The Lady - Part One

Auberon Searle, owner of Searle Custom Yacht Crafters, breathed a sigh of relief.

It was done.

All that was left was to call the owner of the new ship and arrange for transport. It was funny; the most exciting times of an order were always the start and the end. The beginning because you never really knew what a client was going to want for the enormous deposit required to just look at the blueprints and decide if you were willing to make the thing. It was the thrill of the unknown, the potential challenge, and the giddy anticipation of making something new and exotic. The end because you were tired of the project and ready to move on. The troubles and hitches that plagued you in the construction phase were over, no more deadlines to meet or contractors to keep in line, and, particularly with this project, no more secrets to keep. He held the plans in one hand and activated the communicator with the other, punching in the numbers for his client.

The baritone male voice on the other end made its typical rumble, no video as was the norm, “Mr. Searle. I trust this is not another call to tell me there’s been a delay?”

“No sir. This is to tell you that The Lady is finished and ready to be delivered.” Auberon was going to be glad to not hear that voice again.

“Excellent! Only 3 months off schedule. Please have it delivered per my previous instructions. I hope you will take my advice and destroy those blueprints now. It would be in your best interest.”

“So you’ve said before. I’ll consider it.” Fat chance he was going to destroy these! There was too much there that could be used in future projects. “Let me go over the delivery instructions again so that I can make sure there were no changes.” He took out his tablet started going over the delivery part of the yacht contract. They were strange and curious instructions, as was typical with this client. There were no changes and Auberon assured the man that all of them would followed to the letter. The owner then ended the conversation and Auberon leaned back. It was going to be very nice to get this off his back and move on to the next project. He began to make the arrangements and called for the pilot the client had requested.

The quicker this project was gone the better.

***********

Pilot Ioana Metaglio walked into the office with her normal purposeful stride. She had a job and it was time to get it done. Her short brown hair was pulled back with a headband; she was already in her pilot’s uniform and carrying everything she was going to need for the journey. Her golden-brown eyes twinkled with suppressed joy at the idea of finally being on her way.

“I’m here, Auberon. Let’s get shipping!” She grinned, excited to finally have an assignment. Nothing irked Ioana more than being forced to sit around and wait. She had an amazing amount of nervous energy and was always moving. She was actually very useful around the shipyard when she wasn’t flying due to the fact that she would practically beg for things to keep her busy. This wait had been particularly long and onerous because the client had requested that Ioana be the delivery pilot. Well, not her specifically; the client stated in the beginning that he wanted the best, and Ioana was the best they had. She had had to wait impatiently near the end of the construction process, watching the other pilots be assigned before her. The office, hall, and waiting rooms had never been so clean as a result of her nervous energy.

Auberon smiled back at her, “Time to get this monstrosity out of our hair and to its owner. Ready to see her?” He motioned her to follow, passing her a tablet with a list of buttons on the ship that she wouldn’t need. Ioana had her quirks, and that was one of them; she only wanted to know about the controls required to pilot and live on the ship, anything else was to be labeled “do not push”. She never wanted to know what they might be for. He shrugged as they walked out to the space dock and into the restricted area where the ship was held.

Ioana took the tablet and transferred the information to her own; her quiet, low voice, distracted. “Lots of extra bells and whistles in this one, hmm?”

Auberon chuckled, “You can’t even imagine. Look at the ship before we put the disguise shell up, you must see this.”

Ioana returned the tablet and looked up reluctantly, a ship was a ship, why would she be . . . her train of thought was completely derailed as she stared at the ship that was now in front of her. Holy moons of Jupiter. Her eyes widened with every detail she took in of the ship. She had never seen anything like it before in her life.

To say the ship was ornate was a mild description. Every inch had been constructed for looks instead of function. Lines flowed organically from the lower and side propulsors to the top view windows, from main thruster to cockpit, seamless and elegant. On the nose of the ship was the strangest thing of all; it was shaped into the form of a winged woman, like those prows of ancient Earth water ships she had seen in her history studies long ago. It looked out toward its destination with a face of purpose and determination, as if it were the soul of the ship.  

