[Log] Alliances

"Alliances.

They can be small things, that glint in the eye in a given situation. An understanding that lasts for seconds but has profound consequences.

They can be vast things, spanning hundreds of worlds and thousands of light years and bringing peace and happiness or war and suffering.

They can be strong. They can be fragile. Strengthened by trust or broken by betrayal.

At this point, I don't know what sort of alliances I have. I just know that I have them.

With Elena Galewind. She's stood with me for the past twenty years. A constant companion, loyal to the end.
With Salome. I'm still not sure where I stand with her. She's a hell of an engineer but she's a mystery. She has her own agenda, her own demons, her own path. I'm a stepping stone on a larger journey for her. I don't know if I can trust her.
With the STFU. The Serenity Trade and Freight Union is making its presence felt on Araxes now. How the Guild perceive their presence is yet to be seen. They come with tales of friendship, of future wealth and prosperity. They've already worked out deals with the locals I've struggled to broker myself. There was no option but to partner with them in this new era of free trade and enterprise. The blockade here on Araxes has almost broken Persephone Trading. Given the choice of sinking or swimming, I'm choosing to swim but I've no doubt something lies beneath the waves.

I've survived worse things of course. The death of my mother. The genocide on Icarus Five. The savage beatings, rape and slavery onboard Grinch's ship. I've even survived the plague of Araxes.

I keep on ticking. Forging ahead with a smile and an endless supply of one liners.  It's all a lie. There are no alliances. There's just me and whoever happens to be around at the time. I will do anything to keep this company afloat. Anything. Grinch found that out the hard way when I discovered what he'd done. "

*******

Seren sat at the log station, transfixed with a melancholic stare, her own blank image staring, strong and unbreakable like the hum of the station engines. Lights flickered hypnotically across the terminal.

"Mistress? Are you around?". Elena Galewind's voice came clearly over the intercom.
"I'm here, Elena", Seren spoke wearily, "What's up?"
"Salome requires authorisation for the purchase of two new power converters for the Persephone. Should I authorise?"
Seren allowed a small smile to play across her face. "She managed to find some then, eh?  How much?"
"Around 1500 credits for the pair. A rather good price. I suspect we will not find a more cost effective solution."
"They're stolen."
"It has never stopped us before, mistress"

Seren rubbed her hand across her face, leaning her elbow on the desktop in front of her. "Authorise the payment. And get back to the Araxes system as soon as you can. An STFU ship should meet you on the outer rim of the system. Hand them the converters, they'll bring them in to me"

"As you wish mistress. Galewind out."

"Alliances", muttered Seren alone, "Occasionally useful."

Marooned on Araxes

Seren sat at the communciations terminal in the Araxes High Port offices of the Persephone Trading Corporation and frowned. Leaning back into her seat, she monitored the communications coming from the planet's surface. The whole planet was now under quarantine. The virus that had already claimed the lives of so many on the surface had now recorded its first official victims on a frieghter several parsecs away. The Admirality of the United Systems Directorate had locked down the planet "for everyone's safety" and positioned five warships in orbital positions. No-one was questioning them. A brief conversation with the USD officer Darkwolf had put any aspirations of leaving the planet firmly on the back burner. Oh, how she'd pleaded her point. Explained how her shipments of Spice Coffee were due to reach the Inner Worlds, how her business contacts were expecting her to complete important negotiations back in the New Paradigm. It had come to nothing. Only medical ships and officers were allowed to leave the system.

While she found herself marooned, the rival Vulture company which dealt with medical supplies was free to come and go as they pleased. She wondered if that was what Darkwolf had meant when he said "some people were making money out of it". Seren knew what she'd have done. Shoved her boxes of Spice Coffee underneath the boxes of used medical supplies and smuggled the goods out. 

"Miss?", the voice came from the freshly hired receptionist, Terena, "I've finished the last of the transport dockets.Can I head back planetside now?"

"You may as well" said Seren hoarsely, "There's nothing going on up here. The shuttle is still running. If you can't get back up tomorrow, don't worry about it"

The receptionist nodded and collected her things from the desk. "How about you Miss?"

Seren swivelled the chair around to face the receptionist, letting her arms drop limply at her side. "I'm waiting for a transmission from the Folly.", she sighed, "Then I'll probably have an early night. Too many sick people down there..."

She paused noticing the expression on the receptionist's face. A poorly hid look of fear. "...But I'm sure everything will work out. You've got your coveralls and facemask with you, yes?"

Terena nodded, emphasising the bagpack she carried. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Miss."

Seren smiled and waved weakly, swivelling back to the computer terminal which was being bombarded with images of sick people, administrators, soldiers and safety advice. Disasters on a planet wide scale seemed to be more prevalent than ever. It wasn't so long ago that Hale's Moon had imploded into a million pieces of rock. Talmont was out of bounds for reasons so far unexplained and now Araxes risked falling over the edge of destruction.

A light flickered in the bottom right of the screen. Incoming Message. The panopticon of disaster slid out of view and was replaced with the familiar  face of Galewind sat at the work terminal of the Folly. 

"Salutations Mistress! I have news!"

"You got me a permit to get off this rock?" said Seren, hopefully.

"Um, no mistress. I have word of your father. It appears he was last seen hitching a ride on a freighter destined for Botany Bay..."

Puzzled, Seren exclaimed "Botany Bay? Hitched a ride? Oh, this just gets better and better."

"Mistress?"

"I'm stuck here on Araxes and he's off galavanting around the galaxy."

"Indeed. We shall carry on bravely without you mistress. I am currently piloting the Folly to Botany Bay to rendezvous with your father."

Elena Galewind looked away, was momentarily distracted, her fingers dancing over the terminal buttons. "I have to go mistress. Approaching the Lagrange Point space station - they will be wanting to do an inspection. Farewell!"

The screen darkened and then reset to the live disaster footage. More sick people, more guns, more administrators mouthing weasely words of comfort. 

"You still haven't told me what happened at the Laandsrat", she said wistfully to the screen where Galewind has been, before swivelling in her chair in nonchalant boredom.