Phonecall to Maia
Jun. 15th, 2006 05:26 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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fh_alumni"Look, I don't care if you're carrying the cure for the common cold, you are not getting onto this station any faster!"
Ivanova was scowling at her console.
The rest of the CnC crew were staying a safe distance away as the captain of the research craft, obviously new to the area, responded.
"Let me repeat myself. If you, or any craft you choose to sacrifice, comes anywhere close to this station or tries to cut off another ship without my express permission, I will open fire on your ship, have you arrested and brought aboard and then the fun really begins. Am I understood?"
Radio silence.
A very, very tiny assent.
"Good. Babylon Control out." She looked at Corwin. "Who's next?"
"Uh, we had a message come in on a private channel for you a while ago," Corwin said, glancing at his data pad. "I didn't recognise the code or the sender so I wasn't sure what to do with it. It's sitting on the system for you when you have a minute."
"Well, I have a minute now," Ivanova sighed, tapping a few keys on her console to bring up the message, barely audible over the crackling static and the background noises of the bridge. Her face went carefully blank and she whirled on her heel, stalking out of CnC without a backward glance.
"Captain?" Corwin gulped, starting after her.
"I have to get down to the planet," she replied shortly. "You're in charge. Don't start any shooting wars we can't win while I'm gone." And then she was gone, leaving three angry captains, a queue for the docking bays, and a trembling lieutenant.
***
Zathras took one look at her face and decided to forgo his usual chatter as he led her to the Great Machine. It was getting easier to control this thing, but she barely noticed.
"Maia, I'm here."
Ivanova was scowling at her console.
The rest of the CnC crew were staying a safe distance away as the captain of the research craft, obviously new to the area, responded.
"Let me repeat myself. If you, or any craft you choose to sacrifice, comes anywhere close to this station or tries to cut off another ship without my express permission, I will open fire on your ship, have you arrested and brought aboard and then the fun really begins. Am I understood?"
Radio silence.
A very, very tiny assent.
"Good. Babylon Control out." She looked at Corwin. "Who's next?"
"Uh, we had a message come in on a private channel for you a while ago," Corwin said, glancing at his data pad. "I didn't recognise the code or the sender so I wasn't sure what to do with it. It's sitting on the system for you when you have a minute."
"Well, I have a minute now," Ivanova sighed, tapping a few keys on her console to bring up the message, barely audible over the crackling static and the background noises of the bridge. Her face went carefully blank and she whirled on her heel, stalking out of CnC without a backward glance.
"Captain?" Corwin gulped, starting after her.
"I have to get down to the planet," she replied shortly. "You're in charge. Don't start any shooting wars we can't win while I'm gone." And then she was gone, leaving three angry captains, a queue for the docking bays, and a trembling lieutenant.
***
Zathras took one look at her face and decided to forgo his usual chatter as he led her to the Great Machine. It was getting easier to control this thing, but she barely noticed.
"Maia, I'm here."
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