ISN - Interview with Blaine Sammell

[Gus Givens]

Postby Coops on Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:36 pm

I was lucky enough today to track down the latest overnight celebrity, and a frontrunner for Universe Weekly's upcoming "Bachelor of the Year" competition, Blaine Sammell. Of course you've probably all heard the luckiest story in some time (probably since Alastair Davian's escape from the Flurg Pit on Grivoc, but I digress). I'm sure you'll be interested to hear it from the horse's mouth though!

Q: So, tell me about that day.
A: Nothin' special really. The outer systems are a dangerous place, never any shortage of work for the Red Star rescue teams and us tow-shippers.

Q: And you were working the Sharaia system?
A: Yep... well not working so much. A few of us were clearing the space lanes of the junk that fell off the side of the GFS Whatsit (Venture - ed.). The system was a mess.

Q: But then you got the call that would change your life forever...
A: Yeah! I was just about to head off for lunch too. Bramm was gonna take it but I figured it was pretty much on the way to Fishy Joe's anyway.

Q: Fishy Joe already has an outlet in the Expanse?
A: Hahaha - nah, but it's pretty close to the Gate. Was gonna get some lunch on the way through.

Q: I bet it was a surprise to see her!
A: Shocked as a man who's just bitten into a live polaris fish I was!
You don't expect to see the verse's most wanted floating around without power!

Q: So what does a man do when he stumbles across Tig?
A: Easy - check she's not conscious! Last thing you want is that crazy pirate knocking you unconscious and ripping your ship apart to rebuild hers. I hear she can build just about anything.

Q: And she was unconscious?
A: Thank Yulla, (apologies for the language, we felt it was necessary to reprint it - ed.) yes she was. I hooked 'er up and dragged 'er fast as I could to the gate. Them massive alien cruisers didn't seem too worried about me, maybe 'cos I don't have a gun on the towship.

Q: What did Gal-Fed say when you brought her in?
A: Hahaha - they were shocked, lemme tell ya! I unhooked 'er fast as I could and headed straight up to their offices to put in my claim!

Q: And they paid out on it?
A: Oh yeah they did! Almost 2 million credits... never seen my account measure seven numbers before. What were they gonna do, the rules are clear - bring in their crippled ship and the bounty's yours.
Don't matter who shot it up!

Q: So what's next for you then?
A: No towin', that's for sure! Headed off to Ullah for a few months'
in the sun. Perhaps even find me some rich broad there who can keep me in this kind of style forever! Only kiddin'

Q: Well it's a great story, enjoy your windfall
A: Don't you worry about that buddy!

Blaine certainly got lucky, it's not every day you get to claim the universe's biggest bounty thanks to an alien onslaught. Of course Tig is back in space now, apparently spending most of her time destroying aliens in the Expanse. Has she turned over a new leaf? Has Gal-Fed got her doing it as some sort of monitored 'Community Service'? Who knows... Blaine Sammell certainly doesn't. And I get the impression he doesn't care either. At least not until she gets her bounty back up!

Ash Hansen : News Reporter ISN.