Freelance On The Galactic Tunnel Network by Foner E. M

Author:Foner, E. M.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Foner Books
Published: 2020-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

Twelve

“Welcome to the Borten Habitat,” a scruffy looking young man called up to John before the ramp even touched the deck of the landing bay. “Got any work for a cash-poor trader?”

“Talk to me,” John replied without hesitation. “I’m not a charity, but maybe you have some information I can use.” The ramp reached the deck, but rather than starting down, he gestured to the young man to come on board. “You hungry?”

“I could eat Vergallian vegan.”

“That bad, huh? I’m John.”

“Mario,” the young man identified himself. “Just so you know, I won’t be able to invite you over in return because I lost my ship.”

“Pirates?” John asked, leading his unexpected guest to the ladder.

“Bankers,” Mario replied. “I did a cash-out refi six months ago but I couldn’t keep up with the payments. They tried to point me in the direction of some good business but nothing seemed to work.”

“MORE?”

“That’s them. But don’t get me wrong, it’s a great company. They even offered to let me keep living on the ship to fly consignments for some package network they’re setting up, but I just couldn’t see doing that after being my own boss.”

“Leftover pizza all right with you?” John offered. “I ordered it from the takeout place when I got in so it’s less than eight hours old.”

“Pizza’s great. So you’ve already taken care of your business here? I was hoping I could make myself useful.”

“Delivered some ore, ate a few slices, and fell asleep. I’m one of those weirdos who gets bone-tired whenever I go from Zero-G to getting some weight back, even if it’s just on a habitat.” He removed two slices of pizza from the box, put them on a plate for the microwave, and instructed the ship controller, “Thirty seconds.”

“I’ve been all over this place looking for work,” Mario said, unable to keep his eyes off the rotating plate visible through the microwave’s tinted door as he spoke. “You mentioned a delivery. Are you in the consignment business?”

“That was just dropping off some ore for a friend. My cargo includes some good chemicals for extracting gold—cyanide salts and hydrochloric acid. I’m sure I could sell them to the cooperative that runs the refining center here on the habitat, but I think I could get a better price from independent operators.”

“Ding,” the ship’s controller announced, and John removed the plate and handed it to his guest.

“Half and half?” Mario asked, taking a slice and offering the plate to his host.

“I’ve already hit my pizza quota for the day. Take your time and eat, there’s more in the box if you want, and there’s plenty of water. I actually have somebody coming to meet me so I’ve got to head back down.”

“I’ll come with you,” the hungry guest offered through a mouthful of pizza. “You can’t be comfortable leaving a stranger on your bridge.”

“I’ve got the security upgrade for my ship controller,” John told him bluntly. “It will inform me if you start poking around. Just relax and get some food in and then we’ll talk.

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