Freelance
Traveller
12. Heroes
Date: 144-993 Imperial.
Location: Liar's Oath system (1021), aboard the free trader
Avarice Rewarded.
Silea had the nose up and the thrusters firing thirty seconds after Fish came back aboard. The Malfeasant sank below them.
The Ursa was breathing but in a state similar to coma. Luan rigged oxygen and a drip. The two human women taken off the bridge were indeed dead, and probably beyond revival even if Avarice Rewarded had carried the appropriate gear. Sir David got them out of their suits and into the two unoccupied low berths for preservation.
"We're heroes", said Silea with a glum voice once the Avaricious were gathered on the bridge. She waived vaguely at the comms station, adding "Every ship in the system keeps telling us so".
"How's the Ursa then?" asked Fish.
"If he was human or Vargr, I'd say he was in an unrecoverable coma" said Luan. "But my medical database says that Ursa go into a hibernation-like condition under extreme systemic shock, and they can come out of it in time. So who knows…"
There was a long, long silence as everybody chewed on private thoughts. Finally Sir David broke it. "Well, hopefully somebody dirtside can study a database and treat him. Speaking of which, do you want me to agree your approach plots Silea?"
They went back to work. Soon the Avarice Rewarded flew over star town. From the air they could see that Liar's Oath used sealed arcologies to keep the tainted atmosphere out. There were no domed cities, at least not on their flight path. Walkway tubes and electric trains criss-crossed between the buildings and sealed grav vehicles zipped about them. "Well they can afford to import air/rafts," said Sir David, "so hopefully there's a market for video games."