[Sparrow, please observe the speed limit of 25 m/s]
"I am, my sensors read a closing speed of 24.9 m/s"
[Sparrow, slow your closing speed, fines will be immediately issued in case of collusion]
"I am not hitting anything or anyone, my girl and I have been trapped in this ship for 37 days. God have mercy on anyone standing between her and a 2-hour bath, for she shall not"
[Roger, go ahead within the indicated speed limit]
A moment passed before Luna's voice echoed out in Mark's mind
[Reeb-1 trade hub flight control tower have closed the communication line]
"Got it…"
Mark continued lining up on the hanger going just within the speed limit, in the end the route the 'big sister' had provided them with turned out to be the real thing, as the trio had finally made their way back into civilized space and arrived around 300 light-years from the rapidly expanding front line of an intergalactic war that had eaten around half of the Rulith kingdom's territory so far
'... We'll need to open up the distance even further… Thankfully, Trailblazer #3 survived so we can sell it off for some much-needed travel and supply funds'
"Mark has the ball, it's a long shot but let's see if he can pull it off, he lines up at the three point line—"
Having lined the hanger entrance up Mark spun the Sparrow around completely and flew thrusters first into the crowded hanger while using the maneuver thrusters to swerve around the other traffic before he lit the main thrusters burning them to quickly slow down as he lined up on the docking pad
"--- And it goes in, all net no bar, the crowd goes wild!"
Doing his own commentary as the Sparrow touched down Mark only just pulled his senses out of the ship before he felt a tug on his arm
"Let's go Mark, now!"
"Got it, Luna please keep watch of the boat"
[Alright, have a nice bath Mark, Lisa]
Getting pulled along by Lisa the two quickly made their way out of the Sparrow and onto the pier, ignoring the stares his landing had attached in the quite packed hanger Mark was quickly pulled along by Lisa that forged ahead on the pier wearing Mark's workout clothes he had brought from the guild and a pair of magnetic boots she got quite a few looks. However, she was far beyond caring at the moment as she matched ahead
"Come on, quickly, Mark!"
"Yes ma'am"
Moments after stepping into the station proper, Lisa pointed towards a hotel sign that had a picture of a bathtub on it and declared
"That one!"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!"
The two quickly checked in at the hotel where Lisa instantly occupied the bathroom, leaving Mark alone in the bedroom of the hotel where he laid down on the large double bed
"Man, I didn't know I needed this…"
Mark lay spread eagle on the bed for a while, simply staring into the ceiling while his mind slowly cycled down
'...'
Closing his eyes, Mark did his best to clear his head from the thoughts that had been flying around in it for a bit.
However eventually his eyes shot open again and he pulled his terminal out from his pocket and opened up a call to Luna
[Yes, what is it Mark?]
"How long will it take to unload Trailblazer #3 and refit the Sparrow?"
[...It should be done within 2 days, I am afraid I can't move any faster than the refitting services of the station]
"...Alright, could you look into a route further away from the Rulith kingdom and that 'blinded star' thing?"
[I am already putting out feelers on the hint our benefactor gave us, how much further do you want to go? Another 200 light years?]
"Yeah, there about… Now that I am rethinking it, shelve the search for the blinded star for now. Just to be extra safe"
[Alright]
Mark fell silent for a bit as he stared at a small scratch on the corner of a ceiling panel for no particular reason before he asked offhandedly
"Anything interesting going on in this system?"
