Only too happy to oblige!
“So, what’s the story, Vince? Word is you really got the customs and trade boys stirred up! I’m not sure three months will do it. Might want to make it six.”
“I’m afraid it’s going to have to be more than six, Paul,” I said mournfully. “A lot more. They really got it in for me this time. I’m going to be taking my business elsewhere until further notice.”
“Oh…” said Paul, casting his eyes downward “That’s a real shame.” He seemed genuinely hurt.
“I’m sorry, mate! You know if it were up to me, I wouldn’t be going anywhere! Tell you what I’ll do. As long as I’m there, I’ll try and scrounge up some lagfruit to send back to you.”
“Really?” This seemed to brighten his spirits immensely.
“Count on it,” I said, flashing him my grin normally reserved for false promises.
“Good luck, Vince,” he said, extending his monstrous hand out one last time.
“Good luck, Paul,” I returned, giving him my best imitation of his own arm-dislocating salutations.
With that, I watched him disappear into the commotion of the docks.
At length, I turned to face the ship that would bear me to the other side of the galaxy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much to look at. It was old. I might be tempted to go as far as to say antique. Its once smooth surface was pitted from collisions with meteors of varying magnitudes, and the shiny chromium was marred by thick black scorch marks. Though the freighter was small compared to all of the other ships in the yard, it was still enormous. It occurred to me that I really wasn’t in any position to complain.
I hurried aboard and found the area described in the handwritten note furnished by Paul. The good news was I was getting a free ride, no questions asked. The bad news was that I was in the storage clutch. Right next to the engines. Engines that sounded like thirty people screaming that raised in pitch as they cycled every fifteen minutes. Given the chance, (and a spacesuit), I might have rather held onto the wing.
It wasn’t long at all before we were underway. The ship heaved and groaned around me as it oriented itself upright and burst skyward. It’s a good thing the cargo was held in place magnetically, because if the G’s didn’t crush you, all of the junk sliding around down there certainly would.
That’s all I have concrete so far. Questions, comments, criticisms? I have some fragments to be added later in the story written up if anyone’s interested.
Also: The stuff he got at the very beginning is some sort of… thing to enable his tiny human lungs to breathe the atmosphere on this alien planet through some excruciatingly painful chemical… alterations. Or something like that. I need to say that somewhere, otherwise it loses relevancy. Problem is, I don’t know where to put it. I’m kind of attached to it being at the beginning, because that was the first idea I had that made me want to write this, but I may just have to get over myself.
