boredom strikes! and with it a new story to concentrate creative juices on! lets hope i can focus someday and get one of these going on a regular schedule...
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I tossed her limp, nearly lifeless body into the brig. I can't believe a simple trader like me would of ever needed one of these, let alone use it. But alas there has been a rise in stowaways amoung lesser ships in recent years.
My little stowaway put up one hell of a fight, then again what can one expect from an Insomnian.
Crazy little race of sleepless humanoids. They look almost like us, except each one tends to adapt a mineral like quality to patches of there body. My little girl here had arms that looked like they were made of obsidian, tempered obsidian if my broken arm wanted to add it's two credits worth. combine that with a natural heart rate nearing 300 BpM, and the psychological effects of their "language" and you got what is essentially every hologames version of a berserker class character.
That language in question is just maniacal laughter to those that haven't learnt the dialect, and those that do seem to lose a sense of sanity about it. Hence how their language earned the title "Insane".
She was built like a gymnast of Earths old days; long lean legs, sculpted torso (at least what i could tell from her now tattered shirt), and arms that looked just slightly too long for her 5'9" frame. I was lucky to get a hit in with my "Crater maker" hand cannon with how fast she could move.
The fact that she was still in one peace after a near point blank shot is a testament to her solid body. Nowadays most captains and crew carry licensed weapons from military and government sanctioned armories. I preferred to custom build my stuff. My crater maker is a modified Magnum handcannon from earths older days, modified to shot a single two centimeter anti armor round, an electric trigger attached to my gloves that allow me to fire it even when out of my hands, and a recoil mitigator that turns the kick back into extra propulsion for the bullet.
And she took that at less then 15 feet. If she wasn't still alive I'd of thrown her in the air lock and payed for the littering charge. But here she stands...sort of...here she lays, trying her hardest to breathe with the hole in her lung.
"If you behave in there i can have the ship patch that hole up for ya kiddo." I offered, mainly to make peace with my captive, the last thing i need is to piss her off, my ship can't take what she can dish out.
"Gah! Ahhahahahaha! AAAAH hahahahaha!" she retorted, I'll just assume she is the proud type.
"If you sit up straight the on board AI can send in medical drones and heal you up, but not if your gonna fidget and roll around on the floor like a cooking eel."
"Bahhahahaha!" Good i wish i had that universal translator installed, then again i here even AI can't handle the language too well.
"Alright, lay there and die, not like i need the money if you got a bounty on ya, just leave my ship in one piece and I'll drop you off at the next port."
"Geehehehehe!" she rolled over onto her back and just laid there, the calmest I've ever seen her since i caught her on board my ship. I stepped out of the room and ordered my ships Steward AI; Diveriant, to patch her up as good as she can, and to expect resistance. As for me, i was headed back to the helm to pilot my ship back to the nearest port, hopefully forward in my journey.
I'm just a simple trader, not even shipping guns, fuel matter, or important geegaws. Right now i had a load of Earthen potatoes, from their greatest supplier somewhere in it's western continents eastern islands way up in it's northern territory. I lost a few crates but all in all only one potato was damaged, when she throw it at me and dented a reinforced wall with it, a testament to her races amazing strength and the quality of those damn spuds...
My computer beeped at me letting me know it had the nearest port and best path figured out. My ship wasn't powered by the same propulsion as major warships and trade vessels. I had a Solar Wave Rider, if i were to simplify it it's the space equivalent to earthen sail boats. I'm locked into a single galaxy, but within the confines of that galaxy I'll be one fast and nimble ship. If i ever take a galaxy to galaxy trade request I'd have to ask a trade barge to house my ship for the portion of travel between galaxies. But i felt fine trading Earthen goods across the Milky way for now.
Thankfully my path was on the way to my next trade point. It was a desolate planet as well, so i might be able to salvage some money from those crate-less potatoes after all. I'm not evil like that but, when your starving for something besides bread and water a floor potato is a 200 credit steak. Feeling nice i decided to put the auto-pilot on and keep my "guest" company for the short ride.
Walking back into the brig i was surprised to see her standing there calmly. The hole on her shot the only thing left of my shot to her chest. The bad part of that was the fact that her breast was almost completely exposed, no nipple unfortunately, or would that be fortunately? god i need to hit a whore house soon.
"Good news kiddo!" I was cut shot by a sharp thud as she gave the force field a good punch as she stared daggers at me, Something tells me she hates the name... "The next port is only a few minutes away, hope you got a taste for stagnant water and mystery meat, it's a desolate planet." I smiled cheekily at her, that quickly faded as she threw a tantrum inside that cell.
The force field could keep her contained, but the rest of that room wouldn't be able to keep up with her strength. Insomnians were masters at utilizing momentum, and every bounce off the wall left a bigger dent in it. I had to calm her down, but within that lied the risk. An Insomnian needs to keep their heart rate above at least 160 BpM, and they don't fall asleep, no matter how much you tranq them. I had to calm her down diplomatically.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa there, calm down! Look, maybe we can work something out, i won't leave you in some piss poor jail cell ok, just stop breaking my ship apart!"
She stopped bouncing at least. and just kept wailing on the force field now, and her laughter turned into manic sobs as tears rolled down her eyes. Obviously she wasn't a stowaway for law breaking purposes, or else she'd be made of steelier stuff, that or she is playing the pity card, it's hard to tell when i can't understand her.