Disturbing Implications of Land Rising into the Sky

[robkelk]

"Noah, we just heard from V, out of Hephaestus. They're aboard the ship - it's called Grover's Corners, by the way - and Wire Geek says they're friendly; they just didn't pack a radio."

"Oh, thank Washuu. Stand down from yellow alert. Kohran, put the safeties back on that missile."

"Awwww..."

"Now, Kohran."  I extracted myself from the turret's firing station and switched on the intercom's video screen. "How big a crowd of curious onlookers do we have so far, Yoriko?"

"About two dozen, and growing.  The Warsies and the Senshi sent a half-dozen people each, the Island's shuttle is about a half-hour away, a Hidden Asteroid triad showed up from somewhere..."

"Damn kids were probably pretending to be paying tourists," I muttered under my breath.

"...and they already know you don't like them, a Long Heinleinian couple were honeymooning here and got told by their friends that they were that faction's official representatives, and I think I might have seen Candy's red sports car in landing slip five. Don't quote me on that last one, though."

I grinned. Yoriko feels about "adult" businesses the same way I feel about idiots who think hand-to-hand is useful in space; it must be because her personality algorithms were based on a police officer's.  "That doesn't add up to two dozen."

"Well... the UN wants to send an observer."

"No."

"But -"

"Absolutely not. These people just got away from the 'Danelaw; we're not about to be the ones who give the 'Danelaw a way back to them."

Yoriko frowned. "But what if they're criminals?"

"Then we let the Browncoats and the Blue Blazers handle it. They're Fen now, Yoriko, and we look after our own.  So. Did V say whether they were coming to visit us, or should we visit them?"

"No word either way yet, Noah."

I sighed.  "Let me know soonest once we get an answer, please. Recall the Epsilon Blade; I'm on my way to main control." I switched off the intercom and turned to Kohran. "I'll bet they don't have an FTL comm, either. Do we have a spare system?"

Kohran actually looked insulted. "Of course we have a spare! We have two spares, just in case something happens."

"Something happened.  Get one of the spares boxed up and ready to ship over there on the 'Blade, okay?"

"Sure!"  She headed down the access tube to engineering storage as I went to main control.

They didn't pack a radio?  Didn't they have room for one on that monster?  Oh, well; I suppose we'd find out why soon enough.

(Edit for typo)