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“My ship’s in dock.” I stood from the table and started for the exit. She left her glass on the table and followed me out. The smoke cloud parted as we walked through. Moments later, we stepped out into the muggy darkness and made our way down a small sidewalk in complete silence. A short distance down the path, we crossed a long footbridge over a near-dormant stream. I tried to hold my breath to avoid the rancid stench, but polluted my lungs enough to cause a coughing fit. My ship was one of only three vessels in the space dock as we stepped off the other end of the bridge. It was the smallest of the three, where the largest ship looked abandoned and the other had arrived after me. I walked toward my transport off by itself in the dim light. I lifted the left sleeve of my dark, heavy jacket and spoke into the embedded transmitter. “Jeanie, I have a guest who wants to inspect some merchandise.” A female voice, my ship’s computer, responded. “Acknowledged.” The entry hatch opened and folded down to the ground. I stepped up on the embedded stairs and turned to Angelika. “If you don’t mind, we can inspect the shipment inside my hold.” “I’d rather inspect it out here.” “Sorry, nothing personal but I don’t hold much trust for black market dealers.” “A wise choice, but I hold the same trust for space pirates.” “Fair enough.” I continued inside without another word. Hesitant, she followed. My living quarters were a disaster area, with clothes, belongings and empty bottles of Vladirian liquor spread all over. I kicked a path clear to the aft wall, where an open hatch led to the cargo hold. We walked down the dimly lit corridor to the second bay on our right. I entered the code to open the internal hatch into a keypad. It creaked its objection and slid aside. I stepped in and rubbed my hands together while my breath formed a misty cloud. “To let you know, this stuff has to be refrigerated.” “Understood.” I didn’t figure she’d last long inside the bay, dressed as she was, so I hurried the process along. Two sets of levers rotated at the corners of the rectangular container, which allowed me to pull down the upper side hatch. The container almost filled the bay, so we climbed up on the wall’s support structure and looked inside at thousands of cylindrical medical cartridges. Each one had a sticker slapped on it which listed the drug name and normal warnings about storage and shipping. “Impressive.” Her teeth chattered as she climbed down and folded her arms across her chest. “Need to examine it some more?” She shook her head, so I re-latched the container and jumped down to the floor. We went back out into my much warmer living quarters. “So, are you interested in a purchase?” She nodded. “Ready whenever you are.” “Let’s step outside.” We exited down the entry hatch stairs, back out to the dark, dingy space dock. The pungent air burned inside my nostrils. Pinpoints of light shone in the distance as buildings towered against the skyline. Angelika waved both arms above her head and a pair of headlights flashed on nearby. An internal combustion engine roared to life before a tracked vehicle rolled into view with its trailer. It made a quick u-turn, then came to a stop next to my ship. The windows were tinted so I couldn’t see the driver inside the compact cab. Angelika glared at me. “We’re ready for the transfer whenever you are.” “Nothing personal, but I prefer payment first.” “You might prefer it, but I demand the goods first.” I mulled over my options in silence. I could be a stickler for pre-payment and lose the entire deal. Personally, it surprised me she hadn’t been more forceful in her negotiation. I lifted my sleeve. “Jeanie, unload bay two.” “Acknowledged.” I turned to my guest. “So, do a lot of this type of business out here?” External bay doors on the other side of my ship opened and the sound echoed in the emptiness. She looked over at me. “More than the other.” “Not a lot of law enforcement in this neck of the woods then?” Her face no longer sported the pleasant seductive smile she had when I was first approached. “We have some agreements in place with the authorities.” “They take a percentage?” “A
little more complicated than that.” |