When the last passenger is off, Paris slumps tiredly against the
bulkhead and smiles at Bart. "My friend, thank you--you've
been a
lifesaver--and have you ever been fishing?"
Bart has been fishing, but not deep sea fishing. :)
"mmm hummm," Bart nods absently, his eyes following the ground car.
Paris looked up at him. "Could I impose upon you to take our Noble fishing?" she asked. "Of course, the downside is that you *would* have to bring him back."
Paris and Bart stand at the open hatchway looking out at the Lorton
Starport. The air is cool, crisp, but thin with a hint of salt
in it,
The local gravity is only a little over half standard, enough to
your feet down where they belong, but little enough to make
around a pleasure. The port here is small...you can see
only a few
landing pads, and most are empty. What looks like another few
pads are
out beyond a high chainlink fence with tangle wire along its
top...military base, maybe? The local time is late afternoon
and a few
lights are beginning to come on in the buildings here.
As you stand there a small ground car leaves the terminal area
and comes
across the tarmac toward your ship, pulling to a halt just below the
hatch where Paris and Bart are standing. A short, stout, young woman
steps out from the driver's side and looks up at you.
Paris frowned.
The woman is dressed in the Starport Authority uniform of a
lieutenant.> She reaches inside the vehicle and picks up her hat,
which she plops
onto her head, a briefcase. Then she walks swiftly toward the
leading up to the hatch.
Her voice is high pitched as she looks up and calls out to you
from the
foot of the stairs, "Lieutenant Urquart of the ISA requests
to come aboard."
"Hell, pretty young women are always welcome," Bart says, his
perpetually surprised expression shinning down on her.
"Don't worry about the Mouse, she's not near as ferocious as she
looks." He
adds, cupping his huge hand near his mouth away from the mouse, in
a loud
stage whisper, "It's just we offloaded her work, so now she's got
no body to be bossy with but me."
Paris laughed, her exhaustion sloughing off like it had never been there. "Yes, Bart, but you like it when I'm bossy." She smiled at the officer. "But you are welcome aboard, Lieutenant, and might I ask of you your business this fine day?"