Pilot Metaglio blinked in astonishment. The whole thing was almost too much to take in and she felt she needed a good day to study all the details on the outside of this craft. She began to wonder what awaited inside if the outside was so opulent. She was pretty sure the details and prow were layered with real gold. “By the Uni-Jove, Auberon. That is some ship.”

“She is quite the looker, isn’t she?” Her boss smirked. It wasn’t often that Ioana was at a loss for words. He often found himself just staring at the exterior when they were doing the detailing so he wasn’t surprised at her reaction. “The client is a big fan of the Earth style ‘Art Nouveau’ and wanted his ship done like that. She’s called ‘The Lady’. Wait until you see the inside.”

Auberon motioned to the foreman to continue. Slowly the sides of the custom made but mundane looking ship shell came together, hiding away the beautiful exterior. It was company policy to disguise the ships while in transit and this mechanical method was far more effective than any type of sensor illusion. It made for tricky government negotiations and high “licensing fees”, but the safety of the ship and the pilot in transit was important. After delivery the owner could fly around in his little pirate bait as much as he wanted. Their job was to keep the ship safe until the owner took possession.

Ioana blinked out of her daze as the ornate exterior disappeared. “This guy is just asking to be robbed.” She shook her head. Their clients were predictable and this one took the cake. She wondered how long he’d be flying the yacht before it was seized by treasure hunters and taken apart for its components. “Unbelievable.”

“He’s an ostentatious one, but he’s not stupid. She’s got top of the line weaponry, wouldn’t want to go up against her in a fight.” He nodded. “I have to say though; I’m a bit jealous that I won’t be flying this one.” He ushered her into the boarding tunnel and through the door, watching her face for her reaction. He wasn’t disappointed.

Ioana didn’t think her eyes could get wider, yet they did. The interior was more gold, more organic lines, and . . . she looked up at the ceiling, “Is that . . .?”

“Stained glass. Aye, or closest thing that won’t shatter on impact. The glass is even built down and lit from behind.” He shook his head as he remembered the logistic nightmare that had been. “Welcome to The Lady, Ioana. Try not to break anything.” He winked at her.

Ioana looked around, her jaw nearly unhinging. “I’m almost afraid to sit down. This isn’t a ship, it’s a hotel that was made into museum!” She looked at the crystal chandeliers hanging from the stained-glass ceiling and shook her head in amazement. “Where’s the cockpit?” She felt a bit lost. She had a map of the layout, but the décor threw her off with the curved lines and no standard controls to be seen.

Auberon showed her to the controls, “Here. You can control the ship from anywhere, but this is the main station.” He watched carefully, glad that she was one of his most trusted employees. He knew that the client was not going to find even a thread missing when the ship was delivered.

Ioana began the initiation sequence to start up the ship’s computer and get herself into security. Hand print recognition, iris scan, blood test, voice recognition; after which the console simply beeped at her in response and lit up. She looked back at Auberon, “There’s no vocal interface?” Ioana had been bracing for the typical sultry female voice these luxury yachts had, especially if the client was male. It was usually the type of voice that made her want to smack the ship in the face, if it had one. ‘Actually, this one does, but it would be a little tricky to get out to the nose.’ She thought.

Auberon chuckled, “Nope, no voice for the pilot activation. That was requested by the client. She’ll just beep and chime at you.”

Ioana was starting to like this client, “Thank him for me.” She sighed. “Well, looks like all systems are go. I’ve got my flying orders. Anything else I need to know?”

“Yes, let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.” He guided her to the sleeping quarters the owner had specified for the pilot’s use and opened the door. “Your home while you’re flying this gilded beauty.”

Ioana blinked in astonishment again. She had expected a small, utilitarian room, as was typical of most clients. But this looked like the main bedroom! It was huge, the bed was bigger than the one in her own quarters. Hell, it was bigger than her quarters and the room was the size of the house she’d grown up in! “There must be a mistake.”

“Nope, no mistake. This is where you are to live and sleep, that’s direct from the client. You’ve landed in the cream this time, m’dear. The rest of the pilots would be beyond jealous, if you were allowed to tell them about this.” He gave her a significant look.

Ioana nodded, “I don’t gossip about my work, you know that.” She shook her head, “This is insane. How am I supposed to sleep in here? It’s huge!”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Time to get underway. You are expected at the Hub in two months. If you don’t show up on time we’ll come hunting for you.”

