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Cam is dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a bowl of tomato soup when he feels the summons. He goes ahead and grabs it. Doesn't even drop the sandwich.
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whyexit
"Thanks. Ensign, you can go back to your duties now."
The ensign scampers. Thorne leads them to a small conference-room-like thing.
"So what's the story?"
The ensign scampers. Thorne leads them to a small conference-room-like thing.
"So what's the story?"
unmarred
"It's the sort of story that is best known as few people as possible, so if anyone is watching us, please indicate to them that they should stop," says Mark. "You can decide who to tell after you hear it."
unmarred
"All right. How would you like a new ship?" inquires Mark. "Cam has the ability to generate any sufficiently well-defined object made of matter, essentially for free. All we really need is a pilot - beyond our means to produce on such short notice. I'd also be interested to know who Miles pissed off on Jackson's Whole. But unless the answer is 'literally everyone', I don't think I'll be dissuaded."
whyexit
"Ryoval, mostly. If you avoid him and his agents you might be okay. ...New ship, huh? Any kind?"
from_scratch
"Any real kind or obvious, physically-possible deviation from same," says Cam. "I can't make you the - oh, all my science fiction references are going to fall totally flat, aren't they. Well, I cannot make you science fiction references."
whyexit
"Okay. Suppose you make a non-science-fictional ship - I'll need a while to think about what kind I want - and you borrow my backup pilot, and she'll take you to Jackson's Whole in the new ship and drop you off and then bring the ship back. That worth your Betan dollars?"
whyexit
"Absolute pleasure doing business with you. Backup pilot's sleep shift will be over in a couple hours, that's enough time to get away from the dock where we can appear my new toy. I still haven't caught your name...?"
unmarred
Oh, what the hell, it's not like withholding said name will make Miles's identity that much harder to trace. Captain Thorne was there for the adventure on Earth. It's had ample chance to connect those dots already.
"Mark."
"Mark."
whyexit
"And before I spend the fuel on the hike out to the middle of nowhere, a little demo of the instant-shipyard-just-add-nothing?"
whyexit
"I," says Thorne to Cam, "like you. Okay, I'll tell the helm, let's get out of here."
Thorne tells the helm. They get out of there.
Thorne tells the helm. They get out of there.
unmarred
Mark is practically bouncing. He did not know he was going to be this pleased about getting underway here.
whyexit
Thorne decides on the way what kind of ship it wants. It's fast, it's compatible with the backup pilot's implants, it's sleek and shiny, and it takes a very compact type of fuel that Cam can easily make enough of to last years.
from_scratch
Cam makes one, conveniently already docked in place, while most of the Ariel's crew is on sleep shift and not there to notice the sudden appearance of a ship - they will be allowed to believe that it was already there to be met for pilot-borrowing.
And they borrow the Ariel's backup pilot, who is very pleased by the shiny new ship, and go aboard what Thorne has dubbed the Prospero. The Ariel disengages and returns to Escobar with a considerable quantity of Mark's money, and the Prospero heads for Jackson's Whole.
And they borrow the Ariel's backup pilot, who is very pleased by the shiny new ship, and go aboard what Thorne has dubbed the Prospero. The Ariel disengages and returns to Escobar with a considerable quantity of Mark's money, and the Prospero heads for Jackson's Whole.
unmarred
Mark wonders merrily what Miles is going to think of all this. He suspects they will find out.
The trip is not quite three full days, in this ship. Mark selects a cabin and then goes and finds Cam.
"I want to tell you as much as I can about Jackson's Whole, but I'm not quite sure where to start."
The trip is not quite three full days, in this ship. Mark selects a cabin and then goes and finds Cam.
"I want to tell you as much as I can about Jackson's Whole, but I'm not quite sure where to start."
from_scratch
"I am if anything even less sure where you should start. Who's the fellow you have to avoid because Miles pissed him off?"
unmarred
"Baron Ryoval. Political organization there, such as it is, divides into Houses ruled by Barons. Each House has one or more particular specialties or niches; Ryoval's is prostitution and custom-engineered bio-slaves. House Bharaputra does biologicals more generally; they're the primary supplier for the clone-transplant business. House Fell does weapons; Baron Fell is getting on in years, and might be our most eager customer if we can find him a trustworthy surgeon - the last clone he had commissioned was assassinated before the operation, so he is understandably cautious. I suspect I might know what Miles did to piss off Ryoval, actually; rumour has it that something catastrophic happened to the collection of tissue samples he uses to generate his wares, a few years back. Now that I know he's annoyed with Admiral Naismith about something, that rumour smells of a Miles-accident."
from_scratch
"When we show up and the pilot leaves with the shiny new ship, what are our options for finding places to park ourselves?"