnerte ich mich an den Zettel, den mir Captain Satchel hinterlassen hatte. Ich bin wieder nach drau\u00dfen gelaufen, um meinen Rucksack zu holen. Der Brief wurde unten eingeklemmt, die Ecke praktisch abgerissen.\n\nDas Papier im Inneren war dick. Man konnte die St\u00fccke aus der Zeit der Herstellung sehen. Es war ein Blick in die Seele von Captain Satchel. Er hatte meinen Namen mit einem antiken Stift auf die Vorderseite geschrieben. Ich konnte an der Art und Weise erkennen, wie sich die Dicke der Buchstaben mit dem Strich ver\u00e4nderte.\n\nIch war gerade dabei, den Brief zu lesen, als ich beschloss, dass der richtige Platz auf dem Kapit\u00e4nsstuhl ist. Meine erste Notiz, von Captain zu Captain.\n\nIch klappte es auf und bewunderte die Art und Weise, wie das Papier gegen sich selbst kratzte. Dann las ich seine Botschaft laut vor, in die Heiligkeit meines eigenen Schiffes: Schwarze K\u00f6nigin.\n\nCaptain Sorri Lyrax.\n\nHerzlichen Gl\u00fcckwunsch! Ich hoffe, dieser Tag ist eher fr\u00fcher als sp\u00e4ter, aber so oder so ist er hier. Denkt einfach daran, dass ihr dieses Schiff erst auf die einzige Art und Weise taufen m\u00fcsst, die ihr kennt, bevor ihr es als euer Schiff beanspruchen k\u00f6nnt.\n\nDein Freund,\nSchulranzen\n\nIch begriff seine Bedeutung nicht, bis ich mich daran erinnerte, was auf Vengeance Valkyrie passiert war, als wir den Sortier-Virus hatten und in unseren St\u00fchlen gefangen waren. Ich lachte eine ganze Minute lang, bevor ich den gefalteten Ton in einen Riss zwischen den Instrumententafeln steckte.\n\nEs fiel mir wieder auf, was es braucht, um die schwarze K\u00f6nigin in Flugform zu bringen. Zum Gl\u00fcck hatte ich die letzten Monate hart gearbeitet und hatte fast genug, um die Reparaturen zu bezahlen. Schon bald w\u00fcrde ich die gew\u00fcnschten Auftr\u00e4ge annehmen k\u00f6nnen, da ich nicht an Schiffsfahrpl\u00e4ne und vorgegebene Kurierrouten gebunden w\u00e4re.\n\nEin Stich des Bedauerns traf mich in den Bauch, als ich dar\u00fcber nachdachte. W\u00e4hrend ich in meinem eigenen Schiff w\u00e4re, w\u00fcrde ich nicht mehr durch die besiedelten Sternenh\u00e4fen und schwimmenden Stationen reisen. Stattdessen w\u00e4re ich in einer Stahldose eingesperrt, genau wie Senet Mehen. Ich meine, war das nicht der Grund, warum ich \u00fcberhaupt Kurierdienst gemacht habe? Um Leute zu treffen?\n\nPl\u00f6tzlich schien die schwarze K\u00f6nigin ein einsamer Ort zu sein. Was zum Teufel habe ich mir dabei gedacht? Daf\u00fcr hatte ich so hart gearbeitet und war nun voller Zweifel?\n\nIch sa\u00df eine halbe Stunde lang und \u00fcberlegte mir meine Optionen, bevor ich endlich eine L\u00f6sung fand, die mehrere Probleme auf einmal l\u00f6ste. Ein kurzes Antippen meines Mobis brachte den Nachrichten-Link zum Vorschein.\n\nLiebe Betrix, ich habe angefangen zu tippen, mir ist klar, dass dieses Angebot etwas seltsam erscheinen mag, aber ich habe jetzt mein eigenes Schiff. Bestimmte Aspekte der Operation w\u00fcrden mit einer zweiten Person reibungsloser ablaufen. Sind Sie daran interessiert, mein Erster Offizier zu werden?\n\nDas Ende","zh_CN":"Writer\u2019s Note: The Second Run: A Sorri Lyrax Delivery (Part Four) was published originally in Jump Point 4.4. You can read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.\nPart 4: Sometimes You Just Lose\n[ 18:06:18 ]\n\nVengeance Valkyrie headed towards the Helios-Tyrol jump point, while Captain Satchel and I stared in quiet desperation at the piles of orange pieces in his lap. He had the sorting virus, which he\u2019d probably gotten from the fruit vendor, which meant I had it too.\n\nNot making the delivery was the least of my worries. We were in mortal danger if we couldn\u2019t protect the ship from ourselves.\n\n\u201cHow long ago did you purchase that fruit?\u201d I asked.\n\nHe looked like he was visibly trying not to pick up his orange pieces. His jaw pulsed.\n\n\u201cAbout two hours ago,\u201d he said with considerable effort.\n\n\u201cThat means we\u2019ve got about two hours until I start showing signs, maybe less depending if body weight matters,\u201d I said, tapping my fingers against my chin.\n\nCaptain Satchel started to reach out towards the controls. I grabbed his arm.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cThat depends on what you\u2019re doing,\u201d I replied. \u201cI watched some guy tip over a vending machine and start ripping out its guts. If you do that, we\u2019re screwed.\u201d\n\n\u201cSetting the quantum to get us to the jump point,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cOkay, set the course, then I\u2019ll tie you up in the take-off chair,\u201d I said, eyeing his movements carefully.