11.10.3306.1
So Catfish has been out to Houser’s Reach several times to “check up on his baby”, but I think he’s just a lonely old coot with nothing better to do in his old age. He comes out to the yard, and we sit in the cockpit of the Adderconda, and talk about the new places we’ve been, interesting stars, and planetary bodies we’ve seen, and he tells me about his favorite places to go. He’s made mention that I should go out to Sagittarius A to see the largest black hole in the universe.
He flew in last week, and asked what I was getting into, and I handed him a brochure about my Sothis tour, and told him about the pirates, meeting Bobby, and showed him the new-to-me Vulture. His expression wasn’t quite worry, it wasn’t quite sadness either. He told me I needed a break from the grind, and ”Ain’t no point makin’ cheddar, if yer not eatin’ cheese toast”. He insisted that I take a trip with him away from the scripted tourformance, the risk of pirate hunting, and that he had a friend I should meet who was instrumental in making the Adderconda something really special.
We agreed to meet back at the launch, and we’d go wherever it was he had in mind. Catfish of course showed up an hour late and piss drunk. I figured we’d take the Adder, but Catfish queued up his ship, and the lift opened, raising this surprisingly nice, ice white Diamondback Explorer out of temp storage. He tossed me the keys and said “If ya like scootin’ round in the con-da, yer gonna love this beaute! Hop in, you don’t think I’m flyin like this do ya?”
I got in the CMDR’s seat, and Catfish laid down to rest in the cabin, but not before telling me to set the nav to the Maia system. He said to keep my eye out and take pictures of anything worth seeing. I launched, and we started making our way there, not that he’d have noticed. I’m not sure if it was the frameshift drive or Catfish’s snoring that was giving the ship a shimmy, but nonetheless, we traveled on. It seems like in a matter of a few hours we had made it.
As I entered the Maia system, Catfish popped his head out, I mean seriously, how the fuck did he know?! Is this man even human? He told me we were just making a pitstop here to grab something special for his friend, and to lock in Darnielle’s Progress. We make a rather unremarkable landing, and head to the Commodities market. I’m truly amazed how many people Catfish knows. He’d make a great tour guide. Haha
He introduces me to the marketeer, who has one of those “space names” that’s impossible to spell or pronounce. Xeno something, or is it Zeno? More like Who-knows, am I right? Anyways, Catfish tells him that he needs something special for “our friend in Deciat.” Zenthor, or whatever, crouchs down by his sales safe, and pulls a single, beautiful, green… thing… out. It seemed to be glowing. I’m not sure what a “meta-alloy” is, but I see why Catfish’s friend would love it.
Catfish says goodbye to his friends, which is apparently the whole station, and we get back in the GALATHEA, and at this point I know we’re going to Deciat. Cat tells me to fly again “cause it looks yer havin’ fun”, and so away we go to meet this friend of his, with expensive taste. I must say that it was a truly beautiful trip.
Coming into Deciat, Catfish tells me that he’ll take over. Landing at Farseer Inc was a bit of a spectacle in itself. Dropping down into a cavernous void in the side of this small rock floating in space. We walked into the mine/workshop, and we were greeted the way I’m learning to expect Catfish to be greeted. Laughs and hugs, and inside jokes, that I sometimes feel like the butt of. Catfish introduces me to “The Famed Explorer Felicity Farseer” Who is a lovely, if not a bit feisty, grey haired woman, with a thin face, and a vibe that screams “built, not bought”.
We spent hours talking about her Asp Explorer, and discussing buildouts. Catfish tells her “this poor bastard is the proud owner of the Adderconda now. Bought it offa that Glen feller I told ya ruin’t it. We almost got’er restored now, how we had’er all them years ago.” Felicity seems almost over herself with excitement, and Catfish tells her the only thing he wasn’t able to make right were the custom mods she made for it. She tells me any friend of Catfish’s is a friend of hers, and tells me to come back sometime with the Adder, and she’ll wrench on it, and “Squeeze it for all she has”. She handed me a blueprint for some small mods I need to do first to get it prepared for further upgrades. And with that, we all exchange hugs, and we head back out to the dock.
When we get there, Catfish tells me he wants to get a good night’s rest in a real bed, and for me to take his ship “where ever yer heart desires. Just make sure ya don’t rush too quick back to the humdrum of Robigo. What’s the point’n bein’ a commander if yer not finding new places?” He tells me he’ll get the ship back later, and he can get a ride back home when he needs it.
Catfish is a lot of fun, for being an old leather bag full of whiskey memories. I tell him to give Janice my best wishes, and I lift off the landing pad, and now I’m off to aimlessly wander, and find what adventure awaits beyond the darkness now.
CMDR U. Starcaster