Cold Call - [Sibby-verse 1]

9

Two short klaxon bursts with flickering red lights true-on throughout while Capitalist updates me and I agree, it's a dropship with a potential heading on ours, no callsign yet as I enter the bridge and take mainhelm. I review the boards as everyone's nerves twitch up and see that below-decks is asking for at least ten minutes to finish the transfer as Eds waltzes on the bridge with Addie-Lit shortly thereafter.

                "Who is it?" Eds demands.
                "No callsign but it's a drop." I answer.
                "We need to get outta here!" Addie-Lit says.
                "No need to let them know we're here, hold position, comm-silent, see if you can read it." Eds further orders.
                "Aye..." we murmur.
                "Stop that transfer,"
                "We,"
                "It'll have to do, not that it matters in the long run anyway Ads."
                "It's prob one of Resolute's looking to confirm the kill." Addie-Lit surmises. "We should be ready to hit 'em, if so."

The slide-burst, an unmistakable imprint on spacetime, signals that a ship just exited out of slide and is hard to miss. We work to get this bracketed with a postulated course with our eyes glued to the plot, tracking its course while the comp is trying to ID the hull. Looks like although they're headed in a general position for us, their trajectory is taking them up and away from us, red-shifting.

                "Gonna roll off our plot in two min's, prob' getting a look-see on our hull ID." I state.
                "Sail still off?" Eds asks.
                "Yep, likely theirs is too since it's a gen' plotline on 'em." I add.
                "One of Resolute's or another but our side. Gonna report back our position to Command and kill us before we get to Endeavors!" Addie-Lit echoes our thoughts.
                "Only WE know we're goin' to Endeavors. As far as Command knows, we're New Gaia headed for our call."
                "They're gonna fig' it's us here, Eds." Addie-Lit argues.
                "Yeah, but Unit Two and One aren't the only ones rollin' in Observers, so is Ten and Nine. It could be either three."
                "Eight and Nine are KIA per clips so that'll narrow it to us or Ten, who's MIA."
                "Don't matter. Jay, soon's they're gone, roll out ten min's afterwards back for Endeavors and get us a new callsign."
                "And again, once at Endeavors, THEN what?!" Addie-Lit demands, again.
                "Cross that bridge when we get there! Gen' stays, take hold!" Eds orders on all-ship comm.

Addie-Lit clearly isn't content with that while I'm keeping my eyes on the plot, watching this dropship gain more and more speed and watch them open a gate and disappear off the screen and I set our clock.

Release dock seal – me
Released! Pressurization back up – Trippy
Warm up the gins – me
Cargo holds on lock – Leeps
Long and shortrange clear – Stick
Thrusters? – Carl
Yes, just enough to push off of Pity – me

I switch our light-cycle to blue-blue-blue for impending push-off with that klaxon burst and wait the customary five minutes per regs. If that dropship decides to double back, it'll probably catch us as it's one, mili-grade and two, more maneuverable. Plus, it's armed. Capitalist, as an Observer and civ-grade is supposed to be unarmed but we're carrying light arms, just in case. The way this day is going, we're probably going to need them. At the five-minute mark I announce slide-run in five, while we're still waiting for the ten minutes that Eds ordered.

                "We get to Endeavors, drop off our injured and casualties. We need to turn this right around and head for Independence, Eds. That's not an ask." She approaches command-chair.
                "Addie...don't start,"
                "I never finished!"
                "This ISN'T the place!"
                "Oh it's the exact right place!" she points a finger at Eds. "Most of my crew are down or dead! You think Endeavors isn't gonna ask questions behind these injured and casualties? Whadda'ya gonna tell 'em? Oh, a mining accident? We prob' only got at max a starday, two at most before Front Command comes gunning! Today – depending on your perspective is already almost over! They're gonna be on our six like black on night!"
                "Whadda'ya suggesting? We don't go to Endeavors?"
                "We can easily go to Tayman's End or anyone else in between instead of putting ourselves closer and closer to the Front because truly, you're not actually gonna go meet Command behind New Gaia for lights out, right?!" she heads back towards the secondary security post, right on the buzzer as I sound the klaxon with the light-cycle to red-red-red for imminent burn.
                "Burn imminent, take hold! Slide in seven!" I announce over all-ship comm.
                "This is still my ship, Ads and I'm its CO! My call! You'd expect likewise if this were Merchie's Nap! Endeavors has bigger capacity for what we got coming and yeah, they'll prob' ask questions but that's the least of our worries! Quit distracting my crew!"
                "Well, a word in your office once in slide then!" she crosses her legs.
                "Fine!"