\n\nAs he input our destination, he said, \u201cThere\u2019s some straps in the back, in the side compartment under the emergency rations.\u201d\n\nI went into the secondary cabin and found some familiar looking black straps. \u201cIf we get through this, there\u2019s a Sojourner I met who I think you\u2019d like.\u201d\n\nSatchel finished setting coordinates and moved to the take-off chair. He put the straps around his broad chest and clicked in. I wrapped the rope around his arms, while he watched me with his brown-with-gold-flecked eyes.\n\n\u201cI know this is a serious situation, but I\u2019ve got to say I\u2019m sort of enjoying this part,\u201d he said with a wink.\n\n\u201cIs this the part where I take advantage of you?\u201d I asked, and before he could answer, I leaned down and gave him a deep kiss.\n\nWe stared at each other until I broke eye contact. \u201cNever get distracted,\u201d I said, shaking my head. \u201cI\u2019ve got to figure out what to do before the virus hits me.\u201d\n\nSatchel looked forlorn. He was twitching against his ropes. His fingers were picking at the seat leather. \u201cDo you know how long this will last? If I keep having to notice how much my ship is a disgusting, disorganized mess, not sure if I\u2019ll ever be comfortable aboard again.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have no idea,\u201d I said. \u201cIt could be hours or days. But maybe I can set the system to get us to Tyrol IV, so at least we can be moving while we do that.\u201d\n\nHe was straining at the ropes. His face was hard with distress. He spoke through gritted teeth.\n\n\u201cThat won\u2019t work. You have to set the destination after a jump. That wonky space between throws off the coordinates. And the shield power light is blinking wrong,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cWrong?\u201d I turned to look in a panic.\n\n\u201cWrong. It should be every half second. Its timing\u2019s off. Should be blinking now . . . now . . . now! See! I have to fix it!\u201d\n\nI watched him struggle, realizing that we\u2019d barely gotten him tied down before the virus really hit. Had we waited a few more minutes, he\u2019d be ripping into the ship and I would have had a hard time trying to stop him since he was twice my size.\n\n\u201cCrite,\u201d I said, back at the side panel, \u201cthere\u2019s no more rope. Not that it matters. If I\u2019m tied when we hit Tyrol, I won\u2019t be able to reset the ship. But if I don\u2019t tie myself up somehow, I\u2019ll tear apart the ship and we\u2019ll likely die.\u201d\n\nSatchel couldn\u2019t speak. His neck strained like steel cords as he tried to get out of the chair.\n\nI said, \u201cWe can\u2019t ask for help from Tangaroa either, since we broke quarantine, and no one will want to touch us.\u201d\n\nI kicked the side panel and put my head in my hands. \u201cWhy this time? Why does it always have to be so hard? I struggle and struggle and do everything I can, and now, even if I can find a way to tie myself up, we won\u2019t reach Tyrol IV in time. Which means after all the fees I\u2019ve paid, I\u2019ll be back at day zero at FTL. Everything I\u2019ve done for the last year will have been for nothing. Maybe Betrix was right. My rules are stupid. All they\u2019ve done is convinced me that I could make this happen. Never travel empty handed. Nothing illegal. Official routes are for suckers. Never get distracted! Never stop thinking. Act like you know. We\u2019ll now I\u2019m adding a seventh rule: Sometimes you just lose.\u201d\n\nIt ached like there was a solar flare in my chest. It ached because it was true. Sometimes you did just lose. It was a lesson I\u2019d learned playing cards with my father after hours in the bar. Sometimes it didn\u2019t matter how you played them or in what sequence. Sometimes the cards stacked up in a way that left you with no outs.\n\nThat\u2019s how I felt. A girl with no outs.\n\nPoor Captain Satchel was frothing at the mouth. That was going to be me soon enough. I grabbed a rag and wiped his cheek. He thanked me with his eyes, though they were ringed with pain.\n\nSince the captain couldn\u2019t speak anymore, I started searching the ship for something I could use as rope. In his cargo bay, I found netting, which I liberated with a slice of a knife. If I rolled it up, it would make do as a way to subdue me. But how does one tie up oneself?\n\nI found the answer in a little metal box with a hook sticking out the end. It had a magnet base and was used for pulling things into the cargo bay.