We Happy Few: The Leviathan Universe 2138 by Edward D. Hudson

Author:Edward D. Hudson [Hudson, Edward D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-01-01T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

Robert stepped into the Hell’s Bane cargo bay. He had been loaned a set of dirty coveralls. They were originally orange with florescent stripes on the cuffs of the arms and legs. Now they were a burnt umber with several mystery stains. Robert tried to ignore the horrible smell of them. He was not used to being so intimate with filth. He tried to breathe through his mouth. He was only marginally successful.

He gaped at the size of the cargo bay. He understood that in a cargo ship the largest place would, of course, be the cargo bay. But now that he stood here, he was surprised at the vast space. It was about a hundred meters long, forty meters wide, and the ceiling had to be every bit of ten meters. The floor was gunmetal gray with a dark grid overlay of two meter squares. There were several large crates that seemed custom-made for the grids. They were locked to the floor with right angle brackets on the corners.

Across the forward bulkhead were power slots that looked like they were carved into the wall for the exo-loaders. They stood motionless, with power receptacles plugged into their hips. Two more exo-loaders stood off to the side. They were half disassembled, undoubtedly being stripped for spare parts. They appeared well-used and the tech itself appeared decades old. The paint peeled and the bodies were dented from untold hours of abuse. A little further down the wall four hover pallets were plugged into a portable charging unit. They looked nearly as beat up as the exo-loaders. On a table nearby, someone had the guts of a hover pallet spread out like a jigsaw puzzle in work.

One hundred meters to the aft Robert could make out a catwalk and some stairs. There seemed to be some larger doors, perhaps a machine shop? Or engineering?

Robert’s nose was assaulted yet again. His face wrinkled up in disgust. What is that? What could possibly smell so bad? He took a few uncertain steps forward, and saw seven people standing around the table in the far corner. All were wearing coveralls. Mostly orange, some yellow, all dirty. He put on a brave face.

“Well looky here. Here’s our new fish,” Deke said, his voice dripping with disdain. He swiped his hand to bring up the chronograph. “At least you’re on time. You better always be on time.”

Deke gestured towards one of the exo-loaders standing by itself. The smell grew worse and Robert realized they were heading for the source. The exo-loader was a bipedal cargo mover that stood over three meters tall. This exo-loader was covered in blue slime from chest to feet. Robert tried to keep the horrified look off his face. He noticed that Deke seemed to be unaffected by the smell. How was this man able to take full breaths without choking?

A new smell was added. There was a circular container full of a clear fluid. It smelled strong, some sort of petrochemical cleaning solvent, with a small brush light next to it.

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