BoTH Chpt 19

==Blood on the Horizon - Chapter 19 -==
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===A Refuted Request===
(("I would love to give you access to the accounts that still exist,")) I waited for the rest of the transmission to conclude. (("But given the size of some of the said accounts, I'm not at liberty to discuss withdrawals not changes in investments over communications such as this. I can have a temporary spend account granted to you when you reach the spaceport though."))
 
"Thank you," I hid my displeasure. "I'll be sure to stop by the HPG station and get some of this straightened out once I'm able to reach the ground."
 
"Not a great thing to hear," Mendez grinned as he entered the comms room that he had been letting me use. 
 
"Yeah," I sighed, "Tell me about it. Thanks for letting me use the facilities here, I'm sure that you could have opened them up to someone else for a better profit."
 
"I think you need the help more than most people I've had come through here," the man shrugged. "I've managed to talk Erika into going to Pierce with you. And I've sent a message to my old man," Mendez looked me in the eye. "I know it's a lot, but you're gonna have to trust someone to watch the King Henry for you while you conduct business down below."
 
"You've done right by me," I nodded. "I'll trust that you've got someone trustworthy in mind,' I reached out to shake his hand. "But if someone steals my ship, I'm coming back, and we're gonna have issues if I have to come back."
 
"That's fair," Mendez agreed. "Just 'member to treat Erika right, she's been looking forward to getting out of the system for the last decade."
 
"I'll give her the option of running with me or if she wants me to drop her off somewhere else. But no promises beyond that."
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===First Passenger===
"Permission to come aboard?" Erika asked as she stopped at the airlock. 
 
"Permission granted," I grabbed her bags and helped her onto the Jumpship. "Sorry for freaking you and the ensign out last month."
 
"You've gotta stop apologizing so damn much," Erika shook her head. "We understand why you were a little bit crazy."
 
"Still, I owe all of you. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."
 
"You're my ticket out of here," Erika chuckled. "You don't owe me anything."
 
"Sure," I showed her to her new quarters. "We'll go with that. Anyway, take your time to get comfortable. We've got a few weeks before this ship even gets anywhere close to Pierce."
 
"Alright then," Erika replied. "I've got some reading to catch up on anyway. Just let me know if you need help with anything."
 
"I should be fine for now," I turned to leave for the bridge. "Let me know if you need a comms channel open or something."
 
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===Request for a Interview===
 
"I didn't expect y'all to reach out so soon," I waited for my message to be received at the HPG on the planet. 
 
"The Precentor wants to speak to you," a bored man in Comstar robes yawned. "And it's the end of my shift, I'll transfer you over now."
 
(("Hello,")) a gray-haired, nearly balding man greeted me from the screen. (("I'm Precentor Reginald Winfrey, and I'm so very excited to meet you!")) 
 
"Might I ask why?" I raised an eyebrow and waited. 
 
(("Why of course! I've long been a student of advanced astrophysics and K-F theory, got my doctorate at the University in Geneva on Terra." the man paused to inhale before continuing. "While most of my days are spent running this station, there's not a chance in hell that I'd let the chance of a lifetime slip by me. I'd like to meet with you once you're on the planet, I'll even ensure that you're moved up to the top of the list for things to compensate you for your time. But you're an eyewitness to one of the greatest phenomena of our universe, and I would have failed as a scientist if I did not take this chance."))
 
Normally, this is where I would be skeptical. Comstar had a… Reputation from what I remembered of trolling the various threads on Spacebattles. One that normally would have meant I should be cautious of any moves they made. But this man was older, his hair had long since faded into the silver shine of those who were wise, and his eyes shined with the look of someone who had finally met something he'd been looking for all along. 
 
"I think I can make some time to speak with you," I smiled a bit. "I'm supposed to stop in at the HPG for a bit anyway."
 
(("Thank you so much!")) the older man grinned wide. (("I look forward to seeing what insights you have into the field that I've never thought of before."))
 
"Have a good one, Precentor." I chuckled as the communication shut down. 
 
"He seems like fun," Erika floated onto the bridge. 
 
"I think he's just excited to be practicing science," I shrugged. "You need something?"
 
"Yeah," Erika grabbed a hold of one of the stops. "Why do you only have really old Star League Rations on board?" 
 
"I've also got some fish and potatoes growing in the hydroponics bay," I replied. "I can get some of that cooked up for you."
 
"Yes, please. I'm not sure how you've been alive if you've only eaten those rations for this long."
 
"You eat what you have to," I unstrapped myself. "Come on, let's get some grub."
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===Faithful Encounter===
"Thank you for being willing to take a shuttle up," I greeted Mendez's father. "Your son speaks highly of you."
 
"It is not every day that you meet one of the many sensor ghosts that we've recorded," the old man grinned, the gray eating away at the dark remnants of his brown hair. "I'll look after the ship for you. You get your business done."
 
"I'm trusting you with this," I locked eyes with the older Mendez. "This ship is all that I have left, please don't let anything happen to her."
 
"I'll treat her as if she were my own station," the man promised. "I swear it before God himself that I will not break this bond."
 
"Thank you," I shook his hand. "I'm counting on you."
 
"The Lord has seen you through a great trial," Mendez turned serious. "He does not forsake as easily as some are prone to thinking."
 
"Sure," Erika scoffed in the background. "Don't start that with me again, old man."
 
"She doesn't like how much faith I have," Mendez winked. "But one day she will understand!" he raised his voice loud enough for her to hear. 
 
"I'd forgotten what the old man was like," Erika rolled her eyes as she boarded the Messenger after me. "He's a bit of a nutcase, but he's reliable and trustworthy if nothing else. If he says he's gonna do something, you can consider it done."
 
"Alright then," I eased myself into the pilot's chair of the aerodyne as Erika strapped herself in. "Next stop, Pierce."
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Chapter 19