6 Corporation Dilemma 1

"MAJOR TOM TO GROUND CONTROL!"

"MAJOR TOM TO GROUND CONTROL!"

The speaker named Tom shouted.

"I SWEAR TO GOD CHARLOTTE. RES-FUCKING-POND DAMN IT"

He shouted into the speaker and slammed it down. He spun and looked at us. "What the fuck are you looking at? We are fuck in this tin can!"

He cursed something but the noise coming from the Captain's PDA made me turn her way. "Captain, what are you doing?" she looked at me with the same direct eyes. "Nothing, just seeing the route we are taking. Hmm, interesting we are heading to a shuttle? How big is this? It is a floating stadium."

Major Tom was trying to light a cigar. I took the cigar and he made a distorted expression. "What the fuck are doing?" said Major Tom. I pointed at the cigar. "No ventilation."

He cursed at me. He swore that he'll kill my ancestors and families. I pulled my fist back and smacked him right in the jaw. He spits blood and held his jaw. He looked at me with contempt but I smack him again in the face just to make sure that he won't do stupid shit again.

"Fuck you are a savage!"

He cried at me. I smacked him for that. Captain patted my shoulder and dragged me to the corner. She pointed her finger at me while her other hand was rested on her waist. "Don't hit him more than that. The Corporation will sue you and possibly arrest you. Do you want to be their slave?"

"Don't worry, Captain." I reached for my PDA and replayed an audio recording. "See? I have proof that he was insulting me so no need to worry about sue and slander, Captain!" I gave Captain a thumbs up. She patted her forehead and returned to the seat behind the pod. She brought her PDA again and started typing.

"Okay, Major Tom why is Charlotte not responding?" I said. "Bad breakup? Or Are we on some fucked up grieving and bad relationships kind of bullshits here? Hmm, what? Talk you stupid shit."

I landed a kick on his abdomen. He glared at me like a cat with a raised back. His eyes were spitting fire that I made use of my dominant hand to slap that arrogant away.

"I don't really want to hurt you."

"You say that but you are hitting me asshole!"

Whoops! My hand was dragged by the non-existent wind and slapped him right in the right cheek again. It was truly accidental that in this pod my hand got dragged.

"You fucking asshole!"

"Listen here, Major Tom. Currently, we are stuck inside this tin can of a pod and is heading to a floating stadium that might as well be floating apartments for spacers who enjoys floating. We are light-years away from Ganymede and in the contract, it says we won't even fucking get out of the solar system for this job. Yet here we are going for a stadium-class battleship filled with aliens and survivors fighting for their fucking life. Wow, should I be nice after your lies, asshole?"

I was triggered. The Job was supposed to be simple but to think that a few minutes turned into this situation. We were just enjoying Ganymede but yet suddenly we are thrust into this situation where our chances of death went up to 12 o'clock.

I spun and looked at the Captain. She was stoic about all of this and watched her PDA like its nobody's business that we are heading straight for a shuttle that is basically invaded with hostiles. The Corporation that sent us was no better. They promised an interceptor ship from an old model if we do this job but here were are facing this absurd situation.

Major Tom massaged his cheek. He adjusted his unbroken jaw and turned to me.

"Look, I didn't know that Charlotte would do this. For fuck's sake man why would I want to join this if I know that it will turn out this way? I rather like pretending to be an armchair general than being a real Major doing real jobs."

"I am sorry Major Tom,"I said mockingly. "I didn't know that you wanted to be some fat fuck in an armchair. In fact, why did they send someone like you to handle this kind of mission? I know that there was something wrong with you the moment I spotted you tinkering with your plaspistol you dumb fuck!"

"Okay, that's fucking it!"

He roared into a charge. He tried to tackle me but the moron forgot we are on zero fucking gravity so I elbowed his back and use the force he created to smack his head on the walls of the pod. I could hear him grunting as he floated above the roof of the pod.

"You cunt."

I gritted my teeth. I sat on the chair and massaged my face before facing the Captain who was reading her PDA. She didn't really care about what I did. She just stares as if she expected fucked up things to happen. I've spent the following days knowing the Captain. She's really stoic and the only thing that makes her change her emotions are talking about some animated flick that she watches for some fucking reason.

"What should we do, Captain?"

She turned her eyes to me.

"Nothing. The pod's controls are non-functional. The pod is headed straight for the hangar of that shuttle. I know that a tractor beam will collect us if we just persist in this direction. If we get lucky we will arrive in that shuttle intact. If not then I suggest listening to music or watching the rest of your backlog."

That was no comforting at all. I said, "Whatever happens, happens?"

"Yes. Let us leave it to fate if we can survive this."

She didn't say anything. She tapped on her PDA as if she said what was her mind. I also stopped thinking and sat in front of the Captain. Major Tom was still on the ceiling of the pod, fainted and bruised all over his face. I looked at the front window. The gigantic space shuttle that was as big as a stadium got closer. Its size was enormous and ominous. I feel small seeing such mega-structure.

