A Starship Called Starsong

Epilogue

* * * Epilogue * * *

*** Ten Years Later ***

I left the dining area and smiled as a handful of young children ran past me. They didn't stop or slow down as they greeted me.

"Morning, Rachel!"

"Rachel! Mom said she wanted to talk with you later!"

"Bye, Rachel!"

The three rounded the next corner without waiting for a response. They usually weren't quite this excited for school, but they were clearly eager to get to class.

"They get to try out various forcefields and forceshields in the training area today."

I could understand their excitement now. Most of the children loved the hands-on activities, and their lessons were riddled with them as they learned about numerous areas and the work that went into each job. I continued walking down the corridor as I headed towards the Bridge.

"We should reach the next stop in two days."

There was no one in sight, so I responded out loud, "I wonder how our two favorite metal traders are holding up..."

I could never think of those two without at least smiling slightly. They had become very good trade partners over the last ten years.

"Brandon will probably be bringing his protégé along for this trade. He is planning to retire and is introducing him to the traders while getting his feet wet."

I had not expected that, but it made sense since neither of those men were exactly young anymore. I grinned in anticipation while asking, "What are the odds of us taking him by surprise?"

I had grown to enjoy stumping the various suppliers as well as surprising them to the point that they were beyond words – all while being completely serious, of course. It was rare that any of our usual suppliers underestimated me, but I still occasionally got the chance to meet new suppliers or arrange one-time deals. Then all bets were off.

If they weren't prepared for a Starship Captain, or didn't realize that I was one, then I got to have more than a little fun at their expense. Such occurrences were disappointingly rare though. When a large or well-known trading ship docked, most of the suppliers looked up the picture of the Captain and Procurement crew in case he or she happened to see them in the main trading hall.

"Next to zero. It is actually his son, and from the information I am digging up, he is quite eager to meet you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" 

I seriously hoped that the old trader wasn't trying to set up a love match. These two had never tried anything like that, but several others had attempted such a tactic, and I had put my foot down.

Starsong explained, "Apparently, he very clearly remembers the day we first stopped there. At lunch, his father came home stomping and yelling in a rage about having to work with his nemesis. The son came home at supper to find them happily having a glass of his best wine like best friends."

I relaxed and grinned, shifting to the mindlink out of habit. 'Okay, that is hilarious. For a moment, I thought you were about to warn me about another matching-making attempt lurking on the horizons...'

Some suppliers seemed to think that it would provide them with an excellent tie for great deals. I hadn't even really paid attention to the young men they had brought along with them as I had set the suppliers straight. If that person had wanted to meet me, then showing up at a prescheduled trade negotiation was not the place.