\n\nI took my netting and auto-pulley back into the main cabin. I had planned on tying myself to the foldout bed, but I\u2019d have no leverage with the pulley. I wanted to avoid the captain\u2019s chair, but had no choice since there were no other seats in the ship.\n\nAfter an hour and a half of modification, I had everything set up and was sitting in the captain\u2019s chair with a long pole in my hand. The netting was loose around my body. I had to be careful that when it tightened that it didn\u2019t strangle me. Once I hit the auto-pulley, I\u2019d have no way to stop it.\n\nI gave the captain a wipe down before I returned to my seat. He looked drained from his efforts. I think a few times he\u2019d gotten cramps from his muscles being so tight, but it was hard to hear the screaming through the clenched teeth.\n\nBefore I returned to the chair, I realized something about the captain. His arms were straining as if he were trying to lift a truck, but his legs were almost perfectly still.\n\nWhile I still had my faculties, I modified my netting to give my right leg some motion and took off my boot and sock. Sitting in the chair, with the netting loose around my body, I leaned back and hit the button on the auto-pulley.\n\nImmediately, the net started to collapse around me. I threw the pole away and carefully arranged my arms so they couldn\u2019t get loose. The strings pulled tight against my body, almost painfully so, and I worried that I\u2019d set it up wrong, that I\u2019d cut off the blood circulation like a tourniquet and would come out of this a quadriplegic. But then the motor stopped humming and the net was tight, but not overly painfully.\n\nI checked the motion of my right leg. I had enough room to reach the controls. Once we hit Tyrol system, I could type in the new destination, assuming the captain was capable of speaking at that time. Or that I was for that matter.\n\n[ 15:13:59 ]\n\nAs the minutes ticked by and the sorting virus symptoms I was expecting were nowhere in sight, I worried that I had tied myself up needlessly. Another minute rolled past. I sighed, releasing the tension I had been holding. We were going to be fine.\n\nMy hands began to work at the closest knot in the net. If I could maybe just free enough space, then I could reach the release. As I pulled at the nylon strands the distance between the knot I was working on and the next shrank, throwing the net\u2019s grid out alignment. I dropped my knot to try to even out the ones around it, but the imbalance just spread. I was making it worse.\n\nI would have to take the whole net apart and retie the entire thing. It was the only way to ensure it was perfect. Then I could finally focus on putting the rest of the cabin to order and place everything into their proper groups. Why hadn\u2019t we put them in their places before? The world was madness in this state! That anything existed so mixed up and confused threw my thoughts into disarray.\n\nBut when I couldn\u2019t get to them \u2014 tear into them with my hands, rip them apart and get them back to where they should be, I started to convulse. I\u2019m not sure when the first spasms happened, but when they did I thought I would pass out. Wished I would pass out, since that would give me relief from the pain.\n\nMy whole upper body strained and pulled. I pushed at the netting, desiring with every bit of my being to use my hands to destroy the ship. Why was I being denied!\n\nWhen I couldn\u2019t change the chaos around me, my mind began to focus in on itself. I saw the mess I had made out of my life. All the pieces that didn\u2019t fit. All the things I had done wrong. How my love of adventure had been replaced by a ruthless drive. I turned every decision I ever made over and over, the virus forcing me to dive deeper and deeper into myself.\n\nThe next minutes, hours, days? \u2014 I couldn\u2019t tell \u2014 went on as one rolling ball of misery. At some point, I realized Vengeance Valkyrie had passed into Tyrol space, but I could not find the focus to set the coordinates.\n\nSome time later, I heard someone speaking to me, which was either Captain Satchel, or a hallucination. At other times, I thought I was back at the Golden Horde, or on Dodecahedron with Senet Mehen, or on Night Stalker with Burnett. Hundreds of ship names filled my mind, and I wanted to sort them too.\n\nEventually, I became aware that Captain Satchel was speaking to me in a hoarse voice.\n\n\u201cSorri. Sorri. Are you awake?\u201d he asked.\n\nHe sounded like he\u2019d been gargling razors.