"Look at this shit." She transferred the data on her screen over to his.
He was going to take a glance at the screen and say "so what", no matter what she had transferred, just because she had pissed him off. But when he saw the read-out, he couldn't control his excitement.
"What is this? Most pirate ships are held together with baling wire and used gum," he said in disbelief.
"Yeah, well, not this one," Drew said. "Look at their weapons system. We're damn lucky they didn't fire on us."
"Look at the fucking third level. There's a fucking whirlpool on it . . ."
"If I might be so bold . . ." Facto started.
"I wouldn't, if I were you," Drew hissed back. She was checking out her new acquisition, and she didn't want to be bothered. Facto made a rude sound and stomped off the bridge, making as much noise as possible.
Taralin followed quietly behind him.
"I thought they'd never leave."
Drew went to the cooler, finding that it had slid all the way across the control room. She dragged it over to her chair, sat down, and started rifling through the contents. Soon she pulled out two beers and two cigars. Handing one of each to Van Gar, she leaned back in her chair, sniffed her cigar, and smiled.
"It's a whirlpool."
Van wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.
"I'm so proud."
Chapter 3
"No, no, and no!" Drewcila shook her head furiously. "I got paid to bring you here. You're here, and my job is finished. I'm gonna dump my shipment and I'm outtah here."
"I was told by your boss . . ."
"I ain't got no boss." Drewcila grinned impishly. "No one ain't ever had that kindah money."
"The man you work for, then."
"Don't work for no man." Drewcila grinned back.
"Erik Rider said . . ."
"Why didn't you just say that bloated pile of shit."
"Qwah!" Facto took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Erik Rider assured me that you and your friend would be giving us escort to the hotel. From there the King's guard will take over."
"Why ain't the guards here to meet her? I'm very busy here."
She watched as the crew of dock workers unloaded her scrap. One of the forklift drivers had just pulled out of the ship with a pallet load of generators. Sprawled across the top was the battered remains of a pirate. The driver was saying unhappy things about Salvagers who didn't dump their trash in space.
"Hey! Hey!" Drew screamed at the man till she got his attention.
"You're going to have to pay a disposal fee on these corpses, Qwah."
"Don't be looken for reasons to dock me on my scrap, bugger head. I know how much I had. And if you try and short me, you and him will be makin' butt-head book ends."
Facto breathed deeply again and tried to put himself into a kind of meditative state, but this wasn't such an easy task around the likes of Drewcila Qwah.
"So, Fuckto. What were ya saying?"
"Erik Rider assured me of an escort. It's part of what I paid for."
"Yeah, well he didn't tell me any such thing. I sure as hell didn't get paid to escort anyone anywhere, an I ain't stretching my neck out for nothin'."
Drew watched as some of the dock workers pulled the bodies off the top of the scrap. They knocked one of the generators off the pallet and it landed with a crash.
"Hey! Hey! I saw that shit! I'm gonna charge you if my scrap is damaged."
She saw that Facto was still standing there.
"You still here?"
"I'm not going without an escort."
"Then call up your lily-livered monarch and have him send you one. I can't leave these morons to unload my scrap. Surely you can see that. I'd lose a small fortune here."
"It's not that easy. We are trying to keep a low profile. The King didn't bring that many guards, and most of those are on the ship."
"Then go to the ship. Hell, I'll escort you there."
"But the King is in town!"
"So? He can come back to the ship. I don't get
He was going to take a glance at the screen and say "so what", no matter what she had transferred, just because she had pissed him off. But when he saw the read-out, he couldn't control his excitement.
"What is this? Most pirate ships are held together with baling wire and used gum," he said in disbelief.
"Yeah, well, not this one," Drew said. "Look at their weapons system. We're damn lucky they didn't fire on us."
"Look at the fucking third level. There's a fucking whirlpool on it . . ."
"If I might be so bold . . ." Facto started.
"I wouldn't, if I were you," Drew hissed back. She was checking out her new acquisition, and she didn't want to be bothered. Facto made a rude sound and stomped off the bridge, making as much noise as possible.
Taralin followed quietly behind him.
"I thought they'd never leave."
Drew went to the cooler, finding that it had slid all the way across the control room. She dragged it over to her chair, sat down, and started rifling through the contents. Soon she pulled out two beers and two cigars. Handing one of each to Van Gar, she leaned back in her chair, sniffed her cigar, and smiled.
"It's a whirlpool."
Van wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.
"I'm so proud."
Chapter 3
"No, no, and no!" Drewcila shook her head furiously. "I got paid to bring you here. You're here, and my job is finished. I'm gonna dump my shipment and I'm outtah here."
"I was told by your boss . . ."
"I ain't got no boss." Drewcila grinned impishly. "No one ain't ever had that kindah money."
"The man you work for, then."
"Don't work for no man." Drewcila grinned back.
"Erik Rider said . . ."
"Why didn't you just say that bloated pile of shit."
"Qwah!" Facto took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Erik Rider assured me that you and your friend would be giving us escort to the hotel. From there the King's guard will take over."
"Why ain't the guards here to meet her? I'm very busy here."
She watched as the crew of dock workers unloaded her scrap. One of the forklift drivers had just pulled out of the ship with a pallet load of generators. Sprawled across the top was the battered remains of a pirate. The driver was saying unhappy things about Salvagers who didn't dump their trash in space.
"Hey! Hey!" Drew screamed at the man till she got his attention.
"You're going to have to pay a disposal fee on these corpses, Qwah."
"Don't be looken for reasons to dock me on my scrap, bugger head. I know how much I had. And if you try and short me, you and him will be makin' butt-head book ends."
Facto breathed deeply again and tried to put himself into a kind of meditative state, but this wasn't such an easy task around the likes of Drewcila Qwah.
"So, Fuckto. What were ya saying?"
"Erik Rider assured me of an escort. It's part of what I paid for."
"Yeah, well he didn't tell me any such thing. I sure as hell didn't get paid to escort anyone anywhere, an I ain't stretching my neck out for nothin'."
Drew watched as some of the dock workers pulled the bodies off the top of the scrap. They knocked one of the generators off the pallet and it landed with a crash.
"Hey! Hey! I saw that shit! I'm gonna charge you if my scrap is damaged."
She saw that Facto was still standing there.
"You still here?"
"I'm not going without an escort."
"Then call up your lily-livered monarch and have him send you one. I can't leave these morons to unload my scrap. Surely you can see that. I'd lose a small fortune here."
"It's not that easy. We are trying to keep a low profile. The King didn't bring that many guards, and most of those are on the ship."
"Then go to the ship. Hell, I'll escort you there."
"But the King is in town!"
"So? He can come back to the ship. I don't get
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