The Aeris broke out of hyperspace, entering the Res system. Liam sat back in his seat, relieved. Sixteen hours ago, they had entered the NGC-6520 system. And into a Pirate Kestrel. Liam had nearly fallen asleep at the helm when the ship had suddenly sounded alert. Cursing, Liam had come fully awake and took evasive actions. It had taken fifteen minutes to evade ordinance from the damnable fighters before jumping again. And his passenger had slept through the entire thing.

An automated beckon sent a message to the blockade runner: Welcome to Griffin Freeport! Our Prices Have Never Been Lower! The young captain just ignored the message.

Opening a channel to Griffin Freeport, Liam spoke. "Griffin Freeport, this the S.S. Aeris out of Levo requesting clearance to dock, over"

The response was instant, as a booming voice replied. "We read you, Aeris. Welcome Res system. Sorry Captain, but you may have to wait a while. We're short on space. We'll have a docking bay open for you shortly."

"Roger, Freeport. We'll be waiting for your signal. Over and Out." Liam took a deep breath then got up, heading for the door. He needed something to eat. It had been a long trip.

Heading down the corridors, Liam reached the mess hall. One of the best things about having this ship to himself was the free space in the mess hall. Liam had once served aboard a starglidder for three weeks as a security officer before the ship was destroyed and the worst thing about it was the mess hall. Whenever the Aeris carried passengers, the mess was light with only a few or no people in the room.

As the door opened with a whoosh, Liam's eyes grew round. The mess hall was in a disarray, with food and plates scattered all over one of the back tables, while many glasses covered every other table, some empty, some half full. Liam entered the room and crossed over to one of the tables and reached out for one the half-full glasses. Sniffing the contents, he soon regretted it. A sour smell emitted from the glass and the young captain knew what it was. Liscan Brandy, a strong drink that also smelled awful. Not many places offered it, and Liam understood why.

Cursing, Liam thunked the glass down and forced himself to remain calm. He knew Monroe had been here. Who else could it have been. During the last two weeks, Jim had been a great royal pain. First he had complained that the quarters he had received were to small, so Liam had to move him into the best room available, which he reserved for special occasions. Then he had started using the only holodeck on the ship most of the time. He didn't recycle his replicator dishes, he was rude, messy and nosy. On one occasion, Liam had found him opening a bottle of Risan wine, his Risan wine. It was the only bottle he had, and it had cost him nearly nine-hundred credits to get it.

Liam was a calm and understanding person by nature, but Monroe began to thin even his patience. Liam took a deep breath and calmed down. He went over to the replicator and hit the console near it. He pulled up the records on replicator and saw that nearly fifteen liters of Liscan brandy had been replicated. He just grinned.

Looking around, the captain saw his passenger sitting at a table in the far end of the mess, his head face down on the top in a pool of his drool. Walking over, Liam shook his head at the pitiful sight and then shook him awake. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty. Hope you had a nice rest."

Monroe groaned in his sleep and grumbled, "Five more minutes, ma. I'm more tired then Van Winkle."

Grinning some more, Liam walked to the replicator once more and ordered a plate of eggs and bacon. After a few seconds, the meal materialized. Taking it over to the only table clean, Liam sat down. There was one thing that Liam knew most about Liscan was that it gave the drinker one rather nasty hang-over. Not to mention the fact that it enhanced the hearing of that one by three fold.

"Computer, select classic musical Minri Linori and play it in the mess hall on my mark. At max output." Taking a bite of his eggs, Liam leaned back in his chair and smiled. Swallowing, he said, "Mark!"

Sounds filled the hall like a roaring water fall, causing the tables to rattle. Then a single voice took over. It was the voice of Minri Linori, a famous singer of the late 21st century who sung Irish and Scottish music, and was herself an Irish woman. Liam was collector of this music and collected it when he had the chance and listened to it in much of his spare time. But that wasn't the reason he accessed it.

