Acquisitions

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

4/30/96:

I leaned back a bit on the couch, and grimaced a bit.
Setting down the paper I was reading, I rubbed my eyes.

Digging out my pad and pencil from under the stacks of
papers, I jotted down a figure at the bottom of the twenty
or so I already have. Doing some quick addition, I sighed.
"Well this is going to be a tight squeeze."

"What is?" Orian asked leaning over he railing of the second
floor.

I taped the pad, "The cost for the ship, keeping it in a
dock here on Prid is going to cost a bloody fortune."

"Why here? It's not like you can go anyplace. Why not store
it in your Verse?"

"Well," I said, looking up at her, "First, we would have to
build the dock. Second, to get a ship away from Earth, with
out anyone noticing... well, it's not something I want to
try."

She nodded, her hair falling over her face, "Anything else
other then that?"

I shrugged, "this and that, but in the end, I think I've
found a good ship, at the right cost."

"Free?" she joked.

i shook my head, "I wish. Try about one-thousand two-hundred
credits, exchanged into the native funds, about twenty-five
thousand. Interestingly enough, that's about the same for my
verse."

She blinked, and leaned forward a bit, "That is a lot of
cash."

"Ya, but the next cheapest was about three thousand credits.
Though this one is everything I need, mostly."

"If it's so cheep, someone probably will get it before you
do."

I grinned up at her, "It's been there for twenty years, it
can wait an hour or so until we get there."

She rolled her eyes, "Sounds fun." Then she ducked back, and
came down the stairs.

I picked up a credit chit for that world of the table, and
pocketed it, "Come on then. I've been there setting up some
of this, all I needed was a place to dock it, which I now
have." Then grabbing my backpack, I gave her a slight grin,
and headed out the door.

* * *

The young weasel grinned at me as he entered the office,
"Hello... You must be Mr. Cutter."

I nodded, "And you must be Mr. Henderson, nice to actually
meet in person, and not just over the phone."

"Yes, yes it is, now you have expressed interest..." he
trailed off as he actually saw me and Oriana. "Um... no
offense... but what are you two?"

Oria glanced at me, "One species, no contact?" she mouthed.

I nodded, "Um... don't worry, we're from a few worlds out."

He raised an eyebrow, "I heard the far colonies had some
strange mutations... but this is ridiculous."

I laughed, "Well... About the ship?"

"Oh um... yes. You said you where interested in a ship, you
have a specific one we have, or want me to show you some."

"I have one I want, serial number four-eight-seven
three-two-five fifteen."

He nodded, and muttering the number under his breather dug
through some files in one of his drawers. Setting it on his
desk he opened it, and flipped through the papers. Looking
up, he stared at me, "Are you sure? I have a nice number
with a new hyperdrive and--"

"No," I said, cutting him off. "That one will be perfect."

He nodded, "Ok, I can do that. Come with me." Then picking
the file up, he headed out the door.

I followed him, my backpack over my shoulder, Oriana
following me.

"How much do you know about this ship?" Henderson asked.

I shrugged, "Very little actually, I know it's been in
storage for 20 years, and that you've had it for about six
months."

He flipped through the file as we walked past a few ships
under construction, "Yes, also the ship it's self is about
50 years old, and has been a swap for spare parts for years.
It has sub-light drive only, partial life support, no
working computer core, minimal piloting systems. Hell I
can't even tell you if the spaceframe can support a
hyperdrive anymore!"

"I knew something like that."

Oriana tapped me on the shoulder, "Why are you buying a
junker like this then?" She whispered

"I plan to rebuild it. I mean, that's half the fun." I
whispered back.

She roller her eyes, "Whatever."

"Well," Henderson said, stopping in front of a ship, "This
is it."

I tilted my head, it was about 200 feet tall, 700 or so
long, and I was unable to tell how wide. It was a blackish
blue in colour, and had a few windows here and there.
Compared to the other ships in the bay it looked blocky.

"Well... It's definitely an old ship, how's the inside?"

He chuckled, "In pieces, though the bridge is together, and
the only place under gravity."

I pulled out the credit chit, and handed it to him, "We'll
take it."

He blinked, and took it from me, "Are you sure?"

"Yep."

He rolled his eyes, and pulled out a small device, in which
me placed the chit. The pressing a few buttons he pulled the
chit out, and passed it to me. "The ships all yours. Though
I don't know how you plan to get in anywhere."

I put the chit back into my pocket, "I have someone come to
ship it off a few lightyears out, I plan to take it from
there."

He shook his head, and grinned. "Well, if you say so." He
then handed my the folder, "This has all the codes and blue
prints. The data-bit inside has details, and the repair,
replacement, and swapping history of every part."

I took the folder and flipped through it, reading though
what was there (I had the foresight to get the language,
spoken and written, downloaded into mine and Oria's
translators. Though it cost me a good chuck of cash).

"Well everything looks in order." I said, "It's been a
pleaser doing business with you."

He grinned, "You bought that flying junk pile, I think
you'll get less pleaser out of it then I will from this
sale." Then with a tip of his head, he started back to his
office.

I grinned, walking down the length of the ship. "So, what do
you think?" I asked Oria

She shook her head, "I think you just blew a good chunk of
cash."

I laughed, "Come on Oria! I picked this ship because it was
such a junker. The idea is to rebuild it!"

"Fox, are you nuts?! There is now way you can rebuild this
thing by yourself."

"Ah, that's where your right, and wrong." I said, stopping
next to an airlock.

"Oh?"

I nodded, dusting off the panel next to it. "Yep, the dock I
have, it has an automated system, and the old owner is
contracted to fifteen different contractors. The contracts
fall to me as I am currently renting it."

She rubbed her chin, "Well, that could help, but do you
really think you can rebuild it?"

"Yep." I said, as I punched in the code for the airlock.
There was a slight hiss as the door opened. I went inside.

Following me, Oria said, "Well... I guess I could help you."

I chuckled as I closed the outerdoor, and opened the inner
one, "I kinda though so."

She shook her head as we headed up to the bridge, working
are way up the steps. A good chunk of the ship was in
pieces, in a few places you could see both sides of the
inside hull. Ever few feet there was a missing wall panel,
or wiring on the floor, and even once, there was no floor.

Eventually we made it to the bridge. "Fox, um... not to
burst your bubble, how do you plan to get this to Prid?"
Oria asked.

I grinned, unshouldering my backpack, "Easy. The ship is to
be dropped by the nearest megafold, which is where I have it
paid to be dropped."

"And how do you play to get to it with out going to the
megafold yourself?"

"Easy," I said, pulling out a small radio type device, "When
they leave there instructions are to send a message that
will kick this on. Which will open up the megafold
connecting it the Prid's megafold."

She furrowed her eyebrows as I connect it up, "How far away
from Prid is that?"

I grinned again, "About an AU. Remember Prid is a binary
star system--"

She cut me off, "--and megafolds form between stars. I
didn't think about that."

I dusted my hands off, "No one does, but that was one of the
main reasons that system was picked for the seat of the
council. Come one lets go."

"How long till it arrives on Prid?"

I shrugged, heading down the hall, "A week or so."

She chuckled a bit, "And while you wait?"

"Reading the specs in this folder."

Oriana shook her head, and patted me on the back, "Good
idea, don't want you to get sucked into space or something."

I grinned, "Ya, that would be a bad thing."