\n\n\u201cYeah,\u201d I said, though it came out as a whisper. Every muscle in my body ached. I still had the urge to sort, but it wasn\u2019t as strong as before. More like the itch of infection, rather than the madness of insanity.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been sitting outside the Tyrol-Helios jump point for about eight hours,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cEight hours?\u201d I repeated, and after a quick calculation, I figured there was still time to make it to Tyrol IV. Maybe. \u201cTell me what the coordinates are and I\u2019ll type them in with my foot.\u201d\n\n[ 07:19:44 ]\n\nAfter a brief back and forth, Satchel explained what to do, and the ship lurched into motion. We were moving again.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019ll get us to Tyrol IV,\u201d he said.\n\nI tried to relax, but I had a painful pressure on my bladder. \u201cI have to pee.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo ahead,\u201d said Satchel.\n\n\u201cOh. Is that . . . okay?\u201d I asked.\n\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s a little cold now, but better than the alternative. Unless you can get us out of these bindings,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s wise yet, even if I did know how,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019ll just have to add peeing the captain\u2019s chair to the long list of horrible new experiences I\u2019ve had on this run.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s so important about this delivery?\u201d asked the captain.\n\n\u201cI have no idea. Just that it\u2019s not illegal,\u201d I said.\n\n\u201cOh yeah, your rules. You talked about them a bit while you were out of it. I liked them. But I don\u2019t mean the case. I mean for you and Betrix?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cBetrix,\u201d I said, in a half-laugh.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re not really partners are you?\u201d he asked.\n\nAt this point, I didn\u2019t think it was fair to lie to him, especially after we\u2019d gone through so much.\n\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cThough I did offer to partner with her. She declined, of course.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou still haven\u2019t explained why the delivery is so important,\u201d he said, asking me the same question I had asked Betrix what seemed like ages ago.\n\n\u201cFreedom. See the galaxy. Prove to my father that I can make it on my own,\u201d I said.\n\n\u201cAll that from this delivery?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cI want to buy a ship. This will get me a little closer,\u201d I said.\n\n\u201cWill it?\u201d he asked, which took me aback.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t you feel free with your own ship?\u201d I asked.\n\nCaptain Satchel was quiet for a bit before he spoke. \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong. I wouldn\u2019t trade Vengeance Valkyrie for anything, but I still have problems with bills, fuel charges, customs fees, crazy deliveries that tie me up and make me pee myself,\u201d \u2014 we shared a laugh \u2014 \u201cfinding new work, dealing with maintenance. Sometimes, I miss the days when I was just a fresh-faced courier with only the delivery itself to worry about.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou were a courier?\u201d I asked.\n\n\u201cYeah,\u201d he said. \u201cI worked for a few different companies. FTL. United Couriers. Blue Streak Deliveries. Though they went belly-up about a decade ago, but I\u2019d gotten my ship by then. Picked up some of the contracts they dropped, which helped me out of the gate.\u201d\n\n\u201cI still want my own ship,\u201d I said softly.\n\nHe said, \u201cJust remember that you always trade up for problems, so don\u2019t forget to enjoy the ride while you\u2019re on it.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks,\u201d I said, but I didn\u2019t really mean it.\n\n\u201cSo are we going to make it?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s going to be tight,\u201d I said.\n\nHe chuckled. \u201cWell, we can\u2019t let you miss it. I can squeeze some more speed out of this beast if you\u2019re willing to do some fancy footwork.\u201d\n\nMy chest filled with hope. \u201cInstruct away!\u201d\n\nIt didn\u2019t take long to make Vengeance Valkyrie increase her speed by twenty percent, which would get us to Tyrol IV with an hour to spare. The delivery was at the floating starport, which made getting it to its destination easier.