[Not much. Traffic is increased because of the war in the Rulith kingdom, besides the numerous trade fluctuations and unrest from the refugees that are streaming away from the war things are mostly peaceful as the frontline have yet to reach close enough for most people to consider fleeing]
"Hmm… Maybe we should take an escort request in the guild once the refit is done? The extra credits won't hurt"
[True, given the distance we are covering, the stellar lane toll is quickly going to add up. There's also the trust issue the guild have with us at the moment, so completing a few jobs would most likely also help with that]
"Yeah… Maybe I should go visit… Yep, I'll go check in at least"
Mark knocked on the bathroom door before he opened the door slightly and called out to Lisa
"I'll go check in at the guild Lisa"
A moment passed before Mark heard the sound of water splashing and the very relaxed voice of Lisa
"Alright, see you later~"
Mark closed the door to the bathroom before he walked out of the hotel room
'Oh, thanks Luna'
Seeing the route to the local guild show up on his terminal, Mark gave a silent thanks to Luna as he walked out onto the busy streets of the station, while the station was a similar model to the Creh-2 trade hub, it felt completely different to him
'No loose panels or damaged sections, no obvious prostitution children running around playing… It's an entirely different experience… Not to mention it's not covered in the stench of greed and misery…'
"Oh..?"
Mark stopped walking as he caught a familiar smell, looking to his right he saw a busy restaurant. However, the scent he smelled from one of the private rooms in the back Mark felt his stomach rumble with hunger
'Well, shit…'
Mark grabbed the collar of a child that ran past him and dragged him back as a bullet passed through the back wall of the building and sizzled past them, a moment passed before the street descended into pandemonium as the crowd scattered
"Run off now"
Mark let go of the kid that ran off as he unstrapped his pistol and moved closer to the restaurant, brushing past the fleeing customers Mark walked into the mostly empty seating area where he found a couple of people sheltering in place
'It doesn't feel like a random shooting'
"Hey"
Mark called out to an older couple and flashed his guild card to them before and made sure the older man actually saw it along with the pistol on his hip before he spoke again
"Get out of here, I'll cover you"
"G-Got it!"
After clearing out the stragglers, Mark moved onto the private rooms in the back, in front of him was a hallway with 3 rooms on either side, Mark immediately ruled out the left side rooms as the bullet had passed through the right side wall
'Not the first room, that one is empty, then the 2nd room…'
Mark drew his pistol and checked the chamber as he inched closer to the closed room, taking a moment to smell out the occupants Mark turned his back towards the side of the door and kicked in the door with a back kick before he spun around and cleared the left side as he called out
"I am with the guild, I recommend you surrender"
"FUCK Y—"
Not feeling like dignifying the person on the right side of the room that were hiding behind a hostage while holding a pistol to her face with a set of complete last words, Mark pushed into the room and planted a set of bullets in the man's neck and head killing him instantly
"Don't yell at me, my ears hurt"
-
Dealing with the aftermath wasn't as difficult as Mark had expected it to be, when the security forces showed up he had simply needed to show his guild identification for them to lower their weapons. And after a simple explanation that had let him go on his way with a personal thanks from their older captain
'... Alright then, off to the guild'
As Mark walked towards the guild he briefly reflected on the guy he had just killed, from the word of the hostage he had been a refugee that she had taken pity on, from there things had apparently escalated to a disagreement that resulted in him shooting at the wall to scare her into submission
'What a waste of bullets… Well, hopefully I'll earn some points…'
Mark let out a sigh once more and stopped relenting the 300 or so credits it had cost in raw materials for 2 bullets he had fired and moved his focus towards the guild reception that lay ahead of him
'...'
Mark stared ahead for a bit, the reception's interior and decorations were just like the one he had visited in Creh-2's trade hub. But this reception hall was stuffed with people coming and going, rough almost bandit looking men and women, guys wearing tactical gear, pretty looking men and women in flashy clothes with somewhat hidden biological enhancements
'...I like it, it feels lively… Not to mention it's mostly clear of scents…'
Mark walked in a queued up for the reception and within a few minutes he arrived at the front where a human woman, not an android like last time, greeted him
"Welcome to the Guild, how can I help you today?"
Mark took out his guild card and handed it to the receptionist and spoke
"I am just here to check in for today, but I am looking to catch an escort request while I travel away from the war"
"Alright, let me scan your card…"
The receptionist scanned Mark's card and froze for a moment before her business smile returned and she spoke
"Management has requested to meet you, do you have some time at the current moment?"
Figuring it wouldn't hurt to earn some trust with the guild, Mark nodded and agreed
"Sure, I got a few hours"