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“I’m on a yacht. I can’t get lost or disappear. Why can’t I see parts of the ship? I want to see the...
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“That is not something that our communication princess does. You don’t engage in grunt work activiti...
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“The guards can escort me and watch me.”
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“We want you to study the attendees at your cousin’s party and be ready to engage them like our prin...
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Princess Kainda boarded the yacht for her trip an hour ago.
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The yacht is not typical.
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It is large, and its designers arranged the layout so that when the main engines run, people experie...
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Engineers design ships to place the part closest to the ground downwards.
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If you can have that in space, everyone is more comfortable.
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Kainda is traveling to a distant cousin’s birthday party, but this is really a reason to get her in ...
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She is officially the family spokesperson and the communication specialist.
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She gets in front of the camera, smiling and putting people at ease.
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Kainda hates her life.
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Every move is managed and controlled.
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She wants to explore and learn, which means she eludes her guards and stays hidden.
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This causes her aunt, who has been responsible for raising her, to want to keep her more confined.
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Trade negotiations will follow her in a few days after Kainda gives everyone insights into the situa...
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She is the best person to read other people’s non-verbal communication.
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The negotiating team will know what to avoid and what to focus on.
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That ability also makes her a formidable poker player.
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Most people who know her will not play poker with her.
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The exception is her personal guard.
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They play with her for two reasons.
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First, they know where she is.
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She is not sneaking off if they are playing.
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The second reason is that she helps the guards get better.
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When the guards are better players, she has more fun challenges.
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The primary reason guards sign up to be her personal guards is that it enhances their skills as poke...
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Her former guards usually do well at playing poker tournaments.
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Right now, Princess Kainda wants to explore the new yacht, but has been told no. She is glaring at t...
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After reviewing the guest list, her personal guards escorted her to her cabin.
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The guards will be there all night, so she can’t sneak out like she does in the palace.
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On the way to her cabin, she asks the lead guard,
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“Can you take me on a tour of some of the ship?”
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He replies,
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“We have strict orders to keep you away from the ship systems. The concern is that you may be involv...
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Several hours later, Princess Kainda hears an alarm.
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A service robot, Kainda, named Niñera, enters her room with an emergency space suit.
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“Princess, please put this on quickly.”
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“What is happening?”
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“We are under attack by pirates. We should be okay, but we need you in an emergency suit for caution...
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Kainda was asleep in her shirt and shorts when the robot rushed in.
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She didn’t have time to get into a suit of thermal layer clothing.
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Niñera says,
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“You must hurry, Princess.”
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She can feel and hear the ship getting hit by something.
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She has no experience and doesn’t know what is happening.
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“Can you tell me what is going on? Why is the ship jerking?”
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The robot replies,
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“That is laser cannon fire hitting the ship.”
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The ship jerks again, causing Kainda to let go of her handhold.
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Niñera says,
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“Princess, let me help.”
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The ship shifts, causing Kainda to float into the wall.
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“Now, what is happening?”
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As she says this, there is a roar, and Niñera says,
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“The captain is changing course, and that was a missile he is firing at the pirates.
As Niñera help...
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Sealing the suit, the robot picks up the helmet.
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Kainda quickly puts her long, red hair into a low bun to fit it into the helmet, with the robot assi...
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She can hear fighting outside her cabin when the wall next to her disappears, blown into space.
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The air leaking out around the helmet is making noise.
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She grabs the helmet seal to finish closing it.
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She is in space, tumbling, looking at the yacht she was just on, getting hit by laser cannon fire.
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Slowly tumbling through space, she sees the service robot Niñera tumbling as well.
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She can’t do anything to stop her movement.
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Looking around, she thinks,
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“Well, I’m not trapped in my cabin. I don’t have anywhere to go.”
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She isn’t concerned about floating in space.
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Someone is always looking for her.
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Someone will find her to return her to her room, where she will wait for the next event.
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The youngest and third in line for the throne, she has become the face of her family, seen on vids a...
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Her oldest brother, Kabir, is technically the new king, and they have scheduled the coronation.
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Her other brother, Adric, collaborates with industry professionals to ensure the success of their Al...
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Kainda has no control over her life, except when she can sneak away or at public events as the commu...
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At twenty-three, she has become good at smiling, putting people at ease, and she can tell when they ...
