Tales of the Courier – The Crossroads Detour
Gone in a flash. That’s how these things go. One minute it’s there, the next, not so much. There’s an old saying that goes something like, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.
Maybe that saying is relevant to the details.
1courier doesn’t care about the destination with this one. It’s a nice place, but he wouldn’t want to live there. This one, was all about the journey.
It has been raining for a week, and today is no exception. The ride handles the wet roads easily, and the next exit is within a mile. He downshifts, and quickly navigates around the slower traffic.
Once the road is open again, he accelerates. This should be a routine run, and even with the rain, it’s possible to finish ahead of schedule.
Furthermore, far away deliveries were not always big paying jobs, however, they had other perks to compensate. The main one being, out of the office.
Detour
The exit arrives quickly, and he guides the ride onto the adjoining highway. The outpost was at least thirty minutes away at current speed.
He checks the m-com link for any last minute change of plans, however, it is silent and clear. Everything was routine and predictable, similarly the rain is steady, with no end in sight.
Now he becomes concerned. Too much routine. No delivery was ever this routine, as a result, there were always hiccups. Hiccups were a given. Smooth sailing was rare.
He checks the m-com link once more, to be certain it is working, and is not surprised to see, it is working. Yes, things certainly were routine.
He briefly thinks of slamming the brake pedal to the floor, and bringing the ride to a screeching halt. It would be fun to do some power slides, but the cargo was marked fragile.
He grins, and is tempted to do it anyway. However, he needs to complete this job, so he continues hauling ass to the destination.
Within minutes he is alerted through the m-com link, that the destination has changed.
crossroads
Shit. The known, known. Hiccups.
At least this put paid to the worries about routines. Checking the m-com reveals the new destination. It’s well beyond the current fuel allotment.
Terrific. This isn’t surprising, the fuel shortage, was impacting every universe. However, it created a rather glaring problem.
He had to keep the wheels moving, and this would only be possible with additional fuel. The outpost was the only chance, likewise, it would be the only contact with civilization, until the crossroads.
1courier disengages the auto drive and resumes control of the ride. If a detour was needed to deal with a detour, it must be a typical day. He grins. Business as usual.
The outpost captain was familiar with the details of this delivery. The outpost was the original destination, therefore, it made sense to continue there.
Twenty minutes later he pulls into the outpost grounds. The captain is walking towards the ride as 1courier gets out. The captain is not smiling.
He is holding a rifle blaster and pointing it at 1courier. Another hiccup.
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