crate hauler?” The man laughed and slapped his leg.
“It’s a good ship,” Clark said mildly.
I bit my tongue and didn’t say anything.
“Beats yours, Ren,” another spacer chimed in.
“Fancy lady yacht,” someone else teased.
They bantered back and forth for the five minutes it took to reach the gate. We all climbed off. The transport driver waved and drove away. We headed for the entry checkpoint. Shamustel wasn’t an open port with free access. Offworlders, especially ship crew, had to check in and out. We showed our id plates, the port security officer scanned them then let us through the gate.
We were stopped by another officer. “Purpose on Shamustel?” she asked in a clipped voice.
“Trade,” I said and showed my ID again.
She entered the information on her desk comp. It beeped and let us through. We were finally loose in the port city.
“Guild office,” I said. I had paid my dues back on Tebros while we were refitting the ship. It would be a good place to start looking for something to ship somewhere. Clark nodded. We found the office without much trouble. Huge pillars lined the front of it. Most of the buildings on Shamustel had pillars.
Clark stopped at the bottom of the steps. I was already halfway up.
“I’ve got some personal business,” Clark said. “Do I have to formally ask for shore leave?”
“Can I call you if I need you?”
“It will only take a couple of hours.” He flipped me a mock salute.
I watched him saunter away. I was trying to find a way to get away from him to visit the Patrol offices, anyway. Finding Tayvis was personal. I looked at the Guild offices behind me, debating. Since I was already there, going in and taking care of business won.
I found the cargo listings on a screen at the far end of the lobby. I had to prove I was registered and up to date on my dues before they let me access it. On worlds where the Guild was respected, those that weren’t dominated by big shipping companies or by thugs, Guild membership paid for itself. Guild ships got the pick of the cargo list that wasn’t already contracted. I scrolled through the listings, checking the destinations against where I didn’t want to go. Back towards Viya and Tebros was out, as were the frontier worlds around Dru’Ott. I found eight possible listings.
I used the vidphone nearby to call them. Four had already contracted their cargo. Another one didn’t answer. Two of the others wanted me to take the cargo on consignment. I didn’t have the cash for those deals. I turned them down. The last was a possibility. The listing said decorative ceramics, the mass would fit in the holds of my ship. And they were to be shipped to Kimmel, a planet off in a completely new direction for me, one far enough away that I didn’t think I’d have to worry about the Targon Syndicate. I called the company.
I had to listen to a long diatribe about shipping companies that canceled contracts after jacking up their prices to the point that a decent businessman couldn’t possibly afford them. I managed to finally break in and ask the man for details on the shipment. Then I got to listen to a long lecture on how he had structured his business. He had outlets on ten different worlds. His ceramics were collectibles that had a respectable following. He was looking for someone to sign a long term contract.
I offered him a short term one instead. We dickered for a while, he didn’t trust me not to just steal his cargo. I finally talked him into setting up a meeting for lunch. I promised to bring my Guild ID and ship specs. I wanted to make him promise not to lecture me again, but I didn’t dare take the chance on losing the only cargo I’d found so far.
I hung up feeling a bit better. Maybe I could sign a contract with him, depending on how often he wanted runs made. I had a list of the worlds where he shipped his goods. I went to the library section and put in a request for trade items listed for those worlds. I
“It’s a good ship,” Clark said mildly.
I bit my tongue and didn’t say anything.
“Beats yours, Ren,” another spacer chimed in.
“Fancy lady yacht,” someone else teased.
They bantered back and forth for the five minutes it took to reach the gate. We all climbed off. The transport driver waved and drove away. We headed for the entry checkpoint. Shamustel wasn’t an open port with free access. Offworlders, especially ship crew, had to check in and out. We showed our id plates, the port security officer scanned them then let us through the gate.
We were stopped by another officer. “Purpose on Shamustel?” she asked in a clipped voice.
“Trade,” I said and showed my ID again.
She entered the information on her desk comp. It beeped and let us through. We were finally loose in the port city.
“Guild office,” I said. I had paid my dues back on Tebros while we were refitting the ship. It would be a good place to start looking for something to ship somewhere. Clark nodded. We found the office without much trouble. Huge pillars lined the front of it. Most of the buildings on Shamustel had pillars.
Clark stopped at the bottom of the steps. I was already halfway up.
“I’ve got some personal business,” Clark said. “Do I have to formally ask for shore leave?”
“Can I call you if I need you?”
“It will only take a couple of hours.” He flipped me a mock salute.
I watched him saunter away. I was trying to find a way to get away from him to visit the Patrol offices, anyway. Finding Tayvis was personal. I looked at the Guild offices behind me, debating. Since I was already there, going in and taking care of business won.
I found the cargo listings on a screen at the far end of the lobby. I had to prove I was registered and up to date on my dues before they let me access it. On worlds where the Guild was respected, those that weren’t dominated by big shipping companies or by thugs, Guild membership paid for itself. Guild ships got the pick of the cargo list that wasn’t already contracted. I scrolled through the listings, checking the destinations against where I didn’t want to go. Back towards Viya and Tebros was out, as were the frontier worlds around Dru’Ott. I found eight possible listings.
I used the vidphone nearby to call them. Four had already contracted their cargo. Another one didn’t answer. Two of the others wanted me to take the cargo on consignment. I didn’t have the cash for those deals. I turned them down. The last was a possibility. The listing said decorative ceramics, the mass would fit in the holds of my ship. And they were to be shipped to Kimmel, a planet off in a completely new direction for me, one far enough away that I didn’t think I’d have to worry about the Targon Syndicate. I called the company.
I had to listen to a long diatribe about shipping companies that canceled contracts after jacking up their prices to the point that a decent businessman couldn’t possibly afford them. I managed to finally break in and ask the man for details on the shipment. Then I got to listen to a long lecture on how he had structured his business. He had outlets on ten different worlds. His ceramics were collectibles that had a respectable following. He was looking for someone to sign a long term contract.
I offered him a short term one instead. We dickered for a while, he didn’t trust me not to just steal his cargo. I finally talked him into setting up a meeting for lunch. I promised to bring my Guild ID and ship specs. I wanted to make him promise not to lecture me again, but I didn’t dare take the chance on losing the only cargo I’d found so far.
I hung up feeling a bit better. Maybe I could sign a contract with him, depending on how often he wanted runs made. I had a list of the worlds where he shipped his goods. I went to the library section and put in a request for trade items listed for those worlds. I
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