Chapter Fifty Two - Spuker

We got stuck at Space Station 435.

Quick Trip Space Trucking was a crap company which acted in a crap fashion. It decided to toss the crew off the ship.

As a Spucker you have the right to work and the right to be paid. Paid ends the relationship. You aren't crew, you aren't permanent, you are on for the trip and at the end, either rehired or let go at wherever the ship berthed.

I was the Geek. This means I'm out of the crowd. I'm in a corner with machines, no one else.

I was sleeping when the security detachment came in. Keeping my area messy means anyone entering in is likely to fall over something, slide in something, or have something drop on his head.

This discourages visits.

I'd been sleeping in the crawl space so no one could find me when I didn't want to be found. This is because no one knows anything about tech and will bother me for nothing.

I did hear the crashing around, but hadn't matched it to a security team. When I slid out, the A.I. gave me the data. Quick Trip had ordered all crew off, hired and Hawkeye Security to guard the boat, just in case.

I made myself eats. I had the A.I. do 'self tests' in the foreground, (which wouldn't
bother Security), and in the back ground, got on news/ chat channels.

Wasn't news.

Just Sagir firing on Dalmar ships and Dalmar ships firing on Sagir ships. Shouldn't matter to the owner of the Spuck, but some Gov somewhere made an order all vessels had to stick.

I wondered where Nal was from. I Never asked, he never told me. How can I love someone who saw me as something to be put up with? How can I love someone who left me at the first opportunity?
I don't know.

I'd stopped looking for him a couple of years ago. The only time he came up in my life was when Pete asked; "Did you see Dad?"

The number of messages from my son has increased geometrically. I am sure he is not worried about me; I am sure he's going to ask about Dad.

I don't read what he writes, just send :

"The War is between Sagir and Dalmar. As your Dad is from Molbe he's busy doing security on that planet. He is not in the war."

I pick Molbe as I've seen the movie; Passing Perfect, where this normal guy passed
as a Gennie.

I saw the movie three times.

The Security folk were posted in the Main Cargo Bay on the other side of the ship and up towards the cockpit. I was a level down and aft. The A.I. would alert me if anyone came down the level and proceeded towards me. This gave me semi run of the ship.

I went to the galley, took as much as I could carry, after filling my belly.

I packed the stuff in my vacuum box, went back to my corner, pondering how long the lockdown would stick, how long the food would last.;

How long the war playing was guesstimate.

Superboys don't broadcast and Norms stay out of Super space unless they're delivering something.

I've been on lots of Spucks that go through Super space, never saw a Super ship.
The Pirates ignore crummy boats like those I travel on.

What are they going to get? A half ton of pre-moistened towelets? Ten crates of beer? Three hundred bicycles? If the stuff was first quality or valuable it wouldn't be on any Spuck I was on.

I wondered how long we'd be at the Space Station. I couldn't see the point of it.
Wondered what was playing on Smudge.

If ships didn't land on Smudge for like three days, that was it. Smudge depends on traffic. Depends on illegal stuff bought and sold. No ship, no revenue, and the usual idler would get real hungry.

Check no more than a hand of security and a few hundred Smugees...

Had the war stopped traffic for three days? If Smudge goes, that's the end of life as I know it...