"The first contract to Vega pays over three times as much,” Strawberry announced. "If we want to avoid that star system, we can take the one to Procyon and still make more than twice as much at the local run."
"What is the chance of getting good offers for other star systems after running the planet load?" I asked Strawberry specifically, since she was the one wanting to buck my plan.
There was a stubborn pause before she answered in a low voice, "The chances are good."
"Excellent," I said. "I appreciate everyone's input and hard work to get us to this point. Let's try to get a planet run contract when we dock. We'll grab a shitload of good selling food while we're down there and sell it at one of these stations. Then we'll get an interstellar contract that will have us bathing in dollar bills."
"What is a dollar bill?" Honey asked.
"That's what bitches used to dance for," I answered without giving it sufficient thought. Suddenly I had a hankering for a good strip club. Not the Vegas type either. No. The small town Pennsylvania kind where the local girls got seriously dolled up to persuade singles out of the drunk married men that lived down the street. When I rolled in with two hundred bucks they treated me like a celebrity.
But then again, I was already the king in my new world. And these women were way hotter than those almost-hookers.
"So, has the plan changed with our prisoner?" Strawberry asked. "Or do we intend to remain in the same star system for a while after we release her at Clark's?"
Ah. That could be a problem. We would need to not only find a way to unload our unwanted crew member, but also to do so in a way that wouldn’t bite us in the ass before we could get clear of the situation.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Clark's Station did indeed appear unfinished when viewed on camera. There was a central hub for a wheel, but the circle wasn't anywhere near complete. Less than a third of the way according to my estimation. And that portion was split equally between the two ends. Its barely perceptible spin of the two-headed pendulum created an artificial gravity for its occupants.
Both sides of the station had docks, markets and everything that a civilization in space needed. Only twenty thousand people made their home there, but population doubled when the docks were fully berthed. Depending on the size and crew of the ships. Most of those that lived on the station regularly worked to supply the merchant visitors in one way or another. Dock workers, sales staff, warehouse people, and those that worked in the factories to make valuables for export.
We were directed to berth B14. It was slightly off center and just two spots from an interstellar cargo carrier that could hold a hundred times more than our tiny craft. One more starship, just slightly larger than us, and seven system craft which were parked toward the ends of the docking strip.
Autopilot took us in and lined our roof hooks up with the slowly spinning station. I could barely feel the vibration when we made contact and were subsequently latched into place. After that, a contraption extended from the massive structure to slide between the legs of our ship, which were the engines. It took a few minutes before the platform was secure and locked into place around our exit. After an elevator lift tube dropped down to connect with the flat walkway, then the construction pressurized with breathable air. Doctor Vanilla confirmed the readings as our ship's computer analyzed the reliability of the connection with the station.
Our exit door slid open to reveal remarkably clean white walls and floors with a few scattered windows. I wasn't expecting a view of space from the temporary walkway and did my best not to be overly distracted by it. The air smelled funny, like an odd mix of a sterile hospital environment and the oily stench of an auto mechanic's workshop. Though our ship's air supply was recycled constantly it had still retained some of the Earthy scents of planetary life. I took a few deep breaths to acclimate to the change.
Typical length of stay at a station was four or five days, I was told. Since Clark's was smaller and less crowded, I was expecting a little quicker turnaround. The markets were open for business for another three hours this day. Hopefully, we'd be able sell our goods in that amount of time. Accepting a contract for an outgoing load would probably have to wait until business opened again the next day. Unless we split up. One of us could handle the selling and another do the buying. However, considering this was my first visit to a space station, I preferred that we stuck together.
Our side of the habitat structure reportedly had three eateries accessible from the docks. The girls were looking forward to having a nice meal later in the evening, and possibly some alcoholic beverages. I couldn't prevent them from enjoying their visit regardless with how uncomfortable I was in the new environment. But socializing would have to wait until later. This first excursion would be strictly for business.
With that in mind I brought only Strawberry and Cinnamon with me. The two sexy young women drew attention as soon as we stepped onto the spacious dock surface where cargo was being transported and stacked at nearby berths. The large ship three spots away was in the process of unloading their cargo.
Both my girls were lookers. I knew that. However, I quickly deduced that the reason for the stares was their skimpy uniforms. No wonder they wanted to change them. Everyone else in view was fully clothed in long sleeves and pants. Some even wore jackets as the