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She sees the galaxy slowly rotating before her.
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Her little sector of space on the spiral arm of the galaxy has a magnificent view.
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It just has too many pirates.
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The emergency suit works as expected.
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But without the undergarment thermal underlayer, she is getting cold and shivers.
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<<<>>>
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The ship Deal Hunter is in the Albert system to trade parts salvaged from another pirate battle two ...
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The ship detected four fighters in formation, which could mean a salvage opportunity.
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When the fighters turn off their identification transponders, the battle will be in this area of the...
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Deal Hunter moves into the outer fringe of the recent battle.
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From the radar signals of the debris, it looks like several fighters attacked a large yacht.
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The yacht is adrift in space with large holes in the side caused by laser cannon fire.
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Missiles from the yacht also destroyed two fighters.
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Missiles would only be on a royal or extremely wealthy family’s yacht.
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That means the salvage could be very lucrative.
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There was some communication during the battle.
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This helped Deal Hunter pinpoint the location faster.
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Now the radio is quiet.
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There should be an emergency broadcast from the yacht.
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The emergency signals should start sending automatically.
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No emergency signal can only mean sabotage.
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The ship sets course for the edge of the battlefield, scanning for and selecting the most lucrative ...
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Someone from a salvage guild will find this battle and call for everyone else in the guild.
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The area will soon swarm with salvagers.
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Everyone will claim salvage rights to everything they can find.
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Deal Hunter is independent and must get whatever she can before the others arrive.
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The battle covered millions of cubic meters.
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The radar scan finds part of a fighter.
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Deal Hunter changes course, bypassing several ship parts.
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The prize is the back section of a fighter with a pirate insignia of the Vamps pirate clan.
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A simple insignia of a round face with eyes and a flat mouth featuring fangs.
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The fighter received a missile from the yacht directly in the front section.
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The explosion destroyed the main CPU, navigation, and the pilot.
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Left in the back section are the most valuable parts that Deal Hunter wants for salvage.
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There are four quantum drive thrust engines, a military-grade fusion reactor, and a long-range jump ...
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In the frenzy, there is no time to dismantle the fighter for parts.
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Robots come out of the ship using jet packs and maneuver the fighter onto the top rear section of th...
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The only way to secure the fighter is to weld loops onto it and attach cables.
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Anyone watching this process would see robots swarming over the fighter like ants.
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If there were air to transmit noise, everyone would hear the banging, welding, and clanking of robot...
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As soon as they have it secured, the ship moves to other items identified on the radar.
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The fighter is the major prize, but they will gather as much as possible before others take it.
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The primary salvage the ship is looking for is fighter components, robot parts, and ship electronic ...
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After several hours, there are now fourteen robots in the cargo hold.
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They have also collected dozens of handheld devices, emergency equipment, and the rear of the fighte...
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The area around the yacht now has dozens of salvage ships.
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There is constant talking on the radio.
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The discussion includes debating salvage claims for parts of the ship.
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Deal Hunter turns toward another path that could have more fighter parts.
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The ship will leave the area instead of fighting with the other salvagers.
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The risk of getting shot up over salvage is not a good bargain in this sector.
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This last search area is probably the area of the first hull breach.
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The area could hold good surprises for salvage.
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Radar shows nothing of interest, but multiple humanoid forms are visible.
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Some forms are biological, but Deal Hunter must get close to determine if they are robots to salvage...
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The salvage guild will stay away from the area to make sure all biologicals have died.
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Space common law is to help biologicals in any emergency.
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The salvager’s perspective is that they will have fewer issues with salvage when the biologicals are...
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Every human figure that the ship passes has no spacesuit.
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They are all dead.
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Salvagers will search the bodies for any credits or information.
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There are old stories of finding secret business plans on a body.
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The kind of insider information that can make someone rich.
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Every story ends with one of two results.
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The first is a salvager receiving millions of credits as a reward.
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The second result is the salvager disappearing forever.
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After moving through the area, Deal Hunter picks up two more robots and more robot parts.
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The ship changes course to exit the system.
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It will take several thousand kilometers to escape the debris area and perform a safe jump using the...
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The engines power up and move when, on the emergency frequency, a voice is heard.
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It sounds female, simply saying,
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“Help me, please.”
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Space suit emergency beacons have a long range.