\n\nWith another six hours of travel ahead of us, we spent the time talking about our experiences as couriers. Satchel did the majority of the talking, since he was older, but I impressed him with the tales of my first run.\n\nWe even figured out a way to get out of the bindings when we arrived at Tyrol IV. I typed in a message to the ship maintenance service on the station, requesting some in-cabin support once we arrived. We knew we\u2019d get funny looks once they came through the airlock and found us tied up and soaking wet, but it was better than being stuck.\n\nThe final few hours were excruciating, until we neared enough that I was too busy running the ship with the big toe on my right foot to worry about if I was going to make it or not. Docking was tricky, but Satchel was an excellent instructor and he talked me through the procedure like a pro.\n\nOnce the maintenance team arrived and cut us out of the bindings, I was going to grab the case and sprint to the delivery point. I couldn\u2019t believe that I was going to make it.\n\n[ 1:05:21 ]\n\nAs the airlock squealed open, I could barely hold myself together. I felt like a sprinter at the beginning of a race, waiting for the starting gun to fire.\n\nI heard Satchel greet the maintenance team. \u201cHi, fellas. This might look a little weird but . . .\u201d When his voice trailed off to nothing, I knew something was wrong. I couldn\u2019t turn my head enough, but when I saw the yellow reflection on the interior glass I knew what had happened.\n\nA modulated voice came through a bio-suit, \u201cWe were notified of Vengeance Valkyrie breaking quarantine at Tangaroa. We will be taking you into custody until the virus has run its course and the ship has been cleaned.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo! No! I can\u2019t. I have a delivery to make. It\u2019s right here in the station. It\u2019s that case beneath the take-off chair,\u201d I said.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, ma\u2019am. Nothing will leave this ship until it\u2019s been cleaned. We have strict orders,\u201d said the man in the bio-suit. \u201cPlease cooperate and you won\u2019t face any additional punishments.\u201d\n\nIt was finished. I\u2019d lost. I was at the station, probably a few hundred feet from my goal, and I wouldn\u2019t make it. I could conceive of no way to break this quarantine without risking the UEE\u2019s wrath.\n\n[ 00:00:00 ]\n\nI don\u2019t remember being taken off the ship in a bio-bubble, except that Satchel told me. The station didn\u2019t have a bio-confinement area, so they cleared out a hangar and draped it in plastic. After they confirmed we weren\u2019t carrying the virus any more, I imagine they put the plastic into an incinerator.\n\nAt least they\u2019d let us keep our mobiGlas, as long as we promised not to cause trouble. We\u2019d also been given light blue jumpsuits after they put us through an enviro-shower. My skin was still raw from the scrubbing.\n\nOnce we\u2019d gotten settled, I contacted the delivery location in hopes that I could still make it, but they said the Banu trader that had been waiting for it had already left. I was to leave the case with them. During the waiting, Satchel contacted some old friends of his in FTL that had risen in the ranks after he left. He cashed in a few favors to get my jobs transferred so I wouldn\u2019t get fired.\n\n\u201cWhy did you do that?\u201d I asked him after he told me what he\u2019d done.\n\n\u201cI was rooting for you,\u201d he said. \u201cI really thought we\u2019d get you to your delivery on time.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut this has been a huge inconvenience for you,\u201d I said.\n\nHe raised an eyebrow. \u201cI got paid a tidy sum for the job. And luckily I was able to persuade them that the virus was to blame for us breaking quarantine, so they won\u2019t be pressing charges.\u201d\n\n\u201cThings could be worse,\u201d I said, trying to convince myself.\n\n\u201cI have one question for you, Sorri. What should I do about Betrix?\u201d he asked as he studied me closely.\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d I asked.\n\n\u201cBetrix is the one that hired me. It\u2019s in the logs. If word got out to FTL that she was doing independent contracts, she\u2019d probably lose her job,\u201d he said.\n\nA chill formed at the back of my neck. With a few simple words, I could remove a thorn from my side, banishing Betrix LaGrange from FTL and probably the courier ranks forever. I\u2019d also be crushing her dreams.