The quotables
It’s Tuesday! Another round of quotes for the day.
The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe. ~Gustave Flaubert
Memories are everyone’s second chance at happiness ~Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
You have not lived a perfect day unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you. ~author unknown
Being kind is more important than being right! ~author unknown
The biggest seller is cookbooks, and the second is diet books about how not to eat what you’ve just learned to cook. ~author unknown
Rocket Fox: Part Fourteen
The Nighthawk powered down slowly as she sit comfortably on the tarmac. A crew was approaching, ready to transport her to a standard parking area and perform any maintenance if need be. Hardy saw them coming up the tarmac and scrambled with her gear as she opened the lower hatch so the three could step off the craft. Senia and Clarfax walked slowly down the ramp, but Hardy was jogging toward the work crew.
“Be careful with her,” she warned them. “She’s a delicate piece of machinery an’ she needs to be treated with respect.”
The small crew of five looked between each other, giving a few side glances to Hardy for a moment. One of them whispered ‘fighter pilots’ as if that was answer enough. Finally, one of the crew members spoke up. “We’re just going to take her to a stationary platform, Corporal. No maintenance, but we do have to run scans just to check if there are any particles it picked up…”
“She,” Hardy corrected him. “She. An’ that I can agree with.”
The small group of crew members sighed collectively and again one mumbled something about fighter pilots treating their ships like family. Eventually, Hardy let them go on their way, watching carefully as Senia and Clarfax tried to steer her to the main deck.
“How long did it take?” Senia asked with a chuckle.
“About an hour,” Clarfax said as he smiled and looked to Hardy who had turned her attention to Senia and Clarfax. “Oh come on. You fell in love with her an hour after you finished the engine checks while we were in flight.”
Hardy walked between the two and nudged Clarfax lightly. “Ha! I’ll have ya know that’s incorrect. It was about fifteen minutes after I saw the first schematics.” The three chuckled lightly, then quieted down as a stocky Felanus approached them. He wore the common uniform of a bounty hunter, much like the three pilots. His had some wear and tear, however, but it was still treated very well.
“You three are obviously the new recruits,” he called out as he offered a friendly smile. “I’m Agent Lenk. And I guess I’m the official greeter today. I guess that’s what happens when you get shore leave after a long few weeks chasing tail.” He offered his hand and shook each of theirs in kind, and they exchanged small pleasantries and exchanged names.
“Afternoon Agent,” Senia began with a small nod. “At leatht you give a proper friendly greeting. We’ve … had our share of horror thtorieth about Main Authority.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid some old tales don’t die quickly,” he replied, noting Senia’s lisp but deciding it was best not to make mention of it. Besides, she wasn’t that hard to understand. “There are a few of the blocks you’ll meet who are tied to the stereotype, but there’s a few more that are the complete opposite. We have a duty, even if it’s not look upon as very glamourous. But then, we aren’t here for the glamour.” He turned and pointed toward the lift that went to the upper decks of the facility. “That’ll take you to the hunter lounge and resting area. There’s also a small area to write reports. After you make a capture, that is,” he added as he looked back with a smile. “Colonel Chatham and Captain Marr’s office is up there as well. Marr will have some quarters assigned to you. Don’t expect anything extravagant.”
“All I require is a few books shelves, a bed and a desk,” Clarfax said with a small laugh.
“The book shelves are for all the scientific journals he plans to go over while not on duty,” Hardy said as she nudged him gently.
“Well, we do have a small library,” Lenk stated with a nod toward Clarfax. “It’s not the Great Critainian Library by any stretch, but there’s a few journals to be had.” He lowered his voice a bit and moved closer to the three. “I do have to warn you, though, about a couple of the other agents. You’ll probably meet a tall Lupine named Range Runner. Rarely talks to anyone unless he has to. Pretty much the only ones he does speak with are Chatham and Marr. Outside of that, I think he’s said ten words to me in the five years I’ve been stationed here. He’s not bad, he’s just sort of moody.” The three pilots nodded in reply, taking heed of Lenk’s words. “The other one you need to watch out for is Coratta. A big, lumbering Critainian. He’s okay, as long as you give him a wide berth. I think the length of time he’s been working here has gotten to him. That, and we still don’t think he’s gotten used to his last shift. When I first got here, he was a female.” The three pilots nodded in understanding. It was common knowledge that Critainians would often shift genders based on the societal need, and for some it was a rather unsettling experience. Especially if it was their first time. Fortunately, they had ways of dealing with the stress. “Coratta likes to make jokes, and a lot of times his jokes are really hurtful jabs. Don’t pay him any mind. Colonel Chatham has already told him to be on his best behaviour.”
“Thank you, Lenk,” Senia said with a nod. “We appreciate the headth up. Glad there’th thomeone here willing to give uth a hand.”
“Anytime,” he replied with a small bow. “I’d be willing to give you more of a hand, but I am heading out on shore leave. I’ve got a mate and two cubs back on Vulpinia that I haven’t seen in several weeks. I’m gonna enjoy this time off.” He took a deep breath and smiled, obviously thinking about his home and his family. “Well, you two better head directly to the Colonel’s office. He’ll be wanting to debrief you.” He nodded and waved as he walked toward a small transport ship. “Good luck. And good to have some new blood here with us. I really do hope everything works out for you.”
Senia nodded and smiled, waving to Lenk as he went, then spoke in a soft voice. “Not exactly the athignment we wanted, but we will make the betht of it. At least we now have someone we can call of for support if need be.” Clarfax and Hardy both nodded in reply as the three began to move toward the lifts. “I thuppothe we should go thee the Colonel then, shall we.”