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This message is a low-power voice communication.
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No one else would have heard the signal in this debris field with all the salvagers talking.
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Like the yacht, the automatic beacon is disabled.
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Custom and space law is to help anyone in an emergency; however, this was a war battle with fighters...
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Helping anyone could be dangerous.
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This person has disabled their emergency beacon.
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Salvagers will avoid the area if they hear a signal.
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This person will die if Deal Hunter does nothing.
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The ship powers down its engines, but because of the initial start, it remains in motion.
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The voice calls again,
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“Help me, please.”
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After several seconds, the reverse engines engage, bringing the ship to a halt.
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It then pivots on the vertical axis to point toward the signal.
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The engines fire for a few seconds, moving the ship toward the signal.
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As the ship approaches, the front cargo hold door opens, and three robots jump into space using thei...
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They return with a figure in an emergency spacesuit and enter the hold.
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Deal Hunter operates with no atmosphere in most of the ship areas during salvage operations.
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The robots enter the cargo hold and proceed to the crew area on the second deck.
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They take the unconscious figure and place the person on the table in the galley.
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To keep the person in place, the emergency suit has magnets in several locations.
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When the suit is placed on the table, the magnets snap to the table.
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Three robots leave, and another robot appears.
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This robot is smaller, at about 150 cm, with long, slender fingers.
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The robot checks the suit’s wrist computer, which shows that one percent of air is available.
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Before the helmet can be removed, the air pressure must be restored.
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The ship beeps when the air pressure reaches 85 kPa, meaning a human can breathe.
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The robot removes the helmet and scans the person.
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She is a young woman with straight red hair.
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After the robot confirms she is breathing, it checks other vital signs.
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Her pulse is 56 and her respirations are 12.
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Her body temperature is thirty-five degrees Celsius.
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She needs to warm up, but they don’t have time to let her follow the typical process.
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After another minute, the air pressure is over 90kPa.
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The robot touches her arm and says,
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“Hello.”
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There is no response, so the robot creates a loud alarm sound, touching her arm again.
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Her breathing changes.
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Her eyes flutter open, and she licks her lips, then swallows.
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She asks,
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“What ship is this?”
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188
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The robot responds,
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“You are on the Deal Hunter.”
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190
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“Is there a rescue ship in the area looking for me?”
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191
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“There are no rescue ships in the area. We need to leave before the salvagers or pirates attack us. ...
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192
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She sits up, disengaging the magnets.
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193
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Looking around, she sees a dusty galley that appears unused for years.
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194
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The robot wants her to go through a door.
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195
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Her body temperature is low enough that her body has stopped shivering.
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196
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Because of hypothermia, she is confused and slow.
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She needs help to move and warm her core body temperature.
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198
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The robot takes her arm and pushes her, causing her to float toward the door.
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199
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Past the door is a crew area with four seats.
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200
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The robot is helping her to the nearest seat.
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201
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It says the ship’s temperature is being increased to help her recover.
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202
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As soon as she sits, the ship’s lift engines start, which makes her feel as if the down direction is...
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203
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The ship is using its lift thrusters to create artificial gravity as the robot moves to another chai...
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204
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As soon as the robot is in its seat, the rear engines roar, and she is slammed into the seat as the ...
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205
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The pressure keeps building.
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206
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This is more thrust than she has ever experienced in her life.
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207
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Breathing is hard.
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208
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She is about to yell about the situation when she feels the ship jerk to the right and hears a thump...
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209
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She is trying to breathe.
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210
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Is this a pirate attack like the yacht or worse?
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211
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The robot says,
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212
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“That was a missile trying to disable our engines. Hold on.”
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213
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The ship accelerates harder.
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214
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She knows they are accelerating hard to escape.
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215
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Her chest is so heavy she can’t get air into her lungs from the acceleration.
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216
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She sees her side vision darken, like looking through a tunnel.
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217
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She can only see the seat with the robot.
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218
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The robot is telling her something about high acceleration, and she is going to pass out.
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<<<>>>
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220
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Kainda hears clanking and banging noises.
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221
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Opening her eyes, the robot is standing next to her, waiting.
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222
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“You have been unconscious for 11 minutes. We accelerated at 12.3 times standard before we jumped ou...
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223
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“Why did you accelerate that hard? Protocol is not to exceed ten times standard with biologicals on ...
