SOMEWHERE ON LUNA: GALCOM REQUISITION OFFICE.
Commander Greyshaft, your latest request for Galcomm funding has come to my attention and I must say that I am somewhat challenged by your decision to submit this application.
ÔÇ£Yes sirÔÇØ
ÔÇ£On your first tour of duty you were assigned the Copernicus, a standard issue Galcomm Battlecruiser which you took to Procyon for trading. Unfortunately your decision to trade with only the initial credits on board, rather than including the spare parts, meant that the cost of Radine was greater than your profit for the trip. After two trips you were bankrupt.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Yes sir.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Then there was the Copernicus II. You say that the phone rang and while you were answering the call your ship missed docking with the Galcomm HQ and landed somewhere on earth.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£In an ocean sir.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Ocean?ÔÇØ
We sunk to the bottom and while I was trying to figure out how to change to VTOL I accidentally turned off the power allocation to the Life Support system and
Yes! Yes I remember. The paperwork from that debacle is STILL being processed. But the story of Copernicus III is what I dont understand. You say that you forgot to buy Radine on Procyon?
I didnt forget sir. Its just that Radine is so expensive there. I was meaning to get some when I got back to Earth but my wife called me to dinner and after dinner I thought Id already
ÔÇ£So you left Earth without sufficient Radine?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Well maybe the solar panels would have helped a bit, but it would have taken an awfully long time to get home after we ran out of fuel somewhere around Lennen.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Is that why you jumped out of your next ship? Did you want to push it to make it go faster?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£That was an accident sir! I wanted access to the Logistix computer but unfortunately I pressed the wrong keys and I wound up outside the ship. I tried to get back inside but I fell off the edge and the next thing I saw was the Copernicus IV disappearing into the distance. I just didnÔÇÖt think about my jetpack.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Well we have posted a Galaxy wide alert for your missing ship. You were just fortunate to be found. So now you have the Copernicus V which you have parked in orbit around EarthÔÇÖs moon and started mining operations.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Yes sir. I thought IÔÇÖd just duck in here and get this paperwork sorted out while the boys dug up some Radine.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£So what is your question?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Well I have the original Battlecruiser Millenium sir. Found it a month ago in EB. I was wondering if anyone out there knows where in Sydney, Australia I could buy the new Battlecruiser Millenium Gold? The graphics look so much better and IÔÇÖm sure my 750Mhz Pentium could handle the workload. IÔÇÖve wandered through a few computer game stores but I canÔÇÖt find it, I also looked on EBGames.com but they only have US prices and availability.ÔÇØ
I'll post your request Commander. Someone might be able to help you. Hmmm just tell me one thing. When you parked the Copernicus V in Lunar orbit, did you remember to issue a HALT order to the autopilot and disengage all targets from the NID?
ÔÇ£HALT order sir?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Yes. A HALT order. From the Orders menu.ÔÇØ
Ahhhhthe Orders menu? Good Heavens! Is that the time? I really must be going sir! I have my shuttle parked outside and
TREMOR OF ENORMOUS IMPACT EXPLOSION SHAKES THE GALCOM REQUISITION OFFICE. LONG PAUSE.
ÔÇ£Ah...Sir, could I amend my requisition? ÔÇ£
[TIRED VOICE]"Don't bother with the paperwork for now. Just... just go... pick up the Copernicus VI from Galcomm and don't EVER come back to this office."
"Yes sir... ah... and getting that upgrade to BCG in Sydney?"
"GET OUT!!!"
"Yes sir."