Fool's Gold: Carson Lyle's War - Part One Read Free

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    Shorty started moving his way forward through the crowd. Lyle noticed. It wasn't like him to be so anxious.
    "Here's the meat and potatoes of the deal, boys." The foreman pointed to the compensation clause. "The client has listed the starting pay bid for this run at nine-hundred-eighty-two thousand credits."
    A couple haulers cat-called their approval.
    "Ah, you like that, eh? Well, if the cargo reaches the dock in..." He checked the time on the screen. "...thirty-five hours, forty-two minutes from now, that hauler will be paid a handsome two-hundred-thousand bonus. I also feel obliged to point out that bottom line," The foreman pointed to the bottom of the clause on the screen. In bold font, were the words: CONTRACT TO HIRE."
    There were collective 'wows' throughout the gathering of haulers. Steady work of any kind, in this these times, was something some people had killed for.
    "Let's start the bidding at say...nine-eighty. Anybody? Nine-eighty..."
    "Here," someone said.
    "Do I hear nine-seventy? Anyone?"
    "Yo!"
    "This guy at nine-seventy! Who Else?"
    A hand raised near the front of the platform. "Nine-sixty!"
    "Ho ho! I have nine-sixty to Shorty at the front."
    Lyle crossed his arms and thought for a moment. Not like you, Shorty. Not like you at all.
    The bidding continued on in five hundred to a thousand credit increments. The longer the bidding went on, the more palpable the enthusiasm among everyone became.
    Lyle had his data pad out and opened a custom written app he used to calculate costs. He keyed in the figures, and shifted them around, running a few different scenarios with different variables. The good thing about a run to El Dorado was there weren't too many variables to worry about.
    He looked up to see the current bid. It was down to nine-forty-two-five and it was slowing down. Bids were down to one hundred credits increments with Shorty holding the current bid, with a nervous smile.
    "Is that it, boys? Down to hundred cred bids? I think it's time to wrap this up." The foreman held up the electronic gavel with his thumb on the button. "I got nine-forty-two-five going once...nine-forty-two-five going twice...No more bidders?"
    Time to make some money. "Nine-twenty!"
    About two dozen heads snapped to look at who called that bid.
    "Holy smokes! There's the man, himself! Nine-twenty to Mr. Lyle."
    Shorty didn't have a poker face to speak of. He shot his hand up. "Nine-ten!"
    Lyle gave him a golf clap as he walked to the platform and stood next to Shorty.
    "What the hell are you doing?" Shorty said, as more of a statement than a question.
    "Nine-o-five," Lyle said.
    The crowd was almost in a frenzy. Out of the corner of his eye, Lyle could see side bets being made among the onlookers.
    The foreman was egging Shorty on. "That's nine-o-five, son. You're not going to let this one get away, are you?"
    Lyle figured Shorty was done. There were only two other guys he knew of that had ships that could make that run with a chance at the bonus and Shorty wasn't one of them. He estimated Shorty would clear just a few thousand profit after expenses. Not really worth it out to the Outer Rim. It was the bonus Lyle was hanging his hat on and he still had plenty of bidding room to go.
    A slender, olive-skinned man with a goatee had an arm on Shorty's shoulder. "Come on, man! You can't let this one go! It's your job!
    "Nine...nine-o-two." Shorty didn't sound the least bit happy with that number.
    "Nine-o-two to you, Mr. Lyle. Talk to me."
    Carson Lyle crossed his arms and sarcastically tugged at the scruff of hair on his chin. "Gee, I don't know. Nine-o-two is pretty strong. Hmmm...Let me think a sec..."
    Shorty exploded. "Nine-hundred, dammit! You know you can't do nine-hundred. Just give it to me now! This job is meant for me!"
    Lyle was surprised. Shorty was a hothead, but he knew how this game was played and Shorty must have forgotten Lyle learned from the best; his mentor, Mad Jack.
    "Don't take too long. I might