Ellie loved flying the grav truck! Without loaded down with cargo the four large nacelles and powerful grav plates allowed the truck to fly faster and higher then her old poor grav cart. Ellie grinned then pushed the truck a little faster.

Her laughter was suddenly gone as she jerked the truck to the left and barely missed the garbage scow that had dropped in front of her.

“Graviton! Watch the airways!” Ellie yelled uselessly into her helmet.

She slowed down a little, her heart beating to fast after that near collision. Still she got to the designated coordinates in a fraction of the time the old plodding cart would have. As Ellie looked over the seen her bright blue eye widened.

“Holy Nova!”

There had to be over fifty brand new cargo pods littering the sand. If those big pods held the Q607 chips, there had to be hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million, of the chips, Ellie came here for. Ellie's truck would barely fit one of the large pods into its storage bed. Landing, Ellie eagerly got out and checked the first cargo pod a few feet away.

“Yes!”

The pod had ten thousand brand new Q607’s packaged inside, that made the total chips dumped athalf a million chips.

“Nova!”

The cargo pods had their own grav plates and Ellie found there batteries almost fully charged. Ellie took wireless control of the cargo pod and maneuvered it carefully into the bed of the truck and locked it in. Ellie looked at the rest of the cargo pods and shook her head mournfully.

“I will see you later!” She promised the chips.

Grinning Ellie hoped into the truck and lifted off, the grav plates did not even whine in protest. With a heavy load the truck crawled back to the ship, it was an hour later she set down. Looking at the small one person airlock and the cargo pod she realized she overlooked a key detail.

“Nova!”

Unloading the pod, she commed Xander.

“Hey Xander have you found any cargo grav sleds?”

Getting a yes her heads up display populated with yellow marks. This time it was easy to check over ships miles away. Ellie found eighteen working cargo grav sleds between four ships. After piling them up near the chip pod she went back and salvaged dozens of grav plates, twenty one small fusion plants, and siphoned eleven liters of helium 3 form various ship tanks.

It was a long, hard day, with Ellie having to check dozens of ships but as the sun set she was ginning widely.

“Xander I need to make a run back to town for supplies and to rest. I will return in the morning.”

“I will keep a detailed watch a mile around the ship and make sure no one comes aboard Ellie” Xander promised.

Grabbing her backpack she went over to Andy.

“Please wait here in standby. I will return soon.”

“Andy understands and will wait here.”

Saying goodbye to both again, she went to her truck and flew towards Cullen's Town already missing both the bot and the AI.

Arriving in the small town thirty minutes later she navigated to Tom's Wholesome Goods. Landing the dull red vehicle she took off her helmet and went to greet Tom.

“So your back, and where is the A10?” Tom asked curious.

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“Hey Tom. It has been a long two days. Andy's fine, I left him at my new base, which is why I'm here.”

Tom's eyebrows rose as he heard the bot's name and about the base but looked interested in what Ellie was after.

“I need some more water, food, bedding, and a working personal environmental plant.”

Tom rubbed his chin in thought. “The first three are easy enough. The last, I think I have just what you are looking for.”

Guiding her to the back cargo area, were she had meet Andy, Tom walked over to a large rectangular metal box. “This is a military field expedient, self-contained, shelter. Soldiers call it fish can. The recyclers can make the air and water last for months if you find yourself stranded on an airless moon.”

Ellie grinned wryly at that. The vast junkyard in the desert almost was like being stranded on a desolate moon. “So, how much?”

He named a price making Ellie wince. It was a cheap but Ellie needed to save her credits. “So are you interested in some working fusion reactors?” Ellie said brightly, trying to smile guilelessly, she had two reactors with her.

Ellie had been planning to study them in detail and get some real, hands on, experience at working on the internal electronics of a fusion reactor. After Tom looked over the salvage he agreed to the trade. Ellie loaded the items on her list and said goodbye to Tom. She wondered if the hotel clerk still was watching his vids. Giggling she made for the hotel.

Arriving at the hotel she commanded the sensor drone to watch the grav truck. Taking an Instameal and a bottle of water with her she entered the hotel. Disappointingly there was a new desk clerk that was more attentive.

“Powered suits are not allowed on the premises!” Blinking, Ellie just looked at nervous skinny man.

“Could you remove you helmet at least?' The clerk said pleadingly.

Ellie wondered how many people showed up in powered suits and ignored the guy. Given the hotels location she figured the odds were high. Laughing, she did as requested.

“But you are a child!” The man whined. Ellie wondered if he got bullied a lot. “Yes sir! Just ten years old and made an adult by the UEN council.” Well that was stretching the truth, a lot.

It had been a committee that reported to a system council, that reported to a sector council, that reported to a regional council, that reported to someone else. She doubted it ever fully made it up the ranks to the UEN council on Earth, or that they cared. It was file and forget. She was file and forget., those Nova holes.

Some of her anger came through and the man gulped. “Have a nice day miss!”

She blinked at the guy who seemed to be backing up without moving. What the nova?

“Hey its fine, just a rough couple of days.” The now sweating guy nodded vigorously. “Yes Ma'am! Please if there is anything the hotel can do just ask!”

Ellie was about to turn away but a thought interrupted her, an evil thought. “Well now. I have paid for my room for a month but it is a little small.” The man hastily started typing in his system.

“Yes ma'am! An open suite just came up! I can transfer your room there.” Trying not to laugh she agreed and give her room codes and received new ones. Ellie kept her face hard until she got to the top floor and entered her room. Laughing so hard she fell to ground, she laughed until she couldn't breathe.

After Ellie regained her breath she looked around. It was a larger, nicer, room then before. The bed was three time the size, it had a ship suit cleaner, and it had a soaking tub! Ellie doffed the powered suit as fast as she could, finding her armored ship suit underneath reeked after two days of hard use.

Ellie had to pause in her rush to throw it into the cleaner, then she turned on the soaking tub's hot water valves and jumped in. Sighing in contentment she settled in as it filled. Turning off the water she sunk into the hot water. Closing her eyes Ellie sighed and drifted off to sleep.

Waking with a splash of water, Ellie jumped out of the new cold tub. Turning on the shower she took a quick rinse and then stumbled to the bed. Sinking down into it soft embrace Ellie went back to sleep. A pounding on the door shot Ellie awake.

Looking around for an intruder, the pounding continued. Rushing toward the door, she almost opened it before she realized she didn't have her ship suit on. ‘Nova!'

Rushing to the ship suit cleaner she got out her nice clean ship suit. “I'm coming!” She shouted.

Ellie paused again, she looked at her light armored power suit and thought about putting it on. Another bang and Ellie rushed to the door. “Yes?” She asked wryly.

The desk clerk who was so involved with vids was standing there.

“Did you threaten Willard?” He half shouted.

Ellie stared confused. “Who is Willard?”

“Willard. The man you threatened to get this room!”

“I did not threaten him!” She protested. “I mean yes he may have thought I threatened him but I didn't!”

“Get out!”

Ellie was stunned. “But I did not do anything! He was just a little nervous about the armor!”

“You have five minutes to get your stuff. Here take it and leave.” He pushed a handful of credits at her.

Ellie grabbed the credits and rushed to put on her armored suit. Suited, Ellie left. Willard form last night was nowhere around. Ellie climbed into grav truck and headed for her ship. Still not fully awake she turned on her favorite music file.

Ellie landed in better spirits and commed Xander. “Good morning Xander!”

“Good morning Ellie. No incursions to report.”

Ellie laughed. “Good. I'm going to be working on an idea I had. Do you need anything?”

“Only more sensor drones.”

Promising to try to find them, Ellie went to her pile of salvage.