The music blared many times in the hall, but Liam ignored it, eating his meal and watching Monroe. Jim awoke and jumped backwards, falling back as his chair leaned to far back. Hitting the ground, he rose holding his hands over his ears, trying in vain to block the sound. He suddenly shouted, barely hearable, "Computer, turn that damn noise off. Now!"

The music stopped in mid-stanza, letting out one last word before turning off. By the time Monroe came fully to his senses, he heard laughing. Glancing around, he saw a laughing Liam pounding the table with one fist and holding his side with the other and tears were streaming down his face. It took a few seconds for Liam to calm down again, and when the captain looked up, he saw Monroe glaring at him with amazement.

Still chuckling, Liam got up and wiped his mouth with a napkin, took his plate over to the replicator and recycled his plate. Then looking over to his passenger, he simply said, "Time to get up. You also might want to get dressed, too."

Monroe gave him a dirty look and brushed off his clothes. "That was for the holodeck, wasn't it."

"Actually, that was for the mess you made in here, but now that you mention it, yes. After you finish cleaning up in here, you might want to get dressed. We dock in with Griffin Freeport in fifteen minutes. I know I wouldn't be dressed like some cheap drunk when I'm about to be debriefed."

Monroe's eyes went wide. "We're here already! Damn it. I'll have this place cleaned up in two minutes. Sorry about the mess, by the way." With that, Jim went on to clean up. Liam just nodded and walked out of the mess hall. As the door shut, he stretched and yawned. After that pirate attack, Liam had spent most of that time checking the systems. He needed some sleep.

"Welcome to Griffin Freeport, Aeris. Hope you enjoy your stay." The Aeris glided into the short-term docking bay, its thrusters slowly powering down. The egress ramp extended and the door slided up, revealing the captain and passenger. Liam looked at Monroe, who seemed glad to be home. It was hard to believe that this man had been the drunk found in the mess hall a half-hour before. Indeed, he was freshened, dressed up and clean shaven. The only discernable thing from this morning was the pale face from the drinking and the fact that he still had a hang-over. He slung his bag over his shoulder and fished into his pocket, retrieving a credit chip.

"Here's the rest of your payment, Liam. Thanks for taking me here. Saved me money buying another ship. See you around some time, maybe. Got to go." With that, Monroe headed out of the dock and onto the promenade.

Liam waved and watched as the merc went on his way. Then waving over to a young tech, asked if he could have him refuel the ship. Nodding the tech went off to do his job. Heading out of the bay, he stepped out onto the promenade himself. Three seconds later he was nearly bowled over by a pair of suits. Stepping aside, Liam looked around, utterly lost. He had never been to Freeport and therefore didn't know his way around.

Stopping a young woman he asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, but could you point me to a cafˇ. I don't know where to find one."

Smiling, she replied, "New around, eh? Well, I would try the Hijinx Cafe, a good place with good strong drink and food. Go left and walk for about five minutes, then you'll see it."

Thanking her, Liam took her directions. Surely enough he found the bar, a marvelous place. Entering he found a booth near the back of the bar and took a seat. A few minutes later, a servbot came rolling over to his table and ask for an order. "A tall glass of Palsidan Cider, please." Making an acknowledging beep, it turned around and headed for the bar. Palsidan cider was a good, strong drink that had a sweet, somewhat spiced drink. Not alcoholic either. Unclipping a vidpad from his uniform belt, he took a data crystal from his pocket and slid it into the transfer node. Downloading the info, he read the text. It was Chapter Tens to Twenty of an old book, Oliver Twist. Good book, thought Liam.

The servbot came back with a glass of cider and Liam thanked it. Bleeping again, the bot went away. Sitting back, Liam continued his reading. During the middle of the thirteenth chapter, something aroused him from his reading. It was a booming voice.

"Liam? Liam Ares? God, but its been ages since I've seen you last." The voice sounded familiar. He hadn't heard that voice in years, not since Deneb III. Looking up, he saw who he had suspected. Richard Mead.