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224
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“We had three missiles locked onto us, and we needed to get to an area away from the debris field to...
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225
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Kainda shivers.
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226
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She is gritting her teeth to prevent them from chattering.
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227
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“I’m alive, not stuck in my room, but where?”
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228
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“Where are we?”
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229
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“In deep space, working on repairs and reconfiguration of the ship. It will take several hours. I do...
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230
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“Do you have a name, robot?”
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231
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“You can call me Support Robot 74532 if you like.”
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232
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“How about the name Nanny?”
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233
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“As you wish. What is your name?”
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234
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“I am Princess Kainda Walters Foster Murphy. You may address me as ‘Princess.’”
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235
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“Yes, Princess. I need your suit, please.”
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236
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The ship is stationary; there is no thrust, so there is no artificial weight or gravity.
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237
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She unbuckles the belt and removes the suit.
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238
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With only robots, she doesn’t feel any concern about modesty.
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239
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They rushed her to put on the emergency suit, so she is wearing a T-shirt and shorts.
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240
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As she is removing the suit, she asks,
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241
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“How many people are on the ship?”
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242
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“The captain is on the bridge. We have no other biologicals on board. This section of the ship is pr...
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243
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Through shivering and chattering teeth, she says,
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244
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“Please express my thanks to the captain. I would like to thank him or her in person. I am sure ther...
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245
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“Yes, Princess. The captain is very busy directing repairs. He wants to get you home as soon as poss...
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246
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“You mean off his ship.”
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247
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“Yes, Princess. I will get you water. It is pure water, ship-generated from hydrogen and oxygen.”
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248
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“You don’t have clothes. Do you have food?”
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249
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“We have ration packs. The ship is not set up for royal passengers. Princess, it would help if we kn...
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250
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“I was going to the Konrad home system. A distant cousin is having a birthday, and I was supposed to...
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251
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“That is much further than your home system, so our best option is to get you back to your home syst...
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252
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After drinking warm water, the princess sits in the boost chair shivering, and after a few minutes, ...
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253
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Nanny takes her suit to replenish the air supply, then returns and waits.
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254
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After two hours, the ship lowers the temperature in the crew area from forty to thirty-five degrees ...
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255
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The princess’s body temperature has improved, but the ship won’t take the temperature to twenty-five...
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256
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<<<>>>
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257
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Deal Hunter is an old ship.
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258
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It was first launched over 450 years ago.
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259
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Because it is a small freighter, it can land at smaller stations and move around without attracting ...
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260
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The original configuration was a cuboid.
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261
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Thrust engines in the back, lift engines in the front and back, maneuvering thrusters all around.
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262
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A front-opening door gives a ramp and access to the cargo hold.
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263
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The flight deck and crew area are above everything like a second deck, making it look ugly but funct...
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264
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They have upgraded, repaired, and refitted the ship countless times.
|
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265
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Some changes were at shipyards, but most were from salvaging wrecked ships.
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266
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Using what you can find means the ship looks very different from the original design.
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267
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The original cuboid had small nacelles on each side that contained engines.
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268
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Now the nacelles are larger with more engines, more power, and some storage.
|
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269
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The nacelles extend down the back third of the ship on each side.
|
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270
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Over time, every part of the electronic equipment has been replaced, and many of the mechanical part...
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271
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The two most recognizable parts of the original design are the bridge and the large cargo door.
|
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272
|
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With the materials salvaged from this recent battle, the ship can complete several modifications.
|
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273
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The most important thing comes from the fighter they salvaged.
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274
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It had four powerful engines, a military-grade fusion reactor, a longer-range jump drive, and one wo...
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275
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They reprogrammed the functional robots salvaged from the yacht.
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276
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They are now ship robots.
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|
277
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The robots are in two crews.
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278
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One group is dismantling the fighter.
|
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279
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The other is dismantling the back of the Deal Hunter.
|
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|
280
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After an hour of work, all that remains of the fighter are parts that are put into the ship’s hold, ...
