While the ship is planetside, you are standing on the gangway and watching as both crew and colonists unload the cargo. It is all in non-descript boxes, but Cookie scans the code on each box, and ticks off on her minividi. You have your emergency bag beside you, and are waiting in case something happens. More than once, you have joked with the crew that if this ship was in a story or a video, something would go wrong all the time and you would have to patch up blaster burns and bullet holes, but it is reality, and people just want what they paid for. No cheating or double dealing. If they did, then no independents would service them, and SG would enforce their shipment with Maristos. That is something that no “Free Holder” out on the Rim really wants.
You watch Skipper shake hands with the lead of the trading team, as Cookie gives a “thumbs up” to her. Everything paid for was received. You sigh and pick up your medbag to put it back in Med Bay.
“Doc.” You hear Cookie call. “When you are done, meet Skipper and me in her cabin.”
“Will do.” You say as you walk away and hear the ramp of the cargo bay lift up and close.
After putting the bag away, knock on the open door of the captain. “Skipper, you wanted me?” You see her sitting in her chair with Cookie sitting on the bunk.
“Doc, Shut the door.” She says.
You close the hatch behind you, “What’s up? This looks serious.” you ask in an extremely curious tone.
Skipper pulls up a star chart on one of her Vidis. “We need to take you to Sankta Koro. That will take us through a lot of main shipping lane checkpoints.”
“I’m sorry about that Skipper. Should I find a commercial transport or…”
Cookie interrupts. “No need. We just need to have you sign agreement where you have chartered us as ‘non-standard medical transport’.”
“Yes” Skipper continues. “You have spent the past few jaros visiting and providing routine and emergency care to rim system colonists.”
Cookie gets up and clicks on another vidi. A multi-jaro log fills the screen. It has dates and locations already filled in. Some have your stamp next to the entries, and others are various colony stamps. “This is your medi-log. It has your name and not the Ship’s Doctor title on it. Keep the Libereco Med Bay log separate. While we are traveling though the Core, this is your medi-log.” She explains.
You give both of them a confused look. “Why?” and then it dawns on you what they did. “As a charter, you have reason to travel to various planets, and wouldn’t require SG stamps. You aren’t carrying cargo; you are ferrying me from place to place. I got it.”
They both nod. Cookie points out the dates and the star chart lights up. “Anyone verifying our travel logs will show that we went to each of those worlds and the dates coincide with an entry in your medi-log. Most were routine “health checks” but in those few cases where you gave medical attention to someone, we used your entry from the ship’s medi-log and copied it.”
“Wow! That’s brilliant. Is there anything else you need from me?” you ask.
Skipper pulls up a prefilled financial statement, “I need you to sign and say that you paid us these amounts on these dates.”
“But where did I get the valutos for that?” you ask.
“From the colonists you provided treatments for. Remember, it’s the Rim. If you want to charge for services, you can.” Cookie says.
“But I would never…” You try to protest, but realize you have to show that you are paying the Libereco and it’s crew somehow. “Ok. I get it. I’m charging the colonists, the same they paid for whatever we delivered.”
Cookie sits back down on the bunk, smiling. “Yep. It balances our books, explains our travels, and makes you look like a medical hero.”
“Ok.” You say and sign the statement.
Skipper gets out of her chair and shakes your hand. “Thank you, Doctor. As of now we are officially working for you. We will set a course for Sankta Koro, as per your official request.” She says as she nods at the last entry on the log “Travel to Sankta Koro, due to request from family member.”
“All of that should keep the Uggos happy.” Cookie says with a twinkle in her eyes.
You are a couple of days from a saltopunkto. Once you get there the pordego will jump you from the Rim to the Core lanes. You spend that time reading Cookie’s log entries. They are mostly true. You try to remember the things that are exaggerated, in case you have to explain them. Then you modify your Med Bay to look more like a traveling doctors facility and less like a ship’s doctor’s bay. You adjust and place more emergency trauma kits in easy reach, and pack two large bags with ‘standard colonist needs’.
When you are about done, you hear. “Wow! Kurgio, you really changed things around.” Meko walks in, looking at how you rearranged everything. “Why? Was there something that wasn’t working for you?” the curious mechanic asks.
“No. But if you are my Medical Transport, I should have things better set to reflect that.”
“Ok.” But Meko gets a serious look across his face. “Is this going to change what or how you do things?”
You realize that he is doing that “plan for every emergency” thing that makes him such a good mechanic. “No. When it comes to ship board emergencies, nothing has changed. This layout makes it easier to go and grab things to take off ship.”
