Gannytown as anyone. Jim and Kass were the first friends Alex and Mary had made after settling in there.
Mary said Stubbs had supplied her funds to keep the pet store running. Stubbs also told her she would be gone for, “no more than a year.” As far as Alex knew, this was the first time frame anyone had put on the Goddard’s mission.
Alex couldn’t forget that instead of being home, recovering from the gee-pulse equivalent of jet lag, he was in a small waiting room in Gannytown Spacedock, being told to go back to the giant gerbil wheel in the sky.
He sighed. “Okay … the trip is the chance of a lifetime. And if it meant just hopping to another star, I’d say fine, but the business of nabbing a clicker man …” He looked at Mary. “Really, Mary my love, how do you feel about it?”
Mary returned his gaze with steel-eyed assurance. “I’m fine with it, Alex.”
“Just like that? You don’t feel used?” Alex couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I’m designed to be used.”
“Ain’t we all?” said Kass, tisking wistfully. “I knows how ya feels. Men jus’ don’ realize …”
Connie was taking a drink when Kass made her comment. She laughed explosively, spilling geebrew down the front of her flight suit.
“What?” said Kass.
Chapter 3
1 “Smells like a Ganny ship in here,” said Alex, sniffing in the direction of his co-pilot. “Tsu, I thought you hosed off in the ladies room.”
Diver was quickly approaching the white needle in the sky Mary had seen only in pictures. She crouched in the front near Connie, looking out the window.
Tsu never looked away from the controls. “The cleaner wasn’t working very well. It only took Ganny slugs, no Feds or creds.” She shot a steely glance at Alex. “You want a list? What is it wi’ these people? Never heard of money?”
Alex smiled and regarded Connie for a moment. “Not big on Corpie bucks, I guess. But, hey, I didn’t say it was a bad smell. I kinda like it. Hell, it’s as close to a Ganny bar as I’m gettin’ for a while.”
“We’re landing, Alex.” Tsu pointed at the gargantuan ship ahead of them. “Aren’t you flying this ship?” Alex didn’t need to defend himself. In the next second the green flashing markers lights lit up on his dash. As usual, his manual approach had been computer perfect.
Tsu was embarrassed when she saw the marker. “Oooops. Spoke too soon, supposes. Takin’ it back, Alex. Sorry.”
Mary turned from the window and smiled. “That was a big mistake, Connie,” she warned. “Now you’ve apologized, Alex’ll never let you forget it.”
“Listen to Mary,” Alex said with a wink. “She knows all my finer qualities.”
Auto-guidance systems aboard Goddard guided Diver swiftly into the shuttle bay. Alex noted that all the berths but theirs were now filled. When the bay was sealed and pressurized, a welcome party of three officers met them at the hatch. None of the crewmen were wearing foam suits, but he remembered that they were only worn during the gee-pulse. He was pleased to see that ordinary coveralls were the apparel of choice.
Following behind Alex and Connie as they took the main tubeway to the central cylinder, Mary had the expression of a child in Wonderland. In less than five minutes they were climbing the final steps to the park-like environment of the main level. Alex was eager to see Mary’s expression when she saw the incredible view.
“Oh,” Tsu suddenly said. “I have sunglasses for you.” She withdrew three sets of sunglasses from a leg pocket on her blue coveralls and handed a pair each to Mary and Alex. “Put these on.”
Alex and Mary did as Tsu asked, then exited the tubeway. Mary paused, shielding her eyes from the overhead light as she surveyed the expanse of the biocylinder. If the view impressed her, Alex couldn’t tell. At the moment, he presumed Mary was in what she often called ‘tourist mode’, meaning it hadn’t become real to her yet.
Their
Mary said Stubbs had supplied her funds to keep the pet store running. Stubbs also told her she would be gone for, “no more than a year.” As far as Alex knew, this was the first time frame anyone had put on the Goddard’s mission.
Alex couldn’t forget that instead of being home, recovering from the gee-pulse equivalent of jet lag, he was in a small waiting room in Gannytown Spacedock, being told to go back to the giant gerbil wheel in the sky.
He sighed. “Okay … the trip is the chance of a lifetime. And if it meant just hopping to another star, I’d say fine, but the business of nabbing a clicker man …” He looked at Mary. “Really, Mary my love, how do you feel about it?”
Mary returned his gaze with steel-eyed assurance. “I’m fine with it, Alex.”
“Just like that? You don’t feel used?” Alex couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I’m designed to be used.”
“Ain’t we all?” said Kass, tisking wistfully. “I knows how ya feels. Men jus’ don’ realize …”
Connie was taking a drink when Kass made her comment. She laughed explosively, spilling geebrew down the front of her flight suit.
“What?” said Kass.
Chapter 3
1 “Smells like a Ganny ship in here,” said Alex, sniffing in the direction of his co-pilot. “Tsu, I thought you hosed off in the ladies room.”
Diver was quickly approaching the white needle in the sky Mary had seen only in pictures. She crouched in the front near Connie, looking out the window.
Tsu never looked away from the controls. “The cleaner wasn’t working very well. It only took Ganny slugs, no Feds or creds.” She shot a steely glance at Alex. “You want a list? What is it wi’ these people? Never heard of money?”
Alex smiled and regarded Connie for a moment. “Not big on Corpie bucks, I guess. But, hey, I didn’t say it was a bad smell. I kinda like it. Hell, it’s as close to a Ganny bar as I’m gettin’ for a while.”
“We’re landing, Alex.” Tsu pointed at the gargantuan ship ahead of them. “Aren’t you flying this ship?” Alex didn’t need to defend himself. In the next second the green flashing markers lights lit up on his dash. As usual, his manual approach had been computer perfect.
Tsu was embarrassed when she saw the marker. “Oooops. Spoke too soon, supposes. Takin’ it back, Alex. Sorry.”
Mary turned from the window and smiled. “That was a big mistake, Connie,” she warned. “Now you’ve apologized, Alex’ll never let you forget it.”
“Listen to Mary,” Alex said with a wink. “She knows all my finer qualities.”
Auto-guidance systems aboard Goddard guided Diver swiftly into the shuttle bay. Alex noted that all the berths but theirs were now filled. When the bay was sealed and pressurized, a welcome party of three officers met them at the hatch. None of the crewmen were wearing foam suits, but he remembered that they were only worn during the gee-pulse. He was pleased to see that ordinary coveralls were the apparel of choice.
Following behind Alex and Connie as they took the main tubeway to the central cylinder, Mary had the expression of a child in Wonderland. In less than five minutes they were climbing the final steps to the park-like environment of the main level. Alex was eager to see Mary’s expression when she saw the incredible view.
“Oh,” Tsu suddenly said. “I have sunglasses for you.” She withdrew three sets of sunglasses from a leg pocket on her blue coveralls and handed a pair each to Mary and Alex. “Put these on.”
Alex and Mary did as Tsu asked, then exited the tubeway. Mary paused, shielding her eyes from the overhead light as she surveyed the expanse of the biocylinder. If the view impressed her, Alex couldn’t tell. At the moment, he presumed Mary was in what she often called ‘tourist mode’, meaning it hadn’t become real to her yet.
Their
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