Chapter 25

"It has been a long time since I took a train…" Thomas said absentmindedly when they entered their coupe. While the others talk about their truly exciting experience with traveling, Mat just looked at the bullet trains moving in and out of the station.

"We should not bother Mat, he is deep in thought!" Suzy said playfully and made him turn around. Thomas and Swen were sitting on the same side as Mat, while the others took the other side of the coupe.

"Indeed, I was thinking that Ember promised me to not do any work but then she says we have to write a report…"

"I am sorry!"

"Don't apologize! You get us some money for the trip because of it!" Thomas comforts her.

"Don't be lazy Mat! Don't forget it was your idea to go there!" Norr schooled Mat.

"Well, technically that was Swen's idea,"

"Hey! Though…I would also like to get money from my athletic club," he laughed. The train then slightly jerked and start slowly moving.

"So I know why everybody is going, but why you Swen?"

"Well I want to be a Free pilot, so I want to gather some information,"

"Wow, so it finally come to this?" Mat asked surprised.

"That is pretty bold," Norr said.

"I am not ashamed or scared…"

"Impressive," Ember said.

"Pretty hot," Suzy nodded.

"Well thank you, likewise," Swen said smoothly.

"Excuse me?"

"I read your articles and did a quick search of well…everybody here. But your career is pretty impressive!"

"Since when do you like when another person has their WW on a watch list?" asked Mat.

"Since they get it for snooping around government and not because they won a planet…though to be fair you were the first person I met with watched WW and so I slightly panicked…sorry about that,"

"Snooping around government?" Thomas asked and Suzy sighed.

"It's annoying when somebody who knows how to search the net cannot be discrete…but it's nothing big. I was just happy to listen to some not exactly public talks of some minor politicians. Nothing comes from it, other than my WW being on the watch…"

"I am pretty sure you told me something else," Mat reminded Suzy.

"I lied," she said without batting an eye.

"You would be a great pirate," Ember laughed.

"Free pilots are not criminals," Swen pointed out.

"Well technically…but most of them are," Ember pushed back.

"Not really, those stories are overblown. We don't have info about everything they do…which is kind of the point,"

"Overblown? They destroyed a mining station just a few months ago!"

"It was not even Earth station…who knows what really happened! Also they are not a monolith, they don't even work as a single corporation, state or society!"

"What do you mean by: "Not even Earth station!"? They were people in that station!"

"I meant that we don't even know if the information from that corporation was accurate or just propaganda,"

"Isn't that convenient," Ember smirked.

"Maybe, but it is also true!"

"It is fine, Ember just dislike some of the more violent free pilots," Norr calms them down.

"Most of them are not violent,"

"I know and they have also pretty influential explorers like Selma Lehti!" Norr said and looked at Ember.

"I like her…but the pirates often attack independent science expeditions to outer regions…"

"Why are you not just putting them in to two different types of Free pilots? The explorers and pirates?" Thomas asked and Norr smiled.

"I guess I could do that, its just the news and reports often just call them all Free Pilots or Non-citizens or something like that," Ember explained.

"Do not listen to news then," laughed Suzy and enjoyed the irony.

"Mat what do you think?" Thomas asked.

"They are annoying. The…" he stopped talking and looked at his WW. Then he open the hologram, but stopped. He turned the WW completely and looked Suzy with a serious look. She understood and she also turned her off. Ember, Norr and Swen followed suit.

"Wh…" Thomas was about to say, but loud "Shush!" from Ember stopped him. He obediently turned it off as well.

"Sorry for that, I am a bit paranoid about my handler,"

"It is fine!" Swen smiled.

"So I was about to say that pirates are annoying because the government used them as an excuse for watching my WW. From what Lucas, that is the guy from the government keeping an eye on me, said. I think they want to control my planet by scaring me that the pirates could steal it from me,"

"I see, but your planet is practically worthless, right?" Suzy asked.

"It is as far as I know, but If by any crazy coincidence I get money to develop it, they might come,"

"Honestly that is a bit far fetched, the Free pilots are maybe politically relevant, but they don't have that much resources to control any random planet," Norr said, but Swen shook his head.

"It is possible, especially for low developed planets further from gates to be completely in their control. After all they often just need one battleship to completely overwhelmed a planet with no military defenses. With that they could block the communication or even take hostages," he explained.

"They also often deal with other none Earth societies like the Scientology system. They act like mercenaries as well,"

"Blegh, the universe is so complicated,"

"And without any other life from colonizing random planets!" Norr laughed.

"As far as we know!" they all said in union. It was often used phrase, since humans get used to other life forms, but never met any on their level of intellect.

"Now that you mentioned it, your planet has life, right?"

"Yes, but we only know it has plants, or something like that,"

"Green?" Swen asked.

"Yes?"

"Damn it, for once we could find life that uses a different spectrum of the light?" he said disappointed.

"Would pirates even care about there being life? While potential drugs and other research could be valuable…" Thomas wondered.

"No they wouldn't, not more then other societies or companies…sadly research is too expensive and unpredictable," Ember sighs.

"Maybe you could ask somebody at the convention!" suggested Norr.

"That is the plan! Well…in general. I still don't know what to expect," Mat looked at Swen.

"You will see! I can only tell you the little I got from online videos and articles!" Swen said eager to share.