“Aye, sir. No worries. I’ll get her to and through the Hub in one piece, as usual.” Ioana grinned confidently. “I assume I’m on radio silence until then, unless it’s an emergency?”

“Yes. Emergency contact only. You know the drill. See you when you return.” He patted her shoulder, “I’ll go get the undocking started. Good flight, Ioana, may the stars guide you true.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m sure they will.” She smiled and headed to the main console to begin the takeoff procedures. “May the gods look after you.”

Auberon headed out, feeling that small twinge of anxiety he felt when it was time to start delivery, his head spinning with what could go wrong. But, this was Ioana, she was the most reliable and clever pilot he had. Anything that came up she would be able to deal with. He got outside and watched as the hatch closed, preparing for takeoff. He walked back up to the dock console, “All right, Ioana. Ready?”

From the sound of her voice, she was clearly excited, “Aye sir. Ready to start.” The engines lit up and the ship floated under its own power.

“Starting detachment procedures now.” It was a long process, but necessary. The last thing they needed was to leave one connector on and have the ship take off, damaging the shell or the ship’s exterior. Especially this exterior; he shuddered at the thought of having to repair anything at this late date and communicating that to the client. No, no mistakes. He checked everything by sensor and by sight, double and triple checking all readouts. Once everything was a go, his hand hovered over the control for the dock doors.

“When the dock opens you’re on radio silence until you reach the Hub. Any questions?”

There was a slight pause as he assumed she was going over her notes and orders, “No sir, I have all the necessary documentation.” Another pause. “Yep, all set, open that door, I’ve got a ship to deliver.” Her grin was obvious over the comm.

“Countdown to take off starts . . . now.” He pushed the button, and the doors started sliding open as the dock’s distinctive male voice started the countdown. The ship seemed to shudder with anticipation as Ioana started prepping the back engines and revved a bit.

The dock doors opened to reveal the star-scape and the moon below them perfectly lit by the gas giant they orbited. It was a beautiful sight, and Auberon regretted having to cover The Lady’s exterior, it would have been fantastic to see the ship in her true guise sliding into space. The countdown reached zero and the engines roared to life. The Lady shot away toward the Hub. He sighed and watched. It was all in Ioana’s hands now, nothing to do but wait for contact and work on the other ships. He watched the doors close on the view of the ship’s engines becoming smaller in the distance.

**********

Ioana relaxed as she got the ship into free space and was able to go on automatic. Lovely ship and she flew like a dream. She had been skeptical about the two-month timeline Auberon had given her, but seeing the speed she was flying she realized it was completely doable. It was nice to know that the client was interested in speed as well as appearance. Ioana stood up and stretched, got out her roll of thin black tape, and started her first task.

After several deliveries where buttons were pressed accidently; including a rather embarrassing incident on a custom yacht where she mistook a sexbot request terminal for a food replicator, Ioana made a habit of marking all buttons that she didn’t need with a large black tape “x” to avoid something like that happening again. It didn’t help that most of the buttons on this ship looked nearly identical, just slightly different colors and some surrounded by decorative plates. Nothing was labeled. She walked through the entire ship, her tablet in hand with the labeled schematic list of buttons and switches. It amazed her how many clients liked to use manual controls rather than voice activation, but their clients were not normal people. Ioana had come to the conclusion some time ago that the obscenely rich were very strange. She couldn’t determine if it was the money that did it, or if being strange somehow made it easier to make money. Whatever the reason, crazy and the kind of money required to make these custom ships usually went hand in hand. She looked at her surroundings as she found and marked the buttons, ‘In this case the crazy must be oozing out of his ears along with his credits.’ She thought. ‘Who in their right mind would want a ship built this ornate?’

Her eyes fell on another button with a decorative surrounding plate, this one shaped into the image of a winged insect she didn’t recognize. She put a black tape “x” on it. Everything was decorated, even the pilot’s control panel. Thankfully it wasn’t quite as ornate as the rest of the ship. The riot of colors and forms were starting to hurt her eyes, but she couldn’t find any respite.

She sighed and finished her initial circuit of the first level, then checked the schematics for the bathrooms. There were a number of them. She headed to the closest one and sighed in resignation when she opened the door.

