Office 31, 2278 Miranda Davion Avenue
Port Miranda, Fallon II
January 3, 3033
1606Z
Jameson N'Koma and Tomasina Marzano were sitting in the outer office waiting for the prospective employer to call them in. The two had spent the past day and a half talking about leaving and decided that they would go on this expedition, if Mr. Rabagliati were willing to hire them. They did not have to wait too long, as receptionist sitting at the desk hung up the phone and told them to go on in.
They opened the door and, after shaking hands with Mr. Rabagliati, were told take a seat.
"Sorry for the wait. I'm Johannes Rabagliati, the leader of this venture. You must be Mr. N'Koma and Miss Marzano. So, what brings the two of you here.”?
"You don't remember us do you, Mr. Rabagliati?" asked Jameson.
"No, I don't. Where have we met? replied a quizzical Johannes.
Looking at Tommy, "Wasn't it four, maybe five years ago, now."
Tommy answered "Four and a half years. July of 3028, during the "pirate" raid"
"That's it. We picked you up on the top of that cliff. You were in and out of it, so that' probably why you don't recall."
"That was bad day. I lost the family 'Mech and a couple of friends that day"
"Yeah, a bad day, but the militia beat those Drac raider, err "pirates', off in the end."
"Well, if I didn't say it then, I'll say it now. Thanks, to both of you for picking me up and probably saving my life."
"No worries, Mutt. We just did our job that day, even managed to put a couple of missiles into the back of that Dragon that took you out."
"Thanks again, so, back to my original question, what brings you here?"
"We've recently become unemployed and looking for something different. A chance to get off Fallon is even better."
"Do you feel the same way, Miss Marzano?"
"Call me, Tommy, please, Sir. Pretty much. Wherever Jingo goes, I go."
"Jingo? Interesting nickname. My friends call me Mutt."
"Yeah, I've had it since I was a kid."
Mutt looked the two of them over and saw that the two had a shared kinship and had probably known each other for a long time. "What can you two bring to this mission?"
"Well, I'm VTOL pilot and fly anything from Ferret to a Cobra to a Karnov. Tommy has been my crew chief and mechanic since I joined the militia a dozen years ago. We've the best of friends ever since."
"That's good to know, Jingo. Do you have your own VTOL?"
"Sure do. I just acquired the papers to a Marten VTOL. All we have to do is put the missiles back on her."
"Is that the same bird you picked me up with?"
"Jingo, Tommy, I'm going to cut this interview short. Anybody that risks their lives to save mine can have a job with me anytime. It's the least I can do."
Tommy and Jingo looked at each other. "Thanks, Mutt" said Jingo, "just one question, how much does it pay?"
"There's the rub, Jingo" said Mutt. “This is a recovery mission and everyone involved will get a share of what we recover. It could be a lot or it could be nothing. That's the risk we are taking on this trip."
"Sounds worth it to me. What about you, Tommy"
Giving Jingo a knowing smile, "I said it before, Jingo. Wherever you go, I go. It's just that simple."
"Glad to have you both. Just one thing, you two are responsible for the care of your Marten. If necessary, I could probably make some sort of restitution once the job is done."
" No worries, Mutt, between the two of us, we've got enough scratch to keep the 'Wakka Dakka' in the air for a good while."
"Good, the two of you can report to the Stainless Chrome as soon as possible. Space is limited, but if you get there quick enough you should be able to get you pick of billets."
All three shook hands as they parted ways.