"Rick? What the hell are you doing here. Sit down. Glad to see you again." Putting his vidpad down on the table, Liam motioned for his friend to sit down. The man did so. Richard Mead was a fair man, handsome, average height, black hair and green eyes with a calming sense that seemed to calm the ladies.

"It's good to see you, Rick. What the hell brings you here to Freeport. Last I heard, you were an exertive at Traders, Outpost. What happened? Get bored of paperwork?"

Rick chuckled. "Least I don't have to haul garbage anymore."

Motioning over a servbot, Rick ordered a synthale and then sat back.

"That was a one time deal, and it wasn't garbage. It was left over waste product. But seriously, I thought you had it made as a Guild Official."

The drink arrived and Rick took the drink, nodding to the bot. Taking a sip, he leaned back in his seat. "About three months ago, after Zaxted Starport declared independence, I was given a promotion. The Merchants Guild needed new trade deals, so I was made liaison for Griffin Tech. and the Guild. More pay, but also more work. I came here to take a break from the bloody mountain of paperwork in my office."

Liam nodded. Over three months ago, Zaxted Starport, his home world, had broken away from the Terran Empire, declaring its independence and joining of the Merchants Guild. Needless to say, the Empire wasn't too happy with the decision, as they claimed Zaxted as an Empire satellite. They had sent four destroyers and a dreadnaught to take back. Had it not been for the courage of mercenary captain, Zaxted would still be Empire held.

He was broken from his thoughts by Mead. "Enough about me; how did you end up here? Usually you stay up near the Core worlds, where business is booming. To mention the fact, how's your shuttle, the Serion? Still kicking like the rust bucket she is?"

Liam feigned hurt. "Hey, the Serion was one the best! Better than most. Actually, I got rid of it a few years back. Bought a blockade runner a year ago. Named her the Aeris. And for your information, no I don't have a crew. After my tour on the Ossais, I wanted some peace and quiet."

Mead held his cup up in mock saluted. "'tis the story of many who serve on a starglidder. Sharing cramped quarters with sloppy crewmates and the lack of replicators is a curse in itself. No better then working for the Empire, but at least its independent."

"Here, here," replied Liam. It was good to see his friend again.

Liam walked down the now calmed promenade towards the docking bay where his ship was, intent on turning in for some sleep. He had spent nearly until closing time with Rich, caching up on old times and new. It had been a good time and Liam had forgotten his need for sleep for a short while. The bar had closed a few minutes ago and Liam had grown weary again. After saying goodbye to Rick, he left for his ship.

Arriving at the docking bay, he entered and walked to his ship. Hitting a code into his wristcom, the egress ramp lowered and Liam walked up, intent on getting some sleep. No such luck.

As the captain entered his quarters, a Spartan place devoid of much decoration. Not many things marked the quarters, just some furniture and few personal effects. Liam was just about to enter his quarters room when the nearby console beeped. "Message for Capt. Ares. Do you wish to decode now?" came the computer's voice.

Letting out a groan, Liam said, "Computer, who's the message from? And yes, decode it so I can get some rest." Getting to his desk, Liam hit his screen top.

"Message is from Arsin Versan, acting liaison officer for Griffin Tech. Decoding now."

Before Liam could inquiry this, a man's face appeared on the screen. He appeared to be somewhat gaunt and most of his hair was gone with old age. Where his right was to be, there was a cybernetic implant of top quality. Grinning, he spoke.

"Captain Ares, if you have received this message so much the better. My name as you probably already know is Arsin Versan. I represent Griffin Tech's liaison, Jason Reeves. Mr. Monroe has told me much about you, and word has caught my superior's ears. I was wondering if you could do a passenger run to Clotho Prime. It will pay 200,000 credits. If you are interested, please meet me in the Hijinx Cafe tomorrow at 0800 hours. Good night, Captain."

With that, the message ended. Liam stood, awake now. Two-hundred thousand credits! He had never received that much for a passenger run. He had never received that much in a single mission. But that would have to wait. Giving the computer a command to wake him at 8:00 tomorrow morning, he dropped onto his bed, asleep before he hit.

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