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281
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|
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They removed the frame from the ship and will leave it in space.
|
|
|
282
|
|
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Deal Hunter now has four additional engines.
|
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|
283
|
|
|
Two engines provide rear thrust, and the other two provide lift thrust.
|
|
|
284
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|
|
With the longer-range jump drive they salvaged, the ship’s range is now fifty light years.
|
|
|
285
|
|
|
No one would expect Deal Hunter to have that range.
|
|
|
286
|
|
|
The old twenty-five light year jump drive will now be traded.
|
|
|
287
|
|
|
They added the fighter fusion reactor to the port nacelle, providing additional power needed for the...
|
|
|
288
|
|
|
Finally, they mounted the laser cannon in the port nacelle and covered it.
|
|
|
289
|
|
|
They changed the starboard nacelle to resemble the original and will accommodate a future laser cann...
|
|
|
290
|
|
|
The front of the cannon has a cover that can be opened to fire the cannon, which prevents observers ...
|
|
|
291
|
|
|
This is the largest upgrade Deal Hunter has had in many years.
|
|
|
292
|
|
|
The ship can now lift almost twice as much cargo, jump farther, and won’t have issues with power dur...
|
|
|
293
|
|
|
<<<>>>
|
|
|
294
|
|
|
After three hours, Princess Kainda wakes up, drinks some water, and looks around.
|
|
|
295
|
|
|
The princess is unaware of all the changes that have been happening.
|
|
|
296
|
|
|
She still hears noises from the ship repairs and configuration changes.
|
|
|
297
|
|
|
She asks,
|
|
|
298
|
|
|
“This is an old ship. Can you tell me what is happening with the ship?”
|
|
|
299
|
|
|
“We are doing some upgrades based on what we salvaged. It will make the ship more maneuverable and b...
|
|
|
300
|
|
|
After half an hour, she is bored and complains to Nanny,
|
|
|
301
|
|
|
“When are we going to move? Is there something I can do? Why can’t I see the captain?”
|
|
|
302
|
|
|
“Princess, we should be finished with repairs soon. Your body temperature is almost back to normal. ...
|
|
|
303
|
|
|
“I’m fine. Can I look around the ship?”
|
|
|
304
|
|
|
“You can see this area, the crew bunks, and the galley. You need to stay in the crew area. The cargo...
|
|
|
305
|
|
|
“Where are you taking me?”
|
|
|
306
|
|
|
“We will be jumping to the Albert system, your family territory, and then find a station or ship to ...
|
|
|
307
|
|
|
“You know who I am. You know how important my family is?”
|
|
|
308
|
|
|
“Yes, Princess. Your family is powerful and very dangerous.”
|
|
|
309
|
|
|
“Why do you say that?”
|
|
|
310
|
|
|
“You were on a luxury yacht with no emergency transponder working, no calls for help. Your emergency...
|
|
|
311
|
|
|
“What! That is crazy. My family attacked the yacht. Do you know if anyone else survived?”
|
|
|
312
|
|
|
“No, we don’t. You are the only known survivor. There were multiple bodies in space.”
|
|
|
313
|
|
|
She says,
|
|
|
314
|
|
|
“Is this real? My brothers don’t care about me. Who would want me dead and why? You’re telling me so...
|
|
|
315
|
|
|
“We are not speculating about who attacked you. You will need to determine that information yourself...
|
|
|
316
|
|
|
<<<>>>
|
|
|
317
|
|
|
As Deal Hunter lands from the jump, Nanny is telling the princess about what will happen.
|
|
|
318
|
|
|
“The cargo area or exit of the ship is not pressurized. This section will be depressurized, allowing...
|
|
|
319
|
|
|
“They will stop if I talk to them.”
|
|
|
320
|
|
|
“Given recent events, that is a perilous strategy. The captain will drop you, and we will leave. The...
|
|
|
321
|
|
|
“If this is a high risk for you, why is it safe for me?”
|
|
|
322
|
|
|
“The cruiser has been sending messages looking for survivors. They have requested that salvage ships...
|
|
|
323
|
|
|
After the ship depressurized, Nanny took the princess to the hold.
|
|
|
324
|
|
|
There is a chair attached to the floor for her to sit on.
|
|
|
325
|
|
|
When Nanny straps her in, the ship moves.
|
|
|
326
|
|
|
Nanny tells her before her helmet sealed,
|
|
|
327
|
|
|
“We will stay under four standard accelerations until you leave.”
|
|
|
328
|
|
|
Deal Hunter approaches the cruiser at four times standard acceleration.
|
|
|
329
|
|
|
This is what Kainda is familiar with as hard acceleration.