The young mechanic nods, then quietly says “I’m sorry to hear about your father. I’ll make sure we get you home.” He then turns and leaves.
Right before the saltopunkto, there is a Maristo inspection station. Skipper has you stand by in the Med Bay, watching on your vidi and ready to respond if needed. You hear Skipper come across the link, “We are the Independent ship Libereco, chartered as Medical Support for a UMP doctor working the Rim.”
You hear a bored Maristo respond, “Transfer your logs but prepare to be boarded.”
“Will do.” Skipper responds, but you click on the link.
“Oficiro, is this really necessary? I have an official request calling me back to the Core. Specifically, to Sankta Koro.” You transmit a copy of the message from your mother.
He reads it, opens the log that Skipper sent, glances at a few entries, then quickly closes both.
“Go through. Sorry to delay you, Doctor.” He says, still with a bored tone to his voice.
You strap yourself into the chair in Med Bay. You hate going through a pordego. You know the theory behind it, that subspace is opened and the ship passes through and comes out the other side. You know that, medically it doesn’t do anything to you, but you always feel like it does something to you. In your mind you imagine being pulled and stretched, and passing through a tiny hole until you are in normal space again. If you were to monitor your vitals, it would show that nothing really happened. The ship just moved from space through subspace and back into space, all because of the technology of the saltopunktos.
On the other side of the pordego, you once again hear the Skipper say, “We are the independent ship Libereco, chartered as Medical Support for a UMP doctor working the Rim.”
Another Maristo, with the same bored tone and a look that made almost the twin of the one on the other side. “Transfer your logs but prepare to be boarded.”
“I really didn’t miss the bureaucracy of the Core.” You say to yourself as you unstrap and repeat what you did, again.
As you move through the Core systems, there are more stops and checks. Being an independent freighter, it’s like having a big target on your back, and everyone wants to check you out. Skipper and Cookie were right that listing them as a “chartered transport” shuts down most of the questions from the Maristos. Your Med Bay gets searched a couple of times, along with the main cargo hold. When one oficiro sees the animal pens and cages, collapsed and set aside in the hold, you and Cookie explain that on some rim worlds there are animal diseases too, and the pens are used for quarantine purposes. He quickly steps back and then leaves.
“Kurgio, We will be in orbit of Sankta Koro soon.” Navs says on your vidi.
“Thanks.” You respond as you finish packing. You take a week’s worth of clothing, and download most of your valutos from your account in the ship’s vault.
Skipper knocks on the open hatchway. “Hey Doc, are you almost packed?”
You look at her with a slow smile. “I think so. I’m taking my share of the profits. I have no idea how expensive things will be planetside.”
“I figured as much, when you asked me to connect the vault to the system. When you finished withdrawing funds, I disconnected it again.” She says as she steps in and looks around. “It’s going to be strange without you here.”
You look at her as you seal up your travel bag. “It feels strange to be leaving. Even for a short trip.”
You take a moment to realize you have been onboard the ship for over 10 jaros. “Wow, Skipper, I hadn’t realized until now how long we’ve been doing this.”
She gives you a sad smile, “Yeah when you signed on, It was just Cookie and me.”
“We picked up Navs and Helm a few jaros later, and then we added Meko after that.” You comment in a sad wistful tone.
“We’ll put down at the main planetary terminal. Will you have someone meeting you there?” She asks in a slightly professional tone.
“Yeah. I’ve been sending links back and forth. My mother will send an intra-transport. Will you guys be okay?”
She looks around the Med Bay again. “Yes. Navs wants to see her parents and Meko said something about family on Ciela Ripozo. So after you disembark, we have places to go. Once we drop you off, we are a ‘recently released charter, allowing her crew to take some much needed leave in the Core’.”
You pat your bag, “I packed enough for a week, but I am going home. Is a week enough for the crew to do what they need?”
She turns and places a hand gently on your shoulder. “Is a week enough time for you to do what you need?” she says in a soft tone.
You really hadn’t given it much thought. “I’ll send you a link if I need something different than a week.” You respond placing your hand on hers.
Helm comes on the vidi. “Skipper, we’re in orbit. Shall we request a clearance code?”
“I’ll be up in a second.” She says and taps the vidi, closing the link. “Are you ready or should we orbit a few times?”
“I’m ready. Let’s land.” You say.
She nods and leaves.
(Come back for the next part of Kurgio is Called to the Core. If you enjoyed this, leave a comment. If you enjoy my writings and stories, Follow and Subscribe.)
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