It was around 530P when we reached Tanar. We didn’t need to meet our contact until 600P, so we decided to use the spare time to clear out the cargo bay to make room for the rock. I set the ship down in a grass field near an abandoned mining facility about 10 miles east of the contact point. Fresno and I then spent about 15 minutes moving all of our stuff into the smaller sub-space just below the cargo bay. Once the cargo bay was cleared, we blasted off and headed towards our contact location.Took us about 5 minutes to arrive at the contact point, a wide quarry on the far side of a large mountain range. From the ship, I couldn’t see any activity below, but the holo-card Pitt had given me clearly indicated that this was the location. I found a clearing near the quarry and set the Jackyl down. I told Fresno to stay with the ship while I got out and surveyed the area. It was getting dark outside, and it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust. Once I could see okay, I quickly scanned the area: Nothing but a mountain, a quarry and an old warehouse. I pulled out my blaster and decided to head over to the dark building and have a look.
The main door to the warehouse wasn’t locked, so I quietly entered. I found myself in a large office. It looked like no one had been there for quite some time, since there was an accumulation of dust on everything. I started to worry that perhaps pirates had located the Crescent Rock during a scan, and raided the place before we arrived. I radioed Fresno using my wrist comm to let him know I hadn’t found anything, and that I was heading back to the ship. I turned to leave but found myself staring down the barrel of a blaster. I reflexively jumped back and pointed my blaster at the man in front of me. “Drop the gun, and give me the card”, the shadowy figure said. I didn’t feel like getting shot, so I slowly put down my blaster and handed the man the holo-card. He examined the card briefly, and then turned it over and pressed a hidden button on the back of it. The card glowed green for a moment, and then went dark again. Satisfied, the man lowered his weapon and extended his hand, which I shook. He said his name was B.T. He apologized for the scare, but said he couldn’t be too careful with all of the pirate activity in the Void.
After we exited the building, B.T. led me to a hidden door carved into the base of the mountain. It was most likely a storage shed back when the quarry was operational. The door opened with a loud hiss, revealing the Crescent Rock in small storage room. I noticed that the inside of the room was covered in cloaking plates, to avoid detection. Smart. I told B.T. that I had a cloaking tarp, which we could use to transport the rock to the ship. I radioed to Fresno and he quickly brought it over. We made sure to cover the rock tight and then used the hover-skiff in the storage room to move it to the Jackyl.
Took about 10 minutes to load the Crescent Rock into the Jackyl's cargo bay (it’s heavier than it looks). Once the rock was in place, Fresno secured the cloaking tarp while B.T. gave me the drop-off details. B.T. also told me that pirate activity in the area had increased significantly in the past few weeks, and he provided a few alternate routes, which I loaded into the NaviComputer.
We blasted off around 8OOP, and headed for a small planet that B.T. suggested named Namir, to lay low for the night. We got to Namir, without incident, by 900P. The planet is uninhabited (it’s mostly jungle) and falls outside of any known pirate corridors, so it should provide solid cover. I'm looking out the portside window now. Can’t see a thing, but I can hear sounds in the jungle outside. We can’t afford to put on the floods tonight, so hopefully whatever is out there keeps away from the ship.
Just contacted Pitt. The conversation lasted only a few seconds, since Pitt's not one for small talk over unsecured lines. I basically let him know we successfully picked up the rock, received the drop-off location from B.T., and that I would call him again once the shipment was made. With that, Pitt disconnected.
I’m so tired; my bones ache. Definitely going to sleep soon. I’m going to suggest to Fresno that he does the same. We’re going to need to be as alert as possible tomorrow.
Well, that’s it for tonight. Hard to believe Fresno and I will be millionaires in less than a day.
- C
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