...

The pod slide through space and collided with the shuttle doors and slammed. The tractor beam dragged the pod inside and we were taken inside a hangar. Outside of the hangar were armed men with laser rifles primed and ready. Major Tom was knocked out so I woke him up with a slap to the face.

"Act cool, Major Tom. These guys have the same patch as you. Though their face looks like they are going to rip us apart and steal the pod. Your 'presence' here will either fuck us up or kill us"

Major Tom probably want to curse me but he knew that the situation wasn't right for that. The pod slid inside the hanger with a screeching sound. Captain took the laser rifle on mounted on the pod and primed it. She threw one of the rifles towards me.

I pulled Major Tom up and dusted him. I handed him his plasma rifle and patted his back straight. We exit the pod while keeping an eye on the trapped people inside. They have curious eyes as they spotted the patch on Major Tom. The others looked like they are trying to rip him apart by stare only.

"A corporation drone," said a corporate drone. He was a tall black man with a face full of beard. He carried a laser rifle, acting like he owns this place. His followers were making mean faces as they try to intimidate us. Sadly, they aren't aliens and they do not scare me.

"Major Tom of the Corporation of Ganymede. I cam here in a mission given by Ground Control – Captain Charlotte of the Ganymede trades and resources departments. The two here are my escorts – Freelancers based on the Ganymede. Captain Regina Doll and her moron named Nix Villa."

The moron probably wants me to beat him up. I didn't suddenly smack the laser rifle on his head since I don't want these guys to shoot at me while there's no cover if that ever happens.

"Captain Regina Doll?" says one of the goons of the black man. "You're that legendary soldier who exfiltrated a whole warship and saved it? That Regina who save a planet? Can you give us your data link?"

Captain Regina tapped her PDA and revealed her data link. The man received the data link and his eyes widened as the hologram shows Captain Regina's data profile. Her feats were listed and every single of them gawked at her like she was the savior of the universe. I was also surprised how absurd the list of feats Captain Regina has. I looked at the Captain yet she doesn't seem to give a shit about her feats.

"This kill count is absurd..." muttered one of the goons.

Major Tom sweated profusely at the data link. He turned to me and said, "You were on Begin-01 right?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"So how many aliens did you kill?" he asked.

"Thousands? I don't know most of the kill count was based on the facility Captain and I rigged to explode. Most of the kill counts belong to her," I said.

"Oh," he said dazedly. He looked at the black man and tried to calm himself.

"Regina the Stoic, the lady of death, fallen noble," the black man muttered. "It is a pleasure to meet a legend here, Ma'am."

His tone changed drastically. Captain Regina extender her hand and shook the black man's hand. "Your name?" she asked.

"Corporal Stan of the Corporation, under Charlotte control."

"Regina Doll," said the Captain as she then pointed at me. "Nix Villa, my aide, and partner."

"Sir," he nodded.

I nodded back at Stan. He then turned to Major Tom with disdain, "It is a surprise that you'll come here after ignoring our distress calls. I thought that they'd be sending a cruiser to evacuate us."

"We were supposed to link up but General Charlotte sent us here in a pod. The pod's control is non-functional but I think it can be fixed."

"Is that so?"

Stan looked at the pod that scratched the surface of the hangar. He circled around it before nodding. He walked back to his original position. "It can be fixed. But this thing can't sustain the thousands inside this mega-ship. But it'll allow us to contact any personal army."

"I-I can do that," said Major Tom.

Stan said, "No. You will be staying here 'Major'. You are our chance of getting out of this death trap."

He looked at Captain and me, "Is that okay with you, Captain Regina?"

I wanted to speak my mind but Captain Regina said, "Job says to escort Major Tom and fixe the problem here. The contract doesn't say otherwise."

"Good," he nodded. "I will be looking forward to working with you. Men, escort Major Tom to the control room, he might look pasty but I can tell that he will be of good use to us. The others start working on that pod and get a courier to deliver our distress signal; I don't care if they are army or a corporation. Just send them back to us."

He turned to us, "As for you Captain, I hope you can look after the middle sector of the starship. Your good at it so I am going to trust you on sealing the middle sector."

I wanted to speak something again but Captain said, "Give us hardware and point us in the direction you want us to go. Plasma Satchels, power armor, no matter what give us anything you can give to us."

Stan smirked. "Regina the Stoic, truly someone with balls bigger than anyone here. You'll get your hardware, Captain."

Stan left for the door. A goon of his called for hardware. I ignored the goon and patted Captain Regina on the shoulder. "We're going to close an entire Sector?" I asked.

Captain Regina looked at me with the same expression as usual. She nodded her head and said, "We'll do what the contract says."

I have many complaints. But I think I am just going to shut up and get this over with. Maybe I'll die a painful death and I won't have to think about complaining about dying a gruesome death.