Cold Call - [Sibby-verse 1]

7

Got Pity Treaty sig' – Trippy
Good, trimming up, initiate braking – me
Long and shortrange clear – Leeps
Speed dump, I got the comp – me
Gotta visual, putting them in brackets – Stick

I pop up the viewscreen on magnification for the bridge crew to show the Pity Treaty, Unit One's ship and a fellow Observer in much of the same condition we found Merchie's Nap in – trailing debris and atmosphere at a list. Lito gets them on the chop, we dump enough velocity to line up with them and dock since we've agreed to board them. Pity Treaty is dead in the water with imminent life support failure. They're also carrying extra civ crew, like us and with their compliment added to ours, it'll nearly max out Capitalist's max capacity. We should be ok as long as we don't add anyone else aboard and our next hop is Endeavors.

Again, we run docking maneuvers unassisted, once our speed is trimmed and our positions aligned to match Pity Treaty's and as expected, we pull it off successfully.

                "Solid seal." Trippy announces.
                "Pressurization complete in five." Leeps add. "Safe to move about."
                "Good work." Eds says.
                "They need to get that cargo off and over here." Addie-Lit says, amping up the bridge's mood in one stroke. 
                "That'll slow us down." Eds protests.
                "We're gonna need supplies and bargaining chips or you've forgotten your end-game?" Addie-Lit stares icily at Eds.
                "Lingering here to transfer cargo elevates the risk and you know it!" he stands.
                "You're insisting on going to Endeavors despite it all is risky! Once there, THEN what?!?" Addie-Lit stands as well.
                "In my office! Jay, go assist Twink and Ra-Ra!" Eds orders.
                "Yessir!" I unjack off the boards and we all leave off the bridge together.

Eds and Addie-Lit start arguing even more so in the corridor like a disgruntled old couple so maybe there's truth to the rumor? Eds grabs me by the elbow and yanks me into the office with them before I can depart to follow his orders. Not again! I really haven't had time to process that last nova-hot conversation!

                "Why do you want the cargo?!" Eds demands.
                "Stupid question! What's more, we'd only need their cred-chips, you're carrying the rest!" Addie-Lit says.
                "Blinded Nova's got our cargo, woman, we're runnin' on nuth!"
                "All the more reason to transfer it over then if you plan on surviving all this, right?!" Addie-Lit has hands on hips, glaring at Eds.
                "You're,"
                "Excuse me, Captains. I hate to interrupt." I hold up my hands for them to remember my presence here and their heads swivel and lock on me.
                "What?!?" they demand together.
                "Why can't we go to Trip-C 'bout this?" I suggest.
                "Excellent idea Commander!" Addie-Lit faces Eds.
                "No!"
                "Why?" I demand. "You're already disobeying orders, as a hypocrite mind you, when the order you need to disobey is this cold call, sir! Get Trip-C on the chop and tell 'em what's happening, especially if we lack auth on these ops! Eds, that's how you speak truth to power!"
                "The fact you two fail to appreciate is that it doesn't matter! We're expendable! How're they gonna kill off 100 peeps on their Front Units and no one notice?! If we run, we're still dead! It'll change nothing! Not even the Revolution will fix our plight!"
                  Addie-Lit suddenly looks sharp at Eds. "What've you done?!"
                "Nuth!"

Addie-Lit open palm slaps Eds in the face, again.

                "Liar!"
                "That's your last time hitting me!"
                "Answer my question or it won't be my last time hitting you!"
                "I'm not the only one who feels Sibby needs to be exposed and this op here is the prime evidence that we can  !"
                "Eds..." Addie-Lit shakes her head.

I'm stunned silent, myself. Again. What??

                "I told you to leave those fools alone! All you've done is angled two different targets right on us! Do you really think they'll let a batch of disgruntled criminals given a second shot at life, to upend a well-oiled system in place for hundreds of years?! Think about this! Clearly! Slow down at the very least and let us survive one crisis at a time!"
                "We can do this!"
                "No. We. CAN'T! That's the one thing you don't ever do!" Addie-Lit grabs Eds by the face. "Babe, I know...look, I know what you want but you can't have it and I don't care WHAT Fitz and them have told you but they're dangling a carrot in front of you because they think you're a fool! We got enough goin' on right now with Front Command burnin' us! You consider that?! What's happened that they're burnin' us, huh? WAKE UP! I'm gonna facilitate this cargo transfer Eds, don't go off and do anything else stupid. Don't let 'em Jay, ev'one's lives aboard are counting on you!" and she leaves the office abruptly.

Eds attempts to leave but I block his path.

                "Sir!"
                "What?"
                "You owe me an explanation!" I demand.
                "I don't owe you noth'!"
                "After she slapped you in the face twice, yes you do!"
                 Eds whirls around to face me, finger in my face. "I know orders and these cold call orders are legal!"
                "What?!"
                "That they're icin' folks is a rumor!"
                "You really have lost your rabid mind...you've already acknowledged that Resolute has fired on two of our Units! How's that a rumor?! And apparently despite whatever you told Addie-Lit, you're still bent on running us there to meet our end! Three and Four changed their Eye sig's to run EarthSolwards, we should do the same, sir! Unless you got some other plan up your sleeves, we STILL should change our Eye sig's!"

Eds paces the office, head down and silent, hands on hips.

                "Look, I get it. You don't wanna run from this because all it'll do is stall our real deaths. Which may be inescapable but while we're still alive, if our orders aren't sanct', it's a legal move to disobey and report into Trip-C on what's burnin' out here! They gotta be within fifteen klicks to kill our switches, you know that. Which is even more reason to not answer the cold call!"
                 Eds stops pacing and faces me. "You have NO idea what Farley ordered me to do!"
                "Enlighten me." I hold my hands out.

Eds resumes pacing the office in silence, hands on hips, not appearing at all apt to do anything about whatever. I get a vibe sensation of his stubborn streak coming alive...then again, he suddenly stops pacing to face me.

                "Guess I was feeling a bit suicidal there, disclosing before civs but you should know, it's a moot point anyway. Offer our crew the Eye sig' change. Command has ordered skill-sess for all of us to allegedly wipe these ops outta our minds."
                "What?!"
                "It's part of the sanction I bought us, for our lives, Jay." He places hands on my shoulders. "They want you to run it. Do I need to make it an order?"
                "Yes make it an order!" I really don't believe him.
                "You know... I just want better from you... You're hereby ordered by Front Command to run subskill sessions on all aboard with notations of individual compliance! You'll sucker the civs into it by having them jack into the system and those without implants you'll have report to medical. You said yourself Trippy's a more than capable kisser."

                 I mumble to myself but manage to vocalize, "I don't know what's worst. Voluntarily rollin' over to get iced or placating myself to roll over to get iced!"

                "Watch it, Commander!" he steps closer to me. "It's already in ev'body loops by now anyway. I already got Twink on it anyway since he knows how to follow orders! Your compliance or not will be noted and you'll piss off any chance at Command for good! Get out and do what I asked you!"