Amaani: Part 2
Blackjack's office was clean, all relevant papers and objects had been taken aboard. The empty office had an odd feeling to it; hollow and bereft of anything that marked it is as his besides the nameplate on the door, but also oddly expectant. He was moving back out among the stars, back where he belonged. Come Hell or high waters, he was making a new life.
The loss of Jackson was a setback, one that Robert still didn't understand. The man had seemed genuine enough in the interview, but nothing had been heard from him since. Robert hadn't earned the name Blackjack by eschewing the concept of luck, good or ill, but it still seemed to be unusually rough runnings to lose a good man this close to launch. Still, there was nothing to do but fill the position and move on. Blackjack could make inquiries as to Cromwell's disappearance after he left port. Blackjack took out an old fashioned communicator from his pocket, tapping in a quick sequence before clipping it to his ear.
Blackjack was already out of his office and down the hall by the time the line picked up. Blackjack didn't know if it was a message system or Amaani herself, and, frankly, he didn't care. "Amaani, this is Captain Robert Raker. Turns out there may be room for you after all. I've sent a packet to you with our launch window. Bring whatever you need to the dock by then, and you're on board. If you're not there, I'll assume you don't want the job. Raker out," Blackjack finished curtly, cutting the connection.
The clock was ticking, and Blackjack itched to be back in the sky.