Lee Long woke up with a sensation of pain all over his body. He didn't immediately realize what was wrong. His face creased at the thought that sleeping as an ugly cat was a mistake. This was what saving mana had led to! But he preferred to spend his mana on practicing healing. The boy applied healing to himself and felt no relief! He snorted and got out of bed. The hotel room was not large. The desk and bed, the toilet, and the shower stall were in the small room behind the door. Lee didn't linger and hurried to buy a spaceship. The flyer took him to the trading floor.
On all sides, the boy was surrounded by flying screens advertising the merchandise. An employee of the marketplace approached the new visitor.
"Greetings and wishes for a good hunt. What model is the distinguished one interested in?" murmured an elderly cat with gray hair.
"Greetings and wishes for a good hunt. Interested in a small courier. FS 209. With good engine condition. Hyperdrive in priority. Looking for engine class 6 and over."
"Now we'll consider the best offers," the cat rubbed his paws.
He turned sideways and one of the screens flew up to him. The worker began to enter the query data into the display. The old cat didn't leave the customer alone and decided to sell him a valuable item, "The latest model of the FSCS scout courier wasn't interested?"
"A class 5 hyper? That bird's too slow. I like changing hunting spots. Don't like wasting time on flights. Class 6 at least," the duelist replied.
"I see. Look at the suggestions," the cat moved away from the screen.
Lee stepped closer and looked over the models. One item immediately caught his attention and the boy asked,
"This red courier. A 7.2 class engine like the one on the Chief of Tribal Intelligence's yacht. But the price is only 148,000. What's wrong with the goods?"
"After an encounter with pirates. Shield system disabled. This is Captain Mrowg's ship. There were a cloaking and radio jamming system, a jamming firing system. All electronics burned out from the electromagnetic radiation attack. The onboard computer and the Hyperdrive survived. The Captain removed all weapons."
"He put new Power Stones in the power block? Did the computer save the programs to enter FTL?"
"Now let's see what old Mrowg left behind. He's a tough claw, I drank toxic with him!"
The cat bragged of familiarity to impress the customer. But the ferin performed his duties with skill. A few seconds and Lee scrutinized the detailed information.
He already wanted this ship. No weapons? Nonsense. No shields? Not a big deal. He didn't want to mess with pirates and get involved in space battles anyway. It wasn't his battlefield. The engine was fine. The atmospheric engine was pushing the courier to 13,000 kilometers per hour. The extra hyper was disgusting, only class 2. Only the hyperdrives of vintage transports were worse. The onboard computer database had special programs licensed by the College of Engineering of Ferin. It was the highest quality certification. Mrowg didn't trust semi-legal programming geniuses. The energy unit was fine and guaranteed a standard level of 3 months of super-light operation.
"I take this courier. Do you accept credit cards?"
"I accept any payment except a container of chips," laughed the cat. "I need the information to fill out the sales document."
Lee Long handed the cat a fake ID card. The employee began filling out the document. The boy was worried and was ready to apply the Suggestion. No problem!
The cat gave the new owner an e-card for the property with proof of official purchase. The boy also received a chip with three electronic passwords to unlock the hangar, the ramp, and the onboard computer.
As a parting, the old cat wished to see the buyer again and handed the boy his card.
"If you buy any more equipment come to me and you'll get a discount. Good hunting!"
"Good hunting to you, too," the boy said goodbye.
Lee liked the deal and hurriedly flew to the hangar to enter aboard his ship.
The flight took a few minutes. The flyer landed at the gate of the correct hangar. Lee Long got out of the flyer and walked to the gate. He entered the password and went inside the hangar. The opening of the gate triggered the lights. Lee saw his handsome one. The body of the courier was painted red and only a few sections were black. The cabin was in the shape of a spindle that connected to the engine room compartment. The two side wings had the shape of elongated triangles with a triangular base. The sharp ends of the wings protruded in front of the cockpit and this gave the ship a threatening appearance.
Lee Long approached the left wing where the entrance to the courier's cockpit stood out. He entered a new password and the surface slid aside. The onboard computer immediately responded to the intrusion. Lee heard the impersonal, mechanical sound of a vocoder,
"Security protocol activated! You have three minutes to enter your security password!"
"And to replace the sound of your voice, ironclad," grinned the boy.
He quickly made his way into the cockpit of the ship and sat down in the pilot's seat. It took seconds to enter the password. The control system welcomed the new owner. Lee began setting personal passwords and checking the condition of the ship. He was distracted from his work by a request from spaceport security.
"Board 903a75GB. Security here. Do you wish to extend your hangar lease?"
"Change of parking space. Please provide coordinates for the new berth. One year lease term," the boy responded.
"One year is a category 4 discount. We'll send you the coordinates of the available hangars. The channel is booked to close the deal."
Lee smiled and thought that leaving the ship in its old location was unnecessary. The former owner could sneak into the hangar. Excessive trusting wouldn't do any good. With a feeling of complete satisfaction, he started the atmospheric engine and lifted the ship into the air. The computer still responded monotonically to queries but was doing a fine job. The route was displayed on the cockpit screen and the pilot flew to the new parking spot. At the new hangar, Lee completed the hangar lease and power supply. Thirty-seven hundred credits for a year of hangar use! The credits were flowing out of his piggy bank and it made him sad and anxious to replenish the account.
But the quality of the engine was awe-inspiring and delightful. Fluffy Paw had a class 4.8 Hyper. On his beauty, the Hyperdrive was class 7.2 and had excellent reliable computer support. With this combination, the flight would be super fast and safe. Lee Long knew the classics well and echoed the words of legendary pilot Han Solo:
"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations, we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova, and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"
At that moment, his fine mood was broken by the communicator's call. Urgent call! It could only be the guardians or a couple of acquaintances. He put it on speakerphone and verified the signal reception,
"Lee Long is here. I'm listening."
"Dirty bald monkey! Where have you gone? Why aren't you on the planet?"
"Black Star! How did you get home? Didn't you go on a space hunt for three months? But I'm glad to hear your voice, furry."
"Father called. We need to talk. Where are you?"
"Never mind. I'll be at the colony in ten minutes. Where do we meet?"
"I've landed at checkpoint three. I'm waiting. End of line."
Lee got up from his chair and headed out of the hangar. The flight to the nearest teleport wouldn't take long.
"But why did the Patriarch interrupt her mission?"