Mermaids. The whole thing was decorated with mermaids and they seemed to be staring at her. She hurried, not liking the idea of being watched and hoped that the other bathrooms were a little less intimidating. “Honestly, who wants to be watched by a bunch of half-naked fish women?!” She stormed out, feeling less kindly inclined toward the client than earlier. He was probably as much of a perv as the rest of the clients. She grumbled and moved on to the second level to find the gym/lounge that was shown on the schematics.

The door at the end of the stairs slid open to reveal a large but strangely calming room. It was at the top of the ship, so instead of the ever-present stained glass, this room had a transparent ceiling with some etched designs around the borders. It was paneled in what looked like a dark reddish wood from floor to ceiling. There were carvings as well, but they were the same finish as the paneling and so blended in better with the surroundings and gave her eyes a much-needed rest. She decided that this room would be the one she’d spend the most time in and continued marking the buttons as she found them.

The exercise equipment looked superb, good to know she wouldn’t have to run laps down the halls as she did in ships where it was obvious the owner didn’t really care about his fitness routine. Half the room was devoted to the gym, the other half to a library. The shelves were only half full, but the fact that the owner had actual books made her raise her eyebrow. She picked one up and opened it, half expecting a hidden digital screen but found real pages. Amazing. This fellow really wanted an antique feel to the place. She put the book down and looked up. Above her she could see open space passing by as the ship flew. She sat down in one of the comfortable looking brown chairs and was pleasantly surprised when she discovered it could recline. She looked up at the view for a while. Yes, she would be spending a lot of time in here for sure. The owner had a bit of taste if he included this room. Ioana wondered if the person who designed this area was a different person from the one who decorated the rest of the ship. She shrugged, if you tried to understand a madman you would be driven mad yourself, wasn’t that how the saying went?

She watched the stars and thought about how she’d gotten into this business in the first place. Her family was from a long line of planetary colonists; so far removed from the home world generationally that Earth was starting to become legend. She’d left home to try and find something more satisfying than becoming a farmer or bureaucrat. She took some space flight training classes and found that she not only was good at it, but loved it. She hadn’t been quite good enough to get into the Academy under a scholarship and she didn’t have the money to attempt to pay for it herself. So, no nice government jobs for her. It didn’t deter her; she got top grades in the classes she could take at a smaller school, with the additional tests and certifications on her integrity and bonds on her honesty. She applied everywhere she could and Searle Custom Yacht Crafters was the first to offer her a position. She went with her family’s blessing, they were just happy she’d found some way of supporting herself, although she did get the typical communications from her mother on a regular basis about starting a family. Ioana couldn’t see any of the men she’d had relationships with as decent fathers, and she wasn’t going to raise a kid on her own. Forget that. So her mother was just going to have to be happy with her other grandchildren. There were certainly plenty without Ioana contributing to mob.

Ioana finally dragged herself from the library/gym and worked through the rest of the ship. She ignored extra bedrooms, simply putting black “x's" on the room opening buttons. She might peek in at some point if she got bored, but again, she’d had a few bad experiences poking about these ships. If you’ve seen one torture/bondage/sex chamber you’ve seen enough, in her opinion. Amazing the things she learned on this job. Safer to just stay in the room she was given and the public sections.

After checking the rest of the ship, including the swimming pool and recreation room (which housed a few antique electronic games, a pool table, and a large bowling alley in a strangely neon theme that didn’t seem to match with the rest of the ship) she returned to “her” room and stared at it a bit as she unpacked her belongings. The décor was white, red, and gold with a very wild patterned rug on the floor with fringe around the edges. The bed looked to be carved out of white wood, with four posts climbing up to meet the ceiling in a swirly pattern with flowers intermixed. She imagined it was supposed to represent vines and flowers, but it was strangely angular. The bedding was what made her the most nervous; it looked far too fancy for her comfort.

She peeked into the connected bathroom and was relieved that there were no mermaids. Just frogs and more of those strange four winged long skinny insects on large green leaves with flowers, all floating around on painted water. It looked pretty and was very soothing, more so than the bedroom. She continued to put things away until she was interrupted by an urgent beeping. She checked the monitor. Ah, coming up on a more complicated area. Time to actually fly. She grinned and jogged to the cockpit to do her job.