|
|
|
330
|
|
|
She can’t lift her arms and can barely breathe.
|
|
|
331
|
|
|
While still out of range of the cruiser’s big guns, two fighters launch and head toward the ship.
|
|
|
332
|
|
|
Deal Hunter cuts the engines but does not decelerate.
|
|
|
333
|
|
|
Three robots float up to Kainda as the main door opens.
|
|
|
334
|
|
|
Nanny unbuckles her belts, and the three robots stand around Kainda.
|
|
|
335
|
|
|
They grab her and interlock their arms around her.
|
|
|
336
|
|
|
Together they jump out of the hold door and, using the jet packs, head toward the cruiser.
|
|
|
337
|
|
|
Deal Hunter fires the engines to decelerate and get away from the group.
|
|
|
338
|
|
|
The fighters call out,
|
|
|
339
|
|
|
“Identify yourself.”
|
|
|
340
|
|
|
Deal Hunter spins around, starting the main engines immediately.
|
|
|
341
|
|
|
The ship accelerates quickly and is soon traveling faster than the fighters and their biological pil...
|
|
|
342
|
|
|
As soon as the ship aligns with a jump solution, it jumps away.
|
|
|
343
|
|
|
Both fighters immediately turn toward the bundle of four heading toward the cruiser.
|
|
|
344
|
|
|
The lead pilot gets close enough and radios to the cruiser,
|
|
|
345
|
|
|
“We have three robots and a person in an emergency suit. The robots are not armed and are trying to ...
|
|
|
346
|
|
|
There is an immediate reply from the ship,
|
|
|
347
|
|
|
“If they don’t turn to decelerate when needed, you shoot them.”
|
|
|
348
|
|
|
“Roger.”
|
|
|
349
|
|
|
At the expected point, the robots shift and spin around their jet packs, which are now decelerating ...
|
|
|
350
|
|
|
Their jetpacks will only produce twice the standard acceleration, so it takes several minutes to mak...
|
|
|
351
|
|
|
During this time, a shuttle launches from the cruiser.
|
|
|
352
|
|
|
As it approaches, they hear the princess on the radio.
|
|
|
353
|
|
|
“Hello, this is Princess Kainda Murphy.”
|
|
|
354
|
|
|
Shocked, the ship’s command crew hears the captain yell,
|
|
|
355
|
|
|
“Get the princess on board!”
|
|
|
356
|
|
|
<<<>>>
|
|
|
357
|
|
|
The shuttle pulls up close to the robot group and matches their speed.
|
|
|
358
|
|
|
With jet packs off, the group drifts on its original course.
|
|
|
359
|
|
|
The shuttle door opens, and the robots push the princess toward the door.
|
|
|
360
|
|
|
When the princess is on board, one of the crew members looks toward the robots to gesture to them on...
|
|
|
361
|
|
|
The three robots have all stopped and powered down.
|
|
|
362
|
|
|
They don’t respond to radio commands.
|
|
|
363
|
|
|
The crew member uses a security line, jumps out, and grabs all three robots.
|
|
|
364
|
|
|
With the door closed, they pressurize the shuttle.
|
|
|
365
|
|
|
The crewman nods to the princess, and she takes off her helmet.
|
|
|
366
|
|
|
“Welcome aboard, Princess. We will have you on the cruiser in a few minutes.”
|
|
|
367
|
|
|
The crewman has secured the robots and is reporting.
|
|
|
368
|
|
|
“The robots are all wiped. They have no information and will need a complete factory software reload...
|
|
|
369
|
|
|
Kainda asks,
|
|
|
370
|
|
|
“Where is the ship that brought me? Did you fire on that ship?”
|
|
|
371
|
|
|
“The ship jumped away as soon as you were on your way.”
|
|
|
372
|
|
|
“Did anyone fire on that ship?”
|
|
|
373
|
|
|
“No, Princess.”
|
|
|
374
|
|
|
“Good. What is the cruiser ship’s name and who is the captain?”
|
|
|
375
|
|
|
“Are you hurt, Princess?”
|
|
|
376
|
|
|
“No, answer my question.”
|
|
|
377
|
|
|
“We are on the cruiser ‘Adventure Bound.’ The captain is Willamina Wake.”
