Space Trader (Galactic Axia Adventure) Read Free

Cahill’s shoulder weapon and sidearm, unsure if the trader was really as dangerous as he looked.
    “So you’re saying you and I don’t trust each other?” The man smiled a knowing grin from beneath a pencil thin mustache.
    “On the contrary,” Cahill said, returning the man’s smile. “I’m saying all we have is trust. I just like to keep an honest man honest.”
    Forty-five minutes later Ian Cahill approached his ship, the Cahill Express, in the docking bay of the massive hanger. He noted the illuminated indicator lights on the intake locker and smiled. He entered the airlock and secured it for departure. He knew the artifact was not only aboard but transported from the locker to a safe storage compartment by an inside conveyor system. The disk would have entered the artifact into his inventory, but labeled as Miscellaneous Merchandise to disguise its identity instead of Unknown Artifact. Ian liked his little machines. They did what they were designed to do and he did not have to worry about them misunderstanding him.
    He gave the Express a quick pre-flight walk-through and then headed up to the control deck. Strapping himself into the control seat, he reached out to the comm, set it for Departure Control, and then put his headset on. Immediately, he heard the usual chatter as other ships logged in with Departure Control in preparation to leave the shipping port.
    While he listened to the chatter, he ran through a quick checklist, hoping for a break. Although he had the pre-flight checklist memorized, he didn’t trust his life to human fallibility, and faithfully ran down the list. He had lost friends and acquaintances to simple mistakes made by a hasty and incomplete pre-flight. One valve left open or one control knob set to the wrong setting could leave you stranded in deep space without the simple convenience of something like air or power. He was just finishing when he heard a pause in the chatter that allowed him to break in.
    “Departure Control, this is the spacer Cahill Express requesting a departure slot.”
    “ Cahill Express, Departure Control,” came back the reply. “What vector please?”
    “Two two seven zero point three,” Ian answered back after checking his navigational display. It was one of the normal departure lanes and would provide the best transition later for his next planned stop.
    “Granted, Cahill Express ,” departure answered. “You have a slot on two two seven zero point three in four minutes. On my mark. Three, two one. Mark.”
    “Noted and locked,” Ian replied as he punched the timer button and set it for four minutes. A quick check of ship systems showed that all was ready for a smooth and quick departure. Now all he had to do was wait.
    This is the hardest part of space flight , Ian thought. My ship can carry me millions, even billions of miles in four minutes, but nothing can ease the wait of my skids gathering dust on the ground.
    His mind wandered back to other departures where he had fumed at the delay. Now he took it in stride as a part of life one couldn’t change. It was funny how that had become part of his personal philosophy. Some things you can change, some things you can’t, and may the Unseen One grant you the wisdom to know the difference.
    The timer signaled the one minute mark. Ian flexed his fingers and reached his right hand forward for the throttle bar. His left hand rested gently on the axis ball while he waited for the seconds to count down. At ten seconds, he brought the power online and lifted the ship into a hover.
    “ Cahill Express , Departure Control,” the voice said in the headset at five seconds.
    “ Cahill Express .”
    “You are clear for departure. Have a good flight.”
    “Thank you, Departure,” Ian said. He advanced the throttle bar and rotated the axis ball for vertical lift-off. The blue and black Cahill Express rose, turned nose up, and accelerated up into the marked exit lane above the shipping port. Within seconds, it