April 26, 2194 - 1900h ... Hour 45
Yeeeeaaaaahhhh, boyeeeeeee!
I say F to the I to the N to the A to the L to the Y! Er, I mean, to the L to the L to ... futch it.
Relief at last! But I still gotta wait. About fifteen minutes ago an ear-ripping crackle of static seared through my headset while I was listening to something off the MUstick. I couldn't make out the vessel ID or pilot callsign, but all I cared about was that melodious voice singing, "...will be in range within 36 hours." So, what's another day and a half?
Deep down in that ugly blob of muscle in my chest that should force blood through my body for at least the next 175 years or so, I guess I just knew that help would eventually come. But, still, two days alone in the dark is apparently more than 24 hours past my breaking point. Not to mention that the ventilation system in the toilet only circulates about one-tenth as often in low-power mode. (Recall that my innards are a bit distressed, hmm?)
I definitely feel uplifted now. Hell, I could wait another week so long as I know someone is on their way here.
One problem just crossed my mind: what if my rescuer's craft can't tow mine? Chances are that any craft this deep in the one-five is bound to be at least as large as my rig. Smaller ships just don't go this far out. Except maybe smugglers. Aw, crap ... make that TWO problems.
Sector 15 is very much the opposite of 30Sec, beyond being on the opposite side of the galaxy, I mean. It's not well traveled, especially in the 00 latitudes. Out beyond L15 there isn't much but the occasional military outpost and a sprinkling of transport depots. Latitudes 01 and 00 are altogether desolate.
I was in the trade lanes of L12 when things went haywire and I caught some wacky LTW and wound up here. Fringe long-haulers like me usually hit the trade lanes in the outer latitudes because, frankly, nobody else does. You almost never need to wait to enter them, and there are far fewer interchanges than in the lanes in the higher-traffic parallels. Plus, in 15Sec the outer trade lanes are decommissioned military tech that is still superior to commercial tech. And they are open to the public ... unofficially. Sort of. Not really. But you won't talk, will you?
Anyway, the former military lanes are faster by a magnitude -- that's why we use 'em. However, their military status means they employ some experimental tech. And being FORMER military means they are no longer maintained to any significant degree. "Glitches" abound, though usually not so drastic as the one I endured.
I think I'll put my clothes back on now. Starting with my undies.
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