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d I said, thinking of what Betrix had told me about why she wanted a ship of her own. \u201cNo. We\u2019re rivals, not enemies. I don\u2019t hate her.\u201d\n\n\u201cEven after what she tried to do to you? I wouldn\u2019t have offered if I didn\u2019t think you deserved your revenge,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cNo. I\u2019m sure. She clearly has some issues, but I don\u2019t want to do that to her,\u201d I said. \u201cPlus, there\u2019s something not right about getting her fired for doing almost the same thing I am.\u201d\n\nHe shrugged his shoulder. \u201cFair enough.\u201d\n\nAfter another day of waiting in the make-shift room, we were cleaned again and allowed to leave with an official warning. I counted myself lucky that was all they\u2019d done.\n\nI collected my things from Vengeance Valkyrie, including the troublesome case. Before I left, Satchel handed me a sealed envelope.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d I asked.\n\n\u201cOpen it whenever you finally get your first ship,\u201d he said with a wink.\n\nI sighed. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be a long time from now.\u201d\n\n\u201cProbably,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll figure out a way to make it happen sooner than you think. You got really unlucky on this delivery.\u201d\n\nNot one for long goodbyes, I left Satchel at his ship. Plus there was a small chance I might see him again in the near future. He\u2019d promised to give me a deal on rides with him if I needed a ship for a freelance job. I knew it was unlikely, given the size of the galaxy, but it was a nice gesture.\n\nBefore I left Tyrol IV, I delivered the silvery case with the Banu symbols. I was awarded a pittance for my efforts, which barely paid for the ride back to Sol so I could deliver Maria Gorane\u2019s divorce papers.\n\nRelieved of my burden, I felt strangely at peace. The accelerated deadline had been a weight around my neck. Now that it was over, I felt a little weightless.\n\nI picked up a few FTL jobs on the way back. I\u2019d practically zeroed out my balance trying to get to Tyrol, so it was nice to be working in the positive direction again.\n\nSitting on a commercial transport heading through the Kilian system on my way to Davien jump point, I pressed my nose against the cool viewport. The brilliant swath of stars outside made me feel like I was looking at them for the first time again.\n\nAs I watched the tiny sun at the center of the system grow in the distance, I relived the journey of the past few days in my mind and the harsh truths I had seen while consumed by the sorting virus. The words of the Banu on Vita Perry came back to me: Journey within yourself and you will reach your destination.\n\nI didn\u2019t understand what the Banu had meant then, but after the crazy delivery I had a little more understanding. As Satchel had said, you always trade up for problems. I was so busy trying to earn enough credits for my Aurora LX, that I\u2019d forgotten why I\u2019d become a courier in the first place \u2014 to see the galaxy.\n\nIf I kept going down that path, I\u2019d end up like Senet Mehen, so focused on my goals that I missed the whole reason I was making the journey.\n\nBy the time I reached the Sol system, I\u2019d become at peace with the setback. In retrospect, it had been an amazing, if harrowing, experience that was in some ways worth the lost credits.\n\nSometimes you just lose. That was the way of the Universe. But I wouldn\u2019t let it hold me back. Despite the final verdict, I\u2019d proved a lot to myself.\n\nThe delivery of the Gorane divorce papers in Sol was a little bittersweet. It wrapped up the journey. Once it was over, I pulled up my mobiGlas and toggled my availability into the \u2018On\u2019 position. I had a lot of credits to make up.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t until a few months later after the botched Tyrol IV delivery that things finally and truly wrapped up. I had just landed on Ferron when I received a message from Alara Bonaire.\n\nAt first the name confused me until I realized it was the former wife of Abel Gorane, the cretin businessman I\u2019d rescued her from.\n\nGreetings Sorri,\n\nI dearly hope things are well for you. I can never truly repay you for what you did. Had Abel gotten Maria into the ship, I would have never seen her again.