Miami Pete 6:

Always paraniod about safety, I took some extra sensor readings of our destination planet to make sure we would be safe.  I was sure we would be because Hauley's chasis had originally been part of a military ship and was built to military specifications and still had the Mil grade gravitonic shielding built in that would be like having our own little magnetosphere. We would be fine on Hauley even if we set down on the planet.

I puttered around for the few days until we reached the planet.  Studiously being ignored by the monks and by Pete whenever the Monks were around.  When the monks weren't around, Pete was a little more like his old self, only happier?  I did NOT know what to think about that, and started wondering if Pete was sneaking into some of the more recreation-applicable med supplies.

As we got closer to the planet, my sensor sweeps started paying off.  I'm not a planetary geoarcheologist or anything (is that even a thing?), but when I cranked the sensor resolution up to maximum, the readings were starting to look like the planet had indeed at one time been inhabited and presumably had once had an atmosphere.  I could find a few faint lines that might have been roads, and a couple places that might have once been cities. There was radiation everywhere, presumably from the wild solar activity. I couldn't find any evidence of that there was currently an atmosphere of any kind, but that might have been blown off by solar wind pressure.  I'd heard that could happen.

The day we reached the planet I made sure to be up on the bridge early.  I had learned in the short time the monks were aboard that if I tried to enter the bridge when Pete and the monks were up there, i was usually shut out.  However, if I managed to get there first, and I sat quietly at my station, they would act like they didn't notice I was there.  Hah!  Take that Boss Monk!  If you want to get rid of me at that point, you have to admit that I exist!

Yea, the whole ignoring me thing was starting to get to me. It was the small victories that kept me going.

Pete and the monks soon arrived, and huddled together over the central 3D display.  "Access the planetary map and put it on 3D" Pete ordered.

I complied.  I wanted to snip back that they wouldn't even have a planetary map if I hadn't taken it upon myself to use the sensor suite to ceate one, but I held my breath.  I didn't want to get kicked off the bridge.  Say what you want about me being a coward and how I should stand up for myself, I don't care.  After the last few years of constantly hauling cargo, with the recent engine refit being the most interesting thing that had happened.  I did not want to miss looking at a new planet and being in on... well... whatever they were doing. I love Hauley, make no mistake, but there hadn't even been any malfunctions to keep me entertained.  I was going stir crazy.  As it was, I had spent the sleep cycle refitting a backup to the spare secondary cargo hold three life support system.  Cargo hold three. One of the two external cargo holds that we don't usually bother running with life support activated because it's usually either empty or is carrying cargo that doesn't require life support service.  Anything that we haul that actually needs life support we would put in cargo hold one because clients get upset if you put delicate cargo, as in anything that would be harmed by not having active life support, in an external cargo hold.

Over the next hour and a half, Pete and the monks quietly conferred around the 3D display.  One or the other of the monks would quietly tell Pete something and he would yell out coordinates.  Which I would dutifully input, move the display, and highlight.  I kept watch on my workstation display, trying to figure out what they were looking for.  It all looked the same to me.  Reddish brown rock, after reddish brown rock, after reddish brown rock.

Finally, "That's it!" Boss Monk exclaimed.  Whatever he had found, it sure make him happy.  The monks were all hugging eachother and shaking Pete's hand.  Big smiles all around.  I just stayed hidden as usual at my bridge station.  I didn't want no monk hugging on me anyway.

"Prep for atmospheric landing at those coordinates." Pete ordered.

I looked.  It didn't look anything like a landing zone.  If my measurements were correct, there wasn't going to be enough of a flat spot for Hauley to fit.  Hauley isn't the biggest cargo hauler in the business, not by a long shot.  A dozen Hauleys would fit in the big cargo hold of some of the big commercial haulers, but those ships couldn't land on the surface like Hauley could.  I needed to say something, but with those monks there I didn't want to talk.  I had already gotten chewed out a few times for talking too much around the monks.

Thankfully, after a while the monks finally left. "Pete, there isn't enough room to land Hauley at those coordinates!"  I said it quickly in hope that the monks wouldn't return.

"Huh, would you look at that. I was so excited that we found it, that I didn't think to check.  Thanks."  Pete replied.

Pete and I spent the next hour going over landing places.  Just the two of us.  It was like old times.