Living in the Fray

Chapter One

'I'm sorry Ms. Krieger but we've been full up since you left over a week ago and that is the only space we have available.'

The controller grimaced slightly at the angry face of a woman whose eyes he could feel tearing through him right through the vid-com. It was the captain of the Osiris who was yet again; making mountains out of molehills. The Osiris; an ex-EMA battle cruiser was hovering just over the docking bay waiting to be issued a spot as its usual bay was already occupied.

'Hey...' The woman paused as she looked at her screen in the corner where she spied the controllers name tag, 'Benjamin. I pay good money to land my ship in one of the bays near refuelling.'

'Bays have reverted to a first come first served basis this week due to the embargoes on Tekana and Moralia Ms. Krieger.' The controller sighed as he whittled off the same paragraph of speech he had committed to memory after two whole days of saying nothing else. 'Many ships returned soon after they were issued or they never even left. Bay fifteen is open to you.'

'Who's in bay three my bay, right now?'

'Ms. Krieger I can't...' The controller trailed off as he watched the woman disappear off screen, obviously stomping her heavy boots over to a window to look outside; mumbling and shouting as she went.

'Da Costa. Frank Fucking Da Costa and his shit bucket of a ship are in the bay that I'M FUCKING PAYING FOR!'

Benjamin readied himself for a possible verbal thrashing and began his rebuttal using section four of the New Edo Ministry of Transport Controller Handbook. 'Ms. Krieger. New Edo transport law states that in time of need ships requiring docking...'

'Fine fine whatever, I don't care I'm bored now. Just inform me when Da Costa moves I'll take bay fifteen. Fucker took my space on purp...'

The screen cut out and left the now exhausted controller looking back at himself in the glossy sheen of the dated holo-glass. He spun in his chair as he rubbed his eyes in slight frustration before solemnly gazing at the new guy who was shadowing him this week as part of his training.

'And that was Captain Krieger.'

'The difficult one I've heard about Sir?'

Benjamin took in a halfhearted breath as he began his explanation of the woman known as Captain Krieger to his new understudy Owen. 'This was her on a good day. Memorise the law handbook; it's about the only thing that works on her.' He pressed a few buttons on the panel in front of him bringing up video feed of the dock. The behemoth of a ship known as the Osiris in its dirty black and chrome glory hovered down to the far end of the dock, finally coming to rest in bay fifteen.

'So that's an EMA battlecruiser,' Said the new guy as he edged closer to the screen. 'And it's captained by Ms. Krieger?'

'That's the Osiris, she owns it.'

The new guy let out a low whistle in amazement. 'I bet it wasn't cheap. Ex-military ships are hard to come by. Who the hell is this woman?'

The controller sighed again. 'Ex-military herself. She's a fucking idiot, a dangerous one. Her whole crew aren't entirely all there either. Anybody would have to be mad to work for her, I actually quite surprised you don't know who she is, she's in the Con Chase every year.'

The pair continued to watch the live feed of bay fifteen. Several people poured out of the ships side door; long shadows cast along the dock from the slowly setting sun; some with guns in holsters glinting in the light and katanas hanging from belts. They continued to watch the group as they were saying their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

'Listen kid.' Benjamin started. He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes as the "kid" he was talking to was barely even five years younger than him, but he put this down to his encounter with Krieger who could wear anybody down and make them feel old and tired within seconds. 'I know you've only been on New Edo for a few days, but if you're gonna be living here for a while then you better get wise to the place pretty quick.'