\n\nMy life before divorce was very complicated, so I\u2019m glad to be rid of my husband. I\u2019m trying to simplify, which in turn, made me think of you and your generosity. I\u2019ve decided to bequeath you Abel\u2019s old ship Black Queen. He said he named it after me, but I hope she treats you better than he ever treated me. She\u2019s pretty worn down, but can still tread the deep skies. You\u2019ll find the entry codes at the bottom of this message, along with the hangar number. Be well and good luck.\n\nWarmest regards,\nAlara Bonaire\nMaria Bonaire\n\nHangar Fifteen. The whole way I was certain that it was a dream and that I would wake up, covered in a cold sweat.\n\nBut then it was there, the hangar. It was a sealed bay, so I went through the airlock. Sitting at number fifteen was an early model Aurora ES. It had heavy burn marks on the nose, pitting along the sides, and the color was faded.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t a ship, but a flying ball of fixer\u2019s tape. But if the letter I\u2019d just received was true, then it was mine.\n\nI let out a whoop and went running for Black Queen. There were a few workers in red jumpsuits doing maintenance on a Caterpillar on the other side of the hangar. They glanced up at my sprint across the hard flooring. I heard a few chuckles when I hugged the nose section.\n\nMy fingers trembled as I punched in the access codes. When the door whooshed open, I could barely stand still.\n\nThe inside was a wreck. There was barely enough room to stand. The pilot\u2019s chair was bare metal. Some of the controls were chipped and the guts of something important were hanging from the ceiling.\n\nI touched each and every surface of Black Queen, inside and out, trying to prove to myself that it was real. I mean, getting it flight worthy was going to take some serious credits, but nothing like what a new ship would cost. I couldn\u2019t believe it. I wanted to send a message to my father and tell him that I finally had my own ship. He wouldn\u2019t believe it.\n\nBut then I remembered the note that Captain Satchel had left me. I went running back outside to grab my knapsack. The letter was jammed into the bottom, the corner practically ripped off.\n\nThe paper inside was thick. You could see the chunks from when it was made. It was a glimpse into the soul of Captain Satchel. He\u2019d written my name on the front using an antique pen. I could tell by the way the thickness of the letters changed with the stroke.\n\nI was about to read the letter when I decided the proper location was in the captain\u2019s chair. My first note, captain to captain.\n\nI flipped it open, admiring the way the paper scraped against itself. Then I read his message out loud, into the sanctity of my own ship: Black Queen.\n\nCaptain Sorri Lyrax.\n\nCongratulations! I hope this day is sooner rather than later but either way it\u2019s here. Just remember that before you can claim this ship as yours, you must christen it in the only way you know how.\n\nYour friend,\nSatchel\n\nI didn\u2019t catch his meaning until I remembered what had happened on Vengeance Valkyrie when we\u2019d had the sorting virus and were trapped in our chairs. I laughed for a full minute before I tucked the folded note into a crack between the instrument panels.\n\nIt struck me again what it would take to get Black Queen into flying shape. Thankfully I\u2019d been working hard the last few months and had almost enough to pay for the repairs. Soon enough I\u2019d be able to take the jobs I wanted, since I wouldn\u2019t be tied to ship schedules and predetermined courier routes.\n\nA stab of regret hit me in the gut as I thought about it. While I\u2019d be in my own ship, I\u2019d no longer be traveling through the populated star ports and floating stations. Instead, I\u2019d be locked in a steel can, just like Senet Mehen. I mean, wasn\u2019t that the reason that I\u2019d become a courier in the first place? To meet people?\n\nSuddenly, Black Queen seemed like a lonely place. What the heck was I thinking? This is what I had worked so hard for and now I was full of doubt?\n\nI sat for a half hour considering my options before I finally came up with a solution that solved a couple of problems at once. A quick tap on my mobi brought up the message link.\n\nDear Betrix, I started typing, I realize this offer might seem rather strange, but I have my own ship now. Certain aspects of the operation would run smoother with a second person. Are you interested in being my First Mate?\n\nThe End"},"links_count":3,"comment_count":31,"created_at":"2019-12-25T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"6 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 21:36:38","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":17407,"next_id":17409}}