(yeah, I didn't mean it as any sort of attack or anything, I was just sort of thinking about ship building, and the idea of putting a 10 mile long ship through Trial runs seemed like an espescially daunting task.)
He finished jotting down notes on his PDA and flipped the cover closed.
"Thank you very much Mr. Stacey, you have been very helpful. I will be sure to contact you as soon as I am ready to begin shipment."
"Excellent. I look forward to it. Until then, goodbye, Mr. Benkhe"
Captain Pharris watched the man walk out of the bar. The last of his meetings.
Unfortunately, building the ship was going to be a lot more expensive than he had planned. The trouble was that the UNS Navy had recently begun a complete overhaul of their fleet. they were refitting all their old ships, building entirely new spacedocks and dozens of new ships. The Navy was buying up all the parts and equipment they could, commercially available parts were sub standard at best, unnacceptable for use in a combat ship. He had tried his contacts within the Navy, but the parts were in such demand that the navy was keeping careful tabs on all of their materials, and getting the parts illegally would be prohibitively expensive and risky. He looked back over the design proposals, and their proposed pricetags. The cheapest would cost over twelve Billion credits to build useing UNS parts and equipment at a reputable shipyard. Unacceptable. He could have built ten similar ships for that much anywhere else, if only he had the contacts with other races.
He had taken many very important missions from people very high up in almost all of the major races. Unfortunately most his actions were only known about by the highest government officials, and since he was on several wanted lists, most races were required by law to treat him(at least outwardly) as a space pirate and a dangerous criminal. If contacted in all but the most private circumstances, most of these leaders would disavow any and all connection with him, and most foreign police forces would recognize him on sight, he could only really blend in with other humans.
He looked at the price sheets again, and called up statements from several anonymous bank accounts. For a simple Pirate, Pharris had quite a fortune. At one point he had had over 90 billion credits to his name. Unfortunately, he had invested more than half of into the technology aboard the Barbarossa, which was worth more by itself than an entire fleet of carriers. Now it was all gone. He had lived on the Barbarossa since he was twelve. He had risen to command at twenty three. For nineteen years it had been his home and his life. Now he was about to spend whatever he had left on a new boat that wasn't worth half of what he was going to have to pay for it. Unfortunately, he didn't really have much of a choice. He hit a selection on the electronic menu, and a drink appeared in the dispenser. Pharris took it and was about to drink himself to oblivion when someone appeared at his table.
"Can I sit down?"
It was the Nijayias who had been hanging around the end of the bar. He spoke quietly in an insistant whisper.
"Fine. What would you like to talk about, mr..."
"I represent Admiral Darkk, I believe the two of you have crossed paths at one time or another."
"I know him, but please, continue..."
Pharris wondered why the Nijayais would be interested in his services, but more importantly, he wanted to know how this guy had found him, despite his false papers...
"We would like your assistance in a matter of grave importance."
Pharris looked at the Nijayais blankly. News of the Barbarossa's destruction had spread across the galaxy faster than the ships carrying it. The Nijayais saw the stare, and immediately added:
"no no! Captain Pharris, we are willing to provide a shi-"
The simple verbal slip had half of the heads in the bar turned on the two men in the booth. Pharris cursed, slumping down in his chair as if it would hide him.
"We have to leave. Right now. I have a shuttle parked on the far wing of the station. Hurry up or we're dead"
He got up, dragging the poor messenger behind him. They walked through the main atrium, and onto the long hallway that connected the two wings of the spaceport. Already he noticed people following him. He broke into a run, pushing people out of his way as he ran down the walkway. Suddenly, several police officers turned the corner ahead of him. Several drew their guns, yelling "Freeze!!"
Pharris turned as if to run, but turned through a doorway, pulling the Nijiyas with him as the Police began shooting wildly. A long way off, at the other end of the hallway, he could see more cops running towards the fray. The crowd was all on the floor, screaming. The Nijayais messenger screamed over the shrieks of the blasters:
"Do something!! Where's your gun!?"
Pharris growled at him:
"I don't have one you idiot! I'm here on a fake passport, trying to be discreet. Guns tend to be a little conspicuous, don't you think? Come on, we have to get out of here!"
Pharris dragged him through the room and the next, and out into the atrium of the docking wing. He ran into the short term docking hangar, and Pharris pulled the Nijiyais into his rented shuttle. Pharris Revved the engines, and sped out of the Hangar.
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