Some assembly required
Docked in Target City this morning, or what passes for morning in standard time. It has been a few months since I was here last, and it’s a proper city. One of the first off-world, the first to have called for independence. The cities of Mars were built on the coin or Corporations and even know are not free.
But there is business to be had in Target City, everywhere you look. Its well patrolled by Feds, of course, but the docks writhe with Runners. We can restock, find fresh water on sale, re-establish some contacts. They’ll shake their heads, recognize us as having just gotten in from Deep Space. There is something about a person, “Obvious as a hull breach”, as they say.
Caban says after we sell off what we have, we’ll hire someone to help us make the deal. I wonder who he’ll pull from the rummage, if it will be a stupid thug, or a gem, or someone I already know. Knowing Caban’s luck, it will be all three.
We’re here with a name and a credit account card, courier to the contact back in Hadrian. He only wants one thing, and found someone to sell it but no one to bring it. That’s where we Runners come in. We’re more than happy to fetch whatever lies at the edge of the ‘verse, for the right price. Today we’re buying a water processor. A Runner’s pillow, that. The only one in the Hadrian system not controlled by Feds or Corporations, our contact will make a proper fortune with it.
The thing of it is, since we’ve got to smuggle the entirety of our ship back in past the Point, we’re going to have to come up with a way to pay the miners. That much coin could be acquired only through selling the miners half of the processor parts, but that’s not part of the deal.
Flying with Caban is never dull, I know he’s thought of something when he grins and says that our contact overlooked one miniscule detail. He never agreed to buy the construction or operating instructions from us, so he’ll end up paying half again as much to the miners, after we give them the instructions to pay our passage. He’ll be satisfied with his crates and parts and ducts and Tabchinski pumps and hydrogen tanks until he realizes he has no idea how to put it all together. By the time the miners make their opening offer, we’ll be booster end to Point Hadrian and waving a fond farewell.
But there is business to be had in Target City, everywhere you look. Its well patrolled by Feds, of course, but the docks writhe with Runners. We can restock, find fresh water on sale, re-establish some contacts. They’ll shake their heads, recognize us as having just gotten in from Deep Space. There is something about a person, “Obvious as a hull breach”, as they say.
Caban says after we sell off what we have, we’ll hire someone to help us make the deal. I wonder who he’ll pull from the rummage, if it will be a stupid thug, or a gem, or someone I already know. Knowing Caban’s luck, it will be all three.
We’re here with a name and a credit account card, courier to the contact back in Hadrian. He only wants one thing, and found someone to sell it but no one to bring it. That’s where we Runners come in. We’re more than happy to fetch whatever lies at the edge of the ‘verse, for the right price. Today we’re buying a water processor. A Runner’s pillow, that. The only one in the Hadrian system not controlled by Feds or Corporations, our contact will make a proper fortune with it.
The thing of it is, since we’ve got to smuggle the entirety of our ship back in past the Point, we’re going to have to come up with a way to pay the miners. That much coin could be acquired only through selling the miners half of the processor parts, but that’s not part of the deal.
Flying with Caban is never dull, I know he’s thought of something when he grins and says that our contact overlooked one miniscule detail. He never agreed to buy the construction or operating instructions from us, so he’ll end up paying half again as much to the miners, after we give them the instructions to pay our passage. He’ll be satisfied with his crates and parts and ducts and Tabchinski pumps and hydrogen tanks until he realizes he has no idea how to put it all together. By the time the miners make their opening offer, we’ll be booster end to Point Hadrian and waving a fond farewell.
posted by Scout | 5:54 PM
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