Hunting Teddy Bears by J. Paul Cooper

Author:J. Paul Cooper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J. Paul Cooper
Published: 2021-05-15T16:00:00+00:00

“The universe sounds like it’s just a larger version of Earth.”

Qeeope nudged Coulter with an elbow. “This is our stop.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Leaving the streetcar behind, Coulter followed Qeeope down a long corridor. As they reached the end, they arrived at a clear wall, with a large cargo vessel behind the docking entry. Two tubes extended to the ship, the smaller one allowed crew members to enter and exit, the larger tube was used by forklifts moving materials into the cargo hold.

As they approached the vessel a black woman in her thirties, with a scar over her left eye, stepped out of the crew tube. Captain Pamela Mackay was standing next to her first officer, Kriss. “Qeeope,” she asked, “is this the new crewmember? You said he was inexperienced, you didn’t mention he’s still in diapers!”

“I may not have a lot of experience Captain,” replied Coulter, “but I graduated from the Space Academy in Calgary.”

The Captain shared a glance with her android, First Officer. “What do you think Kriss?”

“Humans aren’t the most efficient species to hire as crewmembers,” replied Kriss, “but we should probably give him a chance to prove himself.” “That’s as close as a compliment you’ll receive from my First Officer. I’m Pamela MacKay, Captain of the Challenger. If you ever call me Pam, I’ll have Kriss eject you out of an airlock.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“If you work hard and impress me, you’ll be part of a crew that always makes a profit. Who knows? After a few years in deep space, you may have enough experience to teach at the Space Academy.”

Qeeope pointed at the Captain’s face. “When are you going to get that scar taken care of Captain? I know some excellent plastic surgeons.”

“Why would I? The scar reminds me that I’m human. I don’t want to look like some stupid machine.”

The Captain turned to the Kriss. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Kriss shrugged. “I’m an android, I have no feelings.”

“You’re the ugliest pile of bolts and wires I’ve ever seen.”

“That hurt.”

Captain Mackay smiled.

Nearby, a species with blue skin, wearing bright yellow capes, started making loud hissing noises. The Captain walked over to the steel barrels they were inspecting. “What’s the problem?”

One of them pointed at the barrels, which had their lids removed. “That is the problem!”

“Both parties requested that the barrels remain sealed,” the Captain said, “so I left them sealed.”

The creature slapped it’s bald head, and hissed loudly. “That’s because we didn’t want anyone to see what was inside, and be tempted to steal. Barrels were to be filled with precious gems, but they are filled with nothing but rocks!”

“Do the seal numbers match the information on the packing list?” the Captain asked.

“They match.”

“Can you see any evidence of tampering?”

“There has been no tampering by your crew. The barrels were filled with rocks, by those who lied to us. We give you no blame, but we have lost many credits. They must pay with blood.”

“I want to keep doing business with you,” Captain MacKay replied, “so as a sign of good faith, I’ll take the barrels with me.

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