Arth
Near Restoration City
They found him grilling a T-bone steak on a shiny new Frywell 450™ behind his cabaña on the beach.* “Hey Biggs,” said Mack, walking onto the patio, “you ever eat a vegetable before?” Biggs looked up from the grill to see his junior lieutenants, Arella and Mack. He wiped his hands on his worn “the cook is my hero” apron and pointed at Mack.
“Hey, lieutenant, remember who writes the checks around here,” chuckled Commander Biggs Hilsfar. “Besides, this fine cut of beef constitutes a balanced meal, green or no green.” Mack grinned. “And how are you, Arella?”
“Very well, sir, and yourself?” Biggs grunted something about the classified ads and offered them each a beer. Mack and Arella followed Biggs down a short path through the palm grove behind the patio. They stopped when they saw it. There, in a clearing, under the bending palm trees was a worn-looking caravel perched on its hydraulic landing gears. Several panels were open and various toolboxes were scattered about at random.
“Now that,” said Biggs, lifting his glass of beer, “is an Interstel Superphotonic Starship if ever there was one.” ISS Belfast Windfall was parked on Biggs’ property. Most ships had to dock at Starport or a licensed planetside hangar, but veteran skippers of the 4620 batch were allowed their minor rebellions. “So sit down, you two, and show me what you’ve got.” The trio sat down on Biggs’ cheap lawn furniture in the shade of the starship and surrounding palms.
“It doesn’t look like much at first,” began Arella, “but I think it’s got potential.” She unwrapped the package to reveal a hefty chunk of plasticite-ceramic composite. It had several markings. “It’s a permalite imprint copy, the kind we use on off-world digs.” Biggs nodded. When exploration vessels found heavy objects—inscribed stone and the like—the crews usually made imprint copies to save weight. Permalite was light, and it also captured more texture than photographs could. “Here’s the interesting thing. It’s an imprint of a navigational aid of some sort, and a very basic one at that. It’s really just a copy of some directional data stamped on some stone somewhere.” Biggs looked skeptical.
“It sounds interesting, but I’m looking for the cash angle because—let’s be honest, here—I’ve got bills to pay.” The commander’s tab at McConnagle’s pub was growing daily and the last set of converter overhauls had set him back a few large. “I can’t run around looking for street signs, kid.” Mack smiled, knowing what was coming next.
“This also came in the package,” said Arella. She threw a stack of worn bills on the card table. “I gather it’s some sort of advance, sir—there are ten thousand shyneum pennies there.” Biggs set his beer down, knowing who was probably behind the whole thing.
The Heaven Colony
Ez Fortuit Spaceport
Yssk ducked into a shady machine shop well off the main concourse. M’bx Contractors was an informal place with enough machines, stray tools and greasy rags for some serious metal work. It was a Veloxi for certain—all the bolts, reverb rivets, gaskets and screws were hex-shaped. Yssk had a few friends in the shop and one of them, Nexbo, was scouring his network for a few rare “parts” that were floating around Ez Fortuit. “Nexbo,” said Yssk, seeing the insectoid machinist, “that friend coming into town—Bozzz—he sssayss we might need your sservissses for a project he’sss just picked up. Let’ss go the Relly Sstop,” grinned the Thrynn, “ISS Betty Lace jusst arrived with a few crates of those wretched baddick stalks you love ssso much. I’ll by you a few and we can talk.”
“‘Beware,’ my wise mother used to say,” recalled the Veloxi, wiping away some grease with a rag, “‘of Thrynn bearing anything.’ But if you’re paying? Dokey-oke, bub.” Nexbo set down his tools and the two left for a watering hole a short walk away.
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Next: "Ocean"
*Hi, this is Biggs Hilsfar! You may remember me from such catastrophes as the 4620 Crisis, the Leghk Crusade and Hilsfar & Company. I always fry the bad guys well! Speaking of which, I'd like to introduce you to the finest grill model this side of Meridian 200—the Frywell™ Grill'em™ series! Its titanium-stainless steel construction makes it the toughest outdoor grill available, and Frywell's™ patented Even-Glo™ charcoal system ensures perfect steaks, chicken and ribs every time!
Hilsfar & Company: Selling Out, FTL
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