View source for Comm-Link:A Human Perspective - Episode 1

[[Charl Grissom]] reluctantly clicked up his ship’s navcomp. He scrolled aimlessly through its star charts for awhile, eyes only half-focused, watching the colorful lights dance on the screen more than really paying any attention to the actual navigational data.

“It would be nice if I could just stay here in [[Banu]] space,” he told his ship, and not for the first time. The ''Reacher'' — his one constant companion — was a small Banu freighter; the closest [[Human]] equivalent would be a [[Freelancer]], he supposed. Charl had blown the last of his army pension credits on her, years ago, and then only made the barest modifications to the alien craft to better accommodate his Human physiology. He had laughed when he first piloted the ''Reacher'' out of space dock, and the Banu refit crew joined him — well, Banu don’t exactly laugh so much as spit and tremble — because he knew it wouldn’t be at all comfortable for most Humans. But it suited Charl just fine.

“Let’s check the old credit balance,” he said, feigning optimism. “Maybe someone died and left me a fortune.” But when he drew up his account balance there was no change, as he knew there wouldn’t be. He was broke — in the red, actually, since he’d borrowed up to the account’s limit, too. No money for more provisions, and none for more fuel. If he didn’t jump soon he’d be stranded here on the fringes of Banu space.

“Would that be so bad?” he pondered aloud. The alternative was a return to [[UEE|imperial]] space, Human contracts, Human interaction, maybe even begging work from his uncles’ consortium … which he had successfully avoided for over four years. Currently, he had the ''Reacher'' in deep orbit in the Banu system of [[Geddon]], but still just close enough to the system’s only inhabited world to keep a tenuous comm link.

He avoided the navcomp’s glare from the far side of his pilot’s board. When he finally looked and saw where he had absent-mindedly stopped scrolling the star maps, his mood soured further.

“[[Orion (system)|Orion system]]. Of course.” Home, back in [[UEE]] space … physically his home, but not emotionally. Those thousand memories everyone has of their childhood? Charl’s were all in the Orion system. Dad bailing on them on [[Armitage]]. Then the [[Vanduul]] raiders ravaging their home, not once, but twice. Mom and both sisters lost. Nothing in his memories left any binding ties to home.

Charl fidgeted in the pilot’s chair a while longer, busying himself with this and that, uselessly lamenting his lack of funds and recent work. Finally, he unbuckled and floated back toward his stateroom — he’d hoped keeping the ship’s grav plates turned off might buy him a couple of extra days of energy — then velcroed into his bunk. He drifted off to sleep hoping for a miracle.

His miracle appeared as he slept, in the form of a new message in his [[CommRelay|CommRelay’s]] inbox.

“Great,” he moaned. “Who else do I owe money to?” He touched the screen for more data.

“[[Lyshtuu]]!” Charl held his breath and let a cautious hope wash over him. He carefully touched the screen for playback, grimacing as if it might reach out and slap his face.

Lyshtuu’s strange but familiar visage appeared on the screen. When was the last time the Banu trader had gotten in touch with him? Two standard years? More than that? He had changed very little; why would he, since Banu are effectively immortal.

“Charl-Grissom,” Lyshtuu began, his non-Human mouth parts struggling to form Human words. Banu and Humans were similar, but different enough that their speech had an otherworldly quality. But Charl had the practiced ear to understand it. He had always liked Lyshtuu particularly, though he always said Charl’s full name as if it was one long word.

“Charl-Grissom, your acquaintance is requested. It is my request that your acquaintance be made for another time. That is, again. I am requesting a renewed acquaintance with Charl-Grissom.” Charl caught his meaning. The Banu language tended to be quicker than most Human tongues, so Lyshtuu tended to hurry along despite Charl’s suggestion that he just slow it all down a beat.

“Charl-Grissom, an acquaintance renewal is desirable to me, Lyshtuu, an acquaintance …” he continued and Charl shook his head.