The mechanical bay was only slightly larger than the Osprey . In one corner, Jax had arranged a makeshift living room complete with a couch of questionable provenance and a wall-mounted entertainment screen. A refrigerator sat nearby full of takeout from various food stalls and beer. In the opposite corner sat a small office. Before the cancer took her, Memaw did business out of it. Jax never knew what that business was other than being a founding member of the collective that built Kelso station.
Jax pulled his gPhone out of a pocket on his worn leather jacket. He tapped the screen showing the Osprey’s key systems. “Rudy, Skip. Let’s get pre-flights started.”
Between the Osprey and the mechanical bay, everything Jax owned was in one place. His grandmother had left him the bay when she died. It had been in the family since the station came online. It was Memaw’s, then his parents’, and now it was his.
“Acknowledged, Captain,” Skip said. The boarding hatch on the ship lowered, and the ramp flipped down, allowing access.
Before Jax could reach the ramp, an upside-down rollerball deodorant stick rolled down the ramp. Jax looked at the droid. “Business manager?”
The rust-colored droid rolled over next to Jax. Since it didn’t have shoulders, it just moved both arms out into V shapes. “The guy asked who I was. I figured ‘navigation droid’ wouldn’t have impressed him.” The droid fell in behind Jax, rolling next to him as he walked over to the bundle of wires and tubes plugged into the main trunk connection port under the Osprey, between the two leg-like landing gear the ship balanced on.
Jax shrugged. “Yeah, probably.” He turned to the droid that came up only to his waist. “You’re lucky the money was good.”
Rudy rolled backward a foot. “Sorry I ruined your planned night of drinking too much and making questionable sexual choices.” He rolled further back when Jax tried to kick him.
Jax said, “Skip, anything to worry about?”
From the small commset in his ear, Jax heard the ship’s reply. “Not really. I mean, the list of things you need to fix hasn’t changed, so there’s that. There’s nothing on the repair list that will hamper doing the job.”
Jax nodded. “Okay, let’s head out.”
As he and Rudy reached the ramp, the bundle of tubes and wiring disconnected, falling to the floor before being automatically retracted into the wall of the bay. Rudy spun his squat, cylindrical head to look at the trunk lines now pulling toward the wall, something brown and runny spilling out of one of the tubes. “You know, this bay wouldn’t smell so bad if you’d disconnect the trunk lines yourself instead of letting them hit the floor like that.”
Jax got to the top of the ramp and looked back at his small mechanical friend. “Yeah, but then I’d get that shit all over me.”
Rudy sighed as he cleared the threshold to the small boarding area, the ramp folding as it rose. He moved to the staircase that led up to the decks above. The center of the circular staircase was empty and just big enough for Rudy to enter. By controlling the ship’s artificial gravity within the slim column, Rudy could zip between decks with ease. He left Jax behind as he headed up.
“Skip, get us cleared for departure,” Jax said as he headed up the stairs.
By the time he got to the next deck, taking in the mostly empty cargo hold, Skip said, “We’re cleared for departure, Jax.”
“Be right up,” Jax said, rounding the corner to take the stairs up.
The flight deck of the Osprey wasn’t that big. Not that it mattered to Jax, since it was just him and the droids. He didn’t enjoy having people around, let alone up on the flight deck. He dropped into the forward pilot station and looked out the wrap around transparent view port. He turned to look at Rudy, who had plugged himself into the portside crew station. “Ready?”
The droid’s head swiveled. “Yup.”
Several orange strobe lights began flashing as the mechanical bay outer doors slid apart. “That view doesn’t get old,” Jax said, staring out at the black of space beyond the mechanical bay. As the heavy doors slid apart, a blue outline became visible just beyond them. The static atmosphere shield kept air in but let ships, and people, if they wanted to, pass right through. A marvel of science. Pre-Empire science.