Smuggler's Dilemma Read Free

from Marny to Nick and then to me with a slight grin.
    A waiter appeared with water, coffee and fresh juice. I chose what Ada ordered and waited for him to leave. Ada looked back to me expectantly.
    "The full offer is five percent of the company plus one hundred twenty percent of standard captain’s salary and a captain’s share on the loads you command."
    "Am I in charge of setting up my own runs?" she asked.
    Nick stepped in. "Not at first, because we'll fly as a fleet. But, we’re open to the idea."
    "That sounds fair. Can I have time to think about it? I’d like to talk it through with Dad," she said.
    "Of course," I said. "How long do you think you’ll need?"
    "Three days. Dad's going to be a pain about everything, but eventually he’ll settle down. The return on the ore-hauling put him in a good mood." Ada’s dad had been an investor in our trip to Jeratorn. He was protective of his daughter after his wife's death, but the family still had to make a living.
    The food arrived and for several minutes the table was quiet as we dug in.
    Ada finally broke the silence. "So what are you going to do with all your busted up ships?"
    "Look for a replacement. We’re headed out this afternoon and tomorrow. Want to go along?" I asked.
    She beamed, "What girl doesn’t like shopping? But I promised Dad that I’d see him this afternoon, so how about tomorrow?"
    "That works. I’m picking up Tabby at 1100 and expect to be space-side by 1300." I said.
    "Great. See you tomorrow," Ada stood and we all stood with her as she handed out good-bye hugs.
    "What’s on the schedule for today?" I asked my compatriots.
    "You need to do a little scouting to narrow down our ship choices," Nick told me. "I sent you a list of the ten CA-12s between Coolidge and Puskar Stellar. We won’t know what we can afford until we sell the frigate, but you can at least see what the market has to offer."
    It seemed like a fun way to spend the afternoon.
     

REUNION
     
    Early the next morning, I found Nick at a desk in the common room of the suite - obviously working. I grabbed a cup of coffee and a meal bar.
    "How’d it go yesterday?" he asked. "You didn’t get back until late."
    "Expensive." I figured that explained it. "Every ship was seven hundred thousand or better. Although I did choose to start at the top of the list. I wanted to see what a million got you in a CA-12. They’re nice, but it doesn't seem worth it."
    " Sterra’s Gift was worth almost that much on our last run," Nick said.
    "You mean before I ran it into the back of that frigate?"
    "That certainly didn’t help its value," he said. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. "Keep your eye out for a second ship. Something with teeth. Maybe something we could lash to the tug and use if we get into trouble."
    "With the prices I’ve been seeing, I don’t know how possible it’ll be," I knew I sounded frustrated, but yesterday was not as much fun as I'd hoped.
    "Keep looking," he said. "You’ll find better prices today. Remember we can make parts for it, so it can be a little beat up."
    "You should have seen how crappy some of the ships were, though. Are you going with us today?" I asked.
    "Nope, we’re on a short timeframe. I’d like to get underway within a week. A ship surveyor is meeting me at the frigate at 1000." He paused and then said, "Oh, I also purchased a container so we can offload non-essentials. Think you could pick that up? I know you want to spend time with Tabby, but you’ll be space-side anyway."
    Nick was in full planning mode. The best thing I could do for him was take care of any details I could wrap my brain around.
    "Roger that. So, three shipyards today. Give me numbers. What’s my ballpark for the cutter and an attack craft?" I couldn’t wait to check out the darts, although truth be told I didn't think they had enough teeth.
    "Six to seven hundred for both. We’ve got one-ninety in the bank and should clear a million for the frigate."
    I whistled,