Chapter 4: The Inspector

Flints eyes cracked open slowly. He rubbed his eyes and attempted to fall back asleep.
But a loud, “GET UP!!!!”
Startled him, and he almost fell out of bed. Kuusco had her head in the door, “Kid! Get up! Now!”
Flint clutched his chest and tried to slow his breathing, “Sheesh lady!!!! Don't you knock?”
She grinned an evil grin, “Hey! Its my ship! Knockings a privilege! Now get up!”
Flint sat up and rubbed his face. His shirt was neatly folded and laid on the night stand. His pants neatly folded right next to them. He looked around and noticed his coat hung on the door frame.
“What?”
He remembered falling asleep with his clothes and his leg on. His leg! He searched around the floor, the walls and even the ceiling, but couldn't find it. He rolled out of his bed and tried to look under the bed, but the whole bed was bolted to the floor with no possibility of anything going under. Propping himself up he sat on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Where is it?” He asked himself.
He glanced at the door and noticed a pair of crutches laid on the floor nearby. He exhaled disappointedly.

Kuusco was on the control deck with Jakar. She was showing him the controls, “See this button?” She asked.
Jakar nodded enthusiastically. Kuusco responded, “That is the button of certain doom! You press it and we all die.”
She then pointed at the one next to it, “And this one is the ignition for the autopilot.”
Jakar nodded less enthusiastically.
Flint hobbled in on the crutches. He hopped up all the way to Kuusco. She saw his disgruntled expression, “Is there something wrong?”
Flinted nodded, “Kind of. Maybe it might have to do with the fact that I crutched all the way here.”
Kuusco snorted a small laugh. Flint rolled his eyes, “I am glad you find that funny.”
She shook her head while laughing, “It's not that! It's the SCRiD. They must've came in to tidy your room, and taken your leg.”
“Where did they take it?” Flint grunted almost not believing her.
Kuusco thought for a while and then said, “Maybe the gun room, or the scrap room.”
Flint's eyes widened. Kuusco turned to Jakar, “Ok this is the mic. You call the SCRiD on this. Go ahead! Tell them to stop in the scrap room.”
Jakar cautiously turned on the mic, “Could you guys please stop in the scrap room?”
Kuusco smirked, “That wasn't good enough. Well kid! You better hurry before they melt it.”
Flint quickly turned and hobbled out of the door. He turned right and Kuusco yelled out, “LEFT!!!”
Flint then turned left and headed his way.

An hour passed and Jakar is watching the television. Human programs were the only thing they could get. Jakar was flipping through channels, but couldn't find anything.
Flint was on the couch next to him scrapping off the charcoal from his leg. Kuusco was standing at the controls staring at space outside the window.
“HEY! KIDS!!! Over here quick!”
Flint and Jakar sit up. Flint grabs his crutches and follows Jakar to Kuusco. She points to a distant blue sphere.
“That's earth!” She said, and the two simultaneously let out an, “Ooo!”
Kuusco pushed a button on the control panel and the ship slowed, “Turning off hyper thrust, and normalizing.”
“Why are we slowing?” questioned Jakar, “The planet is still very far away.”
Kuusco pointed on the radar, “The moon is not! Earth has a security check point on it. All ships have to check in.”
“What are they checking for?”
Kuusco grinned, “Pirates.”
The moon revealed itself as they passed it. The dark side made it hard to see, but as they moved closer it was apparent. Another apparent aspect was the check station. It floated around the moon and its structure was larger then anything Flint or Jakar saw before.

Thirty minutes they pulled in. The intercom on the ship boomed an unfamiliar voice, “Incoming vessel! Identify your captain, species, number of crew members and purpose.”
Kuusco went to the mic, “This is the captain, Lannit, we are three thropes and a few dozen Ship Crew Replacement Drones. Purpose: Here for cargo and goods to transfer to the Fursti system.”
A minute for a response and the voice came back, “Inspection squad coming aboard. Please open your ship and stand by.”
Kuusco confirmed and turned to Jakar and Flint, “Right! Kid! Put your leg on, and meet us at the door.”
Flint saluted and crutched off to get his leg.

Kuusco, Flint and Jakar stood at the door at an attention stance. They all had their biggest smile as they waited for the inspectors.
The door opened and in came a Human inspector guarded by five fully armed police. Two were thropes, and the others human. They all wore gas masks except for the inspector. He glared at the three as if they were stains that wouldn't come out. He expressed how he felt about the thropes, “I see they'll send anything for supplies.”
The three kept their fake smiles.
“Captain....Lannit. You claim this vessel as a cargo, but its design is clearly an old war ship. A favorite of.....” His eyes shot to Kuusco with a piercing stare, “Pirates!”
Kuusco still had her teeth locked when she spoke, “No sir! We are a freelance cargo ship! Small business.”
“Good!” He replied, “Then you won't mind the team to inspect for weapons.”
Kuusco shook her head, “No sir! Go right ahead!”
More human inspectors guarded by more armed police piled in the ship and spread across the ship. Meanwhile the first inspector stepped toward the three. He looked at Kuusco and snorted in disapproval.
He looked at Jakar, “What in the world are you wearing?”
Jakar with his smile locked replied, “A limb suit!”
The inspector rolled his eyes, “Unnatural.”
Then he looked at Flint. He inspected him closely. Then he called one of his thrope guards over. He pointed at Flint, “Tell me how old you think this thing is?”
The police looked up at the inspector. His voice was muffled from the gas mask yet still comprehensible., “Sir! He is definitely younger then me. I'd say barely eighteen.”
The inspector nodded, “Too young to be on crew.”
He glanced at Kuusco, “Why do you have them so young?”
Kuusco almost stumbled with her words, but a quick thought saved her, “He....he's my stepson! He....erm....wanted to see earth.”
The inspector snorted again, “...and The snake?”
“A friend.”
He almost didn't buy it, but decided it was the truth. He looked over at Flint again and noticed his charcoaled metal leg. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but the inspection team returned, “Sir! Its clean!”
The main human nodded and signaled them to leave. He glared at Kuusco, “Absurd animals.”
He then walked out of the door with his guards following. The thrope cop took a last look at Flint and then shooks his head as he muttered under his breath, “poor kid.”
The door closed and all three of them dropped their smiles and groaned.

Kuusco led Jakar and Flint back to the control room. Where they returned to their tasks from before, only more complaints.

Flint finished cleaning his leg just as they arrived at the earth port. He put it on and tested it out, “All right! Its good!”
Kuusco nodded, “Great! Stepson.”
Flint rolled his eyes.
“All right kids!” Said Kuusco, “Jak! Stay and watch the ship! If anything happens radio me.”
She hands Jakar a com-link. Flint walked to Kuusco, “What am I doing?”
“You're coming with me!”
Flint's eyes brightened with delight. He finally got a chance to see a new planet. Jakar was content with skipping out, so no guilt on Flint for leaving him.
They waited at the ramp and Flint's excitement was almost unmaintainable. The ramp went down and Flint was flushed with awe. This was way different then anything he had seen before. Kuusco steps toward the city outside and Flint follows her looking every direction. He couldn't believe his eyes.

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