Worldbuilding Prompt #774 - What could go wrong?

This post was inspired by a writing prompt in the Worldbuilding Community - Worldbuilding Prompt #774 - What could go wrong?

It stars a Free Trader in my Sci-Fi setting that I haven't written about for far too long !

Enjoy 😀

Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio

"What could go wrong ?" Gatta's voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"Nothing is going to go wrong, Gatta. The Rim are neutral, and have been for thousands of years." Captain Greville's voice was measured and calming. It always was; she cultivated the image of the un-flappable commander very carefully, and as far as possible made sure she was always right in everything she said.

Gatta wasn't convinced, however. She came from a world where stubbornness was considered an admirable personality trait.

"Yes, and before they were neutral, they were at war with the Allied Imperiae for thousands of years before that. They were forced into neutrality after having their arses handed to them and losing ninety percent or more of their population. In case you hadn't noticed, we're flying an Imperial ship."

"Ex-Imperial ship. Demilitarised," Greville corrected her. "Anyway, good trade trumps ancient history. They've got money, and we've got something a totally space-based civilisation just can't make."

This made the crew's ears prick up. The Captain hadn't actually told them what the cargo was. She'd said she wanted to keep it a profitable surprise.

It was Yafmi's turn to pipe up. She was the opposite of Gatta. Coming from a low gravity world made her tall and willowy, compared to Gatta's short and solid build. She was also blue skinned and bald with two antennae in constant motion atop her head. But somehow, she and Gatta were the closest of friends. Notionally she was Cargo Master of the Tarnished Phoenix, but all she knew about this cargo was that it had come aboard in blacked-out stasis containers.

"So what is this mysterious cargo, Captain ?"

Greville Grinned. "Genuine seafood. Terran salmon and plaice, and even some caviar. The Rim have tried for centuries to grow their own, but they just can't get the flavour and consistency. It's impossible to match the complex minerals a real ocean has in a space-borne fishtank, and fish grown in space just don't have the same texture."

Then she turned to their pilot; young, but the best in the sector. "Take us in, Danna."

The Tarnished Phoenix approached the huge Rim habitat, and they could see it was composed of a pair of almost mirror-image disks, locked in proximity to each other by a web of tractor beams. The outer surfaces were armoured shields, while the inner surfaces carried docking bays, factories and dwelling units, glittering with the light of civilisation.

They were messaged on the traffic control frequency, and the brown, fuzzily furred face that came on screen bore a bored expression. "Rim Hab Phrixxil-36 to incoming Imperial vessel, please state your business in Rim Space."

"This is Captain Greville of the Free Trader Tarnished Phoenix. We are a demilitarised civilian vessel, and we come in peace to trade with you."

The Rim traffic controller's expression didn't change, and Greville wondered if she was dealing with a real entity or an AI-generated bureaucrat. "What trade goods do you have that you think would interest us ?"

Greville grinned again. "Genuine seafood, grown in real oceans with gravity."

At that point, she decided she was dealing with a real person, based on the instant change in attitude. The Rim glanced off to the left briefly, then spoke in a far more welcoming tone.

"Seafood you say ? In that case, you are welcome. Please proceed to docking bay green-10; just follow the guidance beam coded accordingly."

Danna found the guidance beam easily among the profusion of comms traffic in the habitat's vicinity. Out of habit, when it took over the Phoenix's drives to guide them in he maintained a manual override lockout. Strictly speaking it wasn't allowed, but he'd built the code to operate in stealth mode and so far, no-one's landing computers had detected it.

Closing in on their docking bay, Danna raised an eyebrow to Gatta. She'd had a focused, intent look on her face for a couple of minutes, and was studying her outputs closely.

"Ummm... captain. I'm getting some unusual readings. I think you should come and see, check them out." Her tone of voice indicated concern verging on trepidation.

Then she looked up at the viewscreen. "Oh shit. Captain, I asked what could go wrong and you said nothing would go wrong. Look at that. THAT is what could go wrong...".

As she spoke, the docking bay next to the one they'd been directed to opened it's doors.

Two powerful Einheriar battle cruisers glided out, headed straight for the Tarnished Phoenix, shields twinkling and weapons turning ponderously to target the small merchant ship.

Greville's tone wasn't as calm and collected as it had been previously. "Crap. So much for neutrality. Danna, get us out of here. Right now !"