|
|
|
378
|
|
|
“When we get on board, I want a change of clothes, something to eat, and then I want to talk to the ...
|
|
|
379
|
|
|
“Princess, we must take you to sickbay for an evaluation. Did they not feed you?”
|
|
|
380
|
|
|
“I can change and eat in sick bay. They didn’t feed me. There is nothing appropriate for a princess ...
|
|
|
381
|
|
|
The doctor is frustrated with Kainda an hour later.
|
|
|
382
|
|
|
“Princess, I don’t know what you are talking about.”
|
|
|
383
|
|
|
“I want a scan. I want you to tell me if there is a tracker implanted in my body. Check everything.”
|
|
|
384
|
|
|
The captain walks into the sickbay.
|
|
|
385
|
|
|
“Princess, I am Captain Wake. Are you concerned that the salvagers implanted something into your bod...
|
|
|
386
|
|
|
“No, I am not concerned about the salvagers. Not at all. I want to speak with you in private. We wil...
|
|
|
387
|
|
|
“Yes, Princess. You should put on a ship jumpsuit.”
|
|
|
388
|
|
|
She takes the crewman’s offered jumpsuit and puts it on.
|
|
|
389
|
|
|
The captain says,
|
|
|
390
|
|
|
“We can get a valet robot assigned to help you.”
|
|
|
391
|
|
|
“I’ve never had a personal valet in my life,”
|
|
|
392
|
|
|
she says as she zips up the jumpsuit.
|
|
|
393
|
|
|
Looking at the doctor, she says,
|
|
|
394
|
|
|
“I will be back for that scan.”
|
|
|
395
|
|
|
They float toward the captain’s ready room.
|
|
|
396
|
|
|
Less agitated now, Kainda looks at the captain and shifts into communication princess mode.
|
|
|
397
|
|
|
She sees the captain is older than her by probably ten years, about the same height, with a more mus...
|
|
|
398
|
|
|
Her hair is in a bun.
|
|
|
399
|
|
|
“Sorry to be a bother, Captain. The pirates made a mess of the yacht and my travel to an event.”
|
|
|
400
|
|
|
They exchange pleasantries as they float through the corridors to the ready room.
|
|
|
401
|
|
|
In the captain’s ready room, the captain follows the protocol of having a royal princess on board.
|
|
|
402
|
|
|
She offers her food and drink, as well as a comfortable chair, but she is unsure of what is going on...
|
|
|
403
|
|
|
“Captain, do you have any detailed reports of the yacht attack?”
|
|
|
404
|
|
|
“No, Princess. We were told your yacht was attacked and asked to look for you.”
|
|
|
405
|
|
|
“I want you to investigate what happened. I do not want you reporting anything to command without ta...
|
|
|
406
|
|
|
“Princess, what is going on?”
|
|
|
407
|
|
|
“The salvagers told me the yacht had no transponder running, that the fighters who attacked the ship...
|
|
|
408
|
|
|
“That is very serious, Princess.”
|
|
|
409
|
|
|
“I know that. Now I’m thinking this is a mistake. I should have stayed with the salvagers.”
|
|
|
410
|
|
|
“Why are you concerned about a tracker?”
|
|
|
411
|
|
|
“I’m never left alone, always watched. After the yacht attack, I think I am being tracked. No, this ...
|
|
|
412
|
|
|
“Princess, nothing will happen to you on my ship. You have my word.”
|
|
|
413
|
|
|
“Thank you, Captain.”
|
|
|
414
|
|
|
<<<>>>
|
|
|
415
|
|
|
The doctor is running the scanner over her body.
|
|
|
416
|
|
|
Kainda is thinking while she must lie still.
|
|
|
417
|
|
|
“Who is trying to kill me? Is this why I’m watched and confined all the time, to protect me, because...
|
|
|
418
|
|
|
“Princess, we have completed a full scan. There are no implants, trackers, or anything else implante...
|
|
|
419
|
|
|
says the ship’s doctor.
|
|
|
420
|
|
|
“Thank you, Doctor.”
|
|
|
421
|
|
|
The duty nurse asks,
|
|
|
422
|
|
|
“Princess, you seemed very concerned that the salvagers implanted something.”
|
|
|
423
|
|
|
“I am not concerned about the salvagers. I am concerned that someone else is tracking me. The salvag...
|
|