Assurance

I like to know what I am doing. If that is impossible, I can pretend. And while those you meet in this life are not always the most trustworthy of individuals, one likes to think that one’s companions are not complete idiots. I have worked with idiots. Some are simple and easily lead, they do what you tell them and you get your profit. The worst fools are stubborn fools, who refuse to listen and fail horribly. This life draws men and women who are stubborn, selfish, and often cruel.

And then there are those who are simply crazy.

I feared, for some time, that my newest partner might fight several of these descriptions. He did not, at first, strike me as particularly stupid or villainous, I had even hoped I’d found a rare commodity among Runners: a good man.
My third night aboard Roller I awoke with the sensation that something was wrong. Caban was not in his hammock, the ship was barely moving, and something smelled. I got up and checked the systems, then went to open the hatch to the cargo hold. The pungent odor enveloped me, and Caban appeared, looking slightly sheepish. (this old phrase implies that sheep often look ashamed, but a sad fact remains that I have yet to ever see a sheep, and cannot confirm the accuracy of the usage.)
“I was just about to bunk down,” he said, “when the censors said we were coming into a junkfield. And there was a whole load of cargo, just floating there!” I did not respond and he rubbed his head nervously. “So I thought, maybe I’d pull some aboard. Free cargo, free profit.”
“There is no such thing as free profit. What is that smell?”
“Well. It was frozen, before, but now that its thawing…” he settled suddenly, becoming professional. “Its manure.”
“I see.”
“I figure we can unload it at the next port. All profit.”
“Soonest is best. Are we off-schedule?”
“A bit.”
“People will be wanting their coconuts.”
I did not need to scold this man. His salesmanship faded, and he shrugged tiredly.
“Next time, I’ll check with you.”
He took it in stride. It is an easy stride, encompassing nearly everything. He accepts everything quickly and readily. Setbacks, gunfights, cramped quarters, our partnership.

Even now, after weeks aboard with him, I am not completely convinced that he is not, in fact, crazy. While I sometimes wonder how exactly he has lasted this long, it is clear he knows what he is doing. I rely on that, on what I see, its all the assurance I have.