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She was pushing so much!

Push push push.

Tunie did not like the big-fat-dumb-sun-facing-fish. It was always pushing.

So Tunie had to push to keep up!

And always having to be pointing her fore section at the star!

And she couldn't spin to turn her eyes to different vistas because the stupid sun-fish-face-people that were being traded with had to stick stupid silly tubes into her mouths to fill up her holds!

Why did the big-fat-dumb-sun-facing-fish push so much? It seemed very silly to tunie, so much work just to keep going in circles and circles and circles all around the sun.

And the way it eats?!

Always splashing into the grubby green slime that hovered in a cloud all around the star?

So messy!

So much work and pushing to stay in the same place facing the same sun!

No wonder this big-fat-dumb-sun-facing-fish was so stupid. Anything smarter would go crazy staying in circles forever and ever and ever like this!

At least her crew was making good deals. She got to drink and eat all the slurry she could manage while she matched the stupid-big-fat-dumb-sun-facing-fish.

And she knew in her warm buzzing drive as it practically idled to match velocity around the star that this was a good outreach.

The people that lived on the idiotically-stupid-big-fat-dumb-sun-facing-fish were going to be very rich.

They had enormous surface area to gather star light and well established industries to turn the starlight into tasty fats and gristle and meat.

Tunie felt tingles in her eyes looking out at the surrounding reef nestled around the neighboring stars. She listened to her memories of the surrounding ports and the soft soft attenuated voices of the other ships long ago and far away.

She had made a very strong case for joining the flock of outreach vessels crowding the newly announced port on the idiotically-stupid-big-fat-dumb-sun-facing-fish. And her crew was very kind and listened and agreed it was good to help support the growth of this port too.

It honestly was not the best deals, in the grand scheme of things this was a courier service that Tunie and her crew had done the maths on. It was barely going to pay for the calories Tunie would burn getting there. But that was the point of outreach, you helped local economies grow, you traded the seeds of new lucrative industries.

And then you swung back around to reap reward at the ideal period of growth.

In addition most times you also come back to find yourself rich in gratitude and discounts as well!

Tunie could practically taste the potential of a relatively primitive port that was already billions of eager industrious people strong!

And it honestly was not like the cargo was worthless. They had gotten some decent trade. Which would feed tunie’s belly as they zig-zagged around between the other ports on the slow way to their proscribed destination.

The contract was a solid and fair one. So said her crew, and the relevant handling instructions were conveyed to her on the song.

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Restrictions on acceleration?

Not out of the ordinary.

Necessary repairs and containment instructions?

Actually considerably more considerate of them.

Environmental condition requirements?

Not the strangest Tunie had held in her holds.

Necessary care and personality profiles?

Perfectly reasonable! some cargo was especially itinerant. Tunie was naturally not much involved in most of the instructions or care, that is what crew was for and she loved her crew. So adorable and tiny and always looking out for her.

Her crew had reviewed the contract and approved it so it must be alright for her.

Her crew had always been careful to make sure contracts would keep her safe.

She shivered a little bit inside, eyes glancing across the stars to make sure there were no gaps, no blanks, no signs that looming shapes had obscured the stars or camouflage was near imperceptibly projecting a false view to her.

Her crew would always look out for her regarding contracts, Her crew, small and singular that it was had even tore up a contract to save her.

Even though it had required reducing the crew down to one to do it.

Even though it had meant turning against the trade port that had enacted it.

Tunie loved her crew because they would do anything to protect her.

Oh Yay!

Her crew was done performing silly crew games and angering the port authority!

Her crew was so silly sometimes. If you antagonized port authorities too much they would give less good deals in future.

Well if they remembered.

Tunie made note to remember if this port kept good enough records to remember how mischievous her silly little crew was when they return.

If they kept it up for three visits in a row she might just have found a keeper!

Oh don’t be silly! Of course she would wait a good dozen visits before settling on the port as her nest.

And they would have to do something about the unbelievably-idiotically-stupid-big-fat-dumb-sun-facing-fish.

No calf of hers was going to have to chase after its nest port like a fool.

Oh here comes her Crew now, jumping towards her like it thought it was a shuttle!

How adorable!

She will catch it!

It’s very easy, tunie barely has to use her drive or feathers at all!

She catches it so gently!

Now time to rest and let feathers rest and drives cool.

She missed her crew, she makes sure they are extra clean when they come aboard.

Perhaps a bit more than necessary.

But her crew is very small and there is only one of it.

She has to keep them safe.

That's what friends do.

And if crew were not friends Tunie did not know who was.

She loved her crew.

They were so cute and small.

Tunie would keep them safe.

...

Aw!

No brushies!

Tunie was sad, but she still loved her meanie crew even when they did not give brushies.

Oh a cargo is trembly!

Crew best check on that, Tunie cannot see inside herself very well at all!

Tunie has the best crew!

Even though they are so small and only one.

Tunie’s crew is the best.